Nezu sat in his office twiddling his small thumbs. He was dreading the coming conversation. A certain tall blonde was supposed to arrive any minute now, bearing some… exceptionally bad news. To his left rested a short green haired girls student file. It bulged from the mess of papers inside of it. By Nezu's request, all her teachers had been taking notes on her actions throughout her day to day classes. Even when she wasn't in class… the dorms security cameras were utilized to gain more information wherever legal. Of course there were no cameras in student rooms.
Nezu thumbed through some of the notes for the third time today, glancing over the pages upon pages of observations left by other faculty. 'Constantly fidgeting in class.' 'Can't sit still.' 'Never participates despite exemplary grades.' 'Silent unless approached first.' 'Avoids eye contact.' Nezu rubbed his face as he turned another page. At least they weren't… all bad? His eyes traced some of Aizawa's records. 'Incredible speed and strength.' 'Shows no hesitation during rescue operations.' 'Doesn't accept praise well.' 'Doesn't work well with teammates.' 'Lacks motivation or reason to use full strength.' 'Is overly concerned about harming others.' Nezu's heart broke as he read a line that really struck a chord with him. Aizawa had underlined this one and traced over it multiple times to emphasize its importance. 'Doesn't believe she is meant to be a hero.'
His guilty conscience forced him to look away from the folder. He stared out his office window, looking at nothing in particular. 'The great UA Hero School… spying on one of its students. Of course she is… one of the most… important(?) students we've ever had. Our mental health programs are ill equipped to deal with a situation as delicate as hers...' Nezu sighed, speaking his thoughts out loud to the empty room. "She shouldn't be in school. She needs to be in a more serious rehabilitation programme, if I'm being honest. But… at the same time. She has an immense responsibility to master her power, and become a driving force for Heroes everywhere. Compounded by the fact that All Might will be-"
Nezu's eyes shot to the door of his office. A quiet knock resonated throughout the small room. 'He's here…' An immense sense of dread washed over the small mammal. The worst conversation for Hero society… was about to occur. In his office. Right now. 'I knew this was going to happen sometime relatively soon. But that doesn't change the fact that… in only a short few days, the entire world will change.'
"Come in, the door is unlocked." Nezu called out.
The door opened slowly. The mans long blonde hair entered the room before his lanky skeletal frame did. Toshinori Yagi looked especially melancholy as he glanced around Nezu's office, his eyes landed on UA's principal. He was unable to suppress his frown as he nodded at his animal friend. As the door quietly clicked shut behind him, he turned to face Nezu fully.
"Hello Nezu." The blonde gave a small wave, while making an attempt to put on a smile to ease the obvious tension in the room.
"It's been a while, Toshinori. How have these past few weeks of rest for you been?"
"It was… quite odd. This was the first time in… well over five years that I wasn't actively seeking out villains of some sort." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'd forgotten how long a day was. It was challenging to find something to occupy my time. But… I managed." He nodded his head as he finished his sentence, hoping to appear more confident than he really was.
"I'm glad to hear it went alright." Nezu acknowledged, his mind clearly elsewhere.
Toshinori shifted from foot to foot, unsure how to truly begin the coming conversation. With a deep breath in, he started: "Well… I'm not one to beat around the bush. Shall we… talk?"
Nezu wasn't able to stay as composed as the No. 1 Hero; he let out a loud sigh as he jumped out of his chair, speaking as he walked over to two more comfortable chairs that sat in front of his desk. "Of course. Please take a seat so we can… discuss." He gestured towards the two chairs on either side of a small coffee table.
Toshinori took a seat without a word, shifting a few times before settling on a comfortable position in the slightly-too-small chair. The two old friends sat across from each other, simply waiting till the blonde was ready to begin the conversation. Neither was sure how much time had passed, but Toshinori eventually broke the silence with a cough.
He hated this. "Well. I uh…" He clasped and unclasped his restless hands, unable to keep them still. He swallowed the lump in his throat and straightened his back slightly. His eyes met the principals across from him. His shoulders slumped, betraying the air of confidence he was trying to maintain. "I've decided that… I'm going to… retire. From Hero work."
This was what Nezu expected, but even so the admission hit him hard. Although he didn't know all the details, he'd seen the little signs clear as day in his friend. Blood showing in the corner of his mouth. A slight limp here and there, though he hid it well. He'd gotten slower, but he maintained his 'faster than the eye can see' speed, so many couldn't tell at a glance. His punches were weaker. He… had weaknesses now. It had been just about two years since He'd passed his power onto Midoriya, and he was slowly but surely using up what remained of One For All.
Toshinori's entire demeanor changed. He exhaled, slumping forward to rest his arms on his knees. He sighed. "It feels… oddly satisfying to say it out loud. To you." He raised his head to look at his friend. "I'm going to make an announcement through my Agency after the sports festival. So…" He took a moment to count. "-In 18 days."
Nezu nodded, scribbling some information down in a notepad he'd brought with him. "Have you secured residence somewhere nearby, just in case? Of course you're welcome to stay at UA's facilities. I recommend it, actually."
"Yes, I have. And... yes I was going to ask about that. Staying on campus would be greatly appreciated. It will allow me to keep up a strong appearance even after I retire. Smart people with sharp eyes will scrutinize footage of my actions after my retirement announcement. It… will soon be obvious that I've been weakening for a while. The media will no doubt pick up on it within a month or so of my announcement." Toshinori paused, then added. "You should know... I've also told Endeavor of my upcoming retirement. I've asked him to help."
Nezu was shocked All Might dropped something like that so casually. "Really?" Toshinori nodded. "That's… hmm. Okay. What came of the conversation? Takeaways?" Nezu shrugged his shoulders, bewildered. He hadn't decided if this was a… positive development quite yet.
