Arc 1: How to be Strong
Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter
Not all men are created equal, this was the harsh truth I, Izuku Midoriya learned at the young age of four. At the hands of someone I considered to be a friend "Give it up, you're useless." Bakugo Katsuki my childhood friend laughed in my face. As his fist connected with his palm a small explosion was created.
"I won't let you hurt him it's not right." I replied tears brimming at the edges of my eyes.
"Fine, you can take his place then. Trash." He replied as he laughed maniacally. His two cronies came up behind me. The one with elongated fingers wrapped his fingers around my body restraining my arms to the side.
Bakugo tackled me to the ground. Sitting on my waist he started to wail on me, each strike backed by his explosive quirk. It hurt. It was more pain than I could bare. I turned my head to see if that boy was still around, I couldn't see him. I was happy he escaped, I smiled to myself. If I stopped him being hurt then it was all worth it. Bakugo saw me smile which filled him with more rage. His swings became harder, fiercer. "you think this is funny you scum" he roared. That's the last thing I remember before I lost consciousness.
I awoke and saw that the sun was setting. I got up and started to walk home. Incase your wondering what I meant by my opening statement. The majority of the world's population has some sort of special ability known as a quirk. I was unfortunately was born without one. The day my mother found this out everything changed. She started stress eating, she quit her job. Luckily enough my father is the CEO of a large business which keeps us provided for. Unfortunately, that meant he was never home. Always over seas on business meetings.
I walked in the front door still wincing at the beating I had received. "Mom, I'm home. Sorry for being out so late" I called out. No response. I walked into the lounge to see her asleep on the couch. An empty tub of ice cream and various potato chip packets scattered across the floor. I walked into the kitchen and saw the oven still on. I walked over and took out my dinner. Sitting at the table eating my food I couldn't help but feel bad for what happened to her. It was my fault. If only I had of been born with a quirk, everything would have been different. Tears started to stream from my eyes both from the pain and the enormous guilt I felt. My tears fell into my food as I continued to eat, when I finished, I went back to the lounge.
"Mom, wake up you fell asleep on the couch again." I said as I gently nudged her to wake her up.
"Izuku? What time is it?" she said sleepily as she rubbed her eyes and wiping a little bit of drool from the corner of her mouth.
"it's just after 8 mom. I was about to go to sleep, but thought I'd wake you first. You need a proper sleep as well." I said as I turned to leave. I began to walk away when her hand grabbed my wrist.
"What happened to you sweetie?" she said as her eyes acclimated to the room. Her eyes widening as she saw the bruises on my face and my tattered shirt revealing more bruises underneath.
"It was Kacchan, it's always Kacchan. He was gonna beat up an innocent boy and I couldn't let him do that." I said wincing as my mom lifted my shirt to assess the damage properly.
"That's it. I'm speaking to Mitsuki. You can tell me not to this has gone on long enough." She said getting up and leading me back into the kitchen. Reaching into the cabinet she got put some painkillers and gave me one. I took it without hesitation hoping to get some relief.
"Mom you really don't need to. I'll be okay in a couple days, I always am." I said with a smile.
"No she's a nice woman. I'm sure she'll keep Bakugo in check." She replied. She usually caved but she was finally standing her ground. I was really happy to see that. "Now let's get you to bed." She smiled as she led me to my bedroom. Merchandise from the number one hero All Might plastered all the free space. From posters to figures to memorabilia, I had it all.
My mom pulled back the covers and tucked me in, kissed my forehead and then started to leave. "Mom? Can you play with my hair for a little till I can sleep?" I asked her hopefully. I don't know what it was but something about it calmed me down
"Of course I can sweetie." She replied as she knelt down next to my bed and began to run her fingers through my hair and gently scratch my scalp. It wasn't long before I began to drift off as sleep took me.
(Present day)
I got up for school like I always do, but I felt better than usual today. Lighter on my feet, more energetic. And I was loving every second of it. I never woke up in this good of a mood, nothing was going to ruin today. I got into the kitchen to find my mom cooking breakfast. She'd really gotten herself back together in the past couple of years and I'm so proud of her. She'd gotten herself a job and lost all the weight she put on, she looked as young as ever. "Good morning mum. You sleep well?" I asked happily
"Yeah, I did. And by the sounds of it so did you." She replied to me smiling.
"What can I say, I just feel really good today." I said back to her stealing a piece of bacon before she'd gotten the chance to plate up. We sat down at the table and enjoyed our meals and talked about the day ahead. She wasn't going to be home 'til late tonight because she was going out drinking with a couple of friends, so I'd have to make my own dinner. Looks like it's pork katsudon for me. We finished eating and I did the dishes before leaving for school.
As my amazing day continued, I caught a stroke of luck as on my way to school I saw a villain attack and got to see the pro hero Kamui Woods in action. He was about to subdue the hero when out of nowhere a girl grew to an enormous size and stole all the credit. When she was talking to the press, she revealed her hero name to be Mt. Lady, it was her debut on the hero scene and a rather successful one at that. Even if she wasn't really needed in this situation
School progressed as usual. I sat by myself, ate by myself and didn't talk to anyone really. One of the perks of being quirkless is that you get ostracized by your peers. Really lets you concentrate without having to be worried by something as menial as friends. Although I guess I'd never really had friends per se, the only person I ever thought was my friend beat me up almost everyday of life. When my mother called his, he was punished. But that only made him hit me harder. So I just didn't bother telling my mom about my injuries and more. It got to the end of the day and the teacher started talking about entrance exams as It was my last year of middle school and I was starting high school soon.
