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Izuku stood there for what felt like hours, staring at his mother, waiting for her to take everything back. Except she never did.
"Not… real?" Izuku finally asked out loud. At the same time, something like a wheeze or gasp escaped his parted lips. It felt like he had just been punched in the stomach, black spots appearing in his vision when he blinked. "Y-you're joking, right? That was a joke?" He let out a shaky laugh, trying to make sense of what his mother had just told him.
Inko took in a sharp breath and firmly shook her head. Izuku had seen her look at him this way tons of times, but the genuine sincerity shocked him. Even though he couldn't wrap his head around the idea that All Might wasn't a real person, somewhere deep down, Izuku knew his mother wasn't lying. Inko never lied. She had no reason to. Even when Izuku asked her if he would ever get his quirk, she never said yes. His mother would only stay quiet while she apologized to him over and over again every time he asked.
And yet he still couldn't accept her honesty, he wouldn't.
"He's just a character you like reading about," she continued softly, running her hands up and down her arms. "A hero from a manga that doesn't exist."
Izuku stumbled backward and collided against the wall, ignoring the pain that spread throughout his whole body upon impact. He clenched his fists to keep them from shaking and shook his head. "N–no, you're wrong. All Might is real, All Might exists. I met with him on the roof yesterday. I grew up watching his tapes, interviews— everything!"
Inko remained quiet. She wasn't looking at him again.
"You know that mom," Izuku said, blinking back more tears. Why wasn't she saying anything? "I wanted to grow up and have a quirk just like him. He's the symbol of peace, remember? Everybody knows he exists. Everybody."
And then Inko broke down again, falling to her knees and letting out a violent sob. "This is all my fault! I'm so sorry, Izuku. I'm so sorry," she buried her face in her hands.
"Why are you apologizing?" Izuku asked, too shocked to move and console her.
"Those— those stories messed with your head and I encouraged it. It's only natural for you to wake up after the accident and think everything you read about is real when you were so obsessed." Their eyes briefly met but then he blinked and she was looking at the floor again.
"Mom."
"I'm so sorry, Izuku," she whispered shakily.
Izuku hated watching his mother break down and yet he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't prove what he was saying was true. Or could he?
"I can show you," Izuku said suddenly, remembering his notebook. The one All Might had autographed. For a moment, he was back at the end of the tunnel, his body running on adrenaline and excitement. All Might had saved his life. He was meeting his idol for the first time. He still had hope.
How else could he be standing here in front of his mother alive if none of that ever happened?
Before Inko could stop him, Izuku rushed back into his room and started going through his backpack. The fire had left it unrecognizable but surprisingly everything inside was safe. He found it a little strange that journal no.13 was missing Kacchan's burn marks and wasn't labeled as 'Hero Analysis for the Future', but he didn't dwell on it too much and started flipping through the pages instead. However, as he reached the end of the book, All Might's signature was nowhere to be found.
"N-no. It was right here. I swear he signed it!" Izuku said to nobody in particular, feeling his body tense up.
"Izuku," Inko spoke from behind, making him jump a little. He almost forgot she was there.
"It's okay," Izuku said, briefly glancing over his shoulder and giving his mother a forced smile. "I'll find it." This time he turned the pages slowly, one by one. Could the pages have gotten stuck together somehow?
Maybe I missed it.
"Izuku."
Izuku read from left to right, right to left, his eyes roaming the page until they were tired and red. A part of him wondered if he was even reading the right notebook because even his hero analysis was missing from all the pages replaced with some kind of math and grammar lessons. He didn't even remember writing about this stuff and most definitely would have used a different notebook for it. His Hero Analysis journals were a sacred space.
But since Izuku's main concern was finding the signature, he ignored everything else and started going through it yet again.
"Izuku, please."
His hands were in so much pain he could barely turn the pages but Izuku didn't want to stop. He wasn't going to stop. Not until he found that signature.
