《Souls Hero Academia》Chapter 17: Viewing - Undead Asylum 1
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The days passed and Izuku found himself standing in front of the person who would read and record his memories for all his classmates and teachers to view.
Before this event happened, Izuku and all of the students, as well as heroes, who were involved in the USJ incident were given therapy. No doubt, a couple of students wanted out of the hero course, that included Mina, Aoyama, Kirishima, Mineta, and Shoji. Reason being 4 of them were the most horribly injured out of 5, while the other was suffering from depression and anxiety attacks.
For some reason, the media weren't able to notice just how horrible the USJ incident went. All that was said was there was an attack and all of the students were safe and alive. The villains however, was subjected to a traitor in the villain ranks, causing 80% of the attackers to lose their life.
At least, that's what was described on the news. But U.A. will forever engrave in its memory the horrible and horrifying incident that was the USJ.
Anyway, back to the therapies, Izuku was under heavy scrutiny because of the encounter with Tsukauchi. There was no doubt, Izuku set off warning bells in the therapists' heads because of how nonchalant he was about the incident. There was no emotion on how he recalled the events, just like it was a daily occurrence him. If being in a battlefield full of death and corpses counts as a daily occurrence, then what the hell happened to the teen?
He was left alone for the time being, seeing that at the present there was no way to help him with his abnormal mental state, but this did not mean they weren't doing their best to help him.
The other students however, were busy bawling, crying, shivering, pretty much any negative emotion and action when asked to share some thoughts about the incident, including a certain blonde who kept on yelling death threats towards the therapists telling them that he is fine, so go fuck themselves. Therapists recorded that he needed help, a LOT of help just under Izuku's huge red file of ASSIST IMMEDIATELY.
Then there was one who was still in recovery after having his left arm chopped off. And that person was Todoroki Shoto. Even though he was still recovering, thanks to state-of-the-art healing quirks and Recovery Girl, he was deemed physically fit by the doctors to attend classes. He was told to make sure that he doesn't overexert himself for the next couple of days.
When he arrived at school with a missing arm, every student was shocked. Son of Endeavor, the number 2 hero, lost his arm in a villain raid. This prompted some students (a.k.a. Monoma Neito) to sneer in contempt at the aforementioned son of the number 2 hero.
Izuku who noticed the looks given, scowled at the idiots who thought they could do better against the knights. That and apparently, Shoto was given a wake-up call towards left side.
Because he hesitated, because he refused to use his left side…
He almost died…
He thought he could be a hero using only his mother's side, he was dead wrong. In the real world, every advantage count, every weakness can be exploited, and it took an arm for Shoto to realize that.
He would use his left side, even if he dislikes doing so, to make sure nobody else will go through the same experience as him.
And now fast-forwards a few more days and Izuku is now facing a person a head taller than he was with a…
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"Why do you have a camera for a head?" Izuku asked with interest.
"Comes with the quirk. Name's Tsuchigimi Kenta, my quirk's name is 'Story of your Life.' Cheesy, I know, but it's the only name I could come up with," the man, Kenta, replied while fiddling with his extension chord that was connected to said camera head.
"So how does it work?" Izuku asked.
"Heh, that's easy. I plug this in your body, don't worry, it won't hurt, and I can process your memories into a video and have it playing on a screen. Downside is I can only process about 2 hours a day before I have to rest for a week," Kenta said with a shrug. Izuku stared at the man when he asked the most important question that could mean life or death for the man.
"Can you feel the emotions of a memory?" Izuku asked with a steady gaze, in which the Kenta responded with a smile.
"No worries, I can't feel what you were feeling at the time of the memory, so don't worry about me breaking down in madness," Kenta snickered as the door to the room opened, revealing Nezu, perching on top of All Might.
"I believe it is time Izuku. You've been secretive about your past after telling Detective Tsukauchi some bits and pieces. Plus, you know more about those unknowns than us if Detective Tsukauchi's report is true," Nezu said with a cheery, but menacing smile which did not perturb Izuku in the slightest.
