I had to admit, I thought dying would be… Different.

Not sure exactly what I expected, maybe something to do with white fluffy clouds and a couple of golden gates. Some old guy with a giant book waiting to see if I was accepted into heaven or not.

Instead I got…

Blackness.

At least for the moment.

I should be scared, but I think the very fact that I was still able to think that meant there was probably more to this than I thought.

Maybe I wasn't really dead?

What killed me, anyways…?

I felt like I should remember this…

I still felt my body, even if the thing itself felt weightless. Like I was floating.

It was kind of nice, I imagined this is what astronauts felt like.

Now if only I could see…

My eyes were open, but it was all black. There was no light coming to my eyes.

Honestly, I wondered if this really was what death was.

God I hoped not.

Speaking of god, I wondered if I'd get to meet him… Or her, or whatever.

Was there even a god, or was it just this void?

I'd probably go insane if it was just me floating all by myself for the rest of eternity…

Oh well, I guess there was nothing left to do but float here for the moment.

Yep, float weightless in the voi-

CRASH

Suddenly I felt my body regain the weight it had lost and hit a solid surface, I let out an audible grunt of pain as I went to sit up, my eyes had shut at the pain but I went to open them again rather quickly, "What the hell?"

I heard giggling coming from behind me, clearly feminine. I staggered to my feet, groaning as I felt very confused and disoriented. "Who the- You know this isn't funny, whoever you are!"

"Sure it is! At least, I think so."

I turned towards the source of the voice to reply, but it died in my throat when I saw them.

It was a woman, sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, looking rather smugly at me. Her long blonde hair cascaded down the white robes she was wearing, and her eyes were a breath-taking bright blue.

"Caught ya staring."

I suddenly realized I had indeed been staring, and blinked quickly, looking away, "Sorry. Are you-"

"God? Well, one of them at least. Sorry about the wait, I had to check on some things before I could go forward with this."

"Oh that's fine I- Wait, one of them?"

She sighed and gained an annoyed expression on her face, like she'd been asked this question a thousand times before. "Yes, one of them. There's a lot of gods. Come on, I know your world has like this huge monotheistic thing, but is it that hard to believe?"

I scratched my cheek, looking away, "Well, I guess not. Especially if you're telling me. So, I did die. How?"

"You seriously don't remember?" The goddess looked surprised, "I guess putting you in limbo really did screw with your memories. It's kind of obsolete, we don't use it unless its in a special occasion. Anyways-"

She snaps her fingers, a chair appears across from her, with a desk in front of her, so it was like we had a little interview going on in the void.

I went to sit down without prompt, wondering if this was some sort of review of my life before I got sent off to the afterlife or whatever.

"You're both right and wrong about that, by the way." The goddess says out of nowhere.

"You can read my thoughts?" I ask, only mildly surprised.

"Yep! Pretty easy for me. Anyways, let me explain how you died so we can get on to the rest of why you're here right now."

A manilla folder appears on her desk, she opens it and begins to leaf through some papers inside of it, before stopping and reading one for a second, "Here it is. Right, says here you died tackling a mall shooter, apparently they had a knife and stabbed you in the neck. Bummer! Although, you did distract them long enough for the police to close in on them."

I leaned back, blinking in dull surprise, "So… I died a hero?" My voice posed the question softly, barely above a whisper.

The blonde goddess nods, "Yeah, I think so. That's what everyone is going to see you as anyways. Anyways, you're… Alex Davidson, American, College student… You were Nineteen at the time of your death. No real infractions on your record it looks like, but aside from that bit of heroism, nothing too good either. How do you think you lived your life?"

I reached up and ran my hand through my hair, "Well. I dunno. I guess I feel I didn't even really get to live it… I don't think I was a bad person, but I didn't get to do anything I wanted to do. You know?"

"Oh I know." She responds, grinning. Her teeth were as clean and white as they could be, "And I'm so glad you feel that way! Cause I have a special offer for you. Literally once in a lifetime!"

I blinked a few times, "So… I'm not gonna go to heaven, or hell, or whatever?"

She loses her grin and frowns, "Oh come on. You don't wanna go to heaven, it's so boring! I mean, what's there to do besides sit around all day basking? And you wouldn't go to hell with a track record like yours, limbo was kinda made obsolete… No no, how would you like to be reincarnated… In another world?"

"So… Like the anime I used to watch?"

"Right! Well, not exactly. You're not going to get to go to some fantasy world, and like hell are you taking me with you! No, I have an offer to send you to one of those worlds, one I specifically picked out for you."

"And what would I be doing there, and which one?"

"Man, it's all questions and no fun with you is it? You know I'm sure a lot of people would be jumping for joy right now! This is the stuff of dreams!"

I frowned, realizing maybe I was being a bit too much of a downer. "Right, sorry… So, which one and what's the catch?"

She sighs, looking resigned about something, "Hmph, boy they sure picked out a real winner." She mutters, just loud enough for me to hear, before smiling, "Anyways! The catch isn't much. You'll find out when you get there. And as for what world? Well, you'll see that as well. I don't expect you to die a horrible death or something, we're giving you this chance to try and live out a full life! With a bit of challenge along the way as well. Think of it as a gift of sorts."

"Uhm, okay... " I responded skeptically, still not really sure how to feel about this, "I guess I'll accept?"

"Great! Oh- I should say, your old name isn't gonna fly in this world. I'll give you a new one. You'll still remember your old life, it's part of the catch. Wouldn't be fun otherwise! And uhm… What else, oh yeah! Money. Don't worry about that, I'll get you covered. Don't need you worrying about boring stuff like that! Frankly, you'll have much bigger problems on your hands with where I'm sending you!"

"Well, that's good about the money- Wait, what bigger problems?"

"Byeee! We'll be watching you!"

