Leave Your Mark | Various!BNHA x Reader

26: At His Wits' End

It's no secret that you want to become a hero. From the moment you realized what world this was, you decided you wanted to do something meaningful with your life. You wanted to finally have a purpose.

Still, you have to acknowledge that you're an anomaly. After all, you're not technically supposed to even be here. You aren't a character that was written into the story, with a pre-determined fate. There's no guarantee that being a hero is ingrained in your future.

Then again, you've already resolved to change that future. And you won't give up until everyone's fates-including your own-have been secured.

But of course, you're not going to become a hero just by sitting around. Again, since you aren't originally a part of this world, you don't exactly have any plot armor on your side.

Which is why you're immeasurably thankful for Aizawa.

"You're getting better," Aizawa praises with a light nod. "Your stamina's improved quite a bit. Before, you used to cry and beg me to end our training early."

"I never did that," you shamefully deny.

"Really? Then why do I have several videos of you whining saved on my phone?"

"They're... fake. That's AI. Didn't you know, Aizawa? AI deepfakes are becoming a real problem nowadays. Someone must have hacked your phone and added all those fake, unflattering videos of me. Yeah. That must be what happened."

Aizawa chuckles softly, then pats your head. "You're as ridiculous as ever. But either way, good job today. As long as you don't slack off on your training, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get into U.A. I think you've got what it takes."

You smile, wiping some sweat off your brow. Aizawa has been helping out with your physical training regimen, like basic muscle strengthening, stamina improvement, and so on and so forth. He's been teaching you the basics of hand-to-hand combat, too. You're still a bit clumsy, and your Quirk isn't necessarily close-ranged to begin with, but it's always better to be flexible. You don't want to rely on your powers wholeheartedly. There's no telling what might happen in a fight. You want to be prepared for every possible scenario.

Aizawa always tries to help give you advice when it comes to improving your Quirk, but since everyone's powers are different, he's limited as to what he can do in that regard. It all comes down to simple discipline. Nearly every single day, you train your Quirk at least a little bit so that you can improve your control. You can levitate more objects than you used to be able to. Like Uraraka, it seems you have a weight limit barrier to overcome. The harder you train, the more you'll be capable of. Plus, after being attacked by that villain, you've already proven that you can use your powers to protect others. That alone is reassuring.

"I'm going to become a hero," you mumble determinedly. You pause for a moment, then shake your head. "No. I need to become a hero. So, I'm going to keep working hard. Even if I whine a bit along the way, please don't give up on me, Aizawa. I promise I can do it. I'll do whatever it takes."

Aizawa stares at you. It's strange. Plenty of kids dream of becoming heroes, of course. They all idolize heroes and yearn to have that same kind of admiration directed their own way. Most aren't actually serious about it and give up after a while. Still, he's always thought that the phrasing you use is interesting. Something about the way you say it makes him scratch his head.

"I've noticed you say that a lot," Aizawa remarks. "You say that you need to become a hero, not just that you want to. Why do you need to do anything? This is still your own choice to make, at the end of the day. If you feel pressured to accomplish this goal just because I'm a hero and I took you in, you shouldn't. It's okay if your dreams have changed. I'm fine with whatever you decide to do with your life. I made the decision to look after you, and you have the right to make decisions of your own. You don't owe me anything."