AN: No need to let it sit. Let's get to the good part.
Disclaimer: I own none of the properties associated with either Boku no Hero Academia or PSYREN.
"Speech"
Text
Thoughts
Empowered Thoughts
Super Mode
Special Move/Ability
Chapter 2: The Call
"Even though I said that, I don't know what I'm supposed to do," Izuku muttered to himself. After hanging up the phone, the young boy had resumed his journey homeward. The payphone had spat the strange card back out at him, so he'd pocketed it. I just wanted to learn what that thing was, but now I've got even more questions, he thought despairingly, Who was that woman? Who was that at the end? What did they mean by saving the world? Why were all of those questions… His hand tightened on the strap of his backpack, So personal?
He felt shaken, like he'd just gotten a glimpse into some dark, secret world.
"Please…help us!"
"I will!"
"But how can I help?" he pondered, walking under a bridge, "I don't even know where they are. That person said something in the beginning about an immigration exam, but…where even is that place? Psyren? That doesn't sound like any country or city I've heard of…"
Izuku's brow furrowed and, scratching his chin, he began rambling to himself, as was his habit.
As he thought, buried in his pocket, the phone card began to change. The hooked, curved line of the mysterious symbol slowly opened up, revealing a gray sclera and a simple, black iris.
*Riiiiiing!*
Izuku jumped in surprise as the ringing of a phone cut through his thoughts. He looked around, trying to figure out where the call was coming from; it was faint, and he was all alone, but he was sure that it was just loud enough that anyone could hear it. Not even a 'somebody get that phone!' was uttered. That's not my ringtone…
The ringing came again. Was it louder now?
Frowning, he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket, just to see if the call was actually meant for him. His breath caught and a chilled sweat broke out on his forehead as he beheld a stylized eye staring back at him from the phone's screen.
*Riiiiiiing!*
Yes, it was definitely louder this time. The green-haired boy gulped, finger hovering over the 'pick up' button. Then the phone rang again, even louder, making him flinch and hit the button accidentally. "Ah-" he panicked briefly, but quickly held the phone to his ear, "Er…hello?"
There was only silence on the other end. Nevertheless, Izuku felt a strange sensation; it was like a thick coat of air and static electricity was wrapped around him, muffling his hearing and making his vision blur. Then he blinked and it was gone. With a click, the person on the other end of the call hung up.
He shook himself. "So weird," he murmured, glancing around. Then he looked at the time. "Ah! I gotta get home already! Mom might wonder where I've been…"
As he ran off, he never thought to look behind him; if he had, he would have received a nasty shock.
Where just a few minutes ago, there had been a bridge he'd walked under, now there was only a pile of rubble blocking the road.
[Meanwhile]
Under that bridge, tendrils of slime oozed through a manhole in the road. They quickly coalesced into a vaguely humanoid figure, a pair of bulbous eyes flicking this way and that. "Shit! Gotta get away, need to find an invisibility cloak," the creature hissed to himself in a watery voice, jogging away from where he had emerged on slimy legs, "Let's see, let's see…huh? Where the hell is everyone?! Damn it, not even a single person?! This is the worst…of all the busybody heroes to show up, why'd it have to be him?!"
"Why, you ask?"
With a loud bang, the manhole cover he'd come through shot into the air. The sludge-like villain froze, turning to stare in horror as a man climbed up out of the sewer.
He was a hulking brute of a man, with powerful, almost comically large muscles straining the white T-shirt he wore. His blond hair was styled into two absurdly long locks, which rose over his head like a pair of ears. His face was harshly shadowed, but his smile showed prominently; it was a wide grin that was undaunted by the sludgy monstrosity across from him, but gleamed with the promise of pure justice.
"Because I was there!" boomed All Might.
"Sh-shit!" yelped the sludge villain, whipping out a long arm of sludge and slinging it at the most famous hero.
The muscular man's smile didn't so much as waver as he ducked neatly under the attack. Then he sprang forward, crossing the distance between him and the villain within seconds, fist cocked back for a punch. "TEXAS SMASH!"
ML
"Well, that takes care of that," said the Symbol of Peace, nodding decisively. After splattering the criminal's strange matter all over the road, the hero had emptied out some soda bottles (Sadly ruining his appetite in the process, but oh well) with which to store him. "You just sit there quietly and think about what you did," he said, patting one of the bottles, which he'd stuffed into the pockets of his cargo pants, "Preferably in a jail cell."
With a shudder, the man's muscular form began to shrink. Arms shriveled up, his back bent, strong chin growing fragile and pointy, his winning smile turning pained, Toshinori Yagi groaned tiredly as his two long strands of hair flopped over his face. He reached into another pocket and pulled out a phone, dialing 119. "Hello? Could I speak to Detective Tsukauchi, please? Yes, of course."
He waited a few minutes, setting out towards the police station at a slow walk.
"Tsukauchi Naomasa speaking."
Toshinori smiled. "It's me. Just wanted to let you know that I caught that sludge-Quirk thief from earlier. I'm bringing him to the station for lock-up, so could you get a place ready for him?"
There was a chuckle. "Heh, as expected of All Might-san. How'd you catch him?"
"I blew him away and then stuffed him in a couple of soda bottles!" was his answer, with a hearty laugh…until his breath caught. The resulting coughing fit sprayed the ground with blood, but was over quickly.