"Bakugo you're applying for U.A correct." The teacher addressed the blonde who rocked on his chair, feet on the desk and his hands behind his head
"Of course I am, I'm the only one from this back alley school that can make it in." he replied his usual cockiness ever present.
"Midoriya, you're also applying for U.A?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow. "shit, my ribs already hurt" I thought to myself. I felt Bakugo's eyes burning into the side of my skull
"well they have a general studies course, and U.A is an elite school the looks good on a resume so I didn't really thi- "
"enough" the teacher cut me of "no one wants to hear you ramble for the next twenty minutes." As he finished the bell went signaling the end of the day. I got out of my chair and tried to leave as fast as I could but Bakugo's seat was between me and the door, so the encounter was inevitable. Trying to blend in with the rest of the class I made my way in that direction. Even though I was in the middle of the pack he still managed to reach in and grab my wrist. He held onto me until the rest of the class left.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing shitty Deku?" he asked angrily. "the only one getting into U.A from this place is me." His eyes narrowed. "don't apply, got to a regular school. Am I understood?" his grip tightened on my wrist to accentuate his point. Before I got the chance to answer I was yanked backwards and a fist collided with my nose, flooring me. Tears started to form in my eyes as I was showered with kicks from the angry blonde.
He left me in the class, alone. My amazing day successfully and utterly ruined. I picked my self up off the floor and straightened out the desks that were moved during our little scuffle, grabbed my bag and headed off home. Usually I'd take the fast route home but I had to buy stuff for dinner so I went the long way. As I was walking to the store, I heard movement behind me. But before I could act it was already do late, my body was covered in a viscous liquid that I couldn't get off of myself. "Ooh nice and weak, you shouldn't be too hard to capture as a disguise." I heard come from part of the liquid. It began to try force it's way down my throat, I couldn't breathe at all. As I became light headed a window opened in front of me.
[Due to a situation of life and death you have gained access to The Game]
[Welcome]
[Do you accept]
[Y/N]
I didn't understand what was happening but if it was going to help me live right now, I was willing to accept anything. Fighting against the liquid with all my strength I barely managed to press the Y before me vision went dark. When I awoke the liquid had all but disappeared and I could breathe easily again. I looked up to see him standing there the number one hero All Might. I scrambled over and asked him to sign one of my notebooks which I soon found out he had already done. But when I looked at him there was something different about him. He had some sort of text above his head. It was even stranger as I began to read it.
Toshinori Yagi (Muscle Form)
All Might
?
THE SYMBOL OF PEACE
One For All
That's when I noticed the text windows in my peripheral vision as I began to read them, I saw All Might begin to get ready to take off. I don't know what came over me but I lunged for his leg as he took off, I grabbed on to his leg and clung for dear life. As we we're moving through the air me must have felt the extra weight attached to him because he looked down at me with widened eyes. "What are you doing young man? You have to let go." He said in his trademark booming voice. Looking down I saw that we were at least 70 feet in the air, letting go would be suicide. As I thought that to myself I heard a dinging noise, I'd acknowledge that later when I wasn't scared for my life. Another ding
"If I let go I'll die!" I shouted back at him the wind from how fast we were moving was doing funny things to my face. All might acknowledged my point and landed on the next available building. He was covered in a puff of white smoke and a thin withering skeletal man took his place. I shook my head my head in disbelief not believing my eyes until it was spelt out for me
Toshinori Yagi (Base Form)
None
10
Shadow of his former self
One For All
"All Might… what happened to you?" I asked him gently. Still not believing what I was seeing before my eyes. My hero, my idol, the symbol of peace, was reduced to this skeletal husk that stood before me. He appeared to argue with himself for a second before he finally spoke
"Young man, what I'm about to tell you can not be told to anyone. Do you understand me?" I simply nodded in response. "Many years ago, I was in a fight with an opponent I severely underestimated. He lifted his shirt to reveal a massive scar covering half his torso. "That mistake almost cost me my life. But in exchange for my life I had to give up half my organs and, I can only work as a hero for three hours a day." My eyes widened in horror as I realized the implications. If word of this got out, then villains would run rampant in the street because they would no longer All Might, everything would be driven into chaos.
Ding!
Another noise. I would get to the bottom of that sooner or later but the situation at hand was a delicate one it needed all my focus.
Ding!
Okay this was getting annoying where were these noises coming from. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice him staring at my waiting for a response. "I understand why you want to keep this a secret. I won't spread this information, this simply can't become common knowledge" I replied surprisingly calm all things considered. Usually something like this would send me into a mumbling mess but my thoughts were crystal clear, clearer than they had ever been before. "But I have a question for you All Might. Something I've always wanted to ask you personally. You who knows more about heroes than anyone else."
"Go ahead young man ask away." He replied
"You may have noticed that I didn't defend myself against the villain that attacked me." He nodded. "You might of thought that I didn't use my quirk because of the laws against public quirk usage without permission. But that's not the case…" I trailed off I locked eyes without ready to get my answer finally. "The real reason is because I don't have one. I was born without one. My question for you All Might." Tears began to fill my eyes. "Can a quirkless nobody like me, can some one like me be a hero?" I asked him, I waited for his response with bated breath. When he exhaled deeply, I already knew what he was going to say.
