Of Heroes And Devils

by Dark Signer

By a strange twist of fate, Izuku finds himself flung into a world he never dreamed existed. He may be a Devil now, but that won't stop him from fulfilling his dream to be a hero! Even if he has to face villains, Fallen Angels, other Devils, and ALL THESE GIRLS WHO ARE SUDDENLY CLINGING TO HIM! (Polyamorous relationships)

10. One For All

It didn't take long for All Might and Rias to alter his training regiment, with him able to return to it little more than a week after what happened with Susan the Samurai.

Naturally, both of his teachers were a bit more keen to keep their eyes on him than before, just in case he ended up pushing himself to the point of exhaustion again.

Regardless, Izuku had approached his new regiment with a renewed vigor, the colossal weight that had once been on his shoulders having been lifted after his talk with Ochako.

All Might had concluded that he may be done in little more than a few weeks time with all the progress he had made, sounding incredibly impressed all the while. It was news that elated Izuku even more, though under the watchful eyes of his trainers, he knew better than to try and rush getting done.

Of course, he had also told them both about whether or not he had chosen to tell his fellow peerage members about One For All, the two accepting his decision with hearty grins.

Now they simply had to figure out the best time to reveal it.

---

The once crisp air of autumn had already begun to fall to a more bitter chill, letting the world know that winter would soon arrive.

The November month was going to be an interesting one, of that Izuku had little doubt.

A lot was going to happen this month, possibly being more important than everything that had happened over the last several months, something he never would have believed just half a year ago.

"Izuku?"

He brushed his thoughts aside as he turned to see Asia's questioning face, the blonde girl walking alongside him on the way back home from school.

Okay. Maybe there were things a bit more important.

Asia had become a welcome part of his life ever since she had moved in with him and his mother, but she was an even more welcome part at school.

Before running into All Might, his school life felt like it had become a repetitive routine. Go there, be ignored by most of the fellow student body, try and avoid Okamoto and his gang of middle school thugs, and then return home feeling slightly empty.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Even after meeting his hero and Okamoto moving away, there was almost nothing for him at Aldera outside of making sure his grades were good enough to make it to U.A.

With Asia around now, he looked forward to his classes in a way he hadn't thought possible since Kacchan had moved away so long ago.

They may not have been seated close to each other, but just the mere presence they both felt from one another brought a level of comfort and joy that they both appreciated. He never had to endure lunch alone now with someone who wanted to be seen next to him, even if they talked about nothing at all.

The two had found themselves just having fun in each other's presence, little smiles on their faces whenever they were by each other.

Asia herself had a more pleasant experience at Aldera than he feared she would, even whenever she was seen with him. People generally seemed to like her for her kind and cheery demeanor, though it had led to more than a few boys, and quite a few girls, asking to go out with her, something that had clearly made her uncomfortable.

It was a kind of attention she simply hadn't become accustomed to yet.

Thankfully, whenever he couldn't step up to help her, Yumi was never far behind, especially with the ones who asked her out. Having dealt with such things before, Yumi had been able to coach Asia in ways to gently let them down, making sure not to hurt their feelings in the process.

Outside of that, she always seemed to take each new day at school with an enthusiasm that Izuku almost envied. She adored learning new things, especially about the country she now called home, and whenever she was having any sort of trouble with her schoolwork, either Izuku or the other peerage members were always willing to lend her a helping hand.

It had led to her getting relatively decent grades so far.

And of course, she had found herself making friends with some of the others at school, though she had broken some of them whenever they had started badmouthing him, letting them know that they were wrong in just about everything they said. She had remembered that Izuku had not been treated well, but never once would have thought that so many in his school would think so little of him. They simply didn't seem to be able to see the real him, not in the way she did.

Kind, smart, and helpful to a fault. Merits that meant far more to her than any actual quirk.

Izuku felt his heart beat just a little bit faster once he learned of that.

There had been one friend she had made that had no issue with him at all though, and she had been more than happy to let them formally meet.

He still felt a small shiver running up his spine when he found out just who she had made friends with.

---

He could feel his eyes widen as his jaw dropped at who Asia had managed to make friends with. After all, he knew exactly who she was. Everyone in the school knew exactly who she was.

Her messy brunette hair framed her face even with parts of it tied into braids, her golden yellow eyes peeking out behind a pair of pink colored glasses. Her face always seemed to be fixed in a slightly perverse look, which made many of her fellow students feel wary of her.

And she was sitting right next to Asia as the two ate lunch together.

Her name was Kiryuu Aika. And outside of Okamoto, she was the most intimidating student who ever attended Aldera.

At least, as far as Izuku was concerned.

"Oh, Asia, your boyfriend's here," she said casually, her somewhat lewd expression making it seem like a bigger deal than it would have been otherwise.

"B-b-b-b-boyfriend?" Asia had begun trembling at the comment, Izuku joining her almost instantly.

"It wasn't hard to put it together you know," she said as she took another bite of her food, making a show of swallowing it. "You two are together here all the time, and I've seen you together outside of school too. And even then," she began with a grin. "You two tend to hold hands a lot. That pretty much clinches it."

"Wh-wha-what!?" Izuku's shriek had unintentionally grabbed the attention of many of the other students, each of them staring at the trio in bafflement. "W-we-we-we're just friends! I just made sure to help her!"

Asia's face had gone as red as Rias' hair, the poor girl unable to voice any rebuttals against Aika as her mind focused in on that one word.

Boyfriend.

"Is that so?" Aika's grin had grown more sly as she caught a glimpse of Asia's face, her eyes then locking onto Izuku's almost glowing red cheeks. "You two seem so intimate with each other though," she said, putting emphasis on the word 'intimate'. "Constantly being alone together, eating together, those little looks you give each other. You two certainly act like a couple," she said as she took a sip of her drink, not so secretly having fun with the two of them. "And from what Asia has told me, you two are even living under the same roof. You two lovebirds can't fool me."

Whispers danced throughout the room as Aika's words traveled around, spreading like a plague. Before the day's end, everyone would know that Midoriya Izuku and Asia Argento were living together.

"It's certainly a lot farther than the rest of the virgins in this school have gotten," she said with a grin, making more whispers creep around, but these ones more angered.

Kiryuu Aika was not exactly popular with the rest of the student body, mainly for her comments. She never seemed to mind however, speaking her mind as plainly as she pleased, no matter what anyone would say to her.

Because of that, she had been one of the few to stand up to Okamoto when he had still been attending, not being intimidated by him in the slightest.

"You know Asia," she continued, once again paying no mind to the students angrily whispering about her. "You should really let me know how you two met. Make sure not to skip on any of the juicy details. I am absolutely dying to know as much as possible!"

Her words seemed to break Asia out of her self-induced trance, the blonde girl now staring at her friend in confusion.

"Got a bit lost didn't you? It's alright, it happens to everyone. But tell me, was this one about you and Little Midoriya here getting mar-"

Asia had swiftly thrown her hands over the other girl's mouth to try and keep her from speaking any more than she already had.

"A-a-ah! Aika! Please stop!"

Izuku just stood there confused, even with his face still red. Asia was daydreaming about him?

Aika managed to force Asai's hands away from her, her grin having become larger now.

"So this one's more private then? Guess you'll have to tell me more when your boyfriend's not around."

Asia squeaked out as she brought her hands to her burning cheeks, hoping to stop them from getting any redder.

"Um, Asia?" Izuku began, still wondering just what Asia had been daydreaming about with him. "What's she talking abou-"

"Nothing! Nothing! Nothing to talk about!" Asia squeaked out again as she began pushing him away from the table, nearly making him crash into several students behind him, including one with short violet hair.

---

In spite of her teasing, Asia seemed to treasure her friendship with Aika greatly. He may have felt slightly uneasy around her, but her teasing never came across as malicious, feeling more like the kind of teasing Akeno would do to him.

And he knew that Aika considered Asia a friend as well. On one occasion, after someone else had come forward to ask Asia on a date, he hadn't exactly been happy to be turned down, judging by the way he had already started shouting at her.

The instant he saw tears beginning to leak from her eyes, Izuku had already begun keeping into action, rushing to Asia's side in a heartbeat.

But Aika had already been beside her, telling the boy off for trying to force a date from someone who had already said no.

Her biting tongue had been enough to get the boy to back down, Izuku already by Asia's side to comfort her, something Aika had helped him to do, making sure that Asia could be somewhere safe to calm down.

He was more than willing to put up with a bit of teasing for Asia to have a friend like her.

"Sorry Asia," he said back to her, a small blush on his face as he realized he had accidentally tuned her out. "Did you say something?"

She nodded with a small smile. This hadn't exactly been the first time this had happened after all. "I was asking if you were feeling better after what happened last week, but it looks like you're doing a lot better. You even seem a bit happier."

Izuku smiled at her in response, leading her to smile back with a light flush to her cheeks. "I'm feeling a lot better actually. I had something weighing pretty heavily on me before, but now? I feel as light as a feather."

"That sounds good," she said as they continued making their way back from the train station. "Was it about the…you know. Ddraig?"

Naturally, Izuku had made sure to let both Rias and All Might know about his encounter with the dragon residing in his Sacred Gear sometime after first meeting Susan. Both were naturally surprised by the news, Rias especially, this being the first she had heard of a Sacred Gear hosting another living being. After a lengthy discussion with the two, he had also made sure to let the rest of the peerage know of this discovery. They were already aware that he held the Boosted Gear, so bringing them in on something this big was a no-brainer. As for what he should do next, the three decided to see if he would be able to contact Ddraig himself, which sadly went nowhere. No matter how hard he tried, Izuku was unable to establish any kind of contact.

He knew that Ddraig was still there though. Even without being able to talk to him, he was able to feel a sort of presence within his Sacred Gear.

"No that," he told her as they closed the distance to their home. "Just something that had been bothering me for a little while. You'll find out soon enough."

After a talk, the three of them had decided on letting everyone in on the news by weeks end, only a few days away now. Izuku naturally felt anxious about it all, not being certain of how they'd react to it, but he knew that it needed to be done.

They were his friends. His teammates. They deserved to know just what he was getting himself into.

"Well, if you're really sure," Asia said, not sounding like she fully believed him, but willing to let it be for now. She would still be sure to keep an eye on him just in case.

She didn't want him to collapse from exhaustion again after all.

"I do hope that I'll do well next month though. That's what's bothering me right now," she said, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly.

He knew what she meant right away. Final exams were quickly approaching, and they needed to do well, especially if they both wanted to get to U.A. together.

Much as they worked on building up their power as Devils, their schoolwork was still quite important.

"I know what you mean," he said as they reached the apartment building, making their way to the elevator. "We should probably start doing some study sessions soon. I think I know some good spots we can go to."

Her eyes seemed to sparkle when he said that, a small bit of relief, as well as excitement for being alone with him, flooding through her at the idea.

