Chapter 1: Remembering
Saying that Midoriya Izuku was depressed wasn't really an accurate statement. Saying it wouldn't be inherently wrong, per say. But that alone wouldn't properly convey what exactly Izuku had been feeling for the past few weeks.
If you asked the boy directly, he would probably say he was feeling lost. There were so many other things he could also say he was feeling. Fury, sadness, loneliness, annoyance, defeated, and tired would be just a few of the many options he had available to him, but none of them gave the finality and completeness that "lost" did. After all, Izuku's life seemed to be nothing but loss.
He had lost his father at a young age, who had walked out on him and his mom when he got his diagnosis. He lost his best friend for much the same reason, the blonde known Kacchan becoming Bakugou Katsuki, his biggest tormentor. He lost the kindness of his classmates and teacher, the treatment turning to scorn and disgust. Treating him as if he was some sort of freak. Hell, the greenette was pretty sure his own mother secretly hated him, and was only caring for him out of some sort of pity or legal responsibility.
But if he were to be honest, none of that pain and loneliness from his everyday life could ever compare to when he lost the last thing he had left. When he lost his dream.
It's fine to have a dream to work towards, but try to keep them realistic.
The words of the number one hero crushed him more than any insult ever could. None of the taunting or jeering or beatdowns he received on the daily compared to the Symbol of Peace telling him to give up. The man was his idol, so of course his opinion trumped everyone else. He had thought that maybe, just maybe, that ever-smiling symbol would believe in him.
But that's not what happened, and now Izuku had nothing. He had no friends, no family, no Quirk, and nowhere to go. What was he supposed to do? Heroes and Quirks were the only things he really knew.
The first day after his meeting with All Might he had taken to wandering, having spent the day of class sitting motionlessly at his desk. His mind as empty as his life as he slowly got himself lost in the city, only getting home once the sun started setting. This new habit seemed to worry his mom fiercely, but she didn't speak up about his any of it. Why should she need to? She shouldn't need to worry about a worthless, useless Deku like him.
The more days he wandered, the further he ended up going. Just after the first week he needed to start taking the subway to make his way back, and after the second he found himself ending up at the edges of the city. By now Izuku was clearing the city, walking up single lane roads placed in the hills surrounding town. The sun had long since gone down, but he still didn't feel like going home yet. He was lucky it was Saturday, so he didn't need to worry about getting up on time in the morning.
The boy's eyes listlessly drifted over the asphalt and dirt, mentally noting the cracks where grass started growing in. Every blade was etched into his wandering mind while his feet stepped over them. That was another strange habit he had picked up since his encounter with All Might.
He wasn't sure why, but it didn't feel right to step on another living thing, not while he wasn't sure if it was worth more than him. He knew that people with Quirks were valued more than him, that had been drilled into his head every since he was five. But other things, plants and animals, he wasn't sure if he deserved more respect than them. Maybe he's being ridiculous? He wasn't too sure. He wasn't sure about much of anything anymore, much less about himself.
His legs protested the extra effort after walking for so long – they did after everyday he did his walks, but Izuku ignored it as he continued up the mountain path. Every movement at this point was agony on his bones, and his feet stung as if he was standing on steel spikes. But like all the other complaints his body made, they went ignored as he continued to walk.
Why was he doing this? What did he think he would find by walking so far? It wasn't as if he was going to somehow manifest a Quirk by getting lost. Even if that somehow did happen, it wasn't as if it would fix anything. His father wouldn't be coming back. His best friend wouldn't change his mind about him being useless.
He would still have had the crushing realization that All Might didn't believe he could be a hero-
*HONK HOOOONK*
Izuku looked up from the road just in time to see a truck hurling towards him at a deadly speed. In the split seconds before impact Izuku could take in everything with a clarity he hadn't had in weeks. He could see the lights of the truck shining directly in his eyes, the windshield reflecting the landscape back into his face, and the truck driver looking at him with wide-eyed horror.
Oh… Izuku was going to die… Izuku was going to be hit by a truck and die… He was going to die, and this guy's going to be blamed for it… He was going to die, and ruin this guy's life…
No, SHE wasn't going to die. Izuku had less than an instant to ponder the strange, foreign thought before his body moved. His hands shot forwards, landing flat against the truck's massive grill. At the same time, his legs jumped backwards at a speed comparable to the truck, making Izuku's eyes widen at the sudden strength that flooded through his limbs.
However, his legs moved slightly too late to stop the oncoming impact entirely. Even as his heart was pounding, Izuku knew that he had less than a second before he was slammed fully by the weight of the large vehicle. He was desperate, he wanted something, anything, to stop the truck from killing him.
And he felt it, She called on it. What? A shimmering black coat snapped into existence, covering the entirely of Izuku's body in the last moment before impact. He expected a lot of things when the vehicle finally made impact, a lot of pain, unconsciousness, maybe even the afterlife? He wasn't feeling very optimistic at the moment.
He certainly wasn't expecting the metal to crumple around his body like paper, leaving him completely unharmed. The truck driver managed to stop a few dozen feet later, screeching to a stop as he thankfully avoided the shards of glass that were now littered throughout the cabin.
Izuku was stunned still for a moment, starring at the grey-haired driver's shocked expression with a bewildered look of his own. How… How was he not dead?!
