Chapter 11: An unsettling Revelation
The trek from the practice to the principals office was a viscid one. And to say Izuku was torn along the way would be the understatement of the century. On the one hand, the half of him which was a hopeless devotee, trembled with excitement upon realizing that he was marching on the soil of U.A. High, surrounded by no less than three heroes. But his other half, the half that was currently winning this emotional tug of war, was concerned for the safety of his sister. The sister that was currently pressed against his side for protection from his idol of all people, who had become practically hostile towards her since the revelation of Mikumis true quirk, and who insisted to bring up the rear of their little squad.
The elder heroes in the lead seemed to be more or less neutral in contrast. One of them he had instantly recognized as Recovery Girl, and the other one, judging from All Mights frequent flinching whenever he turned around to check the status, must have been Gran Torino. Still, he couldn't call them relaxed by any means, either, which did nothing to help their confidence.
Once they had arrived, Recovery Girl knocked at the … unexpectedly ordinary wooden door to announce their arrival.
"Come in!" called a happy voice from the other side, to which the squad entered one after another. The first person that came into view was a rather sullen looking Detective Tsukauchi, sitting across the entrance on a sofa with a still steaming tea cup in his grasp. As he saw the scared expression on Mikumis face as well as the annoyed frown on All Mights right behind her, the detective grinned uneasily. "Long time no see, Mikumi. I just wish it would have been under better circumstances."
"You and me both, detective …" Mikumi murmed, but gave him a little smile nontheless.
But before the two could talk any further, All Might walked around the siblings - on Izukus side, thankfully - and crossed his arms in front of his chest, giving off a very stern and irritated aura. "I hope you have a very good explanation for keeping … her … a secret from me."
"That makes two of us!" proclaimed the same cheerful voice as before. And right then, the big ominous office chair turned around and revealed the small and furry form of a well-known creature. "Am I a mouse, or a dog, or perhaps a bear? The only logical conclusion here is: I am the principal!" he called out before jumping off his chair and walking over to the teenagers. "The name is Nezu, and it is truly delightful to make your acquaintance." he bowed in greeting, which the two stunned siblings quickly returned after a second. "Please, all of you, make yourselves comfortable on the sofas. Anyone want a cup of tee?" he asked as he walked over to a serving cart.
"I'll take some Yamecha tea." said Recovery Girl as she sat down across from Tsukauchi.
"I would prefer coffee, but I think Sanpincha will do." answered Gran Torino and hopped next to the detective.
All Might sighed and sat down next to his former teacher. "No tea for me …" he muttered, only to be presented with a filled cup from Nezu.
"You will have valerian tea, Toshinori. Tea is known to calm the nerves, and judging from what I have overheard, you need it the most right now. Well, among the adults, that is." the mouse-bear said and turned to the still standing siblings. "You should have one too, Mikumi. Is it alright if I address you with your firstname? " He asked and poured her a cup of valerian tea as well.
"U-Uh, yes. Thank you …" she replied and accepted the cup before hesitantly sitting down next to the youthful heroine. Her brother followed suit, having decided for a cup of Sancha tea, and sat onto the remaining spot across from All Might.
With all his guests taken care of, Nezu jumped back into his office chair. "Now, Naomasa was so kind to inform me of what he and Sorahiko have been doing the past few years. I have to say, I am somewhat negatively surprised by what has transpired so far and what lead up to today. And seeing how we have escaped not one, but two tragedies by a hair's breadth today, I believe some elucidations are in order. Wouldn't you agree, gentlemen?"
Sighing and clearing his throat, Detective Tsukauchi took the reins and switched into reporting mode. "Back when Mikumi was taken in by the Midoriya family, the present doctor - Doctor Mukai, for the record - took some blood samples from her. Part of it was for the purpose of anamnesis, but I also sent some of it to forensics for a genome analysis. She was an orphan, after all, so the next logical step was to try and locate her parents. Usually that would have been done in a matter of a day or two. However, they encountered … complications."
Izuku and Mikumi exchanged worried glances, as did Recovery Girl and All Might. "What do you mean by 'complications', Naomasa?" asked the number one hero.
"Well, the people in the labs could not find any information on either of her parents. At least not right away and using the standard databases. Only when they searched in the ones used by heroics and the government did they got a match. One that was under lock and key." Before All Might could further inquire about it, the detective continued. "After further investigating, I decided to contact Gran Torino, so that he could either confirm or refute my suspicions. And sadly, he proved them to be correct."
That's when the short elder took over. "Starting from the day after I was informed of the situation, I have been monitoring these two kids' every step, up until today."
"Hold on, you did what?!" shouted Izuku suddenly.
"Hold your horses, boy. It was necessary. And we got our answer when I overheard you talking about your sisters quirk the same day I started the whole thing."
