My Hero Conduit
Chapter 1: Prologue
Decades ago in China, Qingqing City. A child is born that gave out light as his father witness it and thus the power of Quirk was born. Nobody knows where it comes from or how it became to be. But nonetheless it gave the users extraordinaire abilities that no normal humans can do. Fly, super strength, ability to breath in water and even become an amphibious frog.
Half of the population received these outstanding abilities and use them for the greater good or the greater evil where they made careers out of it. As their dreams of becoming a superhero became a reality. In which the people who obtained these superpowers from their quirks mostly see this as a blessing.
But to others who received their powers differently see it as a curse than a blessing.
Fast forward in time, terror has stroke at the hearts of America as a terrorist attack has happened. A Massive blast occurred in United States, Empire City taking thousands of lives within Ground Zero. Confusion, fear and panic surrounded the city. Heroes aren't allowed to enter inside Empire City risking a dangerous plague running hard through the heavily populated areas. But inside, a new kind of power is taking place.
Cole McGrath, the first survivor at Ground Zero and the first awaken Conduit to receive the power to manipulate electricity.
Years pass after the defeat of the Beast at New Marais, millions of lives have been lost by the destruction it made, thousands of Conduits are lost by the RFI where the plague has been cleansed to save millions of infected who were suffering under the influence of the Ray Sphere. However, few pockets of Conduits did survive from the RFI cleansing process but are discriminated among society even the majority of heroes who have Quirks simply see them as villains and unnatural that needs to be taking down.
Although Delsin Rowe, the jack of all Conduits try to make great stride to be equals with the Heroes and humans as he won the hearts of Seattle. Unfortunately for Delsin, hatred runs deep for Conduits across the world as distrust seep among humanity.
To this day, Conduits are still hated among society as they still trying to make a lot of good changes onto the world while others wanted to be alone or using their powers for their own nefarious purposes.
All that changes when a particular kid explored New Marais of a particular heroic Conduit's tomb.
[New Marais-Graveyard]
[3:56 PM]
Walking inside the graveyard of New Marais with my parents, I was very giddy to see a tomb of a hero who fought off the Beast and saved millions of lives! Despite of him being dead and the media keeps telling me that he is a bad guy, he acts like an awesome superhero like All-Might! Heck, Cole MacGrath the Electric Hero got his own action figures selling right here!
Holding my very own plastic Cole action figure model, we were walking towards the grave of MacGrath as curve, white columns towering over the Mausoleum like stone tomb where it is keeping the legendary hero with tons of people surrounding the tomb in wonder.
"So how's the trip Izuku?" Looking up to my mother who planned out this vacation for me despite having a lot of mosquitoes surrounding us and an act to make me happy when I realize I'm quirkless but nonetheless I smiled widely at her in gratitude. This place is very humid and the ground is very marshy unlike my hometown at Japan. Also, my dad is here with us and having a break on his job of being a hero.
Although we sort of speak fluent English but fortunately we have a tour guide that has full knowledge on Japanese Language as he mostly do the translating for us.
"Right here where we standing with the tourists surrounding it is the tomb of Cole MacGrath's grave right here in New Marais. He died in 2011 when he activated the RFI on defeating the Beast and sacrificing his own life to save humanity from the plague that's been ravaging throughout the states." As he made a historical summarization on what Cole did. Pictures were being snapped left and right. Kids that are around my age were holding their own Cole action figures on their palm. Looking back at Cole's grave. I really want to know what's inside there?
"Unfortunately, the grave inside that holds his very body is very delicate. So we are advised not to go inside there as it would be quite disrespectful for the dead." Frowning on that information that the tourist adviser gave to us, I really want to see the coffin that holds Cole MacGrath!
Slightly tearing up that we can't see Cole, my mother notices my tears as she try to cheer me up. "Don't worry dear, maybe next time we can enter his tomb." Hearing her words, I sniff a bit and stare at his tomb for a while.
