Man... My head kinda hurts.
Excuse me, weird way to start, I know, it was just the first thing that kinda came into mind.
It was only the afternoon...
I look up to see a decent sized group pull up to my shop. I didn't stress though, I knew who they were.
"Ay, Mendoza!"
Ah yes, one of my favorites.
"Larry? And the gang? What's up you guys!?"
Larry and his little gang of so called miscreants stepped into the pizza shop. They were a biker gang specifically, and their appearances naturally made others shy away.
I didn't think much of it at first, they were cool.
"Mendoza, we heard your selling calzones, and you see, we haven't heard of em! Ain't that right boys!?"
Whooping can be heard from the back.
"So we gotta try them, ain't that right boys!?"
More whooping.
"So I say we get some, ain't that right boys!?"
Much more whooping.
"Larry, my lobster friend, I would just ask that you and your boys keep it down please?" I said with a sweatdrop.
It became bigger when all of them apologized to the patrons and bowed their heads. It's like a bunch of kids saying sorry after doing something they weren't supposed to do...
"Uh, how many?"
"Hmm..." He put a claw towards his chin.
"13!"
"Well damn, what kind?"
"There's different kinds?"
"Sure is man."
"Hell yeah! What do y'all boys want?"
They spouted their orders as I was able to write them down in record time. This wasn't my first rodeo.
"Mmm, alright! How about y'all boys take a seat now!"
They whooped some more as they sat down.
This is what I loved the most about my line of work: the community. Nothing feels better then interacting with the community around me, whether that would be New York City, or here in Japan, a sense of togetherness is universal. I saw some of the biker members talking towards some of the other patrons as well, engaging in some polite conversations.
They weren't even mean in the slightest, best people I've ever met. This is what it was all about. People were much more then just people, people have lives, relationships, problems, families, and much more... I just wish that people understood people, if that made any sense.
I dunno, it just feels nice. I got that from my dad.
Why can't life be this simple? Of course I had to go and fuck up any chance of peace... Probably because I'm old...
I set to work on their orders, I was making sure to make some big ones too.
Pepperoni...
Sausage...
Tuna...?
All veggies... Understandable...
Just cheese... More like a oversized mozzarella stick...
I coat them in my signature garlic butter along with the egg wash, so it would come out crispy with a garlic, flavorful crust. I also made sure to make slits in the middle of the things too. It was going to take a while so, I got to work on other orders.
"Hey, what can I get- God damn are you alright kid?"
I look a little closer at the kid that was Infront of me. He looks like he ran himself to death. Hell, I can hear him breathing heavily from here!
He almost collapsed on the counter.
"I... Was... Wondering if... You have anything... With a lot of protein..."
"Yeah, uh, would you like a cup of water or something? I won't charge your for it."
"That'd... Be great..."
~~~~~
"Izuku Midoriya, huh?" I said, looking towards the green haired kid Infront of me.
"Um... Yeah." After recovering, he seemed to be a meek kinda guy. Very soft spoken and a little timid, not a problem.
"So whatchu want, Midoriya?"
"I was looking for something in, uh, high protein?" He asked,
"Ohhhhh, okay, I gotcha, so just take a seat, alright?"
All he did was quickly nod and rushed off towards the more secluded part. Weird kid.
I also served up the other calzones to the biker gang, much to their... Intense appreciation. I totally didn't need that bear hug...
Anyways, basically the loaded calzone on my menu is dense in protein, but not too much in carbs, how I did this was use some self raising flour, greek yogurt, and some low fat cheese in there, followed by two layers of pepperoni totalling to about 65 grams of protein and about 650 calories. It obviously wasn't the best and some refinements can be made, but it'll do for now.
I chucked that thing in the oven after I put the egg wash on it and let the oven do it's thing. I could see the bow scribbling stuff down in his notebook too... And awfully fast, I wonder what he is writing...
After a little while I took it out, and then quickly realized I forgot if he wanted it to go or dine in...
"Calzone for Midoriya!"
He jumped, looking absolutely petrified as he scuttled over towards me, his eyes admiring his shoes it seems.
"Kid, you want it to go or dine in?"
