Bet you didn't expect to hear from me so soon, did ya?
Well, bitches, I'm back! And I brought party favors!
Review Answering Time:
Johnny Spectre: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god, that's hilarious! And I can definitely appreciate someone who has a thing for the classics! Some poor souls nowadays haven't even heard of The Dark Crystal.
Chimchar14: Your praise fills me with joy. I am grateful that Izuku's mentor ended up not being an expendable plot device. I had thought about adding just the girls to speed up the pacing of the harem, but then I considered the benefits of having same gender friends, such as how to form platonic bonds. And I agree, they are the cutest pack of badasses ever.
Lightningblade49: It's true, Izuku will be better prepared to handle it, but he won't quite be able to properly use it all the way … (foreshadowing)
I agree it seems like Izuku is generally too forgiving. But think: he knows Katsuki better than anyone else, barring his own parents. He's known him since they could walk, and since before he got his quirk. He knows that Katsuki used to walk the fence. And in Izuku's eyes, he has a lot going for him; his vicious tenacity, his creativity, his surprising intelligence… Izuku looks and sees more than just a powerful quirk and an ugly face.
Wildebranch: Maybe I will. Maybe I will…
Berserker0089: I established who would be in the harem in the first chapter! Read the fucking bold! Am I just writing to myself?! Good God!
TooneyTheBoi: Okay, first: it's "weeaboo." Get your lingo right before you criticize me. Second, they're Japanese, and I'm going to the trouble of using Japanese words to separate them from their foreign counterparts. I'll be making use of words from other languages as well Also, grammar errors? Who taught you English?
JSua: You are absolutely right. Fanficition does say much about its writer. For example: A Bleach erotica writer named Whackybiscuit is a giant bag of dildos who loves poking fun at the series protagonist in the worst ways.
Scandinavian Sensation: Holy… just…wow. Thank you. I was motivated, but now I'm making it a personal promise that this will reach the second season conclusion before the next semester.
This may not seem significant to you readers, but for the most part I will be following the dialogue of the Dub, not the Sub.
Also, I don't know if you remembered, but a while back I put up a pole on whether these around-the-world students would keep their names or just be from different countries without the names to show it. The result: 3-to-1, they get new names to go with new nationalities! Yay, creativity liberties!
So, to start off:
Yagi Toshinori/All Might - Garrick Lamont (American)
I mean, come on, think about it. Special moves named after U.S. cities and states; use of English during exclamations; an Aim-to-Pass American Dream Plan... Y-you see were I'm going with this?
Just so It's clear, I determine names by either finding foreign equivalents of the names they have, or finding what it is that would best suit them. Or I just use a name with the same beginning letters.
Now that that's taken care of, time to go beyond… PLUS… ULTRAAAAAA!
"It's super-nice to meet you." – normal speech
"Where are you looking?!" – speaking with emphasis/ speaking in a flashback
Is he worried? – thinking/ flashback dialogue
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" - screaming
"WE'RE A'LL GONNA DIE" – Screaming with emphasis
"Detroit Smash" – special move
"Hope has arrived! Because I am here!" - Buff All Might speaking
{READY? START} – Speaker phone speech (Present Mic, in other words)
Later
Aldera Middle School
Izuku was sitting in his seat near the back of the classroom, his previous enthusiasm almost impossible to distinguish, as though it had ever existed. In spite of his strength, he wished dearly that his classmates saw that there was more to him than is quirklessness. It was a good thing he has made some friends, but they weren't here, and that made it harder to fit in. He was currently working on his Mount Lady entry, while the teacher started talking about everyone's lives as students. It wasn't really beneficial to his current academics, so he had no need to actually listen.
"Alright listen up," Said the teacher at the front wearing a receding hairline, sweater vest and jacket ensemble. "As third year students, it's time for you to start thinking seriously about your futures. I could pass around these career aptitude tests…" he held in his left hand a thick stack of papers, which he slammed against his desk. "But why bother?!" He said with an intense look in his eyes as students began to flex their quirks. He tossed the papers away with much enthusiasm, a dreamy smile on his face. "We all know you wanna go for the hero course!" The class cheered in approval as they showed off their quirks and, by extension, their enthusiasm. "Yes, yes, you all have impressive quirks. But no quirk usage in public, so settle down."
Less than half of them really have quirks that would make them hero material, Izuku thought to himself, and only if they trained with them a lot harder. Suddenly, a gruff voice rang out through the classroom as a boy with ash-blonde hair, red eyes, and his feet on the desk spoke up.
"Oi, teach," Katsuki Bakugou said, "Don't lump me in with this bunch 'a losers. I'm the real deal, but these guys'll be lucky to end up as sidekicks for some busted D-lister. *chuckles*"
The class roared out their disapproval at the blonde's blatant disrespect for their abilities.
"Get over yourself Katsuki!"
"You think you're better than us?!"
"Screw you!"
Sometimes I really hate being right, Izuku thought a little ruefully. Particularly when it turns out to be fuel for Kacchan's… general behavior.
Katsuki responded to their yells with an oddly amused expression. "Let's go! I'll take you all on!"
"I see." The teacher said, checking Katsuki's records. "You've got impressive test scores. Maybe you will get into U.A." At these words, hushed whispers broke out amongst the class.
"U.A.? Is he serious?!"
"The international school?"
That place is supposed to have an acceptance rate of 0.03%!"
"Not just students from Japan either, they take students from all over the world!"
"It's impossible to get into!"
These comments only beefed up Katsuki's ego further. He decided to make it clearer to the rest just how high up he was aiming, and chose that last line to cut in. "That's why it's the only place in the world worthy of me." He jumped up on top of his desk in proud declaration. "I aced all the mock tests! I'm the only on in this school who's getting into U.A! I'll end up more popular than All Might himself, AND BE THE RICHEST HERO OF ALL TIME! PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE WORLD WILL KNOW WHO I AM! AND IT ALL STARTS WITH U.A. HIGH!"
"Oh yeah, Midoriya. Didn't you wanna go to U.A. too?"
To his credit, Izuku stayed completely calm and fully enthusiastic as his name was called to attention. "Hai!" He said, standing up, both hands on his desk. Although, he couldn't help but look around as the entire class – sans Bakugou, who was in shock that his proud declaration had been cut short, because of him of all people – stared at him. Few of them actually laughed, and those that did realized after a few seconds that there wasn't as much amusement as there should have been.
Many of those who had joined Katsuki in trying to belittle the class's resident nerd and straight-A student attended school in this particular classroom. And it was not lost on them that, more than once, it wasn't just one of his quirked friends that had made them regret their decision. The supposed "quirkless Deku" knew how to fight, and how to make it hurt.
Izuku decided to break the tense silence. "It there anything you wanted to discuss in particular, sir?"
"DEKU!"
He didn't get to hear his response as Katsuki slammed his palm down on his desk, the force and brightness of which caused Izuku to slightly flinch backwards enough that he accidentally tripped over his chair, sending him sprawling backwards onto the ground. He looked up to see Katsuki in front of where he was standing.
