Golden Days Arc 2 - Chapter 8: A Dream?
Reviews!
Harleking31: How do you think Mei survives?
JustJack: A similar fight like Gutz V Wyald will happen, and a speech similar to Griffith's "Friend Speech" happens in this chapter
Now! let's get right into the chapter!
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It was in the Dead of Night and a man caped in a black cloak looked over the lush forest. He scanned the forest and sniffed the air.
"One's here," He said "I know that there's one here,"
He then moved away from his spot and slowly began to search the forest for whatever it was he was looking for.
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Currently, the group of friends was exploring the woods after helping Toru's Aunt load up Hay bales all morning. but before exploring, Toru's Aunt gave them some advice about where they should go, and where not to, though, the most exciting thing they learned was that 20 or so miles away from the farm, the four-maned hero team known as The Wild-Wild Pussycats lived at their base of operations, and while the idea of meeting them excited Izuku, there was no way he was walking 20 miles to get there.
As they were walking through the forest, they saw some pretty cool things. Mei spotted a hawk with her goggles, Kanao saw a deer, and Kimihito found a beetle which he scared Toru with.
As they continued to explore the woods, they came across a river, which was flowing pretty calmly, and despite the heat, they weren't going to cross it to explore more parts of the forest. Instead, they walked alongside it, and thankfully, Mei marked where they had turned so that way it was easier to get back to the farm. Monoma and Izuku were walking ahead of the others, who were either talking, like Toru and Mei, or just trying to skip rocks across the river.
As they were walking, Monoma turned to Izuku with a smile, "It's a beautiful day, huh?" Monoma asked
Izuku nodded, "Yeah," he replied "It's not every day we get to explore the woods," Izuku said
"Well, we do live in a city, Izuku," Monoma said with a chuckle
Izuku chuckled as well, "Ok, Ok, got me there, but still... It is really nice out today," Izuku said
Monoma agreed with a nod, "Izuku... there's something that's been eating at me, something that's been troubling me,"
"what is it?" Iuku asked
"Well, What kind of Hero do you want to be?" Monoma asked
"huh?" Izuku asked, turning to his friend with a raised brow
"What kind of a hero do you want to be, Izuku?" Monoma asked again
"I want to be a Hero who can smile no matter what happens, even when fighting the worse of the worse, but also put a smile on the people who need one, I want to be a symbol of peace, just like All-Might"
"And that's it," Monoma said "That's what's been bothering me Izuku,"
"What?" Izuku asked, "What do you mean? How is the kind of hero I want to be bothering you?" Izuku asked, his tone a mix of hurt and anger
"It bothers me because all it is is living in a shadow, listen to me, I respect All-Might, I even look up to him in a way, but I don't want to be him, and I don't think anyone should try to be like him, because all someone will be doing is living in his shadow," Monoma told Izuku "Listen Izuku, all of us here, we want to be heroes, we dream of it, and we're all driven to pursue it, but it just seems like your dream is what everyone else wants,"
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked
"Izuku, everyone dreams about being the next symbol of peace and holding the title of number 1, even if they don't realize it, everyone dreams about being in All-Might's seat or dreams of becoming him, your dream is like everyone else's who wants to be a Hero!" Monoma said "We all live and die by our dreams, Izuku, but it's important to know whether our dreams are our own or our dreams are the product of what we wish we were, a true Hero doesn't live by the dream of becoming the same person he idols or following in the footsteps of his idol which will only lead to living in shadows, a true Hero must have his own dream, a dream of who he wants to be without living in the shadows of another or those that came before him, A Hero, must have his own reason for becoming a hero, for fighting, for living, they should put their heart and soul into protecting and making sure their dream becomes a reality, they should never hesitate to defend their dream, and they should never be afraid to reach the dream no matter the cost... Izuku what you want to be, you'll just be living in a shadow like those who want the same thing... don't live in shadows Izuku, take it from someone who knows,"
Izuku took in his words and really didn't know how to feel. He wanted to argue with Monoma and tell him that he was wrong, that not everyone wants to be like All-Might or be in the number 1 seat, but then again... how many were pinning for All-Might's position? He knew Bakugou wanted to one day take All-Might's place, it was also very clear from all the news and articles as well as videos, that Endeavor was after All-Might's position and no doubt was the closest to achieving it, so was his dream of being number 1, of being like All-Might, really all that special?
Was... it really his own dream?
