"Who… who is that?!" All Might asked, fearful of the secret onlooker.
"That's…. Tsuburaya, my mentor, I guess you could say." Midoriya admitted, pulling out his phone to show the hero the call taking place. "I'm so sorry, he-he must've called me when we were talking."
"If you're worried about me spilling your secrets, don't be. I'm incapable of it." Tsuburaya muttered, annoyed at the sidetracking.
All Might narrowed his eyes. "And why not?"
"He's…" Midoriya hesitated.
"I serve you, mantle bearer. I follow your script and yours alone." the AI reminded him.
"...he's an AI I… inherited, I guess you could say." Midoriya admitted. "He's programmed to listen to me and obey my orders, so he won't reveal any of this conversation to anyone."
"You… have an AI??" All Might was shocked. AIs weren't commonplace. Creating one was strictly regulated, and allowed to be done only by specific support companies, and said AI's capabilities were limited to prevent one from following in the footsteps of the omnicidal robot Ultron. To this day, only a few heroic ones, such as Jim Hamond, Vision, or Cerebra were still active, the first two teaching at Avengers Academy, the latter at the Xavier School for Gifted Youths, while others could be found maintaining I-Island or guarding imprisoned villains with quirks that would affect organic people. For a boy like Midoriya to possess one, fully sentient with a personality, yet obedient to him, was nothing short of astounding.
"Yes, but you're getting off track. You were saying something about giving Midoriya your Quirk?" Tsuburaya asked.
Straightening up, All Might coughed. "Right, right… I suppose you have a right to know as well, being Midoriya's mentor. I should make it clear that I'm not going to force anything onto Midoriya. If he chooses to accept or decline, then I'll respect his decision, but I think he's worthy of my Quirk!" All Might dramatically pointed his finger to the boy, shouting "SO DO YOU WANNA ACCEPT MY AWESOME POWER OR NOT??"
Midoriya only stared at the man before him, so Tsuburaya decided to make a suggestion.
"Perhaps you should explain what exactly you're talking about?"
"Oh, that's… probably a good idea." All Might admitted. He cleared his throat, and began his speech. "Journalists always guess about the nature of my quirk, usually claiming it to be super strength, or some kind of invulnerability."
"That is correct. In interviews you would make a joke and dodge the question." Tsuburaya noted. "But I take it that isn't the truth?"
"No, it isn't. I've never revealed the truth of my quirk, for the world must believe that its greatest hero came about through natural means, like anyone else! But I'm not…"
"You're... not?" Midoriya asked, hanging onto every word, his mind racing.
"No, I'm not." All Might confirmed. "My power did not come about naturally! I wasn't born bearing this power, but given it…! It is a sacred torch, passed down to me from someone else!"
"It was… given to you?!" Midoriya was in shock. For the fourth time today his worldview had come crashing down. "That's… that's impossible!"
"But it is! And I can give you my power, for I believe you are worthy of inheriting it!"
"Hold on, this is a lot to process!!" Midoriya began, before throwing open the floodgates with a long stream of words detailing how the internet and world at large had constantly theorized about All Might's power, wow it was considered one of the great wonders of the modern world, why such a thing had been unheard of since power was meant to be unique to each individual and no one else before then was able to just give powers to another individual in such a way, and such a quirk would have been seen as world changing were it to become public knowledge, such a thing would have changed the way quirks or other powers were viewed, maybe even the nature of powers itself-
"Geeze, kid, quit overanalyzing this!" All Might interrupted, Midoriya snapping out of his tangent.
"Sorry, Midoriya does that sometimes. Usually it takes a sharp poke to snap him out of it." Tsuburaya commented. Despite his humorous tone, though, the AI was also analyzing everything he knew. Having Quentin Beck's memories, he had seen plenty of types of powers. Super geniuses, men who could break worlds, the supernatural, magic, men capable of manipulating the fundamental forces of existence, aliens that could mimic the powers of others, just to name a few… but transferring one's power? No such ability had ever existed to his knowledge. The closest thing, in Tsuburaya's memory banks, had been the X-men member Rogue, who could siphon away one's vitality and powers. But from what data he had, Rouge couldn't retain the powers without killing someone, and as far as Beck knew she had not been able to give that power to anyone else.
