Truly The Anchor Being

All Might sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well… this is awkward."

I stared, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing. This… was All Might? The Number One Hero? The Symbol of Peace?

"What…?" The word slipped from my lips before I could stop it.

All Might gave a weak chuckle, then coughed violently, more blood splattering onto the rooftop. "Ah… yeah. So, this is my real form. Bit of a shock, huh?"

I didn't respond.

My mind was already working through the possibilities. This wasn't just some illusion or disguise. His presence, his energy—it was weaker now, diminished. This was real.

And if this was real, that meant—

"My time limit is up," he admitted, sitting down with a sigh. "This body… it's the result of an injury I sustained years ago."

An injury? That explained why he was different from what the public saw, but more importantly—it explained why he had a time limit.

Which meant… even the great All Might had limitations.

I studied him carefully. He was revealing a major secret to me, someone he had just met. Why? Did he suspect something? Was he testing me?

"You're… not what I expected," I admitted.

He let out a weak laugh. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

Silence stretched between us.

Then, All Might's gaze sharpened again. Even in his weakened form, there was an undeniable intensity behind his eyes.

"Now, Midoriya-shōnen," he said, his tone more serious. "Back to my question. What happened down there?"

I hesitated. He wasn't going to drop this.

I needed to be careful.

"Nothing, really," I said with a nervous chuckle. "I guess I just got lucky."

His expression didn't change. He wasn't buying it.

"Lucky, huh?" He leaned forward slightly. "The way that villain was frozen in place… it didn't look like luck."

My stomach twisted.

He noticed.

I should've known—he wasn't just some flashy hero. He was sharp. Experienced. He had been watching.

I needed to get out of this conversation. Now.

I forced an awkward laugh. "W-well, you took care of him so quickly, I barely had time to react!"

He hummed, not looking convinced.

I tightened my grip on my bag strap. "Um, I should really get going—"

"Before you do," he interrupted, standing up, "let me ask you something, Midoriya-shōnen." 

"What is your quirk?"

I froze.

My quirk?

This was bad.

I had spent ten years hiding my abilities, ensuring no one—not even my mother—knew the truth. And now, All Might was staring straight through me, waiting for an answer.

I forced a nervous chuckle. "A-ah, well… that's the thing, All Might…" I rubbed the back of my head, pretending to be sheepish. "I don't have a quirk."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "No quirk, huh?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah! I was born quirkless."

All Might smiled at me, "I can see when someone is lying, Midoriya-shōnen."

Should I tell him the truth? I mean it's All Might.

My heart pounded in my chest.

He knew.

All Might wasn't just suspicious—he was certain.

I had spent ten years keeping my secret buried, making sure no one ever looked at me twice. And yet, here he was, peeling through my mask like it was nothing.

I swallowed. My mind raced through possibilities, ways to deflect, to change the subject, to get out of this conversation. But something stopped me.

It was his expression.

Despite his words, he wasn't accusing me. He wasn't looking at me like I was a liar or a threat. He was just… waiting.

Like he wanted to understand.

Like he wanted me to trust him.

Should I?

I clenched my fists. I had trained for this—for the day someone might start asking questions. If I told him even a fraction of the truth, it could change everything.

But it was All Might.

And for some reason… I wanted to believe in him.

I took a slow breath, bracing myself. "All Might… can you keep a secret?"

"Of course, Midoriya-shōnen, if you can keep mine."

I took a slow breath, forcing my heartbeat to steady. I couldn't tell him the whole truth—not yet. But I also couldn't keep dodging his questions forever.

So, I settled on something in between.

"It's a quirk," I said firmly. "Just… not a normal one."

All Might's eyes narrowed slightly. "Go on."

I hesitated, then lifted my hand. Just like before, I let a fraction of my power seep out. The air thickened, the world around us slowed—not completely frozen, but sluggish, like everything was moving through syrup.

All Might's coat rippled unnaturally slowly, the blood dripping from his lips hanging midair before finally hitting the ground. His eyes widened.

Then, just as quickly, I pulled my power back. The world snapped to normal.

Silence.

