Chapter 10: All Good Things Come To An End
This was her hero academia.
Kyoka Jiro was no egotist– she knew she wasn't an anime protagonist– but the feeling of pride she got when her mom and dad embraced her in a crushing group hug and repeatedly told her how proud they were of her? It's the only time in her life she can remember ever crying happy tears. It filled her with more relief than she thought humanly possible. Staring at the opened letter with the wax UA stamp, she mentally pat herself on the back.
The past ten months of constant training and struggling to keep up with Green had paid off better than she could've ever hoped for. She placed sixth in the whole practical! SIXTH! She amounted twenty six villain points and only up until the reveal about rescue points being a thing– did she allow herself to believe she passed. Hey, it wasn't her fault people were always trying to get themselves killed! Though it did help, having practiced wrangling perhaps the most determined and heroic person on the face of the Earth besides the symbol of peace himself, who wouldn't allow for even a fly to die on his watch.
Speaking of which, the object of her affections was blowing her phone up with texts. She giggled, flopping backwards on her bed. Plugging her jack into the cellular device, she hit the call button. It took less than half a second for him to accept.
"DID YOU GET IN!? OOPS! Sorry! I was so excited I-I forgot to control my volume!" Green erupted from the other end before dropping in tone drastically.
"I placed sixth out of all examinees. Twenty six villain points, forty rescue points."
"That's incredible! Jiro, I am so happy for you!" She knew he was being genuine.
"Thanks, Green." She rolled her eyes, but she had a big dopey smile on her face the whole time.
"I mean it. I-I know I can get tunnel vision sometimes, especially when I have a goal in mind, but you kept me grounded. You made sure I didn't fly too close to the sun."
She rolled over onto her stomach, propping her chin up on her pillow, snorting at the allusion.
"I have your back, you know that. I wouldn't let you get close to the sun even if you tried."
Her chest fluttered when she heard him laugh.
"At this point it's probably no mystery that I passed."
"Oh really?" She inquired sarcastically. "I thought you failed. No, but in all seriousness, what was your score?"
"I ranked first." He admitted. "Two hundred and twenty eight villain points, to go along with sixty rescue points."
"Holy shit Green! That has to be a record or something!"
"Funny you mention that– apparently All Might had the record– before I broke it, that is."
"I forgot to ask: how are you feeling about that?"
"About All Might being a teacher at UA?"
"Mmm." She hummed in confirmation.
"I… I'm not too enthralled by the idea, if I'm being honest."
"I wouldn't be either. If he tries to pull anything he's got a sonic blast headed his way. So here's from me to you Green: All Might can suck it."
"AHAHA–!" The sudden cut off was probably from him slapping his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.
"Yeah– hehe– Yeah! ALL MIGHT CAN SUCK IT!" He declared boisterously.
There was something about the innocent sun child that was Izuku Midoriya saying 'All Might can suck it!' That was hands down the most hilarious thing she'd ever heard in her life. She hugged her sides as she overheard Inko reprimanding him for yelling something so vulgar.
" –Mom, I don't actually want All Might to suck my– NO I- MOM! I was just kidding!" She imagined him looking like a deer caught in the headlights, debating on whether or not to run or stay put.
Finally, she managed to get her breathing under control.
"Are you still there?" His voice returned, though it was small sounding.
"Yep."
"So my mom heard me say that."
"Oh, I know. I heard that too."
"Oh."
"Hey Green?"
"What's up?" He perked up like his usual self.
"Would you be down to hang around noon at my place?" She twirled her free jack around her finger.
"I'd love to, but I already agreed to go out for lunch with my mom. She wanted to celebrate me getting into UA. Sorry."
That was something Jiro had noticed about the relationship that Green had with his mother. The two had an unbreakable bond that was based on unconditional love. They didn't eat out often, and when they did it was for special occasions only– like birthdays. It wasn't the punk girl's place to get in the middle of that.
"I totally understand. Maybe you and your mom could come over for dinner tonight? We could all celebrate together?"
"That sounds wonderful! I'll let her know!"
"I'll text you what time to be here."
"Great! See you then, Jiro!"
"See ya then, Green."
She ended the call, placing the phone on her nightstand. Standing up while stretching her arms above her head, she padded over to her desk. Several notebooks laid sprawled out, collectively they were filled with thousands of lyrics and musical notes. There was one notebook that she was looking for in particular– the most recent addition to her library. Stroking it's leather spine, she flipped to the first page titled: Love Songs.
"I can't believe my dad convinced me to do this." She mumbled to herself, cheeks burning scarlet at the thought of ever performing these in front of her crush.
'I can fight murderous robots that shoot missiles no problem, but the second I want to admit my true feelings, I chicken out!' She groaned, thumping her head against the book's cover. 'I think he feels similarly– if my parents' constant reassurances hold any merit to them. Yet– that fear of rejection, I can't seem to shake it.' Her eyes darted over to the calendar on her wall.
'Our semester at UA starts in two months. By that time we'll have already graduated from Aldera.' Jiro thought disconcertingly.
'I need to confess soon, before it's too late.'
…
Izuku knew he passed before he received the acceptance letter from UA. Based on his experience during the practical portion of the exam, anyone would be hard pressed to find a legitimate reason to deny his entry into the hero school. He'd practically been foaming at the mouth– well, had been foaming at the mouth is a more accurate description– that is until he saw exactly who was handing out the news.
