Inko Midoriya looked at her infant son as he lay in a bassinet. "Hisashi," she said. "You can't just leave us like this."
"Me leaving is better than staying, Inko," said her husband, Hisashi Midoriya. "The Hunger… I can barely control it now. It's better he doesn't see me at my worst, ever."
"And what happens when he starts showing signs of your power?!"
"Then I'll come back. Give him the teaching he needs to control it. It helped me for a little while, but I'm already too far gone. It can't help me anymore. The more he understands about his Ability…"
"Hisashi!" The black-haired man gave a shuddering sigh as a sound of ticking clockwork sounded in his head as he felt a Quirk being used nearby. He rubbed his eyes before breathing deep and turning to Inko.
"It's getting worse, Inko. Not even being near you can keep me stable anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone, Inko… I can't let myself become a monster again."
"Hisashi, you're not a monster." She placed her hand on his cheek and he shouted, a gesture of his finger pushing her against a wall and pinning her there.
"My name is Sylar!" His features altered and he took on the look of a white man with a five-o clock shadow, short brown hair and dark brown eyes, as he looked at her. She struggled to move as she stared him down fearlessly.
"Not anymore! You're Gabriel Gray! You're Hisashi Midoriya! The man I love and the father of my child! I refuse to give up on you!" Crying from the bassinet caught their attention. "Izuku!" Sylar dropped Inko and she rushed for the bassinet as he breathed deeply and returned to his other appearance, a Japanese man with curly black hair and black eyes. He gripped his head and moved to her side.
"Inko… That's why I can't stay. I've already made arrangements. I won't hurt you or Izuku. I won't allow myself to do that." He cocked his neck as he heard something behind him. "Hiro." He turned around saw another man, this one with a sword on his back staring at him.
"Gabriel," he said. "Peter said you needed me."
"Get me far away from anyone, please. The Hunger. I can't hold it back anymore. I can't put my family in danger, Hiro. I…" Hisashi jerked his head slightly before gesturing, moving Hiro, Inko and Izuku to the ground as the door to the apartment was smashed open. He turned to the intruder and saw a man with muscle tissue covering his body. Hisashi breathed fire onto the man's body before he made a gesture, forcing the man backwards with a growl. Hisashi looked at them as Inko held their son close and Hiro drew the katana at his back. "Inko, take Izuku and run away from here. Hiro, watch them, please." Hisashi switched back to Sylar and turned to the man who barged into their home, the hungry look in his eyes returning.
"Gabriel. This is not you anymore!"
"This has always been me. Now get out of here before I do something I'll regret." Gabriel looked back at them. "Hurry, Hiro." Hiro nodded before placing his hand on Inko's shoulder and closing his eyes.
"Hisashi," cried Inko as they disappeared in a blink before Gabriel turned to the man who continued to struggle free of Gabriel's mental grip.
"That's an interesting Ability. I think I'll take it. Not that I'd use it all too much. It's brutish."
"Go to hell," shouted the man. "The hell are you talking about, taking my ability?!"
"That's my Ability. I know how things work. And how to apply it to myself." He pointed his finger at the man's head, the sound of screams starting to fill the room as the muscular man's skull was split apart. "I just need to see how it works, first."
When Hiro returned, he found Hisashi probing the man's brains with his hands and look up at him. "Gabriel," said Hiro.
"Is Inko safely away?"
"She is."
"Get me as far away from people as you can, Hiro. And protect my son. Train him to control the Hunger if he shows signs of my Ability. You and Peter are the only ones who can keep him from becoming me."
"You can teach him too, Gabriel."
"Gabriel is gone. I'm Sylar." Sylar held out his hand, telekinetically gripping Hiro's neck and raising his other hand.
"You are not fully gone. You care for your wife and son." Hiro kept his breathing calm, despite the increasing pressure on his neck. "You are still Gabriel. You don't want them hurt. There is good in you. I know it." Sylar kept his hold for a second before closing his eyes and letting Hiro go.
"This place was a mistake, Hiro."
"You have controlled it. That is not a mistake. Inko has helped you. Your son can as well."