"Wait-" I try to talk as a bright blue beam comes down from the blackness above and begins to lift me up, "What bigger problems? I still have questions! This really seems like the worst way to start a new life! I don't even know where I'm going!"

"You worry too much! Just enjoy your new life! You'll get some information once you're there!"

I didn't have time to respond, however, as I felt as if I was being pulled apart rather painfully. Yet I couldn't scream, as everything went white and I lost all sense of where I was.

…..

...

..

BEEP BEEP BEEP

My hand instinctively reached out and lightly smacked the top of the alarm as I let out a tired groan.

Why did it feel like I'd been asleep for fifteen years?

I went to climb out of bed and ended up sliding off the bed and onto the wooden floor below, thankfully the covers cushioned my fall.

Well, that and the fall wasn't really far. A foot at most.

"Ugh…" I reached up and grabbed at what seemed to be a night stand, using it to anchor myself to a standing position.

Pulling myself up all the way, I finally manage to stand unassisted and rub my eyes, looking around the room.

Was it just me or was everything larger than it used to be?

Or did I get smaller?

I rubbed my head and groaned, before noticing that my hair was… A bit longer than I remembered it being. It wasn't going down my back or anything, but it was shaggy and, as I pulled down a piece of it over my eye… That hair color could not be natural.

It was blue! Not a dark blue or anything, it was a kind of dusty light blue. Then again… I guess given the circumstances of me being… Wherever I am, it wasn't that hard to imagine that this might be my natural hair color now.

I probably looked completely different than how I used to look. Which I honestly didn't know how to feel about. It's not like I was extremely attached to my looks or something, but… Would I really feel like myself, at least at first?

I guess I'd figure that out with time.

In the meantime, I looked around the room to try and get a lay of the land, to see just where I'd woken up.

The room seemed kind of sparse, actually. There were no decorations and the walls were painted white, there was a television set hung up on the wall, a desk with a computer on it, and a window with two blue curtains covering it.

The bed was plain as well, being about Queen size, so it wasn't lacking in space, covered with a dark blue comforter, white sheets, and similarly colored pillows. The sheets were half off the bed right now due to my mishap, but beyond that it looked relatively normal.

I'd have to do something about how plain this room is, I knew that already… Maybe it was left this way so I could outfit it?

The door leading out to my room had a letter pinned to it, so I walked over and took it off the thumbtack, reading it.

"Akio Okumura,

Like the new name? I just kind of picked one at random, well, I hope you like it at least, cause you're stuck with it!

Anyways, you've been landed in the world of that anime series, My Hero Academia. The council of gods figured it'd be a good enough place for you! And sufficiently enough of a challenge.

Now, you might be wondering what kind of Quirk you have, well. You've got something called Foresight. You can see into someone's future if you look them in the eyes and touch their head in some way while focusing.

Now, you might be saying that that's reaaaalll familiar, well don't worry! It is, and it's that way for a reason.

You might also be wondering why we didn't give you a really cool Quirk, like super strength or exploding hands or Spider powers, well there's a reason for that! I can't tell you specifically, but I can let you know that you won't have to worry about a boring quirk for very long!

Also before I explain some boring stuff, you'll notice things are a bit… Different than you remember. Not too much, but we couldn't have you just knowing everything that was gonna happen, so keep on your toes! That's half the fun of it.

Anyways, boring stuff. We've given you more than enough money than you'll ever possibly run out of, and given you this apartment to yourself. We figured giving you parents would be a bit much considering you just got separated from your old ones.

You'll have all the info you need to access your funds and the like on the back of this paper, so don't lose it until you remember everything! Then burn it, probably.

Anyways, you're not in my jurisdiction anymore, you're in some other god's territory, so this'll be the last time you hear from me more than likely.

Live a good life, Akio, and remember… Plus Ultra!"

The letter was a lot to take in.

So… I was living in a world based off one of my favorite shows. Not only that, but I had a Quirk, as small as it may be, and as… Familiar as it may be.

No parents, no need to worry about money… Just figuring out where I lived and how to get into UA.

Should be paradise, but I was honestly a bit skeptical of what she said.

Keep on my toes? That sounded more worrying than I wanted it to.

Not to mention that, while it is all well and good to watch something about heroes in training fighting villains and getting stronger, it sure as hell probably isn't going to be as much fun being a hero in training fighting villains and getting stronger.

Especially with the quirk that Ms. Goddess was telling me not to worry about being weak.

Yeah, I was sure to get into UA with a Quirk like this.

The General Studies course, maybe. Not that I wanted that in the slightest.

I'd find out sooner or later… For now, I turned the letter around and committed the information it gave me to memory as best I could, before folding it up and leaving it on my desk.

The computer I owned honestly looked really high end, more than anything I owned in my old life to be certain. I was sure I could play some games on this thing… Once I figured out what games existed.

Hell, with the amount of money Ms. Goddess said I had, I could probably live at home for the rest of my days, playing games and living like a shut-in.

Of course, I wasn't going to, as tempting as it was. This was a world of heroes and villains! Powers and Prestige! There was too much to see for me to waste my life in this place just because I could.

I could have been dropped in on the middle of the street for all I know about those 'gods' that dealt with me. At least they had the kindness to set me up so I didn't need to worry about minor things while going about my life. Like figuring out how to explain who I was.

I'd been given some sort of 'backstory' by Ms. Goddess to help me integrate into this world a bit easier, so I at least knew what I had to do with my life for the time being.

I am Akio Okumura, only son of a very rich hero duo that tragically met their end in a freak accident when trying to evacuate civilians from a burning building. A gas-line exploded and took both of them with it, leaving me with their money even if I wasn't of age yet. I go to Aldera Junior High, the same school as Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo, and am close to graduating.

They don't know me, at least not well, but I live relatively close to Midoriya, which was cool I supposed. It'd be interesting seeing him develop in real time…

I opted to check the date and time, to see if I had to worry about going to school.

