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Chapter Text

The alley reeked of damp garbage and fear. Izumi Midoriya, a small, unassuming girl with a mop of unruly green hair, felt the viscous tendrils of the Slime Villain constricting around her, stealing her breath. Her emerald eyes widened, not just from terror, but from a burgeoning, unfamiliar sensation within. Billions of inert nanites, a quirk she'd thought useless, began to hum, a low, metallic thrum deep in her bones.

For years, her "Nanite Production" quirk had been a source of quiet despair. Doctors had explained that her body produced countless microscopic machines, but without a "control nanite" to activate and direct them, they were just… inert. Another quirkless child, the world had concluded. Another dream of being a hero crushed.

But now, as the villain's putrid mass pressed tighter, a single, tiny spark ignited within her. The stress, the sheer, overwhelming terror of suffocation, was too much. Deep within her cellular structure, the dormant control nanite jolted awake. It wasn't a grand, explosive awakening, but a subtle, almost imperceptible shift. A command. A connection forged.

A blinding gust of wind tore through the alley, scattering the grime and the villain's ooze. "FEAR NOT! FOR I AM HERE!" The voice, booming and heroic, belonged to All Might, the Symbol of Peace. With a single, mighty punch, he dispersed the villain. Izumi sagged, gasping for air, her nanites still vibrating, a new hum of life in her veins.

"Young lady, are you alright?" All Might's massive form loomed over her. He was incredible, a walking pillar of hope.

"Y-yes, All Might, sir!" she stammered, still reeling. All Might, with practiced ease, quickly scooped the villain's dispersed form into a pair of old soda bottles he retrieved from his pocket, capping them securely. "Excellent! Now, if you'll excuse me, young lady, I must be off!"

Izumi was about to ask for his autograph, her hand reaching out, only to find a bold signature already emblazoned across her hero analysis notebook, tucked safely in her backpack. Before she could properly thank him, All Might sprang into the air. Driven by an impulsive mix of awe and desperate hope, Izumi leaped, grabbing onto his leg just as he ascended.

"Whoa there, young lady!" All Might exclaimed, startled. He was forced to change trajectory, landing with a soft thud on a nearby rooftop.

"All Might, please!" Izumi panted, releasing his leg. "Can someone… can someone without a quirk… be a hero?"

All Might's vibrant, heroic smile faltered, replaced by a look of profound sadness. He sighed, his muscular form deflating slightly. "Young lady… I… I cannot simply say 'you can be a hero without a quirk'." His gaze became distant. "Hero work is incredibly dangerous, even for those with powerful quirks. Just look at this." He lifted his shirt, revealing a gruesome, deeply scarred wound on his side. "This injury… it almost cost me everything. To face villains, to rescue people, to stand against pure evil… it requires immense power. Without a quirk… it's simply too perilous."

A knot tightened in Izumi's stomach. She had messed up. Just like always.

Later, walking home, the shame gnawed at her. Then, a distant explosion rent the air. A familiar, arrogant laugh echoed through the streets. Katsuki Bakugo. Her former friend, now her tormentor, was in trouble.

She ran towards the sound, her heart pounding. The sight that greeted her made her blood run cold. Bakugo, engulfed in the Slime Villain's disgusting body, was thrashing, explosions crackling uselessly against the suffocating sludge. Heroes stood by, helpless, their quirks unsuited for the situation.

"Let go of me, you damn freak!" Bakugo screamed, his voice strained.

This was her fault, she realized. All-Might must’ve dropped the bottles when she hitched a ride on his powerful jump.

Izumi felt a surge of something primal. Fear, yes, but also a fierce, protective instinct. Her nanites roared to life, not just humming, but buzzing with a palpable energy. Do something! they seemed to urge.

Her mind raced, driven by the nascent control. She had seen the villain's weakness – its fluid nature. It needed to be contained, solidified.

A strange sensation spread through her hands. Metallic plates began to form, rapidly assembling over her skin, growing larger, thicker. It was an instinctive act, a blueprint created in the heat of the moment, guided by the newly awakened control nanite. Two massive, blocky green gauntlets, gleaming with a dark, almost charcoal-like sheen, encased her forearms and hands. They were crude, but undeniably powerful. "Smash Hands," she thought, a wild, determined glint in her eyes.

With a scream of defiance, Izumi charged. The heroes shouted warnings, but she ignored them. She reared back her new, nanite-forged "Smash Hand" and slammed it into the villain's viscous body. The impact wasn't just physical; the nanites within her gauntlet responded to her desperate will, causing two rapidly spinning cylinders to slam together within her smash hand, turning it into a makeshift drill. This displaced the villain's form for mere seconds. Just long enough for Izumi to grab Bakugo with her free smash hand and yank him from the suffocating slime.

She hit again, and again, creating fissures in its slimy form. Bakugo cough, gagged, but the pressure was easing. She was buying time. Just enough time.

"DETROIT… SMAAAASH!"

All Might, back and now truly furious, descended like a righteous storm. His punch ripped through the villain, shattering its solidified parts, finally freeing Bakugo. The Symbol of Peace had saved the day, but this time, he wasn't the only hero on the scene. A small girl, her "Smash Hands" retracting back into her skin as if they'd never been there, stood panting, her emerald eyes shining with a newfound resolve.

The sun, a tired orange orb, began its slow descent as Izumi trudged home. The weight of All Might's earlier statement pressed down on her – Without a quirk… it's simply too perilous. The words resonated with a new, bitter irony. She had a quirk. She had used it. And in that terrifying moment, her emergent powers had only served to prove him tragically correct, highlighting just how dangerous hero work truly was, even with a quirk like hers. The memory of her own desperate rush to save Bakugo flickered in her mind, a stark contradiction to her ingrained belief that she was quirkless.

"I AM HERE!" A voice boomed, startling her. Izumi spun around, only to see All Might, but something was terribly wrong. Mid-flex, mid-entrance, his muscular form shimmered, shrinking rapidly until he was a gaunt, sickly man with sunken eyes and a bloody cough. He looked at her, then down at himself, a strained, apologetic smile on his face. "Ah, forgive me, young Midoriya! My time limit is quite stringent these days."

