Ohhhh boy. HERE we go! HERE WE FUCKING GO-

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5

Kota stared in horror as he saw the fires and flames come from the forest. He had been there when it started- and he was paralyzed with fear. Not because of carnage out there.

But because of the fear that was here.

When Kota turned to run, there was a big, scary cloaked and masked man standing in front of him. He just stared at Kota, drilling a hole through his skull with his eyes.

"Hey, kid." The man's gruff voice said. "I was looking for a place with a good, scenic view, and what do you know...I find some random kid not in the archives. What are you, the class pet?"

The man laughed. "But never mind that. You got a cool hat. Trade me for this lame mask they got me wearing." The man's big arm poked out of the cloak- that hand looked big enough to grab Kota's hand with ease. "I'm a newbie to this shit, so they made me wear this dumb toy."

Kota decided it was time to run- he was scared to see the face under the mask. He turned and bolted the other way, making the man grumble. "Hey..."

The man planted his feet for a moment, and vaulted towards a wall of the mountain. He jumped off the rocks, and then in front of the boy. "Wait a sec, kid! I was gonna have some fun with you…don't mommy and daddy have fun with you? Toss you up and catch you? We're gonna do some of that bullshit."

The man revealed his bloodied and bruised arms, before flaring his quirk to life. Layers of muscle fibers and sinew covered his arms, as the man revealed his face.

Kota saw that face in his worst nightmares. The man from the news report.

The man that killed mom and dad.

The monster in the closet.

Goto Imasuji. The villain known as Muscular- a killer wanted for the murder of dozens of heroes and sidekicks.

And he was scarier, too. The news report Kota saw used his mugshot before his parents scarred his face. His face had a large scar going across the left side of his face and another, smaller scar on the right side of his forehead. The false eye he was using was nightmarish- it looked like something with sharp fangs inside of him was eating his pupil.

How did he come to be this way?

When Goto was only 4, his parents died in a car accident. Because of this, he was taken in by his aunt and uncle.

This was the start of his darkness. While Goto's aunt was...an okay replacement mother, Goto's uncle was a cruel and abusive man who saw Goto as nothing more than a weak and pathetic reminder of his brother, whom he hated. He was beaten regularly, all while his uncle hid the truth from his aunt.

"He's doing it to get attention."

"He keeps on picking fights with kids."

"It's his own damn fault."

Goto had tried many times to speak up about the abuse he was suffering at the hands of his uncle. Each time, his uncle always managed to manipulate the situation to make it seem like Goto was the problem. Goto was constantly told that he was just a troubled kid who needed to straighten up and behave. Even when Goto showed physical signs of abuse, like bruises and scars, people still refused to believe him. They would tell him that he must have done something to provoke his uncle, or that it was just his imagination.

Goto wrestled with the temptation to unleash his quirk and retaliate against his abusive uncle. The power within him would surge and plead to be unleashed, but he was constantly reminded of the futility of his past attempts to speak up and be heard. Using his quirk to defend himself would only exacerbate the situation. His uncle would label him a liar and a troublemaker, and his family would probably side with him. Goto felt powerless, caught in a lose-lose situation.

Despite his frustration and anger, Goto exercised exceptional restraint. He recognized that giving in to his rage and using his quirk would only make matters worse. It would demonstrate to his family that he was erratic and violent, and they would be even less likely to believe his accounts of the abuse he was undergoing.

As a result, Goto felt isolated and helpless. He began to believe that no one cared about him or his well-being, and that he was destined to suffer in silence forever.

Goto grew older, and the abuse from his uncle only got worse. He turned to drugs as a way to cope with the pain and trauma he was experiencing. At first, it was just alcohol. But as time went on and his addiction grew, Goto began experimenting with harder drugs like cocaine and heroin. He would steal money from his aunt and uncle to pay for his addiction, which only fueled their anger towards him.

Goto's drug use led to a downward spiral in his life. He dropped out of school and started hanging out with the wrong crowd. He began committing petty crimes to support his habit. Goto's aunt and uncle had finally had enough of his behavior and decided to confront him about his addiction. They sat him down in the living room and began to lecture him about the dangers of drugs and the impact it was having on their family.

