The classroom of middle school kid was usually rambunctious and disorderly. Not today. Today was one of the few quiet days. Izuku was sketching Mt. Lady from her debut this morning. A debut he basically had a front row seat to. He pondered her powers muttering to himself all the while.

It took a palm from thee one and only Katsuki Bakugo slamming down on his desk to shake him. "Hey, Izuku cut that shit out," Katsuki demanded gazing down at Izuku. His gaze was one of annoyance, but not of rage.

"Woops. Sorry about that Katsuki. I was just thinking about Mt. Lady debut this morning," Izuku replied shrugging.

"Oh, I think the rest of us got that much," Katsuki retorted earning a few laughs from the class.

Izuku chuckled rubbing the back of his neck, "Sorry about that guys."

Someone patted him on the back, "Don't worry about it, man. We all want to be heroes and look up to them."

"Yeah, but an extra like yourself could never be one," Katsuki snapped a drop of rage in his eyes.

"I'm sure that everyone here could be if they put in enough work," Izuku rebutted smiling.

"Not all of us were born with amazing quirks like you two," someone chimed in from across the classroom.

"At least one of them has a least a halfway heroic quirk. Izuku's quirk is down right villainous!" another student mocked.

This set Katsuki off, "Hey! Fuck off! Any quirk can be heroic. Its all about use!"

"He's not wrong Katsuki. This quirk of mine would be something you would expect a super-villain to have," Izuku chuckled trying to calm down his friend.

"That would be like saying mine is villainous too!" Katsuki yelled small explosion coming from his hands.

"Oi! No, quirks in class!" the teacher yelled from across the room. Katsuki went 'tch' before calming down.

The rest of the class was complete uneventful. Izuku peered out the window most of time. The sun was setting in the distance when class was over. Katsuki snapped a finger gaining Izuku attention. "I was going to check your pulse next if you hadn't reacted," Katsuki chuckled.

"Sorry. Thinking about my quirk," Izuku said pulling a pencil to his hand. He had his mother's weak telekinesis. This was not his quirk though. Her quirk was just part of his. He had a quirk that any aspiring evil overlord would kill to have: Quirk Duplication. Any individual that made skin to skin contact with him he gained their quirk. Not copied, not sort of had a lesser version, an honest to god duplicate of the original. Secondary resistances and all included.

"You've got my quirk there's no way you can go wrong," Katsuki patted Izuku's back before standing up straight and pointing his thumb to his chest, "Because I'm fucking awesome."

"Thanks, Katsuki," Izuku replied getting up from his chair. He put his notebook in his backpack. Izuku stood just an inch short from Katsuki. He was nearly as muscular as the other teenager. He was plain looking, but had a brilliant smile that could lit up a room.

"Did ya fill out your UA application yet?" Katsuki asked as they left the room.

Izuku shrugged, "I've had it on my desk for weeks but... That's a place for heroes. And I really want to go, but I'm afraid that my quirk will paint a huge target on my back."

Katsuki frowned. He wasn't good at consoling others. He hated it in fact. Emotions weren't his thing. Well, except rage, rage was focus and strength. Izuku had been his friend for years. He decided maybe a harsher approach would work, "Look. We didn't put all the hard work in for you to become a Deku again. Man the fuck up."

Izuku took a deep breath, "You're right. Man the fuck up."

The two of them were halfway home, before it dawned on Izuku. "Ah, shit! I forgot my homework," Izuku sighed.

"If you go now, I think the school's still open," Katsuki stated with his hands in pocket.

"Alright I'll see ya at the gym then!" Izuku shouted rocketing off with a single explosion.

- Old Underpass -

Izuku sighed walking past an old underpass that was supposed to save him some time. A sense of dread filled the young man. Years spent with Katsuki had honed his combat sense to some degree. Nothing compared to the blonde protege, but more than average.

"What a nice looking fresh sack!" a disembodied voice called out from behind him. Izuku rolled forward out of instinct just narrowly dodging a slimy tentacle.

"What the," Izuku managed to say before jumping out the way of another attack.

"What a fine specimen! You'll do nicely as my new body," the monster redoubled his efforts.

