I always had a soft spot for this particular chapter throughout the years. It was one of the first chapters that took place directly after the previous chapter instead of another leap in time (while still maintaining a jump forward in time near the end).
One of this story's most essential elements for me is being able to maintain a consistent characterization of these characters from their canon counterparts. I found many AUs change a canon character so much that they are basically OCs with canon character skins. So, while there are background changes to most characters in this story, the critical things about them that make them who they are should still be there.
I suppose there is an argument to be made about nurture vs. nature, but when it comes to stories of the written word, it's a little harder to justify certain changes unless you have a hard bias.
Like, yes, I have a bias towards Izuocha. But I'm still working hard to ensure that the ship feels natural and that both Izuku and Ochako's characteristics, while altered slightly to account for the changes made in their backgrounds, should still feel similar enough to their original versions.
My Hero Academia Untold: The Knights of Fafnir
Saga I: Dusk
Arc I: Origins
Chapter VIII: Succession
"Don't let others put thoughts into your mind that takes away from your self-confidence."
-Katori Hall
To say that Inko Midoriya was exhausted was an understatement.
After a long thirteen-hour shift, she was ready to just collect her things from the break room and head home to get dinner started. The middle-aged woman hadn't changed much over the years, except for a few gray hairs here and there since she couldn't afford hair dye for a touch up. Add a few minor stress wrinkles that lined up and down her face. Wrinkles she managed to hide with the tiniest applications of makeup she would allow herself to use.
While in the rather dull, tan-colored break room, she could hear the familiar catchy jingle of the commercial for a local clinic on TV, which reminded her of happier days. So she hummed the musical ditty that had proven to be meme-worthy shortly after it debuted a few years ago.
"We interrupt this broadcast for a breaking news report," The broadcast announced as the local news anchor appeared on the screen.
When the local news suddenly cut the jingle short, Inko stopped what she was doing. She might need to take a different route home if a villain attack happened in the city. After a small bow toward the camera, the anchorman began speaking.
"Thank you, everyone, for tuning in. We have an update on the local robbery that happened earlier this afternoon. The unnamed villain was finally apprehended by All Might in an alley in Musutafu earlier today. The villain had taken a small boy hostage; however, he was rescued by another boy in his teens."
The picture flashed on the TV screen, causing Inko to gasp upon seeing Katsuki's face.
"While the boy's actions are brave, we must warn viewers that situations like this are best handled by professional heroes."
Inko reached for her phone, ready to call Mitsuki, her best friend and Katsuki's mother, until she heard the rest of the news broadcast.
"Another child, which we assume is either a friend or classmate if his school uniform was any indication, was also on the scene of the attack. We do have local video footage taken from various witnesses from the crowd. Again, we must stress that no one should attempt, recreate, or re-enact the following actions and leave the crime-fighting only to professional heroes."
Inko knew in her heart exactly who the newscaster was talking about; her fears were confirmed when she saw the scared face of her son running into the fray.
"IZUKU!" The woman suddenly screamed as she forgot to call Mitsuki and began her sprint back home.
It had been one hell of a day for Izuku Midoriya when he finally arrived home.
He first took a quick shower and slipped into a change of clothes to get rid of the smell from the sludge villain before starting on his daily chores. Today had been a complete roundabout of emotions, reaching its apex with All Might both times. Yet, the second time was his offer, revealing his greatest secret.
A quirk that can be passed down from one person to the next: One For All.
The young Dragon took the chance. He accepted All Might's offer immediately. After a quick exchange of phone numbers, All Might gave Izuku two phone numbers. One was for general calls, and the second was for use only in emergencies, where they would refer to themselves under the codenames 'Eight' and 'Nine,' respectively.
All Might informed him that he would contact him in a few days, and Izuku couldn't wait to see what the veteran pro had in store for him. As Izuku finished his chores, the young man finally realized just how hungry he was. It wasn't surprising; Dragon Shift always left him feeling drained when he was younger, and it had been years since he last used it.
