Ch. 10: The Birth of A Hero, Pt. 3

[Downtown Musutafu, 11:10 AM JST]

3rd Person POV

In the middle of the city, surrounded by a sea of flames and broken-down buildings, Izuku stood on top of a mountain made of mangled carcasses of HellBloods that he just slaughtered with a slouched figure, facing the dark sky while panting out smoke as his face was pale and sweaty from exhaustion. The demonic teen wiped the stream of blood that was on his forehead and spat out a glob of blood from his mouth down to a HellBlood's mangled face, before looking at an explosion in the mountains in the distance.

'Dad…' Izuku thought with worry towards his ever-grinning father, whom he assigned to clear the mountains from the vile monsters so that the evacuation procedure runs smoothly all across the evacuation sites. The demonic teen knew that his father was probably the strongest human that has ever existed, but with this new eldritch threat that suddenly pops up, he sure would have some struggles here and there. And surely, if his father was harmed, Izuku would hate himself even more for his decision.

The demonic teen rolled his shoulders while the black substance of his quirk began to cover his whole body until his neck. Then as the grey flames burst out, he immediately blasted off towards the explosion with all his power, all the while gritting his teeth from the painful feeling of his muscles being strained by overusing his 'quirk'.

'Dammit! I'm still not used to my quirk since this is my second day using it. Fuck it hurts!' Izuku bites his lip, trying to avert his attention from the pain of his 'quirk'. 'I need to endure it. I have to. Until all of this ends in our victory. Since… this is all because of me to begin with…'

In a few seconds, Izuku arrived at the place where the explosion took place, still high in the sky so that he could safely observe the situation before jumping to conclusions. Izuku darted his red glowing eyes all over the battlefield below him that kept on exploding up dirt, smoke, and debris high into the air, only to gain nothing but glimpses of red, long fleshes of limbs that are used as a whip, and yellow, spiral energy blasts from it as the smoke kept getting thicker and thicker. He then focused on using his other senses to find the number one hero he calls his father, but he only heard shouts from people he didn't recognize.

'There are three people down there that constantly create noise. A woman and two men. The girl has an emitter-type quirk while one of the men has a transformation-type quirk, probably a beast-type too. The third person is the most silent yet loud one since he shouts 'Power' all the time and has the most cheerful tone between the three. I still don't know what his quirk is supposed to be, but judging by his voice it seems that he is a close-range fighter. It also seems that they're on the same side, fighting something that can stretch out their limbs like rubber. I'm surprised they can fight inside a cloud of smoke like that. Even I would struggle while enhancing my senses.'

As words that spelled out 'mutter' spiraled around Izuku, he rapidly shook his head and slapped his cheeks with both hands. 'Dammit! Don't overthink it too much! You'll mutter! That's why a lot of people avoid you!' Izuku reminded himself.

'Now then, since my shit is all together, let's go and give them a hand. I'll help the people nearest to me first.' Izuku thought as grey flames concentrated around his palm. He then swiped the air, sending a giant gust of wind that blew away all the smoke below him, showing him what the battlefield looked like-- a barren wasteland decorated with cracks and small craters.

"What is this gust of wind?!?!" Mirio shouted as he covered his face from the wind, bracing himself so that he wouldn't get blown away by it.

"Are we gonna face another one?!?! We're already struggling with one! Now there are two of them?! I never should've gone with you guys!!" Tamaki shouted with tears streaming down his face, wrapping his fingers that turned into tentacles on a tree so he wouldn't be flying without wings.

'He's here.' Nejire thought as her eyes locked on the flaming figure of Izuku hovering in the air. 'That's the person that helped us back then, I'm sure of it.'

Izuku's eyes immediately darted around the battlefield below him. 'Those three are UA students. Why are they fighting such a dangerous monster?!' Izuku thought as his red orbs locked on to Bastrael's black ones, who had a slight smirk on his face after seeing who just arrived.