"Then let's be sure to do our best," she said excitedly as they reached their floor, the two making it home less than a minute later.

"We're home!" They called out in unison as they removed their shoes.

"Welcome back!" Inko had a spark of life in her that glowed brighter than it had back when it was just her and her son. Back then, while the two were close, there was something that felt like a wall between them that had been growing higher and wider, their home feeling like it was losing its luster the longer it went on.

Now with Asia around, keeping both hers and her son's spirits up with her presence alone, she felt like her family was whole again.

Now if only her husband was able to come home.

"You two've been looking after each other I hope," she said with a grin.

She still remembered how worried she felt for Asia on her first day of school, how she could barely concentrate on anything throughout the day until she and Izuku returned home.

She was beyond grateful that her children looked after each other.

Asia, as usual, was quick to gush about her day, happily explaining it all to her adoptive mother as though it was her first day all over again. Inko listened as attentively as she always did, overjoyed at how much her daughter loved her new life.

"Sounds like you had quite the day," she said with a grin. "I suppose I should get dinner ready then. You two had best get cleaned up, we have a guest tonight," she told them, piquing their curiosity as she led them to the kitchen.

"Rias!?"

Sitting there at the table was their King, dressed rather casually in a white sleeveless top and black skirt, her phone held in her hand as she grinned at her servants.

"Did you two have a good day?"

Asia's eyes had widened at the sight of her, her curiosity growing ever higher. "What are you doing here, Rias?"

It hadn't been the first time she had shown up to the apartment out of the blue like this. Right after her first day of school, she had shown up to ask how it all went, sounding pleased that it was going smoothly for her. She had popped by several times after, claiming that she wanted to see how well Asia was acclimating to her new home.

Not that it ever stopped her from staying for dinner.

"Can't I check up on two of my closest friends?" A small pout sprouted on her face as she asked her question to Asia, before quickly being replaced by a wry smirk. "Besides, I still need to make sure Izu's treating you well. I stuck you two lovebirds together, and I don't want things getting out of hand," she said, chuckling lightly as she saw their faces light up.

"Come on Rias, stop teasing us," Izuku whined pitifully, Asia keeping quiet as her mind became awash with images of her and Izuku as a couple once more.

"My apologies, I simply couldn't resist," she said with a slightly apologetic grin as she stood up, making her way to Asia before giving her shoulder a light tap. "If you're really that curious though, I came over for more of Inko's wonderful cooking. I'm starting to think I'm becoming addicted to it," she said with a giggle, surprising the smaller girl before she wrapped her up in a hug. "I envy you, getting the chance to eat her delicious meals every day. Now you two really should get changed, we need to prepare dinner."

"Rias," Inko interrupted, already setting up to make the night's meal. "I've told you before, you're our guest. It wouldn't be right to have you help with the cooking."

"My apologies Inko, but I'm afraid I'll have to insist," Rias said as she released Asia from her grasp, walking into the kitchen before grabbing one of Inko's spare aprons. "You have four mouths to feed tonight, so there should be room for one more cook in the kitchen."

Inko couldn't resist giving her a smile. This hadn't been the first time they'd had this argument, and she was certain it wouldn't be the last. "You really won't take no for an answer then."

It wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact.

"Nope," Rias replied with a wink as she finished tying the apron around herself, making the older woman chuckle good-naturedly.

"Then we'd better get started."

Before long, dinner was ready, Izuku and Asia having freshened up and put on clean clothes as both Inko and Rias handed them their plates with a smile.

As they ate, Asia told Rias about how school had been going for her, her King's full attention on her as she spoke. When she told her of the many admirers she had gotten, Inko looked more than a bit put off, frowning at the thought of all those people putting her on the spot like that, but Rias seemed to take it in stride.

She knew precisely where Asia's heart lay after all.

"This is so good!" Asia happily ate the food in front of her as she told her story, Rias giving her another grin as she likewise dug right in.

"You really are a fantastic cook Rias," Inko said as she took in more of her Miso soup, Izuku diving right in to his katsudon.

"You're too kind Inko," Rias responded, the glee clear on her face at the compliment.

It hadn't been the first time it had been brought up of course, with Inko even asking where Rias had learned to cook so well. She explained that she had been taught by her mother, and expanded her talents after she and her friends had moved to Japan, hoping to be able to cook as many local delicacies as she could. Naturally, as soon as she had begun putting her peerage together, or as she explained to Inko, began making close friendships, she was quick to cook for them at every given opportunity.

"It wasn't long before Akeno asked if I could help her learn to cook," she explained, having begun discussing her close friend group with Inko. "She managed to pick it up incredibly quickly, and we tend to cook together to feed everyone. Koneko in particular is rather fond of her sweets, while Yumi has a fondness for the cakes we bake on occasion."

"Is that so?" Inko seemed interested in hearing as much about Rias', and by extension Izuku's, friends as much as possible, taking in every new thing she learned about them.

"I had no idea Yumi liked cake so much," Asia said as she finished her plate.

"You'd be surprised at some of the stuff she doesn't tell you," Rias said, a small smirk on her face as she leaned over to whisper to her. "Like did you know she's absolutely terrified of spiders?"

"She is?"

Izuku couldn't help but grin as he watched Rias and Asia talk, enjoying the extra bit of light that had been breathed into his home since Asia came into it.

After they finished eating, Rias was quick to offer to help with the dishes, but Inko declined, her foot firmly set down for this. Ultimately, Izuku was asked to help her while Rias and Asia talked amongst themselves.

"Izuku," his mother started as she handed him a dish to rinse and dry. "You've made some pretty interesting friends."

Despite the soft flush to his cheeks from her statement, he couldn't help himself from smiling. His thoughts raced back to everything he had gone through since Rias had saved his life. How supportive everyone had been when he was fully made aware of his new life as a Devil, and how hard they fought beside him to rescue Asia from the Fallen Angels.

It may have sounded odd for a Reincarnated Devil, but he truly felt blessed.

"I wouldn't mind if you invited them all over for dinner sometime," she said suddenly, startling him so much he nearly cracked the plate in his hand.

"Wha-huh?"

"Is that really such a surprise?" She held out another plate for him to grab while holding in a bark of laughter. "I've heard so much about these new friends of yours from Rias and Asia, but I've yet to meet them. Himejima, Kiba, Toujou, and that Uraraka girl."

Izuku stood there looking stunned. He was not expecting her to ask him anything like that.

"I think that sounds wonderful Inko," Rias called out from the living room, Asia sitting across from her looking almost as surprised as he was. "It might take a while to find a day where everyone can come, but I don't think they'd mind at all."

"That sounds fantastic, Rias. I can't wait to meet them all."

Her smile was positively gleaming as she continued handing dishes to her son, who took them robotically as he thought more and more about this new development.

Everyone? All those girls? Here? In his home? Where they could see all his stuff?

If he hadn't been holding onto those dishes with all his might, he likely would have fainted at the very idea.

After the dishes were finished, Rias told them that she needed to go back home, mainly to bring up Inko's request to them all. Before leaving though, she asked Izuku to accompany her outside, which Inko basically agreed for him to do, calling it gentlemanly behavior. Asia seemed to stare at Rias ever so lightly, for reasons unknown to him.

After leaving the apartment building, Rias turned to him, her playful face wiped clean, now being all business.

"You still haven't told me what it was that was so important that you wanted to talk to me Izu," she began, remembering that he had called her earlier wanting to discuss something later. "So tell me, what is it?"

Izuku took in a gulp of air to calm himself down. This had been something that he had wanted to ask her for the past few days, but he never thought he could find the right time. But with the deadline coming up fast, he knew that it was now or never.

He voiced his question to her loud and clear, making her eyes widen.

---

It didn't take long for Rias to contact everyone with Inko's request. They had all been rather surprised by Inko's request, Ochako in particular, but they all seemed open to the idea, wanting to do it sometime soon.

They just needed to find the right day.

The remainder of the week seemed to pass in a blur, before finally it was time.

The day had come for everyone to learn about One For All.

Naturally, he was anxious about it all. His every nerve made him wonder just how they would react. He remembered how impressed everyone had been when he told them how he was training before meeting them, and how they all reacted when they found out he was quirkless.

None of them thought less of him for it.

But now they would be learning that he was working toward attaining a quirk that wasn't his own. How would they react? Would they think less of him for trying to get something he never had before? He knew that Rias did not think any less of him for it at all, but he knew that they were all different from her, so they'd likely have different feelings about it all.

And of course, they would learn about All Might. He knew that the number one hero had fully approved of this whole idea, but it didn't make his nerves fade away in the slightest.

Even with Asia walking by his side, wearing a light green dress with white stockings, he still felt worried. Though her presence did make him feel just a little bit better about it all.

It was hard to even imagine his life without her anymore, what with how long she had been a part of his life now.

As they finally arrived at the beach, he noticed that Yumi and Koneko had already arrived, the two gazing at what little trash remained before they noticed him and Asia. The two were dressed just as casually as him and Asia, with Yumi dressed in a blue t-shirt with matching jeans, and Koneko in a white blouse, yellow overshirt, and a pair of jeans like Yumi.

"So this is where you've been training," Yumi said with her usual smile as the two approached. "I must say that I'm impressed. I remember seeing this beach when we first arrived here in Mustufau. The difference is like night and day."

He felt a small flush bloom on his face as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, Asia letting out a light giggle at his response.

She had been equally impressed when she first saw the work that he had been doing. She was saddened though by just how much of the beach had been covered, wondering why anyone would let so much garbage pile up in a place like this at all.

"Why are we here?" Koneko was eyeing him right now, curiosity clear in her voice. Izuku gulped as he tried to make up something to say before Rias arrived…

"There you all are!"

…before another voice interrupted him.

Much to the surprise of the three girls already there, Ochako was jogging toward them, dressed in a short-sleeved pink shirt, a white skirt, and black leggings. She also wore a wide grin on her face as she jogged up to Izuku and Asia.

"Didn't know so many of us would be here," she said after greeting everyone. "So what's up Deku? What'd you want us all here for?"

Izuku made to open his mouth again, but was once more interrupted.

"Does this have anything to do with your training?"

This time by Yumi.

She was met by questioning looks, mainly from Ochako and Koneko. "Did you two forget? He told us that he was cleaning this beach as part of his training."

"Well…I um, I forgot. Guess it just kinda slipped my mind over the past couple months," Ochako responded, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as she sported a light flush to her cheeks.

Koneko, meanwhile, looked away with a small pout and equally flushed cheeks.

She was not about to admit that it had slipped her mind as well.

"I will say this Izuku," Yumi began as she gazed at the beach around her, the crisp sand underneath her shoes. "You've done a remarkable job cleaning this beach as much as you have," she said with a smile.

