Chapter 6: Inherited Wills
Toshinori tapped his clipboard, pretending to look at it while he listened to his student's chatter.
"That Midoriya guy is insane!"
"It looked like Bakugou was keeping him on his toes the entire time, but he suddenly kicked ass at the very end! So manly!" Toshinori glanced up to see who was waxing praise onto his disciple. A boy with fiery, spiky red hair that stood out against his tough-looking costume, reminiscent of Crimson Riot, clutched a fist over his heart. A single tear ran a course down his cheek.
"Although, it's kinda weird. I thought he had, like, super strength or something," spoke the invisible girl, young Hagakure, putting a visible glove to what was probably her chin. "Tell me if I'm going crazy, but he totally used different Quirks, right?"
A boy in futuristic armor- Iida, if Toshinori remembered correctly- chopped an arm. "That is correct!" His voice was slightly muffled by the helmet he wore. "It's possible that you didn't hear Uraraka mention it, but his Quirk is a Copy! I don't know exactly how it works. Still, the least I can do is confirm that he used both Mr. Aizawa's and Bakugou's Quirks at the end."
Toshinori was frightened for a moment- Iida had said it relatively easily, but many people, especially the "elite of U.A.," disapproved of Quirks like that. Not to mention his fears regarding it, but logically Toshinori knew that the students did not know of them. To his pleasant surprise, none of the students seemed to mind terribly. Toshinori noticed that young Todoroki narrowed his eyes slightly, but that was expected of Endeavor's child.
He chewed on the inside of his lip to dispel the rude thought. Todoroki was just another student, nevermind that he was the son of that man.
"That's even more manly!" The same red-haired boy- Kirishima- pumped his fist. "He used all of those Quirks like a natural! I'm jealous..." Toshinori looked away from the other students to eye the viewing monitors. Izuku had stood up, clutching at his right wrist. For whatever reason, young Bakugou was also locked in place. The girls were talking amicably by the dummy weapon, with young Ashido patting young Uraraka on the shoulder in a supportive gesture.
They all did so well… but I'm especially proud of you, young Izuku.
His spirits dampened when he remembered what he still needed to say.
-
"Kacchan." Izuku clutched his wrist, holding back tears at the pain. "This is why. If I had used 100% directly on you, I would have hurt myself, but I would have hurt you even worse. I didn't want..." Bakugou stared absently at Izuku as if seeing an apparition. Izuku contributed to the shellshock from losing. He huffed slightly at the thought, frustrated. "I'm sorry that I had to do it like this. But you're not the only strong one here, y'know?" Without another word, he walked back down the hall they had both come from. He turned the corner only to see a wall of red, white, and blue.
"Young Midoriya... no, I'm sorry. Young Izuku." Izuku looked up to his mentor, already tearing up. "You did remarkably well. I'm sorry that you couldn't have won without hurting yourself." The man placed a large hand gently upon his disciple's shoulder, his trademark smile turning small and soft. "I couldn't be more proud of you." Suddenly, his smile stiffened again. "There is something of great import that I must speak with you on later. Stay after school, please." Izuku nodded, and with a gesture from Toshinori, continued making his way to the nurse's office.
He turned another corner, catching sight of both Uraraka and Ashido at the end of the hall. After a moment, they noticed him as well.
"Deku!"
"Midori!"
Both of them ran over to Izuku. Gingerly, Uraraka took hold of his wrist, face contorted with worry as she looked at his battered and bruised fingers. "Deku, you shouldn't have used 100% like that, look at your fingers! They're all messed up." She turned his arm over, biting her lip as she examined the burns caused by Bakugou's out-of-control Explosion. "And these... that bastard..." Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, looking away to hide a blush already hidden by his mask.
"Ah ha, well... it could be worse?" Uraraka's eyebrows pinched at his words, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Ashido stared at his hand in what was probably shock. "Midori, did you break your fingers making that blast?"
Izuku ducked his head in a weak bow, still rubbing the back of his head. "W-well, I figured I can make wind pressure by using about 20% of my full strength, and my gloves would help me handle it, but it wouldn't have been nearly strong enough to do what it did. So, instead, I, uh, flicked at the ceiling with 100% power, but because I still can't handle the backlash from using my full might, I would have incapacitated my arm if I had tried to punch or something like I did in the Entrance Exam, so I, uh... flicked." Izuku bit his lip harshly to keep himself from rambling further.
Expression still worried, Uraraka glanced away from Izuku's hand to look at Ashido. "He saved me from a zero-pointer during the Physical, but he busted himself up to do it. I don't know if he mentioned it to you, but the first time he properly used his strength Quirk was during the Exam." Ashido's eyes widened further in shock, but before she could make any exclamations, Uraraka sighed. "We'll walk you to Recovery Girl's office, okay?"
