One For All: First Man!

"Hello." - Regular Talking

"I am here!" - All Might Talking

"Detroit Smash!" - Special/Signature Move

What's happening? - Izuku Thinking

"Izuku!" - Flashback Dialogue

Random Location – Random Time… – Time and Place

Chapter 3: Objectives and Determination!

(UPDATE: AS OF 1/31/21 THIS IS NOT A HAREM FIC. FULL EXPLANATION IN AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER.)

AN: Edits! Edits! Edits! Done in conjunction with the release of Chapter 4.

Edit Posted on 5/14/2023

As I traveled home, I figured out how I was going to explain where I went off to this morning. I'll give her the same explanation that I gave Tacchan, I thought, going over my plan. I didn't like the idea of lying to my mom, but I had to. I made a promise to keep this secret, and I was not going to break it.

Cars strolled along the streets doing their typical routine. Each vehicle came in varying brands, shapes, sizes, and colors. The periodic sounds of the rolling tires passed by me as I took my normal route home. Numerous buildings reached toward the blue sky.

My mind was occupied with my earlier encounter with Tacchan. She has been acting strange as of late, though when I think about it, she's kinda been like this for a while. The sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle blushes that appeared on her face were always something that I could not understand. For some reason, they have been more noticeable now. As my mind focused on Tacchan's behavior, a newspaper suddenly flew right into my face. When it hit me, I stopped in my tracks and scrambled to get it off my face. It wrinkled quite loudly while I tried to remove it. When I finally got a good grasp on it, I ripped it from my face and decided to give it a read.

It seemed a little old as the ink had faded and a large brown coffee stain adorned the bottom. I looked to the top right corner to see that it was from a few weeks ago. The headline read "Electric Quirk Places 100 Men Out Of Work From Power Plant!" The fact that they had those jobs for a good while is kinda surprising, I thought. I threw the newspaper that was in my hands into a nearby trash can and continued my walk home.

"Get out! I am not hiring men!" A feminine shout pierced my ears from across the street. I turned to my left to see that this shout came from a local coffee shop's owner, a woman who was in her 40s. She was looking down upon a young man in his 20s. Based on the shop sign that said "HELP WANTED," I could tell he was looking for a job.

"Look, I need this job! Please! I need it!" he desperately pleaded.

"I won't hire you!"

"Please, I'll take anything! Anything!"

"It doesn't matter what job I give you, a woman could do it better with her Quirk! Now, GET OUT!" With her final shout, the young man began to walk away. His head hung down in shame and disappointment.

These events have become quite commonplace with the introduction of Quirks. Men have been losing their jobs left and right, and it has become much more difficult for them to find good work or any work, for that matter. Some men have found some work to take. Those jobs, though, don't pay very well, leading to difficult times for these men. I would know since my dad went through the same thing trying to find a job in college, and the job he did find provided terrible pay. This was something that was sad, but inevitable in this kind of world.

As I kept on walking, I passed by two girls around my age leaning on a wall. I could hear a small snippet of their conversation when I was walking past them.

"… like, they can't even be Heroes!" one of them exclaimed

"I know, right?" the other responded. I could tell from what I heard that they were talking about men and their Quirklessness. It makes me wonder how many other dreams were crushed by the simple fact they were men. Things are different, now because of the chance I have been given. My mind returned to that poor guy from earlier and to the many other guys in his situation. Maybe I can help those men in some way, I thought. No, I will help them. A true Hero will always help those in need!

With my heroic mindset reinforced, I went onward. My return home was interrupted when I approached a street corner. The faint cries of many people became more distinct with each step I took. When I turned the corner, I was able to see what was creating the commotion. A group of men carried signs with many statements: "Real Heroes Help EVERYONE!" "Real Heroes Help Men Too," "Men Need Work. Heroes Can Help," "Just Because We're Quirkless, Doesn't Mean We're Useless."

They seemed to be some sort of protest group that cared about men's rights. These kinds of groups have been popping up more and more recently. It is not really surprising, however, that this would happen; in fact, I'm sure that these groups have been around since 50 years ago, at least. There is something that stood out in the crowd, or rather, someone. The person I saw was someone that I could not believe was there.

It was a girl! A girl! She had short black hair. She had small eyebrows that pointed downward. As she was shouting, her teeth were shown. They were sharp, much like a shark's teeth. Her red eyes reminded me of Tacchan's own eyes, except, they were not as sharp nor were they as angry as Tacchan's. This girl's eyes were much more round and soft, giving her a more friendly appearance. She wore a simple red tank top and a pair of red jogging shorts with black hems. On her feet were simple red tennis shoes with white laces. With her simple clothes, she was able to show off her athletic physique. Her muscles were not large, but they were defined.

