Chapter 13
Two days after the attack on the U.S.J
Coming back from their little break after the attack of the league, the students were again in their classroom talking about everything that happened
"Hey guys, did you see the news yesterday? All the class appeared on T.V. for a moment! I was pretty excited even if I didn't highlight!" Hagakure said pouting… at least that was what everyone thought she was doing
"That's true," Shoji said, Ojiro flinched a bit and tried to cheer up Hagakure
"Well is really difficult with your… costume yeah that" He heard Hagakure pout and chuckled nervously
"Yeah, All the channels made a lot of fuss about that" Kaminari said
"I mean it's pretty obvious that they would make a big deal about that, the hero course that made the top ranking heroes in Japan suddenly got attacked of course that's going to bring a lot of attention" Kyoka explained
"We were really lucky that the teachers arrived so quickly, I don't know what would have happened if they didn't make it on time" Hanta sighed
"I mean we pretty much handled everything ourselves, we were in trouble for a moment but we turned the battle when Midoriya arrived," Kyoka said and Kaminari nodded several times in confirmation
"Wait what are you talking about, Midoriya was with Koji and me on the squall zone, we were doing it pretty well but some villains managed to sneak on us and knock us down, we couldn't get up quickly but thankfully Midoriya arrived and knock them down," Fumikage said and both Dark Shadow and Koji nodded "Now that I think about it after the three of us defeated all the villains in the squall zone Midoriya just disappeared" before anyone could as questions another voice joined the conversation
"I told Fumi that he needs to have more awareness of his surroundings but he just kept imagining himself on edgy anime situations" Dark Shadow added to the story and again Koji just nodded
"Shut up Dark shadow I do not do such things! And why are you agreeing with him Koji?!" The shy boy started sweating in nervousness but managed to reply
"You were screaming about how you will use the shadow gave to you by the dark lord to defeat them" The shy boy squeaked and Tokoyami blushed heavily making the rest of the class laugh for a bit then Ojiro decided to continue with their talk
"Getting back to what we were saying, Midoriya helped me too in the conflagration zone, I was doing it pretty well too but when Midoriya arrived things moved faster, and as Tokoyami said he just disappeared after helping me," The tailed teen said with a hand on his chin
"Actually we had a very similar situation in the mountains zone" Yaoyorozu decided to join the conversation "We thought we defeated all the villains but one of them managed to escape Kaminari's attack. Apparently, he had some type of electric quirk too and he managed to get unscathed from the attack, he had us on the ropes when out of nowhere Midoriya appeared and kicked the villain away from Kaminari, then I used my quirk to make a net and trap the villain. After that Midoriya made sure that we were all right and jumped away" Yaoyorozu explained "I don't understand how he managed to be in those three places at the same time" All the students then turned to the side of the classroom
Meanwhile, on said side of the classroom the boy all his classmates were talking about was sweating bullets. Izuku didn't know how or wanted to explain the way his shadow clone technique works or reveal more of his abilities that soon on their scholar life. Thankfully Bakugo decided to take the attention from him
"The nerd had to run all over the place to help all of you weaklings, he didn't even appear on my zone even if he is stupid he knows that I don't need his help," Bakugo said taunting his classmates, Kirishima talked for the first time
"Ah but he was there actually, I'm pretty sure we were the first ones that received his help" Kirishima turned to see Izuku who smiled at him "He didn't interfere in our fight because we had everything under control" Kirishima smirked
"Wait I had everything under control too why did he decide to help me?" Ojiro asked confused, he didn't want to brag but he could confidently say that he wasn't having a hard time with his batch of Villains. Izuku decided that that was his time to explain
"I saw that you had everything under control Ojiro, your martial arts are pretty amazing I would love to have a spar with you sometime" Ojiro nodded happily at him "But you were alone in there and I didn't feel good leaving you by yourself, that's the main reason I decided to interfere in your battle"
