A Dream's Rebirth
Akemi groaned as she was pulled from sleep by a rapid knocking on her door. She made her way over and opened the door with a nod. Standing outside the teen's bedroom was a skinny- almost to the point of being skeletal- blonde man wearing an oversized white t-shirt with equally-large army green cargo pants. She blinked a few times and rubbed at her eyes to get rid of the remnants of sleep before slamming the door in the man's face. On the other side of the door, the man jumped in surprise before placing a steadying hand on his thrumming heart. A second later, he returned to knocking. Akemi flung the door open again with a frustrated growl.
"What, Yagi?!" Yagi looked the girl up and down. Black bike shorts and a forest green tank top comprised Akemi's morning wear. Her build hadn't deteriorated since their last meeting, which was good, but she also hadn't seemed to make much forward progress. The latter point was concerning, as she'd need to be in peak physical condition to have a chance.
"Young Valence, I'm glad to see you again as well." Yagi said, gesturing down the hall. "If you'll please follow me."
Despite her sigh of defeat, Akemi obeyed the Pro Hero and trudged her way to the kitchen with Yagi following behind. Her mom was already sitting at the table with their morning coffee and a newspaper. Nikki sat down the articles as Akemi and Yagi took their places across from her.
Yagi cleared his throat. "Quite frankly, your daughter is lacking."
Akemi's head hit the table at this sudden declaration. She'd known he was going to be hard on her with their training but this felt a bit much. Akemi snuck a look at her mom and wasn't surprised to see she wasn't phased at all.
"I'd like to start her training in earnest. Immediately."
"I still have over a year before the Entrance Exams, Yagi." Akemi said defensively. The man beside her simply gave her a commiserating smile as he turned his attention to her.
"That is precisely the reason why." Yagi started with no small degree of sorrow lacing his voice. "Young Valence, you're about to enter your last year of Middle School. We must get you ready for One-for-All and, hopefully, have me transfer it to you at least a month prior to the exams."
"I can understand your reasoning, Toshinori." Akemi's mom said. Internally, Akemi noted just how weird it was to hear her call Yagi by his given name. "However, what are you proposing?"
At this, Akemi raised her head from the table. She had to admit that more than a little part of her wanted to know, too. Before, her training had mostly consisted of martial arts and training the side of her Quirk that was similar to what her dad's had been. Things Yagi couldn't take part in. Akemi found herself growing simultaneously apprehensive and excited at the idea of a new training regime. She'd even begun worrying at her bottom lip.
"She has been working on technique all this time. I believe the time has come for her to build her base power."
"And what's that entail?" Nikki asked. Yagi straightened his shoulders and puffed up into his Hero Form with a cloud of smoke.
"Intense strength training!" All Might stated, his characteristic smile now present on his face. Akemi gulped audibly. Not counting the month prior to UA's Entrance Exams, Akemi had about a year to put on whatever amount of muscle the Pro Hero deemed necessary. She was worried that it was a lot. All Might noticed this and clapped a hand as gently as he could on the teen's back as he barked out a loud laugh. He still knocked the breath out of Akemi. "Don't worry, Young Valence! This training will be special! Its aim is to create tightly-packed, strong muscle! You won't bulk up like me. Hopefully."
Akemi's mom laughed but the teen, herself, only blanched. '"Hopefully" isn't very reassuring…' Unfortunately, she wasn't going to get much of a chance to protest. All Might had already gone over the training regimen with her mom and she'd approved. But of course she had. Akemi was going to inherit All Might's power soon and she needed every edge she could get.
"So where'll we be training?" Akemi asked as she placed her head in her hand. All Might, for his part, at least had the good grace to look Akemi in the eye. She couldn't quite tell what the Pro Hero was thinking but she knew she didn't like it.
"Dagobah Municipal Beach Park!" All Might stated confidently. "Over the years, that beach has become something of a landfill. Ocean currents washed in tons of debris and before long people began to use it to hide their illegal dumping."
"So, you want to use cleaning the beach to teach Akemi that community service is just as important as Rescue and Combat?" Akemi's mom asked with an approving tone. Akemi had to fight down a sigh as her mother nodded along.
