Eighty percent of the population of this world has some kind of superpower; they're called Quirks. With the introduction of Quirks came villains -- with villains came heroes. Among these heroes, there was one who was the greatest of them all: All Might.
This story, however, isn't about All Might -- not entirely. It's about me, Miles Morales.
When I was 3 years old, my parents decided to move to Japan for better work opportunities. When I first came to Japan, I was an easy target for bullying since I stuck out like a sore thumb as a foreigner who could barely speak any Japanese. However, the bullying stopped by the time my Quirk manifested, and the bullies directed their attention toward this Quirkless kid in my class. I never really talked to the kid, but I'll never forget the day his and my fates became somewhat intertwined at the tail end of our last year of junior high.
It was always hot this time of year; our classroom's AC had been busted since the midterms. Busted AC meant a really hot room filled with irritable teenagers. As one could imagine, that usually spelled out trouble.
Class had ended, and most of my classmates escaped the furnace. The Quirkless boy was surrounded by bullies, all following the leader of the pack, the spikey-haired blonde named Katsuki Bakugo.
"I don't know what you're doing, Deku, but we aren't done."
He called the green-haired, Quirkless boy 'Deku', but that wasn't his real name. People only called him that to make fun of him. I didn't understand the pun since Japanese was my second language, but I think I heard Bakugo say it means 'useless'. Bakugo snatched Deku's notebook and dangled it over his head. One of Bakugo's lackeys squinted at the cover before bursting out in teary-eyed laughter.
"Don't tell me you're taking notes on how to become a hero! So pathetic."
What an asshole... I thought. But then again, it's better him than me. Besides, Mom and Dad said I shouldn't use my Quirk unless it was in self-defense. I'd rather not get involved. Sorry, Midoriya, you're on your own.
"Please give that back..." Deku mumbled, his hand outstretched toward his notebook. Bakugo scoffed before using his Quirk to cook the notebook well done.
"That's so mean..." Deku muttered as Bakugo tossed the tattered notebook over his head and out the third-floor window.
Bakugo placed a hand on Deku's shoulder, his palm charring the Quirkless boy's shoulder. "Don't even think of applying. Or else."
Bakugo and his cronies took their leave, stopping just before the doorway. With that crooked smirk of his, Bakugo showed half his face to Deku before giving him one last piece of advice.
"Y'know, if you really wanna be a hero that badly, there might just be another way. Just pray that you'll be born with a Quirk in your next life and then take a swan dive off the roof of the building."
Bakugo scoffed; meanwhile, I was still standing in the doorway.
"Outta my way, American Boy," he said, shoving me aside. Bakugo pretty much refused to remember anyone's names.
This is how the world works. I thought to myself. There are those who are at the top and those who are at the bottom. If you can't be number one, then at least make sure you aren't absolute last. Never be that guy.
I contemplated asking the Quirkless kid if he was alright, but again, I'd rather not get involved. I had to look out for myself. Me. Numero uno. So I walked home.
Truly, I felt bad for the kid. Being Quirkless was hard enough, but being bullied for it must've been a living hell. In the end, though, I could only remind myself that it was better him than me.
When I was about halfway home, I could hear a commotion coming from behind me. When I turned, I saw a green sludge monster straggling down the street, cash spilling from its wet flesh. The guy wasn't really a monster, though; he was just some poor guy whose Quirk mutated his body enough that he no longer appeared human. If I looked like that, I'd probably live a life of crime too.
He was coming right for me, but I could tell that he wasn't going to attack me -- he was simply trying to run away with his spoils. And so, I stepped to the side, giving him ample room to pass.
Sure, with my Quirk, I might've been able to slow him down enough for the police to catch him, but I didn't think it would be worth the hassle. Besides, it's like I said earlier, I had to look out for myself. Numero Uno.
I walked about a mile until I saw a bunch of police cars blocking the road. Based on the destruction the cars were surrounding, I figured that the sludge guy must've caused the damage. I saw my Dad's squad car parked there. I'd seen it so often I had recognized the license plate.
Oh, Dad's here? I guess I'll say what's up before I head home.
I poked my way through the crowd, finding what appeared to be an officer pinned between a car bumper and the corner of a building. I couldn't make out his face, but I could see that his body was basically in two halves; yet, he was still moving.
I started scanning the crowd of officers looking for my dad. Panic began to set in when I couldn't find him. He's the only Black officer in this prefecture, so it's not like he wouldn't stand out in a sea of Japanese officers.
I couldn't tell what was faster, my heartbeat or my footsteps. I pushed the officers out of the way; one of them tried to stop me, but when he recognized me, he let me through.
The moment I was able to see the officer in full, my heart sank to the depths of the Earth.
It was my father, his body stuck between the bumper of a police cruiser and a building. His lower half was on the ground, his eyes were glazed over, and his arms were limp. He was already gone.
Just moments later, I saw All Might fly past us. He looked directly at me, his eyes apologizing for being too late. He wasn't smiling like he would on TV.
