As promised, here's the next chapter of this story. We see more of All Might's relationship or lack thereof with his son and how it slowly progresses from where we last left off. Just as a quick note, I'm also going to be changing the roster of Class 1A and 1B. I'm doing it for both story reasons and because in all honesty, like half of them shouldn't be the Hero course. Hopefully you will like my picks for the roster of the class and it won't be too confusing.
But enough about me, enjoy.
To Be A Hero
Chapter 2
Seto glared at the man standing before him. "What do you want now, All Might?"
"Seto, I want you to meet someone." All Might began as he closed the door behind him. "His name is Izuku Midoriya and I would like it if the two of you could get along."
"Are you being serious right now?" Seto asked him with a raised brow. "You want me to meet your successor and get along with him?"
"What seems to be the problem? Your mother and I think it would be for the best if the two of you got along." All Might said, glancing towards Sora.
Seto turned around and looked at the kitchen where his mother was currently pretending to wash some dishes when there weren't any to begin with. "Mom...why are you talking to this man?"
"Honey, that man is my husband and your father. I can talk to him if I want." Sora said as she placed the nonexistent plate on the empty dish rack. She continued to pretend to wash the dishes that weren't there because she didn't want to look him in the eyes. "And I think it's a wonderful idea for you to make friends with young Midoriya. After all, you haven't made any friends since we moved here."
"That's because I've been busy with my training." Seto said as he made his way over to the living room. "I don't want to meet your replacement son, All Might."
"Seto, that's not true and you know it." All Might said, showing a rare form of anger in his tone. "Midoriya is not a replacement for you and he will never be. But he is my successor and I have to teach him how to use my quirk. But I would like it if the two of you got along."
"Don't try to act like a father now, All Might. I don't need a father nor do I want one." Seto told him.
"Seto!" Sora scolded him. "That's no way to talk to your father!"
"He's not my father!" Seto shot back.
"It's fine, Sora. He doesn't have to accept me as his father." All Might said with a sigh. "I know that I lost that right years ago. But don't take your anger out on young Midoriya. He's a kind young man who has a need to prove himself to the whole world. I'm sure that the two of you could become great friends."
Seto was quiet for a moment before he turned to face the number one hero. "No, I don't want to see your successor. I don't need a constant reminder of what should've been mine in the first place." And with that, Seto left the living room and went into his room.
"I'm sorry, Toshi, I've tried to talk to him about it but he's stubborn..." Sora said. She stopped pretending to wash the nonexistent dishes and made her way over to him. "But I know that deep inside he's just hurting because he wants your approval more than anything in the world."
All Might hung his head in shame. "It's all my fault, Sora...I'm a terrible father."
"You've made your mistakes, sure." Sora agreed. "But you still love him, Toshi. So just keep trying, I'm sure that one day you will be able to show him just how much he means to you."
"I hope that you're right."
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With only five more months left till the UA entrance exams, Seto was still hard at work with his training in order to get in. And as he was making his usual morning run, he decided to take a detour in order to run along the beach. And as he was making his way down the beachside road, he noticed that the beach was looking cleaner than normal.
'I guess someone finally got forced to do community service.' He thought as he made his way down the road. And as he neared the pier, he was struck still by a strange sight. All Might in his non-powered up form was standing by a truck that was being loaded by a green haired boy that must've been the Midoriya kid that he kept yammering on about.
He watched them for a few moments, Midoriya would go and gather as much of the junk as he could carry and hurry back towards the truck until it was fully loaded. Once it was, All Might helped him tie it down before he started the truck and drove off, probably towards the landfill. Meanwhile, Midoriya stayed behind in order to start picking up the smaller pieces into trash bags.
Watching him, Seto realized what All Might was doing. By having Midoriya clean the beach, he was helping him train all of the muscles in his body as he would need different sets depending on the junk. It was a sound strategy but ultimately it wouldn't be enough. The way that they were training, Midoriya's body would only be reaching the bare minimum that he would require for All Might's quirk.
Sighing, he shook his head before leaving. Midoriya wasn't his problem and he didn't owe him anything. And as he continued on his run, he decided that when it came time for the entrance exams for UA that he was gonna show them all that even someone without a quirk could be a hero.
