Spark kindled

As Izuku Midoriya stirred and reluctantly opened his eyelids, a lingering scent of sterility reached his nostrils, accompanied by a wet kiss on his cheek. Before him, an entirely new and unfamiliar scene came into focus. He found himself in what appeared to be a meticulously clean room, complete with a small rubber table positioned next to his bed. To his immediate left, a petite elderly woman adorned in a white lab coat and a distinctive pink helmet that accommodated her hair bun came into view. To his right, he could see the familiar short round stature of his mother sobbing quietly before reaching to hold her mother's quivering hand in his own.

"Mom. I am okay" Izuku said in a calm soothing tone before being brought into a warm embrace by her followed by a more intense sobbing now filled with happiness and relief that filled the air with a sense of calmness. "Oh, Izuku s- sweetie!" Inko beamed in a mix of joy and relief trying to dry her tears on the handkerchief.

A pregnant moment passed as Izuku remembered what had happened. "Did Kacchan make it? Is he okay? The last thing I remember is—" Izuku began, but he was gently cut off by an elderly woman who was now sporting a look of dread instead.

"How in the name of All Might's Pectoral muscles are you already up, young man?" the elderly woman asked in a tone of astonishment and scolding. "I have seen plenty of reckless youngsters in my time but you certainly take the cake. I'm half-tempted to give you a little talking-to for risking your own hide if I wasn't doing a favor for an old friend of mine. Not only did you put yourself and your friend at risk, but your quirk could have caused enough destruction to leave your wallet empty for half a lifetime. Thank your lucky stars the damage was contained by nearby heroes who were evacuating civilians." she finished.

"I have a q- quirk? / My s-son has a quirk?" Izuku and Inko gulped.

"You speak as if you didn't run at supersonic speeds before turning a villain into porridge and then being delivered to me in a state that would leave most surgeons sick in their stomachs. I counted at least dozens of fractures in your bones most of which were concentrated in the arm you used to gallop the poor villain," she remarked. Causing a flinch in both greenettes at how surreal her description sounded, especially to Izuku who now fixed his posture sensing the shift of weight in the air before the elderly woman continued on.

"What I cannot fathom is how fast you recovered from those injuries anyone else would have been tied to the bed for a month at least. Your healing factor is astonishing even without me giving it a little boost. Makes me wonder why that idiotic muscle for brains thought it was a good idea to call me here. Young man, you ought to remain in the hospital for at least a week to let a medical professional examine and observe you properly." She finished.

A pregnant moment passed on as Izuku felt his heart getting heavy. Nothing really made sense to him at the moment and to make things even more unbelievable he had just found out he had a Quirk. The green-haired boy tried to recall what had transpired the day before, only getting images of him running through the city while everything around had stopped moving. The only clear sensation he could remember from then was a burning feeling in his lungs as he desperately held onto every bit of air. At that very moment, he could hear his heart's beat quicken and the air current on his skin dance around him as gravity struggled against his moving form. Izuku lay still taking all the information in before somberly locking his gaze with his mother's eyes.

"I remember watching Kacchan getting choked by a villain on television before everything turned into a haze," Izuku mumbled to no one in particular. "Everything around me turned into a blur, and before I knew it, I was running, but to me, it felt slow." Izuku reminisced before sporting a puzzled look. "Why did my quirk manifest itself now? After all this time? Why now? And why does it not resemble your quirk Mom or Dad's?" Izuku questioned as he kept a steady gaze not breaking it off once. Inko gave out a hint of hesitation in her demeanor and then shifted into a look that expressed resignation.

"Izuku i- we never expected you to develop a quirk ever since you were examined by our family doctor who expressed it to be impossible to manifest one without an extra joint found in the pinky toe." She began breaking the eye lock and gazing at the floor now holding Izuku's hand firmly.

"What I had never told anyone was that someone in our family had manifested a quirk while missing an extra joint. Your grandmother. My mother told me about his father having manifested a quirk similar to yours in his early 16s. He could run faster than an eye could see to everyone else it would look like a blur but to him time-" Izuku finished the sentence his eyes beginning to get wet. "Slowed."

The elderly woman, who had been quiet the entire time, was visibly shaken by this revelation before making a conjecture. "Mrs. Midoriya, it would seem that your son has awakened and inherited a quirk that has been recessed in a dormant gene for generations until now. A highly rare occurrence, but not impossible," she explained before concluding her explanation.

"You won't have to worry about facing charges. Since it was done in an attempt to preserve an innocent life," she reassured. As her words sunk in, Izuku moved swiftly, pulling Inko, now appearing fragile, into a tight embrace.

