Hey there folks. This is a bit of a strange story; it's actually a combination of several different attempts to write for My Hero Academia, all spliced together into a single coherent story. It simply wouldn't leave my head, which is why six chapters are being uploaded at once. Please, tell me what you think of it. Anyway, let's go!

Super hero time!

Izuku: Gai, let's do this! Lend me the power of your bonds!

Ren: Otherworldly beings, huh? There's so much the world isn't aware of.

Izuku: That just gives us more reason to defend it!

Ren: Tch, can't say you're wrong!

I + R: Plus Ultra! Break the chains!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to wander across the universe? To exceed the boundaries of a single galaxy and travel in the realm beyond what we could ever hope to explore? There are so many things to see that lay beyond the atmosphere we reside in, endless expanses of incomprehensible universe that would shatter the psyche of any human unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. If, by some miracle or magic, you were able to gaze upon such alien and bizarre sights, travelled among them freely as if they were your own, wouldn't that be the most amazing thing possible?

Some would call it a lonely experience. Humans are a species that crave social interaction. We pride ourselves on the complexity and the capability of our minds and hearts to accept and support those around us. To be taken to a place where we may never meet one of our own again, so far away from the friends and family that we grow to adore, it could destroy even the coldest and hardest of hearts.

Perhaps that is why few humans will ever be able to travel beyond the solar system we currently live in. We as a species can't withstand the pressure, physically and mentally, that travelling through the darkest reaches of space places on us. We wouldn't be able to fathom what we came across and the environments we would encounter would crush both body and soul. What reason is there to give us the capability to make the attempt? You wouldn't give a fish the key to drain its tank after all.

Some, however, are capable of incredible feats. With their own realm in danger, a race of unfortunate souls sought to recreate a star. The consequences were far beyond any calculation. With their people mutated, transformed into unimaginable beings, they turned to the rest of the universe. If they had been granted these powers, they assumed, surely they were to be used for good? And with such a creed at the centre of their actions, these beings traversed the stars.

This is the tale of one who began an endless journey. They are but one of those who travelled into the unknown, with nought but their friends' beliefs and their weapons at hand. They who became something greater than human, a being that stands above us all. The more foolish among us would call them a god, or demon.

Izuku would come to know them as Ultramen.

Heroism was not the profession it once was. Namely, because it was now considered a profession, a career that young hopefuls could train to become. Entire academies were founded to serve such a purpose, competition fierce between them as they sought to create the world's greatest heroes. You'd be hard-pressed to find a child who didn't dream of becoming a hero and with the quirks that society had developed, it was very much a possibility for them all.

Not that everyone had the same advantage. After all, only eighty per cent of society had been gifted with the quirks that make them so unique. For the remaining twenty per cent, the so-called 'quirkless', they could only dream of reaching the same heights that their peers could. Though many efforts had been taken to quell such thoughts, the quirkless were viewed as those who had no place in an evolved world, unable to defend themselves against the supervillains that plagued everyday life.

That was something that Izuku Midoriya would learn early on, ever since the tender age of four. Lying there, beaten up on the ground by the hands of perhaps one of the only people he could even vaguely call his friend at that moment, the green-haired boy could only despair at that thought. The bullies that Izuku had tried to defend himself against weren't afraid of him, not as they unleashed their quirks upon a hapless target despite the school warnings not to publicly use them. After all, they were simply better in every single way that mattered. Strength, speed, authority: they outclassed Izuku by miles. Even the previous victim Izuku had been defending spared little more than a second glance before running off, not even thanking Izuku as he took the beating onto himself.

After all, they were part of the eighty per cent, unlike Izuku. They were the ones gifted with quirks, incredible powers that humanity once dreamed of; that twenty per cent of humanity, the quirkless, still did dream of. They would never be able to gain the same notoriety as the people with quirks, they would never be as famous or acknowledged no matter what they did – it was a quirk dominated world and those who didn't have them were side characters in the story of history.

