One for All and All for One by CelestialBronze1299
Chapter 7
Hiding The Past
Word Count: 3372
The class dispersed, still reeling from the 'logical ruse' Aizawa had pulled on them. Everyone had pushed themselves to the limit, a slight fear set in their minds even if they knew they would pass the test. Everyone had heard of the teacher that had expelled an entire class, but no one knew exactly how intimidating he was. A small, purple-haired boy was especially shaken, trembling in his shoes from how close he was to being expelled.
Izuku, however, was tense for a completely different reason. Aside from the pain still coursing through his arm, Aizawa was suspicious of him and One For All. He had already noticed the difference between the super-strength and the copy ability his other Quirk demonstrated. The tension in his gut strung tighter when Aizawa gestured for him to stay back while the rest of the class headed back to the classroom.
Once they were alone, Aizawa fixed Izuku with a blank stare, his apathetic expression unnerving the student. "My question from before still stands. What is your Quirk? You've demonstrated conflicting abilities in the entrance exam and these tests. First you copy Present Mic's Quirk, then you destroy the zero-pointer with a single punch, and today was the same."
Izuku winced at the reminder of his carelessness. "Let me remind you," Aizawa continued, "that for these next three years, I will be the one maintaining your education. To mold you into a proper hero, I need to know what I will be working with. Lying to me would only be problematic for you. It would inhibit your learning, and prevent me from drawing out your potential. Understand?"
Izuku meekly nodded, and Aizawa backed off. "Good," he stated, crossing his arms. "So, explain your Quirk to me, starting with your strength."
"U- Um," Izuku stuttered, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "I- I can't tell you."
Aizawa's eyebrow rose higher. "And why is that?"
A moment of silence between the two allowed for Izuku to try and think of an excuse. He gulped, not wanting All Might's secret to get out any more than it had already, but knowing the risks of not telling his teacher now.
"It's- it's not my secret to share…"
The teacher's expression remained unfazed. "I see. Well, ask this… person if they would mind sharing their secret to one more person, for the benefit of your education. In the meantime, tell me what you can."
Izuku proceeded to explain One For All, being sure to leave out any mention of All Might in his explanation. He told Aizawa about how he had a reservoir of strength at his disposal, but he couldn't control how much to use at any period of time. The broken bone in his finger was a painful reminder of that very fact, and how he needed to fix it. He also talked about how his copy Quirk worked, including the time limit and the recovery period.
Aizawa kept silent throughout the explanation, only speaking up after Izuku had finished. "From what I've heard so far, it seems you have a Quirk separate to the copy ability you show. Am I right?"
Izuku froze, not even thinking that he had to hide the fact that he had two Quirks. Before he could justify himself, Aizawa continued.
"Judging from your expression, you didn't want people to figure that out. That's fine, but we'll have to improve your misdirection skills drastically if you want to keep it a secret. You'll need a solid excuse, as many people will be seeing you use your Quirk during the sports festival."
The teacher turned back to the school, walking into the building nearby. "We'll talk about this later. For now, get some rest. Tomorrow your classes really start." He disappeared through the door, leaving Izuku standing in the field alone.
...that was scary, Izuku thought to himself. Will All Might let me tell Aizawa about One For All? He is a pro hero, but if All Might hasn't told him already, I doubt he would want to. He shook his head. Stop thinking about it! I gotta focus on school, it's only going to get harder from here.
The school bell buzzed, startling Izuku. "ACK!" he shouted, running towards the classroom. "I'm late already for just grabbing my stuff!"
"Come in!"
Toshinori stepped into the office in his true form, shifting in his baggy suit. He had been preparing his teacher's notes for the next day when he had received a call summoning him to the U.A. principal's office. Although he was hoping for some small talk for his first day, he knew full well why he had been called. He and the principal had been friends with each other long enough to know how each other thought, and the principal was a very curious person.
He glanced at the small, furry animal sitting on a high chair in front of a grandiose desk. A suit covered his fur, and he wore large, orange high-top shoes. His perpetual smile, one not unlike All Might's own, widened as he saw Toshinori come in.