"So this is the boy huh? The one that beat Vhesvia. Lady luck's on my side~, he came to me himself~." Bastrael said as his smile grew wider, turning his whole arms glowing red. The black lines that went down his shoulders became three on each side, and wave-like textures began to appear on the red-tinted limbs. Razor-sharp claws began to form on the tip of his fingers, growing up to 17 centimeters each.

"For all I could remember, the countless millennia I have lived have been filled with countless battles and wars. But not once have I ever found my match. I've never felt the exhilaration of a fight. I've never felt the fear of losing my life, nor the feeling of satisfaction in taking one. I've never felt the thrill of bracing myself to take a hit, nor the feeling of pride after a clean strike. I've never felt disappointment and anger in a loss, and I've never felt the urge to scream my lungs out in a victory, since I've always been a winner my whole life. All I felt was boredom and emptiness."

Bastrael's muscle mass began to increase even more, with red vapors starting to emit out of his body. The black lines on his shoulders have increased from three on each side to four. Small spikes protruded out of his red-tinted arms, and tiny serrated blades grew out of the bones of his fingers. Surely one hit from him won't only leave a bruise.

"Finally, after all these years! These meaningless millennia!! I have found my match! ENTERTAIN ME, BOY!!!" Bastrael ecstatically yelled as he leaped off towards Izuku with great force, creating a crater under him.

"Everyone! Get out of here now!!" Izuku shouted in a hurry before blasting down and clashing his right fist with the red-haired demon. The impact of the clash was powerful enough to completely reshape the uneven terrain that the previous battle had created and turned it into a flat piece of land.

Izuku gritted his teeth as he felt the pain coming from his fist, which was clashing with Bastrael's spiky ones. Luckily, his 'quirk' protected him from taking further damage, but a protective coat can only do so much against a power that immense.

'What is this power?! Even after being coated by my quirk, the shock from the impact feels like it can break my arm at any moment! Shit, this hurts!' Izuku thought in agony, focusing his strength to his right arm so that it wouldn't break, or worse, rip off of his body.

"Show me the power that pulverized even The Allurer of Doom herself!!" Bastrael shouted in pure hunger for an exhilarating battle, the battle he yearned for ever since he could remember.

~OOO~

[Mountainside Musutafu, 11:23 AM JST]

"Young Uraraka, I have to tell you something." All Might called upon the brunette who was looking at the surroundings, ashes, cinders, with flickering flames were the only things she saw. Ochako looked up to see the man carrying her on his arm, her characteristic blush still apparent on her face, to see blood freely flowing out of his mouth like wine pouring into a glass.

"All Might!!" The brunette gasped before tumbling to the ground as the number one hero staggered and lost his balance. Ochako gritted her teeth as a jolt of shock blasted itself inside her head, making the already painful headache she had even more unbearable. But she forced herself and quickly approached the kneeling hero who was coughing up blood repeatedly.

"Dammit, just perfect timing." All Might sarcastically uttered before spitting out a glob of blood, grinning goofily at the worried brunette in front of him who was looking at him with panic plastered all over her face with the intention of calming her down.

"Are you okay All Might?! What happened?!" Ochako asked a bit hurriedly, wanting to help the man immediately.

"Okay is not exactly the word to describe it right now, but don't worry. This is the result of me unleashing 100% of my power." All Might explained to her as he wiped the blood from his mouth. Ochako gasped in surprise at the statement. She felt a bit flabbergasted since the man in front of her never talked to anyone a single word about what his quirk really is. Maybe this is the only chance for her to know the true nature of his superpower, so Ochako asked the question she had always wanted to ask him.

"All Might… What is your quirk?" Ochako asked as her face turned serious, filled with curiosity and anticipation. All Might widened his deep sapphire eyes at the sudden question that came out of her mouth, but he knew that sooner or later he would have to explain the immense power that resides in his body to her and his son.

