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Chapter Text

Universe of Earth-2014.26, edges of the Sol System…

"Warning. Power ring level under 3%. Recharge necessary."

Abin Sur frowned at the reminder. It was hardly the first time; sometimes he focused so much on his job he'd forget to recharge until it was absolutely needed. His colleagues at the Green Lantern Corps often warned him one day that could be the death of him.

And all seemed to indicate that day had come. He was too far away from Oa to send out a distress signal, and there was no way to know if there were other Lanterns in the sector who could come to his aid in time. He'd been warned: the Red Lanterns weren't pulling any punches in their killing spree, but he figured he could put an end to that by bringing their leader in. And he'd almost succeeded.

Key word being almost. He was careless, and as soon as he dropped his guard, his prisoner seized the chance to break free, and in the middle of the scuffle, he even stole his power battery before he could recharge. Now he was in a faraway system, fighting for his life with a ring running out of power with each passing second.

"Do you want this, Abin Sur?" Atrocitus said, holding the aforementioned object with one hand, while a red power ring glowed in the other.

Sometimes, with that broken lip it was hard to tell whether he was smiling or not, but he definitely was doing so at the time.

The Red Lantern Corps' leader raised his own ring, firing an energy beam that flowed like blood, which he countered raising a shield. By some miracle he endured it, although the constant reminder of his energy running out by the second made him fully conscious that he was fighting a hopeless battle.

In a desperate move, he sent out a power surge against Atrocitus to push him back and have a moment's rest, if only to get his thoughts clear. If he wanted to have a chance of survival, he'd have to move carefully.

"Power ring, are there any inhabitable planets in this system?"

"Affirmative, Abin Sur. The third planet in this system, known by the natives as Earth. However, said planet has no recorded contact with the Green Lantern Corps since its foundation, and from what is known, they still have a primitive civilization, barely in their early stages of space exploration."

"It might be my only chance," Abin Sur said. "If I can make it there, I can lay low and send out a distress signal. How much power do we have left?"

"Power level nearing 2%."

"It'll be enough," the Green Lantern said with finality, seeing how his foe had recovered from the last energy blast, ready to charge again.

Abin Sur immediately decided to turn around and fly towards the aforementioned planet, as fast as he could without wasting his energy more than necessary.

"You're not getting away from me!" Atrocitus yelled.

Abin Sur didn't need to look back to know his foe had taken the bait. It was a simple yet risky plan, and he'd only have one shot. If he succeeded, he'd regain his power battery to recharge his ring, enough to send the call for backup and fight back on even terms. If he didn't… his colleagues would have all the right to rub in his face their "we warned you" for not paying more attention to his ring's charge on a regular basis.

Atrocitus didn't make it easy, constantly firing red energy blasts from behind. In fact, he had a brief respite when he finally reached the system's asteroid belt and used them to temporarily hide from sight, distracting him with the smaller ones to give him some obstacles in his path. That bought him a few minutes to head for his destination.

He finally found it: the aforementioned third planet of the Sol System. In other circumstances he'd have stopped to admire the view, as it was a rather lush and beautiful planet. But having spent so much of his energy in his escape and deflecting the asteroids to distract Atrocitus, that wasn't a good idea right now.

"Warning, Power Ring level under 1.5%. Continued use requires access the reserve energy, compromising the passive protection shield."

"Do it," Abin Sur said. "This will be an all-or-nothing attack after all."

"Did you finally get tired of flying away?" Atrocitus asked, staring at him with those threatening yellow eyes."

"I've never fled before. And I'm certainly not doing it now."

This was it. He'd focus his remaining power into a single attack to get close to Atrocitus, close enough to insert his ring into the battery and give it a boost, and the resulting explosion of their energies would repel them both, launching Atrocitus back to the faraway edges of the system and knocking him out for a while, and him towards planet Earth.

The only downside, he'd have no way to know whether he'd land in an inhabited zone, or if the natives would be hostile towards strange visitors from other planets, but it was his only chance. He had no way to beat Atrocitus in single combat as he was.

"Meet your end, Atrocitus!" he yelled as he charged forward.

From the distance, the surveillance satellites orbiting planet Earth could only get footage of what seemed two luminous stars, a green one and a red one, firing beams at one another. Both glowed intensely before charging against each other at full speed, and the clash caused a powerful explosion of green energy that quickly spread to the nearby space.

The resulting energy wave interfered with the satellites temporarily, and thus none of them could record the moment of the green light plummeting towards planet Earth like a meteor, while the red one was blasted away until it vanished into the depths of space.

Abin Sur's plan had succeeded. He'd taken back his power battery and would be able to send out a distress signal out of the system, which the other Lanterns would eventually pick up.

The only problem, he wouldn't live long enough to greet them when they came…

Meanwhile, down in the planet…

Izuku Midoriya always had one single dream. Since he was a child, all he'd ever wanted was to become a hero like his idol All Might. Someone who'd always save everyone with a smile and tell them that everything would be okay.

But that wouldn't come to pass. In a time where 80% of human population had already developed a Quirk, having their own unique abilities, he was among the unfortunate 20% who didn't. Which of course and much to his dismay, carried the burden of being the butt of jokes and dismissal from his classmates.

Especially him…

"Can you believe that loser? Writing entire Hero Analysis notebooks?"

"Haha, what an idiot! What's the point in analyzing heroes if you'll never be one yourself?"

"He's really hopeless, isn't he, Bakugou?"

Even below, as he picked up from the pond the scorched and dripping notebook, he could hear how Katsuki "Kacchan" Bakugou and his friends kept mocking him. The only silver lining was that at least his notes had survived, for the most part.

Not that it'd do him any good anyway.

"Hey, check this out. Says here some UFO crashed in one of the islands north of the Dagobah Coast."

"For real? Must have been what caused that quake this morning. Hey Bakugou, wanna go check it out before the authorities get to it? Could be a meteorite or an alien spaceship!"

"Bah, I don't care about any fucking space junk! See ya tomorrow, fucking extras!"

So, something had fallen near the cost. Early that morning, news reports talked about something weird: the space probes in the outer edges of the system picked up some unidentified objects, traversing through space at great speed, as if coming out of nowhere. However, they lost their trail shortly after, and a few hours later, something interfered with the surveillance satellites, some kind of green energy.

Then an unknown object crashed near his zone, and he'd felt the tremor before. Could it be the same thing?

None of that mattered to Izuku. At the time, he only had one thought in his head.

'I wish… I wish I could make them eat their words.'

As he walked across the streets, Izuku paid little to no attention to his surroundings as he skimmed throughout his hero news app. An attempted robbery at the Starling Central Bank foiled by Green Arrow and Arsenal, a peeping tom in Jump City who got the scare of his life when Raven blocked his view, and among the locals, a thirty-foot villain with a shark head taken down by a debutant hero, a giantess named Mount Lady, who stole from Kamui Woods his daily five minutes in the spotlight. Exciting and all, but he wasn't in the mood to check them out.

Why? Why was he born Quirkless? At the age of four, when all of his peers had already manifested their abilities, only he did not. He and his mom checked up with Doctor Tsubasa, and then they found the answer. He had none: he'd fallen into the unfortunate 20% of the population born without the Quirk factor. They were less common as time went by, but they always seemed relegated to be second-class citizens, unless they could be tech geniuses or something.

He'd also ruled out the possibility of a metagene; he didn't have any stimuli to awake it, and by his current age it was near impossible. That left him with little choices, and he definitely didn't think his mother would be amused that he tried to take a dip in a vat of radioactive waste or take a stroll near a particle accelerator about to explode. His chances to develop powers were practically zero.

He had accepted it, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.

'What's the point in crying over it? It's not like something's gonna fall out of the sky for me to magically change my destiny.'

And so it was. Izuku didn't show it outwardly, but it really hurt him inside to be a "normal" in a world where almost everybody else was not. Thus, he allowed himself to vent it out when nobody was looking. Problem was, whenever he dwelled on that feeling, he'd disconnect from the rest of the world, making him pay less attention to his surroundings.

Which also prevented him from seeing the small, glowing green dot coming at him from behind, until it hit him.

"Ouch! What the…?" he yelped, rubbing the back of his head and looking behind.

Many a time his classmates would have pranked him with the old "Kick Me, I'm Quirkless" sign on his back without him realizing, but he'd checked out and that wasn't the case. Whoever had thrown whatever it was at him, either they hid well, or they were fast enough to get the hell out of there. Or both things.

All that was left was the object in question, which he kneeled to pick up from the ground.

"What's this?" he wondered, checking it intently.

It looked like some sort of ring. It was green, with a strange symbol that looked like a circle with two tangent bars. Izuku wondered who'd throw a ring at him in the first place, but seeing nobody in sight, he figured all he had left was to go deliver it to the police later. Until then, he might just have to wear it on his finger.

And that sole choice would seal his fate, that day, on that very instant. For as soon as he fit the ring in his finger, it glowed with a radiant emerald light.

"B-but what's… ah-AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The next things that happened were too fast to process: first he felt how his body was surrounded with a strange energy, then he was dragged against his will by an unknown force, as if the ring was alive and trying to pull him somewhere, and finally, he was flying through the air at speeds he'd never imagine before.

After that, he suffered a rather… messy landing.

"Aaaahh! Oww… bleh…" He spat dirt out of his mouth as he tried to get back on his feet. "What was…?"

He didn't have much time to think about what happened. After wiping his mouth and dusting off his clothes, he finally realized where he was. He wasn't in his old Musutafu district anymore: there were no buildings, power posts or anything that he'd see in a city. Around him all he could see was water, water everywhere, like an island… and a large part of the ground he was standing on was scorched.

Like a huge crater caused by an object crashing violently.

"Wait a moment… an object from space crashed on an island this morning. Then that means I'm…"

He looked everywhere frenetically, rubbing his eyes several times to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him. How did he end up so far away from his district? How would he get back? Did the ring he put on have anything to do with it?

"Urrrrgh…"

Some nearby pained groans brought him back from his muttering. That meant he wasn't alone, and he didn't take long to realize it came from the middle of the crater he was standing on.

And what he saw almost made his eyes fly out in shock.

In the middle of the crater, there was a figure laying, with an arm over his stomach and stained in a way suggesting grave injuries. Izuku was left paralyzed for a moment, but when he could finally get some clarity in his head, he knew what he had to do.

"Hey!" he shouted, sliding down the crater and running towards the wounded person. "Are you alright?! Oh my God, you're gravely hurt! I need to call emergencies right away! My cellphone, my cellphone, where's my…!"

"Calm… down…" the individual spoke, raising his other hand, making him stand still. It was then that Izuku could get a good look at him.

The wounded individual was bald, had red skin and pointy ears. Izuku wasn't too surprised at his appearance; so many years of watching heroes made him guess he just had a Quirk that made him look like that. His uniform was mostly black save for the green details in the upper torso and boots, the lines going through his arms and legs similar to the movie Tron, and the chest insignia looking a lot like the ring he'd found before. Most likely a Hero he didn't know, and some villain had injured him.

"The… ring… do you… have the ring?"

"Ring? What…? Oh!" He quickly saw his hand and realized. "This ring? If it's yours I'll return it to you, I assure you I didn't… Ah, what am I saying?! You're hurt, you need help!"

"No… it's too late… for me… the ring…"

The green-haired boy didn't get what was going on. The Hero or whoever he was had been badly hurt, and he cared more about the ring than his own life? He needed to do something, but perhaps he was on an important mission, and if he could help him, maybe…

"What's… your name?"

"I-Izuku. Izuku Midoriya."

"Izuku… Midoriya…" the stranger said as he raised the object he had on his side.

Izuku then noticed said object looked a lot like an old-fashioned oil lantern, except that instead of a flame, it emitted an almost unnatural emerald green glow. Something in it made him feel drawn to it. It was beautiful to look at, almost mesmerizing.

"The power… battery…" the red man continued. "Point the ring… at the battery… and repeat these words… In brightest day..."

Izuku still didn't get what was going on, but he finally decided to comply. Holding the battery with his left hand, he put the ring near the opening sending out the green glow. He took a deep breath and pronounced the words.

"In brightest day."

"In blackest… night."

"In blackest night."

"No evil shall… escape my sight."

"No evil shall escape my sight."

"Let those who… worship evil's might."

"Let those who worship evil's might."

"Beware… my power… Green Lantern's light."

"Beware my power… Green Lantern's light?"

And he hadn't even finished pronouncing the word "light", when the glow he saw before took the battery over, and then redirected towards the ring in his hand. From there, Izuku saw and felt how it flowed through his hand, then his arm and the rest of his body, an overwhelming energy like he'd never felt before.

It was like he had been granted unfathomable power, the power to do anything with just imagining and wishing to do it.

When he looked again, he realized his school uniform had been replaced by a suit identical to the wounded red-skinned man. The ring remained in the same finger where he'd been wearing it the whole time.

"The ring… has accepted you… guard it… until they…"

"Eh? Wait up! Hold on, please! Tell me what's going on?!"

The man was unable to answer any further. In that very instant, he shut his eyes for the last time. His head fell on his shoulder, blood from his mouth pouring down, and his raised hand fell to the ground, never to be lifted again.

"Wake up, please! Tell me what's happening! Why…?"

He had too many questions. Who was he? Why was he there? What was that ring and that so-called power battery he'd just handed over to him? And who were "they"?

He didn't have the answers, but in light of what had happened, all he could do was to show some respect for the deceased. At the time, he wished he had a shovel to at least give him a proper burial. Even if he didn't know who he was, it was the least he owed him.

And as if it was magically responding to his thoughts, the ring emitted an emerald energy, materializing a shovel in front of him. It was totally green and seemingly made out of light, but once he snapped out of his initial shock, when he touched it he realized it was solid, tangible.

"This is… the ring answered to my thoughts?"

"Affirmative, Izuku Midoriya from Earth," a computer-sounding voice replied.

"Wha?! What, how, where, who said that?" he yelled, looking all around.

The ring glowed and blinked as the voice spoke again. "I am the artificial intelligence imbedded in the Green Lantern power ring. I am programmed to assist and guide the wielder in any endeavor as required."

"Green Lantern power ring? Could you explain me what's this all about?" Izuku asked.

"Affirmative," the ring declared.

Right on cue, the ring projected a holographic screen, showing all kinds of aliens he could have ever imagined from his comic books stories he enjoyed so much. Some were humanoid, others not much, looking like jellyfish, with tentacles instead of hands, one that looked like a squirrel, another looking like a disco sphere with glasses, to say the least… all of them, however, had something in common: they wore uniforms similar to his, projecting green energy from the rings in their fingers.

"The Green Lantern Corps is an intergalactic police force founded over three million years ago by the Guardians of the Universe, dedicated to keep peace an order in all the universe," the ring explained. "Each of the 3600 sectors the universe is divided in is assigned a Green Lantern, who is issued with a power ring fueled by his or her willpower. Through it, the ring allows the wielder to generate and project energy in any way they can imagine, whether it is in the form of beams, barriers or solid light constructs."

