{thinking}
[text/video/call]
(Action)
"Expression through Writing and talking"
-Point of View (POV) author notes-
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-3rd person pov-
It had been a full month since Izuku Midoriya's life took a sharp turn—ever since he received a quirk, everything changed. The days of being looked down on, mocked, or ignored had become a distant memory. At Aldera Junior High, the very classmates who once saw him as invisible or weak now approached him with friendly chatter, seeking him out with genuine respect. Where there was once silence, now there were voices—calling him by name, smiling at him, treating him like an equal.
For the first time, Izuku belonged.
His reputation took a dramatic leap forward after a public scuffle with Katsuki Bakugo. The two had clashed—something that once would've ended with Izuku on the ground—but this time, it was different. When the fight began, Izuku tapped into his new quirk, Storm Cloud, forming an ice-based cloud system that drastically dropped the temperature in their surroundings. Katsuki's quirk, which relied on his ability to sweat a nitroglycerin-like substance, began to falter under the cold conditions. Without his usual combustion power, Katsuki was caught off guard.
Izuku didn't hesitate. He surged forward, eyes determined, and landed a clean, decisive punch—knocking Bakugo to the ground.
It wasn't just a victory. It was a statement. A declaration that he was no longer the powerless observer.
Now, walking along a different route than usual on his way home, Izuku wore a quiet smile. The sun dipped low in the sky, casting golden hues over the buildings and sidewalks, and he exhaled softly as he enjoyed the peaceful walk. His hand rested lightly in his pocket, brushing against the faint outline of a familiar card—the one with the electric-blue double helix.
He thought of TNE, the man who had changed everything with a single opportunity. Whether by fate or manipulation, Izuku couldn't deny that this path—this new life—was only possible because of him.
Izuku: (eyes focused) {I've trained this quirk hard to make it my own… and now it finally is. But it's not enough. If I really want to be a hero— I have to push even harder.}
Walking through a narrow alleyway bathed in late afternoon shadow, Izuku took a detour that led him toward a quiet stretch beneath an old bridge. The city noise faded behind him, replaced by the distant hum of traffic above and the steady rhythm of his own breathing. As he reached the mouth of the underpass, he paused, glancing around to make sure he was alone.
He took a breath and focused. Sparks danced faintly around his shoes as two miniature storm clouds began to swirl just beneath his feet. Slowly, they lifted him off the ground by a few inches, the mist-like vapor pulsing with electricity and chilled air. It was an experimental move—one he had been thinking about for days but hadn't dared to try in public.
With cautious movements, he shifted his weight, gliding forward ever so slightly. It felt like skating on clouds. Unsteady at first, he flailed briefly before adjusting his balance, managing to coast forward with growing confidence.
Then, the ground erupted.
With a violent clang, a manhole cover shot into the air like a coin flipped by a titan. From the dark, grimy depths of the sewer, a mass of churning green slime exploded upward. The Sludge Villain—formless, grotesque, and fast—launched himself toward Izuku in a sudden ambush.
But Izuku's reflexes, honed through weeks of training with his quirk, kicked in. With a jolt of electricity, the clouds at his feet surged, pushing him to the side just in time. The villain's mass slammed into the empty air where he had been moments ago, splashing against the concrete in a splatter of toxic muck.
Izuku skidded to a halt, heart pounding, eyes wide. His quirk had just saved his life
Sludge Villain:(oozing closer with a wicked grin)"Hold still, brat. I'm just gonna borrow your body for a bit—think of it as a meat disguise. It'll only hurt for… 45 seconds. Then? You won't feel a thing."
The Sludge Villain lunged again, this time managing to catch Izuku off guard. Though Izuku had been dodging with quick footwork and bursts of cloud-assisted agility, his inexperience showed. His balance faltered just for a second—long enough for the storm clouds around his feet to disperse in a flicker of mist and static. He slipped, hitting the ground with a thud.
Without hesitation, the Sludge Villain surged forward, oozing tendrils latching onto Izuku's legs and beginning to drag him toward the sewer grate. The cold, slimy grip tightened, and Izuku clawed at the pavement, trying to resist the pull.
Then the ground shook.
From below, another violent eruption of stone and metal blasted upward as a powerful gust of wind shot through the alley. All Might burst out of the sewer with explosive force, his figure backlit by the late sun filtering through the bridge above. Without pause, he reeled back and delivered a punch—Texas Smash—a move that channeled immense power and raw wind pressure into a single blow.
The air cracked like thunder.
The force of the punch created a miniature shockwave, sending debris scattering and whipping through the underpass like a storm front. The Sludge Villain was caught in the blast, his form flung and splattered across the walls in thick, dripping globs.
