Chapter Text
An 18-year-old boy, who—in all honesty—is far too tired looking for his age, sat in a chair fiddling nervously with his hands while dressed in dark grey sweatpants and a two-tone grey and blue sweatshirt. He has a red shirt peaking out from underneath the sweatshirt and keeps glancing at the not-so-fancy leather watch on his wrist. His hair is a mess of dark green curls that look entirely untamed but somehow manage to be ultimately knot free. He avoids eye contact with the taxi driver, trying to ignore the weird stare he's being given as best as he can. His emerald green eyes sparkle in an innocent manner yet also seem to hold the weight of the world, instantly disproving the original thought. They have odd and unusual white pupils in the center, making them look almost haunted. If it weren't for the fact that—besides about 0.05% of the quirkless population, which is a measly 865,349 people compared to the 8.65 billion person population of earth—had some sort of mutation, he would've been thought to have a quirk.
Unfortunately for this boy, whose red shoes bounce on the floor in a nervous pattern, grew up quirkless. His name is Midoriya Izuku, and while he was once quirkless, that all changed as of late.
When he was four years old and told by everyone—well, everyone but thankfully his mother—that he couldn't be a hero, he was sad but didn't let it get to him. His mother was very specific when she told him, "Izuku, I-I'm going to stand by you. I won't lie and say no, but I won't say yes. You'll have to try harder than everyone around you and never give up. I-I don't want you to get hurt, but if you must go down this path, then I will be there for you at every moment." Suffice it to say; they flooded the apparent complex with tears that night.
Izuku has always been fascinated by the nature of quirks. Whether it was due to the fact he never had one himself or just the utter complexity of them, he was completely engrossed. He wrote notes on them since he was 4, although they didn't become all that great until he turned 10. He has ideas and nuances regarding quirks, and he wanted to let others know them in hopes someone with an advantage could potentially prove them. He wanted his own theories on quirks to be considered, and if anyone found out that a quirkless kid was posting information on anything—let alone quirks—then they wouldn't be even the slightest bit considered. So came the birth of Akatani Mikumo, his father's supposed family name and the given name his mom initially thought of.
Akatani Mikumo is—for lack of a better term—a quirk nerd who, while not officially licensed to be considered a specialist, is seen as reasonably knowledgeable in the aspects of quirks. Dr. Ujiko Daruma once reached out to him after publishing his opinion on how the Quirk Singularity Doomsday Theory is relatively sound but, as seen through some time, would never be entirely possible thanks to the illegalization of quirk marriages under The International Quirk Restriction and Management act made in 2184, roughly 42 years before his own posting date. He didn't share anything except his sources and reasoning, mainly since his instincts told him not to trust the man. Izuku trusts his instincts when it comes to people above all else. All of it was sent with what 16-year-old Izuku could've considered a secure platform, which was basically operating out of a library that was one hour's walking distance from his house.
Nowadays, if Izuku ever needs to crack out good old Mikumo, he only has to spend 10 minutes setting up an anti-tracking and a personal VPN program on his laptop to make it virtually impossible to track him, all while going to a cat cafe that's 6 minutes from his home just to make sure. He would always erase as much of his appearance online to make Mikumo even more of a mystery figure and keep people as far from the truth as possible.
That's mainly because he has trust issues.
Sue him! He trusts virtually no one except his Mom and All Might, so he doesn't let anyone except them know any of this because—Why would a sh*tty Deku like you do any good in this world!?!
Okay, that's just one of his problems, but it's not like he lets himself fall for it—mostly. You see, in another timeline, Bakugou Katsuki and Izuku might've been best friends. Nowadays, though, that thought makes him sick to his very core. He knows what Katsuki is, an abuser, a suicide baiter, or—if Izuku is going to be entirely honest with himself—his tormentor. He hasn't seen Bakugou as a friend in years and never calls him Kacchan in his head or when completely alone.
He wants to say that he isn't damaged by any bullying, but that would be a lie. Bakugou's explosion quirk has a bizarre, unnatural pitch and frequency when used, causing Izuku to tense and flinch whenever the familiar sound of sparking occurs. He couldn't even escape him after middle school since Bakugou wanted to "help" his parents—who Izuku loves like family—to save money for UA's tuition.