Next, the ring showed him images focused on the alien of whom he just received it, fighting against another who looked a lot more feral and intimidating, with yellow, pupil-less eyes, sharp teeth and a broken lip on one side. It seemed like they were fighting each other to death, with both of them firing beams at each other and creating all kinds of imaginable weapons, trying to get the other to yield first.

"The ring's former bearer was called Abin Sur, until now Green Lantern assigned to Sector 2814. He was in an important mission, but he was fatally wounded by an intergalactic criminal named Atrocitus. Coming from Sector 666, Atrocitus gained possession of a red power battery fueled by anger, and after founding his own Red Lantern Corps, he's spearheading a campaign to destroy the Green Lanterns."

"And what does that mean?" Izuku asked. "What do I have to do with this?"

"When a Green Lantern falls, their ring either returns on its own to planet Oa, or it will search for a new wielder should the previous one wishes so. The ring has chosen you, Izuku Midoriya."

"WHAT?!" Izuku shouted at the top of his lungs, panic quickly rushing through him as he understood the implications. "Doesn't that mean that 'Atrocious' guy or whatever he's called is gonna come after me now?!"

"It is a possibility. However, before he was mortally wounded, Abin Sur was able to deliver a discharge on Atrocitus that will most certainly put him out of commission, long enough for other Green Lanterns to pick up the distress signal he sent and come to this planet. Also, if you use the power ring sparingly, it is unlikely he will pick up your power signature."

"And what do I do until then? Am I supposed to keep the ring on me until they come or what?"

"Affirmative. The power ring now belongs to you."

Izuku glanced at his hand once more, not uttering a single word as he contemplated the ring. It would take a while to sink in, but as far as he could get, the power ring was now his just because its previous owner died. But it made no sense; with over six billion people living on Earth, what would he have to be chosen above the rest? Was he just lucky because it hit him and he picked it up?

But there was also the fact that some psycho murderer was out there, and keeping the ring would certainly put a big target on him. He certainly didn't like the idea of having a criminal hot on his trail just because of that nifty ring.

Then again, that Abin Sur guy didn't have a choice, did he? Maybe he could just lay low until the other Lanterns showed up, and he could hand the ring to them? Surely they could find somebody better than him to give it to.

Until then, however, there was another thing to do.

"Ring…" he finally said. It felt weird to talk to an object, but he'd done so for the past few minutes anyway. "You said I can do anything? I can create anything I want?"

"Affirmative. Anything the wielder can imagine, the ring will create. The ring's power is only limited by the wielder's willpower and imagination."

Going back to his previous purpose, namely giving the alien a proper burial, he imagined the shovel he created turning into a bulldozer machine. Indeed, the shovel vanished and morphed into the vehicle, just like he had imagined, albeit all green.

"Incredible, it really worked," he said, unable to not to feel amazed at what he'd done.

He immediately willed the bulldozer to dig a large hole on the ground, and much to his surprise, the ring did exactly what he wanted. Once the hole was large enough, he created a pair of giant hands to carefully place Abin Sur's corpse in it, and then used them to dig back the soil on it, moving them until he left the ground completely uniform, or as uniform as it was when he came.

"I'm sorry I can't do anything else for you, Abin Sur-san." Izuku placed his hands in a prayer position. "Please rest in peace."

After a minute of silence, the next thing to do was to go back home, preferably unseen. He grabbed the power battery and looked around, just making sure there weren't any police or news helicopters swooping around the area. He had to get out of there before people came to ask him questions he wasn't in the mood to answer.

The images the ring had shown him showcased the aliens flying across space, and through the air when they were in other planets. Did that mean he could use it to fly?

He imagined himself as the superheroes from his comic books, focused his strength and raising his fist upwards, he yelled with decision:

"Up, up, and away!"

And much to his surprise, it worked again. When he opened his eyes once more, he was actually flying! He was flying up towards the clouds! It was surprisingly easy… and wonderful. As easy as imagining that the air around him was like water, and that he could easily float in it as if he was swimming in a pool.

"This is incredible! I can float! I can fly! YAHOOO!"

He could go up, down, spin over his head, go anywhere he wanted, and as fast as he wanted. He could stay in the same place and look around, just in case there were any birds or planes nearby.

But then he remembered: he needed to get back home quickly. He created a pair of binoculars to look around, hoping to find his district. Surprisingly he was even able to zoom in to get a better focus and he found his apartment building in no time. All he had to do was fly there… without being seen and everything would be fine.

"Okay, here goes nothing…"

However, as he was getting ready to fly home, something else caught his attention. An explosion raised a large smoke column coming from another residential district, causing him to yelp. Still with the binoculars active, he looked through them to find out what was going on, zooming in closer and closer, as more explosions continued to follow.

Once he got a clear view, a villain with a sludge-like body was causing a riot, and several buildings around had suffered broken windows or were burning in flames. Several heroes had appeared in the scene, among them Death Arms who tried to punch the villain, but his punches had no effect in his liquid body; Backdraft, who was trying to extinguish the fire, and Kamui Woods, who was risking his own integrity by exposing to the flames and explosions as he tried to rescue those trapped in the line of fire.

People were already gathering around, and Izuku saw the giantess Mount Lady approaching, although she had to stop on her tracks when she noticed she didn't have enough room to walk. He focused his eyes on the villain, wondering why the heroes didn't try harder to stop him, and then he realized he'd taken a hostage.

But not just any hostage. Once he got a clear view, soon it made sense why there were so many explosions one after another.

"It can't be… Kacchan?"

The explosive blond was struggling, flailing his arms around as he tried to break free from the sludge villain's body, using his hand blasts to try and make an escape route, albeit unsuccessfully since the villain regenerated once the blasts ceased, and it seemed they did little more than tickle him. The Heroes evidently couldn't get close enough out of fear of hurting the hostage, or because they were too busy doing crowd control.

Every hero has a story, but almost all of them have something in common. At some point in their lives, something inside them made their bodies move on their own, in response to the situation. They couldn't simply stand by without doing anything.

Or in the case of Izuku Midoriya, he couldn't float in the air without doing anything.

"KACCHAN!"

He didn't even think about it. Before he realized what he was doing, he just shot forward like a missile towards that place. There was only one thing in his mind: his friend needed help.

'What the hell am I doing?! What can I do right now?!'

However, as he flew closer to the scene, some clarity found its way into his mind, making him recall Page 25 of his Hero Future Analysis Notes. The sludge villain was evidently impervious to physical blows thanks to his liquid body… barring one place.

"TAKE THIS!"

Ignoring the crowd's screaming, Izuku aimed his fist with the ring forward, firing an energy beam. It quickly morphed into a hand with two fingers pointing ahead, in a V-sign.

"AAARGH, MY EYES!" the villain shouted.

Just as he imagined, poking the villain's eyes worked, distracting his attention for a moment. Long enough for him to open the hand he'd created and grab Katsuki, who was still struggling and unleashing explosions as he tried to break free on his own. He easily pulled him out of the sludge villain, tossing him at Mount Lady to put him safe.

Mission accomplished… save for one small detail. Now everybody's attention was focused on him.

"Look, Mommy! It's a new Hero!"

"Who is it? Never saw him before."

"Wait, he seems just a kid!"

"Oh crap," Izuku mumbled. "What do I do now? Everybody saw me already, maybe I should just run… or fly away. But I already got involved, so there's no point in fleeing, and if I do I might make things worse for me, although…

"DAMN YOU, LITTLE SQUIRT!"

A huge sludge hand pulled him out of his muttering. With a giant *SPLAT!* the villain had already chosen him as his new target. Izuku only managed to shield himself under an energy dome when the hand was just above him, and he could hear the screams of terror of everybody watching.

"AAAHHH, THE EXPLOSIVE KID WAS GOOD, BUT YOU'RE BETTER! DECIDED, I'LL TAKE YOUR BODY TO GET MY REVENGE ON THAT GUY!"

And the villain quickly took to try and engulf him completely. However, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to pierce through the barrier. He just went splat against it making liquid noises, and seeing it didn't work, he took to find any hole or crack to bypass it.

"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT'S THIS THING MADE OF?!"

"This is…"

Izuku glanced at his ring, and then outside the barrier. The villain's creepy eyes and huge mouth still tried to break the barrier like a monster out of the worst of nightmares, but tried as he might, he failed. Izuku's barrier was impenetrable… because he willed it to be so, to make sure he couldn't break it.

Suddenly, he felt more at ease at the thought that his life was not in danger, and knew what he had to do. He focused hard on the barrier surrounding him, willing it to explode with great force, just enough to spread out the villain and make a path for him, but without causing collateral damage.

"GYAAAAAAAARRRGHH!"

In a matter of seconds, he was flying above the villain as his splattered remains ended up all over the street. They moved on their own again, converging to a single point like a liquid metal Terminator trying to rebuild itself. That quickly gave him an idea.

"The villain's body is liquid. Physical blows won't hurt him. But what about… spinning in a centrifuge…?"

It seemed ridiculous, but it was worth a try. With all his might he focused on trapping the villain with his ring's energy, once he made sure all of his pieces were inside. Then, he imagined a giant blender, just like the one his mom had at home.

"WHAT THE HELL?! LET ME OUT YOU BRAT, LET ME OUTTA HERE!"

"Let's mix!" Izuku shouted, turning it on.

The effect was immediate: his blender got to work and the villain was submitted to become a giant milkshake. Izuku kept him that way for a few minutes, until he finally stopped screaming. Only then he turned the blender off and vanished it, letting the sludge villain to spill across the pavement, with both of his eyes now a pair of X's for pupils and his mouth wide open.

Thank goodness, he was still alive, but he wouldn't cause trouble for a while.

Everybody was left dumbfounded, himself included, as he landed idly on the ground. Only once everything was said and done he came to realize what he'd just done.

"Hey, hey, kiddo!" the giant with muscular arms cried out. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Huh? What? I just…"

"Really kid, you should have left this to us pros!" Backdraft said.

"How dare you steal my spotlight?!" Mount Lady yelled. "My debut was just a week ago! No fair that another rookie's coming over! And what kind of Quirk was that?"

"Eh? No, no, wait! This is just a misunderstanding! Let me explain, the thing is, I just…"

Things were about to get pretty hairy for Izuku. Worse still, when the cops arrived, and they had many questions to ask him. Questions that, whether he liked or not, he'd have to answer if he didn't want to get in more troubles than he already was.

…

The wait at the police station was shorter than he expected. He was allowed to call his mother to explain what happened, and the questions they asked him were much easier to answer than he though. After all, he just needed to tell everybody the truth.

"So, let me get this straight. You picked up a ring that hit you from behind, you put it on, and it dragged you towards a dying alien." The police captain, who was in charge of the questioning, was a large and built man with the face and body of a great buffalo.

"Yes, sir." Izuku nodded.

"Per the rules of the alien's… Corps, Green Lanterns or whatever they're called, now that ring belongs to you, and you used it to save your friend when you saw him in danger," the police captain continued in a sterner tone.

"Yes, sir." Izuku nodded again.

The policeman remained silent. Both Midoriyas exchanged expectant glances, and Izuku felt his mother's shaking hand grabbing hold of his own. He could see she was trying to calm him down as much as she tried herself, as they both felt the same way, unsure as to how this would end.

"Chief." Suddenly, a policewoman with long bunny ears and feet opened the door. "We've got word from the Dagobah bay. The alien's corpse has been found. Right on the place the boy said it was."

"Thanks, Usagiyama," the chief declared, and the policewoman left. "Mrs. Midoriya, I need to be frank with you guys. In normal circumstances, your son would have broken every law about the misuse of superpowers in public."

"I understand," the woman said, holding her son's hand again. They both lowered their heads in shame, predicting what would come next.

"However, technically speaking, your son did not use any superpowers. Also, an alien ring capable of creating anything its owner asks is not included among the regulated objects to use for self-defense or to help another person."

"Does that mean…?" Inko suddenly became hopeful, and Izuku felt his own face lighting up as well.

"Due to the unique circumstances, and since the Bakugous have declared they won't press charges out of gratitude, we'll let your son off the hook with just a warning. As long as he promises he won't be getting in trouble again."

"Are you serious?" the woman exclaimed, her lachrymal glands about to burst. "Thank you so much, sir!"

"Er, by the way, Mr. Chief," Izuku asked coyly, poking his thumbs together. "About the ring…"

"Ah yeah, about that," he said as he pulled the aforementioned object, along with the power battery. "Nobody here has been able to make it work. If it's true what you say, and it only works for the rightful wielder… I think it's not fair for us to confiscate it."

He then returned both objects to Izuku. The boy placed the ring back on his finger, although this time he didn't activate the costume like before. In any case, it felt nice to have it back.

"Fortunately, this time nobody was hurt. However, and I'm telling you this for your own sake, I hope you don't get into trouble like this again. Next time, leave it to the pros. Try not to use that ring if possible, are we clear?"

"Yes, sir! I really thank you, sir!" Izuku bowed so hard he almost smacked into the chief's desk.

"You may go now."

Mother and son exited the police station, very close to each other. Izuku kept staring at the power ring in his hand, feeling almost like a kid with a new toy. He still wondered what he was going to do with it, though. It'd been a really strange day.

"Hey, Deku bastard!" a familiar voice yelled, only to be cut off by a smack behind the head. "Ouch! That hurts, you old hag!"

"Shut up, you fucking brat! Now go and properly thank him for saving your fucking life!"

The Bakugou family was waiting for them at the corridor. As Mr. Bakugou tried to calm his them down, his wife forced their son to lower his head, grabbing him from behind. After yelling at each other a few times, Mrs. Bakugou finally turned around to look at the Midoriyas and calmed down.

"Really, I'm really sorry the troubles this little bastard caused to show," she said with a kind voice, yet punctuated by the little vein bulging on her temple. "Come on, Katsuki, out with it."

"Tch…" The aforementioned looked away for a bit, but after a few seconds he finally dared to look at his former childhood friend with his typical I'm-gonna-kill-you-for-this glare, forcing the words out of his throat. "Thanks for saving my life, stupid nerd… though nobody asked you," he added under his breath, getting another smack from his mother. "Ouch! Knock it off, you hag!"

"Shut your trap! It's your fucking fault for being so weak and getting caught like that!"

"Honey, calm down please, the police is going to get mad."

"Ah, if you excuse us," Inko said as she grabbed her son's shoulders. "I think Izuku and I should be taking our leave now. Goodbye!"

Izuku quickly got his mom's message, and they walked away from there, as the Bakugous continued their argument. Still one block away they could hear their screaming.

Once they were at a safe distance, Inko finally decided to talk to her son. She had many things to say after all.

"Izuku, what were you thinking? Why did you get involved in that? You could have gotten hurt or worse! And using that ring without knowing where it came from, just because a dying alien gave it to you?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Izuku asked. "Mom, if I hadn't intervened, maybe Kacchan would be dead now! Besides…"

"Besides?" Inko gave him an inquiring glare.

