Chapter 28: World of Cardboard

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!? We had him! There wasn't any way for him to escape!" Manabu protested but The Deep didn't seem all too interested as he ignored them. He then lifted his leg into the air-

'WHAM!' Before sending it crashing down onto my stomach! Once again, I spat out blood as my mask noticeably became tinged red where my mouth was. This resulted in the part of my mask that showcased a smile (A design choice that I implemented in my notes so that no matter if I was smiling or not, I would always be just like my All Might.) was now partly blood red. But even though he was hurting me, The Deep had a wide grin on his face while towering over me triumphantly.

"Man! You could sure take a hit! If you were just some guy, you'd be dead right now. You know I never really enjoyed fighting other people for that exact reason my dude. It would always be over way too quick." The Deep spoke while lifting me up into the air with one arm and once again with ease as I only noticed now just how much taller he was than me. But before I could ask why he was doing this-

'BAM!' He slammed his fist into my stomach again as I coughed up blood once more! But it wasn't just blood this time! It was also a bit of vomit too! I don't know if he chose to or not, but he hit my solar plexus! Oh crap! If he hits me there again, I'll end up losing consciousness for sure! I can't let that happen! I don't want to hurt him! But he's not leaving me much of a choice in the matter! That's why-

"But you can take it, can't you small fry? What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut lose and show you just how powerful I really am." The Deep declared just as he was about to punch me but before he could-

'POW!' I blocked his fist with my hand! This made The Deep's eyes shoot wide open out of sheer surprise! I didn't want to hurt him! But the least I can do is defend myself! But just as I was holding his fist away from my stomach-

"That's enough. He's been beaten. There's no point in continuing this charade. Let's just end it here." Manabu spoke while putting a hand on The Deep's shoulder. But once again, The Deep couldn't care less what this person was saying. Especially because-

"Yo, dude! I can't understand what the fuck you're saying! I don't speak Chinese! If you want to say something, just say it in American, for fuck's sake!" The Deep yelled out while he could barely be understood by anyone due to him continuing to speak in English. However, his words were beginning to become understandable to me. (Or at least the gist of it.) I was beginning to doubt the type of person that The Deep proclaimed himself to be. And what happened next only proved my suspicions.

"It's Japanese, you idiot. And for the record, you don't deserve to be called a superhero. Not after the stunt you pulled back in the west." Suzune commented as my eyes went wide with surprise after hearing her speak up. Not only that but what she said made me curious, so I looked over to her only to notice that she was holding up her phone! Wait a second, was she on the internet this whole time searching up who The Deep was?! What exactly did she find out?! But as soon as I found out, a look of horror formed onto my face. Horikita noticed this. (The Deep didn't because he wasn't paying attention.) She noticed this as well and continued.

"In America you were kicked out of The Seven. All because you chose to do something utterly reprehensible. You sexually assaulted the hero, Starlight! And for what!? To satisfy your primal urges?! You aren't a hero. You aren't even a man. You're just garbage pretending to be someone worth admiring." Suzune finished with a disgusted look on her face. The crowd behind her agreed with this fact as they hurtled insults at The Deep. All of which he couldn't understand out of not knowing Japanese.

But this commotion got his attention as he looked at the article on Horikita's phone. This prompted the latter, to switch the Japanese translated article back into its original language! That being English! That was when The Deep was finally able to make heads and tails over what this sudden ruckus was about. But as soon as he did, his eyes went wide out of utmost surprise. This also made him clench his fist and click his tongue. And then…

"Oh, come on! Seriously?! That shit was like so long ago! So, what if I did what I did?! I apologized! Sure, I might have been kicked out of The Seven! But they will soon realize their mistake! I have this bunny in my hands! And once I rough him up a bit more, I'll be able to rejoin The Seven!" The Deep yelled out with an annoyed look on his face that soon became a twisted smile! The Deep earnestly believed what he was saying! That was because he was an easily manipulated individual who already happened to be manipulated many times in the past!

And this meant that he was the ideal prey for The Doctor-

"So, if I just beat the shit out of him, I'll be able to be part of The Seven again?! Is that what you're saying?!" The Deep yelled out with a truly ecstatic look on his face! This made Doctor Garaki nod in approval.

