CHAPTER 3: A FATEFUL MEETING

A year passed, and we were in our second year of middle school. Deku used to be picked on by people other than Hozuki for being Quirkless, but everyone in the class was careful to beware after word of my display of power got around the class. I was always with him and immediately shot down any attempts to pick on him once I learned about it.

He was like the brother I never had in this life. I had a brother in the previous life, but this was different. Deku was someone I could spar with and maintain geeky conversations about Heroes and whatnot with.

Anyways, we were on our way to school when we heard something crashing a couple streets over. I glanced at Deku who was glancing back at me with a shared goofy grin. We both knew what that was.

A Villain fight.

We ran down the street and around the corner, entering a canopy of cherry trees. Once we exited, we looked up to see a huge Villain with purple hair and a face that somewhat resembled the front of a submarine.

I had to contain myself as we approached the front of the formed crowd. Today was the day. No, not the first opening theme of My Hero, though that is pretty amazing.

You see the sunrise, a new day's upon you-

Dangit, focus! Curse you Nathan Sharp and your amazing song covers.

This was the day that Deku would meet All Might.

We overheard some of the people in the crowd talking about what happened to get to this point, but I didn't care. I kept my eyes on the skies, anticipating the arrival of a certain wooden hero.

"Look! Over there!" One of the onlookers pointed to a different spot. My eyes turned to that area as I heard Deku gasp.

"It's Kamui Woods! The young rising star!" He took out his notebook, ready to take notes on Kamui's fighting style.

I nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty agile and hard to hit. A good matchup for large unwieldy types like giants."

A guy with what appeared to be four-pointed stars growing out of his head turned to us. "A commentary on the fight and big grins, I know what the pair of you are. You're fanboys."

Deku averted his eyes as I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Yeah, kinda."

The man himself was swinging around the Villain before landing on a subway tunnel and reeling back an arm.

"Destruction of public property and the use of your Quirk during rush-hour traffic. You are the incarnation of evil."

"Here it comes! The Pre-Emptive Binding Lacquer Chain Prison!" Deku was scribbling furiously, glancing between the fight and his notebook really fast.

I glanced at Deku as I heard something slowly getting bigger coming towards us from the distance. I grabbed his shoulder. "Do you hear that?"

Deku stopped before he heard it too. "Something big. This guy's working alone as a purse snatcher, so who-"

"CANYON CANNON!" A large figure struck down the Villain mere seconds before the Lacquer Chain Prison made contact, slamming him to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it was an even bigger Hero. Mt. Lady had just made her debut.

I nudged Deku. "Get a blank page ready good buddy, I sense you have a new Hero to… observe…"

I tapered off at the realization that Deku was two steps ahead of me, a simple drawing of the woman's Hero Costume already present on the page as well as a couple notes, and he was in the process of adding more, his muttering at full blast. I read over his shoulder as he wrote, offering my own two cents here and there.

The star-headed guy spoke again. "Taking notes, eh fanboys? Do you two plan to become heroes?"

I simply nodded while Deku had a big smile. "Yes! More than anything!"

I glanced at my watch. "Come on then Hero, we're gonna be late for school."

It was the final class of the day. I was wrapping up a different drawing I was doing of the pro hero Hawks when I heard the teacher walk in.

I looked up. The teacher grabbed a pile of papers from his desk angrily. "I'm supposed to hand out these career aptitude papers, but…"

I worked on the assignment from earlier that day to keep myself from geeking out. The teacher was going on and on about hero careers as if they were the only ones whilst everything else got only a passing mention. Nothing of value there really.

What was important was the events that led All Might to give One For All to Deku. I knew I had to stay out of it as much as possible, otherwise it might go differently or not happen at all. On a related note, Deku has gotten stronger thanks to sparring with me, but Dagobah Beach would still take a while to clean up, so that part in and of itself probably wouldn't change a whole lot.

At the end of the day, when everyone else had all but cleared out, Deku walked over.

"Hey Kacchan. Want to hang out? Knowing you, you did the homework assignment during his 'lecture' on career aptitude."

