4 years ago…
A 10-year-old, and much smaller, Izuku stood before a door, staring at it with confidence. There was one thing he wondered about for a long time. Why did the biggest kid rule the schoolyard? Why did the toughest prisoner control the prison? Why did the more dangerous villains earn respect and dominion over other villains? Because everyone was afraid of them, of course. Was there anything better than fear to manipulate someone? No, what he didn't understand was why this wasn't applied to the "real world". The world where normal people lived.
All Might was the strongest hero in Japan, probably even the world. His name alone put fear into villains' hearts. Mostly into weakling's hearts. However, it wasn't like he changed the world much, was it? Ultimately, men like his father could get whatever they wanted thanks to their status only. He was too ambitious for his own good, and when he was too much of a bother for the higher ranks, he was killed like an insect. Izuku wasn't mad about it, he never really loved him, after all. He was more mad about the consequences Hisashi's death brought to him and his mother.
Their main source of income was Hisashi, which they lost after he was assassinated. Moreover, Inko was forced to quit her job at the hospital because of the injury she suffered. Losing half a leg prevented her from being a nurse any longer. They had to move out and live in a dump. An apartment that wasn't even half as spacious as their house had been. The social benefits they got from the government were barely enough to pay their bills.
Not only was he almost made a tool for the government, but they also fucked him over after murdering his stupid father. The worst part was that the ones responsible were likely bastards in suits who didn't even know Izuku and his mother's names, but still gave out the orders to get rid of Hisashi.
They didn't do it because they thought what he was doing was morally wrong, and neither did Izuku since he was simply baffled how someone who could barely win against his 5-year-old son in a spar would be able to intimidate anyone. No, they removed him from the equation because he became a pain in their ass. Then they dared spout nonsense about fighting for the greater good and the people. What a load of bullshit. To Izuku, he saw nearly no difference between villains and them.
Nevertheless, his father had the right idea, somewhat. He needed to be stronger. If he wanted to make any change in the world, this would be necessary.
The door he was staring at was the entrance of a dojo he found recently. He wanted to test his strength and the progress he made, here. It was a regular habit of this. His usual approach was to go in and challenge the best fighter directly. It helped that many of the facilities teaching combat didn't allow mutants. Clearly, their ego couldn't accept that some people would just be born stronger than them. Since quirks couldn't be used, mutants would have a natural advantage.
"This is highly unusual. Where are your parents?" A man wearing a judogi and a black belt asked. Meanwhile, several other people with similar attire but different belts threw glances at the boy and the judoka.
"My mom's home. I want to fight the best here," Izuku stated fearlessly.
"Yes, I heard you the first time, but we can't really let anyone challenge our students. Especially not a child; however, we can call your parents and I'm sure they'll be happy to enroll you here. Then you'll get to challenge whoever you want," The judoka responded, only for Izuku to shake his head.
"No. I want a challenge now. And if I lose, then I'll enroll, okay?" The boy confidently retorted.
"This must be a joke…" The judoka grumbled under his breath while holding the bridge of his nose.
"Wait a second, it's not like the kid is doing anything wrong, let's give him what he wants and send him on his way," Someone suddenly interrupted.
"Hurota! Are you sure?" The adult Izuku was talking to turned around to address another man, another judoka with a black belt. He also seemed a bit burlier than the first one.
"Of course! I never back out of a challenge anyway," Horuta assured, much to everyone's surprise.
"You're the best here?" Izuku asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yup! Show me what you got," He replied, pointing at the tatami behind him. Izuku simply nodded before walking up to it. It shocked people even more since they expected he would like to get ready mentally at least.
Horuta simply snickered internally. He recognized the flames of youth and the need to have a challenge. He was the same when he was a child, but that changed as he grew up. The trials he went through and the losses he suffered built him into who he was now. He learned humility by finding people better than him and surpassing them. This dojo had played a huge part in it, and he hoped it would do the same to this youngster.
Naturally, he didn't plan on seriously hurting him or anything. This was judo, after all. Sweeping him off his feet and lightly grappling him should be enough. He would just need to make sure those horns don't hurt him while doing so.
