MY HERO ACADEMIA: Second Years
Episode 02: Kazuo & Tetsuo: Brothers' Origins
We pick back up later that day as, with the orphaned boy at his side, Izuku waited downtown while Toshinori said he would try and find the other children he had been helping. He told Toshinori about their usual hangout at the wharf outside the city and asked that he keep an eye out for his white haired brother. While this happened, Izuku took the newly nicknamed "Kazuo" with him to get him a much needed meal and chance to rest. They sat together in the city park beneath the shade of a tree, listening to the leaves rustling with the breeze. In Kazuo's hands was a breaded chicken patty wrapped in white paper, each bite bringing a sense of relief and joy over him. As Izuku watched him eat, he thought back to a previous meeting he had with other Heroes when they were called to the police station by Officer Tsukauchi.
"Project…Replika?" Izuku asked. Tsukauchi nodded.
"Yeah. While we don't yet know about the parties involved, we DO know what their endgame is. It's to produce obedient soldiers, cloned humans each wielding a collection of cloned Quirks. For the time, there have been no ties uncovered between them and the League of Villains. However, they were well funded to have been in operation for as long as they have been." he explained "About a week ago, we received reports of a remote facility exploding near Japan's border. And it was here that we learned about their plans while recovering some of their tech." He used a projector to show the assembled Heroes pictures of the destroyed site as well as lists of "successful projects" and "failures". It brought a sickening feeling to a good number of the Heroes.
"Looks like SOMEBODY was inspired by Dr. Garaki and All For One's work if they're attempting something to this extent." Fat Gum said "The idea that, to them, Quirks can be replicated so easily makes my blood boil." Red Riot, looking on nearby with Shoto, nodded.
"Have you figured out how many of these freakshows are still around? Or which Quirks they've had their eyes on?" Endeavor asked, watching with a "physically repaired" Mirko, healed by Eri's training. Tsukauchi shook his head.
"Not yet, Endeavor. But the logs we collected showed that this facility alone had produced about half a million successful creations but…not that many of them seemed to make the cut to be worth keeping around." he continued. Pinky shivered with disgust.
"I feel like I'm gonna throw up." she muttered while covering her mouth "I'll bet anything these creeps have probably been watching US as well." Shoto glimpsed down to his left hand, clenching into a fist.
"That's most likely what we're dealing with, Ashido. In fact…out of the current Pro Heroes stationed in Japan, I have a good idea which of us have been the "lucky ones" to make clones of. What about you, Midoriya?" Shoto implied, turning his way. Izuku nodded back in silence.
"Yeah. Took the words out of my mouth. I'll bet anything they've tried to clone One For All…or All For One. They would've had ample time to obtain samples of both Quirks during the massive battle we had." he said. Tsukauchi sighed as he turned off the projector and approached Izuku with a clipboard.
"Funny you should say that, Midoriya. Because…among their records, we found these." he said, passing the board to him "Experiment Number "OFA007" and "AFO008", the only successful attempts at cloning One For All and All For One. However…they didn't seem to make the cut and were scheduled to be disposed of…until the facility itself was destroyed. Right now, they should be no older than a pair of teenage boys." Glimpsing at the board, Izuku saw photographs that showed the two cloned children, the bearer of the replica One For All very similar to Kazuo.
Returning to the present, Izuku turned his gaze to Kazuo still eating, thinking back to the display of power he showed earlier. He had been using their silence to think of the best way to approach the subject, but nothing seemed to be quite right for the Pro Hero. Just then, as Kazuo finished, he begun to speak.
"I know…you already know, Mr. Deku." he said, surprising Izuku "I could feel it in your gaze this whole time. You know….I'm not an ordinary child. What I REALLY am. And…well…I know who you are too, wielder of One For All." Kazuo then stood up and turned back to Izuku, bowing shortly after.
"T-Thank you for the food. But…I won't take up anymore of your time. I'll…be going." he said. But before he could, he felt Izuku placing his hand atop his head. He glimpsed up to see him smiling as well.
