This is the worst start to a story that I have ever written so bare with me.
As far as anyone knows, Izuku has given up on being a hero. He almost thinks he has.
It's oddly funny how after years of being told by dozens of people he'll never achieve his dream, he still believed he could reach his goal, and then all it took was one person to convince him that maybe everyone was right. Sure, that one person was his idol, the worlds number one hero, the symbol of peace and all that but still, why did one persons opinion matter.
It might have been how All Might had told him he couldn't be a hero. Everyone told him he was worthless, that worthless people couldn't be heroes. All Might had told him he couldn't be a hero, at least not in the way he was, but still said he could help people. He was quirkless, not worthless.
In his head, Izuku knew it was time he faced the truth. He would never be the type of hero who he watched on television. He'd never run around defeating super villains with special powers. None of that meant he couldn't still be his own kind of hero, right?
He'd spent the next two weeks after his encounter with the pro hero trying to figure out what else he could do. He didn't have the skill or brawn to be a fireman or cop, that was for sure. A doctor he could maybe do but still the idea didn't sit right with him. Not to say those people weren't heroes but they weren't the type of hero he was going for.
Besides, he should leave those jobs for people with quirks better suited for the type of situations that kind of job would bring.
He was sure there was no job that fit what he wanted. At least, that was until that day.
Izuku can't remember why he was on the train. He thinks he was going to the library, or maybe one of the farther parks. It doesn't really matter since he never really ended up making it there.
The whole thing happened suddenly. The train had screeched to a stop, passengers screaming as some were thrown out of their seats. Izuku remembers his knuckles whitening as he gripped the pole in front of him to avoid being thrown into the pile of people on the ground, managing to only ram his elbow into the wall with a painful thud. The woman next to him was crying and he'd felt dread claw at his throat.
In truth, Izuku didn't get a good look at the villain who'd barreled into the train, breaking through the wall. He'd been focused on the hero instead. He wasn't a new hero, not really popular but well enough known for Izuku to recognize the static like pattern on his costume and the grey goggles tucked into his short golden hair. Pro hero Shudder.
Shudder scanned the crowd of civilians, eyes narrowing. He glanced at Izuku and the one short glance he got of his eyes, lacking a pupil, was enough to shake him to his bones. His left punky finger started twitching, an act he wasn't controlling.
That's when it started to spiral. Next to him the woman had started to shake, her eyes rolling back in her head and her whole body shivering, a choked scream escaping her lips. She wasn't the only one. There were dozens more passengers in a similar state, a state Shudders quirk induced.
Everyone was screaming except for the few passengers who seemed unable to move at all. Izuku's eyes flashed to the boy tucked under his moms arm, a terrified shine to his eyes.
Izuku didn't do anything. He didn't know what to do. He just sat there and watched in terror.
It only lasted a few dozen seconds before Shudder redirected his focus on to the villain again, pushing him out of the train then jumping after him to finish the job.
He doesn't think any of the passengers stopped shaking until they'd gotten home, even after Shudders quirk wore off. He left that train with the screams from the woman next to him replaying in his head like a broken record.
A hero, that was what everyone called Shudder so why would he do that? Why would he hurt a handful of innocents without reason? It was villainous and-
He shook his head, pulling on the strap of his backpack. It doesn't matter, best not to wear out his mind trying to figure it out. With a sigh, he pushed open the door to his house. "Hey Mom," he called, pulling off his shoes and putting on slippers instead.
"Izuku! I was so worried about you!" Inko all but yelled as she rushed into the entrance way and wrapped her son in a hug. Izuku smiled to himself and returned the gesture. Sometimes he wondered if his mom worried too much. She gripped his face. "I saw on the news that villain attack by your usual train and I panicked."
"I'm all good Mom. Not even a scratch." That wasn't exactly a lie, though he was certain he'd have a nasty bruise on his elbow when he checked in the morning. The screeching noise of the train halting filled his ears again, the gasps of shock from other passengers following. His eye's widened before he quickly pushed away the memory along with his doubts and curiosity surrounding Shudder.
Inko patted him on the shoulder, smiling softly. "Lets go eat. Your probably tired from such a long school day."
He followed his mom into the kitchen. After dinner he'd forget all about the incident. Hopefully.
-:-
It was midnight and he still hadn't stopped thinking about the way Shudder acted. The worst part is he wasn't even sure what had happened.
His mind just kept wandering back to those peoples screams, how he'd sat there and watched in horror. He couldn't understand why a hero would do that? He could understand everyday civilians but heroes? They were supposed to be idols, the ones be looked up to, the ones who set the example for others.
Some part of him mourned for the kid who'd see the footage of Shudder that day, their dreams and expectations crushed, much like how Izuku was feeling now. Another part of him wondered what the world would be like if everyone saw what Shudder had done. Would they take it as a one time thing or would they be left tossing and turning late into the night like him wondering if maybe there was more to this than what appeared from first chance.
