Hey everyone, welcome to my first ever FanFiction, an MHA RWBY crossover. I was honestly a little surprised at how little crossover fics there were for these two series, given their popularity and just how similar they are in a lot of aspects, so I decided why not write one of my own. So enough preamble, let's get into things.
I do not own RWBY nor My Hero Academia all rights belong to Monty Oum and Kohei Horikoshi and their respective publishing companies.
Chapter 1: Izuku Midoriya- Origins
Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past, creations of forgotten gods. Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. The creatures of Grimm, monsters which feed off of negative emotion, set their sites on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void. However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. Aura, a defensive shield around the body powered by one's soul. Semblances, a power unique to every individual powered by aura. And "Dust", a resource which contained the various forces of nature. With the wrath of nature and soul in hand, mankind lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life. But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return. So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world" and the "peace" you so love to foster... but take heed... there will be no victory in strength.
But perhaps victory is in the things you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul.
Aldera. All things considered, this village residing in the territory of Vale was doing pretty well off for itself. It lied in the mountains to the north of the main City of Vale and its Huntsmen Academy, Beacon. Due to its size and a higher population than most other villages in the area, it wasn't too uncommon for Huntsmen and Huntresses to stop by for a time. And it's here, on a chilly October morning, that our story begins.
Present Day, 8:00 A.M., Aldera High School
Currently, the senior students of Aldera High School were starting their day off inside their homeroom, with their teacher standing at the front of the room with a pile of papers in his hands. Most were waiting idly for their teacher to begin. One boy in the middle of the room had his feet resting on top of his desk, while a student behind him had his head down, writing in one of his many notebooks.
"So, as high school seniors, you need to think seriously about your futures and your plans for the rest of your lives." Their teacher stated. He gestured to the papers in his hands. "Now, I could, of course, pass out some application forms or career aptitude tests," At this comment, the boy taking notes looked up, his emerald green eyes now focusing instead on his teacher. He had a mess of curly green hair, and freckles in a diamond pattern on each of his cheeks. "but why bother…" The teacher then proceeded to toss his papers in the air behind him.
"I know you're all looking to be Huntsmen, right?"
This caused the students in the room to erupt into a joyous cheer, with almost everyone raising their hands and showing off their semblances for all to see. "Yes, yes I know you're all excited, but you know the rules, no semblances allowed in school!"
The boy with green hair raised his hand very timidly, not wanting to attract any attention to himself. He did not show off any semblance to the class, with the only other person not to being…
"Hey Teach," said the kid with his feet up on the desk in a condescending tone, "don't lump me in with the rest of these losers and nobodies. They'll be lucky to last a whole day inside a huntsmen academy but me, I'm the real deal." the boy in question had spiky blonde hair with red eyes. His school uniform has its top button undone, and a cocky smile was present on his face.
The other students in the room did not take kindly to his insult. "WATCH IT BAKUGO, YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN US!" This and a whole slew of retorts were thrown his way.
"Be quiet, extras are supposed to act like extras!" As evidenced by his response, the boy, Katsuki Bakugo, had no fear of his fellow classmates. Their teacher took a look at one of the papers on his desk that he had chosen not to throw.
"Huh, you've got very impressive test results. Maybe you will be able to make it into Beacon, Bakugo." This comment caused the entire class to look at Katsuki in shock, whispering to one another over their teacher's words. Everyone in the class knew that Beacon was the hardest Huntsmen Academy to get into. Since the inception of the Huntsmen Academies 80 years ago, Beacon had consistently pumped out the greatest huntsmen of all four of the kingdoms. Its alumni were a veritable who's who of legends. And so, it was by far the most applied to academy in all of Remnant.
'Of course, Kacchan would be applying to Beacon, we've wanted to since we were kids,' thought the timid green haired boy. He again placed his head down by his desk, sighing as he did so, barely looking up towards the front of the room. 'I just hope he doesn't mention me.'
"And that's why it's the only academy worthy of me," remarked Katsuki, who, intent on basking in his classmates' shock, leaped up onto his desk. "I aced all the mock tests. I'm the only person from this school who could ever make it as a Huntsman! I'll become more popular than any Huntsman in history, including All Might, and my journey to the number one spot starts with Beacon Academy!"
"Oh yeah, Midoriya, you've also applied to Beacon, haven't you?" This brought Katsuki's boasting to a sudden halt, freezing at this news. The green haired boy, Izuku Midoriya, twitched after hearing this, letting out a slight squeak of fear, knowing what would come next. The entire class, which by this point was all eyes on Izuku, burst out laughing uncontrollably.
