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All men are not created equal.
You learn that early on, from the time when you are first born. You enter this world, crying and screaming, and roll the dice on whether you end up in a hospital, cared for by nurses and doctors and mothers, or whether you find yourself on the streets, cold and uncared for.
Too many end up in the second category. Too many end up hurt and hurting others, an endless cycle of pain and suffering, perpetuated by the world that coldly looks on, uncaring of the horrors below.
Izuku Midoriya was lucky. He was lucky to be loved. He was lucky to be born. He was lucky to get his quirk. But one thing that was not luck, was what he would do.
This is not the story of how Izuku Midoriya became the greatest hero.
This is the story of how, with blazing golden eyes and shining wings behind it, the world changed forever, with Izuku Midoriya at the helm.
☆ ☆ ☆
“A giant villain, huh?”
Screeches rang out in the air as Izuku looked on at a giant villain stomping around in the train station. He let out a quiet hiss at the knowledge that his train would likely be delayed, and then approached the brawl, taking a good look as he brought out his notebook.
“GET AWAYYYYY!” the villain cried, swiping a hand through the air towards the hero fighting him. Izuku gazed up at the hero, wracking his mind for a second before gasping. “Oh! Kamui Woods! He’s a capture hero with a high rate of captures due to his easily usable and non-damaging techniques. On a larger villain like this, he could try to trip them up in order to more easily knock them over for a capture but that could result in more property damage and civilian harm…” Izuku muttered before a laugh from behind cut him out of his ramblings.
“GAHAHAH! You must be some kinda hero fanatic talking like that, kid!” said a man with a star protruding out of his head. Izuku laughed sheepishly and shook his head. “It’s more of a hobby than an obsession I’d say, but-” His head snapped back to the combat as he heard a cry come from the fangirls in the front of the crowd. Kamui had soared back in the air and landed on top of the station with a flip. “Illegal usage of abilities during rush hour, as well as robbery and assault? You’re pure evil.” he said, as Izuku smiled. “Seems like it’s gonna be that move then…” he said, as the fangirls began to speak in unison with Kamui.
“Your punishment is here. LACQUERED CHAIN PRISON!” yelled Kamui as a blast of tendrils erupted from his arms, the villain tensing up and winding back his fist in preparation to fight off the onslaught. The two forces rushed towards one another, before a resounding crashing noise rang out as another gigantic figure slammed into the villain, with a call of “CANYON CANNON!”
Izuku sweatdropped. “Ah. She’s definitely…a new hero.” The star man from before nudged him on the shoulder at that, and Izuku turned. “So, are you looking to be a hero or something with all those notes?” the man said, and Izuku smiled, a radiant thing that seemed to literally light up the air. “That’s the hope, sir!”
“Too bright…” the star man grimaced out, before smirking. “Well, with that kind of devotion, I’m sure you’ll make it! Keep at it kid!” Izuku nodded and thanked the man, before walking off towards school. At the very least, a villain attack counted as an excused tardy…
☆ ☆ ☆
“
Deku…”
a voice hissed out as Izuku entered the classroom at Aldera High. Izuku sighed, and almost on instinct raised his arm, meeting the arm of Katsuki Bakugou as he did. He gazed into the blonde’s eyes for a second, before letting out a snort. “You sound kinda stupid when you do that voice, Kacchan.”
The blonde returned that with “And you just look stupid constantly, so I think we’re evenly matched, nerd.” before walking with the green haired boy to their seats.
Katsuki was…an oddity to Izuku, really. The two of them were friends, in the broadest definition of that word. They got along well, hung out and trained outside of school, and really were essentially every bit a dynamic duo, if it wasn’t for the fact that, in all honesty, neither of them really knew why they did so. Sure, they both wanted to be heroes, and sure, both of them were massive fans of All Might, but apart from that? They couldn’t be more different. Katsuki suffered from anger issues, mainly generated from his body’s higher production of testosterone due to his nitroglycerin related quirk, Explosion. On the other hand, Izuku was, most of the time, as calm as could be. Katsuki was a fighter designed for power, large and muscled, with power enough to blow through entire walls.. Izuku, though, was lithe and small, built for speed and disruption. Katsuki preferred to solve problems through action, while Izuku solved things with words.
It didn’t
really
matter, Izuku supposed as he sat in his seat, staring at the explosive teen, given that the two of them managed just fine. He did wonder though, how things could’ve been, in another time. Sure, the two of them got along fine here, but what if Izuku had been less lucky? Less social, less strong, perhaps even without a quirk? It was rare, in this generation, but 20% wasn’t 0%, even if most of that 20% was older people.
The teacher, Mr. Taro, strutted into the room, clearly excited for something, and the rest of the class, who had filed in over time, talking and gossiping while waiting for the educator’s arrival, quieted. Silence fell for a second, before Mr. Taro dramatically cleared his throat. “You all are in your final year of high school. It’s time to start taking your future seriously! I would hand out career aptitude forms, but let’s all just be honest.” He tossed the forms into the air. “You lot all want to be heroes!” The class erupted in excitement, showing off their quirks, from extending fingers to spike hands.
