Green Scale
Chapter 17 ~ The Rise Of Green Scale
Rated M
I Don't Own MHA
Minoru Hoshino
Hero Name ~ Volt Break
Appearance ~ long yellow hair that is styled like a jagged wedge, yellow eyes
Quirk ~ Thunderclap ~ can make the user harness lightning around their body, letting them move at speeds faster than a lightning bolt. When someone makes contact with the user, they would be zapped by the static and rendered paralysed. He can also shoot the lightning out of his fingers to inflict damage or even mortal wounds, and even use it to fly by shooting it out of the soles of his feet.
Allegiance ~ Akira's Agency
Info ~ the no.3 ranked american hero who was born in Japan
Andre Wilson
Hero name ~ Regulus Nemea
Appearance ~ Huge bulky man with black and yellow eyes. Long golden hair roughly unkempt.
Quirk ~ Lion Of Nemea ~ The user transforms into a huge bipedal lion and gains immense physical strength. The user's speed is comparable to a supercar and its power is able to easily smash through thick steel.
Allegiance ~ Akira's Agency
Info ~ the no.2 ranked hero in america.
The last match of the sports festival was about to end, and in a gruesome way...
Everyone was in a panic, not knowing if that huge barrage of ice had actually killed the boy or not, and every medical professional was already being called by the Principal, who was now standing in the commentary booth… If they wasted even a fraction of a second, they could be held responsible for the death of a child, and the world would lose what could possibly be the greatest hero to ever live in the future. Letting someone as talented and undeveloped as Midoriya die would be a loss for almost everyone living on their earth, as Izuku could surpass All Might and could be the key to defeating Red Scale. The teachers, and especially Nezu, would not be able to live with themselves after knowing that they wasted someone of his caliber...
"Aizawa! Don't let anyone approach the battlefield! That huge wedge of ice could melt and drop on someone at any moment!"
"Right!" The erasure hero nodded quickly and ran an announcement through the speakers of the stadium.
Present Mic couldn't be disturbed, because he was already trying to calm the crowd with lies about Izuku being safe. Even with false confirmation of the boy's condition, the fans couldn't keep quiet. Seeing a child die in the moment or on live TV was horrific, but it made it worse that this kid was a fan favourite that already had tons of support…
There could be a riot against the school, and UA was almost doomed for shut down, but now young Todoroki could be labeled a killer, and at such a young age…
These things could very well happen, but there was one thing that was as good as confirmed in Nezu's eyes…
If Izuku died here, Japan as a whole would be doomed…
His family on the other side of the pacific were known for being anything but heroic. In his eyes; they both seemed like people that would take advantage of anything in order to get what they wanted, with Akira being a bloodthirsty mass murderer and Michael having no shame in almost invading other continents for so little as intel and potentially strong quirk users to fold into his small empire…
It was as good as proven that a group of strong western hunters had infiltrated the school grounds and stole vital blueprints of the school and surrounding areas. What they wanted with it, they didn't know, but it was a clear plot against them. They could really do some damage to Michael's reputation across the world and even in his homeland, but they had no evidence to convict him…
The heroes managed to get out before they were detected, and it seemed like they managed to silence Izuku, who probably caught onto what they were doing… they'd checked the CCTV and every form of security recording in the venue and found no sight of America's nine greatest heroes, bar the recording where Carla Smith/Purity managed to sneak into the hospital room of Izuku Midoriya and heal his wounds…
That footage would to nothing but get the woman a trespassing fine and a ton of public support from fans that wanted Izuku to win the whole tournament…
But it was just terrifying to know how easily the most famous heroes in the world were able to sneak into the most guarded event in Japan…
Truly, the Midoriya family was a titan that no one could stand against alone...
The only reason they were even allowed to operate legally was that the entire world depended on them, and even if they did something downright evil, they would probably be forgiven almost immediately thanks to their power, and the fact that Akira and his comrades once saved the entire continent and became almost saints in the american citizens eyes. It was only Nezu's opinion, but his views were almost fact due to his intelligence, and he predicted something truly horrible would befall the world if that child died...
They had thousands of heroes and possibly other forces that Japan didn't even sniff out yet, so going up against that collection of people alone was suicide, even if they had All Might now…
Nezu didn't want any harm to come to Izuku for multiple reasons, including the safety of the nation, but he cared for the boy, like he did all his students. While he was initially sceptical; after the USJ incident, he couldn't doubt the boy's pure desire to be a hero. His blood may be connected to the most wretched scum on the earth, but in the mouse's eyes, he was probably going to become the next All Might…
The small animal looked down to his arm and saw the white hairs begin to sway and stand up. "Strange…it isn't cold…"
But then he began to feel his breathing quicken, and before long, a disgusting feeling of weakness spread across his body like wildfire… 'W-What's happening to-'
"Principal!" Aizawa almost fell from his chair; his body spasming slightly as he looked down to the ground.
He couldn't believe what he saw, and remembered the warning All Might gave about the boy…
"Whatever you do...do not let that boy reach a breaking point of any kind… Should he release the same primal power I saw, I'm afraid that not even I would be able to stop him…"
The huge glacier was melting...
The students of class 1-A, B and C were all now feeling the same horrible thing, and it was unlike anything they'd ever experienced…
They all said to their peers, and to themselves, that they were ready to become heroes and save people's lives, but they failed to see over the hillside; to see the things that just couldn't be overcome…
Like a mountain with an unreachable summit, or an ocean with no end to its depth, there was no hope in breaking past that point… This feeling of weakness was infecting everyone watching like a parasite, and even the strong and arrogant in the crowd didn't dare delude themselves…
That monster buried in the ice was far above anything they'd consider normal…
Even though the ice of Todoroki dropped the temperature around the arena, fans were still feeling this unpleasant warmth, almost enough to burn them…
Now, it felt like a heatwave was invading the sky above…
Kirishima stood shaking, desperately clutching the railings in order to stay standing and not show weakness… He thought he'd became a man after forgetting his run in with the gigantic villain that almost killed his old classmates, but that wasn't true at all…
This wasn't the same feeling as back then… It was far...far worse...
