Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya stared at the clock on the wall.

He hated them, yet his very life depended on it. He couldn't stop time anyway.

"Izuku? Be careful, okay?" His mother, Inko, opened the door. "It's eleven already. Get your sleep." Izuku didn't bother turning off the light. He grabbed everything on his desk and lay it on his bed. There was a wristwatch, phone, a Swiss army knife, and a tin of food. He needed to find the balance between what he could carry and what was deemed so important that he needed to carry them at all times.

As his vision began to blur, the last thing he saw was the second hand of his watch, the metal needle relentlessly moving forward.

A four year old Izuku Midoriya woke up. "Mom!" He practically launched himself out of bed before quickly putting on his All Might hoodie. "Mom! Hurry up!"

"Oh, Izuku. I didn't know that you were awake." Inko Midoriya was slightly thinner compared to her frame now, but her love for her son had never changed. She smiled, watching the green ball of energy run around the room.

"We're going to the doctor's today, right?" Still running, Izuku grabbed his All Might action figure and made him fly around the room before colliding with the trash can. He took awhile to orient himself again, but it didn't affect him.

"Yes, that's right. Now, you need to eat. You can't run forever!"

"All Might can!" Izuku was still laughing, but he had stopped running. Inko took this opportunity to wrestle him to the chair and give him his cereal. Upon seeing the food, Izuku was placated immediately, though the energy would always be there. Before leaving, Izuku made sure to take his figure with him before going in the car.

"So, are you excited?"

"Yeah!" Izuku pumped his tiny fist in the air.

"Yeah, you're going to see if you have a Quirk or not." A few minutes later, the car pulled into the hospital's parking lot. Izuku took his mother's hand and sat down. The waiting room was bland compared to the other hospitals Izuku visited. Children weren't the target demographic, meaning that many of the colorful murals and toys were missing. White was the primary color, and it burned its way into Izuku's eyes.

The chairs weren't comfortable. Due to the number of patients seeing the hospital every day, comfort was a priority that was overshadowed with the need to help its patients. Izuku decided to see who else visited while waiting and recognized several of his classmates. He waved. Most of them nodded, acknowledging his presence. One of them nodded even. Bakugo wasn't there. Izuku figured that maybe Bakugo would hopefully talk about his Quirk soon.

Because Inko had made the appointment later than everyone else, they had to wait for a long period of time. Izuku was given fast food to appease his stomach, but even without lunch, he would've been fine.

"Is Izuku Midoriya here?"

"That's us." Inko kept her son by her side as they walked down the hallway. The walls were a mosaic of medical discoveries with various charts dedicated to showing data of all sorts, from sleep schedules to what medicine you should take if you're sick.

Any piece of paper was said to add information to the hospital's overall knowledge, so nothing was thrown away. In several places, so much paper was stacked on each other that some of the writing hadn't seen the light of day since they had been written.

"Right this way." The nurse smiled and led the two into a room. This one was probably more suitable for children, and Izuku warmed up to the idea once he saw the colors. It was a sharp contrast to what lay outside. "Wait a moment, okay? A doctor will see you soon."

Izuku happily picked up his figure and started to play with it as Inko watched. That was all he ever wanted to do these days, and Inko couldn't blame him. All Might was a great hero, and he often rose to the occasion.

A knock on the door. "May I come in?"

"Of course."

The doctor was a short and elderly man, but that didn't disguise his medical expertise. He promptly sat on the chair and asked questions about Izuku's height, weight, diet, and everything else about his life. Izuku was too busy playing, so Inko took control. In fact, Izuku didn't even know what was going on, even when he saw that he was being picked up and taken into different rooms.

"Give me a moment to analyze these results." The doctor straightened his glasses and began to scribble furiously onto the page. His handwriting was normally unreadable, but deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics would've been an easier challenge in this case. With one final inspection, the doctor handed the papers to Inko.

"Inko, this might be hard to accept."

"Huh?" Izuku stopped playing as soon as he saw his mother falter.

"Kid, do you want to be a hero?"

"Yeah." His normally excited voice showed signs of hestitation.

"Well, give up. It's not going to happen."

His action figure dropped to the ground. His jaw slackened, and his vision started to fade in and out. No.

"Are you sure?" Inko waved her hand, and the figure gravitated towards it. "My husband can create fire, and I can attract small objects to me."

"I'm well aware that you are a third-generation Quirk user. However, things like these do happen. The 20% of people still exist, and your son happens to be one of them." The adults continued to confer, using big words that Izuku couldn't understand. He did understand one thing. "If you take a look at his bones here, you see that he has an extra joint that people with Quirks don't have."

He wasn't going to have a Quirk.

This broke him. He remembered the videos of All Might, the ones where he could effortlessly defeat villains with one punch. "DETROIT SMASH!" Izuku could still hear that one line ringing in his ears. No. This can't... I won't accept this.

"If you want to confirm these results, there's another test that we can do."

Inko's anxiety and unrest was replaced by rage. "Do it. I don't care what it takes." The elderly doctor shrugged and hopped off the chair.

"Follow me."

The hallways were completely identical, but in light of the new information he had received, Izuku perceived the hospital as a darker place. The scribbles, normally benign, started to attack Izuku, listing a thousand reasons why him, a Quirkless wannabe, was unfit to be a hero. The fluorescent lights seemed to resonate with his mood also, flickering and becoming slightly dimmer.

Because of the large glass window, Izuku could actually see inside the room that they were about to enter, and he didn't like it at all. The room was divided into two parts. The first part was the one that they would enter. There were various control panels, racks stocked with supplies, and notebooks full of detailed notes. Izuku was only worried about the second.

There was another door leading to the inner room, which was mostly empty space. Two machines towered over everything else, and Izuku was reminded of the villain's lairs that he had so often seen on All Might's channels.

"Mom?" Izuku tugged at her sleeve, his hoodie to the side. "I wanna go home."

"Izuku, you have to stay here for one more test. The doctor says you still might have a chance." Izuku knew that wasn't true, but besides, it was his mom, and he didn't want to argue with her.

"You're cleared to enter." The doctor put his hand on the machine. "This is an MRI. You'll just lie down on here. It'll feel like you're in bed again." Izuku shakily walked over to the bed, and Inko helped him on. He gripped his shirt tightly out of fear.

"You need to wear this." Izuku now wore a sort of metal helmet, kind of like a colander. Different wires connected to different parts of his brain, and that would let the doctors know how his brain responded to certain situations.

"Izuku, just relax, okay?"

"Okay." His sweat and widened eyes betrayed how he actually felt. The machine began to move, and Izuku resisted the urge to cry. With a whir, the bed slowly retracted into the main machine body, where the scanners were. He could only close his eyes and hope for that moment to end.

Another deeper whir began to sound, and thirty long seconds passed. Izuku's eyes hurt, and his knuckles were white. He didn't know what was happening to him.

"We're done." The doctor stepped out of the outer room as the machine let Izuku out. He took off his helmet and put it haphazardly on the bed while running to his mom and hugging her hard.

"It's going to be fine, okay?" Izuku's tears fell from his face to the ground.

The clock in the back of the room began to tick. The sound alone was loud enough to be heard above their conversation, and the doctor turned around.

"That's weird, this hasn't happened before." The second hand continued to move. 3:59 and fifty-four seconds. Fifty-five. Fifty-six.

"Mom, we need to go, please!" Izuku pleaded. He knew something was going to happen, something very wrong.

Fifty-seven.

"The doctor needs to make sure that we're safe before we can go, okay?"

Fifty-nine.

Sixty.

With that fateful tick, everything went wrong. The other personnel in the outer chamber opened the doors. "Come in here!"

The elderly doctor turned around. He was smart, but he wasn't exactly alert. "Huh?"

"Get the fuck in here, now!" One of the assistants was monitoring the machines and screamed. He scrambled around, looking for notes and flipping switches. His mask nearly fell off.

"The gravitational field is fluctuating! I don't know if we can control this for much longer! There's nothing made out of metal in there, right? Right?"

The doctor faltered before widening his eyes.

"Kid! Your figure! Watch out-"

Izuku was tightly gripping his All Might figure and his mother at the same time, thinking it would give him double the protection. Without warning, the figure flew away from him, his fingers only grasping thin air. After performing several impressive feats of aerodynamics, the figure collided with the MRI, making a big dent and an even bigger noise.

Izuku looked at his hand. If he hadn't let go, he would've been pinned to the machine. Maybe his hand could've been broken. His wrist and arm were also fair game.

"My figure!"

"Izuku, we need to leave, right now." Picking him up was hard, given that he was squirming all over the place. Inko put Izuku on her shoulders, trying to mollify his pain.

"My All Might figure! We need to go back and get it-"

"Right now, I want to make sure that you're safe, okay? I can buy you another figure when we get home." Inko tried to keep her tone of voice as level as possible, but it was impossible. Her son had almost been killed. There were a thousand opportunities to act, yet she failed to recognize any of the warning signs. How could she have done this?

"Miss?" The assistant, the one in control of the machines, tapped Inko on the shoulder. "I honestly don't know what happened."

"Then figure it out!"

The assistant twiddled his thumbs. "I'm just an intern, and I've only had a few opportunities to work with an actual MRI. What happened was an anomaly. The records have been normal for the last few months. It's just weird that the MRI decided to act up like that."

Inko didn't know what to say. She didn't know what emotion she was experiencing. Izuku simply looked dejectedly away as they made their way back to the lobby. Taking their first breath of fresh air kind of reset their minds, and Izuku no longer considered the experience to be so traumatic, even if his mother thought otherwise.

He didn't have a Quirk. There was no other explanation, and there would be no convincing that would change his mind. Though it wasn't favorable, that was the best way to calm him.

Fourteen-year-old Izuku was back at the hospital, in the same room as himself and his mother. He pushed the door and opened it with ease, and no one bothered to look up. He tried opening the notebooks, and every time he looked back at them, all he saw was gibberish. Izuku was in a dream. He could read nothing.

Seeing the machines around him stirred up even more memories, but he repressed them. For now, he would have to focus on this one, the one that he was somehow experiencing at this very moment.

"It's going to be fine, okay?" Izuku heard his mother's voice, and despite everything, he smiled. His mother was beautiful as always, and she did her best to protect him.

"That's weird, this hasn't happened before." Izuku the elder barged into the room and looked at the machine from all angles, almost forgetting his lack of reading capabilities. He never saw the back of the machine, so his brain created one for him. Seeing the wires didn't make sense to him, and Izuku went back to the front. In his haste, he had missed some of the conversation. He now focused on the clock.

Fifty-six.

Izuku the younger was anxious. "Mom, we need to leave!" Izuku the elder stood in front of his mother, waving his hands in a frenzied manner.

"GO!" No response. "Mom, you need to go! Take me with you!"

Fifty-eight. Fifty-nine.

Izuku the elder cried. He already knew what was happening next.

Sixty.

The action figure didn't fly towards the machine. It instead flew towards his chest, and he could feel the impact. The "ears" dug into his skin, and he felt a sharp pain stabbing through his body.

"I told you... to move..."

Everything faded to black, and Izuku woke up. The sun was far from rising. Pressing a button on his watch, he saw a timer offset from the main screen in bright green lettering. There were still nine hours left. Izuku didn't know how to change his perception of time to match, but he definitely knew that he wasn't getting any sleep.

Lights still on, he opened one of the food packs and began to eat.

Chapter Text

"Izuku! You're up early." Inko poured herself a cup of tea. "Do you need anything to eat?"

"No, Mom, I'm fine." Izuku looked at himself in the mirror. There were dark bags around his eyes. The deadline that he had didn't exactly give him much room for sleep. Trying to convince himself that he was leading the best lifestyle he could, he put on his jacket and grabbed his backpack. He double-checked for all of his supplies on-hand: watch, phone, knife, first-aid kit, water. I have everything.

"So, what's happening at school?"

"You know, the usual. I haven't been taking any tests, so I figured that I could relax." He grimaced at what he just said. Since when could he ever relax? Izuku unconsciously ran his hand down his backpack, feeling the texture of the items he brought. "Mom, I have everything, don't I?"

Inko sighed. "You always have everything." Still, she thoroughly inspected Izuku's backpack. "Take this. You'll need it today." Izuku smiled as Inko gave him some gyazo, one of his favorite foods.

"I'll be careful." Izuku slipped out the door.

Inko worried for him. Ever since that day... things started to spiral out of control.

The following week after their trip, Izuku started having nightmares. It was the same thing every single time. The dream would begin normally, and it would always end up in himself being swallowed by the machine. Inko tried to comfort him by saying that it would hurt for some time; after all, that was a traumatic experience for both of them. It never changed.

Later, Izuku always seemed to get into accidents. He was never the type to cause trouble, so Inko wondered why this was all happening. She suddenly remembered the exact moment when she realized that she needed to take Izuku more seriously.

It had been about a month after the incident, and Izuku's nightmares stopped. He went back to his normal self, optimistic, cheerful, and determined to be a hero more than ever. Inko decided to take him to the park. Izuku's classmates were there, and besides, there were many parents there with Quirks that could protect them. Izuku started talking to Mitsuki Bakugo as Izuku ran.

"Kacchan!" Izuku was once again wearing his All Might hoodie, and he picked up his toy pail and shovel, excited to play with Bakugo.

"Hmph." Bakugo was surrounded by his usual group of friends. It appeared that their Quirks had manifested, given that one of the boys was donning an pair of reddish dragon wings.

The winged boy asked, "Who's this guy?" Bakugo picked up Izuku's pail, which had his name written in bold.

"He's Izuku Midoriya, but you can call him Deku." His friends and Izuku were impressed.

"Wow, you can read this?" At their age, they were just beginning to learn kanji.

"Of course I can." Bakugo's friends laughed as if on cue, and Izuku was none the wiser.

Izuku decided to make conversation. "What's your Quirk?" Bakugo smirked and extended his hands. The explosions that followed were small, but still enough to make the air smell faintly of gunpowder.

"My Quirk's here. What about yours, Deku?" Kacchan crossed his arms, a smug expression on his face. Izuku looked confused.

"Well... uh, I don't have one yet." Izuku scratched the back of his head. He had been called Deku for as long as he could remember, and this time was no different. Same people, same deal.

"Well, that means you don't stand a chance against me!" Bakugo lunged at Izuku, hands warming up. His group followed, right behind him. Izuku flinched and covered his hands over his head. He anticipated the kick before he felt it. Izuku just hoped that the situation would be defused quickly.

Meanwhile, Inko Midoriya's watch began to tick loudly. She stopped talking with Bakugo's mom, who had went and broken up the fight. Bakugo was complaining, and Izuku stood there, as okay as he would be after the beating.

"That's weird. Didn't this happen before?" Inko frowned, and looked down. Forty-seven. Forty-eight. Forty-nine. All of a sudden, Inko remembered everything. The sharp smell of disinfectant invaded her nostrils as her mind's eye put her back in the hospital. Izuku needs to leave.

"Izuku! Izuku, where are you?"

Izuku, who had just recovered, saw his mother's panicked face and started to mirror that. "We're going?"

Fifty-three. Fifty-four.

"Yes, honey." Inko forced a goodbye to the other kids as she kept a firm, vice-like grip on Izuku's hand.

"Mom, my hand hurts!"

"Sorry." Inko looked at the watch again.

Fifty-eight. Fifty-nine. God, please don't let anything happen-

Sixty. Four o'clock.

Inko started to hyperventilate, not keeping her eyes off of her son.

"Mom, what's happening?" When his mother didn't respond, Izuku tried again. "Mom, I'm scared."

Inko looked around for any impending threat and saw it. A construction worker nearby had built several discs to be placed as supports. While strong, they did come with the risk of cutting your hand on the edge. Each one was so black that it seemed to reflect no light at all.

"What the hell?" The worker lost control of the discs. They floated in midair, seemingly controlled by an invisible person. Inko screamed as the discs were being hurled at her son.

Izuku saw a black circle in his vision approaching impossibly fast. He felt himself being picked up and put down, and he craned his neck to see what was going on. Where was his mother?

Fortunately, both of them were out of the way. The discs, having missed their intended target, embedded themselves in a nearby tree, where the force was strong enough to cut it down.

One of the policemen on duty went up to the two and apologized. "Ma'am, I'm really sorry. That must have been so sudden."

Inko shuddered. If they hadn't moved, their necks would've been cut off. Izuku unconsciously touched his own as if making to sure that it was still intact. The policeman noticed this. "We'll make sure this never happens again. I'll go talk to them."

Inko barely whispered. "Okay." She picked up her son and went home as fast as she could. She was still thinking about the whole thing. The man was kind enough to give her any information that they found, and all of that was already in her email.

According to the workers, nothing like this had ever happened before. The discs were made out of a new alloy that was supposedly stronger than steel. All of them were metal... maybe someone with a metal-based Quirk thought that this was their idea of a sick joke. However, the people interviewed didn't have anything of the sort. She was still thinking by the time the next day rolled around.

Both of them decided to stay home. Izuku would usually spend his time at the computer watching videos of All Might, and even with the doctor's message that any attempts at heroics were futile, Izuku wanted to watch them anyway. Inko did typical household chores and kept a keen eye on the watch to see if it would act up again. Sure enough, Inko was right.

Fifty-one.

Inko picked up Midoriya and hugged him, and at four years old, he already started to understand. He began to associate the ticking watch with danger, and he looked around in a panic.

"The bedroom!" Inko and Izuku jumped on the bed and covered themselves with the blanket.

Fifty-seven. Fifty-eight. Fifty-nine.

"Are you sure we're going to be okay?" Izuku fearfully clutched Inko's arm.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Sixty.

Inko tentatively took off the covers and opened the door. It was locked. "I don't remember locking this before..."

They tried the window next to yield similar results. "No. No, no, no..." Izuku's head popped up next, and it was his turn to be confused. They were within the walls of their own house. There was no way for them to get hurt, right?

The carbon monoxide alarm began to beep. It had been installed along with the smoke detector many years ago, and Inko had forgotten that they had ever existed. If the alarms were true, then being trapped here would eventually result in suffocation. Not an option.

Inko kicked at the door as hard as she could. It wouldn't budge. She decided to look for something that could possibly break it down. In a frenzy, she taped one of the knives in the topmost cabinet to the plunger. Still being careful around Izuku, she stabbed the door. The wood was being cut, but Inko quickly realized that she could no longer take it out. So, she looked at the second entrance.

The window offered a view outside. There were people, but they were far enough to not hear their cries for help. Cursing herself for not thinking of it earlier, Inko finally phoned the police.

"Is this 119? We have an emergency. We're trapped in our home."

"Where do you live?" Inko blurted out her address while the alarm continued to beep, alerting her that time was of the essence.

"We'll send someone right away. For now, stay on the phone, we'll give you updates while we can." Inko sat down on the bed and hugged Izuku, who started to cry.

"Don't cry, Izuku. Everything's going to be okay." The watch kept ticking, softer this time, but both of them were still aware that it was there. The invisible gas had already coated the floor, and there was no telling when it would go up to their level.

