A/N: Part two of the practical exam. This chapter will focus primarily on the second half of Izuku's. I know that maybe some of you don't enjoy reading parts like this and if that is the case, then this is just announcing it beforehand, but I plan to make it as interesting as I possibly can!
Just some pre-warning, I'm changing a little of the plot to fit my own wants a bit, mainly things about Izuku's father, so before anyone says anything about not following the canon, I know I'm not xD
It felt good. Great even; finally getting one over on Bakugo for all the times he'd look down on the greenette. It felt like he'd almost proved his worth to himself for the first time. He'd finally proven to himself that he was taking the steps closer to becoming number one.
In the time between Izuku finishing the first part of his practical exam and the other students doing there's, All Might had arrived to come and check in on how everyone was doing, and it was a welcome sight, especially to Izuku.
"How are you feeling?" The blonde but deflated hero asked, sitting with Izuku away from the rest of the class, sitting down beside his deflated successor with a sigh and handing him a water bottle.
"I'm, just a little bit achy." Izuku responded, unscrewing the cap of the bottle and taking a small sip of the cool liquid.
"I don't blame you, that hit against the bus was pretty hard." All Might said with a chuckle, looking up to the glass ceiling of U.S.J with a small smile.
"You did well though." He added with a bigger smile, patting Izuku's bare shoulder in praise. "So, you going to get your costume fixed between matches?" He asked, changing the subject to Izuku tattered attire.
"Nah, I feel like it'll only get destroyed again since I'm fighting Bakugo for a second time." Izuku replied with a chuckle and a shrug. All Might slowly nodded and leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees.
It was silent for a few moments after this. Izuku took an absent sip of his water whilst watching the blurred and distant forms of Mina and Tsuyu against Shoji and Mineta. He'd never noticed it before, but Mina was actually incredibly athletic. He knew she was physically fit for the times she'd hugged or cuddled with or he'd snuck a glance at her. Her body was toned and cared for, so much so that sometimes he felt somewhat intimidated by it.
"So, listen... I've been thinking about what you asked me..." All Might started. Izuku's attention instantly peaked and he looked over at the previous One For All Quirk user intently.
"You're really sure you can trust Ashido? I know you love her and everything but... I also know that you realise how risky this could be." All Might asked, his tone much more serious than before as he turned on the bench to fully face the greenette.
"I'm really sure. There are a lot of things I'd trust to Mina, but this is one of them that I feel like she deserves to know. I don't want to carry on hiding this from her because... Well... It feels like I'm lying to her face." Izuku responded, also becoming more serious, but also somewhat embarrassed.
"No, that's alright, I get it. When the practical exam is done, I'll take you both to the staff room and you can tell her." All Might smiled, letting out a quiet but slightly relieved sigh, relaxing his posture a bit.
"Really! T-Thank you All Might!" Izuku beamed, bowing deeply to his idol.
"H-Hey, don't thank me." The thin man chuckled, reaching out and ruffling Izuku's wild green hair. "Just because I'm your mentor, doesn't mean I don't care about you. Sure, I want you to have a bright future, same with the other students, but we were brought together over something much more than just a class. So, not only as your mentor, but as your friend, I want to make sure you're happy now." All Might explained, his expression softening as Izuku slowly drew himself up, his eyes glassy and emotional.
"T-Thank you... All Might..." Izuku stuttered, starting to tear up a little. All Might leaned away slightly with an awkward expression and glanced around nervously.
"D-Don't cry about it, I'm just saying..." He said awkwardly.
"S-Sorry... I-It's just... Well, I've never been told that before by anyone other than my mum... So it means a lot!" Izuku chuckled, wiping his eyes and beaming at the blonde-haired hero. It warmed All Might's insides as well as Izuku's. It was like watching his child take its first steps, and although he'd never experienced anything like that before, the former One For All user was sure this was a similar feeling.
As for Izuku, All Might was the closest thing he'd had to a father in a long time. Izuku remembered small bits and pieces about his dad, but left Izuku and his mother when he was only around a year old. Izuku would never forget the last words his father said to his mother before leaving. Then when he died, it was almost like the cement that would lock them in his mind forever.
"I didn't go through all of this effort and hardship to be stuck with a Quirkless, worthless child to carry our name! I won't be disgraced in such a way!"