Izuku tried to raise his arms and legs, only to find the limbs irresponsive. Considering the number of explosions they were forced to endure courtesy of Izuku's 'friend' Katsuki Bakugou, it was to be expected. The boy barely understood the concept of restraint and with the lack of reactionary action from the teachers, it seemed that few were willing to correct that. It would mean admitting that one of Aldera Junior High's star students was a bully and for a humble middle school trying to become famous by producing potentially great heroes with powerful quirks, they didn't dare put such a taint on Bakugou's records. Anything that could potentially prevent him from rising to the top was to be avoided at all cost, with similar treatment for any other who demonstrated healthy potential as a hero.

Moments away from falling unconscious, darkness dancing across his vision, Izuku's eyes narrowed. In a world so filled with quirks, it was hard for the child to tell whether the purple figure in the distance was a hallucination or not. Regardless, Izuku found himself reaching out shakily, a searing pain that took the last remnants of energy away from him. At that moment, Izuku passed away.

Little did he realise, the figure was both a hallucination and very much real.

The journey back to Earth left him weary, yet exhilarated. With the entire universe at his disposal, there had been much to traverse, and near-endless distractions. He had borne witness to the greatest miracles and some of the most horrific monstrosities - monstrosities that never lasted long in his presence.

It had made the years pass like seconds. Days disappeared in a single breath, not helped by the way time warped when travelling long distances. It mattered little for one whose lifespan would be counted by the millennia, but for humans? It meant the silver giant they had grown to love had seemingly abandoned them. Though he tried his best to return as quickly as possible to Earth, the ones he sought out were long since dead.

Now, he was met with a completely different Earth. An Earth where the inhabitants wielded powers previously unknown to them. Superhuman feats were now considered ordinary. It had perplexed him at first, yet the more he observed, the more similarities he could find to the Earth he knew well. The humans acted exactly how he remembered them too, even if they had a few extra abilities on the side.

Unfortunately, that meant the worst of humanity had not changed. Perhaps they had even gotten worse. Eighty's attempts to teach them the consequences of their actions had failed. With access to strange and whimsical powers and with some lacking said powers, they had immediately formed a hierarchy. Those who held an ability were greater than those without and those with stronger abilities reigned supreme. Crime had escalated to another level and prejudice was disturbingly commonplace.

The worst example was the cooling corpse sat before him, the corpse of an innocent boy trying to defend the weak against the strong. In his eyes, the child had barely been born before his life had been snuffed out. The thought that it was at the hands of other children was even more sickening. How they could call themselves future heroes, he didn't know.

A child with such a true sense of justice could not be allowed to die. Not in such a despairingly petty manner. Though the child may lack the powers other humans now held, they had no right to treat him like dirt. There was only one thing left to do – it was finally time for him to utilise one of the only powers his kind held that he had yet to use.

There were many tales of his brethren using the ability. When a human's life was ended and they had earned their respect, their bodies could be fused. The human would have their life returned. The ultra would be able to exist on Earth without terrifying the populace. While it may not work as well for the people who held powers, a simple child like this would be easy to fuse with.

With those thoughts, the silver giant descended from the atmosphere. Steadily shrinking until he was no larger than a human, a bitter sigh escaped him. Witnessing the dead body was one thing, but it was far more horrific up close. Had he been prone to such things, he would've had the child responsible brought to bear. As it was, there was a more important task at hand.

With a hand on the child's chest and a deep breath, he let the silver glow engulf them both. The process should've been a simple as that. it should not have involved the pained scream of the child midway through the resurrection, nor the intense thrashing that soon followed.

He would not be so easily defeated, however. Refraining now would mean the loss of the child's life. He would not allow that to happen. Not on his watch. Admittedly, he probably should've asked how to do this first, but there was a better time to be contemplating his mistakes.

"I'm not trying to harm you…! Please, let me help you!"

And to his amazement, the child did.

When Izuku awoke it was to an alien world. The physical had completely disappeared, replaced by foreign energies swirling around him. With a hand before his eyes, Izuku couldn't help but gaze in amazement. It was as if he had been sent to some fantastical dimension, the colours near blinding.