"He's kidding, right?" "Good grades alone won't get him in!" "He should just give up, honestly!" "You can't be a Huntsman with no semblance!" The entire class let out their disbelief at Izuku's goal, finding it outright impossible.
Izuku stood up slightly from his desk. "A-Actually, t-there's not a rule stating that someone needs a s-semblance to enroll. I-It's just t-that it's never been done bef-" Izuku didn't get a chance to finish his thought, as Katsuki slammed his right hand down onto his classmate's desk, using his semblance to explode it into pieces. Izuku was thrown back onto the floor, looking up at the ashy haired grenadier.
"Listen up, Deku," Katsuki said with a twisted look on his face, the smoke from his explosion lingering in the air around him, "of all the rejects in this damn school, you're by far the worst you Severed wannabe! You really think any Huntsman Academy would accept you when they could have someone like me instead?!" Bakugo clenched his fist to emphasize his words.
"W-w-wait, I-I'm n-not trying to c-compete against you Kacchan, I swear!" Izuku looked up in total fear, backing as far away as he could until his back was up against the classroom wall. His weak frame was shaking uncontrollably, and he was furiously sweating. He looked down nervously, trying his best to avoid the deathly glare of his longtime tormentor. "I-its just, I-I've always wanted to be a huntsman since I was a little kid." He looked back up nervously, the slightest hope shining in his bright green eyes, "E-even though c-can't produce any aura, t-that doesn't mean I can't try, right?"
Katsuki responded with a full-toothed snarl at Izuku's enthusiasm. "You really think you would ever stand a chance as a Huntsman?! YOU'D GET MAULED DURING INITIATION!" Izuku looked back down, feeling completely dejected at Katsuki's cruel words, the rest of the class still laughing at their freckled peer. "Poor, useless Deku! This place is already a shitty excuse for a school! You really wanna drag its reputation even further through the mud?!"
"That's enough, Bakugo! Keep causing such negativity and you'll only be bringing more Grimm our way." Their teacher ordered, taking his time to actually interject. Katsuki turned around, making sure to give one last menacing glare towards his former childhood friend. Izuku sat there for a moment before slowly getting up, his face devoid of anything resembling happiness. He picked up his yellow backpack and moved to one of the spare seats towards the back of the room, as he no longer had a desk. For the rest of the day, he was quieter than a church mouse, reflecting on one of the saddest days of his life.
12 year earlier, 11:15 A.M., Aldera Healthcare Center
(Cue- Anguish of the Quirkless)
"Severed? What do mean Izuku is severed?"
Izuku sat in the small doctor's office chair completely frozen, not even realizing he had dropped his treasured All Might Action Figure on the office floor. That day, Izuku and his mother, Inko Midoriya, had visited the local doctor's office for a routine checkup on the four-year-old child, only to have a bombshell dropped on them by their doctor.
"There must be some sort of mistake, are you totally sure sir?" Inko asked, her voice becoming slightly panicked. She was a slim woman with short, green hair pulled back into a small bun on the top of her head, letting her bangs and a large portion of the hair on the back of her head flow down around her neck. Her green eyes looked at the doctor with a mixture of confusion and sadness at the news bestowed upon her.
"Pardon my asking Ma'am, but your family has been able to produce aura for generation correct? Able to use semblances?" The doctor sat across from the two Midoriya's in a far nicer chair. He was much older than Inko, being completely bald with a white bushy mustache. He wore a white doctor's coat, a dark grey undershirt, and a black tie with black pants. His stethoscope hung around his neck.
"To my knowledge, yes." Inko responded "I can lift small objects to my hand," she said while using it to pick up Izuku's All Might Action Figure, "and my husband can breathe fire. Our auras aren't particularly strong, but they've managed."
"Even at such a young age, your child should still be able to have his aura unlocked, but I was unable to do it. It could be possible my aura just wasn't strong enough, however..." he then grabbed an x-ray off the table and held it in front of Inko. "this x-ray confirmed that your boy's Severed." the x-ray showed Izuku's chest. Right on top of his heart was a green orb.
"That dot there is Izuku's soul. In a healthy person, you would see little branches spreading out to the rest of his body, kinda like veins do from the heart. However, Izuku has no such branches. His soul is effectively severed from the rest of his body, hence the name." Inko's expression only worsened the longer she looked at it. "There have been very few cases that modern science and medicine have been able to study. Nobody has a cure for it, not even Atlas could pull it off. I'm sorry, Ma'am."
