34

It was around midnight when the others found their way into Izuku's room. Having little to nothing to do — especially since QA hadn't yet resurfaced — Izuku was spending his time lost in his bugs. Therefore, unlike the police officers from before, Izuku had actually sensed his friends long before they reached him.

He closed off the connection to his bugs when he felt the door to his room open, his real eyes replacing the millions of eyes of his bugs. He narrowly dodged the incoming wrench, his head moving out of the way just fast enough before the tool landed onto his pillow.

"Mei!" Manga scolded. The utterance of her name was enough for her to know his displeasure, but that didn't necessarily mean that she cared.

"What?! You know how he is!" Mei defended. "He won't learn his lesson if he isn't punished for it! He probably got caught doing something reckless like he usually does! He has no sense of self preservation!"

"While that may be true, Hatsume, that wrench probably wouldn't be too good for Izuku's health," Yaoyorozu added. "Especially after everything he's gone through, more injuries aren't what he needs."

"Uh, hey guys," Izuku finally muttered, placing everyone's attention back onto him. He moved Mei's wrench off of his pillow and into his lap, allowing him to to lay back down in a more comfortable position. "I see that some of you still have your costumes on," Izuku added.

Izuku had made the observation a while back ago with his bugs, but he still felt as if he needed to point the fact out. While a select few like Yaoyorozu and Iida had disguises that were more tame and sensible, others like Kirishima still had his weird metallic horns while Kaminari somehow found the time to invert his hair colors with dye. 

The others — which consisted of the rest of the rescue party members minus Bakugo, plus the addition of Jiro and Ojiro — were wearing relatively normal clothing.

"Oh…," Yaoyorozu laughed, rubbing her arm. "Yeah, some of us… we were still a bit high strung after we got you out of that fight," she admitted somewhat skittishly. "I…" She eventually walked over to Izuku and gave him a hug. "I'm just glad that you're alright, Midoriya."

"Heck yeah, man!" Kaminari shouted. "I mean, you were facing down all those villains without breaking a sweat! I can't believe all of that was happening just in front of us!"

"Yeah. You're lucky that your buddy here thought up an escape plan, Izuku," Setsuna added, pointing to Kaminari. "None of us were really up to it at the moment, given everything that was happening."

"Yeah, Kirishima told me all about it," Izuku said, turning towards the boy in mention. "Thanks for that Kaminari. I appreciate it."

"Hey, come on man. It was nothing. Anything to help a friend out." Kaminari rubbed the back of his head, diverting his eyes away.

Iida appeared behind Kaminari, giving him a rather forceful pat on the back. "And I applaud your resourcefulness, Kaminari. You really thought of everything regarding how we could use our quirks in that situation. And all without us directly engaging in a fight. I'm very impressed."

"If only he was just as proactive in class, maybe he wouldn't be struggling as much as he was," Jiro teased.

"Hey!" Kaminari retorted. "You and I both know that I find certain subjects unappealing! That's why I'm a bit behind!" 

"And that's the problem, dunderhead. 'Certain subjects' mean all of them."

"They do not!" Kaminari replied. "Pfft. It doesn't matter. At least I can take solace in the fact that I contributed to the rescue of our fellow master of bugs, here." He gestured to Izuku in a rather exaggerated pose.

"And I thank you for that as well," Manga admitted. "I was just planning to set off a bunch of 'booms' with my quirk. Your plan was actually smart and organized, unlike mine."

"Hey, Midoriya's my friend too," Kaminari said. "I just did what I could to get him out of a bad situation."

"Ah! Speaking of which, what exactly did those League guys do to you, Midoriya?" Kirishima asked.

"They didn't… torture you or anything, did they?" Todoroki spoke up, his eyes transfixed in a calculating concern.

"Nah," Izuku responded rather nonchalantly. "They actually wanted to recruit me."

"WHAT!!!" 

"They were actually pretty nice about it," Izuku continued. "My restraints were pretty comfy, too. The only one who was actually violent was Shigaraki. Then again, I guess that should have been expected since I made him lose one of his hands."

