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Chapter Text

Magical PTSD

Izuku stared at the self-proclaimed goddess, his eyes denoting how incredulous he was, how he didn't want to believe what she did, and how much he was doubting her capabilities. When they decided to post a request for party members, Aqua demanded to be allowed to write it, calling on her superior knowledge about the world. However, this decision proved to be a truly bad idea…

"Really? Advanced job classes only?" Izuku asked in obvious concern, for her requirements were beyond stupid.

"H-hey! I have the most powerful advanced class, and I don't want to be surrounded by weaklings! Besides, don't we need strong party members to take on the Devil King?" Aqua tried to defend her reasoning, losing strength under the heavily inquisitive stare of the green-haired Druid.

"First of all, there is no such thing as a most powerful class, otherwise I would take you directly to the Devil King so you can do all the work. Second, we aren't even level five; what kind of powerful warrior would you want to join our party if we can't even offer proper cooperation?" Izuku began to counter the argument presented by the former goddess, not even bothering to be cordial to her out of desperation.

"I… well… I'm an Arch Priestess! Anyone would kill to have me in their party!" Aqua tried once more, just to falter at the deadpan look that Izuku was throwing at her.

"You posted the request early in the morning, and now it's almost noon… I don't see anyone approaching us to join our party, or to ask you to join someone else's." Izuku replied, and then ate one of his berries, as if to make it obvious that he couldn't take her seriously anymore.

As Izuku and Aqua were still discussing the contents of the request, someone began to approach their table. She was a girl short in height, dressed in a short vibrant red dress that looked more like a tunic long enough to double as a skirt, black soft leather boots and a pointy hat with a wide brim… a witch hat if you will, over her shoulders, a black cape with yellow trim flowed, giving her an air of mystery and importance. Only one red eye was visible on her face as the other was covered by an eyepatch with a cross symbol adorning it.

"I happened to notice your recruitment poster." The voice of a young girl caught the attention of the pair, making them turn to look at what seemed to be a magic caster.

"That we would meet is a fate chosen by the world itself. I have anxiously awaited the arrival of those such as yourselves." The girl with the eyepatch said, starting like a serious adventurer, but losing all credibility when Izuku noticed her posing… he was sure that the eye pose belonged to an anime, but he couldn't remember which one. The girl suddenly did an overdramatic cape flip, changing her pose to look either imposing or sexy, but only earning a cute score in Izuku's eyes as he had to admit that posing was somewhat important for heroes.

"My name is Megumin! My calling is that of an Arch Wizard, one who controls Explosion magic, the strongest of all offensive magic!" Megumin presented herself as dramatically as possible, posing the entire time like a hero after a successful operation. Izuku would have loved the sight due to nostalgia, but the emphasis on the word 'Explosion' had him feeling shivers down his spine.

There was a moment of silence as both Izuku and Aqua were at a loss; the goddess was biting her lip to prevent her laughter from coming out, trying to at least have one recruit join today to show Izuku he was wrong while Izuku himself was trying to suppress all the memories of being bullied by another explosive person…

"Do you also desire my forbidden strength, which is so almighty that I've been ostracized by the entire world?" Megumin continued her speech, either oblivious to what the pair was thinking, or believing that she was dazzling them with her presentation.

Izuku however, had a bad feeling about this, especially at the ostracized part…

"Then show me thine resolve to peer into the ultimate abyss with me! When man stares into the abyss, the abyss stares back." Megumin finished her speech, obviously satisfied and proud of herself.

Izuku knew at that moment that he was dealing with a Chuunibyou, which gave him a little hope of not dealing with another Kacchan.

"So… are you telling us you want to join our party?" Izuku finally asked, confused at the length of the speech, and wondering why someone with an advanced job class would want to team up with them.

"Yes! I mean, you should be the ones begging me to join your party!" Megumin finally broke character, sounding as childish as she looked, earning a cute smile from Izuku.

"That red eye… Are you a Crimson Demon?" Aqua suddenly asked, pointing to the odd color of her eye which Izuku had chalked up to genetics.

"Indeed! I am Megumin, user of the finest magic Crimson Demons possess!" Megumin returned to her character as she posed again, obviously proud of her heritage.

"My lethal magic has smashed boulders, demolished mountains…" Megumin continued her obvious selling speech, but then Izuku noticed that her body had begun to wobble, and her legs now shaking.

Megumin had begun to collapse before she could finish her speech, dropping down like she had lost all her strength. Izuku reacted fast, catching her lithe body before it could hit the ground, quickly cradling her like she was some sort of princess… much to Aqua's annoyance.