Izuku nodded quickly, grin turning slightly less sheepish. "Thanks!"
-
"But you're not the only strong one here, y'know?"
Katsuki stared blankly at Deku, not quite registering what had just happened. As the green-haired boy stumbled past him, Katsuki glanced at the hand he was holding- the thumb and middle finger were purple and bent at odd angles. Katsuki's eyes widened, and his breathing began to pick up as he stared at his hand.
That was 100% of his power... that wind pressure...!He looked up at the ceiling, gasping at the sight of open, blue sky. With just a flick, he did that?! I knew he was secretly strong, but that- if he had hit me with 100% of that in an actual attack, would I lose? Could I possibly beat that? And the other Quirks... he predicted everything. He used Eraserhead's Quirk like it was nothing and even my Quirk... even when I had him on the ground, he emerged victorious. His breathing hitched, and he blinked away the hot tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Am I the weak one?Suddenly, Katsuki was aware of a pressure on his shoulder, and he realized somewhere in the lucid part of his brain that All Might was kneeling in front of him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Young Bakugou, I know how bitter defeat can be." Katsuki took a shuddering breath, embarrassed and angered at being unable to rein in his emotions. "Especially against an opponent you were certain you could beat. There's only one thing you can do." All Might stood up, and Katsuki jerked his head to the side to hide the scant tears that had made it past his eyelids. "You must reflect on this and strive to be better. You're a strong and intelligent young man. You'll pull through. Now, let's get you to Recovery Girl." And with that, All Might stepped away. Katsuki looked back up for a moment, taking a second to watch the clouds passing by.
Deku...
-
"Mr. Midoriya, I'm not going to see even more of you, right? This is just a one-time thing, surely." Izuku laughed, but he quickly shut up as Recovery Girl leveled a glare at him. Sheepishly, he nodded slightly, picking at the new bandages wrapped around his thumb and middle finger.
"Sorry, Recovery Girl. I couldn't think of another strategy. That's my bad."
Recovery Girl sighed, but she nodded amicably.
"Well, it's not nearly as bad as the Entrance Exam. Now that was a doozy. But still... be careful, please. I doubt I need to tell you this, but now that you've inherited One for All, you're going to have to be more cautious with yourself until you're strong enough to handle all of that power. Personally, I want to stop seeing you for broken bones, but Toshinori... he's a sensitive soul. For his sake, be more careful."
Izuku nodded again, this time more confidently. "Of course, Recovery Girl. Again, I apologize." He bowed more properly, and Recovery Girl patted him on the head.
"You're a good young man. Would you like some candy?"
"Please." He took a toffee from the round glass jar on her desk, unwrapping it and popping it into his mouth.
"Sorry for intruding." Izuku turned his head to see Toshinori step through the door in his emaciated state, Silver Age costume hanging loosely from his frame. He smiled warmly at Izuku upon making eye contact, and Izuku returned it. Their attention was dragged back to Recovery Girl as she huffed at Toshinori.
"You crazy old man, letting those boys go wild on each other. That was very irresponsible of you. You should have stopped it."
Toshinori's smile dampened a little at Recovery Girl's accusation. "...You're right. I'm sorry that my foolishness got my students injured."
"You really shouldn't be playing favorites."
"I'm not playing favorites." Toshinori's gaze tightened, apparently offended by the jab. Then it softened, and he sighed. "I least, I don't mean to. Young Izuku," he turned to face Izuku properly, and he bowed deeply. "I felt as though you deserved the opportunity to prove yourself against a powerful opponent like young Bakugou, but I let it get too far. I'm so sorry that my poor guidance led to your injuries. I promise to do better in the future."
Izuku sputtered at that, waving his hands, gesturing for Toshinori to rise. "No, don't apologize! I mean I appreciate it, but... well, okay sure, it was scary, and sure we got hurt... but I beat him. I actually beat Kacchan...! You can't even begin to grasp how much I needed that. So thank you, Toshi."
Recovery Girl grumbled at that. "Well, just ignore me then!" She tapped her cane on the linoleum floor. "Midoriya, you can go. You exerted yourself a lot by using One for All so much, but since you only went over your limits at the end, I mostly healed you. The burns were easy, and that Bakugou got off even lighter, so there's no concern there. There's still some damage, so be gentle for a little while, and make sure to get to bed on time. Now scram!" She motioned with her hand and her cane, forcing both mentor and disciple out of the nurse's office. Toshinori grinned lopsidedly, buffing back up into All Might.
