11. Weepy Willy.

I snaked my way through the streets of Musutafu as small might and Deku struggled to follow, and I would be lying if I said I didn't delight in their misery.

After a suitable amount of distance and as they neared exhaustion, I took a turn and came up on them from behind, starting with Deku.

Deku was panting as he stumbled across the street, nearing the turn I took when I tapped his shoulder from behind.

"Yo!"

"Kyaa!" He screamed like a little girl, and fell on his ass.

"Hehehehehehe.....that was fun! Now, why are you following me?" I asked him.

"I-i-i.." Deku stuttered.

"I what? Is stuttering your hobby?" I teased.

Deku gulped and steeled his resolve, as he came up on his knees.

"What you said earlier, that quirks don't make a hero, that brains do. Do you really believe that?" He asked.

"Was that demonstration not enough? Do you need another?

I swear, people are becoming more and more entitled by the day! As if living what I preach isn't fucking enough anymore!" I complained.

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that!" Deku backpedalled, "I just..."

He took a deep breath and continued.

"I just wanted to ask, can someone become a hero, even without a quirk?" He asked, with those sparkling puppy dog eyes, already defeated in his mind.

"Yeah, sure!" I said, without delay.

"As I thought, even you say-What?!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah. Even without a quirk, you can still be a hero." I repeated.

"B-but how?" He asked.

"How? How not?! Since when did heroism require anything other than courage?

That's literally in the name, Yuusha, the brave one." I replied.

"But I don't have a quirk!" Deku excused.

"So? Would you be a better hero if you had a quirk?" I countered.

"Yes! Of course I would!" Deku replied.

"Really? What if you had a quirk that gave you slightly pointy ears or really long but frail fingers or purple eyes? Would you still make a better hero with a quirk than without?" I asked.

"Uh I- n-ye I-" Deku stuttered.

"Just spit it out!" I scolded.

"No." He answered.

"Yeah, you wouldn't. Quirks don't matter as much as your conviction and hard work!" I said, pounding a fist on my chest.

"Besides, the strength of humanity doesn't lie in quirks. Quirks didn't invent modern architecture, or guns or chocolate or antibiotics.

Humans did, even without any superpowers!

The strength of humanity lies in our convictions and innovations!

That's why we stand above every other creature on this planet. We didn't have claws, so we took a rock and smashed it against another rock to make a sharp pointy rock and we beat the big bad clawy animals.

We didn't have a tough hide to protect us, so we skinned those powerful animals and used their fur to shield ourselves. We couldn't see in the dark so we invented fire to turn the night into day. We couldn't stand the storms, so we gutted the mountains and chopped off the trees to make homes to keep us safe. We were weak to disease so we made the disease itself kill its family. We invented vaccines. All throughout humanity's history, we have bent nature to our will, and we didn't do it with a weather manipulation quirk.

We didn't have wings but we desperately wanted to fly, so we carved ourselves wings made of metal and ascended the very skies!

We did it with our own two hands and through our hard work and innovation.

Today, with technology we have forced rocks to think for us, metal to serve us and life threatening explosions to propel us forward.

With human ingenuity, nothing is impossible. Being a quirkless hero is the least of it!" I explained.

"So I can be a hero, even without a quirk?" Deku quivered, tearing up.

I extended a hand to him, and replied.

"Yes! How many times do I have to repeat it till it gets through your dummy thicc skull, idiot!"

"I..i uwaaah!" He cried, like really cried.

I don't mean the single tear down the cheek, oh no no. He legit ugly cried, complete with the snot running down his face, in the middle of the fucking street. A couple of people even peeked out of their windows and watched.

Noticing the attention, I pulled him up.

"Let's take this conversation somewhere else, preferably somewhere with less eyes on us, shall we?" I said, lifting him up in a fireman's carry and ran to Dagobah beach, with small might following close behind.

"Phew!" I said, dumping him on the wet sand, as he wiped his tears.

"Sorry, I just....no one's ever told me that..I-" Deku said, "I'm just so happy....someone finally believes in me.

"Woah woah woah buddy, let's not go that far yet, okay?" I interjected, with a playful smile.

"I said a quirkless person could become a hero, but really, I don't know about you..."

Deku looked at me aghast, as tears welled up in his eyes again.

I began to laugh out loud, as he looked on confused.

