Outsider Chronicles: Hero of Steel
Getting reborn into a world of superheros is annoying. Getting reborn as a powerless protagonist is even worse. Well, I thought I was powerless at least. This could be either really good or really, really bad.
Other than A Great Magician, this was the other idea I was batting around in my head. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, it doesn't really work since it completely breaks the world of MHA. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
When I found out I had been reincarnated, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I wasn't dead, so that was nice, but one the other hand, I was a baby again and there's a bloody good reason that you don't remember that! I'm just glad I didn't become conscious until I was 18 months old Still, there was one good thing that came of my new life. The world I had been reborn into is FUCKING AMAZING, if a little dangerous. After all, with people with powers running around, its only natural to be worried. So, which fucked up world full of Supers have I been reincarnated into you ask? Marval? DC? Nope, try My Hero Academia. This is gonna be so fun!
Or maybe not. As it turns out, I'm apparently rather unlucky. Why? Well, I've been reborn as Izuku Midoriya, the Quirkless protagonist of the story. Now, I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Why? Well, I'm not anything like Midoriya, so the chances of me impressing Almight was much lower. Besides, I don't have anywhere near as hero crazy as my canon counterpart. On the other hand, without me, Almight would have to look elsewhere for a successor and countless other events would go down differently.
The problem is, while I might be lacking a Quirk, I wasn't lacking a moral compass and my future knowledge certainly didn't help. I spent a good deal of my childhood thinking about whether or not I could reasonably just turn my back on the world and live a normal life knowing what I did. Unfortunately for me, the conclusion I came to was a big fat no. Thats why, in the doctor's office, when told I'd never get a Quirk, I didn't just sit there frozen.
"So what?" I said.
"Hmm? What do you mean kid?" asked the Doctor, an elderly man with slicked back hair, scarred hands and a goatee.
"I mean that I won't let the fact I don't have a Quirk stop me," I said, "There are plenty of Pros who's Quirks aren't that useful in battle yet they manage just fine. With enough training and innovation, anyone can be a hero! I won't let the fact I don't have a power stop me, not now, not ever!"
By this point I was on my feet and both Mum and the Doctor were staring at me in surprise. Mum looked like she couldn't quite believe what I was saying, but the Doctor had a slight gleam in his eyes.
After that day, I started working towards achieving my goals. Oh don't get me wrong, I was under no delusions that I would be able to face off against any of the really powerful Villains or become like Saitama, but I could at least become strong enough to do something and learn enough skills to be able to do more than simply kick arse and take names. I learnt all I could about...well, everything, from fighting to medical to technology and even hacking, although I kept that particular part of my skillset on the downlow.
However, despite the insistence that I was a normal Human, things seemed...odd. The first indication that I might not be as powerless as everyone thought came when I was six and I realized I could hear the lesson going on on the other side of school. Don't ask me how I missed it, but over time, my senses had increased until they left the realm of superhuman and entered flat out insane. Shortly afterwards, I was treated the the unenviable sight of seeing through my teacher and classmates clothing and bodies, not helped in the least by a sudden spike in my senses that ended up putting me in the hospital for a few days until I could get used to it. Oh, and I also bent the metal legs of my desk into a pretzel in the process. So yeah, definitely NOT normal.
Despite that, no one seemed to be able to figure out what was going on with me. I SHOULDN'T have a Quirk according to all the physical signs and even if I did, all these abilities could not be traced back to a single ability from either parent. That led to a rather interesting revelation.
"So, I'm adopted?" I asked.
Mum and Dad (yes, hes around) glanced at one another and Dad nodded.
"Yes, you are," he said, "I honestly hoped we wouldn't need to have this conversation for a few more years, but it can't wait."
"What conversation?" I asked.
Instead of answering, Dad stood.
"Theres something you need to see," he said.
"Honey, is that really…" said Mum.
"He needs to know Inko," said Dad.
Mum swallowed and nodded slowly.
"I-I guess you're right," she said.
"Izuku, come on," said Dad.
