Midoriya Izuku stands in a ginormous white room wearing the gift he received only a day ago, opposite to his mentor who was wearing a tracksuit that looks exactly like his costume.
"For the past seven months I've taught you how to box and I'd say you've become pretty proficient in it." Yagi Toshinori says, getting a smile from his boy, "But it's time to take it a step further. Every day for the next three hours we'll be fighting, not sparring but legitimately fighting." His protégé loses his smile and pales. "I'm going to put you through the wringer, sharpen your skills to a razor sharp edge. So don't hold back."
"Wai–"
The man didn't wait, instead he rushed forward sinking a right uppercut into the boy's gut forcing their feet off the floor and the air of their lungs. He then palms the other's face and smashes him into the floor so harshly that it sounds like a bomb went off.
The ninth wielder groans, tears gathering.
"One For All is greater in your hands than it is in mine. I'm not sure of the exact numbers but right now, in my current state, my boy you should be outclassing me." The symbol says tightening his grip on the child below him and receiving a cry of pain for his troubles, "The reason you aren't is because I know what I'm doing and you don't, it's why this is necessary. So when I say don't hold back, what I mean is throw everything you got at me."
The future hero stares at his mentor in terror, struggling to hold back the water from escaping his eyes, 'I… I'm scared, this isn't like Toshinori at all.' He shuts his eyes tightly. 'I don't know what to do… I don't know what to do!'
"You're panicking, young Izuku. Doubting yourself. That's how you die out there." The mightiest man advises, "That's how you get people killed, is that what you want? For people to die while you're too scared to even try?"
Izuku's eyes open and stare at the man above him. It felt like a long moment of the two simply looking at one another before the preteen swung at his teacher's temple with a left hook.
The hero leans back avoiding the strike but keeps his palm where it is.
His student groans but plants his feet firmly on the ground before pushing with all his strength. The man feels a rush of wind blow at his hair as the boy becomes airborne.
Toshinori smirks, "That's what I'm talking about." He rolls out of the way as the kid hits the roof and bounces back down, stomping at where he used to be.
The preteen looks surprised for a moment, almost like he didn't expect to pull off what he did but then his eyes narrow. He leaps up at an odd angle and suddenly the man is transported back to his teenage years.
His boy becomes a ricocheting bullet and it feels like he's being attacked at all sides, the streaks of lightning dancing around their body makes them seem like a lightning strike. He dodges one attack after another before lashing out with his elbow, feeling something crack.
"AgH!" Izuku stumbles back, holding his nose as he falls to his knees as blood runs down his face.
"Ignore the pain, Deku. Bury it under your righteousness and continue on!"
The preteen bites his lip, trying to hold in his whimpers of pain managing a small nod.
"That's a good ultimate move, what are you thinking of calling it?"
"Ultimate move? That… did I just create my first ultimate move?!"
"Haha! Seems like it!"
Izuku's face scrunches up in thought, "Uh… Rebound Smash?"
"Don't use smash. Come up with your own branding, I suggest something to do with the weather? I felt like I was caught in a storm of punches."
The boy pouts before humming, "Downpour, maybe? Because I'm hitting you repeatedly and from all sides?"
Toshinori shrugs and throws a thumbs up, "I like it."
"Than–" He tries to accept the compliment before he's unceremoniously smacked across his face and into a wall.
"Keep your guard up, young man. Villains will try to distract you, don't let them."
The student groans as he forces himself upright against the wall, the right side of his face quickly reddening.
~The Heavenly Hero:Celestial~
Toshinori goes over his paperwork while his protégé goes over his online classes. It had been a few hours since his little fight with the boy and he had to say he expected nothing less from the kid.
Adaptable, creative, determined, and had an amazing pain tolerance.
"A phone call is here! A phone call is here!"
The man blinks, 'Hm, David doesn't usually call on Saturdays.' He pulls out his phone and answers it with a quick swipe of his thumb as he presses it against his ear. "Hey Davi–"
"Toshinori," David Shield, All Might's first sidekick and bestfriend, interrupts the other with a tight voice, "I… don't understand what you could possibly be thinking."
The Symbol of Peace furrows his eyebrows, "David, what's wrong?"
"Wha– you can't be serious. Toshi, you… when you told me you were taking on a student I was surprised. You never showed much interest in education but I figured it might be because of your declining Quirk Factor, that you felt the need to ensure the future in any way you could but… a child? You chose a twelve year old boy, an elementary schooler?"
The hero frowns, "He was the best candidate I found, David. He has a spirit of a true Hero, I feel under my teaching he could rise higher than I ever did! And honestly I don't really see what his age has anything to do with it."
