The Healing Touch Chapter 11: EAT THIS!

By

XPegasus

AN:

Hello everyone, it's been a while. A lot of stuff has been going on lately, but I'm just glad I got this chapter done.

But before you get started, you'll want to know that when narrating I've chosen refer Toshinori Yagi as All Might rather than Toshinori, and I've also decided to have Izuku call All Might Mr. Yagi all the time instead of just when they're with Inko and Yagi when they're alone.

The reason for this change is because it just didn't feel right doing it the other way. I'm going to go back and change the older chapters to make it consistent throughout the whole story and possibly fix some other grammatical errors, but I figured it was better to change it now and get the chapter out sooner rather than later.

"Dashing through the snow

In a one-horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way"

The infectiously catchy song played over the department store's speakers as Ochako walked the aisles, looking for a Christmas present for her parents. 'Let's see,' she thought as she scanned the prices. 'I've got ¥10,000 saved up. Do I want to get two cheaper presents or one more expensive thing for them to share?' When she got to the kitchen appliances, Ochako's stomach dropped. 'What the hell! How does a rice cooker go for ¥35,000? Who'd even buy it?'

"Would you look at that, it's perfect," said a woman covered in gold jewelry. Ochako watched in shock as she casually picked up said rice cooker and put it in a cart overflowing with expensive-looking items being pushed by a boy in a Gucci coat. As they ran off to buy more absurdly expensive Christmas gifts, Ochako felt like she'd just been slapped in the face with a wad of bills.

"Excuse me, ma'am, are you alright?" Ochako snapped back to reality as she heard someone new. She turned to see a man in his thirties with a blond comb-over and dark brown roots wearing the store's uniform.

"Oh, I'm fine," Ochako said solemnly. "Everything's just so expensive."

The man nodded. "I hear you; they try and squeeze you for all your worth. Who're you shopping for?"

"My parents." Ochako sighed in frustration. "They told me I should buy something for myself, but I really want to get them a present."

The employee thought for a moment, then a lightbulb went off in his head. "I've got an idea, follow me." He led Ochako away from the appliances and down towards the clothing department. "The store's going to have one of their surprise sales soon. Someone's going to bring out a sign and they'll make an announcement. When they do, grab something before it gets mobbed."

Not a moment later, a female employee came out and placed a great big sign that said "SALE! 90% OFF" and an announcement came over the intercom: "Attention shoppers, special Christmas sale in the clothing department. 90% off on all hats, gloves, scarves, and other clothing accessories. Get them while they're hot."

Without missing a beat, Ochako pounced like a tiger hunting its prey. She heard dozens, maybe hundreds, of pounding rushing towards her. She grabbed a tie and a pair of gloves for her dad. A scarf and a hat for her mom. Ochako was tempted to grab more, but when she saw the crazed hoard of shoppers stampeding towards her with hungry looks in their eyes, she fled.

"Mine!"

"Give it here!"

"Hands off!"

"I'll fucking kill you!"

Ochako looked back and gazed at the horror of dozens of shoppers practically trying to kill each other over a few pieces of clothing. 'Holy crap, glad I'm not in the middle of that,' she thought with relief. A woman with a broken nose was knocked to the ground before jumping back into the fray.

"I don't know what it is, but shopping brings out the worst in people," the employee said. "Got what you needed?"

"More than that," Ochako said with a smile. Each item in her basket easily went for around ¥10,000 normally, but with the discount, she'd have more than enough leftover money. "Thank you so much, uh." Ochako realized she'd never gotten his name; she quickly glanced at his nametag. "Kita."

"No problem," Kita exclaimed. "Glad I could help. Anything else you need?"

"Could you tell me where the plush toys are?" Ochako asked. "I kind of want to treat myself." Kita nodded and lead her to a section with aisles upon aisles of stuffed animals. "This is crazy, there're so many."

"I know, it's kind of overwhelming," Kita said as Ochako scanned the shelves. Suddenly, her eyes landed on display filled with red, green, and white stuffed animals.

"Oh my gosh, they're so cute and Christmassy," Ochako said excitedly. She picked up a green sheep, not noticing Kita's grimace. "Aw, this one's adorable."

'It looks just like Midoriya,' Ochako thought. 'He was so nice; I hope I see him again.'

'That thing looks just like Midoriya,' Kita thought. 'Must I be reminded of my mistakes every day?'

Dark winter clouds hung over Musutafu.

Cold ocean winds buffeted Dagobah Beach.

The biting chill was only enhanced by the absence of the sun.