I hesitantly followed my Father out of the house and down the street to the garage he owned and managed. He led me out to the back lot of the garage and into a storage shed where he picked up a crowbar and slipped it into a small crack, shoving down and revealing a hidden trapdoor.
"The truth is, your Mother and I can't have children of our own," said Dad as he led the way down into the hidden space, "The news...hurt a great deal, especially your mother. She was so distraught from the news, we took a trip out to the country in an attempt to cheer her up. We were on our way back when we found this."
He pulled a leaver on the wall, causing a number of lights to snap on and reveal...a large pod that was most definitely NOT Human in origin. It was about three meters long and made of black metal shaped almost organically. At one end, clearly the nose, was a few faint lines that indicated it could open and a symbol embossed on the metal. An S inside a diamond shape.
"Well, maybe found is the wrong word," said Dad, "Actually, it nearly hit out car."
"And you...found me in that?" I asked faintly.
Well, this certainly explained where my powers were coming from. Now all I needed was to properly absorb the fact I was apparently an Alien in more ways than one.
Dad nodded.
"Yep, gave us quite the shock I can tell you," he said, "I admit, I was a little...weary of taking you in, but your Mother insisted and, frankly, I have no regrets."
He ruffled my hair, making me smile faintly.
"Thanks Dad," I said.
"We found this inside with you," said Dad, handing me a futuristic looking USB stick, "I did some research and I couldn't find anything like it anywhere. The metal its made of isn't even on the periodic table. In other words, its not from this world."
I sighed.
"Well, this is going to make being a hero much easier," I said.
Dad just laughed.
Following the reveal that I was apparently Superman, I cut back on training. Oh, I didn't stop training, I wasn't about to risk being outmatched if someone like Zod ever shows up, but with the amount of power that Superman has, I'd be alright for the average villain just relying on my powers.
Six years past quickly, mostly taken up by trying to master controlling my powers. It...wasn't easy. Oh, the super strength and senses were relatively easy to get used to, but that didn't mean I didn't do some serious damage before I did. Its a good thing that the first thing I mastered was my speed and jumping, although I couldn't fly at the time. Now however, I could and fully intended to make use of that power to see if I could find the Fortress of Solitude.
Considering that pretty much everyone in my class had seen me destroy my desk when my powers had really started coming through, I didn't have to deal with quite as much abuse as the original Izuku did. Oh, Bakugou was still an unpleasant so and so, but he was like that to everyone. Plus, even he couldn't argue that, out of the entire class, I was the one most likely to get into UA, despite his grumblings. As such, our last day of middle school went by without issue and I didn't even have to deal with the Sludge Villain since I ran home.
"Izuku, are you sure about this?" asked Mum.
"Yes, I am," I said as I stuffed the last of my stuff into a bag, "Somethings calling to me from the north and I have to find out what it is. It might give me some idea of where I came from."
I glanced up and saw Mum was trying to hold back tears.
"Mum, I love you and Dad, but I have to know," I said, "Please, I need to do this."
"I know," said Mum, "But I wish you'd wait. You're only 14 and you have no idea where you could end up…"
"I can also fly faster than sound and can bench press a train," I said, "I'll be fine Mum."
Mum chuckled weakly and hugged me.
"Just make sure you say goodbye to your Father before you go," she whispered.
I nodded and pulled away.
Ten minutes later, I was standing in front of a gravestone. Apparently, even in this alternate world, Superman's Father is destined to die. In my Dads case, he was caught up in a villain attack two years ago and was killed by falling rubble while trying to save a family who had been trapped. Even in this world of Superheroes, there are still those who earn the title of Hero in the public eye and Dad was one of them.
"Hey Dad," I whispered as I knelt down in front of his grave stone, "This'll be my last visit for a while. I'm going North. I need to find something, anything that could tell me who I really am. I intended to take the entrance exams for UA this year, but before that, I want to find out who I am. I will make you proud Dad, I promise."
I placed the bunch of flowers at the foot of the grave and stood.
"See you," I muttered and walked away.