Body possession is that even possible?! Midoriya panicked.

One. Two more dodges. Izuku was getting antsy. He really wasn't trying to use his power. He didn't want to give this monster anymore reason to pursue him. A slimy tentacle gripped onto his leg from behind. He got behind me. That's what I get for worrying about his safety! Izuku chastised.

A large man came into view. Izuku body was getting slowly covered. "Texas," the man shouted earning an 'oh shit' from the slime monster, "SMASH!" Air pressure exploded from the man's fist.

"All Might!" Izuku shouted dropping to ground.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Don't fear for I am here!" All Might shouted. He was quick at work picking up ooze and putting it in bottles.

"Holy crap, I'm a huge fan!" Izuku was just vibrating with excitement.

"I bet you are young man! I'm impressed you held your own against him for so long," All Might's voice practically boomed with bravado and gumption.

"Thank you! I've been honing my skills for years," Izuku replied blushing and rubbing his neck.

"Alright! I hope you have an excellent day! I need to take this guy to the local precinct," All Might tapped his leg where the bottles were. He crouched down ready to leap. Without a moments hesitation Izuku leapt after All Might and grabbed his leg.

- Random Rooftop -

Holy crap, that was scary! Midoriya thought catching his breath. All Might had leapt with so much speed and height that Midoriya was out of breath from the wind.

"Young man, that was reckless!" All Might chastised him. White smoke was bellowing from the large man. "Damnit," he whispered. Then all of a sudden the towering man had vanished in a explosion of white smoke.

"All Might! Are you alright?" Izuku called out to him in the fog. Unbeknownst to Izuku a new quirk popped into his head. It was a small burning ember. It was fuel and fire.

A skeleton of a man waved his hand and cleared the smoke. Izuku jumped scared by the deathly looking man. "Who are you?!" Izuku shouted looking around, "Where's All Might?"

"Calm, down young man. I am All Might," the skeleton said placing a head on his chest. His gaze was the same stoic hero. Izuku nodded knowing this was not a lie.

"What happened? Why are you like this?" Izuku concern and worry dripped from his voice.

The thin Might sat down against the bars along the rooftop, "Heh, why indeed." It took the hero a few moments to decide what exactly he was going to show the young man. Thin Might lifted up his shirt, "This is why."

Izuku gasped and placed his hands over his mouth in shock. "That looks horrible!" Izuku stated examining the aftermath of an injury.

"It is. My entire respiratory system is damage and half my stomach was destroyed. I have a time limit now," Thin Might held up three fingers, "3 Hours and that's it."

"When and why doesn't the public know?" Izuku asked taking a step forward.

That question caught All Might off guard, "It was 5 years ago. The public shouldn't know. The public shouldn't know that their symbol of peace is this decrepit man."

"Sure, the villain would love to know, but the world should know that their symbol of peace is dying! At least then you can spur on the next generation and look for someone to hold your mantle!" Izuku shouted at the man a bit of rage is his voice. Another side effect of duplicating someone's quirk: a bit of them is imprinted on Izuku.

"You sound like you want this burden?" All Might asked narrowing his eyes.

Izuku looked away, "That's what I wanted to ask you." He looked back to the man, "Can someone with a villainous quirk like mine become a hero like you?!"

"A villainous quirk? How so?" Thin Might looked puzzled. While he had seen his fair share of 'villainous' quirks it was the individual that made the villain.

"My quirk allows me to duplicate someone else's quirk and use it as if I was born with it. A power that you'd find in a manga or TV show," Midoriya started to tear up. This was a sensitive subject for him.

Midoriya's quirk reminded him of another very powerful individual that had a similar quirk. That man was truly a villain. "That's quite the quirk you have," All Might left space making the unspoken question.

"Izuku Midoriya," he bowed realizing just how rude he had been.

"Well, Midoriya my boy, not all quirks are made the same. Some are more powerful. Some are weak. Some are like yours. Yours is one with tremendous potential and yet so very scary to the people of the world. You can take what makes us unique and.. use.. it.. for!" All Might voice trailed off realizing he had touched the boy head. It was merely to protect him but he didn't think that he had a quirk like that.

