Chapter 2: Danny Fenton: Restart
Danny walked to school wearing his normal uniform trying to stretch out the collar a bit. He and Jazz have been in this new world for about a month and Jazz signed Danny up for school right away, much to Danny's irritation. Japanese schools were very different compared to American schools. Danny had to wear a uniform, studies were much harder, and school was six days a week. Jazz made sure that Danny was on top of his school work.
She, meanwhile, has enrolled at a local university to study psychology where she could put her new Quirk to work. She had to register it and get a type of license where she could use it for her studies. Danny, however, couldn't be a hero until he had his Hero license, which meant he had to get into a school like UA, the top hero school in Japan. The exam to get into the school was almost 10 months away, so Danny had to study for both the written and practical exam, but Danny knew he would do very well in the practical exam. In fact, he was secretly training at the beach nearby where a bunch of junk had built up.
Danny and Jazz had done a ton of research about the Quirks: when they first appeared, how much of the population had a Quirk, and how to register for a license. They were surprised by how some people's Quirks manifested. Some still looked like normal humans while others had parts of their bodies completely changed. Danny had to learn not to stare at those who didn't look normal.
As he was walking toward Aldera Junior High, yes he had to go back to junior high due to his late birthday, another student accidentally bumped into him while running. Danny immediately knew who it was, Izuku Midoriya, a kid from his class. He heard a loud noise in the distance and realized, "Ah. A hero fight is happening. Knowing Izuku, he wants to see the action."
Danny was amused by Izuku's obsession with the heroes of this world. He caught glimpses of the notebook that Izuku had all of his hero notes in. But what made it more interesting was that Izuku was part of the 20% of the population that didn't have a Quirk. Yet he still wanted to become a hero one day. Other people made fun of him for it, but Danny never did. He found it admirable. Danny in fact kept his Quirk a secret from his classmates when he first started, making people think he was Quirkless too. But not everyone was convinced, including Izuku. He would constantly ask Danny about his Quirk, but Danny kept his mouth shut. But Danny still talked to Izuku despite the other classmates looking down on the pair because of it. Especially one kid named Katsuki Bakugo, who had the Quirk: Explosion. He liked to show it off, taking pride in it. He felt that he was a shoe in for UA. Danny just saw another Dash in his eyes, another bully.
Danny walked over to where the fight was happening. A villain was attacking the railroad tracks. He threw down some debris toward the crowd, but a hero named Death Arms caught it. Another hero named Backdraft created a water barrier to keep the citizens away from the fight.
People were talking about how the villain was just a petty thief who stole someone's purse and decided to go full monster when cornered. Danny stood at the back of the crowd and smiled. "How I wish I could join the fight," Danny thought. "But figures the cops would be after me if I did. That's what this new government is like."
Izuku made his way to the front of the crowd just as another hero showed up, Kamui Woods. The green haired boy jumped with excitement, "This is going to be good. Kamui Woods! He may be new, but he's making a big name for himself!"
The man standing next to him chuckled, "One look at that dopey grin and I know what you are. A fanboy!"
"Sorta…." Izuku muttered. Danny heard this and chuckled silently.
Kamui jumped around and landed on the train in front of the villain, "Assault, robbery, and the illegal use of powers during rush hour traffic. You are the incarnation of evil." He extended his arm and branches started to come out of it.
"There!" Izuku shouted. "His special move. The Preemptive Binding Lacquered Chain Prison!" Kamui shouted this at the same time.
The attack shot out toward the villain, but then a voice shouted, "Canyon Cannon!"
Everyone looked up to see another hero, Mt. Lady, jump down from above and kick the villain away, knocking him to the ground below. Kamui stood there awkwardly as his attack didn't connect. The other heroes and the crowd stood there in awkward silence. Danny sighed, "A hero trying to steal the spotlight. Not what a real hero does."
Photographers on the ground took dozens of photos of Mt. Lady, mainly of her butt for the money shot. The hero herself said, "Piece of cake for the world's next hottest hero. Hey there, everyone. I'm Mt. Lady. And you don't have to worry about this bum anymore."
The crowd cheered as Kamui asked, "Wait, she's getting all of the credit?"
The police came and took the villain into custody, Mt. Lady standing in front and waving to the crowd. The other heroes stood to the side and glared at the female hero.
Meanwhile, Izuku was standing near where the villain had fallen and was taking notes, "Gigantification, huh? Well, she's definitely got the looks and attitude to be a crowd favorite, and her Quirk is really showy, but it'll be kinda hard for her to get around much in the city without damaging lots of things. That means, she might not be very useful."
The man who was standing next to him asked, "What's that, fanboy? Taking notes over there? Want to be a hero, too?"
Izuku put his notebook down and answered, "Yes! More than anything!"
Danny looked at Izuku and smiled, "He's got heart. I'll give him that." He then turned and walked to school.
Later that day, Danny and Izuku were sitting in class when the teacher was lecturing, "So, as third year students, it's time to start thinking seriously about your futures and what you want to do with your lives. I could pass out some career aptitude tests, but, why bother? I know you all want to go to the hero track!" The students cheered while they showed off their Quirks, minus Danny as his show off days were behind him, and Izuku, who was writing in his notebook. The teacher continued, "Yes, yes, you've got some very impressive Quirks. But no power usage is allowed in school. Get a hold of yourselves."
"Hey, teach!" Bakugo called from his desk. "Don't lump me in with this buncha losers. I'm the real deal, but these guys'll be lucky to end up as sidekicks to some busted D-Lister."
The class got angry and shouted, "You think you're better than us, Katsuki?"
Bakugo laughed, "Let's go, I'll take you all on!"
The teacher looked over Katsuki's records, "Huh, you've got some impressive test results. Maybe you will get into UA."
The class was stunned, "He's going to try for the national school? That school has a .2% acceptance rate. It's impossible to get in."
Katsuki smirked, "That's exactly why it's the only place worthy of me. I aced all of the mock tests. I'm the only one at this school who stands a chance at getting in. I'll end up more popular than All Might himself, and be the richest hero of all time! People all across the world will know who I am! And it all starts with UA High!"
The teacher spoke up, "Oh, yeah, Midoriya, don't you wanna go to UA too?"
Katsuki was shocked at hearing this. Izuku hid in his seat as the class, minus Danny, started to laugh at Midoriya, "You're kidding, right? There's no way you're getting into the hero course without a Quirk!"
Izuku stood up in protest, "Actually, they got rid of that rule. I could be the first one."
Bakugo used his Quirk to blow Izuku out of his seat. He stood over him, "Listen up, Deku. You're even worse than the rest of these damn rejects, you Quirkless wannabe! You really think they'd let someone like you in when they could have me?"
Izuku backed away, "Huh? No, wait! You've got it all wrong. Really! I'm not trying to compete against you. You gotta believe me! It's just that I've wanted to be a hero since I was little. I may not have a Quirk, but I can still try my hardest, can't I?"
Katsuki leaned down and his hands started to steam up, "You'd never be able to hang with the best of the best. You'd die in the exams! Defenseless Izuku. This school's already crappy. You really want to embarrass it more by failing so hard?" The other students laughed along with Bakugo.
Danny stood up, "Hey! Leave him alone. If he wants to try for UA, just let him. Like anyone here can."
