The First Generation

Creature

Izuku had faced danger before. So many times, that he often didn't stop to think about it anymore. It came with the territory of being the sort of person that he was. Dedicated to helping people, saving whoever he could, whenever he could. The world was cruel, and it was unfair, and it only felt right that he do what he could to help save those he could. Quirked, Quirkless. It didn't matter.

Even before he accepted a Quirk of his own, he would jump in front of girls with pink skin to protect them from getting stabbed or maimed in some way. He would do his best to help someone who could affect Gravity find a home at Yuuei. He would suffer burns to help rampaging hybrids, trying to calm them down and stop them before they were hurt. It was just the sort of person he was.

He was, in every sense of the word, a maverick. Someone who couldn't be predicted in any way whatsoever. At least, not by conventional, Quirkless standards, who turned their backs on those with Quirks the moment they became more common within the population. But Izuku didn't. Granted, he wasn't perfect. It hadn't been until his best friend had developed a Quirk that he took active interest, but he was one of the few Quirkless in the city who seemed to care.

Nothing would stop him now though. He was determined. And he wasn't going to let anything stop him. He was going to fight until he dropped dead, trying to make the world a safer place for those who had Quirks. He didn't freeze. He never froze when it came to helping people.

Whatever this creature in front of him was now though... That made him freeze.

There weren't any words to describe the lumbering freak that was charging towards him, like an animal going off of nothing but the most primal instincts. It was fast, and it was strong. And it was charging right towards Izuku.

His brain was telling him all the logical things that he should be doing now. Running. Firing up One For All. Getting ready to attack. Dodge. Just to move. But his legs weren't having any of it. His body refused to obey his brain, and the electrical impulses it sent to his limbs. He had experienced fear before.

This wasn't fear taking over. He was anxious, especially about the Hero stuff, of course he was – But he wasn't scared. Not exactly.

Horrified was a better word.

The purple creature was within attacking range in about five seconds, and Izuku hadn't taken his eyes off of it for a single one of those. Even as it lunged, he didn't have it in him to move.

This... Thing... He couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Get the fuck out of the way!"

The outside world finally snapped into focus when Katsuki launched himself straight at the creature, unleashing a single powerful explosion to the side of the head with his right hook attack. Katsuki had made sure to get into close range, and to detonate the most powerful blast he had to offer. The result caused the beast to lurch to the side, staggered, but certainly not defeated. Not even close.

"Get your head in the fucking game, Maverick!" Katsuki yelled, slamming his left palm into the creature again. It doubled as an attack, and as a movement ability – utilizing the recoil, he flung himself towards Izuku, skidding next to his friend. "Of all of us, you're the one fucking freezing up now?!"

Maverick. For a moment, it didn't register with Izuku, but it hit him like a bolt of lightning about two seconds later, and then everything fell back into place. He looked around the area. Todoroki, Uraraka, and Mina were all approaching, and behind them, there were still some civilians who, for some reason, decided that they wanted to watch this happen, even if it put them in serious danger.

"Does – Does that thing seem... Weird to anyone else?" Izuku asked. The creature in question was still lurching, patting its head where the impact sight had been. It looked like a lost creature, unsure of where it even was.