Focusing back on the scene before him, Tsuburaya watched All Might thrust out his arm, a firm glare focused upon the boy in front of him. "You'll have to adjust your reality and accept this new truth! I can transfer my power to another person, and that's just one aspect of its powers!" He clenched his fist, then opened it, and from within the palm a bright light surged, brighter than the sun but with the strength of a bomb, yet it did not hurt any of them.
"The true name of my Quirk… is One for All!"
"One for All…?" Midoriya repeated. Though it was a simple phrase, it felt like he was learning the true meaning of existence, or like when he found that map which led him to the path of being a hero, Quirkless or not. Now, a new path had come before him, one he didn't ever dream was possible.
"Yes, my boy!" All Might proclaimed to the boy and AI. "One Quirk, improved by one person, then passed down from generation to generation, with each new wielder adding their own power to make it stronger than the one before! This cultivated power is what has allowed me to save thousands of lives and stop those who would do them harm! The truth behind my strength!"
"...but… why would you choose me to give me a gift like that? What if I can't live up to it?" Midoriya asked.
"I've been on a long search for a worthy successor… but then, I watched you jump into action without hesitation to save that boy, even while others stood idly by." All Might looked down at the boy. "You may be a quirkless fanboy with homemade gadgets, but you tried to save him anyways! You acted like a hero!"
Midoriya could feel himself tear up again. To hear All Might reaffirm his belief in him, despite all the trouble that day, meant so much to him that he just couldn't help himself. All Might chuckled at the sight.
"Seriously kid, you've gotta stop crying so much if you want this quirk!" All Might said, but looked at him with a smile, certain the boy would immediately respond.
"If I may interject…"
Midoriya looked at Tsuburaya. "Wha-what's wrong?"
"I feel the need to remind you of the… theme of your gadgets and support items." Tsuburaya said, subtly gesturing towards the musclebound hero. Midoriya understood. He trusted All Might, but he knew that some people would be reluctant to trust anyone associated with villains.
"What's wrong??" All Might asked, confused at the AI's interruption while Midoriya felt a growing sense of dread as he thought about what Tsuburaya was saying.
"The inheritance from which Midoriya obtained me came with the condition that Midoriya would honor the legacy of the man who created me. That man wasn't a super strong one, so he relied on gadgets and technology to keep up with super powered peers."
"I see… you think that if Midoriya gains my quirk that voids his inheritance?" All Might asked. "Why do you think that?"
"If Midoriya were to suddenly gain a quirk, then he'd no longer require the gadgets that I helped him develop. He needs to use the equipment as part of his persona, or else he forfeits his inheritance, and thus the resources at his disposal. My creator was very specific about that part." Tsuburaya explained solemnly.
"Wa-wait, is that true?!" Midoriya asked. Quirk or no quirk, Midoriya had worked hard with Tsuburaya for years. He wasn't going to throw it all away just because he had a quirk, he had made a promise! But if Tsuburaya thought that this violated the agreement..!
"Oh, there's no problem, then."
"What do you mean?" Tsuburaya asked. Midoriya looked at All Might, confused.
"As it stands, Midoriya can't use my Quirk as he is now." All Might began, only for Midoriya to interrupt tearfully.
"Bu-but you said I was worthy!!!"
"Geeze kid, calm down!! I was talking about your body!" All Might explained. That quieted Midoriya, so All Might continued. "My quirk holds the power of seven other people in it, eight once you take it. The combined strength of all that power swimming around could ravage an unprepared body. Imagine a single party balloon trying to hold an entire tank of helium, or your limbs shooting off like rockets!"
Midoriya promptly did, and screamed in horror. "SERIOUSLY!?"
"Horrifying, but how is that relevant?" Tsuburaya asked.
All Might didn't like how dismissive the AI was towards the idea of Midoriya exploding, but continued. "To safely contain my power, you're going to have to build up your body's muscles to a certain point, but even then you'd have so much power that you probably won't be able to safely control it at first. A single punch would probably shatter your arm from the backlash alone."
Swallowing down the bile that came from that mental image, Midoriya quickly latched onto what All Might was suggesting. "I get it…! Until I can learn to safely use my power, I'll have to rely on gadgets to supplement my combat and rescue missions, and the illusions could help me get into the right position to use my power! And even if my limbs are damaged, I could use the gadgets as cover to escape!"
