Chapter 9
Upon arriving inside the apartment, the Herrscher glanced around making sure she was alone and that there were no open windows or doors.
"Hey! Insect, have you stopped crying like a baby yet?" The Herrscher muttered to her host. As tempting as it was to just leave him as is, she didn't trust that Inko wouldn't notice something off with her son. The Herrscher needed to make sure he was at least capable enough to look normal.
"Herrscher," Izuku whispered weakly. It was the first coherent sentence she heard from him that wasn't related to acid burns. "Where are we?"
"Home." She answered. "I'm going to give your body back now, so shut up and dry your tears. The last thing we want is your mom getting a heart attack if she finds out what happened." The Herrscher commented. There was no doubt in her mind, that Inko would be hesitant to leave her son's side after, which would make any attempts at control far harder in the long run, it was best to keep them separate for now.
"Okay," Izuku answered.
The Herrscher's body was engulfed in a soft light before it shrank and reshaped itself into Izuku's form.
"I'm free." Izuku sighed
"For now." The Herrscher corrected.
Izuku breathed heavily as he fell to the floor on his knees. He was both mentally and emotionally exhausted from his experience. On top of that, the Herrscher's use had also left his body feeling even weaker than before. He could barely muster the strength to stand back up, but his issues didn't stop there.
"What the?"
"Izuku?" The Herrscher questioned. She felt a tingling sensation start to emit on his skin.
"Something's wrong." Izuku gasped as he saw his skin start to smoke. He felt his flesh start to burn even more than before. "OW…OW….OW," He started to scream. "HERRSCHER!"
"That filthy worm." The Herrscher realized. She had underestimated the potency of the acid. It had remained on her skin and by extension Izuku's. She quickly grabbed what control Izuku was still willing to give, regaining her form. The acid was far less effective on her. No…that wasn't the right assumption, it was just easier for her body to heal off the burns, that didn't mean the acid wasn't on her anymore, just stuck on the surface of her skin.
"What happened?" Izuku questioned softly.
"We need to shower." The Herrscher told him as she hurried out of the room.
"Wait…WHAT?" Izuku questioned in surprise. Did he hear that right?
All Might glanced around at the scene. He should have been quicker. The villains had already been dealt with, but the damage was already done. All that he could do now was try and help. He approached the firefighters and the other public service units and humbly asked for how could assist before they pointed him where his strength would be needed.
The stench of the acid was very potent, even more so with what it had dissolved. It was a truly horrible sight to behold. "What happened to the heroes?" All Might asked a worker from of the shops.
"They tried to stop them but…" The young man pointed to one such puddle that had the remains of what looked like a pro hero costume. Not too far away was another individual partially buried beneath rubble, blood oozing at the side.
After tending to the worker, All Might hurried and cleared the rubble of the hero. His heart dropped at what he saw. "Oh no." He gasped. He called for a medic immediately.
Much to his relief, they came and took the fallen hero, who was unconscious but still very much alive. It was a small victory on their part, one less death. All Might stayed helping the disaster relief while a few other heroes came and join as well, including Wash who was able to clean the acid away far easier.
"What's the status report?" All Might asked Detective Naomasa.
"We don't have exact figures, but we have at least ten deaths, two of them the villains." He admitted.
"Only two?" All Might questioned. "I thought there were three of them."
"There were…the third one, Moonfish, is still alive, if barely. It seems like the Herrscher thought he was dead and didn't follow up." The Detective noted as he glanced at where the fallen villain was being taken away.
"Lucky him." All Might gritted his teeth. He may not have been one of 'those' kinds of heroes, but the Symbol of Peace still found it unjust how a psychopath like Moonfish had been fortunate enough to survive while so many of his victims didn't. "Is there any connection between them and the Herrscher?"
"From what eyewitnesses say, she was watching the attack from atop a building before the Acid user sprayed her. In which case she came and down and killed them in less than ten minutes for the most." True Man noted. "I'd be more than willing to assume she isn't involved given how the Villains supposedly acted, but you can never be too sure."
"I see." All Might noted. He'd need to inform Nezu and the others of this.
"Mr. All Might!" A young voice called. The pro turned his attention to a little kid who had run up to him. "Mr. All Might, please you have to help me. He's trapped."
"Who's trapped?" All Might asked.
"A boy, he threw me out of the café before it collapsed on him." The child cry as he pointed to the building. All Might hurried onto the scene taking care not to do any further damage.
"Hello." The pro called as he began to carefully move the rubble to the side. He got no response. Hastening the paste, All Might kept going but he found nothing there. "I'm sorry young one, but there isn't anyone here."
"But I saw him." The child said adamantly.
All Might looked at the little kid with sad eyes. "Okay little one, why don't you describe the boy who helped you and me and the detective can look for him." All Might reassured the kid. "What did the boy look like?"
The kid went on to describe his hero. Well, All Might thought him a hero if the child's words were to go by. It takes real selflessness to risk being buried alive to save someone. However, as the child described the boy, All Might felt uneasy. The description it sound very familiar to him.
Once they were finished, the duo made sure to bid the child farewell as he went back to his mom. Once he was out of earshot, the Detective turned to All Might. "I'll follow up on this." The Detective noted as he showed All Might the sketch he made. All Might's eyes widened as he saw the image.
The pro grabbed it probably a lot quicker than he should have, but the Detective didn't mind. "Wait a minute, I know this boy." All Might realize.
"You do? Well, that's great. What's his name?"
"Izuku Midoriya."
