Looking out the fortieth floor lobby window of the Musutafu Central Hospital, one could see the entire city. The building was 60 stories, with each floor holding 40-50 rooms. The exception being the fortieth floor which was a grand lobby from patients, workers, and visitors. It was one large room the could cater to all the building's inhabitants. An outdoor patio to smoke, an indoor cafeteria and small bar, a reading and television area, and even a few cots laying about for anyone needing a quick rest. This room was favorited by many, and one Dr. Kurosaki was one of them. Either grabbing a drink from the bar, enjoying the view, or outside taking one of his rare smoke breaks, he enjoyed this floor the most. Watching the clouds fly pass the city below, feeling the cool air on his skin, and tasting the smoky ash, Kurosaki was thinking and relaxing after a few stressful surgeries.
'Being the head doctor has its perks, but come one guys, you need to learn this crap too.' Kurosaki thought, complaining about his "experienced" doctors. 'I know l'm older than everyone here but you all are over forty years old, learn damn you!' Taking another drag from his cancer stick, the doctor started to think about his position.
He had been the lead doctor of this hospital for over 200 years. He signed on as a nurse 20 years after quirks had started to appear, and 20 years later his personal health record was updated with the quirk: Longevity. He aged but very slowly. So slow, in fact, that he currently had the look of a healthy and active 30 year old. With his quirk, Kurosaki had studied various medical fields, becoming well versed almost all aspects of his trade. At least this was what the public thought.
'Damn, so glad quirks exist, otherwise how would I be able to explain this long life? I mean, I guess I could pull a "Hat-and-Clogs" and just pack up and leave town every 50 years but that's some tedious shit.' Thought the old soul. Leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes, the doctor thought of his past life. One full of fighting, happiness, and friends. Now that life was gone, the fighting had changed form, and the friends long gone. Happiness was still there, but in lesser quantity. Shaking his head from the past thoughts, he started to think of the current world he now resided in. He only knew and interacted with maybe a handful of people outside of the work and even then, it was on the other person's accord.
He liked spending time with others, don't get him wrong, but being the age he was, he saw people come in and out of his life regularly. Enough times that even to his friends and descended family he was cold and distant. When he was actually in his 30s, the doctor was full of compassion, risking everything to help those that came into his families medical center. Those days had long since past and the blazing fire the was compassion had dwindled into a small flame, able to give warmth but only to few. 'I wonder what their reactions would be if they could see me now. I know she at least would try to kick my ass, but I don't think I'll ever get to see any of them again.' He smiled sadly before shaking his head.
Deciding to leave such depressing thoughts alone, the doctor started to concentrate. Slowly but surely, the concentration paid off. In his mind as a blacked out miniature map of the city, with many tiny lights slowly coming into existence. Various colors dotted his mind with each new soul, some bigger or smaller than the others. This was his mediumship at play. He did this to keep his mind sharp, while also scanning and picking up on anything interesting... such as that one soul there! That soul was large and predominantly brown.
"Huh, guess he's finally back in town, been awhile kid." The doctor smirked as he recognized the unique signature. He noticed a blackened green soul leading the much larger brown soul, "Villain hunting, this will be in the paper tomorrow, another good deed by the great Her- oh shit!" Kurosaki leapt from his seat and started to rush to his office, climbing the stairway as fast as he could. Once inside he started to gather all the first aid equipment he could into a duffle bag, before heading out his office in a hurry. His cause for worry? Both souls were heading straight for a very familiar green soul.
Izuku's eyes finally refocused, noticing that he had stood in the same spot for a good while. Looking around, noting All Might was long gone, he finally broke down. Knees buckling and giving out, the young man kneeled and breathed heavily. Tears threatening to escape, but he wiped them away. 'I knew this could've been an outcome, I knew he possibly would say no, but why?! Why does it hurt this bad?' Clenching his fist, Izuku slowly got up, his eyes a little duller than before.
Making his way to the rooftop door, he started his way down stairs. Absently walking the entire staircase as then out on the streets, following the crowd and his own sense of direction. 'Dr. Kuro was right, my chances were slim to none and I was a fool to think the odds were in my favor. This even means Kacchan was right', that was a bitter truth to swallow.
Midoriya kept walking the the ground, making his way home as his thoughts darkening. Anger, sadness, failure; thoughts that he aimed at the world around him. His aura started to grow spikes that looked like they incased boiling liquid. Soon the crowd stopped and he bumped into someone. Excusing himself, Izuku didn't see the scene the crowd took him to until he heard the shouting.
