Chương 4: Setting the Course
Izuku wore an All Might T-shirt and sweatpants as he laid on his bed in the early morning staring at the ceiling despondently.
Given access to 'canon', Izuku had watched the three episodes provided to him. Initially stunned at seeing a show about himself, he fell into a daze as he continued to watch each episode one after another without pause. An hour-and-a-half passed and he had been left in a panicked fit of confusion, disbelief, horror, and depression.
Izuku then proceeded to get a fresh notebook and pour over each episode. Writing down every detail he could.
Eventually, Izuku's mind was able to process. He calmed down and settled into a state of despondency that has lasted for the past two days.
Izuku's 'friend' Katsuki suicide-baiting him, meeting his idol, his idol smashing his dream, causing Katsuki to be attacked by a villain, his idol acknowledging him, learning All Might's Quirk, becoming his successor, training, gaining a Quirk… All this information and knowing how he had missed the opportunity of his dreams - a true miracle - left him feeling crushed.
Walking through the events that had already happened, Izuku understood how his decisions had altered events. How he had managed to miss his chance. However, there was a small part of him that felt relief.
Learning that Katsuki would have been attacked either way inspired a sense of nihilism. While it was because of Izuku that Katsuki would be attacked, the fact that it would have happened anyway helped to lessen his crushing guilt.
Though, realizing this caused Izuku to begin spiraling. He already questioned what right he had to make these reality altering decisions. But now he wondered what the point of all this was. Did it matter if the same things still happened? Was it really okay for him to have this power? Could he use it to set things back to how they were supposed to be? Did he want to?
It was this last question that gave Izuku pause. He remembered back to when the system first appeared. How it had told him to do what he wanted. How he had said he wanted to be a hero even if he did not have a Quirk.
Izuku closed his eyes and concentrated. Opening them again, he saw a screen floating in front of him with his stated goal, a keyboard to change or adjust his goal, and an option superimposed over the screen asking if he wanted to change his goal. Looking at it, he thought about the life he would have had without the system - meeting All Might, becoming his successor, etc. On the other hand, Katsuki was nicer to him. People would support him more. He had changed the course of his life and denied himself a miracle, but that did not change that the system had made other things better for him.
Izuku questioned, "Just what do I want?"
Uncaring of Izuku's sense of crisis, the screen suddenly closed and was replaced by another one.
Canon Decision
[U.A.'s Entrance Exam is in ten months. Do you expect to pass it with that string-bean body of yours?]
[Yes]
[No]
Izuku was surprised by the sudden change but quickly calmed down. Looking at the screen, he realized that it was about time in 'canon' for him to begin his training with All Might. This reminder left a hollow feeling in his chest. Still, he decided to hit [No]. He did not know what would happen, but he figured that it was the right thing to do to follow in his canon-self's footsteps and begin training.
[U.A.'s Entrance Exam is in ten months. Do you expect to pass it with that string-bean body of yours?]
[Yes, I'm fine as I am. I'll be ready in ten months no problem. Entrance exam will be easier.]
[No, it's time I buckled down and strived to be a hero. It's time to get training. Fortunately, someone intends to help you. The results of training will be increased but the entrance exam will be harder.]
Seeing the extended options, Izuku grew curious as to who this 'someone' was. "I wonder if it'll be All Might," he mused with some longing. Still, he considered whether or not he chose correctly. His access to canon stopped just as he was supposed to inherit All Might's Quirk. Even if he tried to replicate what he had seen All Might put his canon-self through, he had no idea if he will be able to handle an even more difficult exam with no Quirk.
Fretting over whether he made the right choice, Izuku heard his stomach growl. Noticing the time, he decided to get himself a late breakfast.
Leaving his room and stepping into the kitchen, Inko noticed Izuku's arrival. She was wearing a white shirt under a pinkish cardigan, and blue, knee-length skirt. Nervously, she asked, "Oh, Izuku, are you feeling okay? You've been acting strangely these last few days."
"I'm fine mom," Izuku said feeling unsure if he was lying.
Ignoring Inko's worried gaze, Izuku walked over to grab some dishes from the cupboards when there was a knock at the door.
"I wonder who that could be," Inko said as she got up to answer the door.
Opening the door, Inko was surprised to see Katsuki standing there wearing a black T-shirt under an open plaid, button-up, long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of baggy gray slacks.
"Hi, Auntie," Katsuki greeted. "I need to talk with Midoriya. Can I come in?"
"Oh, sure, Katsuki," Inko agreed. Opening the door to let him in and take off his shoes, she turned back to call out, "Izuku, Katsuki's here to see you."
Izuku had been just about to prepare himself a meal when he heard his mother's words. He looked up in confusion just as Katsuki - now wearing a pair of house slippers - stepped into the room. "K-Kacchan," he said in shock.
