Bonus: To Be a Hero Chapter 1 revised

While it's not finalized whether this month's snippet will be To Be a Hero, I still revised the first chapter, expanded it, and as it's already public, and was never posted here, I figured I might as well do that. 

I do have the contents of the mystery box planned if it wins, and I'd be happy to write it too, but if they remain tied, I'm going to be posting the To Be a Hero chapter 2. 

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Izuku Midoriya was having one hell of a day.

First, there was school. If you were an unpopular Japanese kid in middle school, that says enough on its own: it’s hard to have no friends. Second, he was attacked by a villain! While Izuku knew it was probably a bad idea to think of someone as just ‘the Sludge Villain’, he didn’t know the man’s name. Even a villain name would be nice!

The good news was, he got to meet All Might! And that leads to the third thing. His own stupidity. He clung to the man’s leg as he jumped off, flying miles away to the top of a building, and forced him to reveal one of the most society-shaking secrets in Japan.

All Might was dying.

Not in the immediate sense, of course. But that injury would ruin anyone who didn’t have a transformation quirk, like All Might apparently did. Even with that advantage, it limited his ability to withstand his own power, limiting his ability to be able to show his face, to inspire hope, to a fraction of each day. But now, now was the time to ask the one burning question, to the man who above all others is the authority on the matter.

“Can someone without a quirk become a hero like you!” Izuku shouted, tears in his eyes. It felt like his heart was being wrenched through his throat, to voice those all-important words.

And All Might, from the words of some random fanboy… paused. He patted his pocket, lifting up and seeing the Sludge Villain still safely contained, covered it up again. He coughed wetly, smearing the blood on a rag he took out of a back pocket before putting it back. “Alright kid,” All Might’s voice when he wasn’t using his quirk was sick, a wet rattle that completely concealed the strength and bombast of his usual tone. “-it looks like I actually have time for this.” Izuku was used to hearing people sounding resigned when they realized they couldn’t just dismiss him, but it hurt a little to hear that cranky tone from All Might. “Come on, let’s get this guy to the cops first.” Oh, right. The villain.

Numbly, Izuku followed the sketchy looking man that was secretly the Number One hero. This wasn’t going like his dreams. Or his nightmares. It wasn’t a yes. But at the same time, it wasn’t a no either. Why did he think this would be a long conversation? Izuku’s traitorous brain quickly supplied an explanation: He didn’t want to answer when Izuku had a building he could throw himself off handy.

“Kid.” All Might said, his tone softer, but still with the guttural reverberation. “Relax. Your question is just not something that can be answered with a simple yes or no. As I said, I can only work as a hero for three hours a day. That leaves me an awful lot of spare time.” All Might paused to cough, hacking blood into a clean handkerchief. How many of those did he have in his pockets? “My old master would be ashamed if I didn’t talk this out.” Wait, All Might has a teacher? Sure, he went to UA, but ‘Master’? That implied a much more personal relationship than was known to exist. “Now hang on, I’m going to call a friend of mine.” All Might brought out his cell phone, a bulky custom model that Izuku was 90% sure was designed by David Shield. “Tsukachi, I have a villain here. Yes, he probably saw. Well he’s in some soda bottles, I’m not entirely sure he can see and hear when he’s compacted that densely.”After a moment of fiddling with his phone, All Might continued. “Okay, I’ll wait here.”

Izuku continued to follow All Might outside the office building. The emaciated hero found a bench and took a seat, gesturing for Izuku to do the same. Izuku did, and worked up the courage to continue the discussion. “Um…” Was all he got out before All Might held up a hand.

“Not yet, kid.” All Might admonished. “Before I can answer your question, I need to ask some of my own.” Okay, that makes sense. “Recently I’ve been looking at the effects All Might has had on the world.” Izuku was confused for a moment, but realized what All Might was doing. “A lot of good has been done, to be sure. More than can be truly appreciated by a single man. But All Might is a symbol, and like all real symbols, it has many facets.” All Might coughed a bit more, taking out one of his bloody rags and spitting into it.

All Might spent some time in silence, gathering his thoughts perhaps. It did make sense, All Might was known for punchy sound bites rather than complex lectures. On top of that, it was a sensitive subject, very dear to Izuku’s heart. Eventually, he continued: “There are many heroes who can do excellent work without even touching their quirk. It is not such a big leap from that to say that someone without a quirk could be an adequate hero.” Izuku’s heart began to speed up. Was he saying yes? “However, that is not what you asked.” What? “And that question was not the one you were seeking an answer to. Once this conversation resumes, I want you to ask the real question.”

