Chapter Text
The ‘Great Musutafu Storm of XXXX’, as people dubbed the apocalyptic freak weather incident that ravaged the city, was all that was talked about in every newspaper and major TV network across Japan for several days after the event took place. Many were calling it a nefarious act by an unknown villain with a weather-manipulation quirk, but no one stepped forward to claim responsibility.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, damage assessment and disaster relief were deployed.
Eventually, two dozen fatalities were counted, mainly from the lightning strikes and falling trees (or in the case of the slime villain, eviscerated to microscopic pieces by the wind and rain), and hundreds injured across a spectrum of severity (a certain explosive blonde was sent to the hospital with a minor concussion and multiple cuts across his head, face and body after the wind threw him through a storefront window). The damage to property and infrastructure skyrocketed into the billions of yen, which officials estimated would take weeks to have everything running normally again.
Ignoring the fallout of his own doing, Midoriya had more important things to follow through.
Returning home to a frantic mother completely drenched, the first thing Midoriya told her once her barrage of questions came to a stop was that his quirk had manifested.
And that he was the reason why the entire neighbourhood was without power, and the destruction in the downtown area.
From there, Midoriya did not stop. Answering his mother’s questions, everything came out. Starting from his shitty day thanks to Bakugou (Inko had fallen silent, but he could see the rage building up in her eyes), getting attacked by the Sludge Villain (his mother’s anger took a back-seat as frantic worry took over), getting saved by All Might, and having his dreams destroyed once and for all by the Symbol of Peace.
Now, tears brimmed the woman’s eyes, and she pulled her son into a tight hug, whispering apologies over and over in an attempt to comfort him.
Midoriya didn’t need that.
“Mom, it’s fine,” he told her, “All Might’s callousness means nothing anymore, because I have a quirk now.”
There was a pressing question Inko needed to ask, “What is your quirk, Izuku?”
“Singing,” he replied, “I can control the world with song. The storm that devastated the downtown area? When All Might left me alone on that rooftop, I began to sing. It brought upon the wind, rain and lightning down to the world.”
“Izuku...that’s…”
“Insane? Powerful? I know,” Midoriya nodded, “There are so many possibilities. So much room for experimentation and trial. Because of that, Mom, there’s something I need you to help me with.”
“What is it, sweetie?”
“Pull me out of school.”
Inko needed a reason for that, “Why?”
“Bakugou wasn’t the only one who made my life a living hell. He galvanised the entire school to turn against me because I didn’t have a quirk, and bear in mind this has gone on for years. I don’t wish to have anything to do with that bastard, for not even gaining a quirk will allow me to forgive him for what he has done to me. People always say that one should remove themselves from a toxic and volatile situation, and for the sake of my personal safety, it’s imperative that I leave that school.”
“But what about your education?” Inko pressed, “You have a quirk, you can go to U.A. and-”
Something flashed over Midoriya’s eyes, “Mom, no. Just because I have a quirk now, does not mean I want to become a hero. In fact, I have no desire to pursue that path of lies any longer.”
The woman was silent.
“I assure you, Mom, that I’m not going to become those layabouts who waste their days away drinking beer and watching TV. I just need time to learn the boundaries of my quirk, and I intend to make use of it in some way, what exactly I haven’t figured out yet.”
…
…
“If you’re sure, Izuku,” Inko clarified after a moment.
“I’m sure,” the lad nodded.
‘After all’, he added as a silent afterthought, ‘I don’t need to be a hero to cause major upheaval.’
The next day was a Saturday, giving Midoriya all the time in the world to explore his new quirk.
He woke up to a starkly-different bedroom. Just twelve hours before, the room was a virtual shrine to All Might - posters plastered on top of each other, figurines, paraphernalia of all sorts and even All Might-themed living fittings.
Now, everything was gone. The posters all torn and shredded, all paraphernalia thrown into huge plastic bags to be given away, even his bedsheets and curtains replaced with generic ones and thrown into the back of his closet to collect dust and become food for moths.
He wanted nothing more to do with his anguished past. From this day forward, he was starting anew.
After breakfast, Midoriya left home to a specific location in the area which was the perfect place to test out his new quirk. It was called Dagobah Municipal Beach, but from what Midoriya gathered from photos spread across the Internet, calling it a beach would have many people questioning one’s mental state and eyesight.
