3-4

Chapter 3: Unforeseen Malefactor 

Returning to school after all the drama yesterday felt very strange. Bakugo had been suspended for a whole week and the rest of the class was unsure of how to react. Although Izuku had always been Bakugo's favourite punching bag, he wasn't the only one forced to suffer his explosive temper. Without Bakugo in the class, there was no one crowding them during lunch or criticizing someone for dropping something or insulting someone for answering a question wrong. It definitely felt weird to not be on edge all the time.

After Izuku texted his mother that he was going to stay after school for a while to finish an important assignment, he covertly boarded the train to Tokyo.

I'm sure I can get some answers at the Quirk Research Institute. I'll ask if I can see Dr. Akatani. If I tell him it was all an accident, I'm sure he'll be willing to look past me crushing the spider considering how big of a discovery this might be. Thought Izuku as the countryside whipped past.

A few hours later the high-speed train entered the downtown Tokyo station and Izuku disembarked. Moving through the crowds of people on the side walk, he walked from the station and up to the glass fronted building. Approaching the glass door, he pulled on the brass handle but it was locked.

Strange. I can see people in there. 

Looking through the glass and towards the security checkpoint by the entranceway, he gestured towards one of the guards. The bored looking, blue uniformed man dropped his newspaper and pressed a button on his desk.

'Yes?' came the man's voice through an intercom next to the doorway.

'Uh, Hi. Can I come in? I was hoping to meet with someone.'

'Sorry. The premises are closed to authorized personnel only until further notice. If you'd like I can page the person you want to speak to. Who're you here to see?'

'Oh. Um, I was wanting to talk to Dr. Akatani?'

I hope I'm not wasting everyone's time. He probably has no clue who I am even!

'Sorry, Dr. Akatani has just left for the day. You might be able to catch him in the parking lot if you hurry.'

'Okay, thanks!'

Running off in the direction of the parking lot, Izuku felt butterflies in his stomach as he thought about what to say.

Hello Dr. Akatani my name is Izuku Midoriya from Musutafu. I was at your tour the other day and I was bitten by one of your quirk modified spiders and now I have super powers. 

Izuku sighed. He's probably going to think I'm nuts. I hope he gives me a chance to explain myself at least. 

When his mom had taken him to see Dr. Akatani a few years ago the doctor had been very blunt with him. There was a very simple test to determine if an individual possessed a quirk or not. If their pinky toe had one joint, then they had a quirk. Izuku had two joints in his toe and so Dr. Akatani had told him in no uncertain terms that he would never develop a quirk. He had been registered in the national registry as being quirkless that very day.

Let's hope he's more patient nowadays. 

He rounded the corner of the building. In the centre of the parking lot, Izuku spotted the glare of the sun gleaming off of a man's bald head. As he got closer, he recognized the voice of the man as belonging to Dr. Akatani.

'No, we have not. Our containment procedures have been activated however.' Dr. Akatani said to the person on the other end of the phone.

Izuku's ears perked up. Ducking down behind a car, he crouch walked closer.

Where's the harm in me eavesdropping a little? 

Moving to the car parked beside Dr. Akatani, Izuku strained himself to listen to the conversation.

A half hour earlier while Izuku was still on his way to the Quirk Research Institute, Dr. Akatani was at his desk, scowling at his computer screen. If they didn't locate the latest generation arachnid specimen soon, heads would roll. Besides being the cumulation of his research team's expertise over the past twenty years, that tiny spider alone represented a tax-payer investment of over seventy-eight billion yen.

Exactly how the spider had managed to escape from its containment unit was a mystery. Dr. Bukiyō had sworn that when he returned to the cart after his call, he had found it tipped over, it's glass enclosure shattered. With its enhanced physical attributes, it was possible that the spider had been able to free itself, though Dr. Akatani thought that was unlikely. What was likely was that Dr. Bukiyō's would be headed back to the private sector soon and unless that spider was found, he would be joining him.

From the light fixtures to the toilets, the entire staff had been on their hands and knees looking for the little bastard but to no avail. He had no choice but to alert his superiors that a specimen had escaped.

Twenty years of hard work. A career of scrounging and endless service. All the sacrifices, undone in an instant. And I was so close!

For his entire life, he had dreamed about being the one to create the first quirks. Having no quirk himself, he would stand by his classmates, notebook in hand, and record everything he could about their abilities and how they worked. As time passed his curiosity grew even stronger and he made a career of understanding and predicting quirk development.

His work proved to be invaluable to the government as they were just as interested as he was in controlling the development of quirks in their citizens. They wanted a means to be able to predict and eliminate potentially dangerous abilities in children before they cold manifest and present a problem to society. A bit authoritarian for his taste, but he didn't care. As long as they paid the bills and gave him access to human test subjects they could do whatever they wanted with his research.

