Chapter 1: It Started When an Alien Device...
Alright, let's do this one last time. Midoriya Inko took her five year-old child to a doctor for a diagnosis. Most children tended to develop a quirk, a superpower of some kind at about four years of age, and the mother began to worry when her child showed no signs of it a year late. Late bloomers were rather common, but still, she took her little ray of sunshine to a doctor.
Inko was, however, unaware that the local Quirk doctor was, in fact, a villainous quack, who had merely assumed the guise of a kind elderly doctor. Luckily, though at the same time unluckily for her child, he returned the tests with a sigh. "It's not gonna happen, kid. Since both your parents have quirks and you show clear signs of a second toe joint, I can confidently say you are quirkless. It's best to just give up." He said, a hint of malice and disappointment clear in his voice.
In truth, Doctor Garaki Kyudai wanted to turn the little child into one of his experiments; it could at least yield a low-end Nomu. However, his Master was clear that they didn't need any more of those. If the child had had a decent quirk, at least, they could have been of some use, but alas, Dr. Garaki couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Inko stared at the man as he broke the news to her darling child with such cold, cutting words and scowled deeply. "How dare you speak to my baby like that! Do you insult every child that comes to your office like this?" She practically spat at the man, resisting the urge to grab onto the capillaries on his brain and giving them a tug. She pulled her nearly catatonic child into her arms and stormed off.
The drive home had been tense. It was clear that her child was still processing the crushing reveal. They were a very emotional child, much like their mother, so the fact that they barely seemed to emote at all was very concerning for Inko. As they arrived at their modest apartment, Inko tried to cheer her baby with their favourite All Might video. However, instead of laughing along in the cutely excited manner she was used to, They looked to be on the edge of breaking down in tears.
"Mama… Can I still be a hero like All Might? Even if I'm quirkless?" Their voice was small and seemed to be holding back tears. Inko hugged her child tightly, nuzzling them a bit.
In another universe, Inko would crush her child's dream even further, but in this particular corner of the multiverse, she looked at her child, on the verge of tears, and said something that would change her baby's life. "Oh, Izu. You CAN be a hero. Maybe not like All Might, but I am sure you'll be a great hero!"
With those words, a weight lifted from both of them, as they embraced even tighter and began filling the room with tears. "Thanks Mama… I love you so much."
Inko smiled softly, pulling back a bit. "I love you more, my little Stardrop." The child giggled cutely as she tickled them slightly. Soon the toddler became tired and was quickly put to bed. Inko stayed with them the whole time, comforting them and their worries.
The first question her husband had when he'd arrived had naturally been about their child's quirk, and to say he was displeased at the results was an understatement. His reaction had been the last straw for Inko. Their marriage had been straining her patience for a while. The fact that he'd demanded she give up on her very fulfilling career to be a housewife when she became pregnant was the first in a series of events that made her resentful of the man. However, she held back, for her darling child's sake.
Now, however, she knew she wouldn't allow this man near her baby again. "Get out." Was all she said. He made to protest, but was quickly interrupted by a pressure inside his skull as Inko used her quirk directly on him, repeating the same two words. Thoroughly cowed, Akatani Hisashi left, muttering expletives as he did. Inko immediately began filing for divorce.
In the late hours of the night, she picked up the phone. It was high time she went back to her old post. The phone rang twice before a soft, slightly squeaky voice came through. "Good evening. Am I a dog, a mouse, a bear? What's important is I'm Nezu, Dean of UA. It's quite late, who is this?" She smiled slightly.
"We need to talk, Chimaera." She heard a cackle on the other side of the line.
"Akatani-kun, to what do I owe this pleasure? I believed you had retired for good." Nezu smiled at the unexpected call.
"It's Midoriya again, Nezu. He's out of the picture now. I was a fool to stay with that man for so long. If I may be so bold, might I be able to return to my old post?" Her voice had a bit of an edge to it, which made Nezu chuckle again.
"Of course, Midoriya-kun. I'd be more than happy to have you back. Though, I believe you have a young child. Will they be alright? Also, I'm sorry for your marriage not working out."
Inko grimaced slightly. "Don't be, Nezu. Good riddance to bad rubbish. My baby will be fine, though I would like to request some flexibility with my hours. I'm afraid I can't be pulling too many night shifts or long trips for a few years."
Nezu chuckled. "Very well. Welcome back, Commander. Though I do have a favour to ask as a condition."
---
The next several years were good for the Midoriyas, at least on the surface. Inko promised to train her child once they got older, which made them excited. However, for the young Midoriya, things began to change after the diagnosis. Their friends turned on them, the school began to neglect them, and their own body began to feel gross. They were a smart child, and also noticed their father wouldn't be coming back. However, the love and support they had from their mother was enough to make them not feel like the worthless waste of space their childhood friend turned bully Bakugou Katsuki said they were.
Inko noticed her child becoming more withdrawn in the years that followed their new situation. However, when she would try to reach out, they would cut her off. Still, she did what she could to make sure they were loved and cared for, and told her not too subtly that if anyone was giving them a hard time, they could come to her. However, she didn't notice immediately that the son of her best friend and childhood friend of her baby was the source of most of the pain they felt.
When the young Midoriya turned 10, training began in earnest. Before then, the most they would do was a light jog. Now that they had grown a bit, they could begin doing a more intense routine, though holding off on actual strength training, so as to not hamper their growth.
Inko was thriving in her job, and had easily gotten permission to have the late afternoon off as long as she went back for the night shift. She was well on her way to becoming Magister at that point. High Protector Nezu had always had a bit of a soft spot for her, which certainly didn't hurt.
As the young Midoriya trained and developed their body, however, instead of gaining a bit of confidence, they only became more withdrawn, often looking like they wanted to say something. Inko felt her heart break a little with every skittish movement, every downcast gaze, and the fact that they wouldn't let her in so she could help.
When her child was twelve, however, she finally discovered what was wrong, or, at least, part of it. The first signs were rather obvious in hindsight. The baggy clothes, the distaste for looking at the mirror, the fact they preferred to grow out their hair, the odd look in their eyes when looking at women, the general discomfort with their own body. Yet it only clicked on the day her child asked her the question. "Mum… Do I have to be… Do I have to be a boy? I… it's just that…" They struggled to find the right words, but Inko already had a feeling as to what they, what she would say next. "What if I wanted to be a girl?"
