BRAND NEW STORY. Enjoy
He had no name. His mother died before she gave him one, the selfish bitch. He couldn't even drink nutrients from her before he was carried along the river. Born into the world… hungry. Hunger, hunger that constantly screamed in his head, a hunger he didn't quite understand… Other than that he longed to be full.
Hunger for food, hunger for quirks, hunger that never filled and never stopped. He craved it, he craved all and he craved nothing at the same time. So many things stopped him, but he always ripped them away. It was pointless really, to say no to him. Yoichi always told him to stop… Yoichi was different. He was born with Yoichi, so Yoichi was his. His truest toy. His existence was to give to him, so he made sure Yoichi was always close. Yoichi couldn't live without him, without someone looking after him…
He supposed that must've been his purpose. To be his brother's keeper in every sense of the word. Yoichi had nothing, so he could give everything to him. But being a keeper wasn't enough. People didn't give him food or money because he was a keeper, so he took from them. They so rarely understood. What he wanted, he took.
"Still hungry…" He muttered. It seems he would take some more today. What to take, who to take it from… Yoichi craved comics. The only source of entertainment that was readily available, and one of the few things Yoichi would readily ask of him, which in its own way, made it special, because it meant Yoichi needed him.
He never quite understood the appeal though. The hero against the demon lord… someone selfless, someone who stood tall against the crowd, against the common man… that just didn't seem realistic to him. Someone altruistic who would fight against the grain no matter what? What kind of human being would ever do that?
The villain though… the villain of the story slightly interested him. Someone who took whatever they wanted and did whatever they wanted in spite of the supposed morality man had. They were free, powerful, unbound… he sighed. "If only they existed today." Meta abilities, such as his endless hunger, were beginning to become common… but such a fantasy had yet to be achieved. You have one or two fools who would try to do something… but they often met failure.
Meta abilities were fantastical…. But they were hardly understood. No one had the brains to use them… no one had the imagination. They… they just… they just didn't have the drive-
Boom
A building exploded… as a white gorilla with a slightly bigger, veined head walked out of the explosion. How the heck was— "Tremble mortals, your intellectual superior has come to liberate your belongings to a better cause… myself!" The ape grinned.
"Oh great, another freak. Fuck, these meta shits get more annoying by the day." One of the police officers that began surrounding the gorilla rolled their eyes. "Give it up Rando, you're surrounded!"
"Correction… you are!" Multiple machines crawled from the ground. The gorilla laughed. "Behold the creations of mine … behold the might of Ultra-Humanite!"
"Ultra, what now?" Another officer scoffed. "Wow, alright boys, get animal control on the line, this guy has clearly lost it-" The man stopped talking… on the account of one of the machines piercing a hole right through his mouth. "Gggkk." He gurgled feebly before his body went limp. The machine takes its tip of long, blade leg out of the man swiftly, the corpse falling forward onto the ground and blood began to pool around the head with a hole on the back. The other officers froze looking at the scene in shocked horror.
"Mock all you want, you unevolved minds can barely comprehend the capacity of my mechanical ability!" The gorilla cheered as he pranced across the streets as his machines began taking over everything…began….taking everything.
"Try talking when you're fried to the bone!" Another officer shouted as he shot his hand out, and a stream of flames came out.
The gorilla ran straight through them, punching the man's skull in. "Child's play, naive fool." They chuckled. "If you want fire power, try this." He snapped his fingers, as one machine began spewing out napalm and explosives in a destructive beam.
"What's this, some kind of light show—"
Booooom!
Bodies blown apart and scorched beyond recognition.
The villain… no… the Ultra-Humanite… stood above the man, whose body became burned flesh. "You unevolved apes have so much power, and what do you do with it!? You squander it, flounder it, try to suppress it! With my hyper intelligent mind, I have IMPROVED my being in every applicable aspect possible!"
He pranced and moved with such passion and power… unafraid of anything and anyone… his voice filled with knowledge that he was superior, that he was years ahead of them… breathtaking. "Brother." Yoichi cried out from his mattress. "They're screaming."
"Yes they are… and it's beautiful." He whispered, raptured. Supervillains… he enjoyed them while reading his brother's comics, they were always the best part… and he remembered just why he loved them so much… "Remain here." He leapt down, spikes escaping his body as his fall slowed to nothing. He called out. "Greetings! I would like to become your apprentice, oh wonderful villain!"