"Why…why are you doing this to yourself, Goto?" His aunt asked, looking at him with concern. "What caused you to go down this path?"

Goto just silently pointed at his uncle, unable to voice the truth.

But his family didn't believe him. His uncle flashed a smirk at him, and his aunt and cousins started to defend him.

"You're spreading stupid lies again, Goto," his cousin sneered. "You're just trying to make Uncle look bad!"

Goto felt his anger building inside of him. "I'm not lying!" he yelled, slamming his fist on the table. "He's been abusing me since I was a kid! You all knew about it and did nothing!"

His uncle stood up, towering over him. "You ungrateful brat," he growled. "We took you in and this is how you repay us? With lies and disrespect?"

Goto couldn't take it anymore. The years of pent-up anger and frustration finally boiled over. "You're the reason I turned to drugs!" he shouted. "You've made my goddamn life a living hell because you couldn't get over my dad having a cushier life than you! Why the hell did you have to beat me over it!?"

Goto's uncle's face contorted with rage. "You disrespectful little shit!" he shouted. "You think you can talk to me like that? I should have thrown you out on the streets a long time ago!"

Goto felt his rage and fear merging into a single, overwhelming emotion. Words had never worked for him. Nobody listens to words...

They paid attention to 'action'. No one cared what All Might had to say after a villain attack! Everyone wanted to talk about that cool Smash attack he did...

It was time for him to take action.

With a sudden surge of power, Goto activated his quirk and finally let his rage take over. He attacked his family with a ferocity he had never felt before. His fists were like hammers, smashing bones and breaking bodies. The room was filled with the sound of screams and shattering furniture as Goto unleashed all of his pent-up anger and frustration.

When it was over, Goto stood alone in the wreckage of his family's home. He was covered in blood and bruises, and the bodies of...whoever the hell they were to him lay at his feet.

As he looked around at the carnage he had wrought, Goto felt a strange sense of freedom wash over him. For years he had been held back by the abuse he suffered at the hands of his uncle, but now he was in control. He could finally take what he wanted without fear of retribution.

And he wanted more of the power he had felt in that moment.

He knew he could never go back to his old life, but he didn't want to. He wanted to embrace this new side of himself, the side that was strong and unafraid.

And so, with a twisted smile on his face, Goto walked out of the wreckage of the home and into the night. He didn't know where he was going, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he was finally free…

"COME ON, KID! LET'S GO!" Muscular yelled, reaching for the kid- until something smashed into his face.

"COOPERSTOWN SMASH!" A baseball sized rock had smashed into Muscular's face. It was enough to knock the false eye out of his socket, but not enough to knock him down.

Kota backed away as Izuku rushed past him, and smashed Muscular in the chest with a 10% Smash. That was enough to knock Muscular down. Izuku immediately turned around.

"Kota! We need to go! NOW!" Izuku yelled.

Izuku felt a jolt of energy shake his body, and he swiveled his head back at the villain. Muscular shot back up, and hammered his muscle coated fist down- Izuku was quick enough to grab Kota and move him away, just in time.

Izuku and Kota tumbled to the ground, with Izuku trying to take a majority of the impacts. He didn't want Kota getting cut up or bruised here.

"W-why'd you!?" Kota yelled.

Muscular smirked. "Hm? Now you...you were on the list."

Izuku coughed and wheezed as he stood back up. The villain he was up against was huge, and really scary looking. Izuku didn't even recognize who he was.

I need to call for backup- I have a nasty feeling I can't take him on alone. Izuku thought, reaching for his phone. He grabbed onto his pocket, but felt nothing. Izuku's eyes darted around, before they locked onto a shattered phone screen.

Crap! My phone's smashed- I didn't tell Iida or Mandalay where I was going, so I'm gonna have to fight this guy alone... Izuku thought. All that's standing in this villain's way is me. But, my top priority should be protecting Kota. But...

Izuku turned to see Kota, scared and crying. He grit his teeth, and put on a brave face.

