Just a straight shadow update.

My Hero Academia Untold: The Fafnir Knight (Remastered Edition)

Saga I: Dusk

Arc I: Origins

Chapter V: What it means to be a Hero

"The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the color that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again."

-Ram Charan

It was another spring morning, yet another day for Izuku Midoriya as he walked down the street on his way to Aldera Junior High School. Happily scrolling down the screen on his phone while he held back a frown. He was getting close to the train crossing,

The anniversary of his father's death had just passed, and the tabloids were making their usual spiel and slander over the incident five years ago. The battle with the dangerous supervillain, who remains unnamed to this day. From rumors of secret love children and hidden affairs behind his wife's back to more nonsense that claimed he went rogue and that the unnamed villain was just a cover-up.

All of which only fueled the bitter resentment in his stomach and the growing doubts in his heart.

Izuku's personal life was a struggle, to say the least. As the only son of the deceased Pro-Hero, who had been labeled a disgrace in a society where family reputation went a long way*. Many held his family line as cursed due to the damages and loss of civilian life that Hisashi Midoriya was said to have caused all those years ago. Yet, his father had still stopped an incredibly dangerous supervillain, right? And his reward for this sacrifice?

His reputation was destroyed; his family was left behind in economic strain, abandoned and tossed aside by many of their so-called family and friends.

To this day, there are only a few people like the Bakugou family. They stayed loyal and firmly by their side even through the very worst of it all. Thankfully, once they made it to middle school, no one at Aldera knew the truth of Izuku being Draco Knight's son. The only people who knew were Katsuki, who would never say a word to protect his friend, and the school's principal, who was thankfully an understanding man.

Yet now, it was even easier to hide the truth since Izuku hadn't been able to use his quirk since his father's passing. After seeing several quirk specialists, it was determined that Izuku had placed a mental block on his powers. One so strong that he couldn't even activate his quirk by accident. Well, that was one of the few things that have improved over the years. To everyone at school, it seemed like Izuku was simply a quirkless kid. A weak, worthless nobody.

However, being a nobody may have been just a bit better and easier to accept than being the son of a disgraced hero. At least then, he wouldn't have as big of a target on his back by the school and the general public.

But all of this only compounded the notion that he shouldn't be a hero.

He lost his heart and therefore was stripped of his armor, unworthy of it.

Yet despite his apparent quirkless-ness, he continued his physical training. Maybe not to the degree he had used to do under his father, but enough that he had still maintained his physique and managed to develop quite a bit of muscle from it. He hoped that he would be ready on the day his heart would return. Besides, the exercises did help, even if minutely.

"RAAAAAGH!"

A great roar reverberated as a shark-like man suddenly appeared, transformed into a giant, and began attacking the city, suddenly stopping Izuku dead in his tracks.

'A legit supervillain?'

No, not from the sounds of it, as the now giant man seemed to only be a petty thief, judging by what the crowd was saying. This scenario served only as an annoyance to the people. They were now stuck in place rather than worrying about the villain's threat. Izuku, on the other hand, felt a bit excited as it meant a chance to see the Pro-Heroes at work, and lo and behold, several heroes began appearing out of the woodwork. Some of the Pro-Heroes, like Death Arms and Backdraft, helped with the crowd control. While the younger, up-and-coming Kamui Woods had appeared to deal with the villain himself, much to the delight of Izuku and some fangirls nearby. Izuku couldn't help but wonder if Yū or his cousin, Ryūko, could make short of the work of the giant man.

"Assault, robbery, and illegal use of powers during rush hour traffic! You really are the incarnation of evil!" He could hear Kamui Wood exclaimed as a distant rumbling in the background could be vaguely heard.

"Ah, there! His special move!"

"THE BINDING LACQUER CHAIN PRISON!" Izuku and Kamui both yelled out in unison.

The loud rumbling was getting closer and louder with every passing second until...

"CANYON CANNON!" A familiar voice called out.

Suddenly without warning, a giant woman, as large as the city buildings next to her, lunged onward with a forward kick to the villain's head, immediately knocking him out and stunning everyone in the crowd.

And catching poor Kamui Woods off-guard as his special move was left unfinished. Izuku was stunned as he realized who that was.

'BIG SIS YŪ?!'

Izuku remembered that she had mentioned that she would be making her debut soon, but he didn't know that it would be today!

'Wh-what is she wearing…? Wait, IS THAT HER NEW COSTUME?!'

Izuku's face flared up into a fiery red upon seeing the rather appealingly skin-tight outfit that hugged her curves quite generously. The fleshly, light peach color she chose was not helping with his imagination.

"Piece of cake for the next hottest hero! Hi everyone! I'm Mount Lady, and you all don't have to worry about this bum anymore!" She said while posing and winking to the crowd. Izuku mentally face-palmed himself. But, he did start taking notes on what he just saw, notes that may or may not have included a small comment on her sexiness in that skin-tight suit.

He also updated his older entry on Yū from when she was still an intern/side-kick with his cousin Ryūkyū.

'Oh, she changed her codename! Oh, by Horikoshi, I hope Kacchan never reads this.'

"Money shot! Money shot! Money shot!" Chanted a group of men with cameras flashing and no doubt taking pictures from below her, appearing around the boy suddenly and creeping him out.

