Let's Get This Party Started
This is the story of how Izuku Midoriya became a hero. Now, usually, we'd just get to the parts that actually matter, but I'm legally required to include the beginning of canon so...blah blah blah, "Kill yourself, Izuku"…blah blah blah, "You can't be a hero, Izuku"...blah blah blah, "Real dick move trying to save that kid while we did nothing, you asshole". So, yeah, suffice it to say, Izuku was rather upset that day. And when Izuku is upset, he finds somewhere to cry, with somewhere that day being Dagobah Beach, an unholy trash heap where no one would look to find him. As he wept, he kicked a pebble, which hit a can, which dislodged a board, which hit a rope, which cut the flimsy thing, which sent a trash bag falling onto another board, which launched a thick book right at Izuku's face. "Hey, kid, are you alright?", asked a voice belonging to a muscular, blonde man with sunken, blue eyes. It was All Might! "Yeah, I'm fine", said Izuku as he picked himself off the ground, "This book just hit me in the face". "Well, it's important that I make sure you're OK", said All Might, "And I'm sorry". "Huh?" "I was wrong", said All Might, "You, my boy, can in fact be a hero. You have that drive, that spark. It reminds me of myself at your age and...are even listening?" "Yep", said Izuku as he looked inside the book, "Just flipping through here".
He then landed on a two-page spread depicting the artwork of some slouchy, humanoid thing. "Huh, take a look at this", Izuku said as he handed the book to All Might. "Looks like a spell", said All Might, "One that could give you the power of this spirit". "How do you figure?", asked Izuku. "It's written here in Sanskrit", explained All Might, "Of course, Majestic once said magic has its risks". "I'd say it's worth it", said Izuku. "You sure?", asked All Might.
"All my life", Izuku said, "People have called me useless. I try to do the right thing and get told off for it, while the person who caused half the explosions gets praised. No way I'm not going to try this". All Might noted the determination in Izuku's eyes and sighed to himself. "Let's get the ingredients before my time limit runs out again", he said with a smile. Soon enough, they had gathered everything the spell needed. "I hope this works", said All Might as Izuku threw a block of pewter, an old banana peel, and a stone with a sigil hastily carved on it into a pot of cold seawater. "Now, for the magic words", said Izuku, "Gods, I hope this works". "Don't worry", said All Might, "If it doesn't, I'll make certain you do become a hero". "Thank you", said Izuku as he took a deep breath, "Sorna dormaamou, valishta toto, wingauriam leviosa, monke squashedbanana, septor dalliance, magi topanga". As he said these words, the storm clouds above formed a sort of ape-like shape before surging into Izuku!
When he awoke, he was lying in a hospital bed with his mother, Inko, All Might, and a short, old nurse, who was in the middle of whacking All Might on the head with her cane. "I cannot believe you let a 15-year-old boy practice black magic!", the old woman exclaimed. "He gave me the puppy dog eyes", All Might protested, "I couldn't say no!" "Mom, I'm sorry", sighed Izuku. "It's alright sweetie", said Inko, "All Might told me what happened before all that. He said he's helping you get ready for the UA Entrance Exam, so that's nice of him". "It is", smiled Izuku. "I'll leave you alone for a bit", said Inko with a dark look in her eyes, "I need to talk with All Might about this". As she left, Izuku felt bad for All Might.
"Whew, Mom is scary", said a voice. "Who said that?", asked Izuku. "I did", said the voice. "Who are you?", asked Izuku. "Me", said the voice. "Not helping", said Izuku. "Well, put it this way", said the voice, "There's this voice that only you can hear at the moment. Now, what do you think that means?" "The spell worked", said Izuku. "Yep", said the voice, "One minute, I'm resting in the Spirit Realm, the next, I'm in a body that would get torn apart by even a partial transformation. Seriously, you need to add some muscle to those bones of yours if you plan on getting into UA".