"I know, so," Izuku gazed to the man who was holding the chord with his right hand. "How do we do this?"
A few minutes later…
"… Holy shit, kid… This is no joke…" Kenta said with a very pale face. This got the interest of Nezu and All Might. "Give me some time and I can cut the parts. Also, I swear this won't get out, if it did, well… Let's just say Tartarus will be like heaven compared to this."
And with that sentence, both Nezu and All Might recoiled in fear.
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Class 1-A were ushered into a room shaped like a theater. At the request of Izuku, the current viewing will only be watched by his classmates, teachers, and principal. Future viewing participant will be decided by Nezu depending on the reactions towards said viewing.
Which Izuku knew will be the top heroes because of how world-threatening it is.
"Ochako," Izuku called out to his seatmate who was busy thinking about her current status. Ochako moved her gaze towards Izuku who was looking at her with a worried expression. She smiled weakly in response as she clenched her fists tightly.
"It's just… I'm not… human anymore… right?" Ochako asked, tears threatening to spill out from her eyes. Izuku just stared at the emotionally and mentally scarred brunette in front of him.
"Why are you here?" Izuku asked with a raised eyebrow.
"… E-excuse me?" Ochako stared confused at the emerald teen before her. "I-I don't understand."
"Why do you want to be a hero?" Izuku asked again, expression never changing. Ochako understood what he meant by now.
"Why I want to be a h-hero…? I want to earn money so I can let my parents live an easy life," Ochako said with a blush, ashamed at the less than noble goal from the occupation. Izuku smiled in response while patting her head.
"That's good, never lose sight of your purpose," Izuku said as he turned his head away and muttered under his breath. "Lest you go hollow…"
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Ochako didn't quite hear the last words, but his words calmed her down, if only for a moment.
"Thanks, Deku," Ochako smiled wholeheartedly at the person who saved her twice from death.
"If I may have your attention," the speaker went loud and on the stage Principal Nezu perching atop All Might greeted the students, as well as the teachers which included, Present Mic, Eraserhead, Midnight, and Cementoss. "We will be starting shortly. Once again, for those who wish to switch courses, now is the time to walk away. As per agreement, those who watch may never switch to another course, or rather, any school."
The students looked at Nezu with an anxious, yet determined gaze. Apparently, therapy is effective towards their trauma.
"No? Then let's start. Please engrave the viewing into your minds as this involves one of your classmates' past, as well as the reason for those unknown villains attacking the USJ," Nezu said in a somber tone as he recalled the scene of utter death. The students, and some teachers visibly shook in disgust and fear.
"…" Izuku silently stared at the screen with an indifferent face, brushing off the stares coming from his classmates and teachers.
Nezu hopped off All Might and went to the front of the seats and took a free one. All Might promptly excused himself as Nezu had a job for him. In place of him, his secretary, Yagi Toshinori will view the viewing while taking notes.
The students went into chatter mode for a moment until the screen lit up.
Izuku stood up at the edge of a building, eyes dead, tear stains visible on his face. The next second, he jumped. When he was nearing the ground, Izuku's face lit up in horror, desperation taking over his body.
"… What…"
"… The…"
"… Fuck…"
The students and teachers looked horrified that Izuku tried committing suicide. All of them looked towards said teen, but he was looking at the screen like it was no big deal.
"Uhhh, Midoriya, you okay?" Kirishima asked Izuku with a frown. Izuku nodded, causing most of the people inside to recoil in shock.
"I WANT TO LIVE!"
Izuku awoke from a sudden thud and looked around with caution. He was inside some kind of cell, an incredible dirty cell. One that has not been maintained for years. He spotted an out of place characteristic within the cell he inhabited.
In the center lie a dried-up corpse, dressed in only rags that covered its indecent parts. This got Izuku's mind racing.