"I was alone too, what's the difference," Todoroki asked out of nowhere, he didn't sound angry just genuinely curious… even if his face didn't show any emotion
"Ah while Ojiro's martial arts are incredible, his quirk won't help him if he gets overwhelmed by villains. Your quirk is suited for that kind of situation, when I saw that you just froze every villain around you I knew I wasn't needed there" Todoroki just grunted and turned away ending his conversation
"Now that we're talking about what happened, how did you manage to defeat the big villain Deku?" Uraraka asked him "You seemed pretty roughed when you teleported Aizawa sensei and Tsuyu"
"The bastard shouldn't have been that strong if Deku killed him by himself!" Bakugo growled and narrowed his eyes at Uraraka when he heard her using that nickname
"The villain was extremely powerful and dangerous, so please refrain to even suggest that Midoriya chan isn't strong Kero," Tsuyu said defended Izuku "Remember that the villain you're saying is weak put Aizawa sensei in a critical condition on the hospital" Bakugo growled at her but before he could say anything the door of the classroom slammed open revealing a fully bandaged Aizawa
"AIZAWA SENSEI?!" Almost all the students shouted in surprise
"Shouldn't you be resting sensei?" Izuku asked concerned
"I don't have time to rest Midoriya and neither you. The battle isn't over" Instinctually everyone entered in alert mode "The U.A. Sports Festival is coming"
"THAT'S A PRETTY NORMAL EVENT!" Again almost everyone shouted, Kyoka couldn't help but ask
"We just had a villain attack two days ago, is it really a good idea to celebrate a school festival this soon?"
"What would happen if they decide to attack again with all the civilians there," Ojiro asked concerned
"The principal and school board are trying to show the world that the attack we received didn't shake U.A. They want to show the world that the foundations of the school are as solid as ever" Aizawa explained them "And the security will be five times stronger than other years so you don't have to worry about that"
"It's just a sports festival, is really that important?" Mineta asked shaking a little
"Remember U.A. sports festival is one of the greatest events on Japan, at the level the Olympics used to be, we won't let the world believe that a simple villain attack can cancel an event as big as that"
"And the biggest pro heroes would be watching us for recruiting" Izuku added "In the long run it can help to get a job as a sidekick"
"Exactly, being scouted by a big agency will help you with experience and popularity, remember your time here is limited so make the best you can of this event, prepare yourselves with everything you have!" After that, the class ended leaving all the students either excited or worried about the coming event
Izuku and his friends were walking to the cafeteria, all of them showing different levels of excitement about the sports festival
"I can't wait for the sports festival to start! All the events! All the battles it'll be the manliest event of all time!" Kirishima said whit his arms on the air
"I can't help but feel the same Kirishima. This is the time to show the world that we're the best of the best!" Iida said chopping his arms wildly. Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at his two very excited friends
"Guys let's give our best at the festival" Uraraka said irradiating competitive aura
"What is going on Ochako's pretty face disappeared!" Ashido said confused
"I'm going to do my best guys!" Uraraka said pumping her right arm on the air
"Ochako chan, your personality is all over the place kero," Tsuyu said tilting her head
"Now that I think about it I've never asked you Uraraka. Why do you want to become a hero?" Izuku's question changed Uraraka's personality again from a determined one to a very shy and sheepish one
"Ah, well you see Deku" Uraraka started to scratch the back of her head
"And it changed again kero"
"Yeah but her pretty face is back so everything is all right" Ashido nodded solemnly
"Well you see guys I'm trying to become a pro hero to get money" the entire group halted suddenly, the shock written on their faces "I know it's not the best reason to do it! But I want to help my parents as much as I can" seeing the shock turn into confusion she decided to elaborate
"My parents have a construction company, but we haven't had enough work lately… to put it simply we're close to bankruptcy" Izuku interrupted her
