The Shogun

Chapter 4 : The Bad Day Part 3

Then

Why was he here!? Izuku had no answer for that. When he saw the smoke billowing from the streets, his hero fanatic brain quickly wanted to be there to note down the face-off which went down between the heroes and the villains. But as soon as he took a step towards the door which would have led him downstairs, his suppressed rational side of his brain kicked in, reminding him of his conversation with All Might and this caused him to stop in his tracks. Seeing the ever invincible hero in such a defeated form was definitely eye opening to him, but was it discouraging?... No... Never... Izuku might be a wimp but he was not a quitter. Life has thrown him many obstacles but he always intended to rise up against them. Sure, it definitely takes some time but hey!... Slow and steady wins the race.

But at the same time, an internal turmoil was brewing inside the green haired boy. Any passerby wouldn't have noticed due to the blank face he usually carried, but one could only fathom how much the boy loathed himself. The years of anguish, berating, the stares of pity and disgust were now feeling heavy on his teenage shoulders. Izuku sometimes wondered why he was not physically strong considering the amount of weight he was carrying right now and he couldn't help but chuckle darkly realizing the fact that mental strain doesn't count as a physical strain. He personally felt like titan Atlas, who was punished to bear the weight of the sky. Heh! That could be a very good hero name.. Atlas... The one who bears everything but doesn't give up.

Izuku by all means wanted to avoid this incident. He even planned an alternate route towards his home which would by all means avoid the shopping district the smoke was coming from. He had every intention to go home, take a nap to shake off all the things that happened today and with a smile, welcome his mother home and have a nice long talk about his future. One day or other, he has to confront her about his dream after all!

But he didn't expect a betrayal from his own body. Turns out, his body was so hardwired towards the heroes that it had automatically carried him towards the said shopping district and before he could realize, he was one of the masses that had gathered to watch the incident unfold.

'Why! Why did I come here!? Did I come here out of habit!? Why can't I have things go my way just for once!?' Izuku berates himself. The green haired boy's body moved without his command and he could help but berate himself more, thinking, 'Stop it. It'll feel meaningless right now. Just head home and calm down. Take a nap and have a convers-' But his thoughts halt it's progress as he saw the familiar movement of sludge in the center of the street.

The street of the shopping district was up in flames and Backdraft, a pro hero who was able to manipulate water, was trying his best to keep the fire from spreading even more. Kamui Woods was doing his best to close the distance between the heroes and the sentient sludge but the intense heat was forcing him retreat multiple times. Death Arms and other pro heroes were maintaining the perimeter so that no civilian was foolish enough to go towards the crime scene. The sludge moved violently destroying everything in its path, but the heroes were forced to take a step back.

'Why!? Why is he here!? Didn't All Might capture him!? Then how is he here!?' Izuku asks himself as a feeling of dread was adding its weight on his already existing despair and his mind automatically flashes to the time he was with the number one hero. The green haired boy saw him trap the sludge in two separate bottles. He saw him put it in the pockets of his pants. The bottles were present when they were on the roof... No! They were not present in his pockets at that time! Izuku replays the memory again and he quickly comes to a realization. During his grab for the Symbol of Peace's leg.... That must be the time it fell off.... No! That was definitely the time it fell off!

The sense of despair grew as the only thought that plagued Izuku's mind was, 'He dropped it because of me... The villain is now out of the bottle because of me... It is on the rampage because of me.. This is all my fault!'