Chapter 1: A Better Hand
Summary:
Ochako meets God, Katsuki's dad yells at a child, Inko helps her child, and Katsuki seethes.
Chapter Text
Ochako Uraraka I
The brunette is only four when she decides that her life is all but over. A trip to the doctor, an x-ray scan, and an extra joint in her pinky toe is all it takes to make her world crumble around her.
Ochako Uraraka was without a quirk.
In a world where quirks are the most prominent thing in modern society, not having one was as bad as not having a limb. Quirks are a tool and integral part of one’s identity, and Ochako did not have one. Nobody wants to be friends with someone who doesn't have a quirk.
To add insult to injury, her family was also quite poor. They relied on construction jobs to make ends meet, and those only gave them enough to “get by.”
Quirkless, poor, and without friends. Such circumstances left little hope for the young girl, giving a feeling of little to no excitement for the future.
Ochako Uraraka is seventeen when she meets him.
It was like any other long and tiring day. Ochako was walking home, alone and in her thoughts, when the unexpected happens.
Before she could even register what was happening, Ochako found herself trapped and being suffocated by some sort of sludge monster.
She tried to fight back. She struggled and fought, but all it really did was motivate the villain to squish harder. Without a quirk, Ochako had no way of saving herself.
For a brief, small moment, the young girl believes this was it. Maybe the government would compensate her parents to soften the loss of their baby girl, taken from them early by a villain.
Just as she closed her eyes, Ochako felt wind. A hard, pushing, strong wind.
Before she can react, the sludge villain flies in every direction. Ochako is suddenly free and safe, albeit coughing up a storm while crouched on the ground.
She looks up. The same goo that choked her was now splattered on the ground and walls in every direction, but no longer was it attacking her.
It was then she sees him.
Rising tall, the man who saved her stands at a height that dwarfed her, his large muscles and broad shoulders magnifying his great stature. He wears a form-fitting T-shirt tucked into his black jeans, and his green hair showed no signs of order or tidiness.
He's the most beautiful man Ochako had ever seen.
“Are you okay, miss?” He asks, his voice deep and smooth and calming all at once.
Ochako blushes and stutters at his question. “I…n-no.”
“No?”
“…H-how can I be okay when I don’t have a quirk?” She looks down in frustration. “I couldn’t even fight back! How will anything ever be okay…”
The boy, or rather, man, looks at her with pity in his eyes. But that pity is short-lived, soon transformed into what looked like resolution.
“I could give you a quirk, if you’d like,” he says casually, as if it were the most ordinary statement ever.
Ochako looks up, unprepared. “W-what?”
“My quirk,” he explains. “allows me to take, use, and give away quirks freely. I call it Gain And Give.”
To prove his words, the man summons shocks of electricity from one hand, small yet strong winds from the other, and embers of fire from his own head. All simultaneously and without effort.
He ceases his quirks. Reaches into his back pocket. Pulls out what looks like a journal.
“I have a list of every quirk I possess.” He hands the notebook to Ochako. “You can skim through it. Pick one you’d like the most. I'll give it to you.”
Ochako blushes. “I-I shouldn’t…”
“Nonsense. I have more than enough quirks to share. Some I don’t even use and would be better off in someone else’s hand. I don’t call my quirk Gain AND Give for nothing.”
Ochako looks at the notebook. Then at the man. Then back at the notebook.
Such immeasurable power, She thought. A quirk like that, in the hands of someone so kind and benevolent?
She was half-tempted to kneel on the ground and start praying. It took every ounce of willpower in her body not to.
Without another moment of hesitation, she accepts.
“Excellent,” he smiles, and Ochako mistakes it for a ray of sunshine. “Oh, I never asked. What's your name?”
“O-Ochako… Uraraka Ochako.”
“Good to meet you, Uraraka,” his smile widens. “I’m Izuku. Midoriya Izuku.”
*****
Masaru Bakugou I
Never before, in his entire life, did he think he could ever get this angry. But he could. And he was. And it was strange even to him. Normally, Mitsuki’s the angry one.
Today must have been different.
Katsuki’s quirk just recently activated, and it was certainly worthy of all the praise it received. There was no doubt in Masaru’s mind that his son would become a great hero one day. Maybe even the best.
But then he heard about Inko’s kid. And what he did to Katsuki. And how he was praised for what he did.
Masaru could not be more enraged in the moment. And that green boy was about to face it.
A little while later, Masaru spots the little thief walking home with his backpack and happy expression. He wasn’t going to be happy in a moment, Masaru thought to himself.
A quick walk outside, and Masaru finds himself scolding Inko’s boy with all the fury he can summon.
“If I hear you hurt my son again, I’ll…!”
“B-But I gave it back to him!” The boy defends himself, clearly scared out of his mind. “I didn’t mean to take it!”