Izuku found himself once again a prisoner in the Herrscher of the Void's body. This time though instead of being amid a villain attack, he and the Herrscher were in the shower, ready to wash the acid of their body. It wouldn't have been so bad, if...you know…it wasn't the Herrscher's body in particular that was being washed. The Herrscher had turned on the cold water, standing beneath the shower, as she let the acid be cleansed.
For the most part, Izuku tried not to let himself be distracted by the Herrscher's form, instead, he decided to sort out his thoughts and try to make sense of what had happened that day. He hosted the Herrscher that much was obvious now, he no longer was the sole user of his body, much to his shock. That said, the Herrscher's control was perhaps the least unsettling thing he had witnessed today.
Izuku's mind wandered back to the site of the attack. His mind replayed the events that had been burnt into his brain. He had never seen it get so terrible. He had never been at the center of it.
"What's the matter, hero?" The Herrscher taunted as she rinsed her arms. "You seem shaken up. Didn't you want to be a pro?" She mockingly asked.
"That place…it was horrible," Izuku answered her. He felt thinking about everything he saw, how easily the people died before him. He could still hear the screams. He could still remember their faces.
"Ha. That's normal. That's how the real world can get, my dear host. Being a hero isn't all the glamour and fame, that your pathetic pros make it out to be. When you're a hero, you see just what kind of cruelty exists in the world, all the destruction, the greed, the blood, all conveniently left out to the masses so that the rest of humanity can pretend that they are so righteous, kind, and noble." The Herrscher sneered.
Izuku didn't say anything, however, the Herrscher had started to enjoy the conversation and couldn't resist continuing it. "Tell me, Izuku, do you still want to try and be a hero in this wretched world? You're feeling queasy now, but I can tell you, this isn't even the ugliest it can get." She mused. "I wonder, if you do continue, how long would it take till you break?"
"A hero's job in my eyes, has always been to save people," Izuku spoke. "When I was young, I always thought saving people was the coolest thing in the world. That's why I want to be a hero."
"And now? Do you still think it's… cool?" The Herrscher questioned. "Running into a world of horrors, death, and destruction, knowing that your acts of heroism could very well leave you alone, helpless and trapped in the rubble, slowly being crushed to death."
"No. It's not cool." Izuku answered. "I don't think I can ever look back on today and think it's cool…but…I can say it's worth it. Helping someone else…that's the worth of being a hero."
"Haha…I see." The Herrscher noted with a manic laugh. "So, in the end, you are still just a deluded fool." The Herrscher told him. "Still thinking you can be a hero, now that's amusing."
"I can still try." Izuku retorted.
"How?" The Herrscher questioned. "How can you possibly help anyone?"
"Look I may not have a quirk but…"
"A quirk is the least of your worries, my foolish host." The Herrscher cut him off. "Your body is weak, pathetically weak if I'm being honest. You barely have any muscle, and your stamina is just awful." She chuckled. "Honestly what was even your plan to be a hero, hope that if you wanted it bad enough you would get it. Do you even know how to fight? How to defend yourself? How can you protect anything if you can't protect yourself?"
Izuku was silent, yet the Herrscher continued to taunt and mock him.
"Have no fear everyone, Izuku is here, just make sure you aren't too heavy otherwise he can't carry you, or hope even if he can, he doesn't get tired running." She laughed as she started to wash her hair. "If you can't even save yourself how do you honestly expect to save anyone."
"Then I'll train." Izuku defended. "I'll work hard and get stronger." He replied adamantly.
"Is that so?" The Herrscher notes as she moves her hair forward and lets the water cascade down her back. "I suppose that would be a start." A stronger host meant a stronger body for her, so regardless she didn't see any harm in letting him pursue his efforts. Maybe she should even encourage it, let him foolishly make her new vessel even stronger for her.
"Wait, do you think I have a chance, you think I can be a hero?" Izuku questioned. The Herrscher laughed even more.
"Nope. I'm just looking forward to seeing you break. To see as you put all your heart, soul, and passion into this, and then have it all crumble before." The Herrscher explained. There wasn't any better place to fall than from the top after all.
"I should have known." Izuku sighed. Of course that was her reason. Given how much disdain she had for humanity, he didn't know why he'd assume otherwise.
"One more piece of advice." The Herrscher told them as she started to rinse out her chest. "Don't scream like that again." She told him. "It…annoys me." She explained. It brought up too many bad memories. She had thought she had truly snuffed out Babylon from her mind, but she was wrong. The tower still stood in her mind, forever etched into her memories.
"Huh."
"You are my host; your body is mine. Ergo, you should remember, that whatever threatens you, threatens me. So, you don't need to scream loud enough to deafen anyone. I'll make sure to deal with any threats to us." The Herrscher explained. "And should you foolishly find yourself in a situation that could result in your death, I'll be more than happy to squash any attempts you might make to be free of me. Do you understand?" The Herrscher asked.
"Yes, loud and clear," Izuku told her. He didn't know how to feel about that response.
"Good." The Herrscher told him as she finished her shower. Once she was satisfied she was clean, and all the acid was off her body, she released her hold once more, and let their body return to Izuku's form.
"Now, go and freshen up, we are hungry and I want dinner, that cafe food was subpar." The Herrscher ordered.
Chapter 10
Izuku had finally recovered. The experience between swapping forms with the Herrscher, the acid, and just the day's events in general had taken a toll on him. He was tempted to just collapse on his bed and sleep but his fear of the Herrscher taking over once more while he was asleep made him reconsider the idea. So instead, he opted to do as she commanded.
