Chapter 23 - The Fajesta Incident

Two days after the Sports Festival… Class 1-A seemingly was all rested up due to the time they had off.

Each of them spent it in their own special ways, whether that be reconnecting with loved ones, mourning the loss of those who were recently harmed, simply by spending a relaxing break with those they cared about, or even spending that time by their lonesome, reconnecting with themselves.

Whatever the case, school was now returning.

"Focus… try to feel the energy of everyone around you…"

One such student who was returning to U.A. was Izuku Midoriya, who was currently concentrating on trying to utilize the Color of Observation, also known as Observation Haki. Despite his best attempts, however, without the usage of the fourth's Danger Sense, Izuku couldn't successfully utilize this type of Haki; after all, he had no idea how he was really supposed to learn it... but, he knew that so long as he had time, time to grow stronger, time to learn from All Might, time to do learn... he would be able to use it eventually.

"Man, I had all these people talking to me on the way here! It was cool!" Kaminari shouted, his voice being energetic enough that it even penetrated outside the class he sat in.

"I know, right?!" Mina chimed in, "This must be what it feels like to be a celebrity!"

Meanwhile, the Class President of Class 1-A, Tenya Ida, was spacing out at his desk, thinking about something which stuck within his mind like glue.

"Ida… how's your brother?" Izuku asked, having gone over to Ida without the boy noticing.

"Ah… Midoriya!" Ida said, taking note of Izuku, "You needn't worry about my brother… sorry if he has caused you any concern."

"...Well, it's not just your brother, y'know?" Izuku stated, "We all care about you as well… if you need anything, just ask, okay?"

"Thank you for your concern Midoriya, but I believe I will be quite alright."

"If you say so…" Izuku said with a weak smile, as a gloomy figure entered into Class 1-A, one that made everyone instantly return to their seats with speed not even Shave could match.

"Good morning!" the class rang out.

"Good to see you with your bandages off, Mr. Aizawa!" Chopper stated from his seat.

"The old lady's treatment was a bit over the top…" Aizawa noted, "But anyways, today we've got a Hero Informatics class… and a special one at that."

The class sat silently in anticipation. They had no idea what lay before them... but whatever it was, they had faith they would persevere, and accomplish their mission.

"Today… you'll be creating hero aliases!"

Suddenly, the class erupted into cheering and applause due to the seemingly exciting activity which had been plopped right in front of them.

"But first… concerning the pro hero draft picks from the Sports Festival…"

After a short speech, the picks for the draft popped up. Katsuki and Izuku both had the highest number of offers, with Bakugo claiming a slight advantage. Shoto had a slightly lower amount, and the rest of the class had a negligible amount compared to the rest of them.

"Are you freaking kidding?" Ryuko mumbled, "Only one offer?"

Number of Offers

Katsuki Bakugo - 5,154

Izuku Midoriya - 4,856

Shoto Todoroki - 3,900

Momo Yaoyorozu - 1,124

Tenya Ida - 301

Denki Kaminari - 100

Tsuyu Asui - 50

Ochaco Uraraka - 41

Kyoka Jiro - 20

Ejiro Kirishima - 14

Mezo Shoji - 5

Ryuko Matoi - 1

Tony Tony Chopper got zero offers due to his elimination in the first round.

Even though Kaminari didn't even make it to the tournament, his electricity quirk allowed him to get as many offers as he did.

Conversely, Ryuko only got one offer from a special someone due to the spirit she exhibited; nobody really wanted someone quirkless at their agency, even if they were as strong as Ryuko.

"What future do you see for yourself?" Aizawa stated, now on the topic of choosing a hero name, "The name you choose will bring you closer to a certain image, because names are capable of reflecting one's true character… like with All Might, for example."

Izuku, having been focused on things other than academics recently, hadn't been thinking of anything like this as of late.

"A name… huh?" Izuku thought, "As a kid… I came up with a whole bunch of names in homage to All Might and Luffy… but, as Mr. Aizawa said… My name reflects my true character. If I pick something, it should be something that speaks to me and only me!"

"This has gone smoother than expected!" Midnight stated confidently, "All that's left is Bakugo's revision… as well as Ida and Midoriya's names."

