Author's Note: Hello once again, my fellow friends who can't stand the "Izuku becomes a Quirkless Hero" plot and all the tropes associated to it! Here I bring you another oneshot in order to deconstruct yet another aspect of those fics that I can't stand.
Now, to avoid confusion, this isn't a direct sequel to "Keep your Dreams Realistic". At best, it could be considered a spiritual sequel, but you don't need to read that other oneshot to understand this one, as they take place in different universes. Still, I hope you like it as much as the other oneshot.
Gratitude for a Gift
"Good job, Young Midoriya!" All Might said in his usual efusive tone, watching his protege, drenched in his own sweat, walking towards him.
Despite being after-class hours, Izuku had been training until late at Training Ground Gamma, driven by his desire not to just master One for All, but also all the additional Quirks it had manifested since that fateful day when both 1-A and 2-A trained together in a joint exercise. While the retired Pro admired his sucessor's energy, he knew they were far from completely scrubbing the grenette's habit of neglecting his own health, hence the blond always made sure to watch him train in order to stop the boy from pushing himself too far.
Thankfully, it seemed like today he wouldn't have to worry about that, given the slow, exhausted pace he was moving towards him. Once in reaching distance, All Might handed Izuku a bottle of fresh, cool water. "Here, you must be dehydrated."
"Th-Thanks," the boy replied, accepting a water bottle from his mentor, and taking a big gulp.
"You've worked really hard today. But it's getting kind of late. How about if we call it a day?" All Might suggested. "Training hard is good, but you should also spend some time with your friends. You're not going to be young forever."
"Sure. Today is board game night, and I wouldn't miss it for anything," Izuku said, smiling at the Pro, as if to reassure him that he wasn't going to secretly train more. Izuku then plopped into one of the benches next to the exit of the training ground, with All Might taking a seat next to him.
"You've been progressing great, young Midoriya," All Might congratulated, lightly patting him on the back. "Soon the entirely of One for All will be yours to command!"
"I hope so. With the League of Villains still out there, I feel like I'm going to need every bit of power in order to stop them for good," Izuku replied without much energy.
"Hey, don't worry about that! I'm sure that, when the time comes, you'll do great," All Might encouraged him. "With each passing day, I'm more and more happy that I found you! You're the best successor that I could have hoped for!"
"Hehe, thanks," Izuku chuckled, as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's been barely over a year ago, but those training sessions at Dagoba Beach feel so far away right-oh..."
All Might looked at the boy, as concern pooled his body. "Oh? Something wrong, young Midoriya?"
"Well... when you mentioned Dagoba Beach... I remembered something that was going through my head that time, well, two things, to be precise," Izuku began, before growing uneasy. "And I think I owe you an apology, All Might."
"An apology? For what?" All Might asked in surprise. "There were some bumps in the road, yes, but as far as I can remember, you cleaned that beach admirably, and I'm sure that other people wouldn't-"
"No, no, that's not what I mean!" Izuku said, waving his hands in front of him in order to cut All Might. "It's... well, it's something that was going through my head. But now that I have a better perspective of things, I know that I was being stupid."
"Listen, young Midoriya, whatever happened then, or whatever you were thinking, I'm sure it's not imporant-"
"It is!" Izuku interrupted once again. "I... I need to do this, now that I still have the chance. You may think that it's just nothing, and maybe it is, but I feel better if I get it out of my chest."
"Very well then," All Might said, trying to be understanding. "If it's going to make you feel better, what is this henious thing you did – excuse me, this henious thing you thought – that you feel you need to apologize to me, more than a year later?"
Izuku took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts and his resolve. "During our training, more than once... I thought in rejecting One for All."
Okay, All Might wasn't expecting that. Now he could understand a bit better why Midoriya looked so worked up.
"You did?" he asked, sounding understandably confused. "But... when I asked you, you accepted without hesitation. And at no point during our training did it look like you were having second thoughts."