6:00 AM on a Friday.

Of course I had to worry about repeating middle and high school all over again right away.

At least the prospective high school I hoped I'd end up at had an exciting hero course.

For now, though, it was time for middle school.

I checked my closet and found I had a uniform, so I took it and went to locate my shower.

Exiting my room, I found that my apartment was thankfully not horribly cramped.

It had a living room that went into a kitchen, with plenty of space to walk about, good if I ever had to entertain guests, and of course the bathroom wasn't hard to find, given that this apartment only had one bedroom and one bathroom, no extra rooms to be found.

Once I was in the bathroom, it was just a matter of getting out of the clothes I'd been put in when I arrived, showering myself, then getting out and drying before putting on the uniform.

I had to admit… It was strange. The black uniform was a far cry from the freedom of not wearing uniforms I'd had in middle and high school the first time around - Uniforms in general just weren't a thing for me growing up. So it felt a bit… Restrictive.

Guess it was just one of the many things I'd have to get used to now.

Once I was dressed, I headed out to my room again, grabbing the note and slipping it into my pocket, before poking around the room. I located my wallet and my phone, as well as my house keys. All things I'd need to carry with me.

I thought about making breakfast… I still remembered how, thank god. I could only imagine being dropped into a situation like this with little to no memory of anything that happened before hand.

That would be awful, I think. I'd pity anyone in that kind of situation.

Either way, I decided against breakfast. I figured I'd eat at school, no matter what the food tasted like. Besides, breakfast wasn't all that important of a meal in my experience.

With my mind made up, I headed for the door after slinging my backpack onto… Well, my back, either way I opened the door and stepped out into the open. I was a few floors up the stairwell, I could see clear out into the open, and one of the people I saw leaving was Izuku Midoriya.

I didn't know how to get to school, but based on the fact he was wearing the uniform as well, I figured I'd just… Walk with him, I wasn't sure how I'd go about talking to him, but… Well, you had to go with the flow when it came to this kind of thing.

I descended the steps and quickened my steps, Izuku looked like his head was in the clouds, or more specifically, his notebook. Likely that hero notebook of his. "Hey, Izuku!" I call out, "Wait up!"

Izuku perked up at hearing his name, turning to look at me and blinking, "Oh, hey Akio! What's up?"

I almost told him my name wasn't Akio out of reflex, but I stopped myself, instead I waved my hand, "Oh, nothing. Just figured you could… You know, use some company walking to school today."

Izuku looked surprised, but smiled a bright smile, "Oh, yeah, sure! I usually walk by myself, so it'll be nice to have someone with me for a change."

I guess Izuku still wasn't all that popular in school, that remained the same it seemed. Then again maybe he just didn't live close enough to anyone else. "Sounds good, let's get to it then, yeah?"

We started walking next to each other, although I was careful to watch where Izuku walked, so in a way I was subtly following him. "So, Izuku, last year of Middle School, eh? Got any plans after that? I know a lot of people are wanting to get into UA, myself included."

The green haired boy sighs, "Yeah, I hope I can make it. I mean, there are so many more impressive quirks than mine! I just hope whatever tests they throw at us can be solved by brain power and breathing fire."

To make his point clear, Izuku sighs out a small stream of fire, solidifying my shock.

It was hard for me to keep my surprise from being visible. So that was something that was different.

That was a major difference. Izuku had a quirk? That changed everything!

I think at least… I'd need to see how things would end up.

For now, I cleared my throat, "U-uh, well, you know. At least your quirk has combat application, what am I gonna do to an enemy? See their life story and future at them?"

Izuku scratched his cheek and laughed nervously, in a way that told me he was just remembering my quirk wasn't exactly aggressive, "W-Well, you can still hit things, and if that fails, maybe you could become some kind of interrogator or something? I know how much you want to be a Hero… Hey, maybe my notes will help you some!"

Deku tree proceeded to hold out his hero notebook, grinning, "I bet this will help you get an idea of how you can apply your quirk! I take notes on everyone!"

A look of surprise reached my face, "I-Izuku, are you sure? Isn't this like, precious to you or something?"

"Well, yeah! You can look it over while we're at school, and maybe we can talk about it when school's over?" He seemed eager at the prospective of getting to share his fascination with other heroes with someone, it was honestly kind of adorable.

Smiling, I took the outstretched notebook, "Thanks man. I'll read this in my downtime at school and we'll talk about it after class, on the way back home."

Izuku grinned and gave me a thumbs up, "Hey, no problem! Anything to help another prospective hero, you know?"

I kept my smile and held onto the journal, changing the subject, "Anyways, how're things? Everything going alright?"

He nods, "Yep! Nothing out of the ordinary with me, just working on getting more control over my quirk. I'm sure there's going to be people at the entrance exam for UA who've had professional help with their quirk, I don't really want that, so I'm trying my best with what I have."

Returning his nod, I offer him some encouragement, "Well hey, you've got fire breath. I'm sure once you've got that completely under control you can become a real strong hero, maybe someday I'll be seeing Izuku Midoriya merchandise, instead of All Might, eh?"

Izuku laughs, shaking his head, "I don't think I'll ever be as cool as All Might! All I have is fire breath. He's got super… Everything!"

"Just keep your chin up, I'm sure you'll get there some day."

After all, All Might would likely still give him One for All in this world - It was still the same Izuku, the same Deku. He deserved to be the number one hero more than anyone, in my opinion.

I just hoped I'd get to watch some of the action, maybe even participate a little bit.

….

…

The rest of the walk to school was filled with small talk between Izuku and I, mostly Izuku talking about All Might's latest save, and how he was apparently coming to town to work at UA. It had him over the moon - Hell, his enthusiasm made me a little excited as well. More so than I already was at the prospect of actually meeting All Might.

