________________________________
______________
The chapter got you itching for more? Read ahead and get exclusive content before anyone else? Join me on Patr -e-on! Your support would mean the world to me.
( | [email protected]/FictionGoat | )
Read over 20+ chapters in advance.
. . . .
______________________________
______________
Through the deep darkness, Deku felt a light tap against his face. It wasn't rough, but there was a strange, grating texture to it, like someone was lightly smacking him with a calloused hand.
"Hey..."
Another tap, this time a little firmer.
"HEEY!"
Deku blinked rapidly, his vision adjusting as the sun's glare faded behind the towering figure in front of him. Even without seeing him clearly, there was no mistaking it. The sheer size, the larger-than-life presence, the unmistakable BOOM! in his voice...
All Might.
"THANK GOODNESS!" The booming voice hit him like a shockwave as the man straightened up, his golden antennas catching the light. His entire body looked like it had been ripped straight from the pages of a comic book, his broad chest, the ridiculous muscle definition, the power radiating off of him...
Deku's breath hitched. His heart pounded so hard he thought it might explode. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't some figment of his overactive imagination.
All Might was real.
And he was standing right in front of him.
Instantly, a nervous shiver ran down Deku's spine, his entire body tingling as if a bolt of electricity had just shot through him. He jolted upright so fast it was like he'd been electrocuted.
"WHAAA—?!"
Even with the overwhelming proof standing right in front of him, his brain refused to accept it. The same man he'd only ever seen through TV screens and news reports was towering over him.
"YOU'RE OKAY!" All Might's voice boomed, loud enough that it shook his eardrums.
Deku barely had time to say anything before...
"EXCELLENT!!!" All Might interjected, striking a pose so absurdly over-the-top that his biceps looked like they were about to explode through his already struggling shirt. Every inch of his body seemed too big, one wrong move, one flex too hard, and his clothes would probably just rip apart.
Deku stared, his legs trembling, his entire body locking up like a rusty machine. His mouth opened...but, nothing came out. What was he supposed to say? He had dreamed of this moment his whole life. He should've prepared...written notes, practiced what to say, something!
Rookie mistake.
All Might's pose shifted as he ran a hand through his hair, flicking the two thick strands on his head back like they were part of his heroic flair. "HAHAHA! APOLOGIES, YOUNG MAN!" His voice was as powerful as ever. "FOR GETTING YOU CAUGHT UP IN MY VILLAIN HUNT. MISTAKES LIKE THAT AREN'T MY STYLE, BUT…"
He grinned...that grin. The one that shined so brightly it felt like staring directly into the sun. Those pearly white teeth, blinding confidence, and absolute power. This man was no doubt the symbol of peace.
"THIS IS A STRANGE LAND TO ME," he added with a laugh, placing a hand on his hip. "AND BESIDES—I'M OFF CAMERA!!"
Deku heard the words, but they barely registered. His mind was still short-circuiting, stuck on the fact that All Might was standing right in front of him. Nothing else mattered. Not the villain, not the apology, not the booming laughter...just him.
Deku had always been like this. When something completely captured his attention, he zoned out, hyper-focused to the point that everything else just disappeared.
And right now, his brain had erased everything except for All Might.
'All Might! He's here… He's really here!!' Deku sat there, gawking like an idiot, taking in every detail, until something clicked in his head. "OH! WAIT!" His eyes widened, his body jolting to life. "C-Can I get an autograph?! Where's...?!"
His head snapped side to side, searching frantically for his notebook, until...there! Right beside him. He lunged for it, flipping the pages open...
And froze.
Right there, in bold, was All Might's signature. "YOU ALREADY DID IT?!" Deku shrieked, nearly jumping out of his skin. WHEN?! HOW?!
This wasn't just an autograph. This was a relic. A treasure. A once-in-a-lifetime artifact that would be passed down through generations. He was never letting this go.
Overwhelmed, he took a deep breath, then bowed. Once. Twice. Then again and again until his back felt like breaking, but he didn't stop. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!! WHAT A TREASURE!!" His voice practically cracked from how much emotion was behind it. "I'LL PASS THIS DOWN AS MY FAMILY HEIRLOOM!!"
All Might turned slightly, flashing a grin as he tucked a bottle of green sludge into his pocket. "NOW, I MUST BRING THIS FELLOW TO THE AUTHORITIES!" His voice boomed, full of energy. "YOU CAN CATCH ME AGAIN ON TV!"
Just like that, he turned on his heel, already preparing to take off.
But...wait.
Deku's stomach twisted. He couldn't just let this moment slip away. There was something he needed to ask. Something only All Might could answer.