"It's so cool!" Ochako exclaimed, her previous embarrassment forgotten as she pumped her arms into the air, a grin on her face the entire time. "Helping people and the community? This is essential hero work, Deku!"

Asia lightly giggled at the blush Izuku now had. She had already remarked to him how impressed she was by his efforts whenever she had joined him and Rias in their workouts, but every time she saw just how much he had progressed, she found herself more and more amazed.

"Impressive," Koneko admitted, glad that the attention had been drawn away from her previously. "And you've been doing this since before you met us?" She received a nod in response, causing her eyes to narrow questioningly. "You must have had some sort of trainer then. Where are they?"

Izuku began taking deep breaths. This was the moment of truth. He could feel his anxiety begin to peak, but he couldn't let that stop him. "That's why I asked you all here today. It's…well…about my trainer…"

"What about your trainer?"

Izuku jumped at the sound of Akeno's voice. She had appeared right behind him, sporting a yellow sundress with a red belt at her waist. A light grin was spread across her face, clearly relishing the opportunity to have a small bit of fun at his expense.

Izuku would likely never say it out loud, but he did find those little grins she made on occasion to be rather cute.

"Sorry I'm late. Rias asked me to prepare some soundproof barriers around the beach. Sounds like you've got a big secret for us Deku," she finished with a wink, leaving the boy blushing again.

"Really?" Yumi seemed perplexed at this information, a look that was shared amongst the other girl's around her. She moved her gaze back to Izuku, seeing him begin to sweat nervously, and rather profusely as well.

"Does this have something to do with your trainer Izuku?"

Asia's question led him to taking another huge gulp of air. He didn't trust his voice not to say too much too soon, so he simply nodded in response, leaving the girls around him looking both surprised and confused.

"My my," Akeno said, sounding rather impressed. "Your trainer must be someone rather special indeed then, Deku."

"He certainly is."

Another voice had captured everyone's attention, all of them seeing Rias approaching, wearing a short-sleeved red blouse and black miniskirt with striped leggings, all with a large grin on her face.

But that wasn't what surprised them most.

Walking by her side was Sona, dressed in a short-sleeved white shirt and black shorts, somehow managing to look professional even in casual wear.

Izuku was the only one not surprised. After all, Rias had specifically asked him if she could be there.

---

"So that's it then," Rias said as she finished hearing Izuku's request. "You want Ochako to know too."

"I'm sorry," he said to her, a determined fire in his eyes. "I feel like she deserves to know though. She's as much my friend as the rest of you all, and she's the one who helped me make my decision. I'm not asking for anything more than this. So please, let me tell her too."

Rias was impressed by his resolve, which became more and more obvious as her grin began to grow.

She had wanted to push him closer to both Ochako and Asia already. Those two clearly cared for him on a deeper level than just friendship, even if Ohako wasn't fully aware of it yet, but this? This was more than she could have hoped for.

But, she had no idea why it felt like her heart began to clench at the idea of him with them.

"You're not going to back down on this, are you?" She decided to brush the feeling aside, her focus entirely on the situation before her. Izuku continued staring at her directly in the eye, not looking at all like he would back down. It reminded her of when he had demanded her to let him save Asia.

"Very well," she told him, much to his clear surprise and glee. She knew there would be no chance of convincing him otherwise even if she wanted to. She couldn't help but smile more as he began to thank her, a sound of relief clear in his voice.

"However," she began, much to his clear confusion. "I have a request of my own. I would like Sona to know about this as well."

His confused look had deepened, his head tilting questioningly in such a way that she couldn't stop herself from thinking how cute he looked like that.

"I know that it sounds a bit strange, but let me explain. You remember how I told you that I had claimed Mustufau as my territory?" She received a nod in response. "Well it isn't just mine. Sona has equal claim to the entire city."

She watched as his eyes widened, clearly taken aback at this new information.

"I know that you probably have questions about that, so I'll let you know now. When I decided to move here to Mustufau, Sona decided to join me, intent on assisting me whenever I needed it. Because of that, each of us has a proper claim to Mustufau as our territory," she explained. She had made sure to let Sona know how much she appreciated that, the knowledge that her oldest friend would have her back no matter what happened, giving her a sense of peace throughout her time here.

"If you don't wish for her to know, I'll understand," she made sure to tell him. "This is merely a request and nothing more. I am perfectly fine with letting Ochako in on this information, I just feel it would be advantageous to bring Sona in as well."

Izuku stopped to think. He didn't know Sona very well, if at all. His only actual interaction with her had been incredibly brief, with most of the time he had seen her had her focused on speaking with Rias.

He was quite sure that Rias knew her well enough to have this be an informed decision. Sona at the very least didn't seem like the kind of person to spread sensitive information out to others. Plus, she was Ochako's King. He was fairly certain that she would notice if Ochako was keeping something like this from her.

Now, the more rational choice would be to let neither of them know, and he knew this. The less people aware of One For All the better, but he knew he couldn't not tell Ochako. Not after what they had already gone through, and not after she had helped him, albeit unknowingly, come to a decision to let everyone else in on it all.

In the end, Izuku agreed with Rias' request. Sona too would know about One For All.

---

"My apologies for taking so long," Rias said as she finished approaching the group. "Sona and I were having a bit of discussion."

"S-sona!?" Ochako seemed to be the one most surprised by her King's presence. "What're you doing here?"

"I've been asking the same question of Rias for a while now," she replied as she adjusted her glasses, the sun's glare giving them a menacing look as she stared up at her oldest friend. "She refuses to go into detail about Midoriya's mysterious 'trainer'," she explained, sounding slightly annoyed at Rias' secret keeping. "All I know is that, whoever he is, he's very much aware of who we are," she announced, shocking the group once more.

"Hold on! For real!?" Ochako's voice squeaked out as she took in the news. Asia looked every but as surprise, though the only sound she let out was a gasp. Both Yumi and Koneko looked equally surprised, though neither made a sound.

"Will this be a problem?" Akeno was every bit as shocked as the others, but recovered quickly, switching to a more professional demeanor as she asked her King the important question.

"He's been aware of our world for quite some time now, so there's no need to worry, I can assure you," Rias said, doing her best to calm everyone's nerves. "He and I have actually been speaking with each other for quite a while now, ever since Izu introduced us to each other. The two of us helped to come up with a new schedule for him so he would have time for his duties as a Devil. Now, he may have strayed from what we originally laid out for him," she said with a knowing glance to Izuku, who hung his head despondently as the others looked toward him. "He may not be here almost every day like he was before, but that hasn't stopped him from making astounding progress. Wouldn't you agree, Mr Yagi?"

"He certainly has."

The presence of a new voice, one deep and surprisingly powerful, caused the group to turn their attention to its source.

If this man was truly Izuku's trainer as Rias had been implying, he was nothing like the others expected.

After all, how could he when he looked like he was a single sandwich away from starving to death? This skeletal man with windswept blonde hair looked nothing at all like a trainer.

"I'm Yagi Toshinori," the man greeted with a bow. "It's nice to meet you all."

While put off ever so slightly by the man's presence, each girl introduced themselves to him in return.

"Um, excuse me?" Ochako began after everyone finished their introductions. "But…are you really Deku's trainer?" While he seemed a bit confused by the name she gave Izuku, he nodded his head in confirmation. "Are you really sure? You, um…" she paused, wondering how she could say something without offending the man.

"You look like a stiff breeze could take you out," Koneko said bluntly, causing everyone to look at her in shock and horror.

"Koneko!" Izuku had never seen a look like that on Yumi's face before. She looked utterly chastised over what Konkeo had said, much like everybody else. "Please Mr Yagi, accept my full apology for her," she said with a bow.

Toshinori however, didn't seem to mind Koneko's words at all, considering the fact that he had doubled over in laughter. It was clear he found humor in Koneko's words, bluntly and harsh though they may have been. Though they all began to worry when he began coughing up bits of blood.

"Mr Yagi!" Asia was quick to rush to the man's side, her Sacred Gear at the ready. "Are you alright?"

Toshinori smiled at the young girl's response. He had heard much about her from both Izuku and Rias, and it was clear that much of it was indeed true.

"Worry not Young Argento," he told her, wiping away the blood with his arm. "I know that it's not exactly a pretty sight, but I've got it under control these days," he said with a much softer chuckle. As he finished chuckling, his sunken eyes began to widen ever so slightly before a wry grin took over his face. "Besides, you guys aren't exactly alone in seeing me like this," he said as he pointed behind the group.

They all looked at him in confusion before following his finger to where it pointed, before each of them let out another gasp of shock, Izuku, Asia, and Ochako flailing back into the sand at the sight before them.

Somehow, in some way, Amako had managed to summon herself again, smiling and panting with her tongue hanging out as each teen gaped at her in pure surprise.

"How did she…?" Sona seemed to be the most confused. She had been aware of Izuku's Familiar, with Rias having mentioned the white wolf before, but to see her spring up out of nowhere was enough to throw her for a loop.

"Why did you summon her Midoriya?" Koneko had asked from the safety of right behind Yumi.

"I didn't! I swear!" If anything, he looked even more surprised by her appearance than the others. He had yet to have any real reason to summon her since first introducing her to Ochako just the other week.

"You just kinda do your own thing, dontcha Amako?" Ochako recovered from her shock after the Familiar began approaching her, stroking the wolf's fur as she circled around both her and the still downed Asia. While appreciative of the petting she was receiving, she ignored to begin nuzzling Asia with her nose, breaking the girl from her shock as she too began stroking the Familiar's fur.

"She certainly seems to like showing up," Akeno said as she too recovered from her shock, watching happily as Amako began slobbering all over Asia's face, the now giggling girl asking her to stop.

"She really does," Rias said as she turned her attention back to Toshinori, who was still grinning at the group. "Fun and strange as this is, we should really get back to more important matters."

"Are you really sure you're alright sir?" Yumi interrupted, catching everyone's attention. She still looked somewhat embarrassed by Koneko's remark even as she recovered from her own surprise at Amako's sudden appearance. "Coughing up blood the way you did can't be good for you, especially as thin as you are."

"I appreciate your concern Young Kiba," he said to her, much to the surprise of the younger blonde. "My condition may not be the greatest at the moment, but I promise you, I have it handled." The way he spoke of it made it seem like he had made his peace with it already, but both Yumi and Asia couldn't help but look concerned for him anyways.

"I understand your concern Yumi, but we're not here to discuss Mr Yagi's health," Rias stated, giving an apologetic gaze to the girl as she spoke. "We have other matters to discuss."

"That we do," Toshinori said before getting a good long look at the group before him. He had certainly heard much about each of them, mainly from Young Midoriya with Miss Gremory helping to fill in some details, save for the young woman standing directly beside Miss Gremory. He was glad that she had informed him ahead of time of just who Miss Sitri was. And, of course, everything he had heard had let him know that his chosen successor had certainly gotten himself involved in quite the interesting group.