"It's not enough, Hiro. So many Abilities… Quirks in this world. The Hunger comes so much more frequently here." He turned to Hiro. "Get me away from others. As far as you can think of. Izuku doesn't need to know what I am."
"And if he has your abilities?"
"I trust you to keep him from walking down my path. I can't…" Hiro stared at him before nodding and placing his hand on Gabriel's shoulder before the two disappeared.
(Four years later)
Young Izuku Midoriya stared at his father's watch as it ticked in front of him. He frowned before holding it to his ear. "Two seconds," he muttered before opening the watch and using small tools his mother had to fix it.
"Izuku," called Inko from the kitchen as she walked in. "Dinner's re…" She paused as she saw him adjusting the watch before walking to him. "What are you doing, honey?"
"The watch is slow. It's a simple fix." Inko frowned slightly before seeing him close the watch. "All better."
"Dinner's ready."
"Ok." Izuku went to the dining room and Inko gulped slightly as she went to the phone.
"Nakamura-San," she said as the person on the other end picked up. "I think he's showing signs."
"Are you sure," asked Hiro on the other end.
"I am. Izuku was just working on a watch and said it was two seconds slow just by listening. Hisashi did the same thing when we first met. I'm going to get him tested for a Quirk soon and if he doesn't have one…"
"We will teach him, Midoriya-Chan. I promise Izuku won't end up like Gabriel once was. He didn't have help. Izuku will. We will help him with his Ability."
"Thank you, Hiro." Inko glanced at the dining table where her son was watching a news segment about the world's number one hero, All Might and frowned before steeling her nerves and going to eat beside him with a smile.
(Two days later.)
Izuku Midoriya stood in front of the family TV, tears streaming down his face. He'd just been diagnosed as Quirkless. Instantly, he'd been devastated as the doctor immediately shot down his hopes of becoming a hero like All Might. "Izuku?" Inko watched as her son turned to her, tears streaming down his face as he pointed to footage of All Might.
"M-mom," he said. "C-can I be a hero? Like All Might?" Before she could even reply, a knock sounded at her door.
"Just a minute!" She turned to her son and hugged him before hurrying to the door. As she opened it, she saw a man of American descent wearing a white shirt over a pair of blue jeans next to Hiro Nakamura.
"Hello," said the American, almost as if unsure about his words.
"Sorry," said Hiro. "I didn't have time to properly teach Peter Japanese. He is…" He looked at Peter who shrugged. "A slow learner."
"And he's supposed to teach Izuku," asked Inko.
"That is why I am here. I will act as translator and help Izuku to keep a healthy mind when using his Ability. Gabriel changed before he came here. But his Ability was already too far to stop its effect on his mind for long."
"And Izuku?"
"He will be taught his Ability and how to best use it without listening to his Hunger. Gabriel trusted us to care for his son should his Hunger return. We will do what we promised." Peter nodded, going along with the conviction on Hiro's face. Inko looked at them both before nodding.
"Izuku, honey? Come here, please." She turned to the two men. "Come in." Hiro led Peter in and Inko led them to the living room and went to get her son.
Peter turned to Hiro. "I can't believe we're doing this," he said in English.
"Sylar changed, Peter Petrelli," said Hiro. "Claire Bennet said so herself."
"No offense to my niece, but she's not exactly the best judge in character recently."
"I've seen how Gabriel has been making changes to himself. How he has controlled his Hunger around Inko."
"Yeah, but when their kid was born, he reverted right back."
"This world is very different from ours. Most people here have Abilities. Quirks is what they are called. Had we known that before sending him here, perhaps we could have prepared him for this."
"I don't care what you say. It's still Sylar."
"Then we must do what we can to make sure his son does not become Sylar as well." Peter was about to say something else when Inko brought her son over to the two men. Peter blinked as he saw the boy. While he noted Inko's green hair, he thought it was just hair dye. But her son had the same shade as she did. Unless she was dying her son's hair to match, there was something different about this world, after all.
"Hello, Izuku. I am Hiro Nakamura. I was a friend of your father, Hisashi."
"Y-you knew Dad?"
"We both did. And we promised him something when you were born."
