The scene shifted to Izuku lying on a hospital bed, groggily blinking awake. A familiar elderly face leaned into view.
"Ah, you're up," Recovery Girl said with a small smile.
Izuku rubbed his eyes. "Where… am I?"
"You're at U.A's infirmary," she answered. "Be more careful with your quirk, young man. Without me, your arm would've taken months to recover."
"Right… sorry. And thank you," he said with a sheepish bow.
A tall shadow filled the doorway.
"Young Midoriya! I was worried about you." All Might—his sensei—stepped in, looking oddly small in his skeletal form.
"All M—sensei! I'm sorry. I used One For All recklessly—"
"Don't worry, kid. In your place, even I would've acted the same." He grinned.
"All Might…"
"Oh! Before I forget—you passed the exam. It's not official yet, but my friend informed me."
Must be Eraser Head… Izuku thought.
"You should head home," All Might added. "Your mother must be worried sick."
"Right. Thank you, sensei."
The Walk Home
Izuku walked down the road, replaying the exam in his mind.
Was that Danger Sense? Did I really use a previous user's quirk this early…?
"Oii, kid," a sudden voice echoed.
"H-hey, can he hear us yet?" another whispered.
"Everyone calm down. He'll see us eventually."
Izuku froze. "Who—who said that?"
He turned around. No one.
"I definitely heard voices…"
"For real? The brat can hear us?" one voice said.
"Oii kid, listen—"
My head—what is this?! Izuku stumbled, gripping his temples as a wave of dizziness hit him.
"Someone do something—he's freaking out!"
"One at a time! You're overwhelming the boy!"
Nope. I'm going home. Izuku activated Full Cowl 10% and dashed off like his life depended on it.
Home
"I'm home!" he shouted the moment he burst through the door.
"Inku, how was the test?" his mom called out.
"It went well! Talk later!" he said before sprinting to his room.
Is this what canon Izuku went through? How did that damn nerd survive seven people yelling in his head?!
"Calm down, kid. You're panicking too much," a voice said gently.
Panicking? I'm being haunted by seven dead people!
"Yeah, it's understandable, kid," another voice added.
"Don't worry, Izuku-kun," a soft voice soothed.
"STOP TALKING!" Izuku finally yelled.
Silence.
Inko blinked from the kitchen. Is he… on a call?
Back in his room, Izuku took a slow breath.
Okay… communicate. Don't look like a crazy reincarnated psycho. Ask who they are… wait—can they hear my thoughts?
The faint lights appeared again, hovering like firefly-sized silhouettes.
Seems they only hear what I allow… good.
Knock.
"Izuku? Are you all right?" Inko asked through the door.
"Y-yeah! Just talking to a friend on the phone!"
Then, realizing a chance for sanity-check: "Mom, can you come in for a sec?"
Inko stepped in.
"Do you… see these lights?"
She looked around. "Lights? What lights?"
"Uh—my phone torch!" Izuku blurted, flicking it on instantly.
Inko frowned. "Are you really okay?"
"Yeah, mom. Just tired." He gently pushed her out before closing the door.
Meeting the Vestiges
He concentrated, and the floating fragments sharpened into tiny human-shaped silhouettes—like quirk pixies.
"So," Izuku said slowly, "who… exactly are you guys?"
The rugged voice spoke first. "Brat, we're your predecessors," Daigoro Banjo said.
"So you're… my grandfathers?" Izuku asked bluntly.
"…What?" En muttered. "How did you even—no."
"Definitely not related," Nana sighed.
"Then who—?"
"We're the previous One For All users, Ninth," Yoichi said gently.
"Previous… users?" Izuku repeated.
"Indeed," Kudo added. "One For All has been passed down from Yoichi to Toshinori as the 8th."
"So… why was it passed down?"
Silence. Heavy.
Here we go. The All For One talk. Poor Nana-san… she's gonna be crushed when she learns about her grandson…
Yoichi finally spoke. "Ninth… have you heard of All For One?"
"Not really."
"Not surprising. He vanished after his defeat five years ago," Yoichi explained.
"Five years ago—that's when All Might got injured…"
"Correct. He was the villain All Might fought. We believed he died… but his presence is growing again. Rapidly."
Izuku's stomach twisted.
Five years? In canon he pops up way sooner…
Kudo suddenly asked, "Kid… you aren't related to any of us, are you?"
Izuku blinked. Related?! I don't even know my dad in this life!
"I don't… think so."
Kudo scratched his chin. "You just kinda look like Yoichi."
Izuku sighed. "Since all of you know my name, how about introducing yourselves properly?"
They did—one by one, quirks included.
"So you want me to defeat All For One," Izuku summarized.
"Essentially, yes," Yoichi nodded. "At the rate his power grows, we estimate around five years before disaster."
Wrong. He shows up way sooner. Ugh.
Hikage spoke next. "Kid, earlier—you used my quirk, didn't you? Danger Sense."
"Yeah… I think I did," Izuku admitted. "It felt too natural to be anything else."
"It never happened with the previous users," Yoichi murmured.
"A new phenomenon," Nana said softly.
Izuku exhaled. "Okay. But I need a favor from all of you."
"Hm?" Banjo asked.
"Please… don't all talk at once. Seven voices in my head is torture. If you want to help, choose one representative to appear. We'll talk every evening after I get home. Before I hit 50%, I can't handle more."
"Kid, you're not understanding the seriousness of—" Kudo began.
"I do. But I'm still the one carrying all of you freeloaders inside my mind."
Banjo blinked. "…Freeloaders?!"
Kudo sputtered. "I TAKE BACK MY WORDS! You're not like Yoichi at all—you're worse than All For One in terms of rudeness!"
"Huh? Didn't hear you," Izuku said innocently.
Yoichi sighed. "All right, Ninth. We accept. We'll decide who appears later."
"Thank you, Yoichi-san. You're very reasonable—unlike someone here."
"OII KID YOU WANNA DIE?!" Kudo roared.
The other vestiges stared. We have never seen Kudo this angry…
Yoichi chuckled awkwardly. "We'll leave for now. Good luck… to all of us."
---
10 Days Later
Izuku received his U.A admission letter—and his class assignment. Class 1-A.
He clenched the paper, excitement bubbling in his chest.
This is it. My first step toward becoming a hero.
---
First Day at U.A
In his uniform, bag slung over his shoulder, Izuku stood at the huge school gates. His heart pounded.
"This is it… U.A High," he whispered.
A faint laugh echoed his side .
"Do your best, Izuku kun."
Izuku smiled. "Yeah. Let's go."
He took his first step forward.