It was more than simply the fact that they were all women, he could just tell, only by looking at them, that many of them had a drive of their own that pushed them forward. He could also see that many of them carried a weight on their shoulders greater than most, he had been in the hero business long enough to recognize that, but of course, he would not pry into their business unless he needed to.

Miss Himejima Akeno, the (apparently) sadistic but still kind-hearted Vice President of their little club. Miss Kiba Yumi, the valiant Knight who fought with all her might by Young Midoriya's side. Miss Toujou Koneko, the quiet but intense young woman with incredible strength. Miss Asia Argento, the sweet and caring type with a Sacred Gear made with the sole intent to help. Miss Uraraka Ochako, another kind young woman with a gravity quirk that unhesitatingly fought by his protégé's side to rescue a friend. And Miss Sona Sitri, King of her own peerage, and another protector of this city from supernatural threats.

Along with Miss Rias Gremory, the flirty but soft-hearted young woman who helped to bring them all together, it was certainly an eclectic group. And one he was looking forward to getting to know as he spoke to them.

Though he wouldn't lie, part of him was looking forward to their eventual reactions to the truth.

"I suppose that I should start with how Young Midoriya and I first met," he began as he sat down, a damaged dishwasher serving as his perch. "Tell me, do any of you remember the incident from about half a year ago, when that sludge villain attacked two young boys?"

He was met mainly with confusion from them, with Young Uraraka looking to scrunch her face as she tried to remember, Young Argento looking to not even know what he was talking about. It made an unfortunate amount of sense. Villain attacks were incredibly common no matter how quickly they were stopped, and it would never be long before another one would take the place of the news of the day, and given that Young Argento was still living in Italy at the time, her not even knowing what he was speaking of made sense as well.

"I believe I do," Sona said, capturing everyone's attention. "That sludge villain had managed to take a young boy hostage, his quirk going out of control as it began to freeze things around him, though why it didn't affect the villain at all is still a mystery," she said as her eyes narrowed at the thought.

Quirks simply made no sense to her at times.

"I remember that too," Akeno spoke up. "There were several heroes at the scene, trying their best to mitigate the damage being done before a young boy rushed…in…" she began trailing off as a look of realization took over her face before turning her head to Izuku.

For his part, Izuku stepped forward, even while swearing even more now as his nerves started to come close to overwhelming him. Judging by how Koneko's, Yumi's, and Sona's eyes had widened, they had managed to connect the dots just as Izuku spoke up. "That was me."

The surprise on each of their faces, save for Rias' of course, was palpable, with Ochako's and Asia's looking the most surprised.

"Izuku!"

At least until Asia cried out with worry.

"Are you okay? You didn't get hurt did you?" Her eyes had begun to water as she stuck to his side like glue, checking to see if he had any wounds on hum.

"Um, Asia? It happened months ago. I'm alright."

He watched as her eyes began to widen in realization before her face began blooming red, stepping away from him as she looked away in embarrassment.

"Between that and the church, you certainly seem to have a habit of rushing in to help someone in need, don't you Izuku?" Yumi's question gave him pause. She did raise a good point. But he knew, regardless of what anyone would say, he would do it again in a heartbeat.

After all, someone needed help.

He felt a light tap on his shoulder before he turned to see Ochako, smiling at him with a knowing glint in her eye. "Hero 101," she said to him, reminding him of when they spoke at the mall so long ago. Beside her, Amako looked up at him with what looked like a smile of her own, her jet black eyes looking at him with pride.

"All that before you even met us? My my Deku, you really are a brave one aren't you?" He found himself blushing heavily under Akeno's question, though he could tell by her tone of voice that she also felt rather proud of him for it.

"I will admit, you certainly have quite a bit of grit," Sona began, sounding impressed, though with a hint of accusation in her tone. "But tell me, did you have any plan when you rushed in? If this all happened before Mr Yagi began training you as he says, then you rushed blindly into a dangerous situation with no quirk, no Devils powers, and not even your Sacred Gear. What did you think you would accomplish?"

He flinched at her words, even as he heard Ochako speak up to try and defend him.

She was right though. He had no real plan to try and save Okamoto. All he really did was throw his backpack at the sludge villain's eye before reaching out to try and pull him away. That was all he had, and it could have gotten them both killed.

"I wasn't thinking," he said, everyone looking at him now. "My body just moved on its own. I saw someone there, someone who looked like they needed help. I couldn't just leave him there, no matter what would have happened to me." He moved his gaze back up to match Sona's, staring her directly in the eye. "If someone needs help, I can't just ignore it. I won't apologize for that."

Sona continued to stare into his eyes as his words echoed in her ears, barely able to hold back a smirk at his words. Rias had certainly gotten herself an interesting Pawn.

Izuku, unknowing of what was going through Sona's mind at the moment, kept staring at her defiantly before he felt a tug on his sleeve, finally breaking eye contact to stare down into the wide and impressed hazel eyes of Koneko, the shorter girl emitting a small sense of admiration for him, just as much as he felt from Ochako and Asia.

"That was really cool, Izuku."

The fire that once blazed in his eyes moved itself down to his cheeks. He had certainly not expected to hear Koneko address him by his first name at all. He didn't even know how to respond to that, though he didn't have much of a chance to try, as Koneko gave a very light tap to his arm with the back of her hand. Not enough to hurt, thankfully, but definitely enough to get his attention.

"But please try and think more before jumping in like that. I don't want to lose my friend."

His eyes began to widen as his mouth gaped open, completely taken aback at her words as she walked back over to Yumi, who was giving the smaller girl a gentle smile, one he saw her return.

"I…well..I'll t-try Toujou."

"Koneko."

Yeah. Apparently this was his life now. Cool, sometimes intimidating, and incredibly cute girls being fine with him addressing them by their given names.

Still, he couldn't help himself from smiling back at her, watching as she began to blush in return.

"I'll try. Thank you, Tou…Koneko."

Rias continued to watch as Izuku interacted more and more with his fellow Devils with a smile of her own. He was becoming closer to the group, and judging by how he stood up for himself against Sona's question, he was becoming more sure of himself as well, even if he could occasionally drift back into being rather shy.

Strangely enough though, she found herself happy that he could still be that way. It felt like he simply wouldn't be Izuku without that. It was part of what made him who he was, and it was just one of the parts of her Izu that she cherished.

Hang on. Her Izu?

She struck the thought away. She cared for him a lot, she knew this already, but he wasn't hers. Their relationship was strictly platonic, a servant to his master who would fight beside her. It didn't matter how much she liked the feeling of his fluffy hair whenever she would rub her fingers through it, or those cute little freckles on his cheeks, or how adorable she found his enthusiasm for heroes to be, or the way he smiled making her heart feel like it could skip a beat at times, or even his drive to be a hero no matter who told him it was impossible.

Really. Strictly platonic.

"After that," Toshinori interrupted, a small grin on his skeletal face as he watched his student look like he was growing closer to his comrades. They were here for a reason beyond them all admiring him for his feats after all. "When I saw Young Midoriya rush in on that day, his body moving on its own to save someone in peril, it inspired me. Before it happened, I could only watch as a spectator, a pathetic man who felt like there was nothing he could do to help," he explained as he thought back to that day. Looking back, it had been a day full of mistakes, each of them having the chance of ruining many lives. But still, there was one choice he knew he would not regret. "The actions of one quirkless child, one who's courage outshined even the pro heroes already on the scene, was enough to remind of something truly important. What it truly means to be a hero. It was enough to spur me into action in that very moment, and it all spiraled into all of us meeting here today." He could feel his grin grow as he thought about that day. The day he made an important decision of his own. One he knew would come. Someone who could…no, who would be a worthy successor. One who could even outshine him.

"Pardon me Mr Yagi," Akeno interrupted, echoing a question many of them held. "But what do you mean by you being spurred into action? I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but what could you have even done in such a situation?"

This was it, he knew it. Toshinori sent a questioning glance at Rias, who gave a near microscopic nod, letting him know that now was the time.

He also noticed her discreetly pulling her phone out of her pocket, all with a miniscule grin she tried her hardest to hide. He was glad he was grinning already as he began to stand, or he'd have a hard time hiding his own.

"I understand your confusion Young Himejima, and don't worry, you weren't rude at all. And, as for being spurred into action…"

As he finished speaking, steam began billowing forth from his body, shocking all but Izuku and Rias, who readied themselves for what was to come. Before everyone's eyes, muscles began to expand as the once skeletal man grew larger, two tufts of hair that once hung down spring up into a 'v' shape recognizable across the world.

"HAHAHA! I appeared to save those two from what surely would have been a grisly fate!"

All Might stood before then all, flexing his muscles as he gave his iconic laugh.

Rias could barely hold back chuckling from seeing everyone's reactions, her phone's camera snapping a picture for her own amusement.

Akeno had abandoned all of her decorum as she stared at the brawny man, her mouth open in shock as her eyes bulged out. She wondered if it was possible for them to actually pop out. Asia had her hands to her cheeks as she stated equally as wide-eyed as her Queen, a wordless squeak of surprise emanating from her open mouth. Yumi had covered her mouth with a large gasp as she stared at the man with wide eyes, keeping at least some dignity in her surprise.

Ochako had…she did not know that someone's eyes could bulge outward like that. Didn't she only have a gravity quirk? Still, it was rather nice of Izuku to try and poke them back in for her.

She nearly lost it at Sona's reaction, the girl staring at the man as she tried forming words to say, sputtering all the while in a way she had never seen before. She swore that she could hear the gears struggling to turn in her head as she processed the sight before her.

Out of all of them though, Koneko's may have been her favorite. She may not have audibly gasped like Yumi, nor had her eyes as wide as either Ochako or Akeno, but the way her short hair stood completely on end made it look like she had stuck her finger in an electrical outlet.

Amako…had just yawned before lying down on the sand.

She didn't know what to really expect there.

"I understand that this would be quite the surprise to you all. But this is the answer that you have been seeking! For I am here to help give an explanation!" All Might finished his words with a hearty laugh, every bit as amused from their reactions as Rias was. He was reminded of when Young Midoriya had first seen him shrink down into his true form.

Good times.

"You're…you're All Might! Deku, you know All Might!?" Ochako's words echoed throughout their small area of Takoba Beach, thankfully contained by the soundproof barriers placed by Akeno earlier. The others simply stood speechless as the Symbol Of Peace stood before then.

"Yes! And I'm sure you're all curious as to just what I have to do with Young Midoriya's trainin…'cough'!"

Their looks of shock gave way to worry and horror as they saw him begin to cough up blood before shrinking back down to his previous state. Steam once more flowed out of his body as he continued to cough, more specks of blood escaping his throat. Asia had been quick to recover from her shock, her Sacred Gear at the ready to try and help him before he held out a hand to stop her. "Worry not Young Argento. This has become rather normal for me."

