Chapter 3: Chapter 3: What It Takes To Be A Hero
The timer reached one minute until the start of the next episode. Everyone was going back to their seats. Izuku and All Might sat back in their seats so they could prepare for the shock and chaos that will undoubtedly erupt in their faces.
"Is everyone seated?" Giselle asked, holding the remote in her hand. When she saw the timer reach zero and everyone were in their seats, she pressed the play button. "Let us begin."
The episode started with preschool Izuku watching All Might's debut video.
"Aww. It should be a crime to be this cute, Midori." Mina said, watching little Izuku get so excited.
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen." The doctor said, shooting down Izuku's hopes.
"It's so unsettling to see a classmate with such power being deemed quirkless." Momo said, frowning at the screen at a shocked Izuku.
Aldera Izuku stood on the roof with All Might, wanting to ask his question. 'Even if I'll never have superpowers.' The teenager thought as Katsuki's taunts from earlier were shown. 'Even if everyone thinks I'm useless.'
Inko hugged her son as they cried. "I'm sorry Izuku. I wish things were different."
The majority of the audience looked at the screen sadly as they watched the heartbreaking scene again.
"Mom that's not what I needed you to say. Couldn't you see?"
"Izuku." Inko wiped her tears with a tissue.
'Despite everything, I still dream and I have to know.' Aldera Izuku thought, clenching his fist.
"Is it possible to become a hero even if I don't have a quirk?" Izuku asked All Might before he reached the edge. "I'm a normal kid without any powers. Could I ever hope to become someone like you?" He closed his eyes with a nervous blush on his cheeks.
All Might and Izuku steeled their nerves for what was coming next. They were prepared for the barrage of questions that were about to come their way.
All Might stopped and half-turned to look back at Izuku. "Without a quirk?" A jolt of yellow light flashed across the screen and the hero jerked in pain.
"All Might, should we be scared?" Mina asked, looking on in worry as the onscreen All Might hunched over, steam beginning to swirl all around his body.
"It's alright, young Ashido." All Might said with a wave of his hand.
"Oh no," He whispered to himself. "Dammit! Not here!"
Aizawa turned to look at All Might. "Don't tell me that he found out on that rooftop?" He asked the retired pro hero. All Might nodded his head and the teachers sighed.
The screen returned to Izuku who was looking down after finally asking his question, rambling on and trying to explain himself. "People think I don't have a chance; that not having any powers makes me some kind of weakling. My classmates like to make fun of me. But you know what, that makes me want to prove them wrong. Ever since I was a kid, I've thought that saving people was the coolest thing you can do."
The students and adults stared at the onscreen Izuku's oblivious nature as he looked anywhere but the steam that was coming off the number one hero's body.
"Midoriya, as much as I commend you on your ability to speak your mind, at least be aware of your environment and surroundings." Tenya said with an amused smile.
"I was nervous and I couldn't dare to look him straight in the eye." Izuku said, scratching the back of his head. Most of Class B looked over at Izuku in sympathy while Class A facepalmed themselves.
"I want people to see my fearless smile and feel safe, and be the kind of hero everyone in the world looks up to. Just like you."
The steam faded away to reveal All Might's skeletal form where he was standing originally in his buff form. Izuku's face turned into shock and disbelief before he started screaming.
The opening plays.
Everyone except Nezu, All Might and the Sinclairs turned to Izuku with shocked expressions.
"You knew?!" Mina exclaimed.
"Yeah I knew this whole time." Izuku admitted, suddenly interested in his red shoes.
"Who else knows about his other form?" Momo asked.
"That's not my place to say, Yaoyorozu. But I will say, getting into UA, I think the teachers knew about his other form." Izuku said, looking at the raven-haired girl.
Aizawa, Present Mic and Midnight looked at All Might. "How did Midoriya know that the teachers were aware of your true form, All Might?" Midnight asked the retired number one hero.
All Might tapped his finger on his chin as he was trying to connect the dots. He widened his eyes. "The USJ attack. Cementoss saw me and Young Midoriya and didn't say anything."
"What?" Aizawa asked, narrowing his eyes. All Might looked sheepishly at the homeroom teacher before turning back to the screen.
In the Tatooin shopping district, the camera zoomed in on the bottle that the sludge villain was trapped in as he started waking up. "Where am I? What happened?"
"It's the sludge villain. How did he get there?" Denki pointed out.
"He must have fallen out when me and All Might were in the air. I'm an idiot." Izuku said nervously. He smacked himself in the head. "Sorry Kacchan."
Katsuki grumbled under his breath but took a deep breath. "It's in the past now, Deku. Don't overthink it."
"Deku you're not an idiot. You didn't know that the bottle would fall out of All Might's pocket. But what does Bakugo have to do with this?" Ochako looked at Izuku, frowning.
"Just watch." Izuku said as the sludge villain blamed All Might for not getting out of town as Katsuki and his lackeys were walking in that general direction.
"That was rough. Weren't you and Midoriya good friends back when you were kids?" One of Katsuki's lackeys asked.
"Yeah you were a little harsh with him today." The other lackey said.
"At least those two were not as heartless as Bakugo." Toru said.
"It's his own fault for getting in my way." Aldera Katsuki said.
"Yeah because sitting in his seat and minding his own business is a crime these days." Kyoka grumbled.
