Izuku and All Might arrived at the scene, panting hard. Izuku was low on stamina because he hadn't yet recovered from the sludge-villain's attack; All Might was low because he hadn't yet recovered from using his Hero form to its limit. The scene they saw as they arrived was grim.
Civilians were running in all directions, frantically trying to escape the fire that seemed to be burning everything in sight. In the epicenter of the chaos, the very same sludge villain that had escaped All Might was staring down the team of heroes that had responded to the emergency, a child in its slimy grasp. As they arrived, a series of explosions went off near the villain, blowing the heroes back and causing more fires nearby. Izuku paled. Oh no… did the villain grab Kacchan?
Izuku's eyes flitted around the scene. Backdraft is containing the fire, Kamui is grabbing civilians, Death Arms and Mt. Lady look like they want to help but can't, and those two small time heroes don't look like they know how to deal with this; they must be new… the villain keeps redirecting Kacchan's explosions towards the heroes, so he can probably ward them off if they charge at him… Izuku quickly scanned the stats of every hero present to get an idea of their abilities. Backdraft is dextrous, Kamui is well rounded, Death Arms is strong and sturdy, Mt. Lady has high physical stats but can't fit in the alley here, the bird-masked hero is only level 23 but has a flight quirk, and the hero with the orange hair is level 28, has control over the wind and decent stamina...
As Izuku took stock of the situation, All Might grimaced. None of the heroes here are strong enough to beat this villain, not with his unusual quirk and his hostage's explosions keeping them back. Backdraft could do something because his quirk can be used at range, but the fire may go out of control if he tries to fight. I could do something… if… He gripped the scar that was holding him back. If I weren't so weak!
Izuku, as he did in many circumstances, refused to give up. None of the heroes can do anything alone, but a combination attack might work… Backdraft can't be used, but Death Arms has a high enough strength that he could save Kacchan if he had a good grip and something to brace against, and Kamui can dig into the ground to provide that support… he'd be at risk from the fire, but he could do it from farther back and stay relatively safe... but for Death Arms to get to Kacchan he would need to get close to the villain, well within the range of Kacchan's quirk, and the villain would just redirect Kacchan's attacks to ward him off again.
Izuku looked around for anything that could help the two heroes close the distance. The only two options are to block the explosions or to distract the villain so that the heroes can get close without getting hit. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything that would serve as a suitable distraction, and even if there were, how would Izuku communicate this strategy to the two key players? Izuku watched, helpless, as Kamui climbed the side of the nearby building to get civilians out of harm's way, far from where Izuku could get his attention. Things seemed bleak.
Wait, that small time hero could fly, I can use him to pass a message! But still, no distraction was forthcoming. None of the heroes would be able to keep his attention for long because of how little damage they could actually do to the villain. But if nobody could distract him with a physical threat… Wait! The distraction wouldn't necessarily have to pose a threat...
Congratulations! You have discovered the skill "Taunt"!
They would just have to piss the villain off!
Izuku stepped forward, intending to take off towards the front of the crowd, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Kid! What are you doing! Stay here!" All Might wasn't about to let this hero-hopeful run into danger.
Izuku stopped short, eyes wide, his memory of All Might's words coming back to him. I cannot tell you that you can become a hero with your quirk. He looked back at his idol's gaunt, tired face, before looking forward again at Kacchan, struggling against the slimy menace that had been freed by his foolish decision to grab onto All Might's leg. His resolve hardened as Kacchan's eyes looked out into the crowd, eyes filled with anger and more than a little fear. Izuku turned back to the hero beside him.
"I can't just stand by and let this happen! I can help, I know I can help, and I'm not going to stand here and watch when I can do something!" Izuku wrenched his arm from All Might's slackened grip and took off through the crowd, All Might's wide eyes following him. So much courage. So much determination...
Izuku made it to the front of the crowd, yelling to catch the attention of Death Arms and the hero with the flight quirk. "Hey! Flight hero, go get Kamui up there, I know how you guys can win!" The two heroes looked behind them, baffled. This kid has a plan? He shouldn't even be here, it's dangerous.
Izuku waited a moment, but the flying hero stayed firmly on the ground. Izuku grimaced in anger, shouting this time. "We've got no time for this! If you want to save his life-" Izuku thrust his hand at Kacchan, who appeared to be succumbing to the suffocation technique that the sludge villain had used against Izuku, "-please, go get Kamui!"
