"Young boy? Kid, wake up!"

That is the first thing Izuku hears along with the faint clapping against his cheek that he can feel trying to awaken him. He opens his eyes to reveal a man in front of his vision.

"There we go! I thought I had lost you! You weren't responding to anything!"

The voice fills his ears once more, but now Izuku recognizes it. His vision focuses, revealing the number one hero.

All Might: The Symbol of Peace.

Izuku quickly crawls back and trembles of excitement at the site of one of his favorite heroes of all time. He can easily ignore the pain for now. He knows his eyes are probably gleaming of admiration as he looks over the hero before him.

The first thing someone would notice about All Might is his signature bright smile. The smile that wipes fear from civilians while inserting terror in villains. Two golden bangs stick up from his blonde hair. His body dwarfs Izuku's body by hundreds of pounds and a few feet at least. Usually, his costume is a body-tight suit that reveals muscles everybody wishes they had in the American colors. This time, however, he is wearing a white t-shirt and green pants like a civilian would. All Might is the reason people want to be heroes.

Without his face-mask on, Izuku covers his mouth with his hand to run an analysis.

All Might: Symbol of Peace - Quirk: Name Unknown - All Might possesses extreme strength that allows him intense power and speed. His quirk is considered the most powerful quirk in the world. Based on how he is standing, he is leaning on his right side to show a possible preference. His quirk has never been talked in public, so there has to be a secret. He used to work regularly, but over the years, his hours have decreased to only a couple of hours.

Izuku drops his hand.

"Are you okay, young boy? If so, can you tell me what happened?" All Might asks. Izuku nods as he racks his brain, trying to remember what happened. It frustrates him that he remembers some things and other things that are essential slip through his mind like water in a stream. He grips the outside of the collar, tugging at it. Izuku looks around the area and quickly recognizes the tunnel around him. A switch in his head flips as the memories return back. He looks up at All Might.

Naturally, a report slips Izuku's tongue, " I was heading to a class when I heard gurgling behind me. I turn around to see a sludge villain. He attacks me, and I focus on dodging as the sludge had said you were after him. I could not last as the sludge managed to capture me and start shoving themselves down my throat to take over my body. However, the sludge started wrapping itself around my collar, causing both of us to be electrocuted," Izuku raises his hands, allowing All Might to inspect the bands as he continues, " when someone touches the inside of the bands or my collar, it electrocutes them. Even though the sludge can not take physical damage, I believe the eyes and mouth can, so that is why it was electrocuted. I knocked out as they left me behind." When he finishes, he blushes as his nervous self returns, " S-s-sorry for the l-l-long e-explanation, All Might, s-sir."

"You are fine, my boy! You gave me all the information I needed, so I thank you for that. However, I need to head off as they are still out there." All Might exclaims.

"W-wait! I-I have a question!" Izuku stutters out as he quickly pushes himself off the ground to stand despite weariness in his body. However, All Might has already run off. Without questioning his actions, Izuku runs toward the direction, after picking up his discarded mask and putting it back on. He went until he hears familiar explosions go off in the distance.

Kacchan?

Izuku runs through the alleyways as he searches for the source of the noise. He ignores the painful pounding in his chest and his lungs suffocating him alive. Within a few minutes, he arrives at the scene.

Bakugo is in Izuku's previous position with the sludge villain holding him down. Fire spreads around the buildings as the heroes act as mere spectators. Questions fly through his head.

Why aren't they doing anything? A kid is dying, and they aren't even trying to save him! Is he going to die because they are unwilling to act?! Where is All Might? He was just in the area!

The heroes are doing nothing.

Izuku looks down at the metal bands that have, for years, held him down from his true potential. For once, they will not be the hands holding him down but instead is the gun in his hand. There is no time waste.

If the heroes are willing to accept the death of a kid, Izuku is willing to take the bullet.

Izuku jumps over the caution tapes and dashes directly into the attack, ignoring the begs of mercy for him to return.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, BRAT?! GET OUT OF HERE UNLESS YOU WANT TO ELECTROCUTE HIM!" The sludge villain yells at Izuku, but he can hear the fear. The electric shock must have hurt the physical part of their body as well. Izuku is fully aware of what he is doing. At least he is trying, unlike the heroes in the back still screaming at him to come back. Izuku continues to approach the villain, slowing down. The villain howls, "DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE ELECTROCUTED IN THE EYES AND MOUTH ALL AT ONCE?! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW YOU ARE STILL ALIVE!" The shock is strong enough to leave a tingle. It becomes bothersome more than anything. If it continues long enough, it could cause temporary damage. If he has to, Bakugo would still be safe.

Izuku hides his face behind his long curls and gulps down his fear, " Surrender or I will use it again." He slowly approaches. He keeps a close eye on Bakugo, who is doing ineffective damage to the creature by triggering his explosions. The sludge villain will not let go. He can't waste any more time or else Bakugo will suffocate.

Shocking everyone at the scene, Izuku sprints forward and slams his left hand into the sludge while biting his tongue. The sludge villain screeches as it drops Bakugo as it trying to retreat. Not looking back, he drags the recovering boy out of the scene quickly.

Finally, a comforting phrase sweeps through the crowd.

"DO NOT WORRY! WHY? BECAUSE I AM HERE!" All Might bolts to the sludge villain, " TEXAS SMASH!"

