AN: Thanks for reading and leaving reviews everyone! Now it's time for Izuku's story to really begin.

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Izuku didn't feel a growing pit in his stomach as he entered the halls of Aldera for the new school year. Finding his desk, he sat down and carefully unpacked his things.

Homeroom began and his teacher started lecturing the class about career development and choosing the right high school for their future. It was the most important decision they would make in their final year of middle school, and even though they wouldn't have to submit their final choices for months, the sooner they began thinking about it, the better.

As the final bell rang, Izuku sat at his desk while the rest of his classmates filed out, and stared at the career form.

Himi made it into UA, which means I should be able to!

I just need to find someone to continue my training, that's all!

Izuku let out a quiet sigh as he remembered that hurdle in front of him. Now that Himiko is attending UA, he no longer has weekend lessons with Kan to look forward to. Sure, he would still have his martial arts lessons, but he was far from ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who had quirks.

But he wouldn't let that stop him! He'd find someone to train him, and he'd find a way to get into UA!

Looking at his paper, he filled out his top choice of school before slipping it into his bag along with the rest of his things. He'd turn it in tomorrow, his declaration of intent.

Standing up, Izuku shouldered his bag and exited his classroom. As he began to walk through the school he thought about the forum he was a part of. He'd have to be very careful with how he worded it, but perhaps he could ask for advice on how to find someone to train him.

Izuku was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the pair of students standing in the hallway until he ran into them. Startled, he took a half step back. "S-sorry!"

"Hey, it's Deku!" One of the two said. Izuku felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized his rotten luck.

Of course, of all the people I run into, it's the kids who hang around Katsuki.

"You think just because you left our homeroom you're better than us now?"

"No!" Izuku held up his hands defensively, taking a step back. He knew he could take these two in a fight if it came to it, but he knew it would end poorly for him if things escalated.

"Huh? What's that?" The first one asked. Activating his quirk, he extended his fingers to Izuku's bag and grabbed the piece of paper that had partially slipped out.

"It's nothing - just my high school entrance exam form," Izuku said softly, but he already had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he knew the damage had already been done.

"UA huh?"

"How's a quirkless loser like you expecting to get into a school like that?"

"I'll find a way!" Izuku said adamantly.

"Oh, he's got some spine now."

"I bet Bakugo's gonna love hearing about this."

The two turned and took off, and Izuku stood there, feeling helpless as he clenched his fist. Paper or no paper, Katsuki was going to find out, and he didn't need to deal with that.

How can you expect to be a hero?

Even now he could still hear Katsuki's taunts, warring with Himiko's encouragement in his mind. Taking a deep breath, Izuku pushed those thoughts away as he once again took off toward the entrance - if he could leave school fast enough, perhaps he could evade his old tormentor.

"DEKU!"

Unfortunately for Izuku, his streak of bad luck continued as he heard Katsuki storming down the hallway.

"What is it Ka- Bakugo?" Izuku asked, trying to stay as calm as possible. His first impulse was to cower before his bully, but if he wanted to be a hero he knew he couldn't cower in the face of danger, so he tried to hold himself resolute.

"What do you think you're doing, applying to UA?" Katsuki demanded, holding up the sheet of paper.

"Himi- my sister made it in and she doesn't have a combat-capable quirk! If she can do it then I can certainly–"

Izuku found himself cut off as Katsuki let off an explosion dangerously close to his head, disorienting him and knocking him off balance. Without warning, Katsuki grabbed his bag and pulled a notebook from it before letting go, the motion enough to send Izuku crashing to the floor.

"I've told you a thousand times, and I'll tell you a thousand more. You can't cut it as a hero. What are they gonna show on the news? Some quirkless kid beating up some thugs with pointless quirks? Tch." Katsuki scowled. "That's not a real hero."

"There's more to heroics than being able to fight!" Izuku said as he began to rise.

Katsuki's confident smile twisted in anger as he looked at Izuku. "That's a lie and you know it. All you'd do is make it harder for the heroes around you, having to make up for your inability to pull your weight. Look at yourself," Katsuki held up his notebook and used his quirk on it, charring the cover and pages within. "You can't even protect one of your precious notebooks. What makes you think you can protect civilians when their lives are on the line?"

Katsuki threw the notebook at Izuku's feet. "Just give it up, you'll never be a hero. Be sure to add some extra high schools here. Don't want to ruin your future when you fail to get into UA, after all!"