His ego is basically non-existent, thanks to Bakugou's torment over the years, and over the past ten months, he seems only to have gotten worse. While everyone but the school janitor—who is also quirkless—looks the other way, he hopes that it won't be so bad when attending UA, Japan's—and Asia's—number one hero university. There are only two schools that are better, and even then, the difference is almost negligible. The number two hero university in the world is Friedrich Hero Conservatory, located in the Northern parts of Berlin, Germany; the number one hero university in the world currently is the East Horizon Academy for Hero Hopefuls, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Now, as the Ninth wielder ofOne For All—a Legacy quirk that's existed for around 100 or so years and was previously held byAll Mightof all people—is on his way to hopefully use his quirk withoutbreaking his bones. He, luckily, didn't have to explain to his mother about it since All Might thought it wise to advise her of her son getting a quirk that also was attached to a god-strengthed psychopath that could take and give quirks at his own will.
It didn't go great, but after he reassured her by explaining—in great detail—thatheis no longer an issue, she was fine. However, All Might will not be fine when they see each other again, mainly because, "What do you mean that was the advice he gave you?! You're smarter than to listen tothat, Izuku! "Clench your ass and smash!" is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, and I'm a lawyer!"
He worries for his mentor and predecessor—bless his kind soul (even though he's an atheistic, bisexual disaster of a human being).
He just has to hope this man, who was heavily suggested to him by a dead person, will have some patience with him showing up unannounced. In the early morning hours on a weekend. While also asking him for help to not continue breaking his bones.
Easy peasy!
He would ask All Might, or as he's been told to call him when he's in his skinny form, Toshinori-san, but he can't teach for his life, let alone get a hold of the man. Actually, part of him worries about him being a teacher—in what's most likely their heroics class—and how wrong it could go in less than a second. But that's for future Izuku to worry about.
The cab pulls up in front of an old-looking building, and the cab driver calls out to him. He nervously fumbles for a second but eventually hands him the fare price.
As he steps out of the taxi—heavily packed yellow backpack in tow—he walked forward toward the front door, ready to meet the man that Shimura Nana told him to visit.
Last Night
Izuku woke up in a strange place. Which, while obviously abnormal, didn't seem to scare him at all. The sky was a dark, seemingly endless void. There are whisps of color and—from what Izuku can tell—pure power flowing around in slow yet subtle waves and motions. He tried to feel outward, but it felt like he was constantly slipping in and out of this mysterious place. Like he belonged but at the same time didn't.
He looked down, noticing himself covered in a veil of shadows, and while his first instinct was to panic, it gave off a comforting feel. Almost like he was being hugged by a group of people.
When he calmed down, he looked up towards the sky (?) of the void and noticed the colors began to twist and move faster, as if he was moving through the seemingly endless space. He realized that the wind—which seems to be constant and always at the same speed—has now been pushing at him from the front instead of all directions like previously. He looked in the direction of the wind and saw the white energy and power flush through the sky, going faster and faster, constantly accelerating, and eventually, he saw it. A collection of stars, 8 to be precise, revolving around one giant massive multicolored ball of pure power.
The stars were all different colors, but the biggest one was yellow, while the smallest was white. Izuku saw the air around him become charged with its own power, slowly turning into a teal shade of green, becoming brighter and brighter until, eventually, the light became too much to keep his eyes open.
"Ninth."
It was softly spoken, like the serene crashing of waves at Tokaba Municipal Beach Park after a long day of training. It was distinctly feminine, and it made Izuku's eyes snap open faster than a gunshot.
Standing beside him was a tall, beautiful woman with black hair and grey eyes. An aura of pink light seemed to very faintly surround her as she stared at him with kind eyes and a wide smile. She was wearing a cape, and the wind that was ever present caused said cape to flow behind her, moving gallantly in smooth motions. She had big yellow gloves and white boots with a smaller red cape around her waist.
'Shimura Nana.' He thought absent-mindedly, instantly recognizing her from a lone photo that All Might showed him.
Her smile widened, and she spoke once again, "I am the seventh user, or as you accurately assumed, Shimura Nana. Call me Nana, by the way. Find Torino Sorahiko, and he'll help you get at least a basic amount of control over the quirk. Tell him you're the Ninth wielder, and if he doesn't believe you ask him about the Dolphin Island incident."
She smirked deviously at the mention of the last thing, but before Izuku could even attempt to question her, she spoke again. "We can't talk with you too long as of yet, maybe one day we will, but we need to part for now. Tell Sorahiko and Toshi that I say hi, and give that big oaf a hug for me while you're at it!"
She, as well as the rest of the void world, vanished entirely after shouting out the last part. Izuku's body snapped to attention as his alarm went off, seemingly having an address in his mind of where to find one Torino Sorahiko, aka Gran Torino.
Now
Izuku knocked on the door and took a deep breath, foot rapidly tapping as he waited.