Why would such a pitiful impact harm her? Her Hakiwas strong enough to take attacks from Katakuri-Onii-sama. Compared to him, this "truck" didn't even tickle. Izuku's mind was filled with noise as it noticed the foreign thoughts once again, made distinct by its use of female pronouns. Was it some sort of Quirk? Was someone using a mind-reading Quirk on him? No… Wait…
Izuku focused on the thoughts for a moment, his confusion and fear turning to curiosity at the new development. Whatever it was, it was clearly responsible for saving him just now with that black shell. Maybe… Maybe it was a good thing?
With an almost unnatural ease, Izuku lost himself in his own thoughts. It was something he had done a lot on his walks, whether as an escape from his life or as some sort of self-inflicted punishment. His attention scoured through all the tangents and lines of thought that he had had over the course of the last few minutes. Most of it was just a pity party, so he immediately sifted them out of the way.
Someone like her shouldn't be wallowing in self-loathing when there was so much to do. Izuku stopped as he caught a glimpse of the strange sensation, and tried to follow it deep into his mind. It was so hard though, almost as if it was something buried below his consciousness. He couldn't focus onto it before it faded into nothingness once again.
"K-kid… Holy shit are you alive?" The soft, yet gravely voice of the truck driver forced Izuku out of his thoughts.
"I-uh, I think so?" He pulled himself slightly, slowly removing himself from the collapsed portion of the truck. Izuku's head continued to buzz with activity, distracting him just enough that he-
"Gah!" Izuku pulled his arm up as it sliced against a sharpened point within the wrecked truck's grill. Pain throbbed through the fresh injury as blood started to flow from the cut.
Absolutely pathetic, a Sweet Commander like Her shouldn't be- There it was again!
With his heightened awareness of them, Izuku was able to grab onto the outside thoughts before they could start fading away. The pain in his right arm became miniscule as he tried to force the foreign feelings up. The sensation was strange, as if he was trying to force a whale to surface from the water with nothing but his bare hands.
The boy groaned as a headache started to form, his fingers coming up to massage his forehead even as the smell of blood filled his nose. He started to space out, ignoring everything as he tried to force the source of those feelings to surface. Even the voice of the now yelling truck driver faded away as Izuku fought against the tug like a veteran fisherman.
She just wanted to wring them out already. He could feel it getting closer, somehow rising from somewhere in his brain. It felt strange, like he was remembering something he forgot a long time ago, only it felt far more intense.
Why was her body so small? It was closer, now. Izuku could almost hear all the other thoughts beneath the water as he continued pulling. All of his brainpower focused together for one last mental pull, working through the agonizing headache for just a little longer.
'Just a little bit more!' His mind spoke in both voices, just for that instant. The last moment before the surface tension of his mind was completely broken as an island of memories washed over him.
He – no, she, remembered everything! She was Charlotte Smoothie, a Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates! YES, THAT'S IT!
And she's somehow been reincarnated into another world!
Bu- but wait! Wasn't he also Midoriya Izuku, the hero hopeful who just had his dreams crushed? He didn't know anything about pirates, or commanding sweets! Didn't he?
Y-YES! NO! BU- WHA- HE/SHE DOESN'T KNOW!
Izuku/Smoothie felt the pain in his/her head spread down and throughout his/her body, turning from and ache to an agonizing pain as it felt like all of his/herbones were breaking, his/her skin was tearing, and his/her muscles were being ripped apart. A scream of pain erupted from his/her throat as a pair of arms wrapped around him/her, the skin of them starting as a pale white before deepening into a rich caramel tan.
He/She could barely note how it sounded like a teenage boy and an adult woman were screaming in unison as fire flowed through his/her veins.
For a brief moment, Izuku/Smoothie was sure that he/she was going to be ripped in half by the pain, only for it to vanish just as quickly as it came. It took a moment for his/her eyes to refocus as the agony faded, fuzz filling his/her eyes and ears whilst he/she took deep breaths. When he/she did, a tired, womanly gasp escape his/her throat.
"M-my body!?" He was huge!/She was back to normal! Izuku/Smoothie shook his/her head as conflicting thoughts ran through his… her… Their! Yes, conflicting thoughts were running through their head! Tan skin, long white hair, and this shape…
This was Charlotte Smoothie's body!
"Holy shit!" Izuku/Smoothie's head spun to see the truck driver that had hit them just moments ago was now looking up at them. The horror that had once been on his face had turned to a gob smacked shock. It would have been funny had what just happened hadn't been so unreal. It just seemed to unreal, that Izuku/Smoothie had this hidden away within themselves.
"U-um… I-" They tried to speak, only to stop as the pain of the transformation vanished fully, leaving only a bone deep exhaustion. "I… thimk I neeeeed… am… amblance."
'Hey' Izuku/Smoothie thought to themselves. 'When did the ground get so close?'
And before they knew it, Midoriya Izuku/Charlotte Smoothie hit the pavement, completely unconscious. In the last few moments before their eyes shut was the sight of a white-haired man dialing something on his phone/robotic Den Den Mushi. They couldn't tell if it was one or the other, and honestly? They were too tired to care.
Izuku wasn't sure where he was now, only that it was dark. He couldn't make out anything, other than himself. However, he could feel the ground underneath his feet, so that was another plus. The boy felt his heartrate spike slightly, the lack of anything sparking panic in his anxious heart.
Then his eyes caught something, a bright shine reflecting off of something in the distance. His legs started moving without him thinking, slowly but steadily leading him through the black surroundings towards the only sign of salvation in this strange, empty prison.
