Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Several centuries in the future
Shandong, China (Point 11F5646)

Anguish

This was the only feeling that currently occupied a holographic image's mind as it stared into the distance, seeing nothing but devastation for as far as the eye can see. The hologram’s anguish grew as he saw what was once a province teeming with millions of people and other forms of life now reduced to rubble.

The holographic image was previously known to the world as Dr. Thomas Light, a world-renowned scientist who specialized in creating robots that were capable of independent thought. However, Asimov's Laws of Robotics still bound most of the robots he built. All except one.

X. A robot that he created that was not bound by these laws. A robot who was built to be able to make his own decisions in life. To ensure he would not go down the wrong path, he had his creation sealed away to have him go through various tests, diagnostics, and simulations while in stasis to ensure the path he went down was one dedicated to justice and peace with minimal bloodshed and violence. He left a warning to any person who might discover X to not release him until the tests were completed, which he estimated would take thirty years to finish.

He learned over time that X was released into the world after a century had passed and he became the template that led to the mass production of other robots that would eventually become known as Reploids, led by another scientist known as Dr. Cain. However, they did not go through the same rigorous tests as X did and combined with Cain’s inability to fully understand Dr. Light’s notes that he discovered along with X, several of his creations began to go berserk and commit crimes. These rogue Reploids would eventually become classified as Mavericks.

A peacekeeping force known as the Maverick Hunters was created in response to help suppress these threats. The group was formerly led by Sigma. the most advanced Reploid Dr. Cain created.

However, even Sigma himself became a Maverick, and due to his cult of personality type appeal, numerous Reploids and former Maverick Hunters joined his revolt and declared war on humanity.

Over the years, his efforts would be thwarted on numerous occasions by the Maverick Hunters, who were now led by X and his best friend Zero. Unfortunately, the two Maverick Hunters’ luck would run out. They had finally cornered Sigma in Shandong after stopping the floating colony known as Eurasia, which Sigma programmed to crash into Earth.

After fighting their way through the base, they engaged in one final battle against Sigma. The battle was fierce, but in the end, Zero and X managed to defeat Sigma. But not without cost. Knowing he had lost, Sigma decided to self-destruct, intending on taking both of his former subordinates with him. Zero used his body to shield his best friend from the brunt of the devastating blast, but it was all for naught. The explosion not only vaporized Zero's body and Sigma’s entire base of operations, but it also fatally damaged X.

Dr. Light looked down at X, grimacing at the damage his greatest creation had sustained. He knew X wasn’t going to make it. The explosion had inflicted damage that even he couldn’t repair. His anxiety spiked when he felt a very faint, but familiar evil presence still lurking in the air of the destroyed city that had been reduced to rubble. To make matters worse, the Earth still suffered significant damage from the remaining debris that was once the Eurasia space colony crashing into it. The pollution caused by the debris from Eurasia also devastated the natural resources across the Earth that humans needed to survive, rendering the surface uninhabitable if the Reploids could not immediately begin to repair the damage Eurasia caused ecologically.

Without X to keep any other Maverick threats at bay, Earth would become uninhabitable for humans, meaning the former Commander of the Maverick Hunters would see his ultimate vision of humanity’s extinction come to fruition.

At that moment, Dr. Light knew he only had one option left if humanity were to survive. It was one based on desperation, but it was the only one that had any semblance of a chance to try and prevent what had happened. The project was inspired by a discovery made by scientists a few months after X was put into stasis.

Dr. Light learned that geneticists discovered humans were once able to use special powers that closely resembled the feats Reploids were capable of today.  After digging into old archives, they discovered these abilities were referred to as quirks.  

Several genetic profiles from current living specimens showed humans technically still had quirks and could develop them.

However, something happened a few centuries after their initial development that removed or locked these abilities away.  Several theories were developed as to why quirks were no longer active in the everyday populace, but with a lack of available public information, none of those theories could be definitively labeled as the real cause of the regression in humanity’s capability to develop superhuman skillsets.

Dr. Light had his theories for why this devolution occurred.  The one that most frequently popped into his head was shared by many.  The potential power one could hold in their hands depending on what skill they inherited could lead them to a path of tyranny.  

But threats like his old colleague Dr. Wily, and the destruction his technological innovations wrought upon society forced the hands of several leaders.  The current problems facing them because of his former colleague and society’s anger at being unable to fight back against such a threat led to several leaders investing in research to unlock the genetic blocks to allow humans to use quirks again. 

He was brought onto the project to figure out how to unlock the block to allow humans to use their quirks.  He worked with geneticists by creating machines that could read genetic profiles to see if they could find one without the block while also attempting numerous methods to allow humans to access these powers again.  They found one specimen before the block was implemented.

Dr. Light noted the specimen’s special ability.  Data from the machine analyzing the specimen noted its special power:  it could transfer quirks to another person.  This gave Light an idea.

While research continued to determine what needed to be done to give people their quirks back, Light set off on his own project unbeknownst to everyone else.  He feared the possibility of someone using quirks for nefarious purposes and potentially creating threats greater than Sigma and Wily.

He created a new machine.  Its primary purpose was to figure out how to create a new quirk and fuse it with X’s capabilities using the specimen discovered as his base.  Once completed, it would be stored in a capsule to be sent in the past hoping to find a worthy inheritor in case X fell in battle.

He didn’t know if it was even feasible since searching through X’s memories showed no evidence of humans reacquiring the use of their quirks.  But he embedded it into X’s programming to monitor the machine’s progress if X was irreparably damaged.

Amazingly, the machine finished analyzing and creating the quirk that allowed one to use X’s base capabilities and the transfer quirk. It even adapted X's variable weapon system to create new weapons from quirks and created what Light thought was once improbable:  a pocket dimension where one could store and summon X's armor!

However, there were some drawbacks that Dr. Light could not fix during his time on Earth regarding the capsule.

The capsule could only travel back in time to the exact spot where it was currently placed. He also couldn’t predict what year it’d end up in, although he could narrow it down to the timeframe of when these superhuman abilities were active.

Also, they had no way of knowing if this process would have any drawbacks for the person who would receive this power, so it was forgotten. Until now.

Knowing he had no other choice, he activated the program with X’s red forehead crystal glowing brightly for a few seconds before dimming, signaling its completion.

In an abandoned lab somewhere in Japan, the long-forgotten capsule that contained the superhuman ability started to hum and shake violently before disappearing in a flash, going back in time to hopefully find a candidate worthy enough to bestow the gifts contained within the device.

Knowing that the capsule was now traveling back to the past, Dr. Light sighed before looking at his greatest creation.

“X, forgive me for having placed this heavy burden on you. You fought so hard to try and maintain the peace I so desperately wanted to achieve. You placed blame on yourself for something you had no say in when you learned every Reploid built that went Maverick could be traced back to you to some degree. But if anyone should be blamed, it’s me. Every single tragedy and battle involving the Mavericks is my fault and no one else. All of the lives that were lost during this war I take full responsibility for. I hope you can forgive me for my lack of foresight that has led to everything that has happened.” Dr. Light apologized as his holographic image faded. Their time was short.

“Goodbye, X. Maybe someday we’ll meet again.” Dr. Light said with melancholy in his voice before his image disappeared.

A few seconds later, X’s life force fully faded away. For the next several minutes, the eerie wind was the only sound that could be heard for miles before a sinister laugh began to echo throughout the ruins.

Several hundred years in the past
Musutafu, Japan

“And another tragedy once again avoided thanks to All Might. Is there anything this man can't do?!” A news reporter gushed, emphasizing their adulation and awe of said person’s heroism against a sludge-like villain that nearly killed two teenagers.

One of those teenagers heard the reporter on television applauding All Might, but after his harrowing experience, and the hero’s harsh words on his potential to be a hero, he didn’t want to hear what the reporter had to say about the incident anymore.

The boy was Izuku Midoriya, a 14-year-old from Aldera Junior High School. At just a little over 5'5”, Izuku is somewhat short for his age, his round face is framed by a short mop of fluffy dark-green hair which curls up at odd angles around his head, casting noticeably dark shadows onto itself. His eyes, which at times are very watery, are large and somewhat circular with his irises being the same shade of green as his hair and are usually stretched quite wide. He has a set of four symmetrical freckles in diamond formations, one on each cheek.

And today was the worst day of his life.

Today’s events metaphorically screamed at him that the one thing he desired to be was nothing more than a foolish pursuit of the impossible.

All because he lacked one thing that the majority of the population possessed:  a quirk.

The day started just like any other typical school day since he was 4: bullied, ostracized, mocked, and constantly reminded of how much less of a person he was because he had no quirk.

His former friend Katsuki Bakugou was furious at him for wanting to attend UA, which resulted in him burning one of his Hero Quirk Analysis books he worked so hard on. But the real kicker was that the blonde knew how badly he wanted to be a hero, and threw it back in Izuku’s face in the cruelest manner imaginable. He told him to kill himself by jumping off the roof of the school in hopes of acquiring a quirk in his next life.

How that didn't break him he'd never know.

But somehow, his day got even worse. He was attacked by a sludge-like villain after he left school and nearly died, but was saved by his favorite hero All Might. He even got an autograph from the famed Symbol of Peace, but his joy soon turned into desperation. He needed to ask All Might if he could be a hero without a quirk, which resulted in him grabbing All Might’s leg as he took off. After initially struggling to try to force the boy to let go (which he stopped attempting to do after Izuku informed him he would be killed if he let him go when both were several hundred feet in the air), both landed on a roof where no one would hear them talk. But Izuku’s hopes were crushed after he learned two horrible truths: All Might suffered a devastating injury in a battle years ago that was not known to the public, which restricted his ability to be a hero to 3 hours a day, and the number 1 hero told Izuku that he could not be a hero without a quirk. Instead, he suggested the boy look for a more realistic career before leaving him.

Maybe that’s why he threw himself at the sludge villain to try and save Katsuki, who forcefully used the blonde’s Explosion quirk to cause havoc in the city after Izuku accidentally helped the sludge villain escape from All Might.

Maybe he subconsciously wanted to die a martyr and go down in history as the guy known for saving someone who would become one of the greatest heroes the world had ever seen.

But fortunately for both of them, All Might arrived just in time to subdue the villain for good. Afterward, Izuku was harshly chastised by several heroes for throwing himself into danger while his childhood friend turned bully received nothing but praise before both were eventually allowed to leave.

In any other timeline, he would’ve walked home, but he didn’t want to see or talk to anyone at the moment. So he just started walking within the city with no destination in mind as evening approached.

'What do I do now?' Izuku asked himself, unable to find an answer that was satisfactory to him.

His desire to be a hero was pretty much the one thing that kept him going, but after his idol All Might told him he couldn’t be a hero, Izuku for the first time in his life didn’t know what to do. He walked around the city with no specific destination in mind, his thoughts desperately trying to figure out what he should try to do next, or if he even should continue to try at all.

He didn’t know how long he was walking, but he eventually ended up near what looked like a trash site.

He didn’t know what compelled him to go into the landfill, but Izuku decided to walk into the junkyard that was once the beautiful Takoba Municipal Beach Park.

After a few minutes of walking, he eventually found one of the emptier spots in the landfill before taking it all in.

He lowered his head before letting out a mirthless laugh, recognizing the irony of this place and how it could represent a reflection of his own life.  The beach used to be an extravagant paradise spot, but it had been reduced to nothing more than a trash dump.  Just like his life.  Just one endless trash heap that continued to pile onto him ever since the day he learned he would never develop a quirk. His emotions began morphing from sorrow into anger, and he could no longer hold the emotional pain down.

He grabbed the nearest blunt object, and with a grief-filled scream, ran to the appliance closest to him, a refrigerator. He started swinging the object with reckless abandon, denting the kitchen appliance.  All of the grief and depression he buried inside just came out of him until he tired himself out. He fell to his hands and knees and began sobbing at how cruel fate was to give him this life.  He didn’t know how long he was in that trash pit crying, but he ceased when the sound of electricity began to fill the air.

He turned around just in time to see a bright light a few feet from him begin to illuminate the dump site.  Its intensity was too much for his eyes to handle, forcing Izuku to close his eyes and cover them with his arms to protect them further.  The smell of ozone burned in the small space, making him nauseous as it mixed with the odor being emitted from the trash.

After about two minutes, the light died down enough for Izuku to lower his hands and open his eyes.

‘What the . . .?” Izuku managed to utter before his voice died in his throat, speechless at what had appeared only a few feet away from him.

Meanwhile, three blocks from the landfill, a skeletal-looking blonde man was driving around the city searching for a young man he had met earlier, waiting for the stoplight to turn from red to green. The young man reinvigorated his heroic spirit by trying to save a hostage despite having no quirk. However, his search for the fanboy was a fruitless endeavor as he did not find him at any of the locations he expected him to be at.

Sighing in disappointment, All Might decided he would continue his search for the young man tomorrow.

‘Maybe Death Arms or Kamui Woods can help . . . then again, they weren’t happy with him from what I saw.’ All Might contemplated, before scrapping the plan as he felt the two heroes didn’t want to see the young man again for a while.

He continued trying to come up with a strategy to locate the green-haired teenager as he waited for the stoplight to turn green when he suddenly saw a faint light shine in the distance for a few seconds before dissipating.

“That was near Takoba Beach. But why would someone be around there at this time?” Curious, All Might decided to investigate, mentally preparing himself to call the police on his phone that was mounted on the dashboard if it was a villain meetup. He opened a map-based app on his phone and verbally asked the app for the quickest route to the landfill from his current location. Once the directions were provided, he began driving to the junkyard.

Meanwhile, Izuku’s brain was going a million miles a minute. He had so many questions as he examined the appearance of the device. In front of him was a piece of technology that appeared too advanced compared to anything he had ever seen. It looked like a pod or a capsule from one of those sci-fi movies he used to enjoy watching as a young child. It was primarily blue in color and appeared to be separated into a top and bottom section with what looked like green glass. Some of the notable features he noted mentally were the red light and hose-like attachments on the top.

'How did something like this end up here of all places? Did someone use their quirk to transport this thing? Why would someone send it here? Did they intend to send it here? This looks way too advanced for someone to just send it to a landfill where anyone can find it. Were they trying to hide it or destroy it? Wouldn’t it be better to send it somewhere like the ocean or underground if they wanted to dispose of it?’ Izuku mumbled to himself in his head as he observed the strange piece of equipment by walking around it while keeping his distance. He realized he was becoming too engrossed with his thoughts before shaking his head to force himself out of his overthinking.

*PLAY OST*

Izuku knew he wouldn’t be able to answer his questions by just circling the pod-shaped machine. So he cautiously started walking towards the machine, ready to bolt if it was a trap. He was five feet away from it when the red bulb at the top shined brightly and shot a beam of light at Izuku, who screamed in terror as he threw his arms up to defend himself as it was too fast for him to dodge.

Several seconds passed before the teenager realized he wasn’t in pain. Hesitantly, Izuku lowered his eyes to see what was happening. He saw the light scanning his entire form from top to bottom.

‘It's . . . it’s scanning my body? But for what?’ Izuku rhetorically asked himself, unable to come up with a plausible explanation as to what the device was searching for on his person.

*END OST*

The red light suddenly shut off before the machine started to hum lowly. Izuku’s eyes widened in surprise when what he thought was green glass began to morph into a different shape. He stood in awe as the green light began to take a humanoid form.

Eventually, the hologram’s characteristics became fully fleshed out.

Standing before Izuku was an elderly man in his 60s or 70s, who had a portly appearance with a bushy beard and equally bushy hair that went just past the nape of his neck and curled upwards at the front. He was wearing a lab coat, slacks, a polka dot tie, and dress shoes.

‘Whoa . . . that was so cool.’ Izuku thought in awe at what had taken place in front of his eyes.

The elderly man looked down at Izuku before smiling at the teen.

“Greetings Izuku Midoriya. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Dr. Thomas Light.” The now-identified doctor warmly greeted.

The green-haired boy’s eyes widened in shock.

“You . . . know . . . my name? How is that possible? I never met or heard of you before.” Izuku managed to utter, stunned at how the doctor knew his name with no previous introduction that he could recall. He was certain he never ran into this figure before, nor did his mother ever mention a doctor who looked like the one in front of him.

Dr. Light continued to smile, amused at the boy’s expected reaction.

“It is part of this capsule’s process. It scans the person’s memories to determine if the person could be trusted to inherit the gift I have left within it.” Dr. Light explained.

Izuku slowly nodded his head, understanding the reasons for the safeguard. Whatever was in this capsule must’ve been important to install such a security measure. However, the last few words in the doctor’s final sentence registered in Izuku’s head, his eyes widening in shock.

“Wait a second!  Are you saying it finds me trustworthy?!  Why?  And why have I never heard of you or your inventions before in any news outlets?” Izuku asked, his questions coming out at such a rapid-fire pace that he wasn’t sure if the doctor picked up all that he said as it came out in a verbal, jumbled mess.

Thomas couldn’t blame him though. The boy had gone through so much today, and what was currently transpiring in front of the young man would be considered something that you’d usually see in movies only.

The robotics scientist had a sad smile adorning his face.

“You haven’t had the easiest of times during your life, have you Izuku?” Dr. Light responded rhetorically, already knowing the answer. Izuku flinched and looked down, a litany of his struggles due to being socially ostracized by his peers replaying in his head as the boy tried to hold his tears back unsuccessfully. He didn’t want to explain his personal problems to a complete stranger.

“Izuku, please look at me.” The hologram soothingly said. The boy sniffled before raising his head to look the hologram in the eye, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Izuku, I can’t begin to imagine the grief and pain you’ve had to hold onto for the last decade of your life. Nobody deserves what you’ve been put through. Those people are fools to spit on your dream. Which is why I’m going to make it a reality.” Dr. Light explained.

Izuku stopped crying as his eyes widened considerably in shock.

“What do you mean by that? I don’t have a quirk, which means I can’t be a hero like All Might.” Izuku responded, trying to let the doctor know how fruitless his endeavor was.

“Yet.”

“Yet?”

“Yet. You see Izuku, this capsule contains a quirk for whoever it deems worthy to inherit it.” Izuku’s jaw dropped at the revelation.  

“Wait a minute, you're telling me you not only figured out how to give people quirks, but you're telling me you want me to inherit this power? Why? I’m a nobody. I’m not anything special.”

“That’s where you are wrong young man. You showed more guts and bravery than anyone I have ever met. You were willing to sacrifice your own life to save someone who treated you horribly. You may have not had any special power to neutralize the threat, but you had some inkling of how to temporarily distract it enough to hopefully have your former friend use his quirk to bust out of the slime. You even motivated the number 1 hero to push past his daily limit to save everyone. Also . . .” Dr. Light explained before trailing off.

“Also?”

“The life you lived, no one would’ve been surprised if you turned to a path of villainy. Most wouldn’t even blame you if you did so. However, the thought never crossed your mind. You never even considered going down that path despite the world throwing everything at you. They said that you couldn’t be a hero. But your actions today have convinced me you not only have the attitude and mindset to be a great hero, but you already are one in my eyes Izuku. With or without a quirk.” Dr. Light finished, smiling proudly at the teenager.

Izuku was stunned, the words he wanted to hear for so long were finally uttered by a stranger, yet he couldn’t deny the sincerity of the words. Someone finally believed in him and his dreams. His knees buckled before he gripped the front of his shirt trying to reign his emotions in unsuccessfully as he started to cry, except this time they were tears of happiness.

He didn’t know how long he was crying, but he eventually composed himself again before standing up and looking at the doctor.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I just wish everyone else would have that type of confidence in me.”

Dr. Light simply smiled. “I think you’ll realize there are others who think of you like I do young man.” Izuku saw Dr. Light look away from him as the doctor’s attention was grabbed by an unexpected visitor.

“He is correct.” A familiar voice to Izuku rang out as the boy’s body went stiff for a few seconds before he turned around faster than even he could comprehend.

His eyes widened considerably, recognizing the figure walking towards them before eventually stopping a few feet in front of Izuku. The white t-shirt, the olive green cargo pants, the blonde hair, and the blue eyes . . .

All Might.

“All Might? What are you doing here, and how did you know I was here?” Izuku stuttered out, shocked the hero was able to locate him while unsuccessfully trying to suppress his awe of being in front of his idol despite everything that had happened today.

“I’m here cause I wanted to thank you today. Your actions encouraged me to act and push myself beyond my limits. And for that, I can never thank you enough. And for how I knew you were here, I didn’t honestly. I simply thought you left and went home. I was going to try and look for you tomorrow. However, I saw a light shine around here briefly while I was heading home and thought there was somebody in the landfill. Color me surprised that it was you again. Anyways, I also wanted to further discuss your question from earlier.”

Izuku looked confused as he continued to stare at his favorite hero.

“If you hadn’t told me about your life and if you hadn’t run headlong into that villain attack, I would’ve remained a bystander, living with the shame of letting innocent civilians end up gravely injured or killed. I had lost sight of what it meant to be a true hero by using my injury as an excuse.” All Might explained to Midoriya, who was giving him his undivided attention.

“But when I saw you, a timid boy with no quirk, rush headlong into the fight to save someone with no concern for your own safety.  It reignited a fire in me, and it encouraged me to act.” All Might continued, smiling at Midoriya

“They say the greatest of heroes exemplify one trait that separates them from the rest. Their bodies moved on instinct before they had a chance to think, driven by an innate desire to protect. That’s what happened to you, didn’t it?” All Might rhetorically asked the green-haired teenager, whose eyes widened considerably as he successfully deduced why he did what he did.

All Might simply looked down at the boy, his facial expression remaining stoic but his eyes retaining compassion for the young man before saying the sentence Izuku wanted to hear for so long again.

“Young man, you too can become a hero.” All Might stated with the utmost confidence as he saw the young man who helped him freeze up in shock in stunned silence.

Granted he had already heard the words he wanted to have someone tell him sincerely for so long from the hologram, but to hear it from the man who he looked up to tell him those words well hit Izuku at a different level. He didn’t know how long he was sobbing out of happiness, but he was happy that they gave him the time to properly process the elation he was feeling.

Dr. Light watched the exchange with a smile on his face.

The two adults simply waited for the boy to calm down, knowing that he had gone through the entire gamut of emotions today.

Eventually, Izuku’s crying ceased as he took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Sorry for crying so much you guys.” Izuku managed to quietly mutter after calming down enough, his eyes red from crying.

“No worries young man.” Dr. Light reassured the young man before he turned his attention to the Symbol of Peace.

“How much of our conversation did you hear?”

“I arrived just as you told the boy about the capsule’s purpose.”

Dr. Light narrowed his eyes, before scanning All Might with the red light of the capsule, searching his memories and thoughts for any deception. He found none. Before finishing his scan, he also discovered why he was looking for Izuku.

“I see. And why were you looking for the boy? Surely you weren’t looking for him just to say thanks.” Dr. Light rhetorically asked, testing the blonde to see if he would try to deceive him.

All Might realized the conundrum he was in. He wanted his quirk’s secret to be kept between him and the boy. If the doctor truly did develop machinery to not only transfer quirks but was also able to send the said device back into the past, he knew being able to develop machines that can detect someone trying to be deceitful wasn’t too farfetched of a possibility.

And in his current state, he wouldn’t be shocked if the device had some sort of defense mechanism to prevent him from informing others of its existence.

All Might sighed knowing there was no way out.

“I was searching for Midoriya-shounen because I wanted him to be my successor and inherit my quirk.” All Might responded.

Izuku’s jaw once again dropped. Inherit All Might’s quirk?

“Interesting. I guess since you were honest, I believe it’s only fair to explain why I sent this capsule.” Dr. Light responded.

All Might and Izuku recognized the seriousness in his tone, giving the scientist their full, undivided attention. Their focus was the signal for the hologram to begin.

“I suppose an introduction to help get All Might up to speed is in order. My name is Dr. Thomas Light. And as cliche as this sounds, I’m from the future.” Dr. Light began as the two gave him their undivided attention, listening to the origin story of the doctor, and thus setting the table that would dictate their long-term plans.

Chapter Text

Dr. Light couldn’t help but smile nervously as he saw the looks of disbelief on All Might and Izuku.  He just finished explaining everything that led up to their encounter after his device traveled back in time.

But the biggest reason for their shocked expressions was what Dr. Light believed set all these things in motion.

Dr. Light himself could remember that day when the world changed forever in his timeline.

Flashback

“I strongly believe . . . Albert’s research must stop.” Dr. Light told the committee in charge of funding for the Robot Institute of Technology’s electronic engineering doctorate program.  

Both were trying to convince the committee to invest money into their area of research.  Dr. Light was specializing in the creation of robots with independent thought while Albert Wily wanted to develop a tool to help robots increase their speed and power.

“Light! We can't build the future on your empty optimism!”   Wily growled in frustration as Dr. Light pointed out what he thought were flaws in his research.  He didn’t understand why the committee was even wasting their time entertaining Light’s idea, which he saw as nothing more than a foolish pursuit that would end in disappointment.

“Say what you will, I cannot agree to this. Please listen-” Dr. Light calmly rebutted, trying to get his colleague to understand the dangers of his research.

“No, you listen to this!  At every turn, you’ve ignorantly blocked my research-“ Albert scathingly spat out, cutting off Dr. Light before he was interrupted by the Chairman.

“Mr. Wily, control yourself.” The Chairman ordered.  Wily begrudgingly complied, but it was evident on his face he was still bristling in anger.

“I see the committee is in agreement.  And so . . . the department chooses Thomas Light’s research into robots with independent thought. Thank you, everyone.” The Chairman informed the department of where their funding would go.

Dr. Wily could only look at the Double Gear System prototype in his hand in frustration, his grip around the device becoming so tight veins were becoming visible in his hand.

“Why? Why are you fools so blind!?” Dr. Wily seethed in rage before violently throwing the device into the ground, breaking the device he spent many hours working on.

“Mr. Wily!” The Chairman exclaimed in shock and disgust at the temper tantrum on display.

Dr. Wily turned and walked to the exit, but not before getting in one last word directed at his now former friend.

“One day Light! One day the world will know I was right all along!” Dr. Wily vowed.

Thomas couldn’t help but look at the retreating form of his former friend in pity before picking up Wily's now broken Double Gear System prototype.

Flashback End

To this day, that single event was the one thing Thomas wished he could take back.  He should’ve been more supportive of Wily and figure out a way to work together to achieve their goals.

Dr. Light couldn’t help but feel his nervousness grow as several minutes passed, his audience still trying to process the information revealed to them.

‘Can’t say I blame them for their reaction.  It does sound like something that belongs in a low-budget sci-fi film.’  Dr. Light thought to himself.  

Finally, he saw the Symbol of Peace start to grasp the gravity of the situation that would occur in the distant future.

Now he only hoped that they would trust him and let him gift the young man X’s power. To help him become a new symbol that could guide society to a better tomorrow, and to take on all threats to peace.

Present and future.

There weren’t many things left in this life that could legitimately surprise All Might.

He had seen medical and technological advances that he didn’t believe were possible during his youth.

He battled against villains of all shapes and sizes and heard nearly every reason under the sun why someone became one.

He battled alongside his fellow heroes and had seen many of his comrades perish in the line of duty.

But the words he heard from the hologram rendered him nearly speechless.  What he once thought was reserved only for science fiction books or movies was now being exposed to the two as something that could be achieved and utilized.

Not only that but the story he heard from the doctor as to why he sent a machine capable of gifting someone a quirk that would essentially allow the lucky recipient to utilize the same abilities as his most advanced robot was even more outlandish.

“So let me get this straight . . . in a few centuries, you will design and develop machines that have varying degrees of artificial intelligence?”  All Might said, wanting to make sure he heard right.

Dr. Light nodded.

“And that your former friend, who you worked with during your time at this robotics-focused university felt slighted by everyone because his research that focused on temporarily boosting a robot’s speed and power wasn’t funded due to the potential dangers it can cause to the robot and the public as a whole? Which caused him to turn to a life of a villain hellbent on world domination?” All Might concluded, trying to make sure he heard right.  The fact that human life on Earth would eventually become nonexistent because of a scientist being unable to control his jealousy and pettiness just sounded absolutely absurd!

And yet, All Might kept looking at the hologram’s eyes and saw no deceit in them.

Dr. Light looked down in shame. 

“Yes, my former friend Wily was always a bit of a hothead, but I regret not being able to prevent him from going down that path.” Dr. Light lamented, reminiscing about the times when they got along before the committee at the college they attended told his friend they wouldn’t fund his Double Gear Research.

The hologram sighed in sadness.  Even as a non-biological entity, he still felt tired at times.

He heard the young man he deemed worthy to inherit X’s powers speak up.

“I’m sure you weren’t trying to make him look bad for selfish reasons.  You were just looking out for the well-being of everyone who might be affected by that project, including himself.” Izuku attempted to convince the scientist that the blame wasn’t all on him.

Dr. Light shook his head at the attempt to not place all of the blame on his shoulders.

“That might be true, but I still consider myself responsible for what happened that day, and every decision he made after.” Dr. Light said.

“You shouldn’t.  Your concerns regarding his research were warranted.  His anger at you for pointing out the flaws in his research showed he also couldn’t handle criticism well.  Trying to better society should in no way, shape, or form be a competition.  Those who turn it into one do not truly have its best interest at heart.”  Izuku sagely rebutted.  

Dr. Light and All Might couldn’t help but smile at the maturity shown by the young man.

“I wish more people thought like you young man.  The world would be a much kinder place if it were.” Dr. Light complimented the young man in front of him.

“Agreed!  This fanboy’s selfless attitude is the primary reason I chose him to inherit my quirk.” All Might added jubilantly, patting the young man on the back as the two adults continued pointing out the green-haired teenager’s positive traits.

Izuku could only blush in embarrassment at the praise directed at him.  He wasn’t used to people giving such compliments to him.  Especially people who he could say without hesitation were some of the most important in their eras.

“Unfortunately, the constant destruction caused by Dr. Wily’s schemes started to cause the populace to become angry about placing all their hopes on one robot. They started to demand action from world leaders to either give them something to defend themselves, or to cease all future production of robots that had varying degrees of artificial intelligence that could potentially cause injury or even kill people.” Dr. Light melancholically continued as he remembered how the public began to turn against all forms of robotics, and by extension, scientists like himself.

“And that’s what led to these leaders rediscovering our potential to develop quirks after you finished building X.” All Might added to make sure he was following what the doctor said.

“Correct.  After I placed X into stasis, I was brought on to help develop machines to figure out how to reverse the block placed on the populace that prevented them from utilizing their quirks.”  Dr. Light replied.

“But weren’t you in failing health at the time?  Based on how long you took to develop X and how complicated the project was, wouldn’t it almost take as long to develop a solution? You couldn’t have had more than a few years left.” Izuku asked.

“Yes.  My health was failing at the time, so I was given access to all of the latest medical advancements the world had at its disposal at the time.  I did not expect to live much more than two years after I built X, but they were able to prolong my life by nearly two decades.  I guess they felt I contributed to the problems Wily caused since I drove him down that path, and that it was a mess I needed to clean up.” Dr. Light answered, remembering the amount of drugs and treatments he was subjected to to keep him alive.  He shuddered remembering the needles, surgeries, and various therapies he was forced to go through.  It was not a pleasant time.

“And that led you to create the quirk fusing X’s powers with the subject that had the ability to transfer their power to others?” Izuku added.

“Yes.  I believed quirks were suppressed because people feared some tyrant rising to power or had done so, which lead to the event of their removal from society entirely.  It left humanity defenseless against the threats I had an indirect hand in creating.  But I also feared those leaders in my time using those powers for nefarious purposes once people like Wily were taken care of if they succeeded in reintroducing quirks into modern society.” Dr. Light explained, a look of melancholy slowly showing itself on his face.

“My worst fears, unfortunately, came to fruition when my dear X fell in battle.  His demise and humanity being unable to defend itself led to the time machine activating, and it ended up here with me meeting you two.”  Dr. Light finished.

He saw the two go through a myriad of emotions based on the facial expressions they were displaying.  It was All Might once again who responded first.  

“I see, that is quite the story you told Dr. Light.  If it were anybody else besides us, one would probably think they were in some type of dream or illusion with how grandiose that tale was.  Even though I can sense you're telling the truth, it's still quite the tale” All Might said in awe.

Dr. Light couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.  He expected one of them to start freaking out at any minute, but the Symbol of Peace's reaction put his mind at ease.  He didn't believe the "laughter is the best medicine" saying, but it certainly helped his stress.

“Yes, I suppose so.  My life would be something most people wouldn’t consider normal, even in this timeline.” Dr. Light said, acknowledging All Might’s honest opinion of his story.

“But I do have some questions.”  All Might requested.

“Go ahead.”

“How did you know to send it to this time period?”

“We approximated the ages of the specimens and archaeologists determined what time they most likely came from.  We determined the range of when quirks would be most active.  I couldn’t send it to an exact year and date, but it probably wouldn’t have made much difference as I couldn’t find any records of my ancestors to entrust it to.  I’m fortunate it ended up here, to be honest.”  Dr. Light answered.

“You searched our thoughts and memories.  I’m sure you have an idea of how powerful we heroes can be.  How powerful do you believe this Sigma and his Mavericks can be compared to us?”  All Might asked, wanting to get some sort of leg up on these threats.  He knew if the good doctor could use time travel, then these potential adversaries would probably use it as well.

“I have no doubt you and Endeavor could fight off most of them if you were still in your prime All Might.  The biggest worry I have is you might not be able to fight them all off with your injury, especially if they figure out your time limit or if they arrive once you no longer have access to your power.  There might be others like this Mirko and Hawks who could fight them, but it’ll be tough.  Their powers don’t come with self-inflicted drawbacks like humans have with quirks.”  Dr. Light said, giving his honest assessment of how they stacked up against the Maverick Commander and his potential lieutenants. 

“What are we working with exactly regarding this battlesuit quirk you created?” All Might and Izuku had seen footage of X through the visual demonstrations provided to them by Dr. Light, and he had to admit the robot would easily be a top 5 hero at worst in their era in his base form, but a further breakdown of Light’s magnum opus couldn’t hurt.

“Ah yes, I can provide a list of X’s skill set and schematics.  If you accept this gift Izuku, you can access this list whenever you wish.”  Izuku nodded as both he and his idol saw Dr. Light materialize the list using the red light in front of them as they began reading.

Armor/chest part:

• Body Skin: Lightweight "Titanium-X" (stronger than tungsten).
• Accumulative Energy Generator:  Stores solar energy. This primary power supply generates the necessary energy to fuel all of X's systems.

Head part:

• Self-repair program:  Battlesuit will regain energy and self-repair damages when inactive in the pocket dimension or if the user is standing still
• Ultra-sensitive Voice Recognition System:  acute voice recognition in low volume/clarity situations
• Universal language translator
• Armor-piercing/Non-piercing automated programming:  changes energy projectile properties depending on the target.  
• If a projectile would hit both humans and robots simultaneously, programming will default the projectile’s property to nonfatal and non-piercing (armor-piercing will only be applied to humans if the threat to the public condition is met)
• Armor upgrades:  helmet, body, arm, and leg sections can be enhanced if certain quirks are assimilated

Arm part:

• X-Buster (Mega Buster Mark 17): X's main weapon. Converts solar energy into a high-powered, separate burst. 
• Energy Amplification Device: Amplifies stored energy to release a more powerful charge shot.
• Variable Weapon System: Can use up to 8 modified weapons or systems copied from other robots or quirked individuals (programming chips or copying a person’s DNA) 
• Note:  not all quirks can be assimilated into battle armor.   The suit will inform the user if the quirk is not compatible.

Leg part:

• Emergency Acceleration System

All MIght let out a low whistle, impressed at the piece of technology that could be developed several centuries in the future.  If humans could have access to this type of power, it would open the door for everyone to be a hero.  He was particularly impressed with the programming feature that allowed the suit to automatically switch the X-buster’s properties to shoot nonlethal shots to mitigate friendly fire damage if humans could potentially be in the line of fire.

Izuku raised his hand.  Thomas couldn’t help but note the polite gesture, his confidence in choosing Izuku to inherit this power increasing.

“Yes, Izuku?”

“I’m honored to have you choose me to carry on X’s legacy Dr. Light, but how are we going to explain this to everyone?  I have two joints in my pinky toe, so my developing a quirk, especially at this age would raise suspicion.” Izuku brought up, concerned about how they could fabricate a believable story while keeping the true purpose of this quirk under wraps.

“Ah yes, I thought that could be a potential issue.  This capsule will remove the extra joint once it finishes modifying your genetic profile to accept it.  If anyone asks, we can chalk it up to a false positive reading when you were younger.”  Izuku was still wary about one more thing.

“Will this work?” Izuku asked with a little bit of trepidation.  

“We were unfortunately unable to test it during our time, but the chances of any drawbacks should be minimal for quirkless individuals.  It’s up to you if you wish to take the chance.”  Izuku pondered the offer for a few minutes.  He could accept All Might’s offer of acquiring his quirk.  But after thinking about what happened during the day when he almost got his former best friend killed by the sludge villain, Izuku knew which path he needed to take.

“I’ll do it.”  Izuku answered before turning to All Might.

“I’m sorry All Might.  I appreciate the offer but I’ll have to respectfully decline.  After the mess I caused today, I just feel like it would be wrong to accept your quirk.  I understand why you chose me, but I can’t in good conscience inherit your power.”  Izuku told his idol while bowing in front of him.

All Might just stood there stunned, but he felt his admiration for the boy grow even more.

Izuku and Dr. Light were startled when they heard All Might begin to laugh.

He eventually stopped after a few minutes.

“My apologies Midoriya-shounen, Dr. Light.  I just have not met any person in my whole life more selfless than this fanboy."  All Might explained before grabbing Izuku's shoulders while looking at him with a bright smile on his face.

"You are going to be a great hero, and I understand your reasons to go with Dr. Light’s offer.  I’ll support you every step of the way.”  All Might unwaveringly told the teenager, who started to tear up.

“Hey hey now.  You gotta quit all that crying young man.  You’re gonna dehydrate yourself if you lose all that water from your crying.”  The Symbol of Peace jokingly told Izuku.

“I’m sorry.  I’m just so happy right now.” Izuku choked out as he used his arm to rub the tears away before turning to Dr. Light.

“I’m ready to accept X’s power, Dr. Light.”  The future hero hopeful declared with confidence he didn’t know he had.

Dr. Light smiled in joy.

“Then please step forth into this capsule Izuku, and let the world that you are now here.”  Dr. Light replied before his image dissipated.

Izuku began to walk toward the capsule until he was in the center of it.  

The machine closed itself around him, causing him to panic for a slight second before seeing All Might’s reassuring smile.  If something went wrong, he’d be there for him.

The capsule began to fill with gas that startled Izuku, which he inhaled accidentally.  He felt pain in his pinky toe for a split second, which he deduced was the toe joint.  After recognizing the gas was part of the process, he relaxed.

The machine whirred and after a few minutes, all was quiet.  The capsule slowly opened up, revealing the occupant inside.

It was Izuku, but instead of wearing his school uniform, he was wearing a futuristic piece of equipment that was primarily blue and cyan in color. And All Might knew at that moment, a legend was born on this night.

Chapter Text

TAKOBA MUNICIPAL BEACH PARK

All Might watched with bated breath as he saw his pseudo-successor (even though he rejected his offer to obtain his quirk) walk into a device that was sent to this time from a future that would not occur until several centuries had passed.  His grip on the school bookbag Midoriya gave him for safekeeping tightened subconsciously as all he could do was give moral support to the young man who embodied everything a hero should stand for.

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, his anxiety rising as he saw the inside of the device slowly enclose itself around Izuku.  He was about to jump into action and try to shatter the glass encasing the teenager when he saw him begin to panic as gas filled the container.  However, he saw the boy eventually relax and even smile.

‘An anesthetic?’  All Might asked himself as the gas became so thick the Symbol of Peace could no longer see what was occurring within the device.  The only thing that was able to permeate through the fog was the green light.

All he could hear was the sound of the machine picking up in intensity, red and green light shining throughout the junkyard, illuminating everything it touched as the capsule altered Izuku’s genetic profile.  

After ten painstakingly long minutes, the red light on the capsule suddenly shut off, which the number one hero believed was the signal indicating that the process was complete.

His theory proved to be accurate as he saw the capsule slowly open as gas dispersed from its container into the junkyard.  All Might saw a silhouette of a figure standing within the capsule as smoke continued billowing out of the capsule, and into the night sky.  The more smoke that escaped, the more prominent the silhouette became to All Might’s eyes.

After another minute or two, All Might began to see the results of the quirk transfer process in real-time.

The most obvious detail All Might could see was the figure was no longer wearing the black school uniform that Izuku had on today.  Instead, he could see that the figure was now wearing a battlesuit that had a primarily blue and cyan color palette with his hands being white.  His upper torso is covered by a segmented chest plate with shoulder pads. His joints, such as his knees and wrists, have small black tabs on them. His helmet has cyan ridges atop it and above the visor, and a red lens sits on his forehead.

All Might suddenly saw his right arm from the middle of his forearm down morph into the X-Buster, the primary weapon of choice for X that would now be Izuku’s most powerful tool for his hero career.  Most of the arm cannon is blue, but the barrel of the X-Buster is black around the edges and contains a red lens inside.

‘It worked.’  All Might thought in stunned disbelief.  However, his shock turned to worry as he saw the young man begin to sway to and fro before falling forward into the sand.

“Midoriya-shounen!” All Might exclaimed in worry as he ran to the boy.  He kneeled at Midoriya’s side before turning him over, lightly shaking him and asking him to wake up.

To All Might’s relief, the boy started to groan and his eyes started to scrunch up until they slowly fluttered open.

“All Might?”  Izuku muttered, making sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him as his sight came into focus.

“Yes Midoriya-shounen, it’s me.”  All Might reassured the young man, giving him some space to sit up.

“All Might . . . I just had the weirdest dream.  I dreamt someone from the future sent a device here, and he told me I was worthy to inherit the gift contained within it.  It was a quirk that had a ridiculously strong battlesuit that could assimilate quirks or robot data and create new weapons, along with me being able to give it to someone whenever I was ready to step down.  And that I rejected your gift to bestow me your quirk because my recklessness caused the sludge villain to escape, along with causing you to burn up the time that you’re allowed to access your quirk, which almost resulted in Kacchan -.”  Izuku recounted in his signature mutter storm, remembering the events of the day that he thought were just a very vivid dream or hallucination or illusion before he was interrupted by All Might slapping the back of his head to make him cease.

‘Yeah, the boy’s fine.  He couldn’t rapid-fire his thoughts like that if he wasn’t.  Definitely gotta work on cutting down his nerding out moments.’ All Might thought in amusement before he simply pointed at Izuku’s newly acquired arm cannon.

“Midoriya-shounen, what happened today wasn’t a crazy dream your mind conjured up.”  All Might informed the boy, who slowly looked down.

The young man’s eyes widened considerably seeing his arm shaped like a cannon and covered in some blue-armored plating.  

"My h-h-hand . . ."  Izuku muttered, coming close to freaking out again

"It transformed into that cannon Midoriya-shounen.  You should be able to deactivate that weapon and get your hand back."  All Might attempted to assure the boy.

However, All Might's words fell on deaf ears as Izuku slowly examined the rest of his body, noticing it was mostly covered in blue and cyan.  He ran to a cracked body mirror near one of the junk piles just to make sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks. 

Sure enough, Izuku saw himself covered in a battlesuit that had various shades of blue with hints of black.  The one hand he could see was ghost white and in the middle of his forehead sat what looked like to him some sort of red gem.

“Wha- you mean to tell me everything that happened was not some crazy dream?!  I was chosen to carry this extremely powerful weapon turned quirk?!!!!”  Izuku cried out in disbelief while holding his head.  The events that transpired today actually happened!  He had a quirk!  An extremely versatile and powerful one.  

And there was a high probability that robots that had high degrees of artificial intelligence would be coming from the future to fight him and try to wipe out all biological life on Earth.

To say Midoriya was experiencing a myriad of emotions would be putting it mildly.

All Might and Izuku heard a laugh echo throughout the area before refocusing their attention on the capsule.  They saw Dr. Light with a smile on his face laughing.  It took a minute or two for the robotics doctor to calm down before he turned his eyes to the two.

“That is correct Izuku.  You now contain X’s powers within you.  Normally this is where the mentor would say something like “With great power comes great responsibility.”, but knowing the type of person you are, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that.  I know I have chosen the perfect candidate to carry on X’s legacy.”  Dr. Light amusingly, but proudly told the boy.

Izuku couldn’t help but stare at the doctor in disbelief for a few seconds.  It was almost surreal that he even existed, and yet, in a span of a few hours he turned his hopeless situation around and gave him a gift that would make his dream of being a hero come true.  

Midoriya walked to the capsule until he was only a few feet away from it.  He then lowered his body until he was prostrating himself in front of the doctor, who was taken aback at such a gesture.

“Dr. Light . . . words can’t begin to describe how thankful I am for you.  You made my dream something much more attainable for me.  Being a hero is the only thing I ever truly wanted.  I want to be a hero that puts a smile on everyone's faces and keeps them safe.  I assure you I will not take your gift for granted.  After everything you’ve done, I’ll do my best to carry on X’s legacy.  I’ll make you, X, Mega Man, Proto Man, Roll, Zero, and everyone else proud!”  Izuku proclaimed before he stood up. 

Dr. Light could sense the pure emotion radiating off of Izuku, along with the proverbial fire that had ignited in his eyes.

“I promise you I will defeat Sigma should he try to come here and mess with us!” Izuku determinedly stated to the robotics doctor.

All Might couldn’t help but smile proudly at the boy.  He reminded him so much of his old mentor. 

