A Hero's Quest

Chapter 1

Mrs. Mason was worried for her son. Izuku spent most of the day at the kitchen table scribbling nonstop in his notebook. At noon exactly, he'd panic, remembering he worked the early shift at Momo's Cat Café.

This was Izuku's daily routine for the past couple months. Since September 8th, when he bounded into the apartment, waving a gilded envelope.

" OMG! I got one! I actually got one! Ultimate Martial Academy requests me for tryouts! They only distribute a certain number of specially marked envelopes. And receiving one doesn't guarantee you a spot in the Hero Study Course, but it's still amazing to find one in your mailbox! Eeee! This is such an honor." Izuku rambled, stars shimmering in his eyes as he squeezed the letter to his chest.

Mrs. Mason was baffled, yet elated for her son. Following that exuberant morning, Izuku studied like a madman. He'd mumble under his breath, scratch his forehead with the tip of a pencil, and rush to the café without a care in the world. How did the boy have so much energy? Izuku barely slept and occasionally his mom found him cogitating until 2:00 am!

She tried asking Izuku if there was anything she could do to help and he simply shook his head. She managed to convince him to take periodic breaks, but Mrs. Mason was concerned that one day he'd deflate like a balloon.

Maybe there was a way she could make things easier for Izuku. Moms were known ( by other moms ) to make excellent substitute teachers and cook the best comfort foods. Mrs. Mason decided to recreate some of Izuku's favorite memories.

She began with breakfast: double chocolate pancakes and scrambled eggs with a glass of orange juice.
Izuku smelled the buttery pancakes from his room and slipped on the café uniform.

" Honey, breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Mason called with a skip in her step.

" Okay, be there in a sec." He replied.

Izuku stood in front of his full length mirror and sighed. Was he really hero material? Izuku had been cramming for the big exam next week, but felt unprepared. His Art: a form of energy converted to raw power, still glitched and with a part-time job along with finishing high school, he feared he wouldn't make the cut.

Izuku's mom was very supportive as parents should be, but lately she's distracted him with unusually nice gestures. And being a grateful son, he didn't want to disappoint.

" You better hurry or it'll get cold!" Mrs. Mason insisted, growing anxious.

Izuku chuckled softly and jogged downstairs. The sight of a neatly set table and gooey pancakes made him drool. He plopped into an empty chair and gobbled up his eggs.

" This is amazing Mom. But uh, why pancakes? You only make chocolate pancakes on birthdays. Is it someone's birthday?!" Izuku's eyes widened. How could he have forgotten something that dire?

Mrs. Mason waved a hand dismissively. " No, no. It's no one's birthday. I—I just thought it'd be a good surprise."

Her gaze diverted to the napkin in her lap and Izuku knew something was wrong. " Mom, is everything okay?" He inquired.

Mrs. Mason dapped her wet eyes and blew her nose. " It's nothing. You know me—always getting choked up." She gave him a weak smile and returned to eating.

Izuku frowned. He wasn't a stranger to lies and he knew by the way his mom was fidgeting that something was definitely bothering her. No matter what he asked or how much he pried, she'd never admit it.

They ate in silence, then Izuku dropped the dishes in the sink and left for work. He promised to be home before dinner.

Mrs. Mason was furious with herself for almost exposing her genius. She saw the delight the meal brought Izuku, but it wasn't enough. She needed something monumental to take his mind off the exam.