Soon enough, they stood across each other, and Horuta towered easily towered over the child. It was a comical sight since a black belt of his caliber rarely had to face a kid, even when it was to teach them.
"Hajime!" The first judoka announced loudly.
Immediately, Horuta stretched his arm toward the boy, ready to grapple him. Before he could even react or register what happened, he was swept off his legs and collapsed to his side. Widening his eyes, Horuta's mind buzzed with confusion, unable to understand what just happened. Somehow, the kid made him fall!
Quickly, he bent his arms to raise himself up and stand back up, only for the young boy to grab his wrist and easily lift him up and throw him against the wall on the other end of the room.
"Horuta!" The referee exclaimed in shock and worry when the other man fell on the floor after hitting the wall.
"What… What happened?" Horuta muttered to himself before staring at the boy in astonishment. "I weigh 90 kg! How did he…" Was it a strength quirk? It must have been! He cheated! There was no other way Horuta would have lost to a kid!
"That was disappointing," Izuku mumbled with a sigh. "This dojo isn't interesting anymore," He added before walking toward the exit, and no one dared to call out to him.
"Horuta! You okay?" The referee ran up to him to help him on his feet.
"Hey… That kid… Did he say his name?" Horuta inquired while staring at the exit door.
"No, why?" The other man answered.
"Oh," Horuta simply mumbled.
He never saw the child again.
Present day
Izuku walked away from school with his hands in his pocket, uncaring of the world around him. He had never been worried about his education since he always passed his tests. Studying in a classroom was useless when he could do it on his own, and he proved it multiple times. His mother always said he inherited his analytical mind from his grandfather, but Izuku doubted that.
It developed because he often studied heroes and villains fighting. There was always a fight broadcasted on television, and sometimes, he was there on site. Learning to fight from watching other people, or even learning how their quirks worked was more useful than anything. It would also prepare him for when he would enter U.A.
For now, he would do something a bit more useful than sitting in a classroom. Something interesting he discovered while walking around the more trashy territories of the city. While power alone could rule the underworld, money would always help. It would especially help when it came to his civilian life.
After taking the train, Izuku found himself in the Gashyyk district. There were only a few people outside, which was great for someone like him who wouldn't want to get the attention of unwanted onlookers. This neighborhood was especially great because nearly everything here looked suspicious, so nothing would ever seem out of place.
Not even the coffee shop with closed curtains. Izuku knocked on the door with as little strength as he could muster. He was tired of breaking doors by accident.
"We're closed," Someone replied from behind the door, making Izuku roll his eyes.
That meant he was supposed to say the password, and he would be let in, but he grew annoyed after some time.
"For fuck's sake. You know who I am! There aren't many 3-meter-tall men here," He shouted.
As expected, the person behind the door quickly opened it, grumbling under their breath along the way.
"J-Just get in," The doorman grumbled in annoyance.
Izuku scoffed and lowered his head, so he could get inside. The inside looked nothing like a coffee shop. In fact, it was nothing but stairs going down. He was used to walking down this path, and it didn't make his blood pump as much as it did the first time, unfortunately. As the other man closed the door behind him, the sound of people chattering and cheering reached Izuku's ears.
The lower he was descending, the louder the sound was getting. It was a sound he had grown quite used to lately. As he finally took the final step, he was able to lay his eyes on a large stadium, filled with a couple hundred people, which was the best an underground fight club could ask for. There were several rows of seats and at the very bottom and center of the room was a massive ring with a cage around it. The spectators surrounding the ring seemingly cheered for two people inside, but neither of them seemed impressive.
"Midoriya-san! So glad to see ya!" Someone suddenly exclaimed as soon as he stepped inside. It was a man, well a male because the person who just talked didn't exactly look human. His skin was green and scaly while his head resembled an iguana with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He was also wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. He likely got that nice expensive-looking suit thanks to Izuku. "I was waiting for ya!"
"Manager," Izuku greeted him as the man snickered, putting a hand on Izuku's lower back, which was the highest he could reach.
"Now, now, come on, kiddo. You can call me, Taki! We're good friends, by now!" Taki assured him while giving him back pats.