I have no choice here.

"It's...it's gonna be okay, Kota." Izuku said. "Even if I'm on my own...I'm gonna save you!"

Even though he was scared, even though he could die…

Izuku Midoryia was smiling.

Muscular laughed at that. "Sorry- you're gonna save him? Only a budding hero would say something so pathetic. Ready to parade that face of justice anywhere, anytime." Muscular ripped off his cloak, as Izuku stood his ground. His veins started to light up, showing that Full Cowling was in effect.

"You're Midoryia, aren't you? What perfect timing." Muscular said, clenching his fists. "I'd been ordered to start things off by killing your sorry ass!" His muscles started to grow out of his right arm in a grotesque display.

"SHOW ME YOUR BLOOD, KID!" Muscular roared, as he rushed forward. Izuku tried to block the villain's quick attack with his right arm, but Muscular easily broke through his defense...and his bones. The boy could hear his bones crack and break as Muscular's quirk enhanced fist smashed into him.

I thought All Might's handicapped punches hurt! This is way worse! Izuku yelled in pain as he slammed into the rock wall beside them.

"Whoops." Muscular said. "I almost forgot to ask...tell me. Do you know where that dumbass kid Bakugou is?"

Izuku looked up in shock. Bakugou?!

"Come on, kid. You got lips. USE THEM!" Muscular propelled himself further, and Izuku dodged out of the way.

They're after Bakugou!? But why? Izuku thought.

"Can I take that as a no?" Muscular taunted. "All right." Muscular wrapped his feet in the muscle fibers, and kicked the boy in the ribs. Izuku again smashed into the rock wall, before falling to the ground.

Blood was dripping from Izuku's forehead. Muscular laughed. "THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! BLOOD! NOW WE'RE REALLY HAVING SOME FUN!" He roared. "What was with that 'I'll save you, no matter what' bullshit earlier, kid? Why are you running away? YOU FUCKIN' CRACK ME UP, KID!"

Izuku forced himself back up with his one good arm. That muscle fiber quirk was so fast and powerful- he couldn't worry about Bakugou's safety right now! He needed to stay focused on the enemy in front of him.

Muscular walked forward, as Izuku shot back up. With his one good arm, Izuku launched a powerful blind haymaker at Muscular. The fist collided with Muscular's beefed up arm, and didn't budge him an inch.

"What?" Muscular scoffed. "That's your quirk? You're pretty fast...but not nearly strong enough!"

He knocked Izuku away with ease, causing him to take quite the tumble. Muscular began to increase his muscle fiber layers. "My quirk? Now, this is top grade bullshit. My muscles get so enhanced they can't be contained by my skin! They raise the standard in speed and power!" Muscular walked forward. "I'm BRAGGING, kid!"

Izuku stood back up. "Your power SUCKS compared to mine! Yours is a completely inferior version!" Muscular bragged. The villain tried to crush him with a powerful punch, but Izuku dodged in time. However, the debris created by his opponent's punch smashed into the head.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Muscular yelled, chasing after Midoryia. He smashed his fist into his broken arm, and sent Izuku flying to the ground.

"I can't help but laugh at this, kid!" Muscular yelled. "This fight has been a total joke. You're more like a punching bag than an actual threat. How the hell was Shigaraki so intimidated by some kid with a lame ass power?!"

Izuku just laid there- he wanted to force himself to get back up, but this villain was too much for one fifteen year old rookie to handle by himself.

"You're gonna save that brat!? That's pathetic! Talk is cheap when you're yapping a whole lot of nothing!" Muscular raised his fist. "JUST BE HONEST WITH YOURSEL-"

A rock hit the back of Muscular's head, taking him out of his grandiose speech. Confused, he turned around to see Kota- he tossed the rock to divert attention away.

"W-when you killed m-my parents...did you torture them like this?!" Kota yelled out. Izuku's pupils shrank.

Muscular blinked. "You're gonna have to be more specific, kid. I killed a lot of parents."

"W-waterhose! My mom and dad..." Kota yelled.