When confronted with choosing a name, Ida couldn't help but merely write, 'Tenya', on his board, and present it to the front of the classroom.

"Just your name too, huh?" Midnight questioned, "Then Midoriya… your turn!"

Izuku then brought his whiteboard to the front of the room… and without flinching, placed it on the table in front of him. The name was simple:

"Deku, eh?" Midnight noted, to the surprise of Class 1-A.

Upon seeing the name, Katsuki smirked a bit, and Uraraka's face broke out into a large smile.

"Originally, the name Deku was an insult…" Izuku explained, "But… a friend gave the name a new meaning… which is why I chose this name! I'll be a hero who can make others find joy even in insults!"

"That's very mature of you." Midnight noted, "Now... finally, we just have you, Bakugo. Have you finished your revision."

"Yep... and I bet it'll knock your socks off." Katsuki arrogantly said, walking to the front of the room, "The Guy Who Rains Death and Murder: Dynamight!"

After Katsuki's intense and serious presentation of the goofy name he chose, the class snickered.

"That's a little too intimidating, don't you think?" Sero chimed in through his own laughter.

"Shut up, extra!" Katsuki shouted, "The point is to intimidate the villains!"

"Yeah, well, good luck with that."

In a back alleyway in a city just west of Mustafu, Japan, a large man with a larger battle axe stood in front of an even larger behemoth standing right behind him.

This first man's appearance, beyond his aforementioned battle axe, was a very defined character. He was quite round and had a body like a sumo wrestler. His hair was smooth, with his hair pointing outwards and upwards when it reached his cheeks, and he additionally had fairly straight bangs.

Below his left eye, he possessed a large scar caused by an unknown incident. For clothing, he possessed a large and red sort of apron, which extended across his entire body, with a fancy looking emblem meaning 'heaven' on the front.

This man was Sentomaru, the one of the foes that Luffy previously fought on the Sabaody Archipelago. Behind him was a Pacifista, a battle cyborg with powers which forced even the entire crew of the Straw Hat Pirates to give it their all to destroy just one of them.

Sentomaru took the part of his transponder snail which was used to speak, and brought it up to his mouth, "Uncle… me and the Pacifista are in position."

The transponder snail remained silent for a moment.

"Uncle, do you copy?!" Sentomaru shouted in fury.

"Oh?" Sentomaru's so-called 'Uncle', the Navy Admiral Kizaru, responded, "Sorry… I forgot to pick it up…"

Sentomaru let out a sigh, "I'll give the Pacifista its orders in a moment. Are there any other updates I should know of?"

"None at all." Kizaru noted, "Just remember: call your Armament Haki a quirk if you get into any danger, and be prepared for the unlikely scenario that he comes out on top."

"Got it." Sentomaru responded, turning his focus to the Pacifista, "PX-16! Begin destroying the city… and any heroes that try to stop you!"

In the teacher's quarter, the teachers who were not presently involved in teaching any class were preparing for their next lessons.

"You must be pleased, Toshinori." Cementoss commented to All Might, "Class 1-A's offers after the Sports Festival have been quite frankly astounding… your teaching must have been really something."

"Ah, thanks for the compliment…" All Might replied, "However, I think the fact that this batch of students are as impressive as they are has nothing to do with me… each of them just have a commendable and strong individual spirit!"

"Hm… that might just be so." Cementoss stated with a hint of finality in his voice.

Suddenly, rushing into the room was the Principal of U.A. High, Nezu.

"Toshinori!" he cried as he entered the room.

"Hm, Principal Nezu?" All Might noted, as he turned to face him.

"There's been an incident in Fajesta, just to the west of here!" Nezu stated.

"But, that's where Best Jeanist works as a hero… right?" All Might questioned, "Well… I don't see much of a reason to worry then."

"Actually… that's why I've come here!" Nezu stated, a drop of sweat formulating on his face, "Best Jeanist… has already been nearly defeated!"

A look of shock appeared on All Might's face.

"W-what?!"

"Blackout Bind!" the hero who was previously being talked about, Best Jeanist, yelled.