Soon enough, she heard knocking on the door. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, now hurry up!"

The impact from the punch not only shook the door frame, but the house. This went on for some time, and voices were shouting at each other from behind the door. One of them said, "This thing is too strong for us to break through!"

"Should we call the Pro Heroes?"

"No. I've got a better idea."

They heard something like a chainsaw buzzing, and the door fell to the floor with a crash. "You'll need to leave. You can't return to this area until we know for sure that all traces of carbon monoxide are gone."

Izuku was afraid. This had happened twice in a row, both times beginning with unexpected circumstances. He asked his mom. "Every time at four o'clock..."

"Izuku, I wish that you wouldn't have to deal with these problems ever, but it looks like we have no choice. If I'm not there to protect you, you need to know what to do in situations like these."

Izuku didn't even know how to feel.

The two of them, drained of emotion, sat in silence as they figured out what to do with their lives.

. . . . .

In the present, Izuku Midoriya was only focused on avoiding Bakugo. He kept his notebook in hand, and it carried even more importance to him now. Every new strategy learned was a new strategy to use in case the worst happened. To be fair, he never had to use most of the stuff he wrote down, but it was still good to have anyway.

He barely heard what the teacher was saying. "You'll be going to high school soon, and that means hero work is an option for you." Cheering ensued, along with many displays of Quirks. Izuku kept his head down and continued to write.

"Oh, Midoriya. Don't you want to go to UA too?"

Thrown off by the unexpected remark, Izuku stuttered. "Yeah..." The class was silent, the quiet only broken by Bakugo's laughter. Now that the other classmates were comfortable making fun of him, Izuku wanted to disappear even more.

"Do you really think that a person as useless as you even has a chance of getting into UA?" Bakugo pushed Izuku to the wall. "You need a Quirk, dumbass!"

"I... do have a Quirk..." Izuku managed to choke out. Bakugo's hand wrapped around his neck, and he could feel the sweat mixing and falling to the floor.

"Hah. Even if you do, it's not going to be as good as mine. Not ever." Bakugo released his grip, and Izuku stepped away. "By the way, what is it?"

Izuku knew that bringing up the topic was a dumb idea, but he never talked about his Quirk with anyone else. It wasn't even a Quirk. It was a curse, some cosmic joke that the universe decided to pull on him. He couldn't even live his life comfortably, and because the event always happened right after school, he couldn't easily prove that he was just like 80% of the population.

Izuku scrambled to think of an answer. "It's... uh..."

"Just as I thought." The class had dwindled down so Izuku and Bakugo's crew were the only people left in the room. It came to no surprise that the teacher didn't bother to stay. Bakugo was one of the most powerful people in the school, and he carried a lot of respect despite his attitude. Izuku tucked his notebook under his jacket and anxiously walked away.

"Deku." Bakugo stopped him. "You know, there is one thing that you can do to become a hero."

Izuku's eyes shined, and he smiled. "Really?"

"Take a swan dive off the roof and pray that you'll be born with a Quirk in your next life!" Bakugo laughed with the rest of his friends and left Izuku alone with his thoughts. He knew not to blindly trust anything people said, especially Bakugo, but that didn't make it any less painful.

He slumped against the wall and looked at his watch. Three fifty-one. Another press of a button and it showed a countdown until the event that would supposedly lead to his death. There were only nine minutes to go and Izuku knew that he should've stayed where he was, but he couldn't stop his legs from taking him to the stairs and to the roof. Wind whipped against his face as he stepped closer to the edge.

No. There's no way I'm doing all of this.

Shut up! Kacchan is right. Besides, I don't have a Quirk that I could actually use to fight crime, like... All Might...

I'm not letting my training go to waste. Now step away!

Izuku was rooted to the spot, and from where he was standing, he respected the view. He was able to see across Musutafu and into downtown. To relax his mind, he tried to recognize as many hero agencies as he could. It made him feel better, and he walked back to the door.

His watch started to tick louder, and fear struck him like a bullet. Why the hell did I do this?

Fifty-seven. Fifty-eight.

Izuku ran to the door and opened it.

Fifty-nine.

He put one foot in and was ready to close the door when the watch gave a final, deafening tick.

Sixty.

A rooftop's worth of dust blew onto Izuku's face and forced the door open. He barely opened his eyes and saw that a gust of wind was trying to push him off the building. He kept an iron grip on the door handle, but he knew that his strength wouldn't last. Something told him that this was the only area affected, and that made him even madder. He was going to die and no one could do anything about it.

"HELP!"

Izuku's screams were drowned out by the cyclone and the door's hinges were starting to creak. If he didn't let go, then the door would break. If he did... well, the outcome wouldn't be so pretty either. Even if he was right about the whole thing, being right isn't of much use if you're dead.

Every extra second spent holding on was another second that would break his hands and his will to live. Thanks, Mom. Thanks, All Might. Bakugo, I don't blame you either.

Izuku let go.

Chapter Text

Izuku anticipated the wall of air that was headed this way, but he didn't anticipate exactly how fast he would travel. His arms flailed uselessly in the air as he was suddenly aware of his backpack, the only thing that might possibly help.

A quick second later, and Izuku was now over the street. It wasn't a busy one, but the few people that happened to be walking by could see the boy who had apparently jumped off the roof. They stared at him in shock.

Izuku experienced freefall, and that didn't give him a lot of time to think. You wrote something like this in one of your books! He put his backpack under his stomach while stretching out his arms and legs to maximize his surface area. The ground came up to him impossibly fast. Izuku shut his eyes, fully expecting the worst.

Instead of feeling the crunch of his bones shattering. Izuku felt himself being gently picked up and lowered onto the ground. His heart felt like it was about to explode out of his ribcage, and he took a moment to steady himself first.

"You can open your eyes now."

Hold on, I recognize that voice! All Might was waving at him. "Oh. You're awake." Izuku was too stunned to speak, and his sentences were jumbled.

He finally managed to calm down. "Wow. All Might, it's really you! It's an honor."

"Seeing my fans in person is always a welcome surprise!" All Might gave him the thumbs up. "Well, I'll be off. I have more hero work to do!"

"Wait!" Izuku caught up to him as fast as he could. He didn't know what he was doing. All Might was taller and stronger than him, and a single blow probably would've killed him just the same. Why was he going out of his way to ask a question that he could've easily answered by himself?

"What's your question?"

A million thoughts ran through Izuku's head, and he blurted out, "Can I be a hero?"

"Of course you can. After all, I went to UA too when I was your age! Of course, a lot has changed since then." All Might laughed and gave Izuku his signature jovial smile.

"Oh... I'm Quirkless."

No you aren't, and you know it!

Yes I am! No difference! People would be begging to be Quirkless if they had a timer ticking up to their deaths.

Shut up. All Might's talking.

All Might sighed and knelt down to him before coughing. "Shit! I didn't-"

"All Might? Are you okay?"

"Ugh-" There was a puff of smoke that blinded Izuku temporarily. When he could see again, he saw what used to be All Might. The new man was noticeably skinny with hair that shot up in jagged patterns. The only resemblance Izuku could find was his eyes. The blue pupils still had the same fierce look to them that Izuku admired.

All Might coughed into his hand and wiped away the blood. "That's my secret out to another person. I'm lucky that no one else was around to see this."

"Are you..." Izuku was shook. "No. You're not All Might! You're a fake!"

"Whatever your name is, I assure you that I'm the real deal. I was injured badly in a fight one time, and I can only maintain my hero form for about four hours every day. The more I push myself, the shorter the time I can maintain my image as the Symbol of Peace. When you don't see me on TV, this is what I look like." To emphasize, All Might showed his injury on his side. To sum it up, it didn't look good.

Izuku understood, and he numbly nodded.

All Might had another coughing fit before he choked out, "You're Quirkless. There's no way for you to become a hero, at least not in the conventional way. You can still help others. You can be a police officer, for example."

"But-"

"Just make sure that your goals are in reach. I'm sorry, kid." All Might shuffled away, muttering.

Izuku didn't even know how to feel. Part of him was kicking himself for not telling All Might about the "daily objective," but that was so hard to explain, and Izuku didn't have time to tell a Pro Hero his entire life story. He respected them far too much for that.

He thought that he would feel some sort of emotion: anger, regret, maybe even sadness. Izuku was used to being told this, and even if that other person happened to be the number one Pro Hero in all of Japan, that made no difference.

Now that he had survived another day, he looked forward to eating dinner.

. . . . .

Kai Chisaki scowled. "Please. You need to listen to my idea." His words echoed in the narrow yet barren hallway. His costume was the only thing of color; everything else had been worn down to a uniform grey, which reflected more light than expected. Fluorescent lights were placed at spaced intervals in the middle of the ceiling. They barely provided enough light to be useful. Comfort wasn't a priority here.

Chisaki's rhythmic footsteps were masked by a much deeper voice. "I told you. I'm already considering it." The other person turned around, his face obscured somewhat. He was taller and was a person that wasn't afraid to take up space. His yawn signaled that he had heard this conversation at least a hundred times already. By his side, a little girl stood there. Her wide eyes looked at Chisaki, as if assessing him, seeing if he would treat her well.

"I'm developing a sort of drug that will instantly destroy a person's Quirk upon entering the body."

"Yes, yes, I know." The man dismissively waved a hand at Chisaki. "I think I've figured out exactly how to make your plan work."

Chisaki became slightly less neurotic. "Tell me when I can expect a batch of the drug to test with."

"Chisaki, you're too impatient. The testing phase alone is going to take a long time."

"Sorry, I got ahead of myself."

The man brought the girl forward. "Meet Eri. Eri, say hi."

"Hi..." Eri would've looked just like any other girl her age except for one thing. Chisaki immediately noticed the horn on her forehead. Eri was wearing a simple white dress; if she picked her clothes, that seemed to be the only choice she could make.

"What's the horn for?" Chisaki was brusque, and Eri's gaze seemed apologetic.

"You see, that's where her Quirk comes in. It's... unusual. That's the best way for me to put it." He pointed to the horn. "Let's get a drink first. I feel like we might be here for awhile."

Chisaki had stayed at the facility long enough to recognize where every tunnel led, even if all of them looked identical to each other. He specifically requested that the building be built this way to prevent heroes from easily tracking him and his cohorts, even if they themselves didn't exactly approve of it. Eventually, the depressing power-washed walls were behind them, and they entered one of the break rooms. The dull colors were accentuated by the lack of it outside.

Now sipping drinks, the man gave the whole story. Eri was given several toys to play with so she wouldn't hear the conversation. "We picked her up several months ago. Basically, the horn on her head allows to rewind time around her."

"Is there a specific range to it?"

"Yes, there is. Eri wasn't willing to give up information so easily. From what we did find out, her mother disowned her after she used her Quirk to make her father disappear."

"Her Quirk is that powerful? When did it manifest? Is this the only time that she has lost control?" Chisaki adjusted his beak.

"Chill. She didn't tell us anything after that. We assume that she had left her old house out of fear. One of my subordinates picked her up, saw her Quirk, and brought her to me. We've already started some testing, but nothing major yet. Your interest will be of help."

"She doesn't show any emotion, that's for sure." Chisaki narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, you've got that part right. She's afraid all the time, and she's learned not to show it. That's why she looks fine now. Even if she is afraid, it's all for a greater cause, right?"

"What are we going to do with her right now?" Chisaki jerked his head in Eri's direction. She was wholly absorbed in play, and she was moving the toys around as if retelling a story. She never smiled.

"I would say keep her happy, but that's out of the question. She already knows the operation; hell, she's the only reason this operation exists. Right now, she's not asking any questions and going along with whatever we throw at her. We want to keep it that way."

Chisaki finished his drink and set the glass on the table with a clink. Looking around the room, he opened the door. "Thank you for your time. I'll see you later."

. . .

"So, you met All Might today?" Inko Midoriya was once again preparing for a meal. Izuku wondered if part of her Quirk was knowing whether he was hungry or not.

"Yeah." His voice was monotone, and Inko was concerned. All Might was his idol growing up, and even today, that was supposed to be the case. She didn't know what had happened.

Izuku sighed and flipped onto the couch. "I told him I was Quirkless, and he said that I have to pick another option. I don't blame him, to be honest. Explaining my... Quirk... doesn't have the best effect on people." He spat out the word after much difficulty.

"Izuku, I know that you should be the one asking the questions, but what are you going to do about it? All Might's your idol."

A day's worth of fatigue swept over him, and he gave his mother a defeated look. "Come on. I didn't even ask for this to happen to me. All Might still is my idol. I don't know where I'd be without him."

"The doctor said that there was something different about your bones..." Inko saw smoke rising out of the pot and hastily turned off the stove.

"Yeah, but something tells me that Quirks are more complicated than they appear. I think that it's still possible for people to have Quirks despite that."

"Your bones can't talk." Inko and Izuku chuckled, lessening the tension. "Are you going to give me an example?"

"He's talking to you right now." Izuku's forced laugh betrayed how he actually felt, and he internally wished that he had a Quirk that could rewind time. Inko picked up on that nuance easily.

"If there's anything wrong, let me know."

"It's just that..." Izuku paused, thinking of the right thing to say. "I've never lived life like I was supposed to. After the doctor's, everything has been a blur. I hate this. I need a future guaranteed to exist." Inko nodded. She knew that he needed to get this out of his system.

"And then there's the guilt. As soon as there's an hour left on my timer-" Izuku gestured to his watch- "I start thinking about all of the things that could've happened. What would be different if I had a conversation with a friend? Tried something new? First impressions are important, but so are last impressions. I don't want to be remembered for some stupid trivial thing I did."

"This isn't a Quirk that I have. It's a curse."

Inko was at a loss for words. To make up for it, she busied herself with setting the table, whipping out plates and cutlery with ease. The air was soon filled with the salty aroma of miso soup.

"Listen, Izuku. You didn't ask for this. Neither did I. We're just going to roll with it, and if anything new shows up, we at least know about it." Izuku stood up and ate. "Sometimes I feel like I'm a bad mother for inflicting so much pain on you. We're in this together."

"I know. Don't blame yourself." Izuku, still contemplating the events of the day, began to eat.

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya practically threw his alarm clock across the room. Getting up, he decided to bring all of his hero notes with him. He had nothing to lose, and review was always a good thing. Inko gave him his breakfast before Izuku walked out the door.

"You know the drill. Be careful, Izuku."

"Thanks, Mom." Izuku stared at his mother's face for as long as he could without making it appear awkward. The memory was now making its way into his brain, and Izuku held onto that memory in case of the worst.

His route to school was always uneventful, and Izuku put his mind on autopilot. It was nowhere near the time when he actually needed to step up. Sakura trees mingled with the tops of skyscrapers. They couldn't naturally grow to this height, and Izuku briefly wondered what person would have a Quirk capable of creating them. He also had a sudden flashback, and he was momentarily stunned.

Izuku was only six years old. He didn't know any better, and he didn't see the warning signs until it was too late. There was so much sanitizer on the floor, and the flames came more suddenly than he expected...

"Hello? Hello?" Someone was waving her hands in front of Izuku, and he jumped back, expecting an attacker. "Are you okay?"

Izuku didn't know what to think. "I'm... fine, I guess. Thanks for asking." Izuku narrowed his eyes. He needed to let go of the past, and he scolded himself for letting his mind go astray. The busy intersection gave him something else to focus on.

Bakugo would normally be an issue, but after his near-death experience, Izuku didn't see the threat in him anymore, and he knew that once Bakugo figured that out, he would torment him even more. Izuku once again tried to ignore him, but he already knew that the battle was lost.

"Hey, Deku." Izuku walked past him with a purpose.

"Deku! Listen to me, dammit." Bakugo caught up to Izuku in a couple of strides and turned him around. The 180-degree transition didn't faze Izuku, and he looked at Bakugo with a bored expression.

"So, what'll it be?"

Bakugo was stunned by his response. Izuku was supposed to be scared of him. Could it be-

"I almost jumped yesterday." Bakugo definitely paused this time. Though Bakugo didn't want to show it, he was scared. His insults rarely had consequences as great as this.

"The hell you mean, almost?" Never mind.

"I meant that I went on the rooftop. I never actually jumped. I was blown away."

"Wind? The weather forecasts yesterday said that it was going to be a clear day. No signs of wind."

This is different. "Stuff like this can happen."

"Deku, do you blame me?" Bakugo seemed to break character for a quick moment. Either that, or he wanted to avoid any trouble if people found out that he had told Izuku to jump.

"Not particularly." Izuku was glad that he got that part out of the way.

Bakugo swore to himself, the explosions coming out of his hands intensifying. "Screw it. Later, Deku." Izuku continued to stare in his direction before pushing the incident out of his mind.

Coming home from school, Izuku decided that the best way to go was to get home as fast as possible. He checked his timer. There was still five minutes left. That wouldn't be nearly enough time, but he had to deal with that when the time came. His backpack still held his emergency supplies, and he unconsciously thumbed over them quickly.

Izuku scanned for any place where he could be safe. All he saw were shops and restaurants, and he didn't want a rematch. He wasn't aware of where he was going, and the timer brought him back to life. One minute.

While Izuku prided himself on his analysis and his notebooks, keeping calm in the middle of a crisis wasn't exactly his strong suit, and he had stopped at a pretty bad location, safety wise. In these smaller shops, not as many people would pass, meaning that there were less people that could potentially protect him. The dark alleys behind the buildings didn't look particularly inviting either.

"Bakugo?" Izuku whispered and tried to hide himself. His watch started to glow red, and Izuku winced.

Fifty-seven.

Nowhere to go.

Fifty-eight.

Nowhere to hide.

Fifty-nine.

"Kacchan!" Bakugo turned around and saw Izuku with a look that radiated pure fear. Normally he would make fun of him, but Bakugo saw that this time was no laughing matter.

"All right!" All of a sudden, Izuku heard a distorted, gargling voice. A villain appeared in front of Bakugo. Bakugo turned around ready to fight before he saw that he wasn't its target. It was after Izuku, and his eyes widened with shock.

Izuku felt slimy tentacles enveloping him, and he thought fast. He took off his backpack and threw it directly behind him, temporarily blinding the villain. Picking up the backpack, Izuku used his phone to call the police. Meanwhile, the villain seemed to mistake Bakugo for him, because Bakugo was now the one trying to fend off the villain's grip.

A loud boom ensued, and the heat from the explosion started a fire, a kindle that spread violently from its source. Izuku stared as Bakugo released explosion after explosion, unsuccessfully trying to escape. I have to do something. This is all my fault.

"Hey!" Izuku got the attention of the villain, who looked back for a split second. There were now more people at the scene, now that the fire was in clear view from far away. Civilians and heroes alike fought each other to get to the middle of it. Izuku recognized several of them, and his heart skipped a beat. All Might!

To his dismay, All Might was also struggling with this villain, and the villain noticed it too. He became more confident in his attacks. One of them hit All Might's side, and Izuku could see him slowly fading back to his normal state. Izuku's legs started to move.

Don't worry, Kacchan.

