(*Pov Jack)
After the boy stopped crying and let me go, he went into a muttering spree right in front of my astonished eyes. It turns out he was a big fan of quirks and an even bigger fanatic of heroes. When his mother finally stopped him, he at least had the decency to look embarrassed.
After the whole muttering incident, his mother started asking questions: "First of all, what happened here? Who is the person behind you? And what happened between you and Katsuki?" I didn't really know how to answer that—I thought Deku would have already explained it. But when I turned to look at him, he was just looking down. It seems he doesn't want to talk about it, or at least tell the truth. I guess I can play dumb for once; after all, this is his problem, not mine.
I started telling the anxious woman a more watered-down version of the story: "When I got here, I saw that your son and Katsuki were playing with another boy. Things got a bit too rough on Katsuki's part, so I decided to step in. Unfortunately, just as I did, Katsuki was about to use his quirk, and I got a handful of it to my side. Then—" As I continued the story, the woman glanced at my side and noticed it was burned. She immediately got up, pulled out her phone, and dialed emergency services.
While I was momentarily stunned, Deku came up to me again with grateful eyes and said, "Thank you for not pushing the explanation onto me. I really can't lie, and I don't want to cause Kacchan any trouble." I just sighed and replied, "You really shouldn't care about that douchebag." I heard a small exclamation from him: "Language!" Ignoring it, I continued, "As I was saying, you should stop defending him. He's a bully who picks on the weak, and he even bullies you! You should really stand up for yourself more, Deku." He looked like he wanted to say something, but by the end of my little rant, he went quiet and pale.
I stared at him for a bit and asked, "What's wrong?" He just looked down and whispered to himself, "My name is not Deku." I continued, "That pomeranian called you Deku. Isn't that your name? You seem uncomfortable with it." He smiled at the nickname I gave to Katsuki before his expression turned somber as he explained, "My name is Izuku Midoriya, and the name Deku is used by Kacchan to mock me since it pretty much means 'useless.'"
Once again, this guy made my jaw drop. "You mean to tell me that you literally defended the guy who not only almost beat you up but has been mocking you for a long time?!" He quickly shook his head and started explaining again: "Well, you see, Kacchan and I have known each other since we were babies because our moms are really old friends. Kacchan and I got along fine at first; we both loved heroes and looked up to All Might. Then, about half a year ago, when he awakened his quirk, he started changing. Everyone was praising him for his super-strong quirk. I think it got to his head—now he calls everyone 'extras' like they're just background characters in a movie and he's the main character. I feel bad because I know he can be a great hero, and I don't want him to make a mistake and lose his chance at being a hero, or worse, actually turn into a villain."
As I digest all this information, I feel a pang of guilt in the back of my mind. I'm not sure what caused it, but I can somewhat put myself in Katsuki's place. On another note, I'm impressed by this timid boy. He may not be physically strong, but he has a heart of gold. His thinking might be naive, but I don't want to discourage him by sharing my view of the situation.
Suddenly, I have an idea to cheer him up, so I exclaim, "Well, that's in the past, and we need to focus on the future. Izuku, always look forward and never let anybody put you down! For the record, my name is John Adams, but just call me Jack!"
He looks shocked, then beams a smile at me—one so bright that I have to squint. He rushes toward me again, but this time I'm more prepared to receive the hug. As he cries a river into my shirt, his mom comes back, looking worried, and asks, "How do you feel? Does it hurt a lot?"
Before anything else could happen, the weird-looking guy comes over and just stares at us. I got a little unnerved and asked him, "Who are you, and what do you want with me?" He just stared back without uttering a single word. I felt a strange kind of connection to this man, but I'm sure I've never seen him before in my life.
The worried mother stepped between us and the strange man, just as she was about to yell at him for being a creep and threatening to call the police. Izuku suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, I think I get it! Jack-kun, this guy is your quirk, right?"
I thought about it for a second, and it made some sense. "Hey, Izuku, did you notice anything strange about me during the incident?"
He thought about it for a few minutes, then exclaimed, "Yeah, right! I think it was strange that, suddenly, from one moment to the next, an arc started glowing on your face, with your left eye shining so brightly that it even momentarily blinded me!"
As I pondered over my eye and the strange arch, a sudden headache hit me, and flashing images appeared in my mind. They were bizarre and unsettling—places, people, and creatures I never imagined could or should exist. Suddenly, silhouettes of people started appearing in my mind. At first, there were only four of them; one had glowing red tattoos on her body, and for some reason, I felt an immense amount of hatred toward her. Then, six new silhouettes appeared. I felt fondness for them, except for one that looked oddly robotic, which filled me with an overwhelming sense of annoyance.
When six more silhouettes appeared, my emotions flipped entirely—I felt a rage like I'd never experienced before, as if these people had taken everything from me. Even though I didn't know them, it felt deeply personal, like they had wronged me in the worst possible way. A single word echoed in my mind, the greatest insult I could imagine: Vault Hunters!!!
Before I could spiral further into madness, everything faded away, leaving only a lone figure. She had similar markings to the fiery woman from before, but hers were a more controlling blue. In her presence, I felt a deep sense of regret and love, emotions so strong they nearly overwhelmed me.
Suddenly, I felt someone rapidly shaking my shoulders and shouting, "What's gotten into you?! Come back to your senses!" As I looked around, I saw Izuku shaking my shoulders and crying profusely. Snapping out of it, I asked, "What's wrong?"
He suddenly stopped and looked relieved. "Thank God you're back! You just stopped doing anything and stared into the horizon with increasingly worrying expressions. I thought I did something to you."
I tried to cheer him up a bit as I exclaimed, "I think you were right—he does have a connection with me, probably a part of my quirk, just like the glowing thingies!"
Izuku looked shocked, then ecstatic. "That is so cool! So, what can it do? Does it hurt? Is it a mutation, emitter, or transformation type?!" He fired off questions rapidly, and as he did, I thought to myself, 'I don't know what that was, but it felt ominous. The images were all too familiar, yet I couldn't place any faces to the shadows in my memories. Whatever it was, I'll take it as a warning until I know more about it.'