"He's willing to work with UA and Midoriya. We didn't go into specifics, but he took the information better than I expected he would. He did say he needed some time to think, be we planned to talk again soon. Before the Sports Festival, so before my announcement. I suspect he will be willing to train some UA students. He's been keeping a close eye on his son and his class. He was… aware of the scope of Midoriya's power, which I found slightly strange."
"Aware? Well I'm honestly not surprised. Most high ranking Heroes, you and I included, have information networks and connections that run quite deep. I can't blame him for taking advantage of his to learn more about his son's progress. It's not exactly illegal…" Nezu rubbed his chin, more than a bit peeved that Endeavor had an 'in' to otherwise private UA information.
Nezu changed the subject, not wanting to think too much on the Endeavor situation just yet. "So am I right to assume you'll still work as a teacher?"
Toshinori sat up straighter, and held his head a little higher. "I will. I plan to use what remains of One For All to train the Hero class students to the best of my abilities." One hand transformed, suddenly bulging with muscles. "Right now my 100% is probably somewhere around Midoriya's 40%. Though that's just my guess. As you know, One For All grows each time it is passed down, so her numbers are undoubtedly higher than mine. In truth, with the control she's demonstrated, she's probably stronger than I am at the moment, at least in terms of raw power." He let out a harsh laugh, his arm deflating back to its usual self.
"Mmm." Was all Nezu gave as a reply. He found this... unsettling. 'I knew All Might was weakening, but if this information was even slightly accurate… Is it right to still count him among UA's combat ready staff? He can still fight, surely. And knowing him he will certainly want to if a need arises. Is it right to have him use his power to train the students? How long will his power remain if unused? Should… should I see if Endeavor will take a teaching position? That would certainly bolster UA's fighting power… and of course he has invaluable experience in combat and resolving conflicts.' A million thoughts flashed through Nezu's mind. He scribbled nonstop in his notebook, all while looking around the room and at All Might across from him.
The No. 1 Hero continued, "I was hoping to get to some one on one time with her soon. Her control has reached the point where she'll need to start developing many 'super moves' to increase her effectiveness. Simply relying on the strength, speed, and durability of Full-Cowling won't suffice anymore. I have… more than a few things I could teach her. Advanced techniques."
"Things that you couldn't teach her earlier, yes?" Nezu assumed he already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from Toshinori himself.
"Yes. Because her control hadn't reached the point where knowing any of this new information would benefit her. I didn't want to distract her from first mastering the basics. Now that it seems she has, I can begin to tutor her on more advanced tactics and facets of One For All's power." The blondes head dropped as he sighed. "I wanted to be able to be able to tutor her more early on... but Gran Torino made it clear that I'm not good at teaching how to control a Quirk. As he said I could use and regulate One For All almost immediately. But…" He clenched his fists and raised his head, eyes glowing blue. "But now that she's gotten there, I can truly begin to instruct her on the full potential of this power. I will teach her how to utilize this Quirk in rescue and combat to the fullest potential, so she can attain the goal she's always wanted!"
The Principal nodded in approval. 'Anything to help her grow is appreciated and needed. Hopefully All Might is serious with these claims. If she can improve in more ways than just increasing her already monstrous strength and speed… She'll be a true force to be reckoned with.' Continuing on the topic of Midoriya, Nezu jumped on the segway opportunity. "Speaking of Midoriya…" He hopped out of his chair and walked back over to his desk, grabbing the bulging folder. He sifted through it as he returned to his seat across from Toshinori. "Recently, meaning the most recent Thursday, her mother came forward with some information. It… explained quite a lot." The small mammal shuddered as the contents of the letter flashed through his mind.
Toshinori leaned forward, immediately focused on what Nezu had to say. "What did her mother tell you, Nezu?" His mind flashed through dozens of possibilities. 'What could her mother have revealed? It… it must be related to her trauma in some way. What else could have Nezu so obviously shaken?'
Nezu's eyes raised almost imperceptibly. 'This is… unexpected. Inko Midoriya didn't say who knew anything of her daughters situation. Still, I expected Toshinori to know specifics. Izu Midoriya is certainly tight lipped.' Coming back to the conversation, Nezu started "Some things about her past. And… why she is so…" He covered his eyes with a hand (paw?), unable to bring himself to finish. "Well, I suppose you should read this." He slid a handwritten note across the table.
Nezu's own words stuck in his mind. 'Specifics… Tight lipped…' A sense of dread washed over him. 'Does… Is Izu Midoriya aware of whats been done to her?' He utilized his Quirk to recount the transcript of his conversation with the Midoriya matriarch. 'Her wording… suggests that Izu isn't aware. That... or she's not sure if she knows. It would honestly make sense either way. If she knows or doesn't. I never planned on mentioning it to her. Still…'
As Toshinori grabbed the letter, he settled into his chair with a hand on his chin. Toshinori held the note with great caution. Unsure if he should pry into his successors life like this. Inspite of knowing her for almost three years, he knew remarkably little about the girl prior to when they met. Taking the paper, he glanced over at Nezu. "I assume this pertains to her… lack of… confidence?" He waved a hand and shook his head as he finished. It was insulting to the girl to downplay her plight in such a way. "The troubles she's been going through…" He added. He silently promised to apologize to Midoriya, even if she wasn't present for his blunder.
Nezu simply nodded, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment of deliberation, Toshinori took the page and began reading.
All Might arrived, in his Muscle Form, to an empty training facility. This one was recently used and abused by a class of third years, and was scheduled for repairs. Nezu had assured him that no one would notice if a few extra things were broken. Toshinori only felt slightly bad for what he was about to do. But… he had to.