Once Izuku had finished his chores, he sat on one of the couches in the living room to take a quick breather.
He was still surprised that his long-dormant power had returned. Izuku looked at his right arm and focused. His arm began to glow as it shifted into its clawed form, and light green scales ran down with a sudden flash of light. Taking a long, hard look at his shifted limb, Izuku moved it to ensure it was real and not just a figment of his imagination. He moved each of his fingers as he flexed them before balling his clawed hand into a fist and then spreading it out.
All while pondering what finally made him regain his power after all this time.
'How did I finally break my mental block?'
Izuku didn't realize how focused he was and didn't even hear the door unlock when his mother hurriedly entered their home.
"Izuku!"
Her loud cry made him jump off the couch with a shriek, the rest of his body lightly growing out with scales and spikes. Inko stood there, halfway caught between trying to reach her son for a hug and figuring out what she was looking at at that moment. Izuku's Quirk was active again before her eyes, an image she hadn't seen in years. Inko approached her son and immediately broke out in tears as she very carefully hugged him.
Izuku managed to return his body to normal before returning her hug.
"I saw the news on the way here and saw what you did!" Inko sobbed as her body shook aganist her son. "Reckless and idiotic!"
Izuku suddenly felt nothing but guilt. He hoped his mother would be able to relax after a long, hard day at work. But now, just like with Yū, he had only wounded her, making her even more stressed out due to his actions.
"I saw the video that was caught! You're just like your father. Oh, Izuku! I'm so proud of you! For saving that little boy with Katsuki!"
That final comment made Izuku freeze.
'What little boy?'
The only person he was aware of who was in trouble was Katsuki, though he made a mental note to look up the incident in more detail later. For now, his mother continued speaking.
"And your Quirk is back, after all, this time; how?!"
"I don't know, mom. But for the first time in ages...I feel better, almost lighter, you know?" Izuku really couldn't quite explain it. Hell, he was still trying to figure it out for himself, but he wasn't complaining. However, Izuku's stomach let out a loud and long growl, eagerly awaiting sustenance.
The boy grinned sheepishly at the suddenness as he clutched his empty stomach. Inko couldn't help but laugh for a moment, remembering that Hisashi's stomach did the same thing after a long, hard day of work.
"I'll get dinner started, and thank you for helping with the rest of the housework, Izuku. Go and rest for a bit in your room, and I'll call you when I'm done!"
"Okay, Mom," Izuku said in relief, returning to his bedroom.
When Katsuki returned home later that day, it was business as usual.
Since neither his parents nor Yū was back home yet, Katsuki quickly dropped off his school stuff in his room and took a shower, mostly to get rid of the smell from that damn slime villain. When he was done, he saw that his father, Masaru Bakugou, had arrived and had already started making dinner.
"You okay there, Katsuki?" Masaru asked with a gentle smile upon seeing his son entering the kitchen to get a drink
"Yeah," the bomber answered gruffly after opening the fridge and pulling a bottle of iced tea.
"I saw the news. I know you're not one to get into real trouble, but please, just be careful, alright?"
Katsuki couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He knew his father worried about him; this was just his way of expressing it. However, Katsuki knew it would be his mother that would berate the shit out of him when she got home. A fact that was proven correct roughly an hour later when they all sat down for dinner.
"YOU AIN'T A PRO YET, DAMN IT!"
"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME, YA' OLD BAT!"
The four sat eating curry, or, to be more accurate, Masaru and Yū were eating amid a squall of swears, sass, and backtalk that continued between mother and son. Of course, it was just another day in Bakugou's house, but when the verbal duel came to a draw, the two finally began eating their meals before it got too cold. Masaru tried to fill the silence by asking Yū about her first day as a Pro-Hero.
However, little did the poor man know that he had just lit the fuse to spark another fight.
"It went pretty well; I caught a thief who could turn giant. And, of course, there was the incident later in the day with Katsu here," said Yū before smirking in Katsuki's direction. "Good thing Izu was able to pull his ass out of the fire before All Might stepped in!"
