Chapter Text
It didn't start with a flash of light or with explosions or anything super eye-catching. It simply went from one moment of darkness to the next full of life.
For the inhabitants, who are aware of their rules already, this isn't that startling. Well, for most at least. One small family, a father, mother, and son, stand apart in possibly the worst possible way.
See most families appear as normal people since that's what they're supposed to look like but this one is odd in that they don't appear normal. They aren't the background characters in someone else's story. They refuse to be.
The father of this family has hair as white as snow, despite being relatively young, and eyes as red as rubies. The mother has hair as dark as obsidian with eyes to match, but she holds herself with a grace you wouldn't expect to find outside of fully trained heroes. They're aware that something isn't right here. That something about them is a little off.
Though their son is possibly the one to stand out the most.
A teenage boy with dark hair that reflects back green in the light with viridian eyes and a smile so bright it could rival the sun.
This little boy is going to do amazing things. He refuses to be the side character of someone else's story. He refuses to be overlooked and forgotten. To be pushed aside for someone else, someone brighter.
He will shine boldly even if only like a firework, vibrant and bright for several seconds before going out. He will burn in the hearts of others and go out in blaze of glory the world will never see again.
---
"Welcome to the world of Grade:0! An open world game where you can be anything, do anything, as if it were real life but more.
"There are several quest lines you can choose to follow if you'd rather something story driven, but if you'd prefer to explore and make your own story that option is also available!
"Please make your way to the entry point to register yourself within the city records."
Izuku only half registered the words as he walked, muttering under his breath as he walked past the lines of people trying to get into the city as he headed out of it. Plans for experience grinding or what areas he should avoid since he's most likely going to be alone as he travels.
It's only been a week since his 15th birthday, the day his levels were upgraded to on par with players, meaning he's the closest he's going to get to being an equal. And he'll be damned if he doesn't go out and work his ass off to become just as powerful as players his age.
So now we've got the human version of anxiety walking into the forest at 8 in the morning, ready to face deadly monsters and struggle to survive.
Just like in public school.
"Okay to recount the plan so far, I have to level up all the way to level 50 of combined skills by battling enemies, not die somehow, get into yuuei, and live there the full 6 months to gain my hero license, still somehow alive, and if I'm not thanking the gods for whatever luck they've decided to give me then I'll be a professional hero." His mutters fill the quiet air, mixing with bird song and the rustling of leaves. "I just have to work harder than any player, be someone they could never be."
As he speaks he's still walking, and so focused on picking through the smaller details of his plans, because that basic outline doesn't have nearly enough steps, that he doesn't notice that the path has ended at a small overlook. He doesn't notice until he steps right over the edge and the stomach-rising fear of free fall hits him all at once.
He lets out a short scream before he lands at the bottom, right into the middle of several very large bushes that only sort of cushion his fall but at least he's only bruised and not stuck with a broken bone. A brief shriek nearby does make him scramble out of the vegetation and look around.
"H-hello???" Izuku calls out, looking through the trees to try and find the source of whatever made that screech noise. He probably shouldn't have spoken though since something crashes through the bushes behind him, basically tackling him to the ground with a roar.
He's given barely half a second to do something or get his face slammed into the dirt so he does the best thing he can, screams at the top of his lungs and punches whatever is trying to push him over just before his face slams into the ground.
Izuku hears a choked exhale of air and whatever landed on top of him writhes, pushing away from him even as the smell of burnt sugar and quiet pops fill the air. The second he's not being held down he scrambles to his feet, uncaring of the dirt on his face and shirt. Looking at the thing, 'a person' his mind supplies, that pushed him over he's a little startled.
They're clearly a player, having a username above their head that reads "Lord Explosion", and glaring back at him with blazing red eyes that remind Izuku so much of his father. His hair is barely yellower than his dad's own white though.
"What the fuck you fucking plant looking motherfucker?!" The stranger growls out, coughing as he does, and oh shit did Izuku punch him in the throat??
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were a person and you startled me, I didn't mean-"
"Oh shut it. I don't actually care. What is a fucking extra doing in the middle of the woods? Don't you know you could get one-shot out here?" Lord Explosion snaps, getting up and brushing the dirt off his hands and arms. It's only now that Izuku notices that he's wearing simple clothing similar to his own, lower level armor that barely does anything.
"You're not much stronger than me though." Izuku says without thinking and then promptly freezes up, eyes wide as he stares at this Lord Explosion guy, who looks just as surprised for about a second before he scowls.
"Shut up! I only just started playing. This is your world, so you have less of an excuse to be so fucking weak you fucking extra." Lord Explosion ('I'm just gonna call him Explodey') snarls out, stomping back over to the bushes and pushing his back through.
Or well, he tries to, but the bushes have decided that no one is going back that way and all he does is manage to cut his arms on the branches.
"Fuck-!!" Explodey growls out as he steps back, arms shaking as he presses his hands against the scratches where they're bleeding.
"Here, sorry, it's my fault you're over here." Izuku says, taking his backpack off and pulling his first aid kit out of it to at least clean and wrap up Explody's arms.
Explodey glares but doesnt turn down the offer of healing because he clearly didn't bring much when he shoved his way over here. He also stays still while Izuku wipes away the blood even if he's glaring silently directly at Izuku's face. Izuku doesn't say anything about it as he puts some of the healing salve over the cuts. He doesn't wrap them since most of them are small enough they should heal up in the next few days and Explodey is wearing short sleeves right now so they won't be irritated by cloth.
"There you go, all done!" Izuku says with a smile, putting his stuff away hurriedly before asking, "What were you doing over there that made you have to go back?"
