Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!
ECHOES OF A FORGOTTEN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE: OBSERVE AND COPY
15th October 2189
Sometimes I wonder when it appeared. How was everything before that moment? Was I happy? Did I have a normal life? Every time I think about it, nothing comes to mind. I don't remember anything. Maybe if I had known it would end up like this, I'd have started writing on this diary from the first moment.
It's too late for that.
All I can do is keep writing in the hope of not forgetting this day, but I'm not too confident.
Dusty just told me we're about to get to the designated point. I don't know when I'll be able to write again. I just hope I don't forget about this diary.
It wouldn't be the first time...
23rd September 2175
Four children were playing in the middle of a playground, or at least that was the impression someone passing by could have had. Since it was a quiet neighborhood, there were no adults to control the children, so no one had noticed that three of those children were trying to drive away the fourth.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to come here!" shouted Katsuki Bakugo, pushing his peer with both hands, making him fall to the ground "A useless Deku like you should just go home!"
Despite the tears that had formed on the edge of his eyes, Izuku Midoriya stood up "B-but Kacchan...!"
Katsuki glared at him before he took a step forward and hit Izuku with a wide right hook, followed by a punch to the stomach before finishing with a fist to the face where he also used his Quirk to create a small explosion at the moment of the impact that served to make Izuku fall to the ground again. Such attacks would never cause problems for older people, and probably even many of their peers would have managed to dodge them. Katsuki wasn't very fast, even Izuku could see his attacks, but he simply couldn't defend himself. He wasn't only Quirkless, for which he was constantly being bullied and ridiculed by others, but Izuku was weaker than others, as he was still just a child.
"Tch...you're really a Deku. You can't even take a few hits without falling to the ground!" spat Katsuki before walking away with the other two children, leaving Izuku alone.
Sobbing, Izuku sat up and rubbed his eyes. For some reason his vision was more clouded than usual, even counting the tears "Stupid...stupid Kacchan!" slowly he stood up holding a hand on his stomach where Katsuki had hit him "He's always like this...I just wish we were friends again!"
Now that the pain had dulled, Izuku wiped his eyes with the edge of the shirt, wiping off the soot caused by Katsuki's explosion.
"Every time he pushes me away and hits me..." Izuku looked in front of him, imagining himself facing Katsuki, and his body moved on its own.
Wide right hook.
Left uppercut to the stomach.
Right jab to the face, slightly open hand to release the most of the explosion.
Izuku froze as soon as he realized what he had just done.
"Huh...?" he looked at his own hands "What...how did I do it?" shaking his head, Izuku tried again to make that short combo of punches and, although he had never punched anyone (he had only received punches after all), he succeeded again, without wasting even one movement.
"How is it possible? I saw him doing the same moves many times but I didn't think I learned them so well..." mumbled Izuku looking around. He was alone, so no one had noticed what he had just done.
"Maybe I'm wrong...after all I've really seen those moves a lot of times. Mom said that if I do or see something many times in the end it remains in my mind, or so she explained to me how she learned to cook..." scratching the back of head, Izuku walked away from the playground, heading for his home.
When Izuku opened the door of the house, a pleasant aroma greeted him, making him understand that his mother had already started to cook. Entering the kitchen, he saw her with an apron on while adding some herbs into a pan.
"Oh welcome home, honey!" said Inko looking at him with a warm smile "Dinner will be ready soon, so go wash your hands!"
"Yes, mom." Izuku nodded with a smile before going to the bathroom. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the kitchen and saw Inko move the pan with firm movements, giving at the end a slightly stronger flick with her wrist. The vegetables and the pieces of meat inside the pan remained in midair for a moment before falling back into it, without letting even a drop of oil fall out.
Wow, she's really good. Izuku couldn't help but think that his mother was really good at cooking, not surprisingly since she had been a famous chef before retiring in order to raise her son.
Suddenly, the house phone began to ring and Inko went to answer, asking Izuku to set the table. He put the tablecloth and the plates, hearing his mother talk to a friend in the other room, but then Izuku began to smell something unpleasant in the air, something slightly burned.
Ah! Mom didn't turn off the gas! Izuku could see the blue flames under the pan and he knew well that the hot oil would burn the food in a few seconds if left there. Normally, a child would go to call his mother to warn her or turn off the gas. Izuku was smart enough to know what to do in some situations, yet he didn't do either of the those options. Instead, he moved a chair near the kitchenette and climbed onto it. The pan was made with one of those new lightweight and durable materials created in recent years, so Izuku had no problem lifting it with one hand after grabbing the handle.
I don't know if it will work, but I have to try! Izuku thought with a nervous look before moving the pan, but he didn't move it in a random way.
He managed to repeat the same movements that Inko had done a few moments before, including the flick of the wrist.
Izuku's surprise was so great that he almost dropped everything on the ground, but at last moment he managed to recover and repeat the same movements as if he had repeated them for years.
A-amazing! It feels so natural to me! Izuku was incredulous yet very happy with what he was doing. He had seen his mother cook many times and had also helped her, albeit with simple things like washing vegetables, but he had never been able to do things like Inko, and yet now he could do something like this as if it were normal for him.