Muscular laughed. "Woah, seriously? You're their kid? This must be fate or something...they're the ones that gave me THIS." Muscular pointed to his bad eye.

"I-it's all your fault!" Kota yelled. "Because of people like you! Things always turn out like this!"

Muscular scoffed. "Brats like you just sure know how to pass the blame- I don't give a shit about what they did to me. A single blow- they got lucky. I just killed them because I could."

Kota backed away, as Muscular's muscles started to bulge. "I do what I want WHEN I want because I have the power to. No cops were able to take me. No jail can hold me- all those heroes brag and bitch and moan, saying they could defeat me! I HATE people who can't put their money where their mouth is! "

Muscular suddenly got very unhinged, as raised his fists up high in the air. "JUST LIKE YOUR PATHETIC MOM AND DAD!"

Izuku leapt up. Muscular smirked, and spun around. "That riled you up, didn't it you raggedy little punching bag!?"

"THE FAULT...IS YOURS!" Izuku yelled, as he rushed forward. Izuku was outclassed in terms of speed and damage- so, if speed was the problem, he'd just need an unorthodox solution.

Izuku's broken arm slipped in between some of his muscle's fibers. Muscular's muscles clamped down on it like a vice.

He jammed his useless arm into my muscles!? Why the fuck would he do something like that? Muscular thought.

"So, what? You're gonna hit me with that other weak arm?!" Muscular laughed.

"It's not a matter of whether or not I can do it!" Izuku roared back in anger. "A hero's job...is to risk his life to make those words into reality!"

Izuku charged up an attack with his good arm. Kota noticed how different this one felt- he swore he saw lightning emanating from his arm. Muscular saw it too-!

"What?" Muscular said.

ONE FOR ALL! 100%! Izuku yelled, as he thrust his fist forward. The attack was strong enough to rip parts of his shirt off.

"SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!" Izuku yelled, as his fist connected with his opponent's throat. The attack did some serious damage, and destroyed half of the mountainside it was on. Kota shielded himself from the debris, but the impact generated by the attack was too much for his little body.

A massive wind current blasted Kota back, almost over the edge. When he thought he was gonna splatter onto the ground...someone saved him. Biting down onto the back collar of his shirt, Izuku had literally saved Kota with the skin of his teeth.

Kota looked back up- Izuku was biting down on his shirt like there was no tomorrow. His arms were broken and messy, and his eyes were full of tears. But the boy was safe- his pain could come later.

"S-sorry...for blowing you away, too..." Izuku apologized. Izuku yanked the boy back up with his teeth, and fell to the ground.

"T-thank you..." Kota crawled over to help him back up. Izuku was breathing heavily, and looked like shit. That one punch had to have knocked that villain out. Kota had to look away from the arm- the sight of it made him gag.

Why? Kota thought.

"L-let's get back to the camp." Izuku muttered. His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were tired. "It's not too...far from her-"

That's when Izuku heard something move from behind him. A massive mess of muscles stood back up, and retreated into Muscular's unharmed body.

Unharmed.

"I-I was at 100%..." Izuku muttered, gritting his teeth.

"That punch...was way too obvious." Muscular smirked. "But it wasn't bad!" He started to approach the boy.

"G-get away!" Izuku yelled, standing in between him and Kota.

"Not a goddamn chance, kid. There's no stopping me." Muscular smirked.

"W-what do you want!?" Izuku tried stalling for time. "What are the villains-"

"Wanna know what I'm gonna do, kid?" Muscular said, walking forward. "I'm just gonna kill EVERYONE here. I don't care! Those fuckers in the League didn't trust me to begin with. They knew I'd snap eventually- and you know what? I'll kill them too."

Izuku's broken fists started to shake.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill the kid. I'll kill the other brats here. I'll fucking kill those pro heroes. I'll kill that Omnitrix wearing BITCH if she's gonna be stupid enough to face me- and I'll do it because I fucking can." Muscular gloated.

Izuku's pupils shrank.

"THIS is real power, kid! No morals, no mercy, NOTHING! The only thing that matters in this world is POWER! You've got a top grade quirk- I think you know that too!" Muscular reached into his pocket, and took out another false eye.

