Chapter 8 I Swear Adopting Heroes Is Not My Hobby
Shouta blinked his eyes open when he heard the jingle of keys right outside of his apartment door. He cranked his to the side, to check the wall clock. 6: 30 pm. Not Inko then. There's still thirty minutes to an hour left before she gets off work. Unless…
Shouta racked his mind to try and recall everything Inko had said to him today, and check if she had mentioned anything about getting off of work early… Nope. Nothing so. In that case-
Shouta reached out for his phone, and grabbed it from the coffee table, while trying to disturb the sleeping body on top of him as little as he could. He heard a meow and looked to his side to find Coffee sitting on the coffee table (Ha.) while swaying her tail side to side, and watching him curiously.
"Pass me my phone, then you can go get a treat."
Meow~
Coffee pushed the phone towards the edge, and closer to his reach before jumping down from the table gracefully and walking her way to the kitchen where her snack dispenser was kept. Shouta stared at her, I knew it. So all this time, pretending not to understand me was her being a little shit.
Rolling his eyes slightly, he grabbed the phone by stretching his arm as far as he could.
"Mhmm." A whine came, and he froze. Hovering in the same position he waited for a second before shifting back into his original position and opening his phone just as the door to his apartment opened.
He sensed it before he heard it.
"Shouta!" A chorused voice came. He cringed at the sudden loudness disrupting the silence, but then again he was used to being with them for over a decade, and wasn't surprised in the least. Sighing, he opened his phone to find two messages from Nemuri and Hizashi, announcing that they would be coming by in the evening.
Sigh. He had missed the message.
And missed his chance to run away.
Loud, and fast footsteps thundered down the hallway, followed by softer, but much quicker ones. It both came to a skidding stop, right behind their couch. Then, he heard Hizashi quietly tip toe around, before appearing in front of him.
He gasped, and slammed his hand over his mouth before squealing. Shouta immediately activated his quirk, erasing Hizashi, before his friend could crack some windows.
"Oh my god, Shouta- " Hizashi clutched his hand over his chest dramatically. Shouta had been working on his paperwork related to his last mission. Typing down the summary of everything that happened, along with his own speculations. But, he had been busy the night before, and hadn't had any chance to sleep, so evidently, he fell asleep while working. Izuku had been spending his time in his apartment then, playing with Coffee, and writing on his Hero Analysis Notebook (HAF #12, he recalled.) That's all he knew before he was dead to the world. The next time he woke up, his laptop had been removed from his lap, and Izuku had taken its place. Along with Coffee curled in his arms.
And it's not that Shouta didn't have the heart to ask them to move, it's just that he was really tired of it. Really. That's the actual reason.
He felt Izuku stir, before slowly blinking his eyes. Shouta could pinpoint the moment his kid realized the presence of others in the apartment, and recognise the said presence. He shot up, viridian eyes shining, and a wide grin on his face.
"'Zashi!" He beamed. And just like that Shouta was forgotten. Sigh.
"'Zuku!" Hizashi greeted back with equal enthusiasm.
He heard Nemuri's footsteps come towards the living from the kitchen, "Oh ho? Is that my favorite nephew, I hear?"
"Nemmi!" Izuku chirped, before rushing over to her. Shouta huffed and rolled his eyes and turned around, when Nemuri leaned down to press a kiss on his forehead, and pull him in a hug.
"I'm your only nephew though," Izuku said, the same time Shouta mumbled gruffly, "He's your only nephew."
Hizashi, and Nemuri gasped collectively, and from the corner of his eyes, Shouta saw Nemuri huddle Izuku close protectively.
"Zashi! Did you see that? Our baby Zuku is finally becoming a mini-Shouta. It's happening! We need to hurry up and steal the green bean while we can!" Nemuri exclaimed.
"We should!" Hizashi agreed. Shouta heard Izuku giggle, and turned his head to find Zashi having picked him up like a sack of rice, before 'stealing' him along with Nemuri. Shouta sighed. He did not feel left out. Not all. Nu-uh.
***
Izuku hung upside down from a bar, on the beach, watching All Might talk to his fans in the distance. It's been three months since he had started cleaning the Dagobah beach, and the results showed. Izuku's body had buffed up visibly. With distinct muscle lines on his arms, legs, and even his abs. He had also finally acclimatized with the combined training schedule from the System, and All Might. He no longer felt like he was on the verge of passing out.
His muscles didn't ache at night, and made it hard for him to fall asleep. Regeneration did help with the fatigue though. But not entirely. Because fatigued muscles didn't count as injuries. It mostly healed the torn muscles. And, he had already unlocked the first part of his new quirk, i.e. One For All at 1%.
" Hey, Izuku, turn the page. "
Izuku looked down (or upwards, depending on how you see it) and reached out his hand. He imagined an invisible thread getting attached to the currently open page of the comic Shigaraki was reading, before flipping onto the next.
" Thanks ."
He wasn't sure if it was weird, or not. But he had gotten closer to the vestiges. Especially En, and Shigaraki, but he guessed it was because they were one of the youngest vestiges so far. En was 21, and Shigaraki was 24. They didn't talk about how they died. But Izuku assumed it had something to do with the common enemy, or One For All's purpose. Though, he never pushed them about it either.
During his training, almost always a vestige would be there with him. If it wasn't Nana, watching over them (both him and All Might) with a smile, and glimmering eyes, it would be Banjo loudly cheering from him, while he struggled to push the heavier object. Sometimes, it would be En, supporting him silently, or just sitting next to him, talking softly about fishes, or observing the crabs. (Apparently, he was a big fan of marine life. Izuku promised to take him to the aquarium sometime). Every now and then, Shinomori would tag along, but it was mostly during the evenings, and he spent most of the time walking around the beach or just admiring the sunset.
Sometimes, they would help him cheat in his task. Like: " Oh hey, you can put this under the cupboard, and then just roll it to the truck!" when he struggled to move a heavy object, or " Oh shoot, Yagi's coming, hurry!" because All Might gave that disappointed look that had Izuku feeling horribly guilty whenever he caught him using tricks to move the trash.
The only vestige that tagged along all the time was Yoichi Shigaraki, and that was so that he could read all the comics discarded on the beach. And there were an awful lot of them. And the vestige was absolutely delighted because of it. Going as far as criticizing the condition of some of the comics, and how rude it was to just throw them away.
It wasn't fun for Izuku to change the page every single time, so he more often than not, stuck the job on All Might. Izuku laughed harder than he felt bad, when Shigaraki threatened to possess the man if he didn't turn the pages for him. The Hero was yet to be informed that the vestiges weren't technically ghost, and couldn't leave Izuku's side even if they wanted to.
" Oop, he's coming !" En informed, from where he was hanging upside down right next to him, but the other way around so he could keep an eye on All Might. Izuku easily slipped off the bed, and landed on his feet (thanks to all the parkour lessons from Shouta. That guy's awfully flexible and agile. Like a cat. Izuku had bluescreened the first he had seen the man do a full stretch like it was nothing, while he could barely touch his toes.)
" I still can't get over how smooth his backflip is ." He heard Shigaraki mumble.
" Just say you're jealous. We get it . There's no shame in it. " En replied, from where he was crouching and watching a crab dig a hole into the sand.