Unleashing the ultimate move of his quirk onto his foe, Best Jeanist's threads propelled their way to his foe, whose name the hero did not know. Attempting to first restrain his foe, even that simple setup didn't work, as the foe simply dodged Best Jeanist's attack, and destroyed the threads which were used to attack it with a swift and powerful beam coming from their hand.

"Tch, what is with this guy?!" Best Jeanist scoffed, whose clothes were tattered and torn due to the continued destruction of his fiber, and his body wasn't much better, having been bloodied and bruised from just a singular attack that had been landed onto his body.

"Jeanist!" a sidekick of the hero yelled out, "Let us help!"

"No… you all aren't flashy enough to hold a candle to this guy yet!" Best Jeanist retaliated.

In that moment he addressed his sidekick, his opponent took advantage of Best Jeanist being distracted. Appearing in front of Jeanist, the vilain quickly punched him in the side of the heroes mouth, sending Jeanist recoiling into a nearby building… dealing massive damage to the hero just from the punch, not to mention when he found his place in a random building's newly formed crater.

"You've seen it here!" a news reporter shouted from a helicopter above, "This unknown villain seems to be effortlessly dealing with Best Jeanist! His strength… it's at the same level as a disaster!"

Suddenly, a noise began to play in the distance. The face of Best Jeanist's foe began to violently shake, and from its mouth, a yellow light began to form. It was a laser which was sure to fire at and kill the Number 4 hero, Best Jeanist, and completely obliterate him.

"So… this is how I go out." Best Jeanist foresaw.

Moments later… the beam fired.

A massive explosion ensued from the blast, one which caused the helicopter above the scene to begin shaking from the large air pressure wave which was unleashed. The building which was targeted by the villain was completely destroyed, and in its wake, only a dust cloud remained. Even despite the grand spectacle of the attack, the villain was emotionless at the sight of the impact.

"That was a close one!" a confident voice shouted out from behind the villain, causing it to turn around.

Behind the villain was a man in a bright blue and red jumpsuit. He was a man of monstrous size, with monstrous strength to boot. Carrying Best Jeanist, as well as a few other civilians along with him, the Symbol of Peace had made his triumphant entry into the battlefield.

"Is that a… Pacifista?!" All Might thought, shocked to see it, "What the heck is one of those doing here… aren't they meant to only operate in the Grand Line?!"

"All Might…" Best Jeanist muttered, as All Might turned his attention over to him, "This man, he might be too strong, even for someone as powerful as you. You'll have to find his... weakness."

"Trust me… I've met this guy before." All Might stated, "I know his strength."

"But… then…"

"You have the strength to save these civilians?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then get out of here." All Might stated.

Best Jeanist seemed hesitant to comply with All Might's orders, but accepted the confidence of the Number One hero after contemplation.

"I guess I shouldn't worry… you're here after all."

"You stole my line, sly dog!" All Might replied, as he turned his attention back to the Pacifista ahead of him. The Pacifista was now charging up yet another mouth beam, "Now get out of here!"

Best Jeanist began to run away with the civilians kept on hand with his fiber quirk, but the Pacifista changed his aim to the fleeing pro hero instead of the threat that was ahead of him.

"You won't hurt them… not on my watch anyways, villain!" All Might shouted, delivering a fearsome punch with his left hand straight into the villain's mouth, "TEXAS... SMASH!"

Having propelled himself forwards with the Shave technique, All Might's punch did even more damage than he normally otherwise would have. The Pacifista, desperate to dodge, attempted to jump into the air, but All Might was too fast, hitting the Pacifista in the firmly in the stomach. The impact created a massive air pressure wave which broke the secure foundations of nearby street lamps, knocking whatever else was on the streets around the city back what had to be tens of feet back... but... the Pacifista didn't share the same fate.

"That punch... it barely even phased him." All Might noted, as the Pacifista had only been knocked back a few feet by All Might's attack.

"...I should've expected that." All Might admitted, "After all, this villain took Young Luffy's entire crew to defeat, and without my uniform, I'm not even at their level yet-"

Before All Might could finish processing the situation he was in, the Pacifista was already back up in All Might's face. Being caught off guard by this, a look of shock formed on the hero's face.

"Gotta dodge!"

The Pacifista had clocked its right fist back faster than All Might could even blink, and prepared to launch it at the hero.

"No... I don't have time!"

