As the fights concluded, the award ceremony had started. Katsuki, restrained with iron cuffs and pinned to a cement wall, violently thrashed in anger, is mouth gagged, able only to make muffled roars. on the podium next to him, Tokoyami attempted to avoid eye contact with the violent beast, but with all of his roars of anger, it was hard not to look.
"In second place we have Iida, but he had to leave due to a family emergency." explained Midnight.
"Really shame, he was so pumped for this event as well..." Commented Tsuyu.
Kirishima remembered clearly what happened, when he told everyone his brother was attacked by a villain. His energetic, leader-like tone was replaced with a more worried and sad mutter. They could feel his pain as he left the stadium.
"I hope he's alright." He commented.
"And now, for the medals, presenting them this year is..."
Suddenly, timing perfectly to Midnight's announcement, a tall, muscular man in spandex flipped into the stadium.
"ALL MIGHT!"
"I AM HERE WITH THE MEDALS!" He called out in his stoic voice.
"Man, first year really is something else, even All Might came to watch." Commented people in the crowd.
First, he went to Tokoyami, putting the medal around his neck.
"Congratulations Young Tokoyami, you're a strong one." complimented All Might.
"You honor me to highly." the crow head responded in modesty.
"Hone your innate strength to open a world of opportunity, but replying on quirk alone can't overcome a bad matchup." Explained All Might, giving his verdict on the student.
He then turned to Iida's podium.
"And now for young... Hagakure?" He said, confused at why there was an empty podium.
"Iida had to leave early due to family matters." Midnight explained.
"Oh, tell once you meet him, tell him he did an amazing job, and that his brother would be proud." He told Midnight, before turning to an enraged Katsuki.
Upon removed his gag though, he allowed Katsuki to immediately drop a giant F-bomb on the entire stadium.
"ALL MIGHT... THIS WIN DOESN'T MEAN SQUAT! DID YOU REALLY THINK I'D ACCEPT A WIN BY FUCKING DEFAULT!? FIRST TODOROKI FAILS TO SHOW UP FROM ROUND THREE DUE TO HIS INJURIES AND THEN IIDA DITCHES ME IN THE FINAL ROUND AFTER BEATING TOKOYAMI BECAUSE "FAMILY MATTERS!?" IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS, THIS MEDAL DOESN'T MEAN SHIT UNLESS I RECOGNIZE IT!" Katsuki yelled out, his eyes so fierce, they were literally popping out of their sockets.
"What a fearsome face... In a world that's constantly graded on a curve, there aren't many who can continuously be on top." said All Might, "So accept this! as a wound even! so that you don't forget."
"I TOLD YOU I DON'T NEED THAT PIECE OF JUNK!" Katsuki yelled back.
After All Might placed his medal on Katsuki's... teeth. He turned to the crowd.
"Well here are your winners, but hold on everyone." He said, "Anyone has the potential to be standing up here, as you all witnessed! Competition! Encouragement! Pushing each other to go higher and higher! The sprouts of today will become the heroes of tomorrow! In spirit, let's have one final cheer! Say it with me, one, two and..."
"PLUS UL-"
"THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK!" All might cheered, confusing everyone.
"We're supposed to say plus ultra All Might..." Midnight explained.
"Oh right... it's just... they did work so hard and... uh..." All Might uttered in embarrassment.
"Anyone has the potential? What a load of crap!" Said Dabi, watching the TV broadcast.
"Yeah! When do we kill the guy?" Asked Spinner.
"When the boss tells us to." Answered Magne.
"Oh right, wait, didn't he lose the fight against your little brother?" Asked Mr Compress.
"I'm just as shocked as you, I didn't think the kid could pull it off." Answered Dabi, "Although, it was nice seeing old pops in tears, Izuku did give us that to laugh at."
"Awww, when can I see him! I miss my Izu-kun so much!" Cried Toga, lying upside down on a nearby couch.
"Sachi said the group was coming back soon after a celebratory drink, and that they were gonna pick him up on the way back, but they still haven't returned." Replied Kurogiri, cleaning a beer mug.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and Toga, from instinct, leapt into the first guy she saw.
