High above the moonless sky, a lone silhouette drifted like a shadow given wings.
A lean humanoid figure, owl-faced, with piercing amber eyes and a short, hooked beak framed by expressive feathered brows. Sleek, dark-brown plumage wrapped his body, naturally muting every sound he made. Behind him, broad wings unfurled with the silent grace of a great horned owl.
He was Pro Hero Strix, the unseen partner of Hawks, an underground operative known only by rumor, active only when the world slept. His Quirk, Owl-Man, was a full-mutation type: the eyes, the feathers, the night vision, the predatory instincts, all the gifts of an owl, enhanced to human scale.
Tonight, under Hawks's direct orders, he followed the signal of a single, vibrant red feather, a meticulous tracker, acting like a magnet pulling him toward its target.
He had been flying for nearly an hour when the landscape below shifted, swallowing the countryside and giving way to the brilliant, careless glow of Yokohama City. As he crossed the city limits, the feather clutched in his clawed grasp tugged sharply downward.
"Hmm… target's in Yokohama," he murmured, his voice soft, dry, and rasping like rustling leaves. "Hawks said to only confirm the location. No engagement."
Strix adjusted his wings, the massive span flexing silently, and began his careful descent, gliding soundlessly toward the city's darker, forgotten districts. His hero costume, matte, feathered, and shadow-colored, rendered him almost invisible against the deep velvet of the night sky.
The red feather guided him with unwavering precision, pulling him across empty, neon-slicked streets and dim, graffiti-stained alleys until they reached the notorious Kamino Ward.
Minutes later, he hovered above an abandoned building.
Strix stayed aloft in a state of motionless suspension, his wings beating so incredibly slowly they barely disturbed the stagnant air below. Beneath him, the red feather's powerful pull finally weakened, trembling as if acknowledging the trail's absolute end.
The structure below was not merely dark, it was consumed by a stagnant, heavy darkness of neglect and rot. Weathered walls sagged under years of abandonment. Faded, crooked signs clung desperately to the façade. one old "BAR" sign flickered weakly, its dying light stuttering in the faint wind like a nervous heartbeat. Rooftop railings stretched thin and skeletal, casting jagged, desperate shadows. Windows stared upward like hollow, eyeless sockets.
No movement.
No voices.
No hum of life.
Just an unnerving, heavy stillness.
Strix rotated his head slightly, an owl's instinctive, predatory turn, allowing his sharp amber eyes to sweep the perimeter. He listened, his hearing calibrated to the faintest shift of air pressure.
Only the wind answered, brushing over his sleek feathers.
'So… this is the place. My Guts is telling me something dark, evil and unsettling is brewing inside.'
The thought was detached, and immediately dismissed.
'That is not my concern now.'
He folded his wings tight against his back, drifting downward in a slow, ghost-silent glide onto the rooftop of a neighboring, lower building. The deep shadows instantly swallowed him; his outline merged seamlessly with the night until he was little more than a shifting blur, a barely perceptible part of the darkness itself.
He retrieved the red feather from where it was tucked securely between his breast feathers, tapping it once with a clawed fingertip.
"Location confirmed," he breathed, his voice an almost inaudible sigh. "Reporting to Hawks."
He kept his gaze fixed on the derelict structure below, amber eyes narrow, scanning every shadow with the patient, unblinking detachment of a nocturnal hunter.
The feather had led him here. That was his job done. Whatever lurked inside, if anything at all, wasn't for the silent, unseen partner to disturb.
He will just observe, and report the news to Hawks.
...
Inside the Abandoned Bar — One Hour Earlier
The derelict bar was dim, Dust coated the counters; the air smelled of stale alcohol and old wood.
Then the silence warped.
A swirl of purple-black mist blossomed in the center of the room, twisting violently before stabilizing into a doorway.
THUD
Tomura Shigaraki leapt through it with an impatient grunt, landing near the bar's cracked floorboards.
Kurogiri's swirling humanoid silhouette condensed behind the bar counter area and smoothly closed the portal.
As if sensing their arrival, the large monitor mounted on the wall flickered to life. The screen showed no image, only darkness, but a deep, resonant voice rolled out of the speakers.
"Kurogiri… report what you discovered.
And Tomura… why did you leave so abruptly?"
Kurogiri bowed immediately, placing his hand to his chest.
Unseen by anyone, the red feather that had been clinging silently to the back of his neck, losing the telekinesis manipulation of Hawks, finally slipped off and fell to the dirty floor silently.
"Master, excuse my uselessness," Kurogiri intoned, his voice smooth despite the gravity of his report. "I searched the entire city, spying on every Pro Hero and police report, but couldn't find any useful leads. The only confirmed facts I gathered about the recent Quirk phenomenon are the following."
