Chapter 1
The sight of the Sludge Villain engulfing Katsuki Bakugo affirmed everything the world said Izuku Midoriya couldn't be.
Among the crowd that screamed for the Pro Heroes in the scene to do something, Izuku's voice seemed trapped in his throat. Where people gasped at the explosions around them, his breath hitched - his chest heaving with the weight of his failure.
All the hope, the dreams he had carried since he was a child, felt like cruel jokes at that moment. He'd always wanted to be a hero like All Might.
To save people, to make them smile.
But how could he, when he couldn't even move to save his long time ago friend and now current bully at a time like this?
And with what Quirk?
The irony of the thought almost made him want to laugh at himself, as though he finally understood when Bakugo screamed in his face that he was delusional to want to be a Pro Hero. How can the pathetic Deku in any state save anyone with no Quirk?
"Can someone like me without a Quirk be a hero like you?"
Izuku remembered asking All Might this question just a while ago on the rooftop of a building. Where other fans would have been content to find their notebook autographed, Deku had clung - perhaps quite literally - for some sage advice.
Deku had just turned 18, but the sight of All Might before he had him wind the clock back to eight. This man saved a hundred people so many years ago in his debut and did it with the biggest smile Deku had ever seen.
A hero like this surely had words Izuku desperately needed to hear.
Izuku was waiting for All Might to say something generic - that he could be a hero, if he worked really hard - or anything, really, just to give him a reason to at least try to convince himself he could do it.
Even if he didn't have any Quirk to show for it, in a world where Quirks almost always defined what you can become.
But then, the All Might he saw "deflated" into a thin adult. His voice was as light as his thin stature, a far cry from All Might that Deku had seen on television. Certainly not of the stature of his favorite All Might toy since childhood.
Instead of answering his question, he raised his shirt. He revealed a massive scar on his left torso. Again, things All Might didn't have on television. For the first time in his life, Deku had been horrified at something involving All Might.
For the first time, All Might wasn't beaming his bright smile.
In a few short minutes, All Might told Izuku that he, the World's Number One Pro Hero, had been missing his stomach for the past five years. He explained vaguely of a battle that had taken place five years ago.
And this moment they met - right there and then - was the last of the very few hours that he, Toshinori Yagi, was medically allowed to become All Might in a single day.
However, and Toshinori said this with emphasis, he continues to fight as All Might even if it means constantly pushing himself to the brink of death - because evil cannot learn that the Symbol of Peace is inches away from retirement.
They can never learn that.
"A Pro Hero should always be ready to risk his life," All Might told Deku, the hero now as the ordinary human Toshinori Yagi for the rest of the day.
A Pro Hero must risk their life, to push themselves beyond their limits, if it means saving others.
Plus Ultra. All Might's catchphrase.
"So, can you risk your life without power?" Toshinori asked rhetorically before shaking his head.
"I don't think so."
The sage advice Izuku was looking for? Turn his clock back to the present. All Might's last words to Deku on the rooftop were the exact words Deku remembered before snapping back into what was happening in front of him.
"You need to be realistic, kiddo."
Izuku had to face reality.
In the middle of all this, Deku belonged only in the crowd.
Not among the Pro Heroes trying to defeat the threat in front of them, nor the police trying to contain the situation, not even the reporters aboard helicopters surveying the area.
Deku was a mere bystander. He must be content as a bystander.
The youngster stared at the person responsible for him crashing down to reality: the Sludge Villain let loose, his slimy body now expanding to cover much of an alley that had now turned into a warzone, with almost the entirety of Katsuki Bakugo's body inside of him. What Sludge Villain had revealed of Katsuki's head, he nestled against the tip of a slimy tentacle he had transformed into a knife.
"One move and I'll cut off his head!" he screamed before laughing maniacally, knowing how helpless the heroes were.
Bubbles started forming around his body, glowing alongside his laughter. And not a second later came the explosions, like firecrackers so awfully close to human contact.
Everyone but Deku flinched.
While Deku saw Bakugo's signature angst, he also noticed the green of the grime of the Sludge Villain that held his classmate hostage. It didn't even take a moment for recognition to set in. This wasn't a splash of cold water. For Deku, this chill traced his spine and drained all the color around him.
Sludge Villain was the guy that All Might fought to save him a few hours ago. Deku's eyes widened. Not because of that fact, but if Toshinori Yagi said Deku caught up with All Might at a bad time, and that All Might could only fight for a few hours a day…
…then would this mean…?
