THIS IS UNEDITED I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU GUYS SOMETHING FOR TONIGHT. So this will probably change a bit before the next chapter is posted, I just didn't want to wait. So expect a few changes here and there.
Just a couple things before start. I know I've abused the hell of out cliffhangers. I swear I don't do it intentionally. It's just that I realize like halfway through writing in my churning out the chapters that l'm like OH SHIT IT'S ALREADY 10 PAGES?! HOW AM I GOING TO INCLUDE EVERYTHING ELSE?! And then I come to the conclusion I can't. Because of two main reasons. One, I personally hate overly long chapters. I find them to be a slog. Secondly, I actually have a background in psychology. One of the main things I learned in my cog psych classes is that the human brain can only process so much information at a time effectively. So if I turn my chapters into information dumps, then you're less likely to retain everything that I've told you.
As for the question about Brock Venom, we will not see a form like that. Honestly, I feel like that form was a combination of both Eddie's hate for Spider-Man, and the symbiotes inherent obsession with Peter. What better way to harm and insult an enemy than to distort his own image? As for why I chose him as a tag? This webisite is dumb and doesn't have a Venom symbiote tag. Lame.
I found out I don't have work tonight, so I'll try to get this chapter finished. The outline is pretty much done, so it's mostly fill in the blanks at this point. Well, that and take care of sleep at some point lol. I'll shut up now.
Ch 12: Fool. You lack Depth Perception.
Venom was getting frustrated. Yet again, he found himself fighting Nomu. This commotion caused by the fighting had attracted the media outlets typical for things of this nature. As be punched out yet another one, he muttered to no one in particular "This is half our damn job. We wanted to be a hero/vigilante. We didn't realize that included fighting B-Movie Quirk Frankensteins. " Venom paused, punching another Nomu. "Well, Frankestein's monster, since was a scientist. A common misconception, really. And that's another thing. How many of these damn things do they plan on making?! And how has this not sparked a nationwide panic?" Some of the nearby cops were looking on incredulously, as the vigilante kept on fighting as the muttering continued.
Two officers over heard his ranting and looked at each other incredulously.
"Dude, is he muttering to himself?" One asked the other.
"How long is this gonna go on? Especially while doing those acrobatic moves and fighting?" The asked back, equally unsure of what they were witnessing.
"It just seems like the League of Villains' default solution to any situation that arises is 'Huh. Let's throw a bunch of freaky monsters the problem. That's clearly the most logical thing to do.'" Venom ranted in a snarky tone, while casually throwing a Nomu into a car. "It just annoys us is all., because all their evil plans seem to hinge on these damn things."
Venom looked around, realizing that at some point during his musing that All Might was nowhere to be seen. He was about to ask the cops about that when his spider-sense went haywire. He leaned to the side just in time for a literal mass of muscle tissue to pass where his head had been moments prior.
"Oh. You're awake. Joy." Venom commented dryly, regarding Muscular with irritation. "How was your nap, buddy? Have any nice dreams?"
Muscular just grinned psychotically, seeming to get more and more excited by Venom handiwork as he glanced around. "I know you. You're that Venom guy. I've wanted to kill you for a while."
"Oh, Mr. Muscles, you make us feel like the prettiest girl at the ball!" Venom spoke with mock adoration, before he decked Muscular in the face with a sucker punch, sending him skidding back a few inches away.
"Nice love tap. But it's gonna take way more to stop me." Muscular commented, bloodlust seeping into his voice.
"Oh, we know. That was just to say 'hello'. And this? This is how we say 'goodbye'." At this, Izuku shot a tendril at the damaged wall behind Muscular, and yanked it down onto the beefy villain. The wall just seemed to break around him pathetically.
You realize there's no way that put him down for good, right?
'Obviously. But it sounded cool though.'
...You got me there kid.
Venom then examined the rubble pile, patiently waiting for Muscular to emerge. The pile began to move, before a huge blob like form of Muscular stood up, his face showing his boredom.