"No, it's too dangerous. You should give up the hope of becoming a hero." He replied. "While the role of hero is closed off to you there are many other heroic jobs you can take. Like a firefighter or police officer. I'm sorry young man, but that's the truth." He finished solemnly. My hopes were crushed as tears began to fall down my face. I knew this would be the answer, but hearing it from the man himself added a sense of finality to it.
Ding!
[Quest Received]
[I CAN be a hero: All Might has told you to give up on your dream to be a hero. However, there is an ironclad will inside you. Prove to him that you have what it takes.]
[Success: Increased closeness to Toshinori Yagi, progress towards becoming a hero, 1000EXP, 10,000 yen, ?]
[Failure: Maximum reduced closeness with Toshinori Yagi, decreased chance of becoming a hero, 0 exp, 0 yen,]
[Time limit: Until All Might forgets about you.]
[Do you accept?]
[Y/N]
Unlike all the other pop-ups that appeared in my peripheral vision this one was dead center and looking at the at the consequences for failure I couldn't refuse this quest reaching forward I tapped the Y. the window disappeared and a smaller window appeared in its place
[Quest accepted.]
The window vanished shortly after I finished reading it. It would seem that All Might had used my focusing on the windows to take his leave. I sighed heavily as I realized my situation. I was stuck on a roof by myself, without a way down. I glanced around the edges of the building. Thank god this seemed to be an apartment building so there was a fire escape. But it was still a 10-foot drop to the first platform from where I was. I figured I would be fine, I was wrong l landed on the side of my foot and I felt my ankle snap. It hurt, but from all the beatings Bakugo had given me over the years I was beginning to develop quite the pain tolerance. But I was sure this should have hurt more than it did, not only that but seconds later my foot returned back to its regular position snapping back into place. I stood up gently, slowly putting more and more weight on my foot until I was back up and standing normally until there was no sign that my ankle had even broken in the first place. I began to freak out, why were all these things happening to me. And why were they all so strange? Almost as soon as my freak out has started it was over and I was back to normal, which should have freaked me out more. But strangely enough it didn't I caught myself feeling completely calm.
I made my way to the bottom of the fire escape. When I reached the bottom, I started walking and I was finally gonna read all those windows that had started bothering me.
[Welcome to the game]
[Do you wish to read the tutorial]
[Y/N]
I clicked the Y and another window opened immediately this one with slightly more text
[Welcome to the tutorial of The Game, this guide will show you the information required to understand this ability.]
[first off are your stats. You can view them any time by simply saying "stats", try it now.]
"Stats." I said quietly
Izuku Midoriya
None
1
The Gamer
HP: 80/110
MP: 210/210
SP: 100/100
STR: 11
DEX: 10
AGI: 10
INT: 21
WIS: 21
LUK: 0
CHA: 5
[A small breakdown of each stat]
[HP are your life points. Once it hits zero it is game over and in this game, there are no respawns]
[MP are your mana points. Most special attacks as well as magic attacks will use up this meter.]
"I'm sorry. did you just say magic attacks? I can do that?
[As soon as you figure it out sure]
[SP are your stamina points. These are used for most things that require physical exertion.]
[STR or Strength is self-explanatory. It's how physically strong you are. Your HP is also your STRx10. Your HP recharge rate is STR/2 per minute.]
[DEX or Dexterity is your ability to make precise movements as well as how flexible. This stat is also directly related to you SP recharge rate. DEX per minute.]
[AGI or Agility is how fast you can move as well as reactions speed etc. it is also linked to your SP pool. AGIx10.]
[INT or Intelligence is how smart you are. Book smart not street smart. It is also your mana pool. INTx10.]
[WIS or Wisdom is the application of the knowledge you have. It is also your mana recharge rate. WIS per minute.]
[LUK or Luck is mysterious, as it increases good and bad luck. Use points in it carefully]
[CHA or Charisma is your Speechcraft and changes how well your words are received as well as your ability to think of the correct words to say. It also increases the chances of people being swayed by your words.]
"So a high charisma would be useful for talking down villains and the like."
[If you want to be all boring and noble about it sure.]
[And that's the basic run down of your stats.]
Ding!
[For achieving stat upgrades before reading the tutorial you have been granted the title Prodigy.]
[Prodigy: This title grants 10% bonus EXP to all gains. It also gives a 5% chance to grant double skill points when they are gained.]
[Do you wish to equip this title]
[Y/N]
This looked like I'd struck pure gold it was a no brainer to equip this. I pressed the Y button but I bought my phone up to where the window was so it didn't look like I was just poking air.
[By acknowledging that poking air doesn't look normal and thinking of a way around it, you have been granted 1 INT]
[Continuing with the tutorial, next up are your skills. You can view these at any time by simply saying skills]
I wondered what would happen if I just thought the word. I mean worst case scenario nothing happens right. I thought 'skills' to myself.
Ding!
[By internally using a command instead of verbally you have gained the skill Silent Casting]
[Silent Casting: Level MAX. Passive. During your experience with The Game you will create many skills as well as use various menus. This allows you to use them silently instead of calling out your attacks.]
