The following is a nonprofit fan-based parody all rights reserved to Brandon Sanderson and Horikoshi Kohei. Please support the official releases.
Izuku sighed as he leaned back in his chair, the webpage for Shiketsu High school was open on his laptop in front of him.
"Well, looks like I was mistaken when I spoke to Shinso yesterday," he said in resignation.
"What do you mean?" Sera said as she floated around the room.
"I just checked and the deadline for application to Shiketsu passed a few days before UA's Entrance Exam. It looks like they don't want to get applicants that fail the regular entrance exam for UA. Maybe if I had gotten a recommendation and failed I would have applied in time but that's neither here nor there."
"So what can you do?" Sera started to sound worried, "Hitoshi was right you know. Putting others before yourself cost you a passing grade in that exam. You need to worry about yourself the way you worry about others. Life before death means your life too."
"Don't worry, I will be fine. It is just Shiketsu, I can still take the exams for Ketsubutsu, Seiai, and Isamu. And it's not like I want to endanger myself, I just act before I can think," Izuku mumbled the last part defensively.
Sera zoomed over to him.
"Then. Start. Thinking. More," she punctuated each word with a poke to his forehead.
"Whatever," Izuku said sullenly, brushing her away with his hand, "let me put in the applications for the other schools, then I am going to go for a run."
Sera huffed and left the room after hearing his dismissive response.
Inko hummed to herself as she worked in the kitchen. She was making more of the granola bars that Izuku kept with him as a snack to replace the ones he had used during the exam. She had found a recipe that was able to last for a month at room temperature, so she liked to make them in large batches and keep the extras as snacks in the house to replace the junk food that she used to buy. A part of her was grateful for the dietary aspect of Izuku's quirk and that he had asked for her help because it had made her become something of an amateur nutritionist. That combined with her joining Izuku on some of his workouts helped her get rid of much of the weight she had gained during Izuku's quirkless years. She may not be as thin as she was in her twenties but she felt more healthy and Hisashi always complimented her when they had their nightly video calls. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Sera sigh loudly behind her making her smile slightly. The little spren didn't make noise when she moved so if she wanted to get your attention without actually calling out to you she would often play this little game of sighing loudly until you asked her what was wrong. Turning around, Inko put a concerned look on her face.
"Sera, is everything alright?" Inko asked.
"Oh, hi Inko," Sera said. As if she hadn't come in specifically to talk with the Midoriya matriarch. "Nothing is wrong I suppose, I am just upset about how the test went. I was so sure that we were going to make it in but Izuku was so worried about everyone else that it made him blow it."
Inko smiled sadly at the comment. Inko had come to love Sera over the time since the little spren had introduced herself. It was like she had gained a new daughter, and Izuku and Sera obviously cared for each other as much as any real pair of siblings would, unfortunately, that also meant they fought just like real siblings would and she was often stuck in between them.
"Izuku has always had a heroic heart and sometimes that lands him into trouble. But it is also one of the best things about him," Inko said gently.
"I know that," Sera said, "But, sometimes he completely forgets about his own well-being because he is so focused on others. How will he ever be happy if he never thinks of himself?"
"I agree with you," Inko said reassuringly. "But the way to teach him that lesson isn't to scold him about it. Izuku can be very stubborn about this. Think about all the years that he kept his dream of being a hero even with the whole world telling him to give up. If you aren't careful he will just ignore you the way he ignored all those other voices all his life."
"Then what can I do?" Sera said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"Try to be subtle," Inko answered, "He may be stubborn but he is also smart. He will see reason eventually."
Sera sighed at the advice.
"You're right Inko, thanks for listening."
"Any time, dear," Inko said.
Turning toward a window Sera said over her shoulder.
"I am going to fly around a bit, to clear my head."
"Ok, be safe." Inko waved as the small blue girl turned into a ribbon of light and squeezed through cracks around the window, then zipped off into the sky.
When the spren was gone Inko's face regained its look of concern and she walked to Izuku's room. She knocked gently on the door when she arrived.
"Izuku, honey, can I come in?" she asked
"Yeah," came the muffled reply a few seconds later.
Opening the door, she looked in and saw Izuku at his desk staring at the screen of his laptop though he didn't appear to be doing anything. Walking over to him Inko sat on his bed so that they were on the same level.
"Honey, I just saw Sera and she seemed awfully upset about the exam. I know you said you were fine when you got home yesterday, but I just wanted to double-check."
"I'm fine," he said quickly, "there are still a bunch of other options for hero schools, and UA is the only one with such an elaborate practical exam. The other schools usually have more simple tests where you just have to demonstrate your quirks effectiveness, so I should be able to pass without any issue."
Inko just sat quietly as Izuku spoke. When he finished she continued to sit there looking at him with kind loving eyes. Slowly, his head turned to hers and she saw the pain in his eyes.
"I did the right thing," Izuku said quietly, "Shinso deserved a chance, he could help so many people with his quirk… so why do I regret it?"
Inko stood, then leaned down to hug her son.
"You did the right thing for that boy, and you should be proud of yourself for that. But that doesn't mean you can't also be sad that your dream didn't come true. Just remember that you never really know how the test went until you get your results back." She then reached down and lifted her son's face so that he was meeting her eyes, "And no matter what, I know you will be a hero, if no one was able to stop you for all these years, one little entrance exam won't be enough either."
His eyes shone with unshed tears as they continued to gaze at each other for a moment. Finally, Inko placed a tender kiss on his forehead before turning to leave the room. As she opened the door she heard the click-clacking of keys being pressed and she peeked back to see Izuku swiftly filling out forms on his laptop.
"So Ketsubutsu will be first," Izuku said as he helped his mother with the dishes after they had finished eating. "Their exam will be this Saturday, then on Wednesday is Isamu. Seiai doesn't have their entrance exam for another week after that so I will have a little bit of a break."
"Will you really need to take all three exams? You seemed pretty confident that you would pass any exam you took," Inko asked curiously.
"Yeah, we are awesome Izuku, and now you can fly. There is no way any of these schools fail you." Sera added from her spot on the shelf above the sink.
"I know, but I'm not as familiar with these schools so I want to take all of the exams to get a feel for them before I choose which to attend."
"What a good idea. I am so proud to have raised such a forward-thinking boy," Inko praised bumping her hip against Izuku's affectionately.
Izuku blushed and rubbed his hair at the praise.
Inko smiled at the adorable reaction her son always had when he was complimented then began untying her apron.
"I am going to go get the mail while you finish drying." She commented.
"I can do it," Izuku offered.
"No," Inko said, waving her hand dismissively, "I can always use the exercise."
Izuku watched her leave the apartment then went back to his task.
"So do you think those other tests will be as hard as UA's was?" Sera asked.
"Yes, and no," Izuku said absently. "I know that all hero courses have a high level of difficulty so it will be challenging, but UA is by far the most well-funded school in the country so I doubt that the tests will be as complex."
"You will need to find a new weapon," Sera added
Izuku frowned at the comment. Even though it had just been an old length of metal pipe, he had become attached to his staff after nearly a year of practicing with it. Sadly at the end of the test, it had been embedded in the head of a six-story robot making it impossible to retrieve.
"At least you will get to fly with me again," Sera said happily.
"Yeah," Izuku said, his spirit lifting.
He was still cautious of Kamui Wood's warning so he hadn't used that aspect of his power since the exam a week ago, but a part of him yearned for the feeling again. His desire to be a hero had doubled now because it would give him free rein of the skies. He was broken out of his musing when the door to the apartment banged open making him turn around and fall into a crouch reflexively.
"I-I-Izuku, it's here," Inko said excitedly, holding out an envelope.
A few minutes later the Midoriya's were sitting on the couch together, Izuku and Inko side by side with Sera between their heads, sitting on Izuku's shoulder. Reaching out Izuku hesitated.
"We know what it is going to say already," He muttered to himself.
"Then this will be practice for when your acceptance letters come," Inko said back comfortingly, returning a smile to Izuku's face.
Grabbing the envelope Izuku ripped it open and pulled out a flat metal disk. All three of the couch's occupants looked at it in confusion. After a moment a computerized voice spoke.
"Please place the device on a table or other flat surface," the disk said.
"Oh," Izuku suddenly said, "This must be one of those new high-tech holo-projectors."
"So expensive," Inko said.
"What's it do?" Sera asked curiously.
"Let's find out," Izuku said, then placed the disk on the coffee table.
It sat for a moment before lighting up and projecting a screen into the air in front of the family. Suddenly a recorded song began playing a rousing fanfare that Izuku easily recognized, making his eyes widen.
"I know that music," Inko muttered
The screen was suddenly filled with one of the most recognizable faces in all of Japan causing both Inko and Izuku to shout in surprise.
"All Might,"
"Mr. Y- I mean, All Might,"
Izuku looked over at his mother nervously but she was thankfully too absorbed in the screen to have noticed his slip-up. He could hear Sera giggling though, which he pointedly ignored.
