The first time his Quirk appeared, Izuku wished it would be great. He was six years old, an extremely late bloomer. The average age for a Quirk to manifest was four, but some Quirks were too dangerous for a child's body to handle, so they hibernated until the body was ready to wield it. It was Izuku's time, and, after two years of thinking he had no powers, shed tears.
It was an Emitter Type Quirk. It let him absorb energy around him and redistribute it at a later time, and Izuku thought it was the coolest thing. He experimented with it all afternoon, touching a light bulb and turning it on with the stored energy he had taken from a television earlier. He also tried to absorb physical force, but found that it wasn't included within his Quirk's range of abilities, only energies like electricity, sunlight and sound.
Over the years, Izuku barely used his power, passively absorbing all types of non-physical energies from his environment from when he was six, all the way until he was fourteen. Izuku had placed rules on his power, such as not letting himself do harm with it, not letting himself use it to cheap out on physical labor and not using it in public. It was the law that you weren't allowed to use Quirks in public unless you were certified, but most law enforcement didn't crack down on it too hard, so it was more of a guideline than a rule.
This brought the attention of Katsuki Bakugo, who had to concede and admit that Izuku's Quirk, Spectrum, was okay. From Bakugo, that meant that it rivalled Pro Heroes' Quirks, and that sent Izuku over the moon. Before, Bakugo had teased him about his Quirklessness, and even physically assaulted him on numerous occasions, but upon his Quirk's emergence, Izuku's abuse stopped. In fact, he was openly liked at school, being invited to hang out with Bakugo and his other friends once the stigma surrounding talking to him had faded.
When Izuku was fourteen, though, he would realize the true extent of his powers. It was early in his third year of middle school, and he was packing up his things after school. Izuku had just had a Homeroom lesson, and they had talked about high school applications. Izuku hadn't needed that lecture, because he already knew what school he wanted to go to, UA High School.
UA was one of the top schools in the country, even for its General Education Course, but where it excelled was in Heroics. This course was the top ranked of its kind in Japan, producing such Pro Heroes as Best Jeanist, Endeavour and All Might, the Symbol of Peace himself. All Might had been Izuku's inspiration for becoming a Pro Hero way back when he was five, and he had never wavered on his convictions, earning the respect of Bakugo by accident.
Just as Izuku was about to start fantasizing about life at UA, Bakugo screeched at him from across the room. Back in reality, Izuku realized that everybody else, including the teacher, had left. It was just Izuku, Bakugo and their friend, Yubi Ekusutorīmu. The three looked at each other, Izuku smiling softly, and Bakugo's face eternally reflecting his annoyance, no matter how much annoyance he was feeling at any given moment.
Bakugo had this feeling about him that Izuku couldn't quite place. Most would call it arrogance and egoism, but Izuku knew better than them how Bakugo really thought about things, especially about Quirks. Bakugo was smarter than they gave him credit for, but he was also impatient. He wanted to be a Pro Hero now, and literally couldn't wait to take the entrance exams at UA in ten months.
"Come on, Deku. We're going to the arcade, are you coming?" Bakugo asked.
Izuku thought about it for a second. On one hand, spending the afternoon with Bakugo and Ekusutorīmu would be fun, if emotionally draining. Bakugo was a lot to deal with when he got riled up, and, unfortunately for Izuku, that wasn't hard to do. On the other hand, he had to get home, because he was helping his mother, Inko, cook that night. They had a night once a week where they would cook one big meal for themselves, and cuddle up watching a movie. They called it 'Family Night', even though it was just the two of them. Izuku loved it, even though he did want a father to experience a true family night with.
"Sorry, I can't. It's Family Night!" Izuku said, packing the last of his things into his backpack.
"Oh. That's cool, then. Tell Auntie Inko I said 'hi'," Bakugo said.
"I will. See you, Kacchan!" Izuku called out.
Bakugo and Ekusutorīmu left, leaving Izuku to sigh, contented. He got up and made his way to the door, checking his phone for the news. Izuku had a habit of documenting Pro Heroes' Quirks as he saw them. He reasoned that if he could hone his analytical skills, which he thought was his greatest ability, he would surely excel at UA. After all, the school's motto was 'Go beyond, plus ultra!'. Izuku loved that motto, saying it to himself during his hardest endeavours to encourage himself to never stop.
