บท 2: Things Change
Menacing figures encroached on an individual dressed in green and red.
Despite standing at the edge of a cliff, the individual stood confidently as he stared down the approaching figures.
An emerald-green screen appeared before the individual.
In response to this, the figures suddenly rushed forward while displaying various powers of strength, fire, speed, etc.
The individual calmly tapped something on the screen, and it vanished with a pulse that spread through the air. Washing over the approaching figures, they all seemed to collapse or be blown back.
The individual then braced themselves before charging forward. As they neared the nearest figure, they reared back their fist. Throwing it forward-
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Izuku's eyes shot open. Sitting up, he looked around to see that he was in his room - lying on his bed. "A dream," he muttered. Raising his hand, he looked at his palm and clenched his fist some before getting out of bed.
Brushing his teeth and washing up, Izuku got dressed in his black Aldera Junior High School uniform before sitting down to eat the breakfast prepared by his mother. She sat across from him eating her own meal while repeatedly asking him various questions to the tune of whether he was ready for the school year to start.
If Izuku was being honest, he would say he was not as going back to school meant dealing with his teachers and classmates. However, his mind was elsewhere, and he found it difficult to pay much attention to Inko's questions.
"Was it all a dream," Izuku thought. The more he thought about the events of yesterday, the more he questioned whether or not it was real. A mysterious screen appearing before you that offers choices capable of altering reality? It was more likely he had gone mad or was being influenced by some sort of Quirk.
Finishing his meal, Izuku put his dishes away, put on his big yellow backpack, and left the apartment. He continued to fret over the existence or hallucinations of the Decision System. If it was real, did that mean Katsuki would be different at school? Would he be nice to him? Was he just getting his hopes up?
However, a vibration in his pocket jolted Izuku from his spiraling thoughts. Pulling put his phone, he saw that he had received a notification from Hero News. He opened his phone to read the article claiming a villain was on a rampage. Seeing it was on his way, Izuku grew excited, stuffed his phone into his pocket, grabbed the straps of his backpack, and rushed to the scene in anticipation of what Pro Heroes would arrive.
Soon, Izuku saw the gathered crowed surrounding the scene at an overhead railway held back behind the police line. As he made his way through the crowd to try and reach the front, he heard people discussing what had happened and cheer for Pro Heroes Death Arms and Backdraft. He had just managed to get to the front when an emerald screen appeared before him. Its sudden appearance caused him to pause.
Random Decision:
[When posing for the cameras, Mt. Lady has a wardrobe malfunction.]
[Yes]
[No]
Izuku blinked. He reread the screen. Then, he read it again. And for a third time. "I don't know who Mt. Lady is, but it has to be a hero. And a wardrobe malfunction…" Images appeared in his head that caused him to blush furiously. He quickly shook his head to dispel his thoughts before hitting [No].
[When posing for the cameras, Mt. Lady has a wardrobe malfunction.]
[Yes, Mt. Lady's costume splits at the rear. Hero costumes are less reliable and prone to clothing damage.]
[No, nothing goes wrong with Mt. Lady's costume. Hero costumes are made to be reliable and are more conservative.]
Reading over the added text, Izuku blushed at the idea of if he had said [Yes] but wondered what his choice meant by hero costumes being more conservative.
Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead. Izuku looked away from the screen to see what it was. This allowed the screen to vanish with a pulse that would alter reality.
A hero with a wood-like face, arms, and legs wearing a form-fitting black costume under a bulletproof vest extended his limbs to pull himself up to the railway where a giant villain was rampaging. The hero evaded a swipe from the villain and flipped over him - sliding to a stop atop a stopped train. Glaring at the villain, the hero declared, "Illegal use of powers during rush hour, robbery, and assault. You are pure evil."
"It's Kamui Woods," Izuku cheered. "He's new, but he's already making a big name for himself!!"
"A running commentary and that starry-eyed expression," a slightly heavyset man beside Izuku with four-pointed stars protruding from his head suddenly said. "You're a fanboy!"
"Uh, no. Maybe…Heh, heh…," Izuku responded with a blush.
Meanwhile, above them, Kamui seemed to ready something as his wooden arm shifted.
"Here it comes," Izuku said.
"Take him down, Tree-Man," the man yelled.
Izuku then spoke in sync with Kamui as the hero called out, "Preemptive Binding…Lacquered Chain Prison!!!" Kamui then threw his arm out and a series of branches sprung forth to ensnare the villain.
The villain braced himself for the attack when suddenly another giant figure appeared.
Flipping over the villain as Kamui did before, a woman suddenly grew to even greater size than the villain. She grabbed him and used momentum to pull him off the railway before turning with him in the air and slamming him into the street below.
The audience was left in shock of the sudden appearance.
Even Kamui seemed frozen in mid-attack at the interruption.