There wasn't any way for the greenette to tell how much time had past, the only thing to measure being how many steps his feet had taken. He started by counting to ten, then counting by tens, then by hundreds, then by thousands. Eventually, he took so many that he lost count outright, and started the process all over again.
This process repeated itself multiple times, each time Izuku reached a number that he could no longer reliably track and starting again. For the longest time, it was the only thing he had to occupy his mind until something else caught his attention.
It was a mirror, and a massive one at that. It dwarfed Izuku easily, standing at least fifteen feet tall or more. If his body hadn't abruptly stopped itself, he probably would have walked face first into the massive pane.
Izuku took a moment to realize that his body had come to a stop, and started to acknowledge the large reflective surface that was standing in front of him. As his eyes adjusted to the new input, he noticed a shape forming in the mirror. It was massive, taking up nearly the whole mirror's height, with deep tan skin and long white hair.
Izuku looked confused at the reflection, not recognizing the shape as his own. The woman looked identically puzzled, tilting her head to the side which Izuku mirrored in kind. The woman seemed… familiar, almost. He couldn't really tell how exactly he knew her, but he somehow knew everything about this giantess. The feeling was strange, like he was seeing a long-lost family member, only somehow more intimate.
Izuku put a tentative hand forward, pausing and shrinking back as the woman put her own hand forward before similarly stopping. Their eyes were locked on each other, daring them to make some sort of – any sort of move.
Eventually, they moved once more in sync, reaching out their hands towards the mirror. Izuku couldn't help but shake, a strange sense of nostalgia filling his heart the closer his hand got to the mirror's surface. Memories seemed to bang on the edge of his mind as they inched closer and closer to each other, and Izuku almost pulled his hand back when it got to be too much.
But his hand was already to close, and just as he was about to stop, touched the mirror's surface.
The mirror's glassy surface melted away instantly, leaving Izuku and the tall woman – Smoothie, grasping each other's hand. They both tried to pull away for a moment, only to find that their hand's had somehow disappeared. Their forearms were connected to each other, Izuku's pale skin fading directly into Smoothie's caramel tone. The boy almost screamed, but it was stopped by a sensation of… completeness. As if something he had been missing his whole life had just been returned to him.
Then, the woman, Smoothie, smiled at him. It wasn't a big one, just a small one that conveyed the feeling of relief. It was odd, but Izuku couldn't help but return the expression, before stepping into a comforting embrace.
And they remembered everything, the fog of war lifting to reveal the truth.
She was Charlotte Smoothie, a Sweet Commander with the power of the Shibo Shibo no Mi. Who had reincarnated as a Quirkless boy in another world.
But he was also Izuku Midoriya, a Quirkless child who had just uncovered the memories of his past life as a pirate captain in the New World.
They were together again, complete and in one piece.
Chapter 2: Recovering
Izuku somehow knew that waking up in the morning was going to be a massive hassle. He didn't even remember why, at first. There was just a sense – a strange new input in his brain – that told him that he should be expecting a mess. It was only once his brain started up a little more the memories of everything started rushing back into his brain.
"Oh yeah…" He muttered. His silky, mature voice no longer felt foreign to him. "I got hit by a truck… I turned into a giant woman."
And wow, was that a thing to say. Had someone told Izuku a day before that he was the reincarnation of a giant female pirate with juicing powers, he'd probably ask if they needed an ambulance.
The first thing he noticed was that he was lying in a hospital room. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight for him, having needed urgent attention a few times when… certain people found his existence too much of a problem to just ignore. But this was the first time that it felt so… cramped. It felt like he was put inside of a doll house and was expected to be able to handle it easily.
It wasn't as if he couldn't do it. With Smoothie's memories now present in his mind, he could work with items made for smaller people than his current self.
Carefully, Izuku shimmied his way towards the edge of the hospital bed, making note of how much space it took in the room. The bed was a great deal bigger than normal, large enough to accommodate his now fifteen-foot frame. It was about as comfortable as a regular hospital bed, which was – frankly, not very. But hey, the extra blankets were a nice touch. There was even his old All Might… comforter.
Wait a second…
Izuku looked back down at his bed – discreetly ignoring his own massive chest – and seeing that all of his old hero themes blankets had been piled on top of him. The faces of Endeavor, Death Arms, Sir Nighteye, all displayed proudly alongside many other patterns and emblems as they were strewn over his form, combining into an eyesore of colors and lines.
But that's not the important part right now. Where in the world did they get all of his old comforters?
It was then that he felt a presence touch the edge of his Observation Haki, quickly followed by an intimately familiar gasp. Izuku didn't need to turn his head to know who it was, but did anyways since… well frankly his head was still a bit of a mess and any sort of emotional pillar would be greatly appreciated.
"I-Izuku?" Inko's voice came out at barely a whisper, to the point where it would have gone unheard had Izuku not been boosting his senses with his Haki. The short woman's hands were placed over her mouth as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.
"Uh, hi Mom." He muttered awkwardly, waving a little. "I guess I had a Quirk after all, hehe… Wait, how did you know it was me?"
"Oh um," Inko sniffed a little as she wiped her eyes dry. "The ambulance got a hold of your student ID when they picked you up, they only knew that was you because of Kubo-san."
"Kuzo?" Izuku quirked an eyebrow, his lips pouting slightly as he tried to remember anyone by that name. It was then that Inko realized he was lost.
