611Hey! Thank you so much for clicking on this story. Just some starters so you know what you're getting yourself into:
1. U.A. here is a university, mostly to boost everyone's ages so that they're adults.
2. Eventual OP!Izuku. Like Izuku's going to be really strong at the beginning, but at a specific point, he'll become truly overpowered with multiple Quirks at his disposal. We're talking six additional Quirks separate from One For All-related Quirks (and potentially even more after a certain point). More on that later in the story, though.
3. That being said, prepare yourself for some inconsistencies regarding Izuku's initial usage of One For All, as in it might not be as strong as it should be in the beginning. There's a reason for that, and it gets explained later on. There will come a point in the story where he can use One For All to its full potential.
4. There will be very noticeable differences from canon Izuku's backstory. Momo and Himiko's as well.
5. Some characters will behave differently than they do in the actual MHA manga/anime because they have changed or altered backstories. For example, The teachers at U.A. know about All Might's condition and some of them even know about All For One.
This is my first attempt at writing, so please let me know any thoughts you have in reviews or PMs. Enjoy!
Izuku Midoriya had the same, recurring nightmare.
He was trapped in a cold, dark room. The days would pass by with him being none the wiser. He starved, thirsted for water, with no one in the outside world knowing about his precarious situation. He was only visited by one man.
The man typically wore a black suit. His face was a mess of scar tissue with no visible openings for eyes or even a nose. All he saw was a twisted smile as the man fed him, gave him water to drink. He cared for Izuku like he was a pet—no, like a prized toy.
He said many things, all of which Izuku forgot when he woke up the next day. All, except for one:
"You… are my greatest creation."
That would always be where the dream ended.
Unbreakable
Humble Beginnings
Quirkless.
"If you look at the bone on his foot here…"
The doctor's callous words droned on and on, but his voice failed to reach Izuku Midoriya's ears. The world suddenly seemed to shift to grayscale.
Quirkless.
Quirkless.
Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless. Quirkless.
The word repeated itself in his mind. Everytime Izuku heard it, it seemed to be said in a different person's voice. First, it was the doctor's methodical tone. Then, Izuku heard Kacchan's snarl, the voices of his classmates, but worst of all was his mother's voice. Her apologetic tone tore away at him.
Quirkless.
"But… it's strange. Are you sure that this 'Kacchan' person attacked you with fire? Your arm seems perfectly fine."
Izuku numbly nodded, and the doctor hummed. It was obvious that he didn't believe him.
Later that night, his mom called him for dinner. As he numbly sat down, she tried to reassure him: "Izuku, honey, I—"
"Mom. It's fine," he said flatly.
She shot him a worried look. "Are you sure? I know how much being a hero meant to you… I'd hate to see that dream shattered before it even began." She bit her lip, not quite knowing what to say.
"Mom," he repeated, "i-it's fine." His voice, faltering, continued. "I'm still going to apply to U.A. Couldn't hurt to a-at least… try, right?"
Droplets of tears hit his closed palms. Izuku hurriedly wiped his traitorous eyes with the back of his hands. "I-I'm going to b-become a hero, mom. Just you watch."
The smile that grew on his face was offset by the tears gushing out of his eyes. Inko Midoriya, unable to stand the sight of her crying son any longer, threw her arms around her baby boy and bit back tears of her own.
.:.
At the age of thirteen, in order to pursue his dream of being a hero, Izuku signed up for mixed martial arts. He ignored the taunts of his classmates and soldiered on with the sole goal of getting into U.A.
And it was there, during training, that Izuku entertained the possibility that he might have a Quirk.
It seemed that, regardless of how many punches or kicks he received, his body remained in perfect condition. He still felt the pain, but whether or not it registered on his body was debatable. Bruises or cuts only appeared on his body after being knocked out or sleeping. He guessed that, somehow, physical damage was intrinsically connected to his mental capacity or capabilities.
The more he thought about it as he trained, the more obvious the disconnect between his body and his mind became. It got to the point where Izuku could pick when his body received damage. If he took a body shot, he could choose to allow the blow to physically damage him or to receive all the damage mentally. It hurt a lot less when he allowed the impact to reach his body, but as long as his mind held up, Izuku's body became impervious.
But Izuku found it difficult to actually ascertain whether or not he had a Quirk. He couldn't blow anything up or conjure fire. It was entirely possible that his body was just incredibly sturdy.
But, regardless, this made him a terrifying duelist. There was nothing more disheartening to his opponent than landing a solid blow that appeared to have no effect. Since he was small for his age, Izuku relied more heavily on speed than strength. His punches flew quickly, his kicks lithe and accurate, but they didn't have much power behind them. He wore down the other opponents his age by sheer tenacity rather than knock-outs.
He steadily rose the ranks at the dojo. As the days went on, his form improved. Izuku collected more and more victories under his belt, but it was never enough to offset the fact that he was Quirkless. The matches were all deemed no Quirk usage, sure, but in the real world, Izuku knew it was different—that villains didn't care for being fair, that being Quirkless was a massive disadvantage.
He spent a year like that, fighting and training to grow faster, stronger. Izuku certainly grew more muscular, growing into a lean body devoid of baby fat, but he knew that it wasn't enough.
It was one day, after training, that everything changed.
It was still all a blur to him. The sludge villain, All Might—yes, All Might!—rescuing him. Getting his dream ruthlessly crushed; being told that, no matter what, a Quirkless individual would be better off being something like a cop rather than a hero; walking home; the sludge villain again but this time with Katsuki. He may have his differences with the boy, but Izuku wasn't one to stand by as his friend was being attacked. So he leapt into the fray, striking at whatever sludge he could, but his hits were all absorbed. All Might saving him, again. All Might acknowledging him. All Might offering him his power, a chance to be a hero.
It was like a dream. Izuku couldn't believe his luck. He wanted to scream until his lungs gave out in jubilation. He was given a chance, a chance from the number one hero, and he wasn't going to waste it. So, like he'd been instructed, after school ended he arrived at the Dagobah Municipal Beach Park to begin his training. He told his sensei at the dojo that he was going to bulk up before returning.
Izuku arrived at the beachfront to find a literal dumpster. Mountains of garbage stared down at him to the point that he could barely see any sand. Flabbergasted, he looked around to find All Might. He found him seated at an alcove of trash.
"This used to be a beautiful beach," All Might said, not even bothering to greet Izuku. The man was in his skeletal form, looking out forlornly at the mess the beach had become. "But now, due to negligence, it has become… this."
Izuku followed his gaze to the giant heaps of trash.
"No matter!" All Might shouted suddenly, clapping his knees with his hands and getting up. "We're gonna fix this beach up! This is the beginning of your training, young man—clean up this beach!"
Izuku's mind reeled at the sheer enormity of the task laid out before him, but at the same time, a competitive flare was lit inside of him. "Say where, and I'll move 'em there."