Inko hugged her daughter. "Sweetie, thank you for telling me. Of course you can be a girl, baby. You can be a hero, even without a quirk, and you can be a girl, even though you were born as a boy." That day, Midoriya Izumi was born, with the widest and purest smile on her face, and they both cried profusely, drowning in love and happiness. "But you'll have to be twice as strong now. There will be many challenges in your way, and I'll be here every step of the way."
The next few years, they began preparing for the eventual transition. Izumi trained every day now, as she entered middle school. The bullying never stopped, but Izumi began steeling her heart to it. Her hobby of analysing quirks only got more interesting to her as she aged, encouraged by her mother. "You will always be fighting against the odds, so you need to learn to fight smart."
A new source of worry for her mother were the occasional cuts and bruises she noticed on her daughter, which she tried to play off as clumsiness, when Inko knew full well how dexterous Izumi was due to her training. Still, she held off on confronting her, which she would later come to regret. 'She has Katsuki looking out for her, at least…'
Things got worse for Izumi when she entered high school at Aldera. That's when she began publicly presenting as a girl, and with her already harsh treatment due to her quirklessness, being trans only made it worse. Still, remembering her mother's words, she tried to stay strong, despite the constant attempts to put her down, mostly by Bakugou. She finally managed to admit to herself that they weren't friends, and that changed her outlook on things.
She couldn't retaliate against him, since he could get away with anything, and she was punished for even minor transgressions. The constant misgendering by both staff and students, the graffiti on her desk, the spider lilies, she steeled her heart and her anger, knowing it was useless, and wanting to be strong for her mother's sake. Her training only became more intense, and she was, in a way, working against the hormones to maintain her muscle mass. Still, it proved to have results and Izumi began to wonder how her mother, a government worker, had so much knowledge of physical training. 'Was she in the army or something?'
She fought through the pain of her nearly daily beatings, and the terrible remarks said to her. Every burn mark was proof she had survived another day, and had gotten stronger. Still, her mother was beginning to realise that her words to her daughter were doing more harm than good, and that she was clearly being bullied, but smiled through it all as if trying to prove her strength. With Inko, she was a cheerful and confident teenager, but with other adults and children her age, she became shy and withdrawn, and it made Inko very concerned. Still, her attempts to reach out were ignored.
It all came to a head at Izumi's third year of high school. On the first day, the teacher had handed them career forms, which she had filled out honestly, which proved to be a mistake. At the end of the week, her homeroom teacher came into the class with their forms, giving a spiel about how they needed to think about the future, but throwing the papers to the air, letting them shower over his desk, claiming that he already knew they all wanted to be heroes.
The class erupted in cheers, showcasing their quirks. 'Do they really not know about public quirk usage laws? Are they idiots?' Izumi bit back her words, knowing she had the tendency to mutter. Bakugou, of course, growled at all of them, saying he was on an entirely other level than the 'extras' in the class and that he would be the only one from their school to actually make it into UA, to surpass All Might and become the richest hero. Izumi clenched her fist as the rest seemed to agree with him. 'Seriously? They fucking worship the ground he walks on.' Despite her otherwise caring nature, she held no love for these people.
"Oh, and it seems Midoriya also applied to UA." She cringed as the class turned their attention to her, their eyes full of contempt and derision as they began laughing at her face.
"As if that quirkless freak could even last more than 5 seconds."
"Get real, THAT Midoriya?"
"The freak pretends to be a girl and now he wants to pretend he can be a hero!"
She ignored the comments, standing straight, yet she locked eyes with a growling Bakugou. "DEKU…" His voice was low, but everyone looked at her with mirth at the prospect of seeing her getting the shit kicked out of her by their golden child, even the teacher.
As classes ended, Izumi bolted, applying the stealth training her mother had given her. The girl had early on decided that she would try to become an underground hero, since her lack of an offensive quirk was less of a handicap in that line of work, and her mother had trained her accordingly, focusing on stealth, agility, and swift and decisive takedowns. Again, Izumi wondered where the hell her mother had learned all that. 'Was she a vigilante? No way.'
Still, it seemed her escape wasn't perfect.
She found herself cornered by Bakugou as soon as she slowed down and began walking with her notebook in hand. A long fingered hand reached over her shoulder and attempted to pull her notebook. She, however, saw it coming and grabbed her assailant's wrist, and turned around to see her main tormentor and his entourage of sycophants. "That wasn't very nice, you know." Her voice was cold as she looked at her surroundings. No teachers were around, obviously, so she might get away with fighting back.
"The fuck do you think you're doing, t---- freak?!" Long-fingers wrenched himself from her grip, though she just let him go with little resistance.
"Where do you get off, looking down on me, you shitty Deku." Bakugou sneered. "You're still pretending you can be a hero? You're nothing but a useless, quirkless freak." Izumi tensed, pulling her notebook away. "I'm destined for greatness, and I'm not gonna let you ruin my perfect backstory. From humble beginnings, I will be the only one from this shitty school who'll get into UA and become the number one hero!" Izumi shivered. As she was now, she couldn't beat him. Not without her contingencies. She cursed herself for forgetting to bring her bottle of neutralising agent.
The fact she managed to dodge the first two explosive punches only made her eventual defeat harder on her. Outnumbered, she managed to succumb to blindsiding as her vision was obscured by the smoke and she took a hit to the side of her head, which threw her off balance. In moments, she was curled up on the ground, one of the flunkies deciding to spit at her. "Fucking freak." She held back her tears as she saw the grins on their faces.
"Do something smart for once, Deku, and stay down like the worm you are." Bakugou turned around, directing his flunkies to follow him. At least her notebook was intact. She saw the blond scowl at her from over his shoulder. "If you really want to be a hero, I have some advice for you. Just take a swan dive off a roof and pray for a quirk in the next life." She stared at his back in shock. For the first time since she began training, she felt the horrible crippling weight of doubt crushing her.
She managed to pick herself off the ground and trudge along to an underpass, where she began to dress her wounds and change out of her tattered uniform. Hopefully she could mend them again without her mother noticing. On the other side of town, a few minutes ago, a sludge-like villain ran after robbing a convenience store, pursued by All Might.
The sludge villain emerged from the sewers in the same underpass where Izumi tended her wounds. "Oh, lookee here, a meatsuit that's already all beat up. What a nice surprise. It's practically free real estate." Izumi barely had time to react before she had to jump out of the way of its tentacles. "Come on, you bitch, the more you fight, the worse it'll get for you." Izumi couldn't evade all of the slimy tendrils in time, and soon found herself drowning in sludge, a hand over her mouth and nose trying to keep the slime out of her body. "Come on! Just let me kill you already!"