"Seriously, is that all? You're starting to bore me as much as those two kids a few weeks ago."
At this, Venom stiffened, his eyes narrowing at Muscular. "Care to repeat what you just said, Crossfit?"
Muscular laughed, before grinning at Venom. "You should have been there, man. This six year old tried to fight me because I killed his parents. So I did the merciful thing an reunited them, but then this pink bitch tried to fight me too. So I crushed one of her horns. Would have crushed some limbs too, but some scarred prick stole her away and froze me in the process. Talk about a cold shoulder. " The more Muscular spoke, the more Venom's form shook with anger. "Then after she got away, I just roamed around, toying with the campers. This kangaroo kid put up a decent fight, so I snapped his tail. That was fun. But then this short purple kid stuck himself to my fist. So then I just punched a tree until he came off. Should heard his screams. They were delightful."
Venom stood there a moment, not saying anything. Izuku's anger had finally gotten the better of him, before succumbed to the aggression that the suit invoked. His eyes narrowed, his form shook, and all that Izuku saw before everything went black was Muscular's face before he launched himself at the villain. They continued trading blows, before Muscular used one of his massive arms to batter him away.
"Now THIS is a fight! Come on then! Show me what you've got!" Muscular yelled, excitement reaching pinnacle levels by this point before he ran to hit Venom again. Venom ignored his spider-sense, his mind not even recognizing the sensation through the cloud of rage, and ran to meet Muscular's charge. Venom jumped over a massive fist, and lashed a kick at Muscular's head. This dazed him, allowing Venom to to grab an arm, and throw him into a car. This barely phased Muscular, who then charged at and rammed a fist into Venom's face. This shook him from his trance, allowing to refocus on the task at hand.
"Where are Katsuki Bakugo and the other kidnapping victims?" Venom demanded, barely restraining his righteous fury at this point. The question confused Muscular.
"Bakugo? Who the hell is Bakugo? I'm just here to kill things." He paused. "When they let me. Luckily for me, they aren't here, so I can do whatever the hell I want. As for the kidnapping victims, why the hell would you care? You're a vigilante."
"Our reasons do not concern you, villain. Now. Where. Is. Bakugo?"
"I don't still don't know who you're talking about, but the League was very interested in the blond one." That derailed Venom's entire train of thought. Muscular took advantage of this, and grabbed Venom by the throat, before roaring and running towards a wall, using Venom's body as a battering ram to slam through them. The desks, counters, and walls did little to slow Muscular's charge, and with every extreme redecorating attempt that involved his body, the remaining embers of rage fading away, allowing him to calm down enough to think of a plan. As they crashed into an empty office space, he shot webbing into Muscular's face, blinding the giant's charge. Next, he shot a tendril at the wall in front of Muscular at foot level, forcing him to trip mid-charge and falling, releasing Venom in the process. Venom took a moment to gain some distance between themselves, jumping onto the ceiling, and staring down at Muscular, who was pulling himself out of a destroyed desk. He took this momentary lapse in action to analyze the villain in front of him.
'He increases his strength by forming auxiliary muscle tissue on top of his arms in order to generate more force in his punches. But it seems that the weight of the tissue slows his punches, as well as his mobility.' Venom jumped from the ceiling back to the floor, avoiding a desk thrown his way. 'It stands to reason that he'd have to stop packing on tissue at some point, or else he'd never hit anything.'
Muscular growled a bit, before he yelled. "Boy, you sure do like to stop and think, little man. Stop stalling and fight me! Even those kids fought with more courage than you." Venom bristled at this, and shook with raw anger once more.
"You son of a bitch-" Before he could succumb to rage again, Venom stopped himself and shook his head, avoiding Muscular's bait. "No, getting angry takes away the greatest tool we have: our mind. The one weapon you can't hope to beat." Before Muscular could say or do anything in response, Venom rushed at him once more, engaging in a dance of death with the oversized villain, waiting for an opening. Muscular swung his arms furiously, trying to bludgeon Venom into a pile of mulch. His attempts remained unsuccessful beyond some glancing blows. Venom looked around the destroyed office, and shot a tendril at a water jug, and yanked it towards Muscular's face.