"Because I know you, Toshinori! You don't know the meaning of holding back, I've seen what you consider a light workout and I'm scared of what you'll do to the poor boy."
"David, the boy is stronger than you think. He reminds me so much of myself, you have nothing to worry about."
"You're not even going to deny it?" The other asks in disbelief, "This… you're not… Toshi, help me understand. Please."
The number one hero sighs, "I… you know about my injury and that my time as a hero is declining but there's something I haven't told you."
"... What?"
"My time limit is rapidly shortening, I estimate I'll lose complete access to my Quirk in three years."
"Three–! Toshinori, why didn't you tell me! You need to come to I-island immediately! I need to run tests! Need to-"
"There's nothing you can do, Dave. You know that. Whatever All For One did, whatever Quirk he used I can't fully heal from it and I've made peace with it."
"Peace?! Toshi, you're the Symbol of Peace! You are the foundation on which our current society stands on! If you were to… to suddenly retire then… then–"
"Which is why I've taken steps to secure the future." He says leadingly.
"Steps? You… you don't mean…"
"I do. Midoriya Izuku shall be my successor! When I can no longer bear the weight of the world on my shoulders, he shall."
"My god." David utters, "You can't put that kind of weight on a child's shoulders! Not to mention he won't be ready to take your place in three years! He'll be what, sixteen?! He won't even be old enough to obtain a Hero License."
"He will be." Toshinori resolutely says, "His Quirk is similar to mine in many ways except it has far more potential and I already took care of the obstacles in Izuku's way that would prevent him from fulfilling his duty."
"What do you mean?" His friend asks.
"Japan never established a minimum age requirement for Hero work, they can't with work studies and internships schools like U.A employ, since my Hero Program has been sponsored by the Hero Public Safety Commission I can nominate Izuku for the Provisional Hero Licensing Exam and when he passes I can issue him a Hero License."
"... And what about child labor laws? I'm sure people will be very understanding that their symbol can't patrol more than three hours a day and be out past ten."
"That only applies if he's viewed as a child, his mother signed her parental rights over to me, in case of an emergency, once I issue him a license Izuku will petition for emancipation and I, of course, will agree to it. He'll be an adult in all the ways that matter."
"I… I… do you hear yourself, Toshi? Can you hear the words coming out of your mouth? Does… does his mother know what you plan on doing?"
Toshinori sighs, "No, she doesn't but at the end of the day her opinion hardly matters. This is Izuku's life, his future, and he's agreed to the plan."
"He's twelve years old! Oh my god Toshinori, he's twelve years old and the number one hero in the whole world asked him to take his place! Of course he fucking said yes!"
Shaking his head, he huffs at the voice on the other end of the phone, "Dave, I didn't meet Izuku as All Might, I met him as Toshinori."
"... Okay?"
"I… when I first met him he believed himself Quirkless and yet he still wanted to be a hero. It's all he thought about, all he cared about! He reminded me of myself so I decided to train him, nothing serious at first, just some body building that doubled as community service but… he blew my every expectation. He constantly pushes himself beyond anything that should be possible. I showed him my injury and asked him if he still wanted to be a hero, you know what he said?"
"What?" The other asks faintly.
"I want to serve my country like you, like All Might, like all Pro Heroes. They're laying down their lives and I have no right to do any less."
"He really said that?" Awe leaks from his voice.
"He did. I know he's young David, I know I'm taking some pretty extreme actions concerning him and frankly If I found out some other hero was doing this then I would call them a villain but… this kid, he's something else. I honestly can't see anyone being more fit to inherit my legacy than him."
"... What about the other heroes?"
The emaciated pro raises an eyebrow in confusion, "What about them?"
"Toshi," His friend sighs, "Do you honestly believe they'll be okay working with Midoriya? Even if everything goes according to plan other Pro's will not want to work with someone his age as an equal."
"David, when's the last time I teamed up with another Hero?"
The line goes silent for a moment, "I… three years ago? Nighteye and you worked pretty closely for a time."
The symbol chuckles, "He largely worked behind the scenes as my sidekick. I mean a time where I worked with someone on the scene, where we fought together against a foe."
"Stars and Stripes?"
"So you can't remember anyone in the last twenty or so years that I've worked with?" He asks with a smile and a sarcastic tilt to his voice.
"... No I can't." David's tone is filled with surprise, "But that's you! You say this boy has more potential than you but how can you know he'll reach it in such a short amount of time?"
Toshinori sighs, "I just do, you'll have to trust me David."
"I do, Toshinori! I do trust you but…"
"But what?"
"Are you… are you really okay with losing your Quirk? With stepping down as the Symbol of Peace? You, you sacrificed everything, 'everything' to get where you are!"
