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

Chapter 10: Three Dekus

Izuku looked at both men standing before him. "Y-You're..."

They both nodded. "So this is where we got sent to." The older Deku with the red suit stated.

The other older Deku with the green suit and support gear exhaled and got down on his knee. "Izuku Midoriya?" He asked.

Izuku slowly nodded.

"It looks like you've got a lot on your hands right now." He said. "Need a hand?"

The boy shook his head. "I have to do this alone."

"Why?" Older Izuku asked.

"I let my friends down. I let my heroes down. I can't hesitate and I can't hold back any longer." He declared.

Older Izuku and the red suit Izuku gave each other a look. "We know."

"Kid, have you met with Gran Torino yet?" Red suit Izuku asked.

"...Who?"

The two men looked at each other again.

"Power up One For All again." Red suit instructed.

Quizzically, Izuku looked at him before dropping into a battle stance and letting One For All rush through his veins at the lowest power level he could control.

"Now, visualize your power, not just in the part of your body you want to use, but let it flow evenly throughout."

The older green suit Izuku stood up. "Picture an egg in a microwave."

Izuku nearly dropped his focus wondering what the heck he was talking about.

"Think about it! The energy used to heat up an egg in a microwave. That's like the focused energy you need to control One For All. It'll allow you to use more of it and distribute it without shattering your body in the points of impact." He explained.

Within his mind, Izuku pictured an egg in a microwave, as he was told. One For All didn't feel so rough in him now. Like a river flowing around him, carrying him, instead of him fighting off the ragged current. Green lightning sparked around his body.

"He's a greenie like me." Older Izuku smiled.

"Am I the only one with red?" Red suit Izuku asked aloud.

"What is this?!" Izuku blurted out.

"This is One For All: Full Cowling. Letting the power flow through your entire being, and not pushing it all to one spot." Older Izuku answered. "If you can control this, you can master One For All itself one day."

"Then that's all I'll need!" Izuku called.

"What percentage can you hold now?" Red suit Izuku asked.

"Probably...5%. B-But I can go higher!" He said.

Older Izuku shook his head. "What you do tonight will be enough. You have us."

"I have to finish this. They could kill my friends!"

Older Izuku and Red suit Izuku nodded. "We'll finish this, together."

Simultaneously, their Quirks lit up, sparking green and red lightning in the room. "Let's chase some villains." Red suit smirked and put his scary mask over his face.

Izuku was the first to burst from the agency headquarter doors. As he let One For All coarse through his veins, his legs carried him faster than he ever could, and although it hurt, nothing was breaking. His drive to save his friends carried him beyond everything.

Right beside him, Older Izuku and Red suit Izuku seemed to be...

"You can fly?!" Izuku called.

They looked at each other, seeing Air Force push them through the air while Float kept them off the ground. Tendrils of Black Whip shot out and slingshotted their bodies.

"Deku!" Older Izuku called to Red suit. "Grab him with Black Whip. I have an idea!"

Together, both of their Black Whips grabbed Izuku's arms and lifted him off the ground as they began swinging ahead with him. Now they were traveling faster than they had ever before. It was as if One For All within each of them multiplied with their combined strengths.

In the distance, Izuku could see a beacon of light shining into the sky from an unfinished building that stood a little taller than the surrounding city.

The three looked at each other. "You don't think..."

"That's Maeko. He wants us to find him." Red suit Deku said.

The three stopped and hid behind a wooden fence just ahead of the construction site.

"I'm going in." Izuku stated as he began to march.

"Wait! Hold on, Izuku." Red suit grabbed his arm.

"I'm tired of waiting! Waiting has kept those poor innocent citizens stuck to that hideous machine that sent those monsters to my world! And now they have my friends hostage."

"Which is why we need a plan of attack." Older Izuku explained. "Izuku and I know our enemies. We've both faced villains like this before. And there's two more with One For All among the hostages. Once we free them, they can help us."

Izuku groaned. "I already assumed that. I know that I'm not as experienced as you, but I know enough now. This is my fight as it is yours."

They nodded. "I'll go for Maeko. He'll be the most dangerous. And I bet I can get the attention of the others too." Red suit Izuku volunteered.

"I'll distract Shigaraki." Older Izuku patted himself.

"I'll rescue Lemillion and Uravity." Izuku said.

Red suit Izuku flinched at the mention of her hero name. "W-Who?"

They looked at him worriedly.

"You both have your Ochako's, don't you." His eyes looked down through his mask.

"Y-You don't?" Izuku asked.

He shook his head hesitantly. "I lost her...the last time I fought Maeko Hatsume."

Older Izuku put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry... Being the oldest here, I've had my fair share of deaths over the years. I even died once myself—long story."

Izuku bowed his head in respect.

"What keeps you guys going?"

Now both older Izuku's looked at their younger counterpart.

"The other day, Ochako asked me why I want to be a hero. Wh-What's my drive. I thought I knew but... It's been making me lose my focus ever since." Izuku explained himself.

"I remember that..." Older Izuku said aloud. "Well, I don't want to spoil anything, but I think you already know what it is. It's what made your legs move before your brain to save Kacchan. You did that even after All Might himself let you down. That wasn't to be like All Might, that was to be Deku."

Red Izuku smiled and nodded in agreement.

Izuku remembered the time Ochako asked him about his nickname from Katsuki Bakugo. "Deku" he called him, meaning useless, basic, inferior. But Ochako saw it as a great underdog. Something that says "you can do it!" He blushed and smiled at the memory.

"Let's do this." Izuku said with a newfound confidence.

"Now we're talking." Red Izuku smirked through his mask.