“Doesn’t matter! You have a villain’s quirk, and I don’t want you around my son!”
“Masaru!” A third voice, one Masaru recognizes, yells from behind. “Leave that boy alone!”
The father turns to look at his rapidly approaching wife, walking with the wrath of an erupting volcano. The great anger inside Masaru quickly shifts into great fear.
“M-Mitsuki!” Masaru said, “I was just—!”
“Just bullying a little boy, for no reason!” Mitsuki yells before turning to Midoriya, her expression softening. “Are you okay, kid?”
“Y-Yes.” The boy said, careful not to upset her too. “I’m sorry about taking Kacchan’s quirk…”
“Ah, don’t sweat it! You ask me, the little shit needed a little humbling.”
She turns to Masaru. “Now come on, you old doof! And I better not hear you hollering at little kids like a fool again!”
“…Yes, dear.” Masaru says quietly, following his wife, defeated and sulking, as they walk back home.
It would be a while later that Masaru would come to deeply regret this confrontation. He shouldn’t have yelled at the boy like that, especially for something as unpredictable as a quirk awakening.
In truth, with how everything would proceed, Masaru imagined life could not have dealt the young boy a better hand.
And life could not have handed Masaru a worse one.
*****
Inko Midoriya I
In the months after her son's quirk activated, he uses it to its fullest potential. Or as close to its fullest potential as he could go without becoming an outright villain.
He can take quirks, and he can give them to others. He can hold more than one at a time and use them freely without limits. He calls his quirk “Gain And Give.”
Inko very quickly knew a mandate was absolutely necessary. Lines not to cross. Rules never to break.
So, she raises Izuku with a set of moral instructions.
He can take the quirks of those who do not want them or are willing to donate theirs to him. He can give quirks to the quirkless or to those who’d benefit from having a second to complement their first.
He will not steal quirks off the innocent. He will not use the quirks he took for selfish or cruel reasons. And he will share his power with those who cannot defend themselves.
Izuku is seven when he learns to code and encrypt his notebooks. He does this because Inko tells him the importance of privacy.
With each Quirk added to her son's arsenal, his power grows. Two strength quirks are stronger than one, and four are stronger than two. He studies his capabilities as if they were their own entire subject.
There is more to life than quirks, however. Inko tells him this. Through schooling and her assistance, Izuku begins to study subjects unrelated to heroes and quirks. When he needs a specific source or a book, Inko is more than happy to help.
Mathematics. Mechanics. Law. Physics. Biology. Philosophy. Psychology. Languages.
He fills up journal after journal, a testimony to his ever-growing knowledge and intelligence. And as they rise, so too does his popularity in school.
Though not loud and more polite than others, Izuku is popular and admired by the kids his age. Inko sees firsthand her son’s confidence and social skills grow.
Oftentimes, in groups, he plays the role of “leader.” Kids surround him, partly for his quirk and partly for his knowledge, and Izuku takes in and gives back. He also engages in numerous sports and other physical activities, and excels.
All of these qualities, Inko thinks, from her son's kindness to his intelligence to his power, would qualify Izuku for any job in the world. He could be a scientist, or an engineer, or even a lawyer like her.
But Izuku had always been clear to his mother that he knows what he truly wants to be. He always knew, even before Gain And Give first activated.
Above all things, her son wants to be a hero.
And when Izuku asks if he can become one, Inko only knows one answer.
“Yes, Izuku. You can be a hero.”
*****
Katsuki Bakugou I
Fucking shitty ass Deku was so far ahead of him in everything. It made Katsuki seethe.
Every day he would see Deku, and every day the twat seemed to know a new skill. From the time the little shit took Katsuki’s quirk to now, it was like he'd undergone some kind of transformation.
And over time the little shit became not so little anymore. Once upon a time, shitty Deku was a frail midget. A stark contrast to now, where he towers over all and has muscles bigger than some of the extras heads.
What the fuck happened? One moment, Katsuki has a quirk worthy of the number one spot. The next, he’s number two. While Deku gets all the attention, he’s left with losers even a quirkless child could beat.
The green shit has gotten so far ahead, Katsuki could no longer reach him.
Except Deku never left him behind. The overachiever he was, he never abandoned or even hurt Katsuki.
‘Katsuki, are you alright?’
Even before Deku got his omniscient quirk, he’d always been playing the role of a hero. Reaching his hand out and asking if Katsuki was okay after he’d fallen into a river, as if Katsuki needed help.
Always playing the responsible one.
Katsuki remembers, right after Deku stole his fucking quirk and returned it, his dad was more upset than his mother. When young him returned home after the event, Dad was all over him. Asking if he was okay and making sure he wasn’t hurt.