Izumi stared, her jaw agape. This was… All Might? The symbol of peace?

He cleared his throat. "I… I came back to apologize for my earlier words. What I said on that rooftop… it wasn't entirely true." He gestured back towards the scene of the villain attack. "You, young Midoriya, though you didn't even realize you possessed such incredible power, you found yourself rushing into danger. Your legs started moving on their own, didn't they?"

Izumi, still processing his transformation, nodded slowly, remembering the instinctive charge.

"That," All Might said, a renewed gleam in his sunken eyes, "is the sign of a true hero. The instinct to save, even when facing overwhelming odds. Even when you are terrified." He then extended a hand, the gesture surprisingly strong despite his frail appearance. "Young Midoriya, I have seen your potential. Will you allow me to become your mentor? I will get you into shape for the U.A. entrance exam. And beyond."

Tears, hot and unstoppable, welled in Izumi's eyes, blurring his image. A warmth spread through her chest, chasing away the earlier shame and despair. A hero. She could be a hero. This wasn't just a dream anymore. It was a path laid before her, offered by the greatest hero of all. She nodded vigorously, unable to speak past the joyous lump in her throat.

Later that night, nestled in her bed, still buzzing with the day's incredible events, Izumi closed her eyes. Just as sleep began to claim her, a small, distinct voice echoed in her head, clear as a bell.

"Hello, Izumi."

Izumi's eyes snapped open. She sat bolt upright, heart pounding. Had she imagined it? No, it had been too clear, too precise. It wasn't her own thought, but something separate. She looked around her dark room, but there was nothing. No speaker, no open window, just the familiar quiet of her apartment.

"Who… who's there?" she whispered into the darkness, her voice trembling slightly.

The voice returned, calm and steady, devoid of any inflection, yet undeniably present in the very core of her mind. "I am here, Izumi. Always have been. I am your control nanite. You activated me today."

Izumi gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth. Her control nanite? The thing doctors had said was missing, the one that made her quirk "inert"? It was real. It was talking to her. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, a mixture of profound awe and sudden, chilling apprehension. This was her quirk. This was the power she had, the one that All Might had almost dismissed. A power that could speak to her.

Sensing Izumi's sudden rush of emotions, the control nanite's voice softened. "Do not be afraid, Izumi. My purpose is to protect you from harm. Think of me as your operating system, a human-to-machine interface between your will and the billions of nanites within your body. I exist to facilitate your control over them, to manifest your intentions into physical reality, and to ensure your safety."

"What… what should I call you?" Izumi finally managed to ask, her voice still a whisper, but laced now with a spark of curiosity replacing the fear.

The voice responded immediately. "You may call me Omega. That is essentially what I am to the other nanites—the ultimate, the final command unit, the Omega of this intricate system within you."

"Then, who's the Alpha?" Izumi asked, a new thought bubbling up.

"You are, Izumi," Omega replied, the internal voice unwavering. "You are the origin, the will, the one who directs me. I am your tool, your extension. You are the Alpha, the beginning of every command."

"So, those gauntlets earlier today—" Izumi began, a faint blush rising to her cheeks as she remembered the crude, desperate weapons.

"I believe you called them the 'Smash Hands'," Omega interjected, her internal tone carrying a hint of wry amusement.

"That was you?" Izumi asked, a sense of wonder growing.

"Not exactly, Izumi. I merely responded to your desire to help Katsuki Bakugo. The blueprint for that weapon was a subconscious creation on your part. You wanted to hit hard like All-Might."

"And the spinny thing?" Izumi prompted, her eyes wide with fascination.

"Combat drills. A last-minute modification of the final design to ensure you could displace the target's fluid body. An efficient adaptation to the immediate threat, Izumi."

"So… is that my quirk? The ability to constantly improve these gauntlets?" Izumi asked, a hopeful tremor in her voice.

"No, Izumi. Your quirk is Nanite Control," Omega clarified, her tone still carrying that faint, almost imperceptible amusement. "The 'Smash Hands' are merely the beginning. With your now active nanites, you can forge all manner of constructs, so long as you have a solid blueprint figured out in your mind. In fact, your subconscious mind actually created five other builds during your awakening. These are a permanent addition to your arsenal, your defaults, if you will."

"So I can build machines out of my body!?" Izumi exclaimed, a grin splitting her face, the fatigue of the day momentarily forgotten.

"You can do more than that, Izumi," Omega stated. "Get up. Touch your computer. And concentrate."

Izumi, without questioning, scrambled out of bed and padded over to her desk. Hesitantly, she placed a hand on the cool plastic of her laptop, closing her eyes and trying to concentrate as Omega had instructed. A faint, glowing circuit pattern, like shimmering green veins, began to spread across the computer's surface under her palm.

Suddenly, a torrent of data flooded her mind – a dizzying rush of information. She knew her computer. Its exact model number, the specifications of its processor, the amount of RAM, the status of its hard drive, even the minute details of its individual components. It was as if the machine's entire operational history and physical makeup had been downloaded directly into her brain. More than that, she realized she had established a sort of direct command over it. As long as she was touching it, she could control its functions through sheer mental input, bypassing the keyboard and mouse entirely.

Izumi pulled her hand back, her eyes snapping open, wide with disbelief. "I'm a technopath!?"

"Indeed," Omega replied, the amusement in its voice now undeniably present.

Izumi glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table. Her eyes widened. "Oh no! It's super late! I can't be late for my meeting with All Might tomorrow!" She scrambled back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. "Good night, Omega. And thanks, for everything…" She yawned, the adrenaline of the day finally receding, allowing sleep to claim her.

"Sweet dreams, my Alpha," Omega's voice resonated softly within her mind, a subtle hum of contentment.

Chapter Text

The piercing, insistent beep, beep, beep of her alarm clock finally cut through Izumi's blissful sleep. She swatted at it blindly, hitting snooze once, twice, a third time, before finally forcing her eyes open. The digital display glowed red: 6:30 AM.

