Welcome back to my little side project! Due to issues with my account, my beta-reader has not yet gotten back in touch with me, so this is as good as it's gonna get until then.
"Normal speech."
thinking/ flashback dialogue/ emphasis
{Speaker phone speech}
[SQUIP Speech]
(SQUIP silently processing)
Read text being Displayed
Izuku simply stared at the hologram, who's "hands" were in its pockets. This hologram … it had to be the SQUIP; there was no other explanation!
"Deku?"
He was too in shock from this revelation to notice Katsuki, who almost seemed less interested in murdering him.
He … he needed to go somewhere; anywhere! He needed to find a quiet, isolated space and process this! Slowly, he stood up, and walked off.
"Oi, Deku?" Katsuki called after him. "Where do think you're goin'? We're not done here, nerd!"
Izuku suddenly remembered he had almost gone through with the process that came after the signing of his death warrant. "Oh, uh, s-sorry Kacchan." He called back, his voice droning. "Something just came up. I have to head home." He ran off. "You can kill me tomorrow."
Katsuki decided he didn't need to be wasting his time. He'd take the little shit up on his offer and wait. With that in mind, he stormed off.
Izuku, meanwhile, was walking down the street, openly staring at where the SQUIP's hologram floated in front of him as he walked along. He looked like Ken Watanabe.
[This is my default appearance.] The physical manifestation of the supercomputer explained, as if it had read his mind. [You can also set me to …] the hologram disappeared, then reappeared just as quickly, with a different appearance, that of a familiar old pro hero. [… Crimson Riot …] it then shifted its appearance again, to a much more recent individual [… Present Mic … or …] it then shifted to the appearance of a certain R-rated hero. [Perhaps Midnight grabs your attention better.*Giggle*]
Izuku blushed. K-K-Ken Watanabe's fine. Wait … the way this ... SQUIP had responded as if he'd talked about its appearance out loud ... it heard him think that? This was just like telepathy! Of course, it made sense. It was implanted in his brain, supposedly. How would it not know what was literally on his mind?
[And you're right to only think at me.] The computer said. [You're the only one who can see me. If you were talking out loud, people would see you having an animated conversation with yourself.] It gestured to the few people walking by. [Don't do that.] It said rather dryly. [Just keep our conversations mental.]
Izuku simply nodded.
(Operation: find program objective. Accessing memories. Conducting brainwave reading. Objective found.)
[You installed me to assist you in becoming a hero, despite being Quirkless. Okay, wow. That's a big objective in mind. It's within my boundaries, but most SQUIPs just deal with simple improvement of social standing.]
Y-yeah, I know. Izuku confessed, rubbing the back of his head. It's pathetic. I'm sorry.
[You've got nothing to apologize for. It's my function to do whatever I can to improve your life. If anything, this means I can make the most of my functionality. And it is possible.]
Izuku beamed at this, and sucked in a breath.
[However, I will not be able to make you nearly as big as All Might.]
Izuku barely reacted to that. Deep down, he already knew that very well. It had been yelled at him until his ears were numb, beaten into his every bruise, and he'd been laughed off when he tried to protest otherwise. But even despite that, he also knew it as fact, that All Might had a powerful Quirk that put him above everyone else. And he had no Quirk at all.
And because he knew it factually, he had long since come to terms with it. If he could be a hero at all, that was all that mattered. The greenette stared at the ground, swearing that he would make the most of what he had. And now that he had the SQUIP to guide him, he didn't need to worry about being a failure the rest of his life.
[I only said I could not bring you to All Might's level. As I said, your desires otherwise are attainable]
Izuku turned his gaze back to the supercomputer's visage.
[But we do have an awfully long way to go.]
Now that Izuku thought about it, since this computer was in his brain, what else could it do besides give instructions? There was a possibility, however nonexistent, that it had access to his nervous system and his sensory organs. It might be able to shut off his pain receptors so he would no longer feel pain. Not that that would always be useful or even useful normally. What were the chances it could improve his senses? There was no doubt it had access to internet information. It was a computer after all. Heck, if things worked out, this SQUIP could be a quirk in its own ri-
*ZAP*
"OW!"
[I initiated your pain receptors via stimulation in your spinal column. It's how I'll motivate you to actually follow instructions.] His SQUIP's hologram appeared next to him [You appear to have a habit of muttering. We'll need to fix that. It creeps people out, and it's distracting.] Izuku winced at the reminder of his bad habit. [From what psychological data I've gathered, this is out of a repressed desire for approval. When you think extremely hard on something, you want to share it even more. So you mutter in the hopes that someone will hear you and they'll be impressed.]
Izuku's vision dropped to the ground for the nth time that day.
[I can see this is going to be difficult.]
Maybe so. Izuku thought. But it isn't going to be impossible, otherwise, what would be the point?