Though you couldn't possibly blame Kirishima, as everyone in the stadium was feeling the same way, or worse…
Mitsuki and Masaru had rushed to the hospital to go and see their critically wounded son, and strangely didn't show a single sign of anger or throw a single word of blame Inko's way. Now she was alone, and was the only one to witness the horrid scenes being broadcasted live…
It was terrible, and she could feel her whole body shutting down from the aura being produced by the entity inside the ice…
She feared that her son was dead under that mountain of frozen energy and almost lost herself to grief, but then she felt something almost worse than that, and it was a feeling she'd not felt since that day, 15 years ago when her son came into the world…
It was that night… The day that Japan finally came under the shadow of Red Scale and his monstrous followers…
Everyone she knew was either sent into a coma from the sheer strength of the aura, or was killed by the huge shockwaves that the villain generated. She'd seen All Might in action and seen even the great Nana Shimura, but they weren't even seeable from the mountain that the draconic menace stood atop…
She was luckily far enough away that she wasn't permanently damaged by the huge flood of power, but in the chaos, and with the 4 blazing fangs annihilating the city, she was separated from Izuku…
She'd only given birth to him hours before, so she was too weak to move, but still called her husband's heroes to help her find him...
She couldn't find the child anywhere in the destroyed Musutafu city, and she was later rendered unconscious due to the huge amount of exposure she had to the dragon's aura, but the child was beside her, wrapped in cloth and not a scratch on his beautiful head the next day…
Inko was thankful beyond words, but she couldn't forget that feeling that made every cell in her body malfunction, like just being close to this monster of a man was enough to drain her life force… Some people directly hit by the waves experienced signs of accelerated aging and vulnerability to illnesses, but she doubted that they were related to Red Scale…
She was just fine, and only left the tragedy with a slight trauma…
But now...she could feel that same feeling, albeit far weaker, coming from inside the ice her son was buried…
The woman just wanted to walk away from the living room and cry for help, for someone to save her son, but she knew that her son was the only thing she had left in the world, and he needed to be protected at any cost, not shamed and demonised as a monster…
Only one man in the world held the power to save Izuku...
Her eyes focused on an object that levitated towards her...
She picked up her phone and rang the only number that could help her…
All Might gripped his chair, barely stopping himself from going into muscle form as he felt the shockwave of dread run through him. Although he wasn't nearly weak enough to be paralysed by it, he was still feeling his entire body grow lighter from the amount of power being released…
All Might was no coward, and one could say that he was possibly the bravest man in the world for standing up to such an enemy, but even he, the mighty symbol of peace that acted as the forcefield of Japan, feared this…
And how could he not?
It was simply overwhelming to the point that your whole body shut down, and the strength was at such a level that it could render people as strong as Toshinori into a state of shock. He was greatly praised for just showing up to the carnage and treated as a saviour for having the courage to fight the dragon, but that memory had haunted him every night until now…
Thousands died in the conflict, and All Might being there only delayed the destruction of the city. He felt great shame from letting all those people die, and not being able to inflict even the smallest amount of damage to the dragon…
He was no hero back then… Just a small roadblock for the villain to crush effortlessly...
It took him back to that night…
Those crimson wings and black scales…
The fire, burning down to the deep underground…
The screams of people being hunted down by the four fangs…
The endless storm of swords…
The flood of toxic slime…
The white beams of light shooting through the sky...
The serpent shadows made by the leader…
The earthquakes made just by the man walking…
The armour of the crimson dragon, shining in the moonlight...
And those eyes…
Those eyes that forced everyone in the world to their knees in a single moment…
Todoroki's eyes shook as he watched the huge layers of solid ice slowly drip down to the floor and turn to steaming water… It was his strongest attack, designed to knock out a fresh Izuku in a single hit, and yet it was being reduced to a puddle of water in seconds…
Perhaps flashfire could do this…
No...this heat probably surpassed even that…
But how was it melting? How could his ice be destroyed with heat when his opponent was just a physical fighter with a power boosting quirk? It didn't make any sense whatsoever…
How was this happening!?
He was knelt down on the ground, feeling some strange force push him closer to the ground, and it seemed to be the work of Midoriya…
He didn't have much ice left in him, and if he tried another one of those large AOE attacks, he could possibly lose his arm to frostbite. The only way to rectify his current state was to light up his left side and cool down his body, though it would take up a long time if he didn't completely reveal his flames…
He'd said to himself that he wouldn't hurt Midoriya much and would win the fight with just skill and control, but in smashing the boy into the ground with all his ice, he'd ended up acting far more like his father…
…
A loud hiss suddenly broke the silence of the stadium, and Todoroki hesitantly looked up to see what had happened…
A hole, big enough to be a doorway, sizzled open from inside the collection of ice… Steam was funneling out of the glaze at an overwhelming speed and the huge shard of frozen energy began to decrease in size, slowly crumbling down until it was but a stream of boiling water…
The boy saw someone from inside the ice, and he couldn't even believe his eyes…
It was impossible…
There wasn't a single way that any pupil in this school, even a member of the Big 3, could escape that ice with the amount of damage sustained, but not only did he break out, but he completely melted the inescapable prison down to its foundations…
HOW COULD THIS BE TRUE!?
Izuku stepped out of the ice prison with an almost solemn expression and didn't seem to even see Todoroki ahead of him…
Each step he took made the ground beneath him smoulder with green and black fire, while his hair seemed to almost glow; the green of it flaring up while the black looked far darker… His aura wasn't even close to what it was before, being completely replaced by something else, and Todoroki remembered it well…
'H-How is he still standing!?'
The shocked boy looked towards Izuku's arms and legs, and he watched the gaping holes and crushed limbs almost heal themselves with flickers of green and black fire…
'Is that green light capable of repairing his body!?'