Taki, the iguana man, was the one who introduced him to this place. Not of his own free will, of course. Izuku had been looking for information on the underworld with the internet, at first, and when he had enough, he decided to search for it on the field. The green-skinned man had become quite cooperative after Izuku beat him to an inch of his life for trying to rob him.
"Anyone interesting today?" Izuku asked, completely ignoring Taki's request, and walked down the stadium's stairs toward the fighters' lounge.
"We've got some fresh meat you'd probably find amusing," Taki responded while following after him.
As the two walked away, one of the spectators couldn't help but overhear their conversation, and narrow his eyes in confusion as he noticed something strange.
"Hey, isn't that a middle schooler's clothes?" He asked the man sitting on his right. Indeed, even if they were huge, and the open jacket made Izuku look like a delinquent, it still resembled a middle schooler's outfit.
"That's because it is, kid's apparently 14," The second man replied, grinning in amusement at his friend's shock.
"What?! He looks like a grown-ass man! And not just because of his size! What's a kid doing here?"
"He's a fighter in the ring. He's pretty good, too! I win every time I bet on him, but I've got no idea what his quirk is. We call him, Oni," He retorted, and it was easy to figure out where the name came from when looking at the boy's horns. The first man still doubted this was a place for a kid like him, though.
Down in the fighters' locker room, Izuku sat on a bench, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. His manager, Taki, stood before him, his hands in his pockets.
"That's not the guy I wanted to fight. Did Pero refuse to let me fight the champion?" Izuku questioned as Taki sighed.
"I didn't even ask him! Fighting Ryo is way too early for you!" Izuku's manager responded irritatedly.
"What?! I thought I told you I wanted to fight the champion?!" Izuku shouted before suddenly standing up and grabbing Taki by the collar, lifting him in the air while the iguana man gasped.
"Y-You must understand, Midoriya-san! This is the champion we're talking about! You're still a newbie! Ya only got a dozen fights under your belt! We should take it slow; this guy's too… Too strong for you for now," Taki stammered fearfully, making the boy scoff.
"Too strong? That's exactly why I want to fight him, idiot. Talk to Pero and tell him I want to fight the champion, and no one else. Going against weaklings is getting boring," Izuku ordered as he dropped the man on the floor.
"Alright, alright!" Taki retorted before springing to his feet and scurrying out of the room. "That stupid kid will be the death of us! What does he plan on doing against Ryo, for fuck's sake?" He grumbled under his breath and fixed his tie.
Izuku breathed out before sitting down again and leaning back. He already knew the fight club's manager would accept. After all, as Taki said, the middle schooler was a newbie. However, he was a promising one. It would be an entertaining matchup for the spectators, who would still most likely bet on the champion rather than the boy. The green-haired boy didn't care about the spectacle for the customers or about being the underdog. What he wished for was to be entertained, and he could only hope the champion would give him that!
It seemed he got the first part of his wish, at least.
"Now, ladies and dirty crooks! Welcome to Pero's Fight Club for a thrilling and unexpected match! Today, I am delighted to announce that our dear champion Mad Ryo will fight against the new fresh meat! The middle schooler with 13 consecutive wins, Oni!" The announcer declared excitedly and loudly through the room's speakers. Almost immediately after his announcement, the crowd burst into cheers and whistles, many of them shouting Ryo's name, and some of them screaming Izuku's pseudonym. "Bet now and win big, you only have ten minutes before the match starts!"
Unsurprisingly, most of the crowd jumped off their seats and rushed to the betting desk while Taki watched fearfully.
"There, you got what you wished for!" He yelled while pointing at the ring. "You can't back out anymore!" He added, only for Izuku to huff in boredom.
"You're starting to annoy me," The younger man breathed out, glaring with only one eye at the lizard man, who stepped back with a shiver. "Whatever. This is probably gonna be our last fight, so consider this the end of our deal," He shook his head before walking toward the ring.
"Of course, it is… Dumbass' going to die," The scaly man groaned.
Since this was an underground fight club, people died every day. Their bodies were disposed of in dumps, and their names were forgotten. Izuku had potential! The two of them could have made it big! But his stupidity would cost him his life! And here when that kid found him that day, he thought his lucky star was finally shining on him!
