Mega Man Deku #14
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
[phone/message/Zero/Ex-guardians/?]
[crowd/flashback]
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It had been four months since the meeting with the Ex-Guardians of Neo Arcadia.
Izuku kept on training his body, and he was making rapid progress thanks to the 'imprint', and most of all, All Might's guidance.
One early morning, he was running with All Might on the scooter shouting inspirational words at him - as usual - as part of his training along the nearby park.
But then he suddenly collapsed to the ground, seemingly lifeless.
"Hey Hey! What's wrong! You've only got three months, you're not gonna make it, you know!" All Might shouted as he looked back at him, stopping the scooter.
Izuku didn't move.
Slightly annoyed, All Might continued "You wanna quit!? You wanna take a break?!"
The fingers of Izuku's lifeless body twitch.
'Did he overdo it...?'
His fingers twitch more.
"You know... I made the American Dream Plan based on what you needed to do to be prepared for the U.A Entrance Exam on time..." All Might got off the scooter as he walked up to Izuku, still lying down.
"But It looks like you didn't stick to the plan"
Izuku gripped at the fallen leaves in his hands
"There's no point in overdoing it... Don't you wanna pass!?" All Might seemingly snapped at his protege
"I... I do..." Izuku mumbled as his grip tightened on the leaves.
"But I don't want to just pass! I need to work harder than anyone else to even make it! Or else I will never be able to catch up!!" Izuku spoke as he lifted his face up, having a determined look.
"I want to be like you, the strongest hero out there!" Izuku exclaimed, earning a surprised look from All Might
"That's... THAT'S EXACTLY I WANTED TO HEAR, MY BOY!!" All Might, now in his muscle form, picked Izuku up from the ground
'Wait... he's almost twice as heavy now... Did he somehow gain weight...? Or did someone...' All Might noticed that Izuku was twice as heavy.
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Meanwhile, at the apartment Ochaco's currently at... Ochaco was casually making a sandwich for her breakfast, after she bought the ingredients from the cheapest dealers thanks to her money saving app. Then suddenly-
"AAACHOOOOOOO!!! Wow, I wonder who's thinking about me..." Her face immediately becomes bright red when she thinks about what she just said
"I-I-I-It c-can't be d-deku-kun, r-right!?" Ochaco's face became even redder
[Well, you did use your quirk on him to double the graviry for him, for training purposes last month, remember?] Leviathan pointed, the phone lying on her bed
"YES! Y-YOU'RE RIGHT! THERE'S NO OTHER WAY HE C-COULD POSSIBLY BE THINKING OF M-ME FOR ANY OTHER REASONS!!" Ochaco exclaimed
[Speaking of Midoriya... I'm surprised you've already gone beyond the first name basis, and even gave him a nickname. Just like U.A says... Plus Ultra...?] Leviathan immediately started hearing inaudible mumbling from the kitchen. Ochaco was now redder than a tomato.
(A/N:Get it? Go beyond... Plus Ultra..? Okay I'll go kill myself now...)
[Ochaco calm down! You're ruining your own sandwich!!!] Leviathan shouted, getting worried
But it was too late. Ochaco looked down, at the sandwich in her hands... Only to see it crumpled up...
She immediately fell to her knees, and a spotlight appeared over her in a dramatic fashion as she screamed "Nnooooooooo..."
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"Now, this old man shall make changes to the plan for you!" All Might exclaimed
"You're not an old man, though..." Izuku commented, still hanging from All Might's arms
All Might then immediately remembered Izuku talking about the incident at the construction site 7 months ago, where he saved the life of a girl, who had a quirk of gravity manipulation.
He finally connected the dots.
"...Did you get your own gravity doubled with the help of someone's quirk!?" All Might asked
"Yeah... She's a good friend of mine." Izuku replied in a weak voice, still hanging from All Might's arms.
Izuku had known, that if it weren't for the 'imprint', he would be having serious repercussions on his body for getting the effects of gravity doubled on himself.
'You got your own weight doubled just for the sake of training!? What the hell, kid!? when did you become so cool?!' All Might screamed within his mind
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Later that evening, at the convenience store near Izuku's house...
'Let's see... Milk... Bacon... Bread... eggs... breaded eggs...?' Izuku double checked his grocery list as he picked out the listed items one by one.
He was wearing an unzipped red long sleeved hoodie over his white 't-shirt written in japanese' t-shirt, and dark blue jeans.
'Nah, just my mind playing tricks on me...' Izuku deadpanned within his mind as he thought about the last one
Suddenly he heard the sound of a gun firing up at the ceiling.