"Um!...Wait, is that it...? I—" His words barely left his mouth before All Might took a few steps forward and dropped into a crouch.
Every muscle in his legs flexed against his cargo pants, the fabric looking like it was doing everything in its power to not completely give out. "A PRO BATTLES NOT ONLY ENEMIES... BUT ALSO TIME." His voice rumbled.
No… He can't leave.
There was so much more Deku needed to ask...so much he had to know. This was his only chance. If he missed it now, he might never get another opportunity.
His body moved before his mind even caught up.
A shaky step turned into a grounded one. A grounded step turned into a sprint. Before he even realized it, his legs were carrying him forward, full speed ahead.
But...TENSE!
Every muscle in All Might's body coiled. His stance shifted, the air around him growing heavier.
"UNTIL NEXT TIME!"
His body kept moving. His mind screamed at him to go, go, go!
And before he knew it...His fingers closed around the fabric.
Deku barely processed it. One moment, he was reaching out desperately, the next, his hands had grabbed onto something solid.
All Might's leg.
'Wait—'
And just like that—his feet left the ground.
Oh, shit.
The city below became a blur as he soared through the air, dangling from All Might's leg for dear life.
" HUUUUUUH?! " All Might's voice came in shock, his head snapping down to see Deku clinging to his leg like his life depended on it...because it did. " LET GO, KID! "
" I CAN'T!! " Deku screamed, his voice almost lost to the rushing wind. His fingers dug into the fabric of All Might's cargo pants. If he loosened his grip for even a second, he'd be falling straight to his death.
The city blurred beneath them, buildings and streets looking smaller and smaller as they soared higher. The wind whipped against his face, his school uniform flapping wildly like it was about to be ripped off his body. 'I didn't think this through!!!'
All Might groaned. " KID, THIS IS REALLY DANGEROUS! "
" I...NEED TO ASK YOU...SO MANY THINGS...GAH! You..!! " Deku's voice cracked as he looked down. Bad idea. His stomach churned at the sight of how high up they were. Too high. Way too high.
All Might sighed, his brow twitching in frustration. " HAAAH… WELL, TOO LATE NOW! HOLD ON TIGHT! "
Then...WHOOSH!
All Might pushed off the air again, launching them both forward at an even greater speed.
Deku screamed.
They soon later crashed onto a rooftop, the impact sending a shockwave through the concrete. Dust and debris shot up around them as All Might skidded forward, his feet digging deep into the rooftop. A perfect landing.
Deku, however...not so much.
The moment All Might stopped moving, Deku's fingers finally gave out. His hands slipped—his grip failed—
And he faceplanted straight into the roof.
"—GHHHAAA!!!"
Silence.
"...Huh. That went better than I expected," All Might said, placing his hands on his hips.
Deku, still face-first in the ground, groaned. Everything hurt.
Deku stumbled forward, still shaking off the nausea. His legs felt like jelly, his stomach doing backflips after what he just went through. "Scary…" he mumbled under his breath, trying to regulate his breathing.
Meanwhile, All Might stood near the edge of the building, casually wiping something off his cheek. "Of all the… Hopefully, the people downstairs will help us get down…" All Might muttered, sounding more annoyed than anything.Then, as if snapping back to his usual self, he straightened his posture and turned over his shoulder, his booming voice returning in full force.
"SORRY, YOUNG MAN! I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS, TRULY!"
His muscles tensed, his stance shifting slightly like he was preparing to leap off again.
Deku's heart slammed against his chest. This was it, his only chance! "WAIT! UM—" He scrambled to his feet, his voice desperate. But before he could get another word out...
"NO!! I WILL NOT WAIT… " All Might interjected, not even turning around.
All Might had already turned away, preparing to leave, but Deku wasn't done...not yet. His chest felt tight, his pulse hammering against his ears. He knew the answer, everyone had already told him a thousand times. But he needed to hear it from him. "Even without a Quirk…" Deku's voice trembled as he forced his fingers into a fist. His nails dug into his palm, his entire body tenseing. "Can I still become a hero?!"
His words hung in the air, lingering between them.
He wanted to believe it. So badly.
He wanted to be a hero. Not just any hero..but the kind that could save people with a fearless smile.
Just like him.
His eyes squeezed shut, his fists clenching even tighter, desperation bleeding into his voice. "CAN SOMEONE WITHOUT A QUIRK…" He sucked in a sharp breath before forcing the words out..words that felt like they were ripping through his soul.
"BECOME A HERO LIKE YOU?!"
This was it...
This was the moment he was waiting for...
If All Might, the number one hero..the greatest hero in existence, whose very presence alone sent villainy plummeting, if he said he could become a hero, then it had to be true.