As if Katsuki ever needed help with anything. As if he couldn’t take care of himself.
The hag is the only one who knows this. She didn’t coddle him or try to wrap him up in a hundred blankets, as if he were a fucking baby. Instead, she told him this whole thing was the “pegging down” he needed. A way to lower his sky-high ego.
Maybe, Katsuki thinks years later, the hag had a point.
Chapter 2: To Good Use
Summary:
Ochako is blessed, Toshinori meets a boy, and an old man gives away his prized possession.
Chapter Text
Ochako Uraraka II
The brunette is seventeen when she decides that her life is in fact not over.
After Midoriya had saved her and offered her a quirk, the two spent a long amount of time flipping through pages and pages of different quirks that he could give her. Each sentence is encrypted with strange letters that Midoriya helps explain.
With each page flipped, Ochako’s mind became more and more sure that this man was in fact not a man, but God himself.
With a capital ‘G.’ And not a God, but the God.
After some time, she knew what quirk she wanted. Her favorite hero is Thirteen, the Space Hero. So, she picks the space-themed quirk simply titled “Zero Gravity.”
“H-How can I ever repay you?” Ochako asked him, tears of gratitude falling down her face.
“Train your quirk,” Midoriya tells her. “Quirks are like muscles. The more you push and train them, the stronger they become. I have many, and there's not enough time in the world for me to train each and every single one. But every quirk has the potential to experience true greatness and power.”
On her way home, to her rusty and broken-down apartment, does Ochako decide to make a vow.
The quirk Midoriya gave her, she will push it. Turn into the strongest quirk to ever exist through sheer will.
Second only, of course, to Midoriya’s godhood.
*****
Toshinori Yagi I
“Is it possible to be a hero without a quirk?” The boy had asked the Symbol of Peace not long ago, not for himself but for the quirkless girl he saved.
Toshinori observed him. Thinks about how he saved that girl from that villain he was chasing. Thinks about how he saved her, with that quirk of his.
That quirk, that is awfully similar to his quirk.
The boy looked nothing like All For One. He has green hair, while AFO had white hair. And he's more ‘chiseled’ than the Demon Lord.
Was he his kid? Toshinori thought to himself. If he was, he certainly took after his mother more.
He certainly had a heart of gold, saving that girl and giving her a quirk without asking for payment. All For One would never anything without expecting some form of compensation, and yet this boy had done just that.
If he was connected to All For One, whether through blood or through crime, it would do them well to act immediately.
But if he wasn’t connected to All For One…the boy certainly had the heart of a hero. Helping others, without concern for rewards or consequences. And throwing an innocent person in Tartarus or some form of solitude solely because of their quirk was unthinkable to Toshinori.
When telling him about the quirkless girl, the boy mentioned how he also wishes to be a hero. How he wants to save people. How he saw All Might as his idol and role model, the man he admires the most.
Imagine that. A hero with the power of All For One, using it for good. Toshinori could only dream.
Perhaps….
Toshinori is still in search of a successor. Mirai recommended him a kid from UA, one with a good quirk and shining personality. Though Toshinori had not yet had the pleasure of meeting the rising star, his old partner tells him the kid will make a great hero.
Meeting this boy, this honorable young boy with the power of All For One and a heart of gold, gave Toshinori an idea. A crazy one, that would have Gran and Naomasa looking at him like he’d grown a third arm.
One For All is one of the greatest quirks to ever exist, and Toshinori held it near and dear to his heart. Once a quirkless child ready to die for the greater good, One For All gave him the strength to live for the greater good.
And he remembers his master, Nana Shimura, telling him what One For All meant to her and how it made her stronger. Once, she could merely float while falling. After receiving the great quirk, and her own quirk fused alongside it, she could fly in every direction without needing to jump or fall.
With the power of All For One that this man wielded, combined with the power of One For All that Toshinori wielded…
This boy would become the greatest hero to ever live. He would certainly need guidance, of course, as to not fall into the wrong path of villainy.
Though that assumes the boy isn’t an asset of All For One. If he is, and Toshinori gave him One For All without thinking, then the entire world would be doomed. Investigating him and his background is, for now, the best choice of action.
But the Symbol of Peace would be lying, to himself and to everyone, if he ever said he’d not found a potential candidate for his apprentice yet.
*****
Saruhiko Asuka I
Elderhood is either the happiest time of your life or the worst time of your life. It depends entirely on what your family and friends think of you. They can visit you every day to hang out and make certain you are still alive and okay, or they can drop you off at a nursing home and never visit or call.
In Saruhiko’s case…
Well, he’d never been a very good son anyway. Or brother. Or husband. Or father. Or friend. He always spent more time with duty than with love. So really, he had no one to blame but himself.