As he walked down the street, Izuku debated with himself about whether he should go his regular route home and swing by the convenience store on his way, or take a shortcut home, change out of his uniform, which was starting to become tight at the collar, and head to the store in looser, more comfortable clothes.
The shortcut won out against regularity, and Izuku turned off his path, walking under a bridge. The tunnel wasn't very long, but it was dark, giving Izuku a bad feeling that he couldn't shake. He kept glancing around, swearing he heard chuckling under the noise of the roaring vehicles passing above him.
About halfway through the tunnel, Izuku's hair stood on end. He had the strangest feeling of imminent danger he had ever felt. He had gotten this feeling before, right before his childhood home had caught fire due to a misguided arsonist, and it had saved him and Inko. Now, it was even worse, almost making him sick.
Izuku turned around to hear a pounding sound, like in a horror movie when the monster bangs against the door, and this sound filled him with a similar sense of dread. He started to inch away for some reason, feeling that if he stayed, he would be hurt, or worse.
Suddenly, the sound grew louder, before a humongous sludge monster burst from the sewer grate. Izuku watched as it gained a vaguely humanoid form, having arms and a face, with the rest of it being a composite of different waste products and sewage. The smell almost put Izuku on the ground, but he managed to endure it and stay on his feet.
The Sludge Villain looked around, seemingly checking for something, or someone. He laid eyes on Izuku, the small, scared child and grinned devilishly. That eerie smile sent Izuku into panic mode, starting to make a break for the end of the tunnel, thinking that if he can get into the open area, he can be seen by a Pro Hero, and be saved.
The Villain had other plans, though, and was in front of Izuku before he knew what was what. Izuku gasped, knowing that he'd have to fight. He hated fighting if it could be avoided, but in times of acute stress, it was good to let out some fury.
Izuku stood tall, getting into a fighting stance, though his hands were shaking. His hands started to let off a brilliant green light, almost blinding even himself. Izuku was perplexed; this had never happened before. Green energy flowed around Izuku's arms, permeating his skin without harm, and that's when it clicked for Izuku.
That was when he realized how much he could do with the energy he had built up. Over the last eight years of storing energy, stockpiling power, Izuku could now manipulate it freely. He had never tried, only going so far as to release in the form he had collected it in, but now he knew. Izuku could absorb most forms of energy, but release it in any other form. He wasn't limited by the forms of energy available to him anymore, having broken through the blocks he had accidentally placed in his complacency.
Izuku hesitantly held his right arm out, aiming at the Sludge Villain. He took a deep breath and released the heat in his arm, firing off a powerful energy blast toward the Villain. Izuku, seeing this success, cheered out loud.
"Oh, my god! This is incredible! I'm going to have so much more potential, now! I'm-" Izuku's celebration was cut off by the Villain.
"Weak," the Sludge Villain said.
Izuku looked back to the Villain, somehow forgetting him in his revelry. The Villain didn't have a scratch on him, mostly because of the fact that you can't scratch a fluid, but partly because Izuku's attack had passed right through his body. He had done no damage. Izuku started inching back once again.
"What a useless Quirk!" the Villain screamed as it rushed forward.
Izuku tried to think of a way to use his Quirk to escape, but the Villain was already on him, literally. The Sludge Villain used his fluid body to surround Izuku, containing the boy within his main body. Izuku tried to claw his way out, but it was useless; his fingers passed right through. The lack of air started getting to Izuku. He thrashed around, almost physically reaching for air, but he was being suffocated by the Villain's body. Izuku, deep down, knew this was it. He accepted it.
Then, he saw his mother. Bakugo. Ekusutorīmu. UA. Himself, but taller, more muscular, standing on top of a rooftop overlooking Tokyo. He saw a life that he still wanted to live. That gave him the will to keep going, to fight. Izuku, with all his might, started to charge all his limbs with as much energy as they could take, the comforting warmth turning to a searing heat, cooking the raw sewage from the inside, as well as Izuku's insides.
But, Izuku was at his limit. He had overclocked his already heavily physically taxed body. He was suffocating, panicking, and focussing on using his Quirk in a new way, and it overwhelmed him. Izuku began seeing black spots in his vision, and getting extremely light headed. After only a moment of this, Izuku had passed out.