"Precisely!" All Might said. "Plenty of pro heroes use support items to help them out with any problems their quirks might have! Also, it would be better if you don't model yourself too much after me." Seeing their confused looks, All Might suddenly froze. He nearly let something important slip! So thinking quickly, he explained part of his reasoning, stumbling over his words a bit. "It's just that… if someo- people notice your power is like mine, they'll start questioning why that is and might look into it, and if word gets out that the world's strongest Quirk can be given away…"
"Chaos and villains scrambling for that Quirk..!" Midoriya realized with a shudder.
"Hmm…. the reasoning is sound." Tsuburaya spoke up after a minute of silence. "The gadgets and suit will act as support, your power used for direct combat, and the costume will distract people from questioning the source of his new Quirk… I find this to be a beneficial arrangement, and within the parameters my creator set, and thus acceptable."
"Perfect! So with that all taken care of," All Might turned to Midoriya. "Do you accept this power as your own?"
Midoriya stood up, a smile on his face. "I do!! I'll use your power, and that of Mysterio's, to become a hero!"
"No reluctance! I knew you would be like that, fanbo- Wait, did you say Mysterio?" All Might asked. Midoriya froze up again while Tsuburaya just sighed in exasperation.
So, yeah, Midoriya admitting that the source of his inheritance was a Pre-Quirk era villain was probably not the best way to gain All Might's trust. That's why, to show All Might that he wasn't going to be a villain, Midoriya offered to take him to the Studio the next day so he could see what Midoriya was working on. He would have taken him there that night, but the sun was already setting, and Inko Midoriya had waited for her son long enough. So the boy and All Might exchanged numbers, the latter revealing his real name as Yagi Toshinori, and parted ways for the night.
The next day saw Midoriya waiting outside the DvD store, hands in his pockets. As he had expected, his mom had been worried out of her mind, and it took ten minutes of apologies and promises to "never be so reckless again" before she calmed down enough to let him out of her sight. She asked why he hadn't come home yet, which led to Midoriya having to tell a white lie that the police had kept him longer than expected. Midoriya had another chance to tell his mom about Tsuburaya, about the Studio, about the source of his amazing gadgets… but he couldn't.
It wasn't brought up often, but Japan wasn't friendly to families related to supervillains. Midoriya had remembered this one kid in his class some years before, Maro, who had been popular with his classmates, especially Bakugo because of his own powerful Quirk, until a rumor started that his uncle had been a villain. The rumor had spread like wildfire, and within a month the boy's popularity plummeted, his friends had ditched him, no one wanted him at their table during lunch. Bakugo had openly called him out on it in public, which only made things worse for the boy. Eventually things got so bad that he had to be transferred to another school. The worst part was that Midoriya was certain that the rumor was false, or a mistake, but that didn't change how others had treated Maro.
Midoriya loved his mother, but even she had warned Midoriya to keep his distance from Maro, even though Midoriya was certain that he wasn't a villain, even if his uncle had been. So every time he thought of telling her the source of his gadgets, he couldn't help but see his mom, begging him for it to not be true. Once, he had a nightmare that she kicked him out onto the street when she had discovered it. He knew his mom loved him, but that didn't change his fears. Hopefully if things turned out well with All Might, Midoriya could finally muster up the courage.
"You've got that look on your face again, Midoriya-kun."
Midoriya looked up, a small smile on his face. The old woman, the same one from years ago, was there again, dressed in her yellow kimono and calmly eating a bento bun while wrapped in a thick blanket, a worn duffel bag behind her.
"Hello, Miss Yashida-san! Are the blankets warm enough? The weather's been getting colder in this area." Midoriya asked kindly. Once Midoriya had become a regular to the area, the people there had warmed up to him, especially since he began bringing them old clothes and the occasional bit of non packaged food and toiletries, though only if they requested it. Midoriya would have done more, but they all assured him they could take care of themselves.
"Oh yes, they'll work quite well." she said, but her expression shifted to a more serious one. "But don't change the subject."
"Sorry, ma'am." Midoriya apologized. "I was just thinking about telling my mom about… well…" he looked back at the DvD store. As far as Midoriya knew, none of the Burakumin in the area knew what was inside. Tsuburaya had assured him that he'd have known if anyone unauthorized had gone inside.
"Your little workshop, yes?" she asked, a small smile on her face.