In spite of his joy, he managed to hear Inko say goodbye to her friend on the phone, and so he hurried off his chair and put it back. The last thing he wanted was to be scolded by his mom for handling a pan with hot oil inside.
"Here, a good dinner for you, honey." said Inko, serving the food in two dishes. The smell was still present in the air, yet she had found nothing strange. Fortunately nothing had gone burned, she had a bad habit of distracting herself when someone called and, despite her experience as a chef, sometimes she still burned dishes.
"Thank you mom!" Izuku began to eat quickly with a wide smile on his face, intriguing his mother.
"You look very happy." noted Inko with a smile, it was so nice to see him smile again "Did something nice happen?"
"Yeah!"
"And can you tell me what?"
"It's a secret!" said Izuku making her giggle.
"Is that so? As long as it makes you happy, it's fine with me." Inko smiled again at her son while eating some food. Since that doctor had said that Izuku was Quirkless, she had never seen him smile as before. Maybe now he was smiling for a stupid reason or for something important, but the important thing was that he was happy.
While Inko was thinking back to what had happened in recent weeks, Izuku had his mind focused on something else.
Could this be...could this be my Quirk?! Those words kept repeating in his mind and prompted him to finish his dinner quickly so he could run into his room, where he immediately turned on the small television that Inko had bought him.
I need to be sure! Izuku began to zap between the various channels The only thing I know is that I can copy the movements of the others, I have to see what else I can do! Maybe now that I have a Quirk I can become a hero!
Finally he found a show that was right for him, or at least to help him understand more about his alleged Quirk. It was a simple show for children directed by the 'Clown Hero', a hero who didn't fight crime but always made the children laugh in orphanages, hospitals and so on. The hero picked up a ball and started to throw it into the air, spinning it, until it landed on his head. The ball was perfectly stable on his head as the clown looked around, wondering where the ball had gone.
The children present at the show laughed to see him look for the ball that was above his head but Izuku was happy for another reason, namely the ball (obviously an All Might themed ball) that was perfectly stable on his head, just like the one on the head of the clown.
I can really do it! My body moves to keep the ball in balance! Izuku put the ball down while the clown talked to the children about his next game And I can even copy people's movements on television! I wonder if it also works with recorded videos or images.
Wanting to immediately resolve these doubts, Izuku took one of the many comics of All Might that he possessed and began to reread them with extreme care, but realized after a few pages that, despite being able to remember every page by heart, he couldn't memorize the moves of All Might shown in the comic book.
So...I can remember the pages, but I can't copy the moves because they are just drawings. Izuku thought while putting the comic book back into the drawer, yet remembering the various pages as if he were still reading them. His attention returned to Clown Hero's show and he saw him intent to perform a simple magic trick in which, by crushing some coins in his hands, he made them disappear before pulling them out of the children's ears.
Izuku took some coins from his personal piggy bank and tried to repeat the magic game but, much to his surprise, realized that he couldn't repeat it. Simply, whenever he crushed the coins, they remained in his hands.
"But I saw it..." Izuku murmured looking back at the television "Did I see badly? Or...didn't I see it all?"
Being a trick of magic, it was obvious that there was some 'trick' to make it happen, but Izuku didn't know what it was and he hadn't noticed when the hero had done it. Izuku tried again to look at the clown who was doing a trick with some cards but, as with the coins, he couldn't copy or repeat it.
So I have to see the complete movement to copy it. Izuku nodded at that, after all he had only copied the blows of Katsuki, which weren't fast and were rather simple, the technique with the pan of Inko, which was close to him and almost steady, and finally the first trick with the ball of the clown, where there was no trick but only pure balance.
I wonder what else I can copy!
And so Izuku kept zapping through the various channels, copying everything he could.
24th September 2175
Humming serenely, Inko put two eggs on a plate, before placing a side of crispy bacon. Nodding contentedly at the breakfast, she filled a glass with orange juice, Izuku's favorite, and placed it on the table next to the plate.
"Honey! Breakfast is ready!" said Inko, expecting to hear the bedroom door open in a few seconds, yet after a full minute, she heard nothing. Confused by the silence, Inko tried to call her son again, but received no answer.
"Strange...maybe he is still sleeping. Yet at this time he is always awake." shrugging, Inko went to his room and turned the door handle "Honey? Are you still slee-AAAAH!"
Inko jumped back a little when she saw her son kneeling in front of his television. Normally, such a scene shouldn't have frightened her, even with all the objects scattered in his room, but Izuku's eyes were wide open, as big as plates and bloodshot, so it was a valid reason to be frightened.
"Izuku?!" Inko walked toward him with clear concern in her voice "What are you doing?! Don't tell me you've been watching TV all night?!"
Instead of answering her right away, Izuku turned slowly towards his mother, showing her his eye bags, and smiled "Mom...I...have...a Quirk!" and with that, he collapsed to the ground. Inko winced and was immediately close to him to see if he was ill, but all she understood was that Izuku had fallen asleep instantly and his breathing was already regular.
