"Hello… young successor." One for All said.
One for All limped up to Izuku and peered down. He was nowhere near as tall as All Might or Mr. Oguro, but still towered over Izuku. Not that it was too difficult. Even Himiko had an inch or two on him.
Izuku swallowed. The dusty air made his throat feel dry.
"… my… my name is Izuku."
"And what have you accomplished that I should bother remembering your name? You've failed to master my power. You don't have the courage to do what must be done and now… Now you've fallen to a trap that you were warned about. You…"
"The match! I will…"
One for All slapped him across the mouth. The pain was real even if nothing else was.
"Never interrupt me! And don't worry about the match. All of this is happening at the speed of thought. Only fractions of a second have passed."
Izuku wiped the blood of his lip.
"… why did you bring me here? What… is this place?"
One for All glanced at the ruined city and grimaced.
"Tokyo. As I remember it. The state my brother left it in… when I died. Do you think you can match a beast like that? I do not."
Izuku started backing away slowly. He had to find a way out. Whatever One for All wanted, it couldn't be good. The man was crazier than Tomura in his own way. There was a sort of clarity to him, but even that was just another form of madness.
"… I have to go back." Izuku said.
"Back? You just got here." One for All said and chuckled: "So impatient. Another reason to not like you. All Might was wrong. You're not worthy. A mistake I will now rectify."
There was a tremble when something heavy hit the ground behind Izuku. One for All covered his eyes from the dust that blew in his face.
"Worry not. For now, I'm here." All Might said.
Wait. No. Not All Might. He had the shape of All Might in his prime, but this one was… ethereal. Izuku could actually see through him. Still, the hand that patted Izuku on the shoulder was real enough.
One for All bared his teeth.
"What are you doing, All Might?"
"I should ask you the same thing. It is unbecoming for a hero to attack a child. Or for a grown-up for that matter." All Might said.
"Oh? And what about sending a child against my brother?"
All Might turned to smile at Izuku.
"Izuku has already surpassed my expectations. He's young and he'll grow. Just like young Bakugou."
One for All laughed. It sounded like the screeching of a rusty machine.
"Grow? No one changes or grows. That little monster is rotten to the core. Just like my brother. One day he'll start to wonder why he's playing a hero when he could be a conqueror. And then it will be too late."
There was a shadow of sadness to All Might's smile.
"One for All… please. You're tired and not thinking clearly. Rest. You've earned it. The dead shouldn't try to rule the living. Don't let All for One do this to you."
"Don't talk to me like All Might! You're not him. You're just a shade." One for All said.
All Might sighed before turning to Izuku.
"Midoriya, my boy, I'll try to talk some sense into him. Go hide until then. When you get out of here, find me. The real me. Tell him what happened."
"… I can't just…"
"No buts. Go now."
"You think a shade can best me?" One for All said.
"I guess we'll see, won't we?" All Might said.
The echo of battle filled Izuku's ears when he ran away. Why was he always running away? Why couldn't he ever help when it mattered the most? Why was he so weak?
A door in one of the ruined buildings opened. A tall woman with muscular arms and a black ponytail stepped out. She was dressed like a hero in a long flowing cape and thick gloves. Like All Might she was unfocused, and you could see through her. She smiled.
"Hello, Izuku. If you're looking for a place to hide, look no further."
Izuku ran inside.
"… I know you. I… heard your voice." Izuku said when the door was closed.
"That you did. Good job resisting One for All back then. Me and Toshinori usually sleep, but I couldn't just let him kill Tomura."
"…you know him?"
The woman hesitated.
"It's… complicated, but… Tomura is just another victim." The woman said and suddenly looked embarrassed: "I never introduced myself, did I? Nana Shimura. Seventh wielder of One for All."
"… Izuku Midoriya. The... ninth wielder."
"I know. Pleasure to finally meet face to face like this. Sorry I can't do more for you, but we're not as strong as One for All."
"… what happened to him? Was he… always like that?"
Pain and sadness made Nana look older.