"Wait what?" Mikumi spoke up. "You have known about my quirk for this long and yet have not told anybody about it aside from the detective? Why? And what has all that to do with some restricted file?" She became increasingly more agitated with all the mystery-mongering. "How is All Might involved in this? What happened to him that he looks the way he does now?! And-And why did he decide to train my brother?! What is it you all are not telling us?! Telling me?! FOR FUCKS SAKE, WHAT IS GOING ON?!" She rose from her seat in irritation. Or attempted to, as Izuku caught her by the shoulder and caused her to fall right back.
Figuring the situation was about to escalate, Nezu loudly clapped his paws to regain the attention of everyone. "You asking those questions, even your understandably emotional outburst, is perfectly justified in these circumstances." He then turned to All Might, who still appeared to be somewhat jumpy from this entire situation "Calm down, Toshinori. From the reports that Naomasa provided me with, I can assure you: She does not pose any significant threat!"
"No significant threat? You know what her quirk is and what she could be capable of and yet you say she-"
"Safe for its first activation and today's incident, she has not once made use of that quirk. And not for a lack of opportunities. I can say that with absolute certainty because Sorahiko made sure to follow their every move and wrote them down." Then the mouse-bear smirked, but he also emitted an aura that promised a world of pain. "Or, could it be that you doubt my judgment?"
Everyone in the room under the age of 60 stiffened in fear when said aura hit them full force. "N-No, sir. Of course not." All Might replied wisely.
"Wonderful! Then I believe to prevent any further misunderstandings, we should let both Midoriyas here in on the full extent of your quirk and its origins, wouldn't you agree?"
"… the full extent?" Izuku repeated faintly, looking at his idol wide-eyed.
All Might sighed deeply and dropped his posture in defeat before nodding. "I guess at this point, there is no way around it anymore …" He looked at his successor. "I had hoped to spare you with the full story, thinking it wouldn't matter anymore. That I had removed the cause for the threat that came with my quirk from the picture. But … seeing as your sister has that particular quirk and so must have at least some connection to this whole mess … you deserve to know it all."
"All Might, I don't understand. What threat? And what is this about Mikumis quirk?"
The number one hero looked down and, after a few seconds, shifted his gaze to the other Midoriya in the room, who immediately froze up despite the number one hero trying to appear as convivial as possible. "I will start with what your brother already knows. In contrast to what the public speculates, my quirk is not something like an overall enhancer. Or, rather, not only. Its unique feature lies in its capability to be passed on from one person to another."
Hearing that Mikumi perked up "Your quirk can be … transferred? Does that … is there a connection between your quirk and mine?"
All Might discretely nodded. "Yes. The name of this quirk is One For All, and I have received it from someone else, who in turn got it from another person before. A cycle of receipt, cultivation and transfer that dates back all the way to the dawn of quirks." He straightened up. "I have wielded this quirk for almost 40 years now, building up its strength for the entire time. And now …" He looked back to Izuku. "… the time has come for me to pass it on once more."
Mikumi looked back and forth between her brother and the number one hero, instantly understanding, but struggling to comprehend it. "W-Wait … let-let me get this straight … you want to … t-t-to give your quirk to Izuku?!" At All Mights stiff nod, Mikumi shook her head rapidly, glad that she was already sitting.
"There is more to it, however. One For All has reached a level of power that makes it impossible to wield for anyone without the necessary body composition." All Might leaned forward, his expression darkening with dread. "It would, frankly, tear them apart."
"WHAT?! You want to give my brother such a dangerous quirk?! There is no way he can handle this!"
The number one hero closed his eyes to prevent an eye roll and sighed. "In his current state, no. Hence why I began to train him."
"Oh, what an amazing training regime you cooked up there!" said Mikumi with every ounce of sarcasm she could muster. "Letting him work himself into the ground to the point he's on his last leg and then being surprised that a near-lethal disaster like earlier happens!"
This time, it was Gran Torino who took the floor. "For your information, young lady. Toshinori and I spent almost an entire week to put this plan together. It is a hard regime, yes, but by necessity. Don't make a mountain out of a dust speck."
"Oh I have read this 'American Dream Plan' of yours. Totally corny title, by the way." All Might spit blood in response and looked offended on a fundamentally level. The fact the other people in the room - with the exception of Izuku - seemed to nod in agreement dorve the metaphorical knife even deeper. "And if you would have stuck to this first draft it would have been fine, but-"
"'First draft'? What do you mean by that?" the gaunt man interrupted her, an expression of utter cluelessness spreading across his face. "That was no draft, that was the final version."
"Then how come that-" Mikumi perked up when something occurred to her. While slowly narrowing her eyes, she turned her head to the right and zeroed in on her brother, who in the meantime had started sweating bullets and was trying his best to avoid eye contact. "Izuku?"
