Danny and Izuku were still on the roof of the building All Might flew to, waiting for his response to Izuku's question of whether or not Midoriya can be a hero without a Quirk.

All Might had turned to the two boys, "Without a Quirk?" But suddenly he dropped to his knees in pain as steam started to rise from his body. "Oh, no. Not now, dammit! Not here!"

Danny noticed this, but Izuku didn't as his eyes were to the ground. Danny tried to say, "Ah, All Might…."

But Izuku started to say,"People think I don't have a chance. That not having any powers makes me some kind of weakling. My classmates like to make fun of me. Except Danny-kun here. But you know what? I want to prove to all those who doubted me wrong. Ever since I was a kid, I've thought that saving people is the coolest thing you can do." More steam was rising out of All Might, covering the hero from view. Danny tried to get Izuku's attention, but Midoriya kept going, "I want people to see my fearless smile and feel safe. And be the kind of hero everyone in the world looks up to. Just like you!"

He looked to see All Might, but he looked very different. For you see, this was his normal form: a small man with his spiky yellow hair facing down and a shriveled body. Izuku screamed at the sight as Danny said, "This took an interesting turn."

Somewhere below in the city, the bottle that the sludge villain was in had landed in an alley. The villain woke up, "Where am I? What happened? Oh, yeah. That bastard. If it wasn't for him, I'd be out of town already."

He heard kids walking his way. It was Katsuki and the other boys who cornered Izuku in the classroom. One of them said, "That was rough. Fenton really can be scary, I guess. Who knew? Anyway, weren't you and Midoriya good friends back when we were kids?"

The other boy said, "Yeah, you were a little harsh with him today."

Katsuki sighed, "It's his own fault for getting in my way." He kicked the bottle that the sludge villain was in, making the cap come off.

One boy said, "You shouldn't waste your time on the guy. Especially since he's got Fenton as his bodyguard.

Katsuki growled, "Someone's gotta teach that worthless nerd how the world really works." He used his Quirk to blow up the soda can he had in his hand. "I hate it when he talks about heroes. Plus, Fenton is just competition to me now. I'll rub it in his stupid American face when I get into UA and he doesn't."

"Hey, I got an idea," One boy said. "We should go to the arcade. Get your mind off it, ya know?"

"Or we can sneak into the bar at the station," The other boy suggested. "Pick up some ladies. Now that's a good idea."

Bakugo shouted, "Idiots! If we get caught, there's no way UA would let me in."

The two boys saw the sludge monster rising from the ground and backed away in fear. The monster said, "Perfect. I like a skin suit with some fire."

Back on the roof, Danny was trying to calm Izuku down, who said, "Wait. What happened? You deflated! Ah! Where did All Might go? You! You're not him. You're an imposter!"

All Might sighed, "I can assure you that I am All M…"

Then blood started to come out of his mouth as Izuku shouted, "Impossible!

Danny whacked Izuku on the side of the head, "Dude, it's him. This is just how he normally looks when he's not on patrol. Am I right?"

All Might nodded, "Very vigilant. Yes. You know how guys at the pool are always suckin' in and flexin' and tryin' to be buff? I'm like that. But your friend's explanation is more straightforward."

"This can't be real!" Izuku shouted. "No, I'm dreaming. All Might's a giant of a man who saves everyone. He defeats all obstacles, and wins the day with a fearless smile."

All Might sighed, "There's plenty of fear behind that smile."

"Hiding a warrior's pain," Danny added. "That is why true heroes smile despite their fears and pain. They have the courage and heart to keep fighting despite the odds."

All Might was surprised by the wise words of the American boy and thought, "He talks like he's an experienced pro. But I've never seen him before. And he's way too young to be a pro hero." He slid to the ground and said, "I'm counting on you two to keep your mouths shut. Don't go talking about this online or telling your friends."

Danny nodded along with Izuku. Then All Might lifted up his shirt to reveal a horrible scar that looked like someone punctured him and his ribs were very visible. "Pretty gross, huh? I got this in a big fight five years back. My respiratory system was basically destroyed. I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out. And it can't be fixed. Right now, I can only do hero work for about three hours a day. Rest of the time, this is what I look like."

Danny knew battle scars like All Might's. He had some of his own, but not to that same extent.

Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing, "No way. Five years ago? So does that mean it was the fight against Toxic Chainsaw?"

