3 Road to Heroism
The gates of Aldera High School loomed over me, triggering a wave of unease. This familiar-yet-foreign school was now mine, my every step a battle between my mind and Izuku's scrawny frame.
Each glance from a passing student felt like a judgment, whispers swirling around me like angry mosquitoes. No surprise there – this was Izuku's territory, and his reputation surely came with the rental.
The weight of it all – being dropped into an anime world, into this guy's life – was finally crushing me.
Outside my homeroom door, I froze. Laughter and chatter filtered through – a reminder that inside waited a crowd that had turned Izuku's existence into a sport. A deep breath, hot with nerves, did nothing. Now or never.
Sliding open the door, I stepped into a tomb-like silence. Every eye fixed on me – shock, hostility, even a flicker of morbid curiosity, like they were betting on how long until I cracked.
I forced myself towards my desk, ignoring the whispers that prickled at my back. The tension choked the air; I was a lamb, these kids the wolves, sizing me up.
The teacher droned on, some nonsense about career tests, but my mind was whirling. Ten months until the U.A. entrance exam, ten months to reinvent this body, to figure out how to survive in a world where it felt like I was the only one without a superpower. I needed a plan and fast.
Okay, those system workouts were a start, but I needed more than that. More than just getting stronger – I needed to learn how to fight.
Reaching into my backpack, I faked rummaging while pulling Izuku's notebook out of inventory. This notebook wasn't just for analysis anymore, it was my roadmap to becoming a hero.
My hand flew as I started brainstorming. Martial arts would work, especially with accelerated development. My list grew: boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai... Systema, Capoeira, Aikido, Sambo, Wing Chun. Each one had its unique flavor, ways to make this body a weapon.
Boxing – the basics of hitting hard and moving fast, endurance that wouldn't quit. And damn, it felt good to imagine landing a perfect punch. Muay Thai – brutal, using elbows, knees, turning my whole body into something dangerous. But BJJ was about the ground game, outsmarting someone twice my size, making them submit. A different kind of power.
Systema was that Russian art, all fluidity and quick strikes, using their force against them. Capoeira, with its dance-like camouflage hiding strikes anyone would underestimate. Sambo mixed grappling and takedowns, and Aikido was a whole mindset of redirection and defense. Even Wing Chun, focused on close quarters, a blur of strikes no one saw coming...
A plan began to crystalize. I could dedicate each day to a different style, drilling down on the fundamentals. Videos would be my teachers, the bedroom my dojo, until weekends when maybe a gym would help. This wasn't about a quick fix, it was transforming myself.
Pain, exhaustion... I was ready for it. Because what I craved, what this new life had gifted me, was a sense of purpose. My plan filled the pages, and though the weak body felt at odds with it, I saw a path forward. Izuku's notes might have been about others, but this was my blueprint. One day, I wouldn't just be fit, I'd be dangerous.
Shifting my focus back to the front of the class, I froze. It wasn't the teacher's droning voice that caught my eye, but this blinking damn icon, a tiny red dot in the corner of my vision, demanding attention. Focusing on it, a screen shimmered into existence:
Skill Leveled Up: Analytical Mind
Analytical Mind has increased by 2 levels. (Lvl 2 -> Lvl 4)
A goofy grin spread across my face. All those notes, all that strategizing – apparently, I was giving my brain a workout too. Guess today wasn't just about transforming this wimpy body.
I tapped on the skill description, eager to see what this upgrade meant.
Analytical Mind (Lvl 4): Enables the user to analyze and process information more efficiently. Increases the speed and accuracy of decision-making and problem-solving. At higher levels, the user can identify patterns, predict outcomes, and develop complex strategies with ease.
Holy shit! That wasn't just helpful, that was like a superpower in itself! Imagine being able to outthink any opponent, to come up with strategies that would leave pro heroes scrambling.
The lunch bell jangled, snapping me out of my plans. Shoving my things in my bag, I bolted from the room, only to slam head-first into a very unyielding wall.
Of course it was Bakugo, arms crossed, scowl locked and loaded. He always looked ticked in the memories, but today it was especially intense. I tensed up, ready for an attack.
"Well, well, well, lookie here. Still think you can play hero after that sludge stunt, Deku?" His voice sneered the name he'd slapped on Izuku years ago.