"It's okay. No need to thank me. And…sorry for not bringing "that" up sooner. To be honest, I wasn't sure of the best way to approach the subject." he said "At first, I wanted to spend time with you…to better understand you. To see what "my clone" was like. But…including what you've told me as well…I see that you are a kind person who puts others before themself. Heh. I should know. I'm the same." Their eyes slowly met once again as Izuku withdrew his hand.
"I want to help you, Kazuo. You've had a hard life so far…both you and your brother. I wouldn't be a Hero if I were to ignore somebody suffering. When your friends meet up with us, I'd like to speak with your brother as well. Okay?" he said. Kazuo remained silent, perplexed by what Izuku said. As he looked back, all he saw was his cheerful smile stretching across his face.
"O-Okay…" he muttered.
~ Early Afternoon | Downtown Plaza ~
Toshinori soon met up with Izuku outside McDonalds with the orphaned children brought over in his sleek black car. As each stepped out, Izuku took the chance to meet each of them and learned their names and Quirks. A good number of the kids were overcome with excitement to see the famous "Deku" and "All Might" in the flesh, having heard stories of them from the adults and newspapers. With everyone accounted for, they entered the restaurant together as a group, greeted at the front door by a pair of servers.
"Greetings, Mr. Deku and All Might. Our manager has everything set up for your party and thanks you for dining with us today." one said, directing them to a table.
"Oh! And if it's not much to say…we greatly appreciate what you do for our community and thank you for keeping us all safe!" the other chimed in with a bow. Izuku and Toshinori glimpsed at each other and laughed.
"Thanks." Izuku replied. In no time, everyone was seated together as their orders were brought over. The sight of the burgers, fries and the like lit up the eyes of the children seated with them, some even slightly drooling as well including Kazuo.
"A-Are you sure this is okay?!" one of them shouted. Toshinori chuckled.
"Would we have offered you if we weren't? Your friend told us about how you've stuck together throughout all the hard times so far." he explained, looking at Kazuo seated by Izuku "And, as Heroes, we felt you kids were well deserving. After we get you fed, I have a friend who works with the police. With his help, you'll be in better hands and should all eventually find a new home with a loving family." He then rubbed one of their heads, a little girl with a pair of small flower-like atenna sticking out of her head.
"Wow! I can't believe you actually met THE Deku, blondie!" another of the children shouted "SO COOL!" Kazuo nervously chuckled.
"Well…that's not my name anymore. M-Mr. Deku just gave me one….K-Kazuo." he replied, blushing slightly. He then glimpsed to his side, his white haired brother looking over at him. Like Kazuo, he also was somewhat ratty in appearance with his clothing and messy hair. But unlike the rest, he wore a pair of child sized gloves over his hands.
"Oh yeah. Bro?" he continued "If you're cool with it, he had one for you as well. H-How does "Tetsuo" sound?" The boy gasped, looking up to Izuku.
"O-O-Oh! I…uhhhh….I l-like it?! T-Thank you!" he nervously stuttered. The other kids started to laugh as Tetsuo turned away blushing red. Kazuo joined in as well, albeit trying to ease his brother's nerves.
"Sorry about that, Deku. He's been…a little twitchy when it comes to talking with others. He and I have no problems though." Kazuo said.
"It's all right. All of this is probably much for him to take in." Izuku said.
"All right, all right. Let's save introductions for later." Toshinori laughed "Dig in, kiddos. You definitely need the energy if any of you want to become Heroes." In no time, they took to their food like a pack of hungry wolves, each grabbing what looked tasty to each of them. To Izuku and Toshinori's surprise, they appeared to be more well behaved than originally believed, most likely thanks to Kazuo and Tetsuo acting as the "big brothers" looking out for them. While eating, Izuku and Toshinori exchanged brief glances at each other.
"All Might? Did you get a chance to confirm our suspicions?" Izuku asked, attempting to keep his voice low. Toshinori silently nodded.
"Yeah. When I arrived at the wharf, I saw Tetsuo using his Quirk to help one of the other kids. He told me it was because she was having "usual pains" and was helping to alleviate them, most likely because she didn't know how to properly use her Quirk factors. It's just as you said." he replied while hinting towards Tetsuo "The boy's Quirk….is All For One." Izuku's eyes slightly narrowed as both thought back to the monster that last used the same Quirk, their mortal enemy and his prodigee, All For One and Tomura Shigaraki. Their smiles flashed in their minds, making Izuku slightly clutching tighter to his drink.