What’d that delicate care for duty get him? Abandoned by his loved ones? In this damned nursing home, where the workers infantilized him like a four-year-old and not the retired hero with decades of experience he truly was?
And the worst part is the knowledge that if Saruhiko had the chance to do it all over again, he’d probably not change a thing.
What can he say? When chaos was more prominent than order, and a certain symbol had not come of age yet, what else could Saruhiko do but his duty as a hero?
But despite all this, he’d be lying if he said everything was terrible for him. There is that kind green-haired kid that always comes by every now and then.
Only this time, it's different. This time, Saruhiko is ready to finally give it away.
“Are you sure?” The kid asks him, as if questioning the old man’s assurance.
“Yes,” Saruhiko said. “I’m ready.”
The kid doesn't need anything more than that. By simply standing in the same room, without physical contact, Saruhiko can feel the kid doing what needs to be done.
Eagle Eye was a good quirk. It once allowed Saruhiko to see far away without any blur. He could read a sentence without issue from two miles away and spot details in everything that no one else could even conceive of seeing.
But Saruhiko’s day had come and gone. Eagle Eye is useless in the hands of an old, blind man like him. The quirk will do better in someone else’s care.
And Saruhiko trusts no one better than the kid standing next to him. Izuku Midoriya. He's the only friend the old man has at this point, and Eagle Eye was the best gift, the only gift, Saruhiko can give to thank the kid for the kindness he’d given him.
When the process is done, Saruhiko feels no different. Ever since he lost his vision, Eagle Eye was about as useful as a bucket of shit. And now it belongs to someone else.
“Put it to good use,” Saruhiko tells him. “Do as much good with it as possible. I trust you completely, kid.”
“Thank you, Asuka. I’ll do my best with it.”
“Call me Saruhiko, kid. You’ve earned it.”
After a little more chatter, Izuku leaves him to visit his next friend, Hinata. Saruhiko thinks she's just a bitter old woman, but the boy sees goodness in everything.
Chapter 3: Hell Breaks Loose
Summary:
Inko goes to her boy, a villain attacks, Toshinori rubs a child's back, and another villain needs a drink.
Chapter Text
Inko Midoriya II
Tonight is as normal as any night, yet Izuku acts more strangely than ever. To a strangers eye, he may seem as stoic and calm as always, but Inko is no stranger. She is his mother.
He acts like he faced something that shook his entire world. She will not have it. If someone hurt her boy…
Inko clears her throat. Goes to Izuku who currently writes in his notebook. She opens her mouth and speaks.
“Izuku, are-”
A knock on the door interrupts her. Inko looks through the peephole and to her absolute bewilderment, its the Number One Hero himself. She quickly opens the door.
“Hello, Miss.” All Might says. “I am sure you know who I am?”
“Y-yes.” Inko stutters.
“That is good.” All Might gestures to the man standing next to him. An officer, it looks like. “This is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa. We are here only to ask your son a few, simple questions. I assure you, he’s done nothing wrong. May we come in?”
Inko looks to Izuku. He’s just as baffled as she. Inko looks back at All Might.
“O-of course.”
The pair enter and make themselves comfortable. Inko asks if they’d like anything, and they politely decline. Izuku sits down for questioning with Inko right next to him.
“Now, Young Midoriya,” All Might begins. “I am sure, since our first meeting, you understand why we may have a few concerns regarding your-”
That moment, unexpectedly, is when all hell breaks loose.
Strange purple holes appear from thin air across the entire house. All Might stops talking immediately and stands. Through the purple hole closest to Izuku, a person walks out.
The slim individual has white hair and pale skin. Embalmed hands hold on to every part of his body. His very appearance seems unkempt.
Before anyone else can act, the stranger lunges for Izuku.
“Midoriya!” Someone shouts.
Izuku stands up to dodge. The villain reaches to grab him but misses.
And grabs Inko Midoriya instead.
*****
Tomura Shigaraki I
The brat moves out of the way before he can touch him, so Tomura attacks his mother instead.
Five fingers grab her. Decay activates, and her entire chest becomes all but dust in the wind.
That moment, expectedly, is when all hell breaks loose.
Tomura grins. Then he turns and sees All-Fucking-Might lunge for him.
What the hell is he doing here!? Tomura panics mentally.
Kurogiri is the only thing that saves him, his quickly-summoned portal enveloping the punch that would’ve turned Tomura into paste.
Kurogiri does not, however, get the chance to save him from the brat.
Tomura feels it. Not a strike or a punch, but something. He feels a part of his very soul being torn away, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.
Before he even knows what is going on, the pulling stops. And Tomura had never felt more ‘unwhole’ in his entire life.
And then he feels the hit. He doesn't know if its from All Might or the brat, but he feels it.
It’s painless. Not the normal painless where everything is fine, but a kind of delayed painless where the blood and nerves in your body aren’t quick enough to register the injury yet.
