"You want to be a hero? Let me in you a little secret, Deku, that won't ever happen. A piece of advise, if you want to make something out of yourself, jump from a rooftop and hope for a quirk in your next life. Then maybe you wouldn't be such a liability."
...
Izuku's eyes shot open, as he took in the surrounding around him. He was still wrapped in the bandages that he had before he lost his consciousness.
He looked at his rib, only to find that it had been fully healed. It was inconceivable. The prospect that the human body would heal that quick, it bewildered him.
He removed the bandages, rushing to the exit door. He twisted the doorknob, determined to leave the patient room. He didn't belong here. He proceeded with scrutiny, looking if there were any nurses around to halt him.
Where were those two weird men?
I suppose I can't dwell on that for now.
He was in a race for time. He knew that his mother couldn't afford something as expensive as surgery on her own. Maybe a side job would do? If so, then what kind of job could he do?
No. He was just a middle-schooler. No sane employers would hire him, not especially with his lack of finesse. What could he do, honestly? Analyse quirks? Who the hell would want to make a use out of that?
Shit.
He was so useless. Unbelievably useless. All he had ever been was a thorn in his mother's side, dragging her down, and...
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Great. He cursed.
As he reached the exit of the hospital, the people out there looked at him as if they were gazing on an escaped convict.
Oh yes.
He was still wearing his patient get-up. He needed to find new clothes. Stealing was no option, but what was he going to do? Walk all the way down to his house in this? That would be utterly embarrassing.
He then walked into a nearby alleyway, his eyes peeled for any abandoned clothes. After that, maybe could look for a place to work in. But that wouldn't work in the long run. The lackluster salary, the poor work environment, such labor would only yield futile results.
He might look for a last ditch effort. Maybe he would give Auntie Mitsuki a little visit, tell him about everything that Bakugo did-
"Would you like for me to assist you?" A voice came from behind. Izuku looked to the person, only to see a man wearing a metal brace, fog emitting out of the gaps. He was wearing a formal suit, so Izuku assumed that he was a worker here..
Safe for his peculiar appearance. He narrowed his eyes. And as if that wasn't creepy enough, he was tailing after him in a secluded place.
"My apologies for the abruptness, but, I've seen you around here and thought that maybe I should help." He said softly, "But of course, only if you are willing to."
"If you have something that I can wear, sure, I'll take a bite." Izuku nodded.
"No." The man made out of fog denied, "That..was not the help that I offered."
Izuku squinted his eyes, "What kind of help then?"
"Your mother." The man replied, "I have witnessed the unfortunate events that occured. You need her to go through surgery, but you lack the financial means to do so. I can help."
Izuku looked at him for a second, "So you've been watching me. Isn't that a little...weird?"
The man chuckled a little, though that did not deter his professional exterior, "Call me an opportunistic employer. I see a candidate, I take them, and I think you would make a good employee."
"Employer..? Employer for what job, exactly?" Izuku asked.
"The dirty kind," He replied.
"Can you specify?" Izuku pushed, slightly demanding for answers.
"You would do whatever it takes to support your mother, wouldn't you?" The man asked, playing symphonies into his determination.
Izuku's eyes lowered into the ground, considering the offer. Then, his decision was made. He lifted his eyes off the ground, "Show me."
The man then extended his hand, "Before that, it'd be good if we have a proper introduction, no?"
"I'm Midoriya Izuku." The boy replied, returning the gesture, shaking the mysterious man's hand.
"I'm Kurogiri, of the League of Villains."
League of Villains-?!
Before he could even finish his thought, he was instantly transported into a bar of some sort. A man with a plethora of hand objects gripping at his face sat at the edge near a television. He grunted, "So you're back with the prodigy brat."
Prodigy brat?
"He's being compliant as well," Kurogiri added, "For now, at least."
"Heh. Can't believe I'm playing second fiddle to a brat who can't even so much as to stand up to that worthless pomeranian cretin. Whatever Sensei's brewing for this kid, it better be worth it."
"Hey, hey," Izuku held his hands up, "Hold on, I'm getting...a lot of information here that I have to process. First off, you're all...villains?"
"The fuck did you think we were when Kurogiri said ' the dirty kind'? Magical Fairies? The Apostles of Jesus?" The blue-haired man jeered.
Kurogiri sighed, "I suppose I should've been a little less cryptic."
"False advertising." The hand man chuckled.
"And Sensei? Prodigy brat? What the hell is going on?" Izuku inquired once more.
Before the hand man could respond, the screen of the television besides him flickered, the words 'Sound Only' plastered in the middle of the static screen, "You have retrieved the boy, I take it?"
Kurogiri nodded, "Yes, and he is compliant."
"I never said-"
"Good. Bring him here. I want to have a heart-to-heart conversation with my new accomplice." The voice said.
Kurogiri gently grabbed Izuku by his left arm, before teleporting him to where the person behind the television was. What he saw was beyond terrifying.
A disfigured man sitting in a life support chair stared right back at him. He had no eyes that he could see with, but Izuku knew that he could see him.
"Ah. I've been eager to meet you, Midoriya Izuku." The man on the chair said.