Izuku watched as Yū shrank to her regular size, knowing she would have to turn in the villain to the police. This also allowed the flow of the morning traffic to return to normal. Izuku felt satisfied and inspired upon seeing all these heroes in action. He hoped that perhaps, maybe not now. But someday, his own heart would prove him worthy to be alongside them in the future.

Yet, that was a thought for another day as Izuku continued his way to school.

The bell rang signaled the start of the school day, and Izuku had barely made it into the classroom on time. In all fairness, he would've had a valid excuse if he hadn't. He took his seat near the center of the class as his homeroom teacher finally got the assessment sheets that overviewed possible future careers after graduation.

"As third-year students, you all need to consider what you all want to do with the rest of your lives," The teacher held up a bundle of sheets with a sly glint in his eyes.

"But who am I kidding? Heh, I know you all want to go to the hero course!" He exclaimed and launched the sheets in the air as the classroom, except for two students, broke out their quirks.

"Now, now I know you're all excited, but cut it out!" The teacher was bemused at his students' actions; "you know you all aren't allowed to use your quirks in class."

"Hey, teach, you got the info I wanted?" A voice called from the teacher's right side. Katsuki Bakugou was leaning back on his desk with a smug look on his face.

"UA High is the only place that Izuku and I are planning on attending, so don't you dare lump us in with the rest of these losers!" He laughed when his comment would cause the class to break out in a fit of rage against both Izuku and Katsuki.

"You think you're hot shit, Bakugou?!"

"You know UA has only, like, a .2% acceptance rate, right?!"

"You think we're the losers? Hah! Midoriya doesn't even have a quirk!"

At that comment, Izuku felt himself shrink in his chair. Katsuki was quick to take notice of Izuku's reaction to that biting remark. He quickly flew out of his chair with a glowering, heated expression. He popped a few explosions from his left hand, silencing everyone with visible anger in his eyes for all his classmates to see.

"Listen here, you little shits! Izuku does have a quirk! One way better than all of yours and more than good enough to get into UA! If you all just knew who his fa –"

"Kacchan!"

Izuku finally stood up, tears visibly pricking out of his eyes.

He didn't want anyone to know about his relationship with Draco Knight. Especially not with all the awful crap the news was pouring in right now during his memorial week. This caused Katsuki to freeze up, realizing what he had nearly done.

'Ah, shit. I fucked up.'

"Anyways! We're going to UA, and that's all that matters!" Katsuki quickly recovered; "I aced the mock tests, and Izuku isn't that far behind me, so remember that before you keep talking shit!"

His words had an air of finality to them, warning the class not to push it. The blond was angry about how his classmates treated Izuku. But, if he was honest, he was mad with himself for almost blowing his best friend's cover. Izuku knew that Katsuki didn't mean for that to happen, but he couldn't help but be slightly annoyed with his explosive friend.

Fortunately for both of them, the teacher took over, and class continued as usual for the rest of the day.

The bell rang hours later, marking the end of the school day, and Izuku was starting to feel better. The boy even took the chance to look over the hero news for extra details on the incident earlier in the morning. Just in case he could have missed out on adding to his notebook.

When Katsuki came up to his desk, Izuku looked up to see a rare, apologetic face on his friend.

"I'm sorry for earlier, man."

Izuku smiled. They were brothers in all but name and blood. Katsuki missed his former mentor, who he would call "Uncle Hisashi" occasionally. And despite his short temper, Katsuki was only trying to stand up for his friend.

"Don't worry about it," Izuku answered back. "I know you didn't mean it."

He could see Katsuki's face ease up and even turn with a small smile. Spotting Izuku's notebook, Katsuki knew that his friend must have updated the information on it while on the way to school. This explained why he was almost late for class this morning.

With a sly grin, Katsuki snatched up the notebook, ignoring his friend's pleas to return it, and began flipping through the new notes Izuku had just written down. After all, he was one of the few people who appreciated Izuku's insight on quirks and Pro-Heroes. As nerdy as it may be, Katsuki knew that if he really wanted to be the absolute Number One Pro-Hero. He would need every bit of information he could get his hands on that would give him the extra edge against the competition.

"W-w-Wait a sec, I wasn't finished..." Izuku hesitated, his voice dropping when realizing what he had written earlier.

'Ah, crap!'

Seeing the look of horror on Katsuki's face at the moment. Izuku already knew exactly; the page he had just turned on. The page featured Katsuki's very own cousin, Yū Takeyama. Formerly known as Miss Giant, re-debuted under her brand new hero codename: Mount Lady.

And that was when he noticed that Katsuki had started retching.

'And there goes him reading that bit about her sexiness...damn it.'

Katsuki slowly lowered the notebook and stared at Izuku. His face was unreadable as he gently placed it back down on Izuku's desk as if it were made of fragile glass.

"Okay...We're even for today," He said as he tapped the cover of his notebook with his finger. "Honestly, I should smack you upside the head with this for having me see that with my own two eyes."

"Or better yet," another sly grin grew across his face. "Maybe I should let my shithead cousin know what you think about her when she gets home later today."

"W-w-wait!" Izuku stammered, a blush rising on his face, which caused Katsuki to break into laughter, "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Ha! I'm just fucking with you, man," although his eyes narrowed and expression turned terse here. "Seriously, I didn't need to read that shit today."

Izuku was still red from embarrassment. Damn his teenage hormones!

'Why do the women in your family have to be so attractive!?'