It was a literal landfill, piles after piles of garbage covering every square inch of what was previously a very beautiful beach, accumulated from years of pollution washed up from the ocean and illegal dumping. There was a decidedly-foul stench created from the salty air mixed with rotting garbage, driving virtually everyone away from the site.
It was just right for Midoriya. No one would even deign to disturb him.
Thankfully, the suburban bus network was still running despite yesterday’s freak storm, saving Midoriya the journey of having to walk there himself. Naturally, since the beach was some distance away from the residential area, he was the only one to alight at the bus stop.
His nose crinkled as soon as the doors opened. The stench was really potent, and there was an organic layer to it. He was honestly not surprised if several corpses (hopefully not human) had been dumped somewhere among the towering piles of garbage and waste he could visibly see from the pavement.
Well, he had no other choice. He just needed to take a very thorough shower when he returned home.
Stepping down the small flight of stone steps that would have otherwise ended at the start of the sand, Midoriya gingerly stepped over and around the piles of garbage, careful not to lose his footing over the unstable sections while holding his nose whenever the stench grew too much. He stopped when he was about a metre away from where the murky, polluted waves of the ocean breached onto the garbage. It should be a safe distance without getting wet.
Spotting an old washing machine with a cracked window, Midoriya slowly climbed up and perched himself on top of the appliance. Shifting a bit to make sure it was stable, he slid his yellow backpack off his shoulders, and pulled out a small portable speaker. He connected it to his phone, and opened the music app he had downloaded the previous evening. Within a span of four hours until he decided to sleep, he had downloaded over three hundred songs, popular both during this age and the pre-quirk age preceding it.
Midoriya swiped through the list, scoping a random song to test his quirk. His finger stopped at one particular single that was popular in the early 1970s.
He hit the ‘play’ button, the opening guitar riff echoing loudly over the polluted beach. Midoriya quietly listened to the band sing, idly tapping his heel against washing machine in time with the rhythm.
When the song ended, Midoriya expected to have to replay it multiple times to memorise the lyrics, only to discover the moment he thought of the words, everything was crystal clear inside his mind. The entire song was at the ready to be sung whenever he wanted to.
Excited over this development, Midoriya fished out a water bottle and took a sip. Putting it away, he pressed the ‘play’ button again, the opening guitar riffing for the second time. It took almost a minute for the song to begin proper, but Midoriya cleared his mind of all thoughts, and began to sing.
Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
“We all came out
to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn’t have much time.”
Midoriya continued tapping his heel with the rhythm.
“ Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid
with a flare gun
Burned the place
to the ground.”
On cue with the last line, Midoriya felt a surge of energy inside his chest. At first, he didn’t think too much about it, focusing on the song. Meanwhile, somewhere else in the suburban neighbourhood, there was a loud, high-pitched whistle, followed closely by several loud bangs. An inconspicuous two-story house was suddenly set aflame after an unsupervised child ignited a series of fireworks inside, the flames spreading quickly like a hungry beast on a rampage for something to consume.
“Smoke...on the water
A fire in the sky!
Smoke...on the wa-”
Midoriya suddenly stopped singing, his mouth hanging open silently even as the song continued. Dark gray smoke, something one would expect to be produced from fire, was rising in plumes off from the incoming waves of the ocean. The sky above suddenly flashed, catching his attention. A large patch blue roared into fiery reds, oranges and yellows, immense tongues of fire flickering wildly in the heavens.
Both phenomena lasted for several moments, before vanishing entirely.
Midoriya was left stunned. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. Bordering on shock, he sat completely still, the song playing in the background.
Half his mind was convinced that he was hallucinating. This wouldn’t do, he had to try again.
He caught up with the second chorus.
“Smoke...on the water
A fire in the sky!
Smoke...on the water.”
Again, as if proving his point, smoke began to rise up from the ocean. The sky flashed again, and fire spread over the clouds.
Midoriya was left speechless. Now, he was certain he wasn’t dreaming things.
Stopping the song, he fished out a notebook and began writing:
How Quirk Works
- Lyrics are perfectly remembered after first time listening
- Lyrics play out in physical form on cue with the song
- How quickly does this happen? (Requires further study and experimentation)
He paused, a thought crossing his mind. Could he do this multiple times?
Putting his notebook on his lap, Midoriya gazed out towards the horizon.
“Smoke...on the water. A fire in the sky! Smoke...on the water.”
He stopped, waiting for something to happen. Seconds passed, but nothing. No smoke appeared on the water’s surface, nor did the sky flash with fire.
Midoriya quickly added a third point to his notes.