She stood among the boys as if she was one of them. She, like the guys there, held up a sign with her chest puffed out in the air, showing no fear. She shouted along with them, highlighting her belief in the cause. Her spirit was ablaze and her voice was flaming with passion as she cried out among them.

I can't believe that there is actually a girl there, supporting them. I mean, I knew that there had to be some girls that cared, but I never expected to see one, I pondered. It was a huge shock to see her there, but it also reassured me. Seeing it for myself made me know for sure that there were women that truly cared. She was... well, there was no other way to put it. She was heroic.

She stopped to take a break from shouting at the top of her lungs. It seemed that I was staring for too long as she turned around and caught me looking at her. She didn't seem to mind at all, however. She gave me a toothy grin, presenting her shark-like teeth once again. Her red eyes peered into my green ones. Her gaze held this fire that signaled to the world "I won't give up! I won't back down!" It reminded me a lot of Tacchan, again. As she was looking at me, she gave me this wink, probably to reassure me that she was "fighting the good fight." My nerves froze me in place momentarily, and my cheeks were on fire. My heart began to beat faster and faster, hammering against my chest. I felt its thumping across my whole body like a drum.

Oh, man… What do I do? She's being so nice… Do I do what she did? Do I just wave? Do I have to talk to her? Do I just leave? Many questions flooded my mind, trying to comprehend what just happened. This was the first time in my life that a girl my age was interacting with me in a way that wasn't with the intent to harass, harm, or bully me. That, and she was really pretty.

Whoa, where did that come from? Calm yourself, Izuku! I told myself. I shook my head quickly and wiped my face to clear my mind. Okay. Okay. Just smile and wave, it's simple and hard to misunderstand, right? With that, I made my decision to respond with a simple hand wave and a shaky smile. When she saw me do that, she gave a simple nod and went back to protesting.

She seems nice. I wonder what school she goes to? Is she planning on going to U.A? Oh man, I don't even know her name… If I see her again, I gotta ask her, I thought. I kept on making my way home. My mind became occupied as I was thinking about the exercise plan that All Might gave during our intense training session. I must push myself if I want to succeed with that plan; though it's obvious that that's the case. There is no doubt that doing this will require some intense work. Today made me truly understand that. Well, as my dad always said: "Nothing in life that's worth it is easy." Without realizing it, I arrived at the apartment complex where my home was. My apartment was nothing much. It was just a quaint home for the two of us. When I came up to the door, I grabbed the doorknob and opened it.

"I'm Home!" I announced. I took off my shoes and left them by the door. As soon as I made my announcement, I could hear muted footsteps move across the hardwood floor. My mom appeared around the corner to greet me. She was a tall, slim woman with green hair similar to mine. Her hair was in a ponytail on the left and two long bangs that went down the side of her face. She was wearing a simple pink sweater over a white, buttoned-up shirt. Over her clothes, she had on her white apron. On her waist was a blue mini-skirt that went down to her knees. She had her white and fluffy slippers on.

"Welcome home, Sweetie!" she said. She held this warm smile while greeting me. Then, her face shifted into that of worry. "I was wondering when you would come back. You better explain yourself, mister, because all I got when I woke up this morning was a note saying 'I'm working out at the beach, Mom!'"

"Sorry, Mom…" I apologized as I meekly averted my gaze and rubbed my arm.

"Okay," she responded, "explain." Then I told her the same thing I told Tacchan earlier. I knew I was going to feel like crap lying to my mom, but knowing and experiencing are two very different things.

"Oh, that's wonderful! I am so glad you're going to get some proper exercise. I do want to know about who's training my little boy."

It seemed like it worked, again. There was the issue of asking who my trainer was as I kinda forgot what All Might told me her name was.

"It's..." I racked my brain to remember what it was. "Its... Nana! Nana Shimura." I was able to remember it just in time.

"You better introduce me to her soon, okay."

"I'll try, Mom. She is a very busy person, after all." My mom looked a little relieved at that. Then her eyes widened, and she gasped as if something suddenly came to her mind.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot to mention something. Your father called me earlier with some very special news!" she informed me. My eyes widened in shock, and I began to feel excited. My father calls us often so that he could keep in touch with us. It seems that this was gonna be different, as my dad never had any sort of crazy big news.