The Pacifista then clenched its teeth together, as if bracing itself for impact, as it fired its fist forwards directly towards All Might. With a determined expression on his face, All Might was determined to push back against the Pacifista's blow.

All Might utilized the time which the Pacifista used to clock back its fist to launch a punch of his own in order to counter his assailant, albeit it was one which had to have less wind up time, and thus slightly less force to compensate.

The Pacifista launched its own blow at the same time All Might did, as a brief clash ensued between the two. The ensuing recoil from both attacks clashing caused buildings around the pair to be completely leveled… but, that's not to say both attacks were completely even.

From the clash, in the span of a few seconds, All Might was launched backwards due to the extreme power of the Pacifista. Through building after building All Might flew… as the situation seemed dire.

"W-what?!" the news reporter from above cried in their helicopter, which now had backed up considerably from the scene, "That villain, he's just overpowered All Might!"

Back at U.A. Academy, Aizawa had just lectured the students of Class 1-A about their Hero Internships. Beside him was Midnight, who was happy after everyone had been able to choose their hero names, well, with the exception of Bakugo, anyways.

"Submit your choices by this coming weekend." Aizawa stated, referring to their choice of place they'd like to intern at.

"You're giving us only two days?!" Sero shouted in shock.

The students excitedly discussed their choices for who they should pick for their internship… however, a particularly distracted student ended up noticing an unforeseen event which was occurring on their phone.

"Hey… All Might seems to be in a pretty big fight right now!" Mina stated, looking at her phone. Curious as to just what Mina meant, Izuku went over to her.

"A… big fight?"

"Yeah… he just got blown back through tons of buildings just now!" Mina noted, "Things are looking dicey!"

"Damn, that's intense!" Ryuko yelled out, as the discussion of the incident had caught her attention.

Upon seeing the villain that All Might was struggling against, Izuku's eyes widened.

"A white hat with spots, long black hair, glasses, darker skin, a large body with a white target on it… could it be a coincidence?!" Izuku thought, recalling All Might's explanation of the foe Luffy's crew had fought (see Chapter 7), "No… that thing… it has to be a Pacifista! That would… make him even stronger than even Luffy, who's stronger than All Might!"

"Relax over there, you said it's All Might, right?" Midnight stated to reassure her students, "Then he'll be just fine, he's our Symbol of Peace, after all! Besides… you should be more focused on your Hero Internships."

"Hmmm… maybe you're right." Mina stated, "It's not like I have any offers though… which is fair, seeing as I completely sucked at the Sports Festival…"

"Only me and All Might know about the strength of the Pacifista…" Izuku thought, "I have to do something!"

Having just been knocked back a substantial distance by the villain, All Might stood up, though it took effort to do so. Beyond moderate damage across his entire body, All Might's right arm was pretty much broken after trying to counter the Pacifista's blow with his own. His hero uniform was also clearly battered from the last attack, but All Might wore another white shirt underneath it which seemed to be much more durable.

That wasn't all the hero had to worry about though, as in the distance, All Might noticed a light gradually forming.

"That's… the same light as before!"

Recognizing the light as the same beam attack used to attempt to attack Best Jeanist, All Might quickly utilized Shave to vanish from sight. It wasn't a moment too soon either, as a massive laser flew right past the position All Might stood a moment earlier.

The Pacifista stood idle for a moment, as he knew that an instant later, All Might would be in front of him. The cyborg's prophecy came to pass when that instant came. Now standing in front of the Pacifista, the cyborg stood idle momentarily, as he acknowledged that attacking now would be pointless; he would be missing the opportunity to analyze his opponents true strength.

All Might ripped off the top of his hero uniform off, as below it, a white uniform with three stars plastered onto it was underneath.

"I've only tested this out once before…" All Might stated, "And I knew it'd come in handy someday, if I or Young Midoriya came up against a foe such as yourself too early. And now… it's time to make good use of this!"