"Hm?" The gorilla man looked down on him, with bafflement, bemusement… looks that normally would annoy him… but for some reason… he couldn't help but find… comfort in… there was a certain level of joy to be had… to have a reaction that wasn't ignorance nor fear. "An apprentice you say? Are you a bright soul that recognizes the folly of man, or an ignorant child with no aim in life?"
"I am a bright child with no aim." He admitted as he bowed his head to the villain. "I take and I take, all I crave is to take, but for what? In my soul, there is a void, a void that can't be filled with sustenance, with power… what I seek is purpose."
They stared more intently at him. "Do you have a meta ability?"
"Yes!" He grinned, grabbing a scared officer, before letting him go as he formed small amounts of electricity.
The man stared, stunned. "That… that's my quirk—"
"Mine now." He smiled before electrocuting the man to death, his dying screams were nothing but silent . "I can take them all!" Eat and devour as many as he pleases.
The gorilla witnessed the display with fascination. "Intriguing… can you give them away?"
"Eh?" He blinked, surprised. "Why would I give away what's mine instead of taking?"
"Oh, child… to give a man money is to ask him to service. To give him the power to do as he pleases…" Ultra-Humanite smirked. "That is loyalty to what you ask. Power is not only in Quirks. You can raze the world to your delight all you like, but without loyalty… you might as well be hitting your head against a rock."
"Loyalty….. To secure loyalty… would I make them my own?" He asked curiously.
The villain's smirk widened, pleased. "Yes. Pawns at your disposal … come with me, I'll introduce you to chess. The game of intellectuals." He snapped his fingers as the machines began immolating the other police officers.
Supervillains knew they were better than everyone… they didn't care what the world thought about them or how ridiculous they came across... supervillains did whatever they wanted... just because they could. This Man, this Ultra-Humanite… he knew he was better than everyone, and he made sure everyone knew it…. He had the power to shape the world however he wanted… because… he was just…free to do so.
That was the purpose he craved…. The purpose… to shape the world however he wanted.
Alan Scott, his hero alias Green Lantern, gathered energy within his ring. "Are we all ready?"
"We don't have the option not to be." Kudo, he and Bruce were the only members with no hero names, spoke with a grimace. "If the Injustice Society carries this out, that means billions of dollars will end up in their hands. That kind of money could set the bastards for life."
"If that's even their intention." Doctor Fate, the only member of the team who hadn't revealed their true identity yet, inquired while in his meditative state. "Money has always been a means to an end for these cretins."
"He's got a point; bastards are rarely predictable." Rex, Hourman, grumbled. "Anyone seen Bruce?"
"I left him on guard duty." Dinah, Black Canary, stated. "Our run-ins never end well."
"If by never end well, you mean we almost all die, then yeah." Ted, Wildcat, grunted as he applied more athletic tape to his fists. "Bastards have been getting more cocky lately ever since that walking leech started giving out powers to their grunt forces."
"Allow me to get in close… and I shall end the blight once and for all." Fate went on again.
"We aren't going there, Fate." Alan glared. "We aren't reducing ourselves to murder."
"Obviously, WW1 didn't teach you a thing." Rex raised an eyebrow.
"War and vigilantism are completely different."
"Not really." Kudo crossed his arms. "It's war all the same, the battlefield just changes. These bastards think just because there's no h-bombs flying, they think they're safe to go about their dirty business uninterrupted. People like them don't stop until they realize death is an option for them."
"Can we just go in and save the ethical debate for later?" Charles, Doctor Mid-Nite, asked, looking over with his helmet. "Because I don't see anyone inside."
"No one?" Al, Atom Smasher, blinked curiously. "That screams a trap if I've ever seen one."
"And if golden boy can see it, we all can." Ted nodded. "If they want us out in the open, we'll circle around to see where they're looking from."
"No need." A … chilling voice spoke from behind them. "I found you." Alan made a shield-that was pierced right through, sending a wooden spike right through his stomach. "A man who can make anything … beaten by a stick."
"ALAN!" Jay, the Flash, screamed, pulling him back as they all turned to the villain.
"All For One…" Kudo growled. "I guess the money was fake."
All For One's response was a smile of superiority. "Indeed. There is no money… I made the entire ruse up just to get you all here… so I can show the world… the dream of heroes is dead… and I am the one who kills it." The bastard cackled while just casually walking up to them like he was about to attend a meeting. "Justice Society… what a laughable notion. You think a few simple actions of goodwill can affect the world?"
