You guys are incredible. The support you all have shown has given me a love for writing that I haven't felt in years, and I'm glad that I'm doing something that I enjoy again, even if it is just for recreation.

As always, there will be an optional author's note at the end.

Before you read, here is a key going forward:

Bold letters signify All Might's dialogue in his muscle form. His internal voice will still be in italics.

Thank you guys, again, so much for the love and support. I promise, the next chapter will have a lot more character interactions.

I do not own My Hero Academia.


Today had been a great day in the life of one particular young man.

It was one of those days where everything was lining up juuuust right, and it gave him a clear view at all that he had to be grateful for.

First off, it was the start of his final year at Yuuei. He was surrounded by good people who had grown to acknowledge and respect him and his efforts, and he was truly happy to call them friends and comrades.

He was thriving in his work study, where he had made leaps and bounds in nearly every facet of his heroic education.

He was already more than qualified to become a sidekick. He even had a gig set up for him at his aforementioned work study as soon as he graduated!

And! He just so happened to have heard a pretty great joke just moments ago from his quiet best friend!

Idly, he wondered if he could ever get Tamaki to open up to others as he did with him… but, that thought was as fleeting as Hado's attention span.

As amazing a person that Tamaki is, the term 'social interactions' was still a foreign- and dreaded- concept for him.

Overall, life was good for the young man named Mirio Togata, who had put in more than thrice of the already substantial work and effort he needed to get to where he was today. Which, if anyone was to believe the rumors and gossip of the best school in the nation, was at the top of his peers- the best of the best in all of Yuuei.

Regardless if the stories were true or not, the optimistic young man was simply happy to enjoy life as it was for him in this particular moment.

Currently, he was sitting in the back of his homeroom with his best friend, waiting for the bell that signaled the end of the day. Their homeroom teacher stated that he had some things he needed to organize for tomorrow, so he trusted them to be the young adults that they were and left the third years to their own devices.

His classmates were excitedly conversing among themselves about the future that was so close, yet so far away from them. He watched the room with peaceful contentment, enjoying the lively energy that bounced around in the area. That was mostly thanks to Hado fluttering around happily from group to group like the social butterfly she was. Normally, he would also be talking and joking around with his peers, but Tamaki still got a little anxious with this group from time to time; Mirio was always more than happy to sit with him to ease his mind whenever he needed it.

He was brought out of his idle observation when he noticed Tamaki sit up a little straighter out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw his pointy eared friend staring at the wall closest to them curiously.

Noticing that his friend was looking at him, Tamaki quietly asked, "Did you hear that, Mirio?"

"Sure didn't! What didja hear, Tamaki?"

"It sounded like… something heavy had slammed into the wall..."

Mirio wore a teasing smile on his face as he replied, "You're not going crazy, are ya, Tamaki? What coulda hit the wall? There's nothing on the other side, remember?"

With his eyes still narrowed on the wall in question, Tamaki blandly replied, "One of the testing fields. The ones that are used for quirk application tests."

"Oh yeeeah!" Mirio paused in thought before he gave a dismissive shrug. "But the testing fields are so far away! And besides, school's almost over. There shouldn't be anyone-"

THUD. CRACK.

Mirio felt himself stop talking mid-sentence as his jaw hung loosely open and his eyes got comically wide; his friend simply flinched at the sudden phenomenon as his eyebrows rose in confusion and alarm.

A blood red spike had penetrated the wall, before it began to change shape and split itself up into four pieces, like a grappling hook gripping the edges of whatever it was used on.

Having attended the hero course for a few years now, the two boys had seen quite a few oddities while on the school grounds. This just got added onto the list.

"...uuuuhhhhhhhh..."

"See? Believe me now?" Tamaki asked his friend, turning to watch as the blond boy shook himself from his stupor to stand up and walk straight towards the oddity.

Suddenly, Mirio began walking backwards to face his elf-eared friend as he continued to make his way to the oddity. With a big goofy smile plastered on his face, he tried for a joke. "You know I always believe you, Tamaki! Especially when something's got your attention so hooked!" He even added on some grand gesturing movements, waving at the blood-red thing in the wall as he finished his (corny) pun.

Nothing.

"Anyway, I'm gonna check it out."

"Mirio, w-wait! Y-you're clothes-"

If the rest of the class wasn't aware of anything happening before, they definitely were now. Anytime Mirio used his quirk outside his suit usually resulted in guaranteed hilarity. Causally, some of their class members turned towards the duo to see what would happen next.

Tamaki's stutters fell onto deaf ears as Mirio shoved his head through the wall without another thought.

As Mirio opened his eyes and allowed his body to adjust, he looked around the area. Immediately, he saw the thing -which now looked like a blood red harpoon attached to a taut, blood red rope- trailing all the way back to a muscular figure in a blood red superhero costume.

Was he… riding a chariot?

(Ah, it's Vlad King! That explains all the red stuff at least. But what's he doing? He seems to be in a hurry…)

Something twitched out of the corner of the young man's eye, and Mirio found himself turning to see what it was. To his shock and horror, he saw a green haired boy- probably one of Vlad King's first years- lying in mangled agony as if his puppet strings had suddenly been severed, bleeding openly and frequently in many places. His eyes were rolled back in their sockets, multiple parts of him were at irregular angles, and he had fragments of brick and cement embedded deep in him throughout his body.

An almost inaudible groan left the boy's mouth and it stirred Mirio into action.