Shaking her head, Inko couldn't suppress a sigh "What's got into him?" but then she thought back to the few words he had said "A Quirk...? Honey...do you really have a Quirk?"
All she could do was put Izuku in his bed and let him sleep, but what caught her attention most of all was the huge smile with which he had fallen asleep.
25th September 2175
Inko stared worriedly at her son as he ate a large breakfast after sleeping for twenty-four hours. She had had to call the kindergarten the day before to warn that Izuku was sick and that he would stay at home for a few days. Obviously it was a lie, but a fairly credible one. Going back to the reason for her concern, her son had woken up that morning and his stomach had immediately started to grumble, but Inko had made him find breakfast ready as a good mother would have done.
"Honey..." Izuku looked at his mother "We need to talk." those words were enough to stop her son from continuing to eat but, despite his worried look, she went on "You made me worry a lot in the last two days...you spent a whole sleepless night watching TV before sleeping twenty-four hours in a row and now you're eating as much as two adults put together. I don't know what happened so Izuku, please tell me what's going on."
Izuku had been scolded a few times by his mother, so he knew what she was using in those moments, but Inko seemed simply worried about him, without a trace of anger in her voice. Swallowing the food in his mouth, Izuku decided to immediately tell her the good news and so, with a huge smile, he stood on the chair "Mom! I have a Quirk!"
In all honesty, Inko had thought about his words over and over again, wondering if it was true, but seeing Izuku so happy and confident was a surprise anyway. Wanting to believe Izuku's words, Inko smiled shyly at him "That's fantastic, honey! So which Quirk would you have? Did you inherit mine or your father's?"
"Neither of them!" said Izuku with the smile still on his face "I can copy everything I see! Every movement that others do, I can copy it and repeat it without missing anything!"
Inko stared at him for a few seconds with confused eyes before tilting her head slightly to the right "Huh...?"
Imagining that it was difficult to understand without an example, Izuku ran to his room and returned with a ball. When he was sure he had his mother's attention, he began to spin the ball on the tip of a finger, surprising Inko with his skill, before throwing the ball into the air and landing it on his head, repeating perfectly Clown Hero's trick that he had copied the previous evening.
After that, he started bouncing the ball on the ground, passing it between his legs like a basketball professional before making a vertical worthy of the best gymnasts. Soon after, much to Inko's surprise, he began to dance like a professional dancer and despite being a child, Inko couldn't help but be shocked by those movements.
Finally, Izuku stopped to catch his breath "See? I can copy almost everything! I have a Quirk!"
Moments of silence followed his words and, when he began to worry, Inko suddenly hugged him and started twirling around the room "That's amazing honey! You really have a Quirk!" after letting him go, she looked at her son with a smile on her face "Later we will go to the hospital to register your Quirk!"
Izuku's face lit up "Yes! With this I can become a hero!"
Still smiling, Inko stroked his head "I'm sure you'll make it, honey. Now finish your breakfast!"
"Okay mom!"
Without being told twice, Izuku finished eating before going to dress. As soon as they left the house, the child seemed to be flying towards their car, anxious to know more about his Quirk and to have it registered like everyone else. The journey lasted just twenty minutes, but to Izuku they seemed many more and finally, after a brief wait in the hospital, they were greeted by a doctor who had already received his medical file "Ms Midoriya, right?" Inko nodded with a small smile "I see that here on his file, your son is marked as Quirkless, but I was told that you are here to correct that part. Is that correct?"
"Yes." Inko nodded again "Apparently his Quirk manifested the other day. My son was so excited that he used it all night, and he slept all day yesterday to recover."
The doctor chuckled "Well I think the thrill of finally having a Quirk filled him with energy. Now, what kind of Quirk did he show?"
Inko looked at her son who beamed at the doctor "I can copy all the movements I see!"
The doctor arched an eyebrow "Copy all the movements?"
"Yes, I can confirm it. My son has performed dance steps worthy of a dancer after seeing them on TV, and has made movements worthy of the best basketball player without ever having played that sport." explained Inko still smiling "From what he understands, he can copy a person's movements to the letter as long as he sees them well. Images are not valid while old movies can be copied anyway."
"I see..." the doctor nodded before pulling out a coin "I haven't done it for a long time, but I should still be able to. Izuku, please look at what I do." after a few seconds, he tossed the coin into the air, which rolled several times before falling flat on the tip of his right forefinger "Now, do you think you can do this?"
Izuku nodded and took the coin from the doctor's hand. After a deep breath, he tossed the coin into the air in the same way as the doctor and, much to his amusement, the coin fell flat on the tip of Izuku's index finger.
"Very impressive. Now, for another test..." he took two sheets of paper with two pens and used one to write some words in Japanese and English on one of the two sheets, all under the watchful eye of Izuku, after which the doctor gave him the second white paper and the other pen "If you can, try rewriting the same things I wrote."
Izuku nodded and took the pen in his hand before starting to write. Much to Inko's surprise, he managed to perfectly copy the doctor's calligraphy, both with Japanese and English. Nodding, the doctor wrote something on papers and then asked Izuku to follow him to another room, suitable for more physical tests.