"OH! Right, Kubo-san was the truck driver. He called an ambulance and rode here to the hospital to make sure you were ok. Then when they brought you in, they did a swab on your mouth for a DNA test and confirmed it." Izuku looked back to his mom, a look of understanding making its way onto his face at the new information. Admittedly, he was a little weirded out by the fact that his mom had apparently spoken with the guy who hit him with a truck, but then again this whole scenario was strange. It was probably for the best not to think about it right now.
"Mom, are you ok? I'm really sorry about this, I didn't mean to worry you-" Inko put up a hand to stop him.
"Sweetheart, just stop." Inko walked up to Izuku's bedside with a serious look suddenly plastered onto her face. "You've always been so worried about other people, and that's one of the most wonderful things about you. But I wasn't the one who got hit by a freaking truck, and proceeded to transform into – from what the nurses described – 'a giant amazonian goddess'. Please Izuku, for once let me worry about you. You've more than earned it, and I need to vent my worries."
Izuku didn't really know what to say in response, the room lapsing into silence and Inko started passing her fingers through her long white hair. When was the last time he let someone else worry about him like this? Probably when Brûlée-Onee-sama helped nurse her back to health after Mama sent her to-
No wait, that was Smoothie's memories. Not at all what he was looking for. When was the last time Izuku was fussed over like this?
Well it was probably… There was… Um… That time that uhh… Mmh…
Oh…
Oh no.
"Wha.. What have I been doing?" It slipped out of his mouth before he even realized that he was thinking it, but once he really got to thinking about it he couldn't get it to stop. Because really, what hadhe been doing?
For so long, he'd been just laying down and taking the abuse others put him through. And yes, he now understood that what was happening was abuse. What could someone describe the endless taunts lobbed in his direction by both students and teachers, the reduced grades on his schoolwork because he 'wasn't allowed to show up valuable students', and the actual, physical violence he'd been put through by someone he'd only wanted to be friends with.
Why did it take a literal near death experience and becoming someone's reincarnation to realize how bad things had gotten.
"Sweetheart, are you ok?" The concerned voice of his mother brought Izuku out of his thoughts.
"Y-Yeah, I'm alright. I was just… thinking about school." It wasn't a lie, but not really the whole story. Izuku… he needed time to think about this, to get his thoughts straight.
"It's ok, Izuku. I'll head by Aldera tomorrow morning and collect all the work that you missed. Just focus on getting used to your new size and Quirk. We'll probably need to meet with a Quirk Counceller soon as well."
"Wait, I missed school? How long have I been here?" Inko winced slightly at the question.
"Umm… A little over three days. When you weren't waking up the doctors actually tried to give you an IV drip, but the needles kept breaking before they could penetrate your skin. I overheard some of them considering having one specially made so that they could keep you hydrated. Izuku, please try to be more careful, I really can't to go through that again."
As much as Izuku felt he should worry about all the time he was out of school, he found himself more intrigued by the rest of what his mother said. Had his Armament Haki activated subconsciously, or was it just because of how strong Smoothie naturally was? Maybe it had something to do with his Long-leg Tribe physiology?
"Hehe, I guess even though you may look the same, you're still the same Izuku." Izuku's mind stopped when Inko said that, immediately realizing that he had been in one of his muttering storms. He mentally noted that he'd need to break that habit. Who knows what would happen if someone overheard his mumbling and he ended up mentioned Haki or Devil Fruits.
"Um, l-let's just see if we can go home yet." Izuku moved to stand up, but ended up only able to crouch due to his current gargantuan height. It was immediately clear that even though the hospital room was larger than normal, it still wasn't big enough for Izuku's increased stature. Even Inko, who'd already spent some time getting used to Izuku's new appearance, hadn't truly understood just how large she was now.
"Um, maybe we should just wait for the doctor to come here."
Inko just nodded in response with a slack-jawed expression.
Chapter 3: Reconsidering
Being released from the hospital was a little bit of a hassle. It wasn't the staff themselves that were difficult, though they were very blatant with their interest in his Quirk. They weren't the issue at the moment. Rather, the main headache right now was actually trying to leave the hospital building.
Never in his fourteen years of his current life or the thirty-four years of his past life did Izuku truly come to understand how hard it was to live in a world not build around your size. At his current height it was both claustrophobic and physically strenuous to get anywhere without help or a special route. At several points the nurses had to reroute their walk in order to accommodate for Izuku, and at one point they needed to use an industrial elevator usually meant for large pieces of medical equipment just to get to the ground floor.
With Smoothie's build originating from Totto Land, where everything was built around people of her own size, there was unfortunately no experience to draw from when navigating this comparatively tiny world.
Thankfully, the outside world had much more breathing room.
"Well Midoriya, I'm sure you're looking to go home and I don't wish to keep you long. However, there is something I want inform you and your mother of before you leave." The pink-haired doctor spoke while looking up, with Izuku crouching in front of him. Even then, Izuku was nearly twice as large as the man, with several people staring at the giant from across the street. The man turned to Inko and started rummaging through his pockets.
"Due to the circumstances surrounding your Quirk's manifestation and the Quirk itself, we saw it fit to put you in contact with a specialist." The man handed Inko a slip of paper, which she looked at briefly before putting it into her purse. "He has experience in working with physically difficult Quirks, and I can personally attest to his capabilities. He helped my daughter control her acid quirk, after all."
"That's great! Thank you again, Doctor Ashido." Inko bowed politely.