Izuku's body went numb.

"You're strong! So FANTASTICALLY STRONG!" Muscular yelled, attaching a dark eye that looked like a black hole.

100%. A voice muttered in Izuku's head. 100%. 100% of…my power.

"SO COME ON! SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN REALLY! FUCKING! D-"

And Izuku exploded.

…

…

Well, no. Izuku didn't explode.

Something tenebrous suddenly propelled itself out of the front part of his body. It was writhing and otherworldly. It didn't appear very...heroic at all, if that's even the right word. It started lashing out at Muscular and the land around him in an uncontrollable manner.

Izuku's pupils contracted once again as he experienced fresh terror. "W-what!?" The unanticipated energy emanating from his body hooked itself to the side of the mountain, and it drew him in the direction of Muscular with all of its might. They both crashed against the wall at the same time.

Kota stumbled backward, bewildered by the events that had just taken place.

W-what's with those...scary black whips coming out of his body!? Kota thought. As the dust cleared, Kota could see Izuku, struggling to keep his composure.

"Ko...ta!" Izuku yelled. "RUN! I CAN'T...CONTROL THIS!"

Izuku's arm was twitching wildly as it went into spasms. He had never encountered this power before, but it was quickly spreading over the area. From his torso sprang more and more of these awful tendrils, which were black and whipping and snapping like mad.

"What in the hell is this!?" Muscular roared as he worked on building up the muscle on his arms. The dark tendrils were fast to attack at him and burrow through the fibers of his muscles as they approached him. They started cutting them up, which caused Muscular to scream out in anguish.

Did I underestimate him!? Is his quirk really like mine?! Muscular thought. The black energy- it must be an external form of whatever his quirk uses internally.

Muscular just narrowly avoided becoming entangled in the tangle of tendrils that encircled Izuku's torso. Suddenly, the tendrils propelled themselves forward and chased after Muscular. They secured their grip on the land around him and dragged Izuku forward as a result. Muscular shouted as Izuku zoomed by him and kneed him in the face with his knee.

Why...does this hurt!? Izuku thought, as he slammed into a wall. Why does this power hurt!? I thought...I had this power under control! WHAT IS THIS?

Izuku watched Muscular jump back, and the tendrils came down like pincers around him. Muscular tried to grab onto a bunch of them and pull Izuku towards him, but the whips dissipated in his hands. More tendrils shot out to replace them, stabbing into his arms and legs.

"This fucking BRAT!" Muscular yelled. His arms and legs were quickly restrained by the black whips. Izuku tried to open his mouth to yell at Kota, but to his shock, more black tendrils came out of his mouth. The mouth tendrils wrapped around Muscular's head, and began to suffocate the man. Izuku's pupils shrank. The tendrils began to compact around Muscular's head, and Izuku could see him struggle and scream.

This overwhelming mass of tendrils was…too much…to…!

No!

NOOOOOOOO!

…

…

You're overdoing it, kid! Yeesh.

All of a sudden, the tendrils fled back into his body where they had come from. Izuku fell to the ground in a heap, hacking and hacking up blood as well as sobbing.

What...what the hell...was that!? Izuku thought.

Izuku hoped that was the end. That the attack had incapacitated Muscular. His body wasn't moving- that could either mean that he was knocked out or…

Izuku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed a minute.

But a sharp headache told him he wouldn't get that minute.

"You fucking BRAT!" Muscular yelled, standing back up. His body- it looked like he'd coated his entire BODY in muscles. Head to toe- it was like the villain had turned himself inside out. The muscles were especially thick and pumping full of energy. Izuku's eyes had never seen such a horrific sight.

"I don't know what the shit that was, but I'm not gonna fuckin' let you do that again, kid!" Muscular roared. "SO COME ON!"

Izuku weakly stood back up.

If Izuku could run- he'd run to the camp. He'd have Aizawa erase his quirk, and have the others subdue him then. But could that even be possible? Izuku was exhausted, and trying to run with this cluster headache felt like-

No, don't think! He needed to fight! Needed to win!

