Silver Stained Hero

Izuku had tasted a power beyond his understanding three times in his life.

On the first occasion, he could only remember the thrill, and nothing else. No actions, no use of said power. He could only see it in the shaky videos that had been filming the slime incident.

He had studied those sparse videos multiple times to understand what he was looking at, to try and get a grasp on what his quirk actually was. He, or should he say the odd flames that seemed to wreath him, was iridescent. A mix of purples, blue, and whites like an odd oil painting.

He had been so… acrobatic, in that video. Not that he remembered it, but he had flung himself around like a trained acrobat, no, it was more than that. There was something… more there than just becoming acrobatic. He just couldn't wrap his head around it, not until the second incident at the USJ.

Because that time, he had been awake.

Thinking back on it was full of horrific memories he'd rather not have to remember at all. For a moment he would rather just shove into the vault in the back of his mind, and keep it under lock and key forever.

But he couldn't, seeing as bottling up trauma just hurt himself.

Or so Jirou said at least, and he was inclined to believe her.

Regardless, it had at least confirmed another fact to him that he had been unsure of before, the fact that he did indeed have a quirk before receiving One For All. One that, after seeing it again, seemed extremely powerful and versatile.

It wasn't too long ago now, he remembered it vividly. He had just gotten away from the shipwreck zone, along with Tsuyu and Mineta, watching from behind cover as Aizawa tried, and failed, to fight the creature made to face All Might.

The Nomu, a terrifying creation of… something, it was like an amalgamation of things that Izuku didn't even want to begin to think of.

They were going to leave, for once Izuku wasn't going to try and get involved against that thing. Not with his control of One For All being so shoddy, and having to worry about Mineta and Tsuyu.

They never got to leave as Shigaraki shot off toward them, a hand aimed for Tsuyu's face. He had seen what his quirk did to the things he touched. He couldn't let him touch her, so against his better judgment, he reached down deep, deeper than before, for One For All to bend to his will. He received something else, however, something more instinctual than the pure power of One For All.

There was a flash of silver light and he moved.

That was a generous word though, he had simply gone from his hiding spot to being in front of Shigaraki with barely an effort. His hand was wrapped tightly around Shigarakis's wrist and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't move.

Izuku had regarded him with a calm expression, almost completely detached from the situation. Like he wasn't quite all there in the moment, after a moment, for whatever reason Izuku's grip loosened. Maybe it was surprise at his own power, but whatever the reason, Shigaraki was able to retreat out of his range. Not that it would matter with his newfound speed.

He looked down at his own hand briefly, clenching and unclenching them. He could feel the heat that rolled off him in waves, just like the video had said. He didn't know what this power was, but in his mind, he knew he didn't have much time like this. His body was shaking, it was small, but over time it would likely worsen.

Using a new, uncontrolled power in long fights was never advised.

So he had walked forward, his pace was slow, leaving steaming footprints in his wake as he continued. His hair was floating, and tinged with just the slightest bit of silver light at its edges.

"I don't know what kind of cheats you have," Shigaraki started with his idiotic game terminology again, "but I don't allow hackers in my lobby. Nomu! Kill him!"

Immediately, the Nomu left Aizawa where he was, and darted towards Izuku, cocking his arm back to land a blow on the boy that would kill him in one shot. For that was what it had been ordered, it wasn't playing with its food like it had been the teacher.

The punch never landed, however, and to the Nomu, it was like the boy had completely disappeared. For he was nowhere in sight, the Nomu whipped its head around, looking for the object of its focus. It never found it, and just moments later, heard a high-pitched whine, and a minor tug in its chest.

It briefly saw a bit of blue flash in its vision, and it saw the giant hole in its chest. Baffled, the creature turned its head back, unfazed by the hole for the moment. Standing behind it, with a hand raised to where the hole was, was its object of focus, the boy. Who was eerily calm despite having just blasted a hole through the Nomu with little effort on his end.

The Nomu punched again, at the same time as the hole in its chest closed up at extremely high speeds, but Izuku just jumped. He landed on the Nomu's giant arm, and before it could pull back, he flipped backward, kicking the Nomu in the jaw as he flew up and away from the Nomu before landing back on the ground a few feet away.

"So you can regenerate," Izuku remarked, never losing his calm, "So I just have to get rid of you in one shot."

Those who were still gathered around, the villains, and some of his classmates, shivered at his words. They had never seen Izuku so matter-of-fact, so detached from a situation. Not when he was usually the first one to get emotional.

The Nomu roared and attacked the boy wildly, each time he stepped back just enough, or pulled part of his body out of the way, to dodge the blows. It was a spectacle, it was like he could no longer be touched by anything. After enough time dodging, however, Izuku began his counterattack.