‘Midoriya-shounen, you truly do embody the will of a true hero.’  All Might complimented the young man in his head, his admiration of Izuku’s heroic spirit growing by the minute.

Dr. Light could only send a fatherly smile to the boy.

“I know you will Izuku.  I have faith that the future will now be in good hands with you carrying this power.”  Dr. Light said.

“Thank you, Dr. Light.  But I do have one . . . actually, I have a few questions.”  Izuku asked.

“Yes?”

“How do I shoot this thing?  How do I call forth and deactivate the battlesuit?  And how do I activate and deactivate the X-Buster?”  Izuku questioned the doctor.  He wanted to figure out the basics of his quirk before he went and tried anything more advanced.

“Ah, I see.  Thank you for bringing that up.”  Dr. Light said, thankful the boy reminded him to give him instructions on how to activate the different assets of his new suit.

“It’s in another list I provided.  But firing projectiles with the X-Buster depends on which projectile you want to fire.  To fire the base-level shot, imagine pulling a trigger on a gun.”  Dr. Light informed before turning his head to a refrigerator that had some dents in it, wordlessly instructing him to test the method.

Izuku nodded before turning his X-Buster to the fridge, aiming it before doing as Dr. Light instructed.

A yellow projectile shot out of the X-Buster, traveling through the air until it made contact.  The shot collided with the fridge, but it didn’t leave a dent.

“Those shots don’t pack much punch power-wise, but they are good for rapid-fire purposes to apply pressure to enemies.  Try charging it for five seconds before firing.  Focus your energy at one point before pulling the trigger in your head.”  Dr. Light instructed Izuku, who nodded.

He charged his X-Buster for the amount of time Dr. Light told him to before firing again at the fridge.  A green projectile emerged as it flew to its target before hitting it.  The thud was much louder, but still no dent.

“Now hold it for eight seconds and repeat what you just did.”  Izuku nodded before repeating the previous steps while gathering energy for a little bit longer.

The third-level charge shot packed a much more powerful punch.  A large, bluish-pink ball of energy rocketed to its target before making contact.  It caused the fridge to tilt backward, but it didn’t knock it down on its back.

All Might suddenly heard Izuku hiss in pain, looking at his pseudo-successor holding his right shoulder.

“Midoriya-shounen!  All you alright?!”  The Symbol of Peace called out in concern.

“Yeah, I’m ok.  The kickback was a lot more than I anticipated from those higher-level shots.”  Izuku answered while gritting his teeth waiting for the pain to subside.

“How many of those shots can you fire Izuku? “  Dr. Light asked.

“Five for those green shots, maybe two more for the third-level charge shots,”  Izuku answered.

“I see.  So your body isn’t physically capable of being able to handle the shots well right now.  Fortunately, the X-Buster has an ambidextrous feature that will allow you to switch which side you’ll be able to summon your X-Buster.  You can switch where the X-Buster is by picturing it in your head.  That also applies to the special weapons that are created.”  Dr. Light informed the two.

“So working on the boy’s physical conditioning will allow him to shoot stronger shots and in higher quantities?”  All Might asked the doctor.

“Correct. Getting his body into peak physical condition is tantamount to getting the most out of the suit.  As his body grows and gets into shape, the charge time should reduce as well.”  Dr. Light advised before turning his attention to the young man, who was now giving him his undivided attention again.

“Now to switch between the X-Buster and your regular arm shape, just picture them on the arm you want to change.”  Izuku nodded before focusing a mental image in his head on his right arm that currently had the X-Buster activated.  He felt his right arm change shape as the X-Buster morphed back into his regular arm.

“Excellent.  Now to summon and deactivate the battlesuit, I implemented a vocal command to trigger the suit materializing or dematerializing on Izuku’s person.  He can also call forth the suit mentally in case his vocal cords are damaged.”  Dr. Light told Izuku.  He implemented both methods to ensure Izuku could summon the suit if he couldn’t speak.

“To summon the suit, say “Requip”.  And if you wish to take the suit off, say “Power Down”.”  Dr. Light informed Izuku, who nodded before preparing himself to follow Dr. Light’s instructions.

Dr. Light and All Might saw the suit glow blue before it disappeared, signaling its deactivation by Izuku.  The young man looked down to see his Aldera Junior High uniform.  He then utilized the instructions given to him by Dr. Light to have it rematerialize on his body.  The blue glow returned as it covered Izuku’s body before the suit covered his form again.

After deactivating it one final time, Izuku turned to the doctor with a smile on his face.

"Thank you for the instructions, Dr. Light.”  Izuku gratuitously thanked the doctor.

“You’re welcome, young man.”  Dr. Light replied.

*PLAY OST*

Suddenly, his hologram began to fade in and out between his full form and a blob of static, startling his audience.

“Wha-whats going on Dr. Light?”  Izuku stuttered out in shock.

“It . . . seems . . . my time . . . here is . . . growing short.  The capsule . . . will . . . fade . . .and . . . cease . . . to exist . . .in two minutes.”  Dr. Light’s voice tried to explain as it altered between clean and garbled.  Izuku’s eyes widened in terror when he saw the capsule begin to disappear.

“Wait, you can’t go!  I still have so many questions to ask you!” Izuku cried out, tears beginning to run down his face.

“Dont . . . cry . . . Izuku. Please listen . . . to me.”  Dr. Light asked of the young man, who stared at the image and the capsule that began to fade away.

“I know you . . . can . . . be . . . a great hero.  You’ll find . . . others to help . . . guide you . . . to greatness.  Don’t . . . worry about me . . . young man.  I have . . . no regrets . . . choosing you.  Be a . . . Symbol . . . of Hope for . . . your world.”  The capsule was almost gone.

“Farewell . . . Izuku.”  Dr. Light said before the capsule dematerialized fully.

*END OST*

An uneasy silence filled the junkyard for the next few minutes.

“Young man . . .”  All Might began, trying to figure out the right words to say to the boy as his concern for him grew. 

He heard sniffles, but no sobs.  

“All Might, can you help train me?  I haven’t worked out before, and I wouldn’t know where to start.  I want to be as prepared as possible for the UA exams.”  He heard the young man request him before he turned to him, tears running down his face.

“Getting into UA will give me the best chance to prepare myself against these threats Dr. Light described.  I . . . I don’t want to let him or X down.” Izuku said.

All Might simply smiled.

“Of course young man.  Although you won’t inherit my quirk, I can help prepare you physically for the exam during these next ten months.”  All Might answered, causing Izuku to smile before wiping his eyes of his tears.

Suddenly, a light buzzing sound could be heard in Izuku’s backpack.  All Might handed Izuku his backpack as he watched him rummage through his school supplies before finding his phone.  

He saw the green-haired teen’s eyes widen in shock and terror, hearing him gulp loudly as he became pale as a ghost.  With great hesitance, the teen answered his phone.

“H-h-h-h-h-h-ey Mom.”  He heard him barely able to speak out the sentence.

“IZUKU!  WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!  ARE YOU OK?!! IT’S ALMOST MIDNIGHT AND YOU HAVEN’T ANSWERED YOUR PHONE ALL EVENING!”  All Might heard who he assumed to be the boy’s mother cry out in worry and anger.

‘Oh boy . . .’  All Might sighed in exasperation watching the fanboy try to assuage his mother’s highly emotional state.

MIDORIYA HOUSEHOLD

To say Midoriya Inko was worried was an understatement if her frenetic pacing back and forth in the living room was any indication.  She had been trying to get into contact with her son, who she saw on the news nearly get killed in a villain attack that had happened earlier today.  She tried to find out where her son was by initially contacting Mitsuki and her family.  

Mitsuki and Masaru could not provide her with any information to help find her baby boy.  Katsuki just gritted his teeth, and with much hesitance on his part (aka his mom slapping the back of his head), he told Inko the same thing.

She tried to file a missing police report, but the officer who received the call told her she had to wait until the next day to file one.  She knew it was a lie, especially after hearing his hesitance to assist once she told him her son was quirkless.  Frustrated at the lack of concern, she abruptly hung up and began calling Izuku’s phone nonstop.  She finally got into contact with him after seven hours of nonstop calls.  It took several minutes for her to stop yelling before she heard Izuku’s reason as to why he did not return home.

Now, she was nervously pacing at 12:25 in the morning waiting for her son to come home with his . . . guest.  She heard a knock on her door before she rushed to the door with speed she didn’t know she had.  She unlocked and opened the door to see Izuku.

“IZUKU!  MY BABY!”  Inko wailed out in relief as she brought her son into a bear hug, her tears comically flooding their home with Izuku’s face slowly changing color to blue from how tight his mom was hugging him.

All Might stood outside in disbelief as he felt his shoes become immersed in a river of tears.

‘I can see where he gets his crying from.’  All Might thought in amusement, his mind once again wondering how these people could produce so much water from their eyes and not be dehydrated.

“Hey, you can come in now,”  All Might heard his pseudo-successor call out to him from inside the house, informing the Symbol of Peace to enter his home.

Sighing, All Might pushed through his limits and transformed into his buff form before walking into the living room.

“I AM HERE!”  All Might shouted his catchphrase out with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, despite the throbbing pain in his side.

Inko turned her head to see Izuku’s favorite hero walk into their home . . .

And she promptly passed out after less than three seconds.

“GAH! MOM!”

All Might simply sweat dropped as Izuku frantically tried to get his mom to wake up.

‘This might take a while.’  All Might deadpanned in his head, reverting to his skinny form.

After a few minutes, Inko slowly woke up to see Izuku’s worried face.

“Mom!  You’re awake!”

“Ugggghhhhh, I just had the weirdest dream.  You and Katsuki were caught in a villain attack and were saved by All Might.  And then you disappeared for hours on end only to show up back here with All Might.”  Inko told Izuku as she recalled the crazy ‘dream’ she had.

Only . . . it actually happened.

“Umm . . . Mom . . .” Izuku slowly began before he pointed to their guest sitting on the chair.

“GOOD EVENING MIDORIYA-SA-BLEHHHH” All Might tried to reintroduce himself before being forced to transform back to his skinny form, blood coming out of his mouth.

"WHAA?!  YOU WERE WITH ALL MIGHT?!!!”  All Might couldn’t help but wince at the volume, but he couldn’t blame her.  Her son almost died today, and then he simply walked off to who knows where for hours on end.

At least she didn’t think he was an imposter after he deflated or revealed his secret by accident. 

“Izuku, explain now!”  He saw her glare at Izuku, who shrunk under her gaze as she waited for him to tell her what happened.

“W-W-W-Well, wh-wh-what happened was . . .” As much as All Might found it amusing to see the boy try to explain the events that occurred today, he didn’t want to wait all evening for Izuku to steel his nerves and tell his mother what exactly happened while struggling to get every other word out.

“Midoriya-san, allow me to explain what happened today.  ”  All Might intervened, motioning for her to sit down on her couch. 

She wordlessly obliged, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the floor as she waited to hear Izuku’s favorite hero explain what happened.

All Might could only sigh, mentally preparing himself.  He didn’t know how the boy convinced him to tell his mother everything that occurred today without any slight fabrications.  The only thing he could think of was that he fully trusted his mother to keep everything a secret to not raise any suspicions.

“I was tracking the sludge villain early yesterday afternoon . . .”  All Might began to retell the events of the day as he went through all of the events that occurred.

After an hour of breaking down the series of events that happened, the Symbol of Peace awaited Inko’s response.

She was rubbing her temples with her fingers, her mind trying to absorb all of the information that the number one hero told her.  

Everything that she had been told sounded absolutely ridiculous.  All Might could only be a hero for three hours a day?  A machine time-traveled to this particular year, and Izuku just by happenstance was in the vicinity of where the device emerged?!  And it gifted him a quirk specifically designed to fight misanthropic, homicidal robots that were programmed with human-like intelligence to exterminate all organic life on Earth?!!!

The only thing that kept her from calling out the two for coming up with such a preposterous tale was the blue-armored boy sitting next to her.  As much as her brain screamed at her at how illogical this all was, she couldn’t argue against what was in front of her.  Her son had a quirk bestowed upon him, and now he had to prepare to probably fight against these ‘Mavericks’.

“Izuku . . . I don’t even know what to say.  I’m angry at you for almost getting yourself killed twice, wandering to who knows where for hours without even telling me you just needed to take a walk, and for accepting a gift from a complete stranger who could’ve easily been lying to you.”  Inko admonished her son, who looked down in shame.

“But, I’m relieved.  I’m glad you’re back home safe.”  Inko then turned to All Might before lowering her head in respect.

“Thank you for protecting my son, All Might.  He means the world to me.”  Inko thanked the Symbol of Peace, grateful that he protected her only child.

“No worries Midoriya-san!  Your son, quirk or no quirk, embodies what it truly means to be a hero.  Even if he didn’t acquire this quirk, I would’ve happily given him mine.”  All Might responded.

“I still can’t believe there are quirks out there that can be transferred to other people.  It feels surreal to know my baby has a quirk now.”  She said in amazement as she looked over the boy in his current armored suit.

“So what does this quirk do exactly?”  Inko asked, curious to know what her son was capable of.

“The primary features of this quirk make Midoriya-shounen a formidable long-range combatant.  He can shoot projectiles with varying degrees of strength. Not only that, but he’s able to copy quirks, and the suit uses those copied quirks to create new projectile weapons.  It does have some pretty heavy kickback depending on how long he charges, along with being weaker in areas with minimal sunlight.  But, getting his body into tip-top shape will mitigate the recoil and nerfed power in darker areas.  That’s why I am here today Miss Midoriya!  I wish to train your son to get him ready for the UA exams coming up in ten months!”  All Might explained before making Inko his offer to bring Izuku under his proverbial wing.

“A-are you sure All Might?!  I mean I’m flattered to hear you think my Izuku has that much potential, but what about your injuries?”  Inko stammered out.

“I am sure!  I wish to see your son flourish and fulfill his potential!  The training regiment I have in mind for him will not interfere with my hero work.  If he follows it to a T, his body will be more acclimated to handle X’s power.”   All Might replied without hesitation.

“If that’s the case . . .”  Inko began before she contemplated what she wanted to say next.

Izuku saw his mom turn to him, reaching out and grabbing his white, metallic hands with her own as she gave him her undivided attention.

“Izuku . . . to be honest with you, I’ve been feeling really terrible lately, about something I said to you ten years ago.”  Izuku’s eyes widened, the memory of him asking her if he could be a hero without a quirk replaying in his head.

“I think you might’ve felt that I gave up on you a while back. But now look at you. You persevered and kept chasing your dream like a real champion!”  Inko’s eyes watered before she wrapped her arms around the boy’s neck.

“I’m sorry, Izuku.  From now on, I promise to support you with everything I got.”  Inko promised her child.

She felt her son’s form begin to shake before he hugged her, both crying tears of joy.

All Might smiled in the back, watching the happy scene.

But in the back of his mind, he worried.  If Sigma was truly capable of these feats Thomas told him about, he knew Izuku would need backup to ensure the highest chance of victory.  

As the mother and child were tearfully celebrating Izuku’s bright future, All Might discreetly took his phone out and scrolled through his contacts until he found the person he wanted to text.

He clicked on the person’s name before he began to text him.

Hey, would you by chance be able to fly out to Musutafu within the next few days?

He sent the text message before reengaging with the Midoriya family, going over plans for Izuku before he departed for the evening, anxious about how the next few days would play out.

IZUKU'S ROOM

“What a day,”  Izuku muttered.  He was glad it was Saturday, meaning he could sleep in until he had to meet All Might on Monday. 

He climbed into bed, and quickly fell asleep.  Unbeknownst to him, his power suit began the process where it started analyzing the data of two quirks.  It began to attempt to modify the quirks’ key characteristics before trying to assimilate them into its systems.  After a short amount of time, the process was complete.

SUBJECT -  MIDORIYA IZUKU

MOTHER:  MIDORIYA INKO
FATHER:  MIDORIYA HISASHI

MASTER LIST:  QUIRKS

1. FAMILIAL
2. NON-FAMILIAL

1. FAMILIAL QUIRKS:

MIDORIYA INKO - ATTRACTION OF SMALL OBJECTS

• STATUS:  ERROR - QUIRK INCOMPATIBLE

MIDORIYA HISASHI - FIRE BREATH

• STATUS: ASSIMILATION AND MODIFICATIONS COMPLETE (PENDING USER’S APPROVAL)
• WEAPON:  SPEED BURNER
• MAGAZINE CAPACITY - 10
• CHARGED CAPACITY - 3

NOTE:  FAMILIAL QUIRKS WILL NOT REQUIRE THE USER TO GO THROUGH COPY AND ASSIMILATION PROCESS UNLESS THE USER VOLUNTARILY REMOVES QUIRKS FROM STORAGE)

2. NON-FAMILIAL:

• ???? - TRANSFER
• STATUS: ??????

Chapter Text

All Might’s Home

All Might took a look at his phone, reading the text conversation he recently engaged in with the recipient he sent his message to during his visit to the Midoriya household an hour ago.

Toshinori Yagi:
Hey, would you by chance be able to fly out to Musutafu within the next few days?

David Shield:
Why? What’s going on Toshinori?

Toshinori Yagi:
It’s something that I can’t explain to you over the phone.
It’s something I really need to discuss with you in person.
It concerns Melissa.  That’s all I can say.
I’ll pay for both of your tickets.  Please, David.  It’s really important.

David Shield:
I’ll be available in the next three days. 
You better have a good explanation as to why you’re flying us out to Japan out of the blue Toshi.

Toshinori Yagi:
It is.  I promise.  Thank you, David.

All Might turned his phone off, dreading the inevitable meeting between himself and his old college friend.  Even though their relationship was much more solid than his current one with his old sidekick Sir Nighteye, he was still nervous about the inevitable bombshell he’d drop on them. 

He was going to ask David to allow him to pass All for One down to Melissa, and have her become the ninth holder.

With that particular issue out of the way for now, he grabbed some paper to begin writing out the workout plans for both Izuku and Melissa to prepare their bodies for the entrance exam that both would hopefully participate in.

Midoriya Household - Izuku’s Room

A loud yawn reverberated in a room that was filled to the brim with All Might memorabilia and collectibles.

Izuku slowly sat up from his bed rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  He then looked at the digital alarm clock at his bedside.

2:45

“Wow, I must’ve been really exhausted.  I’ve never slept that long before.”  Izuku commented to himself in surprise at the amount of sleep he had gotten last night.  He usually got around 7-8 hours of sleep, but he nearly doubled his daily amount in one night.

‘Welp, better get ready to enjoy what little of the afternoon I have left.’ Izuku told himself in his head as he got out of bed.  He took off his pajamas and put on a fresh set of clothes before heading to his bathroom to clean his face and brush his teeth.

After he was done rinsing his mouth with water, he decided to take another look at his new quirk.

“Requip,”  Izuku muttered lowly under his breath, the blue suit materializing on his person as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

Although he told All Might he couldn’t accept his quirk due to his indirect role in the sludge villain escaping and nearly killing Kacchan, the primary reason was hearing the story of X’s life.  

He felt his heart ache after being told what X had to go through.  His design and specifications were used to develop the Reploids, with many of them going rogue.  He felt responsible for every crime and misdeed these Reploids (or Mavericks to differentiate them from law-abiding Reploids) committed as they were built using his specs.  To X, he felt that they were all an extension of him.

“X, I can’t even begin to fathom everything you had to go through until the end.  You were forced to keep fighting even though you didn’t want to.  You’ve had to carry this heavy burden for so long.  All of that guilt, pain, and sorrow.  You didn’t even get a true chance to explore and discover what you truly wanted in your life.  But don’t worry X.  I promise you that I will continue fighting for the peace you and Zero desperately wanted to achieve.” Izuku vowed, taking a look at the suit covering his body as if it was a sentient being he could converse with.

Izuku didn’t notice the new occupant who was standing just out of his sight in his bedroom, her eyes holding concern for her child before she walked out of the room.

Midoriya Household - Kitchen

Inko returned to the kitchen to continue preparing a meal for her child.  She was going to let him know she was making his favorite meal to celebrate his receiving his new quirk when she heard him talk to his suit.  Her joy turned to worry as she was reminded again of what might happen in the future and what Izuku was most likely going to face.  

She wanted to be happy that her son finally had a quirk and now had an excellent shot to pursue the one career he wanted to work in more than any other occupation in the world.  Especially with All Might emphasizing the immense potential Izuku possessed now that he had X’s power to help him.

But as a mother, she would never stop worrying about her child.  She, like every other parent in the world, did not want to see her child hurt, or worse, killed in the line of duty.  These fears magnified as All Might told her what had happened to X.  How his demise forced his creator’s hand to send the robot’s powers back in time to find someone worthy to carry on X’s legacy.  The mere idea of someone creating such a dangerous weapon, and hoping it would find a stranger several hundred years in the past it could deem trustworthy enough to inherit said gift to fulfill X’s duty was the height of irresponsibility in her mind.

But if anyone was worthy enough to take on the challenge, it was Izuku.  She knew her boy would never misuse such a powerful weapon.  That belief solidified in her mind when he stuck to his morals and values despite the bullying he was subjected to at school, even if he never admitted it to her.  But there were tell-tale signs of it happening to him.  The most notable being burns on his skin.

She had a strong inclination that Katsuki had to have some sort of role in the bullying itself.  His quirk could burn people, but she could never find any proof that Izuku’s burn came from Katsuki’s Explosion quirk.  Every time she brought it up to the school, the school downplayed it as Izuku just being clumsy with some of the equipment that could potentially burn people.  Inko knew that was a blatant lie as she emphasized caution when working with dangerous equipment to Izuku while he was growing up.

The one event that convinced her that Katsuki had some degree of responsibility for Izuku’s ostracization from his peers was the look in his eyes whenever he looked at her son during Izuku’s 9th birthday.  She caught Katsuki staring at her son with hostility in his eyes.  The looks he sent Izuku . . . it was as if he was staring at the scum of the Earth.  She thought it was due to Mitsuki forcing him to be polite, but looking back at it, the reason he was acting that way was that he didn’t want to be there.  

She didn’t see him or his family much after he learned her son was quirkless. But after remembering the events where both families were together, she realized that Katsuki was staring daggers at her son every time; a look that never changed during the last ten years.  She tried to ask Izuku about it, but he always brushed it off and used the same excuses that the school told her when asked about it.  

There wasn’t enough proof for her to do anything legally, but she was certain Katsuki played a major role in Izuku's social ostracization.

“Hey, Mom!  Are you making katsudon?!” Her son called out as he walked into the kitchen.

Inko was roused from her thoughts as she heard her son excitedly ask about his favorite meal.

“Yes, honey.  I thought that it would only be appropriate to make your favorite meal to celebrate the new gift you received last night.” Inko told her son, trying to sound as happy as possible.

“Awesome!  Thank you so much, Mom!  You’re the best!”  Izuku warmly told her as he hugged her, which she eagerly returned.

"Oh, and Izuku I saw on the news that Fat Gum was going to hold an autograph and photo session at the nearby mall if you want to go and see him.  I don’t think you have his particular autograph in your collection yet, yes?” Inko asked her child.  She knew he loved going to those sessions.

Izuku’s eyes widened in excitement at the prospect of getting to meet a hero.  Especially one as beloved as Fat Gum. 

“No, I don’t!  What time is he holding the event?!”  Izuku excitedly asked.

Inko giggled at his enthusiasm. 

“It’s starting at 5:30.  We can go after we eat our food,”  Inko answered as Izuku shook in excitement.

“Yes!  Hang on! I gotta find my notebook with his particular entry!  Oh man, this is gonna be so cool!”  Izuku excitedly said as he rushed back into his room to rummage through his Hero Analysis books hoping to find the one that contained said hero.

Inko could only chuckle in amusement.  Even ten years later, Izuku’s excitement about anything hero related hadn’t wavered one bit.

Kiyashi Mall

“Excuse me, coming through,”  Izuku said as he bumped into various people.  They had gotten there a little later than he would’ve liked, and he was rushing to get to the booth before it closed.

Inko smiled as she saw her son rush to the booth with a pep in his step to the back of the line.  He couldn’t contain his excitement to meet the BMI Hero.  And to add to it, the line wasn’t too long.  At best, Izuku would only have to wait 15 minutes before he’d get to meet the hero face to face.  Shaking her head, she told Izuku she would be at the nearby store to start looking for the items All Might (or Toshinori as he’d tell them to call him in public in his non-hero form) requested they’d buy to prepare Izuku for his training.

Izuku nodded before she told him she would be right back.  Seeing her walk into the store, Izuku turned to the booth, eyes shining brightly with anticipation.

“Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!  It’s really him!” Izuku gushed, unable to keep his fanboy tendencies at bay while slowly creeping out the others in front of him.

Fat Gum, real name Taishiro Toyomitsu, was currently ranked in the top 60.  He was hard to miss being big, round, and towering over most others at 8’2”.  His hero costume consists of black pants and an orange, zippered hood, which has the initials of his alias on the front of Fat Gum, written with a clear F, G, and an inverted F. Alongside them, he also wears gloves, metallic boots, and a mask that goes around his eyes and over his forehead.

Although others were creeped out, Fat Gum couldn’t help but chuckle.  It had been a while since someone was this excited to meet him.  Sure he had his fans and he was a beloved figure in the hero world, but it paled in comparison to the likes of Endeavor and All Might.

After a few people got their autographs and pictures with him, the boy who was literally shaking with excitement was finally up.  He had his guards close the booth for the day a few minutes ago, meaning this boy was going to be the last fan he’d interact with.  Something about the boy piqued his curiosity, so he informed the security guards that they could go and take a quick break.  The guards took the offer with gusto as they either went to the bathroom or the food court.  They were exhausted from helping set up the signing and photograph area while running around to provide food for the BMI Hero, who just kept going through the food they provided for him like it was nothing.

He then turned his attention to the green-haired boy in front of him.

“H-h-h-h-hello, Fat Gum sir.”  The boy shakily said, his nerves getting to him standing in front of one of his favorite heroes as he held his notebook in his hand.

“Hey there, kid.  Want me to sign the notebook?”  Fat Gum offered with a smile.  

“Y-y-yes sir.   L-lemme find the page.” The boy stuttered out, opening it till he reached Fat Gum’s analysis page.

Fat Gum took the book and began to read it.  His eyes slowly widened at how accurate the information was regarding how he used his quirk and its drawbacks.  It even had suggestions on how to mitigate his weaknesses that he hadn’t even thought of yet!

“Wow, kid this is pretty accurate.  Do you have some sort of intelligence quirk?”  Fat Gum complimented the teenager before asking him about his potential power.

“N-n-n-no, sir.  I just like to study heroes and learn as much about them.  I do want to join U.A. and their hero course.” Izuku replied, happy the hero approved of his hero analysis.

“No kidding.  The amount of details and stats in this book is incredible!  I’m sure you’ll be a force to be reckoned with once you get your body into shape.”  Fat Gum confidently told Deku as he signed the page dedicated to him.  Izuku had a beaming smile on his face before bowing.

“Thank you for your kind words, Fat Gum,” Izuku responded, raising his head back up.

“No problem.  Say, what’s your name kiddo?”  Fat Gum asked.

“Midoriya I-I-I-Izuku sir.”  The fanboy answered.

“Midoriya . . .” Fat Gum repeated to himself, slowly standing up from his seat as Izuku looked up at the giant man.  His eyes widened when his gloved hand reached out to him.

“When you do get into the U.A. hero course, be sure to give my agency a look if you could.  I would love to be able to bring you in as an intern if possible.”  Fat Gum offered Izuku.

Izuku’s eyes widened before he shakily reached to grab the much larger hand before shaking it.

“T-t-thank you, sir.  I promise you I will.”  Izuku managed to say, still stunned at the olive branch extended to him.  But the excitement he'd usually feel after hearing such a thing was short-lived as his vision suddenly blurred.

“No problem, young man.  I look forward to . . . young man?” Fat Gum’s smiling face morphed into worry as he saw Izuku grab his head.

“Ughhhh . . .” Izuku groaned out, feeling dizzy.  

Fat Gum felt his hero instincts kick in as he grabbed the young man by his shoulders before picking him up.

“Here, young man.  Sit in this chair.  I’ll get go get some help.”  Fat Gum guided the green-haired teen to his seat before he turned around to fish his phone out of his bag.

Suddenly, a bright blue light shined in front of the BMI Hero.  He looked up before his eyes widened at the scene playing out in front of him.

He saw the young man glow blue briefly before a suit suddenly appeared on his person.  It was mainly blue, but an ethereal, white glow covered his torso.  Suddenly, the glowing stopped.

Fat Gum’s eyes widened in awe.  The torso section of his suit was no longer the blue/cyan color combination like the rest of his body was.  Its color scheme was completely different.  It had white shoulder pads with a bright red border with what looked green and blue latches with black straps to hold it together.  The breastplate was also white with blue and yellow borders with his trunks turning white with hints of blue and yellow.

The hero heard Izuku’s groaning fade as he took his hands off the sides of his head.  As he opened his eyes, he looked down to see he was surprisingly in his battle suit, along with the new enhancement.

“What the . . . why am I in my suit?”  Izuku was confused.  He knew he didn’t call for it.  His eyes widened as he recalled the Armor Upgrade portion of his new quirk.  But that only deepened his confusion.  He was sure he didn’t touch any of Fat Gum’s skin, and his quirk wasn’t active if he somehow did so.

“Young man, are you ok?”  He felt a hand grab his shoulder before seeing Fat Gum looking at him in worry.  

“Yeah, I’m ok . . . it’s just . . . I didn’t expect my quirk to react like that.”  Izuku honestly told the hero.  He was still trying to figure out what happened.

Fat Gum sighed in relief, but he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a woman cry out Izuku’s name before grabbing her son tightly.

“Izuku!  Are you ok?  You look like you were about to pass out?”  Inko cried out.

“It’s ok Mom.  The dizziness is starting to go away.  I . . . I think I copied Fat Gum’s quirk.”  Izuku assured his mother before deducing what most likely happened.

“You what?!”  Inko shouted in shock.

“I didn’t mean to.  I just grabbed his hand, and then I started having a headache.  I thought my quirk needed to be active, and I needed to have some form of DNA transfer for me to assimilate quirks.”  Izuku said, confused as to how he acquired Fat Gum’s quirk.

“I have a possible theory.”  The Midoriyas looked at the BMI Hero, curious at what he had to say.

“I handle these gloves and wear them pretty often, so there are probably some skin cells embedded in the fibers.  I also had some pocky earlier, so there might be some minute traces of saliva.”  Fat Gum explained his hypothesis.

“But, I made constant contact with things I’m sure numerous people have touched,”  Izuku replied, still confused.  Shouldn’t he have had a litany of quirks by now?

“Perhaps there are conditions that need to be fulfilled before your suit will accept them, or certain criteria allow you to assimilate quirks into your suit faster even if not activated?”  Fat Gum offered his two cents on what caused the suit to upgrade.

“Maybe . . . I guess I need to do more research on how my quirk works.”  Izuku mulled over.  He knew the suit required contact with people or their DNA to acquire quirks.  But if that was the case, then why didn’t he absorb all those quirks when he bumped into those people or when he touched the door handle at the front of the entrance of the mall?

Fat Gum cleared his throat, getting Izuku’s and Inko’s attention.

"Are you sure you will be ok, young man?"  Fat Gum questioned Izuku, a hint of concern still evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm ok.  The dizziness is gone now.  Thank you for making sure I didn't fall on the floor."  Izuku responded, appreciative of what the BMI Hero did.

“No problem!  Do you by chance still want that picture?”  He asked.

Izuku nodded his head before giving his mother his phone.

After he deactivated his suit, the two stood side by side as Inko walked far enough to get both within the picture frame of the camera.  The hero and her son smiled before she clicked the button.  She took a look at the photo.  She didn’t know why, but she examined it for a few more seconds.  She noted how Izuku’s eyes were now much brighter than they were during the last few years.  Shaking her head to prevent herself from thinking of Izuku’s struggles, she showed the two the photo with both liking how it turned out.

Both bid the BMI Hero farewell before leaving the mall.

Toyomitsu looked at the family as they headed for the exit.

‘I’ll keep an eye on you Midoriya.  Despite recklessly putting yourself in danger yesterday, something tells me you’re destined for great things in this world.’  Toyomitsu thought, acknowledging the immense amount of potential Midoriya possessed.

Despite the brief scare, today was a fun day for the Midoriya family.

Note:  So yeah, Midoriya will be getting the Second (Giga) Armor from X2. 

Anyone wanna take a guess on which quirk gives him which armor upgrade?

Anyways, here's a breakdown so far:

SUBJECT -  MIDORIYA IZUKU

MOTHER:  MIDORIYA INKO
FATHER:  MIDORIYA HISASHI

MASTER LIST:  QUIRKS

1.  REJECTED
2.  ACCEPTED
          -  WEAPONS
          -  ARMOR

1.  REJECTED:

MIDORIYA INKO - ATTRACTION OF SMALL OBJECTS
STATUS:  ERROR - QUIRK INCOMPATIBLE
NOTE:  FAMILIAL QUIRK

2.  ACCEPTED

WEAPONS
MIDORIYA HISASHI - FIRE BREATH
STATUS: ASSIMILATION AND MODIFICATIONS COMPLETE (PENDING USER’S APPROVAL)
WEAPON:  SPEED BURNER
MAGAZINE CAPACITY - 10
CHARGED CAPACITY - 3
NOTE:  FAMILIAL QUIRK

ARMOR PARTS
TOYOMITSU TAISHIRO (FAT GUM) - FAT ABSORPTION
STATUS:  ASSIMILATION AND MODIFICATIONS COMPLETE
ARMOR PIECE:  BODY
ABILITIES:  ABSORB KINETIC ENERGY TO RELEASE IN A POWERFUL EXPLOSION; REDUCE DAMAGE TAKEN FROM ATTACKS

NOTE:  ( FAMILIAL QUIRKS WILL NOT REQUIRE THE USER TO GO THROUGH COPY AND ASSIMILATION PROCESS UNLESS THE USER VOLUNTARILY REMOVES QUIRKS FROM STORAGE)

Chapter Text

Yagi Household

Toshinori was planning out the training schedule for Melissa and Izuku to prepare both for the U.A. exams in the coming months. 

Only two days remained until Melissa and her father would arrive in Musutafu.  He still hadn’t gotten over the dread and anxiety he felt regarding what their inevitable reactions were going to be once he revealed his secret to them.  It was pretty much a guarantee that David and/or Melissa (probably both) weren’t going to take the news well.  And the biggest fear in his mind was Melissa rejecting the offer altogether.  His gut was telling him she was going to be the best candidate to get the most use out of the quirk long-term, even if other candidates were way more polished experience-wise on paper.  

The most notable example was a current second-year student named Mirio Togata.  He knew of Sir Nighteye’s protege and the immense power the boy possessed.  All Might would be a fool not to consider the young man a worthy candidate to inherit One for All.  Togata put in an exorbitant amount of hours into perfecting all of the little idiosyncrasies of his quirk Permeation, which made him a formidable combatant.  His progress became even more admirable to those who heard about it when they learned he initially struggled to phase through a single piece of wood only a few years ago.   But the main problem wasn’t whether Mirio would be capable of being able to use it, it was how much time he would be able to.

Over the years, All Might tried to figure out more about the past users of One for All.  But there was minimal information regarding the last three users that preceded Nana.  Like Nana, En (the person she inherited One for Al from) was killed in battle with All for One.  En’s predecessor, Banjo Daigoro was also killed in the line of duty before handing the quirk to the person who gifted Nana One for All.  But it was the person who Banjo received the quirk from that raised Toshinori’s suspicions.  The one who gave Banjo the One for All quirk, Shinomori Hikage, never engaged the megalomanic in battle.  But the biggest red flag All Might discovered about him centered on his passing.

He expected him to have perished in battle against All For One like most of the previous users before and after him.  But he learned that he never engaged the tyrant.  Instead, he trained in seclusion trying to harness and strengthen One for All for the last 18 years of his life based on what Daigoro told En, who then told Nana.

After digging further, All Might learned Shinamori passed away due to natural causes . . . at the age of 40.

All Might knew that being afflicted with a fatal illness at such a young age was not out of the realm of possibility.  Extremely rare, but not impossible.  

However, after gaining access to his medical records, he read the symptoms Shinomori suffered from.  Even though doctors had several theories as to what his fatal illness might be, they were never able to pinpoint and come up with an official diagnosis.  Before his illness, the young man did not have any history of chronic diseases or ailments, which raised more red flags for All Might concerning his passing.

This made All Might hesitate to give Togata his quirk.  Although he couldn’t show any proof, his gut was telling him Shinomori’s untimely passing somehow involved him having One for All itself.  It had gone through several users beforehand, cultivating power with the hope that one day it could end the tyrannical reign of All for One.  

This led to All Might trying to figure out why he had minimal side effects regarding One for All until he sustained permanent injuries after that battle five years ago, even though he had the quirk for nearly three times as long as Shinomori.  The only thing he could think of was that he was the only person out of the eight who did not have a quirk during the time he received the quirk from Nana.  He hypothesized that if a person who already possessed a quirk received One for All, it could magnify the negative side effects that the quirk subjected the person to.  But that was all it was . . . a theory.

“A TEXT MESSAGE IS HERE!”

He heard his phone near his desk exclaim an alert, informing him that he received a text message.

He walked over to his desk and picked the phone up, seeing it was a message from Midoriya’s mother.

Midoriya Inko:
Toshinori!  We need you to come to the apartment as soon as possible!  Something happened with Izuku today!

Eyes widening in concern,  All Might began to type out the message he was going to send to Inko as fast as he could.  But before he could finish typing the message out, he quickly received a photo from the mother of his successor.  He nearly dropped the phone but was able to keep it from hitting the floor after juggling with it for several seconds.  He took a second look just to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him.

It was Izuku with his new quirk activated.  But his torso was now primarily white, red, and yellow with hints of green and blue.  It sharply contrasted with the rest of his limbs and helmet’s color scheme of cyan and blue.

Composing himself after being informed of this unexpected development, Toshinori deleted the characters he had accidentally typed into his message until he reached the point where it did not resemble a garbled mess.  He then started where he left off, typing out what he wanted to say before sending the message to Inko.

Toshinori Yagi:
I see.  I will be there in half an hour.

All Might couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief.  The boy seemed to be a magnet for trouble or for crazy events happening that involved him, just like he was.  Chuckling to himself at the comparison, Toshinori grabbed his car keys and walked outside his home to drive to the Midoriya household, curious to see what had happened after only being away from Izuku for less than a whole day.  

He had a feeling he was going to have these reactions with a lot of things regarding Midoriya going forward.

California

Across the other side of the globe, a tall man with an average build, aqua eyes, and light brown hair was currently packing a suitcase and getting ready for a last-minute trip to Japan.  He has light wrinkles on his face from age. His hair is short and messy with two prominent tufts for bangs, and he has a short goatee. He wears wide-rimmed, square glasses, a blue button-up, pale pants, a dark belt with a metal buckle, and navy sneakers with a red accent and light soles. On his left arm, he also wears a dark watch along with a wedding ring.  Although he still had another two days before their flight across the world, the man wanted to get everything in order so that all he had to worry about was just getting to the airport on time.  So he scheduled their flight for early tomorrow morning to ensure they’d make it with time to spare to allow his body to adjust to the sudden time zone difference.

He took a quick look at an array of photos he had in his room that highlighted some of his happiest and proudest moments during his life.  This included graduating college, designing one of All Might’s superheroes, and holding a baby girl that had a tuft of blonde hair over her head.  

David Shield smiled, reminiscing about the day he met the Symbol of Peace and how he saved him from a fire caused by an explosion at the school he was attending.  That initial meeting sparked a partnership that would eventually lead to some of the most memorable moments of his life.

However, the last few years were anything but happy memories when it came to the Symbol of Peace.  Five years ago, the former sidekick learned from All Might’s other former sidekick Sir Nighteye that the hero had been grievously injured in a battle.  He had learned from Toshinori himself that he was now severely limited to the amount of time he could be a hero per day.  Three hours to be exact.  Hearing the news, David threw himself into trying to create a potential fix.  He poured countless hours into finding a potential solution to heal his friend, trying to figure out what he could build to help restore All Might back to his prime.  But none of the research and experiments he tried worked.  But, he wouldn’t give up.  He owed the man too much.

He wasn’t expecting the man to text him out of nowhere a few days ago.  He was hesitant to go with Toshi’s request to drop everything and go to Musutafu, especially with him imploring Melissa to tag along with him.  But the sense of urgency and desperation in the Symbol of Peace’s text messages wore down David’s apprehension enough to agree to his request.

But David couldn’t shake the feeling of dread in his heart.  His gut was telling him that the reason Toshi wanted him to fly across the world was something that he wasn’t going to be thrilled about.

‘Toshi . . . what could’ve happened that required you to ask us to drop everything to see you?’  David began theorizing a myriad of possible explanations in his head.  However, his thoughts were interrupted by someone opening the door to the room.

“Daddy!” A young voice loudly exclaimed before walking into her parents’ bedroom.

“Hey, pumpkin.  Are you all done packing?”  David asked his 14-year-old daughter, smiling.

“You bet!  It’s been too long since we’ve seen Uncle Might!  Do you think they’ll allow this in customs?”  Melissa showed her father one of her latest inventions; a small device that materializes into a pogo stick.  She couldn’t wait to meet the man who played a huge role in their family’s life.  Although they weren’t related by blood, they considered the Symbol of Peace a part of the family.

“It has.  I’m not sure if they’d allow that, but it couldn’t hurt to bring it.  Anyways, I just got done scheduling the flight.  We will be leaving early tomorrow morning.  Make sure all of your legal documentation is in order.”  David instructed his daughter, who nodded in understanding.

“Got it!”  Melissa chirped before she and her father shared a quick hug before leaving the room.

After she left, David stood up and walked up to the wall filled with photos before he took one of the pictures off the wall.  It was him, his wife, and All Might in a hospital shortly after his wife gave birth to Melissa.  The parents were very tired and teary-eyed while All Might had one of Melissa’s hands in his own.

David stared at the picture for the next few minutes, once again remembering all of the good times he had with Symbol of Peace in an attempt to quash the uneasy feeling that was slowly growing in his heart and mind.

Midoriya Household

“Umm, All Might . . .”  Izuku nervously called out to his idol, trying to get some sort of verbal response from him as he eyeballed the new upgrade that he received a few hours ago.  The lack of any response was starting to unnerve the young teen as it was out of character for the man.  He was sitting on the sofa across from him with his mother.  He was looking at the upgrade, taking in every detail after he informed the Symbol of Peace of where he got this power-up from.

After another minute or two of complete silence, All Might finally decided to question the boy.

“So Midoriya-shounen, what exactly happened today, and what exactly did you do to acquire this upgrade from Fat Gum?”  Izuku shifted nervously as he felt the man stare at him like a father who caught their child eating sweets when they weren’t supposed to.  Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he looked at All Might as he started to recollect the events of the day.

“My mom told me about a meet and greet session involving Fat Gum that was taking place at the Kiyashi Mall today.  He was one of the heroes in the top 100 that I didn’t have an autograph from yet.  Mom offered to take me there as she also wanted to do some shopping to prepare for this workout regimen you planned for me.  When it was my turn, I gave Fat Gum the notebook after finding the particular page that contained his information for him to sign.  He . . . liked it a lot to the point he thought I had a quirk that made me more intelligent or analytical.  I told him I didn’t have that type of quirk, but I informed him about my desire to join the hero course at U.A. next year.  Once he heard that, he sort of asked me to take a look at his agency once I get in.”  All Might’s eyes widened at that unexpected tidbit.  He really had to suppress the urge to smile at Izuku’s unexpected potential internship offer.

‘The young man hasn’t even finished middle school yet, and his notebook has already landed him a potential internship opportunity with one of the fastest-rising heroes.’  All Might felt himself swell with pride at his pseudo-successor being extended an olive branch by the BMI Hero.

"I see.  While I’m glad to hear of this potential networking opportunity you managed to create for yourself, it still doesn’t explain how this meeting gave you this fancy-looking upgrade.”  All Might pointed to the upgraded body parts, wanting the young man to get to the crux of the issue that was the body parts upgrade he received.

"O-of course.  Fat Gum offered me the internship with what I guess was a handshake deal.  When I was done shaking his hand, I started getting this headache and the room started getting blurry.  I heard faint noises in my head, but I’m not too sure what happened.  After the headache went away and my vision became clear again . . . well . . . my quirk seemed to activate and I now have this additional plating on my entire torso as a result.”  Izuku told his mentor, turning his body back and forth to accentuate the recent changes he underwent.

He wasn’t surprised at how his mentor reacted.

"You used your quirk on a pro hero?!”  All Might exclaimed, the sudden intense movement causing his injury to flare up.

“All Might!”  Izuku cried out, seeing his idol cough up blood as Inko rushed to get some paper towels before his blood dripped onto the carpeted floor.

“Here.”  Inko hurriedly shoved some paper towels into All Might’s hands as he started to wipe away the blood from his mouth and hands.  Meanwhile, Inko used her quirk to grab an unopened water bottle and the paper towel roll.  She opened the bottle before pouring the water, soaking some of the paper towels before handing them to All Might to fully clean his mouth and hands.

“Thank you.”  All Might said in appreciation as he cleaned the blood off his skin as he regained his composure.

Inko sighed in relief at successfully preventing All Might’s blood from dripping onto the carpets.

‘I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”  The mother shuddered at the sight of the number one hero coughing up his blood.

“Geez kid, you gotta stop with all the surprises.  I haven’t even been gone a day, and you already have another crazy development regarding your quirk.”  All Might exasperatedly stated as he threw the blood-stained paper towels in the trash bin as Izuku looked down in embarrassment.

