Hero Too
As the sun rose in the distance, Izuku cradled Momo as All Might sat beside him, his muscle form reduced to his normal, skeletal look with long, dangling hair. While emergency services were hard at work repairing the damage caused by the battles with Godzillo and Wolfram, the two Heroes, worn out from fighting, merely sat beside each other in contemplation. "I wasn't strong enough", said Izuku as he held Momo close. "Strength isn't everything, my boy", said All Might, "Even then, you spent most of your strength fighting Godzillo. I think the people of I-Island will forgive you". "Still, though, Yaomomo wouldn't have been as hurt by that final move if I had been able to power through", sighed Izuku.
"That's the hidden cost of going Plus Ultra", said All Might, "This is why I vowed to be a better teacher for you and all my other students". "What are you talking about? You're a great teacher", said Monkey as Izuku's face changed. "The Battle Trial on the first day says otherwise", sighed All Might. "Bakugo's failure does not reflect on you", said Monkey, "Besides, no one is perfect". "That may be", said All Might, "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't strive to achieve perfection." Izuku's face changed back as he looked down at I-Island. "So, what happens now?", he asked. "I don't know", said All Might, "When my strength returns, I'll do my best to help where I can. I suggest you do the same as well".
Suddenly, Momo began to stir. "She's waking up", gasped Izuku. Momo's eyes fluttered open as Izuku helped her sit up. "You feeling alright, Young Yaoyorozu?", asked All Might. "W...Where is everyone? Are they safe?", asked Momo. "They're OK, thanks to you", said Izuku. At those words, Momo began to cry. "What's wrong, Young Yaoyorozu?", asked All Might. "You were supposed to be happy on your birthday", said Momo as she wiped away her tears, "And you nearly died instead". "Yaomomo, it's OK", said Izuku. "No, it's not!", said Momo, "I had to watch while Godzillo dragged you underwater. I should've been there. I should've been able to save you".
"Yaomomo, I said it's OK", said Izuku, "There was little any of us could do to stop Godzillo in his Minus State". "He's right", said All Might as he placed a hand on Momo's shoulder, "Were I at full power, even I would struggle against Godzillo. That Young Midoriya was able to defeat him is something to laud". "Besides, even if it is a day late, we can still celebrate my birthday", said Izuku, "There's still some stuff around the island I want to check out. We can even keep our formal wear on". Momo wiped away her tears and thought about it. "Alright", she said softly, "What would you like to do first?" "Let's just...watch the sun rise a little longer", said Izuku. "Good idea", said Momo as the trio watched the sun glimmer upon the ocean.
Some time later, after All Might felt his strength restored, the Heroes took the terrorists downstairs to ground level, where Kyoka, Setsuna, Eri, and the police were waiting. Godzillo snorted with anger as Wolfram, Swordkill, Daigo, Nobu, and the rest were hauled into a truck with iron bars on the windows. Among the people being taken prisoner was none other than David Shield, looking downcast as the police silently lead him into a squad car. Melissa didn't know quite how she felt upon seeing the fate of her father. The pain from his betrayal was still there, but added to it was a sense of melancholic resignation. Nothing would be the same now.
Godzillo silently patted Melissa on the shoulder. She couldn't tell, mainly due to Godzillo being a dinosaur of few words, but Melissa felt the beast's sympathy. "What's going to happen to Professor Shield now?", asked Yui. "Fear not, Young Kodai", said All Might, "I will have my personal lawyer defend Professor Shield, but it may take many months". "What about Melissa?", asked Ochako. "I'm switching schools", said Melissa plainly, "Uncle Might extended an offer for me to stay at his agency, and I have accepted. That's all there is to it". "OK", said Izuku, "Is there...any chance you'd still like to join us?" "I'll think about it", said Melissa, "Right now, I just need to be alone". "Alright", said Izuku. "If you need us", said Kendo, "We'll be there for you". "Thank you", said Melissa, "Let's go, Uncle Might". All Might followed Melissa as she slowly walked home.
"Poor girl", said Kyoka. "Yes", said Yui. "Well, we can't always be miserable", said Setsuna, "What do you wanna do first, birthday boy?" Everyone then found themselves eating breakfast in the hotel lobby. "Not what I expected, but OK", said Setsuna as she snarfed down some dry cereal. Suddenly, a security robot arrived. "Telegrams for Green Gorilla and associates", the robot said before handing Mina the telegrams and slowly strutting away. "They're from Godzillo", said Mina excitedly as she handed them out. "Nice", said Setsuna, "He put a trading card in mine". "Mine says my strength is formidable", said Ochako, "What does yours say, Izuku?" "Uh", said Izuku nervously as he looked over his telegram, which, of course, said this:
"Next time, it's on sight, asshole".
