(A/N: Part two of the double update! Enjoy!
Formatting reminder: "Dialogue spoken in English." )
...
'Not if you want to be Number One. Not if you want to be a Hero like me.'
The words tumbled around in Izuku's head until understanding suddenly clicked into place as he parroted, "A Hero 'like you'."
"Yes, exactly. That's why I…" Yagi responded only to be interrupted.
"Is that what this all comes down to?" Izuku asked incredulously. "You thinking I want to be a Hero 'like you'?"
"Yes, of course," Yagi answered with a nod. "That's what you asked me the first time we met. That if it was possible for you to become a Hero like me, the Number One Hero, without a Quirk."
"I never said I wanted to be a Hero exactly like you, All Might," Izuku stressed in anger. "I meant in general!"
"But you said…" the Hero started only to be interrupted again.
"I'm going to stop you right there, All Might," the Quirkless teen interjected with a stopping gesture. "When we first met, I asked you if I could be a Hero like you. 'Like you.' And your answer was, and still is, no. That I, a Quirkless boy, could not be a Hero 'like you.' But I never said I wanted to be a Hero exactly like you!"
The skeletal blonde stared at him in confusion as he sputtered out, "But I thought…"
"You thought wrong, All Might," the greenette seethed. "All I have ever wanted was to be a Hero. Damn the rankings. Damn the press coverage. I don't care about all that. I have only ever wanted to help. No matter what."
"Young Midoriya, there is a difference between aiming for the top and settling for mediocrity," Yagi insisted.
"And there's a difference between settling and doing your personal best!" Izuku snapped back, shutting up the blonde. "Not every Hero is 'like you.' Every Hero is unique and defends the innocent in their own way. You fight the strongest of Villains. While others like Eraserhead fight from the shadows. I have never cared about the rankings. I've only ever wanted to help people. And even if that means I don't ever make the top ten or twenty or even one hundred, I don't care. No matter what, as long as I can help others, I don't care about my ranking. And neither should anyone else."
The Quirkless teen let out an enraged huff as the room fell into awkward silence. The Hero sat there for a moment absorbing what the boy had said before speaking again.
"Of course, every Hero works to bring order and justice in this world," Yagi said in a calm tone. "However, in my experience, the higher ranking a Hero received, the more influential they can be on the world. That is why I strived to become the Number One Hero and Symbol of Peace. Becoming the sole pillar that holds up society and bringing peace of mind to everyone."
"But what happens when that one pillar goes away?" Izuku asked with a challenging tone. "If you are the sole pillar holding everything up, once you're gone everything will come crashing down. Causing the destabilization of society because there's no other support system other than just you. What then, All Might?"
"I admit that I have big shoes to fill. Quite literally too," the skeletal man quipped in hopes of relieving some of the tension but the attempt fell flat. "But I have faith that my future successor will be able to take my place as the Symbol of Peace. If you accept of course."
"You expect me to take your Quirk and all the other baggage that comes with it?" Izuku asked incredulously.
"Well, I wouldn't say baggage necessarily," Yagi countered.
The greenette gave the man a 'are you kidding me' look as he spoke while counting off his fingers, "An at least centuries old Quirk with a tragic backstory. A history of other users of it that I know nothing about. An assumingly immortal adversary who has been able to survive every attempt to stop him so far. A target of said Villain being painted on the back of whoever holds this power. And you want to give it to a teenager who just very publicly became the first Quirkless winner of the televised UA Sports Festival."
"Um…yes?" the Hero replied in a questioning tone.
"Aizawa-sensei is right," Izuku said as he dragged his hand down his face in exasperation. "You are an idiot."
"Excuse me?" Yagi let out in surprise and confusion.
"Did you even think this thing through?" the boy asked.
"Of course, I did!" Yagi replied defensively. "I considered the pros and cons of offering you my Quirk and strongly believe that you would make a worthy successor of One For All."
"How exactly did you think you would explain how I, a Quirkless child, could suddenly manifest a Quirk at fifteen?" Izuku asked with a raised brow.
"I, um, I'm sure we could come up with something," the bumbling Hero answered. "Perhaps a forced manifestation through stress or a late bloomer because you had a certain criterion you hadn't met yet."
Well…it wasn't the worst explanation, but still.
