A Mighty Reunion!
"All Might..." Izuku whispered as he stared at the skinny, grinning man in front of him.
"Haha! Indeed, young man!" All Might laughed and assumed his buff form, only to swiftly return to his original state, coughing up blood.
Normally, Izuku would have questioned why All Might was coughing up blood in this peculiar place, but at the moment, he was too overwhelmed by seeing his mentor again. "All Might... I don't understand how I am able to meet you... talk to you. No. More importantly, where are we?"
"Well, I assumed you'd recognize this place. After all, among all of us, you were the first to interact with it while still alive," All Might replied, making Izuku confused for a moment before he widened his eyes.
"Are you saying this is a vestige realm?" Izuku asked, surveying the beach around them. "But how is that possible? As far as I know, the vestige realm was supposed to be a part of a room floating over a void."
"That's because the vestige realm you're describing originated from Yoichi's memories, and this one is from yours," All Might explained. "You see, young man, One for All wasn't just a simple quirk. It might have started that way, but by the time you received it from me, it had become a unique existence, completely merging with your soul and strengthening it beyond that of a normal human. That's why I believe it allowed you to recall memories from your past life, even though you didn't inherit any stockpiled power or quirks from One for All."
"I see..." Izuku whispered, trying to make some sense of All Might's words. Then, a sudden realization hit him like a truck. "But last time we were here, you just had your silhouette representing you because..." Izuku stopped, unable to utter the words that were almost on his lips. Instead, he just sat down on the sand and tucked his head between his knees, not even wanting to entertain the thought.
All Might sighed and joined his protege, sitting beside him. "You guessed it right; I passed away in our old world," he said, gently placing a hand on Izuku's trembling shoulder.
A moment later, Izuku gathered himself and looked at All Might with teary eyes. "How?" he asked, stumbling upon his words. "When?"
Once again, All Might sighed and looked at the setting sun. "It all began after the three months following your battle with Shigaraki and All for One, when my age and past injuries caught up with me. For the next nine months, everyone tried all they could to help me. However, after All for One's defeat and your passing, there was nothing left in that world to bolster my will to keep going. So, after nine months of struggle, my body finally gave out, and I took my final breath."
"But then, when I opened my eyes again, I found myself here in your mindscape, witnessing your new life," All Might continued, moving his hand to Izuku's head and ruffling his hair. "I must say, this is quite a peculiar world you've found yourself in. Well, knowing you, I can't say I'm surprised."
"Well, I can't deny that, can I?" Izuku chuckled, injecting a bit of lightness into the somber atmosphere.
After a moment of comfortable silence, All Might spoke again. "So, young Izuku, how are you?" he inquired, prompting Izuku to turn his head toward his mentor and raise a brow at the unexpected question.
"I... am good?" Izuku replied with a question, unsure how to respond.
"That's not the answer I was looking for, and I'm certain you know what I'm asking about," All Might said, shaking his head. "So, I'm going to ask you again. How are you, young Izuku?"
This time, Izuku took a minute and thought over All Might's question before he realized what his mentor was actually asking him. "I am... I feel so lost, All Might," Izuku replied with a sigh.
"This is about becoming a Marine, isn't it?" All Might asked.
Izuku nodded, turning towards his mentor. "I thought, once I became a Marine, I would be able to continue my dream of helping people like in my last life. But then I learned all those things about the Marines and the World Government, and now I don't know what to do anymore. How do I help people without serving under those who are one of the reasons for their problems?"
All Might stared at his student for a moment before he asked, "Tell me, young man, was becoming a hero easy for you?"
"I mean... in a way, I guess it was after receiving One for All, and I shouldn't-"
"No, not that crap," All Might cut him off. "One for All only allowed you to stand at the starting line. Was the journey from there easy for you? And don't give me that 'I was blessed' and 'I shouldn't be complaining' crap; give me an honest answer."