Despite the freezing cold, Izuku's body burned like fire from his tireless work. Sweat dripped down his face as he made his final push towards his goal. 'I can't stop, I'm almost there.' His feet dug into the sand as the icy wind whipped at his bare torso, but it was nothing compared to the fire in his soul. With a final herculean effort, Izuku climbed the steps threw the final piece of trash onto the massive pile.

He climbed to the top of the pile, overlooking all of Dagobah Beach, not a speck of trash to be found. Pride welled in Izuku's chest. As the sun broke through the darkness, he let out a primal scream that reverberated through the air. 'I did it. I really did it.' Tired beyond belief, Izuku's body went slack, and he fell towards the sand.

Rather than tasting dirt, Izuku felt himself being held in strong arms. Opening his bleary eyes, he looked up to see the smiling face of All Might in his muscle form. "Excellent work, Young Midoriya," All Might said, a proud smile spread across his face.

"I finished everything, Mr. Yagi," Izuku said, utterly exhausted but still grinning. "I did it. Do you think I'm ready now?"

"Yeah, you did good, kid," All Might said as he set Izuku down. "I've got to say, I'm impressed. I knew you had it in you, but this beyond all my expectations." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Take a look at this."

With bleary eyes, Izuku looked at the phone and saw…himself? Only it wasn't his current self; it was a picture of him from April, lying on the ground and crying with his pathetic stick arms and string bean legs.

"This is you from our first day of training," All Might said. "And look at you now! You've sculpted your body into a piece of art! You've come so far. There's a long road ahead before you can inherit my full power, but it's starting to look like you can do it!"

Izuku gazed upon his mentor, eyes full of wonder. "Mr. Yagi," he said, voice barely a whisper. "Do I really deserve this? Are you sure?" Overcome with emotion, tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. "You and Recovery Girl put so much effort into helping me." The tears ran down his face like streams as he softly hiccupped his words. "How did I end up so lucky?"

'Are you really worried about this after all the time and effort you put into this?' All Might thought. The blond hero let out a roaring laugh.

"Don't be so modest, Young Midoriya," he said, patting his protégé on this back. "It was your hard work that did this, not mine or anyone else's. Now, for your reward, Izuku Midoriya."

Izuku wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yes, sir."

All Might plucked a single lock of golden hair from his head. "Someone told me this once, there's a difference between being lucky and deserving; one is an accident, the other is a reward. Never get the two confused." Izuku looked up at his idol with wonder and disbelief. "Take that to heart, young man. This gift, you've earned it with your own valiant efforts."

Izuku's slowly changed into one of confidence and determination. "Right."

"Now," All Might said as he held out his hand. "Eat this."

…

…

…

"Come again…" Izuku croaked.

"To inherit One for All, you need to swallow some of DNA," Toshinori said. "Look, that's just how it works."

"Th-th-this isn't really how I expected it to go," Izuku said, slowly backing away.

"Oh, come one, how did you think I'd give you my Quirk?"

"I don't know! Maybe you'd pull a ball of light out of your chest and put it in mine. Or I'd have to repeat a special chant or vow. Just not THIS!" Izuku was shaking as he stared at the lock of hair as it mockingly waved in the wind.

All Might let out a frustrated. "Kid, this isn't a god damned comic book. If I had to eat a piece of hair to get One for All, so do you."

"Isn't there another way to do this?" Izuku asked, desperate for a way out.

"Can you think of a less awkward way for you to ingest some of my DNA?"

A horrified, disgusted look spread across the green-haired boy's face. "Just… just give me the hair."

"AH HA HA HA! That's the spirit," All Might said as Izuku took the strand from his hand.

'Well, bottoms up,' Izuku thought with a grimace. He threw the hair in his mouth and tried to swallow it as fast as possible. 'Oh, god! It tastes awful. How can a piece of hair taste so bad?' Finally, the hair slithered down Izuku's throat and landed uncomfortably in his stomach.

"See, hair's not so bad. It's just a bit of an acquired taste," All Might said jovially as his protégé struggled not to vomit. "Don't worry, your stomach will settle down in a bit. The same thing happened to me."

"R-right…" Izuku muttered. "Now what?"

"Oh, right," All Might before deflating to his skinny form in a billow of steam. "I've got nowhere to be. Want to go to Ginko's?"

"Yes, please!" Izuku exclaimed. "All I've had today is energy bars."

"Alright, I'll buy you some real breakfast," All Might said. "By the way, where's your shirt?."

Izuku looked himself over and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "I, uh, got kind of hot during my workout, so took it off."

"Young Midoriya, it's 6 degrees*," All Might said flatly. "You're going to catch a cold like that."

(*Author's Note: 6 degrees Celsius is about 43 degrees Fahrenheit)

When the pair had arrived, Ginko's had only just opened their doors. Izuku and All Might were the only ones there and had chosen their usual secluded corner in the back.