"Anyways, me and the crew are hitting up a new arcade that opened up down the road," Katsuki said, pointing his thumb at the two boys who hung out with him. "Wanna come with?"

On any other day, Izuku would've happily accepted the offer. But, today, he was assigned class monitoring and cleaning duty with another classmate. On top of that, he wanted to get home as early as possible to get some chores done so his mother could just relax after returning from a long day's work.

"Thanks, Kacchan, but I've got to clean up here first and then get stuff ready for mom, you know?"

Katsuki understood, knowing well how hard it had been for Auntie Inko the last few years. He didn't blame Izuku for wanting to be there for her.

Hell, even he had tried to help out on occasion. But, whenever Inko found out, she would get a bit frustrated with him and stubbornly refuse his help. How she saw it, she felt like she was taking advantage of Katsuki, no matter how much he would say otherwise.

"Okay. We'll catch you next time then, alright?"

"Right."

Although he was the one to decline, Izuku hoped he hid the slight tone of disappointment in his voice as he saw Katsuki leave with the others. He did enjoy the times he could hang out with his best friend, with the odd exception here and there.

Izuku's mind wandered off to the last time he had actively avoided Katsuki. Which was when he got a girlfriend named Miyuki about midway through the previous year - much to Ryūko's faux tears that Katsuki fell for, much to the laughter of everyone else.

His girlfriend at the time was lovely -in public. But she acted quite the opposite in private or, more accurately, in the few times she and Izuku were left alone. It took little time for her to bully and belittle him behind Katsuki's back. On top of that, she was the clingy type, which left Izuku avoiding his best friend as he didn't want to end up being the sole reason for Katsuki to break up with her. Luckily this charade didn't last long, as the moment he found out how much she was mistreating Izuku.

Katsuki let her have it in the cruelest way possible: a lone mini marshmallow on White Day.*

Since then, this secured the idea that in the future. Any girl interested in Katsuki Bakugou knew Izuku Midoriya came with the package. This was not up for negotiation, period.

When Izuku finished his classroom duties, he grabbed his bag and headed out the door. Aside from this morning's disruption, today had been uneventful so far. Or at least, Izuku had thought that when he was about halfway home, he crossed through a tunnel underneath an overpass; when he heard something slimy splatter behind him. Before he knew it, he was suddenly accosted from behind by what appeared to be a strange man, carrying a mutant quirk that seemed to make his body out of a slime-like substance.

Caught off-guard, Izuku struggled to get free as the villain began making assurances towards him.

"Relax, kid; you'll only suffer for about a minute or two."

'Damnit! I can't fight back!' Izuku thought as he tried every which way to claw himself out.

"I need to make this fast before he catches up!"

'Someone was chasing him?' Izuku continued to thrash about in the thick muck, 'I hope they'll be here soon!'

"Thanks, kid, you're a real hero to me," he heard the voice gloat mockingly.

Izuku froze as a ball of anger suddenly brewed inside him; an unfamiliar sensation in his stomach began to rise. Almost like a burning hatred that brewed under the surface.

'Don't you dare…'

The slime was suddenly caught off guard as a manhole cover shot up, and a massive muscular figure appeared.

"What the hell?!" He exclaimed.

"TEXAS SMASH!"

A mighty voice roared, and Izuku was quickly freed once the sludge man splattered everywhere by a great force. A force so strong that it was enough to knock Izuku out cold when he hit the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey! Kid, wake up!"

Izuku stirred for a moment before coming to, eyes slowly opening as he could feel someone tapping away at his left cheek. Through the slits of his eyes, he could see that familiar blond hair and massive frame of All Might himself. The boy blinked a few times, ensuring he wasn't just seeing things.

"Come on, kid! I'm on a tight schedule!" He said albeit the hero's trademark smile did not waver.

Izuku's eyes snapped wide-open upon realizing that he really was seeing All Might, in the flesh, before him. Out of sheer surprise, he finally met the idol he and his father had respected for so long. Izuku started backing away with a shriek and his heart racing a mile a minute.

"HAHAHA! Thought we lost you there, my boy!" All Might started with a boisterous laugh, "but thanks to you, I've managed to capture the villain!" The pro then showed off the two bottles of soda that were now filled with the sludge villain from earlier before he tucked the bottles away into the pockets of his cargo pants. Izuku quickly got to his feet, picked up his notebook that he had dropped earlier, and was about to ask the pro hero for an autograph.

Izuku discovered that All Might had already signed his notebook on the final two pages.

"Th-thank you! Thank you so much, All Might!" Izuku yelled out while bowing furiously before All Might, who merely gave the boy a thumbs up. "This will be an heirloom, a family treasure to be cared for and passed down through the generations!"

"You're welcome, kid! It's always great to have fans such as you!"

Izuku could barely let out a squeak of thanks as he stammered over his signed notebook.

"Stay out of trouble! I'll see you around!" All Might turned around, stretching his legs before preparing to take off into the air.

Izuku paused his fanboying moment as he realized that this was his chance. A chance to get that spark back in his life, to have his heart, the heart of a real hero, back and beating again. Despite the Traumatic Quirk Block in his mind and the hole left in his heart. Izuku thought the hero he and his father always looked up to might give him some ounce of hope and redemption he so desperately needed. However, All Might was in a hurry, so that chance was about escape, and Izuku could only think of one possible solution.

As stupid as it was.