Izuku remembered the night he and Toru had made up, where they also talked about dreams for a moment. Most of them in the group wants to become Heroes, but he remembered they all had their own individual dreams, Josuke wants to train others and be a teacher, Kimihito wanted to write, Kanao wants to be a cook and maybe even create her own restaurant one day, Mei wants to open a support shop for Heroes, and Toru, actually, he didn't know what Toru's dream was, but he was sure, that just liked everyone, she too had her own hopes and dreams that she truly wanted to fulfill.
But what about him?
His dream of becoming like All-Might was born out of admiration but also out of selfishness... He wanted to prove that he, a quirkless and powerless nobody could be something, something greater than them. Yet... he never thought about training in any type of combat, never actually thought about doing anything in order to achieve his dream, all he did was say it, and believe that once he got to UA, he would automatically make it into the Hero Course... but that's not how the real world worked, and it took his new friends to realize that, it took the words and actions of his friends and Monoma to realizes that if he... if stayed back at his old middle school, if he stayed under the tyranny of Bakugou's actions... he would never have made it to UA, he would have never trained in swordsmanship to become a hero, he would of he never realized that his only dream was to be a copy of All-Might.
Did he have his own dream that he wanted to fulfill? A goal that he would stop and nothing to achieve?
He shook his head and pushed those thoughts away for now, Izuku turned to Monoma with a questioned look, "Then what about you Monoma? What kind of Hero do you want to be?" Izuku asked
Monoma didn't turn to him but Izuku could tell he was thinking about it. "I want to be a Hero who does not rely on his singular power, but instead a type of hero who relies on those with him when he fights," Monoma told him "Most heroes want t to climb to the top alone, achieve greatness by themselves, even those with agencies have such a mentality, but I want to be a Hero who helps those around him grow stronger and in turn grow stronger from them as well, like that saying in the west, "One For All, and All For One!" Right?" Monoma said with a chuckle as he turned to Izuku
Izuku looked at him and smiled and nodded, "Yeah that's it," Izuku said
"But that's not all, I want to create a peaceful and perfect country," Monoma said "A world where people don't have to suffer or hate because what do things like that do? it just restarts the cycle of suffering and hatred, and thus villains and criminals are born, sometimes because of events that are out of their control... I want and will achieve a country full of peace because no one should suffer anything that blackens their hearts,"
Izuku smiled at his friend's dream, a Dream that sounded better than his. "That sounds... like a really great dream Monoma," Izuku said "A great dream,"
For the rest of that afternoon, Izuku's mind and heart were in turmoil, for he was now questioning his dream, wondering if that was really his dream...
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It was morning and Izuku began to stir in his sleeping bag before he wiggled his way out of it and then waited till he was more awake to exit his tent. Once he did, he saw Toru's Aunt walking over to their campsite, and when Izuku saw her, he gave her a small wave.
"Hello Ma'am," Izuku greeted with a groggy tone
"Ah, hello there, Izuku" She greeted back, "And what have I said about all that "Ma'am" stuff, eh?"
"R-Right," Izuku said with a bashful face, "Goodmorning Mrs. Makino,"
"Wrong again~!" She said with a sing-song tone
"Ah... Goodmorning A-Aunty Luca..." Izuku said
Luca Makino is a middle-aged woman who has long brown hair that is parted down the middle, though she often allows a single lock of it to fall across her face and to one side of her nose, light brown eyes, and always had a soft smile on her face. She wore a light green flannel shirt with a pair of navy blue skinny jeans and a pair of brown Chelsea boots.
"There we go!" She said, "So, what are doing up so early?" she asked him
"I don't know, just guess it was time to wake up," Izuku replied "What are you doing over here?"
"Well, I was here to wake up Toru to see if she wanted to come into town with me to help with a few errands," Luca told him
"Ah, sounds pretty good," Izuku said "Do you need more help?" Izuku asked her
Luca thought about it, "Hmm... Now that I think about it, I could use some extra muscle loading a few things on and off the truck,"
"Sounds good," Izuku said "Let me get ready while you wake up Toru," Izuku told her
Luca nodded and went over to Toru's tent to wake her up while Izuku quickly went back into his tent and quickly changed his clothes and put on his socks and shoes. He wore a black short-sleeved t-shirt, a pair of black cargo shorts, and his usual red high-top shoes.