"I can be a hero now, right mom?" Izuku whispered in a calm tone, releasing all the disappointment, sadness, and anger that had been kept shut in him for a decade now. What was a colorless world to him was now beginning to get filled with new colors and a sense of hope he never realized he needed.

Perhaps everything would be okay from now on with this new quirk of his he would be able to stand on the same starting line as everyone else participating in the U.A. Exams. Perhaps he could even make Bakugo acknowledge him and mend their relationship to be at least cordial. Now that Izuku thought about it he still did not know what happened to him after passing out.

Minutes turned hours and hours turned into days until as promised by the elderly woman some law enforcement officers came in and informed him and his mother that no charges were going to be pressed against him for unlawful use of quirk due to witness testimonies stating that he had acted in someone else's defense when using his quirk. Izuku was glad that his mom did not have to bear the burden of paying fines for his in hindsight thoughtless actions. But more than that he was shocked at how quickly all of it had happened, no one had questioned him on why his quirk was never registered.

On that very same day, Izuku was finally released from the hospital as they deemed his physical and physiological state was stable and did not warrant a need to keep him there. Moving through seemingly empty hospital halls Izuku passed a hospital room that had a familiar name written on the metal nameplate that left his throat immediately dry. It read 'K. Bakugo'. Peering through the gap of the door he saw a sleeping form of Bakugo strapped into all kinds of machines and a form of a blonde woman in her mid-thirties mourning at his bedside. Bakugo whose chest slowly raised back and forth had never looked so fragile than in this very image that Greenette was now bitterly greeted with.

It left him sick, and confused, and as he decided to knock on the door a weak "Enter please" beckoned him in. Trying to keep a tight lid on his warmongering emotions he stepped over the doorframe his head held down.

"Mrs. Bakugo how is kacchan doing? Is he going to be okay?" Izuku solicited his throat dry before the woman turned to get a better look at him recognizing Izuku instantly, Her demeanor switched from clear distraught to her wearing a semblance of a smile.

"It's good to see you in good health, Izuku," she began, her voice trembling on the edge of breaking as she continued, "Unfortunately, my firecracker wasn't as lucky." A heavy silence hung in the air as she struggled to hold back her emotions.

"His brain was deprived of oxygen for an extended period, leaving it gravely injured. At best, they expect him to have lost most of his motor and speech functions, and at worst..." She was about to finish her sentence before her emotions overwhelmed her, and she collapsed beside her son's bedside, sobbing uncontrollably. Her sobs filled the room, chilling it to the bone.

For Izuku, it felt as though someone had pierced his heart with a knife and twisted it, only to pull it out and stab him again and again. Everything around him seemed to lose color as he witnessed a mother breaking into a million pieces. He never expected to feel this way towards his former best friend— a sense of guilt, regret, but above all, a profound sense of loss. Seeing this heartbreaking scene before him caused Izuku to reel, and he fell to his knees, bowing deeply before the shattered woman in a show of empathy and shared grief.

"I- I'm so sorry, Mrs. Bakugo," Izuku choked out, his grip on his shirt trembling as he pressed his forehead firmly against the floor. "If I had been just a little faster, he wouldn't be... he would be... God damn it," he stammered, his anguish palpable.

As Izuku expressed his guilt and sorrow, he felt a trembling hand rest gently on his shoulder. The emotional floodgates he had tried to contain since entering her presence were now wide open, and he began to shed tears. Mrs. Bakugo's gaze met his with a look of understanding, devoid of any anger or hatred.

Izuku found himself utterly stupefied by her forgiveness. "W- Why? Why aren't you screaming at me? You should be hating me. I—" he began, frustration welling up within him, as Mrs. Bakugo's grip on his shoulder tightened. But she spoke calmly, her voice carrying a profound wisdom.

"Young man, I will hate the villain who took my son's future away from him, and the heroes who stood by, letting it happen," she explained. "But you, you are just a kid, someone whom Kacchan respected deeply, despite how he acted towards you. He wholeheartedly believed that you would be hurt if you tried to become a hero. So, in his own egoistic, stubborn-as-a-rock way, he tried to scare you away from entering the field of heroics."

The words hit him like a sledgehammer. Kacchan, of all people, had been looking out for him? The very foundation of his perceived reality crumbled, leaving him in a state of disbelief and distress.

"H- How? W- Why? He bullied me my whole life, how could he?" Izuku questioned, his confusion and disbelief evident in his voice. But then, a final metaphorical nail was brought down.

