Chapter Text
Izuku felt like he was drifting, sinking, like he was in deep water, descending far more than should be possible, yet still breathing as if he was on the surface. He was weightless, free, unburdened. Yet... why was he here? He kept going deeper, and deeper, but soon, he felt his body shift, as if he was getting to his feet. But that couldn't be right, could it? There was nothing around him, nothing. Just a deep, empty black void, no light, yet he could see his own hands clear as day. Izuku looked around him, noting how he could vaguely feel a solid floor beneath his feet, noting how he was wearing his workout clothes, a simple forest green hoodie with short sleeves, dark grey shorts, his trademark red shoes, and the necklace that he and his friends each had a version of, Izuku's being shaped like a crown. The boy didn't know where he was, or even how he got here, and yet he felt perfectly calm, like he was safe here.
Suddenly, there was a small speck of light on the 'floor,' and another, and another until they were filling a perfect circle around the boy, and suddenly the light turned into a massive flock of white doves, all of which took flight, soaring together into the void ahead. Izuku was in awe, especially since they didn't even seem to touch him once during their chaotic take-off. Izuku shifted his foot, hearing a squeaking sound. And looking down, he saw that his surroundings had changed.
There was still a black abyss surrounding him, but below him was now a massive circular platform made of stained glass. It depicted a girl, probably around Izuku's age, with dark blue hair in pigtails and wearing a grey jacket with rolled-up sleeves. She had her eyes closed, perhaps sleeping, and she was in a sitting position on one end of the glass. On the other was the same girl, but wearing what seemed to be a Hero Costume, albeit a simple one, only a red bodysuit with black spots, and a matching domino mask. She was upside down, like the two were in a Yin and Yang sort of thing. Speaking of which, in the centre were the images of two small creatures, one red and black, and another purely black with a slight tint of green that resembled a cat, both circling each other similarly. Around the creatures were five symbols that reminded Izuku of different animals. On the edges were twelve other symbols that soon registered to the boy as being the Chinese Zodiac.
"So much to do, so little time..." A voice echoed, Izuku being unable to place its source. He... felt oddly calm, all things considered. Izuku looked around at the void, still not seeing anything but the endless black "Take your time... Don't be afraid. Now, step forward." Seeing nothing else to do, the boy started walking ahead, making his way to the centre of the platform he was on. Suddenly, a trio of lights appeared on the edges of the platform, and pedestals rose up from them, Sudden orbs of light forming into objects floating above them, one with a shield, one with some sort of wand, and one with a sword.
"Power sleeps within you." The voice began "If you give it form, it will give you strength. Choose well." Power in him? But Izuku was Quirkless, literally the least powerful kind of human in the world, what could he possibly have that no one else does?
That's what he wanted to ask, but something about the voice, this place, or perhaps the faint echoes of a melody the boy could hear, something soothed him, quelling his doubts like a sputtering flame.
Izuku looked at the three objects, wondering what sort of choice he was meant to make. He was clearly supposed to take one, but why? Deciding it wouldn't do well to dwell on it, he made his choice.
"The power of the guardian." The voice rang out "Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?" It asked, and the greenette nodded in affirmation.
"Very well." The voice acknowledged, as the shield he held vanished in a sparkle of light "Your path is set. Now..." It asked as Izuku turned back to the remaining two "What will you give up in exchange?" Ah, so it was give and take, that made sense, many say that the world works on balance after all. Izuku looked the remaining two over carefully. When he was happy with his choice he picked the respective object up, looking it over carefully.
"The power of the warrior." The voice called "Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. You give up this power?" Izuku nodded again, and the sword vanished in another flash. "You've chosen the power of the guardian, and given up the power of the warrior. Is this the form you choose?"
"It is." The boy spoke out, nodding firmly. He didn't know why, but he felt like the voice was smiling at him. Without warning, the pedestals collapsed, and the glass that he stood on previously started to crack and splinter, until it finally shattered into uncountable fragments. Izuku couldn't even yell as he started falling into the dark below.
Though he feared that he'd keep falling forevermore, Izuku could soon see another glass pillar. It showed a woman with brown hair and a purple dress. The crown on her head indicated that she was royalty. She stood with her eyes closed, holding a bow to her chest tightly. Behind her were three yellow triangles placed in a way to create a larger triangle. The one on the right depicted a wolf with an earring, gazing at the woman with a fierce determination one would find odd on a wolf. The top one had a man with fiery orange hair, a headpiece with a jewel on his forehead, and a grin that screamed of malice, it was one Izuku was far too familiar with. Surrounding the edges were black squares with blue and red veins, seeming like they were trying to approach the light the woman gave off, but being unable to.
As he got closer and closer to it, he slowed down, no longer free-falling, but more so slowly descending, as if he was landing from flight. Once Izuku was safely to his feet, there was a flash of light, and the shield he picked up earlier was in his hand "You've gained the power to fight." The voice explained "Please practice for now." Nodding, Izuku gave a few practice swings with the 'weapon' and a few blocks, since... Well, it's a shield, what else were you expecting him to do with it? "Well done!" The voice complimented with clear joy, making the boy chuckle in embarrassment "Remember, offense and defence are essential skills, but it is almost always best to avoid attacks if you can. Simply rolling away, or jumping over your opponent can give you an advantage when the others cannot." Seeing the veiled instruction, Izuku used the moves he and his friends had practiced before for their Hero training. He jumped high, he rolled low, he... 'attempted' a cartwheel, but that one didn't end well. Still needs work, he guesses "Good job!" The voice praised again "Use this power to protect yourself and others."
"I will." Izuku promised. Dream or not, he wouldn't ever think of doing otherwise.
"There will be times you have to fight." The voice said, as suddenly a trio of small imp-like creatures with pitch black bodies and yellow eyes appeared, rising from the ground like they were seeped in the smallest cracks all along "Keep your light burning strong." Izuku nodded silently as he prepared himself. One of the creatures leapt at him quickly, but he barely managed to avoid it with a roll, immediately striking back with his shield to knock it back. Another pair of them went at him, and he did get hit by one of them, though he managed to block the other more easily. Striking again with more force, Izuku watched as the two dissolved into plumes of shadowy smoke. Did he just kill them?
"Behind you!" The voice warned as Izuku jolted from his stupor at turned to look behind. The third creature attacked again, and Izuku swung back on instinct, knocking it far back.
Small pools of shadow started to grow on the floor, and the remaining creature sunk into them, making the darkness grow further. It grew and grew, until the entire platform was now a dark abyss not unlike the surrounding void, and started to suck the struggling boy into it's murky depths. But Izuku could feel that this one was different. The world around him was familiar, comforting, like his mother holding him after his diagnosis, or telling him she was proud of him. But this shadow he was now starting to sink into was cold, horrifying, EVIL, it reminded the boy of the fear he always felt in his life, constantly watching his back and praying that he wouldn't be noticed today.
Izuku struggled harder, and harder against the dark, but its hold was too strong, and he was slowly but surely dragged into its umbral cage. He flailed and flailed, until the world started lighting up, and he found himself lying atop a new platform. Sitting up, he saw that it was pink, with three large hearts engraved on it bearing the silhouettes of people, all feminine if he had to guess. In front of the boy was a large ornate door, tinted pink and with bronze handles. Standing up, Izuku walked to it and opened the door. But the second he touched the handle, it started to open by itself, with a bright light shining from within, making the boy cover his eyes in reflex. When the blinding light finally faded, Izuku found himself on Takobah Beach, as clean as he had left it after those months of hard work. Looking around, he saw a woman with long black hair facing the ocean. She wore a white cape, white boots, yellow gloves and a dark blue bodysuit. Izuku was confused, was this the voice he heard? No, that voice was high-pitched, but still clearly male. So who was she?
