Chapter 2: Inspire

"I want to be a Hero! Just like you, Caleb!"

When Caleb first heard his little brother's dream, he wanted to stop him. Michael could get hurt, no, he would get himself killed if he tried. So he did just that, he told him it was a foolish and dangerous dream. In response to his words, Michael had said,

"If Heroes stop at the slightest mention of danger, then, just... what's the point? Is that the type of Hero you want to be Caleb? You may have a good Quirk, but... When it's dangerous, are YOU going to run away?" Caleb was seven years older than his brother, so he was only twelve and Michael five when he had said that. But he didn't know what to say to such a question. So he didn't say anything.

After that day, Caleb decided he would support his brother's dream, just like his parents.

*****

It was just an average day. Caleb came back home from Detroit Hero School. Only...

Why was his eleven year old brother hanging from the ceiling?! A weird metal contraption was wrapped around his forearm, which had a steel cable in the ceiling.

"Uhm, a little help here Caleb?" Michael asked, with an irritating grin, showing he was celebrating a successful invention.

*****

In the past year, many of Michael's DIY inventions were failures. But just as many DID succeed. Like the Cable Shooter, Glide Boots, Spring Boots, Magnetic Gloves, Magnetic Boots, Incendiary Rounds, Nitrogen Rounds, Electric Rounds, Portable Flamethrower, Tactical Gas Mask, and many more.

The Cable Shooter's purpose was to shoot Steel Cables and unleash electricity to neutralize those with Water Type Quirks. Only... he made it a bit too strong. Also, the pull was stronger than expected too, nearly dislocating his shoulder. Thankfully, his cousin Sarah, who had a healing Quirk, was just a call away.

Aside from continuing his engineering, Michael started attending a free running course. Chasing Villains was just as important as fighting them. And while he'd prefer to subdue them from a distance with his guns, if that wasn't possible he needed to be able to keep up. Especially if they have a speed Quirk.

*****

As his thirteenth birthday approached, Michael began doing riskier and riskier experiments. He wanted to be as prepared as possible, but he knew it would never be enough.

He would never feel prepared, and that was a fact. But more preparation never hurt anybody. So while he invented, he gathered data on all the villains and criminals in Michigan.

*****

Finally. The day of his birth, June 21st came and went. June 22nd, Michael watched from above as his first Mark, Damien Carter, walked, going about his night. For the first few weeks of vigilantism he would only act from a distance. Just to be cautious.

'Quirk, Copper Skin, Strengths, Increased Durability, Strength, Weakness, Electricity, Decreased Flexibility, ' Michael recited.

"Begin recording," he commanded, pressing the earpiece through the Gas Mask. It was connected to a drone.

He heard it buzzing behind him, watching him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his thundering heart and steady his shaking hands. He closed his eyes, focusing his very best.

Eventually, a grin made it's way onto his face as a funny thought cropped up. 'Illegal use and possession of firearms, vigilantism, use and possession of deadly chemicals, and severely injuring another person will just be a few crimes on a long list of them,' he told himself.

'Some Hero I am.' With his mind focused, he eyed Damien through the scope of his M82 Barrett.

'A shattered kneecap will have to suffice for rape.' His finger gently pressed against the trigger.

*****

Just like all other days, today was the same. Monotonous. Dark. Alone.

Multiple tabs in her browser were opened. Different articles. She watched some videos to pass the time. Sometimes she played games.

She rubbed her heavy eyelids, only to notice a notification. She had been emailed by someone she didn't know. She entered her email and clicked the newest addition.

There was a video attached along with the words, "Feeling hopeless? Could be worse."

'Worse?' she thought. What could be worse than this?

Opening the video, there she saw the back of a person in a leather jacket, the hood up, with a strange lump under it around the back, laying down on their stomach. The camera panned until it was right above the person's shoulder.

'A... Sniper Rifle?' she wondered.

BANG!

She all but jumped from her chair as a deafening sound came from her headphones. The camera zoomed, showcasing a man collapsed to the ground, his knee had been shot.

The video ended. She let out a deep breath and shook her head. But, then, she noticed a link under the video.

It was an article involving the man who had been shot. Damien Carter and how despite being all but proven guilty of multiple rapes, he had gotten away scott free.

