Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Hachiko and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
Hachiko: UA Class 1-A's Proud Mascot Chapter 5
An awkward silence follows.
One that is broken by Izuku's piercing shriek echoing on the rooftop.
Hachiko is equally as shocked by this, eyes almost ballooning out of her head at this sudden transformation right in front of them.
Hachiko wrinkles her nose at the steam coming off of the man in distaste, not liking the odor when it hits her nose.
"Wait…Who…What happened? You deflated," gasped Izuku, in outright denial, frantically looking around for All Might. "Where did All Might go? He then points accusingly at the skeleton in front of them. "You! You're not him. You're a fake! An imposter!"
Wanting to know this too, Hachiko's eyes rove over him for any signs of who he is, extremely unsure of this hunched-over creature.
Sniffing, Hachiko's eyes widen even further when she confirms that this shrunken thing in front of them is actually All Might.
All aggression leaves Hachiko as her inquisitive nature takes over and she cautiously approaches the man to get a better idea of him, very intrigued.
Just what is going on here?
Sighing in resignation, All Might said "I assure you that I am All M-."
All Might choked a bit as he coughed up some blood.
This scares Izuku even more.
Screaming, Izuku said, "Impossible!"
Tiredly and dully, All Might admit "You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in and flexing and trying to look buff? I'm like that."
Flabbergasted, Izuku said "This can't be real! No. I'm dreaming. All Might's a giant of a man who saves everyone. He defeats all obstacles and wins the day with a fearless smile."
Sighing, All might said, "There's plenty of fear behind that smile." All Might then sits down, prepared for a long chat. "I'm counting on you to keep your mouth shut. Don't go talking about this online or telling your friends."
"Huh…," said Izuku, dumbfounded.
All Might then proceeds to lift part of his shirt, revealing a ghastly wound on his side.
Upon seeing it, Izuku gasps and flinches backward, recoiling from it.
Nodding in acceptance toward Izuku's reaction, All Might said "Pretty gross, right? I got this in a big fight five years back. My respiratory system was basically destroyed. I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out. And it can't be fixed. Right now, I can only do hero work for about three hours a day. The rest of the time, this is what I look like."
Hachiko can slowly feel any remnants of her anger fade away as she listens to this. Feeling sadness at All Might's misfortune.
"No way. Five years ago," gasped Izuku, digging through his memory and doing some quick calculations in his head. "So does that mean it was the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"
"Wow, you know your stuff," said All Might, partially impressed. "But no. The punk may have landed some hits, but he couldn't bring me down. Most of the world has never heard of this fight. I did everything I could to keep it under wraps. I'm supposed to be the guy who's always smiling, right? I'm the Symbol of Peace. People everywhere have to think that I'm never afraid. But honestly, I smile to hide the fear inside. It's just a brave face I put on when the pressure is high. This job isn't easy. Proheroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains just can't be beaten without powers. So, can you be a hero? Not without a Quirk."
This hits Izuku like a ton of bricks. Hachiko can tell that it takes all his strength for his legs not to give out right then and there.
"I see," whispered Izuku, brokenly.
"If you want to help people there are plenty of other ways to do it. You could become a police officer. They get crap because the heroes capture most of the villains. But it's a fine profession," advised All Might, obstinately, speaking with conviction, opening the door leading into the building's interior. "It's not bad to have a dream, young man. Just, make sure your dreams are attainable. Realistic. Understand?"
All Might then departs, shutting the door behind him, and leaving Izuku and Hachiko up there on the roof all alone.
This has certainly thrown Izuku for a loop. There's way too much information for him to process all at once. In comparison, it's like his brain has overloaded and is short-circuiting.
Izuku's thoughts are all over the place, not just from the revelation of All Might's true condition, but, also, from what he said about Izuku never being able to be a hero because he doesn't possess a Quirk.
The frozen, dejected, and desolate state Izuku is in is a heartbreaking sight for her to see. Almost overcome with despair from the devastating blow All Might dealt him to his already very fragile self-esteem. Poor Izuku didn't need this. Not with the terrible day that he's already had on his plate, not wallowing in self-pity.
Hachiko couldn't take it.
Trying to snap him out of it, Hachiko whines. Sweetly, she nudges his limp hand with her nose and paws at her boy's leg to get his attention.
Sniffling, whipping his eyes, half-heartedly, Izuku muttered "Guess that's it then. Huh, Girl? Even All Might said it. A hero needs a Quirk. If All Might says it isn't possible…then it must be true, right?"
Hachiko whines, shaking her head profusely, nuzzling her head against his knee.
Continuing, Izuku said "Deep down, I think I knew this all along. I've just been avoiding reality. I think that's why I've been trying so desperately to prove myself wrong. But it's hopeless. I'm useless."
