18 Ch. 19 - Quirk Assessment and the Talk with All Might

June 5, Saturday, here he is, looking at his Oppo smartphone, browsing on the internet to see the news that was reported last night or this early morning. Izuku finished eating breakfast and feeding his pets.

What are they doing? The pets? Well, because of them always together, you might find them strange, but cute.

Why did the author ask this kind of question? Well, Emerald was doing gymnastics. By that, he's trying the long jump which is very funny.

As for Mittens? What she's doing is very unusual for cats.

She's chasing her own tail before running to another room. It might be the first time for some people to see a cat chasing his or her own tail if this was uploaded to HeroTube. Nevertheless, Izuku saw it and was amused because of their weird, yet cute acts.

Guess it's the first time for him, huh? Anyways, as for himself, Izuku checked the clock and it's 10:23 AM.

Spammed by friend request in FaceBook, he scanned whose name is it coming from. Identified that they are his classmates and that is the reason he was added in a group chat called C1-A in Google Classroom an hour ago.

Then, he received a message from his homeroom teacher.

"Aizawa-sensei? Wonder what is it?" He muttered under his tone, seeing that the kind of message he received is a direct one or direct message in short.

Without wasting a second to think, he opened the message.

[Shota Aizawa: Kid, suit up your P.E Uniform and meet me at the P.E Grounds. It's time for Quirk Assessment. Meet me later at 11:00 A.M, but it's better if you would go later than sooner.]

"(Quirk Assessment. I wonder what type of tests...)" Izuku thought before he shrugged the topic off and decided to work on it now. As he went to his bedroom, he undressed, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around his waist before he went to the bathroom and started to take a bath.

Not long after that, he was finally wearing his P.E uniform, just like he was told to. After tying the laces of his red Nike shoes, he went out and said to Emerald and Mittens, "Hey. I need to go outside, okay? I'll be back."

Izuku patted his head before he opened and closed the door of his house and went to the P.E Grounds.

==Time Skip==

"You sure took your time." It wasn't the teacher who said that. You thought that's Aizawa, but you're wrong. It was Izuku Midoriya all along. Eraser Head did say to meet at 11:00 AM, but it's past that specific time. It's already 11:20 AM.

What do you expect of the sleeping mummy? Wake up very early to finish it, or wake up late to sleep more.

"Sorry, seems that sleeping got the best of me."

"That's what everyone says." Izuku stated, making the walking zombie teacher sigh in annoyance before he said, "Whatever,. Let's get over it already. So, I did mention that you're going to have a Quirk Assessment today."

"Yes." Izuku nodded.

"Do you remember about your physical fitness test back in your own junior high school?" Aizawa asked, causing the green-haired boy to look down in his thoughts. After a few seconds, he raised his head and stared at his homeroom 'mummy' teacher saying, "I remember sensei. Back then, it's a physical fitness test without Quirks. I'm predicting that in this test, I can use it?"

Aizawa never said a word, only bobbed his head up and down, stating that Izuku is correct before he said, "Looks like I won't explain it any further. (That way I can go to sleep quickly.)" The sleepy mummy said before thinking that he can sleep early than before.

You know what they say, talk about maximum effort.

"With that being said, go there and have the 50-meter dash first." He pointed at the destination where Izuku should first start until the end.

He went there and started to go into a running start position. Up ahead, Izuku saw a robot with a black screen in its chest, probably it records how many seconds until he reached the finish line.

"Go," Aizawa said it tiredly.

It was unexpected, but Izuku's quick reaction got the best as he began to run with the help of Shadow by putting power into his legs.

"3 seconds!" He dashed through the course like the wind, Izuku had crossed the finish line when he heard that and started to stop running by slowing down. He looked back at the field before looking back at the robot with the said seconds.

He fist-pumped in the air, satisfied with the results.

"(Easy peasy.)" Izuku thought, never breaking a sweat after that.

Aizawa looked at the robot before writing it down on a paper he's holding. After writing Izuku's results for the 50-meter dash, he said, "Onto to the next course, which is the long jump. Go to the side of that sandbox and see whether you can clear the sandbox or not."

Izuku nodded as he went to the nearby sandbox. Once he's at the side, he went into a crouching position and jumped forward.

Cleared the sandbox? Yes, he did and Aizawa wrote the result again.

"Next is this. Grip Strength." The sleepy teacher gave something to Izuku as the boy received it by taking it.

When the fifteen-year-old former vigilante thought about it, it's totally obvious. Self-explanatory when a person heard the words 'Grip Strength'.

