章 44: Do You Want To Be A Hero? (25) | Imagi Factor
As soon as the green-haired high schooler revealed and confirmed his hidden persona to the husk of a hero... the air around them intensified.
Izuku stared back at All Might's scrutinizing gaze, a smirk of amusement tugging at his lips.
"I'm surprised you know that term, All Might," Izuku broke the sudden intense silence. "It's so old-school and niche, most people have already forgotten about it. Are you a fan of the tokusatsu genre too?"
"T-tokusatsu...?"
All Might was slightly taken aback by the casual attitude Izuku displayed, especially when he mentioned another unfamiliar term. It felt strange for the Number One Hero to be caught off guard like this.
Somehow, All Might noticed a small spark of passion in the young man's eyes as he spoke of 'tokusatsu'... like someone eager to find another person who shared the same interest.
Unfortunately for the young man, and even for the hero himself, All Might might have to crush Izuku's hopeful expectation of finding a kindred spirit.
"Sorry... I don't have any strong opinion on this 'tokusatsu' thing you're talking about... nor am I familiar with it to begin with."
"Ah! Is that so...? *Sigh*, that's a bummer." Izuku replied, a bit disappointed. His amusement faded... and was replaced by a more serious expression. "Well, putting that aside... how do you even know about the term... 'Kamen Rider,' All Might...?"
"... A certain young woman mentioned it to me when she recounted her recent encounter with you..."
"A young woman?" Izuku repeated, curiosity flickering in his gaze. But it didn't take long for him to piece it together. "Ah, that woman... I did tell her I'm a 'Kamen Rider' and all. She must've told the police."
Izuku sighed and facepalmed, recalling last night's event. The memory played in his mind like a fleeting flash. Meanwhile, All Might couldn't shake the unease that grew in him. It was unsettling how nonchalant the young man seemed about being exposed as the 'Kamen Rider.'
"Well, that was certainly careless of me," Izuku admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't think telling her about it would lead to the No. 1 Hero himself going out of his way to track me down."
"I wasn't exactly trying to find you, young man," All Might corrected, folding his arms. "But you've become a person of interest to the police. They asked if I had any leads regarding the so-called Kamen Rider... and it was purely by coincidence that the young man I saved turned out to be the Kamen Rider they were looking for."
Izuku chuckled, letting out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha, quite the funny coincidence, isn't it?" Izuku smirked. "And pretty ironic that both of us ended up having our 'little' secrets exposed to each other. Eye for an eye, I guess."
All Might couldn't help but share a small laugh himself. He understood what Izuku meant... it was amusing, and perhaps even sentimental, to think they'd both had their 'secrets' revealed to one another.
But just as quickly, the atmosphere shifted back to a serious tone, and Izuku's expression followed.
"So... now that you know I'm the Kamen Rider you've been looking for... what do you want to talk about?"
All Might took a deep breath, carefully choosing his words.
"First, I want to know... why you felt the need to keep this a secret?" the hero asked, his voice steady. "This... 'Kamen Rider' activity of yours. I don't recall ever hearing of a green-armored vigilante going around fighting villains, but..."
The hero's gaze drifted over the young man, noting his confident posture.
"You seem quite capable... almost as if you've been doing this for quite a while."
"Thanks for the compliment," Izuku retorted, a hint of sarcasm coloring his words. "Though, 'why,' you ask? Well... I have my reasons for hiding my activities."
He paused, the weight of All Might's question settling over him.
"It's not as noble as yours, though, All Might."
"What...?! What do you mean by that...?" the frail hero asked, cautious of the implication behind Izuku's words.
"Haha, don't be alarmed yourself," Izuku reassured him, shaking his head. "It's not for any nefarious reason, if that's what you're worried about."
"..."
All Might fell silent, still uncertain of what the young man was getting at.
"Sorry if I'm repeating myself, but... if that woman told you about the Kamen Rider bit... did she also mention the 'Imajin'?"
"Imajin...?" All Might echoed, his brow furrowing with curiosity. "... Yes, she did. She said that when you fought the 'fog villain' on her behalf, you mentioned something about this 'Imajin' to the criminal."
"Yup, I did," Izuku confirmed, his tone steady. But there was something else—something unspoken—lingering in his voice. He paused, as if gathering his thoughts, before continuing.
"Imajin... individuals with an over-abundance of what I call the Imagi Factor. Usually, under normal circumstances, that wouldn't pose much of a problem. But here's the thing: when that factor becomes corrupted, it transforms them into something far more dangerous... into the 'Imajin' themselves."
"I-imagi Factor? C-corrupted...?!"
All Might's expression grew tense as he tried to process the term, confused and unsettled by these new words that the enigmatic Kamen Rider before him was using.
"Hold on, young man!" he interrupted, confusion evident in his voice. "What exactly are you talking about here?!"
"Ah, my bad. I almost went overboard with my rambling. Haha~." Izuku chuckled lightly, trying to lighten the mood despite the serious conversation. "I tend to get a bit carried away when discussing my research."
"Huh...?" All Might was still reeling in confusion over the young man's sudden shift from casual banter to weighty implications, struggling to grasp the significance of what was being said.
But the young man quickly shifted to a more serious tone. "Alright, let me REALLY properly explain it for you. But first... do you know about Quirk Factors? Or, as they're officially labeled, 'Plus Alpha Elements'?"
All Might nodded, the tension in his brow easing slightly.
"Of course..." the hero responded, recalling the term he had learned back at UA University. "It's part of what makes Quirks function, the biological component that determines the strength and nature of an individual's Quirk."
"Exactly," Izuku said, nodding. "Now, imagine that... only different."
"Huh?" All Might muttered, dumbfounded. "... What do you mean by that? It's the same, but different?"
Again, Izuku couldn't help but be amused by the No. 1 Hero's reaction. He closed his eyes... and started to reminisce.
"I've spent years researching—studying the origin, biology, anatomy, property, and even function behind Quirks and Quirk Factors themselves... and what I found was..."
The green-haired young man trailed off, letting his words linger, allowing All Might the time to absorb what was coming next.
"There's more to it than just genetics. Quirks might not be just a biological mutation, All Might."
"What...?" All Might muttered, his eyes widening in shock. His mind raced, struggling to comprehend the implications of what Izuku was suggesting.
"Quirks..." Izuku's voice dropped lower, his words slow and deliberate, "there's a strong possibility that the manifestation of Quirks is also influenced by something deeper..."
Izuku opened his eyes, locking his gaze onto All Might's, whose expression was still a mix of confusion and disbelief.
"Quirks are the manifestation of the human mind itself."
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Author note (and ofc, shilling):
Finally an update after 1 month of hiatus.
Being an office worker really sucks the motivation to do anything, let alone writing stuffs.
Well, I hope I do gain momentum to write even more now.
Hope you lads enjoy this fanfiction update. The next few chapters would be quite the slug before we delve into the fun parts.
As usual, check out my Patreon(dot)com/demonkingakuma
for early access to chapters and fun stuff.
Stay tuned for more~
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