Izuku roared, like, an actual roar that pierced the ears of every single person in the USJ. It was animalistic and layered like many people were screaming at once from a single place. Izuku hopped backward multiple times until he was far away from anyone, directly in the center of the USJ.

He raised his right hand above his head from his spot on top of the fountain, and suddenly, wind began to whip around those gathered, and a ball of blue energy coalesced in his hand, growing bigger and bigger until he finally threw it at the Nomu. The Nomu tried and failed to stop the ball of energy with its bare hands, and they all watched on as it completely engulfed the Nomu.

Izuku hopped down from the fountain, gasping for air and clutching at his chest, the aura of flames and glow dispersed and he was left looking normal once again. No one had moved, still stunned by the display of power from Izuku.

After a moment, Izuku stood with his hand still clutched to his chest, he stepped forward and was immediately flung backward into the fountain. Bouncing off it like a rag doll and landing next to it, completely unconscious.

It seemed, even despite the enormous blast of energy that engulfed it, The Nomu healed too fast and had regenerated faster than it could be hurt. Still, it was missing an arm and burned, but even that was beginning to heal.

From there, Izuku didn't know of anything else, only that All Might had arrived shortly after and had taken out the Nomu. Izuku himself hadn't woken up until sometime later, with many questions from All Might, because this was the second time he had used it after all. But Izuku knew as much as he did, which was next to nothing.

Right now he only knew two facts.

One, it only activated in response to extreme stimuli.

He needed to fix that.

Two, it was extremely powerful, abnormally so.

So as soon as he recovered, he tried to access it again, to reach down deep and rip that power out into the world. But no matter what he did, he couldn't seem to get it to come to him like the times before.

Not until one particular day at least.

He had been reminiscing about the past when it was ripped from him as Todoroki sent a gigantic wave of ice his way, which he quickly dived out of the way of. Right, he was fighting in the sports festival, and he was up against Todoroki and the match had just started.

He could use One For All to fight, even though Izuku knew he didn't have good enough control yet to fight with it. He promised he wouldn't get hurt just to prove himself, to All Might, and to Jirou his friends.

So he had another option available to him.

"Why don't you use that power from the USJ, Midoriya?" Todoroki spoke calmly, but his eyes betrayed his burning anger toward the world. It saddened Izuku to see him like this, but…

He came to win, and he was going to make sure Todoroki knew that.

That everyone knew that.

"Fine," He snapped at Todoroki, fed up with his condescending attitude at the moment, "You want it?"

He braced his arms and reached deep, and grabbed the metaphorical chain that held his power back at all times.

"Then you got it." He snapped.

And the chain snapped with him.

Izuku roared and light consumed his body, blinding all of those nearby. The stadium shook and for just a moment, Todoroki was unsure if he had made the right move by possibly angering the black-haired powerhouse.

A hand sliced through the light, making it bend and cease completely, and there, where the light had been, stood Izuku Midoriya. His posture relaxed except for his fists, which were curled into fists.

The gaze he held made Todoroki flinch, rooted to the ground he couldn't help but feel like he was looking into the eyes of an animal. Something completely primal, yet controlled like a weapon.

"You wanted this Todoroki," Izuku said while he strode forward toward him, "Now you're going to bear the brunt of my power."

Todoroki wasted no time in sending more ice Izuku's way, but it took no more than a flick of the wrist to send it careening in another direction or shattering it completely. There was nothing to stop his advance as the heat surrounding the boy grew ever hotter.

Todoroki was no stranger to heat, but this… this was all-encompassing. This was beyond heat, this was pressure. It was as if Izuku was exerting pure force into the real world that made Todoroki shiver. This was different from the USJ, which had seemed more uncontrolled, and more reaction based.

Now, Izuku looked completely in control of his actions and thoughts. He had eyes for only Todoroki and he centered all of his power on him. Todoroki felt such fear at the very sight of Izuku that he almost didn't notice him closing in until he was face-to-face with him.

The heat was unbearable, and despite the ice covering him, he was sweating.

Profusely.

"What's wrong, Todoroki?" Izuku tilted his head, "How can you hope to beat me while you're rooted with fear?"

It was Todoroki's turn to snap then, "I'm not afraid of you."

"I never said you were," Izuku said, still calm, "You're afraid of a lot of things… it's the heat, isn't it? This divine heat that covers me while I'm like this."

His silver eyes pierced Todoroki's, and he had to resist the urge to look away.

"I don't need my fire." He said, seeing what Izuku was implying to him, but he still wouldn't listen, "I'll use my own power."

