It's been a while, I know, but I am back! I won't take too much of your attention, so just feel free to enjoy the story for now.
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, or Zatch Bell, please support the official release!
Zatch Bell liked to think he was a smart kid! He's smart enough to find Momma Midoriya with nothing but smell and a giant bird, and he finds himself very interested in the idea of there being heroes in the world! He flew to this place that Papa Midoriya called the land of the rising sun, or Japan for short!
How could he not consider himself a smart kid? He never went to school, as far as he remembers, but he knew how to talk and learn so why couldn't he go to Izuku's school? Either way, it was still the early morning and he sat down in front of the living room TV. Why is that? Well, because he ended up being bored as Momma Midoriya sat on the couch.
Of course, Zatch also started thinking back to a question he wanted to ask, but never got an answer to last night.
See, last night's dinner was amazing. Not as good as Yellowtail though, he liked it better. Even when he said it though, Izuku and Momma Midoriya only had looks of confusion and laughter. Well, Momma Midoriya laughed. Izuku still asked a lot of questions and Zatch only answered all those questions with: "Because I like Yellowtail."
Either way, Zatch had intended to ask what Quirk Izuku had. In the brief time he was with the Midoriya family, which was only for one day, Zatch grew wide-eyed the more that Izuku explained about real-life superheroes and villains, and the real superpowers that are called QUirks!
And with how smart Izuku was, Zatch theorized as he watched the TV commercials that Izuku must have a big brain or a super-genius Quirk that makes him extra-smart! Or maybe a Quirk that makes him jump high!
Or heck, even a Quirk that makes him super strong!
But Zatch was so distracted and excited by everything else and having fun with Momma Midoriya and Izuku that he never got a chance to ask. Even so, Zatch wanted to ask Izuku that question later on.
When he comes back later. And after they get Yellowtail like he promised.
I want Yellowtail now… Zatch drooled as he daydreamed of a walking Yellowtail or a hundred yellowtails in the fish market! A Yellowtail Buffet!
"You're hungry already, Zatch?" He heard a soft giggle from behind him, and Zatch snapped out of his daydream. Suddenly, he turned his head to see Inko's motherly smile, although his restlessness made him stand up suddenly.
"I want Yellowtail." Zatch started with an honest but also childish smile. "I know I have to wait, but I want to eat more Yellowtail!"
"Hehehe…" Inko chuckled sheepishly but stood up from the couch. "Well, you're going to have to wait for Izuku, dear. He promised to get you Yellowtail on the way home, right?"
"Unu…" Zatch responded with affirmation, a slow nod, and a neutral expression. "But I wanted to help him with the 'Ally of Justice' Plan!"
"H-Huh?" Inko blinked and took another seat as she looked at Zatch with a tentative look in her eyes.
"Yes, Yes!" Zatch nodded firmly, before pulling from under his green cloak a small flag he made himself. With stylized hiragana and Japanese symbols, the words 'Ally of Justice Plan' could be read. Zatch himself felt very proud of the idea. "It's a super secret plan I wanted to tell to Izuku!"
"..." Inko blinked and then frowned cautiously despite having a worried smile. "And, why specifically Izuku?"
"Hmmm? Isn't it obvious, Momma?" Zatch gave a wide smile, determined and honest. "If heroes can exist in this world, then I want to be a Hero with Izuku! We're both going to be a tag team of Heroes! We'll work together to beat the big bad guys, and save the innocent civilians!"
Suddenly, he started punching the air as he was caught up in his little world. "We'll beat Delinquents that you find in high school, we'll catch purse snatchers that steal from other people, and we'll prevent people from getting hurt! Just like Mr. Shiny Teeth does–"
"Zatch." Zatch snapped out of his daze with a smile, before dropping into a concerned expression. Why? Because Momma Midoriya had a saddened expression. She looked very conflicted and confused. Or was she? Zatch didn't know or understand why. "Izuku…"
"Huh?" Zatch blinked for a moment, concerned for Momma Midoriya. "W-What's the matter? You look…sad."