With the grip machine on his dominant hand, he began to convert his energy into raw power in his right hand and gripped it as tightly as he-

'Crack'

Can.

"Oops. Sorry about that, Aizawa-sensei." Izuku stared at Aizawa, the expression on his face has a mixture of slight regret and bored. Aizawa sighed before he said, "Let's leave at it. We have many of those, so don't pay for it."

A silent sigh of relief came out of Izuku's nose that he was lucky that the school has so many grip machines like the one he held. If there are a few, you know what'll happen. Izuku will pay for it.

"The next is..."

==Time Skip==

Sit-Ups? Check.

Distance run for three kilometers? Check.

Seated Toe-touch? Done.

Repeated Side Steps? Finished.

Izuku was done with all of the mentioned physical fitness tests above. For the repeated side steps, he did his best, but no one ever broke the record of his classmate. Not that he knows the diaper baby boy's record, but he did his best and that's all it matters.

If you think that everything is done, you guessed it wrong.

"The last one is the Ball Throw. Here, take this and go inside the circle and throw it. Do not get out or else, I will give you a second chance." Aizawa pulled out a ball from his pocket and gave it to the former vigilante, who took it and walked inside the circle, just like what he was told to.

"Question. Shall I go let it all out?"

"Be my guest," The teacher answered, making Izuku nod before the boy looked forward and closed his eyes.

All of a sudden, as if the world starts to crumble, the ground beneath Izuku was shaking. He was closing his eyes but lets out an enormous amount of power, one that can fear the hearts of every outlaw.

Then, green electricity appeared and surrounded the boy's body. Aizawa's eyes slightly opened as he looked around and saw a random steel pole nearby. He went there and had his arms and legs wrapped it and thought, "(The last thing I wanted... is to become a ragdoll bug.)"

Not long after, the electric disappeared, and soon Izuku had this aura. Frightening, but calm as he pulled back his right arm, which is now starting to glow and red linings that looked like veins can be seen.

He threw the ball upwards, creating a strong wind.

And yes, Aizawa was holding firmly on the pole, tightly closing his eyes as he felt the rough wind breezing on his face, trying to rip him apart from the pole. True to his thoughts, the mummy teacher held on to the pole as hard and tight as he can.

All of a sudden, Eraser Head, or Aizawa, felt no wind, signifying that the wind died. He opened his tightly shut eyes in a slow pace, for him to see the destruction.

From where the 15-year-old boy is, there is a medium-sized crater with rubbles all over. With his feet on the ground, he slowly marched his way to where Izuku Midoriya is. Once the sleepy teacher's close, he saw his green-haired student right away.

There he was, his body slightly forward, sweat was dripping down from his face, had a painful expression, and his feet were covered by some small rubbles. Izuku's head turned and the boy's eyes are staring back at his sleepy eyes.

His upper body slightly turned around as well, making Aizawa see his conditions. Izuku's condition is okay, except for his right arm. Dark red, crippled, and blood oozing out, but this doesn't faze the Class 1-A's homeroom teacher as the former vigilante lifted his foot and stomped on a rock, and hoisted himself to get out of the crater.

Ascending with some struggles, Izuku was finally out, but the evidence of him being in pain was written on his face. Aizawa looked at him and the boy was staring at him. The silence was what they're hearing and it made them awkward but was broken when someone called out.

"Hey!"

That feminine voice broke their trances as they look at Midnight, or Nemuri Kayama, along with Cementoss, Snipe, Present Mic, every teacher of U.A High School are there.

Even All Might was there, in his true form. Before All Might introduced that he's going to be a teacher in U.A High School, every staff and teacher were shocked by All Might's secrets because Nezu called all of them, but nevertheless accepted the fact.

As of now, their shocked face was already there as soon as they're within the scene. Yes, yes, they're surprised, but none were beyond surprised than the No. 1 Hero himself.

They already had their mouths opened from what they just saw. Midnight looked at Izuku and his right wounded arm before looking at the crater. Doing the process multiple times, she finally asked, "You did this?"

"I conducted the Quirk Assessment Test on him and he did this," Aizawa said, but on the boy's perspective, it sounded like he was blamed that he did this.

"So, how did it go?" Toshinori asked.

"Is the crater not enough for you, old man?" The Class 1-A homeroom teacher said, annoyed by the display of how foolish the No. 1 Hero is. It's already there, so why would Toshinori ask a question like that?