"N-no!" Kota called out, peeking out of the rock he'd hidden behind. "Get down! Your arms-!"

"IT'S OKAY!" Izuku yelled, as the energy surged through his arms. Izuku's least broken arm clenched into a fist, and full body Muscular blitzed his way towards him.

Izuku's fist collided with Muscular's muscles, and he struggled to hold his ground. Muscular laughed. "YOU LITTLE SHIT! WHAT'S WRONG!?" Muscular laughed, smashing Izuku to the ground. "THIS IS WEAKER THAN BEFORE!"

Izuku strained to keep Muscular's fist from reaching him. The power was too great for Izuku, and he felt like his arm was ready to come off.

"KOTA!" Izuku yelled out in vain. "RUN! HE WON'T GET PAST ME!"

Kota stared in horror, and backed away.

"RUN AWAY!" Izuku yelled.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Muscular laughed. "YOU REALLY ARE SOMETHING ELSE!" Muscular smashed him into the ground, and was burying him underneath the writhing mass of muscles he'd used to power himself up. Izuku's arm was snapping and cracking, and he was going to die- he could hear the drumbeat of death playing in the back of his mind.

I'm sorry! Izuku thought through the tears. Mom! Dad! All Might! Uraraka! I'M SO SORRY!

Muscular was laughing madly, happy to win. This kid was a whole fucking mess of powers, but goddamn, he gave him a run for his money! For a second, he thought this kid was actually gonna win-

SPLASH.

A crashing torrent of waves smashed into Muscular's body, breaking his focus for a minute.

KOTA! Izuku thought.

"S-STOP IT!" Kota yelled through the tears.

"Seriously?" A very, very out of breath Muscular said. "I'll kill you when I'm good and ready-"

And then, it happened again.

That horrible black energy shot out of Izuku's body.

"As if...I'd let you..." Izuku said, as the black tendrils lifted him back up, allowing him to push back against Muscular's body.

"W-wait, hold on!? What the hell are you-!" Muscular yelled. Suddenly, the black tendrils shot OUT of his muscles, and wrapped around his throat.

Izuku let out a shout as more tendrils began to penetrate everything in the area surrounding him. Muscular felt his body get lifted off the ground- these tendrils were picking up his body, sending him higher and higher.

WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING!? Muscular cursed as he struggled.

All of those additional muscles need oxygen in order to operate. That sound I had heard earlier that sounded like a death drum- that was really Muscular's heartbeat going into overdrive! Izuku thought. He channeled whatever remaining concentration and rage he had on sending more mysterious black tendrils through the muscle maze and up to his adversary's neck…and squeezed.

"One for All...100%!" Izuku yelled, as the muscles were choked harder and harder. Muscular found himself gasping for air, and his vision started to blur. "NEBRASKA...SMASH!"

SQUEEZE.

Muscular's eyes started to roll back into the back of his skull as Izuku's tentacles applied even more pressure to his neck.

SQUEEZE.

Muscular's strength began to wane as the lack of oxygen took its toll on his body. Izuku could feel the resistance fading, but he could also sense the immense pain Muscular was enduring…

SQUEEZE!

Muscular's body slumped. The dangerous muscles started to deflate and retreated into his body. Izuku released his tendrils grip on Muscular's throat. The man fell headfirst into the forest below, slamming against trees and breaking several bones along the way. The black tendrils, which had been writhing with anger and disgust just minutes before, were now slowly lowering Izuku to the ground. This allowed him to pause for a moment and recover his strength.

What is this power? Izuku thought, more clearly. I…I'm worried about what this could mean for One for All, but…

Izuku was sweaty, bloodied and bruised. It was a miracle he could stand- and he let out a courageous roar of victory, a truly primal moment for such a curt and proper young man. Kota looked on, shaking with relief...

"Even though you don't know me..." Kota muttered. "Why did you go so far!?"

Izuku took a deep breath.

"Because...that's what a hero does." Izuku said, with a small smile.

Even though he was in pain- even though he'd nearly died...

Izuku Midoryia was still smiling.