Little Hero Persona

by The Swordslinger

When terror spreads in The Nightmare and heroes can't fight villains, there is always a part of them to face fear itself. One boy may make a difference when he makes a contract with a mysterious voice. "I am thou, thou art I. You who finally sees through the darkness for the sake of others shall receive the power to protect your loved ones… and crush evil without mercy!"

1. Facing Fear

I OWN NOTHING

Persona 5 and My Hero Academia, stories about teenagers fighting great evil to achieve their goals and grasp their future. Need I say more of why this had to come bite the deepest, sweatiest part of my ass?

Warning: as it is customary of Persona games, the protagonist is a blank slate avatar that lets the players – or readers in this case – see the world around them through interactions with the NPCs. Though this chapter is the intro, and Persona intros have the MCs kick some ass. Yes, it's an OC, but I'll pair him with either another OC – this one being the Velvet Room resident – or I may surprise you… Nah, I'm not smart enough.

XXXXXX

An empty classroom, a single seat set to Japanese standards, and two people behind the teacher's desk. On the blackboard was a welcoming sign drawn with chalk. There was only one student, a middle-school boy about half a year from graduating staring blankly at the two… beings before him. He would have called them people, but something unnatural told him they were anything but.

"Oh, it would seem we have a dedicated teacher's pet!" Said a soft female voice from a girl two or, at most, four years younger than him.

Staring at the people behind the desk, the lonely figure found an old, rather creepy looking man with a softly smiling girl standing by his side, both giving the youth a very welcoming stare.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." the man said with a melodic and soothing voice.

He was dressed in a simple three-piece black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. His black eyes looked as though they are attempting to pop out from their sockets past his foot-long nose. Grey hair adorned messily the sides of his bald head and behind his pointy ears. It was like staring at a mixture of bat, mosquito and man that added to the creepiness. His near-literally face-splitting smile didn't help either.

"The state of this room says a lot about you, our dear student." The girl giggled. "I am your class representative, so I'll take good care of you along my master, your teacher."

"My name is Igor, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. This is my assistant Marianne," Igor gestured with a gloved hand toward the pale girl to his side that looked no older than twelve.

She had to be in her very early-teens with her slender frame, dressed in a black school skirt, a dark blue blouse with a yellow scarf, and blue knee-length boots. Her neck-length hair was platinum white and pulled back with a massive, bolt-shaped bang covering the right half of her cute heart-shaped face. She nodded to the youth with a faint smile and he noticed her yellow eagle eyes glowing as she held a riding crop.

"We're going to make sure you're a proper student." Marianne giggled as she smacked one of her hands with the tip, "Now approach the teacher, you're being very uncooperative by not greeting him properly."

For some reason, he feared what she'd do with that crop whip, so the youth walked up to Igor, who then pulled out a deck of cards from seemingly out of nowhere. And just to make things weirder, the old man's hands moved in a single motion that had all cards move like magic. In the end, he had several cards set before him and the teen, who could only stare like a person in the most bizarre of dreams.

"You need to learn that this realm exists between dreams and reality, mind and matter." The long-nosed teacher explained, "And here we hope to teach you all you need to succeed in this world. Ruin is a fate that returns to it, yet students who dedicate themselves can change destiny itself. Your obligations as student are to become a better person each day, to struggle to improve, or else your future will escape you."

"Which means you must become a good teacher's pet." Marianne grinned widely, aiming her crop at the youth, "Worry not, this is all your choice. If you accept our system and methods, you may learn how to change the world where you are a laughable idiot. Forge a contract with us, and see if you have what it takes to choose your own destiny. Fail, and I won't have any mercy whipping you into shape."

Seeing a clipboard on the teacher's desk, the student took it and signed his name…

"Joe Brown…"

"Brown… Brown!"

A sharp pain to the forehead awoke a young man in a black Japanese high school coat which was opened to show a pink t-shirt, the school's regulated black pants, white sneakers, and a pair of yellow aviator glasses. The strike had been strong enough to send his head rocketing back. Black wavy hair was combed backwards, and his face was best described as uninteresting and unremarkable, yet not unappealing. Being 5'5" he was even more unremarkable if not for the fact he needed the shades due to a Quirk that was more like a curse: night vision.