"Sorry it took me so long. These sewers are a labyrinth! Have no fear, young lady, for I AM HERE!" Izumi, barely clinging on to consciousness, heard the voice of the hero she idolised, All Might, the Symbol of Peace. "Your terror spree is over, villain!" His declaration made the sludge panic. "DETROIT SMASH!"
"All Might?! Damn you, you motherf-" The sheer wind pressure created by the hero's punch was enough to completely disperse the villain, who All Might quickly collected inside of a soda bottle he found on the ground.
The hero then looked at the unconscious child on the ground and the notebook she had in her hands. 'Or, at least, I think she's a girl. She is wearing a boy's uniform, though.' He picked up the notebook and flipped through the pages. 'Jeez, this kid's a real hero nerd. I mean, even I don't remember some of these fights. And her analysis of strengths and weaknesses, her dissection of fighting styles… Borderline scary. At least it seems like she wants to be a hero. Does she have a sort of Analysis Quirk?'
He then looked at the girl properly. Indeed, by the shape of her body, it was clear she was a girl. A closer look, however, revealed bruised skin. 'Damn, I was too late, that villain did a number on her.' But something he saw under the tattered holes of her uniform made him reconsider his assessment. "Are those… scars?" He took a closer look. 'Burns… cuts… old bruises. Her uniform clearly wasn't destroyed by just this villain.' People usually thought of him as a bit of an oaf, and he could admit his strategic mind was rather lacking, but All Might was more observant than he let on.
Izumi woke up with a start, seeing a blurry image looming over her. Her mind was immediately filled with adrenaline from the last events she remembered, and her first instinct was to throw a punch. Upon properly opening her eyes, she saw her fist embedded into All Might's cheek. "You got a mean right cross, young lady!" He laughed.
She let out a yelp and instantly jumped away, dropping into a prostrating bow. "Oh my god, All Might, I'm so sorry! Y-you saved me and I just went out and punched you!" She begged for forgiveness until she heard him laughing without a care.
"No need to apologise! I'm just glad to see you're still with us. If you had stayed passed out for a little longer, I'd have had to slap you awake, HAHAHA." Izumi was too awestruck to think critically about what All Might had just said.
"Oh! Thank you so much for saving me!" She said with a bow. "Actually, can I get your autograph?" She reached for her notebook, panicking slightly as she noticed it was missing.
"Already done, young Midoriya." He said, having read her name on the cover of 'Hero Analysis for the Future, Vol. 21.' "Actually, this is pretty impressive. You have quite the intelligence quirk, it seems." His praise was nearly overwhelming, until he uttered that last part.
"Thank you, All Might, sir… But I, uh, I don't actually have an intelligence quirk." He raised an eyebrow, even more impressed by the quality of this high-schooler's analysis. "I'm quirkless." Izumi looked down. The praise had made her feel so good, coming from All Might of all people, and now, she needed to ask the question she promised she'd ask if she ever met him. It was now or never. "I've always wanted to ask… Can someone like me become a hero? Can I become a hero without a quirk?" Tears were forming in her eyes, and she kept her gaze lowered, her knuckles white from gripping her notebook like a lifeline.
She saw a cloud of smoke surrounding All Might and looked up to see that a lanky skeleton had replaced the hero. "A-All Might?! No… It can't be. What happened to you?" The man resembled the hero just enough that she could still see they were the same person, but the difference was staggering.
"Quite a grim sight, isn't it. I'm surprised you even recognize me. Yes… I guess it's a big shock to see me like this, young Midoriya." The first thing she noticed was the lack of a smile… To see her idol, the ever-smiling hero, looking so defeated, hunched over and coughing, it hurt her. "You see, five years ago, I received a nasty wound from a villain." He lifted his loose shirt, showing a massive gaping hole on his left side.
Izumi's eyes widened as she sputtered. "W-w-what!? Toxic Chainsaw did that? You barely looked scratched!"
All Might sighed. "No, that whelp couldn't even land a proper hit. No, this villain was something else entirely. The fight wasn't televised, and the HPSC covered it up. It was the hardest fight of my life… I barely survived. I lost my stomach and my respiratory system was permanently damaged, and it put me on a time limit… I can barely maintain my Buff form for more than three and a half hours, and it keeps decreasing." The weight of his words hit her like a truck.
She paled. "It all makes sense now… I had noticed a slow decline in your patrols in the last year… and that time you spent at I-Island… I swear, I'll take this secret to the grave. If anyone were to know… It would be chaos…" Izumi bowed again. Then, upon realising something, she panicked. "Wait, what about the sludge villain?! Can't he see you like this?"
"Don't worry, young Midoriya. While I was waiting for you to wake up, I passed him along to another hero." She let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. "Now, about your question…" Izumi once again felt her breathing stop. "Your analysis is impressive, on par with or even surpassing some high-rate professionals." He paused, and she felt her stomach lurch as he did. "However, I feel that it would put you at grave risk–"
He was about to say that she couldn't be a hero, but he was stopped by a mirage behind her. A vision of his master, Shimura Nana. "Toshi, so help me god if you crush this young girl's dream I will fight you from beyond the grave! Weren't you a quirkless child once? You know what it's like! You saw how many scars she has!" He felt his heart stop for a moment. Had he really fallen so far that he would crush a child's dream? "Toshi, we feel drawn to the child, like my predecessors felt drawn to you… This girl may be the ninth."
His eyes seemed to look right past Izumi, as she furrowed her brows. 'The ninth?' All might mouthed. 'Do the predecessors also choose the next wielder of One for All?' Izumi looked at her speechless idol until he finally snapped out of it. "Oh, young Midoriya, sorry, got lost in some self reflection. Forget what I was going to say… I feel my answer should be more nuanced." He walked over to Izumi, placing a hand on her shoulder and dusting it slightly. "Come, let's talk while I guide you home. Your parents must be worried." He smiled softly, Izumi replying in kind, feeling safe with her idol, despite his state. "Now, I must ask, why do you want to be a hero?"
Izumi was about to answer, a heartfelt speech that she knew from the moment she could think. However, their conversation was stopped by a nearby explosion. Izumi flinched for a moment, before she began running towards it, alongside All Might. As they ran, she looked at him, still a skeleton. "Why haven't you buffed up? You could get there in a second."