He changed into more casual clothes, a blue vest, and some black shorts, and dragged himself out of his room. He headed to the kitchen to make some food, instinctively going to look for a pack of cup noodles. Once he had prepared the food he made his way back to the living room and sat on the couch.
"Took you long enough." The Herrscher remarked. Izuku jumped, startled by her voice, almost dropping his food. Luckily he didn't. Upon having finally caught himself, he turned to look at the Herrscher who was merely looking at him with an amused face.
It was then he noticed something odd about her. Upon closer inspection, he realized she was wearing the same outfit as he was. It even looked like it was the same size, given how eh…snug it was around her body. To his surprise, the Herrscher was also holding her cup noodles in front of him.
"How?" Izuku curiously asked. "How are you…"
"Here?" The Herrscher finished with an all-knowing smile. "None of your concern." She noted. "The important thing is that you eat." The Herrscher told him.
Staring at her still hesitant, Izuku grabbed his fork, as did the Herrscher. Then he dipped into the cup and picked up the noodles, the Herrscher mimicking his moves as well. Finally, he places it in his mouth, with the Herrscher following his movements to a tee. She even chewed it the same way he did and swallowed it as well.
"Do you have to unnerve me so much?" Izuku questioned.
"Yes." The Herrscher answered. "Your screaming annoyed me for the better part of the evening, if you're uncomfortable then I can say we're even for now." She answered simply.
"But…that wasn't intentional." Izuku defended.
"Don't care." She retorted. "Now eat." She ordered. He complied and soon Izuku and the Herrscher had the most awkward dinner he had ever experienced. He thought it would be best to break the tension by turning on the TV.
It did not alleviate the tension. Izuku had landed it on a news channel covering the current events, mainly what happened that day. Among the highlights was how devasting the damage was to the area. The reporter brought up the villains involved showing the Herrscher and the three villains onscreen before showing how the Herrscher handled them.
"Two of the villains were killed by the Herrscher, the third one is severely injured and being treated as we speak." The reporter explained.
That word stuck with him, 'KILLED', the Herrscher had effortlessly killed those villains using his body. Their deaths were on his hands.
"Hmmm, scrappy little thing. Next time I won't go easy on him." The Herrscher mused.
"You aren't bothered by it?" Izuku questioned as he glanced at the Herrscher. "You took two lives so easily. Don't you feel the slightest bit concerned?" He asked.
"Would it make it better if I said it was for the Greater Good of Humanity?" The Herrscher mockingly asked. "Those people were hardly any saints. They were killed just as easily as me and did it in far more gruesome ways. Besides I don't see what the big problem is, heroes kill the time." She noted.
"No, they don't," Izuku argued. "Heroes make sure villains are beaten and arrested." He told her. "They don't take lives."
"Oh, please, don't kid yourself. Maybe that's the narrative they push now, but heroes throughout history always have blood on their hands. Just look at a story where the heroes kill monsters, or war stories for any nation, where a country celebrates their war heroes who destroyed their enemy factions." Or Second Eruption where Sirin's death was a celebrated event, with many of the humans involved being hailed as heroes for stopping her.
"Heroes are only heroes when the majority of people choose to acknowledge them as such." The Herrscher told Izuku. "Otherwise, there is little difference between them and a villain. All that matters is who the public thinks is right, not who is right; a very easy opinion to change."
"What about disaster relief?" Izuku questioned.
"What?" The Herrscher questioned. Izuku glanced at the television.
"So far only 10 deaths have been recorded, 2 of which belong to the villains." The reporter claimed. "However, there were many more who were injured and buried under the falling rubble. Workers are still finding more people as we speak." The reporter claimed while the camera showed a firefighter helping to lift some rubble off an injured woman.
"Can those people be anything but heroes?" Izuku sighed in relief when he saw the woman reunite with her son. Firefighters and the other public servants, the medics, the cops, they all were doing their part to relieve the disaster.
"You didn't seem to think so." The girl refused. "When All Might, told you on the rooftops, that you couldn't be a pro-hero without a quirk. That if you want to save people, you should become one of those…public servants. What was your response? Were you delighted? Were you accepting of the idea? No, you weren't…you were heartbroken." She retorted.
"Your idol, your hero, the person you looked up to the most, said your dream was not possible and it shattered you." The Herrscher told him. "If you ask me, that says a lot about what you think those heroes are. Seems like most of the current populace don't see them as such."
"I'll confess, you're right about that," Izuku admitted with some shame. "I didn't know what it meant to be saved. The first time I was in danger, I was saved by All Might, so I didn't have any change in perspective. Then today, you saved me."
"Really, that's what convinced you." The Herrscher rolled her eyes.
"In a way, I realized it didn't matter whether it was All Might or you, I just wanted to be saved by someone, when I couldn't save myself. If firefighters, medics, and the like can do that, then it shouldn't matter. A hero is someone who saves people, nothing else." Izuku told her.
"Deluded fool." The Herrscher scoffed.
"You know, you could make a good hero if you tried," Izuku told her. "With your powers, you could become the greatest hero of all time."
"Not this again." The Herrscher rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you want me to use my powers for good, to protect all that is beautiful in this wretched world and whatnot." The Herrscher told him. "I don't care about humans, much less feel any inclination to save them, quite the opposite actually." The Herrscher informed.
"You technically saved me," Izuku told her. "And helped me with the acid." He tried to reason.
"Pragmatic reasons at best." The Herrscher dismissed. "As I said before, you are my vessel, your body's wellbeing is my main concern, nothing else matters. Not you, humanity or even your mother matter to me. In fact,…" She looked at him with a cruel smile. "What if I told you…I almost killed your mom."