"Y…yeah." Midoriya admitted."It's just… I don't know if she'd approve of what I keep in there… and she worries about me constantly, I don't want her to think that I'm some kind of.. Of…"
"Delinquent?" Miss Yashida asked, Midoriya nodding. "I think you're overthinking this. Perhaps she'll be upset with whatever you show her, but chances are she'll be happy knowing that you do have a plan to become a hero… but I think the best way to expose her to this is to ease her into it. Start small, perhaps show her that friend you mentioned, Tsubuya?"
"Tsuburaya, Obaasan." Midoriya tentatively corrected. The woman was kind, but something told him that she was one you should show respect to at all times. Maybe it was her rambling stories of being a Yakuza princess, or just the wild look she'd get when excited, but no matter what, she was one you didn't ignore or insult. Not unless you wanted trouble. "But… maybe you're right."
"I'm always right, Greenie!" she exclaimed with a cocky smirk. Their conversation would have continued, but at that point Toshinori Yagi, wearing similar clothes as the previous day, had appeared. Before he could say anything, Miss Yashida spoke up. "If you're looking for Ikagawashī, he's the next street down in the alley by the adult store."
"Excuse me…?" Toshinori asked, confused.
"Oh, no Mr. Yagi's here to, er, evaluate my workspace!" Midoriya rapidly explained, hoping that his idol wouldn't be insulted once he realized what the old woman had insinuated.
"Oh, I see. My apologies." Miss Yashida said, her mood now cheerful. "Carry on." She turned back to her lunch, happily tuning out the world.
"Sorry about her… Miss Yashida has a bunch of crazy ideas in her head." Midoriya quietly apologized, leading the pro hero around to the back of the store.
"It's fine, but why are we here, exactly?" Yagi asked the green haired boy. Midoriya didn't respond straight away, instead pressing his hand to the hidden panel's handprint scanner, installed only the previous year. With a quick flash, the door opened up. Midoriya wiped the panel clean with his sleeve, and stepped inside.
"You didn't think someone like Tsuburaya's creator would be glaringly obvious, right?" Midoriya asked, holding open the door. In the years since accessing the building room, Midoriya had slowly converted the backroom and office into a sort of private recreation and relaxation room. His hope was to eventually turn the whole place into a proper hero Agency one day, hopefully boost the local economy, but for now he was content with a simple private hideaway.
"Given his reputation… kind of?" Yagi admitted as he stepped in, shutting the door behind him, the door automatically locking itself.
"Wait until you see the studio." Midoriya said with a smirk, going to the shelf of DvDs. Pulling down Get Smart opened up the door to the secret staircase. Midoriya smiled at All Might's dumbfounded expression. "I know, cliche, but it has a charm to it."
Yagi chuckled and followed him downstairs. Reaching the door, Midoriya answered the three questions and finally entered the studio. Yagi stepped in, his sunken eyes wide in amazement.
The Studio hadn't changed very much over the years. Aside from there being less dust and tarps, the biggest differences were the workbench and art station. Adorning the former were blueprints for Mysterio's suits, schematics for his gauntlets, and various chemical formulas to improve upon the gasses and latex substances Midoriya would one day be using.
Upon the latter were sketches and notes. Each one depicting either a Pro Hero or some kind of fantastical monster to be used in an illusion. Notes about the minute details of each hero surrounded the drawings. Materials, movement, Quirk and support item observations, even their posture and personality! Close by, crumbled up wads of paper in a small trash can were overflowing onto the floor, likely from scrapped ideas or rejected monsters.
Off to the side, near an express elevator, were a few crates, each one bearing a vaguely familiar logo of a stylized W, M, and H with a circle and diamond in the center. Said crates being loaded onto the service elevator by… robotic copies of Fourthkind, Colossus, and Endeavor. Yagi blinked, but continued on.
Artwork by me @deviantArt
Not far from the strange sight was a table, with hologram emitters projecting an office building, with people in either gray, blue, yellow, or red, with a single green figure on the bottom.
"What.. what is all this?" Yagi asked, picking up a model of Gigan sitting upon a model city-scape.