"No. He's just… lived too long and hated too much. It's twisted him. He can't even remember his real name anymore. Every succession eats away at him. All that matters to him is killing All for One."
"… All Might said… he took care of him."
"I hope he's right, but… I'm not so sure anymore."
The wall was torn open and One for All stepped in.
"There's nowhere to run, coward." One for All said.
Nana laughed.
"Did you hear that, Izuku? He picks a fight with a kid and he still has the gall to call you a coward."
The shock made One for All hesitate and Nana threw herself at him.
"Run, Izuku!"
Izuku ran. This wasn't right. How was he supposed to be a hero if he had to have others fight his battles for him? Bakugou wouldn't have run. He would have stood his ground and fought to the bitter end and then some. All Might would have fought an won. He always won, but Izuku...
One for All landed in front of him.
"End of the line, brat." One for All said.
The ground turned into quicksand under Izuku's feet and started pulling him in. Izuku left out a terrified scream and tried to pull himself out.
"What are you doing?! Let me go!"
"Don't fight it. I will take the reigns and find a more suitable vessel. Perhaps the boy Sir Nighteye recommended. Until then you'll stay here." One for All said.
Izuku clawed the ground and tried to find something… anything to cling to.
"Hate me if you wish, but this will save your life. You're no match for my brother. I'm… tired of watching children die. At least you got to play a hero for a while."
No! Not like this! One for All couldn't do this to him! He couldn't take back his Quirk. Izuku's Quirk! All Might entrusted it to him! It was his! Did… did he have to be Deku again? Weak Deku. Useless Deku. Quirkless Deku. The Deku who Bakugou could push around. The Deku who'd never be a hero. The Deku who'd bury himself in his hero notes that would never amount to anything. The Deku whose desk was vandalized. The Deku who made mom cry behind locked doors. The Deku to whom Himiko wouldn't spare a second glance.
"No!"
Izuku doubled his efforts and managed to start slowly pulling himself up. He'd never go back to that place! He'd rather die as Izuku Midoriya than live as Deku. Sweat started to pour down One for All's face from the strain.
"Stop fighting! This is for your own good!"
Izuku managed to free his right leg.
"I'm never taking shit from Bakugou again! Not from him! Not from you! Not from anyone!"
Izuku pulled his left leg out and stood up. He ran up to One for All and punched him while stomping the ground that was trying to swallow him. He hadn't come this far just to lose it all to some self-righteous bastard.
One for All hit him back.
One for All's punches had his Quirk behind it, but here he was not the only one with a Quirk. Here it didn't tear Izuku apart. Unlike One for All, Izuku's power had been cultivated by his eight predecessors. He wasn't just a shade of heroes' past. Like One for All, he was real. The world started to tear at the seams as One for All started to lose control over it. Izuku gave him no quarter and drove him deeper into a corner.
"Stop! Stop it, you fool! I'm trying to help you!" One for All yelled.
Izuku hit him even harder. He knew all about the kind of help One for All was offering. He'd been getting it his entire life.
"Give it up."
"You need a Quirk to be a hero."
"Why would U.A ever except a Quirkless nerd like you?"
"I'm sorry, Izuku."
"Why don't you just kill yourself? Maybe you'll get lucky and be reborn with a Quirk."
Izuku pounded One for All into the ground. He kept hitting One for All and burying him deeper. The earth accepted One for All and welcomed him to its embrace. Still, One for All never stopped swinging his fists. You didn't survive for a hundred years by giving up easily, but One for All wasn't the only who had struggled his entire life against forces stronger than himself.
The sky was torn open and the dream ended.
Izuku stood at the edge of the arena and had been ready to take the last step over it. Pushing One for All away had probably rebooted his mind and flushed away the brainwashing.
"… I said walk out of the arena. Do it!" Shinsou said sounding suddenly uncertain.
Izuku turned around.
He wished he could have told Shinsou everything he felt, but he couldn't afford anymore words. All he could manage was a smile. He hoped it could express all of his sympathy and respect for a fellow outcast with an impossible dream.
Shinsou sighed… and then answered with a smile of his own before lifting his fists and taking a boxing stance.
