The weekend had passed relatively quickly in Izuku's eyes as his time was taken up between planning for the counselling session on Monday and his usual hero work. Before he knew it, it was Monday morning and he was sat in his office, finishing off the first-year files with the goal being to start on the second years' tomorrow. From that conversation, re-drafting and altering his original plans in a bid to get them perfect for Shinsou now after already having months of training was Izuku's ultimate goal. From what he could tell, Shinsou already having a Quirk could be a major turning point in the way the counselling session would be held.
From what Izuku already knew about Quirks, users view their powers as extensions of their bodies, as additional parts of themselves, which is why most people used them accordingly. Bakugou was a good example, since he knew exactly how much power and energy he had to put into his blasts depending on the situation he was in. In Shinsou's case, it was the same with his brainwashing Quirk. Shinsou could easily control anyone who spoke to him, it was like second nature to the teen. However, Izuku observed that Shinsou didn't consider this with One For All.
What the purple haired teen was doing was forcing all of the power in one area, like an on or off switch. Those smashes destroyed his bones as the power output was too much for his limbs to handle. Like All Might had said, at most, Shinsou could call upon 5% of his power safely right now. That, was being thrown out of the window and 100% was being forcibly pushed through his veins and out through his fingers, legs and fists, which couldn't withstand the power at the moment. Maybe the was the way to go, instead of forcing more training in, having Shinsou focus on the more mental side of One For All may help him control his power quicker than normal.
It was getting late – the sun was beginning to set – when Izuku heard the door to his office cautiously open as his mind was spinning with these thoughts. He looked up, surprised to find out that All Might was joining in on this session with Shinsou, whose bags were a shade lighter than usual.
"Afternoon, Dekiru, thank you for fitting us in." All Might, in his bony skeleton of a man form, smiled graciously as the two took seats in front of his desk, wincing at the uncomfortable shifting that was coming from his successor.
"No problem at all, All Might," Even though he wasn't in his hero form, Izuku refrained from calling All Might Toshinori, for the one reason that Shinsou had no idea what his mentor's true name was. "How are your arms, Shinsou?" The student blinked for a second, before sheepishly responding.
"They're fine now, thanks for asking." Shinsou directed his attention to his feet, an action that caused Izuku to share a sympathetic look with Toshinori over. He must have still felt guilty for his actions during the training exercise on Friday.
"Please, don't push yourself down the one-way road to guilt tripping any more than you already have," Izuku told the boy that was around his age. "If anyone is to blame it's this man for not realising that you two could have killed each other if you weren't careful. You should have stopped the exercise, All Might, the moment I told you to end it!"
"But, I was trying to…" Toshinori was interrupted by a gloved hand to the face from the Pro that was leaning over his desk with a glare flashing in his eyes.
"Nope, don't want to hear it, we aren't here to talk about that today," Shinsou watched as Dekiru sat back down and opened a file with his name on it. "We're here to try and solve the issue behind your successor's constant breaking of his bones due to One For All. And I think I may have an answer for that."
"You do?!" Both mentor and successor exclaimed at the same time, calming down after a steely stare from the hero behind the desk.
"Shinsou, how would you describe it feels like using your birth Quirk, your Brainwashing Quirk?" Izuku asked casually, smirking behind his mask at the raised eyebrow on the student's face.
"Well, I don't really think about it much…" Shinsou replied anyway, humouring the Quirk Counsellor for a bit. "I get someone to speak, I stare at them and feel a pulse from my brain, and then they do what I want them to do."
"I see," The Quirkless hero smiled, the response was the one he was betting on hearing. "So, you don't have to force yourself into using your Quirk? Your Quirk is just a part of you, like a muscle or a joint?" With a nod as his answer, and a very confused Toshinori sharing a glance with an equally confused Shinsou, Izuku continued. "Right then, why aren't you doing the same for One For All?"
"Huh?"
"From what I've seen, the way you handle One For All is similar to a switch, it's either off or on in one area of your body, or maybe two or three areas at one… but never all over," Izuku got out of his chair and walked around his desk, his visitors followed his movements with their heads until he was leaning against the edge of the wooden surface. "All Might doesn't just summon One For All in one area, the power is surging through his body constantly day and night so he can easily use it at 100% at any one moment in time… when he's in his beefy tough guy form."
"Hey!" Toshinori pouted whilst Shinsou sniggered at his mentor's slight torment.
