Chapter Four

Rise


Ochako sat in her usual seat beside Izuku's hospital bed, waiting for him to wake up. The sun had yet to rise, but she wanted to get as much time with him from the day as she could. Her classes started back the next day, and while she could still visit daily, it would be for significantly less time.

Admittedly, she had grown incredibly fond of the boy, and very quickly. He was kind, if a bit shy and guarded, and very keen of mind. She could see his intelligence, brimming in his eyes. There was a certain kind of warmth to him that made her feel like she could stick around a while.

But there was a sadness too. As though his eyes didn't shine quite so brightly as they once did. It showed in very specific moments, she quickly learned that his past is a subject to veer away from. As kind a boy as he was, that was one topic he had refused, as politely as he could, to talk about. The scars and old burn tissue the had doctor mentioned said enough.

Yet, even through that sadness and pain, there was fire in Izuku's eyes. It shined brightest when he learned to use his powers in a conscious state, albeit to a fraction of the degree that he had used when they first manifested. At first, he could only light a small green flame in the palm of his hand, and his telepathy was weaker than his actual body. Yet, despite it all, there was a determination. The fire had been lit, and he would rise from the ashes.

A door opening snapped her out of her thoughts, and Ochako's eyes widened.

"M-Mr. Aizawa?" She asked in a stunned whisper, trying not to wake the sleeping Izuku. Her teacher gave her a curt nod.

"Uraraka. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you, doctor says you've been here every day that they've allowed you," he said, casting his gaze to the green-haired boy. "You remembered our deal, right? You didn't tell your classmates his room number or location?"

"N-no sir. I didn't think so many people visiting would be good for him right after something so traumatic," she answered. He nodded his head in approval.

"Good. I plan to let the class come visit him, but it'll be broken into groups, and only apply to those who actually want to visit. Kid certainly doesn't need to be crowded." Ochako nodded her agreement, but froze for a moment, pensive.

"Mr. Aizawa? Why did you tell me where to find him, out of everyone?"

Because if you hadn't been here with him, no one would have been. Shota couldn't tell his student the truth. It wasn't his place.

"He dove in front of a blow that was intended to kill you. I figured you had more a right than anyone to know," Ochako nodded, but her teacher could tell she didn't believe his explanation. She was a bright one, after all. Still, she seemed to know that there was no use in pressing for information, so Shota chose this moment to try and gleam some information.

"What do you think of him?" Ochako looked up at him, furrowing her brow. She turned her gaze back to the sleeping Izuku.

"He's… he hasn't had it easy, has he?" Her voice was soft, her expression empathetic. "I dunno, I… I get the feeling he's seen a lot of heartache. I mean… You're the first person to visit him aside from me, Mr. Aizawa."

Shota gave a small hum in place of an answer. "What else?"

"Well, despite whatever he may have been through, he's gotta certain warmth to him. He's been very kind to me, and he has this… fire in his eyes, y'know?"

Shota simply nodded in response, looking down at the watch on his wrist. He looked back to see his student watching him intently. He gave a long sigh under her gaze.

"Look, Uraraka, why don't you run to the cafeteria for breakfast or something? I'd like a second alone with the kid."


Izuku's eyes fluttered open, the early morning sun freshly risen, basking his room in an orange light. Two things immediately stood out to him, first being his new friend's absence, second being the rugged looking man watching him intently. He had shoulder length hair, so dark it was practically black, and half lidded eyes that were a bloodshot red. Beneath one of his eyes was a scar, still rather fresh looking. His goggles, hanging around his neck, were what really clued Izuku in as to just who it was he was speaking to.

"I-Is it really… the Erasure Hero… Eraserhead?!"

One of Shota's brows shot up before he could stop it. Kid really knows his stuff, if he can recognize me on sight.

"Yeah, but for our purposes, call me Aizawa. I'm not here as a hero, I'm here as the teacher of Class 1-A. I wanted to talk," Shota was aware of how terse he sounded, but he had his reasons.

"Oh! So that was you!" Izuku perked up before his eyes fell to the man's new scar. "I'm… I'm sorry I didn't heal you better than I did."

"Considering you probably brought me back from the brink of death, we'll call it even, besides, if I've heard right, you weren't even aware you had a quirk until you woke up in this hospital. I can't imagine you have full control over it, even in that state." Izuku nodded lightly, watching the teacher carefully, waiting for him to continue.