"First, whatever the phenomenon was, it didn't merely erase quirks. If it did, then those with mutated bodies would not have vanished. Meaning… it targeted the entire supernatural phenomenon itself."
"Second: they were not erased. That term is inaccurate. They were more likely banished, perhaps to another dimension, since they reappeared."
"Third: upon returning, none of the victims remembered anything. No trauma, no time loss, nothing. As if time simply… stopped for them."
"These are the most relevant deductions I could gather."
A low, pleased hum rumbled from the speakers.
"Interesting. Well done, Kurogiri. That is useful information. Doctor… what's your interpretation?"
All For One asked the expert, seeking confirmation and perhaps new ideas.
Behind The screen, in his lab, The Doctor leaned forward, glasses glinting in the dim, sickly glow of the monitor.
"Fascinating… truly fascinating."
His voice trembled with a manic excitement.
"This phenomenon fits perfectly within the framework of my Quirk Singularity Theory. An event of this scale, instantaneous, indiscriminate, reality-warping, can only mean two things."
He paused, savoring the moment.
"Someone awakened."
He tapped a finger against the table, each tap echoing like a countdown.
"There is a pro hero… a UA instructor. Eraser Head. His quirk nullifies power by sight alone. A marvelous ability, one I still cannot comprehend why we have not acquired."
He chuckled darkly.
"With it, the Nomu I am crafting for you would become a nightmare even All Might could not stand against."
The Doctor tilted his head, voice dropping to a whisper.
"Perhaps he, Eraser Head, has awakened, unintentionally releasing a wave that Nullified the entire concept of Quirks!…"
"Although The conditions of his quirk do not match the nature of the phenomenon. He is still highly suspected."
"So if We remove this option, it leaves only one conclusion…"
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"A child, freshly awakened, A powerful new quirk bursting into existence, one potent enough to disrupt the very laws of power itself. This theory aligns with everything we know."
He leaned back, eyes narrowing.
"What say you, All For One?"
The room dipped into stillness.
Then All For One's laughter unfurled, slow, deep, echoing like a distant earthquake.
"As expected of you, Doctor… you always manage to peer into the cracks I overlook."
His tone shifted, velvet and dangerous.
"Perhaps that underground hero has awakened. I'm definitely greedy for his quirk. but my injury has kept me from pursuing him, and his quirk is… irritating, even for me. And UA is not yet within our reach."
He exhaled thoughtfully.
"Moreover, I favor your second theory."
His voice grew darker.
"If it were Eraser Head, the event would have manifested during the night, his usual hunting hours. And his power requires sight. Yet this anomaly struck even those hidden behind walls, inside cars, in schools…"
He chuckled again.
"Doctor, Perhaps We are witnessing the birth of something new. A child whose awakening released a field that interferes with quirks themselves."
A pause.
A smile behind the mask.
"Monitor every newly registered quirk. Every child who manifests late, Every anomaly."
His laughter grew cold and delighted.
"Who knows… perhaps fate will deliver this treasure straight to our doorstep."
Shigaraki had been quiet, too quiet, scratching frantically at the peeling skin of his neck, twitching with raw irritation.
But the moment All For One's low, satisfied laughter filled the decrepit bar, the raw tension snapped.
"Sensei… All Might hasn't weakened at all!"
His voice cracked, raw and trembling with barely contained frustration, echoing sharply off the damp walls.
The laughter faded abruptly from the speaker. A long, measured breath followed, patient, ancient, and chilling.
"Tomura…" All For One's voice dipped into a calm, chilling register.
"I am the one who injured him. What I did cannot be undone, not even by Recovery Girl. Unless he has somehow acquired regeneration…" A soft, dismissive exhale. "...Which he has not."
But Shigaraki's voice spiked again, higher, laced with panic and failure. "But that punch! How can we defeat someone like that?!"
A chair screeched sharply across the floor as the Doctor snapped upright : "Gaki!" he barked, his eyes gleaming with insulted, obsessive pride. "Are you doubting my work? The Nomu I am building would give Prime All Might trouble. And you think an injured All Might is beyond its reach?!" His words echoed like a shrill, dangerous threat.
All For One interrupted, a stabilizing force of cold, absolute authority.
"Tomura." The voice soothed like a hand on the shoulder, yet carried the indisputable weight of a guillotine.
"Your fear is not weakness, it is awareness. You finally understand your enemy's height. Good."
A calculated pause. Then his tone sharpened, "But do not let it devour you. You will grow. You will gather subordinates worthy of your ambition. Not trash… Elites. Pieces in the game you intend to play." He chuckled faintly, dangerously. "The heroes stand in the light. Their cards are visible. But we… we thrive in the dark. Our cards remain hidden. That is your advantage."