"Go stand in the hallway!" the teacher barked.

"Serves him right." some student snickered, "Thinking he's all special for being a foreigner."

"He's such a weirdo, too. You'd think he'd have said anything to someone by now, right?"

"Ain't he mute?"

"Nah, he can talk, he's just weird."

Ignoring the voices, Joe stood at the hall, sighing as he massaged his face with a hand. As he did, his other sneaked into a pocket in his pants to pull out a pamphlet for the prestigious UA. His face remained as the definition of stoic while he browsed through the faces of the heroes that supported it. Bored and with nothing better to do, he crumbled it into a paper and looked around for a trash can to throw it at.

"W-Wait!" The sudden yelp made Joe walk to the window and look down. It was his last class, but some kids from the other class were let out earlier. He wasn't surprised to see who was being bullied, or the ones bullying him. Despite recently getting to Japan, there was no mistaking a narcissistic bully, especially someone like the obvious leader of the group.

"What gives you the right to think you're so special, Deku?" the boy talking was blond with a mane of wild, spiky ashy hair, red narrow eyes that were best described as psychotic, and a very evil smirk. He at least wore his uniform properly unlike Joe.

The other boy trembling as a notebook of his was kept out of his reach was smaller, had freckles, a cool pair of red short boots, and a frizzy mane of untamed spinach colored hair, "But I really want to be a hero!" he cried, and that was his mistake as the blond was about to incinerate his notebook with an explosion from his palms.

But with the projectile ready and good luck, a certain crumbled pamphlet hit the bully on the back of the head, distracting him enough for the green haired teen to grab his notebook and run off, "The Hell!? Who- Dammit! Get back here, Deku!"

Try as he may, the blond couldn't get the salad haired kid when the boy turned a corner and hid, making the spectacled teen stare in silent relief. His reward? When the teacher found him standing near the wall, he had another chalk ready to throw at him on the back of the head. That, combined with a long rant of why he should try to be a better student and follow the path of discipline weren't a good reward. But if it meant a poor kid had been saved from a bully, then that was good enough.

Walking back to his room after his ears stopped buzzing from the monotone speech was nearly relaxing after that. At least until he found a crowd on his way through a busy shopping street. The cops had closed all access to the area, and thus he was forced to take another route. Not a fun time, but with little homework and most of it done, he was willing to waste some time walking around.

Or he would have, had he not heard something, "That's him!" yelled a student behind him, and thus he was face to face with the bully from before.

"Oi Shades!" the blond grinned and approached him with his hands in his pockets, which Joe mimicked, "Were you eavesdropping earlier?"

He said nothing, just a silent stare which angered the teen.

"Speak up, shithead!" the bully kicked a random trash can, but it didn't scare the silent teen who was looking for a way to leg it.

"He's that British student, Katsuki." One of the lesser bullies told him, "He's weirder than Deku. Hell, he's a freak all on his own. And his Quirk's shit from what I've heard."

"Then let us be good senpai and teach him a lesson." Katsuki approached him, "Listen up shit munch, in this world there are few people who have what it takes to be heroes. What you did was stupid. Trying to save Deku and picking a fight with me? Yeah, smart choice. Tell me, what's your Quirk like? Can it save you from getting your face burnt to ash?"

Joe replied with a soft Cockney accent, "Your Japanese's too hard to understand."

"Don't lie." Another bully taunted, "Your Japanese's pretty good if you can say that, not to mention you don't go to any of those special classes for foreigners to speak it."

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Joe took a step back and the bullies followed, "What're you gonna do now?" Katsuki asked with a smirk, his palms generating small explosions.

Just as he tried to write another answer, a voice made everyone stiffen up, "You! You're the perfect body I need!"

Everyone screamed and ran off apart from Joe and Katsuki, the former knocked flat on his ass by an unseen force, and the second grabbed by it, "What the! Let me go, you f-"

Looking up in shock, Joe found Katsuki being swallowed by a villain, a slime Quirk user that was using the blond boy's body like a skeleton, covering him like an armor. Feeling his ribs bruise and with his shades a bit cracked, he had trouble doing anything. The sunlight was getting to his eyes, and the pain was too much. However, seeing Katsuki try to fight and light up his palms, the adrenaline made him roll away.