"And if you get a license you could use your quirk to help your parents on their company and reduce the costs of all the heavy machinery" Uraraka nodded at him
"Yeah that was my first plan but my parents wouldn't let me. They told me that I should follow my dreams. That's the reason for me wanting to become a pro hero, to earn a lot of money and finally let my parents have the life they deserve" She said with determination
"BRAVO URARAKA BRAVO!" Iida shouted while clapping
"You're so manly Uraraka. I know you will do it!" Kirishima exclaimed wiping the tear off his eyes
"You're the sweetest person in the world Ochako we don't deserve you!" Ashido didn't even try to hide the tears rolling through her cheeks
"You're really special Ochako chan" Tsuyu croaked happily
Uraraka suddenly become very self-aware of the situation she was in, her face reddened at the affection her friends were giving her, a hand on her shoulder made her turn to her right, it was Izuku who was looking at her with a bright smile
"Never think that your reasons aren't honorable Uraraka, your heart is in the right place. I don't have doubt in my mind or heart that you'll do it, and I will be happy to help you whenever you need it" Uraraka blushed hard and nodded. Out of nowhere, a booming laugh resounded through the halls
"YOUNG MIDORIYA IS HERE!" All might appeared from around the corner shocking everyone "Would you please accompany me to the principal's office, we can have lunch there" All Might said sheepishly and pulled a bento box out of nowhere
"What is going on with everyone changing their personalities today," Mina said while scratching her head confused
"He is like a maiden!" Uraraka laughed
"He looks cute kero," Tsuyu said
"Ah yeah All Might I'll go with you, guys go without me I'll catch up with you later," Izuku said to his friends
"Don't make All Might sensei wait Midoriya go, go!" Iida said
"I'll save you a dessert from the cafeteria, I'll give it to you in the classroom later Midoribro!"
"Kirishima you can't eat in the classroom is disrespectful and against the rules!" Iida shouting at Kirishima was the last thing Izuku heard after walking away with All Might
"Am I in trouble All Might?" Izuku decided to ask after a few minutes of walking
"Not at all Young Midoriya, but principal Nezu and I have something to talk you about!" Izuku nodded at him confused, the rest of the way passed in silence. They reached Nezu's office a few moments later, upon entering Izuku noticed Nezu sitting at his desk waiting for them
"Ah, Midoriya please take a seat do you want some tea?" Nezu asked cheerfully
"No, thank you principal I'm good"
"Well then, first of all, thank you for coming. I know this took you by surprise but this is an important meeting" Izuku nodded at Nezu
"First things first I want to congratulate you for your amazing performance in the U.S.J attack and thank you for saving Aizawa and keeping your classmates safe" The principal bowed her head a little "If you hadn't take action there I fear the outcome wouldn't have been as favorable as it was, so please accept my deepest gratitude"
"Please raise your head Nezu sensei, I did my job nothing else, as a class representative my job is to take care of my classmates, and as a hero student my job is to save everyone I can, you don't have to thank me for that" Izuku smiled at his sensei
"You keep making me proud Midoriya, I'm grateful to have you as my pupil" Izuku beamed after hearing that "And your actions seemed to gather the attention of Mr. number one hero over here, he has… a proposition for you" Izuku turned to All Might, the mountain of a man nodded at him and send him a thumbs-up, he then returned his attention to Nezu who turned serious
"Midoriya I know you're trustworthy, and after your actions, you've earned my full trust but I need to put emphasis on this" Nezu's seriousness made Izuku gulp "What you're about to hear today and whatever decision you took should not come out of this office. Do you understand?"
"I understand Nezu sensei, you have my word that I won't say anything" Nezu nodded at him and then turned to All Might and nodded again
Izuku didn't know what he should expect after hearing the seriousness on Nezu's tone, but he was pretty sure that seeing All Might start to deflate wasn't even on the list of what to expect. To Izuku was something out of this world, the mountain of muscles deflated and deflated, it didn't stop until an extremely thin man stood in front of Izuku in the place All Might should be
"I… I don't understand" Was the only thing Izuku could think "Who are you?"
