184Green Scale
Chapter 1 ~ A Green Ember
Rated M
I Don't Own My Hero Academia
Hello everyone and welcome to the story.
As you can probably already tell, this will be a story about how Izuku Midoriya slowly becomes a villain. Instead of diving right in and making him evil or against heroes, I'm going to portray this kid as just a fraction of his canon self, so that he still wants to be a hero like All Might, but sees his family as his main inspiration (you'll see much more of them as the story progresses). His story will be one that seems pleasant and normal, but will slowly divulge into chaos. Don't expect anything too dark within the first 20 or so chapters, but after that point, our main character will begin to show cracks in his beliefs and the ways he goes about things. He's far darker and more mature in this reality, but he still has the same hopes and dreams that he does in canon, so you can expect the story to line up pretty well to the events of the anime and manga.
Bear in mind that this is my first fic and I consider myself to be a learner in writing, so it probably won't measure up to the best of the best in this fandom. Nonetheless; I'm still gonna try and make this enjoyable for you all. (that's more of a safety net to prevent my dumbass from being slaughtered in the reviews…)
Anyway, in the first chapter, we will begin with a small glimpse of the future as a 2nd year Izuku writes to his classmates, but the catch is that he's writing it a year before they read it, meaning that many things will happen during the time he writes it and the time they receive the letter. After that, we will explore Izuku's character and how he views the world, how different he is to the Izuku we see in the anime and manga, and finally; we will get to the moment where he gets his quirk.
By the title and description of this fic, it will obviously be one that gives him the power of a dragon, but in a different way than what Ryukyu's quirk does. I'm not going into the details, because the next chapters will explain it , but I think it's quite cool, so I hope you like the idea.
But yeah, that's pretty much it. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to bother with this, and I appreciate any constructive criticism and positivity that comes my way, though I expect to get shat on ( T ʖ̯ T)
Hope y'all enjoy!
(The Future)
Dear friends…
Since I'm probably sending this off a year before you all read through it, I shouldn't expect you to understand, but I can guess that the world you know is already ending. It began with the war against the Liberation Front, and then your fates were sealed when the world launched an attack on our home, and although I do believe that it wasn't all your fault, certain elements made us all grow distant and with the increasing number of people after my power, I became a threat to you all, so I can understand if some of you at UA hate every last drop of my blood.
At first, I hated the idea of going against the world and straying from the path of a hero, but as I fought alongside the strongest and accepted the ideology of my family, I saw how flawed the justice system really is...and I even found out that the very word "hero" has been spat on enough that now it's just a job for gluttonous scum. It was then that I decided that I'd follow the approach of the very man I one day must kill, and vowed to break open the shell of this rotting planet and breathe new life into everything that society has decayed.
I do appreciate everything that UA has done for me up till this point, and when I abandoned that life, I truly did have regrets, but there was nothing that you or your school could offer me. Most of these "friendships" I built up over these two years have been nothing but safety nets to rescue me if I happen to make a mistake and reveal my true nature. You were all pawns, and you played your roles to a tee. The only ones I did consider worth keeping have already left by the time you find my letter, and they are firmly devoted to me and my dream, so you can forget trying to win them over.
This isn't some type of vengeful rant towards all of you...but rather a warning to those that still think they can touch me…
By this point, in my second year at UA High, I've already surpassed that false symbol and his fated rival, and I now stand as one of the strongest creatures on this planet. You may think of my goals as tyrannical and evil, but I'm afraid you aren't seeing the bigger picture, and certain circumstances prevent me from revealing why. I do what I do for a greater reality that isn't stagnated by the unworthy trash getting powers they don't deserve, or isn't polluted by false ideas of heroism. I've transformed my childhood dream of being the next symbol of peace into something that can genuinely shake the very fabric of this earth, and although I'm no longer virtuous and shining in your eyes, I must commit despicable acts to crush evil at its core...and no matter how you feel about it, you cannot deny that it's the only way to get rid of the darkness that surrounds this thing we call life.
It's not gonna be long before everything collides and the strongest walks through the smoke, and I intend to be the one that survives after all this. My advice for you is to get somewhere safe and wait out the storm. That's the most that weaklings like you can amount to from now on…
I really do apologize for what's happened and what is to come, but there wasn't another way to oppose Red Scale and his followers. Villains have an edge in the world, as they can fight and live their lives without being bound by the law, and if I'm gonna eventually fight a villain capable of rendering this very earth to a flaming ball of black soil, then I need every possible advantage. We've all lost people in life, but I've had it worse than any one of you, from being used for my strength, to having to watch several loved ones die before my eyes. All I get as a consolation is a pat on the back and some shallow words of pity.
In the end, when everyone is gone and there remains just us two dragons on the battlefield, I'm gonna change the world and make it a brilliant eutopia. Cease your delusions and come to an understanding that you can't stop me, because if you do interfere from now on, I'll have to cut you all down.