"Oi, oi, take it easy, Toshinori-san!" groaned the man on the other line, "You haven't overworked yourself, have you?"
Yagi wiped his mouth off with a ragged sigh. "Not to worry. I still have enough time left to appear as All Might at the station. And please be careful about the names you throw around, Thank You Very Much!" The last phrase was uttered in near-perfect English.
"You think I'm that careless? Nobody's listening to me right now. Apparently the Drifters just got called away again."
The skeletal man frowned, his sunken eyes contemplative. "...I see. Has there been anything on that front?"
"Afraid not. Whatever Quirk is causing them to disappear isn't something we can track. We still haven't gotten any testimony from the ones that return."
Toshinori's spindly fingers curled into a fist. "Those poor people…what on earth could make them all keep silent…?"
ML
Midoriya Izuku stood stock still, a sense of numb horror and confusion filling him from head to toe.
The apartment building in which he lived with his mother was a modest place, unremarkable in any way, but it was home.
Why…? he asked himself distantly, staring at the wreckage of the building that had once stood at his home address, Why is my house gone?! W-was it an earthquake? A bomb?! Oh god… He couldn't move, either forward or back, but as he looked around, he realized that something was very, very wrong.
The streets were far more cracked than he remembered, the walls separating the buildings from the roads worn and faded. More than a few houses looked positively ransacked, gutted from the inside and practically dead.
What do I do? he wondered distantly, trembling. His face was pale and sweaty, his wide eyes even wider than normal. Unbidden, the pages of his notebook came to mind. What would they do?
"I need to g-get out of here…" he said finally, stumbling as his legs finally moved. He backed away, still staring at his destroyed home, then turned and ran.
Growing up, Izuku had been taught that if something ever happened to his home and he couldn't find his mom, he should run somewhere safe. Where can I go? It can't be too far; the streets might not be safe, out in the open! He wracked his brain furiously. What places nearby can I hide in?!
"Alright! The Bakugou Katsuki Hero group will go into enemy territory! Let's go crush those villains!"
Izuku paused, brow creasing slightly as the memory drifted through his mind. "That place…" he muttered, slowing down, "Maybe…yeah, that place is close by. I can go there, hide out, then call the police or something!" So thinking, he nodded in satisfaction and changed course.
ML
The chain-link fence was rusted through in places and dusty. The signs were likewise faded away with age, but he still remembered them proclaiming the area of forest beyond as off-limits.
Izuku also remembered following Kacchan and his group of friends into that forest, where they would go on adventures, exploring the streams and wildlife within. This place really has changed, huh? He shivered, rubbing his arms as he walked through the opening in the fence. I'll walk until I reach the river, he told himself, Then I'll call. I need to find out what's going on…
A few minutes later, he reached a clearing among the trees, overlooking a small river that ran through a wide (albeit shallow) valley. An old, rotted tree-trunk bridged the two sides of the valley, and the young boy remembered crossing it with Bakugou and his crew. It was so long ago that things changed on that day. The day when Kacchan had turned from petty, offhanded insults to full-on spiteful cruelty towards young Izuku.
But that recollection was inconsequential against the bizarre sight that greeted the young boy's eyes.
Kneeling in the dried-up river, leaning its head against that same decayed log of wood, was a wiry figure. From what he could see, it wore only a tattered pair of shorts and its limbs bulged with corded muscle. Its skin was pitch black, not a shade that could be found on a normal human. At least, not without a mutation-type Quirk.
"Um…h-hello?" Izuku called out tentatively, "Are you okay? C-could you tell me what's going-?"
The person's head snapped up and he choked off his question with a squeak of fright. The black flesh stopped abruptly above the jawline, exposing a slimy-looking brain. The jaw itself didn't look that much better, all jagged and sharp teeth, drooling and steaming. A pair of oddly shaped eyeballs grew directly out of the exposed gray-matter, fixed in a permanent glare. Those eyes focused on the young boy immediately.
"W-what…?" whispered Izuku, "What is this?" There was no human intelligence in those eyes. There wasn't anything. But, as the seconds crawled by, the creature's hands began to curl, fingers clenching and unclenching. Sacks of flesh began to swell all along its body, especially its muscular, lanky arms, while it growled at him.
He took a step back.
It snarled, lifting its hands over its head, then roared, a sound of pure, inhuman rage. *GYYAAAAAAAAH!*
Izuku turned and ran. I made a huge mistake! he thought desperately, sprinting as hard as he could through the trees, What is that thing?!
Back at the clearing, the creature glared at the spot where its prey had stood. Snarling, it grabbed at the old, rotted log, bulbous growths along its knuckles quivering and contracting.
*BOOM!*
The damp wood detonated violently, an explosion of heat and smoke shattering it to pieces in an instant.
*GrrruuaaaAAAAAAARGH!* howled the monster, leaping up onto the higher bank and giving chase.
ML
Midoriya Inko glanced at the clock, biting her lip. "He sure is taking his time," she murmured to herself.
The middle-aged woman was seated in her living room, holding her cell phone loosely as she fidgeted worriedly. She knew full well that her son wasn't the type to get up to mischief in his spare time, but… "He would've called by now, right…? But, maybe he's hanging out with friends and just forgot the time."