When he woke up, Izuku was being petted on the cheek by a large hand. No, not petted. Slapped. He was getting slapped by a huge, strong hand. He knew it was not this hand's full strength, but he could feel his skin becoming raw, so he nudged it away with his shoulder, thinking it to be his mother or Bakugo in his oxygen deprived fogginess.
Izuku opened his eyes to see not Bakugo, not Inko, but All Might, the Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace himself. Japan's greatest Pro Hero. Touching him.
Holy shit.
All Might, seeing that Izuku is awake and not hurt, backed off. He stood up, shielding his eyes from the glaring sun. Izuku stayed on the ground, looking at his hero looking him in the eye with those powerful, baby blue eyes of his. Most of the time, All Might moves too fast to see him clearly, but now, Izuku was getting a full body shot, seeing how large and muscular the man really was.
"All Might!" Izuku screeched, standing up in the blink of an eye.
"Hello, young man. I'm sorry that you had to fend for yourself while I caught up to the Villain. It's a miracle you weren't seriously harmed," All Might apologized.
"Yeah, especially considering my Quirk wasn't of much use," Izuku complained under his breath.
"You used your power to fight the Villain? I suppose it's allowed, since this is a case of self defence, but I'd advise running instead of fighting for untrained persons such as yourself," All Might said.
"I tried, but he cut me off. He's really fast for an oversized gelatin cup," Izuku said.
"Yes. What's your name, young man?" All Might asked, examining Izuku closely.
"Um, Izuku Midoriya, sir!" Izuku told the man, slightly nervous as to the reason why he was asking.
"Well, Midoriya. You were incredibly brave, and it is a testament to your strength that you are alive. What is your Quirk?" All Might commended.
"I call it Spectrum. I can absorb some forms of energy and release it later. At first, I thought that I could only release the energy as I had collected it. For example, electricity could only be released as electricity. During that fight, though, I realized that I can do whatever I want with the energy I store up. I'm more powerful than I knew," Izuku said, looking to the side with a pained expression.
"That's an incredibly powerful Quirk! You don't believe it, though, do you?" All Might asked, his experience with comforting victims coming to the front of his mind.
Izuku looked up to the man, a questioning look in his eyes. He sighed, knowing that he was caught. He relaxed his shoulders and his posture worsened, taking a stance similar to a moping child.
"That Villain said that it was weak. I couldn't do anything to him; my attack passed right through his fluid body. In the end, I had to be saved. He's right, my power couldn't save me," Izuku said, not able to look All Might in the eye.
All Might sighed and knelt down. He put his hand on Izuku's shoulder, which jolted him into making eye contact. Once that connection was made, Izuku found it impossible to look away, finding something in the Pro Hero's eyes that he had been missing.
"Midoriya, those are just the words of a coward. Do you know what bullies do? They project their own insecurities onto their victims. He was calling you weak? He was scared and wanted to make you give up. That's what they do. They use words because they can't use their power. You can. You can fight. I believe that you can be a Hero with your power, so don't let anybody tell you otherwise," All Might said.
That moment, something clicked for Izuku. All Might was right. The only person that he could afford to take criticism from was himself. Nobody else mattered; it's all about how he feels about his own power. Right then, Izuku felt that he could become a Pro Hero. That his power was enough. That he was enough. It was nice.
Izuku shed a single tear, and leaned into All Might, wrapping his arms around his hero. All Might reciprocated the hug, and the two embraced right there on the street. Suddenly, Izuku felt All Might's grip tighten, and heard the man grunt like he had been hit by something, so he pulled away.
"All Might, are you okay?" Izuku asked.
All Might was steaming. A popular topic among girls Izuku's age was how hot All Might was, but this was a bit extreme. Izuku backed up, not knowing how to respond to his favorite Pro Hero going up in smoke, literally.
"Midoriya, please leave. You don't need to see this!" All Might groaned as he turned around, getting ready to leap away.
"Wait, maybe I can help!" Izuku yelled.
As All Might knelt down to leap away, saving himself an explanation, Izuku ran forward, trying to help his hero. Just as Izuku reached All Might's hunched over body, the man leapt up into the sky, unwittingly taking Izuku with him.