Izuku didn’t understand. He was starting to feel nauseous with how much his feelings had been jerked around. Still… “A-alright!” Izuku managed to stammer out. The real question? Izuku asked the question that had been burning in his mind all his life…

Wait. He said if ‘someone without a quirk could be a hero’. That was what he asked. And that is what All Might just said. Did All Might mean… Instead… Izuku tried to figure out another possible interpretation, but there was none. He meant… could I-

Izuku’s thoughts were interrupted by a police car driving up, a single detective (Detective Tsukachi?) leaving the driver’s seat and storming up to All Might, visibly annoyed. “Toshi.” He admonished. Was that All Might’s name? Maybe just a nickname. “You have to stop doing this.” Doing what? “You know how the Commission is about these things.”

The Commission? Did the detective mean the Hero Public Safety Commission? It does make sense that they would know about All Might’s state, but how is that relevant?

All Might scoffed at the concern, a glimmer of All Might’s unassailable confidence shining in his stance as he spoke to the detective. All Might produced the soda bottle, showing it to Detective Tsukachi. “The guy attempted to drown this kid with his body.” All Might’s tone was icy, a condemnation of the villain more potent than a judgment by the Supreme Court. “Attempted murder, needs special containment measures… Classified information measures aren't much on top of those.” Oh. The Sludge Villain knows about All Might’s injury now. That’s what the detective meant. Yeah, his annoyance makes sense now.

The detective nodded, conceding the point. “Hrm. Kid.” He suddenly said, Izuku startling at the rapid change in topic. “What is the name of All Might’s quirk.”

“What? I don’t know!” Izuku stammered. “No one does. Why would you ask that?” Was this a test? This felt like a test.

The detective’s hostility vanished as he smiled, before turning back to All Might. That was clearly the correct answer. “Well, don’t forget to get the kid home, if he already knows. Get in, I’ll drive you back to your truck.” Oh crap, Mom!

After entering the car and putting on his seat belt, Izuku takes out his own phone and sends a text to his mother. “Going to be late coming home. I’m safe.” Hopefully that was enough to stop the worst of things.

It was not to be. His mother immediately called his phone, and he answered it. “Oh my baby!” She began, and Izuku’s instinctive impulse to protect his hearing from loud noises made him move it further away. “What’s keeping you? Are you hurt? You didn’t go following hero fights again, did you?”

“Mom, I’m fine.” Izuku turned back to All Might, trying his best to ask for help with his eyes. He clearly heard what his Mom was saying.

All Might sighed and held out his hand. Izuku passed the phone and All Might began, crisp and professional as he switched to speaking like a government bureaucrat, or perhaps a counselor. “Miss, calm down. I am Toshinori Yagi, and I work with Might Tower. “ He paused for a moment as Izuku processed the fact that he now knew All Might’s full name. “Young Izuku is completely safe, there was a minor villain attack, and he got some sludge in his mouth. I am happy to report that it’s non-toxic, however, and there will be no health complications.” Izuku suddenly felt that he probably should actually get tested on that. Then again, if it was dangerous, wouldn’t Izuku know by now? He doesn’t feel any worse than usual, and it’s normal to feel this anxious when you’re still waiting for your dreams to be crushed or not, right? “After he makes a statement to the police, which we’re just about to do now with All Might acting in loco parentis, he has invited Young Izuku to dine with him, in apology for not catching the villain fast enough. Everything is fine, your boy is safe, we shall make sure he is home by eight, and probably earlier than that.”

All Might is surprisingly good at lying. Then again, he does have an actual secret identity, so that does make sense that he would be practiced at coming up with excuses to keep the secret. All Might handed the phone back to Izuku, and he brought it back to his ear. “Mom?” Izuku immediately pre-empted the obvious questions “Yes, I really got saved by All Might. Yes, he really said I’d get to eat dinner with him.” Which was true. He did just now.

Mom’s voice seemed drained, but relieved. “Okay Izuku. I could never deny you your love of All Might.” After a moment, she continued. “Just… remember that All Might is human too. He’s not going to be as amazing in person.”

Izuku looked once more at All Might. At the skeletal man, who smiled even when he wanted nothing more than to cry, who was battered and broken by the life of a hero. Izuku smiled. “He’s better.” He said confidently.