Walking to her, he could see her face. She had a strong build, purple eyes, a beauty mark on her jaw, and a kind smile as she watched the waves.
"Who... are you?" Izuku asked as the woman closed her eyes, her smile softening even further.
"Izuku." She said warmly "What is most important to you?"
"What?" Izuku asked in confusion. He... certainly wasn't expecting that. Unfortunately, the woman didn't say anything else, only staring ahead at the setting sun. Deciding to roll with it as 'dream logic' Izuku considered his answer. Many things were important to him, his family, his friends, his dream, his notebooks. But if he had to give only one answer...
"The people I love." He answered, nodding in acceptance. That was what mattered above all else. If someone he cared about was going through hell, he'd dive straight in there to help them out of it.
The woman nodded back "The people you love..." She repeated, before fading out of existence, leaving the boy even more confused.
Looking around, he saw another figure sitting on the concrete wall of the nearby parking area. He was an older man, bald with stubble, wore black leather like a biker, the jacket having yellow shoulder pads, a bandoleer, no shirt, and goggles with yellow lenses. He looked contemplative as he looked ahead, and Izuku felt compelled to walk over and sit next to him, despite rational thought telling him that it made no sense to.
"What do you want most outta life?" He asked gruffly, but not unkindly. It was almost as if he was in a trance, yet still himself... okay, that doesn't make sense, but Izuku decided not to think too hard about it.
"To be a Hero that saves people with a smile." He answered without hesitation. Or at least, that's what he wanted to say. Thinking now, was that really all he wanted? Sure, that's still a massive part of his motivation in life, but what else? When he's off the clock, when he has to do desk work, or speak publicly, or recovering from injuries, what does he do?
Izuku took a deep breath, looking to the orange inferno that was the evening sky. All his life he was told he wasn't worth the air he breathed, that he was a worthless Deku, that people like him were stepping stones for the people that mattered. Did... did he really just want to ignore that? To become a Hero, and just act like the hell he lived never existed? What about other people like him? Those ostracized for something they couldn't control? Would he really just not speak up about that?
No, Izuku decided. He would. He was going to be a Hero, yes, but one that challenged the system, the people who saw his treatment as the norm. He wouldn't back away from it like some nightmare he could wake from, he was going to take the darkness he was left in and bring it to the light, showing people around the world that he was here, and that he would not ignore them.
So Izuku smiled as he looked to the man, finally giving his answer "To make people feel heard."
The man quirked a smile "To make people feel heard, huh?" And he too faded away.
Looking around, Izuku spotted another man, standing in the... gazebo, that was what it was called, right?
Walking briskly, Izuku stood next to the young man. He had short black hair, black pants, brown boots, and a strange red coat that covered the lower half of his face.
"What are you most afraid of?" He asked.
His greatest fear? Failure? Death? Intimacy? All of these came to mind, but Izuku once again thought hard about his answer. He was scared of many things, of many people too, but what scared him the most? What thing would break him more than anything when faced with it? Or... if it was taken away? Izuku knew that he had his answer.
"The people I love turning on me." He answered quietly, not wanting to elaborate further.
The man hummed "Is the idea of people turning on you really that scary?" He asked before fading. Sighing, Izuku walked to the railing of the gazebo and rested his arms on it as he sagged his shoulders and leaned on the railing. What was he doing? Why was he here? Who were these people? He's never seen them in his life, yet he feels like he should know them.
After taking in the ambiance of the waves and the wind, the voice called out to him again "So... You care most about the ones you love, you wish to make people feel heard, and you are afraid of those you love turning on you... Is this all correct?" Izuku nodded silently as he breathed in the salty air "Your journey begins at Midday. Keep a steady pace and you'll come through fine." Izuku couldn't help but smile, it looked so beautiful here "The day you will open the door is both far off and very near." He closed his eyes calmly, feeling himself begin to drift again. When he opened them, he found himself on another stained glass platform. This one depicted a woman on a boat. She had dark skin, wore a sort of dress that reminded Izuku of common depictions of Hawaiians in media, and she had a necklace around her neck that seemed to give off a green glow. She stared determinedly ahead as the waves trailed after her.
Suddenly, a large number of the creatures from before rose from the floor and surrounded Izuku. The boy held a firm gaze as the shield appeared in his hands and he struck the one directly in front of him. He used the small gap to get out of the ring of creatures, and kept swinging at the one he hit. It eventually disappeared, and he had to quickly block another attack from his side. He rolled away from another one and struck, managing to hit two of them. He got nicked by a third, but swung back just as fiercely. He blocked, rolled, and attacked when he could, still taking a few beatings before managing to defeat two more of them. They dropped large green orbs where they fell, that seemed to gravitate to the boy. Without warning, they flew into Izuku, and he suddenly felt his minor injuries from the previous attacks heal. Deciding to question it later, he turned back around to the last one left. It jumped at him, he blocked, and used its stagger to land the finishing blow. He noted that he felt a little stronger now that he beat them all. Weird.
With some bright sparkles, a set of stained glass stairs formed at the edge of the pillar he was on, leading to a new pillar that formed. Izuku nodded to himself as he sprinted up the stairs. It took a little bit, but he made his way to the fifth, and hopefully last, glass pillar. This one depicted another woman, again with dark skin, but now with a silver tiara and a bright green dress. Her eyes were closed as she held a frog in her hands, her face posed to kiss it. Ew. She was surrounded by little circles engraved in the glass, depicting a saxophone, a firefly, and some weird voodoo-looking thing.
Izuku looked up as the small light shining on him intensified, and the voice spoke once again "The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." Looking behind himself on instinct, Izuku saw that his shadow began to move on its own. It stretched and grew, phasing out of the floor like the creatures before it, becoming three-dimensional as it continued to grow. Izuku couldn't help but back away as it seemed to stare him down, its size now at least ten times his own as it towered over the boy it was once bound to.
"But don't be afraid..." The voice soothed as his former shadow started to change further, its visage becoming more bulky, monstrous and unrecognizable, a large heart-shaped hole in its torso and growing small wings that clearly wouldn't allow it to fly, its new hair like a pit of snakes, its yellow eyes like bulbs, its massive hands bigger than All Might's, and much more willing to crush him into powder "And don't forget..." Its feet were like a jester's shoes, or like socks that were taken halfway off. It stomped towards the boy it once called master, eyes cold despite the light they held, devoid of anything but an instinct to kill. Izuku tried to run, but quickly reached the edge of the platform, gazing into the abyss below him. He had a feeling he wouldn't find another platform down there this time, so he gulped as he turned to the monster, holding his shield tight as he tried not to show his fear.
The titan lumbered towards the boy, slowly raising its arm in the air as dark energy began to pool around its closed fist. Izuku quickly sprinted behind it as the fist started its path to the ground, and when it made contact a small wave of dark energy rushed out and turned into a small pool of darkness, from which some more of the small creatures spawned from, setting their sights on the greenette. Izuku swung his shield as one attacked, parrying the attack and getting the chance for a follow-up move, dissolving it. He jumped over another and landed a few swings on the meaty arm of the giant creature, which still hadn't left yet. Though he did get hit from behind from the other creature he forgot about, and its partner took his stagger as opportunity to leap right at him, knocking the boy back with a hard hit. Izuku fell on his back, and quickly stumbled to his feet, but flinched when he saw the large monster get down on its knees, leaning to look up and concentrate a large amount of dark energy within its chest cavity, but the other two didn't let up, waddling towards the boy with surprising speed. Izuku quickly blocked one attack and rolled from the other, swinging back with a three hit combo, dissolving one and knocking away the other. The same green orbs showed up and healed him, but he still felt a decent bit of pain. Seems it wasn't a cure-all.