"Anyways, Midoriya." The said person looked at him. "Next time, don't go overboard. You have potential, but once you're very hurt like that, you'll become a liability in a battle."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, go to the Emergency Room and have your arm treated." being ordered caused Izuku to nod as he walked away. Went passed by the teachers, who were standing still, and kept their glances on him.

"Don't stand there like a bunch of idiots. Come on." Aizawa stated as he walked away while looking at his phone of how high or far did the ball being thrown by Izuku Midoriya.

On the screen, it finally shows the boy's result.

"1.25 kilometers. That problem child." Aizawa muttered before he smirked while walking.

"I'll take it from here," Cementoss said as he touched the ground, and it began to move. In a few seconds, the crater was no longer there as the humanoid cement teacher stood up and left, followed by all the teachers.

"(He's strong. I love that.)"

==U.A High School's Principal Office==

"Impressive. Very... impressive." That came from the principal office, and yes, it was clearly Nezu who said that.

In front of him is a laptop. On the screen is a video capturing Izuku's dangerous power. It went a little static for a few seconds but came back to see the destruction that was created by the former vigilante.

"To think that he has such power, he surely is a force to be reckoned with. If not, maybe a one-man army, if I say so." Nezu said before closing the laptop and turned his office chair to stare at the skies outside his office.

"I hope nothing can ever astray you from you who are, Midoriya-san. If there's one thing that's left on my mind, is that you're still young for this cruel world. You have yet to see the darkness lurking around every corner. That'll happen... when you're ready. And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you'll not lose yourself."

==Time Skip==

'Smooch'

"There you go." Recovery Girl said. She used her lips and kissed Izuku's forehead to recover his wounded arm.

"Thank you... very much." Izuku stated in a tired tone. Tired all because of Recovery Girl's Quirk and it's a good thing he has a lot of stamina. If not, it could lead the process to his death.

Good thing Izuku still has stamina after all that physical tests that were done unto him.

"Don't do it again, sonny. You might as well train more to control your Quirk."

"I do, but that was my own intention. Aizawa-sensei told me that I shouldn't do it again unless it's a valid reason why I went over the limit." Izuku replied, making the Youthful Heroine giggled before she said, "It seems that he took quite a liking to you. Normally, he would totally scold or even teach a lesson to some students. But to see him never expelled your class, either he soften or sees potential in you all. Might as well become Dadzawa until you're all old and can't take care of you."

Izuku chuckled when he heard 'the word 'Dadzawa' and it was really funny. At this point, Recovery Girl was not giggling, she was laughing from where she was sitting.

The laughter and bright atmosphere slowly dissipated as Recovery Girl stopped laughing. She then said, "Now, off ya go."

He didn't say a word after what he heard. All he did is stood up from the chair and left the room saying, "I'll be off."

Once Izuku's outside, he began to walk away and head to his home. Luckily the right sleeve of his P.E uniform wasn't torn apart or else he might request another uniform because of his doing... or he can just give it to someone and sew it for him. That'll work, but he'll pay the person for the hard work.

==Time Skip==

Looking at his smartwatch, it's already a quarter to 4 P.M or 3:45 P.M for better understanding. Just to let every reader know, half of sixty minutes is thirty minutes. And half of thirty minutes is fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes is a quarter of one hour or sixty minutes.

He decided to jog or go to the P.E Grounds to train. He's a resident of the U.A High School, after all. Wearing his P.E uniform again, he opened a dog food and cat food for his pets before he goes out.

Once he closed the door, he was about to go ahead... only for him to face a certain man.

"Young Midoriya." It was All Might or Toshinori Yagi since he was in his true form. He was wearing formal black attire.

"What is it?"

"There's something I want to tell you, but... we should talk in a private place. Can you follow me?" Toshinori asked, causing Izuku to accept the invitation by shaking his head up and down and followed the No. 1 Hero of Japan.

==Time Skip==

If a student or teacher is passing by a hallway, he or she will witness a door that's called Lounge Room and a paper that says [Being used]. Anyone would go by, not wanting to distract any people who are in it.

And yes, someone was totally using the room. Which is them, of course.

Sitting on different couches, the boy was facing the teacher, who was preparing a drink for him.

"You want green tea?"

"Please do," Izuku answered in a nice tone. Filling up the teacup, All Might slide the cup across the table. Izuku saw this as he grabbed the tea and drink from it, to quench his thirst. A sigh of satisfaction came out of Izuku's mouth. The green tea relaxed its mind and his stiff body as he said, "Thank you, Toshinori-sensei."

"No problem. Anything I can help with my student, after all." Toshinori said before drinking his own green tea.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Izuku asked, curious and confused about why did All Might ask him and talk something important.

