Izuku opened his mouth, then closed it.
One For All was the most powerful quirk in existence. But it came with strings attached. Training. Mentorship. Expectations.
All Might would want him to be a proper hero, not someone who steals powers through mystic breast milk.
Fuck, I should just ask. Get the quirk. Figure out the rest later.
He drew in a breath.
"All Might, I—"
The hero's body suddenly convulsed. Steam erupted from his skin, enveloping him in a cloud.
"Oh no," All Might gasped, his voice changing. "Not now!"
The steam cleared.
A skeletal man now hunched where the Symbol of Peace had stood only seconds ago. His golden hair hung limp around a gaunt face. The colorful costume hung off him like clothes on a scarecrow. Only the eyes remained the same—bright blue, but now sunken deep in their sockets.
"What the fuck?" Izuku blurted.
"Young man," wheezed All Might, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. "I must ask for your discretion about what you've just witnessed."
Izuku stared, mouth hanging open. "You're... All Might?"
"Indeed." The skeletal man sat heavily on a chunk of concrete dislodged during the fight. With a sigh, he lifted his shirt.
Izuku's gorge rose. A massive, star-shaped scar dominated All Might's left side. The skin was puckered and twisted, purple and red. It looked like someone had scooped out a chunk of his torso and then tried to seal it with a child's messy stitches.
"Five years ago, I received this wound fighting a villain," All Might explained, his voice thin and raspy. "The doctors did what they could, but I lost my stomach and part of my respiratory system. Now, I can only maintain my hero form for about three hours a day."
"Holy shit," Izuku whispered.
"I tell you this because I saw the look in your eyes," All Might continued. "You wanted to ask me something important. But whatever it is, you should know the truth. I am not the invincible hero the world believes me to be."
Izuku's mind spun. This changed everything. If All Might was already weakened, already dying, then taking One For All might be the smart play. The world needed a Symbol of Peace. Without All Might, villains would grow bolder. Crime would rise.
But did he want that responsibility? To be the next Symbol of Peace?
Hell no.
"Actually," Izuku said, straightening his shoulders. "I was just going to ask for your autograph."
All Might blinked in surprise.
"My autograph?"
"Yeah. But don't worry about it." Izuku pointed to the bottles containing the sludge villain. "You should probably get that guy to the police."
"Yes... right. The villain." All Might pocketed the bottles and rose unsteadily to his feet. "Well, if that's all, I should be going. Remember, young man—this form is a secret!"
"Sure thing," Izuku nodded. "Your secret's safe with me."
All Might gathered his strength and leapt into the air, vanishing over the rooftops in a single bound.
Izuku stood alone in the tunnel, heart still racing.
"Well, that was a clusterfuck," he muttered, kicking at a piece of concrete, sending it skittering across the tunnel floor.
"But maybe it's for the best. All Might would want me to be a proper hero. Not... whatever the hell I'm going to become with this system."
The system window appeared unprompted:
[DIVINE MILKING SYSTEM UPDATE]
Encounter with Symbol of Peace: Analyzed
One For All Detection: Successful
Acquisition Method: Direct Inheritance or Essence Extraction
Warning: Subject currently lacks physical capacity for One For All integration
"Thanks for the reminder that I'm a weakling," Izuku grumbled. "Real helpful."
He checked the time: 71 hours and 8 minutes left. The encounter with the sludge villain had cost him precious minutes.
A few minutes later, an explosion rocked the shopping district ahead. Black smoke billowed into the sky.
"What now?" Izuku sighed.
Curiosity pulled him forward. Following the smoke, he found himself at the edge of a crowd. Police held back civilians while heroes stood at a distance, watching...
The sludge villain.
"No fucking way," Izuku breathed.
Somehow, the bottles had broken. The villain was free again, and this time, he had a hostage. A teenager with spiky blond hair thrashed in the slime's grip, explosions popping from his trapped palms.
Katsuki Bakugo. The boy who had bullied him earlier that day.
"He's trying to fight, but he can't breathe!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?" asked another.
"Their quirks aren't suitable! Water would strengthen the slime, fire would hurt the kid, and wood would just get absorbed!"
Izuku watched, a strange calm settling over him. This was the moment. In the anime, this was where Izuku ran in, motivated by some heroic instinct to save his childhood friend/tormentor.
But this Izuku wasn't bound by shonen protagonist rules.
"Not my problem," he decided, turning away. "Bakugo's an asshole anyway."
He made it three steps before stopping.
The system window appeared:
[QUEST ALERT]
Hero's First Move: Save Bakugo from the Sludge Villain
Reward: +24 Hours Lifespan, +10% Base Attraction Rating
Failure: Death of Bakugo, Severe Reputation Penalty
Time Limit: 5 Minutes
"Oh, come on," Izuku groaned. "Are you serious right now?"
He glanced back at the scene. Bakugo was still fighting, but his movements were growing weaker. The explosions from his palms smaller.
A red timer pulsed in the corner of his vision. [4:52].
"Fuck," Izuku muttered, starting to run through the crowd. "Fine. I'll save the little shit."
"Hey kid! Get back here!" a police officer shouted.
Izuku ignored them.
No solid core. Can't punch him. Can't grab him. But he needs those eyes to see...
The villain spotted him approaching and laughed.
"Back for more, little hero? This time All Might won't save you!"
Izuku didn't slow down. Instead, he snatched up a discarded backpack from the ground, never breaking stride. As he neared the villain, he hurled the bag straight at those bulbous yellow eyes.
The backpack struck home, bursting open. Books, pencils, and a container of something spilled across the villain's face.
"My eyes!" the sludge monster howled, his grip on Bakugo loosening as he tried to clear his vision.
Izuku seized the moment. He lunged forward, grabbing Bakugo's arm and yanking with all his might.
"Let go of me, Deku!" Bakugo snarled, though his voice was weak.
"Shut up and help me, you ungrateful prick!" Izuku shot back, pulling harder.
Bakugo's body slid an inch free of the slime. Then another. With a mighty heave from both boys, he popped free entirely, sending them both tumbling to the pavement.
The villain roared in fury, rearing up to his full height.
"I'll kill you both!"
Before he could attack, a booming voice split the air:
"DETROIT SMASH!"
All Might—back in his muscular form—descended from above, his fist connecting with the ground. The impact created a vacuum effect, sucking the sludge villain up into a twisted cyclone before splattering him across the entire street.
Rain began to fall. The change in air pressure from All Might's attack had created localized weather.
Izuku lay on his back, staring up at the sky as raindrops pelted his face. Beside him, Bakugo coughed and wheezed, gulping in air.
The system chimed:
[QUEST COMPLETED]
Hero's First Move: Successful
Rewards Granted:
+24 Hours Lifespan
+10% Base Attraction Rating
Bonus: +5% Reputation with Heroes
[TIME REMAINING: 95 hours 12 minutes]
A full day added to his life. And a boost to his attraction rating. Not a bad deal for a few minutes of mortal terror.
Izuku sat up, wiping rain from his face. The crowd cheered as All Might secured the villain once more. Heroes rushed forward to help with cleanup. The crisis was over.
"Hey."
Bakugo stood over him, face twisted in a scowl. His uniform was soaked with slime and rain, his spiky hair plastered to his forehead.
"I didn't ask for your help, Deku," he spat. "Don't think this makes us even."
Izuku looked up at him, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"You're welcome, Dickhead."