- Izuku Midoriya
(Present Day)
Izuku was walking home from school that afternoon, just after another horrid day courtesy of Bakugou's cruelty. How anyone would want a psycho like that saving their lives was beyond him. The pain and humiliation of being a victim of bullying had long since faded into irrelevance for Izuku, and now, he just sighed and took the beatings instead of trying, and always failing to stand up for himself or those around him.
He looked at being bullied as an advantage in life, being able to know that the hero system is a dog eat dog world from a young age, and the fact that horrible little monsters like Bakugou would always plague his time on this planet. He was naive, sure, but someone with the natural genius of Izuku could tell obvious facts of life from a mile away, and all of these "unfortunate outcomes" were all due to him being weak.
That was all there was to it...
The day hadn't been all bad though, as he was able to meet with All Might after he defeated the slime monster that was seemingly going to kill him. All Might was and still is his number 1 idol in the entire world, the symbol of peace that had made Izuku's feet trudge their way to school even in the worst times of his life. He was someone that shone a much needed light inside Midoriya's world, and it was unthinkable how anyone could hate him.
Izuku, or Deku as Kacchan called him, was a powerless loser in society, quirkless and frail, meaning that he was completely at the mercy of almost any villain that dared attack him, and most of the time, he could do nothing about it. Of course, his brother taught him various forms of martial arts before he departed for America, but that would do little to nothing without a power quirk like All Might, so he was just helpless to not just criminals, but his middle school bullies.
People like Midoriya were never able to succeed in the first place, doomed for a life of failure by the asshole god that granted people these powers at random. He couldn't ever be a hero - not with his pathetic strength - and the only jobs he could do were office work and part time things that only got him enough for food and electric, because quirk users had long since taken all the worthwhile jobs away in the blink of an eye.
With the rise of the supernatural people came both benefits and setbacks for the ordinary, and those setbacks heavily outnumbered anything positive. Why on earth would you want some average joe working with you when you could have a gifted person with superpowers that could come in use? People didn't just change into devils overnight and discriminated. It was just the obvious way things would go.
It was truly an unfair world he lived in…
Though Izuku wasn't one to bitch and moan about things like hardship, as he'd already experienced enough of that in the past. He just needed to see it through to the end, wherever that end may be. He used to be a happy and free kid until he
his brother went away. Now he only put on that face to try and make people accept him as a friend or even as a peer, while he hid his nasty thoughts inside his head.
Speaking of hardship; Izuku was no stranger to the feeling of loss, and had his hopes and dreams crushed multiple times….
Just a few moments ago, All Might had told him that he couldn't be a hero without a quirk, and while that would completely crush the dreams of everyone else should they have been in the same position, Izuku just accepted it, because to some extent it was true.
Surprisingly, All Might was false in his beliefs, as quirkless people actually could become heroes if they had special talents, but on the other hand, he was right in that no man or woman without a quirk would ever be significant anymore.
A depressing fact, but one that the Midoriya family was well aware of from it's creation.
He used to be in a family of four, a happy family that was never in any danger at all…
His Mother was still with him to this day, being the only person important to him that was still around. When the eldest son and father left to work overseas, she began to go through a stage of grief, and with the diagnosis of her son's quirklessness, she developed an eating disorder. She was still holding on to some deluded hope, for the sake of her son, who is now the last thing she has left in her life.
Izuku's father was known as the world's greatest quirk scientist; being the only man capable of making these superpowers from scratch and being able to dictate and control what those powers would be. He was both respected and feared across the globe, not only for his endless wealth and deadly amount of influence, but for the one agency he had partial control over… Even though the world could look past the mystery of how quirks came to be and how his father controlled them; all these unanswered questions left a huge cloud of doubt over whether he was on humanity's side or not...
His beloved older half-brother possessed the same level of intellect that Izuku and his father did, but he was also known for his work as a hero. Although he only had one public incident to his name, the American hero system gave him the Number 1 rank when he was only 20, and the entire world saw him as a symbol of strength. No one in the world knew just how strong he was, or if he even had a quirk, but the one incident he was renowned for made it undoubtedly clear that he was fit to acquire the role as the most powerful in the west...
His father and brother stood at the very top of the world, but not a single person knew they were related to Izuku, and that was because his father wanted to keep them out of the public eye, protecting them from any villains trying to get back at him, and it worked. Though they shared the same last name, they were just so mediocre that no one would ever think them to be related.
Shortly after being diagnosed quirkless, his father kept telling him that he did have a quirk, and his brother wholeheartedly supported his father's beliefs. In any other case, Izuku would have thought his father was deluded, but both of them cared enough to not make him lose sight of reality, and the fact that they were saying that to him meant that he could actually have power...
