The Man Out of Time

by Ultimate10

After a 150 years in ice, Izuku Midoriya finds himself in a new world where meta-abilities or "Quirks" are the norm. His journey to becoming a modern Pro Hero will have its challenges keeping his old identity a secret, facing old and new foes, and learning to let go of the past. Does the world even need Captain America anymore? Or is he just too old-fashioned? Marvel/MHA AU World.

2. Chapter 1: Heart Over Power

The Man Out of Time

Chapter 1

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"Our dreams make us large."

- Jack Kirby

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Musutafu, Japan - April 2196

It was a sunny afternoon in Musutafu, a respectable-sized city in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture. People of all shapes and sizes, some even appearing to be amalgamations of animals and seemingly other random things, were going about their business.

The city's peace was suddenly disturbed when the ground began to rumble, followed by loud crashing sounds. As some people turned in the direction of the commotion in the distance, a young man swiftly sprinted past them - quickly shouting his apologies for bumping into them.

He was well above average in height for a Japanese man, standing at 189 centimeters (6'2"), and appeared to be quite muscular; although his modest attire concealed most of it. He had a mop of dark green, curly hair with freckles dotting a well-defined, mature face and bright emerald eyes shining with excitement.

The young man's attire consisted of a dark-brown leather jacket with black trim over a green-and-white plaid buttoned shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of red ankle-high boots with black laces and white heels. Strapped to his back was a circular brown leather bag with a black hand handle on top, and a yellow satchel was slung over his right shoulder.

Midoriya Izuku couldn't suppress a grin as he continued rushing toward the loud commotion. Skidding around a corner, Midoriya spotted a fairly large crowd gathering outside a nearby train station. Tatooine Station, if he remembered correctly. He immediately spotted a massive man with a monstrous appearance wreaking havoc in the station.

"That's one big supervillain!" Midoriya excitedly shouted in English.

Now, normally Midoriya would feel anything but excited upon seeing a giant monster-man rampaging in a populated area. If peoples' lives were endangered, he'd rush in without a second thought to help. But with trained and authorized professionals already on the scene, he was given a sense of ease.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Midoriya quickly reached into his bag to pull out a notebook and pen, eager to take new notes. Analysis of Today's Heroes: Volume 13 was written on the front.

Death Arms, the Punching Hero, rushed in to catch an electrical transmission tower that the villain had broken off in his rampage. With a grunt of exertion, he laid the broken tower onto the street with a loud thud.

'Good catch!' Midoriya praised, impressed by Death Arms's quick action. 'I know catching something that heavy falling from that distance couldn't have been easy. He's definitely strong!'

"Everyone stay back!" A Pro Hero dressed as a firefighter produced a rope of water from his red water faucet-arms in front of the spectators. Several police officers were also up front to keep people back. "For your own safety, please stay behind the line!"

'The Rescue Specialist, Backdraft!' Midoriya remembered reading about him online. His quirk was very useful for firefighting and keeping citizens out of danger zones, exactly what he was doing now. 'He'll keep bystanders at bay while also being available to put out any fires caused by the villain!'

"So why's this guy going full monster in the middle of the city?" A civilian in a business suit inquired to a regular-dressed man standing beside him.

"Eh, just some amateur. Stole someone's bag and got himself cornered."

The guy in the suit shook his head, commenting, "A Quirk like that and he's just a petty thief? What a waste."

"I know. It'd be cool to have a Quirk like that."

Midoriya wasn't quite fluent in his Japanese, but he understood enough of the men's conversation to know the situation. 'Seriously? That's a shame. What could've happened to force this guy to go down this path? With his ability, he could've done so much good.'

The verdette started carefully squeezing by people to reach the front of the crowd, overhearing some of them talking on their cellphones that they would be late getting to work or home. Seemed that the occasional villain attack was a common inconvenience amongst the populace these days. Reaching the front, Midoriya's eyes widened in joy when he spotted the new Pro Hero Kamui Wood arriving on the scene.

"Kamui Woods!" Midoriya exclaimed in English, quickly turning his notebook to the page where he had notes on the wooden hero. "He's a rising star in the Pro Hero ranks!"

An older American-looking gentleman standing next to Midoriya couldn't suppress a lighthearted chuckle at the young man's enthusiasm. He recognized the giddiness in Midoriya's eyes.

'Definitely a fanboy,' He inwardly commented.

Midoriya, meanwhile, jotted down a few notes as he witnessed Kamui battle the giant villain. The crowd let out a flurry of cheers, the loudest coming from a group of fangirls as Kamui Wood's arm morphed into over a dozen razor-sharp spears.

"Take him down, tree man!" The older gentleman shouted in English.

"Alright!" Izuku immediately recognized what attack-move Kamui was about to perform after doing some online research on the new hero, and he was thrilled to see it in person. "It's his Preemptive Binding-"

"CANYON CANNON!"

Without warning, the ground trembled once more as a towering woman dashed in and landed a devastating kick in the villain's jaw. He went flying backward and crashed into the railroad track, unconscious.

Midoriya's eyes widened in surprise at the giantess, and turned to a blank new page to draw a couple quick sketches of her.

She was a voluptuous young woman who had purple eyes with white pupils, with elegantly long eyelashes. She had long, voluminous creamy-blond hair that reached down to her waist, with two shorter strands curled to frame her face, parted slightly to her left.

Her hero costume was composed of a purple and pale tan-colored skintight bodysuit, which was accented with orange stripes. The suit also had a pair of purple gloves with orange accents on the edge of the cuff. This design was also shared with her boots, which were cut off at the thigh in a deep v-shape. The suit also had three peculiar orange diamond-shaped designs on the purple top that were located under her chest, and she also wore a purple domino mask with horn-like protrusions on the sides.

"Today's my debut!" She said with a grin while hoisting the villain up by his leg, slapping a series of restraints on him. "Pleased to meet you all! I'm Mt. Lady! And you don't have to worry about this bum anymore." She subtly stuck out her rear and winked, practically flashing the crowd.

Naturally, many men in the crowd pulled out cameras to take snapshots of the scene, chanting, "Money shot! Money shot!"

Though he couldn't suppress a small blush, Midoriya couldn't help but feel vexed with Mt. Lady basking in the spotlight.

'C'mon, that's just unnecessary. You're supposed to be a hero, not a Hollywood actress or something.' Midoriya inwardly chided.

On a lesser note, he was also a tad annoyed that he didn't get to see Kamui Wood's attack move in person. Oh well, maybe another time.

Shrugging it off, he continued writing in his notebook.

Several minutes later, more police arrived on the scene and Mt. Lady shrunk down to her normal size. She was immediately swarmed by the crowd and various reporters as she handed the villain over to the police. Mt. Lady smiled brightly while eagerly answering any questions the reporters had for her, taking the spotlight completely away from Kamui Woods, who was still on top of the train station while looking quite gloomy.

"Gigantification?" Midoriya muttered in English while making several notes next to a simple sketch of Mt. Lady. "From what I understand it's a common and quite powerful ability these days. Although the threat to public property might pose an issue… unless she can manipulate her size at will. Still, she certainly has the looks and Quirk to be a popular hero."

The old man looked at Midoriya with slight surprise. "Your English is pretty good. You from around here… or are you studying abroad?" He asked.

He was a Cacuasian man around his late 60s from what Midoriya could tell, standing at 176 cm (5'8''). His gray hair was slicked back, showing off a receding hairline. Over his dull blue eyes was a pair of thin-framed glasses. He wore a pair of khaki pants held up by a black belt, a light blue turtleneck sweater with a white collared undershirt, and brown shoes.

"Oh!" Midoriya realized he had slipped back into speaking English, which irritated a few bystanders closeby. "Uh, y-yeah." He sheepishly replied, putting his notebook back in his bag. "I guess you could say I'm studying abroad. I was actually born here in Musutafu but grew up in the States. California, to be specific."

"No kidding. Queens myself, in case you couldn't tell," The man chuckled as his New York accent was prevalent.

"Nice to meet yah, Queens," Midoriya held out his hand, which the older American shook firmly.

"Likewise, Cali," He smirked.

"So, what brings you to Japan?" Midoriya asked, hoping to strike up some small talk. Aside from acquaintances at the community college and at work, he didn't have much going for him in the friends department.

The old man smiled roguishly. "Oh, mainly here to kick back and enjoy retirement. Also hoping to get some inspiration for a new superhero comic I got ruminating in my head."

Midoriya grinned. "Japan does have great heroes! I'm sure they can give you plenty of inspiration."

'Haven't seen much in terms of superhero comics these days. Makes sense… given that this world is practically filled with superheroes and supervillains already.' Midoriya thought. 'Why read a comic when you can just turn on the news or stream Youtube videos?'

"Superhero comics aren't really a big thing anymore though." Midoriya mentioned with a small frown. "So it may not get popular…"

"Eh" He waved off the concerns, "that won't stop me. Our dreams make us big, yah know?"

Midoriya smiled, admiring the old man's sunny outlook and determination.

"So, what're you studying abroad for? From all those notes you were taking, it sounds like you're wanting to be a hero yourself, am I right?"

Midoriya nodded, smiling. "Yes. That's actually why I'm here."

"Well, good luck then!" He gave Midoriya a thumbs-up. "Don't know what your Quirk is, but it doesn't matter." He paused to look at his wristwatch, his eyes widening when he noticed the time. "Well, I better head along now. Don't wanna miss my train. Hopefully that giant ruffian didn't destroy the tracks…"

"Goodbye, sir! Nice talking to yah." Midoriya gave him a lazy salute as he walked toward Tatooine Station. "Good luck on your comic!"

"Thanks, son!" The old man gave him a peace-sign. 'Certainly a mature air around that kid. I'm sure he'll be a great hero. I can feel it.'

With that, the aspiring comic writer proceeded toward the train station.

'Good guy.' Midoriya began walking in the opposite direction.

It'd be faster to take the train to his apartment, but he felt like walking today. He enjoyed walking home most of the time as it allowed him to stretch out his legs and learn the area better. Plus, he was never in a hurry to get back to an empty apartment solely to study and sleep.

Stopping with a group of people at a crosswalk, the verdette pulled out his thirteenth Hero Analysis notebook.

'Can't believe I got to see those Pro Heroes in action today. They were pretty quick to take action.' Midoriya began jotting extra notes on Mt. Lady and Kamui Wood's pages.

Death Arms and Backdraft's profiles were in one of his twelve previous notebooks (Volume 5 and Volume 6, to be more specific), so he'd have to wait to get home and add notes to their respective pages. 'Still, Mt. Lady rushing in the way she did could've ended badly had some civilians or station workers been nearby the tracks. Hopefully she took that into account before making that decision.'

Given how eager she was to make her debut though, he doubted that was the case. Midoriya wasn't personally angry with Mt. Lady as he understood why she did it. Pro Heroes were government workers and had the potential to earn higher wages, fame, and glory depending on their performance.

'Basically, the more popular you are and the more villains you capture, the more money you make.' Midoriya mentally sighed. 'Sounds good on paper and all, to reward heroes like that, but… that does potentially lead to other issues.'

The crosswalk light turned green, and Midoriya with the rest of the crowd proceeded across the street. He opted to take a longer route back to his apartment complex, not really in a rush. He furiously scribbled down notes, enraptured in his own world - which weirded out some passing bystanders.

After jutting down as many notes as he could on Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady, he placed his notebook and pen back into his yellow satchel.

Several highschool students wearing black gakuran uniforms walked past him until he realized he was walking in front of a highschool. The words "Jakku High" were inscribed on a plaque on the school's brick entrance gate.

'Guess school must've just let out.' Glancing at his green army wristwatch, he confirmed it was indeed past 15:00 (3 PM). Making sure to step to the side to not impede any of the students walking by, Midoriya Izuku took a moment to stare at the school facility.

'Feels like it was only yesterday…'

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Fresno, CA - April 2042

A line of thirteen yellow school buses drove down the relatively busy streets of Fresno with "Vulcan High School District'' labeled in black capital letters on both sides and their respective bus number present by the front doors. With all of their designated stops completed, the buses were on their way to the highschool building.

