Arch 1: 「Act 4」

Artist of the Cover: Official Art

Something didn't feel right.

Everywhere the boy looked, there was something out of place. It was as if there were more people working with Overhaul than he'd ever seen before, like that guy named Hakuro. The whole situation felt off, and it was starting to bug him more with each passing moment.

Not only that, but as he darted around, he'd come across to at least five more unfamiliar faces, like Hakuro. These weren't people who should have been here. They weren't particularly strong, but their presence still put the boy on edge. Something about it just didn't sit right to him.

Damn it, he'd told himself he'd deal with this later, but it was getting harder to ignore it all. Everything was more messed up than he'd realized. This was the past, so it's possible some details slipped past Nighteye. But that's unlikely — Nighteye's foresight should have caught up everything.

But even with that thought he made, why was he feeling so uneasy? His gut was screaming that something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It was more than just a hunch—something deep down told him that there was a problem he wasn't seeing. What was really going on here?

Izuku turned a corner and found himself facing a group of armed men. Without missing a beat, Izuku raised his right hand, and summoning a black tendril that quickly wrapped around them and bounded them tightly. Before they could even react, he lifted them off the ground and slammed them into the wall with a resounding crash.

The impact quickly knocked them out cold, leaving them crumpled and unconscious.

The boy cast a fleeting glance at the unconscious group before continuing his sprint. The unsettling sensation in his gut was growing stronger, but it just had to be put on hold for now. There is more pressing issue, that was his mission—finding Eri and ensuring her safety. That is his priority, and Izuku couldn't afford to be distracted by the strange anomalies around him.

Izuku tore through the hallways, barely giving a second glance to anyone who got in his way. Armed thugs, Quirk users—it didn't matter. The boy charged straight at them, knocking the armed men aside with ease. Some had hit the ground with a thud, while the others were sprawled out unconscious, but Izuku didn't stop. The boy kept on running, laser-focused.

Izuku sprinted down corridor after corridor, the building sprawling out in ways he hadn't anticipated. It was far larger than he remembered, a maze of twists and turns that made Izuku question just how much had changed since his time.

He sighed in frustration, but then something caught his eye. His heart skipped a beat as Izuku skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding crashing into a door. He froze, staring at it intently. This was it, it had to be it—the door that led to the basement.

But then suddenly Izuku frowned.

Despite his senses being on high alert, the Fourth Quirk didn't register any danger. Why was that? Annoyed, he pushed the door open and descended the stairs, only to find the basement eerily empty.

Had he been misled?

Frustration gnawed at him as he scanned the room. His eyes slowly fell on a chair in the corner, its seat stained with blood, and straps hanging loose. His heart sank.

Nana materialized behind Izuku, her gaze sweeping the room with a tense focus. "It's clear Overhaul must have relocated Eri," she said, her voice tight with worry. "And from the state of this place, it looks like they've already wrapped up whatever experiment they were conducting on her."

His eyes fixed on the bloodied chair, his steps slow and heavy as he approached it. Standing inches away, Izuku stared at the crimson stains, his jaw clenched tight. In a sudden burst of fury, he swung his left hand through the air in a sharp arc. A powerful gust of wind surging from his motion, tearing through the room.

The chair, along with the scattered tools and debris, was all obliterated in an explosive gust, which resulted to left the room in ruins.

The lightbulb flickered wildly from the force of the wind before shattering, plunging the room into total darkness. Nana glanced over at Izuku, who stood with his hands clenched tightly, his silhouette barely visible. She looked at him with a concerned frown, sensing the depth of his frustration and anger.

Her expression softened slightly, but before Nana could speak, Izuku lifted his head, his green eyes narrowing as he focused on something to his right. "I can sense them now," he said, his voice steady. "They're on the move." He slowly raised his hand and the boy stared at it, crackling green electricity dancing over it. "They won't be able to run for long."

The boy crouched down, his body engulfed in a storm of crackling green lightning. His face was all set in a steely resolve; the boy was finished with all their games. If they wanted to flee, he'd give them ten seconds to do so. The lightning went intensified, and the ground beneath Izuku splintered and cracked.

As Izuku crouched further, the ground had fissured even more. He counted silently, his eyes focused and intense. When Izuku slowly reached the end of his count, he shot forward, his speed made the floor to fracture further and the room to shake with the force of his wind pressure. In an instant, he was gone, leaving only a fleeting streak of green lightning in his wake before it vanished.

The boy blitzed through the corridors, his surroundings was blurring past him. Every step left cracks in the floor, green sparks flickering in the air as he tore through the building. His mind was sharp, focused only on one thing—finding Eri. He barely registered the obstacles, slipping through the tight corners and narrow hallways as if they weren't even there.

