The Undaunted Golem (My Hero Academia)

2. What It Takes To Be A Hero

Midoriya: "I'm a normal kid without any powers. Could I ever hope to be someone like you?!" he asked the number one hero. All Might turned to look at the boy pouring his heart and soul out. Both Y/n and Midoriya waited and hoped for his response.

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All Might: "Without a quirk, you say?" he asked before he hunched over in what looked like pain and steam began to emit for him, but Midoriya was still talking to himself and Y/n was too focused on his troubled friend.

Midoriya: "People think I don't have a chance, that not having any powers makes me weak. My classmates like to make fun of me. The only one who stands up for me is Y/n, but I should be doing that for myself." he said as he remembered all the times Y/n came to his defense no matter the circumstance. As he did this Y/n shifted focus to where All Might was only to see a billowing cloud of smoke.

Y/n: "Uh, Izuku?" he said, trying to get Midoriya's attention.

Midoriya: "Ever since I was a kid I thought saving people was the coolest thing ever. I want people to see my fearless smile and feel safe. I wanna be a hero that everyone in the world looks up to, just like you All Might!" Midoriya said, looking up at All Might with his eyes gleaming like stars.

What the boys saw when the smoke cleared stunned them. Where the symbol of peace stood was a fragile looking skeleton of a man who's only attributes he shared with the previous was his eye and hair color. Neither boy knew what to do. Y/n stared straight ahead tilting his head in confusion while Midoriya let out a scream accusing him of being an impostor.

All Might: "I assure you that I am All Mig-" the boneman tried to say but not before he started spitting up blood.

Midoriya: "Impossible!" he cried out so shrill it caused Y/n to have to cover his ears.

All Might: "You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in their guts and trying to look buff, I'm like that. Oh thank you, my boy." he said as he wiped the blood from his mouth with the handkerchief Y/n handed him.

Midoriya: "This can't be real!" he cried out again too shrill for Y/n's liking earning him another hit on the head from the taller boy.

Midoriya: "No, I'm dreaming. All Might's a giant of a man who saves everyone. He defeats all obstacles in his way with a fearless smile." he tried to reason with what's in front of him. All Might sighs as he leans on the railing and slides down taking a seat.

All Might: "There's plenty of fear behind that smile, kid." he says as he pauses to think. "I'm counting on the two of you to keep your mouths shut. Don't go spouting about this online or telling your friends." he asks, sounding very displeased with the situation.

Y/n: "How did this happen, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked, curious about the man's state. As All Might lifts his shirt both boys are real back from what they're looking at. It was a surgical scar that took up the entire left side of All Might's chest.

All Might: "Pretty gross, right? I got this in a big fight five years back. My respiratory system is basically destroyed, I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out, it can't be fixed." he says sounding depressed.

All Might: "Right now I can only do hero work for about three hours a day. The rest of the time this is what I look like." he finished as the boys took in the explanation. Y/n couldn't help but feel bad for the pro hero, meanwhile Midoriya was still having a hard time taking all of it in.

Y/n: "Wait, five years ago, was that the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?" he asked squatting down to be eye level with All Might.

All Might: "Wow you kids know your stuff, but no. The punk may have landed some hits, but he couldn't take me down." he corrected the dirty blond teen.