“I . . . I didn’t mean to copy and assimilate his quirk.  It just sort of happened.  I’m not even sure what triggered it.  I thought my battle suit needed to be activated and that I needed to make direct contact with the person to be able to potentially assimilate it into my suit.”  Izuku poked his fingers together repeatedly, unable to look his mentor in the eye.

“It’s true All Might.  Fat Gum wasn’t upset about what happened.  He was pretty understanding of the whole situation.”  Inko chimed in, giving credence to Izuku’s explanation of accidentally acquiring the BMI Hero’s quirk.

All Might couldn’t argue with that.  They weren’t fully aware of the specifics regarding Izuku’s variable weapons systems and armor upgrade aspects of his quirk.  Sure they knew the steps the young man had to take to integrate quirks into the battle suit, but they both assumed the suit needed to be on his person for him to utilize that particular ability.

“So did you have any theories as to why you got Fat Gum’s quirk despite your quirk not being active at the time?”  All Might questioned, wondering if the young man had some theories as to why he gained the BMI Hero’s quirk.

“Fat Gum believes that there might have been a large amount of skin cells on his gloves.  He also had some pocky during that time so there might’ve been minute traces of saliva as well.”  Izuku revealed, remembering the explanations Fat Gum provided as to what potentially triggered his quirk’s unexpected activation.

“I see . . . do you remember how you felt while talking with him?”  All Might asked.

“I was nervous initially, but I felt happy that he liked my analysis of his quirk.  He liked it so much that he offered me a potential internship opportunity,”  Izuku responded.

All Might rubbed his chin, trying to figure out what else he could ask that might explain why Fat Absorption was copied and assimilated into the suit.  Nothing else came to mind though as Fat Gum’s explanations covered the only other reasons he could come up with in his head. 

“I see.  Why don’t we check that list Dr. Light mentioned?  It could provide some explanation as to what triggered the process.”  All Might suggested.

Izuku nodded before summoning X’s armor.  Remembering what the doctor said to materialize the list, Izuku focused on projecting the list in front of him.  After a few seconds, the red gem on his forehead began to glow before bringing the skill set the suit possessed as Inko looked on in amazement.  She noticed two things once the list appeared in front of him

“Hey, there appears to be some sort of notification in the head’s and arm’s section.”

Looking through the list, he noticed two updates in the text in the arms and head parts section.

Head part:

• Self-repair program:  Battlesuit will regain energy and self-repair damages when inactive in the pocket dimension or if the user is standing still
• Ultra-sensitive Voice Recognition System:  acute voice recognition in low volume/clarity situations
• Universal language translator
• Armor-piercing/Non-piercing automated programming:  changes energy projectile properties depending on the target.  
• If a projectile would hit both humans and robots simultaneously, programming will default the projectile’s property to nonfatal and non-piercing (armor-piercing will only be applied to humans if the threat to the public condition is met)
• Armor upgrades (update):  helmet, body, arm, and leg sections can be enhanced if certain quirks are assimilated

Arm part:

• X-Buster (Mega Buster Mark 17): X's main weapon. Converts solar energy into a high-powered, separate burst. 
• Energy Amplification Device: Amplifies stored energy to release a more powerful charge shot.
• Variable Weapon System (update): Can use up to 8 modified weapons or systems copied from other robots or quirked individuals (programming chips or copying a person’s DNA) 
• Note:  not all quirks can be assimilated into battle armor.   The suit will inform the user if the quirk is not compatible.

“That’s strange . . . I don’t recall absorbing any quirk outside of Fat Gum’s.”  Izuku said, unable to remember any particular incident where he would’ve assimilated a second quirk.  

“We can focus on the weapons portions later.  Select the armor upgrades section.”  All Might instructed.  Izuku nodded before pressing the button.  A new screen showed up, showing the upgrade.

ARMOR PARTS
TOYOMITSU TAISHIRO (FAT GUM) - FAT ABSORPTION
STATUS:  ASSIMILATION AND MODIFICATIONS COMPLETE
ARMOR PIECE:  BODY
ABILITIES:  ABSORB KINETIC ENERGY TO RELEASE IN A POWERFUL EXPLOSION; REDUCE DAMAGE TAKEN FROM ATTACKS
EXAMPLE:  CLICK HERE

Izuku clicked on the hyperlinked example as the display switched to a visual demonstration of X.  The three watched as X jumped into the air, glowing brightly before a massive explosion erupted from his body, releasing all of the energy he accumulated at once.  Its power stunned the three watching as it engulfed the enemies before they were destroyed.

Once the display ended, the three wordlessly agreed Izuku was not to use that attack unless it was a last resort.  At least until he could control the explosion’s strength.

Much to their disappointment, the three didn’t notice any other information that could tell them what triggered the suit to assimilate Fat Absorption after looking through the rest of the screen.

“Aw man, I was hoping that section would contain what I was looking for.”  Izuku voiced his displeasure at not being any closer to an answer.

“I might have a theory as to what triggered the assimilation process.”  The Midoriyas looked at All Might, curious to hear his explanation.

“Perhaps his statements increased your trust in him so much, it made integrating his quirk into your suit much faster despite it not being currently activated at the time.  Or maybe this quirk prioritizes armor upgrades”  All Might explained, giving his personal theories as to what happened at the Kiyashi Mall yesterday between Izuku and Toyomitsu.

“I thought that too.  I don’t really have anything else I can think of at the moment to explain why it happened.”  Izuku replied, feeling a little bit frustrated as there were no clear answers that explained what happened between him and Fat Gum.

“We could test it again in a few months if you wish?”  All Might suggested.

“What do you mean?”  Izuku tilted his head in confusion.

“I have the training regimen all set up for you. It should prepare your body in time for the entrance exams.  Do you remember that junkyard where all of this happened?”  Izuku nodded.  That junkyard was starting to become a place that held sentimental value to him, despite how disgusting it was.

“Well, you are going to be removing all of the garbage from the junkyard.”  Izuku’s and Inko’s eyes widened considerably.

“Wait, all of it?!”  Izuku and Inko exclaimed, trying to make sure they weren’t hearing things.

“All of it.  Based on the schedule I have created, Izuku should have it all cleaned up in ten months.  Which should strengthen his body to be able to use X’s armor much more efficiently.”  All Might explained his reasoning.

Izuku couldn’t argue with that logic.  The junkyard had various objects of all shapes and sizes.  It would be pretty easy to gain and grow muscle mass if he were able to clean the beach up.  However, his mind finally processed what he meant by trying again.

“W-w-w-wait a minute.  A-are you asking me to integrate One for All into my suit All Might?!”  Izuku sputtered out in disbelief.

All Might nodded.

“That is correct, Midoriya-shounen.  I realized that if these threats from the future are going to be as dangerous as Dr. Light said, we’re going to need to give you every advantage possible.  You could have that power while still allowing me to transfer it to another person.”  All Might replied, attempting to convince Izuku to take his offer by explaining his reasoning.

Izuku was at a loss for words, unable to properly convey his thoughts for the next few seconds before All Might put his hand up to stop him from attempting to talk further.

“I know you feel responsible for what happened to both your friend and myself.  You still believe in your mind that you don’t deserve it.  But you’re wrong.  Right now, you’re one of the few I’d entrust it to.  You don’t have to make your decision until after you get the beach cleaned up.”  All Might stated, not wanting to pressure Izuku into making a decision too hastily.

“I . . . I can see your point.  I’ll think about it.”  All Might nodded, glad Izuku didn’t reject his offer immediately.

“How about we check that other updated section,”  Inko suggested.  The other two nodded as Izuku pressed a button that took them back to the main menu screen.

Izuku clicked on the variable weapons system, and a new list loaded after a few seconds.  The contents contained within this particular section surprised the trio.

“Wha?  My suit already assimilated my parent’s quirks?!”  Izuku could understand how his mother’s quirk was in the system, but he didn’t know how his father’s quirk was assimilated.  He hadn’t seen the man in a decade!

SUBJECT -  MIDORIYA IZUKU

MOTHER:  MIDORIYA INKO
FATHER:  MIDORIYA HISASHI
MASTER LIST:  QUIRKS

1.  REJECTED
2.  ACCEPTED

1.  REJECTED:

MIDORIYA INKO - ATTRACTION OF SMALL OBJECTS
STATUS:  ERROR - QUIRK INCOMPATIBLE
NOTE:  FAMILIAL QUIRK

2.  ACCEPTED

WEAPONS
MIDORIYA HISASHI - FIRE BREATH
STATUS: ASSIMILATION AND MODIFICATIONS COMPLETE (PENDING USER’S APPROVAL)
WEAPON:  SPEED BURNER
MAGAZINE CAPACITY - 10
CHARGED CAPACITY - 3
NOTE:  FAMILIAL QUIRK

EXAMPLE:  CLICK HERE

NOTE:  (FAMILIAL QUIRKS WILL NOT REQUIRE THE USER TO GO THROUGH COPY AND ASSIMILATION PROCESS UNLESS THE USER VOLUNTARILY REMOVES QUIRKS FROM STORAGE)

Inko was pretty disappointed her quirk was rejected by Izuku’s armor, but she didn’t understand how Hisashi’s quirk was integrated into its programming.  Izuku hadn’t seen his father since he was four years old.

“It does make sense.  We do get half of our DNA from each of our parents.  I guess the suit was able to identify the genetic traits passed down from both of your parents to potentially allow you to use a variation of their quirks.”  All Might saw the two nod, accepting that explanation as it made sense.

Curious, Izuku clicked on the hyperlink for Speed Burner and saw X fire two fireballs that were intertwined and left a lingering trail of fire.  His charged attack saw his body encased in flames before he charged forward, ramming through enemies as metal debris flew in the air from the impact.

“Wow,”  Izuku uttered in awe, seeing the adults in the room nod their heads in agreement. 

‘It modified a quirk to allow him to use it as a projectile weapon, a defensive shield, or a close-range attack!  I knew this variable weapon system made X a formidable opponent, but this is beyond what even I could imagine!’  All Might exclaimed in his mind, impressed at the versatility on display.  And this was one weapon.  Depending on what other quirks Izuku copied, it would be next to impossible to plan any sort of strategy to combat him without heavy scouting or having negation-type quirks like Eraserhead.

“I . . . I think that’s enough for one day.”  Izuku deactivated his suit, sitting on a nearby chair, rubbing his head to prevent the headache he felt coming after learning about the new upgrades he had received.

"Agreed.”  The adults both chimed in, both amazed and a little overwhelmed at the new abilities Izuku now possessed.  All Might looked at the clock, and realized it was pretty late.  

“Oh my, I didn’t think we’d be up this late discussing Izuku’s quirk,”  Inko commented.

“Indeed.  As much as I’d like to explore more of what Midoriya-shounen is capable of, I think we should save that for another time.”  The Midoriyas nodded their heads in agreement as they watched All Might get dressed to depart for the evening.

“You should make sure your quirk registration is updated Midoriya-shounen.  I’d also have your doctor x-ray your toe to make sure the extra toe joint is gone.”  All Might suggested.

“Already ahead of you Toshinori.  We’re gonna meet with Dr. Kasshu in the early afternoon tomorrow to confirm that it’s no longer there.”  All Might nodded in satisfaction.

“Excellent.  As much as I’d like to stay here and chat with you two, I have a busy day tomorrow.  I also have pushed the schedule for you back a day to Tuesday.  I think after what happened today, you might need some extra time to process everything that happened.  If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”  The Midoriyas smiled and nodded their heads.  All Might flashed the peace sign before putting on his shoes and exiting their home.

Izuku’s Room

Izuku yawned in exhaustion as he shut off all the lights and electronics for the night.  He opened his phone to set an alarm for early tomorrow morning.  He climbed into bed and after a few minutes, he was asleep.  As he slept . . . he began to dream.

Unknown

A young man’s eyes began to squint as the sunlight was letting his body know it was time to wake up.  He groaned before he slowly opened his eyes.  It didn’t take long before the young man realized he wasn’t in his room.  In fact . . .he had no idea where he was!  Panicking, he swiftly got off the bench and began to rapidly turn his head, looking for any sort of sign that could indicate where he ended up.

“WHERE AM I?  I SWEAR I WAS IN MY ROOM!”  Izuku screamed out in confusion.  His eyes were darting back and forth trying to find some clue as to how he got to this unknown place that seemed way too technologically advanced compared to where he came from.  

He saw a person wearing some futuristic armor walking by.  He ran up to the stranger.

"Hey, can you tell me where I'm at?"  Izuku shouted out, hoping to get the stranger's attention.

Only . . . he didn't, which confused the boy.  Maybe they didn't hear him?

"SIR!  I NEED YOUR HELP!  CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE I'M A-GAH!"  Izuku shouted out louder as he attempted to tap the stranger on the shoulder to get their attention.  Instead, he phased right through the person and had to catch himself by his hands before face-planting into the ground.

"Wha . . . what's going on?"  Izuku's anxiety began to spike as he didn't know where he was or what was going on.  To top it off, it seems he had no way of communicating with any of the residents of this unknown city.  

Suddenly, his eyes landed on a sign, and he only became more confused.

'Abel City?'  Izuku looked at the sign perplexed before he realized something.

"Am . . . am I still dreaming?"  Izuku couldn't come up with any other reasonable explanation as to what was happening.

Suddenly, an explosion down the street caught his attention.

Izuku began to run down the street where the explosion was located to figure out what was going on.  Even though the possibility of danger was high, he needed answers.

Note:  Changed the title of the story as there was already a story with Deku X in it.  

I wonder what Deku will find once he reaches the scene where the explosion occurred.

Chapter Text

Isle Delfino Airport

“Good afternoon!  Thank you for choosing Big Blue Airlines!  We will be making a quick pitstop at Isle Delfino Airport in the next ten minutes.  Please follow the directions of the airport employees on where to wait and which plane to board to Musutafu.  Do not hesitate to ask any questions if you are unsure where to go or are unable to find your luggage.  Thank you for choosing Big Blue Airlines.”  The pilot informed the passengers in the plane, alerting them of their imminent landing at the dolphin-shaped island.

David looked outside his passenger window, seeing the island.  He had visited it a few times on vacation and was mesmerized by its beauty.  But this time, he wasn’t there for leisure.  It was a pitstop before arriving in Musutafu to meet with All Might.  He turned to his left to see his daughter slumped over asleep, chuckling at the small amount of drool escaping from the corner of her lip.  Fortunately, her head was tilted downwards enough that her hair obscured her face.

Deciding to do something that would make the last few minutes go by faster, he turned his phone on before checking his e-mail to see if any notable e-mails had been sent to his account.  He was focused on seeing if there were any updates or reviews from customers.

At the top of his inbox, he immediately took note of the name of one customer in particular.  The customer’s family was one of the wealthiest in all of Japan due to their investments in the real estate and technology markets.  He had recently completed a project for them, and if they liked what he sent them, it would open a litany of networking opportunities to expand his customer base.

He eagerly clicked on the e-mail despite his nervousness and began to read the contents contained within it.

Good afternoon Shield-san,

I wish to thank you for assisting us with our request regarding our daughter’s desire to advance her quirk.  The materials, blueprints, and instructions on how to utilize each function of this suit we requested will allow our daughter to be able to get the most out of her quirk while providing her much more protection from lethal attacks.  Although we know she can’t currently use the suit due to us still gathering the resources necessary to build such a powerful weapon without creating it herself, she is grateful that she at least has the basics to produce it as a last resort ultimate attack.  Over time, we hope to gather enough materials for her to have the suit utilized as her hero costume.  We also hope to produce enough resources to repair any damages it sustains during her hero work.  This will ensure that she won’t have to utilize her quirk to form parts to repair it, allowing her to focus more on creating other objects.

The payment for this suit will be sent to your account in the next few hours.  We are looking forward to continue working with you in the future.

Warm regards,

Yaoyorozu Mikoto

David resisted the urge to let his excitement bubble to the surface, but he felt his giddiness grow as he reread the email several times.  He could not believe it!  They liked his project!  Granted he knew he was pretty skilled as a scientist and support item engineer, but it wasn’t every day one got to build a personal project for a family with as much influence as the Yaoyorozus.  He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel any pressure during this project.  The items and materials their daughter requested were not easy to come by.  Although they had the money to eventually develop enough material for their daughter to use, they needed someone to collaborate with to assist in its development to ensure everything they requested was integrated into it without fault. Granted they were confident in their own support company, they felt he had a much better chance to develop a product that would fit their vision.  

"Attention passengers, we will be now landing shortly at the Isle Delfino Airport.  After we land, please gather your belongings and await further instructions.  Thank you once again for choosing to fly with Big Blue Airlines today!"  The pilot informed the passenger over the intercom.

Closing the email app and turning his phone off, David reached over and lightly shook his daughter to rouse her from her sleep.

“Melissa, we’re here.  It’s time to wake up, pumpkin.”  David lightly said, not wanting to startle his daughter and cause her to wake up in a panic.

Melissa groaned before her eyes started to scrunch up at the sound of her father’s voice and him shaking her.  Letting out a yawn, she rubbed her eyes before opening them and raised her arms to stretch as she became more cognizant of her surroundings.

“Are we already at the airport, Dad?”  Melissa muttered sleepily, her mind still in a fog due to her waking up after sleeping for four hours.

“Yes, we are.  We need to get our luggage out of the storage area.  The airport employees are going to give us further instructions once we get off the plane.  They’re probably going to let us know where we need to go and what we need to do after we get off this plane.”  David replied, giving his daughter a summary of what to expect next.

Melissa nodded her head before they both felt the plane making contact with the airstrip as it slowly rolled to a stop.

“Guess that’s our cue,”  David commented as his daughter stood up before walking far enough into the aisle to allow her father to also walk into the aisle. He reached up to open the storage container that contained their luggage before they exited the plane with the other passengers.

'One more flight before Musutafu.’  David told himself mentally as they began to be guided to the terminal.

Izuku’s Room

In Japan, a certain green-haired teen was asleep when he began to witness an event that happened in his predecessor’s timeline.

Abel City Highway

The sounds of concrete breaking, metal shredding, and the X-Buster rapidly firing filled the air as Izuku tried to keep his opponent from striking him.  He saw his charge shots were not doing any damage to the machine that was currently trying to run over him or punch a hole in his torso.  Every charge shot just seemed to divert the damage across the remote-controlled machine, rendering all of Izuku’s attacks useless.  The green-haired boy was panting as exhaustion began to take over his body.  He saw the machine dash toward him, one of its arms pistoning back and forth to maintain maximum damage output.  Izuku underestimated how tired he was as his reflexes could not avoid the devastating hit, the air being driven out of his lungs as the force of the punch launched his body.

Izuku was sent flying until his body made contact with the side of what remained of a car.  Gritting his teeth, he aimed his arm cannon and started charging to the highest level he could currently access before aiming it at his adversary.

A blue and pink energy attack shot out of the X-Buster, the blast making contact with Izuku’s enemy.  Much to his frustration, the blast did little more than push the mechanical beast he was facing a few feet back.  

“Nothing I’m hitting this thing with is doing any damage!”  Izuku could feel himself become more desperate and frustrated as his eyes continued to lock on to his opponent he had no idea he was going to face until only a few minutes ago.  The pilot could only laugh, amused at Izuku’s resistance.

“You think that little pea shooter of yours is gonna do anything against this Ride Armor of mine, X?  You really are delusional.  I don’t understand how Sigma could see any potential in a weak, little pacifist like yourself.  Oh well, I’ll destroy you both, and remake the world in my image!”  Izuku couldn’t help but recoil in surprise at the deranged rant from the megalomaniac.

The machine began to ominously move closer to Izuku as he got up and started charging up another shot.  He had one last move up his sleeve that he could use.

'If I can’t damage his weapon, then I'll aim for him instead.’  Izuku waited for his adversary to make his move as he crouched slightly.  He didn’t have to wait long as he saw the now-identified Ride Armor dash at him at full speed.  

“Time to die, X!”  Izuku’s opponent screamed, intending to put an end to the confrontation as he got closer to the boy.

Once his opponent was close enough, Izuku maneuvered his body enough to barely dodge the attack before jumping at the pilot, aiming his X-Buster for a close-range blast.

“WHAT?!”  The Maverick shouted in shock and anger at falling for such a basic tactic.

Izuku roared before firing his most powerful shot, a cloud of dust kicking up from the energy blast exploding as it made contact with the Maverick.  The shockwave sent Izuku back several feet before his back made contact with the ground.

Despite the pain coursing through his body, Izuku couldn’t help but sigh in relief.  His enemy had underestimated him and his pattern of attack was straightforward.  This made it easy for him to predict when his enemy would be most vulnerable to a counterattack, and he made him pay for it.

But his short-lived joy disappeared when he heard the pilot’s laughter ring throughout the area.  It morphed into horror as the dust cloud enveloping the Ride Armor dissipated, showing the Maverick still standing.  He was basically unharmed outside of some scuff marks and scraped paint from the blast.

’Damn it!’  Izuku cursed in his head.  That was his best chance, and he was pretty sure the Maverick wasn’t going to fall for a simple trick yet again. 

“Impressive.  You managed to scratch up my paint job.  But . . . I think it’s time to show you an attack that actually gets the job done.”  The Maverick sarcastically complimented the boy before aiming his shoulder cannon, a large amount of electricity crackling at the muzzle.  Izuku’s eyes widened before he charged his X-Buster to intercept it.  Both combatants fired, a blue and pink energy wave colliding with a yellow sphere.

The electrical sphere of energy cut right through the boy’s attack before hitting Izuku, paralyzing his body to the point where he collapsed onto one knee, incapable of moving.  He saw the occupant direct the giant machine to move closer to him until it was within arm’s length of his body.  He felt the hand grab his body.  Izuku began to cry out in pain as the pressure being exerted on his body was starting to overwhelm his senses.  He was fading in and out of consciousness as he looked at the Maverick, who was currently trying to destroy him.

“You worthless piece of scrap metal.  Did you think you could defeat me?”  The pilot mockingly asked him, increasing the pressure.  The Maverick’s delight grew at hearing Izuku’s screams of pain increase in volume.  To him, seeing the boy suffer brought joy to his systems as the decibels in the boy’s voice went higher as the machine’s hand started exerting more pressure to crush the boy caught in its grasp.

As Izuku struggled to maintain consciousness, his mind was still trying to come up with an explanation as to how he ended up fighting this Maverick.

Flashback

Izuku had been running nonstop, silently thankful that he could phase through most moving objects like the cars, Reploids, and humans that were all trying to evacuate the scene, trying to get away as far away from the explosions as possible.  Izuku could see in the distance a giant aircraft dispatching several machines that began to attack not only the highway but various buildings surrounding it as well.  Izuku had to force himself to look away from the sight of cars plunging off the highway and the deadly assault resulting in several buildings collapsing.  

After several more minutes, he found the entrance ramp to the highway.  Without hesitation, he began to run up the highway, his desire to figure out the cause of the mayhem overriding any sense of fear or trepidation he’d usually be experiencing.

As the boy ran further down the highway, he made note of the several types of robots that were destroyed, along with how unstable the terrain was becoming.  One particular type of robot had a mace-like weapon that apparently could extend several feet from its body.  He noted the circular holes that were punched into various parts of the highway.

'Those must be the main cause of the highway collapsing.’  Izuku deduced as he ran right past the destruction, weaving and maneuvering around the potholes.

As he looked further down the highway, he noticed several robots being destroyed as they exploded in the distance as they confronted some sort of adversary Izuku could not make out visually as he was too far to get a clear image.  He knew whoever was engaging these threats on the highway was cutting them all down if the mechanical remnants gave any indication.

As Izuku traversed further down the road, he noticed the damage to the highway was becoming more severe as large holes littered the road.  He eventually reached a point where he noticed an entire section of the highway was destroyed.

He looked at the bottom of the chasm and wished he hadn’t decided to take a peek at how far he’d fall if attempted to leap to the other side.  He noticed several cars and destroyed Mavericks littering the bottom of the chasm, the pile representing the carnage that was currently ongoing.  He tore his eyes away from the sight as soon as he saw what looked like red liquid seeping from one of the broken windows of a car. 

Forcing the image out of his head, Izuku closed his eyes trying to figure out a way he could make it to the other side.

'Jump.’  Izuku scoffed at what he thought were his intrusive thoughts goading him into doing something stupid.

'Jump.’  It repeated. 

Izuku’s eyes snapped open, looking around in a panic to find the source of the voice.

‘Jump.’  It said a third time.

“Are you crazy?!  There’s no way I can make that jump!”  Izuku cried out to the mysterious voice, his tone conveying disbelief at the outlandish suggestion.

‘Jump.’  Izuku’s incredulous reaction was now morphing into one of annoyance.  His patience wearing thin, and Izuku couldn’t help but speak out a snarky thought that formed in his head.

“What makes you think I can even make that jump?  I have no equipment or anything to help me cross that gap.”  The voice couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement.

‘You can phase through things in this . . . dream.  I think jumping long distances shouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.’ Izuku tried to offer a rebuttal, but it did have a point.

“I hope you’re right.”  Izuku got into a sprinter’s stance before he started running as fast as he possibly could.  He made it to the very edge before he jumped as high as he could, eyes closed as he expected to hit the metal pile below.  He felt his feet land on a flat surface.

Slowly, the boy opened his eyes to see that he made it to the other side unscathed.

Izuku was stunned.  The voice wasn’t messing with him.  It knew he could make the jump.

Izuku had so many questions running through his head, but the sounds of more explosions interrupted them, reminding him why he ran down this highway for.  Suddenly, a giant aircraft emerged from the clouds that resembled a blue marlin.

‘Maybe I’ll find the answers if I can get on that ship.’  Izuku looked at the highway to determine the quickest path to the airship.  After analyzing the roads, he determined what was the fastest route to what he believed to be the main culprit for the attack on the highway before deciding to proceed forward.

As he started getting closer to the area where the aircraft was hovering, Izuku noted an opening at the bottom of it that was sending out Mavericks to battle whoever was near it.

He noticed two things as he reached the final stretch and was only a few feet away from the aircraft that was air-dropping Mavericks.  One, there was a figure that was wearing blue and cyan armor that was identical to his.  The other thing was the appearance of another robot that emerged from the airship that was piloting a royal blue war machine that looked designed for fighting.   The pilot was wearing basic body armor with a distinct purple sheen and white and gold highlights. His shoulder pads are rectangular, and has a belt around his waist.  He wore a helmet with a dark, T-shaped visor and a cannon attached to his right shoulder with an ammunition belt connected to his back.

Izuku stared at the blue Reploid for a few more seconds before he began to recognize the robot in front of him.

'Wait . . . that’s . . ..’  Izuku couldn’t finish his thought as he heard something ring throughout the area.

TRAINING SIMULATION COMMENCING

“Training wha . . . “  These were the only words that Izuku heard before he felt a sharp pain in his head as his vision faded.  

When the pain faded and he came to several seconds later, he no longer saw X in front of him.  Instead, he realized he was in front of the robot piloting the blue war machine that was approaching him at terrifying speeds.

The searing pain was the only thing the boy could register in his brain before he felt his body fly across the street, his body hitting the concrete several times before he rolled unceremoniously to a halt.  When the pain subsided enough, a look of horror emerged on his face as he figured out he was no longer able to have things phase through him anymore.

‘What . . . what . . . happened?’  Izuku managed to wheeze out, the pain still radiating throughout his body.  As he stood back up, he realized he landed near a car.  He noticed his reflection in the window and was shocked at what he saw.

Only, he didn’t see himself in his pajamas.  He saw himself wearing X’s uniform.

"What’s the matter, X?!  Don’t tell me that’s all you got!  I want you to at least give my circuits somewhat of a workout before I smash you into so many pieces that they can’t put you back together!"  He heard the Maverick taunt him.

Whatever questions emerged in Izuku’s mind as to how his suit emerged in the dreamscape were quickly discarded as he saw the enemy charging full speed with the giant battle suit.  He barely managed to roll out of the way, seeing the car’s passenger side door get caved in easily from the punch launched by the giant war machine.  His skin went pale as he saw the door ripped from its hinges and the robot effortlessly discard it to the side.  It ominously turned to face him before Izuku found himself evading another deadly strike as the boy tried to figure out a way to survive and defeat this enemy.

On instinct, he charged his X-Buster before directly aiming it at the enemy’s combat vehicle.

"Eat this!"  Izuku cried out before a large blue and pink energy bullet fired out of his weapon as it collided with the enemy.  He smiled as the attack made contact, but his elation turned to horror as the machine didn’t even have a scratch on it!

“Hahahaha, I hope you have more than that outdated scrap on your arm, X!’  Izuku jumped backward, dodging the punches being thrown by the combat vehicle.

'Shit!  This is very bad!’  Izuku shouted in his head as he dodged another eviscerating punch from the machine as he tried to strategize a new plan to neutralize the threat that wanted to kill him.

Flashback End

Unfortunately, nothing Izuku tried worked.  All his attacks bounced off the Ride Armor without so much as a scratch.  And now here he was, getting crushed in its hand as the pilot gleefully laughed, a red glow from his eye shining behind the T-shaped visor.

“You underestimated me!  I hate that about you!  So now, I’m going to crush you like the bug you are, X!  Hope you already said your goodbyes!”  The Maverick’s joy soared as he heard Izuku screaming at the top of his lungs.

‘Am . . . am I going to die?’  Izuku thought in despair, eyes brimming with tears.

He suddenly heard a low hum that began to pick up in intensity before a light blue energy bullet cut right through the Ride Armor’s arm that was squeezing the life out of him, freeing him from its grasp.  He looked up and noticed a red figure standing protectively in front of him.

“X, are you alright?”  The stranger asked him, concern in his voice.

The pilot only scoffed at the stranger in disgust.

“Zero . . .”  Izuku eyes widened at the name mentioned by his adversary as he stared up at the person who saved him in shock.

“Why would someone as powerful as you align yourself with X? He's just a B-Class Hunter, nothing more!”  The purple Maverick asked, confused at the allegiance between his two enemies.

“Vile . . . you’re nothing but a Maverick now.”  The now-identified Zero coldly replied, causing the Maverick to growl in frustration before jumping back on the airship as it flew off in the distance.

Zero turned his head to look at Izuku, who was disappointedly staring at the ground.

“I . . . I couldn’t do anything against him.  If you hadn’t arrived, I would’ve died.”  Izuku told himself, his tone despondent and filled with disappointment regarding his inability to neutralize the threat.  Zero simply stared at the boy for a few seconds before responding.

“X, you shouldn't expect to defeat him.”  Izuku felt his morale sink lower at the blunt assessment before he heard Zero continued his explanation.

“He is designed to be a war machine. Remember, you have not reached full power yet. If you use all the abilities you were designed with, you should become stronger... You may even become as powerful as I am.”  Izuku lifted his head, eyes filled with rising hope.

“You think I can be as strong as you one day, Zero?”  Izuku asked.

“I know so, X.  Anyways, I’m going to continue to scout and collect more information to determine the location of Sigma’s fortress.  You head back to base and get yourself fixed up.”  Zero started to walk away before he heard his comrade call out to him.

“Zero!”  The red Reploid turned around, waiting to hear what the boy had to say, watching him slowly stand back up.

“Thank you.  You saved my life back there.  And I promise you I will become stronger.  We will defeat Sigma.”  Izuku’s voice was filled with determination as he made his declaration.

Zero stared at the boy for a few seconds before turning around and walking away.

“I’m sure we will . . . . . . . Izuku.”

TRAINING SIMULATION CONCLUDED

Izuku’s Room

Izuku’s eyes shot open as he swiftly sat up on his bed, panting as if he just ran a marathon, hand gripping his chest trying to steady his heartbeat after the harrowing experience.  

As he tried to steady his heartbeat, he was trying to make sense of what just happened.  

‘How . . . how did I end up in X’s body?  And how did Zero know my name?!’  Izuku thought, flabbergasted at what happened while he was asleep.

After his heart stopped racing, the boy looked at his alarm clock as he noticed the sun was starting to rise.

6:30

Normally, he would go back to sleep as he didn’t have to be up until 9 in the morning (at least until tomorrow because All Might requested he go to the junkyard at 5:00 in the morning to begin their training), but after what he just went through, the last thing he wanted to do was go back to sleep.

Sighing, the boy decided to get ready for the day.  He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and shower to make himself presentable for his visit with Dr. Kasshu later.  He was pretty nervous about the appointment and the probable bombshell they were about to drop on to the doctor.  If what Dr. Light said was true, his toes would now only have one toe joint instead of the two that designated one as quirkless.  

But those worries were shoved to the back of his mind once he recalled what he just went through as he dried himself after showering.  The devastation on the highway, the battle with that Maverick (while somehow replacing X just before the battle commenced), and Zero saying his actual name left so many questions unanswered for the young man.  

His mind could accept the situation regarding the attack on the highway and the battle against a villain.  If he heard or read about either event in a news story, it wouldn’t shock him too much.  The former would be a bit brazen, but battling villains was commonplace in his world.  But, he didn’t understand what triggered the ‘training simulation’ or how Zero knew his name without ever introducing himself.  

‘Perhaps this might be another of Dr. Light’s built-in programming that finally activated in the suit.’  Izuku wouldn’t be shocked if the doctor implemented his own form of training to help strengthen him.  Getting an idea of how strong Mavericks could be by directly battling them would probably be the best way to gauge his strength, even if they were just simulations.  It could also explain why Zero said his actual name.

Deciding to write those notes down, the young man got dressed and went back into his room.  He sat down at his personal desk before grabbing one of his notebooks, which coincidentally had a cyan-colored cover. 

Opening the first page, he wrote the list provided to him by Dr. Light regarding X’s base capabilities, the quirks that he copied that were assimilated or rejected, and what was created after the process was complete.  He then skipped several pages to leave space for future quirks before finding a spot in the notebook that he would bookmark focusing on potential developments that weren’t listed by Dr. Light.

POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS

TRAINING SIMULATION:

ABEL CITY HIGHWAY

ENEMY BATTLED:  VILE

VARIOUS TYPES OF WEAPONRY

UNKNOWN COMBAT VEHICLE 

CAN WITHSTAND ANY CURRENT LEVEL OF X-BUSTER’S PROJECTILES WITH MINIMAL TO NO DAMAGE

PARALYSIS SHOT

POSSIBLE PURPOSE:  FIRST HANDS-ON BATTLE EXPERIENCE WITH MAVERICKS 

Nodding his head at getting the basics down of this experience, he closed the notebook before hearing his mother enter the room yawning.  

“Time to wake up Izu . . . oh you’re already awake.  I thought you’d be still asleep.”  Inko didn’t expect her son to be up before her.

“I tried to, but I guess the appointment has me a little nervous and on edge about how Mr. Kasshu will react,”  Izuku responded.

“Try to relax, honey.  I’m sure everything will be fine.”  Izuku looked at his mother with an uncharacteristic, deadpan stare.  He was seriously starting to wonder if being unable to keep a poker face when trying to lie was another Midoriya trait.

Inko couldn’t help but chuckle and rub the back of her head in slight embarrassment.  She and her son were pretty awful at telling lies.  So much so that even they could spot when the other was not being truthful.

Izuku deeply sighed before deciding to address the elephant in the room.

“Izuku, I know you’re worried about how Mr. Kasshu is going to react when he sees this. However, if we don’t do this now, he’s going to have questions later if he sees you walking around in a battle suit that you can summon on verbal command alone.”  Inko could see her son wasn’t fully convinced.  She placed her hands on his shoulders to help him relax.

“Honey, you know the type of person Kyoji is.  He won’t hold this against you.”  Inko said, attempting to coax her son into dispelling any doubts he was still having.

“I know, Mom.  But even if I have to tell him the truth, I don’t think he’d believe it.  And I know he’s going to know I’m hiding something if I try to come up with some cover-up story.”  The doctor was probably the closest thing that Izuku could call a friend.  He wasn’t bigoted about the quirkless like most of society.  But he still had his reservations about how’d he react and if he’d ask any questions where he’d be forced to lie. 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there later today.  But for now, let’s just focus on things we can control.  Like what we’re going to eat for breakfast.”  Inko replied, wanting her son to focus on something else for the time being.

“You’re right.  And I’m not craving anything in particular, but I’ll eat whatever you cook Mom.”  Inko smiled as her son tried to relax.

“Alright, I’ll have something made in a few minutes.  Don’t go back to sleep, ok.”  Inko then left the room to prepare a meal for them, leaving Izuku by himself.

Izuku then opened the cyan notebook again, going over his notes and mentally trying to figure out how to apply the weapon gifted to him by his father’s quirk outside of the demonstrations presented by the power suit.

Musutafu Airport

“Ughhhh, finally!  I’d never thought that flight would end!”  Melissa whined as she and her father walked out of the airport while waiting for the chauffeur they had scheduled to pick them up.

“Yes, it was a pretty long flight.”  David couldn’t help but snicker at his daughter’s childish pout.  But he did share her sentiments about the amount of time cooped up in that airplane.  Granted, it was a nicer plane, but being on a plane for several hours wasn’t fun, no matter what amenities were offered to make the trip less strenuous mentally.

“Did Uncle Might give you any instructions on when and where he wanted to meet, Daddy?”  David’s eyes widened as he completely forgot to text Toshinori.  And it reflected as his daughter gave him a deadpan stare.

“You forgot to ask him, didn’t you?”  David could only chuckle in embarrassment.

"I’ll get right to it.”  David took his phone out as he sent a message to his former partner.

David Shield
Hey Toshi.  We’re here in Musutafu.  We’re currently heading to our hotel.  Do you have any place in particular you wanted to meet up at?

“And send.  Now we just have to wait for him to respond.”  Melissa nodded her head, satisfied that her Dad rectified his slight misstep swiftly.  A car horn suddenly honked before they noticed a four-door sedan slowly approaching them.

“Ah, that must be our ride,”  David said, elated to not have to lift his luggage around for much longer.

The car door and the trunk of the car opened before the driver stepped out of the car.  

“Good afternoon!  I hope I didn’t make you wait too long!”  The driver greeted the Shield family.

“Not at all.  You arrived just as we exited the terminal.”  David responded.

“Excellent.  And don’t worry about the luggage.  I can personally place that in the trunk of the car.”  Melissa and David nodded before handing the driver their personal belongings.

“Thank you, sir.”  Both Shields said with smiles on their faces.

“No problem.  We at Yaoyorozu Industries always do our best when it comes to the services we provide.  Whether that be tech, transportation, real estate, or any of our other business ventures, the customer’s comfort and satisfaction comes first.”  The driver replied in a rehearsed manner as he delicately placed their luggage into the vehicle.

Melissa couldn’t help but giggle at how stoically the driver talked as she and her father got into the car and buckled up after they sat down.  The driver joined them in the car shortly afterward, clicking on the screen attached to his dashboard to put in the hotel name that she and her father were staying at for the week.

“It should take us no more than 15 minutes for us to reach the hotel, Mr. Shield.”  The driver informed his passengers as he moved the car’s gear stick from park to drive before the car started moving.  The Shield family nodded in unison as the car’s GPS began to inform the driver of the quickest route to their destination.

Seeing how they were going to be in the car for a while, Melissa and David took out their smartphones to pass the time.  As Melissa looked up parts to help her build various projects she had planned or was already in the middle of building, David decided to reopen his email app to send a reply to the email he had received from the Yaoyorozu matriarch a few hours earlier.

Good afternoon Yaoyorozu-sama,

I am thrilled that the project I have worked on was to your daughter’s liking.  She has one of the most versatile quirks that I have encountered in all my years in the hero business.  The possibilities of what she can accomplish in the field of heroics are only limited to her own imagination.  But hearing what she is already capable of creating with her quirk, I have no doubt she will become one of the greatest heroes of our generation and in recorded history.  If either of you have any additional questions regarding the suit, additional upgrades, or additional side projects you wish for me to work on, I would be more than happy to assist.

Warm regards,

David Shield

“And send.”  David clicked the button to send his email response.  Shortly after he sent it, he received a text message notification.

“I AM HERE IN YOUR PHONE!”  David clicked on the notification that appeared on the top of his screen, ignoring the snickers from the driver and Melissa.

Toshinori Yagi:
Hey David.  I’m currently a bit busy at the moment.  I should be done around 4.  We can meet here.

David opened the hyperlinked map and saved the address before he began to type out his response.

David Shield:
Excellent.  We’ll see you then.  Please let me know if anything comes up and if we need to reschedule or meet elsewhere.

“Mr. Shield, we have arrived at the hotel.”  The driver notified David that they had arrived at their destination and the car slowed to a stop.   David and Melissa nodded before they unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car.  The driver opened the trunk of the car, allowing the Shields to grab their luggage out of the car before they closed the trunk

“Thank you for taking us to the hotel.  You enjoy the rest of your day, and stay safe out there.”  David thanked the driver.

“You’re welcome.  I hope you enjoy your stay in Musutafu.  Thank you for choosing us to drive you around today.”  The driver responded before he began to head back out onto the road to meet up with his next client.

The Shields then took their luggage and entered the building before David approached the receptionist in the lobby.

“Good afternoon, we have a room here reserved for the Shields.”  David showed the receptionist his identification card to confirm his identity to her.  After looking it over for several seconds, she nodded in approval before she began typing on her computer.  After a few minutes, she reached under her desk before giving him two key cards.

“Thank you for your patience, Mr. Shield.  You guys will be staying in the fourth room on the left on the third floor.  If you need any assistance, please let us know.”  David thanked the receptionist for her patronage before he and her daughter went to the elevator to head to their room to unpack.

Kasshu Office

“Ughhhh, Dr. Kasshu . . .”  Izuku tried unsuccessfully to get his personal doctor’s attention.  The nervousness radiating off of him and his mother for the last ten minutes was extremely obvious as they saw the doctor’s black eyes look between Izuku’s new x-ray and the one he had done beforehand last year in disbelief.  Which already added to the shock he felt when he saw Izuku summon his blue and cyan power suit.

The doctor was much taller than the average male in Japan, standing at a towering 6’3”.  He wore a pink dress shirt, brown shoes, black slacks, and a dark blue jacket that went down to his thighs.  His black hair ended at his neck with it curling at the back end and it had several tufts sticking upward.  The man usually had a kind expression on his face, but his facial expression at the moment was one of astonishment.

This was the Midoriyas' personal doctor, Kasshu Kyoji.  

“This . . . this is incredible.  In all my years of performing these X-ray tests, I have never seen a quirkless patient lose their extra toe joint.”  Kyoji said in amazement, flabbergasted at what he could consider a medical miracle presenting himself right in front of him.  It literally went against everything that he was taught regarding how the toe joint phenomena worked.  He placed the radiographs on his desk before grabbing a notepad and sitting in front of the Midoriya. 

He breathed deeply, trying to reign in his emotions and excitement.

“Ms. Midoriya, Izuku.  Before I approve your request to have Izuku’s quirk registration updated, I’d like to ask a few questions.”  Kyoji noted the two tensing up, along with the nervous expressions on their faces.

“Izuku, can you tell me what happened on the day that this quirk manifested?”  Kyoji saw the boy flinch, noticing the hesitation based on the boy’s posture. 

“It happened after school.  I met All Might and asked him if I could become a hero.  He didn’t think I should pursue that career path.  And then . . .”  Kyoji heard the boy gulp loudly.  He had an idea of what event he was probably going to talk about.

“The Sludge Villain incident happened, correct?”  Izuku nodded his head as he didn’t trust himself to be able to verbally describe what happened that day.

“Yeah.  I . . .  After All Might rescued us, I was wandering across the city for the next few hours.” 

“I see, and did you go anywhere in particular?”

“I eventually ended up at the junkyard that used to be the beach and walked into it.”  Kyoji frowned as he couldn’t come up with any probable reasons as to why the boy entered a trash pit.

“And . . . I just fell apart.  I just cried there for a while when I felt my toe start to hurt and my body became enveloped in a blue light.  Next thing I knew, I had this weird suit on me.”  Kyoji wrote down the last of his notes.  He could easily see points in the story where he knew Izuku was holding back, but he couldn’t press the boy too much.  He was probably still pretty shaken up from the ordeal.

“I see.  Thank you, Izuku.  I will send this over to have them change your quirk status and we can probably chalk it up to a false reading for the extra toe joint.  But I want one thing from you guys in return.  You’ll need to tell me what really happened.”  Kyoji could see the color drain from both of their faces.

‘So there is more than what meets the eye regarding that day.’  Kyoji thought as the two could no longer hold their poker faces.

He could see the boy lower his head, obscuring his face from Kyoji’s sight while Inko looked at her son, a worried expression on her face.

“I . . . I want to tell you the whole story Kasshu-san . . . but I . . . I don’t know if it’s mine to tell yet.”  Izuku carefully chose his words as he didn’t want anything to slip up regarding the origins of where his quirk came from.

Kyoji frowned.  It didn’t surprise him that Izuku didn’t want to say what happened.  He had treated him for several cuts, bruises, and skin burns over the years that needed treatment that required more than one could access at home.  Although he was a nice kid, he was pretty stubborn at times about not wanting help.  But, he couldn’t blame him.  Kyoji had seen firsthand the treatment of the quirkless by most of society.  It made his blood boil to see them discriminated against and ostracized for something they had no say in.  It also showed in the quirkless having much higher rates of mental health disorders than their quirked counterparts.

Kyoji sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get much more out of the boy.  He decided to relent and not push further . . . for now.

“I understand.  I guess with everything that happened, you’re still trying to come to grips with such a life-altering development.  I’ll submit the paperwork, but I do wish for you to tell me the whole story with no details purposefully omitted once you are ready.”  Izuku heard the doctor tell him.

“I . . . I got it.  Thank you, Kasshu-san.”  Izuku said, agreeing with the doctor’s terms with some hesitance.  He really needed to talk to All Might to figure out what to do regarding his doctor and whether or not they should let him in on the secret.

