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Izuku Midoriya was a curious boy. Growing up, he was always wondering, constantly moving, selflessly protecting.
Because he was a hero. Izuku hoped and prayed that he’d be a hero, unaware that his fate had already been written in the stars. He had a visceral need to protect and save people that the universe had granted him long ago.
Izuku remained unaware of what the gods had planned for him. He had no idea how long they’d poured over the fate of his life, constantly flitting around the strings that created him and adding new ones. The universe continued moving but, it too, seemed to revolve around this boy.
The events that connected their little hero held fast and came true. Slowly but surely, the heavens watched as this boy properly began his journey. They watched as All Might and Izuku met twice, they watched as their Izuku began training his body to withstand the power he’d soon be granted. They noticed as he began training his mind within a school for children such as himself, noticed as their strings of destiny and fate became true, and took pleasure in watching their Izuku being a hero.
Perhaps it was because they watched so closely that they were quick to realize when one particular string started glowing a toxic green, as if Izuku himself would take over that particular event and the gods were, for once, not the ones in control.
They could only watch, wary and interested, as their Izuku stepped out of a clothing store with his vigilante party in hopes of rescuing his childhood friend while his string snapped before their very presence.
.
.
.
Izuku was confident in their plan to grab Kacchan and leave. It is true that they all believed in their heroes and trusted them but this was their classmate. This was Izuku’s oldest friend. This was not something he could sit by and watch.
So they searched, in horror, when they noticed the Nomu factory. They looked around for the heroes when they noticed the villains weren’t staying here. They found themselves disappointed before they heard the smallest off-set, like the beings of an explosion, before they jumped for cover.
And suddenly their plan was in action. Yamomo, Kiri and Tenya sprinted up the ramp Shoto made for them. And suddenly they were flying through the air. Kiri called out to Kacchan and they finally had their classmate back.
But Izuku didn’t care about any of that (although he made sure to stay aware) as he looked at the destruction. He could only hope that the surrounding buildings were evacuated since they were now level with the streets. He could taste the dirt and dust that was settling. He was squinting at the battle scene since the dirt was desprately trying to invade his eyes. He was barely aware of what he had said to Shoto, getting the boy to finally leave the area.
All he could truly focus on was his mentor facing down All for One. Again.
He was hyper-aware of how much of the power he had and how little All Might still had. He knew, with each blow that was thrown, what the odds of this battle were. He knew, intimately, that each and every One for All user had died at the hands of All for One.
And he refused to let All for One kill one more.
Izuku, ever the hero, prayed out to anyone listening that his hero and he would survive this as he ran. Izuku slipped around the large pieces of rubble. He dashed through the outskirts of the field the two were laying waste to. He sprinted past the other heroes on site, not pausing for a second when they weakly called out to him.
Because he knew. This villain wasn’t someone Endeavor could throw fireballs at. The villain wasn’t someone a team of the best heroes could fight. Not unless they had someone with One for All; The quirk that was destined to bring justice against this villain.
So he continued. Izuku watched Gran zip around until he was swatted out of the air, much like a fly meeting a flyswatter. He gritted his teeth and steeled his determination, letting One for All flow around him.
All for One said something to make All Might falter and Izuku pushed harder, faster, with everything he had. The villain had used that moment to try and knock Izuku’s mentor down, exactly like he had before all those years ago.
But Izuku was just fast enough to prevent it.
All for One’s large fist was caught with Izuku’s own hand.
Izuku glared at the villain and continued to let One for All pour into him and around him before letting go of his fist and throwing himself towards All for One’s chest. Izuku landed and forced his momentum to throw the villain into the teetering building behind him.
He felt All Might’s hand rest on his shoulder and he chanced a glance back, noticing how his mentor continued to glance back up at the sky. Izuku chanced one too and watched as thunder and dark green lightning rolled through the otherwise clear sky. Izuku felt as though his prayers were being answered.
All Might grinned down at him. Izuku grinned back.
“Are you fighting with me, young Midoriya?”
Izuku grimly nodded towards his mentor as the villain began getting up. “Of course.”
(Japan shivered as they watched the broadcasted villain fight through screens - they wondered as they watched the green lighting run through the sky once again - in the streets people held their breaths as they noticed All Might and the green-haired god-like child nodded towards each other when the villain moved to strike again)
Izuku felt more energy pour into him as he and his mentor stood side by side, taking up their own fighting stances. He focused on All for One and how the man had moved his arm back before blowing it up again.
“Oh, this is lovely. You’ve brought me your successor?” All for One said, seemingly laughing to himself.
Izuku didn’t listen to the villain as he continued to gloat. He dashed forward, flipping around the fist that had been thrown his way. He felt, more than he saw, All Might take the opening and bounced around as he met the villain with another charged up punch while steam began to roll off him. Izuku began to smell the ozone as he reached for the depths of the quirk, desperately letting more power flow through him once he noticed the villain was saving his energy for a final blow.
All at once, Izuku was only aware of three things happening (although his friends will later tell him about more):
- The villain quickly charged his attack and met All Might’s old wound, throwing the hero back into the rubble lining the area they’d destroyed.
- Izuku screamed and ran.
- All for One dropped to the ground, unmoving.
(The gods above watched, enraptured, as their little hero bent his own will into something tangible - something physical - and Izuku’s snapped string began to reweave itself in a foreign pattern)
Izuku just dashed to his hero’s side, helping the man that had become everything to him to his feet. All Might, now in his civilian form, just smiled at him and raised his fist in a victory sign, chuckling a bit when Izuku breathlessly did the same.
(Japan continued to watch - in awe and horror, in fear and love - as they realized the green-haired child had just struck down a villain All Might had not been able to. Maybe with time, he could’ve. But he didn’t.
And Japan had been forced to watch vindictive and precise green lighting rain down on the villain as a god in the form of a new hero and a child ran towards their Number One, desperate to save and protect the downed hero.
Japan shivered in excitement as they watched the two raise their fists to symbolize their victory - their Number One Hero had been strong and a symbol for them all - but - Japan had just received their newest hero and no matter what, the boy would not be considered a symbol.
No - that boy will be revered as a god)