A loud explosion burnt the place he had been at, along the establishment that was fortunately closed. While no one was injured, things started to get out of hands as Katsuki kept trying to fight back and break free. Explosions everywhere, and Joe had no chance to run. His ribcage was too sore, he feared he had broken a couple of ribs, and then he saw it… Katsuki was afraid.

"Kyahahahah!" the slime monster cackled, "This feels great! Not only have I gotten a new body, but I will soon reach it! I can do it! I can become stronger than All Might! With this kid as my puppet, I can! Ahahah!"

Joe tried to hide as the chaos escalated, standing behind a burnt counter from another establishment that Katsuki blew up in his attempts to escape. And soon, heroes arrived. However, the streets were too small, fires started to appear, and none of them had the necessary Quirk to fight off the villain and get Katsuki out. A feeling of dread, powerlessness overwhelmed everyone. They all wished to see a hero…

"Kacchan!"

And, to Joe's shock, the hero was the bullied kid from before. Without a second's hesitation, he ran and held on to Katsuki, trying to set him free… Thus, the three were sucked into a really bizarre adventure.

"You damn… shitty brat!" the villain roared in a deeper, demonic voice!

What Joe, Katsuki and the newly arrived hero saw was a darkness unlike anything they had seen before. The entire street was submerged in it, and while heroes tried to keep the fires at a minimum and keep civilians back, things were getting odder as the villain's body started to grow. Joe gasped as the two boys were sucked into it, the mass changing as everyone observed it become something else.

"That is… The Nightmare…" a skeletal man whispered behind the crowd, too shocked for words, "We got to get everyone out, even the heroes! They won't be able to h-" he coughed blood, holding his pained chest.

"What is this!?" one of the firefighting heroes yelled.

Some of the heroes were confused, "What's happening? Where did the villain and those kids go?"

"Can't you see it!?"

"Where?"

The Nightmare.

Joe stared in horrified awe at the scene before him. The villain grew and soon his mass changed into something more solid yet still malleable. Eyes popped out of its arms, a helmet covered its head with spikes on it, and soon it took form as a gigantic version of itself. What was truly horrifying was to see Katsuki and the other boy frozen into statues on its stomach, their bodies of petrified stone giving it strength.

What Joe was looking at was a two-story tall monstrosity, until he heard a voice, "What's the matter?" a rich baritone male voice asked him out of thin air before his head throbbed in pain.

The skeletal man from before yelled at him, "Get away from there, boy! Run!" he tried to warn the heroes too, "All heroes, you better retreat too! That darkness isn't natural! The villain has turned itself invisible!" he was lying, but it was the best he could do, 'If this matter becomes public, panic will make The Nightmare spread easier. The true power of fear is overwhelming… Am I really this powerless…?'

"Yes!" the blob monster cackled as everyone stepped back in horror, "This is real… My body, my power, everything I have… The world is finally mine to take! I shall become a Shadow, I will bring The Nightmare everywhere, and no one will be able to stop m… huh?" he turned to the shocked Joe, who backpedaled until he hit a wall behind him, "Look what we have here, another snack…"

Shaking, he heard the voice again, accompanied by sharper pain, "Stand up!" it yelled furiously at him, the headache turning into a migraine that had him fall on his knees, clutching his head "What good are you if they suffer!? What can you do for your own future if you let evil be unpunished!? What will happen if you avert your eyes from crime!? If you're willing to let life be wasted, then that boy's sacrifice will be for naught!"

Forcing himself on his knees, Joe took off his shades, his eyes piercing through the darkness as they glowed yellow, "What's the matter? Too scared to fight back?" the villain taunted him, opening his maw which turned into a sharp set of blades instead of teeth.

But he could only look at the frizzy haired boy, the one that had the guts to do something, "If there are people like him willing to do the right thing, what is your excuse!? Would you let that flame go extinct!? Or would you fight to protect those within your reach from the cruelties of this world even if you are to face Hell itself!?"

