I'm not on EITHER side

"...I want to know your motivation for becoming a hero."

Izuku's POV

After an agonizingly long week, the day of the raid has finally come. A lot of my classmates have been distant, but they look worried. Ochaco hasn't asked me if anything's wrong, but she seems incredibly concerned. I haven't said anything yet because I was instructed to keep quiet. I wouldn't have said anything otherwise, but that just made things certain. I shut off my alarm and go into my closet, grabbing out the suitcase marked 20. I haven't had time to make a new costume or order a new one, so I've just been using my old costume.

I hastily put it on without the mask and hood. I rush downstairs and pace in front of the door. I feel too nervous to eat. I keep looking at my phone every few minutes, waiting to get the text that it's time. I hear people walking down the stairs. I know they'll see me and ask questions, but I figured I'd just say that it's classified. It's the truth, so I don't know why I feel so guilty about it. I put my phone back into my pocket before walking out of the dorms and over to the gym. I set up a small corner for myself when I get to the gym, placing easily replaced plastic against the wall with a bit of adhesive putty.

I grab my knife out of my pocket and throw it into my target, nailing it directly in the center. I go retrieve it and walk a few steps back from my previous spot, throwing the knife again and hitting it in almost the exact same spot. I repeat this until I reach the exact opposite end of the gym. I throw the knife, hitting it in the exact same spot as the first throw. I walk over and take the knife out of the piece of plastic. I look for other things I can try throwing at the plastic before taking my phone out. It hasn't gone off, but I still want to check. Right as I go to check, I get the text. I shove my phone back into my pocket and rip the piece of plastic off the wall quickly before sprinting out of the gym.

After about a minute, I get to the car. I open the passenger side door and hop in. "Ready?"

"I guess. I'm nervous and excited, but that little girl needs to get out of there. And it doesn't really matter if I'm ready or not, she's getting out today."

"At least you know the stakes. Alright, let's go." We start heading off campus and toward the same area as the meeting. I take some time to clear my mind. One random thought comes to me, and I open my eyes.

"Aizawa, I have two questions."

"What are they?" I look over at him, thinking of how to word them.

"Have two people by the names of Dabi or Toga Himiko been arrested at all? They're part of the League of Villains."

"Not that I know of, no. Why?"

"Well, they're my contacts inside the League. They told me that Shigaraki was thinking of getting into contact with the Shie Hassaikai. I know you told me not to tell anyone, but I warned them of today. They said they tried to convince some League members to set up a meeting with them today. So, if we get lucky, you'll have more League members in prison today as well as a horrible yakuza group." I wait for him to reprimand me, but he doesn't.

"It was a good idea to have them do that, but now there are more people we'll have to fight off if stealth doesn't go well. Besides that, you have another question, right?"

"Well, I was wondering if we could give Toga and Dabi a chance. Like the one I had. They came to me and said they wanted to be like me. I feel like if I don't get them a second chance... never mind, it's stupid."

"No, Midoriya, it isn't. I understand. You don't want to fail them. They trust you and look up to you. You want to do everything you can to provide them all the chances they deserve and didn't get before. I'll see what I can do. Don't do anything or say anything to them until I'm sure I can get them that chance."

"Thank you, Aizawa. I'm glad I can talk to you." Even though I'm still a bit nervous, this has made me feel better. Like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. After a few minutes, we reach the building. I take a deep breath before getting out of the car. I've never felt this nervous before. I don't know what's up with me today. Even fighting All for One was less nerve wracking than this. We gradually make our way to the right room, opening the door to see everyone sitting there in their hero costumes, as quiet as possible. I make my way to the front and see everyone staring at me attentively.

We shared the plan with everyone a few days ago, but I feel like it'd be a good idea to run through it again. "Has everyone seen the plan?" Everyone nods quickly. "Any questions?" They all shake their heads. "We have about two hours before we need to be at the base. I want to run through the plan one more time, together, that way we can see if any problems arise. I want input. Any objections?" No one says anything. "Good. We have new information as well. Intel says that a few low-ranking members of the League will be there meeting with a few people, but that doesn't change the plan much."

I launch into the plan and explain everyone's parts to them. Everything is running smoothly. After we go through the plan, I feel a slight bit better. I look at the time and see that we have to leave in about 5 minutes. "Everyone ready?" They all give me grim nods, except for one person. Mirio Togata. He has a confident look in his eyes and a smile to match. The entire plan hinges on me, him, and Aizawa. Thankfully, he seems ready and willing to do anything for this girl. We all leave the building and get into cars with the people we're working with. Mirio, Aizawa, and I all get into Aizawa's car. I let Mirio take the front so I can lay down in the backseat. After a few minutes of driving, I hear shifting in the front seat.

"I have a question, Midoriya." I open my eyes and look over at him. I nod and he continues. "So, I know a little bit about you, but I want to know your motivation for becoming a hero. I mean, you were a successful vigilante for a while. Why agree to become a hero after getting caught instead of just waiting out your short sentence in prison?" I look at him with slight shock. No one has ever really asked me that and expected an answer.

"Well, to get into that, you need to know why I was a vigilante. Do you know that?"

"No."

"Alright. Well, over a year ago, I went through a lot of stuff that made me lose hope in everything. Especially myself. I was in a car accident with my mom. I got out relatively unscathed, but my mom got most of the damage. She was in a coma. A while after, she died. In the same month, my once best friend told me that I should jump off a building and pray for a quirk in my next life. I nearly died at the hands of a villain. And then a few hours after that, my favorite hero told me to give up on the idea of becoming a hero because I don't have a quirk. I felt really lost that day. I ended up saving my ex best friend from the same villain. I got reprimanded for it by pro heroes for that. I just felt like I had no place left in the world. I felt...useless.

"I ran away from home. My dad is in America somewhere, although I strongly doubt he'd ever come back for me. I ended up in an incredibly unfamiliar area and just decided I was gonna give up and just stay on the streets. But someone came up to me and gave me a chance. The one thing I needed. They said that I was worth something to them. I chose to join him. That led me to the League, where I found out that I still wanted to help people. Their goals made me upset. So, I left them and set up to become my own entity. Thus spawned the Green Anarchist, which I hate. That's such a stupid name. But then I got caught and was given a chance. It was the one chance I've wanted since I was a kid. So, I took it. My motivation is to prevent people from ever getting to my point again. People deserve a chance, regardless of their circumstances."

I was so enraptured in telling him that that I didn't notice that we arrived. I see that the others are just getting there, so I feel less anxious, but I get up to get out of the car. "That's a good motivation." I look over and see Mirio offering a gentle smile at me. I smile back, wanting to ask him what his is. I look over and see Aizawa point at his watch. I nod and we get out of the car, preparing to rescue that little girl.

Word Count: 1608

That marks the end of this chapter! Let me know what you thought. Also, I wanna ask for some help. I want to design a new suit for Izuku, but I'm not that great at that. If anyone has any ideas, DM me. I'd love to hear your ideas. If there's one I like the most, I'll include it in the story and tag you in the chapter it comes out in. Anyways, I'd love criticism on this chapter. The next one is gonna be the heroes invading the base. I'm excited to write it! Have a good day, and remember to drink some water.