「 ️~!On your left!~ ️」

His pace quickly faltered as another sharp sting pierced his senses, making him skid to a halt. The boy whipped his head to the left and, with renewed urgency, sprinted down to the left side.

As Izuku rounded the corner, his eyes widened in shock. There, standing amidst the group of armed guards, was Overhaul. The sight of him froze Izuku momentarily, and the boy couldn't help but to let out a shout, "Chisaki!" His voice echoed through the corridor, filled with both anger and desperation.

His teeth clenched as he charged directly at Chisaki, his focus solely on confronting the man. But before the boy can close the distance, a tall, and slim figure with short, spiky pale hair emerged behind Chisaki. He was dressed in a dark yukata, the man moved swiftly, raising his arms and he quickly conjured a massive yellow barrier right at the center of the corridor.

He clicked his tongue but that didn't let him up. Ignoring the barrier, he charged straight at it, his right fist pulled back and crackling with green lightning. With a powerful thrust, the boy slammed his fist forward, he unleashed a shockwave that blasted through the barrier. The barrier shattered into pieces, sending the man stumbling back in surprise. "What!?"

He suddenly appeared right in front of Overhaul, leaving the others around him stunned by his speed. Ignoring the chaos and the shocked faces of those near Chisaki, the boy pulled his right arm back. "This is for everything that you've done," Izuku said, his voice steady and fierce. Without wasting another moment, he drove his fist into Overhaul's gut.

15% impact, Detroit Smash, Izuku thought before his fist connected with Overhaul. The moment he landed the hit, a powerful gust of wind had began blasting through the area, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Overhaul let out a grunt before being launched back to 80 meters, skidding across the ground.

Ignoring the panicking shouts from behind, Izuku quickly and carefully grabbed Eri, holding the young girl close to him. Without hesitation at all, the boy bolted through the cloud of dust.

As he ran, he felt her tiny hands gripping his shirt tighter. He glanced down at her—Eri's wide eyes were filled with shock, her expression frozen in disbelief. Izuku clenched his jaw, biting his bottom lip. The boy adjusted his hold, pulling her a little closer, keeping his grip firm yet gentle.

"Why?" Eri's voice was soft but full of confusion, her grip tightening on Izuku's shirt as he ran. She glanced up at him, her wide eyes filled with uncertainty. "Why are you taking me away?" Her tiny hands trembled, holding onto him as if she didn't understand on why someone would save her. "I—I don't get it."

He glanced down at Eri, seeing the confusion and fear in her eyes. The boy slowly began holding her a bit closer, tightening his grip protectively as he kept running. His voice was steady but filled with emotion as he spoke, "I can't just leave you to suffer like this. No one deserves that. Especially you." His gaze shifted forward, focused. "You deserve better than what they've done to you."

Eri blinked, still trying to process everything as she held onto him tightly. His words hung in the air, and she could feel his resolution in the way the boy held her. The wind rushed past them as the boy ran like lightning, and for a moment, the chaos around them seemed to fade. She stayed quiet, her small hands gripping his shirt, but the weight of his words was starting to sink in.

His eyes was scanning the area ahead, looking for any signs of more threats. But Danger Sense gave him none. The hallways were eerily quiet now, as only the sound of his footsteps echoed through the space. Eri's breathing had slowed, but he could still feel her trembling slightly in his arms. He tightened his grip just a little, reassuring her without saying anything.

Izuku kept on moving, his pace was fast and steady but careful, not wanting to jolt Eri way too much. The young girl was holding onto his shirt quite tightly, and her small fingers cling like she was afraid he'd disappear. The boy glanced down at her for a brief moment, his expression softening slightly. "Almost there." He muttered gently to her.

The boy rounded a corner and skidded to a halt. Before him was a heavy steel door, a small window revealing a glimpse of the night sky. Izuku quickly scanned the area, checking for any traps or guards, then he'd set Eri down gently. With a swift movement, he kicked the door open, the metal creaking under the force.

The cool night breeze hit Izuku's face, bringing a sense of relief. He glanced down at Eri, who stood frozen, her wide eyes staring up at the open sky with a look of awe, like she'd never even seen anything like it before. Izuku couldn't help but to smile a little—this was probably her first real taste of freedom.

It was also probably the first time that she even thought of leaving the place she'd been trapped in for so long.

The boy knelt down beside her, watching her expression for a moment. "This is what freedom looks like," he said softly, raising his right hand to the door behind them. A purple dense smoke began swirling around it, covering their escape route as it sealed the way back. "You're not going back there, not ever. Not from those people."