All Might, feeling dead weight on his leg, turned to see that Izuku had hitched a ride on his body, and was so shocked that he coughed up a bit of blood, even in his Hero Form. He covered his mouth to hide it from the boy, but he knew what was coming.
"Shit," All Might said under his breath, and with the winds blowing in Izuku's ears, he went unheard.
The two landed on a random rooftop, with Izuku being placed carefully, while All Might let himself tumble across the floor as he lost muscle mass by the second. Izuku witnessed this and started mumbling to himself, trying to come up with solutions to All Might's problem.
With a final blast of steam, All Might's form shrank. When the cloud cleared, Izuku could see the sorry state his hero was in. He was emaciated, looking to have no muscle mass; just bone and skin. All Might's face was gaunt, with his eyes and cheeks sunken in, making his eyes only two blue marbles shining out in the darkness. Before, his hair was combed back and silky, shiny. Now, it was frizzy, unkempt and his two prominent bangs that made a 'V' shape now sagged, framing his face.
On any other day, Izuku would have screamed. He would have screamed until he couldn't anymore, recovered, and kept screaming. This was All Might. The Symbol of Peace. The greatest Pro Hero Japan had ever known, and he was a skeleton in his spare time. Izuku simply blinked, not knowing what to do or say, most likely going into shock.
"How did this happen?" Izuku asked, fearing that he already knew the answer.
"Midoriya, you're a good kid. I know you are, so I'm going to tell you, but you have to promise me to keep this a secret. Only we can know, alright?" All Might said.
"Yes," Izuku confirmed.
"Alright. Six years ago, I fought a Villain. He wasn't your regular Villain, but a demon walking in human skin. This man had committed almost every atrocity known to man. Human experimentation, murder, human trafficking. This Villain probably orphaned thousands of children over his reign," All Might began.
"Wow. You beat him, right, All Might?" Izuku asked.
"Yes, but there was a cost," All Might continued.
He lifted his shirt up to show Izuku his torso, which was scarred beyond belief. Purple lines covered the entirety of his rib cage on the left side, running down his torso. From another angle, it might have looked like an elegant flower, but in the current light, it was hideous, and both parties knew it.
"Six years ago? Does that mean Toxic Chainsaw did this to you?" Izuku asked, recalling a news broadcast he had seen around that time.
"You know your stuff, Midoriya! Impressive, but incorrect. Toxic Chainsaw could never do this to me. This fight was never made public knowledge," All Might said.
"Oh. Why not?" Izuku asked.
"They can't know that I failed them. A Symbol has to be above all of this. Unbreakable. Indomitable. Immortal. They have to be ever vigilant, always ready for the fight and never willing to quit, because it would all fall apart," All Might explained.
"Who's 'they'?" Izuku asked.
All Might lifted his hands to frame the city behind him. The hustle and bustle of the streets was a reminder of how intimate this moment really was. Izuku hadn't thought of it, but he was having a deep conversation with his personal hero. He should be over the moon, but he only felt dread.
"Them. People. If the citizens of Japan knew that I could be killed, crime would increase just because of the concept coming into the collective consciousness. All Might himself is the single most effective deterrent of crime in existence. Take that away, and you get mayhem," All Might said.
Izuku let all of that information sink in. All Might had been injured, badly. The Hero that never surrendered, always won and was never hurt, had been shattered. It was almost too much for Izuku.
"Now, I'm this. The aftereffects of countless surgeries have worn me down, making me waste away until now. At present, I can only retain my Hero Form for about three hours a day. That time is only getting shorter," All Might said.
Izuku's eyes widened. All Might was talking like somebody with limited days. Like he was living on borrowed time. Like he was dying.
"Don't tell me …" Izuku trailed off, not wanting to face the reality of the situation.
"That's right. My power is dwindling. Some day, and someday soon, the age of All Might has to come to an end, by retirement or other means," All Might finished.
Izuku felt numb, like a part of him had been ripped from him and was being waved in front of his face, taunting him with its absence. He looked around and saw the city going about its business, like nothing was happening. On a single rooftop, though, a belief had been broken. A foundation had been rocked.
All Might, having nothing left to say, left. He broke the lock on the door and walked into the building, leaving Izuku on the roof. Izuku stood up. His arms and legs were weak. He felt like he was going to throw up, and ran to the railing.