“Yes, yes, it’s a very exciting prospect, but quirk use is banned in the classroom! You all should know why as well, unless you weren’t paying attention to last week’s history lesson.” A groan erupted from the students at that, before a sound came from behind Izuku. “Come on teach, why are you lumping me in with these extras?” Katsuki, feet raised on the desk he sat at, smirked, hand smoldering from a small explosion. Some of the closer kids grumbled about him calling them extras, but ultimately simmered down. Katsuki, for as much as he was a model student in terms of grades, was a bit of a dick to most of them, though they all knew he didn’t mean much by it. Strong as he was, he wasn’t one to discount the need for people to keep him growing stronger.
“Yes, yes, Bakugou, you’re very strong and excellent, I’m sure.” Mr. Taro said in a deadpan, before glancing down at the form on his desk. “And in usual fashion, you’ve turned your form in ahead of time, and…oh. Well, I can’t say I’m surprised, but truly, Bakugou? UA?”
The class quieted at that, only whispers echoing. “
UA? Isn’t that the one with the like 1% acceptance rate?” “I heard last year, the entrance exam had them fighting the pro heroes that are teachers!” “Is he crazy?”
At the last one, Katsuki scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, lowest acceptance rate in the country and all that. Not like I asked! I’m gonna make it into UA, and become one of the best heroes there are!”
“Oh, and it seems Midoriya also applied for UA.”
The classroom went quiet again, before it erupted in voices. “Heck yeah, Midoriya! Do your best!” “I know Midoriya’s got it!” “No way they don’t accept Midoriya! He’s amazing!” Izuku let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, everyone! I’ll carry your beliefs forward! Plus Ultra, right?”
After that, it was time for class to actually begin. School was fairly simple, and Izuku managed to make his way through with not much effort behind it. Packing up, Izuku slid his notebook into his bag, and turned around to face Katsuki.
“You heading home?” Izuku said, stretching his hands above his head. Katsuki scoffed, and shook his head. “Nah, I’ve gotta pick up some stuff for dinner tonight. Curry ain’t making itself.” The two of them nodded at each other, and bumped fists. “See you later then, Kacchan.” Izuku said, as he headed for the door.
☆ ☆ ☆
The tunnel was quiet. Izuku sat against a wall, holding out his hand. UA.
UA was his dream. Really, it was the dream of every student who wanted to be a hero in Japan. The most prestigious hero school out there, with teachers who were some of the biggest names on heroics. Present Mic, Midnight, Nezu, Snipe, big names, most of whom were alumni of the school too. And here Izuku was, armed with an, admittedly, quite strong healing part to his quirk, and a danger sensing component. How quaint. How was he supposed to measure up to Kacchan, or to all of the other powerhouses?
How could he ever do what All Might did, in that video, in his life, in everything? How do you be a hero, when all you can do is help yourself?
It was these thoughts that kept Izuku so occupied, that he barely even noticed the sound of the manhole sliding open and closed, or the slick sound of slime oozing across the floor. Even the gentle ping of his Divine Sense, the very thing supposed to alert him to dangerous evil nearby, didn’t stir him from his thoughts.
In fact, he only noticed when he felt a strangulation feeling, as the goop began to curl around him. Izuku let out a desperate gasp, before he felt the ooze creep into his throat. “
Don’t worry.”
the villain said.
“I’m just hijacking your body. Calm down. It’ll all be over soon…”
Izuku struggled, desperately. Training for years upon years on end to increase his strength, his stamina, and all for naught when trapped like this. Izuku desperately thought, thinking back to past fights he’d observed and analyzed. Toxic Chainsaw…no, Izuku didn’t have the strength to blow the slime away. Slimer…he didn’t exactly have the suction power of the American hero team Ghostbusters.
He could feel his consciousness slipping away, feel the dark enclosing him. He almost gave in. Almost let it win. After all, what could he do? He was just a Deku, after all. And then he heard it.
“Have no fear, kid! I AM HERE!”
☆ ☆ ☆
Izuku awoke to the feeling of his face being slapped, and groggily pushed the hand away. “I’m up, I’m up. I- ALL MIGHT?”
Standing in front of him was the 7’3 form of the Number 1 Hero in Japan, his idol, All Might.
“Oh, thank goodness! Indeed, it is I, All Might! My apologies for getting you caught up in my villain hunt, but this is an unfamiliar land to me, HAHAHA!”
Izuku was stunned. Not just by one thing, but by multiple things. First, All Might was here. That was…pretty shocking, if he had to be honest. Secondly, his notebook lay open with the signature of All Might splayed across two pages.
And thirdly, All Might was injured.