Something that seemed noteworthy to me was that we didn't encounter the same roadblock as before - There was no monster in the way, and Mount Lady didn't jump out of nowhere to steal the thunder.

I had to wonder about that, I hoped she still existed. I had to admit, a part of me wanted to see what she looked like up close…

Oh well, I guess there'd be time enough for that later.

Soon we arrived at school and got about starting class.

There was some subdued culture shock to all of this - It was thankfully very much still the kind of school I'd expect from watching the anime that I did, but there were slightly more subtle things that weirded me out a bit.

For example, something I never really knew was that the teachers were the ones who moved between classes in Japan, not the students.

That took a bit of adjusting to, but I found it easier as the day went by.

I sat closer to the back, just trying to avoid any real attention. Many of my classmates were… Weird. It was almost unnerving seeing all these quirks that change the body personally as opposed to viewing it on a show.

I guess I'd just get used to it, after all if I acted weirded out by all of this, I'd probably draw attention to myself, and I just wanted to observe to see what else was different.

Katsuki seemed the same, and his relationship to Izuku seemed the same as well, although Izuku was just a tiny bit bolder in defending himself when Katsuki started berating him. Not by much, though, I guess that had to do with Katsuki still having a vastly superior quirk to him.

The class seemed to pass normally - The only thing that seemed different was that it lacked Deku getting made fun of by the entire class for wanting to go to UA without a quirk.

Instead, something different happened.

After Katsuki finished his spiel about not being clumped up with the rest of the 'losers' the teacher piped up, "Say, Akio, you want to go to UA as well, don't you?"

Well, at least the class doesn't laugh at me like they did Deku in the show, but it did draw the attention of Katsuki, unfortunately.

"You? Get into UA?" Katsuki's voice was as gruff and angry as always, "As if! Maybe if you're expecting general studies, but your quirk can't even damage anyone. What are you gonna do if a villain comes at you? Bleed at them?"

That elicited some snickers from the class and an apologetic look from Izuku, like he was apologizing for Katsuki being an asshole.

"I'll find my way, and it won't involve bleeding at them." I respond, and before Bakugo could retort, the teacher got everyone's attention.

"Alright, alright. There'll be plenty of time to talk after class, for now, let's get back to our lesson."

Saved by the teacher, I suppose.

As the lessons for the day continued, I spent the time thinking about what Katsuki said.

I suppose I should have expected something like that from someone like him, given how my quirk wasn't useful in combat at all. Today had been one giant mindfuck already, and I honestly didn't know how much else was going to change.

I wasn't going to let him get me down though - Katsuki is an inherently flawed person and I know he'll eventually see the error of his ways. Even if it will take a long… Long time. It's not entirely his fault that the world seemed bent on kissing his ass from the day he was born.

That being said, I wasn't going to let him kick me around, I wasn't scared of some bully. I wasn't scared of them in my old life and I wasn't going to start being scared of one now just because he could blow me up.

He wouldn't do that, after all, he needed a clean slate to get into UA.

I had to admit it was a little unfair in two different ways - Me being in middle school again. On one hand, all the lessons that were rather static were easy for me, Math and English, I somehow miraculously knew Japanese, which was good. However, history and courses like that were wildly against me, because I knew next to nothing about the specifics of this world's history.

Guess I'd need to study. Great.

I was busy lamenting this fact as class ended and people started leaving when Izuku came up to me, a smile on his face.

"So, how do you like my notes? Get anything useful from them?"

I looked at the notebook, I was about half-way through it, given the extensiveness of the notes, "Not really, at least not yet, but it'll probably take more than one day to figure out where I fit into the world, you know?"

There were a couple layers to that statement, I realized. I didn't know where I fit in both literally and metaphorically, given my situation. I couldn't imagine I'd be anything big.

"Well I'll help you! You kn-"

"Deku! You shouldn't be encouraging him." Katsuki's unpleasant voice caught both Izuku's attention and my own, we looked to him, I was still sitting down, while Izuku turned his head.

Katsuki continued, his two lackies standing behind him looking smug as ever, "His quirk has nothing to do with combat, he'll be a support hero at best, although he'll probably end up being some Police Detective instead of a hero. You shouldn't be deluding him, you're just going to help him get killed."

To Izuku's credit, he tried to refute Bakugo's claim, "Kacchan, just because his quirk isn't super strong doesn't mean he can't be a hero! There are plenty of heroes with quirks that aren't as strong as something like yours!" He was keeping his tone friendly, but making sure to defend me, likely trying not to set Bakugo off.

I had to hand it to Izuku, he knew some kind of subtlety.

Unfortunately, Katsuki did not.

"Yeah, and all those heroes are either dead, or will be soon! Not to mention how much they slow down the real pros! Akio, if you become a hero all you'll do is get in my way, so find a different track! And Deku!" He continues his tirade, focusing instead on the green haired wonder, "Don't go giving people like him stupid ideas! If you do I'll-"

"You'll what?" I intervene, finally getting tired of just sort of taking his abuse. I didn't want to alter things too much, but I couldn't just sit by and let this happen.

I stand up, taking the journal and pushing it further away from us, "Show me my place?" I wonder, "Set me on fire or blow me up? Please, Bakugo."

If it was possible for a man to look like he was going to have steam coming out of his ears, Bakugo would be dealing with that, "What? You think I can't?! I could-"

"Oh, you could, but you won't. You want that assault charge on your permanent record? Try getting into UA with that! And it'd be the word of a trusted student versus the word of a hot-head with an explosion quirk. Come on, you're not stupid."

Katsuki knew I was right and that only seemed to piss him off more, "Whatever!" He grunts and turns around, "Just watch your back, and don't get in my way!" Then, he stalks off, accompanied by his two confused lackies.