"How would you handle the media attention?" the teen pressed. "One For All has been kept a secret for generations. And if you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of already the topic of discussion in the news right now. If I suddenly manifested a Quirk after winning Quirkless, I'm sure there are going to be a lot of questions about it."
"There are ways to handle the media," Yagi countered. "Nezu is quite knowledgeable when it comes to working with reporters and such. Not to mention, you are a minor so…"
"That's another thing!" Izuku interjected angrily. "I'm a minor that you are offering your dangerous Quirk to without my parent and/or guardian present."
"I understand that you would have the desire to tell your parents," the skeletal man conceded but insisted further. "However, I don't know if that would be a good idea. This is a very important secret, young Midoriya. The number of people who know about it must be kept to a minimum."
"To the point you expect me not to tell my own parents such an important change in my life?" the greenette hissed. "Which is illegal by the way and not very heroic."
The Hero bristled at that as he said, "Now see here, my boy…"
"I am not 'your boy', All Might," Izuku snapped, earning a shocked look from the man. "We aren't close."
"I'd like think we are," Yagi countered somberly. "We have gotten to know each other more since we first met."
"We're acquaintances at most, Yagi-sensei," the greenette stressed. "But despite you saying that you know me better after the Sports Festival, you don't know really anything about me at all."
"I know you are exceptional at analysis," the skeletal man retorted. "I know you want to still be a Hero despite what I said to you that day."
Despite you thinking it's impossible, you mean.
"What else?" Izuku pressed with a stern expression.
"Huh?" Yagi let out sounding and looking confused.
"What else?" he repeated. "What else do you know about me? What's my favorite color? Favorite food? What's my best subject in school? What else, All Might?"
"I, uh…" the Hero answered but tapered off with a lost expression.
"You know of me, Yagi-sensei, but you don't know me," Izuku stressed with almost a growl. "You don't know my favorite color is red. My favorite food is katsudon. That I'm so fluent in English that I spend my class time with Yamada-sensei either learning sign language or working on my analysis for Nezu-sensei."
"You…you are? You do?" the man asked surprised.
"Yes, I am and I do," Izuku replied in English. "I've been learning English since I was young because my dad thought it was important."
"I didn't…know that," Yagi said with a sad tone upon realizing he didn't really know the teen as much as he thought he did.
"No, because you don't know me," the greenette stated in Japanese with a huff as he clenched his fists resting on his knees. "I'm the Quirkless boy who has only ever wanted to be a Hero who helps people. Who was inspired to become a Hero by you, All Might. Who looked up to you and admired how you would help any and everyone you could. Or so I thought."
The skeletal man furrowed gaunt eyebrows in confusion as he asked, "What do you mean?"
"Did you know that the day we met was the best and worst day of my life?" Izuku asked.
Somber sunken blue eyes gazed at the teen as he asked, "How so?"
"It was a day that started as any other for me," Izuku replied. "Wake up, go to school, be bullied or ignored for being Quirkless. You know, the usual."
"You were…," Yagi breathed out in distressed surprise.
"Yes, All Might, I was bullied for being Quirkless," the teen confirmed with a steely tone. "Ever since I was four and diagnosed by a doctor, I was bullied and it all started with my best friend giving me the nickname Deku."
"Deku?" the skeletal man lilted in question.
"It's a different way of reading my first name," Izuku explained. "Technically it means 'wooden doll or puppet', but he meant for it to mean 'useless'. Because he thought I was useless since I didn't have a Quirk. That I couldn't be a Hero let alone anything else. That I was only a useless Quirkless Deku. And he wasn't the only one who believed that."
The Hero was silent as the Quirkless teen gave a brief description of his childhood. The air in the room was growing in intensity as he revealed how the nickname was only the beginning. One of many insults thrown his way over the years. How the words turned to actions when his bullies became more physical. That was until Izuku had started taking self defense in order to be able to fight back. But that never stopped their words.
This wasn't the first time he had talked about his childhood to someone. Izuku had talked to Hitoshi about it at times since he shared a similar experience being judged for his Quirk. Also, to Shouto after the Sports Festival and the teachers during the meeting. Before it hadn't been something he had ever wanted to talk about. Not even to his own mother even though she knew all along. But the greenette was finding it easier to talk about the more he did. So much so that he was surprised yet not by what he revealed next.