All Might was a teacher at UA? Since when? It didn't sit right with him– knowing that at some point in the past year the number one hero sat down with principal Nezu and asked for an educator's position. The only subject he can understandably see the man lecturing is foundational hero studies and that was for obvious reasons.
Dispelling thoughts about the symbol of peace, as it was dampening his mood, he leaned over his desk, grabbing Tennyson's aptly labeled, 'box of stuff,' he'd gifted to him to go along with the Omnitrix. He gently peeled the lid off. On occasion, he would find himself examining the contents within, because for all intents and purposes, they're relics from another universe– it was interesting to see how an alternative human society developed.
He shuffled the collection of Sumo Slammers cards on his lap, randomly pulling one out to look at.
"Ishiyama?" He pronounced the name slowly, squinting at the faded ink.
The card itself wasn't in very good condition, appearing to have severe water damage alongside its other numerous creases and crinkles. He intended to slot the hardly legible card inside the deck– when he noticed that something was taped to the it's opposite side. Immediately, his posture went ramrod straight. This was his first time ever seeing this. A dark sense of foreboding lingered about in the room as he unfolded the piece of binder paper.
'Hi there Midoriya, if you're reading this— and if you're anything like me— you've put on the Omnitrix.'
Izuku did a double take, trying to make sure what he was reading wasn't an illusion.
'You've probably gone and done the deed of trying to be a superhero— and I don't blame you. I wasn't able to restrain myself either. I've come to the conclusion that there are two types of people in this world; those who wield the Omnitrix, and those who will do anything to take it for themselves— and by that I mean literally ANYTHING.''
Fortunately, Izuku had the luxury of living in a world full of quirks, where most people wouldn't question his abilities. They aren't even aware that the Omnitrix was the source of his powers! The support item explanation works in brief encounters— but sooner or later someone is going to notice that his 'quirk,' isn't exactly 'conventional.'
'I bet you forget you're wearing it most days.'
That was true.
'I get the timing behind this message might be a tad more delayed than we originally calculated– Sorry about that. We can't predict everything perfectly— what matters is that you are seeing this now. There may come a time where removing the Omnitrix will prove to be crucial to your or another person's survival. It's unfathomable, I know— being without the watch— it terrifies us. It makes us feel vulnerable– weak.
But we aren't weaklings, Midoriya– don't forget that.
By now I assume the Omnitrix has bonded to your DNA. It only listens to you— no one else. The watch has failsafes to prevent it from being hacked into or forcefully taken from the user. If the AI perceives the threat as potentially fatal— it will release a massive feedback wave. The only other way the Omnitrix can be removed is via voice command. To activate it, say these exact words; Omnitrix: Voice command mode.
It will respond to you by saying that the function is not available– again, another safety measure. Then say; Command function override: Code ten.
Do NOT underestimate this feature.
Izuku didn't have long to digest this multitude of information, however, as Inko appeared in the doorway.
"Izu, sweetie, are you ready to go?"
He didn't respond instantly like he wanted– how could he? He just learned that if a villain were to figure out the truth behind the Omnitrix, they might use that against him. It almost made him burst out laughing, a combination of common sense and self-disappointment. The fear lingered in him, even as Inko stroked her hand through his rugged green curls. Could his mom really be in danger because of him?
"Are you OK? What's wrong?" Her soothing maternal voice washed over him like a pleasant wave.
"Um…" He had unconsciously crumpled the paper in his clenched fist. "...Nothing. I'm just… overthinking things. Like usual." He played it off, giving her a cheeky grin.
She wasn't entirely convinced by the display, shaking her head.
"Well young man, you're not allowed to stress about anything today, or tonight for that matter! We're celebrating you getting into your dream school!" She clapped her hands together excitedly, and it was hard for him not to follow suit.
"I know! I'm so happy I actually got in!" He jumped out of his desk chair.
"I know!" She responded with equal enthusiasm.
Heart swelling, but still vaguely on edge, he brandished his wrist.
"So you said the ramen shop you had in mind was on the… southeastern side of the city?"
"It is! Aren't we taking the train?"
"No trains." He said quickly, eyes darting between her and the watch.
"I have a better idea." A green light enveloped the room.
"Slipstream?"
The taller alien laughed.
"Besides, this method is faster." He placed his hands stoically on his hips.
"Izuku, if you think you're going to carry me at supersonic speeds across Musutafu in order to get lunch–"
" –There's no need to worry! I know the exact speed required to ensure you don't throw up immediately when we get there!"
The Midoriya matriarch now appeared even less enthused by the idea.
"Uh-uh. No." She crossed her arms defiantly.
"Would it make you feel better if I went slower?"
"Hey, Izuku, how about NOT at all!"
The two were locked in a standstill.
Then a wide smirk plastered itself across Slipstream's face.
Inko, suspicious of his look, inquired:
"What's with the face?"
"I was just thinking, you know, it's not like there's anything you can realistically do to stop me from running you across the city in less than a minute?"
"You sir, are pure evil." She resigned herself to her fate.
"Mwahahaha!" He pretended to twirl a mustache.
"Please, whatever you do– just don't drop me."
"I would never let you fall, Mom."
"I'll hold you to that." She rolled her eyes, but she too, was smiling– if only a little.
In the blink of an eye, the Midoriya's zipped from the apartment complex.
…
They were seated beside the front window of the ramen shop. The patrons were more than happy to accommodate them once Inko told them her son just got into UA. They were even kind enough to give them their meal on the house, their reason being to congratulate Izuku for a job well done. He was touched by the owner's generosity.