"Excellent!" All Might laughed, patting Izuku on the back. "That's the spirit. Now, all you need to do is…"
For the next half hour, All Might explained his training regiment. First stage, bodybuilding: clean up all the trash on the beach, dump them into a trash collection zone, and gain muscles while doing so. That will form the baseline for his abilities. Then the second stage: more bodybuilding. Hit the gym every day, following strict guidelines for further strengthening. Once he got to a certain point that All Might felt was satisfactory, he would get to inherit his Quirk, One For All. Then, leading up to U.A.'s entrance exams, Izuku would undergo any necessary Quirk strengthening and address any potential unexpected shortcomings.
With the plan formulated, Izuku got down to business.
.:.
About a month into his beach cleanup, Izuku started noticing a strange pattern.
A lone girl stood at the furthest point where garbage met the sea. Her blonde hair, messily curled up into two buns, glinted in the dying sunlight. She walked along the shoreline, absentmindedly kicking stray cans. She caught him staring and looked at him with wide, unblinking eyes before huffing and returning to her own world.
Her presence was… unsettling to Izuku. Aside from All Might, who dropped by in his skeletal form every Tuesday and Friday, she was the only person within a 500 meter radius of the dirty beach. They didn't greet each other, but Izuku started starting to take her presence for granted. There was something comforting about not being alone in his arduous task. It was silly, sure, but he found a certain companionship with this mystery girl. She was there, playing on the beach, pretty much every day in the afternoon when he worked on cleaning up the beach.
She didn't look that much older than him—maybe sixteen, seventeen? He couldn't imagine her being older than that. But even then, with her continued presence, he couldn't bring himself to talk to her. Call it nerves or whatever, but he just wasn't ready for that level of interaction. Or so he told himself, at least.
It was the second month of cleaning up when contact was made. He'd just been watching the girl play with some sharp metal when a sudden idea cropped up in his mind. He tried testing out if he had a legit Quirk or not by cutting himself with some of the leftover garbage and found that, if he clenched his abs, the razor sharp metal would not cut his arm, but if he relaxed and willed himself to be cut, sure enough, the material pierced skin and a warm trickle of blood flowed out. The damage done was perplexing to him. Could clenching his abs be some sort of hidden trigger to trigger a sort of invulnerability, or was it just clenching any muscle? Was it a fluke? Izuku had been told that scientifically, it was impossible for him to have a Quirk, yet here he was, displaying Quirk-like levels of an ability.
"Hello."
Izuku, not expecting the sudden interaction, yelped and dropped the bloody shard of glass he was holding on to. She looked forlornly at the dropped glass before giggling cutely. "Hi there."
"H-H-H-Hello!" Izuku stuttered, still caught off guard. "D-Didn't see you there, sorry."
"Oh~" she drawled, taking a seat on top of a nearby microwave, "even though you couldn't take your eyes off of me earlier~"
Izuku flushed a deep crimson. He tried denying it, but the girl was having none of it, stifling a chuckle with her arm sleeve. The high school uniform was baggy on her, but it carried a certain undeniable charm to it.
"So," she continued after her airy laughs, "what are you doing here?"
"I-I'm…" Izuku took a deep breath. He can do this. He can talk to a girl without making an absolute fool out of himself. "I'm cleaning up the beach."
"All by yourself?"
"Y-Yeah."
An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air between them. Izuku desperately racked his brain for something to say, mentally drawing a blank. She watched him flounder with a cat-like grin, the grin only growing wider as time passed.
"So… uh," Izuku mumbled, still desperately searching for an icebreaker, "uhm…"
The girl just watched him, patiently waiting.
"W-What's your name?" he finally breathed out, like an enormous weight was lifted off of his chest.
"Himiko Toga," she responded, grin turning into a full-blown smile.
" I-It's a pleasure to meet you."
She laughed. "Oh please, we met a long time ago~"
As Izuku racked his brain for memories, she stood up and snaked closer to him. "I-I'm sorry, Toga, but I can't seem to—"
"Himiko," she interrupted, eyes drawn to the small gash on his arm. "Call me Himiko, Izuku."
In his flustered state, it slipped his mind that he never told her his name. "H-Himiko," Izuku mumbled, flushing a shade of red that was oddly reminiscent of a tomato. "A-Anyways, I can't seem to recall—"
"I don't blame you for forgetting~" she said cheerily, still staring at the cut.
He finally noticed and flushed a deeper shade of red, if it was even possible at that point. "Ah, um, sorry, I was just testing something…"
"It's alright." Himiko pulled out a handkerchief. "Want me to clean it for you?"
"Oh." Izuku glanced at her shyly before looking away. "Yeah, s-sure, that'd be helpful."
She gently rubbed his bloody arm, moving back and forth in smooth circles. When she was done and the blood was cleaned up, she did something that honestly scared the living crap out of him.
She licked the bloody handkerchief.
"Um, what are you—"
"Wanna see something cool?" Himiko grinned, and, not waiting for his response, she… transformed…
Into him.
A beat passed.
"WHOAAAAAA!" Izuku shouted, staring at not-Izuku-but-somehow-still-Izuku. His earlier fright was replaced by an insatiable curiosity. "How did—is that your Quirk? Some kind of transformation-type? I wonder if everything got copied… to what extent does it copy my body? Do… do you have a—no, I shouldn't be asking a lady that question…" He continued to mumble under his breath as the girl opposite him just smiled wider.
Izuku couldn't quite place his finger on it, but this whole interaction felt… familiar. He shrugged it off. If he'd talked to a pretty girl like Himiko before, he'd definitely remember it.
"Shhhh," she shushed playfully, holding up a finger to his mouth. He blushed at the contact, which only made her laugh more. "It's lonely, isn't it? Cleaning the beach by yourself. Here, lemme help~"
"Oh, no, I can't let you do that," he said. "It's my task to clean up this beach, sorry."
She blinked, surprised, but settled into an easy grin. "Alright, if you say so~ But at least lemme keep you company."
"That would be… nice," he acquiesced, flushing. "I must warn you though, I'm not exactly the most engaging company…"
Stupid, stupid Izuku. Why had he gone and said that?
"It's fiiine," she laughed. "It'll be fun, just you and I."
And it was fun. For the next couple of weeks, months, Himiko showed up when he was collecting trash throughout the weekday. On the weekends, her absence was noted, but that only made Izuku look forward to her presence on the upcoming Monday. She hung back when All Might checked in on him, but otherwise, she was by his side, chatting nonstop about her day.
She apparently went to Shiketsu High on the opposite end of town. It was roughly equal in terms of ranking to Aldera High, where he attended high school, and he was shocked to find that she was in the same grade as him, ninth. When he told her his dream of attending U.A. University, she furrowed her brow but surprised him when she said she was dreaming of applying to the general course there.
