(Izuka's POV)

I started to slowly open my eyes, feeling someone gently smacking my face at a really high speed.

All Might: Hey! Hey! Hey!

I fully opened my eyes and saw All Might standing in front of me.

All Might: Oh! Thought I lost you there!

I sat up and scurried back in surprise.

Izuka: Wha?!

All Might: You're ok! Excellent!

My heart started to race! All Might is standing in front of me! This has to be a dream come true!

All Might: Apologies for getting you caught up in my villain hunt. Mistakes like that aren't my style, but this is a strange land to me. And besides I'm off camera! Hahahaha!

Looking at All Might in person is such a different experience than seeing him on a screen!

All Might: But my success here is all thanks to you! I've contained the villain!

He held out two large soda bottles and inside them were the sludge villain that tried to take over my body. I let out a sigh of relief, glad to know that the villain was captured.

Izuka: Oh! A-An autograph! Where's...

I looked around for my notebook. I found it right next to me.

Izuka: Ah. My notebook...

I picked it up and went to a one that I hadn't written on it yet. I saw All Might's signature across the entire two pages.

Izuka: He already did it!

I stood up and started to bow up and down quickly at All Might.

Izuka: Thank you so much! What a treasure! It'll be my family heirloom!

All Might just gave me a thumbs up and turned around, putting the two soda bottles into his pockets.

All Might: Now I must bring this fellow to the authorities! You can catch me again on tv!

Izuka: Um! Wait... Is that it...? I...

All Might: A pro battles not only enemies, but also time.

He bent down and looked like he was about to jump away.

Izuka: Hold on! I still... Need to ask you...

All Might: Until next time...

I quickly grabbed onto his leg as he jumped high up into the air at a high speed.

All Might: Thanks for your support!

I started to hold on for dear life. All Might looked back and saw me holding onto him.

All Might: Hey, now!

He started to try to push me off of him.

All Might: I love my fans, but this is a bit much!

Izuka: If I... Let go now... I'll die!

All Might: Oh right!

He stopped trying to push me as the strong wind was moving my face.

Izuka: I... Need to ask you... So many things!

All Might: Ok, ok. Just do me a favor and close your eyes and mouth!

I quickly did so and hid my face into All Might's leg. I felt him grab onto my backpack and coughed a bit. He landed on top of a tall building and I let go of his leg. I took some deep breaths.

Izuka: So scary...

All Might: Of all the...! Hopefully the people downstairs will help us get down. I've no time though! Truly!

I saw All Might waking towards the edge of the building.

Izuka: Wait!

All Might: No! I will not wait!

I have to ask! This is my only chance!

Izuka: Even with out a Quirk... Can I still be a Hero?! Can someone without a Quirk... Become a Hero like you?

All Might: Quirks are...

I looked down at the ground, putting my hands together.

Izuka: Because I don't have a Quirk, I... Well, maybe that's not the only reason. But I've always been picked on... Maybe that's why... I think saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do.

I looked up at All Might and saw a bunch of smoke covering his body.

Izuka: The way you save people with that fearless smile! I want to be the strongest Hero, just like you-

The wind blew away the smoke around All Might and it revealed a skinny man with blonde hair.

Izuka: WHAAAAAT?! You're all shriveled up! Are you a fake?! An imposter?! You're so thin!

He looked at me and opened his mouth, blood coming out of his mouth.

All Might: I am All Might.

Izuka: Whoa! No way!

All Might: You know how people hold in their gut at the pool? It's like that.

Izuka: No way!

I felt my reality shatter. How can All Might be so muscly and heroic looking and the next moment look like someone as skinny as a stick?! I saw him sit down.

All Might: A fearless smile, huh... You've seen the real me, kid. But don't go write about it on the internet, ok?

It really is him... Even if I did say this on the internet, I don't think anyone would believe it for a second. All Might reached for his shirt and pulled it up, showing a bunch of stitches on his left side.

Izuka: EEP!

I took a step back, not expecting to see something so serious.

All Might: Five years ago... An enemy did this to me. My respiratory system was nearly destroyed, and my stomach was removed. I've wasted away because of the after effects of those surgeries. I can only do my Hero work for about three hours a day now.

Izuka: Five years ago? Was it with your fight against Toxic Chainsaw?

All Might: You've done your homework, but that lowlife could never do this to me. This was never made public. I asked so that it wouldn't be made public. A symbol of peace who saves people with a smile must never be daunted by evil. The reason I smile... Is to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel.

I was shocked that All Might is telling me all this. He always feels fear? I never would've thought he could. I started to look back down at the ground.

All Might: A pro should always be ready to risk his or her life. Without power, can one become a Hero? No, I should think not.

I felt a pit in my stomach, hearing the number one Hero tell me that someone without a Quirk shouldn't be a Hero.

Izuka: Ah...

All Might started to stand up.

All Might: If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option. Those villain custody officers are often mocked but... That too is admirable work.

All Might walked over to a door and opened it.

All Might: It's not wrong to dream. However... You need to be realistic, kid.

All Might walked through the door and closed it, leaving me by myself. I felt horrible. I started to shake, sweat, and was about to cry. I held onto my backpack tightly as I started to go through the door to leave the building. I left the building and started to walk down the street.

Izuka: ...

I looked at the burned notebook in my hands as I let out a sigh. I started to remember what everyone said about me. I need to be realistic. I still can't face reality. I started to cry.

