𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹? 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀. (𝗠𝗛𝗔 𝘅 𝗝𝗝𝗞 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳)

Chapter 2

Is it... Real?

The next morning, Izuku Midoriya woke up with an unusual sense of anticipation. The previous day's events replayed in his mind as he got ready for school. The pen, the lamp post, the old lady.

Could it really be that he had awakened a Quirk? Finally??

He was eager to test it out, to see if the strange energy he had felt was truly something more than a figment of his imagination.

Izuku walked to school with a slight bounce in his step, clutching his bag tightly. As he entered the school grounds, he kept his eyes peeled for any small objects he could try to move discreetly. He needed to confirm if what happened yesterday was real or just a fluke.

The first opportunity came during homeroom. As the teacher droned on about school announcements, Izuku focused on a small piece of paper on his desk. He willed it to move, just a little. He felt that familiar tingling sensation in his chest, but the paper remained still. Frowning, he tried again, focusing harder, creasing his forehead and clenching his fists.

Nothing.

"Really Deku?" Bakugou's voice snapped him out of his concentration. "You trying to make paper move with your mind now? What a loser."

Izuku flushed and quickly looked away, shoving the paper into his desk. "I-I was just thinking," he mumbled.

Before Bakugou could finish snorting he heard him say, "That was a shitty lie, shitty nerd." He lifted his head up to see bakugou's mouth was a thin line as he stared at Deku.

He was delusional. It hadn't happened. Bakugou didn't even speak yet.

Bakugou snorted, his eyes filled with disdain. "You'll never be a hero, Deku. Stop being dense and get it in your useless head."

Izuku tilted his head downwards. Maybe he was being dense but he knows he had felt something yesterday, and he needed to find out what it was.

As he walked away all he 'heard' was "Deku." This word, it's meaning, the memories it carries, the person who created it. All of it chipped away at Izuku's resolve.

But you get used to it, right?

...

The morning classes dragged on, and his attempts to move objects remained unsuccessful. He tried it with pencils, erasers, and even his notebook, but nothing budged.

...

At lunch, Izuku found a secluded spot in the schoolyard and gathered a few pebbles. He sat cross-legged on the ground, staring intently at the small stones. The tingling sensation in his chest returned as he focused, willing the pebbles to move. They shifted slightly, but Izuku couldn't tell if it was his doing or just the wind.

Frustration built up inside him as he tried again and again, each time with the same result.

"I told you, Deku." Izuku looked up again, frantically looking around. Is he going crazy?

Am I losing my mind?

... No, the voice is right. He knew it wouldn't work. He let out a defeated sigh and slumped back against the wall. Maybe Bakugou was right. Maybe he was just imagining things.

He is delusional after all.

"Still playing with rocks, Deku?" Bakugou's voice cut through his thoughts. This one a bit more clear.

Izuku looked up to see Bakugou and his usual entourage standing nearby, watching him with amusement. "I'm just... trying to understand something," Izuku said quietly masking his fear perfectly.