Suddenly, the uniform nature of the fabrics within All Might's clothing began to scatter, as if Best Jeanist was seemingly messing with his outfit. Three stars surrounded All Might, beginning above him and moving to make a triangle around him, one which was chained together by some sort of red and blue laser. A fourth laser point formed above All Might, connected to the rest of the stars, which then caused an energy fluctuation on top of the hero. The second after this fluctuation occurred, three stars moved in front of All Might, and then began moving towards him. When those stars reached him, All Might smashed all three with his fists in rapid succession. Those previously scattered fabrics within All Might's clothes, shortly after All Might had smashed those stars, began to become uniform once more.

"THREE STAR GOKU UNIFORM…" All Might shouted, as his newfound appearance revealed itself.

All Might's Goku Uniform possessed strong fabrics surrounding his fists, arms, and legs in order to fortify all three, with these fortifications being colored gold to symbolize their value. This strong fabric also caused All Might's already large arms and legs to seem even bigger compared to the rest of his uniform, which was made to match All Might's size. Beyond just matching his size, All Might's body also mimicked the design of his hero outfit, having a similar color scheme to boot. The only thing different was his face, which was covered by a blue fabric. Compensating for his loss, a 'V' of gold stood out above his head, and a gap of space was also left near his mouth, allowing for his signature smile to form.

"ALMIGHTY REGALIA!" All Might shouted.

The Pacifista, not having any emotions, simply looked at All Might, yet analyzed a marked increase in his fighting strength due to the life fibers.

"Incredible!" The news reporter from earlier commented, in awe at All Might's new transformation, "You've seen it here! It seems that All Might's revealed a completely new support item of some kind to defeat this villain… that's the power of the Number One Hero for ya!"

"Now villain… allow me to show you the meaning of these words…" All Might began.

Pairing Shave with the newfound speed he was granted by his Goku Uniform, All Might reached the Pacifista faster than the villain could even react. An expression which could be interpreted as shock appeared on the cyborg's face, as All Might's left fist was clocked behind him, ready to strike the villain.

"GO BEYOND… PLUS ULTRA!"

Striking the villain directly in the chest, a massive hole opened up within it due to the absurd amount of power which was outpoured by All Might. The same Pacifista which was previously so overwhelming to All Might was now not nearly as scary as before. The Pacifista was knocked backwards just as far as All Might was when he was struck by the Pacifista earlier, and All Might simply retained his smirk.

"No matter what type of blow you throw at me…" All Might stated, smacking his hand lightly against his chest, "I will stand up, persevere, and retaliate against it! For that is what it means to be the Symbol of Peace!"

"Lady Ragyo!" A woman by the name of Rei Hoomaru said, addressing her employer as she entered into her office with a voice of urgency.

"What is it, mistress Hoomaru?"

After hearing her employer's voice, Hoomaru quickly calmed down. She pulled up a video on her tablet and showed it to her boss. On the tablet, All Might activating his Goku uniform was showcased.

Ragyo Kiryuin looked down at the screen before her, contemplating the best way to word the question which would follow, "Japan's Number One Hero, All Might, is wearing a Life Fiber uniform and fighting against the World Government's Pacifista weaponry?"

"It appears so, Lady Ragyo." Hoomaru responded, "All Might, however, has never made official contact with our company… the most plausible explanations are that he either cut some sort of deal with your daughter, or, he's a thief... just like his arch nemesis."

"For now, let's leave him be." Ragyo Kiryuin tactfully decided, "Seeing as it's a Pacifista which is attacking him… there's no reason to intervene. We'll just pull the life fibers off that fool's corpse."

All Might was speeding towards the launched Pacifista at his maximum velocity. He acknowledged his foe was a robot, but he was unsure of what orders he was programmed with. For all he knew, it could begin to attack civilians at any moment. Catching up with the Pacifista, all All Might caught a glimpse of a simple red thread… as the hole that All Might had blown in the Pacifista's chest completely vanished.

"You're not gonna make this easy…" All Might commented, "Regeneration with a red thread… just like when Young Midoriya fought against that Nomu. I can see how this thing was able to keep up with even Young Luffy… but that won't stop me!"

Another unknown thing began to occur in the Pacifista's body after All Might finished thinking his aforementioned thoughts. Out of the cyborg's shoulders, something appeared to rise out of them…

"Missiles?!" All Might thought.

Quickly utilizing the Shave technique, All Might arrived slightly above the Pacifista, spinning to gain momentum.

"CALIFORNIA… SMASH!"