All Might was impressed, "Wow. You know your stuff. But no. That punk may have landed some hits, but he couldn't bring me down. Most of the world has never heard of this fight. I did everything I could to keep it under wraps. I'm supposed to be the guy who's always smiling, right? Despite the fear and pain. I'm the Symbol of Peace. People everywhere have to think that I'm never afraid. Never in pain. But like you said, American kid, I smile to hide the fear and pain inside. It's just a brave face I put on when the pressure is high. This job isn't easy. Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains just can't be beaten without powers. So no, I honestly don't think you can become a hero without a Quirk."

Izuku was shocked by his answer, "I see."

All Might rose up from the ground, "If you wanna help people, there are plenty of other ways to do it. You could become a police officer. They get crap because the heroes capture most of the villains. But it's a fine profession. It's not bad to have a dream, young man. Just make sure your dreams are attainable. Realistic. Understand?"

"Bullshit." All Might turned to Danny, who was glaring at him with glowing green eyes. "Anyone can be a hero. They just need to have the heart and courage to do so. That's what being a true hero is all about. Not about being in the spotlight like all of those heroes I saw this morning. Because I've seen people who have no powers surprise me with saving people and putting themselves in harm's way despite the risks. I used to think the same way you did, but those people opened my eyes and showed me that anyone can be a hero. You just haven't seen what those people can do."

They heard the roof door swing open. They turned to see Izuku running off of the roof with tears in his eyes. Danny turned back to All Might, "Now look at what you've done."

"The kid needs to learn what the world is really like," All Might countered.

"I know that," Danny retorted. "But he understands way more than you think." He then turned intangible and floated down through the building to catch up after Izuku.

All Might sighed, "Now, let's get you to the station." He patted his pants pocket, but the bottle was no longer there. He looked all around but the bottle was nowhere to be found. Suddenly he heard an explosion in the distance, "Not good."

Izuku was outside the building wiping his tears away, "What an idiot I am." But then he saw the explosion in the distance. He realized, "It looks like there's a villain! I wonder which hero will show up. But why does it matter?" He sulked off towards where the explosion was.

Danny saw this invisibly, "Great, he's going towards the danger. Like always." He flew after Izuku.

All Might ran toward where the explosion was, realizing the villain he caught had something to do with it.

The explosion happened in the shopping district. People were running away from the villain. Death Arms, along with his sidekicks, arrived at the scene. They saw the villain, but noticed something, "It's taken someone hostage!" It was Katsuki, with the villain using the boy's Explosion Quirk to destroy the area.

Death Arms charged in, "How dare you prey on a child!" He swung a punch, but the villain's body just absorbed the hit like it was nothing, slowly pulling the hero in. "What the hell is this? Some kinda goo." The villain swung at him and knocked him into the nearby wall.

The sidekicks came running to the hero's aid, "All you alright, Death Arms?" But the villain swung to strike again and the sidekicks jumped out of the way.

"Ha!" The sludge villain shouted. "Stay back, or I'll snap his neck."

Katsuki tried to break free, "You picked the wrong guy to mess with. I'm gonna send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of! Let me go!" He tried to use his Quirk to break free, but to no avail.

The villain chuckled, "You've got so much power. I really hit the jackpot. With a Quirk like yours under my control, I can take All Might down with one punch!"

The crowd was getting scared at the villain, but then someone shouted, "It's her. That new hero, Mt. Lady will stop him!"

The giant hero came running in, but stopped when she couldn't fit through the buildings, "My only weakness. I need at least a two lane road if I'm gonna make my way through here."

Kamui Woods was gathering up people and racing out of the fire, "Fire and wood don't make a good combination. I'll let someone else stop this guy."

Backdraft was putting out all of the fires, "Don't look at me. I've got my hands full here. Where are those fire trucks? Can you guys get to him?"

"Can't get a grip on his weird body," Death Arms answered. "Plus that kid's Quirk is causing explosions left and right."

"This is a shutout," One of the sidekicks added. "We've gotta rally and knock him outta the park somehow."

The villain raised one of his slimy hands and threw it down to the ground, the heroes dodging out of the way.

"It's no good," Death Arms said, "None of us have the right Quirks to stop a villain like this!"

One sidekick offered, "We'll do damage control until someone with the right powers shows up."

Some of the buildings started to explode due to the fires as Backdraft shouted, "There's still plenty of people to save!"

"Don't worry," Kamui Woods added. "I bet every hero in the city's coming."

"I'm sorry, kid," thought Death Arms. "You'll just have to hold on a little longer." He then cursed, "Damn! If I only had more power, I could blow this guy away."

All Might reached the scene where the crowd had gathered. He looked through and saw the villain, realizing, "Must've dropped him in the air. I was distracted, worrying about my time limit. I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake, and after lecturing that kid and being lectured by the other one about what it takes to be a hero, I'm pathetic."

