Bakugo shuffled arrogantly down the street flanked by his followers, as they headed towards the arcade to burn some time before heading home. They chittered like the barely competent extra's they were, occasionally asking Bakugo a question. But he wasn't heeding them any attention. It was all coming together for him.
'Of course Kal wouldn't dare use his power on me, not even when Deku is getting physically harassed. The coward knows that if he did, I'd fucking end him. He's never used his power on me. It's nothing but an admission of my superiority. He was never worthy enough to be my partner or even a fucking sidekick. I'm gonna toast his ass alive in the entrance exam and laugh at his face when I become a hero stronger than even All Might, while he's stuck taking care of his brats and preventing quirkless Deku from getting killed in hero fights!'
"Katsuki!", A red wing suddenly reached out and shook him out of his revere.
"What the hell do you want?" cursed Bakugo as he was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts by Tsubasa.
Tsubasa pointed ahead of them shaking and frightened, as Stretchy, who was walking ahead of them in the alley, was choking and rolling on the ground. His cries were muffled and sounded like a drowning child's. Slowly, a green and disgusting ooze of slime poured out of Strechy's mouth and formed a caricature of a face right in front of them. Bakugo's face lit up, shocked yet extremely excited.
It could be none other than a real villain right in front of him. It was fated. It was providence. It was nothing short of destiny. The universe itself had delivered prime prey to his middle-school self. He could already see his origin story being painted with his outstanding defeat of a powerful liquid villain. It was time.
An explosion rocked the alley wall as Bakugo's palm hit it with the force of no small amount of dynamite. The air filled with the sickeningly sweet smell of nitroglycerin, combining unfavorably with the stench of entrails and sewer sludge. He grinned furiously.
'I'm gonna blow this gooey asshole to smithereens."
-DT-
Izuku was feeling pathetic, slimy and disgusted at himself in a manner that was in no way related to his recent brush in a certain slime monster. The absolute most famous incredible amazing awesome best hero of all time, - not to mention 'number one worldwide' -, All Might had just saved him. It was an imaginary childhood vision come true. He's been dreaming of this moment for years and years. Why was it so painful? Why did he hate himself after it?
'I couldn't do anything against that slime monster. Nothing. What's the point of analyzing quirks? If that had been my mom, or an innocent child, would I have been able to save them? How can I be a hero if I can't even save myself.'
After the villain had caught him on his way home from the fight that debuted - which, by the way, truly had stolen Kamui Wood's thunder - Izuku had first fought and struggled. But it was all for naught, as he soon lost the ability to breathe and panicked. 'I'm going to die. Mom. Dad. Kal. I'm sorry.' Then the explosion of wind as he heard "TEXAS SMASH" and was suddenly able to breathe again didn't even register in his brain. Looking up to see All Might had been the most shocking and happiest moment of his life. Then the awkward hyper-fan geeking out followed the leg grab, and All Might's revelation of his devastating injury came rushing to his head. And his idol saying the words "You can't be a-
'No I can't keep thinking of his voice saying that to me. All Might would have been able to save himself and everyone else there. I was useless, I was gonna die, I couldn't save myself. He's right. I can't be a hero. I knew deep down that I couldn't. I learned at 4 years old I couldn't. My Mom was right all along. I don't have any power.
But I thought I had something else. All Might had given me a dream. Kal. He'd given me a little hope.'
Izuku wandered aimlessly down the streets staring blankly, his feet putting themselves one in front of the other of their own violation.
It's okay, I can still help people. I'll survive. I'll cheer for Kal and Kaachan. They'll become amazing heros. I-I won't cry".
A middle-aged man yelled out "Watch out kid! What are you doing just running into people? You could have pushed me into the scene! I don't want another damn violation of entering a cordoned villain area, It's so..."
Izuku had stopped listening as he gasped at the scene. Utter shock and despair flowed through him uncontrollably.
'No, It can't be!'
