Reset and Rewind

Chapter 45 - Prepare for Reset

"You do realize we can't actually give him All For One, right?" Katsuki asked with a grunt, grabbing onto another part of the structure Cementos stomped out of the ground for them to climb. It was supposed to be quirkless training, so Aizawa had allowed Izuku to join in. He couldn't keep slacking off on his physique, after all.

"I know," Izuku frowned, glancing ahead to see which path was best. "But it's a nice thought, isn't it? I mean, if he has the quirk-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Deku-kun," Ochako interrupted, lifting herself up until she was at the same height as Izuku. "All For One will take control of his mind if the doctor transfers the quirk, right? You won't be able to talk sense into him."

"Like I said, it's a nice thought," Izuku hummed, continuing to climb until he reached a ledge he could stand on. Of course he knew why All For One was passing on his quirk. It wasn't anything noble like One For All, nor was it due to love or care or loyalty. It was to obtain a new body, a new vessel. A way to live forever and take control over the whole world. He didn't have the heart to tell Tenko that, though. Not after he used his connection to the man to convince him he wouldn't push Tenko to be something he didn't want to be, that he was free to choose.

"I still can't believe you told him about...you know," Katsuki breathed as Izuku pulled him up on the ledge. "You never talk about it."

"You know why," Izuku said, glancing up to see how far they still had to go. Katsuki sighed, knowing it was best to drop the subject. This wasn't worth fighting over. Not again. "Come on, let's not get distracted. There's a rough path up ahead, so we better be-"

Izuku's voice was cut off by a scream as a flash of purple fell down the structure. He acted before he could think, jumping after Mineta as he beelined to the ground below. Izuku was able to grab the back of his shirt and use Float to halt their descent. It would've been easier to simply use Blackwhip to catch him, that way Izuku didn't have to jump after him and cause a scene. But he didn't have access to that quirk right now and everyone was staring at him.

"Everything alright, Deku-kun?" Ochako asked, using her own quirk to float next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Izuku nodded, floating down to the ground in order to get Mineta to safety. He couldn't simply toss him back on the structure, now could he? "You go on ahead, I'm just gonna drop him off so he can calm down."

Mineta was still in shock about the whole ordeal, after all. Sometimes Izuku wondered how he got through the hero course when he was easily scared like this, but then again, he would be expelled during their second year anyway, so it didn't really matter.

"Since when can Midoriya fly?" he heard Ashido ask, making him tense up for a moment. He really didn't think this one through, did he?

"What do you mean? He's always been able to do that," Denki pointed out, playing the dumb obvious idiot part perfectly. Because if even Denki knew about it, why shouldn't you? Teenager logic, not the best way to check information, but convenient for situations like these. Although Eraserhead clearly didn't agree with that... All Might was looking rather strangely at him, though. As if he was trying to puzzle pieces together. It was odd, that's the only way Izuku could describe it.

"Mineta, you're benched. Think about what went wrong and how to prevent it in the future. Midoriya, a word," he called out as soon as Izuku's feet touched the ground again. This would probably turn into a lecture on personal safety and his reckless hero-complex, but that was fine. Mineta didn't fall to death so that's all that mattered, right? But before he could make his way over to Aizawa, All Might stopped him. A simple hand on his shoulder was more than enough, and one look told him more than words ever could. Those eyes... He recognized those eyes! Izuku took a shaky breath, trying to control his tears, but that had always been a losing battle.