"Listen up, Deku! You're worse than the rest of these scrubs, you quirkless wannabe! You really think they'd let someone like you in when they could have me?!"
"Kacchan…" Izuku said sadly, moving up calmly from his place on the floor, looking at him imploringly. "You know we've both wanted to be heroes since we were little." He brought his eyes down, his hair covering them. "They don't have to pick between students…" Katsuki sneered at this. "But if they did…" He looked the blonde bomber dead in the eye, calm fury quite apparent in his suddenly hardened green eyes. "They certainly wouldn't pick you, not with your record, and not with your temperament." Katsuki's self-satisfied grin dropped at this. "You wanna be a hero? You need more than just bravado and force. And as you are now, those two things are all you've got. I'm going to U.A. to be the greatest hero in the world. Like it or not, you can't stop me!"
That may have been the wrong thing to say, as Katsuki's gaze suddenly became murderous, and tiny pops went off in his hand. Izuku subconsciously went into a fighting stance to intercept whatever attack Kacchan would throw… with his right first, of course. This was honestly not the first time they had fought one-on-one in all these years. Several times Katsuki had caught him training to be a hero, or Izuku had caught Katsuki terrorizing someone, or Katsuki intended to terrorize him, and they came to blows, and his friends weren't there to defend him. Izuku still came up short due to the sheer brute force and superior range behind Katsuki's attacks, but certainly not without getting plenty of hits in. He was worried this time would be no different. Around him, the class moved away slightly to stay as clear of the crossfire as they could.
"Dekuuu….!"
"Alright, that's enough!" The teacher's voice suddenly cut through the tense atmosphere. "Both of you please get back into your seats. Katsuki, I just said no use of quirks in public."
The two of them went back to their desks, but Katsuki shot a glare back to Izuku that promised this was not over.
12:02 PM
Downtown
"EEeeeeeek!"
"HA-HA-HA!"
"Hey! Get back here!"
"Scream all you want, suckers! This cash is mine!"
Bystanders could only look on as a hideous man with brownish-green slime for a body and two yellow eyeballs with red irises ran through the streets.
"What happened?" One of them asked.
"Looks like another small time crook tried to use his quirk to pull off a heist. He's makin' a run for it right now."
"Someone's gonna try to catch him… right?"
"This kind of thing happens all the time. People who abuse their quirks just seem to pop out of nowhere."
Behind them, a frail figure came out and eavesdropped on the situation, and suddenly shifted to a larger, far stronger form.
"It looks like there's no one who can stop him."
"Yes there is."
The pedestrians looked behind them, and were in shock and awe at the man they saw.
The villain glanced back behind him, and his eyes widened in fear.
"Because I am here!"
Meanwhile
Back at Aldera Middle School
It was finally time to go home as Izuku checked his phone. He had just finished his conclusive entry on Mt. Lady, and decided she would neither make a very big impact (no pun intended), nor a good reference for tactics. He pulled out his journal in preparation to tear out her pages and add them to the reject folder, when Katsuki suddenly plucked it out of his hands.
"I don't know what you think you're doin', Deku, but we're not done here."
Suddenly his cronies were up behind him. "What 'ya got there, Bakugo?" He moved the journal to give them a better view, simultaneously moving it out of Izuku's desperate reach.
"Huh? You're taking notes on how to become a hero?"
"That's so pathetic!"
"Hahaha!"
Izuku was not a fan of causing a scene. It was for this reason that it did not occur to him to break out into violence, instead resorting to earnest please. "That's not funny, guys! Just give it back-"
*BOOM*
"AAGH!"
Izuku was almost in shock as he looked at his ruined notebook. "… That's so mean!"
And then the bombing douche threw it out the window. "WHY-Y-Y!" Before anything else happened, Izuku could tell Bakugou was about to go on another prattle.
"Most first-rate heroes show potential early on." He began. "People look at them and just know they're destined for greatness. Once I'm the only student from this school to get into U.A., people will start talkin' about me like that. They'll realize I'm legit, the next big thing. That's not ego talk. I just know I'm good."
"~Ego.~" The finger-kid said under his breath.
Katsuki then placed one of his burning palms on Izuku's shoulder, burning his uniform. The green-haired nerd didn't even flinch, as he shot Katsuki a frustrated look, which was blatantly ignored. "Here's a little bit of advice nerd: don't even think of applying, or else."
Izuku's glare could have rendered diamonds soft and runny. "Fuck you, Kacchan! I don't need your permission!" He had honestly forgiven Kacchan, really. After all, it was him who had inspired him, and was even responsible for Izuku's… more battle-prone side. But he didn't get to decide what course Izuku's future took.
Katsuki was taking aback by this response, but simply sneered and walked off, violently brushing shoulder with Izuku as he did. His followers were close behind him.
"What's it gonna take for him to get it?" Said the one with the fingers. "He'll never be a hero. Better to find out now rather than later."
Right before Katsuki left, he turned back to Izuku one more time. "You know, if you really wanna be a hero that badly, there might actually be another way. Just pray you'll be born with a quirk in your next life – and take a swan dive off the roof of the building."
That was the last straw.
Izuku turned, fury clear in his eyes, and stomped towards Katsuki - heedless of the small sparks Katsuki used with intentions to intimidate – grabbed the slightly taller boy by the collar of his uniform and slammed him against the wall.
"YOU DUMBASS!" Izuku yelled. "YOU DON'T GO AROUND TELLING PEOPLE TO KILL THEMSELVES! WHAT IF I ACTUALLY DID IT?! WHAT WOULD YOU DO THEN?!"
Katsuki paused almost instantly, not anticipating the question in the slightest. Behind them, the fodder were looking at each other nervously, clearly also not expecting the question, nor knowing how to answer it.
"WELL?!"
Katsuki just stared blankly. It was clear to Izuku waiting for an answer was a wasted endeavor, so he simply shoved Katsuki away and took off in a huff.
Katsuki continued to stare into space. He didn't even try to follow his "target."
…
That idiot! Izuku thought to himself, as he walked towards a Dark alley outside the school building. Is he really trying to be a hero? His abysmal attitude always makes it hard to tell sometimes. He then found his journal – ruined, wet, and turned to fish food – and plucked it out of the backwater koi pond. When he got to the front gates, a figure was there, trying hard to blend in.
…
Jukei Ikinuku, aka the Backlash hero: Penance, was currently in his hero costume under his casual red and black striped hoodie, his costume's cleats on his feet, and his gloved hands in his pockets. Jukei had changed a lot physically in the last two years, now six feet tall. A brown soul patch adorned his chin, and a scar was on his left hollowed cheek. Upon seeing Izuku, who was walking with his head down, he quickly called out to him among the crowd. Izuku's posture did not escape him. It seemed Katsuki was still out for his head.
"Hey there kiddo." Jukei said, moving to Izuku's side, wrapping an arm around him. "Another rough day?"
