Pyro - A My Hero Academia Story

Chapter 12

Shota Aizawa was surprised by how well his students were coping.
The villain attack had taken them all by surprise, pro-heroes included.
This new 'League of Villains', as the media had dubbed it, was an unsettling development.
It was unheard of for villains to mobilise on this scale.
Aizawa didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.
The extent to which this attack had been planned, orchestrated even, suggested a level of intent far beyond what had been seen before.
And the big one. The 'nomu'.
In his vast experience, Eraserhead had never met anything on that level. The damn monster had nearly taken down All Might.
If it hadn't been for...
If it hadn't been for Izuku Midoriya.

The media had attributed credit for the nomu's defeat to their beloved Symbol of Peace, but Aizawa knew better.
That kid was something else.
His power was undeniable, but shielding All Might from the parasites in the press roomlike that...
He grunted. Damn kid was a lot smarter than he'd given him credit for, and Aizawa had already thought him plenty smart.
His thoughts turned to the press and a scowl appeared on his face.

Ever since images had started leaking out from the USJ incident, they'd been questioning U.A.'s ability to protect their students.
Some analysts had even raised concerns over the 'violent nature' of his students.
Aizawa was used to the press treating him like dirt, but he wasn't okay with them using his students as the poster children for the 'negative effect violent video games were having on teenagers'.
Maybe the media would have preferred to find their mangled corpses strewn around the USJ.
Probably have sold more papers that way.
***
Izuku couldn't believe how quickly things had gone back to normal.
In the wake of the villain attack, U.A. had stepped up their security, issuing I.D. cards to all students and staff members.
Therapy had been offered to those caught up in the attack, but Mineta had been the only one to avail of it. Izuku suspected that had more to do with the pretty female therapist than any actual trauma.
Far from being traumatised, most members of Class 1-A were revelling in their new-found fame. Everyone wanted a piece of the kids who had helped fight off the horde of villains.
Izuku wondered how they would react if they knew the full story.
He hadn't gotten a chance to speak to All Might since the incident. The Symbol of Peace had gone silent, but the feeble, corpse-like figure Izuku had seen through the smoke haunted his dreams.

Nobody else had seen. His wall of fire had made sure of that.
Izuku wasn't sure what he had seen, but he instinctively knew that he couldn't afford to let it get out.
All Might was much more than the No. 1 hero, he was the Symbol of Peace.
He represented the inevitable victory of the forces of good over those that would see society crumble.
Society couldn't function without the security blanket of their invincible hero.
All Might couldn't afford to be weak.
And so Izuku would make sure that his undefeated record endured, even if it meant lying to everyone he cared about.
***
"Lunch Rush is my No. 1 hero; He saves my life every day."
Uraraka explained as she happily started into another delicious lunch courtesy of U.A.'s resident chef.
Izuku smiled and started on his own lunch.
Suddenly, a hush fell over the canteen. Izuku looked up to see All Might stride in. The No. 1 Hero hadn't been seen since the USJ incident, leading some to speculate that the fight had taken more out of him than media reports had suggested.
The Symbol of Peace threw back his head and laughed.
"Fear not, student! Why? Because I am here to resume my post!"
His eyes scanned the crowd, and settled on where Izuku was sitting with Uraraka and Kaminari.
Forcing his way through the crowd, he made his way over to the table.
"Young Midoriya!" He boomed.
"How are you holding up after our little on-the-job training session?"
He laughed again.
"You and I should talk about that power of yours sometime. I know! Let's eat together!"

***
Izuku found himself seated across from All Might in an empty staff room.
As soon as he left the canteen, All Might's smile had faded, to be replaced by a grim expression.
Izuku sat in silence, waiting for All Might to speak.
"You must have questions."
Izuku nodded, but said nothing.
"Firstly, I want to express my immense gratitude.
Without you, it's entirely possible that I, as well as everyone else in that compound, would have died.
What you did was far beyond the capabilities of many pro-heroes.
You showed incredible skill, power, and judgement in your actions.
You did what I was too..." he faltered
"Too weak to, and for that, I am forever in your debt."
Izuku nodded again, and motioned for All Might to go on.
"As for what you saw..."
All Might paused, choosing his words carefully.
"What you saw was my weakened form, the one I must hide from the world.
Only a handful of pro-heroes and some of my closest friends know about it.
Now you do to."
All Might's body started to steam, shrinking to reveal the feeble figure Izuku had glimpsed through the flames.
"A few years ago, I sustained an injury of sorts, while fighting a villain of immense power."
Izuku tilted his head and went to ask a question. All Might waved it away.
"No, this isn't any fight you will have heard about.
The particulars of this battle are a closely guarded secret, and you'll excuse me if I don't share them with you today.
What's important is that my injury prevents me from maintaining my 'muscle form'.
If I over exert myself, or sustain significant damage, it will evaporate. Leaving me, well, like this."
The Symbol of Peace rubbed his eyes.
"For obvious reasons, the general public can't be made aware of my weakened form.
But I think you realise that already, don't you?
That's why you shielded me from view. That's why you had the others lie to that reporter.
It's shameful, to be rescued by children, however talented they may be.
I realise I have no right to ask more of you, but I implore you to keep what you know to yourself.
Society is built to a large extent on the lies we tell ourselves. It's the only way people can sleep at night."
All Might stood and, with some effort, resumed his muscle form. As he turned to leave, he spoke.
"I expect great things of you, Izuku Midoriya. Keep training. Keep improving. We may need to have another chat at some stage. A talk about my quirk."
All Might stride from the room, shouting over his shoulder.
"I look forward to seeing you compete in the sports festival."