"Toshinori!" Nedzu exclaimed, gesturing for the frail hero to sit on a chair in front of the desk. Toshinori did as such, squinting his eyes as the sun beat down through the floor-to-ceiling windows covering the back wall. "It's been so long since we've had a proper conversation," the anthropomorphic animal continued, sipping a cup of tea.
Toshinori bowed his head slightly and replied, "Indeed, Nedzu. We do need to catch up sometime." He raised his gaze to match Nedzu's beady eyes. "Although, I presume you didn't call me up here just for catching up, did you?"
Nedzu chuckled, setting down his cup. "Clever. I guess that means you know why you're here then, don't you?"
The frail hero gave a solemn nod. "You're interested in Midoriya Izuku."
"Of course. His performance at the entrance exam was… enticing, to say the least. I take it that he's the successor you found?"
"Yes. I found him around ten months ago, after I had accepted the teaching position here."
"And he has only recently inherited One For All?"
"Ah… yes." Toshinori rubbed his neck in guilt. "He wasn't anywhere near the physical requirements to use my Quirk, so I had to train him… and even then, he barely passed the limit."
Nedzu nodded. "Of course. That can easily be improved on through more training, so it shouldn't be an issue."
He then fixed Toshinori with a sharp stare, his small smile still prevalent. "And what other Quirk does he have? I noticed a rather… interesting event in which he appeared to copy Present Mic's ability to amplify his voice during the exam. Of course, I assume you've tested him already?"
Toshinori swung his gaze to the ground, uneasy at the turn the conversation had taken. He knew the discussion would have to happen eventually, he just wasn't as prepared for it as he would have liked to have been. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for the principal's reaction to his next words.
"Yes. Midoriya does have All For One."
A pregnant pause covered the room as Nedzu scratched his chin in contemplation. Toshinori started to sweat, the silence pressing down on him. Finally, Nedzu spoke, grabbing his tea once more. "How far has his ability progressed?"
"Currently, he can only copy a Quirk for a small amount of time," Toshinori reported. "Since no one knows how All For One was like in his early days, there's no way to tell how his Quirk developed into the power he has now. However, considering young Midoriya can simply copy a Quirk instead of steal and manipulate it, it's safe to assume that he is in the very early stages of developing his power. It's very possible he will start to strengthen his Quirk as he trains more."
"Have you told him?" Nedzu asked, causing Toshinori to flinch at the inevitable question. He dropped his professional tone, hanging his head as he replied.
"No, I… You know what All For One did to the world. How evil he is. I… I didn't think that Midoriya needs more stress on his back with the hero training and everything. Knowing that his Quirk is shared with the world's worst villain will only bring more harm than good." He gave a frustrated sigh. "He has the potential to become an amazing hero. I don't want to ruin that by scaring him of his own power."
Nedzu hummed in understanding, taking a drawn sip of his tea. "Of course, I wouldn't want the heir to One For All to be held back, either. However, you do understand that he will have to learn eventually. If you ever tell him about… your master's fate, he will need to know about All For One."
"I'm prepared for that. I'll tell him eventually, just not when he's getting adjusted to hero life."
Toshinori said this, but his mind was on a different train of thought. He had no intention of telling Izuku about All For One anytime soon. Sure, it may be smart to keep Izuku informed about his predecessor, as Nedzu had said, the principal hadn't actually faced off against the villain. Toshinori had personally witnessed the destruction and despair All For One had wrought twice, one of those times even taking away someone he had loved. He didn't want Izuku to suffer through what Toshinori had, so keeping him in the dark for as long as possible was, to him, the safest option.
The frail hero leaned back in his chair, watching as Nedzu hopped down from his chair to no doubt make another pot of tea. There was no point in telling Izuku about All For One, anyway. The villain was dead, defeated from their battle six years prior. Izuku would never have to worry about the cruel villain, not as long as he had something to say about it.
