"I'm sorry, but you need to be realistic."
The words resounded through Izuku's entire person.
Izuku dragged himself down the street as he walked home. He'd never be a hero. Not even the man that said everyone could be a hero believed in him. Maybe he can still do good, but it wouldn't be a hero.
As he trudged towards his house he heard an explosion. For better or for worse, he knew those explosions like the back of his hand, that was the sound of Kachan. He ran in the direction of the chaos and saw a nightmare unfold as his friend/bully Kachan was surrounded by the slime person that had attacked him earlier. It looked like he was suffocating in there, and none of the pros had handled it yet. He knew just how horrible it felt to be in that situation and even though Kachan wasn't exactly nice to him, no one deserved that.
Izuku started to move, he needed to do something, anything, to help. But then he stopped when the memory of All Might's words ran through him. "Be realistic." The words felt like they were branded across his psyche.
Yeah. If the pros couldn't take this thing down, how could he help at all? He'd just be in the way of actual heroes. He couldn't do anything against the Sludge Villain the first time either so why even try this time? So he watched in horror with the others as Backago thrashed against the sludge holding him hostage. But then he noticed something. One of the bystanders. A frail man leaning against a lamp post.
He felt a surge of hope against all odds. All Might was there. Kachan would live.
But as the seconds kept passing the terror came back. Why wasn't All Might moving?
When he turned back to the sludge villain, he saw something he would never forget, something that would haunt him until he died. He saw Kachan's body relax and his eyes go dull. Those dead eyes looked right through him as the sludge completely entered his friend.
That wasn't what Kachan was supposed to look like. He was supposed to be full of fury and rage and fire and life.
Not those dull eyes. Anything but those dull and empty eyes.
The fight ended quickly with the heroes no longer needing to worry about the hostage. With all the chaos of the battle ending and reporters trying to reach the heroes he saw the tall frail man slip away with the rest of the dispersing crowd.
Only Izuku knew who it was. And that knowledge lit a fire that burned with hatred. All Might was here but did nothing. Not only did he let Kachan die, but he left before anyone could place any of the blame on him. How could this 'hero' tell him that he wasn't strong enough when the number 1 hero wasn't even strong enough or brave enough to step in either!
It was all a sham. How dare he preach justice and strength while he watched a child drown in the streets?!
He didn't say a single thing to his mother when he got home. He just went to his room and slumped onto his bed. She had seen the news already and decided it was best to give him space until he was ready to talk.
After a few hours she gently knocked on his door and entered, and was immediately shocked by what she saw. Every single poster of All Might had been torn down. Every figurine smashed. Anything that had to do with All Might was destroyed.
But what surprised her most was her son. He wasn't crying or curled up or sleeping. No, he was doing push-ups in the middle of his trashed room.
He looked up at her when she entered.
She spoke gently and kept in mind that reactions to trauma weren't rational, but even then she didn't know what to do with this entire situation. "Izuku, I know that this is really hard on you and I'm here for you. Can you tell me why you're doing push ups though?"
His words were devoid of any emotion or inflection. "He died because I was weak. So I can't be weak anymore. Never again"
"Honey, what happened wasn't your fault. I hope you know that"
"You're right. It's not my fault, it's his," pointing at a now torn poster of All Might, "He was there. He was and didn't do anything. He just stood there while he died. He told me I couldn't be a hero without a quirk then watched Kachaan die."
"Izuku, what do you mean he was there? I heard he started the chase, but no one saw him at the fight itself."
"I found out he had a transformation quirk. And he was there."
She was quiet for a moment before sitting on his bed and pat the spot next to her "Alright, there's clearly a lot that I'm missing here. How about you take a break for a minute and explain exactly what happened."
She really hoped that talking this out would help her son work through the loss of his friend. But she didn't exactly have a manual for what to do in this situation. So she sat quietly while her usually quiet son ranted about his day and all the things All Might had done to lose his respect.
"I just… I thought he would be a hero… but he just isn't. Even on the little stuff. When I passed out from the sludge attack he just slapped my face until I woke up. Then he just jumped away without calling the cops or an ambulance. What kind of man is so self centered he leaves me an autograph before making sure I'm breathing?"
She just held her son close and hoped that things would get better. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that all of this happened."
Then the tears started up again. "Why? Why did he have to die, mom?"
