He Who Protects

Chapter 2

Tanaka eyed her recording aperture, ensuring she missed not a word of The Emperor's tale. "The sludge villain must have been incredibly strong to best you, my Lord."

A mirthless chuckle left The Emperor's lips. "Quite the contrary, Chronicler. I was merely weak. As of yet, I hadn't been gifted with extraordinary power."

Her jaw dropped, forgetting her present company. "Impossible! There are none who could hope to challenge you!"

Izuku Midoriya, a man, no, a celestial being who loomed over all men moved as silent as whispering wind toward a towering bookshelf. She couldn't help but wonder how he moved without sound in his bulking, gold power armour.

The Emperor pondered his collection for a moment before reaching to pull a rather old, worn book of ponderous origins. His movements graceful, yet predatory, the towering man pressed the thin book into her trembling hand.

Hero Analysis for the Future: Volume 1

Tanaka composed herself, leafing through the strange book, its pages filled with ancient Japanese kanji and a plethora of diagrams. "Who wrote this, my Lord?"

"I did," he replied with a far off gaze. "Hundreds of years ago. This book is part of my private collection. It predates the Second Dark Age of Quirks. Very few remain who remember those days."

"The history contained in these pages!" Tanaka stopped at a sketch of a mountain of a man with a star on his chest. "It is priceless. Nearly no record remains of those days."

The Emperor of Humanity walked around her and peered over her shoulder. "Caught your eye, did he?"

Eyes wide, Tanaka closed the book and turned to meet his gaze. "I meant no disrespect, my Lord."

Another chuckle escaped him. "Not to worry, Chronicler. He catches everyone's gaze. He was an extraordinary man."

"Who was he?" Tanaka whispered. "I couldn't make out his name."

"One who stood above all during a time of extraordinary men and women, though not as extraordinary in the current time." The Emperor plucked the book from her hands, returning it to the shelf in a loving, reverential manner. "He is the man who first set me on my path."

The Emperor pulled something from his cloak pocket and tapped a rune on its side. A holopicter.

A three-dimensional rendering of the man in the notebook flickered to life between them.

"The man who made you powerful." Tanaka reached a shaking hand toward the glowing blue hologram.

"In a manner of speaking." Unshed tears swam in the Emperor's glowing green eyes. "His name was All Might."

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"Young man!"

Repeated impacts on the side of Izuku's face whipped his brain around in his skull like an egg. A groan escaped his lips as his muscles screamed at the simple action of waking up.

'This must be what Mirko's punching bag feels like.'

"Young man!"

With another groan, Izuku cracked his eyes open. The blur of gleaming gold and white was a mere centimetre from his face.

Izuku slammed his eyes shut in an attempt to clear the crust and grime. He opened them again and the world slid into focus with a gasp.

"Ah, good! You're awake!" The figure above him stood and flexed his muscles, a beaming smile wrinkling his cheeks. "I was afraid I'd been too late. I must apologise for your being caught up in all my heroing, but that villain was rather slippery! HAHAHA!"

"All Might," Izuku croaked.

The towering hero, the peak of humanity, reached into the cargo pocket of his brown pants and held out two soda bottles filled with a green substance. A single floating eye blearily blinked at Izuku from its confines.

"A rookie mistake," All Might yelled and crouched low to the ground. "And here I am, apologising for that mistake! But I fear I must be off. Heroes must fight time as well as villains. Thanks for your help, citizen!"

Izuku scrambled to his feet, an arm outstretched. "All Might, wait!"

The man turned his head and looked at Izuku. He was taller than the teen, even when crouched. "Do you need additional assistance?"

"No, it's just that you're my favourite hero," Izuku muttered at the speed of light as he patted his pockets. "And I've never been able to actually meet you in person. It's a great honour, of course, but I have a small favour to ask you. It should be here somewhere. Where is… OH, NO! WHERE'S MY NOTEBOOK?!"

Raising a brow, All Might pointed to a backpack resting at Izuku's feet. "I took the liberty of gathering your things. And I must say, your notes on various heroes are very thorough. You, young man, have a sharp mind that would greatly benefit an up and coming hero!"

Arms becoming a blur, Izuku clawed his way through his backpack's contents. "Thank you, All Might, sir!" After a few moments he bowed low and held out a pen and Hero Analysis for the Future: Volume 1. "Could you sign my analysis of you, please?"

"HAHAHA! Of course, young man!" All Might took the proffered book, scrawling his signature in his entry.

Izuku took the book, clutching it as if it were a holy relic.

"But I must be off!" All Might crouched low, wind swirling the dust around his feet. "Time waits for no man, even me!"

"Wait! I still have so much to ask you!"

Time slowed as Izuku shot forward. His left hand clenched fabric, feet dragging the ground.

And the next thing he knew, they were airborne. The carpals in his hand groaned as he clenched All Might's pants leg. The g-forces from the jump rippled his cheeks and lips. Tear drops streamed from his eyes.

'What power! I can't even close my eyes.'

"What in the world are you doing, kid?!" All Might looked down at Izuku, his brows clenched. "Are you crazy? Let go!"

If not for the intense wind, Izuku's eyes would've widened. "Are you crazy?" he shouted. "If I do that I'll die!"

Looking down, All Might replied, "Huh, I suppose you're right." The number one hero muttered something else, but Izuku couldn't make it out. Sighing, All Might looked back at him. "Hold on tight, I'll find a place for us to land."

Moments later, Izuku found himself standing on shaking legs atop a tall building. Whether his legs shook from fear or excitement he couldn't tell. 'I can't believe it… I was saved by All Might. I'm just a few feet from him. If I reached out I could touch him. No, I can't do that. It'd be inappropriate.'