"But how?" Sona's voice cried out questioningly, completely dumbfounded by the transformation she had just seen before her. All Might was just a human wasn't he? Sure, he was an extraordinarily powerful human with a quirk, but to alter one's own muscles in such a way just seemed impossible.

"Well, you know how some people suck in their guts whenever they go to a pool or a beach to try and look buff?" Toshinori began his explanation as he wiped away the blood from his mouth. "I'm like that."

"But…what? That just raises more questions!"

What kind of body did he even have!?

"All Might?" Koneko spoke up, sounding, for the first time ever since Izuku had met her, every bit as small and innocent as she looked, concern clear on her face as she gazed at the number one hero. "What happened to you?"

Toshinori sat back down as he explained the same explanation he had once given Young Midoriya as well as Miss Gremory. How he had gotten into battle with a truly mighty foe, and was able to emerge victorious, but not without paying a price. When he lifted his shirt to show them the scar, Asia had broken out into tears at the sight, the kind hearted girl heartbroken at seeing such a grievous injury on anyone, let alone the man her dearest friend looked up to so much. The others were horrified at such a wound, wondering just what kind of monster could inflict such a thing on someone as powerful as All Might. Even Rias and Izuku, who had both already known of his affliction, looked away as the injury was shown, the sight being too much for them to bear even after all this time.

He continued to explain how he and Young Midoriya had first met each other, many of them having a good chuckle at the idea of their friend hanging onto the hero's leg as he jumped away from the sight where he had saved him. Then of course, he told them the question Young Midoriya had asked of him that day, and the answer he had given.

Naturally, many of them were upset with him, with Young Uraraka being the most fervent in condemning him for his comment. He heard Young Midoriya try to defend him again, much like he had done when Rias had learned of it, but once again he had told him to stop.

He could never forget that day on the rooftop, the words he had said to Young Midoriya, and how they were one of his biggest regrets. That young scrawny boy who needed to know if he could be a hero without a quirk. He had spent many years battling against truly terrible foes, as well as facing off against disasters of all kinds, many of which would give even other veteran heroes pause. He had seen other heroes put their lives on the line, even if their own quirks may not have been the best for dealing with the situation at hand.

So the idea of this child, this young boy with no power of his own, wanting to be a hero, and not just any kind of hero, but one like him, terrified him to his core.

Being a hero was not an easy life, no matter how much the media tended to glamorize it. Villains, natural disasters, and accidents that could potentially spread out into chaos hunted them at every turn. There were many who knew of the dangers of their field, and were ready to put their lives in the line for it, but this boy? This small, scrawny child? He would be dead within a day if he tried to be someone like All Might with no quirk of his own.

It was why he tried to tell him no, to seek more realistic goals for himself. There were many occupations out there that were still good ways to help others, and many of which being places where quirkless individuals did their part with every bit of fervor as most heroes, but his words were callous. Much as he tried to let him dream something within reach, the words he left him were full of bitter regret, having seen many lose their lives in pursuit of heroics. He did not want the same to happen to someone so young.

And then, he had simply left him there on that rooftop.

That, out of everything that had happened that day, may have been his biggest regret. And while he knew that the boy was fine now, in the deepest recesses of his kind, and in several nightmares he'd had since, the worst case scenario had played out, where he had led that young boy to death by despair.

But none of that happened. As he continues to explain, Izuku's act of courage had inspired him into action, even though he had already spent all the time he could in his powered form. It was all thanks to him that no lives were lost that day.

"After that, I told him that I was wrong," Toshinori continued. "That he had more than what it took to be a hero. And I decided then and there to help prepare him for U.A. He already had the guts to get in, all he needed was the power," he finished, smiling fondly at the memory of Young Midoriya falling to the ground, tears of relief falling from his face as a huge weight seemed to be pulled from his shoulders.

"So that's how it all happened then," Akeno said, fully enraptured by the tale. "You just continue to impress me more and more Deku," she said with a flirty wink, making the young man blush once more, much to the deflated hero's amusement.

"Um, All Might…sir?" The pro turned his attention to Ochako, the girl looking apologetic as she tried to meet his eye. "I'm…I'm sorry for what I said before," she said, bowing her head in shame as she finished speaking.

"There's no need for apologies Young Uraraka," he replied to her, catching her by surprise. "What's done is already done, and I'm a big enough man to know that I've made a mistake."

"Still this is rather remarkable Izuku," Yumi said, smiling proudly at him. "To catch the eye of someone like All Might is quite the feat," she said, making him rub the back of his head sheepishly.

"It's a bit more complicated than just that, Young Kiba," Toshinori interrupted, grabbing everyone's attention once more.

This was it. He could see Young Midoriya begin to sweat more and more even as Miss Gremory put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He couldn't blame his student for being nervous, he was as well.

"There was one more reason I decided to take Young Midoriya under my wing," he told them, their full attention now on him. "Because of his actions that day, I decided that he was worthy to inherit my quirk."

Silence. Nothing more than complete quiet as the rest of the group stared at him, what they had just heard stewing in their minds as they tried comprehending it. The sheer quiet in that moment was one of the most deafening things he had ever heard.

Followed closely by the shocked cries he was met with seconds later.

"WHAT!?"

"That's…how? How is that even possible?" Sona looked to have as much trouble comprehending this as she did Toshinori's odd body. "The mere idea of a quirk being able to be handed down from one to another goes against everything we currently know about quirks!" Her mind seemed to be going into overdrive as she spoke, sounding a lot like Izuku did whenever he was on one of his muttering sprees.

"Inherit? Quirk? You can give your quirk to him?" Akeno sounded every bit as baffled as Sona, her usual decorum once more as forgotten as it had been before as she stared open mouthed at the deflated hero. Yumi's mind seemed to be racing at near lightspeed as she tried comprehending what she had just heard, staring at the emaciated hero in complete shock.

Koneko's hair was once more standing on end, but now with her eyes wide as her mouth gung open in pure shock, this newest information drop shocking her out of her usual stoicism.

Ochako's eyes were once more bulging out from their sockets, but this time she wasn't alone, as Asia had somehow found a way to join her in her action, Izuku panicking as he tried pushing them back in.

Amako…had decided to roll around in the sand, enjoying the feeling on her fur.

It was enough for Rias to finally double over in hysterics, Toshinori quick to join her with his own bellowing laugh, even as more blood escaped his lips. "Don't worry," Rias told them all, wiping a tear from her eye as she held back more chuckles. "I was every but as surprised as the rest of you when I first heard of this. And while it may sound absurd, It's the truth. All Might's quirk can indeed be passed on to Izuku, just as it was to him."

"It's as she said," Toshinori continued, having recovered from his own laughing fit as he wiped more blood away. "This power has been passed down for generations. Many years of one hero passing it along to another, increasing the strength and power it holds. A sacred torch that has been passed down." He could see it in his mind as he explained it all, a line that spread from one light to another, glowing brighter as it hit every point for each user, all before it hit an eighth, glowing a spectacular gold as a gloved hand reached to hold it in its grasp. "It's this cultivated power that's allowed me to save those in need of help. The ultimate truth behind my strength."

He thought back to all the questions he had gotten over his many years at being a hero, and how many times he had been asked about his quirk. For so long, he had always found a way to tell some kind of joke, or find some sort of distraction to get away from the question. And now, here he was, explaining it all to a group of teenagers.

"And the name of this quirk? One For All."

"One…For…All," they each repeated his words, the name engraved into their memories.

"I was looking for someone who'd be a worthwhile successor, I never thought I would find one so quickly. A quirkless fan boy Young Midoriya may be, but he acted like a hero when others like myself stood by idly. I'm absolutely certain that I've made the right choice."

There was an ironclad certainty in his words, one that seemed to strike a chord with the group, a clear look of understanding lighting up their faces as his words finished sinking in. It didn't take long at all for them all to gather around Izuku as they exclaimed their excitement for him, each of them voicing words of encouragement as the young man stood there and took it all in. Even Amako had jumped up while slobbering on his face, seeming to be every bit as impressed as the rest. Every word he heard from them began to overwhelm him, tears of happiness welling in his eyes as he stared at them all.

He never had anything to worry about at all. None of them were upset for him keeping this a secret. None of them thought less of him for working hard to earn such a grand ability. Ochako was right. His friends really would support him 100%.

All the while, both Rias and Toshinori watched it all with soft smiles, happy that everyone had taken everything they had learned today in stride. "There's still a way to go, and I know it won't be an easy road to travel, but I know that Izu has what it takes to see it through. And now? He has more people in his corner, ready to help him reach his peak. I just know it." Every word she uttered had been spoken with pure pride, her heart warming as she watched her servant bask in the adulations of his fellow Devils.

"I have no doubt about that," Toshinori replied, his own sense of pride growing as his protégé took in everyone's reactions. He then turned to Rias, a small smirk on his face. "Still, they certainly had quite a different reaction than you did when you first learned of this Young Gremory." He had made certain to speak loudly enough to be heard by the others nearby, holding back more chuckles as he watched her face begin losing color.

"Is that so?" Akeno had suddenly appeared on her right, the tiniest of smirks on her face as Rias began to shiver.

"Do tell, just how did you react when you first learned of this Rias?" Sona had come in on her left, a questioning look on her face as she fought to hold back her own smirk.

"Tell us Madame President," Koneko spoke as she popped in from beneath her, her face blank but her eyes filled with questions.

This was their retribution for recording their reactions wasn't it? The sweet and questioning tones she could hear from them made her more nervous than she had been in quite a while, and for the first time, she felt fearful of not only members of her peerage, but her best friend.

"H-hang on now!" Izuku began to speak up in her defense. "We-we don't really need to bring that up right now do we? Can't we just move on from this?"

She could kiss him at that moment.

"Oho, so you know what happened, don't you Deku?" Akeno had suddenly gotten up to his face, a sultry look taking over as she brought him close to her, his arm beginning to be buried right in her chest as she sent a wink his way. Naturally, his face had started burning red. "Why don't you just tell us? I'll make it worth your while!"

Somehow, even through all his blushing and stammering, he was able to wrest his arm away, backing away from her before he felt himself backing into something solid. His head turning back ever so slowly, he saw Koneko, the smaller girl having made her way behind him, all while giving him a pleading glance.

"Tell us Izuku. Please?"

He had nearly broken then and there. Her voice had changed from her normal stoic into a much softer and cuter tone as she begged him to tell her what happened, something he had never expected to hear from her. Her tone of voice and pleading look was too cute for him to even turn away from.