"There is nothing simple about my will…" Fate made a magic circle. "For my will is the will of FATE!" He sent it forward… as the circle was shattered with a flick. "What …?" His voice sounded shocked.
"You know, I started seeing people whose quirks I stole… begging and hating me … they only disappeared when I gave away the quirks. I thought I was growing a conscious, the horrific notion." The man casually spoke as he began glowing a dark red. "Fortunately, a scientist explained it to me. Vestiges, remnants of the past user, of their souls …" He raised a glowing fist. His evil smile widened. "And who better to bargain with souls than demons?"
Fwoosh
And a red dark flames enveloped Fate … leaving ash and a helmet. Alan stared in horror. "...No…"
"Hah…. for all his smoke and mirrors… he was nothing but a fool with a bucket over his head." AFO laughed as he kicked the helmet to the side. "Now, shall I kill the rest of you one by one, or will you begin charging at me all at once?"
"How's THIS for charging at you!" Al shouted as he grew big, kicking the bastard straight into the air. "Hope you enjoy the trip to space!"
"I did." The bastard appeared right behind Al. "Overrated, but I bought a souvenir." He stuck his hand out-
CREACKAK
And… a giant meteor appeared right inside of Al's chest. "AL!" Atom Smasher fell down with a thunderous quake, no signs of life.
"Matter displacement. Not as fun as teleportation, but with the right imagination." The bastard cackled.
"Your evil stops now!" Jay ran in a circle, making a tornado.
"So many wannabe heroes say that. I've gotta start memorizing a list of certain lines." The monster muttered, breathing outward as the entire tornado was frozen, Jay included. "Now to pop you like a balloon. Fun imagery, right?"
"As fun as your head becoming cookie dough!" Carter, Hawkman, charged in next along with Hourman, who began beating the man into the ground.
"Ah, the brutes, the barbarian and the scientist…. An hour of power … you'd think you'd get more for your money on that one." The man raised his hand. "Like this."
Boom
And Hourman was gone … along with three city blocks. "And I have thirty more of those in storage."
"Like you'll get the chance to use it!" Carter shouted, having avoided the blast as he used his mace to whack AFO into the wall.
"I wonder… is there anything preventing someone else from picking up that weapon of yours, bird man?" AFO asked like he wasn't even thrown through. "How embarrassing must it be for you to get beaten in by your own weapon?"
"Doesn't happen as much as people dying from the boredom of listening to your monologue!" Dinah shouted as she threw her canary cry grenades right in the bastard's face. "Here's a sweet song to wish you goodnight!"
SCAAAARRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
There was silence as they all stared at the smoke … before a hand grabbed Carter, choking him as he struggled to pry himself off it. "More of a snore fest, but it makes me tired either way, so good on you, little parakeet."
"...You won't win…" Carter coughed, even when he couldn't move. "You can't kill… the good will of men. We prevail in the darkest of times, no matter the circumstances."
"Last I checked, you haven't so much as given me a migraine." He stabbed Hawkman through the chest. "And worst comes to worst … I'll just kill anyone that tells me otherwise." He tossed Carter's dead body away like trash.
"All of you, run." Alan grimaced as he stood up.
"Oh no no no." The villain wagged his finger. "First thing's first … my brother."
"Yoichi died, asshat." Kudo growled, aiming his launch cannon right at the bastard's face. "Died because you kept him in a jail cell, barely clinging to life as it was… not that he ever had much of a life living with you."
"Yes, he did die." The man admitted as he batted away the ammo without care. "Because you lot poisoned him into thinking he didn't need to follow me and what I say …" He smirked. "But his quirk lives on, and when I take it, I will forever carry his memory inside of me … two brothers, united as we destroy the very foundation of worthless ideals like hope, altruism, and follow the one true ruler of Earth … me."
"You, ruler of the planet?" Ted laughed with a loud howl. "Hohhohohohoh, now that… that is the biggest joke this old man's heard in ages. You couldn't lead yourself a toilet full of piss, much less the whole planet. What kind of leader knows how to take but never give. With you incharge, everything will end up dust, and you'll lead nothing but a cinder pile."
"Oh, but I'm counting on the dust part." He chuckled, then appeared grabbing Ted by the neck and effortlessly lifting him up in the air, strangling Alan's comrade. "Let me paint you a picture. All natural resources on the planet are vanquished. No water, no heat, no air, no electricity. Then a man appears, with a quirk that could produce all of that … wouldn't he be a god to them?"