Though stunned and dismembered, the villain was still alive—his fluid body writhing faintly in defeat.
With his iconic, unwavering grin, All Might calmly walked over, produced two empty cola bottles, and carefully scooped the sludge into them. He sealed them with practiced ease, the remnants of the villain now harmlessly sloshing within.
Izuku sat on the ground, breathless and wide-eyed. The adrenaline coursed through him, but so did awe All Might had saved him again.
All Might: (giving a thumbs-up, cape fluttering)"Don't worry, young man—I'm glad you're safe. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a villain to deliver to the authorities Good luck out there!"
All Might launched into the sky with a single powerful leap, vanishing into the distance with the villain in tow. Izuku remained frozen beneath the bridge for a moment, heart still racing from the encounter. Then, something caught his eye—one of the cola bottles filled with sludge lay on the ground, half buried in a crack in the pavement. It must've slipped from All Might's grasp during the jump.
Realizing the danger of leaving a fragment of the villain unattended, Izuku quickly scrambled to his feet. Summoning a dense, medium-sized cloud beneath him, he hopped on. The stormy platform crackled faintly as it lifted him a few feet above the ground. He leaned forward, using his balance to direct the cloud forward like a hoverboard.
Weaving through pedestrians, Izuku stayed low—his quirk wasn't strong enough yet to lift him into the sky like a true flight technique. Still, the mobility it offered was quick and efficient, and he sped through the streets with growing confidence.
Up ahead, on the rooftop of a nearby building, he caught sight of All Might landing gracefully with the other bottle of sludge. Izuku pushed himself harder. Frost surged around the base of the cloud, adding a burst of propulsion as it gave off a cold mist. The boost sent him arcing upward, launching from the ground in a rapid rise before the cloud began to dissolve midair.
Izuku timed it perfectly, leaping free as the cloud burst into cold vapor and landed next to All Might with the dropped bottle in hand. His face was alight with excitement and pride.
But in his focus, he didn't notice the faint steam drifting off All Might's shoulders—the subtle sign of strain. A clock was ticking. And All Might's time in that form was nearly up.
Deku: (running up, holding the bottle out)
"Wait—All Might! You dropped this by accident!"
All Might: (coughs into his hand, hiding strain behind a smile)"Th-Thank you, young man… I appreciate it. (takes the bottle)Now—I must get this villain to the proper authorities… before— (another cough, voice wavering slightly) before he causes more trouble."
All Might reached for the rooftop door, his hand trembling as it neared the handle. But before he could grasp it, his body gave out. He dropped to his knees with a painful thud, a violent cough wracking his frame. Blood splattered against the rooftop, his chest heaving as steam poured from his shoulders like a broken vent.
The two cola bottles containing the sludge villain slipped from his hands, clattering as they rolled toward the edge. One teetered briefly before both toppled over the rooftop, vanishing from sight.
Izuku froze—shocked, concerned, confused. His mouth opened, a wordless panic rising in his throat as he instinctively took a step forward. Should he call an ambulance? Was All Might dying?
Then came a loud poof, followed by a surge of thick steam. Instinctively, Izuku raised his arms to shield his eyes from the blast of hot air. When the steam finally cleared, he lowered his arms—
—and what stood before him was no longer the towering, muscular Symbol of Peace.
Instead, in the middle of the rooftop, stood a gaunt, skeletal man. His figure was impossibly thin, with angular limbs and a long, extended neck. His eyes were sunken and dark, sclera pitch-black, and his skin was pale against the shape of his bones. His long blonde hair, still recognizable, framed his narrow face in disheveled strands.
Izuku's breath caught in his throat. This was All Might—but not the All Might anyone knew.
His mind reeled, trying to process what he was seeing. His idol, his dream, everything he thought he knew… now unraveling in real time. Panic surged through him. What was happening? Was this a transformation? A curse? Was he even still All Might?
Izuku didn't have answers. Only questions And fear
Deku: (eyes wide, heart racing)
"Wh-What the hell?! Who are you?! Where's All Might?! You—You're an imposter!"
All Might: (voice strained, clutching his side)"I… I may look different, but I promise you, kid… I'm All M—"(suddenly coughs violently and vomits blood, staining the ground)
The minutes passed in a quiet haze atop the rooftop, broken only by the faint hum of distant traffic and the occasional cough from the gaunt figure before Izuku. All Might sat on a low ledge, his shoulders slumped, his frame visibly exhausted. He spoke in a low, somber tone, explaining how, years ago, during a vicious battle, he'd sustained grievous injuries. His stomach had been destroyed, parts of his respiratory system compromised. The damage left him coughing blood and severely limited his physical capabilities.
