"What should I do?" I mumbled, "I can't just go in there and say 'All Might-sensei, I know you are dying and I want to help.' can I? How would I explain that I know? I could tell him about The Gamer, but would he believe me? Would I get kicked out for lying? I mean, I do have Tactile TK, so I technically didn't lie. And the rules don't say that you have to have a Quirk to attend UA. And it All Might, he wouldn't turn me over to a lab for study or something. Except the manual did say that I should limit who knows. It made it sound like if too many people know, it could be bad for me. But I can't just do nothing. Even if I didn't have that quest with that ominous sounding penalty, I'd still want to help him. But how can I help him? I don't know enough about his ailments, what caused them or who knows or how they have tried to treat them. Ki Healing might help, but Psychic Healing is more likely to do it. Or maybe there is some other way to help him. Like add him to my party, help him level up and increase Endurance and hope All Might can get a regeneration type Talent. Or go into his Reflective Dungeon and try to power him up that way. Except we've never done a person's dungeon before, so we don't know what it would be like or what kind of benefits you get. And what would All Might's dungeon be like? Or more importantly, could we even survive it? All Might is at least level 20, probably a lot higher than that consider Mom hit level 20 not too long ago..."

After school let out, I told Tsuyu I needed to talk to All Might.


"I'm guessing you want to apologize for derailing his class?" she prompted.

"I should do that too," I nodded, "but that's not the only reason."

"Uh-huh," she smirked and nodded knowingly, "Well, I won't ask you to get an autograph for Samidare..."


She wasn't wrong. I had definitely thought about asking for All Might's autograph. But this wasn't really the time.

Besides, I hadn't brought anything worth having him sign.

So that was how I ended up here, pacing outside All Might's office. Mumbling again, trying to decide what I could and should do about his injuries.

"I could try to heal him in secret," I mused, "But that would be pretty hard with Psychic Healing. And if I don't tell him, I can't help him level up or other things The Gamer can do that might help..."

My jaw snapped shut with a click, as the door I had been stalking opened.

"Ah, young Midoriya?" All Might was surprised to see me. He had changed out of his costume into a simple button down shirt and jeans. For a second I thought I saw a puff of smoke around him.

"Is there something I can do for you?" he asked.

"Yes, All Might-sensei," I said immediately, "Well, no, actually. More of the opposite."

"Why don't you come inside?" he frowned at me.

"Sure," I nodded. We went back inside his office, and he closed the door. It looked like a normal teacher's office, with a desk, bookshelf, and some chairs. Also a small fridge, and a cupboard I thought probably held his costumes. I'm not sure if I had been expecting something else.

"You seem upset and agitated, young Midoriya," he gestured to one of the chairs and then sat behind his desk, "Can you tell me what's troubling you?"

"I hope so," I said, "Maybe. I just... Can I trust you to keep a secret, All Might-sensei?"

"What kind of secret?" he asked cautiously.

"It's nothing bad or illegal," I said confidently. Naturally, I had done a lot of research on Quirk related laws.

"But it is something that could be bad if it got out," I added, "Like say for example, I knew Best Jeanist's address because I walked his cat. And there was an emergency and I needed you to drive me there. There's nothing wrong with me knowing that or anything, but if it leaked, it could cause trouble for Jeanist and his neighbors. Something like that."

"I cannot properly promise without knowing this secret," All Might-sensei told me, "But if it truly is innocuous, I will not betray your trust. If it does turn out to be against the law, or even against school rules, then I cannot say for certain that I will not act on what you tell me. But rest assured, I have more than a little experience with keeping confidences."

"Okay," I said softly.

"Water?" he asked, pulling two out of the fridge. Without waiting for my answer, he set the second one down within my reach. Then he took a gulp of his own. I waited until he had swallowed.

"Party invite, All Might," I instructed.

"What the..." All Might exclaimed in English, jumping back from the screen. In the process he snapped the legs on his chair and ending up standing. His fist also closed around the bottle, crushing it. The water squirted up to the ceiling, then began to drip back onto the desk. At least I had avoided a spit take...

"What is this?" All Might seemed to force himself to calm down, "A hologram Quirk?"

I took the towel out of my Inventory, and began to mop up the desk.

"It's not a Quirk, All Might-sensei," I said as I laid out the cloth to catch any further drops, "Please, just hit accept."

He looked somewhat dubious at the screen, at the towel, and at me. But after a few tense moments, he did. Then he looked at his finger, probably surprised by the light haptic tingle of the mostly intangible window.