"Shut it Ears." Katsuki glared at Kyoka.
Katsuki kicked the bottle in the air, causing the cap to burst off when it hit a pole.
The majority of the audience facepalmed themselves. "Now we know how the Sludge villain got free." Itsuka said.
"You shouldn't waste your time on the guy." Lackey number 2 said to Katsuki. The blond flashbacked to what Izuku said in class about wanting to be a hero since he was a kid and trying his hardest even without a quirk.
"Someone's gotta teach the worthless nerd how the world really works." Katsuki scowled as he exploded the can in his hand. "I hate it when he talks heroes."
The teachers gave each other confused looks before they looked down at where Katsuki was sitting. They were perplexed by his younger self's attitude toward Izuku. They found it peculiar that the boy wanted to be a hero, but he was putting down his childhood friend for wanting to be a hero. What were his intentions? These were questions that needed to be asked during their talk.
"Hey I got an idea. We should go to the arcade. Get your mind off it, you know?" Lackey number one said to Katsuki.
"Fine." Katsuki said.
"Or we can sneak into the bar at the station, pick up some ladies? Now that's a good idea." Lackey number two suggested.
"Idiots! If we get caught, there's no way U.A. would let me in!" Katsuki yelled at the two dolts.
"You're not worried about hurting your childhood friend all this time but you're worried about getting caught in a bar and not getting into UA, right Katsuki?" Mitsuki glared at her son, the anger in her tone.
Katsuki flinched when he heard Mitsuki's question but he ignored it.
The two lackeys pointed behind Katsuki in fear. He turned around and saw the sludge villain behind him.
"Perfect, I like a skin suit with some fire." The sludge villain bared his teeth and Katsuki looked on in fear.
"Don't tell me." Ochako whispered, looking at Izuku with wide eyes.
Izuku nodded.
"You looked scared there, Bakubro." Denki said.
"Shut the hell up, Sparky!" Katsuki yelled. "I wasn't scared!"
"Sure." Denki said sarcastically.
"Episode 2 : What It Takes to Be a Hero"
The show cut back to Izuku's scream on the top of the store rooftop, showing All Might's skeletal form.
Laughter was heard around the room.
"Damn Midoriya, have you been screaming that whole time?" Kyoka teased with a small smile. "Have you ever thought about joining a band?"
"I never thought about it but I don't think I'm that great of a singer, Jiro." Izuku scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Nonsense. I'll give you some singing lessons. Freshen those pipes right up." Kyoka offered.
Mina clapped her hands in excitement. "Ooh! If that doesn't work out, I'll give you some dancing lessons. You'll be breakdancing in no time, Midori."
"Midobro/Midoriya!" Denki and Minoru exclaimed in jealousy.
"I… wait… what happened..you deflated." Izuku looked around. "Where did All Might go? You! You're not him. You're a fake… an imposter."
"You're so mean, Deku." Ochako giggled as Izuku lowered himself in his seat.
"Did Midoriya really think it wasn't you?" Present Mic asked, a small smile on his face.
"Wouldn't you have the same reaction at his age if that was you up there?" All Might smirked.
"Fair point." Present Mic said.
"I assure that I am All Mi-" as blood came out of his mouth.
As Aldera Izuku screamed again, Eijiro turned to All Might. "Sir, is there a reason that blood comes out of your mouth?"
"You'll see, young Kirishima." All Might said.
"You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in and flexing, trying to look buff? I'm like that." All Might said, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"He goes from small to buff and calls it flexing. What are you All Might?" Denki asked.
"THIS CAN'T BE REAL!" Izuku exclaimed, freaking out. "I'm dreaming."
"I think Midoriya is having an identity crisis." Itsuka pointed out.
"All Might is a giant of a man who saves everyone. He defeats all obstacles and wins the day with a fearless smile."
"There's plenty of fear behind that smile." All Might said as he sat down. "I'm counting on you to keep your mouth shut. Don't go talking about this online or telling your friends."
"What friends?" Neito asked which caused Izuku and Katsuki to flinch.
Itsuka glared at the blond boy next to her. "Monoma!"
"Am I wrong, Kendo?" Neito asked. "At that time, Midoriya had no friends because of the biggest personality in the neighborhood. Now he has friends in his class and still nobody knew about All Might's condition until Kamino. There is a connection between All Might and Midoriya that we don't know about."
Aldera Izuku flinched in horror as the sound of clothing being lifted was heard.
All Might was shown lifting the left side of his shirt up, revealing a gruesome scar that looked like a spiderweb of pavement cracks that lined out from it.
None of the students or parents have ever seen the scar. They put their hands to their mouths as their stomachs turned. Even though he already saw it, Izuku felt a little queasy but he managed to hold it in. The teachers looked away, even though they were aware of the scar. Nezu was the only one who didn't shy away from the sight of the scar.
"All Might." Denki whispered.
"No way." Eijiro whispered, eyes wide as saucers.
Mina covered her eyes. "Oh my god."
"How?" Setsuna asked in fear.
Ibara closed her eyes and started praying.
"Pretty gross right? I got this in a big fight five years back. My respiratory system is basically destroyed. I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out. It can't be fixed. Right now I can only do hero work three hours a day. The rest of the time, this is what I look like."