For a brief few seconds, Inko Midoriya looked conflicted, before she took a deep but shaky breath. She suddenly stood up from her couch and rubbed her eyes with her forearm before putting on a smile that confused Zatch. "It's okay, Zatch. Do you want anything to eat?"
"I want Yellowtail," Zatch answered honestly, but he also seemed still concerned for his mom. What happened? Why was she not saying anything? "But I can eat that Kat Udon!"
"Hehehe…Katsu Udon, Zatch." Inko chuckled a bit, suddenly some color and brightness returning to her smile as she patted Zatch on the head. However, she walked over to the kitchen to prepare a bowl. "Just be patient, okay?"
"Unu!" Zatch nods firmly, before crawling up to the couch and sitting on it. However, he watched the TV for only a few minutes before…he started thinking.
Of an idea. An amazing, delightfully, awesome idea!
Ally of Justice… Inko Midoriya set about preparing the ingredients for the Katsu Udon for Zatch, her hands moving deftly and swiftly to distract herself from her thoughts. Because her thoughts had turned sad.
I mean…how am I supposed to tell Zatch? Inko couldn't muster up the courage or the strength to tell Zatch about Izuku's…Quirklessness. It wouldn't feel right, and she'd already be betraying Izuku more than she already has throughout all these years. And it didn't help that she'd be crushing Zatch's dream of being a hero with Izuku. Even when she found out that Zatch could blast lightning, at least from what Izuku managed to tell her a bit, she chalked it up to a strong Quirk that could help Zatch be a Hero in the future.
If he wanted to, Zatch could become a hero like Izuku always wanted to be…but would that be right? Even now, Inko had to stop herself from sighing wistfully and tearing up. She didn't…want to tell Zatch the truth of it all again. It was already hard enough to have broken Izuku's dream.
Or at least, to have not been able to say the words he wanted to hear. Inko Midoriya decided to keep that to herself at the moment, and hopefully, when Izuku came back from school, they'd be able to talk about it to Zatch together.
Even so, she was…hopeful that Izuku would take it in stride. Having a younger brother with a Quirk like that, and yet caring about him all the same. But she also knew in her heart that Izuku didn't have it in himself to be resentful. After all, even after the bullying and realizing he was Quirkless, he never stopped applying himself in school.
Hopefully, everything goes well. Inko knew today was the day he'd give his application, so she was hoping he wouldn't be looked at skeptically. After those thoughts, she resumed making the Katsu Udon with a small smile. Zatch at least would be able to cheer her up with the young golden-eyed boy being his usual self. It felt like having Izuku back as a child all over again.
"Zatch! Food's ready–" Inko called out as she turned with the bowl of Katsu Udon…but Zatch didn't seem to be on the couch. Or on the kitchen table. And…was that a slight breeze?
She widened her eyes, wide as dinner plates and in surprise and yet shock.
Because the front door was wide open, and Zatch was nowhere to be seen.
"Zatch!?" Inko immediately stammered into a panic, looking around the apartment. "Zatch!? Where are you Zatch!?"
"Wow…!" Zatch was…already out the door, and tracking Izuku's directions by smell. However, even with that, he walked the streets of Musutafu with nothing but the green duffel bag and his puppet clothes underneath. Needless to say, his disguise was brilliant, although it would only be useful when Zatch made it to Izuku's school!
Oh, right, the plan! The Ally of Justice Plan! That's the exact reason why Zatch even decided to find Izuku and help him. Sure he was told to wait, but Zatch couldn't keep his excitement down, and not to mention he had to see if Izuku had any other friends as well! Besides, if he found out more about Izuku's school life, then maybe he and Zatch could be heroes! After all, a hero helps the innocent and beats the bad guys.
What other way to do that than to beat up Delinquents?
Not that Zatch knew what delinquents do, but he knew that they were always at the top of the roof!