The sound of more firecrackers cut Deku's thoughts, and the shockwave of the Sludge Villain's explosions sent debris spiraling towards the crowd. Death Arms swiftly stopped them with a swift parry while Kamui Woods deflected some with a wall of wood sprouting from his arms.
Deku knew these Quirks. He had written them in his Hero Journal and always admired how they used them to save lives. Quirks.
That I don't have.
That All Might couldn't use anymore because he saved me.
"Where's your precious All Might?!" the Sludge Villain yelled tauntingly - no, mockingly. The explosions started popping all around him as though mimicking an elevated heartbeat. Sludge Villain's, no doubt, given his excitement. "Even he thinks I've become too powerful, huh?!"
"Th-that's right," one among the crowd - an old lady, Izuku noticed - said in a panicked strain. "Wh-where's All Might?"
That's when the murmurs started.
"Where's All Might?"
"What happened to All Might?"
"Shouldn't All Might be here by now?"
"Where's All Might? The kid might die!"
The voices drowned Izukus ears as more from the crowd began asking a question he knew the horrifying answer to.
…All Might isn't here because of me.
Here he was - powerless, useless, and now directly responsible for someone else's suffering.
All Might should've just let him be. He was Quirkless, basically useless. All Might said it himself: Izuku couldn't be a Pro Hero because he didn't have powers. Not unlike Kacchan who, angsty as he may be, Deku knew for a fact would soar in the big leagues.
The guilt curled his insides like the hand of a beast twisting Izuku for his own weakness. He bit his lips so hard he tasted blood, and his trembling hands balled into fists. He wanted to scream, to cry, to apologize a thousand times over, but the words were stuck in his throat.
Even then, what could he say? That Kacchan will die because of him?
The concrete of the ground before him almost became a mirror to his mind, the sounds of screaming still permeating through the air.
He wasn't even worth Pro Heroes and civilians to panic over.
"Where is All Might?" someone continued to ask.
He isn't here.
"Maybe someone else with a better Quirk will come!" another one of the Pro Heroes, Izuku couldn't identify who, said. The sound of explosions permeated the air, as is the muffled laughter of a manic Sludge Villain.
All Might isn't here because of me.
"The kid might die!" another screamed.
Die and lose a worthwhile future. And what's left is me - a worthless civilian.
Worthless with no Quirk.
Worthless.
The twisting guilt had started to boil in scalding oil. Raw and raging and scorching, beginning to bubble.
As people wailed for an All Might that wasn't coming, so too did the pit of despair inside Izuku get filled with something he hadn't recognized before. He began to feel a redness gnawing at him - an anger he didn't know was there this whole time.
Anger at Bakugo, who had tormented him for years and, just that morning, told him to jump off a building because he was worthless.
Anger at All Might, an idol from his childhood, a man he placed on a pedestal so high he thought nothing could tarnish it. A hero he thought would at least soften the blow but instead chose to plunge a knife into his chest: a hero is worthless without his Quirk.
Anger at himself, for always taking the abuse, for always thinking maybe someday things would change. For thinking the world would be a kinder place for a Quirkless person like him.
That maybe, for once, they could stop telling him he was worthless, that he wasn't good enough.
All of it - years of pain, mocking, rejection, and now the sheer anguish of knowing his actions will lead to the death of a schoolmate - came crashing down on him in a wave so overwhelming he thought he might drown in it.
It should've been me. Then, no one would have to worry.
Izuku's eyes darted towards Bakugo's face, still squirming as he tried to get out of the tight grip of the Sludge Villain but to no avail. He saw Kamui Woods and Death Arms only staring in horror as they waited for someone who could at least deal with this kind of Quirk.
Why don't they try?
Izuku dismissed the thought. Bakugo would die, of course. They can't try - it was too much of a risk.
Sludge Villain is made of slime: as long as parts of him are left, they can just reform even when scattered. Even if they manage to separate him, just a tinge of slime on Bakugo, would still leave him at the mercy of the Sludge Villain.
Yes, but why won't they try?
Izuku's eyes began to burn. At first, he thought it was from the tears streaming down his face, but the sting grew sharper, hotter, as if someone had just lit a fire behind his eyes. The heat began radiating outward until his head throbbed. Blood - or what he thought was blood - rushed all around his body, the warmth even reaching all around his head, and especially his eyes. He could feel the heat of all the rage starting to boil.
All Might isn't here, so why don't they try?