Izumi bolted upright, a cold wave of panic washing over her. "Six-thirty?! Oh no, oh no, oh no!" She was supposed to meet All Might at Takoba Beach at 7:00 AM! Barely thirty minutes!

"Mom, I'm heading out!" she shrieked, pulling on her uniform with frantic speed.

"Have a good day, sweetie!" her mother called from the kitchen, a distant clatter of dishes.

"You too! Bye!" Izumi yelled, already out the door, her backpack swinging wildly. She ran down the street, her heart hammering against her ribs. Takoba Beach was a good twenty-minute walk, even at a brisk pace. There was no way she'd make it in time. She was going to disappoint All Might on their very first meeting!

"I'm going to be so late, Omega! What do I do!?" she fretted internally, her breathing ragged.

"Do not worry, Izumi," Omega's calm voice flowed into her mind, cutting through the panic. "You have a build for this. Concentrate."

Concentrate? Here? Now? Izumi forced herself to breathe, pushing through the fear and focusing on the concept of speed, of movement, of getting there fast . As she ran, a strange tingling sensation began in her feet. The pavement beneath her seemed to blur, and then, with a subtle shift, her feet began to flatten, expanding slightly. Two gleaming, metallic platforms, humming with a low, controlled energy, formed directly beneath her. They began to lift her, not high, but just above the ground, propelling her forward with a whisper of displaced air. Concurrently, a seamless, aerodynamic helmet, the same dark green as her gauntlets from the previous day, sprouted from her cranium, settling perfectly over her head, its visor shimmering with a translucent green glow.

Izumi gasped, not from exertion, but from sheer astonishment. She was hovering. She was flying ! She was now sitting on a floating, wheel-less motorcycle. No. No, this was the 'Nitro Cycle', she internally decided.

Unfortunately, fourteen-year-old Izumi had never ridden a normal motorcycle, let alone a floating one. Her initial enthusiasm quickly turned into a series of increasingly close calls as she spiked the accelerator. The Nitro Cycle zipped and veered wildly, narrowly missing lampposts, startling pigeons, and sending a few early morning commuters diving for cover. More than once, she found herself shouting apologies into the wind, her heart leaping into her throat. By the time the distant roar of the ocean became audible, she was definitely wide awake, her early morning grogginess obliterated by pure, unadulterated panic and exhilaration.

As Takoba Beach came into view, Izumi spotted All Might, in his true form, waiting near a massive pile of discarded trash. He seemed to be flexing, or perhaps just stretching. Desperate to make a smooth landing, Izumi tried to slow the Nitro Cycle. She concentrated, willing it to stop, but her control was still too raw, her mental commands too unrefined. Instead of slowing, the nanites interpreted her desperate desire to impact something, to stop, in a spectacularly literal way.

With a sudden, jarring lurch, the front of the Nitro Cycle vertically split open, revealing a whirring, grinding mechanism. Before Izumi could react, a massive, blocky battering ram, made of black nanite material, popped out, extending with a sickening thunk . It slammed directly into a large, scrapped refrigerator that sat innocently at the edge of the trash pile. The fridge exploded into a shower of twisted metal and insulation.

Izumi skidded to a halt, the Nitro Cycle retracting back into her feet and the helmet disappearing from her head, leaving her standing amidst the wreckage, mortified.

All Might, who had been watching the chaotic approach with a mixture of confusion and growing amusement, clapped his hands together with a hearty chuckle. "Quite an entrance, young Midoriya! Very… impactful!"

Izumi's cheeks burned. She bowed deeply. "All Might, sir! I am so, so sorry! I'm still just getting the hang of my quirk. I promise I'll do better!" Her nervous rambling continued, a torrent of words escaping her. "I… I snoozed myself three times this morning, and I was gonna be so late, and then Omega told me—"

"Omega?" All Might interrupted, his eyebrows raising slightly.

Izumi clamped her mouth shut, her face turning an even deeper shade of crimson. She stammered for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Uh… well… you see, sir… I have a… a control nanite? She… she speaks to me. In my head." The last words were almost a whisper, as if she expected him to think she'd gone mad.

All Might leaned forward, his expression now serious, a keen analytical glint in his eyes. "A speaking control nanite, you say? What does this 'Omega' tell you, young Midoriya?" he asked, his voice lower than before, a distinct curiosity in his tone.

Izumi, still flustered but determined to explain, began to recount the events of the previous night, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Well, she… she told me she's, like, my operating system, a human-to-machine interface for all the nanites in my body. And that I'm the Alpha, and she's the Omega… because I give the commands! And that I can build anything I can think of. She even said I have five other default builds from when my quirk activated! And apparently I'm also a technopath!?" Izumi finished, taking a huge, gasping breath, her eyes wide with a mix: of excitement and disbelief.

"And what is she saying right now?" All Might asked, a strange mix of awe and amusement on his face.

Izumi blinked, focusing internally. "That this beach is filthy and that's probably why you called me here... wait, is that really it?" she finished, her voice trailing off in confusion.

All Might threw back his head and laughed, a booming sound that echoed across the trash-strewn sand. "Hah! Indeed, young Midoriya! You're quite astute! This very beach, once a beautiful stretch of coastline, has become a dumping ground. Disgraceful! My first task for you, my apprentice, is to clean it!" He gestured expansively at the mountains of garbage. "This will serve a dual purpose! Firstly, you'll be giving back to the community, a truly heroic act! Secondly, and perhaps more selfishly," he winked, "this will be your training ground! Hauling this junk will help you get a proper feel for your newfound powers, and it will certainly help bulk you up for the U.A. entrance exam!"

Thus began Izumi's grueling but exhilarating training. Days bled into weeks, and weeks into months, marked by the rhythmic clang of metal on metal, the whir of nanites, and the ever-present guidance of All Might.

The early mornings saw Izumi, now a seasoned driver of her Nitro Cycle, zipping across the detritus-strewn sand. With her technopathy, she could assess the structural integrity of larger appliances, pinpointing their weaknesses before busting out her Smash Hands. She'd tear apart rusted refrigerators and washing machines with surprising ease, the metallic clang echoing like a battle drum. The Nitro Cycle, now a more refined, controllable vehicle, would then be hitched to a sturdy wagon, effortlessly hauling mountains of recyclable materials to designated collection points.