"Methods for which Midoriya shall be an Illusion hero." Tsuburaya said, a hologram depicting an older man in a brown suit with a silver goatee and mustache appearing in a "teleporting in" effect Midoriya was pretty sure came from the original Star Trek. "Since being a tech based illusionist is not as simple as snapping one's fingers, Midoriya has to study the locations he'll potentially be stopping crime at, and plan out the show, you could say."
Yagi blinked at the AI, surprised at the appearance of the hologram. "So.. you're Tsuburaya?"
"In the holographic flesh." Tsuburaya confirmed with a flamboyant bow. "You're quite lucky actually. You're the first person aside from the locals and Midoriya to see me in my Dr. Ludwig Rinehart avatar."
"You have more than one form? Why?" Yagi asked, a hint of cautious suspicion directed at the AI.
"We thought that an avatar of Mysterio would send people the wrong impression, once we went public."Tsuburaya explained. Noting that Yagi had not relaxed all that much, he continued. "Rest assured, I mean neither you or Midoriya any harm. He discovered this lair and has what Quentin Beck was looking for in a successor, and thus is entitled to everything here, including Beck's fortune, investments, and financial accounts… even if the original money was given away to charity."
That last part was grumbled out in annoyance, a glare directed at Midoriya, who crossed his arms and returned the glare.
"You know I was uncomfortable with using a villain's fortune, even if it was for good." Midoriya looked at Yagi and elaborated. "I had Tsuburaya patent a few support items, based on old villain tech and some of Mysterio's creations, and used the money to fund us legitimately. It didn't feel right to be using money that was originally stolen."
"Midoriya used those funds to legally purchase the building above us about 4 years ago, with me acting as his online representative for the sale. Though I should clarify that on paper we're listed as a support company called Wondrous Might and Heroism ." Tsuburaya continued for Midoriya, gesturing at the crates, being loaded with Support Gear; some kind of directional gauntlet in one, and a spiked turtle shell-like shield in another. Yagi nodded in understanding. It wasn't uncommon for support companies to have their mainland facilities use aliases or be kept hidden from the general public. This was to prevent villains from breaking in to steal their products, and other similar security concerns. However, one part of Tsuburaya's speech caught his attention.
"You have villain tech here?" Yagi asked. Most villains nowadays just used their quirks, with support items being either homemade or bought on the black market, but with very rare exceptions, none of them stood up to Pre-Quirk era machines like Dr. Octopus' arms or Justin Hammer's Titanium Man armor. To hear that the Studio contained blueprints or even original models was a shocking development to the Pro Hero.
"Quentin Beck took notes on everyone he knew. When the criminal community needed a fake to take the fall for a crime, to fake a death, or Beck just wanted to throw people off during a scheme, he'd be commissioned to build robotic replicas. They were no Doombot or LMD, and sometimes the personality core would malfunction, but they got the job done."Tsuburaya explained. "The Sinister Six would often share their notes on their equipment and powers to make their robotic duplicates more realistic, though it was never as good as the originals."
"I've been working to incorporate some of it into my hero costume, but there's only so much room…" Midoriya bit his lip as he looked over his current design for his suit. It was covered in scrawled notes, some of it crossed out or extended past the edge with sticky notes since there wasn't any more room for the information. The suit itself was large and bulky, to Midoriya's distaste. All that weight would throw him off and make it harder to move around quietly. Chances were he'd have to scrap the design and start again.
"So.. what's with the model building?" Yagi asked, coming over to inspect the hologram while Midoriya focused on his costume woes. Poking the green figure, he realized he could manipulate it and reposition it to new spots.
"A simulation to help Midoriya visualize how he should place his hologram emitters and any robots or drones he might have with him." Tuburaya explained. "In this specific scenario, a group of thirteen villains with randomly generated, yet still dangerous Quirks have broken into an office building to steal bail bonds, and have taken hostages in the process. The Pro Heroes he may team up with are also randomly generated, but they're kept outside the building at the start. Success is calculated based upon observed personality profiles, Quirk types, and the illusions Midoriya implements."
"I see…" Yagi said, "Wait, isn't this the premise of an old movie?"
" Die Hard, initially released on July 12, 1988 at the Avco Theater, then en masse on July 15, 1988, starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman as the protagonist and antagonist, respectively. The sequels and remakes were not worth the drive space needed to hold them, but the original is a masterpiece." the AI confirmed. "I have an extensive knowledge of cinema upon which we can draw upon for inspiration."