The villain was seemingly knocked unconscious from the impact as the new hero stood slightly hunched over him. She was a curvaceous young woman with purple eyes and long eyelashes. She had voluminous, creamy blond hair that reached her waist with two shorter strands curled to frame her face. Her costume is composed of a purple and pale tan-colored skintight bodysuit, gloves, and thigh-high "boots" accented with orange stripes that helped outline a athletic, toned physique. Over her face, she wore a purple domino mask with horn-like protrusions on the sides.
Suddenly, Izuku was surprised by the immediate arrival of a horde of men with cameras taking pictures of the female hero and muttering 'money shot'.
"Today is my debut. My name's Mount Lady, and you won't have to worry about this bum anymore," the hero introduced herself while posing for the horde of cameras - emphasizing her rear.
Then, the horde of men with cameras doubled in size as more appeared.
Slightly intimidated by the crowd, Izuku hunched in on himself and adjusted his backpack so he could reach into it to fish out a notebook. He opened to a blank page and proceeded to take notes on the new hero - including a sketch and some personal thoughts. As he wrote he muttered, "Gigantification…It's a common and quite powerful Quirk, but could the threat of destroying public property limit its use? Well…Depends on whether or not she can manipulate her size at will…"
Izuku's hand stopped as he became thoughtful. He did not know about Mt. Lady, but he knew Kamui Woods and noticed that his costume was different. The costume he knew of did not have the vest. "Is this an effect of the system?" He shifted his gaze over to Mt. Lady.
The hero had shrunk down to normal size and was basking in the adoration of the public as she helped the police in detaining the villain - Kamui still atop the train had fallen to his hands and knees all but forgotten. Mt. Lady did not look any different with her costume almost highlighting her muscle definition.
Izuku blushed as he looked away. "So far, the choices I've made have made heroes more skillful and their costumes more reliable. Just what is that supposed to mean? It might have something to do with the vest Kamui is wearing, but I can't really see it otherwise. Mt. Lady's costume…Maybe it's because of her Quirk? Her costume has to change size with her so it can't be made of normal clothes…Picking up that villain and slamming him into the ground like that definitely takes some skill when she could have just rushed in and hit him. Though," Izuku looked at the damage to the road from where Mt. Lady and the villain landed, "I'm not sure."
The star-headed man suddenly called out to Izuku, "What you got there, fanboy? Taking notes? Wanna be a hero too? Good luck!!"
Jumping some at the sudden address, Izuku looked at the man for a moment before a beaming smile appeared on his face, "Thank you! I'll try my best!"
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Arriving at school, Izuku immediately noticed a difference.
"Hey, Izuku."
"How's it going?"
"Where's Bakugo?"
Izuku's school and classmates were talking to him. Normally, everyone made fun of or ignored him, but now they were actually talking to him. Being nice to him. The shock had left him momentarily frozen. It was only when he heard another familiar voice that he was both shaken from his shock and even more stunned.
"Get moving, De- Midoriya!"
Shoulder checking Izuku, a boy with spiky blonde hair, red eyes, and strong build walked by. This was Katsuki Bakugo.
Izuku stood still and watched dumbly as Katsuki walked by. As the other boy vanished from his sight, he thought, "Kacchan…He didn't call me Deku…"
More people arrived and Izuku found himself subconsciously going to his classroom and taking his seat along the back row. Still in a daze, his eyes moved over the others in the class until settling on Katsuki for a moment. His gaze then shifted to the front of the room as his thoughts resumed. "The Decision System…it's for real…"
Izuku sat motionlessly as he processed the revelation that he had truly been given the means to alter reality.
Eventually, the bell rang for class to begin and the homeroom teacher walked in holding a small stack of papers. He was a slightly out-of-shape, slightly balding man with very short blonde hair styled into a small poof in the front.
The man stood at the podium at the front of the classroom before slamming his hand down on it while holding up the stack of papers in the other. Getting the students' attention, he began to speak, "You guys are all third-years now. It's time you began to seriously think about your future. Now, I should hand out these future career forms, but…" He then threw the forms back over his shoulder saying with mirth and none of his previous severity, "I assume you all want to be heroes."
As if on cue, all the students save Izuku and Katsuki began cheering and showing off their Quirks. The teacher made a half-hearted effort to calm them due to free Quirk use being against school rules.
Izuku had snapped out of his daze from the teacher's words. Still unsure of what effect the Decision System would have on him, he began to shrink into himself and raise his hand among the loud voices of his classmates to ask for a form.
However, Katsuki's voice then cut through the noise. He was lounging in his seat with a smug smile on his face as he confidently declared, "Hey teach, don't go lumping us all together. Unlike me, the rest of these rejects will be lucky if they end up as sidekicks to some busted D-lister."
Katsuki's words caused an indignant uproar at his claims - though he happily called back for them to 'bring it on, you extras'.
The teacher then idly noted while staring at some papers he had not thrown, "Ah, Bakugo, well, maybe you will get into U.A."
This silenced the class who were left in shock.
As the others murmured about U.A. High School's prestige and notoriously low acceptance rate, Izuku continued to become dispirited. Putting his head on his desk, he wrapped his arms around it in an effort to go unseen.
