AN: And now we're about to see the impact Izuku had on the people of the My Hero Academia universe! Word of warning, these next three chapters will be a bit shorter than the usual ones, as they're more interludes than anything else.

Interlude I: The Vigilante's Legacy

Shota Aizawa could only stare at the monument that had been erected in Izuku Midoriya's memory, a multitude of emotions coursing through him.

Shame. An emotion that had always been in the back of his mind ever since the quirkless problem child had saved him in USJ.

Guilt. Another emotion that refused to leave him when he realized how badly he'd screwed up trying to keep the boy safe from the cruel world that was heroics.

Anger. Anger at his failure to properly train the problem child and how the problem child had never slowed down in trying to be a hero, even if he didn't have a license and the HPSC was relentlessly hunting him down.

Sadness, over the fact that he'd never be able to properly train the problem child now, and the fact that the world had lost an incredible hero.

Aizawa could only sigh, before placing a red carnation on the memorial.

"Not many would have walked the path you did, problem child. Rest in peace."

_LINE BREAK_

Toshinori Yagi could only look at the memorial in sadness. He'd seen many heroes die in the field of duty, but this one felt like it would stick with him for a long time.

"Did you know that, when I heard about your rescue of Class 1-A in the USJ, I wished to make you my successor?" he chuckled. "Not many people I know would rush into a hostile situation to save people that had spurned them so viciously in the past."

He continued, finding the words easier to say as he talked. "Every time I worried about whether or not I would be a decent teacher, or continuing being able to be a decent hero, you were on the news, reminding people that no matter their condition, or their pasts, they could always be a hero."

Toshinori put his own flower, a pink carnation, on top of the memorial.

"Rest in peace, Young Midoriya."

_LINE BREAK_

Katsuki Bakugou stared at the memorial, almost in disbelief. For all his bluster when he was younger, for all the ranting and raving he'd done in U.A when he'd realized the identity of the vigilante almost immediately (The shitty nerd used Deku. Of course Bakugou was gonna figure out his identity within a few seconds.), he'd never really expected it to pass.

And yet, here it was, for everyone to see.

Here Lies Izuku "Deku" Midoriya

23XX - 23XX

A hero and inspiration to us all

May he never be forgotten

Bakugou's fists clenched, but he could no longer summon the anger that he had in his younger days. He merely sighed.

"It's hard to believe that you're dead, you know. Even when we were kids, you always seemed….I dunno. Larger than life, or some shit."

Bakugou stared at the memorial for a few more minutes, unsure to put into words how thankful he was for the second chance the nerd had granted him when he was at his lowest.

"You know, that day, when you came to me with Eri, I was contemplating ending it all. After that...incident, with the little kid and her mom, I just…. Couldn't even bother getting out of bed. Why did I deserve to live, when I bullied people like you because I was afraid that you would end up being a better hero than me? Why did I deserve to live when my powers killed a little girl and her mother, their last expressions being ones of pure horror at the sight of the flames rushing them? Even if the Hero Commision hadn't decided to take my license away, I would've just torn it in two. And then, you come along, with that tiny girl in your arms, and tell me that I had to keep her safe."

He chuckled. "Eri...she was my second chance. I gave her all the love and affection I never bothered giving anyone else except my parents. She saved me, and I think part of you knew I needed her, just as much as she needed me."

Bakugou then took out a red rose.

"I never got the chance to thank you for that. Guess I'll never get the chance now."

He placed the rose on top of the memorial.

"Hope wherever you are, I hope you understand how thankful I am...and….how sorry I am, about everything."

_LINE BREAK_

As Inko Midoriya stared at the monument, she could only shake her head, tears brimming in her eyes.

She had dropped Izuku off at the orphanage, believing that he'd be able to find people who could accept him there. She didn't want her baby to suffer anymore than he already was. A few days after she came to America to finally reunite with Hisashi, she'd realized what a terrible mistake she'd made. She tried to come back to Japan, as quickly as possible, only to realize that the orphanage that she'd placed Izuku in had been burnt down in a villain attack. Refusing to believe her baby was dead, Inko asked around, constantly looking for Izuku. For years, she searched, unwilling to give up and go home. In the small bits of downtime she'd given herself (lest she collapse from exhaustion), she had divorced Hisashi and stayed with the Bakugou's, not wanting to return to an apartment that held nothing but bad memories. Mitsuki, after yelling at Inko for how terrible of a decision she'd made, ultimately decided to let her stay, taking pity on the woman.