In Bus #9, the atmosphere of the bus was loud and rowdy (much like the other buses) as students conversed with each other while the bus driver did his best to tune out the noise. Meanwhile, a Japanese-American teen was sitting alone at the front bench seat with his eyes glued on his smartphone.

He wore a white t-shirt with black kanji letters for t-shirt emblazoned on the front, baggy brown cargo pants, and a pair of red hightops with white soles and black laces. A yellow backpack was resting in the unoccupied seat to his right.

Izuku Midoriya's attention was focused on a national news article with the main headline, "Meta-Human Riots Continue in Major Cities. Hundreds Dead.". Izuku frowned as he read the unsettling reports of people with meta-abilities causing havoc. It ranged from petty theft to full-out riots with many people getting hurt or killed. The government was under immense pressure to quell the violence but they, like the rest of the world, were still debating on how to handle the sudden, unprecedented rise of human meta-abilities.

Reaching a portion of the article that included a video of one of the riots in LA, Izuku pulled out a black composite notebook from his bag with the title "Meta-Abilities Analysis" written on front. Pressing play, the teen watched a shaky cam video of a small group of meta-users attacking riot police in LA. Izuku scribbled down the meta-abilities he could discern from the poor quality video. He imagined it was taken by a bystander trying to stay out of sight to record the action.

"Hmm, let's see… one guy appears to have the ability to coat his body in stone, granting him enhanced strength and durability. Another has jellyfish-like tentacles for arms and appears to be able to produce bio-electricity." He mumbled, pausing to wince when he saw several SWAT members suffer electrocution from the thug. "A third guy… or maybe a girl? Anyway, they have the body of a humanoid snake and spit acidic venom from their mouth and arms which have snakeheads instead of hands..."

"Hey. Hey, kid! IZUKU!"

"H-huh, y-yes Mr. Curtiss?" Snapped out of his musings, he turned to the Hispanic bus driver who was giving him an irritated look.

"You were mumbling again." the driver pointed out. "Also, we're here. Time to get out!"

Izuku looked around to see everyone had already disembarked from the bus. "O-oh! Sorry about that!" Quickly putting his phone and notebook away, he promptly exited the bus.

With the sliding doors closing behind him, Izuku took a brief moment to look at the high school he'd been attending for four years. A large, one-story brick building with many windows placed around it. The roof extended upward in the middle to make room for the larger gym. Placed up front near the circular driveway was an illuminated sign with "Vulcan High School: Home of the Vultures" inscribed on it.

Izuku sighed deeply. 'Just a few more weeks and it'll be over.' Like many high school seniors, Izuku was counting the days and hours until graduation - eager to be done with school life, at least public school life.

Swinging his yellow backpack over his shoulder, Izuku was lost in the crowd walking through the front entrance. Nearly everyone towered over him, even most girls, as his own growth had been stunted since middle school - standing at five-foot-four (164.5 cm). Looks-wise he was quite plain with unkempt (by choice) black hair and brown eyes and a round, freckled face. He had gained his freckles from fifteen years of living in sunny California.

His highschool tenure had been less than ideal, so he was understandably ready to move onto the next stage of his life. Nearly a month remained, so he simply had to bear through it.

His first three class periods of Math, Art, and Science he enjoyed and went by fairly quickly. Lunchtime came and Izuku sat alone at a table in a far corner, eating a homemade bento from his lunchbox. It was quite common for him to eat alone from his peers.

Izuku would admit that he could be awkward sometimes, so he didn't hold it against others for being weirded out by his idiosyncrasies. Furthermore, he suspected that his Asian heritage discouraged some people from socializing with him - not that it mattered to Izuku as he didn't see the point in interacting much with people who couldn't look past ethnicity.

Finishing his lunch early, Izuku gathered his belongings and headed to the library. The upcoming free period gave him the opportunity to unwind and catch up on any reading or assignments.

The next forty-five minutes or so was spent reading alone at a library table. Izuku was enraptured by an old Japanese book titled The Book of Five Rings. His eyes danced across the English-translation pages with fascination. Two more books were stacked to his right.

"Art of War" by Sun Tzu.

"Dreams Are Now Reality: An Extensive Guide to the Rise of Superhumans, Volume III" by Hatsume Teruko, Ph.D.

"Whoa, nearly four centuries later and Miyamoto's wisdom still holds up." Midoriya sounded impressed.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

An electronic bell sound emanated from a speaker in the library's ceiling. The same bell resounded throughout the school building to signify the start of another period. For Midoriya, it was the start of his least favorite yet most necessary class (for him personally): Physical Education (PE). Gathering the three books in his arms, Izuku quickly walked to the librarian's desk to have them checked out.

"I have to say, Izuku," the middle-aged librarian said while stamping the due dates on labels on the back of various books, "I think you've read more books than all the other students in this school combined."

"I-I'm sure that's an exaggeration." Izuku tapped his cheek bashfully.

"It isn't." She quickly refuted. "You check out nearly five books a week and always return them on time. Good work! I'm sure that extra knowledge will take you far." She gave him a warm, earnest smile.

"Thank you," He smiled. "I appreciate that, Mrs. Davis."

Placing the books in his backpack, he rushed out of the library and through the hallway to the gymnasium. The PE instructor, Coach Simmon, was serious about punctuality due to being a US Army veteran, and wasn't afraid to dish out more exercises on those that were tardy. Although Izuku inwardly admitted he could use the extra workouts, he didn't want them as a punishment.

Ten minutes later, Izuku was standing in line with two dozen classmates in their respective gym clothes. There wasn't a designated school gym outfit like with Japanese schools, rather students were given the freedom to wear their own outfit as long as it followed the school dress code. In Izuku's case, he wore a plain white shirt, blue shorts with a red and white stripe going down both legs, and old black tennis shoes.

"Alright, listen up!" Coach Simmon shouted. "Graduation may be around the corner, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you kids slack off."

There was a collective groan from the students, with the exception of Izuku.

The coach blew into his whistle. "Shut it! We're running ten laps around the gym, 25 pushups, 25 squats, and then 25 sit ups. After that, we're playing a couple rounds of dodgeball!" He whistled again. "Let's go, maggots!"

With that, the class started their run around the gymnasium with Izuku trailing behind as per usual. After only a couple of laps, Izuku was already sweating heavily and panting hard, an asthma attack overtaking him.

'Crap!' He mentally cursed. 'I still can't keep up… even after doing all the exercises Peg-chan told me to do…'

Coach Simmon noticed Izuku's struggles and quickly ran over to him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out Izuku's rescue inhaler and handed it to the teen - which he quickly accepted. Taking a couple of deep puffs from the inhaler, Izuku felt relief wash over his body as his bronchial tubes opened back up.

"T-thank you, coach." He breathed out.

"Take your meds this morning?" Coach asked, concerned.

"Y-yes sir," Izuku replied.

"Wanna sit this out, Midoriya?" The coach already knew what the teen's response would be, but he was obligated to ask though. School policy and all.

"No." Izuku panted. "I have no right… to sit out while everyone else… is doing these exercises. I can do it…"

Catching his breath, Izuku resumed running around the gymnasium. Coach Simmon couldn't help but smile at Izuku's determination. 'Love that kid's fortitude. He has a soldier's heart!' He then frowned. 'A damn shame he has all those health issues though…'

Everyone had finished the required exercises long before Izuku and started playing dodgeball without him. By the time the onyx-haired teen finally finished, he had just enough time to join the last round - only to immediately get pelted in the face with a dodgeball.

'Note to self…' He mentally bemoaned. '... need to work on improving reflexes.'

Coach ended the class ten minutes early, giving everyone time to take a quick shower before the next period. Izuku entered his seventh period class, History, with a red throbbing mark on his left cheek. This, of course, earned him a few snickers from his classmates.

This was Izuku's least favorite class, not because of the subject (he liked history) but because of the person sitting in front of him.

"Sup Midori." Zak Powers took his seat at his desk. "Oof! What happened to you?"

Zak was your stereotypical high school jock, a talented baseball pitcher to be specific. Vulcan High since its founding could never get to the state championship in baseball, despite having really good players. As soon as Zak started playing freshman year, the coaches noticed his insane arm talent and immediately placed him on the varsity team, surprising many people. However, any worries of starting a freshman pitcher were squashed when he showed his stuff.

He was lights out!

He went two full seasons while only allowing a handful of earned runs, leading Vulcan High to back-to-back state championships. He was the undisputed most popular guy on campus. Worst part was he knew it and fully embraced it.

Standing at five-foot-eleven (155.75 cm), he was well-defined and trim for an eighteen-year-old thanks to years of training and great genetics. He had brown hair with a long bang covering his right eye, tanned skin, and hazel eyes. Definitely eye candy for the ladies.

He wore a red, black, and white letterman jacket over a plain black T-shirt, blue jeans, and black converse shoes.

"Dodgeball…"

"Wish I could've been there, but alas… athletics and all."

"The baseball team is doing really good. You guys are primed to make another deep playoff run." Izuku stated.

"State's in the bag." Zak confidently replied. "Can't wait to get my third ring." He showed off the two state champion rings on his left index finger and thumb. "I think I'll put it right here! HA!" He jidded while flipping Izuku the bird.

Izuku did his best to ignore the rude gesture and continued, "Your ERA is in the state's Top 3 for the fourth consecutive year. Keep it up and you'll definitely make it to the majors." He was sincere in that assessment.

"Yeah, I know." Powers smirked, sounding very braggadocios. "USC wouldn't have given me a full ride otherwise. By the way, Midori ole pal… you have my homework?" He glanced back with a roguish grin.

"C'mon Powers…" Izuku bemoaned. "I know you're busy with training and all, but this is cheating. You should do the work on your-"

"Do you have it?" Zak gained a serious edge in his voice.

Izuku sighed deeply and pulled out two papers from his bag. "I tried to match your handwriting as best as I could. Also, I didn't answer every question correctly to ward off suspicion from Mr. Nicholas."

Zak took the papers and his expression immediately lightened up. "Thanks, pal! You're a true friend."

"S-sure…"

Izuku knew better. Zak was not his friend, at least not anymore. Even though they got along quite well as children, that had all changed when his natural athleticism bloomed into existence; specifically his throwing ability. Upon excelling in baseball in middle school and now high school, he had left Izuku in the dust to join the 'cool crowd'. Couldn't let Izuku Midoriya, the weakest and most awkward kid in school, taint his image after all.

Despite all that, Izuku Midoriya didn't hold a grudge against his former childhood friend. He wished him all the best in his future endeavors and hoped he excelled in baseball. Although, deep down, he'd be completely satisfied with never seeing him again after graduation.

The middle of history class was interrupted by the school's daily announcements. Part of the announcements included the daily Pledge of Allegiance to the American and California State flags respectively.

While pronouncing the allegiance by memory, Izuku noticed Zak wasn't saying the right words. He was essentially being an immature child mismatching words to make it sound funny. Now, Izuku could tolerate many things, but this was not one of them.

"Zak! Show some respect!" Izuku said angrily after the pledges concluded. "People died for that flag. Least you can do is say the pledge."

"Huh?" Zak looked back, cocking a brow. "The little Jap is seriously gonna talk to me about the flag?"

"Mr. Midoriya does raise a valid point, Mr. Powers!" The history teacher, Mr. Nicholas, spoke up. "It's school policy to have pledges every day. Students do have the right to not participate, however… mocking the pledge is unacceptable. Also," he shot the jock a serious glare, making him temporarily freeze up, "derogatory terms will not be tolerated in my classroom."

Opening a cabinet in his desk, he reached inside it to pull out a yellow paper slip. "Take this note and head to the principal's office, Mr. Powers. That was strike two."

"Ah c'mon, Mr. Nicholas, I-" Any hope the school's Ace had to charm his way out of trouble was ended when the teacher held out his hand. Unlike the rest of the school staff members, Mr. Nicholas would not tolerate Zak's bull crap; star athlete or not.

"Don't. Go, or it'll be strike three. I'll ensure you miss the rest of the baseball season due to misconduct… and forcing your peers to write assignments for you." A fearsome glare was present in the man's glasses. "In words you can understand, you'll be out."