Some students went queasy at the sight of a dried-up corpse. Those who saw Izuku's hollowed form, not so much.
"W-what in the world? W-where am I?" Izuku wondered nervously as a sudden shuffling of steps was heard from above. He directed his gaze towards the ceiling to spot some kind of hole, and on the other side of the hole was someone dressed in some kind of knight armor. Without even bothering to talk with Izuku, the knight vanished from his sight as the sound of footsteps grew quieter and quieter until no more could be heard.
"W-who was that?" Izuku anxiously stood up and shook his head. Then, the memories returned. The encounter with the sludge villain, then with All Might, then the crushing of his dreams… And then the memory of…
Jumping off a building…
Izuku paled and started having a panic attack. Why? Why would he do that? He knew himself best. He wouldn't do that. Not because for his sake, but for his…
"Deku…" Ochako stared wide-eyed at the teen beside her. "D-do you… not care about your life at all…?"
In response, Izuku just chuckled darkly. This got the attention of everybody inside the room.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Izuku darkly said with a tired smile. Everybody went back to focusing on the screen.
"M-mom?" Izuku's eyes began to water. He would never see her again. Hell, he wouldn't be able to continue his dream of being a hero. But worst of all…
"W-what would mom feel…?" Izuku despaired, blaming his own self for causing more suffering to his mother. But then, he realized.
"W-wait… If I am here… If I'm still alive…" Izuku stood back up, calming his nerves. His shaking got less and less, until his beating heart calmed down and he began to breathe normally again. "I will return, mom."
"… This is depressing to watch…" Kaminari said without tact, making Jirou stab him with her earjacks.
"Quiet!" Jirou snarled towards the electric blonde, who in turn raised a shaky thumbs up.
And so, he took his first step towards freedom. After removing the key from the corpse that was dropped by that unknown knight, Izuku began traversing the dungeon of the Undead Asylum. He first encountered the unresponsive hollows in the corridor.
There were also writing on the ground, telling Izuku to kill them. He didn't want to, in fact, he never wanted to kill a person in his entire life. But in here, life means nothing. All of them revives, even if you kill them again and again and again.
"Wait what…?" Everybody in the room voiced their question.
"Are those zombies? Or are they human?" Sero asked. Izuku shrugged and pointed at the screen.
The writing stated that if he didn't kill and collect the souls, he wouldn't even be able to survive an hour in this unforgiving place. So, with great hesitation, using a broken sword hilt that he had on his person, he swung the chipped and broken blade towards the unprotected head of the hollow.
The squelching of meat and groans of pain coming from the mouth of the hollow made Izuku blanch. Once the hollow was killed, Izuku straight out collapsed and hurled the contents of his stomach. He didn't even realize some souls entered his body after the kill.
The room went silent. Pure horror etched on everyone's face except for those used to some deaths, a.k.a. heroes and Izuku. The students and teachers worryingly looked at Izuku who was again, indifferent towards the video.
It continued like that for a few moments, wallowing in the realization that he had killed a living creature for the first time in his life. The first time was always the hardest, and always the most challenging. He justified that the hollow he killed was nothing more than a puppet, a shell of a former living being and that it deserved mercy. To be put to rest from its eternal torment.
But no matter how much he justified himself, he just couldn't get over the feeling of killing someone. It disgusted him. He wanted to be a hero, he wanted to save people, he didn't want to kill people.
"… He could've been the perfect one…" Toshinori muttered under his breath, nobody hearing his words. 'And I took it all away…'
He remembered that boy, the boy whose dreams he crushed. He didn't think that it would lead to his attempted suicide.
'I'm a failure of a hero…' he thought grimly.
He remembered the reason why he was even doing this. He wanted to go back home. To return to his mother and apologize for doing the stupid things he did. Stacking excuse upon excuse upon excuse for the reason of his bruises and burns every time he returned home.