Katsuki stopped eating and narrowed his eyes at his cousin. He didn't want to back down from the challenge thrown his way, so he fired back to return the favor.
"Why is this freeloader still living here again? Weren't you the one bragging about that nice flat you got near your office or some shit? Or did the landlord gain a brain and know better than renting out to your cheap ass?"
And with that, a new duel began.
"CHEAP ASS?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT COST TO SET UP MY AGENCY?!"
"I DON'T KNOW, BUT I DID SEE ALL THE NEW CLOTHES AND SHIT YOU GOT BEFORE YOUR 'BIG DEBUT!'"
"THOSE ARE FOR BUSINESS, KATSU!"
"SUREEEEE, BUSINESS! I DIDN'T KNOW A ¥ 22,000(*1) HANDBAG WAS SO FUCKING VITAL FOR HERO WORK!"
"WHY YOU!"
The two cousins glared at each other, the tension between them promising that a harsh throwdown could occur at any second.
"Please, you two, stop fighting!" Masaru pleaded, trying to calm the two down.
Meanwhile, Mitsuki sat back, chuckling and enjoying herself, finding the chaos almost relaxing. It was just another day in the Bakugou household, after all. Finally, Yū did end up backing down with a sigh. She would never openly admit it, but she had come to regret some of her expenses due to recent unforeseen circumstances.
"No, but really…I did have everything set up with the landlord. But that stupid law that passed recently caused an outrageous increase in insurance rates to cover any quirks that can cause heavy collateral damage. It pretty much tripled the rent I have to pay."
Yū was referring to the recent law that the National Diet passed roughly two months ago. The New Conventionalist movement, better known as the "Neocons" in public circles today, had only grown in power since using the Draco Knight incident as the foundation for their platform.
Their ideology was flexible enough for political parties on both sides of the aisle to find common ground, leading to a large majority within the coalition's lower house.
The new law ruled that those deemed to have "volatile" powers, which, in theory, could pose many public safety concerns. All quirk users were assigned a category and, depending on their assigned level could impose restrictions on transportation, housing, schooling, and even job opportunities. However, there were rumors that more fundamentalist members had advocated that high-category "volatile" quirk users should be forbidden from having children.
Thankfully, no laws that have passed have gone that far.
Yet...
"Since my quirk is now considered a Volatile Class Three, I can still rent downtown; it's going to be way more expensive than what I can afford right now."
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Katsuki dismissed with a wave of his hand.
"I wouldn't talk like that, Katsuki, not with that quirk of yours," Mitsuki said cautiously before taking another sip of her drink. "You could also end up on the volatile list, especially with your temper."
"They have already started psych evaluations for students entering the pro-hero courses throughout the country," Yū added in a slightly depressed tone while stirring curry around with her spoon.
"And on that note, your evaluation is due in five months if you want to attend UA," Masaru interjected as he finished his plate. That last statement caused Katsuki to pause and collect his thoughts. Looking back on it, he had never done anything that bad per se. However, he might have already had a few blemishes on his record. Thanks to some assholes that decided to pick on Izuku, plus his exclamations of telling his opponents to die as he fucked them up did not help his case.
But in his defense, it wasn't like he actively bullied anyone or told someone to kill themselves. His actions were always in defense of his best friend...and the protection of others from Izuku. Just like he had always promised Hisashi, he would do.
"I'm not worried about that load of bullshit," said Katsuki with an impatient click of his tongue, trying to shrug it off as he finished putting his utensils down. "Thanks for the grub; I'm heading back up."
And with that, Katsuki left the table and headed up the stairs to his bedroom. When he turned on his computer and saw that Izuku was online, he realized it was high time for them to catch up on whatever the fuck he saw happen earlier.
Izuku was stuffed; he wouldn't often eat that much in a single sitting.