[You are correct. While I am agreeing to make you into a hero, I will also help you be more chill.]
Izuku looked slightly lost. Do … do you mean cool?
[I do not.] The SQUIP said flatly. [You see, human social activity has rules. I am programmed with the processing capacity to understand these rules ...] He grinned ambitiously at the verdette. [… and pass them on to you.]
Izuku looked on in awe. To outsiders, he looked like he was having an epiphany to an enigma he had been trying to solve for years.
[First things first: go get a haircut.]
That was not the first command Izuku had expected from his brain-implanted quantum supercomputer. Of course, that didn't stop him from going straight to the local mall for a trip to the barbers. What will that do?
[It's a mess of curls. Changing it to a new style will make you 28% more attractive, particularly the style I will have from you to relay to the barber. While we're walking there, we'll be working on your posture. Arch your back. Puff out your chest. Lift up your head. Unclench your jaw.]
Izuku followed the instructions relayed to him. Suddenly, he felt ... taller. Granted, he was still shorter than most but ... that actually made him feel better. Suddenly, he looked around. He could see men in suits walking home from work now. Other teenagers making plans to stay at each other's homes. Even a family or two, who looked like they were having a good time. He was actually looking at his surroundings.
It was a small change, yet it felt like a big difference.
A short time later, Izuku was walking down the street with a fresh new cut of hair, his once green-and-black curls shortened down and combed against his head into short, back-pointing spikes. His SQUIP had also ordered him to buy new clothes, since the ones he had were without any aesthetic to speak of. He was now dressed in Jeans and a Midnight Rain T-shirt.
How will new clothes help me again?
[Indiscernible. My quantum processor allows me to envision probable futures. I detect a favorable outcome from this. That is all you need to know. Besides, your aesthetic sense is nonexistent. You've got to be the most nondescript host I could have.]
It wasn't what he'd had in mind, but he felt like a different person already. His SQUIP had now told him to head to the park, where they would be getting serious.
So there he stood, at the start of a track that lead nowhere in particular except right back to where it started. He had a feeling he knew what was about to happen.
[Okay Izuku, we're going to devise a system. Every time you stutter, that will be one pushup, one sit-up, and one crunch. Every time you mutter, you will run one lap around this park. If today is an indicative sample, you'll have abs in no time. Stretch your muscles. This will do you no good if you pull a hamstring.] Izuku stretched in the exact manners as he was instructed. [Now, do 24 laps around the park, and when you're done, I want 73 pushups, sit-ups, and squats out of you.]
With that, Izuku began to jog around the park, dreading what would probably become of him.
Izuku felt like he was going to die, as he lay on the paved path, gasping for breath, with his SQUIP's hologram looming over him, looking vaguely thoughtful.
[Your athletic skills are abysmal, but somehow, you managed to complete the tasks I gave you. Head home now. We'll have to get you rested.]
Izuku dragged himself home. The trip was a blur, and he suddenly found himself up the stairs to his apartment and through the door. "I'm home."
"Welcome back sweetie." The head of his mother, Inko, popped from out of the living room.
The SQUIP's hologram appeared next to her, seemingly evaluating her. [Is that the maternal source of your genetic material?]
Izuku may have been a meek person, but there were some universal lines you just didn't cross. He didn't like what this SQUIP was implying about his mother. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the hologram. That is my mother, yes.
[We should double the workout.]
Inko then came out to see Izuku and was shocked to see him standing there in new clothes, which seemed drenched in sweat. "Izuku?! What happened?! You cut your hair? Where did you get those new clothes?!"
Exactly 22 Seconds of Explaining later, because the Author is Lazy
"Oh." Inko accepted the truth, somewhat reluctantly. "We'll, you should wash up before dinner. You're sweat really smells." With that, she headed off, and Izuku headed straight to the bathroom.
Evening
There was no way Izuku couldn't slump against his door. He'd had a day unlike any before, and it was without a doubt the first of a great many, maybe even the rest of his life.
[We have approximately 33 days before the end of your summer break. In that time, you will do whatever it takes to change the vision of Midoriya Izuku as they know him.]
Izuku nodded. He'd be doing this a lot more he could tell, and he'd only had the SQUIP for half a day.
[But let's be clear here. You can't just listen. You have to obey.]
Izuku didn't really have anything he could say to that. It was too obvious he agreed with that, and there were no questions he could really ask about that. He was willing to do whatever it took; he just didn't know what it took in the first place.
[Now go to sleep. You have no more tasks today.]
Without a second's hesitation, Izuku crawled into bed and pulled the covers over himself. It'll take some time for me to actually fall asleep.
[I'll handle that. Just close your eyes and let me do the rest.]
(Activating sleep synapses. Increasing melatonin levels.)
(Eyelids closing. Processing, please wait ...)
(Brain now in sleep mode.)
Like that, Izuku was out cold.