"It's me All Might young Midoriya!" The skinny man said with All Might's voice "Have you ever seen how someone on the pool forces his posture to look more buffed, my battle form and normal form follow the same concept!"
"That's a really weird analogy but I understand how you do it… what I don't understand is the reason" Izuku nodded still uncertain, All Might turned serious and opened his button-up shirt to reveal a massive wound on his left side, Izuku couldn't stop his eyes from widening
"Five years ago I received this from an enemy. One of my lungs was destroyed along with my stomach, my body started to fail me after all the surgeries I needed to survive. After my recovery, I can only maintain my battle form for around three hours a day before getting exhausted" Izuku didn't know what to say after hearing that, he tried to think about what happened five years ago
"Five years ago, you fought against Toxic Chainsaw… but you didn't seem to have problems to beat him"
"You did your homework young Midoriya!" All Might chuckled "Exactly a lowly thug like him couldn't hurt me like this, no this was a villain hidden to the public, a villain so powerful and evil that for the sake of peace we needed to kept him as a secret" Izuku's mind couldn't even begin to imagine the power of a villain that powerful. Powerful enough to put a hole on the symbol of peace
"I see… but… why tell me all of this" All Might nodded at Nezu and the principal pulled a remote from his desk and after pressing a button a screen lit up. It showed his battle against the Nomu, more precisely when he got punched by the raging beast. Izuku couldn't help but flinch and hold his arm feeling the ghost pain on it
"What do you thought in that moment young Midoriya, we've seen what you can do, you could have easily avoided that attack" Without hesitation Izuku answered
"If I teleported away Aizawa sensei and Tsuyu would have received that hit, I just couldn't let that happen" All Might smiled at him a nodded
"And your body just moved on its own" Izuku nodded and All Might smile widened "Young Midoriya, the story of the greatest heroes always start the same way, with their bodies moving without thinking" Izuku smiled at him with his chest filled with pride
"I've noticed your capabilities to be a great hero since that incident a year ago with the sludge villain, and then at the entrance exam you only reaffirmed something I told you before, you'll be an amazing hero, the way you saved your peers left me amazed for a few days"
"And finally at the U.S.J., you showed us the best quality a hero could have a self-sacrificing heart. Young Midoriya since the day I meet you, you have managed to surprise me more and more every time. That's why I deem you worthy of inheriting my power young Midoriya, I want you to be my successor!" Izuku's world halted, pride turned into confusion with a few words
"Inherit your power?" Izuku whispered "I don't understand All Might"
"The press and the people have a lot of theories about it but none of them are close to the reality, my power was bestowed on me by my sensei many years ago, I inherited this sacred torch to make the world a better place, and I want you to be the next holder of the torch young Midoriya"
"The quirk I inherited lets you transfer power from holder to holder. It's called One for All" All Might said clenching a fist in front of him
"One for All" Izuku whispered completely shocked
"That's right, one person cultivates and makes it grow then it transfers it to another person to make it even stronger, this power was made to help anyone who needs a hero"
"I don't understand why you would give me something like that! There should be a lot of people better than me" All Might chuckled at Izuku's confusion
"I've been searching for a successor young Midoriya, since the slime villain incident you grabbed my attention, your prowess with your quirk makes you an amazing hero in the making but I wasn't sure, after all, this isn't a decision that I can make lightly. But after seeing your actions in the U.S.J., I just knew you were the perfect person to inherit my power, you not only have amazing control of your quirk and abilities. You also have the heart of a true hero! That's the reason I want you to become my successor!"
"So tell me Young Midoriya will you be the next symbol of peace?"
Izuku couldn't believe what All Might just told him, first of all, the pillar of the society only has three hours of power a day left, there was a villain so powerful that managed to put a hole in the symbol of peace, and finally said symbol of peace seemed to think that Izuku was the right person to inherit the most powerful quirk in history.