There was nothing she could do to fix this. Not to mention that she was hurt as well. She had been around Katsuki since he was born. The kid even called her Auntie. So she just quietly held her son until he cried himself to sleep and she laid him down in bed.
Izuku woke up and thought he couldn't get any more angry. But then he read the news about what happened the day before. He read why the monster was on the run and why he had been so desperate. He was on the run from All Might. Why? Because he stole a cash register. Kachan was dead over a cash register. That street was turned into a warzone over a single cash register. Homes were burnt down, the road was destroyed, and his closest friend died. Over a single fucking cash register.
If All Might had done nothing the loss would have been a few hundred bucks that were probably insured anyways. But instead he got involved and the cost went from less than a thousand to entire apartment complexes and a future hero. Izuku felt like he'd been punched in the gut, and he wanted to punch back, but he wasn't quite sure at what.
He wanted to save people. That's all he ever wanted. And that's what he'd do. And right now a man's lies were getting people killed. So these secrets would have to become a lot less secret.
His mother let him spend the day at home saying he wasn't ready to go back to school, which he agreed to.
So he spent the day finding proof of All Might's weakness. Proof of his lies. Once you knew what to look for it wasn't hard to find. A skinny blonde man walked into a grocery store and All Might walked out wearing the same outfit. All Might's life is under constant surveillance from the public videotaping him then posting it online. Over the course of the day he created a large file of this same skinny blonde man disappearing right before All Might appeared.
He didn't eat at all that day, and he didn't sleep that night. His mom gave him space to grieve and just left some dinner inside his room so he could eat. She let him stay home the next day as well, it was clear he was in no state to go to school. He could tell she was worried, but this was more important right now. He spent the next day building up proof as well and didn't care about anything else happening around him.
Then he finally found it. The final nail in All Might's coffin. This one cash register would be the end of All Might. He would pay for his mistakes. After spending all day searching he found one video someone had posted on a page about villain sightings. He's clearly videotaping the slime person running down the street, but in the background, too far to be easily noticeable, there's that skinny man actively transforming into All Might. He's in the back of the crowd, so it makes sense that no one noticed. But Izuku saw, and now everyone else would too.
He was glad that this video was taken on a decent phone, because it remained semi clear when he cropped it so it was just All Might transforming right before everyone's eyes. Sure they could claim it was photoshopped, but it would be enough to get everyone's attention.
So Izuku finished compiling everything he found into a single file. He paused and considered his next choice, but he eventually let his rage guide his actions and wrote down every single weakness that All Might had.
His time limit.
His wound.
The fact that he was essentially a crippled quirkless man for 21 hours a day.
The fact that he was a piece of shit coward (that last part may have been more subjective, but it felt like a fact to Izuku).
He made a new email address and sent it to every single news station, blog, and anyone else he thought would report it to the public. Then he leaned back and felt peace for a moment. All Might did nothing and just watched as Kachan died from a situation All Might caused, now Izuku would repay the favor.
Izuku slept for the first time in days, he tossed and turned and was haunted by nightmares, but he slept. When he woke up and checked the news, it was everywhere. He didn't know who took the bait first, but once one person did everyone else ran with it.
But what made Izuku stop was the title of the article he was looking at 'Villain releases All-Might's weaknesses'.
Wait. Was he a villain? No. All he did was right the wrongs of another.
...By showing the world how to kill a hero. Oh no. That was how villains solved problems. No no no, they just didn't know the whole story. If they knew why then they would realize he wasn't a villain. Maybe he could be seen as a Vigilante of sorts because he was solving this issue outside the law.
No, he didn't actually break a single law. All he did was crop some videos and reveal secrets that would shake the world to its core. OK, maybe he wasn't a vigilante, but setting up a hero to possibly die and definitely ruin their career did sound a bit like a villain once he said it out loud.
But Izuku wasn't a villain, the only thing he ever wanted was to help people. His entire life that's all he wanted and all he did. So why did it feel like he had blood on his hands when all he did was send an email.
Izuku didn't realize he was hyperventilating until his mom knocked on his door. He quickly closed the articles and tried to tell his mom he was fine but couldn't make words come out.
She came into his room and gently held him as he shook and sobbed into her shoulder.