"Stand back; I'm taking off! Thanks for your continued support!" All Might said as he took off, not realizing the addition to his person until he was already several feet up in the air. Izuku was now clinging desperately to his left leg, doing his best not to let go and fall to his death.

"HEY! HEY NOW! LET GO OF ME!" All Might exclaimed as he tried to pry Izuku from him midair, "I LOVE MY FANS, BUT THIS A BIT TOO MUCH!"

"I CARGHTN'T!" Izuku answered back, albeit garbled in the face of high-speed winds. "IF I LEHT GOH RIGHT NOW, I'LL DIE!"

"OH!" All Might realized the kid had a point.

He told Izuku to keep his eyes and mouth shut as he quickly searched nearby for a roof to stop on. Once he navigated to a safe place to drop the boy off, he soon began to feel the now familiar metallic taste of blood drip from his mouth.

'Shit.'

When All Might descended back onto solid ground, he failed to notice that the bottles containing the sludge villain from earlier were no longer in his pockets. All Might would have scolded Izuku for his actions on any other day. However, when he landed both of them safely on the roof of a nearby building, he was cut short by his time limit nearing its end.

"Not a very smart move, young man. Bang on the door for a while; someone will let you in," the man spared the small talk and made his leave quickly. "Now! I really have to go."

All Might made his way to the edge of the roof's railing, brushing off Izuku's protests. He was about to leave when he heard Izuku suddenly yell out.

"Can one really be a hero, even if he is the disgraced son of one?!"

All Might paused, then turned to face Izuku. The realization quickly dawned on him upon looking at the boy's face and features, and he realized who he was. The memories of Hisashi's funeral returned to him.

'Wait...Draco Knight's boy?'

"Can even someone so disgraced...still be just like you?!"

As Izuku continued talking, All Might was distracted, deep in thought.

'No... it can't be... running into him after all this ti-!?'

"Urk!" All Might suddenly coughed. His time had finally run out.

'No! Not now, damn it!'

The steam was now escaping his body, his body painfully shrinking back down to his skinny form.

"For the last few years since my father died, I've felt like I've lost my will to be a hero! He died protecting people, but now they all hate him!"

Izuku continued, his head bowed, eyes closed shut as tears ran down his face. The truth was finally released, and he couldn't even dare to look at All Might once he blurted it all out.

"My family has suffered, and yet…I still want to be a hero. I…I'm just so scared that one day... I'll wind up like him, and that terrifies me! It scares me to the point I can't even use my quirk anymore!"

Izuku couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth. He had held this in for too long. All the grief and insecurities bottled up for so long that they were just bursting out of him. He tore down the walls in his heart and bared his soul before the very hero that inspired both him and his father. His dreams, prayers, everything was riding on All Might to tell him the words he needed to hear so desperately.

"Is it normal for me to feel this way?! To have doubts like this?! When I can't bring myself to smile or to be brave like you?!"

When greeted with silence, Izuku finally opened his eyes to look at All Might, hoping for his answer after all this time.

Only to see the skinny, weak form of All Might. The horrified shriek that followed was so loud that it could have been heard by Hisashi from beyond the grave.

Katsuki stood still rather unexpectedly as he swore that he had just heard Izuku's loud cry at that very moment.

"Yo, Bakugou? You alright there, buddy?" Asked Ushio, or as Katsuki preferred to call him, 'Fingers.'

Katsuki blinked and shook his head, snapping out of his funk and shrugging it off; maybe he just heard things.

"Yeah, Fingers, I'm good," he said with a sigh, believing the noise to be just his imagination.

The trip to the arcade had been a bust since the owner closed shop early. A villain had broken into a nearby store and forced the police to close off the whole area to investigate the crime scene. The three boys loitered around for a while. Hoping for the arcade to reopen before the cops confirmed that all that time had been wasted for nothing.

"You know, we could go down to the bar and maybe find some easy prey..." The other boy, Shiro, suggested with a smug smirk.

That was a mistake.

"Don't you dare say dumb shit like that, moron!" Katsuki hissed, "Easy Prey? You dumbass..."

While Katsuki reasoned that he didn't need any misdemeanors getting in the way of applying for UA's hero course. The reality was that Katsuki wouldn't ever be caught doing sleazy actions like that. He would never do anything that would have made All Might or Hisashi look at him with shame.

Shiro stood quiet after that exchange, and the trio continued their trek, taking a shortcut through an alleyway. They passed by a small child who seemed to have a telekinetic quirk as he lifted and placed trash and recyclables into their proper bins. At a passing glance, Katsuki couldn't help but have a ghost of a smile at the sight, which was followed shortly by a cold sting of guilt.

How many times had Hisashi offered to take him to do volunteer work?

Tens, hundreds, maybe thousands of times

And how many times did he decline?

All of them

And that was a sad fact for the blond.

Yet here was this kid doing just that without any prompting. Katsuki wondered if Izuku had been born with Auntie Inko's quirk instead of Hisashi's, that he would most likely be doing stuff like this for hero training. The trio walked by and left the boy alone, only for Katsuki to stop in his tracks when he heard it.

A hard thump and the sound of heavy liquid sound rushing out, followed by a helpless scream.

All three boys whirled around, and before anyone else could do anything, Katsuki rushed headfirst into action. Years of training and conditioning with Hisashi had prepped the explosive lad to lock on to an issue with only nanoseconds to think. He could see a slime creature had already gotten a hold of the boy, judging from the slime trail on the ground. The empty bottle nearby had been containing the monster before it was released.