"HANDS UP IN THE F*CKING AIR!!" A group of robbers barged in through the entrance, dressed in black combat armor, masked no less, and armed with a wide variety of improvised melee weapons, like baseball bats, hockey sticks, and the like, while others were armed with machetes, giant butcher knives, etc. The one with a unique black helmet instead of mask, apparently the leader, was armed with a submachine gun.
[Not again...] Zero mumbled as Izuku immediately pulled up his hoodie and zipped it up, seeing the other innocent customers raise their hands up in the air for their dear life, utterly scared
Apparently, one of them, holding a machete, spotted one of the bystanders - a middle aged man, no less - trying to call the police, and immediately knocked the phone off his hands, holding his weapon over his neck.
"YEAH, TRY ANYTHING FUNNY, AND I'LL SLICE HIS F*CKING HEAD OFF!!" The masked robber declared, paralysing the others through sheer fear.
Meanwhile another one of them spotted a certain red hooded figure not holding his hands up like the others.
"DIDN'T YA HEAR WHAT WE JUST SAID!? WHEN WE SAY HANDS UP..." He shouted as he went to the hooded figure
"... IT MEANS YOUR HANDS IN THE F*CKING AIR! NOW!!" He barked as he picked up the figure by the collar. He was surprised to see that the red hooded figure was about twice the usual weight he was expecting...
[Sir, I'd appreciate it if you were to put me down now.] The masked thug took a better look on his face to see crimson red eyes, under dark green curly hair, stare into his soul.
"H-HUH? WHAD'YA SAY!?" The thug shouted, trying to supress the feel of intimidation he felt from those eyes.
Immediately, he felt pain so immense on his lower jaw, his grip loosened on the figure's collar as he stumbled backwards, flinching from the pain.
"What the f-" His curse was cut short as he was knocked unconscious by a precise karate chop on the neck, dropping to the ground with a thud which did not go unnoticed.
The rest of the thugs rushed towards the general dircection of the sound of the thud, passing through various shelves lined up against one another.
All they found was their colleague lying on the ground, unconscious.
"MATE! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU-" The small group split from the main squad of thugs, which found their lying squadmate, immediately fell unconscious as they felt the same immense pain their colleague did, on the area between the neck and the shoulder-joints.
"THERE'S THAT F*CKER!! GET HIM" Unfortunately the rest spotted the red hood, and charged at him
He made a run for the guy holding a hostage by the machete.
"STAY BACK ELSE I'LL-"
He knocked him out with a left hook to the face, effortlessly, before anyone could see it happen.
Then, the red hood turned around, as he gazed at the opposition surrounding him, even the leader with the gun, away from the rest back at the counter, facing him with his gun at the ready.
"YOU TRYNA BE A HERO, KID!?" The thugs slowly approached their seemingly ovwrwhelmed prey
Knowing their leader wouldn't open fire at him because of his squad surrounding him, the red hooded figure leapt off of the shoulder of one of the thugs surrounding him, and towards the gun-wielder, as he delivered a swift punch to the gut to him.
But the leader didn't even budge an inch, let alone flinch.
[What the...]
"I have minor shock-absorption for a quirk, you see-"
[You could easily become a decent hero wirh a quirk like that, yet you decided to be a criminal-]
"What the f*ck did you just f*cking say about me, you little b*tch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the f*ck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen-"
['Hah, the classic Navy Seal copypasta. Kinda suits me more than it does you.'] In the meanwhile, Zero was wondering if it suits him better as he watched the leader rant
The bystanders watched in disbelief as the red hooded figure 'picked' the leader up by the legs, and started slamming him left-right-left-right over the head, onto the ground, before hurling him at the rest of the incoming thugs, knocking them all out
A few moments later, the crowd started gossiping.
[What the hell is that kid!?]
[Taking them all out by himself... What is he thinking!?]
Meanwhile, What's he thinking?
"You were right, Zero, that last guy with the absorption quirk memed a bit too hard, even if he wasn't in a fight..." Izuku quietly mumbled to Zero as he walked up to the pile of robbers, making sure no one gets away as he tied them all up.
[... I'm a bad influence on your personality.] Zero deadpanned
... Now back to the crowd!
[Wait... he's not just 'a kid'...]
[He's... he's...]
The red hooded figure slowly removed his hood, revealing a helmet with a red and black scheme, dual horned towards the rear, with a green visor and a red lower face mask.