Izuku leaned over the railing, holding his head over the edge as he dry heaved. It was overwhelming, knowing these things that so few knew. Izuku couldn't take it. He turned around and slid down the railing, sitting down and looking at his hands as they shook.
"If All Might is hurt that badly, what can I do?" Izuku asked himself.
He held his arm out away from him and let his power flow through it, the green energy shining and pulsing around his arm. He tensed his arm, and the energy changed from smooth and flowing to jagged and flickering; electricity.
Izuku scrunched his nose in concentration, and his arm stopped glowing. Izuku stood up, wondering if he had run out of energy. He tensed his arm, wanting to bring back the electrical cloak around his arm.
Suddenly, a piercing sound rang out, making Izuku's ears ring. He released the tension in his arm, and the sound stopped. He tried again, this time aiming his arm into the sky. Izuku watched as a powerful sound wave was released from his hand, shooting up into the sky.
"I can do this. All Might believes in me, so the least I can do is try!" Izuku hyped himself up.
Izuku breathed deeply and ran toward the door, rushing down the stairs and onto the street. He was winded by the time he got to the bottom floor, but he kept running, trying to catch up to the blond Hero.
"Come on! Come on! I can't have lost him! Even in his True Form, he stands out! He's like a walking skeleton!" Izuku complained as he ran.
After a while of running, Izuku came across a large crowd watching a battle in a small marketplace. Figuring that even in his small form, All Might would be there, Izuku pushed through the crowd, trying to get to the best vantage point, police tape.
Using his size to his advantage, Izuku easily got through the crowd. What he saw was the most primal feeling he had ever felt before. Rage. Uncontrollable rage, mixed with lesser feelings of guilt and fear.
It was the Sludge Villain. He was rampaging with a person in his body, with the same school uniform that he had on. It was somebody he likely knew, and the Villain was inflicting that same pain on them that he had on Izuku.
Then, he remembered the bottles. Izuku had seen bottles with the same green-ish texture as the Villain sticking out of All Might's pockets, but none in his True Form. He recalled how he was gripping All Might's leg, grabbing onto something solid. Izuku knew that he had dislodged the bottles during his desperate attempt to help. This was his fault. He looked at the Villain again and saw something about the person trapped inside that he hadn't before.
He recognized that hair. That spiky, blond hair was like none he had ever seen before except for one person; Katsuki Bakugo. Izuku was sent into a panic. How had Bakugo gotten here? How had the Villain gotten here? Where were the Heroes? Where was All Might? All of these questions flowed through his mind at a mile a minute until he saw.
The 'Heroes' were standing by, watching Bakugo suffer. He heard from a bystander that none of the Heroes had a Quirk that could do the Villain harm, so they had given up, waiting for a Hero with the 'right Quirk' to come along. Somebody else mentioned All Might, and that started a chant among the crowd, calling for All Might to come like he was some benevolent God. Izuku knew better.
Before he could think, Izuku was running. He was running past the police tape, the 'Heroes', the flames and the debris. He was running toward the Villain. A thousand things were running through his head, most of them being possible things to do to save Bakugo.
"Kid, wait!" Kamui Woods, a Pro Hero, yelled from behind the police tape.
"No, you idiot! You'll die!" Death Arms, another Pro Hero, shouted.
As he neared the Villain, Izuku came to a conclusion. He let the default energy flow through his arms, concentrating hard on the energy he wanted to use. Light. The most readily available energy to absorb, most of Izuku's energy reserves came from light. The other majority was sound, with electricity being a distant third.
When he got within earshot of Bakugo, he stopped running. He looked around, making sure that nobody else was in the area. He caught his reflection in one of the shop windows, and saw that his eyes, normally a darker green, were glowing like neon, a piercing green staring back at him. Focussing back on Bakugo, he turned to the Villain.
"Kacchan! CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Izuku screamed.
Bakugo obeyed, shutting his eyes tight. Once Izuku was sure Bakugo had closed his eyes, he focussed all of the energy he could bare into his hands, willing it to be light energy. Izuku had to cycle through a few different types of energy, finding that to help more than an immediate switch. Once enough power was collected, Izuku released it, creating a light that encompassed Izuku's body. All at the scene were forced to look away, but the Sludge Villain hadn't protected himself in time, and was blinded by the light.