As someone who'd been a Hero for over three decades, he'd seen his fair share of horrifying things. Crazed murderers, rapists, slave rings, and countless more. Uncommon individuals would appear who dabbled in all those and more. He never let such things affect him while he was working. Of course he offered support to the victims of such crimes in any way he knew how. His predecessors words flashed through his mind. The eighteen words that had become his mantra. "Saving people from danger is one thing. To truly save someone, you also need to save their mind."
Saving people was his job. His purpose! And that quote was what his entire 'Save people with a smile' signature had stemmed from. To learn that someone so close to him… was so deeply in pain. A different kind of pain than the one he felt qualified to manage. He… felt useless. Like he'd failed.
He walked into the partially destroyed faux-city. His fists clenched hard, nails drawing blood from his palms. He let out a scream before throwing a wild punch. Wind exploded forwards; tearing concrete up from the street and shattering hundreds of windows nearby. He'd never been so… powerless. He hated it. His smile was long gone.
For several minutes the No. 1 Hero rampaged around, simply destroying things for the sake of it. Venting his anger through action was something Toshinori never truly got to do. Someone of his status, power, and notoriety never had a moment out of the public eye. Especially if he were to do something like this. His mind was a mess of guilt and anger. He silently apologized for each building he toppled, but a separate part of his mind thanked him for acting on his pent up rage. His current actions were so backwards to how he normally acted.
'Control your power to avoid needless destruction. Try to direct fights to areas already affected, to reduce clean up time. Focus on restraining a rampaging villain as soon as possible, to protect the surrounding environment. Evacuations were clostly and could bring entire cities to a halt. Change area's if possible.' All these rules and more flooded through his mind, but he brushed them aside. He needed this temporary lapse from society. He needed some way to express his emotions, but there were few he could talk to.
After ten loud minutes of mindless destruction, his logical self managed to rein the rest of him back in. He huffed with excess energy, hands shaking as they flexed open and closed. He relaxed his shoulders and surveyed the area around him. Dozens upon dozens of buildings had been reduced to rubble. It appeared as if a bomb had gone off; the only thing not ground up by the sheer force of his blows was the steel-reinforced supports of some taller buildings.
As he slowly settled down, he felt a strange, entirely foreign sensation on his face. In an instant a hand shot up to inspect the unknown offence. He pulled his hand back to observe. It was… wet? Dozens more tears rolled down his face. Frustrated, he tried to wipe them all away, but each one he smothered was seemingly replaced by two more. Admitting defeat, he collapsed to the ground in a heap.
Dust slowly settled around him. His back slumped forward, forcing him to stare at the ground. His fists rested in front of him, not even scratched from the countless punches he'd dished out. 'Young Midoriya… I… I'm sorry. All this time you've… been trying so hard. So incredibly hard.' He sniffled. His entire face felt grimy, a mix of sweat, tears, dust, and… snot. 'I can't imagine what you've gone through… having to grow up with… such a strong force working against you.'
All Might was no stranger to his own mind working against him. He'd questioned himself, doubted himself, hated himself - even. Such feelings were, almost normal; he figured. But he knew his goal, knew his true self and what that self wanted. He persevered. He'd quashed the doubt and negativity within him. His goal had driven him so far, and he'd fully embraced it, by staying true to himself. He'd attained what he always wanted. The support of those around him was invaluable.
As unfair as it was, his goal was unattainable without power. A Quirkless individual could not become the symbol of peace. Such a lofty role required power, overwhelming power, in this society of superhumans. That was why… that was why he'd taken such a liking to Midoriya. He saw so much of himself in her. They truly were incredibly similar. But…
'I can't imagine what she's gone through.' He repeated. 'I can't imagine what… I would have done if those feelings in me had won. I always associated them as "someone else". The negative side of me was simply trying to drag me down. But I wouldn't let it. I was stronger than that side of me.' He smashed the ground he sat on, forming a small crater in the ground. 'But… to have my very being warped. To have my true self cut out and replaced by those dark feelings and doubts I could beat back with those around me. What must it have been like, Midoriya? To be forced to think that your true self was nothing but a sham? To have the doubt and negativity we all keep locked inside, to have that become your truth?'
He sat up a tad, he sniffed a final time before regaining some control over his emotions. A realization struck him. 'But… look where you are now, Midoriya. You and I are so much alike. But you had an additional, monumental force, disguised as your own desires shackling you. But we are truly alike. You won't let anything stop you. And look… here you are. Accepted to UA, and pursuing a dream you believe to be impossible. How strong you must be; to trudge through so much opposition. A different kind of unbeatable strength resides in you. The desire to be a hero in you cannot be killed. Not even when you yourself are trying to kill it, by the order of some horrific Quirk.'
In an instant he was on his feet, looking towards the sky. The sun was directly overhead, shining down on the destroyed city. He stared upwards, taking a moment to breath in the calming air, only to cough a few seconds later. The dust had yet to fully clear from the area. A sense of shame washed over him, and he once again surveyed his surroundings with a cooler head. Part of him wanted to run to Nezu and apologize, but he knew he would only be brushed off. He had been given permission, afterall.
He turned towards the entrance he'd come from, slowly deflating back to his normal state. He coughed a few more times; wiping his mouth revealed blood. 'And here I am wasting what little I have left of One For All for some selfish reason. It's called One For All, for a reason.' He rolled his eyes, promising to never again give in to such desires. But… a part of him was thankful he was able to release his pent up emotions. He left the faux-city with a far clearer head, and he began the slow walk back to the main UA grounds. He used the time to think.