She thought back, remembering the children Izuku had always hung around when he was young. A smile tugged at her lips as she recalled the energetic cheer that always adorned his freckled face. Let's see…he was always close with Mitsuki's boy. Maybe I could just call her and see if he's over with them. That should be fine…oh, but I haven't called in a long time! I hope she doesn't mind… With a long, rambling train of thought similar to her son's, she came to a decision and started dialing.
It didn't take long for her to get an answer. "Hello? Bakugou residence. Bakugou Mitsuki speaking."
"H-hello, Mitsuki-san," she greeted carefully, "This is Midoriya Inko. Sorry to bother-"
"Ah! Inko-chan!" The brusque, slightly husky female voice on the other end brightened up considerably, "It's been a while, hasn't it! How are ya doing?"
She fidgeted, biting her lip. "I've...been alright. But, actually, I'm calling about Izuku…I wanted to know if he and Katsuki-kun were over at your house."
"Feh," spat the other woman derisively, "Not likely. Katsuki doesn't talk about Izuku-kun that much, an' what he does say…well, it's not good."
Inko sighed. "I see. It was a long time ago, after all…"
There was a moment of silence. "What's wrong, Inko-chan?" asked Mitsuki, her tone more serious.
"Eh- ah, no! There's nothing wrong!" the heavyset woman protested hastily, "I-I guess I'm just feeling a bit paranoid, but…Izuku would normally be home by now. He hasn't even called to say that he would be late, like normal. I-it's probably just me being silly though, right?"
"...Yeah, probably," her old friend agreed slowly, "Izuku-kun was always a good kid; he knows to stay out of trouble. He probably just got distracted and is feeling guilty that he can't get away to call you up. He'll be home soon, just you wait."
Unbidden, Inko crossed her arms, hugging herself to stop the shaking that had started up. "Of…of course," she agreed, "You're right. I'll just-just wait for Izuku to return."
Mitsuki chuckled. "Just be sure to give him a talking-to when he does for making you worry, yeah?"
"Eh? Th-there's no need for that! Anyone can lose track of time!"
"Heeh~?" she drawled skeptically, though with a note of amusement, "And what kind of activity would make him forget to call his dear mother?"
ML
Izuku scrambled through the trees, his breathing and heartbeat loud and rough in his ears. Behind him, he could feel the ominous, constant rumbling and roaring of that…that monster. What is that thing?! he wondered, panicked, What kind of Quirk could produce something that angry?! His foot caught a tree root and he stumbled terribly, arms flailing, but managed to stay upright. Ah! That was too close, he thought, If I fall here, there's no telling what'll happen! There's absolutely no way I can fight that thing, whatever it is!
A series of sharp bangs and retorts punctuated the thought, along with the crashing of felled trees. *GRROAAAAH!*
The fence at the entrance to the forest came into view. Izuku dashed for it, arms and legs pumping madly. Without these trees in the way, I'll be able to run faster. Damn it, what the hell is going on!?"
Before he could ponder further, there came the sound of shattering wood, and he felt something huge barreling towards him. Izuku yelped, throwing himself to the ground as the thing flew over him and rolled over. The boy scrambled about, changing course to avoid it as it swiped out with its lanky arms. The beast sailed over hit the ground rolling and similarly writhed about to reorient itself, buying him precious seconds as the edge of the trees came into view.
He sprinted harder than he'd ever had before, leaping over more roots and keeping himself upright. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small gap in the fence. Taking a chance, he juked to his right and dove through the gap. The beast leapt after him and crashed into the fence, the rusted metal bending drastically.
Alright, I got away! thought Izuku, his heart pounding in his chest, lungs burning, But it'll probably break through! Gotta lose him, maybe in the streets-!
*BOOM!*
Izuku came to a stop as the fence burst, an explosion bursting out and shattering the links. "Gruuuuu…!" growled the monster, stalking through the dust that'd been kicked up, eyes almost glowing as it glared hatefully at him.
Explosions…but nothing too big, otherwise it would've tried to… the boy gulped as his mind briefly conjured up a gruesome image of himself getting caught up in a blast like that.
Strange sacs of lighter-colored flesh began to swell along the thing's lanky arms and shoulders.
It's not running at me now, so as long as I can keep the distance, thought Izuku, turning to run again, I can probably get away-
A jet of something streaked past him, cutting up the asphalt beside him. Before he could even freeze up from terror, the whole line exploded, and he was momentarily weightless. Izuku's whole world spun as pain wracked his shoulder and thigh, before he hit the ground hard, rolling slightly.
What…was that? he asked himself dazedly. He pulled himself up, wincing as his lungs throbbed, his breathing ragged. Was that…?
He looked around, spying the monster holding its wrist out towards him. It growled in satisfaction, some sort of liquid dripping off its arm.
Some sort of high pressure stream? So it's got close and long range…
Izuku stood up, holding onto his burning shoulder, his school uniform now torn to shreds along his right side. When it exploded earlier, the force of that probably would've killed me up close. But its long-ranged attack hit right next to me and only threw me around!
The beast rolled its shoulders, a gurgling sound coming from its sacs as they swelled slightly.
And it has to refill! Which means that the best chance to get away from it is-!
It suddenly swung its arm, blasting out a stream of fluid in a horizontal slice. Without even thinking, Izuku ducked underneath it, hearing it splash against a wall behind him before detonating with a *CRACK-BOOM!*
Right after it fires!
Turning, Izuku sprinted away, darting between lamp-posts, mailboxes and trash cans as he ran for the intersection. Sweat was pouring down his face and his legs fell like they were about to fall off, but he kept running. If he could just turn the corner, then…!
