"Who are you?" Izuku asked, cautious of the person.

They gave him a large toothy smile. "I go by many names. The World, maybe The Universe. Plenty like God. I'm partial to Truth. I am All and I am One," the being answered before pointing towards Izuku, "which means I am You, young Alchemist. Now, do you know why you're here?"

"The last thing I was doing was trying to speak to my Dad one last time." Izuku's eyes were cast down as he answered Truth.

"Really? Nothing else? You had no intentions of bringing him back to the world of the living?" Truth asked, trying to prod the boy.

"I knew the new body would fail right away. We just wanted to have a proper good-bye. He died suddenly on the other side of the world, while he was just trying to help people…" Izuku's tears were coming back in full force.

Truth was taken aback at how upset Izuku was. "Really now. Is that all?"

"If you're me, then you should know!" The boy snapped through his tears.

Truth started laughing again, this time at Izuku's outburst, "Departed souls can't be retrieved, young Alchemist. Your experiment was destined to fail from the start." The silhouette stood up in front of the green-haired boy, matching him in height. "Now before we continue, I've got a question for you; What are you?"

"What am I? I'm just a boy who misses his father. One who wants to be a hero like he was and help protect and rescue people however I can, even if it can't be done with alchemy." Izuku's answer gave Truth a smile.

"You're a very humble and smart kid." Truth turned towards the stone door. "I've got a deal for you. I can let you go scot-free, and you do me a favor, or I take a toll for you trying to play God and transmute a human."

"What's the favor?" Izuku asked, confused as to what the being would need any assistance with.

"There's a man. He calls himself 'All For One'. He's forgotten his humility and is trying to make himself a god figure. I need someone who can remind him of what he is." Truth explained.

"How would I even do that? I'm just a kid, I haven't even done anything like that…" Izuku asked, confused by the task.

"You'll learn on the way out." The stone door slowly started to open, a single large eye peeking from behind it. "One last question young Alchemist; Is there anything specific you'd like to tell Hisashi?

"Just that my mom, Inko, and I miss him very dearly, and that I hope his death was quick and painless. He only ever tried to help people, he deserved that much." He wiped the last of his tears away before an array of black tendrils shot out of the door and reached for Izuku.

As the tendrils grabbed Izuku, Truth spoke one last time. "Unfortunately I can't let you leave here without leaving something behind. So you might want to get that wound taken care of, young Alchemist." Lifting up their leg, strips of paper appeared and adhered to Truth's ankle, now matching Izuku's skin tone. "Consider that your only warning, and reward for recognizing your place in creation." The tendrils then yanked Izuku through the stone door before it shut. "Always remember that one truth."

"...zuku! Izuku!" He heard a voice as he started to come too, "What happened to his leg?!" Dad, do you have any gauze?" As he woke up, a loud ringing was in Izuku's ears and a pounding pain at his temples. Looking around, he saw that everyone present was huddled over him, his mother, Mei and her parents, and one other face, a sickly blonde man, who he felt like he recognized but couldn't place it. "Izuku!" Mei tightly hugged the boy along with his mother, "Never scare us like that again!"

"How. … How long was I out?" The green-haired boy asked as his leg was getting bandaged.

"Apparently you've been unconscious for almost half an hour, young man, since you made… that." The blonde man pointed towards the tombstone, which now had a twisted mass of half flesh and half damp powder.

Pressing his hand against his forehead and applying some pressure to his temples, Izuku managed to stand up, leaning on his mother for support. "Did it ever move or twitch?"

"No it didn't sweetie." Inko answered. "It looks like it didn't work."

"Good." Izuku answered flatly before turning to the blonde man. "Sir, please never share this with anyone." As he agreed, Izuku looked to Mei. "I need my spark gloves and my notebook.

"What do you mean 'good'? What happened?" Mrs. Hatsume asked.

"I… I got a warning. No matter how good my intentions, 'don't play god.'" Izuku tore out the pages of his notebook that had the information for the human transmutation circle, along with his photo of it and tossed them on the creation.

The blonde man was lost at what Izuku was saying. "Who warned you?"

Managing to slip on his glove, Izuku answered. "The easiest explanation would be 'God'." He snapped his fingers. A spark came from his fingertips as the mass started to burn. "He did say he'd relay my message to Dad though."

"Who's your father?" The blond man questioned.

The flames died down and there was nothing left of the creation but ash. "Sergeant Midoriya Hisashi of the JSDF."

