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CHAPTER START---
Standing on the beach Izuku watches the stars in the sky, enjoying the sound of gentle waves crashing and spotting a few people walking along what was a dump site, now a lovely beach thanks to all his hard work.
He looks sad and uncertain, but his expression brightens as a voice calls out from behind him.
"Young Midoriya!" he turns to see Yagi approaching him. "Sorry I had you waiting, there was a situation nearby that needed my help. Plus since we can't talk on campus because of Horizon this was the only option to meet in person."
"Oh, it's ok...I needed the time to think anyway," he says, both men now facing each other.
Yagi raises a brow at the contemplative look on Izuku's face, "everything ok kid?"
"Actually, All Might, I don't think everything is," he looks down at his feet, worrying Yagi.
"Well, spit it out, whatever it is I'm sure we'll figure it out together.""That's the problem, today... after seeing how hurt Kacchan was, thinking I'd kept this secret from him for ten years, I went to go tell him."
"Oh crap, did you tell him?!" Yagi seemed more scared than upset, knowing Izuku isn't the type to brag about things.
"No, I tried, but he interrupted me," Izuku sighs and looks up at Yagi, tears flowing down his face. "He said that, that he didn't want anything to do with me, that he had to focus on Todoroki and Horizon...that even he couldn't beat them. That every second he spends thinking about me they just get further ahead..."
"I see," Yagi raises a finger to his chin. "A completely focused mind can accomplish great things, his mindset isn't wrong, but it can be dangerous if taken to extreme levels."
"Yeah, but that's not what I called you all the way here for."
"Oh, you didn't want me to go talk to Young Bakugo?"
"No, it's about something he said," Yagi quietly waits as Izuku carefully chooses his words. "He said that Horizon was so far beyond him...and since he's already so far ahead of me, I don't even know what that makes me. Not to mention Principal Nezu thinks he'll be the next you, the future Symbol Of Peace...what I'm trying to say is," he takes a deep breath and bows. "I'm sorry! But I've decided to give him One for All."
Izuku expects disappointment, or to get hit, but all that happens is Yagi mutters out a , "ah, I see."
He looks up startled to see a sympathetic look on Yagi's face. "What? You aren't mad about me wanting to give away your Quirk?"
"It's not my Quirk any more kid, it's yours, and I can't stop you from giving it away if that's what you really want to do, and it sounds like you've already made up your mind."
"I have, I just think he'll be able to help a lot more people than me with One For All."
"You're right," Yagi nods in agreement, and Izuku feels whatever little piece of him that was hoping his hero would argue with him get crushed. "Horizon is undoubtedly talented, I'd even say peerless and that's considering most pros. Say, want to hear about the first time I met him?" he asks oddly cheerfully, ignoring Izuku's watery eyes.
"Uh-I---"
"Great," Yagi cuts him off. "It was -as of yesterday- exactly one year ago. I know I only told you about him yesterday when school began but I've known him for a while."
Izuku stares in surprise.
"He's the reason I can stay in my muscular form for so long, and help so many people, a real living miracle...and I thought that before I even knew he could fight," he chuckles. "See, I don't think I've ever met someone like him, good at everything, powerful Quirk, genius mind, near perfect training from what I've seen, and he has the confidence to always speak his mind, he's a perfect hero..."
"Yeah," Izuku mutters, "that's why I'm giving him One For All."
"Well...almost perfect," Yagi adds, causing Izuku to look up in surprise. "What? You thought if he was actually perfect, and I met him before you, that you would have still gotten One For All, c'mon kid, you're supposed to be smart, you must have realized there was a reason, right?"
Izuku retreats into his mind for a moment, comparing himself to Horizon. But in the end he just shakes his head and feels worse than before, "I can't think of anything I'm better at than him."
"That's the point of One For All," Yagi says. "You don't have to be born powerful, or talented, you've got the strength of all the previous users, all the previous heroes. No matter who gets One For All they will have the power of a top pro, and since it enhances any existing Quirk in the user, I'm sure Horizon's Quirk -whatever it is- would become near almighty. He'd likely save so many people that history will forget about me completely, he's just that capable after all."
"Yeah that's what I figured too, but why didn't you give it to him?"
"Because, while One For All can give you the power of a great hero, it can't give you the heroic spirit needed, and the desire to become a great hero," Yagi places a massive hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I saw that heroic spirit in you, stronger than I've ever seen in anyone, including myself. When you master One For All you'll have all the power I did, and with your spirit, I can trust you to stay on the righteous path no matter what life throws at you, that's why I chose you."
"Really?" Izuku asks, fighting the tears and clearly about to lose.
"Yup, Horizon has everything, a perfect life, and is a perfectly capable person, but you've got the heroic spirit I was looking for," Yagi gives a dazzling smile.
Izuku breaks down into ugly sobs, causing Yagi to frown. "Seriously kid you need to get your waterworks under control..."
"Sorry," he wipes his face a few times with his sleeves. "I just can't believe you'd think that about me, I figured anyone at UA would be heroic enough."
Yagi chuckles at that idea, "Young Midoryia, you'll soon learn that for many people this is a job, and in Horizon's case, it's not even a job he wanted," Izuku looks surprised at that. "I don't know the details but Nezu worked attending UA into whatever deal they made, that's the only reason he's there...see, he was never any competition for One For All. So of course I'd bet on you to be the next Symbol Of peace."