It also shocked him to hear that she lived alone. As a momma's boy through and through, it was hard to imagine living without family. She seemed fine, but he still invited her over for dinner before blushing and realizing the implications of him doing so. She giggled and teased him about it, but ultimately she declined, stating that she had no idea how to behave in front of adults.
He got into a routine. Wake up, go to school, go to Dagobah beach, meet up with Himiko or touch base with All Might, go home, and sleep. Wake up and repeat. School was fairly boring—he got top grades without having to try too hard, so the real highlight of his day was cleaning the beach in Himiko's or All Might's company. Regardless of the fact that Himiko was a girl—and an attractive one at that—Izuku was glad to have someone he could finally call friend.
It was at the end of the school year that he finally finished cleaning up the beach. As he lugged that final piece of garbage into the trash collection zone, he felt an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment as he stared at the now clean beach. Although with the pride there came an increasing sense of apprehension as he thought about Himiko. With the beach clean, they wouldn't have an opportunity or an excuse to meet up anymore.
In an uncharacteristic display of confidence, Izuku asked for her number. Although there were many ums and ahs, perhaps moreso than actual words themselves, he got the deed done and got her cell. With a promise to text her, he eagerly awaited for All Might's arrival.
.:.
"Wow." All Might whistled, appreciating the pristine sandy view before him. "You really got it done."
"Well of course I did," Izuku huffed, a bit indignant. "You told me to do it after all."
All Might grinned. "That's what I like to hear. Young man, rejoice! Your first heroic act!"
Izuku looked away. He definitely was not tearing up right now, yeah. All Might noticed the state he was in and clapped a comforting hand to his shoulder. "Be proud. Now that this beach has been restored, look! People are once again enjoying it."
It was true; people have been taking note of the mysterious Dagobah clean up and the beach slowly repopulated.
"But do not grow complacent! Your training has only just begun!"
A fire lit in Izuku's eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
.:.
Izuku stood, for the first time, on U.A. University's campus.
He gazed at the buildings, filled with childlike wonder at being on campus at his dream school. People passed him by, exiting class as he searched for All Might—Toshinori-sensei. He remembered that, in order to preserve All Might's secret, he was to call the blonde man by his name: Yagi Toshinori. It honored him to know that his hero trusted him to the extent of telling him his civilian name.
Said man was escorting him to their state-of-the-art weight rooms. Some students spared the two a curious glance, but otherwise, they were mainly ignored. Izuku took that as a blessing. Since All Might was in his deflated state, he didn't receive much attention either.
Once they arrived, Izuku couldn't help but marvel at the cutting-edge technology that graced his eyes. First off, the weight room was massive, easily quadrupling his high school's now seemingly tiny weight room. Stations for different exercises were set up all around the room. He spotted filled-out racks for back squats, front squats, RDLs, bench press, and more. Some of the contraptions he had never seen before, and using them for their intended purpose would be an exercise in frivolity at best.
"Now, Izuku," All Might started, glancing down at the teen beside him. He looked like an excited kid at a candy store. "Let's set up some goals to attain, shall we?"
Izuku's attention snapped to All Might. "Yes, sir!"
"Hmmm," the man said, "let's start with the basics. Hit 250 pounds bench press and 400 pounds back squat. That's what I could do at your age. And you told me before that you were learning martial arts at a nearby dojo, correct?"
When Izuku nodded in the affirmative, All Might continued, "Good. We'll lift on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and you'll learn at the dojo on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Sundays can be spent however you want. You are a growing boy, after all, hehe."
Izuku had a dim feeling that All Might peeped on him and Himiko's time together more than once, but the gratefulness for a rest day outweighed his salt. He said, "Thanks for that, I guess."
All Might laughed boisterously, slapping Izuku on the back. "Now I'll be coaching you when you're here, so be sure to arrive on time. But knowing your work ethic, it'll probably be you waiting for me…"
All Might's words rang true like he was a prophet. On most days, he spotted Izuku waiting for him by U.A.'s entrance, the boy looking like he'd waited for quite some time. Each time he greeted him with the most blinding smile that All Might had ever seen. Well, if his words are to be trusted, All Might thought, he's looked up to me ever since he was a kid. This must be a dream come true for him. Better not let him down then!
On the odd days of the week, Izuku returned to training at the dojo. The trainers there were all surprised to see him, stating that Izuku made good on his promise to return after bulking up a bit. While not at the point of having a physique like a bodybuilder, Izuku had noticeably filled out and gained a few pounds of solid muscle. The hours of cleaning up the beach also increased his stamina by a fair amount, and the extra muscles meant that his blows now finally began to pack a punch.
On the even days of the week, Izuku had the honor of being personally trained by All Might. He spotted his reps, instructed him proper technique and form, and overall just acted like a direct mentor to him. He was ecstatic to have the rare opportunity of having All Might, of all people, be a personal trainer, and each day he pushed himself to the limit and beyond. It was strange, though. After lifting he'd feel pretty sore, but come the next day and after sparring in the dojo for no short period of time, he didn't feel sore at all.
It took him some time to work up the courage to do so, but finally, one day after lifting, Izuku braved the unknown and shot Himiko a text.
Izuku: Hello, this is Izuku Midoriya. Am I talking to Himiko Toga?
He put his phone in his pocket, got on the bus on the way home, and checked his phone nervously. To his shock and absolute delight, he'd received a text.
Himiko: lol
Himiko: even over text ur so serious
Himiko: its cute
Izuku flushed hard and put his phone in his pocket, taking a few deep breaths. She wasn't—wasn't even near him! He could do this. He whipped his phone back out.
Izuku: Sorry.
Izuku: Anyways, I was just wondering if you would be down to hang this Sunday.
He didn't even get a chance to put his phone away before Himiko responded.
Himiko: id loooove to!
Himiko: where
Himiko: when
Himiko: why
Izuku gave it some thought before responding.
Izuku: Dagobah Municipal Beach Park, 11:00 AM sounds good?
Himiko: ooooo sounds good
Himiko: should i bring a bikini ;)
Izuku allowed the mental image of Himiko in a bikini toy with his emotions for a bit before shaking his head, clearing his mind of any impurities. Did he want to go in the water? Dagobah beach had become a tourist attraction again, so there were food stalls and stands near the beach again. Perhaps they could do that?
Izuku: It's up to you if we go into the water or not, I'll pack for both.
Himiko: ill take that as a yes thennn
The image returned in full force, causing Izuku to put his phone away and glare at nothing in particular.
.:.
Sunday came, and with it came good weather perfect for a beach excursion.
Izuku stood on the beach front, nervously watching his phone. 10:38. There would still be some time before Himiko showed up, but that didn't lessen Izuku's nerves a bit. He was dressed in a dark green hoodie, white t-shirt, and light green board shorts, ready to both play in the water or walk along the new boardwalk.
