All Might approached, stopping beside me to gaze out at the ocean. "Quite the view, isn't it? Hard to believe what this place looked like before."
"I have the before and after photos saved on my phone." I felt a surge of pride. "Gramps says a true warrior leaves every place better than he found it."
"Wise words from a wise man." All Might nodded. His gaze dropped to the medal hanging around my neck. "That suits you, young man. You earned it today."
"Thanks."
We stood in comfortable silence for a moment, listening to the waves. All Might seemed content to let me speak first, to set the terms of this conversation. I appreciated that.
"I've been thinking about your offer," I said finally. "About One For All."
"I assumed as much." He turned slightly, giving me his full attention. "It's not a decision to be made lightly."
"No," I agreed. "It's not."
The medal caught the moonlight as I looked down at it. I'd won this on my own terms, with my own power.
"When I was a kid," I began, "all I wanted was a quirk. Any quirk. I would have given anything just to be like everyone else. To have some power, no matter how small."
All Might listened silently, his expression thoughtful.
"Then I grew up thinking I needed a quirk to be a hero. That was the dream – get a quirk somehow, save people, be like you." I smiled faintly. "But then I died."
All Might's eyebrows shot up. "Young Midoriya?"
"It's complicated." I waved away his concern. "The point is, something changed in me. I realized I didn't need a quirk to be strong. I just needed to be strong. Period."
I turned to face the ocean again, feeling the cool breeze against my skin.
"When you first offered me One For All, part of me wanted to accept immediately. It felt like validation – the thing I'd always wanted being handed to me by the person I admired most."
"But?" All Might prompted gently.
"But then I started thinking about what I'd be giving up." I gestured to the clean beach. "I did this without a quirk. I won today without a quirk. I proved to myself that being quirkless doesn't mean being powerless."
All Might nodded slowly. "You've certainly done that."
"If I take One For All now, what message does that send? That I needed it after all? That everything I've accomplished wasn't enough?"
"I see your dilemma." All Might's voice was soft. "May I offer a perspective?"
I nodded.
"One For All isn't just a power. It's a legacy." His sunken eyes held mine. "Each wielder adds to it, strengthens it, before passing it on. It's not about needing power – it's about what you would do with that power."
He gestured toward the city lights visible in the distance. "There are villains in this world that even the strongest quirkless fighter couldn't defeat. Threats that require extraordinary power to overcome."
"Like the Nomu," I said quietly.
"Yes." His expression darkened. "And worse. Much worse."
The wind picked up, carrying the salt scent of the ocean around us.
"You've proven beyond any doubt that a quirkless person can be a hero," All Might continued. "You've shattered that barrier forever. But consider this – what could you accomplish with both your incredible spirit and the power of One For All?"
I'd asked myself that question countless times over the past three weeks. The possibilities were staggering.
"There's something else to consider," I said. "Something Gramps told me during training."
"Oh?"
"He said that in martial arts, there's a concept called 'beginner's mind.' It means approaching everything as a student, always learning, never assuming you know everything." I tapped my chest. "If I take One For All, I'd be starting over in some ways. Learning to use a quirk from scratch."
"That's true," All Might acknowledged. "The learning curve is substantial."
"But maybe that's not a bad thing." I looked down at my hands, calloused from months of training. "Maybe being quirkless first made me stronger in ways I wouldn't have been otherwise."
All Might smiled. "I believe that's absolutely true, young man."
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment. "I've made my decision."
His expression grew serious, attentive. He didn't push, didn't ask what I'd decided. He simply waited, giving me the space to speak when ready.
"I'll accept One For All," I said finally. "Not because I need it to be a hero – I've proven I don't. But because with it, I can be a better hero. Help more people. Fight enemies I couldn't otherwise face."
All Might's smile returned, wider than before. "I believe you've made a wise choice, young Midoriya."
All Might extended his hand, a single golden hair pinched between his thumb and forefinger. It gleamed in the moonlight, looking almost ethereal.
"A hair?" I blinked.
"Indeed." All Might nodded solemnly. "To inherit my power, you need to ingest my DNA."
I stared at the hair, then back at All Might's gaunt face. "You're kidding."
"I assure you, young Midoriya, I am quite serious." His expression remained perfectly composed, though something in his eyes danced with amusement. "This is how One For All is passed down."
"And I have to..." I made a vague gesture toward my mouth.
"Eat this!" All Might thrust the hair forward with dramatic flair, his voice booming despite his diminished form.
