Elemental

Chapter sixteen

Later that evening, not long after Katsuki left, there was a knock on the door. I groaned and slowly got out of bed.

"Coming!"

I held onto the railing and walked down the stairs. 'Man, my side hurts,' I thought with a sigh. 'I can't even heal injuries like this, maybe I should stop by recovery girl?'

I opened the door. "All Might. What a surprise." He stood there in his normal form and waved.

"Hey, ____. We haven't actually had a chance to talk yet. Can I come in?"

"Sure. Would you like some tea?"

"Sure, thank you." I let All Might inside before closing the door and walking into the kitchen. After making the tea, I set the two mugs on my kitchen table and sat across from him.

"So, what's up?"

"There are a few things I wanna talk about," He paused. "Congratulations on getting third place at the festival. I knew you could do it."

"Yea, thanks. After getting second place in the first competition, I felt different. Pride maybe?"

"That could be it. What did you want to tell me afterward?"

"I- I had an epiphany during the festival and my talk with Shoto, and I've been questioning life a lot lately."

All Might sipped his tea and raised an eyebrow as if to tell me to continue.

"During the sports festival, winning felt good, amazing even. It was different, being recognized and praised for my strength instead of being shit on because of my background. I think part of that is what makes a hero want to be a hero, then I thought, what about others who aren't as recognized as Shoto and I? Like the purple-haired guy. Shin- something, I think his name was?"

I leaned back in my chair. "Why do people become heroes? What drives them? I know that I shouldn't become a hero because of some grudge or rebellion against my parents and the people that bullied me before."

"So, what did you decide?"

"Well, at first, I just figured out that I need a better motive, I need to think of what makes a hero. Before my internship, I picked a hero name." I smiled. "Ya know, I look up to you and Aizawa mostly. You both are amazing heroes, the kind of hero I want to be, so I decided my hero name is Iris: The hero of hope."

All Might look surprised, his eyes widened slightly before he smiled. "I like it. Why Iris though?"

"Iris is the flower that symbolizes hope, wisdom, trust, and valor. That is the type of hero I want to be. I want people to hear my voice, or see my face and know that they are safe. I want to-no, I will bring hope to others, even when things seem hopeless. I want people to put their trust in me and continue to have hope."

"Like the symbol of peace," All Might said.

I nodded and smiled. "I want to be the symbol of hope, and after the Stain incident, I truly believe that is the type of hero I will be."

All Might started to sizzle before going all buff. "Young ___ I am so proud of you! You will be an amazing hero for the right reasons one day!"

"Yea, thanks."

He deflated and spit up blood. I chuckled and shook my head.

"Okay, all good things aside, I need to tell you something. I told Midoriya earlier, but I thought it would be best if I told you too."

"What?"

All Might sighed. "Midoriya shouldn't have to handle this burden alone. Even though you don't have one for all, I still think you should be by his side, as my second successor. The symbols of peace and hope."