And although the lack of harassment from the media wasn't horrible, it meant that he'd probably not see his father and brother until he was able to travel over to America with his mom in the future.
"I wonder what Akira would do in this situation…"
The clouds in the sky were beginning to twist into a murky grey, spelling rain, and Izuku thought it was best to quickly make his way home before any of his non-burned clothes were ruined by the water. The weather somewhat reflected his sombre mood as he broke out into a colourless sprint, and just thinking about it made all the air in his lungs suddenly vanish, like the most crushing feeling of boredom was making him gag…
If he had power, those people wouldn't have had to suffer…
He was turning a corner when he heard various shrieks, loud and obnoxious, coming from a few buildings away, and when he looked up out of habit, he could clearly see the black fumes of smoke that surrounded the area in question.
'Another villain attack huh? Do we even have any competent heroes in this neighborhood?'
His dull green eyes looked at the flames without much care, only feelings of pity for the victims being visible through his expressions…
He would normally jump at the chance to see a villain attack in the flesh, not because he was some disturbed freak that got off on watching people die, but because when the heroes showed up, he would be able to get useful info on them all. Originally, he intended to use it as a guide for when he became a hero, so he could strengthen himself by improving the flaws of the heroes he saw, but since he was diagnosed as quirkless, it had reverted back to a hobby that never truly vanished from his mind.
Though now, he was just tired of the whole thing for today, after having one of his notebooks tossed in the trash by Katsuki of all people, and those introverts that stuck to him like infested leeches, he just felt disgusted by the idea.
Just the thought of those scum made him seethe...
However, he just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see a villain attack, personal feelings aside...
Walking up to the crowd of people; he saw that they numbered over 200 and they all looked far more appalled than usual.
The gigantic villain that showed up in the morning and fought Kamui Woods and Mt Lady, just before he got to school, was some small fry that had a strong quirk but didn't know how to use it and was therefore easily dispatched, and all of the spectators looked like they couldn't care less as long as they didn't go into the line of fire.
But this was different…
Most of the people in the crowd were sweating either from the heat or the fear they were experiencing, and he could hear audible gulps come from those with the best view of the disaster. Some of them whispered things about it being 'terrible' and 'a horror' which was the norm whenever a powerful villain came about, but since the area of land destroyed was small and there were very few heroes responding to it, Izuku got suspicious…
'A hostage situation? The public would only be so concerned over that, and the chances of the victim being young are high… Why are these heroes being held up so easily?'
As he reached the front, he was surprised to see the hero Death Arms sprawled out on the floor, groggily getting back to his feet after being knocked back by whatever villain he was fighting.
Now that was concerning enough…
Death Arms; one of the new promising heroes that had just jumped onto the scene, was already ranked in the top 200 heroes in Japan and was known for his strength quirk that allowed him to bend steel without even breaking a sweat and throw punches that could shatter stone. Compared to All Might, he was but a cheap knock off, but he was still damn formidable. For a hero such as him to be pushed back is a very worrying thing.
Meanwhile, Mt Lady, another newcomer on the rise, was stuck on a small road with the huge risk of collateral damage if she challenged the villain. She was helpless in a situation like this…
Backdraft, a member of the Musutafu fire department, was already having his hands full with the raging fire, using his water quirk to quell the flames...
And finally, Kamui Woods, who was already well into the top 100 ranked pro-heroes, was useless due to the fire in front of him.
Izuku gritted his teeth in frustration, angry at the pathetic display…
People were dying because they were too scared to be injured by the fire…
Suddenly, a frail old man caught his eye, mustard yellow hair sticking out like a sore thumb and his sunken features making Izuku question whether he should call an ambulance for him instead of the people dying in the fire. He was in terrible shape and looked to be even more worried than the rest of the crowd, but his face seemed similar somehow…
But why?
However, as he stared straight ahead into the raging fire, a figure could be seen in the near distance, swirling around in a liquid like state; its thick appendages reached out and sent buildings toppling with ease. Inhuman laughs echoed off of the walls and debris crumbled onto the ground with every attack.
This was a strong one...
But upon taking another hard look at the monster, the boy recognised it...
That slime…
Then, it all came back to him…
When he grabbed All Might's leg in the thick of the moment, he must have loosened the hero's grip on the bottle he was holding, resulting in what was in front of his eyes now…
It was his fault…
That was all he felt right now, along with the uncomfortable sensation of seeing the face of the villain that nearly took his life…
But then, he saw a head of blonde hair in the vortex of sludge, and the raging red pupils of the boy he hated most in the world…
'Katsuki!?'
The boy in question being Katsuki Bakugou, was being drained by the monster, using his powerful explosion quirk to try and blast away the villain, but all that ended up doing was causing the fire that was stopping Kamui Woods. He struggled like a wild beast that had been locked in a cage, starving and angry, but Izuku saw fear in his face.