Finally, I spoke. "My quirk lets me control time itself."

His gaze sharpened. He wasn't shocked in the way most people would be—no exclamations of disbelief, no backing away in fear. Instead, he studied me, piecing things together.

"Time control…" he murmured. "That's… an absurdly powerful ability."

I nodded. "Yeah. Which is why I've kept it hidden."

"How long have you had it?"

I hesitated. "Since I was four."

His brows raised slightly. "And you've been training it in secret ever since?"

"Yes," I said simply. "No one knows. Not my mom, not my teachers, not even Kacchan."

All Might studied me for a long moment. Then, he let out a short laugh. "Midoriya-shōnen, you might be the most terrifying quirk user I've ever met, even more than that as- villain, who caused me this injury."

I flinched. "I—I don't want to be terrifying!"

His laughter softened. "I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just… time itself? If that's truly your quirk, then there might not be a limit to what you can do."

I looked away. "I know." That was what scared me the most.

All Might sighed, rubbing his chin. "So, why tell me now?"

I swallowed. "Because you trusted me with your secret."

He blinked.

"And because…" I met his gaze. "I want to be a hero, All Might. No matter what. Even with this power… I want to save people."

For a long moment, he just looked at me. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face—not the exaggerated, toothy grin he showed the world, but something more genuine.

"Well then, Midoriya-shōnen," he said. "Let's talk. Since you can control time, anything you can do about this?" He showed me his injury.

I frowned as I examined All Might's injury. I could see it—the damage that had been done, the way time had already settled over the wound like an unbreakable law. It was old, deep, woven into the very fabric of his existence.

I clenched my fists. If I had more power, maybe… but right now, I wasn't strong enough.

"I… can't," I admitted, my voice tight with frustration. "Not yet. I don't have enough power to reverse something like this, YET."

All Might studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, he let out a small chuckle, though there was no humor in it.

"I see," he murmured, leaning back slightly. "So even time itself has limits."

I gritted my teeth. "For now."

The words left my mouth before I could stop them, but I didn't regret them. I meant them. One day, I would be strong enough. One day, I'd have the power to undo even wounds like his.

All Might tilted his head, considering me. "You're frustrated."

"Of course I am," I admitted. "You're the Symbol of Peace. Someone the world relies on. And yet… you're dying."

His eyes widened slightly at my bluntness.

"I don't know how long you have left like this," I continued, my fists clenched at my sides. "But I do know that if I were just a little stronger, I could fix it. I could turn back your time. I could make sure you didn't have to fight with half your power."

Silence.

Then, All Might smiled—small, understanding, a little sad. "You remind me of myself when I was young, Midoriya-shōnen."

I swallowed. "How so?"

"That desperation," he said. "That need to save people. That overwhelming feeling of not being enough. I know it well."

I didn't know what to say to that.

He sighed, stretching his arms behind his head. "You shouldn't carry that weight alone."

I looked down. "I have to."

"No," he said firmly. "You don't."

Something in his tone made me look up. His expression was serious now, his gaze heavy.

"You want to be a hero, right?"

I nodded.

"Then, let me ask you this," he said. "What do you think makes a hero great?"

I opened my mouth, then hesitated. The strength to protect others? The ability to win? No…

"It's…" I swallowed. "Never giving up. Always standing back up."

All Might grinned. "That's part of it. But there's something else—something just as important."

I frowned. "What is it?"

He rested a hand on his knee. "A hero doesn't stand alone."

I stiffened.

"A real hero," he continued, "relies on others. They trust their comrades. No matter how strong you are, Midoriya-shōnen, trying to bear the world by yourself will break you."

His words sank into me, heavy, uncomfortable.

I had spent ten years training alone. Hiding alone. Carrying the weight of my power alone.

I had to. Because if people knew…

But now, All Might—All Might—was telling me I didn't.

I looked down at my hands.

"I don't know how," I admitted.

"Then," All Might said, standing up with a grin, "let's start with this."

I looked up at him.

"Midoriya-shōnen," he said, his voice filled with certainty, "how would you like to be my successor?"

The world seemed to stop.

I stared. "Wut?"