"Tch. My camp is over there." Explodey grumbles out, flexing his fingers and making sure his cuts wont start bleeding just from grabbing something. "Where's your camp? Or are you staying in the city at night and only coming out here during the day?"
"Um, I just set out this morning so I haven't made camp yet." Izuku admits, brushing the dirt off his face.
Explodey doesn't actually say anything for several moments before groaning and grabbing Izuku's wrist, dragging him with him as he walks around the bushes until he reaches a small camp he has set up and a fire it looks like he was trying to get started.
"Fucking sit down. Did you eat breakfast yet?" He asks, grumpily sitting down on the rock it looks like he moved over for a non-flammable seat. He gets started on trying to light the fire using tiny sparks from his palms, the light shining in his eyes.
"O-oh! Uh yes, I already ate breakfast. Were you making breakfast?" Izuku asks, sitting down in the dirt next to the fire pit, resigned to just being covered in dirt from here on out. He has so many questions about Explodey's quirk, it's so interesting! Did he base his username on it? What is being ignited for the tiny explosions? They aren't full on flames like most fire-based quirks but they clearly give off the same kind of heat when the bits of bark and lichen catch so it's not just light. How big can they get? Do they hurt his wrists the bigger they are? Are they full on explosions or are they-
"Oi. Shut it with the mumbling." Explodey snaps, cutting off the stream of questions all at once. "If you have questions say them out loud so I can fucking hear you properly."
"S-sorry. I didn't know I was muttering." Izuku admits, looking at the flames of the slowly growing fire. "How does your quirk work?"
". . . It makes me sweat nitroglycerin that I can explode in my palms. I named it Explosion." Explodey says, probably the calmest he's been since Izuku met him.
"Does it affect your heart rate? Because you sweat the nitroglycerin does that mean you're more flammable than most or would it just explode the second it was exposed to open flame and take you out with it? How big can you make the explosions??" Izuku can tell he's this close to rambling again and cuts himself off there, practically vibrating out of his skin as he looks at Explodey eagerly.
Explodey on the other hand looks baffled by the questions, eyes wide as he processes the questions.
"I have no idea about the heartrate thing since I cant feel a pulse, since ya know, fucking video game logic. But for the flame shit it just explodes. Ive already burned my fingers so many times doing that its getting really fucking annoying. And I don't know how big of an explosion but I really want to find out." Explodey says the last bit with what could probably be read as aanic grin, small explosions crackling in his palm.
Izuku grins right back, eyes nearly sparkling.
"We should test it! We just need more open space for you to fire into the air and you can test how large of an explosion you can make while still being able to control it or without hurting yourself. I know some quirks have negative status effects when you use them wrong." He says, opening the memo screen to type down ideas so he won't forget them.
Explodey doesn't respond, instead getting to work making his breakfast with some gathered berries and wild game he got that morning. Izuku mainly ignores it, too busy trying to think of ways to measure how far or how powerful Explodey's explosions could be without putting both of them in danger.
For maybe 10-15 minutes the camp is mostly silent until Izuku closes the memo and stretches his arms upwards, then stands.
"I've got a ton of ideas for later, but for now I have a couple more questions. First, what should I call you? You can call me Midoriya Izuku, since that's my name." Izuku says, knowing he doesn't have a username for players to read since he's not an important npc.
". . . Either Lord Explosion or Katsuki. Katsuki is my given name if you're wondering where it came from." He says, grumbling around some of those sweet berries.
"Okay! I'll call you Katsuki then and you can call me Izuku." Izuku beams as he says this, super glad he asked because it seems like Katsuki wants to be friends if he's giving out his real life name. "Next question, are you okay with me staying at your camp with you or would you rather I make my own somewhere else?"
"I straight up do not care. If you're going to help with my quirk though it's better to be close by. I don't want to have to go hunt you down." Katsuki says with a glare at Izuku that basically reads 'don't make me do unnecessary shit or I'll beat the tar out of you'.
"Then I'll set my things up here." Izuku turns to pick a spot to set up his tent, looking around the little clearing. It's not really big but it's also not small. Katsuki doesn't have a lot set up besides a basic shelter made out of a fallen tree and a lot of branches and the fire pit, which is fine, but Izuku has a lot that could help. Like a tent, with a sleeping bag and blanket.
The tent is large enough that it could hold 3 people laying down in a row, shoulder to shoulder, so it fits all of Izuku's stuff no problem and he sets it all up so he can see all the important stuff and then takes his now half empty backpack back out with him. Katsuki just seems shocked at the sight of the bright yellow tent, the same color as Izuku's backpack.
"I thought that thing was a sleeping roll. What the fuck." Katsuki says more than asks, still looking at the tent.
"Oh uh, yeah. My dad was super supportive of me trying this and bought a ton of supplies for me to use." Izuku says, rubbing the back of his neck almost in embarrassment. "Anyways how much of the forest have you explored? Do you have a map?"
"A map? No. I just started playing last night, I was preoccupied with not fucking dying." He snarls out, and wow okay. Did not mean to do that.
"Sorry, sorry. We could make one then, since I don't have one either." Izuku says, opening a drawing memo this time and saving it for later. "Any ideas for where we should explore first?"
"I dont give a fuck. As long as we dont die we can do whatever." Katsuki says with a shrug, finishing his food and letting his fire start to die down though not without cooking through the rest of his food first for minor healing items.
"Do you need to do anything else before we go? I'm fine making a map as we go and I've got everything I'll need." Izuku doesn't look at Katsuki as he speaks, stretching just in case he winds up having to run from something.
"No, I'll be a fine squirt." Katsuki grumbles out as he walks past Izuku. "You better keep up. I'm not going to wait for you."
"I'll do my best!" Izuku grins as he matches Katsuki's strides, walking side by side with him into the trees.