Just like the Gigantic Villain that decimated the downtown buildings of Musutafu, this villain appeared out of seemingly nowhere. That in itself was an overstatement. Instant villains had died down in occurrence a few years back. But to a concerned onlooker, a jaded drunk, or in this case, a wide-eyed middle schooler, any sort of villain attack felt like a very special thing. But a villain made of literal sewage water emerging from the manhole cover below you might make you think less critically about a dangerous situation.

The villain was huge and smelled vile, but most importantly of all, he was standing in front of a new potential host. The scrawny green haired boy stopped his sniffling as soon as he saw the criminal practically materialize in front of him. A charred notebook was clutched in his shaking hands. Their height difference was very noticeable, since most middle schoolers didn't stand above seven feet tall. Though, there had been that eight foot tall primary school student that made local news a few years back. Nevertheless, the two stood staring at each other motionless, all but the writhing layers of filth that encompassed the sludge villain's body.

"You'll do, I just need to lay low for a while." His voice was grime incarnate, any stereotype the boy had held about villains was reaffirmed in that very moment. The villain's eyes were haphazardly placed on the sides of his head and his mouth was agape, a drool and sludge hybrid oozing onto the ground below. He looked the mortified student up and down, his dirty yellow sclera and red irises analyzing him without focus. "Yes, yes, you'll do just fine."

The boy turned tail and ran away, sprinting faster than he'd ever had before in his life. Each foot that pounded against the ground sent a burst of reverberations through Midoriya's body. Each one motivated him to move faster. While a martyr could inspire people, especially in the heroic community, you couldn't make much change if you were dead. But alas, the villain was faster, and in one fell swoop engulfed his whole body in its grime. The ooze was shockingly warm and just as strong. It pried open his mouth even as he tried his best to keep it closed. The menace forced its way down his throat and through his nostrils slowly, working as though it was a delicate process.

I can't breathe. I can't breathe! Izuku Midoriya thought. The muck was burning away at his insides, slowly seeping its way into his body. He hadn't even realized he was crying, but some of the villain must've been leaking out of his eyes, because the tears hurt like hell. Nonononono-No! This can't be happening, thi-this can't be it! His esophagus was almost fully coated in the slime and the villain used what parts of his body that weren't in Midoriya's to wrap around his chest, constricting his lungs even more.

"Come on, kid, stop resisting. You know you can't win." The villain said, he sounded almost smug. As though winning a fight against a middle schooler was impressive in any way.

Midoriya scraped at the villain's liquid body, his hands covered in it and doing nothing to stop the slow and agonizing process.

No, please! I haven't done enough! I still haven't become a hero yet! Kacchan! Mom! Anybody, please! I don't deserve this!

"Oh shut up, kid."

When the villain spoke, Midoriya heard it out loud and in his head, the villain must've made his way into his brain somehow. "Almost done, don't worry, kid. You look like you'll make it to the pearly gates okay. Or not, who cares."

He couldn't feel his fingers anymore, just cold nothing. His ears were practically frozen over, or that's what it felt like at least. It felt like his eyes were gonna pop out of their sockets.

No-

"What do you think about All Might?" The interviewer asked. This was her big break, getting to interview prospective heroes, up-and-comers, and some of the highest rank heroes in all of Japan about their Number 1. It was all for a celebration special about him joining the staff of UA High School. The announcement wasn't going to be made for a while, but the network figured it'd be better to get interviews out of the way. Maybe there would be some heroic pearls of wisdom the pros and people looking towards the sky could give her. If she were lucky, they'd like her and keep interviewing heroes personally. Yeah, that gig would be the dream.

"Well, he's the Number 1 Hero in Japan. He's the reason I wanted to be a hero, hell he's probably the reason everyone wants to be a hero. Symbol of Peace, Greatest Hero of All Time."

