Chapter 4: Reborn by Fire
Bakugo: "He can't say anything. He's so lame. Even as a third year. He still can't face reality."
Bakugo smirked, looking back at the shaking boy. Midoriya Izuku, fourteen and seemingly Quirkless, said nothing. This was how the world worked. The weak couldn't stand up to the strong. Even after all these years he was still being bullied by his former friend.
Bakugo: "You wanna be a hero so bad? I've got a time-saving idea for you. If you think you'll have a Quirk in your next life, go take a swan dive off the roof!"
Izuku whirled, anger and despair evident on his face as he prepared to cry out-
Miniature explosions crackled on the bully's open palm as he displayed his Quirk, a dark look on his face.
Bakugo: "What?"
He challenged, the explosions growing bigger with each passing second.
Izuku was left standing there in the empty classroom as his once best friend left with his cronies, their brutish laughter echoing through the hallway. As fast as his anger started it faded away just as quickly, leaving the poor boy alone and dejected.
He slowly shuffled down the stairs, making his way to the back of the school to retrieve his fallen notebook. It was scorched and thrown out the window by Bakugo in a fit of smug superiority, landing in a tub of water where it now floated, nibbled at by carp swimming just under the surface.
Depression coursed through him as he fished it out of the water, grimacing as scraps of paper sloughed off wetly.
Weeks or even months of work damaged thanks to Bakugo.
Izuku: 'Idiot. If I'd really jumped, you'd be charged with bullying me into suicide! Think before you speak!'
Again, his depression and newfound anger seemed to flow away like water down a drain, as if someone had pulled the bath plug. He'd hardly paid attention to it and thought of the phenomenon as some sort of subconscious coping mechanism that he'd developed as a child.
Ever since he was told to be an abnormality, strong or overwhelming negative emotions would simply disappear as if they were never there in the first place. At first he thought that this was his Quirk, the Quirk to cancel out negative emotions. But he quickly found out that he could still experience said emotions. Granted, he could still feel sad or angry, but never too much or for too long.
He sighed, slowly shuffling out of the school and onto the way home.
On the other hand, positive emotions such as happiness or excitement seemed to last a little longer, probably due to the same weird subconscious mechanism. Izuku considered the idea that he was going insane before quickly dismissing the thought. Then again, he'd sometimes have these weird dreams where he was sailing through the air, feeling free and powerful. Like a Hero.
Sighing to himself, the boy trudged along the empty road, entering a small tunnel as part of the journey home. In the end, they were just dreams. He'd probably never even figure out what his Quirk did until he was old and senile or by accident. That was how it was for most abnormal Quirks. The memory of his big sisters sobbing as she hugged him flashed through his mind.
Izuku shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
Izuku: 'It's for the best that I can suppress my negative emotions. I don't want to make them cry ever again. I'll-'
His train of though however, was rudely interrupted by a sudden wet noise behind him. Turning to look back, he soon wished he hadn't.
The creature writhed and flowed like mud, its features oily and slick. Two glowing yellow eyes locked onto him, blinking lazily as they examined the weak, helpless boy before them. A formless body squeezed out from a manhole cover on the ground, dark green tendrils creeping from within the sewers whilst it hoisted itself up.
"A medium-sized invisibility cloak…"
Izuku: "A quirk beast!? No, quirk beast can't talk…"
Regardless of what the thing was, Izuku ran. He had no chance of fighting against it. There wasn't even time for a fight or flight instinct to register as he bolted, running as fast as his legs would allow.
Too little, too late.
The slime pounced, a literal wave of ooze wrapping and engulfing him in the horrible substance. His hero notebook was thrown to the ground as he fell, landing a few feet away. Pure, unadulterated fear coursed through his being as he realized what was about to happen.
"Don't worry, I'm just going to take over your body."
The villain hissed, slime already starting to enter Izuku's mouth and silencing him.
"Calm down, It'll only hurt for about 45 seconds. You'll feel better soon."
Valkyrie stood straight from her vantage point on the corporate office building, eyes staring ever forward while she surveyed the nearby landscape. Her svelte form still remained mostly the same after all these years, having not aged a day. She did grow a little taller, but not by much.
So far it'd been a good day, no negativity that she could detect in the area. For the past ten years she'd been moving from area to area, detecting negative emotions to stop incoming crimes and rescue civilians in danger. Ten years she had followed the orders given to her by her onii-chan.
Be a hero.
Still, oniichan hadn't even called her back, not even once in the past decade despite her doing her best to be a hero. Had she been doing something wrong? She puzzled, feeling confused and hurt.
He didn't even let her share a visual link with him to show off her handiwork; she was only able to establish echoes of a connection while he was sleeping.
She had so much to show him, but her orders demanded she continued her mission instead of approaching him. There were many lives to be saved and crimes to be stopped.