"Three hours a day," Tetsutetsu said in disbelief. "But how does he teach if he has to maintain that form? It's impossible."
"No way. Five years ago? So does that mean it was that fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"
"Only Midoriya could pull out an All Might fact from the top of his head." Mezo said.
"I was trying to fight back the disbelief that there is a villain powerful enough to do that to All Might and Toxic Chainsaw was a strong villain." Izuku said in a low voice.
"Wow you know your stuff. But no," All Might clenched his fist. "The punk may have landed some hits but he couldn't bring me down. Most of the world has never heard of this fight. I did everything I could to keep it under wraps."
"But this is All Might. He's unbeatable." Minoru said nervously.
All Might looked in Izuku's direction. "I'm supposed to be the guy that's always smiling right? I'm the Symbol of Peace. People everywhere have to think I'm never afraid. But honestly I smile to hide the fear inside."
The scene transitioned to Izuku. "It's just a brave face I put on when the pressure is high. This job isn't easy. Pro Heroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains can't be beaten without powers. So no honestly I don't think you can become a hero without a quirk."
'No way.' The students thought.
Everyone except the hosts, Izuku and Katsuki turned to look at All Might in shock.
Aleister and Giselle sigh as they pause the show.
"Cue the yelling in 3.. 2.." Aleister counted down.
"How could you say that to him?!" Ochako, Mina and Eijiro shout at All Might, who was sitting back in his seat looking calm but he was internally panicking.
All Might looked nervous as he tried to appease the angry students. "I know what I did was not right. But I didn't want to give him false hope and two things. One, if I had not arrived sooner, young Midoriya would have died to that villain. Two, if anything happened to him after that, it would have been on my conscience."
"You didn't need to stomp on his hopes and dreams like that!" Toru exclaimed.
"You guys, he's not wrong. I was upset at the time but maybe it was for the best. I mean, look at me. I'm here now aren't I?" Izuku said, trying to appease his angry classmates.
Aleister unpaused the show.
Izuku looked at All Might in disbelief. "I see."
All Might stood up from his spot. "If you want to help people, there are plenty of other ways to do it. You could become a police officer. They get crap because heroes capture most of the villains, but it's a fine profession." He walked towards the door to the roof access.
He stopped once he opened it. "It's not bad to have a dream, young man. Just make sure your dreams are attainable, realistic. Understand?" He closed the door behind him.
"All Might, explain yourself." Aizawa glared at the former pro hero, who looked down in shame. "You left him there after you told him he couldn't be a hero. What if he had jumped?"
Izuku could feel Ochako shaking in the blanket. He looked at her and he could see the anger in her eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Uraraka, please calm down."
"But Deku. Your favorite hero crushed your dreams." Ochako said in an icy tone, but her eyes were wet with tears.
"He didn't know my story. He wasn't aware of what I went through growing up. He was trying to keep me from doing something that would get me killed." Izuku said.
Ochako crossed her arms. "It doesn't mean that I have to like it."
"He's right. I didn't know about his past." All Might said. "I was thinking of young Midoriya's safety when I said that, but that does not justify what I said or did, especially what happens later." The students looked at each other in confusion, wondering what he might be referring to.
'I was losing myself at the time. Young Midoriya is just like me but I refused to see it because of my own selfishness. I'm sorry my boy.' All Might thought, tears in his eyes. His onscreen self looked around for the bottle containing the sludge villain.
An explosion sounded in the distance as All Might turned toward the stairwell window and saw smoke rising. "Not good."
Izuku was still standing outside in the same spot he'd been in when All Might left him just seconds ago. An explosion sounded in the distance, and he looked up to see a cloud of smoke. "A villain? I wonder which hero will show!"
"Some villains just can't be beaten without powers," Izuku stopped, a conflicted expression on his face as he remembered the words All Might had just spoken to him. "So can you be a hero? Not without a quirk."
Ochako put her head on Izuku's shoulder. "I believe you can be a hero without a quirk." She said softly.
Izuku blushed as he heard what Ochako said. 'S-so close.'
"Thanks Uraraka." He whispered.
Kyoka and Mina looked at each other and smirked.
'So it's not just Midoriya but Ochako too. This makes Mina's job much easier.' Kyoka thought.
'So this whole time, it's been Midori after all.' Mina grinned mischievously.
Suspenseful music began to play as All Might was seen running through the city towards the smoke. Glass broke as civilians in the Tatooin Shopping District screamed as they ran away while shop signs were collapsing and fires began to spread. A crowd swarmed the entrance of the district as Death Arms, Slugger and another pro hero ran to the scene, standing behind two police officers. The sludge villain stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by flames and looked intimidating as Katsuki was held in its fluid body. The camera zoomed in on Katsuki struggling to free himself.
"Bakubro!" Eijiro exclaimed.
"I'm right here, Shitty Hair." Katsuki said.
"Yeah I know. But still.."
"Shut up and watch. This is nothing."
"It's taken someone hostage." Death Arms ran towards the Sludge Monster. "How dare you prey on a child!" He jumped and punched the Sludge Monster.
"Yeah go Death Arms!" Rikido exclaimed.
"Death Arms' punches are quite effective. It's like getting hit by a wrecking ball." Kyoka said.
"That may be true, but the Sludge monster is made out of goo. His punches are just going to sink in." Momo stated as Death Arms punched the villain.