"Hey! What happened? Are you hurt?" Izuku was quick to ask in worry, stranger or not, she was someone in need of help, a concept that kept getting on Aqua's nerves. The girl, or rather her stomach, produced a really loud grumbling noise, shedding some light about her condition.

"I haven't eaten anything in three days." Megumin replied between heavy breaths.

Izuku could tell that she wasn't lying, because she was way too light for someone her size.

"Do you have anything I could eat?" Megumin's question was met with a heartwarming smile from the young Druid, who was more than ready to use one of his meal tickets to help her… there was a small problem though.

"I'd gladly invite you to eat, but you've been starving for three days. If I were to give you something solid right now, you'll only get sick, so… here, take some of these first." Izuku replied while showing his bracelet full of juicy good berries. Megumin was quick to hug his arm and chomp into the berries like her life depended on it, surprising the boy with the physical contact, and earning some giggles from the goddess, who would most likely use this as teasing material later.

A little bit later...

It took about ten minutes for Izuku to get the little girl off his arm, and by then she had gobbled up all of the available berries including those that had grown in the meantime, looking better than she had mere minutes ago, but she wasn't full yet. Getting her to sit at their table wasn't hard though, as after being fed she was more cooperative, and willing to speak normally… well, as normal as it got in this world.

"So… about your eye; why don't you ask Aqua to heal it? She is very powerful at healing, so it shouldn't be a problem for her to restore it." Izuku asked as he dodged the little girl, who tried to reach for another sweet berry. Aqua really wanted to say she was very powerful at more things, but was afraid of the boy remembering the embarrassing toad hunt.

"My eye? Oh, right." Megumin seemed confused at first, but quickly stood up again, obviously getting into character once more.

"This is the magic item that suppresses my mighty magical powers. If I were to ever take it off a great catastrophe would surely befall this world…" Megumin explained in an over-dramatic fashion. While Izuku knew he was dealing with a chuunibyo, he also knew that magic was a reality on this world, meaning that the girl could be saying the truth.

"So, your powers need to be sealed? I don't know if we can deal with something that dangerous…" Izuku muttered, thinking on finding a way to make a better seal or restraint to help the little girl. Megumin took the muttering as a sign of rejection, so she decided to act quickly… for the berries.

"Well, that was a lie; I just wear it for the looks." Megumin confessed in a rather apologetic voice, earning a face-palm from the boy, but not shouting or rejection.

"You know… Crimson Demons are born with high intelligence, and possess great magical powers. Generally they make great magicians. And all have weird names." Aqua supplied, talking about the last bit as if making fun of a racial trait, earning a glare from the short girl.

"Weird? I don't think her name is weird." Izuku was quick to stop the fun for the goddess, knowing that it was improper to call a name weird just because it didn't sound like a local one. Megumin was quick to throw a smile his way, feeling relief at finding someone who wasn't making fun of her name.

"Yeah! Just think how it feels for me. I mean, from my perspective, everyone here has weird names." Megumin added, making sure to make it sound like a general observation, and not like an insult for her soon to be party members.

"So, what are your parents' names?" Aqua asked as a clear retaliation, knowing that at least one of them would change Izuku's mind.

"My mother is Yuiyui, and my father is Hyoizaburo!" Megumin answered, seemingly proud of her parents' names, but earning a snort from the Arch Priestess.

"Aqua, don't be mean to foreign cultures… it's not like your name is any better, calling yourself water…" Izuku, fed up by how rude the goddess was, decided to support the newcomer, something that obviously angered the goddess.

"Anyway, my name is Izuku, and I'll be happy if you join our party. We have a pending quest to complete, and that will serve to dispel any doubts we have about each other." Izuku finally welcomed the little girl into their team, making her smile in true happiness… until her stomach growled again… regardless of the rather large amount of good berries she had eaten already.

"After lunch, of course…" Izuku added, making Megumin shed tears of gratefulness.

Two hours later…

Izuku and the two girls were now standing at a small hill outside of town, bordering the nearby forest. The plan was simple: search for an isolated giant toad, and then test team cohesion or Megumin's magic, according to the threat level… Megumin had no trouble seeing this Druid as a scholar, for he was first a thinker, and then a fighter.

"There is one upon that hill!" Aqua was quick to point out, eager to get revenge on the amphibians, and wishing to get some quick cash… she was still sore at Izuku for no longer sharing the reward money of the quests.

"It hasn't seen us yet, hold your positions. Megumin, what do you think?" Izuku asked in a moderately low voice, wanting to minimize the risk of being spotted by their target.

"The distance is perfect; I can safely make it explode. I will need you two to remain vigilant though as Explosion magic is extremely powerful. However, such power requires time to gather and cast." Megumin answered, explaining the steps to ensure a proper casting.