He squeaked and answered with a quivering smile. "Y-yes, dearest sister of mine? That loves me too much to beat me into a pulp? In front of several heroes and the police, no less?"
Mikumi was unimpressed and ignored his attempt of appeasing her. "How come that your coach has no idea about your trainings extensions?"
"Extensions?" both All Might and Gran Torino wondered and shifted their focus on the green-haired boy, who had started fiddling with his fingers in the meantime.
"W-What extensions are you t-talking about?" Izuku attempted to play stumped.
Mikumi didn't buy it for one second and started counting them down on her fingers. "The extensions that reduced your daily sleeping time to two hours? The extensions that basically removed all of your breaks for rest? The extensions that turned you into a zombie during school hours? The extensions that allowed you to still follow through with your 'Community Workout' instead of replacing it? Do these ring any bells, dearest brother of mine?"
Under the combined scolding gazes of his sister, his idol, his idols teacher and even Recovery Girl during Mikumis enumeration made Izuku shrink into himself in embarrassment.
"… is what she said true, young man?" asked All Might, in a disapproving and scolding way that is usually reserved for strict fathers only.
Izuku chuckled nervously before he answered with a shrug "… m-maybe?"
This prompted the number one hero to facepalm, and not exactly gently so. "Unbelievable … my boy, we have constructed this plan specifically for your body type and the from this resulting needs. And that by carefully considering the available amount of time until the entrance exam, to ensure that you can still get enough rest!"
"For once, I absolutely agree with my student. Too much training is counterproductive! If you continue like this, failure will be guaranteed! You should listen to what your body tells you. And if not that, then listen to your sister. She warned you several times the past few weeks!"
"I KNOW, OK?!" Izuku suddenly exploded, rendering everyone around him speechless. "Yes, I know that I went overboard! But what do you expect me to do?! Yes, following the original plan would might have been enough for me to pass, but I can't settle on just passing!"
"What are you getting at, lad?" Gran Torino asked curiously, to which Izuku groaned and elaborated.
"Despite my efforts over the past few years, I'm still seriously lacking behind my peers. I have to try harder than everyone else just in order to catch up. My goal is not to just get in and become an 'ordinary' hero, but a hero just like All Might! Surpassing them, in so far that I can be a role model to them. So that I can inspire them to be better and so that the public will find hope again when I enter the arena with a smile!" He took a few deep breaths to calm down before continuing. "I know that what I have been doing was stupid, but I didn't want to appear ungrateful, too demanding or even arrogant by asking you to make the training more demanding, All Might."
"Young Midoriya …" The number one hero uttered, at a loss for words.
Izuku then turned to address his equally stunned sister. "And if I would have told you that what I was doing was not signed off by my coach, you would most likely have stopped me from continuing and encased me into bubble wrap and pillows until I came back to my senses." Mikumi wanted to intervene here and had already lifted a finger, but Izuku didn't let her. "And don't try to deny it, this is definitely something that you would have done. Or what exactly was your plan for today after tracking me down and cussing out my coach?" Shifting her eyes into several directions and realizing that he was not wrong, she wisely decided to argue that point and put her hand back onto her lap.
The brief moment of silence that followed was broken by the number one hero once more. "I didn't realize that your true goal was that ambitious. I mean, you said something like this before, but back then I had dismissed it as typical fanaticism." He sighed, but with a suppressed smile. "If that's the case, I'm sure Gran Torino and I can adjust your training regime accordingly, so that you won't continue to work yourself to death." Gran Torino nodded approvingly, as did Mikumi, Recovery Girl and the detective.
Then, the blissful moment was broken by Nezus enthusiastic clapping. "Bravo! What an inspiring declaration, and in the spirit of our school philosophy no less! I for one am looking forward to witness the fruits of your labor at the entrance exam!" Then he stopped clapping, without loosing his elation. "Nevertheless, I'm afraid we went a little off topic here, haven't we?"
The mood made a turn for the worse in response to that reminder. "Yes, unfortunately …" All Might responded before focusing onto the siblings and continuing with the tale. "As I said before, the genesis of One For All can be traced all the way back to the dawn of quirks themselves. However, it did not come into existence through natural means."
"What do you mean by that, All Might? How else could it have come to be?" Asked Izuku bewildered. An expression that his sister shared.
"Let me start from the beginning. I'm sure you have learned a lot about the dawn in history classes. How the increasingly frequent appearance of people with superpowers invalidated human norms that had been in place until then bit by bit, how the resulting chaos seized the world through fear, bias and hatred, and that the evolution of society was not only brought to a halt, but even made it degenerate."
The Midoriya siblings exchanged confused looks, not sure where he was going with this. "Well, yeah. Our history teacher said that a good deal of records were lost in the worldwide riots that followed the dawn of quirks." Izuku eventually said.
"Yeah, and that when things calmed down, quirks became the new focus of society and most of technological advancements got disregarded." Mikumi continued.