"I mean it respectfully. It's that form that has been the Symbol of Peace for decades," Dekiru nodded in All Might's direction, who puffed out his chest proudly in response. "That form is a result of using One For All throughout his body consistently. For you, Shinsou, you're doing what a five-year-old thinks happens when someone isn't using their Quirk. You're treating it like something that has a switch, that needs to be forced out. So, I have to ask, what do you think of One For All as a Quirk?"
Flustered, Shinsou looked at All Might, who gave him a grin and a thumbs up, before replying. "I think it's a gift, a powerful Quirk that I can use to become a hero, a Quirk that won't be judged by others because strength Quirks aren't seen as villainous. It's flashy and strong… and I feel so… so heroic using it, I feel like I can do anything. Which is why I get so annoyed when I keep on hurting myself. I want to control this Quirk, so I can use it to become the hero I always wanted to be, but I can't be a hero when I break an arm to pieces when I use it."
"And because it's a gift, you aren't treating the Quirk as if it's yours," The purple haired student stared at the pro in front of him. Izuku tried to show compassion through his eyes alone, as the mouth guard covered up his warm smile. "Shinsou, you own One For All now, it's your Quirk. You need to start thinking of it as such. Repeat after me, it's not a gift, it's my power."
"It's not a gift…" Shinsou stumbled with his words, struggling to believe what he was saying. "It's my power."
"Like you mean it, Shinsou." Izuku yawned, noticing the lack of conviction in his words.
"It's not a gift, it's my power."
"Louder!"
"IT'S NOT A GIFT, IT'S MY POWER!" Toshinori blinked at his successor, who yelled the words from the top of his lungs which caused him to pant for air afterwards. He also noticed Midoriya's face light up behind his mask and guard.
"Okay, I believed that one," Izuku chuckled and placed a hand on Shinsou's shoulder. "Now act upon it. If One For All is truly your power, learn to control it. Don't act as if it's just a gift, okay?" A slow, but convincing head nod was all the confirmation that Izuku needed. He retracted his hand so that he could cheerily wave the two off. "Okay then, that's all I needed to do for today's session. Same time next week then?"
"Next week?" Shinsou asked with furrowed brows.
"Yes, I need to keep an eye on your progress, especially since there's a class trip on Wednesday that you guys are going on," Izuku returned to his seat, jotting some notes on a piece of lined paper to add to the file. "I want to help you become a great hero, Shinsou, so please, let me help you. I know One For All inside and out, thanks to All Might over there. Plus, Recovery Girl will kill us if you end up in her infirmary with horrible injuries again!" Both Pro Heroes were shaking slightly at the scary punishments delved out by the scariest hero alive, something of which Shinsou had never seen personally for himself. Blissfully unaware, the student blinked before he smiled and nodded at the counsellor.
"Thank you for helping me." Shinsou stood up and bowed as All Might mirrored his actions.
"You're welcome," Izuku watched as the successor picked up his bag and left the office. Just as he turned to go back to his work, a hand on his shoulder made him turn back around. "What's the matter, Toshinori-san?"
"I just wanted to thank you, Young Midoriya," Toshinori stared out at the window, tired eyes glinting with the sun's low rays. "I don't think the concept of what One For All really is to Shinsou would have had the same impact coming from me."
"You are right about that, but for the wrong reasons." The fifteen-year-old sighed, but was giving an invisible small smile to his idol. "Maybe, if you had told him, then he would have taken it seriously. But, on the other hand, it might have caused more problems for Shinsou in the future. The way he handles One For All will be completely different to the way you have used it. He can't just copy you." Izuku turned off his computer as he spoke, packing up for the day. "You may be his mentor, but he is not meant to be a miniature copy of you. He has a Quirk he was born with, one he needs to accept if he is ever going to surpass you in terms of power. Once he learns that, then he can truly take your place as the next Symbol of Peace, the true successor to All Might."
"I know that," Toshinori frowned, angry at himself in a way for not realising how hard it would be for Shinsou to learn how to control his new powers. "I should have listened to you in the first place. You know more Quirks and their usages then I have punched villains. I should have followed your plan for a teenaged successor to One For All with an emitter Quirk, but no, I let my pride and my job as the eight user of One For All cloud everything else out. I thought it was my responsibility alone to train the next user, but I have no idea how to teach a class of students, let alone personally tutor one to learn how to use the Quirk I have passed down to them."
