Tatooin Shopping District- Musutafu, Tokyo
3:55 P. M.
Katsuki Bakugo was angry.
This was not new.
Nor was the reason behind his anger.
You see, Katsuki Bakugo was a genius.
He could read perfectly at age four, cook a simple breakfast at age 7, and consistently outclassed his peers in both athletics and academics from ages 8 all the way to 13.
He was special, he knew this. He had been told every day since he could understand Japanese that he was special.
It wasn't just lip service. For all of the boy's life, it was fact.
Irrefutable, immutable, and intrinsic.
He was the hero of the tale.
A man larger than life, destined for greatness.
The human condition pushed to its very best, nothing could stand in his way.
And then came Deku.
Defenseless Izuku.
The worthless punching bag.
The weak, quirkless crybaby.
Bakugo hadn't seen the boy in over ten years.
In fact, the last time he had seen the green-haired loser, he was shaking in his boots trying to defend another loser from him and his friends.
Katsuki thought he was pathetic.
Then over ten years later, in the second term of his first year in junior high, there he was.
With a long stupid ponytail and a big stupid grin, there he was.
"Yo… Kacchan!"
Crunch!
Pop!Pop!Pop!Pop!Pop!Pop!
Just the thought of it made Katsuki's blood boil.
Fuckin' Deku…
From that moment on, Izuku Midoriya had once more become a persistent thorn in his side.
Heckling him at the school gates.
Jeering at him during lunch.
Taunting him after class.
And always with that same fucking nickname.
"Yo… Kacchan!"
"Bravo, Kacchan!"
"What's the problem, Kacchan?"
KacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchan
BOOM!
"Dammit…"
"Katsuki! What's the problem, man?"
Katsuki threw the remains of his exploded juice can over his shoulder.
"Fuckin' Deku."
"Katsuki... what's the problem between you guys, man?"
"What?"
"You guys have been at each other's throats since the second half of first year. I mean, I know he's different than he was when we were kids, but… where all this vitriol come from?"
"It's all Deku's fuckin' fault! He just doesn't know his damn place!"
As he exploded at one of his companions, he kicked a bottle lying in his path, sending it flying off in a random direction.
Yubiwa, who had been the one to speak in the first place, raised his hands in the universal gesture of surrender.
"Alright, my bad, forget I said anything."
Sato, a stand-in for the afternoon, because Koumori had to run some errands, spoke up next to alleviate some of the tension.
"Whaddya say we go to the arcade for a change of pace? Katsuki, you'll come too right?"
Katsuki took a moment to compose himself, taking a quick deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Bastard almost got to me again.
"Yeah."
Yubiwa grinned, "Then let's go to the one across from the station. Plenty of prey around there."
"You're terrible."
And Katsuki's irritation spiked once more.
"Are you two stupid!? If we get caught, it'll go on my record!"
The two made to respond but suddenly stopped, staring over the blonde's shoulder with wide, terrified eyes.
"H-hey, look!"
It was only then that Katsuki noticed the shadow that loomed over him.
And as he turned, he felt the cold hand of fear clench inside his chest.
"Hey, kid. That's a nice quirk ya got there. Mind if I borrow it?"
He was vaguely aware of the sounds of his companions running off before darkness overtook him.
Random Rooftop- Musutafu, Tokyo
"[Oh. My. God.]"
"I know that this must be shocking for you. But please, list-"
"So… it's happening."
The oddly skeletal man seemed confused.
"Pardon?"
He was ignored by the now hyperventilating greenette in front of him.
"Oh shit. Oh my god. She's actually done it."
"She?"
"But how? I destroyed that damn thing. Got her working on something else. And how did it affect All Might first? And why now of all times? Wait, no. Can't think about that now, gotta contain the infection."
He grabbed his bat from the side of his bag, raised it over his head, and...
"I'M SORRY ALL MIGHT!"
...rushed at the skeletal husk of his hero.
"Wait! No! Stop!"
Two minutes later, the pair stood across from each other once more, the younger of the two having put down his bat and the older wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his lips with a tissue.
"You sure you're okay All Might? That was a lot of blood you coughed up."
"I'm fine, young man. Thank you for offering me this pack of pocket tissues."
"No problem, and… sorry for trying to bash your head in because I thought you were a zombie."
"Let's just move past that."
"Right… anyway, back to my question. Can someone without a quirk be like you? A hero who saves everyone with a fearless smile? Whose presence at the scene makes everyone feel safe? Can someone like me become a symbol of peace like you?"
"...A fearless smile, huh?" The shrunken hero looked down for a moment, seemingly to think something over.
When he looked back up, it was with a deathly serious expression.
"Young man, what I'm about to tell you and show you are top secret. I need your word that no matter how we end up leaving this conversation, none of what is said here will end up on the internet."