For over two hours, the doctor subjected Izuku to various tests, from simple balancing exercises to more complex things such as playing a piano they had in the relax area of the hospital. When the last test was completed, the doctor brought Izuku and Inko back to the room where he had met them with a satisfied smile.
"So, after all these tests, I think I have compiled an almost complete description of your son's Quirk, Ms Midoriya." said the doctor before looking at Izuku, who was visibly tired but still happy "Would you like to hear it?"
"Yes please!" nodded Izuku with his mother nodding as well.
"So, as Izuku had already guessed, he can copy a person's movements to the letter after seeing them even once. No matter the difficulty level, if Izuku can see everything, he can copy it, be it a simple exercise in gymnastics or a complicated piece with a musical instrument." said the doctor with Izuku smiling at his words "It also seems that his eyes also memorize everything he sees, outside of the movements, such as a series of images, the exact order of over a hundred numbers placed in random order and much more. It also seems that his reaction times are much higher than the average. When I threw a rubber ball at him, he managed to avoid it instantly, while during the second attempt he caught it with one hand."
Both Izuku and Inko were pleasantly surprised to discover all these things about his Quirk, which was turning out to be full of surprises.
"Now, on the negative side, Izuku obviously cannot copy what is done by people with bodies different from his own, such as those who have a mutant-type Quirk, but also by those who have a body bigger than him. During the exercise with the pianoforte, Izuku could perfectly repeat the musical pieces that didn't require the use of pedals, unreachable for him because of his stature, or of keys particularly distant from each other." the doctor looked again at the duo "Furthermore, being that he is still a child, repeating certain exercises tires him quickly since he doesn't have a trained body to do that particular exercises."
"Your Quirk is particularly complex, honey." said Inko with a smile before looking back at the doctor "Do you already have a name for his Quirk in mind?"
"More or less. Cases like this have already appeared in the past, even before the Quirks appeared, but I think that 'Photographic Memory' can be a suitable name for your son's Quirk." said the doctor with a smile.
After completing the necessary documents and updating Izuku's status, the Midoriyas returned home happy, with Izuku looking forward to showing his Quirk to Katsuki, so they could be friends again.
Little did he know, that Bakugo's reaction to his Quirk would change Izuku's life forever.
28th September 2175
"Kacchan! Kacchan!" shouted Izuku running toward the blonde child in the playground.
"What the hell do you want Deku? Get lost!" snarled Katsuki narrowing his eyes but, strangely enough, Izuku didn't back away or whimper, instead he continued to smile at him.
"I have a Quirk, Kacchan!"
That caught the attention of Katsuki and his two friends, who stared at him in surprise.
"Really?" asked Katsuki with a raised eyebrow "So which Quirk do you have? Inko's?"
"Nope! It's a new one! I can copy your movements!" said Izuku with a huge smile "I've already copied a lot of things! Here, look!" and, under the surprised eyes of the other three children, he began to dance like a first-class dancer before starting to do gymnastic exercises worthy of an Olympic athlete "See?! I copied them!"
Katsuki narrowed his eyes "That's it...? You're just a copycat?"
Izuku looked at him with a shocked face "But...Kacchan..."
"For a moment I thought it was something surprising, instead you can just copy the others!" noted the child with a pair of wings on his back.
"Yeah...I don't even think it's a hero Quirk, you're practically stealing the movements of others." said the other one, pointing at Izuku with an elongated finger "More like the Quirk of a villain!"
Those words hit Izuku stronger than an explosion of Katsuki. He was stealing...? True, copying wasn't a good thing but he wasn't hurting anyone at the end "T-That's not true! I will become a hero! Like All Might!"
"Yeah, sure." growled Katsuki before pushing him back "What do you want to do?! Copy his moves and become famous with those?! Which hero would copy others! You're just a copycat!" he then started walking to get away from Izuku with the other two by his side "And don't try to get close to me! My moves will make me the best hero ever and I don't want them copied by someone with a villain Quirk like you!"
Izuku stood in the middle of the playground for several minutes, continuing to look ahead without seeing anything. Slowly, his vision began to blur as his body was shaken by small spasms "I-It's not t-true...mine is not a v-villain Q-Quirk!" Izuku tried to stop the tears that were already running down his cheeks, but without success "I-I'll be a hero! L-Like A-All Might!"
Now alone and without friends, Izuku turned around and walked towards his house, cursing for the first time the fact of having a Quirk.
26th May 2180
Izuku looked at the dojo sign with attentive eyes. It was a relatively new dojo, only open two years ago and not too far from his home, yet there were a lot of people who frequented it. From what he had understood, this dojo had moved from central Tokyo due to private problems, but this hadn't discouraged the older students.
"Ready to go, honey?" asked Inko with a small smile, looking down at her son who merely nodded.