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The next five months were a blur of schooling and training for Seto. He went to school close to his home but he didn't try to make any friends. Not to say that he wasn't well liked, he was. He was friendly and kind to his classmates and he was even well liked by the teachers as well. But he never tried to get close to anyone because he didn't have time to form friendships. When he wasn't at school or doing school work he was busy training and preparing himself for the UA entrance exam. He knew from his mother that it would be a form of combat test that was tailor made for people with flashy quirks to show off. But he didn't care, it only meant that he would have to outshine them all.
Despite not wanting to have anything to do with All Might, the man had taken to having dinner with his mother at least twice a week to make up for not being there for the past six years. At first Seto had been opposed to it but he let it slide because his mother seemed happy. All Might did try to make conversation with him but Seto simply ignored him. He knew that All Might was just trying to get him to lower his guard only to leave once there was something more important to do. That's how it always worked with All Might.
During the last few months leading up to the exam, All Might did manage to earn a few good points with Seto by agreeing to take him to see his old friend David Shield. While UA allowed for a student to design their own costume and would develop it for them, Seto wanted the best if he was going to become the best. Seto saw David like an uncle figure and he trusted him to keep the designs of his suit secret as well as to make everything to his specifications. They stayed there for a week as a family vacation and much to his surprise, Seto did enjoy his time there even if All Might had tagged along.
Now it was the day of the exam and Seto was getting ready to head out. He walked out into the living room and he was surprised and a little happy (though he wouldn't admit it) to see both his mother and father waiting for him at the kitchen table.
"Seto, my boy," Seto had stopped trying to get All Might from calling him that. It was just a habit of his since he called Midoriya that as well. "How are you feeling this morning? Nervous? Excited?"
"Honey, make sure to eat a good breakfast. You're going to need your strength today." Sora said as she prepared a plate piled on with various breakfast items.
"Okay mom." Seto sat down and looked at All Might. "I'm surprised to see you here this morning. What about Midoriya?"
All Might smiled and placed his hand on Seto's shoulder. "Seto, you're my son not Midoriya and I wanted to be here for your big day. I'm sure that Mrs. Midoriya will show her son the support that he needs." He then pulled his hand back and placed it behind his head, chuckling. "My place is here, with your mother and you as well. I'm just so proud of you, Seto! You're gonna show them just what you're made of!"
Seto wanted to smile but he didn't. He just nodded and began to eat his breakfast. And the reason for it was because All Might didn't know what he was made of, not really. He had only seen a little bit of what he could do during the week at I-Island while he tested a few of the prototypes that David had built for him. Seto felt resentful for his father, just like he usually did because All Might should already know what Seto was capable of. All Might should have been the one to train him, to watch over him, to be there for him as he pushed himself to his limits and passed out from exhaustion. But he wasn't and it wasn't something that he could just easily forget. Losing his appetite, Sent got up and left with a half hearted goodbye to his parents.
Once the door had closed behind him, All Might buried his face in his hands. "I really am a terrible father..."
"Toshi...you know that's not true." Sora said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You've come so far with him, just give it some more time...I know that he's happy that you're back."
"I can see it...but then I open my big mouth and he starts to hate me again." All Might lamented. "I wish I hadn't listened to Nighteye's prediction..."
Sora's eyes became downcast. "Have you spoken to him recently? Do you know if that future has changed?"
All Might shook his head. "He emailed me a year ago about a possible successor for my quirk but by the time I came to the city I had that run in with young Midoriya and I never got back to him."
"I think that you should talk to him and have him see your future again. Maybe it's changed?" Sora said but it sounded like she hoped it was true.
"I will...each time that I look at him, I see that we're getting closer to the day that Nighteye predicted." All Might sighed before shaking his head. He looked at his wife and smiled. "Enough of this depressing talk! Let's go to UA to see how our son fares in the exams!"
"Will the principal allow me to watch? I'm only a substitute teacher there." Sora asked.
"Of course. You're married to the new faculty member that's going to teach at UA." All Might said. "Besides, being married to the Number One Hero does have its perks."
"Oh really? Just what are those perks?" Sora asked, giggling as All Might stood up and cupped her cheek.
"One of them is this..." He leaned in and placed his lips on hers, giving her a loving kiss. As he pulled back, he smiled. "You get all of the kisses that you could ever want."
Sora had a rosy tint on her cheeks as she smiled up at him. Despite being married for so long and being apart for 6 of them, he still had an effect on her. "All that I could ever want? You sure know how to spoil a girl, Toshi..."