All Might once again leaned forward, an ominous aura surrounding him. "What the history books don't tell you, however, is that a certain … man … was born in the middle of this second coming of the dark ages. A man that, all on his own, managed to seize control of the population and united it under his regency. From the shadows, shielded by the underworld he created, he controlled the events of Japan - or perhaps even the world as a whole - as if it were nothing more than a chessboard, with the people around him as his mere pawns. He became, for all intents and purposes, an uncrowned demon lord, and committed as many horrible crimes as he pleased."
Both Izuku and Mikumi became horrified of what the number one hero was telling them. Both of them had heard rumors time and time again of such a person existing once. But since nobody could think of a quirk strong enough for such a feat, that's all that was to them … or so they thought until now.
"But … But something doesn't add up here." Mikumi stated as she was the first to find her voice again. "How could a single man accomplish all this? A-And what does that have to do with One For All? Or with me and my quirk, for that matter?"
The number one hero zeroed in on the girl in response, with an expression so dire that it caused the blood in her veins to freeze. "Because that man was born with a quirk so unique, so unparalleled in both power, potential and versatility, that nobody could stop this demon in his conquest. A quirk that to overcome any opposition by rendering the quirks of his enemies null and void. A quirk … that was able to strip other people of their quirks … and take them for himself."
Once these words reached her ears, it was like the world around Mikumi got suddenly devoured by darkness and despair. Like all the warmth, all the hope, all that was good and holy had been taken away from her by a single, devastating impact. Her senses fell silent, cutting her off from whatever was going on around her, as her thought spiraled into an abyss of anguish and misery. Only when a sharp pain pierced through her hand did she manage to return to reality. Flinching, she immediately grabbed the wrist of the aching appendage with her other hand as the voices around her slowly started to clear.
"Goodness, dear! Are you alright?!" the worried voice of Recovery Girl, coming from her left, was the first she could make out.
The next sound came from across from her. It was the noise of several thuds in quick succession, accompanied by outcries of pain from who she recognized as All Might and the berating about 'sensitivity and tactfulness' coming from the short elder that had at some point jumped onto the former's shoulders.
"Mikumi! Oh my god, your hand!! YOU'RE HURT!!" That voice was unmistakably her brothers. Izuku. His voice was like a life buoy that held her afloat in the rioting tides of terror she had been about to drown in. An anchor that secured her from being swept away once more. Slowly, she could think clearly again.
"… Iz- … Izuku?" She blinked a few times before the second half of what he said registered. »Hand? … Hurt? … I heal, he knows that … why is … he …«When her gaze slowly moved to her throbbing and quivering hand, the vicious circle began again anew.
Blood. Her palm was soaked in blood. Her blood. She could see fragments of something else, too. Tableware. And some other, hot fluid. »Teacup/Grip/Shattered« her brain supplied bit-wise. But that wasn't the actual cause for the shock. The blood wasn't stopping. The wounds weren't healing. That's when she remembered: Izuku still had Rebirth, which means she did not have it anymore. No instant healing possible.
Immediately her thoughts went back to the earlier incident at the beach. She envisioned Izukus broken body in all its gruesome details. And in the blink of an eye, her brain replaced her brother with herself, and then something icy took hold of her heart as her thoughts came to an unpleasant conclusion. »Blood means wounds. Wounds mean damage. Damage means death. Death DeAth DeAtH DeATH DEATH DEATH DEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATH-«
"She's having a panic attack!" Recovery Girl took over. "Hyperventilation! Nezu, she needs a paper bag or something. NOW!" she bellowed, and the mouse-bear was at her side with the requested item in his paws within a moments notice. The youthful heroine took it and pressed the opening onto the girls mouth. "Deep breaths, dear! In and Out!"
Slowly, very slowly, Mikumi managed to escaped her mental infinite loop and became lucid enough to take the bag from the elder woman into her own grasp. A few breaths later, she lowered it. "Q-Quirk! … I-I need m-my quirk! … Izuku!" Her brother wasted no time and offered her his hand, which she tightly grasped with both hands, ignoring the pain in her left one. Instantly, the white flames erupted from her palms, something that drew the attention of every adult in the room that hadn't witnessed firsthand before. And within the span of a second, they extinguished again, and the cuts on her palm sealed themselves and Mikumis breathing mostly, returned to normal.
"That was a very strong reaction, dear. Is everything alright now? You still look pale." Recovery Girl asked concerned.
"I-I will be fine. That … that was a lot to t-take in at once …" Mikumi answered, which the older woman accepted for now.
"That it was, dear. That it was." the youthful heroine turned around and glared at All Might who in the mean time had reclaimed his seat on the other side, with about a lot of bumps and bruises across his head. "To blurt it out like that, Toshinori. Did you sleep through the trauma classes back back in school?"
