"Midoriya!" Hizashi cried in alarm as the boy slumped forward. Shouta gently lowered him to the ground, and started taking his vitals with practiced ease.
"How is he?" Hizashi asked, kneeling down next to them. "I mean, his rose is mostly okay, so he can't be hurt too badly, right?"
"I think he just passed out from the stress." Shouta said. Hizashi let out a relieved sigh.
"Can't say I blame him. First getting attacked by the Lady in Blue right off the bat, then going through that whole chase scene, that's a lot to deal with in a short amount of time."
"Especially for a young, untrained civilian." Shouta agreed. "We should wait until he wakes up before we get moving again."
"Yeah, good idea, and not just for him. He's not the only one that's stressed here." Hizashi said with a wry smile. Shouta couldn't argue with that.
"It'd be nice if we didn't have to rest in the middle of the hallway; its too open here."
"We could try that door." Hizashi nodded toward the gray door at the end of the hall. "If it leads to a room that isn't dangerous, then at least we'd be out of sight if our stalkers back there manage to break through."
Shouta nodded, and picked Izuku up. He placed him just outside the door, and then went in to investigate with Hizashi. The room was square, and fairly small. There weren't any immediate dangers visible, no statues or painting ladies. There was some sort of abstract painting in the back of the room, which Hizashi thought looked vaguely like a bird on a branch. The only other things in the room were a couple of book cases, with a flower vase between them, sitting in the very center of the room.
"Well, that's a good sign, I think. So far places with flower vases have been safe, well, safer than other places anyway." Hizashi noted.
The room passed inspection, so Shouta brought Izuku inside and laid him down beside the book cases. Hizashi took off his jacket and draped it over Izuku, hoping that the extra warmth would help, and Shouta placed a soft cover book beneath his head. It wasn't the best of pillows, but it would hopefully save him from getting a crick in his neck. Once that was done, Shouta started to go over to the book cases, but Hizashi grabbed a hold of his wrist.
"We can look at those later. Let's take a break for a bit, huh?"
A part of Shouta wanted to protest. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, and sitting around wouldn't accomplish that. But they had been running around this madhouse nonstop for a while now, and hadn't really taken the time to deal with everything that had happened since they entered. Some time to think might not be a bad idea. So he let Hizashi pull him over to the corner and sat down next to him, both of them facing so they could see Midoriya.
"This place just gets more confusing the further in we go." Shouta muttered. Hizashi nodded emphatically.
"I know! I mean, I think we're getting better at figuring out what might or might not try to kill us, but that's just us paying attention to things that did it before. It doesn't give us any clues about what might decide to spring to life in the future. Not to mention that our motivation theory makes no sense anymore."
"Right. I can see someone going after the two of us, but what's the kid got to do with anything? I can't think of any connection I have to him, you?"
Hizashi shook his head. "Neither of his names ring any bells for me. And if someone is doing this and has something else against the kid and just happens to have something against us too, then it's next to impossible that they would know we'd all be here at the gallery today. I mean, someone with a foresight quirk might know, but it's rare to have one that accurate, plus it wouldn't explain how we got trapped here."
"Could have hired someone who had a quirk able to trap us all. Still, seems kinda far fetched for one person's motivation."
"More far fetched than this entire situation?" Hizashi asked with raised eyebrows. Shouta snorted.
"Fair point. Should still consider other options though. You read about the exhibit before coming, right? Anything jump out at you?"
"Hmmmm...now that you mention it, there were a couple forum threads that got kinda weird. The title of one implied the place was haunted, but I didn't bother to read any of it. Figured it was just the typical stuff inspired by an artist being dead and having done some weird works in the past."
"...is that why you brought up the place being 'haunted' by Guertena earlier?"
"Kind of, but I was thinking more about an article that talked about his death. Apparently he was found in his studio. It looked like he died of overwork or exhaustion, right after completing the painting he had been working on. Which, I suppose, makes it his last painting. And...I don't know, just the idea that he'd managed to work himself to death over his art..."