A groan emerged from him as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He knows he should leave it alone, that he shouldn't worry about it but the voice of All Might in one of his clips comes to his mind. A heroes job is meddling where they're not supposed to. He may not be trying to be a pro like his idol anymore but, if he wanted to be any kind of hero he can't just sit by in case there's something bigger to this.
He gave up trying to sleep and rolled out of bed, a newfound determination in him. He sat down in front of his computer, hands flying across the keyboard, typing Shudder into the search bar. His eyes skimmed over the multiple articles that popped up, his doubts only rising the more he read.
Rage filled him, his heart clenching and teeth gritting. People needed to know, they deserved too. Suddenly he didn't care if what he was about to do could possibly get him into deep shit. He wouldn't sit by and watch, not this time.
-:-
Shudder: Hero or Licensed Villain?
Pro hero name: Shudder
Quirk: Shivers
The sensation hero, Shudder assisted in the defeat of chain robber and murder, Calciumite, yesterday at 4:50 PM. One of his longer fights, Shudder had crashed into train 376, causing severe damage to the structure. No citizens were harmed, or at least that's what was reported.
Several complaints against Shudder were filed last night prior to the battle, most claiming him to be at fault for post battle quirk symptoms. Three of said complaints stated that various different limbs of theirs were paralyzed or had yet to to stop shaking uncontrollably. All complaints were filed by passengers aboard the train in which had been damaged. Looking at Shudders previous battles, similar instances have occurred. All victims state that Shudder had used his quirk against them, without provocation or reason.
This is no coincidence.
In every battle Shudder has participated in, innocent citizens appear to experience after effects of his quirk. Shivers works by vibrating the nerves in ones muscles so they shake intensely or, in some situations, paralyze them. Shudders quirk is not complicated and should be easy to control, with it's direct aim. Accidental harming of bystanders is not a trait that comes with the quirk, unless willingly chosen to be done by Shudder himself.
No harm can be blamed on the quirk, but instead all blame falls on the man. Is Shudder really the hero he's thought to be?
Reports show in Shudders early years, he constantly and consistently is seen in custody of the law for the crimes of assault and abuse. His public file proves he's been arrested sixteen times for illegal quirk use. In all accounts, he'd used to his quirk to paralyze his peers and even teachers or romantic partners, forcing them into doing as he asked before releasing his quirk.
Likewise to these unlawful and unmoral acts, when doing hero work, Shudder uses his quirk to restrain citizens, even using certain bystanders as distractions or targets. These acts are very dangerous and have caused permanent damage to 27 different civilians and the death of four.
The overlooking of Shudders behavior has gone on too long. If the situation had been addressed properly, Shudder would have had his hero license revoked and be sentenced to 3 years of jail time. However, the public and government refuse to acknowledge the flaws of it's faulty hero and it only leaves one to wonder how many others have slipped under the radar. How many other villains live among us with the title of hero. Most importantly, who is there to stop them?
-Revite
-:-
Izuku couldn't help but see everything differently as he walked to school. When watching fights, he noticed the way some went about it carelessly, finding more attention in the cameras than the actual villain. Every time he saw a hero interview on TV he couldn't help but have his thoughts wonder to how similar so many heroes where to Shudder. He wondered if others where thinking the same.
There'd been a shift, barely noticeable but still there, in the way he thought about heroes since he published his article about Shudder. It'd unexpectedly blown up, getting thousands of reads come the next morning. He hadn't thought much of it, just a few dozen people who had nothing better to do than read about corrupt societies probably re-reading it. That was it, at least that's what he though until the topic was brought up in class.
He'd thought he'd heard a few students whispering about it when he passed by them. He'd just shaken his head and ignored it. He was thinking too much. Getting to his own head. Yeah. That's all.
When his teacher had came into class she'd said something he hadn't been anticipating at all. "I know you all have heard about the article on pro-hero Shudder. I would like to point out if I catch any of you talking about it, you will be sent to the office. Such disrespect to our heroes is unmoral and should be punishable."
Izuku's breath had been knocked out of him then. That was his article. His foolish, spur of the moment article. He tapped his pencil nervously on his desk. So maybe it wasn't just a bunch of internet surfers that had read it.
His thoughts halted as he went over what his teacher had said. Such disrespect towards our heroes is unmoral and should be punishable.
Maybe she's talking about a different article. Shudder got enough attention on the news to have at least a few dozen articles written on him daily. He frowned. No, he'd turned his notifications on to pick up anything posted about Shudder, so far there being no activity.
"That guy was an asshole," his classmate behind him whispered to their desk partner. "Did she even read the article? Serves him right being outed like that. The truth needs to be spread."
"So what if it's the truth? That writer shouldn't have disrespected him. That's just cruel," Their friend protested.
They snorted and Izuku's eyes widened. "Cruel like how Shudder hurt those innocent people?"