Nevertheless, he still earned quite a lot thanks to him and his previous fights. Even if they lose, he would still earn something by betting against Izuku. It was good knowing him, but in the end, money mattered much more. With everything he got from these fights, maybe Taki could find another promising fighter and become their manager? That one could even be more obedient as well! Certainly not a pain in the ass like Oni!
"Make some noise for Oni! A boy, a massive one for sure, but a boy who remained undefeated in the ring! Could he be the one to dethrone the one and only champion?" He asked the cheering spectators as Izuku entered the ring. "And on the other side… The champion who defended his title for over 100 matches! The one and only… Mad Ryo! Will he finally find someone tough enough to take his punches?" He declared when the crowd chanted Ryo's name while he entered the ring.
This wasn't the first time Izuku had seen this. Every time the champion fought, people would chant his name. He was easily the most popular fighter, after all, and the one who survived the longest here. Ever since he had seen him fight, Izuku had wanted to test his strength against him. Ryo would usually just finish a match with a few punches, but he loved building up the tension, so he always prolonged the fights. When the one who was called a madman finally climbed on the ring, the green-haired boy was finally able to take a good look at him.
He was far from being massive like Izuku was, but he was still pretty tall for an average non-mutant man since his height reached the middle schooler's belly. His well-built body and scars showed off his history of battles and training, and his short black hair certainly wasn't enough to hide his blood-lusted eyes. Yes, that was likely why most opponents didn't survive against him. His thirst for blood was the reason fights didn't end until death.
"You look pretty strong for a kid! This might be fun," Ryo whistled as he looked at Izuku from down to up. "But strength won't help you," He added arrogantly.
"We'll see," The middle schooler responded confidently.
"The fighters are in the ring! Lower the cage!" The announcer ordered as a cage slowly descended from the ceiling to surround the ring. "The second the cage touches the ring, the match will start!" He declared, notifying the fighters to be ready.
Ryo got into a fighting stance, raising his fists as he stared into Izuku's eyes. Seeing someone not get intimidated by his size was a rare sight for the green-haired boy, and it actually pumped him up a little.
Izuku simply clenched his fists. Finally, the cage reached the ring.
"Here I co-" Ryo began excitedly, only for a fist to meet his face and interrupt him, throwing him against the cage, which he bounced off from.
"And Oni lands the first hit!" The announcer declared with a shout as Izuku didn't give the champion any break and threw an array of punches all over Ryo's torso. "He follows with multiple more punches, forcing the champion to back away!"
"Damn it! He's… Actually gonna break my ribs!" Ryo thought as Izuku's huge fist continued to relentlessly assault him, easily breaking his guard. However, that was fine. Even though the boy was stronger than he expected, this was still according to plan.
"This is starting to look like I'm fighting a punching bag," Izuku commented with boredom as he punched Ryo so hard in the abs that he threw him off the floor.
"The champion falls! For the first time, Mad Ryo's back falls to the ground!" The announcer shouted while the champion punched the floor, slowly standing up again as he spat out blood.
His face was swollen, and Izuku's fists even left red imprints all over his torso, but he could still stand. Suddenly, he flexed his muscles and slowly bulked up, making them grow larger with his fists and teeth clenched.
"There it is! The champion is using his quirk!" The announcer stated as the crowd cheered.
Meanwhile, Izuku simply stood a few meters away, staring at him with a stone-cold expression.
"Hehe… Idiots, I've been using my quirk from the start…" Ryo thought in amusement.
His quirk, Absorb, granted him the ability to store any impacts he encountered during a fight within his body. His muscles would absorb the strength distributed by his adversaries, making each of his blows as potent as the combined power of the hits he endured. The sole drawback was that he had to endure those impacts initially, necessitating strengthening his body to withstand powerful hits. Nevertheless, this ability was entirely ineffective against ranged attacks, so any lowlife with a good ranged quirk would be an issue for him; however, in close combat situations like this fight club, it was an entirely different story. Here, he was unbeatable!
His main strategy had always been to let his opponent hit him a few times, then counter-attack after having enough power. Everyone else thought he was just making the fights longer for fun! This kid had so much power that it would be his shortest fight yet!