Using an explosion big enough that, Katsuki could use without hurting himself or his two companions. He grabbed the outstretched hand of the little boy with his right hand and used his left hand to blast the slime away. Doing everything in his power and helping pull the boy out of the villain's grasp.

Katsuki knew the minute he freed the boy, he, in turn, would fall prey to the sludge villain.

No matter, he continued to fight back relentlessly as he felt the fingers on his left hand begin to blister.

"FINGERS!" He screamed at the two. "GET READY TO GRAB HIM!"

With the slime already trapping his legs to pull Katsuki in, he knew it was too late for him.

'Shit! Better me than him!' He thought with one last burst exploding from his left arm; he pulled the boy out and threw him out to the other boys, with Ushio using his quirk to widen his reach to catch the boy in midair.

However, the new trio froze on what to do next.

"RUN, GODDAMN IT!" Katsuki screamed out before the slime began to overtake him, "RUN!"

Izuku stopped screaming, only to start throwing various accusations at the skinny man, now in front of him, of being a fake and an impostor. The man, however, simply sighed.

"Hold on, boy, I can assure you that I am All Mig –ugh..." a trail of blood dripped down from the edge of his mouth, causing Izuku to scream again.

"How?! How could this be true?! How could the man – no, the hero that my father and I admired for so long be like this? All Might is supposed to be a giant of a man who saves everyone with that same fearless smile..." His wavering voice began dropping off, his worldview shattering like glass.

"Young man, please, whatever you do, please don't go around telling anyone about what I am about to show you."

"What do you me – AH!" Izuku started before seeing the body horror before him as the skinny man slowly lifted his shirt.

His body was mangled and bruised, almost twisted in some places, especially around the fresh reddish hole in his lower body.

"I got this from a nasty fight five years ago. My respiratory system was damaged beyond repair, and I've practically lost my whole stomach...I can't be fixed...Now I can only be 'All Might' for a few hours a day. Otherwise, this is me now..." Toshinori drifted off, now remembering who he was talking to at the moment.

'OH…SHIT!'

"Wait..."

'DAMN IT!'

"…was it that fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"

'Phew…!'

"No, though that punk did land a few hits on me, but..." Toshinori stopped himself and debated on telling the boy the truth.

Even years later, he still had a gag order for the All For One fight. He knew that if there was anyone who deserved to learn the truth about what actually happened five years ago, it was this boy and his mother, of all people. But then there was the investigation, which was still ongoing since the Neocons proved to be slippery bastards.

He thought long and hard about what the young man had just now told him.

'He has doubts.'

"Don't worry about it, kid. Look, about your previous question before…I just need to confirm something first. You're Draco Knight's boy, aren't you?"

Izuku couldn't help but flinch as if he were being accused of a heinous crime. Of course, All Might would know about his father after all. The mere mention of his father was enough for him to forget about asking for more details about the fight that crippled All Might. Izuku simply couldn't bring himself to lie to him.

"Y-y-yes. I'm Izuku Midoriya, son of the late Hisashi Midoriya, the Pro-Hero Draco Knight," Izuku used to be able to say those words with pride. However, now they always sounded like hollow and empty words to him. Those very words haunted him for the last five years.

"I thought so," Toshinori restarted the conversation. "I didn't know your father very well. I knew he was a good man, a good hero. But…I think if he saw how you were acting right now, he would surely be ashamed of you."

At the very moment, unbeknownst to Toshinori. His mentor Gran Torino felt a chill run down his spine as he waited for his plate of Taiyaki to heat up in the microwave. Somewhere out there, he had a feeling his former student was saying or doing something incredibly idiotic right now.

Toshinori knew these words would sting, but he hoped, or at least intended, it would motivate Izuku to shape up his act. It was how Gran Torino dealt with him and got him going. He was sure it would work on the boy as well.

Right?

Yet one look at Izuku's crushed, shaken face immediately brought a sinking feeling in his chest.

'Oh...shit...'

The tears that spilled down Izuku's face said everything the veteran pro needed to know.

He fucked up.

He had royally fucked up.

Toshinori decided now would be the time to make his exit. As much as he wanted to fix his mistake, Toshinori knew the boy's emotional state was terrible, and saying anything else might only worsen things. Thankfully, Toshinori now knew his name, so finding him later to try and make it up to him wouldn't be too difficult.

He steeled himself to finish the job he needed to do and turn in the villain from earlier. He reasoned that he would make it up to the boy later...that is, until Toshinori felt the inside of his pocket only to realize it was empty.

The bottles were gone.

'Oh…oh shit, the bottles!'

"I'm sorry to end it like this, young man. But I do need to get going," Toshinori abruptly ended their conversation in a hurry, already racing down the stairs as fast as he could. "I have to turn in the villain from earlier. We will talk again soon."

Izuku didn't even catch that last part due to his crying. He didn't allow the sobs to escape until the man was safely out of earshot. To say Izuku was completely shattered was very much an understatement. To Izuku, All Might had confirmed the worst of all his fears.

He was unworthy of his father's legacy and of using Dragon Shift.

Who else would know better than All Might?

He was unworthy to be a Hero and was nothing but a shame to the family name. He had placed all of his hopes that All Might could put him at ease. To tell him that his feelings were normal, that it was okay to have such doubts.