All Tomura does know, when he finally registers what just happened, is that he is totally numb and can hardly move. Every bone in his body feels shattered and he struggles to breath. He attempts, with every fiber of his being, to use Decay on the floor.
Strange, he thinks aloofly. It doesn’t activate.
The portals disappear. Kurogiri leaves him, probably out of fear for himself.
Fucking coward, Tomura manages to think before the brat knocks him out with a punch.
*****
Toshinori Yagi II
Tonight did not go as Toshinori had planned. The only intention he and Naomasa had was privately investigating if Izuku Midoriya was connected to All For One.
In a way, they succeeded. He is not.
Toshinori and Naomasa did not wish to bring any unwanted attention to themselves. This was a private investigation, meant to be done without raising suspicion. The fact the villains attacked when they did meant they had no knowledge the two would be there.
The chances this villain is somehow connected to All For One isn’t low.
The lanky villain refused to answer any of Naomasa’s questions, suggesting he knew the detective’s quirk. His quirk, which is kept confidential and secret from the public.
He, and whoever opened those portals, were sent to kill Young Midoriya. Perhaps All For One felt this boy would challenge his power, so he wanted him gone. They must not have known that All Might or Naomasa would be there.
And Toshinori doubts it was the villains intention to kill only the poor boy’s mother.
The poor boy, who remains emotionless and cold when his mothers body is carried away by paramedics. He was stoic when Toshinori first met him, but this is different. This is someone doing their best to restrain the flood of emotions that yearned to pour out.
Toshinori recognized it. He’s felt the same way before in the past.
It is then, Toshinori knew, that Young Midoriya could not be a villain. It was impossible for the hero to picture this kid, who silently mourned his mother privately out of fear of interrupting those around him, as a cruel or viscous person. Let alone as one of All For One’s assets.
So, instead of continuing this investigation, Toshinori chooses instead to comfort the boy. Words of consolation and a hug results in sobbing and a lot of back rubbing.
Always better to let them out, Toshinori thinks as Young Midoriya cries into his chest, then to hold them in.
*****
Kurogiri I
The villain takes a swig of alcohol. He doesn’t drink much, but he felt this warranted a cup. Kurogiri needs to be as calm and collected as possible when dealing with mistakes. Any and all fear must not show. Especially one as big as this.
He’s thankful he isn’t there when it happened. Tomura wore hidden cameras that live streamed footage in his clothing so that Kurogiri would not need to be there.
Losing Decay is one thing. Losing a quirk like Warp Gate is another.
And he’s thankful Tomura has that GPS tracker surgically inserted in his body, so finding and rescuing him is a piece of cake.
They’d been stalking Izuku Midoriya for months. He’s a private teen, admitably good at covering his tracks as to not bring attention to himself. But nobody is infallible. Every now and then, he brought the spotlight a bit too close to him, and that eventually caught the League’s attention.
Which meant it caught Sensei’s attention.
The boy can steal Quirks, but he can also take them from a distance. A quirk, superior to his? That will not stand.
They’d been studying him for months, and this was the first time the boy ever got visited by a high-ranking hero. And it was the symbol of peace himself.
What great timing, Kurogiri thinks to himself bitterly.
And now, thanks to their failure, All Might has the proof he needs to know the boy isn’t Sensei’s. And if he chooses the kid to be his apprentice…
Kurogiri shudders at the thought. Surely, Sensei has the same concerns. The boy needs to be dealt with. Swiftly, safely, and efficiently.
Those monsters the doctor is manufacturing may need to be used sooner rather than later.
And perhaps a few more modifications are necessary in dealing with this threat of a child…
Chapter 4: Someone To Care
Summary:
Ochako loses her mind, Katsuki doesn't understand something, Toshinori calls an old friend, and said-old friend admits a truth.
Chapter Text
Ochako Uraraka III
The day Izuku Midoriya blessed her with a quirk was the day Ochako’s life changed for the better.
He commanded her to push her quirk towards greatness, so she did. Day and night, she improves her quirk through training and strict practice.
It becomes Ochako’s one singular goal: to become powerful enough to become a hero.
Powerful enough to be Izuku’s right-hand woman, she thinks but never says.
Ochako could not lie to herself. Ever since that day, Izuku had become her obsession. Every day, she would think of Him. And every night, she would dream.
There is nothing wrong, Ochako firmly believes, with serving one’s God.
At the expense of what little money she had, the girl built a little shrine in her room dedicated to her generous and benevolent God. She would pray to it, knees and head on the ground with her hands clenched together every day before and after training.
Is she losing her mind to insanity? How far will she go to worship this random stranger? What will people think of her?
Ochako was aware of these…”concerns,” one might have. She also could not find an ounce of care in her for those concerns.