"Seriously, your damn tricks are getting on my nerves, you stupid bug!" Muscular batted away the container from his face, only to realize Venom was now inside his guard. Venom grabbed the bulky man around the waist, before using his own enhanced strength to pick the villain up, and throw him out the window. Muscular soared through the air, before crashing into the second floor of the building across the street.
"I'm not a bug, you meathead. I'm an arachnid." Venom leapt after him, and landed in the hole caused by the impact of his throw. Before he could attack Muscular, he heard an explosion in the background.
"What the hell?"
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Mina, Shouto, and Momo were gathered in Momo's room, watching the fights unfold on live TV.
Mina's body language indicated she was extremely nervous.
"This is absolutely incredible! We have not one, but two titanic fights happening right now! The Symbol of Peace is locked in combat with an unnamed villain, who seems to equal him!" The news anchor paused to catch his breath, before continuing, "And as if that wasn't enough, we have the country's notorious vigilante Venom fighting a member of the League of Villains!"
Mina bit her lip worriedly as her eyes remained glued to the screen. This is a guy who has killed at least three people, including two pro heroes. She hated feeling this helpless. She knew how good Izuku was at his job. But she still worried that he might not be able to overcome Muscular, anxiety building up inside her. Before she could voice her concerns, her attention snapped back to the TV.
"Oh no! It seems Muscular has grabbed Venom!" She threw a hand over her mouth in horror as she watched Muscular rush and slam Izuku through a building wall, disappearing from the camera's view. "I hope Venom is okay. He may be unlicensed, but one can at least agree that he's no villain." Suddenly, the form of Muscular shot out of the building's window and into a wall of an adjacent building. The camera showed the form of Venom quickly follow in pursuit. Mina sighed in momentary relief, before an explosion sounded through the camera feed. The camera man panned the view towards the direction of the All Might fight, showing a huge smoke cloud in the distance. "We now move our feed back to the fight between All Might and the unnamed villain."
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"You know, your quirk is super unimpressive when you really think about it." Venom spoke in a casual tone, trying to get under Muscular's skin. "All it does is add muscle. Which means you can't add too much, or you're too bulky to move. We are literally the worst possible opponent for you. First, we have two eyes, which means our weakness isn't depth perception. Two, you're slower than us and less flexible. Three, we are smarter. To sum this up, you were beaten before the fight even began." At this point, Muscular lost his cool, roaring in anger, before rushing Venom. Sidestepping out harms way, Venom grabbed Muscular's right arm, before using it as leverage to kick into Muscular's side. From, he shot two tendrils behind Muscular, and attached them to Muscular's shoulder. Using before his position and the tendrils, he then proceeded to dislocate Muscular's right shoulder, causing the villain to yell in pain.
"And now you're down an arm and eye. Face it, Beefcake. You lost. Now you can go quietly, or we can keep kicking the crap out you. Either way, it's our win."
"You think you're so smart, don't you bastard?" Muscular spat, before staggering to his feet. He receded the muscle tissue on the useless arm, before expanding the tissue on his left. "What do you say we end it with one punch? Winner take all?"
Venom tapped his chin, for a moment...before he shot a tendril at Muscular's bad arm, and yanked. Muscular screamed, before falling to his knees again. Venom closed the distance and kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold, causing his muscles to recede. "Bold of you to assume I'd let you go free."
He then hefted Muscular onto his shoulder, to take him to the cops. Venom then glanced around around, and became aware of how much damage their fight had caused. He felt a bead of sweat on his brow. He glanced the unconscious mass on his shoulder.
""I hope you realize that you're paying for all this, Muscular."
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Mina watched as Venom emerged from the building, with Muscular unconscious on his shoulder. He looked up at the cameraman and gave a thumbs up, before he tossed Muscular's unconscious form down into the street, then jumping down as well. He then shot several tendrils around the villain, effectively tying him up for the cops. He then lifted Muscular's form and walked over to the cops.