He squeezed his eyes shut, groaning softly, but the pain didn't stop. This was the first time this happened to him, a headache so strong it felt as though his brain was trying to claw its way out of his head. And the burning in his eyes was more of actual fire than sheer warmth. He couldn't understand any of it. He only knew that this all felt like a primal urge that only now had the opportunity to let loose.
And the only way the pain subsided was when he started to think.
Think about what?
There's no one here with enough power to separate the Sludge Villain. Their Quirks are too "solid" - they cannot split the Sludge Villain without hitting Bakugo. That's the risk they couldn't take.
They are Pro Heroes. Surely they can think of some other way?
Deku had to massage his temple with a few fingers. He did so vigorously as the pain turned into frustration. There isn't a Pro Hero in the area with that kind of Quirk. Of course, the choice is to wait for backup.
But why aren't they trying?
There's the matter of the explosion, too. Somehow, the Sludge Villain can also produce explosions with crackling sounds similar to Bakugo's -
The explosions.
Then came the loudest ringing Izuku had ever heard in his life. Like thunder before lightning, the ringing lasted a split second before a pounding hit his head with a force that felt as though enough to shatter glass.
The pain didn't subside. The raging heat swelled even more. The throbbing only intensified, like something deep inside his soul was telling Izuku he was too stupid to only realize it now.
Sludge Villain has two Quirks. He has the properties of a slime, and he can create explosions.
The throbbing became a pulsating sensation, like his head was about to explode. Like he was missing something.
Wait, two Quirks?
Izuku massaged his temple. The pain started to circle his head, intensifying around his eyes. They burned when he blinked. They burn when he doesn't do anything. Izuku felt his body get hotter because of the pain, like he could pass out at any moment.
You can't. Not now.
Think.
Think to ignore the pain.
Izuku tried to get the noise of the panicking crowd out of his head. He tilted his ear to the side, trying to mimic the ringing he'd just heard. The pain shifted to where he was leaning, his eyes still burning, his surroundings beginning to sharpen as the heat had started drying the tears in his eyes.
I've never encountered anyone anywhere having more than one Quirk.
Izuku recalled everything he's ever obsessed about until now - news clippings of Pro Heroes, footage of their exploits, theories in forums, his own Hero Journal where he documented the Quirks of his favorite heroes. To his knowledge, he hasn't encountered anyone with more than one Quirk.
A Quirk with two separate properties?
There's Quirks with weird properties, but they often work in tandem with each other. Kamui Woods can control everything about wood. Death Arms has large arms that give him super strength. Correlation. Always correlation.
Sludge Villain had a slime body and… could cause explosions like Bakugo? And he coincidentally absorbed a hostage with the Explosion Quirk? That doesn't make sense.
The throbbing had paused for just the slightest second.
Unless…
…he gets the Quirk of the person he absorbs?
The throbbing continued, worse this time, like a sculptor pounding a hammer brutally onto a chisel. Parts of his head stung with a sharp pain that made Izuku gasp and recoil, his eyes turning warmer than ever. He darted his eyes upwards, gazing at the Sludge Villain who, for the past minutes, had been causing explosions all around him.
None of the explosions had hit civilians - a fortunate occurrence to take advantage of. A luxury Izuku was using to think, as for some ungodly reason, his anger had been causing the worst headache of his life.
Either way, in his hubris, the Sludge Villain's taunting will give Pro Heroes the time to plan their next move. In retrospect, was it really hubris? Was it the Sludge Villain not knowing how to use Bakugo's Explosion Quirk?
Does it matter?
A voice in his head responds. It just might.
And Izuku responds. That means he doesn't have control over the Quirk he absorbs.
A pulsing sensation had hit Izuku from the inside of his head. The burning in his eyes started to worsen, like they would melt at any moment.
…but if he can't control it, can he hit himself?
The throbbing grew stronger and more methodical this time, like a metronome starting to breathe life into a painful melody. It's like somewhere, deep past all the pain, is a voice telling Deku that the pieces are coming together.
And if his own explosions hit his slime body…
Death Arms had an ear to his comms while Kamui Woods walked away to talk with more of the police in the area. Izuku couldn't understand what they were saying. Something about demands. The throbbing began to worsen as he walked towards them. The idea was stuck in his head. He had to get it out.
"D-Death Arms, s-sir," Deku started, stammering from both the pain and the embarrassment. "I m-might have a su-suggest-"
True to his name, Death Arms did have large arms. Death Arms extended an arm in front of him, the teenager now facing a palm the size of his face. Deku was taken aback - he was quite literally signaled to talk to the hand.