"What's going on?!"
A figure landed in front of him, and he almost stumbled with surprise, stopping just short of running into them. Looking up, panting for breath, his eyes widened as he saw an older woman standing in front of him. She wore a skin-tight suit, mostly gray and black around her torso and shoulders, with pale pink under her arms and on her chest. A pair of bracelets floated around each of her wrists, and her neck was guarded by a large metal collar. A rounded pink helmet obscured her eyes, with a curved visor covering the upper part of her face, flanked by a pair of black, finned ear-pieces.
"A Hero?" gasped Izuku, before shaking himself and looking over his shoulder. "P-please, you have to help me! I don't know who or what that is, but-"
The creature roared, throwing up its long arms, and fired off a particularly large blast of fluid directly at Deku. The older woman darted around him, throwing out a hand with a shout. The glob of liquid, which had been speeding towards them, suddenly slowed to a stop, undulating in midair almost as if confused for a moment.
"Re-Entry!" cried the heroine, spreading her fingers. With that, the liquid shot back towards the black monster, splashing into its face.
It gave a screech of shock, swiping angrily at itself, before with a *CRACK-BOOM!* it exploded, knocking the thing to the floor.
"We need to get going before it gets back up," said the woman, turning to him, "Will you be alright if I carry you?"
"E-eh? Ah, it's fine…" he mumbled, before he was scooped up into a pair of toned, strong arms. This is like All Might! Who is she? Is she a new Hero? But more importantly, what is all of this!?
"Hang on tight!" She told him, crouching. Then, with a "Hup!" she leaped up into the sky. As the wind rushed past, making him shut his eyes, he heard her murmur, "Moon Walk!"
With his eyes closed, all he could really focus on was the sensation of them climbing higher and higher, before gently starting to fall.
"It's alright," said the heroine gently, holding him tightly, "I won't let you fall."
He blushed, trying not to focus on how warm her body was as she held him aloft, nor how her tight costume was on her curvaceous form. "R-right…um, are you a new hero? I don't think I've ever s-seen or heard of you before."
"Eh? Hm, I guess that I'm not so famous after all, heheh!" chuckled the heroine nervously.
"S-sorry…I'm normally a huge fan of Heroes. Um, when we get down…"
"You want an autograph? Alright," she agreed, laughing, "Haven't heard anyone ask for that in a long time!" A moment later, they touched down lightly, Izuku barely even feeling it. Opening his eyes, he blushed more brightly at her amused smile. "Ah, right, I should at least name myself! The name's Uravity! What's your name, kiddo?"
"M-Midoriya Izuku. Thank you so much, Uravity-san!" Even as he unslung his backpack (miraculously still largely intact apart from some scorch-marks around the edges), Izuku looked around, and felt the blood drain from his face. He was standing in the entranceway of Alderaan Middle, but it was in ruins like the rest of the area, perhaps even more so than his home! Windows were broken, lights were out, and there was a dead silence in the air, the sakura trees withered and bare. "…What in the world happened?"
Uravity's smile faded slightly. "Well, I had to save you from a Noumu, and then carried you to safety-"
"Not that!" he cried, running a hand through his messy green hair as panic swelled inside him, "This…I just left school an hour ago! How…why is it all destroyed like this? And my home was…I don't even know where my mom is! And then that thing in the woods… I don't understand any of this!" Tears welled up in his eyes as he collapsed to his knees. "I just wanna go home!"
There was a moment of silence, before a hand touched his shoulder. "...Midoriya-kun. You said that it was fine an hour ago? What's changed since then?"
"E-everything! The trees were still alive, and they were even blooming!"
"Please, look at me, Midoriya-kun."
At her gentle command, Izuku rubbed at his eyes, biting his lip as he turned to gaze desperately at the young woman. "Do…do you know what's going on?" he asked, hating how his voice trembled.
Keeping her hand reassuringly on his shoulder, though with her pinky finger lifted away, she reached up with her other hand and pulled off her helmet. She gave him a soft smile, her face rounded, eyes large, but calming. "I think I do," she told him, her face full of honesty. "It's okay, kid. You'll be able to go home, I promise." Then she scowled. "Man, you're really young…what's she thinkin' at a time like this?"
Izuku blinked as a Kansai accent briefly slipped into her muttering. "Th-thank you, Uravity-san…" He rubbed some more at his face. "Ugh…c-c'mon, how can I be a hero if I c-cry over something so minor…?"
"You wanna be a hero, Midoriya-kun?" asked Uravity, raising an eyebrow, before grinning, "Hey, don't worry about it! It's totally normal to be confused in a situation like this!" She ruffled his hair, making him sputter. "And don' you worry about running away earlier, yeah? You're a middle schooler, right? You haven't even started training, an' Noumu like that scare the shi...er, the pants offa' lotsa pros!"
Izuku bit his lip. "E-even so…" He thought back to the day he'd been diagnosed, and his mother's tearful words. "Can I really become a Hero, if I don't have a Quirk?"
The heroine's eyes widened. "You're Quirkless? A kid like you? W-wow, I didn't even know that still happened. Um…" Now she was the one looking uncomfortable. "Listen. I probably don't hafta tell you that bein' a Hero is super dangerous, right?"
He nodded, looking down.