All the while, Izuku had hardly been listening. His gaze was still focused on where it had been when the revelation had been dropped on him. He didn't know how to process this information. Just that morning, he had watched his favorite video in the entire world ten times over. It showed his hero on his debut in the Huntsmen scene, saving hundreds of people in less than an hour. How could his day have done a 180 this fast?
That same day, 8:00 P.M., Midoriya Household
Inko passed by her son's room, the news from this morning still running through her head. 'Why did this have to happen to Izuku?', that thought constantly lingering in her thoughts. 'Is it my fault, somehow?'
*Sniff, sniff*. Inko turned into Izuku's room, completely dark except for one source of light. Izuku's scroll, placed on his desk, was projecting a video into the air, one she was very familiar with. Her son was sitting watching the video, his back to his mother.
"HA HA HA!" a deep voice boomed from the scroll. The image showed a man standing seven feet tall with muscles that were nearly too big for his bodysuit, carrying a dozen people on his back, a destroyed building and roaring flames in the background. "Who is this guy?!" a new voice asked, "I don't believe it! He must've saved at least a hundred people and it's barely been ten minutes!" the camera zoomed in on the man, showing his short blonde hair, slicked back except for two bangs sticking up in the front. "Fear not, citizens! Hope has arrived!" The camera showed his face, covered in shadows, with a bright smile appearing on the screen.
"Because I am here!"
"See that, Mom?" Inko brought a hand up to her chest, the pain in her son's voice clearly evident, "No matter what kind of trouble he's in, he's always got a smile on his face. Even when things seem impossible, he never gives up hope." Izuku turned in his chair to face his mother, his eyes welling up with tears. He pointed a shaky finger towards the screen.
"Do you think… do you think that I could be a Huntsman, too?"
Inko, now with tears of her own, ran up to her son, collapsing to her knees as she did so, wrapping him in the tightest possible hug she could. Both let the tears flow from their eyes, but while Inko's were shut, Izuku's remained open, the same thousand-yard stare from the doctor's office present yet again.
"I'm so sorry, Izuku! I wish things could be different!" Those words would linger in Izuku's mind for the rest of his life.
'Mom, those weren't the words I needed to hear.'
(Music End)
Present Day, 2:30 P.M., Great Sanus Mountain Range, near Aldera Village
Along the side of one of the smaller mountains in the territory of Vale, two men and one woman sat, scouting out the valley below them. The first of them looked like a walking branch. He wore a blue bodysuit, covering up his legs and torso, exposing his head and everything below his biceps. His arms looked to be made entirely out of wood, along with his face mask which exposed only his brown eyes. He also had a wooden belt, knee pads, and shoes.
The woman sitting next to him had cream-colored hair flowing down her back, with two strands curled in the front to frame her face. She was wearing a purple and cream colored bodysuit, purple gloves, and purple boots. She also had on a purple domino mask with horns coming up from the sides.
Below them, they had spotted a large horde of Grimm, consisting of at least four dozen Creeps, three dozen Beowolves, a dozen Alpha Beowolves, two dozen Ursai, and an Ursa Major leading the pack. Half a dozen Griffins circled around the pack as well.
"That's a lot more Grimm than I was expecting." said the woman, breaking the silence between the three of them.
"The pack appears to have grown since they had the bounty placed on them." responded her wooden companion. "We'll have our work cut out for us. I suggest we split them up, and lead them into an area where we can more effectively deal with them."
"Sounds good" Responded the woman. "Ya know, seems like no matter how much work we do, they just keep coming back stronger." the woman commented. At this remark, the third member of their party stood up. He wore a white t-shirt, green cargo pants, and a dark grey belt with a silver buckle. He had roaring muscles almost too large for his clothing to maintain. Had had short, slicked back blonde hair, with two bangs sticking straight up in the front. "Sometimes it seems like there's no stopping them."
"Yes there is," The third member spoke, walking up to join his companions in looking down at the Grimm. The other two looked back towards the large man, having to look up due to his large figure. "'Why?' you ask…"
"Because I am here!"
Present Day, 3:30 P.M., Aldera Village
School had been let out not too long ago, so Izuku had started his daily walk home, alone per usual. In his hand, he tightly gripped the notebook he had been writing in this morning, "Huntsmen Analysis For the Future No. 13" written on its cover. This book, along with its twelve other counterparts, contained notes on countless huntsmen and huntresses in Remnant. If the boy had ever heard their name, even once, they likely had a page somewhere in one of them. Additionally, there were also notes on the monsters which huntsmen swore to protect against, the creatures of Grimm. He had far less data on them than he did on huntsmen, mostly information gathered online, considering that getting up close and observing a Grimm was basically suicide for any non-huntsmen, especially someone who was, well…
'Severed…' Izuku thought to himslef. The title which seemed to define his entire existence. His doctor had pretty much been on the spot when describing it to his mother, the connection between a person's soul and the rest of their body just wasn't there. No major developments had occurred in better understanding the phenomena, so no one was any closer to finding a cure.