But Zatch couldn't help but look at all the places around him. Especially the people! He hadn't been outside in Lon-Dawn for a while with Papa Midoriya, so he didn't get a chance to walk around alone and explore! And everywhere he went, along the trail to Izuku's school, he found a bunch of people!
Weird-looking people too!
From people with oddly shaped heads, like a man with three antennae from the top and sides of his head, and even a cat-man! Although, the cat man was working as what Zatch remembered to be a cop. Or a crosswalk officer? Zatch didn't know, but he saw this cat-man while walking across the street.
Meanwhile, everybody just gave Zatch really weird looks. Not that Zatch cared or minded, or even paid attention for that matter. However, they all looked more concerned about why a young child is walking all by his lonesome.
And Zatch didn't notice until he got a stronger whiff of Izuku's scent…and then he gasped. "There it is! It's closer than I thought!"
And Zatch dashed on all fours, like a puppy looking for its older brother, all the way to where the scent tracked and led to. It's comical seeing a young golden-eyed boy with barely a few feet of height dashing like a dog inside of a green duffel bag. Needless to say, Zatch didn't think about it. It's still a brilliant disguise, and he soon arrived at the open gates of Aldera Junior High.
The building is big enough for an entire student body, obviously, and looked sleek in design, although nothing too impressive or outlandish. Even so, to Zatch this looked like a cool building for him so he gasped softly.
"Okay, so Izuku should be around here somewhere!" Zatch climbed up the gate, but this time huddled his feet together to look more inconspicuous. And from here, the Ally of Justice plan would be set into motion! It's simply a matter of time, and finding Izuku and seeing if he can make friends!
What could possibly go wrong?
Nevertheless, Zatch walked along the entrance, and then to the halls of the school while trying to make as little noise as possible. Zatch's sneak-sneak skills were pretty handy in this occasion, and if he needed to he could just hide in the duffel bag!
However, he got a strong whiff on the scent across the hallway, to which he noticed a few students about Izuku's age entering the classroom.
"Oh…! There he is…!" Zatch scurried silently over to the sliding door, not entering the classroom but simply sliding the door a bit open without making a sound. From there, he peeked inside and witnessed the ensuing events unfold.
Izuku sat in his seat and tried to make himself seem as small as possible. If only because that way he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself. Not that he had any reason to be scared of everybody, but Izuku didn't have a positive relationship with his classmates. Neither a negative one at that, but that's all up to perspective.
Still, he paid attention to his homeroom teacher who began to speak.
"Since you're all third years, it's time for you to think seriously about your future." The teacher spoke with a sense of authority, although he continued. "I'll pass out the handouts for your plans now, but…"
"You're all," The homeroom teacher in question gave a lighthearted grin as he held the handouts on one hand, but of course threw the handouts into the air with seemingly no issue. "Pretty much planning to go into the hero course, right?"
The class resounded with a dramatic yes, all of their Quirks on display to see. At least, except for Izuku and one other student. Many of their Quirks weren't…well, Izuku always believed a Quirk had a chance to be useful. But many of them had simple quirks, like stretchy eyes, and stretched hands, on top of morphing their body to rock and even fire.
Izuku didn't really seem to be too bothered at all, just raising his hand discreetly without really making himself a flag either. Didn't want that attention at the moment.
"Yes, Yes, you all have astoundingly remarkable Quirks! But you already know that using Quirks in school is prohibited and against the rules!" Izuku didn't need to be reminded of that. Quirk usage outside having a Hero License is usually against the rules, and depending on the severity of the Quirk can be a means for being put in jail or at least on probation.
Or even worse, becoming a villain and becoming a criminal.
At least, that's what Izuku heard. He never even saw that happen, and at least that's what Heroes are there for. They can't be bad people at all if they are heroes, now can they?
"Come on, Teach!" Suddenly, Izuku just uh…flinched instinctively at that. Heck, a few seats ahead of him in the row next to his, there was Bakugou with his feet propped up on the desk. His back lay down on his chair with a lazy, almost dismissive expression. "Don't lump us all in the same group! I'm not gonna be stuck at the bottom with the rest of these rejects!"