"Let the pros do it, kid," Death Arms said, eyes still on the Sludge Villain. "Get away before you get hurt."
Izuku noticed the police officers already making his way before he could even react. It didn't take long before arms started to gently nudge him to a dedicated civilian area. From the sounds around him, the standoff was becoming worse. Truth be told, Deku couldn't even pay attention because the headaches were becoming worse.
They won't listen because I'm a civilian?
Deku scanned the area for any Pro Hero he could approach - to talk to - hoping to clear the pain in his head. The throbbing forced him to think, think, think. Who had a Quirk capable of pulling off what he was thinking? Who would listen? Why would they listen?
Why would they listen to a Quirkless?
Deku gazed upon the Sludge Villain, still laughing while explosions peppered the street like fireworks. The other Pro Heroes in the area had been clearing civilians or catching debris, being careful not to provoke the villain who still had the youngster inside him.
Izuku can still hear people around him ask for All Might, and the police telling them they're waiting for a Pro Hero with "the right Quirk" to fight the Sludge Villain.
It's always about the Quirk.
Finding the right Quirk.
Izuku, despite his head throbbing like there was no tomorrow, labored to focus his sights towards his classmate. There he was, Bakugo, as angry as ever, struggling to free himself from the Sludge Villain's grasp.
Quirk. Quirk. Always about Quirks.
Izuku couldn't see them before, but the warmth in his eyes helped him see the subtle crackling inside the Sludge Villain's body where Bakugo's arms were tucked away. Bakugo was trying to create his own explosions, but the villain's slimy body stopped his Quirk from activating.
Bakugo was, as arrogant as he is, trying to find his own way to escape. Deku could see the confidence in his eyes - he had a Quirk, which gave him the freedom to try.
Deku's head throbbed at the realization.
If you don't have a Quirk, you can't try.
Deku looked at Bakugo, squirming for release. Deku fought through the pain and zeroed his focus on his schoolmate.
Bully.
Once a upon a time friend.
For a second, Izuku was thrust back into their favorite playground. Even back then, it was always Deku and his All Might toy. And in front of them, out on the horizon, were the wows and the who, as of everyone surrounding Kacchan, the youngster proudly showing the cracking happening between his hands like fireworks on command.
This was how it always was: Kacchan always forward, striving to be the best.
A person with one of the coolest Quirks.
And this was how it always was: Deku always behind, striving to take a step forward.
The distance between Deku and Kacchan on the playground felt exactly the same distance between Izuku and Bakugo now.
Deku, the boy without a Quirk.
Bakugo paused in his efforts as though gathering his strength. He tries again, but to no avail. The Sludge Villain laughed, probably realizing what Bakugo was doing. The bubbles in his body begin to glow and the explosions happened soon after.
The villain laughs at Bakugo's failed defiance. Bakugo squirmed in sheer fury.
And for a moment, he and Izuku locked eyes.
Within what seemed to be a split-second, the recognition within Bakugo's eyes suddenly turned into a look of horror - like he had seen something that shouldn't happen.
You can't fight without a Quirk.
The next thought that arrived in his head was his… but also not. It spoke with an anger he hadn't felt before. A primal urge made Deku shake his head.
Says who?
For the first time, Izuku defies.
The fire had built up too much. Izuku's vision had practically turned red. Heat emanated from his eyes, his face releasing a warmth he could only describe as flushed fury. The stinging in his eyes didn't fade, but he didn't care.
He looked at Bakugo, who had started his struggle anew. He's trapped. He knew what he was doing might be pointless. Bakugo also doesn't care.
All Might wouldn't care.
Izuku rubbed his eyes amid the pain in his head. And the world shifted as he opened them. Colors were now brighter, the edges sharper, the chaos around him even more vivid. Deku's heart began thundering in his chest, the pain in his head starting to dissipate into focus.
He recalled the footage of All Might standing atop a school bus, carrying the last of the people he rescued. The world told him he wouldn't make it, but he still saved all those people. All Might defied all odds. All Might always does.
But All Might isn't here.
The realization felt like yet another bucket of water, this time ice cold, blasting towards Izuku. In his mind's eye, despite the throbbing pain across his head and around his eyes, he dodges it.
Not today.
For the first time in his life, Deku felt something else - determination.
And I can't wait for All Might.
It wasn't the blind hope he had clung to all these years, but a burning certainty in his chest. The voices of the crowd melted away, replaced by the rush of blood in his ears and the singular focus of his mind.
