Differences

Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated characters, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi

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"It's been too long, Mirai," Toshinori said, nodding as he sat down across from his old partner. He had to suppress the urge to chuckle at the fact that his friend still insisted on wearing a business suit wherever he went.

"I feel much the same, Toshinori," Mirai replied. He lips were set in a line, but Toshinori could recognize the joy in the man's eyes. "I took the liberty of ordering your favorite drink."

Toshinori chuckled, "You still remember?"

"You made me order it every day for years," Mirai deadpanned. Clearing his throat, he affected a deeper voice, "'Remember, Sir, two sugars, half an ounce of milk, and two spoonful's of honey!'" He shook his head, "You're Japanese, the least you could have done is use the correct measuring system."

"There's nothing wrong with Imperial units!"

"We could sit here for the rest of the week and I wouldn't even get through half of the reasons you're wrong." Toshinori narrowed his eyes, before a chuckle burst past his lips. As he laughed, he was pleased to see Mirai's lips twitch upward.

They finally stopped when a waiter came by with their drinks. They settled into a comfortable silence, broken only by the noises of the city around them.

Eventually, Mirai put down his drink, sighing deeply. "…I've missed this," he said, a slight tremor in his voice. "And…I'm sorry, for what I said that day."

Toshinori quickly shook his head, "It's fine." Toshinori flashed back to that day, just after his surgeries. The words they shouted at one another. "I…I understand why you said what you did."

"Still," Mirai leaned back, clasping his hands atop the table, "I was rash. And as a consequence, you and I…" he trailed off, looking at his lap.

Toshinori nodded sadly. It was a tough situation, he could admit. Upon his return to Japan, he immediately set to work on establishing himself as a positive, ever-smiling, ever-friendly Hero. But he could count the number of true friends he had in Japan on one hand. And that short list became even shorter upon their separation.

It was why he reached out to Mirai again in the first place. Well, that and one other reason. A reason that brought a bright smile on his face.

"Uh-oh," Mirai muttered. "I know that look. What did you do this time?"

Toshinori stood straighter, "I chose a successor."

Mirai jerked back, eyes wide, "You wha—of course!" He scoffed, banging a hand against the table. "That's why you've been in the area for the past year! You've been training someone." He paused, frowning, "But…which Hero caught your eye? I haven't read anything about any outstanding team-ups."

Toshinori's smile grew wider. "They aren't a Hero yet," he teased.

"A student?" Mirai huffed, "Wished you'd have told me. I've got this one intern that would have made an excellent successor. You might have seen him running around—Lemillion?"

"That boy's been with him for a couple years now." Toshinori thought nonplussed, "He's been thinking about this longer than I have…" He shook his head, "No. Well, not yet. He should be wrapping up the entrance exam right now."

That, evidently, was the wrong thing to say. Mirai's mood instantly dropped, an incredulous sneer overtaking his features. "You chose some untrained child?"

The smile dying on his face, Toshinori countered, "He is not just 'some child'. Besides, that's why U.A. exists, to train Heroes."

"But this isn't some run-of-the-mill Quirk, Toshinori!" Mirai hissed. "You are not some run-of-the-mill Hero! You are Japan's Number One Hero, the country's Symbol of Peace! You have a duty to do choose the best course of action—"

"Are you saying I made the wrong choice?" Toshinori growled. Mirai kept silent, but that silence spoke wonders.

A phone call is here! A phone call is here! A phone call is—

Toshinori picked up his work phone, blinking upon seeing the Principle Nezu was calling him. His heart seized with fear, and he quickly answered the call. "What's wrong?"

"Toshinori," the chimera calmly began, "be honest. How long has Midoriya Izuku had access to One for All?"

Toshinori coughed, "Uh…less than a day." He ignored Mirai's scoff.

"I see…you should get here as quickly as possible. The boy's fine!" Nezu said above Toshinori's panicked gasp, "But there is an…issue that needs resolving."

Toshinori took a moment to still his heart. "I understand. I'll be there within the hour." He ended the call, coming face-to-face with Mirai's dismissive frown.

