Arch 2: 「Act 3」

"What am I even supposed to say to Toshinori? And how much can I really give?"

The boy slowly looked down at his right hand, clenching it before letting out a sigh, his gaze shifting to the waves rolling across the sea.

And how would Toshinori even react? Finding out his old successor is gone, and replaced by one from a different timeline? How would he even handle that?

If the boy told him everything, how would he take it? He probably wouldn't be able to handle it. It'd might be too much. But as the successor of One for All, the boy knew he couldn't keep it from him.

Izuku clenched both his fists tightly, feeling the pressure of the responsibility pressing down on him. This wasn't just about him anymore. It was about everyone.

The sea breeze swiftly ruffled his green hair, carrying the distant sound of cool waves that is crashing against the shore. It felt calming, in a way, but it did little to ease the thoughts swirling in his mind.

Izuku took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself. When he opened them, he was no longer by the shore. Instead, he found himself in the familiar void—the grey, broken room with eight thrones.

He blinked, noticing Nana poking at the faint, flickering flames of the vestiges. She glanced up and gave him a little smirk.

"Well, hey there, kiddo," she said, hands now on her hips as she stepped back from the flames.

His gaze shifted to the flickering flames of the vestiges, a frown was settling on his face. He walked up to one of them, staring deeply into the ember-like form.

He leaned in, studying it closely. "Their form, it looks like Toshinori's vestige now. Why is that?" Izuku's voice was quiet, confusion creeping in.

She shrugged, her expression unreadable. "I don't know either. Maybe it's what happened when you transferred them onto another vessel. It did break them all after the transfer." Nana slightly eyed all the vestiges thoughtfully before looking back at Izuku. "Maybe it's just the way it works?"

He frowned, his gaze still fixed on the vestiges. The boy glanced back at Nana, furrowing his brow.

"It's odd," he said, his voice was laced with confusion. "I transferred your vestige too, to Shigaraki. So why do you look like — you, and not like them?"

She shrugged again, her expression a mix of frustration and confusion. "I'm a little stumped on that one too," she admitted with a sigh. "I've no idea why I'm different." She glanced at the vestiges before meeting his eyes. "Maybe there's more to this than we realize."

But her lips curled into a smirk as she pointed a thumb at herself. "Or maybe," she said to him, a playful glint in her eyes, "I'm just that stubborn."

The boy couldn't help but crack a small smile at that. He then shook his head, a hint of relief breaking through his serious expression. "Yeah, I can believe that."

Izuku's smile faded as he glanced back at the flickering flames. "How long do you think it'll take for them to go back to normal?" Izuku asked, his voice was hopeful but hesitant. "Or at least enough to talk? Even just in theory."

Nana tilted her head, her gaze thoughtful. "I wish I could give you a straight answer," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "But honestly? I don't know. This whole mess is way beyond what I can even begin to figure out." Nana glanced at the flaming vestiges. "It'll do take some time, a long one, that's what I can tell."

She began scratching the back of her neck, looking a bit unsure. "Well, at least you can still use our Quirks," Nana said, nodding toward the boy. "Doesn't seem like they've weakened at all, right?"

Izuku glanced down at his right hand, flexing his fingers as he thought about it. "Yeah — they're all still as strong as ever."

Nana shrugged, giving Izuku a reassuring smile. "Then maybe we're still here in our own way, even if we're not exactly — all there," she added, gesturing vaguely to the flickering flames around them.

Nana's expression grew serious as she pointed at Izuku. "But listen—if there's one thing you shouldn't mess with, it's Gearshift," Nana spoke firmly. "Out of everything, that one's the most hazardous Quirk to contain."

He raised an eyebrow, a bit taken aback. "Really? I mean, I know it's risky, but—"

Nana crossed her arms, cutting the boy off. "Risky is an understatement, kid. That Quirk pushes your limits way harder than anything else. And if it gets out of control, it could be disastrous—for you and everyone around you."