They fought.
Shinsou was taller with a longer reach and was reasonably fit, but he hadn't spent months cleaning up a goddamn beach or survived a two-week intensive course in the Demon's Den. He tried to make up for it with guts… but guts only took you so far.
Izuku threw Shinsou off the arena.
"The winner is! Izuku! Midoriya!" Present Mic announced.
Izuku jumped down next to Shinsou and offered him his hand. After a moment of hesitation Shinsou took it and Izuku helped him up.
"… I'm sorry." Izuku said.
"For what? Winning is the point, crazy kid."
"… I get it. I… only got my Quirk six month ago. Until then I was Quirkless. I… thought I'd never be a hero."
Shinsou snorted.
"Great. Now my enemy pities me."
"… I'm not your enemy."
Shinsou patted him on the shoulder.
"It was a joke, crazy kid. Stop looking at me with those puppy dog eyes. It makes it hard to hate you."
"… I hope you can become a hero."
Shinsou smiled and for the first time didn't look tired.
"Me too, crazy kid. You better win, or I'll feel even worse for losing."
"… I can only promise to try."
Izuku waited for his second match in the hallway. The other fights ended in a quick succession. Izuku knew he should be watching, but he just couldn't find the energy to move. All Might could never know what had almost happened. If he did… he'd take back One for All. For Izuku's own good.
Izuku checked his phone for new messages and found none. Would Himiko at least call if he won the tournament?
"Next up! Shouto Todoroki! Facing! Izuku Midoriya!" Present Mic announced.
Oh… shit, Izuku, thought.
Bakugou had promised to skull fuck his soul if given the chance, but Izuku would still have rather faced him than Todoroki.
He made his prayers and headed out to the arena. Much like Shinsou, Todoroki was already waiting for him… and he was shivering. Using his Quirk had to drop his body temperature. Was that Izuku's ticket to victory? Letting Todoroki's own power do him in?
Todoroki's eyes were wandering and Izuku caught him glancing at the audience. Where Endeavor was watching. Like a bloodhound. Why couldn't anything be simple? Suddenly he saw Todoroki clearly. He saw his fear. What would Endeavor do to Todoroki if his son disappointed him? Was the scar on his face a reminder from some past failure?
A familiar feeling came over him. The same feeling had made him run up to the sludge villain who had kidnapped Bakugou and throw himself at Stain when Himiko was in danger. The feeling when someone needed help. Badly.
"Fight!" Present Mic said.
Todoroki didn't attack and gave him a smile that looked like a threat.
"You made it."
"… you're shivering." Izuku said.
"Not from fear. I assure you."
"… you could warm yourself up with fire." Izuku said.
Todoroki's eyes widened.
"How do you…?"
"… met your dad. He's… a dick."
Todoroki let out a humorless laugh.
"Well, I guess we agree on something. What did he want?"
The crowd grew restless and demanded someone to throw a punch. Present Mic tried to calm them down by saying something about pre-fight trash talk. Izuku wasn't really listening.
"That I… break your hand. Teach you how the world works."
"Class act, dad. You might find that harder than expected." Todoroki said.
"… told him to shove it." Izuku said.
Todoroki was quiet for a moment. Then gave Izuku a smile full of teeth.
"How thoughtful of you. Allow me to return the favor. Walk away. When I start beating the shit out you, I might not be able to stop."
Izuku took a boxing stance.
"… no."
Snow started forming around Todoroki.
"Your funeral."
The audience finally got what they wanted when Todoroki sent icicles flying towards Izuku. Even when they just grazed him they were sharp enough to draw blood. Walls of ice grew between them and the cold started creeping in on Izuku's fingertips. Todoroki talked a big game, but he didn't want Izuku to get close. Not when his grip alone could break bones.
The ice wall had divided the arena between Izuku and Todoroki.
"Hey! Midoriya! You should probably look up!" Todoroki shouted from his side.
Izuku glanced up… and cursed. Icicles started raining down on him. He ran and tried to dodge them, but there were too many. It felt like he was caught in a rain of knives that was driving him slowly over the edge of the arena. What was he supposed to do?! The only way to Todoroki was through the ice wall, but if he punched it, the bones in his arm would turn to dust.