Izuku's hands instinctively wrapped around the paper as Katsuki shoved it into his chest, and he glared at his former friend as he turned and walked away.

I'll show him I can be a hero!

Izuku lost track of how many times he sighed as he looked down at the charred notebook in his hands.

"Why can't Bakugo see that there's more to heroics than flashy fights?" Izuku asked. "Why can't he accept that there's different types of heroes?"

He knew he was trying to convince himself it was ok, but the seeds of doubt that he had always harbored once again sprang to life, and he was trying to avoid asking the real questions that plagued him.

Can I become a hero just like All Might?

Can I actually make a difference?

Izuku was so busy wrestling with his thoughts as he walked under the overpass that he failed to notice a manhole cover moving away, nor did he notice the slimy head that poked out and began looking around.

"Does this kid have a stealth quirk or something? I almost missed him. He'll be the perfect body for me to hide out in!"

Izuku barely had time to respond when he felt the large ball of sludge collide with him. He let his muscles relax but it was too late as his mouth was filled with slime and goo as the villain tried to force his way inside Izuku's body. Despite Izuku's training, he was unable to find purchase against his assailant, slime replacing itself the moment he pulled any away.

After what felt like an eternity, Izuku saw darkness creeping into his vision as he felt himself suffocating, his limbs growing weaker with every passing second that he was unable to take a breath.

As he felt himself slip into unconsciousness, Izuku felt one last, horrifying thought creep into his mind.

Bakugo was right about me.

Izuku felt someone gently slapping his face and sat upright with a jolt, his hand instinctively gripping his chest as he looked around in confusion.

"Wait, I'm alive?"

"Thank goodness!" The form All Might – his hero! – towered over Izuku, looking down on him with concern.

"A-all Might!"

"Sorry I was late, kid, that guy was tricky to track down." He held up a soda bottle that somehow had the sludge villain crammed inside of it. "But I was able to capture him!"

Izuku tested his breathing to make sure he wasn't suffering any ill effects before he pushed himself upright, his charred notebook falling out of his bag. Thinking back to Katsuki's conversation, he looked up at his idol. "All Might, can I ask you a question?"

"Sorry kid, I need to get going and deliver this guy to the police!" All Might said as he placed the soda bottle into one of the pockets of his cargo pants.

"Wait, All Might!" Izuku saw All Might crouch down as he prepared to leap away, and without thinking he charged at the hero and wrapped his arms around his leg before he felt himself launched skyward. "I-I need to talk to you! Please!"

"Kid, what do you think you're doing?!"

"I wasn't thinking!" Izuku admitted.

All Might paused for a moment, shocked at his answer. "Ok kid, hold on tight and close your eyes, I'll land somewhere."

Izuku couldn't help but comply - the intense pressure from the air made it hard to even bob his head. He felt immediate relief as he closed his eyes and mouth, pressing himself tightly against All Might's massive form trying to shield himself from the air pressure as they flew across the city.

Moments later he felt his body vibrate as they touched down with a dull thud. When Izuku felt All Might's massive hand gently touch his back, he loosened his grip and stood up, backing away from the hero on unsteady legs.

"Sorry kid, I realize you must be a big fan, but I really must get going." All Might knew his time was running out and didn't have even a second to waste.

"Wait, All Might!" Izuku saw All Might turning away to leave, and he knew it was now or never. "Can I be a hero like you, even if I am quirkless?"

All Might was shocked into stillness. Slowly turning around, he looked at the kid. Really looked at him. He was short and a little scrawny looking, with unkempt hair and looking a little worse for wear after he was attacked by a villain and held on for dear life as an unwitting passenger. It was his face that stood out the most though. It was filled with a quiet desperation that he knew all too well.

He contemplated how to respond until he felt a sharp pain in his side - a grim reminder of his injuries. All Might tried to hold his form, but he already felt steam as it began to rise off of him as he fought a losing battle.

"Sorry kid, but this is dangerous work. All it would take is one villain with the wrong quirk and you'd be done for."

Izuku hung his head, Katsuki's words rushing back and threatening to carry his dreams away. "But, isn't that true for all heroes? I've always looked up to you! I always thought that you looked so cool and heroic on TV," Izuku looked down at his hands. "But then last year I- I actually saved someone! And I became her hero. And then I discovered so many people out there who are looking for a hero to save them. And - and I want to be there for them! Just like you've been there for Japan!"