"Now, say status. I promise I won't look."

I turned away.

"Status," All Might echoed. Then I heard a crash as he bumped into the bookcase.

"How... how do you know all of this? Do you work for..."

"I don't know what you are seeing, All Might-sensei," I told him, "I mean, I know the format of the page, and a few common bits of information, like your Active Title. But unless I looked, I wouldn't know the rest. And if you are thinking this is a trick, I think I can prove it isn't. I mean, beyond the fact you can pick up the towel if you want. Maybe clean up the ceiling, since I can't reach."

I heard him follow my suggestion, including a grunt when he successfully touched the towel.

"Thanks for this, I guess," he rumbled handing it back to me. I put it back into storage.

"So what is this idea?" he asked a bit more openly.

"You can go over to the skills tab and buy a new skill," I said, "Status."

I called up my own screen, and slid it around to him without looking.

"You can buy one that I don't have," I suggested, "That way it can't be coming from me."

"And what would that prove?" All Might asked me kindly, "You could be hiding your 'skills'. You could be able to control my choice."

"But if I could influence you," I frowned, "Couldn't I just make you trust me?"

"Perhaps," All Might rumbled thoughtfully.

"And if this was just an illusion," I said, "Why would I do all of this? Go with something so big and unbelievable? I could just fake cutting and healing my finger."

"Why would you do that, young Midoriya?" he asked, confused.

"Because... Oh, right, I haven't told you why I wanted to talk to you, yet," I remembered, "Is it okay if I turn back around now?"

"Before I say yes... How do I close this window?" he asked sheepishly, "even though I am trying to trust you for now, that only goes so far."

"I understand," I told him, "So, click any of the corners, or say 'close Status', or whichever tab you are on now. You could also go to the party tab and leave the party. Then you wouldn't have access to the windows for yourself, or be able to see mine."

"Hmm, I see," All Might mumbled thoughtfully. Then he said, "Alright, young Midoriya, just what did bring you here?"

I turned to face him, gripped the legs of my pants tightly.

"Outside, after class," I said softly, worried and a bit embarrassed, "I used 'Analyze' on you. I try not to just randomly use it on people. But you're my biggest Hero, and I was just so curious. It didn't tell me much, probably because your level is a lot higher than mine. But I could see your status ailments. 'Systemic Organ Failure' and 'Lethal Exotic Matter Toxicity'. All Might-sensei, you are dying. And... well, I was hoping I might be able to help. Like..."

I was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. It wasn't a loud pounding, yet there was something insistent about it. All Might reached under his desk and hit a button.

"Come in," he said as the door opened a crack.

Cain-san pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

\I'm sorry to interrupt,/ she signed.

"She said she's sorry," I told All Might.

"I know," he smiled slightly, "I can sign, both in American and Japanese."

"You can?"
\You can?/

"It would not do for the Symbol of Peace to be unable to talk to those he is trying to help," he said grandly, "With the rise of Quirks, the number of people who cannot hear or cannot speak has also risen. I doubt my skills are as polished as yours, young Cain, but I am confident I can keep up. Now then, is there something I can do for you?"

\I came here for the same reason as Midoriya,/ she answered.

"Oh?" All Might prompted carefully. His voice and face looked unconcerned, but I could see a twitch in his jaw.

\You are missing ninety percent of you left lung,/ Cain-san continued, \And your heartbeat is irregular. I don't know if it is due to whatever damaged you lung, or to the poisoning Midoriya mentioned./

"I think you should close the door," All Might said more softly. She complied.

"How did you know that?" he asked, a little more sharply, "These offices have the best soundproofing available. The only reason we could hear you knock was because of the special, one-way baffling in the door, installed for just that reason. It's why I had to open the door to invite you in."

"Wouldn't an intercom be better?" I asked.

"They can be hacked," All Might answered. Then he sighed, "There are some in the support class who would consider it a challenge. Anyway, my question, young Cain?"

\I noticed your injuries earlier, during class,/ she explained, \My Quirk isn't strong enough to feel the blood moving through your body. But it can feel your heart pump, and your lungs breath. That's how I knew your lung was missing and heartbeat was off. I came here to tell you I knew, and to tell you my secret in exchange, if you didn't already know it. But when I got here, Midoriya was already here, and I couldn't stop myself from eavesdropping./

"But not really eavesdropping," I countered thoughtfully, "You didn't hear what we were saying. You detected the movement of our mouths, and read our lips. Didn't you, Cain-san?"

