Five in the morning, a perfect time to sleep and then continue with the torturous life each of us leads.
But not for Aizawa.
"I hope you're ready. Your training begins now." The same man who looks like he's about to collapse from sleep is telling us this. It's so ironic it's not even funny. "Class B will join later. You should take advantage of the extra hours you'll have to improve."
"Why do we have to have extra training, Mr. Aizawa?" Kirishima questions once he manages to shake off the general tiredness everyone is feeling.
Normally, that would be a valid question, but it only applies to a normal class.
We are not a normal class. We have the heir to the Eternal Number Two, and although it's a secret, they have me.
It feels pretty bad to know that they are unconsciously in danger because of my presence, but they wouldn't abandon me even if they knew I have One For All.
It must have been difficult for Izuku to carry such a thought.
"Because you've been in the public eye for a long time. Whether you like it or not, many people are monitoring your progress." He subtly gives me a sideways glance, which I wouldn't have noticed if not for One For All's reaction to it. He also knows about the great "Commission" and their probable interest in me. "You must give them a good impression, and besides... you don't want to die at the hands of those villains who once attacked you, or am I wrong?" Reminding them that they were attacked at the U.S.J. got mixed reactions.
Some trembled at the memory, but their gazes didn't change. They have fear but also courage.
Others simply showed how little they fear those enemies they had. They've had a good confidence boost.
(If only they could see what Shigaraki has become.) The "attempt" on my life is obviously known to everyone, although no one wanted to delve into details out of respect for me. (And what's worse, I'm guilty of that change.) I let out a small sigh at that thought.
I knew my existence would generate a chain reaction sooner or later, but a part of me hoped it would be for the side of the good guys and not the bad guys.
(I could have attacked his bar in Kamino before coming to the camp, but I ran the risk of running into All For One... and there would be no God to have mercy on me.) I again felt anger towards that man, an anger that wasn't my own.
The anger that One For All shows me at his existence.
It doesn't come from the rest of the wielders; it comes from the power itself.
(I don't understand it. Why are you reacting like this? Originally, if my memories don't fail me, you weren't capable of responding as such.) As I expected, I got a response: a strange feeling of nostalgia and... emptiness. (What does this mean?) My brow furrowed in thought as I asked for explanations about the lack of emotion shown by One For All.
"That's why you'll train with me and the PussyCats. I'll give you your exercises myself and, if necessary, guide you to the corresponding hero with respect to your Quirk." Aizawa's voice sounded distant to me. He started calling us in alphabetical order; I had time until I was mentioned.
But the answers I could get were more important than a training regimen.
(Nostalgia and literally nothing... what are you trying to explain to me?) One For All didn't deign to give me an answer with emotions; it did something even more direct.
It transmitted memories to me.
Memories of Izuku, from when he has an understanding of his surroundings and... my own memories.
They went side by side, as if we were growing and maturing at the same time.
My childhood, his childhood, adult figures to follow, friends, everything. Literally everything.
They weren't random; they were specific, very specific.
When Izuku met All Might through a heroic report on his television and later in that iconic video, I saw the counterpart in my life.
His years of suffering from bullying and abuse for not having a Quirk, the way Inko gained weight for not being able to cope with the clear problem her son was suffering from.
The idea of him committing suicide on Bakugo's suggestion and...
"All great heroes have stories about their school days. Most of them have one thing in common... Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think." The memory of the real Izuku passed before me, running in terror towards where an amorphous mass was suffocating Bakugo. The flames, the smoke, the screams in the background, everything is too real.
Inko's words resonated like the chorus of the memory, giving it a weight that wouldn't be felt if I couldn't hear it.
"I'm sorry, Izuku! I'm sorry!" Words broken by tears and guilt, but just as strong and understandable.
"That's what happened to you, right?" All Might's voice focuses all his attention on him, followed by the inevitable tears and the hunching over from an inexplicable relief in Izuku's heart. An imaginary weight left him, one he didn't know he was carrying.
"Yes!" What should have come out as a shout was barely a whisper, such a common word... but with more weight than it's given.
"It's not that, Mom. What I wanted you to tell me back then is..." Izuku's voice muffles the current moment, remembering how reality hit him when he learned he didn't have a Quirk. "The words I wanted to hear were..."
"You... can become a hero." The sunset in the background, the skeletal figure of All Might, and yet, stronger than ever, the tears held back for years... Everything is painfully real.
The so-clear weakness of who should be the greatest hero in this world.
And the reason why All Might is the current Symbol... I hadn't seen it that way.
