So, uh, I made this quick little thing...
You Say Run (My Hero Academia/DC)
Teaser: Faster Than a Symbol of Peace
Here's the sad truth. All men are not created equal. When I was four years old, I learned that some kids have more power than others.
Twenty percent of the world's population is quirkless. And I was one of them. I didn't want to let that stop me. Despite not having a quirk, I still dreamed of being a hero, until one day that changed my life. On that day, I met All Might.
All Might.
All Might was the world's most popular hero. Age unknown. Quirk unidentifiable. He broke onto the hero scene and was an immediate hit, thanks to his abilities. Ever since he appeared, crime rates have drastically decreased, his very existence a deterrent for many would-be villains. The world's a safer place. They don't just call him the Symbol of Peace. It's what he is. And this pillar of justice said to me,
"Can you be a hero? Not without a quirk."
And maybe he was right. I suppose I'll never know.
* * *
Midoriya Izuku sat in the back of the ambulance in a daze as a paramedic gave him the once-over. He had been having a bit of a rough day, to say the least. Kacchan had ruined one of his notebooks, and he'd been attacked by a villain. But then he'd been saved by
All Might! And got his autograph!
"At least he did something, which is more than I can say for you guys."
But then, All Might told him he couldn't be a hero. Then Kacchan had been attacked by that same villain who had gotten away because he'd been so stupid! It was all his fault!
"Our quirks weren't suited-"
"And neither was his, obviously, or he'd have used it. You don't need to use a quirk to help."
So many heroes were just standing around because they didn't have the right quirks, but he couldn't just stand there and watch Kacchan die! So maybe it was stupid, but-
"Come on, kid, give the police your statement, and I'll walk you home, okay? Kid? Kid?"
Midoriya blinked and looked up. There he was, the hero who had just saved him and Kacchan from the sludge villain: the Legacy Hero, Flash.
"Ah! Yes, of course, Flash, sir!" he sputtered as he snapped upright.
"Relax, kid," Flash said. "No need to be so formal."
"R-right," Midoriya stammered as Flash took him by the shoulder and gently began guiding him away from the ambulance to one of the police cars. It didn't take long to give his statement, and before he knew it, he was walking alongside Flash away from the scene of the action.
Flash was a great hero, Japan's Number 7 -- which was really impressive, since his agency was actually headquartered in the US -- and the third to carry the name. Sure, he didn't fight the kind of villains All Might did, but there were very few that could match his rescue record -- who else could claim to have single-handedly saved an entire city's population from a nuclear explosion? -- or the sheer reach of his heroics, literally worldwide, and he always made time to talk to his fans.
On any other day, Midoriya would have been prattling on, eagerly asking him for an autograph and burying him in questions about his quirk and exploits. But not today.
The silence as they walked toward his home felt oppressive to Midoriya, and behind him, Flash frowned, noting the boy's hunched shoulders and depressed state.
"What's your name, kid?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.
"M-Midoriya. Midoriya Izuku."
"Well, Midoriya Izuku, that was pretty brave of you, running in like that," Flash said. "Dumb, but brave. What were you even planning to do?"
"I... I wasn't," Midoriya admitted. "My body just... moved on its own."
Flash chuckled. "Well, you've got good impulses, kid, I'll give you that, but next time, maybe try coming up with a plan first?"
Midoriya stopped and blinked, turning to look up at the scarlet-clad hero in confusion.
"'N-next time'?" he repeated.
"C'mon, the way you rushed in like that?" Flash replied, arching an eyebrow. It was fascinating how expressive he could be even with the parts of his face that were covered by his mask. "You've got the heart of a hero. Don't try and tell me you're not aiming to get your pro license."
"N-no," Midoriya said, shaking his head, "I-I can't be a hero."
Flash snorted. "What idiot told you that?"
"A-All Might."
Flash laughed for a good long moment, then trailed off when he realized the boy wasn't joining in. He frowned. "Wait, seriously?"
Midoriya nodded.
"Well... he's a great guy and a great hero, but he's not perfect," Flash said, trying to salvage the situation. "He's still human. He makes mistakes, just like the rest of us, and I'd say he made one when he told you that."
"But I'm quirkless!" Midoriya cried.
"So?" Flash fired back instinctively. But... that explained a lot, actually, about the way this kid was acting.
I'm going to have to have words
with Toshi, he thought, with no small amount of annoyance.
For now, though, he took a moment to frame his next words carefully: "Like I said before, you don't need to use a quirk to help, and... well, when you boil it down to the basics, that's what being a hero is: helping. That's why, in a crisis, heroes are the ones who run towards the danger. Just like you did."
"You... you really think I can be a hero? Even without a quirk?" Midoriya's voice was tremulous, his eyes shimmering with the faintest flicker of hope.
Flash's expression turned serious.
"It would take a lot of training, a lot of support equipment, and a lot of luck," he said finally. "It'd be dangerous, and I'm not gonna lie, your life expectancy wouldn't be very long, but... can you be a hero without a quirk? I don't see why not. There are plenty of heroes out there whose quirks aren't much good in a fight, after all."
Midoriya nodded, his face set with determination, a fire blazing in his eyes.
"Yeah," he declared. "I'm
going to be a hero, no matter what Kacchan or All Might or anyone else says!"
Flash nodded and flashed him -- heh -- an encouraging smile. "I believe you, kid."
Kraka-Thoom!
He looked up at the darkening sky. "Anyway, we should probably get you home. Looks like there's a storm brewing. Probably from that little twister I made." He looked back down and gave Midoriya a wink and a smile. "Whoops."
Quirk or no quirk, this kid's got the will to go far, Flash thought.
I wonder if the world's ready for a quirkless hero?
That was a question that would have to wait for another day, another hero, as fate, it seemed, had other plans.
KRAKA-THOOM!