Did he hate her? What about her onee-chans?
The sudden, abrupt thought caused her to shudder slightly. A pang of heartbreak echoing within before she quickly swept it away.
She was sure that she saved more than enough people to qualify as being 'heroic'.
Yet oniichan won't even look her way. She even ignored the angry heroes who tried to attack her for unknown reasons over the decade. She didn't understand. Weren't heroes supposed to defeat villains and help the innocent?
That's all she'd been doing, the same as her onee-chans. Why did some still attack her on sight? It's not like she was harming anyone… well, not permanently, anyway.
She fed off her brother's negativity through the mental link, powerful emotions that she felt were unhealthy and detrimental for him were an energy source for her. It was a symbiotic relationship, beneficial for the both of them.
She got her food and he never got to feel too negative. Of course, she'd still let him feel a bit of negativity. She'd learned that emotions were what made a person, well, a person. She tried consuming positive emotions once but it was much too sweet and fluffy for her tastes. Plus, it made people sad when she ate up their positive emotions, so that wasn't very heroic.
Valkyrie thought back on the Angry Fire Man that had tried to burn her to a crisp so many times in the past few years. How enraged he'd been, and how bitter his anger tasted.
Valkyrie: "Yuck."
She'd usually stick to her brother's emotions instead of leeching off random people but sometimes she got hungry. Once, she got really hungry and started to feed on the fear of villains she fought. She quickly learned that it wasn't wise to do that as they just got less scared of her and started fighting back even harder.
The vigilante prepared to move, flexing her fingers and taking a final look at the city before she departed to patrol a new area. This was her birthplace, the city where onii-chan created her and where her onee-chans worked.
Valkyrie liked coming back to this particular city, as strange as it may seem. It calmed her down, let her relax. It allowed her to spy on her onee-chans when the chance presented itself.
She crouched and bent her legs preparing to jump when a sudden spike of fear coursed through her body, causing her to stop. Fear that transferred over her mental link instead of her empathy sense.
Valkyrie: "Onii-chan was in danger!"
Valkyrie spun around to face the source of the fear, propelling herself dozens of meters with a single leap. She wasn't the fastest hero out there but she could still cover a good distance under pressure.
She was lucky she happened to be nearby while he was in danger. Her dear brother had felt fear before, but nothing like this all-encompassing, wave of dread.
She instantly recognized the type of fear from victims she'd rescued- it was the fear of death. She strode across rooftops, ignoring new negative readings that appeared on her emotional radar.
Objective one: Protect onii-chan.
Objective two: Protect okaa-san and onee-chans.
Objective three: Be a Hero.
It was clear which one Valkyrie chose. She sped across the rooftops towards her destination, the safety of her creator her current goal. Everything else was put on the back-burner.
[x]
Izuku struggled and panicked, twisting and kicking to no avail. The slime was in his mouth, choking him and stopping his breathing. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe. Attempts to wrench the foreign substance out of his mouth failed as his fingers sank easily into the gunk, raking right through it like water.
"You can't grab me. I'm fluid!"
The living slime leaned in close, eye to eye with its victim as it gave off a malicious smirk. The boy started to flail his legs around, kicking in vain as muffled screaming echoed in the dimly-lit tunnel.
"Thanks for your help, you're my hero."
It crooned, now lifting him off the ground.
"I'd never thought he'd show up in this town."
Izuku: I'm dying… Am I dying?
Izuku thought, getting weaker and weaker as his air supply ran out.
Izuku: 'I'm dying...'
Izuku: 'Mom…Fubuki…Tastu…'
Izuku: 'Someone…anyone…'
The fallen notebook fluttered open, the page with his sketch of All Might flapping away.
Tears began to run down the boy's cheeks. Was this how he was going to die? Killed by a villain in broad daylight?
CLANG.
The manhole cover behind them blasted from off from the road, bouncing off the ceiling and rolling away. Out of the ground a large, muscular arm reached out, the figure hoisting himself up onto the street effortlessly.
"It's all right now, young man."
The villain turned to face the new threat in surprise, Izuku still gripped within his slippery folds.
The magnificent visage of All Might stood before the two, a grocery bag in one hand, clenched fist in the other. Instead of his usual colorful costume he was dressed in a white t-shirt and green pants, clearly out on a casual walk.
All Might:"I AM HERE!"
The villain snarled, a tendril of slime whipping forward and crashing into where the hero stood just moments ago. All Might easily dodged the blow, closing half the distance in a single step as he cocked his powerful fist back.
All Might: "TEXAS-"
A white blur raced into the tunnel opposite All Might, two delicate hands reaching out as they speared into the villain's body from behind, grasping Izuku's shirt tightly. The sludge barely had enough time to scream as Valkyrie tore the semi-conscious boy out from within his slimy prison, shielding him from the incoming blow with her own body.