Shame washed over me, the memory of Izuku's pathetic attempt to save him flashing through my mind. I swallowed hard, refusing to let him know it stung. "I was trying to help, Bakugo," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "I couldn't just let you get hurt."
His eyes narrowed, and he stepped so close I could smell his anger. "I didn't need your damn help, Deku. Made me look like a chump. Think I can't handle a shitty villain?"
My gaze met his, refusing to back down. "Never said that. But even pros need help sometimes. Ain't that the whole damn point of being a hero? Helping those who need it?"
Bakugo let out a bark of laughter. "You really are crazy. Think being brave makes up for being quirkless? Here's how it is, Deku - heroes have power. What do you have? A death wish?"
Anger flared, a hot twist in my gut, but I refused to take the bait. "It's Izuku. And maybe my power isn't my body, but I've got guts, the kind that don't come outta some genetic lottery. That, you can't take away."
For a second, he looked taken aback, like I wasn't playing the script he'd written for me. Then, that familiar snarl was back as he shoved me hard. "Think you're fucking better than me now? Got some kind of backbone outta nowhere?"
I stumbled, catching myself, the eyes of the other kids burning into me. Didn't matter. This was my fight. "Don't think I'm better than anyone," I said, keeping it level. "But I'll be damned if I let you decide what I can't do. Hero isn't just a wish for me. It's a promise I'm gonna keep."
He clenched his fists, looking ready to explode. I almost thought he'd haul off and hit me. But then, he just laughed, a bitter, nasty sound. "Go ahead then, try and be a hero. Can't wait to see you fail, realize what a nobody you are."
Turning away, he plowed through the crowd, leaving me staring at his back. My hands were shaking, a mix of leftover adrenaline and a rage I hadn't allowed myself to feel before.
Then, like magic, a blinking icon dragged my attention from Bakugo's retreating form. Focusing on it made a screen materialize in front of me, and my eyes widened.
Hidden Quest Completed: Stand Up for Yourself
Congratulations! You have successfully stood up to your biggest bully, Katsuki Bakugo, and asserted your determination to become a hero.
Rewards:
2000 XP
Slight decrease in reputation with Katsuki Bakugo
Perk: Determination
Instant Dungeon Token (Locked until Level 15)
My mind whirled. Bakugo had made Izuku's life hell for years. But today... today I hadn't backed down, found a strength this body had never known.
Sure, the angry pomeranian would probably still hate my guts. But that wasn't a surprise. His opinion didn't matter. Bigger fish to fry, like pushing my limits and making that hero dream real.
Speaking of, I summoned my Status screen, excited to see how those quest rewards had changed things.
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Age: 16
Title: The Gamer
Quirk: None
Quirk Mastery: Null
Level: 2 (1100/1500)
Skills:
Accelerated Development: Lvl Max
Analytical Mind: Lvl 4
Physical Endurance: Lvl 2
Attributes:
Strength: F+
Agility: F+
Intelligence: C
Sense: D
Vitality: F+
Charisma: C-
Attribute points: 55
Perks:
Determination
Inventory: (Closed)
Something pulsed on the screen, a flicker of gold around the Charisma stat. Wait... so that levels up naturally too? Did making good choices boost my brains, or sweet-talking someone make me more likable? Then my eyes landed on the attribute points – not 5 anymore, but 55. The jump from level 1 to 2... that meant 50 points per level.
"Isn't this a bit much?" escaped my lips before I could stop it. But then I got an idea. Focusing on Strength, I watched it change, detail expanding:
Strength: F+ (23/30)
Mentally, I dumped 7 points into it. The stat glowed gold, then morphed into a less-than-stellar E- (0/45). Okay, so that generosity was slightly less insane. I had 48 points remaining. Use them now, or save them?
My eyes fell on that E-. If each rank-up cost me 15 more, that was a steady increase... no point in hoarding. But what if the curve wasn't so neat? Clicking out of Strength, I zeroed in on Intelligence. C meant it should be... 150 to level? Focusing, I watched the numbers pop up:
Intelligence: C (187/225)
Exponential. The higher up I got, the harder it would be. "Good idea, self. Grind for those early levels naturally, save these points for emergencies..." The thought solidified. Those levels up to C probably wouldn't be that hard, but if that dungeon at level 15 was brutal...
I'd figure out the rest later. My attention shifted to that new Perk, lingering on the description:
Determination: Your determination makes it more rewarding to push through hardships and challenges. Increases XP gain by 10% when facing adversity.