"It's... kind of complicated. It wasn't during training that I was having second thoughts," Izuku began. "You see, you know how I always wanted to be a hero despite being born Quirkless, yes?"
"Yes, I do," All Might said, nodding.
"Everybody told me that it was a stupid dream, that I better seek a career path better suited for somebody like me, and then, when I met you, and asked if I could be a hero, and since you were my idol, and wanted so much to hear from you that I could be a hero..." Midoriya averted his mentor's gaze as he relived the pain of that moment. "...but then you told me no, and I felt like my life was over..."
"Young Midoriya..." All Might softly said, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "This sounds like something I should apologize to you, not the other way around."
"Oh, no! I haven't finished yet!" Midoriya nervously replied. "You see, there were many times, especially at night, when my mind flashed back to that moment, and the pain I felt... and I hated you for it..."
"Ah, I see where this is going," All Might said, as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Listen, I admit I could have been more tactful back then, and the fact that you felt some resentment towards me it's understandable. But I'm sure you left that behind, so there's no-"
"No, it isn't!" Midoriya protested. "I... I was so stupid. I had this thoughts... these extremely stupid thoughts... and before you ask, yes, even more stupid than the life-risking stunts I have done in my short career as a Hero Student."
This drew a chuckle from All Might. "They must be very stupid then, young Midoriya."
"Because they were! There were many times where I laid in my bed at night, too tired to sleep because I trained so hard, and I thought 'hey, look how much you're progressing! You don't need One for All! Come on, show everybody that a Quirkless person can be a hero! Show All Mght that you don't need his hand-me-down Quirk to be great!'" Izuku said, his voice rising a couple octaves to make himself sound stupid.
"Well, when you think about it, One for All is kind of a hand-me-down Quirk, yes," All Might said with humor.
"I couldn't see it back then, but now, after everything I have gone through...you were talking to me from experience. Despite your immense power and your unbreakable resolve, you knew that being a hero, especially a hero that tackles the worst of the threats, was a very dangerous path. You even showed me that horrible scar you got from fighting All for One! And there I was, some dumb fourteen year old thinking that I knew better than Japan's #1 hero with four decades of experience under his belt!" Midoriya said, raising his voice and throwing his hands into the air. "How could I have been so stupid!?"
"You yourself said it, young Midoriya. You simply didn't know better," All Might said, patting him on the shoulder for the second time. "That comes with youth. Don't think that's something worth apologizing for!"
"Yes, it is! Because I thought that, by offering me One for All, you were insulting me!" Izuku snapped.
All Might was taken aback, again. "Insulting you? But how...?"
"Because a part of me took your offer as if you were stating that no matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I would never be a hero without a Quirk," Izuku replied. "That despite how you told me that I could be a hero, I could only be a hero if I accepted your Quirk..."
"Oh," All Might said lamely. He rubbed the back of his neck. "People sometimes said that I'm a bit too blunt. Yes, I believe that I could have used a bit more tact that day, right? So-"
"No! You were entirely right!" Izuku shouted, stopping his mentor from apologizing a second time. "I mean, you have no idea how many times I look back and ask myself 'what could I have done here if I didn't have One for All'? What could have I had done to pass the entrance exam? And save Uraraka? How could have I helped save you and my friends when the League of Villains attacked the USJ? How could I have protected Kota from Muscular if I was Quirkless? How could I have protected Eri from Overhaul?"
"Don't torture yourself too much, young Midoriya," All Might reassured. "That's your life as a Quirkless individual talking. Most people are born with Quirks, so they take them for granted. But you and I, who were born without a Quirk before gaining one, we know what it feels like. I mean, some people are born without working legs, or lose them during accidents, yet I'm sure you don't think how could you live your life if you didn't have legs, didn't you?"