Less than a second later, he heard a bunch of grumbling and swear words from an old and tired-sounding voice. The clack of a cane could be heard, and the door flung open so quickly that Izuku stilled in less than a second. When he saw no one in front of him, he slowly looked down and saw an older man with grey hair, wearing a light blue button-up with dark blue jeans. He had a pair of western-style leather shoes nearby but was wearing slippers and had a large wooden cane that looked carved from a tree.
"What do you want?!" the old man barked, leveling a slight glare with the boy.
Izuku gulped and did a small bow that wasn't too over the top but also made it as respectful as possible. "Umm, I-I presume you're T-Torino Sorahiko, also known as G-Gran Torino. M-my name is Midoriya Izuku, and I'm the ninth wielder," he said, internally annoyed that he stuttered so much. The last part was spoken with a level of certainty that he didn't even think capable of, but he's been working on seeing the quirk as his own since the day he got it. If he doesn't start now, he wouldprobablycall it All Might's quirk till he died.
Torino stared at the boy, squinting his eyes, likely trying to figure out if he could be trusted. "Yeah, that's me, but the ninth wielder of what? Is that some fancy title for some weird video game that exists nowadays? If you're trying to sell me something, I don't want any solicitors!" he said with a fairly good mask in place. Although, Izuku has been through years of torment for acts like that to be easily seen through.
He jumped a bit at the sudden shout, and after composing himself, hecalmlyspoke up, remembering what Nana's ghost(?) told him to say. "Nana told me to ask you about the Dolphin Island incident!"
Okay, he didn't mean to shout it as loud as he did, but it got a few reactions out of the man. The first of which was the surprise growing on the old man's face, likely from Nana's name, and, secondly, an embarrassed flush that appeared on his face. In the next second, he was grabbed and yanked into the building, and the door was shut behind him only seconds before he was slammed against it.
He let out a pathetic, "Eep!" when his back made contact and stared at the man, who was now hovering in his face, menacingly threatening him with a cane. Recovery Girl is still worse if he's being honest.
"You better talk, boy, or I swear on all the kami in this world that you won't leave here alive," he said with a voice of complete calmness. Izuku sputtered for a few seconds, trying and failing to talk due to the fear that the old hero was causing him. Torino eventually scoffed and landed on the ground, raising an eyebrow at him expectantly.
"I-!" Izuku squeaked out before coughing and blushing for embarrassment at his high-pitched voice. He took a deep breath and powered on, "I d-don't really know anything a-about that, or, umm, about you really. I know t-that you trained Toshinori in the past and that you were c-close with Nana, but that's about it. I uh—I had, like, a dream? I think. Last night were I uh, saw, maybe like, all the past wielders and maybe the quirk itself, probably, I-I don't know, it was weird."
He took another deep breath before continuing again. "I'm like Yagi Toshinori when regarding our original quirk status. I-I don't know how to use this quirk, and I've been trying to contact him, but my assumptions that he was going to teach at UA this year are likely true. I wanted to find a way to use the quirk, and she met me in my dreams and kind of told me to come here and say the Dolphin Island thing if you didn't believe me right away." He bowed in a perfect saikeirei bow, completely missing the shocked and slightly heartbroken expression on the man's face. "I apologize if it wasn't something appropriate to bring up, but please, as the onlygoodperson who's been around the quirk for the longest time, please help me use it!"
He stayed bowed for a second, and when he looked up with hope and determination in his eyes, Torino could only do one thing.
He laughed.
He continued laughing, much to Izuku's ever-growing confusion and distress, until eventually, he stopped and wiped a few tears from his eyes. "Oh boy, kid, that is something alright. I believe ya, mainly since One For All is honestly the pinnacle of bullsh*t quirk logic. Both Nana and Toshinori mentioned seeing shadow figures in the past, although Nana's was more of a presence than a visual thing, and Toshinori said he made out seven different shadows. They showed up at times of extreme pressure or extreme importance as some sort of comfort and recognition mechanism," he paused, shrugging his shoulders.
He made a follow me gesture to the table nearby, promptly followed by an awkward-looking Izuku after he took off his shoes. "Nana didn't really experience it much, but Toshinori seemed to have them more frequently. They called them the vestiges." Izuku watched the elderly hero with a look of awe and excitement. "We secret holders don't know much about them, and Nana didn't know much about the nature of the quirk except what we know, mostly thanks to everyone before her being randomly selected for the most part."