Katsuki turned to Danny, "Oh, yeah? And what would a Quirkless American like you do about it?"
Danny smirked, "I'm trying out for UA as well."
The class gasped, and Izuku looked up to Danny with shock and awe.
Bakugo couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You? Trying out for UA? Yeah right."
"It's true," Danny replied. "Right, teach?"
"He's correct," the teacher answered. "He aced all of the mock tests as well, but he did them in private as per his request. He even beat all of our records."
The class gasped in shock. Katsuki couldn't believe it, "No! I am not going to let some American wannabe one up me." His hands started to spark.
Danny decided to show off some of his powers as he raised one hand and it glowed green with ecto energy. He stared at Bakugo with glowing green eyes, "Wanna bet?"
Bakugo reluctantly stood down and went back to his seat. Danny returned to normal as he walked over and helped Izuku to his feet. Then walked back and sat down in his seat. Izuku stood there in awe of Danny, already thinking of what Danny's Quirk might be that surpasses Katsuki's.
Later that day as school let out, Izuku was scrolling through his phone looking at the social media posts about the fight earlier that morning, "Man. That fight from this morning is all over the news. Better write some notes before I forget anything."
Suddenly his notebook was snatched out of his hand by Katsuki, "I don't know what you're doing, Deku, but we're not done."
Other boys came up behind him, "What you got? His diary? Wait. Don't tell me you're taking notes on how to be a hero. Pathetic. He's delusional."
Izuku stood up, "Yeah, real funny guys. Now give it back." But Katsuki used some of his power to burn the books so ashes and soot were all over the pages. Izuku cried, "That's so mean."
Then Katsuki threw the book out the window, "Most first-string heroes show potential early on. People look at them and just know they're destined for greatness. When I'm the only student at this garbage school to get into UA, people'll start talking about me like that. They'll realize I'm legit, the next big thing. That's not ego talking, I just know I'm that good. Here's a little word of advice, nerd. Don't even think about applying. Or else. And here's more advice. Pray that in your next life, you can be born with a Quirk. So now you can skydive off the building!"
"Real mature." The boys were startled by the voice. They looked all around but couldn't see anything. Suddenly Danny appeared in the corner of the classroom, releasing his invisibility. He walked up to Katsuki, "Threatening an innocent is not the way of the hero. I thought someone who inspires to be better than All Might knew that. So let me now give you some advice." Danny's eyes started to glow green and he raised both fists, which were glowing green with ecto energy. "Run!"
The other boys ran out of the classroom while Katsuki huffed, "Fine, I'll go, for now." Then he turned around and walked out of the classroom.
Danny relaxed and returned to normal. He turned to Izuku and asked, "Are you OK? Katsuki can be a jerk. I just can't stand bullies like him."
Izuku mumbled, "Thanks. He's an idiot. You're right that he can't go around telling people to kill themselves. If I did decide to jump, what would he do then?"
"Hey, don't think like that," Danny answered. "Not good thoughts to have." Danny then held the burnt notebook to Izuku, "Here, I was just outside the window when I saw this fall from the window. I figured Katsuki had something to do with it."
Izuku took it back and sighed, "Maybe Kacchan is right. I have no place at UA."
Danny shook his head, "He's wrong. Everyone has a chance to get into UA. Everyone has a chance to become a hero. I mean, I know I used to think that people without powers couldn't really be heroes, but my friends back home showed me otherwise. And I took them for granted sometimes. I know that being a hero is hard, but hey, at least you have one fan already."
Izuku looked up at Danny with tears in his eyes, "Thanks Fenton-kun."
Danny chuckled, "Just call me Danny. Come on. We can walk home together. We live in the same apartment building anyway."
"We do?" Izuku asked. Danny nodded and Izuku smiled, "Right. And no matter what anyone else thinks, I have to believe in myself. And I'll keep smiling, just like All Might."
"That's the spirit," Danny replied. "Now let's go before it gets late. I don't want to keep my sister waiting."
"You have a sister?" Izuku asked. "Wait, I actually have tons of questions now that you have shown off your Quirk."
Danny sighed, "I figured you'd say that."
As they were walking home, Izuku was asking Danny all sorts of questions and Danny was keeping them as brief as possible without giving too much away about his powers. Danny asked some questions as well and Izuku told him about his life up until that point: he only had his mom, how he found out at a young age he was Quirkless, his love for All Might, etc. But it was hard to get Izuku out of his nerd mode.
"OK, so Quirk is known as Ghost," Izuku was noting in his head. "And your sister has the Quirk Empath. What about your parents?"
Danny stopped walking just as they were about to enter a tunnel. "They don't…Actually, they died about a couple months ago. Because of a villain."
Izuku froze up, "Oh, Danny-kun. I'm so sorry. I guess you don't wanna talk about it?"
Danny shook his head. "No. But thanks for the apology. You didn't know. It's sad, but like All Might, I just keep smiling."
Izuku grinned, "Me too." He started walking through the tunnel pretending to laugh like All Might and Danny followed behind.
Suddenly the boys heard something. Izuku turned to see a villain made out of goop now standing in between himself and Danny. "A villain?" Izuku shouted.
The villain rose up, "You'll make a perfect skin suit for me to hide in, kid." Izuku tried to run away, but the villain caught him and started to enter his body, "Don't worry, I'm just taking over your body, it'll be easier for both of us if you don't fight back. It'll only hurt for a minute. You'll feel better soon."
"I can't breathe," Izuku thought as he was struggling to get the sludge villain off of him.
Suddenly Izuku was pushed out of the sludge villain and was in Danny's arms, as the ghost hero had phased through the villain and grabbed Izuku to get him free. "Hey, Globby! Didn't your mother teach you that possession is bad?"
The villain growled, "You little shit! That kid was going to be a hero and let me hide in him. I didn't know…he…was around here, so I need to hide. Maybe I should use your body instead!"
Danny put Izuku down and pushed him behind his body and got into a fighting stance.
But then the lid to the sewer behind the villain flew off and out popped All Might, wearing a normal shirt and pants, and not his usual hero suit. "Have no fear, you two are safe. Now that I am here, that is."
"All Might," Izuku whispered gleefully, his idol standing nearby. Danny relaxed a bit.
The villain tried to attack All Might, but the hero easily dodged it. All Might drew his fist back and shouted, "Texas Smash!" The punch was so powerful that Danny held Izuku to the ground so they wouldn't fly away.
"I….can't…hold…it….together," the villain cried. His goopy body became splattered all over the tunnel.
Danny got up and looked down to see that Izuku passed out from the excitement. "Oh, great," Danny muttered. He knelt down and tried to rouse Izuku.
All Might walked up to Danny, "Here, let me try." He knelt down and patted Izuku's cheek, "Hey! Wake up, kid!" Izuku opened his eyes and All Might said, "Thought we lost you there." Izuku screamed and backed away from the hero. All Might laughed, "Well, looks like you're moving around all right. Sorry about that back there. I didn't mean to get you boys caught up in my justicing. Usually I pay more attention to keeping bystanders safe. But it turns out this city's sewer system is pretty difficult to navigate." All Might laughed. "Anyway, you two were a big help. Thank you! I've captured the evil-doer" All Might held up a plastic bottle where the sludge villain was trapped inside.
Danny sighed, "It was no problem, sir. We have each other's backs."