"Precisely!" All Might declared before shrinking back down to his True Form. "In addition, the various shapes, sizes, and weights of the beach's detritus will target a much higher variety of Young Valence's muscles! Now, if you'll come with me, I meant 'immediately' as in today!"
Akemi returned her mom's look of expectancy with one of exasperation. Yes, this all felt a little too intense. Especially for it being 5am. As Akemi got up and trudged to her room to change into workout-friendly attire, she couldn't help but pray to whatever gods were listening that she could survive the next fifteen months.
~ W-o-L ~
A knock on the door brought Nikki to answer. She opened the door and saw Inko standing with a covered platter. Quickly, she ushered the woman in and shut the door behind her. The television played in the background as Inko walked over to the kitchen's island and sat the platter down. She pulled off the cover to reveal freshly baked peanut butter cookies and swiftly got started on brewing some fresh tea and coffee.
"Inko, are you sure you don't want some coffee?"
"No, thank you." Inko said kindly, waving off the offer as she picked up a cookie and took a bite. "Izuku's inventions keep my heart rate high enough"
The mothers shared a chuckle as Nikki grabbed a cookie for herself. It didn't take long for something to ruin the peaceful atmosphere. Nikki's phone rang from on the dining table and Inko gave her an appraising look as she noticed the Caller ID.
"The Commission wants a formal interview to approve a new Hero License." Nikki said with a grimace. She glanced back at the coffee pot and sighed in defeat when she saw the black, life-giving liquid wasn't even close to done. "They waited until this morning to call about it."
"You better go then, Nikki." Inko said dismissively as she shooed her friend off. One hand was committed to the gesture while the other brought her cookie back up to take another bite.
Luckily, the phone call lasted no longer than a few minutes. All the Hero-Public Safety Commission, or HPSC, wanted was to touch base and establish a good time for Nikki's interview. She'd told them to try again in a year or so.
"Now that the neanderthals are taken care of." Nikki said, turning to give Inko a serious look. Inko sighed in acceptance and set down what was left of her cookie, feeling her smile fade into a frown. "Heard anything at all from the ex?"
"Not a thing." Inko grimaced and folded her hands together in front of her. Her gaze fell to the plate of cookies, just staring in consternation as Nikki responded to the whistling teapot. She watched Nikki from the corner of her eye as she got up to pour the both of them a steaming cup of tea.
"Fucking prick." Nikki said, not bothering to hide the venom in her voice. She sat their teacups down and took an angry bite out of another cookie. "Even if his sorry ass walked out on you, he could at least try to support his son!"
"The nest egg he left is doing plenty well, Nikki." Inko's voice was terse but not the least bit unappreciative. "At least it hasn't thrown a wrench into Izuku's plans."
"Agreed. I'd have hunted the bastard down, myself." This, at least, pulled a small smile from Inko. Nikki sighed and took another bite of cookie before bringing her cup up to her lips, blowing softly to cool the liquid down before taking a sip. "Speaking of Izuku, he seems to be doing well."
"He wasn't old enough to remember Hisashi by the time he'd left, which… I guess is the best-case scenario." She said with a sigh, looking for all the world that she'd aged a century over the last decade. Nikki could only imagine. Hisashi hadn't even fought for custody of Izuku. Inko shook her head and bit back into her cookie. "Izuku's been sneaking more time in his workshop lately."
"Can't exactly blame the kid." Nikki soaked her cookie in her tea before taking a bite followed by another sip. "Entrance Exams are in February. That's, what, nine… ten months away?"
Inko opened her mouth to reply when an emergency news report sounded from the living room television. She and Nikki vaguely caught their children's names and quickly left the kitchen. Sure enough, their fears were confirmed as live footage of some sort of villain attack was taking place near a popular arcade in the Midoriyas' old hometown of Musutafu. The two women gasped in worry and surprise as they watched the scene unfold.
~ W-o-L ~
"And why are we in Musutafu again?" Akemi asked her green haired friend as she trudged behind him.
"You need a break from all that training. Besides, it's been too long since I last visited this place's arcade." Izuku stated firmly. He was right, of course, and Akemi knew it. Her grades weren't suffering but she had undeniably grown dark circles under her eyes and grown prone to stealing quick naps in class. Yagi had been even more intense these last three months than Akemi had initially guessed and she was beginning to legitimately question the possibility of her surviving the almost ten months that were still left until the Entrance Exams.