"What did he say?" I asked, eager to find out what he said.

"Your father said that he's finally coming home to Japan!" she exclaimed. I gasped in joy. I could not believe what my mom was saying. My dad is coming back to Japan? That's crazy! But then, I began to question why he was coming back.

"Wait a minute… Why is Dad coming back? Did he get fired?" I questioned with worry.

"No, Izuku. His boss gave him a promotion and is relocating him to their Japan location!" my mom exclaimed.

My dad is finally coming home. He went overseas for work about three years ago. The job he got there was out of pure luck, to be completely honest. Around the time I was born, he began to search for work relentlessly. My mom's job paid okay, but it was only a simple office job. Before I was born, in fact, my mom was actually the only one with a job. They were barely able to get by at that time. When I came around, however, they both knew that it would not be enough. For some time, it seemed as if my dad would never get a job. That all changed when he had a chance encounter with his future boss. They met when my dad happened to be there when she spilled some important papers and helped her pick them up. They started to talk, and, through that conversation, my dad was hired at her company. He was hired as the janitor there but slowly worked his way up. He eventually got a better position which provided him with enough pay for all of us. About three years ago, my dad's boss moved him overseas to their American headquarters, requiring him to move too. He sent us money in the mail as often as he could.

"When's dad gonna come home? Did he tell you?" I asked. I hoped that he would come soon.

"He'll be here in about seven months," she explained.

"Aww, man…" I said, disappointed. My mom was also a little deflated from that fact, but she quickly raised her head up and looked into my eyes.

"Look, sweetie, he's coming home. We can wait a few more months, right?"

"Yeah, we can wait."

Earlier that day with Tatsuki...

"Remember what I've been telling you a hundred times. Give. Up. On being. A. Hero. Got it, Deku?" I growled. Being impatient, I turned away from that boy without getting an answer or a look at his face. I don't need to hear such an obvious answer. When I was sure he couldn't see me, I pushed my hand through my hair, feeling a little bit stressed out. I huffed out in frustration as I thought about the lengths I went through just to find him.

He was being such a fucking idiot! He could've given me a call, for fucks sake! Then my mind shifted when a worse thought came to mind. Did he… did he not want to call me? Did he forget about me, or somethin'? Does he… I then shook my head rapidly to get rid of those thoughts. Agh, shut up! Why am I getting so worked up over that useless Deku? My cheeks flushed out of embarrassment as I tried to get my mind off of him. There's no way I li- ugh! Whatever…

While I was heading home, I began to replay Deku's story in my mind. I slowly began to realize something. Wait… That story's bullshit! How the hell did he meet a personal trainer at a café of all places? Since when did he go to those places, huh? Also, that seems way too lucky for him to meet a fitness trainer there. I mean, come on, seriously? He absolutely lied. The real question, though, is why? What's his reason? Becoming frustrated, I sighed. I'm gonna try to follow him tomorrow. I gotta find out if he's actually training or not. He better not be flirting with some bitch! I paused, shocked at the thought that crossed my mind. Hold on! I don't care about him dating some random bitch! I became more frustrated and angry as I kept on thinking about this, so I stopped.

Without realizing it, I got home. I opened the door and did the usual routine of coming in and heading to my room. Well, I would if my mom hadn't called me out today.

"Hey, brat! Where the hell did you go!?" she yelled from the kitchen. I sighed, not really wanting to talk to her. Too much was on my mind.

"I went to find that shitty Deku! Why do you even care, you old hag!" I shouted. She really makes me so fucking angry, sometimes. Why the hell did she have to keep barging in on my life?

"Oh~ You were looking for Izuku? Well, what for?" she asked. Her voice had this knowing tone to it– as if she knew anything!

"Why the fuck do you care?!"

"I was wondering if you stopped lying to yourself and told him how you fee-"

"I don't feel anything towards that piece of shit!" I quickly interrupted. I began to blush as she brought that crap up. My frown deepened and my eyebrows burrowed deeper. She's really pissing me off right now…

"Hey, quit that tough girl bullshit and be honest with yourself!"

"I don't need to be honest with anything, old hag!"

"You do realize that if you keep this shit up, you're gonna push him away, don't you?" Mom sighed out of frustration. I then heard footsteps come closer and closer until I saw her. She knelt at my height. She looked directly into my eyes. She stared at me for some time, making things very awkward.