I closed the window that had appeared in front of me, only for another to pop up
[Skills]
[Initiating assimilation]
[Assimilation complete]
[Skills and skill EXP from before you had access to The Game have been imported]
[Gamer's Mind: Level Max. Passive. Due to your access to the game your brain has been rewired. This gives you immunity to all negative mental status effects. As well as allowing you to remain calm in usually stressful situations.]
[Gamer's Body: Level Max. Passive. Due to your access to the game your body has been morphed into a video game character's. All wounds and injuries even ones that would usually be fatal will be healed so long as you HP doesn't drop to zero.]
[Gamer's Sight: Level Max. Passive. Due to your access to the game you have been granted the ability to see things usually unseen the regular human eye. This allows you to gain extra information from looking at something or someone as well as bypass all visual charms.]
[Silent Casting: Level MAX. Passive. During your experience with The Game you will create many skills as well as use various menus. This allows you to use them silently instead of calling out your attacks.]
[Hero's Soul: Level MAX. Passive. Your heroic will is so strong it has manifested itself as a skill. Grants user double to all stats when acting in a heroic manner.]
[Quirk Analysis: Level Max: Passive. Your innate ability to view someone's quirk a single time and already begin to manifest pros and cons as well as applications is superhuman. Skill grants a small chance to be able to manifest someone's quirk as a skill.]
[Lunge: Active. Level 1. 0.00% (Movement) The ability to cover a large distance in a short amount of time. Move any direction a distance of two meters. Costs 20 SP per use.]
[Run: Active. Level 1. 0.00%. (Movement) The ability to move faster for a prolonged amount of time. Cost 10sp/s. Current speed 2m/s.]
[It's important to know that Skills level separately to your main level and getting Skill EXP will not contribute to levelling up.]
[That's it for skills for now but you can always make and find more]
What does it mean make more? Do I just essentially create them out of nothing?
[Yes, that's exactly what you do]
Okay mister all powerful Game no need to be a dick about it.
[I'm part of your subconscious no need to call yourself names]
[Next up is the inventory, simply say the command and the window will appear in front of you.]
I issued the command mentally and sure enough there was another light blue window right in front of me.
[Inventory]
[This is where all loot drops and quest rewards will go. It's also your own personal storage area. You can add and remove things at will however to others it will appear as if you are pulling things out of seemingly nowhere. Space is unlimited but there is a carry weight of your STR x 10 in kilograms. You also can see your current equip list.]
It would appear that my inventory was currently empty. Meaning that things on my person didn't count towards my carry weight
Ding!
[For coming to a logical conclusion about the systems of The Game, you have been granted 1 WIS]
Ding!
[Prodigy activated. Instead of being granted 1 WIS you have received 2]
Wow I didn't think that it would activate so fast but it sure was helpful. It was started to get kind of late, so I started walking home a little faster.
[That's all for now, more information will be provided when you need it.]
[For reading the tutorial you have been awarded two points in all skills]
When I finally closed the final dialogue box I saw smoke billowing into the sky. I started running towards it. I felt a little faster than before if not by a lot. I also didn't feel the burn in my lungs or my legs like I usually did, must be the effects of Gamer's Body. Although once I saw my SP drop to zero my legs immediately returned to a walk and I heard the noise I was becoming very familiar with play in my ears.
Ding!
[Run: Level 2. 30%. Movement speed increased by .5m/s]
That's not a lot but I fell as if it will add up fast. I quickly closed the box and continued towards the smoke. When I go to the scene, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the same villain who Had attacked me earlier. But didn't All Might capture him? Then it dawned on me. This was my fault, when I grabbed onto All Might the bottles fell out of his pockets and the villain must have escaped. So this person is in danger because of me. I must help them. Then I got a better look at the victim and my eyes widened in shock. Staring back at me with red eyes was Bakugo, but they weren't filled with anger like usual. He was scared, I stared into his eyes into his eyes and they screamed one thing. "Help me." I looked around and saw pro heroes every where but none of them were doing anything. My legs started to move on their own, I don't know what came over me.
Ding!
[Quest: Righting wrongs.]
[Due to a mistake you made. Bakugo is in danger. Save him.]
[Success: progress in I CAN be a hero, increased closeness to Katsuki Bakugo, 5,000 Yen, 500 EXP.]
[Failure: no progress in I CAN be a hero, reduced closeness to Katsuki Bakugo, 0 yen, 0 EXP]
[Y/N]
I pressed the Y as I continued my run towards the villain, I felt Stronger than I ever had before, Like there was some sort of power washing over me. I reached into my bag, pulling out a pair of scissors I had in there and hurled them towards the villain. They struck his eye and he reeled back in pain, loosening his grip on Bakugo who took a breath so deep you'd think he was trying to suck in all the oxygen so no one else could have any. When I reached him I grabbed onto his arm and pulled, my grip nearly slipped as he was slick with sweat from struggling against the villain. I felt Bakugo begin to come loose until the point where his entire torso was free. He pushed me away from him and I fell backwards, I saw sparks begin to cackle in his palms and I began to scramble away from him moving as fast as my body would let me. He let off a giant explosion one bigger than any I had ever seen him produce before propelling him out of the grasp of the sludge villain he crashed into the ground rolling on impact. As I went to stand I saw a blur in front of me the wind from it passing made me stumble and almost made me fall again.
"DETROIT SMASH." A pillar of wind caught the sludge villain and scattered him into pieces. The wind also caught most of the flames sending them into the sky extinguishing them. The clouds began to swirl and rain poured from the sky, extinguishing whatever was left.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
"IT IS OKAY NOW CITIZENS. WHY? BECAUSE I AM HERE." He proclaimed loudly. He donned his ever-present smile. His white teeth gleaming like they always did. The other pro heroes that were at the scene rushed towards me and Bakugo. They praised him for being so brave and for having such a strong quirk. One of them even gave him his phone number.
"When you become a hero, call this number. I'd be more than happy to have you at my agency."
I however was admonished for being stupid and reckless. For rushing in when I had no grasp of the situation, for not taking the danger or risks involved. I looked dead into the eyes of the pro hero who was chewing me out. "The villains quirk is a mutation type. Transforming his body into a thick liquid mud type substance. Making him immune to physical attacks. Which is why none of the pro heroes could do anything, he also had a small amount of control over the quirk of the victim. Which brings me to Katsuki Bakugo, he is my classmate and I know the ins and outs of his quirk since he has bullied me with ever since it manifested itself." I continued. "his sweat is a nitroglycerin type substance which he can explode at will. Which makes him stronger as a fight drags on. However, I saw the muscles in his forearms start to spasm meaning he didn't have many uses left. In fact after that final explosion I doubt he can use his arms at all. I did the minimum needed to assure his safety, if he was in there for about twenty more seconds he probably would have drowned, killing him. So if anything I did you a favor saving your image. You're welcome." The pro hero looked at me with wide eyes. "Did I miss anything?" I smirked. Even though I don't really know why. That was so unlike me.
"Maybe I underestimated your judgement of the situation but using your quirk in public without a license is still illegal. Whether you had good intentions or not." He replied.
"And what quirk did I use exactly? I don't have one." I deadpanned. After that I got up and left, finally looking through the plethora of notification boxes in front of me. I only began to look through them once I was out of sight.
[Level Up x2 10 skill points gained.]
[Quest: Righting wrongs completed. +10 closeness to Katsuki Bakugo, 5000 yen, 500 EXP awarded]
[For giving misinformation you have created a skill. Lie]
[Lie: Level one. Active. 0.00% EXP. Your ability to give people information that isn't necessarily true, likelihood of your lie being taken as truth is based on skill level, CHA and lie believability. only counts as a lie if target is knowingly misled. No cost]
[For extensive knowledge and prolonged exposure, you have been granted Explosion as a skill.]
[Explosion: Level one. Active. 0.00% EXP. The quirk of the Bakugo family has been granted to you. However, your explosion size and control are not based off the amount of sweat but level of the skill. Cost 50 Mana per use.]
I stared at the window in front of me in disbelief. Checking around me I made sure that the coast was clear before I used the skill, I held my hand in front of me and held my wrist like Bakugo always used to and activated it. A weak explosion left my hand as I felt my arm jolt back slightly. I turned my palm to face me and I looked at it with tears welling up in the corner of my eyes and a feeling of elation filling my heart. It was only just sinking in what this meant, with my quirk The Game I could become the greatest hero the world has even seen even greater than All Might. It was no longer a pipe dream. This was the beginning. I was no longer going to be a bystander. This is my story, I will be the strongest.
"Young man" I heard a deep booming voice come from behind me. One that I recognized immediately. As I turned around, I saw him standing there in all his glory. All Might had followed me home I guess.
"All Might, we seem to keep meeting by accident, or is there a purpose behind this meeting?" I asked him
"Young man, I was hasty earlier when I said you couldn't be a hero. But first I must ask you one question. What were you thinking when you rushed in to save that boy?"
"All I could think was how I had to help him. I couldn't let him perish there. And after that my body started to move on its own. I couldn't stop myself."
"That's all I needed to hear. I take back what I said earlier. You CAN and WILL be a hero. A will like yours is rare and must be cultivated. I want you to inherit my quirk. To be my successor."
Did I just hear that correctly did he say inherit his quirk? I didn't think something like that existed I looked at the name of his quirk above his head 'One For All' and focused on it really hard.
Ding!
[through focusing intently on something hard you have been granted the skill Insight.]
[Insight: level one. Active. 0.00% EXP. While Gamer's Sight passively gives you bonus information around all things around you sometimes you need a little extra. Skill gives bonus information on the person or thing it is used on. Information varies depending on level]
I cast insight while still staring at his quirk and a window popped up in front of me.
[One For All]
[A mysterious power born into the world ? years ago stockpiles power before being passed to the next generation. The only Quirk of its kind. The current wielder Toshinori Yagi was gifted it by his mentor ?.]
That wasn't a lot to go off, but I guess insight was only level one. After reading the box I closed it, then I spoke. "Yagi, while I appreciate the offer I can't accept. I recently awakened my own quirk, during the incident with the sludge villain as a matter of fact. I want to focus on cultivating and strengthening my own power, and whilst the quirk of the number one hero and the symbol of peace would be a great honor. I strongly believe that your power should go to someone else. And the Secret of the nature of your quirk is safe with me. You have been my idol and the reason I want to be a hero since I was young. The last thing I'd want is for this to get out."
"You told me earlier today you were quirkless, was that a lie?"
"No, nothing like that. I just didn't know I had it. I'm a late bloomer. And when I was younger a doctor told me that there was no chance I would ever manifest one."
