Courage of the weak

A/N: I know I'm a bit late with this chapter and all but I hope you guys enjoy it!

As Izuku sadly trudged through the streets, tears threatening to stream down his face, he took out his notebook, burned and damaged by Bakugo's earlier actions, and flipped through his multiple pages of heroes and their Quirks.

He could only show a face of heartbreak and despair as he reminisced the hurtful words that had been told to him all his life, words that said he could never be a hero, he could never achieve his dreams.

"He still can't face reality, even tho he's in his senior year of high school." "It's time for you to think seriously about your future." "You don't belong in a world you can't even fathom!"

Then as Izuku flipped to the signature of All Might he reminisced the memories that hurt the most. "The path of a hero is not meant to be walked by the quirkless."

'Even a top pro said it. Damn it!' Izuku shouted inwardly in anger and despair as he ripped the pages that All Might had signed, tears streaming down his face.

'Don't cry! You knew, didn't you? The hard truth that you could never be a hero. You knew, so that's why you were trying so desperately. You were averting your eyes, not wanting to face the reality.' Izuku's voice was laden with heartbreak as the tears continued to fall. He couldn't help but think of All Might's words incessantly, wishing he could forget, yet he couldn't.

 However as he walked down the street Izuku felt a chill down his back, the cold breeze of the wind washing over him and bringing with it the acrid smell of smoke. 

Looking towards the source in quick hase Izuku saw the ever-expanding black smoke as it enveloped the air.

Izuku's heart raced with panic as he looked towards the source and saw the ever-growing plumes of black smoke filling the air as a crowd of civilians looked in horror at the chaos.

...

As All Might leaped throughout the city, his heart ached at the thought of Izuku's sorrowful expression. He wished he could have told Izuku that he could still be a hero, but he didn't want him to risk his life on a path that was not meant for those born quirkless. 

"I'm sorry..." were the only words All Might could utter as he felt a sharp pain reverberated throughout his body as he started falling down towards a building.

"Damn it... times up..."

Reaching the building, a heavy silence hung in the air as All Might's body lay on the ground, his labored gasps the only sound as smoke poured out of his mouth and engulfed his body. As the smoke swirled around All Might's form, punctuated only by his desperate, painful coughs.

Soon the smoke dissipated as the only thing left was a very skinny man with sharp, angular features and spindly limbs. His neck was elongated and his forehead was bare, with two long strands of wavy hair coming down from his hairline to frame his face. 

Getting up from the ground with a pained cough, his mouth dripping with blood, the new form of All Might placed a hand on his side and spoke with a tone of dread. "The times getting shorter I don't know how much longer I'll have left."

With a cough, All Might walked towards the exit of the rooftop although his movements were halted as the sound of an explosion rang out in the distance and black smoke enveloped the air.

As dread and worry overwhelmed him, he frantically checked his pockets. 'Did I drop it?!' he thought anxiously. His face drained of color as he looked at the bottle containing the sludge Villain. No movement stirred within it. With a fearful voice, he exclaimed, "I left a piece!"

Breaking into a sprint, All Might raced out of the building towards the sound of the explosion. Smoke and flames filled the distant air, as the sound of firefighters rung out. He knew he didn't have much time. With a sense of urgency, he shouted, "I need to hurry!" as he urged his frail and skinny body to move faster.

The sky was dark and smokey, the air thick with the smell of burnt wood and ash. Flames licked the sides of buildings and charred the ground beneath them. People were running in all directions, screaming in panic. Desperate cries of civilians, pleading for help, echoed throughout the chaos. The sound of sirens blaring in the background only added to the chaos.

Cars were abandoned in the middle of the street, and their drivers were nowhere to be found. The fire department had arrived on the scene but they were struggling to contain the fire, which seemed to be growing more out of control with every passing second.

The flames were relentless and unrelenting, devouring whatever was in their path without mercy or remorse.

"A Villain!" That was the desperate cry of the civilians as they frantically tried to flee the chaos of the raging flames. 

Soon heroes arrived on the scene, taking a look at the cause of the chaos before them. They were met with a grotesque, slimy, green creature, its devilish smile curving its lips as flames seemed to dance around it. Fear gripped the police officers as they beheld the villain's blood-red eyes. The heroes were aghast as they gazed upon the slimy mass of green before them, for it was trapping a young Bakugo in its slimy mass. One of the heroes there Death Arms, exclaimed in shock and fury, "A child has been taken hostage?!"

"You coward!" Death Arms screamed out, his face contorted in a mix of worry and anger as he rushed toward the creature. Making it to the Villain, he jumped up and punched the creature in its side. Although the creature didn't wince, its eyes showed only glee as Death Arm's fist sank into its body.

"What the hell is this? I can't grab hold!"

As Death Arms desperately attempted to extract his arm from the green mass the slimy tentacle of the creature lashed out as it slammed into Death Arm's sending him flying into a metal gate as his body went limp to the ground.