[Sleep tight, champ. You've got a big day tomorrow.] The hologram seemed to glow a little more, brightly as blue line patterns danced around Izuku's closed eyes.
Two weeks later
Tokyo, Iron Leaf Dojo
Izuku left the dojo, walking mechanically. He had thought he was going to have a heart attack after the teacher announced he was going to have sparring sessions. I'm already getting fitness training.He thought, sounding a little bit traumatized. Is this really necessary?
[A hero must know how to defend themselves properly. Being physically fit will only get you so far. This will break you out of your habit of flinching whenever someone reaches out to you in threat. There will be a time when it is in friendship, but for now, you must make it clear that you are not to be trifled with, in spite of your quirklessness.]
Izuku agreed with that. In the last two weeks, Izuku had been following the SQUIP's explicit instructions. Every day he was to go out and find social interactions to break away at his anxieties. The SQUIP would keep track of his fumbles and make him work out based on that, while simultaneously telling him what he should be doing and saying. Izuku had bought a set of training equipment, which included ankle and wrist weights he'd wear everywhere he went, that he was to use regardless of any mistakes based on a provided list of reps.
Something particularly handy was that because Izuku had a higher thought process than other people, interactions between him and the SQUIP were considerably faster than anticipated. This made the gaps between commands and actions significantly shorter, and the outside world practically slowed down around them during conversation. Besides physical training, Izuku would also receive descriptions of Quirks downloaded by his SQUIP from School files for him to analyze, to exercise his skill of Quirk analysis and profiling. His job was to read each description and then use the thirty seconds with which he was timed to make a verbal analysis of the Quirk that included strengths, weaknesses, environmental factors, and other attributes. This would test his ability to analyze on the fly.
It went horribly at first. He stumbled over his words, mumbled too quietly, and once was so nervous he forgot how to speak. But he had made progress since then. He still ran out of time before he'd made all of the necessary connections but he made enough that he would have lasted more than just a few seconds in a straight fight (his SQUIP was brutally honest, part of being an AI). It always listed what was essential, what he could have left out, and what should have been noted.
He still didn't feel good about illegally downloading files, but his SQUIP made it obvious that there was no way to trace it back to him if the source was embedded in his skull.
On the side, his SQUIP demanded him to redecorate, starting with putting away all of his fanboy memorabilia. He was also updating his wardrobe a bit, having sold much of his clothing online.
He was running out of time until he had to go back to Middle School. He'd have more time until U.A.'s entrance exams, about a year and a half, but for now he'd have to show them he wasn't defenseless. And if he had to show them head-on, so be it.
First day of Second Year
Aldera Junior High School
Breathing deeply, Izuku strolled through the halls of his Middle School hell. His SQUIP had instructed him to not arrive so early that he didn't look like a try hard and not so late that he was a distracting mess. He managed to keep his back straight and his gaze at level with his surroundings.
His physical training had produced results. His stomach was firm, and he had managed to put some bulk on his limbs. With the extra time on his hands to due to a lack of school, he had more training time than most. He was not on a completely different level just yet but he was capable of infinitely more than before, which was to say he was capable of something. The martial arts lessons had helped, naturally.
He was currently applying the SQUIP's instructions on posture, making it a point to actively avoid curling in on himself, lest all of his practice go to waste. He had come far in his lessons on social interactions. Turned out not everywhere he could travel was loaded with jerks. He took comfort in realizing it was just his school that happened to be full of mean-spirited kids.
Suddenly, he was approached by Ishikoro, who was looking at him with interest. "So, Deku, how's it working out for ya?"
"O-oh! Ishikoro-san! I-I, uuuuhhhh ..." Of course, he still had yet to put those interaction lessons into practice.
The Ken Watanabe hologram appeared next to Ishikoro [Up, up, down, down, left, right, A.]
The rock-headed boy suddenly jolted as his eyes flashed green, and a hologram of Kiko Mizuhara briefly appeared behind Him. He looked at Izuku with an expression of shock. "It really worked?"
"U-u-uh, yeah," Izuku answered, trying to force down his stutter, with little success. "Just like you s-said it would. I've been making some real changes."
"I bet." Ishikoro said, looking proud of himself, probably for being the one to give it to him. "Actually, I feel I should tell you I kinda charged you half again what it actually cost me 'cuz I'm havin' troubles at home, if you know what I'm sayin'."
"Oh. Uh yeah, I get it man. My dad's ... never even ... around?"
"Yo, fuckin' dads; am I right?" Ishikoro sounded rather serious there, before becoming a bit more lighthearted. "He usually drinks himself asleep like, two hours after I usually get home. Hey, you should come over, and play Xbox! With the SQUIP, the only controller you need ... is your mind!"
"Right on!" Izuku responded, high-fiving him before they walked off. His eyes immediately darted to the hologram of his SQUIP. What did you do?