Nana sighed, her expression turning thoughtful. "Look, before you even think about relying on Gearshift, you'd need to improve your body a lot more," she said firmly.

"Right now, you've only got about five minutes with it. If you push it a second time, it drops to two minutes. Third time, you're down to one minute. And when you tried it a fourth — you've barely only got thirty seconds. We'd kept an eye on it when you were using it against Shigaraki."

Izuku's face tightened with concern as he processed her words. "That bad, huh?"

Nana nodded at the boy with a small frown on her face. "It's not just about power; it's about your body being able to handle the strain. If you don't build yourself up more, that Quirk will break you down faster than you can use–"

Suddenly, Nana began to slowly glanced to her right, her expression shifting into a grin. She turned back to Izuku, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Looks like the big guy is coming now, kid," she said, her voice was lighter now. "We'll talk about this later. For now, you need to go back outside."

She walked up to Izuku with a playful smirk, then lightly booped his nose. "Go on, don't keep him waiting."

Izuku nodded slightly, feeling the familiar shift in the air. Izuku closed his eyes for a moment, taking a breath, and when he opened them again, he was back at the beach.

Just in time for the boy to hear a loud thud. The ground shook beneath Izuku as a massive dust cloud erupted from where someone had just landed. The wind kicked up, sending sand flying everywhere as the figure slowly stood up, silhouetted against the bright sky.

"Young Midoriya!"

All Might called out to him, rushing toward him. "I've got something important to tell you, something really—" He suddenly began on coughing up blood, and in an instant, his muscular form faded, leaving Toshinori just standing there in his frail, skeletal state. He stared at the boy with wide eyes, shock clearly written on his face.

"Huh?"

Izuku blinked, staring at Toshinori, who was gaping like a fish, frozen in place. After a moment, Izuku nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "Heh, this must be really weird for you, huh?"

But then his expression was softened, and he looked at All Might with a warm smile. "It's great to see you again, Toshinori."

All Might stood there, still confused, eyeing Izuku. This version of him looked so much calmer and more mature than the one he knew. He wiped the blood from his chin, his gaze never leaving Izuku. "Wha-what do you mean by that?" All Might asked, his voice a little strained. "We just parted a day ago."

Izuku gave Toshinori a soft chuckle, scratching his head. "Yeah, I guess that must sound weird, huh?" He said, his smile never wavering. "But it's been a lot longer for me." He paused for a moment, then added, "A lot way longer, actually."

All Might blinked from hearing that, still processing the words. "Longer? What do you—"

The boy waved All Might off lightly. "Ah, never mind that, it's too complicated. But really, it's really good to see you again, Toshinori."

All Might narrowed his eyes, taking a long look at Izuku from head to toe. "Hold on a second," he said, his tone shifting to suspicion. "Have you been taking steroids or something?" He eyed the boy with a serious expression, clearly trying to make sense of the drastic difference in Izuku's demeanor.

Izuku quickly blinked in surprise at the question, his face flushing slightly. "What? No! I haven't—"

Before Izuku could finish, a burst of laughter interrupted him. The woman had collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach as she wheezed with laughter. "Steroids?!" She gasped between her fits of giggles. "Oh man, that's priceless!" She rolled on the floor, practically crying from laughing so hard.

He slowly made a glanced at Nana, who was still on the ground, laughing like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. He kept his expression flat, clearly unimpressed, before turning back to All Might.

Shaking his head, he sighed. "No, I didn't take any drugs or steroids, I promise. It's something else." He scratched the back of his neck again, clearly unsure how much to say. "But definitely not that."

Izuku scratched the back of his neck a bit more, his eyes shifting slightly as he tried to figure out how to explain.

Toshinori slowly shook his head, stepping closer with a confused look. "If it's not that, then why do you look so different? Why do you—look older?" His voice was laced with concern and curiosity, his gaze searching the boy's face for answers.

The beach fell silent, the only sound remaining was the gentle crash of the waves against the shore. Nana had finally stopped laughing, brushing herself off as she had stood up, her expression now serious. Nana looked at Izuku, who was staring down at his feet, lost in thought.