"But the worst was on the same day I met you," Izuku said with a hard look in his green eyes. "Being attacked by a Villain wasn't the only icing on that shit cake of a day. On top of that I met you, my idol, only for you to tell me my dream of becoming a Hero was impossible because I was Quirkless. Then you left me heartbroken and alone on a roof on the same day I was told to jump off of one in hopes of 'getting a Quirk in my next life'."
Sunken blue eyes widened in dismay as he let out a grief stricken, "Young Midoriya…"
But the greenette didn't let him interrupt. He was on a roll and barreled forward, "I never would, don't worry. No matter what anyone said or did would ever drive me to do that. Life is precious and short. I learned that when my dad almost died in a work accident. I would never waste mine just because I was told 'no'. Not even when I heard it from you."
The skeletal man let out a sigh of relief at that but was still clearly worried about the teen.
"But no matter how shitty that day was," Izuku continued. "The bullying, the attack, you. None of that mattered because after you left, I met someone who finally told me 'yes'."
"Who?" Yagi asked, one eyebrow quirked in curiosity while the other was furrowed in confusion as to who would play into his 'impossible' dream.
"You don't need to know who, All Might," the Quirkless boy stated. "You have no right to my personal business no matter how highly of a ranked Hero you are. That is between me and them. All you deserve to know is that this person believes I can do it. Believes that I can become a Quirkless Hero. That I only needed to find my own edge in a fight which I believe I have. Because I may not have a Quirk, but Quirks are only tools and my Support Items more than make up for my lack of one."
"Yes, but…," the Hero tried to interject but the teen didn't let him.
"I know what your 'but' is," Izuku all but growled. "But here's my own. I've only ever wanted to be a Hero to help. Fuck the rankings. I don't need to be Number One to be a Hero. I only have to do my best to protect and serve which is what a Hero does. Even then, just because a Hero has a high ranking does not mean they are a good Hero."
Like Endeavor.
"What do you mean by that, my…young Midoriya?" Yagi asked, correcting himself.
Green eyes scanned over the skeleton of man in front of him before answering, "Not all Heroes are good. There are those who crave power, money, or attention. Who become Heroes to gain those things instead of actually wanting to help. Then there are those who become corrupt and either overlook or work with criminals. And then there are people like you."
"What?" the confused Hero asked. Yagi was baffled as to how he, the Number One Hero and Symbol of Peace, could be lumped with the crooked and the corrupt. He was All Might for goodness sakes!
"You are strong and do your best to help people and bring justice," Izuku offered before ripping off the bandage. "But you are not perfect. Far from it."
"How so?" the man asked hesitantly.
"Well, for one thing, your handling of our first meeting was…not good," Izuku answered bluntly. "You left me on a roof after I was attacked by a Villain on the same day I was told to kill myself. Not that you knew that second part, but still. You left me after a traumatic event and on top of that crushed my dream of wanting to be a Hero. If I wasn't so stubborn, that could have ended very differently and badly."
The skeletal man paled at that but said nothing to refute because he was right.
"Another thing is when it comes to your teaching," the greenette continued. "You are a dedicated Hero. There's no doubt about that. But you are also a teacher now and have responsibilities that you don't always uphold. Like when you wasted your time the morning of the USJ attack."
"But there were people in need!" Yagi insisted in an attempt to defend himself. "I couldn't turn a blind eye to them."
"But you weren't the only one that could have done that, All Might," Izuku countered. "There were other Heroes who could have handled those situations. You were needed here and not just because of the Villain attack. You are a teacher now and have responsibilities to be there for your students and fellow teachers. Being a teacher takes a lot of hard work and effort."
"I am aware of that," the man admitted sheepishly. "It is clear to me I have much to learn about being a teacher."
"Ya think?" the teen snarked. "Do you even have a teaching license?"
"I, uh, no, I don't," Yagi answered as he lowered his head in shame.
The greenette let out an exacerbated huff as he said, "If you're not going to put your best effort into teaching, then you shouldn't waste our time half assing your way through it. We are here to learn and prepare ourselves for our futures. We don't need a teacher who can't teach wasting our time."
...