Izuku held back his breath before answering. He needed to explain what he felt at the time. It was hard to express through words, but it was a feeling he'd never felt before. And after he did… he would be hard-pressed to forget it.

"Mom… I didn't understand then, but when I put this ring on, I discovered I could do anything with it. And in that instant, when I saved Kacchan, when I stopped that villain, it felt incredible. Like for once I was living my dream… my dream of being a Hero."

"Izuku, I'm proud of you for being so brave, but you can't act that way," his mother said in a worried tone. "You were lucky this time just because of that ring, but who's telling us that's gonna happen again? Also, what about that alien's friends, Green Lanterns or whatever they are? What if they come and take it away from you? You better not get used to it."

"… Yeah… I suppose you're right on that. Still, even if I don't use it, can I keep it on me until then?"

"*Sigh*, alright. We better go home now. All this mess made me hungry. I think we'll be having katsudon tonight."

Izuku smiled. "That sounds good to me."

Feeling more at ease, Izuku rubbed the hand where he wore the ring. It'd been a brief experience, but even so, he'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't enjoy it.

Then again, he'd have to be realistic; his mother had a point. If those Green Lanterns came later to take the ring, he'd have to hand it over, whether he liked it or not.

As they boarded the train, he spotted his old childhood friend and his parents on the other side of the station. He saw Kacchan tried to intentionally hide out of his sight, maybe to avoid feeling more embarrassment, though not before giving him a rather odd glare.

At the time, and with the reminder of the incident, how Kacchan looked like someone calling for help, something inside him made him feel good. Even if it was just an instant, he could experience what felt to be a hero. The joy of saving someone, no matter the personal cost. Just like he'd always dreamed.

'Even if I got in trouble for it… it was great to be a Hero, if only for once.'

Maybe… maybe he'd found the way to become a Pro Hero. On the slim chance of being able to keep that ring, maybe he could make it his own, and use it as the means to do so. If the limit was his own imagination, would there be anything he couldn't do with it?

Deep in space, meanwhile…

He was careless, he had to admit it. And that carelessness could have cost him his life.

Pretty clever that Abin Sur. He did a desperate attack using his remaining charge to recover his power battery, and intentionally let himself get stabbed in the stomach when they clashed. Only that way he could get close enough to get his hand into the power battery, and send an energy burst into it that forced him to let go of it.

The blast left him in a daze. He didn't even remember how long he'd been out of it, but he had been drifting quite a distance, and he was out of the system's edges. He'd take a while to find the bastard again, that is, if he had survived that.

"Until I see your corpse and pour your blood into my ring, I won't leave this system," he declared to himself. "I won't rest until the accursed green light finally extinguishes from the face of the universe."

He projected a tracking wave all around himself. The ring still had about 54% charge, but it'd be better to make sure he was at full capacity during the next bout. He couldn't press his luck again; he needed to find his own power battery, lost during his escape.

A few seconds later, the reflected wave from the battery helped him locate it. Without missing a beat he flew in that direction, quickly finding the wreckage, the remains of the ship where that idiot Abin Sur was transporting him.

A preemptive measure from him, maybe so as to not to waste his own energy's ring while he took him as a prisoner, and at the same time leaving him unable to access his own power. Smart, maybe, but not enough to keep him locked up.

The red power battery floated among the ship's debris, waiting for its master to retrieve it. Atrocitus held the handle and prepared to recharge. As usual, he pronounced the oath he coined himself, to counter that of those accursed Green Lanterns.

"With blood and rage of crimson red, ripped from a corpse so freshly dead. Together with my hellish hate, I'll burn you all—THAT IS YOUR FATE!"

The power battery flashed and charged the ring at full capacity. Now, all that he had left was make sure Abin Sur was dead, and if he wasn't to finish his job. No one would stop him.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Midoriya residence…

After his adventure the previous day, Izuku could hardly get any sleep that night. After all, not every day a middle school student would get the chance to be the hero.

About three hours before dawn, he turned on his PC and put on the earphones so as to not to wake up his mother, as he started browsing across the internet. Checking on the news portals, he realized he'd quickly gone viral at the social networks, and many people were talking about him and his little encounter with the Sludge Villain.

"Was that really me?" he said as he checked photos and videos. "Mom was right, what the heck was I thinking?"

All things considered, he was pretty lucky. The ring was rather easy and intuitive to use, and the power it had was nothing short of impressive. He didn't want to imagine what could have happened had he chosen to walk the other way without picking up the ring.

Though knowing himself, had he seen Katsuki in that mess, he'd probably have rushed in to save him despite being Quirkless and having absolutely nothing at hand to face that villain.

That said, he couldn't help but feel some pride when he saw the comments. There were a few even giving some Hero name suggestions, including "Green Gladiator", "Green Guardsman", "Green Avenger", "Green Laser" and many similar ones. It made sense most of them were focusing on the color itself, though nobody even got close to suggest "Lantern" among those.

Skipping that, Izuku felt some relief seeing that, even though some people pieced together his sudden appearance with the green meteor that fell the previous day, nobody mentioned anything about Abin Sur's corpse, neither as to how he'd gotten his ring from him just before he died. The government and the police were probably struggling to keep those details under wraps, so as to avoid spreading panic as it would be a major world revelation to confirm they weren't alone in the universe

"I wonder, what kind of people are the other Green Lanterns? You said there were other 3,600 sectors in the universe, and each sector has a Lantern assigned, right?"

"Affirmative," the ring replied. "Every sector has at least one active Green Lantern, but some are part of different divisions of the Corps, such as Research, Exploration, Diplomacy, or Oa's Praetorian Guard."

"Oa… that's the planet where Green Lanterns come from? Could you show it to me?"

Rather than give a verbal response, the ring projected a holographic screen, showing him a full view of the planet from outer space. It looked pretty big, mostly barren save for a very big citadel in green that stood out from the rest.

"Planet Oa is at the very center of the universe itself. There resides the Green Lantern's Central Power Battery." It showed him an image of said battery, a giant version of the one he'd received with several Lanterns waiting in line to recharge their rings. "The Oa Citadel was created by the Guardians of the Universe to be the Green Lantern Corps' main base. It is there they usually reside at when they're not on active duty."

"Wow, incredible," Izuku said. Suddenly he wished he could visit that planet. There was so much he wanted to ask, to learn.

Although he'd been told to never use the ring anymore, that didn't stop him from asking questions to determine what else it could do. For starters, he learned that the ring acted as a universal translator, allowing all the different species that formed the Green Lantern Corps to communicate with one another without worrying about the language barrier. That explained how he'd been able to understand Abin Sur's speech despite being an alien.

Also, the reason to carry a portable power battery was because the rings energy needed to be recharged periodically (about every 24 hours of use), and the words Abin Sur had him repeat were the Green Lanterns' oath, traditionally pronounced when the recharge was activated. Each individual battery was connected to Oa's central battery, thus they could access its power from anywhere in the universe at any time.

Lastly, there was one more thing he wanted to try. This was more of a personal whim, and it had more to do with his silly dreams about being a Hero. But he figured it wouldn't hurt to do it just this once.

He stepped in front of his room's mirror, he activated the ring and his Green Lantern suit materialized. While he thought the design itself was pretty cool, he couldn't help but feel somewhat… self-conscious as he saw the skin-tight suit. Being a scrawny, shorter-than-average teenager was a far cry from All Might's super muscular and super heroic build.

"Let's see now," he said as he took a deep breath and focused.

The suit started to morph, and the design completely changed. At the time, he was recalling a sketch for a Hero Costume he'd drawn a few days ago. The design was just a green jumpsuit with white lines going down the sides and legs, with black elbow and knee bands and a pair of white gloves. It also sported a full face mask, with a pair of long pointy ears upwards, and a mouthpiece that was supposed to emulate a big toothy grin.

"Haha, I kinda look like a rabbit," he said. He had to admit it was a bit silly.

The ears and mouthpiece were supposed to emulate All Might's hair slicks and his big smile, but now he looked at them closely, the imitation was so blatant it was laughable. Maybe he should try something different, or simpler.

Thus, it reduced in size until it only covered his eyes, in the form of a green domino mask. He decided to keep a pair of semi-transparent lenses to protect his eyes, and he had to admit he liked it that way.

"And then there's this," he said as he flexed his skinny arms.

If he could customize his uniform, who cared if he added a bit more muscle just for a moment. He pictured himself with a similar build to All Might, and the ring granted him "inflatable muscles", allowing him to take All Might's typical akimbo pose.

"Hahahahaha! Everything is okay! Why? Because I am here! Hahahahaha!" he said before the mirror and letting out a big booming laugh like All Might.

Or at least he tried, since his high-pitched voice wouldn't definitely sound booming in the least. "Aw, who am I kidding? I'll sound ridiculous. Plus, all these muscles would just get in the way."

The suit "deflated" and returned to its normal size. Rather than imitate All Might, why didn't he try something more original? Not to exaggerate his actual build, but perhaps give himself broad shoulder pads, or bulkier gloves and boots that would make him look less scrawny.

If he could let his imagination run wild with that ring, why not just try the design at once?

He kept the basic bodysuit in black, outlining it with some neon-green lines around the shoulder pads edges, under his chest, around the waist and elbows. He replaced the green gloves by a pair of black ones, with dark green guards on the forearms and wrists so they'd stood out from the neon lines, and he put himself similar ones on the hips. He also donned a pair of wide boots with similar outlines although with a darker shade, with a neon-green guard plate on the heel. And for the final touch, he outlined the chest emblem with the same light.

"Haha, not bad, even though I say so myself," he said as he turned around in front of the mirror. It was admittedly a pretty cool design, even if he'd done it a bit on the fly.

And then, somebody knocked on his door. "Izuku? Are you awake?"

"Mom?" Out of reflex he made the suit disappear before opening. His mother was glancing at him with a mix of worry and annoyance of getting her sleep disturbed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You were laughing like All Might, and my room is right next to yours, remember?" she said. And then she glanced at his hand, noticing a bit late that he still wore the ring. "You're not fiddling with that thing again, are you?"

"Errr… just a little bit?" He nervously placed his hands in a prayer position to apologize as he lowered his head. "Sorry, Mom, I just wanted to see if I could customize the suit, nothing more. I wasn't planning on sneaking out to fly or something like that, honest!"

"Izuku… you're not fantasizing about being a Hero again, are you?"

Izuku looked up, albeit a little afraid to face his mom's glare, but he finally had to do it. For years, they had both resigned to the fact that, being Quirkless, his chances of becoming a Hero here slim to none. Even for those who had amazing powers, it was a dangerous job where you always put your life on the line.

Before he could get any words in, Inko extended her hand. "I want to be sure of that. Give me that ring, I'll keep it safe for you."

"But Mom…"

"Izuku, please," the woman said, half ordering, half pleading. It was weird to see her get into a stern mood, but once she became like that, he was unable to say no.

Grudgingly, Izuku pulled the ring out of his finger and placed it in his mother's hand. The woman smiled in approval and placed her other hand on his shoulder.

"Much better. Now please go back to bed. Don't forget you still have to go to school."

"Yes, Mom," he said as he readied to close the door. "Sorry for waking you up."

After that, Izuku turned off the computer and the light, before dropping himself back on his bed. In the dark he could still see the leftovers of green light coming from his power battery through his closet's door slits, and the kid let out a sigh in resignation.

What good was there in all that power? If he didn't have the chance to be a Hero?

"Who am I kidding?" he told himself. "I'm a weakling and a coward. At the moment of truth I'd probably get paralyzed in fear. I wouldn't be able to save anyone anyway."

As he rolled aside to turn his back to the green light, he grabbed the blanket and covered himself up before trying to go back to sleep. Ring or no ring, he was no Hero material, and he'd never be.

Aldera Junior High School, later that day…

As expected, yesterday's incident had become the preferred talk topic among the students. In an ironic twist of fate, many of Izuku's classmates, who never approached him before or even joined Katsuki in their bid to make his life living hell, now swarmed him like fans, heaping praise on him and asking him questions.

"That was awesome, Midoriya!"

"Really, you gave that villain the ultimate swirlie!"

"How'd you do that? Were you hiding your Quirk this whole time?"

"Where did you get that Hero costume? I want one like that!"

"You should've seen Bakugou's face, it was priceless!"

That last comment made him realize something else. The seat belonging to his friend/former friend was empty that day. That was weird; he'd never skip class or come in late unless something very serious had happened.

'Kacchan…' Izuku thought, resting his head on his hand and sighing. Was his absence due to what happened yesterday?

"Hey, teacher's coming, hurry!"

Everybody ran off to take their seats, but Izuku paid no attention when the class started. His thoughts drifted to the events of yesterday, to the point he just ignored the questions altogether.

'Kacchan must be really upset about yesterday. I can't blame him; must've been humiliating for him to get caught by that villain. Even so, I couldn't stay put and do nothing. He could have died of asphyxia or worse. I know I shouldn't have intervened, but still… plus if I had been in the same situation he'd probably would have done the same…'

"Midoriya."

"Huh?" Izuku shook his head, landing back on reality and realizing the teacher was glaring at him as he tapped his foot on the floor. Everybody else was also looking at him.

"Are you done thinking out loud, so you can pay attention?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, sensei!" he said as he shut his mouth and retreated back to his seat.

Everyone snickered at him. He was used to it, though it wasn't any less bearable. That time, though, he didn't pay as much mind to it as usual. He had too many thing in his head to care about it.

All he had left was to continue his daily activities and wait for the day to flow its course.

…

If there was a bright side, it was that without Katsuki at the classroom nobody else had the initiative to start the bullying on him. A weird change of pace, Izuku thought, but at least that day was a lot more peaceful than usual.

Izuku hadn't forgotten the murderous glare Katsuki had given him back at the train station, and he knew very well as soon as they met again, he'd be good as dead.

'At least it wasn't today,' he thought.

All things considered, the day hadn't been too bad. After he was the hero yesterday, everybody at school was talking about him, and suddenly it was as if everyone wanted to be his friends. Izuku knew that wasn't the case: he'd been the Quirkless outcast during his entire life, and the attention would dissipate as soon as those fifteen minutes of fame ended. So it was better to not to get used to it.

Besides, with yesterday still fresh in everyone's memories, some would take advantage of Katsuki's absence to openly make fun of him. Some had already begun making memes with the videos and photos of the incident, and though Izuku harbored the slim hope that he wouldn't find out at least for a while, he knew that wouldn't be the case.

Yesterday had been a low blow to the explosive blond's pride. Whenever he felt slighted or humiliated in any way, he'd always find someone to vent his anger on, and that someone was usually Izuku for being the most vulnerable. He'd be in a heap of trouble if they ran into each other on the way home.

"Well, the day is almost over and I haven't seen him. If I get back home soon, I'll be safe for the rest of today," he said picking up the pace.