For a second, the weight of the question hung in the air. Then, Izuku let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly.

He took a deep breath, his expression hardening as he looked at Toshinori. "The Izuku that you knew isn't here anymore," the boy said to him, his voice steady but firm. "Things have changed. A lot has happened, and I'm not the same person you remember." Izuku glanced at Nana briefly before meeting Toshinori's eyes again. "I'm really different now."

The man blinked, his confusion was growing bit deeper. "Different? What do you mean by that?" He took a step closer, his brows furrowing as he tried to make sense of the situation. "You're saying you're not the same Izuku I know, but—" He shook his head, still struggling to grasp what Izuku was telling him. "How is that even possible?"

The boy sighed, his frown deepening. He raised his right hand, staring at it for a moment before wincing. After a long pause, Izuku let his hand drop to his side. "I'm from another timeline," Izuku said quietly, his voice steady but heavy with the weight of the truth. "That's why I'm quite different than the one you knew."

All Might's eyes went wide, his face was frozen in shock. "Another timeline?" He repeated, struggling to process what the boy had just said. "You're telling me, you're not from this world?" His voice was filled with disbelief, as if he couldn't just wrap his mind around it. "But how?"

He shook his head, a frustrated look crossing his face. "I don't know how," he admitted, his voice quieter now. "I'm stuck on that one. In one moment I was at the bottom of the sea, and the next, I found myself at a playground last night." He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I don't get it either, but here I am."

All Might was standing very still, his body frozen by the weight of Izuku's words. The man sighed out heavily, his shoulders slumping as he covered his face with his left hand. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, trying to steady himself.

"This is way too big to be some kind of joke," he said, his voice serious. "I need evidence if you're telling the truth, young Midoriya. Something that could prove all this." He lowered his hand, looking at him with a hard but worried gazed. "This isn't just something that I could just accept without seeing more."

Izuku stared at All Might in silence, the seconds ticking by like an eternity. His expression was unreadable as he slowly raised his left hand to the side, keeping his gaze fixed on the former hero.

All Might's blue eyes shifted to the hand, his confusion growing—until he had began seeing it. Green electricity had began crackling around Izuku's hand, sparking and dancing in sharp bursts. All Might's blue eyes widened in shock as he took a step back. "That's–"

PSSSSHH—BOOM!

All Might flinched as Izuku flicked his fingers toward the sea. In an instant, a massive burst of wind roared across the shore, whipping the waves into a frenzy and sending spray shooting into the air. The big gust tore through the tranquil trashed beach, the once-calm sea now churning violently before it's gradually settling back to its natural rhythm.

All Might stood frozen at the sight, his jaw was slack as he stared at Izuku, who remained unmoved, his serious expression fixed on him. The crackling green sparks still danced around his hand.

He slowly began lowering his hand, the green electricity crackling faintly now before fading away entirely. The air between them grew still, heavy with unspoken tension.

All Might continued to stare, his face a mix of shock and disbelief, while the boy's expression remained calm but resolute. Breaking the silence, Izuku finally spoke to him, his voice steady. "Is that enough?"

All Might looked down at his own hand, his mind racing as he processed what he had just witnessed. His fingers twitched, as if he could still feel the crackling energy in the air. Slowly, he looked back at the boy, his voice filled with disbelief.

"That's One for All," the man said, his words was barely a whisper. "I felt it. The energy, the power—it's no mistake. But how?" He shook his head, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. "How do you have it? You're not supposed to be–"

All Might stood frozen, his mind racing as he blinked in disbelief. His eyes shifted from Izuku to his own hands, still feeling all the remnants of that power in the air. He shook his head slowly, the realization starting to settle in.

"You really are from another timeline," he muttered under his breath, the words coming from his student were now finally sinking in. His voice was quiet, but the weight of it hung in the air. All Might looked up, his expression a mix of awe and confusion. "This isn't possible. But here you are."