“All Might! You’re hurt!” cried out Izuku, almost on instinct. He didn’t miss how All Might’s face blanched, or how he moved to cover his side. “
Why, what are you talking about, civilian? I don’t see any harm to me?”
Izuku swallowed. Clearly, he wasn’t supposed to know, but…Izuku reached his hand forwards. “
Whoa, hold on, what are you-ohhhhh.”
Healing energy pulsed from Izuku’s hands. He gasped. The wound damaging All Might was…horrible. So, so much more than he could ever dream to heal in his current state. It pulsed with something abjectly evil, so much so that his Divine Sense pinged again and again as he pushed more energy into it, all the energy he could afford. This time, he changed the purpose of his Lay on Hands, instead of healing All Might, to helping his body reject whatever it was that was harming him. “All Might…I need you to trust me.” All Might stared down at him, face unreadable. Clearly, this was completely unexpected for him. How would it be expected? But somehow, for some reason why, All Might nodded, and Izuku focused the energy.
The…thing, fought his Lay on Hands. But Izuku pressed on, pushing every last bit of energy he had into it, and with a final, powerful emanation, it was gone.
(Halfway across Japan, a faceless man in a hospital bed stirred, feeling the loss of a quirk. He frowned, quietly mourning it, and then, considering it. This would require a change of plans.)
All Might put his hand to his side. “I…
what did you do?”
Izuku smiled. “It’s my quirk, All Might sir. I call it Paladin. It’s similar to a set of powers from an older game called Dungeons and Dragons. All Might nodded. “
I do know of Dungeons and Dragons, in fact, I used to play it quite often with a group of friends.”
Izuku smiled at that. His hero knew what his powers were based on! His hero played DND! His hero-
Izuku grimaced all of a sudden, and sank down to the ground. All Might grunted in surprise and caught him halfway, making his trip to the ground more even. “
Are you alright, my boy?”
Izuku nodded, still grimacing. “I’m fine. Using Lay on Hands too much drains me. I probably won’t be able to use it again until I get a good rest. All Might nodded, and sat down next to him. “All Might, what are you doing? Don’t you have work to do?” All Might smiled, a small thing, different from the one he usually had. This one felt personal, intentful. “
There’s always more work to do, but I can spare some time to ensure someone who’s helped me a ton is okay, after all!”
All Might said. His face shifted. “
And as strange as it sounds, I think I owe you an explanation, young man. Speaking of, I never got your name.”
Izuku gulped. All Might wanted to know his name. All Might!
“Midoriya, sir. Izuku Midoriya.”
“Well, Young Midoriya, it is excellent to meet you. And now, I need you to be the one to promise to trust me.”
Izuku nodded rapidly, still perhaps a little giddy over meeting his hero. What he did not expect, was for his hero to shrink down to a fraction of his size, both in weight and height. Izuku’s eyes bugged out, but Divine Sense didn’t not go off: so this can’t be an imposter. Which means…
“Your muttering is correct, kid. This is my true form: the form I’m forced to take after a battle five years ago did this to me.” He pulled up his shirt and revealed a wound, deep and scarred, looking barely healed. Izuku paused and wracked his brain, thinking of any battle that could’ve done this to All Might, to the most powerful in Japan, perhaps in the world. “Toxic Chainsaw couldn’t have done this, there’s no way, right?”
All Might let out a laugh. “Yeah, no. That guy didn’t stand a chance of doing that. The guy that did this, was in all honesty, probably one of the biggest threats Japan has ever faced. There’s a reason none of this has ever come out.” Izuku nodded, and then cocked his head to the side, confusedly. “So why are you telling me this? I mean, I’m just some kid…” All Might laughed again and shook his head. “Kid, I’ve been a hero for a long time. Known a lot of healers. I have not, in fact, known a healer able to fix this. And trust me, I’ve asked. I’m letting you in on all this because, as selfish as it of me to ask,” at that, All Might kneeled in a dogeza, and Izuku almost had a heart attack. “Will you help me heal my injuries, and secure the safety of All Might yet again?” Izuku didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I would like to ask some questions though.” All Might stood, and nodded. “Floor’s yours, kid. Let’s hear it.”
There was a pause as the green haired teen thought, and then asked. “Is it possible for someone like me to be a hero? Someone without as much power? Someone who can’t defeat villains, the way I am?” All Might was quiet for a moment, and then he spoke. “What is heroics, to you, Midoriya?” Izuku let out a hum, and then muttered “Someone who saves people with a smile. Someone who can protect, and defend, and help people. Someone like you.”
At that, the hero next to Izuku put a hand on his shoulder. “So, what you’ve already done?”Izuku let out a choked gasp. “Kid, you helped me with a problem that I might never have recovered from. You gave an old man hope for his future. You’re already a hero to me, at least.” said All Might. Izuku let out a sob at that, leaning in, and All Might held him there, arms wrapped around the kid. He wasn’t sure why, exactly, but One for All was pulsing, begging him to hold the boy.
And then an explosion rang out.