Sarcasm? He must have picked that up from me, though he doesn't particularly like this teacher. Actually, come to think of it, he's a lot more confident compared to his original timeline counterpart. Sure, he's still nervous and is a big crier when he does, but he's not quite as bad.

"Sorry, got something to do today. Maybe tomorrow."

Deku nodded. "All right, next time then."

Deku POV

I was taking the usual route home, unusually quiet since Kacchan was usually there to make conversation with. Dad's still working abroad, but at least Mom will always be there at home.

Mom… when I told her I was going to be a Hero like All Might despite being Quirkless, she did what she could to dissuade me at first, outright forbidding it at one point, but if there's one thing Kacchan taught me, aside from a few tricks for fighting, it's that heroes don't give up. Eventually, Mom decided she wouldn't stop me, wanting to love and support me regardless of who I became, though she did pick up the habit of stress eating. I wonder if Dad would feel the same way? I don't even remember him, so it could go either way.

A lot of people still look down on me for being Quirkless though. Kacchan usually shoots down the outright mockery, but I can still feel it in their stares. It's usually something between pity or disdain, especially when I say I want to be a Hero.

I don't care what they say, I'm going to be a Hero!

But, is it even possible? I mean, will the Hero Course at UA even accept me without a Quirk? Can I even get a license? I don't know, but I'm going to try.

Wait… what's that sound?

I glanced behind me to see some sort of sludge forming behind me before a pair of yellow eyes protruded and a mouth formed. A Villain? Here?

"A perfect skin suit for hiding." A… a what? I turned to run, knowing my combat skills would be useless against someone I can't solidly hit, but it was useless.

The Villain surrounded me, almost cocooning me before it began to force itself through my throat and nose. Can't… breathe…

He had a bizarre grotesque smile as he continued his assault on me. "Don't worry kid, I'm just taking over your body. It'll be easier for both of us if you don't fight back. It will only hurt for a minute. You'll feel better soon."

I can't...breathe… I tried struggling, to pull at it, but it was no use. This can't be the end, it can't be!

But the Villain just laughed. "Grab all you want, my body's made out of fluid. Thanks for the help. You're a real hero to me, kid. I didn't know he was in the city. I gotta get out of here fast before he tracks me down."

I was beginning to black out, scared out of my mind. So much so that I almost didn't notice a person at the end of the tunnel.

"FEAR NOT CITIZEN, HELP HAS ARRIVED!"

The Villain contorted to get a better look. "Oh crap!"

"TEXAAAS SSMAAASH!"

The Villain was blown off my body and my airways were cleared too thanks to the wind burst. With nothing else to support me, I fell to the ground and fainted.

I regained consciousness to the feeling of someone gently slapping my face.

"HEY THERE! WAKE UP! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

I opened my eyes and the immediately bugged out when I saw who it was. "A-All Might! I'm not dreaming am I?... wait, where's the Villain?"

A booming laugh resounded from the Symbol's mouth as he held up a two-liter soda bottle. "HAVE NO FEAR CITIZEN! I HAVE CAPTURED THE VILLAIN!"

I stood there in awe before I remembered something. My notebook, where was it? I had to get an autograph. I picked it up from where it lay on the pavement and flipped through to find he had filled two pages with it! I bowed deeply to him.

"Thank you so much! This will be a family heirloom!"

The blonde giant turned to leave. "IT'S BEEN FUN TALKING YOUNG MAN, BUT I HAVE TO TURN THIS VILLAIN INTO THE POLICE!"

I nodded before stopping myself. Kacchan may have been encouraging me, and Mom is supportive of me as well, but I need to know from an unbiased source. "Wait, I need to know-"

"FAREWELL YOUNG MAN!" All Might prepared to jump away, so I reacted fast. Just as he lifted off, I grabbed hold of his leg. I couldn't let him go without asking my question.

The wind pushed my face back as I held on for dear life. I hadn't gone this fast since the skateboard incident where Kacchan tried to propel us both while standing on one board with his Quirks when we were 11. That didn't end well once we were shooting down a hill with no brakes.

All Might glanced down as he realized I was there. "WHY DID YOU GRAB ON? LET GO, YOUNG MAN!"

