A/N: Whelp, I'm a bit flabbergasted. I got around 200 visitors to my first chapter, which is really cool, but I'm more than a little shocked that over a quarter of every single person who visited my story followed it. Over 50 follows on 200 visitors. That's amazing to me! Seriously, thank you guys so much for your support.
Izuku stared at the damaged remnants of his hero notebook. I guess Kacchan really isn't happy about me applying to Yuuei… but why? It's not like I'm gonna steal the spotlight from him… not that I even can.
The boy grabbed the book out of the water, scaring away the fish that were nibbling on the charred edges. It looked like most of the damage was only cosmetic; he'd be able to transcribe most of it at home without losing very much. Izuku turned and began trudging his way back home.
I have to just ignore it. I'm stronger and faster than those guys because of my quirk, and I have the determination to be a hero. I'll pass the Yuuei entrance exam for sure. I've just gotta stay focused and ignore what everyone says.
Izuku was too tied up with his thoughts to notice the buildup of sludge behind him until it was already upon him. "Ah, look what we have here… you'll do nicely as my new host."
Izuku's eyes widened at the statement and he whirled around, quickly scanning this new threat that had snuck up on him.
Name: Unknown
Level: 18
Title: Villain
HP: 2100 / 2100
SP: 2275 / 2275
STR: 87 (Quirk Penalty: -25%) = 65
STM: 91
DEX: 95 (Quirk Bonus: +25%) = 119
VIT: 84
INT: 60
WIS: 55
Quirk: Sludge Form (While Transformed: -25% STR, +25% DEX, +75% Dmg Resistance, Allows usage of Sludge techniques)
Shit, he's faster than me, I won't be able to dodge or get away. He's also damage resistant, not that I could do much damage to him anyway… His strength is lower than mine, so I may be able to fight him off, and our staminas are almost the same so he won't be able to outlast me in an even fight… still, I don't know what kind of Sludge Techniques he can use, and those may very well tip the advantage in his favor.
Do I know any skills that could help me in this situation?
Before the villain could initiate an attack, Izuku pulled up his ability menu and skimmed through it quickly, looking for anything he may have overlooked that could help him here.
Abilities:
Hand-to-Hand Combat - LVL 5: The user attacks a target using his hands and feet without a set style or specific training. Higher strength increases damage dealt. When fighting without protective equipment, improper punches or kicks can cause self-injury.
Throw - LVL 3: The user lobs an object in a direction or at a target. Heavy objects can be thrown to damage targets. Strength increases throw distance and maximum weight. Dexterity increases accuracy.
Improvised Weaponry - LVL 2: The user uses anything they can get their hands on to fight. So long as the weapon is sufficiently sharp or heavy, it can be used, though not as well as properly made weapons. Strength increases damage and maximum weight. Dexterity increases weapon handling.
Bluff - LVL 3: The user attempts to convince another person of something that is false. INT increases success rate when the user plans the bluff in advance. WIS increases success rate on the fly. Target WIS decreases success rate.
The boy cursed his lack of formal training. He'd practiced fighting and gotten pretty good, but he hadn't bothered learning anything formal and he would have to fight really well to beat someone with a 75% damage reduction. However, bluffing may give him the opening he'd need to escape, since this villain didn't have a very high WIS and Izuku did.
"Stay back. My quirk is dangerous, I don't want to have to use it on you." Hopefully that would buy him some time. He didn't challenge the villain and provoke combat, but he made it clear that he was dangerous. He saw the sludge man (creature?) pause; it seemed that he was considering Izuku's warning. The young gamer began taking slow, deliberate steps towards the mouth of the tunnel, attempting to project his confidence and reinforce the image he had a quirk to defend himself.
His heart sank, however, when the villain smirked. "There's not much that can hurt me in this form. I think I can risk it." It dashed towards Izuku. Shit! He believed my bluff, but it didn't deter him!
Izuku began to run, hoping to at least get out of the tunnel so that passerbys might be able to see him and call for help. The villain was too close, however, and its 25 extra DEX allowed it to close that distance almost instantly, reaching out with slimy tentacles to try to wrap up and constrict Izuku. The boy was fast enough to knock the first few away with punches, doing slight damage to his villain opponent, but once again the enemy's superior DEX prevailed and Izuku went down.