Izuku's eyes hardened ever so slightly, and in the next moment, Todoroki found himself flying over Izuku's shoulder and into the ground behind him. He had never even felt himself being thrown, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

"Listen, Todoroki," Izuku said as he crouched to reach his level, "I don't even know who my parents are, I'm an orphan, maybe they were criminals, maybe they were upstanding citizens. They could have been any number of things and I would have no idea."

"What's your point?" Todoroki growled as he tried to get up, but was stopped by Izuku gently pressing against his chest and putting him back on the ground.

"This power likely came from one, of them, or a combination of the two. But my point, as you say, is that it doesn't matter. My power is mine, and not something that belongs to anyone else."

Todoroki, spluttered at his claim, "My father made me to be a weapon!"

Izuku ignored his anger, "By buying into his plans, forcing yourself to be crippled, you make a bigger fool of yourself."

"Do you want people to die, Todoroki?"

Todoroki ceased struggling.

"What?" He asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"That's what will happen if you don't use your entire quirk, your body will give out, and the people you try to save will die. That ice of yours will keep safe, but is it enough to win the day?"

Izuku stepped back, away from Todoroki as ice suddenly covered the ground beneath his feet, going slow before suddenly speeding up at a frighteningly fast pace. Izuku needed to jump back to get more distance.

Todoroki stood, and the ice that covered him was accompanied by something else entirely. Something that licked at his face and gave off its own level of heat.

Izuku realized, distantly, that Todoroki was using his flames.

This realization was accompanied by an explosion.

Izuku covered his face with his hand, the heat that rolled off Todoroki was different from his own. This wasn't pressure, or a strong sense of fear and heat. No, this was pure, uncontrolled heat that blazed like a forest fire in the summer sun.

But Izuku could see it, despite his odd detachment that came with this power, this power would be amazing once controlled. Once it had been tamed, unlike his own power.

"Your flames are amazing Todoroki," Izuku said, "Their heat doesn't compare to my own, but amazing nonetheless."

Todoroki looked at his hands, like he was seeing them for the first time, and then back up to Izuku, a small smile gracing his features.

"You're one crazy bastard, giving your enemy advice in the middle of a fight." the flames roared brighter, and Todoroki curled his fingers around them, "This feels like…"

"Freedom." Izuku and Todoroki said at the same time, each understanding more than they thought they could have previously. Yet so completely differently at the same time that Todoroki wondered what Izuku had been through.

It was so exhilarating that he was able to completely ignore Endeavour's words that he screamed in Todoroki's direction. The only thing he grasped was 'fire' and Izuku yelling something unintelligible that he couldn't quite make out.

Todoroki watched Izuku flinch as he yelled at Endeavour, his silver eyes flickered briefly but settled back into place a moment later.

"Let's finish this, Todoroki," Izuku cocked his head back, and dropped into a fighting stance Todoroki had never seen him use before, "I don't want to make you look too bad in front of our classmates."

Todoroki shook his head, "Trying to impress someone?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

No more words were exchanged after that, only two boys rushing at each other, grappling, punching, and kicking with renewed energy. Both wanted to win, had reasons to win, and neither was going to back down easily.

After what couldn't have been more than a few minutes, they both pulled back, both panting like dogs in the sun. Izuku's eyes continued to flicker back to their natural colour, but for now, they held.

Todoroki decided that if they were going to end this, it might as well go out with one final blast. So he raised his hand, allowing the fire, which coated and burned his body, to coalesce into a single blast.

Izuku noticed, and raised his own hand, the wind began whipping around the stadium, just as it had in the USJ, and blue energy began to gather, growing bigger and bigger.

"Fine, I'll match you, Todoroki."

"Thank you, Izuku."

It was as if time had crawled to a standstill as the crowd watched on, the heroes too, as they were completely slackjawed by the display of power on display here. Especially from the resident cinnamon roll, who seemed to have a quirk no one had known about.

Midnight and Cementoss, the only two close enough to do anything, took action. With Midnight telling Cementoss to separate the two, because at this rate they were going to kill each other.

But even the large cement walls were not enough to stop Todoroki's flames as they burnt through with a heat high enough to turn concrete to slag.

Curiously, Izuku did not fire his own blast, and it was not until the blast was right in his face that he ducked to a low crouch, and ran under the flame, moving almost as fast as the flame could expand and burn. Running through the holes in the concrete walls, briefly jumping into and through the flame.

Imagine Todoroki's surprise when Izuku burst through his flame, his uniform singed and torn, and shoved that blue ball of energy right into his gut. Of course, it was weaker than the one he had used against the Nomu, he wasn't trying to kill Todoroki, but it was still enough to send him screening out of the ring. He hit the ground hard and slid for a moment, unable to get up.