"I'll fall to my death if I let go now!"

"AH, YOU'RE RIGHT!"

With that he changed trajectory, aiming to set us down on a rooftop. I braced for impact as All Might skidded to a halt on the roof.

"THAT WAS VERY DANGEROUS YOUNG MAN!"

I nodded. "All Might, I need to ask you. Is it possible for me to be a Hero even if I don't have a Quirk?!"

He was turning to leave and stopped in his tracks.

I began talking about how much I wanted to be a hero like him, unaware of the cloud of steam that was forming in front of me. When I finally looked up, I saw a man who could only be described as a living skeleton, at the sight of which I let out a scream.

"You deflated?...an imposter!" I charged at the fake All Might, readying a roundhouse kick to take a shot at the duplicate. If this guy was impersonating All Might, he could get away with any number of crimes to try and tarnish All Might's image! I can't let that happen!

He raised his arms in defense, his dark eyes widened. "Kid, I'm All Might!"

"Liar!" I threw the kick, which he sidestepped, causing me to kick the guardrail, which hurt like a jerk.

"Ow ow ow! Ugh..."

As I leaned on the guardrail, I kept talking, trying not to let the pain show through. "If you really are All Might, what happened to your physique?"

He sighed. "You know how guys suck it in at the pool to look buff? It's kinda like that."

I gaped. He was being honest. Kacchan taught me how to spot a liar, but his eyes… they portray someone speaking the truth. There was no way this was happening, this had to be a joke. "But then, why are you like this? Why not stay in your muscle form?"

He reached for his shirt and pulled up one side of it, revealing the angry red scar that lay beneath. I was horrified. Someone did that to All Might?

"Pretty gross right? Half my respiratory organs were destroyed, and I lost my whole stomach. Now I can only do hero work for three hours a day."

I gaped. "This can't be happening. All Might's a giant of a man who saves everyone with a smile."

All Might coughed up blood, causing me to reel back a bit. "Hang on, I have a first aid kit in my bag."

He waved me off, wiping his mouth. "I appreciate the concern, but there's nothing you can do. I've had countless surgeries, I doubt you would be able to help me."

He looked off to the horizon. "I'm supposed to be the big Symbol of Peace, but the truth is, I smile to hide the fear inside."

He looked me in the eye then. "But to answer your question, do I think you can be a Hero without a Quirk? No,it's not possible."

I thought I heard a far-off woosh. It was the sound of my dream being sucked out the window. "I've trained so hard, and you're telling me it's impossible?"

All Might nodded. "Without a Quirk, you just wouldn't cut it. If you still want to help against Villains, you could join the police. Sure, they get a bad rap because heroes deliver the Villains to them, but it's a fine profession."

I stared at the ground as he began walking towards the door. So all my work and sparring with Kacchan was for nothing? Was he really giving me false hope? I turned to see that All Might had already gone, and saw an explosion in the distance.

I ran to the door. Who was going to be there-

"Do I think you can be a Hero without a Quirk? No, it's not possible."

I stopped in my tracks before I started walking again at a slower pace. What's the point now?

My POV (Several minutes earlier…)

I knew things had to go according to script, otherwise Deku wouldn't get One For All, and too much depended on that happening. So I wandered around alleyways in the Tatooin shopping district, kicking random bottles.

I mean hey, you gotta start somewhere, and this was the place the Sludge Villain would fall.

I saw the bottle with the Sludge Villain in it about half an hour into my walk. I took a deep breath.

Canon Bakugou almost died, so it stands to reason I would too. But at the same time, Deku would try to save me, right? Which would make All Might save me by way of inspiration?

No time to think, it's time to act. To make a sacrifice and keep the timeline on track. My eyes hardened as a shiver ran up my back.

Why the heck am I rhyming? Anyways… for the future!

I ran at the bottle and punted it as hard as I could before I could think too much more about it. It bounced off a lamp-post, opening and releasing the sludge villain.

"Perfect! I like a skin suit with some fire!"

I raised my hands, ready to fight, knowing the futility of it. "Not if I can help it."