Deku held his breath, waiting, hanging onto the silence like his entire future depended on the next words out of All Might's mouth.
All Might slowly turned to face him, shadows covering his eyes. "Quirks are... GWAH!" A sudden grunt escaped him as he staggered forward, gripping the railing. Steam billowed off his body, curling in the air like smoke from an extinguished flame.
Deku barely noticed at first, his own words still tumbling out. "Because I don't have a quirk, I... Well, maybe that's not the only reason. But I've always been picked on..." His fingers curled into his palm, nails biting into his skin. He stared at the ground, voice small. "Maybe that's why... I think that saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do."
His lips twitched, forming the faintest smile. "The way you save people with that fearless smil—" He looked up.
And his breath caught in his throat.
The words died before they could leave his mouth. His eyes widened.
The man in front of him...wasn't All Might. Or rather, it was, but not the All Might he had just been talking to.
The massive frame was gone, shrinking before Deku's very eyes. The once towering, muscle-bound symbol of peace deflated, his thick golden hair hanging limply, the glow of his presence snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
He was thin..almost frail even, his limbs bony, his face sunken in, dark circles etched beneath his eyes like a man who hadn't known proper sleep in years. The steam continued to rise from his body, the last remnants of the form he had just held disappearing into the air.
Deku's mind short-circuited.
He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. His stomach twisted into knots.
"Wha—"
A rough, raspy voice, one that didn't belong to the All Might he knew, cut through the silence.
"Hey, don't freak out."
But how could he not?
Deku's legs wobbled, his throat dry as he struggled to speak. "Wh-what is this?! Who are you?!"
The sound barely left his lips, but the man in front of him let out a small sigh. "I should've known you'd react like this." His voice was different too..weaker, more like a tired old man than the invincible hero Deku had seen his entire life.
Deku took an unsteady step forward. "W-what happened to you?"
All Might turned away, walking over to the railing of the rooftop. He leaned on it, staring out at the city below, the steam still rolling off his body in waves. "Listen, kid. There's a lot the public doesn't know about me. About heroes in general."
After a brief pause, All Might pulled up his shirt.
Deku almost gagged.
A massive scar stretched across the left side of All Might's torso. His skin was caved in, like a chunk of him had been scooped out, leaving behind nothing but a twisted mess of flesh and tissue. The damage was so severe, it was a miracle he was still alive.
"Five years ago, I suffered a terrible injury. Fighting a villian. ," All Might explained, lowering his shirt. "Doctors had to remove my stomach entirely. My respiratory system's all shot to hell. I can only do hero work for about three hours a day now." He exhaled sharply.
Deku couldn't find his voice. The strongest hero in the world...was barely holding himself together. Deku stiffened. His mind scrambled for answers, and the first thought that popped into his head came out before he could stop himself. "Was it Chainsaw Man?"
All Might scoffed, shaking his head. "A villain that weak couldn't have done this to me."
If it wasn't someone like that, then just how powerful was the person who had wounded him? All Might shifted, leaning against the railing. His face darkened, eyes shadowed. "This fight was never made public. The world never knew about it."
Deku swallowed hard, hanging onto every word.
"A Symbol of Peace who saves people with a smile..." All Might continued, his voice steady despite the grim topic. "Must never be daunted by evil."
Deku felt a tremor run through his body.He clenched his fists to stop the trembling, but it didn't work.
Then, All Might's gaze hardened. "A pro should always be ready to risk his life… Without power, can one become a hero?" His voice carried a weight that crushed Deku's hope before it could even form. "No, I should think not."
Deku's heart stopped. It felt like everything in him had shattered all at once. His throat tightened, and his breath came out shaky.
No. No, no, no.
His idol, the man he'd admired since he was a child, the hero he aspired to be, had just told him it was impossible.
Dreams didn't just die in an instant, did they?
Because right now, it felt like his had.
All Might pushed himself off the railing, without looking back, he made his way toward the exit. "You should probably consider becoming a police officer if you're that set on helping people," he said, placing a hand on the door handle.
Deku's lips parted, but no words came out.
All Might hesitated for just a moment before his grip tightened. "However, you need to be realistic, kid... Without a Quirk, you'll only die."
Crushed...just like that. With only a couple of words, Deku's dreams shattered.
. . . . .
_________________________________
________________________________________________________
Leave a review and comment!
Read over 20+ chapters in advance, on P@treon.
( A/N: The reason I'm making these is to truly understand each character, so as the story moves forward, it feels like the people around Bakugo are growing too. My goal is to develop every important character, making the story feel deeper and more meaningful, rather than like those cliche stories that just forget about their cast. To me, that's just lazy writing... )