It had been some time since the explosive teen had come anywhere near the Midoriya apartment. The two being friends meant their mothers became friends. Oblivious to the strained nature of their sons' relationship, the two remained friends. Accompanying their mothers was the only time the two seemed to voluntarily interact with one another. Even then, it was usually at the Bakugo residence with Katsuki refusing to join his mother in coming over to the Midoriya's.
As Izuku stammered to say something, Katsuki walked up to him to grab him by the collar. "We need to talk," he said simply before pulling him toward his room.
Inko watched on nervously as to what this was about. However, familiar with the seemingly genetic aggressiveness that Katsuki and his mother approached situations, she did not see anything especially concerning with the interaction and allowed Katsuki to drag Izuku into his room. Still, as the door with its All Might-style name plate closed, she remained standing outside just in case.
Inside the room, Katsuki gave Izuku a light shove as he let go of him.
Izuku rubbed away the discomfort around his neck as he took a step back - Katsuki between him and the door. He hesitantly asked, "So, what did you want to talk about, Kacchan?"
The explosive teen's uncharacteristic calm served to deeply unsettle Izuku. A moment passed before Katsuki shifted and said, "I thought about it and I came over to make sure you aren't thinking I owe you anything for the other day."
Izuku was confused. Why was Katsuki bringing this up now? However, memories of what he had seen of canon-Katsuki flashed through his mind. As bad as their relationship was, he never thought Katsuki would suicide-bait him. Unsure of what to think, he simply replied, "Don't worry, I don't."
However, this seemed to irritate Katsuki. "Don't think this means you can compete with me either!"
Startled by the sudden yell, Izuku said, "Huh? Wa-Wait, no, Kacchan. Where did that come from? I wasn't thinking anything like that. I was just trying to help and-"
"Cut the crap. You ran in there trying to be a hero. Just cuz you didn't get killed doesn't change a thing."
"I-I know that." Izuku began to curl into himself. "I really wasn't thinking anything when I ran in like that. You just looked like you needed help, that's all. I'm happy I was able to do something, sure. Afterall, it's been my dream since I was little-"
"Stop that," Katsuki snapped.
Izuku quieted down and looked at the blond in bewilderment.
"That's something I've always hated about you."
"Huh?"
"You keep dreaming like a kid saying you'll be a hero even though you don't have a Quirk." Katsuki gave a calming sigh before he continued. "But, despite being a Quirkless nobody, you managed to do more against that Sludge Bastard than I did."
Izuku then stood up straight as he looked on in shock.
"All I did was get in the way and make things worse."
"That's not true, Kacchan. You fought back and managed to hold on longer than anyone else could've."
Izuku's words fell on deaf ears as Katsuki ignored him and continued, "I've got the perfect Qurik. I'm the one who's gonna surpass All Might and be the next Number One Hero." He gritted his teeth and his voice became more strained. "But it was the Quirkless wonder - you - who did somthing. You keep talking about being a hero but just look at you. You're just a Quirkless weakling. But you're thinking of challenging me anyway!"
"I'm not-"
"Like hell you're not! Deku, you seriously think you can get into U.A.'s hero course?"
Though intimidated, Izuku still managed to say back, "Well, we don't know for sure, but I can always try my best..."
In response to this, Katsuki gave a vicious yet challenging smile. "You're damn right you'll try your best. And, I'm going to make sure of it."
"Huh?"
"There's ten months until U.A.'s entrance exam. When I pass, I want everyone to know I was indisputably the best applicant."
Izuku's confusion began to grow as his eyes widened. "Is Kacchan..."
"You'll just die in the exam. To make sure everyone knows who's the best, I need you to be at your best when I crush you."
"...trying to support me?"
"Get ready for ten months of hell - courtesy of Bakugo Katuski."
Neither boy spoke and an awkward silence filled the room.
After several moments, Izuku broke the silence with a quiet, "Thank you."
Katsuki scoffed and glared. "Don't thank me for anything. This way you can't say I owe you. Plus, when I crush you in the exam it'll show everyone that I'm better than you even though you were able to do something during that Sludge Villain when I couldn't." The boy plopped himself down onto Izuku's bed. "Now, we just need to think of a way to train your weak, Quirkless ass."
Izuku scratched his cheek as he hesitantly said, "I might have an idea..."
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"How the hell'd you come up with this," Katsuki asked.
Izuku chuckled nervously beside him.
Before the two boys was mountains of garbage and waste.
Izuku had suggested Dagobah Beach as a place to train. The place was known as a trash dump people typically avoided. Katsuki had been skeptical but Izuku insisted and the two came to check it out.
"Seriously, why here?"
"Um…I heard All Might talking about how it was important that heroes don't forget the simple things like community service even if it is kinda boring. I thought it would be a good idea…"
Silence ensued as Katsuki continued to stare at Izuku.