- Apparent cooldown period after song ends completely or prematurely.
-
- How long?
-
- Does that mean I can only sing one song at a time? Or can I sing a different song?
For the second leading question, Midoriya swiped through his playlist for another song. The clicker stopped on one that was more recent.
He pressed play, and listened to the song once through, absorbing the lyrics. Once ready, he rewound the song and prepared to sing it for real, determined to not stop no matter what happened to see the full effects.
Bang Bang - Jessie J. ft. Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
She got a body like an hourglass
But I can give it to you all the time
She got a booty like a Cadillac
But I can send you into overdrive (oh)
Somewhere in the piles of garbage, a shell of an old car started whirring as if speeding up on a road.
(You've been waiting for that...
Step on up swing your bat)
See anybody could be bad to you,
You need a good girl to blow your mind, yeah!
Midoriya threw out his hands one after the other.
Bang bang into the room (I know you want it)
Bang bang all over you (I'll let you have it)
Wait a minute lemme take you there (ah)
Wait a minute till you (ah)
On each ‘bang’, an earth-shattering explosion burst out from his palms, shaking the beach and dislodging pieces of garbage from the piles.
Bang bang there goes your heart (I know you want it)
Bang, back seat of my car (I'll let you have it)
Wait a minute lemme take you there (ah)
Wait a minute till you (ah)
Too immersed into the song, Midoriya jumped up, and punched his fist into the air.
She might've let you hold her hand in school
But I'm a show you how to graduate
No, I don't need to hear you talk the talk
Just come and show me what your momma gave (oh, yeah)
He leapt off the washing machine, sliding down to the base of the pile.
(Okay you've got a very big shhh,
Mouth but don't say a thing)
See anybody could be good to you,
You need a bad girl to blow your mind!
Midoriya eyed the opposite pile, throwing his palms back.
Bang bang into the room (I know you want it)
Bang bang all over you (I'll let you have it)
Wait a minute lemme take you there (ah)
Wait a minute till you (ah)
The explosions bursting from his palms propelled him forward, shooting through the air like a cannonball. He hit the top half of the opposite pile, dislodging more garbage. The second line of explosions took him downwards to the ground, demolishing the pile behind him.
Bang bang there goes your heart (I know you want it)
Bang, back seat of my car (I'll let you have it)
Wait a minute lemme take you there (ah)
Wait a minute till you (ah)
The next three explosions took Midoriya over one shorter pile and partially destroyed two more in front and behind it. Landing on the ground, he muttered, “You know what, girls? Let me show you how to do.”
It's Myx Moscato
It's frizz in a bottle
It's Nicki full throttle
It's oh, oh.
Swimming in the grotto
We winning in the lotto
We dipping in the pot of blue foam, so
Midoriya never realised how fast his mouth could move and shoot the words out like a machine gun, but he brushed it aside and focused on finishing the rap.
Kitten so good
It's drippin' on wood
Get a ride in the engine that could go
Batman Robin it
Bang, bang, cocking it
Queen Nicki dominant, prominent
Out of nowhere, Midoriya started dancing along with the fast-paced rhythm.
It's me, Jessie, and Ari
If they test me they sorry
Ride his uh like a Harley
Then pull off in this Ferrari
If he hangin' we bangin'
Phone rangin', he slangin'
It ain't karaoke night but get the mic 'cause I'm singing (uh)
Spinning on his heel, Midoriya threw out his hands in a piston movement in time with the song.
B to da' A to da' N to da' G to da' uh (baby)
Each letter produced a weaker ‘pop’ from his hands.
B to da' A to da' N to da' G to da' hey
See anybody could be good to you,
You need a bad girl to blow your mind! (your mind)
Letting himself go, Midoriya broke free, letting off explosions to jump and burst indiscriminately.
Bang bang into the room (I know you want it)
Bang bang all over you (I'll let you have it)
Wait a minute lemme take you there (ah)
Wait a minute till you (ah)
Bang bang there goes your heart (I know you want it)
Bang, back seat of my car (I'll let you have it)
Wait a minute lemme take you there (ah)
Wait a minute till you (ah)
The explosions came one after another, barely giving time for the preceding to fade before the next one shook the beach again, dislodging more garbage..
Bang bang into the room (I know you want it)
Bang bang all over you (I'll let you have it)
Yo, I said bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
The rapid-fire explosions levelled many of the piles onto one another or into the ocean
Bang bang there goes your heart (I know you want it)
Bang, back seat of my car (I'll let you have it)
Midoriya threw one hand into the air, the other to the ground.