"Death arms!" The other heroes shouted as they watched him hurtling towards the gate.

"Don't come near me!" the creature roared with fury.

Soon Bakugo could be seen desperately struggling to free himself from the multiple tentacles and slime of the creature as he bellowed out in rage as he shouted "I won't let sewage like this consume me!" Fuelled by both anger and fury, Bakugo tried to spark explosions in his hands as they crackled "You little-!" as explosions reverberated throughout the area causing a gust of pressure to blast out throughout the environment, forcing the heroes to brace themselves.

"Such power! I've hit the jackpot! With this Quirk and power, I can get revenge on that guy! The creature said as his slimy body began to morph and twist further engulfing Bakugo's body as the heroes and civilians looked on in worry.

"Woah, what's that?! Could he be a big-shot villain? One of the civilians asked as they looked in horror at the destruction and chaos that ensued.

"She's here! The rookie hero, Mt Lady! Another Civilian exclaimed in relief as the crowd erupted in relief as Mt Lady made her way to the Chaos. 

"W-wait... I need there to be two lanes! Mt Lady exclaimed desperately as she attempted to squeeze through the tight passage, only to find it too narrow for her to fit.

"I'm not cut out for explosions! So I'll leave it to someone else today!"Kamui Woods shouted in distress as he sprinted through the raging inferno, cradling multiple injured civilians in his branches.

"Thanks for that," Backdraft said, his hands busy trying to put out the flames with his Quirk, to no avail as the blaze kept raging on. "The fire trucks aren't over here yet? How's the situation over there?"

"He's sticky and hard to grab, and a child with a strong Quirk is struggling against him." "Thanks to that, it's a minefield. It's hard to do anything against this triple play" The heroes said as they looked towards Bakugo who began to merge and be absorbed by the sludge Villain.

"Shit" The heroes shouted as they dodged another attack from the creature.

"It's no use! There's no one who can take care of this at the scene right now! All we can do is wait for someone with a more suitable Quirk!" They shouted above the roar of the flames, the smoke and ash swirling in the air.

Let's hold back the damage until! Don't worry, I'm sure someone will be here soon! With a bellow of warning, Backdraft alerted the other heroes as he frantically fought to quell the flames.

"I feel bad for that child, but he'll just have to bear it a little longer. Damn it!" He wished he had the power to lash out and take down the one Abomination. Clenching his fist in frustration, he cursed under his breath, "If only I had enough power to blow that guy away!"

Making it to the scene out of breath and in worry All Might looked at the chaos before him as he said "If I wasn't too distracted by my time limit! Damn it! I can't believe I made a mistake like this after admonishing that fan."

"Pathetic..." All Might said with frustration, clenching his side in pain.

As Izuku dashed towards the crowds of civilians he wondered in worry 'Is this where the explosion went off earlier was...? Hang on, does that mean I came out of habit without noticing?

Making it to the crowd Izuku peered above the crowd, straining to get a glimpse of what was happening.

As he looked at the chaos and destruction, he was filled with a sense of dread and horror as he remembered the horrifyingly slimy creature that had once tried to take over his body.

"Izuku's heart raced with shock and fear as he gazed upon the abomination before him, unable to believe his eyes. 'Why's that guy here?!' he thought. 'Did it get away from All Might?! Did he drop it? Did he miss a piece? Damn it! He can't even do this right...' "

The civilians looked on in horror as the destruction unleashed by the grotesque creature unfolded before them; "Why aren't the heroes doing anything?" one of them wondered. "They can't, apparently the villain has taken a high schooler hostage and has been holding them for some time now." Another civilian said as he too looked on at the destruction that commenced.

Overhearing this Izuku glanced back at the sludge creature, voice trembling as he asked, "Taken...? It's been like that for a while? How could anyone survive such a suffocating existence? I felt like I was going to die after only a few seconds."

"Anyway, wasn't that villain the one All Might was chasing earlier? One of the civilians' eyes lit up with surprise as they exclaimed, 'All Might? No way! He's here?'"

"I think I saw him earlier seriously?! Then what's All Might doing?!" The civilians started to mutter among themselves. With a look of helplessness on his face, All Might could only clinch his side in pain, as he uttered "Pathetic..."

'All Might? Is he here?' Izuku wondered as he frantically looked around the crowd.

'Where is All Might? Why isn't he here? Did he abandon us? He needs to catch this guy. People are in danger. Why aren't the heroes doing anything? Aren't they supposed to help and save people in need? Who cares if they don't have the right quirk? We need help now damn it!' Thought Izuku desperately as he looked around the crowd in frustration, searching for a glimmer of hope in the form of All Might or any other hero who could help them, yet he felt helpless and powerless.

"Pathetic..." All Might spat again through gritted teeth, his fists clenching in frustration at his inability to help. He could only stand and worry, powerless to change anything.

'Where is he?! They're going to die!' Izuku inwardly screamed as he looked towards the abomination in fear.