"Yeah." Izuku admitted shamefully. "The teacher brought up our futures since we're third years, and he pretty much announced to the rest of the class that I was going to the same high school as Kacchan."
"Let me guess, the teacher called you out?"
"Well I don't think he meant to single me out. He probably just wanted to bring Katsuki down when he started screaming about his goals at the top of his lungs."
Jukei couldn't stop himself from ruffling Izuku's curls. "You're too earnest for this world."
They walked in silence for a while, before Izuku spoke up.
"You know sensei it was so long ago, but I still can't help but look back to when it all started."
Jukei grimaced. He remembered what Izuku had told him about the day he had been diagnosed as quirkless.
…
A four-year-old Izuku was scurrying through the house, an All Might action figure in his hand and a smile on his face. He ran towards his mother who was at the sink. He bounced up and down around her in excitement.
"Hurry up, Mom! It's computer time!"
Inko turned to look at her son. Hisashi was watching the scene from his place at the table, a book about financial tips in hand.
"Already?" Inko said. "okay, just give me a minute."
…
"Hurry! Hurry!" Izuku rocked back and forth in his seat, excitement overtaking him.
"Geez, think you've added 10,000 likes to this one yourself, Izuku." Inko commented as she set up the computer. "I don't know why you like it. I think it's scary."
Izuku simply grinned and sat up straight as the video began to play. It was disaster footage of a fire in Seattle, Washington.
"We're getting word now." Said a man looking to the camera, and then back to the surrounding area "He's already saved over two hundred-fifty people and it hasn't even been 10 minutes. This is… this is crazy!"
But he loved it because it also featured the debut of the greatest hero the world had ever known.
A large man was standing on top of debris, carrying several unconscious civilians on his back. "Look, he's still bringing more!"
The hero in question was seven feet and two-and-a-half inches tall, with and overly muscular form. He had short blonde hair with two particular strands that stood atop his head. His hero costume was made of spandex, with a red symbol on the torso that somewhat represented a "Y." The symbol had a white diamond at its center, with white lines connected to it that trace from his chest to his back shoulders. The lines were trimmed with the aforementioned red symbol. The symbol appeared to have wings on the sides that ran from atop his torso before ending around his back. Over his back was a similar red and white design absent of the white diamond. Large white patches with red trims covered each side of his hips before ending at his lower thighs. He wore a gold belt that had a silver buckle with red eyes. His forearm sleeves were colored in gold that each had white lines covered in blue accents over his wrists. He had spiked fins on the sides of his arms and his feet were covered in shin-length gold boots trimmed with white and red accents. But the most prominent of all the man's features, was the large smile that adorned his face, even in the midst of this chaos. This was the man Izuku watched this terrifying scene just to see.
"Fear not citizens!" The man said in a deep, booming voice that absolutely radiated positivity. "Hope has arrived!"
Izuku's grin widened to its limit, and his already bright eyes positively shined with joy.
"Because I am here!"
Izuku never failed to be blown away by this man's appearance, his strength, his smile, or his promise that everyone would be okay because of him.
"He's the coolest in the universe!" He said, raising his All Might figure into the air. "And once I get my quirk, I'm gonna be a hero just like you! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Inko and Hisashi listened from the living room, and couldn't help but become a little worried.
…
"…Sorry, kid. It's not gonna happen."
Izuku's shock was palpable as he dropped his All Might action figure. His parents had taken him to the hospital to get him his quirk diagnosis. The doctor was a stout, bald man with a grey mustache and goggles over his eyes. Hisashi was trying very hard not to scorch the man before him for putting it so tactlessly. Inko was trying a different approach.
"Oh dear, so you think there's something wrong then? All of his other classmates have begun to show signs."
The doctor adjusted his goggles with one hand. "Pardon me for asking, ma'am, but you and your husband are 4th generation, yes? What quirks to you possess?"
"Oh, nothing too special." Inko answered "I can levitate small objects towards me."
"And I can breathe fire." Hisashi said, still feeling tempted to demonstrate on this man for to blatantly crushing his son's hopes.
"Izuku should have gotten a variant of one of these quirks, or a combination of the two," The doctor said "but after viewing his x-rays, I don't think he's going to. You see, when super powers first began appearing, there were many research studies conducted, and doctors discovered a link between the bones in a person's foot and their likely hood of developing a quirk. People with quirks only have one joint in their pinky toes. Their bodies are a more streamlined version of the human form." He turned to an X-ray of Izuku's foot, and tapped on it. "But you can see here that Izuku has two joints in his pinky, like roughly twenty percent of the population these days. Based on the research that's available, it's safe to say you're son isn't going to develop a quirk."
…
It was raining that night. And not just outside.
Izuku was still watching the video from earlier that day, his eyes still on the screen, full of tears yet to be shed. His parents were by the door. Their son had been silent all the way back from the hospital. Their sweet little boy hadn't reacted to anything, just watching that same video over and over, his back to them in the chair, and it tore them up inside.
Suddenly, the screen had paused, stopping on a scene where the camera was zoomed in on All Might's ever-smiling face.
"See that, Dad? Mom?" Izuku said, his voice so small. "Even when things get bad, he never gives up. He always gets through, with a smile. Even when things seem hopeless, he never gives up."
He turned in his chair to face them, and what they saw killed them. He had a shaky hand pointed to the screen, his eyes flooded with unshed tears, and smiling! Of all things, smiling!
"Do you think… I could be a hero too?"
They didn't answer. They couldn't.
Instead, they moved towards him, rushing forward at the last step, and took his small body forward in a hug, both crying.
"I'm sorry, Izuku!" Inko said. "I wish things were different!" And Izuku could no longer stop his own tears from following.
…
'I wish things were different?'…'I'm sorry?' The current Izuku thought, that's not what I needed you to say. Couldn't either of you see? My world was crumbling. There was only one thing I wanted to hear…
Izuku had made a decision that day. No matter what anyone said, he would be a hero. And he'd keep smiling. Just like him.
Then Izuku had met Jukei-sensei, and it all became more than he could have ever hoped for. He looked to his left, seeing his mentor looking straight ahead as they moved into a tunnel. All Might was his hero, his inspiration, but this man would forever be a close second.
Suddenly, they heard a noise not unlike the running of a faucet, except it was open-ended and it was gushing mud. Turning behind them, the two saw a large mass of green and brown sludge crawling out of the sewer, and looked at the two of them with yellow eyes and red irises. Large, triangular pointed teeth were shown in what was supposedly the mouth as it grinned wickedly.
"Hmm," the creature looked between the two of them, and turned to Jukei. "A medium sized invisibility cloak for me to hide in."
The two of them slowly stepped back, Izuku's right hand moving towards the small hole in the corner of his backpack. He didn't have time as the creature suddenly leaped towards them, forcing them to each move to a side, and Izuku suddenly dropped his notebook. They ended up rushing backwards, and the villain – definitely a villain – lashed out at each of them with a tentacle. Izuku jumped over it, while Jukei literally bent over backwards to dodge.