Izuku turned and frowned, "Akio…" His voice was soft and chiding, "You shouldn't antagonize him, even if he's hard to deal with. It just makes things worse in the long run, you know that right?"

I wanted to keep my frown and defend my actions, but I was forced to sigh and admit my wrong, "Yeah, I know. Just couldn't deal with him railing on me like that. Got on my nerves is all."

He smiles, seeming to be able to tell that I was genuine, "No problem. How about we get going? School's done and they won't want students hanging around after class like this."

I reach back and grab the notebook, holding it up to show that it was undamaged, "Yeah, let's go. We've got plenty to talk about."

….

..

"So this 'Chillax' guy literally causes people's muscles to relax so much they fall over huh?"

"Yeah! Isn't it cool? He's a pretty midline hero but he also runs a massage parlor which makes him loads of money!"

I nod a few times, turns out Deku's notebook held a lot more than just the big name heroes. There were a lot of average and even slightly sub-par heroes in there, but Deku seemed to approach them all the same, with enthusiasm and analysis.

"I guess he'll never want for work, even if he gets to the point where he can't do hero work later in his life. Good for him."

We'd been walking and discussing for awhile now, I'd honestly gotten pretty drawn into all this Hero talk. Although admittedly that might have been because when I was younger I was really into Superheroes, so living in a world where they actually exist is something of a dream come true.

Even if I was sort of on the bottom rung in terms of flashy powers.

Well, not sort of, I am at the bottom of the rung in that regard.

I looked up from the notebook and went to make another statement, but then I noticed where we were.

On that path underneath the bridge, with the manhole, still a bit of a walk away from home.

As I glanced down at the manhole, I noticed it rattling.

I knew what was about to happen, and acted on instinct, even if I knew I shouldn't have, "Izuku, look out!"

I shoved him out of the way right as the sludge monster rose up out of the sewers and lunged at me, its muck-like body being too much of a match for mine. The green abomination quickly covered my nose and mouth with its sludge while I instinctively fought against it, my body feeling like it was weighed down by a thousand pounds of sand just try to wade around in its viscous body.

I knew Izuku nearly died when this thing attacked him the first time, but this was more than I expected! I could barely focus on what the creature was saying.

"You'll make a nice skin-suit for me kid! I didn't know he would be in town, so I gotta get out quick. Thanks for this! You're a real hero!"

I just had to wait for All Might to come, and struggle as much as I could.

Of course, something different happened before that.

"Hey, sewer face!" Izuku yelled defiantly, having picked himself off the ground from when I shoved him and now held a look of anger as he stood a few feet away from me, "Leave my friend alone!"

Deku took a deep breath, before blowing out a stream of fire easily the size of what I'd expect to come out of a flame thrower. He was clearly not aiming for me, rather aiming above me at the sludge monster.

Said monster proceeded to laugh as the fire simply caused its skin to bubble a bit, "Nice try kid, but I'm a bit too put together for your quirk to get to me!" Then, he extended out one of his tentacles and smacked Deku, sending him flying back and rolling on the ground.

Shit, shit! This wasn't good! I kept struggling, I just had to wait! I just had to survive!

My vision was starting to blur, I could barely keep together…

I finally heard his booming voice, just as I was starting to fade out.

"Worry not young man! It will be okay… Because I AM HERE!"

I couldn't see the ensuing fight, as I was still losing consciousness, but I did feel the powerful blast of wind caused by the Texas Smash that ripped apart the sludge villain.

My last sight was of All Might before I ended up losing consciousness from the lack of oxygen.

….

…

..

I woke up to All Might lightly slapping me in the face, and when I came to, I blinked rapidly and looked around, "Whu- Oh!"

My vision adjusted and I saw All Might standing with a grin on his face, Izuku looking positively starstruck as he knelt next to me while looking at All Might.

Even though I was laying on my back, I was still awe struck by the sheer size of All Might - muscle bound and taller than any man I'd ever seen before. "A-All Might!" I managed out, sitting up as he beamed down at me.

The Symbol of Peace raised his hand in greeting, "Thought we lost you there! Thank you boys for your support! I didn't mean to get you caught up in my justicing! Usually I do more to keep bystanders safe, but it turns out this city's sewer system is pretty hard to navigate!" Then he let out his signature boisterous laugh.

As All Might was laughing, Izuku shoved the notebook in my face, it was opened and had a massive 'ALL MIGHT' signature on it, "Look Akio! He signed my notebook! All Might's the coolest! He's so amazing!" The green haired wonder sounded as starstruck as he looked, honestly.

Not that I could blame him, being in the presence of All Might was making me kind of giddy, even if I didn't want to show it.

Before I could respond to Deku, All Might continued to speak, "Anyways! Thanks to you boys, I've captured the evil doer!" He proudly brandishes the two soda bottles holding the sludge villain captive.

He slips them into his pockets, declaring, "I need to get this villain to the police so they can put him in proper custody" He turned away and began to stretch, "Stay safe, and see you around!"

"W-Wait, you're leaving already?" Izuku's voice was bleeding with disappointment and sadness.

"Pro Heroes are constantly fighting time as well as enemies!"

I could tell Deku wanted to ask him more questions - I expected this much.

What I didn't expect was, as Deku went to grab hold of him, he tripped over his laces and fell over with a soft 'oof!'

THAT wasn't supposed to happen! I couldn't let All Might get away from Izuku! He HAD to listen to him, things had to go a certain way!

I scrambled forward, still crawling, and grabbed All Might's leg as he declared, "Stand back! I'm taking off!"

I went to hold my hand out to Izuku, who got the message and went to grab on, but before his hand could interlock with mine, All Might took off several hundred feet in the air, with me clinging onto his pants leg.

"THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!" His voice boomed, and my view of Deku got smaller and smaller as the look of shock and horror on his face got harder to make out from the rest of him.

