Chapter 3: First Steps Towards Destiny
Izuku grunted, and his arms shook as he struggled to raise the bar up for his final set. Arms quivering, and his chest burning, he felt his arms fully extend, and he dropped the bar back onto the rack.
Panting heavily, he groaned and sat up on the bench, and wiped the sweat from his face with the bottom of his t-shirt. His chest ached with the comforting pain of a rigorous workout.
Standing up, he checked himself in the mirror. The past two years of consistent exercise had been a fruitful endeavor. Forever gone was the small and scrawny teenager he'd once been, and in its place had grown a powerful young man. Izuku's body was similar in terms of structure to his own previous body, in that it was a sleeker, slimmer build. More akin to that of a swimmer's or runners body, than some of the bulkier frames of likes of Endeavor or All Might.
The last two years had been…an interesting experience for him. It had been the longest period in his life that he'd ever gone without having to look over shoulder every few minutes. There weren't monsters hunting him down, he didn't have to worry about much of anything else except training and school. True, those were challenges in and of themselves, but not having the added burdens that being a demigod came with was oddly liberating.
He'd honestly rather enjoyed his new life, it was oddly satisfying having a relatively normal life. Even being quirkless wasn't so much of a problem for him these days. After he'd come back from the hospital, people had left him alone. Though that could have also been due in no small part to his massive growth spurt, and his sudden interest in physical training.
He'd had another growth spurt when he was sixteen, which had finally pushed him over the edge and put him at around his full adult height from his previous life. As it stood, he towered over most of his fellow classmates, and even the majority of adults. His height combined with his new bulk made for a rather intimidating aura, in spite of his rather plain looking features.
Izuku had never been one to place that much stock in his physical appearance, he was far from vain, but he still liked to take pride in his appearance, and liked to look good. He'd started to cut his hair, and while his mother didn't seem to be pleased with his choice in hairstyle, Izuku was happy with his considerably shorter, more stylishly cut locks.
Most interesting of all, at least as far as he was concerned, was how little interaction that he'd had with Amaterasu. He would have thought, especially given the way she had screwed up the first time around, that she would have been checking in with him at least semi-regularly. But he hadn't seen her once since his rebirth. It was both deeply concerning, and also a tremendous blessing.
Not having the gods interfering in his life allowed him to pretend as though he was just an average kid. Sure, at the back of his mind was the constant reminder that he was looking down the barrel of whatever horrifying threat was coming his way, but that was par for the course with his life…or rather his previous life, and he could simply train and live his life in relative peace.
"Izuku!" His mother called out in the garage that Izuku had converted into his own personal gym, "You're going to be late for school!"
"Coming mom!" He called back. Not that he was in any particular rush, it was his last day after all, it wasn't like he wouldn't graduate if he wasn't a little late.
Opting for a cologne and deodorant shower, he quickly changed into his uniform, and after shouting a quick goodbye to his mother he dashed out the door. His school wasn't terribly far from the house, and he wasn't so late that he couldn't enjoy his walk. He was nearly halfway to school, when he was nearly stopped by a commotion. Some giant mutated villain was rampaging downtown, and Izuku was forced to redirect his walk away from the throngs of people watching the showdown. At one point he'd been interested in watching the pro-heroes at work, but after only a few instances he'd come to a sudden realization of pro-hero society.
Pro-heroes didn't really know how to fight.
Nobody did for that matter.
In an age where some heroes and villains could bend the very fabrics of reality to their whim, there wasn't much nuance to fighting these days. Most folks could get away with simply relying on their quirks to get by. After watching only a few "fights" between heroes and villains, Izuku had been wildly disappointed. He'd been hoping that he might actually learn something by watching them fight, but it turned out that there was really nothing for him to learn.
So instead he'd turned his attention to learning things the old fashioned way.
Watching videos on the internet.