Bakugo saw Izuku running to him. "What the hell are you doing?"

Izuku tried the same strategy again. He threw his backpack, the momentum stunning the villain. All Might looked at him and thought to himself, I recognize this kid. He's Quirkless, but he's still risking it all. I have to help.

All Might said, "Don't worry about it. I can deal with this. SMASH!" With a single punch, the sludge villain went flying into the air, splitting into a million pieces. All Might grabbed an empty soda bottle and stuffed the villain inside.

Izuku's adrenaline left, and a wave of fatigue washed over him. He didn't bother starting a conversation with All Might. That was enough trouble for one day. He had come to terms with his Quirk, but when it hurt other people, that became a problem.

. . . . .

"This hurts..."

"Don't worry." Chisaki grabbed Eri's arm and pushed a needle inside. "This is the only way that we can collect your blood. We need it for research." It was hard working with his mask on, but he refused to do anything without it. The room they were in was a lighter shade of grey than the rest, but uninviting nevertheless. Medical equipment lined the walls and yet Eri still felt that the room was too big, that something was hiding from her.

Chisaki carefully took the needle out before bandaging her arm. Now with Eri's blood, he had her genetic material, meaning he could see what made her Quirk what it was. He gingerly carried the vial, examining it from all angles. Of course, he didn't want to do the work himself. He had other matters to attend to. With a snap of his fingers, his subordinates arrived.

"You, decode the DNA." He pointed to each person as if they weren't worth his time. "You over there, see if we can extract something useful." The subordinates scattered, likely finding other people to help them.

Chisaki exited the room after taking one last look at Eri. Apart from that one remark, she didn't speak a single word during their exchange. She stared at him with the same blank expression that still somehow carried emotion. Some part of him felt bad for using the child, but he pushed those thoughts down. He was simply doing what was best for the organization.

Testing had went relatively well, and they had surpassed their expectations with each step. Chisaki was sure that they would have a working drug within a month, and if Eri was willing to cooperate, maybe even faster than that.

"I'm done." He called the other man on the phone.

"With what?"

"I've successfully extracted Eri's blood."

"I hope you've done it in a humane matter, Chisaki." Even through the phone, the stern voice was unmistakable.

"Don't worry about it. The girl's fine."

"Or so you say..." There was a sharp click on the other end, as if someone was putting the phone down on the table. "I can give you the results once they're ready. Until then, you need to wait, and you've never been particularly patient."

Before Chisaki hung up, he had to respond to another question. "Are you doing any of this work by yourself?"

"I'm the head of this operation, and it's all thanks to you. None of this would've happened if you hadn't brought up Eri." Chisaki tapped the screen, which went black at once. On the other end of the phone, the man clenched his fist, thinking to himself, Eri is an asset, but she is also a human being.

Fortunately for Chisaki, he received the work early. By his guess, his subordinates had worked together quickly to patch up a report. Parts of it were cobbled together like a student copy-pasting an essay from different sources. He frowned before telling himself that he wouldn't have gotten it any other way.

From what he saw, every person's Quirk Factor can be found in their blood. Eri's Quirk Factor was found in a higher concentration compared to the average person's. Chisaki couldn't jump to conclusions. He needed more information. Frowning, he thought he could wait another day... no, that couldn't happen.

Chisaki returned to the hospital room. "I'm back. I hope you're ready."

Chapter Text

Izuku went on his computer. That day, things weren't as scary as being attacked by a villain, but he thought it was interesting. He happened to run fast enough to get home in time, and he tripped over the doormat. Before falling, he noticed the rusty nails lying face up on the ground. Izuku grabbed onto the railing before collecting the nails and throwing them away. Wasn't expecting that, but then again, what do I know?

Furtively glancing to his left, he saw that his mother was busy. Izuku slipped up the stairs, closed the door, and turned on his computer.

When he wasn't doing homework or studying other heroes, Izuku was on the search for something that might mitigate his Quirk's effects or even erase it entirely. To any sane person, taking away someone's Quirk was unthinkable. It was like erasing a fundamental part of the person itself. Izuku thought that if his personality was based on avoiding assassination, then being Quirkless wouldn't be so bad.

He frowned. When it came to matters like these, all the "cures" were either crazy dangerous or crazy expensive. Okay, maybe the expensive part was made up. Everything was experimental. Izuku simply didn't know what was genuinely safe.

Izuku took out another notebook. This one was cleaner and more well-maintained than the rest, given that Izuku never brought this book out in public. He kept it in a makeshift pocket on the inside of an old shoebox. His mother never looked in his closet, and nothing there was ever thrown away. It was the perfect location.

He flipped through the book. Instead of analyzing the Quirks of heroes and villains, Izuku was researching ways to remove Quirks. On the inside, notes were hastily scribbled. Erasure marks and scratched-out words were everywhere, with the occasional arrow that signaled that something was important. In his hero notebooks, things were outlined in detail, often with multiple colors of pens. On the other hand, Izuku was looking at his own chicken scratch.

The computer screen currently showed a webpage for Quirk conspiracy theories. Izuku dismissed most of them and thought that they were a waste of time, just like the people who believed that the Earth was flat. There was often a bunch of misquoted and even contradictory evidence. However, there was one that caught Izuku's interest.

"Quirk-cancelling drugs..." Izuku murmured as he clicked the link. The article that was pulled up was by far the shortest one on the website. Izuku could read the entire thing without scrolling.

Ever since Quirks have been unleashed onto this world, there have been those that have sought to restore the human race by attempting to remove Quirks from the population altogether by means of altering human DNA or simply by causing genocide.

One method has stood above the rest, and that was to create a Quirk-cancelling drug. Such a drug would have the capacity to eliminate the target's Quirk factor from their bodies, rendering them Quirkless.

Izuku looked over his shoulder, expecting someone watching him. A minute passed before he resumed reading.

The drug can be administered via injection or other methods, one of which involves shooting the target with a drug-infused bullet. The process is rumored to be very quick. Anyone with the right connections to the government can gain access to laboratories and special materials that could speed up the discovery of this substance.

The rest of the article went in the same vein, and Izuku closed the page, mind racing. He started to mumble. "A drug like this can't possibly be manufactured freely, meaning that any operations would have to make themselves known with the authorities and by extension the public if that information is leaked..."

Izuku wrote down the entire contents of the page as quickly as he could, still talking. "If the substance is created secretly..." He started an incoherent phrase. "...villains? They might have something to do with it. If they can neutralize a hero's Quirk, they can take control more easily. The question is, which one?" Izuku was conflicted about this topic. Sure, he wanted to be a hero, but with his Quirk? He was a walking time bomb.

He heard knocking at his door and flinched. Hastily shoving his notebook back, he slammed the computer shut and walked over to the door.

"Oh... I just wanted to check to see if you were okay." It was his mom, and it was expected, given that she was the only other person in the house. Why was I so scared in the first place? Izuku still found it nice to have a person to talk with. However, his hidden notebooks had to remain that way: hidden. In spite of everything, if his mom knew that her son was trying to become Quirkless, she would freak.

"I'm fine, thanks." Izuku's mind had stopped coming up with possible scenarios, and he was starting to feel a little hungry. He looked longingly at his room before following his mother down the hallway.

. . . . .

Chisaki felt oddly grateful to finally escape the complex that he had called his home. He turned around and saw the building from the outside for the first time in a month. It was a gargantuan structure not by height, but by area. The large concrete slabs were split in random places, the thin lines weathered with age. Despite this, no one really noticed it. Given that it was built in an area filled with industrial ruin, it fit right in. No one bothered to look twice in a place like this anyway.

As he walked away, he felt the sudden urge to return. Outside of that building, he had no power whatsoever, and being Overhaul, getting spotted by someone else wasn't an option.

His phone began to ring. "This is Overhaul." He spoke briskly. As much as he appreciated the change of scenery, his time outside was short. He rarely stayed the night outside.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chisaki stopped cold. It was the voice that he had been acquainted with ever since his research's infancy. "Where are you?"

"Just getting some fresh air." Chisaki kept his mask on as always.

"I need you to come back as soon as possible, do you understand?" Always coming in at the worst time possible.

"Why?" There was silence on the other end of the phone. Chisaki looked around him, at the permanent layer of dust that clouded his vision, at the distantly shining sun, at the abandoned buildings becoming increasingly out of order.

"It's about Eri. It's about your plan. You need to slow down." Chisaki sharply inhaled and convulsively pressed a button, cutting off the connection. His thoughts of escaping reality disappeared, and he stormed back inside, wanting to talk to the man.

The guards recognized him immediately and hastily let him in. No one wanted to mess with Chisaki when he was angry, even less so when he was focused. Chisaki's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and turned a corner when-

"Oh, there you are." It was the man, his face uncovered for possibly the first time. Eri stood by his side, gripping his arm. He wasn't angry; as a yakuza member, he had learned to hide his emotions. "You need to start thinking about what you're doing."

"That I have. Our results have more than exceeded our expectations, and we're getting ready to test-"

"Test how? Do you even know who Eri is? She's my granddaughter and the only family that still recognizes my existence." The man whispered quietly enough for his words to be inaudible to Eri. "These bandages on her limbs weren't there before. Lift one of them up if you want."

Chisaki did as he was instructed. Eri's arms were a mess. Straight lines with varying degrees of color covered her arms, the redder ones barely hiding the raw skin beneath. Eri didn't seem to feel pain, and if she did, she didn't show it. She stared at Chisaki with the same pair of unblinking eyes as he gently run a finger over Eri's skin. It was uneven and torn, just like an article of old clothing.

"These will heal."

"Chisaki, you aren't understanding my point."

"It hurts." Eri whispered.

"Eri, what you are doing is very important to us right now. You can't quit."

"Oh..." Eri looked down and put the bandages back on, concealing the damage. The man admonished Chisaki. Chisaki's Quirk was powerful enough that he could take him down in an instant, yet he still wanted to gently guide him on the path to do more humane actions even as a villain. However, he underestimated Chisaki's hate for other people.

"If that's all you wanted to show me, then leave." Chisaki walked away, leaving a stunned Eri and an even more stunned boss. He heard whispering behind him, but that didn't matter.

"Sir, we have the new results." Chisaki entered a different lab this time. Due to lack of use, this one was in better condition than the others. Most of the equipment had either been stolen from hospitals or bought under untraceable names, and they were practically brand new. He walked over to the corner and opened a door that led to a smaller room. Inside, there was a light, a chair, and a man in cuffs.

His clothes were ragged and he started to show signs of malnutrition. He had been stuck there for several days. There were permanent bags around his eyes, and his lips were parched, begging for water. Without a shower, Chisaki had to pump freshener in the room to keep the odors at a bearable level. He opened his mouth and a raspy voice came out. "What... do you want ... with me?"

"Come on." Chisaki pulled out a needle, its contents glistening menacingly in the light. The man pulled against the cuffs binding his arms, trying to get away. "Once you're done with this, you're free to go."

The prospect of freedom overcame his fear of needles. Chisaki knelt by his side, and slowly, Eri's blood made its way into the man's system. At first, he was fine. Chisaki began to untie him.

"Thank you so much. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Chisaki never bothered to look at him. Heads turned as the man stumbled out of the cell, looking for the exit. Suddenly, he collapsed to the floor, his face blank and unmoving.

It took several doctors to pin him down. Once he was on the bed, they saw that Eri's blood was incompatible with his. The blood had already started to clot, and it would be unlikely that he would survive. Chisaki was angry, not because that the person was going to die, but because his plan had been delayed by another tiny amount. Chisaki clenched his fists and tried to keep control over his Quirk.

"Get me another subject."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"I said, get me another subject." Chisaki repeated each word calmly and deliberately. A few moments later, another homeless man was being forced through the door. He had been kept in a different location, but he still showed the same health problems as the person before him.

"What's your Quirk?"

"I just have extendable fingers. That's it." Chisaki motioned for the subordinates to let the man go. With a bit of focus, his fingers gained several inches in length before retracting. "I would be able to use them better if you hadn't starved me. You promised me food, water, and a place to stay."

"I promise you these things once the trial is done."

The subject glowered, but what Chisaki said technically was true. Chisaki never specified the time. Making sure that nothing would go wrong this time, Chisaki injected the mixture.

"What is that thing?"

"Nothing that you should be concerned about. It's over." The subject started to walk again, annoyed that he had had three days of his life gone just to dedicate himself to someone else's project. Suddenly, he fell over in pain, screaming. He didn't need to be restrained; his mind was doing that for him. Once the fit was over, Chisaki leaned over.

"Try to use your Quirk."

"Huh?" Chisaki slapped him, and he complied. He grunted, trying to make his fingers extend. They did, but the process took several minutes and the fingers barely changed in length.

"Can I get my food and water now?" The man stood with help from assistants. Chisaki snapped, and the subordinates took him away. From a distance, you could hear more screaming. Chisaki closed his eyes and kept Eri in mind to block out any obtrusive thoughts.

Chisaki didn't know why he was so insistent; the project was several weeks ahead of schedule. Eri's blood alone was enough to weaken a person heavily. They had already run tests, and the subject's Quirk factor had been damaged. There was just one thing missing.

Chapter Text

Chisaki was ready to start a new wave of trials with the people that he had enticed. He wasn't ready to test the new solution just yet, and he consulted the other doctors until further progress was made.

"What did we add this time?"

"Injecting the raw blood itself was a reckless move, Chisaki." The head doctor didn't look up from his computer. He didn't seem to be typing anything, but inspecting a finished product.

"Answer my question."

"Well, we first added the normal stuff that you would see in a vaccine. First off, the stuff that we used to manufacture this is included, even if it doesn't show up in the final product. Just in case you don't know this already, the active ingredients come in very small quantities. A tablespoon of one could be used to make thousands of the substance." The doctor gestured to the right side of the page, where several ingredients had been crammed into the space in tiny handwriting.

"First, we have preservatives, like thimerosal. Yes, it's a variation of mercury, but combined with the other ingredients, it shouldn't do harm if we weren't making a Quirk-cancelling drug. Basically, it prevents bacteria growth from contaminating the environment where the vaccine is opened. We don't have to use it, but we can never take too many risks."

"The stabilizers are next. It basically ensures that the live viruses are kept at a stable environment. Because this isn't a vaccine, there are no viruses, but there are special particles in Eri's blood that can be treated as the same thing. They come in very small quantities as well, with gelatin being the main one."

"The gelatin isn't the one used in food, right?"

"No. It's extremely purified and sterilized first." A click of the mouse, and a new slide appeared.

"Then, we have adjuvants, which basically go along with the other ingredients to enhance the immune system. There's not much to say about that. Even if we're taking away their Quirks, we can't outright kill them, right?" The doctor shuddered, turned his head back, and looked at Chisaki, who was unmoving.

Chisaki thought for a moment. "If Eri's blood is the active ingredient and that's what's causing the Quirks to go away, then there must be other active ingredients."

"You're right." He typed furiously on the keyboard, pulling up different charts. "The problem is, we're having trouble finding another substance that'll make this work."

"What options do you have right now?"

"None." Seeing Chisaki's eyes harden, he hastily added, "Sorry about that. We're working as hard as we can."

"Well, find one."

Chisaki now had free rein to run his operation however he wanted. After their talk yesterday, Chisaki put his boss in a comatose state and locked him in a room in the lower levels, rarely accessed by anyone. He knew that he would be forgiven when all was said and done.

When he wasn't consciously thinking about where he was going, he randomly walked around the complex. He at least thought that he was walking randomly. Time and time again, he passed Eri's room and took a look inside.

Her mattress hadn't been changed in months and the wallpaper was beginning to peel. She was allowed a shower and a bathroom, and an old box of toys sat in the corner, most items untouched. It seemed that by herself, all she was interested in doing was staring at the wall. Chisaki pressed his cheek against the window and squinted. Eri's horn was slightly bigger. He briefly wondered what could cause it when Eri suddenly looked back at him through the glass.

Chisaki wasn't startled. He merely shook his head and walked away.

. . . . .

Izuku kept his eyes shut and his head down, and his teacher's words still reached him.

"The mock exams are coming up tomorrow. You'll need to study to do well. After all, most of these problems come from the UA entrance exam itself. Who wants to go?" Cheering ensued, along with many displays of Quirks. Izuku grimaced.

"Well, we're handing out these forms. Fill them out with your high school choice and turn them in by next week. That's all." Izuku snatched the paper in midair and haphazardly shoved it inside his backpack. He knew better than to act out, but he still couldn't hide his frustration.

"Izuku? I thought you wanted to go to UA too." The rest of the class sat in stunned silence before erupting in laughter. Izuku's knuckles were white from being clenched so tightly, and he shut out all the voices: the students, the teacher, his own.

"Maybe." His voice came out as a squeak. The class recognized that tone immediately. It was the one Izuku used when he was being tormented by Bakugo.

The bell rang, and the class filed out. Izuku spent a little more time organizing his notebooks, and he felt a tap on his shoulder. He flinched, expecting Bakugo. It was the teacher.

"Hey... what's going on? You used to be really excited about UA."

"I did?" Izuku admitted that he was looking forward to attending UA, but his interests had shifted and he didn't seem to put in as much effort doing hero work. His analytical notebooks, his hobbies were the only thing tying him to heroism, and Izuku felt that maybe he didn't want to be associated with that kind of thing anymore.

"Has anything happened to you?"

"I honestly don't know." Izuku kept a close eye on his watch. He still had fifteen minutes, and every second spent talking was a second wasted, a second that he could've used to prepare himself. Izuku stood up and inched to the door as casually as he could, trying to pay attention to the conversation and his watch at the same time.

"Midoriya?"

"No offense, but now isn't really a good time." As soon as he was finished, Izuku didn't look back as he sprinted away, his footsteps receding into the distance.

The teacher knew something was off. Izuku didn't usually act this way. Sure, he was especially cautious, but other than that, he liked him as a student. He was polite and an extremely hard worker. While he was the target of teasing, he took it on the chin and never lost sight of his goal... except the goalposts had been moved, and the teacher had a feeling that it wasn't about becoming a hero anymore.

He thought to himself, Maybe I should tell his parents about this. He decided against it. He assumed that they had enough problems to deal with on their own, and he didn't want to interfere. Besides, Izuku was genuinely a nice kid.

Izuku scanned the horizon for the thousandth time, assessing the danger of each location in his mind. The busy street seemed bigger every time he looked.

"I'm jinxing myself, but this is getting old."

. . .

"It's been six hours."

"Calm down, we're finishing up as you speak."

Chisaki had waited for the entire day to get results. He couldn't explain his sudden outburst of impatience. Research usually took weeks to months, and the time passed without him batting an eye.

Maybe it was Eri and her increasingly detached attitude to the world. It was impossible to distinguish between her and a robot. Their interactions together were brief, and her sentences seemed rehearsed beforehand.

"How was your day?" Chisaki walked into her room and sat in the revolving chair, pulling himself to the bed where Eri sat. His voice was muffled by the thick, white pads that covered the entire room.

