Chapter Text
The arcade was loud in the way only kids loved.
Lights blinked in uneven colors, machines chimed and buzzed, and the air smelled like pizza and something warm and plasticky. Izumi Midoriya stood in the middle of it all, clutching the sleeve of Katsuki’s shirt with one hand, eyes wide as everything flashed and moved around her.
“Kacchan… there’s so many…”
Katsuki Bakugo huffed, puffing his chest out a little like he owned the place.
“Yeah, I know. Just pick one.”
“I am—! I just—wait—look—!”
She pointed at three different machines in the span of two seconds.
Katsuki stared at her.
“…You’re slow.”
“I’m not slow!”
“You are.”
“I’m not!”
“You are.”
“I’m—!”
He turned and walked off.
She gasped.
“Kacchan wait—!”
And immediately followed.
They ended up at the claw machines.
Izumi pressed both hands against the glass, nose almost touching it.
“Oh—oh—look at that one!”
Katsuki followed her finger.
A rabbit plush sat near the front. White, soft-looking, with pink inside its ears and a little stitched nose. It was big—almost as big as Izumi’s torso.
She stared at it like it was the most important thing in the world.
“…Kacchan…”
He glanced at her.
Then at the plush.
Then back at her.
“…Tch.”
He dug into his pocket and pulled out coins.
Izumi blinked. “Kacchan?”
“Move.”
She shuffled aside immediately.
He shoved the coins into the machine and grabbed the controls like they personally offended him.
The claw dropped.
Missed.
Came back up.
Katsuki’s eye twitched.
“Stupid.”
Izumi fidgeted. “It’s okay, we don’t—”
“I got it.”
Second try.
Closer.
Third—
Slip.
Katsuki leaned forward.
“Again.”
Fourth try—
The claw grabbed the rabbit just right.
Lifted.
Held.
Dropped it into the prize slot.
Izumi lit up like the machines around her.
“Kacchan—you did it!”
She crouched fast, pulling the plush out with both hands. It was big, soft, and a little heavy, ears flopping as she hugged it tight against her chest.
“It’s so big—!”
Katsuki looked away, scratching his cheek.
“…Yeah. Obviously.”
She buried her face into it for a second, then looked back at him with a huge smile.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t say it like that. It’s weird.”
“…Okay.”
She still smiled.
They sat in a quieter corner, away from the loudest machines.
Izumi sat on the bench, the rabbit plush in her lap, gently smoothing its ear over and over.
Katsuki stood nearby, arms crossed.
“…You’re gonna name it.”
She looked up, caught.
“…Maybe.”
“Tch. Of course you are.”
She giggled softly.
Then—
something flickered.
Izumi blinked.
The arcade lights were still there.
But something else was too.
Something… floating.
> [System Initializing…]
She froze.
“…Kacchan…?”
“What?”
“…Do you see that?”
“See what?”
> [User Detected: Izumi Midoriya]
[Quirk Activation…]
Her grip tightened on the plush.
“…Quirk…?”
> [Quirk Registered]
[Game System]
“…Game…?”
The words stayed there.
Bright.
Clear.
Right in front of her eyes.
“Kacchan…”
“What?”
“…there’s words…”
“There’s always words. It’s a game place.”
“No—like—floating…”
He frowned.
“…You’re being weird.”
Izumi swallowed.
Then looked at him.
Focused.
> [Target Selected]
Her breath hitched.
> [Name: Katsuki Bakugo]
[Level: 1]
[Quirk: Explosion (Dormant)]
[STR: 10 | AGI: 10 | VIT: 10 | DEF: 10 | INT: 10 | PER: 10 | LUK: 10 | CHA: 25]
“…Numbers…”
Katsuki blinked. “What numbers?”
She stood up too fast, almost dropping the plush before hugging it tighter.
“I can see—your—”
She stopped.
Because more appeared.
> [Hidden Information Available]
[Access Attempt?]
Izumi tilted her head.
“…Hidden?”
“Kacchan wait—”
“What?”
She reached anyway.
> [Warning: Unauthorized Access]
[User Level Insufficient]
Pain hit.
Sharp.
Sudden.
She flinched—
> [Override Attempt Detected]
“Kacchan—”
> [Override… Accepted]
The world broke.
Lights stretched.
Sounds warped.
Everything skipped—
And then—
“…You’re scared.”
Katsuki froze.
“…Huh?”
“…that if I get a weak quirk… and try to be a hero…”
Pain surged harder—
> [CRITICAL ERROR]
“…I’ll die.”
Silence.
The arcade kept going.
But not for them.
Katsuki stared at her.
Eyes wide.
“…How do you know that?”
Izumi shook her head fast.
“I don’t know—!”
Her vision split.
Her body jerked—
> [SYSTEM STRAIN EXCEEDED]
[GLITCH STATE INITIATED]
She staggered.
The plush slipped—
“Kacchan—!”
Her movement stuttered—
like she skipped—
pop
Katsuki flinched.
Looked at his hand.
Another—
pop
Tiny sparks snapped from his palm.
Weak.
Small.
But real.
“…What?”
Izumi’s knees gave out.
“Kacchan—!”
He caught her.
Immediately.
“Oi—IZUMI—!”
Her eyes flickered.
Not blinking—
glitching.
> [ERROR]
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
“It hurts—”
His hands twitched again—
pop
—but he didn’t care.
Didn’t look.
“What did you do?!”
She couldn’t answer.
Her body spasmed again.
> [SYSTEM UNSTABLE]
Katsuki tightened his grip.
Panic hit—
and turned into something sharp.
“We’re leaving.”
No hesitation.