Gritting his teeth at the pain, Joe spoke once, "Give me your power…"

The voice seemed pleased, "Hmph, very well. To stop true evil, let us forge a contract." The pain increased tenfold, causing Joe to yell as it nearly cracked open his head, "I am thou, thou art I. You who finally sees through the darkness for the sake of others shall receive the power to protect your loved ones… and crush evil without mercy!"

And the pain exploded not in his head, but his chest with something poking right through it as heroes started to force the civilians to escape, the skeletal man from before watched it all with shock, "What is this? This isn't a Quirk. I feel at ease… No. This thing that I feel is the hope someone has when a hero arrives…"

Joe fell to his knees, a rod sticking out of his chest and causing him intense pain. Without thinking twice, he gripped it and pulled, blood spurting everywhere as he yanked it and pulled out a sword! As blood sprayed everywhere on the floor, the red handle, double-edged three-foot long blade, and simple guard showed a real weapon. Despite that, after pulling it out there was no wound on his chest or a rip on his t-shirt.

While that happened, things escalated around him as well. The villain had been blown back by an unseen force, unseen until Joe heard the voice again. Behind him was a demonic knight clad in a black cloak that flowed in the wind like the grim reaper. It wore a white breastplate shaped like a ribcage and a matching skull helmet. He had no legs, just his cloak flapping in the wind, while its arms were bone-like gauntlets. On his left hand was a ram skull the size of Joe's body as its shield, and on its right a pitch-black broadsword which blade was covered in thorns like a rose.

"I am the protector of dreams and executioner of nightmares, Aries!" he declared proudly before turning to Joe. "Look at your enemy and understand their evil. Judge justly and find a fitting punishment. Turn your hatred for their cruelty and selfish ways into justice!"

Joe gave the villain a smirk as he rolled up his coat's sleeves up to his elbows, azure flames floating around him as they took form, "W-What the Hell is that!? Those shits never said anything about this!"

Smirking wider, Joe walked forward as the villain stood taller than him and the knight, before he screamed at them, "Doesn't matter what Quirk this is, you can't harm me! You won't harm me!"

Aries was unfazed, "Teach him the error of his ways! Control your rage and unleash it against this fiend!"

Hearing that was music to Joe's ears, who commanded Aries mentally. His sword pulsed with energy, which in turn spun around its length into a deadly drill that it rammed into the villain, hurting and stunning him.

"W-What!? The Hell!? I actually felt that!" he cried, knocked down.

"Show true might to the unjust and make them regret their evil! Swing your blade!"

As Aries commanded, Joe raced at the villain and swung down his sword, making him yelp again as a large gash appeared on him body, yet it didn't close, "Y-You little shit!" he cursed as Joe kicked him on the face to force the villain up before swinging his sword down again to leave another slash on his body.

"This power of mine is yours to vanquish the fear growing inside the hearts of the innocent, use it as you see fit!"

Rearing back a slimy fist, the villain hit the knight. Aries put up his shield, but Joe felt his own left arm aching from the strength that pushed Aries back, as if he had been the one to stop the hit. Not only that, but the opened palm with flames sparkling on it spelled bad news for both. Without thinking twice, Joe put up his guard as Aries also blocked with his shield. The explosion did hurt, though.

Panting slightly, Joe knew it was time to end it as Aries did. Aries struck directly into the villain's body, splitting it in two and freeing the boys trapped inside. But before anyone could celebrate, the still conscious villain grabbed the frizzy haired boy by his petrified head.

"You want him!? Keep this useless powerless brat!" and threw the boy at Joe.

Without thinking, he extended his arms and caught the statue and braced himself for impact. The strike was strong enough to send him and the petrified student flying back, crashing through a store's window. Aries vanished after his body shook like he also received the strike, leaving the villain enough time to charge into another store and try to escape.

Joe got up as quickly as he painfully could, his body aching everywhere and his head feeling heavy. In doing so, cracking sounds reached his ears until, much to his surprise, the statue on top of him shattered. Much to his immense relief, the green haired boy from before was breathing properly, and looking quite shocked. Both got up, the salad-haired teen looking around.

"K-Kacchan… the villain…" he whispered before turning to Joe, "Hey, I remember you. You're that foreign student who moved here a couple months ago… Joe, right?" said boy nodded, "I'm Midoriya Izuku, and this will sound weird, but… you saved me, right?" he gave him another nod, "I guess I should have guessed…"

The defeated look in his eyes made Joe pity Midoriya, but he was surprised when he clenched his fists and stared him in the eye.

