Chapter two: The news plus a getaway driver.
Woman found dead in house after shots were fired.
At approximately 8:12 p.m. on July 15, Inko Midoriya was found shot in her living room. Police suspect that it may have been a break-in gone wrong, although they have not yet identified anything stolen from the scene.
The type of gun used in the incident has not been determined, and the case remains open. No one was seen fleeing the scene, leading authorities to suspect that illegal quirk usage may have facilitated the entry into the home.
Inko Midoriya's son, Izuku Midoriya, has been missing for four years, believed to have been kidnapped when he was just four years old. With her passing, police believe it is time to reopen the investigation into his disappearance, as finding his kidnapper could lead to uncovering his mother's killer.
If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact your nearest police station.
Katsuki had been having a terrible day. Today was the birthday of his last best friend. He visited Izuku's grave—yes, his grave.
Aunty Inko had been hesitant to declare her son dead, but in the end, she had to accept it. Bakugou missed Izuku, even though he was quirkless. They had been best friends, and despite Bakugou's mean and rude behavior, it was simply a result of his explosive quirk. He knew that Izuku understood this.
It was on the day that Izuku had gone to the quirk doctor that he disappeared. Now that Katsuki was older, he couldn't help but think it was more than just a coincidence. Whatever quirk his best friend had received must have been dangerous enough for him to have been kidnapped within just one hour of being diagnosed.
According to Aunt Inko, Izuku had been diagnosed as quirkless, and once they arrived home, he went straight to his room. Shortly after, she heard a crashing sound coming from his room, followed by him calling out, "Dad?..." After that, there was complete silence.
Inko knocked on the door and attempted to push it open, but something was blocking it. Once she finally managed to get inside, there was no one in sight.
Inko reported what she heard to the police, and they initially considered her husband a suspect. However, the problem was that her husband could not teleport and was all the way in America, so they ruled him out as a suspect.
According to Aunt Inko, Izuku had been diagnosed as quirkless, and once they arrived home, he went straight to his room. Shortly after, she heard a crashing sound coming from his room, followed by him calling out, "Dad?..." After that, there was complete silence.
Inko knocked on the door and attempted to push it open, but something was blocking it. Once she finally managed to get inside, there was no one in sight.
Inko reported what she had heard to the police, and they initially considered her husband a suspect. However, the problem was that her husband could not teleport and was in America at the time, so they ruled him out as a suspect.
After his mother's death, Izuku hated his father even more than before, and he became increasingly determined to escape from this wretched place.
He no longer wanted to be a hero; that dream had died years ago when he had received his quirk. However, if he could find a way to escape his father after so many failed attempts, then maybe—just maybe—he could make it up to his mother for all the wrongs he had done.
He could also repay the families of those whose quirks he had stolen and those he had hurt.
In that moment, Izuku made a decision: if he managed to escape this hell, he would become a vigilante. While he would likely be considered a vigilante for breaking laws related to usage as well as breaking, he believed that as long as he didn't strike first, he shouldn't face too much legal trouble.
Furthermore, he would need to wear a costume and hide his face, keeping his identity secret. For now, the most pressing challenge was escaping, and that was all he could focus on.
It had been a few months, and Izuku was currently walking with his father in what appeared to be a prison. This wasn't the first time Izuku had come to this place; he had visited many times over the years. But today felt different.
As they reached the halfway point on the floor, his father turned to him and said, "It's time for you to choose the quirks you would like to take."
Izuku nodded in response. His father then turned and left, locking the door behind him.
Izuku wasn't sure how long his father would keep him down here, but he knew that if he didn't select at least a few quirks, there would be consequences.
He began to walk around the prison cells.
Each cell had a marker on the door that displayed the name of the quirk and a brief description of how it worked.
As he wandered, Izuku thought to himself that maybe he could find a quirk that would help him escape, like an illusion quirk!
He knew that the only way to escape would be if his father believed he was dead or as good as dead.