"But!" Uravity cleared her throat. "There's...someone I need to bring you to. They're the one who can send you home."
"R-really? But, my home was…"
"It's- it's complicated! An' you might think I'm crazy if I tell ya myself. But, this person…she can give you an opportunity. How bad do ya wanna be a Hero?"
Izuku looked up again, staring her straight in the eye. "It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do with my life," he told her resolutely, "I want to save people with a smile, like All Might!"
Uravity smiled, but it was tinged with a hint of bitterness. "Like All Might, huh? I dunno about that, but…I can promise you that you might get a chance at that! If I take you to that person, you might be able to become a Hero, Midoriya-kun!"
Izuku's eyes widened. Then the tears started flowing again.
"Ah, no, wait, don't cry!" yelped the woman, waving her hands frantically, "Oh no, oh gosh, wh-what'd I say?!"
"I…!" he sobbed, grabbing at his shirt as he bent double. "I've always…I've always wanted someone to tell me…!" It felt like the clouds had been blown away, letting the sun shine through unabated. Although he'd always kept up his desire, determined to never give up on it, there had always been that shadow of a doubt in his heart. A part of him that knew, deep down, that it was impossible. But now, a Hero was telling him that there was a chance! He started crying again but this time in happiness, despite the despair surrounding the two.
Uravity knelt by him, her hand on his shoulder as she let him cry. Eventually, when his sobs of joy finally died down, she said, "We should go. The others will probably be waiting."
Sniffing, Izuku asked hoarsely, "O-others?"
Putting her helmet back on, the heroine picked him up once more. "You got a strange phone-call before ending up here, right, Midoriya-kun?"
Thinking back, his eyes widened as he remembered the strange ringing, along with the staticy feeling that had come over him when he'd picked up. "Yeah! Yeah, I did! But how do you…?"
"You're not the first one to get Called like that," sighed Uravity, her tone tinged with more than a little annoyance, "There are others, along with the person who called you. C'mon, I'll take you to them, and then you can go home. Moon Walk!"
She leaped into the air again, sailing gracefully over dozens of buildings.
ML
Moments later, she touched down lightly in front of the police station, setting the boy on his feet once more. "C'mon. They're inside."
Nodding nervously, Izuku opened the door and stepped through. After all the bleak devastation he'd seen in the city, he was both slightly surprised and intensely relieved to see activity inside.
Three officers were seated at various desks, working on computers or talking on the phone. One of them, a man with a grey-faced dog head, looked up as they entered. "Uravity-san. It's good to see you-woof. And who is this that you've brought with you?"
…Woof? thought Izuku, blinking.
"Thanks, Chief Kenji," sighed the woman, patting the boy on the back reassuringly, "I found him running around in the old abandoned residential district near the woods. He was being chased by the Blasting Noumu."
The police chief's hackles lifted slightly. "A Noumu…good grief, that's too close to the city. And the Blasting Noumu to boot…" he looked down at Izuku, giving a canine smile. "You did well to run from it, son. That Noumu is one of the nastier monsters running around-woof."
"Noumu…?" asked the boy, frowning in confusion, "Uravity-san mentioned that. What exactly is a Noumu? And, why is my neighborhood abandoned?"
Kenji's eyebrows rose as he looked at the Hero, who nodded and told him, "Midoriya-kun is a Drifter. He told me that he was walking home from school when he received a strange phone call."
"That explains things," sighed the dog-headed man, reaching up to knead his forehead, "The other two arrived a few minutes ago, along with Shinka-san."
"Is she here too?" asked the Hero pointedly, her face darkening for the first time since Deku had seen her, "'Cause I got some words for her…"
"Uravity-san, we don't need her terrorized right now-"
"She called a young kid here and almost got him blown up! If I hadn't been doin' a check-!"
"But you were, woof," said Kenji firmly, "Tokkyou-san does not do what she does out of malice, you know that."
Izuku raised his hand. "Um…could someone please explain?" he asked meekly.
Uravity scratched the back of her neck guiltily, while the police chief woofed and cleared his throat. "Awhoomf. Of course. You said that your name was Midoriya, correct? If you will follow me…"
"Ah, wait!" said the boy, remembering something. Pulling off his backpack, he pulled out his notebook and opened it to a blank page. "C-could you sign, Uravity-san?"
The Hero stared down at him for a moment, before giggling. "Oh yeah, I promised, didn't I? Ah, Chief, do you…?"
Chuckling, the chief handed over a pen, and she scrawled in the book, taking up both pages with a bubbly font (with Katakana to let him know how to pronounce it). Underneath, she also wrote, Safe travels, Midoriya-kun!
Izuku was practically bouncing with giddiness as he took the book back, beaming widely. Then, stowing it, he turned to follow Kenji.
"Uravity-san probably told you already, but you're not the only one to have gone through this ordeal," he explained, "Detective Tsukauchi will probably be better suited to tell you, along with the Tokkyou-san and the others. They're currently in an unused interrogation room."
"Interrogation?" asked Izuku, feeling a bit worried for a moment. Was the person he was supposed to meet a criminal?
"Not to worry, she's harmless. However, she's extremely nervous and prone to paranoia, so she insists on being in enclosed spaces. It might be a little cramped with all of you, but please bear with it."
"R-right! If…if it means I can understand what's happened, then I don't mind!" he said, nodding.
Chuckling, the dog-headed man, led him deeper into the building, towards a black door. He knocked for a moment. "Tsukauchi-san, I've brought the new Drifter."