Zak and Izuku both froze while the rest of the class watched with varied expressions; some were in amusement at seeing Zak get taken down a peg while others were surprised in general.

Zak remained silent and calmly walked up to take the slip and head to the door. Before he exited the classroom, he shot a brief glare in Izuku's direction.

'Uh oh…' Izuku gulped.

After finishing History and his last period, English, the final bell had rung. Izuku had hoped to make it to the bus before Zak caught him, but sadly fate was not kind to him today. It hardly ever was. Zak had been waiting for him behind a corner and, with an arm resting over Izuku's shoulder, led him out of the building.

He wore a friendly smile to ward off any suspicion from others, but Izuku knew it was forced. He could feel the menacing intent gushing off him. This wouldn't end well.

Moments later, in an empty alleyway near the school, Izuku stumbled into a trashcan and fell to the ground with another red mark on his face.

Zak shook the hand he used to punch Izuku, glaring daggers at him. "Contrary to what you may think, I don't like doing this, Midori."

"Could've fooled me…" Izuku groaned, weakly pushing himself back up.

"You embarrassed me. What's worse, you gave me my second strike. I can't afford to miss the season. You know that. Not when I'm so close to making history."

"You did that to yourself." As Izuku stood up, he noticed the metal trash can lid off to the side and scooped it up. "You didn't have to disrespect the pledges like that."

He held the lid in front of him like a shield.

"Yeah? What's it to you!?"

Zak reached and pulled the metal lid out of Izuku's grasp, throwing it off to the side. He then socked Izuku with a right hook, causing him to stumble into some gross, greasy trash bags lying next to a dumpster.

"My great-grandfather fought Japs in World War II. Gave his life in the Battle of Okinawa." Zak glowered at his victim. "Who are you to talk to me about being patriotic?"

Izuku shakily returned to his feet, getting in a boxer's stance with his fists clenched. "I'm… just as much… American… as you are, Powers…" He panted heavily.

Zak sneered. "Still standing? You never were good at giving up were you?"

"No." Despite his body quaking in fear and pain, Izuku directed a determined glare at Zak. "I can do this all day."

Zak was momentarily taken aback by Izuku's sheer tenacity, but then scoffed, "You Japs.. just don't know when to surrender."

Izuku threw a right haymaker up at Zak, but the pitcher easily caught it and countered with a strong punch to the face. Izuku collapsed into the trash bags with a pained moan.

"HEY!" A sharp feminine voice called out. "Knock it off!"

Zak turned to the source of the voice standing a couple meters behind him.

She was a young woman (a year or two older than Zak and Izuku) of Japanese descent standing at five-foot-nine (175 cm) with glossy black hair tied up into a bun; she had smooth porcelain skin, gray sclera (eye color), and subtle lips.

She wore a United States Marine Corp dress uniform (the USMC Blue Dress Delta outfit, to be specific). It consisted of a khaki short-sleeved shirt, blue trousers with red stripes racing down the sides and a brown belt, and black dress shoes. To top it off, she wore a USMC white peaked cap.

Her short-sleeves revealed her muscled, toned arms and Zak suspected the rest of her body was toned as well, given her job occupation.

"Yamamoto? What're you doing here?" Zak roughly demanded. "I thought you left town last year."

"Step aside, Powers." The USMC woman, Yamamoto, ordered. "Or I'll make you."

"A Marine now, huh? Wow…" Zak couldn't suppress a snort. "Didn't know the Marines accepted women. Are they desperate?"

Yamamoto resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had heard it all before, so it was easy to tune out the noise.

"Wanna find out how desperate they are?" She challenged, narrowing her eyes.

Zak visibly flinched. He knew he was strong, but trying to fight an active USMC member (woman or not) would definitely not end well for him; especially since it was Yamamoto. With firsthand experience from their childhood, he knew she was absolutely ruthless in a fight - even in the ones where he had technically won, he didn't walk away without some painful bruises.

On another and more important note, he couldn't risk losing his USC baseball scholarship if news got out that he had tried to fight a Marine. A woman at that. He wasn't that stupid.

"Fine, whatever…" Resting his hands in his jacket pocket, he ambled past Yamamoto - refusing to make eye contact.

"Let me make something clear," Yamamoto firmly said, "don't you dare touch Izuku again. If you do," she reached up to her chest pocket and pulled out her smartphone, revealing the screen to him, "you can forget about making the majors, or even some crappy triple-A affiliate for that matter. Comprende?" Her glare hardened.

Zak's face instantly went pale from the content on the screen, and gasped, 'She recorded everything!? Sh*t!' He mentally cursed.

"Yeah, I get it… ma'am." With no choice but to comply, Zak sauntered off back to school, the baseball field specifically, proverbial steam billowing off his head.

Putting her phone away, Yamamoto rushed to Izuku's side by the trash heap. "Hey, Izu-kun… you alright?" She sounded very concerned.

Regaining consciousness moments prior, his vision was starting to come back into focus. Hearing the voice of his best friend brought a smile to his face, despite his pained grogginess.

"Y-yeah…" He weakly pushed himself off the garbage bags, with Yamamoto aiding him. "I had him on the ropes…"

Yamamoto rolled her eyes playfully. "Sure ya did." She then gained an apologetic expression. "Sorry I didn't step in sooner. Wanted to record him for blackmail. If he has any brain cells in that inflated head, he won't bother you anymore. If he does, don't hesitate to tell me."

Izuku nodded in understanding, using his free hand to wipe his nosebleed onto his pants. Guess he was doing laundry tonight. "It's okay. Thanks for that."

"You okay?" She asked, worried.

Izuku nodded. "I've been through worse. Zak was actually holding back this time. He has been for a while, actually."

The Marine woman frowned, feeling her anger boil. "Don't you dare try to stick up for him. You know you can end that jerk's future with one phone call, right? And I'm not referring to the bullying part."

Izuku knew what his friend was referring to and immediately shook his head. "No. I can't do that to him. Or to anyone, for that matter."

"You and I both know his so-called pitching talent is a meta-ability." Yamato bluntly stated. "People are just too blinded to see it. Too busy praising him, thinking he's the next Sandy Koufax or whatever."

Izuku was beginning to regain his bearings, and stood up unaided. "I don't want to ruin his future like that, even if he may deserve it. Besides, it's not like we'll cross paths after graduation anyway."

Yamamoto sighed, exasperated. "Still too nice for your own good. And you still haven't learned to run away from a fight. Huh, nerd?"

Izuku smiled at the taller woman. "It's good to see you, Peg-chan."

"Likewise, Izu-kun," Peggy Yamamoto and Izuku both embraced each other in a friendly hug. "Past eight months have been hell."

"I can imagine." Izuku commented. "The Marines never make it easy."

"No they do not. C'mon," Peggy broke off the hug, "I'll take you home since you missed the bus."

"Thanks." He said appreciatively.

Picking up his backpack lying off to the side, Peggy and Izuku both walked out of the dirty alleyway and down the sidewalk. Many vehicles drove down the streets; notably, there were more police cars patrolling as of late.

Some of the buildings Izuku and Peggy passed were taped off with yellow police tape after suffering damage by late-night riots several nights ago. The damages included broken windows, stolen inventory, and various forms of graffiti painted on the buildings.

METAS UNITE!

KILL THE META MONSTERS!

FTP!

TAKE BACK THE HUMAN RACE!

EVOLVE OR DIE!

FTP… again?

There were more slang words and phrases that included much more colorful language that Izuku didn't want to repeat. He shook his head at the amount of property damage inflicted. He knew some of the shop owners and they didn't deserve to have their businesses destroyed like this. Whether it be from Meta-Human supporters or Anti-Meta-Human supremacists.

Ever since the first meta-human was born in KeiKei city in China 28 years prior, more and more "exceptional individuals" had been born across the globe. The trend continued to this day and the reason still remained unclear. Even the world's best geneticists and biologists were stumped and had no answers to this phenomena.

So, how do people react when faced with the unknown prospect of a society of Meta-Humans? Quite poorly, actually. Imagine that.

"Makes you angry, huh?" Peggy noticed Izuku staring at the crime scenes. "Seeing all this senseless destruction?"

"I am angry, but more disappointed really," Izuku truthfully admitted. "This is the time where we should be coming together as a nation. A people. Not fighting each other."

Peggy nodded in agreement, but didn't say anything. She honestly didn't want to go off on a tangent talking about society's current woes. She already dealt with enough of it as it is with her job, and would soon have to face it head-on.

They soon arrived at a nearby 7-11 convenience store, where Peggy's ride, a black Honda Gold Wing, was parked out front. As they approached the vehicle, Izuku suddenly noticed something on his friend's left sleeve. An insignia badge with a new rank.

"You didn't tell me you got promoted to Corporal!?" Izuku exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with surprised excitement.

"Heh… was actually planning to surprise you with it earlier." Peggy frowned slightly. "Then I came across the scene with you and Powers."

"That's awesome! You've only been in the Marine Corp for a year-and-a-half so for them to promote you already must mean you're doing great!" Izuku said excitedly.

"I try not to brag." Peggy turned away with a small tint of red on her cheeks.

Pulling off her white barracks cover, she placed it in her bike's sidesaddle to pull out two helmets, one was black and the other was white, and handed the white one to Izuku.

"I can't wait to get in myself!" Izuku placed the white helmet over his head. "I enrolled on Wednesday, by the way. Completed the ASVAB and my physical. Should get a response back tonight."

Peggy frowned behind her helmet. "T-that's great!" She feigned excitement.

'He's still determined to get in, huh? Should I break it to him, or let him find out for himself?' The USMC girl was unsure on how to handle the situation, so she opted to stay silent for now.

Taking his seat behind Peggy, she started up the bike and quickly pulled out onto the street. He held on tightly to Peggy's waist. Riding on Peggy's motorcycle was both frightening and exhilarating for Izuku.

As the wind blew past him, he took a moment to admire his hometown.

It was a warm, sunny day in the San Joaquin Valley city of Fresno. Of course this was typical weather for the central California city. Nowhere close in terms of population of its in-state neighbors in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but it was still a respectable size.

Peggy weaved in-between the modest traffic, clearly enjoying the rush of driving her bike after so long.

"What brings you back to town, Peg-chan!?" Izuku yelled over the loud engine and rushing air.

"Got a week of leave! Came back to spend time with dad… and hang out with you!" Peggy grinned.

Izuku smiled brightly at that. Peggy had been his best friend growing up. Aside from their Japanese heritage, they shared many things in common which included their love for old Japanese mecha anime, superheroes, and being raised in a single-parent home. In Peggy's case, it was her dad as her mom had gotten sick and passed away when she was three.

Both of them had practically been inseparable most of their lives until Peggy graduated and joined the Marine Corps nearly two years prior. Another contributing factor to his lackluster time at high school.

'That'll all change soon.' Izuku mentally stated. 'I'll get into the military. I'll protect and serve people…like a hero should.'

They continued to ride in silence with a cacophony of the motorcycle engine, other vehicles, tires on pavement, and the wind filling their ears.

Later, Peggy pulled up into the parking lot of a small, four-story apartment complex on the edge of town. Parking the bike, Izuku pulled off the helmet and placed it in the bike's sidesaddle.

"Thanks for the ride, Peg-chan."

"Don't mention it, dude. It's Friday night. Wanna hang out tonight?" Peggy inquired.

"Yeah, that sounds fun!" Izuku responded happily. He hadn't hung out with his friend in a while and was eager to get out of his stuffy apartment.

"Cool. Oh!" Peggy's eyes widened in recollection. "Also, there's supposed to be this event going on in San Fran tomorrow night. Has to do with science and all. Would you want to see that?"

"Wait… you mean the Innovation Expo?!" Izuku's eyes lit up. "It's an event where the world's smartest minds come together to show off their inventions. Some of the stuff that's been featured there would have been considered science-fiction several decades ago. Of course I want to go!"

Peggy smiled at Izuku's enthusiasm. 'Still the same dorky guy.'

"Cool! I'll pick you in two hours then. Gotta take a shower, you should too."