All Might coughed into his fist, a small stream of steam escaping his lips. "So, kid. You wanted to ask me something?"

Izuku studied his personal hero for a moment. 'Why is he so tense? No, it doesn't matter. I have so much to ask him, but what to ask first?'

"Listen, I don't mean to hurry you, but I really should be going." A trickle of blood leaked from the downturned corner of All Might's mouth.

'He's not smiling, and he's bleeding. Was that villain really that strong?'

"Well, it's been fun kid!" All Might laid a hand on Izuku's shoulder as he made his way around him. "But I'm running short on time."

Izuku clenched his fist. "Wait! I'm sorry to take your time, All Might, but I have to ask you something important. Something I've wondered about my entire life!"

The large man stopped behind Izuku with a small sigh. "I can tell it means a lot to you, young man. So I'll tell you: Stiff n' Shine."

Green locks of hair fell in Izuku's eyes as he whipped around, his reply one of great intelligence: "Huh?"

All Might ran his hands over his long, blond antennae. "The hair gel I use to keep these puppies up during my fights. The hero boards have been blowing up with that question recently. Now you know and can flaunt your knowledge!"

Izuku shook his head and looked down at my feet. "No, it's not that. My entire life I've wanted to be a hero. I've wanted to save people with a smile on my face, just like you, All Might. It's all I've ever wanted. The only thing holding me back is… well… you see… I'm quirkless."

Hissing reached his ears and Izuku winced, his gaze locked on his red trainers. 'Not the first time I've gotten that reaction. Still, I gotta know.'

"I haven't let that stop me, though!" Izuku scuffed his shoe on the rooftop. "I've trained every day for the last three years for the U.A. entrance exam. I've studied heroes every waking moment since I was a little kid. All so I could ask you…"

He looked up, his eyes slamming shut. Izuku's fists clenching at his hips, he yelled, "Even without a quirk, can I be a hero and save people like you do, All Might?!"

Wracking coughs met his query and Izuku opened his eyes. A dense cloud of steam covered All Might.

It cleared after a few moments to reveal a skeletal man with sunken, glowing blue eyes, baggy clothes and drooping, blond hair. Izuku's brain ground to a screeching halt.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Izuku took a step back and tripped over a crack in the roof. "Where is All Might?"

"Well, the jig is up," the man sighed. "I am All Might, or at least what's left of him."

"I…you..no." He shook his head. 'Impossible.'

The skeletal man sat down with a groan, leaning his back against the roof's fence. "Got in a big fight about five years back. Gave me this wound…"

He lifted his white shirt, the same All Might had worn, to reveal a massive, caved-in scar covering the left side of his torso. The purple and red wound seemed to writhe in time with his laboured breaths like an angry pit of snakes. Izuku could count the man's ribs sitting above his sunken stomach.

Izuku's stomach lurched, bile setting his throat alight.

"Pretty gnarly, huh?" The man lowered his shirt and wiped a dribble of blood leaking from his mouth. "My respiratory system and stomach are shot. As a result, I can only do hero work for about three hours a day now."

"No," Izuku muttered, shaking his head. "I refuse to believe it. You can't be All Might. There was nothing on the internet about him being injured so badly. Nobody can stop All Might."

"You wouldn't find it on the internet, kid," the man replied with a rueful chuckle. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the soda bottles containing the sludge villain. "It was all kept hush-hush. I was out of commission for about two months after that fight. Surely, you remember All Might's 'vacation' a few years ago?"

Tears leaked from Izuku's eyes. 'Three hours a day… The injuries… They can't be fixed… That means…soon…he'll…'

"No… All Might."

"You figured it out." All Might sighed and Izuku flinched. "I can see it in your eyes, kid. I'll answer your question, but, first, you have to make me a promise. Keep this between you and me. If this ever got out…"

"Then the Symbol of Peace would die with it…" Izuku nodded and used his arm to wipe away his tears. "I won't tell anyone."

All Might stood, placing the villain back in his pocket. "Your question, then. You've got the mind and the heart of a hero, kid. I know you tried your damndest to fight that villain. That's commendable…"

Izuku looked up, his heart soaring. His hands twitched on the ground beneath him. His body vibrated. 'This is it, the moment I've waited for my entire life. He's going to tell me that I can…'

"...never be a hero," All Might whispered. "Not without a quirk."

The Earth fell from beneath Izuku and his heart crashed into his gut. Once roaring flames died, the embers left behind scattering in a gale. His throat caught. Pain lanced through his chest. The world shifted to a dull grey and Izuku stared down at the concrete as his mind stilled.

"No," he whispered. "But I…"

"I'm sorry to say it, kid." All Might rubbed the back of his head and turned away. "To fight quirks without having one? You'll die. It's best to be realistic. You can still be a hero in other ways. Be a cop, a firefighter, or an advisor to a hero agency. It's not glorious, but it's still good, honest work."

Izuku looked up, watching as All Might walked away. His world sat at a standstill, a vacuum devoid of sound and life. His heart sat lifeless in his chest. The only thing that moved was the door All Might disappeared behind it after giving Izuku one last, pitying look.

'A cop.' Izuku stood on unfeeling legs, floating to the fence. He looked down at the streets below.

"It's best to be realistic."

'A firefighter.' His knuckles turned white against the thick bars.

"You'll die."

'An advisor to a hero agency.' The space between the bars was wide and he was small.

"Weak, useless Deku."

'Kacchan was right all along.' Izuku's hands fell to his side.

He slipped through the bars and the world burst to life around him, but it was grainy and dark like one of those old films from before the Dark Age of Quirks.

The world below carried on, uncaring at how unfair it was.

"I'm sorry I wasn't enough."

His foot slipped on the ledge.