"What the hell is this?! Some kind of goo?!" Death Arms asked in surprise as he tried to pull his hand out. The sludge villain hit Death Arms, throwing him back. He slammed into the shutters of a closed shop, his body denting them with the force of the impact.
"Brute strength will not work in this situation as it appears." Tenya pointed out.
"But All Might is the one who saved Bakugou that day, right? He's all about brute strength." Minoru said.
"There's more to All Might's punches than brute strength, Mineta." Izuku countered.
"Hang on, Mineta and Midobro. There was also that kid who ran out just before All Might showed up." Kirishima reminded them.
Slugger and the unnamed pro hero ran up to Death Arms to check on him. They dodged each of the Sludge villain's punches.
"Stay back or I'll snap his neck." The sludge villain sneered. It turned to Katsuki, who managed to free himself from its grasp.
"You picked the wrong guy to mess with." Katsuki struggled to get out. "I'm gonna send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of! LET ME GO!" Katsuki said as explosions came out of the slimy hands, driving the heroes back.
Mitsuki and Masaru watch the scene with worry on their faces. They were aware of what happened to their son. But seeing the events up close, they felt a little scared of what would've happened if All Might didn't save him.
"You got so much power. I really hit the jackpot. With a quirk like yours under my control, I can take All Might down with one punch." The sludge villain bragged.
The students suddenly laughed while the teachers chuckled among themselves. Katsuki sucked his teeth but that didn't stop them from having fun at the exaggeration of his quirk.
"That monster certainly overestimated Bakugou's power. Those explosions aren't close to even hurting All Might." Momo said, shaking her head but had a small smile on her face.
"How do you know that, Yaomomo?" Itsuka asked.
"Him and Midoriya went against All Might in their final exam. His explosions didn't even faze him. This Bakugou is in middle school so his explosions wouldn't even tickle All Might." Momo stated. Mitsuki's eyebrows perked up with curiosity. Her son and Izuku fought All Might in their exam and passed.
A guy in the crowd was talking about the sludge villain being a legit super villain while the lady next to him pointed towards Mt. Lady who was running towards the scene, saying that she will stop him.
"My only weakness. I need at least a two legged road if I'm gonna make my way through here."
"Pfft so dramatic." Present Mic said, rolling his eyes.
"So Midoriya was right. Her quirk is practically useless in an urban setting." Kyoka said.
Katsuki's lackeys were panicking as they were surrounded by fire before Kamui used his quirk to grab them.
"Fire and wood don't exactly make a good combination here. I'll let someone else stop this guy." Kamui said, before running off with the two lackeys and two other people.
"Don't look at me. I got my hands full here. Where are those fire trucks? Can you guys get to it?" Backdraft said as he was putting out the fires.
"They can't be serious." Aizawa glared at the screen as Backdraft was putting out the fires and Kamui was rescuing civilians.
"I can't get a grip on his weird body. Plus that kid's quirk is causing explosions left and right."
"This is a shutout," Slugger stated. "We've got to rally and knock him out of the park somehow."
The sludge villain had a better grip on Katsuki as he lashed out at Slugger and Death Arms. "It's no good. None of us have the right quirks to stop a villain like this!" Death Arms exclaimed.
"We'll do damage control until someone with the right powers shows up."
Nezu watched the scene in disapproval. "Rescuing the hostage should be their top priority. Even if Death Arms is unable to defeat the sludge villain on his own, he can wrestle Bakugou out of its grasp."
Midnight shook her head. "Such a waste of effort."
"I'm sorry kid. You just have to hold on a little bit longer. Damn if I only had more power, I could blow this guy away!" Death Arms stated.
"Are they serious?!" Eijiro yelled out. "Were they really about to let Bakubro die because they don't have the right quirks?"
"You're right, Kirishima." Aizawa said from his seat. "It's necessary in most cases, but it's not the right course of action here."
"This is going to require a thorough investigation." Nezu said calmly, but he was beyond pissed that such heroes were capable of this level of incompetence.
All Might caught up to the sight of the explosion. He gasped as he saw the sludge villain through the crowd of onlookers behind the police line. "Must've dropped him in the air. I was distracted worrying about my time limit. I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake and after lecturing that kid what it takes to be a hero. I'm pathetic."
Izuku felt a twinge of pain in his heart as he heard his hero blame himself. He turned to his mentor. "No! It's not your fault, All Might! It's my fault that this all happened!"
All Might shook his head. "No young Midoriya. This one is on me. You're a middle school student and I'm a pro hero. It was my mistake to get distracted easily, not yours."
"He's right, Midoriya." Tenya said. "Don't let this mistake burden you."
"Yeah Deku." Ochako reassured him. "It's not your fault this happened."
Aldera Izuku walked down the street while looking down at his notebook. He did not notice the anxious look on the passerby walking the opposite direction. The screen showed a close up of the page on Kamui Woods, revealing a picture of the hero on the left with his notes being shown on the right. The voice of Katsuki's friend echoed in his mind as he turned the page to Mt. Lady showing his notes on her.
"Midoriya, I was not aware that you could draw that well." Momo said, looking surprised.
"You can draw, Midori?" Mina asked, suddenly interested.
"Yeah, it's kind of a hobby just like quirk analysis." Izuku shrugged. "If I didn't get into UA, I was thinking of joining an art school and see where it went from there."