As he walked past the jail cells, something caught his eye. The marker read "Doll Maker," sparking his curiosity, so he decided to read the description:
"The Doll Maker allows the user to create up to ten dolls of their design each year. These dolls can be controlled for minor movements, but only one doll can be animated at a time. When the user creates a new doll, the previously made doll disappears. The user can customize the doll however they wish; if they can envision it, it will materialize. However, to create a doll, a sample of someone's blood must be used, and the doll will be filled with the same blood as the sample provided."
Jackpot!
The only problem was that when he went to see the person inside, it appeared they were dead. I
Izuku's eyes began to water, but he held back his tears with ease, thanks to so much practice.
He had never attempted to take the quirk from a dead body before, but if it worked, it meant he could steal quirks without hurting anyone!
He hated the idea of taking quirks, but now he had another option. He held out his hand, and for a moment, nothing happened.
He couldn't feel the quirk; there was no connection.
Then, suddenly, he felt the familiar pain he had experienced so many times before.
It came quickly, but he was pretty sure he had just succeeded.
To play it safe, he pretended to look disappointed, as if it hadn't worked—just in case his father was watching.
Izuku knew that his father had likely put that obstacle in place, anticipating that he would try to escape, a way to demonstrate the power he held over Izuku.
He likely assumed that he couldn't steal the quirks from dead bodies, which is why leaving a dead body with the quirk he needed to escape would serve as the perfect taunt.
After taking some other quirks, his father returned.
Izuku froze in fear as his father approached him, clearly furious. He grabbed Izuku by the arm and dragged him toward his room.
Once they arrived, he shoved the door open and threw Izuku inside, locking it behind him.
Izuku was certain that the grip would leave a bruise, but he was used to it by now.
He stood up and went to bed, falling asleep almost instantly. He needed the rest because tomorrow would be the day he would escape.
The next morning, he woke up early.
Although he didn't have an alarm, he still felt tired, so he knew it must be before the time when his father's goons would come to take him away.
One issue was that there was a camera in his room.
The one area that wasn't in the view of the camera was the toilet.
Does he suppose they respected his privacy? (yes he does)
It was strange, but he wasn't complaining!
Izuku went to the corner and started making a dummy.
The first one didn't turn out right; it didn't resemble him at all. However, he had a few more tries, so he wasn't too worried.
On the third try, he managed to make a dummy that looked like him although Izuku had to cut himself so he could use his blood in the dummy.
It was worth it when he made a dummy that looked like him same wounds, the same face, and the same clothes; the same everything!
Now the only thing Izuku had to do was make the dummy walk out where it would be because of the camera and have it kill itself, Simple really.
The first steps the dummy took were clumsy but after the third step, it was walking normally. Made the dummy charge towards the wall head first.
The impact was so strong thanks to the speed quirk, the first quirk he had ever stolen.
The head of the dummy was bashed in, and it fell to the ground limp.
Seconds later, an alarm went off, catching Izuku off guard.
Realizing he had to act quickly, he decided to use one of the quirks he had acquired.
The quirk was called "Off the Radar," and although he had only managed to use it successfully once for a few minutes, that brief time was all he needed.
As a few guards rushed in to assess the situation, Izuku activated his speed quirk and dashed past them out the door. Neither of the guards noticed him.
Off the radar made it so no one could see, hear, or sense him, but it only worked for a limited amount of time.
(plus its 1 use per 5 years)
As soon as he exited the door, he kept running throughout the building. He had no idea where anything was, but he continued to run in search of an escape.
He felt the effect of being off the radar starting to fade, so he needed to hurry and find an exit, preferably a garage on what seemed to be the first floor.
He noticed there were no windows anywhere in the building, but that didn't matter. He dashed into the garage and saw that there was no one in sight.
He climbed into one of the vehicles, unsure how to drive and barely able to reach the pedals. Suddenly, someone entered the garage. Izuku quickly ducked and crawled into the back of the vehicle.
The newcomer was whistling and listening to music through headphones as he settled into the driver's seat. Just Izuku's luck—he had chosen the same vehicle as this man. Perfect, right?