The thing is…Katsuki Bakugou seemed extremely confident, and Izuku believed that. After all, Bakugou is by no means uneducated or lacking in the academic department.
Nothing needed to be said about his amazing Quirk, although Izuku was more than familiar with that. That certainly didn't stop the annoyed, and somewhat envious reactions of the other students.
"That was uncalled for Katsuki!" One of the students exclaimed with a rather annoyed expression. "Yeah, Yeah!"
"You all should shut up like the extras you are!" Bakugou shouted out with a smug expression, almost lording it over the rest.
"Oh, if I remember correctly, you want to go to U.A. High, right, Bakugo?" The teacher adjusted the paper in his hands, shuffling to Bakugou's sheets.
"U.A.? That national school?!" Whispers among the students were rightfully in surprise, awe, and a bit of envy. Not that Izuku himself could be too envious. "It was in the top 0.2% this year, you know! Their acceptance rate is always really low, too!"
Indeed, Izuku understood that more than any other, a lot of people's chances of being in U.A. are low, even with a Quirk.
But then again, U.A. High is the best hero school in Japan, and quite frankly, renowned as one of the best hero academies in the world. After all, it is said that many Pro-Heroes graduated and succeeded after U.A. High. Many of these Pro-Heroes still return there to teach after all, and the rumors are simple and to the point if we're all being honest.
It still is Izuku's greatest dream to be at that school, and who hasn't wanted to be at U.A. ever since they were kids? Even his begrudging classmates would love to be students accepted at U.A. if they could.
And despite his logical mind and intelligence, he wanted so badly to be in U.A. At least by the written exam if he could. It was a hopeless dream, but Izuku held onto whatever hope he could.
"That's exactly why you guys are just extras!" Bakugou once again spoke with an amount of brash confidence, as he jumped on top of his desk and pointed towards himself with a thumb. "I aced the mock test! I'm the only one at this school who could get into the U.A.! I'll surpass All Might and become the top hero! My name will be inscribed on the list of top earners, and no one's going to stop me!"
"Huh? Oh." The teacher flipped through one more paper, and his expression turned…confused, if not very much indifferent. "Wait, Midoriya also wants to go to U.A., doesn't he?"
Oh crud…! Izuku flinched as he hid his face on the desk, but needless to say…everybody turned to stare at Izuku. All except Bakugou, who simply froze with an unbelievably shocked expression that did not change from his initial blustering. And yet, to be expected, even he turned around to give Izuku a grin that only hid behind it a veil of frustration and anger.
This is exactly what he dreaded would happen. After all, everybody in this school applied to be a hero, and even more than that, they all had put their aspirations plain as day.
Even if Izuku put his aspirations, he hoped the teacher wouldn't be careless enough to just blurt it out…but with Bakugou's blustering and his want to go to U.A., Izuku figured it was too much to ask.
Still, that didn't stop what happened next after everybody figured it out. Izuku, the Quirkless loser in Aldera Junior High, wants to become a Hero in U.A.?
It sounded ridiculous, hilarious even, So much so that everybody, bar the teacher's unamused face, laughed right at Izuku's face. His dream and none of them even bothered to be nice about it.
"For real? Midoriya's trying to get into U.A.? That's ridiculous!"
"You can't just get into the Hero Course through studying alone!"
Their jeers and mocking laughter resounded, although Izuku mustered up whatever he could say. "T-They removed that rule, there isn't any precedent that I can't–"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a boom launched in front of Izuku, breaking his desk in half and leaving him down on the ground on his butt as he looked up.
"The hell you saying, Deku!?" Bakugou shouted with a surprisingly angered and yet mocking grin, as his right palm smoked with small sparks coating it. He had used his Explosion Quirk, and Izuku had been very familiar with that Quirk over the years they knew each other. "You're way below these rejects! You're Quirkless! The hell makes you think you're even worth standing in the same ring as me!?"