"Tell me, is Kacchan all right?" his question made Joe look down, "I… I see." He swallowed hard, "Then where is he? And can we help him?"

Observing Izuku, Joe felt tempted to shake his head and tell him to go home, but seeing his determination to save his friends made him feel like he lacked the guts to do so. If only he could be bold enough…

"Wait, why is it so dark here!?" Izuku gasped and started looking around, "And where is everyone? The streets were crowded a moment ago."

As the boy said, Joe could see that no soul could be seen. It was as if in a mere second the sun had vanished. Nighttime in Japan was never an issue with the neon lit streets of many of its cities, but not even a single lamp post illuminated their way. Perhaps it worked for the best, Joe thought, with his Quirk it felt like it was clear as day and he could see more details than with his shades protecting his eyes from any light.

Especially the sword still in his hand and what kind of shop they were in. While Izuku started to go from one corner of the street to the other, Joe rummaged through the destroyed store and grabbed a couple things. Once the salad head returned, he arched a brow at what the silent boy was holding. On one hand was a small handgun, and on the other a revolver.

"What're you…" Izuku shook his head, "Y-You can't be serious. I have never used a gun before, not even in videogames."

Spinning the handgun in one hand, he put it on Izuku's hand, and the boy swallowed some spit.

"Okay, I guess that since I don't have a Quirk, I may as w- Wait, this is a model gun!"

His statement made Joe finally examine his gun and see that it, indeed, wasn't loaded with bullets but had a magazine to shoot small plastic pellets.

"Well… They could confuse him for us to get Kacchan safe…"

That didn't sound like a bad idea, Joe thought as he nodded at Izuku and motioned for him to follow. But not before noticing a nearby lead pipe sticking out from one of the walls and yanking it off to hand Izuku a weapon. Holding it and giving it a few experimental swings, the green head nodded and the two chased after the villain in The Nightmare.

XXXXXX

But in the same street, everyone was shocked beyond belief.

"Where'd they go!? The kids are gone too!"

"Didn't you see the villain turn into monster!?"

"I'm so confused, it turned dark a second ago!"

The skeletal man clenched his teeth, "It's like that day… The Nightmare, what is it? And why could that boy fight in it? Even Young Midoriya remained in it until he disappeared." He tried to think of a reasonable and simple answer, but none came, "Like a true nightmare, it's a world where one can't enter unless they subject themselves to unmeasurable fear. Be safe, boys."

Back inside the dark realm, Izuku was glad that his partner had the ability to see in the dark and guide them through destroyed walls in search for Katsuki and the villain.

Conversation would be nice, though, "What a day… There's been too many rushes for me in a single afternoon. What about you?"

He gave the salad head a dismissive wave of the hand.

"Hey, that thing that appeared behind you… It can't be your Quirk, right?" he felt rude asking that, so he hastily explained himself, "I-It just didn't feel natural! Normally, I can try to deduce a Quirk and get a rough sketch of what it can do in a few seconds, but that was beyond that! Considering you already have a Quirk… C-Could it be something else?"

Joe could only shrug.

Izuku sighed, "Yeah, I could tell you were surprised. Even trapped in there like a statue, I saw it…" he shuddered, "It felt cold, and like I was being robbed of… life. He was really trying to take my power, even if I-"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the bland little snack!" the taunting voice was unmistakable at that point.

They looked up to a hole that lead to a second floor where the villain sat on top of mannequins with Katsuki still trapped inside him. As he cackled, sparks of fire appeared in his slimy palms.

"Let Kacchan go!" Izuku yelled as he and Joe got ready for a fight.

"Huh… Got guts, don't you?" the villain mocked him, and both teens knew something was going to go south. "You don't understand, do you!? I'm the big boss of this place! In here there's none mightier than I!"

Suddenly, the ground around the two teens turned pitch black, shadows taking form and taking form, gaining mass, and becoming odd monsters. A dozen floating pumpkin heads with Halloween faces carved on them held lanterns on one hand, and laughed with pointy witch hats and matching cloaks. The surrounded Joe, paying Izuku no mind. With no choice, the silent teen summoned Aries as the Pyro Jacks attacked.