'He did keep his dreams realistic if he didn't become a hero.' Aizawa thought approvingly.
"Don't think less of your skills, Midobro. Miss Midnight seems to approve of your drawings." Eijiro said.
Izuku turns to the back where he sees Midnight clapping and gives him a big smile.
Ochako stared at the picture of Mt. Lady. 'So Deku thinks that Mt. Lady is sexy.'
Denki chose the wrong moment to take the words out of her mind and put it into words. "Wait Midobro, do you think that Mt. Lady is sexy?" He asked curiously.
Everyone looked at Izuku thinking the same thing. His eyes widened at the question and shook his head. "I don't personally t-think Mt. Lady is sexy. I think that she can use that to her advantage like for popularity or to get things without having to do anything. She's not my 'type' anyway."
"So what is your type?" Mina asked.
He turned red at the question. He looked at Ochako before quickly looking back at the screen as his onscreen self flipped the page to All Might's signature. "I l-like a woman who is driven, motivated, has the same goals as me and will support me like how I would support her."
The girls squealed at Izuku's answer and Ochako felt her face heat up. She knew that those actions screamed her name but she never thought that Izuku would openly admit the kind of girls that he is into.
'Does Deku like me?' Ochako thought.
All Might's words echoed in his mind as he closed the notebook. Izuku sighed as he looked at his notebook sadly. 'Even All Might said it. A hero needs a quirk.' He sniffled as he thought, 'Don't cry damn it. Deep down you knew this all along. You just been avoiding reality. That's why you were trying so desperately to prove yourself wrong.'
Ochako looked at her best friend sadly. "Deku… you can't be looking down on yourself like that. You're a good person." She squeezed his hand.
"I know Uraraka. I just didn't expect All Might's words to hit me that hard. But I have a quirk now and I can save people."
All Might looked sadly at his successor. Did his words really cause Izuku to lose his spark?
There was a sound of an explosion nearby. Izuku turned towards it.
'That's strange. Is the fight from earlier still going on? Why am I here? Did I subconsciously walk this way to check it out?' Izuku thought.
Despite Izuku's onscreen expression, that got a few laughs from the students and the adults.
Aizawa muttered something about problem children.
"Do you have a sixth sense for villain attacks, Midobro?" Denki asked jokingly.
Izuku shrugged, which caused more laughter.
'If only you knew how right you are.' The Sinclairs thought.
Aldera Izuku walked toward the crowd. He started looking through the crowd to see what the commotion was about. 'I shouldn't even stop. All my notes are useless.' He gasped in shock. 'It's the guy who attacked me. That can't be right. All Might captured him.'
The scene flashed back to All Might in his buff form posing with the bottles filled with the Sludge Villain. It transitions to All Might on the roof, showing empty pockets in his baggy cargo pants. 'But the bottle, if he dropped it.'
The scene transitioned back to Aldera Izuku. "That means it's my fault."
"Thanks for reminding me." Izuku said, putting his head in his hands.
Ochako looked at Izuku before turning him towards her and putting his arms down. "Izuku Midoriya, look at me!" She said sternly as the onscreen crowd started talking among themselves.
Izuku looked at her sadly but a little surprised that she used his whole name. Ochako put her hands on his shoulders. "You need to stop blaming yourself for every small thing that happened. What happened in the past is gone and you can't change it. You need to move on from it. That boy in the middle school uniform and the future hero sitting next to me are not the same person anymore. Do you hear me?"
Izuku nodded meekly and she smiled at him. "Now show me the smile of the hero that saves everyone." She whispered.
He gave Ochako a bright smile that warmed her heart.
The scene revealed All Might and Izuku's self-deprecating thoughts as Katsuki was being held by the Sludge Villain.
"I never thought I'd be saying this but you guys can't be blaming yourselves like that. It's not very manly." Eijiro frowned.
"Yeah. I know that you guys can't change what has already happened. But look on the bright side, Bakugo is here with us." Rikido said, trying to relieve the tension in the room.
'Someone… a real hero will come soon.' Izuku thought, praying that someone would arrive to save the day. Katsuki was still trying to free himself from the Sludge Villain. Izuku covered his mouth with his hands and Katsuki turns toward the crowd that All Might and Izuku are watching from and opened his eyes and the latter recognized who it was.
"Damn nerd." Katsuki said, loud enough for his friends to look in his direction. He points at the screen.
Izuku's notebook dropped on the ground as he started running toward Katsuki and the sludge villain, surprising All Might and the pros.
"IZUKU!" Inko cried out from her seat.
"Deku!" Ochako exclaimed.
"Midobro, that was you? That was so manly!" Eijiro smiled.
"Midoriya, why are you always so constantly reckless?!" Tenya yelled at Izuku, intensely chopping the air.
"At the time, I didn't know that All Might was in the crowd. I was only thinking that it was my fault that the monster got out!" Izuku exclaimed.
"You can't run towards danger just because you believe that something you did involuntarily is your fault and that your emotions got the best of you. " Aizawa scolded Izuku.
"You're wrong." Katsuki's calm tone surprised Aizawa.
"What?" Aizawa scowled at Katsuki.
"His emotions are what made him save a life. He used the skills he learned from analyzing heroes and that helped him." Katsuki said, not backing down.
