Do You Want To Be A Hero? (31) | I Want to be a Hero

"Is this the place...?" Muttered the husk of a hero that was All Might.

It was 5 in the morning—almost daybreak. Thus, it was still somewhat dark, with only a few dim street lights as his guidance.

The ghastly-figure hero then made his way to his destination: the once-famous Takoba Municipal Beach Park...

Or at least what it used to be before. Now, it lay in ruin—an industrial wasteland cluttered with discarded electronics, rusting metal, and broken machinery.

The very air coming from it was thick with the stench of rust and decay...

"..."

All Might stood silent at the front of the "beach," staring at the mountain of scrapped electronics, feeling a faint sense of unease at the sight.

He remembered visiting this place once, back when he was just a high schooler.

This beach had once been one of Musutafu's prime tourist spots—a vibrant stretch of golden sand, with waves crashing gently on the shore.

He could still recall the peaceful sea breeze and the view of the horizon that seemed to go on forever...

But now? The sea itself was choked with waste, trash after trash washing ashore.

Illegal dumping had run rampant on it, and over time, the beach had transformed into a junkyard. Piles of metal and electronic waste grew higher by the year, suffocating what was left of its former beauty.

Now... why would the No. 1 Hero visit this once-picturesque beach, now a shadow of itself?

Was it nostalgia for the good old days?

No... that wasn't it.

The hero rummaged through his pocket and pulled out his phone. Unlocking it with a swipe, he opened the most recent email from an unknown sender:

'Come to The Takoba Beach or I'll expose your own secret to the world.'

"..."

He came here because someone was blackmailing him.

The husk-of-a-hero read and reread the message again, his sunken eyes scanning every word as though hoping for some sign it wasn't real.

Normally, he would've dismissed such a message as just another one of those prank or scam mails.

But this time... it felt different. His gut's feeling was telling him that he shouldn't ignore this one, and he might have an idea from who this threatening mail came from...

He looked toward the junkyard beach once more, still not truly convinced that this was the spot where his 'blackmailer' was waiting.

Either way... he just had to see it for himself.

With that, he finally entered the junkyard beach.

Hills to mountains of junk as far as his eyes could see. It was quite the mixed feeling for the No. 1 hero to witness such a sight of humanity's negligence. He was fortunate enough that somehow there was still a pathway for him to venture into.

He got closer, and closer to the "edge" of the beach itself, trying to find his supposed 'blackmailer' awaiting his arrival...

And finally, he found 'him.'

A young man with dark-green, fluffy hair.

He was sitting on one of the mountains of scraps, facing toward the beach itself. His eyes were fixed on the vast horizon of the sea...

"Hey! Young man!" All-Might's voice boomed toward the melancholic figure perched atop the mountain of junk.

"Hmm?"

The young man snapped out of his thoughts, turning his head slowly toward the hero.

"Ah, All-Might," he said, his tone carrying a faint trace of surprise. "You actually came, huh?"

All-Might sighed, crossing his arms. The high schooler's nonchalant attitude made his eye twitch.

"Of course, I did," he said, irritation slipping into his words. "I wouldn't want my own secret exposed to the world... like yours was."

"Hahaha~, you sure wouldn't~."

Another sigh escaped the hero's lips. His attempt at sarcasm only seemed to amuse the boy.

Izuku hopped down from his perch, landing lightly on the sand below. The soft crunch of debris mixed with sand echoed beneath his feet as he stood tall.

Now... face-to-face with the ghastly figure of All-Might, he kept his calm demeanor intact.

"Seriously, kid," All-Might said, narrowing his eyes. "Did you really have to resort to blackmailing me?"

"Oh? Sorry about that," Izuku replied, his tone casual, even playful, "I just didn't think you'd come otherwise... not without a little push."

"A little push? Sigh..." All-Might pressed his palm to his face, the fatigue setting in. Dealing with this kid was really taking its toll on him.

"How'd you even get my number in the first place...?"

"Oh, that? I found it on an old internet forum," Izuku answered bluntly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "A bunch of hero otakus had been collecting numbers they thought might belong to you~."

"Wait—what?! You're serious?!"

Izuku casually nodded, a stark contrast to All-Might's shocked expression.

All-Might groaned, his hand sliding down his face. The thought of strangers on the internet having access to his personal numbers made his stomach churn.

At the very least he hadn't gotten anything strange in his mailbox yet. Just the usual spam and scams.

"Ugh...! I'll deal with that later. For now..."

He shook his head, focusing his attention back on the boy.

"So, what is it you want to talk about... uhm... Izuku, right?"

All-Might vaguely recalled his name. He'd overheard it during the young man's conversation with his estranged female friend the previous night.

He wouldn't deny it... their exchange had been almost theatrical, like something out of a high school drama.

Still... the topic, strangely enough, had been about 'heroism,' a subject the No. 1 Hero knew all too well.

"Yup, I'm Izuku. Nice to meet you, All-Might~."