Aries managed to nail one in the face, but it cackled as its lantern lit up before it shot a fireball at the teen. Yelping in pain, Joe staggered back with a nasty burn on his right arm. Izuku grabbed the pipe tightly and rushed at one, swinging with all his might… And it did nothing.

"What!?" he exclaimed in shock, and tried hitting them again, but the pipe just kept phasing through them, "N-No… What are these things!?"

"Keep trying, this is getting fun!" the villain crowed madly and Joe and Aries kept trying to deal with the other Jacks, but it was no use.

Sadly, even Izuku could see how bad the situation was, "Run, there's too many!" Joe wanted to do so, but the Jacks attacked one after another. He managed to strike one, but another smacked him on the face with his lantern. Izuku grew horrified as Aries tried to protect the boy while he remained where he was, trying to think of what to do.

"What's this?" the villain cackled, "Afraid? Hah! Can't blame you! After all, who'd fight being as weak as you!? No Quirk, no strength… Frankly, that kid did me a favor getting you out of me. Now I have space for him, and once I digest these two, I'll be unstoppable!"

As Joe kept getting smacked by lanterns while flailing around to get the flying pumpkin monsters, he watched Izuku tremble at the villain's words before he fell to his knees. As they kept swarming around him, striking at once, Joe also fell face down, Aries disappearing. Gasping for breath, the silent boy watched the villain move through the Jacks, approaching him and ignoring Izuku for a moment.

"I… I can't do anything right, can I…?" the green head's words echoed in the empty store. Fear overwhelmed him, his body trembling, "I'm useless, aren't I? I can't even protect myself here…"

The villain couldn't help but amuse himself again, "What did you expect?" he extended his hands, explosions flashing in them, "With this power at my fingertips, I am king! The Nightmare will devour you, weakling! Heh hahahaha! What's it feel like to see this trash die because of you!? If only you didn't try to get involved, he may not have even be here. Then again, Blondie here would've still been a good snack!"

As he laughed louder, Izuku bowed his head, balling his hands into fists, "N-No… I… I just wanted to help but now… I'm sorry… I-I'm so-"

Joe did something he hadn't done in a while, talk, and his next words were carefully chosen, "Are you going to give up?"

Something in those words, memories of past events on that day, and a determination that he had felt when he acted without thinking for another's sake came back to Izuku.

Despite his shaky legs, he got up, "No…" he narrowed his eyes and held the pipe tighter, "A hero… I want to be a hero, after all… What…" he turned furious, "What was I thinking!? I can't just back down because the fight's unfair! No hero would do that, even less now when what matters is to stand and fight!"

"Have you lost it!?" the villain cackled, aiming his palms at Izuku, "I'll just blast you away!"

And even if his legs still shook, Izuku took a step forward and yelled at the villain, "I don't want to cower when someone needs help! I will face you! If I don't, who else will!? That's the kind of hero I want to be!"

Then, he too heard a voice, a melodious deep male voice, "How long did you plan on staying still?" it asked, Izuku's eyes flashing yellow as pain shot through his head, yet he stepped forward, "Have you had enough!? Or will you stop running away from a fight!? Shall you finally race towards your goal!? Will you chase after what you desire!? Tell me now, then! Do so and never stop running!"

Blood dripped from Izuku's knuckles, but he ground his teeth as he replied, "I hear you…" azure flames erupted around him, sending the Jacks flying back, "I want to reach out for my dreams!"

"Very well!" the voice in his head was proud as Izuku dropped the pipe and clutched his head, "Let us forge our contract swiftly! I am thou, thou art I… You who shall finally go full throttle towards whatever your heart desires, to stop fearing the road ahead, and to take the world as if it were yours, pierce through the heavens like an arrow!"

Growling from the deepest part of his throat, Izuku slammed his fists together, blood red steel gauntlets appearing on his arms, "Rev your engine, Sagittarius!"

Rumbling from an engine echoed in the empty building, accompanied by a towering being as big as Aries riding a motorcycle fit for him. The bike was based off a Harley Davidson, but it had massive exhaust pipes which had flames coming out of them, a red paintjob, and the front was an ornament of a horse head with its mouth opened. When the rider revved it up, the Jacks and villain were sent flying back.