Toshinori sat there in silence taking in his criticism. Unable to deny his points because he was right. The Hero had addressed the situation poorly on the day they met. He had been so focused on his diminishing time that he acted rasher than he usually would have. Had tried to brush the kid off repeatedly so he could get the Villain to the police as soon as possible. Not realizing the potential consequences of leaving the traumatized child who, unbeknownst to him, had been suicide baited earlier that same day.
Midoriya was right. He had handled the situation poorly. Yes, he hadn't known of the bullying or the baiting words or anything else about the kid. Had only made on the spot assumptions about him and may also have projected his own feelings onto the situation. Seeing himself in the Quirkless child who wished to be a Hero but knew from personal experience that wishes only got you so far. Because Toshinori would never have been able to become the Hero he was today if he had not been gifted One For All.
That was why he had told the boy 'no' that day. Because he knew. Knew that in order to become a Hero like him, one needed power. Strength. A Quirk. Which is what he thought the kid had wanted to be. It was the question he had asked him after all. But it seemed that he had been wrong. A miscommunication between them of what that question actually meant.
To Toshinori, it had been a question of if a child could become the Number One Hero without a Quirk. Which he honestly thought was impossible. Not with the kinds of Villains he has gone up against. Especially All For One who may have survived their fight six years ago. Which was a terrifying thought if he truly was. Though he hoped it was merely a coincidence even if in his twisted gut he already started to accept that reality.
But to the boy, apparently, he had meant if he, a Quirkless child, could be a Hero at all. Because everyone, even the Hero himself, had always told him 'no'. Which must have hurt coming from Toshinori since he had been the kid's idol and inspiration to be a Hero. And he had let him down. Not once but twice now. But the man found himself grateful to this mysterious person who had told him 'yes'. Who had understood the question proper and gave the encouragement he himself had not.
The Hero still stood by his words that a Quirkless Hero becoming Number One was impossible. That kind of attention and pressure would surely be too much without natural power. He himself was purposefully targeted by the strongest and most violent of Villains because he was Number One. If the boy were to go up against them, he would most surely die.
But Midoriya said that he didn't care about rankings. Which was an odd concept for the man to grasp especially in a young aspiring Hero. The Hero culture had evolved to center around the ranking system pushing the Heroes to do their best. A way to hold them accountable but also as a class system to sort the Heroes based on their skill levels and public opinion. But, if the boy truly didn't care about ranking high, if he was fine with settling wherever then perhaps him becoming that kind of Hero wasn't as impossible as he thought. Though it still seemed like a stretch to him.
However, this did not dissuade his belief that the boy was the perfect fit for becoming his successor. Midoriya clearly had the heart of a Hero. A desire to help others. He also was physically fit and perhaps only needed some strength training to be ready for receiving One For All. Which Toshinori was still willing to offer the boy even though this meeting had not gone the way he had thought it would.
Midoriya would be a worthy successor. He may be fine with settling for mediocrity, but he could be so much more if he had a Quirk. Toshinori's Quirk specifically. One For All would give him the strength he lacked to become the best Hero he could be. Could follow in his footsteps and become the next Symbol of Peace. A role the man was sure he would perform well.
But the Quirkless teen had been right. Toshinori didn't know him as well as he thought he did. Sure, he had a better understanding of his Hero's heart and his skills after the festival. But he didn't know his actual motivations. His goals. The kind of Hero he wanted to be exactly. Though whatever kind it was, surely receiving One For All would make it more attainable.
"Young Midoriya, why do you want to be a Hero?" the Hero asked.
...
'Child…why do you want to be a Hero?'
The mirrored words said by the Hero Killer rang through Izuku's head. The question was familiar to him. It was the same one that Chizome had asked when he had first met him after being rejected by All Might. The Villain who had told him 'yes' after the Hero had answered the opposite. The man who had been willing to learn why he wanted to be a Hero rather than instantly dismissing him because he was Quirkless.
The greenette was still pissed at the Hero before him. Pissed that he still thought the idea of a Quirkless Hero was impossible. That he believed a Quirk was required to become a Hero. But it wasn't. Quirks were only tools. They didn't define you or what you could be. They were only a trait that's a part of you like your hair or eye color. Only a piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.