It had been a large burden on his family. In outlying villages in Northern Vale, it was common practice to unlock the aura of every citizen so that they would have better chances of surviving a Grimm attack if it were to occur. Izuku's mom had multiple times considered moving to Vale proper, where her son would be safer, but living there would just be far too expensive for the Midoriyas. This was information Izuku was fully aware of, but even so, he never let it keep him down.
'That day…' he thought to himself, 'that's when I decided that I wouldn't care what anyone else said!' he told himself. He clenched his fist in front of his chest in an act of determination, 'I'll Keep Moving Forward, and keep on smiling just like All Might, and I will become a Huntsman!' Izuku raised his fist into the air and did his best to laugh just like All Might had in his favorite video.
However, Izuku had failed to realize where exactly he had been going. His walk had lead him to a spot along the outskirts of the village, where guards and huntsmen seldom watched over. Usually, he wouldn't have to worry, as Grimm didn't often come this close to the village. However, with the negativity of Izuku's thoughts that day, and the monsters being pushed towards the village from elsewhere, he had become a prime target.
*Grrrrrrrrrr* Izuku's blood went cold when he heard the deep growl coming from the forest near him. He slowly turned his head to the source of the noise, his lower body being paralyzed with fear. Through the shadows of the woods, two menacing red eyes showed through, dead set on its green haired target. With a series of thunderous steps, from the woods emerged a creature straight from humanity's nightmares.
I was a monstrously large creature, closely resembling a wolf. It stood on its hind legs, revealing the large white, bony armor covering its torso, back, arms, legs, and face. The same two blood red eyes never left Izuku as it towered over him. There was no mistaking it. It was an Alpha Beowolf.
The scrawny boy looked up in total dread, he wanted to run, run as fast as he could but 'M-My legs…' he thought, 't-they w-won't move!' All he could do was look up at what would surely be his demise. The Alpha lurked forward, ready to maul its prey into bits. 'P-Please, someone h-help me' The Alpha picked up its pace slightly. 'Anyone!' The Alpha was now within lunging distance, about to strike when…
(Cue- I am here! (All Might's Theme))
"Don't worry, young man, you are safe!" Izuku and the Alpha both turned their attention back to where the Alpha emerged from, rustling coming from the brush. "Now that I am here!" Out from the woods appeared the same, large blonde man from the hunting party and the same man from the video Izuku had watched countless times, an unwavering smile on his face. The Alpha instantly turned to attack the man, but its effort would prove futile. The man brought his hand back, clenching it into a fist. "MISTRAL SMASH!" The man brought his fist forward, punching the air in front of him. Despite it never making direct contact, the Alpha was ripped apart by the wind force the punch created. Even Izuku, a good 20 yards away, was blown completely off his feet, hitting his head on the ground behind him. He was knocked unconscious by the punch, his last thoughts being 'Is that… All Might?'
(End Music)
"Hey...hey, you okay kid?". Izuku awoke to the feeling of many light slaps to his face. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of his personal hero, the Number 1 Huntsman in all of Remnant, All Might, and his signature smile.
"Wha-?!" was the only thing resembling words which the boy was able to produce, in complete shock at the sight before him.
"Excellent! Thought we lost you there for a second, young man!" All Might brought his hand up, placing it on his forehead, "Sorry for getting you involved in my hunt. Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with this territory, so this big guy managed to escape from me and my team. But thanks to your distraction, I managed to dispatch the beast easily!"
Izuku has no idea what to do with himself, 'I can't believe it's really him, All Might! HE'S SO MUCH COOLER IN PERSON! I need an autograph!' Izuku began to look around him for his notebook. "Please, Mr. All Might, could you…" while shuffling through the pages, he stumbled up a previously blank page, however, 'HE ALREADY SIGNED IT!' "Thank you so much, sir! This will be treasured by my family for generations!" He said bowing with every word that left his mouth.
"HA HA HA! I appreciate your support! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off. I need to meet back up with my team and ensure the rest of the Grimm have been dealt with!" All Might began to turn around, preparing to launch himself into the air.
'He's leaving… so soon… no, he can't! I have to ask!'
"W-wait, M-Mr. All Might, c-could I ask you a question?" Izuku asked, his voice wavering with nervousness. All Might turned around, half facing the scrawny boy in front of him.