I took the strand reluctantly. "This is disgusting."
"Would you prefer a fingernail? Perhaps some blood? Maybe som-"
"A hair is fine," I said quickly.
All Might chuckled. "The great hero Izuku Midoriya, who faced down villains without flinching, defeated by a single strand of hair."
"Very funny." I held the hair up, examining it in the moonlight. "How long does it take? To process fully, I mean."
"The power should incorporate into your system within a few hours. By morning, you'll be a proper vessel for One For All." He paused. "Though I admit, the digestion process varies from person to person."
I sighed, steeling myself. No point delaying the inevitable. I placed the hair on my tongue and swallowed quickly, fighting the urge to gag.
"Water?" All Might offered a bottle he'd been carrying.
I accepted gratefully, taking a long drink to wash away the sensation. "Thanks."
"How do you feel?"
I considered the question, taking inventory of my body. "Normal. No different."
"Give it time." All Might turned his gaze back to the ocean. "The transfer isn't instantaneous."
We stood in silence for several minutes, the waves providing a soothing backdrop. I kept waiting for some dramatic transformation, a surge of power, anything—but nothing happened.
"Maybe we should—" I stopped mid-sentence as an odd sensation spread through my body. It started in my chest, a faint tingling that rapidly expanded outward, racing along my nerves like static electricity. "Oh."
"You feel it?" All Might perked up.
"Yeah. Like static under my skin." I flexed my fingers, watching as faint red lines momentarily appeared beneath the surface. "It's strange."
"That's One For All, finding its place within you." All Might's voice carried a hint of nostalgia. "The power is accepting you as its new vessel."
The sensation intensified, a pleasant warmth flowing through my veins. It felt like my blood had been replaced with liquid energy, vibrant and alive.
"So how do I use it?" I asked, staring at my hands in fascination.
All Might's grin widened. "It's quite simple, really. You clench your buttcheeks—" he demonstrated the motion with exaggerated flair, "—and yell from the depths of your heart: SMASH!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
"The words aren't strictly necessary," he admitted. "But they help focus the power. The key is channeling the energy to where you need it."
"Okay." I turned toward the ocean, planting my feet firmly in the sand. "Should I try it?"
"By all means." All Might stepped back, giving me space.
I nodded, focusing on my right arm. The tingling sensation grew stronger there, responding to my attention. I took a deep breath, clenched every muscle in my body, and punched forward.
"SMASH!"
The effect was instantaneous and overwhelming. Raw power erupted from my fist, the air before me distorting with its force. A massive shockwave ripped across the beach, slamming into the ocean with such violence that the water parted like the Red Sea, revealing the seabed for a moment before crashing back together in a towering wave.
"Holy shit," I whispered, staring at the churning water.
All Might stood beside me, his jaw slack. "That was... not small."
The awe lasted approximately three seconds before pain exploded through my arm. I looked down and immediately wished I hadn't. My right hand hung limply, fingers twisted at unnatural angles, skin already purpling with bruises. The bones had shattered completely.
"Ah," All Might said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I should have warned you about that part."
"You think?" I gritted through clenched teeth, cradling my mangled limb.
"The vessel must be strong enough to contain the power," he explained, looking sheepish. "Your body isn't quite there yet."
"Great timing on that information." Pain radiated up my arm in sickening waves.
"Not to worry!" All Might transformed in a burst of steam, his emaciated form replaced by his muscular hero persona. "Recovery Girl is on standby at UA for precisely this reason. I anticipated some... adjustment difficulties."
I took a step forward, still holding my broken arm, when a strange sensation swept through me. Not the electric tingling of One For All, but something deeper, more fundamental. Wrong.
My legs buckled. I dropped to one knee, a metallic taste filling my mouth.
"Young Midoriya?" All Might's voice sounded distant.
My chest tightened painfully. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Blood spattered onto the sand as I coughed, each spasm sending fresh agony through my broken arm.
"Midoriya!" All Might was beside me now, his massive hand on my shoulder. "What's happening?"
I tried to answer, but another coughing fit seized me. More blood. Darkness crept into the edges of my vision. The static under my skin had transformed into something else—a war between opposing forces, tearing me apart from within.
All Might's face swam before me, his perpetual smile replaced by naked fear. His mouth formed words I couldn't hear over the roaring in my ears.
I collapsed fully, sand cool against my cheek. The last thing I saw was All Might's panicked expression as he shouted:
"YOUNG MIDORIYA!"
Then darkness.