AN: Welcome to the second chapter of To Build a Hero. First, thank you for reading and commenting, I really appreciate the feedback. So, I'm going to address all the comments up till now here.
sardarhassan503: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters, I won't be saying anything now on who the other riders will be, but I do have a plan for them. And regarding the personality my goal is to have a mix between Izuku and Sento.
XenonKirito: As of now the Pandora Box does not exist, while this may change, the main setting of this is the MHA universe, with some elements of Build mixed in. However, we are still early on so things may change in that regard. But as of now, Izuku created the first driver without the need of Pandora's box due to quirk cells already powering the bottles, so nebula gas wasn't necessary.
Isumo 1489: Glad you liked the premise! To me Build seems like one of the most perfect Kamen Riders to crossover with MHA. How other bottles will be obtained, I'm not going to say here, you'll just have to see their methods. And regarding Mel, you'll just have to wait and see. So, for now, let's continue the experiment.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
It's been two months since the build driver's first success, currently Izuku, under the supervision of Melissa, was carrying out his new training regimen.
Several small spheres shot out of various holes around the ring he was centered in. A quick duck to dodge one, a fast slide to avoid the next, he catches the third one and throws it to intercept the fourth. Similar movements, adjustments, and reactions occur as the velocity of the projectiles rapidly increases. Until the thirty minute timer finally sounds off.
"That was a good warm up" Izuku says while stretching "now let's get to the actual training!"
"Uh… Izu, that wasn't the warm up, that was max level, there's nothing beyond that that wouldn't fry the servos." Melissa replied, a little dumbfounded by what she'd just witnessed. Since the first success of the driver, Izuku's physical state had been leagues above what it was prior, if she thought Izuku was strong before, nothing could have prepared her for the boost he got upon hitting hazard level 3.0.
"... huh, well then let's go to strength training then"
"Can't. You destroyed our strongest set of equipment to track your stats last week, and we haven't been able to make a stronger replacement, which is impressive given that each dummy was built to handle 7 tons of force, and you're only 13!"
"First, don't act like you're not impressed. We did good on the driver, glad to know it's powerful. And second, the replacement still isn't done?"
"There is more on this island than just us, Izu. My father has other priorities, and a new set of weights and strength dummies is not exactly high on his priority list."
After the initial success and testing for the build driver, David had been slowly easing off the project claiming that since the major tech parts were done, the next stage of it was testing, a stage which his influence would have been nearly negligible compared to the raw data collected by the two young inventors.
Izuku sighed "I guess I'll just do a normal workout routine, and strength training without the dummies"
She sighs "yeah, you do that, I'll just record the data from today's tests"
"Hey, Mel?"
"Yes?"
"I know it's kinda obvious but, I think we need a new routine"
"Not much we can do, my father is the best person to ask to make better equipment, and he's busy with his own work"
"No, I mean we need to, I don't know, broaden our horizons."
"What do you mean?"
"Think of it like this, with all the bottles we have, I need to fight differently, so I need to work on several fighting styles based on what I have equipped, right?"
"I'm following you, but it's not like we have a surplus of strong fighters here. Everyone strong, except for you, either works as security or manual labor. And they are not really fighters like you want. Just hang tight until we get to UA, then you'll have a whole variety of opponents to spar against"
He sighs "Yea, I guess. And Mel, are you sure you want to come to UA with me? I know it's my dream school, but you don't have to tie yourself to me"
She smirks, walks over to Izuku, and flicks his forehead "You know, for someone who claims to be a 'Genius Hero' you say some pretty stupid things sometimes. Obviously I'm coming with you dummy. One UA is currently Japan's top hero school, two I know how much you want to go to Uncle Might's alma mater, three it would be nice to actually see the world outside of the bubble of I-Island, and four we promised to be heroes together, you'd be lost without me" she finished, her smile going ear to ear.
Izuku chuckled, "Yea, I would be lost without my best friend. I just wanted to make sure that this is also what you want"
"Please, you couldn't get rid of me no matter how hard you try" she laughs
"What did I do to meet a friend like you"
"Got lost and couldn't find your mom, shrub head"
"HEY! We were kids"
"And yet, I still hold the title of being the first of us to save the other" she retorts smugly
They both break out into laughter, and exit the training room.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Later – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Later that night, with both pairs of parent and child sitting around their table eating dinner. Both Inko and David wanted to tell them something, but neither knew how to put it into words. Finally Inko cut the tension that had been building the entire dinner, "So… we're moving back to Japan ''. David breathed a sigh of relief, and made a mental note to buy Inko coffee for being the one to break the news.
Izuku and Melissa's hearts both skipped a beat, before Izuku cried out "WHAT?!"