"You weren't here for very long. I left the other students to discuss your battle and choose an MVP, so let's get back to class so we can continue." Izuku nodded, falling into step beside his mentor.
As soon as Izuku and All Might stepped back into the observation room, they were swarmed by everyone save for Todoroki and Bakugou. Izuku flustered under all of the attention, and All Might gave a hearty laugh, slapping Izuku on the back. "Right! That ought to have been enough time to decide! So, who's MVP?" The class collectively glanced around at each other, and finally, Yaoyorozu raised her hand.
"We came to the almost unanimous decision to vote for Uraraka."
Izuku cocked an eyebrow, a small smile on his lips. "I agree." Uraraka glanced at him, surprised. She's probably the one making it "almost unanimous," then, he thought.
"Care to explain your logic?" All Might had a thoughtful expression, but there was a playful glint in his eyes. Yaoyorozu tucked her hand under her chin, closing her eyes as if reciting something from memory.
"Because she's simply the best candidate. Honestly, it was between either her or Ashido. Bakugou's decision-making was clouded by his... personal vendetta, and, just as you said, he caused unnecessary and dangerous structural damage. And, no matter how impressive Midoriya was," she glanced around at everyone, especially Kirishima, who blanched. "He also caused a large amount of property damage, although his case is possibly more heinous, as he directed the blast towards the bomb. Also, even though there were several other options, he chose to go along with Bakugou and turn each fight into a one-on-one. That leaves us with the other two members of the teams. We couldn't reach a concise point, but the general consensus leaned towards Uraraka." All Might nodded along, turning to Izuku at the very end.
"And you agree, young- er, Midoriya?"
Izuku nodded easily. "Yaoyorozu's right. You see, due to my own feelings of obligation, I turned each fight into a one-on-one, just like Yaoyorozu said. However, there was a clear advantage in Ashido's favor in their match. I already knew Uraraka's Quirk, and I relayed this information to Ashido; therefore, Ashido knew what to look out for, and turned the playing field to her advantage. Not to discredit Uraraka, but Ashido's physical ability, mobility, and offensive capabilities objectively outclass hers. However, despite the odds stacked against her, Uraraka managed to hold out until nearly the very end, and was only overcome via a surprise double attack. If I hadn't taken advantage of the nature of the exercise, Ashido and I would have lost. Therefore, it must be Uraraka." Yaoyorozu nodded concisely in agreement, a small smile gracing her features.
All Might stared dumbfounded for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Indeed! That was the conclusion I came to as well. Excellent analysis, both of you!" Both Izuku and Yaoyorozu blushed under the praise, and the other students sighed and chattered amongst themselves.
"Yaoyorozu I get, y'know, 'cause she's a recommendation student. But that Midoriya guy? Smart, strong, and nice... it's not fair!" The electric blond yanked at his hair dismally, earning understanding nods from Mineta and the guy with the weird elbows.
"Dang, Midori!" Ashido bounced up and down in what was now obviously a habit of some kind. "You're so cool! And Yaomomo, you're not only pretty but super smart too, huh? This place is so awesome!" Yaoyorozu looked like she was having difficulty comprehending that, and Izuku flailed his hands around in an embarrassed panic, but they were saved by the All Might-shaped bell.
"Alright, enough chatter, young ladies and gentlemen! It's time for the next round! And remember, these discussions are for your benefit- hold onto the lessons we learn with each round to better develop your own strategies!" All Might walked calmly over to his randomizer boxes and pulled out two more lettered balls. "Team Bravo will be the Heroes, and Team India will play the Villains! Teams, get to your positions and wait for my signal." The Villain team, composed of the elbow guy, Sero, and the bird-headed guy, Tokoyami, nodded to their teacher, followed shortly by the Hero team; Todoroki glanced blankly at his partner, Ojiro, before stepping out and leaving the tailed boy to catch up. Izuku puttered around, finally finding a spot to pocket himself in between Uraraka and Iida. Ashido also meandered over, still bouncing ever so slightly.
"So, Deku..." Izuku glanced down at Uraraka, who bore a contemplative face. "Who do you think will win this one?" Izuku tilted his head at the question, directing his eyes back up to the monitors.
