Welcome to the second chapter of "Through the Rough"! As I mentioned in the beginning, this story will update per every five reviews a chapter receives, whether from another user on the site or a guest. Speaking of guest reviews, I'll be taking the time to respond to them here before we start.
Guest: I wonder if Izuku is going to get one for all or his own type of ether gear maybe even both either way great start hopefully you continue it!
First of all, thank you very much! I'm excited to keep this new story going! As for your curiosity, you'll have to wait and see! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
"And there you go!" Rebecca said as she handed off the package to the elderly woman at the apartment building.
"Oh, thank you so much, dear..." she responded with gratitude, granting the Leaper Quirk user a few extra yen bills as compensation, "Make sure you treat yourself for all your hard work," she advised.
"Will do!" Rebecca assured in reply with a nod. She dashed off afterwards, heading onto the sidewalk before checking her phone. Her mail courier job was made extra efficient thanks to her Quirk. Deliveries were done so quickly and earned her a lot of tips from recipients. She was modest about how much money she was earning from such a job, but it really was rewarding. It's what allowed her to leave the orphanage and start living in her own apartment. "Okay... last delivery..." she noted while wiping away the sweat forming on her brow.
Reading what was on her phone, she blinked in surprise to find that the person she was going to bring a package to was Inko Midoriya. A small smile came across her face. After a little while, she arrived in Musutafu, hurrying up the stairs to the apartment complex where her best friend lived. Though Izuku never visited the orphanage where she grew up once, she visited him almost every day to play.
Though he was shy, he wasn't afraid to be around the girl who said he could be a hero, even without a Quirk. And likewise, Rebecca was glad to have an actual friend outside of the orphanage. She was a little worried after how she saw Izuku let himself get bullied by Katsuki and his friends. Hearing the Explosion Quirk user basically tell him to kill himself was just beyond bullying at that point. But despite that, she couldn't do a thing. Rather, Izuku wouldn't want her to.
"Huh..." she sighed out. For now, she would have to just keep quiet for his sake. But in exchange, she'd definitely make him play against her in video games, which she won almost all of the time. That would have to suffice. She knocked at the door upon arriving at the specific apartment, stepping back before the door was opened.
"Oh, Rebecca!" Inko yelped in surprise before smiling.
"Hi, Missus Midoriya!" the Leaper Quirk user greeted before holding out the last package she had, "Here you are!" she said, allowing the middle-aged woman to take it into her hands.
"Wow, I thought this wouldn't get to me until tomorrow..." she admitted out of astonishment, "You really are fast, Rebecca," she pointed out.
"I always aim to be!" the courier girl responded with a wink, causing Inko to giggle. She reached into her skirt pocket to get a tip ready for the Leaper Quirk user, but she took notice. "Oh, I don't need a tip," she assured, holding out her left hand reassuringly to the middle-aged woman's surprise, "Seeing your smiling face is more than worth it!" she mentioned cheekily.
"Well... I really don't feel right about not giving you something..." Inko admitted, scratching at her cheek with her right pointer finger.
"Then... is Izuku around?" Rebecca asked curiously, "I'd have to run back home to take care of Happy, but I can come back for dinner and play on my Switch with him!" she pointed out.
"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" Inko exclaimed, "Izuku's not home yet though..." she recalled, causing the Leaper Quirk user to blink in surprise, "Maybe he's out studying or watching another hero battle a villain..." she suggested, letting out a chuckle, "You know him..." she remarked with a shrug. Rebecca smiled.
"Yeah... I do," she responded. With a wave goodbye, she left the apartment complex and speedily hurried off. She never remembered ever missing Izuku at his home whenever she came by to drop off a package. Maybe he was held up due to a hero arriving around wherever he was.
'Guess after I take care of Happy, I'll go and find him...' she decided inwardly, hurrying around a corner.
Rebecca noticed the billowing smoke as she walked along the Musutafu streets, heading back to Izuku's apartment. After feeding her cat and getting herself cleaned up and changed, she grabbed her Switch and hurried off. The most exciting part of gaming with her best friend was the banter they shared during that time, especially during games in which either one of them could win.
'I wonder if I'll get to see him rage quit again...' she thought, giggling a little. At that moment, she remembered how angry he appeared back at school when he saw her getting picked on by Katsuki. A small blush came across her face as she smiled. Izuku was someone she genuinely appreciated as a friend. Even though many of the girls in her class thought she was crazy to hang out with a Quirkless boy, she didn't care. She just liked hanging out with him.
Once she turned a corner, she noticed a crowd. During the earlier days of middle school, she and Izuku had watched with such crowds to see heroes take down villains. She remembered seeing him scribble frantically in one of his hero notebooks with every detail he could think of for the future, making her giggle. She figured that spending a minute or two watching another battle like that would be fine. She joined the crowd... and instantly gasped.