"It looks like Project Replika believed they could have recreated the Symbol of Fear with whatever they could get their hands on. But…what is your plan in dealing with this?" Toshinori asked. Izuku took a moment to calm down, phasing their faces out of his mind, before taking a sip.
"Well…I'll have to ask you to follow my lead and trust me. But you have to feel it too. Though they share a Quirk, it's obvious Tetsuo could not replicate All For One's overwhelming sense of dread. In fact, I wonder if he knows the origins of his power." Izuku replied. Toshinori quietly glimpsed at them once more before nodding back to Izuku.
"All right. But…be careful." he whispered, Izuku nodding.
~ Later That Day… ~
After their meal, Izuku asked Kazuo and Tetsuo if he could talk with them one on one. They hesitantly agreed, Tetsuo's worries somewhat quelled by his brother's encouragement, as they stepped outside. He brought the two boys to a quieter part of town not that far from the restaurant before turning to face them.
"W-What did you want to talk about, M…Mister Deku?" Tetsuo asked as the brothers gripped onto the other's hand. All fell silent as Izuku crouched down to their levels, meeting them eye to eye, and put a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Kazuo? Tetsuo? I want you both to know…that I'm well aware of Project Replika…and what you two have most likely went through." he said, surprising them both. Their eyes turned down to the floor.
"I…already…knew." Kazuo asked.
"W-Wait. W-What are you planning to do with us?! I-If we did something bad, w-w-we beg you for..!" Tetsuo exclaimed, his worries already beginning to overflood. But he was silenced as Izuku moved his hand atop his head.
"It's okay, Tetsuo. No one is going to harm you…especially not me. If anything, I'm amazed by the fact you two survived what you did for as long as you have." he continued "You two both have amazing Quirks and…I believe…with the proper training and growth, you can become great Heroes." The boys gasped once again.
"Us? H-Heroes…?" Kazuo asked to which Izuku nodded.
"Yes. I really believe you two have the potential to make the most of your Quirks. You already proved your kindness by being there for the other kids when they needed you. And while I do not know for how long you were together…I could easily see that you don't seek violence. You want to live in peace with everyone else…despite your upbringings." Izuku continued "If you'd be willing to trust me, then…I'd like to take you two in as my apprentices. I'll keep you safe…stand by your sides as you grow into your Quirks and, someday, watch you become Heroes the world can count on." Tears begun to fill in their eyes as their lips quivered slightly.
"W-Why…are you…?" Kazuo stuttered, cut short as Izuku pulled them in closer for a hug.
"Like I told you before, Kazuo, I'm not the kind of person to turn a blind eye to those who have suffered. It may just be a hunch…but I'm willing to take that gamble." he said "Will you?" The boys remained quiet as mice, rendered speechless by Izuku's sudden offer of kindness to the two despite having just met. In their heads, all the harsh words and moments of abuse they endured at the laboratory flooded their minds and echoed in their ears.
You two….PISS ME OFF! How can you be so chummy with one another?!
Ugh. Look at 'em. Bet you anything they're going to bite the bullet before the rest of us. Even their Quirks are starting to fail 'em…
At this rate…(sigh)…we'd be better off scrapping them both. They're utterly worthless.
You think your "bond" can protect you? Pathetic! It's KILL or BE KILLED. And you WILL die before anything else….and I'll make sure your Quirks are put to better use.
Their tears continued dripping down their faces before they hugged Izuku back. Feeling their grip, he easily knew this was their way of accepting as he smiled.
"Thanks…boys." he muttered. From over his shoulder, the other vestiges of One For All looked on. The phantom forms of Yoichi, Shimura and the rest all observed the events playing out with confident expressions. As the rest soon vanished, only Yoichi remained behind Izuku.
"I know…you'll be a great teacher. Please…Ninth. Take good care of them. And…thank you."
TO BE CONTINUED…