"Whoa! Hold up a second! When did this happen?" Kirishima interrupted. "Did you have a bunch of your bugs push him into that sludge guy, or something?"

"No. I was during their attack at U.S.J." Izuku informed, causing some of those in the room to pause. "Apparently, a bunch of my bugs chewed his hand off and injected enough venom for necrosis to settle in fairly quickly. I mean sure, he's missing a hand. But now he has a nice prosthetic with all these little tools and doo-dads in it. It's kinda cool."

"Oh." The sentiment rang throughout the room.

There were a few seconds pause before Yaoyorozu cleared her throat. "Are you sure that was all, Midoriya? They didn't do anything else?"

"No, not really. I did get to meet All For One though. He was actually pretty nice, too. Even if he ended up causing all that destruction to Kamino afterwards."

"Wait. You're telling me that you had a civil conversation with that big, scary mask guy!?!" Kaminari interjected.

"Yeah. It was still pretty messed up. He tried to do some stuff to me, But then QA— err, well I was able to shrug it off. Whatever it was."

"Dang, Midoriya," Ojiro spoke for the first time. "You sure your quirk isn't finding yourself getting into new problems? Because at this point I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up in a situation like this again."

One of Izuku's eyebrows rose in intrigue. "What do you mean?"

"Well… I don't know. I just think that… you find yourself in some pretty problematic scenarios. You're like a trouble magnet."

"Please, he's not that bad," Setsuna said. "He just lacks a filter with his bugs and has a problem not butting into situations with villains harming innocents."

"I do not!" Izuku argued.

"But you are, Midoriya," Yaoyorozu chided. "Even you must know that by now."

"You do. It's true. Can't deny it."

"Oh, of course. Now you come back. It just took everybody to be here." Izuku retorted.

"Uhh… Izuku?" Manga questioned. "Who are you talking to?"

"What?" Izuku spurred, realizing that he was talking out loud again. "Oh, uh… nothing. Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You sure?" Manga asked. 

"Pfft. It's just Izuku being his 'ole oblivious self," Mei deduced. "I bet he got a knock on the head somewhere in transit; it's making you a bit more woozy than you usually are, Izuku."

"You could say that, I suppose," Izuku admitted. "I'm probably just tired and all. It's been a long couple of days."

"Oh! We aren't bothering you, are we Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu asked. "We can leave if you want."

"Yeah," Manga added. "We wouldn't want to intrude. We'll have plenty of time to talk later."

"No, it's not that," Izuku said. "I'm fine. In fact, I sorta really need this right now. Talking and stuff, that is. You know, how about we talk about your costumes. What's up with those, anyway?"

"Ah!" Kaminari exclaimed. "Funny story about that…"

And so, the gathered bunch talked. It was a nice change of pace from the past few days for Izuku. Instead of being chased around by villains and being kidnapped and placed into seedy lairs, he was finally able to rest and catch up. Just some quality relaxation time interacting with friends without worry of impending doom.

He learned about how widespread Mustard's attacks were on the classes, Ragdoll's newfound condition (likely due to All For One, but Izuku didn't mention that), and just how badly All For One had beaten the pros who had raided the Nomu warehouse. 

But of course, as if summoned by word, the topic of All For One called upon one of its few experts. A knock on the door gained the attention of everyone present, and the presence who revealed himself upon the door's opening had everyone up in surprise.

"All Might?!?"

The man in question chuckled at his student's response to his presence. "Hello everyone. I hope I'm not intruding?" 

His voice was much more muted and much less booming than usual. Of course, that was a given considering his current state. Unlike what the world knew of him as the Symbol of Peace, All Might was a different man under it all.

Instead of the dauntless, shining beacon of hope, there sat a disgruntled scrawny man, bound to a wheelchair and covered head to toe in bandages of all shapes and sizes. And, if it wasn't so glaringly obvious, there also was the stump that lay where his left arm used to be. It simply enforced just how badly the fight with All For One truly was.

"No, of course not, All Might," Izuku immediately replied. "Your always welcome."

"I'm glad to hear it, my boy. And I'm glad to see that you're doing all right, all things considered."

"Oh," Izuku mumbled, startled. "Uh… yeah. You as well, I suppose."