"Promised him what?"
"First. I want to know if you can help me. I think there's something wrong with my watch, and I can't quite figure out what." Hiro held out his watch to the boy and Izuku took it from him before holding it to his ear.
"Battery is running low. You'll need to change it soon. Then there's the gears in the mechanism itself. They're damaged like they've been hit on something."
"I'll get it fixed soon enough then." Hiro smiled as he took the watch back. "Now, back to our promise. Your father was… a unique individual. Like you, he was Quirkless." Izuku looked at him, confused.
"No. My father had a Quirk. He could breathe fire."
"Perhaps he told others it was a Quirk, but it wasn't. Your father could do so much more than anyone could ever imagine. His Ability allowed him to do many things."
"Ability?" Hiro smirked and adjusted his glasses before holding his hand out to the boy.
"Let me show you something." Izuku looked at his mother and saw her nod. The young boy stood up and took Hiro's hand. He watched as Hiro scrunched his eyes before smiling at him. "Look around." Izuku did so and blinked as he saw a fly frozen in midair in front of him. He turned to his mother and saw her frozen, mid-blink and Peter was similarly frozen. He moved to her and shook her.
"Mom? Mom?"
"She's alright, Izuku. She's simply frozen in time. This is my Ability. I am a Master of Time and Space. And no, this is not a Quirk. There are very distinct differences between Abilities and Quirks. Quirks manifest and have notable differences and drawbacks from what we've seen. Some are stronger, some are weaker while being similar in nature. But Abilities are different. Say one has a strength enhancing Quirk. It may come with the downside of breaking bones or tearing muscles if they push too far. An Ability wouldn't hinder you like a Quirk would. Your body adapts the moment of your Awakening. This is when your Ability fully manifests."
"Why haven't I heard of this?"
"Well one, you are only 4. And two, we are not of this Earth. My Ability…"
"Being a Master of Time and Space, you would be able to visit other worlds and timelines. Like in those old comics."
"You're a very smart child. But I suppose that understanding is from your Ability. It is like your father's. If one had to call it a name for a Quirk, it would be Clockwork, or Hidden Potential. Gabriel, your father's real name, could understand how things worked. Not just machines and clockwork, but Abilities as well." Hiro took Izuku's hand and unfroze time before sitting down again. "Gabriel was able to understand the Abilities of people like us and change his body to mimic those Abilities."
"At a cost," said Inko. "One that forced him to leave."
"What cost," asked Izuku.
"The Hunger," said Hiro. "From what Gabriel told us, his Ability comes with the want to learn more and more."
"That doesn't sound too bad. More Quirks means more ways to help people." Izuku noticed the grim looks on the adults' faces.
"Gabriel didn't help people in our world until years after his Ability was Awoken. The Hunger was dangerous. When Gabriel first started mimicking Abilities, it wasn't as simple as seeing it done. In order to know how to use the Ability someone else had, he needed to gain access directly to the brain to see its inner workings. Your father killed people." Izuku's eyes widened as he stared at the man who claimed to be his father's friend. Was he a villain? Was his father?! No. He couldn't…
"Hiro and Peter fought your father on multiple occasions," said Inko. "They saved so many people from the monster he was at the time."
"Sylar," Peter, having learned enough to recognize the Japanese word for 'monster'.
"Sylar," asked Izuku.
"That is what your father called himself," said Hiro. "But he wasn't always a villain. He wasn't always Sylar. After a…" Hiro glanced at Peter who looked annoyed. "…Very difficult heart to heart… Peter was able to change Gabriel for the better. He became a hero. But the Hunger was growing. He asked me a year after becoming a hero to those like us to send him away. I sent him here. I did not know of the people of this world. I picked one at random that was close by and that I could monitor. But due to incidents on our world, it took me a long time to check on Gabriel. That was when I realized my mistake. I had sent Gabriel here to a world filled with super people and with the Hunger growing. I had come to take him away, but then I saw something incredible. Gabriel Gray had fallen in love." Inko smiled sadly and looked at her wedding ring.