As the guy started driving, Izuku realized this might actually work in his favor! If he could sneak out of the car once the man arrived at his destination, he would be free.
They were currently driving underground through a long tunnel. As they approached the end, Izuku spotted a small building with a window and saw a woman inside, or at least he thought he did by peering out.
The man driving rolled down his window and handed some kind of card to the woman.
She checked it and handed it back to him, and in just a moment, the giant gate door began to open, letting in light.
For the first time in years since he had seen his mother, Izuku caught a glimpse of the outside world—the sun, the clouds, and even the trees!
They drove for what felt like a long time, and Izuku began to feel pins and needles in his legs from staying in the same position. He didn't care; he was too fascinated by everything they passed.
As they drove through a neighborhood, he saw it: Kacchan's house! His eyes widened as he looked through the window and saw what looked like Katsuki sitting at a table with two others whom he faintly remembered must be his parents.
They continued driving until they reached a giant hardware store. Once the man left the car, Izuku quickly snuck out and ran. He made his way to the only place he could think of a spot where he had dropped a pin earlier.
The pin dropper feature allowed him to mark an invisible location to find it again, and it only worked for physical places. Following the mental directions he had, Izuku ran for about 30 minutes until he arrived at Kacchan's house.
He stopped to catch his breath before approaching the building. The lights in the living room were off, so Izuku went around to the side of the house to check if Kacchan's room light was on. He hoped that Kacchan's room had remained the same and that he hadn't switched rooms. While he didn't think it was likely, it was still possible!
The light was on, and it seemed like Kacchan was doing homework, so Izuku climbed on top of some trash bins and knocked on the window.
Kacchan paused his work for a moment before turning around. Izuku smiled and waved at him.
Kacchan froze, his eyes wide in surprise and disbelief. He walked slowly to the window, and it looked like he muttered something under his breath before finally opening it.
"…Hey, Kacchan!" Izuku said softly but happily.
Kacchan pulled him through the window and sat him on his bed. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and Izuku's eyes began to water.
"Izuku? –that is you isn't it!" Kacchan exclaimed.
Izuku was about to respond, but Kacchan didn't give him a chance; he pulled him into a hug.
Izuku had only been four years old the last time he saw his best friend, but there was no way he could forget him. He hadn't been hugged in so long, and it felt nice. They stayed in that embrace for seconds—maybe even minutes. They didn't care.
Eventually, the events of the day settled in Izuku's mind, and the panic and stress began to fade. He started to feel tired, and soon he fell asleep, still holding his best friend tightly.
Katsuki was having an okay day. It was currently the weekend, and he had spent some time watching All Might videos of his latest takedowns. He had dinner with his family and was in his room doing a bit of homework his teacher had given them when he heard a knock on his window.
He initially thought it might be a villain, so he turned around slowly, just in case. To his surprise, it was not a villain at all—it was Izuku. Wait. IZUKU?!
The one who had been kidnapped? His first best friend? The one he knew was still alive?
He walked toward the window. "Could it really be...?" he murmured as he opened it.
He pulled Izuku through the window and sat him on his bed. They stared at each other for a moment.
"…Hey, Kacchan!" Izuku said softly, yet still happily.
"Izuku? –That's you isn't it!"
Katsuki wrapped his arms around Izuku and hugged him just like he had when they were kids. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but it was long enough for Izuku to fall asleep.
Once Izuku was asleep, Katsuki examined him for any injuries and noticed too many scars. There were other injuries as well, so he cleaned them up and wrapped them carefully. What could have happened? Katsuki wondered.
Izuku was wearing some sort of hospital gown, but it didn't look like it came from any hospital he knew. Katsuki decided to replace the gown with some of his old clothes since Izuku still seemed smaller than him.
Yes, Izuku was shorter, but he was also very thin—too thin. Katsuki debated whether he should tell his parents about this, but he ultimately decided against it. He didn't want them to panic and do something they might regret.
After doing everything he could for his friend, Katsuki fell asleep in his chair, trying to think about anything but what could have happened to Izuku.