Maybe the page ripped and got stuck inside somehow.
Izuku started dumping all the contents out from his bag, shaking it until pencil shavings and paper clips were the only things that fell out. Until his heart was thumping so hard in his chest he couldn't hear his mother's worried cries from behind him. Until he couldn't see anymore because there were too many tears in his eyes from the realization that the signature was gone.
"Izuku Midoriya!"
As the final paper clip fell out from the bag, Izuku held back a choke. His mother was saying stuff to him but he couldn't hear anything anymore. He didn't even feel it when she picked up his things and helped him to bed. Izuku simply let it happen and curled up into a ball to cry.
—
It took a while for Izuku to recover after hearing everything, after seeing it with his own two eyes when he got up to check his laptop for the truth; typing out his former idol's name in the search bar and watching as the results flooded the page.
All Might the hero.
All Might the manga protagonist.
All Might the fictional freaking character.
Izuku had spent all night scrolling through the web and going through his own room in order to figure things out. He didn't even sleep.
Apparently, the All Might from Izuku's world was very similar to the one from All Mighty Hero. He was considered to be Japan's 'Symbol of Peace' and even had the catchphrase of 'Plus Ultra' which Izuku found to be rather freaky instead of comforting. Manga All Might looked the same as the real one too, except his face was slightly more exaggerated and cartoonish. The manga didn't have a plot either and simply followed the hero around as he saved people throughout Japan and frequently traveled to the US to do hero work there too. As for when All Might wasn't doing hero work, it was funny to see his buff form in civilian clothing while he went about his day normally.
However, it wasn't until Volume 25 of the manga that the series started to get more popular. This was because the anonymous writer, who went by the pseudonym, First Hero, introduced All Might's backstory and how he got his special power of 'One For All', an ability passed down from person to person.
First Hero also wrote an extremely strong villain called All For One who became All Might's enemy halfway through the series. All For One, or AFO, as they called him, always tried to steal All Might's powers for himself. His character raised the stakes of the manga and made it more complex, allowing for new heroes and even some sidekicks to come about. Izuku had to tear his eyes away from the pages to continue his research, finding himself hooked to the story and All Might's life. It made him want to explore the real All Might's quirk once again, something people had always speculated about on forums.
Apparently, All Mighty Hero also skyrocketed in views because of the increased crime rate in Japan. People needed a hero to look up to and All Might became a form of escapism. It was no surprise when movies and anime started to come out, along with merch and even more side characters. The manga flourished.
Izuku found himself taking notes in his notebook on all of this too. Writing down some of his own theories about the chapters but stopping himself when he started mumbling out loud.
Even after reading everything though, he still didn't want to believe that All Might wasn't real.. That heroes didn't exist, that nobody in this world had quirks, and that he was considered normal. He didn't want to. Not even the other characters in All Mighty Hero had powers aside from All Might.
Izuku almost laughed at that.
For years, he had grown up wishing he could fit into society, that he could live in a world where he would be accepted. But not like this.
Izuku had never felt so in the dark before and found himself wondering what else was different. He wasn't even sure if this world was real. For all he knew, he was in some kind of coma after the villain attack.
But then he started wondering, well, what if his mother was right and he did just hit his head really hard? What if the world he believed to be real had been the fake one all along? How could he tell the difference? How could he explain the strange circumstances he found himself in when none of it made sense?
At that thought, Izuku panicked and flung his copy of All Might Saves Paris across the room. He quickly shoved his head under the pillow and let out a scream, staying still until his heartbeat calmed down again.
"Izuku?"
There was a quiet knock.
He froze.
Crap. Did his mother hear that?
"I have to go to work now but if you're not feeling okay, I can always call off—"
"No!" Izuku said a little too quickly. He carefully got up and made his way to the door but didn't open it. Instead, he pressed his cheek on the cool surface and closed his eyes, steadying his breath. He still wasn't ready to face his mother after making her cry yesterday. Especially since he felt so guilty for doubting her, but he simply couldn't bring himself to apologize.