As Izuku kept running, music started playing showing fear but determination in Izuku's eyes.
"No you idiot! Stop! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Death Arms yelled out.
"Not this brat again!" the sludge villain said, noticing Izuku.
'Deku?' Aldera Katsuki thought as he saw Izuku running in his direction.
'What am I doing?! Why am I running?! Why can't I stop?!' Izuku thought as he was running.
"I never thought I would be saying this, but you got guts, Midoriya." Kyoka said and the others nodded.
"I wouldn't say it took guts to do that. It just felt right." Izuku said. "But thanks Jiro."
"You're toast kid!" The sludge monster yelled out.
'What do I do?! What would a hero do right now?!' Izuku thought. He flashbacked to his burnt notebook. 'Page 25, right!'
"You actually remember what was written down in that notebook, Muscles?" Mei asked, looking amazed.
"Sounds crazy but yeah. I bet you guys think it's weird." Izuku said.
"No it's not, Midori. You only say that because Bakugo said so." Mina said, shutting down his rebuttal.
"If it wasn't for those notes, Bakugo would not be sitting here today." Hanta said.
"Shut up Flat Face. I would've been fine." Katsuki grumbled.
'Sure.' Everyone thought, rolling their eyes.
Izuku took off his backpack and threw it at the sludge monster. "Take this!" he yelled out, the backpack hitting the monster in the face.
The backpack hit the sludge villain in the eye, causing it to flinch back and allowing Katsuki to breathe.
"Nice throw, Midoriya!" Rikido exclaimed.
"Magnifique!" Yuga said.
"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled out as he started digging Katsuki out of the slime.
"What the hell?! Why are you here?!"
"So the boy that you bullied for almost your entire childhood rushes to save you and that is your response?!" Mitsuki's mouth twitches, trying to hold back the scream that was about to erupt.
Katsuki ignored his mom once more.
"Way to be grateful, Bakubro." Denki smirked.
"I don't know! My legs... They just started moving!" Izuku admitted.
'Deku.' Ochako thought.
'Midori.' Mina thought.
'Midobro.' Eijiro thought.
'This kid.' Aizawa thought.
'My boy.' All Might thought.
"I don't know why I did what I did." Izuku narrated as the thoughts that discouraged him or put him down were going through his mind. "Maybe it was the look on his face."
"Kacchan, I couldn't just stand there and watch you die." Aldera Izuku said with tears in his eyes and attempting a smile.
Everyone gasped in realization as Izuku said that. All Might smiled at his onscreen successor.
"Come on Deku!" Ochako yelled out.
"You got this Midori!" Mina exclaimed.
"Go Midoriya!" Eijiro cheered.
Everyone started cheering at that point. Izuku was surprised to see everyone cheering for him. The teachers and parents were also cheering for his heroic act.
All Might gasped.
"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Katsuki yelled.
All Might's body started to expand as steam started coming off his body. 'I have to do something, no matter the cost.'
"Just a little bit longer kid. Then I'm done playing with you!" The sludge villain yelled out, raising a slimy arm to lash out at Izuku.
The pro heroes finally lunged forward. "Save the boy! This thing will kill him!" Death Arms shouted.
"Really?! Now they want to do something?!" Mina yells out in exasperation as everyone looks on in shock.
The sludge lashed at Izuku. An explosion filled the screen. Izuku is on the ground untouched.
"I really am pathetic." All Might's voice stated.
Izuku looked up, shocked to see All Might holding back the Sludge villain. His buff form was still steaming.
"ALL MIGHT!" The audience cheered.
"Again with the self blame." Eijiro sighed at the scene.
"No Young Kirishima. I was not self-pitying myself this time. Let's just say I was being a little hypocritical." All Might said.
"I told you the traits that make a great champion but I see that I wasn't living up to my own ideals." All Might pulled his arm out of the Sludge Villain's grip and grabbed Izuku and Katsuki's arms. "Pros are always risking their lives. That's the true test of a hero!" All Might said as blood spewed out of his mouth.
"DAMN YOU ALL MIGHT!
"DETROITTTT SMAAAASSSHH!"
All Might punched the Sludge Villain with such force that it blasted apart. Mt. Lady shielded the crowd with her arms and the pro heroes form a chain to shield a crowd on another side of the district. A twister formed from the air pressure of the punch.
"Such power with one punch." Fumikage stated.
All Might kneeled on the ground, breathing heavily as the pros and the onlookers silently watch. Izuku and Katsuki are shown laying on the ground unconscious. It started raining on screen. Death Arms looked at All Might in shock.
"Holy crap… he changed the weather." Death Arms stated.
Before All Might stood up, he wiped blood away from his chin. His music began to play. People in the crowd deduced that the rain was the result of All Might's punch and started to cheer. But when he tried to raise a fist in victory, he nearly stumbled backwards. He raised his fist in victory in a second attempt.
While the majority of the audience cheered, most of them looked worriedly at the scene.
All Might half-turned and smiled at an unconscious Izuku.
"After that, the hero gathered all the scattered mounds of sludge and the villain went into police custody where he belonged." Izuku narrated. The screen shows Backdraft, Kamui Woods, Death Arms and Mt. Lady saluting the police while other officers put the garbage bags full of sludge into the police carrier. All Might was shown being interviewed by reporters while Izuku was shown on the floor, looking worried.
