(A/N: As of 2/9/25, I have decided to no longer post on this website. It has been a lot of extra work on my part and not worth the effort at this point. I will be deleting by the end of the month. You can still read Blank Canvas in full on AO3 under the same title and username. Thank you all for your readership and the time to leave reviews. I just need to do this for me.

I included this announcement on AO3 and I will post one more time for current readers here on Fanfiction but this will be the last. This is part 1 of a double update so if you would like to continue reading BC, you can switch over to AO3 if you want.)

...

The next day came and the dorm was busy with them getting ready for school. It was still summer break but now break time was over. They had a goal this summer that had yet to be reached. Everyone busied themselves getting dressed and grabbing a quick bite. A bit of a strange domestic feeling having all of them in the dorms now, but also kind of nice. Normal and back to business. Once they were seated in the classroom, Aizawa took the front of the room and reminded them all of the reason behind their failed summer camp.

Obtaining provisional Hero licenses.

"Take this seriously," Aizawa warned, leaning heavily on the podium to make his point. "A Hero license, provisional or not, gives you the permission and the means to be responsible for human lives. Such a heavy responsibility calls for the exam to obtain one to be very difficult. Statistics have a fifty percent passing rate every year."

The students gasped at the low number. How hard was this test?

"That is why you must be prepared," Aizawa continued, straightening up. "That starts today. Your goal is to create something new. Ultimate moves."

As if on cue, the door to the hall slid open and revealed three figures. In walked Midnight, Cementoss, and Ectoplasm and the sight of them instantly got the students pumped. They weren't just doing normal school work and instead focusing on something more Hero centric. Izuku himself was buzzing in excitement to be able to work with their teachers. Sure, they had classes but this was beyond notes and worksheets. They were working with them as Pro Heroes today! How exciting!

As if sensing his high energy, each of the Heroes shot him a glance and were physically surprised at seeing his knew haircut. Their eyes all widened even the calm Cementoss and hard to read Ectoplasm. Midnight smiled and gave him an approving wink before turning back to the rest of the class.

The Heroes began explaining what they actually meant by 'ultimate' moves. An ensured win against an opponent that was unique to each of them and their Hero identity. A move that couldn't be copied. Not that Izuku wasn't going to try doing that anyway! He still had to fix up his own designs and as the Blank Canvas Hero, only his own imagination could hold him back. That and, well, the laws of physics, but he's learned to laugh at those especially with Mei by his side.

These ultimate moves could be anything though they gave a hint to focus on leaning into their strengths. These moves would define them as Heroes and most Pros had at least one. The smart ones at least according to Midnight. It was an abstract concept and they assured the students that they would help explain more as the training went on. The class was dismissed to change and Izuku moved to follow but was stopped by his teacher.

"Midoriya, a moment, please," Aizawa called out.

The greenet stopped at the sound of his name and turned to his teacher. He waved off his friends and gave Shouto a quick hug before ushering him off without him. Izuku then turned back to his mentor. Excitedly anxious to get to training but curious as to what he wanted from him.

"How's the hand?" the tired man asked, his tone flat but concerned.

It was like a cold bucket of water was thrown down on his head. Oh, right. His hand. His right hand. The one that had been rendered all but useless by Shigaraki.

"Ah, um, it's, uh, fine," Izuku answered, his earlier excitement having died down.

He now cradled that hand in the other subconsciously protecting it. Tired eyes of course observed the reaction.

"Let's go see Recovery Girl," Aizawa said, stepping away from the podium.

"What? But what about training?" Izuku questioned though still followed the man out of the door.

"It will have to wait," was his answer much to the teen's disappointment. Aizawa noticed and let out a sigh. "You know there are things we have to address still. Your hand for one. That and the situation of your Quirk status."

Oh, right. One For All. Izuku had One For All now. He didn't know how to use it or what it was exactly. Thankfully it hadn't acted up at all since coming back from the hospital. Perhaps due to all the endorphins surging through him from every touch from Shouto. His cheeks flushed as the rest of him paled at the reminder of him now actually having a Quirk. One that he didn't want but had to learn to use in order to not hurt himself.

Fuck.

The walk to the nurse's office was quiet after that. Aizawa did eye his student from time to time as they went but withheld his questions for now. He was sure Recovery Girl would have plenty. He did note the new look and while he had zero sense in fashion, it seemed to fit the kid. Eventually they did get there and the teacher knocked waiting for an answer before entering. He stepped aside to allow his student in first before going in himself and shutting the door behind him.

