Katsuki and the Salvato Sisters were all strolling through the Tatooine Shopping District, which had quieted down after the Villain Attack earlier today They had already sent in their and Izuku's applications for UA High, arguably the best hero academy in all of Japan.
"Hey kids!" called out a man's voice as the three teens turned around to see Superalloy Darkshine approaching them.
"What's with the sudden rush?" Katsuki asked.
"Is everything okay, sir?" Yuri said worriedly.
"Did you happen to see a villain with a Sludge Quirk run through this area?" Superalloy Darkshine asked. "I was chasing him down, and I think All-Might was running after us as well, but I lost both of them when the Villain hit the sewer system."
"Nope, can't say we have." Natsuki apologized with a shrug. "If we did, we'd have told you."
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, the bottle that All-Might put the Sludge Villain in had fallen into a nearby alley without All-Might or Izuku noticing. Suddenly, a shadowy figure stepped in and loomed over the bottle, picking it up as the Villain's eyes widened in shock at who he saw.
"It's...you!"
The shadowy figure's face was obscured except for his grinning mouth full of sharp and filthy yellow teeth. He then unscrewed the cap of the bottle with his claws as the Sludge Villain squeezed himself out.
"Go forth and wreak chaos!"
Meanwhile, Izuku was freaking out, again, at the sight of All-Might suddenly becoming a frail and skeletal man.
"What-!? How-?! Why-?! I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"
"Suppose I should start with the obvious..." All-Might said with a sigh. "What you're seeing is the effect of an injury I got five years ago. I took a nasty hit that damaged my lungs and stomach. Because of that, I can only hold my Hero Form for seven hours at a time. It would have been three hours, but a good friend saved my life that day and lessened the damage."
"Well, I guess not all Heroes have their Quirks on 24/7..." Izuku muttered. "And this is actually the first time I've seen you without a smile on your face."
"I put on the smile for the sake of the people," All-Might explained. "There's a lot more fear behind it than you might think. And please, don't spread that information around. Only a few people know how my Quirk works, and I'd rather keep it that way. Oh yeah, and while I'm like this, call me Yagi. Toshinori Yagi."
"Okay, Toshinori-San," Izuku said with a nod of his head. "But what did you mean earlier?"
Toshinori lifted up part of his shirt, showing a round scar. Izuku winced when he saw the crack-like markings around it.
"This is the injury I was talking about. I was in a fight with the Villain to end all Villains. I still won, but it nearly cost me my life. Luckily I had help from the best Pro Heroes who knew how to heal. They managed to repair my damaged organs. Without them, I'd be running on fumes by now."
Izuku pondered on which Villain could have injured Toshinori so badly. "But wait, you said five years ago...was it that fight you had with Toxic Chainsaw?"
"Huh, you really know your stuff, kid. But no, it wasn't him. He was defeated without much incident. Sure, he got some hits in, but I've faced far tougher. This was actually a fight most of the world never even heard of. A Villain that is known only to me, and a select few individuals I trust with my life. It's a closely guarded secret even amongst the Heroic Public Safety Committee."
Izuku nodded. "I guess even the Symbol of Peace can feel fear, huh?"
"That's the mark of being a Hero," Toshinori said. "Smiling even through the darkest days. This job isn't easy, and I have seen Heroes fall, some of them had been good people and close friends. Either dying to a lucky Villain or even becoming Villains themselves when the pressure got too much. It's the lucky ones, or the ones that keep a gray line, that make it to retirement with their careers, lives, and reputations intact. It's a job where you always put your life on the line."
"From the way you say it, It sounds like Quirkless people couldn't even become Heroes without support," Izuku said rather sadly.
"Heroes can come from anywhere," Toshinori clarified. "It's not just about fighting Villains. But fighting Villains does require the power of something that can give people an edge since they tend to have their own Quirks or even certain items that boost their power. So while a Quirkless person could become a hero without powers, they would mostly be limited to rescue and evacuation. When Thomas Jefferson penned that all men are created equal, what he meant was that all men, and women, are equally entitled to the same rights. They aren't necessarily born equally capable."
"What about a Quirk like mine?" Izuku asked.
"What about it?" Toshinori questioned.
Izuku proceeded to explain the full details of his Quirk. When he was done, Toshinori's eyes were wide with amazement.
"I never thought something from a work of fiction could manifest itself as a Quirk. But then again, an old friend of mine did say, and I quote 'Quirks are Bullshit'."
"Yeah, Kaachan said the same thing when we were kids."