"Izukuuu~~"
Out of nowhere, a person glomped him from behind. He gave a startled screech, which only served to amuse the person even more, before realizing the identity of the person hugging him.
"Himiko! You scared me," Izuku muttered, face rapidly heating up at the twin soft sensations on his back.
"Sorree," the girl sang, squeezing him even tighter. "And here I thought you forgot about lil' old me."
"Wha—what?" Izuku blanched, face still red. "I could never forget about you."
"Hmph." With that noise, she let him go, spinning him around so he was facing her. "You know what a girl likes to hear."
He wanted to respond but his comeback immediately died in his throat. She was wearing it—a bikini. And it looked better on her than even in his wildest imaginations. The black material clung to her curves, accentuating her fairly large bust and shapely bottom. And—her legs!—her creamy thighs glistened in the morning sun, giving off an ethereal shine—
Okay, Izuku. Get it together, he admonished himself. Himiko must've noticed his silence and staring because she giggled and did a twirl, spinning on one foot before coming down.
"Like what you see?" she smiled, showing off her pearly whites.
Izuku didn't respond, only turning his head to the side and staring pointedly at anything not Himiko.
"I'll take that blush as a yes~"
The day passed like that: Himiko flirting with him just to rile him up and get reactions. It was hell for Izuku, but it was also a sort of twisted heaven for him—like, maybe it was enjoyable, getting teased so relentlessly? He wondered if he had masochistic tendencies.
Case in point: Himiko and Izuku were lying on the beach, carelessly lapping away at their ice cream cones, when Himiko suddenly yelped. Izuku hurriedly looked over to see what was wrong, only to be shocked to find that a large portion of Himiko's strawberry ice cream had fallen between… her… mounds, yeah. She looked at him, and she got up and all but pushed her breasts in front of him, offering a deceptively innocent, "Get it for me?"
Izuku melted right there and then.
Himiko giggled and stood. "I'll go get some napkins to clean up. Do think of me when I'm gone, please~"
As she walked off, Izuku slowly recovered from his previous mental meltdown. He had to get his mind out of the gutter, but it didn't really help that Himiko seemed to want it to be stuck there. He sat there, finishing his ice cream cone and counting down the minutes until Himiko returned.
The problem was, she wasn't returning.
Five minutes passed, and Izuku counted it as a fluke. Ten minutes passed, and Izuku got worried. He was sure that Himiko could take care of herself, but what if…
He stood up and started searching. The market and stands were full of life, which made searching for her harder, but ultimately he found that she was not there. The beach volleyball courts weren't any better. Just as he was about to panic, he spotted a mess of blonde hair by the public restrooms and rushed there.
He found Himiko surrounded by three guys. She looked perfectly at ease, but the three men didn't seem like they were going to let her leave any time soon. Izuku took a deep breath and hurled himself into the frying pan.
"Himiko, so this is where you were," Izuku said, letting some genuine relief seep into his voice. "Come on, let's go."
The girl turned towards him, surprised, but quickly settled into an easy grin. "Izuku!" She proceeded to glomp him, and Izuku fought back a creeping blush. "See, I told you guys, my boyfriend's here, so leave me alone."
The guys grumbled and stalked off. Himiko's surprisingly cold tone left little room for argument. Thankful that he managed to avoid any further confrontation, Izuku finally allowed the words she said to register in his mind before going full tomato.
"B-B-Boyfriend…?"
"Oh," Himiko said, checking to make sure the guys were out of earshot, "just a lie I told them to get them off my case."
"Ah, I see." Izuku was one part relieved but also one part… disappointed. He crushed the disappointed feeling down relentlessly.
"But," she grinned, "I'd like to be able to call you that soon~"
Izuku's face couldn't get redder, but he recognized, in his heart, that she was just teasing—
"I'm not kidding, by the way," Himiko said, voice suddenly flat and serious. "I'm seriously aiming to be your girlfriend. I know you're not ready for that level of commitment, but I'm willing to wait as long as it takes. Just wanted you to know, that's all."
Izuku opened and closed his mouth, gaping like a fish. He… didn't know what to say. Or how to react, even. Was he supposed to cry? He felt like crying right now, out of sheer joy or fright, he didn't know.
She grabbed and hugged his arm, laughing at his reaction. "Just wanted you to know~" she repeated, smiling up at him.
Their little excursion took on a different meaning after that exchange. Now, Izuku idly wondered if he was on a date, of all things. The thought didn't fill him with as much dread as he'd thought it would. Instead, it made him feel… giddy. Excited, even. He was on a date with a pretty girl—never in his years of life did he think that he'd have a chance to do such a thing.
The rest of the day was spent in the pursuit of pure fun. They entered an on-site beach volleyball tournament, but lost in the finals to a girl in a long, black spiky ponytail and her friend. That being the case, they did better than Izuku expected since he'd never played volleyball in his life before. Himiko actually carried the team, showcasing an incredible display of athleticism, her movements pinpoint precise and not wasting any unneeded energy. She moved across the sand far more deftly than Izuku could.
After the tournament, they decided to actually go in the sea. They played around in the ocean for a bit, body surfing and building honestly crappy sandcastles. When they got out, Himiko shivered, and Izuku, not missing a beat, offered her his hoodie. She accepted with a cute squeal—"Ohmygosh thank youuuu!"—before slipping it on. The hoodie was just too big on her, but that made her all the more adorable in Izuku's eyes.
It was dark when they parted. Izuku offered to walk her home, but she declined, stating that she had somewhere to be after. While her hurried denial was a bit strange, he decided not to press, letting her go after a shy hug.
As he was walking home, his phone buzzed. He opened it to find messages and a picture from Himiko. It was of her warm and bundled up in his hoodie, offering a sly grin to the camera.
Himiko: i love love love it
Himiko: hey izuku
Himiko: can i keep it?
What followed after were a barrage of pouting emoticons. Izuku chuckled softly before responding.
Izuku: Yeah, you can keep it. Consider it a gift.
He almost typed for our first date in there but left it out. It was a bit too bold to just assume that—
Himiko: that was a wonderfullll first date :)
Izuku overheated.
.:.
On Izuku's fifteenth birthday, it finally happened.
He maxed 275 pounds bench press, surpassing the original goal, and finally maxed 400 pounds back squat. It took a few months, but here he was, another milestone crossed. He was ready. Ready to receive All Might's power, to become a bearer of One For All. All the years of bullying, of being trodded on for not having a Quirk, it had all led up to this moment. For once, Izuku believed that it was worth it, having undergone all that bullying, to receive this Quirk.
They were standing where his training started: Dagobah beach. As the sun set and people milled about, a kid's whole world was about to change.
"Uh, kid?" the skeletal form of All Might asked, cutting into his reverie. "Do you still want to do this, or—"
"Yes," Izuku said, resolutely. He was not about to let his dream pass him by like that. "Whatever it takes for me to become your successor, I'll do it."