"I AM HERE, as a projection," the hero on the screen said boisterously. "There has been much deliberation but at last the scores for the exam have been calculated. And why am I presenting them you ask? Well, it is because I moved to this area for one reason, and that is to teach at U.A High."
Izuku's regret about his exam performance spiked at the thought that he missed out on getting to spend time with his friend again, but he pushed it back down to be unpacked later. The image jumped slightly and All Might looked at a sheet of paper.
"They must have recorded that intro once, then spliced it onto everyone's exam results," Izuku thought.
"Now, these are the results for Izuku Midoriya. You passed the written exam with flying colors, in the 90th percentile. Your practical exam results however left much to be desired with only seven villain points accrued, this, sadly, would mean you failed…"
Inko placed a comforting hand on Izuku's shoulders as his face dropped in shame.
"If that were the end of the story that is. Behold,"
Izuku's eyes snapped back to the projected image to see All Might hold out a remote with a flourish and the camera pan over to a monitor that eventually filled the screen. Izuku gasped in surprise at who was shown.
"Uraraka?" he said absently.
"You never mentioned you met a girl," Inko whispered.
"Yeah, and he didn't even stutter when he talked to her," Sera added teasingly.
Izuku shushed the two of them as he listened to what happened on screen.
"Um, I would like to ask about Izuku Midoriya. He was the boy with green hair that was shining during the robot portion of the test. I heard after it ended that he only had seven points. Please, he saved my life. Do you think you could give him some of my points? Just enough so that he can pass."
As she was in the middle of saying this the door slammed open and another familiar face entered.
"S-sorry to intrude," Shinso said. "I heard what she said and would like to also ask if you could give Izuku my villain points, all of them. The only reason I even have any is because of him."
Izuku felt his eyebrow twitch as he felt happiness and annoyance at the other boy's willingness to sacrifice everything Izuku had helped him attain so that Izuku could pass. Present Mic, the person both students were talking to, was silent for a bit and then chuckled. Reaching out to pat Uraraka's head comfortingly he spoke at a normal volume.
"Listen, little listeners, I am sorry to say that transferring points between applicants isn't possible. But don't worry, your friend is going to be just fine I promise."
The image paused and zoomed back out to show All Might.
"Not one but two of your fellow applicants came to us right after the test on your behalf. You have grown so much and you inspire others as well. In this exam, we weren't just looking at your villain point score. After all, a hero course that fails someone for acting heroic can't call themselves a hero course, can they? Some people may think we only do it for the cameras but in hero work, you have to be willing to put your money where your mouth is. That is why we also awarded these… Rescue Points."
With another flourish, All Might gestured and a graphic appeared next to him showing Izuku's name next to a box labeled "villain points" which contained the number seven. When All Might finished, another box appeared with a ding labeled "rescue points."
"Izuku Midoriya, you have been awarded sixty-nine rescue points for your actions during the test."
The box suddenly showed numbers tick rapidly up to the amount that had been announced.
"In the end, your score totaled up to seventy-six points placing you in second place overall. So it goes without saying that you are in. Come on down, Izuku Midoriya, this will be your hero academy."
When All Might finished, the video switched off and was replaced by a message saying that Izuku should check his email for more information about the coming school year. Inko and Izuku were frozen for a moment before looking at each other, then, as one, they exploded with tears of joy. Mother and son shared a watery embrace, as Sera danced above them in the air whooping with joy.
"I knew it," Sera called out, "I knew we were awesome."
The celebration continued for a few more hours. Inko ran to the kitchen and started making a cake. Izuku ran to his room to grab his laptop and begin reading the information that had been sent to him. Sera continued to dance and laugh. As it got later, Izuku's father called for his regular video chat and was surprised to see Izuku still awake and he happily joined in the celebration, telling Izuku how proud he was of his accomplishment. Eventually, Izuku was sent to bed because he still had school in the morning. As he lay there staring at the ceiling, Izuku could hardly believe what had just happened. Finally, he fell into a restful sleep, a relieved smile on his face.
The final weeks of Izuku's last year at Aldera were mostly uneventful save for two incidents. The first took place a few days after the results of the entrance exam had arrived when Izuku and Katsuki were called into the office for the principal to talk to them. Izuku had felt some of his old nerves return at the thought of interacting with Katsuki again. Even though nothing had happened when they sat next to each other during the exam the boy had still exuded his usual air of malice. As the two walked through the hall, Izuku took a few deep breaths to try to calm his heart rate and expel the nervousness he had about being next to his past tormentor. When they reached the administration offices of the school, they were immediately ushered in by the principal's secretary and found themselves standing in front of the man's desk. He gave both of the boys a jovial smile.