He didn't just rush us again? Izuku thought. No doubt he can only use speed like that in short bursts. His body is viscous, so he clearly has some resistance to blunt force. Sensei's quirk won't work on him unless it can create vast amounts of force. That means I either have to step in when there's an opening, or we wait for another hero to arrive.
He looked to see his teacher move to one side, barely avoiding a downwards tentacle swipe. Suddenly, five tendrils of slime came at him, and Izuku panicked as the criminal's body engulfed his master's. Jukei struggled to breathe, to get out, but to no avail.
"Nice try, pal," the slime said, "but by body's practically water. Clawin' away won't do any good. I didn't think he'd be in town. Luckily I found you and the brat over there. You're a real hero to me."
Okay Izuku decided. Opening it is. His hand slowly inched back to his secret weapon.
*BAM*
Before anyone could make any new moves, the sewer cover suddenly flew up into the air, and catching everyone's attention was a huge figure with two standing strands of hair.
"Worry not, citizens." The man said. "You are safe."
Izuku looked on in amazement. All Might!
The villain panicked. He had run out of time!
"Now that I am here, that is."
In a panic, the big pile of grime slung a tentacle at him, and he hit Izuku instead, who was rendered unconscious. Fortunately, All Might caught him before he hit the ground. He then turned his attention to the villain, and came at him with a straight punch.
"Texas… Smash!"
So much force was created that the resulting wind pressure rendered the otherwise immune mass of substances unable to hold together, and he scattered, releasing a half-conscious Jukei.
"Hey."
Izuku's head throbbed as he woke up to the feeling of someone lightly tapping him on the cheek.
"Wake up."
What had happened? Oh yeah, the thought, his eyes dragging open. He and his mentor had been attacked by a slime villain, who knocked him out…
"Hey!"
Right before … he looked up at the person standing above him … they had been saved by …
"Ah! Thought we lost you there."
"EEK!" Izuku felt like he would pass out again as he shot to his feet. It was All Might! He wasn't in his hero gear, just a tight plain white t-shirt and khaki cargo pants. But it was definitely him!
Oh, Jukei-sensei was standing next to him too.
"Well, it looks like you're moving around alright." All might said. He turned to the adult pain stocker, who was fairly slack-jawed himself. "Sorry to get you two caught up in my justice-ing. Usually I pay more attention to keeping bystanders safe, but it turns out Japan's sewer systems are pretty difficult to navigate. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Izuku was only half paying attention as his lifelong idol stood before him.
"It's no big deal." Jukei responded, looking a little excited himself. "It's an honor to meet you though, one hero to another! Even though my quirk probably wouldn't've been of much use here."
"Don't sweat it!" All Might reassured him. "You survived the experience, and now it's something you can learn from, to be better prepared for villains like this one in the future! And the next time, they'll be sorry."
Jukei had just decided the man before him had earned his title as Symbol of Peace for more than just solving every chaos in his wake. He certainly knew what to say.
"Anyway, thanks for your help. I've captured the evildoer!" All Might held up a soda bottle, which contained the sludge villain inside of it. Not that Izuku was paying much attention to that.
All Might! Izuku thought weakly. The greatest hero in the world. And he's standing right in front of me! He continued to gaze at the man in awe.
HE LOOKS SO MUCH COOLER IN PERSON!
"Holy crap! I gotta get an autograph! I have a pen around here somewhere." The he spotted his hero journal not five feet in front of him. He hurriedly scraped it up. "Please sign my notebook…" he said, before flipping to the perfect page for his All-graph (You're goddamn right he called it that, and no he's not sorry if it sounds cheesy!). Only to find the #1 hero's name in large capital letters covering the pages, with a doodle of All Might's eyebrows and shadowed eyes. "HE ALREADY DID!" Izuku's response was to repeatedly bow his head in rapid succession. "Thank you! This will be an heirloom! A family treasure for generations to come!" and All Might flashed him a big thumbs up.
What happened to my brilliant apprentice? Jukei thought wistfully at the sight of this giddy fanboy.
"Welp," All Might said, "I've gotta get this guy to the police so they can take care of him. Stay out of trouble! See you around!"
Izuku suddenly broke out of his reverie. "You're leaving?" he said, disappointment clear in his voice.
"Hero's fight time, as well as villains."
"Ain't that the truth." Jukei said. He walked up to his sole student. "C'mon, Izuku, we've still go training to attend to."
But there's still so much I want to ask him. He green-haired boy thought. The previous event had rattled his confidence something fierce.
"Now stand back! I'm taking off!"
"No, wait!"
"Izuku!"
All Might flew right up into the sky.
"THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!"
All Might suddenly felt an extra weight on his leg. He looked behind him to see that boy clinging on for dear life, and the man he was with clinging on to him!
"WAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!"
"Hey, hey, hey, HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!
"DON'T ASK ME! IZUKU! YOU LET GO OF ALL MIGHT THIS INSTANT!"
DO AS HE SAYS! I LOVE MY FANS, BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH!"
"NO WAY! WE'RE FLYING! IF I LET GO NOW WELL BOTH DIE!"
The two of them paused. "That's a good point. /That's fair."
"I just have a lot I want to ask you personally!" Izuku yelled through the rush of air. "You're my all-time favorite hero, All Might! Please!
"All right. All right! Just keep your eyes and your mouth shut until we land."
Izuku did as he was told while All Might looked for a space to land. He suddenly coughed a bit, a bit of blood dripping from his mouth.
Shit.
It wasn't long before All Might found the ideal building top, and Izuku and Jukei let go, wheezing slightly as they got to their feet. "My whole life just flashed before my eyes." The teen let out. He yelped as his regenerating mentor cuffed him on the back of the head.
"That was unbelievably reckless of you, Izuku!" He chided. "Thought you had learned better!"
"He's quite right" All Might said, walking off. "Try banging on the door and yelling. Someone should come along eventually."
"No, wait." Izuku protested.
"I don't have time!"
"I just need to know!"
This caught Jukei off guard. What did Izuku need to know that he couldn't ask him? Or, he thought upon seeing his forlorn expression, was it something he needed to confirm? What was on his mind?
Izuku, meanwhile, was having a little bit of trouble believing in himself after what had just transpired. He had let his guard down, and his teacher was in trouble, and he couldn't even do anything. Was being a hero as within his reach as he had come to believe? Sometimes, when he lost against Bakugo, or when he looked on as a hero took on a real villain, or rescued civilians, and he just stood to one side and watched… In times like those, he thought to himself, I really do feel like I'm a failure, like there's no hope for me. But even so, I'm not gonna give up. Despite everything, I still dream. And I have to know for sure…
"Is it possible to become a hero, even if I don't have a quirk?" This made All Might stop dead in his tracks. "I'm a normal kid without any powers." He looked straight at All Might's back, ready to receive an answer dead on. "Could I ever hope to be someone like you?!"