As Izuku typically does, he begins to break into a small mutter fest, "Amazing! So, One For All is not only growing by passing strength, but it's also somehow passing on a copy of the past wielders' souls. Maybe that theory on quirks being linked to someone's soul is much more prominent than we thought. If that's the case, then there's a chance that the quirk isn't just passing down physical strength alone; maybe a form or copy of the past wielders' individual quirk factors were sent with it as well as some form of spiritual energy! OFA also gains more power whenever it's passed if what All Might said is to be believed, then that means that the quirk could, and likely is, evolving every time it's passed to a new wielder! Waitbutifthat'sthecasethen-."
He gets cut off by a cane to the head, causing him to grab his head for dear life. He groans, "W-what was-? I know I can be annoying, but I prefer All Might's head chops over that!" He gives a small glare (shut up, it's a glare, not a pout) to a slightly impressed-looking Torino, who, in turn, provides a small eye roll.
"I'm not the one to go about comforting people, ya zygote! While it's impressive and almost terrifyingly Nedzu-like, leave the complicated quirk-talk to the nerds of the group. In other words, give me the slightly less idiotic All Might version," Torino says with a slight smirk at the end.
Izuku glared a little when he called All Might an idiot but still struggled not to laugh at the old man's words. He puts his hand to his chin for a second while thinking it over. "Well, I guess the best way to put it is that every time the quirk is passed on, it almost skips a few years in development. Basically, it evolves each time, likely taking a small copy of the person's "memories" with it. If that's the case, it would, somewhat unsurprisingly, mean One For All is sentient. It's more than likely considering All Might seeing the vestiges, as you called them, in the past."
Torino put's his hand to the top of his head, seeming to be at a loss for words for a moment. Eventually, he says, "Look, I don't know if she can hear me, but if you can, Nana, it's really good to hear from ya. And kid, if she wants me to help you, I will do whatever I can. Just know one thing, though, it'll be hell from here till you start university."
Izuku smiles brightly and rapidly nods his head determinately. "I'm willing to give it my all. I want to make this power my own, and I'm willing to go plus ultra to get the necessary results! Umm, I understand if it's a bit much to ask, b-but do you think it'd be possible for me to stay here for a few weeks or so? I-I understand you may not have space and all, but-!"
Torino cuts him off with a sigh and a raised hand, "No, no, I get it, kid. Train tickets probably aren't that cheap, I'm assuming?" Izuku rubs the back of his neck while smiling sheepishly. "Y-yeah, it's mostly that. My Okaasan knows about the quirk and honestly was instantly on board with giving t-temporary housing to anyone willing to help me n-not break my bones, again, but I uh, figured it would be best to stay here."
Torino glares at him again but passes over it for now, much to Izuku's relief. "All right, I wouldn't mind if I was going elsewhere, but it may be best to have you here. I know it's not enough, but you likely can't handle much of the quirk if it's breaking your bones. Don't give me that look, boy; One For All at 10% could probably topple a building if done methodically."
After going through a range of sadness to sheepishness to fear—all in the duration of one sentence, no less—Izuku released a small strangled noise. "I-I guess that's fair. Umm, the only thing is, even if I don't make it, which I have a feeling I didn't. I know that UA's letters of either rejection or, more unlikely, acceptance letters are all delivered on the same day, somehow. It's supposed to be next Friday, which means ineight days,I'd head back to Musutafu just to know if I have to go to the Shiketsu exam, which is the very next day." He looked at the table with a strange expression, oblivious to the questioning look on Torino's face.
"How'd you do?" Torino asked bluntly while he stood and walked towards the fridge.
Izuku nervously scratched the back of his head while thinking it through for a second. "Well, to be honest, I know for a fact that I did well on the written portion, mainly since I've studied for a long time, and when it comes to that skillset, I don't typically doubt myself. When it comes to previous school records, though, it's umm. Well, let's just say that being the quirkless kid gets stuff pinned on you and unfair grading at times.
"I'm mostly positive that I failed the practical, but there's always a small chance. There was a point system, and I only got about 12 points. I saved a few people, but not many. It's not like I could do much since I didn't even feel the quirk until..." he said, trailing off at the end. Torino raised an unassuming eyebrow before saying, "Until what, brat?"
Izuku looked to the side, and while nervously scratching his neck, he said, "Until I jumped roughly 50 meters into the air and landed a punch on a massive skyscraper-sized kaiju robot, shattering all the bones in my legs and right arm in the process." He looked back to see Gran Torino standing at the microwave with a large plate of frozen taiyaki, staring at him with a look of incredulity. "What was the advice that oaf give you for activating the quirk?" Torino asked with a cold and almost deadly tone.