There were already plenty of heroes on the scene, facing what looked to be a monster of sludge. That wasn't what shocked Rebecca though. It was the fact that she could see Katsuki's face in the villain's body.
"What...?!" she gasped out, covering her mouth with her right hand in fright. What was he of all people doing here? How did he wind up in such a situation? It was all so bizarre to witness the Explosion Quirk user entrapped by a villain. And he... looked scared.
Then something else made Rebecca gasp again. It was seeing Izuku jump out from the crowd and run forward. In spite of the cries of the nearby heroes, he kept running without a second thought in the world. The Leaper Quirk user wanted to hurry over and get him out of there, but something was telling her not to intervene. She only watched as Izuku threw his backpack, with its contents spilling out and hitting the sludge villain, also making him loosen his hold on Katsuki as he gasped and coughed for air.
"KACCHAN!" the Quirkless boy screamed, desperately trying to get the Explosion Quirk user out of the monster's hold as he clawed at his slimy body.
"What the hell?! Why are you here?!" Katsuki questioned aloud.
"I don't know!" Izuku answered immediately, still trying to free the boy who bullied him, "My legs... they just started moving!" he cried out. The slime built back up around Katsuki though, entrapping him again as he grimaced. Even so, Izuku wasn't going to give up.
He thought back to everything he experienced in his life from being diagnosed as Quirkless. Hearing what his doctor had to say, hearing his mother apologize in wishing things were different, and hearing the taunts and laughter of his own classmates... It made him wonder why he was even doing what he was. But he knew the answer in the end.
"Kacchan..." he began, "I couldn't just stand there and watch you die!" he exclaimed. And at that moment, Rebecca finally leapt over the crowd as her markings glowed brightly. Everyone was just as shocked to see her jump into the fray and start running.
"Hey, stop!" Death Arms yelled. But she didn't listen. She just ran at full speed in spite of how scared she was. Her best friend was in trouble. And she wanted to save him.
"Just a little bit longer..." the sludge villain noted as her reformed his left eye, "And I'm done playing with you!" he declared, about slam his left arm into Izuku. But all of a sudden, Rebecca flew in and struck him in the face feet first. As he recoiled, his hold on Katsuki loosened even more, allowing his arms to be freed.
"Rebecca?!" Izuku exclaimed in shock.
"Help me pull, Izuku!" the Leaper Quirk user insisted quickly, grabbing Katsuki's right arm.
"R-Right!" the Quirkless boy responded in a stutter as he latched onto the bully's left arm and pulled with her. His eyes shook in disbelief.
"Why...?!" he growled out in question.
"Just... shut up and let us... help you!" Rebecca yelled back in between grunts before she and Izuku finally freed him from the sludge villain's body, falling onto the ground together, "Huh..." she exhaled in relief. However, that feeling instantly vanished once she spotted the monster looming over them.
"YOU BRATS...!" he roared angrily, about to strike them with his arm again. There was a huge burst of dust from the impact that followed. But when it settled, the three middle school students found that they were unharmed.
"I really am pathetic..." a dignified and powerful voice admitted. Izuku, Katsuki and Rebecca looked up to find All Might standing over them, having blocked the attack with his right arm.
"All Might..." the former of the trio uttered out in disbelief.
"I told you the traits that make a great champion...!" he noted while pulling the slime off of his body, "But I see now that I wasn't living up to my own ideals!" he exclaimed before breaking free. Izuku and Rebecca's eyes shimmered with amazement, while Katsuki's shook in disbelief. They watched the number one hero of Japan grab hold of the villain's body with his left hand, rearing his right fist back. "Pros are always risking their lives! That's the true test of a hero!" he declared proudly as blood sprayed from his mouth.
"DAMN YOU, ALL MIGHT!" the villain yelled, attempting in one last ditch effort to stop him. But he was too late.
"DETROIT..." the hero started to bellow, grabbing onto Izuku, Katsuki, and Rebecca with his left hand, "SMMMMAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared, unleashing a powerful punch that made the sludge monster splatter apart as wind rushed throughout the air, forming a tornado that towered into the sky. The three Aldera Junior High students momentarily passed out from the shock. But what none of them realized was that they had been a part of something incredible.
"Huh..." Rebecca sighed, trudging along the streets beside Izuku at sunset, "Well, that turned out to be one hell of a day..." she muttered, though she managed to grin about it a little. After the villain had been dealt with, she and her best friend had been strictly lectured by the heroes. To her chagrin, she saw some of them actually praising Katsuki for his bravery, whatever that was supposed to mean. It was mainly his fault that the villain had been so troublesome.
She looked over to Izuku and saw his almost despondent expression. He seemed... really tired. And emotionally, he looked just as worn.