Izuku stared directly into the hero's eyes.
"No matter what you say to me, it won't leave this roof. You have my word, All Might."
The hero looked down once more, taking a deep breath and grabbing the hem of the t-shirt that hung loose on him.
One more deep breath in and another out, with a slow and deliberate tug the shirt came up, unveiling a large scar covering most of the left side of his chest.
Izuku could feel himself grimace.
All Might gave him a wry smile.
"Pretty gross, right? It's an injury I got from an enemy's attack five years ago. Half of my respiratory organs were destroyed, and I lost my whole stomach. This form that you see before you is the result of repeated surgeries and their aftereffects. Right now, I can only work as a hero for three hours a day. "
"No way… but h-how? Who coulda…?"
Izuku racked his brain.
Five years ago. Five years ago… What was going on five years ago?
Incident after incident ran through his mind.
News articles.
There was Naruhata Vigilantes, but All Might wasn't involved in any fights with them, so no.
Trending topics.
Shizuoka comes to mind, but I know for a fact that All Might wasn't involved with any part of that shitshow. So definitely not.
Major brawls.
What about... ? Ah that's it!
"Was it your fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"
"You're well-informed. But a punk like that couldn't do this kind of damage to me."
All Might clenched his fist as he looked below at passing cars and people flitting about on the sidewalks.
"It was a fight that I asked not to be made public."
He unclenched his fist and looked the young man in the eye, once more.
"'I will save people with a smile.' 'The Symbol of Peace cannot be daunted by evil.' When I smile, it's not fearless. It's a mask to reassure the people who depend on me and trick the fear inside of me."
"I- I don't wanna die. Kiryu-san, Jiji, Mom, Dad, help… please."
I understand that.
"Pros are always risking their lives. I cannot simply say, 'You can become a hero even without power.'"
"-you can't be a hero."
You too, huh?
Izuku closed his eyes and took a breath.
"I see."
All Might stood up and started walking towards the roof access entrance.
"If you really want to help others, consider becoming a police officer. I know that people make fun of them because they usually only contain villains after heroes capture them, but it's a profession that truly makes difference."
Opening the door, he said one last thing.
"It's not bad to dream. But you still have to consider what's realistic, young man."
And with that, he was gone and Izuku was alone.
Izuku walked over to the railing at the edge of the roof and just leaned over it, reaching into his gakuran.
When he pulled his hand out, it held an old, beaten up zippo lighter with a big dent in its side.
He flipped the top on and off with his thumb as he spoke to himself.
"So, add another to the list. It ain't gonna stop me, but damn if it doesn't sting just a bit."
Click!
Watching the flame, he thought about what he just learned.
So, even the greatest hero in the world gets scared, huh?
It wasn't like he thought that was impossible before, but even still, when you brought up 'scared' and 'All Might' in the same, you usually wouldn't use it to describe the hero.
But was it just me, or did he seem… angry?
Not anger directed towards Izuku, really, but just angry in general.
Izuku recognized the man's tone.
After all…
"He strung me along like a puppet. Everyone says that I'm so fucking smart and he still played me..."
He'd held that same tone against himself, just five years before.
Izuku shook his head and sighed.
"I'll give him another minute before heading down."
It'd be pretty awkward to have to walk past the man that, in different circumstances, had essentially given him what could be considered a sobering, dream-crushing speech and then left him on a rooftop unattended.
Yeah, no joke, that was kind of a dick move.
BOOM!
Izuku was snapped out of his thoughts by an explosion off in the distance.
Wait a minute, that's near Tatooin Station.
He checked his phone.
Nothing on Troublr. Shit, maybe I should go check it out. If the heroes have it handled, I'll leave it at that.
And though he thought such, in the pit of his stomach, Izuku felt that that would not be the case.
Tatooin Shopping District- Musutafu, Tokyo
Minutes Later…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Izuku ran towards the commotion as quickly he could, stopping when he reached the edge of a crowd that had gathered.
The situation looked pretty drastic already.
The shopping district was engulfed in a sea of flames.
They grew ever higher, swallowing stands and storefronts.
BOOM!
Another explosion rocked the area.
People in the crowd were panicking, so he listened in on what they were saying as he pushed his way to the front.
"What's going on!?"
"A villain! He took somebody hostage and is going crazy right now!"
A villain took a hostage?
He was getting closer to the front now.
He could feel the heat of the flames on his face.
There were heroes there. He recognized Death Arms, Backdraft, and Kamui Woods. The latter two heroes engaging in rescue operations.
And bounding towards them, if the rumbling from the huge, crashing footsteps meant anything, was Mt. Lady.
"Mt. Lady, she's here!"
The gigantic hero stopped in her tracks.
"I can't get through! I need at least two lanes free!"
Shit! Who the hell's the cause for all this!?