Instantly, he activated his quirk in its entirety. He felt the late spring breeze around his body as he rushed towards the underclassmen, gracefully sliding into a kneel as he did. When the third year reached his head, he began to examine the extent of the boy's injuries while simultaneously thinking up a way to get him safely to Recovery Girl; in the meantime, he had to ensure that the boy didn't lose consciousness and didn't succumb to shock. With a head injury like that... losing consciousness meant certain death, and if he went into shock it would only happen faster.

"Hey first year! Can you tell me your name?" As Mirio spoke, he made sure to keep his tone as light and friendly as it usually was, but internally, his mind was working overtime as his thoughts took on a more serious demeanor. (Jesus, he looks like a car crash victim who didn't wear his seat belt. How in the world did this even happen!?)

"…Mi…ya…ku…"

"Wow, Miyaku-kun, you're pretty tough! Do you know where you are?" The blond boy continued to scan him, trying to find the most worrisome injuries to treat first... and the more he looked, the more he realized just how dire his situation was. (Barely conscious, probably has severe brain trauma. Bleeding from multiple areas, though thankfully it looks like the arteries were spared... if you could even call it that. Massive internal bleeding in multiple areas as well...)

"…Yu… Hi... ool…"

"High school's the best, don'tcha think! Do you remember what you were doing a while ago?" (Multiple broken bones and lacerations. Definitely has multiple broken ribs, hopefully they're not poking his insides-)

Almost on cue, the boy began to cough something horrible, his breathes coming out in wheezing agony. Reflexively, Mirio gently turned him onto his side while he kept his head still, and the green haired boy's breathing began to even out slightly. (Jaw looks broken too, as well as clavicle. And his arms don't look too good eit- WHOA, what happened to his hands!?)

So in shock was he at the carnage of his hands that he almost didn't hear the boy's mumbled reply. "Wait, did you just say the 50 meter dash!?"

Before anything else could happen, blood red material began to wrap around the kid in an intricate pattern- like a mummy's burial cloth- where it then began to stiffen up into a cocoon. Looking up in surprise, he saw that the Blood Hero had just arrived, and had just finished creating a way to safely and quickly carry the wounded boy to the school nurse.

Hastily, Mirio stood up and spoke with urgency. "Sensei, let me help! I can carry him to the nurse's office pretty quick-"

"Indeed you can, my boy! But I believe I can get him there just a little bit faster!"

Both men whipped their heads around to ogle at the larger than life figure in a yellow pin-stripped suit that had landed with a crunch right behind them. Both had looks of pure astonishment plastered on their faces, and the teenager's mouth hung loosely from his jaw.

As All Might lifted the cocoon onto his shoulders, Vlad King was the first to recover his wits. "All Might!? Wha- what are you doing here?!"

The imposing figure simply gave a booming laugh and a blinding smile as he skillfully angled the cocoon to block the blond teenager from his line of sight. (Togata Mirio… what are the odds…) "Sorry to intrude, Vlad King, but I was nearby when I happened to hear his sudden impact with the wall. I'm glad I investigated when I did, because this young man isn't looking too good! Now, don't you worry about a thing, Vlad King! I'll take care of this young man and get him to the nurse; you just focus on the rest of your students." To emphasize his point, the great hero nodded towards the quickly approaching pupils, many of whom were sprinting their fastest over to where the trio stood.

As Vlad King and the third year turned to look at the incoming teenagers, the hero heard a soft crunch and a whisper of wind. He wasn't at all surprised when he glanced back and saw nothing of the great hero and his critically injured student.

Sighing bitterly in worry and frustration, he turned to address the older boy who was still with him; apparently, he was also trying to wrap his head around everything that had just happened within the last minute or so as well.

"I appreciate you coming out here to check on your junior, Togata-kun. Here," the hero paused to create a blood red towel with his quirk, which he gave to the nude young man to encourage wrapping up his more... exposed parts. "Go ahead and head back inside. Thanks again for your help, young man."

"Ah hah, whoops! Thank you, Vlad King Sensei!" Mirio awkwardly laughed, ever the victim of uncomfortable situations. Taking the makeshift towel, he wrapped his lower body with it and marveled at how surprisingly comfortable it was.

"Wooow, your blood is so soft!"

"… Please don't make this any weirder than it is, Togata-kun…"

"Sorry! Heh, sorry, Sensei."

There was only a tense, awkward silence that followed as each of them became lost in their own thoughts. Vlad King could only look in the direction of his approaching students, feeling tremendously guilty that he had allowed this to happen in the first place.

And Mirio could only stare at the crater in the wall, and all the accompanying bloodstains that were with it.

That had been created… from a 50 meter sprint?

As the blonde took in everything there was to see of the aftermath, excitement and nostalgia began to swell inside of Mirio. He may not have understood all the factors that led to this outcome, but he did understand two things...

This kid, whoever he was, had a quirk that worked against him...

And somehow, with his uncooperative quirk, he had accomplished something amazing...

...even if the end result wasn't exactly optimal.

"Say, Vlad King…" the hero turned curiously to look at the teenager as the blonde collected his thoughts. "You were doing assessment tests, right?... Miyaku-kun said he was doing the 50 meter sprint, right before, uh… that." He gestured to the wall. "Is it true?"

The hero looked at him in confusion. Miyaku? "Yes… Midoriya-kun had been redoing his 50 meter sprint right before this accident."

"Oh? How did he do?" Mirio asked with an inquisitive light shining in blue eyes.