"Wait, Kacchan, you're misunderstanding!" Izuku's trembling voice and terrified expression came out, and the young Quirkless man held his hands in front of him defensively. "I'm not trying to compete with you at all, you should know that! It's just…"
He stops but looks down at the floor in a low voice.
"It's just that it's been my dream ever since I was little," Izuku didn't speak too confidently, but he did say what he meant. "I won't know unless I try…!"
"Unless you try…?" Bakugou chuffed with a declaration soon after, shouting to Izuku as the rest of the class mocked him even further. "Waddaya mean, unless you try!? Do you think this is just fun and games!? What the hell can you do, Deku!? You're Quirkless!"
Izuku flinched at the shouting, and yet the mocking laughter and everybody's unbelieving gazes were… enough o make Izuku shut up and look down in defeat. A pang of frustration burned in his chest, but more than that, he felt an acceptance of what people think about him. A crazy dreamer, and not even the teacher had much hope for him succeeding in being a Hero.
Who in their right mind would think a Quirkless wanna-be would ever become a hero anyway? Nobody in Japan had ever even seen the notion becoming a thing. Nobody in this school believed it, the teachers didn't believe it…and Bakugou certainly denies it every time Izuku even brought up the notion.
Nothing that Izuku wasn't familiar with.
This day's only going to be long. In fact, as far as Izuku knew…this is going to be painful to go through.
"What the hell can you do, Deku!? You're Quirkless!" The spike-headed jerk shouted straight to Izuku, and Zatch couldn't help but have a deep frown of confusion, frustration, and quite frankly anger.
At first, he was wowed by the student's weird looks. A guy with eyestalks, and people that looked like they were made out of rocks. They all looked pretty cool, and they had Quirks too. However, when they laughed and made fun of Izuku, his brother, his opinion of them changed to confusion and righteous anger.
Who were they to make fun of him? What does it matter if he wanted to become a hero? He and Izuku could become heroes in the future anyway, so what's the big deal?! And what made it worse, was that he witnessed that spike-headed jerk just blow up Izuku's desk like it was nothing, and he loomed over him like he was trying to harm him. Zatch didn't understand what he meant by Quirkless, but that didn't matter.
So…what did Zatch do upon witnessing that? Well, to put it bluntly, Zatch opened the sliding door and dashed towards Izuku and the spike-headed jerk, putting himself between them, and throwing a mean glare towards the bully.
Now, in the brief 5 seconds that he glared at the jerk, everybody was surprised and…baffled, for lack of a better term.
The students surrounding them stopped laughing and blinked, in confusion at Zatch's sudden arrival, and the teacher suddenly finally stopped with his indifference and blinked along as well. Now to be fair, Zatch is just wearing a green duffle bag, and his arms and legs are popping out the bottom and the sides of this duffel bag. It looked immensely bizarre.
But Izuku, for a brief moment, widened his eyes and looked even more shocked that his eyes were practically popping out of his eye-sockets. Metaphorically of course. He stuttered with an almost sudden exclamation. "Z-Zatch!?"
"Huh? The hell's this kid–" The spike-headed jerk raised a brow with a frowning look of confusion, before suddenly–
WHAM!
Zatch launched his body head-first straight into his gut, surprising the delinquent and the class. Zatch bounced off of him, but the headbutt to the gut launched the delinquent pretty hard right to the teacher's podium, causing the teacher to jump up and grab the podium in time before it fell.
The young Zatch landed on his feet, stumbling before grounding himself with both feet and pointing an accusatory finger toward the spike-haired delinquent. "You big jerk! Where do you get off on trying to bully my older brother!? I won't let you get away with that so long as I am around to say something about it, you hear me!?"
Zatch made the proud declaration with a frown and a serious expression on his face.
…
"D-Did…did that kid just…"
"Headbutted Bakugou of all people!?"
"Wait a minute, how did the kid even get in here!?"
"Did he just…refer to Midoriya as his older brother? Since when did Midoriya have a younger brother?"