Izuku’s face turned up, and he gasped. “No…Kacchan!” He took off towards the explosion as All Might yelled out “KID!” before blanching. His pockets…the Slime villain was gone. All Might buffed up, and in a blast of air, took off towards the explosions.
Katsuki was trapped. That was the first observation Izuku made when he saw the site. His analysis took over. 3 heroes directly on site, one more slightly off site. Death Arms had no use here other than corralling the crowd, Kamui couldn’t do anything thanks to his weakness with fire and explosions, Mt. Lady, the new hero from earlier today, would have a hard time engaging without destruction of property, and Backdraft, while potentially the best matchup, was already needing to put out all the fires getting dangerously close to the civilians.
Making it all worse, Katsuki was clearly suffocating. He didn’t have much time. Izuku had to think, and he had to do it quickly. Backdraft could be a solution, but Izuku doubted they’d trust or believe the kid with no field experience’s plan. So it was down to Izuku himself. He could’ve waited. He could’ve let a hero go in. But that wasn’t who Izuku was.
“I’ll save you Katsuki. I will save you. I swear it.” And the glow around Izuku began to truly shine. He erupted forth, blasting through the police line as Death Arms yelled out “GET BACK HERE, YOU FOOL! STOP!” His feet couldn’t stop moving, and even as the villain slammed a goopy limb towards him with a call of “IT’S THAT DAMN KID!”, he ducked under it and pushed forwards, grabbing at Katsuki. Katsuki choked out a “Deku…run. Why…”
“I don’t know! My body…it moved on its own. I just knew I had to save you!” His hands glowed, and for a second, Katsuki swear he saw wings on Izuku’s back. His fist drew back, and as the villain recoiled, Izuku took in a breath, and brought down his fist.
“DIVINE…SMITEEE!” he cried out, as the light enveloped the two of them, sending Katsuki and Izuku flying back. The two of them were free, but the villain was only blinded for a second, and it, in a flash, was on them again, barreling with a cry of “YOU FUCKING BRATS!” Izuku almost closed his eyes, almost accepted it, but a blast of wind caused him to make them fly wide open. “
I apologize, young ones. I was late. But now, I AM HERE!”
And with a single punch, and a yell of “
DETROIT SMASH!”
the slime villain was blown away.
☆ ☆ ☆
In the aftermath, Izuku was barely injured, though Katsuki had some issues with inhalation of the villain. Izuku was let go with a warning, as Katsuki would be later. He found himself walking home, proud of what he had done. Something new…a new aspect of his quirk! He had a power! Something he could use to protect. He barely flinched as he heard a voice from behind him. “Kid.” He turned to see All Might’s withered form behind him, and gasped. “Ah! All Might! Thank you so much for saving me and-” All Might cut him off with a “I have a proposition to make you.” Izuku hummed confusedly, and nodded. “Go on?” All Might smiled. “Out of everyone there…all the heroes, ill-fitted their quirks may have been…it was only you, who tried to do something. Most heroes, when they first commit acts of heroism, claim their bodies simply moved without thinking!” Izuku gasped. His hand came to his mouth, and his eyes watered. “Izuku Midoriya, you asked me in that tunnel, if I thought you could be a hero. My boy, you already are! You can be a hero.” Izuku sobbed, fully, and let all the emotions out.
“And that, my boy, is why I find you worthy of inheriting my quirk!”
Izuku looked up. “Huh?”
"HUH???"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The twilight sun shone down on the two figures standing in the road, the gangly, tall form of All Might, and the slouched form of Izuku Midoriya, on his knees in disbelief. This had to be a dream, an illusion. Some sort of trick by the sludge villain from earlier. Hell, maybe the villain had actually managed to kill him and this was his afterlife, some sort of hellish heaven.
“Kid! I promise, it’s nothing of the sort!” All Might’s voice echoed, and Izuku looked up, realizing that he had been muttering the whole time. All Might’s face softened. “I get that this must be…shocking, to say the least, and I truly don’t have much time before I’ll be expected back at Might Tower. So much has happened today. How about this? I’ll leave you my phone number. I’m sure you’re going to have questions, lots of them, and I’m willing to answer them. What I saw in you, just now, Young Midoriya, is something you don’t see often these days.” All Might let out a sigh, and reached a hand down to help Izuku up.
“As much as I like to pretend in the public eye that heroics is a job always performed by the kindest of the kind, it’s considered a job just as any other these days by too many people, and you see too many heroes believing that just because you’ve got a suit and a power, that you’re entitled to riches and fame. I don’t think in the slightest that’s true, and you’ve furthered that belief, kid!” All Might said as Izuku, with his help, rose to his feet and stared at the man.