But still, he had to keep on his toes, and the energy gathering had finally reached its climax, and began shooting off in massive dark orbs of energy. They shot up into the sky one at a time, and they shattered into smaller orbs of darkness before falling back down. They seemed to track Izuku, so he had to keep moving. He ran around the rim of the arena keeping a steady pace as he watched the larger creature to make sure he wasn't taken off-guard. The other creature tried to leap at him, but he easily batted it away and kept running. Soon enough the rain of darkness stopped, and Izuku saw his chance. He made a beeline to the larger monster, and tried to jump at it to take a few swings, but he just barely missed it. Growling in frustration, Izuku tried throwing the shield at its head. To his shock, it actually worked, and it stumbled back a few feet before attempting to righten itself, but only ended up tripping forward to its knees. The shield reappeared in Izuku's hands, and he immediately took his chance. He kept swinging and swinging at the creature, not wanting to waste the possibly little time he had left. Luckily for him he seemed to do enough damage to it, as it started to spark and glow. It shook and shook, and Izuku felt another burst of strength, but instead of dissolving, it rose its head and started crawling to the boy, slamming its fists down as it went. Izuku readied himself, but his shield suddenly vanished it the same light that first brought it. Looking at his now empty hands in shock, Izuku began to feel the same old fear take over, the fear that he had to live with for most of his life. Why did he think he could beat something like this? Why... why didn't he even hesitate earlier? He didn't even have his usual nerves at him until now.
Returning to the present moment, Izuku leapt back as the monster slammed a fist down at the spot he once stood, lowly growling as the boy fell on his backside, slowly crawling away, only for another pool of darkness to form under him, beginning to swallow him into its abyss. He couldn't help but feel woozy, his vision blurring and his head spinning as he sank deeper and deeper, unable to look away from the monster's sickly yellow eyes.
"But don't be afraid." That voice called out to him again. How was he supposed to not be afraid!? He was dying!
Izuku struggled as best he could as the darkness started to cover his body, but he couldn't shake it, it was becoming part of him and he was only sinking deeper.
"You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget:" Izuku couldn't yell, or scream, only look up at the last speck of light as his vision blackened, hoping that he would be saved, that someone, anyone, would come along and save him.
"You are the one who will open the door."
...
...
Izuku gasped as he awoke, immediately wincing as the bright sun momentarily blinded him. Slowly opening them, he saw the sun, the blue sky, and the clouds. What... what happened? That was one hell of a dream, it felt so real...
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief as he calmed down, his heartbeat slowing immensely. It was just a dream, he was okay, he was alive. He gave a small smile as he took in the sights above him. The smell of the ocean, the sounds of the waves, the sight of a brunette standing over him with a smile-
"Gah!" Izuku yelped as he shot up into a sitting position, looking behind him to the other person, a girl with short brown hair and a permanent blush, she had a cheeky smile and was currently laughing with only a little restraint.
"Hahahaha! Mornin' sleepyhead!" She greeted as she calmed down, smiling down at him "Had a good rest?"
Izuku found himself chuckling as well, he should have known that she'd do something like this "Y-yeah Occhan, weird dream, but I'm f-fine now!"
Occhan nodded with a smile as another voice called out "Oi, extras! This wood isn't gonna carry itself!" A gruff voice yelled, the other two teens looking towards the source.
Not too far away was an ash-blond teen with red eyes and a permanent scowl. He scoffed as he heaved a large log over his shoulder with little effort "You might as well fuck off if you're gonna keep sleeping instead of working, Nerd!"
"G-got it Kach-K-Katsu-kun!" Izuku replied as he got to his feet and ran over to his friend, Occhan following behind closely.
Occhan giggled as she grabbed a nearby tarp and rope "Relax Katsu-kun, not everyone has the stamina you have!"
"Can-it, Round Cheeks!" Katsu-kun snapped as Izuku grabbed another log and held it over his shoulder, albeit with much more effort "If you and the nerd are so fucking hellbent on bein' Heroes, you can't just take a nap whenever you damn-well please! Sleep won't get you into UA!"
Occhan gave a mock gasp as she knelt down to another log, before looking around quickly to check no one was watching. She touched the log with her five fingers, all of which had small pink pads on the tips, and she suddenly lifted the wood with no effort at all "My, is that Katsuki Bakugo, saying we might actually get into UA? Zu-kun! Am I dreaming?"
Izuku could only chuckle back "I-I don't know, maybe we both are?"
Katsuki scoffed as he finally made it to the shoreline, placing the log down and using his head to indicate Izuku and Occhan to put theirs next to it. They did, with Occhan putting all of her fingers together, muttering 'Release' as the log fell to the ground with a thump "You're both lucky I'm in a good mood today, or I'd kill you both." He warned as he lined the logs up, holding a hand out "Rope."
Occhan handed it to him dutifully, and smiled as he got to work "Come on Katsu-kun, you know you love us!"
"Like a fungus." He replied as he finished the knot "Sail post."
Izuku was about to hand it to him, but stopped and checked his person. He gulped as he realized that he didn't have it "I- uh..."
Katsuki groaned "Run your dumb ass over there quick."
"Got it!" Izuku replied, he didn't need more prompting. And so he sped off to the car parking area to find where he left the post. Hopping over the wall, he looked around. There luckily weren't many cars there, just two or three. A small blue car, Izuku remembered the name 'Beetle' being used to describe it, though he didn't know if that was the actual name or not. There was a shiny green convertible, practically sparkling in the sunlight. And finally was a large white pickup truck. It seemed well-used, with a few scratches here and there, some little bits of dirt, but it was clearly well-cared for. And luckily, it seemed its owner had found the post for him! A tall skeletal man with blond hair was holding the post, lifting it into his truck, probably to dispose of it, so Izuku called out to him "U-um, sir! Excuse me!" he said, getting the man's attention, as he was looking at the boy with blue eyes with black sclera, a Quirk maybe? "Um, I-I-I'm sorry, but m-my friends and I are- uh- actually, well, using that. I-I'm so sorry, I forgot it, and then my friends had me come back to find it, and now you were probably using it for something, and I'm just ruining your plans and jeez I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, I-"
Izuku was interrupted by a loud, boisterous laugh, one that reminded him so much of All Might's that he had to look around to check whether or not the Hero himself was actually there. But instead, it came from the older man, who was laughing with a wide and genuine smile on his thin face. Though his laughter soon turned to coughing, as he put the post down and quickly grabbed a stained handkerchief, that he then put to his mouth as he coughed further. Izuku was worried about what exactly those dark stains were, this man clearly wasn't in good health "Not to worry my boy!" He assured in a kind and slightly deep voice, it was somewhat familiar actually "I was just going to recycle it anyway, but if you and your friends can make use out of it, I see no reason why I shouldn't let you have it!" He chuckled as he picked it up again and handed it to Izuku, making the boy stumble from the weight of it. Man, he was strong "Though would you mind telling me what you're using it for? Forgive me, but I tend to get worried about these things, comes from age I guess, heh."
Izuku chuckled as he readjusted the post "Not at all sir! Y-you see, my friends and I are making a raft, and w-we want to use it to get to-"
"Destiny Islands!" The man finished with a bright smile as he helped Izuku get the post down the steps "I should have known! You know, when I was a boy, some classmates of mine dared me to try swimming there in the middle of winter! Oh, those were fun times..."