At least, not yet.
Because if Izuku said sorry, that meant he was verbally accepting everything and that terrified him.
So he just lied.
"I'm fine, mom. Promise."
There was a brief pause after that but eventually, Inko spoke up again. She didn't sound convinced. "Okay. Only if you're sure. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything though. I left some food in the fridge. You should eat something, Izuku."
Another pause.
"Please."
Izuku let out a shaky breath and just nodded even though she couldn't see him. Then he stayed in that position, listening to the sound of her footsteps disappearing into the hall, eventually followed by the slam of the front door. He spent a little bit of time in his room after that, trying to fall asleep. But even if his body was tired, his mind was too active for him to sit still.
Izuku shifted his gaze to the All Might-themed clock on his nightstand and frowned.
2:03 pm.
Only a couple of hours had passed since his mother left. She wouldn't be home until late if she still had the same job as before, although Izuku wasn't sure he knew what it was anymore.
Had she taken the train to get there? Or did that not exist anymore either?
That thought made him spring out of bed as Izuku changed into one of the more subtle All Might hoodies he owned and slipped on his red shoes. He couldn't really do anything about his messy hair, so he just pulled the hood up and headed out the door.
All of his questions could be solved with a simple google search but Izuku wanted to see the world for himself. Maybe then he would have an easier time believing in it. That everyone was actually like him, Quirkless.
Izuku almost tripped over himself when he thought about that word. It used to make him mad, frustrated him to no end. Now it simply scared him.
Breathe, Izuku. It's okay, he told himself constantly as the first rays of light hit his face. He had to squint a little bit while he looked up into the sky, watching as puffy white clouds moved across his field of vision. A single plane flew in between them, growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared and turned into a shiny, blurry dot.
Once the skies were empty again, Izuku continued moving, walking down the steps of his apartment complex. The building seemed normal enough. The train station did too once he arrived, but he had never felt more suffocated before in his life.
The people boarding all looked like him. No one had bodily modifications that would indicate a mutation quirk, nor were they dressed in hero costumes. Nearly all of the men and women wore work uniforms while the few children milling around had on their respective school attire. The only 'flashy' thing about the train was the new All Mighty Hero movie trailer poster plastered on every wall and smooth surface of the station.
Izuku almost didn't board, too caught up with a conversation two young boys were having in front of him while their mothers led them through the crowded line.
"I wish I could be a hero like All Might."
You can be, Izuku wanted to say, but he stayed quiet, choosing to sit in the seat behind them.
"Yeah, I wish I had powers like him too!" the other one said with a giggle.
Izuku couldn't stop himself. The words tumbled out of his mouth as the train started to pick up speed. "You will. Your quirk just hasn't manifested yet."
The boys turned to look at him with rounded eyes and open mouths.
"What's a quirk?" the youngest one asked. He had short black hair and freckles like Izuku that covered his arms and face.
Izuku swallowed nervously and offered them a sheepish grin. "It's like a superpower, a magical ability."
"Whoa," they both said in unison, leaning over the seat to get closer to Izuku. Their moms shot him an annoyed glance but didn't stop their sons from talking to him.
"So does that mean we can fight bad guys too?" the one with the red hair asked, staring from Izuku to the All Might advertisement that flashed on the wall every now and then.
Izuku smiled weakly but shook his head. Now their mothers were fully glaring. "M-maybe you should leave the crime-fighting to All Might, little guy."
Instead of looking offended though, the oldest boy punched his fist up in the air and giggled. "Yeah! No one could beat All Might. Right, Akio?"
The youngest nodded and the two continued to play, asking Izuku questions about All Might every now and then. It was no surprise when the mothers got up and moved to a different seat, shooting Izuku dirty looks and mumbling about him being a stranger.
Izuku watched them go and gave the boys a slight wave but he never saw them again. Their mothers probably thought he was crazy. A random 15-year old kid skipping out on school and filling up their children's heads with fantasies.