Vlad King turned away, fighting the guilt inside him for being happy that the young man been able to produce an incredible score… at an incredible price. "I… don't recall… I was more focused on trying to find where he had disappeared to…"

Seeing the blonde boy slump in disappointment, he quickly added, "But… I know his time was definitely less than 2 seconds."

Mirio's face lit up once again with enthusiasm as his voice carried an excited air with it. "Wow! Really?! I bet he got the fastest score in the dash this year- among all the first years! That was probably faster than most of the second years and third years too! Woooow that's some crazy speed!" Mirio turned to give the damaged wall another once over, and this time gave it an appreciative whistle; his next words came out in a hushed whisper wrapped in zeal, and were accompanied by bright blue eyes that reflected his excitement perfectly. "He's really full of life, isn't he?"

Vlad King couldn't help but snort at Mirio's statement as he glanced at the windows behind the young man. Well, that's one way to put it.

Thinking it would be better if the nude young man was back in his classroom, the teacher spoke out in a firm, but polite, voice. "Togata-kun, I think it might be for the best if you went on ahead and got back to your homeroom. You seem to have, ah, attracted the attention of your classmates." The hero then nodded toward the homeroom windows, where most of Mirio's classmates had pressed themselves up against the glass to get a better view of what was going on outside with the two of them.

"Oh, right! Of course Vlad King Sensei! See you around!"

And with his usual goofy smile back in place, the young man gave a cheerful wave to the teacher and to the first years that had just begun to arrive before he suddenly sunk through the ground, leaving the makeshift towel that had been wrapped around his waist lying haphazardly forgotten.


Izuku wasn't sure when he had regained consciousness.

All he knew was that somehow, he was on a comfortable bed, with soft sheets, in a cold room with dim lights.

And, he was tired.

No, scratch that- he was exhausted. And he ached all over.

He tried shifting his position, but his body wouldn't let him. He was stiff for… whatever reason, and he let out a low moan that seemed to resonate deep within him, tingling his extremities in a way that made him realize and appreciate just how sore he was.

But… why was he stiff and sore? His body should have been nice and warmed up after all the stretching and exercises he had done for the quirk assessme-

His eyes shot open and his body lunged into a ramrod straight sitting position- and immediately, his body vehemently protested the sudden movements.

As he was recovering from the recoil, he heard a voice to his right break through the silence in a neutral tone. "Ah, you're awake."

Slowly, he turned to look at the owner of the voice: his homeroom teacher Vlad King. He had a cool expression on his face as he leaned against the doorway, his arms folded tightly in front of him. It appeared as if he had been waiting for Izuku to wake up.

"S-Sensei? Wha-"

The hero raised a hand to stop him. "You ran into a wall. Literally."

And then the memories came crashing back to Izuku. His face paled at the recollection as he stared numbly into his lap, and coincidentally his hands; they were particularly tender, and heavily bandaged, somehow twitchy and inflexible at the same time.

After a pause, the teacher continued on. "How are you feeling?"

"…S-Sore… And tired…"

"Good. That means Recovery Girl's treatment is working." The hero glanced at his phone when it gave a small chime, and he took the time to reply to the text that had been sent. After he put the phone away, he asked, "You take a train to get to school, right? What time does your train leave?"

"The one I take home usually leaves the station around 1605, sir."

The hero shook his head gave a grunt, then, "Do you, by any chance, happen to remember any of the departure times after that?"

"Ummmm… the one right after that leaves at 1645… and then after that one… 1720… 1755… and the last I remember is 1840…"

"Good. Let's go for that one."

(Wait, what time is it?...) Izuku turned to look at the clock on the wall and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; it was 1710…

…Which meant he had been unconscious for about two and a half hours…

To be fair, it was far less than the time he had fought the 0 pointer. But still… it was quite alarming to wake up and realize that some of your time was just… gone.

As Izuku took in that information, Vlad King continued on. "I'm going to check with the old lady and see if you're cleared to go. I'll walk you to your train station."

Snapping back to reality, Izuku tried to argue with him. "O-Oh! Sensei, y-you don't have to do that! I-I can manage just fine-"

"Kid." The hero's voice cut across him sharply as he turned to look at Izuku with the same piercing intensity he had during Izuku's ball throw. "In case you forgot, you just ran head first into a cement wall. I'm pretty sure you just outran a bullet train at top speed, and I know for a fact you just outran the average Formula One race car. And you were moving at that speed, without any protection. That. Is not. Fine."

As Izuku timidly sank back into the bed, the teacher turned back around and continued on in a quieter voice. "Besides… I got some things I'd like to discuss with you on the way there. Man to man."

Clearing his throat, Vlad King spoke at his normal volume once more. "Get dressed, and wait for me to come back with Recovery Girl. Then we'll leave." The hero left no room for debate as he walked through the door and headed to talk to the heroine in charge of the healing ward.

Izuku got dressed as quickly as his sore body would let him; when Vlad King returned with the elderly heroine following closely behind, he had just finished sloppily tying his tie, making it look somehow worse than usual.

"My, my, you're looking lively right after all those injuries you just had."

"R-Recover Girl! Thank you very much for healing me again!"

"You can thank me by not doing something that reckless ever again, young man," she quipped reproachfully, before she turned to scowl meaningfully at her colleague. Vlad King closed his eyes and nodded resolutely in understanding before he once again took up his post on the door frame.

The elderly woman then casually made her way towards her patient and began to give him a final examination, poking and prodding all the spots that had been damaged. As she did, Recovery Girl nonchalantly told him the extent of his injuries. Izuku was lucky he hadn't really moved too far from the bed, because about halfway through the list his knees began to quake and he had no choice but to sit back down.