His first reaction was to pinch himself, Izuku hissing slightly. That meant no, he wasn't dreaming. The strange realm around him was most definitely real. The second was to try and find a way to escape. His body refusing to move no matter how much Izuku struggled made that difficult. It was only when the thought occurred to Izuku that he looked ridiculous flailing that he relented. Overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion, Izuku's could only come up with a single statement.

"If this is Heaven, it's not as what I thought it was…"

He had heard all sorts of interpretations of the afterlife. An empty limbo where his soul would wander for eternity. A magnificent paradise where only the greatest of souls got to move on to. Some religions didn't even have one, with death bringing about rebirth in a new form. Everyone had their own idea of what awaited them in the next great journey. In all honesty, none of them prepared Izuku for all the pretty colours.

"Not Heaven, I'm afraid. Guess you could say… it's your mind. Our mind." A voice suddenly explained, Izuku jumping as his head began swivelling like mad to try and find the source.

He needn't though for the speaker quickly revealed himself. When a human suddenly faded into existence, Izuku had to do his best to stifle his screams. There were quirks that could do similar, probably, but that didn't make the sudden appearance any less surprising.

It was only the relative normality of his clothes that prevented Izuku from freaking out further. Though his visage was Asian, the Stetson and leather jacket was a decidedly western choice alongside his jeans and t-shirt. Regardless, it was far from anything Izuku would consider celestial. If a God was going to appear before him, Izuku imagined he would at least play to some stereotypes.

"Nice to meet you kid. The name's Gai – Gai Kurenai." The man said, the hand he held out hesitantly taken by Izuku. "It was a little shaky for a moment, but you're definitely alive."

"S-so is this your quirk then?" muttered Izuku. "A regenerative field? O-or maybe a barrier? No, then why would it restrict my movement? And there was also the way you teleported in… or did you? No, wait, you said mind! So, a psychic ability then? That would explain the appearance! A psychic ability that allows you to communicate. Then this area would be a mindscape constructed of both our conjoined consciences! That explain the strange colour patterns – the visualisation of our thoughts?"

"You know, I never really thought about it like that. Pretty sure it's not one of your 'quirks' though." Gai's teasing tone broke through Izuku's rant, the boy's mouth slamming shut almost audible. Though he blushed in embarrassment, Izuku's attention was entirely focused on Gai's remark. "They're the powers everyone has, right? It would be pretty weird if one of my lot managed to get one. Well, not really but we wouldn't treat it as anything particularly unusual."

"U-um yeah. How can you not know about quirks?" Izuku cautiously asked. Eighty per cent of humanity bore quirks. The sheer numbers meant that it was almost impossible to have not heard of them. You'd have to be hermit and hermits didn't have clothes as nice as Gai's.

"What can I say? I'm not from around here." Gai answered with a shrug of his shoulders. The smile on his face was far too large for Izuku's liking. The boy's suspicion grew by the second. It was only the fact that they were in a mindscape that prevented Izuku from running away. As it was, all the green-haired boy could do was allow Gai to approach, the man's words barely a whisper. "All of this? It's a shared trait of an entire race's biology. Thanks to the Warrior's Peak on O-50, it's part of my biology as well. Izuku, do you believe in aliens?"

And thus, began a tale lost to time. A tale of silver giants reborn through an artificial star. Of cosmic horrors plaguing the Earth with their presence. Of the fierce battles between the two. Izuku could only listen, enraptured by tales of humans fused with the galactic guardians through injury or reward. The idea of such a creature appearing on Earth, let alone numerous beings multiple times, was hard to swallow.

And that wasn't even acknowledging Gai's claim that the entire universe had once been destroyed. There was no denying how outlandish it sounded, even amongst all the claims of extra-terrestrial life. Sure, it explained how humanity could just… forget about the 'Ultramen' as Gai called them. That didn't make it any easier to accept that a powerful Ultraman just recreated the universe. It was enough to drive a man insane. Entire centuries of human research and theorising would be thrown into utter chaos if the news escaped.