Amongst the whispers and confusion the students had, everybody was flabbergasted and shocked that this kid just headbutted Bakugou like it was no issue, and so suddenly too.
But Izuku? Well, the guy is mortified to the most degree. After all, Zatch presumably is here in his school…after he told him he couldn't come, but he just headbutted Kacchan like it was nothing. So hard in fact, that Zatch just pushed him back to the podium to the front.
Izuku let out a mortified yell as he scrambled upwards to his feet and grabbed Zatch like a doll. He held him with both arms and couldn't help but have the most confused expression on his face. "What are you doing, here Zatch!? I thought I told you you weren't supposed to come here! Wait…how did you even find your way here!?"
"Huh? Oh, I just caught your scent and found you." Zatch blinked but also stated with a carefree smile that contrasted his earlier frown and declaration. "It was really easy actually!"
"And you thought it was a good idea to follow me here? Why did you even do that?" Izuku asked again, confused and forgetting everybody else's surprise.
"Because," Zatch pumped both fists up into the air, and wiggled his feet in the air as he was held up. "I wanted to help the both of us enact the 'Ally of Justice' plan!"
"W-What…What!?" Izuku blinked at first before he looked mortified at the rest of that statement.
Needless to say, they needed to talk this over in the future.
"Ahem…Midoriya!" Izuku and Zatch froze, turning to the teacher who had a mildly miffed and somewhat annoyed expression. It was clear the teacher is trying to be patient. "I don't know what you're…younger brother is doing here, but he needs to wait in the nurse's office."
"O-Oh, right!" Izuku nodded suddenly, bowing many times with a mortified and apologetic expression. "Sorry, so sorry, I'll take him there right now!"
"Huh? What do you mean? Aren't we going to enact the–" Izuku covered up Zatch's mouth before he could finish his sentence. "Mph? Mpmpmph!"
"Again, I'm so sorry!" Izuku bowed one more time and left the classroom with Zatch. Not only is he mortified, but he also wouldn't want to be there when Bakugou explodes. He got headbutted by a child for god's sake…
(Nurses Room)
"Once again, thank you so much for taking care of my uh…younger brother." Izuku bowed once again to the school nurse, a young woman who looked to be in her mid-20s. She had teal-colored hair that was styled into a small ponytail, amethyst-colored eyes that shined, and wore a lab coat at the moment along with her hemp dress underneath. This was Nurse Izumo, as the school liked to call her. To Izuku, for the past 3 years he's been in middle school, Izumo happened to be the one faculty member who had some positive student-teacher dynamic with him.
It's not as if the other teachers are awful, or neglectful…Izuku liked to think. They were just doing their jobs, and not many of them showed too much favoritism towards the other students. Not that there wasn't any favoritism running around…maybe.
I need to reconsider… Izuku sighed apologetically.
"No worries, Midoriya. You know it's always a pleasure to help." Izumo gave a smile so bright that admittedly even Izuku couldn't help but look away with an admittedly shy glance. She was always…polite and happy like that, even if he was Quirkless.
Or especially because he's Quirkless? Izuku didn't know which was better.
"Y-Yeah, again, it's just that if I am not around…well, I learned that he's very…" Izuku stood up from the bow but sheepishly looked down at Zatch, who just clung onto Izuku's leg like a koala with a golden-eyed pleading look to not drop him off there. "Clingy."
"I'm not clingy, Izuku! I just really wanted to enact the 'Ally of Justice' plan with you!" Zatch proclaimed with a sincere expression of seriousness.
"Could you…not say that out loud?" Izuku looked pretty anxious and mortified to hear that again. "There are still people in the hallways!"
"And you should get going to class before you miss anything, Midoriya." Izumo's smile was bright, but also derpy in a sense before she insisted. "Don't worry, Izuku. Zatch is in good hands until the final bell! And Zatch?"
"Unu?" Zatch looked towards Izumo with a look of curiosity.