"... So your dream… is to become a food dispenser .." Ted chuckled in defiance, humored. "Couldn't you just… work at the flea market for that if that's the case?'
Snap
And his neck was now broken. "Okay, the novelty is wearing out." All For One stated as he dropped Wildcat. "I'm taking my brother back now." He flew over to Kudo, grabbing his skull … and froze. The monster furrowed his brows and his smile dimmed. "I'm … taking him … back …"
"GL! If you have a plan, now would be a wonderful time to use it!" Kudo shouted as he struggled to get out of the grip.
"I'm on it!" He raised his ring up high as he began to focus. "I shall shed my light over dark evil, for the dark things cannot stand the light. The light of … THE GREEN LANTERN!" And fired green flames right at the man.
Fwooooosh
The bastard's charcoaled skin was formed as all that was left was a couple of bones holding up a pile of muscles… but even then, what was left of the bastard was still holding onto Kudo… and still breathing. "What … you aren't quirkless … this isn't a quirkless feeling." All For One was completely confused, staggered no less.
"Obviously, bastard… let me show you something that your brother did give me though." Kudo smirked as he held his blaster to the man's face-
Shoooon
And AFO actually managed to flinch as the bullet, which moved faster than the speed of sound, pierced the bastard's neck. "You called my quirk an overhyped peashooter before... well now that peashooter moves faster than you can blink."
"… I can't take it …" The bastard showed rage for the first time since the start of this brawl, his mask of superiority finally fucking shattered. Instead of a smile, he was now frowning with gritted teeth. "The quirk …"
"Rejected you?" He smirked. "He's your fuckin' brother. You think it didn't have any resistance to you?"
"Know that I could kill you … know that the only reason you're alive is because of that quirk." He threw Kudo to a wall. "But that immunity doesn't extend to anyone else in this country!" Black and red energy emerged, flames brimming off of AFO's skin, as he turned to Mid-Nite. "Now … how many people do I have to murder until you hand it over? Ten? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions?" He spoke with a deranged tone.
"No… just one." Mid-Nite spoke with a stern tone. "Now Hooty!"
"Hoot what-gaaahhh!" The bastard was stabbed in the ear by the talon of an owl. "You think a mere bird can stop me-!?"
"Jay, move Kudo to the base, now!" Alan screamed, forming a massive shield around the villain.
"Don't you dare, Garrick, this is my fight to end!" Kudo shouted as the Flash grabbed him.
"YOU WILL NOT RUN FROM ME!" Multiple tree like limbs shattered his shield like glass.
"You're the only one who hurt him!" Charles shouted. "That quirk's a stockpiler! It needs more powe-!" And down went Doctor Mid-Nite.
"No one … will oppose my reign!" All For One screamed. "Or keep my brother from my hands!"
"Maybe, but we can slow you the hell down!" Alan shouted in all of his determination as he shot himself through the wood and flew into AFO, creating chains around his mouth and hands as he began making a bazooka. "I know you're going to be back ... but so will we! You can't kill heroism ... and you can't ... kill ... JUSTICE!" And with all his might, he sent the bastard hurdling into the stratosphere.
Carter ducked under the blow of Bruce's attack, delivering a sweep to their feet. "Keep all your body protected, leave no openings." Yes, he was killed, but that did little to stop him. Reincarnation was an under appreciated super power in his opinion.
"How offended should I be that a toddler's kicking my ass?" The man groaned as he pushed himself up.
"One, my body's sixteen years old, two, you're reaching your thirties, and three, this is my twentieth reincarnation." He glared. "So no matter how you look at it, you're screwed no matter what."
"Tell that to the rest of the society." Bruce grumbled as he punched a nearby punching bag.
"The rest of society is trying to fix itself." He countered. So many powers, so many maniacs … and any heroes that rose up 'vanished' as part of an immortal dickbag's sick message. "We have to keep a low profile if we want any chance of fighting back."
"Low profile. Coming from the guy who could fit in with a strip club with his natural attire." Bruce rolled his eyes.
"I'll have you know it was all the rage back in Egypt." Carter argued. "They still have the statue of me up to this day."
"Do I even need to address the problems between you and your 'mate'?" The guy asked skeptically.
"There are no problems." He stated firmly.
"Well, you died earlier than your curse was supposed to kick in. So technically she's in her forties, you're in a sixteen year old body, so-"
"Next lesson." He smacked their neck. "Minimize or multitask, pick one."