"You what!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Come one…. Think back Izuku…. think back to those dreams you had." The Herrscher urged him. "The ones you had about me, these past few days."
"Wait…are you saying?" He gasped in horror. He remembered one specifically where the Herrscher had brandished a knife at his mother's vulnerable back.
"Those weren't dreams." The Herrscher chuckled. "Do you still think I can be a hero?"
"My mom's still alive," Izuku noted. "You didn't kill her."
"But I could."
"Why didn't you?" Izuku questioned. "You easily killed those villains, why not my mom."
"Pragmatic reasons," The Herrscher answered. "You're easier to control if she's alive." She admitted. It was the truth. Inko's death while leaving him guilty, could also make him more rebellious to her control. It was the logical move to make.
"So that's it. Any act of kindness you do, its all for a pragmatic reason?" Izuku asked.
"Do you think there is any other reason?" The Herrscher questioned him. How foolish her host could be. He knew not what it meant to be Herrscher.
"I don't know, I hope there is," Izuku answered. "I'm sure deep down, you must have some reason for doing all this." He told her.
"Oh, there is a reason." The Herrscher mused. At her core, she was nothing more than an embodiment of hatred and rage, given form. It was in her very nature to hate humanity and see it's worse, a nature she gladly accepted. The only thing that stopped her was naïve hosts, who believed otherwise. "Not that it matters of course."
"I had hoped I could convince you." Izuku sighed.
"What's done is done. Once your time runs out, I'll go and destroy whatever heroes are left and then the world. That's a promise." The Herrscher told him. "You're welcome to try and stop me, but it wouldn't matter. You've already seen what I can do. I'm inevitable."
"And I'm still here," Izuku answered. "Which means I still have a chance…however small it might be. I'm sure I can find a way to stop you." Izuku told her.
"You can try." The Herrscher yawned. "Well, I'm beat. Today was hectic, so I think I'll go and rest now." With that she vanished from his view, leaving Izuku alone in the living room, with his empty cup of noodles.
Izuku threw away the cup and then headed to his room. Lying on his bed, Izuku thought about his conversation with the Herrscher as looked up at the ceiling. She had made some good points, many were painful to hear, but they were true. He didn't understand what it meant to be a hero, nor did he try to become one. He would change that. He'd prove her wrong.
He turned to his table and saw his notebooks, the Hero Analysis for the future series he had written. Wait a minute…oh crap. Izuku got up and hurried to the table. Upon opening the first page he glanced it over quickly. He had a breakdown of a hero, advantages, breakdowns, and….
"Weakness." Izuku realized. He had the weaknesses of many heroes, in his books. Books are very easy to reach for the Herrscher. He thought back to the All Might fight. She had used the knowledge he had on All Might to exploit his weak spot. She couldn't let her do it again for others.
He hurried to his mom's room and grabbed the paper shredder she kept in her room for her documents. Now with the paper shredder in his room, he looked at the notebooks he had so carefully filled over how many years. Izuku took a deep breath before he opened one and ripped the page out.
He looked at the page, one of his first analysis attempts at All Might. With a heavy heart, he placed it in the shredder. Then he repeated the process again, taking page after page from the book, shredding every single one. Once one book was finished he moved to another and then another.
It hurt to do it, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Izuku had hoped for the Herrscher, but he wasn't going to be naïve about it. She made her intentions very clear, and he saw firsthand what she could do. He would try to find whatever good could possibly exist but not at the expense of anyone else.
Once he was finished he walked back to his bed and lay down. Never had he thought simply shredding paper could take such a mental and emotional toll out of him. It was worth it though to keep the information from her hands.
"I'll also need to keep those thoughts out of my head." Izuku realized. He had read those books so many times, that he probably memorized them. "Okay, just need to block it all off," Izuku told himself. "Just block it out. Just block it out." He repeated as he drifted off to sleep.
As Izuku fell into the world of dreams, his body shifted once more. Black and green hair turned to white, as once green eyes became gold. The Herrscher sat up and glanced at the torn paper in front of her. "How amusing." She thought.
She hadn't even considered the notes at the time. She was sure she could still handle most of the heroes, but the notes now piqued her curiosity. A shame they were destroyed. Perhaps she should be more invested in what her host could offer. Not that it would matter, All Might was an outlier, not the standard, she was sure she could handle anything anyone else threw at her.
"Still just to be sure." She tried to reach into Izuku's mind like she did before. It was easy enough, to slowly peel into his memories, so many memories she delved past until finally she found the books…and then.
"What?" The Herrscher frowned. She got nothing. That wasn't right. She tried again but her response was the same. "Dammit." She scowled.
She had laughed at the idea, but Izuku had actually done it. He actually kept the notes out of her reach. She frowned. This was bad. She thought back to early that day. Izuku had wanted to avoid seeing the destruction of the Acid villain, and he had gotten his wish. He didn't realize it at the time, but he was the one who closed their eyes, not her. She just pretended to keep him unaware and it had cost her.
"I need to figure out how to get a handle on this." She realized. She was not going to have a repeat of last time.
Chapter 11
The Herrscher of the Void leaned against the wall. She didn't like being in a medical office. She didn't like doctors at all, but this was where her host had taken her, so this is where she went. She glanced over at Inko taking note of how different she looked here.
She was taller, slimmer, a far cry from the short and chubby lady the Herrscher was used to seeing. Before Izuku and Inko sat a doctor, with a bald head and bushy moustache, slouched in his chair. "Sorry kid, it's just not gonna happen." The doctor informed them.
