No.1 Hero: All Might.Age: Unknown.Quirk: Unknown.
He appeared on the Hero stage and quickly gained overwhelming popularity because of his strength. Since his debut, villain activity has steadily declined year after year. His very existence acts as a deterrent—a living force of suppression.
He is worthy of the title:
The Symbol of Peace.
And that man had just said to Izuku Midoriya, who had no Quirk—
"You can become a Hero."
At that moment, Izuku's mind filled with every insult he had endured over the past ten years.
"You don't even have a Quirk—how dare you stand on the same stage as me!"
"Midoriya? Don't make me laugh!"
"Just give up already…"
Those voices had once drowned him like a tidal wave.
But now—
They poured out of him like receding seawater, escaping through tears.
I've always wanted someone to say that to me…
And the person saying it… is the Hero I admire most…
Is there anything more powerful than this…?!
There was.
"If it's you… then you are worthy to inherit my power!"
All Might spread his arms wide as he looked at Izuku, who was kneeling on the ground, crying.
"…Huh?" Izuku blinked, confused.
"What kind of reaction is that?! This is a serious proposal!" All Might shouted."Listen carefully, young man!"
"I'll ask you again—do you want to inherit my power?!"
Power…? What is he talking about…?
"Let me explain," All Might said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"In magazines and interviews, people often speculate about my Quirk—super strength, enhancement, things like that. I usually brush it off with jokes."
He pulled out two strands of his hair.
"Because the Symbol of Peace must appear as a natural-born Hero."
"But the truth is—my Quirk is something that can be passed on."
"Passed on…? Inherited…?" Izuku's entire worldview began to crack.
"Yes. And now… it's your turn."
"W-Wait… please wait a moment…" Izuku's thoughts spiraled out of control.
"All Might's Quirk is one of the greatest mysteries in the world… people constantly debate it online… but inheritance? Passing it on? That kind of Quirk has never been confirmed before! Quirks are supposed to be innate—something you're born with, tied to your body's characteristics…"
Izuku's thoughts tangled together in a storm of logic and disbelief.
"Stop overthinking it! Enough nonsense!" All Might interrupted, clearly exasperated.
"I may hide certain things—but I don't lie!"
"This is a Quirk that can be passed from one person to another… the Quirk I inherited!"
"It's called—One For All."
"One… For… All…"
"One person cultivates power… and passes it on to another. That power continues to grow, generation after generation—carrying the will, the hope, and the cries for help of those who came before!"
"…Something that incredible… why would you give it to me…?" Izuku whispered.
All Might extended his hand.
"I've been searching for a successor."
"And I believe… you are worthy of that responsibility."
"You may be Quirkless… but more than anyone else there—"
"You acted like a true Hero."
Tears flowed from Izuku's eyes once again.
"But the choice is yours," All Might said."What will you do?"
Izuku slowly raised his head, wiping his tears with his sleeve.
He told me everything… entrusted me with such a secret…
Do I have a reason to refuse?
No.
None at all.
"Please… let me inherit it!" Izuku said, his voice firm with determination.
"Ha! That was fast—but I expected as much!" All Might smiled.
However, All Might did not grant him the power immediately.
Izuku still needed to train.
They exchanged phone numbers so they could stay in contact.
On his way home, Izuku remained in a state of overwhelming excitement.
When he opened the door—
Inko Midoriya stood there, holding a cake.
"Mom… what's this?"
"Happy birthday, Izuku!"
"…But my birthday isn't today?"
"I thought I'd celebrate early," she said with a gentle smile."How's that? Pretty great, right?"
"It's amazing! Thank you, Mom!"
In truth, Inko had bought the cake on impulse.
On her way home, she had seen a live broadcast of All Might saving two middle schoolers. For a brief moment, she thought she recognized Izuku among them. Panic filled her chest.
Unsure how to comfort him if something had happened, she bought a Black Forest cake from a nearby shop—their favorite.
The two of them happily finished dinner and the cake together.
Seeing Izuku so cheerful and stable, Inko finally felt relieved.
"To keep up with All Might… I have to train even harder starting tomorrow!"
Izuku immediately began revising his training plan.
"The weighted plates on my legs need to be increased… maybe I should add sandbags to my arms too… and carry even more weight overall… and then…"
He worked on his plan late into the night.
Even a professional Hero might have called it excessive—borderline self-destructive.
"Next… my diary."
Izuku pulled out his notebook from beneath his pillow.
"February 10th: Today I met All Might. His autograph is incredible!"
"I still want to become a Hero! U.A. High School… just wait for me!"
He closed the diary with a satisfied smile and fell asleep holding it.
The next morning, Izuku returned from training drenched in sweat.
"Mom, I'm heading out."
"Be careful on the way."
At school, Izuku continued training while taking notes.
With sandbags tied to his arms, even squeezing a hand gripper caused his face to twist from the strain.
"…Maybe Mom's portions are too small now. I should ask her to pack more food tomorrow."
"But now that I don't have a sword… how should I train?"
Izuku took out his phone and searched for alternatives.
Eventually, he found something.
"Boxing and kick-based training… that might suit me better going forward."
He headed to the rooftop.
"Oh right—I still haven't done yesterday's push-ups."
"Let's start with that."