"Good, I guess." Eri's voice was barely a whisper. She wore the same pale tan dress that never seemed to get dirty, and she was staring off into the distance as usual.

"Is there anything specific that you would like to tell me about?"

Eri's eyes flickered to the bookshelf for an instant before she fixed her gaze on Chisaki. "No."

Chisaki tried several times to initiate a conversation. All attempts failed, and he kicked the door frame as he walked out. Apart from his project, Eri was the only other thing in his life worth looking forward to, and the two things were connected anyway.

For the thousandth time, he opened up the lab door and saw the scientists milling about. He hated this the most. Everyone had a purpose. Once you no longer served that purpose, you had to leave.

"What's going on here?"

"It's done. You can take a look." Chisaki clicked the link and it showed a list of ingredients twice as long as before. His eyes glazed over as he scrolled down the list. Explanations could come later. Testing was integral.

"As you can see, we've added-" Chisaki slammed his fist against the table. The force of impact caused the equipment to shake. Eyes turned in his direction.

"Later. Now, we need to test what we already have."

The subject that walked in wasn't cuffed like the others. There were no signs of struggle, and his expression was one of abject defeat. His clothes were the same shade of grey as the walls, and his skin was of a similar color. He stumbled before someone caught him and put him in the chair.

"Do we need to restrain him?"

The worker shrugged. "I don't know. We found him like this on the streets. He didn't object to anything. Hey, can you talk?"

"Get this over with."

Chisaki asked, "Does he have a Quirk?"

"Apparently so, or we wouldn't have brought him here."

Chisaki took the syringe. The man didn't show any signs of reaction as the needle slowly unloaded its contents into his bloodstream. The effects were almost instantaneous, but if the process was painful, there was no way to tell. Within a few seconds, the man lost his greyish hue, bringing out some contrast in the bleak room. He seemed more alive, as if he was fully aware of his surroundings for the first time.

"Where am I?"

"Thank you for participating."

"What? What do you mean?"

The worker explained that his Quirk was probably one that canceled out pain and emotions, and now he was being subject to new sensations that he had never felt before. That was all Chisaki needed to hear. It had worked. He instructed for the man to be taken away. Chisaki closed his eyes and tried not to think too hard about what would happen to him once he was out of sight.

"Boss, you have to consider that if we want to use this effectively, injections are going to be slow. Who knows how many mistakes can happen? What we need is a foolproof method to render someone Quirkless."

Chisaki had plenty of time to think before. "Bullets."

"Are you sure?" The scientist frowned, thinking of the logistics. They needed a complete redesign of their plans, they needed to figure out how to cram the substance into the bullet in the first place, and, of course, more testing was needed. It seemed like that was all they were doing. He had to remind himself not to get attached to the subjects after his first few days on the job.

"That's going to require even more work. The schedule's now behind a week."

"This is all for the better." Chisaki snapped, and a low-level worker ran up to him, awaiting instructions. "Get all the scientists we have in this room. If there's more people, the job will be finished quicker."

The normally static lab was now filled with motion. Chisaki resisted the urge to take off his mask, no matter how much he wanted to relax. That wasn't an option.

Chapter Text

Izuku no longer remembered what day of the week it was. He always wondered about things like that. Given how he had been living with this Quirk for this long, he expected for this to happen sooner. His emergency collection also grew larger as he slowly picked things that he thought would be useful. Besides, he could also spend more time on his other interests.

"Izuku? There you are. You don't come here often."

Their house was reasonably spacious, and the basement was the only spot normally unused between the two. Izuku ignored the racks full of the old All Might merchandise that no longer fit in his room and instead sat at a workbench. His hero notebooks were stacked in a neat pile to the side, a sharp contrast to the mess of tools that currently filled the table.

"I'm building something."

"Can I take a look?"

Izuku faltered. He knew that it was basically law to not bring your shoes inside the house, and he was surprised that his mom hadn't noticed yet. After hastily scribbling down a few blueprints, Izuku outfitted his shoes with a pair of retractable wheels. He knew that buying a pair of rollerblades would be much easier, but the process of making his own things had a certain appeal to it that he liked.

All the supplies were secondhand. Izuku was skilled at finding things other people didn't. With a click, the wheels locked themselves in place. Izuku took off his slippers and put on his new pair of shoes. His mother had looked at him strangely the entire time. "I don't see anything different."

Izuku tapped the heels of both shoes and leaned on the table for balance. The grating of plastic against wood signaled that Izuku would've fallen over if the table weren't there. "If I'm going to be running all the time, I at least want to make it easier."

"Where did you get this stuff from? As cool as it is, I'm worried that it's going to break."

"I have more replacements on the shelves." Izuku pointed to one of the storage racks, and it was filled to capacity with labeled boxes. Izuku needed things to do to occupy his mind, and he had organized his supplies for weeks to get the shelf to its current state.

"You did all of this without telling me?" Inko grabbed Izuku by the shoulders to see if he was listening.

"You're getting the wrong idea!" Izuku could keep his cool, but his mother was one of the people that he couldn't win an argument against. "All of this is perfectly safe, and what I'm doing is making me more prepared."

"Did you stop with the shoes or are you building anything else? This setup wasn't built overnight." Inko did have a point. Random parts for unknown structures surrounded the desk, banging against each other loudly as Izuku moved his chair.

"I figured that I could use these for later. I'm still working on a few other projects." Please don't ask which ones; I don't know this either.

Inko slowly talked Izuku out of practically living in the room 24/7. Izuku's hobby was fine, but something still felt incomplete. He wouldn't feel satisfied until his Quirk was removed completely.

"What am I going to do with this?"

. . . . .

"Hurry up, he says he's coming in two minutes, so we'd better make everything presentable for him!"

Every room had security cameras, and Chisaki had made that point clear to everyone. Despite what they were doing, some members of the team objected to Chisaki's plan and sought passive resistance by working as slowly as they would be allowed to. By common sense, that was a terrible way to proceed, knowing Chisaki, but they tried to enjoy whatever free time they could get.

"Hurry up and look like you're doing something!" After seeing his coworker print out meaningless documents, he walked over and slapped him. "Never mind. Actually do something!"

Charts were brought up, actual documentation was organized, and everyone changed their screens to work-related material.

"Have we actually made the final product yet?" The head doctor was met by vacant stares. He grimaced and slammed his head against the wall. "God..."

Chisaki once again tried to connect with Eri, and he hoped that their conversation would last longer than a minute. He was never good at this thing anyway. Starting the conversation was hard enough. He cobbled together a list of responses online and tried them out one by one.

"What sort of things to you like?"

Eri thumbed her clothes, thinking of a response. It took her half a minute. "What things?"

Chisaki seemed to spend an equal amount of effort responding back. "You know, like toys, books, food, stuff like that. Also, what's that book on your bed?" He leaned over and picked it up, skimming over it quickly. It was full of vibrant colors and pictures, and for a moment, Chisaki forgot all about his surroundings. He then remembered that as a child, he hated these kinds of books in the first place and reflexively shoved it into Eri's hands.

Eri flinched, thinking he was going to hit him, but the blow never landed. She whispered back, "It's nothing. Seeing the other children play... they're so... happy." That was a foreign word to her, and it took her a few tries before she was able to finish her sentence.

"Eri, do you feel happy?"

"I don't know." Her face was maddeningly impassive. Chisaki narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Why couldn't he get an answer out of her? Eri once again seemed to disassociate herself from the world. Whatever he was doing, it wasn't working at all. The two of them sat in silence, both left to the confines of their minds.

His phone buzzed. Frowning, he saw that the message sent had been deleted just a split second ago. Without saying another word, he walked out of the room.

He expected to wander around the complex again, but his muscle memory sent him to the lab. He saw people arguing in hushed voices.

"Did you finish it?"

One scientist took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead, breathing heavily. "It's being made right now." He pointed to the 3D printer in the corner, different parts interlocking and extracting a vial's contents into the bullet mold.

"Good." Chisaki grudgingly gave them approval. "It's currently two PM. The heroes take turns patrolling, so we're going to wait until the weakest ones are out watching. Even if they do call the more powerful Pros like Endeavor or All Might, we have at least five minutes to finish up whatever."

"I think we have around... two and a half hours." The worker slumped in his chair and started to click away at his desktop.

"I never told you to slack off. I'm aware that my schedule has rushed you all, but the blame doesn't all rest on me. Find something to do or you go straight out the door. No exceptions." Voices started to rise and cut off one another, and amidst the confusion, Chisaki slipped away.

. . . . .

Izuku almost fell asleep in class. Construction was a more demanding job than he expected, and he was struggling to stay awake and listen to what the teacher had to say. He clicked the heels of his shoes constantly, hoping the motion would keep his brain active.

"Midoriya?"

"Huh?" Izuku looked up. The classroom was empty. With a panic, he looked at his watch. He had only five minutes left. There was no way that he would be able to make it home in time, yet he didn't want to stay in school and injure anyone there.

"Everyone else left. Shouldn't you be going home?"

"Yes..." He excused himself and tried to see if anyone else was still there. Aside from a few teachers, the place was practically empty. Izuku didn't know how to feel; he still had a part of him that wished for more people to be around to protect him.

Izuku opened the gates and took a quick look back. No one had left. His watch beeped once. One minute. There was no time to go anywhere, and Aldera Junior High wasn't exactly a place normally visited at this time of day. The ticking was now the loudest sound in the area, and Izuku had the urge to throw his watch away.

With half a minute left, he finally decided to run. Clicking his heels, he skated away. It wasn't the grand exit that he was planning on; he more or less wobbled down the sidewalk. He didn't have much time to practice anyway.

Ten seconds remained. Izuku removed his pocket knife and held it close to his side, still making his way home.

. . . . .

"We're ready to move." Chisaki took out his phone and dialed a different number.

He received a response instantly. "I'm ready. Just give me a location."

Flare, one of the more inexperienced Pro Heroes, was walking incognito. He was uncomfortable by the lack of people, but it was his turn, and he was going to commit to it. A deep rumble suddenly passed through the area and through his body. Flare turned around.

"You can't run, Flare." Chisaki as Overhaul, flanked by the rest of the Shie Hassaikai, calmly strolled along. The alley was barely wide enough to fit everyone. Flare had nowhere to go but up, and his Quirk didn't exactly allow for it. He thumbed his phone, calling All Might for backup.

"All Might will arrive, but he won't save you." He pulled out a loaded gun and fired. Flare barely had time to react before the bullet pierced his leg. Screaming in pain, he grabbed it and tried to activate the embers that usually ran up and down his arms. The resulting flame was so weak that the dust blew it away seconds after. A moment after that, Flare focused and found that his concentration had no response from his body.

"No!" He tried over and over again to use his Quirk. He looked at Chisaki in terror. "What have you done to me?"

"You're cured. Of course, I could give you your Quirk back..." Overhaul pulled a different vial from his jacket, one different in color. Flare stumbled over and tried to grab it before Overhaul kicked him away.

Overhaul grabbed his arm and there was an explosion of blood, the liquid flying in every direction. He merely wiped the excess away and continued as if nothing had happened. The other members looked at each other. They didn't even need to do anything; Overhaul could've made this trip alone.

He knew that they would attract attention as soon as they entered the street. Everyone prepared their own guns each filled with enough bullets to quickly neutralize a small crowd of people. Shin Nemoto held Eri, who hadn't opened her eyes once. Her hands were clamped tightly shut over her ears.

Taking a deep breath, they walked into the street. People screamed and pointed. The police tried unsuccessfully to stop their advance. Overhaul called for silence, which didn't work when the crowd was either yelling, running away, or, in rare cases, trying to fight him.

Nomu began cutting off the escape routes. Anyone who tried to run could were either forced back or risked death by consumption. Overhaul could hear the Pro Heroes dealing with the Nomu already, and he sent the others to quiet the masses.

"Today, I offer you a solution to the sickness that we call Quirks." He pulled out a gun, and its barrel gleamed menacingly. "You have two options. I shoot you with this bullet or you are killed." He pointed to the Nomus, and he had the intended reaction.

Someone raised her hand. "What if we're Quirkless?"

"As soon as you are shot, we will know. Quirkless people aren't affected by this."

A different person said, "Wait. You mean that if we get shot, we lose our Quirk?"

"No promises."

Fear spread through the crowd, who had started to push and fight each other, every man for himself. In the chaos, several people charged Overhaul directly. Those idiots. I almost feel sorry for them.

"Like hell I will!" The instigator charged. Overhaul quickly assumed a kneeling position and touched the ground. The concrete rippled around Overhaul, creating shapeless spikes headed straight for him. He gasped; a split second later, his back was pierced. As he struggled to gasp for air, Overhaul put his hand on his chest. The person's face had the expression of one who had recognized his mortality.

"Please, no. I'm sorry. I was a fool, I didn't mean it-"

"That spike has already stabbed through several vital organs. One way or the other, you're going to die. I'll put you out of your misery." Overhaul focused, and blood went flying everywhere, hitting some of the unlucky people around him. "Cooperate with me or you'll end up like him." Amidst the chaos, Eri was nowhere to be seen.

"We will begin as peacefully as we can. If you are Quirkless, raise your hand." A small portion of the crowd did. He clapped and called Gigantomachia over. "Take the Quirkless people away. We have nothing to do with them." The lucky group, most of them elderly, gratefully shuffled away, away from Overhaul and from the Nomus.

Of course, the rest of the crowd were restless. What if some of the people that had left weren't Quirkless. Several people voiced their concerns before the other members of the Shie Hassaikai swiftly dealt with them.

Finally, Overhaul could get to work. He pulled a man by the arm and held him tightly. That man saw Overhaul kill several people as if it was nothing, and he tried to let go. "Don't let go. While you're not going to die, this is going to be extremely painful." Holding the gun to his chest, he fired.

The bullet was a strong but lightweight shell containing a sample of the vial inside, and even then, the gun worked basically like injection. Overhaul had to hold the gun to his chest for several seconds before the man started to feel the effects. He buckled over, his eyes almost rolling into the back of his head. Thirty seconds later, he recovered, though still weak. He looked at his body very carefully.

"I'm... Quirkless now?"

"Yes you are. Now leave."

Overhaul and the rest had neutralized around a hundred people before the Pro Heroes finally found a weak spot in the tight-knit group of Nomus surrounding the city. All Might stood at a regal height, staring Overhaul down. "Stop what you're doing this instant!" All Might brought almost every Pro along to help. They had heard rumors of a Quirk-cancelling drug only an hour before, and they were beginning to understand how dangerous that was to their society.

"You're too late, All Might. You can't stop it."

All Might saw the ones that had already been shot. They could still walk, but they were clearly struggling. The area around the injection was also in pain even after they had recovered from the first bout of symptoms. He conceded that Overhaul may have crippled these people, but he wasn't going to do that to anyone else.

"Overhaul, why?" All Might confidently walked ahead, maintaining his image as the Symbol of Peace. He counted himself lucky that this was the first time that day requiring his use of One for All.

"This world was better before Quirks. People are now being forced to become heroes or villains. What's the point if they're still going to fight and kill each other just the same?"

"No one is going to willingly agree to your experiment." At this point, All Might noticed the bloodstains of those who had defied Overhaul earlier.

"That may be true."

A beat.

A boy with greenish hair ran to the front of the crowd in a frenzy. His clothes were messy and covered with grime and dirt. He kept a knife in his pocket. All Might knew that this boy was familiar, but he didn't remember until he saw the wristwatch. Him. What is he doing here?

"Kid! Get away!"

The boy ignored him and faced Chisaki, who looked at him in equal parts disgust and amazement.

Overhaul said, "Are you trying to get yourself killed on purpose?"

"No. I agree with you. I need the Quirk-cancelling drug."

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya felt like his heart was about to explode.

In a daze, he had skated home as fast as he could, anticipating an attack at any moment. That also meant that he was relying on muscle memory and wasn't paying attention to where he was going.

The transition between the suburban school community to downtown Musutafu was gradual. Izuku's brain tuned out the normal sounds of the city, and he didn't realize that it was also somewhat quieter than usual. When he finally looked, he saw that he had trapped himself in a crowd full of fearful people. He didn't understand why until he looked ahead. His stomach lurched.

Overhaul was terrifying enough. Izuku had seen the Shie Hassaikai attacks on TV and in the news, but in person? That was another level of reality that Izuku didn't feel like facing at the moment.

Izuku turned around and looked the way he came. He almost screamed. It was a Nomu, twelve feet tall and weighing several tons. Its brain was completely exposed to the outside world, and Izuku knew that if there was any trace of personality in there, it was completely gone. There was no way out.

Overhaul started to speak, and Izuku listened. "Today, I offer a solution to the sickness we call Quirks." The rest of the speech passed in one ear and out the other, even though Izuku knew better. He thought that this was just another villain rambling about their plans, whether to take glory for themselves or reshape society as they saw fit.

What really caught Izuku's attention was the gun. The light reflecting off its barrel blinded him momentarily, drawing his eyes to it. Compared to the ones he had saw on TV, Izuku was surprised that he would be able to recognize it at all. The grip was black and heavily polished with small indented grooves. The barrel was translucent, offering a glimpse of its contents. This was no ordinary handgun.

"...as soon as you are shot, we will know." Know what? "Quirkless people aren't affected by this." Izuku assumed Overhaul was talking about the bullets, whatever they were. Realization hit him. He had a chance. Breathing hard, he tried to think through every possible scenario, especially noting the ones where he wouldn't be killed. After all, the man's guts on the street were unmistakably real, and he was standing way closer to it than he felt comfortable.

By the time he had made up his mind, Overhaul and the rest were already beginning to shoot people with the Quirk-cancelling bullets. Izuku tried to fight through the crowd, which misunderstood his intentions and tried to push him to the middle, where he would be reasonably protected. While the ambient noise had remained relatively calm, he heard rhythmic thumps coming closer and closer. He wasn't the only one who did. There was a good amount of pointing and shouting, and Overhaul had to silence them once again.

One Nomu fell, almost shattering the ground. When the dust cleared, it was none other than All Might, bringing more Pros on the way. Izuku still felt a rush of happiness inside upon seeing his idol.

He didn't catch what All Might said; the whispers around him were loud enough to cover it up. However, he did hear what Overhaul had to say. "This world was better before Quirks. People are now being forced to become heroes or villains. What's the point if they're still going to fight and kill each other just the same?"

Izuku thought about it. As much as he hated his Quirk, it was also his identity. If Quirks hadn't existed, Izuku wouldn't know what his hobbies were, who his friends were, how anything in his life would be arranged. And yet...

He pinched his arm, the sting reminding him not to space out.

"No one is going to willingly agree with your experiments." All Might continued to approach Overhaul.

No one?

The world around Izuku was a blur.

He spent months figuring out how to remove his Quirk, and the solution was in front of his own eyes.

I'll never get an opportunity like this ever again.

Before Izuku could stop himself, his legs were taking him past the crowd, past the ones who had been killed for defying Overhaul's instructions. He felt the weight of a thousand glares. He cleared his throat and looked Overhaul in the eye.