For his part, Izuku had been spending more and more time in his workshop since their last year of Middle School at Rishi started. His ideas for Support Gear steadily got more complex and were becoming increasingly successful. In terms of Hero Studies, he'd dragged Akemi to Musutafu several times so they could witness the occasional Hero Debuts or villain attacks. Akemi found it quite odd that the city immediately around such a prestigious Hero School as UA had a higher rate of crime. Ultimately, though, she'd decided to just chalk it up to small-time villains hoping to make an easy name for themselves.
"Fine, I guess I can accept that." Akemi said as they stepped inside a deserted tunnel. She noticed Izuku gazing around the structure with an almost wistful smile. "Izuku, you good?"
"Hmm?" Izuku hummed as he turned around. He smiled sheepishly and began to walk backwards as he hunched his shoulders and dug his hands into his pockets. "Oh, s-sorry! I used to live not too far from here, actually."
"You should show me where you grew up sometime!" Akemi brightened up a bit, prompting Izuku to do the same. As they were talking, the teens didn't notice a manhole shift off a nearby sewer entrance.
"Totally! Though, I just hope we don't run into Bakugo." Izuku itched at his cheek with a nervous grin as Akemi raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Who's 'Bakugo'?" Akemi asked. Izuku was about to respond before his jaw clamped shut. His face twisted in horror as he lurched forward, grabbed Akemi by the shoulders, and practically threw her toward the tunnel's nearest exit. Baffled, Akemi let herself roll for a couple seconds before she pushed herself onto her knees and turned to look at Izuku.
Except… Izuku wasn't there.
In the tunnel, where Izuku should have been standing, was a writhing mass of sludge. The shape roiled as Izuku's head burst from it, slowly crawling back over his face.
"Run, Akemi!" The boy screamed. The Sludge Monster just laughed darkly as Izuku was pulled back into the green mass.
"A nice sentiment, boy, but calm yourself! I hafta steal your body before he gets here!" The villain's eyes and mouth showed themselves as the shape shrunk ever-so-slightly around Izuku. Akemi pulled herself to her feet and found herself entering a Muay Thai stance. The monster said 'he'? Did that mean a hero was on his trail? Her eyes widened and breath quickened as the villain's face- if it could be called that- twisted into a malicious grin. "I'll be with you in a second, girlie, just stay put while I hijack your friend!"
Like hell she was going to do that. Akemi steadied herself before taking off in a sprint. She sidestepped and vaulted the villain's tendrils of sludge as he attacked. His grin slowly turned into a scowl as Akemi drew closer. More tendrils flew her way and soon there were too many to run through, so Akemi came to a stop and focused entirely on dodging the appendages. The villain started to growl in frustration as each blow missed within a few inches of the girl in front of him.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" The villain barked as he tried to increase his attack speed. The result was negligible, as Akemi's eyes were easily tracking her opponent's movements. With an internal sigh of relief, she noticed Izuku's head start to poke out from the villain's center of mass. The boy gasped through his nose as it breached the sludge.
'Good.' Akemi thought as she ducked another tendril. 'I can hold out, so whoever's chasing this prick better get here soon!'
The low growl rose in volume until the villain was screaming his lungs out. Wait, was that right? He was made of sludge, did he even have lungs? The errant thought caused her just long enough of a pause to get clipped by an attack. She was sent into the wall of the tunnel but luckily the impact wasn't enough to send her sprawling. Carefully, Akemi returned to her rhythm as the villain's confidence blazed anew. He'd increased his speed again and Akemi could distantly tell she was getting tired. Her left leg faltered and Akemi was caught fully in the chest. This time, she was sent flying straight back through the air before landing on the asphalt hard enough to bounce a single time. Sweat was beading on her forehead as she pushed herself to lean on her elbows.
"Fucking finally!" The villain yelled in triumph as he started to slide towards Akemi. He quickly brought Izuku's head back into his body with a villainous smile that sent chills up Akemi's spine. Neither she nor the villain noticed the faint green aura trying to flicker to life around Izuku's flailing form. "I'll enjoy having your boyfriend watch me suffocate you."