All the while, Rias felt her face begin to turn the same shade of red as her hair, trying her hardest to sputter out denials as Sona continued badgering her. Her attempts at words weren't only aimed at her oldest friend, but also to her peerage. Whether to stop them from asking questions, or to stop trying to charm Izuku with their wiles, even she wasn't fully sure. Both Ochako and Asia had also turned red as they watched Akeno and Koneko, sputtering in a similar manner as Yumi simply looked scandalized at what she was witnessing.

"If you all really want to know," Toshinori spoke aloud, grabbing everyone's attention as a smirk broke out on his skeletal face. "She fangirled out right after she saw me buff up. Even asked for an autograph before letting out a squeal."

'ALL MIGHT YOU TRAITOR!'

Why did he have to seal her fate like that!?

Her entire body had gone red, visible on every bit of visible skin as everyone, sans Izuku and a laughing Toshinori, turned to face her. The smirks on Akeno's, Koneko's, and Sona's faces swore vengeance, unwilling to let the chance to have some fun at her expense go. She wished desperately to flee from all of this.

So she did.

In the blink of an eye, she had deployed her wings before taking to the sky, her three traitorous comrades chasing after her mere moments later, leaving behind a confused and slightly sorrowful Izuku, a slightly amused Yumi, a very amused Ochako, a confused Asia, and a still chuckling Toshinori.

"Are they going to be alright?"

"I wouldn't worry about it Izuku," Yumi told him, holding back a light giggle. "It's not often Rias does something embarrassing, and those three simply relished the opportunity to have some fun at her expense. I'm sure they'll get it all out of their systems soon enough," she explained as she looked in the direction they had flown off in, looking like she was debating on whether or not to follow them.

"Izuku."

He turned to face a smiling Asia, her face having a warmth that made his heart flutter. "You truly are a remarkable man. It's almost as if you were placed here by God himself." She winced from the headache that came with speaking His name before speaking again. "Thank you for trusting us all with this secret. I'll be sure to never tell a soul."

"Same here!" Ochako's voice chimed in from his left, the girl grinning with a fire in her eyes that he could feel resonate with his own spirit. "Hearing about all this has got me all pumped up! I need to get stronger now! You ain't the only one who wants to get stronger ya know!" Her attitude was infectious, a grin spreading to Izuku's face as he felt his heart grow ever warmer as he heard her speak. He felt just as pumped up as she was. "Hey Asia! Wanna join me? We can help Deku clean this beach!"

"Yes! Let's do this!" Asia's arm had pumped up into the air at the same time as Ochako's, a grin on her face as a new enthusiastic feeling spread through her.

"Um, actually…"

They both turned to face Izuku, who was once more rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I…I want to finish this all up on my own, if that's okay. I…I really feel like I should see it all through to the end on my own after working on it for so long. Does that make any sense?"

Asia blinked in confusion while Ochako had a look of realization. "I think I getcha Deku. This is one of those macho 'I started it so I should finish it things', isn't it?" She received a slightly hesitant nod in return, her smile never wavering. "Fine with me! We can still do something though," she said before turning back to face Asia. "I've got some ideas for workouts if you wanna join me Asia! No way we're getting left in the dust right?"

She received another nod, this one more certain in conviction before the two began discussing plans, a ferver between them as they talked amongst themselves.

Toshinori watched with a grin. It was good to see Young Midoriya's friends not only willing to stick by him, but also work harder so that they could stay by his side. He found his gaze moving over to Yumi, the girl looking as though she had begun contemplating something important. "And what if you, Young Kiba? Have you any plans?"

She seemed slightly startled when he called on her, her gaze moving from him back to Asia and Ochako, the two coming to some sort of agreement as Amako began circling playfully around them, and then back to Izuku, who watched them all with a small smile. The entire time, she began to look troubled, like she was trying to make an important decision without ongoing what to do.

"Do…do you mind if I just sit here and watch Izuku train?" Her question surprised him, her gaze having locked on his student as he began to warm up by doing stretches. "I…I have some things I need to think about."

He knew not what could have been troubling the girl, but he knew not to pry. If this was something serious, then he knew she could speak with the rest of her peerage.

Though, he did notice that as she gazed at Young Midoriya, there was a slight flush to her cheeks that hadn't been there before. He was pretty sure that she wasn't even aware of it.

Well, that was also something she would have to figure out on her own.

"I see no issue with that, and I'm certain that Young Midoriya wouldn't either," he told her, a ghost of a smile on her face as she sat down upon the sand. "Speaking of which, we should begin shouldn't we? You may have an audience today, Young Midoriya, so you'd best be sure to do your best!" Buffing up into his muscles form once again, All Might urged Izuku to move forward, a new day ready to begin!

"Um, excuse me. Mr All Might?"

Smile still ever present, All Might looked down to face Asia, who was looking up into his eyes with concern written all over her face. "I…it's about your wound," she began, her voice trembling as she once more summoned her Sacred Gear, its healthy glow bathing the sand directly below it even in daylight. "May I try to heal it? My Sacred Gear has allowed me to heal every injury I've ever seen. It should be able to help you sir."

All Might looked down at her, the smile on his face fading as he shrunk back down to his normal state, his expression unreadable as he continued staring directly at the kind girl. It wasn't hard to notice that she had also gotten the attention of the others, who had begun to gather around the two. "Young Argento, I know that you want to help, but I should warn you," Toshinori began, being sure to keep his voice as gentle as possible. "I've had medical professionals from all over do everything they can to help me with this. I've had to go through surgery after surgery just to live as normal a life as I can with this injury. I'm not even sure if this can be fixed." He knew his words were blunt, but he did not want her to get her hopes up. He knew that her Sacred Gear was a powerful one, but there was no true guarantee that it would work.

"I can fix it. I know I can," she said, her eyes fixed on him, a fire that reminded him of Young Midoriya burning in her gaze as her Twilight Healing continued to glow. Hesitantly, he began to lift his shirt, exposing his terrible wound to everyone once more.

It did little to deter Asia as she placed her hands over it, its warm glow bathing the wound in a soothing green light. Everyone kept silent as they watched, glimmers of hope in their eyes.

As time passed however, no progress seemed to be made on healing Toshinori's wound. Not once did the damage heal over as it usually did when she healed someone, the scar retaining its shape no matter how long she held her hands over it. Asia's distress began to grow as Twilight Healing's light began to fade, her eyes widening as Toshinori's wound remained the same.

"I don't…I don't understand," she said, confusion and pain in her voice as tears began to gather in her eyes. "This…this has never happened before. My Twilight Healing has always worked! No matter how bad someone's been hurt, I've always been able to help them! What's happening!?"

Noticing the girl begin to panic, Izuku, Ochako, and Yumi immediately rushed to her side, doing whatever they could to keep her calm.

"I was afraid that would happen," Toshinori stated, lowering his shirt back down as he stated at the confused faces of four teens. "It's as I said. People from all over have tried their best to help me, many of them having powerful healing abilities like yours. None of them have been able to do anything," he said as he sat down, the teens doing the same as they comforted the now crying girl. "The damage is incredibly extensive, and I'm missing a few organs. I didn't want you to get your hopes up Young Argento," he said, keeping his voice as even and gentle as possible so as to not make the girl feel worse.

"But…but why? Why didn't it work? Ever since I first awakened this power, I've always been able to heal people," she sobbed, the presence of her friends only doing so much to soothe her. "So why? Why didn't…why couldn't I…?"

As she continued to sob, she suddenly felt a pressure on her shoulder, one she knew wasn't from her friends. When she opened her eyes, she found herself face to face with the towering form of All Might once more, his large hand having been gently placed on her shoulder to grab her attention. As she looked upon his smiling face, she noticed it looking different from how she'd seen it before. Looking more understanding than grandiose.

"I understand your frustrations, Young Argento, believe me. I would love to rid myself of this wound just as much as you do. But I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?" He kneeled before her, looking her dead in the eye as the others watched curiously.

"Your ability did not work this time, and it may not be the last. There may come more times when you find it may not be able to help. But, even if you should fail, you should never let that stop you from trying. You've found yourself up against a wall, one that will do whatever it can to impede you, so now, you need to find a way to overcome it."

His gaze moved to the tower teens that surrounded her, their wide eyes looking at him as he spoke. "And never forget, you have amazing allies who will stand by your side no matter what wall you may run into. Don't look at this as an ending at all Young Argento, but instead as a new beginning!" He stood back up, tall and proud as he began a hearty laugh, hopeful that his words were what she needed to hear. "You wish to join Young Midoriya and the others in the hero course do you not? Then let me tell you a valuable lesson all heroes must learn. There will always be times when you find something that seems impossible, but you should never let such a thing deter you from doing whatever you can regardless. To find a way to achieve the impossible no matter what odds lie before you, this is how heroes shine! That is what it means to go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!"

He thought back to his mentor, the one who passed One For All to him so long ago, and how she said similar words to him. If he could pass down such wisdom to a new generation of heroes, then that was worth more to him than anything.

"You may feel down for now, but I'm certain that you will find a way. Never forget that Young Argento."

As he finished speaking, steam once again emitted from his body, shrinking him back down to normal size once more, his smile just as true as it was before.

"And then, if you can find a way, we can try this again," he said, much to her surprise. She felt her eyes watering up again at his words, but this time, they held no sorrow. Only relief. "You have a truly wonderful power, Young Argento, as well as a kind heart. With those, I'm certain that you can be a fine hero," he told her, his hand gently laying on her head as he encouraged her. "Never forget that."

Teats freely falling, but now with a smile on her face, Asia suddenly embraced the hero, who had been quick to return it

"Thank you All Might."

"Don't worry about it at all Young Argento," he told her as the two released each other from their embrace. "I'm confident that you'll not only find a way to meet the expectations you've set for yourself, but to exceed them beyond your imagination." As he spoke, he found himself buffing up once again, a hearty grin on his face. The constant shifting from one form to the next may eat away at his time, but right now, that didn't matter to him. "And when you make it to U.A., I want you to always remember its motto, and to live by it as you continue forward! Go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!"

She grinned back at him as she raised her arm into the air. "PLUS ULTRA!"

"PLUS ULTRA!"

Asia saw both Izuku and Ochako, their own hands raised up high as they smiled brightly at her, supporting her now just as much as All Might was. Even Yumi, whose fist may not have been raised as high, had a smile every bit as bright.

"We're back!"

The sound of Akeno's voice cut through the air as she touched back down to the ground, a smugly satisfied grin on her face as Rias touched down next to her, her own face completely red and pouting petulant as steam escaped her ears. Sona was quick to touch down afterward, her smirk less prominent, but no less as smug as Akeno's.

"Did we miss anything?" Koneko's voice was heard as she touched down last, the smirk on her face making her very much look like a satisfied cat.

At least until Amako had bound up to her excitedly, happy to see her land back on solid ground. Koneko, very much not afraid of the mutt she simply wanted to get away from her, climbed the tallest object nearby to try and escape from Amako's greetings.