I turned towards All Might so she couldn't see me. And mouthed the last question silently.

\Yes./

"I should have expected that," All Might said ruefully, "From the daughter of Orphan."

I considered that. Then my eyes widened.

"Wait, that Orphan?" I rounded on Cain-san, "The vigilante? The assassin who only kills Villains and criminals who managed to escape justice? That's your father? Wait, Orphan-san is famous as being impossible to surprise. That's your Quirk... or at least the movement detection half."

She nodded, a slight smile playing across her lips.

"Well intuited, young Midoriya," All Might sounded impressed, and maybe a little proud, "Correct, David Cain possesses a Quirk he calls Forgotten Silence. The ability to detect movement makes him very difficult to sneak up on, so he suggests his opponents not try."

"Hence the name of the Quirk," I nodded, "And Cain-san, you kept the silence part."

"So why did the daughter of a vigilante come here?" All Might asked neutrally, "I would have thought you would have followed in his footsteps."

\I wanted to, at first,/ she agreed, \And he trained me to be like him. But he was too kind, his heart wasn't in it. When I was eight, I begged him to let me come with him on a job. And when he did, at first I felt vindicated. The man was scum. I could feel the way he looked down on people, used them. And discarded them when it suited him. But when dad shot him... Pain, terror, and then... nothing. I knew then, I couldn't do it. No matter how deplorable the target might be, I couldn't kill them./

Her body shook, and I realized she was silently laughing. But it was not a happy laugh.

\When I told my father, he was relieved,/ she explained, \He tried to hide it, but I could read him better than anyone. We talked, and decided I would be a Hero instead. We doubled down on my training, but focused on the non-lethal side of combat./

"And you chose UA?" I asked.

\It is the best Hero school,/ she signed, \And when dad found out All Might was going to be teaching here, that settled it, since All Might owes dad his life./

"Is that how he remembers it?" All Might chuckled, "As I recall it, he interfered with my fight, provided a minor, unasked for assist, and I paid him back by not dragging him in. Since I had my hands full with the Villains I had captured."

Cain-san nodded again.

"So both of you could sense my injury in your own way," All Might looked at us, "Young Cain wanted to tell me her secret to even the score. And young Midoriya, you think you can heal me?"

"Maybe," I said as confidently as I could.

I told them more about my power. Invited Cassandra so she could see it. Then I told them my ideas for help All Might. My two potential forms of healing, and their respective limits. Or at least their limits as I understood them. The option of strengthening All Might, either by leveling him up or by clearing his Reflective Dungeon. And trying to get him a regeneration Talent, or maybe even 'Exotic Matter Resistance', if there was such a Skill.

"And do you believe any of this will work?" All Might asked. It didn't sound like he was doubting me, just asking for an honest assessment.

"It has to," I answered with a hint of desperation, "If it doesn't, you will die in the early part of summer break. And the world can't lose the Symbol of Peace."

\Sensei, can I ask how this happened?/

"It was a fight, of course," he sounded almost nostalgic, "About five years ago now."

"Five years," I pondered, "And 'toxicity'. Was it the fight you had with Toxic Chainsaw?"

"Ha, good memory, young Midoriya," All Might barked, blood lightly flecking the corner of his mouth, "But no, that punk never laid a saw tooth on me. It was someone much worse. And if I had to take this to win that fight, it was worth it. That doesn't mean I'm going to tell you who it was."

"Okay," he continued lightly, "I have a staff meeting, and you two should get going. Young Midoriya, I don't want you spending all your talents, sacrificing your future, just to try to fix me. But for the other things you suggested... I'll need to think about it, but I will definitely consider it."

"Thank you very much, All Might-sensei," I stood, and bowed deeply.

"Shouldn't I be the one thanking you?" he chuckled, "Good evening, both of you."

I hurried out, and nearly ran over Uraraka-san.

"Oh, hi Midoriya-kun," she smiled happily, "Were you talking to All Might-sensei?"

"Oh, yeah," I frowned, "I went to apologize for disrupting today's less, but we got too caught up and I forgot."

"It's probably okay," she comforted me, "I'm sure he knows it wasn't on purpose. And it did spice things up. Plus, it's why I went to Aizawa-sensei."

"Oh, what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I was just thinking how quickly things are going after our first two days," she lost a bit of cheer, "And so I was wondering if it would be possible to form some sort of study group. To work out together and practice with our Quirks. In fact, it would be really awesome if you could join, considering all the good advice you had yesterday."