The sickly man's eyes grew. "You're Midoriya's boy? He had both Izuku and Inko's attention with that question. "I'm an old acquaintance of your father's. He used to go on and on about you years ago whenever he was at the base."

"You knew my Hisashi?" Inko asked, "What's your name sir?"

"On base I went by 'Armstrong,' but my name is Yagi Toshinori. It's a pleasure to finally meet the both of you." The man bowed to the green-haired woman and her son.

"You're Armstrong? Hisashi made you out to be more eccentric, and he commented that you always destroyed your uniform." Inko let out a soft giggle at the memory.

Scratching the back of his head, Toshinori sighed, "Why is that the only thing people paid attention to…? Anyways, do you plan on following your father's footsteps young man?"

"Kind of…" Izuku trailed off, thinking back to what he told Truth moments earlier. "I do want to help people like Dad did, but more like how All Might and the other heroes do."

Toshinori started coughing up a little blood, causing everyone to panic. "Like All Might you say…"

"Sir, are you alright?" Mr. Hatsume asked Toshinori, as the blonde man wiped his chin.

"Yes, I'm fine. Occasionally an old wound I got years ago flares up." He explained.

"Um… Mr. Yagi? There's something I'd like to try if that's alright?" Izuku asked, limping forward slightly, now feeling the pain at his ankle.

The man cautiously nodded, "Just don't repeat… whatever that was."

Izuku put Toshinori's blood covered hand in front of him. He then clapped his hands together, producing a light ringing in the process. As he placed his hands over Toshinori's, the blood inched towards the man's palm, shrinking in size, leaving behind a small red bead barely a couple millimeters across.

"What is this?" Toshinori asked, inspecting the bead.

"A philosopher's stone. A very weak one. Izuku took the bead and reached down and picked a blade of grass. Clapping his hands together one more time, a bit of dull red light coming from between his palms, a couple chrysanthemums sprouted before he placed them at the tombstone.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. Yagi, circumstances aside." Inko bowed one last time to the blonde man. "But it's probably time we took Izuku home to rest."

"That'd be for the best. Would it be alright if I came to your home in a few days? Midoriya was always a beacon of positivity whenever I saw him, I'd like to get to know the family that helped him brighten everyone's day." Toshinori asked as Mr. Hatsume slung Izuku's arm over his shoulder to help him walk while Mei stayed close to Izuku's other side.

"I'm glad to hear Hisashi had that effect on people. You're more than welcome to visit." Inko informed the man before she and Mrs. Hatsume took their leave.

On the families' walk back to their homes, Mei quietly asked, "Could I stay with Izuku…?" The girl's golden eyes still puffy from her tears over her friend going unconscious earlier.

"Izuku should get some rest Mei. You shouldn't bother him when we get home." Her father answered.

"Mei's never a bother. Mom's probably not going to let me leave the house until summer vacation ends now anyways." Izuku insisted right away, already feeling terrible about inconveniencing everyone. "I-I-I'd miss h-h-her c-c-company…" He could already feel the blood rushing to his face.

Once back at home, as expected, Inko told Izuku to stay in bed, besides taking care of necessities, until his leg was better. Mei came over a few minutes later with a bag full of clothes, toiletries, and a couple of her smaller projects to help keep her mind occupied. After helping set everything up for Izuku, Mei's curiosity got the better of her, "What was he like? God, that is."

The boy was surprised by the question, "Wait, you believe me?" He thought everyone assumed he had been hallucinating. Mei simply nodded. "I'm not sure they're even a 'he'."

"What do you mean?"

"All I saw was a silhouette that looked like me. If you saw them, you'd probably see a silhouette of yourself too Mei." He explained. "But other than that, they were fairly critical of people. I only spoke with them for a couple minutes." Izuku told Mei about what he and Truth spoke about, and what Truth implied before he left.

"I'm just glad you're back, safe and sound." Mei was tearing up again as she thought about Izuku going unconscious earlier, and both teens were oblivious to the fact they were holding hands at that moment.

"From now on, with the exception of school until we get into U.A. I'm not going anywhere without you." Izuku assured her with a beaming smile.

With a soft giggle, Mei wiped away her tears. "We still need to make it past the entrance exams. I've heard even General Studies is hard for most applicants to get into, not to mention the exams for the Hero course and Support course.