A solemn expression washed over his face as he let out a sigh. 'To think that I would explain it in this situation… It doesn't look epic at all!' All Might comically cried as he slammed his skeletal fist into the ground, making the brunette in front of him sweatdrop. 'But, then again, this might also be the best time for it.' All Might said to himself before looking at Ochako with eyes of steel, taking her a little aback as she flinched from the action.

"What I'm about to tell you, is a secret that only very few people know. It is a secret so great, if it is revealed to the world, it could completely turn the world upside down and plunge society into chaos." All Might said to the brunette who went silent after hearing what the man in front of her said. 'Is it that important? Or is he just exaggerating like in those talk shows?' The brunette pondered, remembering how All Might always answered the question with a joke.

"Now, people often speculate that my quirk is 'super-strength', or 'power-boost', or some kind of 'invulnerability' right? It is actually far from that." All Might said to Ochako, whose curiosity became even greater after hearing what he said as she leaned even closer with sparkles surrounding her, making her look like a kid who was about to be told that Santa's real (A/N: he isn't, sadly).

"What is it then? What is it?" Ochako asked with sparkles in her eyes. All Might nervously grinned at her enthusiasm as his eyes became two tiny blue arches. 'He would certainly do the same.' The number one hero thought as he began to imagine a certain boy in his head adorning the same enthusiasm. He then shakily lifts his body to stand tall, the orange and red hue from the flames splashing onto his back giving him a mighty ambiance, before spreading his arms as if he is embracing something.

"I wasn't born with this power. It was a sacred torch passed on to me by someone else!" All Might bellowed as the wind blew past him.

As the information went inside Ochako's head, her circular eyes slowly widened as her brown orbs shrink. The information was so mind-boggling and too crazy to be true to her, she went silent for a few seconds with her mouth agape, before falling her head to the side still with the same frozen expression on her face.

"Huh? Say what now?" She said with an exhausted yodeling voice, as her brain started to overheat from the crazy fact given to her. To think that All Might, the world's number one hero and the strongest human alive, has a catastrophe-level power given to him by someone else. It was as if she was seeing a quirkless man jumping off of Tokyo Tower while saying that they'll survive; it sounds like a joke and no one believes it, because there was no way that All Might wasn't a natural-born hero…

right?

"All Might, the world's Symbol of Peace, had to be a natural-born hero. If the people know that I was crowned with this power from someone else and wasn't born with this power, society would be thrown into chaos, and villains all over the world will rampage, eventually burning the world in fear and terror." All Might said with a grim tone, making the brunette in front of him sink in the horrible truth that she had never hoped to hear. Imagining a broken society filled with despair and terror, a sight of villains running amok and wreaking havoc, a sight of people living on with fear, was unbearable.

"But it is my duty as The Symbol of Peace, to preserve this world so that people who live in it live on with smiles on their faces. That is why I kept it a secret." The half skinny, half buff man continued before bringing his right arm in front of his face. Then, an image of eight different colored stars appeared.

The first star emitted a bright white glow, the second one shined sky blue, the third one had a fierce red glow, the fourth glowed light green, the fifth was shining orange, the sixth was indigo purple, the seventh had a beautiful violet glow, and finally, a majestic golden light shined from the eighth star. (A/N: This is taken from the anime. IDK if this is canon or not, so don't expect the colors to be that important.)

To say the sight mesmerizing is an understatement, as Ochako was completely immersed in the sheer aura that the stars emitted, staring deeply into the eight orbs like primordial men ogling at gemstones the first time they saw them.

Ochako felt a wave of peace and happiness washing over her consciousness. It was like a mother gently washing her child from dirt before the sun sets. Filled with motherly love she washed off the dirt and filth on the child's body, and with a gentle smile on her face, she brought happiness to the child.

It felt like home. The home that she longed for.