“You’re welcome, young man.  Just remember, I am here if you need to talk about anything.”  Izuku couldn’t suppress a faint smile that emerged on his face.

“Do you two have any other questions?”  The Midoriyas shook their heads as they didn’t have anything else to ask at the moment.

“I see.  If you have any for later, just give me a call.  Otherwise, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”  Both Midoriyas said thanks before exiting the office as they walked down the sidewalk to their house, which would take approximately 20 minutes to reach.  As they made their way home, Inko decided to bring up what just happened.

“Well . . . that could’ve gone worse,”  Inko commented, unsure of how to feel about their encounter.  She knew Kyoji was a kind and understanding doctor who treated her son with the dignity and respect few others showed when they learned about Izuku being quirkless.  But she feared how he’d react if they told him the whole truth.

“Yeah . . . I know he’s not gonna stop pressing the issue until I tell him the truth . . . do you think we should Mom?”  Inko stared at her son in surprise.  She’d thought he’d try to come up with a believable lie to get him off their backs.

“I . . . I think we should run it by All Might first.”  Izuku nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah, I thought so too.”  Inko then heard her son’s stomach growl, causing him to blush in embarrassment.  

She chuckled in amusement.

“Why don’t we get some food?”  Inko offered with Izuku verbally agreeing to take the offer as one of his favorite restaurants was nearby.

As the two turned the corner, something or someone ran into Izuku, knocking him down.  His mom rushed to his side, kneeling on the ground.

“Izuku!  Are you alright?!”  Inko exclaimed in worry.

“Yeah, I’m ok.”

As he rubbed his head to clear the cobwebs and the pain, his eyes opened up to see a blonde girl with a pair of aqua-blue eyes staring at him.

Oh, how I wish Vile could be in a Capcom fighting game.  Oh well.  I guess that dream will remain a dream.

Anyways, it looks like things are about to get more interesting.  

Chapter Text

“Ughhhh, my head.”  Melissa groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head to ease the pain of colliding with a random stranger, which resulted in them both falling onto the ground.  

‘I guess that’s what I get for running around a corner like that.’  She chided herself, a little embarrassed at what had just happened.  She was so excited to meet her uncle in everything but blood that she wasn’t watching where she was going.  After the pain subsided, she opened her eyes to see a pair of green eyes staring back at her aqua-blue ones.  

Standing up, she offered her hand to the boy sitting in front of her, an apologetic and worried look on her face as she finally got a good look at the person she knocked down in her zealousness to meet her Uncle Might.

Green was the word that came to mind as she saw his eyes and hair were the same shade of green and he looked to be as old as her.

“Hey, I’m sorry I ran into you like that.”  Melissa apologized.  Her concern only rose as the boy’s face turned several shades of red darker than the dark raspberry pink waistcoat she wore.  Maybe he wasn’t feeling good and her running into him exacerbated whatever illness he was experiencing.

“Izuku, she said she was sorry.  It’s impolite to not accept her apology.”  A woman Melissa assumed was the mother of the boy who she knocked over by accident scolded, although Melissa could tell the older lady wasn’t legitimately upset if the teasing tone in her voice was any indication.  Both saw the comment knock the boy out of his zoned-out state as he quickly took Melissa’s hand before standing up.  He then rapidly bowed in front of her, muttering a string of apologies.

“I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.   I didn’t mean to bump into you.  I should’ve been paying attention but I was so excited to get katsudon and - mutter mutter mutter.”  Melissa was starting to feel a little uncomfortable seeing the boy rapid-fire a string of apologies faster than she could even comprehend, his words blurring together.  Granted, she was glad he wasn’t upset at her running into him, but this was too much.

She grabbed the boy by his shoulder firmly, interrupting his apologetic mutter storm as he stared at her with surprise and . . . nervousness?  She felt him slightly shake, causing her to frown as she saw a look of fear in his eyes.

‘Geez, he looks like he’s about to faint.’ Melissa looked at the mother, wordlessly asking for an explanation as to what just happened.  The mother simply sighed, an amused expression on her face mixed with . . . sadness?

Melissa then redirected her gaze onto the boy in front of her, and her frown only deepened when she saw him look in the other direction, unable to look her in the eye.

‘Is . . . is he afraid of me?’  Although she hadn’t met the boy for more than about three minutes, there was definitely something off about him.  He exhibited signs similar to what she had gone through after she learned she was . . .

Shaking her head to forget that awful day and the events after, she decided to break the ice to help ease the tension and calm the skittish boy.

“Hey, it’s ok.  I’m not mad at you or anything.  I wasn’t watching where I was running.”  The boy looked unconvinced, but Melissa remembered what his mother said.  She saw the boy flinch lightly as a smirk made its way to her face.

“And besides, your mother is correct.  It’s impolite to not accept someone’s apology if they’re being sincere.”  She giggled as the boy turned an even darker shade of red that she didn’t think was possible.

“O-o-o-o-ok.  I-I-I accept y-y-your apology.”  Both girls could only chuckle as they saw the boy stutter and look like he was about to pass out.  Inko decided to give Izuku a break as she decided to introduce themselves to the stranger.

“I guess introductions are in order.  I am Midoriya Inko and this is my son Izuku.”  Inko told the girl as she sent her a kind smile, lightly slapping her son’s back to get him to stop shivering.

“My name is Melissa.  I am here from America to visit my uncle.”  

“Oh, so have you been here before?”  Inko questioned.

Melissa shook her head no.  “This is the first time my Dad and I have been to Musutafu.  My uncle use to live in America and usually flies overseas to see us, not the other way around.”

Suddenly, they heard a man’s voice from around the corner.

“Melissa!  Are you around here?!”  The man’s voice shouted.  The Midoriyas saw the young blonde turn her head to where the source of the noise originated

“I’m right here Dad, just around the corner.”  She answered as the three saw an adult male emerge from the corner.

“Sheesh, pumpkin.  You gotta slow down.  I’m not as spry and quick as I used to be.”  Izuku’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he recognized the man who showed up just now.

“Oh, is this your Da-“  Inko’s question was abruptly interrupted as a cloud of dust kicked up from out of nowhere, enveloping both her and Melissa.  The cloud of dust eventually dispersed as both ladies coughed and rubbed their eyes to get the dirt out of them.   After the irritation in her eyes went away, Inko opened her eyes to see her son literally in front of the man, who was taken aback by the scene that just occurred in front of him.  Inko could tell instantly that the figure must’ve been someone Izuku was a huge fan of based on how his body was basically vibrating with excitement. 

“Oh my goodness, you’re David Shield!  You’re one of the world’s most renowned scientists in Quirk-related research and even won a Nobel Prize!  You were All Might’s sidekick during his time in America and have designed some of the greatest costumes ever, including all of the ones that All Might wore from Young Age to the Golden Age!  Oh my goodness, it’s such an honor to meet you, sir.  I never thought I would ever get to meet you face to face!”  Izuku rambled on, unable to contain the fanboy within him.  David could only chuckle at the boy’s exuberance at meeting him.  Most of All Might’s fans were more familiar with Sir Nighteye as he took more of an on-hand role when it came to hero work compared to the support role David engaged in.  But to hear someone speak of him so highly of him made his chest swell with pride.

“Always happy to meet a fan.”  David held out his hand, which Izuku took and shook it with a little too much enthusiasm.  It was then that the boy made the connection between the girl and the former sidekick, his face paling considerably as he suddenly retracted his hand from David’s grasp.  The middle-aged man tilted his head in confusion as the boy’s face turned to horror.

“Everything alright, young man?”   David asked with concern.

“I . . . I . . . I could’ve injured the daughter of All Might’s former sidekick.”  The Shields shouted in concern as they saw the boy start to sway and his eyes roll to the back of his head.  Inko and David caught him, but it was obvious he passed out from the shock.

“Is he gonna be ok?”  David asked, lightly shaking the boy to get him to wake up.

Inko could only chuckle in amusement.

“He’ll be fine.  He’s just had a lot of crazy things happen to him the last few days.  I think it just finally hit him altogether when he connected the dots that Melissa was your daughter.”  Inko replied, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“He’s really into hero stuff, huh?”  Melissa chimed in.

“He lives and breathes it.  He has numerous analysis books on heroes, their quirks, weaknesses, ways to improve their quirk, potential solutions to cover up their weaknesses, and statistics.”  Inko responded, remembering the number of hours he spent on all of his notebooks.  Some of which led to him not getting enough sleep at times.

“I reckon he wants to be a hero, huh?”  David asked.

“Yes, he does.  More than anything else in the world, he wants to be like -”  Inko began to answer without an ounce of hesitation when a loud, baritone-deep laugh echoed throughout the empty street before a figure crashed into the ground, another cloud of dust covering the area

“I AM HERE, FILLED WITH HAPPINESS AND JOY!”  Melissa’s and David’s eyes widened considerably as the dust began to settle, but they knew that voice from anywhere.

“WELCOME TO MUSUTAFU!  IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU TWO AGAIN AFTER ALL THIS TIME!”  All Might shouted in exuberance.  Melissa quickly recovered from the initial surprise to run at the Symbol of Peace at full speed.

“UNCLE MIGHT!”  Melissa cried out in joy as she jumped at All Might, who caught her and started spinning the both of them around as their joy-filled laughter filled the street.  David simply stood and watched the scene play out, a warm smile on his face.

“Melissa!  It’s so good to see you again!”  All Might happily said.

“It sure is!  It feels like it’s been forever!”  Melissa cheerfully chirped.

“Too long!  I hardly even recognized you.  You’ve gotten so big!”  All Might beamed.

“Well, I am fourteen.  Oh!  I almost forgot!”  Melissa turned so that she introduce the Midoriya family to her uncle.

“Uncle Might, this is-“  Melissa’s introduction was cut off as All Might couldn’t contain his shock at who else was here

“YOUNG MIDORIYA?!  MIDORIYA-SAN?  WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”  All Might exclaimed in disbelief at the boy who began to slowly come back to the world of the living, not noticing the Shields both snapping their heads to look at him in surprise as it appeared he already knew this family.

“All Might . . .”  Izuku groaned out as he stared at his mentor holding the daughter of David Shield as he became fully cognizant of his surroundings. 

“You know these two, Uncle Might?”  Melissa asked, curious as to how these two knew her uncle.

THUD

“Oh no!  Not again!”  Inko cried out in frustration as she tried to get her son to wake up as he passed out again after hearing Melissa refer to All Might as her uncle.

Everyone else stared at the scene with either deadpan (All Might) or confused expressions (the Shields).  Melissa and David then turned to look at All Might, silently waiting for an explanation.

“Hehe, I’ll explain after we get some food.”  All Might rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as Inko tried to get her son to wake back up while trying to prevent his metaphorical soul from leaving his body.

MIDORIYA HOUSEHOLD

“So you ran into Uncle Might after he saved you from a villain who tried to take control of your body?  And that same villain took control of another kid who you tried to save despite not having any sort of hero license or training?”  Melissa incredulously asked the green-haired teenager as her mind couldn’t wrap around someone being so reckless.

“That’s correct.”  Izuku nodded, a little embarrassed at recalling how recklessly he jumped into action that day. 

“Even if you had good intentions, you should’ve left the rescuing to the pros young man.  You could’ve made the situation worse if you were caught along with the other kid.”  David chastised the boy.   However, a small part of him couldn’t help but think about Toshinori’s own heroic nature as he heard the boy’s tale of how he met his friend.

“Yeah.  I know it was foolish, but I just couldn’t sit by and do nothing.  If I just stood by and just watched everything happen, I would never forgive myself.”  Izuku responded as he looked down away from her gaze.  Melissa couldn’t help her frown deepening as his response invoked a myriad of emotions.  Mostly anger at the boy’s foolishness, but a small part of her couldn’t help but admire the boy’s bravery despite being unable to access his power.  All Might coughed (with no blood coming out of his mouth thankfully), getting the attention of the four occupants in the room along with him.

“While yes, Young Midoriya’s actions that day were indeed reckless, the boy showed more bravery than anyone else.  Including the heroes, and even myself.”  David and Melissa both looked to All Might, confused at what he meant.

“What do you mean, Uncle Might?  Midoriya said that you came in and rescued him and the boy trapped by the sludge villain.  How could he be braver than you?”  Melissa questioned, unable to figure out the hidden meaning behind All Might’s words as David’s eyes narrowed.

All five could feel the tension hanging in the room.  All Might remained silent for a few seconds before deeply inhaling and exhaling.  This was it.  

“I think it’s time for me to tell you the truth of my quirk and why I asked you two to fly out here on such short notice.  And how the Midoriya family got involved with all of this.”  All Might stoically said before turning to David

“David, can you soundproof this room?”  David nodded before reaching for his watch, pressing a button.  It was one of his many inventions during his time as All Might’s sidekick.  This particular feature of the watch was developed to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.  A wave of blue energy covered the walls, signaling the process was completed.

‘No turning back now.’  All Might steeled his resolve before revealing what had happened to him physically.

He deactivated his hero form, his muscles deflating and steam covering his form, stunning both David and Melissa, but for different reasons.  With David, he was shocked to see him casually reveal his emaciated form in front of people he couldn’t have known personally for more than a couple of days.  With Melissa, it was something she never in her wildest dreams could have imagined.  A man that was seen by the public at large as unbeatable and indestructible transformed into someone who looked like he could be knocked off his by a strong gust of wind.

All Might grimaced as he saw the reactions on David’s and Melissa’s faces.  He needed to tread carefully to keep emotions from boiling over.

“Melissa . . .”  All Might began, his mind working overtime to figure out how to tell what happened in the last five years.

“What . . . what’s going on Uncle Might?”  Melissa stuttered out, her fear and nervousness starting to overwhelm her.

“A lot has happened in the last five years, Melissa.”  He then lifted his shirt, flinching at Melissa’s and Inko’s shrill cries of horror at the site of the red and purple scar that covered nearly his entire left ribcage.  He noticed the tears that his niece held back were now flowing freely from her eyes.

“I battled a villain five years ago.  A villain that was tougher than any other I have ever encountered in my life.  I was able to defeat him, but I suffered a heavy price physically.  My stomach and most of my respiratory system were destroyed in the battle.  As a result, I am severely restricted in the amount of time I can work as a hero.  In my current state, I can only hold the form you saw earlier for three hours of the day, but that time is dwindling.”  Melissa’s hands covered her mouth in horror, trying to choke back sobs.  David was having a hard time keeping himself together but managed to keep himself from having an emotional outburst.

“This . . . can't be true.  Isn't there something that anyone can do to fix you up, Uncle Might?!”  All Might shook his head no.

“Unfortunately not.  No amount of replacement organs or surgery can fully fix the damage done to me.  Pretty soon, my time as a hero will come to an end.”  All Might looked down in shame as Melissa’s sobs rang out throughout the room.  David held her as silent tears ran down his face.  Inko and Izuku simply looked away, trying to stay steadfast emotionally as All Might’s niece cried her heart out.  After about fifteen minutes, her sobs turned to hiccups, trying to take deep breaths to compose herself.  

“Uncle Might . . . was this the reason why you called us to come here?”  Melissa asked.

“Part of it.  The other part is to tell you two how my quirk works.”  David cocked an eyebrow at the other explanation.  

“As you know, many people guess that my quirk is super-strength or some kind of invulnerability. When I’m asked about my quirk in an interview, I always make a joke and dodge the question.  But this power of mine is something I wasn’t born with.  This quirk is something that was bestowed upon me.”  Melissa’s and David’s jaws dropped at the revelation, a large portion of how they believed quirks worked was thrown out the window.

“You . . . were gifted this quirk.”  Melissa and David slowly said, wanting to make sure they heard right.

“Yes.  My quirk, One for All is a power that has been cultivated and strengthened for generations.  One person improves the power and then finds a successor worthy to pass it down to.  The combined efforts of all my predecessors to strengthen this quirk to where it is today is what allows me to protect the public and save those who need a hero.  That is the true nature of where my strength comes from.”  All Might explained, before staring straight at Melissa.

“And that’s where you come in, Melissa.  Every time I communicate with David, he mentions you in our talks, and he says nothing but wonderful things about you.  Your selflessness, your desire to design equipment to ensure the heroes can do their job with maximum efficiency, and your never give up attitude despite the obstacles thrown in front of you have helped me make the decision.”  All Might then dramatically spread his arms out before making his big declaration.

“Melissa, I have chosen you to become my successor.  My power is now yours to inherit.”  All Might decreed.

An uneasy silence enveloped the room and the tension that was initially hanging overhead was now so thick that you could cut a knife with it.

Melissa lowered her head, her body shaking.  But it wasn’t in elation or happiness . . . it was in anger.

“Melissa?”  All Might called out to her in concern, his confidence waning and being replaced by anxiety.  He was taken aback as she snapped her head back up, her eyes filled with nothing but anger.

“How dare you . . .”  She hissed.  All Might stayed silent, not trusting his voice.

“For ten years . . . I lived with the fact that I couldn’t be a hero like you because of my quirklessness.”  Izuku and Inko’s eyes widened at the bombshell Melissa just revealed.

‘She’s just like me!’  Izuku exclaimed in his head.

“You then picked up the broken pieces and put them back together.  You told me Dad was your hero because he created support items to help you in your hero work. I took that story and ran with it, deciding I could still be a hero in the same way my Dad was.  But now, you call my family out of the blue and have us fly to Japan just for you to tell me this?!  To drop all of the time and effort I put into this to follow a path you said wasn’t possible for me!”  Melissa raged.

“Melissa, please listen-“  All Might tried to explain but was cut off.

“NO!  You lied to me about your power All Might!  I have grown to love the work I’ve done, and now you are trying to pull me away from it by giving me something that you’ve hidden from me for years at the last minute!  I refuse!”  Melissa shouted before grabbing her bag and walking out of the apartment

All Might could only lower his head in shame as the Midoriyas looked at the man in pity and sadness.

“She’s right All Might.  You should know by now that the one thing Melissa hates more than anything is being pitied.  I know you didn’t do so in this instance, but everything you revealed made her feel that way.  And even if she did accept it, I’m still confused as to why you took so long to find a successor.  I know Melissa would never misuse the power, but wouldn’t it be more beneficial to give it to someone who is already experienced?”  David chimed in.

“It’s not that simple, David.”  All Might quietly replied.

“And why is that?”  

“I learned something about the fourth inheritor of One for All.”  David, Inko, and Izuku all looked at the Symbol of Peace in confusion.

“Everyone but him died in battle against the villain that injured me.  He died of natural causes after having One for All for only eighteen years, but his medical records showed no warning signs of his fatal illness until after he inherited the quirk based on his autopsy.”  All Might revealed.

“What are you saying Toshi?”

“I’m saying that I don’t think people with quirks can inherit One for All.  I believe if I give it to anyone that isn’t like Melissa, I fear they might not even live long enough to even come a quarter of a way to mastering it.  The quirk went through three more people before it was given to me.  All three had quirks, but I have had it for almost four decades despite the power being stronger multiple times over than when the fourth inheritor had it.  From what I could gather regarding every holder of One for All, the previous seven had one thing in common that I did not.  It’s the same trait I share with Melissa.”  David’s eyes were still filled with confusion, but after a few seconds, they widened dramatically.

“You . . . were quirkless?”  David finally began putting the puzzle pieces together, and his theory was confirmed as All Might nodded his head.  And so did Izuku, who reflexively got up and started to put on his shoes before he walked to the door.

“Where are you going, Izuku?!”  Inko asked worried.

“To find Melissa,”  Izuku answered before turning to All Might.  

“If you’re worried about me being mad at you, don’t be.  I understand your reasoning All Might.  I’ll talk to Melissa.”  Izuku then opened the before leaving the apartment.

“I think I figured out why the Midoriyas are being told all of this now Toshi.  The young kid must’ve been quirkless at one point, but he somehow acquired a quirk, which made him no longer an option to inherit One for All.  Am I right, Toshi?”  David asked All Might.  All Might looked away, his silence confirming David’s question.

“Was it “him”?”  Toshinori shook his head no.

“Wait, I’m lost.  If it wasn’t “him”, how did he obtain a quirk?”  All Might sighed deeply, before sharply staring at him.

“What I’m about to tell you about Izuku’s quirk does not leave this room.”  David gulped at the intensity in All Might’s eyes.  He wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he knew the boy who just left had won over his friend and he was going to fiercely defend the fanboy no matter what.

TAKOBA

Melissa sat on a railing in front of the junkyard that her Dad used to tell her was once a beautiful beach.  But that was the last thing on her mind at the moment.  Her emotions were all over the place as she sobbed quietly, her mind still reeling from being told All Might’s secret.  The same man who helped her find her passion in developing support items was now trying to put her on a path that she thought was impossible for her.

She heard someone’s footsteps before she felt an additional weight on the bar of the railing.  She lifted her head and saw the boy she met only a few hours ago.  But she wasn’t in the mood to talk.

“Go away.  I don’t feel like talking.”  Melissa grumbled.

“I can’t.”  Izuku shook his head, refusing to abide by her request.

“Why not?”  Melissa snapped.

“I can’t ignore someone who needs help,”  Izuku explained.

“And who says I need your help?”  Melissa snarled, causing the boy to flinch lightly.  However, he took a deep breath before narrowing his eyes, glaring at the girl sitting beside him.

“You didn’t.  But just because you didn’t ask for help doesn’t mean I won’t do my best to try and help you . . . especially since you and I are so much alike.”  Melissa turned to look at the boy when he said they were similar.

“What do you mean?”  Melissa asked, curious to hear what he had to say.

Izuku looked down, his eyes filled with sadness.

“I had the double toe joint.”  Melissa gasped at his answer.  He . . . he had gone through the same things she did.  He probably was still being socially ostracized.

“You’re quirkless . . . wait a second . . . had?”  Melissa looked at the boy, awaiting an explanation. 

Izuku quietly cursed himself under his breath for speaking in the past tense.  

‘Well, they already know All Might’s secret.  What’s one more?’  Izuku mirthlessly said in his head sarcastically.

“Yeah . . . I have only had my quirk for less than two days.  It was gifted to me by someone.”  Izuku answered.

“How?”  Izuku rubbed the back of his head, nervous about how she was going to react.

“I can tell you the truth, but I am pretty certain you’re not going to believe how it happened,”  Izuku admitted.

“Try me,”  Melissa replied.  

“Ok . . . but I need you to promise me that you won’t tell anyone else what I’m about to tell you.”  Melissa nodded her head.  Izuku took a deep breath as he knew there was going to be a lot to cover.  But he needed to do so to convince her to inherit One for All.  If All Might’s theory was correct, this was probably going to be their best shot at making sure it stuck around for as long as possible.

“It all started during the afternoon on Friday . . .”

For the next half hour, Izuku detailed everything that had happened to him.  He told her about the harrowing encounters with the sludge villain, the capsule sent back in time that gifted him his quirk, and the reason why Dr. Light sent it back in time.  He also activated his quirk to give further credence to the story that he was telling Melissa to hopefully erase any doubts she had in her head.

After he was done recalling everything about how he acquired X’s power, he looked at Melissa’s face to see her reaction.  He wasn’t surprised to see she had a look similar to a deer caught in the headlights of a vehicle.  Unable to handle the silence that persisted for several minutes after retelling his quirk’s origin story, Izuku decided to speak up.

“I understand that this is a lot to take in and that the story itself is something most couldn’t even imagine-”  Izuku began before Melissa cut him off.

“A lot to take in?  That whole tale you just told me is . . . I can’t even begin to tell you ridiculously inconceivable it sounds!”  Melissa exclaimed quietly to make sure no one was eavesdropping.  However, her eyes softened as she stared at the boy who she knew shared the same difficulties she did growing up.  That, and the suit looking like a support item fever dream probably helped (and had to hold back from pouting when he deactivated it).

“But . . . I can see it in your eyes . . . you’re not lying about any of this.”  Melissa then turned her head away and looked down at the garbage pile in front of them.

“I’m pretty sure you came here to ask me to reconsider All Might’s offer.  But . . . I need you to give me a good reason why.”  Melissa cringed internally at calling her uncle by his full name instead of Uncle Might, but she was still upset at the man.   

“I know you’re upset with your uncle.  And I can’t blame you for feeling the way that you do right now.  To have him guide you down a path where he thinks you’ll be able to live out your dream when the other path to that same goal is shut off from you.  And then he tells you he wants you to be the one to inherit his legacy, which opened up the path you thought was not a feasible option for you when you already invested so much time to work in support.  You have every right to be angry, but . . . I can’t think of anyone else who is more deserving than you.  And even if we did find someone, they might not be the best candidate to gain his power.”  Izuku explained.

“How am I the best candidate?  There are so many other heroes out there with quirks that have experience who could make better use of All Might’s power with all the traits he said I possessed.”  Melissa argued.

“Perhaps, but they probably wouldn’t have access to it for very long,”  Izuku replied.

“What do you mean?”  Melissa narrowed her eyes, confused and a little frustrated at Izuku for leaving out the reason why a quirked individual shouldn’t receive One for All.

“Your uncle believes that doing so will accelerate any ailments or illnesses for that individual, dramatically decreasing their life span.  He only knows of one user, but he had a much weaker version of One for All.  He was in peak physical condition, but his body deteriorated and he passed away at 40 after having the quirk for less than two decades.  It passed to three more users before your uncle received it, and he’s had it for nearly four decades.  He believes the reason he hasn’t experienced any drawbacks . . . involves something that all three of us have in common.”  Izuku could see the girl trying to figure out what he meant.  Slowly, her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

“He . . . he was quirkless like us.”  Izuku nodded his head.

“Yeah, I believe him handing his quirk to someone who already has one would be like trying to put more water into a glass that already reached its limit capacity-wise.  It’ll overflow and will put a lot more strain on the user’s body.  And considering the fourth didn’t live for two decades with a much weaker version, I wouldn’t be shocked if a quirked individual that was given One for All would pass away from natural causes within a year or two.”  Izuku could see the realization dawning on Melissa’s face.  She finally understood why she was chosen.  Finding a quirkless individual who All Might could trust to inherit his power meant he had very limited options on who could receive it.

“I see . . .”  Melissa got off the bar and walked a few steps before stopping, and turning her head to look at the armored boy a few feet from her who had a confused look on her face.

“Well, are you coming with me?  I’m gonna need you to guide me back to your apartment.”  Melissa asked.

“Oh . . . right.  Wait, does that mean you accept?”  Izuku hastily ran up to catch up to Melissa before both started walking.

Melissa remained quiet as they walked back to the apartment, refusing to tell Izuku what she decided to do.

Yikes . . . talk about an emotional rollercoaster.  But it's not every day you are told that someone entrusts you enough to hold power so great that it can flip society on its head.  Especially by that same person who nudged you to a career path that was not your first choice, only for them to say "Hey I need you to take this and go on the path that person said wasn't possible for you originally.".

Chapter Text

David had his eyes closed as he massaged his temples, trying to comprehend the story of how Izuku acquired a quirk, according to All Might.  Initially, he feared that it was due to “that villain” All Might had informed him about all those years ago.  But the series of events that did occur, which led to Izuku being gifted a quirk was even more outlandish.  Time travel?  A potential artificial devolution in humans that regressed them back to the point where no one could access their quirks?  Misanthropic robots that were capable of independent thought comparable to humans?  A space colony that crashed into the Earth that would eventually lead to the mass extinction of all biological life on the planet?  

He had so many questions about why any of this was allowed to happen in the first place.  The biggest one coming to the forefront:  how in the world did anyone in the future become convinced to give any robotic life that degree of sentience or independent thought?  And why would a doctor mass produce said machines despite the fact he couldn’t fully understand the notes left behind by the person that wrote them down?

And this was just regarding the boy’s quirk.  Toshinori’s own story left him flabbergasted.  He was initially upset at the Symbol of Peace for withholding these secrets from him but after thinking about it for a couple of minutes, he could understand why All Might did not divulge this information to him.  If the public knew that the Symbol of Peace was severely restricted on how many hours he could work as a hero per day, it would cause chaos and pandemonium amongst the general populace.  And All Might’s reasoning for why he selected Melissa to succeed him as the Symbol of Peace made sense if his hypothesis regarding One for All was accurate.  She was the only one they knew who could safely inherit the quirk.  However, he was upset at his friend for asking Melissa to abandon everything she planned for the last ten years to take on this responsibility.

“Nothing normal ever happens when it comes to you, huh Toshi?”  David rhetorically asked his friend, who chuckled while rubbing the back of his head.

“At this point, I don’t think it’d be normal if my life stopped having these events occur.  Hell, my life has been a stranger than fiction story for the last four decades.  And it appears Midoriya-shounen is going to live the same type of life I have.  But he has me beat with how he acquired his quirk.”  All Might chuckled in amusement, reminiscing the roller coaster ride that was his life, and how Midoriya would now go down a similar path that would more than likely have a litany of twists and turns.

“So, where do you see the boy potential-wise once he gets a hold of his quirk?”  David asked, curious to note where the armor-wielding boy would stack up with the best of the best once he fulfilled his potential.

“That’s the thing, David.  It’s hard to gauge Midoriya-shounen’s potential.  There are so many variables that come into play.  If he was just restricted to his base form and got proper close combat training, I’d put him in the teens to twenties at worst.  Once he gets the upgrades integrated into the power suit, I can see him hitting the top of the board.”  All Might answered, giving his friend his honest assessment of his soon-to-be apprentice.

“What is his suit capable of?”  David started to feel a little uneasy a few seconds after asking the question as All Might began grinning like a kid in a candy store being told by his parents he could buy whatever he wanted.

“If someone replicated that suit. they’d never work another day in their life again.”  David looked at the man with heavy skepticism.  He had seen support items that pushed heroes to heights they couldn’t imagine, but this suit couldn’t be that special.  But he decided to test Toshinori’s optimism.

“Oh come on Toshi. it can’t be that groundbreaking.  You and I have seen various power suits that can mimic powerful quirks.”  David saw the man’s grin not wavering in the slightest despite the skepticism being levied his way.

“Can any of those suits assimilate quirks and use them to create new weaponry or enhance a suit’s current capabilities?”  All Might rhetorically asked the scientist, who was now gaping like a fish.

“Are . . . are you saying that it can copy quirks and repurpose them?”  David slowly questioned, wanting to make sure he was hearing things correctly.

“Correct.  And that’s what will make Midoriya-shounen such a difficult opponent for any villain to face once he realizes his potential.  He can utilize his abilities against a variety of opponents and apply them in various scenarios ranging from rescue to reconnaissance depending on what the suit creates from the quirks he copies.”  All Might confirmed as he struggled to hold back his laughter from seeing David’s eyes become as wide as dinner plates.  He could see his former sidekick slowly slide further down in the couch chair he was sitting on, trying to come to grips with the immense power contained within Izuku.

“That kid is going to be a problem for villains once he gets the proper training.  It has to have some sort of weakness though, right Toshi?”  David asked, exasperation evident in his voice.

“We haven’t tested it out in any sort of scenario yet, but based on what we learned, it’ll work at peak performance if exposed to sunlight.  Its power will decrease if Midoriya-shounen is in areas with little sunlight or if he utilizes it during the evening hours.”  All Might revealed.

“Ah . . . I see.  I guess we will have a better grasp of its true potential once we take it for a trial run.”  David replied.  A key unlocking the door grabbed the attention of all the adults in the room as it opened.  Izuku and Melissa walked into the apartment and sat in some chairs at the dining room table.

“Everything alright, pumpkin?”  David mentally slapped himself for asking such a stupid question.   He cringed as he saw his daughter send him an annoyed look.  Inko could sense the tension in the room and decided to intervene.

“Would you like something to drink Melissa?  Izuku?”  Inko offered, hoping to get the girl to relax.  Melissa stared at the mother for several seconds before deciding to answer.

“Tea.”  Inko nodded before she went into the refrigerator. She opened the kitchen appliance and grabbed a container that held the beverage Melissa wanted.

“Do you guys want anything?  Inko asked the other adults as she grabbed some glasses out of one of the kitchen cabinets.  Toshinori and David vocally declined her request.

“Thank you, (Mom).”  Izuku and Melissa thanked Inko simultaneously before drinking the beverage, both closing their eyes to savor the flavor

There was an awkward silence as the adults waited for the two teenagers to finish their drinks before continuing the conversation regarding All Might’s decision to pass his quirk to Melissa.  All Might decided to take the metaphorical leap and break the silence.

“Melissa . . . listen . . . I understand why you’re upset-“  All Might’s explanation was cut short as Melissa lifted her free hand, and stuck her index finger up, telling All Might to stop talking until she stopped drinking her tea.  Once the glass was empty, she placed the glass on a coaster on the table.

“Ahh, that hit the spot.  This is some good tea, Ms. Midoriya.”  Melissa gushed to the mother, who uneasily smiled with a sweat drop behind her head.

“Oh . . . uh. . . . thank you, Melissa.”  Inko stuttered as the girl smiled.  Melissa then turned her head to All Might, glaring daggers at the man.

“You are very fortunate Izuku has a way with words.  I wish he would’ve taken your gift, but since he got his own from the future, that’s no longer an option.”  All Might felt himself shrink as her eyes tried to bore a hole in his head with her glare.

“I am still furious with you, All Might.  You brought Dad and me here and flipped everything I believed about my future upside down.  A future I had planned out for the last ten years.  You also lied to us regarding your quirk and your past.  The worst thing about all of this is that you couldn’t trust my Dad or me with the truth.  That hurts.  It hurts more than I can even put into words.”  All Might looked down, slowly accepting the fact that Melissa was probably going to reject his gift and that his actions more than likely destroyed the personal relationship he had with the Shield family.

“But . . . a hero is supposed to overcome adversity.  You don’t have a lot of other options unless you want to risk the chance of losing One for All in the next few years.”  All Might’s eyes widened as his head snapped back up to look at his niece.

“Does . . .  does that mean you will-“  All Might stuttered before he was cut off again.

“Yes . . . I will accept your gift, but DO NOT think this is me forgiving you All Might.”  Melissa confirmed.

“I understand.”  All Might said.  He felt a sense of relief that he could pass his quirk down, but it came at a cost.   Hopefully, Melissa would warm up to him again or this would be a Pyrrhic victory for him.

Not wanting to discuss All Might’s quirk anymore, Melissa turned to the green-haired teen, who stiffened up at being in her line of sight.

“Hey, Izuku.  Do you think we can talk about your quirk?  I’m really curious to see what it’s capable of.”  Melissa asked.

“Y-y-y-yeah, sure.”  Izuku stuttered.  While Izuku materialized his suit, All Might let Inko and David know he needed to step outside for a moment.  He walked outside until he was far enough from any prying eyes or ears.

He scrolled through his contacts before selecting the one he needed to talk to.

The phone rang for several seconds before the person on the other side of the line answered.

“Good evening! It's me, Nezu, the one who could be a dog or a mouse or a bear, but more importantly... I'm the principal!  To what do I owe the pleasure of you calling me, Toshinori?”  The voice on the other side of the line asked.

All Might remained silent for a few seconds.

“Everything alright, Toshinori?”  The chipper voice asked with concern.  All Might sighed before answering.

“Nine.”  The voice on the other line remained silent for a few seconds before replying.

“I see.  We will have everything set up for them.  Make sure to bring them to U.A. tomorrow at 8:00 A.M. sharp.”  Nezu said.

“Thank you, Nezu.  Have a good evening, sir.”  All Might told his future boss, who replied in kind before ending the phone call.

All Might put the phone away before he headed back into the apartment.

YAOYOROZU MANSION

On the other side of town, a tall teen with a spiky, black ponytail and a mature physique was panting in exhaustion as she focused on trying to create the new suit David Shield designed for her.  The extremely complicated piece of machinery was designed with some of the latest pieces of technology available on the market.  It would aid her immensely in her hero career once it was fully developed and enough spare parts were made for her to make repairs if it was damaged.  The suit had two noticeable features.  The first feature was that it had various sections of panels that could open up, allowing the teen to access her quirk without destroying it by accident.  The other feature was a programming safeguard implemented by David Shield.  If it was created using her quirk, it could only work if she materialized it fully.  If it didn’t, the suit would be useful only for scrap metal for potential repairs.  The suit was suggested by her mother, who was worried about the lack of protection that Momo’s current hero costume granted her. 

A multi-color glow covered her entire form as she attempted to form the suit.  After several seconds, the light enveloped the training room.  As the light died down, the girl looked at a body mirror across the room and frowned.  The suit materialized around her torso and halfway down her legs.  It failed to materialize everywhere else.

A static-like noise reverberated throughout the room before a voice talked through an intercom.

“That’s enough training for the day, Momo.  Alfred, please get my daughter some clothes.”  An older female voice said, signaling the teen to cease her training.

“Yes, Master Yaoyorozu.”  Momo heard an older male voice reply before the intercom turned off.  She sighed, disappointed that she was unsuccessful in creating her new support item.  She heard the door open to the training before turning around, and seeing her mother walk into the room.

Yaoyorozu Mikoto is a fair-skinned woman with long, straight black hair with bangs hanging on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks and black eyes. She was wearing a simple, dark purple blouse with a red-plum skirt and a light-yellow apron normally worn over it.

“Well done, Momo.  You have made excellent progress using your quirk in creating the suit Mr. Shield designed for you.”  Mikoto complimented, proud of her daughter for being able to make such strides in being able to utilize her temporary ultimate move.

“Thank you, Mother.”  The teen replied, a hint of disappointment in her tone.  Something that Mikoto took notice of.  Mikoto walked up to Momo before placing her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, gently but firmly squeezing them.

“Momo, you’ve only attempted to form the suit a few times during the last few days.  Don’t be too harsh on yourself.  I know you’ll get the hang of it and be able to create it in its entirety soon.”  Mikoto gently told her, not wanting her daughter to be too hard on herself.  

“I understand, Mother.  But . . .”  Momo felt a finger placed on her lips, telling her to stop.

“Momo, you need to relax.  You have an entire year before the recommendation exam.  You’re going to do fine.  Even if you haven’t mastered creating the suit yet, I know you’re strong enough to get into U.A. based on where you are right now.  Especially with all the time and practice you put into learning about various subjects, materials, and objects to maximize your use of Creation.”  Mikoto assured her daughter, who was looking down at the ground.  

She saw her daughter look up at her with a small smile.

“Thank you, Mother.  I appreciate it.”  Momo replied.

“You’re welcome.  You can relax for the rest of the day.  You’ll be doing more bojutsu training in two days with Saru.  But for now, get dressed.  Dinner will be ready soon.”  Momo nodded before Alfred came into the room to give her the spare clothes Mikoto requested.

MIDORIYA APARTMENT

“Incredible,”  David whispered as he read through a list holographically projected a few inches from him thanks to the boy’s suit.

Armor/chest part:

• Body Skin: Lightweight "Titanium-X" (stronger than tungsten).
• Accumulative Energy Generator:  Stores solar energy. This primary power supply generates the necessary energy to fuel all of X's systems.

Head part:

• Self-repair program:  Battlesuit will regain energy and self-repair damages when inactive in the pocket dimension or if the user is standing still
• Ultra-sensitive Voice Recognition System:  acute voice recognition in low volume/clarity situations
• Universal language translator
• Armor-piercing/Non-piercing automated programming:  changes energy projectile properties depending on the target.  
• If a projectile would hit both humans and robots simultaneously, programming will default the projectile’s property to nonfatal and non-piercing (armor-piercing will only be applied to humans if the threat to the public condition is met)
• Armor upgrades:  helmet, body, arm, and leg sections can be enhanced if certain quirks are assimilated

Arm part:

• X-Buster (Mega Buster Mark 17): X's main weapon. Converts solar energy into a high-powered, separate burst. 
• Energy Amplification Device: Amplifies stored energy to release a more powerful charge shot.
• Variable Weapon System: Can use up to 8 modified weapons or systems copied from other robots or quirked individuals (programming chips or copying a person’s DNA) 
• Note:  not all quirks can be assimilated into battle armor.   The suit will inform the user if the quirk is not compatible.

Leg part:

• Emergency Acceleration System

“Incredible is putting it mildly.  A lot of these upgrades by themselves would be considered groundbreaking and could flip various industries on their heads!  The ability to self-repair, understand any language, and automated programming controlling a projectile’s physical properties before firing it?!  I never thought this type of technology would even be feasible to pursue!  This Dr. Light figure was ahead of his time!”  Melissa gushed, feeling a bit envious of Izuku and All Might meeting such a brilliant mind.  

The rest was self-explanatory, but there was one particular section that Izuku was curious about.

“Hey, do you mind if I click on the leg section of this list?  I’m curious to see what it’s capable of.”  Everyone nodded before the armored boy clicked on the section, arriving at a new screen that had a video in front of him.  He pressed the play button before it showed X running before some fire ignited underneath the soles of his feet while he lowered his body.  His body rocketed forward at much faster speeds, using his feet to slow himself to a stop.

‘Hmm, so it works similarly to Gran Torino’s Jet quirk.’  All Might noted, feeling a sense of nostalgia and fear from thinking about his old high school teacher.  Shaking his head to get rid of the fear he felt remembering the brutal training regiment his old teacher put him through, he smirked at Izuku’s and Melissa’s gushing about the possibilities of what the leg armor piece would gift the boy.  

Inko couldn’t help but smile at her son being able to talk to someone his age.  She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him this happy.  It seemed that things were finally looking up for the boy.  She turned her head and her eyes widened as it was already 8 P.M.

“Hey, guys, as much as I like to hear you two talk about quirks, Izuku needs to head to bed for the evening.  He has to wake up pretty early tomorrow.”  Inko told her guests.  All Might’s head perked up, remembering his conversation with the principal of U.A. from earlier.  

“Thank you for bringing up Izuku’s training Midoriya-san.  I’ll be sure to let him know what his schedule is going to be like in the next few months.  Speaking of scheduling, I’m going to need the two of you to head to U.A. High School tomorrow at 8:00 A.M. sharp.”  All Might informed the Shields.

“Does this involve One for All?”  David asked.

“Yes.  Melissa’s training will be supervised and conducted at the training facilities.  The Principal will also assist in having your daughter transferred over to one of the middle schools here in the area, and U.A. will send you a job offer to assist Power Loader with the Support Class.”  All Might explained.

Melissa and David nodded their heads before gathering their belongings.  The two said their goodbyes to the other occupants of the apartment before departing for the day.

After the Shields exited the apartment,  All Might let out a deep sigh before sinking further into the couch, placing his hands on his head.

“Are you going to be alright?”  Inko asked in concern.

“To be honest with you two, I’m not sure.  I’m glad that One for All will now be in the hands of someone who I know will make great use of it, but I’m wondering if nearly destroying my relationship with my niece was worth it.”  All Might responded, the melancholy in his voice evident.

“It’ll be alright.  I’m sure she’ll come around and be back to calling you Uncle Might in no time.”  All Might smiled at his pseudo-successor’s attempt to try and cheer him up.

“I hope so.  Anyways, be sure to meet me at the junkyard at 5:00 A.M. tomorrow so we can begin our training.”  All Might instructed Izuku before departing for the evening.

“Well . . . today was something else,”  Inko commented after several seconds of silence.

“I have a feeling I’m going to be saying that plenty of times during the next few years.”  Izuku exasperatedly replied, already starting to feel tired mentally.

“I wouldn’t be surprised.  But I know if anyone can overcome them, it’s you.”  Inko responded, showcasing her full confidence in her son.

“Thanks, Mom.”  Izuku smiled at his mother, happy to see her fully supporting his dream.

“No problem, honey.  Anyways, it’s time for bed.  You’re going to need to wake up bright and early tomorrow, so you’ll need as much sleep as possible.”  Izuku nodded before hugging his mother as she kissed him goodnight.

After changing into his night clothes and brushing his teeth, Izuku climbed into his bed.  After 30 minutes, he fell into a deep sleep, where he once again began dreaming . . .

ABEL CITY

The sunlight’s harsh rays covered Izuku’s face, causing his eyes to twitch before they slowly opened.  He hissed in annoyance at how bright the sunlight was, closing his eyes to help him get adjusted to the sun’s intensity.  As he came to, he looked around and noticed once again he wasn’t in his room.  However, some of the buildings he saw were familiar to him.  After a few more seconds, he realized that he was back in Abel City.

Once he realized where he was, Izuku felt a feeling of dread wash over his body at the possibility of having to fight again.  It only grew as he saw another building collapse.  And once again, his body began to move on instinct.  As he ran to the source of where the building collapsed, he noticed a massive blue projectile fire from the sky, causing the ground beneath him to shake.  He temporarily lost his footing and tripped before catching himself with his hands, but his anxiety spiked exponentially at the devastating power displayed in the attack.

‘I hope I don’t I have to battle whoever did that.’  Izuku thought, his anxiety growing as he kept getting closer until he was in front of the building, running past the Reploids until he saw the cause of the chaos.  It was a spider-shaped robot that looked like it was built for construction work if the yellow and black markings meant the same thing in this timeline as it did in his.  It was currently stuck in some ice that it was slowly breaking through as it threw around the Reploids that were trying to subdue it.  Izuku saw two distinct glows start to grow in intensity near what appeared to be its face.

‘Please don’t tell me it’s . . . -'  Izuku’s fears were realized as it fired two orange lasers, cutting through various machines and forcing the Reploids to scatter to avoid getting shot, much to Izuku’s horror.

It only got worse as the Maverick broke free of the ice and tried to grab a penguin-like robot who evaded the attack.  However, the relief he felt from seeing the Reploid evading the claw was short-lived as another one was caught in its grasp  The captured Reploid started begging for help as the Maverick began to make its attempt to traverse into the city.  

‘There’s gotta be something I can do!’  Izuku screamed, feeling powerless at seeing the devastation being caused by this giant Maverick.  However, he heard another pair of footsteps running to confront the Maverick.  He turned his head and time seemed to stop as he noticed a Reploid that was blue and cyan.  