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Seto walked out of the locker room wearing an orange tank top with dark blue gym shorts. He wore black plated gloves and orange and blue tennis shoes. Around his waist was a dark blue belt with six compartments, three on each side. And on his forearms he wore a pair of metal bracers that were painted a brilliant blue with a golden trim.
"What are you supposed to be? Some sort of knight or something?" A voice asked behind him.
Seto turned around and saw a boy around his age with spiky red hair. He was wearing a red tank top with black gym shorts. He was staring at Seto with a friendly grin.
"A knight? Nah, I'm just wearing my protective gear." Seto said with a shake of his head.
"Protective gear? Ribbit." Turning towards the girl's entrance of the locker room, they both saw a girl with long dark green hair wearing a black shirt and green shorts staring at them with a blank looking expression. "Does your quirk require you to wear them for safety?"
Seto looked down at the bracers and smiled. "Nah, I don't have a quirk."
The red head and the girl shared a look before they turned back towards him. "Really?" They asked at the same time.
Seto laughed. "Yup, I'm quirkless."
"Um...don't take this the wrong way, man, but what are you doing here if you don't have a quirk?" The redhead asked.
"It's fine, I've made peace with the fact that I don't have a quirk. My dream is to become the number one hero without a quirk." Seto said. He looked at them with a look that he had learned from his father back when he was younger, back when he used to idolize him. He smiled wide and pushed out his chest, placing his fists against his hips. "Nothing is going to stop me from being an outstanding hero, you can count on it."
"Ribbit. You certainly don't lack confidence." The girl said. She extended her hand towards him. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tsuyu Asui but please call me Tsu."
Seto shook hands with her. "I'm Seto Kamiya, the pleasure is all mine."
"Wait, Kamiya? As in the son of Sora Kamiya?" The redhead asked, his eyes widening.
"Yea, I take it you've heard of my mom?" Seto asked. His mother wasn't very popular because she was just a part time hero but she did have her own fans.
"Have I ever! She's Cerulean Siren, her quirk is incredible! I can't believe you didn't ge-" The Redhead stopped suddenly when he realized what he was about to say. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."
"What's your name?" Seto asked.
"I'm Eijiro Kirishima..." He answered, looking a little bit down that he brought up Seto's quirkless status.
Seto smiled and placed his hand on Kirishima's shoulder. "Well, Kirishima, if I don't have an issue with being quirkless then you shouldn't worry about it either. I promise you that I won't be offended by the word. Quirkless, quirkless, quirkless. See?"
Krishima smiled. "Alright man, if you say so." He let out a hearty laugh. "I really hope that you pass this exam, I think we could be really good friends."
"What about me? Do you think that we could be friends? Ribbit." Tsu asked, pointing a finger at herself.
"Sure, you seem like a good person." Seto nodded.
Just then they heard Present Mic announce that they had to report to their examination area. The three of them made their way towards the examination area and they continued chatting as they made their way there. Mostly about the quirks that they had and the training that Seto had done. When the exam began, they each wished each other luck and they rushed in just like everyone else.
Seto rushed in and he was amazed at the fake city that they had built for the exam. He was faster than most of the participants, pulling ahead of everyone with the exception of a few speed based quirk users. He saw one of the robotic opponents roll in from one of the side alleys and he grinned. It was finally time to show what he was made of.
The first robot that he saw was worth one point. It sped towards him on one wheel and its armored arms raised and poised to attack. Seto raised his left arm as he sidestepped the robot. From his metal bracer a round metal shield expanded almost instantly deflecting the blow to the side. Not wanting to lose any momentum, Seto spun around on his heel and slammed the edge of his shield into the mid section of the robot, breaking it in half. Then as the upper half landed, he brought his foot down on the head and destroyed it. The thickened and reinforced soles of his shoes protected his foot from the impact.
"That's one down." Seto Said to himself.
He turned around and watched as Kirishima and Tsu caught up to him. There were participants all around them but he quickly noticed them first. Kirishima's Hardening quirk was well suited for this type of combat as he was literally tearing through the robots like paper. Tsu's Frog quirk helped her jump around the battlefield, using her long tongue to grab the robots and toss them into others or slamming them into the ground.
Seto raised his shield as a 3 point robot tank with missile launchers fired several rubber projectiles at him. He blocked them then charged towards his opponent, dodging each of the next few shots at him. Once he was a few feet away, he jumped high into the air and brought his shield down on the robot's head.