Ahead of him lay a complicated and daunting future. One where the Symbol of Peace would retire from Hero work. One where the ninth wielder of One For All must break free from the horrific chains that were restricting her full potential. A future where… he would settle down and leave the hero world he'd changed so drastically.
His mind drifted to Endeavor. As he said to Nezu, he'd revealed a large amount of history to the No. 2 Hero privately. They had plans for a second meeting to more closely discuss how they would work together to secure the coming future. While their relationship was by no means fixed or even improved, when it came to business, Endeavor was nothing but serious. After confirming the validity of All Mights coming retirement, the Flame Hero had immediately began making preparations for the undeniable changes soon to come. Whether or not Endeavor liked All Mights decision was not important, neither were the details surrounding his retirement. Faced with such a drastic change, Endeavor knew worrying about such things wasn't important. Those could come later.
Toshinori thought back to the private conversation the two had only a few days ago…
Flashback...
In his hero form, All Might entered the Endeavor Hero Agency for the first time ever. The receptionist was unable to hide her shock, but after confirming All Might was indeed scheduled to meet with the No. 2 Hero, he was sent up without delay.
His initial request to meet with Endeavor had been denied; no doubt it was assumed to be a joke or some mistake. But after a second request and a separate vouch from another reputable source, Endeavor begrudgingly scheduled a meet time. Thankfully the hot-headed man knew when to put business over emotions.
Toshinori's mind raced as he stood in the elevator. The door opened directly into Endeavors office. The No. 2 Hero's office was quite drab. Only a few light fixtures illuminated the huge room. It was sparsely decorated, and the windows lining the far wall were all tinted to prevent any eavesdropping. The man himself sat behind the large wooden desk with his arms crossed. He wore a suit jacket and pants, but had forgone a tie. All Might had also chosen to wear a suit, judging it appropriate based on the content of their coming discussion.
The two maintained eye contact as All Might approached the large desk. Endeavor gave a slight nod to a nearby chair. All Might sight down without a word, turning to face the Flame Hero, he began. "Hello, Endeavor." The red haired man gave no response, simply raising his head in acknowledgement. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Toshinori decided to skip all formalities and get right into it. "I've come to you today with some important news. I am… retiring from Hero work in a month." That certainly got a reaction from the stoic man.
Endeavor uncrossed his arms, each going to a rest on the arms of his large chair. He wheeled himself forward, leaning closer to the No. 1 Hero. His eyes showed his unfiltered surprise clearly, despite his scowl. "Is this your idea of a joke, All Might?"
He quickly shot a hand up. "I am completely serious. I have… multiple things to reveal to you today. I am hoping we can work together in the coming future to secure a stable future for everyone." That certainly struck a chord. Endeavor sat back in his chair, a hand going to his chin.
'He… doesn't seem to be lying. I've only ever had a handful of conversations with him, but he never struck me as a disingenuous person. What will he reveal, I wonder…' He shifted in his seat before wordlessly getting up and walking to a nearby cabinet. "I will hear you out; but know that this changes nothing between us. This is business. Important business, maybe."
"Of course." All Might confirmed. Endeavor walked around his desk, taking a seat across from the No. 1 Hero. A small gesture, but a meaningful one. Resigning his seat behind the desk to sit as an equal to All Might was certainly appreciated. The red haired man placed two glasses on the table that sat between them, pouring them both a glass of some strong smelling liquid.
He pushed the glass towards the massive blonde, who gave a nod of thanks. "Continue." Was all Endeavor had to say, leaning back in his seat.
A small sigh escaped him, but he began with a steady voice. "Are you aware of a fight I participated in five years ago. I believe it went down in the records as being against Toxic Chainsaw?"
Endeavors eyes widened. 'So it's true… it was a cover up.' The man he despised so much now had his full attention. He nodded.
All Might continued. "What I am going to show you will be shocking, but please remain calm." With only slight hesitation, and confusion from Endeavor, the massive blonde in a suit was covered in a brief cloud of steam. The steam cleared, and All Mights true form was revealed. Endeavor stood up suddenly, his face clearly displaying the emotions running through him.
An angry scowl quickly replaced his shocked expression. He yelled, "WHAT IS THIS? WHO… WHO ARE YOU?!"
All Might raised a hand to hopefully calm the understandably surprised No. 2 Hero. "I assure you I am All Might."
Endeavors mind was racing with countless thoughts. 'Of course he is All Might. Same clothes, some position and hair. Despite the skeletal appearance, it is clearly the same person. Is this his Quirk? Is this why he is retiring? Who else knows about this? What… just what happened recently to make him reveal something like this to me? Has he always been like this?' Slowly but surely the logical part of his brain regained control. He slowly relaxed, returning to his seat with a defeated expression on his face. 'I need to know more.' He thought. Still finding it hard to look at the skeletal All Might, he asked. "You mentioned… your fight with Toxic Chainsaw. I was aware that something was fishy with the fight, but was unable to uncover more than that. Elaborate. Explain… this" He gestured towards All Might.
All Might slowly stood up and undid a few buttons of his jacket. He raised his shirt and jacket up to reveal the massive scarring on his left side. Endeavors eyes bulged. He could barely believe what he was seeing. "Five years ago I battled with an unimaginably powerful Villain. I… emerged victorious, but suffered this wound. My stomach and half of my respiratory system were completely destroyed. My body slowly withered away over the years, weakening me even in my Hero Form."
All Might saw an eyebrow rise at his mention of 'hero form'. "Ah, let me explain some details of my Quirk." He tensed briefly, and in an instant he was back to his muscled self. "This is my Quirk. I am able to buff myself up to this form, and wield incredible physical strength. Prior to my injury I was able to sustain this form almost indefinitely. However nowadays, with my weakening body, My time is down to only a few hours a day at most. My maximum output and speed have also been slowly falling."