'Damn it, I need to make sure I have enough time to finish the mission. However, I should be able to answer his question if he makes it quick.' All Might somehow made his already present smile even larger. "Alright, young man. But please make it quick, I'm on a rather tight schedule." Izuku was shaking in his boots now, nervousness about to overcome him. But despite his trepidation, he had to ask. He thought of all the people who never believed in him; Kacchan, his neighbors, his teachers, the local huntsmen, even his mother, all of them had said no. But even so, he still hadn't given up hope. So he summoned up all his courage and got it all out in one breath.
"Do you think that I can become a Huntsman, even if I'm Severed?"
Izuku closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly down, praying to get the answer he so desperately wanted, no, the answer he needed to hear. "I-I can't produce any aura or semblance. Do you think I could ever become someone like you?"
All Might blinked at what he had just been asked, not expecting to hear those words come from the young boy in front of him. "Severed?" he began. 'So that means he's' His thought process was cut off by a sharp pain emerging from his chest, causing him to slightly double over, steam emerging from his body. "I should've had more time! Not now, damn it!" he said in too hushed a tone for Izuku to hear, who continued to explain himself to his hero, still looking at the ground before him.
"All my life people have said that I wouldn't be able to become a Huntsman because I was Severed. I've even been bullied for thinking I could become one. But honestly, that just makes me want to try harder. I think saving people is the best thing someone can do. That's why I want to do it with a smile on my face, as a Huntsman, just like y-" by this point. Izuku had looked up to see a shocking sight before him. Where All Might once stood there was now a cloud of light grey smoke, dissipating to show a skeleton of a man. Though he wore the same clothes All Might had on, his blonde hair was disheveled and spiky, with two long bangs framing his angular face. He had no visible eyebrows, and his neck was extremely long. His blue eyes with black sclera were hollow and sunken as they looked at Izuku. Shocked at the sight, the boy did the first thing that came to his mind.
"Wha- AHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Izuku stumbled back a bit at the sight before him. "Y-You can't b-be All Might, you're an imposter! All Might is a giant of a man who saves people with a smile on his face! You're not him!" All Might looked on blankly, trying to figure out what to do in this situation. He decided there was no point in trying to hide it.
"I can assure you that I am All Mi-" He was cut off from his explanation as he coughed up a ridiculous amount of blood.
"AHHHHHHH!" Izuku screamed even more. All Might then realized it could prove to be a problem explaining things to the boy before him so close to the village, so he asked him to follow him a short way into the woods until they reached a small clearing. All Might then proceeded to sit down, resting his back against a tree while his long time fan stood in front of him.
"I'm trusting you to keep this all a secret, alright. Don't even tell your family." Izuku nodded at this, prompting All Might to continue, "You know how guys hold their gut in at the pool to look tougher? That's what I do." He then lifted up his shirt, showing a massive scar enveloping the left side of his body, a sight which Izuku was taken aback by. "Pretty disgusting, right? I got this in a fight five years ago. My respiratory system got blown to hell, lost my entire stomach, too. Had to go through a bunch of surgeries afterward. Based on the time, it looks like I'm limited to about three hours a day in my huntsman form because of it."
Izuku tried his best to process everything being thrown at him. "Five years ago… so you got it during your mission in Northern Anima, right? The one where you fought that massive Wyvern Grimm?"
"Huh, you know your stuff kid. But, no. That monster put up a fight but it was nothing I couldn't handle. This fight is one most of Remnant doesn't know about, and I have no intention of changing that. I'm supposed to be the Symbol of Peace, the whole world needs to believe that I can save everyone, no matter what foe stands in front of me. You mentioned that 'fearless smile'. There's plenty of fear behind that smile, but given the nature of Grimm, it's important my smile alleviate the fear of others, as well as my own."
All Might stood up slowly, leaning slightly against the tree, turning from Izuku back the village, looking slightly over his shoulder. "A Pro Huntsman has to face things that are just too strong to be faced without an Aura. So no, I don't think you can be one if you're Severed."
Izuku jumped slightly at the news, looking down at his feet, utterly broken. "O-oh…"
All Might began to walk back towards Aldera. "You could always become a guard at your village, or a police officer in one of the major cities. They get crap cause Huntsmen are usually the ones taking care of the Grimm and major criminals, but it's still a fine profession. It's great to have dreams, young man, just make sure they're attainable." All Might walked out of the clearing leaving Izuku to think to himself.