As she finished up her extensive list and her thorough examination, Izuku was a pale and sweaty mess; how the heck did he survive all of that?!

As if sensing his question, Recovery Girl took a step or two back from him, and spoke in the level voice of a medical professional. "You have two things to thank for your miraculous survival. First, if All Might hadn't been in the area when you had crash-landed-"

"ALL MIGHT WAS THERE, AT MY CRASH SITE!?"

The green haired boy slapped his hand over his mouth, his face flushing from the embarrassment of his reflexive excitement. He heard Vlad King snort and saw the hero shake his head, and Recovery Girl simply gave him a kind, patient smile. "Yes, yes child. The hero just happened to be in the area when you had crash landed. Be sure to thank him for his quick actions, the next time you see him." The elderly woman made sure to convey a meaningful look without the other hero knowing any wiser, and for a moment Izuku was completely confused before he connected the dots and nodded in understanding.

(All Might mentioned that there were a couple people who knew about our situation. Is Recovery Girl one of them?...)

"Don't worry about it Midoriya-kun. You'll see him on Wednesday for your Battle Training. I'm sure you can wait two days, right?"

"Y-yes sir!"

"And as for the second thing that helped you out, dearie," Recovery Girl pressed on, before the green haired boy could reveal anything on accident, "were your quick reactions. I can't say this for certain, but I'm sure most of the critical damage was averted thanks to you adjusting your body enough at the last second so that your head wasn't first for impact. It would certainly explain why your arms were worse off than the rest of your body, and that's even with the recoil of your quirk considered."

"You're extremely lucky the damage from the impact wasn't anywhere near on the same level as the damage you take when you use your quirk; I wouldn't have been able to heal them as easily if they were."

"Now, with that all said and done… you're clear to go! You still have a little bit of healing to do, so come see me before school tomorrow, and you should be just fine. Make sure to get plenty of sleep and eat lots of food to restore your stamina!"

"Yes ma'am! T-Thank you very much, again!"

As the elderly heroine waved him off, Izuku scrambled to get his bag (which he was surprised to see in the room) while Vlad King waited patiently by the door. As he made his way towards the Blood Hero, the Youthful Heroine called out to him one last time.

"Midoriya-kun?"

The boy spun around as fast as he could to look at her, rapt with attention. She was dutifully cleaning the room for the next patient, but she paused long enough to look him in the eye and make sure there was no mistaking what she said.

"I understand that you don't have the best control with your quirk. And that's fine, because we all have to start somewhere. But please, do try to prevent something like this from happening in the future, ok? As much as I am happy to help, I don't want you to start making a habit of seeing me every time you use your quirk."

"I can overlook your actions this time since you were more or less provoked by an irresponsible buffoon." Suddenly, she leveled a glare towards the hero behind him as her words came out unexpectedly sharp and rough; the hero hastily straightened up at the sudden call out before he coughed and turned his head away in remorse and shame. Glad that he understood, and remembered, the importance of their earlier 'chat', she once again turned to address the freckled boy before her. "But know that the next time you get injured, I may not be as forgiving."

As Izuku began to nod fervently, Recovery Girl paused slightly once more before she decided to caution him with a little bit of medical knowledge. "Without speaking in any grand medical terms, let me tell you this: the human body can only take so much damage before it simply just… can't anymore. And that's even with the help of my quirk. Do you understand, Midoriya-kun?"

The green haired young man resolutely looked her in the eyes, his own a mix of fire and steel. He bowed to show his full appreciation of her wisdom and spoke in a manner that emphasized his gratitude. "I understand Recovery Girl. I'm sorry to have caused you any trouble. I promise, I will get a better handle over my quirk as fast as I can."

"I certainly hope you can, dearie."

With a smile and a wave, she sent the two males on their way out the door and continued on with her medical duties. Slowly though, her smile turned into a thin frown. Even if the young successor was going to be working hard to control his power… it would probably still take a while before he could fully master it… and with what both Sekijiro-kun and Toshinori had in mind...

Somehow, she just knew she was going to be seeing a lot of Midoriya Izuku in the near future...


It started as an awkward, tense silent walk as the two of them made their way towards their destination.

About three-fourths of the way there the pro hero decided to break it, having finally decided on how to approach the inevitable, and uncomfortable, conversation.

"You're afraid of your quirk… aren't you?"

Izuku fumbled a bit at the sudden question and the break of silence, but he managed to respond. Somehow.

"N-no sir! I-I just really haven't, uh, had much experience with it…" Izuku mentally slapped himself at the way he phrased things. He was supposed to keep this particular topic under wraps, after all.

Vlad King interrupted the stuttering mess with a grunt. "Well, I can see why. You'd have to seriously invest in a great deal of forethought and grit before you could even use it." Glancing down briefly at the young man, the Blood Hero's tone began to mellow out just a little bit. "You don't have to lie to me, Midoriya-kun. This conversation is between two men and… I don't want there to be any confusion to what's about to be said..."

As he paused to collect his thoughts, Izuku breathed a sigh of relief, unaware of how tense his teacher had just become. He thinks I haven't had much experience with my quirk because I'm afraid of it. Thank goodness, I thought I was about to mess up big time. That… will probably be a little easier to work with, honestly...

Izuku was broken out of his internal thoughts when the hero started talking again. "Midoriya-kun… I need you to give some serious thought into whether you really want to be a hero, and also if it's even possible for you to become one. Hold on, hold on, just… hear me out first, ok kid?" he said as he raised a hand to silence the freckled boy who was about to immediately protest.