"~IZU-KUN! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" She cried out in joy.
"Nope, just your good ol Sachi." Replied the guy she hugged.
"What!? where's Izu-kun?" Toga asked with disappointment.
"He had an urgent meeting with the big boss, so i drove him there to drop him off first." Explained Sachi.
"Awww! But it's been so long! I wanna see him! I wanna! I wanna! I wanna! I wanna!" She thrashed around.
"Alright then, let's go meet him." Said Kurogiri.
"REALLY!?" Toga lunged at the black misted bartender with sparkles in her eyes.
"Of course, anything for young master's girlfriend." Kurorigi replied.
"Then I'll be coming too, just wanna congratulated him for his fight." Dabi replied with a lazy but genuine smile.
"I'm coming too! Can't just leave friend alone!" Twice leaped in.
"Same here, he's a cool guy after all, and one that acknowledges my gaming skills and appreciates my outfit" Spinner replied.
"Alright then, let's go." Sachi finished off as Kurogiri opened up a portal, and the gang walked in.
The dark, torn down warehouse that looked like something straight out of a horror game was nothing more than the reception room to Izuku, as he had been here dozens upon dozens of time, exchanging information, seeking guidance, or just asking for another type of quirk enhancer drug to be made. This time however, he wasn't here for any of those, he was here for answers.
"Good evening, All for One." Izuku greeted.
"Good evening, my young apprentice, what can I do for you this time?" Asked the masked man.
Izuku immediately pulled out his phone, showing him Inko's hero card. Seeing this and the upset look on Izuku's face, the man gave froze, looking at the card for a while, with a concerned look that can be read through the tinted glass mask.
"I should have known that you would eventually find out." Muttered the villain.
"Find out what?" Asked Izuku.
"The Truth about... well, your very existence!" All for One explained in a somber tone.
"My... existence?" Asked Izuku.
"Yeah, think about it, your mother has telekinesis and your dad can breathe fire, yet you never wondered how you ended up quirkless?" Asked All For One.
"Well... uh..." Izuku tried to answer, but couldn't find anything to say.
All for One, upon seeing this, took a deep breath, as if he was about to tell a long story, which he was.
"Sit down young one, because it is time you learned the truth about the Midoriya family." Explained All For One.
"Alright then, indulge me." Izuku responded, sitting on a nearby chair.
It all started 30 years ago, long before your birth. Inko and Hisashi met each other in Yuuei, during their sports festival, Inko had a powerful quirk that allowed her to lift things with her mind, a form of Telekinesis if you will. Hisashi, on the other hand, was unable to make it to the hero course, and joined the support department instead. His quirk, Burn Breath, allows his body to perform different kinds of combustion on the inside with ingested chemicals and shoot out the emission in the form of fire. Him being in the support department gave him access to different tools to tinker with and improve his quirk. He started to work on digestible chemicals that can change his fire's property with harming his body.
I've seen him spit all forms of fire depending on what he consumes, Fire, Blue Fire, White fire, Napalm, Burning Ash, Magma, you name it. after the sports festival, during their fight, Inko suddenly broke down crying in the middle of their battle. She couldn't bring herself to turn Hisashi, no matter how hard she tried, despite being fully capable of sending him flying...
30 years ago...
"Why are you crying?" Asked a young Hisashi.
"*sniff Because... because... you truly understand me..."
Apparently Inko couldn't get herself to many friends. Her quirk was powerful, but it doesn't suit her personality, she was shy, and often times would hurt other by accident. This was back in the early days, where quirks were still being discovered, there was a belief that quirks often reflect one's personality. Because of that, the students of Yuuei believed her to be some sort of delinquent, ferocious and without scrutiny. Hisashi was the only person for a long time to have given her a second chance. Seeing how tortured she was, he spent most of his time with her after the sports festival, while most would avoid her. They started calling Hisashi the "Lion Tamer", because he was able to hang around the rumored "Yuuei's most dangerous student."
The two quickly grew close to one another, and after graduation, the two pursued their hero career together. While Hisashi was lacking in speed and defense, Inko, with her quirk, quickly climbed to the top 10. She had at one point even reached number one, but quickly lost that rank to Nana Shimura, so she settled as the number three hero.