Said tallest object just happened to be Akeno. How she was able to still look somewhat dignified even with the smaller girl wrapped around her shoulders mystified Izuku.

A quick explanation had them worry for Asia, but she was thankfully able to put them at ease. It seemed All Might's words had helped to calm her, and had even cheered her up.

"You should take his words to heart then Asia," Rias told her, her face having lost its previous red hue. "All Might has been a hero for longer than all of us have been alive, and his advice is rather sound."

"I will."

"You should be able to get some practice in on our little Deku at least," Akeno joked, Koneko having climbed down from her. "I think we know him well by now, he's bound to throw himself into another situation like the sludge villain sooner or later."

"Please don't put that thought in my mind."

"I should be fine Asia. I would just deliberately put myself in danger like that."

The stares Izuku got from everyone at his words, including from All Might, were enough to get him to start shrinking into himself. Even Amako seemed to be staring at him like that. Or was she just looking at that crab that just scuttled by?

He knew what they were staring at him for, his running in to face the sludge villain. He couldn't exactly defend himself there. "I…well…"

All Might held back a snicker as he watched his student get eyed by his friends. "Well now, I believe it's time we got started, wouldn't you agree, Young Midoriya?" His question seemed to finally end the judgemental stares he had been receiving before the hero turned to face the girls. "And if any of you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer. Nothing wrong with an old pro passing along some wisdom right?"

Asia and Ochako had been the first to ask him for some advice, with him gladly letting them know just what they needed as the others began talking amongst themselves. Akeno had already walked over to Rias, her fun at her King's expense over as she seemed to suggest something to her, and whatever it was, she seemed to agree with it. Sona had approached Ochako after the other girl had finished receiving whatever advice she had sought from All Might, likely talking about ways to better herself. Koneko had begun speaking with Yumi, the two discussing amongst themselves new ideas they could use. All Might had heard from Young Midoriya that Yumi seemed to not wish to be part of the hero course, but he didn't know about Koneko. For all he knew, the smaller girl was just as focused as making it there as his protégé.

It wasn't long before the group broke out into smaller ones, Sona and Ochako beginning a jog to warm themselves up, Amako chasing them for her own amusement, as Akeno and Rias approached Asia with ideas of their own, the golden haired girl looking to agree with whatever they had in mind. Koneko and Yumi meanwhile seemed to stall as their eyes moved to Izuku, the boy having already begun lifting some of the heavier pieces of garbage after finishing his warm-ups. All Might would never say that he noticed, but he did get a good chuckle when he saw the two's faces go slightly red when Izuku removed his shirt after it became too heavy with sweat.

'Teenagers,' he thought to himself as he rolled his eyes lightheartedly. 'Kind of surprising though. Never thought Young Midoriya would be such a ladies man.'

He could not hide his grin as he watched everyone work. Rias, Akeno, and Asia had already begun with some physical training as Ochako and Sona returned, with both Koneko and Yumi finally starting their own workouts, as the two decided to lightly spar with each other.

He was also fairly certain he had seen Sona hand over ¥100,000 to a grinning Rias, though he had no idea why.

Seeing them all, each and every one of these aspiring heroes work to ready themselves for whatever it was that would come their way made himself more and more certain that letting them learn about One For All was the right choice. It wouldn't be much longer now either, he could tell as the beach became ever cleaner with Izuku's efforts.

Soon, very soon, that young man would be ready to grab that sacred torch from him. Then, he would be ready to show the world exactly who he was.

---

With the full knowledge of Izuku's training now under their belts, the members of the ORC had decided on their own to assist Izuku in every way they could, so long as they didn't actually help him to clean the beach.

Both Yumi and Koneko expressed interest in helping him learn how to fight, though knew he had to put more focus on attaining One For All at the moment. In the meantime, the two had decided to accompany Rias whenever she had the day to train him, being sure to work out alongside the two, as well as Asia whenever she was there.

Speaking of Asia, she had told him some rather interesting news. Both Rias and Akeno had decided to teach her the art of Devil magic. She didn't go into much detail, as she was still learning just what that all entailed, but she was incredibly enthusiastic to learn everything they could teach her.

And, much to his surprise, he had found himself running into Ochako during several of his jogs. She had told him that she wanted to start working extra hard now that she knew what he was working toward. There had even been times when she, with Sona's permission, had been allowed to join him and the others on several of their training sessions, where each of them worked hard to get stronger.

He knew better by this point, but it still at times felt like he was in a dream. He had more friends now than ever before, with each of them encouraging him to follow his dreams, even helping him to reach them as they strived toward their own goals. It sent a feeling through his chest that he hadn't felt since both Kacchan and RinRin had moved away. It was a feeling he truly cherished.

A feeling he could do without though was the sensation he kept feeling whenever he was reminded that all of his friends were girls, and incredibly pretty ones. He wished his eyes would stop wandering whenever they all worked out together, watching as their chests jiggled even through the movement of restrictive equipment, or even as their backsides tended to move rhythmically with their hips whenever he had fallen behind them while jogging. Even whenever they stopped to stretch, he found himself fixated on their curves as their bodies flexed, his cheeks heating up at the sight.

It had gotten worse after Akeno had noticed, meeting his eyes with her own as her movements became more exaggerated, pushing her chest out more whenever she caught him looking. Thankfully, she hadn't told anyone else.

Unknown to him however, the girls faced a similar problem. They couldn't stop themselves from staring at him anymore than he could stop staring at them. The way his chest had clung to his workout clothes, watching him stretch and seeing his muscles fit more and more snugly, and of course, catching a view of his ass whenever they fell behind him in their jogs, watching it swivel back and forth in an almost hypnotic fashion at times. It was quite the dilemma for many of them, Asia and Ochako most of all. Akeno, naturally, was the one most eager to see the sights.

As the days continued to pass by and November began to come to a close, the beach had become more and more clear, but that hadn't been the only thing Izuku had noticed. Rias seemed to be becoming more and more distant, like there had been something weighing heavily on her mind. Whenever he would bring it up, she seemed to just brush it off without much thought, though he would always catch her looking downcast again soon enough. He hoped that she would be willing to tell him what was going on so he could help her.

---

She had a rather restless night, tossing and turning the entire time in a futile effort to get any sleep. That dream, that nightmare had come up again, and she simply couldn't get her mind off of it. It had been plaguing her mind for months now, ever since she had seen that particular bird at Asia's party.

Why? Why now? Didn't she have more time? She thought she would have another year at least before they began to bother her, but it seems like fate had other plans. Her days were numbered now, and she knew it. Every single thing she had tried to use to get out of this had failed her, leaving her backed into a corner with nothing else for her to use. Save maybe for one.

She shook her head in frustration. She couldn't do that. She couldn't betray his trust like that, but more and more it seemed like the only option. She hoped that she could find another way. She knew that he had taken appreciative looks at her body before, and she had felt herself doing the same, so she knew there was at least some form of physical attraction, and it only made her final option seem more and more enticing.

It frustrated her to no end.

Rias Gremory screamed into her pillow, all the stress and anguish being let out quietly enough to not wake either Koneko or Yumi.

"What am I going to do?"

She had no one who could give her an answer.

She was alone in her torment.

Just as it seemed like she may scream again, her phone began to buzz on her nightstand. Izuku texted her? So early in the morning? And it wasn't even just her apparently. He had sent out a group text to everyone.

'Meet me at the beach. Got sumting 2 shw you all''

Could he have…?

She had to know.

She launched herself out of bed, streaking through her apartment before opening her door to see both Yumi and Koneko already up, their phones in their hands. Yumi being up so early didn't surprise her that much, she had always been an early riser regardless of whatever happened, but Koneko was simply not a morning person. Though the annoyed look on her face combined with her bedhead made her look rather adorable in Rias' eyes. The fact that she was currently holding onto her Familiar, Shiro, just added to it.

"Seems like you two got the message as well," she said, a soft smile hiding her excitement.

"This better be important," Konkeo said tiredly. Rias was sure that she was supposed to be scowling, it looked a lot more like a pout to her.

"I'm sure it is Koneko. Izuku wouldn't message us so early if it wasn't," Yumi said, her calm demeanor doing little to elevate Koneko's mood.

"She's right. Izu must have a good reason to have messaged us all," Rias said, hoping to put her frustrations behind her when she saw that beach. "We had best leave as soon as possible though. Are you two ready?"

"We should be in a minute Madame President, but…" Yumi said, looking Rias up and down. "You may want to ready yourself first."

Rias blinked in confusion before looking down. In her excitement, she had forgotten to dress herself before leaving her apartment, her nude form standing proudly before her servants.

'I thought I felt a draft.'

---

It didn't take long for the three to dress and ready themselves before hitting the beach, meeting a curious Akeno along the way. There had been several conversations as to what Izuku had summoned them all for, though they all arrived at what they felt was a rather logical conclusion. Not that it stopped Koneko from grumbling about being woken so early.

As they neared the beach, they had run into both Sona and Ochako, or at least Sona carrying a tired Ochako on her back. It seemed that she was even less of a morning person than Koneko was.

"Looks like we're all here for the same thing then," Rias said as she walked side by side with Sona.

"That does seem to be the case," Sona replied.

"Do ya think…'YAWN'...that means that Deku's got it all done?" Ochako's tired question got a resounding nod from the rest of the group, making her smile as she found her head diving back into Sona's shoulder as her eyelids grew heavy again.

"Was wondering if I'd run into all of you."

As if the group needed more proof of their suspicions, Yagi Toshinori walking toward them as they arrived at the beach settled it.

"Hello everyone."

Though seeing him arriving with Asia turned out to be a bit of a surprise.

When asked, Asia told them that she had come across Toshinori in his truck as she walked toward the beach, the hero offering her a ride. They were going the same way after all.

"Looks like we all got the same message then," Toshinori said as he held out his phone.

"Do you think that means he really did it?"

"I'm certain," Rias answered Asia's question with a wide smile. "In fact, I'm sure we'll see him real so…"

She had been cut off by the sound of a loud scream, one that tore through the morning air. She was instantly on alert, as were the others. They knew that voice.

Izuku was here. And he was screaming his lungs out.

Each of them rushed to the source, both Koneko and Ochako now wide awake as they too raced to the beachfront where they had learned the truth just a month prior. As they made it to their destination, each of them slower. Their eyes widened at the sight that lay before them.

They had found Izuku.

And a tower of rusted metal, thrown out tires, metal chassis, and broken vehicles lay beneath him as he stood shirtless while screaming triumphantly to the heavens.

And he had every reason to.

Takoba Beach had long since been covered in garbage over many years, all dumped haphazardly by people who couldn't be bothered to properly dispose of any of it. But now, for the first time in a long time, it was clean.