Shigaraki flipped him over his shoulder, before walking over to All Might, while Izuku handed him the comic book. At first, the Hero had been awkward, unsure of the 'job', but after the first day, he too got hooked into the comics. Much to Shigaraki's delight.
"Young Midoriya!" All Might called, once their training session came to an end. Izuku blearily lifted his head up from the ground, and looked at the Hero standing next to him in his normal form. "I have something for you!"
Izuku blinked, "Huh?"
"I've read— I mean, reward after hard work is important!" All Might declared. Izuku stifled a smile, because he had seen the man carry around a mentoring guidance book along with him.
"Oh, but you don't have to-"
"Nonsense!" All Might waved his hand dismissively, "Of course I have to as your mentor."
"But…"
"Here," All Might handed out a bento wrapped in— Oh my god that's adorable — a green cloth with dark green bunny prints. And when Izuku pointed it out, All Might looked inexplicably gleeful. Shigaraki was snickering for some reason. Even En was hiding a grin behind his hand.
And then All Might produced a crochet bunny, and placed it on top of his head, and Shigaraki doubled over with laughter. Izuku ignored him promptly and focused on the green bunny. Why green though?
" Oh my, " He heard Nana chuckle in his mind. Seriously, what are they laughing about?
Izuku shook his head. He peered up at All Might, "Did you make this for me?"
All Might grinned proudly, and nodded. He heard Banjo's presence in his mind, look at the bunny before letting out a roaring laugh. But Izuku ignored that. Them laughing wasn't the point, neither was the colour of the bunny, the question was-
"You know how to crochet too?" Izuku asked.
"Too? You know it as well, young Midoriya?" All Might asked, eye widening a little.
"Yeah!" Izuku indeed shook his head eagerly.
(He had learnt to crochet from his mother. And for Shouta's 28th birthday, bought him a matte finish,dark gray reusable coffee cup, and crocheted a cup sleeve, with a design that looked exactly like Coffee. Blue eyes and everything. Hizashi and Nemuri later on told him that Shouta had been carrying the cup the entire day at school.)
All Might stared at him before mumbling quietly, "Maybe I should make a puppy next time."
Shigaraki and Banjo laughed harder. Even Nana and En were stifling their laughs. Seriously, what's so funny?
***
Izuku liked heroes. But it was no longer blindly adoring every one. Now he liked heroes based on their skills, and how they worked. And sometimes their aesthetic played a part too. ( I mean, have you seen Eclipse? His off white, dark blue suit, with warm yellow, glowing streaks? Gorgeous . And everything he attached to his suit was there for a reason and not just show. Perfect. )
The point was, Izuku didn't actively go around looking for heroes. Didn't have the time for it between his final year in middle school, and training. It's not his fault he runs into them so often!
He had been jumping across the roof to practice his parkour. He was supposed to have a race with Shouta that evening. (Izuku was determined to win. Because so far, he didn't even come close to defeating Shouta in a parkour race.) That's when he spotted it. A Pro-Hero dealing with several villains on top of a roof.
Oh my god is that Hawks?
Now, Izuku would've usually let it be, and only observed from the sidelines because both his mother and Shouta had strictly warned him to stay away from trouble. But, there was one villain that the Hero hadn't seen right behind, and he had a knife in his hand. And Hawks looked extremely preoccupied with the four villains he was fighting in front of him. It struck Izuku wrong, to sit by and do nothing while the Pro Hero might get injured. So, he acted on instincts. Activating Stealth, and using Pull to cover the distance between the two rooftops in a second.
Izuku used the momentum from Pull to kick the knife out of the villain's hand. One quick look at their body, and Selective Focus pointed out that they had a Heteromorphic quirk, given the tentacles, with spikes, sprouting from their back. Another quick look at their profile with the help of Concentration, and Izuku learned that their strength wasn't high, as compared to their agility and speed. Therefore, one hard kick to the head should be enough.
Izuku planted his left feet on the ground, and spun around swiftly, landing a near perfect round kick to the villain's jaw. (6/10, the mini-Shouta in his mind graded.)
The villain dropped on the ground with a thump. Just then, his Aural Sense that the other villains had been taken down as well, and he turned around to find Hawks staring at him.
"I didn't use a quirk," Izuku blurted, "This won't count as vigilantism."
Hawks eyes, behind his green specs, glimmered for some reason and his lips stretched into a wide smirk. (or was it an amused grin? It was hard to tell with Number Three Hero.)
The man retracted his wing, (which standing so close to made Izuku realize how magnificent the wing span was.) and shifted his weight to one leg, "Don't worry, little bird, I got nothing against a little vigilantism."
Little bird? Izuku tilted his head a little, confused at the nickname. Is it because his quirk that of a bird?
"But that was a dope kick there," Hawks continued, picking up the unconscious villains with one hand and tossing him aside, "You like martial arts?"
"Um… my dad teaches me stuff now and then." Izuku replied. Hawks looked interested as he rolled over the villain before sitting down on his back. Then, he twisted his arm back and tied him up with a strap he produced from his pocket.
"Oh? That was some neat stuff, chirp. Your dad's a professional?" Hawks asked.
"Erm… He-He's a Pro-Hero."
Hawks looked even more interested, "Oh? A Legacy kid? Is your dad someone I know?"
Izuku recalled Shouta telling him on multiple occasions that most LimeLight Heroes didn't recognize. Especially the ones who worked out of Musutafu. But this is Hawks! Izuku doesn't need to be obsessed with Hero work to know just how talented the Number Three Hero is. Even Shouta's complimented the Hero about his keen intellect, efficiency, and talent despite begrudgingly and while calling him an oversized chicken.
"I guess… but he doesn't like giving out information about him so…"
"Ah ha!" Hawks exclaimed cheerfully, while stacking another villain with horns, and claws on top of the one he just tied. "He must be an Underground Hero, understandable." He nodded, and then made a face, "They're uptight about their identity and stuff." He added another villain to the pile, and sighed somewhat wistfully, "Lucky them. They get to work freely."
"Hey budgy, pass me that one will you?" Hawks requested while tying up another villain and pointing towards the one Izuku knocked out with his left wing. And Izuku, still in the middle of freaking out about standing in front of The Hawks, nodded dumbly with a high pitched 'okay' before picking up the villain with his hand and waddling over to the Hero.
He was getting so many mixed signals from the Hero in front of him. His feathers were sharp, threateningly so, as they cut through the restraints of one of the villains (they looked like spider silk. So a spider-based quirk?) And he knew how strong spider silk was. His feather cut through him like a hot knife through butter. Which was scary, and his wide wingspan didn't help.
But, he was chatting with him in such a carefree manner, like he wasn't just— Izuku took a quick look at the villains' profile — dealing with seven C-B ranked villains and stacking them up like jenga blocks.
Is he trying to put me at ease?
"Hey, chirp," Hawks called, letting out a grunt as he struggled to put the fifth villain on the stack, "What's your quirk?"
Izuku froze, and slowly looked at him, "But I didn't use one though…"
Hawks raised a challenging eyebrow at him, "Oh really? 'Cause I didn't hear you jump onto the roof though. Or even realize you were there until I turned around."
Oh shit.
"Uh…" Izuku racked his mind to come up with a decent lie. But before he could, Hawks asked another question.
The Number three hero rested his elbows on top of the stack he made, and then rested his chin on palms before looking at him with curious eyes, and a grin, "Is it a stealth based quirk? That's cool."