"You'll do no such thing, fiend!" A vaguely familiar voice boomed as the same manhole the villain used burst from its place and bounced around the tunnel. The villain turned, his look of victory turning to one of horror. A hero jumped out of the sewers and landed on his knees in front of the villain. "Why?" The new arrival stood tall, revealing himself to be none other than Japan's #1 Pro Hero; All Might. "Because I am here!"
In a single swift motion, All Might ended the altercation. He simultaneously pulled Izuku out of the Sludge Villain's grasp and threw a strong left hook that knocked the villain out and scattered his form. Akemi groaned and laid her head back on the street, a hand clutching her chest over her heart. She was sore and certain there'd be a bruise. Hopefully she wouldn't be grounded. She continued to lay there while Izuku gushed over All Might's arrival. Idly, Akemi wondered if he was going to ask for the man's autograph. She spared them a glance and saw her friend nearly faint as his hero interrupted that very question by handing Izuku his now-signed Hero Analysis notebook. Apparently, the boy was going to make it a family heirloom. Distantly, Akemi noticed the Pro Hero wasn't in costume; instead wearing a skin-tight white t-shirt, green cargo pants that looked slightly tattered, and black boots. She let out a breathy chuckle, barely registering that All Might was funneling the villain's sludge body into a couple of soda bottles. He placed the villain semi-securely in his pants' large cargo pockets and was saying his goodbyes.
"I apologize for getting you kids mixed up in my heroics!" All Might said, flashing them a sparkling grin and a thumbs-up. He gave his successor a knowing look that she returned with a subtle nod as she stood. Izuku, luckily, was too busy gawking at the new signature to notice. The pro crouched before jumping away with a final word. "Everything is 'All Might', kids! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"W-we… We m-met All Might…" Izuku stuttered as he stared after the hero. His eyes were wide and absolutely overflowing with tears. Akemi snickered a bit at her friend and smacked his shoulder as she stepped up to him. It snapped Izuku out of his stupor and had him turn to face Akemi.
"Put that away before you soak it, Izuku." Akemi said with a rueful smile. Izuku's face blazed red as he quickly stuffed the notebook into… wherever it was he kept it. She seriously needed to figure out how he was hiding that thing. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to her friend. "Alright. Arcade, now?"
"OH!" Izuku exclaimed. He'd apparently forgotten the trip's entire purpose and, well, Akemi couldn't exactly blame the boy. She threw an arm around Izuku's shoulders and gestured towards the city in general as if to say 'Onward!' "R-right, let's go!"
In the middle of their trek, the kids jumped as an explosion rang out further ahead. Izuku broke free of Akemi and ran ahead as the blonde girl chased after him. They ran a few blocks before stopping to see the back of a crowd. The people around them were watching the catastrophe before them in equal parts shock, awe, outrage, and excitement. Flames were raging around the corner and making smoke billow in overhead as another large explosion rang out. Akemi and Izuku hunched over, bracing against the force of the blast and covering their ears to protect themselves from the sound. Once the immediate danger had subsided, Izuku was standing on his toes and jumping to try and get a look at the scene. Akemi reached out to grab the boy's collar before he made any of the bystanders angry, both freezing as they separated a few distinct voices from the crowd's uproar.
"Wait, isn't that the villain All Might was chasing?"
"You mean he got away from All Might?!"
"No way, All Might's here?! Where?!"
"It looks like the villain has a hostage! A middle schooler!"
Cold terror began to seep into the teens as they pushed their way through the crowd. Their worst fear was confirmed as they saw the Sludge Villain from not even an hour prior roiling in the middle of the burning street. His maddened cackle sent shivers up Izuku and Akemi's spines and brought back unpleasant memories. Izuku, drowning in sludge; feeling his life drain away. Akemi's sense of uselessness as she did everything she could just to stall the monster long enough for All Might to appear. Then, all at once, their worlds froze. More blasts tore through the sludge, revealing a head of spiky ash-blonde hair and wide red eyes. Eyes that looked as if they were pleading for help.
And Izuku moved.