The man shot to his feet. "Do you have it?!" he questioned his teeth gritting.

"Your quirk you mean? Hmm," Midoriya rubbed his chin in thought. He found a new entity within him. It was some kind of power accumulation quirk. What power and where he did not know but it was there. It was like a warm hearth within his 'quirk space'. Unlike Explosion it had no toggle, but it wasn't like he could willingly pull on it. He held out his hand and channel this new power through Explosion. He aimed his palm away from All Might. He let out a small explosion.

The resulting force knocked him off his feet. He wasn't ready for it. Another unusual aspect was that his explosion was green? "What is your power?!" Izuku asked standing up.

"I'm surprised you can use it so quickly. What is it that you want to be!?" All Might stood tall over the young man.

Midoriya's eyes darted away, "I want to be a hero, but with this quirk I don't think I'll be accepted."

"Midoriya, I'm not going to tell you what to do with your power or that other heroes won't be afraid of. Trust me they will be. A power such as yours is terrifying to think of and even worse to behold. But if you wish to be a hero then run headlong at the goal with everything you have," All Might grinned giving the young man a thumbs up.

A small explosion was heard in the distance. A random street was blazing fire all around. A faint sound made way across the horizon. Izuku knew what it was. "Be a hero, huh?" Izuku looked at All Might's pockets and spotted nothing. Panic set in as he realized he had caused this. It would now be his duty to fix it. "I'm sorry All Might. I have to go!" Izuku yelled barreling through the roof access and down the stairs.

"That was unusual," All Might muttered shrugging his shoulder. Another faint sound came across the horizon. All Might figured he should at least check it out.

- Scene of the Slime Monster -

Izuku was running at the best pace he could set. When he reached the crowd he couldn't believe the sight of carnage before him. The crowd was too dense to see what was going on. Heroes were shouting out orders. 'Contain the fires!', 'Help this kid!', 'We need a hero with a good quirk!', and 'This kid been holding his own for awhile now!' That last one caught Izuku's attention.

Like a call to arms, his friend yelling and shouting prompted action from the young man. He dove through the crowd in an instant and sprinted at the slime behemoth. Katsuki was smack dab in the middle of it. Heroes yelled at him to stop. He could only think 'if no one will help then I SHOULD!'

The slime monster was firing off explosions seemingly at random. "Izuku what are you doing here!" Katsuki managed to shout.

"I'm here to save you!" Midoriya shouted grabbing his friend's wrist. He let out a powerful blast pulling Katsuki halfway out of the behemoth.

"Damnit, I could have handled him by myself," Katsuki protested.

"You can say thanks later. Let's tag team him!" Izuku commanded.

Bakugo was about to reply, but nodded instead. He helped Izuku pull him out with another blast. The two teens were out of the slime mess and it was angry.

"You're the one from before! I'll just have to kill both of you!" the slime shouted sprouted numerous tentacles.

"While I doubt we can beat him. Let's keep him busy until a pro with a compatible quirk shows up," Izuku stated blasting away two tentacles.

"Let's do this then!" Katsuki smirked dodging and weaving around the slime. The two of them took turns blasting and defending. They worked beyond well in tandem. The pro heroes were just watching the two teenagers duking it out with the beast. Thin Might had just arrived at the scene.

He was astonished to see young Midoriya and someone he presumed was a friend duke it out with the slime monster. But the battle would be lost if someone didn't show up. The kids were powerful and coordinated, but they couldn't hurt him. It was a battle of attrition that they were losing.

Three thoughts came out in unison, When will someone show up and help?! Thin Might gritted his teeth. How dare I think of him like that villain! That right there is a hero through and through! And if I'm not willing to put it all on the line like them, then what am I?! All Might chastised himself.

All Might burst onto the scene blocking an attack that would have landed. "I'm sorry I'm late! What kind of hero would I be if I just let you clean up my mess!" the man said to Izuku. This caught Bakugo's attention and no one else. "You reign of terror is over villain! Detroit! SMASH!" All Might swung his mighty fist. Air pressure rocketed out from the attack. All the fire around and in the buildings extinguished from the lack of oxygen. The local weather changed from the blast causing it to rain briefly.