"It was like his art was his life, so he gave his last bit of life to it?"
"Something like that. I mean, he was getting on in years, so dying of natural causes isn't that hard to believe. But, that in combination with seeing that thread topic, it makes you wonder..."
Shouta hummed, not yet willing to commit to any theory like that. "What about Guertena's quirk? Could he have done anything like this?"
Hizashi frowned, his brow wrinkling in thought. "You know...now that you mention it...I don't think any of the sites mentioned what his quirk was."
"Really?" Given how quirk obsessed their society was, Shouta found that hard to believe. "Not a single one?"
"Not that I can think of. Most of the ones I looked at focused on his work and the circumstances of his death though, so maybe they just didn't think it was relevant?" Hizashi gave a helpless shrug and crossed his arms.
Shouta supposed that was possible; not everyone based their career around their quirk after all. Still, it did seem strange that it wouldn't even get a passing mention. He filed the curiosity away for later analysis.
"When we were exploring the last room, I found a book that was like a visitors sign in log." Shouta said, deciding to switch angles. "The only entry I found it started out normal, with the writer saying how fun the gallery was, but it ended with the writer asking the reader to 'join' them here and that 'you'll be fine with all this company'."
Hizashi shivered. "Well, that's not creepy at all. You're just coming out with this now?"
"Wasn't sure if it meant anything. It could have just been another scare tactic, and I didn't want to freak out the kid." Shouta said with a shrug. They both looked over at the sleeping Izuku. Considering his current state, keeping that under wraps may have been the best for now.
"Well, I suppose this gives us more evidence to argue about just how sentient the gallery is." Hizashi murmured.
As they began to discuss that, their attention shifted back to each other, so they missed how Izuku began to twitch in his sleep.
He was stuck. He had to get out. Why wouldn't the door open? The knob wouldn't turn, but it had to he needed to get out. He had to get back to Mom!
BAM! BAM! BAM!
No. no no no no no they were trying to get in. He had to keep them out. He had to get out. He had to run but he was stuck! Where was Mom? Where was Mr. Mic and Mr. Aizawa?
There was another door. When was there another door? He had to go through it. Had to get away.
He went through. NO NO NO too close too close cornered they were everywhere and the door was locked someone help me Help Me HELP ME
Izuku jolted awake, and for a moment he could do nothing but suck in lung fulls of air. When his vision focused again, he was met with the sight of concerned eyes and long blonde hair.
"Take it easy kiddo, just breathe, you were having a nightmare." Mr. Mic soothed.
Izuku's mind flashed back to Mr. Aizawa helping with his breathing, and he did his best to replicate it. Slowly, his breath evened out, and he moved to sit up. Something fell down into his lap, and he looked down in surprise. His face started to heat up when he realized it was Mr. Mic's jacket.
"What happened?"
"You passed out, kid." A gruff voice answered. Izuku looked up to see Mr. Aizawa standing by a bookshelf near Izuku's feet.
When the words sunk in, Izuku's eyes went wide with alarm. He looked down at himself, but couldn't find any bad injuries. There were a couple red welts on his arms, but otherwise he looked and felt fine.
"You didn't get majorly injured, just lost a few petals." Hizashi said, surmising what the kid was looking for. "We think you just got exhausted."
Izuku felt his face heat up again. "I- I'm sorry. I slowed you down because I couldn't keep up." He said, hanging his head in shame. Kaachan was right, he really was useless. He passed out after just a bit of running.
"Ah, don't be like that Izuku. We're trained pros, we got better stamina than most people. Plus, you haven't had a chance to rest since you met your first painting lady, it's impressive you made it this far. It's no wonder a mad dash like that tuckered you out."
"I guess..." 'Mr. Mic is probably just trying to make me feel better. He really is a great hero.' With his eyes down, Izuku didn't notice the look Mr. Mic shared with Aizawa.
"So, Izuku, you said you wanted to be a hero right?" Hizashi asked.
Izuku's head shot up, the topic causing him to brighten instantly. "Yeah! Definitely!"