Izuku had changed a lot in the last five years, much to his mother's sadness. He spent much less time outside, preferring to watch movies of heroes and villains on the computer or on TV, copying their movements and then repeating them in the rare moments when he went out to 'train'. One day, when he was at school, Inko had tried to read one of the notebooks on which he wrote about everything, and she had seen that they were notes on all the techniques he had copied. She had often seen him at home with bruises or knuckles stained with blood and, when she had followed him into a small woodland, she had seen that he spent all his time hitting a tree with fists and kicks, imitating everyone he had copied.
Inko had tried to talk to him about his behavior but, apart from a series of 'I'm sorry' by her son, she had received no response. She also noted that, over time, Izuku seemed less enthusiastic about his Quirk, while still using it. It was as if he were happy to have it but at the same time he hated it.
She had thought something had happened in the days after he had discovered his Quirk, and indeed something had really happened with Katsuki, the son of her best friend, Mitsuki. Apparently Katsuki had started to avoid and dismiss Izuku at every available opportunity, also warning everyone else of his villain Quirk.
That particular comment had earned him an exemplary punishment from Mitsuki.
Despite having discovered the cause of Izuku's change, Inko had failed to help her son as she would have liked and that had made her feel sick several times, until she had decided to find him a hobby that kept him busy and distracted him from his obsession to copy others.
At first he tried something like Shogi and Chess, but Izuku turned out to be too smart for those games, managing to predict the tactics used by his opponents, that is, other children. Complaints from other parents had forced Inko to remove Izuku from those courses.
After thinking of a solution that could help her son, Inko had decided to enroll him in a dojo. Mitsuki had expressed her uncertainty with that idea, as Izuku could copy the movements of others, including the dojo master, without difficulty, but Inko was fine with that. Going to a dojo, Izuku could let off steam without having to hit something hard like a tree. Sure, he'd still use his Quirk, but it was little progress, and she really hoped to see a smile on Izuku's face again.
"You must be the Midoriyas, am I right?" immediately after entering, mother and son had heard a calm male voice to their right and, turning in that direction, they saw a muscular man with short orange hair and golden eyes, wearing a white gi and a black belt. His broad smile was serene and, although he was much taller than Inko, he didn't seem to inspire any kind of fear, on the contrary his presence was almost reassuring.
"Ah...yes, I'm Inko Midoriya, and this is my son, Izuku." said the woman with a bow, mimicked by her son.
"I was waiting for you!" nodded the man bowing as well "My name's Hanzo Kendo and I'm the dojo master! On the phone, you talked to my wife, Sakura Kendo, but she is currently teaching a self-defense class for girls. I'll conduct the interview with you." and with that, he gestured toward a room. Entering the room, they saw that it was a modest size office with a display case full of trophies and medals, some photos hanging on the walls, a wooden desk with an armchair on one side and three chairs on the other, two of which were then occupied by Inko and Izuku, while Hanzo went to sit in the armchair.
"So, my wife told me that you would like to enroll your son in a course in this dojo." said Hanzo without losing his smile "Can I know why and what expectations you have about this dojo and any courses?"
"Well...my son developed his Quirk a few months later than his peers. When Izuku showed it to them, the reaction wasn't exactly positive and therefore he started spending more time indoors than outside." said Inko with Izuku looking at the floor "I tried to find him a hobby that could help him think about something else and in the end I thought that enroll him for something where his Quirk could help him would be a good idea. I read a lot of news about your dojo, everyone talks about it in a positive way so I thought it would be a great place to enroll him."
Hanzo nodded at her "I understand, actually many children tend to isolate themselves when they are not accepted by their playmates." he looked at Izuku "Now, may I know what your Quirk is?"
Izuku looked at him for a second before mumbling something in a low voice.
The man arched an eyebrow "I'm afraid you'll have to repeat that kid, because I didn't understand what you said."
"P-Photographic M-Memory...I can copy the movements of others a-after seeing them only once..."
Hanzo seemed confused by his voice and so he looked at Inko who sighed "When he showed it to the other children they called it a villain Quirk, so now he is ashamed to say what he is capable of."
"Ah...I see." the man nodded before smiling at Izuku "Well no problem, kid! If your Quirk is so efficient then you will have no trouble reaching those who started before you. For now, it will be better to get you a gi while I finish talking to your mother." he then pressed a button on the small intercom mounted on the desk "Can my beautiful and sweet daughter come to my office? I have an important task for my favorite ginger-head!"
Izuku and Inko heard laughter outside the room followed by the sound of someone running towards them. Soon after, the door was thrown open abruptly and a little girl with orange hair came in with her face completely red "Dad! I told you to stop calling me that way!"
"And why should a father ever stop showing his love for his daughter?" chuckled Hanzo before looking at Inko "This is my lovely daughter, Itsuka. She started martial arts two years ago and is the number one in her class!" ruffling his daughter's long hair, he gave her a smile "Itsuka, could you accompany Izuku to the warehouse and get him a gi? A normal one will suffice."
Itsuka seemed to pout for a moment but finally nodded before taking Izuku by the hand and leaving the room, all while the green-haired child had his face red with embarrassment. She's holding my hand!
When the door closed, Hanzo chuckled cheerfully "I'm pretty sure they'll become good friends, they should be the same age."