Izuku heard a muffled voice answering, and the door opened. A man in a trench-coat stood in the frame, looking at him with concerned, tired eyes. "Oh…oh damn, you're pretty young," he mumbled, before clearing his throat, "Right, sorry. Tsukauchi Naomasa." He held out a broad, sturdy hand, which Deku shook quickly. "I'll take it from here, chief. Come in, er…"
"Midoriya Izuku! N-nice to meet you…" said the green-haired boy, bowing his head as he was led inside.
As the door slammed shut behind him, Izuku took a moment to look around the room. There was a large table in the middle, with several chairs set around it, already occupied. An older woman, with streaks of gray in her brown hair, sat impatiently, wearing a white coat and holding an unlit cigarette. Beside her was a sleepy-looking, long-faced man with deep blue hair, wearing a rumpled suit.
Sitting across from them, humming and kicking her feet, was a young girl with black hair, tied up into two spiky tufts. She turned to peer curiously at him, her eyes actually sparkling. Next to her was yet another woman. She sat huddled up in her chair, with her legs folded up, her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing a faded black and green dress. As she looked up, Izuku felt a chill running up his spine as he saw that her face was marked with the same pattern as the phone card he'd picked up that afternoon.
"Hi!" chirped the youngest girl, beaming at him.
"H-hi…" he replied, smiling despite himself. She seemed to be the only person here who didn't look exhausted.
"Oh, a new guy," murmured the long-faced man, "The name's Matsuda. Nice to meet you, but also my condolences I guess."
"Midoriya Izuku…"
Tsukauchi cleared his throat, making the woman in the corner flinch. "Right. So, I'm gonna just take it from the top, for Midoriya-kun's sake."
Matsuda and the older woman sighed, but nodded, reaching into their pockets.
"To start with," began the detective, "Even before you received the phone call that brought you here, you found a strange card, did you not?"
Izuku nodded, reaching into his pocket to pull it out. To his surprise, both Matsuda and his companion also pulled out the card.
"It was the same for us," said the woman, casting a dirty look at the woman in the corner, "These cards just showed up in our lives, and then we got the urge to use 'em. You took the 'quiz,' right?"
"Yes…" said the boy, thinking back, "It was, um…pretty strange."
"The content of the Quiz itself isn't important." He jumped as the marked woman spoke up, her voice hoarse. "It was more important that you heard it."
"This is Tokkyou Kawasemi," explained Tsukauchi, "And her Quirk is the reason that you've been…summoned."
"Summoned?" echoed Izuku, looking down at his card.
The detective nodded. "That's right. There's no real easy way to say this, but…Tokkyou-san's Quirk has caused her to pull you into the future."
His words practically cut Izuku's feet out from under him. He sank into an empty chair, eyes wide as he processed this. Why didn't I realize something like that sooner? he thought, thinking back to the school and his apartment, It wasn't some sort of silent attack. If I'm in the future, then it could've happened a long time ago, from this time's perspective.
But hang on, time travel's supposed to be impossible! No technological field has ever gotten close, and in all the history of Quirks, there's never been something so powerful as being able to-
"Midoriya-kun."
Izuku snapped out of his stupor. "O-oh, sorry, I got lost in my thoughts…please excuse me."
Tsukauchi sighed. "It's a lot to take in, I know," he said, "But that's the truth of it. You have been pulled from about ten years in the past to our present, or your future, by Tokkyou-san."
Izuku bit his lip, thinking about all the devastation he'd seen so far, and the monster that had assaulted him. "Something terrible happened, didn't it? To make things this way."
"Monsters," mumbled Kawasemi, gripping her arms and looking down with a haunted expression, "Monsters with more monsters on the leash. Monsters making people forget what it's like to be human."
"The short answer is, villains," said Tsukauchi grimly, "A group known as the League of Villains. They quickly rose to prominence, gathering up society's outcasts, and joined forces with the remnants of Destro's Liberation Army. It's a wonder the entire country wasn't wiped out in the anarchy that followed. Even to this day, they're still at large, probably waiting to finish us off."
Izuku swallowed. If the Blasting Noumu was any indication, this League of Villains must have been impossible to stop without…he blinked. "What about All Might? He could've stopped them, couldn't he?"
Tsukauchi winced, looking away, and Deku felt a wave of ice cascade into his stomach. "All Might…was drastically weakened by the League's leader. The man who he'd been training to take his place was killed some time before that."
"Now hold on a second," interrupted the white-clad woman, her eyes narrowing, "That's not what you told us last time."
"It isn't?" he asked, frowning.
Matsuda nodded. "Yeah, you told us that he was still alive, but fighting a losing battle alone." He looked at Kawasemi. "How did things change so fast?"
The marked woman said nothing, but the way her eyes shifted towards Izuku made him feel uncomfortable.
"I…" Izuku swallowed, trying to think past the knowledge that his childhood idol was dead, "I don't…I mean, I understand how and why all this happened now. But, I don't really understand what I'm supposed to be able to do about, well, a-any of it! I'm…" he looked down with some shame, "I'm Quirkless…"
"Quirkless, huh?" said the older woman, chuckling, "Well, who would've thought?"
"A third one?" asked Kawasemi, her eyes widening, "Is this fate…?"