So I have to do it myself!
And do it, he has.
For the first time, Deku ran.
For the first time, Toshinori Yagi ran.
The guilt gnawed at his chest, twisting what was left of his torso in a pain worse than what he was already enduring. He clutched at his shirt, his hand balling into a fist out of sheer frustration. Here he was, the World's Number One Pro Hero, on the rooftop of a small building overlooking a kidnapping that shouldn't have even happened if not for his own incompetence.
Useless, was the only thing he could tell himself.
He coughed. With blood, as he predicted. As he felt. Every day, his body ached for rest. And every day, he denied it. Yet here he was, following Recovery Girl's advice.
"Better limit yourself than be sidelined forever," was her official (but confidential) prescription.
Toshinori could only chuckle in defeat.
Some Symbol of Peace he turned out to be.
Toshinori wasn't among the crowd, but within the very street they barricaded. From his vantage point, he saw the back of the Sludge Villain he failed to cast and the silhouette of the blond teenager he had just taken hostage. Beyond them, a few meters away, a police line and comrades who responded to the call. All Might could always trust Kamui Woods and Death Arms to keep the civilians behind them safe. However, he knew their Quirks weren't fit to face the Sludge Villain's regenerating slime.
He slammed his fist on the balcony wall in frustration, something that hurt him more than it hurt the concrete beside him.
If they were following protocol, this means waiting for someone with the right Quirk.
Can they afford the time?
Toshinori looked helplessly at the teenager at the mercy of the Sludge Villain and how he squirmed for the past few minutes. A valiant but useless effort. The teenager had no choice but wait for another Pro Hero to stop this rampage.
Something I could have stopped.
Toshinori hated this helplessness. It's precisely this feeling that made him accept Shimura-sensei's offer. That he trained to exhaustion under Gran Torino. That he toured the United States to make sure even villains abroad knew someone would never rest until they were all put to justice.
And somehow, years later, All Might will have to rest every couple of fights.
Pathetic.
Pathetic!
Toshinori wanted to close his eyes and surrender the situation to whoever tried to save this kid. He could only pray they succeed.
Which is why he opened his eyes as soon as he heard the scream.
Worry rushed over his body as Toshinori saw a familiar silhouette beginning to run past the police line. Moments had to pass before Toshinori could fit the features together. It's this… this…
…this kid from earlier!
A thorn had pricked something deep within his chest. Toshinori could only grasp at his shirt as he recognized the horror of the sight before him. Explosions were happening around the kid but he didn't seem to care. He just ran.
He would die…!
Toshinori could only widen his eyes.
Because I wasn't there.
And yet, that boy kept running.
It was a defiant effort for a kid out to save perhaps a friend or even a stranger.
It carried the same pacing that All Might felt whenever he rushed towards a fight - nervous, desperate, excited, and, most importantly, determined.
However, something was different. Toshinori couldn't quite place it.
The boy, Izuku he believed his name was, who talked to him was too timid, shy, and passive. He almost pitied the teen, whose dreams of becoming a Pro Hero were quashed by genetics. A kid destined to lose as soon as he was born. He saw in his green eyes the quiet acceptance of passivity.
Toshinori spent a second trying to look at Izuku, to see for himself the kind of courage the kid had carried with his steps. Had the moss green of his eyes turned into an emerald that can shine in the sunset?
To his surprise, his eyes stumbled upon crimson.
Not just Izuku's eyes. Around his body, amid the smoke and the crackling of explosions, was the faintest hint of reddish mist. It felt like a fever forcing itself out of his body like a rage violently clawing out.
Toshinori had to blink, widen his gaze, almost lean forward, all out of disbelief. The kid had green eyes. And yet the Izuku running towards his friend had the bloodiest tinge of red eyes he had ever seen.
He was speechless. The only thing he could remember was the kid's question.
"Can someone like me without a Quirk be a hero like you?"
The sight of Izuku running ground to a halt in Toshinori's mind.
Someone without a Quirk.
Green eyes turning red.
A reddish aura.
Toshinori shook his head, his hand curling into a fist. The heat from within his body had dispersed around him in smoke.
No matter. It doesn't matter.
None of this matters if Izuku and the hostage die.
The thin and frail adult had focused past the strangeness of Izuku and instead listened intently to the crowd's screams.
Toshinori, no, All Might knew what he had to do.
Despite the screams, Izuku ran.