Izuku was nervous. He was holding back shakes and the Heroes knew it. They both felt for the boy who didn't deserve all of the hardships he has had to deal with in life. However, he wouldn't have to face them alone. As Heroes, mentors, and human beings, they swore to help him through this. Offer a guiding hand and lead him as best they could to the other side.

"Hello, Midoriya, dear," Shuuzenji greeted as she gestured for him to take a seat on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," he answered sadly as he sat down while his teacher took the chair next to the bed.

He refused to look at either of them still holding onto his injured hand. The two Heroes shared a glance silently voicing their shared worry for the boy. He was definitely far from okay. Understandably so though considering…well, everything.

"Any pain?" the elderly woman asked, holding her hand out to take a look at his own hand but waiting for him to move.

Green eyes glanced at her outstretched hand. He hesitated a moment but then slowly allowed her to touch him. Her movements were gentle testing his hand out and never pushed too far for any signs of discomfort. Honestly, he couldn't feel much with it. Couldn't do much with it either. Homework had been a bit of a challenge though thankfully he had completed most of it before all this mess. Izuku thought it would have been good to have a majority finished so he had one last thing to worry about during camp. Now he had more worries than simple homework.

"Hmm, I know the doctors did their best but this isn't looking promising, I'm afraid," Recovery Girl finally said with a frown on her face. "I won't lie to you, Midoriya. This damage is severe."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," Izuku couldn't help but sass.

"None of that now, boy," she scolded but without much heat. She knew he was just frustrated. "I'll be honest. There isn't much more I can do. You know how my Quirk works by speeding up the body's healing factor. However, there comes a point that no more healing can be done. And Heal does not work on scars."

It was as Izuku had feared. His hand was useless now. There was no getting it back to normal. He was stuck with a stupid useless hand and now had yet another obstacle to overcome to be a Hero. The tears were already pooling at the corners of his eyes and started dripping down his face.

"Oh dear," Shuuzenji sighed, hating to see a child hurt like this. It was times like these she hated the weaknesses of her Quirk. "Here, sonny, please don't cry. We will figure something out."

She was holding out a packet of tissues to the teen when he suddenly lashed out and slapped them away. The two adults were caught by surprise at his outburst merely watching in shock as the boy sprang from the bed and started pacing the room.

"Figure something out?" Izuku growled in frustration and anger. "Figure out what?! How to do everything one handed now? Yeah, I already knew I was going to have to do that. Doesn't make it any easier though! It's like the universe is trying to do everything it can to make my path to be a Hero fucking impossible! Why does everything have to be so difficult?!"

Izuku threw his arms out wildly before he stopped in his tracks panting after his yelled rant. It had been too long since his last therapy session with Hound Dog. Looks like they had a lot to get through since they had last met. It almost made the teen feel bad for the man but in this moment, he was overwhelmed by his own fucking problems to really care. Not right now.

"Izuku, you need to calm down," Aizawa stressed, fearing that his anger would trigger One For All. They just so happened to be in the nurse's office but he didn't need to be unnecessarily hurt. "Yes, it will be difficult and take time, but like I said, healing always does."

"You heard what she said," the teen spat with a sudden wave of his hand towards Recovery Girl. "I can't be healed. I'm stuck with this...this thing!"

Green eyes glared at the scarred hand as if wishing for it to disappear. Why even have it if he couldn't use it?

"There are more ways to heal other than my Quirk, young man," Recovery Girl stated firmly, not appreciating his earlier action. "But you must have patience for them to be effective. I already have a regiment of physical therapy exercises for you to start."

The anger that had erupted so suddenly inside him was fizzling out under the rain of guilt storming in his mind. Izuku felt horrible for acting so childish in front of his mentors who he knew only wanted what was best for him. He just…he was so frustrated. And sad and scared and pissed off. But above all he was tired of having to deal with all of this shit that was his crappy life.

Is this what you wanted for your own son, All For One?

A bad dealt hand for the son of a Villain. It could be one hell of a backstory if he would ever even entertain the idea of joining his father, but Izuku would never do that. No way in hell. He willed himself to calm down especially when he started to notice a sort of tingling growing under his skin. The Quirk was threatening to come out in his anger despite the suppressing bracelet and he couldn't allow that to happen. The teen worked on getting control of his breathing while closing his eyes to take a moment to meditate. Once he was calmer, he opened his eyes and bowed low to his mentors.