"I think it will depend on who attacks first," he muttered. "From what I can tell, I think Tokoyami might be more of a frontal fighter, while Sero is a defense-focused fighter. On the other hand, both members of the Hero team have highly offensive Quirks. Todoroki is capable of using ice to capture and restrain opponents, and I think he might also have another part of his ability, but I'm not sure. Sero can shoot tape from his elbows, which would be good for laying down traps and barriers. I only saw a little of Tokoyami's Quirk, but it seems strong, especially in a dark environment." Izuku took a breath, realizing he had been going on and on again. Iida, Uraraka, and Ashido were all staring at him, flabbergasted. Embarrassed, he swallowed but continued nonetheless. "Todoroki and Tokoyami will be the balancers for this fight; if Tokoyami rushes to meet the Heroes, then the Villains have the advantage; but if Todoroki attacks first, then the Heroes have the advantage. I think." His miniature audience nodded, redirecting their attention to the displays. After another minute, All Might called to start.
Todoroki said something to Ojiro, who then stayed put with a disgruntled face while Todoroki went on ahead. With the Villains, Sero had wrapped the bomb room up in tape while Tokoyami was patrolling the halls. Uraraka folded her arms. "Todoroki sidelined his partner... is he that confident?"
Izuku narrowed his eyes, not answering. Todoroki placed his right hand on a wall; ice began creeping from it more and more quickly as he held it there.
Izuku's eyes widened as he finally connected the dots that Todoroki's Hero costume and his Quirklight had laid out. "I think I was right," he muttered quietly, more to himself than to the others. Uraraka looked up at him. "One side produces ice, while the other produces fire. He's a perfectly balanced powerhouse, but..."
Iida chopped a hand, jumping into the conversation. "He has his other side entirely covered. Why do you think that is?"
Izuku bit at the bandages on his sore thumb, eyebrows furrowed as his brain ran through different possibilities. "I don't think it means anything good. We should keep an eye out for him."
Iida nodded, returning his gaze to the screen.
Tokoyami had been temporarily trapped in the ice as it crept from the environment up his legs, but his Quirk quickly manifested and swiped at the encroaching ice with large, shadowy talons. Ashido gasped at the sight, bouncing a little faster, but otherwise remained silent.
Sero was properly immobilized, but he was still trying to free himself anyway. He had managed to snag a metal bar with his tape and was preoccupied with hacking away at the ice with it.
Finally, Todoroki removed his hand, ending the onslaught of ice and continuing his steady pace toward the objective. Izuku noticed two things- how he never stuttered in his steps and how his expression never changed. Todoroki had apparently figured out where the bomb was rather quickly and made a beeline for the target.
The icy boy's steady pace was interrupted by a rather angry-looking Quirk entity, along with its master. The entity swiped at Todoroki while Tokoyami ducked in with a kick, leaping straight to the attack at the sight of their opponent. Todoroki blocked the entity with his right hand, his face twisting in anger and surprise, but he took the kick square in the ribs. He stumbled back, attempting to put some pressure on by sending another wave of ice with a stomp of his foot. The shadow entity easily swiped through it, growing in size and power as Todoroki's ice spread more and more over the building's already scant windows. Finally, after a brief scuffle, Tokoyami's Quirk pinned Todoroki to the ground. Tokoyami dashed forward, taking the opportunity to wrap his capture tape around Todoroki.
"Todoroki has been captured! One Hero remains!" Ojiro put his hand up to his commlink and said something; after a moment, Toshinori raised his hand, continuing with, "Ojiro has forfeited! The Villain team... wins!" Izuku blinked, looking around at his similarly surprised classmates.
"Man..." Mineta scratched at his head, one hand on his hip. "I thought that Todoroki was a total badass, covering the place like that, but he got totally destroyed by that bird-headed guy."
Yaoyorozu placed a hand on her chest. "He was impressive, but he blundered quite a bit. His main error was his cockiness. He sidelined his ally, becoming totally self-reliant. Then, he only covered up to his opponent's feet; while this shows great control over his Quirk, it also means he didn't think they could escape such a simple trap. Finally, he fought against himself by making the corridor darker, making his opponent's Quirk stronger." Izuku stuffed his hands in his pockets, still biting at his lip.
"His dad's Endeavor, right? I figured he can produce fire from the other side of his body, but he's only using it-" Izuku pointed up to the monitor, where Todoroki had placed his hot hand on the wall to melt the ice encasing the building. His expression had turned just slightly fierce, only noticeable to the most perceptive eye. Fortunately, Izuku was very perceptive. "Just now, to melt the aftermath of his battle. If Tokoyami's Quirk gets stronger in the dark, I can't help but wonder if it gets weaker in the light. If Todoroki had only used his fire, I think he would have won the encounter. His stubborn attitude and his cockiness in his ability both led to his downfall." But why didn't he use the other half of his Quirk?
Uraraka raised her hand, waving it around in the air. "That's not even mentioning the property damage! Water will seep into the concrete and really mess it up! Water damage would be even worse in a building made of wood or brick. So, he lost because of his cockiness, stubbornness, and his disregard for his surroundings!"