But Yagi had asked wanting to know him better. Which was more effort than he had put in before this. Though, to be fair, they hadn't spent much time together. This was only the fourth time they had talked. The first on that roof top, twice after the Hero Course training, and now. Well, there was also the USJ so technically five. But that was more one sided and really only Izuku revealing the Villains' Quirks to All Might rather than an actual conversation. But other than that, outside of discussing his 'questionable' aptitude to be a Hero and his analysis, they had never just talked.
Then again, Izuku had only met with Chizome four times and he felt the Villain knew him much more than the Hero before him did. Because the Hero Killer had taken the time to talk to him. Hadn't just seen him for his lack of Quirk, but looked past that to see him. Saw that he was more than Quirkless. That Izuku was a person. One with a strong desire to help and serve as the Hero he has always wanted to be.
Quality over quantity. That was what it came down to. Even though Izuku had only met Chizome four times, their quality of conversation had been on a level that had allowed them to get to know each other. To share their views and values. To learn of their differing morals when it came to death and murder. Not necessarily accepting that difference but knowing there was nothing they could do to change the other's mind.
But what mattered the most was that Chizome had taken the time to get to know him. As a person. Unlike the Hero before him had in the past. However, Yagi was making that effort now. Wanted to learn more about him. About the kind of Hero he wanted to be.
"For as long as I can remember," Izuku said after taking a moment to form his answer. "I've always wanted to help in any way I could. Like the Heroes in the news. My childhood friend and I both wanted to be Heroes and were inspired the most by you. The Hero who always saved the day with a smile. Who helped any and every one he could."
The skeletal man offered him a melancholic smile. Happy to hear he had been inspiring to the boy, but still somber from the lingering tension in the room.
"That is the main reason why I want to be a Hero," the greenette explained. "But…I think there might be another reason now. I want to become a Hero so that others like me can see that they can become one too. To prove to everyone that a Quirkless Hero was possible. Maybe not the strongest or most popular, but still possible none the less. Because there are so many kinds of Heroes out there with varying strengths and skills that a Quirkless Hero can fit into that mix somewhere."
The Hero remained silent as he talked with only a nod to continue. Giving the teen his full attention as he explained himself.
"I don't know how the Quirkless were treated when you were younger," Izuku said. "But they aren't really even seen as human to some people nowadays. Just a less evolved byproduct that will never amount to anything special just because they're born with an extra toe joint. That not having a Quirk makes them nothing."
Sunken blue eyes grew sad at that. Back in his younger days, the view of the Quirkless hadn't been that bad. They had still been looked down upon because there were so many others with Quirks that made them strong and helped them become Heroes. Such as Endeavor who was another Hero aiming for the top like himself. Who used his strength and fire to bring justice and order to the world.
But growing up, Yagi had no Quirk, no power, to help him attain his dreams. Not until he had met his mentor. Nana had made his dream of becoming the Symbol of Peace possible by choosing him to be her successor. He had just been the Quirkless teen with a lofty goal but no actual power to achieve it. But with One For All he had been able to grab hold of that dream and make it a reality. Another reason why he wanted to give his Quirk to the boy before him and give him a chance to be more that he could as a Quirkless Hero. But he was starting to doubt if the boy would take it now as the teen continued.
"Because of this, I want to be the first Quirkless Hero even more," Izuku stated firmly. "To show that it is possible. That anyone can be a Hero if they are willing to put the effort in. No matter their Quirk or lack of one. Because a Hero is not just raw power. Being a Hero takes hard work, but it is possible if one has the determination and conviction to put forth the effort. Which I do and I will become a Hero no matter what."
The room fell into silence at the end of his explanation. His motivations to be a Hero had mostly been the same ever since he was little. To help. But they had evolved over time. At first to bring a smile to other people's faces like All Might. Which he still wanted to do in any way he could like when he had cleaned the beach. But it wasn't his main motivation anymore.
Perhaps it was out of spite to a degree like Hitoshi. To show all those who had told him 'no' that they were wrong. But it was also to set an example. To show that it was possible to be a Hero without a Quirk. Proof that that sort of dream was attainable much like how Izuku had gained inspiration and hope from researching Eraserhead who basically fought Quirkless. Because the Quirkless teen knew that he could have used a role model like that growing up. But since there were none, he guessed that he would just have to be the first.