It was only when the vigilante known as "Deku" started appearing that Inko finally realized that her son was alive. Deep down, she had always feared that Izuku was long dead, and that one day, her search would lead to a corpse.

However, as much as Inko wanted to reunite with her son, she couldn't. She'd seen the small interview he'd given with Gentle Criminal.

"Before we leave, you wanna give a shoutout to any friends or family?"

Deku glared, his eyes showing a cold feeling that was rather uncommon in the usually happy vigilante.

"I have no family." he muttered darkly. "As for friends, well, I have a few, but I can't really bring attention to them. Sorry."

Inko's heart broke, but she understood that she could not fix her mistake. She only prayed that her baby would live a decent and long life.

Unfortunately, it seems the gods would not be so kind as to grant that prayer.

Inko hugged the memorial, sobbing.

"My baby….I'm so sorry."

But no matter what she said, the memorial didn't respond back. It was only after Mitsuki found her was Inko able to be taken away from the final resting place of her son.

_LINE BREAK_

A tall purple haired man in a grey suit and purple shirt stood in front of the memorial. He looked at the flower in his hand, before sighing.

"You know, this almost seems...unreal. I always thought you'd live the longest out of all of us, just because you were too stubborn to kick the bucket."

The purple haired man twirled the flower around, trying to think of what else he wanted to get off his chest.

"I never got to tell you this, Midoriya, but… you were my hero, you know? That day, in the USJ, while Villains surrounded me and Momo on all sides, I really thought 'This is it. You're gonna die.". And then you burst into the place, saving us both and stopping the League of Villains from killing any of us. After that incident, I realized something that I should have long ago, something you taught me."

He took a deep breath, before continuing.

"Heroes weren't cool, because of their quirks. Heroes were cool, because they were people willing to do whatever it took to save others."

He clenched his fists.

"After USJ, I realized how much of a failure I was, how wrong I was about everything, and I promised to myself that I would change, that I wouldn't become a hero to boost my self esteem, but to do what you did. To save people."

Releasing them, the man continued onwards.

"I left U.A for a few months, training myself, trying to go beyond my limits every day. Heh. When I originally wanted to go to Kamurocho, it was to admire the Red Light District, not to beat up the various goons, thugs, and con artists everyday until I became strong enough to beat them up without any previous trouble"

He smiled.

"I ended up actually winning the Sports Festival and making a name for myself. From then on, I always strived to be like you. Saving people no matter what."

The man gingerly put down the red carnation on the memorial.

"Goodbye, Deku. I'll never forget you, I promise that much."

And with that, Minoru Mineta , the Dragon of Yuuei, stepped away from the memorial and walked away. As rain started to pour downwards, Mineta was greeted by the sight of an umbrella appearing above his head.

"How'd it go?" Momo Yaoyorozu asked, wondering if her boyfriend had found peace in talking to the grave of his greatest inspiration.

Mineta chuckled. "I dunno. I think… I think it went all right."

_LINE BREAK_

Toya Todoroki could only stand in front of the memorial, guilt refusing to leave him.

If only he'd seen it coming.

If only he'd been faster.

Maybe if he had, his friend would still be alive, laughing at another failed attempt by the HPSC to catch him.

He could hear Shoto and his girlfriend coming behind him.

"I thought I told you two to leave me alone."

Himiko sighed. "And did you really expect me to listen, Toya?"

She looked at the memorial for a few moments, tears welling in her eyes, before hastily wiping them away.

"Toya, what happened to Izuku...you can't blame yourself."

"You weren't the one Shigaraki was aiming at." he replied tersely.

"Maybe not, but I was still there when we three went to capture Shigaraki. I hold as much blame as you for what happened. Toya… you can't shoulder all the blame for this alone. Izuku wouldn't have wanted it."

Toya sighed. "It doesn't matter what he did or didn't want. He's gone. He's gone and he's never coming back."

Shoto took the reins this time.

"I know it hurts, brother, but we can't spend our lives wondering on the "what ifs" that could've happened to us. We can't change the past, all we can do is change the future."

Toya looked to the memorial for a few moments longer, before taking a rose out of his jacket and dropping it.

"Goodbye, kid."

_LINE BREAK_

Gentle looked at the USB stick that had been sitting on top of his cupboard the past few months.

Midoriya sent one every year, with explicit instructions. If he were to die, Gentle would upload the video to the Internet for the world to see, a "final message" of sorts. The past week, Gentle had ignored it, unsure of what to feel about the vigilante that had helped his career and given him a new purpose by introducing him to La Brava. It was La Brava that finally convinced him to do it, saying that he had promised Midoriya to follow that request when the time came.

