A few hours had passed. Denji was still in the hospital, but he didn't stay there for long.
His Quirk had an incredible healing factor that could regenerate injuries very quickly.
He was fine now. In the first minutes after undoing his transformation, he felt a bit dizzy, but it passed.
His mother, on the other hand, was in a bit of shock. When she found out from the doctors that he was okay and alive, she felt very relieved. As soon as she could, she came to see me.
It wasn't long before the Quirk specialist doctors ran some scans on him. But first, they gave him blood. As he had lost a lot, they had to replace it.
And this was one of the strangest things. He had lost a lot of blood and yet managed to stay conscious. Normally, when a person loses a large amount of blood, they die or at least faint.
Denji, however, was different. It seemed his body barely needed blood.
After all that stress and returning home, Denji concluded that it would be better not to use that transformation near his mother.
Well, of course the doctors said that... but he kind of came to that conclusion too.
His Quirk was strange and very volatile. It was hard to tell just how much he could endure.
He didn't think much about it that day; he was more worried about his mother...
---
The next day, life went on, and Denji did what he could to forget the bad expression on his mother's face.
In the vicinity of a school building...
"This is really cruel, Kacchan..." said a small child standing in front of another like a shield, his fists raised.
On the side of the aggressive bullies were three boys. One with bat wings, another who seemed to stretch, and one who could make things explode.
"Crybaby, you said? I won't let you continue. I won't let you continue without doing anything..." Midoriya repeated.
"You're Quirkless. Don't play the hero, you idiot," said the little blonde delinquent as he approached to hit Midoriya.
Midoriya heard that and understood. People aren't equal. Some are born luckier than others...
Before they could get close to give the boy a beating, another appeared and stood between Midoriya and the bully, like a wall.
Midoriya, who was scared and already without much hope, wondered: Who?
Then, Midoriya heard a laugh that was, at the very least, frightening...
"HAHAHAHA!"
Bakugou and the others following him felt a little fear hearing that crazy laugh, but Bakugou pretended to be fearless...
"You're that other Quirkless idiot from the class. You two deserve each other. Get out of the way, you idiot, or you'll get beaten up too..." said Bakugou.
The others following Bakugou laughed and agreed.
"Hmm? Is that so? I want to see you try. Come on, try it. I'm dying to beat up some brats anyway."
When Midoriya heard "Quirkless," he understood who it was. Besides him, there was another Quirkless person in his class.
Denji-kun... he's Quirkless too. He won't be able to fight Kacchan... thought Midoriya.
"Denji-kun, you... you have to run," said Midoriya.
Denji heard Midoriya but ignored him... To him, they were just arrogant, idiotic little kids. They deserved a beating.
Bakugou heard that and felt angry. Something about it bothered him.
Why is this idiot different from Midoriya? He's Quirkless, so why does he seem so confident? Doesn't he understand that some people are above others? He should accept his inferior place... thought Bakugou.
The next instant, Bakugou, in a rage, lunged forward and, with sparks flying from his hands, attacked with a punch aimed at Denji's face. His lackeys followed behind.
Denji, with speed far beyond normal, easily dodged Bakugou's strike. Bakugou's hand swung through empty air.
Meanwhile, Denji's hand hung loose. He clenched his fist and punched Bakugou squarely in the face, sending him flying backward and far away.
The other two watching, the chubby one advanced first. He had bat wings.
How do those wings hold him up, huh? thought Denji.
The chubby one lunged and tried to kick. Denji dodged and grabbed his foot.
"Got you..." murmured Denji.
Fear, I'm scared, thought the chubby kid. He even tried to break free but couldn't. He was then pulled down by the foot and got a punch just like Bakugou's.
The other one with the strange hands gulped and even tried something but also got a punch in the face.
And what I thought... they have interesting abilities... But... nothing a punch can't solve.
Bakugou, the chubby kid, and the other skinny kid, after the punch to the face, didn't give up. They tried again.
"Kacchan, stop... please," murmured Midoriya.
Bakugou heard and, of course, told Midoriya to shut up.
It went on with them getting beaten. It wasn't once or twice; they would attack, only for him to dodge and counterattack with a solid hit to their faces.