"It's no problem. But please do keep in contact! If there are any new developments, I'll need to know in order to update your child's Quirk registry." Izuku looked around whilst the two adults finished talking, noting how much shorter buildings looked now as he smoothed out his shirt.
Now that he was being released, the hospital sought to gift him with some emergency made clothing since his old ones had been shredded by his transformation. A simple ensemble of a solid black shirt, and a pair of white shorts that thankfully reached Izuku's knees. Unfortunately, there wasn't any material available to make footwear with, so Izuku found himself having to walk barefoot.
It only took a few steps after they left for the transformed teen to realize something had to be done before he hurt his foot stepping on something sharp. On instinct, he called upon his Haki to protect his legs, which responded swiftly as it covered his skin with a metallic black sheen. For a moment afterwards, Izuku was worried that someone might freak out at the sudden use of a "Quirk", but relaxed some when no one seemed to react.
Haki was still invisible to people who didn't have it? Good to know.
That didn't mean Izuku didn't have to deal with unwanted attention, quite the opposite in fact. Apparently, a fifteen-foot-tall woman was quite the spectacle for people to look at, to the point where he could see people glance at him from the second floor of some of the shorter buildings. It took all of Smoothie's confidence to not collapse in on himself, and even then Izuku found himself trying to make himself look shorter. Unfortunately, he quickly found that it didn't help.
So when Inko ended up getting tired, he was trying everything he could not to squirm in embarrassment.
"Haaah, I'm sorry Izuku. I'm just can't to walk as far as I used to." Izuku didn't respond to his mother's apology, awkwardly standing to the side as Inko took a seat at a nearby picnic table. Since Izuku was too big to fit in a subway car, the two had no choice but to walk home. They cut through a nearby park and just about halved the distance, but it still ended up being too far for Inko to walk at once.
"Damn, look at those legs…"
"You're telling me, they're thicker than frozen butter man."
"I want her to step on me."
"…Bro what?"
Izuku decided to sit on the ground next to his mother, face quickly turning a deep red as people kept making comments. In a past life, Smoothiewould silently revel in the praise, and maybe deign to look their way as a reward. She would feel mighty, she would feel powerful, she would feel sexy. But here there was no confidence gained from these comments. Rather, it just made Izuku feel annoyed, embarrassed, and just a little bit sick.
Izuku may be Smoothie's reincarnation, but he wasn't her. He didn't feel like he'd ever feel the same about this as she would.
Maybe he could make an anti-Haki just so he wouldn't have to listen to it anymore.
"Izuku, are you sure you're ok?" The white-haired boy was brought out of his thoughts by his mother's question, thankfully providing a distraction from the people around them.
"Um, y-yeah I just… People are saying weird stuff about me." It took a lot of courage for Izuku to force the words out, the embarrassment becoming stronger as his feminine voice squeaked it out. Inko quickly deciphered what Izuku meant by "weird", a look he'd never seen before crossing her face. Izuku felt a strange sensation of fear pass over him while the five-foot-three woman stared straight into her eyes, somehow looking taller than she really was.
"Really? Then please Izuku, could you point them out for me sweetheart?" Izuku quickly pointed out the two guys, a pair of delinquents looking boys who were around high school age. "Thank you. Oh boooys…"
"Huh, the hell do you want?" One of them asked gruffly, his pompadour bouncing slightly as he looked her way. Suddenly, Inko grabbed him by his neck and picked him off the ground. His friend was up in an instant, eyes widened from the short woman's unexpected strength.
"Now you listen to me you little shit! If I ever hear another word about my child come out of your mouth, I will rip your skin off your body, one cell at a time! Do you understand me?!"
"Holy- Damn chill lady! Chill!"
"Your kid?! We didn't say shit about nobody's kid- Glck!" Inko somehow made her grip harder, before pointing in Izuku's direction.
"That is my son, and if I hear a single syllable come out of your shit talking face…"
"That's a guy?!- GaaahaaaaAAAA!" There was a ripping sound as several clumps of the delinquent's hair was violently ripped out of his head, floating in the air by a telekinetic force. "OK OK WE'RE SORRY JUST STOP!"
"Oh, good! Run along now boy's, and be sure to stay in school!" She cheerfully called towards the two boys, falling back into her "mom" persona. Izuku meanwhile, was slack jawed by what just happened. Had that actually just happened?
"Mom, what was that?" He couldn't help but ask her. She just smiled at the question.
"Oh, it was nothing special. People like them just need to be talked with in their own language in order to listen. Thankfully, I happen to be very fluent in troublemaker." Inko sighed happily, seemingly lost in a memory. "Now then, let's get home before it gets too late. I'm sure you're hungry after all that time in the hospital."
"Wait, aren't you afraid they'll try to tell a hero?"
"Oh they won't. Not if they know what's good for them."
Izuku just gave a vague nod, wondering how much he actually knew about his mom. He'd need to ask about it again later, but for now he just wanted to go home.
"Umm… well, this stinks." At least he would if he could stand inside the apartment. Instead, Izuku was stuck sitting on the floor and straining his neck to not hit his head against the roof of their apartment. With an awkward smile, Izuku looked at Inko, who was trying not to look at the multiple decorations her son broke trying to move around the room.
"Ehehe, maybe we should call that specialist now?"
Chapter 4: Require
Waking up the next day was awful for Izuku, a frown marring his otherwise beautiful face as he tried to eat breakfast out of a stainless-steel pot. It quickly became obvious that regular bowls couldn't hold enough food for him to feel full, and even then he ended up burning through multiple servings of rice just to satisfy his stomach. And on top of that, Izuku accidentally trashed multiple pieces of priceless hero merch trying to get in and out of his room.