One more day to live at least. All he had to do was to go back home, lock himself up in his room and he'd be safe from his friend's wrath. He could think later about how to look at him in the eye, and with luck he'd chilled off enough to not to kill him on the spot.

"I've been waiting for you, you fucking nerd!"

"Aaaahh!"

The voice paralyzed him right there, and he wasn't able to defend himself when a hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him into the alley. The next thing he knew was that he got slammed backwards into a wall and a mini-explosion resounded dangerously close to his ear. Fortunately it wasn't aimed to hurt him, just to leave him deaf for a moment.

When he finally dared to open his eyes, there he was, none other than Katsuki Bakugou, giving him a murderous grin.

"K-Kacchan… I was s-so w-worried. S-since you d-didn't come to c-class today I thought… AAHH!"

Another small blast, a little louder than the previous one, went off at the other side of his head, and this time Izuku saw it left a scorching mark on the wall. Izuku knew he could have blown off his top if he had wanted: that was just a warning for him to dodge.

Not like he could think about it anyway, since Katsuki grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall, staring at him with his bloodshot red eyes.

"We need to have a very serious chat, Deku," he said in a low voice. "What the hell was that yesterday?!"

"Y-yesterday? I d-don't know what you…" Izuku cut himself as he saw the small explosions threateningly crackling in his hand. "Yikes!"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. What the hell were you doing, humiliating me that way, you fucking nerd?! I never asked for your fucking help, and I didn't even need it! Hadn't you gotten in my way, I would have gotten rid of that shitty villain myself!"

"I'm sure you'd have, Kacchan, but I just meant…"

"And here's the other thing," Katsuki said as he ceased the explosions for a bit, to grab him with both hands. "Where the hell did you get that costume, and that power? You pretended to be Quirkless this whole time, just to one-up me when you had the chance, you sneaky bastard?!"

"No! I assure you I didn't! In fact, until yesterday I didn't even…!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME, DAMMIT!"

"I'm not lying!" Izuku screamed, almost on the verge of tears. "It's all because of that stupid ring that fell from space!"

Izuku braced himself for his inevitable doom, shutting his eyes and regretting not writing his will earlier that morning. Katsuki would never listen to reason until he heard what he wanted to hear. That's why Izuku meant to avoid him at any cost for the day; tomorrow or the day after his anger would have subsided enough for him to be less prone to yell and more willing to listen to him.

However, doom never came. He dared to open an eye and see Katsuki's expression. While he was still scowling, it looked like he was less angry and more intrigued. Holding back the urge to sigh in relief once he let go and let him drop against the wall, Izuku stood up and fixed his uniform's collar as best as he could.

"Repeat that again: a ring that fell from space?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

"Did you see the news yesterday?" Izuku asked. "A green meteor that crashed at the Dagobah bay?"

Katsuki's face contorted slightly, and the blond snorted. Izuku already knew the answer, but his old friend hadn't paid attention to the others when they brought it up. Now he was burning inside for not doing it.

"That was a pretty big crater for a simple ring. Besides, how the hell did you find it? That place is no less than ten kilometers away from our district. Or are you gonna tell me that fucking ring flew all the way on its own and found you?"

"Well…" Izuku swallowed and fiddled with his fingers. "Long story short… yeah, that's exactly what happened."

If looks could kill, Katsuki could have certainly crushed, lacerated, maimed and possibly even obliterated him with that one. Incredible as it seemed, the only way to get out with at least a 10% of his physical integrity intact was to tell him the truth, or at least, enough of it.

"Look, I don't know how it works, but that ring is like a space supercomputer. It obeys my orders and it can create anything I want, though it can also give me instructions. All that power you saw came from the ring, not from me, if that's what you're worried about."

"Okay, let's pretend for a second that I believe you," Katsuki said with a much calmer tone. That didn't mean he was calm at all, just less aggressive, but that was a good sign. "That means all that fucking show yesterday was because you were lucky and found a space magical ring?"

Izuku would have liked to correct the 'magical' part, but he saw no need to. The distinction between magic and technology was hard to appreciate considering that real magic was very rare, and they had discovered many scientific ways to replicate its effects.

Then again he might actually be right. So with that in mind, he nodded.

"Alright, I'll let it slide, this once," Katsuki said, showing a semblance of calm, or at least of non-hostility. "But let's leave something clear. One day, I'll become the Number One Hero in the whole world, and I'll even surpass All Might. So I can't let a stupid Quirkless good-for-nothing like you gets in my way. No matter if you have a fancy alien ring that can do anything you want!"

"I'm not gonna use it ever again, Kacchan! The police told me that I should stay out of trouble, and I promised I'd do that!" Izuku replied, hoping it'd be enough to placate his anger.

"I'm gonna hold you to that, you bastard," he said giving him one last shove against the wall, letting him drop on his butt again. He then picked up his school bag on the opposite wall, as he walked out of the alleyway, though not before he said a few last words. "Listen up, because I'm only saying this once. You get in my way… I'LL KILL YOU."

"YIKES!" Izuku jumped backwards, hoping to put as much distance between him and Katsuki, staying put until he finally vanished from sight.

Once he was gone, the green-haired boy finally stood up, dusting off his uniform. He took back what he said about the ring. Even though it'd been worth the thrill of being a hero for once, it brought him more trouble than it was worth.

"Bigger reason to never use it again. When the other Green Lanterns come I'll give it back. They can take it for all I care."

A shame that he'd never be able to wear that costume ever again, since he admittedly had enjoyed it. But if that ring brought more troubles than benefits, the sooner it left, the better for him.

Or that was what he said to himself in the outside. At the same time, a little voice in the back of his head told him he was lying to himself and he actually wanted to keep it.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Musutafu…

The citizens continued to carry on with their daily activities. Kids and teenagers were walking back home after school, and adults finished their work schedules. For the Pro Heroes, it was fortunately a slow day, for there were no villains causing trouble.

For Toshinori Yagi those were good news. Yesterday he had one close call, too close for comfort. It seemed a simple job: he was just apprehending and stuffing that sludge villain into some bottles to deliver him to the police, but a tiny green flash coming out of nowhere distracted him, giving the ruffian the chance to slip away into the sewers. He then showed up once more, taking a middle school student as a hostage, causing a riot and a fire. If that young man with the strange green energy powers hadn't showed up to save the day, he would have certainly exceeded his daily limit to intervene personally.

Due to the riot and the ensuing paperwork yesterday, he didn't have any chance to go to the police to ask for the boy's name or where he lived. His sense of justice prevented him from just leaving without properly thanking him. Taking a look through the social networks, he found a few Facebook photos where he'd been tagged as Izuku Midoriya. That at least helped him in find the boy's profile, which he now was checking.

"Izuku Midoriya. Fifteen years, currently in his senior year in the Aldera Middle School," he read out loud. "But this is weird; his profile says here he's Quirkless. What was that yesterday then?"

The talk of the social networks still was milking that incident, along with the green meteor that had crashed at the Korusan Bay. They still hadn't made public what it'd really been, but Toshinori couldn't help but think that all of those events, the meteor, the green flash that distracted him in his fight with the sludge villain, and then the boy, were somehow related.

Even if the only common point was that emerald green glow in all of them.

'That young man named Midoriya… he could become a great Hero in the future.'

If he managed to figure out where he lived, he'd like to stop by to at least say thanks. He had to take care of his health and avoid pushing his limits. He hadn't forgotten that next year he'd take a new job as a teacher in his old alma mater, the U.A., the most prestigious Hero school in all of Japan.

If he had the chance to teach that boy personally, it'd be a great honor.

"Hey, what's that?"

"Huh? Did the sun turn red? But it's barely…"

"No, wait… that ain't the sun, it's a meteor!"

"Another meteor?! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Immediately, people began running and screaming in fear. Fortunately nobody saw the lanky, skeletal-looking guy hiding from sight. Indeed, a red spot had appeared in the sky, and it was getting bigger and bigger. If a meteor crashed against the city, it'd cause incalculable damages.

However, as he climbed up to a rooftop to get a better view, he tried to take a good look at the alleged meteor. First, he spotted that it wasn't falling, it looked more like it was flying.

And second… that it was no meteor. It was a humanoid silhouette, although he caught a glimpse of it just for a few seconds.

And then, without warning, it landed about twenty blocks from where he was, raising a red light pillar into the sky and shaking the earth around it.

"Is that a Villain?" he asked to nobody in particular.

He couldn't be certain, but his instinct yelled at him that, yes, it was- He'd have to watch for his limit, let other heroes to take their share of the load to avoid overworking himself. But inside, he knew this was something he couldn't ignore. Clenching his fists as his body let out steam as he built up power, he transformed into his muscle form.

If it was a Villain, he couldn't let them get away.

…

Atrocitus didn't know what to expect upon arriving to this planet. It was clearly inhabited by a primitive race, and after some initial surprise, nobody was particularly impressed by his sudden appearance. Some were curious, even.

As he tracked for any vestiges of Green Lantern energy, a group of individuals in strange clothing approached him and said something about "arresting him for unauthorized Quirk usage". To hell with them; he had more important things to do.

Which led to his current situation. Now he had to get them off his back.

"Hold still and let me shoot you!"

One of them, dressed in a red, full body spandex suit, with some clearly armored white parts, was flying around with rocket boosters in his boots and the backpack he wore, as he fired explosive projectiles from a cannon in his right arm. He dodged without difficulty, and he countered by firing his own beams from his ring, trying to blast him from the sky. To his credit, he was pretty fast to dodge said beams.

But not fast enough to avoid a sphere which, upon exploding, sent out an expansive wave that left him stunned, breaking crystals from the buildings, and causing the vehicles down below to sound off with a bunch of infernal blares. It'd been worth it, though; he was now ready to take a punch at the jaw and get sent spinning out of control.

"Pathetic," he said as he retracted his hand.

"Air Jet!"

The scream briefly caught his attention. Another of the jetpack guy's colleagues, some individual with a dark blue suit, wearing a mask, boots and seemingly arm-length gloves that looked as if made of wood came at him. He raised one of his arms, turning it into something like the roots of a tree coming to life, creating a net that stopped the jetpack guy's fall in the air.

"It's Kamui Woods!" some people screamed.

"Kick that villain's ass, Kamui, show 'im!"

The now identified Kamui Woods left his colleague on the ground and ran off towards Atrocitus. Once he got into firing range, he elongated both arms into a bunch of roots with the evident intent to trap him.

Atrocitus snorted and moving his own arm created a spinning blade to cut through the wood surrounding him, reducing it to splinters in a matter of seconds. The individual known as Kamui Woods yelled in pain and was forced to retract his roots, holding himself in the places he got the cuts. His arms were still complete, but if that hurt him, so much better for him.

"This is a waste of time," Atrocitus said as he turned around and prepared to keep searching. Wherever that Green Lantern was, his priority was to make sure he was dead.

"Titan Cliff!"

And suddenly, a huge mass got in his way as he flew. A giant woman had just blocked his path with her body, and although he pushed her back a bit, Atrocitus bounced off her and stopped in midair, only for a pair of giant hands to catch him in the air.

"Hah, I've gotcha now, Villain! Fear nor, citizens! Mount Lady is here to save you!"

"Mount Lady? What kind of ridiculous name is that?" Atrocitus mocked.

The giant woman scowled behind her mas. "You better shut your trap, if you don't want me to squeeze you like a lemon, tiny."

In response, Atrocitus focused the power from his ring. If that women believed size mattered, then he could play the same game.

First, he ignited a flaming explosion to force her to let go of him, making her scream and seeing how her bodysuit's gloves ended up scorched. Next step, to make a giant projection of himself, but at the same scale as the woman, that is, one head bigger than her.

He saw with satisfaction how the giant woman's face turned from smug annoyance to abject terror. He loved to show that to his victims before delivering what was coming to them.

"Now, who were you calling tiny?" he said, his voice amplified to echo throughout the entire city, as he raised a fist set in red flames.

"Not in the face, please, not in the face!"

He didn't know why he felt like granting her request, but she hit her in the stomach hard enough to send her flying. She fell a good distance away, although that building she brought down would probably somehow cushioned her fall.

Now he could finally get back to…

"CALIFORNIA SMAAAAAAAAAASSSHHH!"

And he barely was able to react when another figure fell from the sky. It was too fast, and the next thing he felt was a big fist colliding against his face, plummeting him like a meteor towards the ground.

And that was by breaking through his red energy giant avatar!

"Ugh…" Atrocitus took a bit to recover from that. All that energy he spent in creating his giant projection ended up wasted.

Then he saw his aggressor. He was kneeling at the time, giving off steam after delivering a powerful punch. When he stood back up, he had to admit he looked rather imposing, especially compared to that bunch of idiots who foolishly tried to stop him.

The guy's build was similar to his own, and if he could pierce through his red energy with a simple punch, he had to take back that this planet was populated only with useless weaklings.

"Everything is fine. Why?" the newly arrival declared as he stepped forward. "Because I am here."

"It's All Might!"

"All Might? Yeah, hahaha! That villain's about to get some!"

"C'mon, All Might, kick his ass!"

"ALL MIGHT, ALL MIGHT, ALL MIGHT!"

Atrocitus looked around. The people who was terrified of him, suddenly had lost their fear and now was gathering to praise the newly arrived savior. What was so special about him?

"This is the end, Villain!" the guy named All Might declared. "Your days of terrorizing innocents only come this far!"

"It seems I won't be able to take care of my business until I get rid of you," Atrocitus declared. "Well, if that's the only way, prepare to die."

Atrocitus charged up his ring. He'd wasted a lot of power in that avatar to get rid of the giantess, and this guy named All Might was able to pierce through his red energy using sheer strength alone. He'd have to be careful.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

The guy charged in to deliver the first blow. Atrocitus managed to raise a shield, but even so, his strength was of such magnitude, it sent him blown across the air out of control, to the point he even lost his focus to fly well, until after a good while.

And just as soon as he did, the individual delivered another punch, repeating the process. And again. And then again. He continued to repeat it without interruption.

What a trip. How could this be happening to him in a backwater planet like this?

…

Izuku wasn't sure how he wandered so far from his district. Maybe that encounter with Katsuki had made him less attentive to his surroundings. In fact, he hadn't checked for a while his Hero News app, to find out what was new.

Right now, there was only one thought in his head. As soon as he returned home, he'd tell his mom they could give that ring back to the police, so they wouldn't see it again. A Quirkless wimp like him shouldn't have or even deserve such kind of power. He could be the Hero for one day and it was wonderful, but for a long time, he'd resigned himself to accept it wasn't meant to be.

No matter how much he wished otherwise.

'I won't get into trouble anymore,' he thought. 'It was just a coincidence the ring found me, nothing more. It could have been anybody, I was just lucky.'