All Might laughed heartily. "So that's definitely Todoroki crossed off, huh? What about the other participants?"
"Well, and I mean this in the nicest way possible," Izuku scratched his head. "There's no way it can be Ojiro or Sero. Sero at least made a trap for the Heroes if they had made it to the bomb, but he was still trying to free himself by the time Tokoyami won. Ojiro, well... didn't do anything."
"So it's decided!" The door opened just as All Might started speaking, and the four participants walked in with varying levels of pride. Izuku shot a thumbs up to Tokoyami, who returned it after a moment with what Izuku thought was probably a smile. His Quirk also appeared, shooting a thumbs up as well before it was ushered back into its resting place within its master. Sero meandered over to the electric blond and Mineta, his arms held behind his head as he bore a sheepish grin. Todoroki walked with a semi-obvious forced calm to the far side of the room, and Ojiro attempted to do the same; however, Izuku walked up to him with a small smile.
"I'm sorry you got benched like that. I would have really liked to see your Quirk in action. I'm guessing you use it in tandem with martial arts?" Wide-eyed, Ojiro could only nod in confirmation. "That's super awesome! Better luck next time, okay?" Ojiro gave an awkward grin, bowing slightly in appreciation before continuing to the far wall. Izuku meandered back to his little circle of... wow, friends, huh?
"Heroes and Villains! I wish you all could have seen more proper action, but you all reacted to your ever-changing situation incredibly well. Might I say, Ojiro- even though you did not fight, you did the smart thing by surrendering when your teammate was captured. In a real-life situation, that could very well save your lives." Ojiro nodded, giving a quiet "thank you." "The MVP for this round is... Tokoyami! You reacted the best out of everyone, and your quick thinking and strength led to your victory. Very well done." All Might gave him a moment to bask in his title, but only a moment. "Now! On to the next round."
-
Shouto was furious. One couldn't see it by looking at him- he had practiced his look of indifference in the mirror enough to have a perfect poker face. Oftentimes, his ability to keep a straight face saved him from full days of training or a bonus training session right after a scheduled one.
Despite his indifferent expression, his emotions were simmering. He crossed his arms to avoid picking at his fingernails, leaning back against the wall. He watched the boy who had beaten him; on the outside, he was generally unassuming, but his Quirk had outclassed his mother's. Shouto quickly realized that he had accidentally boosted his opponent by making it darker. If he had only used his father's fire...
And this was the source of his anger. He could have won, could have proven that he had worked so hard for this, if only he had used his accursed left side. But he had vowed never to use it in combat- he had only allowed himself to use it to melt his ice in a show of... sportsmanship. Yeah, sportsmanship.
He watched the powerful obstacle walk up to another unassuming boy, one with a green mop of hair. Shouto narrowed his eyes as he watched the two of them talk.
That boy... at first, I thought his Quirk was super strength akin to All Might, but apparently, he can copy Quirks, super strength being one of them. But then there's his closeness with All Might... why did All Might call him by his given name? Why was All Might so worried for him? Shouto had to grit his teeth to prevent the inferno of his left from leaking past his skin. The multi-armed boy that stood relatively close to him took a few steps away as his skin heated up an uncomfortable amount.
Who are you, Midoriya?
-
The rest of the matchups went by quickly and easily, not taking as long or being nearly as dramatic as the first two. The next matchup had been Mineta and the blond- Kaminari- as the Heroes versus Iida and the Asui as the Villains. The superior physicality of the Villain's Quirks allowed for the quick and almost painless capture of both Heroes. Kaminari had managed to get a burst of electricity off at Asui, but Iida captured him before he could properly crank his charge above a stun gun. Mineta, though he made what might be called a valiant effort, was quickly subdued by Asui's powerful tongue. MVP had gone to Iida for his concise actions and effective stratagem. He had almost cried as everyone sang his praises.
Then there was the rock-headed boy- Kouda- and the girl with auxiliary cords for earlobes- Jirou- as the Heroes, facing off against Yaoyorozu and Shouji. Apparently, Kouda's Quirk allowed him to command animals, but there was nothing more than a few birds around, which amounted to little more than a nuisance. Thanks to Shouji's superior brawn and Yaoyorozu's superior intellect, the Villain team had held off until time. Yaoyorozu had been the MVP for her creative use of her Quirk in blocking as many doors as possible, as well as for being the strategist. She took it abashedly, having thought it should have been Shouji.