Izuku already knows that if nothing else, All Might isn’t going to tell him that being quirkless is what’s stopping him from being a hero. That alone was more than anyone else had ever done.

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“Okay, this is a pretty good spot for a private conversation.” All Might said, parking his surprisingly low-key truck and getting out, grabbing the takeout as he did. Izuku followed his lead.

“Um… All Might? Why are we at Dagobah Beach?” Calling it a beach was only technically correct. It was really more of a dump.

“It’s close to your house,” Yeah, twenty kilometers could be considered close to someone who could drive, or cross Japan by jumping. For walking? Not so much. “-and one of the few places I know of that no one goes to. There’s not even any homeless people here, last I checked.” Izuku wasn’t entirely sure why All Might would be checking beaches for homeless people, but nodded along. All Might opened up the bed of his truck and sat down on the tailgate, gesturing for Izuku to join him.

“Okay kid, now, ask me again.” He set the takeout behind him, shifting backwards so he would have space to eat.

Now for the moment of truth. “A-all Might.” He began. “Do you think… that I... as someone without a quirk… can be a hero like you?” If Izuku thought the first time he voiced this question to this man was painful, this one felt like his heart didn’t bother using the path of least resistance to escape his chest.

“That depends.” All Might said softly, dousing Izuku’s anxiety with confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“Huh?” Izuku asked intelligently.

“When I say that anyone can be a hero, I mean it.” All Might said. “Normally, I mean that metaphorically, that you don’t need a license to be someone’s hero. But you didn’t ask if you could be a hero. You asked if you could be a hero like me.” His hand lashes out in a dramatic gesture. “So what do you mean when you say you want to be a hero like All Might?”

Izuku doesn’t understand the question. All Might defines what it means to be a hero. For fifty-seven straight semi-annual rankings, All Might was declared to be the hero that all others were to strive to become. …Maybe he was just being rhetorical? That he wanted the obvious answer? “I want to be someone who can make people feel safe!” Izuku declared, tears welling up once again. “Someone who saves people, who protects them!”

Izuku felt that with those words alone, he was sharing his life’s story to those dimly glowing blue eyes. Every time Izuku changed his route to avoid people, every instance where someone saw his classmates lording their quirks over him, only to shrug it off. The years of those who would never allow him a shred of that all-important thing that heroes give with every act… Izuku’s tears flowed freely as he remembered everyone who said he couldn’t do it. How long has it been since he’s said what being a hero means? Has he ever said it out loud? “I want to be someone who gives people hope!”

All Might smiled, and in his emaciated form, it looked much different. Izuku had never thought that All Might’s signature smile was insincere… but this one was wider, encompassing his whole face. “Well, that’s a good start.” He said. Did he mean… “There are many ways one can say they want to be a hero ‘like me’. Many of them, I could say with confidence a quirkless person cannot be. But that one…” He trailed off, putting some of his rice into his mouth.

Izuku followed his lead, starting to eat his own meal as All Might mulled over his next words. After a few minutes, All Might continued. “Back when I was a lad.” He began, talking like the old man that he definitely wasn’t. “Ganbatte, the guts hero, said that the skill and effort of a pro hero was a quirk in itself.” Izuku blinked in confusion. Wasn’t he one of UA’s founders? “The issue I see is less that you don’t have a quirk, but that you’re a stick.” Izuku flushed in shame. Kacchan tended to point that out when he was feeling particularly verbose too. “The good news is that you’re the right age to start serious strength training, so the kids who’ve been training for years won’t have that big of an edge over you.” Izuku’s eyes brightened. Really?. Was this really happening?

“As I told you before, I have quite a lot of free time nowadays.” It was! “If you work harder than you can imagine yourself doing, if you can tough it out and not let anyone tell you you can’t…” Here it comes… “Then you, too, can be a hero.”

This was the greatest day in Izuku’s life. Birthday, step aside, there is All Might day now.

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Working out was hard. Izuku thought that this was obvious, but one doesn’t truly understand how hard something is until they experience it. All Might, true to his word, used his ample amounts of free time to make him a customized workout plan, with every minute of his life accounted for. All in the name of eventually getting into UA.

Mom was not a fan. But All Might could be pretty persuasive. she was willing to buy the first detailed grocery list Izuku had provided just to make him feel better after the villain attack, but after that first week…

“So you’re the one.” Mom said, resolutely defensive when she saw the sketchy-looking man that was secretly the Number One Hero, who had come when Izuku informed him of the grocery situation.