The Herrscher glanced at them, taking note of the situation. She saw when Izuku dropped the toy, he had been holding, an All Might action figure. What the Doctor said next wasn't much relevance to the Herrscher, her focus was on the young host before.
She glanced at the young boy; who was 4-5 years old with an indifferent stare. His eyes had widened but the rest of his body had been frozen from the shock. "This is your worst memory." She spoke to the boy. He didn't answer and she sighed to herself, of course, he couldn't.
She stared at him once more, taking note of the tears forming on his face. Izuku Midoriya's worst memory was being told he was quirkless. Was this supposed to be a joke? The Herrscher reached out and touched the teardrop. The moment her fingers contacted the tear; a wave of voices washed over her.
"A strong hero needs a strong quirk."
"You can be an awesome hero with an amazing quirk."
"When I get my quirk, I'll be a hero just like him."
The Herrscher blinked and she found herself standing before a computer. Young Izuku had been running to it, jumping into the chair, and excitedly rocking as Inko approached it. The white-haired girl watched as Inko put on a video, Izuku's favorite video.
It showed the worst-case scenario, a terrible disaster had occurred to humanity. Amid the chaos, All Might had emerged, carrying people with him, laughing in the face of danger. "He's so cool." Izuku cheered as he held his toy.
The Herrscher sighed. So that's why her foolish host idolized the blonde buffoon so much. She recalled Izuku's words, he always thought saving people was cool. All Might saves people, many people, that's why Izuku admired him. The Herrscher rubbed her temples.
Her host's worst day wasn't being quirkless, it was being unable to be a hero. She scowled at this way of thinking. He had no reason to want to save these insects, and yet he still wanted to. He was a fool even back then and still a fool even now. Why did her hosts always end up being foolish heroes?
The memory changed once more, the room was darker and Izuku was…smiling….and crying. The Herrscher looked on alongside Inko who was just remorseful. She watched as the mother consoled her son, a son whose idiotic dreams had been crushed and shattered before him.
"I'm sorry Izuku." Inko apologized as she hugged her son. As if this was somehow her fault. The Herrscher just turned and left. She didn't need to be reminded how much Inko loved and cared for her son.
"Still no hero memories." The Herrscher thought as she continued to scan through what she could. It had irked her, how her host had been able to lock away such information. If he could hide info from her, then that meant his will was strong enough to rebel. All his memories should be accessible to her.
She wandered around for a while before finding herself in a park. Another boy was cowering and Izuku had stood to defend him. The Herrscher's eyes glanced at where he was facing, and she frowned at what she saw. It was the brat she had skewed before.
"You want to pretend to be a hero. You don't stand a chance without a quirk. Deku." The brat taunted as he punched his fist, a small explosion igniting when he did. The Herrscher looked on as her terrified host was then jumped by the three boys.
She let the memory play out. They thrashed her host and left him on the ground, barely unconscious. It was…a very frustrating sight for the Herrscher. She looked at the boy who had been beaten down, her weak and powerless host, who couldn't even stand up to his bullies, was showing enough resolve to resist her attempts at accessing his memories.
"You can't hide yourself in such childish delusions forever." She sneered at the child before her. Soon or later he was going to have reality and see the truth of the world.
Izuku felt excited. Today was the day. He had already submitted his application to his new school and was currently waiting to see if he was accepted. Due to the nature of the villain attacks, it was rather easy to move around, especially since his grades were good enough. Now he'd wait and see if he got in, but for now…it was time to train.
"Alright, this should be good. Not many people in the area." He noted as he looked around. He had gotten a head start on the day. It was Saturday and he had just arrived at a nearby park at the crack of dawn. There was barely anyone around except maybe a little old lady feeding the pigeons nearby.
Izuku took out his notepad. He had been going through possible workout plans. He had considered weight training, but then realized the cost might be too much, he neither had the money to afford training at a gym nor buy the gear for home. The presence of the Herrscher also discouraged him from finding any gym, a small part of him felt it best to avoid populated spaces regularly if he could.
Glancing down at his routine, calisthenics, Izuku began to stretch to prepare himself for what came next. Calisthenics was simple exercises, focusing on using the body's weight to train it. It was basic stuff, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and running. It was easy to do and affordable for him. He sincerely hoped this was a good start.
It was 4 exercises; 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 km run. "I should be fine."
"Well, what do you think? Any bright ideas in that head of yours for how we deal with this girl?" All Might questioned as he sat across from Nezu. The principal in question was currently looking over the footage gathered from the Herrscher's latest outing.
"Hard to say, her ability to make portals certainly is astounding, she can redirect and store attacks making most projectile attacks quite difficult to use. Not even melee attacks are completely viable since as your fight shows, she can just turn it on yourself. Additionally, it would be almost impossible to hold her while she's conscious due to the chances she'll just teleport away. Her ability to make constructs means she also has a means to go on the offensive."
"In other words," All Might trailed off.
"I need some time to ponder this," Nezu noted as he rubbed his head. "Quirk users with spatial manipulation are always rather perplexing individuals at times."
"It's puzzling to me as well." All Might added. "It's one thing to rampage and attack heroes and civilians, but this time she didn't even seem interested in doing so." He pondered.
"I heard about that. According to the security footage we retrieved, the only real victims of the Herrscher this time were the villains. It's a rather puzzling development." He noted. "It seems the previous assumption people made that she was working with them was false."