"I kind of agree with what you said. I need the Quirk-cancelling drug."

Izuku didn't know what to expect.

Overhaul took time to respond. He was coping with emotions that he didn't know that he would feel. Compassion? Empathy? It was all new to him. He finally regained his composure. "Very well." He raised the gun and fired.

The bullet pierced Izuku's left shoulder. In the corner of his eye, he could see the needle depositing its contents under the skin. The translucent container slowly became empty and dropped to the ground, a useless shell.

"Oh, and I did warn you that it was going to hurt." Huh?

The pain kicked in within a few seconds. Izuku felt like his body had become a host for a million raging fire ants, all rewinding his genetic material to its previous state, its possibly inferior state. He slipped in and out of consciousness and briefly wondered if the others had felt this intensity as well.

Izuku brushed the dust away from his clothes and stood up. He was better off than the others, who had difficulty walking and resuming normal activity after injection. Overhaul took an interest to this.

"Do you feel any pain? Any pain at all-"

Overhaul was so preoccupied with his trial's latest results that he didn't see the punch coming. He recovered quickly. With a deft flick, concrete defied gravity and surrounded Overhaul, bending to his will. He quickly flew away.

What is he doing?

Suddenly, Izuku understood why. He had fused with another person to create a terrifying combination of human and monster. Overhaul now had two additional arms with spiked, withered hands. The mask he usually wore was a fused part of his face. Whoever merged with him was presumably conscious as well, as Overhaul was in the middle of a giant mouth opened impossibly wide. Their footsteps were strong enough to crack asphalt.

An electric shock passed through Izuku, and he felt the urge to run, to escape it all. With Overhaul no longer in charge, the mob fell into chaos. Izuku, having been exposed to these situations already, concerned himself with finding a way home.

Heroes and villains alike were concerned with the new and improved Overhaul, which meant that the higher-level Nomus, no longer given human commands, began to act of their own will, terrorizing the civilians and causing an even greater panic than before.

Izuku relied on the general confusion and used it to figure out what was going on. Obviously, Overhaul was taking up most of the space. He used his legs to jump impossibly high into the air, meaning that several Pros like Best Jeanist really didn't have a lot to work with. Now that Endeavor had arrived on the scene, Izuku was confident that this already hellish place would be completely set on fire given enough time.

With a roar, Overhaul swiped and knocked All Might out of the air. Izuku finally decided that he couldn't watch anymore, and he looked elsewhere.

Overhaul's subordinates were busy keeping the Nomus in check. There were already several casualties, and Izuku couldn't walk anywhere without seeing someone else's blood. It seemed like the villains had trouble keeping track of their own, and Izuku winced as he heard the telltale scream and crunching of bones. He reflexively jerked his hand to his backpack, expecting it to be knocked away. Everything was still there.

Amidst all of this was a girl. Izuku looked to the right and saw her supposed 'caretaker' wrestling with the same Nomu that first blocked Izuku's exit. He wasn't having much success, and Izuku wondered how he could see with the giant plague doctor mask covering his face. His hair stood on end, slowing down the Nomu's movements and giving him enough time to look at Izuku.

Izuku saw the girl's wide eyes, emotionless expression, and the layers and layers of bandages. He knelt by her side.

"Hi, I'm Izuku Midoriya. What's your name?" Is that other guy... Chronostasis?

"Eri." Izuku took a quick glance back. There wasn't much time.

"That's a nice name." He remembered All Might and smiled. The people you rescue need to feel comfortable and optimistic, so you have to too. "This is going to sound like a stupid question, but..." Izuku looked for the right words to say- "did you feel safe coming here? Who are you with?"

Eri flinched. Izuku kicked himself. These topics shouldn't have been brought up so early. He waited for a response. "I'm supposed to go with these people." She pointed to the villains. If she had spent so much time with them, then they were the ones telling her what to believe. She wouldn't have much faith in heroes. Izuku had to bend close to her mouth to hear her soft-spoken words.

"You're going to be safe with me, okay?" Why am I doing this? To prove that I can be a hero? Izuku knelt by her side, hoping to convince her quickly. Chrono was once again preoccupied, and he didn't see Izuku with Eri the first time.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise. Come on." Izuku took her hand and looked up. That was a mistake. Overhaul saw the two of them and immediately started running in their direction. Eri instinctively grabbed onto Izuku's back. He clicked the heels of his shoes and started skating away as fast as he could.

It was a bumpy ride. Making sure Eri didn't fall off, Izuku maneuvered himself between the ruins and people. His muscle memory took over, and his brain had already plotted a path back home. Izuku overrode that and went somewhere different. Having a villain know your home address isn't exactly smart.

"Eri!"

Overhaul's voice was magnified so strongly that Izuku cupped his hands over his ears. Overhaul could easily catch up to him, but if there was one thing Izuku had that he didn't, it was agility. He swerved back and forth in random patterns, hoping to buy himself some extra time. Overhaul became frustrated, smashing through concrete like it was nothing. This combined with his Quirk leveled the playing field.

Ignoring his legs screaming in protest, Izuku skated away even faster. Overhaul reached out to him with one giant hand and swiped. Izuku was so close that he could actually see the individual muscle fibers as they went past. Overhaul tried again, and Izuku felt a sharp impact on his back. He immediately thought about Eri.

"You okay?"

Eri didn't respond; instead, she grabbed tighter onto Izuku's shoulders. Izuku had no way of assessing how severe the injury was.

Izuku's previous prediction was right. The temperature of the air around him was raised by a couple of degrees. Taking a look back, he saw that the city blocks were on fire. He desperately hoped for a hero to come and divert the attention away from him, and that wish was granted.

One hero ran past Izuku, his features unrecognizable at that speed. Izuku saw him firmly plant his feet and send a shockwave of energy to Overhaul. Overhaul was smarter than this; he deconstructed himself and quickly rebuilt himself in a different form. This new creature was more mobile, but it was also short, meaning Izuku had one advantage to exploit.

How am I still running? "Hey. Hey!" Izuku got the attention of the hero. "Get me out of here, somewhere out of range." Confused, the hero complied, picking Izuku up princess-style and shooting off like an arrow in one direction. They left a trail of white smoke that gave away their location, and Izuku was sure that Overhaul was already on its way.

With a final rush of adrenaline, Izuku pushed himself home. As soon as he stopped, he fell face-first onto the floor. Eri's fingernails dug into his skin. By now, it was well past the 4:00 limit imposed on Izuku's life. Inko walked in.

"Izuku, thank God you're back. What happened this time?"

"I tried to go home and ended up in a villain's operation. It's Overhaul, and he's planning to give everyone Quirk-cancelling drugs for some reason. Maybe it's to reset hero society, but it's probably much deeper than that. Also, now that I have Eri, I've probably ruined his operation."

Inko stuttered. "A villain?!" She calmed herself down. "Okay, there's not much we can do about that. Also, is this Eri? Are you Eri?"

"Yeah..." Eri looked at Inko cautiously. "Where am I?"

"We're at my house." Izuku took off his shoes. "No one should know that you are here, but we're going to keep you safe right now."

"Can you wait a moment?" Inko nodded at Izuku, and the two went to the side.

"Why did it take you this long?" Inko whisper-screamed.

"Overhaul's speech took some time. Plus, I wasn't the only person who was injected. It supposedly removed my Quirk factor, so it hurt a lot at first."

"So that means... the 4:00 time limit doesn't apply?"

"Look, I can't assume that yet. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to test that out, and it's going to be in much safer conditions. There's an abandoned building close to a hero agency, and its door has been propped open by bricks. Knowing my Quirk, it's going to try to poison me with gas, and I'll run out in time."

"Hmm... I really can't do anything about that."

"We have to treat Eri nicely. I don't think I've ever seen her smile since we met, but then again, I don't think anyone would. Let's do our best."

Louder, Inko said, "Eri, feel free to take a seat." Izuku recognized the same miso soup he had grown to love since he was a child, recognizing the individual ingredients blending to create a welcoming meal.

Eri grabbed the spoon and tentatively took a sip.

"How does it taste?"

"Well, Overhaul doesn't like to cook and the people that are willing to are bad at it. This is the best meal I've eaten this week." She quickly finished the rest. "Thanks for everything."

Izuku watched as Inko let Eri down to the guest bedroom. I didn't know that we even had one of them. Saving someone else was a vision he had saved for his imagination. That vision had become reality, and he didn't know what to do with it.

Chapter Text

The next day, Izuku woke up early, still holding his watch. He wandered around, a stranger to his home. He still didn't understand what exactly happened the day before, but he heard the guest room door opening, saw Eri on the bed, and accepted his fate.

"Mom, I don't think I should go to school today." Izuku cleared his throat.

"Is it because of your encounter?"

"I was injected by Overhaul in front of a sizable crowd. These people could possibly recognize me."

"Overhaul?!" Inko started to fret, and Izuku quickly defused the situation as best as he could.

"Look, it's the Shie Hassaikai, one of the largest yakuza groups out there. I saw a lot of grade-A villains."

"How does Eri fit in the scheme of things?" Inko distracted herself from the fact that her son, her baby, let himself be caught in the crossfire with the mafia.

"That's the thing: I don't know. It has something to do with the Quirk-cancelling drug, or they wouldn't have been so adamant in bringing her back." Izuku sighed. "Overhaul's pissed right now. Considering it was Chrono, basically his right hand man, who was taking care of Eri..." Izuku stared off into space, muttering. "This could go both ways."

"Izuku, you're muttering again."

"Ah, sorry about that."

"I think we should go down to the police station and try to find out more about Eri. You're going to stay in the car at all times. Duck so your head isn't visible." Inko turned around and saw Eri, still rubbing her eyes. She was still wearing the same tan dress. "Oh, Eri? When we get in the car, you have to duck so no one can see you, okay?"

Eri nodded and started to eat. Izuku couldn't help but smile. Life was starting to get a little more interesting.

. . . . .

Tsukauchi was ready for his first shift. Pulling his hat firmly over his hair, he started to walk.

His week had been rather uneventful despite the recent villain incursions. Tsukauchi counted himself lucky that he didn't have to be on the front lines and suffer as much as the Pros. They still relied on him for information, and as far as jobs went, his was an important one.

Briefly flashing his badge, Tsukauchi was allowed quick access to the rest of the building. His ears tuned out the sounds as the station sprang to life, and he closed his eyes. This routine had been performed thousands of times over, and Tsukauchi could walk to his office in his sleep. Out of habit, he ran his knuckles along the wall, the bumps in the paint letting him know where he was.

He whipped out a piece of paper and jotted down a short message: Urgent cases only. Normally, this wouldn't be the case, but Overhaul and the crowd of people converted to Quirklessness took a lot out of him. Tsukauchi cleared his desk of all papers and put his head down.

Before he knew it, he started to drift in and out of consciousness. Tsukauchi might have slept for the entire day if the door hadn't suddenly burst open. Part of him was annoyed, though he didn't expect people to actually read the sign.

Years of training led to him pointing a gun at his 'attackers': a woman and two children. Seeing their faces, he quickly put it away and kicked himself for putting his brain on autopilot.

"I'm Detective Tsukauchi, and I apologize for my first impressions." He smiled. "Now, what do you need?"

. . . . .

Izuku didn't breathe. He couldn't breathe, especially when he was stuck with the girl that was put through this much trauma in the first place. The feeling of claustrophobia hit him even harder when he was with another person. Izuku never had friends out of fear that he would hurt them by mistake through his Quirk.

Inko was a stickler to rules. She was the kind of driver that people hate to see on highways, the one that always drives at exactly the speed limit instead of five over. That didn't mean that she wasn't willing to break rules to help her son. The car dangerously swerved from corner to corner, and Izuku thought it was a miracle that the car hadn't flipped over.

"Izu, Eri, we're here. I don't know how we're going to be able to get in undetected." Inko's voice shook, doing nothing to hide her anxiety. As they slowly rolled to a stop, Izuku felt a slight bump announcing their parking.

Izuku whispered, "I have some coats in the back that should probably help some." Looking furtively out the tinted window, he aggressively closed his fist without looking. His hands felt fabric, and he brought it over. "Eri, can you put this on?" She complied, and so did he.

"Okay, let's go. Make this quick."

"You're making it sound like we're robbing a bank." Izuku couldn't help but crack a smile as they power-walked into the building.

"Stop it!" Inko opened the door, and they barely made it past the first room before they were stopped. A guard held up his badge, looking at the trio with a mixture of pity and amusement.

"State your purpose."

Inko was flustered and didn't know how to respond. Izuku calmly said, "Is there anyone I can talk to in private? This is urgent."

The guard laughed. "I'm sorry, man. We need more proof than that."

Izuku went on his tiptoes and whispered in the guard's ear. "This girl used to be in Overhaul's care. Now if you don't mind, I need to see someone now."

"Oh my God." Izuku watched with satisfaction as the guard hastily pulled out his phone. "Go see Detective Tsukauchi. Keep going straight until you see that wall, then turn right. You can't miss it." He mumbled to himself. "Jesus, this case is above my pay grade."

Keeping Eri close, they passed the cubicles. Everything was a blur, voices overlapping and pounding into Izuku's skull. He kept the instructions in mind and finally found the door. Ignoring the message, Izuku kicked the door open.

The man at the desk immediately pulled a gun from his holster and aimed it firmly at Izuku's chest. Izuku reflexively put up his hands and lost his bravado. "Wait!"

He put away the weapon. "I'm Detective Tsukauchi, and I apologize for my first impressions. Now, what do you need?"

Izuku hurriedly shut the door, cutting off the flow of noise and letting his ears rest. "Is it okay if I tell you about my Quirk first?" Izuku immediately knew what he was getting into. That meant telling his mom about his plans, though he had a feeling she already knew.

"Go ahead." Izuku could see that Tsukauchi was making an effort to stay awake, and he decided to make it quick.

"Every twenty-four hours, the universe tries to kill me and make it look like an accident." Izuku continued, "If you're wondering why I'm alive right now, I try to get myself into the safest situation possible. I would go into details, but you probably have enough to do without worrying for me."

Izuku continued, "I've been researching ways to eliminate my Quirk, if you could even call it that. One day after school, I was caught up in the Overhaul raid."

"Yeah, that's what I've been working on. Could you tell me how it went?" Tsukauchi started to take notes.

"I didn't notice anything at first until I saw Overhaul and the others in the middle of the area. They appeared to be standing on something tall, maybe five or six meters. Overhaul went and did his entire speech about Quirks being a sickness before he started shooting people with Quirk-cancelling bullets."

Tsukauchi passed pen and paper over the table in one fluid motion. "Description is a powerful thing. I don't want to burden you with talking, so try to remember what the gun looked like and draw it here." That was easy; Izuku remembered its sinister glare like it was yesterday. He turned in the drawing.

"I was one of the people who was shot." Inko immediately began to protest before Izuku cut her off. "It doesn't hurt like a conventional gunshot; it's more like an injection from afar. After a few seconds of pain, it was over. Of course, it hasn't been a day yet, and I don't know if it really works or not."

"Once the Pros arrived, it was total anarchy, and considering the way my life's been going, it was a miracle that I was able to find Eri. I don't know what I was thinking when I brought her, but Overhaul chased me everywhere just to get Eri back."

"Eri doesn't seem to have any legal guardians." Tsukauchi frowned. "In fact, we can't find much information about her at all." He got out of his chair and knelt by Eri, changing the tone of his voice to something calmer. "All I need is for you to answer these questions. There's no time limit, and we'll take care of you."

Eri looked up for the first time. "Promise?"

"I promise. You have been hurt badly in the past. I don't know what that feels like, and I apologize if I'm being blunt." Tsukauchi noticed that Eri only showed signs of anxiety since she had entered the room. "However, I do hope that we can at least do something for you."

Tsukauchi and Eri were in conversation, and Izuku silently watched. Despite everything, Eri was respectful. She didn't interrupt and was engaged. Izuku had a fleeting thought that if he had a sister, it could've been Eri. No. Don't get too attached.

"This worked out better than I thought."

Inko silently agreed.

. . . . .

"What the fuck were you thinking?!"

Overhaul was standing in a pool of blood, shades of red seeping across the floor. His knuckles were white from grasping the necks of those who were unfortunate to be caught in his rage. His mask was off and his hair was unkempt, and he truly looked insane.

Chronostasis was unfazed. He knew he had made mistakes before, some of them coming close to the error he had just made. However, in this state, Overhaul wasn't someone to be reasoned with.

"We can get Eri back."

"It's not that easy! That stupid hero sent that boy God knows where, and it's next to impossible that we'll find him again!"

Chrono remembered the green-haired boy who had foolishly ran in front of the crowd and allowed himself to be willingly injected, to be willingly stripped of his Quirk. There was more to the situation than it looked, and he knew that he had to retrieve Eri or he might as well be dead.

"He doesn't understand how useful Eri is. I could see them talking, but that damn Nomu almost took off my head. Of course, I still take responsibility, and I'm going to make up for it."

Overhaul took a moment to calm himself. He took his mask and quickly put it on, his behavior normalizing immediately. "Chrono, I expect better of you next time." He snapped, and someone hurried to clean up the mess at his feet. The two of them walked slowly. Without Eri, they had lost one of the two default places for them to visit on their strolls. Though none of them were willing to admit it, Eri's absence took the life out of the already unforgiving complex. "Of course, we already have a sizable supply at our command, but it's finite. We have to use it more carefully."

Chrono left, leaving Overhaul alone with his thoughts. Overhaul never gave his mentor a second thought, but he suddenly remembered their last conversation together. If he knew that Overhaul had lost Eri to the hands of heroes...

Overhaul didn't want to imagine.

Chapter Text

Izuku took a quick glance at his watch. It was about three o'clock. Have we really been here for that long?  He jerked his head upwards, and the sudden movement caught Tsukauchi and Eri's attention.

Izuku asked, "Could you tell me more about Eri?"

"I'll be back in a minute." Tsukauchi patted Eri's head before sitting with Izuku and Inko. He whispered, keeping an eye on Eri. "She probably doesn't want to know that I'm telling you this, even if she's already figured it out. It took some time, but from what she could tell me, her mother disowned her after she used her Quirk to make her father disappear. The next thing she remembers is being taken to Overhaul."

"That's a big gap between memories." Izuku's mind was racing.

"Honestly, I can't blame her for the way she's acting. These villains don't show any remorse. What could've happened if Izuku hadn't brought her here?" Izuku blushed slightly. He wasn't used to being complimented, even if the person complimenting him was his own mother.

"Eri's refused to tell us anything about her living conditions, and it's best we give that topic a break." Louder, Tsukauchi said, "You've been here for awhile. Would you like something to eat? Is there perhaps anything else you need to tell me?"

"I saw All Might's true form." Izuku didn't know why he decided to bring it up at this moment, but Tsukauchi had to know.

Tsukauchi stopped for a moment and took off his hat. "Can I trust you?"

"I haven't told anyone. Besides, there's no point in doing that."