Izuku looked up and gasped when he saw the cloud of steam that had filled the roof. It dissipated quickly, revealing that All Might was gone and had been replaced by an emaciated skeleton of a man. He yelped in fear. "W-who are you and where is All Might?!"

The man coughed and Izuku saw the blood on his hand afterward. "Looks like my time is up," He walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down, using the lip of the building to prop himself up. Staring at Izuku, he motioned for him to come closer. "Can I trust you, kid?"

Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat and bobbed his head before he walked across the rooftop.

"I wish the world was different, but beyond the glamor of the headlines, the truth of it is, being a hero is dangerous. Even for me - while everyone thinks I am invincible, the reality is I am not." He lifted his shirt and revealed a massive knot of scar tissue on the side of his sunken chest. Izuku's eyes went wide as All Might continued. "I got this in a fight five years ago."

Izuku's face screwed up in concentration. "Was that from the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"

All Might smiled at the kid's quick thinking as he tried to come up with an explanation. "That's a good guess, but this fight was kept from the public. The fight collapsed one of my lungs and all but destroyed my stomach."

Izuku stared wide-eyed at his personal hero. "H-How?"

"He was a very dangerous foe. I won in the end, but it left me in this state," As if to emphasize his point, All Might let out a ragged cough, before looking back at Izuku. "Being a hero is dangerous. Every fight could be your last, even if you have the quirk for it."

"But you're always smiling! Even when you really… look like this…" Izuku said, his voice a mixture of confusion and awe.

"Man, I must be going soft today," All Might reflected as he rubbed the back of his head, before sighing. "I'll let you in on another secret, kid. Even though I am putting on a fearless smile, that doesn't mean I'm not hurting or scared. It's my job as a hero - I'm supposed to show villains that I'm fearless. I need to reassure civilians that they're safe, no matter how bad things really are. And that's just to be a normal hero. To be a Symbol…"

All Might wanted to continue, but descended into a coughing fit, the blood he felt splashing onto his knuckle a reminder of everything he had given up to get where he is now.

And now he had this kid in front of him, asking him the same question he asked Nana all those years ago. He already knew the ending to that story - he was living it.

It would be for the best if he pointed this kid elsewhere.

When the coughing fit subsided, All Might pushed himself up to a standing position and locked eyes with Izuku. "There's other ways to help people, kid. I can tell you've got a good head on your shoulders - with practice, you'd make a great analyst or detective someday. Or if you want to help people more directly, you could be a therapist or social worker. I know it's not hero work, but it's still a noble way to help people. Now if you'll excuse me I really…" All Might patted the pockets of his cargo pants and froze.

The bottle was missing.

"A-All Might?" Izuku asked in confusion.

"The villain's gone. I must have dropped it while we were in the air!"

Izuku's face fell. "If I didn't grab onto you…"

All Might placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault kid, I was in a hurry and should have secured the villain better. Come on, let's get off the roof so I can look for him."

Nodding numbly, Izuku followed All Might to the door and led the way down the stairwell and out of the building. Once they were out front, All Might turned to the kid.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I need to find that villain before he hurts anyone else!"

Izuku numbly watched as All Might took off before he turned and began walking toward his home. He wasn't sure this day could get any worse, and he still had to attempt to salvage his notebook.

Izuku was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard the familiar sounds of explosions near Tatooin station. Looking around, he saw a crowd had already formed. Hoping that the sight of a hero in action might cheer him up, Izuku walked over to the crowd and his heart sank.

There was Sludge Villain, the same villain he had let escape, and he was attacking someone else – Katsuki.

Izuku felt a twisting in his stomach as he watched Katsuki struggling futilely.

How can you protect anyone if you can't even protect your own notebook?

Izuku's face fell. If a villain like this could overpower even Katsuki, what could someone like him hope to accomplish?

It was then that Izuku noticed the heroes were already there - and doing nothing.

Why?

Why weren't they helping?

Izuku still felt the phantom memories of the sludge being forced down his throat and his inability to breathe. Were they just going to let Katsuki die?

He didn't deserve to die here.

Turning to look back at Katsuki, he made eye contact. It lasted only a moment, but to Izuku it felt like an eternity. And in that moment, for the first time in his life, Izuku saw fear in Katsuki's eyes.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, you're my- no you're a great hero Izu!