Status Effect: Constricted (-75% DEX)
Straining his arms and legs against the sludgy tentacles binding him, Izuku attempted to pry his way free of his opponent's grip. He met with some success, but the villain simply created more appendages to wrap around Izuku as he forced his way out of others. Suddenly, the young gamer found sludge tentacles attempting to force their way down his throat, making him gag and obstructing his breathing.
Status Effect: Suffocating (-50 SP per second)
Izuku's eyes widened. The villain was going to suffocate him until he passed out, then do God-knows-what with him after he was helpless, and Izuku had less than a minute to do anything about it! He began to struggle harder, arching his body and straining his arms as hard as he could against the appendages binding him. He managed to free a hand and rip the tentacle from his mouth, taking a gasping breath.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill "Struggle".
Really not the time!
The villain wrapped itself around Izuku's arm, pulling it away and restraining him once again before continuing its attempted possession of him. Izuku tried to continue fighting, but felt his consciousness leaving him as his SP dwindled. No!
However, just as Izuku thought he was going to pass out, a bang from behind him and the villain startled him back to awareness.
"Don't worry, young man…"
The sludge man whirled around, alarmed at the voice. A spark of hope shot through Izuku.
"I am here."
The villain lashed out at the newcomer with a gelatinous arm, hoping for a miracle that wouldn't come. The newcomer dashed forward, and with a mighty roar…
"Texas Smash!"
...sent out a punch that instantly dispersed the viscous villain into mere droplets. The weakened Izuku dropped to the ground, coughing and gagging but safe, as particles of villain dripped down around him.
Izuku quickly checked his own HP and SP. It looked as though the slimy bastard's attacks weren't too harmful, since his HP hadn't gone down too much; however, his SP was hovering around 300 out of his total of 2250. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. Had his savior been a few seconds later, he'd have already been unconscious, and the villain likely would have succeeded in doing… whatever he was going to do. Izuku shuddered unconsciously, before looking up at his savior and running a scan out of instinct.
Name: All Might
Level: 71
Title: Hero
HP: 34.4k / 34.4k
SP: 3778 / 19.5k
STR: 386 (Quirk Bonus: x8, Status Effect Penalty ÷ 2) = 1544
STM: 389 (Quirk Bonus: x8, Status Effect Penalty ÷ 4) = 778
DEX: 330 (Quirk Bonus: x8, Status Effect Penalty ÷ 2) = 1320
VIT: 344 (Quirk Bonus: x8, Status Effect Penalty ÷ 2) = 1376
INT: 292
WIS: 317
Original Quirk: None
Received Quirk: One For All (Allows usage of One For All abilities)
Izuku, still hazy from his near suffocation, took a few moments to really comprehend what he was seeing. Then, several thought flew through his head nearly simultaneously.
I was saved by All Might? Holy cow, his stats are crazy! But what's with the Status Effect thing, and why is his stamina so low? Wait… WHY DOES IT SAY ALL MIGHT HAS NO QUIRK, AND WHAT THE HELL IS A 'RECEIVED QUIRK'?!
The end result of these revelations was Izuku with his jaw just about touching the floor and All Might smiling (more like grimacing) back at him, mildly concerned that the boy's behavior was because of some form of brain damage.
"Hey kid, you alright there? Need me to bring you to the hospital?"
Izuku shook his head mutely, still processing everything. Maybe my quirk is wrong? No, I've scanned people without knowing their quirk and it's been right… so does that mean that All Might wasn't born with his quirk?
The young Gamer's focus returned to reality as All Might waved a hand in front of his face frantically, sweating, now quite worried about the possibility of brain damage.
"Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine…" It was at that moment that Izuku realized, regardless of any quirk quandaries, that this was the legendary, number one hero All Might of all people, his childhood hero, right in front of him, in the flesh, talking to him.
Suddenly, Izuku was a blur of motion, scrambling back in surprise, stuttering over himself, finally regaining the presence of mind to grab his hero notebook and ask the concerned man for his autograph. All Might sighed in relief as he signed the page, glad the kid was just acting that way because he was star struck and not because he was hurt.
"I apologize that you had to get involved, I was enjoying my day off and didn't quite react quick enough when I found the villain." All Might retrieved a bottle of soda from what looked like a plastic shopping bag, quickly chugging it until it was empty before using it to collect the gloopy pieces of villain that were slowly trying to coalesce into a consolidated whole. "However, I thank you for your assistance. If you had not delayed the villain, he would certainly have gotten away!"
A popup flashed in front of Izuku:
Congratulations!
You have earned an assist against a Villain!
