Super Science

Ch 92: A Cure All

"Professor Egon! Professor Egon!", Chopper exclaimed as he burst into the man's office after meeting with the Dragon Hunters. After scampering over to his desk, he half yelled breathlessly, "You'll never believe what I just uncovered!"

"An ancient disease!?", Egon exclaimed in horror.

"No!", Chopper answered.

"A new kind of parasite!?", Egon continued to guess, still sounding horrified by the implications.

"No!", Chopper answered again.

"The leading cause of certain ailments in people of different skin tones?", Egon asked once more, feeling the terror and anticipation fade away.

"No!", Chopper answered once more.

"Then I give up. What is it?", Egon finally loses his fear and slips into his chair in exasperation.

"I gave one of the Dragon Hunters' recruits their medicine to start treatment for his illness," Chopper began to explain.

"Okay, that's great." Egon complimented him, but he didn't sound true or enthusiastic about it.

Chopper shook his head and exclaimed, "But you don't understand. He got better right away! Like instantly! Just drink and heal!"

Egon's interest peaked. He went from nearly no attention to full attention as he squeaked out, wide-eyed, "Oh wow."

"So I analyzed what was in the medicine I gave him, and it turns out some of Eri's blood got in the mixture. Why didn't you tell me she had such an amazing quirk!?", Chopper demanded while throwing down a small sheet of paper that had the analysis on the medicine content.

Egon looked between the paper and the irate little animal before narrowing his eyes and growling in a dangerous voice, "Chopper."

"I'm serious!", Chopper yelled back.

"And so am I!" Egin screamed while hitting the table, causing the small animal to jump, but he kept his hard glare at the man. Eventually, the two of them came to an impasse, and Egon slumped into his chair while telling him, "Chopper, this is the whole reason why I didn't tell you—how you're acting and what you're thinking. I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is a big fat no."

This shocked the reindeer, and he griped, "But why?"

Egon hucks a sigh as he asks him back, "Do you remember what I told everyone about Eri? Why does she have those scars and panic attacks with any medical equipment?"

"You said she was…oh." Chopper began to recall until the memory came back. With this new information, it all fell into place, as he figured, "I never understood why people would want to hurt a child for no reason, but the reason was her quirk…wasn't it?"

Egon nods before explaining, "Rewind is a very powerful quirk and equally as dangerous. Any organic matter she comes into contact with reverts to a previous stage. If she touches a person, she could cure them of their illness, turn someone into a monkey or a baby, or even erase them. That's why Overhaul had her and used her. To make these." He said while taking a small handful of bullets from his draw, allowing Chopper to inspect them.

After looking them over, he inquired, confused, "What are…these? Bullets?"

"Quirk erasing bullets," Egon corrected him, making the animal freeze in shock. Look, Chopper, I know where you're going with this. You never knew the potency of her quirk, and seeing it firsthand, you can only think of how it could help people. You found your fountain of youth, so to speak." Egon began until he was cut off.

"But think about all the good it could do! So many people could be cured of ailments that could take weeks of treatments, risky surgical procedures gone, and anything you could think of could be cured. Think of the people!", Chopper practically begged him.

Egon sat up and exclaimed, "Think of that girl! That same girl who went through far too much for someone of her age. She shouldn't be scared but happy. She should have a normal childhood free of doubt and fear. She shouldn't have scars but smiles that last the whole day. She should be…a child.", he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes as he said, "I mean, for God's sake Chopper, the girl can't even look at eaten popsicle sticks without crying! And I love ice pops.", Chopper sweat dropped at this as Egon pointed out, "This isn't about people but Hurilku, isn't it?"

Upon beginning to read so well, Chopper hits his face to hide the tears coming out. Egon gave him an empathic look while patting his head as he sympathized, "Chopper, I understand your desire to help. But your desires should always be tempered with morality. Maybe in the future, Eri will want to help and give her blood to become a cure-all. But for now, she can't. So let her be happy and ready in her own time."

Before Chopper could open his mouth to reply, a small voice called out, "But I want to help!"

Both heads turned and exclaimed, "Eri!?", as the young girl stood in the doorway.

"How much of that did you hear?", Egon asked nervously as the young girl ran up to his knees.

Grabbing them and looking up with pleading eyes, she begged, "Please, Egon, I want to help. I was to give my blood to heal sick people. I'll be strong and brave! I won't cry at the needle, I promise!"

At this point, the girl was becoming hysterical, so Egon put her on his lap to calm her down. He told her, "Eri Eri Eri. Calm down. No one is forcing you to do this or saying you should. Only if you're ready, and only you can truly know that."

"I am ready!", she insisted, but her expression said otherwise.

"You don't sound so sure of yourself.", Egon points out.

"I do, I do, I do, I do!" she rants, flailing her arms like a child.

"Eri Eri Eri! Take a breath.", Izuku told her while rubbing her back. Once she was breathing normally, he said, "Listen, you don't need to think you're obligated to do this just because your quirk can do it. It's your quirk and your choice, not anyone else's."

She jumps down from his lap, where she's stopped by Chopper, who tells her, "Eri, I know what I said before, but I was being rash. Egon is right. Though your quirk has amazing potential to do great things, it's still your quirk by right. You shouldn't let my desperation for an easy way to make a cure-all cloud your judgment. The thought of medical equipment scares you, and I don't want to have to put you through that time and time again."

She pouted in response and puffed up her cheeks while saying, "But Doctor Chopped, I do want to do this. I've been wanting to say it for a long time but couldn't. I am scared. Scared. But I want to help others like you, and Izuku, and Egon have.", she started to shake at the thought of his name. Egon thought she was having another panic attack. But to his surprise, she began to calm herself down until she could speak normally again, and she continued, "Overhaul wanted to use my power to hurt others, but I want to use it to help others! I can't be a hero. I don't think I'll ever want to be one, but I can help like this!"

She looks up to Egon with pleading eyes. The man thinks about this for a while before giving up and saying, "If that's what you want, then I guess I can't talk you out of it.", Eri hugs his legs, and when she pulls back, Egon goes on to inquire, "But we still have to find a way to draw blood from you without causing another panic attack."

"We could use the Drowsy Poppy. So I can sleep.", Eri offered.

Egon gives a thoughtful nod before informing her, "Yes, but too many uses could be dangerous to your body. If you inhale it too many times or too much, you may never wake up again."

"Then we'll only have to use it once and take enough blood to make a Splinter of it.", Chopper offers.

"Good idea," Egon agrees with the snap of his fingers. He then picks up the girl again, holding onto her tightly. He whispers, "Eri, you are so brave for doing this, and I'm so proud of you."

"I love you, Egon.", she whispered back into his coat, making the man feel warm and giddy inside. That is until she asked, "After this, can I ride the Mantelope?"

Egon laughs, knowing he used to do the same thing as a kid, and answers her, "Sure you can."