"Still believe you made the right choice?"

Toshinori slammed his hands against the table, rising to his feet. Something flashed in Mirai's eyes—guilt, or perhaps even fear—but the injured Hero dismissed it. "Clearly, this meeting was a mistake," he ground out. Reaching into his pocket, he tossed some money on the table. "For the coffee," he spat, before turning on his heel and leaving without another word.

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori winced as the camera zoomed in on Izuku's battered body. On the one hand, he obliterated a giant robot in one hit, saving that trapped girl in the process. One the other…

He took a deep breath. "How many bones did he break?"

"Every single one in his arm," Nezu, infuriatingly calm, said as he sipped at his tea. "Along with fractures along his collar bone and ribs." Toshinori's shoulders dropped. "Recovery Girl fixed him up quickly, rest assured." Nezu turned off the screen, turning in his chair and staring intently at Toshinori. "I've seen a number of strength enhancement Quirks gone wrong in my day, but this?" He shook his head, "I thought you trained his body to handle One for All?"

"I did!" Toshinori exclaimed. "At least, I thought I had. I…," he looked down at his hands, "I don't understand—this isn't what I expected to happen."

"Well I suggest you figure it out," Nezu stood up, eyes narrowing. "This boy has tremendous potential. But that potential means nothing if he kills himself in the process of realizing it!"

Toshinori nodded, pursing his lips. "Is...Is Izuku is out of recovery?"

"Yes. He's already been sent home."

Toshinori frowned, checking his personal phone. No messages. "…Well," he pocketed the device, rising to his feet. "Thank you for…this, I suppose."

"It's no problem." The walking, talking animal smiled, "Just focus on giving your successor the help he needs." His smile grew sharper, predatory. "And make sure to come in bright an early tomorrow; got those acceptance letters to send out, after all." Toshinori sighed at the reminder. "Hey," Nezu chuckled sinisterly, "if you're going to teach here, I'm going to milk you for all your worth."

Toshinori shivered and fled as quickly as he could.

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori knocked on the door to the Midoriya's residence, bowing slightly when Inko opened the door. "Toshinori!" she blinked, "what are you doing here?"

"Hello Inko," he said. "May I come in? I'd like to speak with Izuku."

"B-By all means," she said. She stepped back, calling out, "Izuku, come down, please!" When the boy didn't immediately come down, Inko sighed. "He was taking a shower, so I suppose he's still getting ready." She turned back to him, smiling softly, "Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you, Inko," Toshinori replied.

She nodded, leading him over to the living room. She sat upon the couch, and Toshinori took a seat on the chair to the left of the couch—'his' chair, Inko had joked one day after he brought an exhausted Izuku back from cleaning up Dagobah beach, and he stayed for tea.

"Toshinori," Inko said, licking her lips, "is…is something wrong?"

The Hero sighed, "Sort of. What did Izuku tell you about the entrance exam?"

She shook her head, sighing wearily. "Not much. He was…pretty down when he came home." Toshinori hummed, that would make sense. "What…happened?"

Before Toshinori could reply, a door opened upstairs, followed by feet trudging down the stairs. The two adults turned to see Izuku walking down, frowning deeply. When he caught sight of Toshinori, his sadness faded away in favor of shock.

"My boy," Toshinori said, "we need to talk about the Entrance Exam."

All at once, Izuku's depressed demeanor returned; with a vengeance. Tears started to stream down his his face, and he dropped to his knees. "I'm sorry!" he cried. Before either Toshinori or Inko could get a word in, the boy continued. "I know I let you down! I know I failed! Please, give me another chance!"

"Woah, woah!" Toshinori exclaimed rising to his feet. He spared a quick glance to Inko, who was deathly pale and looked on the verge of tears herself. He shook his head, "Izuku, my boy, what are you—"

Izuku cut him off with a sob, not looking up from the ground. "I…I failed! I didn't get any points! I couldn't use One for All right! I-I-I-I'm sorry!" He quieted to a whimper. "Please don't take it away."