"D-did you do it?" Izuku asked. He couldn't help but feel curious, after all, the islands were a hallmark of the local youth, many teens their age had gone there at some point, just for the hell of it. He always liked hearing other's stories.
The man chuckled "I sure tried! Didn't work out though, ended up catching a cold, and my mentor chewed me out for that one! Hahaha!" He laughed, but Izuku saw a little shiver at the mention of his mentor.
Izuku laughed a little too "I-I hope it was worth it at least!"
"It sure was!"
"There you are Zu-kun!" Occhan called out as they approached. She and Katsuki were sitting on the makeshift raft, making sure things were tied properly, placed in the right spots, and they were now waiting for his return.
"I-I am here! With the final piece of the puzzle!" Izuku announced triumphantly as he raised the post in his arms slightly, barely buckling under the weight of it.
Katsuki scoffed with a smirk before turning to the older man "Who's the walkin' corpse?"
"Katsu-kun! You can't just say that!" Occhan admonished before turning to him with an apologetic smile "I'm so sorry 'bout him sir, he ain't big on manners." She mumbled, momentarily letting her accent free, before flinching with a slight blush.
The man, to his credit, laughed it off "It's quite alright miss, I've been called far worse, walking corpse is certainly a new one though." He smiled at the two teens "Your friend tells me you're going to the islands. I assume you're building a raft for the trip?"
Katsuki smirked proudly "Hell yeah we are! We don't need those damn kayaks or whatever, we can make something just as good ourselves!"
"Well I certainly admire your ingenuity." He complimented "Still, an old man can't help but worry. Would you mind if I help? I might not look it, but I was a pretty decent carpenter in my younger years."
"Oh, you worked as a carpenter?" Occhan asked, the man blushing in embarrassment.
"W-well no, but a friend of mine got me into it when we were in high school, and I still remember a lot of the tricks he taught me. Of course, I wouldn't want to intrude!"
Occhan looked the boys over curiously, Izuku seeming pretty calm, and actually a little happy, Katsuki having a scowl, but that was usual for him. She knew enough of his tells to know that he wouldn't mind... much.
"Whatever old man, just try not to break anything." He huffed as he stood up and grabbed the beam from Izuku, effortlessly carrying it to its spot.
"Very well! I'll try not to slow you down!"
"Uh huh."
Occhan then realized something "Oh, we haven't introduced ourselves have we? S-sorry, that's pretty rude." She gave a short bow "I'm Ochako Uraraka!"
"I-Izuku Midoriya!"
"Tch. Katsuki Bakugo. Remember that name, cause I'm gonna be the Number One Hero some day."
"Not if Zu-kun and I beat you there first." Ochako shot back slyly.
Katsuki immediately whipped around and scowled at her "The fuck you say Round Cheeks!? Say that shit again, I dare ya! I'll fucking kill you!"
As Katsuki continued his rant, the man looked to a surprisingly tired-looking Izuku with a concerned frown "Should... we stop them?"
Izuku groaned with shame "Just... let them get it out of their systems, it's for the best..."
"Right..." The man nodded, but then smiled "By the way, my name is Toshinori Yagi."
Meanwhile, somewhere far, far, FAR away, there was a massive white castle overlooking a colourful kingdom. Its people were of many shapes, sizes, and worlds even. Its skies were almost always bright and sunny, the people always smiling, living wonderful lives, and those in the castle itself were kind, and would openly and quickly defend their own. The King and Queen were the perfect couple, the Royal Magician a brash and overconfident, yet extremely loyal person, the Captain of the Guard sometimes ending up in embarrassing situations, but always there to lend an ear to those in trouble, offering sage advice.
But this story isn't about them, this is about another pair, who are actually related to the previous two.
In a high up room of the castle, a study for the King now only lit by the sunlight, the large window slowly opened with a strong and strange gust of wind. After a few seconds, a hook attached to a rope shot into the opening, firmly gripping onto the window sill and pulling the rope taut. With a low whirring sound coming closer, a person made their way up and climbed through the window, landing with a low thump on the floor. The person jogged to the large desk and looked through the papers strewn about. Reports about the stars going out, the Darkness, and the other worlds. Finally, there was an official letter addressed to the King, asking for his presence, signed by the Sorcerer Yen Sid. Bingo!
The person gave a noise of triumph as they took a few pictures with their phone, and hooked their grapple onto the window sill again before climbing the glass carefully. But suddenly, the door swung open and the light was turned on with a click of the switch, making the person jolt, knowing they were caught.
Leaning on the door frame with crossed arms and a disapproving frown was a bipedal dog-man with floppy ears, a long snout with a large black nose, and black hair/fur with a large tuft combed into a fringe. He wore an orange and dark grey hoodie with short sleeves, dark navy pants with knee guards, black sneakers with orange laces, and a large circular shield on his back.
"And just what are you doing in here, Webbigail?" He asked with smug satisfaction.
"Uh..." The intruder intoned, trying to think of a viable excuse. She was a bipedal duck with her feathers in a bobcut, however that worked. She wore a dark pink Magician's hat with a brown belt around it, a white jacket with pink lining and baggy sleeves, along with a brown shirt underneath, and white and pink shoes. She was sweating "Just, uh... Exercising?" The boy narrowed his eyes "Alright, alright! I was looking into where the King ran off to! Happy?" She admitted as she hopped off the window and onto the floor, dusting off her jacket with a pout.
He sighed as he pushed off the door frame and walked inside "Webby, you know we aren't allowed in here. I get that you enjoy doing spy stuff and all, but this is a serious invasion of privacy."
"But Max!" The girl, Webby, argued "He just disappeared! And so did Uncle Donald and your dad! Aren't you even a little concerned about where they went?"
Max sighed with a shake of his head "Of course I am, not a second goes by that I'm not terrified that I won't see my dad again." He fixed Webby with a firm stare "But I know deep down that he can handle himself. Sure he's clumsy, and makes me so embarrassed that I want to run away, but he was made Captain for a reason, and I've seen him fight, he's the best protector for the King there is." He tilted his head with an arched eyebrow "What's this really about, Webby?"
She looked her friend over for a few seconds before sighing "I just... I want to help them. Uncle Donald's done so much for me, he's part of the reason I know who I even am, and suddenly he and his closest friends disappear without any explanation? I just... I want to find them, and if there's any way I can help, I want to do it." She looked at Max with a frown "You know?"
Max sighed "I... Alright, fine." He raised a finger as Webby perked up with a gasp "But! I want to make it clear I'm only tagging along to keep you out of danger, and if we get in trouble, I'm blaming you for all of it." He lowered his hand as he offered it to the duckling "Deal?"
"Deal!" Webby immediately yelled as she gripped his hand and frantically shook it. Max was already regretting this.
"Ahem." A high-pitched, feminine voice interrupted. The two immediately stood up straight and turned around, both sweating bullets as they saw the scowling face of Daisy Duck, and the smiling face of Queen Minnie Mouse.
"What are you two doing in the King's Study?" Daisy asked accusingly, while Minnie restrained a giggle.
"It was Webby's idea!" Max immediately yelled as he shot an accusing finger at the girl, who gave a squawk of betrayal "I came in here to stop her and-"
"Wha- Hey! You were the one who agreed to help me! And we haven't even done anything yet! Why are you just throwin' me under the bus like that!?"
The Queen cleared her throat once more, silencing the kids' argument immediately. She giggled with a smile as she looked them over "I assume Webby came in here to look for clues as to where my husband and the others went?"
"Y-yes ma'am!" Webby admitted with a salute.
"And I assume Max came here to confront her?"
"Yes ma'am!" Max replied with a salute also.