However, the young man reasoned that his Quirk was back if it was another sign. Then he wasn't going to complain about it. Considering their budget, he worried about what his mom had prepared. But his mother brushed it off, saying he needed the extra fuel for his Quirk to work correctly.
Once he was finished with dinner, he entered his room and took a seat by his desk.
He took a brief moment to look around his room. It was pretty bare-bones, with most of his furniture being second-hand after the big move. There were only a few posters of All Might and just one of his father's decorating his walls. A few figurines of other pro-heroes lined his desk; this included one of his cousins, Ryūkyū, when she made it to the Top Ten Pro-Heroes list. The only other piece of merchandise was an empty All Might-themed bento box from several years ago.
Aside from it all, there wasn't much hero merchandise for one as big a hero fanboy as himself.
Izuku wished he could have had more pro-hero collectibles, but he knew his family was still in massive debt. Hell, Izuku had even sold a few of his things throughout the years without complaint just to ensure they had enough money to make ends meet.
This, unfortunately, included his Grandmaster's cross in the first year after his father's passing. His mother could only find work doing odd jobs here and there that barely covered rent, so selling his things wasn't too much of a loss for him. After all, most of it was his father's merchandise, which had increased in value to collectors after his death. Disgraced or not, everything had been all signed by Draco Knight himself.
Such is the legacy of a dead hero.
The good news is that, with him no longer feeling doubtful about his future pro-hero career, he will be able to start helping his mom soon enough. And soon enough, he might finally start adding to his collection again and buy back everything he sold, no matter what.
He owed it to himself and his mother.
Izuku got on his computer, one of the few relatively new items in his possession. It was a birthday gift from the Bakugou family last year. With that, Izuku logged in and began to look into what his mother had said earlier.
"For saving that little boy with Katsuki!"
He could have sworn that only Katsuki was in trouble.
Ping! – King Explosion Murder as logged in.
And speak of the devil.
'Well, who better to ask than the man himself?'
Before Izuku could click the box to begin a text chat, Katsuki started a video chat.
King Explosion Murder is calling.
Izuku moved the mouse over to accept the call.
The video call opened up with Katsuki sitting in a Gendo pose. A meme that has survived throughout the decades since the time before quirks. It came from a franchise that has lived through several remakes, spin-offs, and three attempted failed American movie productions. And one of the weirdest movies Izuku had ever seen. It was a movie that made him question if the creators were on drugs when they made it.
"Mr. Midoriya. Still, in one piece, I see."
Izuku knew instantly what this meant.
'Oh, we're playing that game again, aren't we? Challenge accepted!'
"Mr. Bakugou."
Katsuki grinned as he heard Izuku's reply; the gauntlet had been thrown, and the first one to make the other break lost.
"Still kicking, I see. But then again, I did save you, so I'm not surprised," Izuku said, sending the first jab aimed at his pride.
"Only 'cause All Might came through in the end," He quickly countered to reduce Izuku's importance.
"Only because you got caught," Izuku shot back, hoping to hit his ego.
"Only because I did something actually useful."
Okay...that one stung a bit.
"That's not what Yū said," said Izuku before realizing that he had left a big opening.
"Ah, speaking of which. I didn't interrupt you beating off to her, right?"
Izuku choked on his response as he turned beet red upon remembering Yū's costume and the notes he had written earlier that day. His body shifted lightly and instantly tore up parts of his plain white shirt. Both boys went quiet momentarily to process what had just happened; Izuku had just lost their little game.
Katsuki slowly began to laugh, followed by Izuku, who also started to laugh; the boys continued laughing until they were completely red in the face from the lack of air. Finally, Katsuki looked up with a rare warm smile on his face.
"So, your quirk really is back in full force, eh?" Katsuki remembered when the mental block had started; this was his way of confirming that Izuku's powers had indeed returned.
"That was a low blow, Kacchan!" Izuku said sheepishly, not bothering to change his shirt. However, he made a mental note to sew it back together when he finished the call.
"Wait, were you really? That fucked up, man."