That phrase was the one thing Izuku both did and didn't want to forget. It was the reason he occasionally had phases of doubt and sometimes why he took how people saw him quite seriously, but then it was also one of his fuels for chasing his dream. His father's cruel words and his old friend Bakugo's relentless harassment were the two main things that had gotten him to this point, and finally, All Might was the one he had to thank for making his dream a reality.
He hadn't told the hero about this yet, but that didn't mean he didn't want to. It had always been in the back of his mind, but it wasn't something he could just casually say incase it gave off the wrong impression. Then, maybe now was the time to do it. All Might was allowing Izuku to share his biggest secret, so maybe as a start, Izuku could share his biggest secret with the one man who first truly accepted him for being him.
"L-Listen... All Might... I want to tell you about my childhood... About why I'm always s-such a ball of emotion." Izuku started, awkwardly chuckling as he racked his brain for the right words. All Might hummed a sound to show his was listening and Izuku let out a sigh before continuing.
"W-When I was really young, my dad abandoned my mother and I. He said he... That he didn't go through the hardships he had just to be stuck with a worthless, Quirkless kid like me..." Izuku started, keeping his eyes on the floor as he spoke.
"What he said to me has always been in the back of my mind... Then... He died when I was six and... Well, that was like the cement to glue the words into my mind..." He added, resting his head in his hand as a small lump began forming in his throat.
"E-Everything you've done for me these past months... And everything you continue to do for me! It means so much because... You believe in me like my dad never did... I just... Thank you, All Might. For everything." The greenette sniffled before tears finally left his eyes.
All Might sat there in stunned silence, simply staring at his successor with his hand over his mouth. Then, suddenly, Izuku was pulled into a hug. A hug that he'd never really experienced before. Of course, he'd been hugged by his mother when he was sad or distressed about something and it was always loving and warm, even Mina's were like that, but then, something about this hug was different.
It was like he was being hugged by his father. It was firm yet comforting. Stern yet caring, but most importantly, it was genuine. Izuku hugged him back, clutching to his suit blazer as he sobbed on his shoulder, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Midoriya... I'm sorry your father never saw you for the hero everyone else did." The blonde teacher responded. "You are so much more than that... I see it, your mother sees it and everyone at U.A sees it. There's never been a time, through all of this, when I haven't been proud of you." He added with a smile, petting the greenette's hair as he cried harder.
It's okay to cry kid. That's what makes you human. So cry, and I'll comfort you. All Might muttered to himself, maintaining the hug as his successor continued to cry.
"Deku! There you are! We were wondering where you'd gone!" Uraraka called as the greenette and the now hulking All Might made their way over to the rest of the class.
"You were? S-Sorry, I was just taking a walk." Izuku responded awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as All Might fired him his usual smile before splitting off towards Aizawa.
"That's okay." Uraraka smiled as Izuku too his place beside her, looking down into the Urban Sector. Mina was making her way back up towards them, one of her tags missing with Tsuyu, Mineta and Shoji walking with her. She looked a little disheartened and a bit scratched up, but other than that she seemed okay.
"Mina, I saw your fight, you did really well." Izuku praised reassuringly. The pink-skinned, Acid Quirk user gave her boyfriend a small smile before it quickly fell away again and she dragged herself over to him, falling into him and resting her head on his chest.
"I made so many dumb mistakes." She sighed heavily. Izuku fired a few nervous glances around at his surrounding classmates, but no-one seemed very interested in what was happening, which was reassuring.
"That's okay, I didn't fight that well either." Izuku tried to reassure her, hugging her close and petting her fluffy hair. He was lying of course, in reality, that was probably one of his best fights he'd been in, but he was more concerned with making her feel a bit more confident than anything else.
"Are you okay after earlier? That hit against the bus looked pretty painful." Mina said with a small smile, pulling away from his and looking him up and down, staring at his upper body now his costume had been torn to shreds from the waist up.
"M-Mina..." Izuku muttered awkwardly
"What... Oh, sorry." She chuckled, pulling away from him completely and looking down at the floor.
"I-It's fine! It didn't hurt that badly." Izuku stuttered, scratching the back of his neck whilst wafting his right hand at her.