The mightiest hero closes his eyes at the desperate tone of his friend and begins to realize what this is really about, "Dave… I'm sorry that I haven't–"
"Don't!" David's voice breaks, a small short sob escapes his lips, "Please, don't." He whispers.
"I… I still love you David, you were my first love and I still think about you, Hina, and Melissa all the time."
"You left, and I understood why. I did. Do. But you still left and Hina is gone and Melissa…" The sentence hangs for a moment, "I still haven't told Melissa about, about anything."
"It's safer that way."
"No, it's easier." The other man replies, "I don't know how to explain that… that I'm not her real dad."
"You are David! You 'are' her real dad. You raised her, taught her, and loved her. I know more than anyone that family doesn't begin or end in blood."
"... Maybe. In another life that would be enough, in a life where you truly wanted nothing to do with us but you're still here, you're still in our lives. It's not fair that you only have one foot in the door, Toshi."
"I'm sorry." Toshinori's face scrunches up and his voice wavers slightly.
"... I know. Do… do, you think when you retire you'll come back? That we can be a family?"
The man stays silent before nodding, "Yes. Yes, I promise, David. In three years, in three years when Izuku is ready and I can no longer bear the burden on my title I'll retire and I'll come live on I-island and the two of us can tell Melissa together."
"No, we'll tell her during the I-Expo." He says resolutely, "No more lies and no more half truths."
"That's, that's in four months!" The symbol shouts, shock and fear coating his words.
"I know and it scares me too but Melissa is a smart girl, she'll understand why we kept it from her when she was a child but she's thirteen now turning fourteen in a couple of months, if we wait any longer she will resent us."
The hero closes his eyes and bows his head, taking in a shaky breath. He doesn't speak for what feels like forever.
"Toshi?" The other man questions lightly, "Tell me you'll come, don't make me do this by myself."
"Never." He bounces back, "I'll be there."
"Good."
Toshinori can hear the relief in his tone, and can practically see the smile on his face.
"Can," He sighs, "Melissa wants Midoriya's phone number, she wants to be his Support Engineer like I was for you."
The number one pro laughs, "Sure." He quickly gives out his protégés number. "Goodbye, David."
"Goodbye, Toshinori. I love you."
"Love you, too."
The debuffed hero sets his phone down and looks to nothing in particular.
"You okay?" Izuku asks from the threshold to his room, holding his arms tightly across his chest, the large bruise across his face already turning purple despite only a few hours passing and the broken nose looks, well, not healed but better.
Toshinori looks to the side with wide eyes, "My boy, how much…" Before sighing, his successor had heard everything, with One For All active it would be impossible not to. "I'm sorry you got dragged into my… my family drama. David was just worried."
"It's okay." The boy says as he steps out of the threshold of the door and walks towards him before sitting down on one of the chairs across from him, "That… that was a pretty heavy conversation, you okay?"
"I…"The man hangs his head, "I don't know. I love David and Melissa but the life I live is dangerous. I told myself that I would never have a family, never fall in love but David…"He shakes his head and looks up to the ceiling. "And Hina, they were something else."
"Why, why did you leave? It… it doesn't sound like you." The ninth successor asks, confusion written across his face and something else, something dark.
He takes a deep breath, well deep for him, and tells him his truth, "I was scared. I was so scared, Hina died because of me. A group of villains had kidnapped her because she was friends with me and used her to set up a trap knowing I couldn't, wouldn't, let another hero deal with them. I came and… and they did so many terrible things to her." Toshinori's voice cracks, his face twisting in terrible pain as tears gather at the corner of his eyes.
The preteen closes his eyes and bows his head.
"I… defeated them of course." He pushes forward, wiping the tears from his face,"I didn't kill them but I wanted to, god did I want to but I couldn't cross that line, though I'm sure many of them wished I granted them the mercy of death. I left soon after, to protect them. I knew if I distanced myself from them, made them seem unimportant then what was left of our little family could live in something that resembled peace."
"I'm so sorry, Toshinori."
The man shakes his head, "Don't apologize, it wasn't your fault. It was mine. I made myself a promise and I was too weak to keep it, what happened was the consequences of my actions."
Izuku bites his bottom lip, a question burning on his tongue, "But they didn't know, right? They just thought Ms. Shield was your friend."
"Yes and that was enough for them. The world knew how close I was to them and that closeness put them in danger. I am, or was, invincible to the most devastating attacks. My weakness lies with my humanity, the connections that make me feel human."
The hero-in-training looks to the man who gave him everything, he reaches across the desk and takes the other hand, "I promise you'll have nothing to worry about. I will take your mantle and you'll be able to be with your family without worry or regret." He smiles, it's weak and wobbly but genuine and full of conviction.