She nodded to herself "Well, this is quite the coincidence, as Daisy and I were also about to look in here for clues. Tell me Webby, did you find anything?"
The girl seemed uneasy being addressed directly by the Queen, but cleared her throat and flattened her jacket as she answered "Well, there was stuff on the stars going out, which we already knew, but there was also a letter from that Sorcerer, Yen Sid, that asked to meet with him." She explained as she pulled out her phone and showed the Queen the picture she took.
Minnie nodded "Ah, I see." She clapped her hands with a smile "Well, I believe I have an idea on what he might be up to now! You see, Master Yen Sid was actually my husband's mentor many years ago, and he taught him to wield a Keyblade, which I am sure I do not need to explain to you, yes?" The two nodded with rapt attention "Well, if my husband has left in such a hurry, then things must be dire, and I believe his old master may have some insight as to his whereabouts." She smiled at the two as she nodded "I have a request of you two. I would like you both to got to Master Yen Sid's tower and ask him for more information. Once you do, you will return to me."
"Wait, we aren't in trouble?" Webby asked in shock.
Daisy glared "Oh, you sure are, but that'll be later. Just do as the Queen asks, alright?"
"Yes ma'am!" The two affirmed with a pair of salutes.
The Queen giggled "Thank you both. Chip and Dale will provide you with a Gummi Ship to traverse the worlds with, and as for finding the Tower, I myself will be able to assist with that."
"Wait, you're coming too, your Majesty?" Max asked.
The Queen shook her head "Unfortunately, I cannot leave at this moment. Without my husband, leaving now would leave my kingdom without a ruler. But I have other ways to assist. I'm sure Daisy has your number in her Gummi Phone?" She checked, her lady-in-waiting nodding as she pulled out the device "I see. Once you both depart, I will help you find Master Yen Sid's tower. I hope you learn something useful there."
"Yes ma'am!" They replied before walking out the door to the stairs.
"Oh, and Jiminy Cricket will be accompanying you as well!" She added "He is very clever, and he will chronicle your journey along with useful information, so I believe he can help you."
"Thank you ma'am!" Max thanked with a salute, before descending the stairs.
When they were out of ear shot, Daisy sighed worriedly "Do you think...?"
Minnie nodded with a frown "Unfortunately yes, I believe someone is trying to open the way to Kingdom Hearts."
"UA?" Yagi-san asked as he helped Ochako tie one of the last knots to the sail "That's quite a high bar, you must be training hard for the entrance exam."
Ochako nodded "Yeah, but honestly, any Hero School would be fine. But Zu-kun and Katsu-kun were already hellbent on UA, so I guess some of that determination rubbed off on me."
"Hell yeah!" Katsuki agreed as he and Izuku returned with the oars "And I'm getting first place!"
Yagi-san chuckled good-naturedly at Katsuki's clear pride in his skills "Well, I wish you three the best of luck! I sure couldn't do it at my old age, but something tells me you All Might have what it takes." He tried not to laugh at his little inside-joke, not that they would have gotten it.
"Y-you aren't that old, Yagi-san." Izuku said bashfully.
Yagi-san shrugged "I appreciate the vote of confidence my boy. Anyway, what about your training? Even with combat-oriented Quirks, you need to have a fit body for Heroics." He explained, raising an eyebrow when Izuku and Ochako started laughing hard, and Katsuki rolling his eyes with a fond smirk "What did I say?" He asked in confusion.
Ochako, being the one to calm down quickest, deigned to answer him "S-sorry! It's just t-that, Katsu-kun is the only one of us with a combat-orientated Quirk."
Katsuki widened his smirk as he raised a hand and produced a few sparks "My hands sweat nitro-glycerine, and I can detonate it at will. I can basically fuck up any Villain in my way."
"Sure you can..." Ochako giggled as she raised her own hand, showing off the pink pads on her finger tips "My Quirk is Gravitation. When I touch something with all five of my fingers, I can remove its gravity! Or at least, I thought that's what I did."
"It turns out that she can actually control the gravity of things she affects!" Izuku explained with fervour, eyes sparkling as he produced a notebook from nowhere and opened a page that depicted a surprisingly detailed sketch of Uraraka, along with various notes on her Quirk "If she completely removed the gravity of things she affected, they would fly off without stopping, or go flying sideways since the Earth is always turning! So, we checked to see if she could make things weigh only a little less, and then a lot less. Finally, we tried to see if she could increase gravity on things, and it actually worked!"
"It took so much work though." Ochako supplied "It was basically doing the opposite of what I normally do when using my Quirk, and even that was something I always did unconsciously. It's like trying to walk on your hands. Sure, you can do it, but it takes a serious amount of effort to get it to work right."
"But still, that's quite impressive!" Yagi-san complimented "Perfect for Rescue Heroics, certainly!"
Ochako's smile practically glowed with happiness "That's exactly what I'm aiming for! I want to be a Top Rescue Hero like Thirteen some day!"
Yagi-san nodded "And I hope you do!" He turned to Izuku "Since both of your friends have Quirks that are centred around their hands, am I right to assume yours is similar?"
Izuku laughed, but Yagi-san could tell that it was forced, as was his smile. Even his friends stiffened a little "N-not exactly..."
Yagi-san was confused about their odd reactions, was Young Midoriya's Quirk one that was considered villainous? Yagi-san didn't believe in all that personally, but he understood that there was a certain stigma around these things. Deciding to help the boy feel better about his Quirk, Yagi-san smiled "Well then, care to take a guess at what my Quirk is?" He asked, silently chuckling at the way the boy's mood did a complete 180, practically vibrating with excitement as he looked the older man over, taking in every detail and trying to find some sort of indicator.
"Hmm... Well, the only obvious heteromorphic trait you have is your eyes, are they part of your Quirk?"
Yagi-san chuckled "No actually. I'm honestly not sure why my eyes are the way they are, but I can assure you that they aren't my Quirk." Izuku started mumbling a few other guesses, ranging from some sort of bone-related Quirk due to his skeletal appearance, to a strength enhancer. Well, he wasn't far off with that one. Eventually, the boy just gave up, and Yagi-san chuckled with a proud smile "I must admit, those weren't bad guesses my boy! But the truth is that my Quirk is... nonexistent!" He answered with a wide grin, laughing at how the teens all prat fell in shock. Sure, it wasn't exactly true anymore, but his experiences might help the boy to open up about his own. To bridge that gap, and perhaps help the boy understand that his Quirk isn't something to be ashamed of.
The boy gaped at Yagi-san after recovering, and screamed "You're Quirkless too!?" And Yagi-san's whole perception of the situation flipped. This boy was Quirkless? That... actually explained his behavior better than Yagi-san liked to admit. He was... conflicted, but the boy's thousand-watt smile tore away his hesitation.
He rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle "I am! It was more common in my day, but I have the toe-joint and everything!" He gestured to his boots "A friend of mine made these for me, but they're made for those with the extra joint." He smiled at the boy "I assume you want to be a Professional Analyst?"
Izuku immediately turned red and waved his hands frantically "W-what!? No no no, my a-analysis isn't tha-that good! It's just my scribbles and rambles! I-I'm not good enough to be a professional!"
"Bullshit." Katsuki and Ochako said in unison. They turned to the other and had a small staring contest, as if they were communicating telepathically. Eventually, Katsuki grunted in defeat, and Ochako smiled in victory "Zu-kun, you helped change our entire understanding of my Quirk, you even helped design our Hero Costumes! Your analyses are amazing!"
Katsuki huffed "They ain't total shit." He said simply.
Yagi-san interrupted before Izuku could retort "It seems you are outvoted young man!" He said with finality, and Izuku slumped as he accepted that he had to acknowledge praise.