“I am, Ms. Midoriya.” All Might said respectfully. “I’ve been the one acting as Young Midoriya’s personal trainer this last week, and I apologize for not having spoken with you sooner.”

Izuku knew how his mother could get sometimes, trying to protect him. It wasn’t something he always appreciated, like now for instance, but it was a good sign that her stance softened, just a bit, at All Might’s apology. “...Come in.” She eventually said. “Would you like some tea?”

Once everyone was settled and tea was served, All Might started to explain the situation. “Ms. Midoriya, I should begin with this: your son greatly impressed both All Might and myself during the mealtime conversation. There is a heroic spirit there that would stand out in any generation of heroes, much less his own.”

Mom was not particularly impressed by All Might’s approach. “But my son is quirkless.” She said sadly, which reminded Izuku of that day, where Mom could only apologize for his condition instead of believing that he could do it. That he should try.

But All Might said he deserved a fair chance. “That is not as large of an obstacle as you might think.” All Might’s voice was calm, understanding. He was prepared for this talk. “All Might thinks he can do it, and I agree. Now, I understand you may be skeptical of The American Dream plan, but I assure you, by UA’s entrance exam, if he can tough it out and follow the diet plan, he will have enough strength to carry three grown men on his back, even without a quirk, something that a disappointingly large number of heroes can’t claim.” Really? Well, he did sort of drag that fridge just yesterday, not very far, but that was pretty heavy. “It will leave him quite prepared for the heroics curriculum.”

Mom’s resolve weakened at the confident statement. “...and if he doesn’t get in?” Mom whispered.

“Are you confident in your son’s studies? His mind?” All Might asked. Mom nodded, her shoulders firming up. “Then there will be no issue. As long as he achieves a passing grade, All Might will discreetly ensure that he gets into the General Education course. He will, of course, also be financially supporting Young Midoriya’s tuition in that case.”

“He will?” Mom asked, surprised.

“Principal Nedzu is a canny politician.” All Might explained. “While it would be against his principles to allow someone to get an unconditional free ride, or to enter a specialized course while undeserving… He is much more flexible with the general education course, as there aren’t enough seats for everyone who is deserving of the chance to get it. Thumbing the scale in that case is a small favor.”

Mom smiled at the offer on the table. “So All Might’s offering my Izuku a scholarship, as long as he attempts the Heroics entrance exam?”

“Precisely, Ms. Midoriya.” All Might said, a sly smile on his face “All he must do is keep chasing his dream, work hard, keep up his studies, follow the plan precisely, and do his best at the Entrance exam.” All Might’s smile widened. “Pretty good deal, ne? UA graduates have essentially guaranteed enrollment at any college in the country, Todai included. Even if Young Midoriya cannot achieve his dream, he will still be well positioned to live a successful life.”

Izuku swallowed thickly. All Might was just saying that to make his Mom happy, right? All Might said he could do it, so he will!

Those words did, regardless of their truth, did seem to do what Izuku hoped they were meant to do: His mom started to tear up, and hugged Izuku tightly. “Oh Izuku, I’m so ha-ha-happy!” Urk!

“Mom, I-” Izuku gasped. “-can’t… breathe…” All Might chuckled at his plight instead of rescuing him, like a hero should.

After Mom released him from her deathgrip, All Might spoke up again. “When Young Midoriya called me, he mentioned that you were concerned about the amount of meat he was asking for, and I understood that to mean that you were concerned about the expense.” He whipped out what appeared to be a cash card. “Buy your groceries, and anything else the plan calls for, with this. All Might thinks that your son can go the distance, and he’s willing to do the same to make it happen.”

“Oh, I couldn’t.” Mom said, attempting to push away the offered card.

All Might pushed it back into her hand, manually closing her fingers over it. “Bodybuilding is an expensive hobby, Ms. Midoriya. It is not something that can be done well by the frugal, and given how little time he has, any advantage must be grasped with both hands.” To emphasize his point, All Might took Mom’s other hand and repositioned their hands as if they were exchanging a business card. “A single mother and son’s entire food budget, and a home gymnasium’s worth of equipment, is pocket change to Might Tower. Take the money.”

“But…” Mom tried before All Might interrupted.