The last team matchup was the boy with a painfully bright Quirklight- Aoyama, who was apparently French-Japanese- and the invisible girl- Hagakure- as the Heroes, battling Sato and Kirishima. At the beginning of the round, it appeared as if the Villains were holding their own with their collective brawn, but Hagakure managed to slip by them by removing the visible parts of her costume (apparently, she actually was wearing a costume, it was just invisible while she wore it- her gloves were visible so teammates could keep track of her) and slipping past them, capturing the weapon and winning the battle. The MVP had actually gone to Aoyama for distracting the Villains long enough for Hagakure to slip past the two brawlers. He took it about as flamboyantly as expected.
"That's all for today, students! Each and every one of you did incredibly well!" All Might, having lined up his class in front of Arena B's gate, spoke in a booming voice. "And there were no serious injuries, save young Midoriya!" Izuku poked at the bandages on his thumb, getting humored looks from several people. "It was an excellent and insightful first day of training. I couldn't be more proud!"
"It's nice to hear some words of encouragement after homeroom class." Asui scratched at her cheek as she muttered, "Mr. Aizawa is sort of a buzzkill." Several other students nodded in collective agreement.
"I'm always happy to bring positivity to people, especially if those people are students at my alma mater! Now, we all have places to be, so watch how a Pro makes an exit!" And with that, All Might dashed off, leaving behind a strong breeze and the distinct impression of footsteps in the concrete.
Ojiro sighed, folding his arms as he shook his head. "I'll never be able to run that fast..." After a moment, almost everyone burst out laughing at his words, leaving him with a confused expression. Chattering animatedly, most of the class began walking back to the lockers, save for two people.
"Kacchan." Bakugou flinched slightly, glare tightening on his otherwise conflicted face. "I need to talk with you."
"You can go to hell-"
"Shut up," Izuku growled. Bakugou blinked, his rage mixing with visible surprise. "You're an idiot, y'know that? Just- ugh. Just listen. I want to tell you about my Quirk. It first manifested during the Sludge Villain incident, though I don't think you noticed. Afterwards, I put myself through the most rigorous training regimen possible for ten months, training my Quirk and my body until I couldn't move a muscle some days. A month before the Entrance Exam, I copied a Quirk permanently- the enhancer Quirk I've been using. Since it was my first permanent Quirk, I trained it especially hard for that remaining month, but it's too strong for me to handle. You saw how I messed up my fingers earlier? Well, I broke both of my legs and my arm destroying the zero-pointer."
Bakugou dropped his head, face blocked from sight. After a beat of silence, he finally asked, "What do you expect me to say...?"
Izuku shrugged, both abashed and melancholy. "I don't expect you to say anything. I just needed you to know. Because... I care about you." Bakugou's gaze jumped back up, and he took a step back in surprise. "You... you can be a terrible person. I should hate you. I do hate you for some things, but ultimately I just want to be friends again. That's all. Sorry for taking up your time." With that, Izuku walked past Bakugou, breaking into a jog to catch up with the rest of the class.
The rest of the day's classes flew by since it was still so early in the year. They barely did any classwork, and didn't get any homework.
At the end of the school day, Izuku packed up his stuff with a sigh, pointedly ignoring Bakugou's not-so-secretive staring. The blond had been looking at him all day with that weird face, and it was both upsetting and irritating. Izuku was glad to be rid of it as he hoisted his backpack on his shoulder and walked out of the classroom, followed quickly by Iida and Uraraka. Several other people waved at them, jogging to catch up.
"Hey man! I didn't get to introduce myself properly, but I'm Kirishima Eijirou!" The boy in question clutched at his heart. "I just wanna say, your mock battle was super intense. I thought Bakugou was impressive, but you totally messed him up. It was super manly!"
"Name's Satou," said the tall, tanned boy with thick lips. "You're pretty strong, huh? I'm looking forward to training with you."
"I'm Asui Tsuyu, but my friends call me Tsu." The froggy girl put a finger on her chin contemplatively. "Your Quirk is very impressive, but I'm worried about your super strength. You broke your fingers using it at the end, after all. Can you not control it properly?"
Izuku's eyes widened, and he waved his hands around. "Ah, well, you see-" Before he could even begin to jump into his very practiced spiel, the booming voice of All Might cut through their chatter.
"Young Midoriya!" Izuku jumped, turning to see the blond Hero in his very ridiculous yellow suit, holding up a hand in greeting. "Are you ready for that conversation?" Izuku gulped, nodding. He was less worried about the worst-case scenario of giving One for All back, but that seed of doubt was still firmly planted. Sweating a bit, Izuku turned back to his friends.
"Sorry, guys. I'll have to catch up with you tomorrow. Bye!" He waved goodbye while already walking towards All Might, turning away too quickly to receive any goodbye in return.