"That's the kind of spirit I like to see! You know where you wanna go to school for it?" Hizashi smiled brightly and Izuku smiled to match it.
"UA! It's where all the best pros come from!"
"Well, that's certainly accurate if I do say so myself. They produced me after all. And Shouta too, I guess." Shouta snorted, and Izuku giggled.
"So, are you practicing for the entrance exam already? What kind of stuff are you doing with your quirk?"
Just like that, Izuku instantly deflated. He was really hoping he wouldn't have to tell them...
"Um...I haven't really practiced...anything like that..."
"Oh, are you worried about quirk restrictions? I know my elementary school teachers made them sound like really scary punishments. Most actual officers are pretty forgiving when it's kids though, and you can always practice in your home. Unless you need more space to practice, but I could recommend a few places that are out of the way for stuff like that."
Each understanding, encouraging word only made more knots twist in Izuku stomach. He fiddled nervously with the collar of Mr. Mic's jacket.
"It's not that I'm scared, or don't have a place, I just...I can't." Izuku deep breath. "Because I'm quirkless."
Izuku had gotten used to a number of different reactions when he told people this. Pity was the most common, awkwardness and dismissal were close seconds. Revulsion was a rarer case, but it still happened, especially with kids around his own age.
"...oh."
Izuku grimaced. That definitely sounded like a pity reaction.
"I, I know it's not gonna be easy, but I'm gonna do it! I can be a hero without a quirk if I try!" Izuku's voice was low and fierce, but he kept his eyes down. He didn't want to see the looks the heroes must be giving him.
"Wha- no! I mean, I didn't mean it like that! Of course you can be a hero!"
The words sent a jolt through Izuku's whole body; his head flew up so fast he almost wrenched his neck.
"You think...do you really mean that?"
Izuku's voice trembled. No one, not even his mother, had ever said that to him, and he hardly dared to hope he'd heard right. But Present Mic's smile was genuine, not mocking, and his gaze was soft.
"Of course I do, little listener. I was just surprised is all, not many kids would have the determination to keep chasing that dream despite the, uh, a setback like that. But you don't have to have a super powerful quirk to be a good hero. Take Shouta for instance, he can erase people's quirks, but when it comes to the actual fighting he's essentially quirkless."
Izuku's shifted his gaze to the man standing by his feet. "You are?"
Aizawa nodded. "Basically, yeah."
"So...do you think I could be a hero too?"
Aizawa hummed, and knelt down on one knee. "Well, that depends."
"...on what?" Izuku asked nervously.
"On what you've been doing to prepare."
Izuku frowned. "But, how can I prepare if I don't have a quirk?"
Aizawa muttered something that might have been 'this is what's wrong with society today', but Izuku wasn't quite sure.
"Tell me kid, what is being a hero all about? What does a hero do?"
"They help people and protect everyone they can with a smile on their face!" Izuku answered instantly. Aizawa muttered something again. This time Izuku only caught the words 'All Might' before the man continued.
"Helping people is a big part of it, yeah. So do you practice that?"
Izuku tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, I always try to help Mom with stuff around the house, and we have some older neighbors and I try to help them with stuff too. Oh! I helped Mrs. Nakamura get her cat out of a tree once. Does that count?"
Aizawa's lips twitched, and Mic held up a hand to hide his mouth.
"It sure does, little listener!"
"It's a good start. Now, you said protecting people from villains was part of the job too. How are you preparing for that?"
"Oh...well...I don't really know much about fighting or anything." Izuku admitted. "I guess I thought that the school would teach that, since kids aren't really supposed to practice fighting with their quirks before they get into a hero school."
"Public quirk usage is strictly prohibited, especially for fighting other people." Aizawa confirmed. "But there are places, dojos and gyms, where people can practice those things. Some are designed and reinforced to withstand quirk usage, but there are plenty that focus on giving people regular defense and marital arts skills."
"So, if I go to one of those, and learn about fighting and stuff before trying for UA, I can be a hero?" Izuku asked, eyes shining with a newfound hope. Aizawa hummed.