He turned his head to look back at his classmate with a longer, pointier nose than everyone else. He was pretty sure their quirk was the ability to pick up smells normally people can't detect. Never before had he seen someone stick up for something he did before. Then again, he'd started a lot of fights over stuff he did.
In his head, he ran over his classmates argument over and over again through out the rest of class. They both made fair points. He should take down that article, especially if it's causing this many arguments already. He'd heard at least seven similar disagreements in the rest of his classes that day.
His article was meant to spread the truth. It turned out as more of an attack on Shudder. He couldn't imagine what Shudder must be going through because of it. The oddest part was that he found himself not really caring whether or not it wasn't working in the pro-heroes favor. If he hadn't wanted a bad reaction he shouldn't have done a bad thing. Many bad things.
"DEKU!"
Crap.
He was just about to leave the school grounds and head home to take that article down when he'd turned around to spot an angry blonde storming over to him. He awkwardly waved. "Uh, hey Kacchan."
Being slammed into the wall of the school, Bakugou was now standing in front of him, hand fisted in his shirt collar. The boy who Izuku had grown up with glared at him, nostrils flaring. "Lucky bastard. You were on that train yesterday, huh?"
He gulped. "Uh... yeah?"
"Thought you could get all the action?! Think you're better than me?!"
He felt his back press more into the wall. He held his hands up in defense. "N-no. Really. I just happened to be there!"
Bakugou scowled and released him, shoving him away. "Good," he huffed, "'cause I'm going to be the best, better than All Might; don't think you can get in my way."
Izuku brushed down his uniform he he watched Bakugou storm off, shoulders slouching as usual. Feeling a weird pull at his gut, he frowned. It's not like he hadn't been around villain attacks before, but this was the first time Kacchan had made a big deal about it. He must've read the article.
The article. For All Might's sake, he can't seem to get away from it. His mother would that's a sign. A sign for what, he wasn't really sure. It doesn't matter, he's just going to go home and delete it, that way he doesn't have to worry about it and won't bother any more people.
That was the plan, until he'd seen the headlines on the TV he passed.
The downfall of pro-hero Shudder?
He glanced at the screen, eyes skimming over the subtitles as the reporter spoke. They were talking about his article. It wasn't just his school, it was the whole city.
"... posted an article on the pro-hero Shudder. The article targeted the sense hero, picking out his flaws in his hero and personal life. It covered the crimes Shudder had committed in the past few years and spoke of how the Hero Commission glossed over these facts. This piece featured the villain attack on train 376 yesterday afternoon. The anonymous writer revealed that, unlike what was previously thought, there were injuries inflicted on nearby civilians. What's more, these injuries are a cause of Shudder, not the villain.
"No one has ever seen or heard anything of this writer, going by the name Revite, before. They are making more of impact than any other reporter before, the effects of their article already clear. Many debates have been made about whether this journalist who targets heroes is good or bad have already began.
"The question, viewers, is not whether they are good or bad but will the aftermath of their actions be the downfall of hero society, or the improvement of it?"
Izuku stared at the screen, open mouthed. Next to him, he saw other people who'd been listening nod their heads and whisper to those they were with.
...or the improvement of it?
His thoughts circled back to what he'd been thinking the night before when he'd posted the article. The truth. He 'd wanted people to know the truth so they would have to live with the lies the commission was feeding them. He didn't want to people to live their life believing that their heroes were protecting them when they'd really only been doing things for themselves. He wanted the world to praise heroes, not villains hiding behind headlines and popularity counts.
He'd thought about that the whole way home and when he'd gotten into the house, he didn't go to his room to delete the article. The world needed heroes. They needed someone to show them who the real heroes were.
A smile reached his face. He found the job perfect for him.
-:-
The black haired man sighed as his eyes skimmed over the article flashing on the screen of his more than worn out phone. He almost didn't care he was wasting half his battery reading it, or that it'd mean he'd have to stay in one of those musky internet cafes in the morning just to charge it again.
He tucked the phone into his pocket, pushing himself of the building he was leaning against and crawling over to the pile of blankets on the ground.
A cold breeze picked up in the alley and he refrained from shivering, happy his quirk was fit for nights like these. He later down on his makeshift bed and turned his eyes to the sky.
The article was written by an amateur, that much was obvious but luckily he wasn't in it for the quality but the content. Finally, someone was pointing out a flaw in the system. Today it was one article, one hero, a minor mix up but he couldn't help but hope for better. Maybe this new writer could do something no one else has had the guts to do.
Shudder was only one of many heroes that disgraced the tittle they were given. Villainous at heart. In it for money or the excuse that hurting people was the only way to save others. The thought made him want to throw up.
He was sick of the ruins the hero commission leaves behind, the cracks it tries to fill with more broken pieces. This, this was a chance for change.
He smirked to himself as he thought of how the so called Revite had described Shudder and all the other faulty heroes.
A chance to rid the world of its licensed villains.
Yeah, Dabi thought, it had a nice ring to it.