"No!"
Katsuki laughed out loud again.
"Hey now, I'm not the one with a thing for blondes."
Katsuki froze; his face also started turning red; the remark caught him entirely off guard.
'I should have gone with that...next time!' Izuku thought to himself.
It had only been an educated guess, given that all of Katsuki's previous girlfriends and the massive crush Katsuki had on Ryūko since he was eight years old. Izuku had a few guesses on what Katsuki liked, and blonde hair was definitely on his radar.
"Anyways, Kacchan," Izuku continued, ensuring Katsuki would dwell on what he had said. "I heard from my mom that a little boy was at the scene?"
Katsuki, who was still recovering from Izuku's unexpected remark, was instantly snapped out of his stupor by the sudden question.
"Oh, that..."
He looked away from the screen.
"Well?"
"It was nothing special that slime bastard was inside the damn soda bottle."
Izuku inwardly flinched with a bit of guilt.
"That kid picked it up by accident; the next thing I knew, that bastard started his attack. I just moved to get the kid out of the way by throwing him to Fingers. I played decoy while they got out."
He lied about that last part, but Izuku didn't need to know that. That he had knowingly thrown himself into the beast's jaws and had been caught with no chance to escape.
"Kacchan..."
"Look, it was nothing special, alright?"
"You saved a kid."
"Heroes do that shit every day. I'd rather beat a villain before anyone needs to be saved."
Well, that was Katsuki for you. Izuku knew that his best friend loved to boast about being strong and kicking ass. But when it came down to saving innocent lives? He would never brag about that. Had he managed to beat the Sludge monster alone, he would have bragged about it for days.
But saving a child?
Never
It wasn't anything special to him, as it was expected for a hero to do so. Something too important to take lightly, too important to even brag about, the thought alone caused Izuku to smile, seeing Katsuki's softer side. Yet, Izuku knew his continued teasing about the subject would only darken his best friend's mood. So, Izuku reached into his backpack to show him something to perk him back up.
"Oh hey, Kacchan! Look what I got!"
Katsuki looked back at the screen, expecting to see the new collectible or notes. Instead, he saw All Might's full-page autograph in Izuku's notebook on his screen. The blond could feel a wave of envy crashing into him.
"NO FUCKING WAY! When did you have the time to ask!?"
"I didn't! He signed it when I was out cold!"
Technically speaking, Izuku wasn't lying to Katsuki. But Izuku wasn't going to mention his first real encounter with All Might or the Sludge villain. As much as he wanted to tell him what happened today, it was better to play it off and keep that detail to himself for the time being.
Katsuki could tell something wasn't adding up in Izuku's story in his head. Izuku was supposed to go straight home after clean-up duty, which should have been done long before the villain caught him in the alleyway. Add this to the fact that Izuku's apartment was in the opposite direction, meaning something must have happened between that time for Izuku to change the route.
However, Katsuki could also see the physical change in Izuku's face. His eyes shined with hope again, and his smile was wide. If something did happen, and if it was a reason for Izuku to return to the person he used to be, he wasn't about to take this good thing for granted. Whatever happened somehow helped Izuku return to his old self, and Katsuki was willing to just accept it without question.
"Izuku…"
Izuku looked at his friend on the screen.
"I'm glad your Quirk is back. Because now, I'll have you to keep pushing me forward."
"I think you got that wrong, Kacchan."
Katsuki smirked at the sight of Izuku's confidence returning already.
"You're already so far ahead of me. I can't keep pushing you forward when I still need to beat and surpass you," Izuku said with a confident smile.
Katsuki leaned back in his seat with his smirk, welcoming the challenge his friend was throwing his way.
"Okay, then. We've ten months until the exam. We'll see just how far you can come and get to my level at that time."
"Looking forward to it, Kacchan!"
With that, the two boys called it a night. Katsuki usually went to bed early, and Izuku felt like following suit, a rarity for the boy. But after everything that happened today, some extra rest wouldn't hurt, so Izuku simply hopped into bed, wondering when All Might would contact him again.