The power of the punch scatters sludge around the place and causes Izuku to crash into the wall. Unsuspecting, All Might's punch was so powerful that it started raining from the pressure itself. Ignoring his chaotic surroundings, Izuku focuses on his breathing. He places his hand over his beating heart.

Izuku can't believe he did that. All for his childhood bully. Someone who has belittled him even more than the metal choker around his neck. Before he can finish his thoughts, a hand snatches the front of his uniform shirt and throws him to the ground with as much anger as possible. He looks up to see the boy he has just saved treat him like the dirt under him.

"YOU DIDN'T NEED TO SAVE ME, DEKU!" Bakugo stops, expecting a reaction from Izuku. Izuku doesn't react as he just stares at him. He takes it as a sign to continue, "I COULD HAVE SAVED MYSELF, OR ALL MIGHT COULD HAVE SAVED ME! I DON'T NEED A WEAKLING LIKE YOU TO SAVE ME! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD DO?

HOPE YOU GET A QUIRK IN YOUR NEXT LIFE AND TAKE A SWAN DIVE OFF THE ROOF!"

With that, Bakugo walks off. He leaves behind the previously shattered soul of Izuku Midoriya to dust.


After the previous 'fight' with Bakugo, the heroes at the scene lectured Izuku about safety and how he should not have interfered.

Izuku lost interest within the first sentence. The rest of the conversation becomes muddled in his ears as his heart pounds numbly in his chest. His whole body is numb. The words bounce in his head like a repeat button on a video.

"Hope you get a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof!"

Izuku takes a deep breath as he walks mindlessly to his after-school class. The world around him feels frozen. He hopes for the memory to be erased like everything else important, yet there it lingers.

"Hope you get a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof!"

"Young Midoriya!" The voice slices through Izuku's bitter thought process, causing him to look up. In the alleyway in front of him stands All Might once more, " Glad I found you! I forgot to give you something back," All Might steps forward, showing him his Hero Analysis book. Izuku gives his hero a small smile that he can't see and takes the book from him.

Izuku musters up the courage to tell him, "T-t-thank you, sir. H-how do you know m-my name?"

"I signed it for you! I happened to see your name on the front! I would like to talk to you about earlier." Merely hearing that, Izuku wants the conversation to end because he doesn't want to be lectured by the Symbol of Peace. With no prior warning, smoke surrounds the man before him, swallowing the man before disappearing.

The leftovers hold a barely functioning body as the muscle has disappeared, leaving the skin and bones. The clothes sag pathetically off the previously large body. No longer are the golden locks standing straight, but instead drooping similar to the frown on the man's face. The man's face looks like a skull covered in skin. The most prominent part is the bright blue eyes that attempt to brighten the dead man walking.

Izuku has no idea how to react. He looks just like Izuku but taller. It's a place where he can relate to the hero.

"Call me Yagi, kid," The ghost of All Might starts, " you must be wondering what is going on, huh? This is my true form. I may always smile, but behind that smile is fear. Originally, I can switch back and forth like night and day. However, five years ago, a fight led me to an almost-fatal injury, lowering my work hours to three, " Yagi lifts his shirt, revealing a deep purple gash on his left side before dropping it and continuing, " not a pretty sight. Now, I need a successor."

"S-successor?" Izuku asks.

"You probably know better than anyone that I have never revealed my quirk name in public. It's my biggest secret. What I am about to tell you can not be said to anybody. Do you understand?" Izuku nods as he tries to force his brain to memorize everything. Yagi continues, "My quirk's name is One for All. This is not a quirk I was born with but instead was passed down to me by another person like a torch. With each person the torch is passed to, the flame grows stronger. With my work hours steadily decreasing, I need to pass down my power. This is where you will come on.

Young Midoriya, will you accept my power?"

Izuku's heart stops, and his brain overloads. He softly questions, "W-why?"

"You are younger than I would like. However, this will give me more time to prepare your body. What inspired this decision? I will be honest; I was watching the whole time because I had already gone over my time-limit. When nobody else was moving, you did. You even shocked yourself again to get the boy out of there. That is the meaning of being a true hero, young Midoriya!" When Yagi exclaims his final statement, he starts to cough of blood. Izuku pulls out his handkerchief, handing it to the skeleton before him as the words crawl through his brain.

So badly, Izuku wants to scream, "Yes! Yes, I can do it!" and go to war with his body to grow strong to be able to use the quirk set before him.

Unfortunately, that is the idealistic point of view.

Izuku knows better. He looks down on the bounds of metal on the wrist and ankles before reaching to touch the collar of broken dreams. Never before has the feeling of wanting to rip the imbecile collar off been so strong. He just wants to cry out. Yet, his body remains numb to the world. Slowly, he looks up at the man that has inspired him for years.

"I'm sorry, b-but I have to s-s-say no. I w-wish I can h-help." The frown on Yagi's face deepens.

"May I ask why, my boy?"

Izuku taps his collar, trying to signal something Yagi as he says, " I-If I could, I-I would t-tell you...may...may I ask you s-something, sir?" Yagi nods, allowing Izuku to choke out his question, " C-can I b-b-be a hero, e-even with my p-predicament of being...b-being quirkless?" Yagi goes quiet.

Finally, he says, " No, I do not believe it is possible. My quirk would have given you something to fight with. While you have shown qualities of a hero, it's too dangerous, especially for your size. There are safer options for you like-"

Izuku doesn't hear the rest of what he has to say. The world just stopped.

The previous dust from Bakugo is now nothing.

All hope is gone.


Edited 7/4/2020