"Understood. Aqua and I will keep you safe until you are ready." Izuku answered without hesitation, something that Megumin really appreciated.

Izuku was quick to appreciate the speed of his job class, as passive abilities were always active, and most of his activated skills required almost no casting time… being a sitting duck would make him really nervous.

"Izuku! There is another one over there!" Aqua screamed at her companion, making Izuku and Megumin wince at her loud voice; thankfully, the first frog had yet to notice them, but the new arrival was already heading their way.

"Two at the same time… Megumin, do you think you can still fire at the unmoving one?" Izuku quickly asked, knowing that he could take on one as long as the other was not focusing on him.

"It is a safe distance, so yes; just finish that one off quickly so you don't miss my glorious power." Megumin declared with confidence, already gathering the required mana to cast her beloved spell.

"Right. Aqua, this time we have to… AQUA!" Izuku couldn't help but shout after seeing the goddess charging against the giant toad.

Izuku gave a last glance at the still unaware toad before running after Aqua, knowing very well how this was going to play out, knowing that he had to be quick to save the goddess if he wanted to return to protect the Crimson Demon that was now his comrade. Aqua was using her staff to call upon her divine magic, pouring her heart into getting revenge for the humiliation of the previous day, her staff then glowed with power, and she aimed dead center the toad's belly.

"GOD REQUIEM!" Aqua shouted the name of her attack as she delivered it… just to be chomped upon by the toad.

Izuku had to repeat the same move he used the day prior, using his vines to destroy the eyes and seek the brain of the monster. He did it faster this time, easier than before, and he didn't know if that was a good thing.

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked as he helped Aqua stand up. It was then that they felt the change in the wind, and the obscene amount of power gathering in a single place; taking a glance at Megumin, Izuku decided to run to her position, not knowing how long the toad would remain oblivious to this change.

"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson."

Megumin began to intone as Izuku managed to see the large amount of mana converging around her, spiraling and forming a small tornado.

"The time of awakening cometh. Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distortion!"

Megumin continued her chant as the wind shifted, centering the swirling mana on the giant toad in the distance that by now looked intimidated, and unwilling to move.

"Dance, dance, dance!"

Megumin's voice began to pick up even more intensity, just as the torrent of mana surrounding the now fear-frozen toad. Izuku had almost reached her by now, and still, he couldn't help his mind telling him to run in the opposite direction.

"I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force: A destructive force without equal!"

Megumin reached a crescendo as the torrent of mana turned chaotic, making Izuku stop in his tracks at the sight of the obvious danger.

"Return all creation to cinders, and come from the abyss!"

Megumin's words seemed to trigger the mana to start reacting, for Izuku could see flashes here and there, something that looked truly unstable.

"This is the mightiest means of attack known to man, the ultimate attack magic! EXPLOOOOOOOOOSION!"

Megumin shouted as she fired a triggering explosion from her staff. Izuku watched how the relatively small explosion made flashes of light appear everywhere within the mana vortex, gaining intensity and speed with each second, and then, they all collided at the same time around the toad.

The resulting chain reaction created a continuous explosion that created shockwaves strong enough to make Izuku's bones vibrate; the heat was intense to the point of making him feel as if about to be burned and the light emanated was blindingly strong. Izuku felt as if Kacchan was bullying him again with full force… but there was no Kacchan… and the explosion happened too far away…

"Is… is this… what magic can do?" Izuku asked no one as he took a look at the crater left behind by the explosion. There was nothing left, no trace of the toad, not even a trace of the ground where the toad once stood… only a smoking crater with carbonized stones.

Izuku was horrified at the sight… it was too much power for such a simple task, too much destruction for such a small target, it was… a horrifying reminder of what Kacchan could become… of what he could become if Kacchan managed to get too strong. Izuku almost wanted to tell the girl to leave him alone, to stop walking such a destructive path… then he heard the ground moving, and Aqua's scream.

"IZUKU! IZUKU! Another one!" Aqua screamed as she backed away from the incoming toad, apparently the explosion had awakened it… too close to the explosive girl.

"Megumin! Retreat at once!" Izuku ordered as he knew that spell casters were physically weak, unfit to take punishment… there was a problem though as Megumin was prone on the ground, unmoving.

"I'm sorry but I can't. My art, powerful as it is, requires far more mana than I…" Megumin began to explain her weakness, trying her best to sound as cool as possible while trying to find the correct phrase to ask for help… which she didn't need to.