Himiko's voice cut through the whispers of doubt, and before he realized what he was doing, Izuku pushed through the crowd and was running toward the villain.

What am I doing? How am I gonna fight this guy? I already failed once!

He didn't have time to worry about that as his feet closed the gap between them with every stride. Letting his training take over, he quickly examined the villain. Kan's words came back to him, and his eyes went wide in realization as he spotted the villain's weakness.

First distract him, then focus - just like I've practiced - then go for his eyes!

Izuku tore his bag open and threw it at the villain, his foe looking at him in momentary confusion as the contents spilled out and peppered against him. Using the brief moment, Izuku took a deep breath and tried to focus as he smoothly pulled a pencil out of his pocket. It wasn't even a pen knife, but it would have to do! Sliding right up next to the villain, Izuku pulled his hand back and jammed the pencil into the villain's eye.

The reaction was immediate as the villain screamed and recoiled, freeing Katsuki's face and part of his shoulder. Izuku wasted no time and grabbed him, pulling his arm free before Katsuki regained enough coherency to yell at him.

"Deku, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Trying to save you!"

"That was your last mistake!" The sludge villain roared as a tendril shot out and knocked Izuku to the ground, murder in his eyes as he lifted several tendrils to deliver a killing blow.

However, the attack never came.

In the next instant, All Might filled the space Izuku previously occupied, his arm reeling back before striking the villain with so much force that he shattered into pieces. Izuku raised his hand to shield himself from the force of the blow, the impact creating a massive wind current that caused the very weather to change. Izuku wasn't sure if it was real or his imagination, but he swore he heard All Might talking.

"Look at me, telling you all those things, and then you're the one teaching me a lesson."

Still in shock, Izuku allowed himself to be led over to the paramedics who checked up on him. It wasn't until Kamui Woods and Death Arms approached him and began to reprimand him that he snapped back to reality.

"Listen to yourselves! You're right! It was too dangerous for me to be there!"

"Is something wrong?" All Might asked, having appeared suddenly behind the pair of heroes.

"We're just talking to this kid," Death Arms told the hero. "He shouldn't have done what he did and almost got himself killed."

"From what I saw, he was the only one who did anything about it," All Might gave the hero a hard stare. "To me, that makes him more of a hero than any of you."

The heroes recoiled at All Might's accusation, looking thoroughly chastised as they made lame excuses before they shuffled off, leaving Izuku alone. All Might looked like he wanted to say more, but he was quickly surrounded by the press and unable to talk.

Taking one last look at All Might, Izuku let out a long sigh. Of course, it was too much to think the hero actually had more to say. Dejectedly, Izuku gathered his scattered belongings. Holding his tattered hero journal in his hands, he sighed before he shoved it into the bag with the rest of his things and walked away.

He never even noticed that despite being interviewed, All Might continued to watch him the entire time.

As Izuku turned into his neighborhood he heard Katsuki yelling for him behind him. Resigned, he turned around and waited.

"Nerd, why'd you do that? I had everything under control!"

Izuku lost track of how many times he had sighed in the last hour. He just didn't want to deal with Katsuki right now and wanted to go home, so he stared at his bully in silence. Fortunately, Katsuki didn't seem to expect an answer from Izuku either as he crossed his arms. "Tch. Just remember what I said earlier."

Izuku stood there and watched him turn the corner and leave, silently hoping that was enough to salve his bruised ego. It was nice not having to deal with him daily, and today served as a stark reminder of why. He'd rather not repeat the experience if he didn't have to.

Turning back around, Izuku continued his slow walk home, only for his next surprise to appear a few blocks later. He practically jumped out of his skin when he heard All Might's signature "I Am Here!" as he jumped out from behind a concrete wall just in front of him.

"All Might?" Izuku asked in confusion. What even was this day?

"Young man, I owe you an apology, an explanation, and an offer." Izuku felt his mouth open and close several times as All Might disappeared in a cloud of smoke, only to be replaced by the skeletal man he saw on the rooftop.

Then All Might did something Izuku never thought was possible. He bowed to Izuku. "I had it all wrong on the roof. I thought you were just some wild idealist - someone who was unprepared for the realities of the world. But then – at the Station, when that villain attacked that other young man. When nobody else acted – when I refused to act - you did. When you started running forward, your body moved on its own, didn't it?"