'That probably could've been handled better, and I'm sure Gran Torino will know that somehow, fucking cosmos, but I had to do that. It's one thing to have the power to lend aid and not know how to use it, but not having any such technique would make the poor kid a liability to others and himself.' The skeletal man thought as he walked through the city. He had left boy on the roof a while ago, knowing that he himself was the last person the kid needed to see. 'Let's hope this doesn't bite you in the ass, Toshinori. The last thing we need is a civilian child killing himself trying to prove you wrong.'
Now that he was on the streets, he was searching the area he had jumped over with his young passenger, hoping to find the bottled Villain. However, in a large urban jungle like Musutafu, this was like finding one special needle in a stack of needles. Toshinori used his smaller state as an advantage, searching alleys and sidewalks. To everyone else on the street he blended in as just a lost soul looking for something he dropped, not a grand Hero that the public adored. As he was looking for the two bottles, he kept thinking about the kid. Basically quirkless like himself but wanted to do right by the people. A noble dream, sure, but the kid needed to face the world around him. A chill ran down All Might's spine, "The hell was that?"
In another city, hours away, a small elderly man was doing his daily routine. Floating in the air to keep his quirk memory still as sharp as ever, a dark smile crept on his face. Twice now, today, he had this feeling that his pupil had screwed up, but the third experience just sealed the deal. "Toshinori, I'm going to enjoy teaching you a lesson again."
As All Might felt the chill pass, an explosion in the near distance occurred. Seeing the smoke and flames, All Might hurriedly made his way. "Fuck me!"
"So Katsuki, you wana go and hit up the arcade today, or see if we find any cool chicks?", asked a male teen with short black hair.
"Arcade, don't want some damn floozy to piss me off. Like that fucking Deku!", one Katsuki Bakugo yelled. He and two classmates (his cronies as Izuku had aptly named them) had decided to head downtown after class to hangout and kill time. They dropped by few stores for sodas and snacks and were in an alley taking a break.
"Speaking of Midoriya, wasn't he your friend when you two were little kids? Don't you think telling him to off hisself was a bit too far?", the other teen with long brown hair queried. He looked over to his "leader" with a bit of worry.
"Why do you even care? Its just Deku. The damn nerd needs to wake up. All his notes and his brain won't help him become a hero. He's a quirkless nobody and will stay that way! He should know better than to follow hopeless dreams!" Katsuki raged as he kicked some trash and bottles out of his way. Two particular bottles were kicked but they just skidded away.
'What the hell?! Where am I? I thought All Might grabbed me I was gonna be locked up, but I'm in some alley or something.' The sludge Villain awoken, being shook from his slumber. His eyes turning about, we was able to notice three teen, a few exit ways and a small park behind the alley way wall.
'How do I get out? I could try to trick one of those three to open these damn bottles and highjack a body. Eh, they don't look too bright.' His eyes moved to look at the trio. "Hey kids!"
All three boys stopped and looked around, an eerie silence and tension filling the air. The kids with black and brown hair both started to get nervous as everyone knew Villains could pop up anywhere. Katsuki Bakugo, on the other hand, started to smirk and raised his hands up, eyes darting left and right. "All right, who's there, huh?!", the blonde boy yelled.
"Down here blondie."
All three sets if eyes started to scan the ground before they all saw it, a bottle with two floating yellow eyeballs with red irises.
"What the hell? Uh... Katsuki, I think we need to go", one of the boys said.
"Not yet", Katsuki said. "You, in the bottle, what the hell is going on?"
The Villain smirked, pleased that the bait was attracting his prey. "Its hard to believe, but some Villains had attacked me. Not wanting to lose my life, I activated my quirk to get away but they bottled me and left me to die here. Would you let me out?" 'Take the bait you little shits!'
"Katsuki, let's just take him to the cops like this. I don't like the idea of this at all." The other boy spoke out.
Turning around, his quirk flaring and popping, "Shut up! This is why I'm better than the entire school! You all are scared, weak little idiots! I'll do what I want!"
Seeing Katsuki's quirk, the Villain's eyes widened. He needed this boy and his quirk now! "If I had his body I could get my revenge on that stupid Her-oh... I said that out loud..."