"No..." Izuku replied, remembering everything from the hellish training he did with All Might, ten months before U.A. to the last breath he took while surrounded by his friends. "...it was not."
"Was saving all the people you saved easy?" All Might asked again.
"No... not at all," Izuku replied, the memory of the scars earned from helping and saving Eri, Kota, Shoto, and other various people vivid in his mind, even though he would never regret them.
"Was the decision of going for that final attack easy, knowing that you won't walk out alive after that?" All Might asked.
Izuku took a moment before answering this question, letting the memories of his final attack settle in his mind. "No... I went through a lot of emotions before that final strike," Izuku admitted, clenching his fist. "I was scared, knowing that I was going to die. I was angry at the fact that it was the only choice left. Sad, knowing that my decision was going to hurt Mom, you, and all my friends. But also happy, knowing that I was the only one who could have ended that war and me going for that attack would keep everyone I care about away from harm."
All Might couldn't help but smile at his protege's words but refrained from praising him, knowing he had a point to make. "Well, if all of those things weren't easy in the original world, then why would it be any different here?"
"I know that All Might, and you know that working hard has never been my problem. I always knew that becoming a Marine wouldn't be easy; Grandpa drove that point home the first time I told him about my dream," Izuku replied. "Right now, my main dilemma is how do I help people without joining the Marines."
"Well, if it's all about helping people, then what's the problem?" All Might asked.
"Didn't you hear me? I can't become a Marine-"
"You becoming a Marine has nothing to do with helping people," All Might cut him off once more. "Besides, if I recall correctly, you were quite fascinated by Shanks's tales of adventures, the various discoveries he made on his journey, and his vision about what a pirate and the 'Pirate King' is," he said, prompting Izuku to avert his eyes.
"Hmm, I see. Maybe your biggest problem is that you are held back by the morals and beliefs of our old world," All Might speculated but then he dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. "No, that's not entirely true. More than that, you are held back by the idea of what people from your past would think if you did something that Izuku Midoriya wouldn't do," he said, and once again instead of replying, Izuku just looked down.
All Might sighed as he studied his protege, recognizing that it would require one more push to break him free from his 'I owe it to the world' mindset. "Young Izuku, look at me," he instructed, prompting Izuku to lift his head. "Now, you will listen to what I have to say without interrupting me, do you understand?"
After Izuku nodded, All Might continued, "You are not Izuku Midoriya anymore. While you carry his memories, ideals, and ambitions, you are not bound by his morals, burdens, debts, and promises," he declared, locking eyes with his student. "You are Monkey D. Izuku! You have the power to forge your own path without being shackled by your past life. And know this, no matter what path you choose, I will always be proud of you."
With those final words, All Might's smile finally emerged as he witnessed a newfound determination kindling in Izuku's eyes.
"I suppose you're right, All Might. I've been overthinking this far too much," Izuku admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, you wouldn't be young Izuku if you didn't," All Might replied with a hearty laugh.
"Hey, All Might, did you truly mean what you said?" Izuku questioned, staring directly at his mentor. "The path I am thinking of taking might force my hand to do things differently than what I've been taught is the 'right' way to help people. I might have to break a lot of hero protocols, you know?" he added the last part while chuckling to himself.
"Absolutely, young man. Even if the whole world turns against you, you can always count on me to stand by your side," All Might assured, giving a comforting pat on Izuku's shoulder. "Besides, I've always thought that protocols were overrated anyway," he added, joining in on Izuku's humorous remark.
"I'm sure somewhere Aizawa-sensei must be holding back the urge to glare at both of us," Izuku chuckled once more, shaking his head with an amused smile. However, just then, Izuku noticed something. "Hey, All Might... what's going on with you?" he asked, prompting All Might to look down and realize that his body was gradually vanishing, turning into particles.
"Oh, it seems my time is up," All Might said with a sad smile.
"I see..." Izuku responded in a quivering voice. "Will I ever see you again?"