There was but one catch, she insisted to be called the "Kind" Hero Esper, but due to how powerful her quirk was, everyone was scared of her, especially after a photographer took a picture of her, seemingly force choking a villain while standing amidst the burning rumble of a building while what was actually happening was that she was dragging the helpless man out of collapsed debris. But that didn't stop her from getting mountains upon mountains of fans. So many fans loved her, and soon, she grew more and more distant from her high school friend. Hisashi, on the other hand, while was bitter, was also happy that she was getting the love she longed for. But then "that" day came.
"IT'S A VILLAIN!" Cried the panicked civilians as a 30 foot tall gargantuan stomped through the city.
Suddenly, a women in a black cloak zoomed through the city. Debris started floating off the ground, allowing trapped civilians to escape, and were used to created temporary barriers to parry the villain's every swing.
However, Inko didn't fight back, even when all the civilians were evacuated. Hisashi, only now arriving for duty, saw her fighting. But then, he saw the other heroes that were there, why weren't they helping her? Quickly, in a mad dash, the young hero ran past the crowd to assist his lover. But just then, was blocked by other heroes.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LET ME HELP HER!" Cried Hisashi in rage.
"Help! yeah right! like Psy-Storm even needs any help! she once stopped a meteor from hitting Kyoto! She's got this!" The other heroes laughed.
"Are you kidding me!? Inko is a kind hero! She wouldn't hurt a fly! Why would they just let her fight alone!? Do they not know about her personality!?" Thought Hisashi.
Suddenly, with Inko at her limit, the villain shattered her barrier, sending her flying back several feet. Panic wrung out, as even the heroes were fleeing.
"What the...where are you going!? we're heroes!" Hisashi called out.
"That thing took out Psy-Storm! we won't stand a chance!" Called out the hero in return.
"You... you... I don't believe you!" Hisashi uttered out as he downed a white fire chemical mix and ran towards the villain.
"NO! DON'T DO IT! YOU'LL GET KILLED!" The heroes called out.
Just then, Hisashi froze in rage, hearing the hero's next words."
"YOU'RE NOT PSY-STORM! IF HER QUIRK COULDN'T DO IT, YOUR'S WON'T EITHER!"
He had realized that this whole time, her fans didn't recognize her for who she was, they recognized her for her powerful quirk. It applies to today as well. Do you think Endeavor could remain Endeavor without his quirk? What about Best Jeanist? Or, for that fact, All Might? It was at that moment that Hisashi knew, in this world, Quirk's now define who you were. That day, something snapped in Hisashi.
When Inko woke up, there was fire and destruction everywhere, the villain that beat her was down, lying on the ground with severe third degree burns covering his body. And Hisashi stood amidst the flames, letting out a roar in anger.
"Hisashi?" Inko called out.
Hisashi, seeing her, had snapped out of his rage, and ran to hug her, the same way he did years ago, when she was crying alone in Yuuei. He had realized that this whole time, he was still her only true friend.
Hisashi gave up his hero career after that, and became a scientist, starting a quirk research project to hone his skills in chemistry, but stayed close to Inko, the two eventually getting married. However, her fans didn't learn, and kept identifying her for the hero she wasn't, eventually, Hisashi had enough. So, without telling her, he started a research on a quirk erasure drug that would permanently terminate one's quirk. That's where I came in. With no one to fund his project, I stepped in, Knowing the drug can be used to defeat All Might. We had several chats, and everything I'm telling you, he told me first. But he needed a test subject to make sure the drug was a success. And take a wild guess at who that test subject was.
"Mother?"
Exactly, Hisashi injected the drug into her while she was asleep. But it didn't work as planned, rather, it worked out even better. Instead of vanishing instantly, the drug caused Inko's quirk to weaken day after day. He carefully noted everything, from her power's decrease rate, to her physical conditions, there was but one final question, was the drug hereditary?
"No..."