Izuku was sitting on the ground staring up at All Might, "The most amazing hero in the entire world. All Might! The real thing. In the flesh. Standing right in front of me! He looks so much cooler in person! Holy crap! I gotta get an autograph, I've got a pen around here somewhere. Please sign my notebook!"
Danny chuckled, "What a fanboy."
All Might laughed, "No worries, kid. I already did!" He held up Izuku's notebook with his autograph showing in full view.
Izuku started to freak out and bowed repeatedly to All Might, "Thank you so much! This will be an heirloom. A family treasure passed down for generations to come!"
All Might looked over at Danny, "Is he always like this?"
Danny nodded, "Sometimes, but never this extreme."
All Might then gave a thumbs up and patted the bottle now in his pocket, "Welp. I've got to get this guy to the police so they can take care of him. Stay out of trouble. See you 'round!"
All Might was getting ready to jump away when Izuku asked, "Wait, you're leaving already?"
"Pro heroes are constantly fighting time as well as enemies," All Might answered.
Danny noticed a somber look on Izuku's face.
Izuku thought, "He can't go yet. There are still so many questions I have to ask him."
"Now stand back," All Might called out. "I'm taking off."
Danny turned around, "Come on, Izuku, let's head home."
All Might took off, "Thanks for your continued support!"
Danny felt the wind from All Might's take off and muttered, "I don't need that much of a take off to fly." He turned around and noticed Izuku was nowhere to be found. He looked up and saw Izuku holding onto All Might's leg. "Oh, great," Danny groaned. He looked around and saw no one was watching. "Goin' ghost!" Two white rings appeared and ran over his body, turning him into Phantom. He then turned invisible and flew after All Might.
Said hero noticed Izuku holding onto his leg, "Hey, hey! What do you think you're doing? Let go! I love my fans, but this is too much."
"No,wait!" Izuku shouted. "We're flying. If I let go now, I'll die!"
All Might realized, "Oh, right. That's a good point."
Izuku continued, "I just have a lot of things I want to ask you. Personally, You're my all-time favorite hero, All Might, please."
"OK, ok, I get it," All Might replied. "Just keep your eyes and mouth shut." He looked around for a spot to land when he started to cough and some blood came out of his mouth. "Shit."
They landed on the roof of a building in the city. Izuku shakily let go of All Might, "My whole life just flashed before my eyes."
"Not a very smart move," All Might chastised Izuku. "Bang on the door for a while. Someone will let you in. Now, I have to go. See you on the flip side."
"Or someone can just fly him down to the ground." The two were startled by the voice. Suddenly two white rings appeared on the other side of the roof and revealed Danny standing there. He ran over to Izuku, "Are you OK?" Izuku nodded and Danny looked up to All Might, "Sorry about him. I did not expect him to cling onto you like that. I will make sure he gets home safely."
All Might was surprised that the teen boy in front of him followed him so easily and yet the hero didn't see anyone behind him and Izuku. He thought to himself, "This boy, American by the sounds of his accent, must have some interesting Quirk for him to follow me undetected." He then cleared his throat, "Very well. I'll leave him to you. Take care!"
All Might turned to leave, but Izuku shouted, "Wait, not yet. One second."
"No!" All Might replied while still walking away. "I don't have any time."
"I have to know!" Izuku shouted. "Is it possible to become a hero, even if I don't have a Quirk?" That stopped All Might in his tracks. "I'm a normal kid without any powers. Could I ever hope to be someone like you?" All Might turned and looked back at Izuku.
Danny stood behind Izuku and thought, "Izuku. Even my words of encouragement weren't fully enough. He must have been told all his life that he was worthless because he didn't have a Quirk. He's now asking the hero he's looked up to all his life for any kind of hope that his dream of becoming a hero can happen. I wonder what All Might will tell him."
What both boys didn't realize was that was the day that would change the course of Izuku's future and help prepare Danny for his.
Chapter 3: What It Takes to Be a Hero
Danny and Izuku were still on the roof of the building All Might flew to, waiting for his response to Izuku's question of whether or not Midoriya can be a hero without a Quirk.
All Might had turned to the two boys, "Without a Quirk?" But suddenly he dropped to his knees in pain as steam started to rise from his body. "Oh, no. Not now, dammit! Not here!"
Danny noticed this, but Izuku didn't as his eyes were to the ground. Danny tried to say, "Ah, All Might…."
But Izuku started to say,"People think I don't have a chance. That not having any powers makes me some kind of weakling. My classmates like to make fun of me. Except Danny-kun here. But you know what? I want to prove to all those who doubted me wrong. Ever since I was a kid, I've thought that saving people is the coolest thing you can do." More steam was rising out of All Might, covering the hero from view. Danny tried to get Izuku's attention, but Midoriya kept going, "I want people to see my fearless smile and feel safe. And be the kind of hero everyone in the world looks up to. Just like you!"
He looked to see All Might, but he looked very different. For you see, this was his normal form: a small man with his spiky yellow hair facing down and a shriveled body. Izuku screamed at the sight as Danny said, "This took an interesting turn."
Somewhere below in the city, the bottle that the sludge villain was in had landed in an alley. The villain woke up, "Where am I? What happened? Oh, yeah. That bastard. If it wasn't for him, I'd be out of town already."
He heard kids walking his way. It was Katsuki and the other boys who cornered Izuku in the classroom. One of them said, "That was rough. Fenton really can be scary, I guess. Who knew? Anyway, weren't you and Midoriya good friends back when we were kids?"
The other boy said, "Yeah, you were a little harsh with him today."
Katsuki sighed, "It's his own fault for getting in my way." He kicked the bottle that the sludge villain was in, making the cap come off.
One boy said, "You shouldn't waste your time on the guy. Especially since he's got Fenton as his bodyguard.
Katsuki growled, "Someone's gotta teach that worthless nerd how the world really works." He used his Quirk to blow up the soda can he had in his hand. "I hate it when he talks about heroes. Plus, Fenton is just competition to me now. I'll rub it in his stupid American face when I get into UA and he doesn't."
"Hey, I got an idea," One boy said. "We should go to the arcade. Get your mind off it, ya know?"
"Or we can sneak into the bar at the station," The other boy suggested. "Pick up some ladies. Now that's a good idea."
Bakugo shouted, "Idiots! If we get caught, there's no way UA would let me in."
The two boys saw the sludge monster rising from the ground and backed away in fear. The monster said, "Perfect. I like a skin suit with some fire."
Back on the roof, Danny was trying to calm Izuku down, who said, "Wait. What happened? You deflated! Ah! Where did All Might go? You! You're not him. You're an imposter!"
All Might sighed, "I can assure you that I am All M…"
Then blood started to come out of his mouth as Izuku shouted, "Impossible!
Danny whacked Izuku on the side of the head, "Dude, it's him. This is just how he normally looks when he's not on patrol. Am I right?"
All Might nodded, "Very vigilant. Yes. You know how guys at the pool are always suckin' in and flexin' and tryin' to be buff? I'm like that. But your friend's explanation is more straightforward."
"This can't be real!" Izuku shouted. "No, I'm dreaming. All Might's a giant of a man who saves everyone. He defeats all obstacles, and wins the day with a fearless smile."
All Might sighed, "There's plenty of fear behind that smile."