Toshinori stepped back, aghast; he knew that Izuku had…issues with confidence, but this? Slowly, he walked over to Izuku, kneeling down and placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. It still took him a moment to compose himself, but eventually, he looked up at Toshinori through red-rimmed eyes.

"First of all," the Hero said softly, pulling out a handkerchief, "there is much more to heroics than just fighting Villains—you know this." Izuku nodded hesitantly, accepting the item with a sniffle. "Second," Toshinori's mind flashed back to Mirai's disapproving glare—he banished the image to the depths of his mind, "know that I will never regret choosing you as my successor. Understand? Never!" Izuku nodded once more, cleaning his face. "And third," he grabbed the boy by his shoulders, pulling his up so that he could look into his eyes. "Even if I wanted to—and I never will—I couldn't take One for All away from you. It is your power now, understand? You've earned it, and nothing will ever change that!" Izuku was still shuddering, tears still streaming down his face, but he was smiling now. Smiling so brightly that Toshinori felt ten years younger by sheer proximity, let alone being the cause of his successor's improved mood.

He pat the boy's shoulder. "Now, why don't you take a seat with your mother, and I'll get you something to drink, hm?" Toshinori looked over his shoulder. Inko had regained her color, but was now crying in joy, same as her son. Izuku nodded, rising to his feet and quickly plopping down next to his mother, getting swept up into a hug.

Toshi entered the kitchen, deciding to make Jasmine tea—Izuku's favorite. When he returned, mother and son had stemmed their tears, smiling and thanking him for the tea.

He waited until they'd taken a few good sips before saying, "Now, Izuku, let me start by saying that I must apologize to you."

Izuku's eyes widened considerably, "Wha—no!" he cried. "What are you talking about?! I—"

"Let me finish," Toshinori said, holding up his hands. "…When I chose to pass One for All to you, I held certain…presumptions."

Izuku leaned forward, "What do you mean?"

Toshinori sighed, crossing his arms. "When I first gained One for All, I took to it like a duck to water. Nana informed me that it took her longer than I to acclimate the power to her body." He shook his head, "I took that information and assumed that, with each successor, the ease with which they could access One for All grew greater. I was wrong."

Izuku looked down at his lap, muttering something. Toshinori couldn't quite make it out, but based on Inko's frown, it wasn't very positive. But she didn't follow that up, instead turning to Toshinori and asking, "I'm still lost, what exactly happened at the Entrance Exam?"

Toshinori chuckled as Izuku paled. "You want me to tell her?"

The boy shook his head. He coughed into his hands rapidly switching his gaze between his feet and his mother. "Er…I wasn't able to activate One for All until the end of the exam…against a giant…skyscraper sized robot."

"…What?" Inko managed to choke out.

"And when I punched the robot I…brokeeveryboneinmyrightarm," he rapidly belted out.

"…What?"

"Ialsocrackedmycollarboneandallmyribs."

In any other situation, Toshinori would have laughed at the swiftness with which Inko's face paled. As it was, he just reached over and refilled her tea.

Inko's jaw started working first, just small, indecipherable movements. Then, the color returned to her face, and short, almost noises started to spill past her lips. Finally, her skin regained a healthy hue, and she let loose a long, weary sigh.

She turned to Toshinori with a critical gaze, "How are you going to keep this from happening?"

Toshinori smiled briefly, turning to Izuku. "First off, my boy, show me how you summoned One for All, just before punching the robot. And describe what was going through your head."

Izuku nodded rapidly, rising and holding his right arm out. "Well, when the robot first showed up, I didn't even want to fight it. But," he clenched his fist, eyes narrowing, "there was this…girl, trapped under some rubble and in the robot's path. I didn't think I could get to her in time to help her up, but I couldn't just…leave her there…" Izuku trailed off, closing his eyes and clenching his fist. Within seconds, Izuku's right arm tensed, gaining a reddish glow—as if his blood was boiling just beneath his skin—and he started to pant through clenched teeth.

Toshinori sucked in a breath. "Stop that!" he all but shouted. Izuku exclaimed wordlessly, losing concentration and releasing his hold on One for All.