"Eager...? We don't even know each other."
"I know you, more than you can imagine," The man then gestured for Kurogiri to leave, as he complied to the request. Now, it was only Izuku and this...
Whatever this man was, in a dark room located in god knows where.
I made the wrong decision.
"Now, Izuku...You may be wondering, why the sudden approach?"
"I'd like for an answer to that, yes." Izuku gulped. This man, whatever this man was, he knew that he was up to no good.
"Well, let's see..." The man leaned forward, "Before that, let me introduce myself. I am known by many people as 'All For One'."
"All For One..." Izuku ruffled his hair, "Should I add 'mister'?"
He chuckled, "I suppose not. It's unnecessary. We are allies standing on equal grounds, are we not?"
"I haven't even agreed."
"You will, eventually. The circumstances that you have been plunged into, it would coerce you to make a decision that you wouldn't normally," All For One stated.
Izuku then asked, "What is your deal? You haven't gotten into that."
"Ah, yes. Yesterday, you have gotten yourself into quite the trouble." All For One asked, a small grin plastered on his face, "How long has it been since you've nestled inside of that bubble of ignorance that has since worn you down?"
"What..?" Izuku uttered, baffled.
All For One then cleared his throat, "You haven't caught up by now, haven't you? I suppose not. A child with your self-esteem wouldn't know any better."
Fed up, Izuku yelled, "Could you please get to the point already?!"
Izuku was even surprised by his courage to scream that in the first place.
"...you are not quirkless."
To say that he was shocked was an understarement. No. He was contemplating the legitimacy of that claim. Not quirkless? But then again, this man had never met him. He had never seen the look on his face when the doctor revealed that he was quirkless. That he was a genetic reject, a weak link in the family, a-
"I have a rough idea on what you might be thinking right now," All For One haughtily guffawed, "'How could this be?', 'I'm a quirkless reject!', or 'We have never met before, he doesn't know any better!'"
Izuku observed him carefully, "Congratulations, seer, now explain."
"Such a quick-witted mouth," All For One remarked, before moving on, "You're eager to know the truth, but I don't even know about your decision. Would you please provide me with an undisputable answer?"
"I haven't thought about it."
"Take a walk. I'm sure you would come to the right decision by then." All For One said, gesturing to the cameras, indicating that he wanted Izuku to be removed from his presence for now, "Remember, the fate of your mother depends on your decision. Make it with discretion."
A naive person would assume that it had something to do with Izuku's financial problems, but that tone...
He knew that there was an underlying threat behind those words.
"Hey, what does that mean-?!" Izuku was enveloped by a fog, and in an instant, he was back in his room. Not the hospital room. His room.
Izuku stood there for a second, thinking back to what All For One said about his mother's fate...
...
He knew he had to accept that offer sooner or later, but..
He was no villain. All he'd ever wanted to be was a hero, for pete's sake!
But..
If being a villain would save his mother...
He clenched his fists, twisting the doorknob, exiting his room. He looked at all of the pictures adorning the guest room.
His mother, himself, and..
Was there no one else besides him and his mother? Where was his father? He had to be there at some point.
Then, he was compelled to enter the room of his mom for some reason. He looked around until he found a tape recorder sitting all the way on the edge. He crouched down, pressing 'play'...
Hey, Izuku, I- I know you're bound to find this at some point in the future, and if you do..Well, let's just say that there's a lot that I have to say, about you in particular. You've been pushing so hard all your life, you know? My baby boy. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there. You may be quirkless, but you're worth all the treasures in this world, maybe even more. I just.. It hurts me to see that whenever you come, you'd be in those bruises, not telling me anything, and..Well, I just want to say that I love you, and that if you need anything from me, don't hesitate. I have all the time in the world for you, 'Zuku. I..I love you. Okay? Please, remember that.
Tears began to squeeze themselves through his eyes, breaking down, his knees faltering. He sobbed into the floor, his nail digging themselves through it's sturdy materials.
"Mom.." He hiccuped, "I love you too."
He held the tape recorder close to his chest.
He slowly stood up, his eyes somber, yet spoke of determination. The decision was clear. He was going to save her. He was going to support her financially, no matter what it cost.
His decision to become a villain..
Was a resounding yes.
A fog enveloped itself around him quickly. He was back in where he had just been. All For One's lair.
"Didn't think you'd make that decision that quick," All For One chuckled, "Very good, Midoriya."
Izuku fell to his knees, his hands stretched horizontally.
"Come now, I didn't invite you here to kiss my bottom," All For One bemused, "Though I wouldn't stop you if you insist."
"All For One," Izuku's voice was hoarse as he continued, "I know it pains me to come to this decision, but seeing as there are no other options.. Me and my mom, we are not financially stable. We had to work hard to even have a roof on our heads, and on top of that, the surgery, all of it.."
All For One listened intently.
Izuku then lifted his head, and said the words that would come to haunt him for all his days, "I want you to hear my plea: Save my mom, and my life is yours."
And his fate was sealed.
(Author's notes: I added some tweaks to this chapter, an extra dialogue if you will.)