Jukei was caught off guard by this. Didn't he already tell him it was possible? Was his word not enough? What had happened where he had been convinced that he was still so utterly powerele-
Oh.
Oh.
…Well, to be fair, against a villain made of goop, he probably wouldn't have felt too good either. Maybe he should just let the man answer, because like that moment ten years ago, he didn't know what to say.
All Might turned to look at the broccoli-headed teen "Your quirkless?" He wondered aloud. Suddenly, he jarred, and smoke started to come off of him in waves. The freckled teen and the pro hero panicked at seeing this, as well as how All Might seemed to be getting… smaller, until he was just small enough to be unseen behind the small clouds. They stood there, breathless with anticipation at what could have become of the all-star hero. As the clouds cleared up, what they saw next was completely unexpected. Standing where All Might stood was an unbelievably scrawny man with angular features and long limbs. He had spiky, disheveled hair with two bangs framing the sides of his face. He had a very long neck and his eyebrows were absent.
Izuku screamed again.
Meanwhile
Tatooine Station
In an alleyway with no name, a pile of sludge trapped in a bottle was coming too from being one-shot. "Wh-…what happened?" he asked dizzily. Then, everything came right back to him. "Oh, yeah, that bastard. If it weren't for him I could've skipped town by now."
…
Katsuki Bakugo was usually pissed, but right now, he was more pissed than usual. Walking down the alley, a soda can in hand, and two scrubs following behind him who he didn't know the names of, it was easy to say he was pissed off for the same reason he usually was pissed off after school: Deku Midorya. The extras rambled behind him.
"Don't you think you went a little too far with Midoriya today?" said the one with the extendable fingers and whale's teeth.
"Yeah, I've never seen him stand up to you." Said the one who could transform his teeth into fangs. He blinked. "I mean, not like that."
"It's like he was… I don't know… finally done with it." The other said. "Didn't you too used to be friends?"
"It's his own fault for getting' in my way." Katsuki replied, kicking a bottle out of frustration. Katsuki thought back to what Deku had said.
"You know we've both wanted to be heroes since we were little." He brought his eyes down, his hair covering them. "They don't have to pick between students…" Katsuki sneered at this. "But if they did…" He looked the blonde bomber dead in the eye, calm fury quite apparent in his suddenly hardened green eyes. "They certainly wouldn't pick you, not with your record, and not with your temperament."
"YOU DON'T GO AROUND TELLING PEOPLE TO KILL THEMSELVES! WHAT IF I ACTUALLY DID IT?! WHAT WOULD YOU DO THEN?!"
Katsuki's grip around his soda can tightened. "Someone's gotta teach that nerd how the world works!" He blew but the soda can and threw it to the side. "I hate it when he talks heroes!"
The extras looked at each other.
"Hey I got an Idea." said the one with the transforming teeth. "We should go to the arcade, get your mind of it, ya know?"
Katsuki accepted the idea with a grunt.
"Or we can sneak into the bar at the station," finglongers suggested with a smirk, "pick up some ladies."
"Now that's a good idea."
"Idiots!" Katsuki yelled at them. "If we get caught, there's no way I'll get into U.A.!"
Suddenly, Katsuki's companions were bewildered by something directly behind Katsuki, who turned around to see a mass of sludge with eyes and big sharp teeth grinning at him wickedly.
"Perfect! I like a skin suit with some fire! Hahaha."
Back at the top of a random building
Izuku and Jukei were still very much shaken, the former stuttering incoherently while the later was in a stunned silence.
"I… wait, who…What happened?!" Izuku panicked, taking in the character before him. "You deflated! Where'd All Might go?! You! You're fake! An impostor!"
To the credit of the person in question, who's face seemed set in a permanent grimace, he did not seem terribly offended. "I assure you that I am All Mi-*Blurgh*" Suddenly, blood came gushing out of the person's mouth, causing Izuku to panic even further. Jukei broke out of his stupor, finally registering this man was bleeding from the mouth.
"Holy shit! That's impossible!" The healing bruiser yelled. "You dyin'?"
The gaunt man – apparently All Might - attempted to explain a best as he could, wiping blood off his chin. "You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in and flexing and trying to look buff? I'm like that."
"What kind of bullshit simile is that?!"
"THIS CAN'T BE REAL!"
No. He was dreaming!
"I can't believe it!" Izuku exclaimed. "All Might is a giant of a man who saves everyone. He defeats all obstacles and wins the day with a fearless smile!"
If it was possible at this point, All Might looked even grimmer at this. "There's plenty of fear behind that smile." He sat down against the railing behind him. "I'm trusting you to keep quiet about this. Don't go telling your friends about this or post it on the internet." Jukei and Izuku gasped when All Might lifted his shirt to reveal a large scar on the right side of his torso shaped like a spider web. "Pretty gross, right? I got this in a big fight five years ago. My respiratory system was basically destroyed, and I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out. It can't be fixed. Right now I can only do hero work for about three hours a day. The rest of the time…" he gesture to himself, "this is what I look like."
"Five years ago…" Izuku pondered aloud, "So does that mean your fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"
"Wow, you know your stuff." Scrawny-Might noted. "But no, the punk may have landed some hits, but he couldn't bring me down. No, most of the world has never heard of this fight, and I've done everything in my power to keep it that way." He suddenly looked rather disparaged. "I'm supposed to be the guy who's always smiling, right? I'm the symbol of peace. People everywhere have to think I'm never afraid. But really, I smile to hide my own fear. It's just a brave face I put on when the pressure is high. This job isn't easy. Pro heroes always have to risk their lives. Some villains just can't be beaten without powers.
So no, I honestly don't think you can become a hero without a quirk."
When All Might looked up, he expected to see a disheartened or disappointed look. Instead, he looked up and saw the kid with his eyes closed, a frustrated look on his face, like he was just tanking a hurtful comment. When his eyes opened up, the symbol of peace saw a fire, a fire that looked like it could never go out.
"I see …" he said. "Well … I'm sorry but … I cannot simply accept your words and give up." This shocked both adults, who had expected the student to be hurt by this supposed truth. The quirkless green-haired middle schooler himself was screaming internally, after saying something he never thought he'd say to the man he looked up to most in the entire world. "I can understand. It may not seem logical from the viewpoint of somebody who has a quirk but …" he looked All Might directly in the eyes "I still have to try. I've worked too hard to give up now. If I take the entrance exam for U.A. high, the world's greatest hero school, and I don't pass, I will take your words to heart. But for now…" Surprising everyone present except for himself, Izuku bowed towards the man who had said no. "I'm sorry! I cannot rely on your answer! I cannot give up now! Not when I'm this close!"
All Might was caught completely off guard. He had expected the kid to be disheartened, maybe take a different path. This determination he displayed was…
The gaunt man smirked. He stood up from his place on the ground. "Well then," he said "I hope to see you again, shounen. What's your name?"
"Uhh… Izuku." The boy answered uncertainly "Midoriya Izuku." He then gestured to Jukei. "And this is my mentor, Ikinuku Jukei; The Backlash Hero: Penance."