Although, he couldn't find it in him to feel as upset about the ruined All Might figures. Strange…
At the moment the transformed boy carefully was wielding a pencil in his enlarged fingers while trying to work on his missing assignments. The graphite working its way smoothly over the page like butter, his control being improved with a little pinch of Observation Haki. Thank his lucky stars that he could actually use it. He wouldn't dare imagine how much harder this would be without access to Haki.
As he worked out the problems in his head, he made sure he wrote a few of the answers wrong on purpose. He could easily get every write answer, but it was more trouble than it was worth in his opinion. Even after getting his Quirk, he didn't want to risk the headache of teachers trying to "protect" the prospects of his classmates.
"Please Izuku, for once let me worry about you." His mother's words echoed in his mind, causing him to shake his head. Not just yet, he wasn't ready for that conversation.
It took around two hours of constant work to get everything done, the long-legged boy letting out a huge sigh of relief as he put the pencil down. It would have taken less time if he were to be honest, but Izuku had to look up several things on his phone whenever he came across new material. Materials that were – coincidentally – left out of the teacher's provided notes.
He wasn't sure if it was his Smoothie side talking, but Izuku really wanted to wring those pertinacious pricks out. Whatever juice they made would probably provide more for the world than their teaching ever did.
"Alright Izuku, are you ready to go?" Inko called from the apartment door, taking the boy's attention away from his notes.
"Oh uh, yeah. I'm ready." Izuku was thankfully had an easier time getting out of the apartment than getting in, the open area on the other side of the door being a safe space for him to move through without breaking anything. Once he was out, he checked to see if his freshly cleaned shorts and shirt were ruffled before setting off.
"Ahhhh, Izuku." His mom sighed happily to herself. "I never thought I'd see the day that you'd get to go to a Quirk Counselor. You must be so excited!"
His mom's words put a smile on Izuku's face, memories of a young boy in an All Might onesie playing heroes filling his thoughts. It was so surreal, feeling almost taboo to think of those times that way. For so long those times had a feeling of melancholy surrounding them, but for the first time in a long time he simply felt happy thinking of them.
The two were once again forced to take a long walk to their destination, the midday streets far less busy than the previous day as most people were stuck in work or at school. That gave the two the freedom to walk while suffering fewer stares assaulting their general direction. Izuku still felt slightly accosted by it, but he put it out of his mind and tried to focus on getting to the counselor's office.
However, that didn't mean that he wanted to risk overhearing lewd comments again. So when Inko started getting tired from the long distance, Izuku decided to do something different.
"Hey, mom. Hold still for a second."
"Huh, for wha-AaaaaaaAHAHAAA!?" Izuku's fingers wrapped around Inko's torso, picking the plump woman up like she weighed nothing. Carefully holding Inko in his hands, Izuku continued walking down the street. As he started crossing a crosswalk, the massive teen adjusted his hold to that Inko sat in the palm of his two hands, looking like a delicate doll in his hold.
"Oh, how embarrassing." The woman mumbled to herself, causing Izuku to chuckle at the absurdity of their current state. "Please warn me next time you do that Sweetheart. I thought I was being kidnapped for a second."
Izuku's smile broke almost instantly, replaced by a cold sweat.
"Ah! I'm sorry!"
"No no, it's ok! I was just surprised is all. It's sweet of you to help like this."
The two spent the rest of the journey in silence until they reached an odd-looking building. It was structured like it was only two stories tall, but those two stories were comparable to the five or six story buildings next to it. Excitement bloomed in Izuku's heart at the possibility of there being buildings that can fit him. Putting Inko back on the ground, Izuku took not of the sign just in front of the ten-foot-tall door.
"Fukukado M.D. and Quick Counseling. Why does that name sound familiar?" Izuku still needed to duck to get inside the building, but thankfully didn't need to crouch from the heightened ceiling. The building's lobby was empty apart from some chairs of varying sizes and a receptionist desk, which was occupied by a red-haired girl with prehensile eyes.
"Hello there! You must be the Midoriyas, yes? Please have a seat and Mr. Fukukado will be right with you." It may have only been a day and a half, but Izuku felt an immense relief at having furniture in his size, if not just slightly too small.
As they waited, Izuku found his mind wandering over his skill set. He knew that he had two forms of Haki, power granted to him by Smoothie's will, but what about her Devil Fruit powers? Would those have transferred into Izuku's life as well, or did the fruit reincarnate in her old world and leave him? The idea made Izuku anxious, his hands squeezing in a familiar twisting motion as his mind churned over the possibility.
Looking down, Izuku bit his lip before nervously reached for his massive shirt. Lifting the lip of it with both hands, Izuku tightened his grip and turned his hands in opposite directions. He felt pressure around his torso as the fabric was stretched beyond what it should logically be able to.
Izuku felt a familiar energy pouring into the shirt, and was quickly rewarded as drops of liquid trickled out of the weave and onto the floor. He still had it, the Shibo Shibo no Mi. But before he had any time to be relieved by the revelation that he still had his Devil Fruit, he noticed the puddle of black liquid that gathered on the floor.
"Oh no." Inko heard her son's words and looked up from her magazine, noticing the mess on the ground.