"I see, I'll be a teacher at U.A starting next year. That's on the hush hush as well. Perhaps I'll see you then." And with that he made his leave
Ding!
[Quest: I CAN be a hero partially completed. No closeness gained towards Toshinori Yagi gained, progress towards becoming a hero gained, 5000 yen, 500 exp, One For All rejected.]
So that's what those question marks were. And I guess they were question marks because I didn't have the required knowledge to know the quest reward.
Ding!
[For coming to a Logical conclusion about The Game you have been granted one INT]
I don't know why but gaining stat points felt good, extremely good. I wanted to grind for as many as I could. Given that The Game seemed to be based of and adventure RPG of sorts I figure that's probably the best move forward.
Ding!
[For making the correct decision about your future path you have been granted one WIS]
Nice. God that feels good. As the sun continued to set I was getting closer and closer to home. When I was three or four streets away from my house the space in front of me began to ripple. Thinking it strange I reached out and poked it. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't what I got.
[Instant Dungeon discovered]
[Level 1]
[Defeat all enemies]
[Activate?]
[Y/N]
I reached out and poked the Y and the world around me changed. The all the colors around me became muted the wind stopped blowing and I could no longer feel the cold of the air.
[Welcome to and Instant Dungeon. Probably the most reality breaking feature of The Game. While you're in one time passes half as fast. Damage done to buildings does not transfer back into the real world meaning you can be as reckless inside one as you want.]
[Once entered you cannot exit until the objective has been completed.]
Cannot exit until completed huh. That would have been nice to know before I accepted. But having areas where I can be as reckless as I want will be handy for when I'm stronger in the future. I didn't get too much time to think as in imp like creature came flying towards me a small spear at the ready. Upon looking at it closely Gamer's Sight kicked in
Imp
1
None
Pest of the demon world.
HP 20/20
Only 20 HP that shouldn't be too hard to beat. But I only had one combat skill and it was kind of expensive for my current level if there were a lot of these things. I started to run towards it I cocked my fist back and sung as hard as I could. I felt my fist make contact as I sent the lesser imp flying back through the air. It hit the ground and disappeared into what could only be described as pixels.
Ding!
[By putting all your strength into one blow you have created the Skill Power Strike]
[Power Strike: level 1. Active 0.00% EXP. The not so subtle art of throwing everything you have at the enemy. Using this skill empowers your next unarmed attack. Damage done is STRx2 cost 25 mana per use.]
This costs half as much as explosion and is enough to deal with these things. I can cast it ten times before I run out of mana. But with my mana regen rate I get enough to cast one every minute so I should be fine as long as I don't a allow myself to get surrounded. Looking around I noticed there was something on the ground where the lesser imp was there was a small pile of yen sitting there as well as something else. It was a small red bottle and if my time with video games told me anything then I know what this is and Gamer's Sight only confirmed it for me
[Lesser health potion. Consumable. Restores 15 HP]
I willed it into my inventory and it seemingly disappeared. Not getting a chance to catch my breath, Figure of speech considering I don't think I could run out of breath anymore. I saw another three imps flying towards me casting Power Strike my fist collided with the first one sending it flying back just like the one I fought before did. The second of the three imps tried to stab me with its spear I used lunge and moved to the side to avoid the attack before delivering a Power Strike to it. The third imp caught me while I was off balance and I paid for my over extension with a spear to the shoulder dealing 15 points of damage. I delivered a Power Strike to that one as well and just like the rest it evaporated into thin air. It was interesting to see that no all of them dropped health potions and I must have just gotten lucky with my first enemy.
Ding!
[Skill level up Power Strike]
[Power Strike: Level 2. Active 0.00 EXP. Damage STRx2.1, Cost 25 Mana per use.]
It wasn't much of a power increase, but it was better than nothing. 5 more imps came and 5 more imps were dispatched with Power Strike's. I must have been getting EXP for defeating these however I didn't know how much. I tried the command 'EXP' and surely enough a bar appeared in front of me.
[1898/3000]
It seemed like a lot but I'm not sure how much it was at before I entered. I dismissed the bar and went looking for my next set of enemies. After walking for a couple of minutes I couldn't seem to find any walking past my house I saw a much larger red shape sitting out the front of my house.
Imp Berzerker
4
NONE
Undying Rage
200/200
[Dungeon Boss has appeared. Defeat it to leave.]
As I got closer to it I saw the pointed ears on the top of it's ears begin to perk up, it new I was here and began to run towards me. Well run would be the wrong word, it was more of a lumber. It appeared to be a slow moving but hit like a truck type. I noticed that it didn't have a spear I guess it preferred to use fists it made a large over head swing at me. I dodged the swing easily with a lunge the road where I was not so lucky as I saw a small chunk be removed from the force of the blow now was my time to strike. I cast Power Strike and a cast Explosion on contact I saw the imp's health drop by 50. The creature groaned in pain and its head snapped towards me, it swatted at me with unexpected speed and I didn't dodge in time and I was sent sailing through the air my health dropped to 90. Meaning I could only be hit but this thing two more times. The third would send my health to below zero. I had no tie to focus before the thing was lumbering at me again. This time a lot faster. It was on me quickly but I still managed to dodge the attack with a lunge. A larger chunk of road was removed from the impact this time. I ran in again and delivered two Power Strikes with Explosion in quick succession causing the large imp to reel backwards. It roared at me it came out deeper than I expected but it still wasn't super intimidating. Wait a minute if I only had 250 mana and my strikes were costing 75 mana points each that meant I only had 25 points left. I'd need to run a way for two minutes to be able to end this fight, and at 20 Stamina each I could only lunge out of its way three more times this really wasn't looking good for me I started to move away as fast as I could without using any stamina whish ended up being a very brisk jog. In its current state the imp was faster than me as well as stronger than me. I'd managed to put about 30 meters between us, but it wasn't enough. It was on me in an instant pulling back it's fist it swung at me again I lunged out of the way, moving behind it and delivered a punch to the back of its head.