Endeavor held a hand up to pause the man across from him. "Please, give me a moment to think." Was all he said.
"Of course…" Despite his reply, he was slightly worried at how Endeavor would react to such information. This was no doubt a lot to take in, and their relationship prior to this was anything but chummy. A couple of minutes passed in silence. All Might took a few small sips from the glass Endeavor provided him. It was good alcohol, no doubt.
The Flame Hero finally spoke again, asking: "Who else knows of this other form of yours?"
"Only a select few. Close friends of mine. The teachers at UA High know, as I have taken up a teaching position there."
"Mmm. Yes I've heard of you being seen on UA grounds. I figured you'd became a teacher. That… makes much more sense with what you've revealed to me now." He paused again, eyeing the massive man in front of him. He pointed at the blonde man's abdomen, "Your injury… you mentioned you are weakening. I've seen your actions in the recent months. You do seem slower, but you are still All Might. You've defeated undeniably strong villains even in your 'weakened' state. Why retire now? And what of this Villain strong enough to push you so far?"
That… was a good dual question. A hard to answer one. 'How much more should I divulge? Should I tell him about One For All? All For One? Having the No. 2 Hero know the details of my power certainly has advantages and disadvantages. What could he do with the information…? What would Nezu or Gran Torino think of me telling Endeavor? What of Midoriya? Though… we need all the help we can get in this shaky time.' All Might let out a heavy sigh. He composed himself, then decided. He would tell him. Everything. He deflated back to his regular form, before starting his long story.
The meeting was originally scheduled to last only thirty minutes. However once All Might began his tale of All For One and the creation of One For All, Endeavor had to briefly excuse himself to cancel all other plans for the day. He returned after a few minutes, looking slightly unsettled.
All Might told Endeavor the entire history of his power, its origin and how it was passed down to be used as a weapon against the supervillain responsible for its creation. He explained how he was Quirkless, and this power was given to him. How he used it to finally defeat All For One. All Might spent nearly two hours explaining the history and answering Endeavors sparse clarifying questions. Endeavor listened largely in silence, simply nodding and absorbing as much information as he could. Eventually All Mights long speech came to a close, and he asked if the Flame Hero had any questions.
"So the One For All power grows each time it is passed down, and it is uniquely expressed in each holder, correct?" Endeavor asked.
"That is correct. My unique expression of the power is my Muscle Form. The power itself is the same for each holder however; enhanced speed and strength." All Might confirmed.
The red haired man scratched his chin, before saying. "So you we're already weakening because of your injury. That prompted you to find a successor. You mentioned you've already selected someone. As time goes on your power weakens further?"
"Not exactly." All Might answered. "One For All no longer resides within me, so the power I have stocked up cannot be replenished. Essentially I am running on finite tank that can't be refilled. Each time I use my power, my reservoir gets smaller. If I avoided using my power for a year, I would still have the level of power I do now." He paused. "Well I might be slightly weaker in a year, due to my injury, but you get the point."
Endeavor nodded. "I understand why you're retiring. Saving your strength in case of some major incident?"
"Sort of. I plan to use a portion of it to continue to train my successor, who is attending UA now." The blonde responded.
"Hmm. May I know who you passed it on to? Although I do have an idea who it is, I would like to hear it from you. I've been keeping a close eye on my young Shoto's class and their progress."
All Might hesitated for a brief moment, but answered truthfully. "Izu Midoriya, in class 1-A."
Endeavor nodded, then let out a hoarse laugh. "Hah! Figures. No wonder that girl is so overwhelming. It makes sense, now."
All Might shuffled in his chair. He'd finished everything he wanted to say. "D-Do you have any more questions?"
Endeavor waited a few moments. "I must say, before you divulged the more sensitive details and history of your power, I was furious. But now…" He stood up and walked a few feet away, his back turned to the No. 1 Hero. "It's reinforced my image of you. Despite everything I've tried to do… You truly are amazing. You've completed your dream. You've become the pillar you sought to create. You've used the power given to you to defeat the Prime-Evil. And… you've passed it on." He began to pace around, eventually turning to face All Might who remained sitting all the while.
The Flame Hero continued, "Its frustrating, truly." He rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "It is challenging to not respect you. But… rest assured, I will not share anything you have told me today. I… need some time to truly process how I feel about all of this. But I will work with you. With UA. With… Midoriya, was it? To maintain the peaceful society you worked so hard to create. The society that I reside in and cherish. That, I promise." He bowed slightly.
A smile crept across Toshinori's face for the first time since the start of the day. "I…" He looked down at his lap, contemplating what he wanted to say. He looked back up, meeting the eyes of the No. 2 Hero. "Thank you, Endeavor. That… means a lot to me. Truly." All Might stood and walked over to the red haired man. Endeavor bristled slightly, unsure what the blonde was going to do. He stopped just in front of the man, and extended a hand. "Toshinori. Toshinori Yagi. It's nice to meet you."
Endeavor paused for a moment, looking at the blonde mans hand. So much had changed in just a few hours. In reality his life's goal had seemingly been flipped on its head without warning. But deep down, the man was a Hero at heart. Heroes came in all shapes and sizes, as was evident with All Mights two massively different physiques. He grabbed the No. 1 Heroes hand, responding, "Enji Todoroki. It's… nice to meet you too."
End Flashback...