"You've got a good head on your shoulders, kid. You think quickly under pressure, and you've got a good sense of how to use your environment to help you get out of a bad situation. Plus you already know how to listen to others."
"You're questions earlier were really detailed too." Present Mic cut in. "I don't normally get questions that in-depth about my quirk."
"So we can add observant and detail oriented to the list. Those are all important qualities for a hero to have, but you're going to need more physical strength and skills if you hope to get into any hero school, much less UA. You'll need to keep practicing all those other skills I mentioned on top of it too. Think you can handle that, Midoriya?"
Izuku's hands balled into fists. "Yeah! I can! I'm gonna find one of those gyms or a dojo as soon as I get out of here! And, and I'll keep studying quirks and working hard at school!"
"YEAH! That's what I'm talking about! Go beyond, Plus ultra!" Present Mic held up his hand for a high five, and Izuku smacked it. Aizawa simply nodded.
"You keep your word on that, and I think you'll have a chance."
Izuku's eyes began to shimmer, and soon tears were streaming down his cheeks.
"Thank you! Thank you both so much!"
'Maybe I should talk to Nedzu about adding a note to UA's website.' Aizawa thought to himself. Hizashi was handing Izuku tissues again, an action which was making the boy blubber even more, and thought about what the boy had said. It wasn't uncommon for people to think that all they had to do was show off a sufficiently flashy quirk and that the hero school would handle the rest. Few thought to train their bodies as hard as their quirk, despite the fact that the body, and sometimes support items, were the only things a hero had to fall back on if their quirk failed them. It would be helpful if more incoming hero students understood that, or at least had some basic defense training under the belts. So adding a suggestion of such training to the UA application website might not be a bad idea.
Aizawa had been surprised when Izuku said he was quirkless, though it made sense in hindsight. Pretty much every young kid he met was eager to either show off or explain their quirk to the adults around them, and Izuku hadn't said a word about his own. Aizawa had originally brushed it off as not wanting to risk getting in trouble for using it 'publicly' in front of a couple of pro heroes, and had been too thankful for the kid's restraint to really question it. The last thing they needed was the kid running into a fight to try and impress them or something. Still, considering how many questions Izuku had asked about their own quirks when he first met them, he probably should have suspected something more was going on.
A kid determined to be a hero without a quirk. He had to admit that just the notion of that was pretty bold. What really caught Aizawa's attention though, was how Izuku reacted to Hizashi's presumed rejection of the idea. The kid hadn't immediately become hopeless or started fishing for reassurance; he'd quietly but firmly defended himself. Resiliance, a willingness to stand back up and keep going despite the world doing everything it could to hold you down, was one of the most important traits for being a successful hero. That, as much as any of the others things he listed, showed Izuku's potential to become a hero.
Izuku had calmed down while Aizawa mused, and had moved on to talking to Hizashi about their narrow escape. Now that the immediate danger had passed, it seemed Izuku felt free to gush about the different tactics and abilities the two pros had shown off during the escape.
"You were so cool fending those statues off with the stool Mr. Mic, like the lion tamer at the circus! You never used your quirk on them though. Does it not work on them because they don't have heads? Or is it because you can't aim as well without your support times?"
"Not having my support items was part of it. It's also because of how narrow those hallways were. Even if I had my speakers, using my quirk in such a small space would have risked hurting you and Shouta. Plus, it would have been bad if I made so much noise that the other paintings could follow it and surround us even faster."
"Oh yeah, I didn't think about that..."
"You make a good point about the statues though. We've been doing our best to avoid confrontation and stealth our way through, so I haven't tried to use my quirk on any of the artwork. But the statues not having ears means there's a good chance it wouldn't do anything against them."
As the two continued to talk, the earlier conversation between Hizashi and himself came back to the fore front of Aizawa's mind. They hadn't really made any headway on figuring out why they were all here, and whether or not there was any intelligent design behind it. He still didn't want to scare the kid, but if he had any information that might be helpful to them...
"Hey kid, you up for a couple serious questions?"
