Chapter 13: Not AgainAuthor: Geraint(MC's POV)
(I wasn't able to change anything.)
Things are going exactly as they did in the original story. All Might is critically injured and undergoing emergency surgery in the hospital. All for One escaped.
I was taken by the Pro Heroes to the police headquarters, my hands cuffed behind my back.
Now, I sit in the middle of a white interrogation room, a police officer grilling me about my identity.
He lays out some papers from the orphanage on the table.
"This is your real identity, right? Fujiwara Ichika, living in an orphanage in Musutafu. Parents: unknown or missing. Quirk: it says here you're quirkless. Age: 9 years old."
"Yeah. Everything there is accurate."
"Let me ask again. Are you really Captain Falcon?"
"No."
The officer slams his hand on the table.
BAM!
"Liar! A lot of Pro Heroes saw you transform!"
"Then why ask if you already know?"
"You're getting on my nerves, kid!"
I just shrug and grin.
"I'd love to say 'Yes, I'm Captain Falcon,' but not anymore. No matter what I do, I can't transform into that form again. Captain Falcon died the moment I took that damage from the Villain Boss. Now, I'm just a quirkless orphan."
...
The officer gathers the papers and silently leaves the room.
Sigh.
Relieved the interrogation is over, I lean back and smile.
"The stage is yours now, Rumi. I'll leave everything to you. Please come back safely."
I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
When I wake up, I slowly open my eyes...
Still in the same room. Still being watched from behind the glass.
Yawn.
"I'm hungry... Are they seriously going to let a child starve in here? Should I just bust myself out? It's not like they can stop me. If they keep treating me like this, they better be ready to face the consequences."
I snap the handcuffs off like they're toys.
"These cuffs are as flimsy as the spoons I bend at the orphanage."
...
(I sound like a lunatic talking to myself.)
I lean back and wait.
Several minutes later—
CLICK. BAM!
The door bursts open.
"Hm? Who now?"
"Wait! You can't go in there!"
"Hero Mirko! I warned you, you can't—"
Rumi barges in, ignoring the officers trying to stop her.
"Oh, Captain Falcon! I've been looking all over for you!"
"Stop calling me that. I'm not Falcon anymore."
She pushes past the police and enters the room. I notice a trickle of blood running down her forehead.
"You can still use Captain Falcon's abilities, right?"
"Yeah... Anyway, did you get him?"
...
She goes quiet for a few seconds. Her face twists in frustration.
"Tch. Damn it! He escaped. I caught most of his subordinates and the Nomus, but he managed to slip away. I'm sorry, Ichika. Your plan to catch him and his army in their main hideout failed... because of me."
Dejected, she lowers her head.
"...It's fine, Rumi. I'm just glad you came back safely."
"Also, Ichika... I…"
She places something on the table—my phone, completely destroyed.
She looks apologetic.
(I had planted a tracker on All for One, hidden in his clothes. Even if he escaped, we'd still be able to find his base and raid it. Since I was arrested, I passed the phone to Rumi so she could finish the job herself. I trusted her to make the right call.)
"I was too excited fighting the horde of villains that I accidentally crushed your phone in my hand."
"Huh?"
I freeze.
"Haha! It was really fun, Ichika! I sent them all flying!"
I glare at her, clearly disappointed.
"But you broke my phone. I bought that just a few days ago! And the tracker wasn't cheap, either! How many times do I have to tell you to not break things?!"
I pinch both her cheeks.
"Ow! Ichika! I'm sowwy!"
"Hey! Enough, you two!"
A police officer steps between us, separating us.
Sigh.
I slump back into my seat.
"Let me guess—you went to the villain base alone again?"
Rumi avoids my gaze.
"Well… I forgot. I was in a rush."
"You should've called for backup! People pay taxes to fund Pro Heroes, you know. If heroes keep slacking like this, public trust will collapse—and with it, the system. Seriously, what are they doing?"
"Oh, what an interesting conversation."
A new voice cuts in from the doorway.
"Looks like you understand what it means to be a hero, even at your age. Who would've thought the infamous vigilante Captain Falcon was just a child? This'll bring shame to a lot of Pro Heroes."
Sigh.
"To be honest, I never really considered myself a hero. I was just a bounty hunter who targeted criminals with big rewards. It was the public who called me a hero—not me."
I glance at the doorway.
"Huh?"
No one is there.
"Down here, Falcon."
Looking down—
"You're—!"
A small, animal-like figure stands there. A chimera of mouse, dog, and bear traits. Mouse head, scarred eye, rectangular ears, dog-like paws, and a cat's tail. He wears a sharp suit with an oversized pair of sneakers.
(It's Nezu—the principal of U.A. High School.)
"What is the principal of U.A. doing here?"
"That's right! It's me—Nezu! The dog-mouse-bear chimera and more importantly, the principal!"
"I haven't done anything to your school! I'm not even a student! Why are you here to scold me?! Just throw me in jail!"
I have no idea why the idea of being dragged to the principal's office terrifies me more than jail.
"Jail? No way! You're just a 9-year-old. The most we can do is give you a stern lecture."
"But Captain Falcon is supposed to be an old man! And there's a bounty on his head!"
"True. But now that your real identity is known, that bounty is nullified. All your vigilante actions will be reclassified as... childish mischief."
"...I see."
"Now I understand why you couldn't become a Pro Hero despite your popularity. Since your first appearance eight years ago, crime has dropped dramatically. All Might's burden was eased, and he got longer rests between patrols."
(It's true. We were forced to sleep during the day at the orphanage, so I only had nights to go bounty hunting.)
"Unfortunately, I can't transform into Captain Falcon anymore. That form is gone."
"But you're still here, right? The real Captain Falcon?"
"Yeah..."
"All Might's operation was a success. He's recovering, but he'll never be as strong as before. His time as the Symbol of Peace is fading. Sooner or later, he'll retire. And when that day comes, we'll lose that symbol."
Annoyed, I frown.
"Just say it already! What do you want?!"
"Simple, Falcon. I want you to be the next Symbol of Peace."
(Me? That sounds like a pain.)
I grin.
"Of course, I refuse!"
Rumi looks shocked.
"Ichika! You don't want to become a Pro Hero?!"
"No, I'll take the Hero License Exam and become a Pro Hero. But the Symbol of Peace? Nah. That sounds like a total headache. Just give it to Endeavor or someone else. I want to sleep peacefully."
"Okay…"
Rumi sits back down.
"Then when internships start, come to my agency!"
"Yeah, yeah. I've got more experience than you anyway, so it might be the other way around."
"WHAT did you just say?!"
"I'll teach you not to break things."
"Ugh!"
She takes critical damage.
"Ichika, you're still mad about the phone?"
I turn away.
"Hey! Forgive me already!"
As we bicker, Nezu interrupts.
"Oh, that's right, Falcon!"
He pulls out some documents.
"We found out you're an orphan, with missing parents."
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Actually, All Might told me... he wants to adopt you."
"Okay—wait... WHAT?!"
(To be continued.)
A/N: This chapter was too long, so I'll continue next time. I'll clean up the rest later.