All three boys stared at the bottle before the two classmates backed up slowly, Katsuki started to sneer and smoke rose from his palms. "Use our bodies, huh?!" Gripping the bottles, the blonde hoisted it up till both souls were eye level. "How about you DIE!" Katsuki chucked the bottles away, using his quirk to blast them.
"There, we're done here. Let's go guys", dusting off his palms and walking away, Katsuki and his duo started to leave the alley. However, life had other plans for the young man. With his prison now broken, the Villain seeped out of the bottles and quietly reformed behind the teens.
"Hehe, where do you think you're going? That body's mine, kid!"
Dr. Kurosaki had made it to the spot he felt all three souls meet, under the bridge, half a mile from Aldera Junior High. He looked around, noting the grate was moved and some slime-y green residue on the pavement. There was no one around though. No giant blonde idiot, no green haired teen medium, and no body of a Villain.
"Where the hell did they go? Crap!", Kurosaki muttered. "C'mon man, think! Those idiots can't have gone far. Take a breath and feel for them." He leaned against the wall of the tunnel and breathed slowly, gathering himself into a calm and collected state. His body slowly took in the spiritual energy around him then pulsed it out in a radius. Reentering the dark image of the city, slowly looking for the souls he was invested in, he found them.
Kurosaki opened his eyes and memorized the spot, already in the move to the location. 'Shit, this can't be good.' His mind was full of questions. Three souls he knew were almost all together, two in a cluster of souls, and the other with an unfamiliar soul... attached to it? Why was the brown soul so much smaller too?
Unknowingly being in the same spot, All Might and Izuku stared at the alley way surrounded by Heros. However, none entered, the alley was ablaze as explosions and flames poured out from the source. The crowd watched in awe as Heros were forced back and powerless to stop the commotion.
"What's going on? Is it a gas leak?", a bystander asked from the back.
"No, some Villain has captured a teen, and is taking over his body", another person called back.
'Wait, a Villain taking over someone's body? Could it be him?' Izuku's mind was racing, praying it not to be the Villain from earlier.
All Might also over heard the conversation as he crept closer to the scene. 'Oh crap! Please, please don't let that be the same perp. If someone is hurt because of my failures... what do I do?'
Both their thoughts were brought to a holt as scream penetrated the air, "Get the hell off me you bastard, I'll fucking kill you!" The voice was unmistakable to Izuku, his fear now doubling.
"Kacchan!" The greenette pushed his way through the crowd to see what was going on. The sight was horrifying to him. His childhood friend was mostly covered by the same sludge Villain he was previously entrapped by, the alley lit ablaze due to the blonde fighting back, and the expression on Katsuki's face was pure hatred. 'No, no, no! This can't be happening! Its all my fault!'
All Might stared in horror, anger, and pity. 'Dammit! I've used up all my time! I'm too weak and can't do a thing! Please, someone useful come help!' He had already seen that the Heros here couldn't reach the boy. Kamui Woods was weak to fire, Mt. Lady couldn't fit among the buildings, Death Arms couldn't face the flames, and Backdraft was busy keep the fires away from the crowd with his water quirk. No one could reach the boy and Villain.
'Kacchan is fighting for all he's worth, but that sludge guy is winning! He's already bound Kacchan's arms and is taking over! What to do, what to do?!' Izuku was panicking, but what he saw next made his blood freeze. Seeing Katsuki's normally blood red aura with it's short, sharp spikes was normal. What Izuku currently saw was sharp spikes slowly elongating and becoming blunt. Anger and fear swapping itself within Katsuki. 'He's... afraid?!'
Izuku couldn't believe his eyes. Seeing his old friend fearing something was very rare. So rare in fact that Izuku knew that only three things could bring about this reaction. He stared frozen, watching his friend thrash about wildly and curse, then the Villain bound itself over Katsuki's mouth and nose, cutting off his airflow. Panic and fear now raged across the boys' auras, one fearing for his life, the other his friend. Katsuki turned and moved harder, before their eyes met. Emerald peered into ruby, both recognizing each other, both pleading the world for aid. But Izuku saw more, the aura of his friend raging with fear, bubbles appearing in the spikes, fear and sadness within Katsuki' eyes.
Without realizing it, Izuku bolted forward, flying past the Heros that called for him to stop. All Might was shocked and frozen as he saw the same kid from earlier doing what he and the other Heros should be doing. The Villain took notice of their heed and saw the same kid from earlier. "Huh? Its that shrimp from earlier. Heh, let's kill this little bastard!" Nearly all of Katsuki's body and face now covered, turned to Izuku ready to force the explosion quirk on him.
