Moving into a new town was tough, Izuku decided.

After sharing with his mom the details of how Kacchan would "play" with him and the hurtful things he would say (along with the burns), she concluded that moving and cutting ties with the Bakugo family was the best choice. Fortunately, a business opportunity in Kanegawa had provided her with a job, granting them the means to relocate.

Despite being far away from his former friendbully, Izuku felt lonely. They had just moved into their new house (Izuku couldn't believe it: a home, not an apartment!) and knew no one in the neighborhood.

Izuku heaved the last box of his All Might memorabilia and let it drop with a thump! Surveying his new room, he found it bare, save for the multiple cardboard boxes strewn about. Despite its expansive size compared to his old room, it felt…hollow. Empty. Depressing. Opening one of the boxes' flaps, the Symbol of Peace's face grinned at him, proclaiming, "I AM HERE!"

For the first time in his short life, Izuku didn't feel comforted by his idol's smile. "Well," he muttered, "I guess I'd better start unpacking everything."

Ding dong!

"Izuku, could you get the door? I'm busy right now!" His mom's voice echoed from her room.

"Okay, Mom!" he shouted back. Who could it be at the door? No one knew them here, so it was probably the postman or a prankster.

Ding dong!

"I'm coming!" he called out. Opening the door revealed someone unexpected.

Instead of a mail worker or a stranger, it was a girl Izuku's age. She stood approximately the same height as Izuku, but her hair intrigued him most.

Rather than normal hair, the girl had long green tendrils resembling vines. They cascaded down her back, not quite reaching the hem of her blue dress.

"So cool…" Izuku whispered to himself, gazing at the girl's unique appearance.

"Um, h-here you go." Izuku was so entranced with her hair that he didn't see her carry a large pan of what appeared to be cookies. Oh, and her hair was helping her lift it! So they were prehensile?

Before Izuku could go on a full-blown quirk analysis on the girl he met, the green-haired boy could hear footsteps coming his way. "Izuku, who are you- oh, hi, there! Are you one of our new neighbors?" With a kind smile, Inko bent down and took the tray from the girl. "Izuku, be a good neighbor and introduce yourself." .

"Oh, sorry, Mom! Hi, my name is Izuku Midoriya! What's your name? You have a cool quirk!" he all but exclaimed at rapid speed.

The girl stayed silent for a moment before speaking. "I-Ibara," she said.

His mom's face lightened up in surprise. "Oh, you must be one of the Shiozaki's! I heard one of the neighbors talking about your family, and I've only heard good things. Where do you live, Ibara?"

"O-over there." Ibara pointed to a large, but simple white house three doors down.

"Oh, that's lovely to hear! Maybe when I can talk to your parents, you and Izuku can play together! How does that sound?"

For some reason, Ibara blushed profusely. "S-sure." After bowing, Ibara then left the Midoriyas to return to her home.

"See, Izuku?" his mom said to him. "You're already making friends!"

"So this 'Jesus' guy was a hero?"

"Well, not in a normal sense, but yes.."

It had been a few days since Izuku and Ibara had met each other, and the two were getting along nicely. Currently, Izuku is trying to learn more about the vine-haired girl. While she was shy, it did seem like she enjoyed talking with him. The two were in a little forest behind their neighborhood, and a small clearing. Izuku brought his prized All Might figurine while Ibara brought a large, heavy-looking book. He asked what it was about, so she explained what it was.

"So, what rank was he?"

"He lived a long time ago before quirks existed," she explained.

"Oh, like the 1970s?"

"What, no! He lived in the first century. The Bible," she pointed to the book, "accounts Jesus' life and God's relationship with humanity."

"Oh, it's like a hero encyclopedia! But this Jesus guy only has one book about him?"

Ibara sputtered. "A hero guide? Only one book? The Bible has 73 books inside it! Comparing it with a hero guide is heretical!"

Izuku realized he might've said something wrong. "Okay, sorry about comparing that. So what did he do?"

Ibara put one of her fingers to her chin. "Well, Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, brought his gospel of love and forgiveness to people…and rose from the dead."

"Woah, like All Might 3: Dead Reckoning!"

"W-what? No, it wasn't a movie! He rose from the dead!"

"Oh, like Zombieman?"

"No!"

"You're quirkless?"

"Um, y-yeah."

Ibara and Izuku sat on a bench outside their middle school, watching the clouds floating by.

"When the doctor diagnosed me as quirkless, I felt like my dreams of being a hero were crushed. Mom didn't believe in me, Kacchan-I mean Bakugo- didn't believe in me, and honestly, I didn't really in me either. But…" Izuku looked toward Ibara, his face shining with determination. "I'm not going to give up being a hero, even if I don't have any quirk."