Izuku stopped and noticed he had grease stains on his clothes, and smelled like garbage. No surprise there. "R-right… sorry if I got it on you."

"Trust me, it's fine. You know dirt and grime don't bother me." She waved off. "Well, I'll see ya in a bit, Izu-kun!" With that Peggy pulled out of the parking lot, leaving a skidmark in the pavement.

He shook his head, still smiling. "That girl…" He was happy Peg-chan was back, even if it were just for a week.

He proceeded to his apartment complex with an extra pep in his step, only stopping to check the mail at his parcel box. There was only one sealed envelope. Pulling it out, his bright mood was diminished when he saw who it was addressed from.

'Dad…'

He already suspected what the contents of the envelope were. He'd been receiving it every six months for the last year-and-a-half. Izuku couldn't turn it down though, as much as he'd like to. He needed to pay rent, bills, and other expenditures that minimum-wage jobs just wouldn't cover without dropping out of school - which he was not going to do. Thankfully, the cost of living in Fresno was nowhere near as expensive compared to other major cities in California.

'I appreciate that he wants to financially support me now, but he can at least call me once in a while. Visit me. At least pretend I'm his son…' He mentally grumbled.

Not wanting to lament on that depressing fact, he placed the envelope in his pocket, and continued into the building. After taking the stairs to the third level (and nearly triggering another asthma attack), he walked up to his door and unlocked it. He then stepped into a quiet apartment and turned on the lights.

It was a small apartment with a living room and kitchen combo, a small corridor with a single bathroom, and two separate bedrooms with their own closets. However, only one of the bedrooms was occupied. There was a small two-seat couch in the living room with a small coffee table and side table, a small stand with a modest-sized television, and a tall shelf full of books. The kitchen was off to the right side and had a small stove, fridge, sink, and a few cabinets.

Dropping his backpack to the floor, Izuku headed to the kitchen to grab a frozen bag of peas from the freezer to hold over his bruised face. It wasn't his first rodeo in treating injuries. He'd put some makeup on later to cover them up once he was ready to leave with Peg-chan. After spending time in the trash, he'd definitely need a shower.

Izuku dropped to the coach and exhaled deeply, letting his pent up stress flow out of him. Today, for the most part, had sucked badly till Peg-chan had surprisingly showed up. Getting to hang out with her tonight and attending the Innovation Expo with her in San Francisco tomorrow had certainly brightened his mood.

"Oh!" Izuku suddenly sat up, recalling something important. "The recruiter should've called by now!"

Reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone, he noted there was indeed a missed call and voicemail from the recruiter. According to the timestamp, it looked like he had called Izuku when he was getting his butt kicked by Zak.

"Please be good news," Izuku wished as he played back the voicemail.

---

Musutafu, Japan - April 2196

"Hey! Green hair!" A loud, gruff voice exclaimed.

"Huh?" Midoriya was snapped out of his musings by a loud student.

He was a young man standing at 175 cm (5'9") and had a muscular build and lightly tanned skin. He had ash-blond hair spiked in all directions from his head, and his eyes were sharp and thin; bright red in color. He wore the same black gakuran uniform as his peers. Judging from his looks, Midoriya guessed he had to be a third-year.

"The hell are you doing just standing there like a creep?" Bakugo Katsuki demanded.

Midoriya was about to refute that claim but realized that he had indeed been standing motionless for a few minutes. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward. "Oh… s-sorry! Didn't know… uh… going down memory lane." He responded in shaky Japanese.

'Doesn't look that much older than me. Pretty sure I would've remembered seeing him. Also, what's up with his accent?' Bakugo cocked brow. "What? You used to go here? I don't recognize you."

"Oh, no! Not there." Midoriya quickly clarified. "But seeing school reminds me of mine. That all."

Bakugo narrowed his eyes. It didn't sound like he was lying, but he couldn't be too sure. He wasn't going to tolerate any perverted creeps hanging around campus if he could help it.

"Yeah? Word of advice, I wouldn't do that. People'll get the wrong idea if they see you standing like a jackass in front of a high school." Bakugo curtly pointed out.

Midoriya noticed a few high school girls giggling to one another after seeing him and quickly passed by. 'Yeah… that's a fair point.' He mentally agreed.

"Point good. Thanks." Midoriya gave a polite bow.

Bakugo momentarily glanced back at the taller dude. He had noticed Midoriya's Japanese sounded kind of off; also, he started to recognize his accent as Western. Was he a foreigner?

"You from around here, Green Hair?" Bakugo asked.

"Born here… but from the States. Still learning Japanese…" Midoriya responded, scratching the side of his head bashfully.

'Ah… a stealth gaijin.' Bakugo had read about them. People who looked Japanese but were actually foreigners.

He turned away with a scoff, not seeing any point in continuing the conversation. "Whatever, extra. Just know, if you're gonna live here, learn to speak our language better."

"Y-yeah…" Midoriya nodded. "Working hard."

With that, Bakugo continued down the sidewalk with his bag slung over his shoulder in a nonchalant manner.

'What a nice guy…gives me Zak vibes though.' Midoriya sardonically thought. 'But he wasn't entirely wrong. I should be more mindful.'

Midoriya continued walking down the sidewalk, going in the perpendicular direction of the blonde guy. The verdette was lost in thought, thinking back to his last days in Fresno.

'Can't believe it's really been 154 years since then…' Midoriya mentally lamented.

He wondered if he should take the advice a couple of his new friends had recently given him regarding taking a trip to the States, visit his hometown and find some closure. However, there was still a lot of work he needed to do, so that was off the table. Also, it was still too soon for him. He just wasn't ready.

He arrived at a small pedestrian tunnel that ran underneath a bridge, one he had walked under many times before without incident, still lost in his own musings. Unbeknownst to him, that streak would be broken today.

"Hey, you!"

Midoriya turned around and the color immediately drained from his face. Dark green sludge poured out from a nearby sewer cover, bubbling and shaping itself into a vaguely humanoid shape. A slice of sharp teeth emerged from the muck and a set of menacing yellow eyes bore into him, sending a shiver down Midoriya's spine. He knew he shouldn't judge people by appearances, but everything about the man screamed dangerous.

"You seem like a good vessel."

Definitely dangerous.

Midoriya immediately started running to put some distance between him and the sludge-man. Tossing his yellow satchel to the side (spilling out its contents, as a result), he swiftly pulled off the circular leather bag on his back to undo the zipper. Unfortunately, it was too late as he suddenly felt his feet stuck to the ground by the mud.

A sense of panic rose within him. The more he struggled, the more the mud rose and, like a snake restricting its prey, the tighter it squeezed him. The mud covered his arms and he was forced to drop the bag to the ground partially open; revealing a red, white, and blue disk inside.

As he was about to cry out, the mudman covered his face, cutting off his oxygen supply.

"Come on. Don't be shy. Let me in." the sludge chuckled; his voice reverberating in Midoriya's ears. "I just need to hijack your body. It'll only hurt for a moment and it'll all be over soon."

He thrashed even harder. 'No…'

Raw fear threatened to overwhelm Midoriya. He couldn't breathe. Agony was erupting in his lungs as he felt bits of the sludge trickling in through his hands. It squirmed around and made him queasy. He could feel it trying to crawl through his mouth and nose. He wanted to vomit, but knew that would make him vulnerable to the villain's meta-ability.

'Not… like this…' He stared at the bag on the ground, revealing the half-hidden disk. 'Peg-chan…'

Darkness began to creep over the edges of his vision. Was he really going to die here alone?

Just as Midoriya felt his consciousness slipping, the nearby sewer cover went flying upward.

The Sludge Villain turned around in shock to see a very large man, standing at a startling 220 cm (7'2"), with an equally-muscular and well-defined physique. He had chiseled features on his face with a strong jawline, pronounced cheekbones, and bushy eyebrows. He had short blonde hair swept backwards, with two distinct tufts sticking up above his head similar to rabbit ears. His strong features cast a dark shadow over his face, hiding his bright blue eyes.

He wore a casual outfit that included a white t-shirt, green-olive cargo pants, and brown combat boots. In his left hand was a single bag of groceries. Looks like he was off duty. But, as the saying goes, heroes never take a day off.

"Have no fear, for you are safe!" The man's voice was booming and powerful. A strong, beaming smile was plastered on his face. "Now that I AM HERE!"

All Might, the Number One Pro, was on the scene.

"Dammit! You're so persistent!" The Sludge Villain yelled out with rage.

He lashed out across the tunnel at All Might with one of his tendrils, slicing through concrete as the hero ducked down to avoid it. The villain's eyes widened in shock as All Might was rushing toward him at an incredible speed.

"TEXAS..." All Might reared back his right arm, immense power building within him making the wind swirl around him. As he brought it forward and completed his yell, the wind swirled and fired down the tunnel with hurricane-levels of force. "SMAAAASH!"

All Might's fist never made contact before the mudman had been broken apart into hundreds of pieces that splattered across the tunnel, absorbing nearly all the force of the wind. Midoriya, now released, fell to the ground.

Midoriya, even in his dazed state, recognized the hero by his silhouette under the bridge. 'All Might…?' He then fell into unconsciousness.

Several moments passed.

Feeling light, rapid tapping on his face, Midoriya slowly regained consciousness. His eyes fluttered open as his vision was temporarily bleary. He could tell that he was lying outside the tunnel as the sun was shining down with a large man standing over him. Remembering who he was, Midoriya tried to sit up but suddenly started coughing.

After several rounds of coughing, to which he expelled bits of sludge, he tried to get ahold of his breathing.

"Are you alright, young man?" All Might asked, his beaming smile still present.

"Y-yeah…" Midoriya coughed a bit, talking in Japanese. "I'll… live… T-thank you, All Might."

"Good to hear! And no need to thank me." All Might replied, his smile still prevalent. "I apologize for getting you caught up in my justicing. I'm usually more careful at keeping bystanders safe. But this city's sewer system is pretty difficult to navigate. HA-HA-HA!" He placed his right hand over his forehead while admitting his blunder.

Midoriya, however, wasn't listening. The shock of his near-death experience kept him immobile. He didn't understand how he was reacting. Midoriya had faced off dangerous people before. Some with very dangerous meta-abilities.

That ability, though… that Quirk as people nowadays call them… He shivered, arms wrapping around himself to stave off full-body tremors. The sense of suffocation via sludge was all too familiar and personal to Midoriya. Flashes of cold and darkness from his last mission filled his mind, making him shudder.

All Might noticed Midoriya's distress and looked at him with concern, dropping his smile. "Are you sure you're alright, young man?"

Midoriya brushed his green bangs aside, trying to get a grip on reality once more. "Y-yeah. Okay. I'm … that was frightening…" He replied shakily.

'If only I got here sooner… that must've been terrifying.' All Might mentally berated himself. 'Still… that expression…' He had seen that expression several times before with trauma victims; particularly veteran Pros and retired police officers. However, it could just be conjecture as he wasn't a professional psychologist.

All Might was curious yet worried about the young man but thought it'd be best not to pry. Maybe he could try to cheer him up?

"Well, there's no need to worry anymore! Thanks to you," Emphasizing the last word, All Might pulled out a soda bottle filled with sludge, the villain's eyes floating inside, "I've captured the evildoer! Ha-Ha-Ha!"

"That's good… O-OH!" Midoriya's eyes widened as he finally snapped out of his daze. "My stuff?!" Spotting his satchel and leather bag resting by him, he immediately went to pull out his notebook. "Please, like to get autograph All - YOU ALREADY SIGNED IT!?"

Sure enough, All Might's signature took up an entire page.

He swiftly turned back to bow. "T-thank you much!"

All Might smiled brightly, happy to see he was okay now; although was it him or did his Japanese sound a little off? Well, no matter.

He gave the boy a thumbs-up. "It's the least I can do."

His eyes then traveled to the brown leather case by Midoriya's feet. The Number One Hero had gotten a glimpse of its contents earlier while Midoriya was unconscious.

"By the way, that's quite the replica you have in there. Looks just like the original." All Might acknowledged, pointing to the circular case. "Neat case too."