"Are you sure?" All Might questioned. "She could have just double-crossed them when they accidentally struck her."
"While possible, I think the more likely case is just that she was in the area. These villains had several attacks in other areas prior, and she was absent from all of them. If they were allies she wouldn't have been so brutal to all three of them. At best, she would have only killed the one who wronged her." Nezu pointed out. "But I concur we can't rule out any possibilities, they may have recently recruited her."
All Might sighed as he leaned back in the chair. Another potential lead had potentially become a dead end. It was frustrating, to say the least. He had been so sure the villain's attack could lead to something. They had one of the villains in custody who could potentially reveal information but given the almost insane nature of the villain and the other circumstance, it was seeming very unlikely now.
"You seem to be rather frustrated. I think it may be best for us to switch topics for the time being. No use trying to grasp at straws." Nezu told All Might. "Is there anything else that's on the mind as late?"
All Might glanced at him. There was one thing but he wondered if he should indulge his curiosity. He had considered leaving it to True Man after all. Still, it couldn't hurt to ask the principal. "Does the name Izuku Midoriya sound familiar?" All Might questioned.
"Izuku Midoriya?" Nezu questioned. "It sounds familiar."
"He's a young boy who I am assuming applied for U.A." All Might noted.
"Assume?"
"I met him the other day. He shared with me his dreams of becoming a hero." All Might recounted.
"Sounds like many young people these days," Nezu noted. "What's his quirk?"
"He doesn't have one. He's quirkless." All Might added. Nezu's ears perked up at this as he looked up from his computer. He hadn't even touched the keys yet. "He asked me if I thought he could be a pro-hero without a quirk."
"I presume you told him no," Nezu noted. He wasn't against the idea personally, anyone had the potential to be a hero, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of how challenging such a task would be on the young boy, how dangerous the job truly was.
"I did. I told him he couldn't. If he wanted to save people, I told him to go work with the public servants. He'd have much better luck there." All Might noted.
"A quirkless hero isn't impossible but it would require a lot of work and resources," Nezu noted. "If I'm not mistaken I remember another quirkless boy who thought the same thing."
"It would have been easier back then." All Might told him. "The power gap has only grown with time. Back then though difficult, a quirkless hero did seem possible but now…I'm not so sure."
"Do you think you'd still have tried if you didn't meet Nana?" Nezu questioned.
All Might looked up at him. "I don't know." He answered truthfully. "I've never stopped to consider it. It didn't seem to matter honestly, I got to be a hero either way. I became All Might, the number one hero, the World's Symbol of Peace. I did what I always wanted to do, save the world and give people hope. It's…hard to imagine living my life any other way."
"So why the sudden interest? It can't just be because he's quirkless. Perhaps his speech touched you that much." Nezu noted.
"I won't lie, he did remind me of myself, but I know better than anyone how hard it was to compete against people with quirks." All Might confessed. "But that's not the reason this time, you see, a young child at the villain attack site, had informed me a boy matching Izuku's description had saved him from some falling rubble. According to the boy, Izuku was buried underneath, but when I arrived and cleared the rubble, he was gone. If the one who saved the kid is Izuku, then perhaps…I should personally go and thank him, or at the very least, arrange for him to meet the kid. Selfless acts of heroism like his should be acknowledged as such."
"Rightly so," Nezu noted. "Ah, here's his file." The principal delighted said as he started to read Izuku's application. However, as soon as he read it, a frown began to form on his face. "How curious?"
"Is something the matter?" All Might questioned.
"Izuku Midoriya is a student of Aldera Junior High School," Nezu answered. He saw All Might's eyes widen at the revelation, but he continued regardless. "He's one of only two students who applied from said school, the other student being, Katsuki Bakugo."
"That's…."
"Worrisome." Nezu finished.
One of the first places the Herrscher destroyed in her rampage was that specific school. One of the first victims she claimed was a boy who attended said school. Now her second appearance had another boy from said school present. Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence. They certainly hoped there wouldn't be a third one.
"I think we may have found another lead." All Might told Nezu. Hopefully, they could find the Herrscher without having to worry about her causing any more trouble.
"I don't think I can move anymore." Izuku sighed as he collapsed underneath a tree. He was exhausted and he felt his whole body ached from his routine. That was good, right? No pain, no gain, that's what they said.
"Young man, what are you doing?" A voice called from beside him.
Izuku jumped in surprise. He then screamed in pain as his sore body did not like the sudden jerked movements. "Ow." He whined.
"Easy there, young boy." The lady told him as she helped him sit back down. "Are you alright?" She questioned. Izuku glanced at her. She was a short elderly woman, if he had to guess maybe over 50 just to be safe.
"Yeah," Izuku reassured her as he tried to give her a thumbs up. It didn't work his arms still felt sore and he winced a little when he flexed them. "I'm just sore from training that's all." He told her.
"I'm not sure about that." She noted. "You look ready to pass out." She reached into her purse and brought out an unsealed bottle of water. "Here drink this." She instructed.
"No…I'm just a little tired." Izuku told her as he politely refused. "I got up really early." He explained. The old woman glanced him over. She was shorter than him but that didn't stop him from feeling a little intimidated by her gaze.
"Very well." The old woman told him. "Just remember if you feel tired while working out, it's a sign from your body that you should stop and rest. If you push yourself then you risk passing out and that's not good when you're alone." She warned.
"Thank you for your advice, Ma'am." Izuku bowed. "I'll remember that in future."
"If you don't mind me asking, what are you training for?" The woman questioned.
"Uh…well…I'm training to be a hero." Izuku nervously chuckled.