There was silence, and then the crowd cheered. Izuku had won. And what a spectacle it had been.

Izuku breathed and his body returned to normal, and he almost fell to his knees, but he was able to stay upright. So he made his way off the stage, and to Todoroki, who was laying on his back and breathing slowly. He didn't look too worse for wear, but it was certainly gonna hurt tomorrow.

Izuku offered him his hand, and the crowd cheered again, the sportsmanship really riled them up apparently. Normally, Todoroki would have seen accepting the hand as a bad thing, he didn't want to make friends, and he still didn't think he did. Not yet, at least.

But it would be rude to refuse such an offer, so he took it.

Once he was on his feet, Izuku slung an arm around his shoulder and held up a fist. The crowd roared with approval as the two walked off the field and toward Recovery girl's office. Todoroki almost completely supported Izuku's weight who, despite his minor injuries, was completely out of energy.

That was a good memory for Izuku, and he liked to think that Todoroki thought so as well.

The last time he had used it was at this current moment.

Yet it was so vastly different to all the other times that he had a hard time thinking. Since the sports festival, he hadn't used his origin quirk, there hadn't been a need, and it was moments like this that made him wish that he actually had trained it like Jirou had been telling him to do.

But All Might had gone down and Izuku was running, that same silver hue pierced his eyes and that heat began to ramp up around him, but maybe running was a bit of an understatement. He had gone so fast, that it was hard to tell where he had even gone. Jirou could tell where he was going with her quirk, could hear the odd beat to his heart when he used his quirk. But her friends had stopped her, and there was no way for him to go after him.

They didn't see him again until he showed up on the screen above the street.

"It seems another person has joined this gruesome fight! We can't tell who it is, but their quirk seems to be giving off an immense amount of heat!"

None of them could help him now, they could only hope that he survived this encounter.

"Young Midoriya?" All Might coughed weakly, One For All having completely left his body, "You shouldn't be here!"

All Might could only see his back, and that large aura that slowly swirled around him, he couldn't see his face. He could, however, see the clench of his fists and knew there was nothing he could say to get him to leave.

"Midoriya? Izuku Midoriya?" All For One questioned, "Oh, now this is a treat. The newest wielder of One For All, and soon to be the last."

Izuku continued to stare at the man, his eyes shone with something that the man was quite familiar with.

Barely contained rage.

"Are you angry, Izuku Midoriya?" All For One taunted, "Surely you must be, what with your mentor as injured as he is. It must hurt, I can only imagine, to see how your incompetence led to the number one hero's downfall."

Izuku's shoulders hiked up, "What do you mean?" My incompetence?"

All For One chuckled, and spread his arms wide, "I know everything, like how you have little to no grasp on One For All, and how you have refused to train this original quirk of yours."

He cocked his head back, "It truly is a shame, it is such a beautiful quirk. Almost divine in a sense, its heat can be felt from such long distances, but don't worry… soon that light, and One For All shall wreath my body, not yours."

"Over my dead body," Izuku growled.

"If that's what you desire."

All Might tried to reach for the boy, to get him to stop, to run. But he was already walking forward, his retreating back made him feel like stones had settled in his stomach.

He's not ready.

But Izuku did not hear him, for he did not speak, and engaged in battle with All For One.

The following minutes were extremely high-paced, a blur to outsiders looking in, and Izuku fought his hardest, but it wasn't enough. Every hit he was able to land was simply repaid by the villain with ten more. His unique acrobatics would not save him here, and anything he tried was completely negated against the man.

Izuku jumped back, panting and fatigued, "How?"

"How?"

"How can you hit me? No one's been able to before–"

"You disappoint me, Izuku Midoriya!" All For One tutted, "I have heard that you have the mind of an analyst, but yet your own conclusion is one of complete ignorance. You really think that a quirk will do all the effort without any work to repay that power?"

Izuku grimaced, from pain, and because of his previous actions. Yes, he had neglected to train his origin quirk, he had seen One For All as more important, the quirk was a torch, and he needed to be able to carry it without obstruction. But here he was, crippling himself, and he might just lose because of it.

And losing was the best case, not to even mention the worst case.

"You're losing control of your quirk," the man noted as he watched the aura flicker and dim, but not go out, like a stubborn flame, "And as soon as you slip, it shall be mine."

Izuku grunted and stood, "You're insane."

"Or maybe you are," All For One countered, the smirk slipping from his face, "Tell me, would you remain upright if I was to take the lives of everyone you love? Family, friends, a girlfriend perhaps?"