"Uh…sort of?" Izuku answered.
Hawks' wing bristled as if he was excited and his eyes gleamed, "That's cool, little bird."
Izuku blushed. The Hawks thinks his quirk is cool! "Thanks."
"Say what, little bird, since you helped me capture the villain, I'll buy you a treat." Hawks said, attaching a different sort of restraint to the last villain, "You like KFC? 'Cause I love KFC."He paused and tossed the villain on top of the rest, "You think it's weird, buddy? People tell it's cannibalism-"
"That's stupid.", Izuku mumbled, "Raptors are known to eat smaller birds."
And that Hawks beamed , " Exactly!" his expression changed to a somewhat serious one in a instant, and shifted his position to point at him, "Kid, you're officially my favorite little bird."
Izuku felt like he was about to combust.
"Alright, it's decided then," Hawks straightened up, "Let me just call the Paw patrol and have them arrest these little bad guys and then we can go have some KFC."
Oh my god, The Hawks is going to give me a treat. God help I'm about to faint!
" Now, don't faint even before you get that free treat." Shigaraki teased in his mind. " But honestly, damn, he's hot. "
Izuku scrunched his nose. Stop. Please. En, take him away.
" Rude! And for your information, En agrees with me."
En…?
" I mean… "
You know what? Not the point. I don't care. Stop talking in my mind. Nana help!
He heard Nana chuckle in his mind, before she said, "Now come on guys, let the little fanboy have his little fun. "
Izuku ignored the subtle tease, and focused on fishing through his book. He was about 90% sure that he was carrying a new notebook with him, and-
Ah ha!
Found it!
"Um… Mr. Hawks?" Izuku called hesitantly as Hawks patted down the villains for any hidden weapons. The Winged Hero popped his head up from behind the pile and looked at him curiously. "Uh.. can I-I, if it's not a problem, can I get an autograph, please?"
"Sure!" The Winged Hero chirped, and stretched out his hand, "Gimme."
Izuku passed the notebook, and pen to the Hero. The Pro-Hero's once again shined when he saw the Hawk themed pen, as he got to signing his autograph on the notebook. In the meanwhile, Izuku decided to take a sneak at the hero's profile.
[Name: Takami Keigo]
[Username: Hawks]
[Age: 21 years]
[Language: Japanese]
[Level: 200]
[Rank: S]
[Quirk: Fiery Wings(A)]
[Description: Fierce Wings grants the user a pair of large, red wings made up of dozens of feathers. They can freely manipulate each individual feather using their mind.]
[Status]
[Title: Number Three Hero, Janus]
[HP:24595/25000 | EP:35322/35400 ]
[Statistics:]
Strength: 240
Dexterity: 198
Agility: 250
Speed: 300
Charisma: 150
Intelligence: 275
" Damn… " Shigaraki whispered in his mind.
" These new gen heroes are a whole different breed. " Banjo muttered, somewhat dejectedly.
"Here you go, little birdie." Hawks handed him the notebook back. Right then, Izuku heard the sound of the cops' car. Izuku panicked. He could jump off, and get away without being seen, (If Officer Sansa, or Tsukauchi was with them, they will snitch on his dad. After the attack at the mall, Detective Tsukauchi had interrogated him because apparently there were no traces of those villains breaking out of Tartarus. So he wanted to know if there was anything suspicious about them when he fought them. But for some reason, the Detective's eyes had lit up with recognition the moment he uttered his and had looked between him and Shouta with a gaze Izuku couldn't comprehend.)
"Don't worry," Hawks said, and pointed to the cabin on the roof, "Get up there, I'll keep you hidden."
Izuku nodded wordlessly and climbed up on the roof of the cabin. He knew there was no way anyone could spot him behind Hawks' huge wings, but still not wanting to risk it, decided to use Stealth. The Pro Hero already knew about it, so there was no point in hiding it and risking getting seen.
It was somewhat interesting to see the way Hawks interacted with the police. He was so casual, laid back, and lively. He kept on chattering, having one-sided conversation while the police did their job. Gesturing wildly with his hand. But his dad was Eraserhead, who pretended to be asleep, and napping all the time. But Izuku knew better and he knew that the naps were nothing more than a front, and even when he had his eyes closed, the man was constantly vigilant and aware of his surroundings. Which is exactly why Izuku could tell, that despite the laid back and carefree attitude, Hawks was constantly alert, and vigilant. Selective Focus was providing him with all the tells.
And once the police left along with the captured villains, Hawks waited until the were completely gone, before retracting his wings, and letting out an impressed whistle.
"Damn, little bird, if it weren't for my wings, I would've thought you had left." He said, turning around, "You got some mad skills."
Izuku felt himself blush yet again, "Tha-Thanks."
"Alright, chirp, let's go get some tasty KFC." He stood up, "Climb on my back."
" I would kill to be Izuku right now. " Shigaraki muttered which Izuku pointedly ignored.
" That's not very Hero like," Shinomori said.
" Lucky for me ," Shigaraki chirped, " I was never a hero !"
"Um-no-no it's fine-"
"Oh come, don't worry buddy, it'll be quicker this way." Hawks assured.
Sir, I will faint if I do that. Please understand. Izuku profusely shook his head, "It's fine… I'm fast, I can run there."
"Oh?" Hawks raised an eyebrow, "How fast?"
Izuku stopped and looked at the man. His eyes glinted with challenge. Izuku felt himself grin, "Fast enough."
"Oya?" Hawks tilted his head, "Let's race then. Winner gets to pick the dessert."
Izuku felt himself grin wider, but before they could start, he dug into his bag, and fished out the pre0 written notes he had Shouta write for him. In short, the note said, he had been given permission by an authorized personnel to use his quirk.
"Sign this for me, and then we can race." Izuku said, holding out the note.
Hawks did a quick sweep of it, before raising his eyebrow, "Why does it seem like you need this more often than you should."
"Okay, I don't actively go looking for trouble." Izuku mumbled. Hawks smirked, and took it from his hand before signing it.
"Alright, you have my permission to use your quirk. Done." Hawks handed it back before spreading out his wings. "Ready? Set…"
Izuku stepped closer to the edge, activating One For All at 1%, along with Sprint, and grinned, "Go!"
He jumped, and Hawks flew.
"Meet you at KFC, little birdie!"
Hawk's ridiculously fast. He's so fast, it's not even funny. With Sprint at Level 6, doubling his speed stat, along with One For All boosting it up by 1.5 times of his original speed stat, puts his speed somewhere in the high 200s. Essentially, it should be fast enough to keep up with Hawks, and he had used Pull at every point he could, but still lost by a whole three seconds.
Hawks, however, seemed impressed, "Damn, little birdie, it's not easy to find people who can keep up with me." He tilted his head and studied him, "I thought your skill was Stealth related though."
Izuku bit his lip and grinned innocently, "And you were right!"
Hawks raised his eyebrow further,, "You got two quirks?"
Izuku shook his head, "Nope."
"Hmm, secretive I see." He nodded, then shrugged, "Well, in that, you keep yours and I'll keep mine."
Right then, a cop car stopped behind them, and Sansa stepped out, along with another officer. Izuku swore in his mind, and stepped back. The moment Sansa saw him, he raised his eyebrow, well made an action that was similar to it.
"Unauthorized quirk usage is illegal kid." Sansa pointed out.