"It's ok to be upset. You lost a friend. Even if you two were… complicated, he was still your friend and it's ok to grieve, no matter what grieving looks like for you." Inko sighed softly "I really don't like leaving you like this but I have to go to work and I know you want to be alone, but please call me if you need anything."
Once Izuku calmed down he started cleaning himself up. He hadn't really showered or eaten since Kachan died and decided it was time to fix that. He was back in his room when there was the sound of a hard knock against the front door. Izuku got up and started to move when he heard it. "Mydoria, we need to talk. I know you're in there." The sound of All Might's bellowing voice chilled him to his core.
That answered his question of who was there and he jumped out his window and ran toward the street. All Might might be semi-disgraced after the news of him watching a child die, but he wouldn't kill a boy in the street. Or at least Izuku really hoped that was the case. His expectations for heroes had been greatly lowered.
He barely got to the sidewalk when he felt the wind pressure from All Might suddenly appearing in front of him.
"Young Midoriya, I simply wish to talk."
Izuku saw a jogger pass on the other side of the street with his phone out, recording. Izuku held back a smile when he realized that All Might didn't know the man was there. So when Izuku responded he made sure the distant phone would hear him. Because Izuku had some things to say and he wanted the world to hear every word.
"YOU WANT TO TALK, YOU WATCHED MY BEST FRIEND DIE, AND DID NOTHING. ALL YOU DID WAS WATCH. YOU TOLD ME I COULD NEVER BE A HERO. WELL YOU WERE PARTLY RIGHT, BECAUSE I WOULD NEVER BE A HERO LIKE YOU"
"Please keep your voice down, I really don't want to cause a scene. I just wanted to know if you released that information."
"YOU SPEAK OF TRUTH BUT THE MOMENT I SPEAK IT YOU COME TO MY HOUSE? WHAT? VILLAINS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, NOW YOU HAVE TO FIGHT QUIRKLESS CHILDREN WHO KNOW TOO MUCH?"
All Might looked around and realized the camera pointed right at him. Oh. Oh no. If this got out he would be in an even worse situation than before. So he put on his best smile and walked up to the man, "Excuse me, I would greatly appreciate it if you could not share that. I can assure you this has just been a misunderstanding."
"Actually this is a live video, so it's already out there"
All Might's face went completely pale at this revelation. Everything that Mydoria said is now all across the internet, along with him telling the man to turn it off, which even he could understand looked very bad. He stepped back and without a word and leapt into the air before he could make this worse.
Before going back inside Midoriya turned to the man who seemed to be still recording
"Thank you, I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here recording him."
It didn't take very long for him to be identified in the video, especially since he was right in front of his house. He knew that the news crews and reporters would be there any minute trying to get the latest scoop. But the first person to arrive was not the news. Izuku looked over his shoulder as a swirling black and purple mist formed in the corner of his living room and a man covered in hands walked out of it.
"Hey there kid, I never thought a runt like you would be the end of All Might."
"W-who are you?"
The mist formed into the general shape of a man and spoke, "My apologies, we should have introduced ourselves. My name is Kurogiri and this is Shigiraki. We're putting together a bit of a league of like minded individuals and we think that you would fit in with us."
Shiriraki stepped forward, "We're the league of villains, we're going to destroy hero society."
"W-why would you want me? I'm just some quirkless kid."
"Correction, you're the person who was able to destroy the number one hero's reputation and told every villain in the world how to kill him. You've proven that your age and quirk does not matter by doing what no villain has been able to do. You've more than earned your place."
Izuku was scared of what would happen if he said no, but curious of what waited if he said yes.
"Do you need a decision right now, or can I think about it?"
The man covered in hands got even closer, just a couple feet away from him "Hey, kid, don't wimp out now, you've already defeated the strongest, or is it that you think you're better than our group?"
The mist person spoke up and put a burner phone on the table, "It is a big decision, besides it appears the news is beginning to arrive so we shall make our leave. If you wish to join or discuss the matter further use this phone, there's only one number programmed in it."
Shigaraki leaned in close, clearly not understanding personal space, and whispered into his ear "Oh, and I should mention, we should be able to do something about you not having a quirk if you join."
And with that they disappeared back into the odd mist and left Izuku with his thoughts and so many questions.
He watched as a flood of reporters surrounded his house. Instead of talking to them, he decided to think first before doing anything. He had the attention of the entire world, what did he want to do with it. What did he want people to hear? He really wanted to argue against the fact that the fight happened at all. Was it really worth it for the sake of such a small crime?