The number one sweat dropped, his pride now being hurt in tandem with his head. "Of course not … but was there really any way to break it to her gently? This would have been a shock to her anyway. Might as well rip off the band-aid."
"You're such a moron, boy." Gran Torino grumbled.
"… I actually appreciated that." Mikumi muttered, surprising the remaining audience. "After this, I don't think anything else could disturb me any more …" she then turned to the gaunt man, visibly exhausted from her panic attack. "… what was the name of that man? Or his … and my … quirk?"
"… his real name has been lost to the flow of time. Possibly as another step to leave his 'mortal identity' behind. Henceforth, he identified himself through his quirk alone, and adopted for both himself and his quirk a name that reflected its innermost essence. All quirks for one person: All For One."
"All For One …" Both Izuku and Mikumi echoed, with her looking at her palm and clenching it absentmindedly. Then something clicked in the boys mind. "Hang on, that's the exact reverse of your quirk, All Might. Are they … are they related to each other?!"
Letting out a brief chuckle, the number one hero looked back to his successor. "Clever as always, my boy. Yes, as an ironic twist of fate, One For All came into existence through All For One. For you see, this man used to have a younger, quirkless brother. If the stories are to be believed, he was rather sickly and of scrawny stature, but with a heart as heroic as they come and an unwavering belief in justice. He witnessed what crimes his brother was committing - switching quirks around in order to gain fame and favors, imposing his will on the world around him and reshaping it in his image - and it disgusted him. So he revolted against his brother, over and over again. A bleak undertaking, all things considered, but one that deserves utmost respect."
It baffled the siblings to hear what All Might told them. And they shared the same train of thought. »A scrawny and quirkless man, opposing an insurmountable hindrance against all odds? Why does that sound so familiar?« Their common sentiment was interrupted by the number one continuing the tale.
"At one point - be it out of annoyance, out of pity, or to finally make his brother succumb to his will - All For One forced a quirk upon his brother. A quirk that enabled him to store power over time. But then something unforeseen by either brother took place. For all intents and purposes, a miracle."
"You see, kids …" Recovery Girl decided to take over from here. "… quirks are still barely understood, and research is proving to be extremely difficult. But those in the know of One For All and All For Onehave over time managed to gather some unique insight about them. The most important being that, with few exceptions and depending on the quirks and people involved, humans are by default not designed to handle more than one quirk. What further complicates matters is that different people are, for the lack of better turn, more suitable for certain types of quirks than others. So you can imagine, forcing an additional quirk onto someone who already possesses one, or a quirk their body is incompatible with, it messes with their biology. Especially their brains."
"… I really don't like how much this sounds like you have experience with this." Izuzku muttered, uncomfortably with thw mental images floating around in his mind. A sentiment that his sister shared clearly.
"That's because we do, lad." Gran Torino interjected, quickly followed by Detective Tsukauchi.
"Over the decades, and obviously under lock and key from the public, there have been incidences where officers and investigators alike have encountered individuals which were, in the truest sense of the term, brain dead. CT-Scans and DNA-tests brought to light that these people became victim to what we inofficially came to know as 'overquirkification'."
"What that term refers to …" This time it was Nezu who took the wheel. "… is the forced restructuration of a victims central nervous system in the, unfortunately, futile attempt to accommodate the presence of two or more quirks within their biology. Or in layman terms: Their brains tear themselves apart to make room for the extra quirks. And as I'm sure you have learned by now in science classes: The brain is by no means an infinite storage. In order for there to be room, there has to be something sacrificed."
"And as a result …" the youthful heroine continued. "… they become mindless puppets. Technically alive, but unable to perform any kind of higher cognitive function."
"The case of the younger brother was different, however." All Might took over once more. "Unbeknownst to either of them, he too had a quirk hidden within. A rather useless one with the sole ability to pass itself on. Perhaps it was due to the thematic connection of the nature of their quirks, but instead of having to deal with two separate quirks, the younger brothers quirk assimilated the power storage quirk and thus fused with it to create something entirely new …"
"One For All …" both siblings concluded, to which the number one hero nodded before he continued.
"Still, the key to One For All is the power stored over time. In its initial state, it simply wasn't enough to defeat this demon, so the younger brother entrusted it to future generations, in order to put a stop to his reign."
"But … isn't that kinda redundant?" Mikumi interjected in confusion. "You said all that happened during the dawn of quirks, right? How long ago was that? Anywhere between 100 and 200 years? Shouldn't this … supervillain … be long dead by now?"
"Not a wrong thought. But at some point, he must have stolen a longevity quirk from somewhere. He has survived all this time until the present day. Or he would have, if I hadn't put an end to him 5 years ago."
"5 years ago?" Izuku perked up. "Then … t-t-then it was ALL FOR ONE that gave you that injury?!"