As All Might gazed at his successor, the parental side of him yearned to promise Izuku that they would meet again, but the mentor in him recognized that offering false hope could be detrimental in the long run. Thus, he chose the tougher path. "I don't believe so," he honestly conveyed to his successor. "I was already living here on borrowed time, and now I've used up the last of my energy to sustain this form. Nevertheless, I'm grateful to have this final moment with you... grateful to be able to tell you that we've found a better successor than we could have ever hoped for."
Izuku, on the other hand, didn't know how to respond; his mentor's words felt like a sudden slap to the face. Instead of relying on words, he moved forward and hugged All Might. "I will miss you," he muttered in a low voice.
"Me too, kid," All Might replied as tears slid down Izuku's cheek. "Listen, Izuku, I know you want to help people, and I'm incredibly proud of you for that. But in doing so, I want you to prioritize your own goals and happiness," he said, his body on the verge of vanishing completely. "The night before the battle where Nana lost her life, she told me that, no matter what happens to her, she wants me to live a happy, fulfilling life and face my problems with an open heart. In the end, I failed to heed her advice. However, I don't want you to repeat the same mistakes I made. Follow Nana's advice kid, and become the best version of yourself."
With those final words, All Might vanished, leaving Izuku falling to his knees. In the next moment, he heard a faint, "Goodbye, son," before everything went white.
When Izuku opened his eyes again, he found himself in a familiar room, back at the Makino's house.
Getting up with a start, he rubbed his face, feeling the fresh tears running down. Once he wiped his eyes, he glanced outside and noticed the sun high in the sky. 'Didn't I pass out in the evening? Then how come... oh, I must have been unconscious for the whole night.' As he reached that conclusion, he realized that everyone must be worried about him. So he quickly wiped his face and descended the stairs; however, once he reached the bottom, his eyes widened in shock and horror.
"What the..." he muttered as he laid eyes on the state of Makino's bar. Scanning the area, he noticed tables and chairs knocked over, with shards of broken glass scattered all over the ground. "Neesan! Are you here, Neesan?" Izuku kept calling out to Makino, but despite his loud calls, he received no reply, causing the pit in his stomach to widen.
'Damn it! Please be alright, Neesan!' Izuku thought as he carefully navigated through the broken glass and exited the bar.
"Now, what should I-" Izuku was pondering where to start searching for his Neesan when he was abruptly cut off by someone calling out to him. Turning towards the source of the sound, he saw the Old Mayor running towards him, looking tired and out of breath.
"Izuku! Thank God you're alright!" The Old Mayor said as he stood before Izuku, panting heavily.
"Mr. Mayor! What the hell is going on here!?" Izuku asked. "No. More importantly, do you know where Neesan is? I couldn't find her anywhere!"
"So, you don't know?" the Old Mayor asked with a grim expression on his face.
"Will you tell me what the hell is going on?" Izuku narrowed his eyes at the Old Mayor, pressing him for answers.
"A few minutes ago, some bandit named Higuma came with his men and dragged Makino to the docks," the Old Mayor explained.
"A bandit named Higuma?" Izuku muttered to himself as he thought he had heard that name somewhere before. Then, suddenly, his eyes went wide as he remembered the man he had humiliated yesterday. 'Oh no, it's my fault! I-' Izuku halted his train of thought and scolded himself for succumbing to panic. 'I can apologize to Neesan later; right now, saving her is more important,' he concluded, clenching his fist with determination.
"You said they took her towards the docks, right?" Izuku asked, and the Old Mayor nodded. "Good, at least I don't have to waste my time finding out where they are."
"Wait a minute! Don't tell me you're planning to fight-" Old Mayor attempted to stop Izuku, but before he could complete his sentence, Izuku was already sprinting towards the docks. "Damn it!" he cursed and started running after Izuku. However, as he chased behind Izuku, a single thought crossed his mind, 'Strange, since when did that kid start smelling like caramel...'
To be continued...