- Slidin' Go

"He's too loud, and draws too much attention. But he gets the job done." - Eraserhead

"He's a force of nature at this point." - No. 5 Edgeshot

"Oh, you're asking me about All Might? W-well I don't see him often, but during our meetings he seems like a really nice man. Pays well to be him- his assistant I mean!" - All Might's Personal Assistant, Toshinori Yagi

Endeavor didn't leave a comment.

"Oh yeah. Shigaraki introduced me to the guy once. It was awesome! It's like he's just made of justice and hope. I took a sneak peak into his mind and it was the most wonderful thing I've seen in a while. Like, it's insane." - Clairvoyant

"I don't think anyone will ever be able to match his level of effectiveness. Crime rates are down, everything is just better with him around." - Gunhead

"He seems like a great guy. I've never met him in person before, but I've heard some nice things. Heh, who am I kidding. If the rest of us are heroes, he's the only superhero." - No. 3 Hawks

"I think he does more emotionally than physically, y'know? Emotionally he's helped a lot of us out, even those that haven't met him before. But even saying that, he does some amazing heavy lifting." - UA Recommendation Candidate, Setsuna Tokage

"He's amazing. Much better than my father, at least." - UA Recommendation Candidate, Shoto Todoroki

"My company has reached out to help make him a support item, but he declines every time. I'm not much for backing down on a challenge, but for him I've made an exception. Honestly, I don't think he needs it anyways. What could strike him down?" - Rikiya Yotsubashi, CEO of Detnerat

"He's irrational and irresponsible, but he has a good heart. Sometimes I wish he thought more before throwing himself into the fire. But then I guess he wouldn't be All Might." - Sir Nighteye

"If I could be as famous as him one day that would be wonderful. But sometimes I think it might be super stressful at the top, y'know? Like all of the nation watching you every second you're out there? Kinda scary. But hey, he's All Might. If anyone could do it, it's him." - Mt. Lady

"He's something special, that kid." - Gran Torino

The interviewer had never seen so many heroes united on one fundamental idea, aside from the preservation of justice and peace, of course. Once the day was over, she was left with a certain unique feeling, one she'd never felt before. It was confidence in someone else, confidence that didn't waver. All Might truly did save everyone.

In an instant, it was over. It felt strange for a moment. Immense pain doesn't suddenly subside, but its absence creates a new kind of discomfort. As though even the unlikeable, still becomes a constant, and when it's gone it feels strange. Midoriya hadn't blacked out, but he certainly felt like he did. A behemoth of a man in a simple white cotton shirt and beige cargo pants stood before him. His face was muscular beyond comprehension and undeniably the Symbol of Peace. Midoriya's thoughts raced, piecing together what he saw before himself. His idol, the man he dreamed of meeting, being, surpassing! He was standing right before him, bathed in afternoon sunlight. Immediately, and somewhat alarmingly, the thoughts of his previous assault left Midoriya like they'd never been there to begin with.

"Are you okay, young man?" All Might said, his voice booming.

"Oh-uh-yes, I am! All thanks to you, of course." Midoriya said, stammering. If he wasn't already on the ground, he would be bowing. I can't forget! Midoriya whipped out his ashen notebook. "Can you sign my-! Oh my God he already did! Thank you, it'll stay in my family for generations, it'll be our heirloom!"

All Might chuckled. "Well I'm glad one of my fans is alright! I hope this nasty villain didn't do you too bad!" All Might held up two bottles with the villain inside of them, compacted and looking very uncomfortable. Midoriya felt a sick sense of satisfaction at the fact his prior assailant had been captured, and a feeling of dread washed over him as he recalled what had just transpired. Also, a hint of claustrophobia at watching the villain squirm in the pair of two liter bottles. Curious how he could still retain brain function whilst split up.

A hint of thin steam poured from All Might's mouth, something Midoriya was too busy thinking over the situation to notice. "Well," He coughs, "I must be on my way, young man! I hope you stay safe!" And with that, All Might readied himself to jump away, his squat generating so much potential energy the ground shook slightly.