Startled by the kid's intensity, the flying hero took off, landing on the building where Kamui was perched. "There's a kid down there that says he has a plan, I don't know what he's got, but anything is better than sitting here doing nothing."
Kamui looked down at the crowd, seeing a green haired kid talking to Death Arms and glancing up at Kamui periodically with wide, begging eyes. Turning back to the lesser known hero, Kamui nodded. "Keep an eye on these guys up here, I'll see what he's got."
Dropping down, Kamui looked between the kid and Death Arms. "So?"
Izuku spoke as quickly as he could while still being coherent, one eye fixed to the struggling form of Kacchan slowly being enveloped in sludge. "You use your quirk to dig into the ground and provide something physical for Death Arms to brace on, and Death Arms uses his strength to pull the hostage out of the villain. The villain has to be distracted though, so make sure he's not paying attention to you before you go."
Kamui and Death Arms blinked in confusion. "Distracted? What do you mean- hey!" But that moment of confusion was all Izuku needed. He took off towards the villain at a full sprint, catching the sludge creature's eye.
"Hey, you overgrown pile of sewage! Remember me! It's the one that got away! Your quirk is so weak, a middle schooler got away from it, and now another one is going to as well!" The villain growled as Izuku drew close, manipulating its hostage to direct Bakugo's explosions towards the newcomer. Izuku picked up a fallen billboard nearby and used it as a makeshift shield to block the explosions. Looks like the taunts are working, now I just need to keep its attention on me!
"And what is it with middle schoolers, anyway? What are you, some sort of pedophile? Only interested in 14 year old boys, huh?" Izuku lobbed his bag over his shield as hard as he could, nailing the villain in the eyes and stunning him. "Look at that, you useless blob, I'm basically quirkless and I'm still able to hurt you!" Izuku took the opportunity granted by his throw to run past the villain, reaching the other side of the alley so that the villain's back would be to the heroes.
Congratulations! Your skill "Taunt" has increased to LVL 2!
"You little shit! I'm going to kill you!" The villain once again directed an explosion towards the boy, creating a dangerous concussive force. Izuku didn't have a sign to grab this time, though, and resorted to crossing his arms in front of his face. His defense did little, however, and the explosive force sent him tumbling backwards, hitting his head against the ground hard. The world spun, and Izuku could hear a ringing in his ears. Just a little longer and Kacchan will be free…
Izuku scrambled back to his feet and grabbed some fiery debris near him, wincing as the heat licked at his hands. He flung his makeshift weaponry at the sludge villain, failing to hit him but keeping his attention on him. "I bet-" Izuku's mind went fuzzy as he attempted to taunt the villain, and he was forced to shake it off before he could continue. Shit, I think I have a concussion. It's probably bringing my WIS down…
"I bet I don't even need any help to beat you this time! You just caught me off guard before, now I've got the upper hand because I had time to plan!" Izuku continued to throw fiery debris at the villain, ignoring the blisters that were beginning to develop on his hands.
Congratulations! Your skill "Throw" has increased to LVL 4!
"Enough! I've had enough of you, you little fucking brat! I'm going to turn you into paste with this kid's quirk! I'm going to- Argh!"
Suddenly, two large hands sprouted from the front of the villain's body, closing around the middle schooler trapped within and retreating just as quickly. The villain collapsed for a moment, a giant hole in his middle where a body had been previously, before coalescing and turning to face the heroes that had just stolen his host. Izuku turned and tried to run, but a bout of dizziness struck and he went down hard. Shit! I can't get out of here! It's only a matter of time before the villain-
However, before he knew what was happening, he was no longer lying on the ground. Two arms held him around his chest as his legs dangled in mid-air. "Don't worry, you crazy kid, I've got you."
Izuku looked up at the bird-shaped mask of his savior, briefly registering that the flying hero had rescued him before his eyes fluttered closed.
…
All Might could only watch as this boy, this functionally quirkless boy, coordinated with pro heroes to save the hostage that the villain had taken. He'd been so shocked at the boy's behavior and strategy, he didn't react when the boy was knocked to the ground. He should have stepped in, should have forced himself to use One For All to defeat the villain as he had before, but he had been entranced as the fearless middle schooler had danced around the sludge villain, returning to his feet even after being knocked down and continuing to fight back with nothing but guts and thrown debris.