That's how it was. Just a simple lucky stroke. He had to see things as they were, he shouldn't ever have false illusions. He'd never be a hero. He had neither the talent nor the power Katsuki boasted, and if he needed an alien ring to be on his league, the more reason to stay out of it.

At the time, there was hardly a thing that could bring him out of his depression.

"Hey, check that out! It's All Might!"

"You sure? Ah, for real! That's him!"

Izuku stopped abruptly as his ears perked up, listening to the people's voices. Did he hear right, his ears weren't fooling him?

"Go All Might, kick that villain's ass!"

Driven by pure instinct he ran towards the voices, and soon enough he could hear the noises of a fight. Devastating blows, shots all over the place and things being demolished. It sounded crazy, but if the #1 Hero was truly nearby… he couldn't leave without seeing him.

Indeed, in no time he spotted atop a building, a small dot in the air hitting another from above, sending it meteoring towards the pavement. Seconds later All Might's imposing muscular figure landed next to the crater, and after standing up, cracked his knuckles as he slowly approached the fallen villain.

"It's over now, evildoer. Now you're about to face justice."

"All Might… it really is All Might!" Izuku pumped his fists and felt his whole body shaking in excitement. "My cellphone, I need to record this!"

A pity All Might wasn't wearing his hero suit, but even in civilian clothes, that white shirt and green pants, he looked as imposing and heroic as ever. And he was there to see him in person, less than a block away! He had to record it for posterity, to prove he had been there! That he could see his hero of heroes with his own eyes!

As Izuku was busy trying to get a hold of his cellphone, a bigger crowd gathered around him. Obviously everyone wanted to be as close as possible to see the moment of the hero's victory. To hell with the minimum safety distance with heroes at work, they had to capture this moment at any cost.

"This is your end!" All Might yelled, raising both hands over his head to deliver a double hammer strike. "DENVER…!"

And then, the unthinkable struck. Right when All Might was about to deliver the finishing blow, a red energy beam was fired from the crater on the street, hitting him on the lower left side of his torso. The action brusquely interrupted the hero's attack and sent him flying out of there.

The villain, meanwhile, rose back to his feet and levitating with a red aura, hovered until he stood at the other side. All Might then stood back up, but then Izuku noticed something weird in him.

Specifically, he wasn't smiling, and he was holding his stomach with both hands as if in pain.

"I see that finally afflicted you," the villain said with a deep, sinister voice. "I must commend you, you have great strength, which is a lot to say considering I've never drained half my charge against one individual in such a short amount of time."

"Damn you… that was a low blow," All Might muttered.

Izuku saw how All Might charged again at his foe. He created a pair of giant hands to stop his fists dead in his tracks, and some of it became extremely familiar.

"Wait a minute… that energy… doesn't it look like…?"

Izuku stopped recording and paid more attention to the fight itself. There was another red energy blast that send both combatants flying backwards, but the villain stopped himself in the air by flying. Save for the color, the energy behaved very similar to the one emitted by the Green Lantern ring.

And it became even more familiar when the villain created some sort of battering ram in his hand, hitting All Might's torso. Right on the same spot where the beam had struck him before.

"AAAARRRGHH! SHIT!"

The villain continued to hit him right there, and Izuku noticed something else. Some drops of blood were dripping from All Might's mouth.

Had he gotten a serious wound with that simple attack?

"Stat back everyone, clear the area! There's nothing to see here!"

As the police officers and other heroes created a perimeter trying to push people back, Izuku still continued to watch the fight between All Might and the villain, and the gears in his brain started working. The ring had told him something about a Red Lantern Corps at war with the Green one.

It also mentioned its leader (Atrocitus, he recalled that was his name) had been recently around that system, and was the one responsible for mortally wounding Abin Sur.

"No… could it be… that's…?"

And his fears were confirmed when the villain turned around and he saw his face. Even at that distance, there was no mistaking it.

That was Atrocitus, leader of the Red Lanterns, murderer of Abin Sur, and of who knew how many more Green Lanterns.

"Step back, kid!" a police officer said as he pushed him with the rest of the people. "Get out of here, it's for your own good!"

"Wait up, officer! There's something you need to know about that villain! That's not a…!"

"Not now, kid! Do as I say for your own safety!" the officer exclaimed, forcibly pulling him by the arm when he refused to step back.

"Hold on, this is important!"

However, his screams were drowned by the noise among the rest of the crowd pushed around to stay away, while the police placed barriers with their patrol cars marking the security line. As much as he tried to warn them, Izuku was dragged away by the tidal wave of people.

While a part of him said it was better to comply and that everything would be fine, the other was yelling him out loud that All Might was in grave danger. By what the ring had said, Atrocitus wouldn't hesitate to kill him without a hint of mercy.

The idea of his #1 Hero, the Symbol of Peace being murdered…

- 'Don't get into trouble, don't get into trouble…'

The little whisper in the back of his head was pushing him to just run away from there. All Might would be fine. He hadn't become #1 Hero for nothing, no villain had ever brought him down. He was the strongest man in the world for a reason.

"No… I can't… I can't go away like this!"

Once he was out of sight and nobody noticed, Izuku snuck into an alleyway, trying to circle around the area without being seen. He needed to keep an eye on the fight. Even though he had faith in All Might, something in him told him he couldn't leave just like that.

At the lack of something better, he used his phone to zoom in with the camera. It wasn't much, but at least he had a more or less clear view of what was going on. All Might held strong, but Atrocitus had turned things around and clearly had the upper hand now.

"Nobody except the strongest Green Lanterns in the universe had caused me this much trouble," he heard Atrocitus say. "But that makes you a worthy opponent. It means all this power you display comes from you, doesn't it?"

"Damn you… Villain…"

"As a reward, I'll give you a quick and mostly painless death." Atrocitus raised his hand ring over his head to create some sort of giant hammer. "Now, disappear into oblivion."

Izuku gasped in horror as he watched how the Red Lantern lowered his hammer over the helpless All Might (never did he imagine to use those words in the same sentence). A huge red light column rocketed towards the sky, blinding his sight and forcing him to shut his eyes. He even felt the air and the ground shaking with force.

Once he got a clear view, he was afraid to look again and see All Might defeated, or worse, even perhaps dead. But to his relief and shock, the #1 Hero was still in one piece. He'd kneeled down to endure the strike, and somehow he'd survived it.

However, he wasn't unscathed: his clothes were tattered and reduced to rags, bruises and cuts all over and he was even giving off steam. Worse, even though he was forcing himself to smile again, blood still leaked out of his mouth.

"So you're still alive, how stubbornly resistant you are. But that won't last long. And once I'm done with you, I'll find that accursed Green Lantern to finish my job."

"Today isn't my day to die, Villain!"

Izuku saw how All Might charged once more, resuming his fight. Where did that strength come from? That was one of the questions he and everyone else who admired him constantly asked themselves. But now, more than ever, he was wondering how he was capable of keeping on after enduring such hellish punishment.

"The ring… If I had the ring I could…"

He couldn't stand still and do nothing. The villain was there only because of him. Or at least, because he was looking for Green Lantern Abin Sur, unaware that he was already dead. And he'd passed the ring onto him, so whether he liked it or not, it made him the new target.

In short, right at the moment All Might was being brutalized because of him. And there he was, shivering in fear, unable to do anything else but look.

"I have to do something… but without the ring… damn it!"

At the time, all he wanted was for the accursed ring to be back with him. He could have helped All Might in fighting that villain. To fight side to side with his hero of heroes… that would have been like living his dream.

"What do I do, what do I do? If only I had the… huh?"

And as if answering his prayers, he saw in the sky a green dot approaching fast. Neither All Might nor the villain had noticed yet; they were too focused in their brawl to pay attention.

But Izuku knew exactly what it meant, as well as what to do with it. Thus, he reached out the sky with his hand, willing with all of his inner might for the ring to come flying to him.

"In brightest day, in blackest night…"

The villainous Atrocitus threw All Might against a post. He stood up and seeing it been torn apart from the ground, grabbed it to use it as a club. Atrocitus simply covered himself and with a large, red clawed hand raised a car and dropped it on All Might to crush him.

"… no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might…"

All Might broke apart the car and threw the pieces at Atrocitus, who replied with a red energy sphere that exploded them into flames. The #1 Hero then charged with a rain of punches.

The green glow went past them and they didn't even notice. It was coming right at Izuku's hand.

"… beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"

And upon pronouncing the last word, the ring landed on his finger. He instantly felt the power flowing through him, summoning the suit just as he had imagined it that early morning in front of the mirror.

Clenching his fist at full force, he immediately flew at the site of the brawl. He wasn't thinking anymore; his body was moving on autopilot.

"ALL MIGHT!"

Both hero and villain turned around at his call. On pure instinct and still flying, Izuku summoned a giant arm to deliver a punch at Atrocitus, knocking him away from All Might. With the danger at bay for the time being, he immediately flew next to the #1 Hero to check on his state.

"All Might! You alright?! That villain wounded you?! Oh my gosh, I need to call the…!"

"Calm down, young Midoriya!" the hero boomed, making an effort to get back on his feet and hold him by the shoulders. "I appreciate the assistance, but you must leave this to the pros. You better stay away from here."

"But it's just that-wait a moment, you know who I am? Ahhh, All Might knows my name! This is amazing, I'm so happy right now!"

"Stop!" the hero screamed. "Yes, I know who you are, and I'll gladly give you my autograph once I've taken care of this villain."

"The villain?" That word quickly snapped him out of his fanboy mode and brought him back to reality. "Gah, that's right, the villain! It's my fault the villain is here! He came here looking for me!"

"Looking for you? But what could he want with-WATCH OUT!"

All Might leaped as he grabbed Izuku, dodging a red energy beam that blasted the pavement below them. Atrocitus had already recovered from that surprise attack, and was floating above them as he aimed his fist while storing up power for another blast.

"So the ring has found a new wielder," he declared. "Good, that makes things easier for me; now I just need to exterminate you and destroy it."

And with those words, he aimed and fired another destructive beam. Izuku was the first to react this time, and used his own ring to create a protective bubble around himself and All Might, pouring all of his willpower to make it as impenetrable as possible.

"What's going on, young Midoriya? What does that villain want with you?"

"It's… complicated, but I think he wants to kill me because I have this power ring," Izuku replied, channeling his power to keep the barrier up, even as it began to give out.

Unlike the sludge villain, Atrocitus was capable of countering the green energy with his red one. When the beam didn't work, he switched strategies and materialized a strange hybrid of a battering ram and a drill to strike at it. Soon enough cracks began to show, and Izuku knew he couldn't keep it up much longer.

"I can't hold it!" Izuku screamed. "All Might, please cover your eyes!"

"But what are you …?!"

All Might's reply was stopped when Izuku sent out a violent burst of energy, dissipating the barrier and at the same time generating a blinding flash, as bright as he could. He heard people screaming things like "Ahh, my eyes!", "Damn it, can't see a thing!" and similar, but among them he also overheard the scream from Atrocitus himself, cluing him in that he'd been afflicted as well by his surprise move. He then opened his own eyes and turned to see All Might, who seemingly managed to cover his face with his hand in the last second.

"Goddamn it, young man," the #1 Hero protested, peeking through his fingers, "you could have left me blind there!"

"Sorry. But look, it worked, I left the villain blind too!"

Both of them glanced at Atrocitus, who started shooting energy at random breaking crystals and cracking the walls of the buildings, shooting at anything within his range. Both Izuku and All Might went to take cover so as to have a moment's breathing, while the villain was still disoriented.

In a dark alley, the #1 Hero glared severely at the boy. Izuku shivered: All Might was not smiling at him anymore, his demeanor had turned completely serious. Not as intimidating as the one he'd sport while fighting a particularly evil villain, but close enough.

"Okay, young Midoriya, would you care to explain your role in all of this? What's your connection to the villain?"

Izuku had become a bunch of nerves. He'd always dreamed of talking to All Might face to face and ask him so many things. Never did he imagined his first encounter with his idol would be under fire during a villain attack, and being scolded for his interference.

But somehow he calmed down. All he had to do was tell the truth, as quick as possible.

"That villain… he's called Atrocitus, and he's an alien," he said. "Did you know about the green meteor that crashed yesterday in the news?"

"Why of course, the police is still investigating the impact area. Wait… do you mean to say…?"

"Yes." Izuku nodded. "Another alien named Abin Sur was the one who crashed there. Long story short, he was a member of some sort of intergalactic police force named Green Lantern Corps, and they use these rings to create anything. Look."

To illustrate, he formed an energy sphere that quickly turned into an arm cannon, then into a miniature space fighter, and then the face of All Might himself, perfectly sculpted to the last detail. The #1 Hero was mildly impressed, yet still kept his calm demeanor, almost without moving.

"So this villain Atrocitus, was he an enemy of the alien named Abin Sur?"

"Yeah. It looks like the Green Lanterns are at war with a Red Lantern Corps, who are trying to exterminate them. Abin Sur was fatally wounded when I found him, and I could do nothing for him, so before he died… he asked me to keep the ring safe for him."

"I see." All Might nodded. "But such a great power also holds a great responsibility, my boy. How could he leave it on the shoulders of someone so young?"

"I don't know," Izuku admitted. "I don't understand how it works, but it looks like it chose me and it won't respond to anybody else. But I swear I didn't ask for it! I just found it and picked it up when it hit me from behind and…!"

"Easy there, boy!" the hero exclaimed, holding him by the shoulders as he went into another frantic panic attack for no reason. "I believe you, but now we have other things to take care of. We need to take this villain somewhere far from here, and I'll need your help. You can fly, right?"

"Eh? F-fly? Yes, of c-course I can. I m-mean with the ring, of course I can't fly by myself, but using the…"

"Yes, yes!" All Might stopped him again. "Listen, the first thing to do is take this villain as far away from the residential areas so as to not endanger civilians. You need to get his attention and make him chase you."

"What? Me?! W-well, I c-could, but…"

"You're the only one who can do this," All Might insisted. "We need to do this, together."

"T-together?"

That single word light something up inside of Izuku. When he said together, All Might was implying what he thought he was implying? The two of them, fighting side by side against the villain? It was like a dream come true!

Or a nightmare, if something went wrong and he ended up losing and ruining everything, for All Might and the rest of the people.

Either way he had to hurry: Atrocitus was flying around crashing against the buildings, apparently without a care of who or what he'd hit.

"Alright. What do I have to do?"

"Get his attention. Insult him, provoke him, do what you must, and then fly out of the city. If he's far away from everyone, I'll be able to fight him without worrying about collateral damages."

"Can you keep up?" Izuku asked with some worry.

All Might immediately regained his trademark big grin. "Worry not, young Midoriya. I might not be able to fly, but as you know I'm capable of leaping over the tallest buildings in a single bound. As long as you don't fly too high, I'll be able to keep up with no trouble."

Izuku then nodded. "Okay. I'll do whatever you say."

"Alright, young Midoriya. It's time for us to smash that villain, together!" All Might said as he punched his palm.