Still in shock, Izuku nodded. “You…you mentioned earlier, heroes’ bodies moving without them thinking. Did you do that too? The Yamaoka Incident…your debut…” All Might smiled gently at that, and nodded. “Young Midoriya, I’m not growing any younger. As much as Japan likes to deny that fact, there will come a day when I have to retire.” Izuku’s face paled. “That day is not today, but it will come, someday. And when it does, I hope that the world is full of heroes who will rush in to save and protect without a second thought. If I am able to train one, to ensure the next generation is safe, if there were to ever be another Yamaoka Incident? Or a Supervillain attack? Then I should endeavor to it with all my might.”
A beam of darkening sun seemed to fall on All Might’s face as he talked, shadowing him in ethereal light. Izuku thought for a second, thought of his past, of the hours of videos of All Might he had watched. His past, only able to serve as a protector, and never a true defender, able to strike back against evil. Desperately grasping for something, anything to let him achieve his dream, to help him fight.
“Then…I may have no idea what ‘inheriting your quirk’ entails. I may not know what you have in store. But if it lets me protect people, and strike back against villains,” Izuku’s eyes shone, and All Might almost took a step back in disbelief, as actual radiance emitted from them. “Then I accept.”
There was a moment of silence, stretching out between the two of them, Izuku’s hand twitching at his side, before All Might let out a guffaw. “Just like a true hero, jumping in with no preparation but a want to protect! Well then! Here’s my phone number. Text me later, and I’ll explain what I mean both by inheriting my quirk and taking you under my wing.” All Might said as he scribbled on a small notepad in his pocket, ripping off a page to hand it to the boy. Izuku nodded rapidly, as he held the page, muttering under his breath, “Oh my god it’s ALL MIGHT’s phone number this is the greatest day of my life-” He was cut off by All Might’s voice. “I’m sure you understand why, but do not go sharing that number around. That’s my personal number, and I’d prefer to not have to change it again after the cyber attack last year on Might Tower. Izuku gasped and hastily saluted, calling out “Yes sir All Might sir!” All Might smiled, and prepared to turn, before looking at Izuku. “Oh, one final thing: All Might is too conspicuous of a name to be calling me in public. My name is Toshinori Yagi, call me that if we’re out in the open. I’ll be seeing you kid.”
With that, he finally made to turn, buffing up and shooting off into the air with an almighty laugh. Izuku stood there for a second, before reaching deep into himself, into the swelling well of power within him, pulling his Lay on Hands to the surface. His hands glowed with a green light, and he smiled, a quiet, sad thing.
“This is it.”
☆ ☆ ☆
Halfway across Musutafu, a young girl looked up from her snack of a dead rat, tearing her fangs out of the corpse and dropping it, as the bits of the former rodent, now corpse, splattered across the pavement.
Her clothes, a simple schoolgirl uniform, were stained with blood, and her eyes looked nothing short of manic. The grimy alley that she stood in was rife with litter, and she wouldn’t be surprised if there was a corpse lying inside one of the cardboard boxes surrounding it. A soft whimper emanated from her lips, as she sank down on the wall, slumping to the ground.
“ What…what is WRONG with me.” she softly spoke, her lips dripping with crimson liquid that she unconsciously lapped up before recoiling at her own actions. “No. Nonononono I’m not supposed to do this, I’m not, I-” She quieted suddenly, hearing the sound of racing footsteps, before she moved, her feet tapping quietly against the ground as she prepared to get a running start, her legs propelling her high enough to catch a hanging fire escape and scramble upwards just in time for the blue capped police officer skidding into the alley to not notice her. She pinned herself against the wall, desperately begging in her head for him not to look up.
The man made a face of disgust as he further entered the alley, kicking a cardboard box to the side and unclipping his radio. “This is officer 3A16 to dispatch, on the trail of that code 211 called in at the corner of 5th. No sign of the suspect, please advise.”
The girl remained quiet and still, even as the cop turned on their flashlight and began shining it around the dark alley, only lit by the barely there sunlight of the twilight. The girl flinched back as the flashlight began to approach her, accepting her fate of being discovered, before the radio in the cop’s hand scratched with static as a response came through from the dispatcher. “This is dispatch to officer 3A16, potential sighting down two streets on the corner of 7th Street. Backup requested.”
The officer’s eyes widened at that, the girl somehow able to see his reactions even with how dark it was, and he turned to exit the alley, not even giving a second thought to the upper echelons of said passage.
The girl kept still for a moment, before unsticking from the wall and crawling down, wincing at the loud creaking of the old fire escape. She landed on all fours on the dirty floor of the alley, and let out a sigh, mournfully glancing at the rat’s corpse before shaking her head. “I have to go. I can’t let them take me back. I can’t.”
And with a promise spoken only to the stars and her, the vampiric woman prowled off out of the alley.
☆ ☆ ☆
Izuku found himself arriving home later than expected, which, in hindsight, was a horrible decision.