The rider was a blue-skinned oni with the mother of all pompadours proudly combed on his head with two horns at the sides. He was dressed in black tobi shoes and a white long-tailed jacket, with matching pants. His jacket was open, showing off his strong physique. He also had two scars across his face that cross, resembling an X, that met at his mouth, and a white headband with the rising sun painted on it.

And it singlehandedly carried a large crossbow with steel wings for the bow part, which it aimed at the Jacks, "This brat too!?"

Breathing deeply, Izuku clenched his gauntleted hands and helped Joe stand up, he smiled at the silent teen, "For a second the fear made me forget why I wanted to be a hero, but you reminded me. Thank you."

Joe smiled and the two stood tall and ready for battle, "Doesn't matter, my little pets will cook you well for me to digest you brats easier!"

Izuku glared, "Don't think I'm unable to fight just because I used to be afraid. Even if Kacchan can be a jerk, I'm not leaving him behind." Sagittarius revved his bike louder, "Let's rock, Sagittarius!"

On his command, Sagittarius fired off a rain of arrows. The projectiles not only hit the Jacks, it struck them with critical damage and left them toppled on the ground. Seeing the troublesome Shadows that gave them a hard time and the villain cowering behind them, the two teens grinned at one another before jumping for an all-out attack!

Jumping and dashing around, the two delivered swift and deadly strikes at their enemies for massive damage before retreating and, just like typical heroes, posing. Since Izuku was the one that started and finished the fight, he got to shine by punching the air at his side twice, then moving an extended arm upwards in an arc and punching forward with a smirk. He was inspired by one of his favorite heroes, Kamen Rider Black. One could almost see the background changing into an image of the ocean with the sun setting and the words, "My race to be number one is just starting!" in colorful letters.

With his defenses gone, the villain tried to keep his act by shouting, "You damn, no-good, shitty brats don't know who you're dealing with! Did you forget I have a hostage!?"

Joe threw gave the villain evidence that mercy was out the window with a soft, "So what?"

"If you harm Kacchan, we'll make sure you can't run away from your crimes." Izuku told him seriously, Sagittarius and Aries taking aim, "Either face justice from the heroes in our world, or face our own."

Joe smiled as both took out their model guns, pointing them at the villain to keep him where he was and hoping he didn't notice they were just decent replicas.

But things could never be easy, "You little shits!" he roared, bringing up his head and swinging his hands around, "I'll blow you to kingdom come and devour you!" Instinctively, they pulled the triggers of their guns, and were as shocked as the villain that real bullets shot out and harmed him! "G-Gah! Wa-Wait! We can t-talk this out!"

As the villain begged, the two were brought back to reality and turned to one another, Izuku asking, "What do you say?"

Joe gave him a thumb down, and the two stepped forward, Aries and Sagittarius right behind them for another all-out attack. If anyone at a ten-foot radius were to see what was happening, they'd see a large cloud of smoke and parts of the teens and villain flying around it. All the while the villain was getting beaten badly by the boys and the beings that came to their aid. When it was over, it was Joe's turn to pose by sliding his thumb across his throat and them use the same hand to give the beaten villain a thumb down and a large smirk. Behind him, the background turned gray with jagged red letters reading, "Judgement is over!"

When it was all over, the villain was knocked out and lying as a puddle, the Katsuki statue rested on the floor, and soon the darkness around the two started to vanish. Both gasped when their weapons, the sword and armor, also vanished like smoke before Joe hissed when the light returned, his night vision burnt his eyes. Seeing this, Izuku looked around and was happy that the store they ended up in had a nearby stash of shades, and a set identical to the ones the silent teen wore.

"Here, night vision, right? I heard about it, but… um…" Once the light wasn't burning him, the two finally took in where they were, "Uh… hi?"

There were police officers, heroes, and none other than the muscular, towering All Might in casual clothes standing before them. The store they were in was pretty much going to be rebuilt from the ground up.