"This changes everything. Izuku... that's your name, right?" Izuku nodded and wondered if his mother had told Tsukauchi when he wasn't paying attention. "We're going to be working together much more closely from here on out."

"Detective, I don't want to bother you. You've already done so much for us."

Tsukauchi held his hands out, palms facing Izuku. "No. Don't say that. Eri's genuinely a nice kid. I don't want to sound like one of those 'pity the products of the environment' people, but what's happened has already happened. Besides, this is one of the best things that's happened to me since I started detective work."

"Is there any way for us to contact you?" Izuku's voice was hurried. He didn't want Eri to see what his Quirk was capable of, even if he had supposedly been "cured".

"There's no rush. Take my business card." He handed a copy to Izuku and Inko. Izuku made sure to tape it in his Quirk-removal book later. "I know you're supposed to be in school right now, so you'll definitely need this note. I can talk to your teachers and excuse your absence."

Izuku took a deep breath, put on his hoodie, and opened the door. He took one last look at the room, taking in every detail from Tsukauchi's unnaturally clean desk to the paintings on the walls. "See you later."

"Will I be able to see them again?" Eri tugged at Tsukauchi's sleeve.

"You will. How about I get something for you to eat?"

As the two talked, Inko and Izuku put up their guard and quickly got in the car. They pulled out of the parking lot just as quickly as they arrived, and Inko resumed her borderline illegal driving.

"Izuku, what time is it?"

"About forty-five minutes."

"Ah, good." Izuku avoided eye contact and instead looked out the window, trying to spot people that might recognize him. At this speed, everything was a blur, the names of streets whipping by in an instant. I can't even enjoy myself. Well, if anything, at least I had something to eat earlier.

Izuku reminded Inko of the areas where the villains were most likely to gather, and they religiously avoided those places. He wasn't at the point where he was particularly concerned for his life yet.

Izuku was thrown forward when the car stopped with a sudden lurch. He heard repeated thumps coming from the trunk, the containers falling over each other in their unique rhythm. That's not supposed to happen. We filled up on gas a couple of days ago. Izuku looked at his watch again. There was half an hour left, and on most days, Izuku was given the time he needed to prepare. So why was the universe already taking a stab at him now?

He stood up as best as he could and opened the door. There was no one around, and Izuku didn't know how to feel about that. His mother was talking to him, gesturing for him to pay attention to her, but Izuku was in no state to respond.

This could be it.

Clicking the heels of his shoes, pulling out his knife, and looking around him, Izuku ran.

When people run away, they're in no fit state of mind to think about what they're really doing. Maybe it's the adrenaline. Maybe it's the desire to just get away from it all. For Izuku, it was the possibility that he could die. His brain was sending an inordinate amount of chemicals to his body, telling him to do something, to do anything to get rid of that feeling.

. . . . .

Inko was confused at first. She tried multiple times to start the engine again, and each time, it didn't work. "Weird." She saw her son opening the door, and she followed. Izuku was in full gear.

"Izuku! Snap out of it! There's a way for us to fix this!"

And off he went.

Inko slowly entered the car and put her head on the steering wheel, sobs wracking her chest.

. . . . .

Izuku's initial surge of emotions had worn off. He slowed down, took a break, and most importantly, started to think. Mom! He dialed her number and shakily held his phone to his ear.

A beep.

"Mom? I'm okay. I just need a few minutes."

"I thought that you were going to leave forever! That could've been the last time I saw you in my entire life!" Through the connection, Izuku had a hard time deciphering words from his mother's weeping.

"I'll find my own way home. At 4:05, I will call you again. I might be late. Don't lose hope."

"How do I know that you're going to call back?"

"You don't. I don't know either." Izuku felt a lump forming in his throat. "I love you."

He hung up and sat down on the curbs. The tears rolled down his face and collected on the asphalt. He let himself be consumed by his own sadness only for a few minutes. After that, he wiped his eyes, stood up, and tried to figure out what he was going to do next.

The building that I was talking about, the one with the carbon monoxide detector, is too far away for me to reach in the time I have left, even if I hurry. There's no people here, meaning I'm on my own. My next bet...

Izuku was at a loss for what to do next. Luckily, he didn't need to think.

His watch began to tick louder, and Izuku had to cover his ears to muffle the noise. It's too early.

The noise became even more violent, each tick sending a shockwave that passed through Izuku's body.

It's too early.

Izuku opened his eyes and couldn't believe what he was seeing. The second hand began to glitch, skipping from two to eight and back again almost instantly. The minute hand was doing the same thing, and the hour hand had disappeared completely. What shocked him most was the green overlay that counted down the time until 4:00. That display was stuck at 0 seconds, even though it was working normally just earlier.

The leaves that were blowing around him were stopped at a standstill. No way. Did time just stop?

If anything, Izuku's feeling of impending doom returned. No one would be able to see or hear him. It was just Izuku, alone in a world where he would never age.

"Hello?" Screaming into the void was stupid, but Izuku was running out of ideas. He was hoping for some sort of communication with the world, for some explanation of what just happened.

Something moved within the static. Dust and debris slowly gathered until they had formed an almost human appearance. Izuku wasn't fazed when he saw the inorganic material transform into a human itself.

"Who are you?" Izuku's brain simply accommodated the weirdness.

"That," The being shrugged. "is an excellent question. Before you say anything else, you have to let me explain, alright? That's the only thing I ask of you."

"Why do you have a slightly Southern accent?"

"How is that relevant? Look, just shut your mouth for a couple of minutes."

"Last question. What's your name?"

"I don't know. God? That's what's popular among the world."

"You're a fucking terrible God!" Izuku screamed. "You tried to get me killed every day for the past ten years and now you decide to show up! You can't resolve things with a simple conversation!"

"This is my fault. You see, we have always influenced the universe in one way or another. Mostly, we drift through the vacuum of space, giving that one final push that transforms space dust into stars. However, over the last few thousand years, we've chosen to stay on Earth. Things are more interesting here."

"God" continued. "Some people say that luck doesn't exist, but it in fact does. We can't change probability, if there's one thing we know. What we can do is influence the small events that people perceive as luck. For example, if you're spinning a wheel to win a prize, there are billions of ways to alter the wheel's spinning so you can win."

"What does that have to do with me? Consistent attempts at murder aren't small events."

"You're just extremely unlucky. The day you turned four, I had an argument with my friends."

"There are other Gods?"

"Yes, there's more than one. You can't expect one person to do all the work around here." "God" waved his hand. "I'll help you out. The day of your appointment, a lot of people were affected with bad luck, and some instances even made the news. Across the world, everyone had their day where things just sort of went wrong. You, Izuku Midoriya, took the brunt of the impact."

"So that's why the MRI started malfunctioning. Still, that's only one day."

"In the aftermath of the fight, we were all angry. We were all tired and wanted a quick fix to the solution. Instead of dragging misery on everyone, we picked a random person to continue facing unlucky consequences and we sort of forgot about it."

"I suffered for ten years at your expense!" Izuku was getting madder by the minute, and he threw a wild punch at God's head. It passed through him. "Did you really think that my shitty lifestyle was worth ending your petty argument?"

God sighed. Ten years was nothing to him. It passed in the blink of an eye; it seemed like mankind had just appeared on Earth days ago.. "Like I said, nothing I say or do can make up for that."

Izuku stopped. He wasn't the type of person that could perpetually stay angry. "Okay. I'm still confused as to why you're presenting yourself now. There's more to this, just like you said."

"The Quirk suppressor that you used almost cost me my existence. Everyone else that was injected didn't affect us, because their Quirks don't pertain to us. You're unique, Izuku."

"How?"

"When you felt pain, we felt the same pain. I felt like I was losing my grip over the world. I couldn't fly, for one. It took me the entire day to recover. The only reason I didn't get to you earlier was because I couldn't gather the energy to manifest."

"I... just can't get your perspective of things. I mean, you're immortal."

"True. The thing is, I can fix this. Your watch will still continue to warn you when 4:00 is coming, kind of like a crappy school bell." God paused. "From here on out, I won't make any attempt on your life ever again. Hell, maybe I'll even give you a hand sometimes just so you can experience being lucky for a chance."

"Am I dreaming?"

"You're not. Look at your watch."

Izuku complied. The hands were moving normally. "Four o'clock sharp." He looked up. "Do you seriously mean that I'm never going to worry about this ever again?"

"Never again."

Izuku ran forward and tried to hug him before realizing that he was a bunch of dust and leaves. Coughing, he stumbled backwards.

God laughed. "That's all you need to know. You don't need to tell all the details with your parents. Even I wouldn't believe your story. Goodbye!"

Slowly standing back up again, Izuku once again saw his surroundings. In his new state of mind, his surroundings didn't seem so sinister anymore. The wind was reduced to a calm whisper. Faint sunlight shone down below, giving the trees a pale glow.

Izuku started to laugh and he didn't stop. The sound echoed far enough to be heard from far away, but he didn't care.

He was free.

Chapter Text

Overhaul finally got a grip on his temper. His voice returned, its calmness unnerving his cohorts. It was too calm, and when that happened, it usually meant that he was about to kill someone.

With their supply of vials limited, he had to put a stop to any nonessential operations. He instead put the entire team to work finding Eri. With his underground network, he could travel anywhere in the city in the blink of an eye.

While the villains had something other to do than nothing, they soon discovered that sitting idly by was their preferred lifestyle. Mr. Compress grumbled that he had to spend all of his time outside looking for the boy that fit Overhaul's description.

"I don't mean any disrespect, but this is risky, even for you!" He tried to keep up with Overhaul's speed-walking. "I could've been caught!"

"And so could I. There's no reason for you not to follow orders."

Mr. Compress discussed this with the other villains. They had similar results.

"You've got balls for talking to Overhaul when he's in a mood like that. Besides, how much time do we spend outside anyway?" Mr. Compress had to concede his point. Under Overhaul's neurotic leadership, Compress barely remembered the last time he had seen the city as a citizen instead of a war zone.

So, it was time for his three-hour shift yet again. Compress barely stifled a yawn as he strolled along. He forced himself to stop letting his mind wander. This was a school, and the boy should've been here anyway.

If he's here, Compress smiled, I might as well put on a show.

As soon as he turned the corner, he felt a strange sensation, like his entire body had glitched a step back. What the hell? There was no one else around. There shouldn't have been anyone else around.

He paid that no attention and put on his mask. For a split second, he saw the leaves blowing away, loosely resembling the shape of a person. He told himself that it was just his imagination.

A scream.

Compress turned around and followed the source of the noise. "Why, hello there!" He had just arrived as soon as the source disappeared. The only evidence left behind was an already disappearing trail of smoke.

Shit.

He cursed himself for his extravagant tendencies before quickly rationalizing them. Compress could lie and just say that no one was there. He just had to make it sound believable enough, at least to Nemoto.

It was going to be another long day.

. . . . .

All Might was flying through the air and above the city. Being able to see the entire area where he defended crime comforted him, and he was about to lose himself in a daydream before he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

I"m not as fast as I used to be.

He made a quick turn in midair, ignoring the pain. There was a puff of smoke, and All Might was no longer recognizable as the Symbol of Peace. Still slouching, he scowled and headed for the police department.

The work day was over, and fortunately for him, it was Tsukauchi who let him in. Staying out of sight, All Might collapsed in a chair in Tsukauchi's office. He grabbed the cup of coffee on the desk and began chugging it.

"Still busy, huh?"

"I hate to say this, but at the rate this is going, I'm going to have to pick my battles. I need a successor."

Tsukauchi had never heard All Might say this before. Sure, they had talked about his injury and decline in power, but this was too sudden a move for Tsukauchi to accept so easily.

"Successor? Who?"

"That's the problem. It also explains why I'm going to teach at UA."

Since his rise to fame, All Might had lost many personal relationships with some of his friends. Some of them claimed it was due to the pressure and not wanting to drag him down. Others were simply shocked. They simply didn't want to be associated with him, and All Might understood.

He was planning on teaching at UA. This was partly a strategic move on Nezu's part. All Might would monitor the students and their Quirks and eventually pick one of them to inherit One for All. Teaching also more or less put less stress on him compared to doing hero work. It was a win-win situation.

"Mm." Tsukauchi thoughtfully replied. "Someone else knows your true form. You might need to know."

"I know that. Wasn't he the green-haired kid that let himself be injected by the Quirk suppressor?"

"That's the one. I actually talked with him yesterday, and he's the reason why this girl is here." Tsukauchi pointed to the corner, where a makeshift bed was set up. Eri was sleeping, covered by some of Tsukauchi's clothes.

"This is too much information to take in. One at a time, starting with the first kid."

Tsukauchi showed him a shot of Overhaul's raid at the city. He zoomed in on Izuku. "Here he is."

"You had plenty of time to chat. Do you know what his Quirk is? Maybe make my job a little easier."

"It wasn't him who told me about his Quirk, but his mother. Every day, the universe tries to kill him at 4:00. The nearest timekeeping device will begin to tick loudly in the final fifteen seconds of preparation. In his words, 'it's a damn curse.'"

All Might sighed. A good Quirk meant a good chance at entering the world of heroes, but some people weren't born with Quirks that fit hero work. Hell, he didn't know how the boy was able to do any work in the first place.

"I remember him telling me his name... Izuku Midoriya?"

"Right. You also need to see this."

Tsukauchi pulled the screen so All Might could get a better look at it. The camera was pointed down at an angle, and everything was small because it was attached to a police helicopter. They only heard the rhythmic thumping of the helicopter blades. All Might saw Overhaul injecting Izuku with the liquid.

"I've seen this already." All Might played the clip faster and stopped once he saw the Pros. The crowd dispersed immediately, everyone using their Quirks for their personal gain. He found himself wrestling with a large Nomu in one of the corners. Izuku was nowhere to be seen, but he appeared in the next frame. All Might tapped the frame twice, zooming in.

Izuku was wearing the same backpack that All Might had seen him wear last. He was kneeling down and talking to a girl. All Might recognized her as the one currently sleeping in the room. Their conversation was brief, and soon, Izuku was running (or skating?) away with Eri on his back and his backpack on his stomach. All Might rewound until he saw the girl's supposed caretaker, Chronostasis.

Feeling that everything up to that point had been explained, All Might continued to watch as Overhaul morphed and started relentlessly chasing Izuku. All Might closed the screen.

Even if he hadn't met anyone planning on attending UA in person, Izuku was now added to the pool of possible successors. The timestamp placed the recording around 4:00. That meant that the villain attack was the supposed way that Izuku was supposed to die. Whether he was aware of it or not, Izuku still put his life on the line to save a girl he barely knew.

And finally, the girl. All Might received the summary of her past life. "Even if she's 'saved' as in physically, the scars from her treatment will still remain. She won't change overnight. Tsukauchi, I appreciate you for what you're doing."

"After watching that video, do you think you have a successor?"

All Might was already halfway out the door. "Maybe."

. . . . .

Izuku happily skated his way. He called his mom. "Hello?"

A sniffle. "What are you sounding so happy for?"

"I'll tell you later. Where's the car?"

Izuku's good mood was suddenly gone when he had to share the car with his equally angry and worried mother. Again, they broke several laws on their way home, and Izuku was finding it hard not to get launched into the atmosphere with every turn.

"Mom, I don't see why you should be so angry. I mean, I'm alive. I'm in front of you right now." Izuku first made sure that the door was locked and all the curtains were closed.

A beat.

Inko grabbed Izuku and gave him the tightest bear hug she could, not bothering to check if he could actually breathe. "Okay. Can you explain now?"

"Do you want the five-second answer or the five-minute answer?"

"I can afford to hear both."

"In five seconds? My Quirk is effectively gone, and I don't have to worry about the 4:00 limit anymore."

Inko was shocked. Izuku never lied. It wasn't like him to do that. What worried her most was their lifestyle. Ever since Izuku's Quirk manifested, their entire lives rotated around the deadly hour. They had extra free time. They had less things to worry about. "And the five-minute answer?"

"You won't believe this. I don't believe this either." Izuku threw his backpack across the room. "Today, the watch began to tick fifteen minutes early. At the loudest tick, the moment I'm supposed to be killed, time stopped. Everything was frozen except for me. The leaves were in midair. I saw water from a spout be captured at that exact moment, and the water beads had just started to accumulate."

The more Izuku described things, the more Inko was sure that Izuku was telling the truth. Time freezing was something only heard of in science fiction, but even science fiction couldn't capture the level of detail that Izuku laid out before her.

"After that, someone talked to me.'" Inko raised an eyebrow, and Izuku let out a noise of frustration. "That's probably the part you won't believe. I don't either."

"No, carry on."

"When I was four, he accidentally gave me a running streak of bad luck. It kind of makes sense. None of the attempts on my life are really that direct. They're all set up to look like accidents, and the ones that aren't? I'm not the only one affected in these situations, since that would be a villain attack or some meteor strike that would maybe hit multiple people."

Hearing the full story hit Inko with a wall. She didn't know how to feel. Of course, she was ecstatic that they could live as a normal family. On the other hand, she considered how Izuku felt. He wanted to be a hero. The only way to do that was to get a Quirk, and now, Izuku was Quirkless.

"I wish I could tell you what we're going to do next, but this... this is a major development in our lives. I don't know what to say."

"Mom, we'll always be together, and as long as that's true, I don't care about anything else."

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya happily returned to school, and his new attitude caught everyone's attention. He felt like he couldn't stop smiling, and every time he found something remotely funny, he almost choked trying not to laugh.

"Deku, what are you laughing at?" Bakugo slammed Izuku into the wall. Izuku was used to this; Bakugo didn't need any particular reason to torment him, especially when he was at school.

"Nothing. Kacchan, I'm Quirkless." Midoriya gently pushed him away and led them both into the classroom.

"Why the hell would you be happy about that?"

Bakugo's Quirk, Explosion, was insanely powerful on its own. Combine that with his superiority complex, and Izuku knew that Bakugo would have a lot of difficulty comprehending his perspective.

"We'll talk this over at lunch. If I gave you the five-second answer now, I don't think you would understand."

"What did you say?" Bakugo gripped Izuku's shoulder tightly.

"Every twenty-four hours, I try not to die. Even if I did, it would look like an accident, but trust me, the world was out to get me."

Bakugo loosened his grip. Izuku could see him making an effort to process what he said. "Whatever. I'm still stronger, Deku. Don't forget that."

"Sure thing." Izuku shrugged and sat down.

Out of habit, he still had his complete collection of doomsday supplies. The novelty of the experience had worn off, and by the last class of the day, Izuku was having his doubts. He still had nothing to lose, so he stayed in the classroom and kept a close eye on his watch.

If there was one thing God was right about, the ticking was definitely louder. On the other hand, Izuku didn't feel as scared as he normally was. The urge to run away was gone.

With a final tick, 4:00 arrived, and Izuku purposely went home as slow as he could. Apart from several dirty looks from strangers, he was totally fine. As expected, his mom made sure that he was okay. He didn't resist. He definitely needed the extra affection.

"You're okay, right? Nothing happened?"

"Nothing happened. Now that I have so much time, can I visit Eri?"