Yagi quietly nodded. It was clear to the boy and AI that he was impressed… but the worry the Pro Hero felt was still obvious. Despite all the assurances from the two, he couldn't help but worry about all the villain technology being used. Yagi knew that it was just tools and they held no will of their own, save maybe Tsuburaya, but every time he glanced at the holographic figure, he couldn't help but feel his stomach turn. Metaphorically speaking. Sensing the unease, Midoriya put aside his suit blueprints and spoke up.
"Look… I know there's a stigma against villains, and people who are related to them in some way." Midoriya sighed. "But I know Mysterio's tech can be used for good, and if something good can come from something evil, then it deserves a chance to prove it, right?"
Yagi blinked. Unknowingly, Midoriya had brought to mind an untold aspect of One for All. For a moment, Yagi briefly thought of telling Midoriya the origins of the Quirk. About the original wielder, sick and helpless yet with a strong sense of justice. The world which gave rise to such power. And the man, the self proclaimed Demon King, who made said Quirk to control another, only to accidentally form a tool for justice…
But no. That… man was dead. He was gone, and to tell Midoriya of such things would only be adding to the boy's worries. If, heaven forbid, He returned, then yes, All Might would tell Midoriya. But this wouldn't be that day, and he prayed such a day would never come.
"You're right." Yagi looked at the two. "You're willing to place your trust in me, and I've already placed my trust in you. If you're positive that these items can be used to make a hero… then the world had best be ready for the newest Illusion Hero, Midoriya!"
Midoriya smiled in joy. A massive weight had been removed from his shoulders. If All Might had faith that Midoriya could redeem the name of Mysterio, then he would put in his best effort to be not only the strongest hero, but the cleverest one as well.
And maybe, just maybe, his mother would see things the same way.
"So, with that out of the way, how exactly do you plan to make Midoriya ready to accept your Quirk? A gym trial? Sparring with you or one of the machines here?"
"By cleaning up Dagoba Beach!" All Might proclaimed, bulking up in his excitement.
"…"
"...pardon?"
"Hahaha!! Oh, the look on your faces!" All Might steadied his breath and turned the hologram. "Could you please look up the beach online and bring up the images that you find on a screen?"
Midoriya nodded to Tsuburaya, who started typing on a keyboard that suddenly appeared. Surrounding the three were images of a trash covered beach. Mountains of garbage, from microwaves and rotting tires to stoves, refrigerators and even entire cars were left there to rust.
"There's… so much trash!!" Midoriya sputtered out.
"That's correct! I did some research last night and found that part of the beach was once beautiful… but the ocean currents let anything that's dropped into the waters flow onto the beach, making it a favorite spot for illegal trash disposal. Because of this, all the locals avoid the area." All Might explained, a hint of sadness in his tone. "So, to inherit my Quirk, you'll have to clean up that beach!"
While Tsuburaya could not see why All Might would go this route instead of the gym or a training course, Midoriya immediately picked up on All Might's way of thinking.
"I see… by cleaning up the beach I not only get a workout, I'll be doing the public a service!" Midoriya said, his eyes sparkling in eagerness.
"Got it in one, fanboy! Heroes these days are more focused on stopping flashy villains. A noble cause, but that's still only a single aspect of being a hero! In the old days, before quirks made powers commonplace, serving the public was what mattered, no matter what form it took!"
"That's true… I recall reading how while people like Captain America or the X-Men focused more on international criminals or terrorists, every day Spider-Man could be found doing anything from finding stray pets, giving directions to people, or plugging leaks in water towers." Tsuburaya noted. "Most street level vigilantes and heroes gained public favor by following his example."
"He's not wrong! I figure that if you clear away this part of the beach…" All Might spun his finger around an overhead view of the beach, but nothing happened. Turning to the AI, the Symbol of peace awkwardly asked "Um… Could you, uh… highlight the area I circled?" A moment later, that area lit up red. "Thank you. As I was saying, I figure that if Young Midoriya clears away this part of the beach, he'd be ready to inherit One for All safely!"
"Are you sure??? That seems like quite a lot of garbage for Midoriya to handle on his own.."Tsuburaya muttered, quietly running the numbers in the background.
"No, he's right!" Midoriya spoke up. "I wanna get into UA's entrance exam, but it's only ten months away, so I need to get ready fast! They're the best hero school in the country, but also the toughest to get into!"