All Might: "-SMASH!"
A pressurized blast of air rushed forward and impacted the slime villain, his body starting to break apart under the sheer force of the blast.
"Wind Pressure?!"
The slime could take no more as it simply splattered everywhere, on the ceiling, on the walls, and all over Valkyrie. She tanked the pressure wave easily, her arms wrapped protectively around the boy even as he drifted off into unconsciousness.
Izuku: 'All Might… and someone else?'
Izuku felt a strange comfort as the unknown girl embraced him. It felt somewhat… familiar.
All Might: "Ah… oops."
All Might said sheepishly, finally noticing the vigilante.
All Might: "Didn't notice you there."
Valkyrie wordlessly stood up with her trademark deadpan expression still present on her face, the pieces of slime that stuck to the walls and ceiling stubbornly starting to slick off her like water off a duck's back.
He was about to apologize since she didn't look very amused, but then remembered that's how she looked by default. Valkyrie glanced towards the hero, recognizing him as the Big Cheerful Man, All Might, before turning back to her brother.
The Number One Hero scratched his head gently, unable to think of something to say. It wasn't the first time he'd encountered the strange girl, he'd tried to convince her to register for a hero license multiple times in the past, only for her to ignore him like he was a roadside plant.
One time he'd even tried stopping her by putting his hands on her shoulders and she'd simply continued walking, dragging him behind her along the road with little effort. The girl really was something, that's for sure.
All Might: "Ahem."
All Might coughed awkwardly, pulling out an empty soda bottle from within one of his pockets.
All Might: "Would you like to help me clean up this villain, Miss Valkyrie?"
The girl didn't even bother to look at him as she opted to sit down with her legs tucked in, placing the unconscious boy's head gently onto her lap. A lap pillow, he realized after a few moments.
Huh.
That was… odd, to say in the least. Valkyrie never did that for anyone she'd rescued before. If he didn't know any better he'd say she was worried for him.
All Might: "Ooooookaay. I guess I'll have to do this myself then."
After painstakingly collecting the pieces of the defeated villain by himself, All Might turned back to the pair, still in the same position he'd left them in.
Strolling over, he started to lightly tap on the boy's face. A few taps in Valkyrie had gently pushed his hand away. When he tried again she smacked his hand, seemingly annoyed though her expression remained even as ever.
All Might: "Look, I'm just trying to wake him up to see if he's alright. If you don't mind, can you wake him up?"
Wordlessly, the girl nodded and craned her neck down slightly, grasping his head with both hands and pressing her forehead against the boy's with closed eyes, as if she was sensing something. A few seconds passed and she separated, nudging his head lightly with both palms.
Izuku's eyes slowly fluttered open, blurry vision attempting to focus on the object before him. He felt his back on the ground, his head on something warm and soft. A pillow? Why would there be a pillow in the in the middle of a tunnel-
The past few events suddenly flashed through his mind. The tunnel. The Villain. All Might!
He blinked owlishly as he vision slowly focused, the whiteness before him focusing into a clear image.
A pretty girl stared at him from above, the soft green glow of her eyes reflected in his own. From above? Then that must mean-
A hand reached up to feel what his head was resting upon, finding only softness and warmth. The realization started to sink in as the blood began to rush to his face, turning the poor boy redder than a cherry tomato. He was resting his head on a girl's lap. A lap pillow.
At that moment, All Might and Izuku witnessed something that nobody had ever seen before: Valkyrie's smile.
Valkyrie gave her creator a kind smile, a feeling of satisfaction and happiness welling up deep within her being. He'd grown so much since she'd last remembered!
Her brother was absolutely tiny when she'd last seen him and now he was at least twice as large. She idly wondered how he would react to her saving his life.
She soon found out as Izuku backed away in embarrassment, apologizing.
Izuku: "Uwaaaaaah! I-I'm so sorry Miss- Miss-"
He stopped, finally realizing who she was.
Izuku: "You're- You're-"
The poor boy was lost for words as Valkyrie, the infamous vigilante, tilted her head in mild confusion. The shock of sleeping on her lap was almost too much for him to take as he began to shake.
All Might: "Oh good! I'm glad you're okay!"
A loud, cheerful voice boomed from behind him. Izuku spun around only to come face to face with All Might, a grin stretched from ear to ear.
All Might: "Valkyrie here must really like you, I've never even seen a different expression on her until now!"
Izuku: "A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-M-m-m-m-m-m-m-"
All Might: "Calm down, kid. Everything's okay now, sorry for getting you caught up in my villain fighting."
All Might shrugged, his glorious presence causing Izuku's legs to wobble like jelly. Valkyrie glanced between the two with mild interest.
All Might: "I don't usually make mistakes like this, but I was in high spirits on my day off in a new place."