"Shut up." Izuku hissed, and deep down, he hoped that everyone had gotten as far away as possible.

"Ah," the smirk returned, "I seem to have hit a nerve there, which one was it, the girlfriend?" He laughed and Izuku felt his nails dig into his palm, blood dripping to the ground beneath him, "After I take your quirk, I'll make good use of you, maybe puppet your body to show your friends? I could bathe the streets in their blood, it would surely send a message to the world."

Izuku was silent for a moment, the world was dim to his eyes, and whatever anyone was saying now, he was deaf to it.

"I'm not a hero yet," He said suddenly, "I've only ever wanted to save people, sometimes even villains, but if you keep talking about them like that, about what you think you're going to do? You're going to pay."

"Young Midoriya…" All Might's voice was barely a whisper, and Izuku paid him no heed.

All For One chuckled and gestured to the ruined area around them, "Then perhaps this parched, lifeless ground will be a perfect spot for a grave, and the broken buildings for a headstone." He smirked as he continued to speak to Izuku, All Might's eyes widened at the declaration.

"Now all we need is a dead body," Izuku growled. He may have been blinded by his own power, but he wasn't giving up, All For One wanted bloodshed, to make it personal? Then he could return that favor, "and I can assure you after all this, I'll give you a nice burial."

The world gasped in shock as they watched, Izuku Midoriya was a well-known hero student, after being an extremely relevant part of the sports festival, but for him to say something like that was rather concerning. Most of all to his friends, specifically Jirou and Bakugou, whose eyes widened at the declaration of the person they knew to be anything but violent.

"You misunderstand me," All For One snapped, "This is YOUR grave, for YOUR funeral, and YOUR burial."

Izuku yelled and his aura reignited with newly recovered vigour, "We'll just have to see about that!"

All For One raised his arms to activate his shielding quirk, but the enraged hero did not attack from the front, like all the times before, instead he blurred from view while he was mid-strike. With all of his experience, the villain knew where he would most likely strike next, but he was too slow. The fist he should have been able to block instead connected with his face. He skidded across the ground but did not lose his footing.

The heat, it was growing higher.

All For One wiped his nose, and was surprised to see the blood that covered his fingers when he pulled them back.

"Hey! Keep your eyes on me!" Izuku yelled at the man, he threw a punch, his whole body was thrown into it. But All For One was ready this time, and grabbed sidestepped his strike, quickly he grabbed his arm and threw him into the ground.

He wasted no time and brought his foot down on Izuku's chest, but he was already gone. Standing a few feet away, clutching at his heart and panting, his body was creaking under the weight of his own power.

"Your body is failing you, ninth. Didn't they teach you that strong quirks extract a heavy toll? Or do they just not teach you in that place?"

"Do you always talk this long?" Izuku asked, "at this point, I'll die of old age before you finish your monol–"

Izuku didn't get to finish, being flung toward All Might, being backhanded by the villain, he pulled himself into a sitting position as All For One approached the two of them. Izuku could feel it, this was the end for the two of them. Even if his quirk was still going, he was just too inexperienced to do anything now.

"Young Midoriya– No, Izuku," All Might began to say as All For One approached Izuku's drained body, "You're the only one that can stop him now."

Izuku scoffed, his silver eyes twinkling in the moonlight, "If you couldn't hope to beat him, then what makes you think I can? Nothing works on this guy, and I'm just… Izuku." He looked at his hands, covered in blood, his or All For One, he didn't know at this point, "I got angry, I messed up, it clouded my judgment and now we're here."

All Might nodded slowly, "You did, but so did I, all those years ago. Yet, you still managed to keep a clearer head than I," All Might explained, "Your quirk requires some degree of calm-mindedness, yes?"

All For One had launched him far, and it seemed he was taking his time to walk all the way to them. It gave them more time to talk, before the end.

Izuku nodded, "For it to be fully effective, yes, but I can use it without being at peace."

"So you're not at full power now?"

Izuku eyed All Might and shook his head, "No, it's… better than it was a moment ago, with me sitting here and talking to you, but I can't just–"

"Izuku, look at me," All Might asked his protege, he did not turn to him at first, so he asked again.

"Izuku, please, look at me."

Izuku raised his head, looking his mentor in the eyes, they were dimmer than he remembered them being. It made Izuku sad, knowing that All Might could no longer be the hero he once was.

"I once asked you to show the world that you existed, to tell them that 'I am here!' but I realized that was never what you were, no," All Might put his non-mangled hand on the boy's shoulder, "You were never one to stand above the rest, on your own, you always preferred to have people around you. A group of pillars, I suppose you could call it."