"I think he's just a tad upset", said Monkey as Izuku's face changed, "I'm not too worried about it". "Yeah, he's definitely big mad that you made him big time lose for the first time in his entire fight era", said Camie. "Hit the nail on the head", said Setsuna. Izuku simply folded his letter up and put it in his suit pocket. "I wouldn't be so worried about him", said Kaminari, "Godzillo's probably just a big blowhard like Odd-Eye".
"Regardless", said Momo, "We should probably figure out what to do for the rest of the day". "Wake me up when you figure it out", said Bakugo, "I need to sleep this headache off". "Oh, come on, Bakugo", said Mina, "You slept all morning". "I was knocked the Hell out", Bakugo grunted as he pressed a button on the elevator, "Have all the fun you want. I'm going to reward myself with a shower and a nap for saving your asses". As soon as the elevator arrived, Bakugo stepped into it and left.
"Well, that was something", said Mineta, "Anyway, what you guys want to do next?" "How does everyone feel about going to the zoo?", asked Kendo. "I'm down", said Camie. "Me too", said Izuku, "I need to relax a little". "I wanna see the monkeys", Eri said softly. "OK then", said Ochako, "Let's go".
So, the all found themselves in a botanical garden, surrounded by many different species of tropical birds such as kiwis, parrots, and condors. "Most impressive", said Momo. Then, the group walked over to a guardrail overlooking a small canyon. "Look, a gorilla", said Eri. Indeed, a small troop of gorillas had emerged over the hill. The Hero students were stunned by the apes, particularly the females carrying the young ones on their backs. The silverback looked up at the visitors and growled when he saw Izuku. Izuku averted his gaze as the silverback grunted and moved to the other side of the enclosure with his family. "I guess he knows our nature", said Monkey from within Izuku's mind. 'How could he know it?', thought Izuku. "Instinct", said Monkey, "You know, like recognizes like and so on".
Izuku looked down at Eri, noticing that the girl was still not smiling as the apes moved around the enclosure. He wasn't the only one. Kyoka saw it too, and this gave her an idea. While the group went to go see the elephants, Kyoka went to go find All Might. "Whatever is going on with Kyoka?", asked Setsuna. "The bathroom", said Yui, "Next question". "Look at that", said Iida as an elephant sprayed itself with water from a nearby pond. "I bet that thing would run for the hills the minute it saw you, Midoriya", said Mineta. "Well, I'm not jumping in there to find out", said Izuku. "Look, a reptile house", said Setsuna as she pointed to the eponymous building. "I know exactly how this will go down", sighed Momo. "How what will go down?", Mina asked. "Whenever I have to attend a zoo trip with Setsuna", said Momo, "She always goes to the reptile house and she always says…"
"Look, it's me!", said Setsuna as she pointed at the iguana, and the caiman, and the pit viper, and the leopard gecko, and the tree gecko, and the blue gecko, and the boa constrictor, and the emerald tree monitor, and the snapping turtle, and the matamata turtle, and the Galapagos tortoise, and the American alligator, and the Chinese alligator, and the crocodile, and the gharial, and the Komodo dragon, and the rest. "Every. Solitary. Time", Momo growled with frustration. "Man, she could fill half a paragraph with the amount of reptiles she's pointing at", said Kaminari, "Though, if I'm being real, I probably wouldn't read that book". Momo simply glared at the electric boy, content with keeping her angry thoughts within the safety of her head.
After a while, the group returned to the hotel to grab a quick pre-dinner nap. While that was happening, Bakugo got off the elevator to take a walk, his head now clear of the throbbing pain that held it. As he wandered the island streets, Bakugo noticed how quiet it all was. Aside from the birds making their calls and the occasional hum of a bus engine, Bakugo noticed that most of I-Island was silent. It disturbed him. Without the hustle and bustle of everyday people, Bakugo felt...empty. Like some part of himself was missing. He needed to walk among throngs of people, to know that the unsuspecting masses had a Hero walking among them.
Instead, all he saw was new footage played on the giant screens of the city center showing that worthless Deku getting his ass beat by that bastard, Godzillo. Bakugo was silently thankful he chose to surpass All Might instead, because if that's what he had to overcome, then he may as well not be a Hero. The dragon could keep his part of the world; as long as Bakugo was Number One in Japan, everything would resolve itself. His mind wandered to what happened before the final battle, how he was tied and bound to the floor with a gun against his head. Just like...no, not again. Never again.
Despite the weight of the small child sleeping atop her, Momo rested soundly, for once not dreaming of her mother's Hero costume covering her body. Instead, her hungry mind wandered to thinking about Ochako, Izuku, and Mina holding her hands, taking her to the park, watching Godzillo's newest movie, and eating hamburgers, hotdogs, carrots, French fries, potato chips, tortilla chips, pizza, Caesar salad, lemon cake, donuts, apples, apple pie, pumpkin pie, key lime pie, turkey club sandwiches, Brazilian beef slices, gyudon, onigiri, soba noodles, ramen, sushi, tilapia with vegetables, buttered lobster, tacos, fajitas, cookies, and...wow, am I hungry just typing this.
