Chapter Text
“C-can I be a hero like you, even though I don’t have a quirk?”
The young boy looked at All Might pleadingly, with the first pin pricks of tears starting to form in the corner of his eyes. All Might could feel the tearing in his side as he looked at the small boy before him after he asked his question. He had hoped he could have returned home after turning in the sludge villain and then let his quirk go. But first, he needed to handle this, a quirkless child wanting to be a hero.
He could see the faint bruises showing through the edges of the boy’s clothes, mostly burns, not the work of the slime villain. He let his quirk go, after all he knew the pain of a quirkless life himself, he needed to help this boy. He was always a hero, not just when on the clock.
He was enveloped in a cloud of smoke as he felt his body shrink in on itself a feeling that after five years he still wasn’t fully used to. He lost sight of the boy as the smoke rose, seeing the boy looking down at his shoes, shaking and waiting for an answer that he hoped would be his salvation.
Izuku needed this, after the day he had with Kacch- no, Bakugo he told himself. He really needed to start seeing Bakugo for what he was deep down. A villain in the making.
“If you want a quirk so bad, why don’t you take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in the next life?!” What kind of hero would say that to a quirkless kid? none would except he had a feeling Endeavour would have that kind of outlook on life.
~ a few minutes earlier ~
‘This was a mistake,’ Izuku thought as he tried to pull himself free of the slime that had grabbed him. ‘Today has just been a horrible day, a day better spent at home pretending to be sick.’
“Ha-ha, thanks kid I needed a disguise to get away from that guy. You really are my hero.” The villain laughed at his own joke as he began to enter Izuku’s mouth to possess him. Izuku could feel the slime filling him, he was running out of breath, his vision was growing darker. Right as he closed his eyes for what he thought would be his final time he thought to himself ‘Goodbye… Mom.’ A loud clang was the last sound he heard as he went under.
“Hey kid! You ok, can you hear me?” Izuku felt a rapid tapping on his right cheek, he groggily opened his eyes to a halo of yellow with bright burning blue eyes staring at him in worry.
“Huh, weird dream, it's All Mi- WAIT, ALL MIGHT?!” Izuku bolted up upon seeing his idol in the flesh, the hero he wanted to emulate to one day be revered on the same level as, to help him save people.
“Glad to see you’re still with us young man!” All Might said, surprisingly gently , not his usual loud and boisterous tone of voice. Izuku, not one to miss this opportunity, began to dig for his notebook, only to realize that his bookbag had been torn open during the scuffle. He looked around for it, only to finally find it, in All Might’s hands.
“This is quite good quirk analysis Young-”
“M-Midoriya Izuku, sir,” Izuku managed to squeak out with barely a stutter for once.
“Young Midoriya. This is quite good actually. Is this all from your quirk?”
“Quirk? No All Might, I uh, I am actually quirkless…” Izuku looked down, he felt a bit of pride when All Might of all people praised his quirk notes. But knew that he needed to ask his question, the one that he held deep down forever, always afraid to ask anyone else, as he knew what they would say. He could feel the tears forming on the edges of his eyes as he asked, “Can I be a hero like you, even though I don’t have a quirk?” After asking he looked down, his face scrunching up as he waited for what he would think would be the worst possible answer.
Izuku saw smoke and suddenly looked up, and saw an anorexic looking man wearing All Might’s clothes “WHAT!? Who are you? Where did All Might go?”
“I’m right here, Midoriya. I understand you might be startled by this look on me, but trust me I am All Might”
“Wait what about the slime? Can’t he hear you? See you?” Izuku asked incredulously, this was a big deal, All Might had a secret form, a secret to his quirk possibly he couldn’t just show this off to anyone he thought.
“Ahh I handed him off to another hero to take in and said I would stay here to make sure you were fine,” the skinny All Might replied. “Now kid, to answer your question I need to explain to you how I look.” All Might lifted his shirt up, revealing an ugly scar that twisted his sides in a horrible mesh of uneven skin that looked extremely painful as if it was still fresh. “I received this five years ago in a battle.”
“Wait, Toxic Chainsaw was able to do that to you?” Izuku interjected.
“No, that punk’s blade was a dull tickle. This injury cost me my stomach and a lung, that fact that I survived is a miracle in of itself. This came from a villain whose existence was kept a secret. Imagine what Japan would be like if they knew of him, of this injury.”