'Why am I running?! My legs moved on their own! What do I do?' The image of his notebook appeared in Izuku's mind, turning to the page he had on Kamui Woods. It noted that binding techniques took up the individuals concentration and multiple targets were a weakness. Taking off his backpack and unzipping it, Izuku chucked it at the sludge Villain. The bag and its contents sailed and nailed the Villain in his eyes.
"Argh!! What the fuck?!" The sludge entity tried to attack where he thought the green haired boy was, instead hitting pavement. Izuku ran up to Katsuki and raked his hands through the muck, wiping it away from the blonde's mouth.
Watching the scene, the Heros all screamed for Izuku to get out of there. They thought he would die. All Might screamed at himself mentally 'Pathetic, you are pathetic! A basically quirkless kid is risking his life and all you can do is stand here! Pathetic!'
Able to breath again, Katsuki yelled his question to Izuku, "What are you doing here?! You need to leave here, you quirkless idiot!"
With his hands scrambling and gouging at the slime, Izuku looked to his friend. His face full of fear but wore a smile. "I'm sorry Kacchan, I just couldn't stand by and let this happen! My legs just moved on my own", All Might's eyes widened, "and you looked like you wanted help." Katsuki's face showed shock, his aura sparked violently.
As the newcomer was trying to wipe more of the sludge away, the Villain got his senses in check before his eyes zeroed in on the nuisance. He raised his liquid appendage, shaping into a clawed hand. He was going to end his misery here and now! "Say goodbye you fucking kid! Now leave me alone and die!" He swung his claw at the boy, aiming to make him a bloody pulp.
Right before the sludge hit the child, a giant hand burst through the liquid arm and grabbed the boy. The strength and speed it carried not only broke through and gripped Izuku's arm, but pushed the boy back into the sludge body. Close enough to also grab Katsuki's arms.
'What the?', were the thoughts racing through the three minds of the boys and Villain.
"Boy, what I said to you back there... I should have told you more. What I should have imparted onto you was", All Might swung his other fist back and through it downward onto the Villain as he ripped the two boys out, "that anyone that wishes to be a Hero must put other lives before his own! Something you've proven you will do. DETROIT... SMASH!!" All Might's fist rammed through the Villain and into the ground, the force not only blowing the enemy away, but also creating a shockwave powerful enough to creat a tornado. As the twisting winds rose into the skies, the clouds converged and started to rain. The falling water and the air pressure extinguished all the fires.
Izuku, Katsuki, and the rest of the bystanders could only watch in awe. A single punch changed the air pressure and changed the weather! The crowd erupted in cheers for the Number One Hero as the boys were released from his grasp, dazed and resting against the building walls. As the local police and some Heros scooped up the Villain to put him in custody, both boys were either being chewed out or praised.
Katsuki was being praised for being strong and putting up a fight against the Villain, even being offered to become a sidekick when he was done with high school. Izuku, on the other hand, was given a harsh lecture by Death Arms for being reckless and stupid. "What were you thinking?! You could've died and become another grave plot kid! There was no need for dimwitted heroics! I oughta give you to the police for borderline vigilantism or take you to you parents and scold you with them!"
Harsh footsteps walked up behind Death Arms as a voice three people knew well rang out. "You do that Death Arms and your ass is mine! Now move aside as I treat my patients!"
The large man was now pissed! 'First this dumb kid tries to become a Hero and almost dies, now some jackass wants to start more shit?! Fuck this!' Starting to turn, Death Arms spoke, "Who wants to talk-" He stops himself as a very familiar mop of orange hair and angry brown eyes meet his own dark grey eyes. "Doctor? What are you doing here?"
"As I said, tending to my patients! Now move or else!" Kurosaki was not dealing with this shit today. Finally after hunting down the two idiots he had been looking for, he finally found them plus some others he knew. And in the middle of the Villain issue was two of his youngest and best known patients. "You two! Don't even think of leaving 'till I know nothing is wrong, got it?" He barked to the boys. "And you two! What the hell are you doing? Go help with this shit." He scolded the Heros. Death Arms and the one that praised Katsuki backed away slowly before moving out of the immediate area fast.