"When I met him," she said. "He had already used his shape shifting ability to become Hisashi Midoriya using traits to make himself seem plain and not stick out," she said. "Traits I found cute. I befriended him and soon after we fell in love. He told me who he was, what he'd done, and what he was. He was trying to make me run from him. He wanted to protect me from himself." She looked Izuku in the eye. "But whenever I looked at him, I didn't see a monster. That he even wanted to protect me showed me he wasn't that man anymore. That's when Hiro first showed up."
"I confronted Gabriel, attempting to see if I needed to get him away with force. But then I saw how your mother brought out his best traits. His Ability made him solely focused on one objective to compete it. If he was focused on your mother's happiness, that must've been enough to keep his focus away from the Hunger."
"So why did he leave," asked Izuku.
"For your sake," said Inko. "He didn't want to potentially threaten you or me. And for sure he didn't want you to see him at his worst. His worries started making him lose focus and… Then one day he slipped." Inko shook her head. "After that, he decided leaving was best. He called Hiro and went far from us to protect us from himself." Izuku turned to Hiro.
"Could you…"
"No," he said. "Even now, Gabriel is making sure that he cannot be found. But he knew you could potentially develop his Ability yourself. So, he asked us to help you train it."
"Train it?"
"You will be learning Peter's Ability. One he's recently been able to return to normal. Empathic Mimicry."
"Empathic Mimicry?"
"It will allow you to replicate powers like your Father's Ability Intuitive Aptitude, but without the way he used it."
"The combination of these two Abilities is called Intuitive Empathic Replication," said Inko. "Your father used it only twice in his life. Once was when he lost his memories, once when he was on his first attempt at being a good man and hero."
"You can do the one thing your father was never able to do. Not for lack of trying. But for a lack of help. Izuku Midoriya. We will help you become a hero." Izuku stared at the men in front of him and smiled brightly.
(9 years later)
Izuku started heading home, having avoided his friend's presence for the better part of a day. Growing up, his uncles had made sure to drill into Izuku's head to limit the knowledge of what he could truly do. For the most part, he was only registered under one 'Quirk'. Mimicking his mother's Quirk, Izuku had developed the Ability of Telekinesis, just as his father had done when his Ability awakened. Officially, the other students thought he had a simple telekinetic Quirk that was stronger than his mother's. But a day ago…
Izuku frowned as he heard an explosion around the corner. He ran and spotted Bakugou messing with one of the few Quirkless students from another class in their school. The verdette frowned before rushing over and grabbing his friend with his Ability. "Kachan," he said. "You're not supposed to use your Quirk in public. Let alone against another person."
"Let me go, Izuku," shouted Bakugou. The boy struggled to turn to look at him. "This punk thinks he can be a hero! He needs to know his place!"
"And what place is that?!" Izuku flicked his finger and the three behind Bakugou were moved aside, prompting Izuku to move between Bakugou and the Quirkless boy. "Under your boot?! Off on the sidelines?! Where is it, Kachan?!"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Izuku let him go and glared at him. "A Quirkless loser like him can't be a hero?! He'd just get in the way! He's useless!"
"Useless? I knew all the praise you'd been getting was getting to your head. Wake up! Just because he's part of the minority doesn't mean he's useless!"
"He can't hope to be anywhere as great as I will be! I'll surpass even All Might!"
"With the way you're thinking, you'll be lucky to be more like Endeavor. Always second place. But with how you're acting, you're more like villain than a hero." Bakugou grunted before his gaze turned murderous, a slight growl coming from his throat.
"Take that back, Midoriya…"
"No." Izuku glanced back at the Quirkless boy. "Get one of the teachers. We're reporting this."
"Like hell!" Izuku turned to his friend and grunted as an explosion knocked him into a wall. He grunted as the wind was knocked out of him and he looked up at Bakugou. "You want to stick up for this punk, you can stay in the dirt with him. Even with your Quirk, you'd never hold a candle to me anyways." Bakugou leaned in close to him. "Not like you could do much more than hold people in place for a short amount of time anyways. You're nothing but a worthless pathetic punk like him!" Izuku growled and threw his hand out to Bakugou to push him away. What happened instead was an explosion knocking Bakugou back a hundred meters. The explosive blonde looked at him in surprise. "What the hell?!"