"Togoplease!"
"Alright then, here ya go kid, take it easy alright?"
I gave him the box as he handed me the correct amount of money before bolting off.
Weird kid.
~~~~~
[Izuku POV]
"You got what you needed?"
I look to my left to see my mentor, All Might, sitting next to me in his emaciated form.. He made me go on break from cleaning up the beach around here... But I couldn't lie I was hungry... I'm not sure why he made me go there out of all places. Ah, I shouldn't question All Might's judgement!
"Um, yes sir!"
He humphed. Did I do something wrong!? Is he upset!? Oh man I screwed up-
"He's... A good man..."
...
Huh?
"Very wise and perceptive, that man is... I went there a few times..." He said, looking up at the sky. What was he thinking about? Was it about that owner?
"Right..."
"Anyways, are you done?"
"Uh, yes!" It was a lot better then I thought it would be...
"Excellent, now then, Young Midoriya, now that you've replenished, let's resume the training!"
"Yes sir!"
~~~~~
[Jason POV]
"Everybody say bye to the pizza guy!"
The gang clambered over towards me, giving me their thanks. How nice...
Larry stayed back, walking towards me.
"Hey man, listen, I really appreciate someone like you... All of us are mutants, so not to many take kindly of us... Your a good man, Mendoza, if you need anything, give us a ring!"
All I did was just give a laugh, I'm glad I could fulfill one of my dad's signature mottos.
"They could be odd, they could be strange, they can be downright inhuman, but hey, everyone wants a slice now and then, right? Just like everyone else!"
"I appreciate it, Larry, just know you and your boys are welcome anytime! Stay safe, yeah?"
"Ha! You betcha!" He said, putting his... Claw out for a handshake, in which I gingerly accepted. He then left with the crew on their bikes and took off.
How nice.
If only I knew I was being watched by a certain rat...
~~~~~
It was time for bed, I laid on my bed as I stared at the ceiling as usual. I decided to glance outside the window to see... A figure standing outside the place.
I couldn't put a finger on it, but with the way they were standing it couldn't be good.
Activate...
...
Shigaraki. That bastard was here again. I pushed myself to about 3 minutes to really see what was going on, but all he did was just stand there, before disappearing into what appeared to be a portal. Was he scoping it out here? Has he been scoping this place out? Fuck. I knew he was going to go away, but I retreated into my closet, bringing out my Kusarigama. Can never be too safe.
I simply watched as he stared at the front door of the restaurant, sweat building on my forehead as he then left through a purplish portal.
I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight.
~~~~~
"Hey, Midoriya, how you doing, man!?" It was a few days after whatever the fuck was that, and I look to see the meek little broccoli boy I saw a few days ago.
"I, uh, am doing fine... I was wondering if... I can have that, uh, calzone again? It... Fits in with... My, uh, meal plan..." He said.
"That's quite alright kid, I'll getcha one!" I said as his eyes flickered all at the walls around him. And then something weird happened...
There was a kid and his family about to leave, but then the kid falls behind and... Steps on his shoes? Like, a full ass stomp on Midoriya's shoes. Damn those reds were kinda fresh too...
"Quirkless freak..."
Ah yes, the smell of prejudice is on the air...
I shoot a glare at the kid, making him freeze slightly, before I gave him the signature point with my finger, making him quickly scamper off to his family. That always did the trick, I got it from my mom when she did the same to me...
Onto more important matters I look towards the boy, who has now stiffened up to hell and back, looking like a piece of wood.
"Kid... Are you alright?"
"Um, yeah, uh no, I'm fine!" He said, his head hung a little low.
"Quirkless, huh?" He stiffened up again, a slight shake in his body.
Poor kid...
"Hey."
He looked up. I could see the slight terror in his eyes, pooking like he was ready to be laughed at.
"You want pizza sauce with this? It goes pretty well with it!"
"Huh?" He looked wide eyed at me.
"What? No pizza sauce? How about garlic sauce?"
"No uh... Are you sure about serving me?"
"Your a customer, right?"
"But... I'm quirkless, isn't it bad for business?" He said out of concern... For me?
This kid...