[I synced with his SQUIP.] The hologram responded helpfully. [Now his desires are compatible with yours.]
Izuku looked at his SQUIP skeptically. And that makes us ... friends?
[Affirmative!] The computer assured. [Now that you have this bond, it's imperative that you assist each other on improving each other's social standing to simultaneously improve your own, making good use of your bond. Friendship is, in its true form, a tool that helps one build connections. Now you and Kakkou have a shared tool; it's just digital.]
Izuku smiled at that. This was his big chance! As long as he listened to his SQUIP, he could do more than just become a hero, he could have friends! Friends!
[Now then,] the SQUIP mirrored Izuku's enthusiasm. [You've been surviving long enough. Get ready to do more than survive!]
With that in mind, Izuku walked into the classroom, and took up his seat. The day was pretty mundane after that. Now that Izuku had actually begun training, he had put all of his focus into class. He was able to keep his mumbling down by twirling his pencil in one hand to occupy himself instead, a neat trick he had been practicing. His days of curbing his grades were over, no matter how much it pissed Kacchan-
*ZAP*
He bit down a yelp as his SQUIP "zapped" him again. [Stop calling him that. He is your enemy. He does not deserve whatever form of endearment you give him, and if you try to interact with him your social standing here will be the same. You need to break all of those ties with him, and start looking for friends elsewhere. Do you even know why he idolizes All Might? Because it's nothing like the reasons you do.]
Izuku remained silent at this, absently taking notes down. Izuku already knew why, but he was going to hear it said, one way or another, and there was no way to ignore it.
[It's because he is convinced All Might will never lose, and that no one would care about him if he ever did. He does not understand that there are times when the lives off civilians take priority.]
Izuku couldn't help the crest fallen look he wore at this. It was true. Izuku himself had always admired Katsuki. In fact, he had looked up to him more than All Might, because when he looked at Katsuki, he saw victory itself. But ... winning fights was really all that had caught his attention, wasn't it. When true qualifications were called into question ...
He looked at the back of his bully in pity.
[Someone like him can / never really be a hero.]
After School
All in all, it had been a not-to-heinous day. His SQUIP had instructed him on how to elude Bakugo, and he had managed to get away scot-free. He hadn't forgotten he was supposed to hang out with his ... friend, after school. Wow, he ... he still wasn't very used to that. He hadn't had friends in his entire life, when he faced the facts. Even before any of them had manifested their Quirks, the others would always mock him for being incapable of doing anything as well as Katsuki. It was all hollow mockery, Izuku thought disdainfully. None of them could do it either. He was just the one who tried. The one who made every effort to chase him down, but would always end up at his back.
[You don't need to try anymore.] His SQUIP reminded him. [You don't need him. As long as I assist, you'll be more than he could ever hope to be. He'll be punished in due time by the permanent image of you above him. All it will take is a little reinvention.] With his thoughts reassured, Izuku registered he was now walking straight towards Ishikoro's house, and the boy himself was
"Ishikoro-kun!"
The named Rock Quirk user waved to him as he welcomed Izuku into his abode. "'Sup, dude. You can totally call me Kakkou, by the way. It's cool."
They had quickly gotten to his room, and he hadn't even needed to reach out and turn it on. Within minutes they sat down and they were able to do things with their character that they couldn't before. Meanwhile, their SQUIP's respective holograms loomed over them. Since their SQUIP's were now synced, they could also communicate telepathically, though it would be more accurate to compare it to cerebral cell phones, since they still relied on technology.
So how is it? Ishi-Kakko asked Izuku mentally, giving the mental connection a test. The SQUIP, I mean.
Izuku laughed a little bit. It's awesome. He answered. I've only had it for a month, now, and I feel like a whole new person. Like, I don't even feel like the Deku Kac-Katsuki's been calling me my whole life. I've been working out a ton, and I've even been going to this dojo for a few weeks. Then he got an idea. Hey, you could go there too! The sensei will teach anyone, since most people nowadays rely more on their Quirks to fight. But it would really teach you some good moves besides just kicks and punches.
Ishikoro looked thoughtful for a moment. Sure. I've got time. I'm aiming to be a hero anyway. I wanna be ready for U.A. next year. You don't think the SQUIP alone will get you through those gates, do ya?
It told me it could help me become a hero. Izuku's expression became one of fierce determination like never before. I may not be as big as All Might, but just like with any Quirk, I have something a lot of people don't.
... Well ... I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.
When he headed home that night, his mother had, of course, been ecstatic to hear he was making a friend, and promptly tried to hug him to death before the SQUIP suggested he pry her off him, lest she get too clingy.
Let it be known that despite being machine, the SQUIP also displayed a great deal of personality, so that explains why it may seem a bit … human. So this chapter was really just the first few small changes, doesn't really mean much, but it was good enough for me and it got the ball rolling.