(What... what do you want to show me with this?) The question was answered with something similar to waiting, a slow and constant flow of energy that doesn't feel complete. (Is there something I still don't understand?) The energy suddenly increased, giving me to understand the tacit "Yes" that was intended to be transmitted. One For All didn't interact with me again after that.
"Izuku, is something wrong?" Shoto's touch on my shoulder brought me back to reality. A large part of the class was already on their own tasks; it shouldn't be long before they called me. "You're crying," he commented with concern barely masked by neutrality.
"Y-yes, I just remembered something sad, that's all." With the back of my hand, I dried my own tears. I didn't want to give explanations about things that shouldn't have them.
"Are you sure? We can ask Mr. Aizawa to give you the exercises later. You can pretend you're not feeling well; I'll back you up." A small laugh escaped between my tears at his idea. Todoroki was a great best friend. "Did I say something funny?" The genuine confusion in his tone only increased my amusement.
Maybe it's not a bad idea to be honest with Shoto.
"No, I'm really fine. I'll explain what's happening tonight." I didn't reveal more about the matter, something he caught immediately, preferring to look forward again to wait for Aizawa's call.
"Midoriya!" And there's that call.
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Two hours. That was the time he had been repeating the exercise given to him by his teacher.
It wasn't difficult; in fact, it was so simple it seemed insulting.
He just had to put his palms in hot water and then shoot explosions.
He had been given an explanation about the reason for such a practice, but he didn't listen. He knew his Quirk perfectly; he didn't need someone else to explain how it worked.
But even so, there was something else occupying his mind, and that infuriated him greatly.
(...Deku...) The stone in his path, the idiot who should be the pathetic social mistake he was supposed to be, and yet, to his not-so-pleasant surprise... he was the complete opposite. (He's been mocking me for years.) That was the reason he gave himself, to justify the abrupt change of the idiot he had as a "childhood friend."
But he wasn't a fool. He knew that whatever happened to Deku went beyond a simple long-term joke.
His Quirk is just the beginning of it all. A power based on super strength? When neither of his parents has anything similar to that?
He doesn't buy that shit about it being a rare mutation among children, but he also has no basis to argue and give solidity to his theory.
Besides... his practically excessive confidence, his sure and confident tone of voice, bordering on arrogance. When did Deku get the balls to obtain all that?
If he were more stupid and believed in the strange shit on the internet, he'd say that Deku was replaced by someone else.
But that shit isn't real. A person replacing the body and soul of another? Impossible from any angle.
There are no registered Quirks capable of doing such a thing. Why would Deku be the exception to that rule?
(Whatever the reason,) a large explosion was released from his palms. This one was stronger than the previous ones, not that he noticed anyway. (I'll get to the bottom of this, and when I do, you'll have to tell me the truth, you damn useless...) His expression darkened even more at that thought.
Katsuki Bakugo felt humiliated. His glorious start at UA has only been one failure after another.
And he's not going to stand by with his arms crossed. Someone is going to pay for that.
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"Have you found anything, Toshinori?" Gran Torino questioned the skeletal blond man in front of him, getting a negative shake of the head in return. Both were in the gym where they train their student/successor.
With the recent movements of the League of Villains and the clear participation of All For One, neither has been able to rest.
But they had obtained nothing.
Gran Torino contacted his colleagues in the field of Investigation, and it was in vain. That man, for all practical purposes... was dead.
All Might wasn't having it any better. His time was shortening, and that was something he had accepted a long time ago, but now...
(I can't leave such a big burden to Young Midoriya.) Thinking of his successor, fighting against All For One while he is a simple and weak spectator, infuriates him to the core. (I started this, it's my duty to finish it.) He was still young; he had to become a professional hero. He, on the other hand, was already in his last days as a hero. What was the point of hanging up the cape when he was so close to finishing?
"Don't worry yourself unnecessarily, Toshinori. Don't forget that this is no longer about you or me... this is for the brat." His teacher pointed out the obvious, but which he again ignored. He had to stop thinking of himself as the center of the stage. "No matter where that bastard is, sooner or later, we'll make him come out, and that will be his last day of freedom." The oath was made with the conviction of a man who has seen and lived more than he would like. One who, in essence, just wanted peace.
If he had done his job better six years ago, these things wouldn't be happening. For years, he lived accepting the fact that he had killed the Symbol of Evil.
It wasn't something that made him feel proud, but he knew it was necessary.
And yet, now all that he had lived and accepted was in vain. That man had mocked him, tricked him into believing in a false Era of Peace.
He had been a fool.
"Master, do you believe in Young Midoriya?" His question is more complex than it seeks to be. The deep look he is receiving in return tells him that he doesn't need to clarify.
There is silence for a moment. The only sound is him reviewing pages and pages of past reports.