"Wait, you were bullied Midoriya?" Kirishima asked with an uneasy voice.
"Yes, anything else?" he responded so casually that almost everybody stared at him in pure shock.
'Just how mentally scarred is this teenager?'
He didn't want to do that anymore. So, with great determination, he stood back up and continued onwards.
A few more meters ahead, a rumble overtook the corridor. Izuku gripped the broken sword in alarm, scanning the area for any enemies. When he looked towards the huge area that was visible from his place, Izuku trembled in fear.
"Holy! That's one ugly motherfucker!" Kaminari exclaimed in pure disgust. The others nodded in agreement, looks of horror and disgust evident on their face, save for some others.
"Language Kaminari! Another one and you're getting detention," Aizawa chided within his mummy wraps.
"W-what the hell i-is that!?" Izuku nearly fell down on his ass if it wasn't for the huge monster not noticing him through the bars. "C-calm down… It can't g-get you… You're safe here… Yes… Just d-don't look at it then y-you'll be f-fine…"
Izuku shook in fear as he walked forward, encountering another hollow leaning on the wall. It was unresponsive, like the earlier hollow. With great hesitation, Izuku approached and stabbed it through the eye and brain. Izuku almost hurled, but kept it in and headed on forward, hands trembling in disgust, horror, fear, and anger.
Another hollow sitting inside a pool of sewage. Izuku just left it alone seeing that it didn't seem to want to fight him.
Following the linear path, Izuku scaled a ladder leading up. Once he was out the dungeon, Izuku spotted a seemingly ordinary bonfire in the middle of a clearing. Not knowing why it was there, Izuku approached it and realized he had no kindling, or anything to kickstart a fire.
"Why is there a bonfire there?" Todoroki who was silent, piped up in confusion. There were monsters, corpses, and then there's a bonfire… How disparate the image was when brought together.
"I'll explain after the viewing," Izuku responded, in which Shoto nodded.
Izuku was at a loss until a feeling emerged from the bonfire, drawing him in. It felt warm, safe, like it was home. Izuku held his arm up towards the bonfire, and in response, it lit up and fire emerged.
Izuku looked confused. 'Why did it light up? Did I do that? That's impossible. I don't have a quirk…'
In a thinking spree, minutes passed by until Izuku realized how long he was busy sitting down, enjoying the warmth emitted by the bonfire. He stood up and continued onwards. Exploring the area, he found an iron grated door, but it was locked from the other side and his hand is too big to fit through the holes.
"BREAK IT DOWN!" Bakugou screamed, causing the others to flinch in surprise at the sudden loud voice, with Jirou reacting badly.
"Shut up!" she exclaimed in anger while Aizawa glared at the ash blonde.
"Bakugou, quiet down or you're getting kicked out," Bakugou nodded and sat down with a huff.
The iron door looked very rusty and brittle, so he could probably kick it down. He winded up his leg and gave his strongest kick, but instead of the door being kicked down, Izuku instead felt like kicking down a mountain.
"W-what the…" Izuku muttered in disbelief. The door looked like it didn't get any dents, actually scratch that, it literally stayed the same. "This isn't the way then…"
Izuku backtracked and went towards the huge double door leading towards the huge building. Izuku gulped, 'Can I even open this door?'
Izuku huffed and placed both hands on the door. Gathering his strength, Izuku pushed, and the door slowly opened. Izuku was grinning a bit, thinking at how a scrawny kid like him could push a huge, heavy door open.
"… I don't think a normal human can open that door without a strength-augmenting quirk," Momo said in a matter of fact tone. The others nodded in agreement while Izuku snorted quietly.
"O-okay… Where am I now?" Izuku muttered under his breath. He found himself inside a huge room. Vases littered the sides, and on the middle part of the room, more writings were found.
When he read it, a pit formed inside his gut. He looked back and saw the door shut firmly, and a huge hulking behemoth dropped from the ceiling.
Izuku trembled in fear.
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