"I know. But that's not the point I was trying to make," Izuku replied. "Now that I've got a taste of what it feels like to be not just a pro hero, but a pro hero involved with high profile villains... I mean, that has been my lifelong dream, you know? Not just being a hero, but being a hero as amazing as you are."
"I know better than you can imagine, young Midoriya," All Might said knowingly.
Izuku didn't laugh or even chuckle. "Yes, you knew. It was me who didn't know. But I know now. And that's not even the whole of it."
"...is there more?" All Might asked, between curious and worried. He really didn't want Izuku to keep flagelating himself like that for something that happened so long ago.
"Remember my match against Todoroki during the Sports Festival?" Izuku asked.
"It would be harder not to remember it," All Might replied. "Not just because of how much you ended up hurting yourself, but how you pushed young Todoroki into finally using the fire aspect of his Quirk. Not a very sound strategy, given the circumstances, but I do admire how you go Plus Ultra in order to help other people, even when it's not in your best interest to do so."
"Todoroki didn't use the fire side of his Quirk because of the feud with Endeavor. He had such a powerful and amazing Quirk, yet he refused to use it to its full potential just because he wanted to stick it to his father. It's not just that Todoroki wasn't giving his all when everybody else was, but... do you know what it felt like, watching Todoroki purposefully squander his Quirk like that, when I had been Quirkless most of my life?"
"I can imagine, yes," All Might said nodding. It's been a long time since he was Quirkless, but the memories, some of them at least, were still there.
"When you think about it, Quirks are nothing but tools. Tools that, as heroes, we use to stop villains and save civilians, right?" Izuku began.
"That is correct, yes," All Might nodded once again, and motioned for him to continue.
"You wouldn't expect a cop to stop using their guns, or a firefighter to stop using a water hose, so why would a hero stop using their Quirk?" Izuku continued.
"Yes, I know. But fortunately, you set young Todoroki straight, and now he uses the fire aspect of his Quirk as much as the ice one," All Might reminded Izuku.
"I know, but what I mean is, now I realize that when I debated over if I should reject One for All, I was no different from him," Izuku said.
"Oh," All Might said in realization.
"One for All is an amazing power. One that you, and seven people before you, used during their lives in order to help people and stop villains," Izuku began. "The only valid reason I would have for rejecting One for All is if I thought that I wouldn't be worthy enough or skilled enough to wield it. But reject it just to make a point? That would make me no different than Todoroki was before the Sports festival! A huge, massive hypocrite!
"Just like how Todoroki would have been a much less effective hero if he only used half of his Quirk, I would also have been a much worse hero if I decided to stay Quirkless. I'd be unable to save as much people. There would be villains I wouldn't have a glimmer of hope to beat. Situations where I wouldn't be able to contribute," Izuku said, as he looked at his scarred hands. "And I know that from experience."
"...from experience?" All Might almost recoiled at the implication of such words.
"The Sludge Villain," Izuku flatly said.
Oh, right. Yeah, with that context, All Might could relax and push away the idea of his protegé being some sort of teen vigilante before they met.
"Many times I look at that moment... and then I realized how stupid I was," Izuku said, his head hung.
"Well... it was reckless, yes. But if it wasn't for your heroic spirit, I wouldn't have saved you and young Bakugo despite having the power to do so. And it was that moment that lead-"
"I'm not talking about that," Izuku replied, before nervously added. "I mean, yes, it was reckless, and we were lucky that in the end everything turned out fine but..." he took a deep breath. "When I tried to save Kacchan... I was unable to do anything. There was nothing I could have done not just to save him, but to make the situation even remotely better. And yes, it was right, it inspired you to take action but... in the end, it doesn't change that somebody else, somebody else with a Quirk, somebody else with a very powerful Quirk had to save the day, not me."
"Don't put yourself down like that, young Midoriya. You acted when nobody else did. Including multiple pro heroes," All Might pointed out.
