Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, Pleasantville, or it's characters.
Note: I highly recommend that you go and watch the movie Pleasantville, because it is a visually beautiful film. Also, you will notice that I did make a few tweaks to some characters, like Todoroki will start the story scar-free, please just bare with me. I hope you like the story and stick with me until the end.
Chapter 1,
"So how long do you have before the kids get home from school?" The librarian, Ireru, asked his old friend, Shota Aizawa.
"School lets out sooner then I would like." Aizawa said and Ireru chuckled.
"The foster kids aren't getting along?" Ireru asked and Aizawa sighed heavily.
"I have three boys staying with me right now. Technically they seem to get along fine. Oddly enough, all three of them want to be heroes." Aizawa said, picking up a book.
"Is that really so odd? You grew up to be a hero after all. Ever tell them that?" Ireru asked and Aizawa rolled his eyes.
"I didn't have to. Midoriya recognized me and started spewing gibberish I didn't bother listening to." Aizawa said and Ireru laughed again.
"So if the boys aren't fighting, what's the problem?" Ireru asked and Aizawa glanced at him.
"Well, Midoriya has this incredible strength that is hard for him to wield. He does care very deeply about others, but he's reckless when it comes to himself. It's almost like he's rushing to reach an incredibly high standard he's set for himself." Aizawa said and Ireru shrugged.
"It's good for children to have goals." Ireru said and Aizawa scoffed.
"It seems like Midoriya's goal is to become the world's greatest superhero. A goal like that crippled him today because he overworked himself and he refuses to acknowledge the progress he's made. When he breaks the rules to save the day, that doesn't make him a hero. At most, it makes him a vigilante." Aizawa said and Ireru sighed.
"You sound bitter. Are you and Hizashi still fighting?" Ireru asked and Aizawa glared at his friend.
"By the way, they aren't really children any more. They all turned 18 this year and with the end of the school year close by, I just decided not to kick them out. It is my house after all, if I say they can stay, then they can stay. Besides, I kinda want to correct the three of them before they have a better chance at making it as heroes." Aizawa said, avoiding Ireru's question.
"You're not their teacher, Shota." Ireru said and Aizawa sighed.
"Well, maybe I shouldn't be, Ireru. If kids like this are gonna be out and become the future heroes they want to be, then shouldn't we put some real training into them? I mean we are trusting these kids to save our families and asking them to physically risk their lives to protect ours. Shouldn't we take the time to train them properly so they don't die in their first battle?" Aizawa said and Ireru smiled at him.
"So tell me about the other two boys staying with you." Ireru said.
"Eijiro is a sweet kid. Sometimes he lacks confidence and that leads him to be too hard on himself. He tries to be like his hero Red Riot. A good man, better then most, I respect him. Now he has been working hard to make his quirk more powerful, and he has been working on his chivalrous spirit, but he need to see that heroism is based on the individual. You can't be courageous without first being scared. The sooner he recognizes this, the better. At least then he will stop condemning himself for being scared and find a way to build and grow with his fear." Aizawa said and Ireru smiled at himZ
"Oooo, no real complaints? Do you actually like this one?" Ireru asked and Aizawa scoffed.
"Listen, other then the occasional boyfriend I catch in his room, he hasn't really caused a lot of problems." Aizawa said.
"Alright, fine. What about the last one? What's wrong with him?" Ireru asked.
"Let's see. What is wrong with Mineta?" Aizawa said sarcastically.
"He's a simple horn dog. He claims that he wants to be a hero so that women will fall for him." Aizawa said.
"You don't believe him?" Ireru asked.
"I believe that's what he believes. But I've heard him talk about wanting to be a hero. It is clear that females have rejected him his whole life and that has made him feel unacceptable or unloved. When he got older and saw girls fawning over another classmate with a flashy quirk, he thought becoming a hero would change all that. All the kid really wants is to feel accepted and he thinks sex will give him that feeling. I don't know if he has any other motivation to be a hero, but he should. Wanting to be loved or accepted by someone will never give him the real strength he'll need to be a hero. And he needs to know that sex isn't going to give him the acceptance he desires." Aizawa said and Ireru paused.
"How are you gonna help them?" Ireru asked and Aizawa said asked up to him.
"I think you should use your quirk in them." Aizawa said and Ireru rolled his eyes.
"I had a feeling you did, but I had to make sure. Though are YOU sure that you want to do that?" Ireru asked and Aizawa nodded.
"I even have a place for you to send them." Aizawa said and Ireru rose an eyebrow at him.
"That's unusual. Where do you want me to send them?" Ireru asked.
"Do you remember that show our grandmothers would watch together?" Aizawa asked.
"Golden Girls? Dynasty?" Ireru asked.
"No. The black and white show they watched when I we were kids." Aizawa clarified.
"I Love Lucy? Leave it to Beaver? The Andy Griffith Show?" Ireru listed and Aizawa groaned in annoyance.
"No, the show Pleasantville. I want you to send them to Pleasantville." Aizawa said and Ireru blinked.
"Any specific reason you want me to send them there, instead of the other shows?" Ireru asked.
"Yeah, that Midoriya kid is obsessed with it. And he will want to respect that world and try to follow the stories that were scripted for them. But the others will surely mess with the show and make him go crazy until he realize me that it's not so bad." Aizawa said.
"That's kinda subtle, even for you." Ireru said.
"Then maybe you could add a drastic measurement that highlights the change they are putting on this world. It's a black and white tv show, maybe you should introduce color whenever Eijiro and Mineta changes something." Aizawa said.
"Ok, ok, I can work with that. But we need to let them understand that they are not imprisoned by some villain. Otherwise they will try to escape and act recklessly- perhaps even hurt themselves." Ireru said and Aizawa sighed.
"Maybe... pretend it's a prize? I don't care." Aizawa and Ireru rolled his eyes.
"Well, sooorrryyy." Ireru said sarcastically and Aizawa sighed again.
"Apologies, Ireru. I guess I have been on edge lately." Aizawa said and Ireru smiled gently.
"It's ok, I know you miss Hizashi." Ireru said and Aizawa's eye twitched.
"Missing Present Mic is a waste of time, Ireru. I refuse to waste time being concerned about a dumb cheating blond." Aizawa said and Ireru said.
"Ok, Aizawa. I'll tell you what, I'll send the kids to Pleasantville like you want. I'll even stick around and watch over them until they learn their lessons. But while I deal with the kids, you go out out." Ireru said and Aizawa's eyes widened.
"Go out? Why?" Aizawa asked, insulted by the very idea.
"Shota, you know how stress can strain your mind and quirk. I don't care if you go out dancing, or bowling, or to a spa. You need a night off, even if I have I knock you out myself." Ireru said and Aizawa smirked.
"As if you could, but I get your point." Aizawa said.
"You want me to come over tonight?" Ireru asked and Aizawa shrugged.
"Might as well do it tonight. No sense prolonging it." Aizawa said, looking down at his watch.
"I'll come right over after I close tonight." Ireru said and Aizawa gave him some books to check out.
"I will leave by six, with or without you." Aizawa said and Ireru chuckled at him as he processed the books.
"Of course you will, Aizawa. Would you mind if I have some fun with with?" Ireru asked and Aizawa shrugged.
"It's your quirk. If you want to be extra, don't ask me about it, just do it." Aizawa said, picking up the books.
"Ok, don't worry, Aizawa. You go relax and I will take care of the boys." Ireru said and Aizawa nodded. They said a quick goodbye and Aizawa left the library.