"So, I'm going to ask a few questions. If you are at all uncomfortable, you have every right not to answer." Another nod. "First, can you use your power in a conscious state at all, since they've awakened?"

In lieu of an answer, Izuku stook out an arm. The chair across the room, a heavy recliner, began to shake before slowly rising to the air. It only lasted a few seconds before it fell back to the ground, and the boy had to wipe blood from his nose.

"The telekinesis is much more… limited than it was when it first manifested. I can move smaller objects around without much issue, and even things like plastic chairs are fine. But that recliner is about where my limit is, so I'd say about forty-five kilos? A hundred pounds? Definitely less impressive," He said, laughing sheepishly.

Makes sense, Shota thought. He only just awakened his abilities. Frankly, it's impressive how far he's come with his telepathy in just a week, given he's been confined to a hospital room.

"What of your pyrokinesis? Any control over that?" Izuku's face fell, just for a second, but long enough to be noticed.

"I haven't really had any luck with the fire… I think it's a mentality thing, I… I've got a fear of flames, you see…" His eyes had a far away look to them, focusing on something long since past.

"I see. This relates to the house fire, yes?" Shota asked, trying to be somewhat gentle about it.

"Well… yes. I… I lost everything in that fire. I've always had a fear of fire, but after that… well, you could imagine." A silence stretched between the two, Izuku not elaborating, and Shota not pressing for more.

"Second question then, and the more important one," Shota began, giving Izuku a serious look. "What do you intend to do now? What will you do after you leave this hospital?"

"I… I don't know," Izuku answered, confronted with the question he'd been dreading. "I guess… I'll just be headed back to the shelter."

Something about his response was off to Shota. "Is that really what you want?"

"No. It isn't. But what choice do I have? Even though I have a quirk, it doesn't make me a hero. I can barely even use it. A hero who can only use the full extent of his power by dying doesn't have much hope," he said, head lowered.

He understands the situation better than I expected. "So you'll just give up? Head back to a shelter, get a job you don't care about?" Shota made his voice harsher than he wanted to, he needed to know the boy's response. "It seems like heroism wasn't that big of a deal to you, really."

"W-What do you mean?" Izuku said, looking up at the older man.

"You're so ready to just throw in the towel. You find out you have a quirk of exceptional power, but you don't even consider pushing it to the next level. It's disappointing. Why did you want to be a hero in the fir-"

"I wanted to save people!" Suddenly, Shota could see what Ochako had told him about. The fire in his eyes. It was dim, subdued, but far from extinguished. A quiet moment went by, before the boy lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't yell, I just… I've wanted to be a hero since as far back as I can remember. I wanted to be like All MIght, be like… like him. My whole life, I've only been told no, that I can't. My own mother didn't believe I was capable… I spent my whole life wanting to prove her wrong, show her that she could be proud of me, and then…" Now she'll never see.

Shota understood the implications, and more importantly, he could see those flames, those embers.

"Look," he began, his voice softer now. "I won't pretend to understand anything about what you've been through. But, the future calls, Izuku Midoriya. I want you to join my class."

"...W-... Wh-... WHAT?!" The boy squealed. "I-I-I don't… I c-couldn't!"

"Why not?" The teacher asked. "Listen kid, there's a lot of people that want to become heroes. There's a lot of people who make great candidates for heroes too. Neither of those things are rare. What IS rare, however, is for a prospective hero to have such a selfless motivation as simply wanting to help. It's usually a matter of wealth or prestiege. If your only reason for dreaming of being a hero truly was just to save lives, then UA needs more people like you. It won't be easy. Rather, I suspect it will be the hardest academic experience you've ever faced. That's the case for most students, but you will be at a severe disadvantage. There's a chance you may never catch up to your peers, but… I want you in my class."

Izuku looked to his lap, at his hands. Hands that have saved lives. Hands that desired to save more. He couldn't… he was no hero.

No, not a hero. Just a delusional boy who had a stroke of good luck. His quirk was brand new, and he had next to no control over it. There's no way he could be in the same class as someone like Uraraka. She and the rest of her classmates represented the best of the best! The very best Japan had to offer! How was he supposed to-

"Hey hey, little Izu." Izuku didn't know why he heard that voice then. It didn't make sense. Why think of him now? He had been able to avoid it for so long.