"Itadakimasu." He whispered, before eagerly digging into his meal.
Across from him, Inko lovingly gazed at her son in adoration.
"Izuku, I want to say something."
He halted his shoveling of the noodles in his mouth to listen.
"I know that life dealt you a pretty bad hand early on… and I didn't help things all that much. I wasn't a very good mother to you." Her eyes looked downcast.
"That's not true! You're the best Mom anyone could ask for!" He defended her.
"I didn't support your dream."
For that, he didn't have a rebuttal.
"It's OK, Mom. You support me now, and that's what matters, right?"
"I hurt you so deeply. When you had no one to turn to… you couldn't even come to me."
"Mom…?" He was confused as to where she was taking this.
"Katsuki kept on bullying you… even after I asked Mitsuki to make him stop."
He pushed his ramen to the side of the table.
"I never told you the real reason your dad left."
"Huh?"
"You- you might've already suspected this, but Izuku, the true reason your dad… departed with us… it- it was because you were diagnosed as quirkless." She dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
"Oh."
Feeling his own eyes growing damp, he furiously wiped them away with his jacket sleeve.
"I knew it." It was proving difficult to conceal the anger rising in the back of his throat.
"Izuku?"
"I don't hold a grudge against many people, but that man… I hate that man."
Seeing his mother's surprised expression compelled him to elaborate.
"He left you, Mom! He left you and…"
'...And me.' He thought bitterly.
His mother's hand fell on top of his.
"I hate what he did too. But know that I don't blame you for any of it! More than anything, I'm disappointed that he didn't give it a second thought." She chuckled somberly.
"Besides, it's his loss! He missed out on getting to see you turn into an incredible young man that I couldn't be more proud of to call my son."
Her thumb made tiny circles over his knuckles.
"Izuku know that I'll always love you, OK? Powers or no. Your sorry excuse for a father doesn't define who you are."
He impressed even himself by holding back a tsunami of tears, sniffling and nodding in appreciation.
"Th-thanks, Mom."
"Whenever, wherever, Izu. I'm here for you."
Izuku looked up from his bowl, taking in the décor of the shop and street view– basking in the moment. Despite his father's absence for the remainder of the past decade, he really did have everything he could've asked for. He had his best friend Jiro, her parents who were also super supportive– his awesome mom– and he was only getting started on the next chapter of his life at UA high school. His dream of being a hero was at long last, finally within arm's reach.
'I should tell her that I love her.'
Unfortunately, Izuku would never get to tell her that.
The side of the ramen shop exploded in a searing cloud of black smoke, sending him and his mother sprawling across the floor, shards of glass and other debris slicing into their exposed skin. Despite his head thundering from the sudden whiplash, he managed to pick himself up off the ash covered flooring– just in time to see a figure in a purple mask and cape step leisurely through the thick gas. Their boots made cracking noises as they stomped past him.
A horrified gasp alerted him that they had snatched his mom, and were now yanking her towards the street by her wrist. She attempted to resist, but their grip proved too much.
"Let her go!" He yelled as he dialed Jellytronic.
They didn't acknowledge him, instead shooting into the sky via jet propulsion, Inko Midoriya in tow. He couldn't afford attacking the villain while his mom was still in the crossfire, so had no other option but to follow them. Eventually, they landed on Goldman Tower, notably the tallest building in Musutafu– a skyscraper that spanned nearly two-thousand feet from ground level to it's tip.
The villain came to an impromptu stop on the metal platform encircling the tower's spire, thuggishly shoving Inko to the side. The throw ended up bashing her against the railing, causing her to yelp as she cracked several of her ribs. Jellytronic swooped in across from them, viridian eyes gleaming dangerously. An icy gust further added to the intense atmosphere.
But Izuku wasn't shivering– his blood was boiling.
"Who are you and what do you think you're doing!?" He demanded.
The villain stared at his mom's cowering form for a while longer before shedding their hood, reapplying their focus to him.
"That's funny. I could ask you the same thing." Their voice was unusually deep and contained static, tipping him off that they were using a modulator to change their pitch to remain unrecognizable.
"My name is Eon. You have something that doesn't belong to you."
A beat passed.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play the idiot card on me! I can see right through you. You're perfectly aware of the stakes."
The alien boy shook his head in dismay.
"I-I don't get it? Why are you doing this?"
Eon sighed, reaching over to run a glove through his mother's hair, as if to comfort her, much to the older woman's frightened revulsion.
"Turn back."
"Get your hands off my mother!"
"Do you really think you're in position to be making demands? I have your poor mommy–" He snaked his arm around her, " –by her little throat!" His fist surged around her neck, squeezing the pharynx, blocking any oxygen from entering her lungs.
"It might be time to reevaluate the situation you're in! Because if you weren't aware yet, you are NOT the one in control here!" He spat, before forcing the Midoriya matriarch into a kneeling pose, aggressively contorting her head so that she was facing her conflicted son.
"Please! Stop hurting her! It's me you want! Leave her out of this!" He begged hopelessly.
"Turn. Back." He repeated with a tone of finality.
Not wanting his mom to suffer anymore than she had, Izuku conceded defeat. He held his upper left tentacle to the badge on his chest, reverting to his ordinary self.
"You see, the thing about you heroic types… you're all the same." Eon drawled ominously, though he relinquished his strangling hold on her neck.
"Izuku!" Inko cried out fearfully, as the time-walker roughly grappled her clothing.