"You'll explain later!" Izuku shouted as he enveloped her with his vines, taking her away from the toad that was pretty much ready to swallow her whole; Megumin had to admit that the Druid was pretty warm to the touch, as he had tied her against his back.

"Izuku! That thing is now following me! HELP!" Aqua was quick to scream, gaining his attention.

"You are not eating anyone! EVER AGAIN!" Izuku shouted as he realized that this particular toad was too stubborn about eating human flesh, most likely the result of liking such meat after a successful hunt.

Izuku ran after the toad, not managing to reach a good speed due to his normal conditioning and having to carry the small girl on his back; he opted for creating even more vines, moving them to intercept the monster, succeeding in grasping one of its legs. He willed more vines into existence, but this time he sprouted them from the already created vine and ensnared both legs, making it trip.

"I would have let you go if you simply had left… instead you tried to eat my friends!" Izuku was beyond angry, as it had been bad enough to see the goddess almost eaten once… even if she was annoying, being devoured was something she didn't deserve.

More and more vines began to cover the struggling toad before piercing into its body through any holes they could find. The toad redoubled its struggles, but within a minute, it was dead, with most of its organs skewered or turned to mush. Izuku didn't like this level of violence, much less how easier it was turning out to be… then again, it was a little bit like hunting game, as the meat of this large animal would be used by the guild to make the local specialty: fried toad, extra crispy.

"Well, that makes five…" Aqua said at the sight, sounding like a bittersweet victory celebration.

"Quest completed?" Megumin asked, getting really comfortable on her warm nest.

"Quest completed." Izuku replied, feeling tired… mentally tired. This had gone wrong on so many levels, forcing him to work twice as hard, and three times harder than needed, but at least he was learning about this world, its inhabitants, and more importantly, about himself.

"Hey, Izuku, if we share the reward we could…" Aqua began to speak in her cute voice, trying her best to convey cooperation and goodwill, all while following Izuku who was walking to the city.

"You can do whatever you want with your hard earned money. I'm saving mine to get some sort of shelter." Izuku vehemently said while interrupting the goddess, who looked not pleased at all.

"WHAT?! What's wrong with spending a few more nights in the stables?!" Aqua was quick to ask, seeing her chance at getting more expensive wine going up in a smoke.

"So, what happened there, Megumin? Why did you collapse?" Izuku asked to the girl he was giving a piggyback ride, obviously ignoring the now whining former goddess.

"Ah, yes! Explosion magic is the strongest magic there is, as such, it requires the largest amount of mana; when I cast it, I use everything I have, in short, I exceed my limits to cast it, which leaves me… indisposed." Megumin replied, sounding a little shy at the end.

"Sounds like a bad deal to me. I don't like it… don't use it unless it is an emergency, or a well-planned tactical strike." Izuku ordered with a voice firmer than he intended, earning a nod from the Crimson Demon girl.

"Stick to something else while I work on strategies where Explosion is required." Izuku added now, feeling the need to be specific to earn useful results; in the background, Aqua insisted on Izuku sharing his money with her, not able to understand that her trick wouldn't work again.

"I can't." Megumin deadpanned, making Izuku stop, and turn to look her in the eye; she had to admit that for what she had said, those green eyes didn't seem all that angry.

"Why?" Izuku asked, more in concern than anything else; if magic was real in this world, so must be curses.

"Because… I only like Explosion magic." Megumin replied with her best straight face, trying her best to prepare for the usual rant she received in these situations.

"That's the only reason?" Izuku asked now, sounding disappointed but not angry; while she loved explosions just as much as Kacchan, at the very least she didn't have his horrible disposition.

"That's the only reason." Megumin replied, getting ready to cling to the Druid, and beg for a place in his party… those berries were divine, and she could get used to his warmth too.

"You could have said you were cursed, or that your family bloodline restricted you…" Izuku said as he resumed his walk, not loosening his grip on the explosive magician.

"That's so cool! I can't believe I didn't think of that before! Let me change my explanation!" Megumin was excited since not only had the Druid not dropped her on the spot, he even managed to not be angry at her.

"You can't change it now, I already know the truth… and we have to work on what you can do." Izuku added, knowing better than to be unreasonable, after all, everyone he knew with a quirk refused to use anything else.

Still following them, Aqua was seething, unable to deal with how this boy was acting so high and mighty, and how he was giving more attention to the newcomer… if he didn't redirect his attention to her soon enough, she would have to resort to calling him a lolicon.

Notes:

Magnus: When I mentioned the slight possibility of having Megumin as Izuku's pairing, I wasn't asking for a vote... I appreciate the enthusiasm though. I also agree with some of you, Wiz and Yunyun sound like better options. (This happened at fanfiction.net)