"How do you know that?", asked Izuku. "Two minds, one body", said the voice, "Since I now live in your head rent-free, I took the liberty of looking into your memories and learning the language to speak like this to you. Didn't mean to intrude, but I did". "So, when you say transformation, does that mean?..", asked Izuku. "Indeed, your body will turn into a larger version of what I looked like when I was alive", said the voice, "Some changes, of course. Our fur will match your hair, for instance. But we can't transform in this state. Which means we need to make your body as strong as your mind". "How do you suggest we do that?", asked Izuku. "I'm sure that All Right fella will think of something", said the voice.
He did. For the next ten months, Izuku was cleaning away the garbage on Dagobah Beach, hauling such things as washing machines and a steel beam. "Seriously", said the voice five months in, "Who tosses a steel beam on the beach?" "Weirdos, that's who", said Izuku, "Speaking of which, you still need a name". "Who are you talking to?", asked All Might as he looked down from a pile of scrap. "Me", said Izuku, only it wasn't Izuku. His face had changed. Now, he had leathery skin, a protruding bottom fang, and glowing green eyes. "Good to see something toward the transformation", said All Might, "Does that mean you two will fully transform?" "No, but Host Body is right about another thing", said the being, "I do need a name". "Host Body?", asked Izuku as his face returned to normal. "Yeah", said the voice comfortably in his head, "We are, technically, a symbiotic pair. I'm just riding along, with your body as my host". "I think when our face transforms, we look a little like a monkey", said Izuku, "In fact, that's your name now, Monkey". "Better that than no name at all", said Monkey, "Just wait until we fully transform".
Later on, Izuku decided to test himself. He lifted not one, but two cinder blocks with his bare hands. He ran the entire length of Mustafu front and back without breaking a sweat. Adding to this, he taught himself parkour and was soon leaping off of walls and swinging off monkey bars. He was soon completing as much as 30 push-ups a day, 30 sit-ups a week, and running at least 4 miles every hour. "Good work, Host Body", said Monkey in his head, "Keep it going". There were days, of course, that were worse than others, mainly thanks to Katsuki Bakugo, the arrogant explosion user. "I mean this time, you worthless Deku", he snarled, "You better not dream of wrecking my origin story when I go to UA". Izuku wanted to respond, but Monkey was saying: "Don't listen to the jackass dog over there, Izuku. You're already twice the hero he is". You think so?", Izuku asked. "I know so", said Monkey, "Besides, at least he and us aren't near water. That would be an issue". Izuku then began his jog, leaving Bakugo fuming. "He just shrugged you off", said another student with bat wings. "Shut it, extra!", Bakugo shrieked.
Izuku raced back to his house to look up another parkour tutorial, however, Monkey had other ideas. "You're back sooner today", said Inko. "Yes indeed", said Monkey, "Host Body is calling me Monkey now, by the way. Anyway, I just want to see this UA Academy for myself". "Do you doubt your brother's chosen school?", Inko asked. "Not hardly", said Monkey, "I just know that anyone claiming to be the best has something to hide. Let's see what happens when I put in 'UA' and 'lawsuits'. Huh, I did expect this many ads". After a bit of scrolling, Inko and Monkey found an article from earlier that year detailing a lawsuit between a smaller firm and UA over the expulsion of an entire classroom. "Looks like one of their teachers doesn't like the Faunus a whole lot", Monkey muttered. "Luckily for them, they reached a settlement", said Inko, "In addition to paying their legal fees, UA also had to remove the black marks from their record and help them pursue their education elsewhere. Normally, I'd say that would be the end of it, but old habits die hard. I have a feeling the teacher who did this might do it again, and when that happens, I want the both of you to tell me". "Yes, Mom", said Monkey.
The UA article wasn't the only instance of anti-Faunus racism Izuku and Monkey witnessed. As they moved two tons of scrap metal, Izuku and All Might found a sign that said: "Death to the Faunus disease!" "Disgusting", snarled All Might, "I can't stand the idea of bigotry, be it against the Quirkless or the Faunus". "You might want to look into that teacher who expelled a whole class", said Izuku, "Monkey wanted to look into the school before the Entrance Exam". "Oh, yes", said All Might, "I'll have a word with Principal Nezu when I have the chance. In the meantime, I'll dispose of this sign myself. Let me know if you see anything else like it". "Yes sir", said Izuku as he dragged off more scrap.