It wasn't long before Izuku was deep asleep.
Thankfully, Izuku did not have to wait long.
A few days later, All Might finally contacted him again, telling the boy to meet him at Dagobah Beach. When Izuku arrived to see All Might, his eyes immediately turned to the mounds upon mounds of trash piled high everywhere. With one look at the garbage, Izuku knew precisely why he was there. His father had loved doing community service projects by following All Might's example after all. According to All Might, it wouldn't take too long to get strong enough to accept One For All, thanks to Izuku's current level of physical fitness.
That alone was enough for Izuku to begin his training with the same gusto as his father once had.
However, it didn't change the fact that it would likely take somewhere around six to seven months of gruesome work for Izuku to completely clean up the beach, painstakingly remove all of the illegally dumped trash that covered the seaside bay, and serve as both a rigorous endurance and strength training project and a community service project. All Might assigned Izuku with his "All-American Dream Plan."
But Izuku was more than willing to do whatever it took to be a worthy vessel.
The young man went out every day to take out as much garbage and litter on the beach as possible, hardly taking any days off from training until everything had been cleared. By the time Dagobah Beach was tidied up and cleaned, the two found three extra months to spare before the UA entrance exam—three months to practice and train with the new power he was about to receive and to be able to work with it as his own.
Little did he know just how important those three months would be for his development.
All Might said that with a straight face while handing Izuku one of his long hairs plucked from his head.
Izuku briefly stared at the hair strand in his mentor's hand.
"All Might...I'm a big fan and all, but…I'm not that insane. I mean, my dad was...but..."
"That's not!" All Might just coughed awkwardly. "Just – look…in order to get my power, you will need to process some of my DNA. That's how it works."
"Th-that is not what I was expecting!"
"JUST EAT THE DAMN THING!"
After downing three cans of juice from a nearby vending machine along with a few bouts of gagging and retching, Izuku finally managed to gulp the long strand of hair down. The poor boy sat on the concrete step, pale-faced and clutching a half-empty juice can in hand. All Might knew it would be a while for the hair to process and digest, so he finally decided to tell Izuku the truth. Not just about his father and the origins of One For All but also about the other foe he may face someday. Still, the pro dreaded telling Izuku the truth about his father, knowing how hard the boy would likely take it.
But now that he was well on his way to being his successor, Izuku deserved to know everything.
"Young Midoriya."
Izuku looked up at All Might. When he saw that serious look in his eyes, he knew it had to be something important.
"Now that you've accepted my Quirk, it's time I told you the truth about everything, including something I've wanted to tell you for years…ever since your father's wake."
It took a moment for Izuku to collect his thoughts as he looked to the floor to fully process them. Not long after meeting All Might and seeing his skinny form, Izuku looked over some photos taken during the service. In one of the photos, he spotted the back of the now familiar, weakened state of All Might.
"You really were there…weren't you?"
"I was."
"I thought I remembered seeing you, but you were in crutches..." Izuku's voice trailed off; it finally dawned on him. In an instant, it clicked. Izuku realized that All Might's injuries happened around the same time as his father's death.
It wasn't hard to see what the man was implying.
"All Might." The boy gulped nervously, "Were you there?"
The man could already hear Izuku's voice beginning to break and see the tears welling in his eyes.
"When it happened…?"
"Yes. I was there, but before I tell you what happened that night…."All Might took a seat next to Izuku, anticipating how much he'd have to tell Izuku. "We need a bit of context to understand why everything happened."
All Might took a deep sigh before telling a piece of ancient history.
It started with the tale of two brothers and the wars they started, the bloodstained history of One For All and its creator, and opposing force: All For One. He retold the line of successors who attempted and failed to defeat the villainous All For One, which painfully included Nana, his predecessor, and master who passed the mantle of One For All on to him.