"And trust me, I've read and watched One Piece myself. Heck, I am surprised to hear that your Dad likes to read manga and watch anime. People like us are a rare breed. Many of the heroes in those stories were what inspired us to be Heroes ourselves."
Suddenly, an explosion went off from the other side of the district. Toshinori and Izuku looked across to see what was going on.
"Another Villain Attack?!"
Toshinori then instinctively checked his pockets and his eyes widened in horror when he realized the bottle containing the Sludge Villain was gone!
"Oh no!"
Izuku also noticed and paled in realization. "I-I think I might have caused you to drop the bottle!"
Toshinori quickly buffed back up into his All-Might Form. "Don't worry, Young Midoriya. I don't blame you for this. Accidents happen all the time, and the only course of action we have is to clean it up."
As All-Might leaped off in the direction of the explosion, Izuku tightened his fists, realizing the Symbol of Peace had a point as he yelled and transformed using Kaido's [Fish-Fish Fruit: Model Azure Dragon], becoming an Eastern Dragon with bright green and black scales the size and length of a school bus as he flew after All-Might.
"Let her go, you gooey pedophile!" Growled Katsuki as he threw another explosion at the Sludge Villain. He needed to be careful with his output though, as the monster had a hostage in the form of a young teenage girl with lime green hair, burgundy eyes, and watermelon seed-shaped whisker marks. Trying to help out was a teenage boy whose appearance was similar to that of an axolotl salamander.
"There's no way this guy could have gotten out on his own!" said Superalloy Darkshine as he desperately pulled on the Sludge Villain's body, trying to get him off the girl. "Who freed you, creep?!"
The Sludge Villain merely cackled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Katsuki and the Salvato Sisters had offered to help Superalloy Darkshine search for the Sludge Villain. However, a cry for help a few blocks away led them to the monster trying to body jack a teenage girl he had caught off-guard. Despite Darkshine's objections, Katsuki and the girl's friend, the axolotl boy, rushed in to help her.
"Other heroes got to the scene, including Death Arms, Kamui Woods, Mount Lady, Metal Bat, and Watchdog Man, a Pro Hero dressed in a full-body dog costume that covered everything except his face. His Quirk, [K-9], gave him heightened senses akin to that of an actual dog as well as the strength, speed, and stamina of some of the strongest breeds of dogs around.
"We need to do something!" Kamui Woods said. "That boy is pretty reckless with his explosions and he might cause an accident. And Bobby Atlas can't keep pulling on that Villain forever. Pretty soon, that girl is gonna suffocate!"
"You sure?" Death Arms asked wearily. "The Villain was only marked as a robber. I was under the impression that this was a hostage situation."
"Use your eyes, man!" Metal Bat barked angrily. "Don't you see that girl struggling to get free and breathe?! Darkshine and those two kids are just barely giving her time to get oxygen before she gets pulled back in!"
Death Arms grimaced and considered his options. "I can try getting her out of there. With me and Darkshine's combined strength, we should be able to overwhelm the Villain and grab the kid."
"Let us help!" Sayori cried as she and her sisters stepped in. "Katsuki is trying to help that girl, so we should help too!"
"It's too risky, kid!" Death Arms said. "Your friend has already caused an accidental fire with his explosions that's keeping Backdraft at bay. We don't need you risking potentially causing problems as well!"
"Bullshit!" Natsuki growled as she rushed forward. "My Quirk'll let me push through the fire and get inside that creep!"
"Dammit, kid! I said don't do it!"
Natsuki coated herself in an aura of water, the flames surrounding her extinguishing upon contact as she rushed to help Katsuki and the axolotl boy save the girl.
Izuku had arrived and was already checking out the situation. He knew Katsuki was quite reckless but he could tell he was trying to control his explosions after the first accidental fire he made in the process of trying to rescue the girl. He then saw Natsuki diving into the Sludge Villain, struggling to pull the girl out and his mind went into overdrive as he quickly started analyzing the situation before his eyes widened in realization.
"The Villains' eyes! Even in his amorphous state, they're still solid!"
Running forward, Izuku bobbed and weaved through the flames as Death Arms took notice. The rest of the Salvato Sisters pushed past the Punching Hero and followed after their friend.
"Dang it! These kids are suicidal!"
Izuku harnessed the power of Mr. 3's [Wax-Wax Fruit], creating a slingshot made of solid wax with a bigger ball of wax as the projectile. He pulled back the sling, even as the heat from the flames around him began melting his wax constructs, and fired at the Villains' eyes.