Izuku walked slowly looking down at his burnt notebook, thinking about all the people who told him that he couldn't be a hero. "Even All Might said it. A hero needs a Quirk. These tears just keep coming. Deep down, you knew this all 've just been avoiding reality. That's why you were trying so desperately to prove yourself wrong."

"Izuku!" Midoriya turned to see Danny running after him, Danny having transformed back to normal in a nearby alley. "There you are. Been following you for a while. Don't listen to what that jerk hero told you. You can still be a hero, Quirk or not."

Izuku looked down, "I don't know…."

"Do you know what courage is?" Danny asked. "Courage isn't not being frightened. It's being afraid but doing what you want to do anyway. You have that. Trust me.

Suddenly the two heard an explosion, with Izuku wondering, "Is the fight from earlier still going on? Did I subconsciously walk here?"

Danny chuckled, "I think you did. Always going to see the fight."

The two walked over to the crowd and looked through, seeing the monster. "It's the guy who attacked me!" Izuku realized. "That can't be right. All Might captured him. But the bottle, if he dropped it, it's all my fault."

Danny looked at the monster and realized, "Wait, it looks like he captured someone. Who knows how long he's been in there. You nearly suffocated because of that guy."

The crowd was wondering where All Might was, as some remembered that he captured the villain earlier, and many were confused as to why he hadn't shown up yet. Danny looked over and saw All Might standing nearby, clutching his chest in pain.

Izuku was having inner turmoil, "I'm the one to blame. He wasted his energy on me."

All Might was having inner turmoil as well, "I'm worthless. Maybe that kid was right. So pathetic. Disgrace. I'm not a real hero."

Izuku looked down to the ground, "He can't power up yet. And none of the other heroes have the Quirks to stop this monster. It's my fault. So sorry. Help will show up and save the day, I'm sure. Someone. A real hero will come soon."

Danny was looking between Izuku and All Might and felt the turmoil they were in. He looked out at the monster, "I want to help. I should help. But I'm new to this world. If I get caught trying to be a Hero without a license…"

Izuku looked up and saw that the hostage was Katsuki. He saw the pained look in his eyes. Right there, he made a decision. He pushed past the crowd and ran straight to the villain, shocking everyone, even Danny and All Might.

"No, you idiot!" Death Arms shouted. "Stop! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"Not this brat again!" The villain noticed Izuku running right at him.

Katsuki looked through the sludge, "Deku?"

"What am I doing?" Izuku thought as he was running. "Why am I running? Why can't I stop? What should I do? What would a hero do?" He then remembered something he had written in his notebook. "Page 25. Right!" He pulled off his backpack and shouted, "Take this!" He threw it at the villain's face, distracting him. "Kacchan!" Izuku shouted as he ran up to where Katsuki was being held and started to try and free him.

Danny saw all of this and thought, "Look at him go. Now there's a hero. Fuck it. I'm goin' ghost!" He transformed into Phantom and turned invisible and flew through the crowd toward the villain

"What the hell?" Katsuki shouted at Izuku. "Why are you here?"

"I don't know!" Izuku answered as he tried in vain to free Katsuki. "My legs…They just started…moving! Kacchan! I couldn't just stand there and watch you die!"

Katsuki tried to free himself, "Get the hell off of me!"

"Need a hand?" Izuku recognized that voice. Suddenly Katsuki was pulled free and Izuku was grabbed by an arm covered in a black bodysuit with white gloves. He was flown a few feet away from the monster. Izuku and Katsuki looked up to see Danny, but he was in his Phantom form. The two boys were startled by Danny's appearance, with his white hair and glowing green eyes.

"Fenton?" Katsuki realized who had rescued him.

Phantom looked down and smirked, "The one and only. I just got so inspired by Izuku's bravery that I had to help as well."

The villain looked over at the trio, "It's that little shit from earlier."

Danny shouted, "Hello again, Globby. You fell for the same trick twice. What an idiot."

The other heroes nearby were confused about the white haired boy that appeared before them, unsure of who he was.

All Might saw all of this from the back of the crowd, "It's that other kid. He's staring down that villain without fear. Like he's done this before. He is right. I have to help. I have to do something. No matter the cost."

The monster raised one of its arms to strike the trio of boys and the other heroes tried to run in and help. The villain lowered his arm and struck something. After the dust settled, Izuku and Katsuki saw that Phantom had put up a green shield to protect them and All Might, back in his hero form, had blocked the arm, "I really am pathetic. I told you the traits that make a great champion, but I see now that I wasn't living up to my own ideals. Like this ghost boy told me. Pros are always risking their lives! That's the true test of a hero!"

