"Kacchan, come on, let me explain, at least!" I called out, falling against the wall. I was in no shape to go running, and he had a headstart on me.
"Fuck off All Might!" My blasty friend yelled, and I could actually hear a blast. I hoped All Might had the forethought to buff up while chasing Bakugou.
I found All Might talking to Bakugou, who looked like he was barely keeping himself from hitting the hero.
"Now that we're all together, come to my office." All Might told him, and I sighed, sending a text to my mother so she wouldn't worry. Or at least, she wouldn't worry as much.
Once we were in All Mights office, he dropped his buff form, Bakugou looking at him with wide eyes. He'd seen a glimpse of him before, but up close, the true form still looked a bit unsettling.
Sitting on the soft furniture, I was in no mood to beat around bushes.
"Well, the sooner we drop a truth bomb, the sooner I can go home, right? I got my quirk from All Might, and It's a closely guarded secret. You don't think if I could go around bragging that my quirk was passed down from the freakin' symbol of peace I would? You can't tell anyone because otherwise people would come after me trying to steal it." It was a simple explanation, but it'd have to do.
"You lied to me, made me into a fool!" The blonde boy argued, and I simply took off my jacket and began to unbutton my shirt.
"Young Midoriya, what are you doing?" All Might asked, but I ignored him.
"Made you look like a fool?" I asked, taking it off and standing. My skin was littered with handprints that had been burned into my body, scars from cuts that hadn't healed properly.
"I spent every day since we were children taking your abuse, I give you every chance to turn your abusive behavior into something better, I even offered you the chance to be my friend again if you could ever get your shit together when you told me just under a year ago to fucking kill myself. Don't talk to me about feeling like a fool because I've played that part for you for eleven years." I put my shirt back on, slipping on my jacket and bag.
"Im sorry that i lied because All Might asked me too, but you don't really understand how big this is for me or the months of backbreaking labor I did to get this power." I paused, feeling anger that I'd kept inside too long pop up. "I was wrong to keep offering you my hand in friendship. You aren't worth it anymore." I left, slamming the door behind me before taking a deep breath and heading outside, a few of my classmates still lingering as I stormed by.
Getting home meant getting a bear hug from my mom, and I had to remind her I still needed to breathe.
"Oh, I'm just so glad you're okay. No broken bones or sprained ankles." She put her hand to my cheek, tears in the corners of her eyes. My poor mother who deserved peace of mind, and she'd been worried about me.
"I don't mean to make you worry, mom. I just do before I can think and worry about consequences later." That explanation probably only made her worry worse, but I was a kid who'd done the work of professional crime fighters, I was tired and scared a little, and I didn't know what the hell to say.
"That impulsiveness is called being a teenager, but I'll always worry about you, even when you're grown with a family of your own." She told me, giving me another hug before sending me off to my room, where I promptly passed out.
The next day was weird because between an angry Bakugou ignoring me again, my hand still in bandages from the fighting for our lives the day before, and the fact that I was barely able to keep awake, I could still try and womder about what school in their right mind would let a sports festival happen so soon after roughly two hundred villains attacked a group of twenty students and two teachers?
It was stupid enough that my faith in U.A. was shaken, because how could they suggest something so stupid?
"Compared to past years, there'll be five times the police presence. Anyhow, our sports festival is the greatest opportunity you'll get. It's not an event that can be canceled over a few villains." Aizawa spoke, and I came back to the conversation, having zoned out a bit.
I heard Mineta whispering behind me, clearly afraid. "You sure about that?"
Putting on a smile, I turned to look at him. Smile. If All Might could do it, I could, too.
"Don't worry, Mineta. With that many pros, there's no way anyone would be stupid enough to mess with U.A. again." I tried to reassure him, turning away once he thought about it and seemed to relax a bit
"And as far as Japan is concerned, what's taken the place of the Olympics is the U.A. sports festival!" Aizawa spoke, and I wondered what I'd missed.
Once he finished speaking, the conversation really began.
"The nation's top heroes will be watching, right?" Mineta asked, Yaoyorozu answering for him.
"They'll be there as scouts." She told him, much more calmly than some of our classmates.
