Chapter 1: Imperfect Beginnings
"Hmmm seems like his body's adapting well to the organic perpetual energy reactors," the white-haired Dr. Gero muttered, looking at the medical tank containing the four-year-old subject 09, Izuku Midoriya.
"Of course sir," said one of his many robotic helpers, androids whose form reassembled his old failure Android 8, "Should we prep him for long-term observation?"
"...No, move to stage three immediately, " he said, the mechanical helper seeming to pause at that order making the scientist sigh, "Our benefactor has been….generous enough to provide us with the resources we need, but such generosity isn't free….and I'd prefer to be prepared for the inevitable." He looked at the child with a crazed grin on his face.
"Even if the dragon balls sent us here, I will perfect my organism," he placed his hand on the tank, " The original failed because it was limited to needing the other two androids….with time and the inclusion of a human base, this one should be able to reach his perfect form naturally," he glared at the android, "Now get the samples we brought….all of them." His eyes gleamed as his androids got to work.
'I may not be able to kill that brat Goku, but no one will be able to oppose 'it' he thought before turning and heading back to his private office, 'In this world of Heroes and Villians, the Red Ribbon Army will rise from the ashes and bring this so-called 'society' to its knees,'
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"I'm surprised to see you in Japan again." said the mouse-bear-dog Nezu, looking through the two-way glass in front of him, seeing a crying woman being consoled by a detective, "Or should I say I'm surprised that the number one hero would take interest in a missing child case when they finally have a lead on such a dangerous foe as All for One ….though now that I think about it, it is something you would do Toshi,"
"We both know that it's something he would be behind…..though the fact that it isn't as well hidden as most of his operations is somewhat worrying," the number one Hero All Might said, wincing as the woman spoke some before breaking down again crying, looking at the principle of U.A. with obvious worry.
"Maybe he has gained some new allies?" Nezu suggested as the detective left the room leaving the grieving woman alone, " I mean I understand that in the past he went after those with powerful quirks, but going after quirkless individuals….I mean if it was criminals or such who he could get to his side I'd understand, but he doesn't seem like the type to raise child soldiers,"
"I would have just assumed maybe it was the boy's father who took him as that's usually the case in these kinds of situations but with this child being the ninth child without a quirk taken….it reeks of him,"
"...What do you think he has planned for the children?" Nezu asked, absentmindedly rubbing the scar over his eye.
"Nothing good," the symbol of peace replied, eyes fixed on the crying woman as he clenched his fist at how useless he felt, drawing blood.
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"Danmit!" Doctor Gero yelled, slamming a fist into one of the lab's terminals as the lab shook, the sounds of far-off explosions showing the cause, "That pathetic fool! Thinking he could rush perfection," he glared at the main door to the lab as the sounds of explosions got louder.
Pushing past one of his android helpers as they set up explosive charges throughout the room he ran up to the tank containing his only successful attempt. Typing as quickly as his robotic body allowed him, he entered his security code, the words 'Failsafe initiated'. The hum of hydraulics filled the room as the tank containing the subject started to drain as metal shutters slid down the front concealing the subject.
"Status report!" he yelled at one of the androids.
"All files and evidence of the project have been deleted, and the tanks containing the failures are ready for disposal," one said, making the doctor nod, "Then ready yourself for self-termination on my command," he said the androids each lining up along the walls of the room before stopping staying as still as statues as the main door to the lab dented inwards.
Gero smirked making his way to the center of the room as dorr caved, revealing the world's number one hero.
"It is over villain!" he said, making his way into the room followed by a lanky man with glasses in a white suit followed behind him, "Surrender and release the children you have stol-!"
"So you're the one 'he' told me about," Gero said, interrupting All Might as he glared at the hero, a smirk on his face, before beams of energy shot out of his eyes, slamming into the hero. Though his smirk slowly morphed into a frown as the beams did no damage other than cause the front of All Mights suit to smoke. "I guess tales of your….abilities weren't all that exaggerated," he said with a sigh.
"As you ca-" the number one hero started to speak before his sidekick Sir Nighteye's eyes widened.
"Tosh-"
"Son Goku," Gero said, All Might's eyes widened as the tanks throughout the room and the androids bodies started to glow, and with his inhuman speed, he grabbed Nighteye covering him with his body as the lab exploded, collapsing the apartment it was based under and the whole city block it was located on.