"You moron," Izuku flinched, the camera zoomed out showing Death Arms and Kamui scolding Izuku. "Do you have a death wish?" Kamui Woods asked.
"There was absolutely no reason for you to put yourself in danger like that." Death Arms scolded Izuku.
"WHAT?!" The majority of the students yelled out.
"They didn't even try to save Bakugou. At least Deku did something to try and save him!" Ochako glared at the screen.
"If I knew that he said that to Midoriya, I would have not interned with him." Kyoka said with a disapproving look.
"I got chewed out by the heroes big time while Kacchan was praised for his bravery."
"They may not agree that you did anything to save Katsuki, but as his parents, thank you Izuku." Masaru and Mitsuki said.
Izuku looked back and smiled at the two parents. "You're welcome."
"Bakugo, uncertified quirk usage called. It wants to have a talk with you about using your explosions to fight back." Shoto said in his monotone voice.
"What are you talking about, Icy-Hot?" Katsuki glared at Shoto, his onscreen self doing the same to Izuku.
"It's an inside thing, don't worry. Wouldn't you two agree, Iida and Midoriya." Shoto looked towards the two.
Izuku widened his eyes. "Hey, you're right. What the frick?!"
"Deku!" Ochako gasped. She wasn't the only one. It was surprising to hear something like that come from Izuku's mouth.
"Did Midoriya try to curse?" Kyoka asked.
"Izuku." Mitsuki and Inko said in shock.
"Language, Midoriya!" Momo scolded him.
"Midoriya, you're not allowed to curse. Ribbit." Tsuyu said.
"No, Todoroki is right." Tenya crossed his arms. "The similarity between our situation and Bakugo' are quite the same. It is hypocritical, at the least."
"What are you guys talking about?" Eijiro asked.
"The Hero…"
"Tut tut. No talking about outside things please." Giselle interrupted.
'I wanted to apologize to All Might but he was swarmed by interviewers and I didn't want to interrupt.' Izuku thought as he walked home.
"You stuck around to do an interview despite the fact that you were already over your time limit?" Aizawa asked with a raised eyebrow.
All Might sighed heavily. "I tried to get away sooner. I really did, but you know how the media gets about these things."
Well, Aizawa could hardly argue that. It was one of the many reasons he was an underground hero.
'I can always try to send a message to his website when I get home.'
"DEKU!" Katsuki's voice was heard in the background.
'Kacchan?' Izuku turned around and saw Katsuki running behind him.
"Is Bakugo actually going to thank Midoriya for saving him?" Itsuka asked.
"Doubt it." Denki said.
Katsuki stopped breathlessly. "Listen, I would never ask for a weakling like you to help me. Don't think you can look down on me! Huh got that?! I was fine by myself! You're just a quirkless failure who won't even cut it as a rent-a-cop. You didn't help me. You did nothing, don't forget it. I don't owe you anything."
"I guess that's his way of saying thank you." Eijiro said.
"I'm gonna say this now because it needs to be said," Katsuki said, standing up. Aleister paused the show. Everyone, including Izuku turned to look at him. "You're not useless as I used to say you were. Thanks for saving me, nerd. But don't get all confident about that because you still won't look down on me. I'm going to be the number one hero!" Katsuki said with his signature grin.
Everyone looked in shock as Izuku got up and smiled at Katsuki. "I never looked down on you. I saved you because that is what a hero does. But I will beat you to surpass you as your rival." His face darkened to show his competitive side.
'SCARY.' The students thought.
"Let us continue." Aleister unpauses the show when Izuku and Katsuki sat down.
Katsuki turned and stomped away from Izuku, who looked confused.
'What was that?' Izuku thought. A small smile on his face as he watched Katsuki walk away before putting his head back down. 'Kacchan is right though. It's not like I did anything to help today. But at least I tried.'
"Deku. Now you're just lying to yourself." Ochako frowned at Izuku. "If you hadn't thrown your backpack to distract the monster with your notebook hitting its eye, Bakugou wouldn't have been able to breathe."
"Yeah Midoriya. Don't sell yourself short." Kyoka said with a smile.
"Thanks. I guess you're right." Izuku said, smiling.
'Guess now I should get back to giving up on my dreams.'
Ochako was about to contradict Izuku but before she could say something…
"I AM HERE!" All Might said as he zoomed out from an alley as Izuku screamed out in surprise and the number one hero's music started to play.
"All Might, where did you come from?" Izuku looked back to see if Katsuki was still behind him. "How did you get rid of all those reporters?"
All Might did his signature laugh as the background showed an American flag and saluted. "I stand for justice, not sound bytes. Because I, I am All Mi-" as he transformed back to his skeletal form and spat out blood.
The students wince seeing All Might constantly spit out blood. They were torn between being worried or having a little bit of fun with All Might.
"Sir, are you sure you were ok?" Tenya asked worriedly. "The constant blood loss does not seem normal."
"Don't worry about it, young Iida." All Might reassured the class rep. "The blood is a byproduct of the surgeries. I have it handled these days."
All Might wiped the blood from his mouth. "Young man, I came here to thank you and also to discuss your question from earlier. If you hadn't told me about your life. If you hadn't run into that fight, I would have been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd so thanks."