Izuku looked at his hands and breathed deep as he saw flames in his hands. 'Pyrokinesis. Compacted into minor explosions. Controlled by anger and aggression in most cases. Focus, Izuku. Focus.' Izuku calmed his anger and stood up with a glare. "Get out of here, Kachan." He helped the boy up as Bakugou growled before walking away, his followers close behind him, now more afraid of the normally calm Midoriya. "You ok?"
"Y-yeah," said the boy. "Th-th-thanks."
"Don't mention it. Don't listen to him or anyone else who thinks the same way."
"But he's right."
"Don't say that. There was an old comic back before Quirks ever existed. It depicted a hero named Batman. Batman was a unique hero. Him and another hero named Green Arrow. They were heroes without powers. Just training and gadgets. They were normal humans, and they went against people with superpowers on a normal basis. But with Batman, he had money to develop his gadgets and decades of training. Green Arrow went through hell and came out something different. Five years on an island with mercenaries and terrorists trying to kill him. He developed the skills to survive and used them to bring criminals to justice. Including heroes similar to the likes of Muscular. All he needed was help, trick arrows, and training."
"That was a comic, though."
"And the world we live in is like a comic come to life. And the public likes an underdog. You want to be a hero, then train yourself to overcome the worst scenarios. I'd say that's the best chance you've got. Train and keep training. And keep your mind sharp as well."
"In ten months?"
"To make sure you're ready for UA. It's gonna take a while before you're able to be prepared for major villains anyways. Get good enough for UA. Then get good enough for the big time."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because until my Quirk came in, I thought I would be like you. I prepared myself for that outcome. And my uncles gave me the same talk."
"One more thing. How were you able to do the same thing as that Bakugou guy?"
"Oh… that…" Izuku sighed. "That's my actual Quirk. It's called Full Potential. I can copy Quirks and understand how they work to bring out the strongest version of their abilities. Bakugou has explosions, an offset of Pyrokinesis." Izuku held up his hand and a blue fire enveloped it. "When my anger matched his, I got it as well and now have a refined Pyrokinesis."
"Whoa… You're so lucky…"
"Not really. I have to keep my emotions in complete control and make sure I don't focus too much on one goal or the downside of my Quirk comes in."
"What downside?"
"I lose control of my emotions, my powers become unstable. I focus too much on a singular goal, my personality switches to borderline sociopathic tendencies and I stop caring who I hurt or protect. All that matters is the goal."
"So, your telekinesis?"
"My mom's Quirk. She can levitate small objects to her hands. An offshoot of psychokinesis."
"And your Quirk brought your strength in it to full."
"Not just my strength." Izuku levitated an apple that fell from the boy's backpack. He pointed his finger to it as it floated in front of them. The boy blinked as it started peeling itself. "My control is very different from other psychokinetics." Izuku slashed his hand and the apple split in half. "Like my Quirk is called, Full Potential."
"That's scary."
"Yeah. Which is why I need full control of my emotions." Izuku turned to him. "Izuku Midoriya."
"Kenta Bushida."
"Nice to meet you." Izuku glanced at his watch and winced. "Uh… I gotta get going. I'm gonna be late to meet my uncles."
"Thank you for helping me, Midoriya-San." Kenta bowed.
"Not a problem. I didn't realize Kachan had gotten this bad." Izuku walked away with a wave before heading home.
Izuku sighed as he took a shortcut home. He'd wanted to speak with Kenta about the other day and ask him not to mention anything about the incident. While Izuku was angry with Katsuki, he didn't want to stop the boy's attempts to be a hero. It wouldn't be right. There was always a chance for him to see what he was doing and change his ways. Izuku knew it. He was lost in thought about what to do about his friend when he nearly walked into something. Izuku stopped and looked up before backing away as a sludge-like villain grinned down at him. "You'll do nicely," said the villain. "I hope you don't mind, but I'll be taking your body. Can't let him find me." Izuku paused before ducking under a sludge tentacle. "Stay still!"
