NO. 14 - Meet The Protagonist

AN:

I have two quick announcements:

I've been looking back and rereading chapter 8, and I've been mulling over my decision to have Souta experiment on the criminals he takes down to awaken cursed energy within them. At the time, I didn't notice how large of a leap his character made, from being against killing to going Orochimaru on people. My bad (lol). Thus, I have decided to remove that part of the story. So like how there's no war in Ba Sing Se, that part of the story never happened.

(づ ՞ਊ ՞ )づ Please read on with that in mind!

The next announcement is that I added some artwork to the auxiliary chapter to give you all a better idea of what Souta, along with Keiko, looks like. It's a bit spoilery, but eh, we'll get there. Currently have up to chapter 21 written.

-

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow across the city of Musutafu, I found myself walking through its bustling streets to get my mind off my earlier talk with Keiko.

The fading light painted the buildings around me in soft hues of pink and gold, creating a mesmerizing backdrop for the silhouettes of different shaped people going about their evening activities. As I walked, my mind was busy thinking back to the events of today as Zaiko gurgled on my shoulder.

"You'll definitely become a great hero someday. I'm sure of it."

The words I said to Keiko continued to replay in my head. I couldn't help but wonder if I made the right call to tell her that. But the large, bright smile she gave me dissuaded those negative thoughts of mine.

"Fucking softie."

After a while, I grew tired of the busy streets and changed course to stroll through a nearby residential area. I gazed up to see a canvas of pastel colors, with wisps of clouds catching the last rays of sunlight that made up the sky.

Boom!

I turned my head to the sound of a hushed bang that sounded like an explosion. Curios, I began heading in the direction of the sound. As I grew closer, I was able to hear the fading sounds of laughter.

Finally, I came upon a small neighborhood park and saw a green, bushy, haired figure looking down at a smoking notebook standing at the center of the park.

My eyes grew wide as I watched an 11-year-old Midoriya Izuku pick up his charred notebook with a sad expression on his dirty, teary-eyed face.

Holy crap. It's Sheep Boi! I mean Izuku!

Izuku sighed and walked over to one of the swinging chairs on the swing set. With a sigh, the boy took a seat and slowly swung back and forth. He was so lost in his little world that he had yet to notice me at the park entrance.

Seeing my opportunity to interact with the main character of this world, I walked over to the swing set and took a seat beside him.

"You know," I suddenly said, catching Izuku off guard. "You shouldn't be playing with fire here."

[+10 SP]

"O-Oh! No! I wasn't playing with matches or anything like that." Izuku squeezed his ruined notebook nervously as he looked between me and it. "This was because... because..."

"Easy there, kid. I'm not gonna tell on ya," I chuckled and began swinging back and forth. Zaiko gurgled in glee as the wind stroked its face. "The name's Souta. Shimizu Souta."

"Kid? But you don't look that much older than me?" Izuku muttered and then perked up, suddenly remembering his manners. "Ah! I'm Midoriya Izuku. It's nice to meet you, Shimizu-s-san."

"Just Souta is fine, Midoriya." I swung lazily and smiled at the soon-to-be nervous wreck. "So, why did you ruin your notebook? You got some dirty stuff in there or something?"

[+10 SP]

Izuku's face burned bright red as he quickly shook his head. "What?! No! Nothing like that! It's just my, uh, my hero notes..."

"Hooh? Hero notes? You mind if I take a look?"

[+20 SP]

Izuku pressed his lips together and seemed unsure of what to do. In the end, he nodded meekly and tentatively handed me his ruined notebook. I looked down and saw the notebook's title: Hero Analysis for the Future #5.

I smiled, seeing one of his famous notebooks in person, and began to flip through the pages. Despite the notebook's ruined cover, the pages within were still in pretty good condition. Pages and pages of detailed notes and drawings on heroes of old and new filled the book.

It was pretty impressive. Especially considering he was still around 11 years old.

"Wow. This is some pretty impressive stuff, Midoriya." I said as I looked up at his surprised face. "Really impressive. You got some analysis quirk or something?"

[+30 SP]

Holy-So much! Is this the point potential that comes with interacting with the main cast?!

"Ah, no... Nothing like that. I just really love heroes, so I pay a lot of attention to them. Heh-heh..." Izuku looked away from me with his hand on his neck, his body tense. "It's sorta like my... hobby?"

He thinks I'm going to make fun of him. I looked away from him and flipped through a few more pages to eventually find a large section dedicated to All Might. Dang, he hasn't even started middle school yet, and he's already like this.

"That so? Then what's your quirk?" I said with an expectant look and watched as he froze. His green eyes shifted back and forth to look anywhere else but at me.