Just stop it, Izuku. Quirks don't exist anymore. That's what you came here to find out. That's what you came here to prove. Izuku squirmed uncomfortably in his seat as his gaze flickered over to the new batch of people that boarded the train. He couldn't help himself when his heart skipped a beat every time he saw someone that was dressed differently. But not once did a hero appear.
Izuku spent a lot of time looking out the window after that, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. Lady or Kamui Woods. He remembered their fight from that morning and found himself wishing he had stayed longer watching it, even if it meant he would've been late to school. But then again, there was no way Izuku would have known that it would be the last hero fight he'd ever get to see.
Soon, rolling green hills gave way to sparkling skyscrapers that shot up into the sky and cast shadowy streaks across his face. Even more people boarded at this stop, but it got too overwhelming for Izuku so he quickly got off the train. He had no idea where he had ended up but he kept walking once he left the station, shielding his eyes from the sun that seemed to get ten times stronger. It was hard searching for heroes while also paying attention to his surroundings but he eventually gave up on that too. Focusing on the cracks of the ground instead and doing his best not to crush the random daisies that pushed up from the grainy cement.
He stopped at a random park bench to check his phone and found out that he had spent roughly two hours on the train and another hour walking around. It was nearly seven. His mother had sent him a couple of messages too, asking him if he wanted anything special for dinner, but he ignored them. If he told her where she was, she would probably get worried.
Izuku ended up venturing in and out of the city for the rest of the day. He quickly found out he was in Kamino, Yokohama which became more apparent as the sun started to go down. This is because various buildings lit up with the signature electric blues and greens he had come to associate with the bustling city. Izuku could also make out the red and blue flashing lights of various police cars as they zoomed down the street, kicking up debris and tiny rocks all around. No one followed them though like they did whenever a villain attacked. Izuku had tried to get close to one of the many arrests that were going on downtown, but the officer quickly stopped him and told him to go away.
He didn't even know why he was still in the city when it was clear that there were no heroes around. At that point, his mind was already blanking and he let his tired feet carry him into the nearest convenience store away from the crowds of people rushing to get back home before it got too dark.
Izuku sighed in relief when he felt the cool chill of the air conditioning from the shop, looking up only to locate the snacks. He was thankful it was empty.
"Hello, welcome," a bored-looking sales girl greeted him from behind the register and Izuku gave her a half-smile. He didn't even know what to say, most of his conversations had always relied on pointing out something cool about people's quirks but now…
"You just gonna stand there or are you gonna buy something?" she asked with a slight eye roll.
Izuku blushed and nodded quickly, shuffling over to the chips and onigiri stand. His stomach let out a loud growl and he heard the girl scoff. He couldn't remember the last time he ate something and regretted only bringing a couple of dollars for food.
Most of what he picked out were savory snacks but a pack of matcha cookies caught his eyes before he reached the register again. Unfortunately, the bag was too high and Izuku knew he wouldn't be able to get to it without some help. The girl at the register seemed too unapproachable though, glaring down at something on her phone while she leaned on the counter.
There are no heroes in this world, Izuku. If you want those matcha cookies you're going to have to get them for yourself, he thought with a sigh, putting down his salmon onigiri and ume-nori-maki as he stretched out his hand to reach. The loud growling of his stomach only fueled his desire to grasp the cookies but Izuku was simply too short. However, just when he was about to give up, he felt a tingling sensation build up in his right palm. He couldn't remember why it seemed so familiar but he had no time to think— the cookies zoomed down and smacked him in the face.
Izuku let out a tiny shriek and fell backward, crashing into a display of rice cakes.
"You better pick that up cuz I'm not going to," the girl yelled from the other side of the store and Izuku found himself blushing furiously. He quickly scrambled to his feet, trying to catch his breath and make sense of what he had just done.