Oh god! The wind pressure was making my face catch with the wind, "A-All Might!" I could only manage that, the wind was keeping me from speaking.

All Might noticed me holding onto his leg for dear life and started to rather abruptly try to get me to let go, "Hey, let go! I've got a lot of hero work to do, you know!"

"I can't All Might, you're flying! If I let go I'll die!"

"Oh, right! Then just hold on and keep your mouth and eyes closed for the wind!"

I did as instructed and kept my eyes and mouth shut as All Might went searching for a place to drop us off - Although I already knew where we'd be landing by the time he found the right place.

He eventually found a spot and landed, and I promptly let go of his leg and did my best to keep the contents of my stomach in check, "Ugh… Sorry All Might!"

"It's alright young man! Now, just knock on the door real loud and someone will surely let you down." All Might was already heading for the edge to jump off.

I couldn't let him leave! I might be in Deku's place right now, but things had to happen a certain way… They just had to!

I couldn't use the same topic to stall All Might Izuku did, I had to think fast…

I'd have to try this instead!

"W-Wait! All Might! I have to ask… My quirk doesn't have any defensive or offensive capabilities! C-Can I still become a hero? Can I become… Like you?"

The words I spoke just poured from my mouth - I got the idea from how I was treated today, I couldn't begin to explain why my voice got slightly choked up from saying them though…

It worked though, All Might froze in place and turned his head ever so slightly to look at me.

I had to keep talking, I had to run the meter… I just had to!

"My class doesn't believe I have what it takes to be a pro hero… Because my quirk… I-It's seeing into someone's past and their probable future. I know I should be something different but… I want to be a pro! A real hero!"

It seemed to work, All Might continued looking back at me, before suddenly beginning to struggle with his time running out. Steam began to pour off his body, and I watched in mock surprise as his body changed, covered in smoke as it was.

"A-All Might?" I do my best to fake a horrified reaction, "What's happened to you?!"

The skeletal Toshinori looked at me, there were several emotions on his face. Aside from the obvious look of discomfort at having his secret revealed to a near-stranger, there was… Something else. I couldn't tell what. "You know how those guys at the pool are always sucking in their gut and flexing? I'm like that."

"I can't believe it…" I keep acting, "How did this happen?"

Toshinori lifts up his shirt and shows his wound - It was even more grotesque in person, like he had a crater on the side of his stomach, "Got this nasty wound in a fight about five years ago. Lost my whole stomach. The surgeries have really worn me down. Nowadays I can only do hero work for about three hours a day, the rest of the time… This is what I look like."

"I-I see.. So…"

"So, about what you said." He continues, sitting on the ground, "A quirk like yours would be an amazing boone to a police force or investigative agency, but not for pro hero work. If what you say is true and your quirk lacks any offensive or defensive power, there'll be villains you just can't beat. So… In that regard, no. I don't think you can be a hero."

I expected these words, in some way. I really did. So why did hearing them hurt so much? I was lucky to be in this world at all… Yet here I was being upset at not getting to be a hero.

Reading the comic books, watching the movies, playing the games… My old life was filled with Super Heroes. When I came here after death… A part of me seriously hoped to be a pro hero. Instead, this is what I got? Some cruel joke played on me by some god?

I held back tears as I realized just how much I was wanting this… How much I wanted to be like All Might, in reality.

Toshinori stood up, "There are many other professions you'd be great at. Like I said, police interrogator, detective, that kind of thing, but pro hero work isn't one of them." It looked like Toshinori himself had some more to say, but he was holding back, "I...I'm sorry kid. I'll see you around."

Why did it sound like he wasn't really talking to me for a second? What made him stammer?

Wordlessly, Toshinori left the rooftop, heading to the stairwell.

I was left mulling over his words, standing in place for a few moments before the explosion I had previously been expecting went off in the distance.

It snapped me out of my thinking and back to reality, all was not lost! All Might just needed to see Izuku charge forward to save Bakugo, then he'd decide to give the green boy One for All and everything would be okay!

Then I could go back to thinking about where I fit in to this crazy world.

I pushed my strange feelings to the back of my mind and hurried down the steps - It seemed All Might was already making a run for it as well, as I didn't see him on my way down.

I did my best not to run like I was in a hurry, I sped-walked, since I knew this would still be going on by the time I got there, or hell, if I was lucky maybe Deku will have already inspired All Might to save the day?

…

I eventually got to where the sludge monster had captured Bakugo, the heroes that were on sight were trying their best to do damage control. Toshinori was in the back, although I didn't see Deku anywhere.

Where…?

"G-Get off of us you crazy sludge thing!"

"DIE YOU SLUDGE CREEP!"

Oh no.

As I got to the front of the crowd of onlookers, I saw something I never thought I'd see.

The sludge monster had both Izuku AND Katsuki in its grasp! How the hell did that happen?

"I DON'T NORMALLY TAKE TWO HOSTAGES!" The sludge monster shouts to everyone, "BUT I THINK MAYBE I'LL JUST KILL THIS GREEN ONE AND TAKE THE BLONDE ONE'S QUIRK FOR MYSELF!"

Oh no, no no no no…

"What happened?!" I asked one of the other bystanders.

"This blonde kid got ambushed by that green villain!" A random civilian responded, "The kid with the green hair and fire breath tried to jump in to save him, but he just got stuck in the sludge! They've been like this for awhile now, the heroes can't get close enough to save them!"

What was I going to do?

All Might couldn't be inspired by some kid who'd already gotten himself captured… It was seeing that selflessness that inspired him to save the day!

I could see him struggling with himself in the back, he clearly was still going through his own emotional turmoil.

'Come on Akio, think damn it!'

I gritted my teeth, I'd only been in one situation like this that I could remember, and I died as a result of it.

Damn it, damn it!