(A/N: Zero Mk.II helmet for those who can't use their imagination due to my rather vague description)
[It's Mega Man!!]
Ignoring the crowd cheering for him, Izuku took out his phone, and called a certain someone...
"Detective Tsukauchi, Mega Man here."
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[I'm so glad Mr. All Might introduced us to Mr. Tsukauchi]
Zero spoke as Izuku was sitting on the sofa of the living room, watching the news
[The Mysterious Vigilante Mega Man saves the day once again! Today, 6:48 pm, A convenience store was under attack by a group of armed robbers with their leader armed with a gun, Mega Man, happening to be a customer at the exact store at the time, shows up taking out the whole gang by himself!] The female reporter excitedly states, somehow giving the feeling she's a personal fan now, as well
"We would have been in so much trouble otherwise..." Izuku replied
"Izuku, dinner's ready!" Inko exclaimed back from the kitchen.
"Coming!" Izuku replied as he got off the sofa
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Later, that night,
[Izuku] Zero called out
"Hmm? Zero...?" Izuku spoke, as he turned his head slightly to look at his phone, lying right beside the notebook he was doing his homework on
[I need to tell you the truth about the 'imprint'...]
Izuku's pen stopped once again.
[Remember that time four months ago, when I told you about the story of my world, back at the meeting on the beach?]
Izuku nods at Zero.
[And I told you about the origin of the Maverick virus, the Zero Virus, a part of my subconscious?]
He receives another nod.
[So it turns out... the 'imprint' within your body is none other than the augmented Zero Virus.]
"WHAT!!?" Izuku exclaimed as his eyes widened in shock, panicking
[Yes... The day we did the incomplete MegaMerge, it had somehow affected you, and it has been bonding with your body ever since.]
"W-w-what's gonna h-happen to m-me!? Am I going to die sooner!?" Izuku stood up, panicking even more.
[You won't. I did my research, and it turns out, that the Zero Virus, besides giving inhuman power, doesn't really pose a threat to humans, like it does to robots.]
"That's good to hear... I guess..." Izuku replied, somewhat relieved, as he sat back down on the chair.
[I just wanted for you to know about it as soon as I confirmed it...] Zero spoke
[Charity...?] Charity, the cyber-elf, emerged out of Izuku's phone, and started gesturing at Zero with its little hands.
After understanding what it wanted, Zero spoke [Izuku, looks like Charity wants to talk with you alone, without me.]
"Something happen...?" Izuku asked, throwing a quizzical look at the cyber-elf
The elf simply nodded.
Izuku timidly got off his desk as he said "Okay, then Zero. Be right back" and left the room, heading for the back of the apartment building as Charity hid from Inko inside Izuku pockets.
"Mom, I'm going to the park, I'll be back soon!" Izuku called as he left his house.
After a few minutes, Izuku walked up to the lone tree at the grassy entrance to the park, and sat down, resting his back on its trunk.
"Whew... I feel tired" Izuku let out a small sigh.
Immediately, Charity emerged out of his pockets, and blindingly bright light emerged out of him.
When it subsided, there was a holographic figure that Izuku immediately recognised, from the day he found Zero.
"Y-you're that guy from before!" Izuku exclaimed, pointing his shaking finger at the figure before him as he stood up. Thankfully, there was no one who overheard it, or was even outside for that matter, at such a late time.
[Yes... You already know, that my name is Charity, but it is not my real name.] The hologram, with blue armor similar to Zero, and a unique blue helmet, spoke.
"Real name...?" Izuku just looked at him.
[Yeah... My real name...]
Izuku gulped, as Charity took a dramatic pause
[... Is X.] He finished
"X...!? As in, the Mega Man X!?" Izuku exclaimed, surprised to meet the guy Zero used to work with, as best friends.
[Yeah...]
"Zero told me a lot about you..."
[I know.] X said with a smile
"Then why are you hiding from him?" Izuku asked
[I... can't let him worry about me... Knowing him, he'd literally go on a rampage to find a way to bring me back to a new body...] X confessed, in a sad tone.
"But..." Izuku mumbled, tears in his eyes.
[Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of, well, Zero and I both.]
"X..."
[And for helping us in our mission to keep the world safe from villains like Weil...]
"You're welcome anytime, X..." Izuku replied, with a smile, as he wiped his tears
[Anyway... there was another reason I wanted to talk to you, away from Zero.]
"Something up...?" Izuku asked
[Yeah... It's about the main reason I made you transfer him over to your phone, in the first place.]
"What is it...?" Izuku asked, with worry in his voice.