No way, he stared at the green bag with wide eyes, his hands trembling a little.
It's just like what happened yesterday with the cup, Izuku thought suddenly. He couldn't believe he had forgotten all about that weird incident. His hand tingled again as if confirming his suspicions.
But then the girl screamed.
Izuku whipped his head around and almost fell again. Standing in front of the counter was a man dressed in all black. He wore a ski mask and had a gun pointed at the cashier's head. There was an empty bag in his other hand Izuku could only assume was for the money.
"Stay quiet and give me everything you have," he said through a snarl, cocking the gun and gesturing to the cash register. The police sirens wailing in the distance only seemed to aggravate the man further.
Cashier girl whimpered out an 'okay' and then briefly met Izuku's gaze. Her eyes flickered over to the exit as if telling him to run, but Izuku found that he couldn't move his body. His entire focus was on the gun.
"The hell you lookin' at, bitch? Pay attention or I'll knock you out," the man growled.
The heroes will save her, Izuku found himself thinking as he shrunk back into the chip stand. The heroes will come.
They always did.
Sure, this world was different. Sure, he hadn't seen any yet, but they wouldn't ignore a crime like this. They wouldn't let that girl get hurt. Someone was going to come and help her. Even if he knew they didn't exist. They had to. Just like when All Might arrived to save Kacchan.
His childhood friend's haunting red eyes flashed through Izuku's head and kept him from rushing forward. One wrong move and the girl could end up dead. Who was he to try and save her? Izuku squinted at the ground, trying to stop his body from shaking.
No one's coming, he told himself, blinking back tears. No one's coming and I can't do anything about it. He sank to his knees and caught his reflection on the foil of the cookies he had tried to reach earlier.
The sirens were much louder now but would the police get here on time? It seemed the robber had realized this too, his shouts getting more and more impatient.
"Hurry the fuck up already!"
When Izuku looked up again he held back a scream of his own, watching as the man shoved the gun under the girl's chin. She was crying now too, tears running down her face while she desperately tried to fill his bag with money. It was only a matter of time until the man pulled the trigger.
I have to do something, Izuku decided, using the wall to support himself.
But you can't, Kacchan's voice said. It was so clear, Izuku could imagine him standing by his side with that signature scowl of his. He wore his school uniform and they were back at Aldera, standing by the entrance of the school.
But I have to, Kacchan, Izuku said, giving him a pleading look. The same one he used whenever he begged the blonde not to burn up another one of his journals.
Except you can't! You're just a stupid Deku with no powers at all. You're weak. You're useless. You don't have a quirk. Fire crackled in Kacchan's palms and Izuku watched it, mesmerized. At the same time, his own hands started tingling again.
It made Izuku stop.
Wait, what did you just say? He met Kacchan's fierce gaze.
You heard me, nerd, he hissed. You don't have a quirk.
"But… what if you're wrong," Izuku whispered aloud.
Kacchan's glare deepened but he didn't say anything else.
"What if I do have a quirk though?" Izuku stared down at his hands this time, the school setting fading away as he found himself in the convenience store once again. He could still feel Kacchan's burning gaze on him, but the power he felt running through his veins was somehow stronger than any hurtful words the blonde had ever said to him.
I don't get it. None of this makes sense. But it doesn't matter right now, he looked up at the cashier's trembling frame. She was begging the man not to hurt her, all while he watched her with no sympathy in his eyes.
A true villain.
All I know is that I have to save her, he clenched his fists and let the tingling sensation take over.
When Izuku blinked again, the world had changed. Thin, transparent threads seemed to be coming from all parts of his body and connected to different items in the store. Some of them were very easy to see, while others flickered weakly. There had to be at least a hundred, all of them sticking out in multiple directions. It made his head hurt to focus on all of them, but he found that if he concentrated on just a few, the rest faded away and eased his headache.
Okay, what does this mean? Izuku asked while his heart thumped in his chest. He could hear it as well as the muffled sobs coming from the victim.