~ W-o-L ~
Yagi Toshinori sailed across the skyline of Musutafu- as one was prone to do when being a Pro Hero- with errant thoughts of his successor and the boy she'd been accompanying. They were lucky it was him chasing that villain. Had it been anyone else, those two would have probably been killed. Yes, indeed they were lucky. However, Yagi couldn't help but feel the boy's green hair was familiar. Was he someone his successor had told him about? Maybe it had been Nicole, instead. Truth be told, he wasn't very aware of Akemi's social life. As far as Yagi was concerned, if she kept their secret then all was well.
A sharp pain shot through Yagi's torso and he could feel the beginnings of steam start to rise from his body. Dammit all! He knew he'd cut his time limit close with this last villain but he should have had another five minutes at least! Talking with the kids must have taken a bit longer than he'd wanted. The steam rising from Yagi thickened as a fit of coughing overtook him. He needed to find a place to land and fast. A quick scan revealed a nearby rooftop that both was secluded and had an access door that led down into the building. It was rushed, and more than a little haphazard, but it would do. Carefully, he angled himself in the direction of the roof and kicked. His immense strength created a gust of wind that propelled him over and onto the makeshift landing pad. Yagi let his hero form drop in a puff of smoke and took his hand off his mouth. It came away scarlet.
"Great." Yagi sighed as he wiped his own blood from his lips. This was just what Yagi Toshinori needed. In his hero form, he could drop his captive off at any police department. With but a word, they'd contact his friend Tsukauchi for him and book the villain. Now, he needed to pay a visit to the detective in-person. Yagi sighed in defeat and made his way towards the roof access door, swiping at his… empty… pocket. Off in the distance, an explosion filled the sky with fire and smoke. Yagi looked down at the cargo pockets where he'd stuffed the villain only to see the small tear he'd ignored that morning having been ripped fully open. "Fuck me running…"
And run, he did. In his true form, the source of the explosion wasn't more than ten minutes away. Though, even that was enough to wind the deflated hero. Yagi lent against a lap pole, clutching at the wound that spiderwebbed across the left side of his torso. The crowd was talking about him. About how the Sludge Villain had escaped. They were wondering where he was and equally as scared. 'Pathetic!' was all Yagi could think as he watched the scene unfold. He was pathetic. All these years. The times he touted the importance of efficient heroism. Of pros risking their lives to protect. Yagi Toshinori- no, All Might- was standing uselessly on the sidelines while innocents suffered.
"YOU KIDS ARE GONNA GET YOURSELVES KILLED!" Yagi stared in awe as he saw familiar heads of green and blonde rush out from amidst the crowd. He could hardly believe his own eyes.
Izuku was slightly ahead of Akemi as the two ran towards the Sludge Villain, staying the course despite the dark laughter emanating from him. Akemi bent down as she ran, picking up a palm-sized piece of rubble. She studied the villain's movements as Izuku neared the roiling mass. Akemi thought he might still be recovering, since its tendrils weren't moving as fast as before. Even Izuku sidestepped a couple of the villain's swipes easily. It was distracted with Izuku's advance and Akemi could tell it was now or never. She cocked her arm back and launched her piece of rubble so that it perfectly impacted the Sludge Villain's eye. The attack caused the villain to shout in pain and stutter long enough for Izuku and Akemi to close the distance. They frantically clawed at the sludge covering the middle schooler, allowing him to finally breathe.
"Wha- Deku?!" The boy coughed incredulously. Despite his predicament, he glared at Izuku and Akemi with an angry growl. "What are you doing here?!"
"My legs…" Izuku said, choking out the words through snot and tears. The smile he wore was shaky and betrayed by the fear that clearly painted his features. Of course he was scared; he wasn't stupid. Even so, he couldn't just leave someone to that same terror. "Bakugo, they moved on their own!"
"What…?" Bakugo looked between the two kids that were desperately trying to save him in bewilderment. Akemi caught his attention with an amused sniff as she and Izuku grabbed his right wrist. The villain screamed in rage, aiming another of Bakugo's explosions towards Izuku's chest. The blast ripped Izuku from his feet and Akemi used the momentum to yank the hostage hard.
"You looked like you needed help!" Akemi declared with a bright, if terrified, smile of her own. Bakugo blinked in surprise as he was suddenly halfway free from the villain's sludge. It was then that Yagi pushed himself to move.