"Thank you both for coming to meet with me, I promise not to take much of your time. I know that you third-years are busy this time of year getting ready to move on to high school. Anyway, our office just got the notice that you two were accepted to UA so I wanted to give you both our school's sincerest congratulations and well wishes. I know that Aldera isn't the most prestigious institution but you two making it into a school like UA shows that greatness can come from humble beginnings. So good luck and I hope you both have great success in your future hero careers."
Izuku bowed respectfully and responded by saying thank you, but Katusuki merely bowed slightly as the only sign that he acknowledged the man's words. They were then dismissed to return to class. Once they were in the hallway Katsuki grabbed Izuku's shoulder.
"So you just had to try, Deku. Even though I told you not to get into UA."
"And I told you Kacchan, I would train until I got just as strong, if not stronger than you." Izuku didn't turn to look at the other boy as he spoke.
Katsuki pulled on the shoulder in his grip, spinning Izuku around so that they faced each other.
"You may have been able to make it in with your useless power, but know this, the actual work at that school is going to be way worse than that beginner-level entrance exam. You won't make it to graduation. Don't think you can stand on the same level as me."
The two boys glared at each other before Katsuki pushed past Izuku, purposefully hitting his shoulder against the other boy. Izuki just shook his head at the display.
"I hope we get the chance to take him down a peg or two once we're in UA," Sera said from his shoulder.
Izuku looked at her but chose not to respond, not wanting to encourage her animosity. He knew that he had every right to be disgruntled after the bullying and abuse he had received while he was quirkless, but because of his obsessive study of heroes, he had unavoidably studied villains as well. As such, Izuku knew that a depressing number of villains were motivated by anger at the unjust treatment they had received. They were unable to let go of old grudges that eventually developed into hatred at the world. Izuku wouldn't allow himself to fall into that pit so he chose instead to focus on the positive aspects of people he met even if they mistreated him. Eventually, Izuku continued down the hall back to class, and the rest of the day passed by without incident.
The second noteworthy event happened on Wednesday of the last week of school. There were only a few days of classes left and it was apparent in the restlessness the students all felt. Once this week ended there would be a three-week break before the first year of high school began. Izuku was just as excited as everyone else, especially given the fact that he got into his dream school. When the final bell rang Izuku began packing up slowly so that he didn't get caught in the rush of students trying to leave school as quickly as possible. While he had still been working on the beach he had become one of those rushing students, not wanting to lose any time that he could be training. Now he got to move at a more relaxed pace for a bit before pushing himself to the limit once the hero course at UA began. He wasn't lazy, but he didn't sweat a few minutes here or there of extra rest time.
When the room was nearly empty he finished packing his last item and slung his bag onto his back only to turn around and find Nagai Yubi waiting near his desk. Izuku's face took on a serious look. He had put the worst of his trauma behind him over his months of training but seeing this boy still brought up nasty memories. He looked at the boy's face expecting anger or sadistic glee as he was used to seeing but instead he was surprised to see a hesitant contriteness. Izuku didn't drop his guard but he slowly approached the other boy.
"What?" Izuku asked curtly.
Izuku's surprise grew at the way the other boy flinched back at Izuku's tone. A part of Izuku even began to build up pity for the boy but it dissipated as he again remembered Nagsi's past actions. It was so hard to hold back the anger he felt toward the boy which had evolved from the fear and panic he had caused for Izuku. Nagai looked like he was trying to say something but the words were stuck in his throat. After a few false starts, Izuku's patience ran out.
"If you don't have something to say, I will just go," Izuku said and turned for the door.
"No, Midoriya, please," Nagai said suddenly, "I need to say, I-I'm sorry. I know that what happened was my fault. If it wasn't for you I would be ruined."
The boy paused and Izuku looked back to see tears in his eyes.
"I got accepted into a high school a few days ago. It isn't the best but it isn't terrible either. When I got the letter, my Mom was so proud of me. I haven't ever been great at school but, after what happened with you, I started actually thinking about where I was headed. If what had happened was reported, I would never have been able to graduate. I would be in jail right now, and probably just like you said I would have ended up as some two-bit villain. I know I deserved worse, but because of you I still have a chance to be a better person. Thank you."
As he said this the boy bowed deeply in gratitude.
"I know I don't deserve to say it, but you saved me even after everything I did. You are my hero."