"Like, has it ever happen where she died before you, so she was younger-"
"You want to talk while getting your ass kicked, so multitasking it is!" And he stuck the man right in the back.
"... I liked it better when you were an old man…" Bruce muttered.
"Yeah, me too." He rolled his eyes.
"… Kudo was still around …"
"… He was …" Everyone … so many people died to that freak … such evil without restraint … it was hard to imagine.
"The crazy bastard never tried to call himself a hero, yet he played the role until the end." Bruce chuckled weakly. "He never told me he planned on giving Yoichi's quirk to me. And I knew he did something to my water bottle. I had just hoped he spiked it with a roofie instead of his blood."
"We really have to talk about transfer methods." He muttered.
"He went out swinging … doing his all to convince All For One … damn it." Bruce fell to the ground. "I need to get this ready … we're not strong enough yet." The man spoke, gnashing his teeth as he sweated. "We can't win … but I know I'm stronger than the others … this quirk grows through passing the flame."
"I know a little about getting stronger with time, boy." he patted him on the back. "Do you need to be prepared to brace for the fact you will probably be at this for a long time, maybe even beyond your time."
"It shouldn't be beyond my time." Bruce grumbled. "My quirk already stockpiles strength, it should be more than enough to counter that bastard. That monster needs to pay … I need revenge …"
Normally, this would be the part where someone like Alan or Jay would say revenge was not the way… but Carter was from a different time with different values, with memories of war after war after war. He was not above the desire of revenge... especially after seeing his beloved Chay-Ara die several lifetimes over in his arms. "Vestiges."
"What?"
"All For One said quirks have vestiges based on DNA … even if you can't end him, a part of you will see the results of your efforts …"
"So I'm going to come back as a ghost to see the next sucker with this quirk punch AFO…. " Bruce snickered. "Huh... that is weirdly comforting."
"As all things." He nodded. "What are you going to call it?" Carter asked curiously.
Bruce looked at his hand, a thoughtful look overtaking his face, before he let out a soft smile. "… One For All."
"Ah, like the Three Musketeers." A good read-
"The what now?" He asked, genuinely clueless.
Carter stared blankly, unimpressed. "... You're kidding, right? Popular book, most famous phrase in it being 'All for one and One for all?'"
"They wrote BOOKS about our war!?"
"... You don't read much, do you?" Carter noted with a glare.
"Have you SEEN our lifestyle!? It's fight or die!"
"...fair enough I guess." He nodded as he swung his mace. "Alright, now let's focus on your reflexes. I'll try not to mess up your face too much, but I can't promise anything."
"... You're in your snarky teenage phase, aren't you?"
"Hey, there's some perks to being young again."
Hikage Shinomori took a deep breath as he smashed his final rock for today's day of training. "That… that was more tiring than usual." He had spent the last five years building up this power, and not to toot his own horn, but he had made some impressive progress on it.
First, a notable stinging sensation upon first use, likened to muscle tearing. Bruce was surprised, meaning one thing … the quirk needed stronger bodies to emit its full power.
Second, the quirk melded with quirks. This happened with some of All For One's victims, but usually it resulted in massive pain and brain damage. Hikage's quirk was working better than before, able to detect danger from miles away.
Third, he got ... visions within the last few months. Visions of his master, and another two right beside him. They were foggy and outlined in black, but they would appear at the most random of times. Hikage found mediation to be helpful with that regard.
"So you've returned?" Spoke his meditation partner in question, the guardian of this green forest he called a sanctuary.
"I need relief, apologies if I disturb your quietness." He bowed respectfully.
"You have yet to harm the green significantly. I shall not reprimand you this day." The mossy man nodded as he closed his eyes. "You don't seek the comfort of the modern world? Peculiar for a human."
"I seek isolation and solitude." He nodded. "My quirk makes sensing danger … all too notable." So many headaches. So many death threats around the corner.
"So you two have noticed how many ways man seeks to destroy himself?" The green one asked.
"I have… war's all too common nowadays." Especially when Hikage himself was essentially drafted into a secret war. "Your home is peaceful, green one. Violence is rare and sparse."
"The green is one, and one is all." The green one nodded. "Plants don't seem to end plant life. They can share in the resources provided to all, and none seek more than what they need."
"A fine life." He let himself smile. "I hope I can partake in it a while longer before I must leave."
"And you choose to leave for yourself?"
"For another." For everyone. "A promise to fulfill."
"... I once had a promise I wanted to keep…" The green one said, deeply reflective. "A promise made by a man that is no more. A promise… to protect."