Shigaraki's eyes glowed red beneath his hand, an unhinged grin tore across his face.
"Sensei… there's something else." He stepped closer to the screen, giddy with renewed malice.
"When I left the base earlier, Kurogiri showed me a villain. A sludge-like creature with a mutation Quirk. He can possess bodies."
A low, excited, hungry laugh escaped him.
"And I thought… if we Capture All Might, just long enough, then let that sludge take him…" His grin widened to something truly feral. "Imagine it. The Symbol of Peace…turned into a villain! The very Person who bring peace to the society, will bring them Terror!"
All For One's delight was evident even without a face to show it.
"Oh, Tomura… that is wonderfully twisted. Well done." His praise was warm, purposeful, a reward, a subtle leash, and a chain binding Shigaraki's ego.
The Doctor, however, leaned forward, greed burning visibly in his eyes.
"Then where is this sludge now? Why didn't you bring him? If I replicate his Quirk and implant it in the Nomu, combined with shock absorption, its defense will be extraordinary!"
At that question, Shigaraki's triumphant smile evaporated instantly. His raw, exposed hand slammed into the wall beside the screen hard, dust and decaying plaster erupting in a violent cloud.
"It was that damned boy's fault!" His voice cracked into a desperate, humiliated snarl. "I'll kill him—no, killing him is too kind. Sensei, steal his Quirk first, then I'll...Destroy him!"
All For One's response was unnervingly calm, the control a sharp contrast to Tomura's frenzy. "Tomura… which boy? What is his Quirk?"
Shigaraki turned, his eyes burning with humiliation and impotent rage, the memory replaying like torture.
"Everything was perfect. The Sludge Villain found a vessel, a teenager with explosion quirks. I wanted that Quirk too, Sensei, it's beautiful."
His breath quivered, reliving the moment of failure.
"But then… two brats interfered. One useless green-haired, The other, with black hair, he…"
Shigaraki's hand trembled where it gripped the edge of the bar.
"He touched the sludge...And then… this dark matter spread from his hand. Covered the sludge. And the moment it finished, the villain Shattered. Like glass." He spat the next words, venomous.
"His Quirk destroys anything wrapped in that darkness. I want it."
Silence stretched again, heavy with calculation. Then All For One spoke, thoughtful… and ultimately pleased.
"…A fascinating power. Similar to yours, yet distinct." A slow breath.
"Very well, Tomura. We will bide our time… and take him when the moment is right."
Shigaraki's grin returned, twisted, hungry, and ecstatic. His master had promised. And that promise was all the permission, and validation, he needed.
...
The following day, mid-morning, 10:00 AM.
Adam was dragged through a long, endless nightmare.
He dreamt of being chased by the Sludge Villain, who was screaming and shouting angrily in Japanese, threatening to swallow him whole.
Adam ran for his life, but the villain was faster, capturing him, and beginning to pour its viscous body inside his mouth, and into every orifice.
Adam felt breathless, suffocated, and shamefully helpless. He tried activating his Negation power, but it wouldn't work.
It wasn't until he screamed with all his might, the sound ripping from his very soul.
"ALLAH'U AKBAR!!!"
that the dream shattered, and he awoke, slick with sweat and profoundly frightened.
Adam shot upright in the hospital bed, his heart hammering against his ribs at an intense speed. His breathing was heavy and ragged.
Where am I? Hospital? No, I have to run. If the police come and find out I'm a ghost in the system, they will detain me!
He quickly scanned his surroundings. It was indeed a hospital room.
On his wrist, a clear serum tube was taped, His right hand felt perfectly fine; the bone fracture he received had miraculously healed.
Someone with a Healing Quirk must have treated him.
Adam felt a rush of gratitude mixed with mounting panic.
He was thankful for the healer, but escaping was paramount.
He had no money for the bill, and the threat of police investigation loomed large.
He quickly peeled off the tape, tossed the tube aside, and jumped out of the bed.
He tiptoed toward the door, trying to make his escape silent and swift.
Just as he reached the knob, the door opened inward, silently, on its own.
Adam froze, terror seizing his limbs.
Pretend to be asleep! Get back in bed!
His mind screamed commands, but his body, weakened and operating on below-average fuel, couldn't keep up.
He stood helplessly, paralyzed, until the door was fully open.
The first thing he saw was someone even thinner than him: a tall, blond, hunched, skeletal man with piercing blue eyes.
"You finally woke up, young man." The man spoke, his deep voice carrying a strange, gentle rumble.
All Might was clearly delighted to see the young man standing upright.
Adam didn't understand the words, except perhaps the underlying tone.
He stared at the familiar person he had never met directly. Even with the transformation from 2D design to realistic 3D, he couldn't be mistaken. This man, without a doubt, was…
"ALL MIGHT!!!"