I couldn't let them die! They had so much to do! So many lives to save!

What was one life for two who would save thousands?

I knew what I had to do!

Steeling my resolve, I charged forward out of the crowd and into the flaming market street, doing my best to avoid the flames as the sludge monster noticed me running towards it.

'Come on, come on!'

"YOU AGAIN? I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU!"

What did Deku do to distract this guy?

Oh, right!

I grabbed my backpack, slightly opened as it was, and flung it at the villain. School supplies went everywhere, I saw some of them hitting the villain in the eye and causing him to recoil.

I closed the distance and started clawing at the creature's sludge, swearing repeatedly under my breath.

"Akio! What are you doing here? You'll get hurt!" Izuku sounded alarmed and worried - Despite the fact he was the one in danger of dying right now.

"You… Idiot!" Was all Katsuki could manage, dealing with the Sludge Villain's imminent take over as he was.

"I'm not letting you two die!" I respond, shouting above the shouts of the heroes and bystanders as they witnessed me run in, "You both! You're going to be heroes! Great heroes! You'll save so many people! You CAN'T DIE!" I continued clawing uselessly at the sludge, letting out a defiant yell, "I WON'T LET YOU!"

"A-Akio!" Izuku sounded touched by my words, but I wasn't focusing on that, I kept clawing to try and drag them out.

"ENOUGH, YOU'RE TOO ANNOYING TO LET LIVE!" The sludge villain reeled back his tendril and went to bring it down on me.

'Come on, All Might!'

Thank god, All Might jumped in faster than the eye could detect, blocking the tendril and sending up dust.

As my vision cleared, I saw the giant of a man standing in front of me, blocking the green menace with his arms. "I really am pathetic! Telling you to find another profession, then standing back and letting this villain cause trouble!"

"A-All Might!" I hear Izuku call, muffled as he was from the sludge villain.

Almost effortlessly, All Might grabbed both Katsuki and Deku with one hand wrapped around their wrists. He reeled back his other fist, glistening with sweat as it was, and I could see while looking at his fearless undying smile that there was a small amount of blood coming off.

"DETROOOIIIITTT… SMAASSSHHHH!"

I took the initiative in grabbing on to All Might's arm when he yanked back the other two while simultaneously punching the villain. The sheer force of his punch caused a wind tunnel that the civilians had to take shelter from, I held on as best I could to avoid being thrown back from the force of the wind.

The sludge villain was not so lucky, screaming in anger and pain, he found himself getting torn into pieces and losing shape as the force of the wind caused the clouds above to swirl and send pieces of the villain everywhere on the street.

As the wind died down and rain began to fall, the Civilians and Heroes murmured to each other in shock and awe at the display as the three of us students managed to regain our footing.

The cheering came shortly after as the rain ceased, All Might being hailed as a hero once again as the three of us were hurried to be checked by the EMTs.

….

Well, one of the kind heroes managed to get me my backpack and the stuff in it back while I was being checked over - I was pretty quickly cleared as being healthy, and spent the next few minutes getting berated by a hero for running in and putting myself in danger while Izuku and Katsuki were praised for valiantly surviving the villain's oppressive sludge long enough for help to arrive.

Well, I guess I couldn't complain, as much as I wanted to, as I always thought this was unfair when it happened to Deku - it happening to me was just worse, but I'd just make the lecture longer.

Thankfully, I was let go relatively quickly after the talking to was finished, while Deku and Izuku were still getting praised and checked by the EMTs for any hidden damage.

I just waved to the two of them before heading off to get home - After the fiasco that was today, more than anything, I wanted to shower, sit down, and play video games until I had to sleep.

As I was walking down the road, I sighed and began to mull over what I'd do with my life now. Maybe I'd just apply to UA's general studies course, or go to some police academy… I could at least be helpful in some way there, right?

The sun was starting to set a bit - I'd been gone from home a lot longer than I thought, honestly.

As I walked down the street, I heard Izuku call from behind me, "Hey, Akio! Wait up!"

I stopped, looking back, Deku was smiling a bright smile and waving at me. I waved back, "Hey Izuku, doing okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to you!" He keeps his grin as he stops in front of me, "You saved us back there! Kacchan didn't want to admit it, but you kept that villain from smothering us alive before All Might got there!"

I just smiled lightly, "Ah I was just being stupid. I couldn't stand losing you, or Bakugo, he might be a jerk, but I know he just wants to be a hero, like you."

Izuku nods, "You get it now, he's the same as me!" He rubs the back of his head sheepishly, before adding, "Say, Akio…"

I raised an eyebrow as his tone changed from one of jovial glee to curiosity, "Yeah, Izuku?"

"Back there, you said Kacchan and I… We'd be heroes. Did you see into our futures?"

I chuckle softly, "No, you'd of known if I did that, I can only do it if through a specific process."

"Oh, then why'd you say that?"

I shrug, "Isn't it obvious? I believe in you two. I might not ever be some pro hero, saving lives and making a big name for myself. But you two? You'll be the real heroes."

Izuku shakes his head, "Don't be so down on yourself." He reaches out and pats my arm, "You were so cool back there! I bet with some training you can still be a pro hero!"

I smile softly, "Maybe, Izu. Maybe."

Izuku looked at the clock on his phone, "Oh! I gotta get going. My mom saw the news and wants me home - I don't want to worry her more than I usually do. You should come over sometime! I bet she'd want to meet you, considering you helped save me."

I nod a few times, "How about tomorrow? I'm kind of beat today, just kind of want to sleep."

Izuku nods enthusiastically, "Sure! And - You can keep my notebook for today, just don't lose it, alright?" He was clearly joking, not believing that I'd actually lose it.

"Sure thing!"

"Alright, bye!" He waves at me, before sprinting off down the road that was enclosed by suburban fencing.

It worried me - I didn't see All Might racing out to stop him and talk to him. Did I fail?