“X!”  Izuku shouted.  However, the robot rushed right past him without even saying a word.  The green-haired teen then realized he must’ve been watching one of X’s old memories, which is why the robot did not respond to him.  His hypothesizing was interrupted when he noticed X fire two energy bullets at the Maverick’s legs, which bounced off the rampaging machine without so much as a scratch.  It responded by trying to crush X and company with its legs as it got closer to escaping into the street.

“I won’t let you push my friends around like that!”  A second voice shouted, causing Izuku to look up.  His eyes widened as he noticed a familiar robot with blonde hair and red and white armor.

“It’s Zero!”  Izuku shouted, feeling a huge sense of relief wash over him as he knew how powerful the Maverick Hunter was.  He fired an energy bullet from his arm cannon into one of the gems on the Maverick’s legs.  Izuku noticed it severely hampered the Maverick’s movement as the power in Zero’s attack caused him to fly back several feet.  Izuku then turned his head to see X lift his X-Buster to fire another energy blast.  Izuku looked to see where he was aiming, hearing the penguin-like robot screaming at X to hit its generator.  After examining the robot, Izuku saw another pink gem in the undercarriage of the robot.

The only problem was . . . it was directly in front of the claw.  The same claw that was holding a Reploid in its grasp.

Izuku walked until he was behind X, and his fears were confirmed.  The claw was swaying just enough that it gave X barely any opening to land a clean hit on the generator.

“X!  Hurry!”  The penguin Reploid squawked/screamed, trying to get the blue robot to fire his X-Buster.  However, X was still not able to pull the trigger.

‘He . . . he can’t do it!  He doesn’t want to risk destroying his comrade!’  Izuku exclaimed in his head, his anxiety now spiking as the situation was getting more dire as more seconds passed until . . .

A figure that was primarily green and black with brown boots jumped into a fray with a lightsaber in hand before slicing through the claw to cut the generator.  The attack proved to be effective as the Maverick eventually stopped moving and collapsed.  However, the Reploid that was taken hostage did not escape unscathed as he lost an arm in the process.  The Reploids then began to call for additional orders to secure the area to assess all of the damages and casualties.

A few more minutes pass as the scene was secured.  Izuku walked next to X, seeing a somber look on his face.  Izuku couldn’t help but feel for the robot.  X was put in a very intense, high-pressure situation where he needed to place a perfect shot to hit that generator without damaging his comrade.

“X!”  A nasal voice shouted out, capturing his and X’s attention.  Both turned to see the penguin Reploid running up to the two of them.

“Why didn’t you shoot?”  It asked, confused as to why X did not pull the trigger.  Izuku looked at the penguin with disbelief in his eyes, wondering how he missed the position X was put in.

“Chill Penguin, I . . . I. . .” X struggled to come up with a response before he was interrupted.

“Do you have any idea how many casualties there would have been if the commander hadn't taken that thing out when he did?!”  Chill Penguin scolded his fellow Maverick Hunter before the Reploid that was captured chimed in, telling X that it was his own fault that he got himself captured by the Maverick before he was taken to a nearby ambulance.

Izuku saw X turn his head to look at his commander, who just finished conversing with another Reploid before he turned around and started approaching the trio.  He turned his head to see how the two were reacting before noticing Chill Penguin scamper off.

Izuku finally got a good look at the green and black Reploid who appeared to have led the group.  He seemed very familiar to Izuku, but he was sure he hadn’t seen him before.

“X.”  The Commander greeted his subordinate.

“Yes, Commander Sigma, sir?”  X greeted in return.  Izuku could hear the self-deprecating tone in X’s voice.  But that was the last thing on his mind as he stared up at the giant in front of them, fear once again gripping his body as he recalled the threat Dr. Light warned him about.  The same threat that was now only feet away from them.

“Your aiming capabilities are no different than my own. You could have easily hit the generator.”  Sigma told X, chastising him on his inability to act.  Izuku disagreed with that assessment as that shot would’ve been very difficult for anyone in his world to make.  Heroes were tasked to neutralize any threats, and one could kiss their career goodbye if they decided to do so at the expense of any civilian or hero unless permitted to do so.

“You are aware that there was only a small chance that our compatriot would have been hit by the blast, correct?”  Izuku’s eyes narrowed as he continued to hear Sigma casually talk about the supposed minimal odds of the captured Reploid escaping without sustaining any damage from a projectile attack.

“Yes, Commander . . . I . . .”

“Listen well, X. There are times when we Maverick Hunters cannot afford to hesitate in pulling the trigger. We must become both sword and shield for those who cannot protect themselves: that is our sworn duty. Never forget that!”  Izuku’s eyes widened as he heard the Commander impart his final words of wisdom to X (and himself) as he gave out one final order to the Maverick Hunters to return to base once the casualties were accounted for.

The scene froze before Sigma looked over his shoulder at Izuku.  Izuku slowly noticed that everyone else stopped moving and began to back up in fear.  The boy felt his heartbeat thump in his chest as the primary cause of humanity’s extinction was looking at him with no one around to stop him.

“Be sure to take what you saw in this memory and apply it to your career in heroics, Izuku.  There will be times when you’ll be placed in a high-pressure situation like X was in just now.  You will be forced to make tough choices at a moment’s notice.  Choices that some will not agree with.  But you must always remember this:  ensuring the safety of the public is the primary goal in your line of work.”  Sigma instructed the boy before their surroundings began moving again as the scene in front of Izuku began to fade to black.

IZUKU’S ROOM

Izuku once again sat up swiftly in his bed, his heart racing faster than he can comprehend.  He grimaced as he felt his clothes stick to his body due to the sweat coating his form.  He glanced at his clock and realized he had woken up 15 minutes before he needed to get up and prepare for the first day of training.  Sighing, Izuku placed his damp clothes in the hamper before he got into the shower to rinse the sweat off.  

‘I think it’s safe to assume that this suit is most likely training and teaching me by having me experience the same events X did in his life.’  Izuku could only hope that these dreams would not occur on a nightly basis as he dried himself and put on his clothes.  At the very least, he’d hope that it could wait until after he finished his training. 

He made himself a quick breakfast before exiting the apartment with 30 minutes left before he had to meet All Might.

TAKOBA MUNICIPAL BEACH PARK

All Might looked down in amusement at the boy who was struggling to pull a fridge across the sand of the beach.

“Man, the morning breeze up on this refrigerator is absolutely fantastic!  How ya holdin’ up down there so far young man?”  It also didn’t help that the man was in his hero form on top of the appliance, adding several hundred pounds for his pseudo-successor to try and pull.  The hero got his answer as the boy lost his grip on the ropes he had wrapped around the fridge to pull it before falling on his face.

All Might chuckled before jumping off the fridge and picking up the young man and helping him stand upright again.

“Now do you see what I was trying to tell you earlier?”  Izuku nodded, slightly embarrassed that he didn’t heed his mentor’s advice at starting small as he looked at his rail-thin form.  

“Hey, All Might . . . wouldn’t a gym have been as equally useful to have my body physically ready to assimilate your quirk?”  Izuku asked, curious to see why they had chosen this destination and this particular form of exercise to get his body ready to potentially assimilate it.

“Yes, but this location will allow you to go through your exercises without any potential interruptions from other people.  It will also be your first act of civil service for the surrounding community.”  Izuku tilted his head, slightly confused as to what All Might was trying to communicate to him.

“I did some research regarding this area where you were gifted your quirk by Dr. Light.  It used to be a beautiful beach, but for the last several years it has been used by people to illegally dump their trash.  The currents from the ocean have also contributed to the rampant pollution that has plagued this particular section.”  All Might then walked to the fridge that Izuku had attempted to pull across the sand and lifted it with one hand, effortlessly tossing it several feet into the air several times while looking at the boy.

“Most people only see the glitz and glamour of the hero world.  They mostly see heroes parade their accomplishments in front of the camera, most of which are beating up or capturing villains.  But before quirks were a thing, serving your community was what mattered, even if it didn’t come with all the bells and whistles that come with hero work today.”  All Might explained to Izuku before he threw the fridge in the air and punched it, obliterating it and the trash pile behind it.  It cleared a small section of the junkyard, exposing the coastline.  Izuku could only watch in awe as the force of All Might’s punch parted the water for several seconds before it settled back to its original state.

“Which is why I chose this particular assignment for you to complete during the next ten months.”  All Might then pulled out several pieces of paper titled Aim to Pass:  American Dream Plan before handing it over to Izuku.

“This plan will put you on schedule to have this entire section of the beach cleared just in time for the exam.”  Izuku looked through the plan and was impressed with how thoroughly detailed it was.

Izuku suddenly felt a beefy hand placed on his shoulder and noticed All Might leaning down to whisper something into his ear.

“I’m not going to lie to you young man, this schedule is going to be pretty tough.  Are you up to the task of following this training regiment I have created from start to finish?”  All Might noticed Izuku intensely staring at the training schedule before seeing his green eyes harden in determination.

“Yes.  Everyone else who is participating in this exam has a decade head start with their quirk.  If I’m going to stand side-by-side with them, then I’m going to have to work harder than anyone else if I want to make it into the U.A. hero course.  I’ll have to go beyond, plus ultra!”  All MIght could see the fire blazing in the young man’s eyes.  The determination in them caused the hero to smile.

“Well then . . . let’s get right to it.”  All Might shouted out before Izuku began the first day of his ten-month personal training hell.

U.A. HIGH SCHOOL

Meanwhile, the future ninth wielder of One for All was sitting next to her father in front of an animal dressed in a black double-breasted waistcoat, black slacks, a white dress shirt with a red tie, and orange sneakers that looked very similar to the ones Izuku owned.   

“Thank you for coming in on such short notice.  Usually, we try to schedule these things a little further out in advance, but considering the extenuating circumstances surrounding your arrival here, I felt it best that we get started as quickly as possible.  Especially since the exam for U.A. High School’s hero course will take place in ten months.”  The principal could see Melissa’s eyes became downcast, but his attention was grabbed by David’s voice.

“Yes . . . while I wish we were given more time to adjust ourselves to this new life, we were the ones who decided to stay here in Japan for the long run.”  Nezu could hear the begrudging bitterness in David’s tone as he tried to downplay how much this change was affecting him and his daughter. 

“Indeed.  Your family has had to adjust to these long-term changes without being given the proper time to settle into your new life.  But we at U.A. will do our absolute best to make this new phase in your life as seamless and painless as possible.”  Nezu assured the Shield family.  David nodded, thankful that the school would be with them in adjusting to their new home.  Nezu turned to look at Melissa, who still had a somber aura hanging around her.

“And how are you adjusting to these new changes, Ms. Shield?”  Nezu could see Melissa lightly flinch.  Her reaction didn’t surprise the principal.  He had been informed of the girl’s past and how she had planned her future out for several years before Toshinori revealed to her his secret and how he wanted to pass down the torch that was his quirk to her.

“I . . .  I . . .”  Melissa quietly whispered, not sure how to convey her thoughts into words without going into a rage-filled rant.

“You don’t have to go into detail if you’re not comfortable with telling us what’s on your mind.  I’d rather you trust me and run it by your father first before you divulge any personal issues that are currently affecting you physically or mentally.”  Nezu interrupted, assuring the girl that he would not force her to reveal information that she believed he was not privy to yet.

“No, it’s ok Principal Nezu.  It’s just been a whirlwind these last few days.”  Melissa told the principal, sighing before mentally preparing herself to tell him what was bothering her.

“It’s just . . . I’m having a tough time trying to figure out who and what to believe right now.  For ten years, I forged a path in my mind on how I was going to be a beneficial member of the hero community.  When I first decided I wanted to work in this field, my initial path was to be a hero just like All Might.  But then, that fell apart when I learned I would never develop a quirk of my own.  I was devastated, and I wasn’t sure what to do next.  But, All Might told me that I didn’t need to have a quirk to be a hero.  He even told me my Dad was his hero, and I was nudged into walking the same path my father is on.  I accepted my limitations and was happy that I could still be of use to people like him.  But then . . . he flipped it all upside down.  He hid so many things from my father and me that I can’t help but feel anger and resentment toward that man right now.”  Nezu remained calm as Melissa’s head shot up, eyes filled with rage as she was unable to keep herself composed anymore.

“I made so much progress in what I had learned to love, only for it to be ripped away from me.  I know I could’ve said no, but that would mean All Might would not be able to find a suitable candidate to pass his quirk down.  So I swallowed the bitter pill that was this new life and accepted it.  So to answer your question as to how well I am adjusting to all of these changes, I’m having a fucking terrible time right now.  I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, and I can’t help but believe everything that has happened since I got here is just done with pity mixed with nepotism.”  Melissa felt her anger drain slowly after letting out all of the insecurities and issues she’s had since yesterday, but it was replaced with sadness as she covered her eyes with the palms of her hands to keep herself from crying.

“I see,”  Nezu replied, but it fell on deaf ears as the girl didn’t hear her response.  Instead, he climbed onto the desk before reaching over to grab Melissa’s shoulder, causing her to look up as tears stained her face.

“I can’t honestly say I understand how you’re feeling, but I believe I understand why you feel the way you do.”  Melissa’s eyes narrowed at the Principal, who remained steadfast despite the daggers being directed at him.

“Toshinori told me about this particular conundrum you are facing.  No one here blames you for reacting this way.  This path you chose to walk wasn't initially available to you, and nothing to the contrary emerged that would make you believe you'd have a chance to be a hero in the way All Might was.  This led you to pursue an alternative career path that would allow you to be a hero by giving those on the frontline the equipment they needed to accomplish their mission.  Something you pursued with determination for most of your life."  Nezu could see the girl’s face becoming annoyed, wordlessly telling him to get to the point.  She shifted in her seat uncomfortably at the twinkle in his eyes and the mischievous grin that had made its way to his face.

“This is why I hired David to help assist Power Loader with the support course class.  We took a look at your portfolio that you have developed so far, and Power Loader is very impressed with what you have built.  We at U.A. have realized the limitations we have placed on our students by having them pigeonholed into one particular career path.  It’s hard to count the number of times a hero also has a knack for building support items and vice versa that have slipped through the cracks.  This is why I’m having you assigned as an apprentice under Power Loader during your tenure here at U.A. High.  This will allow you to have the flexibility to be able to pursue a hero career while still being able to work in the field you love.  That is . . . if you wish to take the opportunity.”  Nezu could see the girl’s jaw drop in shock, her eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets.  She could still work in support while in the hero course?!

Nezu’s shit-eating grin only widened as the girl fumbled her words trying to respond to the proposal he offered her.

“Can I assume your struggling to speak coherently is a sign of you accepting my offer?”  Nezu rhetorically asked.

“Yes!”  Melissa sat up ramrod straight as she answered his question a little bit too forcefully for her liking, but the principal took it in jest.

“Excellent!  Now that we have reached an agreement, if you would be so kind as to follow me to Recovery Girl’s office, we can get started on where you are with your physical conditioning.  This will allow us to create a proper schedule for you to prepare your body to inherit One for All.”  Nezu jumped off the table before leaving the office with the Shields behind them to prepare for the several-month ordeal that was Melissa’s training.

THREE-MONTH TIME SKIP - TAKOBA MUNICIPAL BEACH PARK

Light panting could be heard as Izuku jogged with a small metal filing cabinet hoisted over his shoulder to a garbage truck that All Might had rented and parked in front of the beach entrance a few hours earlier.  The amount of progress that Izuku had made so far during his training was stunning to All Might.  The schedule that the Symbol of Peace created for him would have him clear 10% of the beach each month and hit his daily goals for each exercise All Might had scheduled for him during that time frame.  Instead, the boy was nearly at the halfway point progress-wise.  At this pace, he was going to be done around a month or two early.  

Instead of taking it easy, the boy pushed himself harder to get the beach cleaned as quickly as possible.  But he told himself if his body couldn’t keep with the current pace, he’d slow it down to allow himself to recover.  But Izuku couldn’t help but be filled with pride after All Might told him how far he had come already.  He felt his confidence grow more with each passing day as his body began to bulk up from the skinny frame he previously had.  All he had to do was maintain the pace and he’d be ready for the U.A. Hero Course Entrance Exam.  Nothing could ruin this for him . . .

“DEKU!!!!!!!”

Well, almost nothing.  All of the pride and confidence Izuku built up was now in imminent danger of crumbling down as he looked up at the park entrance to see Katsuki’s menacing red eyes glaring down at him with malice, miniature explosions crackling in the newcomer’s hands.  The green-haired boy gulped as the boy made his way down the stairs like a predator who had just cornered its prey.

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING YOU NERD?!”  Katsuki screamed, grabbing the boy by his shirt once he closed the distance between them.

“K-K-K-K-Ka-Kacchan, I-I-I-I . . .” Izuku’s stuttering was abruptly stopped as an Explosion was detonated right by his head, setting ablaze an old wooden chair.

Katsuki had taken note of the green-haired boy’s physical improvement.  At first, the boy didn’t pay much attention to his former friend’s growing physique.  But once their classmates started oohing and awing about the aforementioned nerd, it started grating on his nerves.  Today was the final straw, and Katsuki made it his mission to figure out why Deku was working out.  

“Why are you working out?  Are you still trying to take the hero entrance exams?!  I thought I told you to stay in your lane you quirkless loser!”  If looks could kill, Izuku would’ve been dead several times over.

“I-I-I-I-I” Another explosion rang throughout the area, silencing the boy Katsuki held in his grasp.

“You don’t seem to listen and do as you’re told.  So now, it’s time to remind you of your place!”  At that moment, Izuku’s fear for his former best friend dissipated as he saw the hand engulfed in explosions head for his torso.  And it began to be replaced with anger.

Katsuki was surprised at Deku suddenly grabbing his wrist before twisting his hand into the sky, an explosion shooting harmlessly into the air.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Deku?  You better let go of me or else-“

“JUST SHUT UP, KATSUKI!”  Izuku screamed out, cutting off his former best friend turned tormentor.  Usually, the red-eyed boy would’ve immediately retaliated and beaten him down, but he was silenced at hearing Izuku use his actual first name instead of the childish nickname he had been called as a young kid.

“Who the hell do you think you are?”  Izuku hissed, his glare matching the one Katsuki was sending at him.

“To answer your question, yes!  I am taking the entrance exam for U.A.'s hero course!”  Katsuki’s glare intensified.

“I knew it!  Don’t you listen to anything I’ve been saying to you, you fucking idiot?!  You’re-“  

“And who are you to lord over me and tell me how I should live my life?!  I wouldn’t be working my hands to the damn bone for these last few months if I didn’t believe I could pass the exam!”  Katsuki was about to verbally retaliate before Izuku cut him off.

“What happened to you, Katsuki?!  You were supposed to be my friend!  I thought of you as my brother!  And you threw it all away once you learned I was quirkless.  Something I told you in confidence thinking that you would still be my friend even if I didn’t have any sort of special power!  And what did you do?!  You told everyone and turned them all against me for something I had no control over!”  As Izuku’s eyes watered, his body began glowing blue.  Katsuki’s anger was quickly replaced with shock as he saw the strange blue glow envelop Izuku’s form.

“And despite being treated worse than shit by you, I still wanted to be your friend!  I helped you improve your quirk!  I gave you the idea to create support gear to amplify your quirk with those grenadier bracers once you got into U.A.!  I even drew the design for you!  And not once did you ever say thank you!”  In the heat of the moment, Izuku materialized X’s armor, stunning his former best friend at seeing him display any sort of quirk! 

“What the hell is this, Deku?”  Katsuki shouted, demanding the boy to explain himself.

“What does it look like, you idiot?!  It’s my quirk!”  If both boys weren’t so angry with the other, both would’ve noticed the ethereal, white glow emanating from Izuku’s arms.

“Bullshit!  Quirks don’t just show up for people our age!”

“Well, I guess I proved that theory wrong!  I have a quirk now, and I’m going to use it to get into the hero course. And the only way you’re gonna stop me from doing so is by killing or crippling me!”  In that instant, the color of Izuku’s arms changed.  His forearms became white with blue trim around the wrists and his hands turned red.

“So you think you’re hot shit just because you’re some sort of fucking Terminator now?  Was it fun to laugh behind my back and look down at me?  Did you enjoy lying to my face while hiding this from me all this time?!”  Katsuki violently raised the arm Izuku had trapped in his grasp.

“You think I hid this from you for years?!  Why the hell would I want to hide this from you?!  Do you think I enjoyed being socially ostracized and getting the shit kicked out of me?!  You know how much I love quirks, Katsuki!  It was my dream to be a hero and work alongside you, and you think I lied to you for shits and giggles?!”  Izuku ranted, unable to hide the disgust on his face at the wild accusation Katsuki attempted to level at him.

“I looked up to you, you know.  I held you in the same regard as All Might.  You two never let anything scare you.  You both tackled every challenge head-on and won.  But now I see . . . I see you for what you are now.   You’re no hero.”  Izuku coldly said. 

“SHUT UP!”  In that instant, Katsuki raised his other hand to fire an explosion at Izuku’s head, but an unknown force jerked his hand the other way, causing him to fire an explosion into a pile of garbage.

“STOP IT!”  A voice screamed out.

“PISS OFF!  THIS DOESN’T CONCERN Y-“  Katsuki’s rage cooled off instantly as he turned around and saw the last person he wanted to see.  

“A-auntie . . .”  Katsuki whispered, fear enveloping his body for the first time in a long time.

“What the hell are you doing, Katsuki?!”  Inko shouted, running up to the boys until she stepped in between the two.

“Why are you attacking my son?!  What has he done that has angered you so much that you tried to blast his head off?!”  Inko’s eyes were filled with tears that spilled over her face.  She didn’t want to accept the truth for so long, but she could no longer deny what she saw play out in front of her.  What started as delivering a simple meal for her son had now turned into a nightmare playing out in real life.

Katsuki was one of Izuku’s bullies.  And he most likely intimidated others to prevent her son from making any friends!

“Auntie . . . I . . .”  A vicious slap echoed throughout the junkyard as Katsuki’s head violently whipped to the side, an angry, pink hand mark on his cheek.

“No!  You do not get to call me Auntie after what you just did!  How long have you been doing this to my Izuku?!”  Inko demanded.

Katsuki refused to answer, unable to look her in the eye.

Inko’s glare hardened.  

“Well?!  Answer me!”  Inko bellowed.  Katsuki remained silent.

Huffing in annoyance, Inko turned to Izuku, who found the sand beneath his feet very interesting.

“C’mon Izuku, let’s go.  We can file a report and . . .”

“Let him go.”  Inko’s and Bakugo’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Wha-what?  Izuku . . . we can’t just let him get away with what he tried to do just now.”  Inko pleaded with her son, trying to get him to reconsider.  Katsuki gritted his teeth in anger.  As much as he hated to admit it, his fate was in Deku’s hands.

Izuku continued to look at the ground beneath his feet, remembering what Sigma had said in his dream.

‘You will be forced to make tough choices at a moment’s notice.  Choices that some will not agree with.’

“Trust me.  I want to, but if we do, what are the odds of the police doing anything?  You know if they question anyone at our school, they’re gonna trust him more than me based on our records.  He’s the model student.   I’m the 'quirkless troublemaker'.  Which one do you think is going to be painted in a much better light by the people in our school?  And if they did believe me, and I end his dream . . . I fear the path he will take.”

Inko’s mouth opened and closed several times, trying to come up with a rebuttal.  But . . . she couldn’t find any, and it frustrated her to no end.

“Fine.”  Inko relented.  But she wasn’t going to let Katsuki off the hook without any long-term consequences.

“I better not see you harass my son anymore.  And you tell Mitsuki and Masaru my friendship with them is over!”  Inko told Katsuki.  After a few seconds, he sent a glare to Izuku before he turned around and walked off.

‘I don’t know what you did to Auntie Inko Deku, but I’m going to find out.  I will expose you for who you truly are.’  Katsuki fumed internally as he headed home.

Inko let out a shaky sigh, trying to choke back a sob threatening to tear through her throat.  The boy she trusted Izuku with at one point had turned his back on them.  She turned around to check on Izuku, and her eyes widened to see his arms were now white with red hands.

“I-I-Izuku . . . your arms are . . .”  Inko pointed out before Izuku cut her off.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”  Izuku sullenly said. He deactivated his armor and picked up where he left off training-wise, focusing on getting rid of the burned trash as quickly as possible.

It should've been a happy milestone for them both.  He should’ve been elated that his armor had acquired another upgrade.  He should've been over the moon at seeing his mother evolve her quirk.

But instead, all he felt was sorrow in his heart at what transpired just a few moments ago. 

SEVERAL CENTURIES IN THE FUTURE:  EURASIA CRASH SITE

A tall, purple reploid wearing a white lab coat adorned with golden cuffs and highlights was walking amongst the remains of what was once Eurasia, eyeing the devastation that the remains of the space colony wrought after its collision with Earth.  His name was Gate and he had been sent to the surface to help with the recovery effort, but these efforts were being stymied due to a massive increase in the number of Mavericks wreaking havoc on the surface. 

Without X and Zero, the Maverick Hunters had been scrambling to retain some stability within their forces.  The purple Reploid couldn’t help but snort in annoyance at Signas’s and his former friend Alia’s fruitless attempts to maintain unity within the peacekeeping group.  But even with X and Zero, what had they truly accomplished?  They stopped Sigma a few times, but the crazed misanthrope eventually figured out a way to defeat them.  The proof was right in front of him.

“What the hell is this?  They told us those two were able to prevent the worst outcome from occurring, but from what I’m looking at it, it made no difference in the end.  We should be thankful for having a fighting chance when there’s nothing left to fight for?”  Gate bitterly thought.  As he walked further into the ruins of what was once the space colony, he began to feel uneasy. 

Suddenly, a green light caught the attention of the purple Reploid.  His sharp, purple eyes looked down to see a gray device with a cracked, green screen partially buried in the sand.  He picked it up and began to examine it, curious as to what or who it belonged to.  His eyes suddenly widened as he realized what it was.

An evil laugh began echoing amongst the ruins, startling the purple Reploid as he frantically turned his head to figure out where it was coming from.

“Who’s there?!  Show yourself!”  The purple Reploid eyes widened before he started holding his head, screaming at the intense pain radiating in his head.

Oof.  Not the best start in building up the new Symbols for the next generation.  But no one ever said being a hero would be easy.

Chapter Text

TAKOBA MUNICIPAL BEACH PARK - THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE EXAM

All Might watched Izuku carrying a large, broken dresser across the sandy ground.  He was impressed at how much the boy progressed in fulfilling his first civic duty.  He was ahead of schedule and would probably finish clearing the beach within a month or two.  All Might couldn’t wait to test how durable Izuku was now that he had built up muscle to withstand the recoil from firing his more powerful X-Buster shots.  

That is how All Might was supposed to feel, but he noticed something concerning about the boy when they reached the three-month mark of his schedule.  Initially, the boy was curious and excited to learn more about his quirk.  However, for the last three months, the boy flinched and looked . . . ashamed whenever All Might mentioned testing his quirk.  He hadn’t seen the boy activate it in his presence since he showed it to Melissa and David.  

This was a major red flag for the Symbol of Peace as he knew how much Izuku enjoyed discussing anything hero or quirk-related.  He had tried for the last few months to get the boy to open up to discuss whatever issue was plaguing his thoughts, but the boy remained steadfast in his refusal to discuss his problems with his mentor.  The Symbol of Peace tried to learn what caused such a sudden change in the boy’s attitude from Inko, but whenever he brought it up with her, she told him it was something that they needed to figure out themselves.  

In any other instance, the Symbol of Peace would’ve left the problem alone as it didn’t impede Izuku’s progress into becoming a proper vessel to (potentially) assimilate One for All into his power suit.  But the dulled look in Izuku’s eyes and the tears coming out of Inko’s whenever he brought the issue up made it impossible for All Might to let the Midoriya family figure out how to solve it themselves without assisting them in some way.  His heroic heart just wouldn’t let him leave the issue alone.  Besides, he believed meddling when you don’t need to is the essence of a true hero.  And right now, that family needed his help.

He looked down at his watch after noticing the sun was starting to set and realized it just hit the time that designated Izuku was done for the day.  The light pitter-patter of footsteps alerted the hero of the boy nearing his person.

“Midoriya-shounen, that’s enough for the day.  We can pick up where we left off tomorrow.”  The muscular blonde informed the boy, who nodded.  Although Izuku would be lying if he said he wanted to stop.  Ever since that fateful encounter with Katsuki three months and his mother discovering the blonde bullying him in real-time, Izuku could not think of other things besides that day.  His training was the only thing that distracted him from thinking about that day.

He distinctly remembered when Bakugou’s mother tried calling Inko the day after the incident.  He couldn’t think of any other moment he could remember when his mother was that angry.  He would never forget his mother screaming at Mitsuki through the phone, letting the blonde woman know how she failed in raising Katsuki and letting him get to this point regarding his attitude.  It also disturbed him to hear the fierce, blonde woman sobbing loudly, begging his mother not to throw away a friendship that spanned three decades.  It was all for naught as Inko remained steadfast about ending all contact with the Bakugou family.

Masaru himself tried to get through to Inko. He tried to convince her they wouldn’t let Katsuki’s behavior slide anymore.  Inko asked him why they let it get so far and how he didn’t put his foot down when his son inherited his mother’s explosive temper.  When Masaru admitted he had no excuse and that the only thing he could do going forward was to lay the law down whenever Katsuki stepped out of line, Izuku remembered seeing the look of dissatisfaction on her face.  But the most notable part of that interaction was Inko coldly telling him he had ten years to correct their son’s behavior.  Inko firmly let them know that until they could understand how their actions contributed to the problems Katsuki caused, then he and his wife were to cease all communication with her and Izuku.

Izuku knew his mother didn’t want to talk to Katsuki’s parents in such a manner.  They were kind people, but they had royally screwed up when it came to raising Katsuki.

“Midoriya-shounen . . .”  Midoriya was pulled from his thoughts as his mentor looked down at him, concern evident within his blue eyes.

“Come with me.  We need to discuss some things.”  All Might then began to walk to his car with Izuku following him before both opened the doors and sat inside.

“You have made wonderful progress, my boy.  You’ll be finished clearing the beach up with one to two months to spare at this pace.”  All Might complimented the boy.  He felt himself swell with pride at the hard work his apprentice had put in for the last seven months.  

Izuku couldn’t help but let a small smile grace his face.  Even though he had known the man for almost a year, he still felt elated whenever he complimented him.  That . . . and outside of his mother, he was still trying to figure out how to properly condition himself into not letting himself react too emotionally to simple praises.

“But . . . I know something is bothering y-”  All Might attempted to broach the unknown problem plaguing Izuku before being swiftly cut off. 

“I don’t want to talk about it, All Might.”  Izuku stoically told the Symbol of Peace.

“Midoriya-shounen . . . whatever is troubling you, it’s affecting how you’ve been acting these last four months.  You don’t approach things with the same enthusiasm like you did early on.  And when I try discussing your quirk, you try to change the subject every time.  I want to help you get to where you need to be, but you shutting yourself off is only hurting yourself.  And it will impede your ability to function at your maximum capability as a hero.  That can result in you making mistakes on the field, which can be the difference between innocent civilians living and dying.  I want to help you, but until you tell me what is bothering you, I can’t.”  All Might pleaded with the boy.

For the next minute, the two stared at each other, wordlessly trying to remain steadfast with their current stances regarding the unspoken issue Izuku was having trouble coming to grips with.  Izuku closed his eyes, feeling his conviction waver under the scrutinizing gaze of his favorite hero.  It had been so long since someone wanted to try and help him get through any issues that plagued him regarding the volatile relationship between him and Katsuki.

“Ok . . . but I want one thing in return if I’m going to tell you what happened.”  Izuku stared at the hero, his eyes wordlessly telling All Might that this tradeoff was non-negotiable.

“Just name the condition, and I’ll see what I can do.”  All Might responded.  

DOCTORS KASSHU'S OFFICE

Kyoji had been tirelessly researching any cases that he could find of former quirkless patients losing their extra toe joint and gaining a quirk ever since he examined Izuku.  But he was coming up empty when it came to any searches of medical cases where the patient went through the same series of changes Izuku had.  

The doctor heard someone softly knocking on the door to his office.

“Come in,”  Kyoji called out, ensuring the person on the end heard him give the go-ahead to enter his office.  He was surprised at the person who walked in.

“Izuku! What are you doing here at a time like this?!”  Kyoji exclaimed, not expecting the boy to be out this late.

“Kasshu-san . . . remember when I told you why I couldn’t let you know the whole story regarding my quirk?”  Kyoji nodded.

“Well . . . I think it’s time for me to talk about what truly happened the night I got my quirk.”  Kyoji barely kept his expression neutral at Izuku deciding to reveal what happened the day he got his power suit quirk.

Izuku turned his head to the door to Kyoji’s office.

“Hey!  You can come in now!”  

Kyoji’s eyes widened when he heard a booming voice he had only heard on television beforehand!

“I AM HERE!  COMING THROUGH THE DOOR OF MIDORIYA’S-SHOUNEN GENERAL PRACTITIONER!”  All Might’s jolly voice thundered throughout the room before walking in!

“All Might?!  You know Izuku?!”  Kyoji exclaimed in disbelief.

All Might let out a hearty laugh that was jovial at the question.

“Do I know him?  I have taken this young man under my wing as my apprentice!”  All Might answered in a playful, boastful manner.  Izuku blushed in embarrassment at the pride in All Might’s tone when he made his declaration.

Kyoji blinked several times, his brain trying to catch up with what his ears heard.  Shaking his head in disbelief, the doctor chuckled in amusement for a few seconds before turning to Izuku.

“I can see why you weren’t allowed to say how you got your quirk Izuku.  If it involves All Might, it must be of the utmost importance to keep it close to the vest.”  Kyoji turned to the buffed-up Symbol of Peace.

“I’m guessing you were the one who asked Izuku to keep the origins of his quirk a secret?”  All Might nodded in confirmation.

“That is correct.  If the truth of Izuku’s quirk were to be leaked out, it would cause chaos and panic among the general populace.  Only a handful of individuals know where his quirk truly came from.  And now, he has chosen you to know about his secret.”  All Might responded, his smile disappearing.  In its place, his face held a serious expression.

Kyoji nodded before focusing on Izuku, waiting to hear his story.

“Before I tell you, can you promise me to keep an open mind about this?”  Izuku asked.  Kyoji nodded, giving Izuku the green light to start telling the story of where his quirk came from.

For the next half hour, Izuku told Kyoji what happened after the sludge incident.  He told him how he went to Takoba Municipal Beach Park, the arrival of Dr. Light and his capsule, what happened in the doctor’s timeline, his decision to have Izuku inherit the gift left within the device, and what that gift allowed him to do.  

Kyoji stared at the two for several minutes, his expression unchanging as he digested everything he was told about.

“I see . . . it seems that you have a penchant for unusual events occurring when you’re around, huh Izuku?”  Kyoji couldn’t keep the disbelief from bleeding into his words.

“Yeah, I still have trouble coming to grips with it.  It’s something you’d have to see to believe.  And even if you did see it, I wouldn’t be shocked if anyone that witnessed it happen in real time would still be skeptical of it occurring.”  Izuku admitted, completely understanding why the doctor reacted the way he did.

“Indeed.  However, I know you didn’t decide to bring me in on this little secret out of the kindness in your heart.  Something happened, and it forced someone’s hand to get me involved.”  Izuku looked at the doctor, steeling his nerves to prepare himself to reveal his upgraded power suit.

All Might and Kyoji saw the green-haired boy’s body enveloped in a blue glow, indicating that he was summoning his armor.  The armor materialized on his form.  That was expected, but what the two didn’t expect were his arms being white and his hands bright red. 

“Midoriya-shounen . . . where did you get that upgrade?”  All Might asked, stunned at the discovery of his successor acquiring an additional power-up.  He tried to rack his brain as to what could’ve caused him to gain the new armor piece, but none of the events he could recall could explain what was in front of him.

“Kasshu-san . . . All Might . . . do you guys think I’m worthy to have this power?”  Izuku forlornly asked.  The doctor and the Symbol of Peace looked at the young man in shock.  Both knew the type of person Izuku was.  The idea of him using this power for nefarious purposes was something they couldn’t even fathom.

“Of course you are!  Why do you think you’re unworthy, Midoriya-shounen?!”  All Might exclaimed, astonished to hear the young man express self-doubt about whether or not he was worthy of X’s power.

“He’s right, Izuku.  I’ve known you for years, and not once have I seen you deviate into any form of delinquency willingly.  I can’t even recall an instance where you even considered it.  If anyone deserves this quirk, it’s you.”  Kyoji added, trying to assure the boy he was worthy.

“My arm upgrade . . . I acquired it from someone by absorbing their quirk without their permission.  He’s someone . . . that I don’t think I’d ever get along with.  He and I used to be close, but something happened, and my Mom learned about it.  She cut off his mother and father, even though they were kind to us.  I heard them begging my Mom not to end their friendship with her.  But my Mom went forward and did it anyway.  How am I supposed to be a hero . . . if I destroyed one of the things my Mom cherished the most?  That I potentially destroyed that person’s relationship with their family”  Izuku stared at the two, waiting for them to agree with him.  But the two knew how to handle this type of internal conflict.

“Izuku . . . did you mean to take his quirk?”  Kyoji slowly asked.

“No . . . my quirk assimilated it into its system in the heat of the moment,”  Izuku told the doctor.

“Do you recall doing anything to make him mad?”  Kyoji continued.  Izuku shook his head.  For years, he tried to figure out what he did to make Katsuki act so hostile.  His quirklessness couldn’t be the only reason he had such animosity toward him.  But he couldn’t remember any particular event that he could pinpoint which caused Katsuki to hate him with such vitriol.  Perhaps it was just a combination of many different things over time, but the things he could remember wouldn’t have warranted such venom.  

“No . . . at least from what I can remember.”  Izuku honestly answered.  That was the moment when All Might decided to chime in.

“Young man . . . do you remember what I said years ago about children who inherit their quirks from their parents?”  Izuku nodded.

“Well . . . this dilemma you’re currently experiencing is quite similar.  You inherited power from someone that you have a strained relationship with.  But you didn’t trick him into copying his power.  He put himself in that situation.”  All Might began, trying to tell the boy he was not at fault.

“Listen well, young man.  There will be times when you’ll absorb the quirks of villains into your power suit.   However, just because you obtain them from criminals doesn’t make the quirk villainous.  It also doesn’t mean you carry the weight of their crimes on your shoulders.  What you choose to do with that power is what truly matters.”  Izuku’s eyes widened, eyes watering as the words broke through the weight he had been carrying from copying Explosion four months ago.

“All Might’s right, Izuku.  The boy put himself in a situation where you were forced to take action, in which the opportunity of assimilating his quirk into yours was unavoidable.  He has no one to blame but himself for you acquiring his quirk. His actions caused his parents to lose your mother’s friendship.  Actions that should’ve been nipped when they first manifested.”  Kyoji added.

Izuku looked back and forth between the two adults, seeing their smiles of confidence and reassurance directed at him.  He felt the weight he had carried for his supposed misdeeds lifting off his shoulders.  All he could do was lower his head and start sobbing, the guilt he had felt for the last few months melting away.  He could feel a hand grab each of his shoulders as both of the male figures he looked up to comforted him to calm him down.

TAKOBA BEACH MUNICIPAL PARK - ONE MONTH BEFORE THE EXAM

All Might parked the truck he had rented to transport the trash from the beach and started walking to the entrance.  He saw some trash piles ready to be transported.  However, he didn’t see Izuku anywhere.  He walked toward the park entrance to see if Izuku had gotten a head start.  Once the beach was within his line of sight, he got the answers to his questions.

Standing in the middle of the beach, which did not have one piece of trash covering it was Izuku.  He had completed his task with a few weeks to spare!

“Remarkable!  He even cleaned up the trash outside the area I instructed him to focus on!  There’s not one speck of trash left!”  All Might gushed, trying to keep his excitement down to no avail.

“Oh . . . my . . . . GOODNESS!”  All Might shouted as he transformed into his hero form.

He wasn’t the only one excited at seeing Izuku completing his assignment.  He saw Izuku tilt his head up before screaming in triumph, activating his quirk!  After about a minute, the screams died down before he fell forward into the sand.  All Might quickly rushed to the boy and helped him stand up.  The boy’s eyes fluttered open, ignoring the minor headache in his head to see his idol smiling down at him.  The one who he aspired to be more than anything else

“Hey, All Might . . . it’s all done.”  Izuku tiredly whispered.

“I can see, my boy!  You’ve done well!”  All Might laughed in amusement before standing him up.  The boy stood upright, but the Symbol of Peace could tell he was still exhausted.  He pulled up his phone to show Izuku the state of the beach nine months ago.

“This is what the beach looked like almost a year ago!  And now look at it!  It is restored to its former glory thanks to all your hard work!  And you finished it with a month to spare.”  All Might could not hide how impressed he was with the boy.

“So now we address the issue from nine months ago.  Do you wish to . . . ”  Izuku cut him off.

“Yes.  I thought about it for a while.  If you believe I’m worthy of assimilating your quirk, then let’s do it.  As you said, it is better to be as prepared as possible.”  Izuku held his hand out, which All Might grabbed.  After a few seconds . . . Izuku felt nothing.  Suddenly, he heard a voice inside his head saying something he did not expect.

ERROR

“Huh?!  Error?!”  Izuku exclaimed in disbelief before pulling up the list of quirks he assimilated.  All Might stood beside him, curious to see what had happened.  He saw the list had his name, but the information contained within it was something he did not expect.

TOSHINORI YAGI - QUIRKLESS
STATUS:  ERROR - QUIRKLESS

Izuku's first mission is complete.  But it seems the suit isn't done throwing curveballs at him. 

Chapter Text

MAVERICK HUNTER BASE - SIX MONTHS AFTER EURASIA COLLISION

“INTRUDER ALERT!  INTRUDER ALERT!  INTRUDER ALERT!”

The message blaring throughout the base did not do much to suppress the noise of explosions erupting throughout the building.  The Maverick Hunter army scrambled to counteract the attack against their base.  However, the Maverick leader managed to enter the building, destroying anything in his path.  Signas confronted the Maverick, but a purple energy wave utilized by the invading leader engulfed and obliterated his body.

In one of the lower rooms of the building, a female Reploid with blonde hair was panting, a look of panic on her face.  With every room she reached, she activated a new safety protocol, hoping to neutralize the threat that had successfully gained entry into the base.  It should’ve been a simple task, but it became exponentially more difficult to execute since the Maverick Leader cut off one of her arms.

After activating the last security measure, she realized she had reached the final room containing escape pods.  She looked up at the security monitor, and much to her horror, the launching area was also overrun by Mavericks.  They were caving in the pathing the escape pods would take to prevent anyone from leaving the base!

It got worse as she heard the series of explosions behind the security doors leading to the room containing the escape pods becoming louder, signaling the Maverick Leader was near.  

Alia closed her eyes, knowing her life was about to end.  She began to remember all of the highs and lows throughout her life.  Her biggest regret involved a certain snow wolf Reploid that she was coerced into executing under pretenses later proven to be lies.  This tragedy destroyed the friendship she had with Gate.  Wanting to atone for her mistake, she joined the ranks of the Maverick Hunters to become the navigator for X and Zero.

Her eyes opened when the explosions blasted the door open and sent it flying across the room.  She looked up to see a familiar face.  She feared this day would come, but never in her wildest dreams would she think her former colleague would be the one leading such a rebellion.  

However, she steeled her inner resolve.  She couldn’t die without a fight.  She couldn’t die without knowing what happened to her former friend, who seemed hellbent on eradicating the Maverick Hunters.

Her remaining arm turning into an arm cannon, her gaze hardened in defiance as she prepared to battle Gate, however fruitless her resistance was. 

“Gate!  Why are you doing this?!”  Alia shouted, demanding answers from her friend-turned-Maverick.

Gate lowered his head, chuckling in amusement.  He lifted his head back up, his eyes changing to a light blue without irises or pupils.

“Your friend is no longer here.  As for my reasons, as long as humans and those who ally with them remain in this world, we Reploids will never realize our true potential.  I intend to realize that potential is unlocked and fully explored.”  (Gate) answered Alia with a voice that didn’t belong to her former friend.

She stepped back in fear, realizing that although that body was Gate’s,  someone else controlled him.  It didn’t take long for her to put two and two together.

“H . . . how?  Your virus was spread across the planet!  There’s no way you should’ve been able to come back, Sigma!”  Alia screamed, fear overwhelming her senses.

Sigma laughed in amusement.

“Your friends weren’t able to destroy my entire body.  A small part of it remained intact after I self-destructed, and your former colleague was the host body I needed to recover when he stumbled across me.  It wasn’t difficult as he was already power-hungry before I found him.  With his knowledge, I figured out how to recover my strength.  Granted, this body isn’t my first choice, but it will do for now.”   Sigma explained, his smug grin never leaving his face.

Alia screamed in defiance, firing several energy projectiles at the misanthropic robot.  It was all for naught as the attacks harmlessly bounced off of him.  He walked towards her before he stopped, standing a few feet away from Alia.

“I admire your fight despite the overwhelming fear you’re currently experiencing.  However, I am a busy Reploid.  I will make your demise as painless as possible.”  Sigma lifted his hand and violently swiped the air with it.

The evil grin on the former Maverick Commander’s face was the last thing Alia saw.  Her body was engulfed in the same purple energy Signa was enveloped in before it was completely vaporized.   Her last memory was seeing the smiling faces of X, Zero, Signas, and Gate.

Sigma grinned, satisfied with his handiwork.  It was time to move on to the next phase:  reviving his strongest lieutenants and figuring out what happened to X.  