Tsukauchi looked similarly surprised. "That's…" Then he cleared his throat. "We'll get to that in a moment. I understand that you're apprehensive about your chances, Midoriya-kun, but as you might have been told, it is possible to send you back to your time, where you can then change this one."
Kawasemi nodded. "My power lets me feel the ripples you make," she told him, "I may cast out and pull you in blindly, but each time, the future changes. I don't remember what has changed, only that it has. Your arrival in particular has created waves."
"And more to the point," continued Tsukauchi, "We have a way to help you make changes on your end." He waved a hand to indicate the young girl, who beamed proudly. "Yaoyorozu Shinka, another person with a powerful Quirk."
"Yuuuup~!" boasted the child, "I can make your powers stronger! An' it's peri- perna…um, what's the word for when it lasts forever?"
"Permanent?" supplied Izuku, smiling despite himself.
"Yeah, that!"
"Wow! That's so cool!" he praised, "But…how does that help me if I'm Quirkless?"
The older woman chuckled. "Yeah, well, so were we. Shinka-chan's Quirk works differently on a Quirkless person."
Izuku looked at her, confused. Then he remembered what Uravity had told him.
"You might get the chance to become a Hero!"
He smiled slowly. "I see…so that's it. So...what's going to happen?"
"Shinka-chan will use her Quirk on you. Then we have another person who can do the reverse of Tokkyou-san's power, to send you back to your own time. As for what you can do to change the future-"
"It's alright," Izuku interrupted him, smiling, "I know what I'm going to do. If Shinka-chan is going to give me power…then I'm going to use that power to apply for Yuuei Academy, and become a Hero!" He looked at the woman who had called him to the future. "Would that change anything, Kawasemi-san?"
She blinked at him, licking her lips idly. "I…have no way to know that, until it happens. But whatever you feel you must do, by all means do it."
"I will!" Then Izuku turned to Shinka. "Um…s-so, what do you have to do, Shinka-chan?"
The young girl stood up on her chair, holding out her hand with a gap-toothed grin. "Shake!"
"O-oh, okay!" Standing up himself, he gingerly grasped her small, soft hand.
"Okaaaaay~" trilled Shinka, shaking his hand, "Wake up, Izu-san!"
For a moment, Izuku felt his hair rising, as his hand glowed where he touched her. Then, there came a powerful jolt that rocketed up his arm and radiated throughout his body, making him jump back with a yelp.
"Eheheee~" giggled the young girl, putting her hands on her hips proudly. "All done!"
ML
"Don't worry, that's about the only time you have to do that," muttered the older woman as they left the room, "But I gotta warn you, there're gonna be side effects for people like us."
Izuku gulped. "Side effects?!"
"Oi, Satori-sensei, don't say it like that," chided Matsuda, slouching as he trailed at the back, the three Drifters currently exiting the station, "You'll just scare the kid. Jeez, are you sure you're a doctor? Your bedside manners are terrible!"
The graying doctor gave an irritable huff. "You'd be mad too if you had to rearrange your patients' schedules because you're liable to go missing without warning!"
The man raised his hands. "Hey, it's not that convenient for me either! My boss is starting to think I'm just skipping work at random!"
Izuku watched the two argue and he couldn't help but laugh. When the two turned to him, he commented, "You know, I never thought that today could go like this."
"Like what?" asked Satori, her expression lightening considerably.
He rubbed the back of his head. "All this. Being taken to the future by a phone call, seeing your home destroyed, rescued by a Hero, being told I can be one, and then seeing you acting like this is something normal…it's a lot, and I'm glad that there's a chance we can change all of this."
Both people turned to look at him with astonishment. "...There should be a limit to youthful optimism," grumbled Satori, even as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, "It makes me feel old, damnit."
"O-oh…sorry, then."
"Don't be," chuckled Matsuda, ruffling Izuku's hair, "The two of us are too old and were Quirkless for too long. We can't be Heroes, so you'll just have to be one for us. Think you can do that?"
He beamed, eyes gleaming. "Yes! I can!" Then he paused. "Um, speaking of which, since we were Quirkless, what exactly does Shinka's Quirk do to us?"
Satori gave a smirk. "We'll tell you once it manifests. Until then, here." She handed him a business card, labeled Dr. Kara Satori. "Our contact info, for when it happens."
Matsuda handed over his card a bit more formally, using both hands and bowing slightly. "Er, force of habit. I'm just a salaryman, so I don't get to do this that often," he commented, laughing self-consciously.
They left the police station, the chief waving to them, and headed down the street. "She should be just around the corner," commented the blue-haired man, jerking his head.
"Is- is this another person like Kawasemi-san?" asked Izuku.
"No idea," answered Satori, shrugging, "Whoever she is, only ever interacts with us to send us home. I've just learned to not look a gift horse in the mouth."
A moment later, the three Drifters rounded the corner and came face to face with another young girl. From her height and slim build, she looked to be around Izuku's age, with long white hair that hung about her, down to her waist and obscuring her face. A medical mask covered up even more, but a short, stubby horn protruded from her right temple.
"Card," she said, in a flat, muffled voice.
"Yeah, yeah." Satori was already drawing out her red and black Psyren card, before handing it over.
This new girl took it, her pale hands distinctly bony, especially compared with the baggy jacket she wore. She held it for a moment, turning it over in her hands, before with a flicker, it vanished.