"One person cultivates the power and passes it on to another, who cultivates it to become even more powerful than before. It is the crystallization of power that spins together the voices of those in need of saving with a courageous heart. This power… is called 'One For All'." All Might said, rocking her heart back and forth, shaking her soul by the sheer might of his voice.

"One...For...All…" Ochako subconsciously muttered in awe, with her eyes glued to the stars that danced on All Might's palm.

The half buff, half skinny man then offered his muscular hand down in front of the brunette's face, taking the pink-cheeked girl aback by the sudden action. Ochako looked up at the man with confusion, not knowing why the number one hero was offering his hand to her. But the feeling of serenity and peace that the stars emitted was too irresistible for her to look away. As her brown orb stared deeply into the dancing stars on the number one hero's palm, she began to imagine a scene that brought tears to her eyes, as the feeling was exactly the same.

It was like the feeling of being embraced by her loved ones. Ochako felt the love and warmth emanated from it wrap around her body like an embrace, seeping into the very core of her soul. It was as if the quirk itself manifested into those whom she cared the most, inviting her into its loving arms and buried her deep inside its tender bosom, caressing her head while humming lullabies like a loving mother to her child.

It truly felt like home.

"I've watched you and Izuku grow from tiny, cute cinnamon rolls up until now, and I couldn't have been prouder. You both support each other through the hardships you faced, you inspire each other to be better, and most importantly, you both are working your hardest to achieve your dreams. The road is far from reaching its end, and it'll be even worse and painful from now on. I can't guarantee that you won't suffer in your journey. But don't let that scare you, Ochako. Wear a smile on your face, and let that smile lift your heart."

Ochako went silent, focusing her attention on the words that came out of the number one hero's mouth. She felt ridiculously happy hearing the sweet words, and she felt really glad that she was being praised for her efforts. But she felt something was off.

Even though Izuku's more known as the smarter one between the two, Ochako wasn't particularly brainless, so she knew that All Might had an ulterior motive behind those sweet words he uttered. But even after that, she didn't grow suspicious of him. It's All Might after all, there was no way he had an ulterior motive that would bring harm to others around him, but instead, it would be the exact opposite.

Ochako shook off the negative thought and continued hearing what the man in front of her had to say, locking her brown orbs onto All Might's deep sapphire ones. Then, as All Might's grin grew wider, he continued.

"You've always been on his side even before I was there to guide you. The actions that you've done these past ten years have become a push for him to be what he is now. For that, I give you my deepest gratitude. But I need you to promise me."

Ochako's face had anticipation all over it, preparing herself for what All Might has to say next.

"If I'm not there by your side anymore, please be the guiding light for Izuku. Be there to support him, be there if he's in pain, be there to lend him a hand if he ever gets into trouble. A man will always try to hide his weakness so that no one worries about him, so if he ever shows his, lend him a hand and let him vent his troubles away. He's one emotional kid, so let him ramble all day long. But most importantly, be there on his side in every step until you two have reached your dreams. I need you to promise me that."

Ochako could only nod as she was too flabbergasted to say anything back to the man in front of her. Her answer was stuck at the edge of her tongue, unable for her to utter them.

'Of course, I'll always be there for him. I promise you that.' was the thought that she wanted to say, to reassure All Might that it was going to be fine, but she couldn't.

All Might let a small chuckle escape his mouth, patting the brunette's head in front of him with his other hand, satisfied with the simple answer he got from her. He then clenched his right fist, the light from the stars seeping through the gaps of his fingers, and offered his hand towards the brunette, who slowly widened her eyes in realization.

"That's it! I've decided! I, All Might, deem you, Ochako Uraraka, worthy to become my successor!"

"What…?" With gaping mouth Ochako asked, not wanting to believe what was happening. Her? All Might's successor? This felt too good to be true for the brunette, and of course, she felt that there were a lot of people who were more suited to become All Might's successor, Izuku being the best candidate for it.

"Become the greatest heroes together with Izuku on your side." All Might smirked.