"So, anyway, ya think you can handle him again this time? After you beat his ass just then I doubt he's gonna go easy on you." Mina said, shaking herself and changing the subject, subtly nodding in the direction of Bakugo, who was sat in the corner seething. Izuku had never seen him looking so angry before, and that was really saying something.
It was probably a stunt to his confidence, or more fittingly, his ego, but even though Izuku felt a little guilty for reasons not even he could but his finger on, he also felt reassured in himself and in his body. He hadn't felt confident in himself at the start of the exam. Of course, after pushing himself harder than ever before and increasing his absolute maximum power tolerance to twenty percent of Full Cowling, he felt like he would stand a better chance.
However, Bakugo was incredibly strong, and after having his Quirk for so much longer than Izuku, he expected to again be overpowered by the blonde-haired teenager. It was a pleasant surprise for it to in fact be the other way around this time. Now though, the two would have to face off again, and now Izuku had to be on the attack, which he had never really been before.
The only time he'd really taken up the position of the attacker in other situations was his fight with Todoroki, any other time he'd been in a fight he was forced to be on the defensive, only fighting back when the opportunity presented itself. This would be his chance to really get a feel for what it was like on the opposite side of that situation.
The only pair left to complete the first half of the practical exam was Aoyama and Kaminari against Momo and Uraraka, before they switched, by that time there would only be one pair before Izuku and Bakugo would have to face off again, and he was both excited and terrified for that moment.
"Midoriya, Toru, you're back up, go and take your positions." Aizawa announced suddenly, pulling the greenette from his absent thoughts and back to reality. Almost instinctively his grip on Mina's hand tightened and he took a deep breath. He knew he had no reason to be worried about the upcoming fight, but he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"Hey Midori, you okay?" Mina asked softly, holding his hand back and nudging him slightly.
"Y-Yeah! I'm fine." He stuttered, coming to and firing her a shaky smile.
"Midoriya, let's go." Toru prompted, waiting at the foot of the stairs that led down to the Urban Sector.
"Good luck out there" Mina smiled, squeezing his hand reassuringly. He smiled back and nodded before turning around and jogging to catch up with Toru.
"Are you okay? You looked really out of it back there..." Toru asked once he'd caught up.
"Yeah, just thinking." He replied with a smile, pulling on the tatters that remained of the upper part of his costume.
"Do you think you can handle Bakugo again?" Toru asked curiously. Izuku smiled and confidently nodded before his face turned serious again.
"That's actually what I was thinking about. You Quirk doesn't really allow for any enhancements in combat, but I've thought of a way for you to still get a lot done. I'll take Sero and Kacchan and see if I can get them to stay in one spot. If I can, then you can move in and take their tags without them even realising. That way, you'll be safe from getting hurt and still contribute heavily." Izuku explained as they finally reached the halfway point of the sector.
"I see... That's actually a pretty good idea! But... Are you sure you'll be able to hold them still? Sero is almost always moving around, and Bakugo is too fast for me to catch on my own." Toru responded nervously. Izuku smiled and patted what he assumed to be her shoulder.
"Don't worry, I promise I'll make sure this works." He beamed before stopping and turning to face the direction they'd just walked from. He knew his plan would more than likely work against Sero since when he was launching attacks at Izuku in the first half, he was able to move as quickly since he was using his tape already. All Izuku had to do to pin Sero down, was dodge attacks until he was close enough to counter.
However, Bakugo would pose much more of a problem, as shown earlier, he was almost always moving around and countering Izuku's attacks. High chance is that he'll have to take the Explosion Quirk users tags himself to save putting Toru in danger. He knew it would be good practice for her once she became a pro hero out in the world, fighting villains who are just as powerful as the blonde teenager, but for now, he didn't want her getting hurt, not if he knew there was a chance he could prevent it.
Then, the klaxon sounded and immediately, two silhouettes flew out of the smoke from Bakugo's explosion.
"Are you ready, Midoriya!" Toru asked, her gloves dropping slightly as she got into a fighting stance.
"Of course I am." He smiled over at her before turning back to the speeding silhouettes. One For All, Full Cowling, ten percent! He yelled at himself, clenching his fists as the incredible power of All Might's old Quirk pulsed through his body. He had to solidify the best grade possible if he had any chance of proving to himself that he was worth the effort people were putting into things for him.