"…No." Izuku flicked his finger, and the villain flew into a wall. "Mutation Quirk. Great, not one I can mimic without shapeshifting. Let's see…" Izuku looked around. "You said someone was chasing you. Given you tried taking my body to use as a meat puppet, you're a villain. So that means a hero is after you. I'll just hold you here until they arrive."
"What the hell?!" The villain struggled as he tried getting away. "You're a telekinetic?!"
"Psychokinetic. Sounds cooler." Izuku paused as he saw the manhole cover on the ground. "You came from the sewer? So, you ran down here to try and slow down whoever was chasing you. Given the size, Mount Lady or Death Arms fit the bill."
"Close, but not quite," shouted a voice from the sewer. Izuku paused, almost dropping his hold on the villain as he recognized the voice. "But you can let him go now, citizen because…" Izuku nearly squealed as the world's number one hero and the Symbol of Peace jumped from the sewer. "I am here!"
"ALL MIGHT!"
"Argh," shouted the villain. "Shut up! Your voice is annoying!" Izuku clenched his hand and the villain exclaimed as he was compressed into a sludge ball, still smiling at the sight of his idol. "Hey!" All Might jumped slightly at the action.
"Uh…" started the hero. "Perhaps you should let him go now." Izuku looked at the villain before turning back to his idol.
"Unless you've got something to hold him in, that's not gonna happen. I'm the only thing holding him in place."
"Not to worry, a hero always comes prepared!" All Might drained a bottle of soda he had in a bag he was carrying. Izuku looked at the bottle.
"You were grocery shopping when you saw him attacking, weren't you?"
"Maybe!" Izuku shrugged before stuffing him into the bottle and sealing the top tight.
"All stopped up!" Izuku noticed movement nearby. "Oh, wait." He shot a fireball in front of a glob trying to scurry away, startling it and All Might.
"What the…?!"
"In you go." Izuku stuffed it into one of the bottles before stoppering it again. "Now he's secure."
"Was that fire just now?! I thought you were a telekinetic!"
"Oh, my Quirk is called Full Potential. Essentially, I know how a Quirk works by being in close proximity to a person. I feel the emotion they use when using said power and can replicate it. I also have a full understanding of the power and can bring it to its apex point. The strongest possibility I can see. The telekinesis I got from my mother who could attract small objects to her hand. The pyrokinesis was… an accident. An emotional symmetry with my friend who has an explosion Quirk." Izuku held up his hand, showing the blue flames before snuffing them out. "But an added bonus, I don't burn."
"You can still overheat, though. Endeavor's Quirk does the same."
"I said to the highest point I can see. The Apex Point for pyrokinesis is a pure combustion flame and the human skin adapting to the heat completely as well as the rest of the body. Immunity to smoke inhalation, increase in temperature…" Izuku frowned as he thought for a moment. "Huh. Pure combustion. Given that I could…" Izuku sent flames through his feet in a small, controlled radius and lifted off into the air. He hovered for a moment before grinning and landing. "I can fly… Oh I can fly!" Izuku laughed before laughing.
"You can replicate any power?" 'Is he like Him?'
"Sort of. Without a shapeshifting Quirk to gleam from, mutation abilities can't be easily mimicked. But my brain can sort of adapt to replicate the abilities of mutant types based on what I can and can't do. In theory, I can replicate a strength Quirk without my ligaments tearing and I can…" Izuku paused as he saw someone coming to the bridge. "Oh, Bushida!" The slightly timid boy jumped at the mention of his name and looked up before going wide-eyed.
"A-All Might!" Izuku held out his hand as the boy passed out from overexcitement, both witnesses sweat dropping at the sight.
"Well, that was embarrassing."
"You can say that again," said All Might. He turned to Izuku. "Here." Izuku blinked as All Might signed an empty page in the journal he'd dropped when the villain startled him.
"Wow! Thank you!" All Might placed the bottle into his pocket before going to the unconscious boy. Izuku placed the journal back into his pocket before joining the man.
"Young Man!" Izuku watched as All Might gave Kenta a series of rapid gentle strikes to wake him up. "I hope I didn't startle you too much!" Kenta groaned as he slowly woke up, giving All Might time to autograph the boy's backpack.