After he composes himself Izuku smiles at Yagi, "that's exactly what I needed to hear, thank you."
"Don't sweat it kid, honestly the fact that you always put others above yourself is what makes you so heroic, but it clouds your vision when you try to objectively compare yourself with your peers, get that under control along with your Quirk and you'll see how fair the playing field is."
"Really, even with Todoroki and Horizon?" Izuku doesn't look convinced, and the way Yagi awkwardly rubs the back of his neck doesn't make him feel better.
"Well, Todoroki sure, but warping is just plain unfair, he's the only warping hero in the world too so he'll surely be more popular at the start. You've got a lot of work to do to catch up to him, but the moment you make One For All your own, you'll be neck and neck with your other classmates."
Izuku clenches his bandaged fist, already healed to the point of not feeling pain from it, then looks up at Yagi, "I'll catch up, and I'll be a great hero. I'll save a lot of people, just like you..."
"Now that's what I wanna hear!" Yagi ruffles his hair before pulling him into a hug. 'You've got a lot more work ahead of you than even I can imagine, if all the supercomputers in Nezu's brain say betting on Horizon is the right move...then your spirit is in for one hell of a journey Young Midoriya...'
---Matani Estate...
PFF!
Law's MMA gloves smash into the heavy bag, drenched in sweat, shirtless, and wearing only a pair of shorts and shoes, he continues his evening workout.
The stars are high above the ocean, offering an incredible view through the wall of windows in his gym.
PFF!
Another barrage of punches with pristine form.
"Booster Shot," he mutters, and a surge of healing energy permeates his body, not finding anything to heal it enhances what is already there.
BAM!
His strong right slams into the heavy bag, with so much force that the four hundred pound -181kg- bag swings and nearly becomes parallel to the ground, then the top of the bag rips, and it goes flying for a few meters away. A clear tear in the leather where his gloves connected.
"Fuck, another one," he mutters while feeling his extremely temporary enhanced strength rapidly fade as the bag skids to a stop a few meters away. He looks down to see sand already leaking out of the bag. "I'll pick up a new one tomorrow, should get one that power types use anyway..." he mutters while walking away, taking off his gloves.
Whilst Booster Shot was energy intensive and extremely short-lived, it did allow him to increase his strength a respectable amount, still, nothing compared to what actual power types like Sato could unleash. At best it allowed him to unleash three times his base strength, while Sato has an x5 increase in strength at a minimum for three whole minutes from one activation of his Sugar Rush Quirk. Horizon only has x3 increase for a few seconds at best, and that's after none stop training this past year. Barely any increase at all from what it previously was.
Only good for one clean hit, otherwise it simply wasn't economical to use stamina for it.
"Not like I enjoy brawling anyway, but Booster Shot really needs improvement," he mutters while considering how weak his enhancement is compared to the rest of his classmates, mainly Sato and Kirishima.
After getting cleaned up he's sitting in his massive kitchen at the counter. The entire open floor of his living and entertainment area was furnished, seemingly full of life, a perfect family home built at his request.
But it was cold, and empty. And the man who has everything, the perfect life, the perfect Quirk, the peerless talent, everything people assumed when they saw or met him... he sat alone at the kitchen counter eating a massive plate of Lasagne quietly listening to the news about Best Jeanist resolving a hostage crisis hours ago.
Just glancing up from his phone he takes another bite of his food and looks across at the picture he brought down to have dinner with.
The picture Nezu had saved a year ago and brought to him, the only physical picture he had left, as everything else was on his phone or in isolated hard drives in safe houses.
He, Corazon, and Kiku, at the beach after a certain surfing trip. Placed in a simple picture frame and stood upright on the counter to face him.
So while his classmates were having dinner and chatting with their families, he did the same...
"So, today was my second day at UA," he says, seemingly to nobody, but his parents were always the people he could talk to about anything, and this is the closest he could get to that. "It wasn't bad, some of my classmates seem nice enough... I think they know not to get in my way, so that's good."
He takes another bite of his food.
"I got the Lasagne recipe right...well, I perfected it a while back, but it's the first time I've made it in this house, you know? Can't wait for you guys to try it..."
He sees the new story change to Gang Orca.
"Yeah, I already have everything ready, just need to get to the sports festival and take the spotlight. After that everything should run normally until I get my provisional license next year, UA lets second years take the test, but I'll try to talk Nezu into letting me take it early, I'm sure he'll like the idea," he chuckles.
He finishes his meal quickly after that, cleans up, then takes the picture and warps into his bedroom.
A massive bed with grey sheets, easily capable of comfortably holding five people of his large size.
Plugging in his phone to charge he lays in bed and takes one last look and the picture, eyes focusing on his parents, shaking his head at the memory of those words his mom said, and how true they are now.
"I really am a lonely god," he mutters sadly. "But it's only for a few more years...I'll bring us back together, I'll fix this, then we never have to set foot in Japan again..."
He rolls on his side and places the picture frame in the drawer of his bedside table.
"And now I need to go back to pretending like you aren't who you are, as if I could ever be ashamed of you," he says in disgust at the thought.
Turning off the lights he takes one last look at the clock, groaning as he sees its almost 2AM, then covers himself in the blanket and closes his eyes.
"Just a few more years being a lonely god..."
END CHAPTER---
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene