Hello there, I'm back! Don't worry, nothing bad happened this time, I only went on a trip for a couple of days and the place I stayed at didn't have any internet connection, that's why this chapter didn't come out sooner!

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Well... Now that I think about it, I've been taking so much time to post this chapters that I am losing the ability to make intros. I seriously don't know what to say here! Guess I'll go with the usual...

Without anymore hesitation...

Enjoy the read =D

I'm going to meet All Might's teacher!

Even if Izuku himself had made this decision, he still couldn't believe that he was about to meet the man that helped All Might, his idol and the current number one hero, become what he is today! The green haired teen was having a hard time containing his excitement!

Gran Torino… What kind of hero is he?

All Might did say he was from a past generation and if he once was the One for All wielder's teacher then that means he must be old…

Is he conservative? The type that wishes to bring heroes back to their "former glory"? Or did he adapt to the changes that occurred over the years? Is he strong? He must be if he taught at U.A... What is his quirk? Is it an emitter type, maybe a mutant...

'I'm spending too much time with Nejire!' Izuku shook his head, trying to stop his curiosity from going rampant.

Right now he and the rest of the class were in the train station, waiting for their rides to arrive and take them to the hero office each picked. Every student was holding their costume' suitcase along with a few supplies to help them last the entire week that they would all spend far from their homes; it would be a little uncomfortable to be away, but it wouldn't be the worst either…

Besides that, all of them seemed to be excited, even if it was harder to tell in some cases. Some like Mina and Tooru were way too happy for their own good, running all over the place like children in a playground, others like Mezo and Fumikage were harder to tell, probably due to their almost permanent serious faces, and Minoru… Let's not talk about him… But, overall, everyone seemed eager to begin their internships!

"All right, everyone with your costumes?" Aizawa asked his class, drawing their attention towards him. The class replied with a nod, lifting the said cases to prove they were with it. "Then your week of internship starts now. Make sure to get as much experience as possible since you'll be needing it on a near future. With that out of the way, head to your trains and good luck!"

With the permission now given, the class separated, leaving only a couple of groups remaining, one of them belonging to our beloved protagonist…

"I guess that's it then! Good luck on your internships!" Ochako said with a big smile.

"I'll do my best and I hope you all do too!" Izuku smiled in return.

"I will try my hardest." Tenya said with an unusual seriousness while he walked to his train. That didn't go unnoticed by his friends…

It was obvious that the class rep was hurt –his brother almost died after all- but it seemed that he was always distant; as if his mind and body were never in the same place. And so, while trying to understand their friend, something clicked in Izuku's and Ochako's mind…

Tenya was going to Hosu… The same place his brother was attacked and the last place the hero killer was seen…

"Tenya…" the green haired boy called, taking the initiative. "I-If something is bothering you, you know you can talk with your friends, r-right?" said Izuku while Ochako nodded.

As he heard those words, Tenya stopped, making the duo behind him get even more nervous but, surprising them, the blue haired turned around with a soft smile on his face.

"I'm fine, there is no need to worry about me."

And with that, the class rep turned around and embarked.

Izuku knew he was lying, it was more than obvious, but he didn't want to pressure his friend either, there wouldn't be any benefit in doing so. In fact, it could make the situation even worse than it already is. He didn't know what to do…

"I-Is he really going to be fine?" Ochako asked, worried for her friend.

"I'm not sure…" Izuku replied.

They remained in a deep silence, letting the sound of the people around them prevail, until Izuku sighed, snapping both of them out of it.

"I-I guess it would be better if we leave as well." the green haired said.

"Y-You're right! We still have to meet the pros!" she exclaimed, turning around and heading to her train while waving him goodbye. "See you later, Deku!"

"Good luck with Gunhead!" he said as she dashed away.

Once she was out of his sight, Izuku took a deep breath and looked around, noticing two things: he was the only one of his class that hadn't left and other classes were starting to arrive as well. Looks like his little problem with Tenya consumed a lot more time than he thought. So he followed his friends' lead and turned to his train until...

"IZUKU!" someone yelled.

The introvert stopped and looked to whoever called him and, to his surprise, saw Nejire running as fast as she could towards him, Mirio and Tamaki right on her tail.

"Wait a minute, pal!" Mirio yelled, shaking his arms frantically to get Izuku's attention.

Eventually the 'Big Three' caught up to the verdette, dropping to their knees the moment they did- except for Mirio, he was as energetic as always!

"Sorry…" Nejire said while panting heavily. "We ran all the way here!"

"W-Why are you guys here?!" Izuku asked as he helped the bluenette stand up again.

"Nejire… Wanted… To give you something…" Tamaki explained while trying to catch his breath.

Izuku raised an eyebrow and looked to the girl beside him with curiosity. "Give me something?"

"Y-Yeah…" she confirmed while searching for something in her backpack. "I've been thinking about our last talk and began to notice that your costume is still way too impractical…"

"I-Impractical?!" Izuku sweat dropped.

"Yeah, it's almost just for show!" the bluenette exclaimed as she pulled a small box from the bag and put it on her boyfriend's hand. "So I thought that having something you could actually use would be a good idea!"

"W-What's this?" the introvert asked as he tried to open the box before Nejire stopped him.

"Don't open it now! Wait 'til you're going to gear up!" she exclaimed.

"Can you at least tell me what it is?"

"Nope! Don't want to ruin the surprise!"

The green haired teen looked at the box one more time, being a bit more thoughtful this time. 'She's always looking for ways to help me…' he thought as he looked into Nejire's eyes with a soft smile on his face.

"Thank you Nejire, I honestly don't know what I would do without you!" he beamed.

The bluenette didn't answer, just gave her boyfriend a sweet kiss on the cheek and pulled him into a tight hug, which he responded by doing the same.

"You'd probably have a couple of broken bones and cried a few liters, but I'm sure you'd get through it!" Mirio teased while flashing a smug grin at the couple.

Izuku sweat dropped, knowing that it would most likely be the case, while Nejire looked back at the peerless hero and shot a menacing glare at him.

"S-Sorry, it was just too good of an opportunity!" He apologized, a bit scared of his friend's reaction.

"You're a lost cause…" Tamaki mumbled, also startled by the look in Nejire's eyes.

But before the bluenette could actually do something against them, the station' speakers rang and announced that Izuku's train was about to leave the establishment.

"Sorry guys, I need to go now!" the green haired hero-in-training exclaimed as he broke the embrace and rushed to the vehicle, unintentionally leaving the 'Big Three' to eat his dust.

"Good luck!" they called in unison, waving at him while bidding him goodbye.

About an hour passed since the encounter at the station and Izuku has finally managed to reach Gran Torino's address.

Saying he was surprised is an understatement…

When you think of a man who taught at U.A. and helped All Might become the symbol of peace that the public is more than proud of, you'd expect him to have his own agency, one that you would look to and think: I want to work here someday… But instead, the first thing Izuku saw as he arrived was an old building that looked like it would collapse at any second. There were cracks all over the walls, most windows were broken, and it hadn't been painted in so long that the walls had lost almost all of its color… It didn't look like the home of a hero, at all!

"I-Is this really the right place?!" the verdette asked himself, becoming unsure if choosing this hero had been the best decision.

After checking a few more times, he confirmed that the unstable building he had seen before was the right place, much to his displeasure. He stood in front of the entrance, afraid of what may be waiting for him, but he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. There was no response but the door moved, showing that it wasn't locked, so, putting his nervousness aside, Izuku grabbed the handle and entered the building.

The inside was no different from the outside, all of the walls were worn out and filled with what seemed to be intimations and notes, there was a small fire place, a lot of old looking furniture, a dining table, a sink, a refrigerator, a big sofa and an old modeled TV that was turned on... But there wasn't a single hero in sight…

"H-Hello? I'm Izuku Midoriya from U.A.'s hero course. Is Gran Torino here?" he asked, but no answer came.

As he looked around a bit more carefully, he spotted a figure sitting on the sofa. As he got closer, Izuku was able to see that the figure was, in reality, a really, REALLY old man! He was oddly small with short grey hair and a face filled with wrinkles. He was wearing a white jumpsuit, oversized yellow boots, gloves, a cape, and a small black mask.

'Is this him?' the teen asked himself.

"H-Hello, are you Gran Torino?" he asked but the man didn't answer, in fact, the elderly man didn't even move. This scared Izuku a bit. "Are you Gran Torino?" he asked again, raising the volume of his voice, but, once again, the man didn't move…

Being the thoughtful teenager that he was, Izuku's mind began running all over the place, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. This building, that's supposed to be the home of a hero, was a complete mess, everything around him was seemed to be either broken or about to break, and there was an old man lying on the couch, not responding to anything that happened around him.

It was like adding two with two… Old man + Not responding + Abandoned building = Death.

Izuku panicked. He had just drafted him, there was no way he could have died so easily, right?! RIGHT?!

"SIR, CAN YOU HEAR ME!?" Izuku yelled while dropping his costume suitcase, grabbing the man by his shoulders and shaking him frantically… But there was no response...

'Oh god, what do I do?! I just found a dead body! What can I do?! What should I do?!' the introvert asked himself while reaching for his phone to call the...

SNORE!

"Huh?" Izuku grunted as he looked back at the elderly.

Against all odds, the man seemed to be breathing, pulling air in and out of his body like there was nothing wrong. There was even a goddamn snot bubble popping out of nose!

"Y-You're kidding, right?" the wielder of One for All asked the world, still unsure of how to react to this situation. He was almost losing his mind because this man decided to take a nap… Sure, the man seemed to be really old but still… HE WAS JUST SLEEPING, HOW DID HE NOT NOTICE IT SOONER?!

Before Izuku could continue to bash on himself for being so stupid, the snot bubble on the man's nose popped, startling the introvert. It took a moment but, slowly, he opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow the moment he saw the teenager.

"Who are you?" he asked.

'This is way too awkward!' the green haired thought. "I-I'm Izuku Midoriya from U.A.'s hero course. Are you Gran Torino?" he asked one more time.

"Izuku…" the elderly repeated. "Yagi?"

"You just said my name! Who's Yagi?!" Izuku screamed.

The man paused once again before flashing a small smile. "Ah, you're the kid I drafted, is that right?"

"S-So you're Gran Torino after all…"

"But of course I am!" he affirmed while jumping off the couch and grabbing a walking stick from below it. "You were taking too long to get here so I decided to watch a show while I waited. I guess this old man can't sit on the sofa without falling asleep anymore!"

'Is he for real?' Izuku sweat dropped.

"Oh, is this you're costume?" the elderly asked while reaching for the suitcase behind the teen.

"I-I'm sorry, I got make a phone call!" Izuku lied as he got up and tried to leave the building as quickly as possible.

'This can be right!' he thought. 'This can't be the same person that taught All Might! It has to be some kind of prank!'

" Show me your One for All! "

Izuku stopped.

"W-What did you say?" he asked as he turned around and saw the man inspecting the contents of his costume case.

"I want to see how well you can control it, so come on, fire off an attack!" Gran Torino said with seriousness in his voice.

"You know about it…" Izuku muttered.

"Of course I do! I've trained two of its wielders after all…"

"Two? You trained All Might's predecessor?" Izuku asked, surprised with the information the old man was giving.

"That's right. It's practically a tradition at this point!" he confirmed. "So gear up already, we don't have the entire day!"

'What's with this sudden change of personality?!' the introvert exclaimed in his mind.

He may be startled by this man's antics, he may be unsure if this is a good idea in the first place… But if this man really did train All Might and his master, there is no doubt, it is worth a shot! Following the elderly man's orders, Izuku grabbed his suitcase and began changing into his costume in the back of the room, but as he closed the zipper of his jumpsuit, the green haired remembered of something important…

'Nejire's gift!'

As he pulled the small box out of his yellow backpack and opened it, his eyes widened as he saw what was inside…

There was a note and a new mask!

The mask was divided in two parts, the front part was similar to his current one, grey and small, covering everything below his eyes; the back part was bigger, with black interior and thick white edges, had soft cushions on the inside and a few small red buttons on it's right. It didn't look like much and he couldn't understand how he was supposed to wear it since there wasn't an opening, but as he opened the note and began reading, he understood just how special this device was…

'Hello Izuku!' he read, unintentionally using the bluenette's voice.

'I wanted to help you find a way to use One for All safely but that is something that you must do on your own, so I found another way to support you! This mask was made with the help of U.A.'s support course so there's no problem on swapping it with your old one. It has a voice changer, a gas filter and a communicator attached to it! The mask is also retractable! All you need to do is press the red button on side and the front part will open!'

"Retractable?" he questioned, pressing the said button with his thumb causing the mask to activate and open itself, hiding inside of the back part and surprising the green haired in the process. "S-So cool!"

'It isn't much but I know that it will come in handy in hero classes and when you start doing missions! My contact is already registered so you can call me whenever you need but until then, enjoy your internship!

With love, Nejire!'

He stared at the paper, thinking on how sweet his girlfriend had been, going through all this trouble just to help him out…

"You're way too good for me sometimes! I'll won't let you down!" the introvert said as he stood up and equipped the mask, attaching it behind his head and pressing the button to close the device.

Once everything was equipped and with more determination than before, Izuku took a step toward, drawing the elderly's attention towards him.

"Took you long enough! Were you putting on make up or something?!" Gran Torino complained, shooting a menacing glare at the One for All wielder.

"S-Sorry, I had check someth-" Izuku apologized.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" the man shouted, startling the hero in training. "Just prepare yourself, we're going to have a spar!"

"W-Wait, We're going to fight here?!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Where else would we fight?"

"B-But this place is your home right?! If we start fighting we could break something! I don't have money to replace anything and everything here looks pretty old, I may not even find them in a store… A-And the building doesn't look that stable either, what if when we start using our quirks we cause it to collapse and-"

"JESUS CHRIST KID!" Gran Torino yelled, activating his quirk and jumping from wall to wall in blinding speeds before landing a powerful kick on the back of Izuku's head, snapping the introvert out of his muttering and making him kiss the floor. "YOU TALK WAY TOO MUCH!"

'I couldn't even see him moving!' Izuku thought while lifting himself from the ground.

"The way you fought at the sports festival… That form you showed during your first fight… It is completely out of your control, isn't it?" The pro asked as he continuously hopped from wall to wall. "That justice-obsessed fool may have taught you how to use One for All, but he didn't teach you how to understand it!"

Izuku got back on his feet, but he still felt a bit dizzy due to the powerful hit he received. Trying to stand his ground against the fast-moving hero, Izuku activated his 'Full cowl' and entered his fighting stance while trying to lock his gaze on the elderly, failing miserably at doing so.

'He's too fast to keep track of, I need to find a way to stop him!' the green haired concluded while searching for something he could use.

"You want to replace All Might don't you?" Gran Torino continued his interrogation. "The Symbol of Peace is an unbreakable pillar that keeps the evil at bay… If you really wish to become one, you must be prepared to overcome any obstacle!"

The pro attacked again, landing another powerful kick on the verdette's back and sending him flying towards the wall.

'He hits like a truck!' Izuku yelled in his mind while his back throbbed with pain.

"This quirk you own isn't a toy, kid! It is a sacred torch passed down through the generations in the hope of creating a brighter future!" Gran Torino continued. "If you want to master it, you'll have to comprehend what it means to wield it!"

The introvert moved away from the wall, still trying to recompose himself. 'Think Izuku…

He's too fast to follow with my eyes and he hits way too hard to ignore…

'But he's only hitting me from behind!'

"To choose a wet blanket like you as the ninth successor… All Might must be out of his mind!" the pro mocked as he went in for another attack but, before he could hit his target, Izuku jumped up, catching the elderly off guard.

"I'LL PROVE TO YOU THAT I'M WORTHY!" Izuku bellowed as he threw a punch, aiming at the elderly's head.

"Nice prediction..." Gran Torino complimented the hero in training as he used his quirk to change his flight trajectory, dodging the incoming attack. "But you'll need more than this to hit me!"

Gran Torino flew away, jumping from wall to wall at an even faster pace than before and leaving small cracks wherever he stepped.

"Two can play this game!" Izuku exclaimed as he copied the elderly's movements and began repeatedly jumping around the room.

"You copycat!" the pro exclaimed in return.

They began clashing, colliding against each other over and over again, a green blur versus a yellow one, just like when the green haired fought against Katsuki at the festival's finals.

'Don't lose your focus, keep going!' Izuku motivated himself as he struggled to keep up with the pro hero, who was moving a lot faster than he currently was. In normal conditions, Izuku would have thought 'Screw it' and increased the percentage he was using, but he couldn't do it, he had to control himself and keep the power at a safe range. This was a challenge that he needed to overcome on his own, no shortcuts allowed!

Gran Torino smirked. "You're doing a lot better than I expected!" he said as they were about to collide once again, both with their attacks prepared. "But…"

Surprising Izuku, the pro changed his trajectory, shooting himself upwards and making the teen miss his target and, with another change of trajectory, shot downwards, slamming the inexperienced teen against the floor with so much force that it cracked the tiles.

"You aren't moving as fast as you were during the festival!" the pro finished.

"D-Damn it!" Izuku groaned from below the man's massive boots.

"Why didn't you go all out? Were you afraid to hurt an old man like me?" Gran Torino questioned as he got off the defeated teen.

"N-No… B-Because of what happened at the festival, m-my body has become fragile… I was just making sure to not pressure it again!" he explained while getting off the ground.

The pro sighed. "You're just making things harder, you moron! What's your current limit?"

"Ten percent…"

"Then use ten percent, god damn it! If this is what your body can endure then there's no reason to keep it any lower!" he shouted, hitting teen with his walking stick. "You don't have the luxury to handicap yourself. If you were to fight a villain with that attitude, you would die for sure!"

"T-Then what can I do?" the green haired questioned, unsure of where the pro wanted to get. "I can't stress my arms or else I'll lose them!"

"You an even bigger moron than what I thought!" the pro shouted, hitting the teen again.

"If you can't use your arms than start using your legs!"

"M-My legs…?"

"Don't tell me it never crossed your mind…"

"I-It didn't!"

The pro sighed again. "It's just like I thought, you're letting you admiration for All Might get in the way!"

"My admiration…" Izuku repeated.

"Tell me kid… What is One for All to you? "

"What it is to me?"

"Stop repeating what I say!" he hit the teen with the walking stick… Again.

"B-But what do you mean with 'what it is to me'?" Izuku asked while massaging the spot hit.

"Like I said before, One for All is more than just a quirk, it is the will of heroes across the ages who did everything in their power to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Every time it is passed down, it becomes something different… You are a perfect example of it! That form you triggered during the festival… It is something that never happened before… I helped two wielders reach their maximum potential and I still was surprised to see your hair change colors… So once again… What is One for All to you?" Izuku paused, searching for the correct words to answer the question.

What it means to me…

What I see it as…

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Taking a deep breath, Izuku looked into the elderly's eyes and said.

"It is a gift… Something I was entrusted with… And a proof that all my efforts and tears were not in vain…"

Gran Torino stared at the introvert, thinking about what he just said, before turning around and opening the door.

"W-Wait, where are you going?!" Izuku asked.

"I'm going to get some grub, you stay here and think about what you just said. If we really want to find a way to control that form, you'll need to change those words"

And with that, the pro left the room, letting Izuku alone with his thoughts.

"I-I have to change them?"

And another chapter bites the dust! Gran Torino has finally arrived and Izuku got a new mask from Nejire! Now we're getting somewhere! (It rhymed!)

But, being honest, the idea of Deku's new mask wasn't entirely mine... I was wasting time on the internet (Like always...), and found an image with a redesigned costume for Izuku, filled with new equipments and ideas to make it more usefull. I liked it so much that I decided to add it here! I'm not sure if described it correctly, or if you guys know what image I'm talking about in the first place, but whatever...

Let's start the Q/A already!

pokemonmaster17

Q:"After skimming thru some comments I want to leave an additional note. Some people are unhappy because it isnt exactly what they want, that's just how it is. Most are dumb comments from people that just want to watch izuku one shot everyone without any challenge or development. I think you wrote this extrememely well, only one comment I partially agree with, someone said it was a bit "tropey" to have the love interest ask for a promise that stops the main character. Which to some extent is correct but from the characters you have built and wrote it makes perfect sense and works very well with Izuku's character and is a perfectly fine choice. Dont take idiots seriously, great job so far!"

A: Yeah, I get what you mean... There are some comments that aren't that nice to read and I would be lying if I said that I ignore them. I have to admit, when this fanfic was starting and these types of comments started appearing, some of them actually hit me pretty hard... But right now, knowing that the number of people that enjoy my work outnumbers who doesn't and recieving so much support, I just think of them as challenges , things that I can use to improve and make my content a little better for everyone! I hope I made sense... And I agree with the promise thingy. It was a bit cliche of me to use it, I admit, but my story is based on keeping promises, so I thought that this one wouldn't be that lame to use!

Ninjamon1228

Q:"Are you gonna cover Two Heroes in this story since that movie is actually canon?"

A: That... could work! It might interrupt the flow we have right now but it could be a nice addition! Since it is a really big decision, I'll do it just like I did with the interships, I'LL OPEN A POLL (oops...)! It will be on my User profile so you can go there and vote if ya want!

JeffMen103

Q:"I can't wait to see what Izuku will learn from Gran Torino.. ;)"

A: Hey JeffMen, nice to see you around these parts! You'll get a piece of what he'll learn in the next chapter but would you mind telling me when waifu 4 laifu Nejire will appear in your story? You're killing me by making me wait, you know!

And that's it!

Thanks to everyone that sticked around! If you have a question you can send a review and I'll be glad to answer it, if you have any suggestions you would like to share feel free to PM me...

Thank you for reading...

See ya!