"They had excuse not to act. Kamui Woods' Quirk made him very vulnerable to all that fire, fire that Backdraft was busy putting out. The street we were in was too narrow for Mt. Lady to do anything, and Death Arms..." Izuku began, his face scrunching in obfuscation as he tried to come up with a excuse for him. "...okay, Death Arms had no excuse. The guy gave up to soon, even if his Quirk wasn't perfectly suited for the situation! Mr. Aizawa would have expelled him on the spot!"
This drew a chuckle from the retired pro.
"What I mean is, that pitiful act was how my hero career would have been. You praised me for my supposed heroic spirit, and I'm very glad you think so highly of me!" Izuku said, smiling brightly for the first time in that afternoon. Unfortunately, said smile was brief, as somberness returned to his face. "But one thing I should have taken from that day is that in order to make meaningful change or impact, you also need power. At the end of the day, it wasn't my 'heroic spirit' that saved Kacchan from that maniac; a wielder of One for All did. Had the two of us been alone with that villain, we would have died that day.
"Not all men are created equal. That's a truth I learned sooner than most. An ugly truth, but still a truth. And the truth is, a person with a Quirk will be able to do more than that same person without one. And a hero is somebody who always has to do more. No true hero would reject One for All just to make a point. And now I'm going to do something, so please All Might don't try to stop me."
The fact that Izuku used the same tone as when he was going to do something unbelievably stupid and dangerous only pushed the retired pro into stopping him. Fortunately, all what Izuku did after getting up was turning towards his mentor and made such a flawless 90 degree bow, young Iida would have been proud.
"I'm sorry for ever thinking of rejecting this amazing opportunity that you were giving to me," Izuku began, before standing up straight again. "And thank you for choosing me to be your successor. Not just for giving me the opportunity to realize my lifelong dream, but for thinking that I'm worthy enough to carry such as important legacy as this one."
All Might didn't know how to answer to such an earnest apology that, in his opinion, it wasn't really necessary. But if there was thing he knew about his protegé was how stubborn he could be, so he decided to address it in the best possible way.
The retired pro raised to his full height, and spoke. "All right young Midoriya, I accept your apology, but with one condition."
"One condition...?" Izuku repeated.
"I accept your apology only if you stop torturing yourself over something you didn't even do, promise to leave this topic behind, and just focus on being the best hero you can be," All Might said, extending a hand to the greenette. "Deal?"
Smiling sincerely, Izuku took All Might's hand and shook it. "Deal."
Satisfied with the outcome of this conversation, All Might nodded. "Great. Now let's take you back to the droms. Your friends must be wondering why are you missing board game night."
Author's Note: Ah, that felt cathartic, didn't it?
As you could see, this oneshot deconstruct the way All Might is treated in 90% of the "Quirkless Hero izuku" fics, where he's both portrayed as the worst human being in existence for telling Izuku that he couldn't be a hero without a Quirk (I do admit that he could have been more tactful, and yes, Izuku was having a very bad day, but All Might had no way of knowing that), as well as Izuku taking All Might offering him One for All as if it was an insult, because it means that All Might doesn't think Izuku is good enough to be a hero if he stays Quirkless (not-so spoiler alert, he isn't good enough).
I rememember reading a comment in Ao3 when somebody said that Izuku rejecting OFA because he want to show that a Quirkless person can be a hero had the same energy as Todoroki refusing to use his fire because of his spat with Endeavor, and man, I didn't realize how right it was, and I HAD to include it here. An Izuku that rejects OFA has NO RIGHT to tell Todoroki off for not using his whole Quirk. If you want Izuku to stay Quirkless simply write your story so All Might never offers him OFA, because there's no valid reason for Izuku to reject it if he wants to be a great hero (other than, as I said, if he believed somebody else would be more worthy or deserving of it).
So as a middle finger to those fics, here Izuku does appreciate the sheer value of the gift All Might gave him, and shows proper gratitude for it.
Well, I hope you liked this little piece at least as much as the other one, and if you didn't, I'm still ready for your hate.