He continued on, using his quick reflexes and his shield to take down his foes. He had racked up about 19 points when he felt a rumble in the ground that didn't have anything to do with the combat around him. He turned towards the center of the city and he stared in awe as a massive robot that towered over the buildings around them appeared.
"What the hell is that?"
He heard one person shout. Another shouted to run and everyone started to flee as the robot turned to face them. But Seto didn't run, he couldn't. He felt himself tremble, adrenaline coursing through his veins, and a powerful urge came over him. He was going to take that robot down.
"Kamiya! Let's go!" Kirishima said as he stopped beside him. He placed a hand on his shoulder in order to get him to move. "That thing's ginormous!"
"What are you two doing? Ribbit?" Tsu landed beside them. "Are you planning to fight that thing?"
"Yes." Seto turned to look at the two beside him. "But I'm going to need your help."
"But why? That thing's not worth any points!" Kirishima asked, pointing out that it would be pointless to do so.
"Because a real hero would do everything in their power to stop a threat, even if all they do is buy the people time to escape." Seto said.
Kirishima and Tsu shared a look before they nodded. "Alright, we're in. Tell us what to do?"
"Kirishima, I need you to launch Tsu and I into the air as high as you can throw us." Seto quickly explained. "Once we're in the air, Tsu, wrap your tongue around me and launch me the rest of the way towards the robot's head. I'll take it out from there."
"That's crazy!" Kirishima said but he then grinned. "Let's do it!"
Kirishima moved 20 feet away from them and turned his back towards the giant robot. He hardened his body and crouched down. Seto and Tsu ran side by side towards the hardening quirk user and jumped onto his hands, landing in a crouch as he launched them with all of his strength into the air.
Once they were in the air, Tsu wrapped her tongue around Seto's waist and spun around several times in rapid succession before releasing him into the air, aiming for the robot's head.
Seto righted himself into the air as he focused on his target. He reached into one of his belt's compartments and pulled out a strange looking device. With a flick of his wrist, the device expanded into a gun with a coil in the chamber where the bullets would go. And in the barrel there was a grappling hook that could open up to grab things. He aimed it towards the robot's red eye and once it latched onto the edge, Seto felt himself pulled forward like a bullet.
As he neared the robot's eye, Seto raised his shield and used it to breach through the glass. Once inside, he fell about ten feet before rolling onto his shoulder and landing on his knee. Inside it was dark with only a few dim orange lights. Yet as he looked around, he saw that the robot had a sort of brain that he guessed was added in just in case someone was crazy enough to try what he had done. He quickly made his way towards it and he pulled out a small but powerful explosive from one of his pouches. If his mother knew what he planned to do, she would ground him for a month! With a grin, he looked around for a place to hold on and then pressed the dentanator.
Kishima watched as Tsu used her tongue to pull herself towards a nearby building in order to latch onto the side. They both looked up and watched as Seto disappeared inside of the robot's head. But it didn't look to be stopping as it continued towards them. It locked onto them and began to extend its arm towards them.
"Oh no, looks like his plan didn't work. Ribbit." Tsu said as she prepared herself to run.
"He never told us how he was going to take it down. Looks like we're going to have to bust in there after him!" Kirishima said, hardening his body once more.
As the two heroes in training looked on, the robot's head suddenly began to erupt in small explosions before it began to fall down on its stomach. And as Kirishima and Tsu stared at the fallen robot with bated breath, they cheered when they saw Seto emerge standing on top of the robot with tattered clothes but with a grin on his face.
"Yahoo! You did it, man!" Kirishima said as he rushed towards Seto. "That was so manly!"
"I can't believe that you were actually able to take that robot down. Ribbit." Tsu said as she landed in front of the robot's head.
Seto made his way down and laughed. "I couldn't have done it without you."
"What did you do to it?" Kirishima asked.
"I blew up its brain and then held on for dear life." Seto then looked worried. "I hope my mom never finds out I did that or else I'm toast."
"To be fair, I would have stopped you if I had known that was your plan. Ribbit." Tsu told him. "You could have told me to catch you if you jumped out."
"I didn't think about that..." Seto said sheepishly. "But next time I promise that I'll let you know if I plan to jump out of a giant robot."