Wanting to make Izuku feel better, Hachiko goes on her hind legs to lick his face.
Chuckling wetly, fondling her ears, Izuku said "At least I still have you, Hachi."
And he always will if Hachiko has anything to say about it.
Smiling shakily, trying to appear like it isn't bothering him when he's actually been stabbed through the heart, Izuku said "How about some nice, tasty ramen before heading home? I'll share my pork belly and fish cake with you."
Pork belly and fish cake? Yum!
Hachiko can feel her mouth salivating just thinking about those warm and delicious flavors.
Stroking her back, Izuku said "I thought so. Let's go."
Hachiko barks, leading the way down the stairwell All Might leave on with her tail wagging happily behind her.
Everything always gets better after some good ramen.
While Izuku and Hachiko are in the middle of locating his preferred ramen stand a commotion nearby draws their attention.
At first, Izuku seems hesitant to go over to where a massive crowd has gathered around where heavy smoke is originating from. But then his natural curiosity and love of heroes wins out and he goes over with Hachiko tagging along.
By the sound of things, a villain is causing some problems. A pretty big one, too.
Jumping to try and peer above the heads of the crowd, Izuku said "I can't see."
Neither can Hachiko.
Woofing, Hachiko finds an opening and nudges her way through the crowd to get closer to the front.
Seeing what she's doing Izuku holds onto the back of her tail and follows.
The duo soon reach the front and they get a good look at the villain that's running rampant on the street.
Hachiko's stomach drops when she realizes who it is.
It's the Sludge Villain from earlier. The same one that All Might had taken into custody.
How the hell did he get loose? Hachiko thought All Might had him secure.
Thinking it over it hits Hachiko all at once.
When Izuku had been clutching onto All Might when he was flying through the air. That's when the Sludge Villain must've fallen out of All Might's pocket.
Hachiko feels sick to her stomach.
Izuku comes to the same conclusion at the same time his loyal Akita does.
"This is my fault," he whispered, horrified.
It gets worse. The Sludge Villain has a hostage and is using that person's Quirk against the heroes battling against him to both bring him down and rescue the individual.
Whoever it is was fighting hard to break free, but to no avail. The Sludge Villain grip is too strong to tear away from without assistance. Izuku and Hachiko know this firsthand. It's not to be underestimated and these heroes are making that mistake.
The heroes Backdraft, Death Arms, Baseball, Kamui Woods, Mt Lady, and some others are already on the scene. Doing all they can to protect civilians and prevent the fire from spreading uncontrollably. But, by the look of things, it doesn't seem like they're doing anything good against this Sludge Villain. In fact, it doesn't look like they intend to do anything at all.
Judging by exclamations from the crowd, these heroes aren't doing anything because their Quirks aren't suitable for the job.
Therefore, putting the hostage at risk. The longer they're in the Sludge Villain's clutches the closer they're getting to dying by suffocation.
…Are you kidding me?!
All these heroes take on this Villain at once and none of them even think to use their heads to get around the problem instead of just standing there.
What sort of training did these idiots have? They're supposed to be prepared in all aspects for something like this!
It's a huge disappointment and letdown for everyone who admires them.
Suddenly gasping, Izuku exclaimed "Kacchan!"
What?!
Katsuki Bakugo is the one being held hostage by the Sludge Villain.
The situation just became even more dire.
Someone very dear to Izuku is now on the line.
Before Hachiko knows it, Izuku's feet are moving faster than she can stop him much to the shock of everyone watching in the entire crowd.
Hachiko just can't let her boy go in by himself.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
If these so-called heroes aren't going to do anything then they will.
Authors Note:
What's your favorite ramen? As you can tell, one of my favorite flavors is roast pork belly with fish cake. Don't think I'll ever get tired of it.
I hope you all like this one! I certainly did while writing it for your vast enjoyment! ;D
For those of you just starting out with my stuff there are other works on my profile that may catch your interest. I highly recommend you take a look as soon as the opportunity presents itself to you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
Stay safe everyone. Especially with all of these crazy natural disasters occurring a lot lately due to global warming and climate change everywhere for sure. I swear it's like they're getting worse and worse all the time and it's like officials are simply just ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist entirely just to go on with their daily lives. Especially those in multi-million dollar companies that rely on certain elements of our planet that we rely on to naturally keep us safe instead of adapting and finding new safer ways to keep in business. There are so many options out there where they can adapt, but they just refuse to see it because all they care about is money. Climate change is altering so much faster than anyone can really keep track of.
So, in light of all this, it is important to live life to the fullest as much as anyone can.
I know I am. ;) See you guys next time.