All Might just blasted the bird monster out of USJ and is now stalling for time. You can tell he's at his limit and any movement could cause him to transform to his smaller version. If that happens, his secret will be revealed to the whole world. You can't let that happen. You're not ready to become the next symbol of peace.
"There's no reason for us to fight now, he'll handle this," Todorki tells everyone. You see the slender man with arms charge towards All Might. Fearless, you propel yourself to the scene and put yourself between All Might and the Arms-man within a second. Not having practiced throwing punches and the timing being critical here, you quickly decide to unleash an air-force attack by flicking your fingers, hoping to create an effect just like you had experienced during All Might's fight. The recoil of the attack is more than you could anticipate and you fly back. Then you hear six gunshots. Bang. Bang-bang. Bang-bang-bang.
You raise yourself sitting and see the small version of All Might do the same. You are surrounded by smoke, and once it clears All Might's secret will be exposed.
"I'm sorry, I hurt you, right?" you ask.
"No, I'm fine. How are you? Are you hurt?"
You turn your attention to your body. Your fingers feel swollen and are pulsing and there's a hot, achy feeling in your right upper arm. You shake your head.
"That's great. The others looked fine too."
"But what about you?"
"No, I'm fine. I'm just glad everyone seems to be safe."
You look over to the plaza and see the purple mist disappear along with the Arm-man. You're safe. The threat is over.
"Go now, Young Tsukauchi. I'm sure your classmates will be happy to see you."
"What about you?"
"The rest of the teachers already about my limits. I need you to go on ahead with your classmates. But it won't be long. I don't think I'll be able to do hero work for long now. That Nomu took too much out of me."
"I'm sorry I let you down, All Might."
"You weren't holding me up so you couldn't have done anything to let me down, Young Tsukauchi. Thank you for jumping in back there, I would have been a goner."
You smile at him and he smiles back. Then you walk through the mist and see your classmates up ahead, waiting for you. You can tell by everyone turning their heads towards you and looking a bit happier. Kirishima looks thrilled and is waving to you.
You wave back and notice that your hand appears to be fine. A rumbling behind you makes your shoulders tense out of surprise. You turn and see that you've been separated from All Might with a wall of cement. "We'll take care of the injured. Those who are uninjured should gather in front of the building," Cementoss says.
He doesn't have to tell you twice. You join your classmates and make your way up to the exit. Bakugou and Kirishima are bantering ahead while Todoroki and you follow them at a safe distance. Police officers are pouring in to capture the unconscious villains.
"Your power feels a lot like All Might's," Todoroki suddenly drops his observation on you.
Your heart skips a beat in a bad way. Keeping your cool, you try to play it off. "Oh, you can feel people's powers? That's kinda amazing."
"Yeah. They're very similar."
You don't know what to reply. After a bit of silence he adds, "So, Tsukauchi, tell me, are you like All Might's secret love child or something?"
"Haa?" you reply in surprise. "No, not at all! But thanks. I'll take it as a compliment."
You make it outside, joining the rest of your classmates who are discussing All Might's fight or their teleport locations. There are police cars and police officers scattered around the front and inside the building, along with a few ambulances. As per someone's instructions, you line up with the rest of your class for a roll call. You can see villains being escorted out in handcuffs. The one who came to check your presence was none-other than your dad.
"...eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Alright, good. It seems like there are no major injuries. Let's have the students return to their classroom for now."
"Detective, what about Mr Aizawa?" Tsuyu asks. Fractures in both arms and a facial fracture, but in stable condition at the hospital and no brain damage, is the answer. Thirteen will be fine as well.
You look at your dad, trying to spot any signs that he had been worried about you, but you can't find any. He doesn't even acknowledge your presence. Maybe it's a professional thing. You wait for him to give what feels like a final order to "continue as planned". You and your dad pass each other while you are on your way to enter the bus to be taken back, but he looks the other way, completely ignoring your presence.
In the bus you sit down and look out of the window. Todoroki joins you.
"Do you know him?" he asks.
You look at him and reply, "That's my dad."
"I see." His expression doesn't betray anything he is thinking, as per usual.
The rest of the busride is filled with the other's chatter.
School was closed the day after the League of Villains attacked the USJ. You think they wanted the students to get a break, but it was difficult to relax. The news kept rambling on about the League of Villains and the assassination attempt, you got sick of hearing about it. Soon it would be your turn.
The following day you had to go to school again, but you could hardly escape the topic. Your classmates were talking about being shown on TV and All Might's fight with the bird-guy. You were almost grateful for Iida's overeagerness to be the class rep, telling everyone to sit down when everyone was in fact sitting down.
The moment after Mina and Tsu started wondering who would be teaching homeroom today, Mr Aizawa stepped in. He was completely covered in bandages, but that didn't seem to stop him, stating "My well-being is irrelevant."
"What's more important," he continues, "is that your fight isn't over yet. The U.A Sports Festival is about to start."