"Pathetic!" All Might could only utter as he watched the creature trying to absorb Bakugo

'No, help will arrive soon... It has to...' Izuku thought desperately as the creature's slimy green tendrils engulfed Bakugo's body.

"Pathetic!"

'Someone...A hero...Will soon...' Izuku thought through his tears, his body trembling and his hand clutching tightly.

As Izuku gazed upon Bakugo, struggling to break free from the abomination as he was being suffocated. His body restricted from any movement, and his eyes only visible, as they showed fear, sadness, and despair. As if they were crying out for someone, anyone, to come and save him.

Izuku's eyes widened in fear as he saw Bakugo in danger, his eyes silently pleading for help. Without a second thought, his body sprang into action. His feet pounded against the pavement as he dashed towards the battle, the wind howling against his face. He pushed himself forward, faster and faster, his heart thumping erratically in his chest. He could feel a surge of energy coursing through his veins as his mind went blank, only able to focus on one thing saving Bakugo.

As everyone, both civilians and heroes looked on with shock and worry at Izuku's determined struggle to save Bakugo, Izuku only continuously pushed not caring of the consequences, determined to save Bakugo.

"Idiot! Stop!" "Stop!" "Your gonna die damn it stop!" The shouts of the heroes rung out as they wished for Izuku to stop his reckless actions.

'Why? Why... Why am I saving him, a person who has never cared about me and has even said I should just die?!,' Izuku asked himself as he pushed forward even faster, ignoring the shouts of the heroes. Bakugo had never cared for him, yet here he was, risking his own life to save him even if he himself wished to not his body continuously pushed.

'That brat..."The creature bellowed as Izuku ran ever closer.

"Deku..." The sound of Bakugo sounded as he looked at Izukus's figure running towards him, the flames and ash of the raging inferno threatening to consume him.

"Why did I run out? What am I doing? Why!" Izuku screamed out in confusion as his body continuously ran.

"With a roar, the creature shouted"Die in an explosion!" as its slimy tentacles started to crackle and spark with flames.

'What do I do? What do I do at a time like this?' Izuku thought desperately as he recalled a move from Kamui Woods' "Pre-emptive Binding Lacquered Chain Prison" Remembering this move, Izuku swung his bag around his body and lunged towards the villain's eyes. "Take this!"

A screech from the Villain rung out as Bakugo's face was freed from the creature. Getting closer Izuku desperately tries to pry away the thick slimy mass that held Bakugo.

"Why are you here?!"

My body moved on its own! I don't know why!

As Izuku frantically ripped away at the sludge that threatened to smother Bakugo again, he could only recall the shattering words of those who said he would never reach his dream, that he would never become a hero. Tears streamed down his face as he kept fighting, and with a wavy smile on his face he said "You looked like you needed help..."

However soon this smile faded as the scream of the creature rung out "Stop it!" as its slimy tendrils lashed out towards Izuku. Izuku soon felt a sharp pain in his chest as his body collapsed onto the ground blood pouring from his now open chest. He looked up to see the sludge villain looming over him, with Bakugo still in its grasp, his vision blurred by a red haze of his own blood. The villain's arm was raised, a devilish smile on its face, ready to strike again. Izuku knew he had to do something, anything but he was too weak, unable to move.

Izuku felt a sense of rage and frustration. "Why wasn't All Might here?! Why couldn't he defeat the villain? Why do I have to die because of it?! Izuku thought to himself as he felt the warm blood spilling from his mouth. He had seen the hero soaring through the sky just a few moments before, yet here he was, barely able to move and on the verge of death.

"Pathetic... Pathetic! All Might said as he gripped his chest in rage and resolve his body growing in mass and muscle as he again took on his previous form this time with eyes burning with fury.

"Don't get in my Way!" The abomination screamed out at Izuku as it lunged its hand towards him.

"He'll die in vain! Is he suicidal?! Help him!" The heroes all roared in unison as they dashed towards Izuku.

As the creature's hand came hurtling down towards Izuku, he looked on with terror and dread, as he wondered 'Is this really the end?! 

However soon everything froze around Izuku as a blue notification window appeared in front of him as the voice of an artificial young woman resounded.

[Notice]

[You have completed all the necessary requirements of the secret quest 'Courage of the weak']

'What is this?' Izuku asked aloud in pained strains as he stared at the box until it changed.

[You have earned the right to become a player. Will you accept?]

'Earned...accept?' Izuku looks around, seeing the heroeswho were rushing towards him yet suddenly motionless. 'what the hell is going on?' he muttered under his breath.

[You do not have much time remaining]

"Accept!" Izuku uttered his voice strained as blood continued to flow.

[Notice]

[Welcome, player]

Suddenly, Izuku was engulfed by an intense flash of light. He heard a loud yell, and with it, a wave of heat that blasted through him. When he opened his eyes, he saw flames engulfing him and All Might standing before him. The hero had finally arrived. "What took you so long..." Izuku coughed out, dreading the dark abyss that was quickly overtaking him as his vision went black.