"What happened," groaned Kenta as he sat up.
"You passed out the second you saw All Might," stated Izuku, bluntly.
"No need to be so blunt," exclaimed All Might. Izuku shrugged.
"Sorry. I tend to be a little sociopathic because of my Quirk."
"It shows." Izuku helped Kenta to his feet and the boy frantically searched for something on his person. "Well, young men! I must be off!" He patted the bottle. "This villain won't put himself away, after all!"
"Wait, All Might," exclaimed Kenta. "Can you…" He gasped as he spotted the autograph.
"Take care!"
"Wait! There's something I need to ask YAAAH!" Izuku blinked as All Might jumped into the air faster than he could react. But not before a certain Quirkless boy grabbed his pants.
"Bushida," exclaimed Izuku as he saw they were already out of sight. "Great. Mom's gonna kill me for being late but I gotta find Bushida and see if he's alright." Izuku started running in the direction he saw them going to and wished he'd let Peter teach him how to fly. After ten minutes, Izuku started panting as he ran out of energy. He was fit, thanks to training with Hiro and Peter, but after ten minutes of full sprinting, anyone without an endurance Ability would tire out. Izuku caught his breath before grunting as he bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry."
"No," said the girl in front of him. "It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Izuku blushed as he saw the girl. She was slightly taller than him with black hair done in a spiky style and onyx, cat-like eyes. She wore a school uniform and was moving a bang from her face.
"N-no. It's my fault. I was trying to find my friend and wasn't looking ahead." Picking up a habit from his Uncle Hiro, Izuku held out his hand. "Izuku Midoriya." The girl smiled and took it.
"Momo Yaoyorozu. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"No, the pleasure is mine."
"Well, I should get going. It was nice to…" The two jumped as a scream filled the air followed by a series of explosions. On instinct, the two rushed towards the noise to see what was going on and found themselves behind a police barricade with a few heroes and police keeping civilians back and trying to put out fires caused by… Izuku blinked as he spotted the sludge villain from before. 'How did he… Kenta must've accidentally knocked him loose! But what's causing…' Izuku gasped as he saw who was struggling in the villain and why the heroes hadn't been able to do anything. "Katsuki…"
"You know that boy," asked Momo.
"He's my friend." Izuku gasped as he saw someone bolt from the crowd towards the villain. "Bushida!" Izuku rushed to the police line, Momo following close behind as she tried seeing what was going on. Izuku watched as Kenta tried to pry Katsuki from the villain and glanced at the heroes, seeing them not doing anything. "Dammit!" Izuku hopped the barrier and moved within range.
"Midoriya!" Izuku held out his hands and pulled back. Kenta and Katsuki were pulled from the villain and towards Izuku who placed them on the other side of the barrier. He faced the villain and glared.
"I don't know how you got out, but you're not getting away this time!"
"You again," exclaimed the villain as he backed away. "What the hell?!" Izuku flicked his fingers and the villain was dragged towards him before suspending him in the air.
"You're going away."
"You don't have a means of containing me, kid! And All Might's…"
"I am here," exclaimed All Might as he landed in between Izuku and the villain. "You're not getting away, villain!"
"Ah, crap!"
"Midoriya," exclaimed Momo. Izuku turned around and blushed as he saw Momo had her shirt opened and a blue light was obscuring her breasts before a large container with a lid was in her arms from the light. Izuku's concentration broke as the light faded, giving the boy a sight the caused a slight nosebleed, and the villain dropped to the ground before trying to get away.
"Crap," exclaimed Izuku before flexing his fingers. The villain stopped as the flames the hero Backdraft was trying to get under control moved to block the villain in.
"Detroit Smash," shouted All Might as he threw a jab at the villain, a rush of wind sending him against a wall and putting out the flames. As it started raining due to the change in pressure, Izuku flexed his fingers again and the villain was brought to him before being placed in the container by All Might after he took it from Momo. Izuku breathed deep as he went back to the police line.