"Seriously, kid...?"

The hero could feel another strain on his nerves.

"... All-Might, you remember the conversation we had before, right?"

"... About heroism... wasn't it?"

"Yup."

"... What about it, kid?"

"..."

Izuku didn't answer right away. His gaze drifted toward the horizon of the sea, the dim light of the sea casting a quiet glow. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint crash of waves in the distance.

"You asked me... if I wanted to be a hero, right? Twice even."

"Yeah, I did, kid."

"Right... Back then, I wasn't so sure how to answer that seemingly simple question of yours."

His gaze remained fixed on the horizon, the dim light of daybreak shining upon his uncertain eyes.

"... It wasn't just because I didn't see myself as a hero... but also because of the doubt I had about whether I wanted to be one in the first place."

His words came slowly, each carrying its own weight.

"I've been searching for power... power for the sole purpose of protecting those I care about. Naturally, I thought that would make me the hero I'd always dreamed of becoming..."

The young man paused, his hand tightening into a fist at his side.

"But, as you might have heard before... my pursuit of power slowly twisted that desire. My initial goal of becoming a hero dwindled as time went by."

"..."

All-Might did not response to Izuku's confession, but he did feel somewhat conflicted about it.

Of course, the hero had already knew well of this important bit of information from... eavesdropping his conversation with his female friend.

The thought that this young man might have done something heinous... or even villainous... gnawed at the hero's mind.

Still, he let the young man continue, sensing there was more to his story.

The No. 1 Hero felt something in this strange green-haired vigilante. Something he himself still held on to...

"... And in the end, when I finally realized it, the desire I had been harboring since childhood—had completely faded."

There was another heavy silence. The faint sound of waves crashing against the shore filled the void as Izuku himself wrestled with his own emotions.

"I thought that maybe it didn't really matter anymore. That I just needed to focus on what was important... protecting those close to me."

"I see..."

"But..."

"But?"

"... When I met Katsuki again after so long..."

"..."

"That desire... slowly surfaced once more."

"Young man...!" All-Might's voice was firm yet encouraging, cutting through the tension like a beacon.

This was it. This was the feeling All-Might had been sensing from the young man...!

Hope.

"Maybe it's just a fleeting emotion. Most likely, it's just an excuse for all the mistakes I've made."

The young man continued, shaking his head as if trying to clear his own uncertainty.

"Maybe my desire is selfish and self-fulfilling. Maybe it's only surfacing because of a wish from someone else instead of my own..."

He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a moment before turning to face All-Might directly.

"But I want to do it..."

His voice steadied, resolve slowly taking root...!

"All-Might, you asked me before... 'Do you want to be a hero?' Right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Right... and my answer to your question..."

He took a single step closer, his eyes snapping open, burning with newfound determination...!

"Yes... I want to be a hero."

For a moment, silence hung once more between them...

But then... a surge of energy filled the air around the ghastly hero! All Might straightened his back, his previously gaunt frame expanding...!

BOOM!

With a resounding boom, the towering figure of the Symbol of Peace stood tall once more!

"That's the spirit!!!" The Mighty Hero bellowed, his booming voice carrying the weight of both encouragement and pride. "I could see it—the fires in your eyes, young man! To want to be a hero yourself… You've made this one hero's heart proud!!!"

Izuku smiled wryly, scratching the back of his head, feeling sheepish at the No. 1 Hero's words.

"But..." All Might suddenly added, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly as if seeing straight through the young man. "I can't help but feel that's not the only thing you wanted to tell me... isn't it, young Izuku?"

Caught off guard, Izuku couldn't hold back a soft chuckle.

"Quite sharp of you, All Might."

Izuku took a step forward, his amused expression turned serious.

"There is one more thing that I wanted to say. Or, in this case... something that I want to ask from you, All Might... a favor."

"A favor?"

He locked eyes with the towering hero. The previously uncertain look in his eyes was gone, replaced with a set of determined ones...!

"All Might... Please teach me how to become a hero."

"...!"

The Symbol of Peace looked down at the young man before him. The hero gazed upon him, the determination clearly evident on would-be hero's expression...!

"'Teach you how to become a hero,' you say...?" All Might said, his voice warm with amusement. "... Hahaha..."

He slowly chuckled, a bright gleam flashing in his eye... before his chuckle turned into booming laughter of joy!

"HAHAHA! Interesting!!!"

The mighty hero's gaze softened as he looked back at the determined young man before him.

"What an interesting request, young man," he continued, his tone filled with pride.

Izuku himself stood still, his heart pounding as he awaited the continued response from his (former) idol.

"All right, kid…" All Might said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "I'll teach you how to be a hero!"

And so... Izuku's journey of becoming a true hero... begin.

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Author Note:

Well, here it is... the conclusion to the volume. Hope that you find this cheesy bit interesting.

...

But, there's still more for this volume though.

Maybe a epilogue or two~?

Stay tuned for more~