"Look… I saw your practical exam. I saw how you obliterated that 0 pointer. At the time, I thought it was just a desperate push for survival to save not only yourself, but the young girl trapped in the rubble. I thought, because of the situation you were in, you suffered serious recoil from overusing your quirk. It... made sense, because your records indicated that, for whatever reason, you were unaware of your quirk until fairly recently. Not a lot of teachers agreed, but to me, that just meant that you needed a little bit of guidance…"

"…But, now that I've seen it up close… now that I see that your body simply cannot handle your own power… I can't willingly let you continue along this path…"

They were getting close to the station, and suddenly Izuku couldn't wait to get on his train. All the progress that he had made today was about to become undone... and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it... because it was his own fault.

He was so busy fighting back his tears that he almost didn't hear the last of the pro hero's statement.

"…At least… not until you know exactly what you're getting yourself in to…"

Izuku turned to him, his wide green eyes glistening with tears and his mouth slightly open in shock. (Wait… what…?... Is he…)

The hero glance down at him after he noted the absence of a response, and his scowl deepened. "What? Did you think I was gonna kick you out of the hero program, or something?"

"I-I, uh… I-"

"Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I cannot believe my own student would think so little of me. Especially after I went through the trouble to put him in my class and share some of my personal experiences." Vlad King grumbled in irritation, shaking his head as he casually threw a hand in the air to display his annoyance.

They had finally gotten within eyesight of the station, and Izuku could only continue to stare at the hero with slightly teary eyes, his brain trying its hardest to catch up with the reality that he wasn't about to be thrown out of the hero course- at least, not yet.

The hero pressed on, using the lull to finish the conversation before the young man's train could arrive.

"I need you, Midoriya-kun, to look deep within yourself and see if you really want to be a hero, to see if it is possible for you to become one. Because right now, your quirk gives you a lot of potential. But it's not the quirk that makes the hero, kid- it's the heart. And your heart, is about to be subjected to a world of suffering."

"You do realize your situation, right? If this were a horse race, you would have shown up without the horse, and everyone else has already left you in the dust. If you're going to be a hero, you need to commit to the cause, all the way. You cannot afford to falter like you did earlier today before our pep talk, and for you specifically, there will not be any middle ground where you can just coast for a few moments and relax; it will be a constant uphill battle, and you'll need to give every bit of effort you can just to survive in a world where there are millions who outclass you in skill, and millions more who can, and will, kill you with ease using that skill. Anything less than your entire focus and efforts, and I can guarantee that everything you do as a hero- if you still wish to be a hero- will amount to nothing."

"You need to realize that you'll have to work well into the night and from early in the day to even consider catching up to your peers. If you even want to stand in the same ring as them, you'll need to put in two hours of work at the minimum for every one of theirs. If you want to turn that power of yours into something that can save lives and fight crime, you had better prepare yourself to endure the incredible pain that will follow and to embrace the inevitable failures that will happen as you try to navigate into the unknown territory of your future."

"Do you get what I'm saying, Midoriya-kun? Your life in the very near future will be nothing but misery, and pain, and work, and grit, as you-"

"I understand, Sensei."

Vlad King turned to look at the young man and was pleasantly surprised by the intensity and resolve in his steely green gaze.

Izuku already understood everything that was being spoken at a much deeper level. The day he had learned the truth about the world when he was four- when he had realized that not everyone was created equal- was the day he realized exactly where he stood in this super powered world. He knew more than anyone else that he was starting from nothing and had little time to master an all-powerful quirk. Suffering was all he knew growing up as a lonesome, quirkless little boy, so why should it be any different now? Especially when there was so much resting on his shoulders, with so many things that could go wrong at any given moment, why should it be different? Back then, as a lonesome quirkless little boy, the world had terrified him with its cruel truths and realities. And now as the next successor of One for All, it terrified him even more.

But the thing was… he wasn't a lonesome, quirkless little boy anymore. He had power now, and people in his corner cheering him on. The greatest hero the world had ever seen believed in him, and had chosen him to carry on his legacy. His mother may have lost heart in the beginning, but she still loved and supported him regardless of his goals. And now he had Vlad King, the hero who was giving him the chance and the push he needed to begin his journey forward. He had people who were counting on him, and he wasn't about to disappoint them.

Not anymore.

"Sensei… I am going to become a hero. No matter what it takes, or how long it takes me. I've known for a while that my path going forward was going to be difficult, but that's not about to stop me. Not when my goal is within reach, and I have people who still believe in me. One way or another, Sensei, I will become a hero."

Vlad King turned his face away from the kid as the corner of his mouth lifted up on its own accord. "Good. I knew you weren't an idiot. But right now, you're all talk. Currently, your words don't mean anything to me…"

"Which means…" They paused for a bit as they entered the train station, looking for the young man's terminal. Once they found it, Vlad King continued on. "Which means that if you, Midoiya-kun, are dead set on being a hero, you're going to have to show me with your actions. Starting tomorrow, you will be undergoing a lot of intensive training. This will take place before and after school every day, and it will last until I am satisfied with your development. Think of these as… required remedial classes."

Izuku perked up at the prospect of more training, but then his heart sank as he remembered a rather important detail from what his teacher had said before they took their exam. Even at 100%, I'm still this bad, huh?...

As if sensing his dejection, the pro quickly tacked on a few extra words. "Relax, kid. You did decent on the assessment test. Obviously, you have quite a bit to work on… but overall, your results exceeded my expectations."

"B-but, Sensei… I-I thought you said-"

"That only those who couldn't beat at least four of class A's scores were subject to this? Yes, I did say that. But the point is, you need help with your quirk. My decision to make you go through extra training wasn't based on the outcome of your final score."

Izuku still looked a little saddened, so with a roll of his eyes, Vlad King decided to elaborate. "If you must know, if we compare your score to those of the students in class A, you'd have ranked 15th out of all them. And since we're talking about results, somehow you managed to be ranked 18th in your class. Considering your lack of control, that's… quite impressive. Especially since without the hit or miss challenge, you probably would have been dead last, or close to it, in both cases."

"Now, had you been able to obtain your good scores without major injury, you would have gotten much better results. The way the principal designed a part of his algorithm for the assessment tests makes it so that any and all injuries received by the student penalizes their overall score. I can't exactly tell you the true nature of his complex algorithm since it's 'technically' one of Yuuei's trade secrets, but I can tell you with confidence that the more a student injures themselves during their attempts- and the more important the body part is that got injured- the more they are penalized. So even though you have three amazing scores, I could only give you full credit for the ball throw."

Izuku was stunned at the news that he was just given. He felt a warmth inside him as his mind continued to replay the praise he had just received. As wonderful a feeling it was, he highly doubted that he'd ever get used to receiving praise from other people. His mind snapped back to reality as his teacher continued their conversation.

"Regardless of how you did though, you still have a long way to go. The more opportunities you have to use and test your quirk in a controlled environment, the more proficient you will become. That's why you're being forced into some remedial training. Mastery happens one step at a time, and the more steps you take on this path you have chosen, the better off you will be in the future. Even if you occasionally stumble and fall on your face, something will eventually come out of it as long as you give me everything you've got, and nothing less."

As the train finally began to show up, Izuku turned to his teacher, his eyes still slightly downcast. He wanted to thank him for… everything. But before he could get any words out, the hero grabbed his shoulder with a firmness that startled him, causing the boy to look the hero in the eye.

To say that his gaze was dangerous was… an understatement. Izuku felt himself reflexively gulp and shrink away as the man towering before him offered one last piece of wisdom before they parted ways.

"Listen well, Midoriya-kun. Do not take these training sessions lightly. Their purpose is to make sure you develop a better handling of your quirk, and to make sure you can keep up with the rest of your peers. Do not ever forget why you are going through with this. If I catch any hint of weakness coming from you, if I don't see any progress from your training, if I even think you are beginning to slip and fall behind… I will not hesitate to pull you out of the hero course. I will accept your failures and ignorance; I will not accept your procrastination and any lack of progress. Do you understand?"

Green met maroon, and unflinchingly, the young man's back began to straighten as any trace of meekness in his body simply vanished. The young man knew what was at stake, and he wasn't about to let anything stop him on his path to be a hero. After a moment, the young man folded his body into a deep bow, and spoke with more conviction than the pro hero thought he was capable of. "I understand completely, Vlad King Sensei. Thank you for your insight, and thank you for everything you have done so far. I promise, Sensei, I will work as hard as I can to go beyond your standards!"

This time, the pro hero let the grin spread on his face as he raised a hand to clap the student's shoulder. "Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow morning at the front gates by 0700. Rest well, Midoriya-kun; it'll only get harder from here."

And with that, the hero turned and headed his way back to the school, giving a small wave over his shoulder as he did. That kid… is really something else…

As Izuku boarded the train with his mind still a buzz, he found a spot to stand in as he started the train ride home. As he went over all the events that happened today while leaning against a pole, he felt his phone buzz; it was probably just his mom wondering where he was at.

But as he checked his phone, his eyes widened and a giddy smile spread onto his face. Although his mom had sent a few messages, the newest one wasn't from her.

It looked like he had one more pit stop to make before he made it home.


Izuku ran as fast as his exhausted feet could carry him towards Takoba Municipal Beach Park, his excitement just as palpable now as it was during the days he spent training here.

And just like all the other times he had ever come here, his excitement expanded tenfold when he saw the person who had texted him sitting on the docks, underneath one of the gazebos in the park.

Breathlessly, the boy hurried up to where the other was at, only announcing his presence when he was close enough for the older man to hear Izuku without him yelling.

"All Might!"

The gaunt man, who had been looking off eastward into the distance with his feet in the water, looked up to see his young protégé breathing hard as he hurriedly closed the gap between them. He couldn't help the reflexive smile that spread on his thin face at the sight of the young man.

But then he remembered why he had called him here, and concern washed over his features. "Young Midoriya! How are you feeling?"

The young man came to a stop in front of the hero, panting, and said, "I'm good, thank you! I'm just a little tired."

"Then sit with me for a second. Catch your breath, young man. Enjoy the clean air of the ocean for a few moments!" For emphasis, the thin man patted the spot right next to him, and the boy happily obliged, taking off his shoes and rolling up his trousers in the process as he did what was asked.

Their silence was nice and comfortable, the air was beautiful and warm for the spring season, and the sun was gently warming their backs as it began to set in the west. Izuku breathed deeply and enjoyed the air and the water around him, all tension leaving his body as he did.

And Toshinori collected himself as he began the conversation he knew he should have had with the boy a long time ago.

"You worried me there for a second, my boy. During your assessment test, I mean." He elaborated, when Izuku shot him a questioning look.