Adam blurted out, the name escaping him unconsciously.
He instantly realized his catastrophic slip.
"Huh?! No! Young Man, I'm not All Might!!" All Might let out a genuinely surprised sound, quickly waving his thin hands in a panicked, vigorous denial.
But Adam just stared at him blankly, the Japanese words lost on him. From the man's frantic body language, however, he could clearly infer that he was denying the name "All Might."
'I don't know how to explain how I know he is All Might. Can I just say I feel he is familiar to All Might? Too weak. Need an excuse.' Adam's mind scrambled for a defense.
"Toshinori-san, there is no use in denying it. From his instinctive body gestures, it shows he doesn't have a hint of doubt. Interesting. How did he recognize you?"
Adam heard another voice. All Might shifted reluctantly to the side as the person behind him entered.
A tall man with short, black hair and somewhat rectangular, keen black eyes. He wore a tan overcoat and a matching hat, beneath which was a black suit, a green tie, and crisp white gloves.
"Tsukauchi-san! Even if he knows, we should pretend he is wrong! What if it was just a mistake? Now you have confirmed it for him!"
All Might complained to his friend, his shoulders slumping further.
The detective just smiled faintly, then motioned for All Might to look at the dumbfounded Adam.
"He doesn't look like he understands Japanese, so don't worry…"
"Huh?" All Might looked at Adam and saw the genuine ignorance and puzzled confusion in the young man's eyes. He let out a deep sigh of relief.
But Tsukauchi continued, his voice calm. "He still believes you are All Might, 100%."
All Might looked like he might cough blood again. He turned to his friend.
"How can you be sure? Your Lie Detection Quirk only works upon skin contact, doesn't it?"
"I told you, I can read body language," Tsukauchi replied with a slight tilt of his head.
"And also, Toshinori-san, you don't have to worry about being recognized. In the follow-up questions, for his safety, we will have to tell him about that person, and there is no one more suitable than the Symbol of Peace to convince him and extract information. After all, you are a trustworthy person."
All Might let out a tired, defeated sigh. He hated letting an ordinary person know about his injury; he needed to keep his image as the undefeated Symbol of Peace intact, so people could live in peace without worry.
'Isn't he that detective friend of All Might? That means they checked my background and found nothing. They are here to interrogate me. But why All Might? Shouldn't he be with Midoriya? Did I cause a butterfly effect? No, it doesn't matter. What's important now is to figure out how to fool the police. Amnesia? No, wait. This detective comes from a family known for their lie-detecting Quirks. Lying won't work. That's it—I won't lie, but I won't say what shouldn't be said.'
"In fact, I had always wanted to mention this to All Might, His hair, eyes, even in this form, are very similar to the muscular All Might. Though most people wouldn't connect the two because of the difference in size and power. How did this young man confirm it so quickly?"
Suddenly, a playful, unexpected voice appeared right behind him.
"What Da—!!" Adam yelped, leaping back in fright and almost teleporting next to the Symbol of Peace. He was terrified to hear a voice suddenly materialize behind him.
He saw another familiar character sitting casually on the windowsill, gazing lazily inward.
A slim, average-height young man with messy, ash-blond hair swept back in soft arcs.
Golden-brown, sharply angled eyes gave him a birdlike look, the small black markings around them only adding to the effect.
Behind him, a wide pair of bright red wings rose even when folded.
He wore a tan, fur-lined jacket cut to fit around his wings, a patterned black shirt beneath it, dark gloves, and a yellow visor resting over his eyes.
His piercings were mostly hidden under bulky yellow headphones.
He was smirking playfully at Adam's frightened, undignified reaction.
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Hawks chirped, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"But there's no choice. I had to secretly enter through the window, or else I'd attract attention. Who made me the Number 3 Hero so famous? Alas, the tax of being famous."
'Hawks?! Why is he also here?! Damn! Don't tell me I'm being targeted by the Hero Organization! Did they think my 'Quirk' is dangerous after seeing what it did to that Sludge Villain? And because I'm of unknown origin, I'm being treated as a threat. That's why they specifically sent All Might, Hawks, and this detective to interrogate me!'
Adam's paranoia kicked in immediately.
He couldn't help it; being alone and adrift in this strange, dangerous world made him feel completely insecure.
He automatically speculated the worst from these people. Even if they were familiar, good characters, to them, he was just a stranger who appeared out of nowhere with a powerful, dangerous Quirk.
Adam unconsciously distanced himself from All Might, his body language communicating clear fear and mistrust as he warily eyed the three powerful figures who effectively blocked his only escape route.
Seeing his stiff posture, the three men quickly realized what he was thinking.
"Young man, calm down. We don't mean any harm," All Might said, his voice a booming yet gentle rumble. "We just want to ask you some questions, that's all."