All Might gave off one of his signature hearty laughs, even if it was a tinge more hollow than everyone was used to. "I wish I could say that," he sighed. 

"I'd be lying if I said I was just here to check up on you, Midoriya. I have some things I would like to talk to you about, if you don't mind?"

Izuku nodded. "Of course, All Might."

The man smiled. "Good. I— Uhh…" He looked around at the other students in the room. "I, uh…"

"Oh! Are you going to be talking about confidential stuff?" Kaminari asked.

"Well, uh…"

"Don't worry, All Might! We understand." Kirishima said. "We'll leave you to it."

The rest of the occupants of the room slowly trickled out one by one, eventually closing the door behind them to give privacy. All Might was eventually wheeled forward beside Izuku. It was only then that Izuku noticed the old man who was pushing All Might's wheelchair.

He was the same man as before — the old pro hero who had worn yellow during the raid upon the League. He was also bandaged up, but not as badly as All Might. And if his presence hinted at anything, it looked as if like All Might and the man had a pretty close relationship. That, or he also knew about All For One.

"So…" All Might began. "I was wondering if… Well— OW!" All Might flinched in his seat, recoiling from a smack to his remaining arm.

"Get on with it, Toshinori," the old man said."

"Right," All Might began. "First things first. This is Gran Torino," All Might gestured towards the man. "He's my mentor. He taught me a lot of what I know."

"You trained All Might?!?" The outburst was instant, Izuku's eyes glimmering in awe.

"I did, pipsqueak," Gran Torino said. "But we aren't here about that. This is about All For One."

The mood grew a bit more somber with the mention of the villain. Izuku knew what was coming, of course, he was mentally prepared for it. He set his mind into a more serious setting. He could fawn all over Gran Torino later, after all.

"I have many secrets Midoriya," All Might said. "However, most of them have been kept for one reason, and one reason only. But," he emphasized, "before I tell you anything, I need to know something. How much do you know about All For One?"

"This is the moment of truth. I mean, sure, this guy's pretty important and well-renowned. And you've basically worshipped him since you were a kid. But just because he has all those traits doesn't mean he's entirely good. I did the same with the Triumvirate, after all. And look how they turned out in the end. Let me tell you, some heroes aren't all they set out to b—" 

"I don't know much," Izuku said, ignoring QA's rant. He knew that he could trust All Might. The hero did the same with him all those months ago, after all. 

"Other than him being powerful and him being the leader of the League, there's only one other thing I know," Izuku continued. "It's his quirk. I learned that he could steal quirks and give them to himself. He tried to do the same with me."

"Midoriya!" All Might said, startled. He didn't—"

"No, he didn't," Izuku said. "I mean, he tried to. I'm just lucky he didn't get so far, I suppose. He left midway. I'm guessing that it was the attack on the Nomu warehouse that led him away."

"Oh, that's a relief," All Might said. "All For One has done immeasurable damage over the years. I'm glad that he didn't get to you, too. Even so, there must have been a reason why he singled you out. Did he happen to mention why?"

"He did, actually." Izuku nodded. "He said that he was interested in my quirk. And my… other activities. Like the Sports Festival!" Izuku added quickly. "And he said that he wasn't finished with me. He wanted to speak with me again."

"I was afraid of that," All Might muttered. "Once All For One sets his sights on something, he won't relent until he gets what he wants," All Might sighed.

"It looks like it's time for you to come into the fold, Midoriya. It's time that I've come clean about some things." He straightened up in his wheelchair. "Remember all those months ago, when you saw me in this form? I wasn't exactly truthful about the entire thing."

"I'm guessing that All For One was the one who gave you your injury? Not Toxic Chainsaw?" Izuku guessed.

"Heh. Right again, Midoriya," All Might praised. "Truth is, All For One has been the underworld's Bogeyman for a long time. Ever since the dawn of quirks, even. My predecessor faced him, as did all the other holders of One For All. But he just keeps coming back, like a cockroach that refuses to die."

"Wait… predecessors?" Izuku asked, confused. "What do you mean predecessors?"