"I CAN'T SEE!" the Sludge Villain screamed, flailing his arms around.
Izuku struggled to contain the energy, but slowly started to decrease the size of his light ball, slowly absorbing it back into himself. Bakugo opened his eyes to see that Izuku's plan had worked, the fluid around him was slowly lessening its hold on him.
Taking his chance, Bakugo ignited his Quirk, blowing the Villain to pieces. The sound was deafening, but the flash was drowned out by Izuku's ever shrinking ball of light. The two relaxed themselves, Bakugo hacking up sewage, and Izuku reabsorbing the last of his energy.
The two looked each other in the eye from across the battlefield. They made their way toward each other and met in the middle. Bakugo was pale, and his breathing was ragged, but otherwise he was fine. Izuku's skin was red and patchy, but no other injuries were present other than his skin irritation.
"Hi," Izuku simply greeted his friend.
"You're crazy!" Bakugo yelled with a grin.
The two fist bumped, sharing a moment. That moment, however, was ruined by the media, as always. Reporters swarmed the boys, asking a thousand questions at once. Izuku was stunned by the sudden attention, while Bakugo was having none of it.
"All of you, fuck off! Leave him alone!" Bakugo shouted.
The crowd parted to reveal the Pro Heroes walking toward the boys, glaring daggers at Izuku. He got a bad feeling from their heated looks, and didn't want to find out any time soon what words they wished to use.
"Kacchan, we need to go," Izuku said, his voice low.
"Yeah, let's bounce," Bakugo agreed.
Suddenly, All Might, in his Hero Form, landed on the ground from up in the sky, right in front of the two boys. Izuku and All Might shared a look that everybody else missed, and All Might turned to the media.
"Leave these boys alone. They have both fought for their lives today, and they deserve to relax. Do they deserve a camera in their face while being questioned about their Quirks?" All Might told the crowd.
All Might turned back to the boys, giving them a sympathetic smile. Somehow, it was different than his regular, constant grin, and the two could tell. Izuku had looked at his face for hours at a time, trying to figure out what made his presence so calming to people, and he still didn't know.
"I must have words with you, Young Midoriya," All Might whispered.
"Oh, okay!" Izuku said.
"Take my hand," All Might requested.
Izuku held All Might's hand, which was weird for him on multiple levels, and the Hero leapt, leaving everyone else behind, including Bakugo. For a brief moment, Izuku was able to make eye contact with Bakugo, and the blond boy looked absolutely destroyed, but conflicted. Izuku would have to talk to him in the future about his connection to All Might.
When the two landed, All Might put Izuku down and immediately reverted to Small Might, as Izuku had begun subconsciously referring to him, and coughed up a wad of blood. He tried to hide it from Izuku, but he knew. All Might was a terrible liar.
"Midoriya, are you okay?" All Might asked.
"I'm fine. My hands are sore, but I'm fine. How are you?" Izuku said.
"I'm as good as I can be. I wanted to talk to you about your actions," All Might said, not blinking.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! It kind of just happened! Wait, you were watching?" Izuku apologized in quick succession.
"I was. I'm very impressed, Midoriya. All of those Pro Heroes, and only the timid kid acted. That's something special. Your Quirk had been proven to be ill suited to fight against that type of foe, but you found a way! That's incredible! You were able to give that boy the opening he needed to survive. He's alive because of your heroism," All Might praised.
Izuku could have cried. He was being praised so highly by the number one Hero in Japan by rank, and by national opinion. That man was praising him. Izuku felt a tear work its way onto his cheek, but he wiped it away before it became obvious.
"Thanks, but I'm not that good. I just thought that if the villain was disoriented, he would lose control of his body. I didn't even land a hit on him," Izuku downplayed his efforts.
"Exactly! None of those Pro Heroes, who were trained in battle tactics by professionals, thought of that. You did. That's very impressive, Midoriya. Which is why I have an offer for you," All Might said.
"You want to … give me something?" Izuku asked.
"Yes. I can give you something very special. I know that you are trustworthy. I feel it. I'll tell you the secret behind my awesome power! The name of my Quirk is One for All, and it was an ability that was passed down to me. I believe that you are a worthy holder of this power, and am offering for you to become the new user of One for All!" All Might practically yelled.
That was the thing that did it.
Izuku passed out.