The next morning, Izuku and Ochako sat quietly in the back row of Toshinori’s truck as they trundled through the streets. Toshinori occasionally glanced into the rearview mirror at his son, still a bit shocked at the news that Izuku had given him about his new ability.
‘Sensei’s quirk... One for All is full of surprises,’ he thought to himself, shaking his head amusedly as they came to a stop outside a large three-story building.
“What’s this place, Dad?” Izuku asked, peering up at the building as they climbed out of the car.
Toshinori clapped his son on the shoulder, smiling broadly, and gestured to the entrance, “This is a quirk gym, a place for legal quirk usage so we can see your new ability without worrying about disturbing anyone.”
He glanced down at Ochako, a questioning look on his face, “And I was hoping that Young Uraraka would be willing to help you, as she has some experience with the floating aspect.”
She beamed up at him and nodded excitedly, turning to Izuku. “Of course I’ll help! It’ll be fun!” she said emphatically.
They entered the gym, followed the check-in and registration process, and then split up at the locker rooms. After changing into work-out clothes, they met Toshinori in front of a large steel door with a small thick window in it. Toshinori pulled open the heavy door and gestured them inside, showing off a large lit arena.
“This used to be a racquetball court, but they converted it to for people with dangerous quirks to use. The walls are thick and sound-proof, so you can let loose in here,” Toshinori explained as they looked around the large space. It was rather plain, concrete floors and walls, the overhead lights casting the entire space in bright white light.
Toshinori turned to look at Izuku, “Go ahead and let’s see what we are dealing with,” he said, motioning for Izuku to start.
Izuku nodded and closed his eyes, focusing hard. He didn’t feel any different, opening his eyes in confusion. Ochako and Toshinori were watching curiously, and he felt some heat of embarrassment rise up.
“I’m… not sure how to activate it,” Izuku said sheepishly, glancing down at his feet before looking at his father for guidance.
“Think about what happened last night when it activated,” Toshinori said thoughtfully, his hand on his chin, “It might help you find the activation for it.”
Izuku blushed slightly at the memory of the hug and smiled softly as Ochako’s gaze met his own. He smiled and nodded, happiness rushing through him as he remembered. It was simple; but it was still special. It was subtle at first, but the shift in pressure and the removal of Earth’s bind to him was enough to make him look down in surprise as he saw his feet leave the concrete floor, floating a couple of inches off of the ground. Ochako let out a soft gasp, her eyes wide, and Toshinori grinned widely as Izuku hung in the air.
“Well it seems you were correct. You have Nana’s quirk, Izuku,” Toshinori said with pride, shaking his head in near-disbelief. “Uraraka, go easy on him,” he finished, patting her on the shoulder gently.
Izuku smiled broadly as he hovered, “Hm… I wonder how this works,” he pondered aloud, spinning around, looking for any telltale sign.
“From what I remember, Nana said it was seamless. Just picture yourself flying,” Toshinori stated, frowning, his brow furrowed as if trying to remember. “Something about it being like Superman, but she didn’t say much else. I don’t think she expected One for All to be able to pass down quirks, so she never described her own power in detail.”
Izuku nodded and focused again, picturing himself flying like Superman, as corny as the idea was to him, imagining himself lifting up towards the ceiling. His father’s words rang true, as just as he thought it, he rose up towards the ceiling slowly, spinning as he gained altitude. His smile never faltered as he touched the rough concrete ceiling and then focused on falling slowly, his descent going smoothly until he touched the ground.
“So… yeah… I can fly!” Izuku exclaimed, chortling with glee as he jumped into the air again and pushed out with the new quirk, swinging between the ceiling lights slowly. Ochako clapped with glee, laughing at Izuku’s antics, waving to him as he drifted over her and Toshinori, coming to land behind them.
“It does seem like there isn’t a lot of speed to it,” Izuku muttered aloud, looking down at his hands.
“Nana’s quirk was Float, Izuku,” Toshinori said exasperatedly, “Not flight, or Zero Gravity. She could float along with some control, but she was at the mercy of air currents most of the time. She mostly used it to slow descents and save people from falling,” he finished, nodding to Ochako. “Ochako can teach you about balance and control, and you can work on the propulsion later.”
Ochako looked up at Toshinori with a determined smile and nodded, turning to Izuku and walking forward. “Let’s start with orientation. You still have gravity. So let’s remove that as a reference.” She reached out and touched Izuku on the cheek with all of her fingers, smiling as he caught her gaze, smiling softly and nodding as he felt gravity leave him, as well as another odd pulse. There was a brief moment of vertigo as his senses got disorientated and he tasted…
‘Pink?’
He blinked. An odd shimmer gleamed on the edge of his vision, but he couldn’t focus on it. It almost hurt, his eyes straining, as if trying to flip over in his head. Izuku blinked again, and grunted as something clicked in his head. He stopped trying to fight it, and it burst out against his eyes, immediately relieving the pain. He blinked rapidly and looked back up at Ochako and his mouth fell open in awe. Beyond her look of concern at his grunt of pain and distress, he saw vast curls and waves of bright pink light, ebbing and flowing out of her, almost like magnetic field lines, vibrant and radiant.
It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. A bright pink aura around Ochako, and a huge field of energy flowing around her, and all he could do was stare, mouth agape. She was framed like a picture of a goddess, graced with glorious pink light.
“Deku, are you okay?” Ochako asked cautiously, her blush growing the more he stared at her and around her. She put her fingers together and released her quirk. Izuku watched as the field around her dimmed, the lines growing faint.
“Yeah… uh…”
He closed his mouth and swallowed heavily, before shaking his head sheepishly. “Just something new. Again,” he stuttered out, trying hard to keep his heart rate under control.
“What do you mean, new?” Toshinori asked cautiously. This was getting out of hand. First, Nana’s quirk, and now something else after Ochako used hers on him.
An odd tingling in his hands drew Izuku’s attention, and he was startled to see field lines burst out of his palms, though to a much smaller degree than Ochako’s, barely the size of a soccer ball, compared to her five-meter diameter sphere, and bright green instead of pink. He flexed his hands and stared at the field lines in wonder.
“‘Chako, I think… well, I’m not sure, but I think I... copied your quirk?” he stammered out, looking at her in confusion, as she stared between him and his hands.
“What makes you think that, Izuku?” Toshinori said, worryingly.
Izuku reached out and touched his father’s bicep and pushed on the field lines in his palms. Toshinori immediately felt vertigo as gravity vanished, his long hair lifting up, baggy clothes drifting with him. He let out a yelp of surprise as he floated upward a couple of inches.
Ochako stared in awe as Toshinori struggled against the weightlessness, before Izuku pulled back on the field, letting his father descend gently to the ground. As soon as Toshinori hit the ground, Izuku wobbled with vertigo and fell to a knee, nausea hitting him hard.
“Ugh… ‘Chako, I don’t know how you handle that,” Izuku moaned as he rubbed his stomach, praying that his breakfast stayed put.
Ochako’s stupor was broken and she let out some giggles before kneeling next to Izuku and rubbing his back soothingly, smiling brightly at him. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. But how did you copy it in the first place?”
Izuku took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed as his stomach settled, plopping down to sit on the cool concrete. He stared at his hands again and looked up at Toshinori in confusion.
“Perhaps, something to do with your ability to absorb energy?” his father offered, shrugging slightly. “This is all new territory for me too, so your guess is as good as mine.”