“It would be chaos…” Izuku trailed off, thinking who could have done it, people swore they had seen gunfire bounce off All Might’s skin. To break his skin, and damage his organs, Izuku felt dread climbing up from his stomach. Was the villain still around? Were there other villains with that same level of power?
“Exactly, young Midoriya. Now, you wanted to know if you could be a hero without a quirk, right?” Izuku looked at All Might seeing him not as unstoppable bastion, but as a simple man, he gulped, he knew the answer already. “Your quirk analysis is rather good; I have only seen analysis done this well by a few others. However, I feel that being quirkless you would be at great ris-” All Might stopped talking, for standing behind Izuku was a phantom. in over twenty years he hadn’t seen one of these, but this one he knew the best. Nana Shimura was standing behind Midoriya looking at him with disdain.
“Toshi, were you not a quirkless child yourself once? You must know what he has been through. You noticed the bruises and burns,” Nana said with an ethereal tone to her voice, like she was prevented from truly being back. “Plus, we feel drawn to this boy, we past users do not know why, but they are drawn to him as they were drawn to you, Toshi.”
“Wait, you mean it wasn’t just you that chose me, but the previous users as well?” Toshi was amazed, he had only seen visions of past users once, he never expected meeting a child would awaken a secret aspect of his quirk.
“Um, All Might, sir?” Izuku spoke up, All Might had been looking dazed for a while now, and he was growing worried.
“Sorry young Midoriya, I was doing some self-reflecting. Come, let us walk and talk about your question. I feel that a more nuanced answer would be best. And please, while I am in this form call me Toshinori Yagi. Now then, why do you wish to be a hero, young Midoriya?” As Yagi finished a large explosion was heard.
‘Well let’s see why the previous users are interested in this child, maybe I too will be impressed.’
Izuku and Toshinori were headed towards the explosion when Izuku asked, “Why haven’t you buffed back up and taken off to the explosion?”
“Ahh, a good question. You see I can only use that form for three hours a day now, saving you was the last bit of it for the day, forcing it past the limit would decrease it faster. I would prefer to be able to save everyone but I too must face reality at times.” Toshinori finished with a sad look on his face, Izuku figured it made sense after all, with that kind of limit there had to be times when he was late to save someone. As they approached the source of the explosion, they saw a crowd gathering around caution tape, being held back by police and a few pro heroes that Izuku recognized, Kamui Woods, Backdraft, Mt. Lady, and Deatharms. Backdraft was busy putting out fires around the area, while Kamui Woods was pulling people away from the edges of the fire, towards the police line to be kept safe from further harm
“I’m useless here, I can’t go too far into the fire,” Kamui Woods told his fellow heroes, he hated that he was kept back, but knew that he would be lit up instantly if he tried his luck.
Izuku was taking this in, looking for a source of the fire, when he saw him.
“The sludge villain, but how? He was captured and you said another hero took him!” Izuku was upset, the villain that tried to kill him was free and causing a rampage.
“It would appear so, but I don’t remember him having a fire ability to his quirk-”
BOOM!
“LET ME GO YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!” Bakugo was yelling at the slime villain, letting explosions rip from his palms as he tried to pull himself free from the muck.
“KACHAAN!” Izuku yelled seeing his former friend, now bully sinking further into the slime villain’s body. ‘Why do you wish to be a hero?’ Toshinori’s question played through Izuku’s head once again.
Upon hearing his name Bakugo looked forward and saw Izuku staring at him ‘Deku! What the hell is he doing here?’ He saw Deku pick up his foot and move forward. ‘No don’t Deku, you’ll just get yourself killed.’ Bakugo’s eyes opened wider. ‘Isn’t that what I told him to do earlier though?’ Bakugo closed his eyes. ‘Guess this is karma then huh, for being such a shitty person.’
Seeing Bakugo close his eyes was what it took, seeing the heroes standing around, complaining about how they were a bad match was what it took, Izuku had already thought of four plans that they could have used to save Bakugo from the slime villain.
Izuku ran.
Toshinori was really hating that he was out his quirk, for the day. Seeing Midoriya call out that trapped boy’s name hurt him. ‘He knows him, he’s going to possibly see someone he knows die, all because I am too weak.’ “Midoriya, I’m sure-” Midoriya was gone, he looked up Midoriya was midair, book bag swinging into the villain’s face, blinding him. ‘Huh his eyes are solid. Wait did Midoriya know that already, one look and he saw a weakness?’
“What the hell kid? Didn’t I finish you off once?” The villain was mad now, he couldn’t see a damn thing with all the school supplies stuck to his face, he felt a tug.