Izuku was frozen in place. He could hardly process what was happening. Nagai was one of Katsuki's most loyal followers ever since elementary school. He had tormented Izuku for not giving up on his dream ever since then, and now here he was praising Izuku as a hero. The part of Izuku that was filled with anger from the trauma was now beginning to fill with indignation. How dare Nagai come now to say this. Couldn't he have seen what he was doing was wrong without having to impale Izuku on a piece of rebar first? Izuku breathed deeply and forced himself to remember that this was what Izuku had wanted. This was why he had kept the full truth about what took place a secret. He had wanted Nagai to take it as an opportunity to redeem himself and now he had. It didn't erase the trauma that Izuku had felt, but it was objectively the best possible outcome. Focusing back on Nagai's bowed form. Izuku forced himself to speak neutrally,
"Nagai, I am happy that you took this path. I wish you luck at your new school, and I thank you for your kind words, goodbye."
Turning away once more, Izuku left the room and began walking home.
"Are you ok Izuku?" Sera said from his side.
"I don't know," Izuku admitted. "Maybe if I have a minute to think back on this I will actually feel happy for him. For now, there is just too much going on in my head for me to process it. I think instead of my usual training I need to just think today."
When he got home Izuku changed into training clothes and he ran to the beach. He stayed there until the sun began to set and watched the clear horizon that was now visible thanks to his and Mr. Yagi's hard work. There were even a few people strolling about enjoying the restored coastline. Visitors to the beach were still rare because it was the tail end of winter and because people had been avoiding the beach for so long that it hadn't sunk in that it was usable again. As he sat, he processed what had happened and because he was able to look at it from a distance, he was able to muster up a small amount of happiness for his once bully's good fortune. Once that clarity came it was followed by a splash of pride at the fact that, even if the circumstances hadn't been anywhere close to ideal, he had saved someone.
The night before the beginning of the school year was another night of celebration for the Midoriya household. Izuku had everything packed and ready for his first day, they had picked up his uniform earlier that week and Inko had, of course, forced Izuku to pose for a series of pictures. Which had all been sent digitally to Hisashi in the US. With everything already prepared, they were able to use this night as a time to relax and enjoy each other's company. Inko had made Izuku's favorite meal, katsudon, and they were now eating together and chatting about what the future held. Sera for once was sitting on the table with them rather than floating around lazily as she usually did during meals. Inko had even set out a miniature serving to help the spren feel more included.
"So what do you think the first day will be like?" Inko asked curiously.
"I don't know," Izuku said. "The forums disagree, some people said that it was just like any other school where they have orientation and an opening ceremony, but other people said that it was like getting thrown into the deep end with weights around their ankles. Apparently, it depends on what teacher gets assigned to your class."
"Oh," Inko gasped at the image of her son being thrown into a pool chained to an anvil, "Well I hope whoever you get as a teacher is kind."
"I am sure they will be," Izuku said reassuringly, "After all, all the teachers are pro-heroes."
They talked about a few more topics as they finished eating. Once the food had been cleared away Inko looked to Izuku happily and then reached down under her chair.
"Now Izuku, I know you said I didn't need to get you anything, but you so rarely let me spoil you that I had to get something. I ordered it online and it arrived a few days before your last year of middle school ended."
"What? No Mom, you didn't have to," Izuku said bashfully.
"I know, but I wanted to so I could show how much I support you." Inko said sincerely, "I thought about getting you a hero suit, but I found this instead, I hope it will be even more useful."
Pulling up a small bag with a bow she slid it across the table to Izuku. Izuku smiled thankfully and reached in to pull out a small box. Izuku began to guess what was inside and he looked at his mother worriedly.
"Mom, please tell me you didn't spend too much."
"Just open it," she urged.
Pulling off the lid, Izuku's eyes bulged at what it contained. It was one of the largest emeralds he had ever seen, only rivaled by some of the gems that had been part of the museum collection. It was cut in an emerald cut, as he had learned to recognize from his time studying up on gems, and was at least a centimeter in length and width, though it was wider than it was long. Picking it up gingerly he marveled at it as it sat in his palm. All the other gems in his collection could probably sit on top of this gem with room to spare. He tried to mentally calculate the cost for a gem this size and remembered that most sources said they were worth anywhere from hundreds of thousands to even millions of yen.
"Mom!" Izuku exclaimed, "How could you afford something like this?"
"I have been saving up," Inko said. "You don't need to worry about the price, just make it shine, I want to make sure I wasn't cheated."