Izuka: Even the best of the best said it... Don't cry. You already knew already, right?! This is reality... It's because I knew... That I tried so damned hard...

I wiped my face, getting rid of the tears. I heard a bunch of commotion. I looked across the street and saw a huge group of people. They are looking down a dog street and I saw an explosion come from there.

Izuka: That explosion...

I looked across the road before running across it to join the group of people. I saw some Heroes standing by and the sludge villain that tried to kill me. Is that him?! How?! All Might let him go?! Did he drop him?!

Izuka: Wait...

I remembered when I had ahold of his leg and he tried to push me off. That must've been when he dropped the sludge villain.

Izuka: It's my fault...

Man 1: Why're the Heroes just standing there?

Man 2: Seems the villain's grabbed a middle schooler.

I put my hands over my mouth. Grabbed? So that means someone is enduring that same pain I went through! Oh it feels like I'm about to throw up!

Woman 1: Hey, isn't that the villain All Might was chasing?

Man 1: All Might?! No way! He's really here?!

Man 2: Yeah, I saw him earlier.

Woman 2: Then what's All Might doing now?!

Izuka: It's my fault All Might can't do anything. This guy can't be caught. We have to wait for someone with the right Quirk to show up.

I watched as the person stuck in the sludge person was struggling to free themselves. Hang in there... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Someone will come to save you soon...

Izuka: A Hero's bound to come...

I saw the person continue to struggle. They looked over and I can see part of their face and I saw that it's Bakugo stuck in there. I quickly pushed past everyone and started to run directly at him and the sludge villain.

Death Arms: Get back here, you fool! Stop!

Why am I running? What am I doing? Why?!

Sludge Villain: You're dead!

What do I do?! What do I do?! At a time like this... I quickly took off my backpack and threw it forward at the sludge villain, hitting his eyes and making him recoil back. I got up to him and tried to claw the sludge away from Bakugo.

Izuka: Kacchan!

Bakugo: You! Why?!

Izuka: My legs just started moving!

Tears formed back in my eyes as I kept trying to get Bakugo out of the sludge villain. I couldn't help but smile.

Izuka: I couldn't just stand there and watch you die!

Sludge Villain: Just a bit longer. So stop getting in my way!

The sludge villain tried to attack me.

Death Arms: Does she have a death wish?! She'll die for nothing!

Right before the sludge villain hit me, I felt a large hand grab onto my arm and one of Bakugo's arms. I looked over and it's All Might, back to his huge muscle look.

All Might: The lesson I left with you... I should practice what I preach!

He reeled his fist back and blood started to spray out of his mouth.

All Might: A pro should always be ready to risk their life! Detroit... SMASH!!!

All Might threw his fist forward and punched the sludge villain, blowing him apart from the force. If All Might wasn't holding onto me and Bakugo, we would've been sent flying too. All Might put me and Bakugo down on the ground. I felt really dazed, like I was about to pass out. I felt rain start to fall. Wasn't the sky clear earlier? All Might really is amazing.

(Time Skip)

I'm walking towards home and it's about sunset. The Heroes were able to capture all the scattered pieces of the sludge villain and put him in custody. The Heroes were really mad at me. Bakugo on the other hand, got all the praise.

Izuka: I wanted to apologize to All Might... I guess I'll just leave a message on his website when I get home.

Bakugo: Hey, Deka!

I turned around and saw Bakugo standing there a few feet away from me.

Bakugo: I never asked you to save me! As if you could! Huh?! Well?! I could've beaten him myself! How dare a Quirk-less failure like you pity me. Trying to win me over?! Don't you dare mock me!

He turned around and started to walk away.

Bakugo: Stupid nerd!

He turned a corner and left my line of sight.

Izuka: What a tough guy.

He's right though. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't change anything. But still... I'm glad. Now I can finally focus on a more realistic future...

All Might: I am here!

I jumped up in surprise as I saw All Might dash in front of me, in his muscle form.

Izuka: All Might?! Why are you here? You were surrounded by reporters?

All Might: Shaking them off is nothing to me! After all, I'm All Mi- Koff!

He spat out a stream of blood as he went back to being skinny.

All Might: Kid. I've come to thank you and revise what I said earlier... I also have a proposal.

Izuka: Huh?

All Might: Without you... If I hadn't heard your story, I'd have been nothing but fake muscles and insincerity! So thank you!

I looked down at the ground.

Izuka: That... No. I mean, it was all my fault from the start. I got in your way... Even though I'm Quirk-less, I dared to ask if...

All Might: Exactly!

I looked up at All Might.

All Might: Of all the people at the scene, it was only you. Timid and Quirk-less, who acted! You spurred me into action! Most of the top Heroes show signs of greatness even as children. Many of them claim that, their bodies simply moved before they could think!

I clenched onto my backpack and started to shake. My heart started to beat quickly. Tears welled up in my eyes as I started to remember what my mom said back when I was around 4 years old.

All Might: That's what happened to you back there, yes?!

Izuka: Yes...

I went down to my knees.

All Might: You too, can be a Hero.

I finally heard what I wanted to hear for all of my life! And it's from All Might, the symbol of peace! I don't think I could wish for anything more! I let my tears flow freely as I let out all the bottles up emotions I've been carrying for who knows how long.

(Chapter 2 end)