If Izuku is disturbed, she will change. What right does she have to determine how her God wishes to be worshiped? If He commands her to be more devout, she’ll make the holiest of priests look like heretics. If He wishes she be more laid-back, she’ll more than gladly give Him the space He desires.
For now, she has the freedom to revere as she wishes. Izuku is not here to guide her. She has no friends to divert her off this path. And her parents have bigger concerns, like putting food on the table.
Ochako’s only limit to her devoutness is villainy. Izuku did not like villains, so she will not become one. Whenever ill thoughts enter her mind, she reminds herself of that fact.
Izuku’s blessing to her has become something quite powerful. With a touch, she can nullify the gravity of anything, and it will float. Through hardcore training, she learns how to change the mass of things and designate whatever direction they float to. Thanks to her, Zero Gravity becomes something of a powerful telekinetic quirk.
Ochako uses this quirk for work and money, and that work helps strengthen Zero Gravity even more to new levels.
Her parents are, of course, elated to see her with a quirk. She did not tell them God had blessed her with it, only that it just manifested and she was a late bloomer.
She fears they would not believe the truth. God had come down from the Heavens, and their daughter has chosen to dedicate her life in servitude to only Him.
They wouldn’t understand. Perhaps nobody ever will.
*****
Katsuki Bakugou II
Deku is…colder than usual. Less stoic, more distant and emotionless. Like a damn statue.
Katsuki can’t blame him. He heard what happened, and his mom’s crying was a good indication of how serious this is.
He remembers Auntie Inko on the few occasions he met her. He remembers she was kind and peaceful, pretty much a polar opposite to his own mother.
Her death shakes him in a strange way. The kind of “hit” that happens when you hear someone you know, but aren’t close to, pass away unexpectedly.
Since that…night, Deku has been staying at the Bakugou residence for a time. He wasn’t meant to stay for long, of course. Apparently, that other guy intends on finding Deku a foster parent.
That “other guy” being some skinny, tall dude with blonde hair that Katsuki didn’t recognize.
Was he Auntie’s boyfriend or something? Why was he in charge of where Deku went?
In any case, Katsuki is glad the green-haired twat won’t stay forever. He didn’t need a brother, especially not one as shitty as Deku.
“Oh, Izuku,” he hears his mother say. “I’m so sorry about Inko. She was a lovely woman.”
“…Thank you, Auntie.” He then hears shitty, useless Deku say. “Something just feels…missing, without her around.”
“She was my friend, Izuku. I know how you feel.”
Katsuki knows the two are just talking to each other. He knows it means nothing.
Yet…
He doesn't understand why the hag is so gentle and caring with Deku. Even before this, she was always kind specifically to him. She isn’t with him, and she sure as shit wasn’t with Dad when they were still together.
Katsuki didn’t know. And a part of him, the part of him that contains his paranoia and summons all his intrusive thoughts, did not want to know.
In the end, he just coughs it up to his mom having a soft spot for useless idiots and stops thinking about it.
*****
Toshinori Yagi III
It is time to open up to the boy, Toshinori decides. He needs to know.
“Young Midoriya,” he says in his skeletal form, “I believe I need to tell you who did this. You deserve to know.”
He tells the boy of All For One. Who he is, what his quirk is, and why he attacked Midoriya and his mother.
The boy takes it differently than Toshinori expects. Instead of fearing the Demon Lord, Midoriya instead expresses fear of himself.
Thanks to his quirk, All For One managed to rule over Japan as a shadow emperor for over two hundred years, causing mass devastation and immense suffering unheard of before.
And Midoriya has a quirk that is essentially an improved version of that quirk. AFO had to physically touch someone to take their quirk, while Midoriya can take them from a distance.
“These hands…” Midoriya says, looking down at his own, “are capable of so much evil…”
“And they are capable of much good.” Toshinori tells him. “I’ve only known you for less than a week, and I already know you would never commit such atrocities.”
“It’s all still scary. My quirk is…much more terrifying than I thought.”
“Only its potential is scary. I could have been a terribly destructive villain with my quirk, and yet I am the Number One Hero and called the Symbol of Peace. Your quirk, like mine and all quirks, are only a tool. And all tools can be used for good and evil.”
The boy reflects on that. He decides All For One needs to die for all the harm he’s done.
Toshinori agrees.
But ending the Demon Lord was a task for a different day. For today, Young Midoriya needs someone to care for him. Without a mother, or a father, wherever the hell he is, the poor boy has no one.
He may be old enough to take care of himself, skilled enough to work any job, and smart enough to pay bills, but what he lacks is proper guidance.
Toshinori considers asking a hero to foster him.
Eraserhead? With UA work under the sun and hero work under the moon, the insomniac likely did not have enough hours in days to raise a teenager.
