Am I Supposed To Punch Cthullu? (MHA SI): CH002

-CHAPTER 2-

-MIDORIYA IZUKU POV-

-Tsubasa Quirk Specialist Clinic, Mustafu-

Izuku tightly grips the arms of his chair as his young mind awakens the memories of years long past. Of a different life, different world, and the most glaring of all- the countless years trapped in the void.

And so Izuku Midoriya’s- my eyes fly open wide as I look down at my own hand for the first- and also the thousandth time.

One part of me feels such extreme joy at finally having escaped that hell, yet another part feels such immense shock and sadness for just being declared powerless and having no potential to be a hero- the dream of a little kid.

And as the two identities meld together, our lives, our knowledge, our experience, our like and dislikes merge as well. And at the end of the near-instantaneous procedure, Izuku Midoriya had awakened the memories of his past life seamlessly.

So this is what rebirth feels like… Got to say it was headache inducing while also being as seamless and comfortable as falling asleep. Paradoxical, I believe is the word?

I wanted to laugh out in joy, throw my hands to the air and cry in celebration. In fact, the small part of me that was now Izuku also felt the same. After all, with me here now he truly has a superpower- Quirk in him- me.

I could already feel it, One For All¸ thrumming in the background of my mind just waiting to called out with all its destructive glory…

But I internally grimaced. Though using it right now would probably mean dismemberment or death for me. 

Unlike other kids my age, I didn’t have the luxury of having a Quirk grow up with me from weak to strong. Mine was already at hundred percent of the power and even activating it right now could be a danger to my life.

Not to mention, the canon Izuku had to go through more than a year of physical refinement to be able to even use the quirk at the Entrance Exam. And he was 15 at that time.

I was 4. I shook my head. Yeah. Better I actually build up my body first before using it. Don’t want my limbs to go exploding out after all.

Conditioning would obviously be a huge help in this and make sure that even as a child I could train as much to my heart content without hurting my growth. Still, even with that it would take me years before I could safely activate the Quirk without hurting my body.

Even the other Quirks in One For All were unusable for me currently. I could awaken them with training but they didn’t come as a package unfortunately.

With that, for the foreseeable future at least, I was really no better than a normal Quirkless person.

Though I’ll have to make up a training plan. I’m pretty sure that actively working out would fasten the process of [Conditioning] significantly. Lifting heavy weights also isn’t the answer right now as my growth as a kid would probably suffer because of that even with [Conditioning]. I didn’t want to be a shorty this after all; I got enough of that in my last life. So calisthenics would be the way to go for now. Learning a fighting style at the same time would also help in my future career. As I was a kid my body should naturally adapt and make me even better at those styles later on. Also nutrition would probably be important too-

I blinked before letting out a silent chuckle. Yeah… I guess the “mumbling and getting lost in thinking” trait passed down to me too.

I looked down at myself with a small smile. I am Izuku Midoriya.

It was such a simple statement. Yet for me it was life changing- for more reasons beyond the obvious.

Not even getting into the meta-knowledge part of it, I had a identity now. Something to refer to myself as. Something to stand by.

A name.

Something that was taken away from me slowly piece by piece until I was just a husk. Maybe that is why I’m already so influenced by the original Izuku’s identity.

In fact, since this was my second life and at least this version of Izuku was my reincarnation, it wouldn’t be out of place to say that I was just Izuku with extra set of memories.

And strangely I was fine with it. We were one and the same anyway after all.

It was confusing thing though. So I put it out of my mind- thinking too much about it wasn’t going to help me with an alien invasion on the way.

-And that was another can of worms that I would have to unpack later.

I finally give attention to my surroundings, with just a look noting the familiar scene as the one in anime but just real now,

Dr. “Tsubasa” continues assuaging Oka-san fears as she all but cries, a seed of guilt being born in her as they spoke.

I give no attention to the doctor; unfortunately I don’t remember much about him… though for some reason I get the feeling that he’s super suspicious and that he’s lying about something.

That was the case with most of my memories unfortunately. They were just fragments and I didn’t even know what I was forgetting. I just knew that it would get annoying.

Maybe the doctor is lying about the Quirk report… Who knows? I certainly don’t. Not to mention how different this world might be from the canon as aliens existed here.

But again, like a lot of things I left that problem for the future me and focused on my mother, Inko. The one, who had practically raised me alone, taught me, fed me and took care of me. I didn’t know why my dad didn’t concern himself with us and honestly I didn’t really care.

Mom looked on the verge of tears as the shady doctor continues giving his lecture on why an extra joint in pinky-toes determine if the child will have a Quirk or not.

I could see her practically unraveling in front of my eyes, already starting to blame herself for my “predicament” even though she had no control over it, knowing about my dream of becoming a hero for almost as long as I was alive was driving her to that and the assumption that I would be heartbroken.

I could not reveal that I have a Quirk right now. Something told me it wouldn’t be a good idea to do so right now- almost like a déjà-vu feeling. In fact, on second thought it was exactly like the feeling I got from the shady doctor!

So I was right! The doctor is sus! I internally smiled triumphant. After all, if I couldn’t trust my own feeling and instincts then what could I trust? Maybe we should get a second doctor to take another test… 

But I had to do something, anything, to make her feel better. After all I couldn’t have it go as it had in the original future…

-Memories play out in my mind- A future that might not even come to pass. Of her silent suffering as she blames herself and her health worsen slowly over the decade…

Sure in the grand scheme of things, she might not have mattered at all. Yet, she was someone dear to me, a mother, someone who had raised me with love, care and kindness.