Melissa was suddenly frightened, she'd spent the past six years building her friendship with Izuku, that it didn't feel like it was even possible for this to happen, and yet it was happening. Izuku looked frustrated, why was his mom pulling him away from his best friend and teammate on his greatest idea, what prompted it?
Inko realized the error in her phrasing, and corrected "Oh, we includes you too Melissa"
"Really?!" her fear, quickly shifting to excitement "But wait, what about the lab equipment? What about school? How long will we be there? And Dad, how will this affect your work?"
David gives a soft smile and responds "The lab equipment that you use for build will be moved over to your new house. We've found a nice private school for the two of you to join and finish your pre-UA education. You will be moving there, and most likely staying at least until you graduate from UA, or whatever other hero school you choose to go to. As for me, I'm afraid I can't come with you permanently, I will help set up the equipment and ensure that you have a steady supply of resources but my research requires that I stay here" He walks over to Melissa and places a hand on her shoulders. "I know that my research keeping me here is a horrible excuse, but I want you to know that I will be there for you whenever you need me, truth be told I'd like to keep you here where I know you'll be safe, but Inko made a good case that with Izuku by your side, you have potentially the strongest hero to watch over you, and I know Inko will take good care of you. I'll try to visit whenever our schedules line up, but I want you to be able to follow your dreams Melissa. I know how much going to UA means to you and Izuku, and what kind of father would I be if I didn't give you every opportunity possible to pursue your dreams. You two will be the future of heroes, you both are an unstoppable team, and I have nothing left to teach either of you, so I think it's time for you both to prepare for the next stage in your journeys. And, as Izuku would put it, build your futures".
Melissa smiled through the tears running down her cheeks as she hugged her father, "Thank you Dad" she whispered.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Later – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
"It's… HUGE"
"That's what she said"
"Really Mel?" Those were the only words that Izuku could muster as he stared at his new house. He'd been so used to living in an average sized apartment that the sheer size of the house took his breath away. His eyes wandered over the entire building, a two story house loomed in front of them, a spacious yard, with a fence surrounding the property.
"You kinda left yourself open for that one, Izu"
He sighs "yeah, yeah. But in all seriousness, it's a big house"
"I suppose so, but considering we are putting an entire lab in the basement, and we have the three of us living here, the space is actually kind of perfect".
"True, speaking of which, how do we get access to the basement?"
"A set of stairs in the garage will take you there" David says, approaching the duo
Izuku and Melissa sprinted for the garage, only to be disappointed when all they saw were several boxes filled with equipment.
"Maaaaan, this'll take hours to set up" Izuku groans walking to the first box
"What are you doing?"
"It'll take hours, so I'm getting started now"
"What about your room?"
"I'll deal with it later, not like I have much. Most of my stuff is in these boxes anyways, and the movers can handle puting the furniture in my room"
Melissa gives a light chuckle "fair enough, I'll come help you after my room is set up. Don't. Break. Anything"
"Who do you take me for?"
"Someone with enough force to at least exceed 7 tons in one punch"
"Only when transformed, my dear Mel, only when transformed"
"Please we both know how you get when your excited, I'm guessing as soon as the lab is set up you'll be itching to transform and start practicing"
"... nooooooooooooo" Melissa raises an eyebrow before he responds "ok, fine yes"
"Well, just be ready for dinner at 7"
"Speaking of that" Inko remarked, surprising the duo "Izuku, sweetie, can you get some groceries before you set up shop" she waves a piece of paper while speaking.
Izuku looks at his mom, then to the equipment, then back to his mother, and finally sighs "yeah, sure" he says taking the list from his mother's hand. "Can I at least take the Machine Builder?"
"Given that it's also your cell phone, I can't really say no. I still have no idea how you made a cell phone into a functional motorcycle"
"I'd say it's a combination of my wit, ingenuity, and a bottle with a lion on it. Seriously, these things can supercharge all types of equipment, and with the minor nanotech and equipment from I-Island, compressing a motorbike into the size of a phone was a fun challenge."
"It's still a brick of a phone, literally" Melissa retorts
"Well can your phone turn into a motorcycle? Hmmmmmmm" he responds with a smirk
"No, nor do I want it to"
"Then don't rag on the Machine Builder"
"Still think the name could be better"
"DON'T RAG ON MY PHONE BIKE!"
The three then start laughing, as Izuku begins to head out the door.
"Alright, I'll be back soon" he loads the lion bottle into his phone, presses one of the apps, and the phone transforms into a full sized, red motorcycle.
"Shouldn't you need a license for that"
"You don't need a license to drive a cell phone" He revs the bike and drives out. A simple ride into town to the nearest store, Izuku takes in the sights as he rides, memorizing the route and pulls up to the store. He presses a button and the bike converts back into his cell phone, which he aptly puts in his pocket. He was grabbing the last item off the shelf when several spikes shot through the window shattering it.