-DT-
Bakugo ran at the villian ready to light him up like a christmas tree when suddenly the slime moved faster than he could see and withdrew from stretchy fingers. It retreated in the sewer gates leaving behind a frightened and stinky Strechy with Wings running up to get him on his feet. Bakugo was suddenly disappointed, but ecstatic.
'That pathetic excuse for a villian couldn't even face me. He could tell he was no match for me. I ought to have-"
A sudden scream of terror as the foulest stench invaded his nostrils. Bakugo frowned as Tsubasa started flying away and stretchy pointed behind him urgently. Bakugo turned around to see the sludge villain move quicker than he could react and swallow him up entirely more effectively than he had Strechy. The green visage that resembled a mouth opened as the vilest voice he had ever heard began to speak.
"Ahhh yesss, you will be the perfect cover. Look at you, you can create explosions? My my my what a powerful quirk you will give me!"
Bakugo was blowing up the street by now with repeated and huge blasts. The shockwaves rippled through the body of the sludge villain, which now stretched more than 2 stories tall and several meters wide, as he came out of the sewer behind Bakugo entirely but did not affect him.
"You are so defiantttt! I will enjoy breaking you and taking your power for myselfff."
'I can't lose to this piece of trash. So what if I can't breathe. I'LL FUCKING END THIS STUPID SLUDGE. DIE!'
-DT-
The sludge villain had escaped and taken a middle schooler hostage. And it was all his damn fault. There was no way All Might could have made a mistake. He was infallible. Izuku must have knocked the slime bottle from All Might's waist when he latched on to his leg like some pathetic fanboy.
'I'm a disgrace. I'm worse than useless. I'm not just someone who'll never be a hero. I'm someone who caused a villain to claim another victim!"
-DT-
Some feet away, leaning against an alley wall catching his breath was All Might, thinking very similar thoughts.
'I cannot believe I let him get away. What a rookie mistake. Unbelievable. I'm pathetic. So pathetic. Pathetic'.
-DT-
Death Arms arms sighed as he felt useless. There's nothing for him to do. He can't do anything but punch villains as he had no long range attacks. He couldn't even get near the sludge villain with the kid making enormous blasts that were setting fire to the nearby building every minute or so.
"We have to wait for a more suitable hero to come," said Kamui Woods, equally disappointed. It was just a terrible situation. Fire was a huge liability for him personally, and as such he had no way of getting near enough the kid to detach him.
"Such an amazing quirk on that kid though. Seriously, look at these explosions and the fire. I'm having trouble putting them out as they just seem to keep coming" exclaimed Backdraft.
He wasn't wrong. Bakugo struggled and strained but did not stop fighting. He had kept up a brawl for 30 minutes without giving into the sludge's grasp. This only made the slime more desperate to kill him and inhabit his quirk and his corpse. Everyone was in disbelief at the tenacity of the kid. But the heroes had a feeling he was running out of time. The explosions were weaker and came out in longer intervals. He was moving slower and hadn't made a sound in a long while. They could only hope someone could save him before his body gave out and the worst happened.
-DT-
'I can't transform. Pathetic. Disgraceful. I'm out of time'
'It's all my fault, I distracted All Might, and let this person feel the way I felt'
'Pathetic.'
'Pathetic.'
The sludge villain's visage shifts around the body of the child stuck inside. The struggle seems to be ending. Just for a moment, the liquid reveals the eyes and hair of the kid inside. His frightened eyes pierce the soul.
'Pathetic.'
'KAACHAN!'
-DT-
Kal was relaxing at home after taking in Inanue for a quick check up. She was absolutely fine. Inanue was prone to headaches from overuse of her quirk. It one time had led to her going into a small coma that had scared the living daylights out of Kal. Ever since then, he's been quick to take her to the doctor for anything relatively minor and lavish her with attention after. The little minx loved it and used it to have him tied around her pinky finger. Kal rolled his eyes as he turned on the television and plopped down in their small living room sofa.