"My, My!" All Might said. The Pro Hero enclosed his massive hand around the kids' wrists, pulling them clear of the sludge. "I really must practice what I preach! Real heroes are always willing to lay their lives on the line! DETROIT," All Might screamed as he cocked his fist before delivering a powerful downward punch, "SMASH!"
Just as before, the Sludge Villain was scattered across the street. This time, however, there was such immense air pressure that a powerful updraft was created that simultaneously put out the various fires and sent the hot air they created skyward. Drops of water slowly started falling before turning fully into a localized rain shower. The Pro Heroes and crowd that filled the mouth of the street quieted, staring up at the sky in wonder.
"He… changed the weather with a single punch." A Pro Hero with bark-like skin said as he held out a hand.
"And all the fires. They're out!" Said another hero, this one having water valves for hands.
Yet another hero walked up to All Might as he set the teens safely down onto the asphalt. He had large, strong-looking forearms, white hair, a cyan cardigan that showed off his chest and abs, slightly baggy blue pants with white stripes, and various caution tape-themed accessories. His face was set in a scowl that immediately cowed Izuku but only served to stoke Akemi's fire.
"D-D-Death A-Arms…" Izuku stuttered as he shook in his shoes under the pro's gaze.
"You kids could've been killed." The pro, apparently named 'Death Arms', scolded. Akemi's eyes narrowed. "You should've left it up to us pros!"
"You mean the 'pros' that were standing around while a kid was dying?!" Akemi barked.
The other heroes flinched at her words while Death Arms' face darkened even further. All Might, for his part, just arched an eyebrow and stepped between the girl and pro. He wanted to diffuse the situation before it devolved even further and mentally noted to talk to both teens after this. A visit to the Valence Residence was in order, it seemed.
"Let us not bite each other's heads off. Young Ones, what you did today truly befitted the name of 'Hero'." All Might said, placing a hand on either teen's shoulders. For a moment, Death Arms looked as if he wanted to weigh in on the topic but All Might steamrolled anything he might've said. "However, it was extremely dangerous. I pray you don't find yourselves doing this type of thing often! I see great potential in you both!"
With that said, All Might quickly took his leave. Izuku and Akemi suffered through the scolding of the medical professionals and heroes alike. Luckily, neither had any major wounds. Bakugo, for his part, glared at the ground and ignored the praise of the Pro Heroes. Izuku looked over at the boy sadly. Akemi made a mental note to ask him about that. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and winced as she saw the texts from her and Izuku's mothers.
It wasn't long before Akemi and Izuku were cleared.
Not wanting to stay there any longer than necessary, the teens hurried away. They were lucky to still have time before the last train to Yokohama. Together, Izuku and Akemi made their way through the streets towards Akemi's place. Neither were looking forward to confronting Nikki and Inko but it needed to be done. As the teens rounded the corner that led to the Valence's backyard- the teens' preferred entrance even on good days- they found a man waiting for them. Yagi stood at the mouth of the alleyway still in his clothes from earlier in the day, arms crossed with a look of consternation painting his face. Akemi was immediately sweating bullets at his presence while Izuku simply looked between them in confusion. The skeletal man before them lifted an eyebrow and tapped a finger against his bicep in silent expectancy.
"Y-Yagi, what a s-surprise!" Akemi barely choked the words out as she strained against the urge to start hyperventilating. Seeing his friend's reaction to this… 'Yagi', Izuku's face twisted further in concern and confusion. "Wha-What are you doing here?!"
"I figured I'd get to you before your mothers did." Yagi stated sternly. Akemi sagged in defeat. She knew it was coming but had hoped it could wait for tomorrow. How naive she'd been. Yagi motioned for them to follow and they did, letting Yagi usher them through the back gate to Akemi's home. He gently closed the gate behind them. "They're allowing me to speak to you both before they get their chance to rip into your hides."
Akemi froze, catching Yagi's watchful eye and prompting him to turn his gaze onto her. "Wait… Both of us? What does-"
Yagi forestalled Akemi with a single raised finger. The look in his eyes told her that all would be revealed soon. Her look of concern was replaced by one of resignation. Yagi opened the back door, letting Izuku and Akemi go in first; the latter tracked Yagi as she passed. Once inside, Yagi led them through the kitchen and down the hall before gesturing for them to enter Akemi's room. The teens' hearts broke as they registered the sounds of soft crying- Inko- and quiet assurances- Nikki. With the trio inside and the door shut, Yagi sat on the room's small table as the teens took a seat on Akemi's bed. Nothing was said for the longest time until Izuku nervously cleared his throat.
