My Hero Academia: From The Ground Up

Chapter 12: The Cost of Heroism

Bakugou ran bravely to the incoming villain, Nucleon giving his own war-cry.

Ochaco pushed Izuku back and began to tap each of the old boxes from the pile beside them.

Nucleon continued to laugh as he grabbed Bakugou's hands.

The enraged blonde unleashed a massive explosion from his palms but the smoke and light cleared fast. He realized Nucleon was sucking the power through their connected hands and tried to pull away.

"Just a little more from you, boy." He snickered.

Katsuki yelled and threw his head forward against Nucleon's forehead. But no effect.

"My turn." Nucleon began to spin them both around and around faster and faster until he finally let go, throwing him off to the side.

He then raised his hands as they glowed green and blasted the boy before he could get back up from the hit.

"KACCHAN!" Izuku screamed.

"Izuku, stay back! This is too dangerous! I'll get him!" Ochaco shouted back. She then began to pick up the boxes and throw them toward Nucleon's direction.

"How many of those can you hold, little girl?" The villain smirked. He seemed to take his time taunting her, still finding no threat in these kids.

"Just enough to knock you out!" She glared.

"You sure about that? Those boxes look pretty old." Nucleon gave a sarcastic shrug.

Izuku picked up a small plank of wood and threw it at him. It flew a considerable distance and landed right next to his feet.

Nucleon turned from the plank back up to the leftover kids and chuckled. He then quickly raised his arm again and fired a laser beam in their direction.

Both kids ducked out of the way until he blasted at them again. Ochaco tried to dodge to the right but hit the pile of boxes and was struck with the blast that burned her skin and shirt.

"OCHACO!" Izuku called to her.

She collapsed to the ground as he scrambled to catch her. He quickly picked up her body. "Ochaco? Ochaco! Can you hear me?! Say something, do something! Please!"

"She ain't dead." Nucleon interrupted. He stood much closer to the two friends than before, pulling Bakugou's unconscious body with him. He tossed the blonde over to Izuku.

The sudden thud was enough to wake him up slowly. Ochaco also made a few low groaning sounds.

"Guys..." Izuku said looking back and forth between them. Tears began to fill his eyes.

"Face it, kid. This is the life of every hero. Surrounded by nothing but hate, pride, and pain. You can't save everyone so you'll always be in mourning. You can't please everyone so you'll always have enemies. You can't quench your thirst so you'll always be empty." Nucleon explained.

Izuku began to cry hard. "S-stop..."

Nucleon sighed. "To top it off. If you pursued this life like these two, you'd have to endure even more. All by yourself. To be quirkless in these days is basically to be less than human. No one would give you a chance. Why should I?"

Izuku raised his head. "I...." He cleared his throat and began to stand up before the villain. "I'm thankful...that you won't go easy on me..."

Nucleon raised his grey eyebrow.

"P-part of this path is the pain. Pain brings experience..." Midoriya said. His cheeks still flowed with tears but his eyes grew angry. "I don't care what it takes....how long it takes....even if no one believes in me...." He took a step forward and squared his chest. "I will become a hero no matter what it takes...because that's what true heroes do!"

Izuku quickly stepped forward again and threw his fist at Nucleon.

At the exact same time, another fist traveled beside his, hitting Nucleon straight in the head and throwing his body back.

Izuku looked back to see who threw that punch but the laughter that boomed from his savior already revealed who it was.

"Well done, young lad!"

"A-All Might?!" Izuku looked up at the towering hero behind him.

"I'll take it from here. You get your friends out and contact the police! Be their hero!" He ordered.

Izuku nodded and began to drag Bakugou and Ochaco by their arms to the exit. "Be careful!"

"Not to worry, young Midoriya! I fought this fiend before. I know his dirty tricks....and I am ready for them." He smiled wide.

"It ends here, smiling fool!" Nucleon shouted defiantly from across the room.

He aimed his arm at the three children moving to the exit but All Might was too quick and rushed the villain, knocking his arm off of aim and upper-cutting him in the chin.

Nucleon groaned loudly as his body shot up then landing hard.

His eyes shot open glowing green and hateful.

But All Might jumped on top of him, planting his knee on the villain's chest. "Your plans are foiled, as per usual. And now they'll stay that way."

"Not if those three brats are the next generation of heroes... The world is growing restless, All Might.... Each new batch of 'villains' as you call them, are stronger than the last. You heroes can't keep up... And soon...." Nucleon laughed. "He will lead us to victory...."

All Might grunted and slammed his fists into Nucleon's face until his eyes shut and his face swelled in places.

"I have faith in those little heroes. Especially that Midoriya boy." The hero said standing up and relaxing himself.

Meanwhile, now outside, Izuku dragged Bakugou and Ochaco and sat them up against an empty crate.

"Dammit nerd... I had that." Bakugou sighed quietly.

Ochaco was also awake. "Izu....ku?..."

Izuku smiled and gave her a gentle hug. "Don't worry. I'm gonna call for help right now." He pulled back, immediately pulled out his phone, and began to request for authorities and ambulance to arrive.

"Deku...." Ochaco whispered.

He turned back to her to listen.

"I...I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry I doubt you sometimes.... What friend am I to tell you you can't live your dream..."

"Ochaco I think you hit your head." Izuku frowned.

"Yeah, it ain't your fault he sucks." Bakugou sighed.

"I'm serious, Midoriya." She frowned at both of them. "It shouldn't have to take a life-threatening night like this one for me to realize you're just as worthy of being a hero as any of us... Maybe even a little more so...."

"It's okay, Ochaco." Izuku gave her a warm smile. "From now on, we do this together."

Bakugou scoffed loudly.

"I said we do this together, Kacchan." He repeated.

Bakugou looked over to him and for a moment seemed to take him seriously. He quickly brushed it off rolling his eyes. "You can't force me to third-wheel you dorks."

"No, we can't." Ochaco said. "But none of us can do this alone."

"Maybe not as friends...but, allies?" Izuku asked.

"....Fine. Also, fuck you."