Izuku startled slightly at the interruption, and a small amount of guilt flashed through him for ruining the chipper mood. Still, these were questions that need to be asked sooner rather than later.
"I guess so...what is it?"
"Hizashi and I have been trying to figure out how we all got here, and the more information we have the easier that will be to figure out."
"I thought we already found out we all got here through the paintings in the first gallery." Izuku said, frowning in confusion.
"Yeah, that was the method, but it doesn't tell us the why." Hizashi explained. "Like, did someone's quirk do this? If it did, then was the creation of this place on purpose or accidental? We can't be the only people who saw the 'Fabricated World', so were we targeted or did it happen randomly? That sort of thing."
"Oh, I thought about that a little. I figured it was a quirk, because I don't know what else could do this, but I didn't think of all that other stuff."
"Did anyone besides you and your mother know you would be going to the gallery today?" Aizawa asked. Izuku shook his head.
"I don't think so. You remember when you did the question answer thing earlier and I told you about what happened to my school?"
"You would normally have school today, but it was canceled because a pipe burst at your school and they needed to take some time to repair it." Aizawa confirmed.
"Yeah, that. Mom said she had been planning to take me to the gallery as a surprise outing over the weekend, but we decided to go today since it would be less crowded that way."
"So even if someone else had known you were planning to come here they wouldn't have known you'd do it today."
"Uh huh."
Well, that certainly lent more evidence to this place choosing at random rather than targeting them specifically...
"Are you interested in art?" Hizashi asked.
"Sorta? I draw heroes in my notebooks sometimes, and I'd like to get better at that, but otherwise I don't think about it too much." Izuku said with a shrug.
"If you aren't into art, then why did your mother decide to bring you to the gallery as a surprise?"
Izuku blushed lightly. "Oh, that was more to do with, um, what we were talking about earlier, about me being quirkless."
"What does the art gallery have to do with you being quirkless?"
"Well, Guertena was quirkless, wasn't he?"
Hizashi's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He was?"
"Well, that's what my Mom said." Izuku fiddled with the collar of Hizashi's jacket. "She told me that he made a lot of really cool things and became famous even though he didn't have a quirk to help him make all his stuff."
"I believe you little listener, I'm just surprised she knew that. I looked into the gallery a bit before coming, and I don't remember Guertena's quirk, or his lack of a quirk, being mentioned anywhere."
Apparently Izuku's mother had a friend who was really into Guertena's work and had gotten her into it too, but Aizawa was only partially listening to that. It didn't surprise him much that Guertena being quirkless wasn't mentioned in the articles Hizashi had read. It wasn't uncommon for history to conveniently 'forget' that a famous person was a part of a minority group, especially after their passing. What irked him was that they still had no leads. No one should have known any of them were going to the gallery today, and Guertena being quirkless made it unlikely that he had somehow caused all of this. It didn't make sense for it to be some serial kidnapping because those kinds of criminals almost always had a type, and the three of them all differed in age and appearance.
Was it possible that Hizashi was right and this was all some kind of supernatural event? Or had someone's quirk gone haywire and all of them being here was some monumental coincidence?
Either of those answers seemed just as likely to be true at this point. Honestly, that frustrated him more than anything else he had come across here. Why them? What the hell did any this mean? Did it mean anything at all?
Izuku's laugh broke through his mounting frustration.
He could tell from Hizashi's grin and Izuku's giggles that his fiance must have told some corny joke. The sight of the two of them, Izuku's tears long forgotten and Hizashi preening from his success, made Aizawa's frustration fade into the background.
Did it really matter how they came to be here? Knowing might help them, or it might not. The only thing that truly mattered was getting home, and that's what they were going to do. Aizawa would make sure of it.
A.N.
Hope you guys like the new chapter! Sorry this one was a tad late (and that it's taking me so long to respond to comments), but I'm gonna let you know ahead of time that the next chapter might take more than a week as well. I'm trying to finish a chapter for another story I've mine that I've left unattended for longer than intended, so I'm gonna try to focus on getting that done first. Thank you for your patience!