Suddenly, Momo's dream was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Five more minutes", groaned Momo. "Wake up, Young Yaoyorozu", said All Might from the other side of the door, "I have a surprise for you all". Momo's eyes snapped open as Eri rubbed her own. "Oh, alright", said Momo, "Come on, Eri". "Where are going?", asked Eri. "Firstly, to pick up your brother, then, we go into the unknown", said Momo as she picked Eri up. "Will Godzillo be there?", asked Eri with a frown. "Probably not", said Momo. "Good, he's a bad dinosaur", said Eri. "He sure is", yawned Momo.
Over in Izuku's room, the boy wiped water away from his face. The nap he took helped with his exhaustion, but not by much. "You're taking this too hard", said Monkey in the mirror's reflection, "Doing three giant battles in the span of a single night may have taken a toll on our gorilla form". "I wouldn't consider the fight with the robots a giant battle", said Izuku. "You know what I mean", said Monkey, "Well have to take it easy for a bit, at least until we heal fully". "How did Godzillo get around our healing factor, anyway?", asked Izuku as he put his button-up shirt back on, "I thought magic made us immune to that sort of thing." "I couldn't tell you", said Monkey, "Best guess is that Godzillo is stronger than magic". "Majestic is counting his blessings, I can just feel it", sighed Izuku. "Forget Majestic, Dr. Fate would have nightmares from what happened", said Monkey. Just then, Izuku felt his phone buzz.
"We should probably get going", he said, "All Might has a surprise for us on the roof." "That's a good sign", said Monkey, "What do you think it'll be? A big pile of bananas? A new car? An excuse to make another list?" "OK, what is it with you and lists all of a sudden?", asked Izuku as he threw his coat back on. "I just think they're neat", said Monkey from within his mind as Izuku gently closed the door.
The elevator doors opened up to the rooftop pavilion on the hotel, where All Might, Melissa, and the other Hero students were waiting. "Is that everyone?", All Might asked. "For obvious reasons, Godzillo wasn't able to make", said Melissa, who then noticed Izuku wipe his brow in relief, "But 99% of everyone is here". "Excellent", said All Might, "Thanks to all of your efforts, the I-Island Board of Governors have agreed to help me arrange a surprise for you all". With the snap of his fingers, long pieces of clothe were pulled away from several robot chefs cooking a barbecue. "How did those blankets not catch on fire?", asked Kaminari. "Eh, don't worry about it", said All Might, "Come on, guys, dig in".
Momo didn't need to be told twice. By the time, Izuku, Melissa, Mina, and Ochako caught up to her, she was on her fourth plate of grilled chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, and...well, you know the rest. "Sorry", Momo said meekly, "I had to replenish my reserves after last night." "I figured", said Izuku. Ochako looked down and noticed something about Momo's arm. "Is your arm OK?", she asked, "It's looking a little bruised". Momo looked down at her right arm, now seeing that the Full Gauntlet was mangled on her spotted arm. Melissa gently reached forward and pushed a button, releasing the wreckage from Momo's arm. "Thank you", said Momo. "Don't worry about the Full Gauntlet", said Melissa, "I guess I overestimated how strong you were". "I'll say", said Mina, "What even was that you unleashed back there?" Momo went pale at those words. But before an explanation could arise, Eri ran over, looking worried. "Where's Kyoka?", she asked, "She's missing out".
Just then, a curtain over a stage opened up, revealing Kyoka with an electric guitar. The punk girl's face was almost as red as a beet as she held her guitar, looking out at the party in front of her. Then she noticed Eri in the crowd before playing a few chords. She looked over and nodded to All Might, who then pushed a button on his phone, playing some back-up instrumentals.
Cue Song: Hero Too by Amalee
Eri's eyes widened as Kyoka sang a song she had written that morning. The melody carried over the rooftops and down into the street. A feeling of euphoric bliss echoed through the souls of everyone who heard Kyoka's song, a unique joy being shared by all who were present. Even Bakugo was nodding along to the song as it continued in its harmony. Then, something else amazing happened. As Izuku looked down to his sister, he noticed something. Eri had started smiling, joy overflowing as she bopped along to the music. Izuku fought back his own tears of joy as Eri grew more excited with the song. When the music concluded, everyone cheered, which brought out Kyoka's own smile. Kyoka, for her part, was just glad she had fulfilled her promise to Eri from the night before. Bringing out her happiness was just a swell bonus. "If the rest of the trip is as good as this", said Izuku, "I don't think I'll be as happy afterward".
To Be Continued...
Gorilla Fact: Gorillas have often been observed singing and humming among themselves during feeding times. They do this when content with the food they're eating and often, they will sing louder if it's their favorite food.