Toru came out of her tent and saw Izuku, "What are you doing?" She asked
"I woke up when your aunt was gonna wake you, she told me that you and she were going into town to run a few errands so I offered to help,"
"Oh, Alright then!" Toru said with a smile
With that, the two went over to meet up with her aunt and saw her waiting at her truck, and Izuku and Toru quickly got in Luca's truck and she pulled out of her driveway, and then drove down the road and made their way to town.
And finally, after a 20-minute drive, they arrived at the small town, and Luca parked her truck in front of a convenience store for her first errand. and she then turned to Toru and gave Toru her own credit card, and then handed her a list. "Take this and get what's on the list, and bring it to the truck, the store you needed to go to is also on the list," Luca said "Most of the stuff I have is getting sold here, so just head back here"
"Alright, let's go Izuku," Toru said
She and Izuku made their way to the store as Luca walked into the store, no doubt going to ask for help from the person she was selling to. As Izuku and Toru made their way to the store, Izuku's mind was brought back to his conversation with Monoma, and his mood quickly went south as he felt a conflict within himself once again.
Toru looked over at him, hoping to strike up a conversation, but when she saw his face, she saw the conflict written on it. "You ok?" She asked
Izuku let out a sigh before he looked over at her, "What... What's your dream Toru?" Izuku asked
"My dream?" She asked him
Izuku nodded, "Yeah," He said, "And I'm not just talking about becoming a Hero but... what is your biggest dream?"
Toru thought hard about what she really wanted, besides being a hero, what was her real dream? She thought about her family, the friends she had made, the people she's met, she thought about all the joyous moments she had shared with both her family and her friends. And that's when she thought about the future, going to UA, becoming heroes alongside her friends, saving lives, getting married, having kids, growing old, everything that she imagined, it made her smile.
That's when it hit her. She realized what her dream was.
"My dream... Well, it's not really an amazing dream, but I think it's a dream that I can say I really want to make happen," Toru told him
"What is it?" Izuku asked
"To live a long and good life," Toru said with a soft smile, "It's a simple dream, but I want to live a life that had meaning in it, part of it is becoming a hero, but for the most part of it is just living a life where I and my friends can smile, where I can get married and grow old with the one I love... a good and long life," She told him
Izuku couldn't help but find her dream just as equally amazing as Monoma's, it was a good dream to have, and one to strive for, one that he could also want.
But he was still confused about his dream, should he just stick to the one he always thought was the one he wanted? Should he have one just as grand as Monoma? Should he have a dream just as beautiful and peaceful as Toru? What kind of dream should he have?
"You all have amazing dreams..." Izuku said "But I... I don't know what kind of Dream I have,"
Toru was a bit confused by what he was saying, "What do you mean?"
"I don't know what my dream is anymore," Izuku told her, "I thought I did but I think that I've come to realize that it might not be my real dream, but just something that I wanted to prove to others, and now that I realize that, I've become a little lost," Izuku finished
"So... what are you going to do?" Toru asked, looking a little concerned
Izuku sighed and shook his head a little, "I don't know yet..." Izuku told her
Toru put her hand on his shoulder to reassure him, "Do whatever you have to do Izuku, if you need time, take your time to figure out what your dream is... but remember that we will always be here for you," Toru said
Izuku nodded as a smile slowly formed on his face and Toru gave him a bright smile as they continued to walk to the store. Izuku looked at Toru and smiled, and his thoughts then drifted to the rest of his friend.
'That's right... I'm not alone anymore, I have people to help me and believe in me...' Izuku thought 'But I think that this... my dream... I need to figure it out on my own... and I need to do it no matter what,' Izuku thought
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This chapter brought in a lot of things that were important.
For example:
1. Monoma's speech to Izuku actually shows a little of his real personality and even his goal is something similar to Griffth's.
2. Izuku questioning his own dream is similar to guts figuring out his own. Also, I wanted Izuku's Goal/Dream to change from canon, I've come to realize that I always wanted Izuku to be somewhat different from All-Might. Because while I loved their relationship, I didn't like Izuku copying All-Might, even when he started using his legs, he still copied All-Might. To me, Izuku never really moved away from All-Might's shadow until after the War Arc.
3. The ideals of "One For All" and "All For One". While they are the names of the two most important quirks (and the name of the villain), they are also sort of Ideals that have been carried into the very characters themselves. (If you know, you know)
Also yes, Toru's Aunt is Luca from Berserk.