"… I hope you can fulfill that promise as long as you can." Hikage spoke honestly, closing his eyes as he meditated. Taking in the gentle stream and calming air. Peace … and serenity … "Gaah." He coughed while taking a breath. "My exercises… they must be wearing me down more than I thought." It was getting a bit hard to breathe.
"You do not have long to live." The green one noted. "Strange, for such a peaceful life to die so young."
"Isn't it the circle of life?" He asked, slowly exhaled. "To die young so the next generation may live old?"
"Life is precious no matter what ... it's a shame for any to be extinguished prematurely."
"Hmm … if that's the case, I might have to leave sooner than expected." Fourth thing about One For All … it gave you fucking cancer.
Banjo was a simple man with simple priorities. Save the day, and be funky while doing so. With quirks becoming more and more common, heroes were becoming less of a hobby people partook in their offtime and more of an official job.
Course, Banjo didn't actually take up the job, too many rules. The mission was helping people and punching moronic villains, he didn't need anything holding him back from that. There's nothing a paycheck could give him that a good old save couldn't do. And as a guy whose power was basically ropes, saving was what he was all about.
"Although a theme song wouldn't hurt." He mused as he swung through the street. Something that matched him perfectly … ooh. "Lariat, Lariat, piss me off and I'll give you a Lariat." Catchy stuff!
Anyways, such was his life. Fight crime, train up his body, and look for a nice kid to pass on his quirk to … the quirk that would save the world one day. If only it didn't take so long to build up.
He had just enough common sense to know that Banjo, as he was, was never going to come close to beating back AFO. He may have been funky, and the quirk boosted his blackwhip beyond their original limit, but it was never the type to bring down the big bad. Banjo had this power because his master trusted him with it, not because he was chosen for a special reason like all those comic books told him.
His job was to be one who carried the quirk forward, developing it further until the day came that it could be used by someone stronger. A shitty job, but a job he liked. Very little rules. "Now, what death defying feat shall I perform today?" He grinned as he looked out at the city.
"Did someone call my name?" Popped behind him a guy in an all red costume with yellow patches behind him in what Banjo was tempted to call the tackiest costume he's ever seen.
"… Not unless your name is Death or Friday." He deadpanned. "Who the heck are you, crazy?"
"Funny for someone crazy to call someone else crazy. Crazy or hypocritical, or maybe both, I mean, if someone saw someone else using silly strings to fly over town, I'd call that a little crazy." The costume man snickered.
"Hey, they're not silly strings, they're whips." Banjo defended.
"Do they come out of your body, or are they wrapped around you?"
"... Body."
"Silly string." He smirked. "Hahaha, Oh, I love this planet's weird powers."
"This planet?" Banjo raised a bemused eyebrow. "What, you're from space or something?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"...Well that would explain the tacky suit." Banjo blinked. "So, casual visiting, or are you planning on invading?"
"Actually, me and my fiance are looking to move here, figured Earth is a nice place to settle down after escaping a planet literally on fire." He shrugged.
"Eeeeeh …" He looked to the flaming city. "Not your best backup."
"You kidding? No one's body is turning to ash from the instant seeing of the flames, it's perfect!" The alien man smirked. "Although I'm new to these new customs, are people supposed to be running out screaming in terror?"
"No, that's kind of my, well, not job, but more along the lines of duty, here. Saving them." Banjo explained as he sent out his black whip to pull a lady out of a burning building.
"I see! Then I shall save them as well!" He leapt inside … right as the building exploded. Banjo dropped his jaw.
"Damn moron!" Okay Banjo, now or never-
"You're safe!" The man shouted, holding three elders and four children on his back, down on the streets.
"Idiot, do you have any idea-!?" He paused as he looked the man over…. Neither him, nor any of the people had ANY singe marks on them, aside from one or two soot markings. "How the fuck did you survive that!?"
"I'm an escape artist!" The man grinned with a salute. "They call me, Mister Miracle!"
… Well if the moniker fits …Banjo smirked with a shrug. "Alright, 'Mister Miracle', how about a good ole fashion team up with Lariat!"
"Sounds stupendous! Where would I find this man?"
"… You're looking at him." He deadpanned.
"I thought your name was Silly String?" The children giggled.
"...Let's just go save more people before I say something I don't want the kiddies repeating." He grumbled as he shot out another string.
"Yes! Into the danger we go!" The alien grinned as he hovered off the ground with some kind of silver plate and flew into the air. "Mister Miracle, away!"