Eri glanced at him, her shock slowly giving way to a look of hope that lit up her small face. Izuku had noticed the change, and so with a soft smile, he lowered his metal respirator and mask, revealing his unruly green hair and kind, determined eyes. Izuku tilted his head slightly, his voice was gentle as Izuku asked, "So what do you think, Eri? Want to see more of the outside world?"

The girl gulped, her gaze drifting away from Izuku to the starry clouds above. The cold breeze brushing against her skin, reminding her that she was truly outside—away from the bad guys, from the pain. It felt so unreal for her. Glancing back at the boy, just a stranger who have come for her, who wanted to rescue her even though she didn't understand why. The real reason of it.

But what if the bad guys came after him? What if he got hurt or even worse? Her heart clenched with worry, yet the image of him taking down the one who had hurt her flashed in her mind. Maybe—maybe they'd be okay now. Maybe they were safe with him. Right? Right?

Eri slowly turned her red gaze back to the boy, her small hands clutching the torn fabrics of her dress. Her heart pounded as Eri bit her lip, wrestling with the fear that her cursed power might hurt him. The kid didn't want to be a burden or cause him in any harm. The thought of Izuku getting hurt because of her made her stomach twist.

But looking up, the little girl could only see Izuku's warm smile, steady and reassuring. Despite all her worries, he looked at her with kindness in his eyes. Their gazes met, and after a moment of hesitation, Eri nodded her head slowly, feeling a glimmer of hope despite her fears.

He began adjusting his mask and respirator, still smiling softly at Eri. "There's a place I know where you'll be safe. It's far from here, but I promise that no one will hurt you again. Can you trust me to take you there?" Eri hesitated briefly, her eyes searching at his face, then nodded more firmly to him. His smile grew warmer from that. "Alright. Let's not waste any more time, then."

"I'm really sorry for keeping you here, deary. You must be exhausted after your long trip."

Ryūko chuckled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Honestly, don't worry about it. I'm just glad to be here. It's no trouble at all. 'Sides, with me aiming for the U.A. High, helping out is sort of part of the deal. If I didn't step up and do what I can now, it'd be like missing out on a chance to get a head start on my dream, right? So really, it's all good." She shrugged with a grin.

Inko's smile softened as she took a small sip of her tea, her eyes were glancing over at Ryūko with warmth. "You know, I'm really am grateful for your kindness. It's been a while since someone had came around with that kind of energy. You actually remind me quite a lot of my Izuku—always ready to lend his hand, always wanting to make things better for everyone around him."

"But," she added with a gentle chuckle, "just like I always tell him, don't push yourself too hard. It's okay to take a few step back sometimes. You need to know that since you'll be heading to U.A too."

The girl leaned back in her chair, a smirk playing on her lips as she crossed her arms. "I get what you're saying, but I'm used to pushing myself. Even without a Quirk, I've been training harder than ever to keep up. I mean, if I'm going to make it into U.A. and become a hero, I need to be at the top of my game!" Her smirk widened as she nodded confidently.

"What?"

But her grin faded slightly as she glanced over at Inko, noticing the older woman's expression. Inko sat there, staring at her with wide green eyes, a look of shock and disbelief clear on her face. Ryūko blinked, a bit confused by the reaction, and she tilted her head. "Uh, you good?" She asked the woman, her tone was casual but curious with a raised brow. But Inko just kept staring at her with disbelief.

Did I said something wrong?Ryūko thought.

Inko blinked a few times after five seconds had passed, quickly snapping out of her surprise, and gently set her cup down. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, her voice soft but slightly flustered. "It's just—my son, Izuku, he's Quirkless too. I didn't really expect to meet someone else like my boy, especially not in the same area." Her eyes softened with a mix of surprise and warmth as she spoke.

Ryūko's eyes widened, her surprise evident. "Wait, your son's Quirkless too? That's a coincidence I didn't expect. I'm not used to meeting other Quirkless folks, let alone someone who lives so close. It's kind of wild, actually. I figured I'd be the only one around who had to work extra hard to make up for not having a Quirk. So, he's coming to U.A just like me, huh?"

Inko glanced down, her fingers fidgeting slightly as she stared at the table. After a brief pause, she spoke softly, "My son. Izuku only started training a few weeks ago. It was such a shock when he showed me his training plan—it's so intense, I couldn't believe it. He's never been the type to push himself like that before." She let out a small sigh, clearly still processing it.

Inko tilted her head, staring at her own tea and catching a glimpse of her reflection. "Whenever Izuku talks about becoming a hero, there was always been this fire in him," she said, her voice was soft, carrying a mix of pride and worry. "But when I saw that training plan from my boy. It was much more different. Like the fire inside of him had grown so much, almost overwhelming too. It's like Izuku was burning brighter than ever before."