At some point, the skinny kid with the strange hands started getting tired of being hit and ran away, followed by the chubby kid, leaving only Bakugou.
"Your friends left... I mean, I can do this all day," said Denji with a strange smile on his face.
Well, don't get me wrong. I just want to scare these brats. Look, I'm not a saint. But come on, no one in this school helps this kid. He gets beaten up every day, okay?
Bakugou kept trying. I can't lose... I was born special... I am special... I won't lose to someone Quirkless. thought Bakugou. But he kept getting hit more.
At some point, he couldn't take it anymore and gave up.
Oh crap... I think I'm going to have problems... thought Denji.
It hadn't been long since he got his powers and was transferred to this elementary school. And well, he had a Quirk, but let's say it wasn't very suitable for him to use it around these children.
I guess chainsaws are scary enough, and ones coming out of a person's forehead and arms are... well... a bit over the top, maybe? I mean, my Quirk was weird even for an adult, much more for a child. I think even the bravest of men would feel... sick? Weird?
Anyway, he preferred not to use it. But it wasn't necessary.
After beating up Bakugou, Denji talked a bit with Midoriya. He tried to give some advice, things like that.
"Look, even if you don't have a Quirk, you shouldn't let this jerk hit you. Are you a dog or something?" That was more or less what Denji said to him.
Midoriya, on the other hand, seemed kind of amazed by him. Seriously, what's with that look?
Anyway.
After that day, there was a meeting at the school. After all, I beat the crap out of three kids. Maybe I'm the worst? I don't regret it... maybe I should have hit them a little less.
His mother had to come to the school. Midoriya's mother came too. Well, I explained the situation, and Midoriya also told what had happened. Besides, it was weird and pretty embarrassing for Bakugou because there were kind of proofs and witnesses that cleared me and Midoriya.
So, in short, he got beaten up by two Quirkless boys. That is, they lost 3 vs. 2. Technically 3 vs. 1, but anyway.
My mother was furious, and kind of my dad... He's kind of busy with work and stuff.
Midoriya, during this time, ended up becoming his friend. The two were kind of nerds without friends.
---
Ten years later.
Denji was now training. At 14, almost 15 in a few months. His main ability to transform into a chainsaw was painful to use, and also his mother wouldn't let him use it. She always said things like:
"Are you a masochist or something? Do you like hurting yourself? Do you have something wrong with you? Are you crazy or something?" Things like that.
And it wasn't a lie. But come on, I want to use my powers, okay? They're weird? Yes, but the feeling, despite everything, is good... almost like going to the clouds. It's as if my head becomes empty.
Maybe it's because my brain gets destroyed in the process? Maybe...
Denji used to go to a dojo when he was younger. Besides that, when he had time, he went to Midoriya's house. To hit him. Or rather, to practice.
The two were "Quirkless."
At some point in their training—yes, Denji often trained with wooden sticks with Midoriya—besides obviously playing and doing other nerdy things they were into—during this period, Denji at some point told his friend that yes, he did have a Quirk. But obviously, he didn't say what it was or show it.
Denji and Midoriya were in their third year. In a few months, they could try the U.A. entrance exam, the top hero school in the country. Obviously, he and Midoriya would try to get in when the time came.
Obviously, when the class found out, he and Midoriya were ridiculed because of it. Bakugou was one of them. He tried to discredit Midoriya and even me, but I didn't give a damn about what that idiot said. Midoriya, on the other hand, went around hopeless...
The third year was the most important year because of this fact. It was the time they had to worry the most about their lives.
---
12:02 PM, same city.
In the city center, someone let out a desperate scream. A woman, perhaps?
"Thief! Someone stop him!" said the voice.
A thing had robbed someone. It was a living, green, humanoid slime.
"Catch me if you can!" said the villain as he fled among the civilians.
Among the civilians was a guy. Tall, with blond hair and a big smile on his face, observing the situation.
---
Meanwhile, at school, class was already ending.
Midoriya had a very interesting notebook. A notebook where he wrote down the powers and also weaknesses of heroes and villains. It was kind of his hobby. It was a nerd's notebook, in short.
Midoriya, who was already leaving, picked up his "sacred" notebook and was about to go, but Bakugou appeared, saying he still had things to settle with him after class.