All Might led him to his office, and as soon as the Hero sat down, he deflated. Coughing wetly into a handkerchief, Toshinori leveled his gaze at his disciple. "Sit."
Izuku complied, sitting on the couch opposite Toshinori.
"It's time for you to learn the whole truth about One for All. It's a long story, so make yourself comfortable." Toshinori leaned back into the couch, his too-large suit wrinkling. His eyes had grown dim, as if he were looking through Izuku rather than at him. Izuku couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine. "The story begins a very, very long time ago. During the Dawn of Quirks, not very long after the birth of the Luminescent Baby, a man with a Quirk called All for One emerged. The man who wielded it had the unique ability to take, alter, and distribute Quirks.
"Since this was the Dawn of Quirks, not many people had Quirks yet. The Quirked were a minority, and history shows what happens to the minority. These Quirked individuals were outcasts, ridiculed, and thrown out of society. Some places, like China, Russia, and the United States, took more... extremist positions on the matter. History repeats itself... needless to say, society as a whole was on the verge of collapse. Scientific breakthroughs were nonexistent, public relations between countries denatured, and most people feared outright war.
"The situation was... not great. Then, All for One, as one of the most powerful Quirked individuals of his era, rose to power right here in Japan. He promised Quirks to those who wished for them, and he took Quirks from those that didn't want them. And those who already had Quirks became mindless tools when he gave them more. And so, with his charismatic nature and numerous supernatural abilities, All for One became the first Supervillain. He became known simply as the Demon, or the Demon of Japan. At the peak of his strength, he ruled the entire country."
Izuku furrowed his brow, crossing his arms. "I don't understand what he has to do with One for All."
"Hold on, I'm getting there. You see, All for One had a brother. A weak, sickly brother who was on the verge of death every day. This younger brother had a strong sense of justice and was appalled by the atrocities his brother committed in the shadows. He tried to fight All for One, but the sickly brother had no Quirk. So, either out of twisted familial love or in an attempt to put his brother in his place, All for One gave his brother a stockpiling Quirk. With this, the younger brother soon came to a stark realization: he had been born with a Quirk, one that had no other attribute than to be passed to someone else. Perhaps due to the inherent nature of the younger brother's original Quirk, the two Quirks combined and became one. With this newfound ability, he waged a great battle against All for One; and even with it, he failed. Before the battle, he had passed his Quirk on to another, who passed it on, and so forth until it reached… well, you."
"One for All... is two Quirks?"
"Technically speaking, One for All is multiple Quirks. All of the previous user's Quirks have latched onto One for All- or maybe it's more appropriate to say that One for All latched onto them. I know it in my bones, feel them every time I use it, though I've never been able to use them individually. Perhaps, eventually, you will."
"...Holy shit." Izuku fell back into the cushion of his seat. He ran his hands through his hair, sputtering on half-baked words and tangled thoughts. There was so much he wanted to say, to ask, but this was just... too much.
"And before you geek out about that," Toshinori held up a hand, "wait up a second. There's still a matter we must discuss: your father."
"My... father?"
Toshinori sighed, looking away. "My boy, there is no easy way to say this. Let me start by asking: do you know who your father is?"
Izuku grumbled, shrugging slightly. "Some deadbeat named Hisashi who left us after I was diagnosed- misdiagnosed- Quirkless."
"Indeed," Toshinori nodded, "that is true. Do you know what his Quirk is?"
"No, not a clue." Izuku tilted his head. "But I've theorized that it's a Copy like mine, possibly limited to touch? A touch-based Copy Quirk and a telekinetic Quirk that pulls small things would make a Copy Quirk that pulls Quirks from range, given a good genetic split."
Toshinori's expression grew grim. "Not quite, but surprisingly close." There was a long, awkward silence as the older man stared at the coffee table. Finally, as though he were forcing the words out, he said, "The truth is, your father is capable of taking, altering, and distributing Quirks."
"...What?" Izuku smiled, baring his teeth like a nervous dog. "I think I misheard you...?"
Tears began to fall from Toshinori's eyes, but he continued in a steadfast manner, "I had an associate of mine look into your father."
"Huh...?"
"Midoriya Hisashi disappeared from the face of the planet exactly six years ago, and barely had any information on him even beforehand. Then, earlier today, that associate and I spoke with your mother. My associate's Quirk allows him to distinguish when someone is lying or being truthful, and when your mother told us that Hisashi could give and take Quirks, she was telling the truth. I don't believe in coincidences, but even if I did, all of this connected information leads to a single conclusion."
