Chapter 40

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The young villain struggled to say anything until an idea then came to him.

He decided he wanted to test spindly superhero, about what he said on that fateful day. "Well...I used to imagine being a hero when I was a kid. Taking on bad guys, helping people...mostly helping people...It was a nice dream."

"But then..." The boy's hidden smile then drooped, turning down into a discouraging frown. "I figured it was time for me to be...more realistic..."

Toshinori grew uncomfortable at the mention of those words. He couldn't explain it, but they felt painfully familiar to him...

"I decided maybe I should become something else...someone who could still help people, and that was at least... mildly close to hero work..." Deku went on, glimpsing slightly at the expression the withered number one hero wore.

He wondered what he could be thinking as he spoke; if he recognized anything he was saying.

"I mean, it's not like I could as amazing as any of those kids down there." The Quirkless boy referenced the students still warring for the most points.

Toshinori felt like he was struck by one of his own smash attacks when he heard the boy's words.

After losing sight of young Midorya last year, he felt ashamed of his actions that led to becoming the jaded fake he was before.

He felt that while he still held the power of One for All, he had the obligation to act like the hero he once was, and mean it once again.

And this boy seemed to be in desperate need of his signature inspiration. "Nonsense! I'm sure you have an amazing quirk that could do a world of good for people. After all, it's just as All Might always says; anyone can be a hero!"

It was like taking one of Bakugo's blasts.

A sour smile was concealed beneath Deku's mask, his eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his hood.

He got up from his seat, grabbing his takoyaki as he did. Toshinori was confused by the boy getting up and making his way around him, heading over to a garbage bin.

"Maybe...but then again...maybe some of us aren't cut out for it."

Deku dropped his leftover's into the container. "Thanks for the Takoyaki. And sorry again about the nachos."

With that, he started to walk away, leaving behind a bewildered and confused Toshinori.

The deflated All Might thought over the conversation he just had with the odd, nervous child, his words about letting go of his dream echoing in his mind and putting a dull ache in his heart. They almost reminded him of...

His sunken eyes then shot open wide. He spurted out of his seat to see where the boy had gone.

But all he saw was a bustling crowd of festival-goers. He snapped his head back and forth, peering into the masses to try and catch any sight of a dark green hoodie.

Was that who he thought it was? Could it possibly be...?!

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Deku leaned on a railing over the cheering crowds. He watched the rest of the cavalry battle but barely paid much attention.

The boy was too busy recalling what All Might had said to him back at the table.

To hear the words he once hoped to hear, coming from the same boney, shrivelled up form of his former idol, struck the Quirkless child deep.

"'Anyone can become a hero'...Would it have killed him to say that when he was all skin and bones back then?!" He growled.

Not that it would have mattered if he did...Not in this world...

The crowd roared to life as the cavalry battle came to a close.

Deku looked down to see who had grasped the most points. Almost as predicted, it was Shoto once again.

Deku had to hand it to him, he had good senses, both for his quirk usage, and his choice of teammates.

The young villain scoured the field for Bakugo and found him off to one side with his team. The bomb boy was visibly seething, having to come in second...again.

The green hooded boy could practically see the smoke wafting off his hands in outrage. It brought a smile to his face.

Katsuki was being shown first-hand that in the real world, you couldn't win them all, no matter how good your quirk may be.

As the Quirkless boy enjoyed the sight of his fuming adversary, Midnight strutted back on stage.

With a crack of her whip, she brought the crowd of competitors together, to announce the third and final event of the festival; the combat tournament.

A crackle in his ear caught his attention, the voice of the tiny hacker girl being heard. "Deku, I did it! I've broken through UA's firewall! I can access the display and sound hardware of the stadium whenever you want me to!"

"Splendid work, my dear!" The elegant tone of Gentle tuned in to congratulate the girl.

"That's great, La Brava! You're the best!" Deku cheered back.

"T-Thanks! N-No problem..." The pigtailed girl unnaturally stammered.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Gentle asked his partner in crime with concern in his voice.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" The tiny hacker answered quickly. "I-I think breaking to the mainframe took a little more out of me than I thought. Just let me know when you want me to access your flash drive, and we'll be good to go!"

"Understood. Gentle, I believe it's time for your costume change..." Deku advised cryptically.

"Roger that, my boy. I'll head to my location, immediately!" The flamboyant thief responded enthusiastically before signing off.

"I'll go ahead and do the same." The young villain notified back. "Nice work again, La Brava. I knew you could do it. I'll contact you when it's time. Deku out."

"G-Got it! La Brava, out." The girl stumbled over her words once more before the feed cut out.

As much as Deku would have loved to see the line-up for the first round, he had more important things to do.

Since La Brava had succeeded in cracking the school's mainframe, and Gentle was on his way to 'suit up', it was time for him to get ready. But to do that, he was going to need a key.

Luckily for him, Slugger, one of the many other heroes on patrol, was mingling among his fans, getting pictures and signing autographs a few feet away from him.

Deku took his facemask off, not wanting to come off as suspicious, and put on his best 'nervous fanboy' act.

He gingerly approached the home-run hero, sinking his head and darting his eyes from him to the floor, taking out his phone with a shake in his hand. "S-Scuse me! Mr Slugger, sir! C-could I...get a picture...with you?"

Slugger's heart melted at the innocent sight of the boy and was more than happy to offer the boy what he wished for.

The two squeezed together to get into the frame, and the green hooded boy pressed the flash, taking the shot.

"T-Thank you, Slugger!" Deku bowed his head frantically, as the home-run hero smiled beneath his helmet and waved the boy goodbye.

The young villain walked away himself, smiling as he held up the security clearance card he just swiped from Slugger's back pocket. "And thank you, Gentle!"

He found a nearby stage door that leads to the area closed off from the public.

With a swiped of his newly acquired clearance in the reader, the door unlocked, allowing Deku to sneak inside, without anyone being the wiser.

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