Before we kick off, a quick note on the ship poll: after a little fiddling around, I figured out how to make it so that you can change your vote. So, if at any point you change your mind about what ship you wanna see, you're free to do just that! With that discovery in mind, I also added five new options to the poll; I had genuinely forgotten about Mei and Class B when I made it, and didn't realize my mistake until votes were already in. So, regardless of how you feel about your ballot as it is, give it a look to see if one of the new additions is up your alley.
This is the last time I do this, by the way. You have twenty names to pick from now, and fifteen was absolutely already pushing it. Anyway, on with the chapter!
"Do you think someone without a quirk could be a hero like you?"
Toshinori stopped, and glanced back at the young man. He'd been at this for some time now, being a hero, but he could remember what it was like, growing up without a quirk of his own. Sure, he'd taken to One for All like a fish to water, but he hadn't forgotten those early days, all the effort he put in to scratch and claw his way just to keep up with his peers.
"I know it's a lot harder, and it'll take that much more effort... but do you think I could ever hope to be someone like you?"
That part of him that knew what it was like wanted to reassure the boy, to tell him that he could do whatever he set his mind to.
The part of him that sent a sharp pain through his entire body, however, the part waving off him in a cloud of steam, knew exactly what this life had to offer him. Knew the toll it could take on even the best of the best, and the toll it would take on someone who wasn't fully prepared.
He also knew that this could not be happening at a worse time.
"I hear it all the time," the boy continued, unaware of the hero's plight, "that I don't have what it takes. That I should give up, for my own sake. And... honestly, I've gotten tired of hearing it. I want to prove them wrong. I've been working hard, every day, to prove that I can hold my own with everyone else, but, well... sometimes I wonder if it's enough. I just... I've always thought saving people was the coolest thing a person could do. So that's why I've always wanted to be the kind of hero that saves everyone with a smile. Just like you!"
As the boy finished, he looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of the skeleton of a man standing before him.
A flock of pigeons scattered at the resounding "WHAT THE FUCK?!" that echoed across the rooftops.
"Not so loud, will ya?" Toshinori urged through a bloody coughing fit.
"W-w-w-what's going on here?!" And here Izuku thought he was over his stuttering problem. "W-where did All Might go?!"
"You're looking at him, kid."
"No way, nope, nuh-uh. You're an impostor, that has to be it. Crap, where's the emergency meeting button..."
The hero sighs. "Look. You ever see those guys at the pool that suck their gut in to try and look buff? It's like that."
"No way," Izuku replies, shaking his head in disbelief. "All Might's everything a hero could ever hope to be. He defeats all obstacles, and saves the day with a fearless smile!"
Toshinori sighed, taking a seat at the roof's edge. "There's plenty of fear behind that smile, kid." Tentatively, he gripped at the hem of his t-shirt, before continuing. "What I'm telling you isn't something anyone can know about. I need you to promise that you won't go telling your friends about this, or talking about it online. Only a handful of people in the world are in the loop on this, and it needs to stay that way. Got it?"
"O-of course," Izuku nodded.
"Good. I'd rather not have to call for a memory wipe on a civilian."
"THAT'S A THING?!"
The skeletal man gave a crooked smirk. "People have all kinds of quirks, kid. Best to remember that." Of course, he didn't actually know anyone who could do that, but a little white lie should impress on the boy the gravity of the situation. Slowly, he lifted his shirt, revealing an absolutely horrific scar. Reddish purple cracks spiderwebbed outward from a central point, a round indent about the size of a billiard ball. Izuku put a hand over his mouth, clearly trying not to throw up; the sludge residue in the back of his throat certainly wasn't helping. "Nasty, huh? I got this in a big fight about five years back. My respiratory system was shot, my whole stomach is gone... all the surgeries I had took a toll on me. Right now, I'm only good for about three hours of hero work a day. Rest of the time? I look like this."
That... actually explained a few things Izuku had wondered about, namely why All Might didn't appear quite as often as he used to, but it raised a lot more questions than it answered. In particular, what villain was strong enough to do this to All Might? "Five years ago..." he wondered aloud, "you don't mean that fight with the Living Laser, do you?"
