Power Is Neither Good Nor Evil

! - 1 - Pro Hero? - 1 -

Shigeo Kageyama -Also Known as Mob-

Is a middle school ESPer- who has impending life changes ahead of him.

A green spirit named Dimple is accompanying Mob on his way to Salt Middle School. Being dead, Dimple has nothing to do, so why not follow the young esper to school? As they walk down the usual path, Mob's black bowl cut waves slightly in the wind, while he looks around at the tall buildings. However, today, something feels off about the area. Mob notices a brick wall with spidering cracks throughout, and roots emerging from the base, wrapping around. He wonders if the wall was there yesterday, as he had never seen it before.

Mob decided to brush it off and continue walking. The rest of the walk was that of his familiar path. The tranquility that Mob was experiencing was abruptly interrupted by a sudden, inexplicable, and forceful sensation that seemed to engulf both him and Dimple. Pressuring their lungs. The concrete beneath his shoes scraped and screeched as he pivoted sharply, scanning the surrounding sidewalk, "Dimple, can you feel that too?" he asked. Dimple, in response, ascended higher into the air and gained a serious expression.

"Yeah, and it's something with negative intentions. Keep your guard up Shigeo! " Mob's body suddenly gives in to exhaustion, causing him to collapse on his knees. He struggles to catch his breath, his chest heaving up and down as he tries to speak. "Dimple," he manages to gasp out, his voice barely audible.

The spirit's eyes widened in shock as Shigeo suddenly fainted. "Shigeo!!" Dimple ran towards Mob and, in a quick decision, possessed his body. Suddenly, in a blinding flash of light and with the combined adrenaline of both Dimple and Mob, the body, along with both of them, vanished.

Musutafu, Japan....

In an alleyway in Musutafu, a quick white light flashes, followed by a kid in a Gakuran falling to the ground, seemingly unconscious. The boy continues to fall until he flips his spine, pulling his arms above his head and landing on his hands gently. He flips back onto his feet with a tired exhale, his raven hair covering his eyes and his prominent red cheeks on display. He looked up straight.

Dimple finds himself in an unfamiliar alleyway, with only an orange-tinted lamp lit up high providing limited visibility. The sour smell filling the air matches the limited visibility, causing Dimple to grimace in disgust.

As he tries to gather his thoughts, a sharp thumping sensation on his temple jolts him out of his reverie. "Okay, okay, I get it!" Dimple exits Mob's body, muttering incomprehensible words.

Shigeo's body slackens, his limbs hanging limply and his legs slightly bent. Mob's head rises, and his body tenses, giving him a stoic expression. "Thanks, Dimple. Can you tell me where we are now?" Mob inquires.

"I can go investigate," Dimple said, nodding at Mob. Then, he started floating away above the buildings in a zig-zag pattern.

"I'll be back, Shigeo!" he called out.

After Dimple disappeared, Mob looked to his left and saw a large dumpster against the wall. It was a quiet night, and he was confused.

"I was just walking to school. So how did I get here? And why is it night?" he wondered.

Mob left Ally and looked down at the sidewalk. He halted his path and investigated the area. There weren't many people around, and only a few cars passed by.

As Shigeo walked further down the street, he noticed a tall man standing on the ledge of a building. The man had black hair, was dressed in black clothes, and wore a long wrap scarf. He looked around at the streets and alleys, about to head in a certain direction. Suddenly, he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

The man quickly jumped over to another building and then leaped over to the top of a lamp post. From his elevated position, he peered over the ledge and looked down on the sidewalk where he saw a young boy wearing a middle school uniform. The boy seemed to be alone, wearing a blank expression as he looked down the street.

The man wondered, "Why is that middle schooler outside near an alleyway alone at night?"

Shigeo flinches as he feels a sudden presence behind him. Turning around, he sees a tall man wearing a baggy, black outfit with a long-sleeved shirt and matching pants that tuck into his boots. The man also has a utility belt and a light grey wrap scarf. He has long, untamed, black hair.

Feeling uneasy, Shigeo takes a step back from the man and clenches his fists. The man jumps down from the lamp he was standing on and lands on the sidewalk.

"It's okay, kid. I'm a pro hero known as Eraserhead. What are you doing here alone at night?" the man says.

Shigeo is confused. 'Hero? What's that? I have never heard of a hero, except from manga. And how did he jump down from that kind of height? I don't think he's an esper- so how?'

Shigeo realizes that he should answer the man's question first. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I was walking to school on my usual path and suddenly I started falling from the sky."

The tall man pauses, trying to process this. "Is the kid lying? It doesn't seem like it, but that's not normal," he thinks to himself. "Kid," he says aloud. "Now, please tell me, is this story you're telling me true?"

Mob looked at the man and said, "Yes, this is the truth. I know it might be confusing, but it is true." The man then turned to look at the boy who had no trace of lying in his expression.

Suddenly, Mob remembered he had a question he wanted to ask. He turned to Eraserhead and asked, "I'm not sure what city this is, and what's a pro hero?"

Eraserhead's eyes slightly widened in surprise upon hearing Mob's questions.

Eraserhead then clears his throat,

" Well, we are in Musutafu, Japan- Also, heroes are individuals who are licensed to use their Quirks to protect civilians from Villains, natural disasters, or any other kind of harm. Those who take heroism as a profession are referred to as Pro Heroes- Which is what I am."

Mob paused, taking in the information. "Pro heroes along with heroes? I have never heard of something like that in my city. Also, where is Musutafu? I understand it's in Japan, but I have never heard or seen it before."

Eraserhead took a moment to respond. "What's a quirk?" Mob asked innocently.

Eraserhead was taken aback. "He doesn't know what a quirk is. This might be more serious than I thought," he thought to himself.

"Well, a quirk is a power that 80% of the population possesses. Quirks are generally unique to their user and are classified into multiple categories. The three main types of quirks are known as emitter, mutant, and transformation type," Eraserhead explained to Mob.

Mob was surprised. "So, these 'quirks' are like powers? Would my ESP count as a quirk? How come I have never heard of these before? Especially when powers are supposed to be rare, so how can 80% of the population have them?"

"I have powers, but I wouldn't consider it a quirk. They are called ESPer abilities. The thing is, where I'm from, ESPer powers like mine are rare," Mob clarified.

'"Is it rare to be from a quirkless city?" Eraserhead wondered. "No, even if he was from a city like that, they would still know what quirks and pro heroes are. Besides, quirkless cities are extremely rare nowadays."

Eraserhead turned to the kid and asked, "What's your name?"

The boy replied, "My name is Shigeo Kageyama, but everyone just calls me Mob."

Eraserhead stretched his back, causing popping noises to go off downwards on his spine. "Mob, huh? That's kind of mean. It reminds me of Midoriya," he thought to himself with a light grin.

"My shift is about over, so why don't you come with me," Eraserhead said to Mob. "I can try to find out how to get you home. Also, you can call me Aizawa for the time being."

Mob thought about it for a bit, then gave a slight nod. "Sure, Aizawa."

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 Any constructive criticism Is very much welcome! I got to post this on May1, 2023

(Edit ; 11/9/2023)