That flicker of fire reminded him off something, but he didn't know what it was…
He just thought it was something truly evil…
Izuku didn't stop walking, and his claws reemerged from his fingers, this time being far darker and heavily serrated…
He was different from before, and obviously stronger…
He would have been comparable to the person he fought in the mock, but something about Izuku just made every bone in his body shake…
Almost like a deer to a fox, Todoroki saw him as a threat not only to his body, but to his life…
It was almost a human instinct declaring a natural predator…
Without thinking, Todoroki brought his broken right hand down to the ground and used it, along with his right foot, to release a huge wave of ice.
The huge storm travelled fast. Not as fast as the previous one, but fast enough to surprise the crowd…
But the boy just walked forward, almost as if the ice wasn't worth his time.
'He should be bracing himself for that! Why isn't he reacting!?'
The ice drew closer, and Izuku's blazing green eyes opened with a black slit on each iris, flowing with a dark power that had no equal…
Izuku almost sighed…
He lifted up his arm and felt no pain while doing so…
The palm of his hand was facing the oncoming blast of ice and his arm began to change; black scales mixing with green as they coated the limb, making it expand slightly and ripping away any remaining part of his shirt, exposing the scars on his body…
Todoroki looked at them…
They were deep and made by a blade of some kind, and they must have been recent…
Izuku's palm slowly began to glow with green light, and black wisps of fire sprouted from the skin, then being joined by more powerful emerald ones as they danced around, slowly forming a large flame in his hand…
He didn't bother hiding it anymore…
And just like in the USJ incident...
Midoriya smiled…
Todoroki looked up and saw his ice inches away from Izuku's face, but when he blinked from the heat of the air, he opened his eyes and saw the attack just vanish from view...
And then, a smashing sound greeted his ears as the huge bombardment of frozen water suddenly flashed with a black light…
Now, he could only see shimmering shards of it in the sky as it was crushed into millions of pieces…
'W-What is…'
And then he saw it…
From Izuku's hand came the biggest fire he'd ever seen…
The flame instantly crushed the ice with just the shockwave of it being launched and melted the small shards just a half-second later. That ice didn't stand a chance at all, and the flame just kept expanding like it had no limit to its strength…
Anything near the evil element was being burned up or even melted, as just being in the vicinity was harmful. These flames burned hotter than anything else known to man, and they were in the hands of a 15 year old child...
It snaked around the arena from left to right as Izuku easily guided it over to him, letting it reduce in size and coil around his body...
It was as large as his finest ice attack, and only stretched to where it needed to…
As dark as the depths of the ocean, and as hot as the core of the earth; it was like the grim reaper in the student's eyes…
Only one man could produce such a blaze…
Todoroki felt his entire body freeze and his eyes widened as Izuku suddenly appeared before him, almost blinding him with a flash of black and green… It was faster than before, to a point that the two states of might couldn't be compared, and it was telling that he was improved in almost every other area…
But as Shoto finally met Izuku's burning gaze, he saw something above him…
Like some sort of illusion brought on by Izuku's quirk, Todoroki saw the silhouette of a man behind Izuku, looming over the boy menacingly; its green eyes far more fierce and deadly… It was at least double his size and was far more muscular in physique, but the being was covered in this armour, and Todoroki realised that they were scales…
It was holding a long weapon in its right hand, a curved blade on each end…
Was it a lance, a bident, or perhaps even a twinblade?
It shook him to his very core, like he'd seen the devil himself, and there was only one thing that could invoke such fear in someone...
As the huge shadow disappeared from view, Midoriya's eyes flared with green and black energy, creating a shockwave that blinded his opponent, and before his vision failed him, Todoroki saw a single gauntlet deliver a hard punch straight to his face…
"R-Red Scale…"
(Washington DC)
The entire city was frozen in silence, not even a whisper…
Every person watching from the city centre was not even letting out a squeak as they all watched Izuku Midoriya walk away from his downed opponent; the green fire blazing in the background.
Not just the people, but the animals also stopped, and even the loud city birds paused their flight at the sight of the flames…
It was so quiet that you could actually hear the wind blowing in the distance, and the small gulping sounds people were making as nervous saliva ran down their throats…
The atmosphere was chilling, like something pulled from a horror movie with everyone acting as statues, so scared that they'd turned to stone…
Those flames seen by the Americans was a reminder of the monstrous nightmare that laid siege to the entire world, bringing the states to their knees without any real effort and killing people in the hundreds of millions, and it was only due to the arrival of Akira Midoriya that they could feel safe in their homes again…
Now, those disgusting memories were resurfacing in the minds of everyone watching…
However…
There was a single person in the crowd that didn't feel a single drop of fear from the green flames in Japan…
He was stood right in the centre and people didn't even notice due to the attention that the fire was getting… He stood at an intimidating 6'3ft and was wearing the clothes he used when he was out hunting…
He wore a black trench coat made from luxurious fibres, and it was fitted with a sharp red outline along the sides… His coat covered the blacksteel breastplate he had on, which was crafted from a metal the rest of the world had yet to discover, and he wore padded red armour on the lower half of his body…
He looked more like a villain than a hero, and just glancing at him would make any man shiver with dread. Behind the collar of his coat was the black and white hilt of a sheathed sword that was radiating a ghastly aura, and in his hand was a new brand of phone that was buzzing…
He'd just missed a call from Japan…
But he was more focussed on the events in front of him…
He'd have to call them back as soon as he'd finished business...
The man's ruby eyes locked onto the emerald pair that Izuku owned, and he saw the boy's smile…
It almost mimicked his own...
It had been about an hour after the match in Japan, and the news just broke that Shoto Todoroki was somehow still alive after the extremely powerful punch thrown to his head. He only suffered damage to his flesh and bone after using his ice for too long, which was a miracle when considering how bloodthirsty Izuku looked while letting loose that meteor of a punch...