~OOO~

[Suburbs of Musutafu, 11:25 AM JST]

"Why are there so many of them?!?!" Soleil shouted to no one in an annoyed manner as she emitted a light beam from her palm, incinerating a group of HellBloods until it left no trace of them. She then let out a burst of heatwaves, blowing the monsters around her surroundings away while inflicting them with third-degree burns. The Sunlight hero then flies high into the sky, but she was pursued by another horde of HellBloods, making her click her tongue in frustration.

'I'll run out of juice if this continues. Since the sun is covered in ash because of that pillar, my energy isn't limitless. It'll be a struggle for me to quickly finish over a thousand of these things.' Soleil thought as she instinctively dodges projectiles that were coming at her from behind. She then returned the kind gesture by sending a light beam that appeared out of thin air down towards them, incinerating the HellBloods until the ashes disappeared.

As she was soaring high into the sky, Soleil then realized something that she should've done a while ago. 'Dammit. I'm dumb.' She thought to herself before blasting the sky with a light beam, creating a giant hole in the ashen sky that allows sunlight to enter the city from right on top of her. The monsters screeched in pain at the sudden sharp morning light piercing through their eyes, and when their eyes adjusted to the light, they looked up at a horrifying sight--at least to them it looked terrifying, but to the survivors and refugees who were struggling for their lives, it looked as if a goddess had descended to come and save them all.

'Heh. Checkmate.' Soleil thought with a smug smirk on her face, though no one saw the smug remark plastered on her face, which was kind of sad in a way.

As the sunlight splashed onto her body, golden, glittering, shards of light began to appear around her, orbiting her like satellites around planets. Soleil's eyes began to adorn a golden outline, and a golden ring formed inside her pupils. Golden rune-like markings began to cover her hands until her neck, making her look as if she has golden tattoos. Her blonde, flame-like hair began to float as if defying gravity, flickering and bursting as the flames became even fiercer.

"Sun's Heavenly Blessing, first star: Saintess of Light." Soleil muttered as she brought her right hand forward. A hollowed circle appeared glowing bright gold and archaic writings circled it.

"Flash, Ascending Rainbow!"

A giant light beam blasted out of the ring down towards the horde of HellBloods who were silent and shaking in fear, bracing themselves for their impending demise. The beam of light then collided with the vile creatures, incinerating them until it left no traces of them. As the light beam began to close in on the ground, possibly destroying the whole suburbs if the two ever come into contact, it made a U-turn back towards the sky like an inverted rainbow, disappearing into the sky as it blew another hole on the barrier of smoke.

"Easy peasy." A small cloud of smoke came out of Soleil's mouth. 'Now, let's go and help-' Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of an explosion ringing through her ears. Soleil snapped her head in the direction of the explosion, only to feel her stomach dropping at what she saw.

'Downtown?! That's where Izuku is supposed to be!' Soleil narrowed her eyes at the rows of buildings that were falling to the ground like a line of dominoes, adding more destruction to the already destroyed city. The monsters there were already eradicated as the eldritch roaring became silent a while ago, so what caused this? As Soleil began to ponder, a figure caught her shiny eyes. The mysterious person was seen flying at high speeds, crashing through a building and making it collapse to the ground, disappearing in a cloud of smoke whilst being swallowed by a sea of fire.

As Soleil's eyes locked on the figure, she could feel the sense of dread and terror looming over her like a grim reaper with its scythe stuck around her neck, because she felt as if humanity's hope of surviving this catastrophe had been reduced to zero.

On the other side, she saw a pulverized Izuku, crashing through multiple buildings with no signs of stopping. His left arm was badly destroyed with shards of bones protruding out of his skin, flopping everywhere like a ragdoll. His body was decorated with large cuts and bruises, painting him red from top to bottom from blood. But the most notable and horrifying thing that Soleil noticed, was that...

Izuku's right arm was gone.

"IZUKU!!!!"

To be continued.