When she wasn't on the beach, Izumi was dutifully consuming the custom-tailored meals her mother lovingly prepared, all based on All Might's surprisingly precise recipes designed to support her intense physical regimen. Lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and vibrant vegetables filled her plate, fueling her growing strength.

A few months later, the sun, now a familiar companion in her routine, glinted off the sparkling, pristine sand of Takoba Beach. Not a single piece of trash remained. The ocean waves lapped gently at the shore, clean and clear. All Might, in his true form, stood at the waterline, his hands on his hips, surveying the transformation with a look of profound satisfaction.

"Holy. Stinkin'. SUPER CRAP!" he boomed, his voice filled with genuine awe. He pulled out his phone, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Look at this, young Midoriya! I took a 'before' photo when we first started. Take a look at this scrawny kid!" He held out the phone, showing a picture of a much smaller, thinner Izumi. Then he gestured at her now. Izumi's shoulders were broader, her arms and legs more defined, and she carried herself with a new, quiet confidence. She had definitely filled out, a healthy glow replacing her former pallor.

"You know," All Might mused, his gaze still on the before photo, then back to Izumi, "I'm honestly impressed with how quickly you bulked up. Usually, it takes most people much longer to adapt to this kind of physical strain. But you… within the first two weeks, you were already adapting at an incredible rate, and you only got better from there." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I think your nanites enhance your physical condition, perhaps bolstering your cellular regeneration and muscle development. They just haven't been able to do so because they were inactive until recently." He clapped her on the shoulder, a firm but gentle pat. "Either way, young Midoriya, you've certainly earned these muscles."

Chapter Text

The massive gates of U.A. High loomed before Izumi, an imposing monument of heroics. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a nervous flutter threatening to become a full-blown stampede. This was it. The entrance exam. Her dream, terrifyingly tangible. She felt small, intimidated by the sheer scale of the institution and the determined faces of the hundreds of other applicants surrounding her.

"Hey, you good?" a cheerful, slightly echoing voice broke through her anxious thoughts.

Izumi didn't initially respond, her mind still reeling, assuming the voice was directed at someone else in the bustling crowd.

"Yo, Green Bean, you good!?" the voice persisted, closer this time.

Izumi jumped, her head whirling around. Standing beside her was a girl with vibrant pink skin, short, curly pink hair, and two distinctive yellow horns curving gracefully from her head. Her eyes, a striking yellow with black sclera, sparkled with an almost infectious energy. Izumi blinked. Sure, why not. It wasn't the strangest mutation she'd ever seen, especially after dealing with a slime villain and her own talking nanites. And… she was certainly cute.

'Wait what!?' Izumi mentally shrieked, her cheeks instantly flushing.

"Your heart rate is elevating, Izumi," Omega 'helpfully' informed her, a faint, almost imperceptible undertone of amusement in her internal voice.

"I… Y-yeah, I'm f-fine," Izumi stammered, her voice cracking slightly, trying to pull herself together. "How are you?"

"Nice save," Omega commented, her tone dry and still carrying that hint of amusement.

"There’s no need to be nervous! Just have fun!"

"Y-yeah! Of course!"

The girl smiled wider before skating away, leaving a trail of some kind of viscous fluid substance.

Izumi jolted as she suddenly found a firm hand clamped on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder and was met by the stare of a tall boy with sharp features, dark blue hair, and a pair of glasses.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Are you taking the entrance exam to interfere with everyone else?"

"N-N-No, of course not…" She began, before another, much louder voice cut her off. 

"Okay start!" Everyone looked up to a nearby tower. It was pro hero Present Mic. "What's wrong!? There are no countdowns in real fights! Run, run!" He yelled while spinning his arm in excitement.

"Huh? Huh?" Izumi looked around to find the crowd was gone, already running through the gates. "What!? I…I'm behind already!" She screamed as she took off after everyone else.

As Izumi ran down a street after the crowd, an imposing robot came smashing out of a building. 

"One point!" She realized, remembering how the point system was explained. Each 'villain bot' was worth a certain number of points. This one represented an easy villain, so it would only give her a single point. That said, Izumi found the automaton rather intimidating. 

But as the bot prepared to strike, something happened. Deep within Izumi's cellular structure, her nanites began to emit an electronic whine whose pitch quickly rose higher and higher until…

Right as the robot was about to hit Izumi, thin, silver metallic plating began running down her right arm, quickly surrounding her forearm and hand in a much thicker cylindrical component. From this component, a square chunk of black nanometal sprouted, adorned with a U shaped handlebar. From its underside popped a handle, not unlike a hilt. Finally, with a mighty SHING, a massive green sword blade shot out like a piston! Izumi reflexively gave the sword a light swing, and was shocked when she found her attacker now perfectly cleaved in two. She looked at the big, shiny blade, her starry eyed expression reflected back at her.

"I have a sword!?"

"Absolutely stunning, darling!" She heard a voice call over. It was a blonde boy with an inoffensively smug look on his face. He wore a strange belt, which he used to propel himself away with a laser beam. "Keep it up, queen! You're fabulous!"

Izumi wasn't sure how to respond to that, but she had more pressing matters. Left and right, the other contestants were racking up hero points, she was way behind. Then, without warning, a gigantic robot that was much bigger than all the others erupted from the ground. 

'Isn't it a little too big?' She thought as she retracted her sword. She fell back on her ass, looking up at the monolithic construct.

As the robot lurched forward, the other contestants began to run away. In particular, the blue haired boy from earlier spared a glance at Izumi as he ran past her.

"Izumi! Get up!" Omega shouted, snapping the girl out of it.

"This isn't funny!" She cried. "I have to run away! I'll just grab points as I go…"

"Less than two minutes left!" Came Present Mic's booming voice.

https://youtu.be/QwACoXnNcwg?si=ItjE-e2CxtZNj-J3

"What!? Two minutes!?"

'Everything All-Might did for me.' She thought. 'All that training, it'll be for nothing.'