The villain laughed maniacally before engulfing me.

I fired off explosions like mad, trying to keep the villain at bay. I couldn't find time to concentrate Sword Skill into my hands to boost Explosion or grip the kunai I always kept on me and use it through that, so an unboosted Explosion was my only option.

The explosions didn't repel the villain as I'd tried to. It just kept coming, engulfing me as I fought. I struggled with all my strength and used my Quirk to try and scatter him.

Deku POV (Present time)

Even All Might said a Hero needs a Quirk.

I rubbed at my eyes, which were beginning to water.

Don't cry dammit, you knew deep down that it was the truth. I've just been avoiding reality.

SMASH! BOOM!

The sounds of fighting came from a crowded alley. Wait… did I walk towards the villain out of habit without realizing it?

That...that's the sludge villain from before! He must have gotten loose when I distracted All Might.

That means this is my fault.

"Why aren't the Heroes doing anything?"

"Looks like they met their match. Plus, it has a kid hostage."

Someone's trapped in there? How long have they been like that? I thought I would die after a few seconds.

It's all my fault. All Might wasted his energy, and none of the Heroes have the Quirks to stop him!

Someone will come soon, I'm sure!

Who's in there? How could they have survived this long?

My POV

I struggled with all I had left. No, this can't be the end. There's no way.

I was gazing from under the biomass, silently pleading for help. I knew All Might and Deku would come in, but that didn't make doing the tango with death a second time any less terrifying.

There was also the fact that I CAN'T BREATHE!

I gazed out at the Heroes, but none of them so much as tried after Death Arms did one punch.

I saw a speck of green that started at the back of the crowd and was rapidly approaching.

Wait, it's Deku!

I tried another blast, but the sludge was only partially scattered before rapidly reforming. Looks like I'm not really taking a toll on this guy.

Deku threw his backpack, his belongings flying out of it, one of the books nailing the villain in the eye.

"Agh! You brat!"

He recoiled, allowing me time to gasp in air like a drowning man and just enough time to reach into my pocket and grasp the kunai.

"Deku!" I writhed in my sludgy prison, using Sword Skill through the small blade to try and break loose before I lost my grip on it. "Run! Get out of here!"

"I can't just leave you to die, Kacchan!"

"Just a little longer kid." The green sludge villain turned to Deku. "I'm done playing with you!"

Cries of 'save the boy!' rose from the Heroes as the arm swung through the air.

I set off another explosion out of reflex, creating a smoke screen around us.

Once the smoke cleared, a deep voice spoke.

"I really am pathetic."

I saw All Might out of the corner of my eye, blocking the attack. I took a completely inappropriate moment to geek out.

All Might! The number one Hero! How can I not get excited at seeing my favourite Hero?!

"I told you the traits of a great champion, but I see now I was oblivious to my own ideals!"

All Might grabbed my arm, reeling back with the other.

"Pros are always risking their lives! That's what makes a Hero!"

Hereitcomeshereitcomesohmygosh!

"DETROOOIT SMAAAASH!"

Deku and I were airborne, only held in place by All Might's grip on us as a massive tornado spiraled up from around us, lasting for several seconds.

Rainclouds began forming as the tornado ceased, and it began pouring within minutes.

From my spot on the ground, I couldn't help but smile.

The timeline was on track. Thank goodness.

As cheers went up around the civilian crowd, the Heroes cleaned up all the sludge, ensuring that the Villain was in police custody.

I was examined to ensure I wasn't injured, which I wasn't.

As I was being examined, Death Arms and Kamui Woods marched up to Deku.

"You moron!"

"Do you have a death wish?"

They proceeded to chew him out.

I looked at the nurse checking me over. "One second, please."

I walked over to Death Arms and Kamui Woods. Their attention was focused on Deku.

"Hey!"

The pair turned to me. I fixed them in a cold glare.

"Quit chewing him out. It may have been foolhardy to rush into the danger zone, but at least he did something instead of STANDING AROUND LIKE JACKASSES!"

They just gawked at me, shocked to hear me yell at them, while Deku just sighed and muttered something about being too honest. The Heroes weren't used to civilians yelling at them I suppose.

