Chapter 23
It was Izuku's final year of Middle school. Izuku sat in his usual study session; he was removed from physical education due to his condition. Izuku knew he didn't have a condition but the teachers decided it was too dangerous to have a mutant around other kids. Izuku didn't mind, the school gave him full marks for the subject without having to do anything.
The class after P.E. always irritated Midoriya. He always had to check the injuries on Hidé and there were always more attacks after P.E.
Some days were worse than others. That day they did Highschool announcements. It was okay for Izuku to put Hero down and no one said anything when it was read out except for Bakugo who Izuku had given up with. When Bakugo's was read, to no one's surprise, it read UA then he jumped on a table making a proclamation that he'd be the Number 1 hero to which Izuku scoffed and whispered to Hidé "more like number 1 villain" making his friend laugh before telling Izuku "don't be like that Bakugo will be a great hero one day". Izuku gave a confused look towards Hidé as if they weren't talking about the guy who abused his friend for years. His friend had more scars than he did from the explosive boy. Hidé had his entire neck scarred from burns; it was lucky he could still speak. At that moment the teacher read Hidé's form with an evil glint "Hidé wants to go to UA". The maliciousness was clear in his voice. Immediately Izuku was out of his seat blocking Bakugo's explosion. The shockwave knocked the two classmates on either side out of their seats. "Midoriya no quirk use in the classroom you'll be suspended for this" shouted the teacher ignoring Bakugo's smirk. Izuku smiled "still got my cuffs on, couldn't if I tried but we could ask the HPSC rep when he gets here" the teacher looked annoyed at this
"Not necessary, get back in your seat. Hidé you should put something more realistic, the quirkless could never be a hero"
Izuku was about to speak up but was stopped by Hidé. At the end of class Izuku was called away to speak with the principal and the HPSC operative as he did regularly since Hawks took the case.
He told Hidé he'd see him the next day but if he needed to they'd walk to the train station together as Izuku was meeting up with his other friends after school.
Once Izuku left Bakugo smirked "so you still think you can be a hero?"
"Yes I can, there's been a quirkless hero before so I will attempt least try".
"You're nothing, you will never be anything. You're just a pebble on my path to be even better than Allmight" Bakugo emphasised this by exploding the desk as he walked out he turned with an angry glint in his eye "There is one way you can become a hero. Take a swan dive off the roof and hope for a quirk in your next life" Bakugo's two lackeys laughed as they left the room.
Hidé's heart broke and his face fell. "He's right I'm useless" Hidé went to his homeroom teacher before and told them what Bakugo said hoping one person other than Midoriya would tell him he could be a hero. The teacher looked at him disdainfully, "sounds like good advice to me" the teacher said before slamming the door in Hidé's face.
As Hidé was walking home he went under a bridge before he could recognise what was happening his leg was engulfed in sludge, then his body until he was struggling to keep his head out of the sludge
"Give me your body kid" the sludge spoke
After a few minutes Hidé was unconscious, the sludge trying to force its way into his body. There was a thunk sound as a sewer grid was thrown away and the sound of "SMASH" the sludge villain was splattered across the underpass and Hidé was released.
Izuku was walking from school to meet with his friend as he saw Allmight land on a building with a blond boy attached to his leg, "wait was that Hidé he'd better get an autograph for me" Izuku muttered as he continued walking.
Jirou was waiting for for Izuku just outside the mall. She heard something land behind her as she turned. It was just a bottle. As she turned back to texting Momo she was yanked into the alley with a yelp covered by a sludge tendril.
Jirou flailed as the sludge wrapped around her body. A perverse laugh could be heard from somewhere surrounding her "you'll be a perfect skin suit". Kyoka tried to escape and she squirmed in his grasp. She jabbed him with her jacks. The vibrations made the villain's slime tendrils hit the walls of the alley. "You little bitch!" The slime man said, sounding more annoyed than hurt. The slime tried to force its way into Jirou's mouth but her jacks were shocking every tendril that got near made it difficult. Most of her body was covered in the disgusting slime, with just a small pocket surrounding her head. The monster started clawing at her skin leaving tears on her clothes. She let out a scream as she tried to stop the sludge monster, stabbing her jacks into the ground and pushing her heartbeat into the ground making a small earthquake. A single gas pipe was caught by a spark making the alley way explode. The alleyway walls crumbled as the sludge tendrils crashed all around. The villain was still trying to use Jirou as a skin suit. Jirou could feel a pair of tendrils moving up her legs and let out another scream.
A crowd gathered and Deatharms attempted to punch the villain, failing to do any harm. Kami woods was gathering civilians from the damaged buildings. Backdraft was putting out the fires.
Izuku had seen the smoke and made his way to the scene where a large crowd was watching. He recognized several people Bakugo, Hidé and a couple of classmates. He also saw a few heroes he recognised, especially Backdraft and Deatharms.