"If you can put a group together," I smiled at her, "Let me know when, and I will try to make time for it."

"Izuku! Oh, and you're there too, Ochako-chan."

"Hi, Tsu," I waved as we approached her, "I just got done talking to All Might, and ran into Uraraka-san."

"I was talking to Aizawa-sensei about a study group," the brunette explained again.

We talked about her idea, until we split up at the station.


\Sensei,/ Cassandra signed after Izuku had left.

\I know you have your doubts about both of us,/ she continued, \but for what it is worth, as far as I can tell, Midoriya-san was being completely honest with you. And I knew yesterday the he wasn't being completely upfront about his... power./

"Thank you, young Cain," he told her.

"Unfortunately," he mumbled once he was sure she was out of range, "That doesn't help as much as either of us would like."


"So what do we know?" Aizawa asked his colleagues. They were seated around a long table, looking at a picture of Midoriya Izuku, as well as the information the school had collected. All Might was back in his true form, looking dangerously thin.

"The boy is clean," Ectoplasm said, "A second cousin he has never met who sells bootleg movies. Two of his former classmates are the children of Villains, one reformed and the other estranged. Yes, if we take the connections out six or seven steps, we can find something. But frankly, every one of us and most of his classmates have closer personal ties to him than Midoriya Izuku does."

The screen switched to showing the Izuku's parents. And more than one of the male teachers looked pleasantly surprised.

"His father's Quirk is Fire Breath, and is well documented," Thirteen picked up, "But his mother's Quirk, Gravity Pull, isn't. Like many people, she considers it weak and wrote it off. Frankly, we can't even be sure it really is gravity based. Her mother possessed a telekinetic Quirk and her father possessed a gravity Quirk. So Midoriya Inko's Quirk could be either or both of those."

The monitor switched back to their student.

"The boy was pronounced Quirkless at age four," Recovery Girl read, "But it was only the 'Toe Test' which we now know is only 77.602% effective. Because of that, and because he never displayed a Quirk, he never underwent a Quirk Factor measurement test when Shield-san made it available seven years ago. Hardly a surprise."

"So we think his Quirk may be naturally occuring?" Eraserhead frowned.

"We know that some Quirks require an emotional or chemical trigger to become active," Cementoss answered, "Causing them to remain dormant and hidden years later than usual. Especially those triggered by romantic love or lust."

That made more than one of the teachers look at Midnight.

The blocky man hit a button, and the picture of Izuku shrank. It was joined by the picture of the scowling blonde boy with spiky hair. And a few noticed that All Might flinched.

"Bakugou Katsuki," Cementoss continued, "Midoriya-kun considered Bakugou-kun his best, arguably only, friend. According the the teachers at Aldera, after Bakugou-kun's untimely death, Midoriya's behavior changed. He also started to show the signs of his Quirk."

"You are saying the death of his friend triggered his dormant Quirk," Aizawa mused.

"It may be simpler than that," Nezu said brightly, and they all turned to look at him.

"Bakugou-kun possessed a powerful explosion Quirk," the mouse-like principal said, "And a personality to match. Aggressive, arrogant, short-tempered, and prone to violence. Midoriya may have thought that they were friends, the other people we spoke to describe it more as bully and victim."

That got a reaction out of the teachers. Most professional Heroes either were bullies, or hated bullies. The UA staff fell firmly into the latter camp.

"Out of Bakugou-kun's many targets, Midoriya-kun was the most frequent. Despite that, our student never received any major injuries. The teachers at Aldera thought Bakugou-kun might have been holding back, out of his own desire to be a Hero. I propose a simpler answer."

"He said his power 'pulls' him back together," Recovery Girl remembered.

"And that he can use it to defend," Aizawa added thoughtfully.

"You think he was hiding his Quirk?" Midnight asked Nezu.

"Consciously, or even subconsciously," the principal nodded, "Midoriya was protecting himself but not displaying his power to avoid antagonizing his 'friend'. But once Bakugou-kun was removed from the equation..."

"That makes sense," Aizawa said darkly, "But how do explain his immunity to my power?"

"Maybe he just wasn't using his Quirk at the time," Midnight said, "He is in magnificent shape, and you yourself said he was holding back to preserve his limited resources. Maybe he wasn't using it, or was at such a low level that you shutting it off didn't trip him up. He did figure out who you were moments later."