"S-So… Yagi, w-was it?" The boy asked politely. Izuku squeaked as Yagi fixed him with stern eyes.
"Few people know what I'm about to tell you, Young-?"
"M-Midoriya, sir." Izuku answered.
"Young Midoriya. What will be discussed here does not leave this house, nor does it touch your mother's ears." Izuku gulped as sweat began to bead on his brow. He was shuffling uncomfortably under Yagi's stare.
"Yagi." Akemi said softly. Izuku visibly relaxed a little as Akemi drew Yagi's eyes back to her. "Are we doing this?"
"Young Midoriya, what is your Quirk?" Izuku froze once again as Yagi refocused on him. Yagi smirked, easing the tension in the room somewhat as he leaned his elbows on his knees and steepled his fingers. "Despite my current demeanor, I won't bite. I merely wanted to cement the seriousness of this conversation in both of your heads."
"R-R-R-Right… S-S-Seriousness." Izuku closed his eyes and took a steadying breath before answering Yagi's question. His eyes were clenched tight. "I-I'm Quirkless, s-sir…"
Yagi merely blinked in surprise. He looked over at his successor only to see her nod in confirmation. 'Quirkless'? And so willing to risk his life to save another from the very villain that had made an attempt on his life not an hour prior. He found his eyes widening despite himself as he stared in wonder at the boy in front of him. Yagi strained to keep himself quiet as he buffed up into his hero form. He was out of time for today but a few seconds more wouldn't do any more damage than was already done.
Izuku opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity.
He'd been expecting some sort of discomfort- even anger- at his Quirkless status and found himself flabbergasted when it didn't come. Sure, Akemi and her mom had done wonders for his confidence over the last couple years but he'd had twelve years of being conditioned to think he was useless or should be ashamed. He still needed some time to heal, though he freely admitted his progress. What he saw took his breath away- this time, in a good way.
Before him was his idol. The closest humanity had to a tangible god. The #1 Pro Hero of Japan and maybe even the world, All Might, was sitting before him. In his best friend's room. Izuku felt his jaw drop to the floor and Akemi couldn't help but smile at the sheer joy present on her friend's face. Then, before his eyes, All Might deflated in a puff of smoke and returned to the sickly form of Yagi.
"But… You… How… IMPOS-!" Akemi rushed to clap a hand over Izuku's mouth to dampen his scream. Yagi desperately shushed the boy as Akemi strained to keep him on the bed. It took him a minute or so to finally calm down enough. Hesitantly, Akemi brought her hand away to let Izuku rejoin the conversation. He stared ahead in disbelief. "You can't be him… Can you?"
"I can and I am. I am Yagi Toshinori- better known as 'All Might'." Yagi answered evenly. He took a hold of his shirt's hem and tugged it up to reveal his wound. Akemi felt a sharp wave of worry wash over her. Izuku looked at the sight as if in shock. "five years ago, I received this injury. Ever since, I've only been able to perform Hero Work for a little over three hours per day."
"No way…" Izuku whispered as his breath left him. He sagged in his seat as he stared at Yagi. "five years ago…? Was that your battle with Toxic Chainsaw?"
"Oh gods, no!" Yagi declared, letting his shirt fall as he placed his arms in his lap. "That hoodlum could never wound me! No, I made certain the fight that did this was never televised."
"Okay… That makes sense. But, All Might," Izuku asked slowly, "why tell us?"
"I've known for years, Izu." Akemi answered softly, placing a comforting hand on Izuku's shoulder. The boy looked from his best friend to his idol, watching as the man nodded.
"Yes, I suppose that's a logical thing to ask." Yagi steepled his fingers once more, his expression becoming serious again. "Young Midoriya, what is your dream? What do you want to be?"
"My dream?" Izuku whispered.
He stared into his lap, resting his hands on his thighs and turning his palms up. For a long moment, he merely stayed like that; mulling over his thoughts, his desires, his dream. Well… there was only one answer to a question like that. Izuku's mouth turned up into a soft, sad smile as he kept his eyes on his hands. "All Might, do you remember the day you debuted here in Japan? I've watched that video… gods, maybe a million times? Or even two…"
Izuku softly shook his head as he clenched his hands into fists.