Izuku saw My Lady standing watching from the road nearby. Why didn't she shrink, he thought.
Midoriya's head was running wild as he muttered under his breath "why aren't the heroes doing anything?"
"The villain is holding some school girl hostage," said a man in the crowd.
At that statement Izuku looked around. It was the corner he was going to meet Kyoka. Izuku looked towards the villain seeing Kyoka in the sludge. He could see she was in pain. The sludge covered her mouth but there were tears in her eyes. Izuku pushed his way through the crowd, seeing the destruction in the villains' wake. Izuku lifted his wrists unlocking his quirk cuffs.
Deatharms saw Midoriya and moved to stop him "Midoriya you can't, you'll get in trouble with the HPSC if you do."
"Then I get in trouble. Now. Move!". Deatharms had learned from his last mistake and stepped aside hearing the clang of Izuku's cuffs hitting the floor.
"I, hero Deatharms, give permission to use your quirk" he said knowing it wouldn't change much.
As Izuku rushed towards the villain, Kamui woods tried to stop him with a wood finger cage. It may as well have been made of paper as Izuku ran straight through it. Red lines on his body getting brighter as he got further into the alley. As he got close enough to the villain, several sludge tendrils shot towards him in the shape of blades all hitting his body but doing no damage. The sludge villain's eyes went wide as Izuku reached into his body, ripping Kyoka from his grip. Kyoka finally fell unconscious as she felt Izuku holding her. Izuku saw red, not in rage, a red blood mixed with sludge was running down Kyoka's legs not from her cuts from above her thigh. Izuku let out a scream of anger. The ground began to crater as Izuku punched the villain's face. The sludge villain's eye exploded as his body shot smearing against a wall. Izuku's punch sent a strong gust of wind down the alley reducing the smaller fires to embers.
Izuku walked back to the paramedics. As Izuku placed Kyoka on to the emergency gurney as he was about to let go she grabbed his arm before passing out again. Izuku was too large to go in the ambulance so would need to travel to the hospital separately.
Izuku walked away and Kamui woods attempted to arrest him for illegal quirk use. Izuku picked up his quirk cuffs, turning them on as they were placed on his wrists.
"What do you think you were doing? There are several pro heroes here. We had the situation handled" scolded Kamui.
"Really?! Had it handled? From what I saw Mount Lady stood a street away not willing to shrink. You are made of wood and can't get near. Deatharms doesn't have the strength to do what I did and Backdraft was putting out fires. So please tell me what was your plan while my friend was being raped in front of you!" Izuku was nearly shouting at the wood hero.
"And get these off me"
"Sir, you used your quirk illegally, you're being arrested." Kamui said unsure after Izuku's rant.
"Deatharms gave permission" said Izuku
"I did, he's good, rookie" Deatharms towards the wood hero.
After being released and thanking Deatharms, Izuku left the scene to go to the hospital. Izuku was on his phone texting Momo and his mom about where he was going and what happened. He then went to ring Kyoka's parents. As he found their number in his phone he was hit by an explosion to the back.
"Deku, just because you saved that useless bitch doesn't mean you're better than me. I'm going to be number 1 and …"
Bakugo shouted at Izuku but was cut off.
"I'm done. You attack people for having weak quirks or being quirkless. Why? Because you think you're better than them, you're a quirk supremacist not a hero. You destroy everything that you don't like. You're basically Destro. Seems like an appropriate name instead of Kacchan. I'll call you ReDestro from now on." Izuku was over Bakugo.
"I would usually have time to deal with you but my closest friend just got attacked. Now leave!"
Bakugo wanted to attack Izuku and teach the Deku its place but decided better and walked away with a shout of "You're not better than me".
Izuku carried on walking until Hidé stopped him "Midoriya, can I ask you something?" Izuku noted the tone of sadness in his friend's voice but he needed to get to the hospital.
"I'm sorry I have something to do" he said as he rushed away
Hidé wanted to hear his friend tell him he could be a hero like Knuckleduster, a quirkless hero. Allmights words from before running through his head "It's good to have dreams but be realistic" he looked down at the autograph he'd gotten for Izuku and couldn't help but remember what Bakugo had said "take a swan dive off a roof and hope for a quirk in your next life" maybe he was right maybe he should.
Before he realised it he was back at Aldera. He wrote a note for Midoriya, the only person who believed in him and slipped the note into Izuku's desk. He knew he wasn't Midoriya's best friend but Midoriya was his. He had a constant thought that Midoriya's life would be easier without him. If it wasn't for protecting him he wouldn't have the scars he did. He may have had friends if not for him, without him Izuku's life would be easier. He removed his shoes and stood at the edge of the roof looking down. As Hidé took a step off the ledge he looked down at the ground. The sight was the last thing he saw as he hit the pavement with a gut wrenching crunch and squelch.