All Might had gotten a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit while Izuku had ordered a massive mountain of food; pancakes, waffles, omelets, scrambled eggs, bowls of fruit, yogurt, bacon, sausages, and much more. By the look in his eyes, the green-haired boy was going to eat all of it.

"Mmmh, thank you so much," Izuku said before devouring another bite of pancakes. "I was so in the zone, I didn't realize how hungry I was."

"You're welcome, Young Midoriya," All Might said. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better. My stomach's not doing somersaults anymore," Izuku said. He looked down and scrunched his face. "But it's strange, I don't feel any different."

"That's normal," All Might said. He looked around and saw only two more people had entered the restaurant and the waitress was on the other side of the room. He leaned over and whispered, "It can take a few hours for One for All to kick in. It didn't fully merge with me until I got a good night's sleep."

Izuku nodded. He leaned forward, glancing around for anyone listening in. "Hey, Mr. Yagi, how many people know about One for All?"

All Might blinked in surprise. "Oh, guess I never told you who was in the know. Besides you and me, there's Recovery Girl, Detective Tsukauchi, UA's principal, and an old friend of my master."

"That's all?" Izuku asked. His mentor hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Geez, you can count them on one hand."

"I know what you mean," All Might said. "When my master gave me One for All, the only other person who knew about was her friend." He leaned back and sighed, a distant look in his eyes. "If the public found out, the results could be disastrous. The very idea that a Quirk could be transferred between people could shake the foundation of society. Keeping this secret is a burden, but it's the one I chose to bear."

Izuku looked at his mentor and nervously swallowed a mouthful of eggs. 'I knew it was important to keep One For All a secret, but I'd never thought about it that way. Now it's my job to keep Mr. Yagi's secret.'

"Are you two, alright?"

Izuku and All Might yelped in surprise. The blond man barely caught a spurt of blood in his handkerchief. They turned to see the four-armed, five-eyed waitress was staring at them with a notepad in hand.

"Uh, anything I can get you?" she asked, curiously eyeing her patrons.

"Oh, sorry," All Might said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm fine, thank you for asking."

"I'm fine too," Izuku said.

"Okay," she said, giving the pair an odd look before walking away.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this in a public place like this?" Izuku said.

"That's a good idea," All Might said. He looked and saw some blood had gotten in his oatmeal. "Aw crap." Rather embarrassed, he waved the waitress over and asked for a new bowl.

It was a little before 9 o'clock when Izuku made it home. When he walked in, he saw his mother sitting on the couch in her nightgown and watching the news with a cup of coffee. "Morning, sweetheart," she said. "You're back a lot sooner than I thought you'd be."

"Morning, mom," Izuku said. "Mr. Yagi gave me the rest of the day off since he had me come in super early."

"Oh, that was nice. Do you want anything to eat?"

"I'm good, Mr. Yagi bought me breakfast. I'll be in my room." He gave his mom a wave and walked. As soon as he walked into his room, Izuku threw himself onto the bed.

'Oh god, I'm so tired,' he thought as he buried his face in the pillow. 'I just want to take a nap.' Izuku rolled over and thought about getting One for All, and his parents who had no idea what was actually going on. 'Should I tell them? I mean, telling them feels like the right thing to do.' He thought about their promise to not keep secrets from each other, but out of the corner of his saw, one of his All Might posters.

He sat up and stared at the poster. Izuku looked around his room and at the myriad pieces of All Might merchandise that covered every wall, shelf, and surface. All Might's words from breakfast echoed through Izuku's mind. 'I can't tell her,' Izuku thought solemnly. 'Mr. Yagi trusted me to keep One For All a secret, I can't betray him like that.' He flopped back onto his bed. 'Besides, One for All is Mr. Yagi's Quirk, not mine. It's not even my secret to tell.'

Days passed, Christmas came and went, and finally, Winter Break had arrived.

It was the day after Christmas, the first day of the break, and All Might had asked Izuku to get up early so they could begin his training to wield One for All. 6:00 am on the dot, Izuku exited his apartment in a green winter tracksuit and saw All Might next to his car on the street below.

"So, where are we going?" Izuku asked as soon as he got in the truck.

"UA. I asked the principal if we could use the training grounds while the students and staff are away on break," All Might said. "Except Recovery Girl, she'll be there to help."

"I get to train at UA?! Awesome!" Izuku excitedly exclaimed. He was so excited he didn't even question why Recovery Girl would need to be there. When they arrived at UA, All Might led Izuku through the empty campus to a place called Training Ground Theta.

"Woah, it's huge," Izuku said as he marveled at what was essentially a city surrounded by a giant concrete wall. "Nothing less than the best from UA."