"I-I'm sorry, senseis," he blurted out. "Please help me with this."

The switch was sudden and shocked the Heroes but they easily accepted his apology. It was understandable that he would be angry in his situation.

"It's alright, deary," Shuuzenji relented with a sad sigh. "Here. Let me get you the packets so you can start working on those. But don't overdo it. Working it too much too soon will make the healing process take longer. I also have an ice pack for you to use. Only for ten minutes at a time, understood?"

The boy nodded as she handed him the ice pack. It instantly felt really good on his injured hand relieving what aches he could feel with it.

"Now about this new Quirk of yours," she transitioned swiftly. "I still have yet to give that fool Toshinori a piece of my mind for his stupidity, but you are the priority here. We need to make sure you aren't hurt by it. Medically speaking it seems to have acclimated to your body with no signs of rejection. There is still the potential of it flaring up though as Aizawa informed me of in the hospital."

"Which is why while the others are working on their ultimate moves," Aizawa spoke up. "You will be working with me, All Might, and Gran Torino to help you control this Quirk without exploding your limbs off."

"Wait, so I won't be joining in our class's training?" Izuku asked dejectedly. "What if I fall behind?"

"Actually, if you think about it, you're already far ahead," his teacher replied, confusing the boy which he noticed. "Ultimate moves can be anything, Izuku. While typically they are associated with Quirks and pushing them to their limits, that isn't always the case."

Still the teen didn't seem to understand what he was getting at. Which actually was surprising to the Underground Hero considering the kid's plethora of notes on Heroes. Surely, he would have noticed them along with everything else he managed to observe as a civilian.

"Do you know what my ultimate move is, kid?" Aizawa asked, trying to coax him but only received a shake of the teen's head. Hm, perhaps it was that he was too stressed out to see it. "Alright, then what do you know about me? What am I known for?"

"Well, um, you're Underground so not much is known to the public," Izuku replied, earning an encouraging nod. "You can erase most Quirks and you wear goggles to hide your eyes. You rely on stealth and surprise attacks. You use Support Items to make up for your Quirk's lack of offense. A knife and your capture weapon. You also…"

But he stopped when his teacher held up his hand.

"That's it," Aizawa said simply. "That's my ultimate move."

Izuku stared at him in confusion and asked, "What do you mean? What is it?"

"My ultimate move," the Hero answered as he reached up and played with his scarf. "You said it."

Green eyes stared at him to the capture weapon and back for a few seconds when it finally clicked. Of course! Eraserhead's Binding Cloth style was unique to him! He came up with it himself back when he attended UA and used his capture weapon to fight. It wasn't exactly connected to his Quirk although there were theories that the effective use could potentially be related to how his hair levitates when Erasure was activated. But he had also been able to train Hitoshi and Izuku in that same style so there had to be more to it. Perhaps it gave him more of an edge in controlling the lengths of cloth…

"Okay, that's enough," Aizawa interrupted his muttered-out thoughts. "Yeah, you definitely get it now. Another non-Quirk related ultimate move example would be Present Mic's DJ Punch. No use of Voice. Just the cockatoo and his fist."

The teasing nickname made Izuku snort much to the relief of the Heroes. It was good to see him in better spirits if only for a moment.

"Anyway, back to my point," the tired man said. "You didn't have a Quirk before and you said you didn't want to use this one now for your Hero work. So whatever ultimate move you made wouldn't rely on a Quirk. Meaning that all of your gear is unique to you. Inspired by others, yes, but the creation and use of them is all you. With that thinking, your whole arsenal is full of ultimate moves."

Huh, guess he never thought about it like that before. Izuku always considered his Support Items as a means to an end of working around not having a Quirk. He never really saw them as more than just tools in his tool box to resolve whatever obstacles crossed his path. But to think of them as ultimate moves?

Just…huh.

"I'd still like to work with you to help develop more on that," Aizawa said, casually scratching under his eye. "But for now, let's focus on making sure you don't get hurt by One For All."

The teen quietly nodded his head. It was logical to do that. Focus on what weaknesses he had now with this new Quirk. One of seemingly endless power that could rip him apart at the seams if he wasn't careful. At least it gave him a goal even though he didn't know the steps towards it just yet.