"All Might…" Izuku turned his attention to the sunset as well, taking in a deep breath before he spoke again. "Admitting that is the first step in becoming a better mentor. Accepting help from others isn't weak, especially when you're trying to teach another something. We're all human, we can't be perfect at everything, right?"
"Yeah, I should know that better than anyone." Memories of past events, people he couldn't save and villains he couldn't defeat flashed into Toshinori's vision behind closed eyes. He remembered all the times All Might, Symbol of Peace and saviour of humanity against villainy wasn't able to save everyone. It hurt him that he couldn't, but he was only human, after all. There was no way he could save everyone in the world.
"Well then, at least you're working on it now," Izuku lightly punched him in the arm, lowering his mouth guard to show the number 1 hero his warm smile. "And to be honest, when I was little, I was sure you did save everyone. I have watched that video of your debut about 10,000 times over the past decade or so… as far back as I can remember basically. Now I've met the more, well, imperfect side of All Might, I'm glad I don't have that naïve view of you anymore. You're a great person, Toshinori-san, I bet your predecessor would be proud of you."
"She… she…" Toshinori froze, thinking back to Nana Shimura and how they met, her passing on her gift to him, the few brief moments they had together before she died at the hands of All For One. He closed his eyes once again, this time to hide some tears that were close to forming. "Yeah, she would have been proud. At least, I think she would have." He opened his eyes again and grinned at the younger hero. "Thank you for talking to me, Young Midoriya. It's been a pleasure to learn so much."
"Oh…" Toshinori hid a chuckle as the teenager's face lit up with a heated blush. "Well, it's… it's nothing really… I mean, err… err… you're welcome? I guess, I mean, I… errr…"
"Never change kid, never change," Izuku blinked as the man slowly walked out of the office, only to pop his head round once again to wave him goodbye. "See you tomorrow, Young Midoriya!"
"Uh, yeah, see you tomorrow!" He slowly waved back, waiting until Toshinori had disappeared to breathe a sigh of relief. His first session went well and hopefully, the session really made a positive impact on Shinsou.
~0~o~0~
Izuku liked patrolling at night, which was the only time he could fit in thanks to today's schedule. Whilst crime rates were higher in the darkness, it was slightly more peaceful in the areas surrounding the apartment he lived in with his mother. Of course, it was a school night so Inko really didn't want him out for long or too far away from their house. Pulling out his phone, Izuku noticed it was quarter to nine, meaning he would stick around for fifteen minutes before heading home for the day. There hadn't been any trouble so far since he started the shift at five, so maybe tonight was just going to be a really quiet one.
Of course, Izuku Midoriya had to go and jinx himself by thinking such a hopeful and positively silly thought.
Hopping from rooftop to rooftop, he took one last sweeping view at all the alleyways, just in case some idiot decided it was a good idea to start illegal deals this early into the night. Another pro was scheduled to take over this area later as soon as Izuku finished his shift, so a quick check was all that was needed to end the day off. Just as Izuku had thought that he was going to end the day with no incidents at all, a glint of something caught his eye from the shadows of the alleyway he had just passed, that and the crying of a child. He skidded on the rooftop he was on, turning one hundred and eighty degrees so he could run back and jump down, bouncing off the walls in a zig zag so he could make it to the ground safely.
Rushing towards the cries, he saw the glint of steel again, this time flying towards him. Quickly, he threw his weight backwards, twisting as it flew overhead and embedded itself into the concrete wall of the building opposite the alleyway. Loud footsteps echoed around the enclosed space as Izuku took a defensive stance, right before he froze at the sight of the person behind the knife throwing.
Of all the people he had to run into whilst on patrol, it had to be the Hero Killer Stain.
Stain was becoming notorious in the world of villains, having killed at least ten heroes already from around Japan because they didn't fit his ideal world of heroes. All of the other victims had been found in quiet locations, mainly alleyways, with not a lot of people around to witness the murders. A shiver of dread ran down Izuku's spine. He had to be careful, otherwise he would end up as victim number eleven.
The hero and the villain stared each other down for a while, as Stain pressed the pause button on his recording device. Once the button was pressed, the crying child's voice disappeared revealing the true nature behind this. It was a trap, a trap to lure a hero in to slaughter. Stain pulled a Katana out of its seath whilst Izuku elongated one of his staffs, if he had to fight for his life then so be it. Assessing the alleyway revealed that there was no one else around, injured or otherwise, so he didn't have to worry about hurting anyone else with his defensive actions.