The Hero laughed loudly, a hand on his forehead. The trademark All Might Laugh!
All Might: "But, you were a big help. Thanks! To the both of you, of course!"
All Might proceeded to raise two soda bottles up victoriously, displaying the defeated villain within proudly.
All Might: "I captured him safely!"
Izuku could barely believe his good luck. He got to meet both the Number One Hero and the Number one Vigilante, and help capture a villain, all in the same day! Any more excitement and he'd faint a second time. He made sure not to pinch himself: if this was a dream, he wanted it to continue forever. He can't wait to see the look on Fubuki and Tatsu's face.
All Might's teeth seemed to gleam in the afternoon sun as he grinned.
Izuku: "Oh, right! An a-autograph! Where should I-"
A soft tap on his shoulder drew his attention- Izuku turned to face Valkyrie who was still smiling, his notebook in her hand.
Izuku: "A-a-ah. T-thanks, V-v-valkyrie-san."
It was times like these when he hated himself for not being able to talk to girls properly. Opening the notebook, he already found All Might's signature plastered along two pages in thick bold lettering. Underneath his thick handwriting was a small 'V' that All Might had somehow persuaded Valkyrie to write.
Izuku: "He already signed it! And so did you! Waaaaaah! Th-Thank you very much! It'll be an heirloom! A family treasure!"
All Might: "Okay!"
All Might gave him a thumbs up, confident as ever.
All Might: "Well, I need to take this guy to the police. See you again at the other side of the screen!"
Izuku: "W-wait, already?"
Izuku glanced nervously between All Might and Valkyrie, not sure who to look to. They both seemed to be preparing to leave, All Might crouching down and preparing to jump away and Valkyrie looking skywards with her usual bored expression back on her face.
All Might: "Pros are constantly fighting enemies and time."
All Might answered, stretching his leg muscles.
Izuku: 'Wait, There are still... things I want to ask...'
All Might: "Well then, I'm counting on your continued support!"
The Hero announced, leaping into the sky. But quickly All Might seemed to notice he was just a tiny bit heavier. He looked down at his leg, only to find the boy clutching at him tightly, holding on for dear life.
All Might: "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!"
Izuku: "Mrrrrrruugghhhhhrrgghhhhhh!"
All Might: "Let go of me! Your fanaticism is too much!"
Izuku: "If I let go now.. I'll...I'll die!"
All Might: "Oh. That's true."
Izuku: "I have… a lot of things… I want to ask you directly!"
All Might: "Okay, okay! I get it, so close your eyes and mouth!"
Valkyrie watched as they flew further away into the air, eventually becoming a speck in the distance.
Hmmm. Onii-chan did seem rather happy to finally see her. Did that mean she was doing a good job?
The girl pondered for a moment before leaping away in another direction in search of new negativity. She had work to do, after all. She'd continue working on her current objective until she was summoned by her brother once more.
[Half an Hour Later]
Midoriya Izuku trudged down the crowded street, barely even feeling the throngs of people pushing past him as they made their daily commute. A sad and sorry sight he was, eyes glued to the ground and head bowed. The young boy thought about what his childhood hero had told him earlier, the simple but brutal truth still sinking in.
His "sister" followed him discreetly from the rooftops, peeking out every so often to take a quick look to make sure he was okay. Valkyrie had initially went off in search of more people to save or stuff to fight, but was inexplicably drawn back by a huge wave of negativity from her brother only minutes after she left, literally pulling her back. In a way she was hopelessly drawn to her brother now after finally meeting him, much like how iron fillings are drawn to a magnet. She couldn't help but worry and fuss over him, especially when he was so upset now.
Ah, onii-chan. Dear, sweet brother of mine.
Noting to herself that she wasn't being very heroic right now by sticking to her brother instead of patrolling, Valkyrie supposed it was okay to take a break other than "sleeping" once in a while. The past ten years had been so boring that any normal human in her position would have gone insane long ago. Patrol, fight, sleep, repeat. Patrol, fight, occasionally have an existential crisis, sleep, repeat. It wasn't all bad though, she had made a few "friends" over the years, so sometimes she got to team up with a big group of heroes to bring down a particularly large threat. Those were fun.
The girl was yanked out of her nostalgia with another blast of bitter sadness from her brother. The poor boy was practically radiating depression; chunks of it were eaten away by her but more rushed in to fill the gap almost instantly; she might as well have been trying to empty a swimming pool with a teaspoon.
Sure, she could always absorb his negative emotions from her maximum range but a part of her wanted to stick around, to see more of him despite how sad he looked right now. She couldn't detect any negativity around here anyhow-
The construct stopped, suddenly raising her head. A wave of fresh new emotions had just entered her range, clearly from a distressed mass of people. Valkyrie sensed three major emotions as she stood; a surge of sour uncertainty, pockets of bittersweet excitement, and of course... spikes of cold crystalline fear. She turned in alarm, watching as Izuku continued walking towards the disturbance cluelessly.