"All my life, people have told me what I can't do. Even my mom… The alternative I found definitely wasn't my first choice, but I was happy. I was nine when mom bought me my first book on how to work on Support Gear, y'know." He looked over at Akemi and his smile brightened a bit. "And, Akemi, you helped give purpose to what was essentially just a hobby. I found myself wanting to work in the Support Gear field." Izuku turned his gaze to Yagi, feeling a tear roll down his cheek. His smile was wobbly but genuine. Akemi and Yagi felt their hearts swell in sadness and pride.
"I was four when I was diagnosed 'Quirkless', and even younger when I began to idolize you. So, what do I want to be? All Might, there's only ever been one answer. There'll only ever be one answer." His knuckles turned white and his fists started to shake. The once sad smile was replaced with a look of fierce conviction that most could only dream of matching. "I want to be a hero!"
"What a speech, my boy." Yagi said, wiping his own tears from his face. He smiled as his successor leaned forward and hugged Izuku. The boy sagged into her touch and let out slow, shaking breaths. No doubt, it took a lot out of him. Yagi, for one, was impressed. It wasn't every day one found a Quirkless boy, let alone one who still wanted to be a hero. It reminded him of himself back when Nana found him. Akemi stood, clearing her throat and grabbing the attention of her best friend and mentor.
"H-He should have it." Akemi said softly. She wasn't looking at Yagi- she probably wasn't able to look at him- but her voice was firm.
"Young Valence, are you certain?" Yagi asked. Akemi finally met Yagi's gaze and nodded silently. No hesitation. Yagi sighed as he looked at Izuku. The poor boy was lost. "Young Midoriya, what do you know of my Quirk?"
"Well, the message boards and tabloids have been discussing the possibilities for years." Izuku said, bringing a hand up to scratch his head as he thought. "General consensus is that your Quirk is some sort of Strength or other Enhancement. Maybe even Invulnerability."
"Well, they aren't too far off!" Yagi declared, making Izuku's jaw drop once again. "My Quirk is the crystalization of power passed down between generations. In turn, each wielder grows the strength held inside and passes it on. Its name is… One-for-All."
"One… For All…" Izuku repeated softly.
Yagi nodded and continued, "Originally, I'd planned on Young Valence being my successor; the one to inherit my power."
"'Inherit'? You mean pass it on? But how?" Izuku asked. "Quirks can't be transferred. I mean, it could theoretically be possible but no Quirks capable of it have been discovered and that kind of research would be inhumane! And why me, of all people? You said you've been planning for Akemi to take on your mantle! Akemi, you can't just turn this down!"
"I can and I did." The girl in question said with a flippant shrug. "You deserve it far more than me."
Yagi felt a smile spread across his face as he watched the friends start to argue. He thought back on his life as the Symbol of Peace. On his master. He and her, both, spent the vast majority of their lives as heroes alone, not wanting to bring danger to those they cared for. Yagi looked back at Izuku and saw… Gran Torino. He saw Nighteye and David Shield. This boy was someone his successor could rely on. She would need that. He briefly buffed up into his hero form to get the teens' bickering to stop.
"Young Midoriya, Young Valence!" All Might bellowed out. As suddenly as he'd transformed, he deflated in a storm of steam and coughing. It took him a minute or two to regain control and wipe the blood from his mouth. "You're both worthy. More than, in fact. The fact of the matter is my first and final choice is Young Valence. However, that isn't to say you, Young Midoriya, don't deserve this chance!"
"Then train him!" Akemi said, drawing Yagi and Izuku's attention. "I want you to train him like you're training me."
"Young Midoriya?" Yagi asked the boy pointedly. "It will be grueling and I'll pull no punches. There's no guarantee you'll pass the UA Entrance Exams without a combat-oriented Quirk."
"I know, All Might." Izuku said. "Though I still want to be a hero, I'll do it in my own way. And I'd be honored to train with you and Akemi."
"Very well." Yagi said with a wry smile. He stood squarely with his pupils, clapping his hands on their shoulders. "We'll start tomorrow!"