Toshinori, the former Number One Hero and Symbol of Peace, was having a good day. Despite how outgoing he was, he too, appreciated the alone time he was having in the empty teacher's lounge. Normally, it would be filled with other teachers at this point of the day. Aizawa would be taking a nap on the couch he was currently sitting on; the loud Present Mic would be striking up a conversation with anyone near the coffee machine that was stationed across the room near the set of cabinets, usually Ectoplasm or Midnight; and just a ways away was a table Vlad and Snipe would eat their lunches at. Though, that day would be changed when his relaxation was interrupted by his cell ringing.
"Mr. All Might?" A female voice asked sounding a bit hesitant over the line, her tone shaky and slow. He almost didn't understand her words due to the loud chattering in the background. "I-I'm Nurse Kira from M-Mustafu General Ward."
"No need to be scared, Young Lady. I may be All Might but I am retired. No need to call me all that. Just Mr. Might will do." The blonde chuckled in an attempt to ease the nurse of her tension.
"O-okay, Mr. Might. Um, gosh. I can't believe the number worked. Ah, I don't know whether to be excited because I'm a huge fan of yours… or t-to be a bit scared since..." The nurse trailed off, causing the blonde hero to frown.
"What is it? Does it have something to do with my wound?" he asked, leaning back into the comfy turquoise cushions.
"No, sir! You're practically golden!" the nurse reassured, though it did come out as a jumbled mess, reminding Toshinori of someone close who does the same. "It actually has to do something with an acquaintance of yours? A 'Deku'?" All the color seemed to have disappeared from the former hero's face, his jaw falling ajar and remaining that way as panic and dread filled in. "He was admitted a few hours ago. We just recently found a list of numbers written down in his hero suit's pockets. We called each of them but yours is the only one that worked..."
"Wh-what? Is he okay? What happened? Please, tell me he's okay!" Toshinori yelled, unnoticing the feeling akin to a parent's fear as he stood, already making his way to the door.
"He's stable...but he's heavily injured. We were trying to contact Miss Recovery Girl, but she hasn't been picking up. Neither has your principal." The blonde man gritted his teeth as his breaths began to become huffs. He definitely should have worn less baggy clothes as it seemed to be more of a problem then it used to be. "I will get them there. Please do whatever you can until we arrive." Without waiting for a reply, he took the shortest route to the faculty meeting room where they were having a discussion on the security for the upcoming culture festival. Good thing too, since if Aizawa was there, he could have him cancel today's battle class to get Chiyo out of here.
"Nezu!" Toshinori yelled, a bit of blood flying from his skeleton-like mouth as he pushed the door open. No one had been expecting such a thing, so it wasn't a surprise to see the heroes reflexively get into their fighting poses.
"Ah, Yagi-San. What do you need from me today? Surely it can wait after we finish the talk of implementing a new security wall." The rat-bear principal didn't show it, but he was annoyed someone came to interrupt a meeting. Even if it was the Number one Hero.
"If it could have waited, I'm definitely going to make you watch over the Class as I get back the nap time you stole from me." Aizawa, the home room teacher of Class 1-A groaned irritatedly, already moving to sit back down.
"It can't. I just received word that Young Midoriya has been hospitalized!" The news that Toshinori sprung had captured everyone's attention. Even Aizawa's who had just fallen asleep woke up with a frown.
"How can that be? Classes start back in fifteen minutes. They aren't allowed off campus until after school." The sleepy hero looked over the U shaped table and up the wall. The digital clock that was mounted reading '12:15'.
"It doesn't matter. Principal Nezu, we need to cancel all battle simulations. The hospital needs Recovery Girl, but I bet she's swamped with prepping the infirmary to answer her calls."
"Quite a predicament." The lab experiment took his thinking stance which only served to irritate the former hero. "Alright. Aizawa, Vlad. Report to your students and reconvene at the U.S.J for impromptu Rescue and Field-Medicine training. It will serve as a good enough substitute while I join Mr. Yagi and Recovery Girl to the hospital." Receiving only one verbal response and a lazy nod, the two hero course teachers left immediately to set up a sudden joint class training. "Now then, shall we go?" Toshinori didn't need to be told as he had already made his way out of the meeting room, Principal following along as they went to fetch the last person needed with them before embarking toeards the hospital in Mustafu.
(Scene shift)
Waking up a bit better than the last time he was conscious, green eyes met a series of white painted ceiling panels, the overwhelming stench of sterile cleaning products accompanying the sight.