"Now, this is getting interesting," Izuku muttered as Ryo rushed him with an impressive speed for a man with such bulky muscles.
"Take this!" Ryo grinned as he delivered a blow, which the boy didn't even defend against, right in his belly. Unsurprisingly, this was enough to push Izuku back and even make him spit out blood. "Sorry, but not good enough, kid! This… Is how you kill someone!" He shouted as he launched a flurry of punches against Izuku's chest and abs. The feeling of his punches seemingly sinking inside his enemy's flesh was enough to bring a large smile to the champion's face. "50 Consecutive Demon Rush!"
"The champion's ultimate move! Will Oni be able to stand up again?!" The announcer asked as the horned boy fell on his back with a loud thump.
"No way. This was instant death!" Ryo smirked, wiggling his bloody fingers. Usually, he didn't have to use his ultimate move to win a fight, but he didn't wish to take any risks with that giant brat.
"I forgot how pain feels…" Izuku grumbled as he held his chest, standing back up with a grunt.
"A-Amazing! Oni manages to stand up again!"
"What? What the hell?" Ryo muttered with a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek. The middle schooler's hits nearly made Ryo spill his guts! 50 times the combined power of those punches should have killed that kid!
"I guess that's expected from my own hits, though," Izuku snickered while holding his head.
"Huh? Wait… How do you…" Ryo stepped back in surprise.
"That's obvious for any idiots who watch you fight," The green–haired boy responded.
It was true. He watched several of Ryo's fights and every time the champion bulked up, it was after taking multiple hits from his opponents. Izuku figured it was because he possessed some kind of power-stockpiling quirk.
"Doesn't matter! I'll finish this, now!" Ryo gave him a toothy grin as he got ready to launch himself against the massive boy again.
"No need, you showed me all you had, already. This was a disappointment," Izuku replied after a sigh as his skin began shifting, growing scales and turning green.
"Huh?" The champion blinked in puzzlement. He had no time to react before something slashed a large cut across his chest, causing a substantial amount of blood to gush out. His muscles quickly deflated as if they were a pierced balloon while Ryo collapsed on his face, his eyes blank. Meanwhile, the scales over Izuku's arms slowly turned back into his regular skin.
"The… The Champion has fallen! Against all odds, Oni has defeated him in the blink of an eye!" The announcer declared.
Many cheered at the outcome, but Izuku wasn't surprised to hear that most of the crowd wasn't happy to have lost their bet. The boy ignored their boos, though. He didn't get what he wished for in the end.
"What the hell was that quirk?" Taki muttered as the cage rose and a few people entered the ring to carry out Ryo.
The lizard man gulped. No, it wasn't because he lost his bet, but because he was afraid of what the manager would say. They just beat the champion! It was Pero's golden goose! They would get killed for sure! No, he could still run, couldn't he? Yes! He'd talk to Midoriya and they would leave to make some money another way! They would get even richer!
"You, my boy, are going to be my golden goose!" Pero, a bulky bald suit-wearing man, exclaimed with a cigar between his fingers.
"Huh? Really?" Taki mumbled by Izuku's side.
The two of them stood before the Fight Club's manager's desk, which was also guarded by two other men standing a meter away from Pero. The man had called them into his office, and Taki had wanted to straight up run away. However, Izuku decided otherwise and dragged him all the way here.
At least, they gave them enough time, so the horned boy would wrap his injuries in bandages.
"Of course! Here's your money, you two," Pero responded as he gestured for the two men behind him to come, which they did, and placed two briefcases on the desk. "This is only the start, but as the new champion, you'll earn at least twice as much as you did before, kid!" He guaranteed while Taki slowly approached one of the briefcases and opened it.
"This… Ah! There's so much!" He shouted with his tongue hanging out excitedly out of his mouth. "There's at least 75,000,000 yen in there!" He exclaimed to the open briefcase, which was filled with bundles of 10,000 yen bills. "And you're telling me this is just the start?! We'll get filthy rich, Midoriya-san!" Taki shouted excitedly as Pero laughed.
"I think the three of us will have quite a profitable relationship," He stated before puffing out smoke.