That was the real root of the problems, all the collateral damage from that pointless game of cat and mouse between heroes and villains. No hero could ever be strong enough to stop crime with no damage. The real issue is the approach, they are trying to stop crime as if you can get rid of the problem by just punching it.
He looked down at the phone they left behind, maybe the way to save lives isn't to fight crime but to control it. No one could ever get rid of crime. It's always going to be part of society. But, maybe he could lower collateral damage from the inside.
He looked outside to see a few police cars arrive alongside the many news vans. It was a good thing he didn't live on a busy street, because it was all but completely blocked at this point.
Right. He should probably deal with the media circus on his lawn before researching a league of villains and their possible ability to give quirks.
Izuku decided he was done running and hiding. He couldn't make himself act as he watched his friend die. Never again. He refused to freeze up this time. He walked into his room and got changed into a nicer outfit and made his hair a little more presentable.
If he was going to face all of this madness, he wasn't doing it in sweatpants.
Izuku was nervous and scared, but more than that, he was angry. He doubted the anger would ever fade and it was much stronger than any amount of nervousness he could feel. Anger like this was a new feeling for him. But it seemed like in the face of everything that happened he ran out of room for anything else. All Might would regret the day he let Kachan die. The whole world would.
Izuku took a deep breath and stepped out the front door to face the storm head on.
As he went outside there was an eruption of sound and light as the flash of photos and the noise of many questions came at him from every angle.
He felt his nerves act up. What if he looked like an idiot or made a fool of himself? No. He had to do this. He would avenge his friend and this was the first step. He walked down his front steps quietly and calmly as he approached the wall of vans and cameras. Izuku stood in front of them and collected himself once more. There were 6 different news stations there already.
"Ok, I'm willing to answer your questions, but I can't hear anything when you talk all at once. How about this, you each get one question so it's fair. Uh, let's just go left to right."
A man with a buzz cut and very intense eyes stepped forward with a microphone in his hand. There was a cameraman behind him, so it was safe to assume that he was part of some news channel or something. It made him feel powerful to know the whole nation was watching him. Sure he was scared, but for the first time in his life he mattered. What he said now would actually make a difference.
"Were you the person to release the files on All Might's weaknesses?"
He guessed that would be where they started, but that guy was way more serious than he needed to be. "Yes, and every single thing I said was true, next question."
A blond woman in a pantsuit stepped forward now, "If you had such sensitive information, why share it with the world? Are you against heroes?"
"That's definitely two questions. If you read the file, you'll know that All Might stood and did nothing while he watched a boy get murdered. The only way I could prove that the man in the crowd was All Might was by revealing his true form. Next question."
This time he got someone who looked much newer on the job and quite nervous "If that's all you wanted to prove, why include information on his weak points and time limit?"
"Because his lies directly caused my friend's death. He knew for a fact he was only able to be a hero for three hours a day, yet he still spent nearly an hour that day doing interviews and talking with reporters. These are all things he could have done without using up his quirk. If he wasn't so determined to lie to the public, Bakugou Katsuki would still be alive. So, while he is willing to let people die in order to keep up his facade of strength, I am not."
This person looked like he's probably a blogger rather than a reporter since he's holding his own camera.
"Why was All Might at your house this morning?"
"He wanted to know if I had released the information. Past that I don't know. As you all saw, he ran away once he realized he was being recorded. Anything more than what we saw on that video is merely speculation. I truly don't know what he would have done if no one intervened. Next question"
That statement caused everyone to feel doubt and concern. Made them wonder if All Might really would have threatened or harmed a child? Maybe he would have, maybe he wouldn't have, but either way the seeds of doubt had been planted. That point of view made the man look less like a hero and more like a thug throwing his strength around.
He could already tell this question was going to be trouble, the reporter looked down on him with a condescending look and seemed to have some sort of quirk that made her look a lot like a lion. "Is it true that you're quirkless and wanted to be a hero anyways?"
"Yes. There are plenty of heroes with non-physical quirks that are still very skilled. I probably would have done best in underground heroics, or something like that. I think the world could and should have quirkless heroes. Next question."
He could tell that she wanted to say more, but he turned away from her completely to face the next person.
The last reporter, a shorter woman who seemed to be made of stone, spoke up, "You seemed to refer to desires to be a hero in the past tense. Do you still want to be a hero?"
"Hmm, I think that if All Might really is considered the peak of being a hero, then no. I would never join an industry where that's what is thought of as the best. Now I believe that's all I agreed to, now stop blocking up the road before you cause an accident."
He could tell they all wanted more and disliked how short most of his answers were, but they mostly started to clear out anyways with only a few stragglers left behind.
Izuku had been feeling more confident today. Something about winning against All Might made him feel like he could do anything. He was filled with sorrow and rage, and it made him feel like a new person.
He looked around and found that there were still 2 cop cars on the other side of the road.
"Excuse me, is there something I can help you with? As far as I know I don't think I've broken any laws. It's been a long day and it's not even noon, so I'd really appreciate it if you stopped sitting outside my house unnecessarily."
With no real charges against him and cameras still rolling they chose to leave peacefully.
He still had time before his mom got him, so he started researching what the villains had told him but couldn't find anything on them, which made sense, they said it was a new group. But then he looked deeper into the idea of being able to give quirks.
The only reference he was able to find was from over a hundred years ago. A man who ruled the underworld and was known for taking quirks and was rumoured to be able to give them as well. After some further digging he saw that the man was known as "All For One", which made sense with his quirk. However, the name seemed to imply he tended to take more often than giver, which was a good thing to keep in mind.
But even then, this person was treated more like the boogeyman rather than an actual historical figure, and many believed him to be fictional. So, one possible case in all of history. Highly unlikely but not impossible. He thought about it a bit more, even without the possibility of getting a quirk he'd probably say yes. He'd be a sheep in wolf's clothing. He'd have to do a lot of bad things before he could do any good. But if he got a position of power he could control at least some of the chaos. No one else would die as collateral damage in the war between heroes and villains if he could help it.
He made his decision, but wasn't sure if he could face his mom. So he wrote a quick note explaining that he loved her and that he would visit when he could but that he needed to follow his own path. He started packing his things, making sure to only grab the things he absolutely needed. He had a single suitcase, a backpack, and a bag with all his notebooks (he figured those would come in handy).
When he felt ready, he made the call
Kurogiri was surprised that the boy was calling so soon after receiving the offer. He smiled as he answered the phone, "It's good to hear from you. I wasn't expecting a response so soon."
"I'm interested, but I have one condition and one question."
"Ok, I'll see what I can do."
"The condition is that my mother is kept safe no matter what. If I do this I never want to worry about her safety."
"A reasonable request, while I obviously can't make a 100% guarantee, I can make sure she is protected and no one from the League or under our influence will lay a hand on her."
"Thank you."
"And your question?"
"Is All For One part of your league?"
Kurigiri didn't know how to answer that question. Should he really reveal his master to someone they just met. But also they could use someone like him who is intelligent enough to figure it out and be bold enough to ask.
"From your silence I'll assume that's a yes, when do I start?"
"I can get you whenever you please."
"I'm ready now."
"Very well."
And Izuku watched a misty black portal open up in his living room again and he stepped towards it and placed the note down on the kitchen table. Just before he walked through the portal he watched the door open as his mother came into the house.
"I'm sorry mom, I love you." Then he disappeared from her sight.
Inko wasn't sure what to do when she watched her son leave through some odd swirling mist. Should she be calling the cops? It didn't seem like a kidnapping, but he could have been blackmailed or threatened into leaving. The cops seemed like a very good idea since the bottom line was that her son had been taken from her, regardless of how willing he was.
Then she spotted a folded up piece of paper with her name on it. She picked it up and read it, hoping it wouldn't be a ransom note or something.
"Hey mom, if you're reading this I decided to join a group and left with them. I really can't tell you much but I do want you to know that it's my choice and that I can leave if I want to. So please don't call the cops, I think that would just make things harder for everyone. I guess you'll probably have to report me as a runaway or something, but please don't worry, I'm ok and I'll try to visit when I can.
I left behind my phone and anything else people could use to contact me, but I promise I won't be gone forever.
I love you so much and I'm sorry if I hurt you by leaving.
Izuku"
Well, that answered a couple questions but raised so many more. That was her son she supposed, only worrying about others. She supposed she could only hope her little boy did the right thing going forward.