Izuku nodded once more, and they both looked up to the sky. Atrocitus was still thrashing around everywhere; seemingly that flash had worked better than he expected, but there was no guarantee it'd last much longer.

'Okay, there's no turning back now. Everything will be fine. All Might will be there with me after all.'

With a deep breath, the boy took to the sky, and seeing Atrocitus was charging at an apartment building, he got in the way as he created a giant shield. First thing, he'd get his attention, though if it came to provoke and insult, Katsuki was better than him.

Fine, might as well see how well he could imitate him. He materialized a megaphone to amplify his voice.

"Hey you! The big ugly red guy! You looking for me?! YOU LOOKING FOR ME?!"

"Stupid brat," the villain replied, blinking several times. Up until then he'd kept his eyes closed, but the flash's effect had finally worn out. "You'll pay for that!"

"Too bad, I don't have my wallet!" he screamed, trying to sound mocking, though unsuccessfully. "See if you can catch me!"

And with that, he fired a giant energy fist at Atrocitus, who destroyed it with a giant claw that made it explode. Without wasting any time, and following All Might's instructions, he turned around to fly in the opposite direction, to get out of town as fast as he could.

He dared to look over the shoulder and saw with a mix of satisfaction and terror that Atrocitus gave chase. Through the corner of his eye, he saw a muscular figure leaping from building to building to keep up with him, occasionally punching or kicking in the air to correct the course when it seemed he wouldn't land well.

For now, all he had to do was take the villain to a faraway place. Afterwards, everything would be fine. Why? Because All Might was there to support him.

To be concluded…

Chapter Text

Midoriya residence…

Inko Midoriya was a woman with a simple life. She had her struggles, but for the most part she was content. She couldn't complain: while her husband was often busy at work, he'd always be looking out for them and make sure they'd be provided for. And she adored her son from the bottom of her heart.

No matter how much his peers looked down upon him for being Quirkless, Inko knew very well Izuku was a good boy. He was a hard-working student, maybe not a supergenius like some others, but he'd always got pretty good marks. He had analytical capacities many didn't appreciate, and she was sure they'd be valuable in the future, no matter the career he'd pick.

Then again, she knew perfectly the career her son wanted to pursue. Those words he told her so many years ago still resounded in her head more often than she'd like.

…

"Mom… he always saves everyone with a smile, no matter what trouble they are in. He's a supercool hero …

"Can… Can I be a Hero like him too?"

…

"Izuku…" she said in a wistful tone, as she continued to slice the veggies for dinner.

It wasn't easy to deal with. She knew Izuku dreamed of becoming a great Hero one day. There was no doubt he had the heart for being a real Hero, but they had to be realistic. On its own, Pro Heroism was a job where you risked your life on a daily life, and having a Quirk was no guarantee you wouldn't get badly hurt, or worse, killed in the line of duty.

As selfish as it sounded, sometimes she was happy that Izuku had been born Quirkless. The idea of having her son out there in the streets, placing himself in danger… did certainly not abide with her.

And for that, now she wasn't sure what to think about her son being in the news. He looked so happy when he saved Katsuki from that Villain, and he could be the Hero if only for once. As for her… the worries about him possibly getting hurt were intertwined with a tinge of pride. Had the circumstances been different, she was sure Izuku would have made a wonderful hero.

Was it okay that she confiscated the power ring from him?

The telephone ringing pulled her out of her thoughts, so she left what she was doing and washed her hands to answer.

"Hello, Midoriya residence?"

"Hey, honey, how's everything over there?" the person on the other side greeted.

Inko quickly recognized the voice. "H-Hisashi? Oh, darling, I'm so happy! You hadn't called in a while."

"Sorry, been too busy around here. You know Ms. Ferris: always keeping us all flying around here. In any case, is everything okay there?" Hisashi asked with a slight tinge of worry. "Saw the news already; that green meteor fell very close to our zone."

"Don't worry, there was nobody at ground zero when that happened," Inko replied. Though that didn't mean the meteor did not affect them in any way.

"Good to know," Hisashi said with relief. "That meteor got me enough bad news for today."

"Bad news?" a confused Inko asked.

"Looks like before it went through the atmosphere, the meteor sent out an expansive wave and it damaged one of our satellites," Hisashi explained. "Guess who was volunteered to patch it up?"

Ferris Aircraft was one of the prime companies working in advances for space exploration, even in the early stages. Hisashi was hired thanks to his Satellite Engineering knowledge, and he'd gotten to fly a few missions, albeit more often than not when the company's satellites had troubles and needed fixing. He often joked that he was little more than a glorified mechanic, although he actually enjoyed the work.

Which meant he often spent a lot of time off-country, and sometimes even off-planet.

"I see. Then please be careful up there, honey."

"If I hurry I might be on time for the summer holidays," he paused when some yelling was heard on the other side, and Inko heard he replied something in English. "Sorry, Jordan's getting impatient, I have to go. Say hi to Izuku for me, alright? Love you both."

"We love you too. Bye."

After hanging, Inko sighed. She loved her husband dearly, but sometimes not having him at home was pretty hard to cope with. She would often look up in the sky and wonder if he could see them whenever he was there.

"Well, guess that means we'll be having dinner for two, again," Inko said as she walked towards the fridge to get the meat.

However, just when she was about to open the door, some metallic clanking inside her cupboard got her attention. When she looked in that direction, she noticed a neon green glow filtering through the squints.

"What the…? AACK!"

The green glow burst out and opened the cupboard violently. Inko was left paralyzed and barely caught how the tiny glowing dot went flying out of the kitchen at full speed. The realization took a few seconds to sink in, and then just to be sure, she went to the cupboard to check it out.

"No… it cannot be. This cannot be!"

She checked the tipped over jars and cans all over the cupboard, frenetically looking for the one she'd used to hide the ring after she confiscated it from Izuku. Much to her horror, the container had been tipped over and its contents spilled inside. That could only mean one thing.

"By all heavens… did that ring fly on its own?"

The poor woman ran off towards the nearest window, opening the curtains to check it out. Unfortunately, by the time she got there, the green dot had vanished in the sky. Where did it go, and more importantly, why?

"Did it go after my boy? Please God, don't let him get into trouble again."

Izuku would never break a promise. If he said he wouldn't get into trouble again, she was certain he would hold to it.

Now, if somehow trouble found him… that was another story.

Outside of Musutafu…

The plan had worked out. The first part at least, to keep Atrocitus out of populated zones, away from prying eyes or people who'd get hurt.

Now the problem was to get to the second one. The Red Lantern didn't pull any punches, and bombarded them with merciless attacks one after another.

Ad he flew through the air, Atrocitus fired at Izuku three consecutive piercing beams. The boy dodged the first two, but he had to raise a shield to block the third, as it came in much faster. The resulting explosion sent him flying backwards, plummeting him to the ground and sliding across the ground digging a long trench until he stopped. As

As he recovered from the crash, he saw Atrocitus summoning another beam, more massive and concentrated, forcing him to fly up to avoid being obliterated. As he kept him busy, All Might could do his part.

"DENVER SMAAAAAAAAASH!"

From behind, All Might jumped him and slammed Atrocitus with a double hammer strike, sending him crashing into the ground and creating a huge crater. Izuku was forced to fly low to keep his enemy within All Might's reach, and so far, the two of them were doing a good job, all things considered.

All Might landed next to the crater, and Izuku floated down next to him. A few seconds passed and nothing happened, while the crater was all covered in smoke. They couldn't see Atrocitus, nor did he giving any life signs through the cloud.

"I-Is that it?" Izuku asked. "Did we beat him?"

"Careful, young Midoriya," All Might warned. "I doubt he's been knocked out, let alone killed by such a simple strike. We better stay on guard."

"S-sure," the boy replied, and immediately used his ring to summon a huge shield like the one used by police officers in riots.

And good thing he did, as when the dust was settling, another massive red beam was fired at them. Instinctively Izuku placed himself in front of All Might as he enlarged the shield, though the beam pushed them both back a considerable distance. The #1 Hero had to hold on with his feet to resist the knockback as he held onto the boy, while the latter tried to focus his power in keeping the shield up to avoid being grazed by the red energy.

As the attack ceased, Atrocitus floated out of the crater, staring at them from above and visibly angrier than before.

"I'll send you both to hell now," he declared.

He projected his energy towards a huge chunk of rock, surrounding it with a giant clawed hand before throwing it at them as hard as possible.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

One devastating punch after, the rock was reduced to rubble, sending out a shockwave of wind and shrapnel towards Atrocitus. The alien simply raised his own barrier, but All Might took advantage of the attack to charge forward and shoulder-tackle him.

Atrocitus retaliated by summoning appendages in his arms to catch All Might's apparently in an attempt to match the latter's physical strength.

"You are… too strong…" All Might muttered, as he tried to force Atrocitus to his knees.

"Grrrr… so… are you…" Atrocitus replied.

Despite his efforts, clearly All Might overpowered Atrocitus in physical brute force. He channeled more energy to his arms to enlarge his appendages, but even that wasn't enough. Thus, he opened wide his mouth to shoot a beam out of it.

Caught off-guard, All Might dodged by tilting the head to the side, although it dangerously grazed his ear. Without missing a beat he countered with a headbutt to get him to lose his focus before he could fire another.

As he did that, Izuku took advantage of the distraction to fire at him from the back, stunning him long enough for All Might to release the grip and deliver a double hammer strike, burying him underground.

Shortly after, he burst out from underground like an eruption, and flew up again before aiming and firing another deathly beam. Izuku got between them once more, this time firing a beam of his own, making the energies collide against each other as they tried to push each other back.

"Young Midoriya!" All Might exclaimed.

"It's okay! I can hold it!"

As he gripped his right forearm tightly and pouring every single ounce of will into it, Izuku kept channeling his energy into the powerful beam. For moments it seemed like he got the upper hand and managed to push Atrocitus' beam back, but a few seconds later he started dominating again. At the same time, All Might tried to circle around him, but the Red Lantern flew too high and he couldn't reach him with a single jump.

The power struggle continued for a good while, until Atrocitus sent out an energy burst to consume Izuku's beam, pushing the boy a more than considerable distance. Atrocitus flew to gain on him, getting behind and summoning a giant hammer to strike him from above and send him meteoring towards the ground.

With the boy disabled, he immediately turned his attention to All Might, who had grabbed a giant boulder to throw at him. Atrocitus simply replied firing a giant energy ball that perforated it, and made it explode from inside, scattering the shards all over the place.

"Gotcha!" All Might shouted, getting behind him and grabbing him with both arms.

"What the– GET OFF ME!"

"OKLAHOMA SMASH!"

Holding on tightly, All Might began spinning like a drill, and the two plummeted to the ground at vertiginous speed. In the struggle, Atrocitus managed to aim with his ring and unleash an energy blast to try and mitigate the impact, though even still he took a lot of damage, and the resulting crater was still pretty large.

"Ouch… All Might? ALL MIGHT!" Izuku called out, once he recovered from the last crash. He frantically looked all over, and from the latest crater, two figures violently shot out of it.

The first was Atrocitus, followed by All Might who without missing a beat started delivering punch after punch at the alien's face, with no mercy. Izuku quickly flew at them to aid his idol, but when it seemed he had the upper hand, Atrocitus delivered a low blow at his bleeding wound in the torso, distracting him long enough to turn in Izuku's direction.

The kid was unable to dodge the beam that was fired at him, which instead of being a traditional one, quickly morphed into a series of shackles and chains that wrapped around him to restrict his movements, and pulled him to the ground. His reaction, naturally, was so try and struggle to break free, but his efforts were futile; the chains were much stronger than he imagined and he couldn't break them.

"YOUNG MIDORIYA!" he heard All Might shout.

"Now I'll take care of you," Atrocitus replied.

From his current position it was hard to see, but Izuku managed to raise his head enough to see what happened. Atrocitus created a construct that resembled some sort of crucifix to restrict All Might's arms, legs and torso. Although the #1 Hero did his best to break free, his efforts didn't pay any more than Izuku's, and the giant drill under the cross's base began spinning and sent All Might into the depths of the ground.

That task finished, the Red Lantern turned back to Izuku, who was still trying to free himself from the shackles, but it was hopeless. The kid couldn't do anything but gaze in horror as the evil alien walked towards him.

The only silver lining, when he got closer, was that Atrocitus didn't come unscathed from his last brawl with All Might: he had several bruises in the face, broken teeth, and one of his eyes was so blackened he could barely keep it open.

"Unbelievable, to think there are such annoying individuals in a backwater planet like this," he said, projecting the energy out of his ring to raise Izuku from the ground and get him face to face. "As for you, I'm even more impressed that such an insignificant brat like you has given me so much trouble. Then again, it's all because you got that ring."

"Why?" Izuku suddenly asked.

"Why what?"

"Why… why are you killing Green Lanterns?" Izuku clarified.

He wasn't sure of the reason, except maybe harboring a slim hope that All Might would come back to save him again. He could at least try and buy some time. And sometimes, understanding the Villains' motivation helped find a way to beat them, or at least distract them long enough to think of something to break free.

"Does that really matter? All you need to know is that they have to pay for what they did to my sector. This hatred I have for them and their creators, that's all that kept me alive all these years, what gives me strength."

Izuku swallowed hard. He was neither the first nor the last Villain who had revenge as his motivation, although that still didn't say much.

"Now then, I'll take care of you. You and that over-muscled imbecile made me waste almost all of my ring's power, but I still have more than enough to put an end to your miserable existence.

Izuku shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. He already knew: All Might wouldn't break free in time to rescue him. He was going to die right then and there, and nothing could prevent it.

'All Might… Mom… Dad… I'm so sorry…'

He was terrified to death inside. He wanted to scream, run away, maybe even break into crying like a baby… but something inside told him he couldn't give that pleasure to the Villain. He couldn't afford to show fear.

If he couldn't live his dream of being a Hero, at least he could dignify himself dying like one: with his head high and without bending his will.

"DIE!"

"No… no… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Before Atrocitus delivered the lethal strike, Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs, and miraculously created an energy explosion, destroying his chains and shackles and sending Atrocitus backwards. However, the desperate move left him exhausted from all the energy he used up.

Not even he himself could believe he'd done that. Did the will to live and keep fighting had overcome his resignation to death?

"No, I can't give up… All Might would never do that!"

"You accursed brat!" Atrocitus shouted. "This time I will kill you!"

Just like in the Sludge Villain incident with Katsuki, his body moved on its own. He was now in autopilot, simply thinking that he had to fight for survival.

And if possible, to try and take down the Villain in the process, or at least wear him out enough for All Might to finish the job. That was what a Hero would do.

However, just as they started flying at each other to clash again, Izuku caught a glimpse through peripheral vision of two green energy beams coming from above. Said beams knocked Atrocitus off-course, and forced Izuku to brake to avoid getting caught into one of them.

Just then he dared to look up and see who'd been his saviors.