Firing a glace off to the left he noticed Toru was no longer there, so now his plan was in full effect. Clenching his fists and sliding his feet to a more powerful and stable position he prepared for the incoming attacks. Since Sero had more range, he was first to attack, so Izuku quickly countered by dashing forwards, past and behind his two opponents which immediately opened them up to attack. Whilst they were still landing and turning around, he could knock both of them out, and that would probably make the most sense to do, but there was a high chance that Bakugo would expect that.
Instead, Izuku directed the attack at Sero, swiping his hand towards the back of the Tape Quirk user's neck. But Sero reacted quickly, firing off his tape and wrapping it around a lamppost, pulling himself away from Izuku. The greenette quickly pushed back away from the two. He was now open to attacks from Bakugo. This was going to be a lot harder than taking on one enemy. However, all he and Toru really had to do to take them out of the fight, was nab both their tags. The sooner they got one of them out of the way, the easier it would be to pin down the other.
Sero would be easier to handle because the best way to counter his attacks would be by simply dodging, but against Bakugo it was much more physical. He had to really think his attacks through now he had two opponents to handle. Using One For All to throw Bakugo along the sector was also something he'd considered, but after he'd used that attack a few times in the first half, he was probably ready for that too. However, there was always the chance he wasn't.
Almost as soon as Izuku first dodged, Bakugo wheeled around, an enraged look on his face as he held out his right hand and fired off a huge explosion. Izuku forced himself to dash back to his original position, the Explosion lightly grazing him as he did, before using the momentum from the dodge to kick out his right leg and launch it into Bakugo's unguarded side.
One For All wasn't the fastest Quirk by any means, but it was still a very strong Quirk for mobility, especially against Quirks like Bakugo's Explosion. The blonde-haired teenager was caught off guard by the attack and again was sent tumbling across the tarmac. This would open a small window of opportunity to pin down Sero and take his tags.
Izuku quickly turned on his heel but was instantly wrapped up by the thick and surprisingly tough tape. Izuku had seen this kind of attack from Sero before, and recently too, when he faced off against Todoroki in the Sports Festival.
"Sorry, Midoriya." Sero grunted as he spun one-hundred and eighty degrees and threw his right arm around. This wasn't going to be a difficult attack to deflect, all he had to was break out of the tape.
Until he was pulled from the floor like he was nothing. As soon as his feet left the floor, he had no chance of getting out of this situation and he'd just have to tense up and prepare for the inevitable impact. Sero swung the greenette over his head and through the air before slamming him hard into the floor. The shock from the impact sent a painful buzz around Izuku's body from his middle back, cracking the ground slightly as he hit.
He couldn't move at all. The wind had been knocked clean out of his lungs and as Sero's binds released him he instantly curled into a ball, trying to get his breath back.
"Midoriya! Midoriya are you okay!?" Toru called as the sound of feet running over to him grew nearer.
"T-Toru... San..." Izuku started, forcing himself to breath as he slowly regained control of his lungs, rolling over and getting to his hands and knees. "We won't lose this." He growled, glaring after the two before pushing himself to his feet.
"Toru, put one hand behind your knee and one under your arm." He ordered, firing glances to the invisible girl and to their two targets, who were quickly distancing themselves and gaining ground on the endpoint. She didn't argue, moving one hand under her arm and the other to the back of her knee. Izuku wasted no time, scooping her up bridal style, putting his arms around where she'd indicated with her hands.
She yelped in surprise, leaning into Izuku's chest as he cradled her before he crouched to the floor and fired himself up and through the sector. He kept his mind focused on the main objective to avoid the embarrassment of what he was doing. Then again, knowing he was cradling a naked girl bridal style was a pretty distracting thought.
Damn it Izuku! Focus! He yelled at himself, preparing his legs to land just behind the runners. He landed heavily thanks to the extra weight, but he kept his knees strong and stable before pushing himself off again. If he'd gotten this right, he should land a little bit before the ending of the course so he could block their means of an exit.