But All Might had suddenly seemed to tense up, his eyes widening slightly as a realization hit him. He took a step back, looking almost pained as the man spoke, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Wait, just hold a second now," the man began, his voice was low but was intense. "Something happened to me last night. I don't have One for All anymore." He paused, his hand was unconsciously resting over his chest, as if feeling for something that wasn't there. "All I could feel now are embers. Just the faint remnants of the Quirk."

All might's voice grew softer, almost uncertain. "Do you know why?"

His eyes widened in shock as he processed All Might's words. For a moment, he felt a chill run down his spine. The boy opened his mouth, but no words came out. The reality of the situation hit Izuku like a punch to the gut.

Then, something had clicked in his mind. He winced, his hand instinctively reaching for his chest as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. The fact that he still had One for All, despite it being transferred away, made sense now. It was in truth, because of the shift between timelines.

Izuku winced, the realization stinging. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but he could feel the strain now. He shouldn't have it—he shouldn't even be here. He shouldn't be alive.

"This makes sense now," he murmured, more to himself than to All Might. Izuku's voice was further strained, his mind racing as he tried to piece everything together. "I'd shouldn't have it anymore, but I do. I must have – taken it when I came here." The boy looked up at All Might, his expression full of guilt.

He gritted his teeth, his mind racing as the implications of All Might's condition hit him. This was bad—too bad. If All Might only had the embers of One for All now, how much longer would they last? He ran his fingers through his hair, anxiety was creeping in as he thought about the timeline he was in.

The boy looked up at All Might, his expression darkening with worry. He knew the timeline now. It was 10 months, maybe a few days more, before the invasion at the USJ. But in his original timeline, the embers of One for All had faded away within just a few months. And if things were anything like they're supposed to be, once Izuku was in U.A. then, damn it.

Izuku lifted his gaze, determination flickering in his eyes as the boy looked at All Might. The very thought of it had been gnawing at him ever since he realized the truth. He hesitated for only a moment before speaking, his voice steady but tinged with urgency.

"Toshinori," the young boy began, addressing him with a seriousness that felt far heavier than the sea air around them, "what if I give it back to you?"

All Might froze, his eyes widening as he stared at Izuku. The weight of those words seemed to be hanging in the air, the big gravity of what Izuku was suggesting settling between them like a thunderclap.

Nana, who had been silent until now, widened her eyes in shock. She quickly walked over to Izuku, her footsteps soft against the sand, and she quickly placed a hand on his shoulder. Nana's voice, usually sharp and confident, was filled with concern.

"Izuku, wait!" Nana said, her voice was sharp but lacing with worry as she approached him. She stood in front of him, her gaze softening but still firm. "You can't be really serious. You've worked so hard to hold on to One for All, and now you want to give it back?"

Her gaze softened as she placed a hand on his shoulder, her tone gentle but firm. "You're carrying that power for a big reason now. You were chosen. You can't just give it back just because you feel guilty about it." Nana paused, looking at Izuku seriously. "You need it to protect those around you, even if it's hard."

Her expression softened, and Nana added quietly, "This isn't something you can just walk away from."

Izuku stood still, Nana's words weighing heavily on him. His frown deepened as he looked back at All Might, who remained frozen, the man was still processing what he'd just heard.

Yet the man quickly shook his head, snapping out of his shock. His voice, though strained, was firm as he spoke. "Young Midoriya," he started, his tone was urgent, "don't make any rash decisions. I was planning on giving you the Quirk when your body was stronger, when you could handle the backlash of it. But you have gotten stronger now. I can tell. You should keep it."

Izuku's eyes flickered between All Might and the ground, his thoughts racing. All Might's words hitting Izuku with an unexpected force, and Izuku could feel the weight of them pressing down on him, reminding the boy just how much responsibility this power carried.

"Young Midoriya," he repeated, his voice softer this time, "I know the power isn't easy to bear. But I believe in you. You're the one who deserves it now, not me." He paused, his gaze unwavering. "Please, don't let this decision be made out of a sense of obligation or a guilt. Keep it, for yourself."