His knuckles were white with anger. "I already went over my limit… Forcing it would only make it decrease faster… I…" His words failed him as they arrived at a straight shopping street, the smoke of the burning buildings rising to cover the otherwise clear skies. Izumi recognized the heroes on the scene. The police and the newbie, Mt. Lady were doing crowd control, and the latter was taking people from the burning building. Backdraft was trying to put out the fire. Kamui Woods was trying, and failing, to reach the villain, but the flames were severely hindering him. Death Arms, the last hero on the scene, was just standing around, cursing.
Taking a closer look, the duo saw that the villain was the very same All Might had captured. "The sludge villain? But how?!" Izumi shouted, upset that the villain that had almost killed her was free.
All Might scratched his chin, cursing under his breath. "I… have no idea… but how did he set all these fires-"
Another explosion burst suddenly. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME YOU SLIMY PIECE OF-" The villain had a hostage, and was using his quirk to set off the explosions. Izumi's eyes widened.
"KACCHAN!" Years of abuse and bullying were forgotten for a moment. All she saw was her childhood friend, afraid and fighting for his life. All Might tried to stop her, but he couldn't react fast enough as she bolted. When her brain caught up with her body, she had breached the barricade. The heroes were all shouting for her to get back, but she couldn't even hear them.
'She knows the hostage! And they're both gonna die, because I'm too weak. I'm pathetic.' All Might's knuckles were white as he shook with frustration.
Bakugou Katsuki saw the girl he had beaten up earlier rushing up to him. 'Deku! What the fuck are you doing! You're only gonna get your ass killed!' He saw the girl's grip on their bag tighten. 'Isn't that what I told her to do, though?' He closed his eyes, the lack of oxygen getting to him. 'I guess I deserve this… fucking karma.'
All Might saw as Izumi jumped and slammed her bag onto the villain's eyes, seeming to do some real damage to him. 'His eyes are solid?! How did she know? One look and she figured out its weakness.' A smile crept up his face. He understood now.
"Damn bitch! Didn't I finish you off already?" The villain reeled, blinded for a moment, before he felt a tug.
Bakugou was free from his slimy prison. He opened his eyes and saw her, smiling defiantly at the villain. "The hell are you doing, Deku?"
She looked at him briefly and her smile dropped a bit. "You were dying, Bakugou. Even after all you've put me through, I couldn't let anyone die if I could do something about it." The words felt like they struck the explosive blond. "Now, blow this bastard to kingdom come!"
His eye twitched as he raised his free hand. "Don't tell me what to do, damn Deku!" With an explosion and a strong pull, he was free, and the villain was enraged. The two prone teens braced for impact, but it never came.
Looking up, they saw All Might's towering figure. "Letting children do my work for me… How I have fallen." The villain panicked as he saw the giant holding him back. "You won't escape me again, villain! DETROIT SMASH!" In a flash, the villain was dispersed by a gust of wind.
The crowd went wild, and in a moment a few drops of rain began to fall on a previously sunny day. "He- He changed the weather with a punch!" Death Arms, who'd done nothing for the entire fight, stated, awestruck.
All Might looked at the two, seeing the blond teen dumbfounded. "Young man, are you okay?" He frowned at the lack of response. "Seems like you've had quite the shock. These heroes can take you to the ambulance." His voice was projected well enough that the other heroes got his message and ran over to help Bakugou.
The Symbol of Peace then turned to Izumi, smiling at the girl and pulling her up. "Now, I believe we have much to discuss, don't you?" He turned to the press that was already swarming him. "Sorry, no time for interviews. I need to talk to this young lady who helped save the day." Quickly shutting them down, he guided Izumi through the crowd, past the barricade.
As soon as they were out of sight, he shrunk back to a skeleton. Izumi's dread had been mounting, expecting to be told off by her idol. "Damn, I overdid it… but it was worth it, in the end." He coughed up blood.
"All Might… So your limit is even lower, now… I'm sorry. If it wasn't for me running in-" She was interrupted by him twisting her towards him and looking her straight in the eyes.
"If it weren't for you, that boy would be dead." His baritone voice made her hair stand on edge. "You asked me if you could be a hero. Well, in my eyes, you already are one. But I still need to ask. Why do you want to be a hero? What led you to run off like that?"
Izumi held back tears. All Might had called her a hero. 'This is the best day of my life!' She recomposed herself after a moment. "It's all I ever dreamed of. To save people with a smile on my face. I want to be a Symbol, like you. When people see me, I want them to feel safe. No matter what happens, I want to inspire hope. So that-" Her eyes began pooling with tears. "So that nobody has to feel like I do."
All Might knew, then. She was worthy of his power. A pure heart and a determined soul. Even as she cried, he could see her spark. "Young Midoriya. Many heroes have one thing in common. A moment. When the chips are down, when lives are on the line, they feel their body move on its own. That's what you did, wasn't it?" The crying girl held eye contact, before shakily nodding. "Indeed. I see you have the true spirit of a hero. Young Midoriya, you are worthy. Become my successor and inherit my power!"
There was a moment of absolute stillness. No sound, no wind, as Izumi just looked at her hero in sheer bafflement. "WHAT?!" She yelled. "Inherit your power? What the heck does that mean?!" She managed to say in a hushed tone.
"My power was not originally mine. In fact, once upon a time, I was a quirkless teen, much like yourself." Izumi blanched. It all felt so surreal, she could hardly believe what he was saying. "Then I met my master, who trained me to receive my quirk. One for All." Izumi mouthed the quirk's name, the hero's revelation seeping in. "A sacred torch, passed from generation to generation from the dawn of quirks. One user refines the power and passes it on. We have decided. I am the Eighth, and I'll train you to be the Ninth."
'The ninth… A quirk that can be passed on…' She felt the weight of his words on her shoulders. She would undertake a sacred obligation, to maintain the peace in her hero's stead. Still, it didn't burden her, much the opposite. She felt the fire inside her roar as she looked at her new master. "I'll do it, All Might. I will be the Ninth."
All Might beamed as he began to guide her down the street. "Well, then, let's get you home, my girl. Your parents must be worried." Izumi paused, her neck swivelling to All Might.
"Oh, no. Mom." She cursed internally as he looked at her in confusion. "She's been training me since I was 10… and she's really overprotective. I'm sorry to ask this, but-"
All might chuckled. "I understand, young Midoriya. I think we should tell her as well. And some other things too." Izumi looked confused at that statement. "Now, young lady, how about you tell me why you're covered in scars." Izumi shivered.
—
All Might pounded his fist against a wall as Izumi finished telling him everything. Despite her initial reluctance, once she got started, she found she couldn't stop. A reassuring hand on her shoulder being the only thing keeping her from breaking down. "Those bastards. I swear, my girl, they won't get away with this!" The skeleton huffed. "Still… to think you still saved that… that ruffian after everything he's done to you. You really are one of a kind." She blushed at his praise.
"I understand why you kept it from your mother. I don't agree with it, but I understand your reasoning. If what you say is true, then the entire school district is corrupt… But you need to tell her, do you understand, young Midoriya?"
She nodded shyly. "Yes, All Might. Thank you." Every sentence of her tale had hurt to say, especially the events of that day.
"Please, when I'm like this, just call me by my real name. Yagi Toshinori. I know it can be a bit of a handful, so Toshi is fine too." Izumi sputtered. Calling All Might by his real name was already a lot, but a nickname was too much for the teenager.
"I think I'll stick with Yagi-sensei, for now."
They arrived at the Forest Moon apartment complex, Izumi hesitated before opening the door, only to be struck by a green torpedo as soon as she did. "My baby! I've been worried sick! As soon as I saw the news, I came home. Thank goodness you're all right!" Inko looked at her daughter with teary eyes. "I was so scared when I saw you rush in. But at the same time… I was so proud! The way you moved, how you managed to save Katsuki from that villain. I was-" She then noticed they weren't alone.
Inko narrowed her eyes at the unknown man. A skeleton-like figure, seeming just about ready to keel over. Her demeanour changed immediately as she placed herself between the stranger and her daughter. She stared him down for a moment, seemingly dissecting him with her eyes. Then, it hit her. Her eyes widened and she pulled back slightly. "All Might? No… It can't be."
Toshinori sighed. 'Damn, how did they catch on so fast? Nobody but him noticed before I told them.' "Indeed, Mrs. Midoriya. I am All Might. I received a rather nasty wound some time ago. But that's beside the point. I wanted to talk to you about an offer I made to your daughter." She looked at him sceptically.
"Well, do come in, then." Inko tenderly grabbed her daughter's shoulder, revelling in her child's smile. They settled on the living room, where Toshinori began the first part of what would certainly be a long talk.
"So, I guess I should first start by saying that your daughter is incredibly brave. She reminded me of why I became a hero in the first place. Even without a quirk, she would make a fine hero." All Might stated. Inko let her guard down ever so slightly. "However, our meeting has put us in a unique position. You see, I wish to offer your daughter my quirk. I want her to be my successor."
Inko immediately bristled. She'd heard of a man who could take and give quirks. An evil demon who had ruled the japanese underground. What All Might had implied… "What do you mean, give her your quirk?" She slowly primed her hand and quirk, ready to deal out a lethal strike if needed.
All Might grimaced slightly. "Well, this story goes back to the dawn of quirks." He stated, not at all easing the mother's worries. "A story of two brothers. One was quirkless, the other had the extraordinary ability to give and take quirks." Izumi gasped, while Inko just looked at the hero suspiciously. "The older brother grew mad with power, and began a crusade to take over Japan, a goal which his younger, powerless and sickly brother opposed. The name of this villain was lost to history. Now he is only known as All for One" He looked at his successor solemnly, Izumi mouthing the words as understanding dawned on her, and Inko began to truly wonder what this story was actually about. She knew of All for One, the boogeyman, but his brother? She had never heard of him.
"To bring him to heel, the older brother forced a power stockpiling quirk on his younger sibling, and locked him away when he continued to rebel. It was then that the younger brother discovered that he did indeed have a quirk. A hidden, seemingly useless quirk which simply had the ability to pass itself along, but only if the user intends to do so." He said, and Inko widened her eyes. "The two quirks, Power Stockpile and Transfer merged to become something new: One for All. The antithesis to All for One." Toshinori sighed, looking pensive.
"I was born quirkless, much like young Midoriya." Inko once again stared in disbelief at the man. "When I was about her age, I was given One for All by my mentor, and tasked with the sacred duty of defeating All for One… after he killed her." Tears began pooling in his eyes, before he shook himself out of it. All Might pulled his shirt up and showed Inko his nasty scar. "A duty I completed, at great cost. Before… before I killed him, he dealt a fatal blow to me. He taunted me with the memory of my master, and while I was blinded by my anger, he struck. Now, my body is failing me more and more, and I tasked myself with finding a successor to carry on the legacy of One for All." He looked at Izumi and finally smiled, the first time he did so since beginning his explanation. "That's where Izumi comes in. We wanted to ask for your permission, so I can train her to accept my power. With how she is now, I fear she wouldn't be able to contain the sheer strength of One for All. I want to make sure she can handle it with as little backlash as possible."
Inko had to admit she was moved by his story, and the fact that he had offered such a power to her daughter… "I understand, All Might. Thank you for trusting me with this secret. I shall take it with me to the grave."
Toshinori chuckled slightly. "Young Midoriya actually said the same thing earlier, when she found out about my state. Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya."
"Actually, it's Miss Midoriya, if you don't mind."
Toshinori corrected himself. "Indeed, Miss Midoriya, then. Feel free to call me Yagi or Toshinori when I'm like this." He offered his name, earning a nod. "Still, I believe young Midoriya has something to tell you as well."
Inko looked at her daughter, raising an eyebrow, though the feeling of dread in her stomach from the way Izumi looked at her told her that whatever it was she was about to hear, it wouldn't be pleasant. By the end of it all, her knuckles were white as she pushed down her anger. She was livid, at the school, at Katsuki, and most of all at herself for not having dug deeper at the signs she had already seen. "All this time… and I didn't worry because I thought he was at least looking out for you… I'm a terrible mother!"
Izumi embraced her mother tightly, bawling. "Mom, I'm so sorry I kept this from you… I just wanted to be strong… to not let it bring me down… but it hurt. It hurt so much." Izumi felt her mother's nails digging into her skin slightly as she hugged her tightly.
"My baby… thank you for telling me… I will do whatever I can to help you. I… I think I can call for a favour. Just… give me a minute." She recomposed herself and stepped out of the room, looking at her phone intently.
