BNHA 317 Spoilers and APWtCB Oneshot: Mightless
My BNHA story, (abbrieviation: APWtCB) has multiple side stories, oneshots, and alternate universes (AU). Some are meant to explore ship potentials while others are 'what if' stories. All of them but one are centered around Kana.
The exception is a oneshot called Mightless.
A long, long time ago, I thought of two diverging paths and wrote this to my friend:
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"I want to see an AU where All Might sees how tragic Deku's life becomes once he turns into a hero. He sees how much Deku struggles so he goes back in time and decides to not pass down One for All."
"I also want to see an AU where Deku fails to save a ton of people in the future—not because he's a bad hero or because he ends up weak—but as the #1 hero who loses because evil is so overwhelming. And he becomes positive that he wasn't the right successor for One for All, no matter what others tell him."
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The result was the first draft of this oneshot called Mightless, which still features Kana but is told mostly in All Might's POV. It will also link to V is for Vantablack, the Villain!Deku/Kana ship story.
Seeing chapter 317's leaks just now made me remember this conversation I had and why I wrote Mightless in the first place.
BNHA has always had dark undertones, but it's been continuously dark for a while now. The last 'real' lighthearted arc we had was 1-A vs. 1-B and like the 3 internship chapters with Endeavor.
I rewatched the anime and the difference in tone is astonishing. The iconic scene in Season 1 when All Might tells Deku 'You can be a hero' feels so cursed seeing how little light there is in his eyes compared to how moving it originally was. Granted, I'm sure Deku doesn't regret becoming a hero and I definitely don't want to write him as such, but I think seeing the the flimsiness of human morality and the fragility of human mortality has really weighed him down.
I hope we see better days soon.
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Note: some names/sections have been completely redacted for spoilers. These are just snippets from various sections.
APWtCB - Mightless
“All Might,” (redacted) repeated, two colours alternating between her fingertips. “I will give you a chance to go back in time, to the day when you met Midoriya Izuku. You will gain the opportunity to live a part of your life again and make different choices.”
A bell echoed in the distance.
“Different… choices?” He asked softly. “You don’t mean—”
“That’s right. Don’t pass down One for All to Midoriya Izuku. Don’t let Kikuchi Kana meet him. Don’t let him go to U.A.”
“But then (redacted)!” He cried, aghast. “I can’t subject her to that!”
The pale girl nodded in contemplation, glassy eyes regarding him for a moment. “You are right. However, it could also have a butterfly effect. Who knows how one decision can alter the future? Perhaps Kana will get captured. But there is also a possibility of her (redacted). There is also the possibility of her attending U.A without ever meeting Midoriya Izuku. Either way, there is only one thing that is for certain, All Might. Both of them are currently dead, and there are no other ways to bring them back—except to go back in time and fix everything.”
All Might now recognized who she was—Kana had mentioned several times about a girl (redacted).
“(redacted),” he said quietly. “What happens if I don’t do anything?”
(redacted).
“What is your goal?” He asked gruffly. “Why do you offer me this?”
Lips quirked up into a small smile—but there was no malice.
If anything, it felt a little bit like Kana’s real smiles. A little sad and longing, but also warm and genuine.
“Will you take the offer?” She simply asked.
He had his answer the minute she proposed her idea.
“Yes.”
—
“Do you ever regret passing it down to Izukun?” Kana asked, pushing a cup of tea towards All Might. The teacher chuckled nervously, scratching his head. “Oh come on, Kana. Don’t tell me you also think that my decision was wrong. Sir Nighteye was enough.”
Kana smiled softly, taking a quiet sip of the fragrant drink. “I do and I don’t, but for different reasons than Sir’s.”
“Oh?” Perhaps there were still some aspects he hadn't considered.
“I think Izukun will be brilliant as a hero,” she said, azure irises sincere. “But as a friend, I worry about him a lot. He’s self-sacrificial and reckless, sure, but being the number one hero will also mean that he’ll need to see a lot of things that others can’t.”
All Might let her words sink in a little. “And you don’t think he’ll be able to carry that burden.”
“Oh, he’ll carry the burden all right,” she scoffed, placing the cup down. “But then what? There’s a lot more to being a hero than to be able to carry the burdens of others. Being at the top means being the best—the strongest, fastest, most heroic—but it also means that you need to be the best at hiding your sadness. Your anger.”
—
Those bright, emerald eyes seemed to fade into a dull green with each passing day.
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“Your grief.”
—
Midoriya Izuku had grown to be the greatest successor he could ever ask for. Though the journey had been long and arduous, no one who knew about the secrets of One for All could say that Midoriya Izuku was not fit for the job.
But that had also been precisely the problem.
Your path… was also marred by blood, wasn’t it? All Might thought, bitterly remembering his promise to Midoriya Inko.
I’m sorry.
It was the only thing he seemed to be good at saying these days.