"Y-yeah…" Midoriya sheepishly rubbed his neck. "I'm big fan, suppose." He paused to pick up the zipped case, placing it on his back once more. "Believe what he stood for is timeless, yah know?"

All Might laughed heartily. "I can understand, young man! I'm actually a fan of the Captain myself! He was a big inspiration of mine."

Midoriya couldn't help but smile. If he didn't have good emotional control, he was positive he'd be tearing up right now. 'The world's Symbol of Peace… actually looked up to -'

He was snapped out of his musings as All Might turned around. "Well, I better get this crook to the police station so they can take care of him." He placed the bottle in his pants pocket. "Stay out of trouble! See ya around!"

"Wait… going already?" Midoriya asked.

All Might kneeled to stretch his knees, resting his hands on them as he primed himself for a big jump. "Pro-Heroes are always fighting time as well as villains."

'Yeah, I guess I can't argue with that. I imagine he's a pretty busy guy… being the Number One Pro and everything.' Midoriya internally rationalized.

His green eyes widened when he noticed a second plastic bottle filled with sludge lying off to All Might's feet, to which the robust hero seemed completely oblivious toward.

"Stand back! I'm taking off!" He warned.

'Oh no! He's gonna forget that bottle. I need to warn him!' Midoriya rushed forward to scoop up the bottle and dash toward All Might. "Wait!"

All Might launched himself high into the air with an incredible leap; air rushing behind him in his wake.

"Huh?" He felt a considerable weight on his legs. The blonde hero looked down to see Midoriya hanging onto his legs with a very strong hold. "L-let go! I love my fans, but this is too much!"

"TOO HIGH UP! COULD DIE IF LET GO!" Midoriya shouted incredulously.

"Oh… That's a good point." He embarrassedly admitted.

"YOU FORGOT OTHER BOTTLE!"

"Huh?" Upon seeing the second bottle of sludge clutched in the green-haired boy's right hand, the Number One Pro mentally slapped his face. 'Dammit! How could I have made such a careless mistake?!' He admonished himself. 'Am I getting sloppy or what?!'

"I see! Thank you, young man!" All Might replied, sounding grateful. "Keep your eyes and mouth shut as I find a landing spot."

Midoriya immediately acknowledged All Might's request.

As All Might scanned the plethora of buildings beneath him, he felt a little blood leak out of the corner of his mouth. 'Well, crap!'

Moments later, All Might softly landed on the roof of an office building. He set Midoriya down, who fell to his hands and knees - breathing heavily.

'That was intense!' Midoriya mentally yelled. 'Haven't felt a rush like that in a while…'

All Might picked up the second bottle and, without looking, placed it in his other pants pocket; unaware that the other bottle had gone missing.

"That wasn't a smart move, but I do appreciate your help once again." He then turned, making his way to the building's ledge. "Bang on the door awhile. Someone'll eventually let you in. See ya on the flip side!"

Midoriya's eyes then widened as a realization struck him. All Might, this world's Symbol of Peace, was standing in front of him! This was the perfect time to ask him an important question. Something he was eager to hear the Number One Hero's stance on. Surely he could spare a moment, could he?

"W-wait!" Midoriya called out, returning to his feet. "One moment!"

"No!" All Might refused. "I have no time."

"Can a Quirkless person become a hero!?" Midoriya shouted out, hoping he used the term for folks without superpowers correctly.

All Might stopped dead in his tracks.

"Want know what you think," Midoriya added. "What makes a hero: power or heart?"

All Might was motionless for a moment before glancing back.

"Power or heart?" He murmured to himself. His eyes then shot open as an all too familiar spike of pain struck his body.

His time-limit was up!

'No! NOT… NOW!' He crouched over, feeling his strength rapidly decrease.

Midoriya continued. "I… I am Quirkless. Professional hero… want to be. People say not possible. Do not believe that." He continued while looking down at his feet, "World believes only power important… but… I think heart matters most. What do you say…?"

Midoriya couldn't immediately comprehend what was happening as All Might's body was suddenly shrouded in a cloud of steam. The steam then blew away revealing an entirely different person.

Midoriya's eyes widened in a comical fashion. "W-what…?"

Standing before him was a very skinny man with angular features, long limbs, and a long neck. He had long, messy blond hair with two strands running down his face and lacked eyebrows as well. He wore All Might's clothes, but they were much baggier, of course.

"W-Who are you?!" Midoriya demanded anxiously while reaching back to his round case. "Imposter?!"

The haggard-looking man deeply exhaled in exasperation. "I assure you I'm All - BBLLAGGH!" He suddenly started coughing up a considerable amount of blood, worrying Midoriya greatly.

"H-Hey! Alright!?" He lowered his hand and approached "All Might" in concern. Imposter or not, he couldn't stand to see someone suffering.

Yagi Toshinori wiped the blood off his mouth, and sighed, "I'm fine. It happens sometimes..."

Midoriya guided the skinny man to the side, helping him sit down and lean back against the guardrails.

"Sure not need to call vehicle emergency?" Midoriya inquired. He then mentally kicked himself, worrying he didn't phrase that sentence correctly.

He was proven correct as Yagi cocked a brow, looking at Midoriya strangely. "Your Japanese is off. Are you a foreigner, young man?"

Midoriya nodded, slumping his shoulders in slight embarrassment. "Yes. Grew up in States… still learning Japanese…"

'Ah… makes sense now.' Yagi cleared his throat and, much to Midoriya's surprise, spoke in fluent English, "Okay, how does this sound?"

"You know how to speak English?" He asked.

"Spent time in America when I was younger and learned the language quite well when I was there." Yagi explained. He then closed his eyes and lowered his head, sighing deeply. "But that's not important..."

Understanding what the man meant, Midoriya addressed the elephant in the room. "Are you really All Might?"

"Yes. I am." Yagi then looked up at him seriously. "Please don't go talking about this online. Keep this secret for me, will yah?"

Midoriya could hear the desperation in All Might's voice and nodded in affirmation. "You can count on me."

Nodding, Yagi lifted his shirt and revealed ugly blue and purple scars on his left side.

Midoriya blanched at the gruesome injury. 'Holy crap… What happened to him?'

"Pretty gross, right? Got this in a big fight five years back." Yagi explained. "My respiratory system was compromised, and I lost my stomach. All the surgeries have worn me out, and nothing can fix it."

'That's awful! How the heck is he even still alive?' Midoriya pondered. 'He'd be dead if this happened in my time. Wait…' A possible explanation then occurred to him. 'Maybe people with healing-related meta… er… Quirks were able to save him?'

"I can only do hero work for three hours a day. Rest of the time, this is what I look like." Yagi further elaborated.

"That's… wow…" Midoriya was stunned.

He had watched plenty of footage on All Might and had been awed by his raw power and durability. It seemed unnatural (in his opinion) but considering his own origins he had no room to talk. Furthermore, his charisma had greatly impressed Midoriya as well. Midoriya would admit that he most likely would've grown to be a huge All Might fanboy had he lived in this era.

Who could've done this kind of damage to him? "How… How'd it happen? Who did this?" He questioned.

"I'd… rather not get into that." Yagi hesitantly replied. "The world doesn't know about this fight. Did everything I could to keep it a secret." He paused momentarily, adopting a grim look. "I'm supposed to be the guy who's always smiling, right? I'm the Symbol of Peace. People have to believe I'm never afraid."

Midoriya looked at skinny All Might emphatically. In a way, he could understand the Pro-Hero's plight. He wasn't an invulnerable, god-like figure. Even with his great power, All Might was still only human; and humans, super or not, were not immune to fear and injury, or even death.

"That smile… it's just a brave face I put on when the pressure is high." Yagi confessed. "This job isn't easy." The skeletal man looked at Midoriya with a serious expression. "Heart over power? It's a nice, old-fashioned sentiment. But I'm afraid that's just not how the world works. Power is crucial for a Pro Hero. They can't do their job without it. So can a Quirkless person be a hero? No."

Midoriya kept a neutral look, but inwardly flinched. Deep down, he had expected this answer from him; nevertheless, it didn't make it any easier to hear.

"I see…" He lowered his head in disappointment.

With a grunt of exertion, Yagi stood back up. "If you want to help people there are other ways to do it. You can become a police officer, a firefighter, or a doctor. Those are fine professions." He walked to the door across the roof.

Before leaving, he metaphorically twisted the knife in the wound by saying, "It's okay to dream, young man. Just make sure your dreams are attainable. Realistic." He twisted the knob and, thankfully, the door was actually unlocked. With that, he went through the door and closed it - leaving Midoriya alone on the roof.

Yagi felt a sickening knot in his non-existent stomach with that last statement he had made. He certainly admired the young man's ideal of "heart over power" and believed heroes certainly needed to have heart (to a degree), but he had learned the hard way that power was important. Villains didn't care how much heart a hero had if they were unable to stop them.

'Hate to crush the kid's dream like that… but the sooner he accepts reality, the better…' Yagi resigned himself, but he still felt like garbage. This job was never easy.

As Yagi Toshinori walked down the stairs, he refocused on his task, "Alright, now let's get you to the station - HUH?" He just realized the other bottle was gone; the one that had the villain's eyes in it. Where could it have…

BOOM!

He then felt the ground rumble as an explosion could be heard in the distance. Looking out a window, he saw a dark mushroom cloud billowing several blocks away. 'Oh no…'

Earlier, back on the roof, Midoriya let out a deep, disappointed exhale. 'He's not entirely wrong… still though, saying power is more important than heart? I thought out of all the heroes he'd understand.'

Midoriya couldn't help but feel let down by the world's Symbol of Peace. After the research he's done on Pro Heroes so far, All Might seemed like someone who'd understand his beliefs on what it means to be a hero. Though after seeing that gruesome injury, the verdette could understand why he'd think that; nevertheless, it didn't make it any less disappointing to hear.

Taking a seat by the guardrails, Midoriya took the leather case off his back. Unzipping it, he pulled out a metal disk with a white star in the center inside a blue circle surrounded by three rings colored red, white, and red respectively.

Holding it in both hands, he gazed at the American-themed disk with an introspective expression. 'I know what I'm capable of. I know I have what it takes. Still though... There's so many powerful heroes in this era and then there's me. Just a super-soldier with a shield. I can't help but wonder... is there really a place for me in this era?' He paused to consider a thought.

'Does the world even need Captain America anymore?'

---

Fresno, CA - April 2042

A few tear droplets splattered on Izuku's smartphone screen as the USMC recruiter's voicemail concluded. Izuku buried his face in the palm, choking back a few sobs.

'Don't cry dammit! Don't cry!' He mentally yelled.

The recruiter had broken the news. Though he had done exceptionally well on the ASVAB, his physical test had been less than spectacular. Izuku was expecting that result and had hoped he at least did enough to meet the test's minimum requirements. He didn't like settling, not one bit, but fully understood his own physical shortcomings and that he just needed to get his foot in the door.

Reality had other ideas, unfortunately.

In summary, due to his physical and medical ailments, he was deemed medically unfit for service in the Marine Corps.

It is stated in our nation's declaration of independence that 'all men are created equal'. It's a nice sentiment, something certainly to uphold in terms of human rights; but, in reality, that statement is not the truth. Some people are just born stronger, smarter, gifted, and… healthier than others.

Izuku wiped the tears out of his eyes, 'Now what?' He glanced at the side table by the couch, which had a framed photo of his mother, Inko, holding him as a young child. There was a cut-out slot in the photo where his father used to be. 'I based my whole future on getting in the Armed Forces. What do I do now, mom?'

Izuku sat in silence, his mind beginning to drift to another time.

"Alright! Go, go Ultraman!" a seven-year-old Izuku chanted, engrossed in the television displaying the Japanese sub of the old tv show.

"Izuku!" Inko called from the kitchen. "Pause it for a sec. It's time to take your afternoon meds."

"Aw… okay…" Grabbing the remote and pausing his show, little Izuku scampered to the kitchen. His mother was in the process of making dinner while talking on the phone.