"My son felt really bad for bullying you after entering junior high school," Mrs. Bakugo revealed, a hint of irony in her tone. "Ha. He even confessed everything to me after the first day. He never knew how to approach you, so he did the only thing he thought he was best at. Playing the role of a bully," she finished with a tone that carried a note of both understanding and a touch of pride.

"Kacchan, you... You idiot," Izuku whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of emotions. Slowly, he lifted his head, locking eyes with Mrs. Bakugo, her expression filled with an unsettling pride that only deepened the shock.

As Izuku absorbed the reality he raised his head to see the blonde woman's cold stare at what seemed to be directed beyond him. A shiver ran down his spine, and his breath quickened. Slowly, he turned to follow her gaze, his eyes falling upon the imposing silhouette of a blond man standing in the doorway. The man's shock of blond hair and two distinctive tufts atop his head, coupled with his towering two-meter-tall, muscular frame, triggered instant recognition in Izuku.

It was All Might. The Symbol of peace now hanging his head low, his lips curled into what could be described as anguish hidden behind ice-cold stoism further echoed by a look of regret and broken will in his eyes. Izuku had never seen him in this state no the world could not afford their only pillar of hope to falter or be seen in such a fragile state. He almost looked human, a ghost of his brilliantly shining self that demanded respect and awe everywhere he was.

Perhaps if in different circumstances Izuku would have jumped out of his hospital gown and started panicking for just breathing the same air as his childhood hero and idol. But now he could not smile either, only halt his air in the lungs feeling the palpable air in the room. After a couple of pregnant moments and an electrifying gaze between two adults, All Might bowed and addressed Mrs. Bakugo with a calm tone of resignation.

"Mrs. Bakugo may I have a word with you privately please?" before settling his eyes on Izuku and continuing. "Young Midoriya I would also like to have a talk with you in private. Would you mind us meeting at a later date? Let's say an hour from now at Takoba Municipal Beach Park. We've much to discuss regarding the incident and your future young man". Izuku nodded with a hint of curiosity flying around his thoughts as both adults proceeded to exit the room leaving him alone with Kacchan.

Whatever had transpired between them in the past up until this moment held no significance for Izuku. In a rather terrifying manner, it seemed he had already forgiven Kacchan – or perhaps he had never truly been angry with him in the first place. Instead, he felt a deep sense of disappointment and sadness at having lost a friend for reasons that now seemed trivial compared to the newfound realization that Kacchan was living up to the heroic promise they had made as kids.

"Kacchan I have a quirk now can you believe it? I'll become the number one hero and surpass All Might. Just watch me, okay?" Izuku vowed, his voice carrying a fragile and somber tone as he shed his final tears. Memories of their childhood, playing together and collecting hero cards, flashed before him as they had once promised to become heroes together.

As the weight of his words settled in, and silence accompanied by occasional beeps lingered on, he took determined steps toward the room's exit. From that day forward, he would carry Bakugo's dreams and hopes within him, determined to show the world the kind of hero they had aspired to be—one who saves everyone with a smile on their face, unwavering will, and a presence that shouts, "I am here."

Izuku sat on a rock adjacent to the sea surrounded by heaps of thrash. mulling over everything that had happened today, his emotions now having calmed a little bit. A hushed pause hung in the air before his view was filled with the shadow of the towering all might.

"I AM HERE!" he thundered, his presence electrifying as he stepped in front of Izuku. With a hearty and boisterous tone, he, exclaimed, "Young man, I am delighted to see you already up and in good health."

Izuku recognized him immediately and almost jumped due to how abrupt his entrance was. He was now face to face with his childhood hero the man that had given him hope and entertained him most of his youth, the man he had set out to emulate as an example of how to be a hero. What he did not expect however is to see him bowing to him in a manner that left him frozen.

"Young man, I'm truly sorry for what transpired. I watched you dash past me in a blur while I did nothing to aid Young Bakugo. If I had intervened, you wouldn't have had to resort to such actions. On that day, you were the only one who answered the call of duty, while everyone present had abandoned it at that very moment including me," the blonde hero expressed, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"W-what? s- sir, I... I hardly did anything. My body just moved on its own, and before I knew it, I woke up in the hospital."

Hearing this, the towering figure of All Might gently placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder, a warmth in his expression that had been absent all day until now. It left the green-haired young man completely stunned.

"Young man, your attitude of self-sacrifice and unwavering commitment to doing what is necessary and right have inspired others more than you can imagine. Even I had forgotten what it truly meant to be a hero before witnessing your actions," All Might declared, before driving his message home with a final, prideful statement: "You, young man, embody it in a way no one else can."

