"The hardest battles are fought in the mind, not with the sword."

-Dillion, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Standing in the passenger hold of the large transport helicopter, Izuku had to force himself not to smile as the group of teens all chattered excitedly to each other. For many of them it was their first time flying in a helicopter, and Izuku was secretly glad he was able to help them make some fun memories.

After all, he couldn't just traumatize them every time he met them.

As the Ministry of Defense helicopter flew through the night sky, Izuku turned to speak to Uraraka. "And you are sure your school is okay with us flying in an international music star to hang out in your dorm?"

Uraraka smiled happily and nodded. "I did like you said and called Aizawa-Sensei, and he said the principal was fine with it. They were going to pick us up anyways when they heard about the concert attack."

At first, Izuku had suggested bringing everyone to an old karaoke bar he knew of. But surprisingly, the small teen named Mineta had suggested the good idea of bringing Cassandra and company back to the UA dorm instead. Honestly, it was not a bad plan. However, when nobody was looking Mineta had smiled in such a sinister and perverted way that Izuku almost reflexively punted him out of the building. So as they made their way to the UA campus, Izuku made sure to keep an eye on Mineta the entire time.

Feeling the helicopter begin to descend, Izuku looked out one of the small windows and watched as the brightly lit UA campus steadily got closer. With a soft thump, the helicopter landed on one of the spacious lawns around class 1-A's dorm building and opened its cargo ramp.

As everyone disembarked, Izuku briefly poked his head into the helicopter cockpit and gave the two pilots an appreciative nod. "Thanks for flying tonight guys, I know this is not exactly what you might have had in mind when you were called out to fly. We should only be here for an hour or two. After this is all over I will buy you both a case of beer."

The senior pilot sporting a small goatee smiled and nodded his thanks. "Hey, getting to fly around a bunch of famous people is not the worst gig in the world. I think we can survive a few hours of nap time."

Chuckling at the pilot's carefree attitude, Izuku patted both pilots on the shoulder before exiting the helicopter.

Striding over to the front entrance of the dorm where Rumi was waiting, Izuku curiously looked around as he stepped inside. "Damn, these kids are living better than most middle class families."

Rumi shrugged uncaringly as she followed Izuku towards the sound of excited talking. "It is UA after all, a place this famous can afford to pimp out every building if they want to."

Stepping into the common room, Izuku watched as the students of class 1-A rushed around rearranging furniture and fetching supplies. As the many chairs and sofas were rearranged into a half circle, a few of the students appeared with high-quality musical equipment in hand.

Rumi arched an eyebrow curiously as she spoke loudly. "Where the hell did these twerps get gear like that?"

Immediately popping up from behind a couch, the pink girl named Ashido gestured proudly to a blushing Jirou who awkwardly looked at the floor. "Jirou's mom and dad are both musicians! Good ones too! Jirou is amazing at anything musical!"

Clearly not enjoying the attention from Izuku, Rumi, Cassandra, and Miyu, Jirou frowned and waved away Ashido's assertions.

"It's just a hobby." The purple-haired girl said stiffly. "I am not as good as she says, I just dabble from time to time."

The tall girl with the ponytail named Yaoyorozu rolled her eyes as she sighed in exasperation. "Contrary to what Jirou says, she really is a talented musician and singer. After all, she was the star of the musical performance our class did a little bit ago."

Obviously intrigued, Cassandra nodded eagerly with a smile on her face. "You guys did your own concert? Do you have a video of it?"

Before Jirou could stop her, Ashido had rushed over to Cassandra and Miyu with her phone in hand and the video of the show ready to play. At this point Izuku was just as curious as Cassandra, Miyu, and Rumi, so he walked over to watch the video as well.

It was actually quite impressive what the students had managed to pull off, and by the end of the video Cassandra was clapping in excitement with a beaming smile on her face.

"That was so cool!" Cassandra exclaimed. "You guys are really talented! When you all graduate feel free to give me a call and we can make a music video together!"

At this point Jirou had tried to sneak away while everyone was watching the video, but before she could escape Cassandra had pulled her back in with a cheerful smile.

"You are especially talented Jirou!" Cassandra said approvingly. "When you become a pro-hero I could totally see you doing some concerts on the side!"