As we stroll out of the wet, moist graveyard and into the district where Cole fought the Beast with his weapon called the Amp sticking into the stone slab with colorful, pristine flowers growing overhead on the old, white stone and a rigged cobblestone statue of Cole mounted near the Cathedral staircase in honoring his sacrifice. Telling me that he is one of the coolest heroes ever!
"Right here is where Cole fought the-" When our Tour guide was about to finish his sentence. A thundering explosion was heard down at the Bank where we pass by. As we saw group of men with lights illuminating out from their arms as soot of grey dust covering their appearance as I only see silhouettes of them.
"Woohoo! We're going to be stinking rich here boys!" One of glowing goons at the right who appears to be holding a bag of money yelled in glee while the others laughing loudly with him.
When the dust finally cleared up, I see hooligans who are dress like punks with their spiked up multi-color hair, scribbled up black tattoos look like they are from a gang and the clothes they wear make them look extremely rebellious...or crazy dirty hipsters. More importantly, they have neon bandanas and black shades to cover their identity.
As I felt my dad's right hand pushing me to the back as he step forward to stop the Conduit villains. He was about to use his Quirk to roast those bad guys to ash as he took a deep wide breath. But he paused and got distracted when we saw a black smoky orb thrown at the robbers. As the orb landed next to them, all the robbers look down to it surprise.
"Oh fuck!" Before we all know it. Darkness engulfs the four conduit robbers as pure smoky blackness covers around them. When the baddies are inside I heard loud splashing and banging noises.
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Why my acid is not penetrating this fucking thing?!" "I don't know man! My base doesn't do shit unless we're dealing with…oh fuck me mate! Those wannabe Conduit heroes are already here!" Hearing the robbers yelling out in fear of knowing who might be here. When the darkness dissipates around them and before they can react, a strong wind vortex blown right at their faces as we felt the strong wind breezing through us.
They were thrown like dolls and smack onto the concrete wall of the bank as if they were insects on a swatter. While the baddies are still dazed and trying to get up to their feet. I felt time rushing through me as I felt everything seem to slow down when we get closer to them.
The baddies try to pick themselves up but they got up very, very, VERY slowly and the way they move are in slow-motion…in minutes as they got extremely slower.
"Well that solves that problem on the law-breaking Conduits which only give a bad rep on our kind and desecrating a historical site of our history." Everyone else and I turn our heads who spoke in a heavily deep raspy voice to see three Conduits with their arms emitting out a vibe on their own respected powers and they look like they are in their early twenties.
One of them-which I think he's a male-who's arms are emitting out gassy darkness and his shadow below him looks ten times bigger as it stretch out to the entire street. The guy wears a clean black hoodie that cover his entire face that I only see blackness as if I see a void through him. Black pants, black fingerless gloves and plain checkered sneakers. It does seem to compliment his fashion of what his power might be but I think that's not for show. As I look closely to see more gassy black tendrils are emitting out from his clothes.
I don't know what this person face looks like or its sex is whether it's a he or she since this fellow has its appearance covered. But it is sure is heck egregious horrifying so I go with him.
The second has his blonde hair all straighten up as if the wind blow through him constantly and wore aviator goggles like an old airplane fighter where I see his green eyes shine by the wind. He wears a sleeveless navy shirt that covers his entire peachy chest. He's quite tall, has leather combat boots and wearing cut-up blue jeans. Looking down at his arms and that around him, I felt the soft wind blowing through me quite hard as the trash around him begin to fly whereas circulating around him. For the trash part, it seems garbage starting to accumulate around him as if he's unintentionally collecting them?
Looking up to us, he just smiled and wave to us with fierce gale winds gathering around him.