Izumi and Toshinori looked at each other, slightly confused as they heard a muffled conversation. In a few moments, she came back, slightly more at ease. She smiled at the two of them. "So, I think I managed to figure out an arrangement of sorts. It… actually moves some of my plans forward a little… Still, it should give you two more time to train, and allow Izumi to safely complete her education."
Izumi looked at her mother, confused. "Mom? Who did you call? What did you… 'arrange'?" 'What are those plans of yours, mom?' She managed not to mumble the last question.
"In due time. Sadly, I won't be able to pull you out of Aldera right away. A week, two at the latest… I'm sorry for not transferring you sooner." She looked at her daughter, her eyes downcast. "So, how about some katsudon?"
Izumi's mood instantly went up. "Actually, if you don't mind… I can't eat anything solid…" Toshinori admitted.
"I'll have some miso soup ready for you, then, Mr. Yagi."
Yagi nodded, smiling. He waited for Izumi to leave to take off her tattered uniform and get herself cleaned up. "To be frank, after what Izumi told me, I was wondering if I could contact some associates of mine… To help out with her situation." He offered.
She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Associates? If you weren't the number one hero, I'd be suspicious. Still. I have my own plan to deal with that place. However, give those associates of yours a call. Who knows?" He nodded, taking his phone and taking a few steps out of the apartment.
He listened closely to the ringing until the line connected. "Nao, my old friend. I need your help. It's… a rather sensitive case." He spoke hushedly.
The police detective on the other end of the line sighed. "Good to hear from you too, Toshi." Tsukauchi Naomasa said, sardonically. "What is it? Is it about that sludge villain incident? Is it… you know… about that?"
Toshinori hesitated for a moment. "A little bit of both… It's better if we talk privately. I'm currently at Forest Moon apartments, Apartment 12 on Endooru street. How fast can you be here?"
There was some scribbling on the other end of the line. "Shouldn't take too long. I'll see you soon."
The line disconnected and Toshinori looked at the next number he was set to dial. He hesitated. 'Should I really get him involved? It's asking for trouble…' He steeled his heart and did so anyway. 'Time to make a deal with the devil.'
In an immaculate office, overlooking the whole city, a small furry animal looked at his phone with a smirk. "Another phone call, so soon? And from him, no less. My, how intriguing." Nezu connected the line, grinning cheerfully. "Hello, this is Nezu speaking. To what do I owe this pleasure, All Might-kun."
Toshinori coughed slightly. "Well, uh, Nezu, sir. I believe I have something that might interest you." He was intentionally vague. The less he revealed to the rat, in his mind, the better.
"Ah, yes, Midoriya Izumi, is it?" Toshinori spat out blood. "I am familiar with the girl, though we've never met. It's funny how small this universe of ours can be." He felt a shiver go up his spine.
"How?" Was all Toshinori could ask.
"You know me, All Might, very little goes on without me knowing. Doubly so for things happening in my backyard."
Toshinori felt the urge to facepalm. "I suppose I don't even have to tell you the address."
"You know me." The furry animal cackled, his manic laughter remaining until Toshinori hung up with a huff.
In about half an hour, there was a knock at the door. Inko left Toshinori and Izumi in the living room to answer. She looked down almost by instinct, looking slightly surprised by her boss standing at her doorstep, along with an unfamiliar detective and a short person with blue hair thatw spiralled from the top of their head and eyes that looked like black holes.
Inko smiled softly at the familiar faces, and looked slightly warily at the detective, who seemed to take that as a queue to introduce himself. "Good evening, ma'am. I'm Detective Tsukauchi with Musutafu PD. I was contacted by All Might to assist in a case. These are-"
"No need for introductions Tsukauchi-kun. Midoriya-kun here already knows us." Nezu's interruption caught him off guard, but he managed to steel his shocked expression.
"Ah, uh, very well. May we enter… Mrs. Midoriya, was it?" Tsukauchi evaluated the woman, wondering how an otherwise unassuming housewife could have met Nezu and Thirteen.
"Miss, actually, detective. And please, do come in. I have some tea brewing already." She corrected in an even tone, though he barely noticed the gaze she threw towards Thirteen. She led them towards the living room, where, upon setting eyes on the furry white creature, Izumi's eyes seemed to sparkle.
"Good evening! Am I a dog? A mouse? A bear?" Nezu began his practised introduction.
"You're Nezu! The UA principal! I saw you in a press conference!" This seemed to surprise everyone in the room save for Inko and Nezu himself. The last time he'd appeared in a press conference himself, instead of pawning it off on someone else was over ten years ago. He liked keeping the mystery surrounding his identity.
The chimaera cackled for a moment, before regaining his composure. "Ah, yes, I've heard of your prodigious memory, Midoriya-chan." Izumi seemed surprised that the prestigious principal of UA knew of her.
"Y-y-you've heard of me, Sir?" She squeaked, much to his amusement.
"Ah, yes, we'll get you caught up, in due time. But I believe it is you two who have a story to tell us today, isn't it?" And so they did. Over tea and biscuits. All Might told them of his choice in successor, after both Nezu and Inko vouched for Kurose Anan, who Izumi looked at as if they were a puzzle.
After that tale was done, Izumi then told the three newcomers what had been going on at Aldera, which surprised Tsukauchi and Anan, but not Nezu, who just kept grinning, though they could feel his predatory aura become stronger with every passing second.
Over the course of her retelling, Izumi kept her attention on the two strangers, trying to dissect just who they were. The detective was easier. She knew from the way he reacted that he could tell she was being truthful. While Anan had eventually doubted some of the more outrageous points, Tsukauchi had just been shocked, taking them to be true at face value. For a detective, that struck Izumi as strange.
"If you don't mind, detective Tsukauchi, do you happen to have a lie detection quirk?" The room was silent at her question. Toshinori, Tsukauchi and Anan looked at her in disbelief, while Nezu's grin only widened, along with her mother's.
"A wondrous deduction, Midoriya-chan. May I ask what brought you to that conclusion?" Nezu seemed eager to watch her mind at work.
"Well, when I told my story, even to All Might, there seemed to be the slightest bit of doubt in your expressions. And almost immediately you seemed to look at him. He never once doubted me, which is strange for a detective. So I took a guess. Though I can't really tell much more than that." Izumi explained, her usual jitteriness disappearing when she began describing her thoughts rapidly.
Nezu looked at Toshinori amusedly. "A wonderful successor you have chosen, All Might-kun." He then locked gazes with Izumi once again. "Wonderful indeed. Pray tell, do you have any other deductions you'd like to share?"