She advanced forward to investigate further, unaware that her brother had noticed the commotion too, and was starting to make his way there to catch a glimpse of what was happening.
[x]
All Might: "A pro should always be ready to risk his life. Without power, can one become a hero? No, I should think not. Don't throw your life away, your sisters wouldn't want that."
Those were the words that All Might had said to him, utterly shattering his dream of being a hero. The man had pretty much told him to give up and go be a police officer or something if he wanted to help out the heroes. He didn't want to just help, damn it. He wanted to be a hero, to make a difference…
You need to be realistic.
It's time to start seriously thinking about your futures!
Even as a third-year, he still can't face reality.
The words still echoed in Izuku's head like a clock-tower bell, an almost incessant ringing reminding him of his own worthlessness.
Izuku held the still burnt notebook in one hand, and with the other he started to wipe away a stray tear.
Izuku: 'Don't cry. You knew this already, right? This is reality.'
The young boy continued walking, seemingly unaware of the commotion ahead.
Izuku: 'It's because I knew… that I tried so hard… So hard not to see. To ignore reality…'
He finally noticed the commotion when a loud explosion shook him from his moment of self-pity. A crowd was gathered outside a single-lane street, watching as multiple explosions rocked the nearby buildings, shattering glass and concrete.
Izuku: 'What's going on? A villain?'
The Sludge Villain roared, two different yet distinct voices distorting into one horrific echo. Izuku gasped, a hand to his mouth.
Izuku: 'The villain from before! He must have gotten free somehow.'
He thought back to the moment where he had clung on to All Might…with the villain stored in a bottle on the hero's pocket.
Izuku: 'All Might let him go? No, he dropped him when…This is my fault'
"Why are the heroes just standing there?!"
Someone in the crowd yelled.
"Seems the Villain's grabbed a middle schooler. They can't do anything till the hostage is safe."
Another bystander replied, shaking his head.
Izuku: 'Whoever's caught is enduring the same pain I did… It's all my fault! Hang in there, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…'
"AAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!"
Another cry of rage, or was it pain? With the villain and his hostage's voices mixing together in a horrific crescendo, it was hard to tell.
Izuku: 'Someone will save you soon… A hero's bound to come...'
Without warning the Villain turned to the crowd. Two pairs of eyes bulged, one belonging to the Villain and the other his hostage. Painfully familiar red eyes stared into horrified green ones.
Izuku: "Kacchan?"
Time seemed to slow as his mind went into overdrive. Izuku's notebook clattered to the floor and he rushed straight towards Kacchan's terrified face before his mind even knew what his legs were doing.
"No kid!"
A pro hero yelled as he saw the little brat rushing in. But Izuku moved faster than he had ever moved before in his life, ripping his backpack off his shoulders and slinging it towards the monster's eyes, the edge hitting it in the one spot that was a target. The sludge recoiled slightly and temporarily freed Katsuki's mouth to allow him some air.
Izuku grabbed onto to it and tried futilely to rip the sludge off his former friend. But the monster recovered swiftly and a slimy tentacle smacked him away from it.
He hit the ground and rolled over some flames, groaning in pain. The heroes panicked and made to rush forward, not willing to let another student get caught. All Might himself was trying to force himself back into his hero form to save the kid. But Izuku found strength he didn't know he had and somehow got on all fours.
"Give…"
His green eyes started to shimmer weakly.
"GIVE KACCHAN BACK!"
Later… long after it was all over… Izuku would swear up and down that he heard something similar to a violin string snapping inside his head and strange voice booming.
Phase Two
His whole body started glowing a brilliant emerald and his eyes began to shine the same way All Might's eyes did. And for split second, two locks of his on his head raised up like flaming horns.
He reached a hand out to the incredulous-looking Katsuki and the green glow enveloped him.
And then Izuku yanked and Katsuki was ripped away from the villain as if his captor wasn't even there. Katsuki rolled on the floor and coughed as he came to a stop near the boy,
Bakugo: "Deku…What the fuck…What the fuck is this?!"
He yelled as Izuku stared at the fading glow on his hand as if it were the holy grail itself.
"YOU FUCKING LITTLE BRAT!"
Izuku – who had been desperately trying to hold onto the fading feeling inside of him – startled and started glowing again. He jabbed his palm forward and a visible blast of pure force rocketed out. It appeared to be compacting even the air in front of it as it sped towards the villain. When it impacted, the monster blew apart into medium-sized chunks.
As a bystander, All Might had been completely and utterly moved by the little Quirkless kid acting more like a hero than all of the heroes there put together. It was what had inspired him once more. What had unearthed the spark of life left in him. After all of the bitterness of the past five years had ruthlessly tried to crush it as his body wasted away.