...A hero. He wanted to be a hero. Not a glorified celebrity, or a money hunting wannabe. He wanted to show the world what a true hero is. Someone… Someone who does the right thing, for no other reason than the fact that it's the right thing.

"I'll… I'll do it."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Shota nodded in approval, though he couldn't help but wonder to himself. The boy seemed possessed by doubt, but in an instant, all that doubt seemed to vanish. His fists were clenched. Green fire burned in his eyes.

"Good. Now, someone will be by later today. They'll have another serious talk with you on a matter relevant to the school. Your talk with them… It will be far more important than your talk with me."

With that, Shota made for the door, pausing for a second after opening it. He turned his head back, facing the boy with only his eyes.

"The future calls, Izuku Midoriya. You can be something greater than you are now. Come with us. Rise above the ashes of your past life, and become the hero you have always longed to be."


After leaving the room, Shota took a breath. After speaking with the boy, he could see that this was a worthy candidate. Toshinori had told him all he needed to know, trusting Shota's judgement on the matter.

In a sense, it looked as though Shota would be choosing the next inheritor of One for All.

Sitting outside the hospital room, in a chair provided by one of the doctors, he found a familiar sight waiting.

"Uraraka," the girl's head snapped toward her teacher. "Walk with me."

She nodded and walked alongside her teacher as he made for the exit, obviously wondering why he had asked her along with him.

"Tomorrow," he began, hopefully providing answers to her questions. "I want you to come straight here. Don't worry about missing class. I'll send the work and the notes to your dormroom."

"O-oh, okay! But… why?" She asked, voice hesitant.

"The majority of the class will be visiting him tomorrow at some point or another. I think it would be best for him to have a familiar face around. Don't want to put too much pressure on him at once now, do we?"

"No, sir. No we don't. I'll do it," Ochako replied, voice containing some happiness at getting to know this boy better. "Mr. Aizawa?" He turned to face her. "De-... Midoriya, what… what happened to him? Why has no one else visited him?"

Shota was quiet for a moment, before taking in a breath. "It isn't my place to say. If he hasn't told you yet, I think it's clear he isn't comfortable yet." Ochako's face fell, just for an instant. "Lighten up, kid. I'm sure he'll tell you once he becomes more familiar with you. You'll have plenty of time, once he's in 1-A." He said the words casually, easily, not even breaking his gait. The same could not be said for Ochako.

"WHAT?! He's gonna be in our class?!" She asked, rather loudly. "Are you sure? He's definitely got the spirit of a hero, but… I don't wanna see him thrown into something he is unprepared for. Pulling him in at this point would place him at a major disadvantage, compared to the rest of us." Despite her concern for her new friend, some part of her was rather elated by the thought of him being her classmate.

"When I walked in there, do you know what I saw?" Her teacher asked. Ochako shook her head, curious as to where he was going. "I saw exactly what you described. A boy who has seen a lot of heartache. He's known a lot of loss, more than anyone his age should. But theres a fire in him… no matter how dim, it's there."

"Y-yeah. I get the feeling he's gotta lot of fight in him, deep down. It just feels like something has subdued a lot of that spirit," she said, eyes cast to the floor.

Shota stopped in his movement, freezing in the hallway, eyes locked on the exit door but unfocused. "Maybe so. But life has a great deal of pain. A great deal of loss. Ultimately, what you make of your life is determined by how you deal with that loss. And that, kid, comes down to a single choice."

She stared at her teacher, waiting, anxious to hear what he had to say.

"You can let that pain defeat you, break you, crush your spirit. You can let that pain define who you are, you can let it destroy the person you were. That pain can be your end. For many, it is," he turned to face his student, eyes glowing. "Or you can choose to rise. Become more, fight back. Determine for yourself who you are, and choose to not be defined by your pain."

Shota began to walk for the door, leaving his student in silent contemplation, before calling back over his shoulder. "Izuku Midoriya will rise. He will rise above his past. He will rise above his pain. He can, and will rise above his disadvantage at UA. He has fire, but I think you and I have only seen a few kindles compared to what he really has."

With that, her teacher was gone, leaving Ochako staring down an empty hallway. Slowly, a smile came to her lips.

He's right… I can feel it. Deku… he will rise to heroism.

A moment passed, and she began to head back for his room.

He will rise to heroism, and I wanna be there for every step of the way.