"Midoriya," exclaimed Momo. "That was…"
"Incredibly reckless," shouted the hero, Death Arms as he and Kamui Woods stood in front of Kenta while the press praised Katsuki for his bravery and Quirk minutes later.
"Hey," said Izuku as he moved to the heroes. "Leave him alone! He did more than you two did! He didn't hesitate and tried saving our classmate! What the hell were you two doing?!" The two heroes backed up a step as Izuku yelled at them, put off by the fact a kid was chastising them.
"Midoriya," said Kenta. "It's fine. I'm used to it."
"It's not fine! Here you are trying to save someone and getting reprimanded for it while Katsuki is praised for causing the destruction in the first place!" He glared at the heroes and the press. "It's not right." Izuku flicked his fingers and the crowd in front of him was forced aside as he started walking away.
(Somewhere in Tokyo, Japan)
A man walked past an electronics shop and paused as he saw the news report on the villain attack in Musutafu. He watched as two boys were about to be swallowed up by a man made of sludge, one of them inadvertently setting the street and buildings on fire as the other tried to pry him out. The man almost turned away before he saw another boy hop over the police barricade and hold out his hands. He watched as the two captured boys were pulled to the third and noted the green hair on his head. "It can't be," he muttered. The man lowered the sunglasses over his eyes as he watched the boy hold the villain in place before faltering slightly as his attention was brought to a girl who rushed to help. His eyes flashed with pride as the boy's hands ignited with blue flames and the flames in the alley swarmed around the villain, trapping him in place after he regained his composure. "Izuku. You're already so powerful."
"Hey, geezer," shouted a young man nearby, aiming his gun-like hands at him. "Hand over everything you've got!" The man glanced at his would-be assailant only to continue watching the news.
"Go away. You don't have anything I want."
"What was that?! You got it wrong, old man! What?! Are you dumb?!"
"Not dumb. Just not interested in you. Walk away."
"Looks like I'll have to do this the messy way!" The man sighed as the sound of gunshots echoed in the street, sending people scattering. The mugger stared as his ammunition, his own bones which regrew after firing them out, were frozen in the air. The man turned to him and saw the projectiles. "On second thought…" The man's lips curled into a wicked grin as the bones dropped to the ground and the mugger grasped at his neck as the man's hand seemed to clench the air between them. "Using your own bones as a weapon. Now that's an Ability I've had trouble finding." He walked forward as the mugger struggled in the air, being moved into an alley. "It's a rather interesting Ability you've got. I wonder how it works…" The man aimed his finger and the mugger screamed as pain wracked across his forehead as it was split open with the smallest gesture of the man.
When police came to investigate the scene, they found the mugger's body lying dead in the alley. Detective Naomasa frowned as he saw the criminal's skullcap had been removed. It had been a while since he'd stumbled across a sight like this. A serial killer who exposed the brains of their victims. The reason behind these murders was unclear, but the pattern remained. Those with unique Quirks who also had criminal records. Assault and battery, theft, the occasional murder. Each with the same wounds. No signs of restraints, no evidence of fighting back or signs of a struggle, but somehow they were overpowered and killed in the same way each time. The skullcap missing and exposing the brain to open air.
The detective was so focused on what may have been used to create such a clean cut on the densest bone in the body, he didn't notice the scene being observed nearby by a man in a dark green trench coat as he looked at his hands. The fingers expanded outwards and showed striations inside like the chamber of a gun before he aimed at finger at the officers with a lazy look. "Bang," muttered Sylar as he watched the detective go over the body with the onsite coroner. His smile faltered as he turned to the tech shop and saw the news replaying the incident in Musutafu. "Izuku. Inko. I'll see you soon." Sylar smiled warmly before frowning as the news broadcast was taken over by the Metahuman Liberation Front. "Metahuman Liberation Front. I wonder if you'll be singing the same tune soon enough."
(Author's Notes)
Right. So after months of dealing with writer's block and burnout, I thought I'd post this before returning to my older stories and giving them a much needed update after so long. Can't say I'll be back to week to week updates for my regular readers, but I'll try my hardest to update more regularly, it just depends on how well I feel it is. Let me know what you think of this story and I'll see about regular updates. Until next time, Y'all!