When I got home, I explained to my mom what happened, and the two of us wept until there weren't any tears left to shed. That night, I saw a post online that showed All Might catching the villain, but before then, I saw something that made my stomach turn. The villain was holding Bakugo hostage, and the heroes were too afraid to make a move. But out of everyone in the city, do you know who dared to save him? That damed Quirkless kid. Deku; no, Izuku Midoriya is his real name.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Midoriya desperately attacked the villain and began clawing at him to break Bakugo free. For the last decade, Midoriya was Bakugo's punching bag, his toy to let off some steam and inflate his nasty ego. Despite it all, Midoriya, the weakest of them all, risked his life to save him...
If I had even a sliver of that courage, I could have prevented what happened to my father, but I didn't. I was nothing more than a coward -- a coward less brave than a weakling without a Quirk.
I didn't have the heart to tell Mom that it was my fault that Dad died. One night, I just couldn't take the guilt anymore. I needed to blow off some steam. I headed downtown, swinging from building to building using the webs from my Quirk.
However, I stopped in my tracks upon hearing a familiar phrase.
"You can be a hero!"
I turned to see All Might displayed on a television, his smile as radiant as ever. "That's right, you can be a hero! Applications for U.A. High School close within the next two days, so don't forget to sign up!"
Immediately, I was reminded of the last conversation I had with my father. I was in the passenger seat of his squad car, listening to an album that'd just dropped the night before. I could hear him saying something through my headphones, so I removed one cuff and glanced at him.
"What's up, Dad?"
I noticed he was looking at All Might, who was talking to some kids on their way to school.
"Remember when you were a little boy and you said that you wanted to be like All Might? You used to run around in your little All Might costume and pretend to save your Mom, and I would pretend to be the big bad villain?"
I shook my head and scoffed at him. "Yeah, when I was like five years old. Then you said that it's too dangerous."
"I've been thinking. U.A. should be opening applications soon. Why not sign up?"
I remembered looking at my Dad like he was crazy. All these years, he told me to give up on that dream, now suddenly he's saying I should apply to the number one hero school.
"Why? It's not like I'll get in. All the other kids have probably trained their whole lives for this. Besides, I've already decided that I'm going to go to college and become a Quirk specialist anyway."
My Dad exhaled and tapped the steering wheel a few times. I took a quick glance at him, and he looked like something was weighing him down. To be honest, this was the first time I'd ever seen him this way.
"But, Miles, is that what you want to do? Is that really what you want?"
"Why do you suddenly care about what I want? My whole life, I said that I wanted to be a hero, and you shut me down. Now that I finally have a plan for what I'm going to do with my life, you're bringing up All Might and hero schools. Why wait until now!?"
"It's because I have regrets, Miles! Your mom and I... We told you not to use your Quirk because it's too dangerous. That you might hurt someone, for that, I am sorry. I'm sorry for shattering your dream. I just want to take those broken pieces and put them back together so my son can be happy with his life. I realized something the other day, Miles. Guys like us, with our Quirks, we have a responsibility to use our gifts to protect people. My Quirk was never good enough to get me into U.A. or any other hero school, but it made me a damn good cop. But you're different, Miles. That Quirk of yours is something special... Use it. You can be a hero."
We pulled in front of my school, and I immediately unbuckled my seatbelt.
"It's too late for all that." I stepped out of the car and threw my backpack over my shoulders.
"I love you, Miles." If I could go back in time, I would have said it back to him.
"Yeah," I told him before slamming the car door behind me.
Reflecting on this memory and listening to All Might speak through the television, I finally found the missing part of me that I'd lost when I was a child.
If I get into U.A. and I become a hero, maybe I can prevent some kid out there from feeling how I feel now. I can stop someone else's parent from sharing the same fate as mine. This is what you wanted, right, Dad? I'll do it, then. I'll be a hero. I'll become the number one hero.
Starting that night, I started my own training regimen. Most of the other kids, especially the top prospects, had trained their whole lives for this; I was far behind them. Still, I wouldn't let that deter me from giving it my all.
Turns out, I was a lot stronger than I thought. I was pretty much maxing out on every machine at the gym; eventually, I just decided to work out at the old scrap yard, using old heaps of metal as my gym equipment. For months, I lifted, pushed, and pulled abandoned cars, ran laps around my middle school's track, and used routines I found online to improve my reaction time.
Months passed, and I found myself among other students in front of the massive metal door leading to the U.A. training grounds. Here, they would test our abilities to see who was worthy enough to join the elite at U.A. High. To no surprise, I saw Bakugo there; however, I also saw Midoriya, who'd clearly changed since the last time I saw him.
His big, round eyes were still trembling as they always would, but his body had transformed. His muscles were even bigger than mine; he must've undergone some serious training over the break. At first, I was ashamed of myself, remembering how Midoriya stepped up against that villain while I couldn't. I pushed those feelings aside and instead used Midoriya's presence as motivation for myself. If he, of all people, was there, then I knew that I belonged there as well.