As Dr. Akatani considered his situation, he remembered the earlier setbacks with the program. Twenty years ago, he had been given access to the prisoners of Tartarus for human testing. None of his subjects had survived and as a result of his lack of progress he was ordered to change his experimentation to animal subjects. Then because of the damn Humane Treatment of Animals Resolution he had been forced to switch to insects. Still even with these limitations they had made progress.

In the past four years he had learned that in order to manifest a quirk in a subject, you first needed to have a genetic blank, a quirkless subject that could act as an empty canvass upon which you could forcibly trigger the evolutionary leap. The change often had unintended side effects however. Even in insects the results had been horrific. The fatality rates amongst the earliest subjects was close to ninety percent. But of the ten percent that survived, he had been able to refine his quirk formula and achieve a fatality rate of merely fifty percent. The specimens were still brain dead but so what? It was damn impressive, even if the bureaucrats didn't understand it.

Dr. Akatani turned off his computer and stood from his desk. Any minute now he would get a phone call from some cretin in the government demanding he provide them with answers as to their investment. It was do or die time. With some creative thinking and a little luck, he would be able to salvage the program. He looked over at his clock. It was past six.

I've been sitting here waiting for the axe to fall all day. If I must grovel, I might as well do so in the comfort of my own home. 

Walking out of his office, he said farewell to his secretary before taking the elevator to the ground floor. Crossing the lobby, he exited the building and walked towards his car. Before he could reach his vehicle however his cell phone rang. He groaned.

Pulling out his phone, he saw it was the head of the funding committee to his program. This was it. Lowering his briefcase to the asphalt, he took a deep breath and answered the phone.

'Hello, Dr. Akatani speaking.'

'Dr. Akatani, this is Jūyō Sekkachi.' said a curt voice through the phone, 'I have reviewed your report. Needless to say, this is deeply disappointing to the board. Have you still not located the specimen?'

'No sir, we have not. Our containment procedures have been activated however.'

'As I understand it, this spider was given your nerve modification therapy and was mobile. Is it possible for it to have bitten anyone?'

'It is possible.' conceded Dr. Aratani, 'Though we would know if someone was bitten almost immediately.'

'Oh? If someone is injured from malpractice on your part Dr. Akatani there will be an inquiry.'

Dr. Akatani swelled indignantly for a moment before he regained control over his temper.

I must avoid a confrontation at all costs if I want to continue my research. 

'With respect Mr. Sekkachi sir, my staff are expertly trained. We know how to handle the specimens.'

'Tell me, what would happen if the specimen were to escape from the facility?'

'It would likely die.' Dr. Akatani said calmly, 'Despite its enhanced physical abilities and senses, outside of the laboratory environment the specimen cannot survive in the wild. It's required caloric intake coupled with its limited brain function means that it would be unable to sustain itself.'

'Would it attack people?'

'Sir, anything with a mouth can attack people. But for all of its genetic modification, it will still behave in the same manner as a spider. It is likely seeking a secluded, dark territory for itself in the Hot Labs as we speak.'

'How long can this spider survive outside its enclosure?'

Dr. Akatani grimaced. He knew that question was coming.

'About five days.'

'So, if the spider is not found in five days then you will need to be prepared to answer to the board as to the whereabouts of your nearly eighty-billion-yen, budgetary sinkhole.'

Dr. Akatani felt a scowl form on his face.

'Sir, if I may interject? That is not necessarily correct.' he said as calmly as he could.

'Oh? Explain.'

'The latest quirk manifestation formula that we had been developing was carried within that spider's DNA. If it were to interact with a quirkless individual it is possible that that person could manifest quirks for themselves. Though they would be in a vegetative state.'

'What are you saying? if someone without a quirk eats the spider they might get a quirk?'

'Or gets bitten.'

Sekkachi exhaled in frustration and Dr. Akatani felt his frustration build again. It was no secret that the head of the funding committee disliked him. Sekkachi had always loudly speculated that Dr. Akatani was more interested in his own goals rather than the government's interests.

'How many times must I tell you? We are interested in quirk removal, not quirk generation! I'll be honest with you doctor, I have questioned myself as to whether or not you were suitable to lead this program. Ever since the first human trials, your…enthusiasm for ethically grey research disturbed me greatly. But against my better judgement, I allowed you to continue because you were the top in your field. However, I see now that you are still as hell bent as ever on creating quirks in humans!'

Despite himself, Dr. Akatani felt himself go on the defensive.

'I-I have been over this with the budgetary committee many times. In order to curtail quirk manifestation, you must first understand how it is created!'

'You have had twenty years doctor. We need to see some progress.' Dr. Akatani was silent as Sekkachi sighed again. 'Assuming someone was bitten by your spider, what would happen?'

'If they were quirkless, then we might finally have a successfully manifested quirk event in a human being. Using that person's DNA, I would be able to determine precisely how the quirk is formed and devise a formula to remove quirks.'

'If they are quirkless.' Mr. Sekkachi repeated flatly, 'And what are the chances of that?'

Dr. Akatani swallowed, 'Approximately twenty percent.'