Finally to the third, the girl wears a simple white shirt that cover her bosom, a grey stop-watch necklace hanging around her neck, simple clean grey jogging pants and a pair of leather fashionable boots which I think it's called Doc something? Anyways, her skin is extremely pale, I mean extremely pale if she's sun deprived and her grey eyes are extremely tired as her eyelids are baggy. Atop of her head, she is wearing those hats that old people use called flat caps as she has a grey one over her grey dyed hair-man, what's up with her liking grey?
Furthermore, she looks unhealthily tired and she seems to be seeing so many things like she wanted to end it all. Around her, the pigeons are floating above her making them appear to freeze in time and a soda can where it has fallen from the table to do the explosion doesn't show any signs of falling at all. So I guess that lady control time perhaps? But that kind of explains why she has the leather shoulder holsters holding a pair of M9s and carrying a lot of magazine pouches for it which her power is non-lethal…or I'm guessing wrongly about her?
Almost finish observing these three Conduits. I notice they have sling bags similar to Cole MacGrath's bag and a meter attached to their right bosom where it shows dark red to light blue bars. Importantly, all of their arrows are pointing at the deep blue bar than the white blue bar atop. I'm curious of what those bars mean or indicate by any chance?
Staring at them more closely, I see labels on the meters saying 'Dunbar Company: karmic meters' as I recall that a certain friend of Cole founded the company to help fellow Conduits control their powers and to amplify their said powers.
"They will not change their attitude Blaine. If they fallen so deep from their powers, they will be consume by it and make them insufferably impulsive in hedonistic desires." The girl who named the shadowy guy Blaine spoke in a solemn monotone voice in a hint of sadness like she sounded as if she's grieving for them.
"Oh come now Amser, they can change. They just need to explore what humanity has to offer and what it feels like to help others out…despite majority of humans and superheroes hating on us out of superstition." The tall guy who name the girl Amser spoke in a cocky yet cheerful tone like everything has a bright side on life and everything is going to be okay.
"Pfff, if they ever find it Williams. That's probably the reason why everyone calls you an airhead in the Special Conduit Division as you look at everything in the bright side of life and all too idealistic. Let just get over with on arresting these hooligans already." Hearing the dude name Williams sarcastically snorted at her comment. They walk up to them and pulling out special kind of cuffs from their backpacks that looks quite bulky and yet so high-tech with their solid white cuffs including a blue battery meter on it.
As the three went behind the slow-motioning thug Conduits, they placed cuffs onto their arms and when that lady Amser go for the last one…he starts to jitter and moving slightly faster.
"Screw you skank!" In a break neck speed, the robber broke out from his time suspension and raises his arm at her, spitting out a humongous orb of acid from his palm of his hand.
She didn't react to his action as she idly stands there. Where the acid was almost inch closer to her face, it absurdly went pass through her like she wasn't there. At the same time, I heard twenty gunshots going off simultaneously and two magazines suddenly fell from the floor.
Instantaneously. The guy's arms and legs are covered in bullet wounds as he screamed out in pain which I wince from witnessing that brutal takedown. Yelling while lying down crippled by the white-grey haired girl's trick she made. I notice a lot of bruises covered the entire Acid Conduit's face. Of how he got them is probably from that lady.
"Sheesh, isn't that a bit of an overkill Assy? Bruising his face and giving him shit tons of lead on his limbs?" The blonde headed guy name William said obliviously of the danger that the stone girl had face. Thinking about it, her face almost got melted by the Acid robber which is worrying to me because he isn't concern about her prime safety.
"Har, har Willy. Just hope your face almost didn't get burn by freaking acid that would ruin your day. Just be glad that my powers kick in right on time and making it easy for us on subduing these guys." Hand cuffing the injured Conduit and giving a short word-of-mouth of the danger she was in to her fellow Conduit William. I saw a Police Truck rolled up when she finished her sentence.
"Okay Izuku, we're heading back to our rented hotel and letting things settle down after that fiasco." Bu-but why?! The tour already got started!