A single, dry 'heh' escaped the pro's lips. "Now there's a deep cut for you. He was tough, sure, but not a lot of trouble for me. No, he was chump change compared to the guy that did this." He let go of his shirt and looked the boy in the eye, face taking on a grim expression. "This fight, I made sure was kept hidden from the general public. I'm supposed to be a symbol to people, after all. Like you said, I'm the guy who always saves the day with a fearless smile. That's what the world needs to see me as. The truth is, though, it's just the face I put on to hide the fact that I'm just as scared as anyone else." Slowly, he pushed himself back to his feet. "That's what you need to understand. If even the number one hero can be hurt like this, you can guess the kind of danger being a hero has for a quirkless kid. I know it sounds harsh, but... well, you said it yourself. I have to save everyone. Consider this how I'm saving you. Being a hero without a quirk just isn't doable."
Any wind Izuku still had in his sails from meeting his hero died with a resounding whimper. All he could respond with was a mumbled, "...Oh."
Toshinori turned toward the roof access door, turned the handle, and pulled it open. "You can still find ways to help people without being a hero. Police officers, firefighters, paramedics... they might not get the glory, but all those first responders have a vital role to play in what the heroes do. Give it some thought. You can be someone's hero without having it be your job title."
And with that, he took his leave down the stairs, leaving Izuku alone on the rooftop. For a moment, he just stood there, staring out at the city around him, before quietly following, shutting the door behind him.
When it was clear they were both gone, Tatsuki stood up from behind the HVAC unit, her eyes wide. Fumbling with her phone, she pulled up her contacts and called up her coworker. After two rings, the man answered with a grumble. "Seriously, Boss? You just run out with barely a word and leave me to hold down the fort by myself? What the hell?"
The young woman winced. "Er, yeah, sorry about that, Shuu, but something came up. Something big. I need to take the night off to think it over. You're in charge for the rest of my shift. Punch me out and take over, yeah?"
"Are you kidding me? You can't think it over behind the damn register?"
"No," she answered, in a tone that Shuu knew full well meant this wasn't a point he could argue on. "No, I can't."
"R-right," he replied, "you're the boss lady."
"I'll call someone else in to cover for me," she reassured. "I'm not having you watch the place alone, I'm just putting you in charge, yeah?"
"Right. I can do that."
"Take it easy, Shuu."
"You too, Boss."
With a click, the call ended, and Tatsuki scrolled through her contacts. "Christ," she muttered to no one in particular, "I need a damn cigarette."
As he walked down the street, Izuku replayed the events on the rooftop in his mind. The image of All Might's scar was a difficult one to get out of his head.
If even the number one hero can be hurt like this, you can guess the kind of danger being a hero has for a quirkless kid.
He wanted that statement to be wrong, he really did, but... it's not like the logic was unsound. Whatever could do that to All Might, of all people, would have ripped through Izuku like he was a wet tissue, and the explosions sounding off ahead of him probably would have done the same.
Wait, explosions?
So lost was he in his head, he hadn't noticed that there seemed to be a villain attack just a few blocks away. He could see the gathering crowd from all the way over here. Whatever the hero had to say about his dream, force of habit carried his feet to where the action was, just as it always did, even if he wasn't sure what he was there to look for anymore.
Whatever it was, he definitely wasn't expecting what he ended up finding.
"Dammit, I can't get close enough!" Kamui Woods called out. "The fire's too much for me!"
"No good!" Death Arms chimed in, "I can't get a grip on him! He's like some kind of sludge!"
Sludge? Izuku thought. It couldn't be...
Mt. Lady activated her quirk to try and take the villain herself, only to find she couldn't even fit down the alleyway. "Crap, I can't get through! Keep at it, I'll keep the crowd safe!"
There were about eight heroes on the scene in total, none of whom seemed to be able to handle the same villain All Might had taken down earlier, at least not while he had a hostage; only Backdraft seemed to be accomplishing anything, but he was busy putting out fires.
Wait.
The same villain All Might had taken down earlier.
But how...?
The soda bottles in his pockets. They must have come loose when... when Izuku grabbed onto All Might's leg.
This was worse than being useless. The villain had escaped, and it was his fault. More than that, he had a hostage now. He'd made everything worse.
