Payback (Hiatus)

Chapter 16 (EDITED)

Edited: 24 October 2023

Izuku started gathering his belongings for school and glanced at the clock. With an hour to spare, he made his way to the kitchen where his mother, Inko, was. They enjoyed a meal together while she asked him some casual questions. It had been a week since he had traveled back in time.

Inko was utterly baffled and remained unconvinced as Izuku recounted the extraordinary events. When Izuku opened the box, his orb had vanished, yet Inko was still present. The only explanation Izuku could fathom was that his time travel had caused it to automatically disappear, as he now possessed the quirks. After receiving her past and future memories that Izuku had brought back from his time travel, she broke into tears and embraced him as if there were no tomorrow.

As Izuku took a bite, he couldn't help but gaze at his mother. In just a few days, she had lost weight and now appeared as she did in her youth, hardly showing any signs of aging. It made him wonder if she had ever been bestowed with an anti-aging quirk.

Izuku couldn't help but notice that his mother had unearthed her old Vigilante costume, a clear sign that the Jade Hunter was making a return to society after a 14-year absence. In addition, Inko had crafted a new costume for Izuku, and the design evoked a strong sense of nostalgia, reminding him of the day his mom had gifted him his very first hero outfit.

While walking to school, Izuku couldn't help but ponder how he would encounter Kai. He felt a twinge of nervousness, realizing he wasn't mentally prepared for this meeting. His mortality flashed before his eyes, forcing him to halt and take a moment to regain his composure.

Upon entering his classroom, a cascading water bucket drenched him, leaving him unavoidably soaked. The entire class erupted in laughter, but Izuku kept his gaze lowered and made his way to his seat, disregarding the commotion. Then, he discovered that his desk had been defaced.

The words "Quirkless," "Loser," "Nobody," "Die," "Nerd," and other hurtful terms were scrawled across it. Izuku's eyes shifted towards the primary source of this torment. Bakugo Katsuki wore a victorious smirk, as if he believed he had emerged triumphant. Without a word, Izuku set his bag down and began to wipe his desk clean. Before long, the school day commenced.

Izuku's attention was far from the present moment. The infamous sludge villain attack was still two months away.

Deep in thought, he considered, "Eri should be approximately four years old now. By this age, her Quirk should have manifested."

The timeline seemed to be in their favor because Kai had likely just commenced his experiments, meaning Eri wouldn't have suffered as much trauma. However, Izuku's realization cast a shadow on his optimism.

He sighed softly and mused, "But then again, when I restore her memories, she'll still recall everything she's been through. The only missing piece would be the scar on her body."

Time Skip

It was already 3 in the afternoon, and the school day had come to an end. As Izuku prepared to leave, Bakugo intercepted his path.

"Why are you so quiet, nerd?" Bakugo asked in his typical brash manner.

"I have something to do," Izuku replied truthfully. He did indeed have an important mission, which was to head to Shizuoka Prefecture where Shie Hassaikai was located.

"Where have you been these past few weeks???" Bakugo inquired with evident irritation.

"I got sick," Izuku answered matter-of-factly, not bothering to meet Bakugo's gaze.

"Tsk, of course you did, you're a loser after all," Bakugo scoffed before departing with his entourage.

Izuku hurried home and changed into more appropriate attire, considering that Kai, especially in this timeline, had no tolerance for messiness. Then, he made his way to the train station.