"What?!" Inko yelped. "What happened?" Izuku just stared at Toshinori, equal parts curious and fearful.

The Hero took a deep breath, "Young man, did you just summon one-hundred percent of One for All's power, and localize it all in your right arm?"

"Uh..." Izuku looked down at his arm, "I…yeah," he nodded firmly, "Yes, I did."

Toshinori laughed, "Well, no wonder you broke your arm!" He sniffed, "Hell, I'm surprised you didn't tear the limb to shreds!"

"To shreds!" the mother and son incredulously repeated.

"Yeah!" Toshinori hummed, "Guess my workout regime worked better than I thought—wonder if I can patent it?"

"Can we get back to how to not kill myself?" Izuku meekly asked.

"Hm? Oh, of course," Toshinori blushed lightly. "Anyway, while such an action will no doubt prove useful as a trump card, obviously it's in no way viable for…pretty much anything else. You're liable to burst like a balloon as much as incapacitate—or worse—a Villain," Izuku grimaced but nodded in agreement.

"So," Inko spoke up, pursing her lips, "how do we keep Izuku from bursting?"

Toshinori shrugged, "Distribute the energy." At the green-eyed pairs stares, he elaborated, "One for All doesn't just make your strikes more powerful; you know. It strengthens your entire body. With complete mastery," he summoned One for All, expanding his musculature and growing in size, "you could even do things like this!"

Inko still looked confused, but Izuku wore a more calculating expression. Then, he gasped. "I get it!" he shouted.

"Oh?" Toshinori released One for All, "how so?"

"I was too limiting!" He rose to his feet, "I was thinking of my body and One for All like…like…" he floundered for a bit, before snapping his fingers, "like an egg in a microwave!"

Toshinori stared blankly at Izuku—he was glad to see that Inko was just as confused.

"But that's not it at all. It's more like…putting an egg in boiling water! I can't just shove the maximum amount of energy into my body in as short a time as possible, I need to work my way up to it!" He capped his realization off with a wide grin. Only to falter upon seeing the puzzled gazes sent his way. "Uh..." he trailed off.

Toshinori blinked, "Okay…I got that last bit, but the egg metaphors…I mean, I've heard worse…"

"Izuku, sweetie, have you been microwaving eggs?"

"Wah, no! It was just an example!"

"Regardless," Toshinori cut in, grinning, "why don't you test out your new…egg theory?"

Izuku blushed, mumbling something about eggs no doubt. He closed his eyes, bringing his arms to his sides and curling and uncurling his fingers. He stood there in silence for a while, long enough that Toshinori was prepared to offer more advice. Only for Izuku's body to start glowing red—but not as bright as when he pumped all of One for All to his right arm. But what really caught Toshinori's attention—and what made Inko gasp and back up to the end of the couch—was the green electricity arcing up and down Izuku's body.

The boy jerked at his mother's gasp. "Wha—what happened?" He looked down at his body, whereupon he shrieked, "Is that lightning?" and lost control of One for All, his body returning to normal.

"Huh?" Toshinori scratched his chin, "that never happened to me, either."

Inko scowled balefully at him, "Is there anything that you two have in common?"

Toshinori blushed, holding up his hands. "Well, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm pretty sure Nana never had the ability to do," he entered his buff form, "this," and deflated once more. He shrugged, "In fact…" he trailed off, trying to recall any odd uses of One for All his mentor displayed. And he found one. "…Yes, she was able use her lungs to far greater capacity than I ever was."

Izuku tilted his head, "What does that mean?"

"You recall that she was born with a Quirk, Float?" Izuku nodded. "Well, she wasn't able to control the direction in which she floated—nor rise into the air. But," Toshinori smiled at the memories, "she was able to exhale tremendous bursts of air to push her around in the air and grant her greater maneuverability." Toshinori pat his chest, "Even before my injury, I was never able to do anything like that. Perhaps it was simply her bodies personal touch when One for All bound itself to her genetic code."