"Game's over, poozer."

Two individuals wearing Green Lantern uniforms, almost identical to the one worn by Abin Sur when he found him, came over descending as they emitted green energy from their rings to restrict the red alien. From all things that could have happened, the last thing Izuku expected was that the cavalry would come in the form of more Green Lanterns.

One of them was big and muscular, of a similar frame and size as All Might, and whose head reminded Izuku of a strange hybrid of a bulldog and a boar, pink-skinned with big red eyes and large tusks protruding upwards from both sides of his lower jaw.

The second had a similar frame and height to an adult human male, and he could probably pass off for a normal human even with the deep red skin tone of his face and the yellow sclera in his eyes. His black hair, moustache and trim beard looked like they'd been trimmed with a rule, and somehow Izuku thought he actually looked more intimidating than his partner, despite his more human-like appearance.

The latter approached Izuku and stared at him intently. Despite having an almost non-alien appearance (to him at least), Izuku couldn't help but gulp, as this guy somehow looked more intimidating than his non-humanoid partner.

"I assume that, since you have the ring in your power, Abin Sur is no longer with us?" he said with a deep voice, rather fitting for his appearance. Although he didn't sound accusing, but rather just accepting of the facts as they were.

"I'm sorry. He was wounded when I found him, and… I couldn't do anything," Izuku replied. "He… asked me to keep the ring safe until you guys came here."

"I was hoping it wasn't too late," the red-skinned man said with a tinge of grief. "However, you have my deepest gratitude for respecting his last will, boy from Earth. I am Thaal Sinestro, and this is Kilowog. What is your name?"

"I-Izuku. Izuku Midoriya."

"Midoriya?" the big guy, called Kilowog, chuckled at that, as if he found it funny. "What kinda name is that?"

"Kilowog, now is not the time," Sinestro intervened. "Abin Sur was a great friend and colleague of ours, and one of the best Lanterns our Corps ever had. We received his beacon signal and came over as fast as we could."

"At least we can make sure the bastard who killed him won't get away," Kilowog said. "I say we kick his red ass all the way to Oa for Abin Sur too."

"Can we beat him?" Izuku asked.

"Atrocitus is smart," Sinestro said. "Even though the red light is more powerful than the green one by itself, he'd always attack lone Green Lanterns. In a one-on-one battle a single Green Lantern, let alone a rookie one, would have stood no chance."

Izuku nodded. The only reason he managed to hold on for so long was because he had All Might for backup, and even then they still had difficulties. But now, they wouldn't be alone.

Meanwhile, Atrocitus broke free from Sinestro and Kilowog's restraints, and stared at them with a mixture of hatred and self-disappointment. Evidently, both of them showing up had just spoiled his plans as he was now the one at a serious disadvantage.

"We'll take it from here." Sinestro raised his ring and charged it up for an attack. "This criminal has murdered too many of our Lanterns."

"Thanks for keeping him busy, though," Kilowog added as he did the same. "Now you can leave this to the pros."

Both Green Lanterns charged in tandem at the Red one. Kilowog charged in to face him in close quarters while Sinestro backed him up from long range, though Atrocitus managed to hold his own against both of them. As they did so, Izuku ran off towards the hole where All Might had been buried and projected a light as he tried to see what became of him.

"Come on, All Might… you can't be dead… you just can't…" he muttered, although somehow wishing almost as believing those words.

Looking over the shoulder he saw that Kilowog and Sinestro seemed to have the situation under control. Although the fight seemed quite even, clearly Atrocitus had a hard time dealing with both opponents at once, and his attacks also seemed to be growing weaker every time. Now that he thought about it, the Red Lantern did say something about them making them waste a lot of energy.

If he was running out of power, maybe they could…

"I… AM… BACK!" a booming voice shouted, while a muscular silhouette jumped out of the hole and landed triumphantly behind Izuku, much to the latter's relief.

"All Might! Thank heavens! Are you alright?"

"Hahaha! It will take more than that to bring me down, young Midoriya!" the Hero announced boisterously. "Though it really made me work, those binds were not easy to break."

"Phew, I'm glad, for a moment I though-WATCH OUT!"

A stray shot from the confrontation between Atrocitus and the Green Lanterns went flying towards them, forcing them to leap and fly out of the way before being hit. All Might saw what happened and seemed mildly surprised.

"What are my eyes seeing? Do we have backup now?"

"Those Green Lanterns came picking up a distress signal. They showed up to help us just in time, I must say," Izuku explained, though omitting the part about how the Villain almost killed him. All Might didn't need to know that.

"Well, I am glad we're not alone anymore, but what can we do for the time being? Should we leave it in their hands?"

For a moment Izuku wanted to say yes; he was really exhausted of all the fighting against that guy. But something in him told him it wasn't right to do that. While the Villain might be the Green Lantern's jurisdiction, the fact it was in their planet made it also their responsibility to defend it.

Both saw how, in a desperate burst, Atrocitus created a chain with shackles, similar to the ones he used to bind them before, except this time he coiled one end around Kilowog's arm and the other around Sinestro's. Then, the chain violently retracted in itself, making them crash against each other, and Atrocitus then created a giant clawed hand to smack them away. After that, he landed on the ground, as if trying to take a breather.

And then Izuku, even at the distance, saw how he pulled out a familiar object. It was of a different color, but the shape was unmistakable. A power battery, just like the one he'd received from the dying Abin Sur along with his ring.

"Power battery… wasted energy… that's it!" And without a second thought, he flew towards there.

"Young Midoriya!"

Despite All Might's scream, once more Izuku went in autopilot. Pointing the ring forward, he fired a rocket hand wide open, straight for the power battery Atrocitus was holding. Being close enough, he caught him pronouncing a dreadful oath just as the flying hand knocked the battery out of his reach, interrupting the ring's charge.

"CURSES, I FORGOT ABOUT YOU!"

"YOUNG MIDORIYA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" All Might called out.

Izuku didn't reply, he just held onto the red power battery and flew away as fast as he could. He managed to hear behind that Atrocitus yelled out something and chased him, but he was intercepted by someone, and a quick glance made him see it was All Might, who had locked him in another close quarters brawl.

Taking advantage of this, Izuku flew as far as he could, trusting that his idol would hold Atrocitus long enough so he could do what he was about to do.

'All Might can fight Atrocitus even with the ring's power. If I destroy his battery, he won't have anything to recharge anymore…'

In his Hero and Villain analysis notes he'd written about plenty of Quirks that needed an external power source to work, and cutting their users of it would effectively leave them defenseless. That was the key.

With that in mind, his first thought was to summon a large hammer to bash the battery with it. However, the red energy flashed with every impact, repelling the construct. Not giving up, he morphed the hammer into a drill to try and pierce through it, but it did nothing but send red and green sparks flying all over.

"What's this thing made of?" he said, turning the drill into a jackhammer to keep hitting it, but it was not any more effective than the previous ones.

"GIVE THAT BACK!"

Izuku turned to look over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of Atrocitus, who managed to get rid of All Might momentarily and now was coming at him again. Fortunately, someone else came from behind to stop him: Kilowog fired a missile from a bazooka-like canon and then smashed him with a giant spiked mace before he reached Izuku.

Atrocitus was barely getting back on his feet when All Might came over and with a loud yell of "DETROIT SMASH!" sent him flying through the air with a powerful uppercut. The red silhouette pierced through the clouds and a few seconds later vanished from sight with a slight twinkle.

"Wow, he sent Atrocitus into orbit with a single punch?" Kilowog said. "Haha, hey, I think I like you, big guy!"

"Haha, I'm flattered, but I'm just doing my job!" All Might replied. "We Heroes have the duty to keep the people of this planet safe!"

"That would give us a bit of a breather," Sinestro intervened, before glancing at Izuku. "More importantly, what are you doing?"

"Atrocitus has been saying for a while he's running out of power," Izuku explained. "Then I remembered, these rings need to be recharged using the power battery, don't they?"

"Now you mention it, he said something like that while we were fighting back at the city," All Might added. "Does that mean they have an energy limit?"

"Yeah, every Lantern knows that," Kilowog said. "Wait, don't tell me you're thinking about…"

"If he doesn't have a power battery, he won't be able to recharge his power, right?" Izuku asked. "I thought maybe if I could destroy it…"

"It's not that simple," Sinestro said. "A power battery isn't that easy to destroy, and a single Lantern wouldn't be enough to even scratch it. It would take the combined power of several Lanterns concentrated in a single individual, and with an astronomical willpower so as to channel it."

"That individual… do they have forcibly to be a Lantern?" Izuku asked again, glancing at All Might.

Kilowog and Sinestro followed suit, and the #1 Hero raised his eyebrows, clearly intrigued by what he was about to suggest. And judging by the other two Lanterns' expressions, both had deduced what he was thinking.

"I still don't understand much of how the ring works, but as far as I've seen, it can do anything if the wielder has the will and imagination for it," Izuku continued. "Doesn't that include boosting the capacities they already have before getting the ring, like strength or other abilities? Or sharing them with others, giving them a temporary power boost?"

"Whoa, hold a sec', kiddo," Kilowog intervened. "You suggesting the three of us give the big guy here a supercharge with our rings, so he can punch the lights out of Atrocitus' power battery?"

"Assuming that he can survive the process," Sinestro pointed. "Concentrating energy from several lanterns into a single individual is risky, and not any life form would be able to withstand it."

"If it's to protect our planet and defeat that villain, no risk is too small for me!" All Might declared. "I'll do whatever it takes, that is my duty!"

The alien Lanterns glanced at All Might, and then Izuku. They both were determined to do it, and seeing how things were, that seemed their best bet to put an end to Atrocitus' threat.

With that in mind, the three of them took positions around All Might, and raised their rings pointing them at him.

"You ready, big guy?" Kilowog asked. "Cause it's kinda late to back off now."

"As ready as I'll ever be! Go ahead!" All Might declared.

"The energy we'll send you will be moldable in any way you desire. Remember, everything depends on your willpower," Sinestro added.

"Let's do it!" Izuku concluded, being the first to send energy.

Sinestro and Kilowog followed suit, each of them launching a green beam, converging in the same spot where All Might was standing. The #1 Hero curled up in himself to receive his allies' powers, ready to withstand the punishment as necessary.

Inside, Izuku prayed so it'd be enough to defeat Atrocitus.

…

Meanwhile, up in the sky, the Red Lantern flew so high after taking that punch, he almost went through the lower caps of Earth's atmosphere. It took him a few seconds to assimilate what happened, and his rage quickly propelled him back down, determined to get revenge on the one responsible.

As he approached though, he realized something else: the three Lanterns were converging their energies in the center… on the big muscular guy who'd been giving him so much trouble?

"What are they…?"

Before he knew what happened, suddenly a green pillar of light shot up in his direction, forcing him to raise a shield to protect himself. Good thing he did, as the power was much greater than he imagined and sent him spinning out of control yet again.

…

Down below, the three Green Lanterns stopped emitting energy as soon as the energy pillar exploded into the sky. Izuku took a moment to admire the result, as he was seeing something that, most certainly, he would never get the chance to see again.

"Oh my… oh my… GOODNESS! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!"

All Might was standing air, glowing in green energy and wearing a similar uniform similar to his traditional Hero costume, except the color pallet was limited to green, black and white. His gloves and boots were also much broader and thicker, and the big rounded shoulder pads made him look even bigger and more imposing

Izuku regretted not having his cellphone at hand to save that moment for posterity.

However, the excitement for seeing his hero in a color variant never seen before quickly went down when a red meteor crashed violently nearby, reminding them that the threat of Atrocitus was still very much present.

"I've had enough with all of you. I'll annihilate you all!"

"Hah, you wish, Villain!" All Might exclaimed, grabbing the red power battery.

"Return that to me!" Atrocitus demanded, extending a clawed hand.

"We'll keep him busy, big guy. You do your stuff and smash that trinket," Kilowog, charging up his power ring.

"I WON'T LET YOU!"

Atrocitus opened his mouth wide to unleash a powerful beam at them. Before, Izuku couldn't compete with it on his own, but the combined power of Kilowog and Sinestro was enough to drive back the deathly ray.

"We need to contain them together!" Sinestro exclaimed.

"You got it!" Kilowog yelled. "Hey pipsqueak, are you with us?!"

"Sure!" Izuku replied.

At long last, after a few seconds of opposing too much of a resistance, Atrocitus finally gave in and the three were able to overpower him. Sinestro flew above Atrocitus and projected his energy, morphing it into some sort of pyramidal cage to lock him up. Both Izuku and Kilowog knew what they had to do, and joined with their own rings to reinforce it even further, while at the same time reducing the space so as to limit Atrocitus' space to move as he continued to try and break free from his imprisonment.

"You bastards, let me out of here!"

"Deal with it, red!" Kilowog exclaimed, turning around to glance where All Might stood with the red power battery. "You're up, big guy!"

Izuku dared to look, ignoring the torrent of curses and threats Atrocitus unleashed while he was locked up, and saw how All Might approached slowly at the red power battery, took a deep breath, raising his hand with both hands for a double hammer strike.

"GREEN LANTERN! DENVER! SMAAAAAAAAAAAASSHHHHHHH!"

As if to complement the attack, All Might created a green, half-body projection of himself imitating his movements. Pulling his hands backwards, he violently slammed them down on the power battery. The energy explosion shook the entire area raising huge chunks of earth all over, and then sent through the skies a giant pillar of blue light.

This time however, there was another thing: for a few seconds, Izuku saw in the middle of the green a small red line filtering and went up being dragged upwards, focusing for a moment into a flash before vanishing in a burst to be consumed by the green energy.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Atrocitus yelled, still trapped in his reduced pyramidal prison.

Right then, the #1 Hero turned again in their direction. With his new temporary power boost, he flew straight to them and placed himself face-to-face with Atrocitus, raising his huge fist and focusing his energy into it.

"This is a punch I've reserved for a villain in particular," he declared with a booming voice. "But considering everything you've done today, I think it's more than enough to deserve it. Young Midoriya, you and your colleagues better step back, because what I'm about to deliver is going to be really, REALLY painful for this individual here."

"Got it," Izuku said. "You heard him, let's stay at safe distance!"

Never ceasing to emit energy, Izuku, Sinestro and Kilowog flew back to make room for All Might. He immediately pulled back his fist and once more summoned that half-body projection of himself to power up the attack. That would be all.

"GREEN LANTERN! UNITED! STATES OF! SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHHH!"

And with that scream, All Might and his projection punched the helpless Atrocitus in unison, as he continued to use his last breaths to curse at them and tried futilely to break free from his prison. The green, radiant glowing fist, combined with the physical one, shattered the pyramid and sank into Atrocitus' chest. That day, the green energy emissions that shot up into the sky would be seen by everyone in Musutafu and the nearby zones, but that one in particular was the biggest and most notorious of all of them. If anybody outside the district doubted their existence, this one would prove them wrong.