Smashing one of the villain's missile launchers, All Might rendered one of his foes' methods of attack instantly obsolete.

Improvising quickly, the Pacifista quickly grabbed All Might's extended left arm with their own right arm. The Pacifista then threw All Might into their chest, and pulled All Might into a full nelson which he couldn't escape from. Then, the Pacifista used this opportunity to keep All Might in place while they charged up a massive beam within their mouth.

"I didn't notice since I've been using Shave to attack… but I'm not stronger than this thing!" All Might noted.

Quickly attempting to reclaim the advantage for himself, All Might transformed from his buff form to his true form temporarily. This caused the Pacifista to lose his ability to grip All Might, as the hero quickly slid out of the Pacfista's grip and jumped up into the air, escaping his precarious situation. The hero returned to his buff form a moment later.

"That Kiryuin wasn't kidding… even when I stopped using One for All, I felt just as strong, no, even stronger than normal!" All Might thought, "This uniform is incredible!"

Looking down at the Pacifista, All Might saw it was still charging it's attack. That wasn't what All Might was focused on, however.

"His missile launcher…" All Might thought, "It seems that it can't regenerate that part… but why? Is it made out of a different material, maybe? Then... maybe there are other parts of his body that also can't regenerate?"

Not giving All Might any time to respond, however, the Pacifista quickly fired a beam out of his hand.

"NEW HAMPSHIRE... SMASH!"

Using his momentum, All Might sought to dodge backwards so that the beam would pass straight over him. Unfortunately for All Might, the Pacifista had calculated for this, as the beam he had just shot wasn't the one he had been charging, which he now fired directly at the hero. With not enough time to react, All Might's body was completely swallowed by the beam.

The beam which the Pacifista fired hit the building behind All Might, causing an explosion to form.

Not missing a beat, the Pacifista then fired two quick beams of light out of his hands at a regular person's eye level. Revealing himself to still be standing and willing to fight despite the size of the blast he had endured, All Might was presently dashing towards the Pacifista, being who the cyborg was aiming at.

"CAROLINA…" All Might shouted, crossing his arms.

In order to dodge the still approaching beams of light, All Might slid under them, getting up and continuing to run towards the Pacifista afterwards. Utilizing the Shave technique, he found himself directly in front of the villain.

"SMASH!"

All Might then outstretched his two crossed arms into an 'X', slashing at the Pacifista. Unfortunately for All Might, the Pacifista was able to jump backwards to avoid the hero's attack, firing another three quick beams of light after their evasion of All Might's attack.

All Might quickly transformed into his true form to avoid the first two beams, but he ended up hit by the third. This dealt heavy damage to the right side of All Might's chest, causing All Might's skin to be burnt; normally, the wound would be much worse, but his Goku Uniform had took the brunt of the impact. One wouldn't notice this, however, as the hole in All Might's three star Goku uniform had been able to quickly regenerate.

"Shoot!" All Might thought, blood spurting out of his mouth due to the injury he had faced in his true form, "He put me into a precarious position where I'd need to use my more nimble body in order to dodge those two lasers... and then capitalized on my lesser reaction times since I can't use One for All in that form… they're smart!"

Reverting back to his buff form, as soon as All Might touched the ground, he utilized Shave.

"DETROIT…" All Might shouted, his right hand welling up with power, "SMASH!"

All Might then launched a fierce blow onto the Pacifista, knocking him backwards and opening up a hole in the Pacifista's chest in the process. Despite this success however, it came at a cost, as All Might's arm was feeling the effects of that last smash.

"I can't sustain any more damage on my right arm!" All Might thought, "I've got to end this quickly, and find his weakness!"

All Might referred to his earlier interaction with the Pacifista, the one where he had lost a clash with it due to not utilizing the power of the Life Fibers, and ended up almost breaking his right arm. Even after that last attack, All Might couldn't be certain his right arm wasn't broken... this, alongside his time limit on One for All, pushed All Might to keep fighting, and end this battle as fast as possible.

All Might yet again used Shave to try and catch up to the Pacifista and finish him off. While approaching, three missiles rapidly approached All Might, who jumped into the air to dodge. All Might quickly made his way to a nearby building by utilizing his powers to reposition himself in midair, and then dashed towards the Pacifista again, using a building as his foothold.