"Good," All Might said, reaching up to his head. He plucked out a strand of hair.
"Now eat it."
Izuku paused. "U-um, what? I could've sworn that you just told me to—"
"EAT. IT."
"Okay, okay," Izuku backpedaled. "I'll…" He stared at the offending strand of hair. "I'll eat it, yup."
He took it in his hand. The hair was stiff. He wondered if there was a better way to do it. All Might, noticing his trepidation, said, "You have to ingest some of my DNA for the transfer to work. I also have to will it to transfer to you, if that makes sense."
"Alright," Izuku grunted. He held it up to his mouth. "Well, here goes nothing."
He swallowed the hair in one gulp, not even bothering to chew or taste the hair. He felt it travel down into his stomach, where it thrummed with power. Unable to hold back his excitement, Izuku willed it to digest faster. Or at least tried.
"Let it digest," All Might instructed. "Then, my power shall become yours! It should take roughly a day to—"
"I feel it."
"… as I was saying, it should take—"
Izuku cocked his arm back, green tendrils of electricity warping around his arm, and unleashed a punch at the air. The punch created wide shockwaves from the displaced air, tearing up the beachfront, umbrellas flying everywhere. The sheer force of the blow caused Izuku to slide backwards, stumbling a bit. It hurt, a lot, but his arm appeared to be fine.
All Might's jaw dropped. He looked at Izuku, blinking twice before saying, "Can you do it again?"
Izuku cocked back his left arm this time, willing One For All into his left limb. Green electricity coiled around his arm again, and with a shout of "SMAAASH!" let it fly forth. The result was the same as the first time: wide shockwaves, sand flying everywhere. A few beach goers noticed the manic duo and quickly evacuated the area.
"Again!"
He punched the air again, generating another massive shockwave. This time, all people in the area promptly left, citing a crazed duo for wreaking havoc on the beach.
"AGAIN!"
Izuku punched one more time and was about to follow up with a combo when he noticed a slight pain in his right arm. He looked down and was greeted with a purple appendage hanging loosely at his side. All Might, wondering why he wasn't punching more, followed his gaze and set his sight on the slightly bloody arm.
A beat passed.
A searing pain began to spread throughout his right side, knocking him down to a knee, barely able to retain consciousness. All Might, spitting blood, quickly cradled him in his arms and took him to a truck with American decals on it, promptly driving him not to a hospital but to U.A.
When they arrived on campus, All Might haphazardly left his truck on the side of the road and carried Izuku to Recovery Girl's office. They got a lot of strange looks on their way up, but All Might paid them no attention, hurrying to see that his protege was taken care of.
"Ah, Toshinori, to what do I owe the pleasure of—" Recovery Girl looked at the boy in All Might's arms. "—fOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHAT HAPPENED?"
"I'll explain later," All Might dismissed. "Can you just make sure—"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Recovery Girl huffed, "can you just place him 'ere."
All Might gingerly laid Izuku down on a raised bedrest. The boy looked shaken, but he didn't seem to be in any pain. He was breathing in deep, controlled breaths. Recovery Girl kissed the wounded appendage, saying, "It should be better soon. Meanwhile," she glared at All Might, "you and I are going to have a nice little chat. Excuse us, boy."
Izuku watched as Recovery Girl all but dragged All Might to an adjacent room. Then came the worrisome sounds of muffled shouting—Recovery Girl was probably scolding All Might—then silence. A few minutes later, All Might shuffled into the room, followed by a displeased-looking Recovery Girl.
Recovery Girl walked to Izuku and gingerly touched his broken arm. With a tsk sound, she said, "Young man, you're going to have to let the medicine work. Nothing will heal if you freeze your body with your Quirk like that."
Izuku stared at her, wide-eyed. "B-But, my Quirk is One For A—"
"Your other Quirk, stupid."
A silence passed over the room. Izuku and All Might stared at Recovery Girl, both equally slack-jawed.
"Am I the only one seeing this? Kid, you have your body frozen. From the moment you stepped into this room, your situation has neither deteriorated nor improved. You're stuck in limbo, so to speak." Looking at both of their nonexistent reactions, Recovery Girl smacked her face.
"Look," she said, "Relax. Allow the medicine to take effect. It will be painful, yes, but it's the only road to recovery."
Izuku took her words to heart. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his wound up muscles. Immediately, the pain-free state he was in vanished and was replaced by an agonizing state of existence. He cried out in pain, causing All Might to jump and leap to his side.
"He's fine, Toshinori," Recovery Girl said, watching the events unfold. "His body probably went into protection mode with the injury. Look, now that his Quirk's effects are gone, the arm can finally start healing."
She watched the two as she pondered over her own findings. The boy didn't seem like he believed he had a Quirk separate from Toshinori's. That was confusing in and of itself, unless…
"Toshinori, I'm going to have to ask you to step out for a moment. I want to run a few tests."
All Might seemed hesitant, but he ultimately relented, leaving the room. Seeing him leave, Recovery Girl got to work.
.:.
Recovery Girl had All Might sit down in her office.
"To start," she said bluntly, "Izuku has a Quirk separate from yours."
All Might responded indignantly, "But he's always said he was Quirkless!" And Izuku didn't seem like the type to lie to him or hide things from him.
"I'll get to that eventually," Recovery Girl sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "but first, let's address his Quirk. It appears to be some sort of invulnerability. The scope of it is unknown, but it appears to fail after three usages of One For All. He can control it, too."
Before All Might could but in, Recovery Girl continued, "I tested this with a needle. First I told him to resist it with everything he's got, and I tried sticking it in after. It was like poking a rock. But after I told him to fully relax and poked him, the needle went in.
"My guess is this is what's happened: Izuku, while unleashing One For All, has this Quirk running damage control on his body. In other words, he's essentially locking his muscles in their 100% state while activating One For All, but this Quirk can only take so much strain before it fails. In this case, the third punch went overboard, and he got hurt when his Quirk failed to protect him."
All Might nodded dumbly at the info dump. Seeing his dumbfounded look, Recovery Girl sighed again. "If he's going to want to use One For All, he's gotta learn how to take it in smaller doses. Maybe have him start off with 5% of it or something. That, coupled with his own Quirk for mitigating the damage done to his own body, should allow him to use it consistently and for longer periods of time."
"Alright," All Might relented, "I'll take your advice. So tell me, then, why this boy thought he was Quirkless."
"Well, to be fair it's not the easiest Quirk to detect," Recovery Girl admitted. "But that's not it. I had an x-ray done on his feet. Toshinori, the boy only had two joints on his pinky toes. You know as well as I do what that means."
The man started to pale. "N-No, it must be a fluke or something—"
"No," she said firmly. "A fluke doesn't just happen like that, not when there are billions of samples to collect data from all pointing to the fact that it's scientifically impossible for someone with only two joints to have a Quirk. Toshinori, face the truth."