"So, you're the new kid on the block, the hero of the minority?" Stain spoke first, shocking Izuku by his blunt tone. Those who had survived the Hero Killer had told the police he was driven by the thurst of his ideals, blinded by the only method of bringing those ideals to life. Fake heroes must be purged from society, the survivors had repeated fearfully, only those with pure intents shall live. "I've heard a lot about you."
"The same can be said for you too." Izuku tried to calm his nerves, shaking may cause a slip up in his defence, something he cannot afford to do with what was at stake.
"You confuse me, I don't know where you fit into the ideal world," Stain twirled the blade in his hand, looking down at it absentmindedly. "Are you truly trying to help those in need? Or are you using your lack of a Quirk to get the attention of the cameras, to earn more money? Are you a true hero or not? It has been bugging me recently, but you immediately jumped to the rescue upon hearing the cry without hesitation, so there must be something in you that makes you better than those other fakes."
"I heard the crying voice of someone in need of help," Izuku steadied his hand, staring down his opponent with as much strength as he could muster. "Whether they wanted me or not, I would do anything in my power to help them, even if it means putting myself in danger so they can escape." He smiled behind his mouth guard. "Meddling when not needed, is the essence of being a true hero, and I'm known for meddling where I'm not wanted."
Stain's eyes flashed, a horrifying grin formed on his face. "Maybe, just maybe you deserve to live. A hero like yourself, about as close to death as humanely possible, will rarely stand their ground and fight."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm ready to then." Both men changed positions, ready to charge into battle.
"Ha, I see, very well then," Stain smirked before he suddenly rushed towards Izuku, blade poised to kill. "Give me everything you've got, Dekiru!"
I'M BACK BABY, WRITER'S BLOCK AIN'T GONNA HOLD ME DOWN FOR LONG!
Holy crap, thank you ever so much for supporting this story. Not even chapter 6 and at 542 follows. You guys are seriously awesome, and it's thanks to you I burst through that block to write this chapter. Truly, I thank you. And, thanks to a suggestion, I decided to move my notes, and review answers, to the end of the chapter, so you guys don't have to read it unless you want to see a reply to you review. Ain't using PM to save my life, no way, no how. Anyway, answers!
Lightningblade49: I have a feeling they will in the future, they just are so similarly minded!
ARSLOTHES: I may not pair Izuku with anyone for now, it is First Year after all, I still have two more class years to go with this.
Drakolf: Don't worry about that, this chapter tells the canon to go and fuck itself. Thanks for the suggestions and you didn't sound rude to me, in fact, you gave constructive criticism in a polite and well mannered tone. It's only ever been one person, and because of that, I actually ignored them a bit since they were kinda a jerk about it. Thank you so much for your long and kind review, I do this for fun and because I love the My Hero Academia series, and for you guys too!
maxridelover: Thank you.
TheInfiniteweeaboo: I may do, if I feel like a moment like that is needed. After today's chapter, it may not be needed at all and yes, I have continued. Writer's block is a bitch to get over.
MIKE202303: Thanks a lot, glad you like it.
verified sanctuary: Good point. It mainly was because of the kind of hero Izuku was, in a year, already highly popular with a good sucess rate and an incredibly high lack of damage at any of his scenes. That, coupled with the fact he can take on any Quirk would make for a good teacher for future heroes. Plus, Izuku was homeschooled and has already skipped a lot to take his High School exams, they didn't know he was a kid until they asked him to join them. Why teach a Pro Hero how to do the job they are already doing well?
FriendOfRogue123: Fangirling over this? Wow, thank you.
Darkness in shadowland: Aww, thanks.
Penguin-chin: I'm glad you like it! Shinsou really deserves to have a nice life, doesn't he?
BloomOutOfSeason: I just had to do it, that reference was just there to be made! Plus being British means you always have to do the voice!
IcyHeart12: Here's chapter 6. Hope you enjoy it!
Guest: Hmmm what?
Guest: I don't trust the PM system but I made a compromise. Now you can leave after the writing is over.
RainyDayReader116: No problem, thanks for reading!
Altiria-Aty: That's today's chapter, and yes, Inko is awesome in this and I'm glad you like my portrayal of Izuku. All Might was never ready for teaching, was he?
That said and done, thank you ever so much for reading my story and I hope you enjoyed!
