MHA: The One Who Laughs

Year 2100, in front of All Might's statues.

"Say cheese!"

A woman held up her camera with a warm smile. In front of her stood her son, Johnny.

She frowned, noticing his dull, lifeless eyes. Her husband, standing beside them, placed a hand on Johnny's shoulder and spoke with forced enthusiasm. "Come on, kiddo… Don't be like that! It's a special day!"

"S-sorry…"

The boy bowed his head in apology. At 13 years old, he had dark hair and deep blue eyes, always carrying a sorrowful expression.

Johnny wasn't always like this. He used to be a bright child, always smiling. But everything changed when he discovered he had no quirk. He tried to push through, to keep smiling, but after his younger brother's death, he lost the ability to.

That day had started as one of the happiest of his life. His little brother had just awakened his quirk, and the two of them were ecstatic. But their joy was short-lived. A villain attacked. At first, Johnny felt safe—Endeavor, the second-ranked hero, arrived to fight. But despair quickly took over as he watched the hero's reckless, destructive fighting style. He ordered the other heroes to focus on evacuation, but they all perished. In the chaos, Endeavor ignored Johnny and the others. That choice cost his brother his life—a boulder crushed him while they were left behind.

After that, Johnny was bullied in school for his quirklessness and his odd, withdrawn personality. His only solace was tinkering with tools in an abandoned building.

His father squeezed his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Oh, come on. It's your birthday! No need to be sorry! Tell you what, let's go eat at that Korean restaurant you love."

Johnny weakly nodded. "Yeah, sure…"

— A few hours later —

After spending time with his parents, it was already dark when they returned home. His parents went straight to their room, exhausted from work and taking Johnny out for his birthday. But Johnny had other plans. Once everything was quiet, he slipped out his window and made his way to his hideout—the abandoned building near his house.

The building had been abandoned for ten years, following a mysterious explosion that no one ever explained. It was his sanctuary, a place where he could work undisturbed.

He climbed to the roof, overlooking the city of Musutafu, and sighed. Then he resumed working on his latest project—weaponized playing cards, modeled after the ones he used to play with his little brother. Johnny wasn't a fighter, but after what happened, he wanted to be prepared, especially when he's quirkless.

As he worked, one of the guards on his prototype fell off the edge of the roof. He groaned in frustration, climbing down to search for it. After a few minutes, he spotted a white glint near some bushes. Thinking it was his card, he quietly approached. But as he reached for it, he noticed something else—hidden beneath the overgrowth was a door embedded in the ground, covered in dust and almost invisible under the grass and leaves.

Curious, he brushed away the debris and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Argh!"

With one final pull, the door creaked open, releasing a cloud of dust that made him cough. Once it cleared, he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. As he descended the dark stairway, the stench of chemicals grew stronger, making him cover his mouth.

At the end of the hall, he found a rusted metal door with a faded warning sign: "Do not enter! Dangerous chemicals!"

Thinking the chemicals must have dissipated after ten years, he pushed the door open. The flickering lights illuminated a room filled with abandoned research equipment. At the center stood a case labeled "Capsule J", its latches already undone.

Inside, there were four glass capsules. Three remained intact, but one was missing. Johnny picked one up, inspecting the green liquid inside.

As he turned it in his hand, he fumbled because of the small size of the capsule. The capsule slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor, releasing a thick green gas. He coughed violently, his head spinning for a moment before the dizziness passed.

Cough Cough Cough

"Argh, that stinks!"

After waiting for the air to clear, he continued searching the lab, but he found nothing else of interest. Shrugging, he decided to head back home.

— A few minutes later —

Johnny quietly slipped inside his house. As he passed his parents' room, he noticed something strange—silence. His father always snored, loud enough to hear from upstairs. But tonight, there was nothing.

"Mom? Dad?" he called softly.

No answer.

He hesitated before opening the door. His parents lay in bed, still as ever. His heart pounded, but when he saw the slow rise and fall of their chests, he let out a sigh of relief.

Shaking his head, he pulled the door shut. But as he turned, his foot pressed down on a dog toy.

It didn't squeak.

His breath caught in his throat.

Frowning, he bent down, picked up the toy, and squeezed it in his hands.

Nothing.

"…Is it broken?"

He shook his head and searched for their dog, handing it the toy. Then he climbed the stairs to the bathroom, eager to wash up and sleep.

When he reached the mirror, he examined his reflection, checking his eyes for any side effects from the gas he inhaled.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He sighed, muttering to himself, "What am I even doing?"

Turning away, he reached for his toothbrush.

But in the mirror, his reflection didn't move.

Instead, it smiled. Watching his every move.