Sorry for the update errors, don´t know why but it didn´t charge as well like usual. Not sure if it is because of the site or who knows what. Hope you're all liking the story. Feedback is appreciated as long as it is not trolling. Anybody that doesn't like the story is free to express themselves, just avoid the unnecessary violence.
4
When men grow, old dreams are forgotten. Because in the end old dreams are old memories, and the human brain is incapable of remembering too far in the past with perfect accuracy. So the brain remembers the important, the essential, what matters the most. And what leaves the biggest impact.
Midoriya Izumi couldn't remember how her life was when she was a baby or a toddler, but she will never forget the day she was declared quirkless. She will never forget the callous words of the doctor, his remarks of how she should just give up, her mother's tears and guilt over something only nature could control. And later the scorn and mocking and bullying when her diagnosis was made public.
The rest six years of her life were a mixture of sadness, pain and solitude. Only two things kept her sane: her mother's love and her dream.
Because Izumi didn't want to quit. She wanted to be a hero. She was going to be a hero. Not all heroes had flashy strong quirks like All Might and Endeavor. Some fought basically quirkless and complemented their fighting with their quirks. Oh it wasn't something very well known. It had taken her years of web searching but thankfully the internet was a universe of information.
Every time a new hero appeared, someone would take pictures, videos, interviews would appear, their quirks would be shown and Izumi would analyze them. Of course most of the heroes had strong, flashy quirks perfect for a hero. But not all.
It was the Pussycats that proved her theory. Mandalay and Ragdoll. Both had great quirks, perfect for rescue missions. But next to useless in battle. And despite how they tried to play it, Izumi knew that their physical and fighting prowess had nothing to do with quirks, but with training. Old pre quirk videos proved it. Videos of people with no type of superpower, of all ages and races, capable of acrobatic stunts, or able to defeat someone stronger by virtue of martial arts.
Of course by the time Izumi had found that information and was preparing to convince her sweet mother on why joining a martial mix arts would be good for her, the incident happened and she never saw her mom again. Or anybody that she knew.
The last five years Izumi fought for two dreams, well three actually. Going home with her mom, being the best trainer possible towards her loyal team, and becoming a hero that could save others with a smile on their face. Just like All Might.
Because that had been her oldest memory. Not hugging her parents, not playing with her best friend. It was All Might's debut video. The video where an unknown hero saved hundreds of lives from an horrible accident, never once losing the smile on his face. A smile that gave hope. A smile that told the victims to not give up, that a hero was there, that help was there.
That All Might was here to save you.
And now All Might was really here, in front of Izumi, ready to save her.
Izumi's brain failed to upload. She just stared at her role model, her favorite hero, the reason for her existence and, why the hell was the back of her head hurting and why was her face facing the floor?
"Lop, lop, Lopunny!" Ahh, Lopunny slapped her to knock her out of her internal reverence.
Izumi closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she was sure she could keep her fangirl locked down (until the fight ended, then she will probably squeal like a five year old) she straightened out and looked at the for fucking Arceus and Mew's sake how many pros had been gathered? How had they arrived so quickly?
Another slap came. This time it was harder. It actually threw her head first to the ground.
"Thanks Lucario, I think I got it"
Someone chuckled above her. Well, she was embarrassed forever. Best get up and continue on.
"Are you alright young lady?" All Might was talking to her, ALL MIGHT WAS TALKING TO HER. From the corner of her eye she saw Infernape grinning and cracking his knuckles. She shaked her head and focused.
A scream interrupted them. A scream coming from the restaurant.
"I WILL KILL YOU! ALL OF YOU! YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME! HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! I AM OVERHAUL! I AM THE END OF THIS SICK AND DISGUSTING SOCIETY!"
A bright light enveloped the restaurant. Everybody was forced to close their eyes against the brightness. When they opened them again, what they saw shocked them.