Izuku trudged through the doors of U.A., still reeling from his visit to Recovery Girl. The doctor had given him quite a sharp talking-to about the consequences of hurting himself too often. Apparently he was the first person in the history of the school to be sent to Recovery Girl's office not once, but twice before school even had technically started. He shuddered, faint traces of the wrinkly kiss Recovery Girl had given him still on his cheek.
His pacing sped up as he hurried towards the train home. It had been an incredibly eventful day, and besides the doctor's trip, he had learned so much already. So many different Quirks were being utilized in so many different ways, and his mind was racing from all of the ideas bouncing around. His hands itched for his notebook, and he was already considering getting another from the amount of notes he wanted to write.
Before he could even step out of the building's shadow, however, he felt a hand on his shoulder stop him. Turning around, he saw Tenya looking at him, albeit with a much softer gaze than the one he had worn during the entrance exam.
"You're all healed up?" he asked, Izuku giving a quick nod in response. Tenya hummed in approval, then started to briskly walk away, leaving Izuku to scurry to keep up.
"So, I was wondering, how does your Quirk work?" Izuku flinched, expecting the same interrogative talk as Aizawa had given him, but Tenya went off on a completely different tangent.
"That way you copied my Engine, it was truly fascinating. Your calves produced the same pipes I have in my legs, and your hair matched my own with impeccable accuracy. Even in the entrance exam, you copied Present Mic's Quirk and displayed an incredible feat. Would you mind if I asked a few questions? Your Quirk really is fascinating."
"O- Oh, yes, of course!" Izuku stammered, still rattled by the fact that actual people wanted to talk to him. His initial impression of the boy had been wrong, it seems. Tenya wasn't rude, he was just earnest. While it could be annoying at times, it was an endearing trait. Tenya opened his mouth to speak, but before he could ask another question, they heard a voice ring out in the air.
"Hey! You two!" The two boys turned around to see Ochaco running towards them, waving her hand wildly.
"You guys going to the station? Wait for me!" She slowed her pace, her mouth stretched into a brilliant smile.
Tenya's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, you're the infinity girl, aren't you?" he inquired.
Ochaco gave an energetic nod. "Yup! My name's Uraraka Ochaco, and if I remember correctly, you're Tenya Iida, and…" She turned towards Izuku. "You're Midoriya Deku!"
At the mention of the name, Izuku paled. He faintly remembered how Ochaco had called him that at the exam as well. Shaking his head, he tried to correct her. "Oh, well… my name isn't actually Deku."
Ochaco's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? But at the entrance exam, before orientation, I heard that Bakugo boy call you Deku..., and even at the tests today, he called you that again."
"U- Um, well, my real name is Izuku, but Deku is what Kacch- Katsuki! calls me to make fun of me…" He scratched his neck in embarrassment.
"Oh… sorry about that!" Ochaco replied in guilt, before springing back up to her usual bubbly self. "But Deku kinda sounds like Dekiru! You know, like the word for 'you can do it!' I kinda like it, actually."
"I'M DEKU!"
Izuku quickly turned around, hiding his flaming red face in his hands as Tenya started to shout in surprise about how fast Izuku had accepted the insult as a nickname. Ochaco just looked confused at the nervous teen's antics.
"It's like a Copernican Revolution…," Izuku muttered, shaking his head to try to get rid of his widening blush. "Nothing's normal, wrong is right…"
"Coperni-what?" Ochaco asked.
Taking a deep breath, he forced his blush to fade as he turned back to face the two. "We better get going, or we're gonna be late, right?"
Tenya quickly looked at his phone, eyes widening at the display. "The train leaves in ten minutes! We must quickly make our way there, or we will be late! Also, I still have those questions about your Quirk to ask, Midoriya. Let's walk there together!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, yeah, I wanted to ask a few questions about that Quirk of yours too, Deku!" Ochaco added as she lightly bumped his shoulder. Izuku reddened at the touch and the nickname, although not nearly as much as before. He mentally pat himself on the back for the display of courage. The three walked off to the station, chattering amongst themselves about Izuku before moving on to other topics.