The teacher and student stared silently at each other. The tension was almost suffocating and Izuku was itching to break it. But he refused to do so because he had said his piece. Now it was the Hero's turn.
"I…commend you on your goals, young Midoriya," Yagi finally said after a few quiet minutes. "It is indeed a Hero's job to help. As for your intention to be a Quirkless Hero, while I believe you could do so much more with a Quirk, I also commend you on that. You seem to have a much stronger will than I did when I was your age. I think…you could possibly do what I could not."
What he…could not?
"What do you mean by that?" the greenette asked with a quirked brow.
"As I told you, One For All was passed on to me," the blonde replied, earning a nod. "It is a Quirk that has been passed on from holder to holder and has accumulated power over the years. That power enhances the wielder's Quirk as well as their physical strength. Such as Nana's Float was much stronger once she had received One For All herself."
Green eyes studied the man before him questionably as he asked, "And what about you?"
"I also received the physical strength," Yagi answered, buffing up for a few seconds before deflating again with a bloodied cough. "But as for any enhancement to my Quirk, well, that didn't happen."
A flicker of suspicion of what the man was getting at ignited within him when he asked, "Why?"
"Because," the skeletal man said, taking a moment of pause to take a steadying breath. "I didn't have one."
For the second time that meeting, Izuku's brain shut down from being overwhelmed by a shocking reveal. However, instead of excitement of learning something new about the Hero before him, this time he snapped back with anger.
"You were fucking Quirkless!?" Izuku spat incredulously.
The deflated blonde jumped at his reaction. He had expected the reveal would have brought him closer to the teen, not this.
"Y-yes, I was," Yagi confirmed hesitantly. "Which is why I know better than most that your journey to become a Hero will be extremely difficult without a Quirk. That's one of the reasons why I want to offer you mine so you can become the Hero you want to be same as Nana did for me. We are the same, young Midoriya."
"No, we are not the fucking same!" the greenette snapped enraged. "Again, I don't want to be exactly like you. I want to be me. My own kind of Hero. One that helps without a care in the fucking world for rankings."
"I understand that," the skeletal man stated, hands up defensively but also to gesture for the teen to calm down. "But being a Quirkless Hero is nigh impossible in this Quirked world. There is a chance, small but still there, however you could do so much more with One For All."
"You're not getting it, All Might," Izuku fumed as he was reaching his limit for this insulting conversation. "I don't want or need your Quirk to be a Hero. Just because you couldn't become the kind of Hero you wanted to be without a Quirk, that doesn't mean I need one."
The greenette grabbed his bag as he stood up and started heading for the door. He was so angry and just wanted to get out of there even though he hadn't been dismissed. But he refused to be subjected any more to the Number One Hero's idiotic and infuriating presence.
"Wait, young Midoriya," Yagi called out, standing up as well from the couch. "We're not done."
"Yes, we are, sir," Izuku retorted as he paused with his hand on the door. Keeping his body turned away, green eyes seething with anger peeked over his shoulder at the man. "You admit that you see the potential to be a Hero inside me, but only if I have a Quirk. All because you failed to be a Quirkless Hero yourself."
"Well…technically I never tried to be a Hero before I received One For All," the skeletal man admitted. "I still dreamed of becoming a Symbol of Peace, but I knew it would be impossible without a Quirk. I was only able to become a Hero because Nana saw something in me and made me her successor. Which I hope to do with you if you would accept, young Midoriya."
The greenette stood there glaring at the man while shaking in anger at the audacity of that reveal. Not only had the Hero been Quirkless before being gifted a Quirk. Not only did he think that Izuku's goal to be a Quirkless Hero was impossible. Not only did the man project himself onto the Quirkless teen and discredit all of his efforts just because he used Support Items instead of a Quirk. No. On top of all that, he hadn't even tried to be a Quirkless Hero himself just because he 'knew' it was impossible. But he didn't know because he didn't fucking try.
All of the building resentment came to a head as Izuku growled out four seething single syllable words.
"Fuck you, All Might."
With that, the teen slammed open the door and stormed out of the room.
...
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Notes extension: post/657884899966173184/part-2-chapter-21-a-hero-like-you