Detective Midoriya

Chapter 25

"So let me get this straight," Makoto said, jabbing her chopsticks at him. "Endeavor is an abusive piece of crap, and you... You don't want to expose him and get his butt thrown in jail?"

"That would hurt more than it helps," Izuku said seriously. "Endeavor is the number two hero - people may not like him, but they trust him to fight the fights that they can't."

"But aren't heroes supposed to be people to look up to?" she demanded. "Shouldn't they have morals?"

"Ideally, yes. But if you look back at any civilization, I can tell you with almost certainty that their heroes weren't great people. They're narcissistic, they usually don't care about other people, or at least not as much as we think they should, and they're selfish. People don't necessarily care if a hero is motivated by people in distress or the desire to be the top hero. The only thing that separates them from the villain is perspective," Izuku said, their words tinged with weariness. "But does it really matter why the hero is fighting those fights if lives are saved? Does it change the fact that those civilians get to live another day?"

Blinking at the boy, Makoto asked, "Hold up, where did this jaded child come from? Are you the same Midoriya Izuku I met this morning?"

"I want to believe in morally straight heroes just as much as anyone," Izuku defended. "But I also need to be realistic about it. Heroes are human too. They have emotions, they make mistakes. Expecting them to be anything else is unhealthy for them and us. That doesn't mean we shouldn't expect more from them, but idolizing them the way we do is setting society up for failure one way or another. If everything good in this world is supposed to come from heroes, what happens when they don't measure up?"

Makoto opened and closed her mouth a few times, her mind clearly racing. "Dang, kid. Do you take philosophy classes in your spare time?"

"I've just thought about this a lot over the past year," Izuku said. "It kills me to know that Endeavor - and probably other heroes as well - are getting away with things like this. I don't want to condone it, but if we do things right, Endeavor will pay in another way."

"I see where you're coming from now, and as much as I hate it, I think this might be the right way to go. Unfortunately, Endeavor is smart - if he weren't I'd be a lot more useful. Manipulating stupidly vain heroes is my specialty after dealing with Captain Celebrity for so long."

The serious conversation dropped off immediately as Izuku's eyes comically widened. Almost reverently he breathed, "You worked with Captain Celebrity?"

"Yes, and he was the vainest, pigheaded man I've ever met," Makoto said disdainfully.

"Tell me everything."

"I will," Makoto said with a wicked grin, "if you tell me about this Uraraka girl that Saito has told me so much about."

Izuku visibly shrank into himself. "So, I think the first step in investigating Endeavor will be"

"No, you don't get to dodge the question. Is she or is she not the Uraraka Ochako that is on my list of students to interview?"

"She is," Izuku said slowly, painfully.

"So a hero student then? You're certainly ambitious," Makoto said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Looking for someone with a nice paycheck? If she's good enough, then-"

"No!" Izuku said, scandalized. "I would like her regardless of her wanting to be a hero! She's kind and smart, and pretty."

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when Izuku realized what he'd said, he flushed bright red, sinking into himself.

"That's so pure, Makoto said, smirking. "What's your plan of attack for the pretty, smart, kind Uraraka? Send her flowers? A necklace, perhaps?"

"I... I asked her to get boba tea with me tonight after my shift."