Once outside of the graveyard, I quickly glanced around, before crouching and leaping into the air, shooting away fast enough to leave a sonic boom, completely oblivious to the wide eyes that saw me leaving.
Considering how fast I could fly, it didn't take long for the air temperature to begin to drop as I flew out over the open water. Icebergs began to appear and, before long, I was flying over the Arctic. As I did, the alien USB in my pocket suddenly started vibrating. I slowed to a stop and pulled out the USB, only to immediately drop it as it burnt my fingers.
"SHIT!" I yelped, diving to catch it.
Before I could however, it hit the ice and immediately dissolved. A second later, the ice started rumbling and I was forced to bank before I was stabbed through the stomach by a massive pillar of crystal that erupted from the ocean. I quickly flew up to my previous height and watched in awe as more crystals began to erupt out of the ice, quickly forming into a vast fortress of glittering crystals. Well, looks like I get my Fortress of Solitude after all.
Once I was sure the crystals had finished, I slowly descended towards the entrance and stepped inside. Considering it was basically made of ice, the inside was surprisingly warm. The cold didn't really bother me, but it was still nice to be in the warmth again. The walls and floor were white, as was the shaped furniture that had grown from the ground, things like chairs and tables, and everything had a distinct, crystalline feel to it, with hard edges and smooth lines. It didn't take long to reach the center of the Fortress, where I found what looked like a control room and a large pod.
"Hello Kal."
I nearly jumped out of my skin and spun around to find...a Russell Crowe look alike. O...K, so Man of Steel or a combination of things?
"Who are you?" I asked.
The man smiled.
"I am your Father Kal," he said, "Well, a shadow of him. His consciousness uploaded into a digital form. I am Jor El."
"And Kal...thats me?" I asked.
Jor nodded.
"Kal El, the last son of Krypton," said Jor.
"Krypton?"
"Our homeworld," said Jor, waving a hand and forming a screen to provide helpful visuals for the explanation.
The story he told me was pretty much what I expected. Obscenely advanced civilization, artificial population control, the leaders ignoring his warnings about the planet exploding, Zod's Coup d'etat, Jor and Lana sending me to Earth to save me, etc.
"You represent everything that your Mother and I dreamed of for our people Kal," said Jor, "Kryptons first natural birth in centuries, someone who could chose their own fate."
"Thats all very well and good, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm alone," I said.
"Are you?" asked Jor, "This is a world of Superhumans Kal. When we sent you to Earth, we never dreamed that you'd find yourself in such a place. You may be the last Kryptonian, but you are still a part of Earth. You can embody the best of both worlds. The dream your mother and I dedicated our lives to preserve."
He indicated to the pod, which opened to reveal a very familiar blue and red suit, thankfully without the outside underwear. Much to my surprise, it actually looked like it would fit me.
"This was created for you when you activated the Crystal," said Jor, "I know your plans Kal, I know you will be a Hero. Take this, the only gift I can give you. Become a great hero and become a bringer of hope. That's what this symbol means. The symbol of the House of El means hope. Embodied within that hope is the fundamental belief the potential of every person to be a force for good. That's what you can bring them."
"Well, that was cheesy," I said with a smirk, "But I can't really argue."
I turned back to Jor.
"I've already made this promise to the man who raised me," I said, "But I'll make it again to you Father. I WILL become a Hero, I will make you proud."
Jor smiled and stepped forwards, wrapping me in his arms. Much to my surprise, he actually felt like he was alive.
"You already have Kal," he said.
Dawww, what a sweet ending. I may vomit. In all seriousness though, I probably won't continue this, but if your reading it outside the Vault then I obviously figured out a way to make it so Izuku doesn't completely break the MHA world.
The design for Izuku's Fortress was taken from the Superman Movie from 1978, although the interior is my own design. Jor El and the backstory of Krypton however is from the Man of Steel movie, so if you want to know the details, go watch that. Oh, and his suit will be from MoS as well.
To be fair, I do actually have a couple of ideas for the future, ranging from having Zod and his goons show up to having All for One make Doomsday out of a Nomu. Now that would be an interesting fight…
And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!