All Might smiled, and Izuku tilted his head, confused by what he was trying to tell him. By what he was trying to explain to him, they didn't have much time, not much at all.

"I did a lot of things I regretted during my life, Izuku," All Might sighed, "But I am glad to have met you, truly, and I am glad to know you have a community of people that will support you in your times of need."

Izuku's eyes widened minutely, he knew All Might cared, it was just another thing to hear him say it out loud. Along with the complete one-eighty surrounding his stance on Izuku being a pillar for the world, well… It was good to hear it.

He felt like a huge weight had been taken from his shoulders.

Izuku smiled and stood, his aura seemingly thicker than it had been moments previously.

"Thank you, All Might," Izuku nodded, and turned toward All For One, who was just steps away from them now, "I needed to hear that."

All Might also smiled, one with blood in it, but a smile nonetheless, "Just remember, Izuku, power comes in response to a need, not a desire."

All For One, who was now close enough to hear them, scoffed at his words, "Please, power comes in response to a need, and not a desire?" He chuckled, "Then how is it that I am so strong? So unstoppable?"

Izuku glared at the man, "Your power comes from the suffering of others, it's a fake kind of strength, one easily disabled."

This time, it was All For One's turn to glare at the boy, "Easily disabled? May I remind you who's been getting knocked around all this time?"

"You got in my head," Izuku shot back, "It won't happen again, this time… I'm going to prove just how much my power surpasses yours. I'm going to show you just how much your power is worth."

All For One stretched his arms wide, "Then, by all means, Ninth, show me."

Izuku sighed, closing his eyes when a villain stood mere feet from him was not a smart idea, but he could feel something within him, and he needed to reach out to it. As his eyes closed, memories sprung into his mind. The fight with the Nomu, his use of agility and the primal roar that shook the USJ, his fight with Todoroki, and his talk about power belonging to oneself and not a lineage.

His friends, and his relationship with Jirou.

He remembered her coaching him in the gym, coaching him to get a better grasp on his power. He had grown frustrated, claiming that it wasn't going to work, he was just as useless as the day he entered the entrance exam with no idea how to use his quirk. He had stunned Jirou with his words, and himself, having let that slip seemed like a mistake at first.

They had started shouting at each other.

"You're not useless! Don't you get that?!"

"I am! I can't control my quirk, Aizawa-sensei blames me for not having enough control all the time, and I can never live up to the expectations that people set for me!"

"Aizawa-sensei is an idiot who didn't bother to read anyone's files! Because if he had, you would have gotten the help you needed from him! If anything he should be blaming himself!"

"I'm sure he has better things to do."

"Like what? His whole job is to train us, guide us, there's no better use for his time than that!"

"I should be able to control my quirk without help!"

"Forget about control for a damn second, Izuku! That doesn't matter right now, you need to see that you're better than you give yourself credit for."

Izuku hadn't responded to that comment. He had only sat down on the floor of the gym, taking a sip from his bottle of water.

"You have a more heroic heart than most people in the world combined! You've saved a bunch of us more times than I can count, and you're a hidden genius, and if anybody paid attention then maybe–"

"Well they don't," Izuku had cut her off, "They never have, it comes with being a quirkless loser. You're written off faster than you can try to prove yourself, and in the end it doesn't matter regardless. One day you're being bullied, and abused for something out of your control, and the next you're taking a swan dive off a roof."

"You didn't–"

"I thought about it, more than once, but there was always that little voice in my head. Telling me I could do more, that I could show everyone that I had worth."

"Well if it's any consolation, I see a lot in you," Jirou murmured, "I just want you to be able to see it too, greenie."

Izuku breathed, the memory was a potent one, and it brought him a myriad of emotions. He was extremely grateful for Jirou's presence in his life, and as his friend, maybe when this was over…

Yeah, he could hold onto that for later.

Izuku felt his heat rise higher, and he could somehow tell, even with his eyes closed, that All For One had stepped back. Briefly, he wondered if he could push the quirk further, it had evolved once, so maybe it could go further beyond.

"Power comes in response to a need, not a desire."

All For One had tried to get closer, but the heat climbed higher and higher, and Izuku began to shine brighter, preventing him from stepping closer. If he did, he was sure he would be scalded by the air itself at this point. So all he could do was wait, wait for him to slip up.

Suddenly, Izuku spoke, and as he did, everything came to a head, all at once.

"Here goes…"

Izuku's entire body was covered in silver light, lighting up the area as if the sun had come up early. All For One, panicking slightly, for some primal fear within him was triggered at the mere sight of this light, and irrational fear. He used one of his quirks, Hard Light, and fired a ball-shaped construct of light at the silhouette of his body, hoping it would pierce him.