"Midoriya-shounen." All Might spoke. "I apologize for my disheartening reply. I just went to a dark place for a moment. Maybe you have a shot after all." He turned to a stunned Jukei, who was stunned at both his student's reaction, and the #1 hero's sudden change of heart. "You have quite the disciple, Penance. You must be proud."
Jukei broke out of his reverie long enough to smile at Izuku. "Extremely."
"Well then," All Might said, "I hope to see the two of you again someday soon. And young Midoriya." The boy in question stiffened slightly. "I wish you luck at U.A." With that, he moved towards the roof exit.
"*cough**cough*Alright," the scrawny form of the number one hero said on his way to the door, putting hand in his pocket, "Let's get you down to the station…" he paused when he realizing he could feel nothing in his pocket. This did not escape Izuku and Jukei, who suddenly had a bad feeling. Panicking, he searched his other pockets, but nothing came up. Suddenly, they all heard and explosion nearby, and looked from atop the building to see smoke rising up from the station. Suddenly, the three of them had a feeling that they knew where the villain was.
"…Not good."
Tatooine Station
(Music: My Hero Academia OST – Enemy Strike.)
The three of them rushed straight for the smoke, the skinny All Might keeping up with them surprisingly well. When they got to the scene, it was chaos in a box.
The crowd in front of them did very little to obscure the disaster.
…
People were screaming. There was fire everywhere. Everyone was running or for their lives.
Death arms and two other heroes arrived on the scene to find the police standing back, unwilling to advance on the site before them. The villain, it seemed to be made entirely out of slime, was sitting in the middle of a mass of flames.
"It's taken someone hostage!" Death Arms said. He slammed his fist together and charged the villain. "How dare you pray on a child!" He screamed. He jumped up and swung his right fist into the monster, who simply growled as the enormous fist had no effect on his body. The punching hero struggled to regain his fist as the villain seem to be pulling it in. "What is this," he grunted "some kind of goop?" he didn't get the chance to ponder it, as the villain swung a tentacle at him and sent him backwards into a wall. The other heroes attempted to intervene, just barely missing a tentacle that had come down to swat them.
"Stay back or I'll snap his neck!" The villain threatened. He then turned his attention to Bakugo, who was struggling within his slimy vice grip, and had managed to get his mouth out, letting out a scream.
"You picked the wrong guy can mess with!" He yelled. "I'm going to send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of!" Small sparks appeared from his hands. "LET ME GOOOOOOOO!" He yelled. Without warning, he let out another massive explosion, seemingly unaware of the damage he was doing to his surroundings.
The villain, however, was undeterred, as his viscous body allowed him immunity to most brute force. This brat wasn't any trouble "You've got so much power!" He appraised. "I really hit the jackpot. With a quirk like yours under my control, I can take All Might down for sure!"
"Wow," one of the civilian said, "is that some kind of special move?"
"This dude is a legit super villain!" Another one said.
Suddenly, a female civilian called out. "It's her! That new hero mount lady will stop him!"
Unfortunately, as the newly debuted heroin stomped towards the scene, she suddenly found herself obstructed. "My only weakness!" She said. "I need at least a two-lane road if I'm going to make my way through here!"
Nearby, Kamui Wood was rescuing Bakugo's cronies from out of the flames. "Fire and Wood don't mix!" He said. "I'll let someone else handle this guy.
"Don't look at me!" Backdraft said. I've got my hands full here. Where are the firetrucks? Can you guys get to them?" He called out to death arms and his helpers.
"I can't get a grip on his body!" The muscular hero responded. "And that kids quirk is causing explosions left and right!"
"This is a shut-out!" Slugger said from his left. "We've got to rally and knock him out of the park somehow!"
Bakugo, meanwhile, was struggling to get free on his own.
"It's no good!" Death Arms said. "None of us have the right quirks to stop a villain like this!"
"We'll do damage control until someone with the right power shows up!" Backdraft said. "There's still plenty of people to save!"
"Don't worry!" Kamui said. "With a racket like this, every hero in the city must be headed this way!"
Sorry kid. Death Arms thought. Just hold out a little bit longer. He tightened his fists. "Damn!" He said out loud. "If I only had more power, I could blow this guy away!"
…
That villain from earlier… All Might thought. I must have dropped him somewhere in the air. I was too busy worrying about my time limit. I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake! And after lecturing this kid on what it takes to be a hero… He gripped his wound. I'm pathetic!
Izuku's train of thought was not too different. That's the same villain that attacked sensei and I!
That can't be right! All Might captured him. Then he thought back to when he and Jukei were holding on to All Might's leg. He must have dropped him in the air. Then it hit him. Horrified, he held a hand over his mouth. That meant … This is all my fault!
Jukei's mind was racing as he tried to figure it out. It doesn't make sense. All Might had that guy in bottles. How did he escape? The only time he could have dropped him was … Then he realized it. … when he was in the air. Was this because he was struggling to get them off? Then … Izuku must think that this is his fault! He turned to his first disciple to see the horrified look on his face. He really needed to work on his people skills! What the hell was he supposed to say!
Suddenly, the three of them caught the banter among the civilians.
"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?"
"It looks like they met their match, plus the villain captured a kid. Things aren't looking so good."
He caught someone? Izuku thought, his guilt piling on. How long have they been in there?
How long can they survive? Jukei thought. I could keep my breath for a few minutes at most.
"Wait, I'm confused, isn't that the same villain All Might was chasing earlier?"
"What, All Might? No way he lost. Where is he?"
"Can someone call him or something?"
"Seriously, why hasn't he shown up to help the heroes?!"
The man in question could not, and did not, do anything to rationalize. He had screwed up, and now he was going to be the reason someone died again.
Izuku's shame was not fading any less. If he had just listened to his teacher, if he had just left All Might alone…
I'm to blame. He thought. He wasted his energy on me.
… I'm worthless …
He can't power up yet. And none of the other heroes can stop this monster. They're not doing anything to stop this monster. Aren't they supposed to be heroes?
… So pathetic …
It's my fault. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
… I'm a disgrace …
Help will show up … and save the day … I'm sure …
… I'm not a real hero! …
Someone… a real hero will come soon.
Suddenly, Izuku saw the victims face. It was… Bakugou Katsuki! It was him caught in the villain's body! A teenager, someone he had admired from afar his whole life could be moments from death, and it was all his fault. It didn't matter if he was Izuku's own self-decided nemesis. He didn't deserve that! Why weren't the heroes doing something?! They were doing nothing, wasn't it their jobs to risk their lives? He looked at Katsuki, who had a look in his eyes he had never seen before. So… pleading…
Izuku's journal hit the ground.
(Music: My Hero Academia OST – You Say Run. Start at 0:22 time stamp.)
Izuku sprinted towards the villain faster than anyone else could by running on their own. Jukei and All Might gasped as he cleared the distance.
Jukei called out to him. "IZUKU!"