Tightening his hold on Toru a little more he braced himself fully and landed heavily at the foot of the finish line, quickly putting Toru down before getting into a fighting stance. There wasn't enough time to focus them individually, so he'd have to try and deal with them both at once. He kept the power of One For All stable and quickly filed through a handful of ideas in his mind.
He could wait for Sero's first attack before catching the tape, breaking it off and using it to pin Bakugo's arms, but that had a slim chance of actually working. He could also just use Sero or Bakugo as a human wrecking ball, punching one towards the other and thus knocking them both down long enough for him and Toru to pin them, but that would require an air attack, and he hadn't had a lot of practice with that kind of thing.
But it was their only option as of right now. Toru was relying on him to make up for her lack of attack capabilities, especially against Quirks as mobile as Sero's and Bakugo's. Izuku clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He had to make sure his first attack was the only one he would need to this to work out. He had to target Sero first as didn't have as strong attacking power as Bakugo and he would be easier to get close to without being blown away.
Now! Izuku ordered himself, pushing off in a cloud of dust as he leapt into the air. Holding out his right arm and reinforcing it with his left he used his fingers as an air brake, flicking the space ahead of him to bring him to a stop before grabbing into Sero's arm. It was tight and he almost missed, but he didn't. Keeping his grip tight he pulled himself into the unbalanced, black-haired teenager and used Sero's uneasy state to his advantage.
"Damn it!" Bakugo snarled, using his explosions to force himself down to the ground, landing heavily but quickly recovering and holding out his hands in Izuku's direction.
"I won't let you win-!" Izuku bellowed, his voice cracking as he strained his upper body Izuku pulled Sero's arm and threw him over his head towards Bakugo.
"Shit!" Sero exclaimed as Izuku let him fly towards Bakugo like a human torpedo. The move was too fast and more than likely to unexpected for Bakugo to counter, and with it being his own teammate, there was nothing he could do with his Quirk to counter it. Instead, he caught Sero from the, stumbling backwards before putting Tape Quirk user, unconscious from the sudden speed, down on the tarmac.
The momentum gained from Sero was enough to help bring Izuku back to the floor much quicker than normal and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he pushed himself off as hard as he could, darting towards Bakugo and rearing back his right fist.
"SMAAAAAAAASH!" He screamed, before launching the hardest punch he could muster into the Explosion Quirk user's cheek. It was one of the strongest punches Izuku had ever used on another student and although he felt a small twinge of guilt for using it on his old friend, it was necessary.
Then, as the punch landed, he felt Bakugo grab onto his arm from the elbow, pulling Izuku after him as the pair of them sailed through the air and into the base of a nearby building. An eruption of dust and rubble covered them and their surroundings as they travelled through around two or three thick walls before coming to a stop in one of the undecorated spaces.
Izuku's head was throbbing and his ears were ringing, but he could still move, and going by the limp grip on his arm, Bakugo was unconscious. His plan had worked. He was scratched, cut and bloodied, but he'd done exactly what he said he was going to do. He'd won.
"Midoriya! Midoriya, are you in here! Yell if you can hear me!" Toru called frantically. Izuku slowly pulled himself to his feet, his old friend in his arms as he slowly turned to face the fresh holes he'd punted in the walls. Toru's cloves were moving around frantically as the invisible girl stumbled over large chunks of rubble towards him, Sero's tags clutched in her hand.
"T... Toru! I'm... I'm here!" Izuku panted, still short of breath after that demanding engagement.
"Oh, thank god you're okay!" She exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief before running over to him. Izuku smiled weakly at her and made his way over, meeting her halfway. She grabbed his arm and held onto it tightly as she took the two tags from Bakugo's hips.
"I'm really sorry I couldn't help more Midoriya..." She said quickly as Izuku adjusted his grip on Bakugo, fireman's holding him over his shoulder as the two of them made their way back out onto the street to collect Sero.
"No! y-you did plenty!" Izuku exclaimed in a panic, trying to reassure the girl.
"You really think so?" She asked doubtfully.
"Of course! That was a really difficult match up. You managed to get through the whole thing by not getting hit, not doing any damage to the surrounding area and take Sero's tags." Izuku smiled, crouching down and using the power of One For All to easily carry his two classmates on his shoulders.