Sekkachi laughed bitterly. In truth the actual chances of a person without a quirk getting bitten by the spider were much lower. It was true that around one in five people currently alive were quirkless but once you factored in age and geographic location, the actual likelihood that someone without a quirk would be bitten in downtown Tokyo during business hours was practically zero as the majority of the quirkless population were elderly. Not to mention they would have to survive the mutation process itself.

'I see.' Sekkachi said in a tired voice, 'And how would you be able to find this person?'

'Why using the quirk registry of course. Nearly every quirkless person in the country has been registered. If a new quirk is manifested from the people on that list then I will be able to easily determine with a simple blood test if their quirks are a result of the spider specimen.'

'And then I suppose you will want that person for further experimentation?' Sekkachi asked warily.

'Naturally. In order to create a reliable formula, I will need to access their brain stem tissue. But one person is a small price to pay for civil order, no?'

Sekkachi was silent for a few moments. Dr. Akatani felt a lump form in his throat as the fate of his life's work was considered. Eventually Sekkachi spoke:

'You've already been funded until the end of the budgetary year. If during that time you do not recover the specimen or there are no anomalies with the quirkless population, your project will be shut down. Are we clear?'

'Yes, sir.' Dr. Akatani said, a massive load seemingly lifting from his shoulders.

At that he hung up and Dr. Akatani put his phone away. Taking his keys from his pocket, he entered his car.

That went about as well as it could have. My career lives another day. I think this calls for a celebration. 

Starting his car, he drove off. Completely oblivious to the green haired boy that had been hiding behind the SUV next to him.

Izuku slide down and lay against the wheel of the SUV as he processed what he had just heard.

If they discover I have a quirk then their going to experiment on my brain? That can't be true. That's insane! I'm a Japanese citizen!

As he considered the implications of what he just heard another horrible thought entered his mind.

I was registered in the quirkless database! If I went to UA and signed up for the hero program and told them I have a quirk then the government will know! I can't…I can't ever let anyone know I have these powers…

Izuku felt tears start to fall down his face as realization dawned on him.

I'm going to have to go into hiding for the rest of my life! I'll never be a hero. Never be able to save anyone. It's not fair!

Eventually he felt his back start to twitch. Wiping his face, he rose to his feet. Across the parking lot, he saw a man in a lab coat nearing his hiding spot. Fortunately, he was too preoccupied with his smart phone to notice him.

Still sniffling, Izuku crept away from the approaching scientist. Dodging between cars, he made his way to the sidewalk and joined the throngs of pedestrians. The teaming masses of business men and women were oblivious to his sobs as he walked towards the train station.

By the time he arrived back in Musutafu it was getting dark. After texting his Mom that he was going for a walk around the neighbourhood, Izuku considered his plight.

I guess I can just go to a regular high school. With my grades I'm sure that any school would be happy to have me. 

He picked up a can that was lying on the street and threw it over his back. Arching gracefully, it clattered into a distant recycling bin.

'Nice shot kid!' called out a man across the street. Izuku raised his hand in acknowledgment but otherwise ignored him.

Even if I go to a regular school I'll have to be careful. I guess I can't ever get any bloodwork done. Or go to a hospital for whatever reason. If I do, then they'll know something is up when they analyze my blood. That guy said Dr. Akatani was going to be fired next fiscal year but I doubt the government will forget I exist. I'll need to live carefully from now on and avoid attracting attention. 

'Someone, help!' shouted a voice from down the street. Izuku jerked his head up. About three blocks away he saw a man and woman standing beneath a tree, frantically looking around.

Without thinking, Izuku took off towards the two. Breezing past the stores and parked cars he skidded to a halt in front of the couple.

'What's wrong?' Izuku asked, heart pounding. The two turned to look at him.

'Our kid got himself stuck!' said the man, 'Quick, can you call 911? I don't have my phone on me.'

Izuku glanced up as he pulled out his phone. At the very top of the tree a baby was clinging to a thin branch, seemingly unconcerned with his predicament.

'Sure!' Izuku said as he dialed.

'911 what is your-'

At that moment the branch the baby was clinging to broke and the baby started to fall. As the parents called out in terror, Izuku dropped his phone and leaped. Moving upwards, he intercepted the infant, catching it gently in his arms. Falling, he landed neatly on his feet.

'Ah! That was amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!' cried the couple as they ran over to him. Passing the confused looking child to his mother's arms Izuku stepped back.

'That was incredible kid! You have a jumping quirk or something?' asked the man.

'Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I can jump real high.'

'Thanks!' said the man, turning to his child the man said 'What do we say Miko? Can you say "Thank you?" to the man?'

'Blueergh!' belched the baby.

After the couple had moved off, Izuku retrieved his phone from the sidewalk. His screen had cracked but at the moment he didn't care one bit. His whole life he had been waiting for a chance to help someone and right now he felt as good as when he first found out he had a quirk. Maybe even better.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he walked back towards his apartment. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside and took off his shoes. Before he could even walk out of the entranceway his mother suddenly appeared in front of him. A rare frown on her face.