"Indeed, we strive to give our students the best education possible," a new voice said, it was high and squeaky yet refined and intelligent. Izuku looked around, and his eyes widened at the source. It was an animal with white fur that looked like a combination between a bear, a mouse, and a dog. They stood on two legs and came up to Izuku's hip in height. They wore a white shirt under a dark blue vest with golden buttons, matching pants, a red tie, and brown shoes. "These training grounds are part of why UA produces the most exemplary heroes in all of Japan. When it comes to our students, we spare no expense."

Izuku stared at the white animal in shock.

"My goodness, how rude of me," the newcomer said. "My name is Nezu, I'm the principal of UA High."

"The- THE PRINCIPAL!" Izuku blurted out in shock.

Nezu ignored the green-haired boy's outburst and turned to All Might. "All Might, it's good to see you. You're looking well."

"Thank you, sir," All Might said. "And your coat is looking exceptionally shiny today."

"Thank you," the principal said before looking back to Izuku. "And I assume this is your successor?"

"That's right." He gave his protégé a small nudge. "Go on, introduce yourself."

"R-right," Izuku stammered. "Hello, Mr. Principal Nezu, sir! My name is Izuku Midoriya, and it's an honor to meet you. Thank you for letting me train here today." He gave Nezu a deep bow, though the principal was more amused than anything else.

"Quite energetic, isn't he?" Principal Nezu said to All Might, who nodded in agreement. "It's quite nice to meet you as well. Now, all we're missing is Recovery Girl."

"I'm here, I'm here," Recovery Girl said, walking up to the group. "Honestly, making old lady show up so early on her day off. You're horrible." She looked up at Izuku and smiled. "Not you, Midoriya, I'm glad to see you. How was your Christmas?"

"It was good," Izuku said. "We couldn't get any KFC, so my mom cooked homemade fried chicken*, and it was amazing. My mom got me a couple new video games, and my dad sent me this really cool figurine of this British hero called Excalibur."

[*In Japan, it's very popular to get KFC for Christmas dinner; they even sell special Christmas meals the can sell for hundreds of dollars. People often place specials orders for KFC weeks or months in advance.]

"How nice," Recovery Girl said. "Anyway, I suppose we should get started."

Principal Nezu nodded. "Of course." He pulled out a remote control from his pocket. At the press of a button, the massive gates to Ground Theta opened to reveal a gargantuan mock city. Izuku stood in awe as the rest walked forward into Ground Theta. "Well, aren't you coming?" Principal Neza asked.

"R-right," Izuku said. "Sorry, just a little shocked." The boy looked at the principal, and a thought crossed his mind. "By the way, aren't you cold, Principal Nezu?"

"Not at all," the snowy-furred principal replied. "During the winter, my coat grows a special insulating layer of fur that keeps me nice and toasty."

"It also means he keeps his office freezing cold," Recovery Girl interjected as they kept walking. "He refuses to turn on the heat so doesn't overheat, and we all have to wear winter coats whenever we go in. Not to mention, he starts shedding when spring rolls around. The stuff gets everywhere, and it's a pain to clean."

"You do realize I could fire you if I wanted," Principal Nezu said.

"And you know the school would shut down if you did," Recovery Girl retorted.

The principal smiled. "Fair point."

"Alright, we're here," All Might said. Izuku looked up and nearly gasped. At the mock city's central plaza was a giant square concrete wall rising from the earth. It was at least 5 meters tall, just as wide and a meter thick. Looking beyond it, there were at least a dozen more walls of the same size and shape extending down the street in a neat row.

"What the- why are these here?" Izuku asked.

"I asked Cementoss to make them before he left," Principal Nezu said.

"Okay, but why did you ask him to make them?"

"Because, Young Midoriya," All Might said. "You're going to break these walls."

"WHAT!?" Izuku screamed. "But I've never used One for All before, how am I supposed to break one of these things? Each wall's got to be at least 10 tonnes of concrete."

"Actually, each wall is precisely 31 tonnes," Principal Nezu interjected. Izuku felt his soul slowly rise from his body.

"Ha ha ha!" All Might burst in laughs as he shifted into his muscle form. "Have no fear, Young Midoriya." He gave his protégé a firm pat on the back that nearly sent Izuku tumbling forward. "You've busted through walls before, and these will be no different." He looked at Izuku and gave a bright smile. "All you have to do clench your butt cheeks and yell "SMASH" from the depths of your heart." Gazing at his mentor, Izuku gave a confident smile and nodded.

Recovery Girl eyed them suspiciously. "Hold on-"

"Excellent," Principal Nezu said as he pressed a button on his remote. On the other side of the plaza, a large transparent barrier rose from the ground. "We'll be behind that shield observing your progress."