"Yes! Of course it will! I can PROMISE that you'll be able to rejoin your precious brothers and sisters in arms! All you must do is what I already told you to do! Show that little bunny how strong you are! That will make him give himself up to the authorities! And after seeing how you contributed to defeating a rogue vigilante from Japan, Vought and all of the members will thank you for your efforts! Even Homelander! That I can assure you! So, just do as I say." Doctor Garaki replied with a smile on his face while his voice was translated into English so that The Deep could understand him.

Doctor Garaki specifically got in touch with The Deep after noticing the scandals the latter was involved in back in the west! From his sexual assault on Starlight, to getting kicked out of The Seven, as well as being manipulated in joining the Church of the Collective! The key word is 'manipulated!' Each of these events led to The Deep being manipulated by others. But that wasn't all, Garaki was sure that The Deep was being manipulated by Vought and Homelander when he was a member of The Seven.

That's why it was so easy for him to fool The Deep with the promise that he would be able to see his pathetic dreams fulfilled! The Deep was simply a tool that Doctor Garaki decided to use as a pawn in this game of chess he was playing with Izuku Midoriya! Not because of The Deep's strength but because he was considered to be a superhero from America! Even without him being part of The Seven, it wasn't as if his superhero license was revoked because of his crimes. (Not that he had one to begin with.)

You see, this was the reason as well as what was about to happen next was what Doctor Garaki had wanted to come into fruition all along! The moment when is ultimate enemy, Izuku Midoriya realizes the truth about this world's heroes! And that moment…

… Was now!

"You did… WHAT?!" I muttered quietly until shouting out that last part at the top of my lungs! I was practically with an overwhelming sense of rage. I couldn't believe that this world allowed someone like him to be a superhero! Much worse, allow him to CONTINUE to be one! But I couldn't deny the truth staring me right in the face. And even though The Deep couldn't understand what I was saying, he knew the intent!

"Oh, come on dude! You don't even know me! Fuck! Why did you have to bring up this old news! You bitch!" The Deep yelled out before turning his attention to Horikita as he reached toward her with the intention of taking her life away. So, what if he kills just some random girl in Japan?! He'll get away with it! And even if it does come to bite him in the ass later on, he didn't care! The Deep was sick and tired of hearing what he believed to be bullshit regarding what happened between him and Starlight! He was so DONE hearing this news that has been put in his face who knows how many times! But before he could touch Horikita-

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" I shouted at the top of my lungs while grabbing The Deep's other hand as I dug my fingers into it causing his blood to trickle down much to The Deep's utmost surprise. I didn't care about not hurting him any longer. Because now I had every intention of hurting him. And there was no way in hell…

… THAT I WAS GOING TO LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT ANY LONGER!

'BAM!' I then used five percent of Obliterator's power to kick him in the opposite direction of Horikita using Shoot Style! But my eyes went wide out of surprise as I noticed that my kick didn't do much against him! It only made him step back a few steps away from Horikita and the others.

"Dude. Was that supposed to hurt?" The Deep asked with a smug smile on his face. But I couldn't care less that he wasn't taking this seriously. In fact, it only made what I was about to do all that much easier! I then clenched my fist as I used eight percent of Obliterator's power and went Full Cowling! The Deep's eyes shot wide open as he noticed the green energy pouring off of me! But before he could react in time-

"SMASH!" I shouted once more at the top of my lungs before slamming my fist right into his face! But in the midst of that, Manabu heard what I said and knew he heard that word not too long ago by-

'What the? That's… Izuku Midoriya?!" Manabu thought internally with a look of utmost surprise as unbeknownst to me he figured out my identity! But that didn't matter to me! What mattered to me was saying this-

"If you truly believe that you are a superhero, you're not! Far from it! All you've been doing was pretending to be one! Fooling the people around you with your strength! Making people idolize you! A monster who preys upon innocent women! Well, I've had enough of all that! There's nothing super about you! YOU DAMN FAKER!" I declared with a voice full of conviction and resolve as I clenched my other fist tightly! I also made sure to speak in English so that he could understand! (Though it was more broken English than anything.) But he understood.

"Hmm… so all this time… you could speak English… and you were just FUCKING WITH ME?!" The Deep snapped back before brushing the blood off his cheek! He then approached me before-

'WHAM! POW!' Sending his knee right into my stomach before putting his fists together and slamming them onto my back in rapid succession causing me to collapse onto the ground! I was so surprised by his quick movements that I couldn't defend myself! But then…

"Oh, and for the record, super or otherwise, you are merely a man… and I'm a GOD!" The Deep declared while picking me up with one hand before holding my body up into the air with both of his hands as everyone watched what was about to happen next!