Izuku smiled weakly, glancing at Ochako, and shrugging. “I do absorb a wide variety of energies. I don’t see why emitter type quirks would be any different.”
Ochako looked thoughtful, then snapped her fingers, “We’ll need to test with Shoko and Katsuki too. But first, it looked like you didn’t copy my quirk’s power level, just the quirk itself. I can handle way more weight than what you just did before I get sick.” She looked at Toshinori, “If he has my quirk as if it’s brand new, then he’ll need to train it just like his own,” she advised, to which Toshinori nodded in agreement.
“Well, that settles it, my boy,” Toshinori said, sticking out a hand for Izuku, “You have a lot of work ahead of you.”
Izuku grunted as he stood up, smiling brightly.
“Plus Ultra, Dad!”
The next few weeks were grueling for Izuku, with not only his own quirk training, but Float and Zero Gravity with Ochako, learning Telekinesis from his mother, and even copying Absolute Zero from Shoto and Hellflame from Shoko. He spent entire mornings before school training, stretching his abilities to their limits each day, using Capacity to melt metals and plastics for recycling at the beach, stretching Float and Zero-Gravity by practicing flight and weight training with Ochako which led to more than a few lost breakfasts. Izuku quickly learned not to eat beforehand on days he was working with Ochako.
Lessons with his mother were simple and slow, while training with Shoto and Shoko had been brutal, as all three of them worked directly with Endeavor and Blizzard for their lessons. In between those lessons, however, he worked on the quirk given to him by One for All. Izuku had already gotten Float down pat, able to nimbly navigate through a rock obstacle course at the quirk gym and dodge debris thrown by his father. But what he lacked most was speed.
‘Float just isn’t fast enough...’ He grimaced as he dodged another rock, just barely avoiding it.
But the next rock was much closer and his instincts took over. He had a split second, raising his hand and unleashing an impulse blast, shattering the rock, and Newton’s laws took over. The blast from his palm shattered the rock, the recoil from the compressed air and heat expanding outward sent him careening towards the other wall, where he smacked into the concrete with a solid thud. Slightly dazed, he shook his head to clear the dust, and a smile spread on his face as the idea clicked into place.
“Too easy,” he muttered to himself, pushing off from the wall slowly and settled onto the ground, walking over to a concerned Ochako and curious looking Toshinori.
“Figure something out, Izuku?” Toshinori asked, recognizing the thoughtful look on Izuku’s face immediately, a knowing smile forming on his face.
Izuku nodded, smiling widely. “Yeah, but I need to go outside to test.”
Toshinori nodded, smiling proudly, walking the two teens out.
Ochako looked up at Izuku as they walked, “What did you figure out?” she asked quietly.
Izuku smiled brightly at her, “Newton was smart as hell,” he said coyly, saying nothing more until they were outside in the parking lot.
“Well then, let’s see it. Thirty seconds of flight, then back here,” Toshinori said bemusedly, gesturing for Ochako to stand back.
Izuku did a quick double-check of the area, making sure it was clear, and grinned at his friend and father, before placing his hands at his side, palms down.
“Ignition!” he called out, igniting tight rings of power in his palms, smaller versions of his Impulse blasts. The rings channeled super-heated gas down into a column of heat, pushing up against his hands, pushing his whole body up as he activated Float, sending him skywards. There was a blast of downwards air, and Toshinori had to grab onto Ochako to prevent her from getting thrown back from the backblast.
In a split second, he was rocketing upward, screaming with joy into the rushing air as the earth fell away from him. His ears popped as a disc of compressed air burst around him, his burst pushing him past the sound barrier instantly. He wanted more. And he still had twenty-five seconds.
‘Faster!’
Izuku pushed on his power, igniting a large ring a couple of centimeters in diameter under his feet, and his speed tripled as the ring of green fire erupted underneath him, shock diamonds forming in the supersonic exhaust. Rocketing upward, faster than any person had any business going, Izuku pushed against the air, fighting not gravity but air pressure and friction, his clothes and hair whipping in the super-sonic air. When he finally counted to fifteen, he killed the power, and coasted, rising up through clouds.
He looked down, and was amazed at the view, crystal clear sky all around him, green and brown earth below him, black space above him. Fifteen seconds of flight at speeds well beyond the sound barrier had put him at the top of the troposphere, with the curvature of the earth plain as day while leaving buildings and cars too small to see.
Izuku marveled at the view for a couple of seconds before wistfully somersaulting in the air and igniting his thrusters again, blasting back down, enjoying the powered fall to earth. He spotted the parking lot and a waving Ochako. Grinning like a madman he decreased the power, coming to a slow hover before stumbling on the landing next to her and Toshinori.
“Have fun?” Toshinori asked, a knowing smile on his face.
Izuku’s beaming smile and wind-swept hair said everything he wanted to say.
A couple of days later, Izuku strode towards the training room he had seen Katsuki enter earlier. He paused at the door, hand reaching for the handle. He thought back, the look on Katsuki’s face earlier stirring something up. He had been off for a while now, throwing himself deeper and deeper into training, both with their group and by himself. Not to mention his temper had gotten shorter lately. He had literally exploded at Shoko the other day, over something trivial, something that no one had seen coming. Izuku glanced down at his hand on the doorknob, a frown on his face. Katsuki always preferred to handle his personal issues by himself, though Izuku and the others had been trying to reach him, talking to him
An explosion thumped from within the training room, strong enough that Izuku felt it through the door. Izuku pursed his lips, hesitating as his hand hovered over the handle into the room.
‘Something's wrong with Kacchan,’ the little voice in his head said, ‘You have to do something.’
Izuku nodded to himself and put on his best comforting smile. He reached for the doorknob and turned. The door to the training room swung open.
Izuku peered through the dim light of the dojo, stopping when he saw Katsuki. Standing off to the side, his shoulders tense and energy flickering wildly, as though he was seconds away from releasing his quirk. The ash-blond was staring at a pathetic-looking punching bag right in front of him, the bag torn open, sand trickling to meet a pile just below it. If Izuku squinted, he could see the edges of the hole were scorched. Usually, Kacchan was a lot more careful with the training equipment, especially since it was Endeavor’s.
“Kacchan?” Izuku called out as he closed the door behind him, walking into the room.
Katsuki flinched violently and whipped around, his eyes immediately searching for a threat and finding Izuku. He seemed to relax a little bit as they locked eyes, though there was something guarded and volatile in his expression.
"The fuck do you want, Deku?" he growled.
Izuku noticed Katsuki’s shoulders droop and relax mechanically, as if desperately trying to hide whatever he was feeling before Izuku entered.
Izuku let his smile soften. "I was hoping we could spar. I doubt a punching bag is a worthy opponent."
‘Especially when it's torn open,’ Izuku thought with a slight grimace, glancing at the sand. ‘Sensei isn’t gonna be happy.’
Katsuki’s guarded expression hardened for a moment, a biting defensive comment no doubt on the tip of his tongue. But instead of barking at Izuku, the explosive blond took a deep breath and let it out harshly.
"Fine."
He turned towards the sparring mat, flexing his right hand and arm as he approached it. Izuku watched carefully for a second, practically seeing the moment Kacchan's mind switched into a strategic stance, mentally calculating all the moves either of them could do, anything to give himself some kind of advantage.