All Might: 'Did… did he lie?'
He had frozen mid transformation. He eyed the situation closely as it unfolded.
All Might: 'No… no… he looks completely and utterly flabbergasted. He's even more shocked than I am.'
He started to grin and almost relaxed as he watched the boy blow the slime villain apart, and that proved to be a nearly fatal error.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
The villain roared to the heavens as it forced itself back together. Izuku's untrained blast had been unfocused and had lost power as it traveled.
It didn't have the force needed to blow the villain into small enough pieces like All Might did earlier.
All Might: "No!"
All Might coughed up a bit of blood and started forcing himself to transform as the villain formed a spear-tip-like tentacle and drove it straight towards Izuku before anyone could react.
Well, almost anyone.
Katsuki forced his rage and shock down and kicked Izuku out of the way. The spear tentacle pierced his left shoulder rather than his chest. It still forced the boy back and onto the ground with an agonized cry. The slime stayed in his body even as it separated from the main tentacle and All Might saw red.
He forced himself into hero form and his fingers dug right into the steel lamppost and nearly ripped right through it. Another cry from Izuku distracted him for a very short moment. He almost stopped what he was doing as he saw a brilliant emerald flame erupt in the boy's injury, but refused to allow himself yet another mistake.
But before he could rush in, a flash white speed past him and in the next moment, a sharp crack resonated through the air, followed shortly by a wet splat. Izuku looked to see that the top half of the villain's head had disappeared… and an unsightly green stain was now sliding off a wall a few meters away.
Valkyrie stood over Izuku, a graceful arm outstretched in a backhand stance and strange green glow enveloping her. Izuku was putting together of what just transpired. She had just slapped the top of the Villain's head clean off. But still, the villain wasn't out.
"You again?! You crazy bitch, that kid was my ticket to beating him!"
The Sludge screeched, his mouth flapping away while a pair slimy eyes glared at her from the ground as they struggled to rejoin the main body.
The villain could control his body remotely even without a head, just as Valkyrie suspected. It was how his pieces could form back together in the first place. Valkyrie grabbed both boys and leapt back, prioritizing their safety.
For Izuku she held him under her arm gently. She wanted to sling Bakugo over her back but instead held him gently as well. He did save her onii-chan's life after all.
Instead of fighting it would be best to retreat now since she was carrying two civilians. No matter how much she pummeled the Sludge, he'd probably just reform rapidly unless she tore him into shreds and scattered them all over the place. But she couldn't retreat back into the crowd, that would endanger them too.
The monster's eyes found their way back to the main body, sliding their way up his waist even as he lunged for the vigilante. With both her hands occupied, she raised her leg high into the air and stomped. The asphalt rupturing upwards in immense chunks and stopping the Sludge's advance and even blowing parts of him away. Before she could do anything else, a loud voice bellowed and caught her attention.
All Might: "You've helped me again, both of you!"
A huge figure dashed past, his mighty back now encompassing their vision. All Might shifted his head back slightly to look at Izuku, ever-confident grin on his face.
All Might: "Thank you, young man. I told you what was required of a great Hero, but I see now that I wasn't practicing what I preached!"
Izuku: "All Might!"
The great Hero dashed forward, his huge fist clenched and brimming with pure power.
All Might: "A pro should always be ready to risk his life! That's the true test of a Hero!"
The villain howled with fury, enlarging to maximum size.
"All Might!"
A muscular arm reared back and shot downward, aiming low.
All Might: "DETROIT SMAAAAAAASH!"
The blast of air pressure that followed was almost unreal- it accumulated in an enormous wave that literally blew the Villain away, scattering him across the area.
Nearby the various heroes braced themselves against the gust, Mt. Lady shielding the nearby civilians in a protective cradle she formed with her arms. Valkyrie stood still as a statue but held on tight to the two boys as their clothes flapped wildly in the wind. As an added precaution she exercised the new well of power she's been gifted with, extending it to the two boys and temporarily imbuing them with her invulnerability. A tornado formed from air pressure ripped through the sky, a testament to All Might's immense strength.
To the crowd's amazement and wonder, All Might's punch caused a rising air current that shifted the clouds, causing tiny little raindrops to fall. Then they started to cheer for their great hero, a cacophony of hope and joy echoing down the now battle-scarred street.
"Yeaaaaaah! You go, All Might!"
"You see that? He changed the weather with a single punch!"
"Amazing! That's All Might for you!"
Valkyrie blinked, watching the raindrops fall and the subsequent cheering of the crowd. A small feeling of envy regarding All Might's raw power welled up within her but she dismissed it easily, opting to tend to her two charges instead.
She scanned Bakugo quickly to make sure he was okay, then sat him down. The angry boy wanted to demand answers from Izuku but he started to cough instead, clearing the remaining sludge in his throat.