Izuku felt himself being tugged back, until his back hit Hawk's body, and then the hero's large wing curled in front of him.
"Don't worry officer, I gave him permission." Hawks said, "We were just racing. No harm no foul." Hawks looked down, "Hey kid, show them the note."
Izuku stepped on his toes to peek beyond Hawk's wing and held out the note, "Here you go officer Sansa."
Sansa looked at the note, and nodded. Though Izuku could swear he saw the officer's mouth twitch upwards, "Alright then, kid. Stay out of trouble," He gave him a look, "I mean it."
I gave him a salute and beamed, "Yes officer!"
"Come on, let's go.", Sansa said to his co-worker before getting back into the car and driving. Once they were gone, Hawks looked down at him, while Izuku looked up. Then they burst out laughing.
"Did you see the other guy's face?" Hawks chuckled, opening the door, "Pfft, I wish I would've taken a picture of him."
Chapter 9 It's My Final Lap Before My Hero Origin
Izuku ignored everything around him, solely focusing on the soft hissing sound he produced each time he breathed in and out. It was a weekend, and a break day from his training with All Might, which gave him the perfect opportunity to complete his task of leveling up Fire Breathing.
He had been trying, over and over again ever since he had first gotten the quirk. The progress was slow, but it was definite. While Izuku learned how to keep conscious of his breathing, he struggled the moment he had to do anything. It took time, but eventually he got over that hurdle as well. Small activities were plausible for him. But then he had to learn how to exercise while using his breathing techniques. It was hard at first, Izuku felt like he was going to burst his lungs, or his heart when he tried it. It took a long time, around three weeks, until he grew comfortable with using his breathing techniques while training with All Might, or by himself to complete the daily tasks. But despite the initial pain, and struggle, he did realize how his breathing techniques were helping him. He wasn't exhausted easily, could run longer at one stretch, and complete more repetitions in one training session.
During classes, he could focus on his work, write notes without struggling to keep up, and multitask. (As in, work on his grip strength, while he copied the notes from the board.) Though it did feel a bit weird when people looked at him during the class. Oh, and he also found out that despite having his quirk status updated, it didn't make a difference. But the knowledge of it was kept limited to solely their homeroom teacher, and principal. (Katsuki was furious, Izuku had to drag him away.)
For the first week of training, he could only continue his training for 2 hours at most, if he didn't exercise. Then it increased to 3, and then 4. By the end of the month he could easily continue the technique for 6 to 7 hours straight. Though, the time span would take a hit when he was exercising. It took two months before Izuku could maintain his techniques for ten hours at a stretch, including his training period. It was hard, and painful. His lungs burned, and chest ached with the pressure. He cried because of it, on the verge of giving up at times, but he still pushed through in the end.
How could he give up when so many people were cheering for him?
All the vestiges cheered him on. Shouta, after figuring out about his plan, helped him too. Even meditated with him whenever he could. His mother would leave him when he really needed to focus. Quietly putting the lunch in his room, along with a small encouraging note, while he trained.
Tensei had visited Shouta's apartment a few times, because of a mission in Musutafu like he often did. Tensei would encourage him by telling him all the times he ended up chipping his tooth, or getting bruises, and cuts, and during a few occasions broken bones due to his quirk. He told him how using his quirk at the beginning hurt, because the skin around his elbow felt like it was on fire.
Hizahi told him how he struggled to control his voice when he had first gotten it. Leading to permanent ear damage. And despite training there were times when his throat would hurt so bad because of his quirk that he would stay mute for days on end.
And all of that did help.
Izuku didn't feel like it was just him that struggled with their quirks. He didn't feel like he was simply too pathetic to get a grip on the technique. It took two months, and two weeks but Izuku was finally closed. He had crossed the 20 hours mark. And from that point onwards, it was just about holding his patience. Because right after crossing the 20 hours mark, Izuku realized that using his breathing techniques didn't hurt anymore. His body had finally adjusted to the increased amount of oxygen, and the breathing style.
Though, the sole reason it took those two extra weeks was because Izuku struggled to continue his breathing technique while sleeping. He knew he needed to learn it. Because after falling asleep the first time while using the breathing technique, he realized he got a really good sleep. And all the exhaustion would be gone from the day before.
Which is why, Izuky really wanted to hit the 24 hours mark.
" Just an hour longer, Izuku ." En reminded him.
Izuku let himself grin as he breathed in, and out. In and out.
He closed his eyes, and focused on just the sound of his inhales, and exhales. Time passed quicker like that. He never realized when he fell into hyperfocus. Until, he heard a ping, and the familiar feeling of a notification popping up.
[Congratulations! Your skill Fire Breathing has Leveled Up!]
[You can now use Fire Breathing continuously to increase your stamina, speed, strength, and intelligence! It will also decrease the time period required for Regeneration to heal injuries! And, it increases the buff obtained from other skills by 0.5%s. Additionally, all your stats have increased by 10 points!]
"Huh." It was an upgrade per say. Not like the others. After using the breathing techniques for 24 hours, he was sure he could continue using it all the time. Which would have affected his skill anyways. The end result wasn't great, and nothing too much. It was rather anticlimactic, but Izuku felt oddly content.
Perhaps the happiest he had felt so far after leveling up his skills.
Moreover, his stats went up 10 points, which was equivalent to leveling up. And-
[Congratulations! You have unlocked One For All at 5%!]
[Congratulations, your skill Sprint has Leveled Up!]
[Congratulations, your skill Analytical Mind has Leveled Up!]
[[Congratulations, your skill Selective Focus has Leveled Up!]
[Congratulations, your skill Concentration has Leveled Up!]
[Congratulations, your skill Strategize has Leveled Up!]
[Congratulations, your skill Heat Resistance has Leveled Up!]
[Congratulations, your skill Cold Resistance has Leveled Up!]
[Congratulations! You Have Leveled Up!]
[You have earned 10 points!]
[Due to Born to Be Hero (L), He Who Cheated Death (M), Ninth User Of One For All(S) being in effect, you have earned 22 additional points!]
Never mind. Fire Breathing single handedly gave him the most benefits he had ever gotten. He liked the skill even more now. Excited, he checked his Profile.
[Name: Midoriya Izuku]
[Username:
[Age: 14 years]
[Language: English, Japanese]
[Level: 19 ]
[Rank: D]
[Status:]
[Title(s): Born To Be Hero (L), He Who Cheated Death (M), Ninth User Of One For All (S)]
[HP: 800/800 | EP: 1050/1050]
[Statistics:]
Strength: 92
Dexterity: 107
Agility: 114
Speed: 112
Charisma: 72
Intelligence: 125
" Everytime I think, this is it, this is as amazing as the quirk can get, then boom, it just opens up a new level." Shigaraki commented, shaking his head, while sitting on Izuku's bed. Nana, and En were looking around the house. Nana studied the pictures he had, while En looked at the several figurines Izuku had collected over the years.
" Hmm?" Nana turned around, " Did you get a new skill? "
"Nope, but I did level up my Fire Breathing skill, and that just gave me huge perks."