"Hiding a warrior's pain," Danny added. "That is why true heroes smile despite their fears and pain. They have the courage and heart to keep fighting despite the odds."
All Might was surprised by the wise words of the American boy and thought, "He talks like he's an experienced pro. But I've never seen him before. And he's way too young to be a pro hero." He slid to the ground and said, "I'm counting on you two to keep your mouths shut. Don't go talking about this online or telling your friends."
Danny nodded along with Izuku. Then All Might lifted up his shirt to reveal a horrible scar that looked like someone punctured him and his ribs were very visible. "Pretty gross, huh? I got this in a big fight five years back. My respiratory system was basically destroyed. I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out. And it can't be fixed. Right now, I can only do hero work for about three hours a day. Rest of the time, this is what I look like."
Danny knew battle scars like All Might's. He had some of his own, but not to that same extent.
Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing, "No way. Five years ago? So does that mean it was the fight against Toxic Chainsaw?"
All Might was impressed, "Wow. You know your stuff. But no. That punk may have landed some hits, but he couldn't bring me down. Most of the world has never heard of this fight. I did everything I could to keep it under wraps. I'm supposed to be the guy who's always smiling, right? Despite the fear and pain. I'm the Symbol of Peace. People everywhere have to think that I'm never afraid. Never in pain. But like you said, American kid, I smile to hide the fear and pain inside. It's just a brave face I put on when the pressure is high. This job isn't easy. Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains just can't be beaten without powers. So no, I honestly don't think you can become a hero without a Quirk."
Izuku was shocked by his answer, "I see."
All Might rose up from the ground, "If you wanna help people, there are plenty of other ways to do it. You could become a police officer. They get crap because the heroes capture most of the villains. But it's a fine profession. It's not bad to have a dream, young man. Just make sure your dreams are attainable. Realistic. Understand?"
"Bullshit." All Might turned to Danny, who was glaring at him with glowing green eyes. "Anyone can be a hero. They just need to have the heart and courage to do so. That's what being a true hero is all about. Not about being in the spotlight like all of those heroes I saw this morning. Because I've seen people who have no powers surprise me with saving people and putting themselves in harm's way despite the risks. I used to think the same way you did, but those people opened my eyes and showed me that anyone can be a hero. You just haven't seen what those people can do."
They heard the roof door swing open. They turned to see Izuku running off of the roof with tears in his eyes. Danny turned back to All Might, "Now look at what you've done."
"The kid needs to learn what the world is really like," All Might countered.
"I know that," Danny retorted. "But he understands way more than you think." He then turned intangible and floated down through the building to catch up after Izuku.
All Might sighed, "Now, let's get you to the station." He patted his pants pocket, but the bottle was no longer there. He looked all around but the bottle was nowhere to be found. Suddenly he heard an explosion in the distance, "Not good."
Izuku was outside the building wiping his tears away, "What an idiot I am." But then he saw the explosion in the distance. He realized, "It looks like there's a villain! I wonder which hero will show up. But why does it matter?" He sulked off towards where the explosion was.
Danny saw this invisibly, "Great, he's going towards the danger. Like always." He flew after Izuku.
All Might ran toward where the explosion was, realizing the villain he caught had something to do with it.
The explosion happened in the shopping district. People were running away from the villain. Death Arms, along with his sidekicks, arrived at the scene. They saw the villain, but noticed something, "It's taken someone hostage!" It was Katsuki, with the villain using the boy's Explosion Quirk to destroy the area.
Death Arms charged in, "How dare you prey on a child!" He swung a punch, but the villain's body just absorbed the hit like it was nothing, slowly pulling the hero in. "What the hell is this? Some kinda goo." The villain swung at him and knocked him into the nearby wall.
The sidekicks came running to the hero's aid, "All you alright, Death Arms?" But the villain swung to strike again and the sidekicks jumped out of the way.
"Ha!" The sludge villain shouted. "Stay back, or I'll snap his neck."
Katsuki tried to break free, "You picked the wrong guy to mess with. I'm gonna send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of! Let me go!" He tried to use his Quirk to break free, but to no avail.
The villain chuckled, "You've got so much power. I really hit the jackpot. With a Quirk like yours under my control, I can take All Might down with one punch!"
The crowd was getting scared at the villain, but then someone shouted, "It's her. That new hero, Mt. Lady will stop him!"
The giant hero came running in, but stopped when she couldn't fit through the buildings, "My only weakness. I need at least a two lane road if I'm gonna make my way through here."
Kamui Woods was gathering up people and racing out of the fire, "Fire and wood don't make a good combination. I'll let someone else stop this guy."
Backdraft was putting out all of the fires, "Don't look at me. I've got my hands full here. Where are those fire trucks? Can you guys get to him?"
"Can't get a grip on his weird body," Death Arms answered. "Plus that kid's Quirk is causing explosions left and right."
"This is a shutout," One of the sidekicks added. "We've gotta rally and knock him outta the park somehow."
The villain raised one of his slimy hands and threw it down to the ground, the heroes dodging out of the way.
"It's no good," Death Arms said, "None of us have the right Quirks to stop a villain like this!"
One sidekick offered, "We'll do damage control until someone with the right powers shows up."
Some of the buildings started to explode due to the fires as Backdraft shouted, "There's still plenty of people to save!"
"Don't worry," Kamui Woods added. "I bet every hero in the city's coming."
"I'm sorry, kid," thought Death Arms. "You'll just have to hold on a little longer." He then cursed, "Damn! If I only had more power, I could blow this guy away."
All Might reached the scene where the crowd had gathered. He looked through and saw the villain, realizing, "Must've dropped him in the air. I was distracted, worrying about my time limit. I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake, and after lecturing that kid and being lectured by the other one about what it takes to be a hero, I'm pathetic."
Izuku walked slowly looking down at his burnt notebook, thinking about all the people who told him that he couldn't be a hero. "Even All Might said it. A hero needs a Quirk. These tears just keep coming. Deep down, you knew this all 've just been avoiding reality. That's why you were trying so desperately to prove yourself wrong."
"Izuku!" Midoriya turned to see Danny running after him, Danny having transformed back to normal in a nearby alley. "There you are. Been following you for a while. Don't listen to what that jerk hero told you. You can still be a hero, Quirk or not."
Izuku looked down, "I don't know…."
"Do you know what courage is?" Danny asked. "Courage isn't not being frightened. It's being afraid but doing what you want to do anyway. You have that. Trust me.
Suddenly the two heard an explosion, with Izuku wondering, "Is the fight from earlier still going on? Did I subconsciously walk here?"
Danny chuckled, "I think you did. Always going to see the fight."
The two walked over to the crowd and looked through, seeing the monster. "It's the guy who attacked me!" Izuku realized. "That can't be right. All Might captured him. But the bottle, if he dropped it, it's all my fault."
Danny looked at the monster and realized, "Wait, it looks like he captured someone. Who knows how long he's been in there. You nearly suffocated because of that guy."
The crowd was wondering where All Might was, as some remembered that he captured the villain earlier, and many were confused as to why he hadn't shown up yet. Danny looked over and saw All Might standing nearby, clutching his chest in pain.
Izuku was having inner turmoil, "I'm the one to blame. He wasted his energy on me."