He squeezed his way through the crowd to get a better look at the scene, and his eyes went wide as he realized just what the source of all the explosions was. The spiky blonde hair, the red eyes, the school uniform... the hostage was Kacchan.
His feet moved on their own, and he pushed his way back through the crowd, toward the street. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small, white disc with a glowing blue dot in the center, and a silver, Hot Wheels sized Ford Mustang.
The crowd grew more restless with each passing second.
Some asked what the heroes were even doing, just standing around waiting for someone with the right quirk to show up.
Others wondered aloud how the villain All Might had been chasing had managed to get away.
Mt. Lady continued to shield them, wincing as another blast clipped one of the horns on her mask.
All of them were so focused on the scene before them, that no one noticed something weaving between their feet and into the fray in front of them. At least, no one noticed it until the vehicle expanded to its full size in the middle of the alley, passenger side facing the villain. Then, they absolutely noticed.
"What the hell?" "Where'd that car come from?!" "Oh, I have got to get me one of those."
"How even-" the giant heroine stammered out. Seriously, this was not good for her brand; she was supposed to be on crowd control, and she let a whole car through?! Unacceptable! "Hey! Get that thing out of there! It's not safe!"
The driver's side window opened just enough for the green-haired teen at the wheel to fire a quip back. "Gee, you think? Maybe someone should do something about that!"
Quickly, Izuku reached across the passenger seat to open the door.
"What the- you again?!"
"Hey, slimeball!" the greenette called out, grabbing a flare gun he'd fished out of the emergency roadside kit. "Is it hot enough for you yet?!"
If it wasn't, well, Izuku knew that the flares this gun used burned at 1450°C, and were fueled by a chemical reaction that burned even underwater. Given the makeup of the villain's body, it shouldn't kill him, but if he was going to get him to drop Kacchan, he really needed it to hurt.
Both the sludge villain and Kacchan's eyes widened as Izuku took aim.
"MMRRMFH!"
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"
POW!
He pulled the trigger, firing to one side so as not to hit the hostage, and toward the ground, to be sure it wouldn't pass through the other side.
"AAAAAAAIIIEEEE!"
Nailed it.
"JESUS FUCK, HOT, HOT, HOTHOTHOTHOTHOT-"
In the villain's mad scrambling, he let go of the hotheaded blonde completely. The boy fell to the ground, coughing and gagging his lungs out.
"Kacchan, get in the car!" the impromptu vigilante called out as he rolled the window back up.
The blonde quickly regained his composure, shooting his classmate a glare as he stumbled toward the passenger seat. "Don't tell me what to do, Deku!"
Izuku shot him a deadpan look as Kacchan slammed the door "You're welcome, by the way."
"Fuck you!"
"Only if you buy me dinner first." He only realized after he said it that that was the second time today he'd used that line, but there wasn't time to dwell on it. "Might wanna buckle up," he advised, before shifting the gear stick from blue to red.
And then, when the world stopped rapidly expanding outside the vehicle, he pumped the gas.
Bakugou's eyes widened, unable to process what he was experiencing. "Did... did we just fuckin' shrink?"
"We can save the Q&A for when we get out of here, Kacchan!"
"Screw that! Where the fuck did you get a shrinking car?!"
"I borrowed it."
"You borrowed it."
"I borrowed it."
"You just shot a villain with a fuckin' flare gun, and now you're gonna tell me this thing is stolen?!"
"Not stolen, borrowed," he corrected, swerving around a falling brick. "Seriously, it's like you don't even listen."
Bakugou braced himself in his seat to keep from being tossed around. "Fuck, where the hell did you learn to drive, Mario Kart?!"
"I thought I said to buckle up!"
"And I told you not to tell me what to do!" he shouted, buckling up. Just in time, too, as the earth shook beneath them under the weight of what looked like five massive sequoia trunks striking the ground around them. Izuku slammed on the brakes, and the trunks began to rapidly close in on them, and when the two of them looked up through the sunroof, they saw Kamui Woods' hand towering overhead.
"I've got you!" he called down, the sound muffled from inside the vehicle. "The kids are secure!" he shouted back to his colleagues. "Let's take this evildoer down!"