Balancing the USB stick on his palm for a few minutes, Gentle decided to insert it onto the computer.

_LINE BREAK_

Across Japan, a video went viral, simply titled "Deku's Final Message"

A man with messy green hair was in front of the camera, smiling.

"Hey, everyone. My name is Izuku Midorya. You probably know me better as 'Deku'

Now, if you're watching this, this means that I am probably dead. Ouch. Sounds kinda morbid when you say it aloud like that. Heh. Still, I'm not making this video as a memorial to myself or anything, that's just pathetic. No. I'm making this video because I want to tell you all something.

When I was a child, it was always my dream to be a hero like All-Might. Not to defeat villains, or to achieve fame, but because I wanted to save people

However, as soon as I was diagnosed Quirkless, everyone told me that it was impossible. A pipe dream that I could never hope to accomplish. Even as I trained my mind and body relentlessly in the hopes of getting into a Hero Academy, people kept telling me it was impossible.

Well, guess what? I got in. I'm not gonna name names, but I got into a prestigious Hero Academy, in a test heavily geared towards physical quirks, with just my wits.

Even then, when I was kicked out because I didn't have a quirk, I never gave up on my dream to save people. I just told myself that I would have to save people without a Hero License.

And you guys know the story by now, right? Hahaha.

Damn, I'm getting off topic. Look, the point I'm trying to make is this.

It doesn't matter what quirk you have.

It doesn't matter what people say.

It doesn't even matter what you think will happen if you try.

But I say this, from the bottom of my heart.

Anyone can be a hero.

As long as you carry that spark, that belief, that you want to save just one person whom you've never met before, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, OR what you think!

Because to me?

You are already a hero.

_LINE BREAK_

The reaction to the video had been...extraordinary. Already, a large vigilante group had started to rise in Mustafu and other areas of high crime, calling themselves The Children of Deku. They had begun pushing back heavily on the rising crime rate that had been going up ever since Deku's death at the hands of Tomura Shigaraki. The HPSC had tried to take down the video, but already, it had become an internet sensation. The video also forced Hero Academies across Japan to finally revise their standards, forced to admit to the public that their tests were too geared towards those with flashy and powerful physical quirks, rather than any facet of their examinee's personality. With the threat of the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army gone, society was able to turn its attention on the Hero Public Safety Commission. With Toya Todoroki and Himiko Toga able to present many of the HPSC's various wrongdoings to the public, reform was quick to hit the corrupt Commission, with many of its members being arrested for their connections to either the League, the Meta Liberation Army, or their own crimes in the name of keeping their power. With the corruption fully rooted out, Toya Todoroki ended up taking over as Director of a newly minted Hero Public Safety Commission, with his appointment coming after his little brother's wedding to Himiko Toga.

Minoru Mineta would end up #2 in the Hero Billboard Chart in Japan, coming behind the powerhouse that was Shoto Todoroki. More than content with his position, Mineta would focus his efforts on rescue work, setting a record that would only be challenged by his own son a generation later.

Katsuki Bakugou never gained back his Hero License, but he was content. Raising his daughter, Eri, Katsuki found a peace that had long evaded him. Years later, Katsuki would tearfully cut the ribbon to his daughter's own Hero Office, one that would be shared by a dark haired hero who could manipulate water.

Inko Midoriya, realizing that she could never let what happened to her son happen to another child, decided to open an orphanage of her own in Mustafu, where she talked about her experiences and her regrets openly with any mother who was on the fence about believing that their child could do better in an orphanage. If they still decided to leave their child with her, Inko took it upon herself to treat all the children that were dropped into the building as her own.

Toshinori Yagi soon realized that with All For One gone from this world, One For All no longer needed to be passed down. With that revelation, he retired from hero work and decided to spend the rest of his days in a quiet retirement. However, after a brief time, he felt quite restless and decided to pursue some activity that would keep him occupied. It was only through some kind of dumb luck that he would run into a green haired woman that needed help running an orphanage. After the "Morning Glory Orphanage" was complete, Toshinori found himself a new purpose in caring for children who were in the same situation he was decades ago, as well as harboring feelings for the woman who still felt guilt over her son's fate.

Shota Aizawa soon retired from teaching, leaving the next generation to learn from the mistakes he had made. He continued to work diligently as an Underground Hero for a few more decades before retiring from hero work completely. However, Aizawa could not enjoy his quiet retirement, and decided to help teach The Children of Deku what he knew so that they, at the very least, would not get themselves killed in a foolhardy effort to fight crime.

AN: Next chapter is dedicated to setting up MK II