"It was dangerous for you, yet you managed to contribute to the task just as much as me. Remember, Mr Aizawa said we had to reach the gate with both of our tags, then stop the runners and take their tags. You did both of those things whilst also avoiding combat, that's a really admirable thing, I think. No-one else could've done it." He smiled reassuringly. Toru was silent, tapping her index fingers together with what Izuku imagined to be a blush a lot like his when he was flustered.
"T-Thank you..." She muttered quietly as they walked back up towards the start of the course.
"Midori! Wake up!" Mina yelled, startling the greenette awake.
"W-What! What happened!" He exclaimed, frantically waving his arms around before grabbing the head of the seat in front, squeezing it tightly. The whole class was looking at him and laughing as his girlfriend sat back in her seat, giggling mischievously. Everyone had changed back into their uniforms just before they left, and their costumes had been sent off to their respected companies for repairs whilst the class continued with their exams.
"Were back at school." Sero perked up, grabbing the greenette's attention.
"Oh, Sero, you're awake now, how are you feeling?" The greenette asked, shaking off the embarrassing feeling he'd gotten from everyone looking at him.
"Yeah I'm awake and feeling fine, a little achy though, ya should've warned me." He laughed jokingly. Izuku chuckled back as the bus came to a stop outside the school. The sun was lowering now, kissing the tops of the tall buildings in Tokyo city in down the hill and the outside was glowing with a warm orange hue.
"I would have if I could." Izuku said heartily, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as a form stopped in front of him. Bakugo looked down on his with a judging expression, but his eyes weren't full of anger. Instead, a small grin cracked onto his face, an expression that told Izuku exactly was he was thinking. 'You're just about keeping up; about time you could really try and challenge me.'
The Blonde-haired teenager nodded with the same grin on his face before his face feel back to being stern and he walked off, pushing his school blazer into his backpack as he walked off the bus and down the street home.
"He smiled at you... I've never seen that before." Uraraka said, poking her head up over her seat two rows ahead with an equally curious-looking Iida at her side.
"Don't worry about it." Izuku said, wafting his hand at them as the remaining students got up from their seats and gathered their things.
"Young Ashido, young Midoriya, could you come with me please?" All Might spoke up, his muscular form looming at the front of the bus. Izuku's stomach tightened and he swallowed saliva nervously. This was it. He was going to tell Mina about everything the two of them had been through. He was going to tell her the truth about One For All.
"So... What's this about?" Mina asked nervously as All Might led the couple off the bus and back up towards the school. All Might looked over his shoulder at Izuku, who nodded in response.
"I... I-I haven't been... Completely honest with you..." He muttered, looking at the floor as her face fell. It hurt knowing he lied to the one girl who's ever truly loved him, but it was necessary, for the sake of the world, just as All Might first told him.
"What do you mean?" She asked. Her tone was cautious and slightly stern and that made him nervous. What if she broke up with him for this? What if telling her his and All Might's biggest secret would trigger their breakup.
"I... I can't tell you right now... B-But I will! Once we're somewhere more private." He exclaimed, quickly quieting himself down again the two of them followed All Might into the school and he led them off to the staff room.
All the way there the three of them was silent, but Izuku could tell that he wasn't the only one who was nervous. Mina had an expression of pure dread on her face and All Might's powerful stature was a little more shaky than usual, but now they were finally in the privacy of the staff room, and with Aizawa standing watch by the door, they were sure no-one would overhear their conversation.
"Midori... Is everything alright?" Mina asked nervously as she sat down on the sofa opposite All Might and Izuku.
"E-Everything's fine! I just wanted to tell you about... About what my Quirk really is..." He started. Mina's body relaxed and she leaned back in the sofa.
"Oh, I thought you were going to tell me we couldn't date anymore or something, I was scared for a second there." She chuckled. Izuku felt a bit more relieved now she was smiling again, but he still felt nervous. All Might fired him a quick glance before getting to his feet and deflating.
The puff of smoke vanished and revealed the now true, skeletal form of the pro hero. Izuku felt terrible for making him do this, but he hadn't forced him, this was something All Might said he wanted to do as well. Mina sat there stunned and slightly terrified, staring at the lanky man before her.