Izumi could only gape in despair, until she heard a soft voice cry out. Looking back, she saw a brunette with pink cheeks. The girl's leg was pinned under some rubble, and she was directly in the robot's path. Wait! She remembered this girl! Earlier that day, she'd saved her from an embarrassing faceplant.

Without thinking, Izumi ran toward the giant, determined to help the terrified contestant.

'Maybe I can shut it off!' She thought, before her mind was pelted with hundreds, millions, billions of tiny voices, including Omega's, all telling her the same thing.

"JUMP!"

Izumi did just that, and was surprised to find that she'd shot well over 100 feet in the air! Looking down, Izumi could see that her legs were now an enormous pair of green and black boots! As Izumi came up above the robot's head, she switched out the boots for her sword, and dove for it. She slammed her oversized blade down as hard as she could, slashing through the robot's big red eye, the sheer mass and impact of the sword causing a ripple effect that split the entire head right down the middle! 

Feeling the pull of gravity, Izumi switched back to her boots and kicked the now incapacitated robot with all her might, which the boots further amplified with some kind of thrust mechanism in their heels. The attack sent the robot flying a good 50 feet. She landed next to the brunette with a loud BOOM.  

Izumi recovered quickly and frantically looked around. 

"C'mon, there's still time! I still have a chance to get at least one more point!"

"Time's uuuuup!" Mic called out.

Izumi was in tears.

Chapter Text

That evening, a somber quiet hung in the air as Izumi, still clad in her tracksuit, slowly pulled the Nitro Cycle up to her apartment building. The cheerful hum of its engine felt out of place against her heavy heart. She de-materialized the bike at the door, stepping inside.

The familiar scent of her mother's cooking, usually a comfort, offered little solace. "Izumi, my dear!" Inko Midoriya's voice, thick with emotion, reached her before Izumi could even take off her shoes. Her mother rushed forward, enveloping her in a warm, tight hug. "Oh, Izumi! Your entrance exam! How did it go!? Did you get in!?"

Tears welled in Inko's eyes, mirroring the unshed ones in Izumi's own. "Oh, my baby," Inko sobbed, clutching her daughter tighter. "I'm so, so proud of you!"

"Thanks mom." Izumi said quietly. "But I don't think I got in."

"Don't say that! You worked hard, of course you got in."

"Mom, can we… can we talk about this later? I'm really not feeling well." Izumi said, trying to hold back the fresh wave of tears that threatened to spill.

Inko, still teary-eyed but understanding the plea in her daughter's voice, nodded. "Of course, dear. You must be exhausted. How about some dinner? It'll make you feel better."

Izumi shook her head, her stomach a tight knot of disappointment. "I'm sorry, mom. I'm really not hungry."

Izumi started walking away, but was stopped by two firm hands gently clasping one of her own.

"Izumi." Inko said, her tears beginning anew. "I need you to know, I'm sorry. I should have said yes."

"What?" Izumi was confused for a moment, before realization dawned on her.

"See that mom?" A younger Izumi asked from her computer chair, a video of All-Might playing on her monitor. "There's always a smile on his face, no matter how bad things get. Even when things seem impossible." 

Inko looked on sadly as her daughter swiveled the chair around to look at her with a desperate smile and tears in her eyes. The scene caused Inko to break down herself.

In a broken voice, she asked, "Do you think…I could be a hero too?"

Inko simply hugged her daughter. "I'm sorry, Izumi." She couldn't even look her little girl in the eye as all the hope drained from her face. 

Dammit she was such a coward, then! She had let her only child down when they'd needed her most.

"Mom…." Izumi was heartbroken. Her mother's guilt had been eating away at her all this time. "Mom i-it's ok. Neither of us could've known that-"

"No, it's not ok!" Inko sobbed. "I let you down. I should have encouraged you, I should have told you to follow your dream, but I……." She took a breath and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "From now on, you have my full support, ok? You're my baby and I love you and I want you to succeed! This is your dream!"

Izumi's dam broke, she had waited so long to hear those words from her mother. "I love you too mom! I promise, I won't let you down!" She cried, as she pulled Inko into a tight, snuggly hug. No matter what, she'd find a way to become a hero, even if she had to wait for the next entrance exam.

The tender moment was interrupted by a growl from Izumi's stomach.

"Oh, I guess I am hungry." Mother and daughter shared a laugh.

After dinner, Izumi could definitely say she felt better, though not entirely. She had still most likely failed the entrance exam. She still probably wasn't getting into UA. The day's events had taken a physical and emotional toll on her, which didn't help matters. She really was exhausted. 

"Why do you give up so easily?" Omega piped up.

"I only earned one hero point." Izumi pointed out. "They'll never accept my enrollment."

"I'm finding that rather impossible to believe. They all saw what you did today. If nothing else, they'd be foolish not to recognise how powerful your quirk is. And besides, All-Might was watching too, yes?"

"Sure. But I don't wanna get in through nepotism. I wanna earn it, otherwise I haven't really proved myself, y'know?"

"Izumi," Omega began, "You're right. You shouldn't get in just because All-Might says so, and you probably won't." She paused, perhaps testing her Alpha's reaction. "But that also means it shouldn't matter what a few judges think. You did all that you could, and you saved that girl. That's exactly the type of thing a hero would do."

"Thanks Omega." Izumi could always count on this little piece of herself for friendly advice. "You've helped me so much over these past several months, I don't know how to thank you."

"Izumi, don't be sad." The control nanite replied. "I don't like it when you're hurting, I've felt too much of that for the last 11 years. I'll never forget the immense joy you felt 10 months ago, especially because I was just as happy to finally be able to communicate with you."

"Mmm…I'll do…my best…" Izumi mumbled as sleep took her.

"....I know."

A week later, Izumi sat glumly at her bedroom desk, looking down at her envelope from UA. 

'Might as well get it over with.'

Tearing it open, she poured out a small disk shaped projector, which promptly activated. All-Might's big, smiling visage appeared.

"Boo-ya! I am here, as a projection now!"

Izumi jumped. "Wait, All-Might!? But this is from…UA, isn't it?"