"Nah, sorry, but I'm not interested," Izuku suddenly interrupted, much to Taki's horror.
"What do you mean you're not interested?!" Taki snapped at him, only for the boy to not even glance in his direction.
"Can I know why?" Pero questioned, his excitement having swiftly faded away.
"I wanted to test my strength against someone worthy, and I thought this champion would be the one. Unfortunately, I was just disappointed. Since no one is stronger here, I've no business in this place anymore," He explained.
Indeed, money wasn't the only reason he decided to fight in the ring. He also did it to have fun and excitement; to fight someone who would get his heart pumping. It was also a good way to train himself for the future. He already had a few plans, and he would be playing in both fields of the law, so he needed to be strong enough. Since he had been in real fights, he would also have an advantage over the other heroes in training.
However, these weren't the only reasons. Truthfully, he also wanted to find people to recruit. They would either have to be strong or possess useful skills. He needed allies he could either fully trust or be sure he could use for his own benefit.
"You're lucky Ryo's alive, or else I wouldn't have any champion, right now. If that's what you want, I won't stop you," Pero responded before taking a puff of his cigar. "But don't you want to earn money?"
"Pfft, I can find another way to do that. Don't worry," Izuku scoffed before taking his briefcase and turning his back on them.
"H-Hey! Wait a damn second! What about me?!" Taki shouted, making the boy pause.
"Huh? What about you? I told you already. This was my last fight, and I'm putting an end to our deal. You were useful to me, but I don't need you anymore," He answered, ready to leave again, only for Taki to shout again.
"And you think I'll accept that shit?! We could be rich, ya dumbass! Stay right here!" Taki ordered as Izuku froze up, and slowly turned around. Pero and his guards simply remained silent with sweat rolling down their faces.
"What did you just say?" Izuku asked followed by a glare.
"Ya heard me! I've had enough of hearing your constant caprices, so I'm putting my foot down! We've got a good thing going on here, and I ain't letting you screw it up!" Taki argued before freezing up once he finally noticed the boy's intense glare.
"Who do you think you are?! Ordering me around?! You stupid bastard!" Izuku screamed and followed with a palm thrust.
"W-Wait!" Taki tried to plead while backing away, suddenly remembering the danger the younger boy represented, only to be hit by Izuku's palm instantly. What happened next could only be described as gruesome as the lizard man's head was blown to bits, spraying his blood and his brains all over the floor.
Surprisingly, Pero remained impassive, not caring at all that someone had just been murdered in his office. The guards were a different matter as they grabbed their handguns and held them defensively, ready to shoot at the horned boy if he made any sudden moves toward them. Taki's death was nearly instant as even his still-twitching body hadn't processed it yet. The fact that Izuku did this so easily was enough to make shivers run down their spine.
"I'll take his share," Izuku simply said as he grabbed Taki's briefcase, too. Outstandingly enough, there was no trace of blood on his palm. It was as if the impact was such that it projected all of Taki's life juice directly out of his skull before it even made contact with the boy's hand.
"Wait!" Pero called out to him. "Take this," He said as he handed Izuku a piece of paper.
"What's this?" The horned boy asked after grabbing it. It looked like…
"It's a phone number. An information broker whose name's Giran. He could probably help you make some money or for some other things if you ever need to," Pero responded.
"I see. Thanks," Izuku simply retorted before walking out of the office and closing the door behind him.
Now alone with his guards, Pero let out a relieved breath.
"Why did you give him Giran's number, sir?" One of them asked.
"That kid's got potential. I can see it from a mile away. Besides, I'd rather get him out of my hair," He answered while wiping sweat with a handkerchief.
"Uhm, do you want us to clean that up?" The second guard pointed at Taki's corpse, only for Pero to sigh.
"No, I like having corpses in my office," Pero stated calmly. "Of course, I want you to clean it up, you dumbass!" He snapped in annoyance, which was enough to wake them out of their stupor and make them carry out the body.
"Yes, sir!" They replied hurriedly in unison.
"That kid's really got some crazy strength," Pero muttered while leaning back on his chair. Maybe he should keep an eye out on the news to check if his name would ever come up.