"Most of the greatest and most influential men and women in history were quirkless. Hospitals, universities, technology, churches," Ibara glanced at Izuku with a twinkle in her eye. "Were all founded by people without quirks. So while becoming a quirkless hero will be difficult, I believe that God will give you the grace to become the best hero that you can be."

The green-haired boy paused for a second. "You, you think so?"

Ibara gave him a heartwarming smile. Taking her hands, she grabbed his and intertwined them in a comforting manner. "I don't think so, Izuku, I know so."

"Let me get this straight: you broke your ARM by doing what?!"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Um, yeah. I might've tried to unleash the full power of One for All, and it hurt my body. A lot ."

Izuku and Ibara, now slightly older, were back in the forest. Only this time, it wasn't to frolic around and have fun.

"I still can't believe that All Might, the Symbol of Peace, gave you his quirk " Ibara was flabbergasted; she knew something was up after he came back home late and jittery as a jackrabbit, but receiving a quirk from the Number One hero?

"Well, you need to gain control of it somehow. How does it work?" she asked.

"From what All Might said, One for All is a stockpiling quirk. It gains and stores power, and can allow me to be super strong and powerful just like All Might. The thing is, I'm not sure how to do that…" Izuku looked toward the ground, dejected. If he was going to be All Might sucMight'sr, then he had to gain control of his new quirk. But how?

Ibara had an idea"You said that you used One for All in one arm, correct?" Ibara mused.

"Um, yeah. I focused its power in one arm, and then it shattered."

"Hmm…I think your problem is like this. I believe that God loves me not just for my soul, but for my body and mind. He loves all of me, not a part of him. I can feel His love surround every part of me equally. Does that make sense?"

A lightbulb went off in Izuku's mind. "I think I know what you're talking about! Stand back, 'Iba." he told his friend.

After Ibara was a safe distance away from him, Izuku activated One for All. As the now familiar red energy lines appeared, Izuku put his plan into action. "All around…spread evenly…" he said to himself. Ibara watched with bated breath; she didn't know what was going to happen.

"All around, every part…come on, come, on, you got this!" With gritted teeth, Izuku focused the massive power of One for All all around his body and then lowered it down to a percentage.

Green, illuminating arcs of electricity surrounded Izuku as he smiled. "Yes, I did it!" he said, pumping his fist. The green-haired boy ran around the empty forest, laughing in celebration.

"This is amazing, Ibara, I feel like a-" Izukuaumped up in jubilation, ecstatic that he finally figured out his quirk. Unfortunately, he wasn't watching where he was going; as he leaped up, his head met with a large trunk of a tree. The tree knocked him off balance, causing him to fall back down.

"Ow, that hurt…"

Meanwhile, Ibara giggled in amusement. "Izuku, watch where you're going. What did that tree ever do to you?"

Izuku lay face up looking at the forest line with a dazed expression. "Ow…it gave me a concussion, that's what it did."

"Iba, can we talk?"

"Sure, Izu. What's wrong?"

It was Izuku and Ibara's last day of middle school, and they had just graduated. Currently, the two were at a celebratory party hosted by the school.

Izuku gestured to a corner near the back of the dance hall. "Could we talk over there?"

After the two made their way over, Izuku gave a smile. "It's been wonderful being able to call you a friend, but I…want something more. Do you know what I mean?"

'Is it what I think he's saying?' Ibara thought to herself.

After Ibara nodded in understanding, Izuku grabbed the second-most top button from his school uniform and removed it. He then extended his hand, offering the button to her.

"Ibara…would you like to become my girlfriend?"

In an instant, Ibara stepped toward Izuku and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Yes, Izuku, I would love to become your girlfriend."

'U.A High. So this is my next step to become a hero.'

Izuku walked in trepidation as he set his sights on the premier hero school of Japan He had finally done it; after becoming All Might's successor and learning to hone One for All, it felt like nothing could stop him.

As he was walking, a figure bumped into him"Move it, you damn nerd."

"Wait, Bakugo?" Out of shock to see his childhood bully, Izuku lost focus and tripped on a loose slab of concrete.

'So this is how it's going to end.' He thought. 'Me tripping and breaking my face on U.A's campus. Goodbye, cruel world.' The ground was getting closer and closer, until…

Did he stop? Instead of kissing the concrete, Izuku felt strong steel cord-like tendrils wrapped around his body to stop him from falling.

"Next time, don't head off without me, Izu. You almost tripped and fell."

Looking at his savior, Izuku smiled. "I never thought I would be saved by an angel," he joked.

Ibara gasped. "An angel? Izuku, don't compare me to creatures of Heaven! That's too much flattery."

After Ibara's vines got him back to his feet, the two then started walking. Izuku grabbed Ibara's hand and gave it a loving squeeze.

"Ibara, you're more beautiful than anything else in this world."

"Oh, Izuku…"

The pair then entered their future alma mater, hand in hand. They would become heroes together as one, inseparable force.