"Give me all the money in the registers and no one gets hurt" the villain shouted as he walked through the broken window.
Izuku's eyes widened, a villain, seemingly a low rank one, but his quirk was at least able to fire off several sharp projectiles. If he wasn't a hostage, he'd probably whip out his notebook and start analyzing. But what could he do? Where was a hero? This is what crossed his mind until the robber turned and grabbed a young girl by the neck and held her up, his knuckles began to slowly have spikes grow out of them, pointed directly at the girls neck.
"Better hurry, or we'll have a pretty, red pincushion over here"
The girl's mother then screamed in fear, pleading to the robber not to hurt her daughter. Izuku froze, what could he do, nobody was here. Where were the police? Where were the heroes? He had to do something, but what. The woman's daughter began to cry, and without thinking Izuku pulled out the build driver and attached it to his waist. He pulled out two bottles, quickly shaking them, and loaded them into the driver.
Tiger - Smartphone
ARE YOU READY?!
"Henshin!"
The frames collapsed on Izuku, steam erupting from the collision as a yellow and blue clad warrior donning a shield on his left arm and claws on his right hand now stood in the aisle of the store. Quickly Izuku jumped over the shelves, and dashed to the front of the store, and shouted at the robber.
"Let her go!"
"Wha-" was all the robber could get out before taking a blue boot to the face, staggering him as the girl got thrown into the air where Izuku swiftly caught her.
"Don't worry, you're safe now, I'm here" He then stared directly into the villain's eyes and calmly stated "Haven't had too much practice with this combination, so, let's begin the experiment"
"I, you, what the fu-" Once again cut off, this time by a heavy punch sending him flying out through the shattered window and into the middle of the streets, where passerby, and police were slowly gathering in an attempt to see what was happening and to stop the criminal. Swiflty following him Izuku jumped through the window in pursuit, taking the tiger head off of his shoulder and equipping it to his right hand like a boxing glove. After landing in the center of the makeshift ring, Izuku quickly rushed the crook, and delivered a strong blow to the gut. Saliva spit out as he staggered back, when Izuku quickly delivered a kick to the head, sending the man flying into another wall, knocking him out.
People cheered for their masked hero, as Izuku stood over the villain, he pulled out an empty bottle with a web like design, and crouched down to the incapacitated man.
"You used a quirk for your own selfish gain, at least like this, it can hopefully be put to better use" He then twisted the cap of the bottle and extracted a small portion of the man's blood as it filled the bottle. "Not a big fan of blood, but I don't exactly have time for a cleaner extraction" Izuku then stood and faced the crowd with the police, now approaching him.
"Hero License please"
"huh?"
"I don't recognize you, and you used your quirk in public to take down that criminal. Without a license thats a crime, can I see your license"
Oh that's what this was about, well I didn't technically use my quirk so no law was broken
"Oh, don't worry, I didn't use my quirk, so it's fine. Now then I got groceries to bring home"
"Sir, I'm sorry but I don't believe you"
"What do you mean, all I did was punch him while wearing my suit, no quirk necessary, he went down surprisingly easy after all"
As the civilians cheered, the mother and her daughter approached Izuku and the officer.
"Thank you so, so much. You saved my baby girl, how can I ever thank you"
Under the mask Izuku broke out into a massive smile. "No need, just knowing that you both are safe is all the reward I need"
"Soooo coooool! Mommy! Isn't Mr. Hero so cool, he was like blam! Pow! Kick! Whoosh! And then he saved the day!"
The officer realized that not only was what the masked man saying true, but now he was being seen by the group as a hero. While he should take him to the station for questioning and charge him with vigilantism, he no longer could in good conscience. So he sighed and relented. "Alright fine, but only because nobody was harmed and you didn't use your quirk. So I'll let this slide, but please don't let there be a next time. I'd hate to take in a hero for saving a life."
Izuku smirked, grabbed his bag of groceries, and went to pay before the clerk stopped him.
"It's on the house"
"Oh, no I can't possib-"
"It's. On. The. House. You potentially saved this store more money than the 8600 yen you would spend on those, plus you saved something far more valuable, he gestured outside to the smiling family. Please at least take this as my thanks. Hero."
"If you insist" he then walked out of the store, pulled out his phone, loaded the lion bottle, and rode off.
It was a good day.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The Next Morning – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
It was not a good day.
First thing in the morning, his mother dragged Izuku down into their kitchen and shoved a newspaper in front of him.
"Care to explain, sweetie"
Oh no, the angry mom voice, he was dead, he quickly looked over to Melissa hoping for a lifeline only to see Inko's angry face mirrored on her own.
Yep, very dead
Looking at the headline and picture it was obvious as to what they were referring to
Local Robbery Stopped by Masked Savior!