Nana smiled, " Congratulations, sweetie! "
Izuku scrunched his nose and smiled, " Thank you. "
***
Fire Breathing continued to be the one skill that confused him the most. There was absolutely nothing to work on. Unlike the rest, where Izuku could pretty much guess from the previous progresses, and level ups, what he needed to do in order to advance it further. Doing in depth analysis on them also gave him a clearer idea. The ' How it can be used- ' was basically what the level up requires. But the analysis under Fire Breathing was essentially what he knew from the notifications. He was well aware of how Fire Breathing enhanced his stats, and his other skills when used. But what more?
Breathing fire? Literally? But how?
Izuku assumed that breathing actual fire might be an eventual stage, but what comes before it?
Izuku sighed, and scratched his head as he nibbled on the end of his mechanical pen. (The new Ninja Hero: Edgeshot themed one!) Sighing, he put down the notebook for his own quirk, and picked up the ones that had analysis on the pro-heroes. (There was a new edition. Not HAF. But simple QA for Quirk Analysis, for the villains. No matter what kind of Hero he becomes, he'll need to fight villains, directly or indirectly. And having information on villains would be an unfair advantage for him.)
"System, scan." Izuku said out loud, holding the notebook in front of his eyes. His eyes glowed in a mix between emerald, and the blue of the system as the data on the pages got scanned. A screen floated in the air above him, the words that were scanned, appearing on it.
Izuku doesn't necessarily need to maintain notebooks for his analysis anymore. He could record his analysis by verbal input, or use the holographic keyboard System provided. But there was something special about writing it down that he didn't want to give up on.
There was a knock on the door to his room, and he looked up to find Shouta standing outside. Right, Izuku recalled. His Dad was supposed to be leaving for a week for a mission. Izuku knew that it would take a week only if everything went according to their plan. Which hardly ever did. No matter how thought out a plan is, there will always be things that can't be accounted for. Surprises, or previously unnoticed factors. That means, it would take longer than a week for the mission to be completed.
It wasn't the first time, but that didn't mean Izuku was any less terrified of the notion. Unlike LimeLight Heroics, or Twilight Heroics where you can get information related to the missions on the TV, or internet, Underground Heroics was completely classified and hidden from the public. No one would know if anyone died until the mission was over, and they were yet to come home.
"Hey there, kiddo." Shouta sounds so tired. He had been working on the details related for the mission for days. Izuku had no idea what the mission was about, but it had his dad worried. Spending longer hours on patrols, and sometimes, even during the time he was supposed to be resting.
Izuku always knew Underground Heroics was a whole different breed, but he hadn't realized by how much.
"One week?" Izuku asked.
"One week." Shouta replied. And then held up his right hand to show the ring on his index finger. Right, the ring. It was a multi purpose ring for health monitoring and position tracking. Shouta had gotten it after the attack in the mall, and after Izuku had told him about the truth of the Daily Task.
(" I don't care if you're on the other side of the goddamned side of the planet, I just need to know you're alive." Shouta said, holding the two rings in his hand. "It's specially made, and encrypted. Without our biometrics, no one else would be able to see the information it gives. If.. something goes wrong, the coloured lines will lose their color." Green for Izuku, and red for Shouta.)
Specially customized. Because there was a difference in their body's biology to their difference in quirk. And they also reacted differently to different situations. It would be problematic if Shouta got notifications for every time Izuku was out running, or watching a horror movie.
"Hey, Dad," Izuku called.
Shouta replied with a hum, and walked inside. Izuku took the time it took Shouta to cross the distance between the door and the bed, to check his profile.
[Name: Aizawa Shouta]
[Username: Eraserhead]
[Age: 29 years]
[Language: English, Japanese]
[Level: 230]
[Rank: S]
[Quirk: Erasure(A - ?)]
[Description: Quirk gives the ability to nullify another person's Quirk by looking at the user. The effects of this Quirk can still last even if the user's line of vision is out of range. [Redacted]]
[Status]
[Title: The Pro Underground Hero, The Red-Eyed Devil, Cool Dad, Underground King, ]
[HP:45000/45000 | EP:55400/55400]
[Statistics:]
Strength: 250
Dexterity: 284
Agility: 268
Speed: 295
Charisma: 100
Intelligence: 335
His Dad had taken a huge boost last year. Leveling him up from A+ to S rank. (Izuku knew his Dad was one of the top Underground Heroes. But it's a whole different thing to see the proof floating in front of his eyes, bright and bold.) It still baffled him that Eraserhead was essentially as strong, if not stronger than the current Number 3. (Izuku had never seen Endeavor upfront and had no idea about his stats. And as for All Might, he was a Rank Higher— SS. Not quite Legendary, but definitely stronger than the S rank Heroes. Although, he wasn't sure what the question mark meant.)
And along with the boost Eraserhead's stats had gotten, something had shifted in the Underground world. Izuku only knew because of the time he spent on forums meant for hero fans, Heroes, and villains. (For the last one, he only used the forum to tip off the police on villain activity he believed required immediate attention. Never giving too much information. And just enough to make it seem like information was collected from whispers. Izuku wasn't stupid enough to tip off frequently. He couldn't afford getting his presence in the villain forum noticed.)
"Whatcha looking at?" Shouta asked. Izuku blinked and looked at him. Breaking out of his thoughts.
"You stats." Izuku replied.
Shouta hummed once again, and looked at his notebooks. He picked up one of them, without opening it, and asked for silent permission. Izuku shrugged. He was entirely okay with Shouta reading his analysis. Given that he did help him with a few of them, and even correct a few others.
"So? Why did you call me?" Shouta asked, flipping through the pages.
"I had a question related to one of my skills." Izuku opened the notebook for his quirk analysis and opened the page for Fire Breathing, before passing it to his Dad. "Apart from One For All, it's the only skill that's still stuck at Level 2. And I have no idea how to move forward with it."
"Fire Breathing… hmm.. It's the one you were struggling with until last week, right?" Shouta asked.
Izuku pouted, but nodded nonetheless. "Yeah…"
"So, in order to level up from 1 to 2, you just needed to learn how to use it for 24 hours straight, right?" Shouta asked.
"Not Fire Breathing, exactly. But it's a simpler version." Izuku corrected, "But yeah."
"Alright," Shouta nodded, "In that case, why don't you try to use it all the time?"
"Huh?"
"It's what Hizashi does. He needs to focus on keeping his voice at normal volume. From what he told him, as a kid he struggled with it for a long time. He had to use a voice modulator until he got used to controlling his voice." Shouta explained.
"Wait, so he's controlling his quirk all the time to keep his voice normal, and not the other way around?" Izuku asked. That would make sense as to why Hizashi lost control over his quirk whenever he got too excited. His focus would slip momentarily.
'Yeah, pretty much. He used to consciously keeping his voice under control, to the point it has become his second nature. Now he does it without even thinking. Even when he's asleep." A pause and then with a frown he added, "Except for when he gets too excited."
Izuku snickered and nodded. "That helps. Thanks."
"Anytime, kiddo." Shouta replied and checked the time, "Alright, I got to go."
"Bye bye, Dad."
"Bye, kid."
***
Using Breathing techniques all the time was an experience. Certainly so. But it was way easier to adapt to it than Izuku had expected. And the longer he used the more used to he got used to the heat being produced in his body. After the first day of continuously using the techniques, he noticed he wasn't sweating as much. In fact, after the first few days, his body had almost gotten back to normal. The only difference was that his body temperature was slightly higher than usual. Nothing abnormal though.