"Good," Aizawa stated before standing up. "Chiyo, we'll keep you informed."

"You better," the elderly Hero said sternly. "I'm already highly disappointed in Toshinori. Don't you go disappointing me too."

"Wouldn't dream of it," the tired man promised with a half bow. "I get beaten up enough in the streets. I don't need any added injuries from that cane."

Shuuzenji chuckled before shooing them off. Izuku followed after Aizawa quietly reading through the exercises. Nothing too strenuous so far which was understandable but it did disappoint him that he would have to start with the very basics. Stretches and such to help with his grip and flexibility. Oh boy. This was going to be a long recovery.

He didn't realize his teacher had stopped until he ran into his back. The tired man looked down at him with his head tilted in question. Izuku squeaked out an apology and gave him some space. Aizawa brushed it off as nothing and ordered him to get changed. It was clear it was into his gym uniform as he noticed they had stopped in front of the lockers. Wow, way to be observant, Izuku.

He quickly changed as best he could working around his injured hand. The teen left the exercise notes with his clothes and walked back out to his teacher. Together they continued off somewhere and Izuku found himself lost in thought again. What were they going to do? How was he going to learn to control a Quirk after sixteen years of not having one? A daunting task indeed.

"We're here," Aizawa announced having arrived at one of the gyms. At least this time Izuku managed to not run into him. "Let's see if All Might is on time for once."

They opened the doors and went inside. Waiting for them inside were All Might, Gran Torino, and Nezu. All there to help Izuku figure out this One For All thing. Izuku appreciated them all being here however their presence didn't do much for his nerves.

Why did I agree to this?

Lamenting aside, Izuku knew he would have said yes to Toshinori's desperate request if he had to do it over again. Though he very much would have liked some warning for when he was actually given One For All. That scary dream and waking up in pain had been unpleasant to say the least. Thankfully there were no flare ups since and Izuku had spent most of his nights sleeping with Shouto by his side. Having his boyfriend near was nice and also seemed to possibly help keep the Quirk at bay.

The two came to a stop in front of the others and Aizawa folded his arms as he asked, "So how are we going to do this?"

All eyes turned to Toshinori who blanched at the sudden attention as if he wasn't the former Number One Hero. But then again, his forte was fighting bad guys and rescuing people from peril. Teaching however was an entirely different story and while he was getting better, Toshinori was still growing as a teacher. He had even invested in some 'teaching for dummies' books and online training classes recommended by Nezu. Still, training someone on their Quirk was different especially when that Quirk used to be your own.

How are we going to begin?

"Well, um," the skeletal man cleared his throat. "As I've said before, One For All is quite the handful. You are the ninth to hold it and now have the combined physical abilities of everyone who has ever used it including myself. The accumulation of eight past holders has amassed into a hurricane of pure force. When wielded properly, as you've seen it can pack quite a punch."

He then buffed up to his bigger form with a proud grin and an air punch only to sputter out blood and deflate from the effort a second later. Though considering Toshinori was covered with bandages still and one of his arms was in a cast and a sling it wasn't that shocking. Not to mention only smoldering embers remained of One For All within him. He awkwardly wiped the blood from his mouth and moved on as Torino rolled his eyes beside him.

"That being said, while you have chosen to not use One For All, we must still train you with it to avoid injuries. The physical backlash can be intense. The key is control. Once we know what your activation switch is, then we can work on getting you used to identifying when it is acting up and hone the ability to choose if and when One For All is active. That way at the very least you can control it and not allow it to overwhelm or control you."

"Basically, we're going to train you so you don't kill yourself," Gran Torino added gruffy. He too still had bandages on his head from the fight.

"Yes, let's try to avoid that as much as possible," Aizawa agreed as he scratched the scar under his eye. "I've already been threatened by Recovery Girl."

Toshinori cringed knowing her wrathful nature when it came to unnecessary injuries. If there was a way to avoid it that was ignored, Shuuzenji was not afraid to tell you exactly what she thought about it. That cane of hers really stung! Even as the Symbol of Peace, he knew to try his best not to cross her.

"Of course," Toshinori nodded. "Now then, in time you'll learn to manage it, but first, baby steps. You must first learn to walk before even attempting to run a marathon after all. You said Izuku experienced One For All in the hospital, correct?"

The older Hero turned to his younger for confirmation. Aizawa gave a grunt and a nod before he spoke.