"Mei, what are the key factors of a hero?" Izuku asked the girl, almost rhetorically.

"Beating up villains and restraining them, and saving civilians… Oh!" She answered before she remembered the sludge villain incident a few months prior.

"Even if it was just one time, that was practical experience. As for the Support course, little miss genius inventor here won't even have to try. You'll have some completely random idea either the night before, or that morning and just end up making it… although I hope they have localized water sprinklers…" Izuku lightly chuckled at the end before Mei playfully jabbed his arm.

"Do you think you'll be ready? They might do something like a faux-villain attack with real heroes as the villains." Mei looked around the boy's room, seeing a couple barbells and hand grippers in the corner.

"I think I'll be ready." He looked down at his bandaged leg. "I don't want to break our promise of getting into U.A. together. You'll get in no problem, the Hero course though, supposedly there are hundreds of applicants a year, with only 36 seats. Not to mention I'll be going up against people like Bakugo. Hopefully I'm not in the same test group as him." Mei tilted her head a little, having forgotten the name. "Violent temper, explosions, caused those burns I had. You slapped him for his outburst towards me. Does any of this ring a bell?" Izuku sighed with a smile as he remembered Mei slapping Bakugo after he was rescued. "Sometimes I swear you're faking not remembering people's names.

"I don't need to know anyone else's name though, just your's Izuku." She inadvertently squeezed his hand. "When did this happen."

"I don't know…" Izuku started.

"She was right," Izuku's eyes shrank at the voice, "you two really are adorable together like this." Inko stood at Izuku's door with a proud motherly smile. "My little boy's growing up!"

"Not you too now!" Izuku sighed heavily, covering his face with his palm. "Just Mrs. Hatsume was bad enough."

"What's going on Izuku?" Mei asked, confused by the green-haired family's back-and-forth.

"I might be wrong, but I think our parents are hoping there's more going on than there actually is." He turned to face his mother. "Which there isn't! We're just childhood friends."

"That's usually how it starts sweetie." Inko smiled before setting down a tray with some tea and rice crackers before closing the door behind her.

"What do you mean 'more going on'?" Mei asked, setting the tray next to them on Izuku's bed.

"I know you don't do names, but do you at least pay a little attention to conversations at school Mei?" The golden-eyes girl slowly nodded, not seeing the relevance of the question. "Do any of them talk about their boyfriends?"

After a couple moments of silence, Mei's cheeks went pink. "They think that we're… that we're… together?!" She exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down.

"I think your parents were thinking the same thing during golden week." The boy timidly scratched his cheek. "Besides you have been getting a little closer than you used to recently. Like sleeping in the same bed."

An awkward silence fell over both of them. "Do… do you want me to not do that anymore?" Mei asked sheepishly. "Sleeping in the same bed as you felt much more relaxing than sleeping alone." She tried to explain.

"You're not wrong…" Both teens went red, unable to look each other in the eye.

A couple days passed without either teen bringing the topic back up, and hardly getting any sleep due to the tension in the apartment. As Mei was changing Izuku's bandages, a knock came from the front door. "Ms. Midoriya?" A voice called from outside. Inko ran to the door and saw Toshinori waiting. "Ah, hello. I had an appointment in the area earlier so I figured now might be a good time for that visit."

"Mr. Yagi, please, come on in. Would you like anything to drink?" Inko directed the blonde man to their living room before going to get some glasses from the kitchen.

"Just water is fine." He answered before hearing a click from down the hall, and saw Izuku and Mei come in from around the corner. "Ah, Izuku, how's your leg feeling?"

"It's getting there, hopefully next week I won't need any bandages." Izuku answered before Mei bumped his arm. "Mei's been taking good care of me though."

"Is she your girlfriend? You two look like a good match for each other." Toshinori questioned as both teens sat across from him, blushing up a storm.

"They refuse to admit it yet." Inko interjected as she set down glasses for everyone present.

"Thanks." Toshinori nodded as he took the glass. "I know I said I was here for that visit, but I actually have an offer for you Izuku."

"What kind of offer?" Inko stepped in before Izuku could respond.

"I might be able to get Izuku a recommendation to get into U.A." Toshinori took a sip from his glass. "For the last decade or so, the various hero organizations have worked hand in hand with JSDF, so much so that prominent heroes were originally given honorary ranks, before they started getting folded in properly. Nothing special is asked of the heroes involved other than to step up during major disaster relief efforts when able, even if it's outside their typical range. For example, if there was a disaster in Kyushu, heroes from here in Musutafu might be called in to help. This also gives the heroes connections to get JSDF aid along with local police for raids." He elaborated.