His head was spinning by the time he recapitulated everything, this was simply too much. He turned to All Might who was looking at him with expectant eyes "Right he is waiting for my answer" Izuku knew that the opportunity in front of him was a life-changing and one-time-only one. And after a minute of thinking he had his answer, he turned to All Might with a beaming smile
"I feel so blessed right now All Might, you don't only believe that I will make a great hero, but somehow you think I'm worthy of being your successor" All Might nodded determined but before he could say something Izuku continued "But I can't accept your offer, I'm really sorry"
"W-What?" was the only thing All Might could say, Izuku turned to look at Nezu who nodded at him with a smile
"All Might you shared your secret with me, and even if I didn't accept, I want to explain my reasons to you, is the least I can do. But to do that I have to ask for the same secrecy you asked me for. Is that okay with you?" All Might raised an eyebrow and looked at Nezu who was chuckling while sipping his tea, the principal just grinned and nodded at the confused hero
"I… I guess so young Midoriya, I promise that whatever you tell me won't leave this place" Izuku nodded
"First of all I want to clarify something, I'm quirkless" All Might eyes narrowed in disbelief
"Sorry to doubt you young Midoriya but I've seen you spit fireballs and duplicate yourself, how can you explain that if you are quirkless"
"Well, I can do all of that thanks to my chakra" Izuku couldn't help but scratch the back of his head seeing the confusion in All Might's face. Izuku started telling his story again. How he found the cave running around, Minato's diaries, he even told him about his weekends' training with Fukusa sensei, at the end of the story All Might was on the couch with an extremely surprised and worried face
"What you're trying to tell me is that anyone can unlock this… chakra, and become as prominent with it like you are… even villains?" Izuku shook his head
"Everyone can achieve unlocking their chakra that part is true, but it requires a lot of training All Might, what you have seen me do is the result of years and years of practice" Izuku smiled warmly "I've been blessed with opportunities All Might, founding the cave with all that forgotten knowledge, that the person who made the all the volumes of the books to understand chakra and perform ninjutsu was an amazing teacher, getting trained by one of the few living users of chakra, being trained by a pro hero like Aizawa sensei, and being the pupil of the principal of the most prestigious school in Japan"
"I've been lucky to have all of that, so trust me when I say unless someone finds Minato's sensei books or somehow caught the attention of a toad on Mt. Myōbokuzan, I don't think anyone could pull out the things I can do, even if for whatever reason they manage to unlock chakra" That seemed to calm All Might a lot
"And what's the reason to refuse my offer, you more than anyone knows the hardships someone has to surpass to achieve the level you have, why refuse become more powerful and being the next symbol of peace!" That was a really hard question for Izuku
"All Might, my dream has always been being a hero, even if I didn't manage to become like you a pillar that supports our society. I much like you want to save people with a smile on my face, but I also want to give the people hope, I want them to know that no matter that situation they're in if they don't lose hope things would be all right" Izuku pulled a kunai from his back pouch and unrolled the cloth on it showing him his Hiraishin seal "I want them to look at this symbol and feel hope, hope that I will be there for them protecting them" Izuku smile was replaced by a frown
"Something that doesn't appear on the news is that villains are getting more powerful and dangerous by the day, my goal is to become a symbol for the people to help you All Might. Because even if you're the most powerful man in the world you're just a man, don't take it the wrong way but you're not eternal, I've been training hard to take some of that weight on your shoulders" Izuku smiled sheepishly at his hero "Honestly I was scared to think about the day you retired, the chaos it would bring to our society. Knowing that your power and legacy will keep going even after you is calming"
"I could take your power All Might, I could become your successor, but at the end of the day we will end like today… all the weight of the world would end up on one person. What if a villain strong as or stronger than the one that hurt you appears again and this time the symbol of peace doesn't win… I'm not putting myself down All Might, I know that I have a lot to grow and learn but telling that I can save everyone by myself would be a lie. And after all two heads are always better than one"