"We're trying!" Death Arms answered, while grappling quite literally with the situation at hand. Slugger pelted the villain with a high-velocity barrage of baseballs, while the former struggled to hold the sludge monster in place. "We still haven't got a good counter!" Unfortunately, they really didn't; even with them free to move in now that the hostage was out of the way, the villain's fluid body wasn't something any of them had an obvious answer for.
"Then perhaps I can be of some assistance."
And then, suddenly, time seemed to stand still, as the number one hero himself stepped through the crowd. The shift in the mood was physically palpable.
"You really are a slippery one, aren't you? You actually almost got away from me." And then, All Might rushed forward, fist winding up to strike. The other heroes on the scene knew what this meant, and stepped aside accordingly.
"Oh," the villain managed to muster, "shit."
"DETROOOIIIIT... SMAAAAAAAAASH!"
In one swing, it was over. The villain was scattered across the alleyway, and the shift in air pressure brought on a sudden rain, putting out the last of the fires.
The crowd cheered, as All Might saved the day once again.
Once Kamui Woods set the vehicle back on the ground, Izuku shifted back to blue, expanding the Mustang to its normal size. Bakugou opened the door and stepped out, head still spinning.
"Come on," the pro told him, "let's have the paramedics take a look at you."
"Back off, I'm fine," the blonde argued.
"Maybe, but we're legally required to do this. Now, let's go."
With a huff, Bakugou slammed the door shut and marched off, leaving Izuku alone in the driver's seat. At least, for about a second, before an overly large knuckle tapped on the window. He lowered it, and looked up to see Death Arms glaring down at him. "Soooo..." he asked nervously, "how much trouble am I in?"
"How much-" The Lifting Hero rubbed his temples in frustration. "Gee, kid, let's see," he growled, counting off the charges on his fingers, "we've got you for reckless endangerment, reckless driving, assault with a deadly weapon, illegal quirk usage, and probably a good few things I can't even think of right now."
Wait, Izuku thought, did he say illegal quirk usage? "Um, actually-"
"Don't you 'um, actually' me, kid. I'm trying to let you off with a damn warning, you want me to change my mind?"
"Oh, uh, no sir."
"Good." The towering pro bent down, to better look Izuku in the eye. "All that said, you got guts, and you think quick on your feet. You got the makings of a pro, kid." He pressed a single massive finger into the young man's shoulder. "So don't let me hear about any more shenanigans outta you before you get yourself a license, you got that?"
For a moment, Izuku froze. Sure, Death Arms was no All Might, and he didn't seem to realize he was quirkless, which was largely the crux of his problem. Even still, this was the first time an actual pro had ever told him he could be a hero.
"...Kid, are you crying?"
"S-s-sorry, I do that sometimes!"
The hero heaved out an exasperated sigh. "Well, let me just take your statement, and then you're free to go."
"Why the hell are you walking home, anyway? You have a car."
"My license expired last month."
"Tch," Bakugou scoffed. "You're breakin' a shit ton of laws for a hero nerd, Deku."
Izuku shrugged, as the two of them walked toward their respective homes. "Maybe, but I did save your life. That's pretty heroic, right?"
"I didn't ask to be fuckin' saved!" he argued, ever the contrarian. "I would've been just fine if you hadn't-"
"No, Kacchan, you would have died."
"You think I'm so weak that-"
"Look," Izuku interrupted, stopping in his tracks. "You're not weak, you're human. And humans need oxygen. You probably couldn't have gone more than a few more seconds without it before that villain drowned you. Even with All Might showing up when he did, you would've needed CPR at the very least to get you breathing again."
For once, Kacchan didn't have an argument. He just stood there and glowered impotently.
"Even All Might needs help sometimes. Not being able to do everything yourself doesn't make you weak, or whatever it is your afraid of being. The sooner you get that through your head, the better a hero you'll be one day. You got that?"
"...Whatever." Having reached the point where their paths diverged, Bakugou took a left turn, and started walking off. "Just don't think this makes us friends or something."
"Yeah," Izuku shrugged, "I'd kind of given up on that."
As he disappeared into the distance, Izuku kept on in the same direction he'd been going... only to nearly walk face first into All Might.
