To Be A Hero (On Hiatus)

What Progress Looks Like (Retyped)

"Who's Lynch?"

The moment Izuku heard these words, his heart rate skyrocketed, his pupils shrunk in shock, and he started shaking on the spot. For a moment, he wondered if he actually heard that right. Did he hear the name of the one that gave him the scar on his back?

Izuku's eyes lost color as many other questions came into mind. Questions that made him more panicked by the second. Why did Momo and Jiro know his name? Why were they talking to him alone about it? Did they actually meet him? Did they learn that Enso came from another world? Did they know Enso's connection to Lynch? Did they-?

"Izuku!" Momo suddenly yelled as she frantically shook the boy by his shoulders.

"H-Huh!?" Izuku blinked several times, his eyes regaining their bright green color as he felt sweat trailing down the side of his head. He realized he must've been in a daze if Momo had suddenly shaken him. This appeared to be the case as both Momo and Jiro both looked rather distraught.

"Your heart rate just spiked! What the hell happened to you!?" Jiro asked, her earphone jacks detecting intense thumping from the boy.

"Something happened during the internships, didn't it!?" Momo asked, her hold on Izuku's shoulders getting even tighter.

With so many questions going through his head, he found himself asking one back rather than answering.

"H-How... How do you know that name?"

Momo froze when she saw the returned look in Izuku's eyes. The distress, the fear, it was clear she wasn't supposed to know anything about that name, or even the name itself.

"I heard it." Jiro answered Izuku, staring right at him with serious eyes. "I was at my internship with Death Arms. We ended up meeting up with Enso and Kamui Woods when the pros wanted to meet together. Enso and I talked, but then... he got a call."

Izuku could feel his blood turn cold as Jiro continued.

"It was from All Might... He told him that a guy called 'Lynch' has been around since the Sports Festival. That's all I heard."

There was then a dreadful silence in the air around the three, with Izuku glancing down at the ground, attempting to calm his breathing.

"O-Okay... Sh-She doesn't know... They don't know who he is... They don't know everything..."

"Izuku..." Momo started, a pained look on her face as she placed her heart on her chest. "Please... Just tell us what's going on... Let us help you."

Izuku's eyes shadowed as he turned his head away.

"I can't..."

That shocked both females.

"What!? Why not!?" Jiro stepped forward, her disbelief clearly visible on her face.

"Because... I... I can't." Izuku muttered.

"Is... Is it because of Enso?" Momo asked.

Izuku didn't seem to react to her words, but the lack of response seemed to be his answer.

"Even though you're clearly going through something, Enso is telling you to just keep it yourself?" Momo asked, appearing to seem angry that Izuku's mentor was letting him suffer by himself. "You can't let him tell you to keep something to yourself when it's hurting you..."

"No... It's not my secret to tell in the first place... It has nothing to do with you guys." Izuku responded, his voice lowered in volume.

"Like hell it's got nothing to do with us!?" Jiro snapped. "We're your friends, aren't we!?"