Inko's eyes softened as she continued, her voice quieter now. "I think I know on why though," she said, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her cup. "He told me someone—someone important—said that my boy could be a hero. Ever since then, he's been training like never before, with some trainer helping him out."

Ryūko raised her eyebrow slightly from that, as she was taken aback. It was really rare for her or anyone, to even hear about someone believing in to a Quirkless person on becoming a hero. Most people just wrote off anyone without a Quirk, and the Quirkless population was barely above 15%. It was almost like a myth to think someone without a Quirk could make it big.

If she got a nickel every time someone said a Quirkless person couldn't be a hero, then well, she'd have her own skyscraper by now. Maybe even a fucking yacht.

Ryūko smirked at the thought, but her eyes flicked back to Inko, who was still looking down at her tea. The older woman seemed to be all lost in her own thoughts, her fingers lightly tracing the rim of the cup. It was strange—Izuku had someone really rooting for him, and that was something Ryūko hadn't seen much of when it came to Quirkless people.

Ryūko started to ask, "So, what's his training like anywa—"

The doorbell rang sharply, cutting her off.

The sudden ring of the doorbell made Ryūko whip her head toward it, her brow furrowing in confusion. Who could it be at this hour? The police? Had they somehow tracked down Izuku already? No, that couldn't be right. The investigation had only kicked off about an hour ago—way too soon for them to be making a visit.

Ryūko decided to glance at Inko, who was now frozen, her eyes locked on the door with a look of shock. It was as if she'd been turned to stone. Her gaze was intense, but she seemed rooted to her spot, unable to move or say anything. Ryūko couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Hey, you good?" She asked, a touch of concern in her voice.

Inko didn't seem to hear her at all. She slowly got up, her frown deepening as the woman slowly made her way to the door. Ryūko watched her, blinking in confusion. With a sigh, she shook her head and stands up, grabbing her guitar case. Alright, if things go south, I'll just give them a little tune-up. Yeah, just tune-up their damn fucking heads. She adjusted her grip on the case, nodding her thought.

As Inko reached for the door, Ryūko could feel a bead of sweat trickling down her cheek. Seriously, no way a bad guy would waltz up and ring the doorbell, right? But then again, things were just all weird enough today to not rule anything out. It could be the police, but didn't they give Inko their phone number? The girl sighed in frustration, gripping her guitar case a little tighter.

Ugh, why did her first time here have to start like this?

Inko hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknob like she was bracing for something big. The girl shifted her stance, gripping her guitar case tighter, ready to swing if she had to. The door creaked open, slow and tense, both women holding their breath. But that breath vanished in an instant as both their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open in shock.

It wasn't the police. Standing in the doorway was a boy in a dark-green suit with golden outlines, a yellow scarf-like cape was fluttering behind the boy in the wind. Red metal plates covered his forearms, and iron soles were fixed to his shoes. Behind him, clinging to his leg, was a small girl with bluish-white hair and a yellow horn on her right forehead, dressed in a ragged, torn-up outfit.

Ryūko began blinking once, twice, then a third time, her jaw practically hitting the floor. The kid standing in front of her was definitely Izuku, but goddamn, the boy looked completely different! Izuku was taller than in the photos Inko showed her, and the whole suit and cape thing? Not exactly what Ryūko honestly expected from what should be a skinny dude.

What the heck?!

The young girl stood there, gaping like a fish, her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to form words, but nothing came out of it. Ryūko couldn't wrap her head around it. This was Izuku? The same kid? She glanced at Inko, then back at him. "What in the actual—" was all she managed to sputter, still completely thrown off by how different he looked.

Ryūko's eyes narrowed as she began noticing that Izuku wasn't just standing there — he was frozen, staring right at her like he had seen a ghost. His eyes were wide, and he wasn't even blinking. It didn't look like shock from the situation; no, it felt much more like Izuku had completely short-circuited the moment that he saw her.

Her brows furrowed down as her confusion deepened. Sure, seeing Izuku standing there all geared up was one thing, but what the hell was up with the little girl behind him? She blinked hard, trying to wrap her head around it. Why is there a fucking child behind him? Like the kid was wearing a torn-up dress, looking like she'd just crawled out of a disaster zone.

She began taking a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She glanced at Inko, who looked pale as a sheet, both of her hands were trembling slightly at her sides. Shaking her head, Ryūko turned her eyes back to Izuku. Alright, stay cool, she told herself, though her mind was racing. After a pause, the girl finally opened her mouth, trying to make sense of it all.

"Okay, what the fuc—"

TO BE CONTINUED