"And there you have it folks! Venom has emerged victorious. He defeated the villain Muscular on his own. A feat many pros would be hard-pressed to do! He is now walking towards the police." The screen showed Venom handing off the unconscious villain, he turned around to leave, but apparently the police chief called out to him. He turned around, only to see the chief extend a hand to him. Venom regarded him a moment, before shaking the Chief's hand.
"I do not believe my eyes folks! The Chief of the Mustafa police has just shaken hands with Venom! Does this mean Venom is truly a force for good? And what does this mean for his status as a vigilante? Whatever the case, we now return to All Might's battle!"
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Elsewhere...
The Symbol of Peace stood, and pointed at the camera, his Triumph over All-For-One still fresh. "Now...it's your turn."
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Tomura and Kurogiri sat, watching the live feed of the arrest of All-For-One. The mastermind villain was being led away by the police, and taken into a transport. This made Tomura agitated, but then he remembered something.
"Kurogiri..." Tomura spoke in an agitated tone. "Bring me a laptop. I have to look at something.
Kurogiri did as he was asked, and handed Tomura the computer. Tomura then slotted the drive into the computer, which prompted a video to come up.
"Ah, my dear Tomura. If you are witnessing this, then it means I was defeated by All Might. Fret not, for while my time in the spotlight may be over, yours has just begun." In the video, All-For-One clasped his hands. "For such an occasion, I ensured the creation of your...last piece would continue unabated regardless of my direct involvement. You wished for it to be your final chess piece, so I look forward to seeing your next move. Remember this Tomura, that even if you fail, you are still my dear pupil. Remember the lessons that I have given you, and you will be a splendid leader."
Tomura smiled at his master's words. He then cast his eyes to the glass case labeled "SPECIAL PROJECT", and the form that was floating in it, already transitioning into its glorious final form.
"You see this, Kurogirl. It's as Teacher said. We've skipped creating a final boss...and went straight for a Raid Boss." Tomura spoke ominously, eyes alight with madness and rage.
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It had been two weeks since the final battle between All Might and All-For-One, ending with All Might's forced retirement, and All-For-One's incarceration. With the quirk stealing villain behind bars, the only thing the Symbol of Peace had to worry about was the power vacuum caused by his absence. Toshinori Yagi, formerly known as All Might, had been busy with teacher duties, since UA was now having certain student groups move into special constructed dorms, in order to better protect the students. Today was the move in day, and he watched as several 1A students moved their belongings into the dorm. He was about to leave when he spotted movement on an adjacent roof top, and saw a figure land. When he realized who it was, he headed to the roof top to have a chat with them.
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Venom stood on the UA rooftop. He'd made himself as visible as possible for anyone in the teachers lounge, so even if All Might wasn't in there, someone would eventually notice him, and come up to demand an explanation.
'Are we doing the right thing, partner?' Izuku thought to his symbiote
I think you're taking a big risk.
'I need to do this so I can move on with my life, Venom." Izuku explained to his partner.
I get it. You aren't holding a grudge per se, but you are definitely not okay with what happened.
Izuku sighed, but before he could reply, the door to the roof opened, and the skeletal figure of Toshinori Yagi emerged from the doorway.
"You know, when you said you'd be by the visit, I thought you meant you'd jump me on my way home or something." The former Symbol of Peace commented dryly.
"You know...you are the reason why we act..." Venom stated, as if he hadn't heard All Might. "In fact, it was because of your words to us, that we had to prove you wrong."
Toshinori grew confused. "What do you mean by my words? We'd never met before that night where I lost my powers." At this, Venom sighed.
"We forget that you did not meet us in this form. Allow us to jog your memory." At this, Venom turned to face the Symbol of Peace, showing that his mask was gone, and only his hood was in place. Toshinori's eyes widened in shock.
"You?! You're Venom!? But how?! You were quirkless!" At this, Izuku chuckled.