"Asthma, heart arrhythmia, and pernicious anemia? He's only seven, Doctor… How could Izuku have this many issues so young? His father and I don't have any of these diseases. Is there anything we can do? … Yes… I understand. Thank you, Doctor." Inko ended the call and let out a deep exhale.

Izuku spotted several pills lying on the counter with a big glass of water. After swallowing the pills, an involuntary shiver raced down his spine. He never liked taking them, but his mom told him he needed the medicine to control his asthma and prevent those painful stomach ulcers from returning. He took a big swig of water before turning to his mom, noticing her sad frown.

"Mom… are you okay?" He asked innocently.

Inko sniffled and turned to him with a feigned smile. "Oh… I'm fine, sweetie. You can return to your show. Mommy will have dinner ready in a moment."

Izuku could tell she was sad. He could feel it. He wanted to help her, but he wasn't sure how. So, he did the only thing he knew that he could do. Walking up to her, he hugged his mom's waist. "I love you mommy."

Inko smiled warmly and patted his head. "I love you too, honey."

"Mom… I'm sorry…"

"Sorry for what?" Inko raised a brow, confused.

"I'm sorry I get sick all the time…I make you worry…" Izuku teared up. "... if it weren't for stupid germs…"

"Oh Izuku…" Inko knelt down and pulled her son into a tight embrace. "You don't have to be sorry for anything! It'll get better in time. Trust me!"

Izuku sniffled. "Okay…"

"Just know, no matter what, mommy will always love you." Inko softly said.

Izuku sobbed a little, touched by his mom's words. "I'll… always love you too, mom… I'll try to get better…"

"Hey…" Inko moved her fingers through her son's hair. "You remember the family motto, right?"

Izuku nodded.

"Can you say it?"

"さらに先へ。" Izuku repeated in Japanese.

"That's right. Do you know what it means?" She asked.

"Uh," He racked his little brain for a moment to remember the lesson, "to 'go plus beyond'?"

Inko chuckled and shook her head. "Close. It translates to 'Go Further Beyond'. Doing your best and then some."

"Go Further Beyond?" Izuku repeated.

"That's right." Inko smiled determinedly. "Even when you think you're beat, even when you get pushed down…you get back up and keep going. Never let others discourage you. You just keep chugging along."

"You mean," Izuku blinked, "like Ultraman?"

"Uh… y-yeah!" Inko briefly hesitated. "Just like Ultraman!"

"I… I think I get it." Little Izuku then glanced back at the tv, which had the paused frame of Ultraman preparing to battle. Staring at it for a short moment, his eyes then lit up as inspiration struck him.

He looked back at his mom with a determined smile. "Don't worry, mom! I'll get better! I'll be stronger when I grow up! I'll work hard! I'll go plus ultra!"

"Plus ultra, huh?" Inko couldn't help but giggle. Her son was so adorable. "That does have a nice ring to it."

"Yeah!" Izuku cheered while jumping around excitedly. "Plus Ultra! Plus Ultra! Plus Ultra!"

Izuku stood up from the couch and walked over to a decorated table by the wall. On it was a dark green urn with a framed picture of his mother standing by it.

"Hey mom… I didn't get in. It sucks." Izuku sighed and rubbed his neck. "My ailments aren't as bad as they used to be… but they're still around. Guess the Marines couldn't take a chance on me."

He was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"But… that won't stop me." He spoke up. "I'll keep training. I'll push myself to the brink and then some."

A sixteen-year-old Izuku walked into the kitchen where his mother was about to get started on dinner. "Mom… you asked me what I wanted to do with my life… well… I know."

"What's that, Izuku?" Inko asked.

Izuku then explained to his mom his goal of joining the armed forces and was beginning an exercise and diet regimen to help prepare him.

"W-what… inspired you to do this?" Inko stammered. "Is… does this have to do with Peggy leaving for the Marines soon?"

Izuku shook his head. "No… Well, partially. It really just reinforced that I want to help people. With the way the world's going, people need someone to watch out for them. The armed forces are already calling for new recruits. I - I have no right to ignore that call, mom."

"Izuku… your health issues." She pointed out.

"I know, but I think the exercises and diet plan I mentioned can help. I won't be super-buff or anything, but I can at least do my best, right? さらに先へ。" Izuku hopefully said.

Inko looked down with an uncertain frown. "Sweetie… I'll always love and support you… but please don't put all your eggs in that basket…"

Izuku was a bit heartbroken by his mother's reply. Before he could respond, Inko descended into a coughing fit - trying to hold herself up by the kitchen counter. Izuku quickly rushed to her aid and helped her to a chair.

"You okay?" Izuku asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah… I'll be fine, sweetie. Just need rest…"

Izuku, however, looked unconvinced.

"I… I know you said I shouldn't put all my hopes on that… but I'm not giving up - no matter how many times I get pushed down, I'll get back up.!"

Clenching his fists tightly, he adopted a determined expression. "さらに先へ。"

---

Musutafu, Japan - April 2196

Midoriya nodded to himself. "Right. I have to stay true to myself. No matter what." He said resolutely. "さらに先へ。"

BOOM!

A sudden explosion in the distance snapped Midoriya out of his musings. He quickly stood up and lightly gasped at a pillar of black smoke rising in the air. To his estimation, it appeared to be several blocks away.

"A villain?!" Immediately, Midoriya placed the disk in the bag, slung it on his back, and headed toward the door. "Gotta make sure people are safe!"

Racing down several flights of stairs, Midoriya rushed out of the building and down the sidewalk. Several more explosions went off as sirens rang in the distance, prompting the verdette to run even faster.

Yagi Toshinori was panting heavily as he ran down the sidewalk as fast as he could, which wasn't very fast. He was then taken aback when the Quirkless boy from earlier suddenly dashed past him at car-like speeds.

"HUH?!" Yagi's eyes widened. "...he's so fast…?"

'But how? He said he was Quirkless…?' Yagi shook that thought aside and refocused on getting to the commotion. Questions for later.

---

Bakugo Katsuki was not having a good day.

It had started with the extras from his school being especially pushy; always trying to get him out to the arcades, smoke, and even to the bars to drink and (hopefully) pick up chicks. Idiots. They were never going to get anywhere if they continued doing that crap.

He refused to go with them. He couldn't go with them. They'd only be a distraction. He was the smartest kid in his class, but he had to work his butt off studying for UA University's entrance exam and keep up with all his work from Jakku High as well. Bakugo didn't understand why they couldn't get that through their thick skulls. He finally got them to leave him alone though, at least for today.

Then, he had a run-in with a stealth gaijin at the school's front gate, staring at the building like a moron. His Japanese definitely needed work too, which had only made that encounter even more frustrating.

He promptly left while making a mental note to keep an eye out for the stealth gaijin around campus in case he was actually a creep or stalker.

The day got much worse as, on his way home, he was suddenly overwhelmed by some guy made of sludge. Now, he was fighting for his life trying to get the sludge-man off him, but to no avail. The explosions from his Quirk were causing only property damage and fires around the street.

In summary, he'd had better days.

"I'm gonna send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of!" Bakugo exclaimed loudly, setting off more explosions across his body. "LET ME GOOOOOOO!"

The Sludge Villain grinned in twisted excitement. "I really hit the jackpot with you, kid! With a Quirk like yours, I can get my revenge on that bastard All Might!"

Meanwhile, a crowd was beginning to gather at the end of the street from the commotion.

Midoriya slowed down upon approaching the crowd, squeezing his way through people in order to get to the front. He gasped at the destructive scene transpiring. Several buildings were on fire, charred debris was scattered across the street, and smoke choked the air.

He was mildly relieved to see several heroes were already on the scene including Death Arms, Backdraft, and Kamui Woods. Mt. Lady was also present, but it appeared she was unable to get closer since she couldn't fit her giant form through a one-lane street without causing property damage.

When his attention shifted to the cause of the destruction, his eyes shot open in shock.

"Oh no…" He murmured. 'That's the same guy who attacked me! That can't be right! All Might captured him. I even gave him back the second bottle…'

Midoriya thought back to when he and All Might were flying through the air. His expression was filled with dread when he realized what happened. 'The other bottle must've fallen out when I was holding onto his leg… which means this is my fault…'

"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?" a civilian asked.

"It looks like they met their match, plus the villain captured someone and things aren't looking so good," another civilian responded.

'A hostage situation? Oh no, that'll make things worse…' Midoriya inwardly dreaded. 'I wonder how long they've been in there. How could they survive being suffocated like that? I thought I'd die after like a minute of struggling…' The fear from his near-death experience threatened to return, but he suppressed it. He couldn't let his trauma control him, especially now.

He cringed at the thought of somebody going through the same traumatic experience, especially since he was partially to blame.

"Wait, I'm confused, isn't that the same Villain All Might was chasing earlier today?" one civilian asked.

"What, All Might?! No way he lost, where is he?"

"Can someone call him or something?" a young woman asked.

"Seriously, why hasn't he shown up to help the Heroes?!"

Yagi had finally arrived and remained at the back of the crowd. He looked down to the ground and clutched his chest in frustration. His time-limit was up and there was nothing he could do. He was just a worthless bystander.

'I'm worthless.' Yagi Toshinori shamefully thought. 'Pathetic…'

Midoriya clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, feeling the same shame. 'I'm the one to blame. He wasted his energy on me. I should've just let him go and turned that second bottle over to the authorities myself! Dammit Izuku!'

The Japanese-American didn't spend long berating himself before he mentally slapped himself, looking forward with a determined glare. 'Okay… All Might's out. So, who's here? Mt. Lady is unable to get here without causing destruction - putting more lives at risk. That leaves us with Backdraft, Death Arms, Kamui Woods, and several other heroes I'm not familiar with.'

He gazed at the scene analytically, many scenarios playing out in his head with the current assembled roster of heroes. 'Okay… it's tough, but they can make it work with this group. That sludge guy is made of fluid, so perhaps Backdraft can use his water to spray him down and lessen his viscosity, if possible. It could also prevent the villain from creating more explosions, at least for a while. Backdraft is currently putting out fires, but as long as the buildings are evacuated, they can afford to let them burn a few more minutes if it means saving the hostage. Firefighters shouldn't take long getting here. Death Arms, meanwhile, can keep the villain distracted while Kamui Woods sneaks in and uses his branches to pull the hostage out of the villain's body. Other heroes can provide backup and help evacuate and protect bystanders. Once the hostage is free, they can focus their attention on detaining the villain until more pros show up.'

Midoriya waited for the Pro Heroes to make any move but grew exceedingly frustrated by the second. Backdraft was too focused on putting out fires in empty buildings while the other heroes were simply standing by.

'Come on! Why are you just standing around? There's enough of you here to formulate a plan of attack!' Midoriya grew frustrated.

"Death Arms," With keen hearing, Midoriya heard one of the heroes shout amidst the explosions and sirens, "I think the boy is getting weaker… what should we do?"

"None of us have the Quirk to stop this guy. I hate it, but we're just gonna have to wait a little longer till more Pros show!" Death Arms yelled, sounding frustrated.

Midoriya clenched his fists to the point his knuckles turned white and fingers popped. 'What!?' He inwardly yelled; his body visibly beginning to tremble in anger. 'So what if your Quirk isn't perfectly suited? You're supposed to be Pro Heroes for crying out loud! Work together! Are you too afraid to put your lives on the line? Is that it?'

Midoriya's blood boiled at these "heroes" actions, or lack thereof. He could feel the urge to rush in himself but stopped… remembering what he was told about Quirk regulation laws. Japan's Quirk laws were some of the strictest in the world and forbade citizens from using Quirks on others unless it could be proven to be in self-defense or you were authorized by the government.

He wasn't authorized; so, he'd be breaking the law if he rushed in. Still…

'The hostage may not last much longer. They can't afford to wait!' Midoriya mentally shouted.

'I'm a disgrace,' Yagi insulted himself.

'Someone has to take action.' Midoriya thought anxiously. 'A real Hero has to come.'

'I'm not a real Hero!' Yagi clutched his side even harder; pain and shame overwhelming him.

'Someone… anyone…' Midoriya was internally holding out hope one of the Pro Heroes would take action, but they didn't. They were merely helpless bystanders.