It was like getting an awakening, and Izuku was not exaggerating. He noticed the difference while on his morning run. The morning air felt so much fresher, and better. As if pollution wasn't even a concept in the world. Everything started to taste better. His vision had improved. Everything was clearer than ever before. To the point Izuku felt like he had been wearing dirty glasses all this time.
By the fifth day, his stats had taken a collective boost by three points.
Izuku had been sitting up on the edge of a roof top during one evening. He didn't have any training with All Might that day. The Hero had to go for some business. Apparently dad had contacted him about having to deal with certain villains aboveground in Tokyo. (All Might's and his Dad relation had improved since the beginning. His Dad even helped the Hero for his eventual future job as a teacher at UA. Giving tips here and there. Though, Izuku had also witnessed his Dad staring at All Might for 45 minutes straight without any word, or change in expression before getting up and leaving after saying, "That was fun. Let's do this again.". Izuku had to run away before he burst out laughing seeing the absolute mortified expression on his mentor's face.)
Izuku focused on his notebook, completing his homework when he heard it. A soft swoosh of wind, followed by a flap of wing that would've gone unnoticed if not for Izuku's multiple passive skills. Whoever it was, was moving closer to him, but their footsteps were awfully quiet. Almost as quiet as his Dad's. Izuku considered the possibilities before the answer hit him-
He spun around, a little too quickly for his own good, while exclaiming, "Hawks?! Oh shit-" He slipped, too much weight shifting towards the front. He had heightened sense, but not heightened balance. His eyes widened with momentarily panic, as he started to free fall. He reached out his hand, activating Pull almost the same time something red zoomed past by him, and settled underneath him.
"Shit, sorry-" Hawks' appeared at the edge, peering over eyes wide, and wings spread out, leaning over parapet.
Izuku looked down, and found four red feathers holding up his weight. How durable are these?
Slowly the feathers brought him upwards, until he could safely jump on the roof. Izuku let out a puff of breath as he landed on the solid ground. He wasn't really panicked about falling off the edge. It had happened one too many times while practicing his parkour. But each time his Dad was there to catch him, or Izuku would catch himself using Pull. he turned around to find four more feathers to bring up his notebook and pens.
"I'm sorry, I was just so surprised when I realized it was you-" Izuku said, embarrassed and rubbing the back of his neck.
"Huh," Hawks contracted his wings, "Yeah, I was surprised you noticed me too. Usually people don't."
"My Dad's an Underground Hero, remember?" Izuku replied. Not just any Underground Hero. The Underground Hero.
"Oh yeah," Hawks nodded, and hopped up on the parapet, crouching down. "So, whatcha doing up here, little bird."
"Oh um…" Izuku looked around, "Nothing really? I-" His eyes widen as he whipped his head back to Hawks, "I wasn't trying to- I mean, I wasn't going to-"
"Relax, little bird." Hawks chuckled, "I know. I know how people who are about to jump behave. I wasn't worried about it. Just curious."
"Oh um…" Izuku looked down at his shoes, and then at his notebook, "Nothing really. I just like rooftops."
"Oh ho?" Hawks raised an interested eyebrow, "Like being up high?"
"Yep." Izuku nodded with a smile, "Feels nice. Everything looks so tiny, it's funny." His expression shifted to a serious one, "Plus it's an advantage point too. Most people forget to look upwards." He smiled brightly, "It's fun."
Hawks' stared at him for a second, before his lips stretch into an amused grin, "Dang."
Izuku chuckled nervously and then asked, "Um… if you don't mind me asking, er.. What-what are you doing here?"
Hawks' gave him puppy eyes, and pouted, "Aww, you don't like spending time with me? I thought we had a thing you know, after the KFC treat." He sighed, and his wings drooped , "Guess that was just me."
Izuku panicked, "No! No! It's not that. I'm sorry, I just…" He shuttered, and looked away. It was one thing to know a lot about Heroes, but another thing to say it out loud, "Um… your agency is all the way in Kyushu." His voice dropped, "Are you here for a mission?" It would make sense. A lot of heroes from other prefectures were coming over to Musutafu for some reason. Tensei had crashed into Shouta's house for the night three times last month.
Something in Hawks' expression changed, and Selective Focus picked it up immediately and Izuku wasn't sure how to explain it.
"You really interested in Heroes, aren't ya little bird?" Hawks' asked. There was something different in his voice. No longer as carefree or laid back.
"Um.. ye-yeah. I want to become a hero too." Izuku admitted. The shadow that had casted over Hawks' mood immediately disappeared, and he perked up.
"Oh yeah? What kind?" He asked.
"Um…" Izuku himself wasn't sure about it. He wanted to become both LimeLight, and Underground Hero. But not Twilight, if it made any sense. No, no, honestly, Izuku wanted to do everything. His hands itched with excitement at the very idea of it. His Dad had explained it to him, and he himself had spent hours researching.
People seem to think that there was only a kind of hero license that entailed everything. But that wasn't the case. There is no general hero license, it's all separated out into specific categories. There's a Rescue license, a LimeLight License, an Intelligence license, an Underground license. There's multiple subtypes to Support licenses. Healer Hero license. And further specialized licenses like Mountain Rescue Heroics, Urban Rescue Heroics, Sea Rescue (both above and under). And so many more. And Izuku wanted to dip his hand in as many as he could.
Was it presumption, and overambitious of him? Most likely. Was he going to do it anyway? Hell yeah, he was.
A chuckle broke him out of his thoughts, and realized he was yet to answer Hawks' question. He looked up to find the Hero giggling gleefully.
"Um- I'm so so sorry." Izuku started but Hawks' stopped him with a blasé wave of his hand.
"Don't worry, budgie. It's all fine. You just…" He stopped laughing and looked at him with a smile, "You had this look on your face right now. And your eyes were sparkling and everything. It was adorable."
Izuku blushed. "Um…"
"So? What kind of Hero?" Hawks asked with a grin.
" All of them. "
Hawks looked at him, before breaking into a wider grin, "Dang, little bird. I can't wait for that day."
"You don't think it's pretentious of me?" Izuku asked.
Hawks rested his hand one his palm, a wistful look on his face as he replied, "Well, my dream is to create a society, where Heroes are so much time on their hands they won't know what to do with it."
Izuku blinked. Huh. That was an interesting dream. And a peaceful one. Izuku was sure if a day like that did come, it wouldn't stop him. He'd just shift towards intelligence based Heroics or Undercover Heroics. He would be helping somehow.
He looked curiously at the Hero in front of him and asked, "Um, are you busy right now?"
"Mhmm." Hawks raised an eyebrow, "Not really, I got time."
Izuku grinned, "Then, if it's okay with you, can I ask you questions about your quirks?"
He wasn't sure what expression he held, but Hawks scrunched his nose, like he had just seen something adorable and hopped down from the parapet, before sitting on it, "Sure, little bird."
***
Izuku jogged through the street, breathing through his mouth. He felt his phone ping, and checked it to find a message from his Dad, and Hizashi. His Dad asked him not to answer anything that Hizashi asks him, while Hizashi's message asked him what Dad was hiding from him. Izuku snickered. Shouta had accidentally eaten Hizashi's share of lemon cake kept in the bridge while looking for food in the middle of the night. Izuku snitched to Hizashi while assuring his Dad that he had his lips sealed, before slipping his phone back into his pocket.