"W-well..." He began "I don't want to b-become an Analyst anyway, I-I want to be the first Quirkless Hero!"
"Oh." Yagi-san intoned, eyes widening. He was about to continue, but he suddenly felt a pressure in the air, reminding him of the pure killing intent that the worst Villains he had faced produced. Looking to the side, he saw Ochako and Katsuki glaring at him, staring straight into his soul with a sort of rage that was held back, like a caged animal leaning against the door of its pen, like they were daring him to say something disparaging to their friend.
He wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.
Said friend, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the silent threats his companions were making, and looked down at his hand "When I was little, I was obsessed with this video. It was of All Might carrying people to safety from a fire, and he was laughing. The second he said 'Everything is going to be okay! Why? Because I am here!' it always brought a smile to my face, without fail. Since then, I always wanted to be a Hero just like him. But then... I got my diagnosis, and suddenly, everyone treated me as less than them. The night I came home, I watched that video again, and I asked my mom if I could still be a Hero... She... she apologized. She hugged me and apologized, over and over, crying her eyes out. I know that she didn't mean it, but... that really hurt. But even then, I couldn't give up on my dream." He looked up at Yagi-san, who was staring at the boy sombrely "One day, a child is going to have a day just like that. If they go online to look for a Quirkless Hero, and can find even a single result, do you know what that would mean to them?"
Yagi-san was speechless, but he eventually closed his eyes, and smiled with a huff "I do. I really, really do." He chuckled as he opened his eyes "Alright young man, you've convinced me. If you're set on being a Hero, then know that I will be cheering you on the whole way." He nodded "And just remember, you don't have to do this alone, you'll always have people to pick you up when you fall down." He nodded to the boy's friends, who nodded in... approval? Yagi-san decided to ignore it "Well, I mustn't keep you kids from your journey any longer. I hope you love the islands as much as I have! And if you get into UA, I can't wait to see you all Go Beyond!"
"Plus Ultra!!!" The trio cheered, chuckling and giggling to themselves as they started to prepare the raft for its journey.
Yagi-san smiled warmly as he walked away. He only dropped it when he was out of sight, looking down at his skeletal hand. How long has it been since he thought about his Quirkless days? Like, really thought of them? He was so ready to dash that boy's hopes, he was so close to becoming just like all of those children and adults he grew up with before he met Nana. Did he really not learn anything from that?
Toshinori sighed. Well, it's never too late to do better, he supposes. Perhaps he'll be more vocal about Quirkless rights. Maybe Mutant rights too, they deserved it just as much as Quirkless people. Everyone deserves to be heard.
Toshinori nodded with a renewed determination. He would make sure no child like him would be forgotten.
"Attention people, this is your Captain speaking. We are as of now drifting through the Ocean of Stars, and are fast approaching our destination of The Mysterious Tower. Please remember to keep all appendages inside your seats at all times, and try not to vomit on anything, this ship was just cleaned recently."
Webby and Jiminy chuckled as Max adjusted their thrusters' strength. He had a way of making trips fly by with his humour, and they enjoyed it.
"Jiminy, you still got our location set?" Webby asked the cricket, who was jotting down in his journal as he sat in a small seat on the dashboard made just for him.
Jiminy nodded "Indeed I do Ms. Webby! Just five more minutes going straight ahead and we've made it to Master Yen Sid's tower!"
Webby chuckled as she twirled her staff "You don't have to call me 'Miss' Jiminy, Webby's fine."
"Now now, I always address a lady with proper respect." He countered "It's only polite."
"Manners don't cost anything." Max agreed as he triple-checked the readings on the dashboard "Hey, Jiminy? Now that I think about it, how'd you end up in Disney Castle? I don't think you ever said."
Jiminy chuckled with a sad smile "Well, it's quite a story. Let's see... In my world, there was this old woodcarver named Geppetto. He was a very old man, with no family of his own, and yet he spent every single day bringing joy to others. He'd make toys for the children, he'd fix doors and make tables for the adults, he'd do anything, just to see a smile on their face." He chuckled again "Why, the man was practically a saint! But there was one thing in his life that he wanted, that he just couldn't have..."
"What was it?" Max asked, trying to concentrate on driving, despite being very invested in Jiminy's story, as was Webby.
The Cricket smiled widely "Why, a son of course! The man just wanted a family to call his own. And one night, when he made a wish on a shining star, the Blue Fairy came to grant his wish! She brought one of his wooden puppets to life, and that puppet was named Pinocchio. Of course, Pinoke didn't know anything about the world, nothing about right or wrong. And so the Blue Fairy tasked me with being his conscience, the one to keep him on the straight and narrow!"
"Wow!" Webby gasped, sparkles in her eyes "That's so amazing!"
"It truly was." Jiminy agreed "And Ol' Geppetto was ecstatic! He had the one thing he wanted above all else, a son! They were so happy together, with me there to help Pinocchio learn to be good, and between us, if he were to show true kindness, honesty, and everything a person should strive to have in life, he might just become a real boy!"
"A real boy!?" Webby asked "Gosh, I hope he did it!"
"Jiminy..." Max asked "You said if he were to show all of that, he'd become real, what happened?"
Jiminy frowned a little, but didn't let it bring him down "Well, the next day Pinoke was on his way to school, but he ran into these two no-good con-artists! They told him that he should work for some puppeteer, that money would make his life the greatest it's ever been! Hogwash!" He spat "I tried to convince him, but Pinoke didn't listen, he was too trustin' for his own good, and I had to chase after him. Turns out that puppeteer showed Pinoke his true colours, and the Blue Fairy and I had to get him outta the cage the monster had put him in. Course his nose had grown a fair bit too."
"His nose?" Webby asked as the ship shook from a little turbulence.
Jiminy nodded "Whenever Pinocchio lies, his nose grows bigger. Just like when a person won't stop tellin' tall tales, it'll eventually become as obvious as his massive nose. The Blue Fairy gave him one last chance, and he swore to be good. And so we were off! But then..."
"The con-men came back?" Max asked rhetorically as he set the shields.
Jiminy nodded "That they did, Max. Those liars said Pinocchio was sick! And that he had to be shipped off to 'Pleasure Island' to be cured."
"Pleasure Island?" Webby asked, sticking her tongue out in disgust "Ew."
"Course, Pinoke was wise to them by now, so he was fighting himself out of their grasps. But he was just a little wooden boy, you see, he couldn't fight them off for too long, and so he was shipped off to that disgusting place. A place where rowdy kids were kidnapped and sent to, where they could drink, smoke, and gamble to their hearts contents, making jack-mules outta themselves. Unfortunately, it turned out to be literal..."
"I don't like where this is going..." Max mumbled.
Jiminy nodded back "When I finally caught up to Pinoke, he was doing so many outlandish, and disgusting things, why I just stormed off, couldn't take another second in there, needed to clear my head and all. But then, I found out what was really going on. The island had some sorta magic, it turned any rowdy children into real donkeys, and those con-men had a whole operation going on, they took children there, and sold them off when they transformed, it was disgusting!"
"That's horrible!" Webby yelled "What kind of darkness would compel people to do something like that!? And to children! That's just... Evil! There's no better word for it that evil!"