"This is who I really am. After sustaining an injury in a battle with All For One years ago, my health began to deteriorate. The time I could hold my form you saw earlier began declining with my health, and as of current I can only sustain it for two and a bit hours, last time I check." The deflated hero explained. Mina didn't say a word, simply staring between Izuku and his superior.
"Wait... Who? All For One?" Mina asked with an extremely puzzled look on her face.
"He's an incredibly strong villain, the only one who's ever come close to defeating me. His Quirk allows him to steal the Quirks of others and use them as his own." All Might explained, summing it up so he wouldn't have to spend ages talking about the beast of a man that was All For One.
"It's a lot to take in, but there's no doubting that my time as the Symbol of Peace is coming to an end." He sighed, sitting back down in his true form, leaning his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his fists.
"But, there's something special about my Quirk that no others have. It can be transferred." All Might said, looking up to Mina with his slightly unsettling eyes. The Acid Quirk user shifted uncomfortably, clenching light knuckle fists and looking over to Izuku with a face that said 'What the fuck is going on!'
"T-That's... That's pretty scary honestly... Is he still around?" Mina stuttered anxiously, bringing her legs onto the sofa and crossing them, resting her hands between them to hold down her skirt. All Might nodded slowly and Izuku gave her a look of honestly, but also of comfort, trying to ease her obvious nerves.
"What are you going to do... And why does this have anything to do with me?" She asked, turning to Izuku with a frown. All Might now turned to Izuku, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Mina, d-do you remember what I told you? About my Quirk I mean..." Izuku asked, sitting forwards slightly. Mina frowned curiously and nodded.
"Yeah? You got it late right? You told me about it when we were at Momo's a few days ago." Mina said doubtfully.
"I did... But that's not the truth..." Izuku said quietly. She won't hear you. He told himself.
"What?" Mina asked uneasily.
"I lied to you." Izuku blurted loudly. Mina was taken aback by the suddenness of what he'd said, but didn't reply, staring at him with a pained and betrayed expression.
"I was... B-Born Quirkless. My dad abandoned me and my mother when I was a year old, because he thought I was a disgrace to his name... There are always small traces of Quirks in children even from young ages, and when they found none... Not a single gene... He left." Izuku started.
Mina's face fell slightly as Izuku gripped the cloth of his school trousers. All Might reached over and patted his back reassuringly. It hurt him, not only recapping these painful memories, but also knowing that he'd hurt Mina because he'd lied to her face.
"Then he died a few years later, and ever since then, I've doubted... H-Hated myself because of who I was. My mother did everything for me but... I felt horrible that I couldn't live up to everything she believed I could be." Izuku said, waiting a moment for one of them to say something. They didn't, so he let out a shaky sigh and continued.
"Then I found All Might... I-It was an accident - that I found out what really happened to him... Then he confronted me again outside my home. I don't know if you heard about it, but I was the kid who ran in carelessly during the Sludge Villain attack. I ran in to save Kacchan." Izuku explained, trying to recap everything in full whilst Mina listened intently. She had heard about that, but she had absolutely no idea that was Izuku.
"After that, All Might confronted me nearby my house. He told me what all heroes have in common, about how their bodies move before they can even think about it. A lot of memories came to me then... And that's when All Might, m-my childhood idol told me... I could be a hero." Izuku croaked as a few tears fell from his eyes. Mina swallowed nervously and gritted her teeth, holding back the horrible feeling she had for Izuku in her stomach.
"I-I'd never been told that before... And of all the people to tell me that, it was All Might. He believed I was worthy of succeeding him... And that's why I'm here now. All Might transferred his Quirk-. He transferred One For All to me." Izuku finished, finally looking up to Mina whilst trying not to start crying. She was stunned and understandably so. What he had told her was a lot to take in by anyone's standards.
"One For All... Do you mean All For One?" Mina asked doubtfully.
"N-No. One For All was All Might's Quirk... And it's the only Quirk strong enough to defeat All For One." Izuku explained, All Might nodding in agreement.
"So... You passed that responsibility, to Izuku?" Mina asked after a few seconds, turning to All Might with a stunned and shocked expression.
"Did you think about how much weight that is on someone's shoulders, living up to your legacy? I mean, especially someone of our age! How is he going to defeat someone who's as dangerous as you've just told me he is?" She asked. All Might didn't say a word, sitting and listening quietly. Mina was clearly fuming.