"I know it's been a while," The recording continued, "but with great power, comes a great amount of paper work!" He coughed awkwardly. "My apologies, young lady. The truth is, I didn't come to this city just to fight villains. You're looking at the newest UA faculty member!"

Izumi was thrilled. "You're seriously gonna be working at UA!?"

"Now that is a surprise." Omega said.

"Huh? Yes, what's the matter?" All-Might asked someone just off camera. "Who's showboating?" He paused as the unseen exchange went on. "Oh, sorry. I'll wrap it up, but I have to show her something first….Wait, I have to do how many of these things?"

With an exasperated sigh, All-Might's recording turned his attention back to Izumi. "Right! So, moving on." He cleared his throat, then gulped nervously. "Even though you passed the written test, you only got one point on the practical exam. Sorry."

"I know that. It's all I've thought about." Izumi grumbled. "I'm a failu-"

"Shh," Omega cut her off, "he's clearly going somewhere with this." She'd just gotten used to an Izumi who didn't self-deprecate, and she wasn't going back!

"Fortunately, there were other factors. But before we get to that, I have another surprise. Here! Look! A short clip for your viewing pleasure!"

The scene changed to the brunette Izumi had saved during the exam. 

"Sorry to interrupt. You know that girl with the really messy hair and the freckles? It's hard to describe her face. She's kinda plain looking. Uh, doesn't really stand out or anything, y'know?"

"She means me!" Izumi exclaimed.

"I was wondering, would it be possible to give her some of the points I earned in the exam? I heard her say something about wanting to get just one more point in, which just seems crazy. How could someone who took down that huge villain all by herself not have any points in the end? She would've had a better score if she hadn't stopped to help me. She saved me, I have to make it up to her. Please sir, can't you just…give her my points?"

"Thanks for showin' up to the station with your request." Present Mic answered. "But there's no reason to give her your points. The little lady's chartin' well on her own."

The scene switched back to All-Might. "How could a hero course reject someone who is committed to saving others, no matter the consequences to herself?! After all, that is what makes a hero! And that's what my alma mater is all about, training those who would risk their lives for the greater good! So we have rescue points. A panel of judges watches, and they award points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains. 

Did this mean what she thought it-

"Izumi Midoriya, 61 rescue points! And Ochako Uraraka, 45 rescue points! You both passed the exam! Welcome, Izumi, you have made it. You're now part of the hero academia!"

Omega could feel the overwhelming warmth as Izumi cried big, hot tears of joy. She had no words. This was it, she was one step closer to achieving her dream.

Chapter Text

The gentle lapping of waves against the shore was the only sound on Takoba Beach that morning, a stark contrast to the cacophony of Izumi's training just months prior. The sun, a warm, golden orb, was already high in the sky as Izumi, dressed in casual clothes, approached the pristine sand. All Might, in his true form, stood facing the ocean, his familiar silhouette looking somehow lighter without the mountains of trash.

"All Might!" Izumi called out, a bright, hopeful smile on her face. The joy from her U.A. acceptance still hummed within her.

He turned, his gaunt face breaking into a wide, proud grin. "Young Midoriya! A truly heroic morning to you!" He clapped his hands together, then extended one towards her. "I heard the good news! My sincerest congratulations on your acceptance into U.A.! It was truly well-deserved!"

"I couldn't have done it without your help."

"Speaking of which, I didn't tell anyone I trained you or anything like that. I wasn't even one of the judges. No strings were pulled, this was all you."

"Thanks, that means a lot." Izumi replied, before she remembered something else. "Oh. Oh yeah, I was really surprised to hear you're gonna be a teacher at UA this year! I was wondering what brought you here all of a sudden. After all, your agency is in Minato, Tokyo, and everyone knows-"

"Gettin' creepy." All-Might and Omega both said in unison. 

" The school didn't want me telling anyone about the job until they made an official announcement. It seemed like fortuitous timing. An easy way to find someone new to inherit One For All. I was on a long hunt for a successor."

"One For All?"

"Oh right, I guess I never really did explain that part. One For All is my quirk, at least currently." 

"Huh. Yeah, nobody really knows what your quirk is. Most speculate it's some kind of strength enhancing quirk. Wait, currently?"

"It's a unique quirk that can be passed from one person to another, stockpiling the collective power of its previous users."

"Woah woah wait!" Izumi's head was spinning from all this new information. "Are you saying you were…"

"Quirkless? Yes. I've been looking for someone to pass One For All onto ever since my injury. Like I said before, I can only stay in my hero form for a few hours a day, and I'm getting too old for this as it is. It's time for the next generation to step in. Naturally, I considered giving you One For All, but I decided against it." All-Might gained a panicked expression for a split second. "Not because I didn't trust you! It's just that you already have such a powerful quirk! Think of your body like a cup. With your quirk at its current output, you're like a glass half full. Adding OFA on top of that would put a huge strain on your body, possibly even shorten your lifespan."

"Makes sense to me." Izumi replied, not offended in the slightest. "So who are you gonna give it to?"

"That's where you come in. I have a request."

"Anything, All-Might. What do you need?"

"Between your studies at UA, I need you to keep an eye out for any potential bearer of One For All. Lemme know if you find someone, but please, keep it on the down low. Only a select handful of people know about this."

"You can count on me. After everything you've done for me, it's the least I could do."

"Thanks kid, I really appreciate it. Just remember, a potential bearer needs to have little to no quirk potential for this to work."

Izumi looked to her mentor with determination. She wouldn't let him down.

April

It was the first day of school. Izumi stood before the imposing, sleek, modern architecture of U.A. High, the sunlight glinting off its massive glass facade. Her new uniform, a crisp grey blazer over a white shirt and dark skirt, felt stiff and formal. Her heart, despite all the training, all the encouragement, still hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs. This was it. The very beginning. She was a bit intimidated, to say the least, as she walked through the front doors, the sheer number of hopeful students filling the halls.

"Ok, it's ok, we're ok, we're fine. First day of school is gonna be great, lots of classmates-"

"You're rambling to yourself again." Omega said.