The three Green Lanterns descended to check on the result. For some, the resulting crater out of that devastating attack could only be compared to the one left by the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs millions of years before. It would definitely leave a mark on Earth, one that wouldn't be forgotten in a nearby future.

Izuku, Sinestro and Kilowog approached All Might, and the four of them examined the crater rather cautiously. The dust still hadn't fully settled, and Izuku didn't want to take any chances considering the guy had taken everything he and All Might had delivered at him. He couldn't let his guard down until he was sure the Villain wouldn't get back up for real.

"Is that it?" the boy asked. "Did it work?"

In the middle of the crater, Atrocitus' figure lied completely motionless. He wasn't moving or emitting any red flashes. Sinestro was the first one to feel brave enough to approach him, and pulled the red ring from his finger, which he proceeded to crush with his hand. The ring was reduced to dust which spread on the air and vanished from sight.

"Yes, it worked," Sinestro nodded. "You had a good idea, boy. Now thanks to you, we can finally take this Lantern killer to justice."

"Phew, thank heavens," Izuku exhaled in relief. It finally was all over.

"However," Sinestro added, "we still have some unfinished business here. Your name was… All Might, correct? Am I wrong in my assumption that you are a law enforcement officer in this planet?"

"Er… well, technically I am, yes," All Might said.

"Good, because we'll need your help. Could you act as a liaison with this planet's authorities? Since one of our own was killed here, it is our jurisdiction to give him the proper funeral. Besides… we also need to make some arrangements about the future of our newest member."

Saying the last word, Sinestro placed a hand over Izuku's shoulder. Unsure as to why, the green-haired kid had a shiver going down from head to toe and every hair in his body went upright. It seemed like he assumed too quickly that everything was over.

He couldn't be further from the truth. Things were barely beginning for him.

A few days later…

As expected, with All Might being involved there was no way the riot Atrocitus made in town would go unnoticed. And with the arrival of the Green Lanterns, it was obvious that the juiciest details couldn't stay under wraps, and they had to be revealed to the people.

All Might called for a press conference where he explained to all citizenship what had transpired, including the truth behind the "meteors" that had fallen recently in their zone. It goes without saying that people was very shocked to learn the villain he'd faced was not from their world, and also that they weren't alone in the universe.

To explain the more important issues, fortunately Kilowog and Sinestro voluntarily agreed to tell everyone who they were and what the Green Lantern Corps was about, assuring them they had no hostile intentions with Earth or any of its inhabitants, and it was just an unfortunate coincidence that the skirmish between Abin Sur and Atrocitus led them both to their planet.

And speaking of Abin Sur, the Lanterns requested that his corpse was handed over to them, so as to give him the proper funeral with the honors for a fallen Green Lantern. Meanwhile, Atrocitus was held under high security at the Tartarus Special Prison for Villains, without a ring and with no means to escape from his captors, while he awaited to be taken to planet Oa and tried for his killing spree against Green Lanterns, as well as many other innocent planets and lives.

As for Izuku, while he technically broke the promise he made to the police about not getting into trouble again, All Might vouched for him, arguing that the boy had a target on his back anyway, and that Atrocitus would have gone after him much sooner than later. Moreover, hadn't it been for his intervention, he would have ended up a lot worse in that confrontation, as he was the only one who had the means to face him, at least until the other Lanterns showed up. In this last regard, Sinestro intervened in the conversation arguing that, now that the ring was in his power, he was one of them, and thus if he had to face disciplinary actions, it was their duty to apply them. Meaning that, at least for now, Izuku had been spared a second time of getting charges over vigilantism.

That of course, led them to their current trouble.

"Into space?! THEY WANT TO TAKE YOU INTO SPACE?!"

"Mom, please calm down…"

"How do you want me to calm down?!" Inko cried out. "First that accursed ring that lands you into trouble, and now some space aliens show up to abduct you!"

In all of their years, the Midoriyas never thought they'd have in their living room for visitors a pair of aliens from an intergalactic police force. Let alone they'd be arguing with Izuku's mother the fact that now, just because he had a ring of power, he was one of them and they'd take him along for training.

"Mrs. Midoriya, with all due respect, you misunderstand our intentions," Sinestro explained. "This is in no way an abduction of your son."

"Is it? You guys want to take him to another planet just because he found a ring belonging to one of your guys!" the woman cried out again. "Why can't you give it to somebody else?"

"Well, that's a little tricky right now," Kilowog said. "You see, once the ring chooses a wielder, it'll stick to them until they renounce it voluntarily, they have it taken by force, or…"

"Or they die, just like the one who gave it to my son?" Inko completed, getting the implications. "Are you asking Izuku to leave with you so he can risk his life in the darkness of space, fighting God knows what kind of abominations?"

"Mom…"

"Look, I can understand you have a very noble job and everything, but my son has no reason to join a crusade like yours if he doesn't want to."

"Mom…"

"You were lucky with that villain you were chasing, but maybe next time you won't be so lucky. The Hero work in this planet is already a risky profession, and a Quirkless boy like him is not…"

"MOM!" Izuku finally yelled.

Even he himself was surprised about his outburst, but he was getting tired. Somewhat blushing, he took a deep breath before saying what he wanted to say:

"Forgive me, but don't you think I have the right to a say in all this too?"

"Oh… sorry," Inko pulled back while Izuku stood up. This wouldn't be easy to say, but he had to. In fact, he should have said it from the beginning.

"Kilowog-san, Sinestro-san, you two said that now, for better or for worse, this ring belongs to me, doesn't it? And as long as I live and I don't want to give it up, it'll still belong to me, right?" More than a question, it was just a statement of facts.

Sinestro nodded. "That's right. The ring has chosen you."

"Well, then there's no problem," Inko intervened. "All he needs to do is give it up and…"

"Mom," Izuku interrupted, "the thing is… I don't want to give it up."

Admittedly, Inko's reaction was much better than he imagined. The only notable thing was that all the color in her face vanished, and was left completely stiff.

Of course, that was just a delay for what she really had to say.

"What?! But Izuku! Don't you understand what It really means to have that ring?!"

"Yeah, I perfectly understand. And that's why I don't want to give it up."

Inko almost fell backwards at that. It really paned Izuku to contradict his mother: he loved her dearly and appreciated everything she did for him all those years. But at the time, she wasn't taking into account his feelings about all that.

"Mom, I've been an outcast my entire life for being Quirkless. Kacchan and the others have always mocked me, and my dream of being a Hero one day. All these years, all I wanted was a chance, to have something that changed everything, and to be able to chase my dream.

"And now that I get it, you're telling me I should give it up? For the first time in my life, I didn't feel like a powerless, good-for-nothing wimp like Kacchan always called me. For the first time in my life I could make a difference and know what it feels to be a Hero."

"Izuku…"

"The Green Lantern Corps, they dedicate their lives to do the same as the Heroes here, but across the entire universe, isn't that right? That means I have the chance to chase my dream, and you want me to give it up just like that? I'm sorry, Mom, but I can't do that."

Silence reigned for a good while. Neither Inko nor the Lanterns intervened, but that was fine for Izuku. He could see his mother was trying to let what he'd said to sink in, as if trying to find an answer. Though her silence in itself was already an answer.

"Mrs. Midoriya, if you allow me to say something," Sinestro intervened, "your son has demonstrated an exceptional potential for someone who's just had the ring for a couple of days. I must also point out that his plan to take Atrocitus down was crucial. The Corps truly needs Green Lanterns like him."

"Which doesn't mean he gets to skip the training all rookies need to go through," Kilowog added, smacking him with a heavy hand in the back and almost knocking him to the ground. "Still, kiddo has what it takes. The ring's never wrong when choosing a wielder."

"But… accepting means he's going to be in danger out there."

"Nobody denies that," Sinestro nodded. "But he won't be alone. There are many more like us, and surely some would be willing to pass down the teachings from the Green Lanterns to the new members, just like the past generations."

"But if he goes into space… does that mean he'll never come back to Earth?"

Izuku stared at Kilowog and Sinestro searching for answers. That was another point to consider. From what he'd heard, the Green Lanterns were assigned to protect specific sectors of the universe, which meant to stay a long time away from their planets.

"Not necessarily," Sinestro said. "True, we Lanterns spend a lot of time in space, but some of us can be assigned to specific planets for a while, especially rookies. If you're concerned, we can talk to the Guardians of the Universe to get your son assigned back to his home planet once he finishes his basic training."

Sinestro's words seemed to be just what they needed to eliminate any reservation Inko could have about it. Izuku, for his part, remained silent, but he tried to make it evident with his look that he was determined to go. Maybe it wasn't the way he imagined it, but this was the path he wanted to choose to change his fate and fulfill his dream.

"Izuku… you… you really want to go with them?"

"Yes, Mom," the green-haired kid nodded bluntly. "That's what I want."

Inko remained still, her hands clenching tightly against her chest. At long last, and with tears in her eyes, she finally accepted the inevitable with a sigh.

"Alright. But we need to talk to your father about this too," the woman stated. "I get the feeling he's going to be very impressed ti learn you'll go into outer space."

Izuku nodded. His dad being an astronaut, he'd surely be pretty surprised to learn about the kind of journey he was about to embark on. After all, space exploration was barely in their early stages, and many were intrigued to learn what could lie beyond the stars.

All that was left was to finish the arrangements for the departure, and record a video message for his dad so he knew where he was going to disappear to.

At night, undisclosed location…

The arrangements, surprisingly, didn't take as long as Izuku imagined. At the place they were going, the other Lanterns said, he wouldn't need to take any baggage. Everything he needed would be provided at Oa during his stay.

Before departure, they made a stop at the Tartarus prison, so as to pick up Atrocitus. The Earthling guards seemed rather relieved to be free of the guy, and willingly handed him over to Sinestro and Kilowog so they could take over from there.

As they exited the prison, Sinestro had some things to say about the place.

"Somewhat primitive, but it works well considering their technological level. We could use some ideas from here."

"Hah, only if you like old-fashioned places," Kilowog added. "Anyway, we better hurry; kiddo's waiting for us. You too, red!"

Atrocitus tried to protest something when he was pulled, but Kilowog had placed a muzzle in his mouth so he wouldn't be able to do anything but groan and stare at them. No matter that he'd lost his ring, that didn't prevent him from trying to threaten even if he couldn't deliver now.

Izuku was waiting for them outside, as people underage and unauthorized personal couldn't enter the depths of the prison. Once they arrived, the veteran Lanterns saw he was already outfitted with his customized uniform, and eager to depart.

All Might was also there, the two of them overseeing what looked like a large metallic coffin.

"We are in your debt, Green Lanterns," All Might said. "It is regrettable you have lost one of your own to catch this Villain."

"Abin Sur didn't die in vain," Sinestro assured. "Thanks to him, we were able to catch Atrocitus. Without their leader, the Red Lantern Corps should crumble soon, or so we hope."

"I see," All Might nodded. He then placed his large hand over Izuku's shoulder. "As for young Midoriya here, can I trust you guys to make him real Hero material?"

"Haha, you don't have to worry! I'll get him into shape myself. When I'm done with him, you might not even recognize him!"

Kilowog and All Might gave out booming laughs together. Izuku couldn't do anything but join them with a nervous chuckle, unsure as to what Kilowog meant about being 'done with him'. At least he hoped his physical integrity wasn't at risk, though he seriously doubted that.

"It's time for us to go now," Sinestro said, interrupting their laughter. "All Might, we appreciate your cooperation. Kilowog, Midoriya, let's do it together."

"Off to Oa!" Kilowog yelled as he raised his ring, as he began projecting his power.

Izuku and Sinestro followed suit, and the tree formed a large sphere that covered the three of them, and raised them up into the sky. From above, Izuku saw how All Might saluted him raising high his large fist and with a big smile, and he replied in kind, albeit raising his left fist as his right one was already up and wielding the ring.

A second later, they went up fast, and Izuku barely registered how in just a few seconds they had already left Earth's atmosphere.

"Wow…" Izuku said. "Is that really Earth?"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Sinestro asked. "Admire it now, because we'll be going very far away."

"Haha, but you're going to love Oa, kiddo." Kilowog said. "Every new recruit always gets excited when they get there."

"Are you ready? Away!"

And with that command, the sphere shot at full speed, out of the edges of the Sol System, out of the Milky Way, and making its way to the center of the universe itself.

Izuku's journey to become a real Hero had just begun.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

The topic everyone was talking about. A red Villain caused a mess all over the city, curb-stomping every single Hero who tried to stop him, and he turned out to be, of all things, an alien from outer space. Only All Might could fight him, and even he had difficulties.

It was always All Might the one who saved everyone. To have somebody else intervene to save him, that was unthinkable.

Yet, somehow that was exactly what happened. When it looked like the villain was ready to finish All Might off, somebody else stepped up to reverse the situation. Together, they lured the villain out of town, and although nobody knew exactly what happened, everybody was sure it had been a deadly battle. The ensuing earthquakes in the nearby area, and those giant green energy pillars that shot up into the sky were proof of that.

"Deku… you, of all people… why?"

Katsuki Bakugou wasn't happy at all. It was already humiliating to be saved by that Quirkless wimp, but saving All Might, All Might?! And not only that, he even had the chance to fight side by side with him to defeat the villain?"

"He said it was all that ring. All that power came from it. But why? Why did it choose him?"

It made no sense. He'd always been a useless wimp. He was doomed to be nothing more than a simply stone in the path. And all of a sudden, everything was all over the news: the alien was a criminal wanted by intergalactic cops, and just because that idiot lucked out and found their lost ring, and helped them arrest the guy, now they decided to recruit him for their ranks.

Katsuki always knew he was destined for greatness. He was destined to be the #1 Hero that would surpass All Might one day, and Izuku Midoriya was destined to be a loser who wouldn't amount to anything in history. Yet somehow, a twist of fate had suddenly placed him on the way to become something much greater. How could he be wrong?

And then, he looked up, seeing how a glowing green dot took off towards the distance, before vanishing in a twinkle in the night sky. Even if he couldn't see it clearly, Katsuki knew he had to be. He was up there, probably seeing looking down on and mocking him.

"Why? Why?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!"he shouted at the top of his lungs, punctuating the last word with a large explosion.

"KATSUKI, STOP WITH THE FUCKING NOISE, AND GET BACK IN RIGHT NOW!"

Ignoring his mother's yelling, Katsuki continued to shoot explosions up in to the sky. He needed to unleash the rage inside somehow. To hell with being grounded later; that night he needed to vent and nobody would stop him.

…

Meanwhile, at the bleak place where the battle took place, the remains of Atrocitus' power battery still remained inert where they'd been left. Unknown to everyone, it hadn't been destroyed permanently; after some time it could regenerate, especially if the emotion that fueled its power manifested strongly enough.

As long as there was a potential wielder nearby, a ring and its battery could regenerate on their own. The red glow was still weak, but it would eventually grow back and fulgurate once more.

FIN.