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"Damnit Toshi I told you to wait for the others," Sir Nighteye said as a paramedic bandaged a cut on his head, "You're always leaping forward without thinking," he glared at All Might making the hero flinch, knowing that he very often did leap without things, opening his mouth he was cut off by his sidekick, "I don't give damn if it's a trait of a hero Toshi, not only did we walk into a trap, but we lost any possible lead on 'him'!"
"Sorry…" the number one hero said, seeming to deflate on himself before sitting up becoming serious, "We were right though," he looked out at the destruction, "What we did manage to recover proves that he's on the move again…he has to be stopped….no matter the cost," he said, getting a sigh out of his sidekick.
"Not if it cost the world you Toshi," Nighteye said with another sigh before nodding to the rubble that had been a city block, "Now go…..I'll head up the effort to extract any information from the remains of the computers from that lab,"
All Might merely gave a nod, before leaping into the fray, leaving his sidekick to sigh.
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In the sewers below the collapsed laboratory structure, the capsule containing subject 09 opened releasing what appeared to be some kind of big cicada the crown of its head being in the shape of a 'V' it was the size of a small dog. It crawled out from the pod on four legs.
It didn't know who it was, all it knew was that it was wet as it waddled through the sewage. It just walked, making its way through the many pathways and tunnels its instincts telling it to look for a safe area to grow, its eyes a full red with a slitted pupil dividing it.
One word echoed through its head, bouncing around as he slowly walked.
'Cell'
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The number one hero All Might let out a sigh feeling the weather as he exited his apartment, shivering at the brisk air that seemed to go through his skinny form. He gave a small shake of his head as he made his way to his car, sliding into the front seat with a sigh before making his way to U.A. where he'd be working very soon.
"Hopefully I can find someone worthy," he muttered to himself as he made his way through traffic, smiling as he noticed a hair clip on the passenger seat of his car, letting out a chuckle. "Wonder how long it'll take till Inko notices," he said, a smile on his face as he remembered the woman he'd meet a few years ago.
After the raid on the lab, forensic teams had found DNA belonging to all of the missing children, in the main lab of the building, they would never have survived the expositions let alone the scant few documents they'd managed to salvage detailing Dr. Gero's experiments.
He had personally gone to notify the parents of the children, meeting the mother of Izuku Midoriya. Watching the woman who had held out hope for so long break down and cry had made him feel like a failure, with the loss of her child and her divorce to her husband she lived all alone, so he had decided to check in on her….to alleviate some of the guilt, and maybe help her if needed.
He hadn't expected to be awed by the woman who refused to let it break her if he was honest with himself he felt as if she was far more dependable than herself. To say the woman was kind would be an understatement, he truly believed that she helped him far more than he had her. Her tenacity had helped him through his darkest times, during his recovery, being the one person who was more stubborn than him, even going as far as to force-feed him. To be honest, if there was anything he was thankful for about his injury it was the fact that it made him realize he wasn't unbeatable, that One for All wasn't a guarantee he would win, it made him realize just how much he'd let his goal to defeat All for One to take over his life, having only a handful of true friends, and his feelings for the woman who had opened his eyes to what it was like to look beyond being a hero.
A fond smile formed on his face, he would pass on All for One and mentor the next symbol of peace, and he would live.
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It didn't know how long since it had built its little 'nest, but it could feel a change, its massive form, now the size of a very large dog began to crack, light shining from them, its little area bathed in light as it's back split open, two arms reaching from within and pulling apart its back more with a crack as more of its new stage of evolution emerged.
The light died down, leaving it standing in the shell of its former form, it was now around 7'5 feet, it was green with black markings covering most of its form, its mouth was beak-shaped, its head topped with the same 'V' as the previous form, it had wings on its back much like insects, its waist was orange and it had five fingers on each hand, with three 'toes' on its feet. Behind it swished a tail, with black underlining it, with its top side was the same green and black mix as the rest of it, with two black sections on its chest and the middle of its forehead.
It looked at its hand, a feeling of familiarity swept through it as it opened and closed its fingers before rolling its head side to side, moving its body to get a grasp on its new forms, it paused as it opened its new mouth, its new tongue licking its beak as it tried to speak its first words.
"I…...am…. …Cell" it said, a smile on its face as it looked towards the exit of its nest before taking a step forwards.
"I want to be a hero!" he heard, pausing as he looked around his surroundings before continuing on, to the surface.