Blushing bright red at all the attention and praise from a world-renowned singer, Jirou awkwardly fidgeted as she stared at the floor. "But...I want to be a pro-hero most of all." The short teen mumbled. "I shouldn't get my personal hobby mixed up with my hero work...right?"

Cassandra paused for a second before responding. "Why not?"

Jirou shrugged. "Because it would be unprofessional...or something. I should focus all my attention on being a pro-hero."

Cassandra gave Izuku a confused look. "Is being a pro-hero different here in Japan different from America? Because I know plenty of pro-heroes back in the states who do stuff like this all the time."

Izuku shrugged and turned to Rumi. "I think the only pro-hero in the room would know better than I would."

Rumi shrugged uncaringly and gave Jirou a focused look that seemed to make the purple-haired girl wilt a bit. "I don't see a problem with it. Just because you are dedicated to your job doesn't mean you have to make it your whole life. Trust me, you will have plenty of opportunities to be with the per-... er...to do whatever you want on the side. Hell, being a musician as well as pro-hero would probably give your hero rating a huge boost."

Jirou stayed silent, and suddenly Cassandra began to re-examine the video of the musical performance.

"Who are those three boys?" Cassandra asked innocently. "I don't think I have ever seen them around here. Are they in your class?"

The mood in the room immediately became depressed, and it was several seconds before someone replied.

"They are in our class." The tall boy named Iida said slowly. "They...are busy doing some important work."

Obviously noticing the metaphorical dark cloud hanging over the room, Cassandra awkwardly smiled and laughed. "W-well...Good for them! Anyways, we are here to have some fun right? Let's get this shindig started!"

It seemed the students were glad to steer the topic away from the three boys, and the mood immediately lightened as the teens finished setting up the musical equipment and seating.

"Alright! Miss Thelxie, you are up!" The blonde-haired teen named Kaminari said enthusiastically as he handed a cordless microphone to the blue-skinned American.

Taking the mic with a grateful nod, Cassandra walked to the front of the common room and waited for everyone to get seated.

"Alright guys, let's finish the set list I had planned for the concert tonight!" Cassandra said cheerily. "Thanks for being so accommodating tonight! I will definitely remember this for a long time!"

As the students politely clapped, Cassandra cleared her throat and experimentally tapped the microphone to make sure it was working. Seemingly satisfied with the equipment, Cassandra plugged her phone into the set of speakers and started the music.

Sitting in one of the plush armchairs, Izuku forced himself to maintain a neutral expression as Cassandra began to sing. If he was being honest, trying to maintain his normal expressionless mask while Cassandra sang was eerily similar to the psychological torture course he had gone through in his spec-ops days. His entire body was reacting to Cassandra's heavenly voice, and on more than one occasion Izuku realized he had started to smile happily without a care in the world.

Eventually, Cassandra's singing came to an end. With a round of enthusiastic cheering and clapping from the students, Cassandra bowed several times with a happy smile on her face.

Izuku heard Mineta sigh like a star-struck maiden.

"I think I'm in love." The diminutive teen said exaggeratedly.

There was an immediate derisive snort from Kaminari followed up by a quick jab from Jirou.

"You and everyone else who hears her sing." Kaminari chuckled. "You have no chance with her at all."

Mineta paused. "Well maybe if I showed her just how much I lov-Yeowch!"

The grape-haired teen was cut off as Jirou viciously stabbed him with her earjacks. "You try anything with her and I personally guarantee you will experience hell on earth." The musically-talented girl said threateningly.

Glad that there was someone in the class who was able to keep Mineta in line, Izuku watched as Cassandra walked over to Jirou and handed her the microphone.

"Alright, your turn!" Cassandra said excitedly.

It looked like Jirou's eyes were about to pop out of her head. "Me? Nononono! After you just sang?! No way! I will sound like a dying frog!"

Cassandra easily pulled the reluctant Jirou to her feet and pressed the microphone into her hands. "Please! Just two songs! I just want to hear you sing for myself! I promise you will be fine!"

Immediately, the students of class 1-A all voiced their support for their friend.

"You can do it Jirou!" Kirishima said encouragingly.