Recovery Girl stared at him in the eye. Hard.
"Izuku Midoriya was given a Quirk."
Silence.
"I-It can't be…" All Might said, shrinking into his seat. "There must be something else. I refuse to believe—"
"Seven years ago, you fought and defeated him and were gravely injured."
"N-No—"
"At the same time, another operation was taking place. A raid on one of his hideouts. There, they found the corpses of seventeen children, but they also found three alive. Unspeakable experiments had occurred. Most of the children's corpses were mutilated, as if their body couldn't handle the stress of whatever they were given. One of the children found alive later died from her injuries. The two surviving children were returned to their families."
All Might was speechless. Recovery Girl continued, "Toshinori, I think you found one of the two survivors."
The sounds of a ticking clock filled the silence.
All Might slumped further into his seat. "How can I… face him, after all of this? I failed him, I failed his—"
"You did not fail him," Recovery Girl cut in sharply. "If anything, you taking All For One down saved him from whatever heinous experiments that they had in store for him. Now, this doesn't change anything. Both of their minds were wiped regarding the incident. You just have to watch out for any other Quirk-like abilities popping up and guiding him when the time comes."
"… yes. I'll do just that."
"Now, what will you say to the boy?" she asked.
"Nothing," All Might said. "I'll instruct him on his new Quirk and keep an eye out for any other potential Quirks, but I won't say anything about All For One—not yet, at least. His memory was probably wiped for a good reason."
"That seems good for now." She looked at Toshinori's crumpled state. "Toshinori, cheer up. This doesn't do anything about the fact that he wants to become a hero."
All Might stared back at her before letting loose a small smile. "You're right. As long as he aims to become a hero, I will guide him down that path, whatever it takes."
Recovery Girl chuckled. "That's the Toshinori I know."
.:.
Izuku's training with One For All began in earnest after that.
He learned how to control it so a fraction of its full power affected him. Instead of going 100%, he learned how to control it at 10% first. To his surprise, he found that he could maintain it consistently in that form all throughout his body.
As for his other Quirk… that had been more difficult. With no real idea on how it worked and how he could improve it individually, he stagnated in that area. He offered stabbing himself with sharp objects to build endurance, but All Might quickly vetoed that idea, stating that it could get too dangerous fast.
Instead, he focused on improving it in tandem with One For All. Each time he booted up One For All, he focused on continuously flexing the body part that was undergoing training. It seemed that flexing his muscle triggered the "frozen" state, where it was impervious to damage. Using this method, he was able to fire off 50% smashes without any negative side effects. He didn't push to see what his limit was though, fearing another hospital visit.
However, that meant his endurance had to go up. Being in a constant state of flexion was tiring after all. With his weight lifting program came a cardio program. First, swim 2000 meters, then bike for thirty minutes, and finally run 3 miles around the track before lifting. It was like he was training for the Iron Man. Curiously enough, he was allowed to maintain 10% of One For All when exercising—once again, probably for endurance's sake.
At the dojo, he kept himself "Quirkless" because he wanted to focus more on technique, not even using his own Quirk. All Might agreed with this decision, stating that a tool without a sharp edge is blunt and useless. Izuku couldn't exactly tell where All Might was going with that, but he understood the underlying message clear enough.
During the weekdays at school, Izuku spent it mostly bored out of his mind. Homework was done during the school's self-study classes when everyone else was goofing off. He was mostly friendless, but he didn't particularly mind. Kacchan had been placed in a different class than Izuku, so he didn't have to worry about the conflicting signals the other teen seemed to give off.
Kacchan used to be Izuku's worst nightmare. But sometime ago, when he was eight or nine, all taunts and jeers from his former friend just… stopped. All Izuku got were uneasy stares and the occasional sorrowful look. And as they went to highschool, they just naturally drifted apart. Now, their relationship existed in limbo.
Every other Sunday or so, he met up with Himiko to let off some steam from his jam-packed week. Each time, Izuku struggled to internally define what they were doing. Was it a friendly hang out? Was it a… was it a date? With the things they did, he couldn't really tell. Sometimes it would be entering a local beach volleyball tournament. Other times, it would be a candle lit dinner at some high-end restaurant. It was getting all jumbled up.
His feelings for her… were beyond just general friendship, but he was too scared to take the next step and actually admit it. It was cowardly, sure, but this was the first time he's felt like this with someone else and he didn't want to mess it up. Himiko didn't seem to be in any rush, either. He could tell that she knew, just in the general way that she behaved and from her mannerisms, that he felt something for her, but she was waiting for him to breach the subject. For that he was infinitely grateful.
A year passed by this way, and before he knew it, he was sixteen.
.:.
It was a Friday afternoon when, in a twist of events, Himiko texted him first.
Himiko: hey
Himiko: would u mind coming to the beach?
Himiko: i wanna talk
Izuku didn't waste a second. Yelling a hurried goodbye to his mom and texting her back in affirmation, he hightailed it to Dagobah beach. Whenever Himiko brought up "the beach" it was always this one, so Izuku was sure that it was the correct destination.
He spotted her in his old green hoodie, leaning against a lamp post. He was about to greet her when she staggered towards him, falling ungracefully into his arms. Himiko pressed her face into his chest and inhaled deeply, and Izuku would have blushed had it not been for Himiko's state: face deathly pale and legs trembling, it was obvious that something was wrong.
So he decided to ask. "Himiko, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
She said something, but it was muffled by Izuku's shirt.
"… Himiko?"
She kept on speaking, so Izuku released his grip on her and bent down till his ear was at her mouth level. And he heard—
"—beenagoodgirlsopleaserewardme. I'vebeenagoodgirlsopleaserewardme. I'vebeenagoodgirlsopleaserewardme. I'vebeenagoodgirlsopleaserewardme. I'vebeenagoodgirlsopleaserewardme. I'vebeenagoodgirlsopleasere—"
"Himiko, snap out of it!" Izuku said sharply, grabbing the girl's shoulders and shaking them. Her unfocused eyes gained clarity again, zeroing in on Izuku's face… no, it wasn't his face, it was his neck.
"You can talk to me," he gently said, "I promise that I'll listen to whatever you have to say. So just—"
"I want to drink your blood."
A beat passed.
"Um, did I hear that correctly?"
Himiko looked at him, an almost manic disposition crossing over her face. "I want to—no, need to, drink your blood. It's all… it's all I can think about. It's driving me crazy. I've tried so many alternatives, but I know it'll just pale in comparison…"
Izuku was slightly panicking. "Uh, uhm… is there no other—"
"Izuku." Himiko stared at him with a dead serious gaze. "If I can't taste your blood soon, I'll attack the people around us. Please, I don't want that to happen."
He paled at the gravity of her words. Taking a few glances around him at the crowded beachwalk, he came to a decision extremely quickly. "Alright. Just… stay calm and follow me."