After five more months of cleaning, fight training, and a steady diet and exercise, Izuku was ready for the UA Entrance Exam. As Izuku walked up the steps, he bumped into someone he dreaded. "Watch where you're going, Shitty Deku", snarled Bakugo, "I'm gonna ace this shitty entrance exam". "Oh great", Monkey said in Izuku's head, "This asshole". "You know there's a good chance he'll make it in", said Izuku. "Doesn't mean I have to like it", said Monkey. Just then, as he was walking up the stairs, Izuku tripped. Before he hit the ground, he felt the weight leave his body. Izuku looked behind him to see a girl with brown hair and a permanent blush on her cheeks connecting her fingers, which glowed pink with gravitational energy. "Are you OK?", she asked, "I noticed you tripped and… oh crap, I'm gonna be late! We'll talk later, I'll see you inside. Good luck on the exam". She then ran off. Izuku was stunned. "Hey, a girl talked to you", said Monkey, "Maybe this won't be so bad after all".
Soon enough, Izuku found himself on the bus on the way to the proctor site for the UA Entrance Exam. "Stop shaking, you're gonna do great", said Monkey. "Easy for you to say', thought Izuku, 'I'm only using part of your strength to keep my limbs attached. That's without getting into Kacchan being here'. "I really wish you'd stop calling him that", said Monkey, "You remember how many times he tried blowing the two of us up?" 'That's why I'm worried', Izuku thought. "Listen", said Monkey, "You aced the written exam, right? That means you must be smart. You had All Might as a personal trainer, which means you are strong. Finally, you want to save as many people as All Might, which means you must be kind. IF UA doesn't see the value in that, to Hell with it, and its mom too". 'That last part wasn't necessary', Izuku thought. "Just remember", said Monkey, "In order to achieve the very best, one must be like the jungles I lived among in life. Full of life and energy. Be the jungle, Izuku, be the jungle".
The bus arrived at the proctor site, where a man with a distinctive, red mohawk was waiting. "Hey, check it out, it's the Crimson Cockatoo", said Monkey. 'No, that's Present Mic', Izuku thought, 'He's got the power to project his voice to an insane level'. "How insane we talking?", asked Monkey. 'At his highest decibel, Present Mic could level a building, literally, from the word 'go'. Any higher, he could shatter someone's head or make an entire skeleton explode or…', but Izuku was interrupted by a tall kid with glasses. "Cease your muttering", the tall kid said while chopping his arm robotically, "You're disrupting the class!" "Sorry", said Izuku meekly. "Jerk", said Monkey, "I don't know about you, Host Body, but I sure do hope something bad happens to that guy". Izuku grimaced, but mostly focused on Present Mic's lecture on what to expect during the Entrance Exam. In summary, each of the examinees was to destroy three different types of robots, except the 100 ft. tall Zero Pointer, which carried a penalty for any student that chose to attack it. "Now", said Present Mic, "Let the Entrance Exam begin!" The doors opened as everyone waited. "What are you waiting for?", asked Present Mic, "There's no countdown in real life!". With that, everyone ran into the fake city the school was using for the event.
"Be the jungle, be the jungle", huffed Izuku as he ran in. "Don't repeat it, just be it", said Monkey, "Besides, nothing can go wrong here". "DIE!", yelled Bakugo as he used his explosions to blow up three robots at once, sending shrapnel flying. "Look out!", cried Izuku as he threw a girl with pink skin out of the way. "Rocky up there is gonna fall", said Monkey as a kid with rocky skin fell from a rooftop. Izuku leaped forward at high speed and caught him! 'Shit!', he thought. "That's being the jungle", said Monkey, "Get that robot there!" Izuku whirled around and knocked a robot's head off! "Look what you can do with a fraction of my power", said Monkey, "Keep going! Show them what you're made of!" Just then, the ground rumbled as the massive Zero Pointer approached, smashing buildings in its wake! "Time to go", said Monkey. Izuku was about to flee when he saw the girl from earlier pinned under rubble as the Zero Pointer was moving towards her.
