Timeloop Trouble

Chapter 43 - A New Vigilante

Izuku planned it all out. He took advantage of his position within the Hero Commission to gather the necessary information and keep an eye on Jikan, making sure they didn't attract any unwanted attention for now. No, he needed them to rewind time once more, to give Izuku another chance at this. A chance to show Kacchan that he was still the same, that he hadn't changed- Or rather, that the change wasn't irreversible. He could still be a hero the way he used to be. Selfless and caring. And so, for the first time in a long while, he looked forward to waking up in the doctor's office, squeezing his All Might plushie while Garaki told them he wouldn't get a quirk.

He knew how to sabotage the machine, knew how to keep Jikan away from the most crucial element of their plan: Eri. All he had to do was kidnap the girl. He would keep her from the harm that would befall her if she were to land in Overhaul's care and he would keep Jikan from using her quirk to mess with time. It was a win-win situation! All he had to do was take her before she turned three, since she developed her quirk before the age of four, like most children did. Izuku's body would be twelve years old by then, strong enough to use most of his quirks if he was careful about the power output. He'd have to train while staying under the radar of the Hero Commission, though.

Or maybe he didn't need to stay out of the open at all?

Maybe if he just disguised himself...

And so, at the bright young age of nine, Izuku became a vigilante in his neighborhood. This way he could train and help people! Vigilantes are just heroes without licenses, after all. All he needed to do was cover up his face and make sure not to talk too much so people wouldn't suspect he was a child. He also made sure to get away before the police showed up so they couldn't arrest him. The same couldn't be said about pro heroes, though... A few of them had tried to catch him, to no avail. Izuku had a quirk for every occasion so they didn't stand a chance. That and he grew up in this neighborhood multiple times, he knew these heroes and what they could do.

Some handled it better. Left him to do his thing, accepted his help whenever he showed up out of the blue. They didn't strike a friendly conversation by any means, but they didn't try to point out how illegal his activities were, either. Izuku appreciated that type of hero the most. He earned their respect. Of course there were also a couple who instantly knew they were dealing with a child. Those were the annoying ones. Heroes who tried to take care of him, to keep him out of harm's way. They asked about curfews and schoolwork, talked about worried parents, about adult responsibilities. Izuku was older than all of them combined, for crying out loud!

"You out again, kid?"

Then there was Eraserhead. Izuku glanced aside as the man landed on the metal fire escape he was sitting on. The alley they were in was dark enough not to be seen, even if Izuku was wearing a brightly coloured All Might hoodie and a white fox festival mask. He didn't get why he was running into Eraser so much these days. His patrol route was nowhere near here and yet for the last couple of days he seemed just around the corner. Always there whenever Izuku sat down to rest.

"Stalking me again, I see," he said, frowning when the pro handed him one of those take-away coffee cups.

"It's hot chocolate," Aizawa clarified. "Weather's getting colder, you know?"

"I'm not taking off my mask."

"I know."

They sat in silence for a while after that, simply watching the few people who walked by on the main road. He was right, the weather was getting colder, meaning there were less people out at this hour. It promised to be a quiet evening. Izuku didn't mind though. Getting out there wasn't just about training and helping people. No, because no matter how hard he tried, he found himself being selfish. Wanting to get away from the restrictions of childhood, the cage that was his home. Don't get him wrong, he loved his mother. Inko was sweet and kind and the best mom Izuku could wish for. But she could be overbearing at times, too worried about her poor defenseless quirkless son. Izuku didn't have the heart to talk back to her, and so here he was. Hoping to get away from it all.