Chapter Text
They were all done for. All they had worked for, all up to this moment, all wasted because of their selfishness. All Might was going to die, and they were helpless to stop it, watching like fools and scaredy cats from the sidelines.
Izuku felt a twinge in his being, something notifying him it was there. He looked down slowly; his friends watching and shivering with fear as he- poked it? acknowledged it?- within him. His tinted glasses slipped off his nose, residual sweat falling from his now-raising hands as he tugged at the presence-
and with one strong tug on something near that villain, anything-
It all happened too quickly.
Green ropes of light sprouted from his fingertips, but this wasn’t like what future-zuku would call Blackwhip, no. This was different. Less like blacklight with green highlights, and more like those movie lasers, except not red. And not from a movie.
It was then that Izuku realized holding onto them was a struggle. Whatever he was tugging on was trying to pull back, but he held strong. Iida put a hand on his shoulder; he couldn’t let Izuku risk what happened last time. But he couldn’t let go. The quirk wouldn’t listen to him.
It’s okay, Ninth, he heard a voice in his head say.
It was then that Izuku understood. Ninth… One For All! Shaking his head at Iida, he let go of his control on his body, allowing the vestiges to take it. I trust you.
Moving on their own, his arms contorted oddly and tugged back the restraints. There was confused tumbling on the other side, accompanied by a huff and fierce punch. A few of his ropes snapped and retracted back in, but the vestige made them go back out and attach again.
Inside, Izuku felt more Quirks manifest. A regeneration Quirk, a shock-absorption Quirk, and some kind of forced Quirk-activator. Or, well, what he could tell; It’s not as if he was some kind of Quirk expert.
On the other side of the wall, there was a great noise and his bindings snapped; no longer able to attach to their target. The vestige gave him his body back, retreating back inside OFA. His friends looked at him concernedly. He shrugged them off.
All Might had emerged victorious. He lifted his fist into the air, and in the distance, if you listened closely enough, you could hear all the people cheering him on.
But he, internally, was worried about other things. More notably, young Midoriya. He knew it was him; that green light was recognizable from a mile away! But he couldn’t help but worry. Could that have been a new Quirk in One For All? I don’t remember Nana or the others having one like that.
After having beat down the villain and walked away, he went behind the wall Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, and now Bakugo; were hiding behind. They all flinched in his presence, knowing they were about to get the ribbing of a lifetime. None came, however. He just needed the reassurance they were alright.
“Young Midoriya,” he started, “What was that?”
Izuku looked at him in desperate confusion, sweaty from the fear and using what was apparently his Quirk. His glasses were pushed back up his face some time before, hair still slicked back and wearing the very non-Midoriya gold chain plus purple outfit.
The kid shrugged, not knowing; and by the looks of it, not wanting to talk about it either. All Might sighed, herding the group of kids toward the other heroes.