"So is Miracle your name, or just something you came up with?" Banjo asked as he scooped up a dog about to be run over.
"Actually yes, it is my real name." The man nodded. "I do have a human name that I've worked as a cover though."
"Oh really?" He glared. "What is it? Max Miracle?"
"Heavens no… Barda said that was too obvious." The alien muttered. "I'm Scott Free."
"Free from what?" Banjo asked.
"No, I'M Scott Free."
"..." The hero snorted.
"What?" Mister Miracle asked.
"Out of all the aliases you could've gone with … you went with Scott fuckin' Freeeeahahaahahahahah!" The man barreled over laughing.
"I make miracles happen, I don't name them."
"The real miracle is no one figuring out who you arehahahahahahaha!"
"… This is going to be both fun and annoying, isn't it?"
"Oh yeah!" Very much so.
En didn't have much in the world. He didn't have much of a social life, and he didn't have much of a family. Heck, he didn't even have much of a quirk. The power to create smoke. Sure, stealth was handy, but not when you didn't have the power or ability to utilize it. Smokescreen could only blind. It couldn't defend, it couldn't attack, and it certainly didn't help him move around. It was not the ideal power to use for hero work.
Especially when you're chosen as the inheritor of an almighty power … well, chosen is a strong word … more like Lariat was bleeding out on the ground and dying and suddenly he shoved his hand inside of En's mouth. And ever since then, he's been plagued by nightmares of shadowy demons… not to mention…. The pain.
Whatever this power that Lariat had…. It did not fit him well at all. A stockpile power that endowed the user with immense strength… a strength that En was not capable of using at all. His body was far too weak, too underdeveloped to handle the strain. The first time he used it, he spent a month in the hospital trying to get his ribs stuffed back into place.
Then … then the demon showed up one day. There was no other way to describe him. He asked for the quirk back, saying it would help many people. But En could see it in his eyes. The heartlessness … he tried running, but the man chased him, slaughtering friends and family without any mercy, constantly threatening for the quirk … until En was saved thanks to a floating staff. A floating staff attached to ... a strange looking man with a red suit with a green cape and a star in the middle of his chest. If En wasn't in the middle of nearly passing out from terror, he would've commented on the slightly humorous looking outfit.
And now … "So it's called One For All."
"Yeah … consider yourself lucky kid." The man spoke, nodding. "You hid almost as well as the Fourth, and that guy was a fucking hermit."
"Wait, you know!?" En shouted, shocked. "I thought I was keeping it secret!"
"You did, but the second user of it worked with the Justice Society." The man answered with a smirk. "Some of us old schoolers know how to keep a secret… those of us that are still around. All For One's gone through a lot of bodies just to get his hands on this power."
"... My family …" En whispered.
"Was one of many." Starman nodded gravely. "Civilians, heroes, doesn't matter. The only thing he won't do is nuke the country. Because he wants that quirk."
"… He has nuclear missiles?" En asked skeptically.
"Oh no, All For One just sank an island once by glaring at it hard enough." Starman corrected. "He just won't do it anywhere you live because in order for him to have your quirk, you'd need to give it to him willingly, he can't just steal it like he could with other powers."
"... Ah." Greetings, nightmares.
"Our goal is to raise One For All's capabilities until it can one day fight that maniac." The hero explained. "Of course … doesn't help slow him down all that much either."
"... So I'm not even the one who's supposed to take him down.. I'm just the place holder…. A buffer…" En gasped out, feeling sick. "I … I'm holding a curse … Everywhere I go, people die …people will continue to die as long as I exist…"
"… I'm sorry." The man responded softly. "I know you didn't volunteer to take the mantle …"
"Who WOULD volunteer for this…?" He asked as tears filled his eyes. "Who would willingly sign up to set themselves above everyone else, keeping themselves safe while everyone around you dies for some cause they have no business being involved in!? Why would I volunteer to sign all their death warrants?!"
"Hey, you didn't kill them kid, no matter what, that'll NEVER be your fault." Starman reassured him as he got on his knees. "All For One's the monster that chose this path of violence and death. That's never going to be on you."
"But … I'm just sitting here while everyone's risking their life … he isn't going to be stopped…" En wasn't strong, or special … he was just a burden.
"...Funny thing about being special….. No one ever is." He chuckled. "You can have the talented, the naturally gifted, the charismatic… but no one is ever born special. You think I was born special?"