He hacked the monitor, trying to find the location that contained his lieutenants’ chips and schematics.  After a few minutes, he located where the room was and the fastest route.  However, it seemed the Maverick Hunters only kept a few of them.  Nevertheless, any help was better than none.

It didn’t take him long to reach the room which contained what he was searching for.  As he examined each one, his eyes landed on two in particular.

STORM EAGLE
MAGMA DRAGOON

An evil grin erupted on his face, seeing two of his more powerful lieutenant’s data readily available.  They would make powerful soldiers in his new world.

. . . And whatever world X’s legacy resided in.  

SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS IN THE PAST - TAKOBA MUNICIPAL BEACH PARK

“This can’t be . . . there has to be some sort of mistake.”  All Might was still in denial that his quirk did not integrate into Midoriya’s power suit.  Instead, it registered him as quirkless.  That couldn’t be right.  He had One for All for almost four decades!  

Izuku was going through a similar internal crisis in his head.  It didn’t make sense.  He could understand if the quirk wasn’t compatible with the power suit, but the quirkless reasoning was inconsistent with All Might’s current condition.  

Unless . . . 

“All Might . . . did you give Melissa your quirk?”  Izuku questioned the man, wondering if he had already gone through the transfer of One for All with Melissa.  To his shock, the teen saw the Symbol of Head shake his head no.

“I have not.  Melissa is very close. However, her body isn’t ready to have it transferred to her.  She will be ready in the next week or two.”  All Might answered, informing Izuku he had not transferred his power to her.

“Then why did it fail?  I could understand if One for All couldn’t be assimilated into the power suit, but it doesn’t add up that it rejected your attempt because of your former quirkless status.”  Izuku continued brainstorming possible explanations for why his suit did not contain a modified version of All Might’s quirk.  

All Might watched one of his two apprentice’s eyes widen as if he had an epiphany.

“Maybe the suit can only absorb quirks obtained biologically?”  Izuku hypothesized.

All Might instinctively tried to start rebuking Izuku’s explanation, but he felt his voice die in his throat as he thought more critically about Izuku’s reasoning.  The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.  The quirk wasn’t something he was born with.  It was handed to him once his master deemed him worthy to continue the legacy of One for All.  But it was a quirk everyone but the first user obtained through artificial means.

“It does make sense.  My power was something that was passed down to me by my mentor.  I guess if you wanted One for All absorbed into your systems Midoriya-shounen, we’d have to find the first user of One for All.  But considering it’s been over a century since One for All was created, that’s no longer possible.”  All Might responded, disappointed that he couldn’t pass his quirk to Izuku.  However, the young man didn’t seem disappointed.  Instead, his resolve only strengthened if the steely look in his eyes indicated anything.

“I see . . . guess that means I’ll have to work twice as hard to stand side-by-side with Melissa,”  Izuku replied, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.  

All Might smiled at the boy’s declaration.  The boy just had an innate desire to improve himself.  He refused to entertain the possibility of taking it easy or stagnant with his progress.

“You’re such a go-getter, young man . . . how about we test that power suit out?”  All Might then buffed up to his hero form before grabbing a refrigerator from the garbage pile.  

Midoriya saw his favorite hero set the kitchen appliance in front of him before patting it twice.

“Let’s see how much stronger and durable you’ve become since we started this journey.  I want you to fire your arm cannon.  One projectile for each level it is capable of charging up to.”  All Might saw the boy’s eyes become intensely focused, zeroing in on the target across from him.

Izuku lifted his arm cannon, lining it with his target before firing.  The yellow projectile collided with the fridge, causing a small dent.  The amount of power compared to nine months ago shocked the young man.  He thought there would be a difference in strength, but he didn’t expect to take such a leap power-wise.  

‘Now for the level two charge shot.'  Izuku began gathering energy at the opening of his X-Buster before firing.  The green projectile hit the same target as before, creating a more noticeable dent and pushing it back.

“Now, to charge it to level three.”  Izuku once again concentrated the energy into a single point, and after giving it a few more seconds, the blue/pink sphere rocketed toward the fridge and caused it to fly back and land on its back.  All Might and Izuku’s eyes widened in shock but for different reasons.  All Might was stunned at how much power was in that projectile.  Izuku was shocked that his arm did not experience any physical backlash from using it.  

“Hey, All Might.  I forgot to tell you the arm upgrade gave me an even more powerful charge shot.”  Izuku informed, causing the hero to whip his to look at his apprentice in disbelief.  There was more?!  But fortunately, years of experience helped him keep the look of surprise from emerging on his face.

“I see.”  All Might then grabbed another refrigerator from the garbage pile to have Izuku use it as target practice.

“Let’s see what it can do.”  Izuku nodded before he began charging for one final projectile blast.  All Might could see the X-Buster gather energy as the spheres gathered into one spot.  He noted that change in the level of Izuku’s charge shot as the seconds passed.  It turned from white to yellow, indicating Izuku was at a level-three charged shot as his entire form glowed.  But All Might noticed that the boy was gathering even more energy!  Suddenly, the spheres turned pink, and Izuku’s whole body was enveloped in a pink glow.  The boy raised his arm and fired.

But he didn’t fire just one projectile.  He fired a regular level-three charge shot first.  He then fired a projectile shot All Might had never seen before.  It was pink with blue tendrils spiraling around the pink energy sphere.  The charge shots raced and collided with the fridge within seconds of each other.

All Might watched in disbelief as the fridge was sent flying, traveling across the beach at a distance much farther than the level-three charge shot!

“Holy crap!”  All Might couldn’t help but echo the boy’s exclamation!  Forget the top 20.  The boy was going to be in the top 10 at worst.  

And this was during dawn hours!  All Might turned to the boy and saw him rotating his arm as if trying to loosen it up.  

“How many level-four charge shots can you fire, Midoriya-shounen?”  All Might asked.

“ . . . Maybe four to six,”  Izuku answered honestly.

“And the rest?”

“I’m not sure about the first two levels . . . but the level-three charge shot, maybe ten to twelve.”  All Might nodded.  He was exhilarated at the progress of the boy.  His training regiment boosted his durability and power at a much higher level than even he anticipated!

“Excellent!  I have one more thing I’ll need you to test out.  Can you use the Speed Burner weapon?”  Izuku complied with the request as All Might saw the suit’s color swap from blue to red.  

“Now then, aim at the ocean.”  Izuku nodded before lifting his X-Buster and firing.  Instead of the regular energy projectile, two intertwined fireballs emerged from the arm cannon, racing to the ocean with a fiery trail left in the sand.  The flames dissipated after a few seconds, wisps of steam rising from the water where the fire made contact. 

“Excellent . . . now, charge your arm cannon to its highest level.”  All Might watched the boy raise his arm cannon and charge until his body was enveloped in a pink glow again.  The boy fired . . . 

And his body rocketed toward the ocean before crashing into the salty water!

All Might couldn’t help but laugh in amusement.

Izuku emerged from the body of water, coughing up salty water.

‘Did not expect to go that fast . . .’  Izuku thought.  He sent a glare of annoyance at his favorite hero from hearing his laughter at his expense.

“Sorry, Midoriya-shounen . . . I just thought you knew what to expect after seeing the suit visually demonstrate what it did months ago.”  Izuku huffed, pouting before turning his head to not look at the Symbol of Peace, who only chuckled in amusement.  

“Toshinori . . . I didn’t expect you to be babysitting brats so soon.  I’d thought you’d be waiting until school started, lughead.”  An elderly voice echoed throughout the beach.  Izuku turned his head to look at his mentor . . . turning ghostly white and shaking like a leaf.

“G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-Gran Torino-sensei . . . what a-a-a-a-a-a-re you doing here?”  Izuku could only stand in disbelief at seeing his mentor displaying fear at the newcomer, wanting to see who could strike such fear into the Symbol of Peace.  He ran up next to his mentor to introduce himself only to see. . . 

Nobody around?

“Down here.”  The voice piped up gruffly in an annoyed tone.

Izuku looked down . . . and finally saw the newcomer.  The image in his head did not come close to matching what his eyes were currently seeing.  

Their new guest is an elderly male who is extremely short.  He had heavy wrinkles and a skinny build. He has a light complexion and brown eyes. His hair is grey and spiky, styled short with some bangs hanging forward and a trimmed beard.  The elderly male’s hero costume consisted of a full-body monochrome suit.  His costume also consisted of a belt with the letter "G" on it, very thick yellow gloves and boots, a dark domino mask that resembles two diamonds, and a yellow cape.  The boy noticed a walking stick in the man’s right hand.

“Hey . . . my name is Midoriya Izuku.”  Izuku introduced himself.  Gran Torino looked up, staring at the boy for a few seconds before turning to All Might.  

THWACK

“OW OW OW OW OW!”  Was the only word All Might could shout, hopping around and holding his right kneecap throbbing in pain

“ALL MIGHT!”  Izuku screamed.

“What was that for, sensei?!”  All Might exclaimed.

“For not telling me you found your successor.”  The elderly hero turned to look at Izuku, who stood ramrod straight at the man’s gaze being directed at him.  A battle-tested stare that had experienced tragedy and was conditioned to be ready for anything at a moment’s notice.

“It slipped my mind, and it’s not what it looks like, sensei!”  All Might tried to explain.

“Oh . . . due tell.”  Gran Torino waited in amusement, seeing the boy he trained as a teacher at U.A. shake in fear.  No matter how much he grew or how powerful he was, the Symbol of Peace would always have a degree of trepidation regarding his old teacher.

“I decided to train this boy after I saw him try to rescue someone about a year ago.  He just finished clearing this beach a few minutes ago.”  Gran Torino looked at the boy.  He recognized the boy from the news.  Although he was impressed that the boy fulfilled such a difficult task, he had a much better assessment to test the boy.  

“You’re the idiot who rushed in head first that day, aren't ya?”  Izuku recoiled at the blunt remark, not expecting him to ask that question in such a manner.

“Y-y-y-y-y-yeah. . . t-t-t-t-that’s m-m-me.”  Izuku stuttered, still trying to get his mental bearings straight from the remark directed at him.

Gran Torino stared at the boy for a few seconds.  He then turned his head, looking at All Might.

“I can see why you picked him, Toshinori.  He’s got the same look in his eyes you did when you were younger.”  Izuku tilted his head in confusion.

“He sure does.   But sensei . . . why are you here?”  Torino sighed in annoyance.

“Mirai asked me to fetch you and bring him to his agency.  I don’t know why that man continues to try and drag me onto his side regarding this petty squabble you two are going through.”  Izuku’s confusion only deepened at the unknown name.

“If he’s here to have me transfer One for All to Mirio, tell him I cannot do so.  It is not up to him to decide what I do with this power.”  Gran Torino nodded.  He hid his smile, proud that the man would not succumb to peer pressure and pass his gift to someone he wasn’t comfortable with.

“I see . . . is this boy the one who’ll inherit it?”

“No.”

Gran Torino could barely contain the shock from emerging onto his face.

“What?!  Then why train him?  What about your quirk?”  

“I believe this young man will one day become as strong as I.  His quirk . . . it has elements similar to “his.”  And I already have found a successor.  It’s David’s daughter.”  All Might responded.  Torino didn’t need to ask twice who his former student was referring to.  If the boy had a power related to that man’s quirk to any degree, he’d be a powerful ally for Toshinori’s successor.  

“David’s brat, huh?  It wasn’t out of pity and guilt, was it?”  Torino narrowed his eyes at his former pupil.  Surprisingly, Toshinori leveled him with his own narrowed gaze.

“Never.  I’ll admit I screwed up on how I broke the news to them, and my relationship with the Shield family has become strained, but she’s the one candidate I could find who fits what I see in a successor without any of the drawbacks I fear of.”  All Might replied without any hesitation, displaying utmost confidence in his choice.

“I see . . . so you found a connection that a quirked individual inheriting your power will do more harm than good?”  All Might nodded, confirming Gran Torino’s suspicions.

“Send her to me when she has inherited One for All if she finishes early.”  Torino then turned to Midoriya.

“What’s your name, boy?”  Izuku sweatdropped, annoyed and dismayed that All Might’s teacher had forgotten his name already.

“Midorya Izuku, sir.”

“ . . . I see.”  Torino walked to him before gazing up and down at the boy, examining his armor.  He looked up at the boy.

“Your quirk converts other quirks into new weapons or armor upgrades after making contact with another user after a set amount of time has passed.  So if I let you assimilate my quirk, your legs will probably get some of that fancy, multi-colored plating on your torso and arms.  Am I correct?”  Izuku’s jaw dropped. 

“H . . . how did you . . .”  Torino laughed.

“It was a random guess.”  Izuku face-faulted at his answer.  

“You guessed his quirk?!”  Torino suddenly stopped laughing, his facial expression turning serious as he stared at Toshinori.

“Of course not, you dolt.  I just thought about the traits this boy’s quirk could share with “his.”  The most notable was when that suit changed color, and he shot fire instead of those energy projectiles.  Now . . . I know he also could’ve had some form of programming chip that would allow him to do so . . . if such a thing existed on the market.  Also, you shook his hand, and you two didn’t let go for a minute.”  Izuku stared at the man in awe at figuring his quirk out so quickly.

“Comes with years of experience, kid.”  

“ . . . I gotta learn how to stop speaking my thoughts out loud.”  Izuku muttered, embarrassed at letting his thoughts flow out freely.

“It wouldn’t be a bad thing.  But since this idiot didn’t have any other gift to give you for all of this effort, I suppose I have to pick up the slack for him.”  Izuku saw the man extend his hand to offer him to grab his hand.  

“Sir . . . are . . .  are you sure?  I mean.  I just met you and . . . OW!”  Izuku began holding his shin in pain from Gran Torino’s cane hitting him, jumping on one leg like his mentor had earlier.

“He even jumps like you after I hit him, Toshinori.”  All Might sweatdropped at seeing his old teacher find amusement in this.

“Quit all that blubbering, boy.  I may not know you personally, but I can tell that you are a good kid.  I’ve seen you here a few times, cleaning the whole beach by yourself and restoring this place to what I remembered it looking like before all this garbage ruined it.  You completed this crazy task the buffoon assigned to prepare you to absorb One for All into your suit.”  Izuku opened his mouth, but the words refused to come out.  He looked up to Toshinori, wordlessly asking him what he should do.  The Symbol of Peace made a shooing motion, encouraging him to go through with whatever plan his old teacher had in mind lest he face the elder man’s wrath.  

“Ok . . . “  Izuku hesitantly began to reach out.  Just as he was about to grab the elderly hero’s hand . . . Torino pulled it back.

“But I have one condition.”  Izuku and Toshinori looked at the yellow-clad elder, awaiting what he had to say.

After a few seconds, Torino’s hand shot forward and grabbed Izuku’s.

“The boy will come with me for a week to train.  It should be that time of the year when they should all be off for the week from school, so it’ll fit into his schedule easily.  Be sure to inform the boy’s family.”  Torino told Toshinori, who nodded without hearing what his old teacher said.  His attention was occupied with Izuku's legs going through a process all too familiar to him.

As the man laid out his conditions, Izuku’s legs emitted a familiar ethereal, white glow.  Torino’s hypothesis proved correct as the boy’s legs were now covered in armor similar to his torso and arms.  The legs had red kneecaps with blue borders. There were red half-circle ridges that went from his ankles to his calves.  The red, half-circles ended at the back of the ankles covered in yellow plating.  Most of the top of his feet also had yellow-colored plating with red borders.

TORINO SORAHIKO:  JET
STATUS:  ASSIMILATION COMPLETE
ARMOR PART:  LEGS
ABILITIES:  HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL AIR DASH; TRIANGLE JUMP

POWERRRRRRR . . . oh wait. . . wrong character.  One more training chapter, and then we get into the entrance exams.

Chapter Text

U.A. HIGH - TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE ENTRANCE EXAM

Melissa panted, dodging the rubber bullets fired at her by the turrets Nezu had procured from the support department.  The amount of training her body had been through for the last nine-plus months would’ve enabled her to dodge these attacks easily in normal circumstances.

Key phrase:  normal circumstances.

This exercise was already high in difficulty for her.   But Nezu knew he needed to up the ante.  So what did he do?  He forced her to carry three hundred extra pounds on her frame.  Each arm and leg had fifty pounds of weight strapped to the limb, while the weighted vest weighed one hundred pounds.  

When she first practiced this exercise, she had numerous angry, red circular bruises when she was finished.  Oh . . . and this was when the bullets were fired at a much slower speed, and there was a timer on a screen for her to know when the turrets would fire the rubber bullets.

Now . . . she had no warning sign of where and when the turrets would fire.  This was done to help build up her reflexes, mobility, and speed.

This was just one of the many “exercises” (cough torture cough) the principal of U.A. had subjected her to get her body ready to inherit All Might’s quirk.  It would also help her become more accustomed to the unpredictable nature of hero work.

One exercise included carrying an object containing “important documents” across a tightrope while she was shot at with medicine balls.  The exercise also had a wind tunnel that would hit her with random, powerful wind gusts in the direction she had to walk to reach her destination.

Another was jumping onto various rock platforms in steaming hot water, where some would sink if any weight were to be put on them.  Oh, and a fog machine was also utilized to obscure her vision.  If she fell in the hot water, she’d be forced to start at the beginning and try again until she reached the other side.  When she had to start again at the beginning, the rocks also shifted while the lights were off to prevent Melissa from seeing where the fakes were relocated.  This ensured she couldn’t complete this through typical rote learning.

A third one included an obstacle course where she had to guide herself to the exit without falling into one of the traps.  Also, the lights would turn off randomly to camouflage all the hazards preventing her escape, and various projectiles were being fired at her.  And one part of it had her running across a bed of hot coal!

There was also a capture-the-flag exercise with Melissa guarding the flag from a litany of robot enemies while blindfolded.

Now that she thought about it . . . Nezu seemed to emphasize having Melissa’s vision impaired to some degree once she got used to these unique challenges.  When she asked him where she got the ideas for these challenges, the principal only laughed in amusement.  When she didn’t get a straight answer from him, she asked Recovery Girl, who muttered something about blocking the channels with all of those obstacle course challenges programs on the campus.

She also battled a group of second-year students picked by Nezu himself to give her actual combat experience.  Despite their eccentric nature, the combat exercises were much more bearable because all three gave pointers to improve her fighting skills.  The advice made it much easier for her to endure the pain.  Granted, she could go without hearing the puns from the blonde, the rapid-fire questions from the blue-haired girl, and the final person of the trio shaking like a leaf whenever a person talked to him.  She felt her eye twitch lightly whenever she remembered that floating girl asking too many personal questions.  But at least the guy with the bad puns was tolerable despite the debilitating gut punches he landed whenever they sparred.  

And this did not include the “regular” exercises like pull-ups, sit-ups, and more that she had to do.

This was all done while she wore these weights during the last few months (fortunately, they were much lighter when Nezu introduced them to her training regimen).

Unknown to her, Nezu took some liberty with the schedule All Might handed him.  It would’ve prepared her body to inherit his quirk, but it would have left her without any combat exercise.  So, Nezu made a few adjustments and modifications to her training schedule.  As he monitored her progress, he smiled as he noted she was close to being ready to inherit One for All and adequately prepared to tackle the entrance exams.

As her training progressed, Melissa had an inkling not all of these exercises were conceived by All Might.  However, she couldn’t deny the results.  The results were evident based on the transformation her body went through.  Nezu tested her physically and mentally for the last nine months.  What was more alarming is that he knew when she was at her limit as she completed the objectives she was assigned for the day.  Each task was completed just before she reached her breaking point.

The only silver lining outside of receiving One for All was her nutritional needs being supervised by Lunch Rush.  The man lived up to his name as one of the greatest culinary minds the world had ever seen as he ensured she fulfilled the nutritional goals set by Nezu and All Might!  She always looked forward to the food prepared for her after the brutal training exercises Nezu had planned for the day.

She winced when she felt a rubber bullet clip her hip, but it did not impede her movement.  She frowned as the turrets became mobile due to the wheels that sprung forth from their legs.  Her frown only deepened as the turrets moved up and down to make dodging any projectiles they fired more difficult.

Eventually, they surrounded her in a circle to prevent her from running.  This portion was done to help her senses.  Nezu emphasized that there would likely be times when she’d had to escort multiple hostages.  This would open up a prime opportunity for the enemy to attack her from her blindspots. 

She heard the first rubber bullet fire.  She picked her leg up before the bullet hit the back of her left ankle.  She leaned back as the next turret fired, the rubber bullet aiming for the middle of her forehead.  She became parallel with the ground.  She pivoted and twisted her body, successfully avoiding the shots for the next several seconds.  However, her luck ran out as one rubber bullet hit her kneecap, causing her leg to buckle before her body collapsed.  The turrets suddenly stopped moving and made a beeping noise, signaling they were no longer active.

Static from an intercom echoed throughout the room.

“Excellent work, Ms. Shield.  Your reflexes are getting better.  You are getting used to using the other senses of your body to allow you to fight and defend yourself if your sight is ever compromised.”  Nezu chirped through the speaker, satisfied that she was where he predicted she’d be progress-wise.

Melissa’s eye violently twitched at the mad genius’s glee-filled tone.  She was convinced he was getting a kick from her falling on her face.  

“That’s enough for the day.  You can take off the weights.  Lunch Rush will be here with your food, and Togato and Hado will help you highlight the areas where you can improve.  You’re on track to inherit One for All within the next few days.”  Nezu informed the girl, who nodded.

She should be elated, but all she felt was pain radiating throughout her body.  Her mind then wandered to Midoriya.  

If she was honest, she couldn’t see herself being friends with him right now.  It wasn’t due to him being a jerk.  He was the furthest thing from it.  He also was the only one who could relate to her pain . . . along with All Might.  But it still blew her mind that he forgave the Symbol of Peace despite the harsh, initial words he told him about his potential to be a hero so easily.  Words she felt were also spoken to her when Toshinori said to go into support.  In her opinion, the boy was too kind.

Despite their complicated relationship, Melissa still hoped his training was going better than hers was.

GRAN TORINO’S APARTMENT

“You look like shit, kid.”  Gran Torino commented in a deadpanned tone.  The boy looked utterly exhausted, and it was only eight in the morning.

“Yeah, I think I pushed myself a little too far last night getting used to the leg upgrades.”   Izuku tiredly replied, exhaustion evident in his voice as he loudly yawned.  

“What were you even doing?”  Izuku nervously chuckled at the man’s question.

“I . . . I tried utilizing the triangle jump on the side of one of the buildings last night.”  Gran Torino’s eyes narrowed before jumping up, thwacking the boy in the head with his cane.

“OW!”  

“You dolt!  Why are you doing that when I’m not around to supervise you?  I told you to hold off on stuff like that when I’m not around and focus on practicing your ground movement with the leg thrusters.  The main goal of this week of training is to try and enhance your mobility without you running into things!”  The elderly hero scolded the young man.  The old man knew how valuable the ability was and wanted to be able to instruct the boy on how to use it.  Before Izuku could climb a vertical wall without any second wall or support equipment, he needed to control his dashing abilities.  The thrusters in the boy’s legs were powerful, but he needed to learn to control how much power he outputted in them so he didn’t crash.

Izuku rubbed the bump on his head.  The senior hero was confusing at times.  One moment, the man was senile, and the next, he conducted himself like a seasoned pro.  He also had . . . a sick, twisted kind of humor when it came to pranking.

Flashback

“Are you sure this is the place, All Might?”  Izuku asked, doubt evident in his tone as he looked at the rundown apartment.

On the exterior, the building looked run-down and abandoned. There were broken windows as pieces of the building crumbled.  There was also a sign that read "Welcome.”  It was hanging by a thread above the front entrance.  A fence and gate surround the apartment.

“I am, Midoriya-shounen.  This is where my old teacher lives.”  Toshinori replied.

“Are you sure?  This isn’t exactly what comes to mind when I think about where Gran Torino lived.”  Toshinori only chuckled at the boy’s skepticism as Midoriya exited the car.

“I’m sure.  Now, listen to what Gran Torino-sensei says.  You will make great progress in your training if you follow what he’s trying to teach you.”  Midoriya nodded before removing his bags from the trunk and closing it.

“I will, All Might!”  All Might sent the boy a grin.

“Excellent!  I guess I’ll see you in a week!”  All Might sped off after saying his goodbyes, which weirded the boy out.

In the car, the Symbol of Peace could only chuckle at what his old sensei would subject his apprentice to.

Not wanting to keep Gran Torino waiting, Izuku took his bag and entered the building.  

His initial doubts were not lessened as the inside of the apartment complex looked as run down and decrepit as the outside.

“Hello?  Is anyone here?”  He saw one of the doors slightly open and decided to investigate.

He was in no way, shape, or form prepared by what he saw.

He saw Gran Torino in the middle of the room.  This usually would be no big deal . . . if said person wasn’t lying on his stomach in a pool of blood.

It only took Izuku 1.35 seconds to react.

“GAHHHH!!!!! HE’S DEAD!”  Izuku screamed.

Torino’s head popped up off the floor.

“I’m alive.”  The old man said in a happy tone.

“GAHHHH!!!!! HE’S NOT DEAD!”  Izuku screamed again, startled to the point he lost his balance as his body backpedaled in surprise.  His legs got tangled before he fell, but not before he turned on a light switch, illuminating the room with light.

After a few seconds, both men stood back up.  Izuku placed a hand over his heart, trying to steady his heartbeat as the old man wiped the red liquid off his suit.

“Clumsy me!  I was so excited to eat this plate of sausages covered in ketchup that I accidentally tripped and knocked myself out.”  Gran Torino chuckled before looking at the boy.

“So what’s your name, kid?”  Izuku looked at All Might’s old teacher in disbelief.  He was flabbergasted and dismayed that All Might’s teacher forgot his name . . . again.

“It’s Izuku, sir!  We met yesterday.  Your quirk upgraded the leg portion of my armor!  You even let me assimilate it as long as you got to train me in return!”  Izuku exclaimed in disbelief, wondering if the old man had a memory impairment problem.

“ . . .  I did?”  Izuku face-faulted as he started wondering if the man had gone truly senile.  Composing himself and forcing himself to smile, he grabbed his phone to call All Might to explain his concerns for the old man he left him with.

“Why don’t you summon that armor and fire a projectile at me, boy?”  Izuku’s head snapped back to look at Gran Torino, wondering if he was hearing things.  He saw the old man stretching his legs.

“I beg your pardon,”  Izuku dumbly replied, putting his phone away.  He wanted to make sure he heard things correctly.

“You heard me, robot boy.  Bring forth the fighting gear and shoot me.”  Gran Torino repeated, dropping his senile persona.

“But . . . but what if I hit you or damage the place.”  Gran Torino sighed before he activated Jet.  Bursts of air erupted from the soles of his feet before he disappeared in a blur.

Izuku was amazed at how fast and agile the old man was, watching him ricocheting against the wall and other objects within the room at such speed his eyes could barely keep up with the veteran hero’s movement.

“My patience is wearing thin, boy!”  Izuku saw the old man rocket towards him before he felt him use his face as a launchpad, knocking him to the ground. 

Realizing the old man was no longer messing with him, he quickly got back to his feet.  He summoned X’s armor and began charging his buster.  Gran Torino smirked in amusement before rocketing toward him.   Izuku’s charging was interrupted as he sidestepped Gran Torino’s strike, only for the old man to bounce off the wall and kick him in his ribcage, sending Izuku flying and crashing through the coffee table.

“Your enemies aren’t going to let you stand there and charge up, boy.  At this rate, you’ll be a sitting duck if you fight villains with powers similar to mine.”  Izuku gritted his teeth as he realized the truth in his words.  He needed to charge his buster, but he couldn’t remain stationary.  Standing up, his eyes focused on Torino’s movements to predict when he’d strike.

Izuku again began charging his buster as he barely dodged another kick by Torino.  This time, he wouldn’t go for the max-level shot.  He needed to settle for whatever level charge shot he could reach before Torino made his move.

Gran Torino smiled as he noticed the boy move his foot underneath a remnant of his coffee table.  

‘A basic strategy.’  Gran Torino thought.  It wouldn’t work against a seasoned fighter like himself, but it was a good sign of his combat prowess.  In the only year he taught heroics, a good chunk of his students didn’t even strategize as the boy did.  He decided to play along with the boy’s plan.  He got behind the boy before aiming a kick at the boy’s back.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he predicted where Torino would attack.  He turned around and kicked the wood at Gran Torino.  As he expected, the hero evaded and rocketed up to the ceiling.

“I got you!”  Izuku shouted while his body was coated in yellow energy.  A blue and pink sphere rocketed to Gran Torino.  Izuku was surprised when Gran Torino kicked the ceiling with such force that large sections of plaster shielded him from Izuku’s attack, negating his level-three charge shot.  He was so stunned he didn’t notice the old man bounce off another wall before he kicked him in the face, sending him tumbling across the floor.  Gran Torino landed on his stomach with his gloved hand, grabbing his face before he could get up.  Izuku felt the air driven out of him as the seasoned pro pinned him to the floor.

“And that’s checkmate, kid.”  Torino chirped, sending a smug look at the boy.

“Damn it.  I thought I had you.  You are as great as All Might said, Gran Torino.”  Izuku muttered, despondent at losing.

“You’re not going to get me with basic tactics, boy.  Granted, you thought much farther ahead than others I have taught, but there’s an obvious flaw in your approach to battle.”  Izuku sent him a questioning gaze.

“You use your power to try and finish the fight in one attack.  In the real world, there aren’t many opportunities where you’ll one-shot an enemy.  There’s also the fact that you didn’t implement all of these gifts you possess.  You fought me as if I was attacking you from a distance, but as you learned firsthand, I’m not an enemy that is easy to hit with projectiles.  What will you do if an enemy breaks your arms?  What will your next step be if you can’t use that fancy cannon of yours?”  Izuku’s eyes widened.  He . . . he didn’t have any contingency plans if the scenario like the one Gran Torino described played out.

 “Think about it while I go and order some dinner.  Oh . . . and make sure to throw the table and that plaster in the garbage before cleaning this room.”  Izuku looked around the room and balked at the destruction.  Gran Torino expected him to clean all of this?!

A few trips to the dumpster later

Izuku sighed as he sat on the apartment floor, back against the wall, his suit still activated.  He had a notebook in hand, trying to figure out what he could do if his arms were rendered incapable of use.  The only hint Gran Torino told him was that he wasn’t utilizing all of the strengths his suit granted him.  But his primary form of attack was his X-Buster.  The power suit didn’t gift him any physical enhancements or close-ranged attacks that didn’t involve utilizing his arm cannon . . . right?

Deciding to take another look at his upgrades, he projected the list of weapons and armor upgrades in front of him, trying to figure out what All Might’s sensei was trying to teach him.

The body parts allowed him to fire off an explosion that would engulf everything within a certain distance.  Its primary purpose was its defensive capabilities.  Each attack that inflicted damage on him would convert into stored energy for the explosion attack.  However, it wasn’t practical to allow himself to suffer damage for a one-shot blast willingly.  

Sighing, Izuku looked through the demonstration for the leg parts.  It would enable him to dash forward or straight-up while in midair.  He also could utilize the leg thrusters while on the ground to cover more ground in less time.

Suddenly, a look of realization dawned on Izuku’s face.  He couldn’t believe how it escaped him.  He could’ve utilized his leg boosters in battle.  He didn’t need to stand still while charging, making himself an easy target for attacks to make contact with him.  

Izuku decided to write in his notebook to emphasize training his leg thrusters to allow him to maintain movement while charging his attacks.

As he looked at the film of X dashing, he came up with another idea to get further use out of the foot parts.

Unbeknownst to Izuku, Gran Torino looked at him with a smirk, holding their dinner in his hand.  He didn’t hear the boy say anything, but the look in the boy’s eyes was telling. 

‘The boy is bright.  He seems to know what he needs to work on.’  Gran Torino decided to make his presence known.

“Place looks nice, kid.  Thanks for throwing away all of the broken stuff.”  Izuku smiled and rubbed the back of his head, still not used to compliments.  He saw Torino reach into the bag before he was handed a bento box.

“Eat.  We’re going to try that exercise from earlier one more time.  I assume you figured out what I was trying to tell you?”  Izuku nodded.

“Yes . . . I think so.”  Torino hummed, satisfied with the boy’s response, taking out his bento box to replenish his energy.

30 minutes later

“Alright, zygote.  Are you ready to try this again?”  Izuku answered his question by getting into his stance, crouching slightly with his X-Buster activated.  It was still stiff and filled with flaws, but Torino noted his posture enabled him to react much more naturally.  

“Now . . . let’s try this exercise for three minutes.”  Gran Torino pulled out a stopwatch before setting it for the amount of time he verbally stated earlier.

“And go!”  And within a blink of an eye, Sorahiko maneuvered throughout the room at a breakneck pace.  After a few seconds, he rocketed to the boy, aiming a kick for the teenager’s ribcage.  Izuku sidestepped the attack, aiming his X-Buster and firing.  He missed, but his main goal wasn't to hit Torino with his energy blast in that exchange.

‘I have to lure him into a false sense of security.  If I can get him close enough while getting him out of position to where he can’t counterattack, I can surprise him.’  Izuku saw the whiteboard nearby and decided to make use of it.  He maneuvered his body in front of the whiteboard at the exact moment Torino would attack.  He crossed his arms just as Torino attempted to land a kick into his sternum, sending the boy crashing next to the whiteboard.  

“C’mon, kid.  Show me why All Might decided to train you.  If you can’t get over this simple hurdle, how will you react fast enough to save those that can be saved?”  Gran Torino scolded the boy before he began rocketing around the room, his movements blurring his body from Izuku’s perspective.

Gritting his teeth, Izuku got up and timed Torino’s movements.  He noticed Torino land on the wall behind him and the whiteboard before he swiftly flew to strike Izuku again.  

Izuku’s X-Buster morphed back into its default setting, pulling the board in front of his back without turning around, surprising Torino as he landed on it.  Despite the force of the landing, Izuku was able to have the board remain upright.  In a split second, Izuku activated the thrusters in his legs to turn his body around, lifting one leg to deliver a kick to the whiteboard.  Torino evaded the remnants of the whiteboard that was sent barreling at him, flying upward only to notice Izuku using his leg thrusters to launch at him with a knee strike.  He used Jet to evade the first strike as he flew backward before hearing a familiar humming sound.  His eyes widened as he saw Izuku’s X-Buster charging up before firing a level-two shot.  Fortunately, it was far enough to where he could turn his body enough to evade it.  

Air burst from the soles of his yellow boots as he tried to tackle Izuku, who only smirked.  He charged his X-Buster briefly before aiming at the ceiling.  Torino saw him shoot another level-2 projectile, the force of the blast allowing Izuku to rocket downward and evade Torino’s tackle.  Instead of hearing Izuku’s body hit the floor, he heard the sound of the boy’s body hit . . . cushions?  

Torino’s eyes widened as he realized the boy aimed at an angle to propel his body to the couch, evading his attack and minimizing damage from the fall.  Not only that, but Gran Torino noticed his body’s momentum would position him to be directly above the couch where Izuku was.  Izuku smirked before charging and firing a level-3 charge shot at Torino.  All Might’s former teacher barely slowed down enough to keep his body from flying into the blast.  

Anticipating Torino to use his quirk to stop his momentum, the boy kip-upped before jumping off the couch towards Torino.  Izuku activated his leg thrusters one last time, flying into the air to deliver an uppercut to Gran Torino’s stomach. 

END OST AT 2:02

To his amazement, Gran Torino pivoted his body to narrowly avoid the punch before using his Jet quirk to push his body away, also narrowly avoiding the plaster that fell from the hole in the ceiling caused by his charge shot.  

‘He dodged my attack and knew when that particular section of ceiling would collapse?!’  Izuku’s disbelief caused him to lose focus.  He also put too much power into his thrusters.  He looked up and saw he was about to smash his head on the ceiling.  He raised his arms to protect his head.  However, his head still absorbed some of the impact that left him dizzy.  Seeing the boy was disoriented, Gran Torino took advantage of the situation to kick him into his bookcase.  Izuku’s body peeled off the furniture, only for it to comically fall on him a few seconds after he landed on the floor.

“Ow.”  Izuku squeaked out, the bookcase lying on his entire body from his torso down.  He suddenly heard the timer ring, signaling three minutes had passed.

“And that’s that.”  Gran Torino turned the timer off.  

‘Haven’t had to go all out like that in years.’  Gran Torino noted the cut on the back of his neck from the falling debris before walking to the boy and lifting the furniture off of him.  Izuku crawled out before helping Torino set the bookcase upright.  

After Izuku recovered enough, the two went to work to place the books that fell from the bookcase into their proper location. 

“I thought I had you there.”  Izuku said in a despondent tone.

“You need to stop being so damn hard on yourself, kid.  You just learned to use your power suit’s upgrades in conjunction.  Not only that, your strategy was much more complex this time.  You utilized your surroundings and used my quirk against me.  All you need is more battle experience and training with your quirk.  You’ll be a force to be reckoned with once you get that experience, and utilize it with your skill to quickly analyze the situation and accurately predict what your opponent will do next.  But for now, we will work on controlling how much power you put into those leg thrusters.”  Gran Torino replied, hiding the pride in his voice at the boy’s progression.

‘You are right, Toshinori.  He’ll become an excellent hero.’  Gran Torino mentally nodded in approval.

“However, you put too much power in that air dash.  If you dialed it back down a bit, you would’ve been able to continue trying to land a hit on me.”  Izuku nodded before looking at Gran Torino in confusion as the old man headed for the door.  

“Which is why we’re going to practice your dashing skills.”  Izuku flinched at the sadistic look on Gran Torino’s face.

ALLEYWAY

Izuku grunted as he felt a trash bag thrown by his teacher hit him.  The other exercise Izuku was instructed to do was escort a citizen from one end of the alley to the other end.  They were using an average-sized male civilian mannequin to mimic the people Izuku would have to rescue.

With Gran Torino throwing trash bags at him.  The old man set the number of times Izuku could be hit by a trash bag to five.  He’d have to start over if he was hit by a trash bag five times.  He’d also have to start over again if he dropped the mannequin.  

And it was not going well.  He was getting pelted by smelly garbage.  To add insult to injury, he only made it to the halfway point once.  And Torino had hit him with fifty bags of trash!

Where in the world was he getting all this trash?

“That’s enough for today, kid.”  Izuku eyes widened as a frown became visible on his face, upset that the exercise had ended.

“But I can still keep going, Gran Torino-sensei!”  Izuku shouted, pleading for the man to let him continue his training.

“Your mind wants to continue, but your body is saying otherwise.  Your movements are getting sloppier with each attempt.”  Izuku scowled in disappointment before hearing Torino sigh.

“As I said, don’t beat yourself up too much kid.  I don’t expect you to complete this exercise in one day or even by the end of this week.”  Torino informed the boy, who looked discouraged at the honest assessment.  

“It took All Might a while before he was up to par to complete these exercises.  But for now, let’s rest for the day.”  After a few seconds, Izuku nodded.  That made him feel a little better.

“Now, get yourself cleaned up.  You smell like garbage.”  Izuku’s eye twitched at the man’s comment.  He was the reason he was smelling like garbage in the first place!

SEVERAL HOURS LATER - GRAN TORINO'S APARTMENT

“I’m snoring . . . I’m snoring . . . I’m snoring.”  Gran Torino muttered . . . in his sleep?  Izuku could only stare at the old man, stunned at what he was watching play out.

‘He can’t seriously be sleeping like that.’  Izuku exclaimed mentally, disbelief evident on his face.  He suddenly heard the dryer holding his workout gear ding, signaling it was done.  Sighing, he went to the laundry room.  He opened the dryer door and grabbed his clothes.  They were previously stained by garbage that seeped through his armor from earlier.  His mind replayed what happened during the day and his supposed lack of progress with the hostage evacuation exercise.  Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed his gear and walked outside the house.

ALLEYWAY

Izuku’s eyes scanned the narrow alley, trying to figure out how to avoid Torino’s garbage bag throws much more efficiently.  He didn’t have a lot of space on the ground, which limited his options on how to dodge the projectiles.  Suddenly, he realized he had additional space to work with if he went higher.  If he went higher and wall kick to and fro to navigate out of the narrow passage, he’d have a better chance of completing the exercise.  

However, there was a good chunk of space that didn’t have any railings to land on.  So he’d either have to kick across the buildings . . . or vertically kick up one.  

‘Well . . . let’s try it out.  If X could do it, so can I.’  Izuku focused on where he wanted to kick as he activated his suit.  He crouched and prepared himself to jump.  He felt the thrusters in his legs ignite.  Once he believed the thrusters had generated enough power, he jumped.  He rocketed to the wall he aimed for.

He crashed into it face-first.

This was the routine for the next few hours before Izuku could bounce back and forth between the alley walls a few times.  He had to adjust the output in his thrusters to not only allow him to close the distance but also allow his body to reposition itself so he didn’t smack his face against the wall.  Once satisfied with his progress, he decided to go for the next challenge:  climbing up a vertical wall without using his hands.

The exercise was much more arduous in difficulty.  He learned that he couldn’t deactivate his thrusters if he wanted to climb up a building vertically.  If his thrusters stopped igniting, he would fall.  Izuku needed to figure out the correct output in his thrusters to climb up the wall without support from things like a second wall.  He knew the thruster’s output had to be increased and decreased at certain intervals in his vertical climb.  But that was easier said than done.

He grunted as he made it up three steps before he lost his footing and fell after another attempt. . . into more garbage.

Despite his agitation of smelling awful again, he persisted in getting the timing down correctly.  He was so focused on being proficient with his wall climbing that he lost track of time.

Flashback End

Gran Torino could only sigh in exhaustion and slight agitation as he washed the boy’s armor with a water hose he had.  The boy was way too much like Toshinori.

“Well, not much we can do now.  Get some rest, and we’ll do the hostage evacuation test in a few hours.”  Izuku nodded as he saw his armor no longer covered in gunk.  He wanted to continue training, but he felt exhausted.  So, he decided to take the recovery time.

But for now, he needed to wash the stench off his clothes.  Again. 

ONE WEEK LATER - GRAN TORINO'S APARTMENT

“Thank you for all your help, Gran Torino!”  Izuku waved goodbye to Gran Torino as he headed to the car All Might arrived in.

“Who are you?”  Izuku nearly tripped hearing that question again.  He was going to reply like he usually did but then decided to try something new.  He turned around and gazed at the old man with a determined look in his eyes.

“I am Midoriya Izuku!  Future student of the U.A. Hero Course and future hero!”  Gran Torino couldn’t stop the grin from emerging on his face.

“Hohoho!  Now that’s what I’m talking about!”  Izuku nodded in affirmation before walking to the car.  To his surprise, Melissa emerged out of the vehicle.

“Melissa!  What are you doing here?”  Melissa maintained a neutral expression on her face.  Something that Izuku noted.  Along with the scar on her right arm.

She had become . . . not as friendly to him ever since that day they arrived from the United States.  She wasn’t hostile to him like Bakugou, but there was tension between them based on how they reacted to all of the secrets All Might kept.    

“I’m here to train with Gran Torino-san.  I heard he was an excellent teacher based on the stories told by All Might and Principal Nezu.”  Melissa responded, maintaining a stoic expression on her face.

“He is.  He’ll be tough on you, yes.  But I learned a lot from him.  I know you will, too.”  Melissa nodded, satisfied to hear Izuku’s training produced results that would help the boy progress in his career.

“I see.  Thank you for your input, Midoriya-san.”  Melissa bowed in front of the boy.

“You’re welcome,”  Izuku replied.  

An awkward silence followed for a few seconds.

“Melissa . . . listen.  We need to talk about . . .” 

The blonde girl cut off the boy with a sharp glare. 

“Listen, Midoriya.  I don’t feel like talking about that.  You have your reasons, and I have my own regarding why we reacted to what was revealed to us by All Might.  So, if you don’t mind, please respect my decision regarding my relationship with him.”  Izuku could only frown as Melissa walked past him.  

“ . . . Do you have it yet?”  Melissa stopped, remaining silent to ponder whether or not she should tell him.

“Yes.”  

“. . . Is that how you got the scar on your arm?”  Melissa barely suppressed a flinch.  Any pain she felt in the past paled in comparison to when she used One for All for the first time.  She still vividly remembered the blood-curdling scream she let out from breaking her arm due to her using her quirk . . . one time only. 

FLASHBACK - U.A. HIGH SCHOOL - PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE

“Eat this!”  All Might offered a single strand of his hair to his new successor.  Melissa and David looked at the man in disbelief, wondering if this was a sick prank.  Nezu could only shake his head in amusement while Recovery Girl slapped her forehead in disbelief.  The oaf didn’t inform her that she had to do this until now?!

“You’re fucking kidding right now, right?”  Melissa hissed out through gritted teeth.  All Might could feel the anger from his niece simmering to the surface.

He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, mentally chastising himself for not telling her this tidbit sooner.

“Unfortunately, no.  You’ll have to ingest some of my DNA to pass my quirk down to you.  This is the least gross method I could think of.”  Melissa could only gag in response, disgust evident on her face.  After she suppressed her nausea, she took the hair in her hand.

“Does anyone have a water bottle?”  

“I can go fetch one from my office.”  Recovery Girl sighed out before she began her walk back to her workspace.  After a few minutes, she returned with the drink Melissa requested.

Taking a deep breath, Melissa shoved the hair into her mouth before grabbing the water bottle to assist her in swallowing it.

She shuddered violently after she was done eating All Might’s hair.  Her father rubbed her back soothingly to help her, but it did little to comfort her.  After a few minutes, Melissa felt an overwhelming surge of power coursing through her veins.