Ding!
Really? now of all times. I'm kind of focusing. Instead of swinging at me again it did something different, it grabbed me. Unable to dodge in time I was now in its grasp I was being bear hugged and my health was dropping quickly at 10 HP/s meaning I had nine seconds before death. I looked it in the eyes, they were pitch black but still radiated pure anger and hatred. Wait a minute, the eyes. My arms were still free I brought my hand and jammed two of my fingers into its eye its hp dropped to 20 which meant I could end this right now. Whilst it was still clutching at its face, I cast power strike and delivered a punch straight to the jaw. It went flying down the street and exploded into pixels like the rest had. As it did the sky around me shattered and color returned to the world
[Instant dungeon complete]
[Congratulations]
[Encounter completed 500 EXP awarded.]
[As a reward for completing your first dungeon you have been granted 500 EXP]
Ding!
[Level Up. 5 points granted]
Ding!
[For fast thinking getting yourself out of a near death situation you have been given 5 INT and 5 WIS]
Ding!
[For experiencing serious physical strain, you have been granted 5 STR]
Ding!
[For repeating specific actions that required you to move quickly and precisely you have been granted 5 AGI and 5 DEX]
Ding!
[Skill created]
[Brawling: level 1. Passive. 0.00 EXP this skill dictates your ability to throw and land unarmed attacks including punches, kicks and other strikes.]
Ding!
[Skill level up Explosion Level 2]
Oh wow that was a lot to take in. I didn't expect the barrage of stat points AND a level up as well. I walked over to the pile that that the large imp left there was something different there this time. A book. Gamer's sight quickly identified it as a skill book. For the skill Fury. I picked it up and opened it, it was empty. But a box opened at least.
[Do you wish to learn the Skill Fury?]
[Y/N]
I mean I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn more skills even if I didn't use them, so I pressed the Y and the book evaporated into the pixels I was becoming familiar with.
[Skill gained.]
[Fury: Active. Level 1 (Buff). 0.00% EXP. This skill grants you the ability to sacrifice 50% of your HP to double your damage for 10 minutes.]
This was certainly something. But half of my hp was a large price to pay and my health pool wasn't incredibly large to begin with. It was certainly something to think about.
Ding!
[In honor of finding your first skill book you have been granted 5 stat points.]
Maybe it was time to spend some of my points. I know I should keep them for when I need them. But I can't help it. I mentally issued the stats command and used some of my points.
Izuku Midoriya
LVL 4
NONE
Prodigy
The Game
HP 180 200
MP 300
SP 170 200
STR 18 20
DEX 17 20
AGI 17 20
INT 30
WIS 31 35
CHA 7 15
LUK 2
Points 0
Ah multiples of five, except for LUK. That was gonna annoy me and there was nothing I could to about it. It was like it as just sitting there mocking me. At least it was an even number. And I know I could have spent less on CHA but it was lacking really far behind my other skills. And I feel as if it's an important stat for a hero. I finally walked through my front door and slumped down on the couch. I wasn't tired per se, but it just felt good to relax. I turned on the tv the news just so happened and what I saw surprised me. The anchor was covering the villain attack from after school today.
"This afternoon in Musutafu prefecture there was a malicious villain attack on a young middle school boy. Katsuki Bakugo was walking home from school was walking home from school when he was attacked by a yet unnamed assailant. Pro heroes Kamui Woods and Death Arms were the first on the scene. But given the nature of the villains Quirk and the fact that he had a hostage neither were able to act. However, we do have footage of the person who did save the boy.
And there I was. On the national news running as fast as my legs would carry me towards Bakugo. It showed me reach into my bag and pull something out and then throw it at the villain's eyes. I was a hero, on national tv saving someone. My heart filled with joy.
"While there are laws in place about vigilantism, that only applies when quirks are used. This young man however did not use one. Seconds after the victim was pulled from the villain All Might was on the scene ending the villains reign of terror in a way that only the number one hero could. Back to the unlikely hero on our hands. We know now that he is known as Aldera Junior High student Izuku Midoriya, and the victim Katsuki Bakugo is in fact his classmate."
My school photo appeared on the screen alongside Bakugo's.
"I'm gonna hear about this all day tomorrow aren't I." I sighed to myself. But I honestly found myself not caring. I switched off the news and loaded up Netflix. And browsed for a while, I scrolled through for a while before deciding on Lucifer. A show about the devil escaping hell and taking a holiday in Los Angeles. During the first scene of the show he is pulled over for speeding and after failing to bribe the police officer Lucifer looked at him in the eyes.