All Might raised his hands in a placating gesture, trying to soothe the boy. Adam looked at him warily. He didn't understand a single word of Japanese, but he could read the vibes, and the vibes were currently "interrogation."
Hawks leaned against the window frame, his wings twitching slightly as he watched with a frown. Why was this kid so terrified of the Symbol of Peace?
Could All Might's guess be right? Hawks wondered. Is he really the one behind the Quirk Incident? Is that why he's looking at us like we're about to imprison him? Hawks felt he was closing in on the truth, unaware that Adam was simply terrified of being a "ghost" in the system. To Adam, no legal ID + unauthorized quirk usage = a one-way ticket to a dark cell.
All Might is probably telling me to chill, Adam thought, forcing his breathing to slow.
'I'm overthinking this. If they really saw me as a villain, I'd be in chains, not a hospital bed with a view. Deep breaths, Adam. don't be suspicious, if you screwed it here, just forget Joining UA, Becoming A Hero and returning home!'
Adam nodded and spoke in careful, heavily Japanese accented English, so the communication can be clear.
It's easy, just change L to R, add O at the end of random words, and voila, Japanese accent acquired!
He put on his most helpful, serious face, squinting his eyes so he will look Asian, as if that would somehow assist his vocal cords.
"Herro," he began, his voice dropping into a rhythmic, staccato beat. "My namo… is Adam-sama. I no speak Japanizu. I no undah-stand."
He paused, brow furrowing as he searched for the words.
"Can you speak Engrish, prease?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
A sacred, oppressive silence descended upon the room.
All Might, stared at Adam with eyes wide and unblinking, like an old action figure that had been left in the sun too long. His mouth hung open, trying to form words that refused to arrive.
Beside him, Detective Tsukauchi's stood paralyzed.
"…I see," he said gravely. "So this is what cultural whiplash feels like."
Even the morning breeze seemed to stop blowing through the window, as if the atmosphere itself was too embarrassed to move.
Then, the seal broke.
"Pffft—!"
Hawks almost fell from the window, he had been trying to maintain his "cool Pro-Hero" aura, but he simply couldn't resist laughing.
He clapped a hand over his mouth, his wings fluttering violently as if they were trying to fly away from the cringe.
"AH-HAHAHAHA!" Hawks erupted, pointing a gloved finger at Adam. He was laughing so hard he nearly tumbled off the window frame. he said hysterically : "'Herro' 'Japanizu'? 'Prease'?—!"
"PWAHAHAHAHA—!"
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"S-sorry, sorry— I know I'm not supposed to laugh, but—"
"Man really said that with a straight face!"
All Might finally blinked, his hollow eyes wide with a mix of pity and utter confusion. "Adam-shonen…" he said in clean english, his voice cracking. "I lived in USA for years. My English is… quite good. You don't have to… do that accent."
Tsukauchi rubbed his temples, looking like he'd aged a decade in five seconds. "Young man, please speak normally. That sounded like a very poorly dubbed B-movie from the eighties. It's… it's actually a little offensive. My ears are ringing."
Adam's "Serious MC" mask didn't just crack, it shattered into a million pieces.
A wave of heat rushed from his chest to his ears, turning his face a shade of red that would make a tomato look pale. The realization hit him like a Detroit Smash to the soul.
'Oh no…Oh no…Oh no…'
He felt his soul attempting to leave his body through his throat. He had tried to be "culturally sensitive" and instead, he had accidentally become a walking, talking racist caricature in front of the Number One and Number Three Heroes and a high-ranking detective.
I want to die, Adam thought, his eyes darting around the room for a hole to crawl into. Forget Becoming a hero. Forget the UA. Just let me use Negation on my own existence right now. Delete. Delete! DELETE!
"I-I—" he stammered. "I just… I thought… Japanese people speak Engrish like this?"
Adam unconsciously forgot to remove the accent.
Hawks slapped the wall "NO, NO, STOP." He wheezed. "Please stop before I pass out."
All Might let out a soft, wheezing chuckle, reaching out to pat Adam's shaking shoulder. "It's alright, young man. Your heart was in the right place… even if your phonetics were in a very, very dark place."
"Adam-kun. Please, sit. You must be exhausted after what happened yesterday."
Adam nodded his head stiffly, and walked like a rusted robot with a reddish face and a gloomy depressed aura surrounded him, he sank into the couch.
A small glass table sat between them, reflecting the fluorescent lights. Hawks stayed by the window, wiping his tears, while All Might and Detective Tsukauchi pulled up chairs directly across from him.
When Tsukauchi produced a notebook and a pen, Adam's woke up from his embarrassment, his stomach did a somersault. He wanted to blurt out that he had the right to remain silent until he got a lawyer, but he knew he was a nobody here. In his head, he was already bracing for the "standard procedure" back home.