All Might was having inner turmoil as well, "I'm worthless. Maybe that kid was right. So pathetic. Disgrace. I'm not a real hero."
Izuku looked down to the ground, "He can't power up yet. And none of the other heroes have the Quirks to stop this monster. It's my fault. So sorry. Help will show up and save the day, I'm sure. Someone. A real hero will come soon."
Danny was looking between Izuku and All Might and felt the turmoil they were in. He looked out at the monster, "I want to help. I should help. But I'm new to this world. If I get caught trying to be a Hero without a license…"
Izuku looked up and saw that the hostage was Katsuki. He saw the pained look in his eyes. Right there, he made a decision. He pushed past the crowd and ran straight to the villain, shocking everyone, even Danny and All Might.
"No, you idiot!" Death Arms shouted. "Stop! You're gonna get yourself killed!"
"Not this brat again!" The villain noticed Izuku running right at him.
Katsuki looked through the sludge, "Deku?"
"What am I doing?" Izuku thought as he was running. "Why am I running? Why can't I stop? What should I do? What would a hero do?" He then remembered something he had written in his notebook. "Page 25. Right!" He pulled off his backpack and shouted, "Take this!" He threw it at the villain's face, distracting him. "Kacchan!" Izuku shouted as he ran up to where Katsuki was being held and started to try and free him.
Danny saw all of this and thought, "Look at him go. Now there's a hero. Fuck it. I'm goin' ghost!" He transformed into Phantom and turned invisible and flew through the crowd toward the villain
"What the hell?" Katsuki shouted at Izuku. "Why are you here?"
"I don't know!" Izuku answered as he tried in vain to free Katsuki. "My legs…They just started…moving! Kacchan! I couldn't just stand there and watch you die!"
Katsuki tried to free himself, "Get the hell off of me!"
"Need a hand?" Izuku recognized that voice. Suddenly Katsuki was pulled free and Izuku was grabbed by an arm covered in a black bodysuit with white gloves. He was flown a few feet away from the monster. Izuku and Katsuki looked up to see Danny, but he was in his Phantom form. The two boys were startled by Danny's appearance, with his white hair and glowing green eyes.
"Fenton?" Katsuki realized who had rescued him.
Phantom looked down and smirked, "The one and only. I just got so inspired by Izuku's bravery that I had to help as well."
The villain looked over at the trio, "It's that little shit from earlier."
Danny shouted, "Hello again, Globby. You fell for the same trick twice. What an idiot."
The other heroes nearby were confused about the white haired boy that appeared before them, unsure of who he was.
All Might saw all of this from the back of the crowd, "It's that other kid. He's staring down that villain without fear. Like he's done this before. He is right. I have to help. I have to do something. No matter the cost."
The monster raised one of its arms to strike the trio of boys and the other heroes tried to run in and help. The villain lowered his arm and struck something. After the dust settled, Izuku and Katsuki saw that Phantom had put up a green shield to protect them and All Might, back in his hero form, had blocked the arm, "I really am pathetic. I told you the traits that make a great champion, but I see now that I wasn't living up to my own ideals. Like this ghost boy told me. Pros are always risking their lives! That's the true test of a hero!"
"Damn you, All Might!" The villain tried to swing a punch.
But All Might beat him to it, "Detroit Smash!" He punched the villain so hard that he was obliterated into pounds of sludge. Powerful winds came from the punch and the other heroes held the crowds back so they couldn't be blown away. After the dust settled, All Might took some deep breaths in order to save his strength. Rain started to come down, confusing the crowd, "It's raining. Don't tell me all that wind just now was from him. Look at the clouds, they're moving."
Death Arms stared at All Might, "Holy crap. He changed the weather." His eyes then shifted to Phantom, "And who is that kid? He got the hostage out like it was nothing. Like he's a ghost or something."
All Might stood tall, hiding the fact that he was getting weak, and held his hand into the air for his signature pose as the crowd cheered.
Phantom smirked at All Might, "Still the crowd pleaser." He knelt down and whispered to Izuku, "I'll meet up with you a little later." He then turned invisible and flew away before any of the heroes or police could approach him, making them mutter something about ghosts.
The other heroes collected the mounds of sludge while All Might talked to the press. Kamui Woods and Death Arms drilled into Izuku that he was a moron who could have almost died. Katsuki was praised for his bravery. The heroes tried asking about Phantom, but Izuku and Katsuki didn't tell them anything, just that they had no idea who Phantom was.
Later, Izuku was walking home when Danny caught up to him, "There you are. See, I told you I would see you later. I believe I was supposed to walk home with you?"
Izuku nodded, "Yeah. Hey, that form you had. Is that your powered up form?"
Danny answered, "Yeah, I go by Phantom while in that form. It used to be Danny Phantom, but decided to nix the first part. Secret identity and all. But I have to keep it under wraps until I get my Hero license."
"Deku! Fenton!" The boys turned around to see Katsuki running toward them.
"Kacchan," Izuku said.
Katsuki stopped in front of the two boys, "Listen, Deku, I would never ask a weakling like you to help me. Don't think you can look down on me. Huh? Got that? I was fine by myself. You're just a Quirkless failure who won't even cut it as a rent-a-cop. You didn't help me. You did nothing. Don't forget it. I don't owe you anything. And that goes for you too, Fenton. I don't know what kind of Quirk you have, but it's not superior to mine. And I will never be indebted to you!" He then turned and sulked away.
"What was that?" Danny asked.
Izuku shrugged, "Don't know. Kacchan is right, though. It's not like I actually did anything to help today. But at least I tried."
"That's the spirit," Danny said. "You inspired me to go in and be a hero even though I could get in trouble for it. But hey, you're a natural. I can tell. Come on, let's head home. My sister is gonna kill me for being late."
Izuku chuckled as the two continued to walk home.
Suddenly All Might appeared in front of the boys, "I am here!"
Izuku screamed, "All Might! Why are you here? How did you get rid of those reporters?"
All Might laughed, "I stand for justice. Not for soundbites. Because I am…." He suddenly turned back into his normal form, spitting out blood, causing Izuku to scream again.
"Enough with the screaming, Dude," Danny said before turning to All Might. "So, what brings you here, All Might?"
All Might wiped his mouth and looked at the two boys, "I came here to say thank you. To both of you. You, ghost boy. You were right about what a true hero is. I just forgot about those ideals. Forgive me."
Danny nodded, "You're forgiven. Just don't forget it."
All Might continued, "There is more I want to ask you, ghost boy, but first…." He turned to Izuku, "I also wanted to discuss your question from earlier. If you hadn't told me about your life, if you hadn't run into that fight, I would've been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd. So thanks."
"Oh, no," Izuku countered. "It was my fault he was there to begin with. I got in the way of your hard work. I wasted your energy. And not to mention your time."
"I'm not done," All Might continued. "You told me you didn't have a power. So when I saw this timid, Quirkless boy try to save a life. And then seeing this ghost boy take action as well, it inspired me to act, too. There are stories about every hero. How they became great. Most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost on their own."
Izuku started to cry and knelt to the ground as All Might continued, "And today, that's what happened to you. Young man, you, too, can become a hero." Izuku sobbed loudly as those were the words he always wanted to hear, from his mother, from people at school, heroes. And now his idol was saying it to him.
Danny put his hand on Izuku's back to comfort him. He knew this was a big moment for Midoriya. He looked up at All Might and nodded his thanks.