"Oh no it's my fault he was there to begin with. I got in the way of your hard work. I wasted your energy, and not to mention, your time." Izuku said, looking away from All Might.
"Midoriya, you…" Tenya and Momo began to speak.
"Shhh." Izuku interrupted the two of them. They look back at the screen.
"I'm not done. You told me you didn't have a power so when I saw this timid, quirkless boy try to save a life, it inspired me to act too." Izuku looked up at the gaze of his hero.
Emotional music began to play.
"There are stories about every hero," All Might said. "How they became great. Most have one thing in common." Izuku flashed back to running through the crowd to save Katsuki from the sludge monster. "Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think, almost on their own." Izuku gave a small gasp, taking in what All Might was saying. He started tearing up, realizing what was about to happen and looked down.
"Come on, All Might." Eijiro said.
"You can do it." Mina said, quietly cheering the hero. "Say it!"
"For some reason, I remembered my mother's words in that moment." Izuku narrated. The music starts to intensify.
"I'm sorry, Izuku. I wish things were different."
Izuku's body slumped forward, trembling with pent-up emotions as he broke down in tears.
"And today, that's what happened to you." All Might said in acknowledgement.
Izuku clutched his chest as he closed his eyes, letting the tears fall down his face. "You never told me, mom. Back then, the thing I wanted you to say. The words I needed to hear." He fell to his knees.
The students silently cheer All Might as they watch the emotional scene. Izuku fights back the tears as he goes through the emotional moment once more but fails to do so. Inko cries softly wiping her tears, as the hero her son grew up watching praised him on the screen. Present Mic and Midnight took off their glasses to wipe the tears from their eyes. Aizawa and Nezu smiled at the onscreen number one hero. All Might smiles as tears run down his face.
The wind blew in All Might's hair with the sun setting behind him as he stood in front of Izuku, who was wracked with emotion. His weakened form made the words that were about to be said much more meaningful because they were coming from the true form who knew the dangers and risks of being a hero rather than the form that was a persona to the public.
"Young man… you too can become a hero."
Ochako hugged Izuku as they cried together. Everyone except a few stoic ones including Katsuki, Shoto and Aizawa started crying and sniffling as they heard the hero in the world tell Izuku the words he had wished to hear all his life. Aleister and Giselle smiled warmly as they stood up and started clapping for Izuku. Pretty soon, everyone was clapping.
"Midori is saying something!" Mina said, pointing to the screen. Everyone stopped clapping and turned to look at the screen.
"Dreams can become reality. Oh by the way, I forgot to mention that this is the story of how I became the world's greatest hero." Narrator Izuku said.
Katsuki's eye twitched when he heard that. Everyone else's mouths dropped when they heard that last line. They looked at Izuku, who looked just as shocked. They started clapping once more. Inko started to cry happily as All Might smiled proudly at his successor.
WHAT?!" Katsuki got up from his seat, looking livid. "HOW IS DEKU GOING TO BE THE GREATEST?! YOU DAMN NERD! YOU GOT YOUR OWN SHOW AND ALREADY THINK YOU'RE GONNA SURPASS ME! KEEP DREAMING!"
Eijiro and Hanta had to hold Katsuki back.
"I'm gonna be the world's greatest hero." Izuku said, wiping his tears.
"Congratulations Deku!" Ochako exclaimed, hugging Izuku tightly.
The ending starts to play.
"There's something I don't understand." Momo states and turns to Izuku. "Midoriya, you have been in two stressful situations in the same day and yet your quirk has not manifested. When did Superpower appear?"
Izuku looked embarrassed for a moment. He scratched the back of his head. "Um yeah. It's k-kind of a long story but it should…"
"Izuku, I'm sorry to interrupt but we are on a schedule." Aleister interrupted the green haired boy.
All Might's music began to play.
"Young man. I have deemed you worthy of inheriting the glorious power of All Might."
"Wait. What do you mean, inherit?"
"When you're ready, you'll take my unstoppable quirk, One For All!" All Might boomed.
"So it's that easy?" Izuku asked. "I can become a hero just like that?"
All Might laughed. "Of course not, kid. Not with that frail body of yours."
"Huh?"
"Next time, Roaring Muscles!"
"Midoriya is going to be super buff by the time I'm through with him."
"Go beyond… Plus Ultra!"
The timer appears on top of the screen. Aleister and Giselle facepalmed, forgetting about the preview. Everyone except All Might, Nezu, the Sinclairs looked at the screen in shock. Then they looked at Izuku, who was staring at the screen in shock. The students except Katsuki were asking Izuku rapid fire questions. A shrill whistle interrupted the students as everyone covered their ears. Most of the audience glared at Present Mic who was just as surprised with his ears covered. They saw Aleister stand up.
"Apologies but you have ten minutes. I understand you have questions so whether Izuku answers them or the show does."
Izuku sighed deeply. "I didn't think it would be revealed like this. But I guess even my own show can't keep a secret." He had a faraway look in his eyes. "Well congratulations now you all know the truth."
"How is this possible?" Itsuka asked in disbelief.
Izuku shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it. I'd rather let the show explain all this stuff." He said with a cold tone. He got up from his seat as everyone looked at him in shock at the sudden change of attitude and walked out of the theater.
With that, everyone got up from their seats to stretch or talk to their friends. Aizawa glared at All Might, who got up to get water from the back.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone