Chương 12: Broken Dream

Flipping through my journal, I'm relieved to see that the damage isn't too bad. "It's a good thing I took that guy's recommendation and bought their 'special' notebooks and ink." Other than being a bit charred and some water spots on some pages, it's pretty much fine! 'Hurray for reinforcement quirks!'

Chuckling at the irony of the thought, I decide to make a detour from my usual route. After what Kachan said, I don't really feel like dealing with the usual abuse on the way back to the house today. So no insults, thrown bottles, and possibly dislocated or cracked bones. They never outright break my bones for some reason, which is kind of weird. Maybe they justify it to themselves by saying it's not as bad if I don't have to be hospitalized?

Well, cracked bones are supposed to be a hospital-worthy injury, but the few times I went to get treated they threw me out when they found out I was quirkless. Though there were a few nice nurses that gave me painkillers that were getting close to the expiration date. Sure, I got sick sometimes when I used them after the expiration date, but they still really helped!

While lost in my thoughts, I pass by under a bridge, only to hear a loud clanging coming from behind me. Turning around, I see a large pile of sludge looming behind me.

A villain.

"You'll make a perfect skin suit for me to hide in, kid." I just stare at them blankly for a moment as I process the situation. Then I do something that surprises both of us.

I laugh.

"He… ha… haha… HAHAHAHA!" It starts off weak, but before I realize it it explodes into full blown laughter. I can't help it! It's just… with the way my day's been going, this has to be the absolute worst thing to top it off. A villain with a semi-liquid body attacking me! If it were literally anything else, I would at least have a chance to hold them off until a hero arrives. Shoko has helped me train for things like this!

But what am I supposed to do against liquid!? NOTHING! And I know that I'm not fast enough to run away. So all I can do in this situation is laugh, tears streaming my eyes as the villain just stares at me in a stupor.

Seeming to get a hold of itself, it speaks. "I have no idea what your problem is, but- well, I guess it doesn't matter. You'll still end up being my disguise." And with that, they lunge at me, enveloping me with their body. Thoughts run through my mind as they force their way into my mouth.

'Huh. Their body is surprisingly warm. It does smell though, but that might be because they came out of the sewer.'

{Look at you! Finally getting out of Kachan and Izumi's lives, letting them focus entirely on becoming heroes!}

[Shut up! Don't listen to this tool, fight back! Bite! Rip and tear! Eat them before they eat you! Er, go for the balls?]

[...]

[Ok, I actually have nothing. But you can at least put up some kind of a fight!]

{Just give in. No more pain. No more suffering. No more disappointing everyone.}

The mean voice's words start sounding better and better as I struggle to breathe. To stop my body from being taken over. But I can't do anything against them, their body just flows around my hands. As I start to lose consciousness, I think I hear something.

"TEXAS SMASH!"

I fall into the bliss of darkness as I feel a powerful force strike me, scattering the villain's body in the process.

(All Might POV)

Looking down at the boy I just saved from the villain, I'm shocked to realize that it's my son! I panic a bit as I check his pulse, only to breathe a sigh of relief as I find it. After chugging down the soda I'd bought at the store (no point in it going to waste!) I gather up the villain into it. While I do so, my eyes keep going back to my son.

His uniform is… disheveled, I suppose is the easiest way to put it. Though it might be better to say 'ruined'. One of the shoulders is missing, the edges around where it was showing signs of having been burnt. There are signs that it's been sewed back together in spots as well, though those are harder to see.

'This all can't have been from the villain. What happened to him?'

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. I can talk to him about whatever happened at home, but for now I need to get him awake so he can get there. My time limit is almost up, after all. Of course, since I know he's a massive fan of mine I make sure to sign his notebook first. Though given its condition I think it might be time for a new one.

And so I start to quickly but lightly slap his cheek. It's a much gentler way to wake him up than my teacher used when I fainted during training!

Eventually he wakes up and starts fanboying about me. Honestly, it's a weird feeling. Especially due to how he's never like this at home. Usually he'll just stay in his room all day, or spend his time in the home gym. At least I think he does? At the very least, I never see him hanging around the living room.

But I can feel that my limit is fast approaching, so I hastily say goodbye and urge him to head home. It's not until I'm already flying through the air that I realize that he's hanging onto me!

"HEY, KID! LET GO!" I panic as I start to try and pry him off of me, only for him to remind me that we're flying through the air! That's certainly embarrassing. 'Good thing he spoke up so quickly.'

We land on a rooftop and I tell him to bang on the door to get someone to come let him in. But now I really have to go! I'm already struggling with holding my form! But his question stops me.

"Can someone who's quirkless like me become a hero like you?"

I pause, hearing his words. For a moment I'm taken back in time, to where I asked my master the same thing. But before I can answer, I smoke explodes out of me. Shit. I lost focus and I'm going back to normal!

The smoke starts to clear, and I see Izuku looking at the ground, mumbling. Raising his voice, I can finally hear what he has to say. "Saving people with a fearless smile, I want to be a great hero. Like you!" He looks up, and I can see the shock and confusion clear on his face. "D-dad!?"

I sigh, scratching my cheek. "Um, yeah. Hey, son." Looking away as I consider how to handle this, I don't see the dark look that flashes across his face at the word 'son'. By the time I look back though, there's a light shining in his eyes.

"Y-y-you're All Might!? My dad… is All Might! That's so cool! Is this why you're always out of the house? Why we've never been to your work? Why you always say that your quirk is a secret we'll learn when we're older?"

I hide a wince at his last question. I broke the promise I made with myself back when I first learned he was quirkless. But after my injury, I didn't want to see the same thing happen to him. All For One is dead, but eventually someone just as strong will be born. And… I can't see my children getting hurt the same way I did. I can't do anything about Izumi, but I can do something for Izuku.