Past the crowds in front of him. Past the police barricade. Past Kamui Woods, who took a second to realize what had just happened. Past Death Arms who, as large as his arms might be, couldn't grab a hold of him.
"Hey, kid!" Death Arms screamed. He could only scream. "Get back here! It's too dangerous! Stop running!"
But Izuku ran. And ran.
This was the fastest Deku ran, but everything felt slow at the same time. Izuku could feel every step he took, the way his shoes rebounded on the cement in front of him, even the dirt his foot scraped back with every panicked step. He felt a strap of his knapsack just slipping his left shoulder, the way it contorted and stretched his school uniform.
The throbbing in his head never dissipated, the burning in his eyes never abating. The shooting pain of it all forced Deku to lock his eyes forward, to take in all the details so he could stop feeling his head being torn apart.
There was a redness around his vision Izuku hadn't seen before, but everything else was at a clarity he hadn't expected. He saw the granulation of the concrete road below him, how its yellow paint started to lose its luster. He noticed the traffic lights at a distance still working, but with no cars in sight. He saw the gurgling of the Sludge Villain in front of him, and his eyes contorted in horror at the sight of the kid rushing towards him.
This only lasted a moment, because the Sludge Villain's eyes started to reek of malevolence enough to send shivers down Deku's spine.
Why, though? Why am I doing this?
The fear had started to grasp its way towards Deku's psyche, but the pain in his head was too much for him to bother looking away. He maintained his sights towards the villain, even when a voice in his head shrilled in a panic.
Why am I running to him?
With the way the Sludge Villain had almost contorted his body back, he asked himself the same thing. And after that, he braced himself forward, now laughing as bubbles started to boil around his body, glowing with a subtle light Deku had become all too familiar with.
"Looks like you have a death sentence!" the Sludge Villain screamed in pure bliss. "Let's kill you, then!"
For an instant, Deku heard even Kacchan let out a terrified grunt.
Bakugo knew what was going to happen. Izuku knew it, too. The voice in his head had crackled in fear, realizing what the next seconds would mean for them.
The explosions are coming! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!
And in a split second, something inside Izuku jolted his sights on the villain.
Focus! It's coming!
The bubbles from the Sludge Villain's body stopped glowing, which meant the explosions would be there any second. Izuku almost wanted to brace for impact, to scream at himself how stupid he was to get in without a plan.
No, he realized, remembering. A foot almost tripped because his body wanted to flinch, but the burning pain in his mind forced him to jump back.
I have to see this through!
Assuming the Sludge Villain had taken Bakugo's power, he has a copy of his Explosion Quirk. Izuku remembered Bakugo using it either directly outside his palms or a little over his body. This might be why the Sludge Villain's explosions sent debris towards the crowd, not the explosions themselves.
It would make sense to brace for impact because explosions had happened around where Izuku was stepping. However, Deku thought, why would I have to flinch when the explosions can't follow me?
In that case…
The crackling was the cue. As soon as he heard the faintest trace of a crackling sound, the foot he had just stepped forward sprung him back. Smoke filled the area in front of him as explosions peppered where he once stood. Izuku could feel a stinging pain as some debris shot up around his arm, but he'd gotten so used to Kacchan's Explosions that the sensation felt more familiar than horrifying.
Izuku wanted to cough through all the smoke around him, but his theory was right. The Sludge Villain can't control the Explosion Quirk.
But this is just half the fight. It would only take moments for the smoke to dissipate fully and he would open for another attack. It's as though the throbbing in his head also knew this, and the pain started to swell around his head again.
Think! What's next?
What would a Pro Hero do?
Izuku's mind scanned what he's written in his Hero Journal, of the Quirks of his favorite Pro Heroes and the ways they used them on television. He was looking for something, anything, that they did when fighting with smoke.
Normally, a Pro Hero would use smoke to mask a powerful attack, but it's not like Deku had anything resembling that. Izuku's mind raced, he knew he was running out of time and he hasn't planned this far ahead.
He didn't want to fight the Sludge Villain, he just wanted to save Kacchan no matter what it took.
Izuku's mind paused at the thought.
Save Kacchan.
Save.
For a moment, the pain cleared when Izuku knew what he had to do.
Even the Sludge Villain seemed to be waiting for all the smoke to clear.
"Come out, kid! I'll tear you to shreds!"
And as though instinctively, a voice replied in a shriek.
"Tear this!"
Out of the smoke popped a backpack that zoomed towards the Sludge Villain. It hit him square in the face, contents spilling around him, a pencil conveniently propping up against one of his deformed eyes.
