The Many Lives of One For All - An MHA Short Story

Chapter 3: Brain Food

Star leaned back against the counter that held the fruit bowl. After hearing Izuku tell his story, she became silent and remained that way for several minutes.

"Um... Stars n Stripes?" Izuku asked her.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" She asked as she looked up.

Izuku stopped himself from answering her immediately.

"...Who did you tell, Midoriya?" She raised her blonde eyebrow at him.

"Ka-Kacchan. My classmate. B-But he didn't believe me!" Izuku assured.

"Hm." She hummed. "I just have one more question for you."

Izuku gulped.

"Why do you want to become a hero, even after you found out you were Quirkless?" Star asked.

"That's so much worse than anything else she could have said!" Izuku thought. He cleared his throat. "Originally, I wanted to be just like All Might, and save people with a smile. But now, having lived as a hero student for some time, and having been trained some by All Might himself, I...I'm not really sure."

Star nodded. "It's alright. Lots of heroes go through this. Even the best." She leaned back further against the countertop. "Let me give you some brain food."

"Brain food?" Izuku asked. His mind went to a very strange image.

"I mean, food for thought. Advice." She explained. "Every hero has their reasons for wanting to get there. Most of those reasons are wrong, or just plain stupid. It's after they've experienced it all: saving lives, fighting villains, and giving back to their community that really changes them for the better. Then they find their reason."

Standing up straight again, she approached the boy and offered her hand for him to shake.

Awkwardly, he reached for her hand and shook it firmly.

"Glad to have you here, Izuku Midoriya. You, and your friends. They seem like a very supportive and strong bunch. Definitely useful in our mission."

Izuku smiled nervously. He felt much better, hearing from someone else who understands.

"I also have a soft spot for All Might fans." She half-whispered to him with a wink. "All Might isn't as popular here in America as he is Japan. A lot of people think my whole look is originally purely American. The irony!"

"Star?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah?" She turned to face him.

"I'm just curious to know... How do you know All Might?" He asked timidly.

Star smiled big. "When he was attending college in America, he saved me and my brother from a villain attack. His selflessness and his smile were both very...influential to me."

"Wow. That must've been over twenty years ago!" Izuku gasped.

"Yep." Star snickered. "I'm not as old as I look."

They laughed for a moment. "Now then. It's best you get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow and I need you ready at 0600 hours. That's 6am for non-military personnel." Star instructed.

"Yes, ma'am!" Izuku bowed. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, kid." She smirked.

~~~~~~~

Iida, Uraraka, and Izuku had set alarms before their sleep, and yet the alarms were drowned out by the even louder sound of a trumpet blaring through the intercom system, which none of them realized their rooms had.