"I woke to him screaming and thrashing in his bed," the scruffy man answered matter a fact. He noticed Izuku flinch at the reminder and placed a comforting hand on his student's shoulder. "Green energy was coming out of him and red streaks were all over his skin. He was obviously in pain so I erased it and they went away."

"I see, I see," Toshinori considered thoughtfully. "And no injuries were caused by it?"

"Nothing serious," Aizawa replied. "No broken bones or any other injuries. It seemed once I erased it, the pain went with it."

"Well, that is at least good to hear," the skeletal blonde said, a little relieved. "Perhaps subconsciously his mind knew how to regulate One For All's power enough to not destroy his body. And young Izuku, you said that One For All activated while you were dreaming?"

"Yes, sir," Izuku answered with a nod. "They were just normal dreams about different Quirks. I would get those a lot growing up Quirkless."

Even after he had decided to become a Hero without one, those dreams never went away. Guess deep down there was still some desire for a Quirk. A childhood wish to be like everyone else and receive the gift of a Quirk as promised by today's society. But Izuku shook those thoughts from his mind. Now he did have a Quirk that he didn't even want and needed to learn to control.

Is One For All really so powerful it could kill me? Thanks a bunch, All Might.

It was ironic though considering how One For All came to be. All For One also had a hand in this mess and wanted One For All. Only for its history to be filled with those wanting to take him down. And now Izuku, his son, possessed it and yet refused to use it. Go figure, right? Either way, his role in this wasn't appreciated either.

"But then the dream changed," Izuku continued, his face scrunched in thought. "Like I told you before, it was all black at first and then there was a flash of light. Next thing I knew there were eight shadowy figures watching me and suddenly they were coming towards me. I freaked out and started screaming as I was overwhelmed by what felt like a surge of power. It hurt so much I felt like I was going to break apart and I couldn't move or do anything and I…"

His breathing had sped up in his recounting remembering just how scared he had been. How much it had hurt. Was he ever really going to be able to control this Quirk? A squeeze to his shoulder drew Izuku's attention to Aizawa who was still keeping contact to ground him. The teen was as always grateful for his mentor and took a few calming breaths.

"Then I heard Aizawa-sensei calling my name and the pain went away," Izuku said, turning back to All Might. "And then I woke up."

His childhood Hero nodded and gave him a sad smile in thanks for sharing what had happened. Though Toshinori felt sick to his stomach in guilt. He really was an idiot, wasn't he? To put young Izuku through such a thing all because he felt compelled to give him One For All as soon as possible. Giving no thought of how the Quirk would react with the boy and focusing only on passing it on. If anything worse than what happened occurred, would transferring One For All in such a way have been worth it? He honestly didn't know.

Regardless, this was the reality now. Izuku had One For All and the Quirk seemed to be drawn to him. Both by those shadows as well as the reflexive reaction to protect him from them. Gifting him with new found power but not too much to maim his not quite prepared body. Though part of that could be the boy's well-maintained physique. A less honed body would have certainly been broken. Yes, they would need to make certain not to let that happen.

"So, what can we do with this?" Aizawa asked, all business. "How can we help Izuku gain control of this Quirk?"

There had to be some trick if this oaf could use it.

"Unfortunately, it's hard to explain," All Might replied with a sigh.

Of course, it is. The tired man was not impressed so far.

"Don't expect much help from him," Gran Torino grumbled throwing a thumb to his old friend's protégé. "Toshinori was basically able to use One For All right off the bat. Almost second nature so actually having to actively figure out how to control it isn't something he can wrap his mind around. We're just going to have to do this the old fashion way."

Toshinori shot a quick offended look at his mentor but couldn't fault him for the jibe. It was true that One For All cooperated with him from the start. Which unfortunately meant that his actual training had entailed the old man kicking his ass daily to work on his reaction time. The memories of sucker punches to his gut and uppercuts to his face sent a shiver down his spine, but despite the PTSD from back then, Toshinori would suck up any rightful sting to his ego. This was all for Izuku.

"At the very least, while unexpected, you have experienced what One For All feels like," the skeletal man pressed on. "The rush of power coursing through you. What did it feel like?"

"Painful," Izuku answered curtly.

That single word paired with a glare from Aizawa forced Toshinori to grimace in another sickly wave of guilt.

"Can you be a little more specific?" the blonde Hero asked gently.