"Only if you let me go with you."

Again, Izuku savored life as it was. He opened the window and let the wind run through his hair. He waved at friends. This was the closest he would feel to pure bliss, and he jumped out of the car before Inko had finished parking.

The building, now with most workers gone, was oddly quiet. Someone let both of them in. Did Tsukauchi tell her about me? By then, both of them had memorized the path to his office. Izuku knocked.

"Just a moment!" He heard several things falling over, including a glass cup breaking. He looked at Inko. Her face was nondescript.

When the door finally opened, Izuku could see that Tsukauchi's office had drastically changed since their last visit. A divider was separating Eri's room from Tsukauchi's working space.

"How long did this take?"

"I had a friend build this for me, so it only took about an hour. We couldn't find anything about Eri's relatives in the meantime. It's like they don't exist, and well, that's technically not wrong."

"Oh. I thought that someone would've taken her to a foster home by now. It's been a couple of days already."

"I have permission to take care of Eri. You can talk to her if you want."

Izuku slid the divider open and was stunned at the amount of effort that was spent making Eri feel at home. She was sitting on her own bed wearing new clothes. Tsukauchi had given up his old furniture and refurbished it so it could fit the sudden influx of Eri's new possessions. If Izuku didn't know better, it was like Eri had a fresh start on life.

"Hi." Izuku pulled out a chair. "Can I sit here?" Eri nodded.

"Aren't you the one who saved me?"

Izuku couldn't help but smile even while noticing that Eri didn't return the same expression. "Yeah. How are you?"

"I'm... fine, I guess..." Eri avoided making eye contact. "These people have been really nice to me. There's this stuff I've never had before. I don't deserve this."

Izuku put his hand Eri's shoulder. "Yes you do. You're brave, going through all of this. Understand?"

"Sure." Eri didn't sound entirely convinced, and Izuku steered the conversation to something Eri would hopefully relate with. Heroes... that was the only thing Izuku truly cared about, and considering Eri had been raised on the complete opposite end of the spectrum...

Izuku was at a loss to talk about next, and he quickly moved his hand upwards. Eri flinched. She thought I was going to hit her, wasn't I? There's a lot of things for me to unpack here.

"You don't have to talk about anything else. Here, have an apple." Izuku rummaged through his backpack and ran his fingers down the reddish fruit before handing it to Eri. She took small bites, and her face softened. The two sat in silence, and they were perfectly fine that way. Muffled voices outside signaled that Inko was talking with Tsukauchi, probably about them.

Sundown arrived sooner than Izuku thought. He patted Eri on the back, gave her one last goodbye, and left the building.

The sky was streaked with shades of orange as Izuku returned home. Eri, along with his newfound status, slowly faded into the background as he looked out the window. He was itching to try the new things he never experienced before.

Their car came to a sudden halt. Izuku saw that it was All Might. The odds of encountering him once was low enough, but four times? Izuku dimly wondered if the beings up above had something to do with it. He quickly opened the door.

"All Might! Are you okay?"

"Not so loud!" All Might rubbed his eyes. "I'm okay. It's my fault for not looking where I was going. How come it's always you?" Izuku could only offer him a shrug.

"I'm Quirkless now."

"I thought you were already Quirkless. Are you planning on wasting any more of my time?"

"No, I was an idiot for not explaining this before." Izuku's face flushed. You're lucky enough to meet the number Pro Hero again, and this is how you screw up? "Something tries to kill me every day."

"Well, school's pretty tough." All Might's smile looked strangely different in his true form.

"No, I mean I was actually fearing for my life. I'm guessing that the villain raid was supposed to be one of the assassination attempts, but at least I get a chance to escape."

It was All Might's turn to think. "Young... what's your name?"

"Izuku Midoriya."

"Young Midoriya, this Quirk... it's very unfortunate. I can't imagine what that must feel like. I've never had many personal interactions with my fans, and I've never gotten this far with one of them."

"Can I still be a hero?"

"Intentional or not, you entered that city knowing that you were going to die one way or another. No one asked you to save that girl, and you did without thinking." All Might extended his hand. "You too can become a hero."

Something in Izuku's brain collapsed. It was something about his role model complimenting him, or maybe the fact that no one had really believed that he would be able to accomplish something. The tears came fast and furious. Izuku wouldn't stop crying. All Might awkwardly stood there while watching the green-haired boy and his mother bawling their eyes out. He shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet.

Izuku ran out of tears. "But I'm Quirkless now, even if I wasn't before."

"There's a solution to that. I can give you my Quirk." All Might strained and once again assumed his hero persona.

"Really?" Izuku struggled to speak in complete sentences. "I don't think I'm worthy of this!" He dimly remembered having the same conversation with Eri moments before but couldn't make a clear analogy at that moment.

"You are. Besides... I'm getting weaker. I've told you that already. That means I'm looking for a successor." All Might theatrically pointed a finger. "And you could be it!"

All Might concentrated, and a ball of light appeared on his hand. "My Quirk called One for All."

"One for All." Izuku repeated this, not entirely convinced.

"One person improves this power and hands it to another. It continues to grow as it's passed along. It is this cultivated power that allows me to save those in need of a hero."

"That means..." Izuku put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I don't get what you mean by 'inheritance.' I mean, it could've started before the dawn of time. There's so many other factors that I don't know about yet..."

All Might cut him off. "My Quirk was passed to me like a sacred torch. It's your turn now."

"Great! How do I get it?"

"I like your spirit, but it's much harder than that. You see, this Quirk has so much raw power that if you were to use it without proper conditioning, your body would explode." All Might laughed.

Izuku shuddered. He hated that visual. All Might didn't stop for him.

"When do we start?"

"Meet me at the beach tomorrow at 4:30. Don't be late. I'll be waiting!" With that, All Might took a leap into the air and was gone.

. . . . .

Overhaul couldn't suppress his frustration for long, and it came as no surprise when he finally snapped.

"What the hell is going on? We're the best yakuza in this country, and we can't find that goddamned kid!"

Chrono hadn't been spared by Overhaul. After their previous conversation, Overhaul touched his right arm, obliterating it completely. Chrono was rendered useless until Garaki gave him a prosthetic. Even then, he didn't have much experience with it. He flexed it experimentally, hearing the gears click in place.

"To be fair, he did say something about his Quirk crippling him. We don't know how, but he knows how to get places undetected kind of like us. If we use our tactics but in reverse, we'll find him."

Twice walked in the room unaware of what was going on. "My shift's over. I've searched the closest city blocks from here, every square inch of it. He's not there." He was met with a growl from Overhaul, and Twice quickly ran out again.

"Speaking of which, I might have an idea." It was Mr. Compress. Overhaul looked at him as if to say When did you get here? "I almost saw him near the school. By the looks of it, he tried to run away. The only reason I lost him was because of bad luck. Fog obscured my vision."

"There is no such thing as luck, Compress." Overhaul recovered from his spasm of anger and looked at him calmly. "There is only skill, and it appears that yours wasn't enough." Compress was shocked out of his smug demeanor for a moment. He was about to ask a question when Chrono glared at him. It would be better if he was the one asking.

"Overhaul, please don't get mad, but why aren't you the one who's looking?"

"I still have to do research. Also, I'm looking for the right opening to introduce myself again. I want to keep my reputation clean." Compress was tempted to bring up the fact that he had killed several people out of spite but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"What are we going to do now?" Wrong question.

"Make yourself useful and get out!"

Toga polished her knife over and over again out of habit. It glistened in the sun's reflected light.

She had left supposedly to catch the boy or possibly Eri, but she had no intention of doing either. She just wanted a breath of fresh air for a change. When she first joined, she wasn't experienced enough to be a part of the Shie Hassaikai. She knew that. However, Overhaul saw her Quirk as useful, and she had been accepted.

Toga remembered the first thing she told Overhaul. "I want to do things my way, if that's okay with you." That was partially true. Toga had a little freedom to do whatever she wanted in their operations.

The wind blew through her hair as she jumped across the rooftops. No one could see or hear her. Loud voices attracted her attention below, and she expertly plotted a series of jumps to parkour her way to the ground. Once again, the source of the noise seemed to disappear before she reached it. Toga went in reverse and found herself on the roof again.

In the relatively peaceful time, Toga only saw one car. She used her binoculars to get a closer look. For a split second, she thought she had seen a mess of curly green hair. She smiled, the grin stretching unnaturally wide across her face.

"I found him."

Chapter Text

The conversation with All Might almost forgotten, Izuku stared at his alarm clock in a state of drunkenness before realizing what he was doing.

Now that Izuku was no longer constrained by his Quirk, he didn't feel the need to bring such a heavy backpack with him anymore. He was lighter, faster, and felt like such. His sleepiness was quickly overrode by his enthusiasm.

Sure enough, All Might was sitting atop a sizable pile of garbage. He looked at his watch. "Not bad for your first day! Let's get started, shall we?"

Training was a lot harder than he expected. Exponentially harder. Looking back, Izuku didn't even know how he had survived the first week. All Might didn't wait for him before, and now was no exception.

Izuku strained as he grabbed the rope, the only thing that he was allowed to use to pull the fridge. It wasn't helping that All Might, who weighed thrice as much as he was, sat on top of it, idly scrolling through his phone.

"Hey! It's pretty comfy on top of the fridge, don't you think? What about you?" Izuku felt like his arms were being stretched to their breaking points. His calves were burning, and he could feel the lactic acid quickly building in his muscles with every second. With a final desperate pull, Izuku yanked the rope forward and fell over. Feeling like he couldn't move it any further, he collapsed.

"People move these every day and most of them don't even have Quirks that give them super strength."

"Yeah, but you're adding an extra 600 pounds there."

"I've lost weight. I think I'm at 560 now." At least he still has a good sense of humor...

"Um, why are we moving this trash anyway?" Izuku let go and stretched, the burning sensation still eating at his limbs.

"Look at yourself! You're not ready for my Quirk yet." All Might started snapping pictures, the shutter clicking with each one. Izuku immediately began to panic. All Might waited until Izuku could get his breathing under control.

"But I thought I was worthy! Now I can't be a hero!" Izuku started to cry. This kid really is something else, isn't he? All Might wondered.

"What I'm talking about is your body. Your body isn't ready. Remember, this power builds upon the strength of its previous users. You know what'll happen if you try to use it now." All Might mimicked an explosion with his hands, and Izuku looked away feeling ashamed.

"So this is basically a gym workout. I can deal with that, I guess." Izuku shoved away the analogy of his limbs being blown away.

"I've been doing some research." All Might tapped the fridge with his knuckles, making a dull sound. "This place is a mess!"

Izuku thought it made sense. The ocean currents swept the leftover trash across the sand. People slowly noticed the growing pile and took advantage of it by using that to get rid of their garbage.

"Heroes are all about the glamour now, but back then, they did volunteer work. So, that's what you'll be doing."

Emphasizing the last word, All Might crushed the fridge and tossed it away. It sailed in the air for a good two seconds before landing with a crash. The resulting wave of air forced the rest of the trash away, revealing a small but beautiful part of the horizon. Izuku shielded his eyes to avoid being blinded.

"You're going to clear this entire section, understand? This will be your first step in becoming a hero."

Izuku turned around and saw the piles upon piles of garbage that had accumulated over years of neglect, most of them taller than All Might. "There's so many... I'm not sure if I can do this."

"You want to go to UA, right?"

"Yeah! That's the school you attended, so it must be the best of the best." Izuku tried to look appreciative and intimidated at the same time, which didn't work. "Well, it is insanely hard to get into, but that's what I'm going to do."

"I like your spirit, fanboy!" All Might slapped him on the back hard enough to cause pain but not hard enough to break any bones. "Also, there's another thing you should know. You need a Quirk to do hero work." He emphasized the last sentence, making sure Izuku had heard it. "I know. It's not fair, but that's life for you. You're Quirkless now."

"UA's entrance exam is in 10 months. That sounds like a lot of time, but then again...all of this." Izuku pointed to the landfill behind him.

"Never fear! I have everything planned out for you." All Might gave Izuku a small pamphlet, and he almost fainted. He would have to get up at 4:00 every day, train, go to school, then go back until 7:00 in the evening. That barely accounted for homework, and any thought of free time was out of the question. Izuku was unnerved that All Might had been thoughtful enough to account for his sleep.

"This is really hard, you know. If you want me to make it easier, I can do that." All Might whispered.

"No. I have to work harder than anyone else. What other choice do I have?"

And so his plan was put into motion. Izuku would go to the beach and train for hours. He understood what All Might meant when he said that the beach would be cleared quickly over time. Like a puzzle, small pieces of the horizon began to click into place, giving them an appreciation for how much work Izuku had really done.

In school, he was barely awake enough to pay attention. At home, he was eating so much that Inko feared she might starve. (Of course, she was still ecstatic when she heard the news.)

His new schedule was also starting to get onto Bakugo's nerves. Izuku mindlessly stumbled out of the classroom, still rambling about different muscle groups. Bakugo shoved him hard in the back, the flames singing Izuku's sleeve.

"You need to shut up. What're you talking about anyway?"

"Hero stuff?" If Bakugo knew that Izuku was training under the number one Pro Hero, Izuku would've been thrown off the building, and that was only after he had been burned to a crisp.

Izuku expected Bakugo to reply the usual, saying that he was a worthless piece of trash. Granted, he wasn't exactly wrong either. Izuku had already made it clear that he had lost his original Quirk.

On the other hand, Bakugo hadn't bothered him lately. Izuku knew that he was probably wrapped up in his training as well. It was no surprise there. Explosion was a Quirk with great potential.

"Tch." Bakugo left a confused Izuku in his wake.

What? I mean, if you're not going to talk to me about anything else, then why bother? Izuku's mind wandered back to training by default. If there's one good thing that comes out of this, I didn't get beat up again.

Izuku saw physical progress over the following months. Rigorous physical activity didn't tire him as much as it used to. Despite everything, Izuku had come this far, and he wasn't ready to give up.

. . . . .

Himiko Toga watched as the car slowly drove off into the distance. She had no reason to chase after it, but she thought she might as well do Overhaul a favor. "I've found him near the police station."

"That's to be expected." Overhaul's apathetic tone almost drove Toga crazy. In a quick fit, she took one of her throwing knives and threw it as hard as it could, the spinning metal slowly receding into the distance. It could've hit someone, but Toga didn't have to worry about that.

"I suggest monitoring that area closely in the future. He could be back tomorrow."

"You can return. Someone's on their way." Toga happily used the excuse and ran away. It wasn't her job anymore.

Slowly, Overhaul began to establish his presence. One with a keen eye would see hooded individuals roaming the parking lot. They never stopped to enter the building, and they were looking for something; rather, someone.

Overhaul knew that the kid was also one step ahead. He purposely visited the station when there were the most visitors, and his appearance was average enough so that he blended in perfectly.

That left his subordinates. Because they were considered so unimportant, they could live double lives without any suspicion. The real challenge was getting past the guards and explaining their purpose without giving away their affiliations. He had already disassembled several people that way.

After that, they needed the right connections. Overhaul knew his raid had taken a lot of energy out of the police, and that was all they seemed to care about. He had given his subordinates instructions to bother them as much as they could until they finally cracked.

He eventually received a lead, or what could count as one. Static crackled on the end of his earpiece as it searched for its connection. At first, he could barely make out the words: "Have you heard anything about the girl that was taken?"

"Which girl?"

"White hair. Tan dress. Bandages on her arms. Surely, there's got to be one."

"Well..." He could hear shuffling on the other end. "I'm not supposed to tell you that, and even I haven't received clearance for all the information."

"Come on. My brother was killed in this attack. You need to tell me this."

This continued for awhile, back and forth. The officer was being guilt-tripped. Overhaul knew that strategy would work, but it was too slow for his taste. He issued a single command. "Make this quick."

His subordinate's voice became noticeably more panicked. "One clip. That's all I need to know, and I'll leave you alone. I promise I won't tell anyone else about this."

There was rapid-fire clicking, presumably someone pulling up the footage. Overhaul checked his computer and saw the video file sent to him. "That's good. Leave now." He severed the connection and looked more closely.

Chrono looked away to deal with the Nomu. Overhaul was annoyed more than anything, but fighting Nomus was a two-handed job. He quickly skipped over that part and saw the boy talking with Eri. Overhaul clenched his fist. How dare he? He resisted the urge to punch the screen when the boy picked up Eri and started to run- no, skate- away.

Overhaul finally saw himself, the fused body tearing after Izuku like a madman. He picked his own flaws; the form he took wasn't easily maneuverable. If I hadn't let my emotions take control of me, this wouldn't have happened. The camera was struggling to keep both of them in the frame.

Finally, the five seconds of useful interaction. Izuku stopped to talk with a hero. Overhaul didn't know his name, but he did know that he possessed an unusual speed Quirk. Izuku was lucky.

The hero hurtled off in one direction. Overhaul slowed the video down. He saw Izuku being carried somewhere off to the right...

Overhaul matched the video with a map of the city. He probably lived somewhere over here... If Eri isn't at the station, then she's at his house. He snapped, and several villains were already on their way.

You know, kid, you're not so bad after all. I guess you really can see the state of things nowadays. Overhaul closed his laptop shut. However, you have something that I need, something that you don't understand the importance of. When I find you, I hope you don't take it the wrong way.

Chapter Text

Izuku couldn't help but notice that something was off.

He was still being watched, which made no sense whatsoever. It couldn't have anything to do with his time limit. He remembered the villains and their highly coordinated group, so it had to be them. It frustrated him that it would be impossible to talk his way out of it, because they wanted Eri. What were they going to do about it? Izuku didn't have her anymore.

He took a quick detour and found himself alone. Izuku didn't expect anyone to be here; it was the evening, and everyone was either at home or work. He just wanted some peace and quiet after training, and that was what he got. The city's ambient noise was muffled by the distance that Izuku had put between them, and they were light on Izuku's ears.

His footsteps were slow and deliberate, and with no external input, Izuku began to think. His mind was full of half-formed ideas. One after the other, they consumed Izuku's attention until it was only his muscle memory guiding him. His hand dragged along the brick wall, his skin unfeeling.

When Izuku snapped out of his trance, he realized that he was completely, utterly lost with no way of telling where he was. He looked around to see if he could recognize anything, but he couldn't seem to remember anything about this place.

Everything was darker. Izuku initially found the constant noise annoying, but here, he was the only sound. There were no trees to be seen; Izuku was also the only lifeform around. Even if he wasn't, he didn't want to be wrong.

Think. Izuku resisted the urge to mutter to himself. He took out his phone and saw that he had no signal. Even the GPS didn't show any results. He turned around and quickly retraced his steps. His vision was a blur as his eyes jumped from building to building. All of them were made out of concrete and had no distinguishable features, like the builder had taken the first model and then spammed Ctrl+V. Izuku felt like he was in a poorly rendered video game.

None of the steps actually worked, and he stopped. How come I haven't been here before? He dug through his backpack out of habit. Because he never bothered to take anything out, he could feed himself for several days at best. Izuku told himself that if he kept walking, he wound find his way out eventually. He used a notebook to keep track of markers that would let him know his position, which was hard when everything looked the same.

