Chapter 2: The Taste of Salt and Cotton Candy
The woods were quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos Chopper had left behind at the school. He had run until his lungs burned, shifting back into his small, "Brain Point" form only when his heavy muscles finally gave out from exhaustion. Now, he sat huddled beneath the exposed roots of a massive oak tree, his pink hat pulled low over his eyes.
He sniffled. A long, wet trail of mucus ran from his blue nose.
"I'm not a monster," he whispered to the damp earth. "I'm just... me."
He picked up a twig and snapped it. Why did humans have to be so complicated? When he was small and fuzzy, they treated him like a toy. When he was strong and capable, they treated him like a threat. There was no middle ground.
"Keep your sniffling down, child," a raspy voice interrupted. "You're vibrating the ground and scaring away the beetles."
Chopper scrambled back in panic, pressing himself against the tree bark. "Go away! I'm dangerous! I'm a monster!"
The bushes parted, and a small, elderly woman stepped through. She wore a simple apron, a trowel in one hand and a basket of dirt-covered roots in the other. It was Granny Chiyo, the woman who ran the old candy shop down the street.
She didn't scream. She didn't drop her basket. She simply adjusted her glasses and sighed, looking at the trembling reindeer-boy.
"A monster?" She scoffed, walking over and sitting on a nearby stump with a groan of exertion. "I've lived in this city since before Quirks were even a registered thing, child. I've seen men with chainsaws for faces. A crying furball doesn't exactly make my knees shake."
She reached into her deep apron pocket and pulled out a stick of pink, fluffy cotton candy. It was wrapped in plastic and slightly squished.
"Here. Sugar helps the salt dry up."
Chopper hesitated. His nose twitched. The smell of sugar was overpowering. His stomach rumbled loudly. He slowly reached out, took the treat, and ripped the wrapper off. He took a bite, the sweetness exploding in his mouth and melting instantly.
"I... I scared everyone," Chopper mumbled through a mouthful of pink fluff. "Kenji kicked the ball too hard. It was going to hit a kid. So I turned big to stop it. But they called me a villain."
"People fear what can crush them, Chopper," Chiyo said simply, scraping some mud off her trowel. "Intentions don't matter when you drop a mountain in front of a frightened child. You showed them raw, destructive force. Of course they panicked."
"I just wanted to save him," Chopper admitted, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "Like heroes do."
"Heroes carry weight," Chiyo replied, looking at him calmly. "When you wield that much power, you have to accept that not everyone will smile at you. Some will be terrified of what you're capable of doing if you ever decide to stop being nice."
She pointed the trowel at him. "But let me ask you this. Did the ball hit the little boy?"
Chopper shook his head. "No. I crushed it first."
"Then you did your job," she said, standing up and brushing dirt off her apron. "A hero's job isn't to collect 'thank yous'. It's to make sure people go home safe, even if they run away from you afterward."
Chopper looked at his small, furry hands. It was a hard pill to swallow. He liked praise. But... he liked the taste of the cotton candy, and the undeniable fact that the little boy wasn't hurt.
"Come on," Chiyo commanded. "If you stay out here much longer, Dr. Kureha is going to tear this forest down looking for you. And frankly, that woman terrifies me."
Chopper shivered. She was absolutely right.
He followed the old woman out of the woods. When they reached the edge of the residential district, Chopper stopped.
"Granny?"
"What is it now?"
"I'm going to figure it out," Chopper said, clenching his small fist with renewed determination. "I'm going to make a form that's strong enough to protect everyone, but doesn't make them cry!"
"I'm sure you will," she said, turning away. "Just don't forget to visit the shop. I have a new batch of sour gummies coming in."
As Chopper walked the rest of the way home, the sun was beginning to set. He reached his front door, taking a deep breath.
He pushed it open. "I'm home!"
"Where have you been, you little brat?!" Dr. Kureha's voice thundered from the hallway. She stomped toward him, hands on her hips. "The school called. Said a giant yeti destroyed their fence and popped their soccer ball."
"It was Heavy Point, not a yeti!" Chopper yelled back, kicking off his shoes.
Kureha stopped, her sharp eyes scanning him from his hat to his hooves. She noticed the dried tear tracks in his fur, but her expression didn't soften. Instead, she turned around and walked toward the kitchen.
"Go wash your hooves," she grumbled. "Dinner is getting cold. And tomorrow, you're paying for that fence out of your allowance."
Chopper smiled. This was normal. This was safe.
That night, Chopper lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Heavy Point is too scary, he analyzed. Brain Point is too weak. I need... something else. Something heroic.
He grabbed his notebook and a crayon. Under the moonlight, he began to sketch crude drawings of new forms. Legs that could jump high. Arms that could defend. He wasn't a monster. And one day, the world would know his name not with fear, but with relief.