Izuku stood nearby, listening intently, his eyes wide with disbelief and concern. All Might continued, explaining how the injuries forced him to drastically reduce his hero activities, and how his "buff form"—the powerful, muscular persona that inspired the world—could only be maintained for about three hours at most. Beyond that limit, he reverted to this frail, vulnerable state.
He admitted that very few people knew this truth, and how hard he'd worked to keep it secret from the public, to maintain the symbol of peace everyone relied upon. But now… with this "Eggman" villain, whoever he really was, having knowledge of this secret—it was only a matter of time before the world found out. His words hung heavy in the air, laden with an unspoken fear of what would happen when that inevitable truth came to light.
Izuku tried to process it all, his mind spinning. His idol—the invincible hero he'd admired since childhood—was not invincible at all. Yet, as shocking as the revelation was, a spark of resolve flickered in Izuku's chest. He now knew the burden All Might carried. The question was—what would he do with that knowledge?
Izuku: (wide-eyed, voice trembling) "Wh-Why are you telling me all this, All Might?"
All Might: (voice low, serious)"When I'm not in my muscle form… I'm Toshinori Yagi, or just Yagi. And the reason I'm telling you this, kid, is because I need you to keep it a secret. If word gets out that you know, you could be interrogated by dangerous people—people who might even use your loved ones to get to you."
Deku: (hesitant, voice cracking slightly)
"I-I understand, but… I have a personal question. Can a quirkless person ever become a hero? I… I've always been a late bloomer, and everyone always told me it wasn't possible. But… I just gained my quirk recently. I guess I just need to know—was it ever possible to become a hero without one?"
Toshinori Yagi: (with a faint, sad smile)
"No… they can't. The job isn't easy. Pro heroes are always risking their lives, and some villains… just can't be beaten without powers. So, no, I honestly don't think a quirkless person could become a hero.But there are still so many ways to save lives—being a police officer, a firefighter—they're heroes in their own way, too. It's not bad to dream… just try to make it realistic."
A heavy silence settled over the rooftop as Deku felt a wave of depression. All Might's confession weighed on him, his hero's vulnerability echoing in his mind. Yet, beneath the weight of that truth, Deku reaffirmed to himself that he had made the right choice in contacting TNE for a quirk. Even if he didn't yet fully grasp Eggman's true motives, Deku felt a desperate need for power.
Before either of them could react further, a loud explosion ripped through the air, echoing across the city. Both Deku and Toshinori snapped their heads toward the source—the distant Tatooin Shopping District. Smoke billowed above the buildings. Panic stirred within Deku as he immediately recognized the source of the explosion. Without hesitation, he jumped off the rooftop, summoning a storm cloud beneath him. Hovering atop it, he sped through the city streets, weaving between obstacles, leaving a trail of cold air in his wake.
Toshinori, left momentarily stunned on the rooftop, gathered himself and hurried down the stairwell, his mind racing with urgency.
Arriving at the shopping district, Deku saw chaos erupting. A crowd of civilians ran in every direction, terror written across their faces. Smoke and debris filled the air. Amongst the chaos, Deku's heart stopped—there, amidst the destruction, was the Sludge Villain. The same creature that had attacked him earlier, only now it was larger, more aggressive, and it had Bakugo Katsuki in its grasp.
Bakugo's arms flared with involuntary explosions as the villain forced his quirk to activate, adding to the destruction around them. The pro heroes—Mt. Lady, Backdraft, Death Arms, and Kamui Woods—struggled to approach. The Sludge Villain's form was erratic and dangerous, and Bakugo's relentless explosions made the situation worse, forcing the heroes to retreat and strategize.
Deku's mind raced. He knew he couldn't wait for a plan. His instincts screamed at him—Bakugo needed help now.
Death Arms: (gritting his teeth) "We can't do anything right now… we have to wait for a hero with the right quirk to handle this."
Deku stood frozen, torn between obeying the law and the desperate sight of Bakugo trapped and struggling. But Bakugo's expression—fear mixed with a silent plea—snapped something inside him. Without thinking, Deku vaulted over the barrier, ignoring the shocked cries of the pro heroes.
Landing on his storm cloud, Deku conjured several medium-sized clouds in a wide radius around the villain. Each cloud released a steady downpour, rapidly drenching the flames that licked through the area. As the rain fell, the air cooled, and the temperature around the Sludge Villain dropped sharply. Bakugo's quirk, reliant on his sweat's nitroglycerin properties, fizzled out as the cold moisture suppressed his explosive potential.