Izumi hesitated for a moment, before sighing and looking at Kurose. "Well, more of a shot in the dark, really." She mumbled. "Kurose-san arrived with you, sir, meaning she has to be close to you in some way. The people closest to you, who you would likely bring, would be the UA staff, who are mostly pro-heroes. There's only one of those whose face I've never been able to see, and with the specialty steel tipped gloves Kurose-san's wearing… That only really leaves one option. Though I could be wrong." She immediately produced a notebook from… somewhere. "Thirteen-san, I'm a big fan! Can you give me your autograph?"
To say Anan was shocked would be an understatement. Not only had the girl deduced her identity with only a few clues, the notebook she gave her had a detailed breakdown of her abilities, quirk, feats, and a record of her major and even some of her minor rescue operations, along with a scarily accurate list of weaknesses and methods of mitigating them. 'Scary…'
Nezu decided to challenge her logic. "Ah, but Kurose-san is hardly the only hero whose face is hard to find. What if they were Eraserhead?" He, of course, knew many reasons why that couldn't be the case, but he wanted to gauge how deep her reasoning went.
Izumi met his challenge with a calculating gaze. "Well, aside from gender, unless Eraserhead shrunk considerably and had cut and dyed his hair, I would find that hard to believe. And, as I said, Kurose-san is the only teacher at UA whose face I had never seen. I managed to find Eraserhead-san once when I was hero spotting."
Inko pouted slightly. "I thought I told you to stop doing that, especially at night." She admonished her child's recklessness.
"And I have… this was before that." Inko smiled slightly. "I met him eight years ago. You know he's one of my favourites, considering he fights quirkless."
The adults couldn't decide whether to be shocked that a nine year-old had gone hero spotting or that she remembered so many details about a hero she had met at that age. "Midoriya-chan, you have an eidetic memory." Nezu stated, it wasn't a question at that point. There were many quirks that produced similar effects, but to see such a memory on a quirkless person. Nezu couldn't keep himself from smiling with childlike glee.
Izumi was slightly flustered, but the impressed stares of the other adults, and the feeling radiating from All Might, a mixture of surprise and pride, made her feel more at ease. The hero was sure he'd made the right decision.
With all that had happened, Izumi soon retired to bed, after promising to meet with Toshinori for training at Dagobah Beach. Despite her decent physical conditioning from her mother´s training, he thought it best for her to bulk up before getting One for All, just to be safe. Toshinori and Tsukauchi left soon after, leaving Anan, Nezu and Inko to talk in private.
Excitedly, Izumi got up at the break of dawn and, after a light breakfast, she jogged her way to Dagobah. 'This is it… a new chapter in my life… I'm gonna have a quirk, All Might's quirk!' She could barely contain her squealing glee. She slightly furrowed her brow as she felt the smell and saw the mountains of garbage piled on the beach. She saw her new mentor sitting on the concrete stairs that led down to the sand with a contemplative look on his face. "Yagi-sensei! Good morning!"
He looked towards her and smiled. "Ah, young Midoriya, right on time." He stood up, greeting her. "I suppose I should tell you why I wanted to meet you here, of all places." They both looked at the filthy beach and grimaced. "When I was young, I spent most of my free time here, by the sea. This was once a pristine beach and a tourist attraction… but over the years, trash began to wash up from the currents, and more and more people began using it as a dumping site. Now, one can barely see the ocean anymore." He looked saddened for a moment, before looking back at his protege and grinning.
"That is why, for the next ten months, before the entrance exam, you'll be cleaning it up. Your second act as a hero: training doubling as community service!" She smiled, now somewhat looking forward to getting her hands dirty for a good cause.
The first day was hell. As she began hauling junk, it became clear that while she had gained a lot of agility from her mother's training, her endurance and strength still left a lot to be desired. Still, she grinned and bore it, wanting to improve herself no matter the cost. She took breaks when All Might commanded it, but she still worked herself to the bone, hauling the trash to his truck.
She worked the entire day, ending her workout by dragging a fridge with All Might sitting on top, for extra difficulty. He left her alone while he went to deliver the trash to a recycling plant, so she could get some rest. She sat on the stairs, looking at the evening sky and counting the stars that already appeared.
Little did she know that, above the planet's orbit, two spaceships were engaged in a violent dogfight over what was perhaps the most powerful device in the universe. An agent and a conqueror fought over an unassuming watch which held the key to tipping the universe's balance. As a last ditch effort to keep it safe, Xylene, the Uxorite, locked the Omnimatrix to a specific DNA signature, that of Earth's greatest Plumber, in her opinion, and sent it inside a pod towards the blue marble of a planet.
However, her ship was breached before she could make her escape. In desperation and with a sense of revenge towards the conqueror, she used the last of her ship's reserves to fire a devastating laser towards the tyrant Vilgax's ship, nearly killing him in the process, as well as disabling his warp drive. Her ship, however, destroyed itself in the process, and began to plummet towards Earth.
Izumi was startled out of her stargazing as she saw a shooting star. Her first impulse was to make a wish, but with all that had happened, she struggled to think of one. 'This… I think I have everything I could want, now… all I can think of… I want to understand my mom… she seems to always avoid my questions. If only there was a way for me to get closer to her, to finally become part of her world…'
Her wish, somehow, was answered as the shooting star turned out to be some sort of meteor, headed straight to Dagobah Beach, creating a wave of sand as it crashed. Izumi jumped as she saw the object from space, running forward to get a look at it, her curiosity overwhelming her. She arrived at the nearby crash site and was startled to see, instead of a piece of space rock, it looked to be a small craft of some kind, which opened as she approached.
'A pod? From space? No way… could this be… Alien?' She approached cautiously, though excitement coursed through her, encouraging her with each step. As she got closer, the steam rising from the pod dissipated, revealing a device. "Is that… a fucking wristwatch? What's a watch doing out in space?" She deadpanned, though unconsciously moving her hand toward it as it began emitting green light.
However, as she got closer and closer, the device seemed to jump to life, opening up and moving, as if attracted, before latching on to her left arm. It closed itself and, unbeknownst to her, fused with her very DNA. Startled, she attempted to remove it, to no avail. "Ah, it's stuck! Get it off! Get it off!" She cried, trying to find any kind of latch or button to remove it.