And this became the starting point for Izuku becoming the world's greatest hero and Danny becoming the world's greatest ghost hero.
Chapter 4: Roaring Muscles
Izuku was still knelt to the ground crying after hearing the words he wanted to hear his entire life from the person he idolized the most. Danny was standing behind him offering support.
All Might spread out his arms, "I deem you worthy of my power. My Quirk is yours to inherit."
Izuku looked up and got a puzzled look on his face. Danny had a similar face, "What?"
"Wait," Izuku added. "What do you mean inherit? Inherit what?"
All Might laughed, "You two should see your faces right now. Don't worry, young man, I'm not gonna force this thing on you. Listen well. This is your choice. Do you wanna accept my awesome power or not?" He spit out blood as he was saying that last part.
Danny cringed, "Dude, you seriously need to get that blood thing under control.
Izuku was still puzzled, "What is he talking about? What is this?"
All Might wiped his mouth and continued, "There are a couple things you should know about my abilities. And I expect you to keep your mouths shut about it, even you, ghost boy. Now, journalists always guess my Quirk is super strength or some kind of invulnerability. When people ask in interviews, I always make a joke and dodge the question. That's because the world needs to believe that their Symbol of Peace is just a natural born hero, like any of them. But I'm not. There's nothing natural about my ability. I wasn't born with this power. It's a sacred torch that was passed onto me from someone else."
"Someone gave you this Quirk?" Izuku asked.
"No way," Danny added. "I didn't think Quirks could be passed from person to person."
"Yes way," All Might replied. "And you're next, young man. I can give you my abilities."
Izuku stopped him, "Wait, hold on. This is a lot to process. It's true that there'a a lot of debate as to what your Quirk actually is. Nobody's ever figured it out. It's one of the world's greatest mysteries. People are constantly talking about it online. But, well, the idea of passing on a Quirk or inheriting it just doesn't make any sense to me. I've never heard anything like that before. Powers are supposed to be unique to each individual. I mean, since the first superpower's, no one's ever been able to just give someone else their power like a present. That's crazy. If this is true, it would cause us to rethink everything we know about Quirks to begin with. All bets are off the table."
Izuku continued to ramble as All Might looked over at Danny, "It sounds like he's over thinking this whole inheriting thing. He's nerding out!"
Danny smirked, "I've got this." He raised his hand and smacked Izuku on the side of the head, "Calm down, Dude. Now's not the time to be nerding out." Izuku gasped and took some deep breaths.
All Might continued, "You'll have to adjust your reality and accept this new truth! I can transfer my Quirk to someone else. And that's just one facet of my secret abilities." He lifted his hand and it started to glow, "The true name of my power is One For All."
"One….For….All," Izuku muttered.
"Yes," All Might explained. "One person improves the power, then hands it off to another person. It continues to grow as it's passed along. It is this cultivated power that allows me to save those who are in need of a hero. The truth behind my strength."
Izuku asked, "But why would you choose to give me a gift like that? What if I can't live up to it?"
All Might sighed, "I was on a long hunt for a worthy successor. And then, I watched you jump into action as the rest of us stood idly by. You may just be a Quirkless fanboy, but you tried to save that kid. You acted like a hero."
Izuku started to cry again as Danny patted his back for comfort.
All Might chuckled, "Seriously! You gotta stop cryin' so much if you want my Quirk. Come on, kid."
Izuku wiped his tears and stood up, "OK, I'll do it. Yes!"
Danny nodded in approval.
"No reluctance," All Might replied. "That's exactly how I figured you'd respond."
"But I do have one question," Izuku said. "Why did you choose me over someone like Danny? He seems to know what a true hero is. And he already has the skills that I'm lacking."
All Might turned to Danny, "I thought of that. But I can sense that your powers are supernatural in origin like One For All. And I think you don't need more than what you already have. Am I right, ghost boy?"
Danny nodded, "Yeah, my powers are of the supernatural variety. I don't think I am meant for something like One For All. Something is telling me that Izuku is the right choice for your successor."
All Might replied, "You're alright, ghost boy. I still have questions for you down the road, but I think you two have had enough excitement for one day. Why don't you two head home? Meet me at the beach nearby in two days. Bright and early in the morning."
The two boys nodded as All Might walked off.
They returned home and as Danny was turning the key to his apartment, Jazz opened the door, "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"
"Easy, Jazz," Danny replied. "Don't scare my friend here."
Jazz looked over Danny's shoulder to see Izuku standing there. "Oh, hello. I'm Jasmine, but everyone calls me Jazz. You must go to Danny's school."
Izuku nodded, "I'm Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you. I should probably get home as my mom is probably worried sick. I'll see you tomorrow, Danny-kun!"
Izuku ran to his apartment and Jazz pulled Danny inside and locked the door, "Start talking, now."
Danny sighed as he was in for a rough night. He gave an edited version of events to Jazz, not telling her anything about All Might, but he did let slip that he turned into Phantom to save Izuku and Katsuki, and Jazz gave him crap about it.
Two days later, early in the morning, the two found themselves at the beach. It happened to be the same beach Danny found when he first came to this world and trained at, since there was a lot of trash. All Might was in his hero form and sitting on top of a fridge making Izuku drag it. Danny sat on top of some trash nearby, feeling pity for his new friend.
"Hey, hey, hey!" All Might called down to Izuku. "It's pretty comfy up on this fridge, how are you doing down there?" Izuku's answer was to fall on the ground. All Might chuckled, "People move these everyday, you know. And most of them don't have super strength."
Izuku groaned as he sat up, "Well, yeah, but there's an extra 600 pounds with you sitting on top of it."
"He's got a point there," Danny added.
"Nan," All Might replied. "I've lost weight, so I'm down to 560 these days, in this form at least."
Danny snorted, "Like that makes it better."
Izuku then asked, "Why are you making me drag trash across the beach, anyway?"
All Might just laughed and pulled out his phone, taking pictures of Izuku, "Take a look at yourself. You're not ready for my power."
Izuku started to cry, "But I thought you said that I was worthy!"
"Harsh, Dude," Danny said as he hopped down to the ground. "But I have a feeling you were talking about his body. Right?"
All Might hopped down as well, "Exactly. You have a weak body, young Midoriya. My Quirk, One For All, is a whole lot to handle. The combined physical abilities of everyone who's ever used it creates a hurricane of pure force. An unprepared body can't fully inherit it. Your arms and legs would shoot off if you tried to."
Izuku screamed as Danny said, "Seriously? You didn't have to get graphic with that last part, you know. But I see your point. I didn't have the full abilities of my…Quirk… right away. My powers grew as I did. I wasn't strong right away, but after a lot of training, I got better. The same will happen with you."
All Might was curious. He noticed the pause when Danny said Quirk. "There must be something more to his ghostly abilities than he is letting on."
"OK," Izuku said as he looked around at all of the trash. "So this whole trash thing is really some kind of hardcore gym workout. And you're my trainer, All Might."
All Might gave him a thumb's up, "You got it. But there's another reason, too. I did a little online research yesterday. Turns out this part of the beach used to be beautiful, but it's been a total mess for the last few years."
"That's right," Izuku realized. "Because of the ocean currents, anything that's dropped in the water ends up here. People take advantage of that when they're illegally dumping their trash. Now, all the locals avoid this place."