Izuku brought his hand to his chin and took a moment to think. What did One For All feel like?

"It was like…pain coming from pressure," he slowly explained, trying to remember the feeling. "But from the inside. Like a thousand needles trying to escape my skin. Or like an intense burning buzzing that almost shook me apart. As if every atom of my body was being shaken to the limit."

The adults all fought back a cringe because that did not sound pleasant. Aizawa gave Izuku a comforting squeeze to his shoulder while Toshinori glanced to Torino seeking help. The old man in turn was staring at the boy in contemplation. But it was Nezu who figured it out first as he let out a musing hum.

"Hmm, sounds similar to being shocked by electricity," the stoat commented with a thoughtful paw to his chin.

Having experienced it himself in the past Nezu would know. And the thought that this boy, who was under his care, was subjected to such a thing angered him. All Might may not have intended it or had any choice of how One For All interacted with the next holder, but this revelation instilled some hostility in the chimera towards the former Number One Hero.

Aizawa let out his own contemplative hum as he said, "Considering there was lightning coming off of you, it checks out. Perhaps that's how the power discharges. Flashy but less showboaty than self-inflating like a puffer fish."

The Erasure Hero shot All Might a pointed look and was gifted with an affronted one back at the jab. Not that Shouta cared if he offended Yagi. He was the one that forced this thing on his problem child. Adding more to the crap the teen has had to put up with even though he was far too young for it all. The tired man would savor any opportunity to enjoy petty comebacks towards this idiot for endangering Izuku so unnecessarily.

"An intriguing theory indeed," Nezu pondered as he turned to Izuku. "Now how to put this knowledge into action."

Izuku felt a little exposed with the principal openly eyeing him up and down in thought. To distract himself from the discomfort he too went to work thinking and pulled out a small notebook and pen. Old habits and all that as he started to scribble in code.

"Well, the body naturally generates electricity," he mused out loud, thinking back to some of his assigned reading on anatomy from Recovery Girl. "Maybe it helps to unlock or boost that somehow?"

"Making you a literal powerhouse," Aizawa commented. "Now all we have to do is find an electrical outlet for you to power down."

It was said off the cuff but it made Izuku pause and suddenly look to his teacher.

"Did you just make a pun?" he asked in shock.

It made Shouta pause in turn because it just came out. A simple observation that was stated as fact. Meant to be nothing more and nothing less. And yet it was right on the nose that with One For All, in theory Izuku was now a human electrical factory with excess energy that indeed needed to be let out. But it wasn't at all meant as a pun so it wasn't one, right? Or was his problem child rubbing off on him?

"…no."

"You did!" the teen laughed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Unintentionally but still! Oh wait 'till I tell Hitoshi. He'll be so proud!"

"No, I didn't," the tired man stated with a glare. "And no, you won't."

But Izuku ignored him as he wiggled his eyebrows and snickered, "He'd even be shocked, you might say?"

"Hey," his mentor growled.

"I can hear it now," the kid pressed on with a grin. "Hitoshi, Joule never believe it."

"Stop," Shouta snapped but without any real heat.

"And he'll be all 'Ohm my gods!'," the teen went on a roll.

"Izuku," the Erasure Hero said in threat along with a flick to his problem child's forehead.

The kid quickly reached up to protectively cover the spot as he yelped, "Ow, that hertz!"

"We're getting off topic," Shouta grumbled, rubbing his temples to try and stave off a growing headache. "One For All. Electricity. Go."

"Yes, surge," Izuku mock saluted with a cheeky grin.

The tired man rolled his eyes at the weaseled-out pun and then staring his student down to just get on with it. Izuku giggled once more before relenting.

"Alright, alright," the teen conceded and turned back to the task at hand.

Only he was scared and may have been stalling a bit just now. But the moment had come to try and activate One For All. An overpowered Quirk with the chance to kill him.

Izuku didn't want to die.

With a gulp, he closed his eyes and 'looked' inside. It was daunting. Going with Aizawa's joke/analogy, it was like he was a walking talking electrical power station. Millions upon billions of atoms generating electricity as they did their jobs. Only now Izuku was the new boss with zero experience and expected to use this power. Left in change on his very first day with no idea what he was doing. He must have been quiet for a bit too long because he felt a familiar hand return to his shoulder.

It was only then that Izuku realized he had started trembling.