Recovery Girl frowned. "All Might, did you-"

"Alright then," All Might said as he picked up the principal and Recovery Girl. "Let's leave the boy to his training. Good luck, Young Midoriya." He sped behind the barrier before Recovery Girl could say anything.

"Right!" Izuku excitedly exclaimed before turning to face the wall. When they got behind the barrier, All Might let Principal Nezu and Recovery Girl down and deflated.

"All Might," Recovery Girl said, her voice low and dangerous. The blond man went stiff. "Did you tell him?"

All Might swallowed nervously. "Tell who what?"

Recovery Girl's eyes narrowed. "Did you tell Midoriya about One for All's recoil?"

"Well, uh, the thing is," All Might sputtered as he rubbed the back his neck. "I didn't want to make him nervous, so…no."

"In any case, it's too late now," Principal Nezu said with the same cheery smile on his face. "All we can do is hope the damage isn't too bad."

Izuku stood in front of the concrete wall, feet firmly planted on the ground. 'Clench my butt cheeks and yell "SMASH" from the depth of my heart,' he thought as he intently stared at the wall. 'I can do this.' He took a deep breath, pulled back his arm, and clenched his butt cheeks as hard as he could.

Welling with determination, Izuku's fist flew forwards, and that top of his lungs, he yelled, "Smash!" His fist hit the wall… but instead of him breaking the concrete, it felt like the concrete broke him.

"OW!" Izuku screamed as he reeled back pain. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! Damn it, that hurts!" He looked down at his throbbing hand. Being careful not to overdo it, Izuku activated a healing aura around his hand. After a moment, the pain subsided.

"Are you okay?" All Might called out.

"I'm fine," Izuku replied. "Just warming up." He let out a nervous laugh. All Might gave Izuku a thumbs up and went back behind the barrier. Izuku took a gummy from his hip bag and popped it in his mouth. Recovery Girl had thankfully fixed the recipe, and the gummies now tasted like mixed citrus fruits instead of hot garbage.

'Okay, maybe I took what Mr. Yagi said a bit too literally,' Izuku thought as he chewed the gummy. 'This isn't a manga or anime; I can't just activate One for All with a magic word. I need to try feeling it out and visualizing it like I did with Mending Corona.' Taking slow, deep breaths, Izuku closed his eyes and concentrated on feeling for One for All's energy within him.

First, he found his natural-born Quirk and examined its energy. Mending Corona was like a reservoir of water, still and calm but ready to be harnessed at a moment's notice. The most difficult part was controlling the metaphorical flood gates and directing the water. Next was trying to sense the energy of One for All. It was hard to describe the process; it was almost like trying to find something in the dark just using your hands. Izuku wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, but he was-

THERE! He'd found it!

Izuku wanted to jump for joy but decided to save his excitement for and focused back on examining One for All. It pulsed and burned with vibrant energy like a star, massively powerful but strangely warm and comforting. The way One for All thrummed inside his chest felt like a second heartbeat, almost as if it were alive.

As all of this was going on, All Might, Recovery Girl, and Principal Nezu watched as Izuku had gone oddly still. He'd closed his eyes and hadn't moved an inch almost 10 minutes. "Should we do something?" All Might asked.

"Let's give it a minute," Principal Nezu said.

'Okay, I've got this,' Izuku thought. Taking a deep breath and getting back into position, he pulled back arm and concentrated. He could feel One for All pulsing inside of him, the energy waiting to be harnessed. 'Visualize it, clench my butt cheeks, and yell-'

"SMASH!" Izuku roared, feeling the energy flow through his arm like liquid fire. His fist flew forward and decimated the wall and all the walls behind. Great gusts of wind whipped through the mock city's streets, shattering windows and tearing up anything that wasn't bound to the ground along with many things that were.

All Might, Recovery Girl, and Principal Nezu watched in awe, thankful for the shield protecting them.

"Holy shit," All Might said, a smile forming on his face. "That was incredible, Young Midoriya, you really-"

"AAAHHHHHH!" The three adults were interrupted by Izuku's eardrum-shattering screams of pain. "OH MY FUCKING GOD! THIS HURTS SO MUCH!" He fell to the ground, clutching his arm in pain and still screaming. "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!? AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

All Might stared at Izuku while Recovery Girl leveled him a glare. "You should have told him," she said, tightly gripping her cane.

"I… I didn't think it would be this bad," All Might said.

"We should get him to the infirmary," Nezu said.

"R-right." All Might shifted into his muscle form and picked up Recovery Girl, Nezu, and the screaming Midoriya sprinted to the UA infirmary.