'Damn it, I hate to have crushed his dreams like that, but it's the sad truth. Did I do the right thing there, Nana?' He shook his head a bit, trying to regain his focus. He reached into his pocket, grabbing his scroll. 'Need to make contact with Kamui Woods and Mount Lady, make sure they handled the rest of the Gri-'
*BOOOOOOOM* A loud explosion cut off All Might's train of thought. He shot his head up, to see a cloud of black smoke arriving from the far side of Aldera, accompanied by several screams.
'Oh no…'
A full five minutes had passed since All Might had left, yet Izuku hadn't moved an inch. After over a decade of continuing to believe in himself, the one person he needed to believe in him, even as much as he needed his mother to, had told him the exact same answer. No. Tears began to well up in his eyes.
'Don't cry, damn it! Deep down you always knew it was true, you just didn't want to admit it.' Izuku slowly dragged his feet back to Aldera, preparing to give up totally on his dream, only to look up and see smoke and fire emerging from his village. 'What? How could this have happened? The village's defenses should be able to hold back most things smaller than a Goliath!' He then sprinted into the village. When he arrived in the village center, he saw a horrific sight. People were in a dead sprint away from the commotion, heading towards the village safe house. Behind them were at least three dozen Grimm, an assortment of Creeps and Beowolves, with a Grifffin flying overhead.
'Wait,' Izuku thought, 'All Might said that he needed to get back with the rest of his team to finish up a mission. These are probably the same Grimm they were after. Had he gotten there in time, he probably could've stopped them. That means...'
'It's MY fault!'
Izuku saw some of the local huntsmen and guards, most of them running back with the civilians, making sure they got back safely. He recognized two of them as Huntsman from Vale, Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods. Mt. Lady looked to be unconscious, as Kamui Woods was using his semblance to hold her limp body. He also recognized Death Arms and Backdraft, two huntsmen hired to stay and protect Aldera as permanent defenders. The Huntsman appeared to be struggling to fight back against the Grimm, as there was a lot of fire in the area which impeded their efforts. 'What explosions even created those fires?'
*RRROOOAAARRR* Izuku looked deeper into the commotion to see a giant Ursa Major, a black bear with bone-like white armor on its entire body, large white spikes on its back, with bright red eyes. It was surrounded by a large radius of smoke, obscuring part of its figure. 'Oh crap, that's even bigger than the Alpha, I have to get ou-'
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" His thoughts stopped instantly when he heard that scream, accompanied by a large explosion. 'Did he create those explosions?' He followed the Major's gaze, seeing it resting on a figure about 25 yards away from it. When the smoke surrounding the figure cleared, Izuku recognized the ashy blonde hair instantly. 'Kacchan?!'
(Cue- You Say Run)
Izuku broke out into a full sprint towards Katsuki, ignoring the flames nipping at his heels and the smoke filling his lungs. 'W-what am I doing? My legs… I can't stop them!'
"The hell are you doing kid?! Get out of here!" Death Arms' command fell on deaf ears, as Izuku could focus on nothing else but helping his childhood tormentor. The Major began charging at Bakugo, who prepared to release another explosion. 'What do I do what do I do WHAT DO I DO?! Wait, page 25!' Izuku, remembering the page in his notebook on Kamui Woods, grabbed the yellow backpack off his shoulders, throwing it with all his might towards the Ursa Major, a book coming loose and hitting the Ursa square in the eye, staggering it slightly. It roared angrily in response, both it and Katsuki turned their attention towards the green haired boy.
"Deku?!" The Ursa took a swing at the now approaching Izuku, aiming to take his head clean off. The green haired fanboy ducked below it, running forward and grabbing Bakugo, dragging him away from the monster with a surprising amount of strength. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING DEKU?!"
"I don't know, my body just started moving on its own!" Izuku looked back at Bakugo with tears in his eyes. "I couldn't just stand there and watch you die, Kacchan!" However, the two boys lost their focus during their conversation, as the Ursa Major backhanded the boys, sending them flying towards a large fire, even further away from the safety of the Huntsman. The two looked back up at the beast in total fear as it raised its paw to deliver the killing blow.
"Get those children! They're going to die!" Yelled Backdraft who began sprinting at the two alongside Death Arms. Izuku raised his arms to cover his face and closed his eyes, trying his best to avoid the attack. One which would never land.
"I really am pathetic, huh?" Izuku opened up his eyes, seeing that a large, muscular arm had completely stopped the blow from the Ursa, which gave a roar in surprise. All Might had saved him yet again. He had steam coming off from his body like before, and one of the biggest smiles he'd ever given on his face. "I tried to give you an important lesson, but I really should start to practice what I preach! A PRO HUNTSMAN IS ALWAYS READY TO RISK HIS LIFE FOR OTHERS!" He declared, blood erupting from his mouth, his smile remaining unphased. The Ursa brought its paw back, ready to give another go at killing its targets. However, All Might had no intent on allowing this to happen, as he brought his fist back even faster.
