Reset and Rewind

Chapter 14 - The Trigger Theory

Deku📗: We won't let you down sir!!

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Izuku wished he could say he was studying hard for the upcoming exams, like he was supposed to, but instead he was staring down at his notebook, unraveling the new information he obtained after they broke into that Jikan hideout. The plans indicated they were designing a machine that manipulated time. It used an adapted version of Eri's quirk to literally rewind time, to reset the timeline and make it as if things never happened. Yet one way or another they were all regaining memories of that past timeline, the one that wasn't supposed to exist anymore.

He frowned, looking over his notes, trying to figure out whether there was some kind of trigger for their memory restoration. Let's see, he regained his memories when he was four, when he was about to receive his quirkless diagnosis. It was a moment that changed the course of his life completely, that marked him as weak and insignificant. If anything, it was a moment Izuku would never forget.

Kacchan was the next one to regain his memories, back in middle school when his bullying hit an all-time high and he was about to tell Izuku to kill himself. That was also a moment Kacchan would never forget, if Izuku had to believe the ash blonde. It was the moment he realized he'd gone too far. And later that day, he'd be saved by the green head, making it clear to him that Izuku was a true hero, unlike him. It was what would eventually shape their relationship to what it had become now.

Ochako remembered during the entrance exam, when Izuku smashed the zero pointer to save her. That was a moment of inspiration, the moment she decided she wanted to become a rescue hero. At least, that's what his friend had confessed to him one night after having a little too much to drink.

Next was Aizawa, who regained his memories during the ball throw, one of the tests of the quirk apprehension test. Izuku didn't really know what went through his mind at that time, but he was sure that was the moment he saw potential in Izuku, something he hadn't seen before. It meant he didn't get expelled, that no one got expelled, so maybe that influenced things as well?

Then, Eijirou awakened during the USJ incident while talking to Kacchan. It was the moment their friendship started, if Izuku remembered right. It was the moment Eijirou saw Kacchan for who he really was and started following him around, admiring his skills and manliness. Their friendship shaped them into the heroes they are today, or well, will become in the future.

Shoto remembered during the sportsfestival, during his conversation with Izuku. They were talking about Endeavor, about Shoto's quirk. Izuku had told him it was his power, a line he'd normally scream at him during their fight in the final round of the festival. It was that line that pushed him to use his fire the first time around, and it was that line that awakened the memories inside of him.

Tenya was the newest addition to that list, having regained his memory in the midst of the Hero Killer chaos. It's when he realized what being a true hero is all about, that killing someone was never the right solution.

Izuku sighed, dragging his hands down over his face. If there was any significant connection, he wasn't seeing it. Those moments were so different from one another that he couldn't possibly find a thread to connect it all. The only thing he could come up with was that they were all core memories of some kind, things that changed them and shaped them into who they'd become- His eyes widened. It shaped them into the people they would become, the people they were in the future!

That's it! That must be it! Certain important personal events must trigger memory gain somehow! And if that was true, then they could trigger others to regain their memories as well! He could start predicting whether certain people would be regaining their memories at specific moments in time or under specific circumstances- Izuku instantly turned to a blank page in his notebook, writing down all the people he knew were involved in the Jikan raid in the future and went to work.