Izuku began shuffling awkwardly. It had been years since he and Katsuki had 'hung out' like this. He was not sure how to react to this new Katsuki. He kept expecting something to happen. For this all to be a dream or Katsuki to reveal it was all a prank and go back to how he was before. On the other hand, he did think this was nice. To, sort of, be friends again.
Eventually Katsuki stopped scrutinizing Izuku and turned away with a scoff, "Oh course the damn nerd would have a reason like that." He then looked back to the beach. "If All Might said that, then it might not be so bad an idea…Plus, all this garbage has different weights and sizes, so it would affect different muscles." He then quietly added, "This could actually work."
"Really," Izuku exclaimed in shock of Katsuki's agreement.
"Don't go getting excited just because you had a not terrible idea, damn nerd. We can talk to our parents about seeing if they can help or if we can set up some sort of trash cleanup or something."
Izuku blinked. Watching canon, it had slipped his mind as to where the garbage he was hauling went to. He remembered loading it into a truck, but after that, he had no idea. "I guess All Might- No, wait, he wasn't around all the time, so someone else would have had to."
"Still, this is only part of getting you to your best," Katsuki said aloud.
His thoughts interrupted, Izuku looked to Katsuki, "Huh?"
Sighing irritably, Katsuki clarified, "Carrying garbage isn't enough to get you ready for the exam, idiot. We need some sort of workout for you. Maybe a meal plan too."
"Oh! Actually," Izuku then began digging around his pockets before bulling out a wrinkled piece of paper. "I was, um, actually planning to start working out anyway. And, I got this off the…internet?"
Katsuki snatched the paper Izuku held out to him. It was in fact a rough copy of the 'Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan' All Might had given Izuku's canon-self. He had tried to copy it down. It was only the first page, but he thought it was doable.
However, "This is stupid."
"Huh!?"
"Overall, it's not too bad, but there are serious issues. If you follow this, you'll be training for seven hours a day but only get four hours of sleep at night. There's no recovery time for the training to have any effect."
Knowing that this is the training program All Might created specifically for him, Izuku tried to defend it. "B-But I'm so far behind everyone, I need to work harder-"
"And, whose fault is that! Besides, it doesn't matter how hard you work if you don't give your body time to adjust! Then, there's the issue of how much you'd have to do."
"I have to catchup-"
"Of course you do, but it won't help if you over do it. Look at you," Katsuki then reached out and grabbed Izuku by the arm to raise it for him to see. Shaking his noodle arm, Katsuki continued, "You're a weakling who's never even tried to workout. You can't handle this much right off the bat. You need to start low and work our way up to this. And, knowing you, you'll try to do even more, overwork yourself, and ruin everything!"
Izuku stammered trying to find an argument to defend the plan - indirectly defending All Might.
Ignoring him, Katuski continued, "Plus, we need to flush this thing out a bit more."
"What do you mean?"
Katsuki scoffed. "Maybe any idiot can follow this plan, and it'll help you toughen up. But it's missing a lot. You don't have a Quirk or anything to focus on. So, it'll be best to be as rounded as possible. This plan doesn't balance between pushing and pulling, upper and lower body, etc. It'll make it even more likely for your dumb ass to hurt yourself."
Katsuki then stuffed the paper in his pocket. "We can work on it later. We gotta get to school. I'm heading home to change."
Izuku watched Katsuki leave. "Thank you," he said.
However, Katsuki bit back, "Don't thank me for anything! I'm just trying to make sure everyone knows I'm the best by killing everyone - even the bastard that beat that stupid Sludge Villain!"
"Right," Izuku agreed placatingly. He looked down as Katsuki continued to leave and put a clenched fist to his chest. So unused to receiving this kind of support - and having a functioning relationship with Katsuki again -, he could not help the bubbling warmth he felt that overshadowed his guild, depression, and anxiety toward the system.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Izuku had returned to his house to change into his school uniform. He then spent the day at school with nothing of particular note happening. He had managed to avoid falling into a muttering spiral during any of his classes as he tried to rewrite and work on his training plan. He virtually had the Aim-to-Pass memorized, but he remembered some of how his canon-self had tried to improve upon it. Using these and Katsuki's advice, he tried to create his own proposed training plan.
Returning home, Izuku decided to talk to his mother about how he was going to start training and was going to need a meal plan.
Izuku put his school bag into his room before walking into the living room and asked, "Hey, mom?"
"Yes, honey," Inko replied from the living room couch.
"Um," Izuku scratched the back of his head. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."
Inko had never been the most encouraging of Izuku's dream to be a hero after he was declared Quirkless. It became a thing where they just did not talk about it. He would still talk her ear off about heroes in general, but neither of them really addressed his dream of being one. She did not discourage him, but remembering her words after he had been found Quirkless - apologizing and saying the world was not fair -, he felt she had given up on him. He worried he would be proven right if he talked to her about it.