What once was a family restaurant, without much of its front because of the current fighting of course, now was a giant towering Overhaul. The villain had merged himself with the entire structure. A creature 20 meters tall and wide enough to push against the other buildings. A giant golem with Overhaul shape made from an amalgamation of all the different elements that made up the former restaurant. Metal, concrete, brick, wood, plastic, glass. And those were the easy ones to identify.
"What the hell it's this? Some type of anime fight?" Endeavor grumbled. The man's flames covered his face and part of his shoulders. Despite their brightness they didn't feel hot, but warm. Izumi was used to heat, she had trained Infernape since he was a Chimchar. Having a resistance towards heat and fire was natural for trainers who spent lots of time with fire types. Just by their color Izumi knew that Endeavor kept his distinct flames warm and that at any second he could turn the heat up.
"He already did this before" Wash informed the gathered heroes "When I first arrived at the scene a witness told me of how he took on some type of golem form and then exploded. He may be targeting to do the same type of damage but on a larger scale"
The heroes frowned at that statement. Endeavor's flames grew in size and intensity, All Might's fist tightened, Best Jeanist frowned. Izumi had been away for many years so she didn't recognize most of the other heroes gathered. She could recognize the Dragon Heroine: Ryukyu, the Whale Hero: Gang Orca, the Lion Hero: Shishido, even the veteran Equipped Hero: Yoroi Musha. But there were others there. Many others, heroes that came to Tokyo for the Billboard announcements, heroes that most likely followed the top ten at an unknown but dangerous situation. Heroes that could easily imagine the disaster that Overhaul was capable of unleashing.
Izumi frowned. Overhaul was a corned animal, the most dangerous type of creature, one who had nothing to lose. One who would either surrender or fight to the death. And the villain had chosen the latter.
Izumi closed her eyes and relaxed. She had to concentrate. She had to focus. She had to see beyond Overhaul's armor. Beyond his quirk. She had to see him.
She felt Lucario at her side. Her companion too was focused. He too was using his Aura to see beyond Overhaul's physical appearance.
Pokemon and trainer opened their eyes and saw it. Before, when Overhaul had created the first golem, his aura had been in the center, in the shape of his body. The armor had been just that, an armor. Only small tendrils had connected it to Overhaul's body.
Now it was different. Overhaul's aura, a dark angry red, filled with anger, rage and hate, wasn't in the shape of a human body. It was intermingled with the materials that once made the restaurant. And that changed things.
"It's not like before" Izumi told them. The heroes stared at her. She focused and kept talking: "Before it was just armor, a cover that he could destroy with no problem. Now he is the armor. He fused himself with the entire building. It means he can't use himself as a bomb without killing himself. His body, his mind, his soul, all that makes him is completely fused with the restaurant"
"Then defeating him will be harder" said Ryukyu "Without a real physical body we can't know which quirks will hurt him and in which parts. And with that size and power, I fear that many will be hurt before we find out"
"Then we will defeat him before that happens" All Might proclaimed. The heroes stared at him. Some in awe, others with their brows frowned and others made sure to pay attention.
"Ryukyu, Mt Lady, your quirks allow you two to match his size. Please do your best to hold him. Endeavor, I need your help" the number two hero stared at the number one "With our quirks combined we can defeat him with one move and save this entire city"
Endeavor's fist tightened. His face was unreadable. But he nodded.
Izumi stared at Overhaul. The villain hadn't yet made any movement. He was stalling, waiting. Waiting for the heroes to make a move. Why? Why not attack at that moment? Why not destroy everything? She doubted he could kill All Might, or Endeavor or any of the top ten gathered there. But the golden rookies and the ones in the hundreds that probably came because the top heroes came? She feared for those. The fact that All Might had only called for three heroes in total meant that he feared the same.
And then she realized it. Why hadn't Overhaul moved. Because he still had an ace. His quirk. The most powerful aspect of his quirk.