The Sludge Villain recoiled, screaming in sheer fury. Bubbles had started to glow one after the other, like lights on haywire. Moments later, more explosions peppered the surroundings, causing more of the crowd to scream.
And, as Izuku thought, the Sludge Villain screamed even louder as some explosions happened too close for comfort. Pieces of slime flew around the air as the Sludge Villain hit himself with his own blasts. The slime around Bakugo slightly recoiled, retreating for an instant.
There!
Izuku grabbed a piece of broken pipe from the ground and hurled it with all his strength.
The metal struck the Sludge Villain's other bulging eye. The creature roared in pain, its grip around Bakugo loosening even more. Izuku didn't hesitate, lunging forward and Bakugo's arm. He started pulling with all his strength.
"No, you don't!"
The Sludge Villain tightened again, but Izuku grit his teeth, refusing to let go.
"I won't let you die!" he shouted, the voice cracking with the sheer force of his emotion.
Bakugo's eyes were already flickering in and out of consciousness when he heard the familiar shrill shriek of someone he just wanted to slam on his desk. Which was probably why the sight of Deku, crying and snot-filled with a death-grip on a metal pipe, came as quite a surprise.
"Wh-why are you here…?" Bakugo said weakly, exhaustion already setting in his voice.
Deku could only smile at Kacchan, almost delirious because of the pain.
"Because you looked like you needed help!"
Bakugo coughed weakly, his eyes flickering with shock and disbelief as he saw the new look on puny Deku's face. He saw something… new.
This wasn't the kid he would just kick for being so annoyingly optimistic. Not the classmate he would randomly greet with an explosion whenever he felt annoyed. Not the former friend he abandoned because he was incapable of surviving in a world where the strong live.
He gazed into Deku's emerald eyes and saw none of the weakness that had irritated him to no end.
No, he saw something else.
Determination.
Red.
"Wh-why do you have a…"
Bakugo already slipped into unconsciousness before he could even finish what he said, and the maniacal laughing of the villain behind them didn't give Deku any opening to respond.
There was no time for words. The Sludge Villain roared, rearing back, ready to crush them both.
"Prepare to die!"
Izuku looked behind him as a lurking shadow had revealed a Sludge Villain extending its size, with tentacles resembling arms propping up from his sides before turning into gigantic fists. The Sludge Villain raised them before slamming as hard as he could, hell-bent on squishing the two teenagers to a pulp.
The pain in Izuku's head reduced itself to a shrill, high-pitched wailing.
It's over.
Izuku resigned himself. He let out a weak smile.
At least I tried.
Izuku surrendered to his fate. He felt the rush of the wind that had come with the Sludge Villain's attack and he braced himself for impact.
Mom, Deku said to himself, I'm sorry…
Izuku closed his eyes and waited for nothingness.
All that came was the impact of strong wind. Too strong, in fact, as he felt his body being ricocheted away by the impact. And then, the ringing in his head was replaced by an all-too-familiar scream.
"DETROIT SMASH!"
Izuku barely had time to catch his breath before the impact had sent him and Bakugo rolling away from where they stood. The all-too-familiar voice boomed across the street and into the skies, grounding everything to a screeching falt save for the whooshing of the wind and the alarm horns of police vehicles on the scene.
The youngster felt the strong winds about to throw him off had it not been for the hand that clutched him and Bakugo by their collars. They were propped to the side by the same arms that now went to their savior's waist in all-too-familiar pose.
Right there, in front of him, stood a man with a white shirt that barely contained his musculature. Perfectly slicked back blond hair topped the figure, two spikes protruding upwards rather optimistically. On the man's face was an all-too-familiar smile that beamed light in the darkness. He took a deep breath.
"It's fine!"
The murmurs finally stopped as all heads turned towards the silhouette who had now appeared before them.
"Why? Because I am here!"
The chaos of panic was replaced by the chaos of cheers. There he was in front of them, All Might - the Symbol of Peace. In the eyes of the crowd, he came in just the nick of time - saving the boy who had rushed in to save his fellow youngster from the clutches of an evil villain.
The roaring of applause had filled the air that made even the Sludge Villain appear small. The Pro Heroes began rushing towards the scene, evidently rushing towards All Might.
The World's Number One Pro Hero looked at them in acknowledgement and then nudged towards the unconscious Bakugo. It didn't take seconds for paramedics to appear and carry the teenager to safety. They turned towards Izuku, but All Might dismissed them with a wave.