"Deku!" Katsuki exclaimed as he and the axolotl boy were now trying to pull Natsuki and the girl out of the Sludge Villain with help from Monika, Sayori, and Yuri. Thanks to Izuku's intervention, they managed to pull the two out safely.
"You okay, Natsuki?!" Yuri asked worriedly as her sister smiled.
"Yeah, that creep couldn't get inside me. I made a wind pocket in my throat to push his gunk out of my mouth.."
"Is the girl okay, though?" Izuku asked as he turned to see the girl his friends had rescued taking deep gulps of air, a relieved look on her frightened face as the axolotl boy was doing his best to console her.
"Kids! Get out of here now!" Superalloy Darkshine warned as he struggled to hold the Sludge Villain back.
"Damn brats! I'll teach you to-!"
A massive impact alerted the Sludge Villain as everyone turned to see All-Might had arrived, having witnessed the heroic acts of Izuku and his friends.
"You kids are all truly aspiring Heroes in the making!" The Symbol of Peace then charged forward. "Not just anyone would rush headlong into danger with a reassuring smile on their face, Quirk or No Quirk!"
"Holy fucking shit is that All-Might?!" Katsuki asked in disbelief at the sight of the man he idolized just as much as Izuku did.
"Superalloy Darkshine, stand clear! You've done enough to help!" All-Might said to his fellow Pro, who nodded and jumped out of the way as the Symbol of Peace pulled his fist back. "DETROIT SMASH!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Sludge Villain screamed in defeat and despair as All-Might generated a massive shockwave punch that once more splattered him to pieces.
"Guess I should clean up..." Watchdog Man sighed as he pulled out several airtight-sealed bags and opened them up, jumping around to catch the Sludge Villain's core pieces and seal them up tightly so he couldn't escape.
"Man, he changed the weather with a punch! So cool!" Sayori exclaimed as the updraft from All-Might's punch had parted the clouds and started a small rainfall.
Izuku's mind was racing. What All-Might had just done was no simple Strength-Enhancer or Muscle Augmentation Quirk. There was another force at work here. Still, with a smile on his face and his fist raised to the heavens, All-Might was able to reassure the people that the danger had passed, as the onlookers cheered.
After the Heroes present had given the kids a thorough scolding for their reckless behavior, they then went on to congratulate them for taking charge of the situation and doing their best to help. After All-Might was done with the press hounding him, he decided to speak to Izuku about something, taking the boy aside as his friends looked on in confusion, especially when All-Might shrunk back down into his normal form of Toshinori Yagi.
"Young Midoriya, I'm sure you've realized by now that my Quirk is much more than it seems. I normally wouldn't be saying this, but there's a reason I'm explaining everything. You see...Five years ago, I decided to contemplate retirement."
"Retirement?! The Symbol of Peace?!" Izuku was shocked, to say the least.
"The Villain who nearly ended my career, and life, is one that has been fought before," Toshinori explained. "And only I have ever come close to truly ending his threat. But sources tell me that he may not be gone for good. And I only barely survived against him the first time...Which means I need to pass the torch so that my successor might have greater success."
The blonde skeletal man then placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "And that is why I have chosen you, Young Midoriya, to inherit my true power."
"True power..." The freckled lad repeated.
"There are stories behind every Hero," Toshinori said. "How they become great. Rising up from adversity, or just finding a reason to fight evil. But most have one thing in common; Their bodies moved before they could have a chance to think. Tell me something...Did you have your Quirk in mind when you raced to help your friends?"
"To be honest, I was running through various different Devil Fruits to use for the situation and I kinda settled on the [Wax-Wax Fruit] on instinct. Other than that, no."
I thought so," Toshinori said, giving a genuine smile. "I saw your eyes only looking forward, towards your intended path. I need someone to take up my mantle when I retire, and I think you'd make the perfect Hero in order to do so."
"You mean...?," Izuku asked as Toshinori nodded.
"Believe it or not, I was born Quirkless," Toshinori explained. "In truth, my Quirk was given to me by another. One that stockpiles power with each successive user. The strength I have is my own power, alongside the power of seven predecessors."
He held out his palm, glowing energy coming from it.
"The name of this power... This ultimate Quirk... Is... [One For All]!"
That was the day that would mark Izuku's path. His path to becoming the world's greatest Hero, and leading the world's greatest team of Heroes along with friends both old and new and family and other allies there to guide them.