"Dr. Kurosaki/Old man?!" Both boys questioned before glancing at each other. Both knew each other and the orange haired man, which wasn't a secret to either. Katsuki's mother, Mitsuki, introduced Inko to the doctor when Izuku was three.
"Yeah, its me. Now both of you show me any any cuts, bruises, or burns." The doctor hovered over the boys with his emergency pack ready.
"Um... Dr. Kurosaki, what are you doing here?" Izuku was curious on why the doctor, who's office was at least an hour away, was here today.
"Yeah, you old fuck, what gives?" Katsuki received a punch in the head for that.
"First: don't ever speak to me like that Katsuki. It doesn't matter if you and your mother carry on the family's rough interactions." Kurosaki had his fist ready to beat the lesson into the blonde, who wisely kept quiet. Turning to the medium, the doctor spoke up. "Second: its because I was trying to locate you, Izuku. I felt two large souls rapidly approaching you back at a tunnel way, a little walk from the middle school."
Both boys looked up at that. He had gone to check on Izuku? But why? It took a few seconds until Izuku understood but didn't say a thing, surprise evident on his aura and face. Katsuki just let it be, thinking it was something about nearly-quirkless losers and their dumb similar abilities. After the doctor was sure both boys were fine, he stood up and pulled them to their feet. "Alright, both of you go home. Its been a long day. Katsuki, say hi to your parents for me and let them know I'll be there like usual in two days. Izuku, be safe and say hi to your mother."
"Yes sir./Sure, whatever." Both responded.
"Good, now I need to find a certain Hero," Kurosaki made eye contact with Izuku briefly. The boy caught on and kept quiet. "Have a safe walk home, boys. I have an idiot to hunt."
After walking to their residential district, Katsuki decided to thank Izuku. In his own special way, of course, by spouting off how he didn't need help and to never do that kind of shit again. Yep, he was thankful, Izuku actually could see Katsuki's true intentions. With his aura sight, the explosion user's aura was very smooth and calm, maybe a some tiny, sharp spikes protruded but not many. 'Kacchan was happy! That totally proves it! I can do Hero work!' Izuku now had a pep in his walk as he made his way home.
Izuku's mind raced from all his encounters today, from meeting freaking All Might, to the Villain, to Katsuki in danger, and then Dr. Kuro showing up to help and then go after All Might. And All Might even restated that he could be a Hero!! This was a great day. His mind then remembered that he was totally unaware that the Villain was near, and that Dr. Kuro had used his ability to find them all. Izuku decided to take a page from the older medium and let his senses expand. Now he had a good mile radius he could feel.
'Much better, I can feel Kacchan's soul heading to his house, and can sense a few of the neighbors out doing their errands. Good nothing is out... of... place?' Izuku snapped his eyes open as he felt a large brown soul beelining straight for his location from the left. 'Oh crap! Not another Villain?!' The boy jumped back as a giant figure stopped in front of him, dust and wind kicked up from the titan's stop.
A deep and loud voice rang out from the dust cloud, "I've been searching for you! Now young man I-", the dust cloud was pushed away by an eruption of steam. Within was the small form of All Might coughing a stream of blood. "Ah...excuse me."
"All Might! Wh-what are you doing here?" Even though he had met both sides of the tall man, Izuku still had a Hero worship to him.
"I'm here to see you kid. I realized what I said was wrong and wanted to apologize to you. I told you your dreams were just dreams, instead I should've given you hope and helped you. And then you rushed in to help your friend when no Heros did. Not even I, and it took a kid to show us how weak we were. And I believe in you kid."
Izuku had tears well up in his eyes, as All Might kept speaking, "Many great Heros all have one thing in common: they all said their feet moved before they realized it." Izuku dropped down to his knees, openly crying. "I'm sorry young man, for the negatives I spoke before. I retract and must say: yes, YOU can become a Hero!"
On his knees, smiling and crying, Izuku let his heart out. "Thank you! Thank you so much All Might!" He finally heard the true words he needed, not that he had a slim chance to be a sidekick at best, but to be a TRUE Hero.
Throwing his arms out beside him, his head to the sky, All Might spoke, "And with all of this, for reward to your bravery and determination, I bestow upon you my quirk!"
"...What?"
A bit away, a certain orange haired man watched the scene. Hiding himself amongst the stone walls of the fencing, he smiled as he walked away. 'Good luck Izuku, this power is a heavy burden. I feel confident you will do more than its previous holders. Rest well, my friends. The ninth holder has the right stuff.'