"You always think you'll get what you want!" He announced, suddenly hurtling Inko off the platform's edge.
"MOM!" Izuku charged forward, performing a handspring to dodge a wide swing from Eon's laser-blade, thoughtlessly diving over the protective railing.
Not anticipating such a maneuver, the time-walker's momentum caused him to slice through the tower's spire like wet clay. The metal hissed due to the heated contact, as it's infrastructure melted. Improvising, he delivered a powerful kick to break the spire off its foundation completely, causing it to plummet to the bustling streets below.
Izuku was in a state of free fall.
Wind whipping through his hair, he selected Cyclonado.
The turtle alien boosted himself along by generating a downward spiraling tornado. Once he was in grabbing distance, he extended his flippers.
Her fingertips grazed his claws.
Eon teleported parallel to them, hefting the fallen spire, and then swung it like a medieval mace, breaking Izuku's hold on his mother, and knocking him aside.
His breath stalled in his throat.
An abhorrent cracking sound ricocheted inside of his skull as he witnessed her body smash against the pavement, a plume of red streaking outwards in all directions from the impact zone. He transformed back into his normal self.
Izuku felt as if he was wading through waist deep water, as he clambered through the middle of the busy intersection, dismissive of the cars honking at him to move out of the way. Only standing a meter from where she was splayed across the sidewalk, did the mortality of the situation strike him in the chest like a freight train.
In less than ten seconds, his entire world had changed.
He could hardly believe the mangled heap on the sidewalk was his mom. It felt as if time was standing perfectly still as he fell to his knees. The tears he had been saving previously in the ramen shop gushed forth from his eyes like weeping waterfalls. He cradled the mess of exposed organs, twisted limbs, and splintered bones.
"Mom?"
No response.
"Mom, y-you're g-g-going to b-b-be OK. The heroes will be h-here s-s-s-soon a-and they'll get you t-to-to a hos-s-spital." His stutter reared its ugly head during his most painful moment.
The image would be seared into his mind for as long as he lived.
"AHHHHHHH!" He headbutted the earth, screaming in utter anguish, bashing his soaked fists on the tarmac, not caring that it hurt.
No physical pain could ever compare to this. Knowing that he had a chance to stop this from happening.
"MOM! MOM! I- I'M SORRY I C-COULDN'T S-SAVE YOU! I'M SO S-S-SORRY, MO-MOM!" His body convulsed in his self-imposed temper tantrum.
"FORGIVE ME!" He wailed forlornly.
Eon materialized a short distance away from the despondent teen. Discarding the spire, he leaned his weight on a stop sign post. He dusted his hands off, satisfied with his handiwork, crossing his arms.
"Take this as a lesson: Your actions have consequences."
For a tense moment, Izuku didn't bother responding, as the cognitive gears in his psyche grinded to a steaming halt.
"What…" His voice was dark, filled with contempt, as cursed rage flooded his veins. "...WHAT COULD POSSIBLY JUSTIFY THIS!? YOU MONSTER!"
Eon mocked him by pretending that he was shouting at someone else.
"You're talking to me?" Eon gestured to himself with his index digit.
"YOU KILLED HER!"
"I killed her?" Eon acted offended. "But you were the one who didn't catch her– tell me whose fault that was?" He laughed menacingly upon seeing the teen's guilt-ridden expression.
"I'm also not the one who accepted alien super technology from an alternate universe."
He stalked towards him threateningly.
"I'm not the one who placed said tech on my wrist and pretended to be something they weren't." He scoffed.
"You're no hero– much less a worthy inheritor– especially for a device with as much prestige as the Omnitrix."
The white slits of his veiled eyes narrowed.
"A worthy inheritor doesn't let their mother get splattered on the sidewalk."
Izuku saw red.
Faster than he'd ever done before, he chose an alien and slammed the dial. The containment suit of Meltdown emerged in the emerald halo, as a concentrated beam of heat whizzed past Eon, who casually tilted his head, predicting its exact trajectory and adjusting accordingly. The leftover heat residue caused the stop sign behind him to wilt over and clatter to the pavement.
"Oh, I made you mad and now you're trying to incinerate me. I'll give you a few points and a mutilated corpse for your originality."
"SHUT UP!"
He swung wildly, though Eon weaved through his barrage with trained poise. He slapped a Lepidopterran Adhesive on Meltdown's visor. Vision obscured, the ensuing heat blast was muffled by the sticky lime green substance– as it rapidly inflated before bursting open. The explosion of ignited slime forced Eon to retreat to safety, as Izuku transformed back into human and dialed up another alien.
Iron Jaw barreled through the fire, leading with his horn. Just as he was going to slam into him, the time-walker exposed his Taydenite Liquefier and fired it directly into the alien's gaping maw. As Izuku attempted to bite down on the indestructible material, Eon snagged him by his horn and heaved him over his shoulder using his enhanced strength, throwing the beetle alien into a minivan. The impact folded the automobile and caused them both to flip over simultaneously.
A green flash tipped Eon off that he had transformed again. Faster than he could see, the totaled minivan was converted into a jetpack with mounted machine guns. The impish form of Hijack cackled whimsically, before launching into the air. A scope extended over his goggles, allowing him to target Eon with improved accuracy. The stream of oncoming bullets urging the villain to duck for cover behind a dumpster.
He revealed his Magneto Disperser, a small boomerang shaped gadget. He cranked it over his shoulder, watching as the device homed in on Hijack's location. The Magneto Disperser sent out an EMP once it entered Izuku's vicinity, rendering the jetpack useless as it stuttered. The failing machine forced him to make a crash landing in a nearby construction site.