But suddenly, the light was gone, along with Izuku and his Hard Light construct.

His sensitive ears picked up an odd pitch behind him, so he spun around, his eyes widening at the sight he bore witness to.

Izuku was still garbed in silver light, but the Hard Light construct was nestled in his palm, doing absolutely nothing. With as little as a flick of his wrist, the ball dispersed into the air, like it was as simple as throwing out the trash. All For One, plagued by his ever-growing nervousness, made the mistake of rushing at Izuku with no foreknowledge of what he could do. He planned to use a strong combination of quirks to turn him into a smear across the earth, but he never got the chance.

As the blow of All For One hurtled toward him, Izuku jumped, flipped back and hung in the air for just a moment. Then, out of nowhere, faster than any of them could perceive, Izuku landed a mighty number of blows all over the villain's body. Making him stagger back, Izuku landed afterward, that piercing glow still covering his body.

All For One roared, which was out of character for him, and rushed forward again. Izuku only watched, stepping to the side mere moments before the impact could even reach him, and stuck his arm out lazily, this time, another number of blows hit All For One's side, sending him careening into a large pile of concrete.

As All For One stood again, he saw the light begin to leave Izuku's body, like cracking glass, however, it persisted in some areas.

From their spot, watching the large screen being broadcasted, Jirou gasped as she watched Izuku. The others who had come along to save Bakugou glanced her way.

"He did it."

"Did what?" Momo asked.

"I– I think he mastered his quirk, I think this is it, the completed–"

"Ultra Instinct," Izuku said suddenly, "I think this is a fitting name for my quirk, don't you, All For One?"

"A fine name for a quirk that shall soon be mine." He snarled at the boy, his eyes reflecting the silver glow that emanated from the boy's hair, "You think a colour change is going to scare me, boy? I've seen much worse–"

All For One was silenced as Izuku blurred and grabbed him by the face, shoving him into the ground. Izuku followed it up by pushing off into a run so quickly that he dragged All For One through the concrete, then he jumped into the air, and with a quick spin, threw him back into the ground. A small crater formed around his body as he struck the earth, a snapping sound could be heard multiple times, and he knew that multiple bones had cracked inside him.

Izuku did not fall from his position in the air, he just continued floating there with a look of displeasure on his face, and then he spoke.

"My quirk has evolved, as you can see," He said with a calm tone, "I can feel the energy of everyone for miles now, and to an extent, their emotions. I can feel the crying out, crying out for someone to stop you. To bring them peace, and to restore what was broken by you."

As All For One watched Izuku slowly descend to the ground, he activated a quirk he had been using to target the boy earlier, it was called 'Vital Points' and it allowed one to see the weak spots, and vital points, of the one they targeted. But it also did something else, it gave a readout of the target, consisting of various things, one of those things being titles.

All Might was the "Pillar to hold the world"

But this boy was something different, his readout held a title of prestige and wonder among the likes of which he had never seen before.

"The Saviour from Heaven"

He felt a chill in his bones reading those words, that title, and it made him wonder if he ever stood a chance at all. Maybe he had, but maybe if he hadn't drawn the fight out, to the point of uselessness, then he could have gotten the upper hand again. But as Izuku was now, well…

His quirk detected no vital points.

"It's over," Izuku touched down on the ground, "There are no more moves for you to make any more, you've lost."

All For One might be inclined to agree, especially since every hit from him was enough to overpower impact recoil, an impressive feat. But an idea began to form in his head, one that could result in a worse situation for him, but it was worth the risk if he got out of this now.

Using a weak telepathy quirk, he skimmed through the boy's mind as quickly as he could. The quirk itself was quite weak, only able to skim surface thoughts and memories, but it was lucky for him that Izuku happened to be thinking about a number of people to keep himself calm.

And one in particular more than all the rest.

"One might think that, Ninth," All For One smiled, and stood up, "But it's not over until every option has been exhausted."

Normally, his warp quirk needed a close connection with the one he was trying to warp, but in this instance, he could use his connection with the boy's mind to simulate that close relationship. He quickly activated his odd warping quirk, and before he knew it, Jirou Kyouka stumbled to the ground in front of him. Izuku was stunned for a moment, unable to use his tremendous speed to grab her before All For One could.

He growled at the would-be hero, "Deactivate your quirk now, or–"

A thump could be heard, and All For One screamed, clutching at his left arm. Or rather, where it used to be. It was gone, taken from him, right at the shoulder. The arm he had been using to hold the girl hostage was gone, and so was she, back across the clearing with Izuku.