Inko smiled as well "I really hope so, my son would really need some friends."
Hanzo looked at her while arching an eyebrow "Is it really that bad?"
"Unfortunately yes, when his friends hadn't yet developed their Quirks they often played with him, but when he was the only one left without a Quirk them they left him alone and he never managed to recover." explained Inko with a sigh "I was hoping his Quirk could help him in some way but it seems to have made things worse."
"I see...well you don't have to worry anymore, Ms Midoriya. Our goal, as sensei, is to help our disciples better in martial arts but at the same time we are here to help them with their problems. I'm sure that if he lets us help him, Izuku will soon return to being a cheerful child like everyone else." said Hanzo with a confident smile.
"It would be the best thing for him." Inko smiled before bowing "I'm leaving him in you care then."
Meanwhile, Izuku and Itsuka had arrived in the warehouse, which was none other than a room full of boxes and shelves full of stuff, including several gi for the dojo's disciples. Releasing Izuku's hand, Itsuka set about looking for something in the midst of the various gi.
"U-Um..."
She looked back at Izuku, who seemed to want to ask her something "Yes?"
"Err...y-your father said that a normal gi will b-be fine, what did he mean?"
"Oh that's simple." she smiled before picking up a gi with four arms "We have different gi suitable for everyone and if we don't have it, we have it made by a tailor nearby, but for you a classic gi like mine will suffice."
"I...I see..."
After putting down the gi, Itsuka saw that Izuku seemed particularly demoralized or discouraged, so she walked toward him "Hey, is everything all right?"
"Y-Yes...I mean...not really..." said Izuku looking at her "It's just that you probably won't talk to me again after today."
Itsuka stared at him with confused eyes "What do you mean? Why should I never talk to you again? You don't look like a bad person to me."
"It's...it's my Quirk..."
"What about your Quirk?"
"I...I...I can copy your movements after seeing them..." said Izuku with closed eyes, waiting for the usual disgusted or angry comment about his villain Quirk. However, after several seconds, he heard nothing from Itsuka and, opening his eyes, saw that she hadn't changed her expression, continuing to look at him with confused eyes.
"And...?"
"U-Uh...?!"
"What should be the problem? You can copy the others, so what? This should help you with martial arts, right?" asked Itsuka tilting her head to the side.
"B-But...I could immediately do what you learned after months! It would be like cheating!" said Izuku with shocked eyes.
Hearing his explanation, Itsuka giggled for a few seconds before telling him to stand next to some big mattresses on the floor, with his back to the mattresses. After putting herself in front of him, she stared at him amused "You said you can copy my moves, right?" he nodded "Good, then copy this."
Without waiting, she took a pose and threw a fist forward with her right arm, holding her arm out, while the left was bent at her side. Izuku looked at her confused but did as requested and, without difficulty, copied her move, punching ahead of him. Between the two children there were a few centimeters away, but Itsuka's right fist suddenly grew larger, surprising Izuku who, caught off guard, failed to react in time and fell backwards, ending up on the mattress.
Her fist returned to normal size and Itsuka helped him to his feet with a smile on her lips "See? My Quirk gives me a big advantage over others and yet there are several tournaments that admit the use of Quirks. Just because you can copy my moves doesn't mean that I'm angry with you. As my father always says, you always have to improve yourself to become a master, and I wouldn't be his daughter if I let myself be discouraged by someone who can copy me." Izuku could only nod, surprised by her words "Besides, if you can copy my moves it means that I will have someone at my level to fight with!"
After a short laugh, she held out a hand "So...friends?"
Unconsciously, Izuku began to cry, surprising Itsuka with his reaction, but without thinking twice, he shook her hand with a trembling smile "F-Friends!"
23th March 2185
"Hi-ya!" a punch passed by his head, thanks to his timing in avoiding it, before he grabbed the offending arm with both hands and, turning on himself, he loaded his opponent on his back before projecting them to the ground, causing their back to slam into the tatami.
"Enough!" said a powerful male voice, belonging to Hanzo who was watching the fight from the sideline while sitting on his knees. He started at the two fighters for a moment before smiling "A good fight, the winner is Izuku!"
Bowing toward his sensei, Izuku smiled at him before turning toward his opponent, offering a hand "Looks like it's my win."
"Again." huffed Itsuka before grabbing his hand. Once back on her feet, they both bowed before leaving the area designated for the fights, going to sit with the other disciples. Looking at her friend, the orange-haired girl said "One day I will be able to beat you."
"Training is for that, isn't it?" replied Izuku with a smile.
Since he started attending that dojo, Izuku had changed a lot, especially physically. He was no longer thin and fragile, now his body was tempered by years of intensive exercises and training, giving him a more muscular appearance. In the last period he had also passed Itsuka in height but, being only fourteen, he could grow even more. Another change had taken place in his personality and, although he was still shy and hesitant with some strangers, he could finally speak for most of the time without stuttering and had become much more confident.
