Izuku walked down the street with his notebook open, jotting down ideas as he went.
"If her Quirk increases size… then her mobility probably drops, unless there's some kind of compensation…"
He stepped beneath a low bridge, still focused on the page.
Something shifted.
From the nearby sewer cover, thick green sludge began to seep through the gaps, slow at first, then gathering.
"Perfect," a voice murmured. "A new body."
The sludge surged forward.
Izuku looked up—and froze.
It was already on him.
"Wait—!"
The slime swallowed him whole.
It pressed over his face, forcing its way into his mouth and nose, cutting off his breath.
"Relax," the voice said. "It'll only hurt for a moment. Then it'll be over."
The mass twisted, forming uneven eyes and a wide, warped grin.
A Quirk…!
Izuku clawed at it, trying to tear it away, but his hands slipped through as if grasping water.
I can't breathe—
There's nothing to push against—
"Struggling won't help," the villain said calmly. "I'm fluid. You can't hold me."
Izuku's chest tightened. His vision began to dim at the edges.
"You're actually helping me, you know," the sludge continued. "Didn't expect to find someone like you here."
No—
Not like this—
His thoughts began to scatter, slipping away from him.
Then—
"Don't be afraid. I am here!"
The voice cut cleanly through the panic.
A figure dropped into view, powerful and unmistakable. One punch shattered the moment—the sewer cover burst apart, the sludge recoiled, the air itself seemed to clear.
All Might.
Izuku barely registered it.
So this is—
Darkness closed in.
—
When he came to, something was tapping his shoulder.
"…Hey. You okay?"
Izuku blinked and sat up—and then froze.
All Might stood right in front of him.
Not on a screen.
Not in a video.
Right there.
"Y-You're—! It's really—!" Izuku scrambled to his feet, words tripping over each other. "Wait—my notebook—where is it—?"
He dropped to the ground, searching until he found it.
He opened it with shaking hands.
There, on the page, was a bold, unmistakable signature.
"I got it… I actually got it…" His voice wavered. "I got All Might's autograph…"
"Sorry about that," All Might said, rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't mean to drag you into that."
He held up a plastic bottle. Inside, the green sludge churned, contained and sealed.
"Thanks to you, I was able to catch him."
Izuku stared at the bottle, then back at him.
"Consider the autograph an apology," All Might added with a smile. "Keep cheering me on."
He gave a quick wave and bent his knees slightly, ready to leave.
"Wait!"
Izuku moved before he could think.
He grabbed onto All Might's leg.
A moment later, they were in the air.
All Might glanced down, surprised. "That's a bit much, don't you think? Let go!"
"I can't!" Izuku shouted over the rushing wind. "If I let go, I'll die!"
"…That's true!"
"I just—have something I need to ask you!"
The wind tore his words apart as he spoke.
"All right, all right—close your mouth before you swallow something!"
All Might coughed quietly under his breath.
Not much time left.
They landed on a rooftop moments later.
Izuku let go immediately, stumbling back as his legs struggled to steady themselves.
"That was… terrifying…"
"You could've just asked someone to bring you up here," All Might said, straightening. "I don't really have time for this."
"Wait—please!"
"No time—"
"If someone doesn't have a Quirk… can they still become a hero like you?"
The question stopped him.
All Might went still.
"…A Quirk," he repeated.
His body tensed.
"—!"
He staggered slightly.
Izuku didn't notice. His head was lowered, hands clenched tightly.
"It's not just that I don't have one… people have always treated me like I'm useless."
He hesitated, searching for the right words.
"I don't understand everything yet. But…"
His fingers tightened.
"I think saving people is incredible."
He looked up.
"A hero who can smile no matter what, and still save others without hesitation—"
His voice steadied.
"I want to be someone like that."
Silence followed.
Then—
A burst of white smoke filled the space where All Might had been standing.
Izuku blinked.
The figure in front of him was… different.
Much thinner. Frail, almost.
"W-What—?"
His thoughts stalled.
"Did he just… shrink?"
"…That wasn't…"
He stared, unable to make sense of what he was seeing.
The towering Symbol of Peace—
was gone.