He looked at his watch. It had been an hour already. Izuku had arrived late from home, so his mom didn't need to worry... yet. He wouldn't give up.

. . . . .

Overhaul eventually found out more about Eri now that he was certain where she was. He tried to communicate with her through short visits. He always did this at night, when he knew that there wouldn't be much people around. In his unmasked outfit, he was barely recognizable.

"We're taking you back."

Eri started to cry. Moisture had already began to form on her eyes. "But... I like it here..."

"Do you honestly think that these people are able to take care of you? Do you think that they understand you as much as we do?" Overhaul's gaze cut off any further negotiation.

"I have all these things that I've never had before. They've been nice to me."

"You can't leave us when we've planned another step of our operation."

Eri didn't fight. There was always some plan going on, and one way or another, she was going to be involved in it. Overhaul slowly coaxed her out of the room. Chrono took her in his arms, and they left. It was that easy, and Overhaul knew that this wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for his careful planning. He could've retrieved her sooner, but as they didn't inject any more people, there was no need.

Overhaul could've left it at that, but he needed to meet the green-haired boy again. Something had happened, and there weren't as many opportunities to find him anymore. He did notice that he always reappeared in his search zone around 8:00 or so. He also knew that he always talked to himself.

He finally had the break he needed. Izuku arrived an hour earlier than usual, just when Overhaul's most experienced villains were on patrol. Izuku started to space out, and he more or less walked straight into Overhaul's designated area. It was perfect for his needs: isolated, inconspicuous, and spacious.

On his screen, he saw him searching his backpack. There isn't anything that'll help you here. Overhaul put on his mask. It was time.

. . . . .

"She's missing?!" Tsukauchi pulled out his hair in anguish. "Why didn't I know this earlier?" He remembered being so tired he collapsed in his office. Eri was still there at the time, meaning she was taken in the middle of the night.

"Calm down." All Might checked the door to see if it was locked. "People don't know I'm here."

Tsukauchi calmed himself down and wrote a list of people. It couldn't have been anyone in the station; they would've told him. The Pros didn't stop by very often, and the logs confirmed that no Pro besides All Might had even been there. He couldn't find any fingerprints besides Eri's in her section of the room, meaning the perpetrator wore gloves.

"I think it's Overhaul, but then again, you could've figured that out."

"All we need to do is find him. It shouldn't be too hard." All Might dialed a number on his phone. He spoke quickly. "Someone's looking for him. Once we receive word, everyone's going in."

"Have you talked to Izuku recently?"

"Izuku? I'm training him now."

"Wow. Picking a successor didn't take so long."

"I hope I made the right decision, and it seems so. He takes all my feedback in stride, actively asks for more material to learn, and doesn't quit. I let him leave earlier. He says he has a big test tomorrow."

Tsukauchi was in thought. "Okay. You'd best be off now."

. . . . .

Izuku felt deep vibrations within the ground. Any doubts he had were intensified as he tried to find the source. If he wasn't running, he was definitely running in earnest. As he turned, he collided with a dome-shaped barrier. He tentatively tapped it again before ramming it as hard as he could. I need to find another exit. He kicked himself before realizing that all of them were blocked.

"What do you want?"

Overhaul appeared. "Izuku. There you are."

"How do you know my name?" Izuku was unnerved, even though he had seen him before.

Overhaul ignored the question. "I'd like to make an offer."

"I won't accept anything you put out. You're a villain and you know it!"

Overhaul raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. Injecting you with the solution has removed your Quirk, right?"

"It has. Frankly, I'm kind of enjoying it right now."

"There you go. You don't seem to be as heavily affected by it as the others. All I need is a few minutes of your time for research. I'll let you go after that."

"Are you going to kill me?" Izuku tried to sound brave, but his voice betrayed him.

"Not yet." Overhaul took a vial out of his pocket and began fiddling with it. "After all that, I hoped you would understand exactly how we're affected by Quirks. We're forced to choose between heroes and villains all for nothing. We will still fight each other. We will still kill each other, only now, we have better weapons."

Izuku was tempted to yell, Look at you! Your Quirk is one-of-a-kind and also one of the most powerful ones in the world, and yet you're still preaching to us "quirk bad?" "Okay."

"The real reason? Quirks have created the largest imbalance of power that we've ever seen. That makes it hard for people like us to operate. The yakuza needs to take control. Removing Quirks is the only way to do that."

"And what about your own?"

"We've created an antidote, of course. Once everyone is Quirkless, they'll be coming to us, and they need to agree on our terms."

"I can understand why this would be good for business, but these people are suffering. I've seen perfectly happy people being torn apart because they've lost their Quirk. You're essentially breaking people's legs and giving them wheelchairs."

"Not in their eyes. Some people like you have debilitating Quirks that they'd be perfectly happy with getting rid of." Izuku was aware that the Shie Hassaikai in its entirety were now facing him. Seeing all of them together, Izuku didn't know whether to feel afraid or amazed.

"Still, you're never convincing me that this idea will work." Izuku saw Chrono carrying Eri. "Especially since you've stolen Eri back."

"Stolen? She belongs to us in the first place. She doesn't have any objections either, don't you, Eri?" Eri was covering her hands over her ears, eyes firmly shut. Yeah, right. "If you're going to refuse our help, then we have no need to accept you." One blink later and Overhaul was in his fused form again. Izuku had nowhere to run and he was alone, but he wasn't going to back down now. He assumed a fighting stance, fists raised.

"Shame." Overhaul lifted a giant claw and swiped. Izuku rolled out of the way and saw the ground splinter into a million pieces beside him. If he couldn't get to Overhaul directly, he would try to outlast him.

Izuku rolled in front of Rikiya, his first mistake. Rikiya grabbed onto Izuku who freed himself after awhile, but not after some of his energy had been siphoned away. Izuku's first boost of adrenaline had worn out, and he stumbled backwards. Sakaki used his Quirk, and Izuku already knew what was going to happen. His eyes deceived him, the world turning every which way. He fell and struggled to stand.

Overhaul picked Izuku up so they could talk face-to-face again. "I'm giving you one last chance."

"This isn't even a chance." Izuku knew it was useless to escape, but he tried his best anyway. "Please. Let me go."

Under much more stressful conditions, Izuku finally broke and agreed to Overhaul's terms. The barriers were removed, and Izuku found himself in the middle of the Shie Hassaikai. From what he could tell, he was being taken to their facility.

Most of the walk was in silence, and Izuku infuriatingly saw the route that would take him back to the "normal" neighborhood. His cell phone rang, and everyone stopped in annoyance. "Sorry!"

He picked up the phone. "We've found you, young Midoriya. Don't worry. We're on our way."

Izuku tried his best to hide his surprise. All Might? "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Call back later." He hung up and prayed that help would come soon.

"Who was that?"

"My mom."

Overhaul narrowed his eyes. "Nemoto?"

"Sure thing, boss." Nemoto forced Izuku to look in his eyes. As soon as he did, Izuku felt bliss. His mind was blank, and he could hear voices around him whispering. Tell the truth. Who were you really talking to?

Izuku was frozen in place, and he covered his ears. He couldn't stop himself from blurting. "All Might."

Immediately, the group assumed a defensive position. Izuku was almost invisible with their new setup. Everything was quiet. In a small corner of his brain, Izuku reminded himself to take more notes on Nemoto's Quirk.

"I am here!"

The familiar booming voice echoed through the air. Izuku smiled. It's him!

"I'm not alone either!" Through the gaps in the villains' costumes, Izuku saw that everyone had arrived, just like in the earlier attack.

With a charge, all hell broke loose, a million Quirks activating at once. He tried to find an opening to run, but then he saw Rikiya menacingly crack his knuckles and thought against it. Of course, Endeavor was here. It wouldn't take long for the fire to quickly reach him.

Izuku expected a lot more action, but on his end, he was away from most of it. He tried to catch All Might's attention, but he was too busy fighting Overhaul to notice. The ground rippled with each deconstruction, the familiar geometric spikes seeking their targets. Izuku was already beginning to find a pattern and furtively clicked the heels of his shoes.

Rikiya, Hojo, and Rappa were assigned to guard him. He could get past Rikiya easily; he just needed to move fast enough. Hojo... his Quirk allowed him to create crystals. Given that he could create structures on his limbs within seconds, the key was reacting quickly. And then there was Rappa. All three Quirks relied on melee attacks, and he wasn't sure if he could outrun any of them. He decided to play dumb.

"What's going on?"

"Shut up or I'll punch you in the face." Rappa.

"It honestly doesn't matter." He looked to the right. The heroes were still majorly preoccupied. "How long have you guys been doing this for?"

Rikiya responded after getting dirty looks from the other two. "Eh, I can't remember. I struggled to get a job after I was kicked out of school. They said I started too many fights." No kidding. "I only joined in hopes of one day beating Overhaul. I respect him." Izuku slowly started walking away at an imperceptible rate. If he could get them to continue talking, he could run, though he wasn't sure how to proceed after that.

"...anyway, that's how I'm here. No hard feelings, kid."

"You might've dropped part of your equipment. It's on your shoes." Hojo and Rikiya examined the nonexistent item, and Izuku booked it. He heard the clashing of crystals against rock and knew that the others weren't too far behind. "ALL MIGHT!" All Might looked down for a moment, landed a punch, and picked him up with one swoop. They were flying away from the crowd.

"All Might, what are you doing?"

"Give me a moment." The two stopped in a narrow alleyway. All Might pinned Izuku against the wall. "Listen very carefully, okay? By yourself, you're smart, but you don't stand a chance. They were this close to catching you."

"I still don't understand. You need to get back and fight!"

"Not yet. It's a bit early for this. The UA entrance exams aren't due until two months from now, but it looks like I have no choice."

Izuku's eyes widened. "That means..."

"I'm giving you One for All."

"It's too soon. How am I supposed to react to that? What about you? Are you going to get weaker because of it?"

"Eventually, yes, but I can make do as long as you're being trained." All Might reverted back to his original form. Izuku still couldn't get over the transition no matter how many times it happened. "Take this." All Might plucked a single strand of golden hair and put it in Izuku's palm.

"Eat up."

"Huh?"

"You need to ingest my genetic material for the transfer to work. It'd be best if you would hurry." All Might sighed. "This was unexpected. Even if you ate it right now, the effects won't kick in until an hour later."

"In this case, having a Quirk is better than having none... but still, this is so sudden. Are you sure about this?"

"Very sure." Izuku popped the hair in his mouth and swallowed.

"I don't feel any different."

"Just wait and see." All Might carried Izuku back.

Now that he had a Quirk, Izuku needed to figure out how to use it while also getting Eri back. A quick scan later, Izuku saw her in Overhaul's arms. He ran as fast as he could and jumped, grabbing his knife and stabbing his leg. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but definitely enough to get his attention. Izuku let go before Overhaul kicked at thin air, almost losing his balance. Izuku took the chance to climb his back and hopefully meet Overhaul from the front.

He was now on Overhaul's right shoulder looking below. Eri was maddeningly close. He positioned himself for a jump. Digging his feet into the muscle, Izuku leapt forward, arms outstretched. Overhaul was so surprised that he didn't react. Eri and Izuku tumbled onto the ground.

"You know, you're really starting to get on my nerves. I should've killed you earlier." Overhaul reached for both of them. His knuckles brushed Izuku away, while Eri took most of the force. She cried out before being slammed against the wall. Overhaul roughly picked her up again and made another attempt to get rid of Izuku.

You can't do that.

Overhaul picked up a distraught Eri and stomped on Izuku, who had instinctively put his backpack over his head. The cushion was the only reason he was still alive, and he still felt a sharp pain in the back of his skull.

You can't do that.

"Don't hurt her!"

Eri was in pain from being held in such a tight grip. Izuku started to feel something that he had never experienced before. He felt hot. His muscles were filled with a new source of stamina, which made no sense whatsoever. Izuku felt the urge to do something, to do anything. He glared at Overhaul with as much hate as he could muster.

Eri, I promise I will get you out of here.

Izuku readied his legs and pushed upwards, hard. He was flying through the air impossibly fast. Once again, he reached forward. He grabbed Eri by the arm and didn't let go as both of them rose higher and higher. Overhaul and the other villains shrunk into the background.

So this is what One for All feels like...

Black spots started to appear in Izuku's vision. He vaguely remembered that he was falling before blacking out.

Chapter Text

None of this was supposed to happen.

Overhaul shot Izuku. He saw him become Quirkless before his eyes. How could that explain his sudden burst of strength? Overhaul cursed himself with every step. I should've killed him.

He knew when he morphed that he was going to lose his agility. This had been proved time and time again, but then again, this was his best choice. What he didn't know was Izuku's tenacity. It was so damn annoying. Why wouldn't he die?

Overhaul couldn't think.

After the punch, Izuku was badly injured. Both legs were completely broken. Even if he was still conscious, breaking his fall would result in his arms being shattered. Overhaul was about to grab them both when he was pulled back. Kamui Woods. He used the concrete below and knocked him back while also trying to catch Izuku. Before he could reach him, a blur rushed past and got to him first.

Overhaul found it strange that the number one hero was actually running away from a fight. In his rage, the ground below rippled as he propelled himself forward. He knew that Nemoto was taking damage from behind, but he didn't care.

Meanwhile, the heroes were adamant on stopping Overhaul before he caused any more collateral damage. Overhaul swatted them away. They were flies that he needed to crush, and they definitely weren't helping.

Boss is going to have my head.

. . . . .

The first thing Izuku felt was the wind rushing past his face. He looked down and saw himself flying past the ground. The second thing he saw were his legs that were bent in angles that shouldn't have been possible. He tentatively moved them and felt a splitting pain.

"Stop struggling!" All Might had picked him up and was running away as fast as he could.

"You might want to land." Izuku started breathing heavily. "You're going to reach your limit soon."

"I know that." All Might coughed. He managed to keep going until they stopped at a building. "Normally I wouldn't let other people in, but you look like shit." Izuku feebly smiled. Eri was unconscious.

Even though All Might said nothing about the building itself, Izuku instantly recognized where he was. They passed through a heavily armored metal gate, and Izuku was blown away. Wide rows of glass, tall columns of stone- it was unmistakable. They were at UA.

Izuku eagerly waited for them to actually enter the front gates, but All Might took a detour. Instead, they found themselves in front of an old doorway. It was on the side of the main building and was buried deep enough so not many people actually knew where it was.

"Well, that's nice." Izuku couldn't keep the acidity out of his voice. He was so looking forward to seeing his (maybe) future school.

"If anyone sees you like this, they'll freak. I know someone that can help."

They could now see the scaffolding that they were walking in. Their footsteps were loud as their shoes clanged against the metal. Izuku felt like he was being crushed by invisible walls.

"Can we hurry?"

All Might in his true form could still carry Izuku easily. "Almost there." He muttered to himself and pointed to several buttons before pressing one. They were on the student level.

Classes were over, so the hallway was practically empty. Izuku looked inside the different classrooms, even 1A, before they arrived at the nurse's office.

"Toshinori, what went wrong today?" Izuku was lifted onto a bed while he saw Recovery Girl packing up for the day.

"It's this kid. Both of his legs are broken."

"Tch. What's your name?"

"Izuku Midoriya."

"Well, Izuku, this won't hurt a bit." She kissed him on his forehead, and Izuku felt his legs snapping back into place. Tentatively, he punched them lightly. No pain at all.

"How-"

"Relax. What about the girl?"

Izuku spoke for All Might. "She's Eri. Eri's been in Overhaul's care, and we took her back. She's better off here."

"The horn... interesting. What does it do?"

"I don't know. She does talk, you know, but it's hard to communicate with her at first. So far, even I haven't been able to deduce what her Quirk is, even though I'm guessing it has something to do with the horn."

All Might's phone started to ring. He picked it up and frowned. Covering the speaker, he said, "I have to explain myself. For now, we're going to Tsukauchi's. Izuku, your legs are fine. Try walking. Also, Eri needs to come."

Eri opened her eyes wide, the only sign that she was panicking. "Where am I? How come I don't hurt anymore."

Recovery Girl ruffled her hair. "You're going to be okay. Follow these two boys. They can take care of you from there." Eri recognized Midoriya almost instantly. She put on her shoes and followed them out the door.

Recovery Girl could finally leave without any doubts. If Izuku comes here, it's going to be interesting.

. . . . .

"Why did you run out on your own teammates?" Tsukauchi was to the point. Izuku almost felt sorry for All Might, who was being chewed out like a misbehaving student. Eri was back in her corner of the room, not listening to a word of the conversation.

"There wasn't a lot of time. Izuku here has inherited my Quirk."

"That quickly? Hm. Did you get a chance to use it?"

"I guess?" Izuku's memories were a blur. "I felt this strength fill my body. Next thing I know, I can jump into the air like Hulk or something."

"Wait. I told you that it would take several hours to activate."

"Quirks are strange, you know?" Tsukauchi smiled. "They can evolve or activate under immense pressure. I'm assuming that's what Izuku's been through."

"Wait!" Izuku suddenly remembered. "My mom! She's probably worried sick."

"Well, can't she wait for awhile?"

Izuku stared at Tsukauchi. "No."

Five minutes later, Izuku was being shaken by a very distraught Inko. "Oh my god! Are you okay? You could've died!"

"We've been doing this for ten years, Mom. I'm okay." Izuku then looked at the other two. All three were thinking the same thing: Should we really tell her what happened?

"Is there something wrong?" Hell no.

"Mrs. Midoriya, your son will be training under me from now on." Izuku fervently nodded.

"Are you... All Might?"

"I'm surprised you could tell." Izuku didn't know whether he was being sarcastic. "I gave Izuku my Quirk. It's part of the reason why he's alive and well. That means my own strength may be diminishing, but I'll use the time I have left to help Izuku get to UA, maybe even become a hero."

Hearing All Might actually say the words brought tears to Izuku's eyes, but that was nothing in comparison to his mother, who had become a human faucet. She quickly composed herself.

"You need to promise me that you can keep him safe. That's it. If you don't, then that's the end of the line, and we won't be going." Izuku shot a surprised look at Inko and saw that there was no arguing.

"I promise."

Tsukauchi waited before speaking. "I'm sorry to butt in like this, but there's one more thing we need to discuss before you two can leave. Inko, Eri has no legal guardian as of this point. Overhaul is being dealt with as we speak, though this is a battle that we might not win for some time."

"Huh?"

"I'm saying that you can adopt Eri."

Eri looked at them with a hopeful expression. Tsukauchi quickly continued, "Well, we could send her to an orphanage, but you've spent time with her. Izuku, you've gotten along really well."

"Sure." Inko readily accepted and signed the forms. Tsukauchi put the information in the registry.

"That's it then. Eri is now part of your family. Izuku, good luck on getting in UA."

Eri was stunned into tears, and Inko picked her up and hugged her. Izuku joined them. For the first time in a long time, things were starting to look his way.