'Izuku Midoriya! Where have you been?' she said, spatula raised threateningly.

'I-I was out for a walk.' stammered Izuku.

'And what time is it?'

'Um, nine thirty?'

'That's far too late for someone your age to be out! Izuku, I'm surprised at you! You know how dangerous the streets are at night!'

'I know Mom…'

'I was worried sick! You should have called!'

Izuku thought about pointing out the text messages he had left her explaining his whereabouts but he wisely chose to bite his tongue.

'Sorry, Mom. I must have lost track of time.'

His mother regarded him angrily for a moment before she stepped back.

'Well come in and eat your dinner. It's getting cold.'

Izuku followed his mother into the dining room and saw a small feast waiting for him. There was even a platter of Katsudon, his favourite!

'Seeing as how you've grown so much lately, I thought I'd better cook you something extra.' she said nonchalantly as he gawked at the veritable feast laid out before him.

"Aw, thanks Mom!' he said, grinning broadly as he dug into the meal. He was starved.

After spending some time with his mother watching television, Izuku retreated to his room and completed his homework. It wasn't due for another week but he liked to stay ahead. By the time he was finished all his work it was almost midnight again. Falling back into his bed, he considered his day.

I might not ever be a pro hero, but I can still help people. Maybe there is a future for me after all. 

After cramming some waded-up tissue paper in his ears, Izuku settled into his sheets and a few moments later he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 4: Born and Raised in da Hood

Izuku woke to the sun streaming into his room. Yawning, he peered over at his nightstand to check the time before remembering that he had destroyed his clock. Muttering to himself, he reluctantly left the comfort of his bed and went over to his computer. The monitor told him that it was almost eleven in the morning.

Geez, I must have been exhausted. 

Stretching, he did his morning routine. After a quick shower and a late breakfast, he returned to his computer and went to his favourite website, the Hero Board. On this forum like minded nerds such as himself compiled anything and everything hero related, from Endeavour's latest battle to Mt. Lady's latest wardrobe malfunction.

Scrolling, he looked over the top-rated posts.

All Might's battle against the Sludge Villain…Hawks broke up a street gang…hmm, what's this?

The post was titled "Unknown Hero: Plz ID"

He clicked on the post and examined the image. His monitor displayed a somewhat blurry photo of a man wearing a heavy grey duster. A ski mask was pulled over his face to his mouth revealing a scarred chin peppered with stubble. In one hand he was pushing a terrified looking man up against the wall while in the other he was readying a punch.

He frowned at the picture before browsing through the comments. The consensus was that the image was of a vigilante, not a pro hero and he agreed. Almost every hero nowadays marketed themselves to the public in some way with glamour shots, revealing or flashy costumes or the like. Intentional anonymity amongst heroes was very uncommon. So whenever a picture of some unknown masked man or woman showed up it was always either a villain or a vigilante.

He backed out of the page. Vigilantes weren't his thing. There was this episode of All Might's cartoon where he remembered All Might say that people should trust in the justice system to sort out society's problems, not unaccountable vigilantes. Ever since then he had avoided the vigilante scene. Most of those people were crazy anyway. Every so often a villain would declare he had reformed and was a vigilante now or vice versa. There was too much drama.

After going through all the posts, he stood up. Normally in his free time he would watch YouTube, play computer games, or go hunting for more quirk information, but all that felt pointless now that he had quirks of his own.

I want to go outside and do something. I still don't know the extent of my powers and I need to figure out exactly how they work so I can better control myself. God knows I can't turn to the government for help. Maybe I should go for a walk... 

On the rare occasions when he left his apartment, he would usually take a walk down by the beach. Hardly anyone ever went there. Grabbing his phone, wallet, and keys, he left his apartment and caught the bus.

'Man, what a dump.' Izuku muttered to himself softly as he surveyed the waterfront. The beach looked like a landfill. Rusted out appliances, bleached plastics, and rotting furniture was strewn across the sand, far as the eye could see. Besides the eyesore, the stinking air was filled with the sounds of hundreds of seagulls picking through the trash.

No wonder the beach is deserted. He mused, stepping forward. As he walked, he suddenly felt the small of his back start tingling. Stopping in mid step, he looked at the sand where he was about to drop his foot. Barely visible, he saw something poking out. Curious, he wiped away the sand to reveal a sharp, rusty, piece of metal.

He reached down and pulled it out.

How did I know this was buried there? He thought as he turned the jagged shard over in his hands. Come to think of it, my back has been tingling whenever I've been in danger. Almost like a sixth sense or something. Weird. I've never heard of an intuition quirk before.

He tossed the cutting hazard into a half-buried freezer nearby.

I wonder how strong I am? 