"That's right. I couldn't have any villains finding out about the three of you, so I hid the fact that I'm All Might from everyone. As far as the world is concerned, Toshinori Yagi and All Might are two different people."

He nods, his smile bright enough to make my eyes squint. But wait, he still wants to be a hero? I feel something in my chest, telling me to say yes, he can do it. Which I know he can, if I give him One For All. I don't know if it's my sense of parent, or One For All pushing me to pass it on. But…

With eyes shining and fists clenched with hope, he asks again. "So, do you think that I can become a hero even though I'm quirkless?"

Looking at him, I can't bring myself to deny him. I'm sure that I can get my teacher to teach him, and I can probably pull in a few favors as well. Just as I'm about to answer, I vomit out a waterfall of blood, much to his shock.

And just like that, I'm given a reality check. 'It doesn't matter how strong someone is. All it will take is a single moment of weakness for them to lose their life. '

I sit down and look at the ground with a sigh. "Do you recall that time I got into a 'car accident' back when you were nine, and the doctors said I'd be coughing up blood for the rest of my life?"

Still looking down, I don't see him shake his head, but I continue anyway. I pull my shirt up to reveal the extent of my injury. "Well, I was actually injured by a powerful villain. My stomach was destroyed, and my respiratory system was damaged beyond all repair."

I look at him, the horror on his face just as I expected. "If an injury this bad can happen to me, the number one hero. The Symbol of Peace. What do you think would happen to you, someone who doesn't even have a quirk?"

I feel a wrenching in my chest, causing me to cough up more blood. It's not the same as usual, for some reason it seems… angry? But I push the thought to the side as I make sure my son understands.

"There are lots of ways to help people. You can become a doctor. Or even a police officer!" I rise and walk over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looks down, his eyes shadowed under his hair.

"It's ok to have dreams, son. But… keep them realistic."

As I walk to the door, the pain in my chest becomes worse, and I feel like I can almost hear angry voices yelling at me. I know I shouldn't be killing his dream like this, but I don't want to see him in the same condition I'm in.

As I open the door, I hesitate and look back at him. He hasn't moved from his spot. Sighing, I call out to him. "Come on, we can talk more at home, if you want. Maybe swing by somewhere for some… a treat?" I wrack my brain for what kind of thing he'd like to make himself feel better, but for some reason I draw a blank. 'Odd.'

His voice is small as he replies. "That's ok… I'll… catch up later."

I hesitate one more time before releasing one last sigh and heading down. Patting my pocket, I confirm that the sludge villain is still there before starting my way to a police station.

(Izuku POV)

I stare at the ground as tears fall from my eyes, staining the rooftop below me. His words echo in my head as the voices clash.

'Be realistic.'

[KILL HIM! WHO IS HE TO THINK HE CAN TALK TO YOU LIKE THAT!]

'Be realistic.'

{You heard him. Give up, you can't become a hero.}

'Be realistic.'

[SCREW THAT! SHOW THEM! SHOW THEM THAT YOU'RE STRONGER THAN ALL OF THEM!]

'Be realistic.'

{And how will he do that? He can't do anything against someone with a quirk. All Might himself said so.}

'Be realistic.'

[WEAPONS CAN MAKE ANYTHING EQUAL! WHAT'S SOMEONE LIKE MT LADY GOING TO DO IF YOU STAB HER IN THE FACE!? GET BIGGER AND CRUSH A BUNCH OF PEOPLE!? SHOW THEM HOW THEY'VE UNDERESTIMATED YOU!]

'Be realistic.'

{What can a quirkless person really do?}

Be reali-'

My mind catches on that last thought, and I think back to all the results I'd found online about 'quirkless in today's society'. What can a quirkless do?

'Be realistic.'

According to reports, nothing.

'Be realistic.'

There is no place for a quirkless in today's society.

'Be realistic.'

"I think it's time for me to be realistic."

Taking off my backpack, I pull out a pen and my notebook. The one that All- that dad signed. Looking at it, I can't help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle. So many people would kill to get this. But now? Now it doesn't matter.

I turn to the next page and start to write. Not to my family, no. They won't care. Mom won't. Izumi might be happy about it. Dad… he might blame himself. But that's not going to be my concern anymore.

No, the person who I'm writing for is the one who's stood by me. The one who's believed in me. The one that I'm going to make sad. She'll cry, and I don't like that. But it does spark a bit of joy that she cares so much.

I'll just have to make sure she gets her birthday present early.

Finishing, I contemplate what I should do. I've been up here for a while and nobody has shown up, so I don't really want to leave it up here. But if I hold onto it, it will probably get ruined. Looking at my backpack, I shrug. 'I can just put it in. Maybe put a note on the outside?'

Flipping to the last pages, I tear them out. One I fold up and put it between the pages with All Might's signature. The other I write down some instructions and put it in the pocket for water bottles. As I'm about to put my notebook inside, I catch sight of the cover.

…

I stare at it for a moment before angrily scribbling out the title. Under it, I write: 'I'm sorry, Shoko'.

Taking a breath, I look over the side of the building. Taking a guess on the place that will be the least affected, but still easily found, I drop it. I watch it land, nodding in satisfaction as it goes where I want. Taking a deep breath, I take off my shoes and put them on the ledge. I put my hand on it to climb before stopping.

Chuckling, I let go and step back to the center of the rooftop. "What was it you said, Kachan? A swan dive, wasn't it? Well I never did much swimming, but I'll give it a shot.

Nobody is watching, but if they were, I'm sure they'd say that it's pretty good for my first and last attempt.

AN: No reactions this week since I got kind of carried away with the chapter. Plus the next reaction has something I've been planning to implement since I started the book. So look forward to that.

Thank you Hedgeboar for the support!