Hand-to-hand combat hadn't exactly been stressed in his previous life. Sure he'd learned some of the basics of judo and Greco-Roman wrestling, but he didn't think such talents would be all that useful in this new time where everyone was seemingly as strong as a demi-god. He'd tried to convince his mom to enroll him in some self-defense classes, but he'd barely managed to convince the woman to let him take the entrance exam to U.A., and the poor woman looked like she would have a heart attack at the very idea of him taking real combat lessons. So instead, he'd started watching old boxing videos on the internet, and had taught himself some of the basics of traditional boxing, and the odd mixed martial arts.
He'd never say that he was an expert by any means, and he certainly wouldn't even go so far as to say that he was even proficient. But he felt that he knew more than even the more prominent pro-heroes about unarmed and quirkless combat, which he felt was something at least.
He had to brace himself against a light post as the street shook. Turning around, he could see that there was a giant woman that had run down the mutant-villain, and had apparently taken him out.
Shaking his head with a sigh, he made a mental note to avoid that path back home later that night. The street would more than likely be shut down for the rest of the day while rescue-heroes worked on repairing the damage done by the fight.
His school was a buzz of excitement. Everyone eagerly anticipated the end of the day, which signified that they were officially one step closer to achieving their dreams. It was a loosely held realization that all of the students in the school were hoping to become pro-heroes. More likely than not, most wouldn't make the cut into any of the hero schools, and those that did probably wouldn't make it into any of the bigger-named universities. The end of the day couldn't come soon enough.
Finally, he settled into his traditional seat in his homeroom for his final class of the day, and he briefly caught Bakugo's eyes as he entered the room. As he'd so often done over the past few years, Bakugo quickly averted his eyes, glaring at the ground, and pretended as though Izuku didn't exist.
It was a relationship he was happy with.
Their homeroom teacher walked into the room, and the chatter in the classroom finally calmed down.
"All right kids," He began, "As it's the end of your third-year, and it's time to review the forms you filled out at the beginning of the year about your plans for the future…but I'm guessing that you're all planning on going on to take hero courses, aren't you?"
The class let out a simultaneous cheer at the declaration, and the teacher waved his arms to calm them down.
"Yes, yes, you all have wonderful quirks." He said tiredly, "But please remember that using your quirks at school is against the rules. Now," He skimmed through the stacks briefly, "If I remember correctly it looks like most of you are going to be applying to the regional hero schools but we have two applying to U.A." He hummed, in thought as he drew a pair of sheets from the stack,
"Bakugo Katsuki and M-Midoriya Izuku," He stumbled when he said Izuku's name, and glanced up quickly, gulping somewhat as he met Izuku's steely gaze. Izuku's mother, normally a passive and kind-hearted woman, had apparently channeled her inner Mitsuki Bakugo. The school had only been saved from lawsuit because they had settled under the table. Inko hadn't been seeking monetary compensation for what happened to her son, but rather the firing of several of the more bigoted teachers at the school. Apparently word had gotten out what happened to anyone who discriminated against the school's lone quirkless student, and the other teachers had become…rather reticent towards him as a result.
"Ahem," The teacher coughed, "Yes, well, I'm sure you two are aware that U.A. has the lowest acceptance rate in the nation, are you two sure that you're ready for the exams?" Both boys nodded, and when Izuku glanced over at Bakugo, there was an indecipherable expression on the boy's face. Quickly looking away, Bakugo silently glared down at his desk.
Izuku sighed as he made his way back towards his home. He'd been looking forward to this, to the end of his high school career and where he would finally begin to take his first real steps towards whatever was meant to be coming. But as much as he was looking forward to finally getting started on whatever he was meant to do, he couldn't help the worry bubbling up inside of him. Amaterasu had told him that he would be granted some kind of a power that would be necessary to defeat whatever was coming. That his strength would come, not only from the power he made for himself, but from whatever he was meant to receive.