"Jerks," Danny muttered.
All Might walked over to the fridge he was sitting on earlier, "Heroes these days are all about showing off and capturing flashy villains. You, ghost boy, pointed that out very vividly. Things were different before Quirks. Service was what mattered. Back then, heroes were those who helped the community. Even if it was kinda boring." As he was saying this, he crushed the fridge down into a flat board, opening a view to the rising sun. "You will restore the coastline for this entire section of the beach. That is the first step on your path, young man. Towards being a hero."
Izuku was shocked, "All this? But, there's so much! That's impossible!"
"It does seem like a little overkill," Danny added.
All Might stood tall, "Young Midoriya, you wanna go to UA, right?"
Izuku turned to All Might, "Well, yeah. Of course! You went there. So it must be the best school around, right? It's a long shot. But still. I'm gonna shoot for the moon. UA. "
All Might chuckled, "You've got a lotta spirit, fanboy! But, as I mentioned before, hero-ing isn't easy to do without a Quirk. Yes, I remember what you said, ghost boy, but that is the reality, even if it's not fair. And UA is the hardest hero course to get into. So that means…."
"...that I have to prepare my body for your Quirk really fast," Izuku finished. "UA's exam is in 10 months!"
All Might pulled out a packet of papers, "Not to worry, kid. I've got you covered. With the help of my handy "Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan!" Follow this to the letter and the beach will be cleaned up just in time. I also detailed every other aspect of your life while I was at it."
He handed the stack to Izuku, who looked it over, "Even my sleep is scheduled."
All Might leaned in, "If I'm being honest, this is going to be super hard. Think you're up to it?"
Izuku nodded, "Yeah, sure I am. I have to work way harder than anyone else to get in. So what choice do I have, right?"
All Might then looked over at Danny, "You are to help him stick to the schedule. But you are not allowed to help him move any of this trash. I'll be keeping a close eye on both of you. Understand?"
Danny nodded, "Yes, sir. The trash is for Izuku only."
All Might added, "Plus, over these next ten months, I also want to see what you are truly made of. Since I have a feeling that you want to get into UA as well."
That was the start of ten months of absolute hell for Izuku. Danny kept his word that he didn't move any of the trash himself, but he may have made some of the pieces a little lighter after using some of it for training purposes. Day after day, Izuku was moving trash, using different muscle groups depending on what trash he was moving, with All Might shouting at him for motivation. He did workout routines with Danny, All Might standing in the background. Both boys kept up with their school studies, and Danny made sure Izuku stayed awake as the green haired boy was prone to drifting off during class. The class made fun of him one day when they heard him muttering about his workout schedule. A quick glare from Danny shut them up. Day after day, Izuku was moving trash, working out, eating the meals he told his mom to make, school work, and sleeping. Danny did some training with All Might by showing off a few of his skills and doing light fights with the hero.
Months later, when fall hit, Izuku and Danny were doing a running workout with All Might riding on a moped. Izuku was carrying a heavy piece of concrete, but suddenly felt tired and collapsed on the ground. Danny stopped and ran over to Izuku, trying to wake him up. All Might rode over to them, "Hey, hey, kid, look alive now! You've only got three months left. What, are you gonna give up after all this work? Wanna flush it all down the toilet and take it easy?"
"Give him a break," Danny retorted. "He's clearly exhausted. Give him a minute."
Izuku started to crawl on the ground trying to get up, but All Might realized, "You're overworked. The "Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan" was created with your body in mind. It was fine-tuned to ensure your progress was swift but manageable. Which means you haven't been sticking to it. You're overdoing things; that's gonna have the opposite effect of what we want! Ghost boy, you are supposed to make sure he sticks to it!"
"Take it easy," Danny countered. "I've made sure that he's doing the workouts, studying, and the trash collection. That means…." He looked down at Izuku, "You've been cutting back on your sleep, haven't you?"
"I have to work harder," Izuku mumbled. "Or I won't stand a chance against the other applicants. Even you, Danny-kun. I don't just into UA, I want to excel. I want to be like you, All Might, and Danny. I've seen the mock fights you two have been doing. I know you both aren't going at full strength, but it's still a lot more than where I'm at right now. So I have to keep trying. Because I want to be the greatest hero in the world! And I'll keep on going until I've got what it takes to do that."
Danny and All Might were shocked into silence. Then All Might transformed into his hero form and picked Izuku off of the ground, "That fighting spirit's what I like about you, fanboy! It serves you well. I do get your concerns. That said, now's not the time to go and rush progress. Fear not! I will get you back on track. Along with young Fenton over here. Leave it to us to adjust your plan!"
Izuku fell unconscious and All Might lowered him gently to the ground. The hero turned to Danny, "So, you haven't been going full strength at me. Why?"
Danny sighed, "One, I know that you only have a limited amount of energy in your hero form a day so I don't want to waste it. And two, me at full power versus you won't be a fair fight. There are some of my abilities that I use only as a last resort. And personally, I don't trust you enough yet to let you know what they are. Even Izuku here."
All Might glared at Danny, "Just a hunch, but you weren't born with your powers, were you?"
Danny was shocked, "How'd you know?"
All Might answered, "I've been doing this hero business for 40 years now. I've seen all sorts of Quirks. And yours is vastly different from all the Quirks of this world. I remembered you said that yours was supernatural in origin like One For All, but I sense there's more to it than that. You have a lot of different abilities for just one Quirk. But there's only two Quirks that I know of that give the user different abilities in one Quirk, and mine is one of them. Also you seem…..unnatural….to this world. You talk like you're an experienced pro, but I know you don't have a Hero license, so my guess is that you were a vigilante. But I've done my research and one matching you isn't in any records. And even though you have documents detailing your life, they seemed….too good to be true. Like they were created out of thin air. It's almost like you just appeared one day, like a ghost. Just who are you, ghost boy?"
Danny took a deep breath and looked up at All Might, "You're clever, I'll give you that. But the answer you seek is not one I'm willing to tell. Just know this. I am here after a horrible tragedy happened in my life. I am here to get a restart on my life. To grow as the hero I have been since I got my powers. I have seen and experienced things that you could only dream about. And with that knowledge and experience, not only do I want to grow, but maybe I want to help others as well, like Izuku. The world needs more heroes like him. Like you."
All Might took everything that Danny just told him. He stared at Danny, "The world needs a hero like you, too. You seem to be the rare true hero that this world needs more of. I'll keep your secret, but know this. If you get in the spotlight too much, there are those who might go digging into your past to try and figure out what you are. And not all of them are heroes like me."
Danny nodded in understanding. He picked up Izuku and said, "I'll take him home to rest. We'll meet you tomorrow morning." The ghost teen carried Izuku off and All Might stared at the pair thinking of the future.
The last three months went by fast. All Might and Danny helped readjust the plan for Izuku and Danny kept a more vigilant eye on the green haired teen to see if he was sticking to the plan better. Izuku became stronger and stronger. Danny started to do some combat training with Izuku so that he at least knew how to fight.
Then, the morning of the practical exam, All Might walked to the beach. Suddenly he heard a scream. He looked up to see Izuku screaming at the top of his lungs on top of a pile of trash. All Might ran up and couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Hey, hey, holy crap, kid. You even cleaned up outside the area I told you to. Seriously, there's not one speck of trash left on this beach. Only a few minutes to spare. But you exceeded my expectations. Holy….Stinkin'...Supercrap!"