Wait a minute lemme take you there (ah)
Both hands then went level, facing outwards.
Wait a minute till you (ah)
Midoriya was suddenly thrown backwards by what was arguably the largest and most violent explosion of the entire episode. He crashed hard into one of the piles of garbage, body screaming in pain from the forceful impact. He remained sprawled over the garbage, reeling from the aftermath of the explosion and from the pain.
It was God knows how long later did the pain recede enough for him to slowly pick himself up. Brushing off whatever dust, rust and grime off his clothes, Midoriya heard the distinctive sound of sirens and people shouting. Quickly as possible, he went back to grab his bag, speaker and phone. He barely left the polluted beach when the police and several mid-level pro-heroes arrived at the scene. Not wanting to take the bus, Izuku walked home instead, avoiding streets where people had gathered, no doubt worriedly gossiping about the explosions that shook the neighbourhood one after the other.
Eventually, Midoriya returned to his apartment complex. After a very thorough shower and a fresh change of clothes, he retreated to his room, took out his notebook and added a few more points.
- Apparent cooldown period after song ends completely or prematurely.
-
- How long?
-
- Does that mean I can only sing one song at a time? Or can I sing a different song?
-
-
- I can sing different songs after finishing one.
-
- Effects depend on the different meaning of the lyrics
- Important: Check through every song lyrics first before singing, including surrounding environment
The latest point was especially crucial, Midoriya told himself. He had to be really careful while experimenting with his quirk, he was almost caught by the police and pro-heroes earlier. He could not afford to get caught by any one, especially the authorities. His plan of causing major upheavals to the world who had wronged him could come crashing down if he was careless.
That simply would not do.
The explosions that echoed over suburban Musutafu was talked about on the evening news that night. Like the apocalyptic storm preceding it, the anchors theorised that it was due to a villain with an explosion-quirk. As again, no one had stepped forward to claim responsibility, and the search by the pro-heroes and police dispatched turned up nothing.
Midoriya decided to wait a day to let the buzz die down before returning to Dagobah. In the meantime, his mother came home with the news that his withdrawal from school was authorised. He remained blank-faced when Inko ranted about how flippant the principal was over the matter, displaying such disinterested callousness that no doubt was due to her son’s apparent quirklessness.
He wouldn’t do anything for now. But that didn’t mean he would forget this slight.
Once Monday came, instead of heading off to school as he would have done, Midoriya returned to the polluted beach. Finding another piece of broken appliance to sit himself on, he took out his speaker and phone, swiped down to ‘Smoke on the Water’, and pressed play.
“Smoke...on the water. A fire in the sky,” he sang along, “Smoke...on the water.”
The world reacted, smoke rising from the ocean and the sky flashed red with fire as previously done. Midoriya finished the song, and took a moment to stare out towards the horizon to think what to do next.
Now was a good opportunity to check how long the cooldown lasts before he can sing the same song again, but he didn’t know how long that was going to last. And also, what could he do in the meantime while waiting?
Midoriya scanned the filthy landfill. It was such a horrible pity that the natural beauty of the beach had been spoilt by the flaws of mankind, selfish beings who only care for themselves and not for others…
An idea came to mind.
Why not he clean the beach and return it to its natural glory?
Midoriya thought about it, it was certainly going to be a herculean task, especially because if he were to do it, it would only be him. He couldn’t afford outside help. He didn’t want anyone else to notice this place - his testing ground for his quirk - after all, and his neighbours weren’t exactly the socially-responsible or proactive types. Yet at the same time, he could see the benefits of such a solo endeavour.
First, it maintained his privacy for at least a while. Second, it would build up his body. Midoriya was still pretty scrawny, and while he might have removed himself from the toxic setting that was his middle school, it would do him the world of good if he had the strength and muscle to defend himself from any physical attacks. Furthermore, he didn’t want to tax his mother further by asking for a gym membership.
Actually, now that he thought about it, he really needed to find some sort of income now that he was out of school. He promised his mother, after all.
But what exactly...he wasn’t entirely sure.
Now though, perhaps he could get started in organising the garbage into piles meant for immediate clearing first.
Midoriya checked his watch, it had been three minutes since he sung ‘Smoke on the Water’. He’ll check again in two minutes, followed by every subsequent five minutes. In the meantime, it was now time for him to get his hands dirty.
To Be Continued.