Following the trail of scrapped parts, Eon strode towards the center of the elevated scaffolding.
"I know how to counter every single one of your aliens." Eon spoke aloud, the only response he received being his own echo.
He folded his arms behind his back– and waited.
"There is nothing you can do to surprise me."
He listened closely for an indicator relating to his adversary's presence; Ambient wind… A bird chirping in its nest… A pebble sliding out of position…
Shadeshifter lunged at him from behind the shadows, teeth bared. Eon reacted just in the nick of time, as he drove a pernicious strike into the chameleon alien's jaw. The hit snapped his head back and made him stumble, as a laser-blade stabbed the area he was previously hidden. He had to contort and flex his body in order to avoid being decapitated. He ducked, rolling under a running slash and slamming his tail into the time-walker, knocking him off his feet.
While Eon was temporarily incapacitated, he hurriedly scaled the hollow framework. Once he found a secluded spot he alternated from human to Magnetician. As the villain jettisoned to his location, he transmitted magnetic waves to attract every iron support beam in the construction site. Nuts and bolts burst from their bindings, as the girders converged on the time-walker– only for him to teleport out of harm's way– blending and warping the metal together.
Anticipating the maneuver, though unable to react in time– Eon stuck a Tempo Resonator (a small spherical contraption) on the backside of his floating head. With his magnetism seemingly reversed, he was flattened by a multi-ton ball of steel. Dazed and unable to utilize his magnetic powers, he lost balance, plunging through several floors of wood, concrete slabs and rebar. He came to a stop after as he face-planted on an indoor fountain, shattering the limestone ridge and dowsing his alien form in rusty pipe water– in turn cleansing him of the Tempo Resonator.
Reshaping to fit the mold of his homo sapien body, Izuku urgently switched to Atlantean. He conducted the water underground like an aquatic maestro, channeling a whirling torrent from the exposed pipework. The water shifted density, and shaped itself to resemble that of a dragon. The liquid leviathan gave a warbled roar as it slithered forward at the speed of a rushing river, before colliding with Eon's repulsion field.
The time-walker tugged on his Disintegration Raygun, aiming it explicitly at the water construct. Pulling the trigger, Izuku gawked as the water evaporated instantaneously. The sheer volume of steam created a protective shroud between him and Eon. He absorbed the moisture out the air, surfing forward to deliver a flipping ax kick.
He missed.
The costly mistake resulted in an intense blast of orange particles slamming into Atlantean's shoulder, causing him to howl at the frying-bubbling sensation that branded his skin. The burn dissolved his outer carapace, eating out the innards of his fleshy muscle and sinking to the outer bone marrow. The pain was so horrific that he involuntarily returned to his human body. Accompanying his smoking sinew were his shrill screams– that were cut short as Eon's sole trounced his abdomen, sending him skidding down a flight of stairs, bamboo splinters and jagged rocks cutting into him as he was sprawled out on a brick pathway.
Writhing and delirious with pain, Izuku was unable to object as Eon brandished an imposing claw machine-like device, spiking it into the area around his wrist– the one with the Omnitrix on it. Panic set in as he mainly fought to move his arm– even just nudge it over a little– but it was no use. His arm was paralyzed. He was paralyzed.
The machine hummed as electricity chained off it, and if being shot by the Disintegration Raygun was the most painful sensation in the world– then he sure figured it out mere moments after the fact. The feeling of having the Omnitrix stripped from his wrist– after it had become so interwoven within his day to day life– he could hardly imagine being without it now– it was like having his soul ripped in two. The phantom sensation of something exiting his consciousness wasn't lost on him, as he could do nothing more than cry and pray the agony would cease.
His skin stretched terrifyingly thin before snapping back to his bone once the Omnitrix had fully detached itself. Partial relief flooded him as the harsh sting offset his shoulder burns. His chest wheezed as he came to terms with the situation.
The Omnitrix was no longer attached to him. He watched with glazed over eyes as Eon victoriously hoisted a translucent capsule containing the green watch. He tested its weight, getting a feel for it, looking down at him disappointedly.
"The most tricky part of the mission has been completed. Copy?" Eon tapped the side of his mask irritatingly, treating it like an earpiece.
"Copy? Dumbasses! Do you copy!?" After a few more seconds, he growled, flipping his cape annoyedly.
"No matter. I've done what I've come to do." He spun on his heel and prepared to teleport away, when the crippled boy stubbornly interjected.
"Sorry? I didn't quite get that? Can you SPEAK UP!?" Eon leered patronizingly, taking a knee beside the subjugated teen.
"...Why?" His voice was small.
"Why?" Eon repeated, bristling.
"My mom. Why did you kill her? She did nothing wrong. She- she didn't deserve to die. Not like that. The last emotions she felt were complete and utter terror." A single, beady droplet dribbled across his damp thickly bloodied face.
"So why?" His voice broke.
"Because I had to test you– see if you were the real deal."
Izuku stared at him disbelievingly.
"There is something you should know about how time travel works…" Eon began, observing his reaction closely.
"Every universe has a sequence of events that are supposed to happen. This is what is known as the primetimeline. However, reality is a case of endless possibilities, and as such, there are a seemingly endless amount of timelines that branch off from the prime one. You follow?"
A mute nod indicated he could continue.