And it's Gran Torino's voice that breaks that silence. "The boy has a perfect mastery of half of One For All, he understands the Quirks that have been presented to him in a phenomenal way, he's capable enough to put aside his own doubts and move forward for what is right." With his fingers, he enumerated each point he gave, as if he were in front of a five-year-old child. "I don't know, Toshinori, should I believe in a young man with such achievements to his name?"
A smile of pride appeared on the face of the Symbol of Peace. He hadn't been the cause of all that. But still, to think that his own successor had achieved so much with so little... it's mind-blowing.
From that perspective, it's even foolish to doubt as he does. Young Midoriya has shown a unique ability to adapt and emerge triumphant from the vast majority of problems.
But it was All For One they were talking about. There is not enough caution when it comes to that man. If he can help it, he won't allow the boy to face that monster.
That would be his last great act as All Might if required, and if he died... he hoped his master would be proud of his way of protecting the peace.
"You know, master, I think Young Midoriya will achieve great things. I just hope I can be alive to see it." That weak flame that was his successor is now strong, capable of surviving on its own... without the need for the initial spark that he was at some point.
"Don't say stupid things, Toshinori. I'm the old one here; I should be worried about that instead of you." The shorter man sat beside him, looking at the reports but not really paying attention to them. "You've made a lot of mistakes, boy..."
"You don't have to mention them. I'm aware of..."
"But choosing Izuku Midoriya is not one of them. In fact, it's the most correct decision you've had in your entire life."
The words get stuck in his throat. His master is not a sentimental man, so he doesn't know how to answer him.
"You must do what you do best, Toshinori... Protect... for you, for the boy, and for Nana." That's the last thing Gran Torino tells him before leaving the room, leaving him with a bunch of useless papers and a lot of different thoughts.
And inside him, the weak flame that carries his power stirs.
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The night in the woods is really beautiful.
I wasn't the type of person who liked camping in my other life. Everything is quite new to me.
The room I was assigned is the same as everyone else's: a small closet, a bed, and a large window to look out at the starry night.
Thanks to the fact that we were the last to enter, Shoto and I are "room neighbors," so his knock on my door was not long in being heard.
(This is for the best, don't forget it.) Opening the door, I let him in. Shoto's cold nature is very practical for these kinds of moments. No one needs to hear unnecessarily. (This room is far enough away from both Jiro and Shoji. They won't be able to hear anything unless they're explicitly trying to do so.) I made sure to lock the door, and just in case, I activated One For All.
No sound was picked up by me. That was good.
"Izuku, what happened to you this morning?" Shoto had opted to sit on the floor. I decided to lean against the wall, arms crossed, and thinking carefully about how I would begin to speak.
For a moment, I regretted my decision, but One For All stirred within me, giving me support to continue.
"Tell me, Shoto... have you ever heard of the term 'One For All'?"
...
Author's Note:
Hey.
What did you think of the chapter?
I'll explain everything in parts because it's important here.
First of all, One For All as a "conscious entity" was something that I presented from the beginning and that I have been developing over the chapters. For this same "power" to show the protagonist the memories of the original Izuku seems like an excellent idea to me.
The MC is a single soul right now, but he never got the memories of the first wielder of that body. Now he has them, and that changes things slightly.
Not to the point of changing his ideas and so on. I'm not going to magically make him seek to "save Shigaraki" because that would go against the last chapters I've written. But to give him a little more development and, above all, to substantiate an important point in the future.
When I looked up the scene from the first chapter of MHA on YouTube where All Might tells Izuku that he can be a hero, I got very emotional. I didn't remember it being so emotional and beautiful.
Everything in that scene is literally perfect, so I tried to transfer that emotion to the narrative. I hope I did it well.
Bakugo's point of view is to remember that, just like in the canon, he is quite annoyed by the way things are turning out.
That's not too important compared to the rest, but it had to be mentioned.
Gran Torino and All Might, on the other hand, are two of the characters closest to the protagonist, and I couldn't leave them out of the scene for too long. The truth is that they still have a narrative to offer, but not too much, so I'll try to exploit that as much as possible.
And finally, the revelation of One For All to Shoto.
That's something I've wanted to do since the Sports Festival, so it was either now or before, and I'm glad I waited.
Shoto is key as the protagonist's friend. I'm going to try to fix everything that exists in the friendship between Bakugo and Midoriya, but with Shoto and my protagonist.
Now, I have to ask you something.
Do any of you know at what point the League of Villains attacks the camp? Was it a week after their arrival? A few days?
If you know, I'd like you to tell me. I don't remember the exact moment, and I don't want to write something wrong.
Anyway, take care. See you.