"No way..."
"Hisashi is All for One, the Demon of Japan, and the enemy of One for All. The man who wounded me so terribly, who I thought was dead." Toshinori looked out the window. "The man who yet lives."
"Ah... ah...!" Izuku cradled himself as he sank into himself, curling into a ball. What is this? A nightmare? Huh? What's happening...? I can't...
Almost as if he had been holding himself back up to this point, Toshinori shot out of his seat and rounded the coffee table to lean down and throw Izuku into a tight embrace. "My boy, I'm sorry. God above, I'm so sorry...! I thought he was dead, my boy, I would never put you in harm's way on purpose!" Toshinori squeezed tightly as Izuku returned the hug, sobbing into Toshinori's shoulder. The Hero continued, his voice choked with emotion, "Izuku, even with All for One alive- even considering your relation to him- I believe you are the right person to wield One for All. Time and again, you've proven to me that you're nothing like him, and I'm so proud of you, my boy, so proud!"
They held each other like that for a long while, until they both managed to reign their emotions in to a manageable level. They both took their respective seats, sitting there in long silence.
"...You're taking this a lot better than I would've expected," Izuku finally muttered. "Hell, I'm taking this better than should be expected. My dad's a Supervillain and I'm crying less about it than the day I met you."
Despite the gravitas the conversation had gained, Toshinori managed a chuckle. "You are. I've been panicking about it since the Entrance Exam. I'm sorry about that, by the way." Then, he said, "After we dealt each other our should-have-been-fatal blows, All for One and I both collapsed. Afterward, I was informed that his body had disappeared. There was no trace of it. That was terrifying, but since we really thought we killed him, we figured a Villain wanted to give him their own burial. If we had known..."
"You don't have to explain yourself," Izuku said. He shook his head, teary-eyed. "Honestly, this is so much to process... I don't know what to think of it. But I know one thing for certain." He managed a smile, holding out his fist. "I'll make you proud, Toshi."
Toshinori gave a gentle smile as he bumped his fist against Izuku's. "I understand it's difficult, but please don't dwell on him. I promise to keep you and your mother safe. When the time comes, I'll take care of everything and finish what I started."
Izuku bowed deeply, not trusting his voice, then dashed out of the room.
As Izuku ran out of the school building, an almost goofy grin spread across his face from ear to ear. Toshinori wasn't upset with him at all! Of course, there was the stomach-turning revelation that his father was likely a super evil madman who stole and abused Quirks, but what can you do? He did need to have a conversation with his mother about it, of course, but then it was a simple matter of keeping that secret buried deep in his heart until the day he died! Not that hard, right?
Okay, despite the giddy state being in Toshinori's good graces had put him in, he was still seriously freaking out. Like, he might pass out. He needed to go to bed early, and he needed to meditate on this. He should ask his mom about him. And also maybe avoid Bakugou.
"Deku."
"Kacchan! You're still here?" Izuku nearly jumped out of his sneakers at the quiet voice dragging him out of his spiraling thoughts. Bakugou stood by the gate, a conflicted expression on his face. His hands were jammed in his pockets, and he was doing his damnedest to appear nonchalant. It was not working.
"Obviously, dumbass. I needed to tell you something."
"W-what is it?"
Bakugou's eyes flared with emotion for half of a second, but they clouded back over before Izuku could adequately register what that meant. "I'm not here to apologize if that's what you're thinking." Izuku almost rolled his eyes, trying to hide his disappointment. "But I'm man enough to at least admit I made… an error in judgment. You still should've fuckin' told me you had gotten a Quirk, though."
"If I had told you before I learned to defend myself, you would have killed me. You tried to anyway, so maybe I should have. Sorry...?" Bakugou remained silent, glaring at the ground as if it had offended him. Finally, he tugged at his backpack strap, looking Izuku in the eye. Izuku jolted in shock at the sight of tears running down Bakugou's cheeks.
"You're strong. You beat my ass today." The blond sniffled, readjusting his backpack but still not wiping away his tears. "But don't you dare think you're going to get the opportunity again. I'll get stronger, and I'll beat you into the dirt. Got that?"
"Kacchan..." Izuku nodded resolutely. "I'll keep getting stronger too. Maybe one day, we..." Izuku couldn't finish the sentence, but Bakugou nodded almost amicably.
"Yeah. Maybe." He wiped the tears from his eyes and promptly stomped away. He suddenly turned back around after only a few steps, biting his lip. "And... I don't want you actually dead. I know I said I wasn't here to apologize, but I fucked that one up, y'know?" He kept walking, slouching even more than before.
Izuku clutched at his chest, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Kacchan.