'English? So, the person with a Sniper Rifle is a Vigilante?' She assumed. Curious, she decided to dig a bit deeper into it.

*****

The day after, she got another video from the same email, with the words,

"Quirkless, you?"

She blinked as she connected it with the previous title. 'No way. A quirkless... vigilante?'

The very concept, no, those two words in a single sentence were foreign to her. The video showcased more of the same. Shooting a criminal.

It made her curious, yet she couldn't help but feel as though what the person was doing is hopeless. A person without a Quirk, taking on villains? But as she thought deeper, she soon remembered his words.

"Feeling hopeless? Could be worse."

"Quirkless, you?"

A Quirkless guy wanting to be a hero, it sounded like the punchline of a joke. Yet despite knowing the impossibility of it, he still tried. It was inspiring, strangely enough.

But it also made her think of her own situation. She had a Quirk, and yet... what was she doing? Just staying in her room, because of what? Because she was rejected years ago?

Weren't Quirkless people practically being rejected for nothing they could control? She went to asleep looking forward towards the next day for the first time in a long time.

*****

The next day, at the same time as the two previous days, she got another email from him.

"Want to make history, together?"

That's all she needed to get to working.

*****

It took a month before she managed to get enough funds by hacking banks to buy a plane ticket to America. The daily videos she got from @MichaelHope the only thing tiding her over. She didn't remember the last time she had been this determined in her life.

But, now, standing in front of his house, her courage seemed to diminish. She barely managed to press the doorbell, the fear of being rejected once more nearly getting the best of her. But it didn't. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the door opened.

"Are you Manami?" The youth asked her. He had black hair and lively brown eyes, a cute face which still had baby fat, giving him a boyish charm. What surprised her is how young he was, and the fact that he spoke fluent Japanese.

"Y-Yes!" She said nervously.

"Well, don't just stand there! Come in," he stepped back and opened the door wider. He led her to a living room, and sat at a couch.

"It's nice to put a face to words, right?" he uttered with a smile.

"Yeah..."

"Bet I'm not what you were expecting, huh?"

"No! I mean, you're... better!" She exclaimed, panicked.

"Yeah, I am kinda smart, aren't I?" He teased with a playful grin.

"... How did you find me? You're only..." She didn't say, not wanting to be rude to her idol.

"Thirteen? I get you're a bit doubtful. As for how I found you, well, I didn't. I paid someone to hack into the HPSC, as they have a record of everyone born with a Quirk. And I went through the records. You were a perfect fit for the job!" he explained.

"M-Me?"

"Yes. You're an expert hacker, practically nonexistent social and private life, since you've been a shut in for years, and, well..." Manami was down upon hearing that, nearly in tears. So she was picked because she was useful? But his next words changed that perception.

"I also sympathized with you."

"Sympathized...?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I..." Michael looked away, letting out a deep sigh.

"Rejection sucks," he suddenly said, stunning her. "I haven't told anyone this, but I don't really want to be a Hero to save people. I want to be a Hero because people said I couldn't. Because I was rejected."

'Like me,' she couldn't help but think.

"I want to inspire others. That's my dream. How I want to make history."

"Inspire?" She questioned.

"Yes. I... I read a lot about how the world was before, before Quirks existed. In a lot of books I read, people said someone could be whatever they wanted. Now, today, people with or without Quirks are expected to or not to do something based on their Quirk."

"If I had a Water Hose Quirk, naturally, people would think I should become a Fireman! That... there shouldn't be such expectations, that's all. I want people to be able to remember they can do whatever they put their mind to, and be free to dream whatever they want to dream."

"Do you want Quirks gone?"

"I don't hate or like Quirks. It's nature, it's just our view on how children should be nutured has changed."

"I picked you because I think you understand, so, Manami Aiba, will you help me?" he asked, holding out a hand towards her, looking unsure of himself.

It was at that moment she remembered how she was rejected. Michael was giving her the choice so she wouldn't be afraid of being rejected. Because he made it so he couldn't reject her.

He was truly inspiring.

She grabbed his hand with a blushing face. His hand was rougher and bigger than her's, she could feel the callouses, the hours of work he must've put in to make his dream come true.

She might just be in love.