Those dark red eyes that usually swam with hatred and cruelty inside were now showing something akin to primal terror as he struggled for his life. That monster could easily end him with a single squeeze, but it was choosing to absorb him instead to gain his quirk and power, so even some rash idiot like Bakugou could tell that his life was very much at risk.
Despite himself, Izuku couldn't help but act...
Without thinking, he dropped his bag on the floor and pushed back the crowd of useless spectators, avoiding Death Arms' shocked expression as he jumped over the downed hero.
People began to shout for the other heroes to rescue him, but he paid them no heed. He could tell that none of them would be able to save him if he ran any further now, and he had no intention of looking back.
What happened to him? What was this force that propelled him to rush forward and attempt to save this bastard that had driven him near suicide multiple times? There was only one answer, which was the heroic trait he possessed from watching All Might so much. Courageous bravery was good and all, but he was heading right into the maw of a deadly villain to save his childhood bully, risking his body and life for someone he considered scum…
So why?
That didn't matter…
Before he could even make his next move, he saw a murky green hand of slime engulf his field of vision, and a pain like no other engulfed him…
The last thing he felt before he passed out was a boiling heat running through his body…
He was panting and thought like he was about ready to keel over and die from exhaustion, but he continued to walk…
He'd regained consciousness just a few minutes ago and came to find himself atop a large flat with no signs of any hero or villain putting him there…
His body felt hot, but not like your average fever…
Just touching his oddly hard skin was like pressing your finger on a boiling pan…
All he remembered was being knocked out by that sludge villain's swipe, and now he was walking the streets of Musutafu, alone and confused…
His hearing was a load better, and he felt like he didn't have a limit to what he could see from a distance. All his limbs seemed heavier and more powerful, while his breath was hot like steam…
What was going on?
Was the whole thing with the villain a dream?
[And now, we have some breaking news coming from the suburbs of Musutafu. Recently, there was a hostage situation involving a slime villain and a middle school student, and the heroes on the scene showed no signs of being able to save the victim, but one thing did…]
Izuku heard something behind him playing, and he thought it was odd, but as he listened, he drew similarities…
Then, he turned to a huge screen almost a kilometer away from him…
The volume was standard, but it felt like it was playing into his ear…
[A green and black fire erupted around the two and the child was thrown out of the villain's liquid body by another person, whose identity we have yet to uncover. This fire destroyed the surrounding area and killed a large number of people ranging from 20 to 50, and was easily able to destroy concrete and steel like it was burning away paper, to the shock and horror of onlookers.]
Izuku began to sweat and his heart hammered in his chest…
[M-Most people have now seen this as a dark omen, with the last black fire quirk belonging to the most horrid villain in the world's history, whos influence knew no bounds. While there has been no confirmation on whether or not that same quirk was used, we do know that it has a striking resemblance to the one belonging to the draconic villain R-Red Scale…]
He heard the news anchor stumble on the name, as it striked a crippling fear into everyone, even 15 years after the horrible massacre…
That villain was once followed by four other extremely powerful criminals, all outclassing any hero alive at the time. He boasted an impenetrable defence and an unstoppable offence with just his physical body alone, and when he let loose that crimson fire of his, all hope of victory against the menace was lost. He'd conquered almost all of the world with Asia being the final place awaiting destruction, and it was here in Musutafu that the malevolent red and black dragon finally called off his seemingly never ending hunt…
No one knew why he left them all alive, but they still feared even the slightest whisper of his existence. No one even had the courage to even insult or mock him, as they were all terrified of the possibility that he was listening…
Just one man made the entire world kneel, and then abandoned his throne without leaving a trace...
That villain wielded a red and black fire, and now this was a green variant with some fragment of the same strength…
There was no way…
He refused to believe that was true...
[There was another child at the scene, but even with the combined efforts of the police and heroes, no one could clearly see and identify him. The victim of the attack was in the same school, and could probably know something about the boy's whereabouts, but he has refused to speak to authorities, perhaps due to trauma. All we know is that this boy was the one responsible for the fire, and he is the possessor of the quirk so strikingly similar to that of the crimson dragon…]
…
The heat that had built within him…
Was that really the telling sign…
Did he really...have the same power as that monster?
How could something like that ever come to pass?
"You shouldn't worry yourself boy… You are a Midoriya, and you are my son, so you will have the power to make your dreams a reality. Don't despair about the hand this life has dealt you, and don't let your dreams be dreams… One day, you will shine brighter than anyone else…"
From that moment on, when Izuku realised he was in possession of a world changing quirk…
A new monster would be born…
A wolf in sheep's clothing…
This man would be known by many names…
But the one this earth would come to fear was…
Green Scale...