Ya Latif, he thought, back home, even if you're just a witness, the cops act like they're starring in a Hollywood thriller. One minute you're walking by, the next you're getting 'the treatment'—slaps, cold floors, no food, and 24 hours of 'convincing' you to confess to something your great-grandfather did. These guys look nice, but a notebook is still a dangerous sign, i must carefully weight every word before i say it, or it will be used against me.
Seeing the sweat on Adam's brow, All Might spoke up quickly.
"Young man, first, I must thank you. What you did yesterday was heroic. You saved that boy from a terrible villain. You did good."
Adam felt a flush of shyness and relief, fortunately All Might still held him in high position even after that embarrassing thing he did. Before he could humble-brag that it was nothing and make his Shonen protagonist speech to pay the aura debt, the detective tapped his pen and looked at All Might with a stern edge.
"Toshinori-san! You are encouraging illegal quirk usage. That is not how the Symbol of Peace should conduct himself."
He turned his sharp gaze to Adam, switching to English. "Listen, young man. I appreciate your heart. There were no Pro-Heroes suited for the rescue, and your sacrifice deserves respect. However," his voice grew heavier, "you must not use your power for trivial reasons. This society has only recently regained its order. If everyone acted on impulse, it would be chaos. Do you understand?"
All Might rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "I'm sorry, Tsukauchi. I didn't mean it like that... but the boy has the spirit of a Hero. I hope one day he can use that power legally to do great things."
Adam's anxiety suddenly crystallized into a cold, sharp focus.
This is it. My chance to redeem my 'Serious MC' moment. He thought of Luffy, always grinning, always eating, always dumb, but when the dream was on the line, his eyes went sharp. Channel the protagonist energy, Adam. Make them believe i'm not an idiot!
He cleared his dry throat, his expression shifting into a mask of solemn determination.
pfffftt
the sudden shift in his expression made Hawks recall the previous scene and unconsciously laugh.
Adam's mouth twitched, All Might and the detective turned back to the playful number 3 hero and scolded him.
"Hawks-san, this isn't time to laugh." All Might said in a serious voice, but his body was shaking and his lips twitching trying hard to prevent the laugh from escaping.
The Detective was the one taking things seriously, after giving hawk a glance to not interrupt the interrogation process again and turned back to Adam.
Adam cleared his dry throat, his expression shifting into his normal face, He doesn't want to be mocked by hawks again or else he won't resist Negating Him.
"do not worry," Adam said, his voice steady. "My goal is to become a hero. I do not wish to break rules or cause danger. But at that moment... I saw the heroes waiting. I saw the green-haired boy run in when no one else would. I could not stay a spectator. My power was the only thing that could help. I am sorry for the law, but if I must choose between a rule and a life... I will choose the life."
All Might and Tsukauchi shared a look. The sincerity in the boy's voice was palpable. It wasn't the talk of a wannabe hero, it was the conviction of a person with genuine righteous kind heart.
"You have a fascinating power," Hawks said, hopping down from the window and strolling closer. "We're all dying of curiosity. What does it actually do?"
All Might leaned in, his piercing blue eyes searching Adam's. "Adam-kun, if you don't mind... could you explain your Quirk? This is why we are here. And please, be at ease, this stays between us."
They think I'm a nuke, Adam realized.
The black aura of Negation looks like something out of a villain's origin story. I need to 'halal-ify' this. Make it sound like a gift, not a curse.
Adam took a deep breath, his face still tingling from the "engrish" disaster. He needed a win. He needed to rebrand. In his head, "Negation" sounded like something a final boss uses to delete the universe. It was too dark, too edgy, too shaitan-adjacent.
I need to give it a name that sounds like a blessing, Adam thought desperately. Something that says 'I am a gift from the heavens' and not 'I am a walking cosmic eraser.' I need to put some baraka on this quirk.
He straightened his back, his expression shifting into something unnervingly solemn. He clasped his hands together and looked toward the hospital window, the morning sunlight catching his eyes to create a perfectly timed, dramatic glimmer.
"Actually," Adam began, his voice dropping into a resonant, sacred tone, his English now perfectly clear and overly formal, the voice of a man with a divine mission.
"My power is a blessing for all humanity. It is not merely a tool for battle, but a sanctuary for the weary. its true name is..."
The Celestial Radiance of Absolute Evil Nullification and the Sacred Cleansing of Worldly Impurities."
He let the words hang in the air, a "savior" half-smile playing on his lips. He felt like a Shonen protagonist in the middle of a two-page spread. Surely, they were moved. Surely, they saw the nur (light) radiating from his very soul.
The room didn't just go quiet, it went subterranean.