Looking past the heroes, Midoriya saw the face of the person being held hostage by the Sludge Villain. His eyes widened in shock. He recognized the spiky ash blond hair and red eyes; it was the same guy from the high school gate earlier!

The teen was struggling hard and trying desperately to open his mouth to no avail. Then, Midoriya saw the look of absolute desperation in his eyes, pleading for someone to help.

Midoriya Izuku's body moved on its own. He couldn't stand by any longer.

With a fierce look of determination, Midoriya sprinted out of the crowd and toward the Sludge Villain.

(Music: Boku no Hero Academia OST - You Say Run. Start 0:22 time stamp)

All Might and the other Pro-Heroes gasped as they witnessed Midoriya Izuku rush straight ahead.

"NO, YOU IDIOT! STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Death Arms panicked.

He ignored the protests and continued running down the fire-filled street. In a swift motion, Midoriya pulled the case off his bag, unzipped it, and pulled out the American-themed disk while tossing the case off to the side. The crowd looked on in shocked bewilderment.

"Not this brat again…" the Sludge Villain remarked, looking towards Midoriya.

'Green hair…?' Bakugo thought, confused. What was that stealth gaijin doing? Why was he rushing in to save him? Did he have a death wish?!

'Gotta distract this monster long enough to pull that guy out!' Midoriya swiftly analyzed his surroundings for anything that could help and immediately spotted something several meters behind the villain: a water hydrant. Perfect, but he'd need a distraction first.

"You're toast, kid!" the sludge-man yelled, stretching out a slimy fist toward Midoriya.

Midoriya dodged to the side at the last moment and jumped onto a wall, using it as a springboard to launch himself back forward - leaving a small indention where his feet pushed off.

Yagi saw this and was taken aback. 'H-how…? That shouldn't be possible…'

Returning to the ground, Midoriya, with one hand, slid off his yellow satchel and tossed it at the villain's face. Several items went flying out and struck the monster's eyes, momentarily stunning him. His grasp on Bakugo loosened enough to give the blonde teen the opportunity to finally breathe.

With the Villain distracted, Midoriya readied his left arm. 'Gotta throw it precisely!' His eyes narrowed while expertly gauging the trajectory and then flung the shield from his hand like a frisbee.

The unique bell-like sound of the disk's metal sung through the air. It rebounded off a nearby street pole perfectly, heading toward its target. The shield struck the hydrant at the right angle to spout a torrent of water directly towards the Sludge Villain.

"The hell!?" The mudman shouted as water was doused over him, putting out several fires nearby in the process.

The disk bounced off the hydrant and towards Midoriya's location, who reached out to snatch it in midair. All of this happened in one fluid motion.

The Pro-Heroes and bystanders watched the scene in shocked awe. How did that happen? How could that frisbee have broken the hydrant? And he caught it so easily? Was it part of his Quirk?

Yagi's eyes widened in shocked disbelief. He knew of only one object from history that could do what that disk just did. But it couldn't possibly be his shield. It disappeared along with him over 150 years ago.

"Dammit!" The monster cursed as his parts of his goopy body started falling to the ground. "My own fluids are being watered down…!"

Midoriya rushed in to grab ahold of Bakugo and pull him out of the sludge-monster. He then pulled him several meters away where he could kneel and catch his breath.

Bakugo coughed a bit, and then looked up at Midoriya dumbfounded. "What the hell!? Green hair…COUGH… What're you doing here!?"

Midoriya stood back up, slid his left forearm through two brown leather straps behind the disk, and held it up like it were a shield.

He looked back at Bakugo with a confident, reassuring smile. "To save you! Could not watch you die!"

Yagi Toshinori gasped in utter shock. Here was this young man, who claimed to be Quirkless, risking his life and doing everything in his power to save someone from a much stronger foe; meanwhile, he, the so-called Symbol of Peace, was just standing back doing nothing.

"World believes only power important… but… I think heart matters most…" Midoriya's words from earlier came to the forefront of his mind.

All Might who before had felt himself anchored down and powerless, felt a surge of emotions rip through him.

'After everything I told that young man… He's the one doing everything he can to save that boy. Not the other heroes. Not me.'

An ideal Yagi had cherished since his youth yet had been watered down in the last few years, was suddenly reignited with a new intensity. His grip on the light pole he had been leaning against tightened. The metal creaked under his fingers as steam began to rise from his body.

All Might's teeth grit together as he dug deep into himself to find his power. As the steam increased, his body began to grow.

Yagi Toshinori fully resolved himself. 'I have to do something! No matter the cost!'

"Damn brat! I'm done playing with you!" The Sludge Villain managed to move away from the water torrent, gaining enough control of his goopy body, and moved to attack Midoriya.

"Save the boy! This thing will kill him!' Death Arms yelled as the Pro Heroes advanced to rescue Midoriya from the mud-man's attack.

Midoriya did not express fear and stood firm in front of Bakugo, holding his shield out to protect the ash blonde and himself. A small explosion went off in front of him, forcing him to shift his shield to cover his face.

"I really am pathetic."

Midoriya lowered the shield to see All Might blocking the sludge-man's attack.

"All Might? But…"

"I told you that power is crucial to being a hero, but I remember now… that power alone is worthless without the heart to use it!" All Might lifted the slime tentacle upward and clenched his fist tightly while Midoriya and Bakugo looked on in amazement.

"Pros are always risking their lives! That's the true test of a HERO!" All Might yelled with blood leaking from his mouth; illustrating the pain that he was suffering from due to pushing himself beyond his buff form's time-limit.

"DAMN YOU, ALL MIGHT!" The Sludge Villain stretched out numerous sludge tentacles to strike the Number One Pro.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

All Might punched the Villain square in the face and the force behind the punch scattered the villain and easily put out the fires around the street. The heroes were able to protect the onlookers from the shockwave and the rest of the wind.

(Music End)

All Might was on a knee, panting hard. Everyone, bystanders and Pro Heroes alike, looked on in awed silence at the display of his raw power.

Then raindrops fell. The light outside also grew dimmer.

"It's raining…?" a civilian questioned.

"Look at the clouds!" another bystander noted. "They're moving!"

Storm clouds swirled high in the atmosphere above the exact spot where All Might threw his mighty punch.

"Holy crap…" Death Arms gasped. "He changed the weather…"

All Might stumbled for a moment before correcting himself. Bearing through the intense pain, he maintained his bright smile and held up his right arm in victory.

As a result, the crowd burst into cheering for their Number One Hero's victory.

All Might glanced over at Midoriya tending to Bakugo, who seemed to have passed out from a combination of exhaustion and the backlash from his Detroit Smash.

'This young man… is something else.'

Later, the Pro Heroes collected all the scattered mounds of sludge, and the Villain went into police custody where he belonged. A crowd of reporters and cameras gathered to get an opportunity to speak to All Might.

Meanwhile, Midoriya sat on the sidewalk while being chewed out by Death Arms and Kamui Woods. They were less than pleased, but Midoriya didn't seem to care.

"Moron! Do you have a death wish?!" Death Arms exclaimed.

"There was no reason to put yourself in danger like that!" Kamui added, equally irritated.

Midoriya scowled at the Pro Heroes. "Someone had to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Death Arms demanded angrily.

"Hostage was suffocating… you did nothing! Chose to stand around and wait?" Midoriya snapped. "Should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Now, listen you-" Death Arms was stopped when Kamui Woods put a hand on his shoulder.

"You can give your statement to the police, Death Arms. I'll handle this." Kamui said, leaving no room for argument.

Death Arms shot once last glare to Midoriya and then walked off with a huff.

Kamui directed a stern gaze at Midoriya. "Tell me, kid, were you using your Quirk in that fight?"

Midoriya shook his head. "No."

Kamui didn't see any sign of deceit on the young man's face, but some people were good at lying. There was no obvious sign of illegal Quirk usage (even while accounting that amazing feat with the shield), so they couldn't bust him for that. However, that didn't mean he didn't break the law. He was curious about something else though.

"That shield… where'd you get it?" Kamui Woods questioned, curious to know if it could be classified as a weapon.

"Just a replica. Custom order." Midoriya responded, keeping a straight face. "Decoration for room."

"You're telling me you used a wall-hanger to bust a water hydrant?" Kamui was skeptical.

Midoriya shrugged with a nervous smile. "Good replica, I guess."

"You a foreigner, kid?" He asked, noting his shaky Japanese and western accent.

Midoriya nodded. "Yes."

"You should know then it's illegal for citizens, foreign or not, to interfere with Pro Hero business, even if they have good intentions." Kamui pensively stated. "Even if you didn't use your Quirk, we technically can still have you arrested on account for hero interference AND destruction to city property with the hydrant."

Midoriya did not flinch at the threat of detainment. "I know. Not sorry." He firmly responded.

Kamui Woods and Midoriya's gazes were deadlocked one another, neither willing to back down. After a moment, Kamui finally closed his eyes and deeply exhaled, reaching into his pouch on his wooden belt.

Suspecting the Pro-Hero was reaching for a set of handcuffs, Midoriya held out both arms in compliance. Even though he didn't agree with it, he wasn't going to resist arrest.

However, Kamui surprised him by handing him a slip of yellow parchment instead. Midoriya took the paper and briefly looked over the bold Kanji on the paper. A fine?

"This is a fine for damaging the water hydrant. That was sound thinking on your part to use water to prevent the Villain from creating more explosions and simultaneously weakening him in the process. Wish we had thought of that. Nonetheless, it is still destruction to public property, and we can't ignore it.

"We're also letting you slide for interfering with Pro Hero business this time and this time only." Kamui firmly asserted. "You can pay your fine at city hall or the city's website. If you pay it on-time, this whole incident can be kept off your record. Deal?"

Midoriya nodded in understanding and placed the fine in his satchel. "Fair." He sighed, politely bowing his head. "Thank you."

Kamui nodded and proceeded to walk away. "Try to stay out of trouble, kid. Hate to see you get arrested." He stopped to give him a glance over the shoulder. "With your attitude and drive, you'd make a great Pro Hero one day."

With that, Kamui left to join the other Pro-Heroes by the police and crowd of reporters.

Midoriya gathered his things and proceeded to walk away with mixed feelings.

Bakugo, meanwhile, was being praised for his bravery by some of the other Pro-Heroes; one Hero even offered him a Sidekick position if he decided to go Pro. Bakugo, however, wasn't listening as he stared at the ground in deep contemplation.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the verdette amble away with a conflicted expression.

---

Later that day, the sun was descending over the horizon, casting a golden glow over the city. Midoriya Izuku was walking down a relatively secluded path, opting to take a different path to his apartment. All the while, he had his smartphone up to his ear in a conversation with a certain someone.

"Look, Agent Coulson, I know you're not happy but-"

"That's an understatement, Cap! You could've nearly blown your cover! You're lucky the Japanese media is giving all the credit to All Might and not focusing on you at all." Agent Coulson exclaimed over the phone, sounding quite irritated.

Special Agent Phil Coulson was his own personal liaison to SHIELD, an American extra-governmental counter-terrorism and intelligence agency, tasked with maintaining both national and global security. Basically, if Midoriya needed to contact SHIELD or vice versa, Phil Coulson was the man to go to.

Unbeknownst to Midoriya, Coulson had volunteered for the position and seemed very adamant in doing it.

"What were you even doing in that part of Musutafu anyway?" Agent Coulson continued. "That's way off the normal route from the community college to your apartment."

"Well, after finishing my classes, I heard there was a villain attack near Tatooine Station, so I went to check it out. Took some notes on the Pro Heroes there." Midoriya calmly explained. "I decided to just walk back, get some fresh air."

"And you just happened to stumble across the scene with the sludge guy? That sounds way too coincidental for my tastes." Agent Coulson was rightfully skeptical. "Are you sure there isn't anything else I need to know?"

Midoriya wondered if he should mention his initial encounter with the Sludge Villain which led to meeting All Might and discovering his secret. But he made a promise to All Might, and he was a man of his word. "No. Nothing that's relevant. Was just a coincidence, I guess."

