The Many Lives of One For All - An MHA Short Story

Chapter 1: Our Timeline

Just when he felt he was finally getting the hang of his power...

Izuku Midoriya felt his cellphone vibrate. Pulling it from his right pocket, he could see a chibi All Might figure visually showing a text from Toshinori Yagi, All Might himself.

"Meet me in the teacher's lounge after classes today." It said.

After replying with a quick "Okay, All Might!", the green-haired teen finished his morning jog.

Classes came and went. Izuku kept up his strategy of channeling his Quirk, One For All, into a small part of his body, with as little output as he could muster.

His friends Tenya Iida and Ochako Uraraka gave him support through it all, and during lunch and their breaks, they laughed and talked about the future.

"Hey, Deku?" Uraraka asked as they stepped out of Mr. Aizawa's last class for the day.

"Hm? Oh, yes Uraraka?" Izuku looked up from his phone, about to text his hero that he was on his way.

"Can I ask you something personal?" She questioned as she hugged her books to her chest.

Izuku's face heated up. "U-Uhhm sure! Wh-What is it?"

She shifted her weight before answering. "Before I ask, I gotta admit, your Quirk scares me..."

Izuku gulped.

"I'm sorry! I don't mean for that to sound rude! It's just that, well, you're my friend. And I want to make people happy, even if they're also heroes like me." She explained nervously.

He felt a little better with her explanation. He related a lot to her. She was selfless to a fault.

"I'll try to control it better. I promise." He bowed his head to her.

Uraraka blushed and smiled. "A-Anyway, I was meaning to ask you earlier but, why do you do it?"

"Do...what?" Izuku asked.

"All of it. Why do you push yourself to the point of getting hurt and why do you want to be a hero? What's all it for?" She asked with sincerity.

He stood in thought for a moment. He would've just muttered all this thoughts aloud. But this made him think deeper. It made him ponder. He wanted to be like All Might, yes. He wanted to save people, with a smile. But why? The question that causes anyone to dig down further than they ever thought.

Uraraka waved her hand in front of his face. Unfortunately, this new thing for Izuku gave him another strange look on his face as he stared off into space. "Earth to Deku? You look like a raisin..."

Izuku snapped out of it and noticed how close she was to his face. Generating an inhuman and unmanly peep, he leapt back with his cheeks as red as tomatoes. "YES I'M FINE!" He composed himself quickly. "Um... I-I-"

"I AM HERE!"

Both students jerked their heads toward the mighty hero All Might as he trucked down the hallway to their location. When he stopped in front of them, a light gust of wind blew past.

"Young Midoriya." He addressed the green-haired boy. "You're still available to chat, I presume?"

Izuku bowed himself to his master. "Yes, sir! I am!"

Uraraka smirked. "I guess I better leave you two to it."

Izuku quickly turned to her direction.

"See ya tomorrow!" The brunette waved as she walked away.

He felt like he needed to stop her and tell her what was going through his head. But the dilemma, other than who was standing behind him, was that he couldn't find any coherent thought.

"Something the matter?" All Might asked, noticing his pupil's discomfort.

After a moment watching her strut down the hallway out the door, for perhaps a little longer than he should have, he quickly remembered his idol present and blushed.

"Sorry! Uh, no. I'm fine. Just been thinking." Izuku sighed.

"Well stop. For you, it's dangerous." The hero said, keeping his toothy grin as he spoke in a more stern tone. "Come with me."

The two inheritors of One For All made their way to the teacher's lounge. Inside was vacant, except for Principal Nezu, of course.

"Izuku Midoriya! Just the young man I wanted to see!" The anthropomorphic mouse greeted with his open arms. "And our Symbol of Peace himself. Wonderful to see you both here."

Izuku and All Might bowed.

"Now, enough formalities. I'm afraid we have an important assignment for you, Izuku." Nezu shared. "Why don't you explain, Toshi?"

All Might cleared his throat. "Midoriya, how much do you know about the Number One American hero?"

"Stars and Stripes? Graduated top of her class at the top American hero school? Based her entire look and motivation on American values and you? Decided to become a hero when you saved her life as a child almost twenty years ago? The same Stars and Stripes who-"

"Yes! That one!" All Might shouted as he pressed his finger to Izuku's mouth. He lost control of his power and instantly popped down to his skeletal form.

Izuku's eyes jumped out of his skull for a moment.

"Anyway." The older hero exhaled. "Stars and Stripes contacted UA. She knows I chose a successor for One For All."

"She knows?!" Izuku asked.

"She was my intern for a long time. Before my battle with All For One. And like Sir Nighteye, I came to trust her. And she trusted in me." He smirked. "She also held the record for my biggest fan, up until I met you."

"But...wait. What does she want?" The boy asked.

"She's in the middle of investigating several kidnappings. All linked to one mad scientist in America. And all the kidnapped possess extremely powerful Quirks." Midoriya's skinny hero explained.

"No, no. I mean, why did she request me? I've never even been out of the country before..."

Nezu perked up in his chair. "Simple! You have the power she needs and can hold it much longer than dear All Might here."

"N-No I can't! I can hardly hold One For All for a few seconds and flex my fingers!" Izuku protested.

"Not that I don't disagree with you, Midoriya, but Stars and Stripes specifically asked for you. Out of all the heroes she could have requested from anywhere, she chose you... y'know, after I told her I found an inheritor." All Might said as he rubbed his long neck.

Izuku exhaled. "That makes some sense... How long will I be gone for?"

"Not long! Just the weekend!" Nezu cheered. "You should be back fresh Monday for classes!"

All Might placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "This could be a huge opportunity for you, Midoriya. Stars and Stripes knows about One For All. So perhaps she could give some advice on how to control it."

He thought for a moment. Then, he looked up at his idol and nodded. "I'll do it."

"Perfect! They have a jet waiting for you. I'll escort you there. All you'll need is your new hero costume!" The hero exclaimed.

"But what about my passport?! My toothbrush?!" Izuku asked as All Might was shoving him out of the room, pushing him across the school floor by his heels.