With a pained expression, he suddenly coughed up blood. "Urgh!" a scream escaped him as a dramatic explosion of smoke burst forth, revealing a malnourished skeleton, a literal husk of the man once known as the Symbol of Peace.

Izuku couldn't help but look taken aback, though, after everything he'd been through lately, this revelation was the least surprising.

"It appears I've, ahem, miscalculated the amount of time I had left to rock my fabulous form," the skeletal husk of All Might admit with a hint of dry humor. "Young Midoriya, I must stress that no one should ever know about what you've witnessed here today. Regrettably, I can't spill all the beans about my current health situation. The less you know the better," he added in a calm, yet somewhat theatrical tone before pulling the helm of his shirt up revealing a gaping scarred wound in place of his stomach. Prompting a look of shock from Izuku.

"Young man, this is the price I had to pay for my carelessness when confronting a villain. To be honest, I can only fulfill my duties for about four hours a day. It's quite unfortunate, but I'm doing my best with whatever time I have left," All Might explained, his tone carrying a sense of acceptance.

"W-What do you mean by that? Are you saying you're... well, you know not going to be around much longer?" Izuku inquired with genuine concern.

"Not exactly, young man. It is a limitation and a reminder I have to live with up until my retirement. Don't fret; I'm still quite the epitome of health!" All Might chuckled heartily, inflating into his muscular form for a brief moment before he started coughing up blood and reverted to his previous state.

"In any case, I have brought you here to discuss your quirk which was quite the spectacle, young man. You sent that villain packing with that punch, but even I could tell it was raw and uncontrolled. It felt like you were using your quirk for the very first time," All Might remarked, offering an insightful observation.

Izuku nodded in silent agreement before explaining, "Sir, right up until that day, I believed I was quirkless, or perhaps my quirk had not yet manifested. I had resigned myself to a life without one, until..." He paused, his mind replaying the vivid memories of that moment—the sight and sensation of the surging electricity he had felt then.

"Until I saw Kacchan struggling on one of the TV screens in front of me, I was terrified, sir. I saw it in his eyes as that black sludge filled his mouth, the liquid pouring from his nostrils and ears—a desperate plea for help. Before I even realized it, my body was already moving toward its location. All I could think of was reaching him," Izuku explained.

All Might's interest was piqued upon hearing his description, and he posed the following question, "Young man, where were you exactly before all of this happened?"

Izuku, not giving it much thought, replied to the inquiry, "Oh, I was at X Park, around 4 pm, roughly-"

All Might's eyes honed in on him as he finished his words, stating, "8 kilometers away from x street. Young man, considering the time it took you to reach the villain, you were traveling at speeds of nearly 400 kilometers per hour."

Izuku was left utterly flabbergasted, staring at All Might and then pointing to himself in disbelief.

"I did that?" Izuku exclaimed, exhaling deeply.

"Indeed, young Midoriya. That is why I believe it's crucial that you receive guidance in controlling your quirk seeing as you are already harboring feelings of becoming a hero. Not to mention I believe you have the heart of someone who can keep the hope alive after my time has come to pass young man. " All might finished. Reaching out his right hand in an offering gesture.

"Will you allow me to mentor you for the next ten months leading up to the exams? Together, we'll work on mastering your quirk and building a resilient body to withstand any potential side effects," All Might declared, completing his offer. Izuku wore a quizzical expression before eventually nodding furiously in a beaming grin, half thinking that he must still be in a dream.

"We'll commence your training next Monday, sharp at 6 AM, here at the beach park. Oh, and feel free to call me Yagi or Toshinori, whichever you prefer," Toshinori offered, jotting down his phone number on a piece of paper before leaving Izuku to ponder the recent turn of events.

As Izuku returned his gaze to the serene sea, a comforting silence wrapped around him, inviting introspection. Recent events flooded his thoughts, and he contemplated the uncertain path that lay ahead. From the chance encounter with the purple-haired girl in the park to the acquisition of his newfound quirk, life had started him on a whirlwind of journey, and it was not without consequences Izuku thought as images of Bakugo's unconscious form flashed through.

After a moment, it dawned on him that he had indeed been in a conversation with the same purple-haired girl he'd met a couple of days ago. A wave of excitement washed over him. "Oh my god...! I actually had a conversation with a girl! And she responded to me," Izuku beamed with pride, his cheeks taking on a subtle shade of red. "She sure was nice," he mused to himself, accepting that he might never cross paths with her again. He regarded the encounter as something akin to a dream—a cherished memory he would forever hold close to his heart.