Izuku clenched his fists, a heavy silence hanging in the air as he absorbed All Might's words.

But his expression grew more resolute as he spoke, his voice firm, though it carried the weight of an undeniable urgency.

"No, Toshinori. I have to give it back," he said, his voice firm but laced with frustration. "If I don't, the people will start on questioning you. They'll all begin to wonder why you're weakening, and the villains will take advantage of that. If your embers die out, the symbol of peace will be gone. It can't end like this. Not yet."

His eyes met All Might's with the look of determination, and his jaw tightened. "The world needs you, and right now, One for All is still mine—it always has been. But if I don't give it back right now, there's no telling what might happen. I can't let the peace you've worked for fall apart because of me."

Both his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Every muscle in his body felt taut with the weight of his decision, but the boy knew what had to be done. He couldn't allow the world to crumble because of this.

"I know you want me to keep it, Toshinori," he continued, his voice steady, though his emotions were a whirlwind. "But right now, the people need a symbol of peace more than ever. They need you to be at your strongest. If the villains see that you've lost your power, it's going to get worse. And I can't let that happen. All of them need the Symbol of Peace."

The beach fell silent, the only sound coming from the distant waves crashing against the shore. Izuku stood there, his eyes focused on his shoes, the weight of his words still hanging in the air. He let out a shaky sigh, the burden of his decision weighing heavy on him.

Then, he felt a hand rest gently on his right shoulder. He looked up, surprised, and he met All Might's gaze. The towering hero stood there, his face etched with a frown, but there was something softer in his expression. It's a trace of sorrow, mixed with pride, as he looked at Izuku.

His voice was low but steady as he spoke. "Young Midoriya, how many villains have you defeated so far?" His gaze was locked onto Izuku's, the weight of his question hanging in the air. "How many civilians have you saved?"

He blinked, caught off guard. His mind raced, recalling the battles, the struggles, the victories. He remembered the stakes, the consequences, the people who needed protecting.

The boy didn't answer immediately, but his expression softened. After a moment, Izuku's voice was quiet but resolute. "I've saved a lot, and I've fought hard. I've done everything I could, and I've learned so much. But I've only made it this far because of you, Toshinori. Because of One for All. But I'm not like you."

All Might's grip tightened on his shoulder, and he gave Izuku a slow, thoughtful nod. "And yet you've still grown stronger because of it. But don't think for a second that your actions haven't mattered. You've already earned the right to carry this Quirk. Please, do not give it back to me."

Izuku felt the weight of All Might's words settle in, but the uncertainty still lingered. He wasn't sure if he could live up to the expectations that came with One for All. His body had changed, his strength had grown, but it felt like it wasn't enough. Even so, he gave in.

"I understand," Izuku said quietly, looking down at his clenched fists. "But I still don't know if I'm ready. I don't want to fail. I don't want to make things worse."

All Might's grip on his shoulder tightened, and Izuku looked up, meeting his mentor's steady gaze. The older hero's eyes were filled with something Izuku hadn't seen in a while: faith.

"You've already made a difference, Young Midoriya. That's what matters. You've faced your fears, you've fought for what's right, and you've saved people. That's what being a hero is about. Not about being perfect, but about doing what you can with the strength you have and giving your all."

Izuku blinked, his heart tightening. He had spent so long doubting himself, questioning his abilities, but hearing All Might's words, seeing the faith in his eyes—it made something click in him. Maybe he wasn't perfect, but he had already come this far. Maybe that was enough.

"You don't have to do it alone," All Might added, his tone softening. "I'll always be here to help, no matter what and we'll show this world what you're made of."

The boy took a deep breath, feeling the weight on his shoulders shift, even if just a little. He wasn't sure where this path would lead, but one thing was still clear: he wasn't alone.

"Thank you, Toshinori," he said, finally managing a small but genuine smile and he chuckled. "I'll do my best."

And for the first time in a long while, Izuku Midoriya felt like maybe he could take on the world again.

TO BE CONTINUED