"I-I've known Izuku through this whole course so far, but it was only when I started really getting to know him a few months back when I realised what it was he was really going through. He trained himself to the point he could barely walk, and he pushed himself harder than I've ever seen anyone push themselves, and with this in the back of his mind, I understand why he felt like that... It all makes sense to me." Mina ranted, defending her now sobbing boyfriend.
Izuku felt absolutely horrendous. All Might had done an awful lot for him, this sticking out as the most recent and one of the most major, and here he was taking all the flak for it. It was such a horrible feeling that the other victim in this story was dealing with his upset girlfriend, but he understood the reason for her frustration.
"I understand why you're upset, Ashido... I myself sometimes wonder whether I made the right decision. But I've never seen a more persevering young man and Izuku Midoriya. He'd suffered through so much and had been bullied for something he couldn't help, yet he pushed himself just as hard as everyone else. That is something I've not seen in a really, really long time. I too was Quirkless as a kid, so I resonated with him." All Might explained calmly. Mina took a deep breath before sighing, calming down and relaxing.
"Another thing, is that I still have the final embers of One For All within me, which is why I'm still able to use the Quirk. I intend of taking All For One down before Midoriya can be dragged into it. It's the least I can do after giving him as much responsibility as I have." All Might said. He sounded genuinely upset, and Izuku could see in his sunken face that he felt terrible for, what he thought, was burdening the boy. But that's not how Izuku saw it at all.
"He wanted to tell you sooner, but I needed time to think it through. This has to be kept absolutely secret, because the sake of the world depends on it. You absolutely can't tell anyone what you've heard here today, because only Mr Aizawa, Recovery Girl, the Principle, and now you, know about it." All Might said sternly. Mina sat silently for a few seconds, her steely expression remaining steadfast as she looked between Izuku and All Might.
"I..." Mina started, before letting out a sigh. "I understand." She said simply, before Izuku got up from the sofa and walked to the end of the table between the two chairs. This horrible feeling he had for lying to Mina and the pain All Might has also dealt with through all of this was something he couldn't help but feel accountable for. He fell to his knees and rested his head and hands on the floor, sobbing into the carpet.
"I-I'm... I'm so, so, so sorry." He sobbed, quickly clenching his hands into fists as he completely broke down on the floor. It felt good to cry, but it also made the feeling within him stronger. All Might and Mina quickly got up from where they were sat and knelt at his sides as the Acid Quirk user pulled her into a comforting and loving hug and All Might rubbed his shoulders comfortingly.
"Don't be sorry Midoriya, none of this is your fault." All Might said in a gruff but oddly comforting tone whilst Mina cradled his head under hers.
"I should be the one who's sorry." All Might added with a sigh. Izuku quickly but gently pulled away from Mina and turned to All Might, now hugging him.
"P-Please don't be... Y-You've done more for me than... Than I could e-ever thank you for! Thank you!" The greenette sobbed hysterically, clutching All Might's shirt as he and Mina tried to comfort the boy.
"Come on Midori, you're gonna get two shirts wet now." Mina said, trying to crack a joke to get him to perk up a bit. It didn't work, but All Might chuckled and smiled warmly at her, nodding with respect. She nodded back before hugging the One For All successor from behind resting her head on the back of his neck as he continued to cry.
She felt bad - no - terrible for him. She couldn't imagine the pain and responsibility he'd been carrying all this time without being to tell anyone the truth, not even Uraraka or Iida, his oldest friends. She felt honoured, but also responsible after finding out.
I guess I'll have to take extra special care of you huh. She smiled to herself.
A/N: Hey all! Sorry this chapter took a while to come out, I now have two Alpha and Omega stories I'm working on that I've been planning for a while, so I've been writing them as well, but I have plenty of time to get the work done right now xD
With that aside, this chapter mostly took longer because I wanted to make sure that I not only wrote a good sequel Izuku VS Bakugo fight, but also so I could make sure the last part of this chapter was as emotional as it would be in the anime. I really hope it did it well!
If you enjoyed, as always let me know with a review, or if you're extra nice, a follow and favourite! Love you all, thank you for reading this chapter and I'll see you next time! Take care!
-ElliottChap