All Might turns his head towards Midoriya, "Without a quirk?"
He looked as though he was going to say more, but suddenly, All Might started tensing and emitting steam.
Midoriya continued talking, oblivious to All Might's predicament, "People think I don't have a chance. That not having any powers makes me some kind of weakling. My classmates like to make fun of me.... but you know what? That makes me want to prove them wrong."
A hand being placed on his shoulder stops his speech. He looks and sees Dante pointing toward All Might.
Looking in that direction, Midoriya sees that All Might is completely encompassed by steam. He immediately starts freaking out, thinking something is wrong with All Might.
Dante walks forward and swats away the smoke to reveal a shriveled man bearing little resemblance to All Might.
"The hell?" Dante says, confused.
The shock of the sudden new arrival makes Midoriya scream. After a few seconds, he calms down.
Dante: He deflated....
Midoriya looks from side to side frantically, "H-huh? Where'd All Might go?"
He then looks to the skinny man standing in All Might's place, "You! You're not him! You're an imposter!"
The man looks a little offended and annoyed at Midoriya's comments, "I assure you that I am All Mi-"
He starts spewing blood from his mouth, which causes Midoriya to scream again. Dante rubs his temples in annoyance at this whole encounter.
"You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in and flexing and stuff? I'm like that." All (not so) Might explains.
Midoriya: This can't be real! No, I'm dreaming. All Might is a giant of a man who saves everyone. He defeats all obstacles and wins the day with a fearless smile.
All Might sighs, "There's plenty of fear behind that smile."
He sits down, "I'm trusting you both to not go telling anyone about this, so don't go posting this online or anything."
He lifts his shirt to reveal a massive scar on the left side of his torso. The wound is similar to that of a stab wound, but this one being much more brutal looking.
"Pretty gross, right? I got this in a fight five years back. My respiratory system was basically destroyed, and I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have worn me out, and I can't be fixed. Right now, I can only do hero work for about three hours a day. Rest of the time, this is what I look like."
"No way, five years ago? So does that mean it was the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?" Midoriya asks.
Dante: Horrible name for a villain.
All Might: Wow, you know your stuff. But no, the punk may have landed some hits, but he couldn't bring me down. Most of the world has never heard of this fight, I did everything I could to keep this under wraps.
"To maintain your image, I imagine. If word spread that the mighty All Might was injured beyond repair, it could bring disaster." Dante chimes in.
All Might looks almost impressed, "The first none snide-ridden remark you've made about me. But, you're right. Pro-Hero's are always risking their lives. Some villains can't be beaten without powers. So, to answer your question from before, no. I honestly don't think you can be a hero without a quirk."
The words from All Might hit Midoriya greatly. All his hope that his own hero would tell him he could be a hero too was suddenly crushed. The desperate face Midoriya made after was very telling.
YOU ARE READING
The Heat That Emanates
Fanfiction"Let weakness not hold you back, but push you forward." Live by those words and achieve greatness. Dante Thorn, the boy with power. He's strong and intimidating, but that doesn't mean he hasn't faced his own struggles. He pushed through weakness, su...