Who is the Kamen Rider?
Even if Izuku wanted to deny any link that it was him, the picture below showing Izuku jumping out of the window, he questioned how they got that photo, was enough to cement his association.
"Well?!" His mother stated
"Sooo, I may, have, accidentally, possibly, very plausibly, knocked out a villain and stopped a robbery while getting groceries yesterday" He quickly sputtered out.
"I can see that Izu, but come on we haven't been here for a whole day and you're already a criminal!" Melissa said with a shake of her head
"Not a criminal, vigilantism requires I use my quirk. I am quirkless, therefore not a criminal"
"And who would accept that excuse!"
"The police officer yesterday did"
"THE POLICE!"
"Oh, right, you didn't know that part"
"I-zu-ku." His mother slowly said, as he turned back to her expecting the wrath of several gods to end his life and hero career before it even started.
"Y-yes mom?"
"Were you hurt?"
"Huh?"
"Were. You. Hurt?"
"Oh, no, not at all, he didn't even have a chance to hit me"
Inko sighed "Then I guess, its fine"
"... HUH!" both izuku and Melissa shouted
"But, Inko, he was in a fight, he could have been -"
"But, he was unharmed, and, even if technically, didn't break any laws" Inko stated. "I know that it was dangerous, but so is your dream, and knowing that not only my son saved a life, but that your device was able to give him the strength to keep him safe gives me more hope that you both will make your dreams a reality. And what kind of mother would I be if I stayed mad at my baby boy for saving people."
Izuku, feeling an ocean of tears beginning to well up, ready to burst "M-m-mom! You're the BEST!" He cheered
"No, sweetie, you are. Now let's celebrate your first rescue. Who wants pancakes"
Izuku looked to melissa and smiled "This was our first successful mission"
"Our?"
"Yup, after all, I wouldn't be Build without you by my side"
Melissa smirked "Oh, you're still Build, I thought you were the mysterious Kamen Rider now?"
"Hey, come on I didn't pick the name! They just gave it to me!" He said waving his hands around
"Though the more I say it, Kamen Rider: Build, sounds kinda cool, like a hero alias without being too generic."
"You think so?"
"I mean when most heroes have their name as 'the something hero: whatever they're called', having a hero called Kamen Rider: Build, it's a nice change of pace, a new standard ya know?"
"I guess you're right, I think I could get used to that."
"You better, because knowing the news, your gonna be Kamen Rider for a while"
"Ughhhhhh, and I can't really do an interview now can I?"
"Not unless you want to risk a mark on your record for vigilantism, with or without a quirk. Not every hero or officer will be willing to look the other way you know"
"Well, that's a problem for future Izuku, now present Izuku wants pancakes"
Melissa chuckles at her best friend's antics "alright then, then please let present Melissa join you for breakfast, shrub head"
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Meanwhile – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
A small hand sips a cup of tea, as he reads the newspaper.
"Quite interesting don't you think?"
A man in dark clothes responds,
"Not really, just seems like some flashy kid who couldn't pass a hero exam, I mean look at his outfit, he was probably looking for trouble"
"Perhaps, but on the other hand, he rescued a hostage, isolated the villain, and took him down in four strikes. You can't deny his efficiency here" he says taking another sip
"That may be true, but he still should have waited for actual heroes to do their jobs"
"Yes, but his impulsiveness saved lives you know" The shorter man said, his smirk growing
"All I know, is that this Kamen Rider seems like a problem child" The dark dressed man sighed.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Elsewhere – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
"You rang boss?" A woman's voice says as she walks into an office
"Yes, have you seen the news"
"You mean hero merch stocks, or something else"
"No, the headlines, the Kamen Rider"
"Ah, I did see something about that, seems like another vigilante trying to do good"
The woman's boss spins her chair to face her conversation partner "Yes, but how many vigilantes openly cooperate with the police, not to mention the efficiency he took down the criminal" She starts "Either he is inexperienced, confident, or both"
"What do you want me to do about it?"
"Sit tight for now, we need more information. I'll adjust some patrols so that the area this Kamen Rider was spotted in will have better eyes on it"
"And what happens when we find them"
"Depends, if they are a potential asset, we embrace them, if they are a threat. We eliminate them"
The woman sighs, and thinks to herself: please don't do anything stupid kid. "Understood, is that all"
"For now yes, you are dismissed"
The woman turns her chair around to look out the window, overseeing the city below.
"Kamen Rider, huh. Let's see what you can do"
Next Episode Preview
Izuku: Hi I'm Izuku Midoriya, quirkless!
?: How can you be so positive about that?
Izuku: Simple, because I'm not going to let an extra toe joint stop me from achieving my dreams!
?: So Manly!
Next time on To Build a Hero:
To Build a Friendship