"What just happened?" the new heroine sensation Mt. Lady, a blonde beauty with a skin-tight outfit and shamelessness, asked in shock, "The store was just moving as if ghosts were attacking it, and then you…"

"Like a random civilian said, the villain turned invisible." All Might lied, "There's been reports of this happening before, but for now I'd like to talk with these children about what happened. After they receive proper medical attention, of course."

XXXXXX

Feeling bad for Izuku may be something recurring, Joe thought when he saw some heroes chewing him out for trying to save Katsuki. The blond, though, was getting praised for his Quirk as some other heroes were interested in making him their sidekick. For his part, he was just seen as a random victim dragged into the fray without a choice. But whenever each of the three looked at another, there was a look.

All three knew what had happened, since Izuku and Katsuki had been conscious and aware as the villain tried to devour them. Only they could tell what happened in that battle, and all of them had a nagging feeling that the number 1 hero did too. Looking at him said enough, the way he forced his smile more to make it seem like everything was alright before he had to leave. He just left an address and date for each.

At the high school dorms, Joe sat on his room's bed with the card in his hands, staring at it blankly before looking at the clock. Seeing that the sun was about to set, he stood up, grabbed a pair of white slacks and his pink t-shirt, and left. A few bus rides later and he found himself at a beach filled to the brim with trash, junk covering nearly every square inch of sand.

"Ah!" he turned to see Izuku, "Brown-san, have you seen Katsuki?"

The boy shook his head.

"I see, then…" the freckled boy bowed deeply, "Thank you." He bowed again, "For your help, for your kind words… Thank you."

Joe rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

After a pause, though, "Hey…" Izuku fretted, "What happened back there was insane, right? No hero I know of has an ability like this, or could have. Those… Personas… They were something else, they came because they were a part of ourselves. A part that had to face fear no matter what… At least, that's what I think."

Joe nodded in approval of the theory.

Izuku grinned, "Thanks, but you heard what All Might said about this happening before, right?" Joe nodded again, "Then, if we have this powers we sh- no, we must do something. We need to find out why this goes on and no one but All Might seems aware, and fight those villains. If that place, The Nightmare, allows villains to use fear like that, then we need to do something so no one goes through what Kacchan and I did."

He extended Joe a hand, which the silent teen grinned at and replied with a shake.

He could feel Izuku's determination burning… and heard a pleasant female voice in his head.

I am thou, thou art I… A bond between those who seek greatness in facing their fears has been forged

With the birth of the Magician Arcana, you have acquired a new weapon to destroy the fear plaguing this world

RANK UP!

Magician: Midoriya Izuku.

Rank 1: Massive Nerd - gives you information and deep analysis of enemies you face once.

XXXXXX

And that's my rap!

As you can see, I've been having fun with Persona 5 – along Breath of the Wild which is eating my free time like Raiden eats children's livers. Making this for fun was something I wanted to do. I may let someone be a beta-writer if it becomes too much or I need the help. Seeing how many fics I have, I may have to start recruiting beta writers for some of them. I'll think on it, though, so don't get your hopes up.

Now, the reason I wanted to make this. Persona is a series that relishes on making you interact with characters so you can grow to love them, and My Hero Academia has plenty of characters I wish got more time to shine. One of my fics tried to do this, but I'll admit that adding OCs was a double-edged sword there, so I'll keep it to just one for him to be the one to interact with the MHA cast.

Worry not, as I've said the silent – or rather near silent – MC will be paired with Marianne, the Velvet Room resident. I did feel tempted to pair him with Mina Ashido or Mei Hatsume, but kicked my own ass to try to avoid making it too self-insert-y. I know, he's designed to be a Persona MC, but making an OC go with a harem route or be with a canon character would leave a bad aftertaste.

Before I leave you, here:

BIOS:

Joe Brown

Arcana: The Fool – New beginnings, purity and open-hearted energy of a child.

Description: A British student whose parents sent abroad to make him a proper hero.

Persona: Aries, a mysterious knight that despises nightmares and was born to destroy evil.

Midoriya Izuku

Arcana: Magician – Using one's power to make a difference in their life and in the greater world if one makes a point to try.

Description: Fan of heroes and their selfless actions, he works harder than anyone to be the hero he dreams to be.

Persona: Sagittarius, a demonic rider who shoots through any road like an arrow to reach his goals.

Swordslinger out!