If the school didn't have Recovery Girl in their ranks, the arm could have been in a condition far worse than it was, but that wasn't what had the viewers concerned…
That punch could have made the entire venue tilt from the amount of power generated, and should it have actually connected, there wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that it would have killed Shoto, and graphically as well…
But that wasn't the reason everyone was so tense and silent…
Those green flames were the reason…
It was a brutal match to begin with, but after being pushed into a corner and nearly killed, Izuku Midoriya climbed out from the jaws of death and released a variation of the flames that once tore down the city that this event was placed in. Most of the people watching in the stands had been alive to witness the dreadfully effective crimson blaze that melted stone faster than anything thought possible, and if they were unfortunate enough, they would have caught a glimpse of the man himself; the devil with dragon wings that leveled the entire north side of the city with just a single swing of his tail…
Just looking at him was enough to give weak people nightmares for the rest of their lives, and it had been rumoured by both heroes and powerful officials in Japan that his eyes had a power that weakened whoever saw them, almost like the infamous Medusa. It just made the villain more terrifying, and is four vassals were far stronger than any pro hero in asia…
The strongest pro hero that had ever lived in Asia was a man named Kang-Tae-Shik; an assassin that ruthlessly executed villains in public, and he was known to be unstoppable in his prime. Even he would have been no match for these four who could have been compared to the dragon himself if you didn't know the master's power…
The whole night was terrifying, and by that point; Red Scale had already conquered half of Asia with no effort at all, not even needing to fight a battle as everyone surrendered…
Just thinking about him and his power made almost everyone living on this earth quake in fear…
Japan was probably the luckiest country in the entire world, having been the only country to put up a resistance and not be utterly annihilated. Of course, it was all thanks to All Might facing the dragon alone in the climax of the Musutafu battle, but even if the symbol of peace abandoned his nation, it would have made no difference…
America received the worst treatment by far, as they were the first to be crushed, and that was where the 5 villains first set up their impregnable fortress that was now home to Akira and his guild of world shaking minions. No hero could even try to stop them as they ravaged the strongest nation in the world like it was a farmyard, and the citizens were not spared at all. If they wanted to; the four villains serving Red Scale could just go on huge massacres around all of the states and not be punished, as the land held no value at all, and anyone that even dared to step a foot outside their homes were mowed down by whoever found them first…
It was brutal, sickening and a stain on the world's history, but now it had been brought back into the present…
No one knew Red Scale's motives or why he chose to stop his conquest at Musutafu, but now a child had shown up and used a near identical quirk. Sure, if that was really the same thing as Red Scale; he would have destroyed the entire stadium without even lifting a finger, but it was still a devastating amount of power for a 15 year old child to be wielding, and if he were to go off the rails, who knew the damage he could cause?
People hadn't heard even the slightest whisper of Red Scale since he disappeared in the centre of Musutafu, and even when it was rumoured that the sadistic Prism was there at the USJ, the masses didn't get too shaken, so it was a huge shock to see that dreaded fire appear again…
That case in one of the suburban streets near UA was true, and Izuku Midoriya must have been the child that saved Katsuki Bakugou from that sludge villain and burned the entire street down…
It made a huge metaphorical lump of frozen granite hit their stomachs as they thought about it, and the more things the fans pieced together; the more disturbed they got…
For some of them, his aura triggered a flashback to that time, and the scenes still terrified them to this day…
"I'm not bugging right? That fire is like...fucking identical to the one back then…"
"I was thinking the same thing, but it doesn't make sense…"
"Y-Yeah...he's a good kid that saved loads of people before this moment. Just because he has a quirk like that monster doesn't mean he's like him inside."
"No, he probably just managed to fool all those dumbasses that run the school, making them think he's some alternate version that's good and just…"
"Aye, bastard probably has that dirty blood running through his veins…"
"Don't be an asshole. He's just a kid…"
"M-My whole family was slaughtered on that night. I'll never forgive him for it."
"You guys seriously out here shadin some lil school kid for havin the same quirk as the scale? Sure, he could be related, but that doesn't mean shit."
"Damn right, and I remember you hoping for him to win that match before he busted out those flames. Don't be a hypocrite."
"Believe all that nonsense if you want, but you can't deny how he's been brutally putting people down in this match…"
"Fucking mutant scum…"
"Dragon filth…
"I bet money on him being related to those two psycho lunatics in the west. Probably just as banged up in the head as them…"
"Shouldn't they just lock his ass up in tartarus? We can't have a repeat of what happened 15 years ago, can we?"
"You're suggesting we put a child in prison when he hasn't even committed a crime?"
"Would you rather we do that, or just let him go on a massacre like his red variant?"
"The lot of you are sick, telling yourselves that a child you haven't even met till this day is evil…"
"Everyone shut it. A hero's coming…"
Birthed from the fear of Red Scale, and what Izuku could accomplish in his place; whispers of both hatred and support began sprouting up in the crowd with people picking whether to back the unknown rookie or condemn him as a monster.
The teachers standing in the arena, waiting for the award ceremony to start were all listening to these vile comments made by the fans, but they had no right to shut them up. Just a few months ago, they shared those negative beliefs and even thought of locking him up for analysis, and even though it was a disgusting thing for heroes to think, they were concerned for both theirs and their students lives. At the time, they thought he was just a wild beast with destructive power surpassing every hero in Japan, and in all honesty; they were all quite terrified of him, or the prospect of fighting someone even a droplet as powerful as Red Scale.
This was the public's first time seeing it, so they understood more than anyone the toxic hatred these people had… Quite a large amount of people hated the crimson dragon for what he did, but everyone feared him…
The arguments inside the stadium grew louder, and it was only thanks to the heroes on duty that a full blown riot wasn't started. The entire crowd was split down the middle on whether to see this green-haired kid as a cursed child or the future of the world…
It was expected that this would happen, and every single one of the teachers in UA had realised that...