"Sorry folks, we got reports that some criminal Conduits wandering around in New Marais as there's simultaneous robbery happening around here. So we are advice that everyone stay inside while the crime wave is settled with. It will probably end in one week so sorry for the inconvenience." As our Tour guide look down at his phone. I look back at the three hero Conduits who nodded each other after the robbers were loaded up.
"We gotta' go guys. Let's bust some heads!" When the blonde wind Conduit spoke to his allies, the blood-shot eyed girl just shrugs at him apathetically and the shadowy guy reluctantly nods in silent agreement.
Seeing the three of them are about to move. William puts on his goggles and blast off onto the air as I feel the roaring wind blowing through us. The Blaine guy sinks into the floor and transform into a liquid shadowy substance where the said shadowy liquid slowly disappears out of existence, giving us a hint that he's not there anymore. Turning to the Amser, I saw her body flicker in a weird shaky static kind of thing as she instantly not there anymore.
With that, they were gone from our sight and oh boy that was awesome!
[Hotel Room-8:59 PM]
"In recent News. The Special Conduit Division or S.C.D and U.A are negotiating on allowing Conduits train in U.A's campus ground. Heavy controversy between the Conduits and Quirks are on arise since the school is predominantly Quirks in training while the officials who are in S.C.D question if U.A are capable on training the North American Conduit trainees. Even so, extreme prejudice towards Conduits is still a stigma throughout the world." Listening to the News on my phone, I remember about S.C.D. It was founded by Delsin Rowe to try to curve the stigma towards Conduits and helping Conduits in need on using their powers for the good of everyone including on being backed up by Dunbar Company.
Unlike the D.U.P on imprisoning Conduits thinking they're the bad guys. The S.C.D is run by Conduits, humans and even some Quirks doing what they can to help out Conduits and stopping superpower users on abusing their powers for selfish or malicious reasons. Most important to their goal is to save everyone regardless of whom you are.
I heard a lot of good things about them…but there's another opposition to them that's very opposite to their beliefs which the News Station is about to bring them up right now.
"We also got reports of a seedy organization called the Blood Brotherhood attempted assassination on important superhero Quirks and Government officials. Calling in for segregation and Conduit supremacy throughout the world but foiled by the S.C.D members on halting their process." Showing footage of hooded Conduits that seem to forget to shower, are being restrained by cleaner Conduits that wore badges on them. The badge itself has a logo of the S.C.D which is a white-blue bird spreading its wings while red feathers flowing down imprinted on them.
"Furthermore on the Conduit condition, protest across some states demand that Conduits should leave their homes and never come back. Giving their opinion on them." Seeing the many citizens protest throughout the city streets in different states in rage, I see banners and slurs towards Conduits. Giving the impression that they don't want them in their place, fearing they will harm them to do their powers.
"Those things killed my family back at Maryland when that big monster thing showed up!" One Hispanic man shouted in tears and rage at the microphone of the lost he's experiencing. There are many more people that have the same sentiment.
"Those creatures don't deserve to live!"
"So…many…people…died!"
"I want those things away from me before they cause trouble!"
"Death to Conduits!"
"Send them back to hell!"
As anger kept growing within the protesters, the Conduits sure have a rough time and enduring the trouble they are in. I'm just glad quirks aren't subjected into discrimination as I don't want to be pick-on. Even though Bakugo keeps picking on me because I'm simply Quirkless.
"Izuku, it's bedtime dear. So let's get some night rest. But let's eat first." Okay mom. I'll put down my phone and sleep.
Looking back at my mom in our hotel room with my dad sitting next to me as we are watching the News on the new type of superpower beings aka the Conduits, she's holding a bag of meals for us from a nearby Fast Food restaurant for us to munch on.
Grabbing my burger from the bag, America sure has a lot of fast foods joints like everywhere in the streets which is pretty ridiculous to me.
Chewing on the humongous size sandwich in my hand, the strong greasy taste always gets to me as my tongue sometimes want to spit it out. But hey, it's food. So I keep eating it and try to tolerate the overpowering taste going through my mouth.