"Yes, young Midoriya. I fought against him with every ounce of strength I could muster. But it wasn't enough. He caught me at an unguarded moment, damaging or tearing out several of my organs in a single strike. And gloated standing over me, in a puddle of my own blood. To be totally honest with you, I only won because I returned the favor, making use of this brief moment of negligence to swipe his head off his shoulders." He leaned in, his facial expressions hardening to underline the seriousness of the matter. "Decades upon decades of stored up power, and yet I only won through a mixture of his hubris and my dumb luck. This is how dangerous the quirk All For One can be. Not just by taking quirks and leaving the victims defenseless, but by empowering its user through the accumulation of power. And as if that wasn't bad enough, other victims can be essentially killed through overloading their brains with too many quirks for them to handle. That is what makes the possession and usage of All For One so utterly dangerous."
"Mikumi would never do something like that, All Might!" Izuku shouted immediately in response as he jumped off the couch.
"… No. If what Gran Torino and Naomasa stand bail four your sister, I don't believe she would either, my boy. But she still could. If not by her own will, then by the influence of others. With power comes temptation, and her quirk is the ultimate example for this." he leaned back and sighed, feeling bad for what he was about to say. "I don't say this quirk is inheritingly evil, but with the way it works, I cannot imagine how it could be possibly be used any other way …" He stated, with a conviction so certain that disturbed it his successor.
"Ah, careful there, Toshinori!" Nezu intervened once more. "A narrow-minded view like this on people and quirks alike is not just shortsighted and prejudicial, it is also a logical fallacy."
"What is that supposed to mean, Mr. principal?" the gaunt man asked, turning his entire attention at the mouse-bear. "How is this a 'logical fallacy'?"
"Why don't we see if you can figure it out, hm?" Nezu smiled with a glint in his eyes.
»Oh god, not another one of his tests …« All Might groaned mentally.
"Riddle me this, Toshinori: What would you say a shield is used for?"
The number one hero blinked a few times, thrown for a loop to be asked such an easy question. "… to protect the one holding it and those behind them."
The mouse bear nodded and hummed. "Alright, not wrong, but not a completely correct answer either. There is more to it than this, wouldn't you agree? While a shield is indeed often associated with protection, it can just as well be used to cause blunt trauma. To, say, dent in a humans skull?" he stated candidly, to which All Might spit a little blood in response to the mental image now present in his thoughts. "Speaking of blunt trauma: What would be more suitable for this purpose than a hammer? It is regularly used for demolition, so it can't possibly be used for anything else, yes?"
"Uh … no, it … there are hammers for this and … and then there are hammers for driving nails in."
"Quite right, Toshinori, quite right. It depends on its complexion and the intend of the one who wields it." He put a paw under his chin, miming the thoughtful one. "You brought up temptation earlier, so your real worry lies in something more abstract then? Emotions, perhaps? Anger for example is often depicted as a negative emotion, because it has this unfortunate tendency to act like a forest fire, destroying everything that gets in its way. But is that all there is to it? Or could it be that this emotion can just as well be used as a fuel for performing amazing deeds? Wouldn't that mean you are evil by association, Toshinori? Because you have obviously been angry earlier today."
"Right about now I'm more irritated and most of all confused than angry, sir. I don't understand what you're getting at. That and I can never tell if you want to hear a straight forward answer or if I have to think around a dozen different corners."
"Oh, don't worry. After all, that's exactly what makes my charm. In any case, the point I'm trying to get across will be apparent to you shortly. Last question: What about my domain? Is something as abstract and fundamental as knowledge also as straightforward as your view on this young girls quirk?"
"… now you have lost me completely, Nezu …"
The principal simply sighed at that. "Then let me get you back on track: Knowledge is a double-edged sword, having the potential to give birth to inventions that could lead humanity into a golden age, or to devastating weaponry that could eradicate life on Earth as we know it. And quirks, Mr. number one hero, are no different from all the aforementioned examples. They are tools, and as a rule, tools are neither as straightforward in usage or potential, nor are they any less evil or good than the one who is in possession of them." Nezu chuckled. "And neither Mikumis quirk nor yours are exceptions to that rule."
The number one hero spit blood in response to this. "What are you implying, sir? One For All is a quirk that exists solely for protecting-"
"Yes, because you and your predecessors decided to use it this way. You are the symbol of piece, no doubt about that, but can you imagine the utter havoc you could unleash if you suddenly stopped caring and began using One For All ad libitum? What if one of them made a similar choice? Or a future successor?"
Nezu let that image sink into the minds of his audience. And judging from the wincing on all sides, he was certain they understood and continued after a moment.
"There is an ancient quote that I regularly like to remind myself and my students of: All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to a lunatic.And seeing how the young Ms. Midoriya here has been trembling like an aspen leaf ever since she came here - despite all efforts to obscure it - you are on the best way to make today into her one bad day." He paused and gestured to the girl in question, who indeed, upon closer inspection, looked scared out of her mind. "Make no mistake, Toshinori: Both One For All and All For One have the potential to be either tools of domination or keys to peace. Yes, All For One was an unparalleled evil back when he was around. But if we were to have someone with his quirk use it as a hero-"
"I WON'T EVER USE IT AGAIN!" Mikumi shrieked out suddenly, fed up with all the back and forth about the nature of her quirk, causing everyone to shift their focus on her.
"Mikumi-" Izuku began as he attempted to put a comforting hand on his sisters shoulder, but she swiftly slapped it away.
"Don't even try to use this tone on me, Izuku! You heard what All Might said! His quirk - the quirk youwere chosen to inherit - has the sole purpose to make sure my quirk never sees the light of day again! You always kept telling me how the public, the government, and the HPSC would react if my quirk were to become public knowledge! And now the FUCKING NUMBER ONE HERO-" she threw her arms into the gaunt mans direction "-proved you right! If even he reacts that way, there is no way ANYONE will think differently! If anything, they will get INSPIRED to emulate his reaction!!"
She started to get teary-eyed and pulled her legs up to her chin. Her brother moved closer and slung an arm around her quivering shouders in an attempt to comfort her. "And besides … what he says is right … what's stopping me from becoming just as much of a threat than this supervillain! Remember Katsuki?!"
Izuku took a double take at hearing his sister using his real name, but she left him no time to dwell on it.
"How often did you have to set my head straight so that I wouldn't come for his ass?! Or to turn me down when I kept insisting on getting you a quirk from somewhere - no, someone - so you could follow your dreams?! Face it, Izuku: I already am on the best way to follow into this mans footsteps." She buried her face into her knees, sniffing in devastation. "Name one good, let alone heroic thing I could do with this quirk …"
"Saving people." stated a voice matter-of-factly that, oddly enough, did not belong to her brother, but to Recovery Girl.
Mikumi looked up in surprise, before she scoffed. "How?"
"Two ways come to mind, actually. The first: Quirks come in all kinds and shapes. And over time I encountered a fair amount which had negative side effects on their owners, both physically and mentally. Or those who can hinder a medic to perform the treatment of a person. Think about someone with an impenetrable skin quirk that got infected with a potentially lethal virus. One wouldn't be able to perform any kind of treatment that would require injections or infusions. Or someone who was immune to all kinds of foreign chemicals? That would, most likely, include any kind of medication. In theory, if you were ever to encounter such a person in dire need of treatment, you could temporarily take their quirks and thus make treatment possible."
Mikumi didn't look too convinced. "No offense, Recovery Girl, but somehow I can't see anyone to be willing to take part in this. And even if they were, wouldn't it be just as likely they would refuse to get those quirks back? What happens once could happen again, after all. I don't know, all in all, that sounds a little too close to what the supervillain All For One used to do."
"I see your point, dear. But don't forget that the key difference would be you not wanting to keep it, in contrast to that man. As for the second option: Well, it would work the same way you saved your brother today." she continued. "Yes, it was extremely risky to transfer a quirk onto a severely injured person without knowing if the shock could push him over the edge. Not to mention illegal, technically. But if you wouldn't have, your brother would definitely not have survived. And to top it all off, you did this despite knowing you would reveal your secret to a hero, the number one hero, no less. Despite suspecting what it could lead to and what consequences could follow." then the elderly woman smiled "You put your own well-being aside to ensure that of another. Wouldn't you call that heroic?"
Mikumi blinked a bit before she shook her head "T-That doesn't count. He is my brother. Of course I would save him?"
"Are you saying you wouldn't have done anything if it was someone else buried under the trash?"
"Of course I would!" She bellowed without hesitation, something that surprised even herself and that turned the youthful heroines comforting smile into a victorious grin.
Nezu too was happy to hear the young girls response. "Game, set and match to Chiyo, I would say! That is exactly what I was hinting at. With you having this extraordinary quirk combination at your disposal, it would in theory allow you to make a valuable contribution to society. You could step into Recovery Girls footsteps and become somewhat like a field physician. We would, of course, have to examine the limits and the exact influence on people to make sure transferring your regeneration quirk onto them does not cause overquirkification, among other things, but in theory-"
"WHOA WHOA WHOA, HOLD ON! TIME OUT!" Mikumi interrupted the mouse-bears musings, making the according sign with her hands. "You-You are seriously suggesting me to try join U.A. and become a hero?! I mean, yeah, I see your logic, but … b-but there is no way I could pass the entrance exam?! Let's completely ignore that I was just about able to catch up educationally with my peers and would have next to no chance to get enough points in the theory part, even if I did by some miracle, the practical part is outright impossible for me to pass!"
"Oho? And what do you know about the practical section of our entrance exam?" the principal asked, smirking. "Last I checked, the examinees are obliged to withhold any details about it."
"Uh …" this time it was Izuku to answer "I … have researched quite a bit about it, in forums … and there someone dropped hints about … robots? T-That the examinees have to destroy and get points?"
Nezu threw his head back and laughed in delight. "Oh how wonderful to see that someone finally picked up on this! I left these hints a good decade ago!"
"WAIT WHAT!?" Everyone else in the room exclaimed.
"Ah, don't be so surprised! I always like to leave hints for those clever enough to pick up! And congrats to you, Izuku! I programmed this comment to only be visible to those who enter the right questions in the right order. And with 500 questions, this is no small feat! Tell me, how old were you when you got access?"
"Uh … 8 years, I believe?" Once he had uttered that sentence, the adults present turned to look at him with wide open eyes and open hanging mouths. Mikumi, in the meantime, facepalmed.
"Figures you of all people would be persistent enough to manage this …"
"Oh? How come this doesn't surprise you, young lady?" The mouse-bear inquired, his interest being piqued.
"Because that skull of my brothers contains the honest to god most stubborn and single-minded fanboy-brain you will ever see. Once something even remotely related to heroes - or even better: Quirks - catches his eye, he goes into a muttering storm and dissects it in all its facets. You should take a look at his notebooks, now that I think about it. I have no clue how far quirk analysis goes, but I would say his are top notch."
Izuku erupted into an embarrassed blush. "Mikumiiiiii …"
"How intriguing! May I take a look? If you happen to have one of those with you, that is."
Izuku fumbled with his fingers in nervousness, only being able to get out of his fizz when Mikumi bumped his shoulder with hers. He reached … somewhere … and pulled out his hero analysis notebook #13, which Nezu took and started reading in anticipation.
Thanks to his intelligence quirk High Specs, it took the mouse-bear only a few seconds to finish it, but it was enough to analyze and memorize every little detail. They were, of course, no perfect analyses, since few biased speculations and one disregarded detail or two put a little damper on them. But aside from that, they were way beyond what any ordinary middle schooler could accomplish on their own. And that was enough to catch the principals attention.
Once again, Nezu erupted in laughter, only this time reaching a near maniac level. "Brilliant, young man, simply brilliant! If you are truly already as good as these notes suggest, I shudder to think what you could achieve as a full-fledged analyst." Then he clapped once loudly. "That settles it then! I want you two to become my personal students! An intellect such as yours, Izuku, simply must be nurtured! And as for your sister: Who am I to turn away a young mind in need? If you really are struggling this much, I'm confident to be able to fill in the gaps in your education that you have not been able to do so by yourself."
The Midoriyas were absolutely flabbergasted by everything that had been revealed to them. All Might preparing Izuku to receive his quirk and to follow in his footsteps, while at the same time alienating Mikumi due to her quirk, which was connected to his through a several decades old tale. Something that prompted two of the number one heroes' closest associates to keep them under surveillance for practically the entire time the two have known each other. And now two members of the U.A. staff offering them quirk counseling and private tutoring respectively, to increase their chances of acceptance. It was overwhelming, to say the least.
"As much as I agree with that sentiment, Nezu …" Recovery Girl interjected, taking note of the teens shared daze "… don't you think we have dumped enough bombshells on these two for one day? I believe we should give them the chance to digest it all before either of them makes any decisions. And perhaps, to reconsider previously made ones?"
Both Izuku and All Might jerked their heads towards the youthful heroine in response to the last sentence. "What are you talking about?" both of them inquired.
"All I'm saying is that you, young man …" she pointed her cane at the green-haired boy. "… just found out that you signed up for much more than you bargained for. I'm not suggesting you to change your mind about accepting the legacy of One For All, but it would be more than understandable if you decided against it."
"Chiyo, you can't be suggesting-!/There is no way I could-!" the two burst out simultaneously, only for her to rais her hand and silence them.
"Our preferences in that matter notwithstanding, we should, at the very least, give you the chance to think it over. Same with you, young lady." she turned her attention on Mikumi, who in turn focused solely on her. "I would be more than happy to help you understand your quirks more and join Nezu in preparing you for a possible career as both a physician and a heroine. As my own successor, so to speak. But that too is no decision to make lightly." Then she switched into her professional persona. "After all the stress both of you went through, I prescribe you a day off. Stay away from training or any other kind of phyiscal activity and use the day to rest, and to think about what you have learned here today. Doctors Orders."
Coming to the conclusion that arguing that would be a futile endeavor, both Izuku and Mikumi just nodded and got up from the sofa, shortly followed by detective Tsukauchi.
"Then I will agree to drive them both home. Or at least most of the way so not to attract too much attention. Let's go, kids." the detective said and ushered them out of the office, silently leaving the remaining adults behind as the doors closed.