Izuku Midoriya was an almost perfect soldier in every sense of the word, with a great sense of selflessness and justice, and the bravery to step up to a foe far more powerful than himself. He was also stronger than most pros in Japan, and with his fire, he could just fit into the top five without any training, not even mentioning his nigh perfect offense and defence in the form of martial arts and the scales that only enhanced that incredible set of skills…
The only problem was the origin of his power, and the higher ranked teachers that were present at the first time meeting with Izuku knew that when he was confirmed as the second born son of Michael Midoriya, it would only make these debates worse, and the public opinion would shift significantly against him, lest he make himself known as someone that can save lives despite his roots…
But now, it was the award ceremony…
It was mandatory, but they had a good enough reason to cancel, and looking on the faces of most fans; they wouldn't want to see young Izuku anymore today. However; this was a chance for the boy to clear his name, if only by the smallest of margins, and explain everything to the scared and confused fans.
The words of reassurance and comfort coming from the mouth of Izuku would be much more impactful than if the Principal did it, and while All Might would cause some people to believe it; after the fight with Red Scale, most people would doubt his claims, even if he was the great and mighty symbol of peace…
Suddenly, Midnight looked over from the side of the arena and saw someone walking out of the tunnel. "Hey everyone. Someone's come out to greet us, I think."
He was around 5'7ft and looked quite average in his build, though even from that distance, she could see he was muscular and healthy. He was barely visible through the tunnel, but as he walked out, Midnight was able to see more clearly.
"That's strange… Midoriya should be able to come out by himself right…?" Vlad asked, but then he smelled something in the air and didn't like it. "Hold on just a moment…"
He wore some kind of black armour, shining like some kind of alloy, and it looked to be very sturdy, to the point that a brick or even a bullet might shatter on impact, and was sporting green outlines that ran across the suit like it was alive. The pauldrons had 5 short spikes close to the neck, almost like reptile fangs, and his breastplate and body armour were a mix of dark green and obsidian with almost nowhere to reach the skin underneath. Around the back, he had a dark jade cape that stretched around 1.5 meters and a large collar on his black overcoat…
Though the main thing that alarmed the heroes was the helm…
"All of you, get off the field!" Vlad barked, hearing a transmission from Nezu...
It was black like the night sky and the visor was in a T shape with the glass being a see through green, as well as the small patterns around the side and back of the helmet. It had two long horns about the size of the boy's forearm, like that of a minotaur, and almost what looked like a snout or jaw of a beast, though it was hard to tell…
But everyone knew what it was just by looking at it in the light…
Izuku Midoriya stepped out onto the field with a focused look, different from the almost satisfied smirk he had whilst walking away from Todoroki, who was passed out from the dominant and unrelenting pressure that his aura transferred, and that unbearable presence he had before was almost gone, reverting to mere embers.
Somehow, he looked slightly more intimidating and mature than before, and didn't seem so eager for conflict, and the crowd all had a sudden feeling of some kind, like a jumpscare from just seeing him. They all knew, with him being the only one of the four finalists still able to receive an award, that he would be coming out to greet them, but that didn't lessen the blow even a bit.
Now this kid was a walking reminder of what happened 15 years ago…
From his easily won fights against Kirishima and Tokoyami, to his monstrous skills shown in the small wars against Bakugou and Todoroki; the fans and heroes all knew that he was a legitimate force in the world, probably able to kill tens of thousands before he could be detained by a strong hero equal or above his level, so it had everyone on edge.
If he were to abandon this innocent act of his and transform into that horrible monster known for killing almost billions; could anyone stop him?
Should he step into America's borders without anyone knowing of his connection to the blazing fang labs, he'd be attacked at every corner like it was the scene of an apocalypse. Luckily, no one would know about that…
The stage was right there, and the boy's sturdy metal boots clanked up the steel steps as he rose to the no.1 platform and looked out into the crowd. Almost hesitantly; the cameras all centred on him and began flashing as people cautiously leaned in to listen to the youth.
"Should we really allow this?" Aizawa asked no one in particular.
"Who else can clean up the mess he made? It's not the kid's fault, but they'll all think we're a bunch of lying traitors harboring a monster if Midoriya doesn't come out and clear things up." Vlad grunted.
Midnight nodded sadly. "I think we all hate doing this to a kid, but there really isn't another way we can make his situation better. It's like being born with a disadvantage in life. You can only look at making things better, and not holding off the bad things that come after this "disadvantage" gets exposed…"
The teacher's eyes narrowed slightly. "But why isn't All Might out here? I haven't been told of the plan since I was at the commentary booth before…"
"If we have Toshinori out there with him, he'll just look like he's being influenced by us; like his speech is scripted. He can get the award after he says his piece." the female hero said while watching Izuku adjust his collar.
"I see…"
Aizawa was far from okay with letting a teenager try and clear his name. He knew better than most that Midoriya had inherited his father and brother's genius and was a natural born superhuman in the mind, but letting someone of his age try and say something possibly world changing could result in things getting messy and potentially far worse than they already were…
He just had to trust Midoriya now, like he did at the USJ…
The boy had saved his life after all...
