The world revolved around Undyne in a whirlwind of amorphous shapes and vibrant hues. The cacophony of terrified voices morphed together into mangled white noise in her ears. Her stomach twisted into knots, her chest became unbearably tight, and her legs grew heavy as iron anchors. She felt her breathing become short and ragged as her vision narrowed, peripherals blanketed in inky blackness.

As the brother she cherished charged madly into the jaws of certain death, Undyne could only think of one question she'd want to ask him, should he somehow return with his life.

Why?

And yet, she already knew the answer. Each step Izuku took towards the villain confirmed it. From her perspective, she couldn't see the young boy's expression; however, she knew him well enough to guess that it was one of absolute, gut wrenching terror. But he never stopped moving. Even as the concerned and panicked civilians behind him urged him to stop, he never did. Even as the pro heroes warned him of the imminent danger, that he was putting his life on the line, he didn't turn back. He couldn't.

The fact of the matter, Undyne realized, lied not in the probability of Izuku's defeat, injury, and death. Instead, the answer was so simple that a child could figure it out. Izuku saw someone in need of immediate assistance, and with no one else willing to step up, the boy did what no one else could.

Without any formal training, and against the natural order of the world he lived in, Izuku took on the role of the hero.

Undyne pushed and shoved her way through the mass of frightened people, sometimes practically throwing them out of the way. A feeling drove her legs onward. She supposed, at first, that it was the most obvious one: fear. She acknowledged that feeling as most certainly present in her soul. How could it not be, in such an outlandish, life-threatening situation?

As she made her way to the front of the crowd, she finally got a better view of the battlefield outstretched before her. Her eyes first fell upon the small figure desperately clawing at the gooey mass of sewage holding his tormentor captive. She watched in helpless agony as her brother attempted to free Bakugo in vain. No amount of his physical effort would force the hot tempered boy from the villain's slimy grasp.

The pros continued to merely look on in hopeless dismay. The heroes needed a hero, and to Undyne, such miraculous help didn't seem likely any time soon.

Her mind had run out of both options and excuses. Her brother was on the verge of perishing before her very eyes.

Dammit

If someone didn't act right now, she'd watch her brother die.

"Dammit..."

The hero needed a hero.

"DAMMIT!"

OST- YOU SAY RUN

Undyne exploded from the crowd with a spear at the ready, charging at full sprint towards the villain. The terror urging her to remain put melted away as her mind became fixated on the immediate task ahead. The flames all around scorched her scaly skin and thick black smoke coated her lungs. She gagged, but bolted forward at the same lightning pace. Just a few seconds more were all she needed to close the distance.

The crowd behind her erupted into a second wave of panic and confusion as they implored her to turn back. Her survival instincts were all too eager to agree. What on earth was she planning to do against that thing with flimsy spears?

But, deep, deep in her soul, there was a burning feeling she couldn't describe. A burning feeling that wouldn't let her retreat. She felt it surge like a wildfire in her legs as she sprinted past the startled pro heroes. Singularly focused on the task before her, she barely acknowledged their shouts,

"Shit, not another kid!"

"For your own safety, stop!"

I want to!

Fear crept back into her soul as she came within a few meters of the monster. Forcing her eyes to focus on the target, she found two yellow orbs gazing back into hers. The slime villain's crimson red pupils bore into hers like a rusted drill. Malice and rage emanated from them, putrid as its own foul, rotting stench. Undyne felt her blood run as cold as Arctic seawater as she gazed into those deathly apertures floating in the sickly sludge. From a distance, Undyne wasn't able to detect the alien feeling the villain projected at anyone who dared to stand in it's path.

Killing intent.

"Goddamn, the kids of this town really wanna be heroes. Guess I've gotta kill you, too!" The villain gurgled as excess sludge coalesced into a 4 meter long arm. In an instant, the monster raised the slimy weapon into the sky over the helpless green-hared boy.

In a second, my brother will be dead.

Two emerald dots wild with panic gazed back into hers.

"Hey, Undyne, do you think I can be a hero too?"

Fire burned. She roared.

A cerulean spear exploded from her iron grip like an artillery shell. An immense shock wave pulsed in its wake, blasting nearby smoke and embers into the atmosphere. The onlooking pro heroes covered their ears and winced in pain.

The weapon streaked through the blackened sky like a thunderbolt. On instinct, the villain reoriented his hand to intercept the lethal bullet. It glided through the dripping sludge like a super heated blade through butter, turning the stinking material into sizzling steam. The monster's eyes widened as the blue point of light dominated his field of vision.

Thwap

A gargled scream erupted from his mouth. Unable to string together words, the villain hollered in agony as it clutched its face with what remained of its disintegrated hand.

"Ah! My eye! You're fucking dead, kid!"

The villain formed another hammer of slime before Undyne was able to ready an additional spear. She watched as the sludge blotted out the sun above.

A shame. She really liked the sun. She loved being enveloped in its calm embrace, so common, yet so unfamiliar. She loved how its golden glow lit up the darkness below. She loved the color. Yellow. It made her feel warm.

A familiar silhouette exploded in front of her, and the sun returned.

"I really am pathetic."

A giant stood between her little brother and the evil being. His burly arm struggled against a torrent of bubbling sludge. His golden locks were scattered about and his white shirt was tattered and splattered with crimson blood. Yet, Undyne found her eyes fixed on the most peculiar feature of all. His smile.

"I told you the traits that make a great champion... but I see now that I wasn't living up to my own ideal!"

With a surge of superhuman strength, the hero broke free of the slimy shackles. Undyne stood still, a new feeling beginning to course through her body. Hope.

The hero grabbed hold of Bakugo as a wave of blood erupted from his mouth,

"Heroes are always risking their lives. That's the true test of a hero!"

The villain reared back, moving to retaliate against the man who was seen by many to be something of a god.

"Damn you, All-Might!"

All-Might curled his fist as he swung his arm forward.

"Detroit... smash!"

With one punch, the force of a hurricane slammed into the evil slime. With an explosion of thunder, the villain dissipated into the surrounding city. A tornado of wind blew in all directions. Civilians and pro heroes alike braced themselves for the impact, many of them knocked to the ground by its sheer power. Undyne found herself lying on her back in an instant, vision going fuzzy and her mind unable to fully process the situation. In a few moments, the sound of the gusts drowned out, the surrounding air finally growing calm.

Was that... All-Might?

Undyne ordered her legs to move. They screamed out in pain, unwilling to comply.

She had to see her brother. She had to make sure he was okay. Clenching her teeth, she rose to her feet through the agony. Standing unsteadily, she gazed upon the giant who stood proudly beside her little sibling.

While the sky above burst, hot tears streaked down her face and mixed with the cool rain. A smile larger than that of the pro hero's shone from her face like a sun of its own.

"Thank you. Thank you... All-Might."

Through the cacophony of the surrounding shouts of excitement and glee, a calm voice thundered to her,

"Young lady. I'm so sorry. It seems that not one, but two heroes have out-shined me today."

All-Might strode over to where she stood and took her hand in his. As his blue eyes looked into her crimson pupils, his smile grew somehow larger. Palpable pride in the little fish monster emanated from the pro hero as he raised her fist into the sky along with his.

"You shouldn't be thanking me. They should be thanking you."