'BAM!' The Deep then slammed his knee against my sacrum and hips as I let out a groan of agony! He then proceeded to toss me onto the ground before I landed on the ground and tumbled away from him. In the midst of that Horikita rushed over to me without saying a word so that my identity could remain a secret. But that wasn't all, The Deep wasn't finished yet and approached both me and Horikita! This made me stand right back up as I knew he was focused on hurting me and not her for the time being so while backing away from them both, The Deep charged forward and-

'WHAM' Sent his fist hurtling at me before I landed right back onto the ground. But just as he knocked me down, someone got on top of him in an effort to tackle him to the ground! But it wasn't Horikita! It was her brother, Manabu Horikita! The Deep was annoyed by this sudden act of defiance while I was just pulling myself off the ground! But before I could reach them both-

"Bro, seriously?! Why are you even trying to fight against me?!" The Deep yelled out with an agitated look on his face before grabbing Manabu and throwing him off of him like a ragdoll! But The Deep couldn't understand. Because to him-

"Can't you see that it's hopeless?!" The Deep shouted with anger clearly identifiable in his tone of voice as he held back against Manabu out of orders from The Doctor! But he was boiling with rage and wished for nothing more than to tear him limb from limb along with his sister, the bunny and everyone else here! I knew that's what he was thinking because he wasn't a hero! That's why I-

'POW' Rushed over to him and knocked him off his feet! Sending him landing onto the ground! Five percent and eight percent didn't do all that much, but twenty percent did! (At the cost of my brain feeling like it's on fire again.) But I could care less about that last part, because my entire body felt like it was on fire, and I had no choice but to…

… SET MYSELF ABLAZE ALONG WITH HIM!

'WHAM! BAM!' I then approached The Deep before sending my fist right into his face once more before using my other fist to grab his neck! I was going to make sure he stays in place so that he could hear what I say next! Which was-

"That man won't quit as long as he could draw another breath! Me!? I've got a different problem!" I yelled out before pummeling The Deep in his stomach again and again and again he tumbled back onto the ground and was right at the end of the ship's front deck as he was caught between the steel railing that was preventing him from falling overboard. That was when The Deep considered escaping into the sea. I knew a coward like him would think of something like that! So, before he could escape, I closed the distance between us and grabbed his throat once more!

However, unbeknownst to me, there were people recording this battle! Not only that but was being livestreamed at this very moment! And countless people all across the entire world were watching! Along with one particular young woman with short blonde hair that reached her shoulders and dressed in white and gold. She was watching it all unfold and her response was-

"Fuck him up." The woman muttered to herself as she watched Izuku Midoriya grab The Deep by the neck! And then…

Chapter 28: World of Cardboard

"I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard! Always taking constant care not to break something! To break someone! Never allowing myself to lose control! Even for a moment, someone could die! But you can take it, can't you big man?! What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut lose! And show you just how powerful, I really am!" I declared while repeating what The Deep said to me at the end of my speech with a voice full of resolve and conviction once more before I heard 'him' say those words again.

'Do you wish to obliterate him?' Jokata asked from within my mind even though he already knew the answer. But even still I said-

'YES!' I screamed internally before I felt Obliterator's full power coursing through my veins! I then clenched my fist (While my other hand was still gripping onto The Deep's neck) before sending it forward and-

'BAM!' Right in his face! The result was a shockwave that sent The Deep hurtling into the sky like a rocket! With how hard I punched him; he might have gone into the stratosphere if I did nothing. Something like that would have certainly meant his end. And even though he was a monster, I didn't want him to die. So, I leaped after him before appearing right above him.

"…" The Deep could not say a word but could only look at me towering above him as I had a face full of determination on my face! Determination to end things right and here now! That's why all he could think was-

'Oh shit.' Before I-

'SMASSSSSSSH!' Slammed my right fist into his face once more before he crashed down into the sea like a meteor!

'SPLASH!' The result was a huge amount of water falling onto the front deck of the ship. (And in the process soaking everyone who was there.)