Walking over to the freezer, he awkwardly grabbed the appliance. Where the half filled sand and water clogged freezer had come from was a mystery, but he doubted anybody would mind if he messed with it. Getting as good a grip as he could, he lifted, pushing with his legs. To his amazement the freezer felt practically weightless in his arms. Lifting it higher, he was able to rest the giant wreck on his shoulder easily.

This thing must weigh over five hundred kilograms! This is incredible! 

His astonishment was cut short as the bottom of the freezer gave way, unleashing a torrent of water and wet trash. Leaping backwards, he tossed the freezer aside before he could get his shorts dirty and it fell to the ground with a loud, dull thud.

Clapping away the sand, he eagerly searched for the heaviest thing at the beach. At the boundary of the sand and the grassy ledge adjoining the shore he spotted a burnt-out, four door sedan. It must have been driven out to the water then torched by some joy riders. Walking up to the car, he looked around excitedly to make sure he alone. Apart from the gulls, there was no sign of anyone.

Turning back to the car, he reached underneath the trim and gripped the frame by the wheel well. Gritting his teeth, he lifted. Again, he was able to manage the weight with almost impossible ease. In shocked disbelief, he started laughing, the car held aloft in his hands.

I must be dreaming! This thing must weigh over two and a half tonnes!

With reckless abandon he tossed the car away from him and back towards the beach. With a crash, it slammed into the sand, causing his feet to vibrate as the ground shook.

'Yeah!' Izuku yelled, pumping his fist. He looked around at all the debris and trash surrounding him.

If I wanted to, I bet I could toss any of this stuff all the way to the ocean!

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself, but he couldn't stop his mind from racing.

Assuming this is my maximum strength, which I doubt but just supposing, I would place myself at the high end of heroes purely on my physical strength alone! And to think the school was fawning over Bakugo all these years. Hah!

Thinking back to his fight against Bakugo, his smile disappeared and a cold sweat came over his body.

What if I had hit him with that punch? I really put everything I had in that swing. I would have killed him!

Shaking his head, he tried to get the image of his fist connecting with Bakugo's face out of his mind. Feeling slightly nauseous, he spat. The stench of wet garbage wasn't doing him any favours either.

Walking up the beach towards the road, he thought about his speed.

If my whole body is physically enhanced then I likely have enhanced speed as well. I should do a test. 

He remembered that parallel to the beachfront along the street there was a small bicycle path. Walking back to the roadway, he was surprised to see a thin, blonde man in a blue tracksuit running down towards him.

As soon as this guy is gone, I'll go for a run. 

As the thin man slowly made his way down the trail, Izuku pulled out his phone. It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon, plenty of time for some more experiments.

When I saved that kid yesterday, I was able to jump pretty high too. After I'm done here, I'll find a deserted alley somewhere and see how high I can jump. At least my jumping height should be pretty easy to quantify. 

Izuku smiled to himself as he remembered how he used to fantasize about how he'd test his quirk when he inevitably got one. He had come up with all sorts of plans and methods to categorize his powers and he would spend hours lecturing his mother on all his criteria and arbitrary ranking systems. Now that he finally had a quirk, it seemed as though he couldn't actually put any of his plans into practice.

'Hello there young man. Pleasant day isn't it?' wheezed the thin blonde man as he trotted by.

'Sure is!' Izuku returned enthusiastically, still smiling.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched the man slowly disappear down the path. Once he was sufficiently far away, Izuku put away his phone and started off in the opposite direction.

I'll start slow. 

Beginning at a light jog, he slowly built up speed until he was running at what he used to consider a fast pace. The sea air felt great rushing through his hair.

Not bad. Let's try a little faster.

He accelerated, running faster and faster. His ears became filled with the sound of rushing air as he tore along the uneven dirt trail. Looking to his side, he saw the buildings along the waterfront rapidly move past.

I can't really tell how fast I'm running. Wait, this is stupid. I can do better…

Gradually slowing himself to a halt, he pulled out his phone again. Selecting his map app, he zoomed in on his location.

Let's see, what's a landmark an even distance away? Ah. Here we go. Restaurant Yukihira. It's about one kilometer from here.

Switching to the stopwatch on his phone, he crouched down and readied himself just like he had been taught in gym class. He took a few breaths and focused on the path in front of him.

Go!

Taking off, he pumped his arms to match his sprint. The ground rushed beneath him and he felt the earth pounding beneath his feet. Shooting a glance to his side, he saw the buildings blur past. Before he knew it he came up on the dingy restaurant. Skidding to a halt, he quickly pressed the stop button on his cell phone.

And time! Let's see…17.5! So, if I traveled one kilometer in 17.5 seconds…60 divided by 17.5 is 3.42, I think? Divide that by 60 and multiply by 1,000… that should be around 57 m/s? That's damn fast! That's over 200 kilometers per hour!

His excitement was interrupted by the sensation of coarse sand on his skin. His feet felt dirty. Puzzled, he looked down and nearly fainted at what he saw. His prized red runners, arguably the most important part of his entire persona, were simply gone. In a panic, he retraced his steps. Every couple meters he came across a scrap of red fabric, or a piece of shoe string. It was like he was walking through a gruesome crime scene. Each step led him to a fresh horror. At last he returned to where he had started his foolish test, the tattered scraps of his shoes cradled in his arms. There was no saving them.