"Think about it like this: every time you make a choice, let's say, one morning you wake up and have to choose between wearing a red or a blue shirt. In the prime timeline, you went with red. But in direct opposition to that, a variant timeline springs up where you picked blue."
He used his hand gestures to help convey his info dump.
"Now, most of these choices don't have a huge impact on how the rest of the timeline plays out. But that doesn't mean those apparently insignificant things can't snowball. They keep growing until they've become so disconnected from what the prime timeline was, that they become entirely unrecognizable. They no longer have any influence on neighboring timelines.
Every decision, every thought, every failure you ever experienced at some point in your lifetime– there exists a reality where it didn't happen. Imagine it: A universe where Izuku Midoriya was born with a quirk, where his pops never left him and his depressed, overweight mom didn't have to break her back to keep the two of them afloat. Having Friends. Lots of them." He sighed plaintively.
"It's sad to say, but fate was never in your favor, Midoriya. You're quirkless in the prime timeline, too."
"What- what do you mean by that?" He whispered, visibly shocked by the revelation.
"I guess the more accurate version of that statement would be, were, quirkless. The Midoriya of the prime timeline managed to impress All Might so much that he chose to make you his successor– the next symbol of peace. How did you do that, you wonder? Ironically enough, you got a hand-me-down quirk from ol' number one. One For All. What a poetic name for such an obscenely gross power.
Oh, are you lost? Excuse me– I'll try to make myself even more clear: You are not the original. You were not meant to receive any power. You were not meant to be a hero– and fuck– you weren't even supposed to meet that Jiro girl until you actually got into UA."
Eon switched knees.
"I can tell you what you were meant to be, though. Izuku Midoriya, variant A-006, born quirkless to Hisashi and Inko Midoriya. Your status of powerlessness isolated you from your peers at a young age and your best friend, whom you affectionately call Kacchan– turned on you and bullied you for something out of your control. Despite this, you always dreamed of becoming an amazing hero just like All Might, no matter how unattainable a goal it was. Am I getting this right so far?"
He didn't wait for a response as he waved the tortured boy off.
"Then the sludge villain incident happens. Reality gives you a harsh slap to the face– even your idol didn't believe you had what it took. That knowledge crushes you. Everyday from then on feels like your feet are dragging behind you. Each waking moment, you suffer in silence. Meanwhile you are forced to watch as Kacchan– the person who made your life a living hell– goes on to become a pro hero without the pathetic, useless Deku always following him and getting in his way.
There is nothing that fills that void that was left inside your heart from where All Might wounded your spirit. Just keep smiling. That's what you tell yourself. Hide the pain from Mom. She has enough to worry about. You keep deluding yourself with falsities that things will get better. But they don't. Until finally… you hit rock bottom. You aren't capable of accepting that you'll never amount to anything that you desire. Because of that detail, your poor, poor mother Inko has to watch as her only son is lowered into a casket. The method? Well, let's call what happened to Mom, foreshadowing. It truly is pitiful– you couldn't even make it to twenty-one."
Izuku could only breath in pained gasps.
"Obviously, since I'm here, things didn't go according to plan. Did they?" Eon rose to his feet.
"You wouldn't be aware of it yet, but your putting on of the Omnitrix has sparked a sequence of events that should have never occurred. There are now variant timelines cropping out of this variant timeline. Variant timelines that shouldn't exist. Do you see the gravity of the situation? The balance of the universe– the multiverse– is now threatened because of YOU! I had to take the Omnitrix! If I hadn't, then the number of Midoriya timelines featuring Omnitrices would rise exponentially!
The ramifications of such an event being left unchecked are catastrophic! We're not talking about a big bang here– we're talking about quantum ruination! If that happens, it will set off a domino effect throughout not only this universe but the next, and the next, and the NEXT! UNTIL EVERYTHING! IS! LOST!" Eon yelled spitefully.
"YOU ENDANGERED EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF YOUR RIDICULOUS MORAL CODE!" He threw his arms in the air frustratedly.
"So when you ask me why I killed your mother? To that I say this: Because it doesn't matter. None of this does! You are already dead to me! That's why I haven't put you out of your misery! That's why I'm even telling you all this! Nothing that happens in this timeline matters anymore once it's been wiped."
"W-wiped?" Izuku inquired hesitantly.
"Chronosapien Time Bomb. A device created with the intended purpose of erasing specific timelines from existence." Eon said as if it were a normal concept. "Without the Omnitrix, the prime timeline creates an identical one to balance out the lost branch. It's basically like hard resetting a computer."
"B-but people will d-die? W-w-won't they? When the t-timeline is wiped?"
"Ultimately, their deaths are inconsequential. No one in this timeline will be aware anything even happened. It'll be like they woke up from a dream."
The time-walker intended for those to be his parting words, but Izuku proved unyielding in his want for answers.
"Ben Tennyson gave me the Omnitrix so I could be a hero!"
Back facing him, Eon's shoulders noticeably slumped.
"So tell me why he would give it to me if it meant that everyone's lives were being placed in jeopardy!? TELL ME!" He demanded desperately.
Eon sighed, and spoke as he shifted to remove his mask.
"I thought you had learned, but apparently you haven't."
Izuku's eyes widened like saucers when he realized who it was glaring back at him. Chestnut brown locks… lime green eyes… that mischievous grin…
"Tennyson?" His lower lip quivered, not believing the words as they left him.
"In the flesh." He confirmed.
"How!? You– you're supposed to be a hero!"
"There's a saying for this, right? Never meet your heroes?"