No! This time, somehow, Midoriya had more conviction than when fleeing from his attacker. I've got to ask him! Midoriya leaped forward, latching onto his hero as he blasted away. I've got to ask him the question!

"No, you cannot be a Hero."

Today was definitely one of the most volatile days of Midoriya's life. Mundanity, stress, elation, and then despair. All of those emotions weighed down on the boy, like chains anchoring him to some longed-for future. But there was another presence, a more malicious thought crept into his mind. It's not fair. I don't deserve this. I deserve better. He tried his best to dispel them, let the intrusive thoughts dissipate, but to no avail. They lingered. He sighed. "All Might's right, I should just become a police officer," He sighs, "let the Hero dream die."

Silent tears spilled down his face. He'd never truly accepted the facts of the situation, and the weight of his decade-long diagnosis hit him like a semi-truck. Anyone in the vicinity could hear his somewhat muted gasps of air as he sobbed. "I wanted- I wanted to be a Hero so bad." He stared up into the setting crimson sky. "I just wanted to make a difference. What's wrong with me?!" Midoriya sighed, utterly defeated. The spark in him has almost extinguished. It would take some sort of miracle. A series of events so unlikely that he'd be better off wishing on a star for a quirk than for them to happen, to take place in order for his heroic dreams to be a reality. But for now, Midoriya would have to take some solace in the fact he could probably beat All Might in a fight.

"I don't feel like going around Bakugo's gang today,'' he muttered. "I'll just take the shortcut home. Avoid everyone for now, I need it." Those thoughts of evacuation would have to take a backseat. Some smoke and unnaturally bright light caught Midoriya's eye and his perceptive nature kicked in. In the distance, he heard an unusual battlecry, one he recognized all too well. Something was happening downtown. Despite his current state of mind, his Hero analysis brain kicked in and he rushed to the scene. Just a curious onlooker and nothing more.

"The one time it'd be really useful to have a mind reading quirk and Clairvoyant is nowhere to be found." Shigaraki muttered to himself. This time, he was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, trying to get to the scene in time. The fire and villain attack combined had people fleeing from the fight in droves, so the roads weren't a viable option. This situation wasn't his strong suit. Conflict resolution didn't come easy for someone who never properly resolved their own conflicts. If an actual fight was to come, Shimura didn't know if he could safely take the threat down. Tonight, he'd probably be nothing more than a glorified police officer, holding overzealous and concerned civilians back. He sighed. Whatever helps.

Just as he predicted, heroes were surrounding the threat. A filthy green mass surrounded what seemed to be a normal person. "Is that the Sludge Villain from earlier?" Why are so many Heroes here to deal with one man? The radios had said he's been taken into custody and All Might wasn't one for lying about his villain captures. "What happened?" BOOM! "Looks like that kid is putting up a good fight," one of the surrounding buildings creaked as a response. "Maybe too good. He's gonna tear down the whole block." Shigaraki was stationed on top of a three story building, watching the commotion below. "Best I could do is hold back some rowdy people." Shigaraki looked over at the exploding pile of writhing sludge and volatile flesh. I don't know if I could decay something liquid like that. If I touched that kid I'd hurt him worse."

"I'll just wait to engage, provide support from the backlin-"

Shigaraki's train of thought was derailed as a green haired boy burst through the protective layer of Heroes. The hell? His body registered the potential danger in that situation before his mind did. Like he was a puppet on some strings, Shigaraki flung himself towards the kid, before he could get himself and everyone hurt. Three years of training at UA made the descent from the rooftop easy, the hard part would be grabbing the kid in time. While he was falling, he bit at the tip of his left glove and ripped it off his hand. He reached the ground about a meter behind the kid, but didn't waste any time.

When I try to decay a large area of an object at once, it isn't as clean. Most of the time it just breaks into smaller pieces. But right now, that's perfect.