When she touched the faceplate, however, she was surprised by a holographic wheel with strange symbols, almost like faces. She tentatively lifted her finger, gasping as the hologram faded and the face of the watch opened up to reveal a button with a green hourglass symbol on it. She stared at it, awestruck. Seeing as she had no other ideas as to how to get it off, she pressed it down, and was consumed by a green flash. In a fraction of a second, she felt her skin harden and her body heat up, as her DNA was completely overwritten. When the light died down, what stood in her place was a humanoid being made of fire and rock, standing easily fourty centimetres taller than her previous stature. Izumi looked at her new fiery hands and screamed.
"AAAAAH! I'm on fire! I'm on fire!" After a moment of panic, she paused as she realised that despite being on fire, she didn't feel pain. "I'm on fire… and it doesn't hurt." She said, bewildered, as she once again looked at her new body, marvelling at it. She raised a fist to the air and yelled. "Hell yeah!" A stream of fire erupted in a column from her raised fist. 'It's like I'm Endeavour!' She thought, now excited. 'But wait, what if I can't turn back.'
Pushing that thought down, she raised her hand, figuring she could enjoy this euphoria while it lasted, at least a little. She raised her fist parallel to the ground and let off a small jet of flame, no further than two metres from her hand. "Cool! Is this what it's like to have a quirk?" She felt some instinctive knowledge trickling into her brain. How to let out fire, what she could do with it. Too excited by the prospect, she carelessly sent out a fireball, and that's when it all went to shit.
Toshinori was returning from the trash recycling plant when he saw smoke coming from Dagobah. He floored the gas pedal as his panic grew. 'Izumi might be in danger!' He feared a villain attack, much like the one from yesterday.
When he arrived at the beach, he instantly puffed up, leaping towards the fray. He spotted a rather tall person made entirely from flame, with an odd symbol on their chest. He tried to spot Izumi, but grew enraged when he didn't see her there. "You! What did you do to her! Where is young Midoriya?!"
Izumi panicked. In her excitement, she had started a fire, and in her desperate attempts to put it out, she only made it worse. Then the situation only escalated as All Might arrived. She let out a startled yelp as she heard his bellowing cry. "Wait, All Might, please, it was an accident!" She was launched into a pile of trash as the pressure from his Detroit Smash. 'Fuck… that hurt! But somehow I survived that punch! A punch from All Might.'
"Save it, villain! Tell me what happened to the girl and I might let you off easy." Izumi shivered at the clear rage in his voice. She nearly choked on air when she saw he wasn't smiling at all.
'SCARY!' Her every instinct told her to run and hide. "Wait, hear me out, this isn't what you think it is!" He wound up another punch as she raised her hands in a defensive position.
"If I don't see her safe and sound right now..." As she watched him wind up his strike, Izumi unconsciously did as her instincts commanded, and with her two raised hands, she let out a powerful fireball which impacted against All Might with an explosion. Izumi paled. She had attacked her hero. "Fuck." he cursed, feeling the sting from the explosion. "You'll pay for that, villain!" He charged her without hesitation, delivering another blow to her solar plexus, and accompanying her trajectory backwards in order to finish the job.
"Wait, Yagi-sensei! Please! It's all a huge misunderstanding! I'm sorry!" Izumi, fallen on the ground and under the threatening aura of the hero, began to beg, desperately.
As she said those words, All Might seemed to stop, completely dumbstruck. "Young Midoriya? But… that's impossible. How did this happen?" His killing intent vanished as Izumi finally felt able to breathe without the pressure he was exerting. "How did you become like this? I'm sorry, my girl. When I saw the fire, I feared the worst."
She slowly got up, straining from the damage she had received. 'Damn, I took two blows from him… this body's really durable.' "I don't know, Yagi-sensei. A meteorite crashed here, and I went to investigate. Then this watch thing jumped onto my wrist, and it wouldn't come off. Then I pressed a button, and suddenly I was this… thing." She explained, unsurely. She then looked at the fire she had caused. "I lost control of the fire, and then I panicked and only spread it further…" She felt the fire calling to her, like it could become part of her once again. She looked at her mentor, who just looked completely out of it. "Wait, let me just try something."
Izumi walked up to the inferno and raised her hands. She could feel the fire burning, calling to her, and she instinctively began to pull at it. It heeded her command, and began drawing back into her hands, until only smouldered trash remained. "Damn, this could have been so easily avoided." She facepalmed.
All Might walked up to her warily. "Young Midoriya… I'm sorry for attacking you like that. Can… Can you change back?" He asked, afraid to touch her flaming body. She looked at him, distress evident on her face.
"I-I don't know… I might be stuck like this." She looked at her footprints in the sand, seeing that they let off a bit of steam and there was a bit of glass that had formed there. "I…" She felt overwhelmed, and fiery tears began streaming from her rock-like face.
"Young Midoriya. I will help you get through this… there must be some way to get you back… and if not, we can help you adjust." Izumi looked absolutely despondent. Then, as if on cue, the symbol on her chest began to glow red and beep. They prepared for the worst, but after three seconds, with another green flash, Izumi reappeared in her own body.
"I'm back… I'm back! Thank goodness." She was immediately hugged by her towering mentor, who had once again shrunken down to his regular appearance.
"Good thing it was temporary. But… I think we should look for a way to remove it, still." He said. She nodded hesitantly. He buffed up once more and attempted to pull the watch off. She felt pain jolting her arm as he pulled, like if he were trying to peel off her skin, and in less than a second, an energy wave sent the hero flying.
Izumi ran up to him, worried. "Yagi-sensei! Are you okay?!" Toshinori nodded shakily, standing up with some effort. "I… I guess it stays on." She looked at the mysterious watch, whose previously green faceplate now had a red highlight.
All Might managed to chuckle. "Two incidents in two days… are you sure you don't have some sort of danger attraction quirk?" Izumi sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"I'm… at least 75% sure." She joked, joining her mentor's laughter. They enjoyed the moment slightly, before another object fell from the sky, in the form of a giant robot. "Shit, now I'm, like, 40% sure." She cursed. All Might buffed up once again as the robot took sight of them and locked onto Izumi.
"Young Midoriya, stay back!" The hero leapt up to face the robot and punched its chest with full power. However, despite putting several dents in it, he was eventually caught by one of its claws, struggling as it began to crush him.
"Sensei!" Izumi yelled, her body once again moving on its own. She heard a beep from the watch as she ran towards the towering robot. The watch had given her power… she would have to trust it again. She tapped the faceplate as she ran and, without thinking, slammed the faceplate.