With a mournful sigh, he dropped the remains in a garbage container. Throwing his hands in his pockets, he did some accounting as he walked bare foot down the hot city street.

Collectors clock, 20,000 yen. New phone screen, 1,000 yen. New shoes…60,000 yen. He gulped. If this keeps up I'll be bankrupt by the time Kacchan's suspension is over.

Izuku muttered angrily to himself as he pattered bare foot down the sidewalk. When he had went to catch his bus, the driver had refused him at the door.

'No shoes no service…Typical. My feet are cleaner than the floors of his bus...'

With mass transit closed to him he was forced to walk the long trip back home. He had stepped on gum twice now, and he was feeling less "Huckleberry Finn" and more "Impoverished Crackhead".

My whole life I've wanted a quirk. And now that I've get one I've only ever experienced misery. First my clock, then my phone, and now my trademark red shoes. There's nothing left to take! Oh, I have to live the rest of my life in fear of the government. That sucks too I guess…But my shoes though!

As he sulked, a yellow ribbon fluttered in front of him and he stopped. Looking over, he saw he was standing in front of a crumbing apartment building, police tape draped haphazardly across its blasted off doors. From its scorched walls and destroyed windows, he could taste the acrid smell of burnt plastic and foul asbestos. Whatever had happened here, it must have been recent as there were faint plumes of smoke raising from some exposed wiring in the wall.

Suddenly he heard a loud bang, followed by shouting. Startled, he turned his head to a distant apartment. He couldn't help but overhear a screaming argument between two neighbours, each promising the other bloody retribution if they didn't respect their privacy.

As the pair screeched their lungs out, he became aware of the steepening shadows around him. Slowly he looked up. Looming above him were four, grey unfinished towers. Their heights stretching far above the surrounding tenements and small shops. At their peak he could see their rusting ribs, a corroded network of half assembled steel left bare above a mottled grey, concrete skin.

Those unfinished behemoths had many names; the Grey Towers, the Eyesores, Bones. Any name would do really, so long as it was depressing and communicated some element of disdain. Carefully omitted from post cards and commercials, they were the perpetual embarrassment of Musutafu. A tumor on its otherwise flawless steel and glass skyline.

Stretching around them in vast swathes of crumbling infrastructure, garbage choked alleys, brothels, drug houses, graffiti covered vacants, and run-down stores, was the crime infested slums. There were no hero agencies in the slums, none that Izuku knew of anyway, and very few heroes would even enter the no-man's-land surrounding the Grey Towers.

There was no prestige to be found here, no marketable victories, no glory. There was only filth, disease, and worst of all: squalor. What hero wanted to pose for the news over a gang of fourteen-year-old drug addicts he had pummelled for stealing soft drinks and candy from a convenience store? What hero agency wanted to tie their name to suffocated prostitutes and vagrant murders?

It would be career suicide, assuming you could even draw the media out to the ghetto in the first place. Whether through some secret instruction or pure economics, the press avoided reporting on the crimes in the slums. It would call attention to some of the more shameful issues about their quirk focused social hierarchy. And so, the area was left to the understaffed and underfunded police force.

Though Izuku idolized heroes, he recognized that many of the criticisms leveled at pro hero culture was valid. They didcare too much about their image and spent far too much time worried about their popularity instead of helping people. But he had always reasoned that it was the governments responsibility to fight systemic issues that gave rise to crime, not the heroes themselves. Not that he had much faith in the government anymore.

'Oh, jeez.' he breathed as he looked up at the Grey Towers, 'How'd I find himself here of all places?'

Dropping his chin, he cast his eyes low and resumed walking at a deliberate pace. Though he had spent his whole life in Musutafu, he had never strayed far from his own quiet residential neighbourhood. Occasionally he would go downtown to shop or see a movie, but that was it.

From what he remembered the slums weren't too dangerous during the day. Occasionally you would hear about a violent mugging or a robbery gone wrong, but most violent crimes occurred at night. It was said that gangs of petty thugs would fight over their meagre territory while powerful villains were rumoured to hold secret meetings in diplidated apartments and business, planning their next attack.

As he walked down the sidewalk, he noticed a group of older teenagers a block up the street. They were laughing and jostling each other roughly. He felt his sixth sense tingle and without thinking he turned down a side alley.

Discretion is the better part of valour. I just hope I don't cut my feet down here and get some sort of disease. He thought as he hopped over a broken bottle.

As he cautiously made his way down the alley, he looked up at the tall high-rises that seemed to be pressing down around him. The grid of alleyways and side passages was laid out like a maze.

Stopping beside an overflowing dumpster, he looked over his shoulder back the way he had came. Maybe I should just wait here until those guys move on. I don't want to get lost in here. 