"And I may or not always dreamed to fight by your side you know, the symbol of peace besides the symbol of hope sounds amazing even if I don't get to do it, fighting along your successor would be almost as cool" Izuku blushed hard and turned to look aside. Meanwhile, All Might had his eyes widened hearing the determination and all the thought Izuku put in that short time, he couldn't help but think that he would definitely be an amazing wieldier for All for One, but at the same time he could see his point
"I understand your point young Midoriya, you really put a lot of thought in a couple of minutes, I have to say that your resolution is amazing," The veteran hero said with a smile
"Thanks All Might, for believing that I'm worthy and understand me… and looking at it from a practical point, your quirk would really hinder my way of fighting! I'm not precisely a brawl type of combatant even in sage mode and your quirk seems really straightforward on that aspect so I would need to change completely the way I fight and that's not even thinking about all the time I would need to train to master the quirk!" Izuku keeps muttering to himself making All Might sweat drop and turned to Nezu who looked at him knowingly, he turned again to see Izuku who kept muttering only stopping when All Might chopped him on the head
"I get it young Midoriya! My quirk would be detrimental for you I understand just stop!" Izuku blushed hard at that and scratched the back of his head "Your secret is safe with me young Midoriya, and I know mine is safe with you, I'll keep looking around for a worthy successor, meanwhile, you should go to your friends they must be waiting for you" Izuku nodded and walked to the door. He stood grabbing the doorknob and turned again to see his idol in the eyes
"All Might this must be crossing my boundaries but, can I request your help with something?" Again All Might raised an eyebrow but nodded "If you ever have time left… would you please spar with me?" Izuku said bowing
"You want to spar with me?"
"The fight against the Nomu made me realize a few things All Might. I need to be prepared for enemies with overwhelming power more now that I know you have a time limit. I've trained enough to reach sage mode relatively quickly, but I need to train with it against people… and that is not something I can just ask any of my friends or Aizawa sensei, they are powerful, but… sage mode is dangerous" Izuku said looking at the floor
"And you want to fight against me with the same power you went against the Nomu? I thought I was your favorite hero young Midoriya why would you want to kill me!" Izuku's head snapped up and he started to sputter apologies but All Might booming laughter stopped him "Don't take everything too serious young Midoriya! I would gladly spar with you sometime if I ever get minutes left after patrol!" Izuku beamed at him and turned quickly to leave the principal's office in case All Might wanted to change opinion
"You knew he wouldn't accept one for all didn't you Nezu?" All Might questioned the principal
"I wasn't sure honestly, but I was pretty confident he would say no" Nezu said while refilling his cup of tea
"And still you let me tell the boy everything about me and one for all, why?" Nezu took a sip of his tea and sighed
"Honestly because I wanted to see Izuku's resolve and will, a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented to him by his idol was an opportunity he probably wouldn't let pass, I'm proud that I was wrong and his resolve was bigger than this. And it kinda was the last test I had for him" Nezu chuckled "He passed it with flying colors, all the thought he put in what could happen in the future completely blown away my expectations"
"It was a test?" All Might asked confused, Nezu grinned at him and took a folder out of a drawer on his desk. Giving it to All Might whose eyes widened when he read Nezu's plans for Izuku
"Oh my goodness, do you really think this is a good idea?"
"I am certain Toshinori, now more than ever I'm sure"
This chapter has been the most difficult to write so far, I wanted to put a lot of things on it but it quickly became a mess, this was supposed to be two chapters with a big cliffhanger on Izuku's decision but honestly, I think it was pretty obvious what he was going to choose.
Btw! I fucked up two chapters ago! Not having Izuku know why his clones chakra returned to him back in the USJ was a mistake, I'm glad someone pointed it out!
I have most of the next chapter on paper and after that, the sports festival begins!
Hope you enjoy this one! See you guys next time