-And what kind hero would I be if I let her suffer? A smiles spread on my face. All Might’s whole thing was putting smiles on others faces right?

Refuge in audacity and all that. A plan quickly forms in my mind.

“Sigh…” I sighed out loud in a almost yawn as I cut off the doctor midway. Both of their head swivel to look at me as if almost remembering I just existed. I jump down from my seat as I grab her hand in mine. Snatching the medical report from the desk of the doctor with my other. “Come on Oka-san lets go.”

“Izuku…?” Inko looks at me in question, still shaken from the shocking news and asks softly.

I throw back a look of mockery at the small doctor- who was drinking a bottle of water -as I continue within his ear-shot. “We don’t have to listen to this quack. We can go to a much better doctor. Who knows if his medical report is even legit or not?”

“Pfft-!!! Cough! Cough!” The doctor coughs back, almost choking as he does a spit take, spewing water all over his desk.

Good thing we aren’t anywhere close to that mess. Who know when the old bastard brushed his ancient mouth?

“Izuku!” Inko gasps, her hand flying up to her mouth as she looks at me chastised. “He’s a very well known doctor! He wouldn’t-”

Her eyes flickering towards the still coughing form for the doctor in apology as she tilts her back to bow apologetically to the glasses wearing doctor.

-Only for me to yank her forward matching my steps and leaving the room before she could. If she was anybody else, I would be getting hit by a slipper right now and eating soap in punishment, but Inko was inherently a pretty submissive person- exactly like I was if I did not get those memories.

I shrug. “What Kaa-san? It’s true.” Then I look right into her big eyes, same shade of emerald greens as mine, and my eyes shine in relaxed confidence with a big smile spreading across my face. “And even if I don’t have a Quirk I can still be a hero as long as I can bring a smile to even one persons face. That person right now is you Kaa-san.”

Inko stops, the reprimanding and the apology forgotten as she looks at me with wide eyes.

I had said that from the bottom of my heart, from the core of who I- Izuku was.

Being a hero was the only path forward to me. Even if you remove the fact that it was my dream- It was the one that made most sense. A villain wasn’t going to be trustable when alien inevitably invaded but a hero would be.

Trust would be necessary if I wanted to save the planet from getting conquered or destroyed. After all, can’t really protect the world by myself, I would need people who I can trust and those who would trust me. 

I couldn’t save everyone, I might even fail. I knew this, and I understood it. After all, all I could do was punch. And right now I can’t even do that right!

So this would be the core ideal I would follow when I became a hero. 

To be a hero, you didn’t need powers. You needed the courage to step forward and protect people that you didn’t even know. All to protect their lives, laughs and dreams.

It was duty, a responsibility.

A firefighter was a Hero. A police officer was a Hero. Even that comedian who made you laugh during hard times was a Hero.

And so this will be my duty-something I could take courage from, I will be a Hero even if I could protect and bring a smile to even one person’s face. That would be my Hero way.

The coming times would be undeniably hard. Because sooner or later, the world will come face to face with something massive and mind blowing. Obviously the dark parts of humanity will take advantage of that chaos and something akin to the Dark Age of Quirks might resurface…

-And at that moment people would need heroes that can bring smiles to other people’s faces while holding the forces of darkness for good.

I couldn’t do all of that alone, but I could help at least.

Doesn’t matter if it’s supervillains, aliens or even Cthullu for god’s sake. I’ll have to punch them all away!

Sure it was cheesy as heck, but maybe that was what the world needed in hard times? Someone who can bring a smile on others faces even in dire situations.

“Izuku…” The tears in her eyes begin to fall as she kneels down and engulfs me in a big hug as a literal waterfall starts escaping her crying eyes.

I blink in surprise at that. I guess perks of living in an anime… People literally cry waterfalls.

Is that considered a Quirk? I wonder…

As my face is smushed into her chest, I calmly pat her shoulders as she hugs me even tighter. “There. There. Don’t cry too much Kaa-san… Though if you would go a little easier on the hug it would be very much appreciated!”

A watery chuckle escapes her mouth and my smile relaxes- yeah I accomplished my goal –and she lets me go, brushing my naturally curly green hair back as she looks at me with a teary smile. “When did my baby get so mature?”

I cringe a little at that. Ah, well, I am only four so this is to be expected. I tug her forward, as she stands back up and we leave the clinic. “Come on Kaa-san, and don’t worry so much about the future everything will be alright!” 

I pointed straight forwards with my little hands at the ice cream cart. “I want to try the new limited-edition All Might chocolate flavored ice cream that Milk Dairy just put out.”

“Hai! Hai!” She smiles softly as she follows me, for a moment forgetting the worries she has for the future and focusing on the present.

And for me that little smile is the greatest proof I need to know that my path is correct.

…

“QUACK!”

“H-hey! HEY!! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!? GIVE ME MY ICE CREAM BACK YOU FLYING MENACE!!!”

“I-Izuku don’t run off after the duck! I’ll buy you another one!”

And so life moves on…

...

A/N: And that’s a wrap! I wrote this after watching the new Superman so sorry if it makes Izuku feels too optimistic but that was the feeling I was going for. Things will get a little more serious from next chapter as he starts researching and learning about the world himself and not just through what he knows from his metaknowledge and the few tidbits that came from little Izuku’s memories.

Also about that doctor thing… I don’t know if it’s confirmed or not but last I remember there was a prevalent theory in the fandom that Dr. Garaki was the same doctor (with another alias) that declared Izuku’s Quirklessness. So I just wanted to put that in their cause even if it isn’t in canon, this is a AU anyway cause of the aliens. 

…