"Hey, how are you doing?" All Might said, once again deflated. He sat next to the bed; his protégé was laying on with a look of concern on his face.

"Tired, but at least my arm isn't broken," Izuku said, thankful for Recovery Girl fixing his arm. "What happened back there? I remember using One for All and then pain."

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting the backlash to be that bad."

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked. All Might froze. "Did you know that was going to happen?" The tall man opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"He did, and he should have told you," Recovery Girl said, scowling at the blond man. All Might shrank into himself, although it didn't do much, considering he was over six feet tall. "What on Earth compelled you to keep this a secret from him!" She gave All Might a swift caning to the top of his head.

"OW! Will you quit that; you're going to give me brain damage one of these days!" All Might said as he rubbed his sore spot. He sighed, and his look of pain was replaced by one of guilt. "But she is right, Young Midoriya. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to use One for All if you knew it might hurt you, but I should have been honest with you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I mean it all worked out in the end right," Izuku said. "But you also said you were surprised by how bad it was, what did you mean by that?"

"To be honest, the only reason I thought it might happen is that my master told me about it," All Might explained. "For some reason, I was able to wield One for All at 100% with no backlash right off the bat. I still remember the look on her face when it happened." He laughed at the memory of her dumbstruck expression as he effortlessly did the thing it took her years to master. "I figured you'd be a little sore or bruised, but that was terrifying."

Izuku shivered. "I know what you mean. But now that I know what to expect, I can be prepared to heal my arm next time I use One for All."

"Oh no, you don't!" Recovery Girl yelled. "I forbid you from healing your arm after using One for All!"

"What the- why the hell not," All Might said. "You've been training him to get a better handle on his Quirk, and now you're telling him not to use it."

"I'm confused, too," Izuku said. "I've already had a ton of experience fixing other peoples' broken bones, so why not my own?"

Recovery Girl sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Before I healed your arm, I took some X-Rays." She walked over her desk and grabbed a pencil. "This is a normal broken arm." She snapped the pencil in half. "And this," she said as she reached under her desk and grabbed her paper shredder "was your arm." She dumped the contents of shredder's bin onto the floor, hundreds of tiny square bits of paper, as Izuku and All Might watched. "You turned the inside of your arm into confetti. If you tried to fix it, you'd likely pass out; not to mention any number of horrible complications that could have arisen from your lack of experience. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal," master and protégé said in unison.

"Good news," Principal Nezu said as he opened the door. "Cementoss and Power Loader agreed to come in and clean up Ground Theta. Will you bring Midoriya back tomorrow, All Might?"

"Um, I mean if he feels up to," All Might said.

"Yeah, I can do tomorrow," Izuku said.

"I see." Principal Nezu looked around and saw the pile of shredded paper. "What happened here?"

"Just trying to get something through their thick skulls," Recovery Girl said as she pointed her cane at master and protégé.

After Recovery Girl's lecture, All Might decided to take Izuku to Ginko's for lunch. "Feeling better, Young Midoriya?" All Might asked. Izuku gave an enthusiastic nod as he chewed a mouthful of fries. "That's good to know." The blond man glanced around to make sure no one was listening in. "I was hoping to discuss your training. Now that you've some time to think about, what was it like using One for All?"

"Well, it hurt a lot," Izuku said.

"No, I mean the rush, what it felt to fire on all cylinders," All Might said. "How it felt to have all that energy coursing through your body."

"It was different from Mending Corona but also kind of the same," Izuku said as he racked his brain. "I mean they both channel energy, but the energy feels different. Mending Corona is all 'fwoo' and 'whaa' and 'ooh,' but One for All feels more like 'whoosh,' 'kapow,' 'blam,' and 'zap' kind of thing."

"I see, that makes a lot of sense."

"Really?"

"Nope. I've got no clue what you're talking about, kid," All Might said bluntly. "But those were some cool sound effects."

"I guess it's a little too abstract. Maybe a better way is—oh, I think I've got it." Izuku's eyes lit up. "Mending Corona is like turning a faucet on and off, and One for All is like cooking an egg the microwave!"

All Might laughed. "That's pretty weird, but whatever floats your boat. If One for All is like an egg in a microwave, try lowering the wattage or shortening the cooking time. I wish I could be more helpful, but I don't really know what advice to give you."

"It's alright, it's not your fault you were a natural."

"Guess you're right, but I'm sure you'll get it before the Entrance Exam. You're a bright kid, and if those notebooks are anything to go by, you'll have it figured out in no time. Just try to feel your way through it, don't force it, or the egg will blow up again."

"Got it," Izuku said with a smile.

The next day of training was—unfortunately—a repeat of the first.

"The egg exploded," Izuku said, laying UA's infirmary.