This is nice, Izuku thought to himself as he listened to Tenya earnestly ramble on about the tests while Ochaco struggled to contain her laughter. It had been so long since he had had actual friends that he had forgotten what it felt like to enjoy himself with kids his age. Of course, he had befriended the adults at I-Island, but talking with other teenagers was just… fun. He left the campus in a good mood that day, the chatter from his new friends around him giving him new hope for the rest of the year.
Unbeknownst to any of them, a certain blond-haired individual followed them a few meters behind, eyes narrowed and hands clenched into fists. Katsuki watched as Izuku laughed at a joke Ochaco had told, a low growling building in his throat. He hated seeing Izuku, the pawn he had had control over for the last three years, now somehow confident and bright.
What had happened to him to make him like this? Katsuki had known for his whole life that Izuku was too weak-minded to make it into U.A. At least, that had been the case before last year. After the slime villain incident, however, something changed inside of the green-haired teen. For some reason, after the attack, Izuku had stopped getting pushed around by the middle schoolers, keeping a steely expression instead of resorting to crying.
Of course, that may have something to do with Katsuki himself avoiding the teen for the better part of the year. When his goons had asked about it, he had simply written it off as Izuku being a waste of his time, but deep down, he knew it was something more. That incident with the slime villain, when he had been captured, it changed things, both for Izuku and Katsuki.
That way that Izuku had charged in… disregarding the fact that he had a Quirk, it had been jarring to see the look of pure terror on the young boy's face. Not for himself, but for Katsuki. When Izuku had ran in against all odds, it had jarred Katsuki, freezing him in his attempt to escape the slimy clutches of the villain. For months, Katsuki had thought about that feeling. That expression, the way Izuku looked at him with determination even with tears in his eyes, it had reminded him of when they were kids.
Back then, Katsuki and Izuku had been the best of friends. Izuku had followed Katsuki around like a drone, excited by every bold endeavor Katsuki did. Whether it be blowing something up, or trekking deep into the forest, Izuku had stood by Katsuki, showering him with praise, which the young toddler had proudly accepted.
One memory came to mind, however, as he thought about those days. It was the moment Katsuki had started to look at Izuku in a different light, as a threat instead of a friend. Not the time Izuku had protected a child and unconsciously stole Katsuki's Quirk, no, he had known full well how he felt about Izuku then. No, it was a time when Izuku turned that same caring and determined trait towards him.
Katsuki had tripped into a ditch, his knees scraping as he tried to break his fall. His friends had chuckled before waiting for him, but Izuku, for some reason Katsuki still didn't seem to understand, had hopped down that ditch after him, disregarding the danger of getting hurt as well. He had offered a hand to Katsuki, trying to help him stand. There had been a long moment of contemplation before Katsuki shoved him away, standing up on his own.
At the time, Katsuki thought Izuku was mocking him. That thought had carried with the young boy for years and years, that Izuku thought he was better than him, that he was above Katsuki. That thought had only been reinforced by the fact that Izuku had applied for U.A., and had somehow actually gotten in.
After Katsuki had confronted Izuku after the meeting with the principal, however, his thoughts had started to muddle. Izuku had no inkling of fear or snark in the look he had given him then, only sheer determination. It had shaken Katsuki, contradicting what he had thought about the boy for so long. Maybe… maybe Izuku really didn't think he was above Katsuki. Maybe he genuinely wants to be friends.
Katsuki viciously shook his head, fire sparking in his hands. He banished the thought from his mind, choosing to go back to his former prejudice. There was no way Izuku would still like him after all this time, he reasoned. He had only ran into the slime monster to feed the thought that he could be a hero, not because of Katsuki. He probably would've done the same thing to any other person. It was the safer option, better than… the alternative.
He huffed, turning onto a street where he didn't have to stare at Izuku constantly. He lived closer to U.A., so he didn't have to take the train home. Better for him, as he didn't want to stand being near Izuku any more than he had to. Izuku was simply a punching bag that would only advance his status within U.A. That was all he was, all he would ever be...