"I am here!"
"Holy crap!" he exclaimed, stumbling back. "Where did you even come from?! And how did you get away from all those reporters?"
"Ha ha! Justice doesn't wait for interviews, my boy-" With a hacking cough and a puff of steam, the hero shrunk down to his less bulky form. "Er, that, and I've had to get really good at avoiding the press these past five years."
Izuku's shoulders slumped. He had a feeling he knew what this was about. "This is about the sludge villain, isn't it?"
"As a matter of fact, young man, it is. I wanted to thank you."
This was, decidedly, not what he thought it was about. "Thank me?"
"Well, that and ask how you got that car to shrink. I thought you said you didn't have a quirk."
"Oh, um, I don't. Just a little applied science is all."
"Science, huh? Fascinating stuff. I'd ask how it works, but those sorts of things tend to go over my head."
"Yeah, it definitely took me a while to figure some of it out." A pause. "You, um, you said you wanted to thank me, though?"
"I did. Until I saw you step up and take action, all I could do was just stand there and watch, cursing my weakness. Then, you, someone who didn't even have a quirk, jumped into the fight when no one else would. It was your courage today that reminded me exactly what a hero is supposed to be. There are stories about how every great hero becomes great, and they all have one thing in common: their bodies just moved on their own. That's what happened with you, isn't it?" Izuku nodded, unable to muster any other response. "Not only that, you improvised a plan on the spot to get that boy out of the villain's grasp, and executed it to perfection. That's a skill most pros don't even have. Courage and intelligence is a hell of a combination. So, to your earlier question, whether you can be a hero, I want to change my answer. I was wrong.
"Young man, you can be a hero."
In most timelines, this was where the young man would break down in tears of joy, at hearing those words from the one man he idolized most.
In this one, there were still a few tears in his eyes, but he was able to stand proud, and look his hero in the eye with a smile on his face, to tell him one simple thing.
"I know."
For a moment, the only sound was that of a gentle breeze blowing between the two of them, as All Might's face slipped into a look of confusion.
"Er, I mean, there's more to it than that, obviously," the teen explained. "Most people didn't believe in me, yeah, but it wasn't like no one did. There've been a couple over the years. One in particular, though, well... she's been my best friend for most of my life. She was the first person to tell me I could be a hero. She said it wasn't a person's quirk that made them a hero, it was their actions. Then, about a year ago, something happened. She never told me what it was, but... whatever it was, it shook her. She gave up on becoming a hero, and told me to give up, too. That it wasn't worth it. Ever since then, I... I guess I started to doubt myself. So, when you saved me earlier, I just... I had to ask. I know I have what it takes, deep down, and I've never given up on that dream, but, well. I guess a part of me just needed to hear you say it."
The skeleton of a man smiled back at that. "Well... if that's the case, I'm glad I had some small part in helping achieve your dream. I take it you're planning on using that shrinking tech to do it?"
"Oh, yeah!" the boy gushed. "I've got a working suit and everything! I'll be like the next Ant-Man!"
"Heh, Ant-Man, huh? Quite the legacy to live up to, that one. I look forward to seeing you live up to it one day, young man. What's your name?"
"M-Midoriya Izuku, Mr. All Might, sir!"
"Well, young Midoriya, I think I may just keep an eye on you. Stay out of trouble, you hear?"
"I will! Thank you so much!"
As the boy ran along home, a fresh spring in his step, Toshinori sighed. There was no doubt the boy would make a fine successor, if he were to choose to pass him One for All.
Had he not already chosen young Kamala to carry that torch, he'd have probably promised it to the boy right then and there.
As he walked home, Izuku checked his missed texts. There were eleven, nine of them from his mom, so he responded to those first, letting her know he was okay and on his way home.
One was from Tacchan, surprisingly.
Tacchan • 17:39
just saw the news. did you just roll up in a mustang and shoot a villain with a flare gun?!
The last was from Nadia.
Nadia • 17:41
It was nice knowing you.
...Well, that was ominous. As he closed his messages, his phone rang. It was Dr. Pym calling. He answered.
"Um... hello?"
"YOU STOLE MY MUSTANG?!"
Oh.
He was so screwed.