Endeavour? The man already has three kids, and Toshinori hasn’t seen him face-to-face in years. Calling him up out of nowhere and asking him to adopt a child would be…awkward, to say the least.
Thirteen? She's always expressed a desire to have children. Although… her quirk seemed somewhat similar to Miss Midoriya’s quirk. Would that be a good thing for Young Midoriya, to have a constant reminder of his late mother?
Likely not, Toshinori thinks.
Of course, there is also the option of adopting the boy himself.
But Toshinori knows this cannot be. He’s too ill-equipped to be a teacher, let alone a parent. He’d need assistance, a helping hand, some kind of support.
…
…he supposes there is someone he can call up to help.
Would Gran kill a teenager, Toshinori thinks, solely because of their quirk?”
*****
Sorahiko Torino I
After a long life filled with action and suspense, Gran believed there was nothing left in the world that could surprise him. He'd seen too much, experienced more in one life than many could in ten. He didn't think he could be taken off guard by someone ever again.
He was wrong.
When not-so-young Yagi calls in after years of ghosting, telling him he found a kid who needs guidance, Gran takes it as a sign that Toshi has finally found his successor.
When Toshi tells him this kid had an improved version of All For One's quirk, however, that was the first time in his life Gran thought shit, maybe I have gone senile because what?
The big doof is quick to tell him that this anomaly of a child isn’t related to the Demon Lord and that Gran should give him a chance. He also tells him the kid is good in the heart and wants to be a hero.
Gran is, of course, familiar with the power of All For One. He was there that day, when the monster killed his best friend, Nana.
It was a shame, really. All For One is, was, the symbol of fear. But if he’d been a hero, he could very well have been the exact opposite. A hero with the ability to take quirks that isn’t totally corrupt? He could have been more celebrated than All Might.
And now, Toshi has apparently found himself a kid that could fit that exact premise. A hero with the power of All For One…
Hmm…
The potential is there, Gran will admit. Yet so is the risk.
“If you still remember where I live, come visit.” Gran tells Toshi over the phone. “And bring the boy. I’d like to meet him as soon as possible.”
Chapter 5: With That Power
Summary:
Mitsuki observes, Katsuki has lunch, Toshinori meets his old friend, and said-old friend witnesses history.
Chapter Text
Mitsuki Bakugou I
The smell of someone cooking something has Mitsuki on guard. Katsuki couldn’t cook for shit, and if someone invaded her home…
She peeps her head into the kitchen. It’s just Izuku.
“What are you doing?” She asks.
He turns to her, a smile on his face. “I wanted to thank you guys for letting me stay here. So, I’m making some sweets for you.”
“You don’t have to thank us, sweetie. You needed a place to stay. We were more than happy to help.
“And I am happy to thank you. And you,” he points to her, “were happy to help me. I don’t think Kacchan’s super thrilled about me being here.”
Mitsuki laughs. “Yeah, he’s always been an angry little shit. He gets it from me.”
Izuku continues to bake. Mitsuki observes him silently.
Broad shoulders and a muscular body. He reminds her of Masaru, in a way. Not the man he became, but the man he was when she first met him.
The man Mitsuki divorced was different than the man she married. He became too eager to please and too weak to protest. He was closer to an obedient dog than a husband, and that was not the kind of man Mitsuki wanted to be married to.
Izuku is meek and kind, yet also determined and strong. The perfect gentleman. He knew how to cook, as evident by his baking, and he seems more mature than other kids his age. He knew how to cook, as evident by his baking, and he seems more mature than other kids his age. His height and muscles were an added bonus.
It made her think of the porn she watches. Milfs being ravaged by young studs, though she’d sooner be dead than ever admit that out loud.
*****
Katsuki Bakugou III
A knock on his bedroom door catches an exercising Katsuki off guard. He stops what he’s doing and answers.
It’s shitty Deku.
“Kacchan,” he says. “I just wanted to let you know I’ll be leaving soon. This is goodbye for now.”
Katsuki snorts. “Good! About damn time you left!”
Deku looks to the side, then back at him. “Also, I wanted to let you know I made some sweets. Cinnamon rolls, for you and for Auntie.”
“…what?”
“I wanted to do something to thank you for letting me stay here. I know cinnamon's the only sweet you like, so…”
Katsuki raises a brow. He can practically see the scent of his favorite sweets all the way from the kitchen.
They smell delicious, though he won’t admit that.
“…you want a thank you, Deku? For making me my lunch?”
“No, this was my way of saying thank you—”
“Piss off!” He yells and slams his door.
Katsuki swears up and down he can hear the tiniest noise of a short chuckle from behind his closed door. The sound makes him want to repeatedly punch a boulder over and over again until it's nothing but rocks.