After saying that, he took the notebook from Midoriya's hands, took a quick look, and made fun of it. He mocked his notebook in front of the other students.
"That's not yours! It's none of your business! Give it back!" said Midoriya, worried about his notebook.
As if he didn't care, Bakugou ignored Midoriya. Then, he made a quick motion to bring his hands together.
But before they could completely meet, someone grabbed his arm and stopped him from exploding Midoriya's book.
"Huh?" murmured Bakugou. When he turned his face and saw who it was, he froze.
This damn guy... thought Bakugou.
Without caring, Denji took the book from Bakugou's hands and threw it to Midoriya.
"Don't touch what's not yours. Didn't your mother teach you that?" said Denji without any fear.
The others around, on the other hand, grew tense.
The demon...
In the class, it was common knowledge that Bakugou was the biggest bully, the one who was almost always hitting others and not getting hit. However, even bullies have their bullies.
Denji.
Quirkless. Even after years, when Bakugou tried again, he always managed to give Bakugou a beating.
"You... you arrogant... you don't have a Quirk... you have a lot of nerve..." murmured Bakugou quietly.
Tension filled the air.
"I didn't hear that... say something else," said Denji.
Midoriya was beside him, feeling worried and perhaps admiring?
Bakugou didn't respond. He let it pass but felt a lot of anger and humiliation.
This guy... I'll get my revenge yet... thought Bakugou.
"Let's go, Midoriya. Let's go to the center to buy a game..." said Denji.
"Yes..." replied Midoriya.
Denji turned and left, followed by Midoriya.
Bakugou even had the idea of attacking from behind but felt that if he did that, he'd get another beating...
---
As they left school, Denji couldn't stop thinking.
These imbeciles... I leave for a second and they treat you like this, thought Denji, looking at Midoriya.
Midoriya, who was by his side, murmured, "You're amazing, Denji-kun. I don't have your courage... you're really very kind to me, Denji-kun."
Denji heard and clicked his tongue.
"That's right, I'm amazing. Admire me more! HAHAHA! Did you see his face? He was full of fear of getting a beating. Listen here, Midoriya, when you start hitting people and not getting hit, you'll see how wonderful life is..." said Denji, full of confidence.
Midoriya didn't seem very confident in that idea.
"Isn't hitting others too much?" said Midoriya.
Denji heard and thought, This guy is hopeless... He's going to be a weakling forever...
"Changing the subject... what do you want to play..." said Denji, followed by Midoriya as they headed to the center.
At some point during this, Midoriya began to reflect on his "past." Sad memories came to his mind.
"Midoriya, you idiot, where's your head at? Let's go. You, I mean, sometimes you get lost in the clouds," said Denji, snapping Midoriya out of his trance.
"Sorry..." murmured Midoriya with an awkward laugh.
He's right.
They were walking and were almost at the center, but first they had to pass through a dark tunnel.
Denji, who was by his side, thought, Man, he's more worried than usual... I guess it can't be avoided... I'd be like that too... if I didn't have a Quirk. Technically, he and I went through the same things. The difference is that I fought back. But what if I hadn't?
At the tunnel entrance, there was a manhole.
Denji didn't notice, nor did Midoriya, but after passing the manhole, a figure emerged from inside... A villain with a slime Quirk...
Denji, when he felt that presence, it was too late.
The figure, in an instant, swallowed Midoriya... A villain was what both realized.
Midoriya began to struggle in desperation.
Denji, who was by his side, unconsciously went for his chest. More specifically, for the cord on his chest.
Midoriya... I have to help... Should I use my Quirk? thought Denji.
Meanwhile, thousands of things went through Midoriya's mind. After all, he didn't want to die.
The villain who was by his side began to say a bunch of things.
"Midoriya, don't worry... I'll get you out of there..." murmured Denji. He was already ready to use his Quirk.
The villain laughed when he realized what the other boy said but stopped laughing when he heard another voice coming from the manhole.
Then, a fist hit the manhole from below, upward. A fist rose, and a person came out from inside.
"DO NOT FEAR, YOUNG MAN! FOR I AM HERE!"
Then, that person threw a punch.
The disgusting slime that now held Midoriya was destroyed solely by the wind pressure from that person's strike.