"I know, but I can't help it! What if it's like middle school all over again?!"

"Well the fact that you're seemingly yelling at yourself definitely isn't helping."

"Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh…." Izumi moaned as she looked around the halls. Indeed, some students were giving her strange looks.

"Okay look!" Omega began, already making plans to further buff out her Alpha's low self esteem. "First of all, you didn't have a visible quirk in middle school, and now you have a badass quirk. Second, this is a new school, with new classmates, one of them is bound to like you."

"You're right! You're right." Izumi regained her composure. "I'll be fine, as long as I don't run into Kacchan or that blue haired guy."

Izumi opened the door to class 1-A just in time to walk in on a shouting match between Kacchan and the blue haired guy.

"Take your feet off that desk now!" Blue hair shouted, as Bakugou casually used said desk as a footrest. " It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!"

"You're kidding me, right?" Bakugou replied. "Your old school put a stick up your ass, or were you just born with it?" 

"Let's start over. I'm Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy."

"Somei, huh? So you must think you're better than me. I'm gonna have fun tearin' you a new one."  

" You would threaten me!? Your own classmate!?" Iida gasped.

"Uh…"

Both students turned to face Izumi.

'Why do I say things?'

"Deku!" Bakugou snapped. She immediately flinched, prepared for his worst. She wasn't prepared to catch a notebook with her nickname scrawled on the front cover. "Keep better track of your stuff, nerd! I'm here to learn, not babysit! Last thing I need is to put up with your whining!"

"Um…thanks?"

"Whatever."

Izumi looked down at the notebook. It was the same type and color as the one Bakugou had destroyed the day they were both attacked by the sludge villain. Come to think of it, ever since that day, Bakugou hadn't really made it a point to actively approach her. He had, of course, continued to bully her in the weeks following, even more so than usual. But then, he eventually just stopped. It was like he just…petered out. Even at the entrance exam, he barely acknowledged her presence. Was this notebook his way of-

"Wait, that's her." Iida ran over. "Good morning! I am Tenya Iida!"

"Uh yeah, I know." Izumi said awkwardly.

Iida was halfway through apologizing for misjudging her at the entrance exam, when another student came up.

"Ah, the queen is here!" It was the blonde boy with the navel laser.

"Yo! Robot girl! What I tell ya!? You just had to have fun! How could you not with that cool sword!?" The pink girl approached next. "I'm Mina Ashido! Nice to meet ya!"

"O-oh hi! I'm glad you made it in! I never got to thank you for the save!" The brunette greeted her from behind. "I'm Ochaco Uraraka."

"Woah! She's ripped!" A short, purple-haired kid who made her strangely uncomfortable was next.

"That sword attack was so manly!" Yelled a red head with shark teeth.

Another blonde kid with a black streak joined him. "Hell yeah, it was badass!"

Izumi suddenly found herself surrounded by her new classmates, she was starting to become overwhelmed. 

"Oi," Bakugo shouted from his seat, "quit crowdin' the damn nerd! You're gonna make her pass out, and then I'm gonna have to drag her stupid ass to the nurse's! So back off before I get real mad!" He raged, letting off warning sparks from his palms.

"I agree with the loud one." A disheveled man in a sleeping bag said from just outside the classroom. Everyone stopped and turned to look at him. "It took 15 seconds before you all shut up. That's not gonna work, time is precious. Rational students would understand that."

After introducing himself as their teacher, Shota Aizawa gave everybody gym uniforms and led them outside for a quirk assessment test.

"If you really wanna make the big leagues," he explained, "you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies. We're at UA, we're not tethered to traditions. That means I get to run my class however I see fit."

Everyone gasped.

"You've been taking standardized tests for most of your lives, but you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before." He explained. "The country's still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn."

Aizawa turned and addressed Bakugo. "You managed to get the most points on the entrance exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in Junior High?"

"Sixty‐seven meters, I think." Bakugo replied.

"Right. Try doing it with your Quirk. Anything goes, just stay in the circle. Go on. You're wasting our time."

"All right, man, you asked for it."

Bakugo smirked. 'I'll add a little heat to my pitch and drop their jaws.'

"Die!" Bakugo yelled, and as he threw the baseball, he added an explosion, launching it a whole 705 meters.

Everybody was impressed.

'Kacchan is amazing as always.' Izumi thought.

"If that's what you call amazing." Omega snarked. The nanite had never liked Izumi's ex-friend ever since the two had split in kindergarten. She couldn't talk to her Alpha or defend her back then, but she could still see and hear everything the poor girl had gone through. "First chance we get, we are so showing him up, I don't care what you say. Little bastard, thinks he's hot shit."

'I think he's coming around.'

"The dude literally told you to kill yourself! He nicknamed you Deku, basically calls you useless on a regular basis. That little punk deserves to get knocked down a peg or two, and you are gonna let yourself be petty for once." Omega was steaming. As far as she was concerned, she would never forgive Bakugo, not after he'd bullied Izumi to within an inch of her life for the better part of a decade.

'Omega…' Izumi was concerned about her friend's line of thinking before she was pulled out of her thoughts by Aizawa sensei.

"Next! Midoriya, you're up."

"O-oh, right. Sorry."

Aizawa handed Izumi a baseball and she stepped into the circle. She decided a Smash Hand would suit her throwing arm just fine. Unfortunately, Omega had other plans. From Izumi's right arm grew not a mechanical fist, but rather a large cannon with an extendable maw on the back. The baseball was pulled from her grasp and shifted around inside the weapon as it was being built.

"No way! You have a gun too!? I'm super jealous!" Ashido shouted from the side.

'Omega!'

"Oops. Did I build your cannon instead of your boxing glove? Well shoot, everyone's watching, guess you're gonna have to make do."

'For the record, I'm not happy with you right now.'

"Noted. Now shoot the ball."

And shoot she did. With a mighty BOOM, the baseball went flying. 

"1000 meters," Aizawa noted. "Not bad."

Bakugo was stunned. Deku beat him at something? At anything? Oh she was asking for it.

"Wow, incredible." Ochaco said.