Himiko rubbed her legs together as she followed Izuku, anticipation building with each step. She was finally going to taste him!Taste Izuku, her dear, sweet Izuku… it took every fiber of her being to stop herself from pouncing on him and taking what was rightfully hers. She shook her head to prevent herself from getting caught up in dangerous thoughts.
As they found a secluded spot amongst an outcropping of rocks, Izuku found himself at a loss at how to proceed. Should he find something to stab himself with? Himiko decided for him by all but jumping on top of him, sending them both tumbling into the sand. Without waiting for a go-ahead signal, she sunk her canines into the base of Izuku's neck.
Or at least, she tried to. When her teeth felt like it bit into a rock, she let out a desperate whine. Izuku, realizing that he'd subconsciously activated his other Quirk, apologized, further stretching his neck and looking away in embarrassment.
He felt slight pangs of pain when she successfully found purchase and broke skin. Her slick tongue darted back and forth, not letting a single drop of blood go to waste. Pain aside, it felt… oddly intimate, with Himiko straddling him and her digging so ravenously into his neck. From another person's perspective, it could look like the two were in a heated makeout session.
On the other hand, Himiko felt euphoric. It wasn't that his blood was juicier than others, no, nothing as macabre as that, it's just that… the fact that it was Izuku, Izuku, her beloved Izuku; his sweet blood, something she'd looked forward to from all those years ago… she had a taste, a year or two ago, and that was enough to tide her over, but now she had… she had all and more than she could ever ask for—he was hers, hers, hers, HERS—
Himiko let out a moan, and Izuku blushed darkly. She… seemed to be enjoying it—really enjoying it. Or at least that's what it seemed to him. The stinging sensation of pain was all but gone now, replaced by the wet feeling of her tongue. That being the only real sensation that he felt now, he could relax his wound up muscles and focus on not getting a particular reaction from his nether regions due to the position they were in.
She stopped after a minute or two, peeling back and admiring her handiwork on his skin. Although the wound strangely seemed to be already closing up, it left a visible imprint and she liked it. Licking her lips, she took the opportunity to embrace Izuku, burying her head into the crook of his neck and giggling happily.
"Ah—um, Himiko…" Izuku trailed off.
"Hmmm~" she hummed, lifting up her head and upper body so she could look at Izuku. Her bottom half stayed firmly straddling him. "What is it?"
"If you w-wouldn't mind, ah," Izuku stammered, "couldyougetoffofmeprettyplease?"
Himiko laughed and got off, but not before giving her hips a rough roll, pressing into his lap. Izuku let out a meep noise, which only served to amuse Himiko even further. Face red, Izuku accepted her hand in getting up onto his feet.
"S-so, what do you wanna do now?" Izuku asked, hiding his flushed face behind a hand.
Himiko pressed a finger to her cheek, thinking for a bit, before saying, "I wanna eat, but I dunno where. Surprise me?"
He smiled. "I've got just the place."
Twenty minutes later they were sitting at a booth in one of Izuku's favorite ramen shops. Izuku prattled on and on about how good their garlic and pork stir-fried ramen was while Himiko listened to him rave in amusement. For something lighter, he recommended the yakisoba, which Himiko decided to get. With their orders placed, now all they could do was sit and wait, the elephant in the room squashing any of Izuku's attempts at conversation.
Himiko was the one to breach the topic. With an uncharacteristic shyness, she said, "Uhm… thanks, by the way, for… you know."
"Yeah, no problem," Izuku said, scratching the mark that Himiko left. "If you don't mind me asking…" He trailed off.
Himiko stared at him thoughtfully before finally saying, "No, go ahead."
"The urge to, uh, drink blood," Izuku began, "do you normally have it contained or…"
"Typically, I have it under control. But on some days, it just…" Himiko let Izuku's imagination fill in the gaps.
"Is it triggered by something?"
"Yeah," Himiko said simply, "you."
"O-Oh."
"I've been able to keep it under control, but recently… I couldn't. I was about to go insane. Even when I drank other people's blood, yours would be the one I was imagining," Himiko sighed.
Izuku nodded, but something she said caught his attention. "Wait, others?"
For a moment, Himiko looked panicked, but that look evaporated, leaving Izuku to wonder whether or not he imagined it. "Y-Yeah, people donate to my family for my condition."
"Oh, that's nice of them," Izuku said, missing the way her hands clenched and unclenched the tablecloth.
Himiko laughed sheepishly. Their conversation was temporarily broken when their food arrived, Izuku taking his ramen and laying down Himiko's yakisoba in front of her. He waited for her to start eating before all but wolfing down his ramen, basking in the supremely good taste. She laughed at his state, taking small bites of her meal.
"You know," Izuku said suddenly, scratching the back of his neck. He had to summon the courage to say his next few words. "If it ever gets that bad again—no, if you ever want to just… drink blood, you can just call me. I'd be happy to offer."
Izuku glanced up from his meal to find Himiko gaping at him. "You're… you're not disgusted? Afraid of me? I enjoy drinking blood you know."
"Yeah, I know," he said, "but be scared or disgusted by you?"
He looked her in the eye.
"Never."
Izuku returned to his meal, missing the way Himiko's face flushed heavily, turning a much darker shade of red than even Izuku's blushes. Twiddling her fingers, she asked in a small voice, "R-Really?"
"Yep," Izuku said easily, not even looking up from his meal.
The conversation lulled into a comfortable silence after that. As Izuku ordered for seconds, Himiko chuckling at his embarrassment, she finished up her meal, but with the speed at which Izuku scarfed down his meals, they were done in no time.
As they walked outside, Himiko nonchalantly said, "You know, this has been the best birthday ever for me."
Izuku froze. "B-Birthday?"
"Yeah." she blinked. "August seventh. When's yours?"
"July fifteenth," he answered before sputtering to a stop. "W-Wait, that's not important! It's your birthday! Why are you spending it with me and not your—"
He paused suddenly, remembering that she lived alone and that family was probably not a good topic for her. She smiled graciously, not even noticing his almost slip, and sighed, saying, "Is it that odd spending your birthday with the guy you love?"
Izuku glanced around him, looking for the guy that she loved, before realizing almost painfully that it was him. Blushing, he mumbled, "L-Love?"
"Yep. I love you, Izuku," she said sweetly.
Izuku's world came crashing down upon him as he tried to process the words that Himiko just said. A raging blush found its home on his cheeks, causing Himiko to giggle at his reaction softly.
"You know, Himiko," Izuku said, with a rare dash of courage, "I li—"
"Ah ah ahh~" Himiko tutted, shushing him with a cold hand clapped over his mouth. "Not until you're ready."
Izuku nodded dumbly, any courage he had completely sapped. When she released her hand, he offered, "At least let me buy you something. I don't have a gift prepared."