"Like your ability to expand your muscles?" Izuku asked. "Or my…lightning?"

"Perhaps," Toshinori intoned. Once again, he cursed All for One for taking Nana away from the world. From him. So much lost because of one man's evil.

He shook his head, "Regardless, you should call One for All like that again, but maintain it this time." Izuku nodded, taking a deep breath and screwing his eyes shut. He tensed, and his body glowed, lightning racing across it once again. Toshinori asked, "How much power would you say you're wielding now?"

Izuku shook his head, "Uh…I don't know. Doesn't feel like a lot though. Maybe…two percent," he said, frustration lacing his voice.

"Don't be so disappointed," Toshinori gently said. "This is new territory for the both of us." Izuku didn't reply, but a small, grateful smile graced his lips. "Now, try and draw out more power." Izuku nodded.

It started out slow, but the electricity arcing through the boy's body started intensifying, body trembling; along with Izuku's face twisting into a grimace.

Inko leaned forward, "Izuku, are you okay?"

"I-I think so," Izuku replied, voice quivering.

"No need to put on a brave face in front of us, my boy," Toshinori gently admonished.

Izuku sighed, "It's…starting to hurt."

"Stop," Toshinori commanded, which Izuku quickly followed. "How much power would you say you accessed before it started to hurt.

The boy looked down at his hands, "…Four, maybe five percent?"

"Then that will be your baseline. While at U.A. you'll be able to train yourself up to using more of One for All's power." Toshinori smirked, "By the time you graduate, I expect you to be able to give me a run for my money. Maybe sooner."

Izuku blushed heavily following Toshinori's declaration, stammering that he could never match up to his hero. Toshinori clicked his tongue; the boy would grow out of that with time.

Izuku lifted his head up, smiling widely. "So, what do we do know?!"

"Now," Toshinori stood up from his seat, "you rest, for the next day, maybe two." Izuku made to reply, but Toshinori stopped him by putting his hands on his shoulders. "I don't think it's a stretch to say that you've had quite the day," he chuckled as the boy's face flushed once more. Stepping back with a smile, Toshinori continued, "With any luck, I'll be able to stop by and help you get some more training in," alas, at that moment Nezu's sick facsimile of a smile reared its ugly head into his mind, "…but in case that doesn't happen, feel free to get used to calling upon One for All—so long as you don't push yourself too much." Izuku nodded rapidly.

Toshinori nodded at Inko, "It was good to see you again."

Inko smiled, rising to her feet and standing beside her son. She bowed lightly, "Thank you for…everything."

"Likewise," Toshinori sincerely replied.

/+/+/+/+/

Izuku was heading down to grab something to eat when a knock on the front door startled him. He'd been jumpy for the last couple days. Despite Toshinori's assurances, and his own meager strides in his unique take on One for All—and he still needed to name this full-body…covering—he was nervous about U.A.

The only robot he'd managed to take out was the zero-pointer…even if his mother assured him that him saving that girl had to count for something, he wasn't sure.

The knocking returned, much more intensely, breaking Izuku from his musings and hurrying to the door.

"Hell…o…" he trailed off, opening the door to find a smiling Toshinori. The Hero raised his hand, showing a letter addressed to him. From U.A.

Izuku's face broke into a wide smile, and he could feel tears well up in his eyes.

"My boy," Toshinori began, no doubt as excited as Izuku felt, "welcome to the rest of your life!"

/+/+/+/+/

A/N: So, in canon, Toshinori strikes me as too dumb than is reasonable. Like, he's obviously not a super-genius ala Tony Stark or Batman, but still, he should have been more help to Izuku in terms of figuring out how One for All works in the beginning. And sure, part of the problem with him teaching Izuku is that he took to One for All instinctively, and Izuku doesn't. But it's not like Toshinori was flying blind when he got One for All—he trained with Nana, and then Gran Torino, and then (presumably) learned more tricks on his own in the U.S. Even if he couldn't give Izuku step-by-step instructions he should have been able to do…more. Ah, whatever, that's why fanfiction exists. Be sure to leave a review. Later.