“All Might’s not going to care if you end up saving fifty thousand a month or however much you spend by eating exclusively on his yen,” How much does All Might think food costs? “and Young Midoriya’s going to need a whole new wardrobe after he gets all that muscle, that’s another hundred thousand or two right there, “ The sad thing is that All Might probably spends at least thrice that on his own wardrobe, so he actually tried to estimate an accurate figure. “The card’s only got a million yen on it. No big deal. It should last you the year.” All Might said dismissively. “We’re trusting you, as someone who raised such an upstanding young man, to use that card responsibly.”

“Of course.” Mom said, taking the card and looking at it with a combination of dread and awe. “This money is for Izuku’s training expenses. Nothing else.”

“Good enough.” All Might said, slightly resigned. “I should add: nutritional supplements vary widely in quality, so please get the brands listed in the plan.” Wait, weren’t those the official sponsored nutritional supplements from Mi- “You can order them from Might Tower’s sponsored product online store, and that card will give you the employee discount.” Ah.

At the word ‘discount’, Mom’s apprehension over the card completely vanished. “Izuku will have my full support for your plan!”

Izuku smiled. Bribery or not, Mom’s finally behind him. Just like it should be.

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It took three months before Izuku worked up the courage to talk to All Might about what he said to Mom.

“H-hey, All Might?” He asked during a water break.

“Hm? Are you finally ready to speak on what’s been troubling you, Young Midoriya?” All Might asked. “I Am Here, to listen to your troubles.”

“When you were talking to my mom, and you said all that stuff about college…” Izuku began, trailing off without actually finishing his thought.

All Might seemed to understand Izuku anyway. “When I was in training, everything was so… dramatic. High-stakes.” Izuku tilted his head. Where was he going with this? “Every obstacle was do or die, all or nothing.” He scratched his chin. “It made me a splendid hero, to be sure, but…” All Might’s brow furrowed, lost in thought. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure how to say this. My point, Young Midoriya, is that the Entrance Exam is not your only chance to become a hero.”

What? “But if I don’t get into UA, how would I get to be a hero? Are there other schools I should be trying?” Izuku stammered out.

All Might held up five fingers. “Five chances.” He said. “You will have five chances to become a hero, going to UA.” Five? Why five? “First, there is the Entrance Exam. While it is not impossible for you to fail the Hero course after getting in, that is not worth considering.” Izuku nodded along. “Next, as mentioned to your mother, as long as you keep up your studies and achieve a good score on the written exam, you will be put into UA’s general education department. From there, you will have three opportunities to move into the hero course.”

Three? One per year, presumably, but… “The Sports Festival!” Izuku blurted out.

“Correct, Young Midoriya.” All Might said. “If you manage to enter the tournament stage as someone not in the hero course, and manage to not completely embarrass yourself once there, you will likely be accepted into the hero course with open arms.” Izuku wasn’t so confident, but maybe he means that he’ll pull some strings? Izuku doesn’t like the sound of that. It sounds like a shortcut, one he didn’t earn.

But… “And the last?” Izuku asked.

“The Hero License exams can be taken by anyone with a current Pro Hero as a sponsor.” All Might said, before coughing into a rag. Ah, Izuku asked him to talk too much… He checked the surprisingly clean rag before putting it away. “If you continue to train hard, graduate UA, and still want to, even if you never get into the Hero Course I’d be willing to give you that one last chance.”

The tears came back. “If I screw that up too?” Izuku asked.

All Might chuckled. “Then you’ll know that you tried your best.” He said. “In the end, that’s all I can ask of you. I’m not going to give up on you because some punk kid or arrogant teacher says I should. As long as you’re still willing to give it your all, I’ll be right behind you, cheering you on.” He grinned conspiratorially. “But between you and me, UA’s hero course graduation test is a lot harder than the regular hero exam. Keep up my training plans for the full four years, and you’ve got that one in the bag, quirk or no quirk.”

Izuku brightened. He’s not sure he likes the idea of having a fallback plan like that, it sounds defeatist, but All Might’s willing to stick with him for that long? “I’ll make you proud, and get into UA at the Entrance Exam!” He declared, standing up. He was all fired up!

All Might checked his phone. “Yes, break time’s over. Let’s see your spirit! Go Beyond!”

“PLUS ULTRA!” Izuku shouted, picking up a tractor tire.

With that, Izuku resumed clearing the beach, thinking about what All Might said. If All Might wasn’t a hero, he would probably be healthier than he is now. He would probably live longer. But he looked at himself in one hand, and people who needed saving in the other, and put his life on the line every time. That’s the kind of hero Izuku wants to be.

Izuku swears that even if he only manages to save a single person, then all of this will be worth it.