"What?" Recovery Girl asked.

"I'm an egg; One for All is a microwave."

"I see." Recovery Girl looked over at a nervous All Might.

"D-don't worry, he'll get the hang of it in no time," All Might said. "After all, third times the charm."

The third time wasn't the charm.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Egg?" Recovery Girl asked, sitting next to Izuku's bed in the infirmary.

"Cracked," Izuku said.

"Well, it's like they always say: no pain, no gain," All Might said, although it looked like he wasn't very convinced by his own words.

"Good thing I asked Cementoss to make extra sets of walls," Nezu said as he sipped on a cup of tea. "He won't have to come back after each training session."

"Yes, but he and Power Loader won't be happy when they see all they have to clean up after the break," Recovery Girl said. "Speaking of, what sort of cover story did you give them?"

"Something just cryptic enough to keep them from asking more questions," Nezu said. "All Might, are you sure he'll get a hold of One for All before the end of Winter Break?"

"Of course he will," All Might exclaimed. "He's just gotta feel it! Young Midoriya will be throwing out Smashes in no time." A bead of nervous sweat ran down his forehead.

"I really appreciate your faith in me, but I don't think this is working," Izuku said. "Isn't there anything else we could try?"

All thought for a moment, wracking his brain for a new training method. 'I hate to say it, but this does feel like we're bashing our heads against a brick wall. Nana never needed to teach me how to handle One for All, and now I don't know how to teach Young Midoriya.' His eyebrows scrunched together. 'Maybe I should call him.' As soon as the idea crossed his mind, All Might started shaking. 'No way! If I bring him into this, who knows what he'll do Young Midoriya and me.'

"L-l-let's not be too hasty about this," All Might said. "We haven't been doing this for that long; how about we give one more shot before we try something new?"

"Okay, Mr. Yagi," Izuku said, confident in this mentor's judgment. Recovery Girl and Principal Nezu eyed All Might suspiciously but decided not to say anything.

"Hey, mom, I'm home," Izuku called out as he walked through the door.

"Hi, sweaty," Inko said from the kitchen. "How was work?"

"Oh, it was fine. Just normal stuff." Izuku wandered into the living room after taking off his shoes. "How was your day?"

"Interesting, I ran into that Yamada boy's mother at the grocery store. She felt absolutely awful about what happened and wanted me to tell you how sorry she and her husband are." Izuku sat down to listen as he munched on an energy bar. "They decided to send him to a boarding school up in Rikubetsu as punishment."

Izuku perked up when he heard the city's name. "Isn't Rikubetsu one of the coldest places in the country?"

"If it is then it serves him right, the little monster deserves to freeze his butt off," Inko said as she brought her knife down with a loud 'thunk.' "Anyways, I ended up having a really nice conversation with her while we shopped. There is one thing she said found particularly interesting." Izuku stiffened. Inko turned around to stare right at her son. "Apparently, you once broke your finger on purpose to try and activate your Quirk."

Izuku nervously swallowed. "Uh, my bad."

Inko sighed. "I suppose there's no point in scolding you now, I'm just glad it worked. But I don't want you breaking any more bones on purpose, okay?"

"Okay," Izuku said. As Inko went back to cooking, a lightbulb went off in her son's mind.

'That's it!' he thought. If Inko had seen the glint in his eyes, she would have stopped whatever nonsense he was planning.

Much to the chagrin of everyone, she did not.

Once more, Izuku stood in front of a line of massive concrete walls while All Might, Recovery Girl, and Principal Nezu observed him from behind a protective barrier.

"He seemed rather confident this morning," Nezu said.

"Young Midoriya said he had an epiphany last night," All Might said.

"Let's hope so, I'm not keen on fixing him up again," Recovery Girl said as she watched Izuku, waiting for something to go wrong.

"Me either," All Might said.

'Come on, kid, show me what you've got,' All Might thought. 'If you don't, I'll have to call him.' Even if he could admit that training Izuku was more difficult than he thought, the last All Might wanted to do was ask for help. Especially for him.

'Let's do this,' Izuku thought. He raised his arm, but rather than forming a fist and pulling it back, he pulled back his middle finger and held it in place with his thumb, as if about to flick something. He held it steady with his other arm as the others looked on.

But before they could wonder what he was doing, it happened.

"SMASH!" The walls were demolished. Debris went flying, carried by the furious winds down the street. As the dusted settled, All Might finally got a good look at Izuku and saw-

"It's not broken!" All Might yelled. "WAHOO! He did it!" He muscled up and sprinted over to his apprentice. "Young Midoriya, I'm so freaking proud of you! I knew you could do it." He embraced Izuku in a great big bear hug.