'Drip. Drip. Drip.' But as the water dripped onto the front deck like rain, I stood in the center of the battlefield with my right fist into the air just like All Might had done many times in the past to showcase that the villain had been defeated! I repeated the same action to show everyone before me that…

… I HAD WON!

'Clap. Clap. Clap.' What had occurred right afterwards was a slow clap between a few people that soon became-

'CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!' A standing ovation of applause. It caught me off guard as I almost stumbled off my feet before regaining my footing in the nick of time! I then noticed plenty of my classmates mixed in with the crowd which made me smile bashfully in response.

"That was fuckin awesome!" Sudo exclaimed with a grin on his face.

"He kicked that American phony-baloney's ass!" Yamauchi yelled out with a similar look on his face. But it wasn't just them. Everyone seemed happy over what I did.

"I want to marry him!" Mii-chan spoke with a smile on her face and hearts in her eyes while holding her hands together. Some more so than others.

'MARRIAGE?!' I screamed internally! I'm not ready for that! I'm only sixteen! At least… I think I am.

'… Or am I seventeen? I don't really know cause I'm not sure how long I had been in this world before I woke up on that bus. So, I could have been here for a while longer and I just haven't figured it out yet. Or I could just be simply overestimating the amount of time I've been here. I don't feel like my body has changed all that much. In fact, I feel the same. So, realistically everything could have just happened within the few months I've been awake and- I rambled on endlessly within my mind until my thought process was interrupted by-

"Way to go, hero." Suzune spoke with a gentle smile on her face while giving me a thumbs up.

"Thanks." I replied with a smile of my own. (That was hidden my mask, but I think she knew I was smiling. Probably.) I was then about to make my exit, but upon noticing Manabu (Who was sitting on the ground after being thrown by The Deep) I froze in place. I'm going to fight Manabu, but I don't think he's going to let me walk away. But to my utmost surprise-

"…" Manabu looked at me before averting his gaze with a face that screamed 'Just get the heck out of here already.' In response I nodded to this. But just as I was about to leave again, someone called out to me. It was a voice that I had recently become familiar with, so I knew who it was instantly. It was Hiyori Shiina.

"What's your name!" Shiina yelled out with a smile on her face. While others chimed in with 'Yeah!' And 'Tell us your name!' I was about to say my hero name. However, I couldn't use that name as my superhero name here. Hiyori along with countless others called me Deku or were at least aware of it. But then what am I supposed to say…

… Actually… I've got the perfect name in mind. I was going to use it in my old world. But I chose not to because I wanted to create my own identity there. But this world doesn't have him here. That's why here I'll call myself-

"I'm… All Might." I replied with a bright smile on my face while Shiina's face lit up with glee. Unbeknownst to me, she thought 'So cool!'

"ALL MIGHT! ALL MIGHT! ALL MIGHT! ALL MIGHT! ALL MIGHT! ALL MIGHT!" I then leaped off the ship while the students were chanting my new hero name. But once again, I couldn't help but thank All Might for giving me this chance at a new life here. But since I had vanished from the scene, I had no idea what was going on up on the front deck anymore. Specifically, the observations of my ultimate enemy and the two siblings who played key roles in this battle.

'He's more dangerous than I thought.' Ayanokoji thought internally while in the form of Kanji Ike before leaving the scene without saying a single word.

"Brother, we need to talk." Suzune declared with her usual serious look on her face. Manabu figured that was coming and begrudgingly nodded. But in the crowd of people watching, a certain man who was known as Kanji Ike witnessed all of these events firsthand with an unamused look on his face. But this was just his cover, because the man named Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had been simply masquerading as the deceased individual up to this point and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. But in the meantime, he had something that he had to attend to.

However, that wasn't all that was going on. News spread far and wide of the hero 'All Might' and how he defeated The Deep, to the point that it reached a certain tower in Manhattan, New York City. The same tower that belonged to Vought International, or more commonly known as Seven Tower. Home to this world's superheroes. (For lack of a better term)

"Sir! You wouldn't believe what just happened!" A woman yelled out with short brown hair reached her shoulders. Her name is Ashley Barrett, and her role is Senior Vice President of Hero Management. (Though she had no authority over The Seven, like her predecessor did.) The person she was talking to too (Also the only other person in the room.) was a certain man who's back was facing her along with the cape that symbolized the American flag that he wore proudly as the number one hero of the United States of America. His name was Homelander.