Relief leaked into Izuku's smile. This would help Kacchan take his mind off whatever's troubling him. Izuku moved purposefully, striding into the arena, and assumed a strong stance on his side of the mat, designed to take hits and prevent the user from getting knocked over. He raised his palms up, wide and open, ready to receive Katsuki’s attacks.
“Don’t hold back, Kacchan,” Izuku said, his grin stretching just a bit as he teased.
Katsuki smirked just a bit, which was good enough for Izuku, even as the scowl came back in full force. He braced as Katsuki launched himself forward, thrusting his palm forward, small pops and cracks firing out, before he unleashed a small explosion right into Izuku’s open palm, the heat and light getting soaked up by Izuku’s skin, a soft green glow pulsing across his skin.
He continued the barrage, mixing up attacks after a minute or so, switching between hooks and slaps, into palm strikes and slashes, utilizing Izuku’s quirk to ensure damage was kept to a minimum. After a couple of minutes, when Katsuki was panting, Izuku mixed it up, trading his own blows, launching into jabs and punches, firing off pulses of power equal to Katsuki’s lower powered hits. But when Katsuki overextended a punch, Izuku saw an opportunity he couldn’t resist.
Izuku grabbed Katsuki’s overstretched arm, and pulled him forward, waiting for the odd pull of the quirk copy. But none came, instead there was an odd buzzing coming from Katsuki, even as Izuku spun Katsuki around, sending him tumbling down to the mat. Izuku glanced down at his hand curiously for a second before looking at Katsuki’s angry glare.
“You overextended, Kacchan. Come on,” Izuku said, jeeringly, his smile steady as he waggled a finger.
Katsuki glared up at him from his position on the mat, before flipping up into a much larger explosion, which Izuku tanked. As the two fell back into the back and forth rhythm of their spar, Katsuki's stance became more fluid, stronger, his woes forgotten, hopefully. Still, Izuku refused to give him the win.
In Katsuki’s own words, 'It doesn't count if you don't try your best,' after all.
So when Katsuki threw a cross at an opening Izuku allowed him to see, the larger teen was ready. Izuku's hand secured Katsuki's own, stopping his attack cold. Izuku’s much larger palm gripped Katsuki’s tightly, prompting the explosive teen to retaliate with his left hand, which was quickly locked into place by Izuku’s right.
Crimson eyes widened slightly as he processed the move. Izuku couldn't help but smirk as he pushed a familiar energy and field lines into Katsuki's fist. Nausea rolled in Izuku's gut as gravity abandoned his sparring partner, watching as shock, vertigo, and panic overtake his focused expression. With Katsuki at his mercy, Izuku whirled around, yanking the shorter boy off his feet and throwing him to the other side of the mat.
Without gravity or a hint of what the hell just happened, Katsuki bounced off the end of the mat and kept going, slamming into the far wall with a grunt. He was fine, a hit like that would hardly cause damage to someone like Katsuki, though for both of their sakes, Izuku deactivated Zero Gravity and fought to keep the new wave of nausea in his gut where it belonged, wobbling on his feet.
Kacchan landed without grace and immediately leapt to his feet, his lips pulled back into a feral snarl.
"What the FUCK was THAT?!" Kacchan shook slightly, rage radiating from his every pore as he glared daggers at Izuku. It'd been a long time since he was this angry…
Still, Izuku kept his best comforting smile on his face.
"I knew you wouldn't want me holding back against you, Kacchan. I figured out something new with my quirk, and it would be wrong to hide it from you," Izuku explained calmly. Katsuki stilled, his rage giving way to a more blank, possibly curious look.
Izuku continued, "I can absorb all sorts of energy, apparently including the kind that quirks use. That means I can copy quirks, so long as I can replicate the energy signature of the original quirk. Well, emitter-type quirks, anyway, like Ochako's and my mom's. Heck, even the twins’ quirks."
Katsuki ducked his head, his eyes hidden by his fluffy ash blonde hair. Silence overcame the training room as neither young man said anything. It was broken only by Katsuki's quiet question.
"...Mine?"
He barely sounded like Kacchan. Soft, unsure, almost strangled even. It was becoming harder to smile.
He shook his head, despite the fact that Katsuki wasn't looking. "That’s the thing, Kacchan, the copy didn't work on your quirk."
Katsuki didn’t move a muscle, allowing Izuku to explain.
"My guess is that you actually have a heteromorphic type, not an emitter." Izuku tapped his temple for emphasis, "I can sense your quirk's energy, and if it was an emitter type, I would have copied it without too much of a problem. You have a really cool quirk, Kacchan."
"Would have?"
Finally, Kacchan looked up at Izuku again. A cold anger and something else Izuku couldn't place was set deep in his crimson eyes.
"What, you wanted to add my fucking quirk to your collection too? The five you have already aren't enough?"
His palms sparked and crackled defensively. An unfamiliar, sinister smile stretched across Katsuki's face. Despite him smiling, there was no joy; a grim visage, feral and desperate.
"FIVE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, DEKU?!”
Kacchan stomped towards the sparring mat, breaking into a run half way. He kicked off, pulling his hands back. Izuku noticed the priming motion and prepared for the full powered shockwave that was coming, spreading his arms wide. The explosion hit with a burst of light and heat, and Izuku tugged on the heat and pressure as hard as he could. Damaging Endeavor’s house was not an option, even if it helped Katsuki get through whatever he was dealing with.
Izuku brought the explosion back under control, absorbing the energy until all that was left was a puff of smoke, before turning his gaze back to Katsuki. His smile fell a bit as he saw the anger in his friend’s eyes, the sheer rage and pain behind them evident to even him.
“I have to push myself, Kacchan. You know that better than anyone,” Izuku reasoned, pushing his quirk out, coating his arms with swirling green and black ribbons of light and power. Katsuki launched another barrage, which Izuku deftly swatted aside or absorbed, using his shielded arms as batons for deflection.
Katsuki stopped attacking, catching his breath and glared at Izuku’s arms for a second, his expression becoming more pained. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about, you goddamn bastard!” he shouted, gesturing at Izuku, “Always getting stronger, always improving! It’s infuriating!”
Izuku looked down at his arms and dispelled the energy, as guilt welled up inside of him. He had always been improving, faster than the others, faster than Katsuki. Was it really bothering him that much?
“And how the fuck are you always improving so damn fast? I can’t keep up and it’s pissing me the fuck off!” Izuku noticed his eyes starting to look wet, his friend’s face warped in anguish and rage, his rant making steam rise up from his body. “I’m fucking weak as shit compared to you, and getting stronger is taking too fucking long!”
Izuku stared in surprise, his smile gone. He thought back. It had only been a couple of months since his power awoke in full force, One for All aside. Was it really that strange for his abilities to get stronger that quickly? He knew that his father took years to perfect his power usage.
"You punched a hole through the sludge bastard with a single goddamn punch when all I did for ten fucking minutes was fight for a single breath and ruin the fucking alley!" Katsuki shouted, his face red with rage, hands out at his side, cracks and pops firing randomly.
“It wasn’t even a fucking fight! I couldn’t do anything!”
Tears began to form in the corner of Katsuki’ eyes, and Izuku could hear cracks in his voice now. Katsuki’s head fell.
“I was so weak and I failed. I am weak. I can’t grow like you can,” he said in a quiet, small voice. Katsuki's rage had vanished, replaced by things Izuku had never seen from the boy.