"Right… And you couldn't turn the other way and let the heroes there do their jobs?" Agent Coulson questioned.

"You weren't there, Agent Coulson!" Midoriya yelled, aggravated. "There were more than enough heroes there to formulate a plan, but they were completely okay with just standing around, waiting for someone else to do their damn jobs! The hostage… he would've died if someone didn't act."

"I get that, Cap. But Japan's Quirk regulation laws are very strict. This isn't the 2000s wild west anymore. You have to be mindful about this stuff now." He lectured.

Midoriya paused to sigh, momentarily collecting his thoughts. "I know… and I am trying to follow the rules, but if I see someone in trouble, I can't turn the other way; whether I break the law or not."

Coulson was silent for a moment before exhaling deeply. "You don't make things easy, Cap. Heh-heh…" He chuckled ruefully. "Happy to know you're the real deal like the legends say. Don't worry about your fine, by the way. SHIELD will cover it and I'm not taking no for an answer. You have more important things to focus on than trying to pay a city fine."

Midoriya smiled lightly. "Thanks, Agent Coulson. That does take a load off my mind."

He received a fixed pension from the agency that covered living expenses and a good allocation for leisurely things. Not having to wonder about how to pay back a 150,000 Yen fine was a relief.

"Wouldn't be the first time SHIELD has had to clean up messes, certainly won't be the last. Just… try to be more careful going forward. If the world found out that-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Midoriya rolled his eyes. "If the world found out their fabled First Hero was still alive and wasn't a natural-born one, Pandora's box would be opened. I get it."

"I don't agree with it either. But we can't afford to take this lightly." Coulson expressed sternly. "There are many resourceful villains out there that would drool over the fact that artificial superpowers are possible."

'It's already been over 150 years. If they haven't figured out her serum's formula yet, I doubt they ever will. Least she can rest easy…' Midoriya solemnly thought.

"SHIELD and I'll be here if you need us, Cap." Coulson continued. "Just keep studying hard and training your body back into fighting shape. UA University's entrance exam is no joke; only 1 out of 300 applicants are accepted."

"I know, Agent Coulson. I'm studying hard to get caught up on everything." Midoriya stated.

"You can just call me Coulson, Cap. Or Phil. Whatever's comfortable with you. OH!" Midoriya heard Coulson's tone shift to excitement. "You should take the time to also catch up on some of the latest pop culture trends in your free time. That way when you get into UA you know the lingo of your peers."

"If I get into UA," Midoriya corrected.

"When!" Coulson retorted strongly. "Also, unrelated, there's a new movie from Disney coming out about you in July. A new trailer just released today. You think you can check it out and tell me your thoughts?"

Midoriya sweat-dropped with a sheepish smile. 'Coulson sure is a fanboy…'

"Uh… sure. I'll add it to the list." he replied.

"Good! Also, thanks again for signing my replica shield."

"N-no problem." Midoriya lightly stuttered, feeling bashful.

"Spend your time wisely, Cap. Don't be afraid to make some friends while you're there. Coulson out."

With that, the call ended. He placed the phone back in his pocket and sighed deeply. He reached into his satchel to pull out a notepad titled Things to Catch Up On. Flipping over several pages of various list items that included movies, books, and music from the last 150 years. At the end, he added "Disney movie trailer about me?".

He sighed heavily, placing the notepad back in his bag. "I have my work cut out for me." He murmured in English.

"Green hair!"

Midoriya stopped and turned, surprised to see it was the ash blonde running toward him. "H-hi… it's you. Didn't get your name." He awkwardly said.

Bakugo stopped a few meters away from Midoriya and took a short moment to catch his breath. Did he run the whole way here? "It's… Bakugo… You… gaijin… what's your deal?"

"Huh?" Midoriya tilted his head in confusion.

"Why'd you rush in like that?" Bakugo clarified. "You don't know me. So why?!"

"Oh… well… looked like you need help. Body moved on own." Midoriya shakily replied.

Bakugo's gaze narrowed as if he were scrutinizing Midoriya's reply. His body moved on its own, huh?

He shot Midoriya with an expression mixed with indignation and confusion.

"Yeah, well… it was All Might who saved me at the end of the day, so don't think I owe you or anything, got it?!" Bakugo yelled angrily. "And don't you dare think you can look down on me for this, Green Hair! I will be Japan's Number One Hero! And this'll only make me stronger! Not you or anyone else will have to ever save me! Got it!?"

Midoriya simply nodded. "Y-yeah… understand."

"Also, work on your damn Japanese! It's freaking annoying to listen to." With that, Bakugo stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and stomped away.

After Bakugo turned a corner, Midoriya shook his head and chuckled lightly. 'That guy definitely has a lot of pride. Bakugo...' A thought then occurred to him. 'He said he wants to be the Number 1 Hero… I wonder if he's trying out for the UA entrance exam too? Should ask him if I see him again.'

"I AM HERE!" All Might announced, popping up from around a corner.

Midoriya yelped at All Might's sudden entrance. "All Might? W-why you here? The reporters?"

"Ha-ha-hah!" All Might laughed boisterously while flexing his impressive biceps. "I stand for justice, not sound bites! Because I am ALL MIG-"

In the middle of his monologue, All Might's form suddenly reverted to its shriveled state in a puff of steam. He was also spitting out blood for good measure too.

"HEY! YOU OKAY!?" Midoriya screamed in concerned shock.

"Y-yeah…" Yagi Toshinori wiped the blood off his mouth. Clearing his throat, he spoke in English, "Young man, I came to thank you and revise what I told you earlier… I also have a couple questions."

"What do you mean?" Midoriya asked, curious.

"If it hadn't been for you, I would've just been a worthless bystander in the crowd. Thank you."

"You shouldn't thank me." Midoriya shook his head. "It was partially my fault that the villain was there to begin with… I got in the way of your work, unintentional or not. I wasted your energy and not to mention your time."

"I'm not done. Of all the people there… it was only YOU who acted, despite being Quirkless. Seeing you try to save a life spurred me to action." Yagi confessed. "You reminded me that true heroism isn't about power… but the heart. And you showed that more than anyone today."

Midoriya lightly gasped and looked at the emaciated man in surprise.

"There are stories about every Top Hero; all the way back to the First Hero… and how they became great. Most have one thing in common… their bodies moved before they could think."

A small smile began to take shape on Midoriya's face as he understood where All Might was going with his speech.

"And that happened to you today."

Several key memories from Midoriya's past surfaced, ranging from various people telling him that he'd never amount to anything to loved ones gently telling him it'd be impossible to achieve his dreams.

"Midoriya? No way!"

"He's an idiot if he thinks the military would want anything to do with him."

"You're just a scrawny, little weakling who'll be lucky to live past 30!"

"Sweetie… I'll always love and support you… but please don't put all your eggs in that basket…"

"I'm sorry Izu-kun… I'm your friend, so I won't lie… you really should reevaluate your options."

There had only been one person who had believed in him - and her memory was causing his heart to clench.

"Heroes, soldiers or not, are measured by their heart not their strength. And you… you got lots of heart!" Her cheerful yet wise voice echoed in his head.

The wind started blowing as cherry blossoms flew.

"Yes. Those who inspire others to do good, Quirkless or not, are heroes." Yagi declared.

Midoriya lowered his head unable to suppress a proud smile and felt his eyes get a tad misty. Hearing the Symbol of Peace confirm his ideals was reassuring. Maybe he could find a place in this crazy comic book-esque world.

"T-thank you, All Might…" He replied.

Yagi Toshinori smiled at the verdette. "There's something I need to know about you though." His expression became serious. "Earlier, you ran past me on the sidewalk at a speed too fast for any normal person. And in the fight, you left a small indention in the wall when you pushed off… Those both are superhuman feats. How is that possible if you're Quirkless? You didn't lie to me, did you?"

Midoriya internally flinched. He really does need to be mindful of his actions. 'Well… no sense in trying to cover it up…'

"No. I didn't lie. I really am Quirkless… but I didn't say I was powerless." Midoriya replied.

Yagi cocked a brow ridge, bewildered. 'What does he mean by that?'

"Not sure I understand what you're saying… What about that shield then?" Yagi directed his gaze to the circular case on Midoriya's back. "With how that thing bounced off objects and broke the fire hydrant, no way that thing is a prop."

"Well… you see…" Midoriya stopped, unsure of how to explain.

"And you used it quite well! Color me impressed. Heh… with the way you swung that thing around I would have thought you were Captain America or something," Yagi joked, trying to lighten the air. "I'm just curious to know your story, yah know?"

Midoriya looked away with a nervous expression while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

All Might noticed the change and was confused. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Well…" Midoriya's eyes were directed to the ground, squirming under Yagi's gaze. "You think… you could keep a secret for me, All Might?"

"Of course." Yagi replied truthfully. "You're keeping my secret, after all. Least I can do is keep one of yours."

"You swear to keep this between us?" Midoriya lifted his head to look him straight in the eyes.

He was completely serious.

Yagi was confused. He wondered what could be so important that the verdette would swore him to secrecy.

"I will." Yagi nodded. "You have my word."

Midoriya's shoulders relaxed slightly. Letting the straps fall off his shoulders, he pulled off the case and unzipped it - pulling out the replica of the First Hero's support item.

"This shield… isn't a replica," he confessed.

Yagi blinked twice. It wasn't? He stared intently at the item. The memory of Midoriya's shield was engraved in Yagi's mind. He had seen that object throughout his youth being wielded by the Captain in old footage, movies, and posters. Yagi then paused to look at Midoriya more closely. Something… did seem familiar about him.

No. That wasn't possible. Just a genetic coincidence. Also, it'd been over 150 years since the Captain's time. Then again, He was very old as well...

"What do you mean, young man?" Yagi inclined.

Midoriya sighed heavily, sliding his left arm through the shield's straps. "Honestly, I'm not sure how to put this lightly. I'm still new to this era and all… trying to catch up on everything I've missed. But I thought it wouldn't be a big deal carrying this thing around with me. Gives me comfort, I suppose. If anyone asked, I'd say it was a replica and they'd leave it at that." He stopped to nervously strum his fingers against the shield's cool, smooth surface. "But today… I had to use it, and it nearly gave me away to everyone at the scene."

Yagi's eyes widened at the shocking possibility based on Midoriya's reply. The truth was bubbling just beneath the surface of their conversation. It couldn't be. He had to - no, he needed to ask even if it sounded crazy.

"Are you," Yagi hesitated, not believing the words about to come out of his mouth. "You're Captain America?"

Yagi Toshinori, All Might, had seen many things in his years as a Pro Hero. Petty theft, gangs, murderers, kidnapping, natural disasters, Trigger busts, and crazed supervillains - the works. This, however, did not fall under any of the above.

Midoriya's eyes were closed for a moment as if he were processing All Might's question and whether to respond. Finally, he opened his emerald eyes revealing the seriousness behind them.

"Yes."

Just like that, Yagi's world was flipped upside down. He leaned his hand against a nearby wall. All the remaining strength in his weakened body was fading away at the dawning realization.

"I… I think… I need to sit down…" All Might said faintly.

He then felt himself collapse face-first to the sidewalk; his vision getting blurry.

"ALL MIGHT!?" was the last thing he heard before consciousness left him.

---

[Edit: 9-1-2022 - Tweaked Izuku and All Might conversations a bit]

A/N: There you have it folks! Chapter 1 has finally arrived! I do apologize for this chapter's lateness, but I was busy with my job and my other two stories.

I was very surprised by the initial response this story got. Happy so many readers are interested already. I'll do my best to write a good quality, fun story for us to enjoy!

Two big changes that I'm making from canon is making UA a university rather than a high school and aging up the respective students to account for it. So, you'll notice minor differences in character descriptions to account for the 3 year age increase.

I won't reveal Midoriya's official age until the next chapter.

There were also some Easter eggs for Jack Kirby and Joe Simmon (creators of Captain America) sprinkled throughout this chapter, by the way.

I'll eventually commission an art piece for young adult Midoriya Izuku in both civilian and hero costume at some point.

Please leave any comments, critique, or suggestions in the review box below. Thank you for the support!