"Damn you, All Might!" The villain tried to swing a punch.

But All Might beat him to it, "Detroit Smash!" He punched the villain so hard that he was obliterated into pounds of sludge. Powerful winds came from the punch and the other heroes held the crowds back so they couldn't be blown away. After the dust settled, All Might took some deep breaths in order to save his strength. Rain started to come down, confusing the crowd, "It's raining. Don't tell me all that wind just now was from him. Look at the clouds, they're moving."

Death Arms stared at All Might, "Holy crap. He changed the weather." His eyes then shifted to Phantom, "And who is that kid? He got the hostage out like it was nothing. Like he's a ghost or something."

All Might stood tall, hiding the fact that he was getting weak, and held his hand into the air for his signature pose as the crowd cheered.

Phantom smirked at All Might, "Still the crowd pleaser." He knelt down and whispered to Izuku, "I'll meet up with you a little later." He then turned invisible and flew away before any of the heroes or police could approach him, making them mutter something about ghosts.

The other heroes collected the mounds of sludge while All Might talked to the press. Kamui Woods and Death Arms drilled into Izuku that he was a moron who could have almost died. Katsuki was praised for his bravery. The heroes tried asking about Phantom, but Izuku and Katsuki didn't tell them anything, just that they had no idea who Phantom was.

Later, Izuku was walking home when Danny caught up to him, "There you are. See, I told you I would see you later. I believe I was supposed to walk home with you?"

Izuku nodded, "Yeah. Hey, that form you had. Is that your powered up form?"

Danny answered, "Yeah, I go by Phantom while in that form. It used to be Danny Phantom, but decided to nix the first part. Secret identity and all. But I have to keep it under wraps until I get my Hero license."

"Deku! Fenton!" The boys turned around to see Katsuki running toward them.

"Kacchan," Izuku said.

Katsuki stopped in front of the two boys, "Listen, Deku, I would never ask a weakling like you to help me. Don't think you can look down on me. Huh? Got that? I was fine by myself. You're just a Quirkless failure who won't even cut it as a rent-a-cop. You didn't help me. You did nothing. Don't forget it. I don't owe you anything. And that goes for you too, Fenton. I don't know what kind of Quirk you have, but it's not superior to mine. And I will never be indebted to you!" He then turned and sulked away.

"What was that?" Danny asked.

Izuku shrugged, "Don't know. Kacchan is right, though. It's not like I actually did anything to help today. But at least I tried."

"That's the spirit," Danny said. "You inspired me to go in and be a hero even though I could get in trouble for it. But hey, you're a natural. I can tell. Come on, let's head home. My sister is gonna kill me for being late."

Izuku chuckled as the two continued to walk home.

Suddenly All Might appeared in front of the boys, "I am here!"

Izuku screamed, "All Might! Why are you here? How did you get rid of those reporters?"

All Might laughed, "I stand for justice. Not for soundbites. Because I am…." He suddenly turned back into his normal form, spitting out blood, causing Izuku to scream again.

"Enough with the screaming, Dude," Danny said before turning to All Might. "So, what brings you here, All Might?"

All Might wiped his mouth and looked at the two boys, "I came here to say thank you. To both of you. You, ghost boy. You were right about what a true hero is. I just forgot about those ideals. Forgive me."

Danny nodded, "You're forgiven. Just don't forget it."

All Might continued, "There is more I want to ask you, ghost boy, but first…." He turned to Izuku, "I also wanted to discuss your question from earlier. If you hadn't told me about your life, if you hadn't run into that fight, I would've been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd. So thanks."

"Oh, no," Izuku countered. "It was my fault he was there to begin with. I got in the way of your hard work. I wasted your energy. And not to mention your time."

"I'm not done," All Might continued. "You told me you didn't have a power. So when I saw this timid, Quirkless boy try to save a life. And then seeing this ghost boy take action as well, it inspired me to act, too. There are stories about every hero. How they became great. Most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost on their own."

Izuku started to cry and knelt to the ground as All Might continued, "And today, that's what happened to you. Young man, you, too, can become a hero." Izuku sobbed loudly as those were the words he always wanted to hear, from his mother, from people at school, heroes. And now his idol was saying it to him.

Danny put his hand on Izuku's back to comfort him. He knew this was a big moment for Midoriya. He looked up at All Might and nodded his thanks.

And this became the starting point for Izuku becoming the world's greatest hero and Danny becoming the world's greatest ghost hero.