Those changes had also occurred thanks to the help of Itsuka, his new best friend, and her parents, who had taught him everything they could during his stay in their dojo. Itsuka had also become stronger thanks to him and their constant sparring matches which, unfortunately for her, always ended in Izuku's favor. This 'rivalry' of theirs had made them two of the strongest disciples of the dojo, allowing them to win some city tournaments.
Moreover, when he had the time, Izuku had got into the habit of going to challenge other dojos for the sheer pleasure of fighting against other people, and also copying their moves in the meantime. Over the years, Izuku returned to appreciate his Quirk, continuing to call it a power suited to a hero and always training with the moves he had copied so as to make them a part of himself. Now, after five years of training with Itsuka, Izuku was more than sure to sign up for the UA admission exam.
"Of course, even if I would really like to defeat you at least once." joked Itsuka with a smile.
After the end of the lesson, everyone thanked their sensei as usual before going to change clothes in the locker room. Izuku exchanged a few words with some disciples, people whose names he didn't even remember but who were still his training partners, before going out and heading towards the exit of the dojo, where he saw Itsuka waiting for him.
"Want to go to the station together? My father told me that I can go because he's waiting for old friends and then he'll close later." said Itsuka with a smile. Izuku nodded and the two went toward the train station, but after a few meters, to his ears came a voice he hadn't heard for several months.
"Ohi Copycat!" turning around, Izuku saw Katsuki walking towards him with his usual frown and with him there were...were...strange, no matter how hard he tried, Izuku couldn't remember the names of the two boys who had been by Katsuki's side since they were children, and his strong point should have been memory of all things.
"What the fuck are you doing here? Going home after copying more moves from this dojo?"
"Mind your own business, Bakugo." said Itsuka with narrowed eyes. After meeting Izuku and spending time with him, she had the misfortune of meeting the bully who had tormented Izuku for most of her life. Needless to say, she and Katsuki had hated each other from the first moment.
"Fuck you, hand-bitch!" growled Katsuki "Why don't you go back to your shitty dojo?"
"Care to repeat that? To my fists maybe?" replied Itsuka enlarging one of her hands before being stopped by Izuku who put a hand on her shoulder.
"Leave him alone, it's not worth it." said Izuku before looking at his former friend "What do yo want Bakugo?"
Katsuki narrowed his eyes "I have heard that you would be interested in taking the fake-test to be admitted to the UA..."
"So what?" replied Izuku without looking away from Katsuki.
"If what I heard is true...I'd tell you to change your mind immediately and think about something else. I will be the only student in our pathetic school to enter the UA, and they would never accept someone with a Quirk like yours." hissed Katsuki generating small explosions in the right hand.
"Said the one with a Quirk as dangerous as it was deadly." said Itsuka with a glare before turning around, dragging Izuku with her "Do yourself a favor Bakugo! If you want to see a possible villain, look in the mirror!"
Katsuki was on the verge of exploding, literally, but by now the two had disappeared in the middle of the crowd and, even though he knew where they were going, he didn't want to follow them. They weren't worth his time.
Fucking bitch. I will blast you away the next time I see you! Katsuki glared at the crowd for a moment before walking away with his friends at his side.
Meanwhile, Izuku and Itsuka had arrived at the train station and had already calmed down after their unfortunate encounter with the explosive blonde. During the last few years they had had many 'clashes' with him, but they had never come to beat themselves, especially since Izuku and Itsuka, being official dojo athletes, couldn't cause brawls. The risk of being expelled for life from tournaments was always around the corner and they didn't want to risk it.
"I swear that if I see him for the AU exam, I'll tell him a few more words." said Itsuka while sipping some of his canned coffee. It wasn't as good as the one just made, but it was better than nothing.
"I don't know why, but it would be an interesting scene." added Izuku with a chuckle before walking toward his train "Time for me to go, I'll see you tomorrow at the dojo!"
"Sure, say hello to Inko for me! Haven't seen her in a while!" said Itsuka with a smile before walking away, toward her own train.
Izuku's journey back home lasted only a few minutes but the sun had long since set and when he reached the door of his apartment, he wasn't surprised to see all the lights out. Entering silently, he looked around to accustom his eyes to the darkness and, much to his confusion, saw his mother asleep on the couch.
Strange...she never slept on the couch. Walking towards her, he noticed that there was an open envelope on the living room table with a letter on the floor. Curiosity took over and, slowly, he pulled up the letter, immediately noticing from a few signs that it was a letter from the hospital. He then began to read it after going to his room and turning on the light.
What he discovered in those lines deprived him of all his strength.
A disease that infects blood and bones...and she's been sick for years?! He continued reading, discovering that the disease, one of the few remaining incurable diseases, was slowly killing his mother and that a lot of money would be needed to cure her. More money than he could have imagined. His legs gave way and he was forced to sit in his chair to try to think clearly, ignoring the panic he was trying to burst inside him.
She kept it from me...but why? Instinctively, he turned on his computer and quickly connected to their bank's site. As feared, their money wasn't even enough to cover half the costs for the care needed to make her survive and, if what was written in the letter was true, it wasn't even a definitive cure, but an extension of life while keeping the disease under control. His world slowly began to collapse around him as the chilling idea of a life without his mother formed in his mind.