"It's my quirk, Midoriya." All Might nodded. "All For One isn't a simple quirk. It is actually two different ones, combined together accidentally by All For One himself."

"You mean All For One's the reason you exist?"

"He is. Like All For One, the holders of One For All originated from the dawn of quirks. It started with All For One, who gave a stockpiling quirk to his supposedly quirkless brother. But it turned out that his brother had a quirk that allowed him to pass on quirks to other people. Thus, One For All was born."

"And so, One For All has been passed down from one person to the next, each growing in power, yet never powerful enough to defeat All For One. I thought that I had done it before, all those years ago. It cost me most of my stomach, and yet he still came back."

"But you got him this time, didn't you?" Izuku asked. "He's in Tartarus now."

"Yes, and it only cost me arm." All Might shrugged. "And now the last flames of my quirk have been snuffed out. I can no longer continue to be All Might."

"What!" Izuku shouted, alarmed. "You mean… You're retiring?"

"I'm afraid so, Midoriya." All Might grimaced.

"But… but what about One For All?" Izuku asked shakily. "Is it just... gone?"

All Might smiled. "It isn't, thankfully. I already passed it off a few days ago. I was afraid that something like this would happen, so I took the necessary precautions. As for the identity of my successor… Well, you'll meet him soon enough."

Izuku was amazed with everything that All Might was telling him. Yet again his worldview had been broken, the truth behind All Might being something he never would have expected. Even so, Izuku was even more surprised with the fact that All Might trusted him with such information. Why would he? Izuku couldn't think of any reason why.

"Not that I'm not thankful for your trust in me, All Might," Izuku began, "But why exactly are you telling me this? I don't really need to know any of this, do I? Isn't this a really big secret?"

"It is big, Midoriya. The few that do know about this I can count on a single hand. And besides, you do need to know this, Midoriya. The moment All For One took an interest in you, you were you brought into this decades-long battle between good and evil."

"All For One won't leave you alone for as long as he lives, and I'm not entirely sure that he'll stay in Tartarus forever. You knowing these things protects you, or at least lets you know what to expect. If anything, it'll make it easier for you to work with my successor." 

"Wow… Thank you, All Might," Izuku said. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Think nothing of it, Midoriya. I owe it to you, with how often I've failed you."

"What are you talking about?!" Izuku exclaimed. "You never failed me!"

"But I have. I was late to U.S.J. And now with you becoming a target for All For One? You could have died. It's all my fault."

"It wasn't!" Izuku pleaded. "You couldn't have done anything to stop those events from happening. Besides, I'm still alright, aren't I?"

"Well, there was also our first meeting where I almost dropped you to you death…"

"That was might fault, really. I promise you, All Might, nothing is your fault. If anything, it's just me and my actions."

All Might chuckled. "Thank you, Midoriya. You take the strain right off of my heart." He sighed. "But there are still some things we need to know."

"Yes. He didn't say anything about a fallback hideout, did he?" Gran Torino asked. "Any place that he'd send the rest of the League?"

"No," Izuku shook his head. "Nothing like that. Besides, I'm pretty sure that ll For One wouldn't be dumb enough to talk about stuff like that with somebody with a quirk like mine in such a close proximity."

"Dang. He always gets away," All Might cursed. "Even if we locked him away this time, Shigaraki is still out there. His League is still free to cause chaos."

"We'll get them, Toshinori. It's just a matter of time."

"Yeah…"

There was a sudden knock on the door. "Midoriya? You awake in there?"

"Edgeshot?" Izuku questioned, surprised.

"The door opened, revealing the shinobi. "Oh, All Might. Gran Torino. I'm not interrupting anything, am I"

"No, no," All Might said. "We were just finishing up, actually. We'll leave you two be."

All Might turned back to Izuku. "Well, hope you get, Midoriya."

"Take your time, boy. You'll need it," Gran Torino said. 

And when the two heroes out of their prime finally left, what lay behind were a mentor and student who had some catching up to do.

Notes:

Nothing much happened in this chapter, huh? I'm just seeing that now, actually. Then again, I did say this was more exposition this time around, didn't I? Ah well.

'Till next time I suppose. See you all then!