Izuku sighed at how nonchalantly his mother said that. If she had been cheated he would find a way to punish whoever sold her this rock. He was friends with All Might after all. Burning some of the food he just ate, he began to fill with herolight only to direct the energy into the gem. The stone began to glow immediately, becoming dazzling as the light played off the multi-faceted surface. If the other gems in his collection were like stars then this one was like the sun when it started to glow. He kept pushing in herolight and soon found that he was running out. He burned more of the food he had eaten and again pushed all the light in. Normally, when a gem started to get close to filling up, it became harder to put more Light in, kind of like trying to blow up an already filled balloon. This gem however just kept accepting more Light. Soon Izuku found that there was nothing else to burn in his stomach, which shocked him.
"Mom, get me more food," he said suddenly.
"Why?" Inko asked
"I just used up everything I ate for dinner, if I run out of herolight now I will be starving."
Rushing to the cupboard Inko grabbed the stash of granola bars. Izuku ate four of them. He waited until he felt them in his stomach then pushed the rest of his Light into the gem which it drank greedily. Once the Light left him he was momentarily lightheaded as his body adjusted to the drop and rise of blood sugar from losing all the food in its system then suddenly having more. When his head cleared Izuku stared at the gem.
"I could have stored a lot more light in there," he said in awe. "Mom what kind of gem is this."
"Well," Inko said bashfully, "I thought about getting you a ruby because that is your birthstone, but I decided an emerald would be better, to match your eyes. When I was searching for prices, though, I found out that emeralds are very expensive. Luckily, I found a site that sold synthetic emeralds which were much cheaper than natural stones so I got you one. I figured that since they are supposed to be made from the same stuff it should work the same, right?'
Izuku looked at her in surprise as he listened to her explanation. He had done some research into synthetic gems as well but was unsure if they would work given the temperamental nature of his power concerning things like gem type and color. He had also been hesitant to try using them because of his lack of funds. Now he knew that synthetic gems could work the same as natural gems, but something about this gemstone felt distinct from the rest in his collection. The difference in the amount of Light it could hold felt so vast that it couldn't be caused just by size. He quickly whipped out his phone and searched synthetic gemstones vs natural. One of the top sources had his answer.
"DuetothecontrolledenvironmentusedtocreatelabgrowngemstheywerenearlyallflawlessnaturalgemsconverselyalmostalwayshavecracksorocclusionswhichmarthecrystalstructurecoulditbethattheflawlessnatureofsyntheticgemsmakethemsuperiorcontainersforherolightIneedtotestthisIneedtogetsyntheticandnaturalgemsofthesametypeandsizetocontrolforalvariablesandcometoarealconclusionbutthiscouldbeabreakthroughofmonumentalprop-"
"Izuku you're mumbling again, like, really fast," Sera called out, pulling Izuku from his mental journey.
Snapping his eyes up he saw his mother watching him worriedly, her features colored slightly green thanks to the gem still shining on the table.
"Sorry," he said sincerely, "Mom this is the best gift I have ever received from everyone, you may have just helped me learn something completely new about my quirk."
"Really?" She asked.
"Yes," He said, "because you bought a synthetic gem it is flawless, and it seems to be able to hold a greater amount of herolight per metric of volume. Not only that but on average, synthetic gems are cheaper than natural gems because they are comparatively more common. You may have just saved me thousands of yen and maybe even years that I would have waited before actually experimenting with synthetic gems. Thank you."
"I am so happy I could help," Inko said with a smile.
Izuku took the gem and added it to his pouch that he still kept around his neck. When he was done, he patted his chest so that the pouch sat more comfortably. The night ended with Inko insisting that they both sit down and watch the video of All Might's Japanese debut. As they sat on the couch side by side Izuku smiled as he went through the memories that this video brought back, this had always been a comfort for him as he grew up quirkless. One memory however wormed its way into his mind, it shocked Izuku with how clearly it stuck with him. It was the day after that fateful doctor's visit. When his mom had let him watch this video in the hopes that it comforted him. Slowly turning toward his mother he couldn't help but let the words fall from his lips.
"A super cool hero like that, that is what I want to be."
Inko turned to him with wide eyes. When their gazes met they both realized that they had been thinking of the same memory. Inko looked at her son and her eyes began to shimmer for a moment until with visible effort she pushed the tears away and put on a smile. Wrapping her son in a gentle hug Inko spoke.
"If that is what you want to be, then I am sure you are going to be the coolest hero ever."
Special thanks to ACreativeMindAtWorkHere for being the beta reader.