Danny ran up beside All Might, "Izuku must have gotten here earlier than normal to finish. Way to go, Izuku!"
Izuku swayed at the top of the pile and fell off, but All Might transformed into his hero form and sped off and caught Izuku, Danny following close behind.
"Excellent work," All Might praised Izuku.
Izuku looked up at All Might and Danny, "I finished everything. Danny-kun, All Might. I did it. Do you think I'm ready now?"
All Might set Izuku down, "Yeah, you did good, kid. I gotta say, I'm impressed. I knew you had it in you, but this is beyond." He pulled out his cell phone and showed a picture to Izuku, "Look at this. It's you crying ten months ago. Look how far you've come. Such improvement."
No longer did Izuku have a weakling body. His muscles were more defiant and even had a 12 pack. Even Danny was impressed.
All Might turned to Danny, "Thank you for keeping him on the plan, young Fenton." Danny nodded back.
The hero turned back to Izuku, "There's still a long road ahead of you before you can inherit my full power set. But it's starting to look like you can do it."
Izuku looked down at his hands, "All Might, do I deserve this? Are you sure? You and Danny put so much time and energy into helping me. How did I end up so lucky?"
Danny put his arm around Izuku, "Hey, Dude, you deserve it. You worked hard these last ten months. You're more than ready."
"Indeed," All Might agreed. "It was your hard work that did this, not mine or Fenton's. Now, for your reward, Izuku Midoriya"
Izuku looked up at All Might, "Yes,sir!"
All Might reached up and pulled a lock of hair off his head, "Someone once told me this. There's a difference between being lucky and deserving. One's an accident, the other's a reward. Never get the two confused. Take that to heart, young man. This gift. You've earned it with your own valiant efforts. Now, eat this."
He held out the lock of hair to Izuku, who got a look of confusion on his face. Danny asked, "Um, why does he have to eat your hair?"
All Might answered, "To inherit my power, you've got to swallow some of my 's how it works."
"This isn't exactly how I imagined it," Izuku replied.
"Come on," All Might argued. "There's no time. You'll be late for the exam. Eat!"
Danny turned around, "I can't watch this."
Later, Izuku and Danny made it to UA just in time. Danny secretly flew them there so Izuku could get some sort of rest before the exam. They walked through the gates of UA and Izuku was freaking out a little, "I was worried about missing the exam that I didn't have a chance to test out my new power."
Danny looked over and noticed Izuku's distress, "You OK, dude?"
Izuku covered his mouth with his hand, "I may have swallowed his hair, but I don't feel like anything great has happened to me yet."
"Just give it a little time," Danny whispered back. "It'll pop out when you need it most."
"Stupid Deku, stupid Fenton." They turned to see Katsuki walking toward them.
"Kacchan," Izuku greeted Katsuki.
But Bakugo wasn't in the mood, "Get out of my way now, before I set you on fire."
He pushed past the two boys and walked to the entrance. "Still a jerk," Danny mumbled.
"I don't know," Izuku countered. "Ever since the day of that sludge monster, Kacchan's been taking it easier on me. But that doesn't matter. I'm not defenseless anymore. I have to remember all the hard work I've put in. Thanks to All Might, I'm actually going to be a hero."
"That's the spirit," Danny said. Izuku started to walk forward, but tripped over his own shoe and started to fall.
But before Danny could catch him, Izuku's fall stopped. Danny turned to see a young girl with light brown hair holding onto Izuku's backpack. It seems she stopped gravity. "Are you OK?" She pulled him upright. "I stopped you with my Quirk. I'm sorry I didn't ask first. But I figured you wouldn't mind me catching you. Isn't this all like nerve-racking? Well, I guess I'll see you both inside. Bye!"
She walked off to the entrance. Danny looked over and saw the shocked look on his face, "Dude, you OK in there?"
"Holy crap!" Izuku whispered. "I just talked to a girl!" He started to laugh uncontrollably, causing others to stare at him.
Danny sighed, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him to the entrance before he could make a big scene.
They found themselves sitting in a dark room in rows of desks. Suddenly the lights came on and a hero, Present Mic, came out, "What's up, UA candidates? Thanks for tunin' into me, your school DJ. C'mon. And let me hear ya!" He got dead silence in return. "Keepin' it mellow, huh? That's fine. I'll skip to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, OK? Are you ready?" Again, dead silence. "Yeah."
Izuku was geeking out next to Danny, "Oh my goodness, it's the Voice hero, Present Mic. So cool! I listen to his radio show every week. It's so crazy nuts that all the UA teachers are pro heroes."
Katsuki was sitting on the other side of Izuku, "Will you shut up?"
Danny gave Katsuki a green glowing glare and Katsuki backed off.
Present Mic continued, "Like your application said, today you rockin' boys and girls will be out there conducting ten minute mock battles in super hip urban settings. Gird your loins, my friends. After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle center, sound good?" Again, dead silence. "OK?"
Izuku, Danny, and Katsuki looked at the cards in front of them that had the location of their chosen battle center. Katsuki noted, "I see. They're splitting us up so we can work with any of our friends."
"Yeah, you're right," Izuka replied. "Our examinee numbers are one right after the other, but we're assigned to different battle centers."
"Get your eyes off my card," Katsuki hissed. "Damn. I was really looking forward to crushing you. At least you won't have Fenton protecting your back."
Danny glared, "He doesn't need my protection. He can take care of himself. You'll see."
Present Mic continued, "OK, OK, let's check out your targets. There are three types of faux villains in every battle center. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely. Your goal in this trial is to use your Quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a mid-song guitar solo. But check it! Make sure you're keepin' things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a big UA no-no, ya dig?"
One boy, named Tenya, raised his hand, "Excuse me sir, but I have a question. On the printout, you've listed four types of villains, not three. With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake such as this won't do." He then turned and pointed to Izuku, "Additionally, you with the unkempt hair, you've been muttering this entire time. Stop that. If you can't bother to take this seriously, then leave. You're distracting the rest of us.
Izuku muttered a sorry to Tenya, but Danny gave him a green glowing glare that made Tenya want to say something, but Present Mic instead interrupted, "All right, settle down. Examinee 7111, thanks for calling in with your request. The fourth villain type is worth 0 points. That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every battle. Think of it as a hurtle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's kinda no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones toppin' the charts."
Tenya bowed to Present Mic, "Thank you very much. Please continue."
Present Mic finished, "That's all I got for you today. I'll sign off with a little present. A sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down. "A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes." Now that's a tasty soundbite. Are you ready to go beyond? Let's hear a Plus Ultra! Good luck! Let's hope you practiced hitting more than just the books."
Everyone got separated into their different battle centers. Danny wished Izuku good luck and walked off to his assigned battle center. Izuku turned and looked up at the doors leading to his battle center, "Well, this is it. Time to put ten months of training with All Might and Danny to the test. Time to give it my all. I will become a hero. Just like I've always dreamed. I won't let myself down." But his body language showed that he was nervous, so he gave himself a slap on the cheek.
Danny stood outside his battle center ready for action. "Time to stretch my legs. Goin' ghost!"