Chapter Text
Prologue
This world is a superhuman society, with about 80% of the population possessing some uncanny ability called a Quirk. My name is Izuku Midoriya, and I was born Quirkless, but my life completely changed when I met the #1 Pro: All Might. He transferred his Quirk, One For All, to me. After that, I enrolled at U.A. High: the prestigious school known for producing first-class heroes. I continue to run toward my dream along with the friends I've made on my journey. This is the story of how I became the world's greatest hero.
At least, that's how I would normally start things off, but the world seems so different now.
All For One, the villain whose Quirk gave birth to the power of One For All, has been defeated. The accumulated strength of my gifted abilities, along with the efforts of my friends, put an end to his reign of terror once and for all. That was during our third year at U.A. High.
In an effort to keep the involved students safe, the details of the battle were hidden from the general public. I was sent to I-Island with my mom to keep us away from any potential media scrutiny, and, while we were there, Melissa Shield was able to use her technical expertise to aid in my recovery process. Due to the extenuating circumstances, I was also allowed to finish my U.A. coursework remotely, and graduated with my classmates on schedule.
It's been about a year since the battle, and I am finally back at full strength both physically and mentally. Although defeating All For One may have secretly made me the world's greatest hero, I'm ready to return home to continue running toward my dream. This is the story of the final part of my journey.
And it begins with the news I had hoped I would never have to hear.
Chapter 1
There was a chill in the air. The last leaves of autumn clung to their branches as a cold wind threatened to send them falling to the cemetery below. The gust ruffled a mess of green hair and nipped at the tear-soaked face beneath it. These features belonged to a plain-looking young man of 19 who knelt in silence beside a bespectacled woman with the foresight to tie her blonde tresses up to defend against the wind. A diminutive older gentleman in a yellow cloak stood nearby. These three remained quiet for some time in front of a particularly new grave marker engraved with the name "Toshinori Yagi."
"I . . . can't believe he's actually gone, Melissa," the young man whispered, barely able to get the words through his clenched throat. The girl laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I know what you mean, Deku. Uncle Might always seemed invincible," she said wistfully. "Nothing ever kept him down for long."
"Toshinori was many things," replied the gray-haired elder, "but invincible was not one of them. He bore the weight of the world on his shoulders, regardless of the toll it took on him. He was idealistic almost to a fault, but, to his credit, he kept those ideals. He was a good man." He closed his eyes and looked toward the ground. "And a good friend."
It was late autumn when the news got out. Everyone dies; it's one of life's great constants, but nobody expected it from All Might, especially not so quietly or suddenly. Even though his true form was revealed to the world during the Kamino Incident over 3 years prior, he was still the Symbol of Peace in their hearts and memories. He passed away peacefully in the middle of the night as a result of the injuries he acquired long before Kamino, and yet the world reacted as if he died on the front lines in his prime. Across the globe, people mourned, candlelight vigils were held, and memorial services honoring their greatest hero were broadcast on every major news network. And yet, at the grave site of Toshinori Yagi, the man behind the legend, only these three were gathered to lay him to rest.
Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, the freckled young man with the verdant mop of hair, was All Might's protege and successor to the power of One For All. The Symbol of Peace was Midoriya's idol, but over the years of training and built trust, the boy came to think of him more like a father figure in the absence of his own.
The slightly-older blonde was Melissa Shield, daughter of the brilliant David Shield. During All Might's time in America, he and David developed a brotherly bond, and that bond carried over to Melissa. These two were some of the closest things to a family the pro hero had, and although David was unable to travel due to I-Island regulations, Melissa felt that it was important to come and pay her final respects to her Uncle Might.
Rounding out the trio was Sorahiko Torino, otherwise known as the retired pro Gran Torino. When All Might's predecessor, Nana Shimura, perished in a battle with All For One, Torino fulfilled his promise to her and continued Toshinori's training. Later, when the torch had been passed to Deku, Torino mentored the U.A. student and taught him how to use One For All without consistently destroying his body. In spite of his advanced age, he had managed to outlive two of his closest friends. It was with a heavy heart that he carried out his duties as the executor of All Might's estate on this day.
"I thought that, by defeating All For One, I had prevented Sir Nighteye's vision from coming true," Izuku sobbed. "He wasn't supposed to leave yet. Not like this. I never got to keep my promise to him." A fresh wave of grief washed over him as he buried his face in his hands.
"Promise?" Melissa asked, a little confused. During the last year of Midoriya's recovery, the two had formed a sort of sibling bond over their shared familial relationship with All Might. Yet, through all their discussions, this had never been brought up.
Izuku cleared his throat and stared at his hero's grave. "Back at my first Sports Festival, I promised him that he would see me stand before the world and tell them, 'I am here.' Then I got caught up in the responsibilities of One For All and all the events after that. I thought I had more time. Now that time is gone. and I'll never get another chance."
"Izuku Midoriya." Torino turned to the mourning young man. "You gave Toshinori a great gift, far greater than repeating some silly catchphrase. Through your determination and perseverance, you were able to master One For All and avenge the many lives that were destroyed by All For One and his minions of darkness. I know for a fact that Toshinori thought he wouldn't live to see the day that the sacrifices he and his predecessors made would come to fruition, but, thanks to you, his spirit can now rest in peace. He was very proud of you."
Midoriya began to dry his face with his sleeve. "You never struck me as one for sentiment, Gran Torino, sir." He mustered a small grin. His heart still ached, but the words of the old hero did raise his spirits a little.
"There's a time for everything." Torino smirked. "We can't all be as earnest as you, kid." The trio had a cathartic laugh at the expense of the boy's emotional tendencies.
"It's good to see you smile again, Deku," Melissa said softly, looking at her friend. "It's what Uncle Might would have wanted. He always used to say that, no matter how scary things get, you need to smile, as if to say, 'I'm a-ok.'"
"To trick the fear inside you," Izuku remembered.
Gran Torino sighed. "The people in this world who can smile are always the strongest." The old man remembered the words of his sworn friend, Nana, as he gazed at her grave which lie adjacent to Toshinori's. The trio stood in bittersweet reminiscence for a few moments longer, a sense of hope for the future building in each of them.
"I will carry on your legacy, All Might," Deku resolved, looking intently at his mentor's resting place. "The world has been without a symbol of peace for too long. I'm going to do everything in my power to change that."
"That's the spirit!" Melissa cheered, giving the young man a friendly jab in the shoulder.
"You're going to do great, kid," Gran Torino said. "Toshinori thought so too, which is why, as executor of his estate, he wanted me to give this to you when he passed." He produced a manila envelope from his cloak and handed it to the surprised young man.
"What's this?" Midoriya asked as he opened the envelope and pulled out the documents inside.
"Toshinori lived his life as a service to the world and out of a desire to help his fellow man," Torino explained while Deku browsed the contents. "He had no use for the fame or compensation past that. However, he did not want to assume the same of the one who came after him. He knew that individual would have to deal with far worse due to his failure to stop All For One the first time. So he saved the revenue he acquired from being the No. 1 Hero and left it as an inheritance to his successor- to you, Izuku Midoriya."
Deku was paralyzed, his eyes locked on the bottom line of the legal document he was holding. Melissa's eyes grew wide as she peered over his shoulder and saw the amount listed on the document. "That's . . . a lot of zeroes."
Izuku came to his senses as Gran Torino turned to leave. "Wait, what am I supposed to do with all of this?"
The old man stopped, turned his head to look at the boy, and smiled. "Be the hero that Toshinori saw in you." And with a blast of wind, Izuku and Melissa were left alone in the cemetery.