Yes indeed my child, he had sex with Inko just to see if her offspring would be quirkless. Guess one might say, it was a success. However, he was unable to finish his true plans, as I had found out about it and had to confront him: He was planning to turn his drug into a virus and unleash a quirk killing plague. It was the perfect drug, the effect won't be noticed until it was too late and any child that comes after will be quirkless, the Silent Plague, he called it, in time, the whole world would be back to being the plain old earth it was decades ago. I had to confront him.
"Think about what you're doing Hisashi!" Yelled All For One.
"I have already! This world isn't ready for such powers yet! I'd rather live in a world where people have to work to get what they want, not be born with the means to!" Hisashi replied.
"We haven't even begun to discover what quirks ca truly do! A new era will soon begin, as the number of quirkless is decreasing rapidly! Do you really want to miss out on this new era!?" Asked All For One
"Inko could uproot an entire skyscraper if she wanted to, Nana's One for All could destroy entire building with a single punch! thank god they're both heroes, but imagine if that kind of power falls into the hands of those with evil intentions. I'd rather live in a world where such a menace is impossible!" Hisashi replied, "And you won't stop me!"
Suddenly, dark energy radiated from All For One's body as his animosity increased.
"Yes I will." All For One said, entering his battle mode.
Sadly, the heroes had also caught on to Hisashi's plans, and raided his lab the second I was about to strike him down. Hisashi took advantage of this moment of distraction and hit me with a surprise attack.
Upon saying this, All For One took off his mask, revealing to Izuku a face that looked like melted wax, with only vaguely eyes and a mouth.
"This was the damage your father did to me during that surprise attack." Explained All For One.
"But... What happened after that?" Asked Izuku, recovering from the shock of seeing his real face.
Having my face melted was not the most pleasant of experiences, but luckily I had pain numbing quirks to help me. Everything after that was a blur. But I remember that ultimately, I was put down by All Might, while Hisashi escaped within an inch of his life. Well Almost, as he had run into the last person he wanted to run into right at the exit.
"Darling?" Asked a worried Inko.
"Inko... don't tell me..." Hisashi said in shock.
"Yes, it was me, I leaked your plans to the heroes." She explained, "I can't believe you'd do this!"
"Inko, I'm sorry..." Hisashi said I'm tears.
"You drugged me, fucked me not for love but for your own selfish ends?! Why didn't you consult me?" Inko Cried out, her voice getting more and more upset.
"Inko... I... I'm so sorry... I couldn't trust you..."
That revelation broke Inko's heart. For a brief moment, she had forgotten morale, and in a blind rage, snapped her husbands neck with all of her leftover powers. She cried after that, a lot, and mourned for months. And the day she had given birth to you, I was there, at the same hospital. I could tell that she still loved her husband and regretted her actions, so I convinced her to keep you, it's what he would have wanted.
"And that's how you, Izuku Midoriya, came to be." All For One finished.
Izuku looked into a mirror in disbelief.
"So this whole time, I was but a mere experiment, a step in a much bigger project, I shouldn't even be alive..." Izuku muttered to himself.
"See? This is exactly why I haven't given you All For One yet. It's because of this reason." All For One finished by pulling out a vial of white liquid, "This is the drug your father was gonna use to kill all quirks, It hasn't been made into a virus yet, So I'm saving some samples in case we need it."
Izuku did not respond, while he normally would have taken great interest in the contents of that vial, he didn't.
"That confirms it, he's broken." All For One declared, but just then, the door opened.
"Izuku! Are you done your meeting? Come on, let head back!" Called out Spinner.
Izuku, snapping out of his trance, looked at the group that came to visit.
"Toga? Spinner? Twice? Dabi? Sachi? What are you doing here?" Asked Izuku.
"We couldn't just leave one of us behind now can we? It's like you once said, this league is like a family." Sachi said with open arms.
"A family, yes... yes! A family!" Izuku thought as the amount of joy caused tears to flow out of his eyes.
"So, what are you waiting for? Don't leave them hanging!" All For One said,
Izuku smiled.
"Right!" He said as he ran towards the group, going right pass Sachi to hug Toga, who gave him a big kiss.
"The past doesn't define me anymore, I have a place now in this world..."
To Be Continued...