"You don't get a chance like this often, you should make the most of it." Yaoyorozu said sagely.

Suddenly Rumi spoke up with a devious smile on her face. "How about I sweeten the deal? If you sing two songs, Agent Midoriya will sing two songs as well."

As Izuku gave his secret girlfriend an exasperated look there was an immediate cheer of agreement from the class. Obviously it seemed they expected that Izuku would be on the bad side of the singing spectrum, and his participation would balance the metaphorical talent scales.

Gripping the microphone tightly, Jirou frowned and gave Cassandra a stern look. "Fine! But you can't laugh at me!"

Cassandra slapped Jirou on the back and flopped down onto a couch between Iida and Ashido. "I would never laugh at you. Don't think of me as Thelxie, just think of me as your friend Cassandra."

Stepping up to the front of the improvised concert area, Jirou stiffly selected a song from her phone and took a deep steadying breath as the music started. Then she started to sing the song from the class musical performance, and Izuku could not help but nod in appreciation. The girl clearly had talent, and it seemed that everyone was in agreement about one thing. If Jirou had not gone down the path of the pro-hero, she would have become a top class singer and musician.

As the song came to an end, Jirou stopped singing and looked like she was bracing herself for a punch from All-Might. However, all she was met with was enthusiastic clapping and cheering, a large portion being from Cassandra herself.

"That was great!" Cassandra exclaimed happily. "You should have more confidence in yourself! Just one more song then we can throw Agent Midoriya up there!"

Izuku rolled his eyes as the assembled teens giggled and chuckled in anticipation. "Is this your version of payback?"

Ashido cheekily stuck out her tongue at Izuku. "Sorta, we deserve to see you do something you dont like after all you have put us through."

Cassandra laughed heartily and gave Izuku an apologetic look. "It won't be so bad Midoriya. You have been through worse, getting teased by some teens is fine. If anything, you can use it as an excuse to beat them up in training later."

The happy smiles on the students' faces all disappeared as the idea of going through another hellish round of training took hold in their minds.

Putting on a sinister smile, Izuku nodded to Cassandra gratefully. "Not a bad idea. Thanks for the advice." Then he turned to look at Jirou who was still standing awkwardly up in front of the group. "Alright Jirou, one more song. Like Thelxie said, you will be fine."

Nodding nervously, Jirou started another song and launched herself into the lyrics. The song was a high-tempo rock track, and by the end of the song Cassandra was bouncing along to the beat with Ashido.

"Not bad at all!" Cassandra said approvingly. "If you want I can give you a few pointers later."

Quickly shoving the microphone into Izuku's hands, Jirou went back to her seat and nodded gratefully to Cassandra. "T-thanks Miss Thelxie, I would appreciate it."

Sighing in an exaggerated manner, Izuku got up from his chair and walked to the front of the group. "So what should I sing?"

Surprisingly, Miyu spoke up with a slightly sadistic smile on her face. "Sing us a love song!"

There was an immediate round of cheers from everyone, causing Izuku to roll his eyes.

"Fine, if that is what everyone wants." He said in mock defeat. "Give me a second to find a song I know."

Looking at his phone, Izuku glanced up to look at Rumi and was not surprised to see a smoldering look on her face as she stared right at him. It seemed Rumi wanted to show Izuku off to everyone, and while Izuku was not a fan of being in the limelight, he knew that he wanted to give his girlfriend a good performance. Picking a popular love song he had heard several times on the radio, Izuku plugged his phone into the speakers and loosened his tie.

"Alright, here we go." The green-haired agent said in a fake depressed tone. "Try not to laugh too much alright?"

There was a chorus of jeers and cheers as the music started. Clearing his throat, Izuku waited for the lyrics to start.

Then he began to sing.

Focusing all of his effort on singing his heart out, Izuku closed his eyes and sang along to the sappy and corny love song. Eventually the song came to an end, and Izuku opened his eyes to see a room full of shocked faces and slack jaws.

Smirking, Izuku crossed his arms haughtily. "So? Where is all the teasing I was promised."

Miyu was the first to speak her mind. "That is not fucking fair at all!" She said loudly in disbelief. "How are you that good at singing!? Is there anything you can't do?!"