The Sludge Villain, confused and startled by the sudden turn of events, struggled to react. Deku seized the opportunity. He hurled his backpack directly at the villain's eye, causing a momentary disruption as the creature recoiled. Pushing forward, Deku clawed at the viscous sludge that bound Bakugo, managing to free his mouth.
With the surrounding fires dampened and Bakugo's quirk neutralized, Kamui Woods sprang into action. His wooden tendrils lashed out, wrapping around Deku and Bakugo. With a powerful yank, he pulled them both free from the Sludge Villain's grasp.
Now, stripped of its hostage and exposed, the Sludge Villain was left vulnerable. The pro heroes moved in, ready to finish the fight
Sludge Villain: (with a panicked, twisted smirk)"No way! I'm not going to let you capture me—I'm outta here!"
The Sludge Villain, seeing its hostage gone and the tide turning against it, attempted to escape. It spun around and lurched forward, only to be obliterated a second later. From above, a deafening BOOM echoed through the district as All Might, having arrived just in time, unleashed a colossal Texas Smash. The sheer force of the punch sent shockwaves through the area, blasting the Sludge Villain into fragments that splattered against the nearby walls. The power of the attack was so immense it altered the very air, causing a sudden downpour as if the weather itself bowed to All Might's might.
The onlookers stood in stunned silence, awestruck by the overwhelming display of power from the Symbol of Peace. Their cheers, however, masked the quiet, almost unnoticed presence of a lone crow perched on a rooftop. Its eyes, a whirl of mechanical precision, captured every detail of the scene with cold efficiency before it vanished into the rain.
Civilian 1: (wide-eyed)"Holy crap! He punched so hard the weather changed!"
Civilian 2: (in awe)"Truly, our Symbol of Peace… the greatest hero of all time!"
An hour had passed since the incident, and Deku was making his way home, his heart still pounding from everything that had unfolded. The heroes had scolded him for stepping in recklessly but also praised his courage and quick thinking. Among the moments of recognition, he even received a business card from Mt. Lady—an invitation to consider working at the Mt. Agency if he ever became a hero.
Despite this, Kacchan hadn't said a word of thanks or apology. Still, Deku couldn't stop himself from feeling a strange sense of pride. As he rounded a corner, Deku nearly bumped into a familiar figure standing there in the dim light. It was Toshinori Yagi, the true form of All Might, his frail and thin frame a stark contrast to the towering hero everyone admired.
Toshinori looked like he had just slipped away from the media's attention, having run out of time to maintain his muscle form. He seemed hesitant but determined, as though there was something important he needed to say. Deku, sensing the weight of the moment, chose to stay.
All Might: (smiling, a touch of pride in his voice)"I saw what you did back there. You're already good at using your quirk, especially for someone who just awakened it. You let your legs move on their own, without a moment's hesitation. That's exactly what it means to be a hero. And that's why I want you… to be my successor."
In his underground lab, Eggman sat amidst a tangle of screens, his fingers lazily turning the pages of a heavy book titled Quirk Doomsday Theory. The flickering displays around him buzzed softly, relaying footage and audio from recent events. As he read, his gaze remained indifferent, the unfolding developments merely confirming what he had anticipated.
All Might had chosen Izuku Midoriya after all—a gamble that had played right into Eggman's calculations. Even if Izuku had refused One for All, Eggman would still have had the upper hand. The core flaw of One for All was its hidden curse: it strained the user's lifespan, especially when layered atop an existing quirk. For a quirkless individual, the quirk's vast power was like filling an empty glass with water—manageable. But if a person already possessed a quirk, it was like trying to fill a full glass until it spilled and cracked under pressure.
Originally, Izuku had been a safe candidate, his quirkless status ensuring stability with One for All. But Eggman had changed that, implanting Storm Cloud into the boy. Now, if Izuku inherited One for All, his lifespan would inevitably shorten—an outcome that pleased Eggman. It was the ultimate checkmate, one he had orchestrated from the shadows.
Satisfied, Eggman closed the book with a sharp snap and stood up. His plan was advancing, but to accelerate it further, he would need allies. As the hum of his machinery faded into the background, he exited the lab. With precise steps, he headed toward a hidden hangar where Starscream was waiting.
Starscream, ever loyal and ever scheming, would transport him to Otheon. There, Eggman intended to forge an alliance with a certain cult leader whose resources and influence could prove invaluable. Together, they could further disrupt the delicate balance of heroes and villains—and steer the world closer to Eggman's ultimate vision.
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Sorry it took long