"And that's why I made THIS!" All Might pulled out a packet of papers. "My handy dandy Aim-to-Pass All American Dream Plan! Follow this outline, and you'll be ready in no time!"
Taking the stack, Midoriya looked it over with Tsuburaya observing to archive it. It wasn't just workout routines and meal plans, either. Study sessions, rest days… "Even my sleep is scheduled…!" Midoriya whispered, just now comprehending the scale of the task he would have to undertake.
"I'll be honest with you two. This will be a pretty extreme task, but it's necessary if you want to safely inherit my Quirk." All Might admitted somberly.
"Add that to Midoriya's schoolwork and gadget building…" Tsuburaya noted, a pair of spectacles appearing on the bridge of his nose. "The odds are slim... but it should be possible with only minimal adjustments made to these plans."
"I don't care how hard this will be, I know I'll have to work harder than everyone else just to get in." Midoriya admitted, but looked up with a steely resolve at his two mentors. "But being a hero has never been easy, so I'll give it my all!"
"Glad to hear it!" All Might proclaimed. "I'll see you at the beach tomorrow morning, fanboy!"
And so, just like that, ten months of absolute hell began for Midoriya. For most of the week, Midoriya would train at Dagoba beach. The different kinds of trash strained different groups of muscles in Midoriya's body, thus ensuring all parts were being worked on. For the most part, it was just him and All Might. Sometimes Tsuburaya would come by, watching Midoriya train using a drone, but not always. Tsuburaya spent most of the time testing different materials and equipment to add to the suits. He devised and scrapped no less than 6 different Mysterio suits in the first month alone.
Midoriya was often left exhausted, but he pushed himself. Even on days he was supposed to be rested he worked out, even if it was a simple grip trainer used in his non-busy hand while he took notes in class. The other classmates took notice of his efforts, but unless they heard him muttering they were content to do little more than gossip. Bakugo had been oddly quiet. One part of Midoriya had wondered if him loosening up on his bullying was an indirect way for him to thank Midoriya, while another, more embittered part of him figured that he just didn't want to risk getting into an incident that would keep him out of Hero School. Either way, Midoriya wasn't complaining. No bullying meant he wouldn't have to worry about missing a workout day to recover.
After school, Midoriya would head to the Studio to either review the blueprints he and Tsuburaya drew up or spar, the AI taking command of robotic duplicates of various Pro Heroes from the modern era and Pre-Quirk Golden Age. Midoriya wasn't the best at fighting, especially since he tried to copy All Might's aggressive powerhouse fighting style despite Tsuburaya's insistence that he do otherwise. Despite this, he never gave up. Eventually, he managed to last long enough in combat against the robotic avatars of Fourthkind and Gunhead teaming up to satisfy the AI. So Midoriya changed his focus to memorizing the different formulas and how to combine them to achieve the effects he desired for different scenarios.
At home, Inko was shocked at her son's sudden change in lifestyle. When he was eight he had asked her for a healthier style of eating. 'To help me become a hero!' he'd said. But he'd usually make time for the occasional hanami dango or pocky, but now it seemed he would eat nothing but healthy food, and he'd wolf it down like he was starving, and still ask for seconds! The exhaustion that seemed to build up as time went on also had her worried. His grades were still good, so she didn't think it was something to bring up just yet, and thus she let it slide.
The biggest shock had been when Izuku came to her one morning and showed her that when he was young he had obtained an AI! An actual AI that was subservient to her boy's wishes, even if he was made by a villain from the past. Izuku had confessed to her how he had obtained it, even showing her the original notebook, kept in a new plastic sleeve to better preserve it. She had yet to visit the Studio as they called it, but Izuku had shown her pictures, talking on end about how he was going to use those resources to become a great hero. The passion in his words talking about being a hero was the only thing that made her certain Izuku wasn't being manipulated or, heaven forbid, manipulating her.
Inko was, of course, upset with her son withholding this information from her for years… at least, until she learned why. It had been a long time since she had thought about Maro Jōgo, the boy everyone treated like a plague when that awful rumor had started. Even she was guilty of pushing that belief onto Izuku, just because she was just scared for him. Hearing how this memory had made Izuku scared of her reaction broke her heart. She knew he would never be a villain. His heart was too pure and kind for it, even if she thought he was a bit unrealistic at times. Still, with these resources and that nice trainer Mr. Yagi's help, Inko was now positive that her son would be able to be a great hero. She just wished that she had a way to prove to her son that she was going to support him, no matter what. A way that showed him she was sorry for ever doubting him, for not supporting him when he needed her to, all those years ago. One night, while taking away a lukewarm mug of coffee and some empty energy bar wrappers that surrounded her passed out son, she glanced at Izuku's open sketchbook… and found a way.
Eventually, seven months had passed. Autumn had arrived, and Midoriya was jogging down a tree lined pathway, struggling to keep up with All Might, the latter riding a segway in his thin form, a massive coat draped around him like a cloak. Hearing a grunt and thud, All Might stopped, looking back at his chosen successor, the latter laying on the ground, panting heavily, the garbage he was hauling dropped beside him.
"Hey, hey! You're not going to give up that easily, are you?! Just going to flush away all that hard work??" All Might was going to continue his berating, but took notice of something else. Midoriya was shaking, far too tired considering the amount of exercise he was doing. "You're overworked. The Aim to Pass American Dream Plan was created with your body type in mind. It was fine tuned by Tsuburaya to make sure your progress was swift yet manageable. That means…"
Yagi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You haven't been following the plan Tsuburaya and I laid out! I know you're eager to get in, but overworking yourself is just going to do more harm than good!"
"It's not enough… to just get in…" Midoriya groaned out.
"Hm?" Yagi glanced down at the boy, who weakly looked up at him.
"It's not enough… to just get in… I want to excel…!" Midoriya panted out, shaking as he struggled to get up. "Everyone else thinks I can't do this… that I can't be a hero…! I need to prove otherwise..! Prove that I can be… the greatest hero in the world!"
All Might stared at the boy, on his knees and hands, and could only think of how much though he put into the future. With a smile he inflated to his muscular form and stepped off the segway.
"You've got a lot of fighting spirit, fanboy! That'll serve you well!" All Might proclaimed, lifting the limp child up by the neck of his workout jacket. "That being said, overworking yourself won't do you any good! "Don't you worry, fanboy! I'll speak with Tsuburaya, and these two old men will adjust the Dream Plan so you'll be at the top of your game come the entrance exam!"
"You're not that old…" Midoriya muttered out as the Pro Hero gently put him back on his feet.
All Might simply laughed and raised his fist to the sky, Midoriya mustering enough strength to look up. "Don't you worry, Young Midoirya! When the time comes, you'll be able to truly Go Beyond, PLUS UL-"
"Midoriya! It's Tsuburaya!"
Midoriya sighed, annoyed that the moment was ruined, and pulled out his phone. "What is it?"
"Someone unauthorized is attempting to access the Studio!"
The handprint scanner was nothing, and the secret entrance to the hidden stairs were obvious, so why was this door being so mean?!
The girl threw back her hair. It was getting long, she noticed, but not long enough to require a haircut. But for now she focused. The obstacle before her, a door with an annoyingly specific, randomized question lock was giving her a surprising amount of trouble. There hadn't been any visible screws to remove the panel so she couldn't hook up her decrypter, and she was sure that lasering the lock off would have been seen as rude, so she was stuck trying to answer movie trivia questions of all things!
"' Who played the first Dracula?' Gary Oldman, right?" She typed it in, only for the lock to reject the answer and make a loud buzzer noise. She was starting to get frustrated, she would admit. She just wanted to talk to the person who had made that amazing gauntlet that showed up on the news seven months ago! Was that too much to ask?!
Okay, yeah, maybe looking him up online, learning what school he went to, following him from a distance once he was let out, and breaking into his secret lab was a bit far, but as a fellow genius she just wanted to share some ideas and maybe team up to build some amazing-!
"Who the heck are you?!"
Spinning around, her smile widened. At last, the one she had come here to see! Along with a hologram of an older Englishman and some… living skeleton? Whatever, the boy she had spent months tracking down was finally in front of her! So caught up in the moment, she said the first thing that came to her mind which, as always happened due to her excitement, probably was not the most tactful of statements.
"My name is Mei Hatsume, and I'm here to make babies with you!"
"..."
"..."
"...WHAT?!" Midoriya shouted.