"NO, YOU IDIOT! STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Death arms yelled out.
The slime villain looked towards Izuku. "Not this brat again!"
Katsuki struggled to stay awake, long enough to see a head of green hair headed straight for him. "…Deku?..."
Meanwhile, Izuku's mind was racing. What am I doing? Why am I running?! Why can't I stop!? He couldn't answer any of those questions, nor could he so much as slow down, so he tried to figure out his situation. "What do I do …"
"You're toast, kid!" The sludge man yelled, throwing a tentacle out to Izuku, who dodged with practiced agility.
"Page 25!" Izuku remembered.
Pre-emptive Binding: Lacquered Chain Prison: Quickly stretch out arms (branches) in a feint to make opponent flinch, and use the opening to wrap around them.
With that, Izuku reached for the hole in his backpack and pulled out a silver dart with a yellow tuft, and threw it straight at the villain's eye.
"AAAUUGH!" the villain screamed in agony and released his grip on Katsuki's face, allowing him to breathe again, and greatly loosened his grip on the rest of him.
"KACCHAN!" Izuku reached inside the villain and grabbed Katsuki's arm with both hands. Pulling with all of his strength, he managed to get him out of the loose grip the bile pile had him in. Katsuki's legs were still sore from the previously tight grip the villain had on him, causing him to stumble and fall on his backside.
"What the hell?" He yelled at his declared nemesis. "What're you doing here?"
Izuku turned to look at him. "I don't know! My legs just started Moving!" He said as the villain managed to regain his bearings. He loomed over the two, ready to thrash away at them!
Actually, when Izuku looked back on that day, he would realize there were a lot of reasons.
Sorry, kid. It's not gonna happen.
This is all my fault!
You think they'd let someone like you when they could have me?!
He's the coolest in the universe!
I'm going to U.A. to be the greatest hero in the world.
KACCHAN!
I wanted to be a hero, but I can't do that if I don't have a quirk to save people with.
Yes! More than anything!
He defeats all obstacles and wins the day with a fearless smile!
But in that moment…
"You looked… like you were asking for help!"
The boy's words hit a cord with All Might. What was he doing? But before he could do anything to intervene, the villain suddenly stopped thrashing and suddenly slumped over.
(End Music)
…
…
…
Was the villain unconscious? What had…?
…The dart.
It was a dang tranquilizer dart. He didn't just distract the villain, he took him out!
Closer to him, now that the sludge was incapacitated, the blonde was pulled to his feet, and Izuku caught him on his chest, then stood him up straight, looking him over for injuries.
And as he was promptly shoved off the ashen blonde who yelled at him for helping him, before the media and the crowed came and swarmed the scene, All Might had suddenly come to a decision.
Sometime Much Later
Izuku was dead exhausted, as Jukei walked just behind the right of him. After he had ensured Kacchan was unharmed, the policed gathered up the pieces of the gelatinous criminal. The heroes chewed him out for his recklessness, while Kacchan was praised for his bravery. He didn't register it though, Izuku knew. He just sat there scowling at Izuku, who simply scowled right back.
He honestly didn't give a fuck.
It wasn't like he had run straight into certain death. It wasn't like he had stunned a potentially major criminal with his quick thinking. It wasn't like he had rescued his classmate, taken down the villain, and come out completely unscathed all by himself. No, he was just being suicidal while they so heroically sat on their thumbs and allowed destruction and the risk of death. Being a real hero was utterly thankless work. Not that he hadn't done anything wrong.
"I forgot to apologize to All Might." He thought aloud. "Hopefully I can send a written apology to him through his website."
"I wouldn't worry about it, Izuku," Jukei replied. "You cleaned up your mess quicker than you even made it. No one was hurt. Even if the rest of those assholes were jealous you so easily pulled off what none of them combined could do."
"You're right." Izuku supposed out loud. "Still, I can't help but have this lingering feeling. Maybe apologizing would ease my conscience."
His view of the World's Number One Hero hadn't degraded today. If anything, he admired the man even more for being able to keep the peace in his depowered… maybe even dying state. His answer to Izuku's question weren't mean to crush his hopes, just to keep him from risking his life when he didn't have what most did. He doubted it sounded easy, or even feasible, even from the best hero the world could ever have to offer. All Might was truly one of a kind.
"DEKU!"
The two of them turned around to see a certain blonde bomber running up to them, stopping a few meters away and panting slightly.
"Kacchan?"
"Katsuki?"
The blonde spoke, ever spiteful. "Listen, I would never ask a weakling for you for help me. Don't think you can look down on me like that. GOT THAT?! HUH?! I was fine by myself! You're just a quirkless failure who'll barely cut it as rent-it SWAT! You didn't help me… You did nothing. Don't forget it. I don't owe you anything!" Katsuki then turned his attention to Jukei, surprising him with his acknowledgement. "And YOU! You're wasting your time with that nerd! He'll never amount to shit, and clearly neither will you!" Jukei simply allowed him to vent. "I hope you go into retirement in a woven basket!" And with that the delinquent turned on his heel and stomped off.
Jukei and Izuku sweat-dropped slightly. "Did he really go to the trouble of finding us?"
"He's right about one thing." Izuku spoke up. "He doesn't owe me anything. I had to save him, and I did." He turned to continue walking home. "I'm just gonna head home, Shishou. Thanks for walking this far with me. I'll see if I can't make up for today's lost time with some independent exercises."
Behind him, Jukei grinned, puffing his chest out in pride. I taught him phenomenally.
Suddenly, All Might appeared out from the corner. He looked at Izuku, who jumped slightly. "There you are!"
"All Might?" Izuku questioned. He had no doubts he was able to evade reporters. Just, why was he following them? He felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw Jukei looking at All Might with suspicion.
"How long have you been following him? And for what purpose?"
The deflated Symbol of Peace held his hands up with peacemaking intent. "I started following you ever since I snapped out of shock at your apprentices amazing stunt. And I come here with an apology, a correction, and an offer."
Jukei backed off. He wasn't so sure why he had been so defensive. This was the hero. If he was going to harm you, you deserved it. The gaunt man turned his head to Izuku, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Young man, if you hadn't told me about your life… if you hadn't run into that fight… I never would have gotten to meet you. And even when I admonished you, you still did what other heroes could not do, what I could not do. Meanwhile, I was just a worthless bystander watching from the crowd. So thanks."
"I'm not completely faultless either, All Might!" Izuku responded. "I was the reason he was there to begin with. I got in the way of your hard work I wasted you energy, not to mention your time."
"I'm not done. You told me you were a normal kid without any powers; those were your exact words. So when I saw this quirkless boy save a life, it inspired me to act too. And before I even could, you actually handled the problem."
Izuku stared wide-eyed, processing his idol's words.
"There are stories about every hero, how they became great. Most have one thing in common: Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think, almost on their own."
Tears began to form in his eyes. For some reason, he remembered his mother's words in that moment.
"I'm sorry, Izuku. I wish things were different."
Izuku's hands clutched his chest, as he lowered himself.
"And today, that's exactly what happened to you."
She'd never told him what he wanted, needed to her to say back then… and Jukei-sensei had never said it straight to him… the words he needed to hear.
"Young man, you can be a hero."
Izuku couldn't take it anymore. He allowed himself to drop to his knees as he sobbed. All the reminders that he was behind everyone else, all the comings-up short next to the few friend he had, all the times he'd needed their help to truly fend of Bakugo… they were an endless valley of hellish rises and falls.
And if they were, each and every one of them, responsible for leading him to this moment, he wouldn't have changed a thing.
Jukei, for his part, was awestruck; as the world's biggest hero had straight-up told him what he had an epiphany as being what he had never told him straight up. It was always implying it or, 'You'll get there working this hard' or 'You're well on your way.' Suddenly, for all that he had taught his freckled disciple, he felt like he had failed him as a teacher.
No. he thought. I made him strong in body and mind. I taught him how to fight, and the way he was best conditioned to do it. He kept his grades top-notch because I told him to, and he had confidence enough to not let All Might's first answer bring him down. I did okay.
Suddenly, All Might put his hands out like he was making a grand declaration. "I deem you worthy of my power. My quirk is yours to inherit.
Izuku quickly stopped crying and stood up, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He then fully paid attention to what his hero had said. "Huh?!"
"Wait, what?" For not the first time that day, Jukei was gob smacked. "What do you mean inherit your quirk?"
"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!" All Might suddenly broke out into laughter. "Look at your faces!*Haaaaah* Don't worry, kid. I'm not forcing anything on you." Suddenly, the skinny symbol of peace seemed to become serious and composed as he addressed them both. "Listen well, young man." All Might said, pointing to the sky. "It's your choice." He then pointed to Izuku, blood gushing freely from his mouth. "DO YOU WANNA ACCEPT MY AWESOME POWER OR NOT? *BLERG*"
Izuku's confusion had not dropped in the slightest. "What are you talking about?" He asked. "What is this?"
The Gaunt Number 1 hero rubbed the blood away from his mouth. "There are a couple things you should know about my abilities. Journalists always guess my quirk as super-strength or some kind of invulnerability. When people ask in interviews I always dodge the question with a joke. And it's because the world needs to believe that their symbol of peace is just a natural born hero like any other ... but I'm not. There's nothing natural about my ability."
"Huh?" The most intelligent of Ikinuku Jukei, ladies and gentlemen.
The skinny man spread his arms out and looked towards the sky. "I wasn't born with this power. It was passed on to me as though it was a sacred torch!"
"Someone gave you your quirk?" Izuku looked on in awe. "No way!"
"Yes way, and you're next. I can give you my powers."
"Hold on," Izuku replies, "This is a lot to process. It's true there's a lot of debate as to what your quirk actually is. Nobody has ever figured it out. It's one of the world's greatest mysteries! People are constantly talking about it online. But the idea of passing on a quirk and inheriting it just doesn't make any sense to me, I've never heard anything like it, a power is supposed to be unique to each individual and since the first superpowers no one has been able to simply give someone their power like a present! If this is true, it could change everything we know about quirks to begin with..." and he kept on minoring and minoring as Jukei and All Might looked on awkwardly.
"Uh, does he usually do this?" He turned his attention to Jukei.
"It's one of his more… unique qualities." the sensei replied. "He gets it from his father. They have benefits if you actually listen."
They both turned their attention to Izuku. "Uh, Sounds like you're overthinking this whole inheriting thing." All Might tried to grab his attention. "STOP NERDING OUT!" Izuku snapped out of his thoughts. "You'll just have to adjust your reality and except this new truth. I can transfer my quirk to someone else. And that's just one facet of my secret abilities. The true name of my power is One for All."
Izuku processed the name. "One … for … All."
"Yes..." All Might explained. " One person refines the power then hands it off to another person, and that person refines it again, and it continues to grow as it's passed along. It's this cultivating power that I wielded to save those who are in need of a hero; the truth behind my strength."
The process made sense to Izuku, it even narrowed down his list of questions to, like, 23.
"I have been on a long hunt for a worthy successor and then I watched you jump into action as 'heroes' stood Idly by. You may be a quirkless fan boy, but you acted like a hero as you tried to save that kid; saved that kid. So I ask you: do you accept this power?
Izuku's fist tightened. He's encouraged me so genuinely. He even told me the secret behind his powers. And he stated before that the reasons he thought me worthy. How could I possibly turn him down? He straightened his back with a determined look on his face. "I accept your power, All Might! I will inherit One for All!"
"No reluctance, no hesitation." all Might smirked. "That's exactly how I figured you'd respond." He then turned his attention to Jukei. "And what say you? He's your student. What do you have to say on this?"
Jukei had been musing through this entire conversation. If he was being honest, he saw no downside to this. About 10 months from now his student may very well stop needing him anyway. He would end up learning from the top hero course in the world, full of official teachers. Plus, he'd be able to take credit for teaching the worlds very next All Might! He neither hesitated nor stuttered. "I'm all for it!" He said. "Let's get it on!"
"OK then," All Might smirked. "The two of you meet me at Dagobah Municipal Beach tomorrow at 5 A.M. sharp. There, we will begin young Midoriya's training to properly inherit one for all."
Jukei slung an arm around Izuku's shoulder. "We'll be there!" He declared.
"Oh, and if I'm going to be training your student, you should both know me." All Might decided. "You can address me, as Garrick Lamont."
Okay, I get it. Izuku is stronger. But part of his essential character is that he is an extremely sensitive individual. Fucking review if you don't like that he's man enough to cry. I'll jot down names.
All Might
Age: Unkown
Gender: Male
Height: 220 cm / 7' ½"
Weight: 255 kgs /560 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Nationality: American
Date of Birth: June 10th
Place of Birth: Detroit, Michigan (Oh yes I did)
Handedness: Right
Blood Type: A
Likes: Movies
Dislikes: Failure
Character Theme: Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Quirk: (Formerly) None (Currently) One for All – Containing the combined physical strength of collected over 8 lifetimes, All Might can increase his strength, speed, durability, and even agility to
Costume: Skin-tight blue body suit, red symbol, somewhat resembles a "Y", white diamond at center, white lines connected to it that trace from chest to back shoulders. Lines trimmed with aforementioned red symbol. Symbol has wings on the sides that run from atop torso before ending around back. Similar red and white design absent of the white diamond over back. Large white patches with red trims cover each side of hips before ending at thighs. Gold belt has silver buckle with red eyes. Forearm sleeves colored in gold that each had white lines covered in blue accents over his wrists. Spiked fins on the sides of arms and feet covered in shin-length gold boots trimmed with white and red accents.
Fighting Style: Boxer
Stats
Power - 6/5; S
Speed - 6/5; S
Technique - 6/5; S
Intelligence - 6/5; S
Cooperativeness - 6/5; S