Izuku had finally gotten his Breathing Techniques under control to the point, he had started using it continuously without frequently having to check up on it. The change was evident, albeit not much. Right now he was trying to use Fire Breathing along with the less energy consuming energy skills like Ki and Sprint.
He was turning around around the corner, when a notification popped up in front of him.
[Ki is in Effect]
"Huh?" He stared at the screen confused. Sure he had Ki activate, but it wasn't supposed to be in effect until-
Situational Awareness, buffed up with Fire Breathing, alerted him of it. Somewhere nearby, there was a fight going on. Izuku stopped, and looked around. It was evening, and a weekend so the streets were less crowded. Izuku started running again, but this time at a slower pace, and while keeping a lookout around him. If there was a fight, but in a crowd that meant it was happening in the alleys. It wasn't night yet, so whoever it was, could get away with it given that no Underground Heroes would be patrolling during this time. Plus, there was no other Hero patrolling in sight. Now Izuku wasn't going to get involved in the fight of course. But, if the victim needed active help then-
"Get the fuck away from me!" Izuku heard the distant growl and immediately turned to that direction. It wasn't long until he came across the alley, almost passing by it but something blue and bright in the dark caught his attention.
Izuku skidded to a stop and quickly hid himself in front of the building to hide himself from view. He activated Stealth, and Night Vision to take a look.
There is a man with a muscular build, holding a knife in his hand cornering someone. Izuku squinted his eyes, and tilted his head to spot the outline of the other person. Something blue and bright floated over his hand.
Izuku considered the options. There was no Hero in sight. No one could call for help. He could fall the cops, but it would take time before they arrive and-
Izuku cursed in his mind when he saw the man raise his hand with the knife, ready to strike. He moved. (God, Dad and Mom are going to be so disappointed.) The man was at least twice his size, and with just as much as muscles. There was no way Izuku could take him solely based on his physical prowess. He had to use his quirk.
No evidence, no proof.
Izuku activated Fire Breathing, breathing in deeply before exhaling. He felt the temperature inside of his body increase. He knocked out the knife pass, quickly kicking it away before the man could turn around. He crouched and swung his leg, sweeping it across the ground. He winced when his shin came in contact with the man's.
Damn, how hard are his bones.
But it worked nonetheless. The man lost his balance, and stumbled sideways. Izuku used the chance to stand up and spin around, landing a kick to the man's face. The man groaned as his head hit the ground hard.
Izuku let out a loud exhale, condensed air escaping his mouth as he stood in an offensive stance and waited for the man to stand up. But once he didn't, he turned to the other person, a guy, definitely older than him with a lean figure. He had spiky hair, most likely dark color, and was staring at him with wide eyes.
"I didn't use a quirk." Izuku blurted.
The man stared before his face twisted into a confused expression, "What? "
Izuku looked between him and the currently unconscious man, "Erm… Are you alright?"
"I was doing perfectly fine before you came." The man spat back. Oh, Izuku thought. "Where the fuck did you come from?"
Izuku pointed towards the mouth of the alley with his thumb, "There."
The man stared at him for a little longer before shaking his head and frowned, "Okay, you took out the bad guy. Now scram!"
" Hey! That's rude. Izuku just helped you little shit ." Shigaraki complained in his head. Izuku ignored it and frowned, studying the man. Night Vision told him that the man was in fact not him. There were bruises wounds, and what seemed like burn marks on his skin. And peeking form underneath this tattered shirt were-
Are those medical staples?
"You're hurt." Izuku stated, "I have a first aid kit with me."
"I'm fine? What are you? A hero?"
"Do I look like a hero?" Izuku asked dryly. Situation Awareness and Aural Sense flared in his mind and Izuku jumped aside just as the guy lurched towards him, hand stretched with blue flames sprouting from his hand.
"Holy shit are those blue flames?" Izuku asked, "That's so pretty!"
The man stumbled forward, seeming both surprised, and bewildered. He mumbled, "How the fuck…"
"How hot is it?" Izuku asked, blissfully unaware of the glare directed towards him, "From what I know blue flames are the hottest flames."
"Dude how old are you?" The man asked and the flames in his hand flared, " Fucking hell, you're a kid."
"Hey! I'm not! " Izuku complained. Which he belatedly realized only made him sound further like a kid. Kacchan's voice already broke! Why can't mine?!
" There, there, kiddo. You'll get there eventually " Shigaraki commented. Seriously why is it always you?
" Rude! "
"What do you want?" The man asked incredously.
"To help you?" Izuku replied like it was the most obvious thing. Which, it was.
"I'm fine." The man shot back.
"You have burn marks on your skin! And bruises! That is not fine." Izuku replied, "Look, just let me help you, because otherwise I will take it as a challenge."
"Oh my god! "
"You're hurt and I'll feel bad if I don't help!" Izuku explained.
"Fucking fine." The man conceded and diminished the flame. "Fine, fine!"
Izuku grinned, "Great! Let's go somewhere with better lighting, okay?"
"Ugh."
Izuku hummed happily before skipping his way towards the mouth. He glanced back to find the man look at him bewildered before huffing and following after him. He heard Shigaraki and Banjo laugh in his mind.
" I don't need your help!" Shigaraki said with a lowered voice, then shifted back to normal to say. " Izuku" , he changed his voice to a thinner, much higher pitch, " Is that a challenge? "
Izuku took the man to another alleyway, but with much better lighting and digging out the first aid kit from his bag.
"Why do you even carry that with you?" The man asked, crouching down and leaning against the wall.
"I'm clumsy." Izuku replied. I get bullied a lot.
"Huh… a clumsy kid just knocked out a full grown man like it was nothing." The guy replied dryly.
"Oh right, I should let the cops know about it-" Izuku started, when sudden heat wrapped around his wrist. He whipped his head up with wide eyes, only to find the guy looking at him with an equally alarmed look.
"No . "
Izuku stared at the man. Ki was activated, but he didn't get any warnings from it. Neither did Selective Focus, Situational Awareness point out anything suspicious except for all the signs of hidden panic.
"Don't worry, I'm just going to tip the police about the unconscious person." Izuku said, "I won't tell them about anything else. Otherwise, I'd get in trouble as well."
The man looked reluctant, before loosening his grip around his wrist. Izuku gave a small smile before taking out his wallet.
"Here, it's an ointment for burns." Izuku said. Even though he didn't need it anymore, he still kept some with him for emergencies. "You can put it on the burns, and I'll go call the police with the payphone."
The guy looked at him suspiciously but nodded. Izuku got up and quickly ran to the payphone he had passed by. It took a little less than a minute to call the police and tip them about the bad guy before he rushed to the nearest shop and quickly bought some snacks with him. The flame guy looked terribly thin.
By the time he came back, the guy seemed to be done with putting on the ointment and was peering curiously into his first aid box. Izuku smiled to himself. He could've left, but he didn't!
"I'm back!" Izuku announced.
The guy grunted and moved away, leaning against the wall. Izuku crouched down in front of him, and took a bit of cotton, and the small bottle of rubbing alcohol. "There's a cut on your forehead, and cheeks. Is it okay if I treat them?"
He huffed and rolled his eyes, "Like I have a choice."
Izuku frowned and lowered his head, "You do. I know I really want to help you, but you really don't want me to, then you can leave. It's okay."
The man stared at him with an indescribable expression before clicking his tongue and looking away, "Whatever. Just do you have to."