He set her down gently, "I'll be right back," he promised, and turned back to face the crippled villain.

"I told you before, I'm not a hero, yet, and I'm not immune to my own thoughts," He walked forward, "And anyone… who tries to hurt my friends… is gonna pay!"

Izuku's aura exploded outward, and he ran, leaving scorch marks on the ground with every step, and punched All For One, again, and again, and again, and again. Going faster, and faster until each punch blurred into another and he felt his bones begin to grind into dust. His body was breaking faster than his collection of healing quirks could fix anything.

He grabbed All For One by the collar, and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground once more, and All For One groaned, in extreme pain and disarray, but Izuku was not done yet. He still had one last attack, his right hand was coated in a white and purple flame, and his arm was wreathed in arcing lightning.

"Dragon… SMASH!" He roared, bringing his flaming fist down at high speeds, striking the villain in his chest. The punch itself went so fast that a sonic boom shook the area. Rocks and rubble went flying, and All Might and Jirou had to cover their eyes.

When it all finally cleared, they lowered their hands, and atop All For One, who was still breathing, stood Izuku. His fist raised to the sky, the clouds had parted to reveal moonlight that shone down on the area around them. The world, for just a moment, until everyone cheered, all around the world.

Izuku smiled until his hair was no longer silver, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Izuku awoke to the sound of beeping machinery, he had a bit of trouble opening his eyes, but eventually, he was able to do it. Almost immediately, he recognized he was in a hospital, having been in quite a few of those in his lifetime.

He sighed and turned his head to the side, shocked by the sight of Jirou, sleeping in a chair at his bedside. He took in her presence for a moment, basking in it, she was beautiful, even while she slept.

He didn't want to wake her, but it seemed that even his quiet movements, the shuffling of blankets and wires, was enough to rouse her from the slumber she had been in. her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked the sleep out of her eyes.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed and lunged forward to wrap him in a hug.

"Ow! Ow, ok, I'm glad to see you too, just…" He winced, "Take it easy, alright? All For One put me through the wringer after all."

She scowled, "You're an idiot."

"I'm aware."

The two sat in silence, or in Izuku's case, laid.

"I think I get what you meant," He said suddenly, "About realizing my own worth, or whatever, it just… took me a while. It couldn't see it at first, but that was a big step in mastering this quirk."

Jirou looked at him but didn't say a word, she was sure he had more to say.

'I… heard your voice while I was transforming," he whispered, and her eyes widened, "Your words, meant a lot, and I don't think I could have done it without you, so, thanks." He said and smiled at her, it was small, but it warmed her heart.

She laughed, "you can activate it at will now, right?"

In response to her question, Izuku activated his quirk, his eyes and hair were silver once more, casting the room in his light. Then he dropped it just as quickly as he had transformed, her question having been answered.

"It looks so… beautiful," She said after the light was gone.

"So are you," Izuku said, his eyes locked onto hers, and she blushed.

"C-Come on, don't say stuff like that, you don't need to lie…" She trailed off when he chuckled.

"Lie? To you? Never, you're so perfect." He said.

"Over girls like Momo, or Mina?" She snorted, her eyes trained firmly on the floor until Izuku reached out and placed a hand on top of her own.

"No, I think you're perfect, honestly, I wish you could see what I see in you." He replied, a bit of humour could be heard in his voice, and Jirou looked up, a sparkle of recognition dancing in her eyes.

"Did you just steal my line?"

Izuku hummed, tracing a circle around her palm with his hand, "Maybe, what are you gonna do about it?"

She scoffed at him, and stood, for a moment, Izuku's eyes widened, and he thought he might have said something wrong. All thoughts of being wrong were quickly washed away when Jirou stood by his bed, leaned down, and kissed him.

His eyes widened, not expecting the action from the girl, but he certainly wasn't going to object if his crush wanted to do so. So he leaned back into it as much as he could, and it was a special kind of bliss. Izuku felt for sure that nothing would ever be quite as good as this. Neither of them was sure of how much time passed, nor did they really care one way or the other.

When they finally broke apart, they were both gasping for air.

"I loved that," Izuku said, his eyes wide.

"And I love you," Jirou said suddenly, bringing a tinge of red back to both of their faces, but like Izuku had thought before if she was willing, then so was he.

"I love you too."

It would be a while later when All Might, having been healed mostly at this point, went to check on his protege, and tell him how proud he was of him. When he entered his room, however, well, if he saw Izuku, and Young Jirou lying out on his bed together, holding each other as they walked the land of dreams.

Well…

He wouldn't say a word, only turn away and smile a small smile as he closed the door behind him.