Izu was restless for all of her sunday. She wasn't able to study, had barely managed to complete her physical and Quirk training regiment for the day, and she still had two hours until she was supposed to head to Dagobah beach to meet All Might. She was currently holed up in her room, reading in a vain attempt to distract herself. She spared a glance at her phone. '3:34pm… ugh.' Tossing and turning in her bed only served to mess up her hair… more than it already was. Laying still, her eyes rested on her dorm wall across from her bed. An odd thought wormed its way into her mind… 'I wonder… what Kirishima is doing?'
She sat up suddenly, her brows creased. The thought vanished as quickly as it appeared. But it was unmistakable. For a moment she… '-I wanted to go see him?' Izu remained motionless on her bed, still confused where the thought had come from. With closed eyes and a controlled exhale, Izu tried to summon the urge again. Part of her cringed as the word urge flashed through her mind.
After nearly a minute of trying… something, she was unsuccessful. The foreign feeling stuck with her though, she wasn't able to shake off the strange sensation the thought had left her. Inquisitive mind going into overdrive, she debated a few potential solutions. 'I could go to recovery girl? To see if I'm sick… that could explain the feeling and rogue thoughts…' A hand went to her forehead absentmindedly. 'Not warm. Maybe it was… someones Quirk...?' With a sigh, Izu gave up trying to convince herself. Beating around the bush was never her specialty. 'Coming to terms with oneself was the first step in enlightenment… or something like that.' She couldn't remember the quote exactly.
Slumping forward to lean on her legs, she admit a few things to herself in an effort to figure out… well she wasn't sure what she wanted to solve with this. 'So. I thought about wanting to go see Kirishima.' She glanced at the wall their rooms shared. 'Why do… people normally want to see each other? 1) They need help with something. 2) They need to do something for them. 3) They need… company?' She groaned, unhappy with the three points she'd came up with. In the back of her mind, she knew each point had problems, but she was more upset because of what the points implied. 'I don't think I need anything from Kirishima. Bakugo?' An image of the explosive blonde came into her mind. Nothing. 'And I don't have anything for him. If I did he would come to see me, right?' Something fluttered at the idea of him coming to see her.
She stood up suddenly, a small shake traveled from the top of her head to her feet. 'More weirdness. What do I do? Is…' Her whole body was sore from her earlier training, and it clearly wanted her to sit down and relax. Going against her bodies desires, she slowly moved towards her door. 'I should ask him, right? He seems to think we're friends-' Izu only managed three steps towards the door before she froze for the second time in five minutes. 'Are… we friends? Being friends is an agreement between two people. He doesn't just get to decide… right?' A small portion of her was offended that he'd suggest such a thing without asking her first. Surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of her mind was elated that he'd even want something like that.
The gears of her mind still turned wildly as she debated the semantics of friendship, and whether or not she needed or wanted it. Almost unconsciously she slowly opened her door and meandered her way over to Kirishima's door. '-I mean, do I even want to be his friend?' A hand slowly raised, ready to knock on the door. 'What's… in it for me?' The devils advocate within her was getting less and less convincing. 'Well I wont know until I ask. That will also help answer my earlier question about the thing I felt. Maybe they're related.' Her knuckles rapped against his door a few times.
She closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the coming social interaction, unaware of the fact that she'd knocked only moments ago. 'I'm standing a good distance away. He'll open the door with a greeting probably. Do… do we make eye contact to acknowledge each other, then I start with why I came to him? Will he think I'm rude if I just look at the floor? I don't want that…' A hasty hand pushed some of her bangs behind her ears. 'Okay well I can decide on the start later. What do I ask him? Should I just be straightforward and ask-'
The door flew open. Kirishima wore a bright smile upon seeing who knocked on his door. Especially since she didn't look upset. "Hi there, Midoriya! What ca-"
"Are we friends?!" She blurted while looking right at him.
The redhead was silent as he held her gaze for a few seconds.
…
…
…
She cracked first, looking down at the ground with a growing blush. Unable to stand the silence any longer, she quickly descended into a muttering fit. Something between an apology and trying to explain herself. Thankfully, Kirishima was quick to interject.
"-If you want to be." That shut her up quick. Izu raised her head slightly to peek up at him, finally registering what he looked like. Sweaty, baggy shorts, white tanktop.
'The white matches his hair really well…' Izu's mouth was slightly ajar as she tried to formulate words. None came.
Kirishima, ever the conversationalist, continued after seeing her slight struggle. "I've said before: I want to be your friend. My friendship isn't very exclusive. I like to be on friendly terms with whoever I can. If… if you want to be friends then I'm all for it!" He held up a fist to accentuate his words.
Izu fidgeted with her hands, returning her gaze to the floor, still silent. The redheads smile faltered slightly as his reiteration of his offer of friendship went unanswered. His arm slowly fell back down to his side. 'Well I can't expect her to continue the conversation. This isn't a good point to drop it though. Think. She came here wanting to confirm if we were friends or not. She must want to reciprocate then, right? If she didn't, she would have phrased her question differently. I think. I find it hard to believe that was a genuine question.'
After some internal debate, Kirishima slowly added on in a solemn tone. "Of course… if you want me to steer clear… I will."
"No!" She extended a small hand forward, but quickly retracted it. "No. Please… don't."
Now he was just confused. 'So her question earlier was… real? She was asking me if we were friends? I made it clear that I thought so. The only thing that's left is she has to agree. So… she wasn't sure if she agreed? She came to ask me if her feelings were…' Kirishima's expression darkened. 'Has she never had a friend before?' Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he knew what he had to do. 'Leave the ball in her court. She's smart. Socially inept, maybe. But smart. She'll catch on… I hope.'