"Thank you, Mr. Yagi," Izuku said with a smile. "But could you let me down, it's getting hard to breathe."

"Oh, sorry." He let Izuku down and gave him a pat on the head. "I knew you had it in you, Young Midoriya. Once again, you've exceeded my expectations and shown yourself worthy of being my successor."

"Y-you don't have to go that far," Izuku said with a furious blush. "I still don't have full control of One for All."

"What are you talking about? Your arm's in one piece."

"Well, sort of." Izuku sheepishly held up his arm to reveal a very bruised and very broken finger.

All Might deflated. "What?"

Once they got back to the infirmary, Izuku explained how he'd gotten the idea to channel into a single finger rather than his whole arm. He was quite proud of himself, and despite his initial shock, so was All Might.

"Quite the clever protégé you've got on your hands," Principal Nezu said. "Taking a past mistake and using it his advantage, that's a quality of a great student."

"I won't say I'm not impressed and happy for you, but I'm still not keen on the idea of you injuring yourself," Recovery Girl said. "Still, I suppose minimizing the damage is the best you could right now. Good job."

"Th-thanks," Izuku said, sitting on the bed. "Part of it was desperation; I only had a few more chances to practice, so I had to start thinking outside the box." He turned to Recovery Girl. "There's something I wanted to ask. I know you said not to fix my arm after using One for All, but would it be alright if I fixed my finger." Recovery Girl narrowed her eyes. Izuku felt the room grow much cooler. "I-i-it's just that it would take a lot less energy than healing my and it would make me a lot more viable in combat, plus-"

"I'll think about it," she said. "For now, I'll fix your finger and, if you're feeling up to it, you can get back out there. Hopefully, you'll have figured out how not to break your bones before the Entrance Exam."

"Th-thank you so much, Recovery Girl." Izuku got up and gave her an appreciative bow. "And I will try my hardest to control One for All."

As Recovery Girl and Izuku discussed the subject further, All Might was just relieved that his protégé had made progress. 'That means I don't have to call him,' he thought.

After a successful day of training with One for All and delicious dinner from his mom, Izuku was more than ready for bed. He went to bed in a pair of new All Might pajamas—a gift from his mom, which he adored—feeling confident in his ability to wield One for All. UA's Entrance Exam was less than two months away, so far away yet so soon. It was day Izuku was both dreading and excited for. As he slowly drifted off to sleep under his All Might blanket, Izuku felt thankful for all he had.

But unbeknownst to Izuku or All Might, they were not the only ones training.

Pain.

The pain was the entirety of Hinata Abe's existence. It had been this way ever since she and her boyfriend had gone to that bar. Ever since they'd met the others. Ever since they'd met that monster.

"What's wrong?" the monster's oh-so human-sounding voice drifted through the air. "We're not done training; you need to get up."

"I…can't," Hinata said, her voice hoarse and rough. She lay on the cold, hard, dirty concrete floor. How easy it would be to close her eyes and fall asleep. "No more…please. Too much…pain." She looked up at the monster, begging and pleading with her eyes for it to have mercy on them.

The room fell deathly silent. It stared at her—how can something with no eyes stare?—and sighed. "I understand. We can stop the training, stop the pain."

A spark of hope ignited in Hinata's chest. "Really?"

It smiled at her. "Of course, I'll need that power I gave you."

The spark died. "What?"

"If you don't want to go through with this, that's fine, I told you all you could stop at any time, but you'd need to return what I gave you."

"No, please, no!" Hinata desperately screamed as she forced herself to rise. "Don't take it away from me, I need it. I can't go back to the way I was before."

"I'm sorry, but if you can't continue training, I can't let you keep it," the monster said. "After all, no pain, no gain."

Hinata looked around at the broken, crumpled bodies of her 'teammates' as he'd called them and finally saw her beloved Kuro. She saw the slow rise and fall of their chests. They were alive, but in just as much pain as her. Pain so horrible they would gladly welcome the reaper.

But…

"I'll do it. I'll keep training!" Hinata said. "Just don't make me go back to being Quirkless!"

The monster smiled. "That's the spirit!" Red lighting crackled around its finger. "Let's not waste any more time."

AN:

Well, this took a lot longer than expected, but, hey, better late than never.

If you didn't read the AN at the beginning, I'm going to go back and change all the previous chapters to the narration refers to Toshinori Yagi as "All Might," and Izuku always call him "Mr. Yagi" before I post the next chapter.

Also, fun fact, I started writing this months ago, but due to real-life stuff, it ended up getting delayed until now. I happy coincidence I suppose.

The next chapter is the Entrance Exam, which actually takes place in late February. Hopefully, the next chapter will be published before then.