Toshinori gives a smile of his own, it's well worn and practiced, almost plastic but real in a way that can not be explained only felt.
"Can you tell me more about your family?"
"Of course, my boy."
~The Heavenly Hero:Celestial~
One For All is a strange Quirk. The science community agrees that while Quirks can defy the laws of physics, it's not common and they all follow a common rule; they are extensions of a person and can be exhausted, over-exerted, even crippled but One For All seems to be the exception.
It feels more like I'm an extension of One For All instead of the other way around.
It's been two weeks since I began my training in earnest and in that time I've found that I'm… well limitless. Despite only commanding a small amount of power I feel only the slightest bit of hunger and thirst, my need for sleep has significantly reduced where I only need a single nap to feel fully rested, and my rate of learning is astonishing.
Toshinori had told me he learned languages in days where it should have taken him years. I had thought he was exaggerating but he wasn't as of right now I'm completely fluent in English and finished all my assignments for my first year of middle school.
It's… frightening if I'm being honest. I've done the math; One For All multiplies my base over twelve times, that means when I master One For All my abilities will be multiplied over a thousand times. That's not even mentioning that the Quirk will strengthen my body as it did for Toshinori along with the fact that the total amount of energy will exponentially increase.
There is no limit, no ceiling for me to hit. I will only ever get stronger, faster, more durable.
It begs the question what kind of monster was All For One that even with all the advantages One For All grants its users he still managed to permanently cripple All Might?
One For All grants the user an enhanced healing factor and given the fact that his natural healing was already twenty four times greater than an ordinary man's, he should be completely fine by now.
So why isn't he?
Toshinori revealed he had every test under the sun done on him to find the root of the problem and found none. That could mean it's psychological, the man carries immense guilt for the death of his predecessor, for the mother of his child, and the abandonment of his lover and daughter. Maybe subconscious he no longer wished to bear the burden of being the Symbol of Peace and so One For All, following the will of its master, refused to heal his wound.
One For All is like no other Quirk ever recorded but it is still a Quirk and does follow some of the same patterns as other Quirks exhibit, that is to say that the mentally of the user has as much bearing on how a Quirk works as body function does.
I have considered telling Toshinori my theory but… honestly what good would that do? For all I know I could be wrong and even if I'm not his injury has healed as much as it's ever going to, there is no way to undo the damage that has been done now.
All it would do is make him feel guilty.
Izuku closes his eyes and slumps in his seat at his desk letting the afternoon sun tan his face as he takes several moments to gather himself. Opening his eyes he begins ripping the loose leaf paper he wrote on into tiny pieces before gathering the remains of his hard work and standing up to walk to his bathroom off to the side of his room next to his ridiculously sized bed.
Stepping in he takes a quick stroll to the toilet, tosses the bits into the bowl and flushes, "Hurts just as much as the first time." He mutters as he walks out and collapses into his bed, ready to take a nap before continuing his studies.
"A phone call is here! A phone call is here!"
Izuku digs his hand into his sweats pocket and pulls out his phone and absentmindedly answers, "Hey mom, I'm about to go to bed. Talk later, alright?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" A girl's voice, definitely not his mother, answers.
The preteen sits up and stutters, "O… oh, Ms. Shield, right? Toshinori told me to expect your call."
He hears a sweet giggle, "Call me Melissa, please!"
Izuku blushes, he never called a girl by her first name before, "Th… then yo… you can call me Izuku!"
"Great, thanks Izuku! I'm sorry it took me so long to call. I, well, I don't really have an excuse or at least not a good one." She sounds apologetic.
The hero-in-training's face turns an atomic red after hearing his first name being used by a cute girl. Well, he assumes she's cute, she sounds cute at least. Shaking his head at his thoughts he focuses.
"It's no problem. Your Japanese is really good but do you mind if we switch to English? I need to practice."
"Of course!" She agrees in her native tongue, the words strange to his ears but perfectly understandable, "But next time I want to talk in Japanese okay? I need to practice too."
"You got it and thanks, Melissa."
He hears another giggle, "No problem, Izuku. Anyway I'm just wondering, well my dad used to be Uncle Toshinori's support Engineer and well…" She hesitates. "I know you don't really know me or anything but well, I would love to be yours if you'll have me?"
"It would be an honor! Toshinori told me how smart you are, how you already graduated high school and earned your Support License! That's just so cool!"
"... Yeah? You really think so?"
"Of course! I'm sure you're super busy already and I really do appreciate you wanting to help, I can't thank you enough."
He hears a small sniff, "I'll do the best I can for you, Izuku! I promise I won't let you down! Now I have a few ideas if you're willing to listen? "
Izuku's eyes furrow slightly before he feels the excitement take over, "Yeah, I'll love to hear them. "