People are excited, and you remember that Endeavour also mentioned a sports festival. So this is what he meant. Although some students are a bit concerned about the safety, Mr Aizawa explains that not canceling it is a statement. "This event is a huge opportunity for all students at U.A. It's not something we can cancel because of a few villains. Our sports festival is one of the most watched events in the entire world."
"That's right," Yaoyorozu adds, "and top heroes everywhere will be watching. This is where you get scouted."
"It's true that joining a famous hero agency can garner you greater experience and popularity," Mr Aizawa explains. "That's why the festival matters. If you wanna go pro one day, this event could open the path for you. One chance a year, three chances in a lifetime. No aspiring hero can afford to miss this festival. That means you better not slack off on your training."
"Yes, sir," the class choruses.
During lunch break you take your time leaving the class for lunch. In the hallway you notice Todoroki walking towards the cafeteria and get the brilliant idea to ask him to train against his ice. Building up a tolerance against cold or at least figuring out what happens in your body would be a huge help. You take a step towards him and are just about to call his name when All Might's voice stops you.
"Young Tsukauchi is here!"
You turn and look at the big man, pointing at you with his slightly trembling finger. "Want to eat lunch together?" he says as he points to his bento he had brought along. You don't let the fact that you didn't pack lunch stop you since you know that this is just an excuse for him to talk to you. "Sure," you reply, ignoring the witnesses, and quickly follow him to the same lounge room you had sat in before.
The moment he closes the door he transforms to his small self. "Sorry to call you so suddenly, but I needed to talk to you."
"Has it got something to do with your limit?" you quickly ask because you need to know. How much damage did you do to him when you flew onto him really?
"That too. I can barely manage to keep this form for fifteen minutes per day now. I overdid it too many times. Tea?"
His casual way of describing his limit completely stops you from protesting and explaining to him how big of a deal it is. But then you realize that he must be worried too but is just hiding it for your sake.
You say yes to the tea and sit down on a stool, leaving the sofa to the old man. He continues as he prepares the tea, "That Nomu was a tough customer. Took a lot out of me."
Thinking back to the horrors of that day, all you can remember are the times you failed: showing fear before being teleported, nearly collapsing because of Todoroki's ice, jumping at the villain with no plan, and firing off a blast that you knew would have consequences since you hadn't practiced any control or precision.
"I'm sorry, I–" you start before All Might's hysterical, slightly croaky laugh cuts you off.
"You don't need to apologize for anything!" he enthusiastically assures you. He seems to be in rather high spirits. "Here's your tea."
"Thanks."
"I brought you here to talk about the festival," he continues in a more serious tone. "You've been progressing well it seems, but what's your plan for the sports festival? I hope you won't hold back because of your classmates again."
"Ah, so you've been worried about me."
"Well of course. I failed to notice that something was troubling you. I realized that I was only focusing on your rank and numbers. I'm sorry."
"It's not entirely your fault," you admit. "I let it get to me. And thank you for telling my dad," you quickly add before you have time to doubt yourself. "His encouragement really helped me. I think I'm much better now."
"Good. Drink up – your tea is getting cold."
You look down at the table and notice the cup of tea you had absolutely forgotten about. For some reason you hadn't noticed to hold onto it and warm your hands.
All Might stands up and walks to the window. You sip your now lukewarm tea. It barely warms you but the taste is pleasantly mild.
"To be frank, I don't have much time left as the world's symbol of peace. Some villains out there are starting to notice that. Someone has to step up and keep the people safe." He turns to face you. By the way he did it you can tell that he is about to say something serious. "I gave you my power for one reason: because you will be the hero who takes my place! Do you still want to save people?"
"Yes," you affirm, standing up and looking straight ahead at the Symbol of Peace, his eyes glowing blue, his figure backlit by the bright light coming from the windows.
"Excellent. Time has come for you to prove it. This sports festival: it's something that the pros, no!, the entire country will be watching very closely. I want you to think of this sports festival as your debut. You are the next symbol of peace! The next All Might! Y/N Tsukauchi, I want you to introduce yourself to the world and proudly say: I AM HERE!"
Feeling your mind clear of all the unnecessary weight you had been carrying, you instinctively clench your fists and smile.
"Yes," you say with equal determination. "I am done holding back and running away. Let them see what I'm really capable of!"
"Yes, that's it!" All Might encourages. "That's the spirit! Remember this feeling. Return to it whenever you start to doubt yourself. You are no longer a simple, cheerful person – you are now armed with purpose, giving hope to others with your cheeriness. You'll make a wonderful hero, Young Tsukauchi."
"Thank you, All Might," you say without breaking his gaze. You wonder how you're able to face him so confidently. It's as if you've pushed the old you aside who would have considered this situation to be awkward. You're not sure what you're feeling now and how and why, but you do your best to remember and hold on to it. This is how you want to feel.