Why was One for All so hard to use?! What was he doing wrong?! What had he done the few times when he'd gotten it right?! It had been so simple with Bakugou and Stain! What was he…
"Just keep trying until something clicks and then you feel really stupid because you didn't figure it out sooner."
"Remember. Use your whole body or you'll hurt yourself."
Something clicked. And Izuku felt really stupid.
He'd been angry both times he'd been able to use One for All. His whole body had worked in unison. If he just used one part of himself without backing from all his muscles, of course he'd just hurt himself. It had been wrong to think about One for All as a boxing glove when he should have been imagining it as an armor.
"How fucking stupid can someone be?!" Izuku yelled.
The icicle rain seized for a moment.
"What?!" Todoroki shouted behind the wall.
"Sorry, Todoroki! Not you!"
It wasn't good enough that One for All powered up just his fists. He had to make it flow in every part of his body from the top of his head all the way down to his toes. Mr. Oguro was right. He had to punch with his whole body. Lightning ran through his muscles and made his blood sparkle. This was just a fraction of One for All's power, but it was power he could use. Before the rain of ice blades started again, Izuku ran to the ice wall.
He punched it.
The ice broke. His fist did not. The crowd fell silent. And so, did Todoroki. Izuku grinned like a madman and did a fist pump.
"I did it! Mom! All Might! Mr. Oguro! Kouichi! Aizawa-sensei! Himiko! I fucking did it!"
He was feeling at the top of the world. So, this was how All Might saw the world. No wonder he was always smiling. He was a king! Izuku turned to face Todoroki and grinned.
"Ready to bring out the fire?"
Rage twisted Todoroki's features and he blasted more ice at Izuku. The universe seemed to move in slow-motion. He had all the time in the world to get out of the way. He moved the way athletes dreamed of moving. He was weightless. Practically flying. Todoroki tried to build new walls between them, but they fell like powder before Izuku's punches.
All of a sudden Todoroki was in a corner with no way out.
"Ready to bring out the fire?" Izuku asked.
"What do you care?" Todoroki snarled.
"Do you even want to be a hero?" Izuku said.
One question hit Todoroki harder than the sight of his ice wall crumbling.
"… what?"
"Do you think heroes handicap themselves out of spite? Do you think All Might ever went to a fight without giving it his all? Life is short, and villains can make it even shorter. Don't waste it on spiting your father. If you're going to be a hero, you have to give it your all. Or you can lose now. I'm done with being underestimated by smug dicks!"
Todoroki bared his teeth.
"You think you can lecture me about Quirks when you just got the hang of your own? So damn annoying."
Todoroki's expression melted into a smile.
"But since you're finally giving it your all, I guess I have to do the same."
Something ignited and suddenly the left side of Todoroki was on fire. The heat forced Izuku to retreat.
"Bring it on." Todoroki said.
"You got it." Izuku said.
He waved at Todoroki with an open palm. When the wave had One for All powering it, a simple wave turned into a powerful gust of wind that blew out any fire. When the flames surrounding Todoroki were gone Izuku threw himself at him and they both went down. Izuku got ready to throw a punch. Just one was all he needed.
Then he hesitated.
What would Endeavor do to Todoroki if he lost? Would he come to school the next week with a new scar? Even if Izuku won the tournament and Himiko came back, how would he ever be able to enjoy it when it cost Todoroki so much suffering?
"Throw me off." Izuku whispered.
"What?" The pinned down Todoroki managed.
"Throw me off and make it look good."
Understanding lighted Todoroki's face and after some hesitation he nodded. A pillar of ice struck Izuku in the gut and sent him flying out of the arena. When he was lying on the ground, he heard laughter. Laughter only he could hear.
"That's how its done, Izuku. That's how its fucking done!" Nana said and Izuku was able to make out her faint outline: "When you see Toshinori, tell him he found a great successor. I'm proud of you both."
Izuku managed to smile before blacking out from the pain.