Smile returning, he began. "Well you're the only one who can answer that question, Midoriya. You know my answer, and I don't want to push you in one direction or the other." He scratched his head. "Well… I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an option I wanted you to choose. But you know which that is."
"I… don't know what to say." She admits.
"You don't always have to." He affirmed with a shrug. "Taking time to really think over important decisions is… well... important. As lame as that sounds. So to answer your earlier question… I hope so!"
Izu was barely keeping it together. 'Why'd I go and do this to myself? I could have stayed in my room and avoided this entirely.' She dropped her hands to her sides, trying to reign in her breathing. Kirishima leaned against his door, patiently waiting for her to reply. If she even would. "Then… can we?" She asked, sheepishly bumping her fingers together.
'So cute… and she said yes!' The redhead let himself be caught up in the moment briefly, before righting himself. "Then it's settled." He stated, smile returning full force. He saw some tension leave her shoulders. 'She really was worried about my response… even after the confirmations. That must have been hard.' "Friends, Midoriya?"
"Y-Yeah…" She whispered while looking towards her room.
Believing their conversation to be finished, Izu quickly excused herself. She turned to scurry off towards her room. Kirishima swore that, as she turned, he saw the edge of her mouth upturned ever so slightly. He watched her retreat inside her room, shifting to lean against the other side of his door frame. 'Well. I think that went well.' He rubbed his face, letting out the small breath he didn't know he was holding. 'She's certainly a pursuit. But… I think-' He stopped himself from going any further. 'It's not good to assume things, Eijiro! I can see that you're working on this whole friendship thing, Midoriya! Go for it! I'm rooting for you.'
6pm on the dot, Izu heard a familiar 'Whoomph' behind her. The kicked up sand settled, forming a small crater around All Might, who'd landed just a few feet away from her. He spotted her and aimed to touchdown closeby, so she'd immediately be aware of his presence. He'd accidentally startled her more than once before, and knew she hated it.
He saw her tense up slightly, confirming she'd heard him land. She didn't turn to face him, however. Instead opting to remain sitting, her arms were wrapped around her legs protectively. With a sigh, All Might surveyed the surrounding area. Few people were around, considering the time and day. Confident he wouldn't be seen, All Might deflated back to his normal state.
He wordlessly approached, plopping down beside her and watching the shoreline. It was quite beautiful, especially since the sun would be setting within the hour. A calm mixture of subtle oranges and dark blues. It almost looked painted by hand.
They sat in silence for a number of seconds, simply enjoying the view. Eventually the ever-vigilant All Might coughed to begin their conversation, not wanting to use too much time. "Ahem. Midoriya… how are you doing?" He asked lamely. Despite wanting to get on with the reason he was here… he still didn't know how to deal with the girl. He couldn't help but look at her slightly differently, considering what Nezu revealed to him. It still bore down heavily on his conscience.
Still looking forward, she answered "I'm… doing okay."
"I see. Have you been enjoying the classes at UA?"
"I guess. It's good training." She shrugged.
"Mmm. Well. My uh… I came to talk about something related. And…" He paused, causing her to look over at him for the first time.
'He looks… so sad? Whats wrong, All Might?' She meant to ask out loud, but couldn't manage. "Well I'm… ready to listen."
He sat up a little straighter, still looking forwards at the beautiful sunset in progress. "I'm coming to UA to focus on training you and your class. Full time."
'Full time?' She thought, unsure what he meant by that.
Thankfully he continued after a short pause. "What is the highest level of your Full-Cowling you've been able to utilize?"
She recalled the past two weeks of class. 'Never had to go above 35% except for the apprehension tests. But even then my usage of 35% was almost certainly not required…' She started, "Uh… I think the highest I can realistically use safely is 40%. Not for very long, though."
All Might's heart swelled with pride. 'Shes come so incredibly far… And… Now that she's reached this point, we can begin true One For All training, as my master did for me.' "How much experimenting, if any, have you done with wind-based attacks?"
"Attacks? Well I can flick my fingers for a small burst, but besides that I usually avoid making wind. It's too unpredictable." Her eyes widened, suddenly remembering an important detail. "Speaking of, All Might. I've been meaning to ask you. How do you avoid the huge force your movements cause when you use higher percentages? Thats been my main gating factor…"
He scooted forward slightly in order to be in front of her. "That's actually… very relevant to what I wanted to talk about." He paused for a reaction, but she simply looked at him with a curious expression. "Now that you've got a solid understanding of control, I can focus on teaching you how to use the raw power of One For All to its fullest potential. Think of it like… tips and tricks. Or Super Moves."
Her eyes raised as he said 'super moves'. A tiny bit of visible excitement slipped out. 'This all sounds… frankly it sounds amazing. Being trained by All Might. But… what he said earlier is still bothering me. The tone he used…' She coughed before beginning. "Well, that all sounds incredible, All Might. But… uh… you mentioned full time?"
Izu didn't miss the surprise on his face. 'Crap. She caught on. Well… it's not like I could avoid telling her this. I was hoping to… push it towards the end.' All Might scrunched his face up, clearly upset. An odd feeling of worry slowly manifested in the duo. He sighed, but nonethless launched into an explanation. "Yes. I will… be working for UA full time. Meaning… I will be retiring from Hero Work soon." He glanced at her to gauge a reaction. Should he continue? Stop? He didn't know. His words didn't seem to have an effect on her, or at least not an outwardly observable one. He hesitantly continued, "The timing… now seems like the best moment… for me to do this. My injury has weakened me to the point of-"
"But! What will we do without you? How will… everything change?"
"The world does not revolve around a single person, Young Midoriya."