When he went down for the second time, All Might was jolted out of his trance and tried to help the boy, but the small time hero had beaten him to it. Relief and shame warred within him, relief that he would not be bedridden because he overused his quirk, shame that he had stood back and done nothing to help. I was too caught up in my helplessness, my inability to be strong, that I didn't even bother to try to help by strategizing. I'm too used to simply overpowering villains, and I didn't know how to respond to a situation where I couldn't do that.
That kid… he didn't have much at his disposal, but he used it well. He was heroic to a fault, almost sacrificing himself to make sure the hostage was freed. I don't think I could have found a better candidate to inherit One For All.
All Might watched as Izuku was brought over to an ambulance. He looked beat up, but the impressive power of healing quirks available at the hospital would be more than enough to deal with his injuries. The number 1 hero noted which hospital the boy was going to be treated at, so that he could talk with him after he was discharged. You were right, kid. You'll be a hero some day, and nobody will ever be able to tell you otherwise.
…
Izuku awoke to the plain, sterile environment of a hospital room. His head ached a bit, and his hands felt unusually stiff, but otherwise he felt fine.
Congratulations!
You have earned an assist against a Villain!
Difficulty: Extreme (5 level disadvantage)
Involvement: Medium (10%, 25% of damage dealt)
Bonus: Hostage Rescued
Reward: 600 XP x 10 (Difficulty Bonus) ÷ 2 (Involvement Penalty) = 3000 XP
XP: 680 / 9800 → 3680 / 9800
The notification jogged his memory of the day's events. His two encounters with the same villain, working with Kamui and Death Arms to free Kacchan, and All Might…
He grimaced, remembering All Might's words. He doesn't believe in me, just like everyone else. Izuku looked down, dejected, but grinned a bit anyway. Not that that stopped me from helping save Kacchan.
Izuku perked up suddenly, his thoughts about All Might reminding him that he'd leveled up during his first fight with the villain. Pulling up his stats menu, Izuku took a moment to decide what to spend his new skill points on.
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Level: 12
Title: The Gamer
HP: 2035 / 2100
SP: 2250 / 2250
STR: 87
STM: 90
DEX: 94
VIT: 84
INT: 101
WIS: 115
Unspent Skill Points: 10
Quirk: The Gamer (Provides the Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body Abilities)
Hm… when the villain first found me, I would have been able to escape if I'd had more DEX, and being able to escape or dodge a stronger opponent is very helpful… Izuku put three points into Dexterity. I was also concussed pretty easily from that one bad fall… He put two into VIT. My WIS is the main reason I was able to help Kacchan… Another two were put into WIS. And I have three more points for my three remaining stats. He put one point into STR, STM and INT.
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Level: 12
Title: The Gamer
HP: 2035 / 2100
SP: 2250 / 2250
STR: 88
STM: 91
DEX: 97
VIT: 86
INT: 102
WIS: 117
Quirk: The Gamer (Provides the Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body Abilities)
Izuku smiled, happy to have leveled up. He didn't earn XP very often; he didn't get into fights, and only got occasional XP boosts from 'achievements' like graduating elementary school, so leveling up was a rare treat. It had been over a year since he'd last leveled up, but now he'd not only reached level 12, he was almost a third of the way to level 13. And all I had to do was nearly get murdered by a villain, then rush into danger, get a concussion and nearly get murdered again.
His thoughts were interrupted when the door to his hospital room opened and the doctor walked in, followed by the young Gamer's wide-eyed, worried mother. "Izuku! What were you thinking, rushing into danger like that! When the police knocked on my door and said you were in the hospital because you fought a villain, I nearly had a heart attack!" Ignoring the doctor's protests, Inko Midoriya strode over and crushed Izuku in a hug, tears of worry in her eyes.
Sighing, the doctor shook her head and looked at the boy's chart. "Well, how are you feeling Izuku? Any lingering pain?" The boy nodded a bit, still in his mother's grasp. "I still have a bit of a headache, and my hands feel kind of stiff, but other than that I'm fine."
The doctor nodded. "The headache will likely clear up in the next two hours. Concussions are more difficult to heal than other injuries, even with the quirks at the Hospital's disposal, but we did minimize the damage and reduce the chance of lasting symptoms. If the headache hasn't cleared up by tomorrow, come back for a follow up. Your hands are stiff because of the new skin we grew over the burn areas; it'll stretch out over the next day. If you're feeling alright, I can sign the discharge papers now."
Izuku nodded, eager to leave the sterile confines of his room.