Maybe he'd get it at a different time… Or maybe he didn't need it in this world?

If he never got it, I hoped that was the case.

I sighed as I started to walk towards home, wondering if I could track down some kind of delivery service for tonight, I didn't really feel like cooking…

Before I could think about if pizza joints still existed in this world, out of the alleyway came All Might, skidding to a stop in front of me and scaring the daylights out of me.

"I AM HERE!"

"A-All Might?! Why are you here?"

He let out of his boisterous laugh, "I am here to discuss things with you, I gave a slip to those reporters!" He began to flex, "Because I stand for justice not sound bites! Because I… I am ALL MI-" Then, in a puff of smoke, he spewed out blood from his mouth, turning into Toshinori at the same time.

My eyes were wide in genuine surprise - Not from the transformation, but from him being in front of me to begin with.

"Young man, I came to thank you, and to discuss your question from earlier." He started speaking, looking at me in his deflated, skeletal form, "Hearing your desire to be a pro hero despite your quirk, and seeing you rush in to save your friends… It inspired me to act, if you hadn't done those things, I'd have just been a worthless bystander in the crowd. So thank you."

I waved my hand in front of my face, "It's… You don't have to thank me, it was my fault that happened anyways. Grabbing onto your leg to ask you questions… I got in your way." These words I heard All Might speak… They reminded me of something, but… What was it?

Wait a minute…

"There are stories about every hero. How they became great, most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost on their own…"

My eyes widened more as I realized what was happening. No… This was when Izuku was supposed to be chosen! Yet… He was talking to me?!

I felt my lip quivering involuntarily, was I about to cry? Is this what that goddess had in store for me the whole time?

Involuntarily, memories of my old life flashed through my head. As I stood stock still, staring at All Might, tears began to stream down my face. I remembered all the fun I had, all the childish dreams… How I tried to be a hero, and how I died. Everything…

"And today, that's what happened to you."

Those dreams that filled my head even up to the last minute of my old life sparked again in my head as I closed my eyes and looked down, wiping my eyes on my sleeve as more tears began to fall.

I should be worried about All Might giving this to me right now, but I couldn't do anything but cry…

"Young man… You, to, can become a hero."

The tears continued streaming as I fought to rain in my emotion, repeatedly telling myself in my head to stop crying, stop crying in front of the symbol of peace!

"I deem you worthy! My power is yours to inherit!" I opened my eyes to see him making a grand gesture with his arms, well, as grand as he could in his skeletal form.

As I looked at him, still shocked from all of this, he burst out laughing. "You should see the look on your face! Don't worry so much kid. This is your choice!" He walks a bit closer to me and points, "Do you want to accept my awesome power or not?!"

I stared at him, "Wha- I-"

"Well, before you make your choice, there are two things you should know about my quirk. Journalists always assume my quirk is super strength, or some kind of invulnerability. When I'm asked the question in interviews, I make a joke and dodge the question. The world needs to believe their symbol of peace is a natural born hero, like any other, but in truth there's nothing natural about my abilities."

I nod along dumbly, almost wanting to tell him I already knew - But no, I had to blend in.

"My power…" He extends his hand, which begins to glow with the power of One for All, "Is one that is improved by one person, then passed down to another, each person improving it in their own way before passing it down. It was given to me, and I'm offering to give it to you. The name of this power… Is One for All."

I swallowed a lump in my throat, I had to ask, one more attempt, for Izuku! "W-Why me? Why not my friend Izuku? He tried to save Bakugo first… He's brave and would be a much better choice than me!"

Toshinori laughs again, "I chose you for a reason, young man. Several reasons, actually. You have a quirk, but it's not a quirk that would land you in a pro hero spot. You have the resolve to charge in, regardless of that, to save your friends. You have the makings of a great hero, trust me. I think young Midoriya will get by with his quirk just fine."

So much for that, although I finally decided to ask the question that had been on my mind, "...D-Does this have anything to do with my quirk? Is it because your former sidekick has a similar quirk?"

Toshinori's face darkened, he looked away, "...I won't lie to you kid. Your quirk… It reminds me a lot of him, Sir Nighteye. You remember… He died on a mission one day, an explosion took him out before I had the chance to save him. I made a vow after that… I'd make it up to him, however I could."

Sir Nighteye was dead?! What the hell…? So that was something else that was different…

Toshinori continued, "But don't think that means I'm only doing this because I feel sorry for you, or that you're some project to relieve my guilt. I see a fire in you kid, one that even Nighteye didn't even have. I know you're the right choice."

Well I guess that was it for trying to convince him to give it to Deku…

I had to take this. I knew what was coming, even if things in the world were different. They would need someone with One for All to replace All Might, and sooner than I'd like…

They would need me.

"Alright… I'll do it. I'll inherit your quirk. I want to become a hero!"

"That's what I was hoping to hear, kid." Toshinori responds with a smile, "Meet me tomorrow at Dagoba Municipal Beach Park. There… Your training will begin. You need to have a proper body to accept my quirk or else it'll destroy you."

With that, he waved to me and walked back the way he came, through the alleyway.

I realized now I was going to be spending the next ten months training… Oh god.

I shook my head, for the moment, I needed to get home.

I wanted to be over the moon because of this, but really I was worried. How was I going to be half the hero that Deku was supposed to be? How am I supposed to be half the man All Might is?

I was just a regular guy… Now I'm here.

I walked back home as quickly as I could, getting back inside just as the sun was finishing setting and shut the door behind me, locking it.

The rest of the day was spent mulling things over - Reading the hero journal, discovering games to play on my computer, and ordering a pizza. This would probably be the last time I'd get to enjoy something like that for a little while.

When all was said and done, I went to bed tired, my head spinning, and overall anxious.

So began my journey… My journey to being a true hero.