"The Ultramen, they have a special organisation dedicated to the protection of peace throughout the universe: the Space Garrison. They've got over a million Ultra Warriors in their leagues, they're pretty good at what they do." Gai explained, a reminiscent smile upon his face as he spoke. "I would've been one of them, but I preferred wandering. Not as easy to do if you're part of a security detail."

"…Gai, you talk as if you're not an Ultraman." Izuku pointed out in return. "But you… fused with me, you said only Ultramen could do that."

"It's kind of complicated. I'm basically an Ultraman, but I don't come from the Land of Light. Think of it as 'same genus, different species.'" Gai began with folded arms. "Ultramen from the Land of Light lost their smaller humanoid forms when they transformed so they can't change unless they're inhabiting a host. Ultras from planets like U-40 or O-50 though, our natural forms are small humanoids and we have to earn our 'Ultra' form. I come from O-50, you should visit it sometime."

"Another planet…" Izuku couldn't help the smile that slipped onto his face. It was every boy's dream after all. Becoming an inventor, becoming a superstar actor, going to space; they were the things you dreamed of before trying to find a proper career. That there were people who could freely roam the depths of the universe, it was beyond amazing. "Wait, so you had to earn your 'ultra' form? How?"

"Well, for O-50, there's a giant mountain known as Warrior's Peak, a mountain that only so many have ever managed to climb. Me and… a friend managed to reach the top and I was rewarded with the ability to become an Ultraman." Gai claimed, Izuku's eyes narrowing. He wasn't certain, but the child would swear Gai's face lost its geniality for a second. "You don't get many Ultramen from O-50. I know of a few, but it's no simple task."

Izuku wasn't an idiot. It was clear that there was more to the story. The thing was, Izuku wasn't cruel either. Sometimes, memories were buried for a reason. There was no need to delve into a painful past needlessly. Instead, the boy just let his face fall, a depreciative smile appearing on his lips.

"Climbing a perilous mountain to be reward with great power… I wish I could do something like that." Izuku muttered, fists clenched. "Knowing me, I wouldn't even make it past the first step."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Well, I'm quirkless. I'm weaker than everybody else, I'm abnormal." The dejected sigh caused Gai to shift, Izuku looking up when he felt the hand on his head. The moment of hesitation in Gai had been completely wiped away replaced by the brightest smile one could imagine.

"And did you think I was any better? On O-50 at least, none of us have any powers unless we managed to climb the peak." Gai retorted, Izuku trying his best to hide his surprise. From the grin on Gai's face, his failure was obvious. "Besides, who cares if you have any power? You are strong in heart, in your sense of justice. Your desire to protect the weak makes you stronger than anything you can imagine because it gives you the strength to fight beyond any limits. You want to be a hero? Then you can be the best hero in history!"

And for now, we have finished. I want to try and make as many original combinations for Orb that make sense; considering it's a different person choosing which cards to combine, I figured there was more room for unique fusions. I've detailed a couple below along with their special attacks; if you can think of any more, please let me know.

ULTRAMAN + ULTRAMAN EIGHTY = SPECIUM HALATION (SPERRIOR KOUSEN)

ASTRA + ULTRAMAN TITAS = ELECTRON ASTRO (COMBUSTION BUSTER)

ULTRAMAN ZERO + ULTRAMAN FUUMA = EMERIUM POLAR (SLUGGER SHURIKEN)

ULTRAMAN MEBIUS + ULTRAMAN ROSSO = MEBIUM FLAME (BURNING SPHERE)

ULTRAMAN AGUL + ULTRAMAN BLU = LIQUID AQUA (AQUID HEALING)

ULTRAMAN BELIAL + ULTRAMAN TREGEAR = THUNDER TRERA (THYRACIUM PHANTASMA)

ULTRAMAN X + ULTRAMAN II (SHINJIRO HAYATA) = XANADIUM MARS (LIMITTACKER KOUSEN)

Super hero time! See you next time!