Disappointment.
Resignation.
Failure.
This was not the Kacchan he knew.
Izuku stood tall, his eyes resolute, “Kacchan, you are growing. You will grow. Who you are now isn’t who you have to be forever. You are capable of so much, including change, and that’s good. It’s expected of us, especially given our age. You will grow beyond anything you can possibly imagine—” Izuku clenched a fist “—and I’m going to help you every step of the way.”
Katsuki looked at him in silence for a minute, before looking down, his frown disappearing.
“What...what if...it’s something wrong with me? What if I can’t be strong?” Katsuki asked solemnly, head hanging.
Izuku reached over slowly, and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. "Then we'll change it. You're going to be one of the best heroes, Kacchan, I promise," Izuku said, watching his friend’s face carefully.
Katsuki’s shoulders slumped further, his breathing relaxing as he turned from Izuku to wipe his eyes.
“...Thanks, Izuku,” he muttered.
Izuku smiled brightly, “I’m always here for you, Kacchan.”
He pulled back his hand and held up a fist.
“No matter what.”
Katsuki looked up finally, glancing at the fist first, then up at Izuku’s glowing emerald eyes. He smirked, and met his friends fist with his own.
“Now,” Izuku said calmly, “Let’s go again.” He took up his strong stance once more, green light bursting into life around his arms.
Toshinori adjusted his tie in the mirror again, the long red stripe hung loosely against his frame, much like the rest of his ensemble: baggy white button up shirt and a baggy yellow striped suit. He sighed, rubbing his side, the familiar twinge of phantom pain echoing out. It had been getting noticeably worse over the few months that had passed since giving Izuku One for All.
“Five years…” he muttered to himself as he put the finishing touches on his outfit before walking out of the bathroom and into the living room of their apartment, adjusting his suit.
“What’s that, dear?” came Inko’s voice from the kitchen, a mild tone of concern laced in the middle.
“Nothing, love, just thinking aloud,” Toshinori said, smiling softly as he joined her in the kitchen, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek as she prepared breakfast. She hummed softly, leaning into him before turning back to the cooking vegetables.
“Well, thinking about what?” she pried, glancing at him as he pulled a prepared protein shake out of the fridge, Toshinori’s usual meal supplement. He shook the bottle, stirring the contents thoroughly.
“Nothing important, just remembering. It’s been five years,” he said softly, popping the top of the bottle and taking a couple of swigs of the shake. Inko stopped her prep, glancing at Toshinori, her eyes darting to his side for a split second.
“So it has. But now you have a new challenge,” Inko said, putting her smile back on, turning back to her prep work.
“Indeed, I do,” Toshinori said, chuckling softly as he finished his breakfast. He washed out the bottle and kissed Inko on the head again, before turning to leave.
“Just be safe, dear. And have a good first day!” she called after him as he walked into the entryway.
“You too! I’ll see you this afternoon,” he called back to her as he put on his too-large shoes.
“I’ll have dinner ready!” Inko called out in response from the kitchen.
He smiled as he closed the door behind him, still marveling at how he had gotten so lucky.
The trip to the station was short, and the train ride to his new place of work was even shorter. The UA gates were just as impressive as he remembered them, the glistening lettering and white concrete shining in the early morning sun. There weren’t any students around yet, as it was the weekend, and their winter break was almost done.
He felt pangs of nostalgia as he walked through the halls towards the teacher’s office, memories of the past with his friends, with Inko and the others and all of the training they undertook. He smiled sadly, knowing the good times were gone. He rubbed his side absentmindedly.
“Something bothering you, Toshinori?”
The voice from the past behind him made him jump, almost out of his loose suit. He turned to see UA’s president and teacher of the Heroic Ethics classes, Nezu, a small rodent-like creature, wearing a vest and trousers.
“Ah, President Nezu, no. My apologies, just memories,” Toshinori said, bowing down to his old teacher.
“Well then, let’s go inside,” Nezu said, walking up to the door to the teacher’s office and pushing on it, “the others are waiting to meet you.”
Toshinori took a deep breath and inflated his form, filling out his suit. He put his signature smile on and followed Nezu in, ready to greet his new coworkers.
It was a short affair, but each of them was pleasant enough, even the female with the long black hair, Aizawa, though she seemed to have something of a chip on her shoulder. And huge bags under her eyes. Poor girl looked exhausted.
“So All Might, I’m looking forward to seeing how you handle the Battle Trainings this year!” Nemuri Kayami, the 18+ Hero: Midnight, said excitedly, practically bouncing in her chair as All Might sweated in his suit, the pressure starting to get to him.
“As am I! I’m excited to show the students my experience and help them learn!” he said, as teacherly as possible, hoping to come off well.
There was a phone jingle from across the room, and everyone glanced at Aizawa, who was looking at her phone with a blank expression.
“What is it, Aizawa?” Nezu asked curiously.
“There was a major earthquake off the coast,” she responded simply, “A big one. 9.6.”
There was another jingle and her eyes narrowed.
“And apparently Emi wants to get married.”
But before anyone could respond, the lights went out and a low subsonic rumble could barely be heard. Then the whole building began to shake, tossing desks, lamps, and teachers around like dolls.
‘Don’t squeeze her hands too tight, is this too loose? How much is too much?’
Momo’s hands were very soft. Really soft, almost as soft as her lips had been when they first attempted to kiss.
‘Back on track! Lines!’
She needed to be thinking about her lines, not about the kissing.
‘Wait! The kissing is part of…Damn it!’
Why couldn’t she get that kiss out of her head? She was going to have to do it a dozen more times, and some of them even in front of other people! She looked towards Mina, who was watching rehearsal from the empty stands behind Momo with great amusement. Or maybe she was watching Eiko freak out over kissing Momo. This was Mina’s fault.
‘She knows, doesn’t she? She has to know!’
Her pink friend had the most infuriating smile on her face as she watched the pair and mouthed “If I profane~”, gesturing with her hands for Eiko to take over.
Eiko gulped again and steadied her breath, willfully ignoring Momo’s dazzling smile and sparkling eyes that were on her as she continued her lines, “I-if I p-profane with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine, the g-gentle skin is this: my lips, two b-blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss,” she recited.
Momo’s smile grew just a bit, and Mina in the background clapped once, flipping a page of their play before gesturing at Eiko again. This wasn’t fair!
“Good pilgrim,” Momo began, putting on her best English accent, and hitting each word in practiced perfection. How was she so good at this? “You do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this. For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.”
The words flowed from Momo’s mouth like the sweetest honey, each syllable pronounced perfectly, the pacing of each placed in a perfect line. Eiko couldn’t help but stare as Momo recited, the very act being a work of art.
Momo stared, her smile not wavering as she continued to look Eiko right in the eye, then Momo squeezed her hands. Her lines! She had lines! She smiled nervously, “Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” she recited, her nervousness fading slowly, Momo’s hand in hers steadying her nerves.
“Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer,” Momo recited.
“O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They p-pray; grant thou-” Eiko glanced at Mina again, the rest of the line eluding her. Mina mimed praying with her hands together, and then despair by holding a hand to her forward and mimicking a cry out.
‘What does that even mean? Oh!’
“Lest faith turn to despair!” EIko finished, the words snapping back into her memory, her eyes snapping back to look at Momo, her smile stretching a bit more.
“Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake,” Momo continued.
“T-then move not, while my p-prayer’s effect I take,” Eiko said, her nervousness hitting her again. This was it. The thing she had been so worked up about.
She took a shallow breath and leaned in, pulling Momo closer to her. She watched carefully as Momo’s eyes closed as she got close, and slightly puckered her lips. Eiko matched her and moved forward slightly.
Their lips met, Eiko’s mind racing as she felt Momo’s soft lips on hers, her perfume wafting to her nose, Momo’s wonderful floral scent instantly erasing her nerves, the wonderful feeling of Momo’s skin on hers making her feel tingling all over. She felt as if the ground had moved underneath their feet.
It was but a second later and Momo pulled back, her smile coming back in full force.
“Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged,” Eiko said, her voice barely above a whisper, her red eyes staring into Momo’s deep dark irises.
Momo’s eyes twinkled again, “Then have my lips the win that they have took.”
Eiko smiled a toothy grin, “Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again,” she said, pulling Momo close again, her attention focused on Momo’s eyes still, her lips begging for the feeling of Momo’s again.
The lights went out, and the floorboards rumbled, followed by violent shaking, throwing Eiko and Momo to the ground. Then there was a crash, followed by screams.
Endeavor raced through the city on a column of fire, his earpiece abuzz with conversation. He tried to ignore it as best as he could, focusing on his colossal task at hand. He glanced down, eyes on his partner in life and heroics, Blizzard, racing through the streets on sheets of ice, close on his tail.
“Endeavor, confirm status,” a voice over the comm said in his ear.
“En route! How much time left?” he called out, putting more heat into the exhaust under his feet in anticipation of the coming news.
“Satellites are tracking, showing heavy progression. Expect the tsunami to hit within thirty minutes,” the voice announced.
“Goddamnit,” he growled, putting more heat on, rocketing towards the beach on the outskirts of Mustafu.
“Don’t worry! We have plenty of time! The city is already partially evacuated!” Blizzard's smooth voice came through the comms.
Endeavor didn’t respond, keeping his focus on flying, barely registering the damage to the city below him. The earthquake had taken its toll earlier that day. Thousands of homes damaged, high-rises toppled, huge cracks in the asphalt of roads and concrete of parking structures. The heroes had responded in record time, many of them coming from all over to aid rescue efforts. Even UA’s faculty and students had leapt to the challenge, helping out as they could.
But even the Number One hero can’t stop a tsunami, where Mother Nature’s unbridled energy is put to terrible use and effect. So, in a desperate bid to save the city and many others, a drastic plan was created. The orders had gone out. After ensuring their children and friends were safely away from the city, Endeavor and Blizzard split up from All Might to fight back against a true disaster.
Endeavor landed on the beach, his ripping hot boots melting the sand into black glass, watching as the water rapidly began to pull back. They had mere minutes. He glared and spun around, looking for the other heroes that were supposed to be helping him. Movement out of the corner of his eye made him turn as his wife approached, closely followed by Pixie-Bob of the Wild, Wild Pussycats.
“You ready, Number Two?” Pixie-Bob said, smiling broadly as she bounced on her feet, glancing out over the beach and the waves
“Yes. Let’s get to work. We have a lot to do,” he said shortly, turning back to the water and jogging out, steam billowing off of the ground as he moved over the water-logged sand.
“I’ll be right behind you!” Blizzard called out, priming her quirk, fog rolling off of her arms.
“Pixie-Bob, start making the wave break! I’ll start sealing it as soon as the shape is right!” Endeavor called out, gesturing for her to start.
“Right!” she responded, pulling up the sand underneath her feet to move her rapidly along the beach. She pulled up with her large gloved hands, gesturing towards the beach sand, and pictured the diagram from the briefing. A wall curved outward, like a wave facing the ocean, but fifteen meters high and five meters thick. The curve would reflect the wall of water back, preventing it from hitting the city. Or so they hoped.
She pulled on the sand, pushing her quirk hard, gritting her teeth as the stubborn wet sand moved sluggishly. Higher and higher the wall of sand rose, cresting over as its master forced it into the proper shape, a huge wave of sand rising off the beach.
Endeavor watched, arms folded, as Pixie-Bob worked up the sand, calming himself to prepare for the task at hand. Fire hot enough to melt sand into glass for five kilometers was a very tall order, and he had to be careful to not overheat. He took a long, deep breath as the first section of the beach was ready and channeled his heat and power, stepping forward and unleashing a huge blast of white hot fire, scorching the sand at the base, steadily working the stream of plasma up as the sand solidified and compressed, forming a dark glass wave. Blizzard followed up with icy blasts, sealing and tempering the glass by rapidly cooling it.
The tag-team moved down the beach steadily, combining their quirks to create the largest glass wave-break wall they could. They only stopped when the low whine, rapidly increasing in pitch, of the sirens from the city sounded out over the wall. Endeavor turned to look over his shoulder, an instinctual fear running through him as the wall of water in the distance rushed towards them.
“We’re done here. Let’s move!” he called out, launching off the ground with a burst of fire. “Time for phase two!” he ordered, nodding to Blizzard as she lifted herself up on a column of ice, his gaze lingering on her blue eyes for a second. She smiled and nodded back, spinning in place and sprinting around the top of the huge glass wall.
“Ready, Pixie-Bob?” Endeavor called out, glancing over at his temporary teammate.
“Ready! Let’s crush this!” she responded, her smile confident and self-assured. She pushed out with her quirk, sweat forming on her brow as she concentrated on the beach below her, slowly pushing it down, caving in huge sections of the beach as the sand was forced back, elevating the beach into a sharper slope.
Endeavor surveyed their work as the water rushed in, silently praying that the design would work as intended. Off to his right, his wife waited to unleash on the water if it broke through the glass wall. Pixie-Bob did her job, panting on the side, ready to redirect the water if needed, while he was on station to flash evaporate it.
“Brace yourselves!” he shouted as the wall of water approached, slamming over the raised beachhead, throwing the sand like a kid in a sandbox. It slowed the water, but the real test was the wall.
Two forces, one unmoving, the other with too much momentum, collided.
The next day, All Might looked over the city below him, his spot on the balcony of the government office giving him an excellent view of the destruction, the towers of UA off to the left of the view, their perch on the hill showing the strong building in all of its glory. His thoughts turned inward as he looked on.
He considered himself lucky. UA’s construction department was among the best in the world, able to withstand anything up to a nuclear strike, god forbid anything like that happen. The staff had made it out with a couple of bruises and scrapes, while the rest of the city had been thoroughly ravaged. He was grateful Izuku had been home with Inko when it hit. Their living room was in shambles, a mess of broken glass.
“All Might?” a voice behind him asked.
He broke out of his thoughts and turned to look at the young secretary. “They’re ready for you now,” she said, bowing and gesturing towards the large oak door. He nodded and strode over to the door, pushing it open and entering quickly. Inside the conference room was a large table, with around twenty men and women sitting, listening to one of the others yelling at the foot of the table.
“...and that’s not even the worst thing right now! Not only do we have this disaster, but the local governor is saying that we can’t finish the evacuation because one of the direct evac roads collapsed! He says it will take two days to clear.”
All Might looked at the middle aged man in a wrinkled suit who was standing and yelling, shaking his fist in anger as he gestured at a map on the wall.