However, seeing her son's nervous behavior, Inko believed he wanted to have a different conversation. Sighing, she said, "I knew this day would come."
"Huh," Izuku uttered as he stopped and looked at Inko in confusion.
"Did you think I didn't notice," Inko asked as she looked Izuku in the eye.
"Oh, well..."
"It's a girl, isn't it, Izuku?"
"Huh!? Wha- Why- Why would you think that!?"
"You've been acting so strange these last few days. You've been so depressed, and I could tell how happy you seemed when you came home just now - like you'd regained your spark."
"Uh, a-, No, it's not a girl!"
Inko tilted her head, "A boy, then?"
"No, mom, that, it has nothing to do with-"
However, Izuku cut himself off when an emerald screen suddenly appeared before him.
Random Decision
[Your mom thinks your recent behavior has to do with your love life. Does she have reason to?]
[Of course, I'm an adorable cinnamon roll.]
[Of course not, who'd be interested in a plain guy like me?]
Izuku quickly - and somewhat sadly - chose the second option. He did not have time to think about it the decision and chose the one that was most true. Like his first decision in deciding whether Katsuki was his friend or not, one option was true and the other was just wishful thinking. He would have likely chosen the second option anyway due to feeling uncomfortable with how the first option would have affected people around him.
Izuku swiped his hand through the screen to move it out of his vision as he tried to explain the situation to his mother. He did not care what the decisions would say as it released a pulse to alter reality.
[Your mom thinks your recent behavior has to do with your love life. Does she have reason to?]
[Of course, I'm an adorable cinnamon roll. You possess a heightened level of cuteness that naturally draws people to you and will try to get to know you. It is easier to earn the affection of others - though not necessarily their romantic interest.]
[Of course not, who'd be interested in a plain guy like me? You are oblivious to your own charms and the affection of those around you. Even without realizing it, you will more easily gain the romantic interest of others.]
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Izuku lied in bed moaning in discomfort. It had been weeks since he had begun training with Katsuki in preparation for the U.A. entrance exam. They managed to get a working plan together with their parents helping in regards to trash disposal and a meal plan for Izuku.
Izuku still felt like he should be doing more to get caught up. However, Katsuki watched Izuku's progress like a hawk under threat of murder if he was caught working harder than the plan stated. He even sat down with Izuku's mother to talk about the risks of overwork to get her help in watching him when Katsuki was not around. Fortunately, Katsuki was working Izuku hard enough that he did not have the energy to try and 'improve' the training plan they had.
Today was a day off from school and training. So, Izuku was taking the time to enjoy his nice, fluffy bed and refrain from any movement that would provoke any further soreness.
Fate, however, did not seem to agree.
Izuku opened his eyes not to his familiar ceiling but to an emerald screen - the first he had seen since beginning his training.
Goal Decision:
[You are working hard toward your dream, but while a partner helps, there is only so far you can go without proper guidance. Choose a mentor:]
[Kekashi Hatake, become a ninja belonging to one of the three great clans.]
[Kisuke Urahara, delve into the world of souls and hollows by randomly becoming a Soul Reaper, Quincy, or Fullbringer.]
[Silvers Reighley, learn the power of kings and become part of an unparalleled legacy.]
[Biscuit Kruger, learn the meaning of Nen and obtain a random aura type.]
[Gojo Satoru, become a jujutsu sorcerer belonging to one of the three great families.]
[Genkai, delve into the world of psychics and apparitions as a descendant of one of the three kings.]
[Master Roshi, learn Turtle School marital arts as a member of a great warrior race.]
[Izumi Curtis, learn the science of alchemy and see the Truth.]
[Dante Vale and chat, become a dungeon crawler and obtain an item of great power.]
[Steven Rogers, delve into the secret world of heroes and become an Avenger]
[Tommy Oliver, become the first in a new line of heroes and gain power and knowledge like none other.]
[Anna Koyama, delve into the world of shaman and spirits to participate for the chance to become king.]
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Next Time:
I just want to say, my critic of the Aim-to-Pass: American Dream Plan was not my own. I was trying to find a proper timeline for his training to use in this story and came across a website https://shonenspirit.com/2018/06/05/deku-training/. I liked what they had, so I thought to use it here. Katsuki's pretty good with his own training so I thought he'd be able to realize issues with it.
Next chapter should be in 2 weeks. As a continued apology to JonnyK, I'm doubling your vote. So the votes are currently: Tommy Oliver +2, Buscuit Kruger +1, Captain America +1, and Dante Vale +1.
I want there to be 3 decisions per chapter. I have some trouble preemptively thinking of any, so I am open to any people would like to see. No promises about them coming into the story, but we'll see.
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