The only problem was that he hadn't seen hide or hair of the goddess since his rebirth. Or any member of the Shinto pantheon for that matter. Had he already screwed things up? He didn't think so, he didn't think that he'd done much of anything to disrupt the natural order since his arrival. Sure Izuku had more confidence and capability than he might have had beforehand, but would that really have altered things so much as to set the plans for the future down a different path?
He let out a groan of frustration as he hit a construction barricade, he'd forgotten that the street was being renovated after the fight earlier that morning. Taking the detour that he'd taken that morning, he shoved his hands in his pockets as he tried to distract himself. He needed to begin working on his materials for the entrance exam, the U.A. exam consisted of a written general exam, and a practical. He felt moderately comfortable with his chances for the practical examination, whatever it entailed, but he wasn't as sure about the written portion. While Izuku had been smart, written tests were never one of his fortes. He'd needed to work harder on his written examinations than the old Izuku ever had.
A sudden and terrified scream tore through the stillness of the afternoon, emanating from the underpass he was passing by.
He didn't think, he didn't hesitate, he simply turned where he was and began running in the direction of the scream.
The underpass was dark, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. When he could finally see clearly, he could make out a man a few yards away. He was scrambling away on his hands and knees, trying desperately to crawl away from something racing towards him in the darkness.
It was a villain.
The villain wasn't humanoid, it was…gelatinous. It's entire being formed entirely of a strange slime-substance. It's enormous jaw was lined with rows of large, razor-sharp teeth, and its large bulbous eyes were cruel, and menacing. It was racing as quickly towards the poor fleeing man, and even as fast as he was, Izuku knew that he wouldn't be quick enough to stop it.
Slipping his backpack off of his shoulders, he leveraged his aim, and with a might heave, he tossed his backpack as hard as he could at the sludge-like abomination. The villain howled as the backpack slammed into one of the few solid points on its body.
The eye.
"Run!" Izuku hollered. The man didn't need telling twice, as he scrambled to his feet and raced off in the direction of daylight and safety.
"That hurt you brat!" The slime-villain snarled, as one gelatinous arm rubbed in annoyance at his eye, "That meat-suit was going to be my one-way ticket to freedom." It stalked menacingly forward, "Now I suppose I'll have to settle for you."
"Might not have thought this through," Izuku muttered as he took a hesitant step back. He tried to turn and run, but the villain was too quick. In the blink of an eye, the villain had closed the distance and wrapped Izuku up in a mess of slime. It was cool, and smelled entirely too much like a sewer.
"Oh god!" Izuku grunted, as he struggled against the grip of the villain. "This. Is. So. Fucking. Gross!"
"How about your quirk turns you into a hideous slime-monster, and see if you smell good asshole!" The villain snarled, "Now hold still, this'll only hurt like hell!"
Slime forced its way up Izuku's face, before his olfactory senses were completely overrun. Slime shot up his nose, and his jaw was pried open as another vile tendril slithered down his throat.
He began choking, and his vision became cloudy. Darkness began creeping into the corners of his eyes, as he steadily lost out on all of his remaining oxygen.
This…this wasn't right. This couldn't be happening.
He'd…he'd failed?
But-but he hadn't even truly got started!
This wasn't supposed to happen like this! This wasn't supposed to be where he died! Where were the gods? Where was Amaterasu? Where was anyone!
His world became dark, as he felt the last dregs of consciousness leave his body.
The last thing he'd heard before falling to the blissfulness of unconsciousness, was a strangely familiar voice.
"DETROIT SMASH!"
BREAK
Toshinori let out a small sigh as he placed the bottle of water down on the coffee table beside the couch.
So much for a simple trip to the market tonight. He'd been almost back to his apartment when he'd seen it happen. Or rather, had heard it happen. Had heard the scream of some poor citizen in need. He'd been desperately looking for a place to hide, to use his quirk, but as he'd been looking he'd caught sight of the boy on the couch beside him.
Young Midoriya.