[The 'healing factor' of his body had failed due to being heavily damaged from his battle with Weil, and Zero would have died for real, if it weren't for you...]
Izuku remained silent.
[Even he knew about it... but he did not want you to worry about it... but as a friend, and as a fellow Ex-Maverick Hunter, I had to let you know.]
"If you worry so much about him... Then why haven't you told him the truth about your real identity!?" Izuku snapped.
"How long are you gonna keep him suffering from the guilt... from the fact that he failed to save you, back when that Elpizo guy destroyed your body... and when you 'sacrificed' yourself in that battle with Omega-Zero!?" Tears started appearing in his eyes once again
How could someone do such a thing to their own best friend?
It's almost as bad as betraying someone's trust...
[It's because I'm scared... of what he would do if he find out, or rather, of his potential as the former God of Destruction... Especially now that he has all his memories back... It's just like he used to say, I'm a coward...] X confessed, in a grim voice
"You know... He used to call you a coward as a compliment to your caring nature, you dummy..." Izuku replied, wiping his tears
X remained silent
"All you need to do... Is to go in there, and say it..." Izuku gestured at their apartment.
After a few moments of silence, X finally gave his answer
[You're right... It would've been less awkward if the resistance base introduced me to him when they first sent me to Zero, after Neige's caravan was under attack...] X commented, reverting back to his cyber-elf form
"Let's go." Izuku said as they went back to their apartment.
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[Oh hey, Izuku, I was getting bored playing Geometry Dash... So, what was it about?] Zero spoke as he saw Izuku and Charity entering his room, closing the door behind, and locking the windows, and pulling the curtains.
[Zero, I have something to tell you] 'Charity' spoke, as blinding light followed.
When it was gone...
[It's been a long time, Zero]
[X!? WHAT THE HELL, DUDE!?] Zero exclaimed, as he took a good look at the hologram before him
"Izuku? Something happen?" Inko called out back from the living room, making Izuku flinch
"She definitely heard you guys..." Izuku let out a sigh as he looked at the two Ex-Maverick Hunters before him
"It's nothing, mom!!" Izuku replied
[But seriously, what the hell, X!?] Zero whispered a few moments later, in an exaggerated tone
[I... I didn't want you to worry about me anymore...] X spoke, in a sincere tone.
[... Even after becoming a cyber elf, you're still the coward you used to be, back in the day. You never change, do you, X?] Zero replied. If he still had a body, he would be smiling right now.
[I could say the same about you, Zero] X commented, a grin appearing on his face.
[... Glad to have you aboard again, X] Zero spoke after a few minutes of silence
[My pleasure.] X replied
Meanwhile, Izuku simply smiled as he watched the reunion of the two, as they began to engage in small talk.
If only he had a friend like that, too, then he could also feel what it would be like to meet someone like that after such a long time...
But that was already changing slowly.
He had already made a good friend, named Ochaco Uraraka.
And Kacchan... He noticed, that he stopped bullying him entirely by now.
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Author's Notes:
Finally, X revealed himself to Zero...
Also, I would like to apologise if the characters sometimes become ooc in this fic.
Anyway, read and review, and see you next update
And now...
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Reply to reviews:
aliesterus:
Finally, the first review with an honest opinion. First of all, thank you very much for giving this fic enough time to criticise it, and pointing out the things that I need to work on.
Second, I think I get what you mean when you say, that this fic doesn't have enough of its own identity, but like you said, it will get better over time. (Or atleast I hope it does)
Caliban Super Saiyan 0:
Technically, it's my own fault for forcing you guys to write something when this fic isn't even a friggin month old yet, and there hasn't been anything major, that has happened till now, so yeah, I think I know what you mean.
KingJGamer:
(cue the silence before the storm)
What the f*ck did you just f*cking say about me, you little b*tch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the f*ck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my f*cking words. You think you can get away with saying that sh*t to me over the Internet? Think again, f*cker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of spies across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, m*gg*t. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You're f*cking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the United States Marine Corps and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little "clever" comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your f*cking tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will sh*t fury all over you and you will drown in it. You're f*cking dead, kiddo.
Zero: At this point, everybody knows you don't actually mean anything you said in that copypasta, and no one's gonna take you seriously for it.
'Oh crap he know, I need to shut him up'
Shut up!
Zero: Alright, now. Settle down
No I won't
Zero: Yes you will
(thud)
Zero: There we go. He didn't mean anything he said, he just wanted an excuse to use that copypasta, KingJGamer, so don't take him seriously.