Izuku was nauseous. Everything about this was so terribly wrong.
"Tell ya what, you can keep the mask as a souvenir." His smile was disarming, as he slammed the dark metal helm on the shattered brick layering.
"I suggest you try to enjoy what little time you have left."
Izuku gazed at his reflection in the purple tinted visor of Eon's foregone mask. Three quarters of his head were drenched in a familiar crimson fluid, flowing from his plethora of deep cuts. Blinking blood out of his right eye– his left being swollen shut, a gnarly shade of purple and angry carmine. The only recognizable part of himself that he recognized was his forest green hair.
Every movement he made threatened to make him faint.
'Stop being so weak, Izuku! You need to get up! She died because you weren't strong enough!' It took urging every cell in his body to roll onto his stomach– and even more so to push himself back onto the soles of his high-tops.
'Prove you're worthy! Prove her death wasn't in vain!'
Fighting to remain standing, he courageously proclaimed;
"You don't decide my destiny– I DO!"
Eon spun on him, baffled by the display.
"Omnitrix: Voice command mode!"
The time-walker froze, registering the words that just spewed from the teen's mouth, when the watch responded in a robotic voice mirroring his:
"This mode is locked, and not available."
"Command function override: Code ten!"
"Override accepted."
"FATAL THREAT DETECTED!"
"Command accepted: Defense mechanism initiating–"
Eon was unable to abandon the capsule in time as he was caught in the epicenter of a devastating feedback blast. Taking advantage of the opening, Izuku limped to the crater the discarded device fell in. The damaged nerve endings of his shoulder made it so he was incapable of making any sort of grabbing motion, as he had to improvise by tightening the strap in between his gritted teeth.
The time-walker sluggishly climbed to his feet. He planned on teleporting to the warp gate site– before discovering that the numb sensation crawling up his arm was due to it being a bloody stump. From the elbow down, his forearm had been shredded to atoms, leaving behind a gushing hollow wound.
Unsheathing his laser-blade on his still intact arm, he held the blunt side to his stump, grunting as he cauterized the injury.
"Ah-hah!" He exhaled, as the adrenaline rush wore off.
Across from Eon, Izuku shakily planted himself defiantly.
"You don't know when to give up." The time-walker seethed.
"A hero… can always break out of a tough spot…" He repeated All Might's words to Eon– to Ben Tennyson.
"...I couldn't save Mom, but I can save everyone else!"
"You're delusional– !"
" –Slipstream!" He ignored Eon's attempt at goading him, using voice command to morph into his speedster form.
"If you think your Citrikayah body will hold up, then you're sorely mistaken."
He wordlessly blitzed the time-walker.
"Iron Jaw!" He announced mid-sprint, as subsequently nine-hundred pounds of stygian alien muscle rammed into him at the speed of sound.
His horn impaled Eon's left deltoid, splintering the bone with its passage. Izuku channeled a pinpoint accurate laser beam that struck the time-walker across his chest.
The momentum sent him hurtling across the clearing.
"Atlantean!"
A water lasso whipped outwards, snaring the time-walker before he could even hit the ground. Screaming in immense effort, the alien boy swung the villain in a circular motion akin to an Olympic hammer throw, utilizing centrifugal force to increase the impact damage. He released his hold on his water construct, in turn causing Eon to crash sideways into a tree, instantly snapping its thick trunk in a spray of bark.
Rolling to a thudding stop, the time-walker clambered backwards on his elbow, intending to blast him with his Taydenite Liquefier– until Magnetician scrambled the internal mechanism, then snapped the barrel with his pincers– forcing Eon to toss it before it imploded. Terraquake's fist came soaring out of the sky– rebounding off the other's repulsion field. But Izuku was inexorable in his frenzied state, sending rapid thundering blows, threatening the barrier's stability, and pushing the villain further into a corner.
The control panel on his gauntlet blinked, indicating he had to return to the warp gate before he was dusted by rapid flux degeneration.
"TIMES UP, EON!" His tectonic form roared, as his next punch shattered the barrier and created a pressure wave so powerful it sent tremors throughout all of Musutafu.
His clawed hand constricted around the time-walker's throat, as he proceeded to wail on him with his other. Even with his enhanced durability, Eon wasn't able to sustain the amount of direct hits he was currently taking. This went unnoticed by the grieving boy, who was consumed by rage and the thirst for vengeance on the man who murdered his mother.
Even as he transformed back into human, he didn't waver in his one-sided beating. Straddling the weakened villain, he heaved a haymaker that snapped Eon's jaw. Another lodged his whole front row of teeth deep inside his throat, adding to the combination of fluids and pulp he was choking on. Even as the enamel cut deep enough to hit bone– as said bone ruptured from his own hand– Izuku persisted in hammering his misshapen fist into the time-walker's face.
"NOT SO COCKY NOW, ARE YOU!?" Shrieking barbarically, he pounded at the bloody puddle forming on the time-walker's face, unaware of the fact that the Omnitrix had collected a new DNA sample.
"YOU KILLED HER! SEE IF ANY OF THIS MATTERS WHEN YOU'RE DEAD!"
CRUNCH!
The sound of Eon's skull caving in was lost on him.
"YOU DAMN VILLAIN!" By now he was just striking a defenseless man with his mangled wrist, uncaring that his radius bone was spearing through the skin.
Izuku's arms adamantly refused to heed his commands, as he frantically went with the next best alternative: Headbutting. He kept headbutting. And headbutting– and headbutting– only stopping when he felt Eon's tense posture fall limp beneath him.