That it was okay to feel lost.

He had his answer

These feelings weren't normal; these weren't the right feelings for a proper hero to have. No, these were the feelings of someone weak, a coward unworthy to be a Hero, unworthy of being a Knight.

Unworthy of being Draco Knight's heir.

Izuku knew he couldn't stay on the rooftop forever as he tried to wipe away his tears. He needed to get home and get everything ready for his mom. He could cry again after that; he'd finally give up. He was unworthy, after all.

Unworthy of going to UA. Unworthy of anyone. Unworthy of being a Hero. As he began to walk down the stairs, his thoughts drifted. How would everyone else react?

Would his mom be disappointed? After all her sacrifices?

Katsuki, would he abandon him now? After planning for so long to go to UA together?

His cousin Ryūko, would she be mad? That he couldn't live up to the family legacy?

With all his fears, Izuku felt the darkness weighing on his heart. It was beginning to drive the poor boy insane. That bitter, helpless anger from earlier in the pit of his stomach returned.

'I am a failure.'

When Izuku finally reached street level, he could hear the sirens blaring and the sounds of explosions from a distance.

'An accident?'

After years of being the hero fanboy, Izuku unknowingly followed his habit of arriving at the scene instead of heading home as planned. He didn't realize where he was until he was among the crowd of people viewing the attack. Nearby, a child was heard crying.

'Wait, how did I get here? I'm supposed to be going home,' Izuku thought, ready to turn around and leave. 'Being here is pointless.'

That was until he saw the Sludge Villain from earlier, the very same one that nearly captured him from under the overpass.

'Wait? HOW?!'

Then the memory from earlier when he grabbed All Might's cargo pants flashed through his head.

'No... the bottles, when I grabbed All Might! I must have knocked them out!'

Izuku was already feeling horrible; his mind was still in a complete flux between blaming himself and All Might's words. He could feel the anger and guilt reaching a boiling point.

Just out of Izuku's view, Toshinori was just a few feet behind the back of the crowd. Little did he know, the veteran, too, hung his head low and quietly blamed himself for his self-proclaimed idiocy in dealing with the Sludge Villain and Izuku just moments ago. Meanwhile, other Pro-Heroes were already at the scene, struggling to gain the upper hand on the villain.

While trying to control the growing fires within the alleyway.

"I heard from the other Heroes that the sludge guy captured some kid," someone from the crowd spoke out.

'What?!' Izuku snapped out of his reflections. He didn't even realize there was another victim in front of him.

"And that's not even the worst of it!" Another bystander added, "I heard that All Might was after him, but I don't see any sign of him!"

To his horror, the crowd around him started to rip on All Might.

'No…! They're blaming him for my mistake!'

Then, Izuku felt a rumbling, a very familiar rumbling coming from the ground.

"Hey, look!" called a young girl from the crowd. "That new hero from earlier, Mount Lady! She should be able to help!"

'Big Sis Yū...'

That's when it happened, the moment when everything in Izuku's world stood still.

"Katsu!" She screamed, seeing her cousin trapped in the villain's grasp. She reached desperately to save him, but her large frame prevented her from getting close. "Katsu, just hold on!"

Izuku stood there, his eyes widening, his pupils shrinking. There was only one person that Yū ever referred to like that.

'No, no, please, no, not him!'

Heart in throat, Izuku pushed past the people in the crowd and forced his way towards the front, praying that he was wrong.

'NO!'

His worst fears were confirmed as Katsuki tried his damndest to resist the sludge villain from overtaking him. He continued to fight the slime from forcing himself into his mouth and body. When he heard his cousin's voice, his eyes searched through the packed crowd. And for a brief moment, his eyes locked onto Izuku's.

He knew instantly what that idiot was just about to do.

'No... Izuku, no!' Katsuki pleaded in his thoughts as he saw his best friend's face. 'Getaway now! Don't you dare get close...!'

In an instant, Izuku dropped his backpack, then jumped over the protective railing between the villain and the crowd, his legs running before he could even think. Everyone, both Pro-hero and civilians alike, stood in shock at what happened next. Even Yū didn't realize who had broken through the crowd until he was already out of reach.

"IZU!" She shrieked, cracking the edges of the buildings on both sides of the alley in her desperate attempts to grab him while burning herself from the heat of the flames.

It was all or nothing now.

He had enough. He could deal with the shame upon his shoulders and his shattered dreams, but he would be damned if he let his friend, his only real friend, suffer because of his mistakes.

"STOP, YOU IDIOT!" Izuku could hear Death Arms yell at him as he sprinted past. "YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!"

Toshinori couldn't help but stare in awe at the boy, shocked at what he saw.

'That boy...I…I truly am an idiot.'

Toshinori felt that familiar surge of power deep within his body. Inspired by the courage he was seeing, he knew he needed to act, no matter the cost of his own body and will. Because this boy, one who couldn't even use his quirk, was answering the call.

Only a real hero will answer when the chips are down and the dealer named life calls in.

As Izuku ran hard against the fires, a warm feeling coursed through his veins and body, a feeling he hadn't felt in the last five years.

"YOU AGAIN?!" The villain yelled out upon seeing Izuku running towards him. "YOU WERE A TEASE, BOY, AND I'M NOT ONE FOR PLAYING GAMES!"