He planted his exposed left hand on the road, the asphalt warm to the touch. His Decay spread throughout the ground in front of him, trying to disintegrate the entire road. But it was too large. Even then, the ground splintered before his power, breaking the road into multiple large and, importantly, uneven chunks. The ground was uneven enough for the green haired boy to trip, sending him straight into the road. Before he could get up and continue his suicide mission, Shigaraki wrapped his right arm around the boy, holding him in place.

"No! Kacchan!" The kid shouted, squirming in Shigaraki's grip.

It was hard to keep the kid back without the help of his left arm, but he was managing. "What're you doing, kid?! You can't win against that! Let the Pros do our thing!"

What am I saying? I mean that was practically a death wish, but it's more than what us other Heroes were doing.

"Let go! Let go! I need to save him!" The kid tossed a burnt and beaten up notebook forward, but his arms collapsed in defeat before he was done, sending the notebook barely any distance. Shigaraki was inching backwards slowly, but by now the two were already in the Sludge Villain's view. It wasn't a pretty sight from afar, but up close it looked even worse. A blonde teenager, no older than the one Shigaraki was holding back, was struggling against a monster made of sewage. The villain was puppeting his body from the outside, wrapped around his torso and arms, trying to sway them towards the crowd.

If I was in that audience, I'd have sprung forward too.

Time was running out, both Shigaraki and the sludge villain were trying to move towards the other heroes. Shigaraki looked back at his coworkers, all of them were frozen in indecision. They were clearly E or D level heroes, better at local upkeep and sidekick work than real conflict. His options were grim. Let the kid go to buy time, but have a definite casualty. Use his other hand to fight back, but risk hurting another civilian. Shit.

He looked past the heroes, into the audience of concerned onlookers. He scanned the audience, desperately looking for some trump card. A one in a million something that could turn the tide of the fight. Wait, is that? An alarmingly skinny man with faded blonde hair and two decrepit bunny ears hanging over his obscured royal blue eyes. He looked like any normal person at a glance, but Shigaraki knew that figure hid much more power than it seemed.

Uncle Might! What're you waiting for?

The mass of sludge lunged forward to attack Shigaraki, three arm-like apertures appearing with sharpened fingers. Shigaraki desperately shoved out his left hand, ungloved in all of its glory to defend himself and the boy. Forgive me. I'm sorry, I really am!

Toshinori Yagi watched as the Sludge Villain he thought he captured roamed free, consuming another innocent child. He clenched his fists in rage. All Might can't help, I don't have any time left! The spark inside his chest was withering away, One for All only had a few years left before it would disappear. Right now he was just Yagi, another helpless bystander, destined to just watch the conflicts from a distance. One in seven billion. His defeated glance darted between all the heroes protecting him and the other onlookers, if only All Might could come. "When will All Might come?" They all thought. When will our Symbol of Peace arrive and make the bad things disappear? I'm sorry to disappoint you.

Wait? Young Tenko? His distressed state, eyes locked on Yagi. How long had he been there? He was down in the fight, risking his life to do what even All Might wouldn't. What's that he's holding? A kid?! Not only that, but he was also protecting someone else! This isn't how it's supposed to be! All I need is five minutes. Nana, please. Just give me five more minutes! For him!

"What do I think of All Might? Hmm, he's definitely saved me more times than I can count. But I think he's a really great guy. Even just being there can make everyone around him feel safer. I just hope every Hero can do that one day, inspire someone like how All Might inspires all of us." - Shigaraki

Yagi's appearance shifted faster than anyone could see, he leapt forward and did his due diligence. One for All pounded through his chest like a roaring forest fire. Letting him think faster than anyone alive. The rush of strength was harder to do every time, but his state of mind was never better. Knowing he could bring peace of mind, make someone feel better by just existing, made his job easier. But the fear, the constant fear that his strength was being devoted to the wrong things at the wrong time, that something else was happening halfway across Japan that he could be helping with ate at him. But, now he was needed. And he would protect his family. He moved himself in between the Sludge Villain and his protege, its feeble attacks bouncing off his titanium skin like they weren't there to begin with.