Sighing with relief, the older woman then took out a cell phone. "Finally. Thought this trip would never end. Seeya round, Matsuda, Midoriya-kun." The phone began to ring, and she immediately answered. "Hello."
Izuku gave a gasp as she too disappeared, a faint crackling left behind.
"The card will come back to you even if you drop it, by the way," Matsuda commented, taking out his card next. A number appeared in the black corner. "Once this zeroes out, you're in the clear." He handed it over to the girl, and a few moments later, he too was gone, leaving Izuku alone with the stranger.
"U-um…" he stared awkwardly at her. "Nice to meet you?"
A red eye just blinked dully at him from behind her curtain of stark hair. "Card."
Something told him that he wouldn't get anything else out of her. "Right. Sorry to keep you waiting, then…" he gave her the card.
His cell phone rang, making him scramble to pull it out. The screen was once again marked with the same stylized eye that had caused this whole incident to begin with. Taking a deep breath, he answered it and put it to his ear. "Hello?"
The world blurred, and the fuzzy feel of static suffused his whole body.
Then everything snapped back into focus, and the girl was gone. The street lights were just starting to flicker on, with the sun starting to set. People were walking the streets, and the buildings were properly lit.
All was well.
Izuku sagged, knees growing weak as he tried not to cry with sheer relief. Uravity had been right. He was back home. And now, he had a real, genuine chance to become a Hero.
But first, he had to check in with his mom.
ML
Inko perked up as she heard the door open. "Izuku? You're home late are you…" She stopped and saw the worn out look in his eyes. "Honey, what happened? W-why are you so ragged?! What happened to your clothes?!"
Izuku said nothing and just staggered over to her. Before the woman could react, he wrapped his arms around her.
"O-oh…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged him back. "Izuku...are you okay?"
"I…missed you, mom."
She smiled, squeezing him. "You're a sweet boy, baby."
"Right…" He released the hug and stepped back, stumbling as he suddenly felt lightheaded, hot and cold at the same time. "I…I think I need to lie down for a bit…"
Something on his face must have worried her, because she suddenly frowned and put a hand to his forehead. "Yes you should, young man! You're burning up! I'll make you some tea, you just get changed and lie down!"
Izuku stumbled over to the couch and collapsed onto it, groaning as he unbuttoned his school shirt. He gazed blankly up at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened over the last two hours. The Noumu. The destruction. Uravity and her inspiring words. The strange, off-kilter Tokkyou Kawasemi, Shinka and the mysterious white-haired girl. The future and how bleak it was…how it need to be made better.
…How he might be able to make a difference.
He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize his own issues until his mom screamed. "Izuku!"
"Huh…?"
"Your nose!"
Groggily, he lifted his head, and touched his face. His fingers came away soaked in red. "O-oh…I'm bleeding." His vision blurred as blood began dripping from his nose. Is this what they meant by side effects…?
"D-don't get up, I'll get you a wash-cloth!" stammered his mother, hurrying out of the room.
Getting up was the last thing on his mind. His head was swimming, and his body felt unbearably heavy. Maybe he could just lie down for a moment. He was so tired…
"IZUKU!"
But it was too late. He was already drifting off.
ML
AN: Oof. Three whole years. That's a long time to get writer's block. But that's all in the past now. And now Deku can say the same! The crossover has properly begun, with elements of PSYREN reformatted to fit with Boku no Hero's setting.
In case it wasn't clear, Kawasemi is intended to be the analogue for Nemesis Q. For those unaware, Nemesis Q is the entity who calls people who find Psyren Cards to the future in the manga. Here, Nemesis Q is a Quirk, so to speak.
And speaking of which, it's time for some notes!
Yaoyorozu Shinka
Age: 4
Quirk: Awakening (Alternate name: Once Upon a Time)
By touching someone, Shinka can cause a person's quirk to undergo a drastic metamorphosis, greatly expanding its capabilities. Of course, this strengthening can only be done once per person. When used on a person without her Quirk, the effects are quite different!
Uravity
Age: 25
Quirk: All Fall Down
Having been Awakened by Shinka's Quirk, Uravity has a tremendous amount of control over the force of gravity! Float like the moon, crash like a meteor!
Tokkyou Kawasemi
Age: 38
Quirk: Time Fishing (Nemesis Q)
By imbuing certain objects with her Quirk, Kawasemi can send them into the past, hoping for someone to find them and end up being drawn into the present! She has no control over who will find them, however, so it all comes down to the luck of the draw. However, she can freely summon copies of herself out of the past, and while she can send them back at will, other people who have been pulled will have to find other ways back.
? ? ?
Age: 14
Quirk: Mirror Image
Another person who's been Awakened by Yaoyorozu Shinka. This sad girl has the ability to mimic the powers of others, but in reverse! Quite mysterious. But she is invaluable for Kawasemi's Psyren Drifters to find their way home.
The Blasting Noumu
Age: ? ? ?
Quirks
1. Explosion: This monster secretes sweat that acts similar to nitroglycerine, which can be detonated on command.
2. Fluid Storage: The Noumu possesses stretchy sacs all over its body, which it can fill with an excess of any of its bodily fluids.
3. High Pressure: The Noumu can release a high-pressure jet of air or fluids from nozzles on its wrists.
That's all for now. I can't promise it won't take me a long time to update this again, but I at least know where I'm going with this. As always, if you have a question or comment, please leave a review or send me a PM.
North South Out.