All Might, in his skeletal form, stared at Adam with a look of profound, soul-deep pity.
Poor lad, Toshinori thought, a single tear almost forming in his sunken eyes.
He must had suffered a trauma in the past, he's retreated into a fantasy world to cope with the pain. he needs a very, very long hug and a therapist.
Hawks was a different story. His lips were twitching so violently they looked like they were having a seizure. He squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body vibrating as he mustered every ounce of Pro-Hero willpower to keep from howling. His wings were puffed out, feathers rustling in a frantic, stifled rhythm. Radiance of what? Hawks screamed internally. This kid is hilarious!
Detective Tsukauchi, however, didn't laugh or cry. He simply sighed, the sound of a man who had seen too many teenagers watch too much late-night television. He looked down at his notebook, his pen scratching across the paper with clinical precision.
Subject: Adam
Observation: Likely suffering from severe Chunibyo (Eighth-Grade Syndrome). Delusions of grandeur and divine mission.
Quirk (Official): Unnamed quirk that probably allows him to nullify certain things, need further information.
"hmm," Tsukauchi muttered, ignoring the 'Celestial' part entirely. " so Based on his description of 'cleansing impurities' and 'nullification,' it's likely a Conceptual Eraser or a high-level Cancellation-type quirk. It doesn't just destroy, it removes the properties of matter entirely."
"It's a high-level erasing-class ability, like Eraser Head's quirk but Plus ultra version" All Might added, nodding seriously to the Detective.
"Basically, a 'No-U' button for reality," Hawks added, his expression turned serious and heavy.
Adam's "savior" smile faltered. He looked from the Detective to All Might, then to Hawks. No one was using the word 'Celestial.' No one was talking about 'Sacred Cleansing.' They were talking about 'Nullification' and 'Erasers', All means 'Danger.'
"Wait, the 'Sacred Cleansing' part..." Adam whispered, his face turning a fresh shade of red. "Doesn't that sound better?"
"It sounds like a detergent brand, kid." Hawks snickered.
Adam slumped back into the couch, his head in his hands. He looked like he wanted to use his quirk to negate his own existence. The "halal-ification" project was a total disaster. He had tried to be a saint and ended up making a fool of himself again!
"Fine," Adam muttered through his fingers, his voice dripping with disappointment. "Fine. Just call it Negation. It's fine. Everything is fine."
"Negation. Simple. Efficient," Tsukauchi said, finally writing it down in bold letters. "I like it."
I hate it here, Adam thought. I really, really hate it here. This is not My Hero Acadmia, it's my Hell Academia!
"Interesting," Hawks hummed. "So you cancel things?"
"Cancelation is just a manifestation of it's usage, it's Denying the existence of things." Adam explained, leaning forward. "I can negate physical or biological properties as long as I can perceive them. Quirks, I don't fully understand yet, but I can cancel their effects. With the sludge villain, I simply negated the 'cohesion' of his liquid body. He couldn't hold himself together anymore... wait." Adam paused, his eyes widening. "He is... still alive, right? I have never used it on a person before. I did not mean to kill him!"
'just kidding, that 'weld l-hram' (son of a sin, bastard) deserve to be negated from existence for trying to kill a kid' ,he added mentally.
Hawks let out a long, low whistle. "You're a walking Bug in The Matrix, Adam-kun."
All Might and the Detective exchanged a heavy glance. The same thought mirrored in both their minds: We cannot let a power like this fall into the hands of All For One.
"Young man," All Might said, his tone turning fatherly but firm. "It is an incredible gift. Do not worry, the villain survived, But you must be careful. Using this on an ordinary person could have severe consequences."
"Alhamdulillah," Adam muttered under his breath, pretending to sigh in relief.
Then, the atmosphere shifted. The air in the room felt like it dropped five degrees as Detective Tsukauchi slowly began to peel off his gloves. Adam's heart skipped a beat. Here comes the 'Boss Battle' of the conversation.
"Young man, I have some final, vital questions. Please answer them honestly. They concern your future... and perhaps the fate of this country."
Adam felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck.
'yooo Calm down! Why is this escalating so fast?! One minute we were discussing my heroic power, i did everything to show you i mean no harm and i want to be a hero, the next I'm a 'country-level threat'? If you keep pushing me, I'll have a 'villain awakening' just out of spite!
Despite his internal screaming, he managed a polite, innocent smile. "Ask whatever you wish, sir. I will answer what I can."
Tsukauchi reached out his hand. "My Quirk allows me to detect lies through physical contact. Please, hold my hand. This is a formal investigation." He held up a document Adam couldn't read.
really nika? it can be a bill or somethin', how am i supposed to read Japanese?! , Adam thought bitterly. But fine. Let's play.
He placed his palm against the detective's. The contact felt cold.