Could it be something dark? Possibly. Could it be a strong villain that he needed help? That's possible as well. But maybe those are like one out of a hundred topics of why Toshinori wanted to talk to him.

After drinking the green tea and set the teacup on the table, Toshinori finally answered, "It's... about my Quirk."

He seemed hesitant. "What about it?" Izuku asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Seeing your power, it's devastating, yes, but... it's just like my Quirk."

"What kind of a Quirk is yours, then?" Izuku asked, annoyed that the No. 1 Hero of Japan didn't go straight into it.

"A stockpile and power Quirk. Each passing day, the power will increase."

"I see. But if your Quirk manifests at the age of 4, then you having that powerful strength is impossible to gain." Izuku said, thinking the possibility of how much power does All Might have.

"And that's the problem."

"Huh?" Izuku asked, confused about what does Toshinori mean.

"That's the problem. If I did manifest my Quirk, then I didn't reach that kind of power, is it not?"

"Considering your Young Age, Bronze Age, Silver Age, and Golden Age, it can reach up to the power you have right now, but what bothers me the most..."

"What is it?" Toshinori asked.

"I've been watching your videos ever since I was a little kid. It's dangerously powerful, yes, but your power from those years, it's like, I don't know, increasing at a slow pace."

A moment of silence before Toshinori gave in.

"Young Midoriya. What I'm about to tell you is a secret that only a few other people know."

"Then why are you spilling the beans to me?" Question coming from Izuku, who was confused by what is happening before him.

"After all of those villain-acts towards your life, I think it's better that you deserve to know, seeing that you used to be a hardcore fan of mine."

Izuku saw those concerns in his eyes. There's more to it than meets the eye, but it's better to know before

"As of what I'm telling you, my Quirk was passed on to me like a sacred touch."

"Passed on to you? But how is it possible? Your Quirk is indeed something that is hotly debated for years and it is still been one of the world's greatest mysteries so much so that not a day goes by when I don't see someone talking about it online." Then Izuku put his finger on his forehead and started to mutter, slowly going into his own old world.

"Although, is there even a Quirk that can even transfer to another person? That would be seemingly impossible. In my whole life, even at my education, Not once I have heard or learned about it, and never been conjectured or mentioned in a discussion." The boy stated.

"I may hide a lot of things, but I do not lie in front of a person. The power to transfer, and it's power increases as time goes on. That defines my Quirk. The name of the Quirk I inherited is called..." He stopped before continuing, adding suspense to the topic.

"One For All." All Might said opening his left hand and there it is, the palm of his hand was shining with colors, indicating the Quirks power.

"One... For... All..." Izuku slowly stated, repeating the name of Toshinori, or All Might's Quirk name.

"That's right. One person pursues the power for good and passes it to another person, who also cultivates it and passes it on. It is the crystallization of power that rotates and unify the voices that needed help with a courageous heart." Toshinori explained.

Izuku took a moment to process everything that was being told to him before he responded with his own statement.

"Why are you telling something great to me?"

"It's because I've been looking for a successor." Toshinori answered.

A solid minute is enough for Izuku to finally realized what the No. 1 Hero of Japan was talking about.

"You mean..." He said with exasperation in his tone.

"That's right. You're the one that I was looking for. A successor with a true heart. You used to be a vigilante... but you have the biggest heart and courage to fight against many villains than every hero. At such a young age, you experienced what it felt like... to enter a world that you're not ready to face."

Hearing that made Izuku go silent, thinking of why did the No. 1 Hero of Japan, All Might chose him.

"Why me? Many students are braver and stronger than me. So, why me and not them?" Izuku asked, demanded to know why he is a one-in-a-million person to receive such a powerful Quirk like One For All.

The skinny blonde-haired man never said a word. He was staring at those green orbs for quite awhile. If you're thinking what the author is thinking, then no. Not that kind of staring.

Finally, Toshinori answered, "It's because I see myself in you."

This made the boy's eyes slowly went wide.

"I got my ass handed to me... all because of one thing." He went silent, making his speech go no further. But that came out of the window as he closed his eyes, preparing something very deep by breathing the air and expelling it out before he opened them and stared at the boy's soul.

"I was Quirkless."

For the boy, he felt like the time has stopped, because of those words. And those words echoed in his mind, but the person who said that statement is not an ordinary person. It was from All Might, a well-known hero of Japan and the No. 1 Hero of his respective country.

His head slowly looks down and his shoulders dropped as if there's no energy left.