"BEACON SMAAAAAAASH!" The punch All Might threw hit the Ursa straight in the chest, obliterating it one hit. The shock wave produced was sent in the area around him, clearing all the smoke and flames incidentally produced by Bakugo's explosions. The wind was so strong it killed most of the Creeps in the area and prompted the surviving Beowolves and Griffin to run for their lives. All Might had, like so many other times before, saved the day.
He turned his attention down to the two boys he had grabbed before throwing the punch, both totally unconscious. He set them down, knowing the other huntsmen would have to handle the situation, as he was pushing his time limit. He gave one last look to the freckled, green haired boy.
'He's the one.'
(End Music)
When Izuku awoke, he was heavily scolded by Deatharms and Backdraft, saying that there was no need for him to throw himself into danger as he did, only serving to make him feel even worse about himself. Conversely, Bakugo was praised for his bravery in the face of an Ursa Major by some of the other local huntsmen. They said that he did have the potential to be a Pro Huntsman, but Katsuki spent most of the time staring at his former childhood friend, contemplating who knows what. The two, along with the rest of the villagers, were later informed on exactly why the village's defenses were so swiftly broken.
Apparently, the Grimm had been drawn towards Aldera incidentally, as they were running away from the pursuing Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods. They and All Might had been on their way back from Anima for differing reasons and decided to take up the mission on their way to Vale. The sudden arrival of the Grimm caught the village guards and Huntsman off guard, and their normally strong defenses were broken. Fortunately, there were zero dead by the end of the incident, and All Might's appearance would surely bring enough positive emotions to keep the Grimm away long enough for repairs to be made.
Speaking of the Number One Huntsman, he had vanished almost as soon as he'd arrived. Kamui Woods stated that All Might needed to get back to Vale on urgent business, and therefore couldn't stick around.
After he was released, Izuku began his walk home, passing by the same woods he had this morning. He'd already called his mom and told her that he was safe, so he wasn't in too much of a hurry. 'I wish I got the chance to apologize to All Might, he probably could've gotten there to help faster if I hadn't been there to get in his way.'
"DEKU!" Izuku turned around to see the person he'd just help save, Katsuki Bakugo, behind him, panting and slightly doubled over as he'd had to run to catch up to him. "I never asked for your help back there! Like you even could if you tried! I would've been fine by myself, you got that you pathetic Severed loser! So don't go around thinking I owe you anything you damned nerd!" He then proceeded to turn around, stomping towards his house.
'Was that necessary?' Izuku thought to himself, he looked down as he turned back around, continuing on his path. 'He is right though. I didn't really do anything but get in the way. All Might had to end up saving both of us. Either way, I guess it's time I get back to giving up on my drea-' Izuku was caught off guard as he was grabbed and swiftly pull away from the village sidewalk and into the nearby woods yet again, finally being set down in the same clearing from earlier in the day. "Huh?"
"I AM HERE!" Izuku quickly shot around to see who had grabbed him, only to find All Might, yet again in his Huntsman Form.
"Wha-. A-All Might. I-I thought you h-had to go back to Vale for important business?" he said, shocked to have seen the Number One Huntsman up close three times in the same day.
"HA HA HA! Don't worry, I was smart enough to ensure that wouldn't be an issue. After all, I am All Miiiii-" The Number One Huntsman suddenly reverted back to his true form, blood spewing out of his mouth, causing Izuku to jump back or be caught in the splash zone. "Young man, I came back because I needed to talk with you about what I said earlier, and I have other things I'd like to talk with you about."
"Huh?"
"If I hadn't heard your story earlier today, I never would've had the motivation to push myself and take on those Grimm. I must thank you!"
"B-but All Might, i-its my fault from the start for getting in your way," the boy responded, looking down at the ground as he said this. "Even though I'm Severed, I dared ask you if-"
(Cue- You Can Become A Hero)
"Exactly!" All Might interjected, causing Izuku to look up in surprise. "You, of all the people in your village, all the guards and Huntsmen on the scene, you, a timid, Severed boy, were the only one to run back and attempt to save your friend! You were the one who spurred me to take action!" With every word that left All Might's mouth, Izuku's eyes glistened more and more, and his heart began to feel strained. "Most of the greatest Huntsmen in history show signs of their greatness early on in life. Their stories may vary, but there's almost always one connection, their bodies began to move on their own before they could even think." Izuku's heart began to beat more and more, he began to lean over, tears forming in his eyes. "That's what happened to you out there today, didn't it?" All Might asked, though he already knew the answer, seeing in himself what a woman had seen in him so long ago.