Determination. The word resonated with me. Was the system actually... responding to my resolve? Rewarding the stubborn heart that had never quite given up? With this perk, every hard fight, every failure, could be fuel. I could turn adversity into my advantage.
(After School)
The final bell tore me from my thoughts. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I headed out the door, mind abuzz. Bakugo's insults, the stat-sheet, those level-ups... It had been an insane day.
Then, just as I thought it was all winding down, an alert chimed, a window flashing into existence.
Optional Quest: A Hero's Duty
Head to Takoba Municipal Beach Park to gain more information about the quest.
My steps slowed. Takoba Beach... the name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen it. Still, a quest was a quest. And with this system, any opportunity to level up probably shouldn't be ignored.
My fingers fumbled with the cracked screen of my outdated phone, the maps app sluggish as it loaded. Typing in "Takoba Municipal Beach Park," I waited for the route to pop up. A dotted blue line appeared, snaking its way across the screen, and the word "start" pulsed beside a little green figure. Sighing, I tucked the phone in my pocket and began walking.
Each step carried me further from the familiar streets of Aldera, the cityscape giving way to more more natural surroundings.
My destination, when I finally reached it, was enough to make me stop dead in my tracks.
"Holy shit..."
The place was a disgrace. It wasn't the soft, warm beach I pictured when the quest popped up, but a jagged scar along the coastline. Mountains of trash – not just plastic bottles and takeaway containers, but whole appliances, rusted and dripping, broken furniture with springs popping out, and all sorts of junk I couldn't even identify.
The smell was worse than just old metal. There was a rot at the edge of it, the stink of things forgotten and left to decay. It was more landfill than beach.
How could anyone do this? Not just litter, but actively drag their crap out here, turning a beautiful place into a wasteland?
But… this place, as awful as it was, could actually be perfect. Those heaps of junk weren't just a mess, they were weights. Not the neat, measured ones in a gym, but awkward, unbalanced things that'd force my body to adapt.
The trash-strewn beach was an obstacle course no one had designed. My brain buzzed with possibilities – sprints up those sandy slopes while dumping the trash, dodging the broken stuff littering the ground, hefting rusted car parts to clear space... Hell, the cleanup alone would be harder than any gym workout I could imagine.
And with every piece of garbage I hauled away, I wouldn't just be getting stronger. I'd be doing something good. It was a kind of community service, sure, but... wasn't that what heroes were really about? Not flashy powers, but stepping up, making the world a little bit better?
The beach might be a disaster now, but I had a feeling that was about to change.
Before I could continue, a familiar blinking icon caught my attention. It felt like the game was waiting for a decision, and sure enough, the quest window sprang into existence:
Optional Quest: A Hero's Duty
Objective: Clean the entire Takoba Municipal Beach Park before the U.A. entrance exam.
Rewards:
30000 XP
Increased reputation with the residents of Musutafu
Special Skill
Failure Penalty:
Decreased reputation with the residents of Musutafu
Missed opportunity for valuable training and community service
Thirty thousand XP? Eyes widening, I reread the details. A smile split my face – this wasn't just leveling up, this was like hitting the jackpot. Reputation boost with the whole city? Damn, that could be useful later on. But it was that 'Special Skill' that really caught my eye. What the hell would I get? Some cleaning power? That'd be weirdly specific, but who knew?
The failure penalty gave me pause for a moment. Screw up, and I'd not only miss out on all those goodies, but probably earn myself a bad name, too. But then, the image of this trashed beach rose in my mind's eye, and that stubborn flame I was getting used to flared up. Hell no. This wasn't just some side quest, it was a challenge, and dammit, I wasn't gonna back down.
I mentally hit 'Accept', and a rush of energy shot through me as the window dissolved. Turning towards the trash-strewn shore, I cracked my knuckles. Those mountains of junk didn't know what was coming. I'd have this place sparkling by exam day, turn it into a training ground unlike anything in the city.
The setting sun painted the sky in streaks of orange and purple - a pretty backdrop to my less-than-scenic horizon. With a final glance at the beach, I headed home, ready to come up with a foolproof plan.
The next ten months would be a test. One I had no intention of failing. With hard work, determination, and maybe a little luck, I'd transform myself.
I am Izuku Midoriya, and it was time to get to work.