"And so, nearly six years ago, a plan was devised to bring out All For One from hiding in the hopes of finally taking him down once and for all. The operation was so critical that an 'Order Zero' was issued."
Izuku gulped down the knot that formed in his throat, knowing full well what that term meant.
Order Zero: defeat the villain at all costs.
Lethal force was permitted.
"At first, everything seemed to be going according to plan. We used another criminal – a crime boss from the underworld who wanted out of the life. Up until the whole building collapsed," All Might sighed with some frustration. "To this day, the investigation team still isn't completely sure how it happened and who was responsible, or if All For One himself pulled out the rug from under us."
All Might grimaced at the memories.
"No matter what happened...it did, however, work in his favor as he used it to launch his counter-attack before we knew what had hit us," the man continued as he adjusted himself in his seat. "Your father and a few select numbers of pros and side-kicks alike were brought in as reinforcements mainly for crowd and damage control."
Izuku remembered the last day he saw his father alive in a flash. The night he received that fateful call to the household during dinner. Hisashi said he had been called up for a routine joint operation. But clear as day, Izuku remembered seeing just how nervous his father looked, past his usual happy demeanor.
"In the end…I made a fatal mistake during the fight. And before I knew what had happened…your father took the hit that was meant for me."
Izuku couldn't even look up; he was visibly shaken and was almost unable to breathe.
"I managed to use that opening your father left me to counter-attack, landing a smash that finally brought All For One to his knees. I then managed to carry your father's body to our evac team, but…it was too late."
The veteran slowly looked over to the boy.
"I am truly sorry, young Midoriya."
It felt as if time stood still; every emotion he had felt for the last six years finally coursed through him and flooded his body. Izuku remembered how the media—no, nearly everyone he turned to—had relentlessly placed the blame on his father all those years. Izuku repeatedly denied and refused those claims, burying them deep in his heart. Yet, he always had that one twinge of fear.
A fear that allowed the tiniest sliver of doubt to take root, one that always ate away at his soul.
What if it had been his fault?
What if it wasn't a cover-up?
Could the same thing happen to me if I became a pro-hero?
Suddenly, all Izuku could feel was shame—shame that he even had those tiny doubts about his father in the first place. It really was all a lie; in the end, his father really was innocent. The doubt and shame Izuku held within himself were signs of the reason why he hadn't been able to bring forth his powers until recently.
It was all rooted in fear, fear of the possibility of his own destructive power.
Izuku slowly realized that he must've subconsciously rationalized that if his father had been responsible for all the damage and civilian loss, then he could do the same thing someday. It all made sense now. The Traumatic Quirk Block Izuku had subconsciously placed on himself was all to protect others from him, to keep him from hurting those he cared about. In an instant, the vice-like grip of shame was lit aflame; the rage he hid from the world exploded from his chest.
"Wh-why…why is he still getting blamed?!" Izuku didn't even realize he had snarled with a trembling voice and had risen to a shout, the bitter tears pouring down his face. He didn't intend to have his anger get the better of him, but at this point, he couldn't help it from happening. "HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!"
All Might wasn't surprised to see this; he had braced for his reaction and didn't blame the poor boy one bit. Nearly six years of lies and deception had ruined his life and wrecked the reputation of his family name. He was more than willing to accept the boy's anger and hopefully guide him on the right path to hone that wrath into something useful.
"There was a special committee that formed, as it happens after every major operation regardless of the outcome," All Might calmly answered back. "At the time, I was still in surgery and could do nothing when one man had decided to pin the operation solely on your father."
A wave of shock washed over Izuku.
It had been one man who had almost singlehandedly crushed his father's legacy, one man who was responsible for making his mother work so hard to pay off the reparations, one single man who had destroyed any peace left in their lives.
"WHO IS HE?!" Izuku demanded as his fingers extended wide like claws.
"Kai Doumeki."
Instantly, Izuku was silent. He blinked in confusion for a second, racking his brain at the familiar name.
"No…" Izuku said as he faced All Might in disbelief. "The Chief-Superintendent? That Kai Doumeki?"