As he hesitated, he thought he heard furtive voices coming from around the corner. Perking up his ears, he focused on the faint sounds.

'Come on guys, what's a little money between friends?' said a panicked man's voice.

'Shut up.' growled a deep voice.

'We warned you, Weasel. You got money for bookies, but not for us?' said a third man.

Izuku heard a smacking sound followed by a yelp of pain.

'Come're! There's no where to run off to now...' rumbled the deep voice again.

Ignoring the warning signals his body was sending him, Izuku crept forward towards the corner of the building, peering around the chipped concrete wall, he spotted two burly men bodily hauling a third skinny man off around the opposite corner.

Something tells me these guys aren't heading out for lunch. He thought nervously.

Moving as quickly as he dared down the alleyway, he stopped at the corner and took a peek. He saw that the two goons were marching a protesting, smaller man down towards a dead end. Biting his lip, he hesitated before tiptoeing forward.

'End of the line, Weasel.'

'G-Guys, at least let my bets ride out. I-I-I've got a lock!'

'Uh-huh, we've heard that one be-'

'Hey!' Izuku shouted.

The two thugs whirled around, Izuku's eyes widened as he saw that one of the two was holding a gun.

'What the hell-' started one of the two thugs. Seeing his chance, Weasel sprang out, trying in vain to push past the two leather jacketed gangsters.

With a snarl the gunman pushed the thin man back and raised his weapon.

'No!' Izuku yelled, running forward.

Startled at the sudden shout, the gunman whipped around and leveled the pistol at Izuku. As the gun pointed at him, he felt a twitch in his gut. Without thinking, he bent at the knees, flipping backwards for a millisecond. In that instant, a gunshot rang out and he saw a shiny, brass coated bullet fly past his face. As the bullet sailed by, he snapped back up and dashed forward.

Without stopping to think, Izuku attacked. Before the thug realized what was happening, Izuku pushed into him with both hands, sending him flying down the alleyway and into a massive heap of black trash bags.

Swearing violently, the second thug raised his hand and slashed down at Izuku. As the man's hand fell, it transformed in mid air into a clawed talon before Izuku's very eyes. With a yelp, Izuku reacted.

Before the clawed hand could come down, Izuku flailed out, slapping the man's cheek with the palm of his hand. The blow produced a sound like a bull whip cracking. Pirouetting like a ballerina, the man spun round before collapsing against the wall of the alley.

Izuku stood there motionless, completely overwhelmed at what he had just done. Chest heaving and ears ringing, he tried and failed to process what had just happened. Blinking he suddenly became aware of the thin man pulling on his arm.

'Hey kid! Kid!' shouted the thin man he had just saved, 'Unless you want to be around when the rest of em' show up, you'd better get moving!'

Nodding, Izuku turned and jogged alongside the man. As he and the man retreated down the alley, he heard the groaning thugs start to stir, groggily shouting after them.

After crossing a few blocks, the thin man stopped. While Izuku looked back fearfully for sign of pursuit, the man slouched over against the front of a pawn shop, gasping in sharp breaths. With shaking hands, he reached into his cheap suit jacket and produced a pack of cigarettes. Pulling one out, he held it out for Izuku who shook his head mutely.

Shrugging the man took out a lighter, lit up the cigarette, and took a long drag. Coughing, he exhaled and shook his head in disbelief.

'I owe you one kid.' he rasped, 'I thought my goose was cooked that time. The name's Weasel. What's yours?'

'Uh, Izuku.'

'Well thanks Izuku. You've got some balls, what's your quirk? You on Trigger or something?'

'W-What? No!' Izuku said in shock, shaking his head in vehement denial, ' I-I would never! B-Besides I don't even have a quirk anyways.'

'Really?' Weasel eyed him appraisingly before shrugging again, 'Huh, could have fooled me. So, you spend your Saturdays running around alleys?

'Um, not really. It's a long story. I sort of…got lost back there. I was looking for a way out when I heard you getting attacked by those men. Who were they?'

'Oh, just some loan sharks.' Weasel said off-handily. Puffing out a cloud of smoke with relish, he looked at his cigarette appreciatively before turning back to him. 'So, you tryin' to be a hero or something?'

Izuku laughed and ran his hand through his hair.

'No. Not anymore. I used to want to but…I never got a quirk so…'

The man nodded.

'Shame. You never see those costumed idiots down here where the real victims are. You know what? I say fuck it, you could be a hero if you wanted to. Quirk or no.'

The man spoke with no real conviction and Izuku couldn't tell how serious he was, but he felt himself blush regardless.

'T-Thanks.'

The pair were silent for a minute as the man finished his cigarette. After smoking it down to the filter, he tossed it aside and stomped it down. Running his hand around the edges of his small mustache he looked back to Izuku.

'Listen: Despite what you may have heard back there, Weasel always repays his debts. You ever need a line on free cable or a hot tip, I'm your man.' he said proudly. Reaching into his suit jacket, he pulled out a small business card. Izuku took it and read the cover.