Jiminy nodded in agreement "It sure was, which is why I hauled tail and got Pinoke outta there as quick as I could. We swam across the water for what felt like hours until we reached the mainland, and kept running 'til we reached Geppetto's home. But he wasn't there! He was gone! Soon enough, the Blue Fairy appeared again, and she told us that Ol' Geppetto had gone on a boat to search for the boy, and ended up swallowed by a giant whale named Monstro. Horrible creature, I tell ya! I heard stories before, about how he'd swallow entire ships whole. But still, Pinocchio was determined to save his father. And so we started our search. It took a while, but eventually we found Monstro, but we ended up swallowed by him. When I woke up, I was in Traverse Town, and Pinoke was nowhere to be found." Jiminy sighed with a frown as he looked out the windshield, towards the fading stars "He's out there still, I just know it. Our world fell to darkness, but a light like his wouldn't be swallowed so easily. No sir, not Pinocchio."
There was silence in the cockpit, the only sound being the low humming of the engines as they drifted in the Ocean Between.
"We'll find him." Max assured, giving a comforting smile, one that Webby copied "I promise." Suddenly, there was a shrill beep from the console, and the young man snapped his gaze to the outside, his face splitting into a wide grin "And there she is! The tower of Master Yen Sid!" Lo and behold, there it was, a large tower of yellowed brick, windows giving a low light from within, and blue tiled roofs with stars and a crescent moon on the largest tower's roof, the same celestial bodies being represented by a trio of golden weather-vanes on the roof.
"We made it!" Webby cheered as she tightened her seat-belt, Jiminy following suit, tucking away his journal "You're a pretty good pilot Max, but I still say we should have brought Launchpad."
Max rolled his eyes "Webby, if we let Launchpad drive, he'd have crashed into the tower in record time." They both gave the other a mock glare, before chuckling to themselves, Max giving an "A-hyuck!" Before slapping his hand over his mouth, blushing in embarrassment.
Webby smiled "Max, you don't have to be ashamed of it, it's part of who you are. Just a little quirk of yours!"
The young man sighed as he prepared the landing gear "I know that. But it's... still a little bit embarrassing."
"Well, I always say you should be able to acknowledge all parts of yourself. The good, and the bad!" Jiminy advised sagely.
Max chuckled again, more subdued, but no less genuine "Thanks you two."
"Less sapping, more landing!" Webby dismissed "Land Ho!"
"Land Ho!" Ochako yelled as the trio of teens approached Destiny Islands. Izuku could already smell the tropical air, and the sun was blazing in the sky at an intensity that was really warm, but not uncomfortable. All in all, it was a perfect day.
"Shut the fuck up Round Cheeks!" Katsuki yelled back as he returned to his duties.
While Izuku and Ochako paddled with the oars and adjusted the sail, making sure to steer in the right direction, Katsuki used his Quirk to propel them a little faster. They were going to have him do it with his hands submerged, but the water would have diluted his sweat, so he had to keep his hands above the water.
But finally, finally they had made it. They docked their raft at the shore of the main island and immediately disembarked, making sure to drag it further inland so it didn't drift off.
"Woo-hoo!" Ochako cheered, arms thrust into the air as a massive smile spread across her face "We did it! See Zu-kun, I told you it'd work!"
"N-never doubted you for a second, Occhan!" Izuku replied as he looked around "This place is... beautiful."
"Yeah, it is." She agreed as she followed his gaze "Even in the winter, this place barely gets any snow, it's almost always warm. It's one of our city's greatest mysteries. I wonder why it's always like this though..."
"Supposedly, it's the result of some terraforming Quirk." Katsuki supplied, his History brain kicking in "Back during the Dawn of Quirks, someone was rumoured to have had a really powerful one, like, able to completely change the local ecosystem powerful. Supposedly they made this island as a sort of peace offering for the Quirkless people back then, to show they could make peace and be all buddy-buddy."
"Did it work?" Ochako asked.
Katsuki shrugged "No idea. It isn't something that's really documented, might just be a modern fairy-tale." He looked around "Either way, it's not that bad."
"No, it really isn't." Izuku agreed, taking in a deep breath, just enjoying that he was finally here. He and his friends made it to Destiny Islands all on their own!
"Hey!" A young voice called, and the three turned to see another trio on a sort of balcony in the distance, looking down at them while waving "Is this your first time here!? Come on up!" The one in the middle said, waving them over.
The teens all looked each other over, and shrugged before making their way to the other kids. They climbed up a little bit of the terrain, jogged up a wooden slope and walked around the absolutely massive tree that sat in the center of the island before finding a ladder to the balcony. Izuku let the others go first, and when he made it up, he found the trio waiting for them.
There was a shorter boy with short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a yellow and white cropped jacket with no shirt underneath, along with black shorts, a fanny pack, and yellow sandals. He grinned as he waved, holding a long red pole in his hand.
To his left was a young girl with brown hair and green eyes, and wore a yellow dress with overall straps and a pocket on the chest, along with brown sandals. She smiled kindly at them as she waved.
To the boy's right was a much taller boy, likely in high-school already. He had reddish-brown hair and a bandanna over his forehead, along with tanned skin and brown eyes. He wore a tank top with beaded tassels on the collar, along with baggy yellow pants with an X on each knee, and dark green sandals. He was spinning a ball on his finger as he saluted them.
"Is this your first time on the islands?" The young boy asked, getting a nod from Izuku and Ochako, along with a grunt from Katsuki "Then congratulations! I'm Tidus, I'm basically the top-dog here."
"More like top-puppy." The girl teased, eliciting a growl from Tidus "I'm Selphie, nice to meet you." She introduced with a bow.
"And I'm Wakka!" The large boy boomed happily "Great to meet new faces here! I hope we'll get along!"
"N-nice to meet you all!" Izuku replied with a smile "I'm Izuku."
"I'm Ochako Uraraka, but you can call me Ochako!"
"Katsuki Bakugo, future-"
"Number-One Hero." Ochako droned "We get it, you're the greatest thing since All Might, and you're going to beat all those shitty villains with your badass Quirk."
"And don't you forget it!" Katsuki replied with a proud smirk. He turned to the other three "So what are you extras doing here?"
"Extras!?" Tidus yelped in indignation "I'll have you know I'm gonna be a sports star some day! I could kick your ass blondie!" He threatened, a tick mark growing on his forehead.
And one appeared on Katsuki's too as he growled "Bring it, Banana-Fucker!" He yelled as his palms sparked.
"Wait, Banana-Fucker?" Ochako asked in confusion, looking them all over "Katsu-kun, Tidus is wearing the least amount of yellow of the three of them, why is he the Banana?"
Katsuki scoffed as he crossed his arms "He's a naked banana."
"A naked banana?" Tidus and Ochako echoed in confusion.
"He lacks a peel!" Selphie yelled, before succumbing to a giggling fit that left her on the floor. Wakka smirked as he nodded his head to Katsuki, seemingly in approval, which the blond surprisingly returned.
Wakka let out another booming laugh "Say, how about we settle this new friendship with some Volleyball?" He suggested, with Tidus immediately perking up "Since this place is so remote, Quirks are allowed, but not too much power, okay? We don't want this place to become off-limits."
"Phooey!" Selphie complained "You get to use your cool powers, while I just... exist."
Izuku perked up "Oh, are you Quirkless too?" He asked, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth in horror.
"Wow, bold." Ochako mumbled quietly.
The other three perked up, and Selphie shrugged "Nah, I'm not Quirkless, my best friend is though." At a glare from Tidus, she amended "My other best friend. My Quirk is a basic body enhancement, I'm a little faster and stronger than a normal person my age. It doesn't make me smarter, though I am able to remember stuff easier, but that might not be my Quirk..."
"Wow, that's amazing!" Izuku complimented, and was about to bombard her with questions, but Katsuki slapped his own hand over the boy's mouth, shaking his head. He didn't want to deal with this right now. Not when they can just relax.