"Seriously dude, learn to take a joke, jeez.....you must be fun at parties!" I teased.

"Oh ...it was a ..joke. yes....of course....heheh ..... hahahh yeah, I-i knew that, of course..." Deku said.

"C'mon now. Get up. You're soiling your pants down there." I said, slapping his back, as I turned around and called out.

"And what about you, Mr. Stalker? You planning on killing us yet or should we wait a while longer?"

Small might slowly came out from behind a pile of debris, scratching his head.

"How long have you known?" He asked.

"Since the sludge guy? You're not as good at this as you might think, you know?" I replied.

"Oh, no! I'm not a stalker or anything..." He said.

"Says the guy that stalked two middle schoolers for four kilometers." I rebutted.

"No, he's not a stalker. He's actually.." Deku said, looking at the man for permission.

The man nodded and raised a hand.

"Shounen, I'll do it myself." He said, walking closer.

"What, he's your dad or something?" I asked, acting ignorant.

"No, shounen, I'm actually..." He said, growing in stature, as he gained muscle at inhuman speeds, "....All Might!"

"Ooh! Nice transformation quirk. But that All Might impression could use some work." I commented, rubbing my chin.

The man sighed.

He walked past us and aimed a punch at the sea, as torrential winds blew my hair behind me, almost making me stumble, and Deku ducked.

All Might landed a punch in the air, as the sea split like he was fucking Moses in the old testament.

"Does that convince you?" He asked, turning to me with his characteristic smile.

"Now I don't know, might need some more proof...." I joked.

All Might's smile grew, as he bellowed with laughter.

"You are a funny guy, shounen! Oh, my apprentice would love you!" He said.

"I'm sure he would." I said, taking a magical girl pose, "I'm positively adorable!"

This time it was Deku that snickered.

"Heh! Finally made you smile, eh weepy willy?" I said, smacking his head.

"Well then, that was fun. If that's all, I'll take my leave now. Toodles~" I said, picking up my bag as they both shouted.

"No!"

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I-" they said at once.

"No you go first-"

"No I'll-"

"Alright. That's enough. You two are too polite for your own good. Shorty, you go first." I said.

"Thanks. I just wanted to ask, uh, you said you were well trained and had taken down two S rank villains already. Can you tell me where you trained?" Deku asked.

"I learnt some basic self defense from this detective in Tokyo, and the rest of my fighting style is a complete original, created by moi, for my own quirk. So you're shit out of luck there, bud."

"Really? Then maybe....can you train me?" He asked.

"Nope. I've applied to UA already and they only accept the best of the best. So I need to continue my own training too! How am I supposed to train you?" I shot him down.

"Oh that....it's okay. You're right, of course you've got to train yourself too. You wouldn't have time for me..." he said, as he began to sniffle, giving me those puppy dog eyes.

"Aw man! Don't be doing that! Now I feel bad about it!" I complained.

"Then you will..?" He asked.

I pretended to think it over, even though I had already planned this whole thing out, sans the stalker Might.

Of course I was going to train him.

Why let a perfectly good minion go to waste?

Besides, when he passes the entrance exam as a quirkless, that'll be a massive boost to not only my reputation but more importantly, a huge blow to the hero system that worshipped flashy quirks above all else.

Seeing the quirk worshippers trip over themselves trying to salvage the status quo would be fun to watch!

"Alright. Fine. But it'll be my style of training, meaning it'll be a living hell. So be ready for it.

I don't want to hear any whining once we start training, got it?

We have ten months to the exam. And looking at you, well you're a mess, really. Lots of work to do there." I answered.

"This..." Deku choked on his own tears, shaking all over, "thank you! Thank you so much!"

He began to cry again as I sighed.

"Dude! This is the third time just this hour that you've cried! Control yourself man!" I scolded.

He nodded, muffling his sobs, as he replied, "it's just, I'm so ...hic...happy!"

"Yeah, I know. I get that. But still...." I said, before turning to All Might who had been patiently waiting his turn only to find him staring approvingly at me.

Oh no. What is this big dumbo up to now?

Actually, scratch that. I'm pretty sure what he's up to.

And I disapprove!

"Shounen! You're the perfect candidate to inherit my power! Say, how would you like to be the next symbol of peace?"

I didn't even have to think of an answer.

It was obviously.....

"No!"