Even after having possibly vile words whispered into his ear by Prism, he stood strong and managed to get through the ordeal without any mental scars, and he even managed to survive a fight with a Nomu approaching All Might's level. The kid was tough as nails in body and mind, and now people instantly recognised him as a powerful fighter, so that had both good and bad effects…
Really, things could only go two ways…
Either Midoriya manages to win over the crowd and prove himself a potential hero candidate, moulding himself into the weapon that can kill Red Scale…
Or he will fail, and be vilified by the entire world…
Izuku attached the microphone to the stand and looked into the crowd, noting the weak facades people were trying to pull up in front of him… He seemed to feel far more confident after the talk with the man inside his head and the reemergence of his fire, so he found some of their feigned anger and disgust quite laughable. They were all trying to look brave in front of someone that could bring the world to its knees, should he be trained for a few years, and he viewed that behaviour as quite pathetic…
He didn't want to be edgy or arrogant now or ever, but with each usage of his fire, he felt this innocent self of his slip away, being replaced with the attitude he had developed as a Midoriya, to the point that he actually found it difficult to mask…
There were some people in the crowd with pure fear in their eyes, and others who were just hopeful and nervous…
That disgusting part of him...that voice in his head was loving their delicious expressions of hatred and fear, but Izuku himself felt ashamed despite the enlarged ego his quirk had gifted him, because he always wanted to save people and thought that the greatest feeling in the world would be the grateful look on someone's face when you snatch them from certain death…
Seeing all these sneers, grimaces, recoils of fear and expressions of panic made a pit form in his stomach, and there was nothing he could do to keep his head from drooping slightly, like a wilted flower. It wasn't what he wanted…
This wasn't the future he'd foreseen…
'I realised that I need to use my scales and flames together in order to prevent myself from either dropping in energy or collapsing from muscle damage. I can't just expect these green flames to save me from every injury like before, because that'll lead to my defeat. Like Todoroki's ice and fire; I need to balance the two like a weight scale to save my body from splitting open or just shutting down...and that will take time. These people don't need to worry about my quirk struggles or how hard it is to control, because it's irrelevant info and they won't have the patience to let me waste their time…"
Despite his confidence, he anxiously breathed out. 'No...I have to be upfront and honest to these people, even if they are beneath me in rank and power. I lie every day and am a shit person in the core of my soul, but to make these people turn the other cheek and slowly come around to my side of the story, I need to be someone they can put their trust in. It's how I won over hardasses like Aizawa and Vlad King, so it would be even easier with these puppets…'
He ran across a few scenarios in his head and weighed in what he could and couldn't say, but he didn't find an outcome where he could be completely honest while keeping the public's favour. It was a very difficult and annoying situation, but it was to be expected, as Izuku himself felt ashamed and disgusted that his quirk was the same as the dragons, at least at first…
He could understand the public's disdain and fear for him more than most, since his mother was able to somehow stand almost within touching distance to the villain before passing out, and her trauma was terrible, to the point that just the villain's name triggered her to replay the same scene in her head. He understood their hatred and their worries, and it was his job as the future no.1 hero...and as a human to make them feel at ease, like All Might did.
Whenever the man shouted "I AM HERE!", people could rest easy knowing that they were safe and secure. Perhaps some small blemish had been placed on the phrase since the fight with the dragon, but it didn't matter, because you knew that the blonde hero, the symbol of peace would save you if you heard those words...
As a hero, that is what Izuku strived to be, and he would suffer anything to have it…
Now though; it was time to give the speech…
People around the stadium were staring right into his beautiful yet haunting eyes, and the viewers at home leaned in closer to try and get the best possible look at who could either be the next great hero, or the worst villain since Red Scale…
All eyes were on him, and for the first time in his life…
Every single person in the world was looking his way…
'You're watching too, aren't you...Red Scale…' his eyes darkened slightly as he took a deep breath, feeling butterflies in his stomach.
His hair blew in the wind as his jade cape flapped behind him majestically…
His mouth neared the mic, and he closed his eyes.
"Good day, people of Japan…and people of the world…" he swallowed. "You all probably got the impression that I was some kid following in All Might's footsteps like the rest of them, protecting people with a smile and always doing what's right, but I'm afraid that you have been deceived…"
"I'm not like the rest of those people, nor am I like the proud heroes standing guard beside you. I, like my father and brother before me, will get whatever I want by any means necessary, and my goal is to become the greatest hero in the world…"
"I started off normal, being just like some of you. Quirkless and alone in the world…" He saw eyes widen at the reveal, as it was rare for someone to still have hope after being confirmed powerless...
"I had my mother to support me after my father and brother went overseas, but it didn't fill the void in my heart that my dream to be a hero left. Now, with this power, I can accomplish whatever I want, but at the cost of my own body. Yes, it is the same as the crimson dragon, but that doesn't mean that I am anything like him, and the fact that you people would compare me to him is insulting…"
The crowd flinched from the sudden venom in his words.
"Quirkless people are looked down upon in society, seen as nothing more than inferior humans in the eyes of the many, and it makes me sick. The lot of you only have these powers because some mythical force granted them to you, and you have never earned the right to wield it, so why do you discriminate against those who have nothing? My power's origin is a mystery, and I certainly haven't earned its might, but I know the role of a quirkless person in this world better than any of you lucky enough to be gifted a power, and I know the pain of being powerless, for I was once quirkless…"
"The discrimination against these unfortunate souls is similar to my case, where I have the exact same quirk as the most villanous scumbag on earth. I didn't have a choice in this. My quirk was forced upon me by an unknown party, and now I must live with the consequences of that, and those consequences can be seen here, with all of you and your sneering faces." Izuku's eyes darkened.
"I am innocent and have a greater future than anyone else in this school, and yet you all have the courage to treat me like vermin…"
"Just because I am birthed from a devil, does not mean that I myself am a devil. My life has just begun, and with this speech, I shall mark myself into the world of heroes and fight to claim the top spot…" he hissed hatefully
People were feeling something down in their chests, and they didn't know what it was…
A strange warmth…
Aizawa looked at Midoriya doubtfully. "He isn't being safe with his words…"
The other teachers didn't answer him, as they were feeling that same warmth now. What was the boy alluding to?
"Now, you all may think of me as a monster or a freak, but soon, you will not be able to deny that I am your only hope."
He turned around to face the other side of the stadium.
"I fought that Nomu at the USJ, and it had a strength comparable to that of All Might, but a villain known as Prism cut it down in a single slash of his fingers…" more gasps were heard around the venue.