“I . . . think I have his quirk now, Principal Nezu,”  Melissa informed the principal, who grinned in satisfaction that the transfer process was successful.

David could only look at her daughter with pride in his eyes.

“Excellent!  Do you want to test it?”  Melissa turned to the Symbol of Peace and nodded.

“Then let’s head to Ground Omega.  This will allow us to see your first use of One for All in action.”  

FLASHBACK - U.A. HIGH SCHOOL - GROUND OMEGA

Ground Omega is an extensive wooded area where there are some rocky hills.  A wall surrounded the forest to keep trespassers out.  The entrance had the letter omega above it. The place is used to carry out practices and school training of various kinds.

Melissa stood several feet from the four adults, stretching her limbs to prepare herself to utilize her quirk for the first time.

“Are you ready, Melissa?”  David asked his daughter, who nodded.

“Try and pull as little power as you can,”  Nezu informed the girl, who vocally confirmed that she was following his instructions.  As she tried to dial her power down as much as possible, her first curled, and her right arm cocked back.  Once she dialed as much as she could back, she threw a punch.

“SMASH!”  A vicious gust of wind erupted from her arm, creating a large dust cloud and knocking several trees down.  The dust covered all five of them, the sounds of coughing filling the air for the next few minutes before the dust cloud dissipated. 

“That was crazy.”  David coughed out, amazed at the amount of power his daughter just displayed.

“Indeed.  But . . . I don’t think she held back enough.”  Nezu grimly replied.

“Huh, what do you mean?”  David and All Might tilted their head in confusion.  Their confusion turned to worry when they saw Recovery Girl with a look of panic on her face.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting cry from Melissa filled the area, causing the two to look back at them.  One look at her arm caused David’s paternal instincts to kick in.

“MELISSA!”  David screamed at his crying daughter, who was holding her arm.  It was red and swollen as blood leaked down the limb.  All four adults did not hesitate to rush to the girl’s aid to get her arm stabilized and healed.

Flashback End

GRAN TORINO'S APARTMENT

“Yes.”

“I see.  If anyone can help you work through it, it’s Gran Torino.”  Melissa sighed in relief that there was a chance she wouldn’t be shattering her bones regularly.  Hopefully.

“I wish you the best of luck, Melissa.”  She heard Izuku say, rousing her from her thoughts as she noticed him walk toward her.  They stood side-by-side before Izuku told her something only the two of them could hear before walking to All Might's car.

Her eyes narrowed for a few seconds before she walked to the entrance of the rundown apartment complex.

THE DAY OF THE EXAMS - U.A. HIGH SCHOOL

“Wow . . . this is it.  Today’s the day.”  Izuku muttered, awe-struck as he slowly processed that he was now standing in front of the high school he had dreamt of attending since he could first form words in his mouth.  He could hear a light hum in agreement next to him.

“Yeah.  Our first step towards our new life.”  Melissa muttered, failing to hide the excitement in her voice.  She had become somewhat cynical due to her strained relationship between herself and All Might.  However, Melissa knew this was her best chance to live out her dreams, even if it meant inheriting his burden.

She turned her head to look at Izuku.

“Make sure you pass this exam,”  Melissa told Izuku before walking past him.  All Izuku could do was stare at her retreating form, wordlessly acknowledging that he would do so.  He had to.  All Might entrusted the future to them, and he couldn’t let him or Melissa down.  

But he wished Melissa could be a lot less cold toward him.  Their differing opinions regarding All Might’s actions stymied a potential friendship opportunity.  It disappointed him as both understood the other’s pain due to their quirkless status.  Ever since Izuku got his quirk, people at his school were either trying to brownnose or intimidate him (Bakugou).  He shut all of it down with fierce swiftness.  He didn’t want friends who wanted to use him for their selfish goals.  At least Bakugou was honest in his disgust for him.  Although he wishes he could figure out what caused Bakugou to despise him.

“Out of the way, Deku.”  A voice growled in annoyance

Speak of the devil.

“There’s plenty of space around me, Katsuki.  It won’t kill you to walk around me.”  Izuku deadpanned.

Katsuki only grunted at the reply from the person who had (supposedly) caused his life to go downhill for the last ten months.  His parents would barely say a word to him, and when he acted out according to them, they coldly told him they were proving Auntie Inko’s claims true.

Which was ridiculous.  Did they not realize how much Deku was dragging his mother down?  

He needed to figure out what he did to Auntie, but he couldn’t if he got kicked off the campus.  He knew Deku was trying to goad him into lashing out at him.  To further this case of him being a ‘villain.’  But he was too smart to take the bait.

‘As I told you months ago, Deku, I will figure out what you’ve done to Auntie.  You might’ve fooled everyone, but I know you’re up to something.’  Bakugou vowed, walking past Izuku.  But not before he roughly shoulder-checked him, causing the green-haired boy to stare at him with disgust in his eyes.

‘I heard of living in a person’s head rent-free, but this is ridiculous.’  Izuku thought in annoyance as he saw his former best friend walking to the building.

“He’s a real ray of sunshine, huh?”  A bubbly voice chimed in, echoing similar annoyance. 

Izuku turned his head, and he couldn’t keep the light blush on his cheeks from emerging.

The voice belonged to a girl.  A cute girl.

Several seconds passed before Izuku realized she was asking him a question.  Blushing deeper in embarrassment, it took every ounce of effort for the young man to answer her question.

“Y-y-y-yeah.  H-h-h-he’s n-not the m-m-most social person.”  Izuku managed to utter out.  The girl just giggled.  

“Yeah.  He’s as cuddly as a cactus.”  Izuku couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling his nervousness melt away.  It was so long since he met someone his age who didn’t kiss the ground Katsuki walked on.  As he calmed down, he took a closer look at the girl.

She was shorter than him and had a maturing physique.  She had auburn-colored hair with eyes that matched in color and fair skin. She has a perpetual pink blush on her cheeks, and her eyes are large and round with thick upper lashes, two more extended and more prominent ones on either side, and fewer but more individually pronounced lower lashes. Her hair is shoulder-length with short bangs, and the style is bobbed with two long strands framing her face.

“Anyways, we should get to the classrooms where the written portion of the exams is being held.”  Izuku’s eyes widened, completely forgetting about the exam. 

“Yeah, you’re right.  Let’s get going.”  The girl nodded in agreement before the two walked up the stairs, being directed to a series of rooms to take the written portion of the exam.  Coincidentally, both were seated next to each other in the same room.

Several hours later, the students were handed a piece of paper, designating each of them which row and seat they were to be seated at when they reached the auditorium.

“Ah, phooey.  I was hoping to sit next to ya.”  The brown-haired girl said after examining which part of the auditorium the two were seated at.  The two were on opposite ends, meaning they couldn’t talk to one another.

Izuku could only blush.  He was not used to this type of attention.  Staring at where he had to go, his annoyance bubbled to the surface again as he realized he was sitting next to Katsuki . . . something his new companion noticed as well.

‘Ooof.’  She grimaced in her head, feeling bad for the nervous boy.  He had to sit next to the angry blonde. She couldn’t understand why he had a grudge towards the shy boy.

Hopefully, the orange-haired girl who would also be sitting next to him was much more cordial.  She decided to try and cheer him up.

“Don’t let him get to ya.  People like him are more bark than bite.”  The bubbly girl told him, causing him to look at her.  The girl nervously laughed at the deadpan stare sent her way.  It seemed her assessment of the blonde-haired boy was off if the look the freckled-face boy was sending her was any indication.

“Anyways . . . good luck!  Make sure you don’t catch whatever he has!”  She hastily told him before turning on her heel and walking away.

Izuku couldn’t help but snort in amusement, feeling a little better.  If only someone like her attended the same school as him, then it wouldn’t have been as dreadful an experience.

‘Let’s get this over with.’  Izuku sighed in his head before walking to where he was told to sit.  He ignored the burning stare sent to him by his former best friend.

“Excuse me,”  Izuku told the orange-haired girl as he neared his seat.  The girl moved back in her chair, giving him enough space to walk by her before he sat down.

As he took his seat, she noted in the corner of her eye the boy next to Izuku glaring daggers at him.

‘What’s his deal?’  The ashen-blonde looked at the green-haired boy like he wanted to maim him.  

The lights dimmed within the auditorium, capturing the attention of the hero hopefuls before she could ask Izuku about the red-eyed boy.

A few seconds later, a tall, slim, blonde-haired man walked to the podium.  Izuku’s eyes widened as he noticed the speaker around the man’s neck.

“Oh my goodness!  That’s the Voice Hero:  Present Mic!”  Izuku loudly whispered, giddy to see a hero proctoring an exam.  Unfortunately, not everyone shared the same enthusiasm.

“Oi, shut the fuck up Deku!  No one wants to hear you nerding out.”  Bakugou snarled quietly, causing the fanboy to shrink in embarrassment.  Unbeknownst to the two, the girl glared at the blonde sitting next to Izuku.

‘Asshole.’  She hadn’t even conversed with the explosive blonde, but his attitude caused her to sour on him.  How the hell did someone like him decide he wanted to be a hero?  His crass, rude behavior was more akin to a villain.

“Hey, little listeners!  Thank you for coming in today and tunin’ into your favorite U.A. DJ!  Can I get a yeah yuhhh!”  Present Mic exuberantly shouted out, using a little bit of his quirk to make sure everyone heard him.

An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room.  It was so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop or crickets chirping.

“Man . . . tough crowd.”  Present Mic quietly muttered to himself, embarrassment evident in his tone.  But as with any situation, a hero had to adjust to unexpected circumstances.  Clearing his throat, he pushed the flustered feeling he was experiencing currently down to begin his presentation.

“Alrighty, little listeners!   I need you to focus all your attention on me.  So lend me your eyes and ears!  ‘Cause I’m gonna let y’all know how the practical exam is going to work!”  Present Mic grabbed a clicker and showed the first slide of his presentation:  a topographical layout of the exam area split into four segments.

“The testing sites are going to be split into four areas.  Underneath your seat, you will find a form that will let you know which site you are assigned to.”  Each hero hopeful grabbed said packet underneath their chairs.

To his annoyance, Bakugou saw that he had been assigned a different exam location than Deku.

‘Probably done to prevent people who went to the same school from teaming up.’  Bakugou spat out mentally, disgusted that the school could even fathom he’d ever work with Deku.  He sent another sharp stare at the green-haired boy, who was showing Carrot Top that both were going to the same exam site.

‘Another day, Deku.’  Bakugou hissed in his head.

“Once you go to your assigned testing site, your exam will consist of one simple task.”  Present Mic pressed the clicker again, the slide changing to a new one showcasing four silhouettes.

“You all are going to be destroying robots today!”  Izuku smirked at the irony of the exam objective to determine who would get into the hero course.

“As you can see, there are three types of robots each of you will battle that can reward anywhere from one to three points!  The main objective of this exam will be to destroy as many of these baddies as possible within fifteen minutes.  Now, to ensure that you all play fair, there are going to be some guidelines I expect all of you to follow.”  Present Mic informed the participants, clicking his clicker three times.  Three of the silhouettes had an alpha-numeric combination (1P to 3P), designating how many points each type of robot would reward the examinee.

“These rules are simple:  no attempts to sabotage any of your fellow examinees.  This includes deliberately attacking an examinee to prevent them from getting points (Bakugou snorted in annoyance) or setting them up to be attacked by the villain bots.  Those who break this rule will be disqualified and immediately blacklisted from all hero courses in the country.  Am I clear, little listeners?”  Present Mic grinned, seeing most of the examinees furiously nodding their heads.  

“Excellent!  Any questions?!”

He saw one of the examinees raise their hand.

“What’s on your mind, little listener?”  Present Mic asked the examinee, a relatively tall and muscular young man with a wide frame. He has short dark blue hair, flattened neatly down and parted on the right side of his head, a small patch completely shaved near the base of his head, and rather square eyes that match the notably pointed shape of his jaw. He usually wears a serious expression, and his eyebrows seem to be permanently pointed inwards, quite thin and long in length, the far ends sharply hooked inwards, and he wears glasses with rectangular lenses.

“Sir, you mentioned three types of robots we are instructed to destroy to accrue points.  However, I see four types of robots we are assigned to engage in combat on the screen and in the pamphlet handed to us!  I hope as an instructor for U.A., you didn’t forget to list any important information for this exam!”  Suddenly, the blue-haired teen turned his attention to Izuku.

“And you, with the messy green hair!”  Izuku flinched, surprised that he was called out in front of a large audience.  Bakugou smirked in sick satisfaction, knowing what was coming next.

“I hope you are not here just to gush over meeting the heroes.  This is a hero school, not a fan convention.  If you’re not here to take this exam seriously, please leave.  The last thing we need is someone who is treating this whole process as a joke.”  A few of the examinees laughed at Izuku’s misfortune.  Izuku lowered his head, hiding his flustered face.

The laugh brought up several bad memories for Izuku during his time at Aldera.  The situation reminded him too much of his old life before he acquired X’s powers.  However, unbeknownst to him, three examinees in the room weren’t happy to see him put on the spot like that.

After a few seconds, Izuku started to feel less flustered as he composed himself.  However, his flustered state of mind morphed into one of annoyance.

Izuku lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at the stiff who put him on the spot.

“I apologize.  I promise it won’t happen again.”  Izuku replied in a monotonous tone.  

“Alright, alright.  Simmer down y’all.  And to answer your question, Examinee 7111, the final robot is worth no points.  It is the strongest of all the robots you will encounter today.  There’s one in each test area, but engaging it would be pointless.  It’s .  . . like a hurdle that I’d suggest you avoid at all costs if possible.”  Present Mic responded to the boy’s question, clarifying the “real” purpose of the zero-pointer.

“I see.  Thank you for the explanation.  Please continue,”  Examinee 7111 bowed, satisfied with the answer.

“You’re welcome, little listener!  Anyway, that’s all I got for you guys today.  But before you go, allow me to tell you these words of wisdom before you leave:  A true hero is one who overcomes life’s misfortunes.  And go beyond, plus ultra!”   Present Mic flashed the peace sign to the examinees before leaving the auditorium.

After Present Mic’s departure, the students went to their designated buses that would take them to their respective test areas.

TEST AREA ALPHA

The bus ride was, for the most part, uneventful.  After being embarrassed in the auditorium, Izuku was grateful that the back of the bus was empty.  He made a beeline for the backseat to avoid interacting with anybody.  He wasn’t in the mood to talk, keeping his head down to avoid making eye contact.  Thankfully, the other examinees left him alone.  However, the orange-haired girl and brown-haired girl occasionally sent him a look of concern.  

The bus reached its destination fifteen minutes later.  Once the driver parked the bus, the examinees left the vehicle one at a time.  They arrived in front of a large gate.  Their designated test site was a mock city filled with various buildings based on what Izuku could see from his vantage point.  He whistled lowly, impressed at all of the resources U.A. had at their disposal.

‘I shouldn’t be this shocked.  This school did produce three of the top four current heroes.’  It shouldn’t surprise him that they’d have this amount of resources available. 

Looking around, he noted that the two girls he met earlier were in this area also.  The orange-haired girl seemed to be hyper-focused on her stretches to be prepared when the practical exam started.  However, the brown-haired girl seemed very nervous based on her posture and mannerisms.  

‘She looks like she’s about to faint at any moment.’  He decided at that moment to approach her and try his best to calm her nerves.

After walking a few steps toward the girl, he felt someone firmly grasp his shoulder.  He turned around and noticed that he was being grabbed by the boy who chastised him in front of everyone at the auditorium earlier.

‘Oh great.’  Izuku droned out.  In any other circumstance, he’d let the boy say whatever was on his mind.  However, Izuku’s patience had worn thin at this point.

“Is there a problem?”  The boy who grabbed his shoulder narrowed his eyes at him.

“That girl looks like she’s trying to concentrate.  Are you trying to sabotage her chances of passing this exam?”  Izuku looked at the boy in disbelief, astonished that he even thought he was here for nefarious purposes. 

“Why the hell would I do that?!  It's been my dream to be a hero since I could talk!  Why would I do anything to throw all of that away?!”  The stiff remained unconvinced.  Izuku decided to emphasize his reasoning by pointing at the brown-haired girl.

“I’m not sure what you’re looking at, but her body language screams nervous.  I don’t know about you, but any hero worth their salt will do their best to calm her nerves.  Which is what I’m going to do.”  Before the stiff could rebuke his argument, Izuku removed his hand and walked to the girl, ignoring the high-strung boy walking behind him and telling him to stop.

“Hey!”  The brown-haired girl jumped slightly but calmed down quickly when she recognized the voice.  She turned to greet the boy, but she didn’t expect someone to follow behind him and tell him to cease his ‘criminal’ behavior, his right arm in a repeating, chopping motion.

“Oh, it’s you!”  She happily greeted Izuku but narrowed her eyes as she recognized the other boy as the one who called him out earlier.  

The stiff stopped verbally accusing the supposed troublemaker when he heard the tone in her voice.

“It’s me.  Is everything alright?  You look like you’re about to pass out.”  

“Is it that obvious?”  The girl closed her eyes, rubbing the back of her head for a few seconds before she looked at the ground.

“My quirk isn’t the most combat-oriented.  It’s more of a support or rescue-type quirk.”  Izuku narrowed his eyes at the supposed limitations of her quirk.  

He’d be the judge of that.

“What is your quirk?”

“Huh?”

“Sir!  You are causing her distress.  I implore you to cease at once.”  The blue-haired boy’s chopping was now in full throttle.

Izuku ignored the two’s reactions, repeating his question with emphasis.

“What.  Is.  Your.  Quirk?”  Faster than she realized, the girl lifted a pebble on the ground, touching it before she tossed it.  Only . . . it didn’t fall back to the ground.

“Zero Gravity.  It allows me to negate the gravitational pull of whatever object my hands come into contact with.”  Izuku suppressed the fanboy in him at seeing a quirk in action like hers.  Right now, she needed a boost of confidence.

“I see.  What is your weight limit when utilizing your quirk?”  The girl placed her chin in her hand, trying to remember the heaviest object she made weightless.

“One ton.”  Izuku nodded his head.

“If this mock city is replicating what a regular city in Japan is, then I believe there should be plenty of objects for you to use as weapons to destroy these robots.  Also, there is a chance you’ll be able to lift these robots with your quirk off the ground if they’re light enough.”  Izuku replied.

The girl could only stare at him, mentally cursing herself for not thinking about using the environment around her.  However, he wasn’t done.

“I know what it’s like to be nervous.  To doubt yourself and whether or not what you are currently capable of will be enough.  I still have some self-doubt regarding my competence when utilizing my quirk.”  The two watched in awe as a light blue light enveloped his form before X’s armor was summoned.

A few feet from them, the orange-haired girl and everyone else gawked at the display they just watched.

‘Holy crap!  He looks like a Gundam!’  The orange-haired girl Katsuki called Carrot Top exclaimed in her head.

“I’ve only had access to my quirk for a year.  I’m not even sure what it’s fully capable of.  But I know I’ll do my best to pass this exam despite being behind everyone else by about a decade.”  The girl lightly blushed as she felt him grab her shoulders.

“I can’t tell you you’ll pass.  But what I can ask of you is to give it your all.  Whether or not you pass, you can hold your head high and know you did everything possible.  That you know there wasn’t one more thing you could’ve done.  So promise me this:  promise to go beyond, plus ultra.”  Izuku’s green eyes intensely stared into her own.  A smile made its way to her face.

“Thanks.  I needed that.  And I promise you I will.”  Izuku smiled in return.

Out of their line of sight, the blue-haired boy stared in awe, processing the inspirational speech that he just heard from a person he had written off as a ‘troublemaker.’  Further away, the orange-haired girl smiled.  She couldn’t make out what was being said.  However, whatever the boy said to the brown-haired girl seemed to have worked if the smile on her face was any indication.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Izuku's quirk had just finished assimilating the stranger's new quirk into his system.

NEW WEAPON ACQUIRED!

URARAKA OCHACO - ZERO GRAVITY

STATUS: ASSIMILATION AND MODIFICATIONS COMPLETE (PENDING USER’S APPROVAL)
WEAPON:  GRAVITY WELL
MAGAZINE CAPACITY - 15
CHARGED CAPACITY - 5

PLAY - INTRO STAGE (X4 - X)

Suddenly, the examinees heard the gates open, giving them a full view of the mock battle area.

“BEGIN!"  Present Mic’s voice echoed on the intercom.

Izuku instinctually turned on his heel.  He activated the thrusters in the soles of his feet, flying past the other examinees and the gate entrance.

'Let's do this.'  Izuku thought as he made his way onto the mock battlefield, ready to fight for his future.

A few seconds later, his eyes caught sight of a robot.  Transforming his right hand to the X-Buster, he began charging his arm cannon before lifting his arm.

"Take this!"  Izuku shouted as a level 3 charge shot rocketed out from his X-Buster.

Finally, we get to the good stuff! 

Chapter Text

(Season 1 Intro)

TEST SITE ALPHA ENTRANCE GATES

“BEGIN!” Present Mic’s voice echoed on the intercom as the gate to the makeshift city opened.

Midoriya instantly sprinted full speed into the test site after Present Mic gave the go-ahead to start.

The other hero hopefuls were slow to react as they watched the green-haired boy’s feet ignite with flames before it propelled his body, putting distance between him and everybody else.  The other examinees were expecting the proctor to give them a heads-up.

“Hey, what are you waiting for?  There are no countdowns in this line of work! GO! GO! GO!” Present Mic loudly told the participants.

Present Mic couldn’t help but laugh at the proverbial dust cloud that kicked up with the participants rushing into the makeshift city in a mad stampede.  Those reactions would never get old as he walked back into the examination room to watch the mayhem ensue.

STREET 3 - TEST SITE ALPHA
Meanwhile, Izuku was in a dead sprint as he scouted for more potential robots that he could find to destroy.

‘Time to put these leg boosters to good use.’ Izuku thought as both feet left the ground.  The boosters in his soles began to spark before they ignited, propelling him forward to cover more ground quickly.

He skidded to a halt when he saw four targets in his line of sight.  

Two one-pointers, one two-pointer, and a three-pointer.

One of the one-pointers spotted Izuku before it began to roll at him at high speeds.

‘Let’s see how powerful this buster is.'  Izuku mentally prepped himself as he aimed his weapon.  He fired his base power shot, watching the yellow projectile hit the tire of the one-pointer, causing it to pop.  It haphazardly swerved for a few seconds before falling and sliding across the pavement until it stopped about four feet from Izuku.

Izuku reflexively started firing at the robot’s head.  It took only a few shots before it fully caved in, and various pieces of scrap metal fell to the ground.

Izuku nodded in approval.  

The other three robots had Izuku in their sights before rushing towards him.  

‘Let’s see how much damage a level 3 shot does.’ Izuku thought as he began dodging the projectiles fired at him before aiming at the three-pointer.  A large bluish-pink shot rocketed toward the robot, destroying one of its missile launchers.  The sound of electricity crackled through the air before the machine exploded. 

Izuku’s grin widened as his confidence grew significantly now that he knew how powerful his blasts were versus these test robots UA sent out to test the hero course applicants.  He decided to use level 2 charge shots for the last two.  Both green-colored projectiles collided with his adversaries, cutting through both robots with no problem.

END X2 INTRO STAGE OST

OBSERVATION ROOM
As the examinees traversed into the city to find robots to destroy, a group of proctors watched the hero hopefuls and their progress.

“As expected, the examinees are unaware of how many enemies there are in the area or where they might be in the city.  Combine that with how vast the city is and the limited time frame available to all the examinees, only the best will be able to adapt to this situation.”  A cheery voice said, observing numerous screens.  He grabbed a remote and clicked on it once, changing the picture to a tall, white-haired teen with a mask that had multiple arms.

“Some utilize information gathering skills to determine the best course of action.”  He clicked the remote again.  The screen with the largest monitor in the room showed the stiff that called out Midoriya.  He used his quirk to increase his speed, delivering a devastating kick to a three-pointer and a green-haired girl with an amphibian-like appearance using her leg strength to hop from a wall before kicking the head off a one-pointer.

“Others rely on speed to pull ahead and reach the designated targets before others.”  The scene switched to a blonde-haired French boy firing a laser, slicing through a one-pointer.

“Also, remaining calm under pressure is an important trait shared by the greatest of heroes.”  The screen then showed Katsuki laughing with sadistic glee as smoke emitted from his hands.  Surrounding the ashen-blonde were the remnants of seven two-pointers. 

“And overwhelming power with superb combat skills are also beneficial for tests such as these.”  The screen swapped one final time, showing Izuku using the gifts the armor granted him.  The proctors saw him use his leg thrusters to increase the power of his kick, bisecting a one-pointer and shooting a blue and pink energy sphere to destroy a three-pointer.

“However, the students who excel in this exam will display a combination of these traits.  They are the ones that will go farther than their peers.”  The head proctor finished before switching the screen again.

STREET 6 - TEST SITE ALPHA

Izuku couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of the makeshift battle area as he searched for more robots to destroy to increase his point total.

“Man, U.A. isn’t pulling any punches with these entrance exams,” Izuku told himself as he dashed through one of the streets to look for more robots to destroy to increase his point total.  It was quiet, and there wasn’t any evidence of robots around.

“Huh, guess this is street is emp-” Izuku began to tell himself before a two-pointer broke through one of the empty shops to ambush him.

“SHIT!” Izuku exclaimed, jumping back to put distance between himself and the villain bot, but he lost his balance and fell on his back. 

‘Are you freaking kidding me!’  He screamed in his head, falling to the ground.

The two-pointer did not let up as it tried to attack Izuku with its tail-like appendage, but he caught its attempted strike.  He charged his X-Buster to prepare his counterattack.

“Gotta redirect its attack,”  Izuku grunted, trying to move his arms to shift the tail to prevent it from hitting him before preparing to blast it.

While Izuku continued to fight off the two-pointer, another participant came running around the corner.

Her eyes widened when she saw him being pinned down by the robot.  She ran to the boy without hesitation, intending to assist him against the robot.

‘Almost got it!’  Izuku exclaimed in his head, noticing how the two-pointer’s artificial tail was close to being shifted far enough to the side so that it would strike the pavement instead of him if it continued trying to hit Izuku with it.

“Hang on!”  He heard a voice cry out.  He turned to his left to see a girl wearing a red and white tracksuit with orange hair and teal eyes running up to them.

His eyes widened as he saw her fists enlarged before she jumped in the air toward them. The girl cocked her arm and delivered a strike to the robot, knocking it off of Izuku and sending it back several feet as pieces of metal flew in the air from the impact.

‘Whoa.’  Izuku stared in awe, amazed at the physical strength displayed by his savior.

She protectively stood in front of him, preparing herself for a counterattack.

After determining the robot was no longer operational, her fists shrank. She then walked to the downed successor of All Might before offering her hand.

“Are you alright?” She asked in a concerned tone, a kind smile on her face.

Izuku blinked a few times, recognizing her.  It was the girl he sat next to in the auditorium.  He smiled and grasped her hand before she pulled him up.

“Yeah, I’m ok. Thanks for that.” Izuku answered, his tone filled with gratitude. His gratitude turned to confusion when he saw her glaring at him.

THWACK

“OWW, what was that for?” He cried out, holding his head.  Granted, the helmet absorbed most of the chop to his head, but it still hurt.

The girl placed her hands on her hips before glaring at him.  She pointed her finger to the destroyed storefront.

“You let your guard down, and it caused that robot to get the jump on you.  You were lucky I was here.” The girl said in a chastising matter.

“Hey, I had a plan to get it off me.” Izuku rebutted childishly.

The girl couldn’t help but smile at the pout on his face.  She saw him try to redirect the blow, but she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to tease the boy.

“I’m sure you did.” His pout became more pronounced as he heard the sarcasm in her voice.  He knew her response was in jest but decided to play along.

“I did. I had it under control.” He whined, trying to convince his fellow examinee that he knew what he was doing.

“Uh-huh, sureee.  Whatever you say. You had the situation under control.” She stated in a teasing matter as she turned around and walked away.

“I did! I was-“ Izuku began walking towards her to explain what he was trying to do before he saw a two-pointer on the roof as it jumped off . . . and it was right above her!

His eyes widened in horror, and his body moved on instinct.

“WATCH OUT!”  He yelled, charging his X-Buster.

“Huh?!” She said in confusion as she looked up, only to freeze up at the sight of a robot dropping down directly above her.  She gasped as she felt an arm wrap around her stomach.  It pulled her close to the owner as they jumped away.  The robot made a crash landing where they were standing seconds later, the pavement below it cracking from the impact.

The orange-haired girl felt him land several feet away as she turned her head to see where the robot was.  She heard a humming noise steadily increasing in volume before she saw him raising his arm and aiming his weapon at the robot. 

And then he fired.

She saw a blue and pink ball of energy rocket toward the robot, making direct contact.  Her eyes widened in amazement as she heard metal shearing and electricity crackling as the blast turned the two-pointer into various mangled pieces of scrap metal.

She turned around to see his arm cannon emitting some smoke before looking up, seeing his eyes filled with determination and relief after he neutralized the threat.  

“Wow.” The girl muttered in amazement.  The boy she saved had some firepower at his disposal.

Izuku blushed when he realized the position they were in after the adrenaline in his body tapered off.  He was on one knee while her body was leaning against his frame with his arm wrapped around her.  His face erupted in a full-blown blush before letting the girl go.

“Sorry about that.” He quietly muttered, pushing his index fingers together repeatedly.

The girl only giggled at his shyness as she stood back up.

“Hey. You have nothing to apologize for.  You saved me from becoming a stain on the pavement after all.” She replied in amusement.

He felt her lightly punch his arm.

“I guess this makes us even, huh?” The girl cheekily asked.

Izuku couldn’t help but smile.  “Yeah, I guess so.”

An awkward silence hung over them before she decided to break the ice.  He saw her extend her fist to him as she introduced herself.

“Kendou Itsuka.” 

Izuku looked at the fist for a few seconds before extending his arm towards it, bumping her fist with his own.

“Midoriya Izuku.” He replied while smirking.

*PLAY OST*

Before their conversation could continue, Izuku heard the faint sound of glass cracking in the distance.  His head swiveled, attempting to locate the source of the noise.  However, his new friend looked at him in confusion since she didn't have an acute sense of hearing like Midoriya had.

"Everything okay?"  Itsuka called out to Midoriya, concern evident in her voice as she saw his eyes become hyper-focused.  Izuku held his hand up, signaling for her to stay silent.

"We're not alone."  Izuku's eyes narrowed.  Although the sound was faint to him, he could discern it was coming from numerous spots on the road.  

Before Itsuka could ask him what he was talking about, the sounds she couldn't hear earlier were now echoing throughout the street.

Suddenly, both saw numerous explosions from various shops on both sides of the two-way street. Numerous two-pointers filled the streets, surrounding the two hero hopefuls and blocking both exits.

Both quickly maneuvered their bodies to stand back-to-back, covering each other’s blind spots.  Both counted ten robots on both sides of the street as they prepared for another round of battle.

Izuku took a deep breath before hearing his temporary teammate speak to him.

“Think you can handle this many?” The orange-haired girl teasingly asked him, rotating her arms to loosen them up before her hands grew in size again.

Izuku chuckled.  He couldn't remember the last time he conversed with someone his age in a light-hearted manner before today.

“Well . . . might be tough if one more shows up,” Izuku answered, charging his X-Buster and turning his head to look at her.

“Hehe . . . then that’ll be the one I have to take care of.”  He heard her confidently respond before she turned to look at him.  

Izuku couldn’t help but snort in amusement as her teal eyes met his gaze.

“What, you’re fighting too?” Izuku sarcastically deadpanned.

The orange-haired girl rolled her eyes in mock annoyance as both took their battle stances.   After a few seconds, both jumped into the fray to battle their adversaries.

*END OST*

OBSERVATION ROOM
“Hey guys, look at this.”  One of the proctors motioned to the others as he produced multiple copies of himself to continue to monitor the progress being made by all participants.  The proctors shifted their focus from the other screens.  Their eyes landed on a monitor where Itsuka and Izuku were making quick work of their robots.

“Impressive.  It seems two of our examinees were able to overcome the faux villains’ new ambush capabilities.” A dog . . . mouse . . .  bear hybrid (?!?) acknowledged in approval, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. 

“They certainly have Prinicipal Nezu.  Both protected the other when their enemies had one of them in a tight bind.” Higari Majima, a man wearing a yellow helmet shaped like a rectangular excavator claw, piped up in agreement.

“Both display excellent traits of what the best heroes are made of.  The girl displays great analytical and combat skills.  Her strikes are being directed at weak spots.  Also, she could’ve left the boy to fend for himself when he was pinned down, but she chose to help him out instead.”   A man who looked like he was made of cement pointed out as he saw her destroy robots left and right.  

“You ain’t lyin’ Cementoss.  Their quirks are well-suited for this type of trial, especially the little gunslinger in that blue suit.  He’s packing some real heat in that arm cannon of his.  He’s tearing through those robots like a hot knife through butter and stacking ‘em up like cordwood.”  A man dressed as a typical Western cowboy noted with a notable twang in his accent, gushing over the fact he found another entrant with what he thought was a gun-related quirk like himself. 

“Indeed.  His quirk seems to be rather powerful.  But his suit looks incomplete.” Ectoplasm pointed out, noticing the additional plating on Izuku’s arms, legs, and torso.  Strangely enough, his helmet section did not seem to have the same color scheme as the rest of his suit.

“Ah, yes.  That is Izuku Midoriya.  He is one of the more promising students in our pool of potential candidates for the hero course.”  Nezu informed the rest of his teachers.

“I’ll say!  Look at him go!” Present Mic excitedly exclaimed as he made finger guns with his hands while pretending to shoot bullets like the kid on the screen, making ‘pew-pew’ noises.

All Might couldn’t help but beam with pride that the training he put the young man through was bearing great results.

“What exactly is his quirk?  Is the suit needed for him to utilize it?” A tall man with short, spiky gray hair and prominent bottom incisors asked.

“I’m glad you asked Vlad King.  Based on the information submitted, his quirk is a Transformation Type called X.” Nezu relayed to the staff regarding the potential hero-in-training’s quirk.

“X?”  Everyone else repeated, slightly confused by the choice of using a letter to name their quirk.

“Yes.  It is a pretty creative name when you think about it once you realize how much potential it showcases. I think you’ll especially approve of it once I explain why Ectoplasm.  However, I think the live recording will show us how much untapped potential it possesses.” Nezu chirped before wordlessly motioning the other teachers to continue looking at the screen.  

Everyone turned their focus back to the screen just in time to see Izuku’s blue suit turn red.  But the most shocking part was that instead of the regular projectiles they had seen him use throughout the exam, a pair of intertwined fireballs shot out of his buster as it burned through a two-pointer while leaving a trail of smaller flames behind.

The proctors saw Itsuka’s face held an expression of astonishment as she began talking to Izuku.  They couldn’t hear what she was saying, but they all could see she was trying to learn how he did that.

“Wha . . . he can shoot fire too?!”  Snipe exclaimed in astonishment.  The little gunslinger had multiple types of ammo.  He knew he couldn’t be biased, but he would thoroughly analyze Midoriya’s entire tape.  He would do everything possible to ensure that that boy would get as many villain and hero points as possible.  He would exhaust every avenue to ensure he was in the hero course.  It was extremely rare to see that type of versatility in a quirk.

Nezu laughed loudly at the looks of bewilderment on his employees’ faces.  

“Yes.  What Mr. Midoriya is wearing isn’t some fancy support equipment developed for him.  That battle suit is his quirk.”  Nezu revealed.

The proctors (sans All Might) were rendered speechless as Nezu’s laughter continued to echo throughout the room.

“And that’s not all.  The suit’s base form shoots bullets of compressed solar energy.  Just that alone would probably net him a top-10 ranking at worst. He could easily be in the top 5 if he works diligently on close-quarters combat and utilizes support equipment.  However, what happened on screen is why he chose the name X for his quirk.”  Nezu began, breaking down Izuku’s quirk and his potential.

One final observer was a scruffy-looking man with messy black hair and baggy clothes.  His face looked like the definition of insomnia as he deduced what his boss was trying to say.

“He can assimilate quirks into his power suit, can’t he Nezu?” Shota Aizawa asked in a deadpan tone.  He was secretly hoping he’d say no.

“As observant as ever, Mr. Aizawa!  You are correct!  His quirk’s final ability is copying quirks that are compatible with his suit and assimilating them to create new projectile weapons or upgrading his suit’s base capabilities!” Nezu concluded, giddy at the opportunity to explore how far the young man could take his quirk in the field of heroics.  Like Snipe, Nezu would not let this gem slip through U.A.’s fingers.  The boy had the potential to rival All Might and Endeavor once his weaknesses were shored up and he gained experience in the field.

You could hear a pin drop in the room at the reveal before Ectoplasm chuckled, finally figuring out why Nezu said he’d like the name Izuku gave his quirk.  Everyone else besides Nezu, All Might, and Aizawa looked at the mathematics teacher in confusion.

“In math, X is used as a variable that can represent any number, which means the number of ways the young man can use his quirk is limited only to his imagination,”  Ectoplasm explained.

“The boy is a walking armory.  A Swiss army knife.”  Snipe chimed in, breaking it down in terms everyone else could understand.

All Aizawa could feel was constant headaches in his future.

‘Great, just what I needed.  A problem child.’  The underground hero groaned mentally in annoyance, his gut telling him he would be assigned to instruct the young man in the coming months.  

A woman wearing a dominatrix outfit raised her hand.

“Principal Nezu, surely this boy must have some form of drawback to his quirk, yes?” Nemuri Kayama asked her boss.

“Ah yes, I almost forgot in my excitement the weaknesses of Midoriya’s quirk,” Nezu said as he calmed down and cleared his throat to begin breaking down the drawbacks.

“Midoriya’s default projectiles have varying degrees of kickback depending on how long he charges.  Use too much of the higher levels, and he can significantly damage his arms and shoulders.” Nezu explained as they saw him fire his weapon, the solar energy-powered bullets tearing through their robots.

“His variable weapon system has a limit of 8 weapons he can store.  These special weapons have a limited magazine capacity, and he will lose most of these weapons once he runs out of ammo.  Midoriya needs to reassimilate the quirk into his suit if he wishes to use it again.  The only special weapons he can keep are the quirks his parents have if they’re compatible.  According to the notes provided to us, he’s not sure why. He thinks the reason might be genetics-based.  The assimilated weapons are also nowhere near the strength of the original user’s quirk once they reach their full potential.”  Nezu continued as they recalled the fire-based projectile utilized by the boy.

“Since the quirk primarily functions on solar energy, his power will be reduced at night or in areas that don’t have much sunlight,”  Nezu informed the proctors.

Everyone nodded their head.  That drawback made sense since the suit gained most of its strength from sunlight.

“Finally, if he sustains too much damage, the suit will dematerialize.” Nezu finished as the proctors mulled over the kid’s weaknesses.

Although the quirk was highly versatile, it still had some noticeable side effects.  But with the right equipment and training to strengthen his body to limit recoil damage and decreased power in nonideal conditions, the boy would become a force to be reckoned with once he went pro.

The proctors noticed the two were now down to one robot left to destroy from each side.

STREET 6- TEST SITE ALPHA

Izuku and Itsuka maintained their battle stances while waiting for the two-pointers to make their move.

The robots lunged at the two, attempting to strike them.  Keyword:  attempt.

Both sidestepped the robots’ tails just before they made contact.  

Midoriya aimed his X-Buster at the robot’s head before rapidly firing multiple yellow-colored energy projectiles, denting it until said robot’s head turned into scrap.  

Seeing he had no more robots to fight, he turned to see if Itsuka needed assistance.  He got the answer to that question as he saw pieces of numerous robots scattered across the street, with the orange-haired girl holding the crushed head of the final robot she faced.

“And that should be 36.”  He heard her tell herself as she tossed the pieces of metal aside. The girl walked up to him to observe his handiwork.

“Not bad, robot boy.” She complimented him while smirking at the damage he dished out.

“Thanks.  All that training paid off.  I think that should be 42 points now.” He replied, calculating the number of points he had accrued so far in his head while observing the aftermath.  

“Ohhhh, are you sure?  You're not inflating those numbers, are you?” She jokingly told him.

“Just being modest.  Pretty sure it’s more.” Izuku retorted with a playful barb before his eyes looked further down the street.  He saw it split into another two-way street they hadn’t explored yet.

“We should continue moving.  We should stick together until we reach the end of this street to make sure the robots don’t get the jump on us like last time.  We can then split up to maximize our chances of getting points.” Izuku informed the girl of what their next moves should be.

“Sounds like a plan,” Itsuka replied, nodding in agreement before both began sprinting down the road with Izuku a few feet behind Itsuka to scout for any potential enemies that weren’t in Itsuka’s line of sight.

“Hey!”  Itsuka called out to him.

“What’s up?!” 

“You think they’ll give me extra credit for bailing you out back there?”  Itsuka asked playfully.

Izuku was about to reply, but then his mind contemplated her words. 

‘It would make sense.  We protected each other and fought side-by-side.’  Izuku thought, his mind mulling over Itsuka’s theory of an alternate reward system to earn points.

“Everything alright back there?” Itsuka questioned, concerned when he wasn’t responding to her after a minute.

“Huh?  Oh yeah, I’m ok.”  Izuku quickly said, noticing they just reached the end of the street with both stopping at the fork in the road.

“I guess this is where we split up, huh?”  Itsuka said, feeling a little bummed out.

“I guess so,” Izuku replied, sensing her disappointment.

Izuku saw her extend her arm, wordlessly asking for another fist bump.  He smiled before they bumped fists again.  He wasn’t prepared for what she said next.

“Make sure you pass this exam.  Seeing a friend I know in the hero course would be nice.” Itsuka told the green-haired boy.

Izuku’s mind screeched to a halt in shock.  It had been so long since he genuinely heard someone wanted to be friends with him.

‘Friend . . .’  Izuku’s mind was slowly trying to comprehend the girl’s statement to him.  He felt a warmth in his chest that he hadn’t felt in a long time.  It was a different feeling from when he received X’s powers almost a year ago.

Itsuka saw him smile widely before their gazes met.

“You got it!  I promise I will pass this exam!” Izuku exclaimed intensely, the joy in his body spreading like an inferno before turning around and running down the street.

Itsuka did not expect that sort of reaction, but before she could respond in kind, he was already halfway down the street.  She saw his retreating form moving further away from her line of sight, noting how he took down another three and two-pointer until he turned left, and she could no longer see him.

But her mind could not stop replaying the image of the tears streaming down his face.  She’d have to ask him about his reaction if they ran into each other again.

OBSERVER’S ROOM

“We sure did bring quite a high-quality harvest of greenhorns to this rodeo this year.”  Snipe drawled out, sad to see the little gunslinger end his temporary alliance with Kendou.

“The little listeners that tag-teamed those bots down there are no joke!  They’d make a formidable duo for sure!”  Present Mic exclaimed, feeling energized and wanting to jump into the fray after seeing Izuku and Itsuka make quick work of those robots as he swapped between pretending to shoot and punch the robots, mimicking the two’s attacks.

“Oh?  You’re not trying to play matchmaker, right Mic?”  Kayama teased her coworker.

Present Mic could only guffaw in surprise at her implication.

“Professionalism, Midnight.”  Aizawa droned out, not wanting to deal with Kayama’s eccentricities today.

“Mou, you’re such a spoilsport Shota.”  Kayama pouted.

“In all seriousness, the two showed a willingness to work together and learned from their mistakes regarding their surroundings.   Kendou-san covered the front while Midoriya-san stayed several feet back to watch for targets that might not be in Itsuka’s line of sight.”  Ectoplasm noted, complimenting their strategy of proceeding cautiously down the street while minimizing the risk of being caught off-guard by another surprise attack.

“Yes, it’s pretty rare to see in greenhorns like Snipe described.  Most of these youngins’ are so gung ho to jump into the action that they leave themselves open to numerous ambushes or burn themselves out too quickly.”  Vlad King added.

“They certainly have the potential to be great leaders to lead others once they’ve adjusted to this work.  Whatever class they’re in, others will certainly benefit from their best traits.”  Nezu complimented the two students, watching them on separate screens as they continued their journey into the city.

All Might continued focusing on the screens that were live-streaming Midoriya’s and Melissa’s progression in silence.  Aizawa took note of the Symbol of Peace’s uncharacteristic behavior.

“Sir.  One of the participants has just reached 65 points.”  Ectoplasm notified the Principal as he watched an ash-blonde teen having the time of his life blowing up the robots with a sadistic smile.  If he was honest, it unnerved him a bit.

“Ah, I see.  As Mr. Snipe would say, it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff.  Toshinori!  It’s time!”  Nezu said, a sinister smile appearing on his face.

“You got it, boss!”  Toshinori exclaimed, lifting a glass case that contained a large button before emphatically pressing it!

“Now, the real fun starts!”  Toshinori grinned.  Kayama forced herself not to cry happy tears at how sadistic the smile was.

TEST SITE A - STREET 8
“Ok, I should have about 56 points now.”  Izuku panted as he continued searching for robots.

Suddenly, the ground below him started to rumble, causing him and other participants around him to stop in confusion.

‘An earthquake?’  Izuku thought.

That guess was emphatically proven false as several buildings began to collapse as a giant figure began its approach.  

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!”  A random examinee screamed in terror as their eyes comically widened.

The examinees looked up at the mechanical monstrosity in front of them, slowly rolling towards them before placing its hands on two buildings to keep itself steady.  It looked down at them like a predator that had cornered its prey.  Suddenly, it crushed one of the buildings in its hands.

‘Oh, crud.’  Izuku eloquently told himself in his head.