"I'm sorry. Quirkless people can't become heroes."

He was now recalling it, remembering very clearly. The very persons who became the last string to the boy's life. After that flashback, the abuse continued. If not for the one who saved his life, he might've met his parents, which is better than being a ragdoll toy for the next years.

But Nejire Hado was nowhere near All Might. Toshinori Yagi might be the No. 1 Hero, but the girl is his savior, the one who guided him to see a new light when his world is nothing but darkness that overpowered any light that he can see.

But, it seems that it was true. Darkness may overpower the light, destroying every dream, but in those times, there's hope, after all.

Only one word can describe what he's feeling right now.

Anger.

"You... said you were Quirkless?" Izuku asked, raising his head to look at the person who pushed him down verbally, not physically. His anger was slowly increasing because he was pushed down by his hero who used to be a Quirkless person.

"I know you deserve to be angry at me, but at that time I was stressful, because of so many things. Interviews, family time, working to capture villains, you know how I feel when I'm a hero, especially being the No. 1 Hero. I know it's a useless reason, but I assure you that I truly regret what I said that time after a few days." Toshinori said, looking down in shame, remembering his gravest mistake at that time.

Izuku stared in silence, he sure knows what it felt like. How does he know? Because he used to be a vigilante, that's how. It's just that there are fewer interviews and no restrictions, but nonetheless, the stress building is the same as being a hero. The only difference is the vigilante's pressure is nowhere near the No. 1 Hero's strain work.

"I'm not truly angry at you, Toshinori-sensei," Izuku said.

"Huh?" Toshinori whispered under his breath as he looked at the former vigilante with a confused look, but a relief one, because Izuku wasn't holding a grudge against him.

"I'm just mad at the fact that you said that every Quirkless people can't become heroes. Should I list every people that are either heroes or villains?" Izuku requested as All Might listened.

"Iron Man, Lex Luthor, Batman, Hawkeye, Robin Hood, Green Arrow, Syndrome from The Incredibles, War Machine, Kids Next Door and so much more." Izuku finished, not wanting to list more to waste time before he added a different topic.

"You pushed me down and made me more desperate. Sure, I can become policeman when I grow up. Maybe those children who were the same as me wanted to become policemen or policewomen, but do we have the power to fight against villains who can use their Quirks freely?"

"I know. I'm just doing whatever it takes for me to right my wrongs." Toshinori admitted.

"If it makes you easy you're not the one who started to make my life a worthless shit. You didn't even know that I was being bullied for a long time." Izuku said, wanting to make Toshinori feel more at ease. But the guilt inside Toshinori is still there, twisting his stomach to make his heart feel guiltier than ever.

"But I just helped that person to make your life more torturous," Toshinori muttered that last word and it disgusted him that he defines Izuku's life that is crappier than before. However, the boy heard it and sighed of understanding.

"The person who started and made my life hell is the one who became the last straw of my life," Izuku said, stating that it was him.

"You know, there is one way for you to get a Quirk. Just take a dive off the roof and pray you'll reborn with a useful one."

That statement. He still remembered it as well. Heck, if the bully said this to a person, that victim will remember it for a very long time until the day he or she died.

Izuku was about to say something, but Toshinori didn't let him by saying, "That's why I think it's all right with you to inherit One For All. It's for your own dream, not because of my mistakes, and must repay you from that time."

A moment of silence came by before the No. 1 Hero said this specific question.

"Will you accept it?"

Izuku didn't accept it recklessly, he gave it a thought and it took him more than a minute to finally get the conclusion he wanted. Seeing that it's taking longer, Toshinori said, "You know you don't have to agree with it already. Take a day or two. Just be sure that it's within the-"

"No, it's okay, Toshinori-sensei. I will give you my answer." Izuku said, interrupting the No. 1 Hero of Japan's statement as he stared at his skinny face with a determined look, one can say that he finally found the answer.

He took a deep breath before he continued. "Toshinori-sensei..."

He paused for a moment, thinking about it again, but it took less than five seconds that he will not back down for the answer he will give.

Biting his lip, the tension arises. Opening his mouth...

The answer finally uncovered.

==CHAPTER END==

And that's the end of Ch. 19. Talk about cliffhanger, huh? Sorry about that, readers. The author just wanna make all of you feel the tension and thrill at the last scene.

Also, only old readers now about the result, so keep your mouth shut. But to the new ones? What do you think about Izuku's answer?

Will he accept it or will he decline the offer?

Find out more in the next chapter of Symbol of Hope.

Up next,

Ch. 20 - Preparation