The boy had grown since he'd last seen him, but not so much as to make him missable. There weren't many with that shade of green hair, nor eyes like his.
He too had heard the cry for help, and without even stopping to think, the young man had darted off into the darkness to help the poor soul in need.
Toshinori had almost been too late. When he'd finally gotten there, Young Midoriya had nearly suffocated on the slime being forced down his throat. The poor lad had been unconscious by the time he'd taken care of the villain. Since it hadn't seemed as though the boy wouldn't be waking up any time soon, he'd taken him back to Toshinori's apartment to recover.
He'd been forced to cancel his appointment that evening at U.A. He'd been set up by the dean of the University to meet with a…promising young student. A man who had quickly put a reputation together for himself.
Toshinori had been considering him as his successor, as the man to take the same quirk that had been gifted to him.
But it hadn't been sitting right with him. He wasn't sure why, Young Mirio was a good man to be sure. A fine young hero, talented and driven. He had the heart of a hero that too many seemed to lack.
But it hadn't…it hadn't felt right. It was…difficult to describe. But when his own master had bestowed his quirk upon him, she'd told him that one day he'd find his own successor, and that he would know when he'd found the right one.
His gut had been telling him that talented and driven though Young Mirio was…he wasn't the one meant to carry on the legacy. He hadn't known who was meant to be his successor…
Up until this afternoon.
The Young Midoriya had been in his thoughts for some time. He'd spent many a day secretly watching over the progress of the young. For the longest time, he hadn't been able to understand why. He'd simply found himself spending time around where the boy liked to train his combat skills.
Usually near the beach.
Something about the young man had spoken to Toshinori. As a quirkless boy himself growing up, he, better than most, knew the struggles of growing up without a quirk. To see another face the struggle he'd faced, to see another try and climb the insurmountable and come out on top…
He had been rooting for the kid.
But watching him selflessly run toward another in their time of need; to see him not even hesitate and simply spring into action. It had solidified a decision he hadn't known that he'd already made.
He just needed the lad to awaken and answer a few questions he had, but he had no doubt as to the boy's answers.
Now, it was simply a matter of patience.
BREAK
He could feel himself slowly coming to. He felt sick, and his throat hurt like all hell. It felt as though he'd spent twelve hours rubbing at his throat with sandpaper. It took him a few moments to remember what happened, and then he became confused. The last thing he could remember was choking to death on the sludge of the slime-villain as one of his tentacles was being shoved down his throat.
That and a voice…an oddly familiar voice.
He needed to wake up, as oddly comfortable as he was, and he felt his eyes slowly flutter open. He wasn't where he'd thought he should have been though. He'd expected to wake up and see the overpass that he'd passed out under. Instead, he was looking up at the cozy insides of a comfortable looking home. Judging by the rather plush and comfortable upholstery that he was on top of, he judged it was a couch.
Groaning, he tried to sit up, but a calloused and firm hand pressed down on his shoulder, and pushed him back onto the couch. He looked over, and to his mounting surprise he saw Mr. Yagi hovering over him, a concerned look on his face.
"Easy there Young Midoriya, you've had yourself a day."
"Mr Yagi?" He asked in confusion, "What…what are you doing here? Where even is here? What's going on?"
"Peace, Young Midoriya," Mr. Yagi calmed, "I shall endeavor to answer your questions." He pulled up a chair beside the couch, and gingerly sat down.
"I was on my way home, when I saw your act of sheer selflessness. Your lack of hesitation as you ran off to help that man in need."
"But that doesn't explain how I got here," Izuku said, sitting up and resting on the armrest,
"What do you think?" Mr. Yagi said, a small smile on his lips, "What do you remember?"
"Choking to death," He replied dryly, before growing thoughtful, "I do remember hearing a voice…right before blacking out…it honestly sounded pretty familiar now that I think about it."
"Did it sound…LIKE THIS?"