Difficulty: Extreme (5 level disadvantage)
Involvement: Low (10% of damage dealt)
Reward: 500 XP x 10 (Difficulty Bonus) ÷ 3 (Involvement Penalty) = 1667 XP
XP: 7713 / 8700 → 680 / 9800
This was followed by another popup:
Congratulations! You are now Level 12! You have 10 unspent skill points!
Izuku shook his head and closed the popups, bringing his attention back to the man who had just saved his life. "Thank you very much, for helping me and for the autograph, I'm a really big fan and I'm really glad to have met you in person and thank you so much for everything and-" He clamped his mouth shut and blushed, he was being a fanboy and embarrassing himself in front of his idol. All Might turned back to him, the villain now collected inside the empty soda bottle. "Alright! I should turn this villain in to the authorities. Thanks again for all of your help."
As the large hero began to limber up, Izuku's face fell. "Wait, you're leaving already? I… I still have things to ask you…" All Might smiled back at him. "I'm sorry, but heroes are always against the clock to stop villains before anyone gets hurt. Now…" He moved out of the tunnel and crouched, sludge-villain securely in his pocket. "I'm off!"
Izuku didn't know why he did it. Maybe he was desperate to hear directly from his idol that he could be a hero, maybe he was still scared from his brush with death and wanted the security that came with proximity to All Might, maybe he was just still rattled from his suffocation and wasn't thinking right. All he knew was that one moment, he was watching All Might crouch, preparing to take off, and the next moment he was clinging onto his leg as the two soared above the city, desperately trying not to fall off.
"Hey! Kid, get off, your fanaticism is starting to get creepy!"
Izuku shook his head. Fighting the air resistance distorting his face, he ground out "I've… got… questions… I want… to ask you…"
All Might sighed and grabbed the kid by the collar so he didn't fall, looking around for somewhere to set down. He grimaced and suppressed a cough, knowing he wasn't going to be able to maintain his One For All form very much longer.
Quickly finding a tall building with an open roof, All Might set down, releasing his grip on the kid's collar. Izuku doubled over, trembling and panting. "Wow… not my best idea… that was scary…"
All Might sighed. "Go on now, kid. The people downstairs will let you out if you ask them. Now, I really don't have time to stay and chat, I have to go."
Izuku perked back up and ran over to All Might. Shit, he can't go now, this is my last chance to ask! "Wait! Please, just tell me. I- my quirk, it's useless against villains, but I want to be a hero! I want to be like you! Is it possible for me to be a hero like you without my quirk?!"
At this, All Might paused. Without a usable quirk? However, right at that moment, a sharp stab of pain shot straight through his abdomen, directly over his scar. Damn. I can't hold my transformation anymore. I hope this kid is trustworthy…
Izuku saw All Might double over in pain and start smoking. "All Might, are you ok?!" Izuku was alarmed; he, like many, thought that the number one hero was invincible, and seeing the man in pain without an apparent cause was unnerving. As Izuku considered what he could do to help, the hero was fully enveloped in an explosion of smoke, which cleared away to show…
A small, emaciated man in baggy clothing scowling at him.
Izuku stiffened in surprise. Was this All Might? Izuku scanned the man with his quirk, greatly confused over this turn of events.
Name: All Might
Level: 71
Title: Hero
HP: 4086 / 4300
SP: 1322 / 2425
STR: 386 (Status Effect Penalty ÷ 2) = 193
STM: 389 (Status Effect Penalty ÷ 4) = 97
DEX: 330 (Status Effect Penalty ÷ 2) = 165
VIT: 344 (Status Effect Penalty ÷ 2) = 172
INT: 292
WIS: 317
Original Quirk: None
Received Quirk: One For All (Allows usage of One For All abilities)
His quirk bonus is gone, and his stamina is even lower than it was earlier… does One For All drain stamina until he can't maintain his stronger form anymore?
"So it was right… it's not a natural quirk?" Izuku murmured quietly, not realizing that he was talking out loud. This time, All Might stiffened in shock. "What was that kid? Where did you hear that!?" All Might tried to grab onto Izuku's lapels to shake him, but doubled over in a coughing fit before he could reach him. Izuku stepped back in surprise.
"N...Nothing, I have a quirk that lets me see… er, well, I see how strong people are, and what their quirks are, among other things… it told me you had no quirk originally but received one, but I didn't believe it, except…"
All Might grimaced. At least he was lucky enough to have a chance to talk to the kid before he went around talking about what his quirk uncovered. If he couldn't convince the boy to keep quiet, it could spell the end for the Symbol of Peace.
