MHA: Dark Matter

[Izuku Midoriya's Pov]

Midoriya looked with curiosity at the surrounding views of the park on I Island, trying not to fall behind All Might. They were heading to the meeting place with an old acquaintance of his teacher. Izuku really hoped there wouldn't be the same crowd of people that had swarmed them when they left the airport. They had only managed to escape thanks to All Might's quick actions. He was used to it by now.

'Being a popular hero isn't always good. Maybe that's why Aizawa sensei became an underground hero? I'm starting to understand him a little…'

Remembering the "phenomenal" first appearance of his sensei in a sleeping bag in front of the class, the green haired teenager quickly shook his head.

'That doesn't change the fact that he's… eccentric.'

His gaze stopped on the wide, muscular back of his idol. His hands clenched involuntarily at the realization of how hard this was for him. And bitterness at his own weakness. Everyone around him saw All Might as bright, unshakable, almighty. Just as he himself had before he became the inheritor of his will. Now Izuku knew and saw much more. Delays in his movements, tissues to hide a coughing fit with blood, slightly longer bouts of shortness of breath. And the wide, confident smile of a man whose injuries would have forced anyone else to lie in a hospital bed around the clock on an IV drip.

All Might was the embodiment of heroism itself to him, but he was weakening. With each passing day, with each use of his Quirk, he was weakening.

*"But fighting spirit and resolve are nothing before absolute power. To uphold their ideals, heroes must be strong…"*

*The villain in the white "smiling" mask proclaimed in a voice like grinding metal.*

Midoriya understood that the villain had been mocking them back then. Stalling them, mimicking them, calling that fight a "heroics lesson." But no matter how much the Class 1A student tried to convince himself otherwise, there was truth in the villain's words. A distant, distorted, cynical truth, but truth nonetheless.

Could All Might have saved so many people without all his power? He, Iida, and Todoroki had stopped the Hero Killer not with words, but with their Quirks. So a hero without his power, without his Quirk, cannot be a hero? Is the very desire to save others just an unattainable dream, empty words, if not backed by a powerful Quirk user?

But he already knew that. He had known it his whole life. They had told him so.

*"Without a Quirk, you can't be a hero. Go do something more useful."*

*The teacher replied with indifference, carefully hiding annoyance, to the nervous, fidgeting green haired student.*

*…I can become a hero, right?*

*"I'm sorry, Izuku."*

*A sobbing woman hugged her child.*

*"I will become a hero!"*

*"You stupid, useless Deku. Go die! A Quirkless nobody like you can never become a hero!"*

*An explosion followed the words, and the pain echoed in his hands.*

And now he had received a Quirk, All Might's Quirk. He had gotten into U.A., and in three years he would become a professional hero. But who was he without the power granted to him? Did he truly deserve to carry this torch? Should One For All have been passed to someone with a Quirk that would allow the next bearer to become stronger in the future? Someone like Kacchan, who would probably master One For All faster and, with his own Quirk, have more tools for battle? Or one of the third year students who had proven themselves during their studies?

His face was hidden in shadow as he lowered his head.

"Sensei, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes, my boy?"

"When my class was fighting in the U.S.J., one of the villains said that without power, heroes cannot uphold their ideals. That resolve is nothing before overwhelming power. Is that true?"

The number one hero's face darkened.

"Yes."

"Then, if someone with a Quirk had been in my place, could they have become a better he…"

"Young Midoriya."

All Might stopped and turned to his successor.

"That villain was right. And at the same time, he was wrong. According to his logic, a hero is a strong, intelligent person who can defend their heroic ideals. But you're forgetting the most important thing…"

He gripped the teenager's shoulders with his hands. The number one hero stared intently into the emerald eyes.

"…it is our ideals that make us strong, that make us who we are. Because of them, we find the strength to push our limits, to perform great deeds. They are our strength, our compass, and our salvation. And I believe…"

The hero's right hand touched the teenager's chest with his index finger.

"…in your ideals, in your dream, in you. Truly great heroes are not people with strong Quirks, but people with great souls who, despite their weakness, find the strength to become better."

The teenager froze. The words of the great hero were etched deep into his soul, causing the flame of resolve to burn anew. Neither of them noticed the green lightning that ran across the teenager's fingertips.

The moment, which lasted an eternity for Izuku, was interrupted by an embarrassed cough from All Might.

"Young Midoriya, we have to go."

"Huh? Yes, yes, of course."

Following his idol, Izuku only strengthened in his heart the desire to become stronger. For his teacher, for those who believed in him.

"Uncle Toshinori!"

The green haired teenager's eyes widened as he stared at a beautiful blonde girl who had jumped onto All Might's neck. He just laughed.

"Hi, Izuku."

Startled, Midoriya didn't immediately recognize his friend, who had been standing next to the girl until then. Hoshino was thoughtfully shifting his gaze from him to All Might.

"Hi, Ken. I didn't know you'd be here."

"Well, a friend invited me."

The black haired boy said with a cheerful smile, shifting his gaze to the girl who had landed on the ground.

"And I didn't know you were so well acquainted with All Might. Spill it, are you related?"

The student's and the teacher's eyes widened as they realized how they must look from the outside.

[End Pov Izuku Midoriya]

- - -

[Engel Wilfried's Pov]

"Don't worry, Mr. Shield, we have everything prepared. No one will be harmed during the operation. The main thing is to get my people to the I Island control terminal. I wish us both luck in today's event."

After waiting for the mobile beeps signaling the end of the call, the yellow eyed man, better known in certain circles as Wolfram, smiled broadly. Then he addressed the people standing nearby.

"Johnny, Arnold, you and your men will cover our 'lumberjack.'"

The two mercenaries with the Quirks "Troll" and "Sound Wave," along with a thin, white haired man, nodded in agreement.

"Peter, you and I will 'bag' the public in the conference hall. Prepare yourself for the possibility of having to bag All Might himself. Ha ha."

The expressions on the faces of those present changed sharply.

"I hope this won't interfere with our friends from Haijima."

Two people looked at Wolfram. A man dressed in a white mask resembling a burqa, a representative of Haijima, remained silent, unlike his partner, who was dressed in aristocratic clothing.

"Oh, this is getting interesting."

[End Pov Engel Wilfried]

********A/N*******

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