Chapter 24: Chapter 24: One for All
[Third Person's PoV]
Tony was now 13 years old, and not much had happened in recent months apart from the fact that Tony had started delving into biology.
With all his tools and knowledge, Tony could technically be one of the world's best surgeons or doctors if he truly wanted to.
Apart from that, Tony and All Might had become somewhat close friends, largely due to Melissa always wanting to take Tony with her during her monthly visits with All Might. Momo had only met All Might occasionally.
One day, All Might, Melissa, and Tony were walking down a beach, each with an ice cream in hand as they strolled by the setting sun.
"You two, I have something to share with you," All Might said in a somber tone.
"That you're dying?" Tony said as he licked his ice cream, his face stoic.
"Huh?" Melissa said, looking at Tony in surprise. She quickly turned towards All Might with tears in her eyes. "Is it true? Are you dying!?"
"I'm not dying–Blergh!" All Might said before coughing up blood and, with a puff of smoke, transformed into a skeletal figure, a complete 180 from his usual appearance.
"AHHHHH! YOU ARE DYING!!" Melissa screamed in fright.
All Might wiped the blood from his bony chin. "Damn it, it appears my time has shortened again," he mumbled before sighing and looking towards Tony and Melissa.
Tony continued to eat his ice cream while Melissa was bawling her eyes out, crying for him not to die.
"I wanted to explain before showing you this, but it appears the time I can maintain my figure has shortened," All Might briefly explained. He then turned towards the relaxed Tony and asked, "How did you know?"
"I knew since the first day I met you," Tony explained, tapping the side of his glasses. "You should know me by now, old man. These aren't just for show; they detected your injury."
"I see…" All Might nodded in understanding.
"Injury? What injury?" Melissa asked.
"Haven't you found it weird that our monthly hangouts mostly last for about 30 minutes to an hour?" Tony asked.
"No," Melissa shook her head. "I just assumed since he was the number one hero, he was always busy saving lives and was being kind by spending time with us each month even when he was busy and could have been saving lives."
Tony and All Might just stared at her before Tony turned towards All Might. "Alright, dude, she needs to stop spending time with you. She's catching your idiot disease."
"What injury were you two talking about!?" Melissa interrupted, not wanting the subject to change.
All Might lifted his shirt and showed his damaged stomach. Melissa looked at it, horrified. "H-How are you even alive?"
"Sheer fucking will," Tony said as he licked his ice cream.
"Language, young Stark," All Might said.
Melissa then turned towards Tony. "If you knew all along, why didn't you tell me sooner? We could have helped him, we could have come up with a cure," she said with quivering lips and a hurt look.
Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Because it's not my secret to share. He would have told us when he was ready."
All Might nodded. "And I can't thank you enough for keeping it a secret, young Stark. Now I know I can safely share more with you without worry."
"More?" Melissa asked as she wiped her tears from her eyes.
"You see, there's a reason I wanted to meet you two even if it isn't our usual time to meet. I have another secret, one only a select few friends know. A secret about my quirk."
All Might held out his hand as he began to explain, his two large strands of hair blowing back against the wind. "Many have speculated about the name of my quirk and what it entails. The name of my quirk is One For All, a quirk that is passed on from one user to the next."
"Huh?" Melissa exclaimed in utter shock. "Is such a quirk even possible?"
"Melissa, remember my rule in science?"
Melissa nodded with a serious expression and calmed down. "Anything is possible if you believe it to be."
Melissa then looked towards All Might, awaiting his next words.
"My master passed my quirk on to me, which was passed on by her master and so on. I am currently the eighth holder of One For All. The reason I am sharing this with you is that I want you, Melissa, to be the ninth."
Melissa looked bewildered as she pointed to herself. "ME?" she shouted before looking towards Tony, who was still calmly licking his ice cream.
All Might nodded. "I have known you since you were just a tiny child. I can see the fine woman you are becoming. You always want to help people… You, Melissa, have the heart of a hero, and I couldn't have chosen a better candidate for the next One For All user."
Melissa looked pressured by the burden before looking at Tony for help.