He tried to reach out and touch a line but his hand passed through. This one led to the man holding the gun and was almost invisible. It was the same thing for the one that connected to the girl. Both lines were hard to see, so Izuku deduced they would be hard to control.
His quirk reminded him of his mother's. She could attract small objects towards her body, although she had never told Izuku about the threads. Was this part of his quirk too?
He thought back to the glass and the cookies, locating them on the ground again. The line connected to the bag was very thick and easily identifiable.
Does it have to do with size or risk?
It would be very easy for Izuku to pull the chips towards him but he suspected he didn't have that much control. The bag had hit his face earlier.
"O-okay, that's everything," he heard the girl say.
"No, it's not. I know you have more. Now give it to me or you're fucking dead!"
Izuku's heart skipped a beat. He had to hurry and think.
What can I do right now? What can I control that's not too heavy and won't be that much of a risk? His eyes roamed the story until they landed on a display of grape-flavored ramune bottles next to the register. The man was a couple of feet away from it himself.
Izuku watched as the thread stopped and reached the highest bottle on the shelf. It wasn't as secure-looking as the ones closest to his feet, but the thread was still visible. He could feel the pull starting to build up in his hands.
That one, he decided. And when Izuku blinked again, the threads were gone. He couldn't see them anymore but he could feel the one he had chosen, clearly imagining it even if it was gone.
"Leave her alone!" Izuku screamed before he could stop himself.
The man whirled around, his gaze landing on Izuku but the greenette didn't give him time to react. As soon as their eyes met, Izuku stretched out his hand and pictured himself yanking the ramune bottle forward. Almost immediately, it wiggled free from its space on the shelf and then zoomed towards him.
Cashier girl screamed and ducked under the counter at the same time as the bottle smashed against the bad guy's head.
Izuku stared at his unmoving figure in shock, stumbling over to the body while his legs trembled. The girl still hadn't come out of her hiding place but he could hear her crying quietly behind the counter.
While his heart settled down, Izuku kicked at the gun until it was out of reach and then backed away slightly.
"Do you have any rope?" he asked, surprising himself. His voice sounded distant and he felt disconnected. Izuku could barely hear the police sirens even if they were closer than ever. He couldn't focus on anything else but the guy's body, watching as a tiny streak of blood trickled down his forehead and stained the floor. The smell of grape and metal quickly filled the air too and it made him want to gag.
"What?" the girl asked slowly, peeking out to look at him.
"We need to tie him up." Again, it didn't sound like Izuku was speaking but he could feel his lips moving and every time he opened his mouth to take a breath.
"Are you okay?"
The question startled him enough out of his confusion. He finally turned towards the girl and their eyes met.
"Y-yeah." He looked down at his hands. "I think so."
And then Izuku smiled.
Izuku: hi yes i'm the guy who figured out he had a quirk all because I wanted some matcha cookies. fight me.
A little bit of a longer chapter this time. Kind of went overboard, hehe. But oh my gosh while I was looking up some Japanese snacks to include while Izuku visited the convenience store, I got SO hungry and SO upset that I've never tried any of them before. Like Japanese 7-Elevens seem TEN TIMES better than the ones here in the U.S. I'm bitter now LOL. I need to go visit a Daiso store ASAP and buy some yummy things.
What are your favorite Japanese snacks? Drop any recommendations plsssss.
Also, if it wasn't obvious, Izuku has a more powerful version of his mother's quirk. I honestly think it has so much potential and I would have liked to see Inko develop it more in the actual My Hero story. I mean it seems like a pretty good quirk for heroics work and I'm super excited to give it to Izuku so he can do vigilante stuff and kick ass. Like it's not too flashy where it could expose his identity, but also powerful enough to scare the crap out of whoever he's fighting, in addition to other things I can't spoil yet, hehe.
Honestly, writing this story has me very excited so I might be posting more than once a week, who knows. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know your thoughts below.