"Huh? Where did that come from?" The receptionist took notice of the two, quickly finding what they were looking at. Seeing her confused expression, Izuku put his hands up in a pleading gesture.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about what I was doing! I just twisted my shirt a bit and this stuff just came out of it!"
"Really? How strange." Izuku turned his head at the new voice, finding a man with short, mint colored hair looking at the mess on the floor. He wore a small, yet kind smile on his face as he looked up at Izuku. "Is that your Quirk or did it rain while I wasn't looking?"
Izuku's face burned as the man laughed at his own joke. "I-It's my Quirk, I think. I-I've never had this happen before."
It wasn't necessarily a lie. After all, Izuku had never done that before.
"Well then, it looks like we'll be starting our first counselling session figuring out just what you cando." He waved to the receptionist before returning his attention to Inko and Izuku. "But first I think we should start with introductions. My name is Eikichi Fukukado, and I'll be acting as your counselor from today onwards. I'm sure we'll make great progress together."
Chapter 5: Reset
"I'm sorry about the mess. I can clean it up if you want." Izuku muttered, rubbing an arm uncomfortably.
"Nonsense Midoriya. It's not that big of a deal, we have staff on duty to take care of the building." Eikichi gave a nonchalant wave at Izuku's apology, before turning to walk further into the building. Without missing a beat, Izuku decided to follow as they moved towards a massive elevator, similar to the industrial lifts at the hospital. As they stepped inside, Izuku saw a slightly tearful Inko waving at him until the doors fully closed.
"So before we begin, there are a few questions that I want to ask. I understand that your size is making it difficult to move around the house?" Faint elevator music filled the lift as the counselor spoke, pulling out a pad and pen.
"Y-Yes, it is. I have to sit on the floor or else my head will hit the ceiling. A-and…"
"Hmm…?"
"U-Using the bathroom is hard, and not just because of… you know." Izuku confessed, red starting to paint his cheeks, hoping the doctor wouldn't focus on that fact.
"I see, I see." The mint-haired man scribbled onto his notepad before continuing. "And have you been eating and drinking more since you woke up? You experiencing any particular or peculiar cravings?"
"Well, there's nothing in particular I've been wanting to have since I got my Quirk, but I did eat a lot of rice this morning. I was scared I was gonna burn through the whole pantry."
"Don't worry too much about that Midoriya-kun. You just let your mother and I worry about that. Now for the last question, would you say that your family finds itself short on cash at all? Are you left wanting in any way? This isn't one you're required to answer, but it would be good to know." Izuku hesitated slightly at the question, not fully understanding where the shorter man was planning to do with this information.
"I-I don't feel comfortable a-answering that," He managed to stutter out as the elevator's doors started opening. Eikichi just lifted his hands in a placating gesture, that same, serene smile never leaving his face.
"That's ok, Midoriya-kun. For now, how about we get started with working out exactly what your Quirk does?" The doctor waved his hand towards the elevator exit, which opened to reveal a massive white room that took up the entire second floor of the building. This was doubly impressive due to the fact that each floor was double the size of an average office building's height, resulting in a space even larger than Aldera's gym building.
"Woah…" There were places in Smoothie's memories that were larger than this, having been built for Mama's massive frame to occupy. Even with that in mind, Izuku couldn't help but be awestruck by it as he stretched out to his full height. A symphony of crackles sung through his spine as he tried his best to reach the ceiling, a relieved smile worming it's way onto his face as it did.
"So to start, why don't we investigate that little juicing trick you did in the waiting room." Izuku watched the counselor walk over to one of the walls, pressing an invisible button as it briefly glowed a bright blue. From the wall a series of draws opened to reveal a variety of different objects, both organic or inorganic. Nodding in understanding, Izuku reached into one of the drawers and grabbed a large piece of forest green fabric.
Inko didn't have much to do today, apart from taking her son to his first Quirk Counseling appointment. It was rare for her to have so much free time, but she was lucky enough to get approved time off from the office to take care of him. That did, however, leave her with little to do while her son's counseling appointment was going on.
She had thought ahead enough to bring a book that she had been wanting to finish for quite some time, a pre-Quirk novel about a young boy with circular glasses attending a school for wizards. The struggles of Parry Hotter was both exciting and magical, leaving Inko slightly disappointed when she found herself on the last page of the story. It was almost inspiring in a way, and Inko idly wondered if her son would be capable of the same fantastical feats if given the chance. She would definitely need to buy the next book online if she could find it, though that might be a challenge due to how old the series was at this point.
With nothing else to do, Inko found herself scrolling through Chirpper (or "Y" as they insisted on calling themselves now) in order to pass the remaining time. There wasn't much of interest going on, with her feed only showing her the occasional interesting brownie recipe or a reposted picture of a cute animal video. And there was even a picture of Izuku carrying her in his-
"WAIT WHAT!?" Inko yelped in shock, her freshly finished book falling off her lap as she leaped onto her feet. Burning shades of red painted her face as embarrassment and rage rushed through her body as she saw the nonconsensual image that had been taken of herself and her child. These emotions only intensified as she saw what the image had been captioned with.
Oh to be in love and have a giant mommy hold me like a toy in her hands #LogLeggedLady
Inko had to swallow the bile building in her throat as she read the sentence, not even wanting to imagine what the comments just below the post were saying. Never in her life had she imagined that her son would suddenly be thrust into the center of the thirst rings that usually worshipped the grounds that promiscuous heroines like Midnight or Mt. Lady walked on, but clearly she had underestimated the depravity of the internet. Such a degenerate place, it was a wonder the online community hadn't collapsed under its own toxicity.
