Chapter 66 - My SI Stash #66 - Total Command by Epsilon110 (My Hero Academia) (2/2)

”FOR I AM HERE!”

Before he knew what was happening, the slime villain was blown off him. He felt his insides rattle from a shockwave.

She did that with just the air pressure of her punch!?

His internal gyroscope won over the imbalance caused by the punch and he managed to land on his feet, skidding to a halt. He slowly looked up and saw her, standing proud with her signature grin.

His idol, the number one hero.

”A-All Might?” he squeaked out before promptly falling on his a_s_s unconscious.

He woke up to a calloused, but slender hand slapping him softly and repeatedly. ”Young one? Young one are you ok?” His eyes snapped open and saw All Might looking down on him, her golden hair flowing free with two bangs in that signature gravity-defying V-shape.

She is gorgeous up close- Wait, up close?!

With an undignified yelp, he scooted back away from the hero with a blush on his face. ”A-Aall Might?! You saved me?” He tore his eyes away from the larger-than-life stature of All Might: tall and muscular. He looked around trying to find his bag as his inner fanboy kicked in.

”C-can I ha-” He saw her holding up the backpack he was looking for. She tossed it to him with her usual gallant smile and he was awestruck to find his notebook inside... ”You already signed it? Thank you!” He began to bow rapidly. She nodded in response and patted the bottles in her pocket, where he could see green slime flowing within them. She had caught the villain.

”Take it as an apology for letting her-” her smile faltered only an increment, Izuku barely managed to catch it- ”get to you.”

Izuku bowed down once more ”I-it's really no problem, ma'am. Y-you don't need to apologize.”

She looked him over and saw the redness on his throat ”If that mark-” she pointed at his throat, causing him to reach up and touch it reflexively and wince a little as he felt his throat ache again- ”got on you. That's on me, so…”

”Midoriya,” Izuku answered the unspoken question.

”So, I am sorry, Young Midoriya.” The number one hero felt her time limit make itself known in the back of her head. ”But with that I must take my leave, more people to save!” She crouched down and got ready to jump.

Suddenly, Izuku's body reared back to life ”Wait, All Migh-” Seeing her start to unleash the potential energy in her legs to jump, he reacted.

And grabbed onto her leg.

All Might felt... off, even more than she usually did as her body broke down on her. It felt like one of her legs was heavier… But that didn't make sen-

She looked down.

”Midoriya?! What are you doing! Let go!” He looked back at her with watery eyes and flappy lips as they soared through the air. ”Oh... right...”

After a graceful landing on an abandoned rooftop, All Might looked back at her unexpected passenger. ”Look kid, I'm worried about you, but don't overstep it.” She turned her back and started to prep up for another jump. Izuku managed to shake off his near-death experience and blurted his question out, looking down.

”Can a man be a hero?”

All Might halted and then felt her limit break. Steam started billowing from her frame as she shrank. Her muscular form ebbed away, and her skin tightened around her skeleton as her muscles deflated.

”Can a man save people with a fearless smile on their face, like you? It's just... even before I could speak, I wanted to be a hero, to save people just like y-” He looked up and saw a skeletal impostor where his hero used to be. ”-ouuuuuuuuuuuu...” His mouth slammed shut.

”Imposto-” He raised an accusatory finger only to be silenced by said impostor raising her hand up.

”It's me, Midoriya-” She was interrupted by blood spewing from her mouth.

”I am All Might.”

”A shapeshifting villain? No, then why would she save me… A shapeshifting hero? Why would she fake being All Might? Then all the credit would go to her-”

”Midoriya-”

”A shapeshifting vigilante? That's possib-”

”MIDORIYA!”

Izuku found himself standing salute. ”Yes, All Might!” he yelled before he caught himself. That person isn't All Might, she couldn't b-

”Look, kid, It's me, and since you have seen this much...” Her sunken blue eyes pierced his green ones as she pulled up her shirt. He immediately covered them and started blushing. ”Not that you- Just look over here!” He peeked through his fingers to see a savage scar on her side. ”The smile is hollow,” she stated, ”much like the facade I need to keep after I got this wound five years ago.”