"I suspect the other three fangs are around the world, planning for some sort of attack, and perhaps even Red Scale is closing on this nation. This means that we have limited time. At this moment, do you think that your heroes can stand up to a threat as grave as the crimson dragon, or even one of his minions? If we don't bolster our defences and produce heroes greater than the ones we have now, we shall be crushed underfoot like ants under a boot! And do you believe that the crimson dragon will stop with us? He failed last time for an unknown reason and left us in a state of near destruction, but if he returns before we can shape our nation into a superpower…"
"We shall face total annihilation…"
Chills ran through the stadium like shockwaves. People still felt that ominous shadow looming over them…
He was right as well…
If Japan was attacked by Red Scale, or even a single one of his four fangs, it would be utterly ruined and taken over within days. America at least had some sort of pathetic last stand when faced with conquest, and they were only able to delay their downfall by sheer numbers that were flicked away like rain on the windshield. Japan had Endeavor, Hawks and All Might as their main attack force, but by himself, All Might could probably just hold back one fang, but barely, so the two other top heroes wouldn't be of much use at all…
Perhaps in his prime, All Might could have stood toe to toe with those monsters, but Izuku and the staff at UA had already realised that he was gradually getting weaker with each passing day…
That was the only thing Izuku couldn't say to the public...
"Disapprove of me, hate me, wish for my death… Do whatever you wish, but just know that I am one of the two people in this world capable of fighting back against a threat that huge. You may despise me for my blood, and for my quirk, but you will soon come to accept me as the best you have."
People wanted to voice their disagreement, but there was some truth to his words…
"Who can defeat Red Scale but me? Who is worthy to step onto the same battlefield but me? There is no other choice… I can promise you, I am nothing like that monster, and when we cross blades in the future, I will avenge the deaths of everyone that died in Musutafu, and everyone in the world that was trampled by his brutal conquest…"
"Give me a few years and I shall be the strongest hero in the world, surpassing All Might, and even the Reaper of america. You will lean on me as a symbol of hope and restoration, and I will guard you from all threats that you face. I shall be the shield that fights the crimson fires you are so scared of, and I shall not let anyone live in a world ruled by fear!"
They were too nervous to cheer, still adjusting to the fact that the green dragon was talking about defeating his red counterpart, but most of the people there inwardly smiled from his words…
They were powerful words, and despite his identity, people could feel a warm feeling of hope, even if they tried to deny it...
Izuku looked back at the crowd, seeing their expressions change, and he felt relief. It wouldn't even be close to enough to stop people from hating him, but should he prove himself as a true hero, people could refer back to this speech and see how powerful it really was…
It was too bad that he needed to be honest now…
He didn't want to soil the speech he gave, but this secret was just hindering him. No doubt he would face punishment for this leak of information, but it would advance his life further, so it was a necessary sacrifice...
"Now then, you all look at me, a strong boy with a quirk capable of ending all your lives, and you think that there is no way that I am some nobody, raised in a suburban neighborhood. People with incredible quirks like this rarely come from humble beginnings, and most are found in noble families… I should have connections and ties to the outside world, or a prestigious family hidden away; shouldn't I?" his eyes flashed with anticipation.
"You would be right…"
"No..what's he think he's doing!?" Nezu suddenly shouted through the communication devices.
The teachers all stood shocked as his eyes landed on them; a cruel smirk meeting their gazes…
"I was four when I was diagnosed with the dreaded status, quirkless...and my dream of being the next symbol of peace was over...crushed into little shards. From there, depression hit me like a damn bullet to the head and I began to doubt everything I'd ever believed in, but I got through that hell thanks to my brother."
Nezu knew what Izuku was planning, and that couldn't be allowed to happen now. "Someone cut the mic!"
"Now you may be wondering...who is this brother of mine? Who is my father? Why am I so unknown throughout the world? The answer is this… My father hid me and my mother away when I reached the age of 5 and took my brother along with him. He did this to ensure that we wouldn't be targeted by villains or enemies of the lab, and he left us with the promise that he would one day return and make me and my mother happy. That day has yet to happen, but I can see the clouds moving out of the way, and I predict that the sun will shine on us soon…"
"My brother is the only person that I can fully trust in the world, as he saved me from the brink of despair and made me the man I am today. Sure, they may be painted like disgusting murderers and traitors in the east, but they are my family, and family is the most important aspect of my life. I live by the words of my brother more than anyone else, and even though I keep switching beliefs and goals, his words override everything. I will become the greatest hero you people have ever seen, and I will surpass even All Might in my quest for power-"
"For I am the second son of Michael Midoriya...the lost child of a dynasty…"
…
…
…
(Below The Arena…)
Endeavor's face was coated in sweat as he stormed down the dark halls of the underground floor of the stadium… He was restless and couldn't get the flames out of his head as they menaced him with visions of the past, and visions of those swords flying towards him...
He had excused himself from his post with the excuse that he felt suspicious of people in the crowd, but truthfully; he came here to hide from what was going on above…
He trained Shoto since the boy could walk and sacrificed his children and wife for his growth, but he wasn't just defeated… He had been utterly destroyed by the man now known as the possessor of Red Scale's quirk…
Things couldn't have been any worse, and Shoto didn't even try to use his fire in the face of the menace standing over him. Should this be any other case, with any other student, Endeavor would laugh and belittle his son, driving him to be stronger, but this was Izuku Midoriya…
That bastard child was the cocky little punk that dared to size him up before they'd even met, and the two of them were close to blows by the end of their conversation. He wasn't thinking about how he could get back at the boy…
He was thinking about how close to death he came…
Back when he and All Might were competing for the number one spot in Japan; Red Scale's conquest arrived at their shores and millions died because of it. He was one of the heroes caught up in the action, and he was one of the only men that dared to fight one of the blazing fangs…
He was beaten and defeated like All Might, but this was to the crimson dragon's minions…
5 heroes inside the top ten were bested by the female villain Violet Marsh in seconds, while both Edgeshot and Best Jeanist were easily slapped aside by Prism as he toyed with their motionless bodies…
But he was beaten by the english villain that specialised in armed combat…
The villain Lancelot…
Just thinking of his power made Endeavor feel a strong sense of shame, being beaten by someone that wasn't even comparable to Red Scale, and he raged whenever he remembered how one sided the match was… Sword after sword came flying at him and he could only run right into them. His fire proved useless even at max temperature against those nigh indestructible blades, and no matter what move he tried, he couldn't get within 50 meters of the man...