Cassandra on the other hand, looked like she had just struck gold. "Holy shit Izuku! That was amazing! You never said you were that good at singing! I need to get you to the studio so we can record a few songs together!"

Looking around, Izuku was confused to see more than a few blushing student faces. Jirou looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear, while Kaminari and Mineta looked at him with nothing but disgust and contempt.

"Just something I picked up back in my spec-ops days." Izuku said honestly with a shrug. "I don't like being the center of attention, so I never brought it up."

Miyu then whirled around to look accusingly at Rumi who was grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "You knew he could sing like that didnt you! You tricked us!"

With a victorious grin on her face, Rumi shrugged. "I don't know what you are talking about. That was totally a big surprise for me too."

Crossing her arms unhappily, Miyu sank down into her chair with a pout on her face. "Totally unfair. Who the hell learns how to sing while being in the special forces?"

Secretly, Izuku had to admit that seeing the reactions of everyone was definitely worth stepping into the limelight. "So, do I still have to sing another song?" He asked haughtily.

Clearly the envisioned fun of teasing Izuku was not going to happen, so the students all sighed and shook their heads.

"Just go back to being grouchy." Ashido muttered unhappily. "It's not fun if you are able to do anything perfectly."

Suddenly, Eraserhead's voice emanated from behind everyone. "Alright, time to pack it up. Miss Thelxie has better places to be than hanging out with you troublemakers."

Looking over, Izuku watched as Eraserhead stepped into the room and gave him a cold stare.

"Agent Midoriya." Eraserhead said flatly but courteously.

Izuku nodded back in greeting. "Eraserhead."

As the students began to take away the music equipment and put the furniture back, Eraserhead walked over to Izuku and pointed his thumb at the front door.

"Someone wants to talk to you." The scarf-wearing teacher said emotionlessly. "He is waiting outside."

Confused but intrigued, Izuku nodded his thanks and walked out into the night. Outside, leaning against one of the decorative pillars, was the frail man known as All-Might.

"Heya agent." The world famous pro hero said softly. "Could I trouble you for a moment of your time."

Unsure of why such a famous public figure would want to talk to him, Izuku put on his best manners and straightened his posture like he was about to be inspected by a general.

"Of course sir, anything you need." Izuku said formally.

All-Might chuckled quietly and waved away Izuku's formal tone. "You don't have to be so stiff Agent Midoriya. I aint what I used to be, plus I am retired now."

Now completely confused, Izuku relaxed slightly but still spoke in a very respectful voice. "Umm...if that is what you want sir. Why d-do you want to talk to me? Miruko would probably be a better choice if it is anything pro-hero related."

All-Might was silent for a moment before pushing off the pillar and gesturing for Izuku to follow him. "Take a walk with me agent, I have something I want to ask you."

Hesitating slightly as All-Might slowly walked away, Izuku mustered up all the courage he had and caught up to the frail and sickly man.

All-Might was silent for a few moments before speaking in a calm manner. "Agent, I am gonna be straight with you. I am gonna ask you something very personal, but I would be grateful if you answered honestly. Okay?"

Nervously gulping, Izuku nodded as he felt the familiar sensation of dread settle into his stomach.

"You are quirkless, aren't you?" All-Might asked softly.

Izuku wanted to believe that All-Might would be understanding and kind, but the many years of emotional abuse immediately sent him into a panic attack. Feeling like his chest was too tight, Izuku tried his best to act like he was fine, even as he was quietly gasping for air. The panic and fear was overwhelming, and for the first time in many years Izuku seriously considered running away from the situation.

Clearly noticing Izuku's quiet panic, All-Might stopped walking and reached out to pat Izuku's shoulder. "Easy agent. I know that this is a hard topic to talk about, but I swear on my life I am not going to make fun of you."

Flinching away from All-Might's touch, Izuku glared at his childhood idol with pain and anger in his eyes. "You don't know what you are talking about." He growled. "And even if you did, I sure as hell don't have to answer you. So kindly fuck off...sir."

All-Might sighed sadly and retracted his hand. "Agent, I am so sorry that life has not been kind to you. I understand you more than you know I…" All-Might coughed wetly a few times before continuing. "I used to be quirkless. I wasn't born with the power to become a hero."