The hero then turned his head towards the Sludge Villain, or at least what's left of him. The Sludge Villain now wasn't as large as he had appeared then, as bits and pieces of himself had lain scattered on the road. What's left of him started to wiggle, as though trying to get their bearings in order.
It didn't take too long for Izuku to understand what had happened. All Might struck Sludge Villain with a Detroit Smash powerful enough to send him flying backwards, like blowing water off a table. He was that strong.
No, Izuku told himself. The pain in his head slowly resurfaced, as though punishing him for that thought. No, it didn't work that way.
The Detroit Smash would have just made a dent, and Sludge Villain would ricochet back into normal just as fast. All Might needed a force strong enough to get the Sludge Villain off-balance, to separate his body far enough that they could be contained before he could even reform.
Izuku's eyes widened in realization.
The wind.
"I scattered the parts there!" All Might said loudly, both as a request and a command.
It didn't take long for Kamui Woods to see the wiggling masses of green slime all over the area. He responded by pointing his hands towards them, with branches and vines immediately sprouting from his arms and rushing to the location. Where there was slime, there came wood that propped them up like a spatula. The wood then closed upon itself, becoming wooden boxes that fell on the ground.
The other Pro Heroes soon arrived with the same container bottles All Might had carried with him a few hours ago. It seems the police already had them on hand - they were just waiting for the right Pro Hero to arrive.
Izuku sighed in relief. What a genius All Might was. People think he's just strong, but he used that same strength to generate wind powerful enough to separate Bakugo from the Sludge Villain, and to separate Sludge Villain into pieces. It's as though All Might knew the further the parts scattered, the longer it would take for them to reform.
What an amazing analysis.
Deku needed minutes to understand the Sludge Villain's powerset, but never came up with a solution. All Might had the situation solved before he even struck a hit.
So this is how a Pro Hero thinks…
"Young man, that is remarkable."
Izuku's train of thought derailed at the all-too-familiar sound beside him. He looked up and met the gaze of the very idol he had talked to a while ago. Not Toshinori Yagi, but the beaming blue eyes of All Might.
"I must apologize," he whispered. "I've told you Pro Heroes need to be ready to risk their lives, and yet I was afraid to go beyond because of some medical advice."
All Might stood tall and proud, his figure recognizably admirable even without his signature blue and red costume. He looked at the Pro Heroes before him, gathering the Sludge Villain as he squirmed profanities at the heroes who had just caught him.
"You've done what no Pro Hero couldn't today," All Might said. "You rushed in to save the hostage even if you don't know how to fight. And here I was saying you can't be a Pro Hero."
He looked at the youngster. "I have to practice what I preach."
Izuku looked back at All Might, surprised to see he was already staring.
"Plus Ultra, right?"
They weren't green, was the only thing All Might could think of.
When his gaze met that of the adoring Izuku, he saw not the leaf-green of innocence but the red of rage. Fixed on the top of his eye was a black comma, like a smudge of ink with no intention of getting out.
The heat emanating from the teenager was evident, but only from this close. From afar, no one would even notice his temperature was through the roof. Whatever this kid had done just now couldn't be done by the Izuku who had talked to him a while ago.
Toshinori saw everything, even before he decided to intervene.
Izuku somehow knew that the Sludge Villain was capable of absorbing Quirks from his victims and that he couldn't control the victim's Quirk that fast. Since the inexperience caused explosions everywhere, Izuku must have figured he could use the smoke to mask an attack. True enough, the distractions angered the Sludge Villain, who fired even more explosions.
When the explosions happened too close to the Sludge Villain, the criminal would recoil and have to let go of the hostage even for a second. That was the opening Izuku waited for.
All of that thinking in a short span of time.
The passive kid who met him would never have thought of all of this.
"Can someone like me without a Quirk become a Pro Hero like you?"
Toshinori gazed upon the black comma that fixed itself in place, floating on Izuku's red eyes like a drop of ink on blood.
Did his eyes do this?
Is he really a Quirkless?
"Right?"
All Might zoned back into reality when he realized Izuku awaited his response. He didn't realize his eyes were still fixated on the boy's.
Toshinori blinked.
They were green now.
Toshinori, as All Might, mulled over what the boy had said for a few seconds. In truth, he was still trying to make sense of what he had just seen. In the end, he simply crossed his arms and gazed on the Pro Heroes at a distance, now darkened silhouettes by the orange glow of the sun that had just begun its retreat.
"Right. Plus Ultra."