Seeing her look, Tony sighed. "Melissa, I'm sorry, but I can't help you make this decision. I can't always make the decisions for you, Melissa. You have to learn how to make decisions on your own. Just know that no matter what you choose, I will always have your back."
Melissa took a deep breath to calm herself down. "You're right. I'm sorry. This is something for me to decide."
All Might nodded. "This is why I shared this secret with young Stark as well."
Melissa looked down at her feet, closed her eyes, and began to think about everything. She turned towards Tony once more, remembering the first time they met and her life that followed.
She exhaled sharply, her shoulders slumping, before looking up with a large smile. "Uncle Might, I…"
Melissa paused dramatically before crossing her arms. "Decline."
All Might was surprised upon hearing her answer, and even Tony was a little shocked.
"May I ask why?" All Might asked with a confused look.
"As Vice President of the Honorary Quirkless Club, I can't possess a quirk. Sorry." Melissa shrugged before looking towards Tony with a large smile.
"Quirkless Club?" All Might asked, lost.
Tony's mouth was slightly open. "You still remember that?"
Tony then looked towards All Might and briefly explained, "When we first met and became friends, I made a joke about welcoming her to the Quirkless Club."
"Are you sure, Melissa?" All Might asked.
Melissa nodded with a serious expression. "I thought about it, and having a quirk would definitely help me become a hero and save people. But thanks to someone, I realized a quirk isn't what makes someone a hero—it's their actions. So I won't need it. Once again, sorry, Uncle Might."
All Might sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I honestly didn't expect to be rejected… I thought since you were quirkless, you would have instantly agreed."
All Might then turned towards Tony. "And I take it it would be a pointless endeavor to ask you as well?"
"Yup," Tony said, popping the 'P'. "Just like the Number 2 Hero, your actions would be pointless."
"Ooooh, what a burn," Melissa said, covering her mouth playfully.
Tony pointed towards her. "Nice."
"Thank you."
"It looks like I'll have to consider Nezu's offer," All Might muttered quietly.
"Now that all of this is out of the way, when can you come by my lab?" Tony asked as he finished his ice cream.
All Might looked at him in confusion. "For what reason?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Did you really think I just sat around with the information of your injury while you waited to tell us? I already developed the procedure to cure you of your injury. So when can you come by?"
"Really?" Melissa asked excitedly.
Tony nodded. "I can synthesize the body parts you need and cure you of your poison whenever you are ready."
"Are you being serious, young Stark?" All Might asked in surprise.
"You think I made Stark Industries the way it is by just sitting around and lying about my products?"
"I suppose not. You have always been exceptionally brilliant," All Might admitted.
"Can I bring a friend along?" All Might asked.
"Who? And why?" Tony asked.
"It's the principal of the U.A. Hero course. He's someone who has helped me a lot. He has used his many connections to find a way to heal me. He even recommended I go to Stark Industries due to their cybernetics, saying they would most likely have a way to help me."
"Why didn't you?" Melissa asked with a hard gaze.
All Might sighed. "Because, despite being the number one hero, I was afraid. Afraid that if I showed any vulnerability, it would shatter the image people had of me. I didn't want to let anyone down. But over time, I realized that pretending to be invincible was only making things worse. Principal Nezu has always been there, quietly supporting me and urging me to seek the help I needed. I owe it to him to finally accept that help and show that even the strongest heroes can't do everything alone."
Tony nodded. "Very well. When will you be coming?"
"Tomorrow, if you don't mind."
Tony smiled as he looked towards Melissa. "So what do you think, secretary? Is tomorrow all right for me? Do I have anything planned?"
Melissa smirked back before putting a finger on her chin and pretending to ponder. "I don't know. You do have a few meetings and interviews to do, but I think I can push them back a few days," she teased.
Tony nodded before looking at All Might with a smirk. "Well, look at that. It looks like I do have room for you tomorrow."
All Might chuckled at their antics before smiling warmly at them. "Thank you."
"Thank me when I heal you," Tony said before turning around and heading home. Melissa waved goodbye to All Might before running after Tony and jumping on his back.
All Might continued to smile as he watched Tony carry Melissa on his back.
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