Izuku kept pushing his way forward until he finally reached the front, laying eyes on-
"What?"
The sludge villain from earlier? But how? Didn't All Might-?
A flash of his midair struggle with All Might hit the boy like a truck.
For the briefest of moments, in his peripheral, he'd seen something fly right past his face.
All Might had put the bottles that the villain was in in his pockets.
Did he have those when he left?
He thought back to when he saw the man leaving the rooftop that they had landed and talked on. He didn't remember seeing those bottles at all.
Why?
Because they weren't there.
So that meant…
I did this. This is my fault…
If he hadn't grabbed onto All Might, they wouldn't have tussled and the villain wouldn't have fallen and gotten loose.
"You Midoriyas always have had a pension for mucking things up."
I'm the reason why someone was taken hostage.
"This is what happens when you don't follow the rules."
I-
BOOM!
"LET ME GO!"
He looked forward when he heard another explosion, followed by a yell.
He knew that voice. He had heard it not even an hour before then.
He looked forward and saw ashen blonde hair and, looking closer, pleading bright red eyes.
There was no mistake, the hostage was-
His body was moving before his brain had the chance to catch up.
"The hell are you doin'!? Get back here!"
Death Arms tried to reach out to the boy who had run in but was swiftly evaded.
Alright, Izuku, think! The bastard's not too fast- duck!
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
He slid under a slimy tendril, before springing up getting back on the move.
If he's slimy like that, body shots won't work. I'll have to find a point that'll actually hurt him. Like… his eyes! And his teeth!
If he caught him unaware and moved in quick, he could effectively blindside the villain.
After that, he would just have to pull Kacchan and leave the rest to the pros.
He only had one shot.
If he screwed up, he died.
So I'll hafta give this everything I've got. Let's fuckin' go!
[!]Scrapper Style Heat Move: Essence of Blindside: Kiwami
Still in motion, Izuku pulled his bat from where it hung on his backpack.
"Oi, Pervert!"
"STOP CALLING ME TH- ACK!"
The villain recoiled violently as the wide end of a bat found itself lodge into one of his eyes.
"You little shit, I'm gonna kill y-AGH!"
Crack!
The malfeasant howled in pain as Izuku jumped and delivered a hard jab to one of his front teeth, breaking it.
Not wasting a second after he hit the ground, the greenette reached for where the captured boy protruded, grabbed a handful of gakuran with both hands, and yanked.
Squelch!
Bakugo greedily sucked in air as he was partly freed from his living imprisonment, before glaring at the one who did so.
"The hell are you doin' here!?"
"Stopping you from getting molested by a sewer monster pervert, now shut up and struggle some more so we can get out!"
"I don't need your help, I've got it under control, Deku! Get outta here before you get yourself killed!"
"Now you say that, but the fact that this disgusting bastard was just in your mouth a few seconds ago leads me to believe that you're not telling me the whole truth."
"Just shut up and go!"
"No!"
"Why are you going so far for me right now!?"
"Because you looked like you needed help, you asshole! And that's what a hero does!"
"The hell're yo-?"
"DIE!"
A huge mass of sludge approached from above, Izuku knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.
I guess this is game over. I'm sorry mom, dad, Jiji, Kiryu-san… This is the end for me.
I just wish I could have saved even one person.
He closed his eyes and awaited impact.
THUD!
"I really am pathetic."
Huh?
Izuku opened his eyes, only to bear witness to an empowered All Might, taking the full brunt of the attack from the enraged villain, some of the slime wrapped around his broad arm as he shielded the two boys.
"Even though I admonished you, I wasn't putting what I said into practice!"
The hero wrenched his arm free and cocked it back.
Izuku could see blood spraying frond the blond pro's mouth as spoke next.
"Pros are always risking their lives!"
Izuku could feel something wrap around the hand that he was holding onto Bakugo with.
The sludge villain, though he had already been beaten by the man before him, raised one more large mass of sludge and began to bring it down in an attempt to crush the below him/
"ALL MIGHT!"
"DETROIT SMASH!"
With a downward punch, All Might struck the villain, blasting him apart once more while Izuku felt himself being blown back by the shock wave created by the impact.
In All Might's grip, he felt like a flag being tossed about in a raging tempest.
So this is power…
When everything had calmed down and Izuku was put back down onto the ground, he felt something wet hit his face.
He reached up and wiped it off, before feeling another.
And another.
And even more, soon after that.
Looking up, he saw the cause.
It was raining.
All Might had changed the weather with one punch.
Yeah... this is power.
"What were you thinking!? You could have been killed!"
Izuku was being yelled at.
This was to be expected after the stunt he had just pulled.
And it made sense that it was Death Arms who would be doing it.
Again.
The man had already told the ponytailed student about how dangerous it was to interfere in pro hero work.