"Hey..." Rebecca said, getting his attention as they came to a stop. She held out her arms. "Do you need a hug?" she asked of him. A light smile came across the freckled teen's face before he took her up on her offer, embracing her warmly as she did the same to him. "Those heroes didn't know what they were talking about," she noted to him reassuringly, "I thought you were really brave out there," she admitted.
"I... thought you were brave, too..." Izuku replied before he pulled away from her, "But... the heroes had a point..." he confessed to her surprise, "We really did jump in recklessly..." he pointed out while glancing away.
"Yeah, true..." Rebecca concurred. They exchanged another smile to each other, about to head back to their respective homes...
"Deku!" Katsuki's voice suddenly yelled out, getting their attentions as they saw him run over to them.
"Kacchan..." Izuku uttered out, surprised that the bully was even here. Why?
"Listen..." he growled out, balling his hands into fists, "I would never ask for weaklings like you to help me..." he claimed as he trembled with anger, "Don't think you can look down on me!" he shouted, "Huh?! Got that?!" he yelled on, "I was fine by myself!" he exclaimed, "You're just a Quirkless failure who won't even cut it as a cop!" he pointed out to Izuku, "And you're just some stupid delivery girl ditz!" he added to Rebecca, who gasped out of offense, "You didn't help me!" he proclaimed on, glaring ahead, "You did nothing..." he growled, "Don't you forget that!" he shouted, whipping back around and trudging away angrily, "I don't owe you anything!" he finished.
'What was that...?' the Quirkless boy wondered inwardly, while the Leaper Quirk user beside him stuck her tongue out at their departing bully. In spite of all that, Izuku did know that he didn't really do much to help. But at least he tried. Rebecca looked over to him and smiled.
"Hey, you're still gonna be a great hero," she reassured, bumping her right fist against his chest as he blinked in surprise. He was shocked that she still believed he could walk down that path. But that didn't change the fact that someone important he looked up to had told him otherwise.
"Rebecca..." he began, causing her to perk up, "I need to tell you something..." he said, clutching the straps of his yellow backpack tightly. But at that moment...
"I AM HERE!" All Might exclaimed as he suddenly slid onto the street. Both Izuku and Rebecca yelped in surprise.
"A-All Might!" the former stuttered out, "Where'd you come from?!" he wondered aloud, "And how'd you get rid of all those reporters...?" he questioned on.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" the number one hero laughed out, "I stand for justice, not sound bytes!" he proclaimed proudly before starting to flex his muscles, "Because I... I am All M-!" He suddenly burst into a cloud of white steam, transforming back into his skinny form as he spat up blood.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Izuku and Rebecca shrieked in shock, with the latter being the most stunned as she hadn't seen this disheveled version of the number one hero.
"Wh-Wh-Wh-What's going on?!" she questioned while stammering. All Might took notice of her and grimaced before letting out a sigh, wiping his lips. Moments after he and Izuku brought the Leaper Quirk user up to speed on the situation, he went on to address the Quirkless boy.
He thanked him for doing what he could against the sludge villain, having given him enough time to act. He went on to thank Rebecca as well for her efforts. However, Izuku still felt that it was his fault things things had gone so wrong. He had wasted All Might's remaining energy and the rest of his time.
"I'm not done," the number one hero said, causing him to turn and face him, "You told me you didn't have a power," he pointed out in remembrance, "So when I saw this timid, Quirkless boy try to save a life..." he continued, "it inspired me to act, too," he told Izuku, who perked up in surprise, "There are stories about every hero..." he mentioned, "how they became great," he added, "Most have one thing in common," he stated, "Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think, almost on their own," he explained. The Quirkless boy's eyes shimmered. Cherry blossom petals fell down nearby as a breeze blew about the street. Rebecca looked to her best friend and smiled. She knew what All Might was trying to say.
Izuku did, too. He trembled, whimpering as he lowered his head. He thought back to when his mother had apologized to him for not being able to give him a Quirk of his own. That wasn't what he needed to hear. He needed someone to tell him... To believe that he could be...
"And today, that's what happened to you," Rebecca noted, making him glance over to her in shook. He saw the tears pricking her eyes as she smiled warmly at him. Thinking back to when they first met, not once did the Leaper Quirk user think Izuku's dream to become a hero was out of the question. She always believed in him. He latched onto his middle school uniform with both hands, tearing up as he dropped onto his knees. The wind rushed through All Might's hair as he stood ahead and stared down at him.
"Young man..." he began, "you too can become a hero," he stated. Izuku cried with gratitude, having earned his idol's approval while being reaffirmed by his best friend. This was the story... about how he'd become the greatest hero in the world.
And that ends the second chapter! Looking forward to your thoughts and comments! Thanks again for reading!