"We figured you would say that. But we found our own way to be a hero, our own Quirk."
"Kid, I looked for you after the accident. I actually visited your apartment several times, to apologize. I wanted you to be my successor." At this, Izuku's face shifted quickly into shock, before settling on anger.
"So you think because you intended to apologize that we would have jumped at the chance? Perhaps in another life, but you hurt us, All Might. We were at the lowest we had ever been. We idolized you. And yet, you told us we couldn't be a hero. If we hadn't gotten our quirk that day...we might not have made it to this day."
All Might's eyes widened, not realizing that his words had effected the young man so deeply.
"Our whole lives, we were looked down on for being quirkless. We were told that we would never be a hero. Even though that was all we'd ever wanted. Our best friend turned into our biggest source of torment. He even told us to jump from a building, in hopes that we might get a quirk in our next life."
The more Toshinori heard, the worse he felt.
"You can't possibly imagine how it feels to be Quirkless, and pitied your whole life."
"I'd know better than you think, kid." Toshinori locked eyes with Izuku, his statement confusing the fluffy haired boy. "I was Quirkless too, once upon a time." At Izuku's incredulous expression, he decided to elaborate.
"My Quirk was actually given to me. I can't say too much, but you of all people not all quirks are individual. My teacher gave me one, as her teacher had done for her. She was impressed by my desire to bring peace to the world, despite being quirkless. So, yeah kid, I would know something about being Quirkless." However, instead of calming the boy, they had the opposite effect. Izuku was pissed.
"So that makes what you said all the more contemptible, All Might. Your words were hypocritical. If a Quirkless boy was able to become the Symbol of Peace, then why couldn't we? We were no different than you were. And yet, you told us we could not. You spoke of your teacher. What would she have said to you if she'd heard what you said to me? If she had told what you told me?"
Toshinori's looked at the ground, knowing that Venom had a point.
"I wanted to make it right though-"
"Out of pity, not belief. That does not show faith in us. If anything, it's an insult." Izuku paused a moment, as if considering what to say. "We do not hate you, All Might. But we realize you are flawed as any human is. We found our own way, without you and without your Quirk."
"Kid...I'm sorry."
"We are not sure if we can forgive you, at least not right now. Having said that, we are not your enemy, nor do we hate you. We never have. Through all our actions, we have tried to be like you. To show you that we too, were capable of heroism. We trust that you will keep our secret, All Might. Just as we kept yours."
"I give you my word, kid. And for the record, I was never more wrong in my life than in that moment." Toshinori hesitated before continuing. "Young man, you too can be a hero, no you already are."
Venom nodded at this, but was unimpressed. "We appreciate the sentiment, but it came 13 months too late." Despite that, it was difficult to hold back his emotions.
And with that, Venom shot off the roof top, before swinging away into the city. Toshinori sighed, but he didn't have the luxury of regrets now. His successor Mirio needed his guidance, to help him master One For All.
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Izuku landed in an alleyway, before he leaned against a wall. He tried to stop the tears, but they just kept falling.
Kid, that was really brave of you. I know you haven't forgiven him just yet, but know this. Regardless of how you feel, you've become a wonderful hero. Peter would be proud, and kid? I...I am so glad that we became partners..
Izuku's tears were in full force, and struck his feelings like a ton of bricks. He cried because despite what he'd said, all he'd ever wanted was for All Might to acknowledge him. But when he actually got that acknowledgment, it just left him feeling hollow.
Chin up kid. Besides, you still have to help Mina move in. And she said if you were late, she'd make you do it shirtless.
Izuku rubbed his tears away, the thought of Mina was a great comfort in this moment.
'You're right, Venom. Let's go.'
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To be continued.
Yet another chapter done, and one step closer to the end. I don't know how much more we have to go, but my goal is at least 60k words. At minimum. But who knows, it could end up being longer. I'm kind of irritated because my ps4 disk tray broke, but whatever. The system still works, I just have to replace my copy of spiderman now. Welp, until next time guys. Raizen out!