"Jack Hammer: discrete cable installation, plumbing expropriator, and professional legal counsel."

Jack Hammer? Is this guy for real?

'S-sure. I'll keep that in mind.' Izuku said politely, tucking the card into his wallet.

'See ya' around kid.'

Pushing himself off against the graffiti covered shop front, the man straightened his stained suit jacket before stepping away. As the man left, Izuku looked around the streets for some street signs.

Where am I?

'Oh, and kid?' Weasel called out.

Izuku faced the man.

'They'll be lookin' for you now. Shocker and his boys. You want my advice? Go down towards 88th Street and head towards Mill's Bar. Then walk up to Tourney Avenue. You'll be in Speed Demon's territory. They won't follow you there.'

'Um, okay. So Tourney, is that over-' Izuku started to point but Weasel interrupted him.

'Alright, remember to keep your head down.'

Izuku watched helplessly as the man hastily walked away. Before he could decide whether or not to ask for him for directions, Weasel disappeared into another alley.

With a sigh, he pulled out his phone and looked up Mill's Bar. Walking down the street, he attempted to process what he had just done.

If I keep acting out like this then the government will track me down for sure! But what choice did I have? I couldn't just let a man die. 

He kept down the street, occasionally glancing around him to make sure he wasn't being followed.

Besides it's not like any police or heroes come down here anyway. I bet you nobody would even notice I was here. I'm sure these people need all the help they can get…

Izuku caught himself and shook his head.

Don't even think about it Midoriya! Those two guys were about to kill you. You got lucky! 

As he started across an intersection, he suddenly heard the sound of peeling tires on pavement. Whipping his head around, he saw a crowded SUV driving straight at him. The man sitting in the passenger side seat was the man with the claw hand from the alley. Izuku saw a red hand print on the side of his face. He looked murderous.

With a yelp, Izuku ran across the street and into an alleyway. Ignoring the alarmed screeches of rats and the disgusting puddles of filth in his path, he fled. Jumping over trash bins and hissing steam vents he followed the filth encrusted passage as the sounds of pursuit neared. Rounding a corner, he found that the alley abruptly ended. Whirling around, he looked back the way he had come. From around the corner, he heard the vehicle screech to a halt and car doors open and slam shut.

'Crap!' Izuku hissed, wildly scanning his surroundings for some way of escape.

I could hide in some trash bags! Or maybe the dumpster? Maybe if I run now-

'Oh, little boy? Yoo-hoo!' called out a gravelly voice in as high a note as it could. Footsteps echoed around the stained concrete walls. They were coming.

Izuku looked up. He was surrounded by towering, windowless high rises on all sides.

I jumped pretty high the other day. Maybe if I wall jump from side to side I can make it!

As he studied the wall for the best place to jump to, the thug yelled out again, sounding much angrier than before.

'We know you're here you little shit! I swear if you make us dig through trash to get you…' echoed a harsh voice down the alley. Izuku heard what sounded like five or six people walking down the wet pavement, slowly drawing closer.

Snapping his eyes on a distant ledge, he aimed his body. After tensing his legs, he leapt as hard as he could. Soaring upwards, he travelled far faster than he had anticipated. With a smack he collided with the concrete wall, flat as a pancake.

'Oof!' he huffed as he struck the wall, arms and legs splayed out against the cool, smooth concrete surface.

Shaking his head, he looked down. He was clinging to the wall about thirty feet in the air! Rather than slide down the featureless concrete, he found that he was gripping it effortlessly.

Izuku looked around at his hands and feet in utter amazement. His toes and fingers seemed to be providing him with excellent grip. Tentatively he reached upward and gripped the wall. His hand stuck easily to the damp, smooth surface. Mouth falling open in incredulity, he started to crawl up the vertical wall as easily as crawling on the floor. Increasing his speed, he began rushing upwards. He was dimly aware of the voices of the thugs beneath him, but they were quickly fading.

Before he know it he was clambering over the edge of the apartment building. Standing now atop his dizzying vantage point he saw the neighbourhoods of the slums sparwling out around him; a crooked network of graffiti scrawled alleys and dark side streets that were quickly lost between the dull concrete tenements. However what had once been an imposing barricade just seconds ago was now barely an obstacle.

I could go anywhere I want to... He thought numbly before a smile slowly crept over his face. Anywhere! 

Before he could fully consider the possibilities, his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of shouting from the alleyway below. Leaning over, he saw that his clueless pursuers were now violently searching through the trash of the alley. Evidently they hadn't seen him escape and they were now busily shouting angry epithets while throwing stinking garbage bags into the air in their mad delve deeper into the trash of the alley.

A sharp bark of laughter burst from Izuku's throat as he watched them scurry to and fro, searching in vain for someone who wasn't there. When it was clear he wasn't in the alley, the goons frustration caused them to turn on each other and a deafening argument broke out about whose fault it was that he escaped.

Throughout it all they never once looked up.