"Hey, Izuku, it's okay," Aizawa said as he moved to face the boy fully and gripped both shoulders to help ground him. "You're not alone in this. We are all going to figure this out. Together. And it's okay if it takes time. We'll take all the time you need. We don't expect you to learn to control it right off the bat."

Izuku knew that. He appreciated the support and knew that his mentors had his back. And while All Might and he had a history and Gran Torino was kind of a wild card, they too were there to help him. To gain control by learning how to use this power. But that was the crux of it for Izuku, wasn't it? Using a Quirk. Not because he was born with it or wanted to, but because he had to. Had to learn so he wouldn't hurt himself.

He never wanted this. Or well, he hasn't wanted it in a long time. A Quirk. Izuku had long learned that he didn't need one. Had learned to live without one and with Chizome's and everyone else's help, had been on his way to becoming the first Quirkless Hero since before Quirks first began to form. Only for that dream to be dashed once again because he was stupid enough to say yes to All Might. Or would the Hero have forced One For All on him anyway in his desperation.

Yagi did say the key to passing it on was the willingness of the giver, not the given.

But that didn't matter now. The deed was done and Izuku had a Quirk now. One For All. Even the name made it sound daunting. One Quirk meant to protect all people. A purpose that was placed upon it since One For All was made. And now what did that mean for Izuku? Was he now responsible for protecting the world alone? Like All Might tried to do? Izuku, he couldn't…he can't do that.

I'm just me.

One boy. A teenager who was still seen as a child under the law but was so close to becoming a man. An individual who did always want to help others but had always known there was only so much one person could do. That alone saving the world was an impossible task which Izuku did his best to tell All Might as such. Only he had hoped that there would be more time to help level the balance amongst the Heroes. But now the Number One Hero was retired and he had given One For All on to him.

Am I going to be forced to become some kind of modern-day Atlas and carry the weight of the world on my shoulders?

"Of course not, my boy," a voice suddenly called out to him and another larger hand gently touched him between his shoulder blades.

Green eyes blinked against blurry images of his mentors as Izuku realized he at some point had started crying. And apparently had forgotten how to breathe properly as he took in a stuttered breath.

Right. Oxygen is a thing.

Izuku took a few more breaths to calm himself down. Nezu approached him and offered him a packet of tissues that he somehow made to conveniently appear. Kind of like how he could conjure up a fresh brew of tea out of seemingly nowhere.

"T-thanks," the boy sniffed, wiping the tears and snot from his face. "S-sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, young Izuku," Toshinori insisted, staring down at their shared charge in concern. "I know I asked this of you but I want to respect your wishes as to your own future."

"Right," Shouta scoffed next to him and gave a roll of his eyes. "If you actually did then you wouldn't have given it to him in the first place. Especially after he already told you no the first time."

"He's got a point," Gran Torino chimed in.

Yagi went to argue but Nezu held up a paw stopping the men's verbal spat. What's done is done. The principal's main concern was the boy who had ended up stuck in between the two Heroes' headbutting. The one person who needed their help the most in the moment. It was not the time for squabbling older men.

"That's enough," Nezu ordered firmly. "We are here to help Izuku, not to argue over the past."

The chimera leveled both of the towering men with a stern glare and felt a thrill in making them stand down with just a look. Nezu may be small but he knew that with his intellect he held much power over all those who thought they stood over him. Figuratively and literally. As such, it was empowering when Yagi cowered in his smaller form while Aizawa grunted as he crossed his arms in annoyance for being called out. Being witness to this powerplay, Gran Torino was very much impressed.

Nezu however then turned his attention to the boy at hand. Aizawa had attempted to calm Izuku down as he was clearly nervous. It seemed to have worked for a moment expect for the teen to spiral into a new sort of panic. Not that he could be blamed as it was clear the legacy that came with One For All was weighing heavily on him.

"Izuku," Nezu spoke up, drawing his student's attention to him as he gently placed his paw on the boy's hand. "I apologize for them. We are here for you."

The chimera looked up at his charge with sympathy and empathy and any other kind of n-pathy there was to be had. Midoriya Izuku has been through far too much and did not at all need those held responsible for him to be fighting for him over him. Literally. What they needed was to focus back on the task at hand. To find out how Izuku could learn to hold One For All safely inside him.

"He's right," Aizawa sighed, wiping a hand down his tired face. "Sorry, kid."

"I apologize as well, young Izuku," Yagi said with a sad expression on his face.