Izuku flinched in his seat, making Torino's eyes narrow more, until eventually, after a small awkward cough, he answered. "Umm, well, he said, "Clench your butt as tight as you can, and then, from the bottom of your lungs, yell: SMASH!" hehe..." he said with a small and pathetic-looking punch at the end.
Torino's eye twitched, and before anything could be said, he put the plate in the microwave and slammed the door shut before turning on the timer. He walked over, muttering under his breath, and Izuku could swear he heard him say something about, "Kick his non-existent stomach to beat the f*cking stupid out of him." Once again, Izuku feared for Yagi Toshinori's life.
Torino sighed before looking at the kid again with a thoughtful expression. "Alright, ya zygote, what exactly did it feel like when you used it?" At Izuku's questioning head tilt, he asked again, "When you used One For All, minus the obliteration of your bones, what did the power feel like? Think of it as imagery; it seemed to help the oaf a lot when he was younger. He said it felt like a massive flame, like the Olympic torch from that old sporting event that started to die off after the 2098 nuclear crisis in North Korea."
Izuku thought for a second, unknowingly muttering, "I know what the Olympics were." After a second, he said, "It kind of feels like a huge surge of power; I mean, obviously, that's what it is. I guess the best way to describe it would be to refer to it as an overwhelming ocean, a vat of energy that's much too big, and I'm nothing but a small creature in a place that's far too vast and deep for myself."
Torino let out a bit of a whistle while he considered it. "Alright then, so if I were to make a guess, the "water" on the top feels less powerful but deeper down, it feels suffocating?" he asked with the same thoughtful expression. Izuku shifted his shoulders while shaking his hand in a so-so motion. Torino nodded his head, and when the microwave went off, he excitedly got up and grabbed the plate with the two taiyaki on it. He set it down and offered one to him, but after Izuku shook his hand with his hand held in a placating matter, Torino stared into his eyes with a challenging look. "Please, I insist," he said while offering it again.
Izuku sighed and relented before saying a hushed, "Itadakimasu," before taking a bite. Or, at least, he tried to take a bite. He recoiled with a slight hiss after biting into the half-frozen, half-cooked pastry. "Umm, not to be rude or anything, but it's a little frozen, sir." Torino threw his own taiyaki down on the plate, seemingly pissed at the fact that he can't enjoy it. "Ah, dang it! I used a plate that was too big. I didn't heat it thoroughly!" He huffed and got up in search of another plate to reheat the pastries and jabbed a toothpick to mark which one was Izuku's.
Izuku, however, was oblivious to this as his words seemed to send him into deep thought. He stood abruptly, slamming his hands on the table while he loudly exclaimed, "That's it! I'm the taiyaki!" He was smilingbrightly at Torino, who looked completely confused. "What?! No, you aren't; you're a living, breathing person!" He said, glaring at him. But, once again, Izuku saw that challenging glint in his eyes.
The green-headed teen smirked a bit before saying, "You wanted me to see it, didn't you? Gah, I was a fool only trying to activate it in one place!" He walked into the middle of the open space behind himself while Torino stood staring at the kid with a proud and hopeful look in his eyes.
Izuku closed his eyes and took a deep breath; his breathing was slow, and, to his own ears, it sounded miles away while he found himself in the overwhelming ocean of pure energy once again. He theoretically lowered himself into the water, imagining every inch of his body being bathed entirely in all of the energy given to him. He reached a depth of the water where he can move, but the struggle was heavy. He couldn't do much, barely even run, but when he visualized the waters being 100 meters deep, he could find himself floating at about 5 meters. He raised himself to 4 and almost instantly felt as if a huge weight was lifted from himself. It still was stressing his body, but the ability to run, swim, jump, etc., felt possible if the slight pain was looked past. And for Midoriya Izuku, that minor amount of pain was nothing compared to the past fewyearsof torture he's gone through.
He opened his eyes, which flared a toxic emerald green color. Looking at his body, he was cloaked in an aura of familiar green-teal lightning sparks. Torino smirked. "You think you can move like that, brat?" he said with a condescending smirk. Izuku smiled his biggest, brightest smile possible, only slightly wavering under the extreme stress his body faced using a quirk for the first time. His eyes danced with mirth in them, and his white pupils seemed to quite literally spark with glee for a second. "I'm not that sure, but I'm willing to try!" he rasped out while making a determined fist pump. Torino's smirk grew in response to the boy's determination. "Then let's test it out, ya noobie!"
And they were off.