"...Well, you do have that magic staff." He muttered.
"Cosmic staff, and I have no idea why this old thing came to me." Starman sighed as he took off his mask and headgear. "Me, plain and quirkless Ted Knight, chosen on a whim to hold onto an all powerful artifact, and I barely know if I'm living up to whatever expectations are being set up for me." The staff seemed to glow brighter. "Still a random choice."
"But you don't have the whole world at your mercy… you're not getting everyone killed by holding onto it..." En muttered, dejected.
The man stood silently for a minute, looking down on him. "My own son died, trying to be like me.." Ted sighed. "He was my whole world, and I let him down. I was a hero…. And I couldn't save him."
"… I'm sorry …"
"No need to be, I know on some level I was responsible …" He sighed. "That's just the hero business no one talks about. Sometimes it's not pretty … but there's a saying."
"… What's that?"
"If heroes run, who's left?" He asked, getting En's full attention. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to stand by and do nothing. I'm not saying there won't be casualties along the way, but those few you do save…. For every one you help, you save someone's entire world. It might not be perfect… but it's what we have. And if you can live with that… then you're on track to saving everyone already."
"... Even one …" En mumbled. "... I can live with that."
"Good … and don't worry kid." His hair was ruffled. "There's always someone in the society you can talk to."
"...Do you guys have a bed too?" En asked. "...I don't really have one of those… along with a room…. Or a house."
"Bunk beds." Ted smiled.
Nana Shimura always wanted to be a hero. It was a childhood dream of hers, of course, with the world as it was, that was no shocker. Everyone wanted to be a hero, everyone wanted to save the day. Some wanted to do it to use their quirks openly. Some wanted the fame and money that came along with it. And some just wanted the insane nightmares to end.
For her….. Call her cheesy, but she wanted to see a world with more smiles. The more people were safe, the more people would smile, the better the world could be. Her quirk wasn't the best for combat, but with her floating ability, she could save people as best as she could.
Of course, that all changed when En, a man who shrouded himself in smoke, gave her a vial of his blood and made her drink it. Such an unpleasant experience. She would've rather eaten a toenail or something.
But that was digressing. For Nana inherited the might of One For All! She inherited the destiny to stop All For One! She would bring smiles to everyone around her! And she … was getting her ass kicked ruthlessly by a woman in her eighties. "Ow …" She moaned out.
"Focus!" Dinah shouted as a kick was driven into Nana's spine, sending her falling to the ground and bouncing off into a fist face first. "Your opponents won't be as easy as this!"
"You're calling this easy?" The moment she inherited this power, she was granted access to a whole new world of heroics. The Justice Society of America, the world's first team of super heroes, training her for the day when AFO would finally be defeated! It was a dream come true…. Until that dream became a nightmare.
"Course it's easy. We haven't broken out the flamethrowers and the rubber balls with teeth." Why were those things-a foot to the face. "Focus."
"Whoever trained you… was a monster…." Nana groaned in pain.
"More of a puma really." Spoke the old man in the cat costume with a light smirk. "Keep your back steady, little bird!"
"You don't have to call me little bird, Ted." Dinah, THE Black Canary, laughed. "I'm technically older than you and Carter by this point."
"Deaging and reincarnation don't count." Wildcat smirked. "You're still the same bird flying into the great unknown in this old cat's eyes."
"Respect is so hard to get in anyone mentally over a hundred." The woman groaned as she leapt into the air, bouncing off the wall and head butting Nana in the chest.
".. I don't get it... I can float out of reach yet my butt is still the one on the ground." She asked in pain.
"It's called martial arts honey, pick it up."
"Yes." She turned to see Bang, the Silver Fang, laugh. "It would do well if my martial arts could be passed down with those 'ghosts' you claim the quirk has."
"One of these days, you're going to admit that it's not just martial arts." Nana glared.
"I won't, because it's not true."
"Although you have to admit that training them in advanced lessons at the start is pointless." Canary responded with an eye roll. "We're on number seven. If they haven't picked up past techniques and memories by now, it's likely not happening."
"Maybe we just need to train them even harder." Carter snickered as he flew above them. "What was the training regime for that bald caped guy? One thousand pushups a day?"
"A hundred actually …. Along with hundred sit ups, hundred squats, and a 10k run…." The cat shivered. "So creepy."
Hawkman smirked. "You're only saying that because he accidentally punched you in the nu-"
"You swore you would never speak of that again!"
… So weird … so fun … so … many smiles.