"Would you perhaps like some candy? I have a whole cabinet dedicated to good boys and girls who stay where they need to!"
"Really!?" Suddenly, Zatch's bright expression returned, and he let go of Izuku's leg and instead went to Izumo's doctor's desk. He was essentially climbing up to it, while Izumo just watched. "Thank you so much, Miss Nurse!"
"...you have such a nice younger brother, Midoriya," Izumo stated again, with a nice smile. "Is he adopted?"
"Well, yeah…" Izuku brushed the back of his head but nodded as he took careful steps out the door. "Thank you again, Izumo-sensei."
"My pleasure, young man!" Izumo trilled with polite delight, as Izuku nodded and went out the door.
As he walked the hallway back to his classroom, Izuku couldn't help but think that he hoped Zatch would behave himself the whole day. Of course, afterward, he needed to explain to Zatch a lot about why he was being bullied. And not to mention that he can't just barge into schools that are above his grade.
It's almost concerning to be fair, but Izuku didn't want to think too hard about the scenario. If only because by the time Izuku comes in, he's probably gonna have to deal with more mockery and a lot more problems with Bakugo.
Well…at least today can't get any worse…
Izumo smiled as she saw Izuku retreat out into the hall, although a part of her hoped that the young man wouldn't be too embarrassed, or uncomfortable. After all, Izuku may be a kind young child, but he isn't really one to show his negativity. Since she joined the faculty three years ago, she had noticed Izuku usually came into the nurse's office with either scorch marks, burns, or bruises. And admittedly, she knew why.
Bakugou… Izumo frowned a bit at that name, although she also sighed to let the stress go away. She didn't have any right to be too mad, but she is empathetic to her students here, even if most of them were contributing to the problem and bullying Izuku as well.
Which is why Izuku happened to be her favorite student, and for various reasons. Aside from being Quirkless, she felt that she needed to be helpful to Izuku. After all, the young man has been through a lot and strictly tries to pursue his dreams even if others say it's ridiculous.
She didn't think so.
"Nom-Nom-Nom!" Izumo blinked, turning to Zatch who sat on the bed, licking a lollipop with swirls that he pulled out from her cabinet desk. The yellow-haired boy seemed caught in his world, and Izumo giggled childishly as she noticed his smile.
"What is it, Mrs. Nurse?" Zatch tilted his head, before taking a chomp out of the lollipop with his sharp teeth.
"Nothing, Nothing. It's just funny to me that you're enjoying the lollipop. I usually don't get to give them out to the students here." Izumo waved her hand playfully, although she smiled at the young child with her amethyst eyes shining. "Zatch-kun, how long have you been Midoriya-kun's younger brother?"
"Two days!" Zatch replied cheerfully with a smile.
"...t-two days?" Izumo blinked curiously.
"Yeah, Yeah! And so far, I like everything about this place! Everybody has superpowers, the people are nice, and I even saw a walking cat in a suit!" Zatch jumped up and down the bed with an excited look on his, before blinking and pointing at Izumo. "Oh, but everybody in Izuku's class is meanies! They made fun of him, and that spikey-haired jerk called him something I didn't understand! But he made me mad!"
"Oh, you must be talking about Bakugou Katsuki." Izumo's expression turned to a neutral expression, although she crossed her leg over the other while crossing her arm. "Well, I don't know much about what happened, but I have a feeling it's the same thing that always happens…"
"That always happens?" Zatch frowned with a serious expression before he expressed. "But then why doesn't the teacher do something about him? He's a delinquent right?"
"Well…Zatch-kun, it's a bit complicated for a kid." Izumo smiled apologetically.
"Yeah, but then why did he call Izuku Quirkless? What's a Quirkless?"
"...I see…" Izumo blinked, but she tried to explain to Zatch the best she could with a pat on his head, and a small expression. "Well, someone who's Quirkless means that they don't have a superpower. They are normal people like…well, they are just normal. No fire, no strength, no super ice. They are just a normal human being."
"Huh…but what's the problem with that?" Zatch blinked but seemed innocent about it.