All Izuku could feel was anger at the man; and his idiocy and cowardice. But this time, his rage had a laser-focused point directed straight towards the villain.

"Games?!" Izuku screamed back. "THEN NO MORE GAMES!"**

A massive, blinding flash of light suddenly shone from Izuku, leaving the villain temporarily stunned.

The creature recoiled back as his eyes reeled in pain, allowing Katsuki a chance to escape. Using this opening while Katsuki was pushing his way out. Izuku's arms and legs coated with shiny emerald scales, barely hidden under the sleeves of his uniform, had just enough strength to forcibly dive into the sludge, grab Katsuki by the arm, and come out the other side.

Izuku couldn't believe the familiar sight of his shifted limbs that had torn through his uniform and shoes.

'N-no way...MY QUIRK IS BACK?!'

Katsuki coughed hard for a moment, now finally able to breathe and clear his airways after being trapped in the sludge for so long. He turned to his friend, getting ready to yell at him for doing something so reckless. When he suddenly saw that Izuku's Dragon Shift quirk was active again.

"H-how? Izuku, when the hell –"

"I-I don't know! It just happened!"

Before Izuku could explain, the Sludge Villain finally recovered behind them. He was about to ready another strike on the two boys in a vicious roar when a sudden, familiar voice called out.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

All Might dropped out of the sky, appearing as if with a powerful punch out of nowhere. That the slime creature exploded in a burst from the torrent of wind. It was a miracle the mighty smash didn't harm the crowd and pro-heroes within the area, as it even changed the very weather itself.

Unfortunately, the whiplash from the direct punch practically launched both Izuku and Katsuki to the ground. The raw strength of All Might was enough to knock the two boys out for a short time. There was another flash as Izuku's limbs returned to normal while unconscious. It took no time for the pro-heroes to intervene, quickly capturing the remnants of the Sludge Villain and tending to Izuku and Katsuki.

When they awoke, they both were taken in for a quick check-up by the medics nearby.

Yū was furious at the two boys if it hadn't been apparent by the hard smack she laid on their heads.

"Katsu! You little shit! You almost gave me a GODDAMN HEART ATTACK! AND YOU, IZU! I THOUGHT YOU KNEW BETTER!" She screamed before pulling both boys into a tight hug, despite that it stung her burns from the fire.

"Goddamn it," she continued berating them with tears running down her cheeks. "I don't want my first year as Pro starting off with me having to bury both of you idiots."

It was clear on both faces that the boys felt bad for adding to her stress level today. Even Katsuki, with his usual glare, didn't yell out any of his mouthy comebacks and kept his mouth shut. After all, it was one hell of a debut for the young heroine. From what they saw, none of the other Pro-Heroes nearby said anything, making sure to give them their space after the incident. The two boys got enough of a scolding and did not need to push it further, especially with Yū watching them like a hawk. Additionally, Yū also prevented any of the Pro-heroes from asking the duo for future side-kick positions as she made it very apparent when one pro-heroes attempted to approach Katsuki.

"Katsu's ego is big enough already! I don't need it getting bigger," she would tell them, waving them off with an angry scowl on her face. After taking a deep breath, she wiped away the remaining tears from her face.

"Katsu, Izu, please just go home when you're ready. I'll make sure the press doesn't bother you on your way out," she finished with a sigh. Thankfully the press was much more preoccupied with All Might on the scene.

When all was said and done, Yū walked the boys down a few blocks and kept to her word, warding off any reporters. When it came time to part ways, Katsuki headed home, telling Izuku to call him later to talk about what happened.

"Thanks for the save, man," he sighed, giving him one last look before walking away.

While his tired expression pressed Izuku to not bring this up again at school, the look in his eyes was genuine. It was a rare sight for Katsuki to admit gratitude, as he much-preferring action over words. And for that, Izuku simply smiled and nodded.

Izuku sighed as he began walking back home. He was left empty on stamina thanks to the sudden return and usage of his quirk that left him quite tired and hungry. The same couldn't be said for his clothes, however. The sleeves were torn up to his shoulders, and his pants exposed his legs to the calves. While the remnants of his trademark red shoes and socks were stuck in odd places. Thankfully, Izuku was given some simple flip-flop sandals by one of the other pros earlier on the scene, who had some spares on hand.

He remembered after thanking the pro-hero for the footwear and making his move to leave, Yū pulled him aside and gave him one more firm hug before heading back.

"Izu, I don't want you to ever do that again, please. I would never be able to face your mom or Auntie Mitsuki if something happened to you on my watch," she had said with a gentle smile and squeezed his shoulder. "But for what it's worth, thank you. Thank you for saving my little shit of a cousin, who is lucky enough to have you as a best friend."

Izuku could feel tears well in his eyes from Yū's words as he continued walking down the empty street, surrounded by the orange glow of the setting sun.

It felt good.

It felt so good to hear words like that.

If only All Might could have said those words he needed, he would have felt even better. The insecure part of him wanted to deny her kind words, but in the end, he accepted them. Izuku desperately wanted to hold onto those warm words just a bit longer. They made him feel like a real hero and the good feeling from today before giving up on his dreams. His armor may have returned, but he still felt wrong, unworthy of using it. Yet as he walked on, believing to be alone, not realizing that he was being followed. Izuku was nearly home when suddenly, out of the corner of the turn,

"I AM HERE!"