“Even if we could find a way to contain it, these people can’t be within fifty clicks of here! It’s too dangerous!”
The man at the head of the table, who All Might recognized as the head of the Hero Association and liaison for the government raised his hand, and the yelling man fell silent.
“I understand your concerns, Mateo. But right now, we must focus on containment. All Might,” he said, looking to the hero, “let’s get you up to speed. We need your help or at least a suggestion.” He nodded to one of the other men around the large table, who nodded back. He stood up and looked at All Might.
“You already know that the earthquake, a 9.6, caused significant damage to surrounding areas. However, there has been a development. The nuclear power station located outside of the city that was scheduled for decommission has suffered from structural damage. We estimate that within a day or two, the reactor wall could breach,” he glanced down at his notes before continuing, “Estimates from the engineers say that this could be as bad or worse than the Chernobyl accident of the mid-1900s, and completely eclipses the Fukushima Daiichi accident of 2011.”
All Might could only stare. What did they expect from him with something like this?
“Why wasn’t the reactor already offline?” he asked, hoping to buy some time while he thought.
“The reactor is an ancient design, hence its scheduled decommissioning, but budget cuts and logistics prevented it from happening quickly. This was an oversight of the Nuclear Committee, who are already taking the blame for this. Now we just need to solve the issue of the damaged reactor,” the director said, taking over for his subordinate. He gestured to another subordinate who pulled up a piece of paper and handed it to All Might.
He glanced over the page and studied the design of the reactor as well as specifications.
“What do you have already?” he asked, a couple of ideas popping up.
“We know that this particular reactor is designed to be removed for servicing, so we might be able to just pull it out, like a battery, essentially. The problem with that idea is that the main doors to the reactor room are sealed, mostly like by the earthquake. We can’t get into the room physically,” the subordinate stated. “The doors are a meter thick, made of reinforced concrete and steel.”
“Would you be able to deal with something like that?” the director asked, glancing over All Might’s form.
‘Maybe in my younger years, but there is no way now!’ his inner voice screamed at him.
“Possibly. I’d have to get eyes on to know for sure,” All Might said, eyes not daring to look up from the page. “Anything else?”
“We have to be careful for aftershocks from the earthquake. They could happen at any time, and any one of them could change the environment inside the plant,” the director said, a couple of other men nodding in agreement.
“Not to mention, we still need to check for survivors inside the plant,” another subordinate interjected, “there are entire sections of the plant that we can’t get to. Who knows where they are all at.”
The director nodded, “So, as you can see, All Might, this is… complicated. We called you because we thought you were the one with enough power to be able to handle it.”
‘Enough power? Hah, no. Not anymore. That title goes to-- Wait…’
“Director, I might have a solution. But we need to discuss it in private,” All Might said, a smile on his face again, his eyes staring into the director’s.
Izuku’s leg bounced against the metal floor rapidly, small dents appearing as his boot made impact. His position in the chair against the wall of the large cargo plane they were in gave him a great view out the window. In the distance, he could see the cracked and crumbling cooling towers of the reactor. They would be diving right into the area in minutes.
“Izuku, my boy, relax,” All Might said calmly, placing a hand on Izuku’s knee to still his son.
“Sorry, Dad. Just nervous and excited,” he said through the standard issue helmet’s mask, turning to look at his father.
“Haha!” All Might chuckled, “I’d be worried if you weren’t, but I need you focused. This is serious and one small mistake could be very dangerous.” His signature smile faltered for a second as the plane shook with a bit of turbulence.
“Remember, we need to be discrete. You are a secret agent on this mission, only helping because the government is giving you special permission to help. You have to follow my orders perfectly, is that understood?”
Izuku nodded, “Yes sir. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” All Might said, pride in his voice.
There was a bang as the door to the cockpit opened and a uniformed airman clambered down the ladder and walked over to them quickly.
“Okay! We are almost over the drop zone. Get ready!” he called out, gesturing for them to join him at the back of the plane. He walked over to the wall, and pulled down on the ramp drop lever.
“Do you remember the plan?” All Might called out as the noise in the plane skyrocketed as the ramp dropped down, showing them a gorgeous view of the city below them.
“Get in, get to the reactor, attempt to shut it down, find survivors, and get the hell out!” Izuku responded, nodding.
All Might nodded and gave a thumbs up to the airman.
“GO FOR JUMP!” he shouted, giving them a thumbs up.
“HERE WE GO!!” All Might shouted, taking a couple of steps before leaping out of the plane, 10000 feet up.
Izuku’s grin exploded on his face and he leapt after his father, diving into the sky as the wind ripped past him.
“Stage 1: Insertion! Go!” All Might’s voice came through the earpiece in Izuku’s helmet.
“Understood!” Izuku responded. He adjusted his body in the air, bringing his arms and legs together to streamline his fall, aiming down for the roof of the plant, right over where the main reactor would be. Once he lined up, he glanced over to see his father in his hero suit and parachute alongside him. He gave a thumbs up, and clicked a button on his watch. It would take nine seconds to reach the reactor. He started the clock and pushed out with his quirk, creating a ring of energy under his feet, and igniting it.
No longer falling, instead rocketing towards the ground, he pushed past his terminal velocity, a shock cone forming around him as he passed through the speed of sound almost instantly. He needed as much speed as possible to break through the reinforced concrete surrounding the reactor, turning himself into a human bunker buster.
Izuku held his fist out in front of him and pushed out power, encasing his fist in green and black energy. He braced, the concrete rapidly approaching, until he collided with the hardened material, impacting like a meteor, punching through multiple layers of steel and concrete, only stopping once he hit the ground floor, leaving a small crater in the tile. He pulled his fist out of the tile and dusted off the suit, looking around, before looking up at the hole he made, chuckling as All Might landed next to him, albeit much softer, having followed him down.
“Good work, Izuku,” he said, clapping him on the shoulder, chuckling as Izuku continued dusting himself off.
“Piece of cake!” Izuku cheered, “Time for Phase Two!” he said, turning to look at the massive concrete and steel nuclear ‘bottle’ in front of them. He could feel the radiation pouring out of the machine and knew that they were on a short clock.
“That was almost too close,” All Might said, as he walked around the reactor core, ducking under pipes as he inspected the machine.
“I had to get us close. I don’t know how much time we have,” Izuku stated as he moved over to a control panel with several buttons. He looked over it, searching for the button they needed for the emergency shutdown. It would force all of the control rods into the closed position, completely killing any nuclear reaction.
But when Izuku finally found the large button under a protective cover, fear began to creep up his spine. It was already pressed in. Someone had already shut down the reactor. So why was it still leaking radiation?
“All Might!” Izuku called out, “We don’t have much time at all! The reactor’s already shut down!”
When All Might didn’t respond immediately, Izuku looked up, more fear creeping in. All Might was strong, but not radiation proof. He’d have to be careful, just like anyone else. Izuku tore away from the machine, sprinting around the reactor, dodging under pipes and struts, searching for All Might. He let out his breath when he found him on the far side, standing still and staring at something in front of him.
“All Might?” Izuku asked, walking behind him, then following his gaze.
A huge crack, a foot wide, running up from the floor, up the wall of the reactor, an ominous blue glow emitting from the hole, Cherenkov radiation flooding out of the container.
“No time at all, son,” All Might muttered, “The reactor is breached.”
“Dad,” Izuku stated, trying to keep his voice calm, “you need to get out of here. Now.”