Izuku blinked in surprise, where once was the sickly, skeletal frame of Mr. Yagi, there now stood a man easily two feet taller. He was large, incredibly large. Easily the largest man that Izuku had ever been beside. His blonde hair had somehow changed shape and structure, sticking up large and proudly on his head. Perhaps the most prominent feature, however, was the large smile on his face. It was nearly as wide as his face, and his large teeth seemed as though they were sparkling. He was a familiar man, a very familiar man. A man that the Izuku of old had known incredibly well.
All Might.
The greatest Hero of his time.
Who…apparently was also Mr. Yagi…
His head hurt.
"SURPRISE, YOUNG MIDORIYA! AH HA! YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE!" The large man guffawed merrily, and Izuku couldn't help but note the odd shift in personalities between the rather meek and shy Mr. Yagi, and the face of heroism itself.
"…I have questions,"
"I SHOULD THINK SO!" All Might announced, "AND I SHALL ENDEAVOR TO ANSWER THEM. BUT FIRST, ALLOW ME TO MAKE SOMETHING ABUNDANTLY CLEAR." The jovial tone disappeared, and a serious expression passed over the hero's face. Even with the ever-present grin that appeared to be permanently attached to his face, it was a menacing expression.
Izuku gulped.
"WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN HERE, IS A SECRET KNOWN BY ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE. NOW, INCLUDING YOURSELF, I CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND THOSE WHO KNOW THE TRUTH OF MY…CONDITION."
"…Then why are you telling me all of this? And-and is that your quirk? Are you a-a shape shifter or something?" Izuku blabbered out,
"THIS IS NOT MY QUIRK, AS A MATTER OF FACT-"There was a sudden puff of smoke, and the bulky form of All Might disappeared, and Mr. Yagi was once more sitting in his chair. He was coughing painfully, clutching at his chest in misery. Izuku sat up quickly, worry racing through him, but Mr. Yagi waved his concern off. Reaching into his pocket, Mr. Yagi withdrew a scarlet handkerchief, and dabbed at his lips.
"Damn, losing even more time huh?" Mr. Yagi muttered to himself,
"What the hell is going on?" Izuku demanded. All of this was becoming wildly overwhelming. He was confused, tired, and his throat hurt like hell.
"Sorry, I know all of this is confusing." Mr. Yagi sighed, running a bony hand through his hair, "Five years ago, I got into a fight, a fight that very nearly killed me." He lifted his shirt up, and Izuku almost gasped. Where his lungs should have been, was a horrifying mess of scar tissue. It was red, and inflamed, and certainly explained the cough.
"The fight took everything I had, but in the end I was victorious…however it came at a cost." He lowered his shirt, and cast his gaze down at his feet, "What you have seen here today, is that cost. I can now only use a fraction of my power and only for a little under five minutes at that. When my…timer…is up, I revert back to this form."
"Gods above…" Izuku muttered, "That's…" He trailed off. He didn't know what it was, but if word ever got out…
"I see you understand the reality of the situation." Mr. Yagi nodded,
"But you still haven't explained why I'm here…why you're telling me all of this…"
Mr. Yagi sighed again, and leaned forward in his chair, "I'll get to that in a minute, but first Young Midoriya, there is something I must ask you."
Izuku gulped and nodded,
"When you heard that man cry out for help, what made you go after him…why risk yourself for someone you didn't know?"
"I…I don't really know," Izuku frowned, "I didn't really stop to think about it…my feet just started moving on their own. But…if I had to give you a reason…it's because that's what a hero does right? They help people. Even if it puts their own lives at risk."
Mr. Yagi smiled broadly, and laughed, patting Izuku gently on the leg.
"I thought you'd say that." He grinned, "Which makes all of this an awful lot easier." He coughed again, and dabbed at his mouth,
"My quirk…is different to almost all other quirks." Mr. Yagi began, "I wasn't born with this quirk…like you I was born quirkless."