Later, when Deku is finally out of his house, Katsuki leaves his room and takes one of the cinnamon rolls. He takes one bite.
It’s absolutely delicious.
The hag is also enjoying one, yet unlike him, she has no intentions of hiding what she likes.
“Mm!” She moans in delight. “That man sure knows how to bake!”
Man, Katsuki thinks. Deku’s no man. He’s a wimp.
“I hope he visits us again soon. Did you see how tall he’s gotten? And he was so kind, too!”
“Please,” the boy mutters, “stop talking about Deku.”
Mom’s face turns into a scowl. “Boy, did I ask you? I’ll talk about whoever I damn well want to talk about! Don’t think you have a say in it! If I wanted to talk about Midoriya, or All Might, or the damn prime minister, I’ll talk about them! And you can’t stop me otherwise. If I—”
Kill me, Katsuki thought as his mother continued and he took another bite of his cinnamon roll.
It’s just as delicious as the first bite.
*****
Toshinori Yagi IV
Toshinori did in fact remember where his old master lived. Though the exterior is more “run-down” than memory suggests. Gran was never known for his cleanliness.
Opening the unlocked door, he and Young Midoriya were greeted with the sight of Gran lying in a pool of spilled ketchup. Toshinori is used to such pranks, and Midoriya seems to know Gran is only playing with them.
“Heh,” Gran chuckles when he knows the game is up. He stands. “Already, I can tell he’s smarter than you, Toshi. Get in.”
The pair enters the apartment. Toshinori receives a kick to the face and a scolding about situational awareness.
Young Midoriya appears extremely confused. Toshinori can only sympathize.
After that, the three finally sit and talk.
“Are you aware of what someone with your power is capable of, kid?” Gran asks.
Midoriya nods. “Yes, sir.”
“And you are aware of all the things someone has already done with a power like yours, right?”
“Yes, sir. All Might told me.”
“Some of it or all of it?”
“Only some of it, I think.”
Toshinori steps in. “I only told him a summary of it all. I did not wish to throw it all at once.”
“And what did you not tell him?”
“The thing that would overwhelm him the most.”
Gran ponders for a moment. “Is this kid going to be your…?”
“I’m considering it. He has the potential.”
The kid looks at Toshi and at Gran, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“We’re wondering if it’s a good idea to turn you into a God, kid.”
*****
Sorahiko Torino II
Gran always had his suspicions about One For All. He remembers Nana, and how One For All turned a living kite into a living plane. He remembers Toshi, and how One For All turned a quirkless teen into a modern-day Superman.
Both of them told him the same thing: One For All is a stockpiling quirk. It grows stronger with each wielder, and nobody knows how many wielders there have been or the exact age of the quirk.
Only that All For One unintentionally created it and that it was at least centuries old.
Back when being surprised was more common for Gran, he remembers being shocked by the sheer distance of strength between Nana’s prime and Toshi’s prime.
If it is true One For All grows stronger with each user, as Nana and Toshi had told him, which Gran assumes is so due to the difference of strength between the two, and its current user is already the strongest hero to ever live…
…just how much stronger will its next user be?
Nana Shimura's One For All was like rain. Toshinori Yagi's One For All was like a flood.
What will Izuku Midoriya's One For All be like?
“…but of course, it depends on you.” Toshi says, finishing his explanation of the transferable quirk. “What do you say?”
The kid ponders for a second. Will he hesitate? Gran wonders. He has reasons to decline.
“Yes,” Midoriya says. “I accept.”
Toshi grins. “A quick answer. I expected nothing less.”
Had Midoriya been a more “ill-suited vessel” for One For All, Toshi would have needed to train the boy for months on end for him to become more suitable. But Midoriya is already quite muscular and fit, and such exercise isn’t necessary.
That absolutely did not mean Midoriya won’t go through any training. There’s still much for the boy to learn and sharpen.
Had Toshi not seen Midoriya save that girl from that villain and gift her a quirk afterwards, he likely would have more reservations about giving him One For All.
But Gran sees it in Toshi’s eyes. Midoriya’s desire to save others, to commit as much good as humanly possible, is exactly the kind of thing the Symbol of Peace always wanted in a successor.
“Now…” The blonde gorilla says, plucking a strand of his golden hair and handing it to the kid. Gran holds in a laugh.
“Eat this!”
Midoriya takes the hair without question. Puts it in his mouth and swallows. He stands there, waiting for something that does not occur.
“Okay…what now?” He asks.
“Now,” Gran says with a smirk, “you train.”
Young Midoriya raises his brow, confused by Gran’s expression and sadistic tone. There is only one thing worse than disappointing Gran Torino: impressing him.
And the old hero silently hopes that Izuku Midoriya foolishly makes that horrible, horrible mistake.