"Look, Midoriya, I don't care if you're quirkless or All Might himself, a customer is a customer, now matter how you dish it. At the end of the day we're all people in this place. You're a person right?"
"Yes?"
"You have feelings? Morals? Ideals?"
"Yeah...?"
"Then you seem to be a person in my books. Quirks never decide what classifies a person! People decide what people are, Quirks don't matter! So to me, you're just Izuku Midoriya, alright?"
"... Alright!" He said, seemingly more upbeat.
"Now then, you want pizza sauce? Garlic sauce? Both?"
"... Both."
"Attaboy! I must say, you're growing on me kid!"
In response he only gave a meek chuckle.
We kind of sat in silence as he prepared his dish.
"Say... Mister Mendoza... What is your workout routine?"
Curious, I glanced over towards the boy.
"My routine?"
"Um, yeah. I noticed you know a lot about macros in your food and your... Uh... Physique..."
I fought the urge to laugh.
"Well kid, I'm old, so I don't workout like that anymore, not as much as I used to. Progressive overload worked pretty well for me though. I focus among other muscles like biceps, the heads of the triceps, lats, shoulders, hamstrings, you get the idea. I usually work the muscle groups different times a week. Chest and triceps one day for that push day. Back and biceps for a pull day, and then legs by itself. For legs, make sure you work all the way around, squats are definitely nice, but other exercises could work as well. If your looking to be explosive, jump squats can be good. Make sure to work the hamstrings with maybe some Nordic hamstring curls or deadlifts as well, watch your form on that though. For the calves, obviously weighted calve raises for that good touch up on them. Make sure you stretch though too, because if you gain muscle mas with little to no stretching, you'll get stiff, making it more likely for you to pull it tear a muscle." I said as I rambled on.
Man, I must've been boring the poor kid. This was one of the things I kinda enjoyed, so I probably got to ahead of myself. Its what I was thinking until I see him writing everything down in his notebook. He was writing fast too, furiously scribbling whatever I said down.
"Well that's a part of it I guess..."
"Thank you Mendoza, this information will help me very much!" He said as he... Bowed towards me...
"Okay, enough with that, here ya go kid." I said, giving him his order along with the two sauces.
"Thank you again, Mendoza!" He said, he seemed much less reserved, I'm guessing he opened up to me a little bit. He payed me as he got ready to leave.
"Midoriya!"
He turned around towards me.
"Don't forget what I said! Never let it define who you are!"
He looked at me with a tearful expression a smile on his face.
"Yeah!" He said as he left.
What a kid. He seemed like a smart guy too. I hate how people like him are treated like shit, how pathetic...
I hope he's alright and he stays alright.
Nothing would go wrong, right?
Right.
~~~~~
A Few Months Later...
"This just in, the hero school UA just came under attack by the new villain group dubbed the "League of Villains". So far, we have the identified the several villains that partake in the event and we are showing them now. If you see them, run and hide, and call for the heroes. During this incident several got hurt, with one's bones almost completely broken, thankfully, most remained unscathed. This begs the question, are the students of UA really safe? In other news, the new train-"
Ktch!
I turned off the TV as it drew towards the night. That bastard was the leader of that group!
Shigaraki...
And that portal guy, I've seen his power that one night a little while ago. That sucks, really... And that bird thing, man that things disgusting.
Ah wait, Kirishima! Mina! Those two always came in here, so they were frequents. I was proud of the boy, though, he seemed to grow into his being his own man, or person, obviously taking inspiration from that Crimson Riot guy, especially with the whole red hair dye. He too asked for my workout routine...
Mina was typical Mina, telling me how well she did in the Entrance Exam and what it took to get there. I was rather proud of her too.
Midoriya... I think I seen him on there too. Was he trying to be a hero? A quirkless hero!? If so, then my pride shot through the roof. What a kid!
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. The past couple nights have been a little hard on me. I haven't gotten much sleep as I was supposed to. Just like when I was younger, cursed with feelings of prophecies and premonitions.
How weird.
...
Wait.
No... That feeling.
That pit in my stomach...
What is about to happen?
And then it happened.