“MY BABY! Oh, Izuku, are you alright? I saw the news and what happened, and then you texted me and I thought you’d be home soon but you took so long and I almost called the police because I thought maybe another villain got you but-” Inko rambled, as Izuku sighed. “Mom, I’m fine,” he chuckled with a slight smile on his face. “All Might saved me and Kacchan, and the paramedics said there was no lasting damage, and certainly nothing I couldn’t heal with a little Lay on Hands.” He embraced his mother, enjoying the feeling of warmth and closeness, as his mother pouted. “I know, Izuku, but it’s my job to worry and I certainly do it well. Are you sure you’re alright? Did the police have you fill out a report?” Izuku shook his head as he slid his backpack onto the hook by the door and sat down on the small couch in the living room. “Nope, that’s the heroes’ job. They’ll have quite a few forms to fill out though, that was a doozy of an attack considering how much property damage was dealt.”
Mostly by Kacchan, floated into his head, but he dismissed the thought as he pulled off his shoes and socks, placing them in the holder. Inko called from the kitchen, having moved to stir the pot of their dinner. “Of course you’d know that, my little hero nerd.” Izuku groaned, even as he let a grin fall to his face. “Mommmm, I’m not five anymore, at least I’m not watching one single All Might video over and over every day!”
He felt a kiss land itself on the top of his head as his mother sat a bowl of soup down on the coffee table in front of him, as she sat next to him. “No, I suppose not. Instead you’re watching 25 different ones!” she snarked with a smile on her face. Izuku gently reached over and ruffled his mother’s hair. “Hey, who’s to talk? Don’t think I didn’t see you watching that one video of Hawks saving that school bus yesterday.”
Inko recoiled with an over dramatic gasp. “My own son…betraying me like this.” she cried out, placing a hand over her heart to the returned silence of Izuku, who, as Inko peeked open one of her (dramatically) closed eyes, was staring at her with a completely blank face, that soon broke into a peal of laughter.
The house was full of mirth and warmth, and Izuku smiled at the fact that he had successfully distracted his mother from worry. After all, he could heal himself, there was never really a reason to worry about him. Broken bones could be healed with Lay on Hands, and Izuku had never before gotten sick, thanks to another way Lay on Hands presented itself.
After a few hours, Inko and Izuku both made to turn in, but Izuku had different plans than his mother, waiting to hear the sound of her gentle snoring from the next room over before he pulled out his phone, shaking off the hair he had just washed in the shower.
He navigated to his messaging app, gently inputting the number he had received earlier, and with a hint of nervousness, sent his first message.
[Izuku Midoriya]: is this All Might’s number?
[Toshinori Yagi]: Young Midoriya! You’re up later than I thought, I was presuming you’d be messaging me tomorrow given all you’d been through today!
Izuku sighed with relief at getting the right number, and then gulped at the fact that he was about to text the number one hero, then had a moment of consideration.
[Izuku Midoriya]: um, mr. yagi? this chat is secure, right?
He waited for a second, as three dots appeared, signifying the hero’s typing.
[Toshinori Yagi]: A great question, my boy! Yes, these chats are end-to-end encrypted. I’m going to (hopefully!) presume your phone isn’t monitored or anything like that, but if it is, I would like to ask to keep conversation brief on here.
[Izuku Midoriya]: no, all good here! :)
The green haired boy paused as he turned over in his bed, restlessly thinking.[Izuku Midoriya]: so, you mentioned that your quirk was, somehow and somewhy, inheritable? That sounds so crazy to me but i obviously want to believe the number one hero haha
[Toshinori Yagi]: Indeed. It’s a story I’d rather tell in person, due to privacy concerns, but that is the gist of it. Let me make some things clear though. This isn’t some ‘my way or the highway’ type deal, even if, once I explain my quirk, you refuse the offer, I’m still offering to train you. I meant what I said when I said I saw something rare in you. A heroic spirit like yours comes around once in a blue moon.
(Toshinori, sitting in his darkened office room at Might Tower, opted to conceal the other factor involved: the roaring desire of One for All to know, to ask, to find out about this boy that intrigued it so. It had been years since he had felt the quirk react this way, and he would be damned to not investigate what this legacy so wanted with the boy.)
[Toshinori Yagi]: Would you be alright with meeting tomorrow at Dagobah Beach around sunrise to discuss more? Before you say it, yes, I do mean the trash beach.
Izuku sat up in his bed, letting out a sigh as the blue glow of his phone’s screen illuminated the darkened room and the many posters and figures lying around, most of All Might but many of other, lesser known heroes.
[Izuku Midoriya]: is it wrong to say this sounds mildly like the start to a bad horror movie? or like a kidnapping story? lmao
[Izuku Midoriya]: but yeah, i would be alright with that
[Toshinori Yagi]: On your first point: It…does sound mildly bad when you take it out of context, yes. But thank you for agreeing, even if your immediate agreement causes me to worry slightly about your willingness to go right into a ‘horror movie scenario’ as you put it. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, Young Midoriya! Sleep well, it’s integral to growing strong…or so I hear from Recovery Girl.