He grabbed the rabbit plush, then her, pulling her close as he started moving.
“Stay awake.”
Her head tilted.
“Kacchan…”
“Stay awake!”
Tiny sparks kept snapping from his hands as he pushed through the arcade, ignoring everything else.
Lights flashed.
Games blared.
People laughed.
And in the middle of it—
two quirks had just awakened.
One—
a system no one else could see.
The other—
small, angry pops of something not yet understood.
Both unstable.
Both real.
And neither of them recognized by the world.
He pushed through the arcade doors with his shoulder, the noise cutting off behind him like someone hit mute.
Outside was quieter.
Too quiet.
Izumi’s weight shifted against him, her arms loose around his neck as he adjusted her onto his back.
“Stay on.”
She didn’t answer.
Her head lolled against his shoulder.
Katsuki tightened his grip under her legs.
“…Tch.”
Then he started walking.
Fast.
The street blurred a little as he moved, small shoes hitting the pavement harder than they needed to.
Every now and then—
pop
A tiny spark snapped from his palm.
He ignored it.
Didn’t even look.
“…Dumb.”
Not at her.
At everything.
“Don’t pass out.”
She already had.
He adjusted her again when she slipped slightly, one hand letting go just long enough to hook her leg tighter over his arm before grabbing her again.
“Stay.”
His voice came out sharper than he meant it to.
pop
Another spark.
He gritted his teeth and kept walking.
By the time he reached his house, his breathing was heavier, not from distance—but from holding her steady the entire way.
He kicked the door open instead of knocking.
“I’m back.”
Mitsuki’s voice came from inside immediately.
“Don’t slam the door, brat—”
She walked into view—
and stopped.
“…What happened?”
Inko was already there.
Sitting at the table with Masaru.
She turned—
and her face went pale instantly.
“Izumi—?”
Katsuki didn’t slow down.
“She passed out.”
That was all he said.
Straightforward.
Inko was on her feet in a second.
“Izumi—Izumi, sweetheart—!”
Katsuki crouched just enough for Inko to gently pull Izumi off his back, cradling her close.
Izumi didn’t wake.
Her head rested against Inko’s shoulder, breathing uneven.
Mitsuki stepped closer, eyes sharp.
“…She looks like hell.”
Izumi’s fingers twitched slightly.
A faint flicker ran across her eyes—
like something inside her skipped.
Masaru stood, concern written all over his face.
“Did she hit her head? Did something happen?”
Katsuki shook his head.
“No.”
Another small—
pop
Everyone’s eyes snapped to his hand.
Katsuki looked down this time.
A faint wisp of smoke curled from his palm.
“…Huh.”
Mitsuki blinked.
“…Katsuki.”
He flexed his fingers.
Another tiny spark snapped.
“…I didn’t do anything.”
Inko barely glanced at it, too focused on Izumi.
“She’s burning up—no—no, she’s not—she’s—”
She stopped.
Because Izumi wasn’t hot.
Wasn’t cold.
She just felt… off.
Izumi’s body twitched again.
Her eyes flickered—
> [ERROR]
“…Mom…”
Her voice was weak.
Barely there.
“I’m here, baby, I’m here—what happened?”
Izumi’s fingers tightened slightly in her shirt.
“…hurts…”
Katsuki stepped forward.
“She said that earlier too.”
Mitsuki crossed her arms, frowning deeper now.
“…What the hell did you two do?”
Katsuki didn’t answer right away.
His eyes stayed on Izumi.
“…She saw something.”
Inko looked up, confused.
“Saw… what?”
Katsuki hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
“She said there were words.”
Silence.
Mitsuki raised a brow.
“…Words.”
Katsuki nodded once.
“…Floating.”
Masaru blinked. “…Floating…?”
Katsuki’s hands clenched slightly.
pop
Another spark.
“And then she told me something.”
His voice dropped.
“…Something I didn’t tell anyone.”
That got everyone’s attention.
Mitsuki’s expression sharpened.
“…What?”
Katsuki didn’t look at her.
“She said I was scared.”
His jaw tightened.
“…that if she got a weak quirk… and tried to be a hero…”
A pause.
“…she’d die.”
The room went still.
Inko’s grip on Izumi tightened slightly.
“…Izumi…”
Masaru looked between them, unsure what to say.
Mitsuki didn’t speak right away.
She looked at Katsuki.
Really looked.
“…And you didn’t tell her that?”
“…No.”
Another small spark snapped from his palm.
Mitsuki exhaled slowly.
“…So she guessed.”
Katsuki’s head snapped up.
“She didn’t guess.”
The way he said it—
flat.
Certain.
“She knew.”
Izumi’s body twitched again.
Her breathing hitched.
> [SYSTEM UNSTABLE]
“…Kacchan…”
He stepped closer instantly.
“I’m here.”
Her eyes flickered open for half a second—
unfocused—
then shut again.
Inko brushed her hair back gently, voice trembling just a little.
“We need to take her to the doctor.”
Katsuki didn’t argue.
Didn’t hesitate.
“…Yeah.”
He looked down at his hand again.
Another faint spark danced across his palm.
Then back at Izumi.
Something in his chest tightened.
“…She’s not lying.”
Quiet.
But absolute.
Mitsuki huffed softly, though her eyes were still sharp.
“…Yeah. I figured.”
Masaru nodded slowly.
“…Something definitely happened.”
Inko held Izumi closer.
“…We’ll figure it out.”
Izumi stirred slightly in her arms, her face tightening in pain.
> [ERROR]
Katsuki’s hands clenched again—
pop
And this time—
he didn’t ignore it.
He just stared at it for a second.
Then looked back at her.
“…We will.”