“What are you doing, Deku?’ Bakugo screeched at him.
“I couldn’t just stand there and watch you die, you needed help so I am here now, we may not like each other, but I would never just let you die!” Bakugo was stunned, no matter how he treated Izuku he still thought he was worth saving. “Now grab my hand and let me help you this time!” With one final tug and explosion, Bakugo was free.
“Now you’ve done it brat! Prepare to die!” The villain was bringing his arm down upon both boys, Izuku closed his eyes.
Nothing. ‘Did he miss?’
“Heh, I really am pathetic, letting children do my job for me” All Might was there, holding the villain back.
“What, no! I thought I lost you,” yelled the villain, not seeing All Might appear until he was held back.
“You can’t evade justice forever villain! DETROIT SMASH!!” All Might chastised the villain, while pulling back his fist before letting loose a massive punch.
The villain didn’t see it coming, he only felt himself spreading apart.
The crowd was amazed, where once stood a villain wreathed in fire and destruction, stood a hero soaking up the sun’s rays on what had just been a cloudy day.
“The clouds! He punched the clouds away!” yelled Deatharms, amazed by what he witnessed.
“Now then young man, are you ok?” All Might turned to Bakugo to look at him. “Hmm a bit of shellshock. Head to the ambulances, these heroes here will escort you.” He looked at the heroes that stood around watching the whole time, motioning for them to come help Bakugo up.
“Now then young man,” All Might turned to Izuku. “I think we need to have a talk, don’t you?” Izuku nodded and was helped up by All Might. “I’m sorry everyone, I have no time for questions, I need to talk with this young man who ran out to save that boy. Please send all questions to my agency and I will try my best to answer them.” All Might finished with the crowd and led Izuku past the police barricade.
All Might seemed to be taking a weird path Izuku thought to himself, ‘Are we being followed? I don’t want him chastising me on the news.’
All Might was once again enveloped in a cloud smoke hiding his transformation from Izuku, once he finished wiping blood away from his mouth he spoke.
“Damn, went too far again, but it was worth it.”
Izuku looked at Toshinori confused. “Too far? You don’t mean?”
“Yeah, I went over my limit saving you and that kid back there, but I’m a hero. It’s the right thing to do.”
Izuku shook his head in understanding then bowed his head suddenly. “Thank you for saving me and Bakugo again, sir!”
“Pick your head up Midoriya, it is quite alright. Now tell me, why did you run out there? You are quirkless, what did you expect to do?” Toshinori was curious, what did Nana and the past users see in this small boy, why was One for All drawn to such a small quirkless child?
“Well, I saw Bakugo’s eyes. He looked scared, like he needed a hero, someone to save him. I couldn’t just stand around and let the heroes do nothing, someone had to do something, and then suddenly…” Izuku trailed off.
“Suddenly what, Midoriya?”
“I was already running to him, bookbag halfway off to blind the villain. I didn’t think, I simply went with what felt right to me.”
Izuku didn’t have a real plan, he knew that he just did what he thought a hero should do, the right thing no matter what people thought of him.
Unbeknownst to Izuku he was mumbling this bit, Toshinori was beginning to grin.
‘Now I see why they were interested in this boy. A pure heart, a drive to help others, and selflessness to be a hero for others, it seems.’
“Tell me Midoriya, why do you wish to be a hero? I’m still waiting for that answer,” Toshinori interjected before Midoriya could go any further in his mumbling.
Izuku looked up at Toshinori. ‘This is my chance, he hasn’t rebuked me yet.’
Izuku took a breath.
“I want to be a hero like you All Might, I want to ensure to people that there is hope, that they have nothing to fear when I am there, that I will do everything in my power to save everyone I can. And if I fail to follow through, to become better than I was before.” Izuku finished speaking and looked at Toshinori, waiting to see what he would say next.
Toshinori was beside himself. ‘This is it, the one!’
Toshinori bulked up into his hero form immediately, “Young Midoriya! That answer, it is the one I have been searching for five years now. You can be a hero, and I will make you the best there ever was. I choose you, Midoriya Izuku, to be my successor to take my quirk and surpass me.” All Might was beaming at Izuku, waiting to see hear his response.
“I-I c-can be a h-hero?” Izuku was stunned, he was afraid that he would be chastised, afraid that deep down, even the number one hero would say it was impossible.
“WAIT!!! SUCCESSOR?! QUIRK?!”