"I must have a knack for waking in different places than I was before." Voicing his bitter thoughts out loud, Deku moved to sit up. Instantly regretting doing so as the pain that felt like knives stabbing into his stomach returned, prompting him to rush a hand over to feel the bandages through the thin white hospital gown he was dressed in. The only other thing on him being his underwear and a dirtied white glove on his left hand. Why it was on? Deku could only guess they either didn't have time to cut it off, or they just didn't know how to bypass the mechanism he had implemented to make sure that specific glove didn't fall. It made him smile just a bit to see it work. At least there was one joy he felt in this roller coaster of situations. A knock on the door had captured his attention, interrupting any current thoughts and having his eyes sweep over the minimalist white room and over to the door where he could see a dark silhouette through the opaque screen.
"Young Midoriya?" That voice... It was so familiar. Whoever it belonged to made him feel safe, secure. A sense of achievement and acknowledgement rushed through him as the voice also radiated comfort and trust. Tilting his head and ignoring the soft ruffles the bandages that wrapped around his head made in protest to his movement, he saw the man he'd admired for years push through the door. Eyes widened with a silent gasp as the skinny form of All Might entered. One would be feeling excitement for meeting his hero, but Deku was feeling excited for a whole different reason.
"Dad?" Deku whispered faintly, but it was just enough for Toshinori to hear.
"Dad? That's a new one, but let's go with it." Although it was said as a joke, Deku could still see the frown of concern etched into his bony expression.
"Ah.. I'm sorry. You must not be used to it after all these years.. I only did start to call you that after you insisted." Said with a smile, Izuku rubbed his head gingerly and carefully. Avoiding any tender spots or any bandages that littered his green mop.
"I don't remember asking you to call me that, but I don't mind at all. With all that's happened, it really does feel like you're my son." Toshinori seemed to have felt.. Pride saying that. In saying he had a son. It caused the frown to vanish and an All Might-esque smile to appear.
"Especially after you married mom." Hearing that, the blonde hero looked in an equal mix of horror and confusion.
"Wh-what? Last time I checked, I wasn't married."
"Ha.. Come on, Yagi-San. You can't fool me anymore. I know you're embarrassed to.. To.." Izuku's words trailed off into a cough, a violent one at that, and in a fit of concern, Toshinori rushed over to pat his back.
"Seriously, son. I have no idea what you're talking about. While I admit, Miss Midoriya does look attractive and is very nice to me, we, as individuals, have nothing more than friendship between us over you." This time, it was Izuku's turn to look confused.
"You really don't know? You can't be that shy, can you? It's already been five years." He huffed out, not liking the fact that the man he came to admire would see being with his mom as too embarrassing.
"Young Midoriya, if I was married to your mother for five years, you would have been ten and would remember so."
"Wait, ten?" Why would Yagi say ten? He was twenty when he attended his Mother and his wedding. Distinctly remembering the yellow tux he wore on his big day, Izuku doing the same to pay tribute to the man who couldn't attend due to an unfortunate Hero operation years ago. "You're kidding me right? This isn't some April Fools joke, is it?" It had to be. After all, it was summer. Though, he couldn't ignore the fact that it felt a bit colder than it normally would during spring.
"April fools? Young Midoriya, April has passed months ago."
"Months ago... Passed...?" Passed. That word seemed to ring the most for some reason. As it seemed like a taunting word rather than an out of place one. "Wait, what month is it? What year is it?" Izuku asked, panic setting in.
"Young Izuku? Are you alright? You do remember it's January, yes? 20XX?" No... No... "Izuku?"
"I'm... I'm in the past." If anything else had been said, it would have been to make sure Izuku's head hadn't been hard enough. Worry was still flooding Toshinori's system, which he didn't notice.
"Still the smart person you are." A familiar smooth voice said before Toshinori could question Izuku on his well-being. Turning around, both Izuku and All Might could see the principal and nurse of U.A.
"No need to worry about the boy. His head is alright, just a few small lacerations to the scalp. I know you well enough to know what questions go through that thick skull of yours." Recovery Girl huffed, walking in with her cane. "He'll make a full recovery." Hearing that brought a sigh of relief to the skinny blonde man, but that didn't answer the lingering question.
"Before you ask any questions, do take a good look at him and you'll find the answer yourself.." Doing what he was told, Toshinori took a good look at Izuku only to gasp in shock. This.. This wasn't Izuku at all! Well, he truly looked like him... But this Izuku's face didn't have all that adorable baby fat that made his cheeks look pinchable and his hair was cut short. The sides being cut extremely short while the top remained messy but at least tameable. How the hell didn't he notice this before!?