"WAIT!" she yelled "Young Lady don't wo-" "Overhaul's quirk allows him to reshape anything he touches. Anything. He can kill with one touch. What is to say that that aspect is gone just because his physical form changed? He has been there, waiting, waiting for you to attack. Why? It makes no sense. Any other villain would have already tried to destroy and kill as many as he could. I think, he is waiting to kill all the heroes that use physical confrontation"
"Huh, it does make sense" a flying hero said. Two red huge wings sprouted from his back. His eyes were hidden by goggles but she could feel them staring at her. His posture seemed relaxed, but it was fake. He was ready to move at a single notice, like an Arbok ambushing its prey. Or in this case a Staraptor more likely.
"Use me as bait" Izumi proposed "He wants me dead. He wants to kill me slowly, to torture me, destroy me. If he sees me his self control will explode" She was serious. She had to protect Eri, she had promised Eri that after today she would be free. That she would have a childhood, a life. If Izumi had to risk her life, if she had to die for that to happen, then so be it.
"Lopu" "Cario" "Ape" her team tried to follow her.
"No, I can't let anything happen to you guys" she shaked her head. They stared stubbornly at her. Neither side wanted to bulge.
"I appreciate your warning, Young Lady but don't worry. Nobody will die today" All Might smiled. It was his confident smile. The one he wore when a disaster strikes. The one he wore when villains attacked. The one that said: everything will be fine.
Wash's hand touched her shoulder. He smiled at her. She wanted to believe in them. She wanted to believe that everything will be fine, that the villain will be defeated and there will be a happy ending. She wanted that. So she waited. And she saw.
She saw Ryukyu smile at her and transform into her dragon form. She saw Mt Lady, a young heroine, no older than twenty, blink at her and grow until she was a match to Overhaul new shape. She saw them strike at Overhaul. She saw Overhaul's giant transformed arms reach at them. And she saw a miracle.
Because they weren't alone. The flying hero sent a wave of feathers at Overhaul's eyes, the impact made the villain bellow in pain and clutch at his face. Using that advantage Mt Lady tackled him and jumped on top of him. She grabbed his arms and kept them in the air. That's when Ryukyu attacked. Her mouth opened and then the yakuza lord screamed. Ryukyu bit both arms, causing great damage and pain from the villain.
That's when All Might and Endeavor striked. All Might pulled his right arm behind his body, as much as he could. With her Aura Izumi saw a golden light enveloping the Number 1 Hero. And in the center of his body, other seven lights, each of different color, pulsed. All Might's quirk started to work. The air on his arm shifted, as if some strange force was calling for them, forcing them to bend to its will. All Might was creating a force of nature, all in one arm.
"Mt Lady, Ryukyu, NOW!" Endeavor yelled. Mt Lady grabbed Overhaul's body and threw him to the sky. Ryukyu grabbed him and pulled him higher.
Then All Might moved.
With a mighty yell he attacked.
"TEXAS SMAAAAAASHHHHH!" A shockwave was released from his arm up to the sky, directly at the villain. When Ryukyu heard All Might's scream she dropped him and evaded the attack.
Endeavor also moved. His flames flashed and the heat increased. At her side Infernape stared in wonder. As a fire type he was amazed that a human could produce such powerful flames, more powerful than his own, even of some of his rivals.
"PROMINENCE BURN! Endeavor's flames met All Might's shockwave and a fiery explosion crashed into Overhaul.
The villains' screams were lost in the explosion. An inferno in the sky, falling to the ground. And so the rest responded.
In seconds the flaming debris was destroyed and reduced to ashes or nothing. By use of different types of elemental quirks, kinetik quirks, even a blackhole, the threat was reduced.
"How?" She asked. "It's what makes us pros, young lady" Best Jeanist answered her "If we couldn't form a plan with the very minimum information, then we couldn't save the lives we save. Our instincts, our experience, that's what makes us pros"
Izumi and her team looked at the heroes. In that moment she remembered what the heroes were supposed to represent. Not glory or power. Something else. Something more important.
Hope. Heroes meant hope. And Midoriya Izumi smiled, because she felt hope for herself and Eri and her team. And for their future.