Izuku thanked All Might, or Mr. Yagi, he supposed he should start thinking of him, and signed off of the chat app. He took a second, considering the pros and cons of staying up later, before sighing and stepping out of bed to his desk, where he turned his desk light on and opened up a blank journal, titling it ‘Hero Analysis Journal for UA’.
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Entry 1 (Reworked): Izuku Midoriya
Quirk: Paladin
Type: Emitter
Paladin is a multifaceted emitter type quirk with many different types of specialization. It is based on the Paladin class from the pre-quirk tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons, specifically the fifth edition (hereby referred to as DND 5e). The Paladin is a support ‘tank’ class, offering knowledge of heavy armor and weapons and defensive and offensive spells such as Shield of Faith, a spell increasing an allies ‘Armor Class’ or ability to not be hit, or Wrathful Smite, a spell dealing damage when an enemy is hit and forcing them to attempt to protect themselves against the Frightened condition. They also have access to channeling divine or primal might in a method known as a Channel Divinity, healing through their Lay on Hands ability that increases in power as they increase in level, and a scouting sense known as Divine Sense, capable of sensing certain creatures.
While primarily healing and defense oriented, it has recently awoken a new option for offense, hereby titled Divine Smite. The different specializations are listed below.
Lay on Hands: My main healing option. Lay on Hands is a powerful healing tool, able to both heal injuries and cure disease. Unfortunately, it is heavily limited at this time, only able to cure disease up to a common cold (or so I thought) and heal up to a point so far found to be equal to a broken bone. Lay on Hands also does not set the bone itself, so healing can be hurtful to the target if proper care is not taken. Recently, when healing REDACTED’s injury, I found myself able to heal far above my usual abilities.
Notes: Is the recent power increase due to any reason in particular? I did find my powers increasing and leading to the development of my Divine Smite technique earlier today after I met All Might, but correlation is not always causation. May require additional research. It being able to heal even a common cold is interesting, as the so called ‘common cold’ has over 200 different types. How is it able to heal each and every one of them but not other illnesses? Am I missing something mentally or power wise? And how does it correlate with my other abilities’ power?
Divine Sense: A powerful scouting tool. Divine Sense is what I like to call a “biosonar scanning pulse.” From what I can understand, it is able to use my sense of morality to designate people I (or the law) would define as ‘villains’ or ‘criminals’ and detect them. It is limited in it’s use, though incredibly powerful. Not even invisibility quirks can hide from it, and it gives me their exact location, even through solid walls. It does have a limit to it’s range, however, capping out at 120 feet in all directions (including up and down).
Notes: Divine Sense, as powerful as it is, is horribly flawed. Due to it only recognizing people I would ascertain as villains, it’s tracking potential is majorly handicapped. Through usage of it, I may be able to overcome said limitation, but it may require either a quirk Awakening or something close to it. Still incredibly useful and strong!
Divine Smite: My newest tool in my kit. Divine Smite has only been used once, and it was to protect Kacchan. When I attacked the Sludge Villain, my hands glowed with a green light, and I was empowered in my strikes against him. They seemed to be able to harm him when my physical blows were not.
Notes: What is the energy made of? How often can I summon these Divine Smites? Can they provide a constant light source if I hold the power? Do they have an effect on solid objects, such as a wall? So many questions, so many tests to run, and only ten months left before UA…
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Izuku closed his journal with a groan. He’d update the journal more later with copying over the battle strategies, drawings, support gear ideas, and other general mishmash of ideas, but for now…
A yawn emitted from the green haired boy’s mouth, and he slumped to his bed, having turned off the desk light. He curled up under his covers, and within seconds, he was asleep.
A light shone in the darkness. Izuku couldn’t find it in himself to move, transfixed by the light, the orb shining in the sky above him. It felt like gentle tendrils of light surrounded him, cradled him in their arms, a touch as light as feathers and calming as a mother’s.
He never wanted to leave.
“But you must.”
A voice rang out in the darkness, and though Izuku craned his head, the voice, scratchy and wizened, as though an ancient sage’s call, remained to be only from the void, no presence coming forth to claim it.
“It’s finally time, Izuku. Many difficult days lie ahead. You’ll understand all this sooner, rather than later. I wish you had more time. I truly do.”
“But for now, it’s time to-”
“IZUKU, WAKE UP!”
Izuku shot up out of his covers, panting heavily. Sweat coated the boy’s fairly well developed biceps, and the room seemed to be warmer than it was before. He looked at his blankets, only to frown. He could’ve sworn that there was no burn mark there last night…
He shrugged off the oddity as Inko called to him again, and he thanked whatever deities there were out there that today was a Saturday, even if it was…earlier than his mom usually woke him. He went through his usual morning routine. Shower, brush his teeth, get dressed, walk into the hall, say hi to his mom, notice All Might in his skinny form in the living room, grab a bowl of cereal…
Wait. Go back a step.