Izuku cringed a little and began to rub the back of his head as a sheepish expression found its way to his face. He was still a bit surprised that that had actually happened. "I-I'm sorry about that All Might. I-I didn't realize I was going to be... launched across the field like that. If I did, I wouldn't have done it in the first place. But! You saved me, didn't you! Recovery Girl said-"

"Ah, I wasn't… necessarily talking about that… Not that I wasn't worried! Or… anyone else in your class, for that matter," he said as an afterthought.

The hero had tried to leave the area as soon as Recovery Girl had guaranteed his ward's safety, but he… couldn't.

His time limit had just ran out and he was stuck in his true form- hence the need to not want to be seen, and also to prevent anyone from making any connections between the two of them. But as he tried to leave, Recovery Girl suddenly shoved him back into her private office, away from all the prying eyes.

Apparently, many of his ward's classmates had been standing out in the hall, and most of them where trying to get into the room to see if he was ok. Recovery Girl had to shoo them off, telling all of them that the boy was fine and that they were disturbing his rest before the teenager's begrudgingly left, most of them still incredibly worried. When the coast was clear, the hero took his chance to leave- but not before Vlad King had taken his place, and had offered his sincerest gratitude and a few rounds on him whenever he wanted a few drinks.

"I was worried, but Recovery Girl assured me that you would be just fine. I was… talking about something else..."

Izuku looked at the older man with a questioning eyes, and Toshinori suddenly found himself unable to make eye contact. "I was talking about the assessment itself. Specifically… before your ball throw…"

"…O-Oh…"

The air grew still and awkward as both mentor and pupil struggled to find the right thing to say, as well as the courage to say it.

Izuku took the first attempt. "All Might, I-I'm so sorry-"

"No no, my boy. You aren't the one who needs to apologize. I am."

"B-but All Might! It wasn't your fault-"

"My boy, it is entirely my fault. Had I been more attentive… your heart wouldn't have had to feel the anguish it did today. And I am so, so sorry that it did."

"But-"

Izuku stopped when he felt a thin hand on his head ruffle his hair gently, and he looked up to see Toshinori's face smiling sadly and softly at him.

"Young Midoriya, please listen carefully. The fault lies with me, and me alone, because even though I entrusted you with my power… I did nothing to help you ease into the transition."

"But- but that's not true! All Might, you trained me! You believed in me, and you made me into a vessel worthy of your power!"

"That… is true…" the gaunt blonde admitted, "but that does not excuse my lack of involvement, my boy. I am truly proud of the progress you've made today, all on your own. But… I saw you struggling out there today, and it made me realize just how alone you are in this society of ours. And… I can't help but think... that maybe, if I had worked with you just a little bit more… had I just given you a guiding hand in the right direction… your body wouldn't have sustained those injuries, and your heart wouldn't have been so afflicted..."

Izuku could only look at his hero with a mix of shock and sadness. Because of how bad he had performed in the assessment, All Might thought he was failing as a mentor…

What a horrible successor he was turning out to-

Whack!

As Izuku rubbed his sore head and was shaken out of his stupor, he saw the exasperated look on his mentor's face and the hand he had used to lightly chop him with. "Stop it. My dear boy, we really are too much alike in some regards. Let me repeat what I just said: This. Is. Not. Your. Fault." He punctuated each word with a light chop on the boy's head to make sure there wasn't any confusion, whatsoever. "Not in the slightest. If anything, your efforts today are what prompted me into action, just like they did eleven months ago when I chose you to be my successor. And because of your efforts today, I have some good news I'd like to share with you!"

"Starting tomorrow, if you'd let me... I'd like to begin your formal training with One for All."

The effect was immediate, and the predecessor couldn't help the raspy chuckle that escaped his throat as Izuku's eyes got wide and his face lit up in excitement. "For real, All Might!? We're going to really train my quirk?!"

"Yes, my boy! What kind of predecessor would I be if I didn't even show my own successor the ins and outs of our power?"

Izuku's excitement started to become a little too contagious, so before long the hero gently calmed him down with a kind, but serious, tone. "I am truly sorry, my boy, that it took me so long to realize my error. And I'm also sorry if our training starts off a little slow… because if I'm being honest, I still don't have any idea of what the best way to safely go about this is; I can't exactly use the same methods that were used on me when I was your age. I hope you can forgive this old man for his inadequacy."

"You're not inadequate, All Might! You're the best hero to ever live!"

Toshinori couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. I don't think I'll ever get used to the sheer optimism of a blind fanboy.

But now that the hard part was out of the way… it was time for some proper praise.

"And you, my boy, performed more than satisfactory as my successor today! I have never been as certain as I am right now about my choice for successor! You truly outdid yourself today, Young Midoriya!

The fanboy turned away with a flush, but the hero wasn't done. "I spoke the truth when I said that I saw everything in that test, which means I also saw your ball throw, your grip test redo, and your 50 meter sprint redo! You were amazing, my boy! Simply amazing!"

"I-I don't know All Might… I got pretty hurt today."

"…Well… yes… but it wasn't for nothing, Young Midoriya, I can promise you that!" When the young man continued to look a little down, the hero felt the need to reassure him.

"And if I'm being honest… you're probably just a little farther along than I anticipated..."

That got the young man's attention. "Huh!? Really!?"

The gaunt man gave a toothy grin. "Oh yes, my boy! I saw everything with my own eyes! You managed to successfully use a small portion of your body to maximize the power while minimizing the damage, twice! And then during the grip test! I'm pretty sure you found your upper limit- and better yet, you even managed to stay there for a few seconds! Today was a good day of progress for you!"