"Oh really? 'Sir! You wouldn't believe what just happened!' Just spit it the fuck out, Ashley." Homelander replied while imitating the voice of Ashley midsentence that he found utterly obnoxious. Ashley unfazed by this verbal abuse (Which is far from the first time she heard him say something like that and far from the last too) ran over to him. She then showed him the video on her phone, titled: 'All Might kicks The Deep's ass!' Posted by a certain girl named Kayano Onodera. And after showing him the video his response was-

"Okay." Homelander said plainly without any enthusiasm whatsoever, much to the surprise of Ashley.

"Just… okay? Sir, y-you do realize the other person in this video was The Deep… right?" Ashley replied with a confused look on her face, much to the annoyance of Homelander.

"Of course, I know it's The Deep! I'm not a fucking child, Ashley! But so, what!? It's the fucking Deep! He's no longer part of The Seven anymore! So, who the fuck cares?! Because believe me, I don't give a shit if he's dead or not!" Homelander snapped back with a fake smile on his face. But Ashley still had a bit more to say.

"There's more. The other person in this video, the one that defeated The Deep… is not affiliated with Vought whatsoever." Ashley spoke while Homelander looked at her like she was off her rocker.

"W-What do you mean? Like what the fuck are you trying to say?" Homelander asked with a smile on his face as he had no clue where Ashley was going with this. It's almost like she's trying to say that this 'bunny' is some natural born superhero. But there's only one case of that. (That being his son, Ryan.) So, it's very unlikely and highly improbable that this guy is a-

"What I'm trying to say is that he has no Compound V in him. I mean, I haven't done any tests to check for sure. But the evidence suggests that- Ashley spoke but was cut off before she could finish by Homelander.

"That's right. You haven't done any fucking tests. That means someone done fucked up and let some Compound V get all the way over to wherever fuck that video was filmed in. But that's not my problem. It's yours. Or Edgar's. I mean Jesus Christ Ashley! Why the fuck are you even telling me this?!" Homelander snapped back as he was getting visibly annoyed at Ashley for even insulating the chance that this 'bunny' somehow became the world's second natural born supe. Just thinking about it made Homelander think he was high.

"Y-You're right. I'll take care of it." Ashley replied.

"Good. Do whatever you want with the bunny because quite frankly I don't give a fuck what happens to him." Homelander declared but Ashley stood in place as the former wondered why the latter was still here. But before he could say a word about it-

"Um… you see, his name is not 'the bunny' it's actually All Might." Ashley replied but Homelander has had enough of this.

"I don't care what the fuck his name is! Just get the fuck out of here already! I have matters of grave importance that I must attend to. So, next time if you want to barge in here, only do it if it's like a… I don't know… a declaration of war against this country or something. And if it's something that is as trivial as this…. well, I'll make damn sure you regret it." Homelander declared while Ashley nodded before saying 'R-Right.' And leaving the room shortly thereafter. This left Homelander all alone in his personal room, that was decorated with several antiques and the American flag. But then…

"Oh, Deep… you were the best of us. Truly this World's Finest superhero." Homelander muttered to himself while looking at a picture between him and The Deep before shedding crocodile tears.

"Yeah, fucking right." Homelander finished before tossing the picture frame onto the floor and letting the glass break as he casually discarded it along with his memories of The Deep. That's right. Homelander didn't care about anyone but himself, even though he was considered to be the world's greatest superhero.

However, that wasn't all, there was a certain man with black hair and facial hair of the same color who had watched the same video that was uploaded onto the internet and his only response was-

"Fucking diabolical." The man named Billy Butcher muttered to himself with a wry smile on his face. But he wasn't alone in the room he was in. In fact, there were four other people and one of which who noticed him on his phone when they had work to do.

"Butcher, what the fuck are you doing?" The man named MM short for Mother's Milk asked with an annoyed look on his face. This made Butcher stand up as his smile grew wider while walking past MM.

"Oi. It's nothing to get your knickers in a twist. Alright, boys we got work to do." Butcher replied as he stood in front of his group, a particular force of elite humans with the purpose of eliminating 'supes.' Their group was managed by the CIA, and they were called…

… The Boys.

However, it would be a while before me and them would cross paths. But when we did, it would be when all hell was breaking loose.

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: Suzune Horikita and Manabu Horikita

Go Beyond!

Plus Ultra!