She touched his neck where her mark still stood. "You already gave me a gift."
"An a-actual one!" Izuku stuttered, recoiling in embarrassment.
"Fine~"
They settled on a pair of black and green matching bracelets.
.:.
He was sparring with All Might when a black tendril of energy shot out of his arm, coiling around All Might's leg and, in his surprised state, tripping him.
The two stared at the offending… appendage? Extension of himself? Before it disappeared within him.
A beat passed.
"Uhm, what was that?" Izuku asked, dumbfounded.
All Might, in a similar state of disbelief, said, "That's… Blackwhip."
Izuku stared at him in a wordless gesture for further elaboration.
"A previous holder of One For All's Quirk," All Might said, as if that would explain everything. When Izuku still stared at him, he deflated and scratched his head. "But I've never seen it pop up before, at least not with me…"
Izuku stared at his arm, and remembering the surging sensation in his arm when the Quirk activated, he tried using it again. As a result of his efforts, ten coils of dense energy thrashed around him, carving deep gouges into the practice arena's sandy floor. He rapidly lost control and the tendrils extended, destroying everything in its path. He dimly heard All Might yelling at him over the sound of blood rushing to his skull, and he tried, he tried to contain Blackwhip. But with no real method of control, he was stuck. He tried to relax his arm to no avail.
Now in a panic, Izuku tried to activate his own Quirk. That only served to make the tendrils of energy nigh unbreakable, so he quickly deactivated his Quirk. His vision was starting to blur, the activation of Blackwhip taking its toll on Izuku's body. He staggered back and forth, feeling the energy drain from his body with each thrash of Blackwhip.
He didn't know how or when it happened, but the next thing he knew he woke up and was back in Recovery Girl's office. She seemed to be admonishing a panicking All Might, but when she noticed him stir, she rushed to his side, asking him a storm of medical questions that he struggled to answer. When she finished furiously scribbling down answers onto a clipboard, she said a quick "I'll be back" and took All Might into her office.
He waited patiently, having nothing to do but—
Izuku blinked.
He was in a space devoid of light. The darkness was spread all around him except for a… figure. It motioned for him to approach, and Izuku, not seeing any other option, approached slowly. The… man, Izuku now saw, was bald and ripped, with a square jaw and goggles pushed back into his forehead. He wore a black jacket with the middle open, exposing his chest.
He held up his hand and tendrils of Blackwhip formed, coiling around their master's hand.
"My Blackwhip's a top tier Quirk, you hear?" the man said proudly, jutting out his chest.
Izuku could only nod dumbly in response.
The man seemed to ruminate over something before saying, "It seems my time here is limited, so I'll cut this quick. The previous Quirks of the people who inherited One For All all lie in here, dormant."
"I'm guessing that I can activate them?" Izuku asked. "And you're a previous user of One For All?"
"Just mine, for now at least," the man nodded. "Glad to see you're fast on the uptake. I was worried I'd have to spend my time explaining the basics. Listen. Blackwhip's power has been magnified by One For All—all of our Quirks were, in fact. I was only able to use five tendrils in my prime. It'll rampage if you use it at full strength, but you can decrease the power output like you do with One For All to make it easier to bear. Controlling it will—"
Izuku blinked.
He was back in Recovery Girl's office, only this time All Might and Recovery Girl were in there with him. He recoiled a bit from the sharp jump, prompting All Might to ask, "Young man, what's wrong?"
Taking a deep breath, Izuku debated on telling him about his… vision, but he ultimately decided to tell All Might, explaining the encounter as best as he could. All Might nodded in vague understanding while Recovery Girl looked horrified.
"… patient's Quirk causes hallucinations…" she mumbled, jotting it down in a notebook. All Might sweatdropped.
"Uhm," he began, "Izuku's likely telling the truth. I remember having similar visions."
Recovery Girl stared at him before writing, Toshinori also suffers from delusions, as well.
"I do not!" All Might said indignantly, looking over her shoulder at what she was writing.
"Well whatever this is, it's up to you two to figure it out," Recovery Girl huffed, walking away. Izuku watched her leave the room before turning to All Might, a face-splitting smile worming its way onto his face.
"Practice time?"
All Might grinned.
"Practice time."
.:.
Izuku sat in his desk during study hall, gently tapping his fingers in a nameless tune, when someone busted through the door.
"DEKU!"
Izuku languidly looked up at the source of commotion. Bakugo stood at the doorway, breathing heavily with his hands on his knees. Pushing himself up, he said breathlessly, "Are… are you applying to U.A.?"
The questioned boy wondered how Bakugo got access to that information. Sighing, Izuku said, "Yeah, I am. Are you, Ka—Bakugo?"
The slip up went unnoticed by the other teen. "Yes, but that's not important," Bakugo dismissed. The two now had the whole class' attention. "What's important is that you understand what you're getting yourself into."
Izuku grit his teeth. "Yes, I do. You're making too big a deal out of this."
"It is a big—ugh, do you even…" Bakugo swallowed heavily, walking up to Izuku and whispering heatedly, "Do you even remember what happened to you?"
He blinked. "Is… there something I'm supposed to remember?"
Bakugo peered wide-eyed at Izuku, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The little… Bakugo was asking out of the kindness of his heart, and Izuku was playing pretend? He clarified, "The summer when we were eight? Do you remember?"
"Not a single thing," Izuku said. "But I don't have many memories of before I was ten. Why, did something happen?"
Bakugo was still staring. He muttered something to himself. "… they took his memory?"
"What was that?"
"Nothing," Bakugo huffed, stepping away. As a parting shot, he added, "U.A. doesn't take Quirkless people, so I suggest not getting your hopes up." With that, he stormed out of the room.
Izuku watched him leave as his classmates began to whisper about the encounter that just occurred.
Just you wait, Kacchan, Izuku thought.
Just you wait.
.:.
The day was finally here.
The day where he would prove everyone wrong. The day that he would prove to the world that he wasn't Quirkless. The day he'd been training for day after day for the past four, five years was finally upon him.
He'd been strengthening his Quirks. Now he could use One For All at 30% throughout his body normally, 50% if paired with his other Quirk. Blackwhip was up to five strong tendrils of black energy, and he could use 100% of One For All in short bursts up to four times without putting too much strain on his body. He was ready.
All Might had suggested that he could get him in through recommendations, but Izuku quickly turned that offer down. He wanted to get in the legitimate way, and if he failed, well then… maybe he was unworthy of being One For All's successor. All Might quickly chastised him when he expressed that sentiment.
"With your current state, it's not a matter of whether or not you get in," All Might had said, "it becomes a matter of how you get in. You just may get the highest score in U.A.'s history."
That lit a fire in Izuku. He now had a secondary goal attached to his main goal of getting into U.A.: get the highest score on the entrance exams.
With a wave goodbye at his mom, Izuku Midoriya started a new chapter in his life.