"First question: Your full name, age, and place of birth."
"Adam Al Hantakour. Fifteen. From Morocco."
Tsukauchi's brow furrowed, not with suspicion, but with genuine confusion. "Morocco? All Might, does that ring a bell?"
"I... I can't say it does," All Might admitted, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"A small island nation, maybe?" Hawks chimed in, leaning back with a shrug.
Adam felt a familiar spark of irritation. Of course they don't know it, he thought. In this world, if it isn't Japan or the States, it might as well be on the moon. Typical Japanese anime stuff.
"Morocco is in North Africa," Adam clarified, his tone flat. "Just across the water from Spain. As for how I got here... I don't know. I just woke up on a beach surrounded by mountains of trash."
"Africa?" Hawks blinked, his golden eyes scanning Adam's features. "Then why aren't you... well, black?"
Adam didn't even bother with a verbal response. He just leveled Hawks with a look so deadpan it would have made Shota Aizawa proud.
"North Africa..." Tsukauchi muttered, his thumb flying across his phone screen. He turned the device around, displaying a digital map to the others.
"Whoa! That's over eleven thousand kilometers!" Hawks barked a laugh of pure disbelief. "How do you even cross that kind of distance? Teleportation? Kidnapped? Or..." He trailed off, his playful grin faltering as he considered the darker possibilities.
"Your parents must be worried sick," All Might added softly, his blue eyes filled with paternal concern.
Adam's gaze dropped to the glass table. For a split second, his stoic "Protagonist" mask slipped, revealing a hollow, genuine ache.
"I have no relatives in this world," he said quietly.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. The three heroes exchanged looks, their expressions softening. To them, the subtext was clear: a tragic orphan from a struggling nation who had risked everything to cross the globe for a fresh start.
"I am sorry, Adam-kun," All Might said, his voice thick with sincerity. "I did not mean to reopen such a painful wound."
Adam waved it off, letting the silence hang. He couldn't exactly explain the "multiverse" thing without sounding insane, so he let them settle on their own version of the truth. "It's... fine.
"You said you found yourself at a coast near junk?" Tsukauchi asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Takoba Municipal Beach Park?"
"Yes. i don't know it's name but it's mostly likely the one."
Tsukauchi didn't linger on the "how." He needed to hit the "what." He looked Adam dead in the eye, his grip on Adam's hand tightening slightly.
"According to our investigation, the first manifestation of a strange phenomenon happened right there, at Takoba Beach. Satellite data showed buildings... disappearing and reappearing. Like what happened to the mutation-type quirks holders being blinked out of existence."
"Too much of a coincidence," Hawks muttered.
What are they talking about? Adam's pulse quickened. What phenomenon?
"Young man..." Tsukauchi's voice was like lead. "Are you the one behind the 'Quirk Disappearance Incident'?"
Adam felt like the floor had dropped out from under him. "I... I don't know what you are talking about."
Tsukauchi stared at him. "Truth. He isn't lying. How strange..."
"Maybe it was unconscious?" All Might whispered.
"Sirs, please," Adam interrupted, his voice rising in a mix of confusion and genuine fear. "Don't 'throw the pot' on me! My power requires touch. I can't Negate something i didn't touch! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Regardless," Tsukauchi said, putting his gloves back on. "You are our primary suspect. And because of that, you will be placed under strict supervision. For your safety... and the world's."
Adam started to panic. Supervision? That was just a pretty word for "prison" If he was locked up, he couldn't level up. If he couldn't level up, he'd never find a way home.
"Wait! Am I going to prison? just because i saved someone, I was helping!" Adam started getting anxious and irritated as he felt being treated unjustly.
"It's not like that," All Might intervened, his hand resting on Adam's shoulder. "The illegal quirk usage has been cleared, I've taken responsibility for it as your 'acting supervisor' for that moment. You won't be charged for the Sludge Villain incident."
Adam exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. Okay. All Might is a real one. He's not going to let them 'Guantanamo' me.
"But," All Might continued, "we are keeping the 'Disappearance' incident a secret from the government and the Commission for now. To protect you."
'hold on...if they aren't sent by the government because they think my quirk is dangerous then...'
Adam blinked. "Protect me? From who? I'm just a homeless kid with no ID, it hadn't even been few hours since i stepped into this 'Beautiful' country. i didn't offend anyone, except that villain. and why you keep repeating 'for the safety of the country' thing? I honestly believe i pose no danger to anyone, even though my quirk look dangerous, but i can control it as i wish...so what's going on?"
Hawks let out a sharp, joyless chuckle. "Kid, you're being targeted by people much worse than that thief. They've been sniffing around for the source of that 'incident' since the moment it happened."
"What? Who? when?" Adam's eyes pooped up from their sockets, this was unexpected.