"Shota, man," Present Mic turned to his friend, "Which is most rational? That the kid's Quirk was shut off, but you just didn't notice it? That the kid's Quirk is naturally immune to yours, like mutation types are? Or that somehow, All for One got to this kid, and not just gave him a TK quirk, but also one that renders him immune to your power?"

"No offense to All Might," Snipe added, "But you are the greatest threat to All for One, Eraserhead. Do you honestly expect he would give away a power that would prevent you from shutting him down?"

"That makes sense," Shota admitted grudgingly, Hizashi having successfully hit his button.

"Naturally, we will continue to observe Midoriya-kun," Nezu said firmly, "As we do all of our students. But for now, can we consider this matter closed?"

They all nodded or voiced their agreement.


"You were oddly quiet, Toshinori," Nezu noted once the two of them were alone.

"There wasn't much I could add," All Might said, "Not without betraying confidences."

"So you spoke with Midoriya-kun," the smartest creature on Earth deduced.

"He came to me," Yagi admitted, "Nezu, he's an irregular."

"Truly?" the principal pressed his lips in thought, "There hasn't been one in almost thirty years. And that was in Africa. In Japan and western Asia it has been over a century."

"He showed me," All Might said, "And Cassandra Cain confirmed his honesty."

"Why did he tell you?" Nezu asked, "They tend to be very secretive."

"I got the impression he doesn't know about the others," Yagi explained, "And he told me because his power told him about my injury and he wanted to help. That was also why young Cain was there. Her Quirk could 'feel' my missing lung. She wanted to make sure I knew that she knew, and to tell me about her father to make it even."

"Such forthright students," Nezu seemed pleased. Then he looked at his friend again, "Yet you seem more troubled about this than I would expect."

"Yeah," All Might agreed, "I guess I feel a little guilty that I didn't show them this..."

He gestured at his skeletal body.

"More than that... Izuku's offer to help... It made me feel more hopeful than I have in the last three years. Like I might be able to beat this and keep being a Hero. But what if it doesn't work? And then there is the fact I would be taking advantage of one of my students."

"He did offer," Nezu reminded him, "And since you haven't elaborated on his powers or offer, I cannot be sure. But I would expect this would help him improve his powers as well as give you a chance to teach him."

"Are you going to report this?" Nezu then asked more somberly.

"No," All Might shook his head, "He hasn't done anything wrong, and I wouldn't see him subjected to whatever the government might put him to through. Especially if he does have a connection to the others."

"No sense in riling up the abyss," Nezu nodded, "But still, an irregular at hero high school. What a fascinating proposition."


I told my mom. She had noticed All Might and Cain-san briefly joining the party, though I would have told her anyway. I also told her about the Quest. She was happy about my desire to help, and seemed worried about All Might.

After dinner, my phone rang.

"It's from UA," I said, as mom muted the TV.

"Moshi-moshi, Midoriya desu," I said after hitting 'answer'.

"I AM HERE," the voice on the other end boomed, "talking to you on the phone."

"All Might?" I said in shock, "What... what can I do for you?"

"I was thinking about your offer today," he said, "Would you be available after class tomorrow? And presumably your mother as well, given she is in your Party?"

Our Wednesday Hero Fundamentals course was classroom based, not practical, so I hadn't been expecting to see All Might until Thursday.

"Of course I am," I said immediately, "And I'll ask her."

"Mom," I turned to her, "All Might would like to see us tomorrow. About my offer to help. Are you free?"

"I can be," she said evenly.

"We'll be there," I told him.

"Excellent," he said, "And would it be okay for me to ask young Asui and young Cain as well? They are the only ones who know about your ability, right?"

"Yes. Sure."

"Then I will see you tomorrow, after classes, in my office."


Current Status:

Name: Izuku Midoriya
Age: 15
Level: 10
Active Title: The Gamer
Health: 327/327
Energy: 449/449

Attributes:

(S)trength: 41
(A)gility: 36
(E)ndurance: 37
(Q)uickness: 42
(W)it: 36
(I)ntuition: 36
(C)harisma: 22
(D)etermination: 43
(L)uck: 10

Unused Points:

Attribute: 18
Skill: 8
Talent: 3

Skills:

JSL (W/A): 8
Ki Diagnosis (D/W): 6
User has chosen to conceal (43) skills

Talents:

Studious
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind
Telekinesis, Basic
Inventory II
Reflective Dungeon
Free Runner
Ki Initiate
Tactile Telekinesis
Ki Apprentice
Focus: Telekinetic Aura
Energetic Student
Plus Ultra!