The woman seemed to just chuckle at this. "I should have figured." The woman mused. "I presume you're applying to UA." She guessed.
"Yeah," Izuku told her. "I'm applying to UA. How did you know?" He questioned.
"Lucky guess." The woman told him. "Tell me. How long you have been training?" She wondered. "This is the first time I've seen you in this park."
"Well, I uh…. just started today," Izuku admitted. He was half expecting she'd scold him for being so late.
"Really." She wondered. "Well, I suppose now is a good time as any. You still have what 10/11 months. Plenty of time to get in shape."
"I suppose so," Izuku told her. He was surprised, she didn't ask for his quirk or lack thereof. As he glanced her over, he didn't notice anything that would indicate she might have a quirk. He could be wrong though.
"Well, good luck." The old lady said as she turned to leave. "Take care dear and make sure to pace yourself. I'm curious to see if you make it." She commented.
"Thanks, ma'am," Izuku responded as he watched her leave. "What a nice lady." He thought.
Chapter 12
"Is it really necessary that I go Mom?" Izuku questioned as he looked at his mother. "I'm just, I'm not feeling all that well and I wanted to rest for tomorrow." He lied. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. His entire body was sore from his training regime, plus he also had school the next day. He really did want to rest, but more importantly, he wanted to stay away.
"Izuku, I know it's difficult and he might have troubled you in the past, but it's not about him. It's about Mitsuki." Inko reiterated. "Katsuki was released yesterday, and she invited us over for dinner. She was really devasted when she got news her son was injured, and it would be rude if we declined." Inko told him.
"Yes, but I mean, it would be alright if you went alone." Izuku tried to reason. He didn't need to go there. The young hero didn't know how he'd feel if he saw Bakugo's injuries. Maybe it was wrong for him to want to avoid it, it was still technically his fault, right? He was the one who freed the Herrscher and gave her the fuel needed to injure him. Maybe he should make amends, and go and apologize to Kanchaan.
"Apologize for what? I just paid him 10 years' worth of pain that he inflicted on you in 10 seconds." The Herrscher scoffed. "You don't have any reason to apologize, it's not like I even killed him."
"Izuku, you two have known each other for years now. I'm sure he'll like some company." Inko tried to tell him. "Even if he won't admit it."
"I highly doubt that." Izuku thought nonetheless, he looked at his mom in her pleading eyes. He sighed. "Alright, I'll go." He answered his mom. "Just let me take a shower really quick." He told her as he left to go freshen up.
He hurried into the shower, throwing off his clothes and turning on the water. Izuku sighed as he let the water wash over him. He could feel the familiar presence next to him. He turned his gaze and saw the Herrscher's back, facing him.
"What are you thinking Herrscher?" Izuku questioned as he stared at the girl. She rarely appears unless its to taunt or tease him.
"I'm wondering how much fun I can have tonight when you let me out." She answered simply.
"What makes you think I will?" Izuku questioned.
"You're memories. You may admire this boy, but you also fear, resent, and hate him." The Herrscher noted. "When you meet him, you will most likely be a victim of his rage. Injured animals are often more violent when they feel threatened, and I did maim him quite a bit. I'm just wondering how long it will take for you to snap when Bakugo tries to blow you up again." She chuckled.
"I'd never indulge you like that. I would never hurt Bakugo." Izuku denied.
"Would never, or could never?" The Herrscher asked. "You see, I've seen your memories Izuku, I know that you've tried to fight him before, back when you were just a powerless little boy who wanted to be a hero."The Herrscher noted. "Back then you didn't have the power to defend yourself, you lost, and you never tried again." She whispered. "Now you have power, my power, and if you let me do as I please, I'll make sure to put Bakugo in his place."
"What you plan to do, and what I want, are too different things," Izuku answered. "You'll hurt him or worse. I don't want that."
"Are you sure?" The Herrscher told him. "Not even deep down."
Izuku didn't answer her. She chuckled; silence usually meant guilt. That's all she needed to know.
"Even if you deny it, there is always that part of us, our lowest instinctual desires. The parts of ourselves we ignore, that we reject because they don't match with what we think want." The Herrscher whispered. "It's natural for anyone, for anything, to feel anger, rage, and hatred for things that hurt them."
The Herrscher vanished not long after, leaving only her words to marinate in his mind. Deep down maybe he did want to fight Bakugo but it wasn't for what the Herrscher claimed. It just wasn't, right? It just wasn't.
Right?
The trip to the Bakugo's had been quiet. Izuku hadn't spoken and Inko hadn't pressed him further for any conversations, seeing that he had been reluctant to come. That said, she did notice how anxious Izuku had been.
She had seen him gripping his pants as he constantly glanced into the rare view mirror. Always looking back for someone who Inko could not see. Her eyes followed his and he kept staring at the back seat but never once said a word even as his expressions changed. It was concerning.
"You should stop worrying." The Herrscher whispered as she leaned next to Izuku's ear. "Your mom is getting concerned." The Herrscher reminded as her head tilted towards Inko.
Izuku's gaze shifted from the Herrscher to his mom. He hadn't realized how much of his discomfort she had noticed. Maybe he needed to learn to hide it better. He could hear a mocking giggle from the unseen third party. Couldn't this night just end soon?
"Are you sure this is a reasonable theory?" True man questioned All Might. "I mean while there is no doubt that those two boys may come from the same school it's still a shot in the dark." He commented.