Izuku could only stare off into space as his mind went hazy from the praise he was receiving.

But through the haze, something had caught his attention. "My… upper limit? Like… how much of your power I can take, without breaking myself?"

Causually, the blonde nodded along and continued with his eager smile. "Yes, by boy! I think you found your upper limit, and all on your own too!"

"How… how much do you think it is, All Might?..."

The older hero paused in thought to consider, thinking of everything he had observed from his pupil. "Hmmm… I can't be quite certain, but… I'd say pretty close to five percent-"

"-What?! Five percent?!" Izuku felt his back hit the dock as he looked up into the sky, his head more than a little dizzy with disappointment. Numbly, he raised his left hand and stared at it, recalling that All Might said it was during the grip test where he had discovered his upper limit.

He had struggled to control just five percent off All Might's power…

Given everything he had just been told in the last few hours, the road to become the strongest hero had never seemed as desolate as it was now…

"I…could barely handle five percent of your power, All Might… and even then, it felt so… flimsy. Like, if I lost focus for just a moment, it would all either just fade away or... blow up in my face…"

Izuku's view of the colored sky was blocked by the kind, but exasperated smile of his mentor. "Yes, my boy. In terms of power, it's not much. But you need to remember that this is proof of progress, progress that we can, and will, further improve on in the future. It may only be about five percent now, and you may be only able to contain it for a few brief seconds, but if you continue to work as hard as you did today I'm certain it will only grow! This is a good stepping stone for you, Young Midoriya; don't discredit yourself so quickly all the time!"

Izuku shyly smiled away from his hero, the cogs in his mind going over every little snippet of conversation that had been conveyed. But then his eyes widened, and he launched himself forward into a sitting position, almost hitting his mentor as he did.

As the gaunt man recoiled in surprise, the young green eyed boy turned to him eagerly, ready to share some good news from his end. "Oh! All Might, I almost forgot! I think I might have found a new way to control One for All!"

That caught the predecessor's attention, as he responded in kind to his successor's enthusiasm. "Oh? How so, my boy?"

"I'm not sure what exactly happened, All Might, but I discovered it when I was trying to copy one of my classmates' ideas. I'm not too certain in what she did, but it looked like she was shifting the extent of her power through each individual body part. When I tried to copy her, I think I might have been successful! It was like…" he paused for a moment as he looked at his hand, making some twisting motions with it as he did. "It was like... rolling a tube of toothpaste from the end. To make sure you use all of it, if that makes sense? I sort of… squeezed, and forced One for All down into the areas I needed for my attempts. And, uh… even though my hand felt like it was about to explode… it felt like I got just a little bit stronger, just for a little bit!"

The hero listened attentively to what his pupil was saying as his mind went over the new development. So I was right, he did increase his upper threshold momentarily. Way to go, my boy! Now, how do I go about training you on this particular technique?...

Then, the hero snorted as he remembered that Izuku had compared this sensation of regulating One for All to toothpaste, of all things.

"My boy, you're as plain and unique as always!"

The boy in question gave a small pout and the hero couldn't help the easygoing grin on his face as he ruffled his hair again. "But this is good! You discovered how to momentarily raise your upper limit!"

"Huh? Momentarily raise my limit? What do you mean by that, All Might? I thought you said I could only handle five percent of One for All?"

Again, the hero could only smile as he began his explanation. "It… would be easier to show you than to tell you. I'd show you today, but I'm afraid I'm all out of time. I'm also fairly certain your mother is a little worried that you haven't come home from school yet. So, tomorrow, I promise I'll show you what I mean as we begin to train seriously."

"Ok! B-but, um… how are we going to train? And also, I, uh, have training I have to do with Vlad King Sensei after school…"

The hero only laughed and waved his concern to the side. "Don't worry about a thing, my boy! You can come see me when you're done! We'll meet here, and then I'll take you to our new training area. Takoba is a little too clean and open nowadays, ya know?"

Swifter than one would think a feeble looking man like Toshinori was capable of, he stood up, gracefully getting his shoes that were beside him as he did. "Now come along, my boy! Your mother has waited for you long enough- I'll give you a ride home in my truck. Tomorrow is when we really begin our journey; but for now, let's get you some rest. You deserve it after a long day like this one."

And as Izuku eagerly replied and got up to follow his hero, said hero watched on with a dotting expression.

It's true that the young man had found a way forward all on his own, and he was so proud of him for that. But Toshinori vowed to himself that it would be the last time his successor would ever be alone along this path he set before him…

…At least… until the day that Nighteye's prediction became reality.

But that was another thought for another day.

Right now, he was going to start giving his all as a predecessor to raise his successor. He was going to make sure that when the time came, Izuku Midoriya could walk all on his own with his back straight and his head held high, and with his own voice cry out to the world, "I am here!"

As the two of them climbed into the truck, happily talking about the other events of today and for the future, Izuku's first day of high school finally came to an end.

Overall, it wasn't a bad day… but it was only the beginning of what was to come.


Author's Note Time!

Vivian, if you ever read this, you are a scholar and a saint my dude! Thanks for helping me get my new laptop up and running in no time!

If you guys are interested in how I ranked the students of 1B for their assessment test, let me know! I'd be more than happy to indulge you guys.

Thank you guys again so much for all the love and appreciation of my story- it does wonders for the soul :)

See you guys in the next chapter! Stay safe and happy until then!