The greenet sniffled as he looked from one man to the other before giving them a shaky smile.

"I-it's okay," Izuku stuttered.

Shouta sighed again as he said, "No, it isn't. We are supposed to be here helping you. This was unprofessional of us as your teachers."

The scruffy man shot a glare at Yagi feeling as if his lack of professionalism was rubbing off on him. But then again, Shouta has never had to fight this hard for a student before. And yet despite all the crap he's had to deal with while helping Izuku reach his potential, he wouldn't change a single thing if he had to do it over again. Well, other than keeping a closer eye on the problem child but as implied by Nezu, there wasn't much they could do about the past.

"Could you tell us what exactly was upsetting you just now?" Shouta asked, wanting to get started on resolving this. "If not, that's okay, but it could help to talk about it."

"R-right," Izuku muttered, still a little unease but he trusted Aizawa. "Honestly, I'm scared. I don't want to get hurt by this. I didn't want it in the first place and now?"

The boy cringed a little as he turned to look up at All Might. The man he had once thought all powerful as his Hero name implied was now just a husk of the man he once was. A change that did not happen overnight and instead came from years of suffering and sacrifice. Izuku knew that being a Hero needed both of those but he never signed up for what level of mess One For All could get him into.

"I told you I would hold it," Izuku said, gazing up to his childhood idol. "But I also told you I don't want to be your successor."

"Of course, I…" Yagi tried to say but was interrupted.

"Which means I can't face your battles," the boy pressed. "Not alone. Not like you did. And not with One For All."

Green eyes looked to each of them in turn. All Might was sad but nodding in acceptance. Aizawa was proud of him for standing his ground but also kept a close eye on him in worry. Gran Torino was more neutral simply waiting and watching as the outsider of the group. Then a gentle tug of his hand brought his gaze down to Nezu who offered him an encouraging smile.

"I know I need to learn how One For All activates in me," Izuku said, giving his smallest mentor a smile in return before looking up. "But I want to be clear that the only reason I am is so I don't hurt myself with it. That's it. If anything, I can analyze it from the inside so that when we do find your successor, they won't have to face this like I am right now."

Knowledge was power but could also act as a safety net. If Izuku could figure out the workings of One For All, then he could formulate a sort of guide for the next holder. A How-To manual for future generations. A good plan, good idea, but first he had to do the impossible. A sixteen-year-old boy who has been Quirkless all his life to figure out how a Quirk works that has been held by eight past wielders originating from the brother of his own father, All For One.

No biggie, right? Right.

"I think that is an excellent idea, Izuku," Nezu said with a proud smile of the intellectual approach.

The principal gave his student a light pat before retreating his paw. Izuku gave him a small smile at the praise.

"I'm still not sure how to start though," the boy confessed, nervously wringing his hands. "Even though I've analyzed Quirks for years, that doesn't exactly prepare you to suddenly get one. So, I'm not sure what I should be looking for."

Izuku looked to the men before him for guidance. Each of them had years and years of experience using their own unique Quirks and Izuku knew them well enough. That they had their kinks and tells. Erasure was centered in the eyes and caused Aizawa to have dry eye. Gran Torino's Jet gifted him speed and maneuverability but only to the limit of his lung capacity. Nezu didn't necessarily have any weaknesses related to High Specs and instead his Quirk helped him hold his status as principal even against those who may have looked down on him for being an animal rather than human.

Though with mutant type Quirks now-a-days one would think that shouldn't have been much of an issue. But then again, those kinds of mutations were still discriminated against despite them being as natural as any other Quirk. Spinner was a victim of such discrimination for example. Anyway, he was getting off topic. Izuku couldn't stay distracted for much longer.

Those Quirks were obvious and easy for Izuku to read, but One For All was different. The public had no knowledge about the Quirk their Symbol of Peace had possessed. There were theories and guesses along the lines of super strength or invulnerability, but nothing concrete. All they did know for sure was that All Might was their strongest Hero and would always win in a fight.

Izuku had his own thoughts and speculations but honestly, he wasn't sure what to expect here. Because despite All Might being his favorite Hero growing up, like everyone else even he couldn't piece together what was the man's Quirk. Yagi had kept those secrets close to him with even laughing off any questions in interviews about it. The strength was obvious but how he managed to increase it at will was not. And now it was Izuku's turn to try and figure it out.

Can I do this?

All he could do is try and find out.