"TEXAS…" All Might shouted, clocking his left arm backwards to attempt to attack the Pacifista, "SMASH-"

Before All Might could extend his fist forwards, he was hit in the side by the three missiles which he had dodged earlier. He had found it odd that the Pacifista had missiles when his lasers were so much faster and stronger then missiles could possibly be, but it was only then that he realized why the Pacifista had missiles: they were homing ones.

Taking advantage of All Might being caught off guard, the Pacifista dashed towards the stunned hero, and punched him directly in his side.

"Twice in a row…" All Might noted, coughing up blood, "He's targeted my injury I got when I fought against All for One!"

All Might was then launched into the distance. Still not finished with his job just yet, the Pacifista began to charge up a massive beam with his head, and fired it in the direction of All Might… attempting to ensure the hero's demise.

"THIS… THIS IS AWFUL!" the news reporter from earlier reported. Even despite the fact that their chopper had backed up drastically, they were still feeling the pressure from the Pacifista's last attack, "You've seen it here... All Might… he's just been knocked back yet again by that villain! If I didn't know any better, I'd say… this guy is stronger than All Might!"

"It's… no good." All Might thought, as steam was pouring out from under the seams of his Goku uniform, and his figure was skinnier than before. He had reached his limit with using One for All after taking that last piece of damage from the Pacifista. He continued, "It seems my strength's been worn out even faster than I had anticipated… a side effect of the Goku uniform, perhaps."

The Pacifista began to slowly approach All Might through the smokescreen created by his previous laser. Likely due to All Might's diminishing strength, the Pacifista was no longer getting a solid read on All Might, and now sought a visual in order to confirm his demise.

"Young Midoriya… I'm sorry."

All Might, on the brink of death, recalled the point in time after Izuku had received training with Gran Torino under his guidance. With Gran Torino's help, Izuku was able to develop the Full Cowling technique. Gran Torino had also given All Might the push he needed to discuss All for One with Izuku. This moment that All Might recalled was one after he had finished that conversation with Izuku.

"...In short, One for All is a power inherited with the sole purpose of beating All for One." All Might explained, "As such… you too will eventually be forced to confront this great evil. I realize that this is a bit of a dark tale, but-"

"I'll do my best!" Izuku stated confidently, "Even if you hadn't told me… I wouldn't let someone like that roam free anyways!"

"You sure you've got your head on straight, kid?" Gran Torino questioned, "This guy… as you are now, he'll crush you in an instant for sure. Even when you perfect your power, it'll still be a gamble as to whether someone like you could actually defeat him... I'm surprised your not shaking in your boots."

"Well... don't get me wrong, of course I'm scared." Izuku responded, "But... when I accepted All Might's power... the power to become the Symbol of Peace, I knew the risks. I'm prepared to battle All for One with all I've got, because whether I win or lose, it's my responsibility as a hero to take him on!"

"Tch." Gran Torino scoffed, smirking along the way, "You sure picked a wild kid… Toshi."

"Yes... it seems I have." All Might said, flashing a softer, kinder smile.

"Your heart… it reassures me that you'll be able to make the future you want to... so that even if I fall... you'll be able to move on." All Might thought, "And your spirit… INSPIRES ME TO KEEP GOING!"

At this point, the Pacifista had found the visual proof that they needed to find that All Might was still alive. All Might braced himself, as he got up and launched a punch at the Pacifista, reclaiming his buff form once more.

"DETROIT… SMASH!"

Unfortunately for All Might, the Pacifista simply caught All Might's blow with no effort... but, the attack All Might launched blew off the Pacifista's arm. It regenerated quickly despite that.

"His arm has life fibers too, eh?!" All Might thought, steam radiating off of him. Now utilizing his almost broken arm, All Might aimed for the Pacifista's head, "TEXAS… SMASH!"

Before All Might could even extend his arm, the Pacifista shot a beam straight at All Might's arm, piercing it.