It was safe to say that most of the examinees were metaphorically (or probably literally for some) shitting bricks at this point, frozen in terror watching the robot lift its arm and curl its mechanical fingers before . . .

BOOSH!!!!!

It struck the ground, missing the examinees by several feet.  It created a massive gust of dust and debris, knocking most of them down.  Nearly all the examinees did not hesitate to pick themselves up and run away from the zero-pointer, screaming in fear after the gust of wind stopped.

“EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES!”

“DON’T JUST SIT THERE LIKE A FOOTSTOOL!  RUN!”

“OUT OF THE WAY, OAF!” One particular examinee screamed out as he shoved Izuku, who somehow remained upright, out of the way as he ran away.

“Overwhelming fear isn’t an excuse for rudeness, sir,”  Izuku muttered in annoyance.  Then again, he couldn’t be too mad.  He’d probably have frozen up like an idiot if he hadn’t seen X battle things similar to this as he watched his fellow examinees try to run as far away as possible from the robot.  He noted many of them were still within proximity of the buildings.  All of them were at risk of debris falling on them or being ambushed by other robots!

‘Gotta fall back.  Need to make sure that thing doesn’t pull any more surprises on us or have the other robots get the drop on us.’

Izuku began to turn around, planning to blast any debris that could threaten to fall onto the other hero hopefuls while putting distance between himself and the zero pointer.  But that plan was abandoned shortly after Izuku heard something that made his blood freeze in terror.

“OWW!”

“SOMEONE!  ANYONE!  I NEED HELP!”

All Might’s successor slowly turned around, hoping those weren’t the people he thought he heard.

If only that were the case.

Not only did he see the girl he had given a confidence boost to earlier with her legs pinned under some debris, but he also saw Kendou trying to help her escape by lifting the debris from the other girl’s legs.  But one of her hands looked swollen and bleeding heavily, a sign that it was broken.  She couldn’t lift the debris off of the ‘nice girl’!

Remembering what happened with the sludge villain a year ago and with Kendou earlier today, Izuku rushed to the girls.

“C’mon!!!!!  Damnit, move!”  Itsuka roared in frustration, a feeling of hopelessness washing over her as she tried unsuccessfully to lift the concrete slab to allow the girl pinned beneath it to escape.  One of her hands was broken, and the other was throbbing in pain from trying to break it unsuccessfully.

“Don’t worry about me!  Just get out of here!  You’re going get yourself killed if you don’t!”  The brown-haired girl yelled to her.  Her eyes widened when she saw the orange-haired girl stare at her angrily.

“What the hell kind of a hero would I be if I left you?!  I don’t deserve to be one if I leave you here alone!  We’re going to get out of here together or not at all!  Either way, I won’t leave you here by yourself!”  Itsuka screamed in determination, trying to push herself beyond her limits to lift the debris!

She suddenly heard a battle cry, causing her to look up. Her eyes widened when she saw Midoriya jumping into the air, aiming his X-Buster as he fired his double-shot, the compressed solar energy projectiles crashing into and breaking a large portion of the concrete.  Itsuka’s eyes widened as she felt the concrete slab become much lighter.  She could lift it just enough for the girl pinned underneath to army crawl out of it.  Once she saw her no longer underneath it, Itsuka dropped the slab before helping the girl to her feet and picking her up in a fireman’s carry.

“Let’s get out of here!”  Itsuka yelled before running, assuming Midoriya would follow shortly behind her.

“WHAT’S HE DOING?!”  The girl she was carrying screamed, causing her to turn around.  Her eyes widened in horror at seeing her new friend standing on the roof of a building as the robot tried to punch him.

“MIDORIYA!”  Itsuka screamed in terror.

*Thirty seconds ago*

After freeing the girls and seeing them run, Izuku assessed the situation.  He knew the robot was powerful enough to create gusts of wind, which could potentially injure the girls further.  They also didn’t know what else it was capable of attack-wise.  He only knew of one attack that stood any chance of putting this mechanical beast down.

*PLAY OST*

Looking down, he noticed a metal pipe with a sharpened edge.  To his side, he saw two buildings still standing that were close together.

He made his decision.

Grabbing the pipe in his hand, he ran to the alley separating the two buildings and began to wall jump back and forth between the two buildings.

‘Kick, kick, kick . . .’  Izuku muttered to himself, climbing higher and higher until he reached the roof, landing in a crouching position with one hand on the ground, his head tilted downwards.

He looked up, charging another double shot before shooting the robot’s head.  At best, it left a minute dent in it.  But it did its job as the robot focused on Izuku.  He saw the zero pointer begin to cock its arm back, aiming to hit him.  Its arm shot forward, but Izuku timed his jump perfectly, dodging the attack and landing on the robot’s arm.

“I only have one shot to get this right,”  Izuku yelled as he put his plan into motion.

Like a choreographed scene one would expect when someone fought a giant, Izuku began to run up to the robot’s head using its extended arm as a pathway.  He aimed the sharp pipe at the lone red eye on the second row before throwing it like a javelin, piercing it.  

He began charging his third double shot before aiming where he threw the pipe and fired.  The double shot collided with the pierced section of the robot’s face, making a large hole.  The metal pipe impaled in the robot was dislodged, falling to the ground below him.

Once he had made it far enough, he charged his buster one final time.  Only, he wasn’t going to fire another double shot.

‘SPEED BURNER!’  He screamed in his head as his battle suit turned ruby red, preparing to use the special weapon’s charge attack.  He jumped into the air, angling his body while ignoring the screaming pain in his arm as his body became perpendicular to the puncture.  Flames surrounded his body as he rocketed toward the opening created by the pipe.

His flame-covered body began to shred the innards of the robot’s head as he progressed further.  The flames eventually died down, and his progress stopped.  However, Izuku had traveled far into the robot’s head.  He noticed the fire had created enough space to allow him to unleash his final attack.

Smirking, he began the final act in his plan of attack.

Izuku’s suit began to hum loudly, his entire body glowing as he prepared to unleash his final attack as he curled himself inward, tucking his knees and crossing his arms. 

*Outside*

“Do you think he’s alright?”  The brown-haired girl who talked to Izuku earlier asked, lying on a pile of broken robot parts,

“I honestly don’t know,”  Itsuka told the girl.  Both were in awe at what they had just seen.  The green-haired boy wall kicked up a building, punched a hole in the robot’s head after throwing a broken piece of pipe at it, accurately hit that same spot like a trained sharpshooter with his arm cannon, and jumped into the air before slamming into the robot with a tackle-type attack as flames surrounded his body.  That was the last thing they saw before he disappeared from their line of sight.

The only indication he was still within the robot’s head was the lack of an exit wound.  

Itsuka’s mind began to race a million miles a minute as the worst-case scenarios started playing out in her head.  

Was he hurt?  Is he stuck?  Did the robot have something inside to defend itself?   Her anxiety began to spike as she was about to jump into action, even though she didn’t have a plan.  

“Hey, something’s happening!”  The girl next to her shouted, stopping her in her tracks.  She looked up, and her eyes widened as a bright light shot out of the opening.  It began to brighten in intensity for the next few seconds before . . .

“GIGA CRUSH!”  Izuku yelled out before he unleashed his attack.

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A massive explosion detonated inside the robot’s head.  The robot’s head blew apart, revealing Izuku floating where its head once was, his arms and legs spread out.  The force of the Giga Crush knocked the robot backward as a series of explosions began to erupt throughout the giant.

Meanwhile, the other examinees nearby watched the entire scene in awe, stunned at the destructive power displayed by the young man.

Meanwhile, Izuku felt himself overflowing with joy, happy he stopped the robot and saved the two people who helped him earlier today.

*END OST*

However, he noticed something regarding his body as he tried to fire his X-Buster to push him to a nearby wall to slide down.

‘I . . . I . . . I can’t move!!!’  Izuku screamed in terror as gravity began to take effect, plummeting to the ground below head first!

‘C’mon, body!  Move!  Damnit, move!’  Izuku pleaded, his life beginning to flash before his eyes.  The dread grew more as he saw himself falling closer and closer to his demise, his body still not responding when he tried to move any of his limbs!

‘No, it can’t end like this!’  Izuku cried out, continuing to try his damndest to get his body to move!  But it was fruitless.  Tears rolled down his eyes before he closed them tightly, not wanting to see the inevitable.

‘Mom . . . All Might . . . Dr. Light . . . X . . . I’m sorry.’  Izuku apologized, accepting his fate.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab . . . his entire torso?  His eyes opened, seeing familiar teal eyes and orange hair.

“I GOT YOU!”  Itsuka screamed, somehow floating in the air as she slowly descended to the ground, holding Izuku with her enlarged, bruised hand.

Izuku moved his eyes to see the other girl struggling to press her fingers together as she lay on her stomach on one of the debris piles.

“A-and release.”  She grunted, deactivating her quirk once the two were close enough to land safely.  She sighed in relief seeing the two land, but it was short-lived as her quirk’s drawback reared its ugly head, her cheeks inflating like a balloon before she began throwing up.

Itsuka and Izuku couldn’t help but grimace at the sounds and the vomit.  

Suddenly, an announcement was made over the PA System.

“TIMES UP!”  Present Mic’s voice echoed throughout the battle sites.

“Guess that’s it,”  Itsuka muttered.

With Izuku still in her hand, Itsuka gingerly laid him down a few feet from the puking girl, shrinking her hand to regular size before she walked to the girl currently emptying her guts.

Itsuka began to rub her back, cooing and encouraging her to let it all out despite the pain in her hands.

‘Power down.’  Izuku mentally said to himself, his suit disappearing from his body.  The Giga Crush took a lot out of him physically.  He noted the potential cooldown time in his head.

Izuku finally felt some feeling back in his extremities.  Moving slowly, he cautiously maneuvered his body gingerly as he stood up. He started walking to the two girls, who noticed him regaining movement in his body as he went to comfort the girl, who was vomiting.

“Hey, are you two alright?”  He tiredly asked, mentally kicking himself for saying such a stupid question as he rubbed the ‘nice girl’s’ back.  Kendou’s hands were mangled, and the other girl could not stand.

“I’ve been better, but I could’ve ended up in worse shape.  Thanks for saving me.”  The girl whose name he didn’t know said, a sense of relief washing over her as she realized she escaped that crazy situation.   The nausea she felt in her body had finally disappeared as well.

“Same for me.  Thank you, Midoriya.”  Itsuka added, smiling at the green-haired teen.

“I should be thanking you two.  You two prevented me from becoming a blood stain on the pavement.”  Izuku replied, rewording a similar phrase uttered by Itsuka, who smirked in amusement.

“I guess we can all thank each other.  Oh, I almost forgot. I’m Uraraka Ochaco.”  The now-identified gravity girl introduced herself with a tired, closed-eye smile splayed on her face.

Izuku and Itsuka smiled before they introduced themselves.

“Oh my.  I swear these exams are becoming more destructive and dangerous each year.”  An elderly voice commented.  The three turned around and saw a short, elderly lady walking toward them.

Izuku’s eyes widened at the heroine who appeared before them.

“You’re Recovery Girl!”  Izuku weakly but excitedly gushed.

Recovery Girl is a short, elderly lady with gray hair styled into a netted bun, a large syringe poking diagonally out of it to the left. She has a notable, small nose, squinted eyes, and a long mouth with defined nasolabial folds.

She wears a doctor's lab coat and a dress with yellow and red vest-like designs on either side, two yellow buttons, and a belt with a pink "R"-shaped buckle. She wears pink boots and has a helmet around the sides of her head, a purple-tinted visor joining it over her eyes. In addition, she walks with a cane designed like a syringe.

“Here, dearies.  Take some of these.”  Recovery Girl handed them some gummies, the three looking at them in confusion before eating them one at a time as she instructed them to.

“Any major injuries?”  The Youthful Heroine asked.

“I messed my hands up pretty badly, and I think Uraraka broke or sprained something in her legs,”  Itsuka answered.

“I see.  What about you, sonny?”  Recovery Girl turned to Izuku, awaiting his response on any potential damage he suffered.

“My body locked up after I used that final attack.  I can move now, but I feel very sore.  But I think my right arm sustained some fractures.”

Recovery Girl nodded before she attempted to get to work.

*CHU*

This was Recovery’s Girls quirk.  Her kiss can heal injuries, but the drawback is that it drains the users of their stamina.  This was on full display with the three as their eyes felt heavier.  Uraraka and Itsuka managed to stay awake, but Midoriya passed out.  Fortunately, Itsuka was there to catch him.  She smiled as she heard him snore lightly.  

Uraraka watched the scene play out.  She saw the injuries both of them suffered.  If she got away from the falling debris, they wouldn’t have suffered them.  Her facial expression changed from guilt to fierce determination. She stood up and headed to where she believed Present Mic would be.  She would make sure they made it into the school.

Even if it meant giving up her spot in U.A.

TEST SITE BETA

At another test area, another group of examinees were in awe at the power displayed by a blonde-haired, aqua-eyed girl wearing a pink and black tracksuit currently being helped to the medical tent by a tall, spiky, red-haired boy.  Her arm was an angry red with blood running down her limb after channeling her quirk to destroy the zero-pointer.

Amongst the crowd was a seething Katsuki. 

I'll be honest with y'all.  I completed this chapter before I wrote several of the earlier ones.

Chapter Text

MUSUTAFU - 8 P.M.

The sound of cars driving and people filled the air as people enjoyed their weekend in the city.  You could see numerous couples walking around or eating meals at various restaurants, people on vacation excitedly rushing to stores to buy souvenirs for their loved ones or themselves, and citizens from all walks of life taking selfies to capture memories they could reminisce about later in life.

As a typical night in Musutafu was underway, on top of an abandoned building, a swirling circle that was green and black emerged from out of nowhere.  Electricity intensely crackled at the entrance as an unknown silhouette slowly walked toward the end of the portal that would lead into the city.

The figure fully emerged as the portal behind him disappeared.  The figure had an avian appearance and was over eight feet tall.  He was mainly blue and had some yellow and gray details.  He has blue wings on his back, allowing him to fly.  His head resembles an eagle's head, and a green gem can be found on his forehead.  The area around his eyes is red and yellow.  His body is black, has a red line around his waist, and is reinforced with blue armor on his upper body, shoulders, and lower limbs. His right arm ends in a silver blaster from which he can fire his wind-based projectiles.  His left arm ends in a white hand, and he also has feet with talons. 

He lifted his right arm before placing his silver blaster near his head.  After a few seconds, he could hear static in his head.

“Status report.”  A voice echoed from Storm Eagle’s internal intercom.

“This is Storm Eagle.  I seem to have traveled back in time to a city in Japan. I will begin my scouting assignment to see if X’s legacy time traveled back to this era.”  Storm Eagle relayed over to his superior.

“Excellent.  Let me know if you find him.  Be discreet.  People from this era were known for having supernatural powers comparable to our abilities.  Once you find him, send the coordinates and year to Dragoon and Kuwanger.”  The commander instructed his lieutenant.

“Understood, Commander Sigma.”  The intercom in his head was deactivated, signaling the call had ended.  Internally, he was scowling that he was again being used as a pawn for the megalomaniac’s scheme.  But the man’s promise to revive his loved one was too enticing to pass up.  However, he wouldn’t let his emotions be toyed with easily.  He expected the Maverick Commander to uphold his end of the bargain.  

If he didn’t . . . he would retaliate with swift, brutal precision.

It still amazed him that people at any time could have abilities to fight back against Reploids like himself.  

“Halt!”  The avian Maverick turned his head to see a very tall, muscular man with a square jaw and white hair with black eyes.  He was wearing a large headband with a yellow and black-striped caution pattern, matching his thick wrist-guards and the belt around his waist, a square buckle with a triangular decoration sat in its center. He wears what looks to be a cyan-colored cardigan, which exposes his lower torso and the center of his pectorals, held onto his chest on each side by small metal nuts. His pants are dark blue, with a white stripe down each side, and are slightly baggy on him, and his shoes are plain black with a simple design.

“This area of the building is off limits.  I am afraid I will have to take you in for questioning.  Don’t resist.”  Death Arms demanded of the Maverick, who closed his eyes in annoyance.  He didn’t have to look at the man for long to know he held one of these quirks Sigma warned him about.  However, Storm Eagle could tell this was a severe mismatch for the giant man.  The man was a hulking brute, which meant he wasn’t the most fleet-footed.  It reminded Storm Eagle of the times he sparred with Flame Mammoth.  Spars that he utterly dominated.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir.  I have something I need to accomplish in this city.  I do not wish to fight you.”  Storm Eagle responded, giving the man an out from a potential one-on-one battle.  Death Arms crouched in response, ready to engage the avian Maverick in battle.  Storm Eagle sighed, hoping to avoid battling anybody so soon.

However, he had a job to do.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”  Storm Eagle saw Death Arms jump at him.  The human even moved like the fire-breathing mammoth.   

Moving at speeds that surprised Death Arms, Storm Eagle flew to the side to avoid being pounced on by the hero.  Gliding in the air, he circled Death Arms before charging at the man.  As expected, the human was unable to keep up with his speed.  

Death Arms felt the villain crash into his spine, gasping in pain as blood erupted from his mouth as the avian Maverick carried him into the air.  

Storm Eagle knew causing public property damage would draw the attention of other potential combatants.  Fortunately for him, the area was not as well-lit as the rest of the city.  The chances of a hero coming by were minimal.  However, he still didn’t want to risk it.

Seeing an alley filled with trash, Storm Eagle maneuvered himself and Death Arms until they were just above the pile.  

Death Arms felt the pressure on his back alleviate, only to see the Maverick reappear in his line of vision.  His eyes widened in terror at seeing the villain’s silver buster aimed at his torso.

The last thing Death Arms remembered before losing consciousness was a column of wind smashing into his sternum, shredding the skin while his body plummeted and crashed into a pile of trash.

Storm Eagle flew down and placed his fingers on the man’s neck, checking for a pulse.  He was alive, but the man would be out for a while and needed medical attention to treat his physical injuries and potential infections from being covered in trash. The Maverick looked down at his mechanical frame, frowning at the blood covering him.  

Flying back into the air, he heard another voice cry for him to stop.  Storm Eagle did not turn around.  Instead, he pointed down to where his first opponent was located.

“You should focus on your friend lying in the trash.  He’s in pretty rough shape.”  The man’s eyes turned to where Storm Eagle pointed, and his eyes widened in terror.

“Death Arms!”  Kamui Woods shouted out.  He turned around to battle the villain but noticed him flying away into the night.  Cursing, he jumped into the alley to fish his friend out of the trash and get him medical help. 

U.A. TEST SITE MEDICAL WARD

Meanwhile, several miles away from the one-sided beatdown, an unconscious Izuku’s eyes started to scrunch.  He slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry as his eyes tried to focus on his surroundings.  

Yawning, Izuku sat up from his bed.  The boy rubbed his eyes with his hands to help him wake up faster.  He noted the cloth-like feeling on his right hand.  Looking down, he saw his entire right arm to his hand covered in bandages.

“Ah, you’re awake.”  An elderly voice said, causing Izuku to look for the owner before noticing the Youthful Heroine was in the room with him.

“Hey, Recovery Girl.  I didn’t keep you here too long . . . did I?”  Izuku casually asked at first before a hint of nervousness bled into his voice from the sharp stare being sent his way.

“You were out for four hours, sonny.  I had to heal a myriad of your injuries.  You broke multiple bones in your right arm, and you had some tears in the muscles of your legs.  Not to mention the cuts and bruises. along with the strained muscles across the rest of your body.”  Izuku paled at the numerous injuries listed out.

“But your injuries weren’t the worst I’ve had to heal today.”  She pointed her cane to the bed next to him.  Izuku turned his head, seeing Melissa in the room with him, sitting on the edge of the spare bed.  He noted the bandages on her legs and arms.

“Broken legs and a broken arm.  You have to learn to get One for All under control, lass.  Your body can only sustain a certain amount of injuries before you suffer potential irreparable damage.”  Izuku’s eyes widened at All Might’s quirk being discussed casually by someone he didn’t know.  Seeing the panicked look in his eyes, Melissa decided to clear the air.

“It’s alright, Midoriya.  Recovery Girl knows about the transfer.  She saw it happen in real-time, and she was the one who helped keep All Might alive after he suffered those injuries six years ago.  She was also informed about your knowledge of All Might’s secret.”  Melissa told the boy, whose panic-stricken face became one filled with relief.

“I still can’t believe you turned down the oaf’s offer to receive his quirk, sonny.”  Izuku could only chuckle, rubbing the back of his head with his bandaged hand.  

“But after seeing your performance live, you’ll become a fine hero without it.  Especially with the looks I saw in those two lasses’ eyes.”  Izuku’s face burned bright red, remembering the kindness Uraraka and Kendou showed him.  Hopefully, the two passed the exams.

“Anyways, Ms. Inko and Mr. David should be here to pick you two up in a few minutes.”  Izuku and Melissa nodded, deciding to relax for the next few minutes.

While taking it easy, Izuku had a nagging feeling he heard something in his sleep after he passed out.

ONE WEEK LATER - MIDORIYA HOUSEHOLD

Izuku was busy doing his daily exercise routine after eating the dinner his mother had prepared for them two hours earlier.  Although Recovery Girl had given him her vote of confidence in his potential to be a hero, he was still nervous about whether or not he passed the exams.  He hoped the 56 points he knew he scored would suffice in gaining a spot for the esteemed school’s hero course.  The only thing he knew for sure was he would receive a letter any day now to tell him his results.  

He tried to reach out to All Might to hear something from him to calm his fears.  Unfortunately, his text messages weren’t read, and the calls he placed to the Symbol of Peace’s phone were automatically sent to voice mail.

Suddenly, he heard the door to his room open with the utmost urgency based on how much force his mother put into opening it and the noticeable doorknob-shaped dent left in the wall protector.

“IZUKU!  I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-IZUKU!”  His mother tripped but caught herself on her hands before she fell face-first into the ground.  Izuku saw her slip numerous times while she tried to approach him as she struggled to say his name due to her excitement and panic.

“IT’S HERE!  IT’S HERE!   YOUR LETTER FROM U.A.!”  Izuku’s eyes widened considerably, and the anxiety he pushed down quickly bubbled back to the surface.  His shaky hands grabbed the envelope from his mother’s quivering grasp. 

Deciding to give her son privacy, Inko quickly left the room (after making sure she closed the door with much less force than when she opened it).  

Izuku stared at the envelope displaying the U.A. symbol.  For the next few minutes, Izuku stared at the envelope, his anxiety preventing him from opening it.  Eventually, the green-haired boy calmed down enough to finally open the envelope sent to him by his dream school.

And by opening it, he tore the envelope in half!

A small device fell out of the envelope, landing on the table and bouncing around a few times before settling in front of him.  Suddenly, it began to emit a small light that became more intense before it displayed a screen-like frame.  Less than two seconds later, he saw the Symbol of Peace’s face taking up nearly the entire screen!

“BOOYAH!  I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!”  All Might shouted in his symbolic, baritone-filled voice.

“All Might!”  Izuku yelped in surprise, not expecting to see him!  

“INDEED IT IS I!  BEFORE WE BEGIN, I MUST APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO RESPOND TO YOUR TEXTS OR PHONE CALLS!  BUT WHEN YOU ARE THE SYMBOL OF PEACE, WITH GREAT POWER COMES A GREAT AMOUNT OF PAPERWORK!  ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU ARE NOW LOOKING AT THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE U.A. FACULTY!”  All Might explained to the boy regarding his appearance in his U.A. letter.

“Whoa!  That’s so cool that you’re now going to be working at the school!  Izuku gushed, giddy to know his favorite hero was now teaching at U.A.

“Indeed!”  All Might chirped in pride.  Suddenly, a hand appeared to the side as it wordlessly told All Might something.

“Hm?  What seems to be the problem?  What do you mean I’m showing off too much?!  Alright alright!  I’ll wrap it up!   But I have to inform the young man of something first.  Wait what?!  I have how many of these left to do?!”  All Might guffawed.

Izuku sweatdropped at the scene happening in front of him.

“Anyways, allow me to inform you of the results of both exams!  Regarding your written score, you passed that portion with flying colors!  Congratulations!”  All Might beamed with pride, eliciting a smile from Izuku.

“But it was your performance in the combat portion of the exam that has generated much buzz from the staff of U.A.”  All Might’s grin widened even further than the boy thought was possible!

“After going through your tape, you scored 56 combat points.  This score alone places you in one of our 36 remaining seats for the hero course!”  Izuku’s eyes became wide as dinner plates.   In any other circumstance, hearing that would’ve caused him to cry with joy instantly.  However, something the Symbol of Peace said caught his attention.

"Wait, there’s more?"  All Might smirked at seeing the range of emotions Izuku’s face displayed.

"Indeed!  Although we were impressed with your combat ability,  the staff was extremely impressed with the selfless acts you displayed in the exam!  Behold!  Exhibit A!”  The camera panned out to show another screen as All Might clicked a button on a remote he pulled out.

The separate screen showed him pulling Kendou out of the way of the falling two-pointer.  Both were off-screen, but the clip showed his level 3 charge shot cutting through the robot, causing it to blow up into pieces!

“And now!  Exhibit B!”  A new scene showed up where the two informed the other of an approaching enemy when they battled that group of two-pointers.

“Exhibit C!”  The third scene showed Izuku utilizing his double charge shot attack to shatter the concrete debris that trapped Uraraka.  His actions allowed Kendou to lift the debris.  This enabled the gravity girl to crawl out from underneath the concrete before the orange-haired girl picked her up to run for cover!

“Exhibit D!”  Izuku could only watch in amazement as it replayed his one-on-one encounter with the zero-pointer and defeating it!  Although he knew he battled the robot, he didn’t remember much of what happened due to the adrenaline guiding his body.  Seeing what he did in real-time. . . it was surreal.

“And the grand finale!”  Izuku’s eyes widened seeing Uraraka talking to Present Mic.

“Pardon me, sir.  Ummmm . . . do you have a second?”  Uraraka asked the boisterous hero.

“Sure!  What’s on your mind, little listener!”  Present Mic asked with enthusiasm.

“The boy with the messy green hair and freckles . . . the one with that Gundam-looking armor . . . and the girl with orange hair wearing the red and white tracksuit . . . do you think it might be possible to give them some of my points?”  Uraraka shyly requested.

Izuku’s jaw dropped!  She was willing to give her up points and potentially lose her spot in the hero course for him and Itsuka?!

“Kendou-san risked her life to get me out of that debris pile.  Even when she couldn’t get it to budge, she refused to leave my side!  And Midoriya-san saved us both!  He broke that debris pile that pinned me down and prevented me from getting to safety.  He also risked his life battling that giant robot!  He saved Kendou-san, myself, and everybody else from getting seriously hurt!”  Izuku felt his breath leave his body, tears threatening to spill down his face at hearing Ochaco wanting to give him and Itsuka her points!  

“If I hadn’t gotten pinned by that falling debris, Kendou-san and Midoriya-san wouldn’t have gotten hurt.  Those two would’ve gotten higher scores if they didn’t hurt themselves saving me!”  Uraraka lowered her head.

“Please, sir!  If anyone deserves to be in the hero course, it’s those two.  Can’t you give them my points?!”  Uraraka shouted out, desperate to help in any way she could.

‘Uraraka . . .’  Izuku couldn’t find the words to describe the happiness in his heart from hearing her selfless plea to help them realize their dreams, even if it meant sacrificing her own.

The video was paused.

“As you can see, destroying robots wasn’t the only way to earn points in this exam.  There were other criteria utilized to grade the examinees!"  All Might resumed the video.

Uraraka’s eyes shot open as she felt the sound-based hero ruffling her hair.

“Thank you for coming by and voicing your concerns!  That selfless attitude will serve you well in this career field!  As with those two, you don’t have to worry about them.  They’re shooting up the rankings and will be just fine.”  The scene faded to black.

“How can we call ourselves a hero school without considering the selfless acts of one risking their lives to ensure the safety of others without fearing what happens to them?   That is what my alma mater emphasizes more than anything else when training future heroes.  So we also have rescue points!”  All Might then clicked the remote again, showing the U.A. staff rewarding points when they saw heroic acts unrelated to combat.  Izuku could only watch the scene in stunned silence. 

All Might grinned before clicking the remote one last time, excited to see how Izuku would react to his final score.

Izuku saw the screen change to another slide one final time.  What he saw nearly caused him to pass out in shock.  In front of him was the final score for each examinee.  But it was his final score that shocked him.

1ST PLACE:  MIDORIYA IZUKU

VILLAIN POINTS:  56

RESCUE POINTS:  144

TOTAL:  200 POINTS

“TWO HUNDRED POINTS?!”  Izuku screamed.  Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he'd have a score that high.

All Might laughed in joy.

“That is your score, young man!  It is the highest score recorded in this illustrious school’s history!  Congratulations!”  Izuku couldn’t help but feel his chest swell with pride!   His happiness skyrocketed when he saw who placed second, third, and fourth!

2ND PLACE:  KENDOU ITSUKA

VILLAIN POINTS:  45

RESCUE POINTS:  105

TOTAL POINTS:  150

3RD PLACE:  SHIELD MELISSA

VILLAIN POINTS:  60

RESCUE POINTS:  60

TOTAL POINTS:  120

4TH PLACE: URARAKA OCHACO

VILLAIN POINTS:  28

RESCUE POINTS:  72

TOTAL POINTS:  100

“All four of you have passed!  Not only have you passed, but you four have joined an elite list.  Only a handful of examinees have ever scored over triple digits in the practical portion of the exam!  The last one to have reached the triple-digit threshold was Endeavor.”  Izuku finally felt the dam burst, tears rolling down his face.

He passed.  And the two girls he protected passed.  Melissa passed.  

They were all going to be heroes.

Izuku saw All Might hold his hand out.

“Welcome, Izuku.  You have made it.  In a few weeks, your hero academia begins.”  All Might proudly declared before the video faded to black, switching back to the scorecard.

He suddenly heard someone lightly knocking on his door.

“Izuku?  Is everything alright?”  Inko softly asked.

“Yeah, everything is alright, Mom.  You can come in.”  Izuku heard the door open.  He turned around to see Inko standing nervously.  He sent a small smile to her, causing her to shout and cry in joy.  He quickly stood up before mother and son hugged each other. 

After a few minutes, the two heard the recording emit static-like noises.  Both looked to see the gray static slowly overlapping the scorecard before the list disappeared.  It then faded to black, much to their confusion.

Suddenly, a new image showed up.

“Oh . . . is this picture your class’s symbol Izuku?”  Inko turned her head to look at her son.  Her curiosity turned to fear.  The color from Izuku’s face drained.  He was ghost-white.

Unknown to Inko, Izuku knew what he was looking at.

The Maverick insignia.

The logo disappeared.  A line of text appeared.

TAKOBA MUNICIPAL BEACH PARK . . . 15 MINUTES . . . COME ALONE . . . 

Izuku bolted out of the house, ignoring Inko’s worried cries.  He summoned his armor, fear enveloping his body as he went to confront the potential hacker.

TAKOBA MUNICIPAL BEACH PARK

Several feet away from the beach entrance, Storm Eagle stood on the beach, arms crossed and eyes closed.  A metal bird flew to him, communicating a message only he could understand.

His eyes shot open.

“He’s here?”  The bird chirped, telling Storm Eagle what to look for.

The avian Maverick’s eyes widened.  X’s legacy was now with a child.  

He felt . . . a hesitancy within him bubble to the surface with what he learned.

‘Teal . . . please guide me.’  Storm Eagle heard light footsteps in the sand.  He turned around, his eyes confirming the intel he received.

A boy no older than fifteen . . . eyes filled with determination and fear.

Uh oh . . . this might be a problem.

Chapter Text

CHIBA PREFECTURE - KENDOU HOUSEHOLD

“ITSUKA!  YOUR LETTER IS HERE!”  Kendou (née Genryusai) Maki called out to her daughter before walking into her room.

Maki is a beautiful woman in her mid-30s of medium height.  She has cat-like brown eyes, and her long, dyed blonde hair is usually in a high ponytail.  Most associated the hero with her red and white ninja garb.  However, outside of hero work, she usually wore a black leather halter top that buttons up near her neck and down to her waist, black biker-style gloves, and yellow baggy pants fastened by a black rope.

“Thank you, Mom!”  Itsuka responded, grabbing the letter from her mother.  Maki could see her daughter shake with excitement and a little bit of nervousness as she held the envelope sent to her by U.A.

Personally, Maki didn’t share the same enthusiasm about the hero school as her daughter.  In her eyes, if one utilized all of the resources available to them, anyone could become a great hero.  Even if they didn’t attend a fancy school like the one Itsuka applied to.

She grabbed her daughter’s shoulders and kissed her temple to get her to stop shaking and to ease her nervousness.

“I’ll be outside ready to celebrate your acceptance offer into the hero course Itsu.”  Maki confidently told her daughter before closing the door.  She knew what her daughter was capable of.  There was no doubt she would be in the hero course.  The training she put her through would see to that.

Itsuka felt her anxiety melt away, happy to hear her mother display such confidence in her.  Although the U.A. hopeful was usually confident in her combat abilities, including how adept she was at using her quirk, receiving a little assurance from her mother always gave her a boost.  It was one of the many traits she shared with her mother, along with their love of martial arts and motorcycles.

Taking a deep breath, Itsuka opened the envelope flap and looked inside.  She noticed a small device contained inside and took it out, placing it on her desk.

A few seconds later, a light appeared from the device before holographically projecting a screen. 

On the projected screen less than four feet away from her was the Symbol of Peace!

“BOOYAH!  I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!”  All Might yelled in exuberance.

“Holy shit!  That’s All Might!”  Itsuka shouted, completely taken aback that the number one hero was informing her of her test results.

“Kendou-san!  I am here today to tell you the results you earned in the U.A. Hero Course Exams and how well you fared score-wise compared to others.”  All Might informed the girl, who felt the anticipation grow within her.

“First is the written portion!  You obtained one of the top scores in that particular part of the exam!  Congratulations!  But what truly impressed me was your performance in the combat portion.”  All Might took out a piece of paper, looking through the scores.

“Based on the robots you destroyed, you earned 45 combat points.  This is usually the low-end score for acceptance into the U.A. Hero Course!”  Normally, Itsuka would’ve jumped and shouted in joy hearing that tidbit of information, but she kept her outburst at bay, knowing there was more All Might wanted to discuss.  As Itsuka focused her undivided attention on All Might, Maki slightly opened her daughter’s door to look at the recording.

“But it was your actions outside of battling robots that showed us why you are the perfect example of what we look for in students who wish to join our hero course!  Behold!”  The camera moved to the left to focus on a television screen.  Meanwhile, the Symbol of Peace grabbed a remote control and clicked once.

Itsuka’s eyes widened as it showed the scene where Izuku was struggling to fend off the robot hiding in the makeshift store before it ambushed him.  She heard herself yelling at him, informing him she was there to help him before she jumped into the fray.

Maki felt herself swell with pride seeing her daughter selflessly help someone in need.  It was the one thing she emphasized to her daughter as she grew up.  In the hero world, nothing else was more noble than self-sacrifice, especially to the Bushinryu practitioner.  

Her joy grew when she saw her daughter trying to rescue another girl trapped under building rubble despite the noticeable injuries to her hands.  However, it was the final scene that raised Maki’s curiosity.  The same boy Itsuka saved in an earlier clip was now returning the favor as he battled a gigantic robot that towered over the makeshift skyscrapers.  Whoever that boy was, his quirk was pretty powerful if the boy’s enhanced movements and various projectile weaponry when the two teamed up to take down twenty robots said anything.

But it was what he did near the end that rendered Maki speechless.  The boy encased himself in flames before crashing through the opening he made in the robot’s head.  She began to worry when the boy didn’t emerge from the mechanical behemoth.  Her concern only deepened when she saw a light shoot out of the opening in the robot’s head.  But her nervousness morphed into disbelief when the robot’s head exploded into more pieces than she could count! 

‘Holy shit!  What the hell?!  What the fuck is that kid’s quirk?!’  Maki mentally exclaimed in disbelief, her mind reeling from the insane power display showcased by the green-haired boy.  However, her awe morphed into panic as the boy plummeted to the ground head first!  Her anxiety grew as he saw him get closer to the pavement.

Suddenly, she saw her daughter jump in the air.  However, the vertical Itsuka displayed in this instance wasn’t humanly possible for someone like her.  She saw Itsuka moving higher and higher into the air.   She noticed her daughter enlarge her hands before catching the boy.  Her suspicions about her daughter breaking the rules of physics were confirmed when she saw the two floating in midair.  Those suspicions gained even more support when she saw the girl Itsuka rescued press her fingers together.  Once she did that, her daughter and the boy she saved for a second time stopped floating and landed harmlessly on the ground.

The screen paused before she heard All Might start explaining why he showed those clips.

“Being able to beat up the bad guys isn’t the only thing we look for in a hero.  We look for heroes willing to put themselves in danger to ensure innocents are safe from harm.  How can any school have a hero course if we don’t give proper credit to the examinees when they engage in these selfless acts?!  Especially when their actions inspire others to do the same!  This is why we also award the examinees rescue points!”  All Might resumed playing the video as it switched to another scene.  It showed the gravity girl and some blonde guy wearing what looked like a speaker around his neck.

Maki could only stare and listen to the girl her daughter saved.  Her appreciation for the gravity girl grew when she heard she wanted to give her points to her daughter and the boy.  She noted the name of the boy said by the gravity girl.  The guy with the speaker around his neck reassured the brown-haired girl no such action was required due to the excellent performance of the other two. 

“Young Kendou, you not only displayed a willingness to protect others, but your willingness to work with others shows us a heroic nature few can ever hope to match!  This is reflected in your total score.”  The screen showed a scorecard.  Maki had to suppress herself from laughing when she saw her daughter standing up and knocking her chair down due to how fast the orange-haired girl got up. 

“ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POINTS?!”  Itsuka screamed, bewildered that she scored that many points.

All Might could only laugh in amusement.

“Indeed!  If it weren’t for Midoriya-shounen’s point total, you would’ve tied me for the most points scored in the U.A. Practical Exam in history!” Itsuka and Maki could hear the pride in the Symbol of Peace’s voice.

“Kendou-san!  It is with great pride that I welcome you to U.A.  This is now your hero academia!”  All Might finished before the screen switched back to the point total.

But Itsuka didn’t take a second glance.  She ran out of the room, grabbing her mother in a hug.  Both were shouting in excitement after learning the orange-haired girl achieved her goal!

After taking a few minutes to calm down, Itsuka began to feel uneasy when she saw her mom sending a smirk her way.

“So Itsu . . . when are you going to introduce me to this Midoriya kid?  You two seem to have a knack for rescuing each other.”  Maki chuckled as her daughter’s face burned crimson.

That statement caused Itsuka to remember her interactions with Midoriya a few days ago.

FLASHBACK - U.A. HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

Itsuka stared at the sheet of paper previously enclosed in the envelope under her chair.  The contents told her she was to go to test site alpha.

“U-u-u-um . . . e-e-e-e-excuse m-m-m-me.”  The boy next to her said in a quiet, stuttering voice.  She turned her head, staring at him and wordlessly asking him what he wanted.

“A-a-a-a-are you in test site alpha?”  The boy showed her his paper.  

“Yes . . . yes I am.  Why?”  Itsuka sent a small smile at him.  

“No reason.”  The boy’s face turned red before looking down.  Itsuka couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s nervousness.  

STREET 5 AND 6 - TEST SITE ALPHA

Itsuka let out a battle cry as she jumped into the air before she crushed a three-pointer with her fist.  The sounds of metal shearing and breaking apart confirmed her attack neutralized the threat.  Seeing no other robots nearby, she decided to check the next street.

When she started rounding the corner, she heard an explosion nearby, causing her to sprint faster.  Once she reached the next street, she noticed the boy she sat next to being pinned down by a robot.  Without hesitation, she jumped into action to save him.

STREET 8 - TEST SITE ALPHA

Itsuka felt her body becoming tired after Recovery Girl’s quirk began to take effect.  Fortunately, she was able to remain conscious along with Uraraka.  She couldn’t say the same thing about Izuku.

“Midoriya!”  She turned her head to look at the boy after hearing the gravity girl shout his name out in concern.  Her eyes widened at the sight of Izuku struggling to remain upright.  After a few more seconds of trying not to fall and pass out, Izuku began to fall forward.  He would’ve hit the ground if not for Itsuka catching him.

She smiled when she heard him lightly snoring.

‘You were amazing out there, Midoriya.’  Itsuka complimented the boy in her head, not wanting to disturb him.  He went beyond, plus ultra today.  And . . .  he pushed himself to his limit to save not only herself but Uraraka.  

Recovery Girl sighed before taking her phone out.

“Hey Nezu.  Send some medical transfer robots to Street 8 at Test Site Alpha.  Thank you.”  

After a few minutes, two robots rolled to where Izuku was.  Itsuka gingerly maneuvered the boy until he was lying on the cot.  Recovery Girl noticed the look of worry on her face.

“Don’t worry, lass.  He’ll be fine.  He isn’t in any life-threatening danger, but he’ll need to take it easy for the next few days.”  Itsuka nodded, relieved that he was going to be alright.  But she wanted to tell him something before she had to go.

She lowered her head until her mouth was near his ear.

“No matter what happens after this, I just want to say thank you for protecting me and Uraraka.  Regardless of what U.A. thinks of your performance, you were our hero today.”  Itsuka whispered to the sleeping Midoriya before the robots and Recovery Girl (who could barely stop herself from smirking) began transporting him to the school’s infirmary.  After several seconds, Itsuka left for the bus she was assigned to earlier that day.

FLASHBACK END

KENDOU HOUSEHOLD

“I . . . I’m not sure.”  Itsuka shyly replied.

Maki’s smirk did not let up.

“Well, All Might did say he scored more points in that exam than anyone else did in the school’s history, so you’re guaranteed to see him again.  I’m sure you guys would make great friends.”  Maki reminded the girl.  She wanted to meet the boy who protected her precious child from harm.

Itsuka’s eyes widened when she heard her mother say the word friend.  It caused her to remember when she told him it would be nice to have a friend like him at U.A.  His reaction would be forever seared into her brain.

He cried.  He was crying when he heard her tell him he was her friend.  She recalled the look in his emotional, tear-filled eyes.

His eyes conveyed so many different emotions before he accepted her request.

Happiness . . . relief . . . fear.

It was like the concept of having a friend was alien to him . . . or something he was deprived of for so long.  

Maki became concerned when she saw her daughter’s skin become pale.  The embarrassment on her daughter’s face morphed into fear and worry.

“Everything alright, honey?”  Maki grabbed Itsuka’s shoulder in concern.  

“I . . . I remember something about him, Mom.”  Maki looked at her daughter, confusion evident in the elderly Kendou’s eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“His eyes . . . he started crying when I told him he was my friend,”  Itsuka whispered.  She felt her Mom grab her by her shoulders.

“Tell me what happened,”  Maki replied.  Taking a deep breath, Itsuka told her mother what happened during the exams last week.

MIE PREFECTURE - URARAKA HOUSEHOLD

Uraraka stared at the envelope that she placed on the table in her room.  An envelope that she had stared at for the last half hour.  The trepidation she felt in her heart prevented her from opening the letter delivered to her home from U.A. High.  After all, it wasn’t often one received something that would dictate their future for the next several years.  The current feeling of nervousness dwarfed her anxiety from last week.  And unlike the entrance exam, no one could verbally prop her up with a confidence boost.  Sure, her parents would always be proud of her and love her regardless of her test score, but she wished someone like Midoriya could give her the pep talk she needed right now.  

Speaking of Midoriya, she recalled the events during the battle trial last week.  She frowned as she remembered the green-haired boy and everything he had done for her that day.  He gave her a new perspective on how to apply her quirk in combat-related situations.  He gave her the confidence boost she needed to battle the robots.  

She applied his analysis of her quirk and the motivation from his words of encouragement and used it as motivation.  She was well on her way to scoring at least 50 points. 

Everything was going well. 

Then, the zero-pointer got in the way and started causing mayhem.  The destruction it brought to the test site she was in ruined her chances of scoring any more points when the debris from the buildings it destroyed pinned her legs to the ground, rendering her incapable of moving.

Her inability to escape the mayhem caused others to throw away their chances to increase their total score.

She remembered the sound of Kendou’s hand breaking when she used it to shield herself from falling concrete to get to where she was trapped.   Despite that injury, the orange-haired girl tried her damndest to get her out of harm’s way, even if it meant she was at risk of being crushed.  

She remembered Midoriya going one-on-one with that mechanical giant.  He moved around like an action-hero movie star, distracting it while everyone got to safety.  He not only damaged it, he was able to destroy it!  She had hoped that was the end of the story that day.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

The memory of him falling to the ground head first was forever seared into her brain.  If it weren’t for her and Kendou teaming up and using their quirks . . . 

Ochaco shook her head furiously, not wanting to think about what could’ve been.  They were all safe, and if she deduced Present Mic’s words correctly, those two made it in.

She couldn’t say the same thing about herself.  She kept replaying in her head things she could’ve done or should’ve done at various moments in the exam.  As she kept going through every moment of the exam, one particular moment before the battle trial stood at the forefront in her head.

‘I can’t tell you you’ll pass.  But what I can ask of you is to give it your all.  Whether or not you pass, you can hold your head high and know you did everything possible.  That you know there wasn’t one more thing you could’ve done.  So promise me this:  promise to go beyond, plus ultra.’

Did she go beyond, plus ultra, from start to finish?

She recalled everything that happened one more time.  Going through every memory she could remember, she couldn’t lie to herself.  Although she knew there were flaws in some of her approaches, she knew she left it all out there on that mock battlefield.  She fought her ass off from start to finish.