NO! Izuku shook his head violently. There must be a way to find that money! I could find a part time job to start but then...? If I were to enter UA it would take at least three years before becoming a pro and having a sufficient salary to pay the costs for the hospital...but by then mom may no longer be alive...
Swallowing, he started typing some things on his computer to access the biggest of his secrets: the dark web. In recent years, Izuku had also begun to get interested in computer technology so as to be able to find videos on the internet of heroes and villains that were now hard to find. Finally, after several months, he had managed to find a way to enter the dark web by remaining anonymous and untraceable. In that state he could look at several things, many of which had made him vomit, without being contacted or tracked by anyone.
There are several ways to earn a lot of money...but they are all obviously illegal...and I doubt that my limited edition gadgets of All Might could interest anyone.
Going to different sections where it was plausible that a lot of money went around, Izuku visibly turned pale in reading offers on slaves, hired killers, organ sales and the like. Eventually he reached a section similar to online auctions where, however, they sold and bought everything, including information apparently. Slowly he began to scroll down the long list of requests.
KyserXXX: Ohi any of you know where Death Arms lives? That bastard destroyed my bike before I could run away with money and I want to make him pay for it!
MuscusOfJapan: Does anyone know how to create a deadly poisonous laxative? I think Fat Gum should die after tasting one of my specialties!
CrocCroc: I'm looking for comrades for a group assault on Ryukyu! If we can defeat her before she transforms, we could have some fun with that magnificent body! Uhuhuh!
Izuku was perplexed in reading some of those requests. They were obviously villains asking for those things, but some seemed so...trivial and senseless.
GreySharkWhale: I need information on Selkie and his crew. I am preparing a robbery at the port, but in order to escape I have to pass through the area patrolled by that hateful hero.
That particular request caught Izuku's attention and, when he went to see the money offered for the info, he was shocked to see the zeros. It wasn't enough to cover Inko's medical expenses, but they were certainly a start, and judging by what GreySharkWhale was willing to offer for simple information, the robbery he had in mind had to be something big.
For an instant, he considered the offer but then moved away from the keyboard, horrified by what he was about to do. Shaking his head, he tried to suppress the nausea that was growing inside him and went into the kitchen to drink a glass of water.
His hands were shaking and he didn't know what to do. Who could he call? Who could he ask for help? All Might? His office received hundreds of letters a day and the number one hero in Japan was very charitable, so maybe he could help his mother too. But how likely was it that All Might also read his letter and decided to take action? Izuku couldn't bet on something he wasn't sure of.
Silently, he returned to the living room and put the letter back where he had found it before looking at his mother. Thanks to the kitchen light, he noticed a darker patch on her sleeve and under her head, probably due to the tears she had shed before his arrival. Something inside him snapped when he saw Inko so helpless and the risk of losing her because of an illness did nothing but suppress all his doubts.
He knelt by her side and kissed her on the forehead before whispering "I'm sorry, mom, for never noticing that you were sick. I...I don't want to lose you and I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. Maybe I will never be able to become a hero...but I will save you, I promise you." getting to his feet, he went to get a blanket before putting it on Inko to keep her warm, then returned to his room and closed the door.
Every step that brought him closer to his computer seemed heavier than the last, but Izuku had already decided. Twenty minutes later, he was in front of a pop-up window for his official registration to the dark web, which would have guaranteed him greater advantages than a simple anonymous guest. Strangely enough, they hadn't asked for personal data, but if he wanted to do business with others it was necessary to have a bank account and, much to his surprise, they were willing to provide him with a new one, as long as five percent of all his earnings went to the bank account managers. He had read information about those managers and, strange as it may seem, the management of those bank accounts was more honest and secure than those that could be opened in a normal bank.
After a few seconds, he accepted the request and was given bank details along with some rules, including the fact that he could access that bank account only from protected computers and mobile phones. Finally, it was time to choose a nickname and Izuku had no trouble giving them a quick and not at all sophisticated name.
He sighed heavily once the realization of what he was about to do was completely processed by his mind.
To think that one of my favorite hobbies would help me right now...
Without further hesitation, he clicked on the request he had read before.
GreySharkWhale: I need information on Selkie and his crew. I am preparing a robbery at the port, but in order to escape I have to pass through the area patrolled by that hateful hero.
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D: What do you want to know?
TO BE CONTINUED...
And another one! BANG! I know I know, in this last period I'm turning out too many different stories...I admit it, but I can't help it! Some ideas are too tasty to leave them there and not write them down! This one in particular had been in my mind for quite a while and, not having the inspiration for the others, I decided to give it a chance!
Those of you who are more experienced in Marvel characters will have already figured out who I was inspired by for the Izuku Quirk, and if someone less experienced meant that it's an OP Quirk, they would be right but in the next chapters you will see one of its most big flaws (already mentioned in this first chapter)! Also, I wasn't sure about the current year in the MHA universe, so I decided to set the story about one hundred and sixty years into the future.
I really hope this story will interest you and that you will follow it in the next chapters!
See you around!