Izuku screamed, nearly jumping out of his skin at the surprise appearance of All Might from the other side of the road.

"All Might! Why are you here?" Izuku looked around, hoping he wasn't being chased. "How'd you get rid of all those reporters?"

All Might simply laughed with a flex of his arms, "I stand for JUSTICE! Not sound bites!"

"Because I! I AM ALL MI –urk!" He started violently coughing, abruptly shrinking back into his skinny form.

The shock caused Izuku to shriek again, followed by several apologies to the man for his blunders earlier and asking for forgiveness. All Might, to Izuku's surprise, would hear none of it. The setting sun behind the skinny man with petals falling from the nearby trees made for a strange sight before Izuku's eyes.

"Young man, I made a mistake. My words from earlier were wrong," All Might admitted. "I'm... I'm not the best person to speak about emotions. When you've been a Pro-Hero for as long as I have, it can make one blind to such important matters."

Izuku was about to respond in denial when All Might held up his hand and continued,

"First, let me say this. The feelings of doubt you were having, especially after a hard day, a failed mission, or when you have lost someone dear to you. It's perfectly normal for even a Pro-Hero to feel like you do. I suffered them too, many times when I lost those who were near and dear to myself as well." Memories of his master: Nana Shimura. Alongside with various others throughout the years that quickly ran through his mind.

Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'This wasn't happening, right? Not after everything, especially not after my mistakes,' Izuku thought, trying to reason what he was hearing.

"Second," All Might continued, "when I said that your actions would shame your father, I was wrong. You were a lost boy who lost his guide, the guide you relied on to seek your dreams of being a Pro-Hero, correct?"

Izuku mutely nodded, unable to find his voice.

On their first chance meeting, All Might knew that this kid had massive potential in the future, as clearly evident by his notebook writing. If he attended UA's Hero Course within the next year, he could even be a candidate for One For All. If that were the case, he knew he would've easily told him the truth, a truth he desperately needed to hear.

But at that moment on the roof, the boy had been in no such condition.

Traumatic Quirk Blocks were very rare, and if Izuku really couldn't even use his quirk due to the emotional distress. All Might assumed it had to be something emotional heavy. At the time, he thought about motivating the young man, something to snap him out of his funk with the harsh words already on his tongue.

"I was raised on tough love, tough love," All Might emphasized, "being my guide in life."

All Might himself never really had great parents. It was mostly his master Nana and his mentor Gran Torino stepping in, and both had taught him almost everything he knew. However, the latter of the two was the one who held onto a very firm belief in tough love. Then again, that philosophy made more sense in the era they grew up.

"However, my boy, you needed a different approach. Something I wasn't able to give when you needed it the most. And for that, I am so sorry." He lowered his head with a tiny bow forward.

Izuku could feel himself getting lighter; his knees weakened. His eyes were burning again, but not out of sadness or anger.

"And finally," he said as he rose, looking directly at Izuku's eyes. "When no one else could do anything to help that boy, you stepped in. And despite my idiotic words that hurt you, you did more than any other Heroes did. You stepped in to answer the call, inspiring me to act as well."

All Might could remember Hisashi all those years ago. That pro-hero fanboy who, in a heartbeat, took the blow that was meant for him. The death blow ended his life, along with the dying words that remain with him today.

"All Might! Please...fight on!"

"There are stories about every hero of how they became great. Most had one thing in common: their bodies moved before they had a chance to think, almost on their own."

Izuku had already knelt to the ground crying, clutching his heart.

"And today, that's what happened to you."

He let out a sob from deep in his chest, holding onto hope one last time.

'Please!'

"Young man, you are more than worthy of being a hero. A hero worthy of being even greater than your father before you."

The darkness that shrouded Izuku for the last five years began to fade away. Although, the tears of joy that ran down his face were enough to concern even All Might, who thought that the boy could end up dehydrated from all that crying. Yet, All Might wasn't done. He had made another decision, perhaps the most crucial decision in his life. A decision that his master had made for him so long ago.

This boy had earned it.

"And if you give me a chance, Young Midoriya, I feel you could be even greater than me."

"W-w-what?"

"Izuku Midoriya, I deem you worthy to inherit my power. My quirk is yours if you want it."

Izuku simply sat there on the road, his tears stopping as he did his best to process what All Might had just said to him. All he could muster in the end was a simple,

"EH?!"

Author's Commentary

*Sins of the father: I've had several younger readers question.

Why does Izuku keep his quirk a secret?

To make a long answer short, MHA is a Japanese story. And family ties can still affect everyday citizens just by association. For example, if you were a salaryman trying to get promoted. But say one of your parents publicly got arrested and your boss found out. It could be used against you as a reason not to get promoted. (The anime Clannad After Story; shows an example of this when; the main character Tomoya is denied advancement at his job because his father had recently been incarcerated.) It would not be far from the realm of possibility that Izuku could have even denied going to certain schools if the public knew about his family's reputation.

Despite trying to be subtle about this in the text, some people don't realize how different Japanese culture can be. Hence the need to add this additional note, not found in the original cut of this chapter.

**No more games: This was the OG Fafnir Knight's signature phrase when transforming into the Fafnir Knight in-game. It was also accompanied by a kick-ass head-banger of an ost. If you see anyone say this phrase in this story (as Izuku will not be the only one.) Be prepared for a bipedal armored dragon to show up and kick some serious ass.

Until next time.

-With love, ZX