As everyone let the information sink in, Mei spoke up. "You said 'you might' be able to get him a recommendation. What would Izuku have to do to actually get it?"

"He just needs to prove he's worth their one recommendation slot." Toshinori tented his fingers for a moment. "Every year, at least two of the recommendation slots end up going to children with powerful backgrounds, either families with wealth, or families of noteworthy heroes. The JSDF slot is open to anyone to try and get, but normally only families of the JSDF know it exists. Prior to the public U.A. entrance exam, there will be a test in a similar vein held by the JSDF, get the top score and the slot will be his."

Both Inko and Mei looked to Izuku as he stayed silent, processing what he was just told. "Why me?" He asked. "Why give this offer to someone you barely know?"

"Well for one, I'd like to pay back your amicable father, and two, I've seen you in action. You've already got the makings of a great hero Izuku." Toshinori gave a faint smile as he leaned back in his seat.

Inko got curious, "You saw the sludge villain incident?"

"I was involved with it. I was here on a visit but when I heard about the damage I volunteered my services." Mei could see Toshinori's eyes starting to shift slightly more than usual.

Inko shifted in her seat. "Do they have any means for him to train for this test?"

"Applicants are more than welcome to come to the base and train, we have a section typically open to on-site families year-round he could use."

Izuku spoke up, "I'll take the offer on one condition. Mei gets to come with me." Both Toshinori and Inko looked a little confused by the request. "We promised each other we'd get into U.A. together back when we were kids, and we still want to hold that promise. I've been there for every blunder of her preparing for it, so it's only fair that she's with me for mine." As he gently squeezed her hand, both teens were now looking down out of embarrassment.

"I see no reason why not." Toshinori smirked a little. "Her being nearby might motivate him to work harder." His comment not getting a response from either teen.

A little over a week passed and Izuku's wound was healed, leaving a jagged, but oddly squared, scar wrapped around his ankle. With Mr. Hatsume's approval to be properly up and about, both Izuku and Mei made their way to the nearest JSDF base, which unfortunately was an hour away by train, limiting how often Izuku could train for the test.

While Izuku was running a set of laps on the track, Mei heard a loud crack behind her. Turning to see the source of the noise, she saw a ball go flying as a woman shouted, "Not again! We only have so much space on for the field!" The woman, a cadet, hopped the fence and spotted Mei, still looking in their direction. "Excuse me Miss, did you happen to see where our ball landed?"

"It's about seventy-five meters that way." Mei points towards where she last saw the ball bounce.

The cadet jogged over and found the ball right away. "Wow, you've got some really good eyes!' She called before jogging back to Mei. "Do you have some kind of vision quirk?"

Mei nodded to the woman, "Yea, I can almost see five kilometers out if I concentrate." The pink-haired girl answered nonchalantly before glancing back to the track as she could hear Izuku's pace slowing down.

"Is he your boyfriend? He's pretty cute." The cadet's question left Mei unable to answer, her face starting to get flushed. "Ah, you two are at that phase. Anyways, I haven't seen either of you two around before. Did your families just get relocated here?"

"Ah… No, Izuku's father used too, but…" Izuku came up behind her, slightly panting. "What was the name of the guy we met at the cemetery Izuku?" Mei asked, turning to the boy.

"I think he said he went by 'Armstrong' while on base." He grabbed his water bottle, taking a swig from it.

"You met Armstrong? For someone so eccentric, it seems unlikely you'd forget them." The cadet asked as she started playing with the ball in her hand.

"Mei here doesn't really do names that well. By the way, would you like some kind of backboard for your field? I can set one up for you quickly." He explained, looking over at the back fence of the baseball field.

"That'd be great!" The cadet exclaimed, as Izuku walked over to the fence. He clapped his hands together before kneeling to the ground, causing stone slabs to be pulled up past the fence.

"That's amazing!" The cadet's jaw almost dropped. "Are you going to take part in our U.A. test?"

Izuku nodded. "Yea, Armstrong went out of his way to tell us about it, and recommended I come here to train to prepare for it."

"Well, a word of advice for you, 'there'll be more going on than meets the eye.'" The cadet winked before hopping the fence back to the baseball field.