"There isn't…but people in this school think that being Quirkless is the same as being hopeless. People believe you can't be a hero if you don't have a superpower and the people that try to be heroes even without a Quirk? They usually get insulted…berated, mocked even. However, I think that's dumb."
"That's…" Zatch blinked but frowned even more as he flailed his arms to the side. "That's dumb! That's like really dumb! Just because someone doesn't have a Quirk or a superpower, doesn't mean they should be made fun of or bullied! GYAAAAH, now I am just super mad at that Baka-gou!"
"...Baka-gou…?" Izumo blinked, before trying to withhold a snort of laughter. It wasn't professional, but she couldn't deny it was funny.
"Yes, Baka-gou! Because he's a dunderhead!" Zatch insisted with a huge frown. "But that doesn't mean he has to insult Izuku like that, I betcha he's lying!"
"He's…unfortunately not." Izumo shook her head but explained. "It's true. Izuku is Quirkless."
"Wait, he is?" Zatch asked curiously.
"Yeah." Izumo nodded, although she sighed a bit. "I take it he hasn't told you yet?"
"Unu, he never did explain that Quirkless people are a thing." Zatch blinked as he tilted his head.
"I don't blame him…he's not exactly proud of that." Izumo looked saddened at that, but she leaned back in her chair. "Everybody here doesn't care about him, and it hurts to see that nobody's doing anything about it. No, instead they use that as an excuse to bother him and bully him when they want to."
"..." Zatch remained silent at that, and while Izumo noticed his silence she noticed how he balled his fists up. However, she felt some relief. Because Zatch truly cared and got mad for Izuku. She only saw a little bit, and yet Izumo noticed that the young boy himself looked down at his lap with a pensive thought.
Noting that, she smiled and patted Zatch again on the head. "Hey, mind if I ask you a favor?"
"Yes, Mrs. Nurse?" Zatch looked up, relaxing.
"Take care of your older brother. Midoriya-kun may not show it, but he's very meek and often passive. He's a kind boy, and he cares about being a hero. I know he can, but he also puts himself down so much that he thinks he can't do anything. Even a kind heart like him has a limit." Izumo stated seriously, but her smile was genuine and yet honest. "So, since you're the younger brother… it's your job to make sure he has someone who can support him through thick and thin. Would you do that for me? For him?"
Zatch blinked but smiled as he gestured towards himself with a thumb. "Of course, I will! I'm Izuku's younger brother after all! He and I are going to become allies of Justice together, and when the plan is enacted, we'll become heroes together!"
"Hehehe~" Izumo chuckled adorably, but she smiled and kept patting him on the head. However, for the most part, she pulled out another candy, a chocolate mini-bar. "Thank you so much, Zatch-kun. You've earned yourself a chocolate!"
"Yay!" Zatch waved his arms out. "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!"
Izumo chuckled once again, almost amused by Zatch's excitement. However, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel relief and a lot of understanding between her and Zatch. She did all she could to help Izuku these past three years, and now it was Zatch's turn to help. The younger brother supports his older brother.
Now she hopes that she doesn't run out of candy by the time the last bell rings.
And with that, chapter 3 has been released for once! Sorry for the late post, and how long it took, but to compensate for that I added in a few more words to this chapter than usual.
Now, as for the story. Zatch barging into schools he shouldn't be in is nothing new, and I certainly wanted him to have more of a sense of understanding when it comes to what is happening. The conflict here is less about if Zatch will support Izuku, and more will Izuku *let* Zatch support him in his own way. After all, Izuku, much in my own opinion, has a problem of not taking help whenever he needs it.
As for Izumo? Well, the nurse is gonna be a surprise in the future, but she also serves as Izuku's main lifeline and supportive teacher in the school for now. I hope you guys enjoy her personality in the future.
Once again, thank you so much for reading. Feel free to follow and favorite the story, as well as leave a review!
This is the Maelstrom, and I look forward to seeing you on the horizon!