For Izuku she put him back onto his feet gently and stared into his eyes.
Valkyrie: 'He has a quirk…'
But for some reason, she's not that happy about it. Before Izuku can ask why Valkyrie is staring at him, All might rushed to the pair.
All Might: "Are you all right, mid- young one?"
All Might: 'What was that green fire? How did he awaken not one but two quirks?'
Just as he was about to speak again, the fire vanished and left behind unmarred skin. Something that made even Valkyrie's eyes widen.
All Might: 'Regeneration?!'
He watched Valkyrie pat Izuku former wound in curiosity and worry as everyone who had been watching erupted in cheers.
All Might: "Even though I admonished you…"
A small bit of blood flew from his lips, which he quickly wiped away to keep anyone from seeing except for Izuku and Valkyrie.
All Might: "I wasn't putting what I said into practice. I'm truly pathetic…"
Izuku: "All Might…"
Death Arms: "Kid… what were you thinking?" Just what were you thinking, you reckless kid? You could have gotten yourself killed even with that amazing Quirk!"
No one but Valkyrie noticed Katsuki's fists clench.
Izuku didn't know what possessed him, but he spoke again,
Izuku: "But… but… I don't have a Quirk…."
All Might: 'Ah, denial. He's probably in shock.'
Kamui Woods: "Pull the other one."
Izuku: "I've never… I've never had a quirk."
Mt. Lady: "And you still threw yourself into that!?"
Mt. Lady walked over and began to add to the admonishment as she heard this. She could tell the kid wasn't lying and also recognized the astonishment the boy was feeling, and that just frustrated her beyond belief. To think a little formerly-Quirkless kid was a bigger hero than her.
Mt. Lady: "You could have gotten yourself killed! You're lucky your Quirk suddenly manifested! What was going through your head?! I've never seen such recklessness in-"
Years of resentment and mistreatment had built up to this moment, and the idea that he had a Quirk was starting to put a high in him that no drug could have. Even Valkyrie couldn't stop flood of emotions.
Izuku: "None of you were doing anything!"
He spat out uncharacteristically, rage tinting his tone. The heroes recoiled. Even now, even now that he had a Quirk…even now they thought him useless!
Izuku: "The only one of you that did your job was Backdraft! 'Wait for a suitable quirk!?' What kind of heroes are you! Even a vigilante can do your job better."
The pro heroes started to get angry while Valkyrie practically coo'd at the praise. Meanwhile, All Might started to get worried. This… this was a lot of resentment he hadn't sensed earlier. Perhaps he'd been a fool not to. Even if things were better now, he well remembered bygone days before he became who he was today. Back when he had been just Toshinori Yagi. Back when he had been just like this boy.
Izuku: "You want to know why I ran in? I don't know why! My legs moved before my mind even realized what was going on!"
Everyone's breath was stolen from them. All Might began to grin even wider. Even with the resentment in him… this boy had the greatest potential for heroism he'd seen in decades.
But before he could say another word, the ground began to shake and the widows cracked.
Mt. Lady: "What now?"
Valkyrie: 'Onee-chan…'
Valkyrie wanted to run. She could feel Tatsumaki coming and she wasn't happy. But a moment of hesitant, due to wanting to stay close to Izuku, cost her.
Within a moment, the Tornado of Terror flew into scene. She looked down at everyone with bloodlust on reflected in her eyes. It got worse when she saw Valkyrie. She hasn't seen her in person until now and she had to admit, she did look a lot like her precious brother. But that is impossible.
Izuku: "T-Tatsu?"
Her face soften as she floated down to where Izuku was. All the other heroes backed up, realizing just who they were scolding. As for Tatsumaki, she started to inspect him carefully for any damages.
Izuku: "Tatsu, I'm fine. Really."
Izuku protested, but to no avail. His sister prodded at his body softly without saying a word which only unnerved everyone more. Then she started to check his head for any bleeding. The boy fidgeted nervously, a warm blush already building up in his cheeks.
At last, Tatsumaki stopped and turned to everyone. Her words promising unimaginable pain if she didn't get answers.
Tatsumaki: "What. Happened?"
Izuku: "Tatsu, how did you-"
Without turning towards her brother, she answered.
Tatsumaki: "I always make sure to sense if you're ever in unordinary amounts of pain. I felt it before but it quickly went away. I would have come faster if I didn't have do other's heroes' work for them. I nearly had a heart attack when I felt you in pain again and…something else, something strange. So I ask again. What. Happened!?"
Only All Might was brave enough to step up and explain the events of the day. From the start to now, leaving out parts about All Might's true nature and his private talk with Izuku. Wouldn't want Tatsumaki to be even angrier.
But when it was all done, her anger was gone. Instead, it was replaced with shock and barely contained joy. She slowly turned to her precious brother.