"The very same," All Might answered solemnly. Although he was a Section Chief at the time, his promotion to Chief Superintendent was partly due to the rising Neocon movement, which gained power, using your father as an example.
Instantly, that same fiery anger was all Izuku could feel at that very moment, surging through his veins and clenched fists. He remembered when the Neocons began to gain traction in the political world from the news using his father's final battle to rally support. He was already opposed to many of their current policies, one of which basically allowed for legalized quirk discrimination.
"The committee had already decided on the truth," All Might shook his head in disgust. "Regardless, once I recovered and was stable, I confronted Doumeki and other key committee members who had initiated the gag order to shield the truth from the public."
"Unfortunately, time was against me. As they had already been empowered by the new government establishment," All Might looked at the boy straight in the eyes. "One lesson you must learn, young Midoriya, is that as a pro-hero, you are considered a civil servant, and caution must be taken with politicians."
Izuku was fully aware of this, as hard of a pill it was to swallow.
The lad couldn't blame All Might for his lack of action if those responsible could ruin his father. Then, they could destroy anyone, and All Might was far too important as the figurehead that upheld the current reign of peace. He needed to keep society safe and defeat anyone who would dare rise to the challenge to take that away.
Izuku couldn't even think of revenge, as that would just play right into the hands of his enemies. He couldn't allow himself to fall into his baser instincts. If his father were watching over him, he would likely be disappointed in Izuku if he strayed far from the ideals of a real hero.
No
The young Dragon would go to UA, and by his actions, he would rise to become a great hero like his father and All Might. Maybe on his own, Izuku won't be able to clear his father's name. But knowing that his father wasn't the cause of all the destruction solidified his aim to overcome the odds and become a pro-hero. One that his father would be proud of.
"Young Midoriya. Please, forgiv –"
"No, All Might. You're not at fault," Izuku took a deep, shuddering breath as he wiped away his tears.
"We can't change the past, but...I can look towards the future. A future you helped give back to me, a future you entrusted me with," Izuku held his head up when he looked back at All Might. "I won't throw that away. I don't...I don't think my father would want me to be so selfish."
All Might smiled. Any lingering doubts about the lad had instantly disappeared; he had made the right choice.
Unknown to Izuku, the plans to help clear Hisashi's name had already been underway. Thanks to Sir Nighteye's election into office a year after the group was formed, they had already gathered some evidence. Slowly, I managed to begin piecing the mystery bit by bit. But for right now, he kept that to himself, as he only wanted Izuku to focus on being a Hero. Since the veteran was already on borrowed time, he would use the remaining time he had left to ensure both the father would finally get justice. And so, the man's son could dispense justice in the future. With that, All Might stood alongside Izuku, proudly touching his shoulder.
"Alright then, young Midoriya. Let's get back to work and make that future a reality."
Author's Commentary
¥ 22,000(*1) Approx. $200 US around the time of writing.
When I initially wrote this chapter, I had debated whether All Might would delay giving Izuku One For All until after the confession. However, I think it shows more of the character of both the teacher and the student.
The former genuinely trusts Izuku enough to give him the Quirk first and then tells him the truth. At the same time, the latter only further proves his worth as the successor by refusing any notion of vengeance.
It's just one of those little things that allows me to explore characters I enjoy.
The next chapter is going to be very special.
Old readers, your favorite American returns with a vengeance in the first Companion chapter for My Hero Academia: The Shields of Spring.
On the same day, I will be premiering the Prologue to the Shields of Spring, giving us a sneak peek into the future. I am excited to finally show it off because it will tackle this side of the story in a pretty unique way that lets me have a lot of fun and avoid spoilers despite the glimpses into the future we will get.
The next upload may be delayed as I am making some last-minute adjustments to both chapters and ensuring that they are consistent with all of my plans. Plus, like I said, I'm currently working on a career change, so please bear with me.
That's all for now, until next time.
With love,
ZX