The three new friends shared a laugh before they heard Present Mic announce the end of the exam and the three of them made their way towards the locker rooms.
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"Damn, that's another 0 point robot taken down!" Snipe said as he watched the monitors.
Midnight looked at the examinee roster. "And what's more that boy doesn't even have a quirk."
"What!? Are you serious?" Power Loader asked. He checked his own roster and whistled. "I'll be damned, he really doesn't have a quirk."
"Isn't he Sora Kamiya's son?" Cementoss asked.
"Yes, that's why she was allowed to observe." Nezu said before taking a sip of his tea. "Since she's one of our registered substitute teachers I granted her request to see her son in action."
"You must be very proud of him, he's done an amazing job despite not having a quirk." Thirteen said.
Sora smiled. "I've always been proud of him. He always tries his best and he's been working hard to not only pass this exam but also to become a hero without a quirk." She looked at the screen that had a replay of her son flying towards the giant robot. "His dream is to become the number one hero without a quirk and I truly believe that he will be able to make his dream come true."
"Remarkable." Ectoplasm said. "His physical abilities are indeed impressive. He was able to take down several robots with his strength and skill alone."
All Might had been silent as he had watched the exams. He wanted to observe Midoriya as he took the exam but his eyes were glued on his son. And instead of pride all he felt was shame. Shame because he hadn't known just what his son was capable of. He was impressed with Seto's skill and his ability to take down the robots but when he saw him try to take down the giant robot, his heart almost stopped. He had to fight the urge to burst through the walls as he made a bee line for him. And Sora must've sensed it because it was her placing her hand in his that made him stop. They shared a look and her smile calmed him down and because of that he was able to witness his son do the impossible with the help of others.
He was proud of his son but he knew that Seto hadn't become as amazing as he was because of him but in spite of him. Because All Might hadn't been there for him and hadn't helped him achieve his dream like a parent should. He hung his head as he made his way out of the room, Midoriya all but forgotten.
He wandered around not knowing where he was headed until he stopped at the roof of the main building. He used to always go up to the roof so long ago when he was a student and as he allowed himself to wonder, he came back to a familiar place. He looked up at the blue sky and just stared at the few wisps of clouds that were there. It was quiet and he felt like he needed that for a moment.
"Care to tell me what's on your mind?"
All Might chuckled. He didn't need to turn around to see his wife leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed, and a warm smile on her lips. She was a year younger than him so he didn't meet her until his second year and at the time she had always called him Senpai. She had been drawn to him because of his aura, she had told him, and he never knew what that meant until he fought her. And it was during that fight that he began to be drawn to her. Whenever he needed to get away, he would go to the roof and she always knew where to find him.
"If I do, do you promise not to punch me?" All Might asked. And he wasn't making a joke, Sora was very kind hearted and she loved helping those in need, she was a hero after all. But if she was angry or thought you were being stupid then she would 'knock the stupid' out of you.
Sora laughed. "It depends on how stupid you're being." She made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around her husband's chest, burying her face into his back. "But something tells me that I already know what's bothering you."
All Might smiled sadly. "You always could read me like a book..."
"Oh Toshi...it's obvious what's bothering you..." Sora said as she pulled away and moved in front of him. She reached up and cupped his cheek. "You feel like a failure for not being there for our son."
All Might just nodded, warm tears beginning to sting his eyes. To the world, he was All Might, the Symbol of Peace and the number one hero. But when he was around Sora, he felt like he was just plain old Toshinori. And he loved that about her because he didn't have to be All Might for her, he just had to be himself.
"Toshi..." Sora gave him a warm smile. She caressed his cheek a little more before she balled her fist and bopped him on the head.
"Ow. What was that for?" All Might asked as he robbed the spot on his head. It didn't hurt too badly but it did sting a little.
"That's because you're being an idiot." Sora said. She poked him in his chest before continuing. "Toshi, yes, you made a mistake but you won't make things better by wallowing in your self pity. These last few months Seto has been slowly accepting you and that was because you were there! So be there for him now and move on from the past, don't forget it, just learn from it."
All Might shed a few tears as he looked into the eyes of his wife. "How did a fool like me end up with someone as amazing as you?" He asked, his tone watery but happy.
Sora wiped his tears away before speaking. "Luck, I think." She stared into his eyes lovingly before they both started to laugh, sharing an embrace like lovers were known to do.
End of chapter.
