A Friend

Prologue

(Quick message if you're reading this through the prologue chapter or chapter 1, but to help clear up confusion on to why despite this being a fanfic there are chapters that are centered around non-mha stuff. Well the simple answer is to better explain and to leave very little confusion in the setting of the book. Because while the idea of a mysterious powerful faction emerges from nowhere and over powers the already established factions, it's not very interesting to read. Rather instead I'm going to be writing chapters that are main plot chapters that progress the plot and consequences that directly affect Izuku along with the other mha characters. But there will also be chapters like 10.5 for example that will be elsewhere in the overarching world that will be more focused on global events. That will serve more to fill in any story or narrative gaps like 'how is x faction so strong' 'where did that come from' and so on, but also these chapters can be skipped without continuity errors. Lastly for the first 15 chapters it should be stated Izuku isn't serving as the primary focus like he will in later chapters, for like I stated before in this message, I want to present a story that is something worth reading, which involves world building; granted the mha world is already built up and establish, but the content that this crossing over with isn't as so, so context is needed in this.)

Why, why can't he be a hero, thought Izuku as All Might left him alone on the rooftop overlooking the city, as a cool spring breeze suddenly struck him and brought him back from his thoughts. With a sigh Izuku mumbled "Maybe they're right, maybe I ain't meant to be a hero." while turning around to face the door All Might left through his eyes glued to his feet when he heard someone speak up who wasn't there before. At least he was sure they weren't there before but he could have missed them as he was too focused on his idol.

"I think you could be a hero kid," spoke a man leaning against the door. Wait no way Izuku thought there was no way that this guy was up here with us. All Might would have noticed him. Hell he wasn't even that hard to spot in his all black get up and closed cropped hair. Noticing Izuku's panic the man continued "what that other guy said was true though, being a hero is dangerous work but someone with your brains could easily be a great hero!" It felt like mockery, like this stranger was mocking him saying that he could be a hero only to kick him back down when he got his hopes up, he couldn't stand it.

"NO I can't," Izuku cried out in rage as memories of countless people mocking, berating, and degrading him circled his mind accompanied with a new one, a fresh one, one of All Might telling him he couldn't be a hero. After all he was quirkless, useless... and would only be in the way of the true heroes, and... and only be another name added to the list of victims. Taking a deep breath he said trying to holding back tears "I'm quirkless what can I do, I can't create explosions like Kachhan, I don't have wings fly like Hawks, I can't use fire like Endeavor, And I don't have the strength, courage, or smile of All Might!?! You heard him, even he didn't think I could be a hero so what can I do!" screamed Izuku as he collapsed as tears began streaming down his face despite his best efforts further cementing his uselessness in his mind, as he took quick choked shuddering breaths. He was in such a state that even when a distant explosion echoed through the city Izuku didn't even notice it.

"Kid come on don't talk that way." The stranger said while approaching and then extended his left hand to Izuku trying to help him up. Izuku looked at the hand blankly taken aback by the fact that despite being a adult he was being kind to him while knowing he was quirkless, and was equally shocked when he noticed how scarred the man's palm that extended across the whole hand so much so it almost didn't look real. It was torn and shredded with evident stitch marks running to and fro, even crossing over each other at certain junctions multiple times, causing a wave of concern to wash over Izuku as he stammered out.

"Your hand, what happened to it!" Izuku shouted blinking tears from his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, what matters is you right now." The stranger said with a bright smile "Oh and before I forget can I get your name?"

"Why?" Izuku asked dumb founded as this total stranger who seemingly appeared out of thin air and has been giving him nothing but encouragement was now asking for his name.

"Well it's good form to know who I plan on teaching to be a hero isn't it?" The man said before mumbling something to himself in a rolling punctual language Izuku couldn't recognize. Wait... did he just say teach me to be a hero!

"Wait wait wait I can't be a hero I'm quirkless!" Izuku said again as it was the only thing he could think of to say to such a suggestion.

"Oh but you can I'm quirkless too," The stranger said grinning while a faintly red piece of ice formed and hovered above his outreached scarred palm, which Izuku had neglected to take "and yet I can do this."

"How?" Izuku said almost as if in a trance at the mere fact this man, despite saying he was quirkless, was able to pull something like this off unless. Unless he had lied and this was some cruel trick by the man before revealing he did in fact have a quirk and that a quirkless person like myself could never amount to what I aspire to be. So Izuku waited and watched as the piece of ice disappeared, waiting to hear those fated words he expected to hear.

"Well how about I tell you how as we walk. After all, shouldn't school boys like yourself be rushing home to study for your final year before heading to UA?" The stranger said, reaching down to the ground and grasping Izuku's wrist, which hung limply by his side, pulling him up to his feet while still waiting for the other preverbal shoe to drop. He wasn't hearing things right? Izuku thought as possibilities swirled around inside his head as his mind tried to make sense of it all. Until he was jolted from his thoughts as he heard the squealing of the roof's door hinges when the stranger opened it and said "C'mon kid lets go it's getting late after all, oh and you can call me Martyr by the way." before passing through the door which shut behind him with a bang.

Izuku for all his faults and his doubts found his legs moving on their own as he realized he didn't care if it was a lie, he didn't care if it was nothing more but a cruel joke. But something told him no, screamed at the back of his mind to follow the stranger calling himself Martyr, to hear what he had to say, to hope that his future wasn't as dark as it seemed. As Izuku burst through the door and onto the landing he stumbled causing him to almost fall down the stairs before a hand grabbed him by the collar pulling him back to his feet. Steading himself he turned and faced the man who had stopped him from falling and said "My name is Midoriya Izuku! And it's nice to make your acquaintance sensei!" while bowing as far as he could, almost hitting the man with his forehead.

"Well Midoriya it's nice to meet you." Martyr said walking passed him and began to walk down the stairs before saying "And please don't call me 'sensei' just refer to me as a friend Midoriya. Now where were we? Of course I was about to tell you about how I'm going to teach you to be a hero and how to do what I can do, well at least what I can."

"Please do sen... I mean friend." Izuku beamed following closely behind as they walked down the stairs and out onto the street talking all the way about what lay ahead for Izuku and his path to be the number one hero.