All Might nodded and spun, sprinting away. Izuku stared at the glow for a split second longer, before following his father.
“Let’s start finding survivors, and quickly!” All Might ordered, punching through the steel door to the reactor room with ease.
“Right behind you!” Izuku called out, tearing after his father as they sprinted down the hallway.
“Right, that’s the last one!” All Might called out as he placed the last of the nuclear workers on the ground gently, the man bowing and thanking All Might before turning to the medical team, clothed in radiation suits. All Might had managed to get all fourteen of the missing workers out to the medical station outside of the plant, making sure that Izuku was hidden inside the plant. No one could know that he helped, even if he was covered in black clothes and looked like a normal soldier. The questions and inquiry into All Might’s and Izuku’s lives would be brutal.
“Thanks All Might!” One of the medical workers called out.
All Might gave a thumbs up and turned back to the plant, a faint feeling creeping up. There was a brief moment of stillness and then another aftershock hit, the third that day, the small tremor shaking everything strongly. All Might held onto one of med workers who had started falling, watching in awe as the damaged cooling towers collapsed finally, dust and stone getting kicked up in a huge cloud. There was an explosion beside the towers, and the fireball rose, casting light all over the area.
“That last one did it! The reactor’s core is exposed!” one of the engineers shouted, furiously taking down notes from his Geiger counter. “Radiation levels are skyrocketing!”
All Might turned back to look at the entrance to the plant, where Izuku was hiding, hoping that he knew.
“I’m on it!” came his voice though the ear piece a second later, making All Might sigh softly with relief.
“Be careful, son,” he whispered into the ear piece.
Izuku tore through the complex, racing to the reactor, pulling on the radiation as it was escaping, drawing it into himself as he sprinted from room to room. When he finally reached the reactor core room, he was swimming in pure gamma radiation, the flow of energy from the reactor was like a sweet ambrosia, drawing him in.
His body had turned into a whirlpool, sucking in as much as it could take, the dark matter within his cells feasting on the electrons with glee. He moved towards the crack in the reactor and looked it over, noting that the last aftershock had opened the reactor, the core material oozing out, melting the concrete and steel in a blue and white fire. His suit began to smolder as he got closer, until the cotton fibers ignited and burned away, leaving him naked, standing next to the nuclear pile.
“Plutonium-239. Half-life of 24,110 years. Let’s see what we can do about that,” Izuku thought aloud, reaching into the core material, plunging his hand into the super heavy mix of metals and radioactive elements, and willed the energy into himself.
There was a loud groan and cracking noise above Izuku, and he looked up just in time to see the concrete ceiling collapse. He pulled his hand out of the fuel and spun, ready to brace against the incoming concrete. It slammed into him, forcing him down, slamming his back right into the semi-liquid nuclear fuel.
Bright green lights of power arced across his body and his eyes burst open, green light pouring out of his irises.
All Might watched in horror as the roof of the complex collapsed, the walls falling soon after. He didn’t dare react in case someone was watching, but a shout behind him made him jump.
“What on earth?! Levels are falling drastically! There’s no way the building collapse did that!” the engineer from early called out, practically dancing with excitement.
‘Izuku must have succeeded, then. I just hope---’
There was a rumbling and a high pitched whine in the air, and as All Might turned back to look at the plant, he was nearly blinded. A huge beam of green and black light burst through the rubble, chunks of concrete flying away from the beam as it reached into the sky.
Everyone around All Might stood in awe at the sight, the beam casting light all around, throwing sharp relief with the shadows across of the witnesses.
Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the beam petered out.
“What the hell was that?” the engineer asked. But All Might was already halfway to the collapsed building.
Izuku didn’t wake up until the early afternoon the next day, sleeping longer than he ever had. He was groggy and disoriented, the confusion of being in his room throwing him for a loop.
‘Must have used more power than I thought.’ He made a mental note to work on his power meter idea.
The door to his room opened and Toshinori walked in, carrying a tray of rice, pork katsudon, and veggies, which he set on the end of Izuku’s bed.
“Oh good, you’re up,” Toshinori said, looking over Izuku as he sat up, his stomach growling.
“Thanks for the food!” Izuku said, before tucking in, almost inhaling the rice and veggies, but slowed down and savored the pieces of fried pork cutlets. He swallowed and moaned in contentment, before looking at his father with a smile.
“This hits the spot. I’m exhausted and starving,” he said in between mouthfuls.
“Good. Be sure to thank your mother,” Toshinori said, a knowing smile on his face.
“So, how did we do yesterday?” Izuku asked as he took another bite.
“We did perfect. The core was totally inert, and everyone was saved. I’m proud of you,” Toshinori said, smiling brightly.
Izuku looked at him curiously, “Then why am I sensing a ‘but’ somewhere in there?”
Toshinori chuckled and nodded.
“The ‘but’ is that someone got a picture of you. The media is aware that I wasn’t alone, though they have no idea who you are,” Toshinori said, pulling out his phone and playing a video showing the beam of light and then a blurry shot of All Might pulling Izuku up out of the rubble.
“You were unconscious, but the beam of light and then the molten ground around you were enough evidence that a formal inquiry is being launched. Since the public has the right to know about all Hero matters that don’t involve state security, they will probably get the answer they want,” he continued.
“But I doubt we’ll have to worry about that just yet. People are still picking up the pieces from the earthquake and not really focusing on much else.”
Izuku watched the video again, the beam of light mesmerizing him. How had he done that? He’d have to try it out again later.
“Anyway, I’m glad to see you up. Had me worried a bit. Take the rest of the day off, you earned it,” Toshinori said, patting Izuku’s shoulder before leaving the room.
Izuku smiled to himself and laid back down, picking up his phone, to see a text from Ochako, making his heart race and a smile cross his face.
She was asking how he slept and why he wasn’t at training the other day.
He sent her a message letting her know he just woke up and that he was training with his father and that he was worn out. He stared regretfully at the screen, wishing that he didn’t have to lie to her, but he made a promise that no one could know he was involved last night.
He decided to get up, took a nice long shower, and then grabbed a small snack before sitting down at his computer.
He started research into circuitry for his quirk, needing some way to watch how much power he was using, and to see his overall power level. He looked up piezoelectric circuits and magnetic resonance switches, both promising for other designs he had. He went down a rabbit hole on superconducting metals, advancements in metallurgy, and graphene polymers.
Ochako sent him a couple more messages, most of them talking about the homework they needed to do for their classes.
After a couple of hours of gathering ideas and researching designs for the power meter, he looked for local listings for someone that might be able to make the device he had in mind.
‘Any type of prototyper or electronics guru should be able to make it,’ he pondered, ‘Wonder if Dad knows anyone.’
Izuku stepped out of his room, and found his parents watching TV together.
“Hey Dad?” Izuku asked, “do you know of anyone that can help me with something to monitor my power usage?”
Toshinori looked up at him, smiling and curious, “Good to see that you are thinking about that. I have a place that might be able to help. I’ll text it to you. Just be sure to tell them that All Might sent you.”
“Thanks,” Izuku said, heading back to his room, as his phone jingled, the message from his father showing a place a couple of cities north.
“Looks like I’ll have to take the train. Shouldn’t take very long though,” he thought. He got ready to leave, getting dressed and bid his parents goodbye, and then headed out towards the train station. He sent a message to Katsuki, Ochako, and the twins letting them know where he was going. They each sent a message of affirmation that it was a good idea, with Shoko and Ochako reminding him to make sure to get it in a good color.