[+30 SP]

"I'm uh... I'm quirkless." Izuku softly said in a small voice with his eyes tightly shut.

Despite my issues with the Midoriya Izuku from the original series, seeing him in person and acting in such a way left a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't help but be reminded of my little brother from my past life. He and Izuku were pretty similar.

Izuku jumped slightly when I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I see. Well, that makes two of us then." Izuku's eyes grew large at my revelation. "Because I'm quirkless as well."

[+100 SP]

"R-Really?!" Izuku shouted as he jumped to his feet. "I mean, It's just that I haven't met anyone else who was quirkiness! I didn't mean to be rude, Shimizu-san, I mean, Souta-san!"

I chuckled at his reaction and waved his worries away. "It's fine, Izuku. I get it. At least now I know why you were acting like a scared kitten. People can be pretty mean to us just for not having powers." I then held out his notebook and stood up as well. "Is that why your notebook got burnt? Someone pick on you?"

[+20 SP]

"No, Kacchan was just... he lost control of his quirk. That's all..."

"Hm. If you say so." I said with a tone that told him I didn't buy what he said, causing him to look away. "We may be quirkless, Izuku, but that doesn't mean we're worthless. You wanna know what I did when someone looked down on me just because I was born with an extra joint in my dumb toe?"

Intrigued, Izuku turned back to me and looked at me expectantly.

"I kicked his ass."

"You what?!"

[+40 SP]

This kid's reactions are hilarious.

"Oh, yeah." I flexed both of my arms and grinned at him. "He had this quirk that gave him the ability to make any one of his limbs super strong. He thought that made him better than me, so he thought it was a good idea to smack my lunch on the ground while his little friends laughed. Unfortunately for him, I stood on business and slammed him onto the ground. Sure, I got suspended for two weeks, but that shitstain never bothered me again."

[+30 SP]

"N-no way. You really managed to beat somebody with a quirk! I can't believe it." Izuku said with an amazed look as he furiously scribbled into his notebook. "You said his quirk let him increase the power behind any one limb, correct? Just how much power could..."

Well, one thing is for sure: Izuku is definitely a quirk nerd.

I shook my head as Izuku muttered away theories and ideas based on my short description of Whatshisface's quirk. I rolled my eyes at him and grabbed his shoulder to stop his muttering.

"You're missing the point here, Izuku," I said and took my hand back. "What I'm trying to tell you is that just because we're quirkless, it doesn't mean we should just let those with quirks walk over us. Kinda like this Kacchan asshole who burnt your book."

"It's not like that! Kacchan is my friend! Really!"

[+30 SP]

Hmm, this kid sure is delusional. No wonder he turned out the way he did if this is how he thinks now.

"Fine, fine. If you say so, Broccoli Boy." I then pointed over at his notebook and smiled. "Quirk Analysis for the Future. That means you wanna be a hero, right?"

"A hero…" Izuku whispered. His eyes were both hopeful and downtrodden. "I... Quirkless people can't be heroes… right?"

If this was a shonen anime, which it is, this is the moment I give Izuku the words he's been waiting to hear ever since that dickhead of a doctor told him he was quirkless. Hopefully, all those hours of watching Naruto will pay off now.

"Eraser Head, Sir Nighteye, Midnight, and several other heroes mainly use their hand-to-hand skills and hard-earned strength to be heroes. Sure, they have fancy quirks that help them do their jobs, but that's nothing some impressive support gear can't cover for." I said as I looked down at my feet and wracked my brain to find the right words to say to this sad little boy.

I was never the best at giving speeches or talking. So, I hoped that I was making sense of his overthinking butt. "So why not? Why can't you be a hero? As long as you put in the work and train yourself to the bone, I don't see why not. Don't let those losers or anyone else put you down, man. I mean, look at this notebook of yours. It's some impressive stuff."

[+200 SP]

Ka-Ching! Maybe I'm not so bad at talk-no-justu after all?

"Do you really think so?" Izuku whispered, large tears swelling in his eyes. "Can I truly… be a hero, too?"

Sorry, All Might. I'm stealing your line here. I need them points. Papa needs himself the Limitless.

"Yes, Izuku. You can be a hero."

[+500 SP]

[Congratulations on earning 500 SP in one go! You have unlocked a new tier! The Platinum Reward Tier!]

[3500 SP will allow you to pull 1 time for a 50% chance to pull a Platinum tier Reward!]

I ignored Izuku's little sobs in favor of looking at the new system screens in surprise. Slowly, a large, hungry grin grew on my face as I turned to Izuku.

Looks like I just found my new golden goose-I mean, my new friend.