Izuku felt his eyes go wide, and his jaw drop open,
"Indeed," Mr. Yagi chuckled, "There has been much speculation over what my quirk is, but only a handful truly know. My quirk is called One for All, and as far as I'm aware, it is the most singly unique quirk of its kind. My quirk is passed down from user to user, granted as a boon to a promising young hero. My Master gave it to me, as hers did for her…and as I do now for you."
"Pardon?" Izuku said, certain that he'd misheard, and Mr. Yagi stood up,
"I have deemed you worthy of wielding my power. Of bearing the torch of a legacy that goes back generations." He extended his hand out to Izuku, "Do you accept this power? And the responsibility that goes with it?"
Izuku blinked, "…I think I'm going to need a little more to go on…"
Mr. Yagi's face fell, as he scratched his head in embarrassment,
"Right…guess that just kinda came out of nowhere, huh?"
"Little bit,"
Mr. Yagi collapsed back into his chair, "Right…erm…where to begin…"
"The beginning is usually a good place to start," Izuku said warily,
"Yes, but there's only so much I feel I can tell you until I know for certain that you're willing to accept this power."
"…Then how about this," Izuku said slowly, "Why me? There's gotta be hundreds of other people, people with quirks, people who are better suited to do this than me…so why would you choose me of all people."
"A good question," Mr. Yagi hummed, rubbing his chin in thought, "I suppose it's because I see much in you, much of myself if I'm honest."
"…Forgive me if I think that's a bit unrealistic."
"It's true kid," Mr. Yagi admonished, "Like you…I was born without a quirk. I know the struggles you have faced well. Yet in spite of all of the odds stacked against, of being faced with a mountain so impossible to overcome, you have committed yourself to be a hero. You are courageous, kind, driven, and have the true heart of a hero."
Mr. Yagi stood and walked slowly over to the window, clasping his hands behind his back as he gazed out into the night sky.
"The heroes of today…they lack the heart of true heroes. They are more preoccupied with their silly hero ranking, or their next merchandising contract, rather than focusing on helping people for the sake of humanity." He sighed, his shoulders sagging in despair, before he turned back and looked at Izuku,
"But not you. You said before, that your feet began moving without you thinking about it. I knew of many heroes with similar stories. Stories where their bodies simply acted without their thinking, jumping in the way of danger, often at great peril to their own life, all to protect the soul of another."
He placed a calloused hand on Izuku's shoulder,
"You, Young Midoriya, have the heart of a true hero. That is why I believe you are worthy of this power. You won't abuse it, you won't use it for personal gain. I know that you will use this power for good. To be a hero, a hero who can save lives with a smile on his face, a hero who can be a symbol of hope for all to look up to."
This was it then, huh? This was what Amaterasu had told him about, the power he was meant to be gifted with that would allow him to fight whatever evil was coming. He knew what he needed to do.
"I'm in,"
Mr. Yagi grinned, and his form pulsated for a moment, before his baggy clothes were suddenly filled with the massive form of All Might,
"EXCELLENT! I KNEW THAT YOU'D SAY YES! NEVER DOUBTED IT FOR A MINUTE!"
"Then why are you sweating so much?"
"IT'S VERY HOT IN HERE!"
"It's freezing."
"…NEVERMIND!"
"…okay so how do we do this?"
"IT'S QUITE SIMPLE, NORMALLY, I WOULD MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE BODY WAS PHYSICALLY PREPARED FOR THIS, BUT I HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING THIS FOR SOME TIME, IT WAS PART OF THE REASON I SENT YOU THOSE WEIGHTS, WHICH I CAN SEE YOU USED EFFECTIVELY!"
Izuku wasn't sure how it was possible for someone's smile to be so damn bright even indoors. Maybe the man really did have a quirk beyond One for All.
"Okay, so step one is done, what's next?"
"NEXT…" He plucked a strand of hair from his head and held it out to Izuku,
"EAT THIS!"
Reincarnation was a mistake.