'She's already off doing god knows what with Ren. I swear she's up to no good the minute she knows I'll be sweet on her because I'm worried. Why is she so devious? Not something I wanted her to pick up from me…' he lamented internally as he switched through some news channels and landed on one that was covering a villain fight. 'Huh, a green sludge based villain? Izuku would have loved to discuss his abilities and come up with a battle plan to fight him. Hell, he probably would already have this kind of villains weakness's ready in his handy notebooks. If only he was here…' he trailed off internally as an explosion rocked the screen. Kal squinted suspiciously at it. It was almost familiar. Too familiar.
"What the hell? Is that fucking Bakugo?!" he exclaimed loudly as he finally realized who the 'middle-school aged captive' was. Kal's eyes comically bulged as he got up and screamed. A frustratingly recognizable green-headed kid had run right into the midst of battle.
"IZUKU WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!"
-DT-
Izuku did not know what he was doing here. Why had he moved? Despite knowing he was powerless, despite knowing that he could not make a difference, his legs had carried him here without his approval.
"DEKU, YOU IDIOT!" screams Bakugo as he finally gets a chance to breathe. Izuku's backpack lay abandoned after it was used to strike the sludge monster's eye. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING."
"I couldn't stop myself; no one was doing anything and your eyes… you looked like you were crying for help!" Izuku cried as the villain reared back up to strike him and finish him off, once and for all.
'This is the end.'
-DT-
"NO, YOU IDIOT YOU'll GET YOURSELF KILLED!" yelled Death Arms out of nowhere.
All Might looked up and gasped as Izuku suddenly appeared past the villain line running straight towards him. He rushed past an attack, unhooked his backpack and hit the green sludge square in the eye, before trying to remove the kid from its grasp.
'This kid… this quirkless kid… even though I told him he couldn't be a hero, is risking his life when pro-heros are waiting on the sidelines for back up.'
'Just a little more… I'm not finished yet!'
-DT-
An enormous hand was between him and certain death. Steam roiled off the hand as it shook from the backlash. Izuku looked up to see none other than All Might saving him yet again.
"I told you that you couldn't be a hero, but here you are following the ideals of one more than I was!"
All Might looked up at the liquid monster's surprised visage as he closed his massive fist and wound it back.
"A pro hero is always putting their life on the line!"
"DETRIOT SMASH!"
-DT-
Izuku was too busy in awe of All Might's strength to pay attention to Death Arms and Backdraft scolding him.
'He changed the weather with a single punch! A. Single. Punch. It's sooo much cooler to be there in person. I wonder if he's ever used it to…' continued muttering Izuku as he was unaware his thoughts were being spoked out loud.
Death Arms threw up his giant arms in frustration up as the kid clearly didn't want to listen. It was bad enough that this was broadcast on live television for the public to see a random kid rush in where heroes hesitated. If they found out he was also quirkless, it would be a terrible standard to set. However, he was glad the explosion kid survived. All Might had arrived in just the nick of time. He would definitely grow up to be a great hero for sure.
-DT-
As Death Arms walked away, Izuku started leaving the scene not particularly happy, yet content.
Kaachan seemed just fine, getting praised for his tenacity and getting offers for hero agencies already. No one else was hurt at all, and All Might was getting an interview and being praised for his last minute action that had saved them both.
'Its okay. Everything worked out. I can still cheer for others to be a hero. Maybe I'll try and be a police officer like what All Might said. I can still find some use for myself. It's going to be hard to break it to Kal though. He's the only one who's ever supported my dream and told me that I could be a hero. But, All Might…' Izuku thought despondently to himself as he passed by the suburban homes. Suddenly there was a roar from the alley behind him.
"DEKU!"
Bakugo had caught up to Izuku and was panting with rage in his eyes.
"What the hell were you thinking trying to come save me? I didn't need anyone's fucking help. Go get yourself killed on someone else's watch, you damn quirkless loser!"