"Hey, stop staring, Mom," I quietly demanded. I had no idea what she was trying to do, but it was pretty fucking weird. She then exhaled slowly while closing her eyes. She then opened them again. She had a softer expression, filled with worry and not anger.

"Tatsuki," she said in a serious tone, "are you still going with your 'plan' from all those years ago?"

"Of course I am! I'm not gonna give up! That's not what a Hero does." I gave her a sharp grin.

"Do you think it's gonna work? It seems like it's failing…"

"It'll work, okay! I will stop him."

"I don't think you can." I looked at her in confusion.

"The hell do you mean?"

"What I mean is, that boy is not one to give up. You know he's got one helluva resolve."

"What resolve? He's a weak pushover. He'll stop trying one day. He's a guy, so it'll happen. He can't be that dumb."

Mom sighed."I hope you know what you're doing. The way you've treated him is gonna bite you in the ass."

"Fuck yeah, I do!" My mom sighed with her eyes closed. She then gave a sudden kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Tatsuki." I did not expect that to happen, so I turned away in embarrassment.

"Whatever, you old hag…"

She got up, heading back into the kitchen. Then when she was standing up she did not go. With her back turned, she said these last words to me.

"Also," she started before turning around with renewed anger in her eyes, "stop fucking cursing at me! I'm your mother! Show some respect, brat!"

"Fuck you old hag!" Then we started to get into a yelling fight again. Shout after shout, we went on and on, not stopping. I'm honestly surprised that Dad - or the neighbors - can even handle any of this. We kept on yelling until our faces were red. When our shout match was over, I was huffing to recover my breath.

"Call me when the food's ready. I'll be in my room." As soon as I got there, I laid down on my bed with me thinking about my encounter with Deku. I turned my head to an old picture of the both of us. It was taken when we were three. I remember playing a game with him. I was the Hero and he was the civilian who needed to be saved. We had so much fun that day. I remembered when we both tumbled down the hill and got covered in dirt. Izuku got up first and tried to help me. At that time, I didn't mind him being the Hero once in a while. I kinda liked it, in fact. I never told him that though. I accepted his help and he lifted me up. We both looked at each other and shared a laugh. That was when Deku's mom came up and took a picture. We both had these wide smiles on our faces. We had patches of dirt on our cheeks and clothes. I was, unknowingly, hugging his arm and holding it close to me. Another memory flashed as I was looking at the photo. It was when I made a promise to him. That promise...

"When I get older, I'll be your Hero, 'kay? I'll always save you from the bad guys, just like All Might!"

My expression softened, and my muscles relaxed. This was the only place where I could think properly. I began to breathe rhythmically so my head could get things in order. I knew what I needed to do. I made him a promise, and I will keep it, no matter what.

AN PA: (UPDATE POSTED ON 1/31/21) THIS STORY IS NOT A HAREM FIC ANYMORE. So I wanted to say this important thing because I have misled some people and I do not want to do that anymore. I am sorry for making people think it was going to be a certain way. My bad. When I said it was going to be a harem fic, I meant it was going to be like a harem anime/manga where the main character is in a situation where he is surrounded by girls. He would not necessarily be in a literal harem with the girls, but there would be romance involved. Some anime/manga have the MC end up with one of the girls. This was my mindset from the start of writing this story and I did not make that clear to you guys when I should have. The reason I am writing this fanfic is that I want to tell a story, not have the main character just be with a bunch of girls. I have a reason for framing the story in this setting. Once again, I am sorry that I did not make that clear from the start. Hopefully, it is clear now and I no longer mislead anyone from now on. Thank you to those who have brought it to my attention by leaving reviews. It really helped me realize what I was doing wrong. Thank you.

AN: Wow. First I gotta say, what a terrible year 2020 was, huh? Second, I am so, so, sorry for taking so long to update my story. Please forgive me. I can say that it was partially not my fault as school and the pandemic have prevented me from working on First Man. It was still mostly my lazy ass not wanting to write, and me playing video games, instead. I really am sorry about this.

I will say now that Izuku will end up with ONE of the girls, and only ONE OF THEM. I want to make that clear. I never liked those harem anime endings where the main character gets with all the girls because he is indecisive, or whatever. Which one he will end up with, I don't know yet. I'll figure it out.

I also want to explain the perspective shift that happened in this chapter. This story will feature the perspectives of other characters, and how I did it in this chapter will be how I do it from now on.

With that finished, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please, as always, give good, constructive criticism to improve my story and writing. Thank you.

Posted on 1/30/21