His sight was bleary, as he couldn't wipe the stream of cascading tears coursing from his swollen eyelids. Brain throbbing concussively, he dragged himself off the corpse, collapsing soon after. He propped himself up on the side of a concrete column, cradling his charred shoulder, panting unabatedly.
"Mom… I'm… sorry…" He whispered soundlessly, as he was overtaken by darkness.
Across from the wounded teen, the corporeal body of the dead time-walker, once hailed far and wide throughout the universe as its greatest hero, Benjamin Tennyson, crumbled into ashen dust…
…
"I was successfully able to replicate the chameleon quirk in the lab today!" Dr. Ujiko announced proudly.
All For One, seated in a desk chair, back turned to the door, swirled the wine in his glass eloquently, before placing it on a coaster.
"You told me that was impossible." He finally spoke.
"I did– but I was wrong!" Dr. Ujiko recanted quickly. "I had a suspicion that it was possible, but at the time there was no feasible solution! I kept it under quarantine– just in case an opportunity presented itself! And low and behold– it did!"
"That means…?" He gestured flippantly with his brutish hand.
"Two months." The devoted doctor clasped his hands together beggingly. "Give me two months and you'll have a high-end squadron of Nomu that are capable of absolute camouflage. Undetectable to the human eye. With seemingly no drawbacks other than infrared sensors. But that weakness can be mitigated, I assure you!"
The criminal kingpin considered the proposal.
"Very well. I can see the value in having such a resource at our disposal."
"Thank you, master." He bowed.
"If you were able to replicate the chameleon quirk, then are you able to do the same with the Slipstream sample our Seeker Edition Nomu collected?"
"...I was only able to successfully replicate the Slipstream quirk gene in one of our Nomu." He admitted nervously.
"Testing was… inconclusive." Sweat lingered on his brow line.
"Doctor, While I do have a mind reading quirk, I prefer not to have to use it on you. Explain."
"They tore themself in half the second they used the speedster quirk."
"See? Was that so hard? I'm not impartial to failure, doctor." He threaded his fingers together calmly.
"Failure breeds success, after all."
"I suppose that's true…" Dr. Ujiko muttered, when he lit up.
"Pardon my inquiry, are we still going along with our infiltration of UA? Now that you've signed off on my project?"
"Oh, doctor, of course we're still going through with it! Especially now that we know for certain that All Might is a teacher there." He spoke the hero's name with no hint of malice.
"Tomura has done a wonderful job of recruiting people to join our cause."
"That's true." All For One agreed. "Perhaps he is deserving of a reward? I'll contact him when he is available."
Taking that as his queue to leave, Dr. Ujiko made it partially through the doorway before he was stopped by a black and red tendril that clasped the collar of his lab coat.
" –On second thought, Doctor, why don't you keep that Seeker Edition Nomu on standby?" The villain mastermind suggested.
The foundations of their hideout shook for a couple riveting seconds. He didn't need to look at the taller man to know that the miniature earthquake had something to do with it.
"Yes master! I'll prepare him for deployment as soon as possible!" Dr. Ujiko bowed again before exiting the room.
Things really were going his way today!
…
Naomasa Tsukauchi had been a part of the police force for fifteen years now. In that time span, he had seen a lot of things. The kinds of things that would make anyone quit their job on the spot. One such example being the slow yet inevitable downfall of the world's greatest hero, along with the knowledge of his quirk. Regardless, the detective understood that he had a responsibility he needed to uphold.
He observed from afar as the catatonic form of Izuku Midoriya was placed on a stretcher– the same freckled teen that Toshinori had warned him about. He looked like he'd been through hell and back– judging by the destruction that had been caused. With a quirk like Lie Detector, he had the ability to differentiate evil from good– but he struggled to find any moral high ground, cursed with the knowledge that Inko Midoriya– the boy's mother– the parts of her that were still intact– was being sealed inside a body bag only a dozen feet away.
As the backdoors of the ambulance slammed shut, the detective started scouring the crime scene. The abandoned construction site served as evidence for the hard-fought battle. The hollowed suit that was discovered by the forensics team had already been taken in– So he was mostly looking for clues that flew under his peer's radar.
Circling the perimeter a couple times, he analyzed the collateral damage, when he became fixated on a disemboweled tree. Rifling through the leaves, he narrowed in on a glinting object. Picking it up to examine the mystery device closer, he found himself comparing it to a syringe or perhaps even a battery. It buzzed with red energy.
Without warning– it suddenly cracked– making the detective drop it as he stumbled backwards. Light poured from the device, coalescing into a silhouette in the middle of the pile of leaves. As the harsh glowing energy faded, it left a person in its stead. They had long black hair, and they were young– likely close to the same age that Midoriya was. They were also missing half their arm.
"Shit!" Tsukauchi thumbed his radio. "Sansa, get a paramedic crew down to the southwestern edge of the crime scene! Stat!"
He pocketed his radio, not bothering to respond as his feline friend jabbered on the other end of the line. Crouching beside their writhing body, he put a placating palm on their shoulder.
"Kid? Can you hear me? You're gonna be OK. The medics will be arriving in a minute."
The teen, trembling, peered up at him, revealing a nasty burn mark that stretched under his jawline. He didn't respond initially, instead taking the time to acquaint himself with his surroundings. His onyx eyes fluttered, as he teetered woozily– it was obvious that staying conscious was taking a tremendous amount of effort.
"Where… am I?"