Katsuki - on the other hand - fed off the attention as he leaped up out of his chair and onto his desk. "That's why you all are just extras." Jutting a thumb toward himself, he continued to boast, "I aced the mock teats. I'm the only one from this loser junior high to have a chance of getting in." He then raised his hand and clenched his fist. "I'll even surpass All Might himself!" He then brought down both hands as he declared, "And gain all the fame and fortune of becoming the greatest hero of all time!!"
"Oh yeah, Midoriya, didn't you want to go to U.A. too," the teacher off-handedly noted.
The class went silent and Izuku flinched. The green-headed boy slowly raised his head expecting the class to burst out in laughter and mockery.
Everyone - except the teacher and Katsuki - stared at Izuku for a moment before breaking out in chuckles and barely contained laughter.
"Oh, come on, Midoriya," one classmate said while laughing. "There's just no way you'll get into a school like U.A. without a Quirk."
"We're supposed to be thinking about our future's right," one girl said while chuckling. "You should really start to consider that it's just never going to happen."
Similar such things were said and seemed to echo around Izuku. It was not as bad as he expected. He still wished for it to stop. For people to not be so quick to dismiss him. However, in response to this desire, a screen appeared before him - hovering just in front of his desk. He read:
Desire Decision:
[People should not be so quick to dismiss your dream.]
[Yes]
[No]
Izuku stared at the screen and hesitated. He was not sure what to think about this. No matter what these screens said, was it really okay for him to have this sort of power. Furthermore, every decision he had made so far came with some sort of caveat it did not reveal until after he made the decision. What if he made a wrong decision that hurt people?
As he contemplated this, Izuku heard a synthetic *DING*. His eyes shot up and he saw that he had subconsciously reached out to hit an option - selecting for people to not dismiss him. He watched as the writing changed with his choice highlighted and the other grayed out.
[People should not be so quick to dismiss your dream.]
[Yes, you have just as much right to pursue your dreams. Doors will now open for you to help you achieve your dreams. However, the obstacles you face will be more difficult.]
[No, you are just a powerless nobody - they have every right to think less of you. Things will become more difficult and rigged against you. However, the obstacles you face will be easier.]
Izuku was not sure how to feel about this. However, before he could process it, he heard a voice cut through the mockery.
"You know what, Midoriya," a student said as the laughter died down. "Go ahead, give it your best. Who knows, maybe a miracle will happen." He then looked toward Katsuki. "What do you think, Bakugo?"
Katsuki had angrily taken his seat during the commotion. He briefly turned to glare at Izuku and the boy flinched. He then looked away with a scoff. "Let the damn nerd do what he wants. If he wants to waste his time, let him."
Izuku looked in wonder at the blonde's words - slowly sitting back up in his seat. It may still seem harsh and dismissive toward him, but now they were - even jokingly - wishing him luck rather than outright putting him down.
"Now, now," the teacher said lazily, "we do have school business to attend to."
The class quieted down and payed attention to the teacher.
Meanwhile, Izuku's concerns and worries were put aside for now as he enjoyed the warm feeling in his chest.
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The school day ended. It was only a half day to welcome new students, cover the material, and set the tone for the rest of the year.
Izuku had moved through the day rather happily. Usually, he would have had to deal with some sort of harassment, snide remarks, or hush whispering from others throughout the day. However, none of that happened, people generally just ignored him. He considered this a marked improvement.
Currently, Izuku was scrolling through his phone. He muttered, "The incident this morning is all over the net! I'd better get home and get my notes in order." He then pocketed his phone and picked up a notebook off his desk titled: Hero Analysis for My Future, No. 13.
Memories flashed through Izuku's mind.
"You should give it up kid."
"I'm sorry, Izuku. I wish things were different."
"You wanna play hero? You can't do anything without a Quirk, Deku."
Izuku's grip tightened on his notebook. He thought, "It might really be possible now…"
Giving a beaming smile, Izuku put the notebook into his backpack and turned to leave the room. Suddenly, another screen appeared before him.
Canon Decision
[Events have deviated from their original path. A moment that would forever change your future may not take place. Choose a course of action:]
[After leaving school, you will have a life-threatening experience that forever changes your fate.]
[Soon, a villain being pursued by a hero will escape capture and go into hiding.]
[Later today, someone will be attacked by a villain and a true hero will come to save them.]
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Next time:
As you may have noticed, I've decided to follow cannon while seeing how Izuku's decisions change things. Also, to elaborate on his choice of whether people will dismiss him. Yes means people will help him more and certain things like the U.A. Entrance Exam will be easier. No is the opposite where they would grade him more harshly to increase the chances of him failing. However, 'obstacles' is more to do with the villains and challenges directly toward him.
I did not do a very good job of presenting Katsuki as Izuku's 'friend'. But I have plans for later where he is much better.
Next chapter decisions voted by you:
Does Izuku give up becoming a Quirkless hero and become All Might's successor?
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