"Y-Yes," Izuku forced himself to bob his head. "It did."

"That is what I thought. There are many stories about the origins of some of the greatest heroes. Many of them have a common element - when it was time for them to act, their bodies moved on their own. Today, you alone were the only one to act when the heroes - myself included - did nothing. The fact that you did that so shortly after our last encounter only makes the feat even more impressive," All Might let out a sigh as he looked at Izuku with fresh eyes.

Nana, was this how you felt when I first met you?

Izuku collapsed to his knees, his tears threatening to spill. "All Might, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I was wrong. You, Young Midoriya, have what it takes to be a hero!"

Izuku looked down and felt the tears flowing freely. His family believing in him was one thing, but to hear All Might say those words? It was more than he could have ever hoped for.

He felt the hero's presence over him as a weighty hand rested on his shoulder, steadying him while he cried. Even with the hero's calming aura, it still took several minutes for Izuku to calm down and compose himself before he rubbed his eyes and looked up at All Might again.

"Do you really mean it?"

"I do! And that is where the explanation and offer come in. You see, what I said on the roof is true - being a hero is dangerous, and becoming a symbol is even worse. If you were quirkless the task may very well be impossible!"

Izuku's face twisted in confusion.

"However! There is a reason I'm here in Mustafu. And that's because I am looking for a successor."

"A successor? What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about my quirk. It is special. Very special. The truth is I wasn't always this strong. When I was a young man, not much older than you are, I was just a normal civilian with a vision. And when I shared that vision with my future mentor, she saw something - a drive to make society better. She saw that drive, and she wanted to encourage it. So she passed her quirk on to me, a sacred torch. And now, it is time for me to pass that torch on to the next generation."

"Wait," Izuku put his thumb to his lip as he entered deep thought. "It's true that there's been a lot of speculation about the nature of your quirk, and you've always been good about deflecting questions whenever you're asked about it," He looked up at the skeletal face of the hero. "But! There's never been a recorded instance of a quirk that could be transferred, at least as far as I am aware." His thoughts were broken by All Might's laughter and he felt his face heating up. Of course, the first thing he latched onto was All Might's quirk!

"There's that intellect I've seen flashes of today. I wasn't kidding when I said with the proper training, your mind alone would be a force to be reckoned with. But that is a topic for another day! That's the real reason I moved to Mustafu – to become a teacher at UA next year. There will be an official media story about it. But the reality is my time as a hero is becoming more limited every day, and I am looking for someone to pass my quirk to and begin training. Someone with noble ideals and clarity of vision - someone who would take my quirk and use it to make Japan a better place. I believe I've already found that person."

Izuku saw All Might's meaningful stare and practically jumped upright in surprise. "Y-you mean me?!"

"Yes! You alone helped me remember something very important today - something I had forgotten, the very essence of what it means to be a hero. That spark that resides within you - the ability to inspire others - deserves to be a roaring flame." He held up a closed fist for emphasis. "What you want to do is fraught with danger, but if it truly is the path you wish to embark on, then you deserve to have my quirk to aid you in your journey."

Izuku began crying again. "T-thank you, All Might."

When Izuku pulled out his phone to exchange contact information with All Might, he saw several messages and missed calls that reminded him how late it was. The two quickly exchanged information before All Might dashed away, leaving with a promise to call him soon so that he could begin his training.

Not wanting to worry his family any further, Izuku took off and ran the rest of the way home, all of the bad parts of the day long forgotten. Reaching his apartment, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"I'm-"

Izuku was cut off as his sister tackled him, throwing both of them to the floor. "Izu, you better have a really good explanation for worrying us!"

He managed to get himself to a sitting position by the time Inko walked up. "We saw the news. The TV reporters didn't want to mention the boy who charged into the situation, but we would recognize you anywhere. When you didn't come home right away we were worried."

Izuku felt the tears coming back. "A-after the attack, on the way home, I ran into All Might! He saw what I did! And he- because of what I did, he told me I could be a hero too!"

Shock filled Inko's face as she slid down to sit in front of him. "All Might told you that?"

Izuku smiled and bobbed his head. "Yeah! And he's going to set me up with a teacher too! I don't have to keep looking for a new one!"

Inko launched herself at Izuku, wrapping him in a warm hug. "I'm so happy for you!"