"Yes…" Izuku responded shakily, now on his hands and knees, gripping the forest floor beneath him, letting his tears flow freely. He was in utter shock at the words he was hearing. After over a decade of being scolded for his dreams, having to be the only person who believed in him, he had finally found someone who saw something in him. His mother's words began to re-emerge in his mind. "I'm so sorry, Izuku! I wish things could be different!" Years after he had been told he was a Severed, he was about to hear the words that he so desperately needed to hear that day...
"Young man, you too can become a Huntsman."
And on that day, Izuku Midoriya's journey to become Remnant's greatest Huntsman truly began.
(Music End)
A/N:
So that's a wrap on chapter one. Hopefully you enjoyed and there weren't too many grammar mistakes.
Chapter Commentary:
Initially, I was going to skip a lot of the first few episodes of MHA, starting just a few weeks before All Might officially gave OFA to Deku. I knew that I wasn't exactly going to be treading new ground with this one, seeing as I didn't change all too many things (and there are already other fics with very similar beginning to this one). But seeing as the relationships between Deku, Bakugo, and All Might are arguably the most important relationships in the entirety of MHA, and they'll be important here too, I figured it would be important to establish them as early as possible, which is exactly what the first episodes of MHA did, so I figured it best that I actually sit down and write them out. I didn't want this chapter to be too drawn out, so I tried to move it along briskly, but it still ended up being longer than I expected. I skipped over the part where Bakugo tells Deku to kill himself, mainly because in a world where negative emotions can lead to your death at the hands of vicious monsters, even Bakugo would know when to temper his Deku-tormenting. Also, he wouldn't want to press his luck given that he already got a warning from his teacher and we know he cares about making sure he goes to Beacon, and I doubt Ozpin would accept someone who openly tells someone to kill themselves to their face. I also know some people might not enjoy the fact that I included Salem's opening narration from Episode 1 at the very beginning, but I figured it would be a decent way to begin and I was kind of hesitant to just start off with the classroom scene, as I wanted some way of making this feel more RWBY-like in the chapter's opening segment other than changing some of the vocabularies that the characters use. Also Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods are NOT on the same team as All Might. Kamui and Mt. Lady are partners on the same team, but they teamed up with All Might for this specific mission.
Now for housekeeping business,
So now to preemptively answer your questions, the first one is probably, "Who's teaming with who?". The first team of MHA characters in this universe will be Deku, Bakugo, Iida, and Todoroki (shocking and original, I know). I plan on introducing more characters in the future, however, I'm gonna do my absolute not to overbloat things. RWBY already has a ridiculously large cast as is, and adding in too many MHA characters in one go would only worsen that, especially since I'm just an amateur writer (and that's probably a compliment). I'm just as excited as you guys are to see some specific MHA characters in RWBY *cough*cough* everyone from the Overhaul Arc *cough*cough*, but we'll all just have to be patient.
I have a general idea of what I want to use in terms of arcs from the two series, but not everything is set in stone. I'm also not gonna be afraid to do some changes to some of the arcs, as early RWBY did have its problems and I'd like to do my beat to improve them, and interjecting in MHA characters will also impact how the arcs play out. I'll also probably change up the structure of the Vytal Festival. Hopefully, by that point, I will actually be able to write semi-competently and won't ruin everything forever in the process.
As far as character relationships go (not including shipping), I do have a lot of that planned out. It will be revealed later on, but I think you guys should find some of it pretty enjoyable. I also tried to think how our four MHA boys would actually function when fighting as a group (we get a decent look at this throughout the series, especially during the Stain Arc, Training Camp Arc, and the Bakugo Rescue Arc), so hopefully I'll be able to structure fight scenes in a way which actually makes sense, writing them out will probably be another story though.
As far as shipping is concerned, I don't exactly have a lot set in stone crossover wise. I'm gonna go with Izuku x Weiss though, as I feel like the two have a lot of similarities and I'd like to see Izuku's impact on Volume 1 Weiss especially. Renora and Arkos will also happen but those are basically givens. So other than that, you guys can leave your recommendations for ships if you want.
So I'll see you guys next time, whenever that may be. I have schoolwork that could end up getting in the way, but I should still be able to fit in some good writing when I can, I'll just need to get used to the flow of writing this stuff out.