Of course; every hero was defeated that night, and all of the top ten were humiliated by the horrifying fangs of the dragon, but each and every one of the elite heroes was utterly helpless against those villains…like toddlers trying to fight their parents...
Enji thought that dodging all those swords emerging from the ground was impossible, and the speed of which they came was faster than one of All Might's punches… Endeavor didn't even get close enough for Lancelot to use his own sword against him, but it wouldn't have mattered if he did, because he was saved by the opponents all abandoning the battle at the last second, even though they were in the process of ruthlessly destroying them…
Were they looking down on him?
Or did they have something more important to attend to?
It didn't matter. The fact was that his son had failed, and seeing those brilliant green flames reminded him of his defeat…
"But how could he be capable of holding that quirk, and using it with such incredible skill? It took Shoto 3 years to learn how to fully maneuver his ice and fire mid air, and yet this child can override that like its nothing? What sort of freak…"
Enji wouldn't have it…
Shoto was supposed to surpass All Might and be the next top hero in Asia. but now this brat came from out of nowhere and established dominance in front of the world stage… If that kid doesn't slip up in the future, then all his work will have been in vain…
All the things he sacrificed…
Rei...Fuyumi...Natsuo…
And Toya…
No… He could never let his masterpiece be second place…
Not to scum like that…
But he couldn't think for long, because he noticed a door at the end of the corridor…
"Was that entrance there before?"
The hairs on his neck were standing upright at the sound of Izuku Midoriya's voice as the detestable boy gave his speech…
[I shall be the shield that guards you from the threat overseas! I shall be the guardian of the east! I shall be the one to save each and every one of you from a fate worse than death!]
The kid was acting like some kind of political powerhouse booming his voice across the area, and it made Enji sick…
To think that Shoto was beaten by that bastard…
He got closer to the door and didn't feel anything strange through his instincts…
That door wasn't listed in the map of the stadium and all the things inside, so it made the man very suspicious, but he just thought that it was his hero brain telling him to look out, so he didn't think…
The door was different from all the silver and blue ones near it, and it gave off a strange smell, like the scent of freshly cut grass…
Very strange indeed…
Endeavor wasted no time in busting down the door…
[I shall be the shield that guards the realms of men from the dreaded crimson dragon, and I will guide you all into a bright new future, where the image of that bastard will be nothing but a bad memory! You only need to put your trust in me, and watch as I become the strongest with no equal!]
He began to feel strange from the words that Midoriya was spouting, and it was like some ominous clouds had formed over his head…
He looked around the dark room, seeing nothing at all, but when he clicked his fingers and produced a small orange ember in his palm, it revealed something shocking…
'A supercomputer…'
His heart began to beat faster as both rage and nervousness began to take over…
Someone was watching them…
He walked around the room; his sapphire eyes darting from desk to chair, hoping to find something else…
But then, his eyes landed on a small cabinet, not hidden at all…
'And what could be in here…'
He crushed the handle with his grip and pulled the thing open, only for his eyes to meet something far worse than he could imagine…
[For I am the second son of Michael Midoriya, the lost child of a dynasty…]
Inside the cupboard were a collection of deactivated drones…
All of them deployed and manufactured by the Blazing Fang Labs…
And that is the chapter!
So Izuku has a healing factor, but it can only be used if he has both his fire and scales activated. Bringing his fire in isn't as busted as you think, because he now needs to balance the two quirk powers to stop himself from either being torn apart by his snapping muscles or having his life force drained by the fire…
We got to see the conclusion to the sports festival arc, and I'm happy to say that we are finally getting into the real shit…
Of course the Stain arc won't be too different from canon, but it will be the last arc before the events of Season 3, where shit hits the fan and all the foreshadowing comes to a head… We still have Iida's visit with Ingenium to cover, and what exactly happened to him, while Izuku deals with the backlash of his identity being revealed… All of that will be in the next chapter, along with izuku's confrontation with a student…
Now we know that Akira has been spying on the sports festival with his drones and used them to sneak around the area, uncovering valuable secrets he will no doubt use to his advantage when he inevitably crosses the sea, and we know a little more about the night 15 years ago.
Don't worry, because we will get a full chapter detailing everything about the Musutafu battle and why Red Scale abruptly ended the massacre… that will come much later…
But yeah; I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I can't wait for your responses. Not too sure if I executed Izuku's speech perfectly and I have some doubts about the effect that the multiple reaction scenes gave off, so I encourage anyone to step up and give their thoughts on them.
MIKE202303 ~ Thank you for the support, loyal reader!
Bio RL ~ I'm trying to have Izuku get his own dream and goal, because the man in his head said that he needs his own ambition to challenge him. It's gonna be one of the main themes of the story. Hope I land the execution lol.
The last airbendr ~ Oh hell yeah. The canon is actually getting good again. I kinda left it since the Liberation arc since the quality seems to shift from arc to arc, as you have the yakuza arc being almost perfect and then the shitty festival just being filler with a small amount of character development. The whole manga seems to have one good arc and one bad arc in consistent succession, and it's either a good thing or a bad thing, but the villains are looking pretty damn OP at this point without All Might to dunk on them…
Kaemisa ~ happy you enjoyed bro!
~ Guess being a responsible person is annoying, but I can't relate since I'm still a dumb teen. The first few chapters are weak as hell in my opinion, but I do like the way I wrote that letter, and yes...someone is gonna die that is pretty damn close to Izuku (in the very distant future…)