"Yes but-"
"No buts!" He cut her off with a wave. "Worry is normal. Panic is normal. Uncertainty is normal… and… Fear is normal. As a Hero, you can't let these consume you in the moment. Separation between oneself, opinions, and actions outside and during Hero Work is important. You understand?"
She couldn't disagree. He was right, she knew. "O-Of course."
"Good. Then you know the world will continue to turn. This is why I brought you here today. To brief you on our plan for the future."
"Our?" She questioned.
"Yes. I've enlisted the help of… some individuals. Some you know personally, some not."
She used her hands to turn herself to face All Might, sand covering her in multiple places. She paid it no mind. She sat up straighter, focusing intently on what he had to say. 'This is important, Izu. Focus. Emotions can come later. You've practiced this. Hero Work comes first.'
All Might saw the shift in her eyes. Seeing it happen up close was… concerning. Part of him wondered what 'it' truly was. What she was doing, or what her thought process was. He'd seen her do this during their extensive training prior to her admittance to UA, and again during UA. Aizawa had recorded her… odd change of character on more than one occasion. He quickly studied her face, not wanting to pause for too long. Her eyes were slightly more open. She sat up straighter, facing him fully. She was making eye contact. Her hair was brushed back. The usual deep-seated worry that always adorned her face was gone. She looked confident and in control. Focused and determined.
'It's… unsettling, frankly. She doesn't feel like the same person.' He rubbed his face, knowing he had to continue his explanation. "Well uh… I will elaborate. It is an undeniable fact that One For All is an incredibly powerful Quirk. Already you've demonstrated the ability to simply overwhelm most difficulties or battles with sheer force." She gave a curt nod, though she would never admit it out loud. "The power inside of you has grown once again from being passed on. In order for you to replace me as the pride of all Heroes, one that everyone can strive to be like, you must learn to adeptly control this overwhelming power. All aspects must be mastered."
He paused to gather his thoughts. He never liked monologuing. Izu simply stared at him with an… almost cold gaze. Confident that his thoughts were organized, he continued his speech. "As I said earlier, now that you've mastered basic control over One For All's power, we can move to teach you advanced techniques that will forge you into an incredible force to be reckoned with. To assist with this, I've enlisted the help of a few Pro Heroes. I can get you a detailed list later, but what's important is that they are all in contact with Principal Nezu."
"In contact? Does this mean Pro's outside of UA's teachers will be participating in our lessons in some form?" She inquired.
"Probably. I'm not too sure what Nezu has planned with them. I know at least one of them was specifically sought out by Aizawa. To spar with you. He also contacted me about that." He smirked at her. "Apparently you've been causing him trouble by being too powerful for his lessons." He joked.
She lowered her head in shame. With a heavy voice she responded, "My apologies. I will… be sure to correct my ways."
"No! That isn't what I meant, Midoriya." He quickly corrected. "It was a bad joke. I apologize. It would be counterproductive for you to not use the full extent of your abilities when training. That is specifically why Aizawa went out of his way to find appropriate people for you to spar with. To ensure you can actively engage with the lessons."
She wasn't entirely convinced. Her eyebrows furrowed down. Now she didn't know what to think. Before she could confuse herself any further, she asked "When… do you plan on announcing your retirement?"
"After the sports festival. As far as I know, myself and the other Pro's will have some training with class 1-A and 1-B before the festival begins. I can't say how much or with who, though. I simply don't know yet."
She nodded, absorbing and cataloguing the information. "Then… what of the plan you mentioned? A plan for a future… without All Might."
He raised both hands up in front of himself. "I will still be here, Midoriya. My retirement serves two purposes. One, I will use my power to the best of my ability to train the fledgling heroes at UA. Two, I will be saving my remaining strength to deal with any major threats… if any arrives. Although it pains me to say, it simply doesn't make sense for me to exert myself to deal with threats that can be addressed by another Hero."
"Mmm." Came Izu's simple reply. She agree'd with All Mights assessment, but nonetheless turned back towards the sunset, which was now beautifully underway. Her head rested on her knee, as she lost herself in thought. All Might also turned back towards the shoreline, seemingly finished with his exposition for the time being.
The blonde continued after a moment of pause. "You are... right to assume that drastic changes will happen. But rest assured, many talented Pro's are working as we speak to prepare for that future. We will not enter into the unknown without exhausting every possible option to increase our success. We have interesting times ahead of us, Young Midoriya. Know that I am fully confident in your abilities. I have never, for even a moment, doubted or regret my choice of successor. Confidence in yourself is important. Do not downplay your own abilities in comparison to those around you." He rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to put more pressure on the girl than she already had. But… at the same time he wanted to reiterate a point. "Although it pains me to say, you have inherited a monumental responsibility. One For All is an exceptionally powerful Quirk, and the duty of using it and passing it on now falls to you. I trust your judgement, and you've done nothing but make me proud thus far."
"I… don't know what to say. I… promise I will continue to try and meet your expectations."
He sighed. She still had a long way to go when it came to accepting praise. At the moment, however, the results were more important than flattery. "I know you will, Young Midoriya. You've already done so well. Please work well with the Heroes in the coming weeks of school."
She nodded, still staring out at the orange sunset. It truly looked like a painting now. It was hard to believe something like this occurred naturally. All on its own.
Authors note:
Plot divergence!
Trying to use chapter names now. We'll see how that goes.
I'm kind of settled in to 2 week updates at this point. Based on how fast I write (which is slow), it works with my schedule. Might slow down a bit in the coming weeks due to finals.
~Till next time!
Thank you for all the reviews! Despite reading Fanfiction for nearly a decade now, I almost never left reviews, even for my favorite stories. That's all changed now that I see how much they mean to an author. It always brings a smile to my face to read what you guys have to say.