That feeling that I always had led up to here, this very moment, I could feel it.
My heart pulsed as I automatically activated my quirk.
...
Damn, here we go.
In front the door was Tsukauchi, Nezu, a mummified Aizawa, Yamada, and a disgruntled Mt. Lady.
"Well I didn't expect a whole crowd!" I said with a chuckle.
None of them laughed. Okay, I see how it is.
"May we come in?" The detective asked.
"Yes, of course." They poured into the place as I motioned them to take a seat at a big booth.
"I'm guessing this is regarding the recent attack?"
"Precisely, Mendoza." Nezu said without his typical enthusiasm.
I glanced over at Aizawa.
"You alright? You sure you should be out and about?"
"There's no time for that..." His muffled voice said. I then turned my attention to Nezu
"What does this have to do with me."
He sighed, before stating, "You came in contact with the leader of the League of Villains several months ago. We can deduce by now he was trying to recruit you in his crew. The thing is, however, if you were a co-conspirator of this event."
"What? How would that even be possible?"
"That's what the commission thought at first, but thankfully, due to statements from these people here and mine, and the 24/7 camera footage of this place, it was decided that it was impossible for communication between you and the League."
"Right." I said, deciding to ignore the 24/7 surveillance.
The rat bear thing chuckled before saying, "You already fortold this conversation, didn't you?"
"Yes I have, I can't ignore the feeling it gives me."
"And that's a good instinct to have. However, one thing set off this discussion in the late."
"And?"
"It was brought up that you have the potential to help us deal with this threat. Many argued that due to your past, they argued that you were too volatile, and did too much. However, some went along with the suggestion, seeing how with your ability, it would be possible to counter future attacks. But between you and me, it won't guarantee your freedom... So I implore you, Jason, please help us-"
"He... Hehe..."
"Ho?"
"Ha... My help? Hahaha... HAHAHA" I burst out laughing before slamming my fist into the table, making everyone tense at the table.
"My help!? You want me to help you guys!? Are you serious? Nezu, I thought you were smarter then this. I'm a criminal, how would that even work, first of all! And why the fuck would I work for people like you!" I said, my eyes scanning the heroes that sat ahead of me.
Yamada looked stressed.
Aizawa had his eyes narrowed at me.
Mt. Lady looked spooked.
Nezu had the same expression he always has.
"You want to be free..."
"Of course I do, the hell?"
"... I see."
"Even if you guarantee that, I'm not just gonna work under you guys, I'm not gonna be a hero!"
Nezu simply sighed as Aizawa spoke up.
"Mendoza. I... Understand why you feel this way-"
"If you do, why are you a hero?"
"I am one so I can rectify those mistakes that failed you and teach the heroes of today." He said resolutely. I can respect that.
"I told you, my fire ran out a long time ago..."
Nezu sighed.
"But!"
A big grin formed on my face, much to the rat's slight displeasure. Aizawa seemed already annoyed (I couldn't tell) while Yamada looked back and forth between me and them.
Mt. Lady picked at her nails.
"Three conditions, and I'll cooperate with your sorry asses! I'll show you guys how it's done!" I could feel my heart pumping with exhilaration and excitement.
"And what would that be?" Nezu inquired.
My grin only grew bigger.
"One! Ensure and grant me my complete freedom!"
"I see, and the second one?"
"Two! This is kinda optional, but you better pay my ass after I get my freedom! My incredible service and information ain't cheap!"
"Might be hard to do so, but it can be arranged. The third?"
My smirk grew.
"Third...
Give me the license that will allow the indiscrimate use of my Quirk!"
~~~~~
And that's a wrap everybody! Thank you so much for reading! I hope that ending scene was alright...
I didn't really want our guy here to link up with the villains. Even if he hates heroes, he definitely hates villains too. With a proposition, he decides to use the heroes to ensure his freedom and the freedom to use his quirk!
And obviously pay...
The villains aren't exactly done with him yet, either...
As such, Jason becomes once again involved with the world of heroes and villains, how will this pan out?
I also draw on the occasion, but I don't know how to showcase that on here...
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed so far, and I hope to see you next chapter! Buh bye ;)