In total disbelief at the bombshell statement the world-class hero just dropped, Izuku could not stop himself from talking. "Impossible, you can't just get a quirk. Countless people have tried, and every one of them failed. So consider your next words carefully before you start spouting more bullshit."

The look on All-Might's face spoke volumes, and for a moment Izuku was reminded of his mom.

"Agent, I would never lie about something like this." All-Might said in a totally serious voice. "Look me in the eye and tell me I am lying. I know that what I am telling you is hard to believe, but I swear that it is true."

Izuku could not help but meet All-Might's gaze, and the look of absolute truth and certainty shook the quirkless man to his core.

"N-n-no! T-that is...impossible!" Izuku said in shocked dismay. "So I could...I c-could have…"

All-Might raised a hand to cut off Izuku's words. "Agent, I know what you are thinking, but it is not that simple. The chance of successfully gaining this quirk is one in a million, and very specific conditions need to be met before a quirkless person can gain this power." All-Might sighed sadly and stared at the ground. "Plus, I don't have it any more. I am completely quirkless once more."

Izuku sucked in a panicked breath as he tried to comprehend what he had just been told. "Even i-if I believed you...Why tell me?"

All-Might looked up at the star filled night sky and shrugged. "Because what you have accomplished is so much greater than anything I have done in my pro-hero career. With everything stacked against you, you overcame every hardship and prospered where everyone else would have failed." All-Might then looked back at Izuku with a sad smile. "The funny thing is, my successor was quirkless as well. That kid...he is going to change the world. I know it. The road has not been easy for him, but he has shown time and time again that he has what it takes to be a true hero."

All-Might then pointed at Izuku's heart. "If things had been different. I could easily see you in his place. You act like you don't care, but I know that deep down you care about those around you. I wish with all my heart you could have had a normal life, that you could have grown up happy and surrounded by people who love you. But we both know life is not fair."

Staring at his childhood hero in shock, Izuku was confused to feel something wet on his cheek. Reaching a shaking hand up to his face, Izuku realized that tears were streaming down his face.

It was all too much. To be told by the very person you idolized as a child that you deserved to be recognized for your strength was completely overwhelming.

Angrily wiping the tears off his face, Izuku flinched when he felt All-Might put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Midoriya." All-Might said in a fatherly manner. "Let it all out, and be proud of your life. I know with absolute certainty your mom would be so proud of you."

Now that was just completely unfair.

How did All-Might manage to transform himself into the father figure Izuku had always yearned for with just a few words?

Sagging against the frail man, Izuku sobbed as his emotions overwhelmed him.

After what felt like hours of crying, Izuku managed to finally stop the flow of tears and straightened up. Wiping the remaining tears from his face, Izuku awkwardly tried to figure out what to say as All-Might smiled at him warmly.

"For what it is worth, I am proud of you Midoriya." All-Might said comfortingly. "If you ever need to talk to someone, I will be there for you. Nobody should go through life alone, and us quirkless people need to stick together."

Nodding his thanks, Izuku was surprised to see All-Might extend his hand for him to shake. Feeling like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Izuku reached out and gave All-Might's hand a firm shake.

"T-thank you, sir." Izuku said softly.

"Anytime agent." All-Might chuckled warmly. "How about we get you back to your friends?"

Nodding, Izuku followed All-Might back to the UA dorms where Rumi, Cassandra, and Miyu were waiting. Boarding the parked helicopter, Izuku sighed tiredly and sat down on one of the long benches.

"You okay Izuku?" Rumi said with slight concern. "What were you and All-Might talking about?"

Deciding to keep All-Might's secret safe, Izuku chuckled and shrugged. "Not much, we talked about possibly running a training camp for the hero course students. And also how I should be a little nicer to the twerps."

Rumi scoffed at the idea as Cassandra and Miyu sat together and held hands. "Nah, the little shits need someone to kick their asses every once in a while. There is such a thing as being too nice."

As the helicopter rose into the night sky, Izuku looked out a window to see All-Might watching him with a smile on his face.

Maybe some pro-heroes were not so bad after all.