"I... So is-"
"Yes, Yagi-san. The Midoriya you know is okay and still at school. As for this one..." The rat-bear hybrid took out a familiar plastic object. "The All-Eye agency. Created by you, correct?" Nezu asked, pulling a chair close to the side of All Might and the hospital bed before hopping onto it. "Tell us about this agency. And about what you feel is wrong. Doing so will help both us and you in understanding precarious situation we've landed in." And tell them Izuku did. He went on to tell him about what he experienced. He graduated from U.A seven years ago, ranking just under the Vice Rep in their class rankings, much to the ire of his childhood friend whose friendship was rekindled. Speaking of him, the two of them created and opened a hero agency together after graduation, the Bombshell agency which was stationed in the same city All Might's had before closing down. Years later, Izuku departed from the agency, wanting to make it on his own after the news of both him and Kaachan making it into the top fifteen in the hero rankings surfaced. The explosive blonde was spiteful, but grew to understand the pride and confidence that Izuku had. Respecting that, he had told him to fuck off so they can be rivals once more. And in doing so, Izuku went to create the agency whose name was plastered on his hero license, all while All Might was courting his mother. Another few years later and he was officially titled the Number one hero, essentially filling in as the Symbol of Peace of Japan, already making some headway on the international rankings.
"Amazing. Hearing that reaffirms my decision on choosing you as my successor. Guess all those times of doubting yourself was for naught, hm?" Toshinori teased with a smile, being beyond jovial to know everything was working out in the end.
"No thanks to you. From what he said, you were too busy chasing someone's skirt while he was busy cementing his spot at the top." Recovery girl had said with a frown, cane itching to hit the back of her most troublesome patient's head.
"No, no, it's okay Recovery girl! All Might had taught me everything he knew before I even reached the top fifty! He had every right to relax and sit back and do something for himself after years of service to the people." Hoping that was enough to diffuse the situation, Izuku leaned back into the pillows with a sigh. "Speaking of which, this year, or my year, it was my third as the number one hero and as the Symbol of Peace. Things were going so well, but I can't for the life of me remember what happened that got me here." Frustration evident, the green haired hero clenched his fists. Teeth gritting as he was ashamed of himself that he had let something so severe happen. "I don't know if time goes on normally in my time or if this timeline travels faster. I'm just worried something bad is happening."
"There's nothing we can do at the moment about your worry." Izuku's small rant of his feelings was cut short by the principal's blunt words that didn't help a smidge in reducing his frustration or worry. "But what we can do, is get you fully healed so that when we do find your way home, you'll be in your best shape possible to combat the forces of evil." Careful to have used the right word of 'when' rather than 'if', Nezu had brought a smile onto the future hero's face.
"You're right. I have to focus on myself until then." Nodding, Izuku had began to chuckle. Reminiscing of his past with All Might who allowed the boy, er, man, to ramble while also laughing himself.
"Yes, but-" The sudden choice of words caused Izuku to freeze, cutting his conversation with Toshinori.
"But?"
"But! Since you're here, this provides U.A a very special and unique opportunity." Raising a brow, Izuku told the principal to go on with his facial expressions. "Will you teach some classes for U.A? Ah! Do not worry about not being licensed, I am sure I can pull some strings and get you the right documents to grant you at least a substitute teacher level of teaching authority."
"Er.. Me? Teach?" Izuku always had the thought in mind. Whether it would be for the chance to find a successor or to try and pass along the teachings of Aizawa and Gran Torino who were effectively retired from heroism and teaching, he just didn't have the time. After all, he was almost married to his job.
"Yes, teach. You have knowledge and ten years of experience. I'll have you teach I-A and 1-B the differences between a student who's still in U.A and a hero who graduated from it." Izuku could see why Nezu wanted him to teach, but...
"Wouldn't it be the same as when Mirio-san demonstrated the differences between students who never had field experience to those who did from work study?"
"My, my. Always perceptive aren't you. Yes, it would be the same... But! It would serve as motivation!"
"Motivation? Are the students lacking in determination or something?" Toshinori asked in confusion, finally stepping into the conversation with his prodigy and his principal.
"Not at all. Just a certain event happening had caused the students to feel dejected. A passing of a human life will do that no matter the resolve a hero has." To that, All Might nodded. Despite being the most powerful man alive before his injury and decision to succeed his power to Izuku, there was always that unlucky few he couldn't save. The lives that had already perished before he arrived on scene. He always felt that he was responsible. He could relate to the students, knowing that his death was affecting himself still.
"Wait, someone died? Who could have died for a whole class to lose their spirit?" Face showing he was in his deep thinking mode, it was only a few seconds after that he showed recognition.
"I can see you remember now, but to reiterate. The reason why Class 1-A and 1-B needs to be motivated is because during a hero operation months ago…" Deku's eyes clenched shut, trying to hold back the sudden tears that were trying to come out.
"An unfortunate incident occurred. While leaving many injured and one student without their quirk…" The familiar dread that had been forgotten many years ago were bubbling back to the surface of his mind. He did manage to get over his death at one point, but before that.. He truly felt like the meaning of his name. Useless. He felt useless and powerless when he could do nothing when…
"The Pro Hero Sir Night-Eye died fighting against the Villain Overhaul"
Thank you for reading and please leave a review. Tell me what I can improve on. So don't back on any criticisn or nitpicks.