He stormed off immediately afterwards, not even sparing Izuku a backwards glance. Izuku looked on in resigned amusement. 'Never change Kaachan, never change.' Izuku turned around only to let out a shocked screech as All Might came barreling around the corner of the street in front of him.
-DT-
Cold air rushing past his face, his body accelerating to his maximum speed, Kal was flying around the neighborhood desperately trying to find Izuku. The moment he'd seen him rush in towards the Villain on TV, he'd put on his jacket and shoes and zoomed straight up and through the balcony window, towards where the action was happening. As he raced through the air, he could not stop thinking about how he was going to get Izuku out of there.
'I'm going at around 60km per hour right now, I'll get there in 5 minutes. Once I get there I levitate Izuku straight out? No, shit my range is shorter than that of the sludge guy, I can only apply force to things around 10 meters within me, I'll get cut down before I get anywhere near Izuku provided he's still alive. No, fuck, don't think that way Kal, he's alive a second hostage would be too useful it's going to be okay you can save him.'
Kal was in such a hurry that he didn't see the sudden rainstorm converging on the location of the fight. By the time the cold wet drops started hitting his face, he was already on ground-zero of the scene ready to do whatever it took to grab Izuku and get out of there.
'What the hell? Where is everyone?'
He found Kamui Woods still on the scene cleaning up the last debris that had smashed off the building from All Might's shockwave. Kal asked him if he'd seen a green haired kid around anywhere, and that he was a worried friend looking for him.
"Oh him? I'm not sure, I thought he was around. I was going to have a few words with him about putting himself in danger. All Might saved them both this time but it's not always going to work out for everyone you know? Tell your friend that when you find him" Kamui woods stated before going back to working. There was a lot left to do to get this area safe for the public. He always had cleanup duty, as a fresh hero. The unfairness of it all!
'ALL MIGHT SAVED HIM? Knowing Izuku, he's probably fan-girling over him right now. If I can find out what direction All Might headed, I find Izuku!'
And that's precisely what he proceeded to do. Still jetting through the area, with no signs of Izuku or All Might, Kal was getting severely annoyed.
'I'm not within range of him or else I'd get that weird feeling I get from my M.D. God Izuku, when I find you, I'm tearing you a fucking new one!'
-DT-
Izuku sobbed on his knees, splashing the pavement with melancholy yet furiously joyful tears. It went from the saddest and worst to the most incredible and amazing day of his life in just the span of a couple words from his hero.
"Young man, you too can be a hero."
It was everything he'd ever dreamed of. His idol's unwavering conviction, saying those words only one person has ever before said to him meant everything and more. And, not only will he become a hero, he was also going to inherit All Might's power, his successor and prodigy. It was a miracle he was awake and functioning right now. Izuku got out of his daze and stood up proud and tall. Green hair flowing happily, his tear streaked face unmarred by sorrow, Izuku declared to both his Idol, All Might and to the world who had spit on him and his dream with a blinding smile
"I accept!".
All Might, now in his true form, smiled and started to reach his hand out to pat his inheritor's shoulder when a sudden crash came from the sky right behind Izuku.
Izuku and All Might turn around to see a curiosly white and gray haired boy come out of the dust kicked up by the forceful landing, walk briskly towards them. And in a manner that seemed very unlike his lithe form, they heard the screams that commenced.
"IZUKU! WHAT! THE FUCK! WERE! YOU! THINKING!"
A.N
Hey guys! Back with the next chapter! Expect weekly updates of about 3-5k words. I just finished story boarding this story through the entire first couple arcs all the way though joint training. This story will have a lot of interesting theorys on the science behind quirks, along with the drama between our three best boys. Plan on ending around 400k words give or take - we'll see when we get there! Probably 1-2 years is my timeline to finish this up. It's gonna be a wild ride! I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter and please leave some reviews so I can touch up my writing. Still un-beta'ed I will keep checking for grammar and spelling, excuse the lack there of!
-EKC
P.S I've story boarded like 200k of it already, you'll be seeing me for atleast another 40 weeks. Bye for now!