Mt. Lady and the other heroes on the scenes had to brace the crowd and themselves from the massive blast. Reporter and citizen alike flooded the scene. The other heroes congratulated Izuku and Katsuki for having such impressive teamwork and buying All Might the time he needed to arrive. A few of the reporters even asked Izuku and Katsuki about the event. Katsuki boasted about his skill and the battle while Izuku focused on the fact no one got hurt. All in all they were just as professional as the actual pros on the scene.

They broke away after the few questions the reporters had. They gave their home addresses for the police if they wish to contact them about questions or make a report. At the few blocks away from home mark Katsuki had said his goodbyes and gone his way.

Izuku was nearly at this apartment when a large man landed in front of him. All Might's large form exploded into mist. Thin Might coughed up blood before speaking, "Thank you, for remind me what being a true hero is about!

"What I didn't do anything?" Izuku hand waved the man. He had merely helped his friend.

"When you heard his voice did you think?" All Might asked.

"No, my body just moved and before I knew it I was breaking Katsuki free," Izuku replied thinking back to the event.

"Every great hero has a similar story. 'My body just started to move on it own,' is the common thread they all share. I believe you have what it takes to become a hero, nay, the symbol of peace!" All Might declared.

"The s-symbol of peace," Midoriya stuttered tears well up in his eyes. Then like waterfalls they flowed. He made a good attempt to keep his composure only lasting a few seconds. All his life he wanted someone to recognize him as a hero or at least the potential to be one. His mother was always supportive, but being told was another thing.

"Come on, my boy, that's no way for a hero to look," All Might chuckled.

He wiped his eyes, "Yes, sir! Thank you I've waited so long for someone to tell me I'm worthy."

"How would you like to be my successor?" Thin Might announced holding out his hand. A sphere of power manifested in the hero's hand.

"What?" Izuku looked confused.

"I wasn't born with this power. It was given to me!" Thin Might declared.

This had floored Izuku. If his mental image of the man wasn't shattered it was now. His idol had been a quirkless man given the power of a god. Passing on quirks was a new idea to Izuku but considering how his power worked it was not beyond reason. The answer became clear to Izuku: Forge Your Own Path.

"All Might. Thank you, but I'll have to decline. I'll accept your other challenge though," Midoriya clenched his fist.

Again twice in the same day, Izuku had just floored the Number One Hero. "That was rather unexpected. May I ask why?" the pro asked cocking an eyebrow.

"While I appreciate the offer. I have two reasons: One, I doubt that power and mine would work well together. Two, I think with a quirk like mine I should forge my own path. I will however take your mantle," Izuku declared smirking.

This made Thin Might grin. Being the Symbol of Peace wasn't just being number one or the strongest. It was being the bastion of hope everyone look towards for guidance and inspiration. While also being the bulwark that protected the citizens from the villains. And if done well enough their presence would be felt so far that the mere mention of the symbol would strike fear into the hearts of villains. A lot to live up to. Toshinori was sure that this young lad could do it.

"I look forward to seeing you at UA then," All Might said walking off waving.

- In Izuku's Room -

If Izuku wasn't motivated yet. He was now. He filled out the paperwork so quickly he was afraid it would catch fire. Of course it didn't but it could. The young man had completely forgotten about Katsuki and the gym. He immediately texted his friend apologizing for missing, but he had just completed all the paperwork in one night.

K: About time. Want to make a bet?

I: Bet for what?

K: How's going to take first place in the exam. What else?

As if Midoriya thought it could have been anything else.

I: What's the stakes?

He wasn't a betting man, but if it pushed them to be better he was all for it.

K: Hmm. Let's see.

K: Ah, I know. You can't use my power for two weeks after we get into school.

I: Fine. If its going to be that way. No swearing for two weeks.

K: Oh, fuck that. That's way harder.

I: No it isn't. Not using your power when its the one I know best is suicidal in the hero course.

K: You got me there. You have a deal.

I: Deal then. Good night, Katsuki.

K: Night.