…
The gaunt form of All Might loitered around the patient discharge area of the hospital, reading to pass the time. He didn't know where the boy lived, so if he didn't catch him for a conversation here it would be difficult to find him again. It had only been a couple of hours, so All Might was expecting he would have to wait awhile longer to see the boy, but to his surprise he caught a shock of green hair exiting the door from his peripheral vision. Huh. I guess his injuries weren't as bad as I thought, that's good.
All Might stowed his novel in a back pocket and moved toward the boy, who, he noticed, was walking alongside someone. Probably his mother. She'd be worried about him after that stunt he pulled.
When Izuku caught sight of him, he stopped, eyes widening, before frowning and turning away from him. All Might frowned too, concerned at the boy's reaction to him. Is he upset about my trying to stop him from going after the villain, or about my saying it was too dangerous for him to become a hero?
Inko noticed her son's behavior, before looking over and seeing All Might making his way over. Frowning slightly, she turned to face him. "Can we help you, sir?"
Nodding, All Might moved into Izuku's line of sight. "I'd like to speak to your son for a moment, if you wouldn't mind."
Inko, seeing Izuku continue to avoid the stranger's eye, shook her head. "It looks like Izuku doesn't want to speak with you, so I do mind. We should be on our way now, Izuku needs his rest."
All Might was undeterred. "Are you sure, Izuku? You'll like what I have to say. You impressed me today, and I have a proposition for you." Izuku perked up a bit, and finally looked his idol in the eyes. He didn't know what to think about the proposition, but the fact that he had impressed All Might with his strategy against the villain meant that, just maybe, he would finally have someone's support in pursuit of his dream. And not just anyone, I'll have the support of the number 1 hero! Izuku's excitement was slowly building with just those few words from his idol. "Sure, I'll talk with you All- er, alright."
Izuku's abrupt change in attitude confused Inko quite a bit, but if he wanted to talk with the stranger now, she supposed he could. Clearly they had spoken about something in the past. "Alright Izuku, but I wasn't lying about you needing rest. Try to make it quick."
Nodding again, Izuku followed All Might a short way, until they were out of earshot. "You did well out there, kid. Better than well, actually, you were able to use what you had at your disposal to win where pro heroes weren't able to. There are kids with potential, and then there's you.
"I like to think I'm skilled as a hero, but even I felt helpless faced with that situation. I was too used to thinking and strategizing from a position of power, being able to use my strength to solve any problem and defeat any villain. I didn't even consider stepping in without my quirk at my disposal. But you did, and you beat the villain." He smiled. "That's one more villain under your belt than I had before I received One For All. You're on track to beat my record."
Izuku smiled. "Well, I'm not lucky enough to get a quirk like that as a gift like you did, so I think your record is going to stand for awhile longer."
All Might's smile widened. "Don't be so sure of that, Izuku. I wasn't entirely honest when I told you about my quirk. I wasn't given this quirk by someone with the ability to transfer quirks. That person directly gave me their quirk. And just like him, I have the ability to pass on that quirk to another person."
Izuku's breath caught in his throat, his mouth falling open in shock. Is he saying…!
"That's right Izuku. I've decided that you will inherit One For All. You rushed into danger and put yourself at risk to save another; those are the instincts of a hero. You deserve to inherit my power because you will put it to better use than I or any other user of One For All could. You were right when you told me that you would be a hero and that nobody could stop you. I saw that in your determination today. That is why I will help you on your journey, if you wish. It's up to you, of course."
Tears formed in Izuku's eyes. Not only does he believe in my dream… he's going to help make it a reality. He's going to pass his quirk on to me and give me the power to be a hero. Trembling and overcome with emotion, the young Gamer bowed low to the gaunt man. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I accept!"
All Might nodded at his new protégé, still smiling. "You will not be able to use One For All just yet. Your body is not strong enough to handle it. I will help train you until you are strong enough to handle the power granted by it. Meet me at Dagoba Municipal Beach tomorrow at 7:00 to begin your training."
Izuku nodded, bowing again. "I'll be there!"
All Might continued to smile, watching Izuku rejoin his mother to head home. He will be great someday soon. He will surpass me in every way. I'll see to it.
A/N: I've had an unusually empty schedule these past couple of weeks, which is why I could update as fast as I have been. Since the unusual schedule is gonna stop next week, my next updates will probably be slower, but fear not, because I will continue working on the story regularly.