Izuku blanched as he spun, almost dropping his bowl of cereal as he looked at Mr. Yagi sitting on the couch. “MR. YAGI?” he cried out in shock, and his mother looked at him in surprise. “You two have met before?” Izuku almost nodded, before Mr. Yagi shot a look to him, clearly saying ‘let me take this.’ He let out an “Ahem,” before beginning. “Ms. Midoriya-” And was immediately cut off by Inko sighing and saying “Oh please, just call me Inko.” Mr. Yagi quickly adapted, with a nod, and began again with a “Inko, I’m a representative of the Mighty Agency, specifically All Might’s personal representative, as I told you before. All Might, when he saved your child yesterday, saw in him something you don’t see often in kids his age: a true drive for heroism. We at the Mighty Agency would like to offer to train him for UA.” Inko let out a gasp. “Oh! I, well, that’s an amazing offer but-” Inko’s eyes shifted, and it wasn’t hard to imagine the issue of money dangling in her mind. Mr. Yagi shook his head. “No need to worry about money, this is out of our own wants, if anything we should be paying you for having raised such a heroic child.” Inko let out a small gasp, and a tiny, nervous smile came to her face. Izuku looked back and forth between the two. Listen, he wasn’t the BEST socially, but even he could tell when romantic tension was brewing. How was it brewing so quickly? Izuku…had honestly no clue. Hell, he’d barely ever talked to many girls outside of the ones from his class and his mom!
“Well, I suppose if there would be no monetary component, I’d be willing to discuss it!” Inko said brightly, her traction on the conversation restored. Mr. Yagi smiled, and pulled out of his pocket a notebook. “This is a custom written plan by All Might. It’s very similar to the plan All Might himself followed when he was trained as a fledgling hero wannabe. I’m fully a fully licensed quirk trainer and am working on my teaching license as we speak. Izuku would have his schedule built around the…ahem, ‘Pass The Test, American Dream Plan’, everything from sleep to food to workout schedule. We’d help provide the food, since some of it is rather specific and calorically intensive.” He passed the booklet to Inko, and she perused it with a hum. After a minute, she closed the book, and her eyes. “This all seems…fine enough, but I do have a question.” As her eyes opened, they burned with a motherly protection, and she gazed straight into Toshinori Yagi’s eyes as if they burned into his soul as well. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, and nor am I saying he doesn’t deserve it, but why are you doing all this for him? I mean, he met All Might once! And don’t try to lie to me. It’s a little known fact, but I used to be a lawyer before I met his father and settled down.”
Mr. Yagi quieted for a second, before looking at Izuku. “Kid, you’re sure about what you said, right? That you’d accept it?” Izuku nodded firmly, secure in his decision, and Mr. Yagi sighed, nodding slowly. “I suppose, all things considered, it would’ve come out eventually, and you’ll want to have a close group of confidants in the know.” Standing up, Mr. Yagi breathed in. “Have no fear, for-” and in a puff of smoke, All Might stood in their living room. “I AM HERE!” Inko paused. She stared at him, bit her lip, nodded, and then sat down on one of the stools at the counter. “Ah. I was flirting with All Might.” She then promptly proceeded to pass out for approximately 10 seconds, in which the two boys panicked, before sitting up. “Ah. I needed that. Well then, I suppose you have an explanation to give, Mr. All Might.”
The two boys looked at each other, one in shock and the other in worry, before All Might sighed. “Yes. Yes, I suppose I do.” He sat on the couch again, now taking up more than half the space. “Inko, you’re obviously aware of who I am. But what almost nobody, save a select few, now including your boy here, is aware of, is this.” He pulled up the side of his shirt, showcasing the injury that…looked remarkably better than before, but was still absolutely disgusting. “Five years ago, I was in a battle that caused me both this injury and the form I took earlier. The foe was so great, in fact, that they never revealed the name.” All Might took a look at the door. “His name was a name so foul, that not even the darkest cracks of the underworld dared to speak it. He was, for lack of a better word, the boogeyman.” Inko and Izuku were entranced, terrified and yet hanging on to every word the hero said. “Wherever he went, a trail of bodies led, with an even more terrifying reality following. This man had the ability to steal people’s quirks.” Inko recoiled, and Izuku…Izuku was frozen in place. “Stealing…other people’s quirks?”
“He had made his way to where he was through a bloody trail of violence and theft of quirks, and when he stood at the top of the mountain…” “You came along.” Izuku said quietly. All Might smiled. “It wasn’t just me.” He turned to look at Inko. “I fought that man five years ago, and while he injured me severely, he didn’t kill me. I, on the other hand, slammed a hole through his head, and the greatest supervillain to ever exist was dead on the ground. His name was All For One.”
There was silence in the room. “There’s more, though,” said All Might, continuing. “The reason I was able to defeat him was twofold: I was both the strongest, and I had a little help. My quirk is transferable: the only of its kind, able to be passed down from user to user. ” Both Izuku and Inko’s eyes were wide. “It’s name is One for All. And it was created by All for One’s brother.”