"A quirk to tell you what my quirk is. Just my luck. Alright kid, I'll explain, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not your mom, not your neighbor, not you best friend, nobody. Seriously, this is important."
Izuku nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, of course, I would never divulge your secrets like that All Might, regardless of your quirk you're still an amazing hero and I wouldn't betray your trust like that."
The number one hero sighed in relief and sat down against the railing. At least it had been an eager-to-please fanboy that had found out and not someone more difficult to shut up. All Might knew he could avoid telling the whole truth, but even divulging this much could be dangerous.
"Alright. It is true that I was not born with this quirk… it was given to me by someone with a quirk that allowed him to transfer quirks to others. I do not know of anyone else he gave quirks to, and he is no longer alive to ask. This quirk, 'One for All', gave me the ability to boost the strength of my muscles to a massive degree when I activated this power. I used it to become the number one hero, but then…"
All Might lifted his shirt, displaying an ugly scar that covered the entire left side of his torso. Izuku sucked in a breath at the ugly sight, before letting out an 'Oh' of understanding when he realized just what the status effect he'd seen in All Might's stats meant. All Might chuckled, then coughed, bringing up another trickle of blood. "Ah. I suppose your quirk told you something about this, then?"
Izuku nodded shakily, unnerved that the number one hero was still number one after suffering such a nasty looking injury. "Not much… it just said that some of your stats were a fraction of what they should be because of a 'status effect', which would be that injury, I suppose."
All Might's eyebrows raised slightly. "Stats? As in video game stats?"
Izuku chuckled and nodded, blushing. "Yea, my quirk makes the world look like a video game to me… it's called the Gamer quirk."
Chuckling again, All Might inquired, "So, what level am I then?"
The young Gamer choked a little on his spit. "W-what?"
Laughing outright and hacking up blood (which alarmed Izuku quite a bit), All Might spread his arms wide. "Did you think I was totally ignorant of video games? I can only work as a hero for three hours a day, I need something to help me pass the time."
Izuku frowned in concern. Only three hours a day… Shaking his head, he returned to All Might's original question. "You're level 71, a good 20 levels above anyone else I've scanned. It's very impressive."
All Might grinned. "Indeed…" His smile faded as he trailed off. "About your question. Heroes risk their lives every time they go into battle. I smile to ward off the fear in my heart every time I put my life on the line, because even being as strong as I am, I may encounter someone who is able to hurt me, to outlast me, to beat me, to kill me. Someone who cannot use their quirk to fight… the danger is too great. I cannot tell you that you can become a hero with your quirk. I'm sorry."
Izuku's head hung down. This was his hero, his idol, telling him that he won't be able to be a hero. The boy grit his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. Everyone has always told me I couldn't be a hero… so why should this be any different? "Everyone has always told me that I'm weak, that I'm quirkless, that I can't be a hero. I never cared what they said, and I don't care what you say. My quirk lets me get stronger, so I'm gonna get stronger. I'm gonna work hard until I'm strong enough to be a hero, and neither you nor anyone else can tell me otherwise. One day, I'm going to be the one saving people with a smile."
Izuku barely registered that he'd switched from thinking to speaking aloud, or that he'd been getting louder. Tears ran down his cheeks as he let out his frustration and anger from years of disparaging remarks, disbelief and pity. "I'm going to be a hero no matter what! I don't care how dangerous it is! I don't care how hard I have to work! I won't let anyone stop me from reaching my dream!"
All Might stared at the boy… the young man… whose eyes were shining with a fire that he'd only ever seen once before, in the eyes that stared back at him in the mirror. Perhaps…
But time was running short. He would think on this more at another time. He still needed to bring the villain to the police…
Wait, the villain! All Might checked his pockets, but couldn't find the bottle anywhere. Damn! It must have slipped out when I was dealing with the kid!
Izuku saw All Might check his pockets, and his eyes widened, realizing the same thing that All Might did. Suddenly, both of their eyes were drawn to a large cloud of smoke rising in the distance. Shit!
A/N: Right now, things are following canon pretty close, but that's mostly because of the events leading up to Izuku getting One for All (he has to be in that tunnel to get attacked, he has to get attacked to meet All Might, he has to cling to All Might to talk with him about his dream and for the villain to get loose, etc.) Things'll start to get more interesting and more independent of canon in a couple chapters. Thanks for reading, and feel free to flame.