Cue Song: Hero by All Insane Kids
The tall kid with glasses had ran past her. "I need all of it", said Izuku. "Not a good idea", said Monkey. "Don't care", said Izuku as he ran forward, "We need to save her!" "OK, on my signal, use all of our strength to jump", said Monkey as they raced closer, "NOW!" At that moment, Izuku leaped into the air, leaving behind a small crater that blew dust into the air! He felt power surging through his entire body as he neared the robot's head, and he recited the words All Might would use for this moment. "SMASH!" He felt his arms grow longer and thicker as he punched the Zero Pointer's metal head clean off! "Good news: the robot's beat. Bad news: gravity exists", said Monkey as Izuku began to fall. He hit his arm against the Zero Pointer's chest, shattering it at the shoulder as he hurtled to the ground! But then, he found himself surrounded by pink energy as the girl put her fingers together. "Nice save", said Izuku before he fainted from shock.
When Izuku awoke, he found himself inside the nurse's office, where Recovery Girl, the old nurse who had helped him out ten months earlier, was waiting to whack him on the head with her cane. "OW!", said Izuku, more annoyed than hurt. "Indeed", said Recovery Girl, "You're lucky you had enough stamina for my Quirk to work while you were asleep. Toshinori is in for it now, giving it to a boy whose body couldn't handle it". "Who's Toshinori?", asked Izuku. "You mean All Might gave you his power, but didn't tell you his name?", asked Recovery Girl. "He didn't give me anything other than some good advice", said Izuku, "Aside from the spell, it was all me out there today". Recovery Girl said nothing, but her face went red with anger as she left the office. Moments later, they heard All Might yelp in pain. "Eh, I'm sure he's fine", said Monkey.
Some time afterward, Principal Nezu, a small, rodent-like thing wearing a black vest over a white shirt, had gathered all of the teachers under his employ to review the Entrance Exam. Alongside All Might, Present Mic, and Recovery Girl, there was Power Loader, a man wearing a construction claw on his head, Vlad King, a man with gauntlets that had tubes running into a device on his back, Hound Dog, a dog Faunus with brown fur, Midnight, a beautiful woman wearing high heels and a black variant of her usual costume, and finally, Eraserhead, a man with long black hair. "Seems like we're already hard at work", said Nezu cheerfully, "How's the selection process going?" "I still want to refuse entry to that Midoriya boy", said Eraserhead, "He broke himself just to save one person. It would be illogical to accept him". "But it was perfectly logical to expel an entire class", Midnight said, "How'd that go for us again?" "Enough, Kayama", said Nezu. Eraserhead chuckled but then froze when Nezu turned his attention on him. "While Kayama is out of line, she does have a point, Aizawa", said Nezu sternly, "I don't care for your 'logic', anymore, especially considering your ways almost got a student killed. As such, while you're still allowed your Quirk Assessment Test, any expulsions are to be handled by me and me alone. Am I clear?" "Crystal", muttered Eraserhead. He ignored Midnight's glare as Nezu climbed back into his seat. "If you're done selecting students for your homeroom classes, you may go", said Nezu, "All Might and I would like to have a word alone".
As soon as everyone left, Nezu turned to All Might. "You certain the spell worked?", he asked. "Indeed", said All Might, "We'll need a new candidate for the transfer now". "Maybe", said Nezu as he pulled up the footage of Izuku's test on his laptop, "But if the spell works like how the book says it does, we might not need to transfer One for All". "We can't be too careful", said All Might, "The minute I retire, they'll be on the boy like vultures at the feast. Knives out, beaks bloody". Nezu froze on the image of an ape-like silhouette. "I almost pity them", laughed Nezu.
To be Continued…
Gorilla Fact: A lone silverback gorilla is strong enough to perform a tug of war with at least eight people on his own. However, a gorilla will only use its full strength when threatened by either leopards or other silverback gorillas intruding on their territory.