"Aw, thanks!" Selphie blushed "I'm not too into the whole Quirk stuff, but what are everyone else's?"
As Katsuki and Ochako explained their Quirks, Tidus gave a triumphant smirk "Well my Quirk is pretty awesome too! It's called Boost. I can boost the agility and stamina of myself and others, and I can boost it by a lot too!"
"Wow!" Izuku said "What are the activation requirements? How long does the boost last? How many people can you boost at once? W-"
"God dammit you fucking nerd!" Katsuki screamed "All I want is one day where you don't go on a rant about Quirks! Is that so much to ask!?"
Ochako smacked him over the head, and gave Izuku a patient smile "Zu-kun, I know how much you love learning about Quirks, but I don't think Katsu-kun's blood pressure can take it right now. So... leave it for now at least?"
Blushing like a toddler being scolded by its mother, Izuku nodded "Sorry..." He said to no one in particular.
Tidus waved it off "Nah, it's cool man! And to answer your questions in order: I have to focus on the person I want to boost, and they have to be near me, like around the length of the sandbar." He pointed to the shore in explanation "Give or take. It lasts for about half an hour unless I work at it, though the boost gets weaker as I keep pushing it. And I think my max was four at once including myself?" He looked to his friends for confirmation, and they nodded "Yeah, four. It's easier to do it on myself, but it can definitely help out my pals in a pinch."
"T-thanks!" Izuku thanked as he rubbed his head "But, um, if I could ask one more question...?" He carefully asked as he glanced at Katsuki, whose face screamed 'it better be the last fucking one.'
"Sure!" Tidus agreed "Fire away!"
"Thanks." Izuku replied "So, is the amount boosted fixed, or does it use the person's own agility and stamina as a baseline?"
Tidus grinned as he went to respond, but froze. His eyes looked down in confusion as he gained a thoughtful expression "...Huh. I... don't actually know. I always assumed it was fixed, but now that I think about it, Wakka always seemed a lot stronger than anyone else I boosted."
"It could be because I'm already fit." Wakka supplied "But I do feel a lot stronger when you use it on me."
"Neat." Selphie murmured "Wonder if my own Quirk works with it in some way like that? Like, it boosts the enhancements my Quirk already gives me?"
"Theoretically." Izuku replied as he pulled out his notebook and started jotting info down "I mean, Quirks like Tidus' aren't too common, but there is enough documentation on them that shows that they tend to synergize well with Quirks like yours. Wakka, what's your Quirk?"
The large boy smiled happily "It's called Trickshot! I can basically make things ricochet in ways I want them to. It's not like Snipe's Quirk, I checked, it's just that I'm able to know inherently where things are gonna bounce to when I launch them."
"That's still an amazingly useful Quirk! If you were trying to solve a hostage situation-"
Wakka laughed loudly, lifting his hand with a wave "I'm gonna stop ya right there pal, I ain't interested in being a Hero."
"Y-you aren't!?" Izuku asked in shock. Sure, he logically knew that not everyone wanted to be a Hero, but it was still so weird to actually hear it out loud.
"Nah!" He replied as he slapped a hand onto Tidus' shoulder, making the boy stumble for a few seconds "Tidus and I are gonna become sports stars! We even have a concept for a new kind of game!"
"I won't get into it right now," Tidus said "but it's basically underwater Volleyball. Trust us, it'll be big."
"Wow..." Ochako mumbled "That sounds really interesting! I can't wait to hear more."
"And I'm sure they can't wait to tell you more." Selphie interrupted "But right now, aren't we gonna play above-water Volleyball before the sun sets?" She asked, pointing at the sun, which was now lower than before.
"Jeez, how long were we talking?" Tidus mumbled "Welp, no time like the present! Race you to the shore Cherry Bomb!" He yelled as he full-on sprinted to the ladder, leaping down to the sand (And probably dirt and rocks) below.
Katsuki snapped from his brooding, and immediately gave chase, explosion erupting from his hands as he actually flew after Tidus "You're gonna regret that you discount Ballerina!"
The remaining four sweat dropped at their antics. Some shaking their heads in shame.
"We shouldn't have let those two near each other, should we?" Selphie asked.
"It... might be a learning experience for them?" Izuku suggested.
From the deadpan stares he was getting, they didn't believe him either.
"Hmmm..." An old man intoned as he considered what his guests had told him. He was a quite old man, wearing blue robes and a blue pointed hat with yellow stars and crescent moons on it. He had long greying hair and very large eyebrows that almost seemed to give him a permanent scowl, though he was rarely angry these days.
Max, Webby and Jiminy stood at attention as Master Yen Sid thought over everything. This was the man who trained their King, they would be damn sure to give him proper respect, even Webby.
Master Yen Sid nodded "Yes, Mickey, Donald and Goofy did indeed come here at my request. As I am sure you have heard, many worlds are beginning to fall to the Heartless, and the Heartless themselves are growing at a staggering rate. I knew that this could only mean one thing; that someone was attempting to utilize the Heartless to seek the Seven Pure Lights, and open the way to Kingdom Hearts."
"Kingdom Hearts?" Max muttered.
"The source of all Light!" Webby supplied "It's where our hearts originally came from."
Master Yen Sid nodded to the duckling in agreement "Indeed, Webbigail. The world was originally a single expanse of pure Dark, but then, with seemingly no catalyst, Kingdom Hearts appeared. The first Light. It pushed back the shadows and created the Realm Of Light, the very realm we reside in. From that very light, came people, and the people had hearts. But unfortunately, many hearts festered Darkness, and those people wished to claim the power of Kingdom Hearts for their own. Because of their foolishness, Kingdom Hearts was swallowed by Darkness, never to re-emerge."
"But someone's still trying to find it." Max surmised.
"Exactly, Maximillian." Master Yen Sid said "Hence why I called upon King Mickey. Whoever is doing this is searching the Seven Pure Lights, or the Seven Princesses of Heart as they are also known, kidnapping them from their Worlds, and most likely are using their hearts to open the way to the Realm Of Darkness, where Kingdom Hearts is said to reside. Because of this, I sent Mickey and his compatriots to find their own way to the Realm Of Darkness."
"What!?" The two yelled, Webby taking over "Master Yen Sid! I've read about the Realm Of Darkness, the Heartless there are even stronger than they are here, are you sure it was a good idea to send them there!?"
"I understand your concerns, young lady." Master Yen Sid acknowledged "But I have faith in my student, as I am sure you both have faith in your family." He looked to them, noting how they leaned back a little out of embarrassment over their outburst "But still, I had no other choice. There are legends, you know, legends about these very events that are proceeding at this moment. The legends say that the only way to close the door should it open are two Keyblades; one of the Realm Of Light, and one found deep in the Realm Of Darkness. Mickey has been send to retrieve that very Keyblade, now all that is needed is to find the one who wields the Keyblade born from the Realm of Light."
"But sir, you're a Keyblade wielder, can't you do it?" Max asked politely.
The old Sorcerer shook his head "Unfortunately, I am not physically able for such a task anymore. Time, it seems, has not given me much leniency. As it stands, we must search for another with the potential to wield a Keyblade, and hope that they are ready for such a burden."
They nodded in acceptance "So what do we do?" Webby asked. And that was the question, wasn't it?
"I would like you both to look for a new wielder and bring them to me, but I understand that your duty to your Queen takes precedence. Still, I ask that you both be vigilant. The Heartless are indeed being commanded, and their leader may be shrewder than we think, so you must keep watch."
"Yes sir!" They saluted.
Master Yen Sid nodded, closing his eyes. And only Max seemed to hear what he whispered.
"May your Heart be your guiding key..."