Izuku chuckled and tucked his phone into his pocket, and then boarded the train a couple of minutes later. Two stops later, he got off, and following the map on his phone, found the little shop tucked into an alleyway.
A small hand painted sign that said Hatsume Hero Support and Mechanics was over the garage door. It was… quaint. Simple and clean, but Izuku knew that the pearls were often found in unsuspecting places.
He was just about to cross the threshold of the shop door, when there was a shout, a large bang and a huge cloud of smoke came billowing out in front of him. He walked through the door, a soft chime in the back went off, and then he heard an older scruffy voice.
“Gotdangit, Mei! How many times have I told you not to use the acetylene torch when you have combustibles on the table!?”
“But Grandpa, I’m so close to being done with my newest baby!”
“NO Mei! Go clean up the front. I heard the doorbell.”
Izuku heard an exasperated sigh, and then saw a young woman with bright pink hair, a black tank top, and goggles on her head walk out of the back room with a broom. She looked up at him and stared for a second. Izuku smiled brightly at her.
“Hi there. I’m wondering if you can help me?”
Mei broke out of her stupor, and then rushed over to him.
“Oooh, so tall and muscley. You’d be perfect for a new baby I’m designing!”
“Uh, sorry, did you say baby?” Izuku looked over his shoulder as she poked and prodded his torso.
“Oh! You’re interested! That’s good! What's your blood type? Is it-”
“MEI! GET OVER HERE!” the scruffy voice called from behind the counter. Attached to the voice was an older man with a large salt and pepper mustache, overalls, and a baseball cap. He was glaring at Mei. She cowered behind Izuku for a second, then resigned herself to walk behind the counter.
“My apologies for my granddaughter, sir,” the man bowed, “she has a very curious and inventive nature. My name is Hatsume.”
“No apologies needed! Sounds like she is very enthusiastic.” Izuku chuckled, as he smiled at Mei, who squirmed a little.
“You don’t know the half of it. So, what can I do for you? Perhaps some work on hero gear?” the older man asked politely.
“Actually, I need some help with something custom. I have a very unique quirk that allows me to store and release energy in many forms.”
The older man tilted his head in thought. Mei’s face burst into a huge smile. She almost started vibrating with excitement.
“I need a device that will allow me to monitor my power storage and usage. I realize that it is a difficult challenge, but you were recommended to me. He seemed to think you’d be up for it.” Izuku smiled as he watched Mei start fidgeting and could make out a small squeal coming from her.
“Who is this ‘he’ that recommended us? We don’t usually get special requests.” The old man looked skeptically at Izuku.
“All Might sent me,” Izuku said simply.
With that, Mei positively exploded.
“GRANDPA! LET ME DO IT! HAVING SOMEONE THAT ALL MIGHT RECOMMENDED WOULD BE GREAT, just think about all the press I could get if he used my babies. PLEASE GRANDPA, LET ME DO IT!” She started bouncing on the spot.
“Easy, Mei! Down! STOP IT!” He glared at his granddaughter as she stopped bouncing. Then he turned to Izuku and started chuckling, “Well, it seems I have no choice in the matter now. Come with us, sonny. Let’s see what we can do.”
Izuku followed them around the counter and into the workshop. It was vastly different than the exterior portrayed. A whole wall covered in almost every tool imaginable, custom fabrication machines, 3-D Printers, and based on what Izuku had seen on the internet earlier, what looked like a 3-D metal extrusion table.
Izuku let out a low whistle as he looked around. “You have quite the setup here,” he said as he marveled at the workspace.
Both Hatsumes were grinning with pride, Mei bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“We do what we can to help those who help others,” the elder Hatsume said sagely, “Now, let’s do some tests to see what we are dealing with.”
Mei pulled a bunch of measurement devices, some that scared Izuku a little.
“Uh, what kind of...tests...are we talking about here?” Izuku asked apprehensively.
“Oh, nothing too dangerous,” Mei said as she walked over, “Just need to get lots of measurements, and figure out how you store power, how much you have, etc.”
“This won’t take long,” the elder Hatsume said, “Just don’t get carried away, Mei. Focus on the customer’s needs.”
“Yea, yea.” Mei nodded. She started muttering to herself as she measured Izuku’s body, stuck probes to his skin, and various other tests.
After about an hour, she finally turned away from Izuku, wrote a bunch of notes down on a notepad, and then walked over to her grandfather. They talked in a low whisper for a couple of minutes, then both Hatsumes walked over to where Izuku was sitting.
He stood up and looked at their grinning faces, not sure how to feel about their looks of glee and mania.
“So, doctors, what’s the prognosis?” he asked, chuckling nervously.
Elder Hatsume chuckled, “We have a good idea of how to make a device that will read your internal energy store and power output, but it’s going to require a neural link. From what we can tell, your power is controlled by your nervous system, so we’ll need a way to read it,” he explained.
Izuku cocked an eyebrow up at the mention of his nervous system. They figured it out fast. It took him a couple of days to figure out how his quirk handled the energy.
“So, you really have two options,” the elder Hatsume continued, “you can have a neural lace installed that will interface directly with your nervous system.”
Izuku had read about neural laces, but the cost was extreme, the surgery dangerous, and there was a chance of it not working. Involving weaving superconducting fibers into his spinal column, into his brain, and down to his extremities, it wasn’t something to be considered lightly.
“Or, you can just use a neural net scanner. No pain, no surgery, but you’d have to have the interface around your neck and back of your head in order to get an accurate reading. Also, it’s nowhere near as accurate as the lace. Expect a 10 to 15% margin of error.”
“Ok, well, obviously, we’ll go with the neural net scanner. If the technology gets better or the surgery gets cheaper, then I’ll consider it,” Izuku said quickly, wanting to put the idea of surgery out of his mind.
“Great! I’ll get working on it right away. Come back tomorrow! I’ll have it ready for you!” Mei said enthusiastically, “Oooh, I already know exactly how i’m going to get this to work.”
“Oh, okay!” Izuku said with surprise, “I wasn’t expecting it to be done so soon. What about payment? How much is this going to cost?”
Mei wheeled around and sped off to one of the fabricators, leaving Izuku and elder Hatsume.
“Don’t worry about payment, sonny. You said you are with All Might, and he’s already squared it up with us,” Hatsume said, grinning broadly.
“Oh! Wow! Thank you!” Izuku said exuberantly, bowing deeply in thanks.
“My pleasure. Like Mei said, come back tomorrow. We’ll have something nice for you,” Hatsume said.
“Sounds good!” Izuku said, turning to leave, waving goodbye.
He sent a couple texts to Ochako and Shoko, and a thank you to his father.
His journey home was quick, and when he got home, dinner was waiting. He talked to his parents about the Hatsumes and their shop, and all of the ideas he had now that he knew that a lot of it was possible. Toshinori grinned the whole time, the conversation reminding him about his time with his master and his own enthusiasm.
After dinner and clean up, Izuku worked on his hero costume ideas. He had changed the greaves around a little, and the video Toshinori showed him had sprung new inspiration for a modification to the cuirass.
After an hour of drawing his ideas, he decided sleep was a good idea, and crawled into bed.
Sleep came easily, and in minutes, he was out like a light.