"They'll be looking to hire us as sidekicks after we graduate. That's how it's done." Kaminari pointed at himself, and I wondered how far he'd be able to go without being able to control his quirks direction.
"And a lot of those sidekicks never manage to go solo. They're sidekicks forever. That'll be you, Kaminari, you dunce." Jirou told him, and I had to admit, jokes were funnier when I wasn't the only one being made fun of.
Aizawa coughed and got our attention again, all of us turning to him.
"Naturally, you'll gain valuable experience if you're picked up by a big-name hero. But your time is limited. Show the pros what you're made of here, and you'll make futures for yourselves. This happens once a year... so you've got three chances. If you're hoping to become a hero, this is an event you can't miss!" He told us, gathering excitement and making sure we knew how serious this was.
Around lunchtime, the excitement had grown, a group of my classmates all standing around and discussing it, while Uraraka got a serious look on her face, speaking to Iida and I.
"Midoriya... Iida... at this sports festival... let's do our best!" She told us, and even others took notice of this change.
"What the...? You're not looking very Uraraka, Uraraka." Ashido told her, and I could see Tsuyu slapping Mineta with her tongue.
"Don't know what he did, but maybe use your hand next time. I'm sure he gets a kick out of you using your tongue." I suggested, and I was really starting to dislike the midget.
It seemed like my comment went unheard, Uraraka pumping her arm up in the air and shouting. "Everyone!! I'm gonna crush this!"
"Yeah, but talk about inconsistent characterization!!" Kirishima shouted back, a little confused, but he had the spirit.
I shrugged, the three of us making our way to the lunchroom.
"Hey, you guys never told me why you want to be heroes. I just wanna be like All Might, but I'm a fan boy, and aren't we all, but not to the same extent." I spoke, putting my arms behind my head.
"That is an easy answer for me, Midoriya. I wish to be a hero and live up to the Iida name!" Iida spoke, chopping the air like a kung-fu master.
"Oh, uh, money." Uraraka awkwardly laughed, rubbing her neck.
"Fair enough. A job needs to be done, and you have the skills for it." I yawned, still tired from yesterday.
"Sorry. I know it seems base... and really embarrassing s, considering Iidas noble intentions and all." She apologized, blushing a little bit.
"But why?! There's really nothing wrong with seeking a more comfortable lifestyle!" Iida told her, still chopping the air.
"Yeah... just a little unexpected." I chimed in, hoping to make her less embarrassed.
She rubbed her neck, letting out a little sigh. "My family owns a construction company, but... business is bad, we're poorer than poor. Don't mention it to anyone, okay?" She told us, and I was kind of touched she trusted us with her secret.
"Why not just get permission to use your quirk on the equipment and cut cost that way?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Right!? That's what I told my dad way back! But..." She paused like she was lost in thought for a moment before coming back to us.
"So I'm gonna be a hero. I'll make that money... so that that mom and dad can have easier lives."
While Iida praised her, I thought about her words until a voice pulled me out of my own head.
"Ohh!! Midoriya, kid. Found you!!" All Mights voice boomed, holding up a wrapped lunch. "Wanna... eat lunch with me?"
Rubbing my eyes to wake me a little, I held back a yawn. "Is this about what I said yesterday?"
"No. Well, perhaps if there's time, but I'd like to discuss something else with you." He told me, and I couldn't stop the yawn this time.
"Sure."
I said goodbye to my friends and followed All Might to his office, where he transformed back into his skinny form and sat.
"My limit is draining, and sooner than later, I'll have to step down entirely from this hero thing." He told me, a portable kettle giving him hot water for tea.
That made sense. He only had an ember of One-For-All. At least, that's how he described it. "I know, and since giving me One-For-All, I've tracked your overall sightings and how long you've worked during. Slowly, you're becoming less active. That's not new to me. What are you really trying to tell me?"
He nodded and leaned forward. "I really want to talk about the sports festival. With my time running out, among those with villainous intents, there are some who have figured that out. I granted you my power so that you could succeed me! This sports festival... it's an event the whole country'll be watching! And that means just one thing for us!! You. The next All Might... the fledgling symbol... I need you to tell the world... "I AM HERE!"