"I know it looks far-fetched, but my intuition tells me there has to be some connection." All Might tried to reason. "She goes out of her way to destroy this school in particular. Why?" All Might wonders. "Maybe there were bad memories there?"
"She also destroyed one of the DMV's, should we assume she hates that as well."
"Don't be ridiculous." All Might snapped. "Everyone hates the DMV, but that's beside the point."
"We don't have much to go on, but we know these two boys are connected and that her only appearances tie into them."
"Her attacks also coincide with villain attacks; the result is that most villains involved in those attacks are dead or almost dead." True Man noted. "What is the chance she's a vigilante?"
"A vigilante wouldn't go after an innocent kid?" All Might be noted. "Vigilantes are just heroes without licenses. They may not abide by the laws, and most of them aren't looking to hurt innocents. Hurt villains maybe but not innocent civilians."
"That depends on who's defining innocent and guilty." True Man noted.
"That's fair." All Might sighed as he slouched in his chair. "This is driving me crazy."
"Yeah, Nezu told me so." True man chuckled. "But it's understandable to be paranoid." He added. "AFO is a man who's spent probably over 200 years, terrifying the world from the shadows. In that amount of time, there is no telling the connections and the power he could have amassed in secret."
"It's not impossible for him to be playing a long game with us."
"No, it isn't." All Might agreed. For the Symbol of Peace, All For One is his greatest nemesis, the ultimate evil, the be-all-end-all big bad boss. Yet the same couldn't be said for the villain. To AFO, All Might was nothing more than another bearer of One For All, the eighth user in a long line of heroes fighting him for the past 200 years. All Might may have been the most challenging one, but every other user would have been so at one point. For all he knew All For One could have already foreseen the growing cap, and accounted for it.
"Look if it makes you feel better, we can go and talk to the Bakugos, maybe that will put your mind at ease." True Man told the hero.
"I'm not sure it will." All Might admitted. If those boys were not involved with the Herrscher then they were at a dead end. If they did, then perhaps they had led but it was not one All Might would like to hear. The idea that the villain could be targeting those kids, it made him sick.
"Regardless, we should head out now." True Man suggested. "Katsuki Bakugo was recently released from the hospital yesterday. He should be resting home with his mother right now." True Man noted.
"Let's go." All Might stood up, buffing into his hero form.
"Wait a minute, Toshi, I think it might be a little concerning if All Might shows up." True Man told him. All Might looked down at himself. "Besides isn't it a waste of the few minutes you have to just stay buffed up?"
"No." All Might said before deflating back into the skeletal Yagi. "I could maintain the form for longer times provided I didn't do any fighting, but I see your point." He admitted. "It would attract too much attention."
"Alright then. Well, in that case, looks like you're my new assistant." True Man told him.
"I'm not going to need to walk with a notebook and write everything you discuss, right?" All Might questioned.
True Man didn't say anything.
"Good night, Mistuki." Inko greeted with Izuku following suit. "Sorry, we're a little late."
"Nah, you aren't late you're actually rather early." Mitsuki comments. "Nice to you again Izuku."
"Nice to see you as well Miss Bakugo," Izuku responds as she lets them in.
"If you're wondering about Katsuki, he's in his room, though I should warn you, he's still a little…moody, after…you know."
"I'll keep that in mind," Izuku answered. He had no intention of seeing Bakugo just yet instead finding himself sitting on the couch in the living room. It felt so wrong to be here. He shouldn't be here.
"Oh, trying to stay away." The Herrscher commented. "That's not very nice." She told him. "Heroes are supposed to be courageous. They need to face their fears, not chicken out." She taunted.
"I'm not chickening out. Didn't you hear? Kachaan's not in the mood. It would be rude to interrupt him." Izuku argued.
"Oh, really well we can't have that." The Herrscher told him. Izuku felt something overtaking his legs and his arms. Izuku's eyes widened in worry.
He tried to fight back, asserting his grip on the couch, and trying to keep himself in place. "What are you doing?" He pleaded in his mind. He could feel the Herrscher exerting her influence, his grip loosened, and he was forced to stand up.
"Helping you face your fears." The Herrscher responded as she forced Izuku to start walking or whatever you could call that movement. His legs were moving but his body was trying to resist as he fought with himself.
"No. I don't want to go." Izuku told her. "I don't want to go." Izuku turned his head to see his mom and Mitsuki, talking in the kitchen. He wanted to try calling for help but his hand immediately covered his mouth. He was lucky he was able to grab the corner of the wall with his next arm, but it still wasn't doing much to stop the Herrscher.
"Come on, if Kachaan is so nice, then you should have no problem confronting him," She teased. Izuku's grip remained on the wall. "Well, I guess, we'll have to do this the hard way." She sighed.
"Hard way?" Izuku muttered. Before he even realized it, a portal opened beneath his feet. "Oh…" Izuku fell into the void. He didn't fall for long as the portal reopened not more than a few feet away, right in front of Bakugo's door. Izuku was flung out, crashing right into the door with a loud thud. "Ow." Izuku winced.
How did she do that? Izuku thought she needed to transform to use her powers.
"Not really." The Herrscher responded. "I'm the Ruler of the Void, my dominion is manipulating space and to an extent even time." The Herrscher boastd. "Transforming your body is merely out of convenience for me since I much prefer my form over yours as it is stronger and more resilient. It is not a necessity for me to do so. If I so wanted, I could create portals and lances even now."
"Especially now." The Herrscher punctuated.
"WHO'S THERE?" Bakugo growled as he opened the door. Izuku squeaked as Bakugo's eyes fell on him. "DEKU!" He growled in a low voice.