He shuddered looking at the scar. If it's half as deep as it was wide, then how is she even aliv-

”Wait, five years ago? Was it in the battle with Toxic Chainsaw?”

All Might lost her serious look and chuckled slightly. ”I don't know if I should be creeped out or impressed that you know enough about me to even guess that.” The smile melted away. ”But no. It was from an undisclosed attack.”

Izuku's knees started to feel weak as she continued her speech. ”The Symbol of Peace should never bow to evil, so this information stays between us.” She let her shirt down, covering her wound again. ”And, kid, I am sorry but... You can't be a hero.”

Izuku had a hard time breathing as All Might went on. ”You've seen what happened to-” She sighed. ”Even me.” He could tell she didn't want to add that. ”I can't condone someone quirkless going after villains and endangering themselves.”

She rose to her feet and patted his shoulder before turning and walking away. ”But don't worry Midoriya, there are many other ways to become someone's hero. Firefighting, police work, charity…” She sighed again. ”I'm sure you will find a way, but don't obscure the facts… For your own safety.”

Izuku managed to whimper out an 'I see…' as she opened the roof access and left.

He desperately grasped at his collar, trying to unbutton it and allow air into his empty lungs.

I see...

”What the f_u_c_k are you doing?” Katsumi snarled, glaring at one of her lackeys and grabbing the cigarette out of her elongated fingers before proceeding to stomp on it.

”Hey, c-calm down, Kaccha- ” she yelped as an explosion went off in the ash blonde's hands.

” You don't get to call me that... ”

”Oooooo~” the explosive teen turned around to see the source of the sound and got a mouthful of slime for her effort.

”Quite the quirk you got there, Camouflage~” Katsumi felt her body being invaded by the slime.

Her cowardly lackeys already running away.

Her hands started to go off with explosions against her will in panic.

It was a blur for her; battling with her own body to stay conscious took its toll, so she didn't even notice the time passing. In the blink of an eye, the alleyway she was in was covered in flames and the entrance was surrounded by heroes. Yet none took a step forward to actually come and help her.

Why... She was feeling herself fade. Why is no one helping me?

She could imagine why.

Karma.

She couldn't help but think of the greenish-black mop of hair that she had been friends with way back when-

”Kacchan!”

God, I really am dying if I'm already hearing voices - She saw the familiar black mop dashing towards her.

De-Deku!?

Izuku had managed to break through the wall of civilians and heroes and was running towards her at speeds she couldn't even imagine him reaching.

No! Go away!

You'll get hurt...

”You lost your chance boy~” the villain mocked him as she lashed out with a tendril.

The next few seconds were replayed in the news for a week straight.

Izuku, now seemingly powered by a goddamn god, did a combat flip under the tendril, not even slowing down a little as his hand grabbed onto a decently-sized rock which he pitched hard at the villain as he got back up.

There was a soft 'What the f_u_c_k?' from one of the heroes as the stone flew from his hand and stuck true in the eye of the villain.

As the villain screeched in pain, the tendrils lost their grip on Katsumi, allowing her to get a well-needed gulp of air. But before she could ask what the f_u_c_k_i_n_g hell he was doing here, he was in front of her. Red boots ground against the asphalt as Izuku pivoted his body and speared the mass of slime with his arm, grabbing hold of her waist.

Katsumi hadn't felt him initiate contact in ages, but as his hand wrapped around her tightly, she felt…

Safe.

Throwing his other leg to the side, the green-eyed hero wannabe twisted his whole body fluidly and managed to pull Katsumi out of the villain's grasp.

”BLOW HER THE F_U_C_K UP!” he screamed as he pulled her to an embrace, his body between the villain and her defensively. Katsumi complied and rose her arms up to the 'face' of her tormentor, taking some p_l_e_a_s_u_r_e in the outright horror that was found in the villain's one good eye.

And let loose an explosion.

The whole street shook.