"Are you sure?" Izuku asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Yeah I am." The guy grumbled.
"If you say so!" Izuku chirped before getting to work and carefully cleaning the bloodied cuts. He was in the middle of cleaning the cut on the guy's cheek when he heard his stomach growl. Izuku stopped and leaned away.
The guy blushed and looked away, "Shut the fuck up, tiny."
Izuku blinked, and smiled inwardly before digging into his bag. He produced the two onigiris he had brought just moment ago. He got it just in case, but was glad he give it to the guy.
"Here." Izuku said, "I had some extra from lunch break."
The man looked at the onigiris and then at his face with narrowed eyes before quietly taking them from his hand and looking away. Izuku didn't comment, and only mentally patted himself before continuing cleaning the cut.
The cut on his forehead was rather deep, so Izuku went to butterfly bandages. The one on the cheek wasn't as bad, and a simple band-aid would work.
"Take a pick." Izuku said, holding out the arrangement of bandaids in his collection. If he was going to need them frequently he might as well invest in buying the themed ones. The guy looked at the bandaids and then at him.
"Fuck no." He deadpanned.
Izuku grinned, "Don't like them? I got more!"
The guy looked at him unamused before rolling his eyes and looking at the different themed band aids. "Got some Mirko band aids?"
"Yeah!"Izuku beamed, and put aside the ones he had in his hand and took out the Mirko themed band-aids. "Here." he peeled off the decal before gently applying it on the guy's cheek.
"There!" Izuku declared happily, "All done."
The guy stared at him once again with an indecipherable expression, before asking, "Why are you doing this? You could've left without having to do all this."
"I could have," Izuku agreed and then shrugged, "But I didn't want to. You were hurt and I wanted to help you."
Izuku perked up when he heard the sound of cop cars. He looked around and spotted a fire escape connected to one of the buildings. "Come on, let's go to the roof. The cop's are coming."
The man looked at him with a dumbfounded as he stood up. He wordlessly followed after him, climbing up the fire escape and onto the roof.
"Um… Mister…" Izuku turned around, and looked at the guy curiously. "What do I call you?"
"Dabi." The guy replied. Izuku nodded, and glanced at the profile screen on top of him. He faltered for a second and glanced at the guy taking a bite from the onigiri.
Something's wrong.
" I think so too. " Shinomori agreed.
[Name:Todoroki Touya]
[Username: Dabi]
[Age: 22 years]
[Language: Japanese]
[Level: 85]
[Rank: A]
[Quirk: BlueFlame(A), Freeze Flame (A+)]
[Description: BlueFlame allows the user to produce a high temperature flame, capable of cremating any living body. The Flames temperature can rise up to 2000+°C.]
[FreezeFlame allows the user to produce that is capable of sucking out the heat of nearby objects, and freezing the water molecules in air to produce frozt, and ice shards]
[Status]
[Title: The Living Dead]
[HP: 1200/5000 | EP:1250/7500]
[Statistics:]
Strength: 143
Dexterity: 120
Agility: 118
Speed: 115
Charisma: 85
Intelligence: 150
" I'm concerned ." Nana muttered.
Izuku hummed in his mind. Me too.
"Um, Mister Dabi=" The guy snorted, and opened the second packet of onigiri, "If you need help… I know an Underground Hero who could help you."
The guy's face twisted as if he had just eaten something disgusted and hissed, " Tch Heroes. As if I'd ask for their help."
Izuku blinked. "You don't have a good experience with heroes, too." It wasn't a question. Just an observation.
"Too?"Dabi echoed.
"Mhmm." Izuku nodded, "I have had a bad experience with heroes too."
The man looked slightly surprised and quickly wiped away the shock from his expression and raised an eyebrow, "And you still like them?"
Izuku shrugged, "I don't see why not. Not all heroes are bad. The ones I know are amazing in fact. They're really good at their jobs, don't discriminate between quirks, and are kind. Even though one likes to pretend as if it's not kind. And… the Underground Hero I'm talking about saved my life."
"You're just a kid. And all kids think heroes are cool." Dabii scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Izuku frowned, "Yeah, I'm a kid. But I'm not stupid. And I don't think they are cool because of their quirks, but because I've seen what they do and how they do it." He glared, and grumbled. The memory from that day burned in his mind. "And trust me, I do not think all heroes are cool. Sure I used to, but after I watched the same heroes stand by while my friend was dying, I snapped out of it."
"What…"
Izuku blinked and realized what he had just said. "My friend got attacked by a villain. And they just watched it happen, waiting because apparently they didn't have the 'right' quirk. And when I tried to save my friend, they said I put myself in danger for nothing." He paused and rubbed his eyes, "But I also have heroes who are kind. And became heroes because they liked helping people and not for fame."
He dug into his bag, and tired a piece of paper from his notebook, before scribbling his number on it, "I won't push you if you don't want to ask for help. But just know, not all heroes are bad. You can't blame all of them just for a few shitty ones." he held out the piece of paper to Dabi, "Here, keep my number."
"What- Why?"
"You quirk." Izuku replied. "It's hurting you, isn't it? I don't get it, why are you using fire if it doesn't suit your body? I know your body isn't meant for high temperatures. I felt it while I was treating your body. It's cold. Why don't you use your ice quirk?"
Dabi stared at him like he had grown two head, "I don't have an ice quirk."
Izuku frowned, and glanced up at his profile once more just to make sure he read the description right, "That's not true."
"Kid, it's my quirk I'd know." Dabi replied, before glancing up, "What are you even looking at?"
"My quirk," Izuku replied, "It tells me about the quirk of others. And for you, it says, you have two quirks. Two complementary quirk, so I guess it's a type of rare twin quirk. Anyways, one it is an ice type quirk."
"What…"
"I mean it makes sense." Izuku went on, "Your body isn't suited for your flame quirk. And I guess it's because the flame quirk isn't supposed to be your main quirk. Your ice quirk seems really powerful, and I guess the flame quirk is meant to balance it out."
Dabi stared at him wordlessly.
"I like analyzing quirks…. The Hero I know says it is a good hobby." Izuku explained, "Look, Mister Dabi, I get it that you've had a bad experience with one hero, or maybe more than one,and it's okay. You don't have to forgive them, or think they're good now. You can continue being angry at them. But it's not fair to the rest of the heroes if you hate them, now is it? You don't have to ask for those heroes who hurt you, ask for some other heroes!"
He reached into his bag, and took out the last two onigiri packets and put them on Dabi's lap, "And if you don't want to ask for their help… " He smiled, "I'm going to give the entrance for UA next year, and if I get it, I'll be able to get the provincial Hero License by September. Then… maybe I can help you!"
Dabi stared at him a little longer before scoffing and shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"What's the hero's name?" He asked.
"Eraserhead."
Dabi blinked, "I've heard of him."
"I promise if you ask for his help, he'll help you!" Izuku assured.
Dabi sighed, and picked up the piece of paper with his number, "Fine."
"You'll ask for help?"
"Yeah, otherwise, I feel like you're going to bother me until I do." Dabi muttered, squinting at the number.
Izuku grinned, "You call me, message me anytime you want! I'll help you! And about your quirk, I'm not an expert but I can still try." He stood up, "Bye Mr. Dabi, take care!" He climbed onto the fire escape, "See ya later!"