"Hello there, it seems I'm a little late to the party, hahaha!" His voice boomed and silenced all worries within the crowd and the Heroes. All Might looked at Shigaraki, then at Midoriya. Both boys could see All Might was straining himself. Steam was visible but hard to see, seemingly mixing with the fire's smoke. His smile twitched only a little, a minute imperfection in his chiseled physique. He beamed with his great big smile. "Now!"

The sludge villain's disgusting eyes widened. "No!"

"Detroit," the iconic words hung in the air and it was as if everyone in a one-mile radius heard the brazen hero's battle cry.

There we go. Shigaraki thought. It was always amazing to watch it in action.

"SMASH!"

It was gone faster than it started, the sludge villain exploded, blasting its dirt and grime all across the surrounding buildings. The mucky green ooze dripped unconsciously; the threat entirely dispelled. Then like a messiah calling upon the will of God, rain poured from some newly arrived storm clouds. Any and all of the surrounding fires were dispersed as the rain droplets soothed the issues of the concerned passerby. All Might truly was a force of nature, something not to be trifled with under any circumstances. Any and all who dared challenge him lost before they started, his power was absolute, and his will was indomitable. Nobody won against him. Nobody beat the Number One.

All Might had long since leaped away from the fight, probably to decompress somewhere less public. That only left the now bored onlookers, a group of heroes, and two somewhat traumatized teenagers. The legion of indecisive heroes surrounded Bakugo, parading around him like he was so strong. So amazing for resisting the pull of the sludge menace. Shigaraki was relegated to reprimanding Midoriya for his foolishness. Maybe in another world the green haired boy could've distracted the villain long enough for All Might to appear. But that wasn't the case.

Midoriya sat on the ground more defeated than he was before. His head, usually held high and proud, was low and null. His last chance, the last push of his heroic aspirations had manifested to help Kacchan and he failed.

"Hey," Shigaraki held out his gloved hand to the green haired boy. "I know you were trying to do what was right, sigh. But you have to think sometimes, you can't just throw yourself at danger hoping it'll help. That's not justice that's suicide. C'mon, let's get you hom-"

"Shut up."

"What?"

"I told you to shut up."

Midoriya looked up at Shigaraki, his eyes full of raw hatred. Tenko had never seen that look before in somebody. He'd seen determination in other heroes on the brink of a loss. He'd seen mourning and sadness when consoling traumatized civilians. He'd even seen fear open up pits in someone's heart deeper than any underwater cavern. Hell, he'd even felt it himself, more times than he could count. But a rage that primal, directed at him? A hero that'd saved the kids life? That was an unexpected development. A deep sadness had stung the boy, and it was turning into rage at an uncontrollable rate.

It's not fair. One damn pinkie joint is all that stood in the way between me and that. I could do better; me I could do better if I was just given the resources! If somebody just gave me a chance instead of looking at me like dead weight! I know everything there is to know about quirks, I could, I should do better. I will.

Tears dripped down his face and he stood himself up, a new conviction coursing through his veins. His aspirations were stiil heroic, but far beyond anything he'd thought of before. Mud and some leftover smudge smeared on his knees, dirtying his pants. It's his fault. It's his fault I couldn't impress All Might. If he'd just seen me. If he'd just seen me do something amazing, I could've done SOMETHING! But it's all. His. FAULT!

"Don't talk to me like I'm some dumb kid. I'd be a better hero than you any day."

With a newfound confidence the kid walked over to his crippled notebook and swiped off some of its grime. He looked back at the decay hero. He swiped his backpack off the ground and walked off.

Shigaraki just stood there, shocked.

"The fuck?"

Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of actual Shigaraki content this chapter. But I figure since last chapter was straight nonstop exposition, changing the perspective would be a nice breath of fresh air. Plus, morally dubious Deku is always fun to read about, right? Hope so at least.