"Not… done yet!" All Might thought, as he jumped into the air and began to spin, "At the head again... one final attack-"

Before All Might could continue, the Pacifista grabbed his leg, and instantly threw him to the ground. All Might coughed up blood, from his constant exertion... All Might's Goku uniform overheated*… only his buff form barely remained. The Pacifista then grabbed All Might by the neck with his left hand, and with his right, he shot All Might in his injury, guaranteeing that he'd stay on the ground. All Might's eyes shutting, and his consciousness fading, a smile appeared on his face.

"Young Midoriya." All Might thought, "You'll do great."

And then… a noise began to play. The Pacifista charged up a beam in his mouth, directly at All Might, prepared to kill the hero once and for all.

In the distance however, another person approached. He wasn't supposed to be here, but nonetheless, he was compelled to come here by a thousand thoughts, and had the power to back it up. His feet clattered on the ground as he ran, and once he eventually reached the Pacifista, he launched himself into the air, prepared to launch a counterattack.

"Get your hands off of All Might!" the hero yelled, as All Might looked up at the one who was coming to save him.

"Kid?!" he thought.

A black tendril stretching out behind him, the boy was completely prepared to attack the Pacifista with all his might. At this moment… he didn't care about any rational thoughts he might have. All that mattered now was that he had someone to save.

"GUM GUM…" the boy began to shout.

Behind him, the black tendril reached the point where it stretched out the furthest that it could… and then, it rebounded, flames beginning to come off of the attack as it did. The attack approached the Pacifista at blistering speeds… and before the Cyborg could reach, the attack was in front of him.

"FLARE GUN!"

Attacking the Pacifista square in the face, the boy's blow caused the cyborg to draw blood for the first time in the fight. The Pacifista slid backwards, as it clenched its teeth after the hit it had endured.

The green haired boy followed suit, falling onto the ground, and sliding across it once he did, unable to stop his momentum in an instant.

"Y-young Midoriya?!" All Might shouted, "What are you doing here, you know it's illegal to-"

"Don't worry about that!" Izuku stated, as All Might's worry turned to shock, "I saw you struggle… and you don't need to worry anymore…"

Izuku then breathed in heavily, and then slammed his left fist onto his chest, declaring loudly, "Because I… am here!"

In an instant, All Might's concerns turned to naught… that single line from Izuku was enough.

End of Chapter Notes

* = Just to clarify, this isn't Plot Induced Stupidity. In Kill La Kill, Sanageyama's Blade Regalia Mark II also overheated due to the fact that he exerted too much power from it. In this instance, it's due to the Goku Uniform's power source being exhausted, as All Might is using that in order to keep OFA going here.

For no reason, I feel like creating an explanation of how I view Crocodile's strength… so, here ya go!

Crocodile was beaten by a pre-gears Luffy in Alabasta, so many may think he's weak. At least in this fan fiction, this isn't the case however, due to Crocodile's Logia type Devil Fruit and former power. Crocodile was given the position of Warlord while he was active in the New World, with his power rivaling that of an Emperor's strongest crewmate (YC1 for power scaling nerds).

With delusions of grandeur, he challenged Whitebeard, and suffered a humiliating defeat which robbed him of his spirit. Due to the loss of his spirit, his strength gradually diminished over time with loss after loss in the new world, and he eventually found it harder and harder to utilizing Armament and Observation Haki.

Fleeing the New World, Crocodile then went to Paradise, where he had free reign over newbie pirates due to their lack of Haki, something which the Marines let him keep his rank because he did. After being defeated by Luffy, and seeing that Mr. 1 still chose to stand by him and come to Impel Down, (see cover story Miss Goldenweek's "Operation: Meet Baroque Works"), Crocodile renewed his spirit, and his Haki began to slowly be restored to its former strength.

Part of the reason Crocodile helps Luffy in Impel Down and Marineford is because, while he'd never admit it, he acknowledges that part of the reason he regained his former might was because of Luffy. If not for him, he would've never formed a greater companionship with Mr. 1 than boss and disposable subordinate, plus, his burning hatred for Luffy was a part of the reason he was able to reawaken his Haki... so there's that too.

Again, I just wanna clarify that this will have no plot relevance until we get to the stuff with the Cross Guild... I just kinda felt like writing this so I would have it on standby when I get to that point in the story.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you in Chapter 24, where we'll figure out just why the heck Izuku has joined the battle?!