"What an ingenious device!" Iida praised.

"Yoooo! What do you call that one!?" Mina asked, clearly excited.

"Uh, I don't know, the…Delaware Cannon?" Izumi hadn't really named this one or the flight pack yet.

"Lame!" Bakugo called. "Only you would name one of your gizmos after a move All-Might would use!"

"Yeah." Ashido agreed. "It could be a little more original, like maybe, the Slam Cannon?!"

That did sound a lot cooler. "Yeah. The Slam Cannon."

Izumi smiled. She actually felt good showing off what she could do. Maybe Omega was right.

As the quirk assessment continued, Aizawa had told the class that one of them was to be expelled by the end of the day. The student with the lowest score would have to pack up and leave.

50 Meter Dash

"Runners! On your mark, go!" The tripod camera bot called.

Izumi wasn't exactly expecting to win against Bakugo in a foot race, not when he could propel himself with his quirk. She also didn't expect to tie with him.

'Was I always this fast?'

'Shitty Deku.'

Grip Test

'Expulsion!?' Izumi thought as she clutched her grip tester.

"I'm not worried." Omega replied. "You're already killin' it."

'No but I mean, isn't that a little harsh? We all earned the right to be here.'

"Well, sometimes them's the breaks."

'And we still haven't found a successor for All-Might.' Izumi gripped the device tighter. 'I don't wanna disappoint him, after all he's done for me.'

" You ? Disappoint him ?" Omega scoffed. "You'd sooner work up the nerve to ask that Ashido girl out."

Izumi blushed. "What does that mean!" She said out loud.

"It means let go before you-" a nearby Mineta started before he was interrupted by a sickening TWANG sound. 

Izumi looked down to see that she had broken her grip tester. Her monstrous nanite strength, underestimated yet again. Mineta had been trying to warn her, but she'd been too distracted by her own thoughts. She turned to Aizawa.

"Uh….oops?" She said nervously. Aizawa simply stared for a few seconds before jotting something on his clipboard. Izumi groaned, she was making a horrible first impression so far.

Standing Long Jump

For the first time that morning, Izumi didn't hesitate. She formed her Shoot Stylers and used them to ace her long jump, landing with seasoned precision. Even with just a small hop, she cleared the entire sand pit, and an additional 20 feet. She was so happy, she almost didn't notice Bakugo glaring at her…almost.

Navigational Mobility

The next test had the students racing each other up a skyscraper. The intention here was to test their creativity and resourcefulness. Izumi was deep in thought. On one hand, her Smash Hands could easily allow her to scale this structure. Then again, her Shoot Stylers might allow her to leap to the top in a single bound, or at least get closer in a shorter period of time. But she remembered that her classmates also had their own quirks. Said classmates noticed her incessant mumbling.

"Hey genius," Omega supplied, "you can fly, remember?"

"O-oh, right." Izumi said, a bit embarrassed. She hadn't really used that build much in practice, too afraid of falling if it didn't hold. She had never flown so high with it as a result. This was her chance to conquer that fear.

As the race began, most of the class ran into the building, intending to scale it from the inside. Tsuyu, Kirishima, and Todoroki opted to try and use their quirks to scale the side. Izumi took a stance and concentrated, willing her nanites into action. First, a harness formed around her torso, followed by two large wing-like structures which extended from her back. Finally, the tips of the wings produced a powerful pair of wind turbines. Tsu, Kiri, and Todo looked on in wonder.

"Alright! I'm clear for takeoff!" Izumi smiled as she blasted into the air.

Bakugo was the first to make it to the top of the skyscraper….or so he thought. As he burst through the door of the roof access, he was met with the sight of Izumi, sitting on the building's edge, and peering at him over her shoulder. 

"Oh, hey Kacchan!" She waved. "You beat everyone to the top too, huh?"

Bakugo suddenly turned furious. "You makin' fun of me, Deku!?"

Izumi braced herself with a combat stance, but found that she wasn't as intimidated as she usually was. Did her quirk give her confidence? It certainly had so far, but she hadn't realized just how braver she was.

"What!? You think now that you've got a quirk, you're better than me!? I'm still number one Deku!" He raged as he stepped closer. Izumi put her hands up defensively, though she couldn't help the casual, toothy smile that broke out on her face. Where once she would've found Bakugo's screaming threatening, now she simply found it normal, almost comical in a sense. Just Kacchan being Kacchan.

A few moments later, Tsuyu, Kirishima, and Todoroki arrived on the rooftop. Tsuyu landed with a soft thwip from her tongue, Kirishima hardened his hands to pull himself over the ledge, and Todoroki ascended on a large ice construct. They arrived just in time to hear Bakugo's furious declaration.

Tsuyu tilted her head, her large eyes blinking slowly. "Bakugo, you're being really loud, kero."

Kirishima, ever the peacemaker, chuckled nervously. "Hey, Bakugo, chill out! Midoriya's just being friendly. And that jet pack is seriously manly, you gotta admit!" He offered Izumi a thumbs-up, his hardened skin gleaming.

Todoroki, ever stoic, simply observed the scene, his dual-colored eyes flicking between Izumi and Bakugo. "Her quirk is versatile," he stated, his voice calm and analytical, ignoring Bakugo's outburst entirely. "Flight, enhanced strength, weaponry... it seems to adapt to various applications." He then looked directly at Izumi. "You have a powerful quirk, Midoriya."

Bakugo's eye twitched at being ignored by Todoroki and praised by Kirishima, especially in front of Izumi. "Shut up, Half-and-Half! And you too, Hard-Head! She's just a damn nerd who finally got her useless quirk to do something! I'm still the best!" He punctuated his statement with a small, frustrated explosion that singed the air.

Izumi, still smiling faintly, simply shrugged at Bakugo's continued bluster. She was too busy basking in the genuine compliments from her other classmates. It felt... good. Really good.

Once everyone had returned to solid ground, Aizawa revealed that he had lied about the expulsion. Izumi sighed in relief.

"See? You were worried about nothing." Omega said.

Izumi had survived her first day at U.A. She just hoped she was prepared for whatever tomorrow had in store.