Tatsumaki: "Y-Y-You have….a quirk?"
She could barely contain her tears, unlike Izuku who was finally letting everything catch up to him. He has quirk…
He nods and immediately Tatsumaki scooped Izuku, twirling around in the air in unadulterated joy.
Tatsumaki: "My brother has a quirk!"
Seeing the normally serious Tornado of Terror squeal with such happiness made even the once mad heroes soften. This was too sweet of a moment to ruin. However, there was one exception.
Valkyrie felt happy for her siblings but she…wished she was being hugged too. Feeling out of place, she silently left the scene.
Tatsumaki: "We need to tell mom and call Fubuki. We're having a party!"
Izuku: "Haha, okay. But, can you put me down."
Tatsumaki: "Izu, are you embarrassed."
The tomato face was all the answer she needed. She giggled before floating back down.
By this time, everyone was cleaning up the mess or taking Bakugo home. All except All Might.
All Might: "So I assume you'll be taking him home."
Tatsumaki: "Of course. And…thank you for saving my brother."
All Might: "I'm not the only one you should thank. Valkyrie did just as much, if not more than me."
Tatsumaki: "Right…well she seems to have left. Maybe some other time."
Izuku: "Huh?"
Izuku looked around and confirmed what his sister said. She was gone. For some reason…he felt sad about that fact.
All Might: "If you don't mind, may I come with you."
Izuku: "R-Really?!"
Tatsumaki's eyes narrowed before answering.
Tatsumaki: "Why?"
All Might knew this was risky but he had to try. Izuku was too good of successor to pass up. He represents what a True Hero is. If he must reveal his secret to their entire family, so be it.
All Might: "I wanted to properly thank young Midoriya for helping me regain my heroic drive."
Tatsumaki: "I don't know, this should be a family event and-"
Izuku: "Please Tatsu, it's All Might! At our house!"
Tatsumaki looked at her bother's star-lit eyes and sighed.
Tatsumaki: "Fine, but when Fubuki comes home, you're out."
All Might: "That's fine!"
Izuku: "Yes!"
Tatsumaki picked them both up, causing All Might to gasp, and flew to their home. All the while, Tatsumaki had the biggest grin on her face.
Meanwhile
Valkyrie: 'Onii-chan…'
Valkyrie was currently inside Izuku's mindscape via their mental link, still conflicted over Izuku getting a quirk. Yeah, it powered her up somehow but she couldn't care less.
Her heart ached with loss. Was this how it felt to lose? To be fair, Izuku probably didn't know of her true nature, let alone his link with her. Still, it pained her to imagine that he didn't need her anymore, now that he had power of his own to wield. Wasn't this what she wanted? For him to be a hero, to be happy? But-
Valkyrie: 'What about me, onii-chan?'
She wanted to approach him, wanted to reveal herself so much over the last ten years… but she'd seen for herself that drawing attention to oneself would ultimately lead to people you knew getting involved, or worse, hurt.
Time and again she'd seen it with both heroes and villains, with their monologues and attention-seeking. She'd sacrificed her own happiness just to make sure that Izuku was safe. Originally, she'd planned to reveal herself and all her deeds to him when he was a little older. Then she could be with her whole family, together at last.
But now she didn't know what to do.
A pessimistic vigilante had once said the same to her; that happiness was death to people like them. A family would make her vulnerable. Hesitant. Weak. She would put them in danger, just like he did.
'To be a hero… you must be alone.'
Valkyrie: 'No, no, no!'
She shook her head, refusing to remember those words he had said. This was different. onii-chan would have power now. He could protect himself now, right?
But still... it wasn't right for her to keep babysitting him if he got a quirk now. Even her onee-chans wouldn't baby him as much now. He finally had a chance to be a hero just like them.
A treacherous, naughty little thought flitted across her mind.
Valkyrie: 'I don't want onii-chan to have a quirk. I want him all for myself. Onii-chan is mine. MINE MINE MINE-'
She shook her head again to clear away that horrible way of thinking. That wasn't- she had no right to do that! All she wanted was for Izuku to be happy. That was enough for her.
Valkyrie: 'But what about my happiness? I want to be with…my family…my onii-chan.'
The rising doubt and confusion clouded her mind, her mental form curling into a ball in Izuku's mind. The girl decided to go to sleep, thinking that she would cross that bridge when it was time.
As she does, she fails to notice the new resident in Izuku's mind. Something massive, ancient and powerful. It emerges from tge darkness and stares at the mental contract.
"Interesting…"
Fanfic adapted:
The Emerald Phoenix by Primordial Vortex [2018 – 2023]
Used a line from the fanfic named Viridescent by darkfire1220 [2017-2023] (Don't think I'll use anything else from this one. Couldn't get into it.)