Multiple times, in fact.
Though, while Izuku believed that the man was justified and well within his rights to criticize him all those other times, something rubbed him the wrong way for this particular incident.
He didn't expect or even really want praise, but hearing pro heroes off to the side praising Bakugo for being brave and offering him internships at their agencies, just… irked him slightly.
And so, while he was being scolded, he got up and just walked away, grabbing his bat from where it had fallen as he did.
"Wha-? Hey! Get back here!"
Izuku just kept walking, he didn't feel like heading to the batting cages or Old Man Hoshizora's shop.
He needed to go somewhere to clear his head, and he knew just the place to do so.
He could smell it before he saw it.
What used to be an unbearable stench was now replaced by a relaxing ocean mist.
He rounded the corner, and there he was.
The Junkbeach.
Or, as would be more appropriate to call it in its current state, Takoba Municipal Beach Park.
Izuku had finished cleaning the place a year earlier.
It was a great accomplishment for him, one that even made it into the newspaper.
When he had come around just a week before third year began, he saw that the place was buzzing.
Couples and families all coming together to enjoy the water and the sand under their feet.
All of them completely unaware that he was the one who had made that possible.
Even if didn't get any credit for it, it made him happy.
That's what being a hero is all about.
He sat down and looked at the waves.
No one was there. It was just him.
Just the sound of crashing waves and gulls along the pier.
I need to apologize to All Might when I get the chance.
He would've done so earlier, but before he could even say a word, All Might was swarmed by reporters, while he and Bakugo were pulled to the side by the other pro heroes.
It was a pretty late thought, but Izuku regretted not asking for the man's autograph.
If I see him again and he doesn't hate me for ruining his day and making him do extra work, I'll-
"Young man!"
"Ah!"
Izuku jumped several into the air as he was startled.
Running up behind him like a man possessed was All Might.
"Okay, I guess All Might is here!"
"I'm glad I caught you."
"All Might, are you sure you should still be in that form? What about your time limit?"
"Not even a worry. After what just happened, I feel GRE-ACK!"
"Holy shit, that's a lotta blood! That can't be healthy."
All Might waved a hand flippantly.
"It's fine, young man. You wouldn't happen to have any more of those pocket tissues, would you?"
"Y-yeah, here ya go."
"Thanks. Now, I have something to say to you."
And here it comes…
"All Might, I-"
"I'm sorry, young man."
Huh?
"I told you earlier that you couldn't be a hero without power. That pros are always risking their lives. And then, not even an hour later, there you were. Putting your life on the line to save someone else's, while I stood there feeling powerless and sorry for myself. And for that, I'd like to say I'm sorry."
All Might…
"Not only that, but I'd like to make a correction and to ask a question."
"O-okay."
The shrunken hero grinned.
"Alright, then first my question. What is your name?"
My name?
Izuku was confused.
Why would All Might need to ask his name? Didn't he…?
And then it occurred to him, he had never introduced himself to the hero.
He almost smacked himself.
"Izuku Midoriya. Sorry for not telling you earlier."
"Midoriya... The name almost sounds familiar…"
The depowered pro shook his head, there was still something he had to say.
"Anyway, Young Midoriya. The correction I'd like to make is my mistake from earlier."
"It's not bad to dream. But you still have to consider what's realistic, young man."
"I could see in the way that you moved that you weren't thinking when you ran at that villain. You know, top heroes have stories about them from their school days. Their stories usually have one thing in common: Their bodies moved before they even had a chance to think."
"NO!" He ran at the man, as quick he possibly could while his legs were still wobbly-
BANG!
There was no mistake, the hostage was-
His body was moving before his brain had the chance to catch up.
"That was true for you, too, wasn't it?"
Izuku couldn't trust himself to speak, he was almost stunned. Though he still had the presence of mind to nod.
"I'm not hero material, kid. But looking at you, I think I've found someone who might be."
Akatani.
"You're Izuku Midoriya. Little Hero of Musutafu, future number one hero of the world, and... my friend."
Masa-chan.
"You're Izuku Midoriya. Goro Majima's nephew, and soon-to-be the world's first quirkless hero."
Uncle Kaz.
"Izuku Midoriya-chan, you've got my word and support as my nephew and my number one hero!"
Jiji.
He could feel himself tear up slightly.
In another time, in another life he might have burst into tears, wracked by sobs, but as he was at the moment, he could only blink the tears in his eyes away and look back at All Might.
"Izuku Midoriya, I believe... that you can become a hero."
And Izuku could feel the widest smile spread across his face.
"Thank you, All Might."
"And so…"
Wait, there's more?
The man pointed at Izuku.
"I say you are worthy to inherit my power."
One blink and a quiet stare.
"Nani?"
Pretty standard stuff, but it's necessary.