More than clean in fact, it was immaculate. Not a single speck of trash remained outside of what Izuku stood atop of this very moment, still howling in victory over his defeated foe.

And he was not alone.

Standing at the base of his tower, Amako had joined him, howling every bit as triumphantly as her Master, seeming to invigorate him as his own screams had drowned out the sounds of her howling.

The entire group stood there speechless. They had already been certain of his ability to finish his work, but to see just how completely he had done so? It was a truly breathtaking sight.

"Holy crap kid!" Toshinori was the first to break his silence, a fair amount of disbelief, as well as a hint of pride, in his voice as his sunken-in eyes took in the sight. The sun beginning to rise over the crisp autumn dawn made the entire beach sparkle in a way he hadn't thought possible. "You really did it. You even cleaned outside the area I told you to get."

The girls meanwhile, continued gazing at the boy in awe as they took in the sight before them. As their eyes scanned not only the clean beach, but at the triumphant Izuku, wide smiles began to creep along their faces.

"Holy…stonking…SUPER CRAP!" The excitement rushing through Toshinori's body made him burst into his muscular state, his smile beaming.

His smile began to falter though as Izuku finally finished screaming, before beginning to teeter off of the edge of his tower

The girl's eyes widened as they each began to rush in, hoping to catch him before he hit the ground, but All Might had already beaten them to it, cradling the boy in his arms like a proud parent.

"You did well, Young Midoriya."

Izuku began to smile, albeit weakly as he saw the proud grin on his hero's face.

"I…I did it. I really…did it," he panted out, exhaustion clear but one could hardly tell by the look of content on his face. "Do.. do you think I'm ready…All Might?"

"Of course you are!"

Izuku tiredly turned his head to face his friends, Ochako having spoken up excitedly as she began bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I mean, come on! How can you look at everything you've done and not think you're ready Deku!?"

"I have to agree," Sona said, gesturing to the clean beach surrounding them as her own grin grew. She was more certain now than ever, Rias had very much lucked out in getting someone like Izuku on her team.

"Everything you've accomplished is thanks to your hard work Deku," Akeno told him, an excitement matching Ochako's in her voice even as she tried to keep herself contained. "I believe that you are ready."

"And so do I," Yumi told him, her smile reaching up to her eyes as she looked at him with amazement.

"You did well." She didn't need to say anymore. He could see that Koneko was every bit as proud of him as the rest were, a smile every bit as wide as Yumi's.

"Here, let me help you Izuku." Asia had made her way over while summoning her Sacred Gear. While it couldn't do anything for exhaustion, it did well to heal several of the little scratches he had obtained as he finished up. "You're amazing Izuku. We're all really proud of you."

"That we are," Rias finished, her own face blank as she took in the sights around her. She had always been certain of his ability to succeed, ever since she had first found out about his training to receive One For All, but he had found a way to go above and beyond what she had expected. She walked over to him, looking down at him as her grin began threatening to split her face. He could see it in him still. That drive, that intensity, all of it wrapped up in a look of contentment that made her heart begin to soar. In the span of a heartbeat, she reached down before pulling him close, holding him tightly in a gentle embrace. "You did it Izu."

Izuku had known that he was close to finishing up his work from the day before. He hadn't felt the greatest about it, but he had decided to sneak out last night in order to finish everything up, making sure to let everyone know just as he was putting in the final touches. The looks he could see on everyone's faces after All Might had caught him made everything worth it already as far as he was concerned. He saw each of their smiles, their looks of pride, their excitement, and he felt like he was on top of the world. At that moment, it didn't matter if he would be getting One For All or not. What he saw from them was enough to make his heart soar even as his face slightly flushed. It didn't even register to him that Rias had managed to nestle his head into her generous bust once more. and it had felt even better once the rest of the group joined in, Ochako declaring it a group hug as he felt the warmth and comfort of his friends surround him. Part of him didn't truly want to leave such an embrace.

Someone had plans of their own though, as Amako had barged her way into the group hug, peppering his face with enthusiastic slobbering all over his face. "W-wait! Wait! Pbbbt! Amako! HahahaHAHAHAHA! AMAKO STOP!"

"And we're not the only ones proud of you!" Ochako's catty smile was lost to him as Amako continued her messy assault, covering his face with enough moisture to make the ocean envious.

All Might merely stood back and watched, unable to hide his chuckles as he watched the group of teens celebrate his student's accomplishment. 'You're a lucky man Young Midoriya,' he thought to himself, no small amount of joy running through him as he watched as Amako begin turning her slobberous tongue to the other members of the group. 'You're in a position many would kill to be in right now. I wonder though. Will you settle down with only one of them? Or will you all somehow find a way to stay together?' He shook his head at the thought. 'Oh well. Something like that isn't any of my business after all. Besides, we have more pressing matters at the moment.'

"You'd better believe what they're saying my boy. And don't think that I'm not impressed either. You not only did all that I originally asked of you, you found a way to go beyond that." He watched the young man begin to stand, both Ochako and Asia helping him as he began to stagger. All Might pulled his phone from his pocket before selecting a specific photo, showing it off to the friend group before him. "Do you see this?"

Much as he didn't want to, Izuku couldn't help but cringe at the sight. It was him. Months ago. Long before he had even met Rias, crying in front of All Might shortly after he first started training. Each of the girls looked at the picture with no small amount of surprise, taken slightly aback that Izuku had once looked so…small. Though that didn't stop the light snickering from both Akeno and Koneko at the sight of a bawling Izuku. "This was you just six months ago. You may not like the sight, but take a look at yourself now! A marked improvement!"

It wasn't only Izuku who glanced down at his body, but the girls too. It was a welcome sight for all of them. They had gotten a good look months ago when they went to save Asia, but he had only gotten more fit since then. All traces of baby fat gone, Izuku was well built, though not overly muscled. Each part of his body looked like it was made for performance instead of show, like an Olympic track star over a bodybuilder. Sona found herself being the only one to look away, a light flush to her cheeks, while the rest were unable to tear their eyes away.

Izuku noticed none of this as he looked down to his hand, an uncertainty that he knew shouldn't be there making its way into his voice. "All Might, are you really sure? Do I really deserve this?"

"Izu."

The sharp voice cut through his words, Rias smiling at him gently even as her voice remained firm. "You do. Never forget that."

The sound of her encouragement brought fresh tears to his eyes. "You've all done so much for me." His vision began to cloud over as the tears continued to crawl down his face, elation racing through his body. "I…I never thought, that I could be so lucky."

He felt a pressure on his shoulder as he continued to cry, All Might continuing to smile at him. "It was your own hard work that led to this Young Midoriya. We all may have helped you, but never forget that you were able to make it this far." When he saw the girls nod along with his words, he felt like his smile would split his face. His pupil had found himself some wonderful friends. "And now," he began with a light clap to Izuku's shoulder before reaching up to his head. "Your reward for all your hard work."

Izuku stood up straight, wiping the tears from his eyes as he stared up at the Symbol Of Peace. "Yes sir!" He felt more hands gripping his shoulders, both Rias and Ochako giving him their own encouraging grins.

Standing proudly before his successor, All Might plucked a single strand of hair from his head. "Someone very important to me once gave me these words of wisdom: There's a difference between being lucky and deserving. One's an accident, the other, a reward. Never get the two confused." Moving his gaze to the rest of the group, he spoke again. "I want each of you to take that to heart." The excited nods he got was enough to let him know they understood. "This here is a gift, and one you've earned through your own valiant efforts my boy." He held out the strand of hair in his hand to the teen, the sacred torch of One For All ready to be passed down.

Izuku began to reach out, his look of awe being replaced with one of pure determination as he began taking his next step. He could feel the excitement of everyone around him as his hand moved ever closer to All Might, and he knew, no matter what, that they would stick by his side. Taking their own steps forward alongside him, but still being with him to help to reach his goals. With the lightest of gestures, Izuku moved his hand forward, ready to grasp his destiny.

"Now, EAT THIS!"

The silence following his words was the second loudest All Might had ever heard, even stilling the morning wind, before being broken by a single comment from Koneko.

"Gross."

---

Here's the preview!

All Might:HAHAHAHA! I AM HERE to help introduce the next chapter segment!

Izuku:I never expected to get One For All like this, but I've come too far to stop now!

All Might:We've got plenty of time before the Entrance Exams. Maybe you want to take it for a spin?

Izuku:Really!? Are you sure?

All Might: Of course! Just be careful. That first time sure can be a handful!

Next time:The Price Of Power

All Might:Ew! What happened to your hand!?

Izuku:G-go beyond!

Both:PLUS ULTRA!

---

Holy. Stinking. Super crap.

How the hell did this end up being nearly as long as the big fight at the church?

Oh well.

Gonna start off by saying that the MHA fandom can be an absolute pain. There's tons of people who have internalized their headcanons to such a degree they will absolutely lose it when they're never acknowledged in the series itself. So many people have gaslit themselves into thinking there's a stigma against quirkless people when the most we ever see is a bunch of dumbass kids making fun of someone over it. It's up there with that asinine 'Red Shoe Theory' for absolutely ridiculous headcanons that make zero sense when you actually think about them for more than 5 seconds. So many in this fandom have the reading comprehension of toddlers I swear.

I'm not mad at any of you, I promise. I just need to keep off of social media when new chapters come out. It becomes a cesspool of brain dead takes and people who don't actually read the series trying to talk tough.

I'm gonna get way too upset if I keep going, and while I have many gripes with fandoms in general, I should save some of my rantings for later chapters.

Moving on now.

So, how many of you expected our little green Devil to obtain One For All in this chapter? I'll admit, he wasn't going to originally.

There was originally going to be one more chapter in between, but there was a slight change of plans. I didn't want to make you all wait much longer for him to get there, and I really couldn't think of a way to naturally segway that chapter into the ending for this one. Will we see that chapter later? Absolutely.

And so, Izuku is about to receive One For All, and everyone knows. Including Sona.

Another change of plans there. Sona was not originally going to be in the know, but the more I thought about it, it just made more sense to tell her. She'll be playing a larger role as this story continues, so bringing her in on this little secret just made sense to me.

With that, just one chapter remains before we hit the Rating Game arc, something a lot of you have been looking forward to. I even decided to show Rias being nervous about it all as it weighs ever more heavily on her, and making her consider something she may regret.

I know you all can't wait to see what I've got in store, and I gotta tell ya, I can't wait to put it to…well not paper. Screen I suppose?

Also, I made a bit of a change in the previous chapter after first finishing this one. I explain my reasoning for it in a big update note in the end notes for the chapter.

Regardless of my issues with this fandom at times, you guys are the life's blood of this entire story. Without your support, I may never have made it past chapter 1. As always, let me know what you think, I always adore seeing your words, positive or negative. And of course, always remember to...*remembers rant at the start of the notes*...at least try to be good, and be kind. Always.