"So how do you feel about the Conduits dad?" Done digesting my burger down to my stomach, I look up to my dad on his opinion on the Conduits. At the looks of his eyes, he has a positive view of them considering of what happen back at the bank.
"I think they are alright son. They are like me who have Quirks with them having Heroes and Villains. Think of them having quirks but to manipulate the things around them and a tougher body." My dad spoke optimistically about the new superhuman beings than the people who have quirks, seeing them as equals.
"Anyways Izuku, I'm poof. Let's get some shuteye for tomorrow." O-oh…okay then dad.
[4:34 AM]
[Hisashi]
Waking up in the dark hotel room and seeing the side window that almost going to be daybreak soon with the sun rising at the horizon. I look down to my boy who is being covered by bed sheets with my wife besides him. Although she's getting overweight, I'll try to comfort her to let go of her guilt for my boy being quirkless.
Having nothing better to do, I turn on the T.V and putted on Japanese subtitles for me to understand easily of what they're saying.
"This is USTV reporting live. This just in, we got reports of a famous Conduit tomb at New Marais was being trespass by a kid and few restrained criminal Conduits on the ground." Wait-what?!
As the camera zooming in at the gravesite that holds the legendary Conduit inside where smoke is emitting at. By tomb, the tomb itself got desecrated as its no other than rubble with villains being restrain by the ground with…electric arcs on their limbs? What?!
Almost got distracted by the lightening restrains on their arms and legs, I notice the now open tomb to see a boy-IZUKU?!
"Honey, you must see this now!" Shaking my wife to wake up of what I'm seeing here. She slowly opened her eyes tiredly and raised her head onto the screen.
"What is it now dear-IZUKU?!" Immediately waking up when she saw our son in the News within the grave of Cole MacGrath. I thought he was-wait a minute…
Opening the bed sheets between us, I peel it open to see stack of pillows put together to act like a body to trick me. That son of my-Izuku is really going to be grounded here but that doesn't matter now!
"We need to get dress now!" Getting off the bed and hurriedly put on my clothes without checking our appearance first. I want to know Izuku is okay!
IZUKU! I'M COMING SON!
[unknown area]
Sitting at my office with the sun about to set sky high, the news got my attention while tinkering away my new invention gizmos I made recently for special Conduits that needs them.
I did spy work in shady organizations, build gears and end up making my own company, being part of an organization to help out super powered fellows that needs guidance and being liberalistic towards Conduits in general. But this one catches my eyes of what I heard like a curious cat finding his first cat food snack…okay that was a bad comparison but whatever! This is really important here!
Looking at the plasma flat-screen TV that hangs on my wall right in front of me. I heard everything of what the News lady said to me going through my ear that's really sticking into me.
"In addition, the body of Cole MacGrath is missing within the coffin and the burns on the stones show signs of electric currents going off. To make matters strange, the Amp that's been formerly own by Cole to be used as a historical item to the public eye has gone missing at the memorial slab and we have receive photos at night of a mysterious man emitting out electric sparks through his arms…could it be that Cole MacGrath is alive?"
Cole…you are alive? It can't be or is it just a prank they're pulling?!
Dumbfounded of what I heard, I was skeptical of what I'm hearing as some asshole Conduit might be pulling pranks to screw around with us. I was about to get up from my seat to find out what the heck is happening back at Cole's grave but I heard something that stop my track from leaving.
*Bzzzzzt!*
Looking down at my old communication device that Cole and I got to get in touch with each other. It's buzzing around my table asking to be answered right now. Hesitant, I pick up my phone and answered the caller.
"Hello?" Speaking to the caller who somehow using this old piece of junk to remember my best friend by, a familiar voice spoke that made my spine go cold in surprise and my hair standing up like I saw undead Elvis out in the opening.
"Hey Zeke, how long I was out and what the hell happen to the world around me?"