I turned on my heel and walked back to the nurse, ignoring their attempts at arguing my accusation. The nurse gave me a disappointed look.

"That wasn't very nice of you."

"I was being suffocated while the Heroes just stood around. Being nice isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind."

The nurse sighed in resignation. "Fair enough."

It was sunset as I walked back to my house after they declared me fit. I was so tired I could sleep for a week as I opened the door.

"Katsuki."

I jolted awake. Mom was standing in the entryway, scarily calm.

"You have ten seconds to explain why you were late and didn't tell me or your ass is grounded."

I walked by her and into the house to remove my shoes. "I was attacked by a Villain. They kept me for a little while to make sure I was okay."

Mom flipped from mad to concerned in a heartbeat. "A villain attacked you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. All Might showed up and saved me in time. Deku tried to help too."

"That was stupid of him."

Blunt as always, Mom.

"Maybe, but until All Might showed up, the other Heroes just stood around."

Mom tensed up before growling. "You were caught because you were a weakling."

I prepared to engage in another roughhousing session before something unusual happened. Mom calmed down.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

Mom hugged me gently. I hugged back, happy that I didn't die again.

"Supper's in the fridge. Your dad saved some for ya."

I nodded and went up to my room to drop off my stuff.

Everything is now on track. Thank goodness.

After supper, I sat down and opened my future notebook and began to read up. After accepting this offer for power, Deku would begin almost a year of exhaustive strength training. The power received at the end would be great, but at the same time he would have to learn to control it.

Perhaps I could plant a seed of an idea in his mind just before the intership? No, then the Stain encounter wouldn't happen as it should because Gran Torino takes Deku to fight villains on the second day… wait… or would it? Gran Torino took Deku on because of a letter All Might sent him, so Deku would likely end up with Gran Torino regardless of Full Cowling. His control over One For All wouldn't be seamless as it is later if I were to teach him before the festival, so there would be that first training day to measure his limits regardless of my interference.

As for Stain… that would be a vital encounter. Not just for Iida, but for the Villains as well. I need to interfere there. Stain hates the League, but they stole his image, so what if I could talk it out with him as we fought? A clash of blades and ideologies. Could be interesting, and if I could catch him alone that may work. He was in Hosu at the time of the Sports Festival, and for a little while before. I would need to keep an eye on the news at that time.

I read over my information a little more. Toga, Spinner, and Dabi join up because of him, and Overhaul would also mention him as connected with the League. Oh, if Stain could have seen how the media and the League butchered his image. Perhaps I could sway those three, not into becoming heroes necessarily, but closer to anti-villains

I grew an evil grin. This was going to be awesome. The grin faded as quickly as it had come at the realization that this was all still a decent amount of time into the future. Over a year, in fact.

I sighed and put the book away in the hiding place that was my closet. There would be plenty of time to speculate on how this would go. For now, I need to get good enough grades to even consider shooting for UA. Pulling out my math book, I opened it and started working.

I don't mind waiting, it's just the fact that it will take a year for something interesting to happen. Until then, I've got my nose to the grindstone.

And that's a wrap! I'm glad to see that this story is getting such a positive response from you all. If I'm honest, I didn't expect it to get this many follows and favourites in the first couple days. There's not really gonna be a schedule as far as uploads go, I just plan to upload whenever a chapter is finished.

As for the pairing poll, it stands as such:

Yaoyorozu: 9

Kendo: 8

Jiro: 3

Hagakure: 0

I admit I didn't expect Kendo to get as many votes as she did. Goes to show I can't predict squat when it comes to you guys' opinions. Last chance to vote is when I post Chapter 6, which will be… who knows. After this, I don't even know when Chapter 4 is coming out. No guarantees of anything solid. Also, I got a review that gave me an idea. I would need help figuring it out, but do you guys think I should save Toga? As in keep her from joining the League by befriending her somehow? I don't plan to add her to the shipping poll, but I would like to flesh out the idea a bit more, and I have a rough idea of how it may or may not go. I dunno, send me your thoughts on it. With all that said, please review and PM, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this story. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!