"Tell me officer, what is it you desire?" Gazing deeply into the police officer's eyes he got an answer
[From watching it in action you have been granted the Skill Dark Desire]
[Dark Desire: Level MAX. Active. A power originally only known by the Prince of Darkness is now yours to wield. By looking into someone's heart you can draw out their secret motivations as well as their most carnal urges. No Cost. REQUIREMENT: 200 CHA]
That's uh good for villains, yes villains and nothing else. I would never use it on an Innocent person, although… No, bad Izuku. Then I looked at the requirement. Okay it didn't matter I wouldn't be able to use it for a long time anyway. After the episode had finished I got up to look through the cupboard and refrigerator to find something to eat. After a small search I found some ham and salami as well as various vegetables and decided to make myself some sandwiches for dinner. While I was making them another window popped up
[Missing Skill assimilated]
[Cooking: Active. Level 30. 50.00% EXP. Your ability to prepare and cook food. Higher skill level means tastier food. Certain recipes require a higher Skill level.]
Level 30? I guess I was a better cook than I thought I was. I sat back down on the couch with my food and continued to binge the show I was watching earlier. Lucifer's brother Amenadiel had the ability to slow time To a stand still I watched him intently whenever he was on the screen to see if I would be gifted the ability to do the same. No luck, I guess the game had to have some rules I guess. I kept watching until eventually after 5 episodes I'd decided to go to bed. After I'd gotten out the shower and gotten dressed for bed, I heard the front door open and slam closed. I got out of bed and went to the living room knowing that my mom would be hammered and she'd no doubt forget to lock the front door. When I saw her she was wearing a green mid-thigh length dress that sat rather low and matched her eyes. She also had on a black cropped short sleeved cardigan. I had to admit she looked really good for someone in her early 40's I looked at her
Inko Midoriya
10
NONE
Doting Mother
Doting Mother huh. I knew that I meant a lot to her, but I didn't think so much so that it would be her title. I walked over to her to help her out as she was stumbling and could barely keep her balance. When I wrapped my arm around her waist to support her I felt her lean against me more heavily. Wait a minute was I taller than I was this morning. I used to be about the same height as her but now I was taller by a couple of centimeters. She looked at me and something in her eyes was different. She didn't look at me like I was her son. Then I heard a single word slip out of her lips.
"Hisashi." Her breathing was getting heavier and her cheeks were getting flushed. This was bad, she thought I was dad. She always said we looked so alike I could be his twin. I guess the growth spurt I had today pushed it over the edge. I needed to get her to bed and fast. While she was leaning on me heavily her body felt like it weighed next to nothing. I stopped and picked her up in a bridal carry style. While not the best move given her current state, it would help me get her to bed faster. She wrapped her arms around my neck and nuzzled her head into my chest.
"Oh Hisashi, it's been so long since you've been home and even longer since you carried me like this." She bought her mouth up to my ear her breath labored and heavy. "I might do that thing you like to celebrate." Okay I need to get her into bed fast. My heart was starting to speed up, before Gamer's Mind calmed me down. Thankfully her door was slightly ajar so I could just push it open with my foot. I gently put her down on her feet, this dress was too nice for here to wear to bed a ruin. With shaking hands, I reached for the cardigan and pulled it down off her shoulders. I then pulled down the zip on the back of her dress and pulled it down letting it fall to the floor. I escorted her to bed and tucked her in. I gave her a gently kiss on the forehead and left the room.
"Hisashiiiii where are you going" she called out to me. There was a tone in her voice that shouldn't have been directed at her son. Gamer's Mind wasn't kicking in and I was wondering what was happening
"I'm just going to get some water. I'll be right back okay." I replied to her. I saw Lie go up a level
"Okaaay hurry back Honey."
Ding!
[For having impure thoughts about your mother, you have gained the status Oedipus Complex]
{Oedipus Complex: Duration: Permanent. This status effect removes inhibitions when presented with certain situations with the parent of the opposite sex.]
I blinked in disbelief at the box in front of my eyes. What the fuck? I thought that gamers mind was supposed to make me immune to all negative status effects.
[You're the one who decides what's negative or not. Not me]
I think I like this Quirk better when it's just giving me information and not being a smartass
[For being a dick, yours has increased by 1 inch.]
Alright I'm sorry. I won't be rude to you anymore… I walked down to the kitchen and got a glass of water. After finishing it I walked back to mom's room to check on her. To find her fast asleep. There was a part of me that wished she wasn't, this Oedipus thing was gonna get old real fast.
I lied in bed thinking about everything that had happened to me during the day. I was beaten up buy Bakugo again. I was attacked by a villain and saved by All Might, I found out the Secret behind his power and I'd saved my bully from the same villain that had attacked me. This is just the beginning of my story. I will be the greatest hero there has ever been. It was my destiny.
Chapter 1 END
A/N
So, here's the first chapter of Press Start. This is my first MHA story and my first time writing in a couple of years. So please let me know what you think. This is probably going to be roughly the average length of each chapter. However if you would like them longer or shorter. I will also be holding a vote, on two things. Whether or not you would like this to be a harem fic, singular pairings or no romance at all and pure action. The second is kinda based on the first and was set up during this chapter. Should I write a romance between Izuku and Inko. I'm more than happy to leave it out if it makes people happy, but I'm also fine with leaving it in. as I know incest can make some people uncomfortable. That's all for now. And if you have any questions I will answer as many as I can at the beginning of each chapter.
Thank you for your time
Deoxys'sNightmare out