With a steady hand and a laser trained focus, Inko reported the post under the reasoning of "I'm in this picture and I don't like it". It was a quick and easy solution, but if the ways of the online world hadn't changed from when she was young, then the picture had already spread too far for her to actually do anything about. Now that it had gone up, it will just make its way into so many crevices that it'll never be fully removed no matter how hard she could try.
With and angry sigh, Inko tried to see if the waiting room had any magazines to read. She suddenly found herself not in the mood to look at Chirpper – though she couldn't imagine anyone who would if they were in her position. That search only ended up lasting for a few seconds when she got a call on her device, Mitsuki's name appearing as the ID. Wanting to put what she just saw out of her mind, she picked it up and brought it up to her ear.
"Hello Mitsuki!" She answered with a relieved feeling in her voice.
"Hey Inko, when the fuck were you gonna tell me you got yourself a giant girlfri-" And just like that, she ended the call. Inko knew she was going to need to apologize to Mitsuki for this, but she really didn't want to deal with the potential nightmare brewing online.
Maybe she should just talk to the receptionist, she seemed at least decently sane.
Chapter 6: Research
"You know, in a career like mine you tend to see a lot of freaky powers. Fire snot, acid breath, compasses for eyes, forcing people to laugh, power syphoning, power erasure, power imbuing, and a whole bunch of other stuff, but even with all of that in mind this is… such a strange Quirk," Eikichi muttered under his breath, drinking the surprisingly tasty juice of a pink granite rock. "If I hadn't been working in this field as long as I have, I'd dare to say I'm looking at a member of another species…"
Izuku couldn't help shift uncomfortably at that, because technically the minty man was right. Despite the fact that members of the Long Leg Tribe looked so identical to regular humans just larger – and even being capable of having children with them – they were very much not the same. Apart from the obvious differences, members of the tribe had more teeth – nearly double the average human; their senses were stronger due to having more space for receptors, they had small air pockets peppered around the joints to reduce the stress of gravity, and they had three kidneys instead of two – the third located just behind the liver.
Thankfully, all the oddities about his body could be explained away by saying it was his Quirk, since there were other mutation type Quirks that resulted in similarly alien body structures. The first that comes to mind being the pro hero Godzillo, who set a precedent that Quirks can do just about anything. In his mind, Izuku thanked whatever creator there was for this fact.
"But the part I find the most interesting is the 'juicing' aspect of your Quirk," the counselor continued as he put the glass of juice on the floor before writing something on his clipboard. "Able to be used on both organic and inorganic objects, the user twists them in an almost cartoonish manner that causes them to leak a consumable fluid that possesses a unique and almost always pleasant taste."
There were many, many more things that the Shibo Shibo no Mi was capable of. If Izuku were to be honest, just making juice was the most basic function that the fruit could pull off. It would be so easy to just become gigantic and really get into what he can do. But there was no reasonable way for Izuku to show off any of Smoothie's techniques just yet, given how there's no reason for him to think he could store the juices in his body and grow even larger or create those pressurized liquid blasts.
Though, he could at least start sowing the seeds a little bit.
"I-I do feel a little different after drinking all those juices," he started, catching the doctor's attention. "I don't feel sick or anything, but it just feels like all the liquid's just… sitting there. I don't really know how to describe it, but it's almost like you just ate some really cheap food and it's just lying in your stomach."
Eikichi hummed in concern. "That's odd… I'll make a note on your file, and if anything changes or you do start feeling sick then please contact either Dr. Ashido or myself. I'll write both of our contact information down for you and your mother to use."
"Thank you, sir."
"No no, Midoriya-kun. You don't need to thank me, this is just part of the job." He said kindly, easily waving off Izuku's gratitude before going to write down his contact. It was just a few minutes of talking later that the faint sound of pop music started coming from Eikichi's pocket, causing his eyes to widen as he scrambled to pull out his phone.
"Wow, it seems we've run out of time, Midoriya-kun. I don't think I've ever had a counseling session fly by so quickly before, it's actually disappointing to have our meeting end like this. You've been a delight to have in my office, and your input during our little discussion has been extremely insightful." Izuku blushed slightly at the praise, but he smiled nonetheless. It felt good to find someone who appreciated his input rather than looking at him like a diseased rat; to have someone think of him as something other than worthless. In all honesty, the discrimination from teachers and the jeers of his peers had become painfully familiar to him.
"Wait, what?!" Came the now wavering, concerned voice of the mint haired man. Oh shit, was Izuku mumbling?! Did he seriously not kick the habit after gaining Smoothie's memories?! Before he could even think of what to do, both eyes and Haki flaring around for an escape from the room, a hand took his own and wrapped itself around his comparatively massive fingers. Shocked by the sudden contact, Izuku turned downwards to see that Eikichi was now looking right at him with a stern, yet softened expression.
"Midoriya, please calm down. You didn't do anything wrong; I was just surprised is all. Take a deep breath, slowly in for four," It was only when Izuku actively tried to breath slowly did he notice that he had been breathing rapidly. What was going on with him? "Hold that breath for seven. 2. 4. 6,7. Now, exhale for eight. 2. 4. 6. 8. Good, very good."
The process repeated a few times, the anxious, panicked feelings fading into the background as the massive boy focused on his breathing. It had honestly been the most relax he had been… since ever, if he were to be honest. Maybe he should incorporate breathing exercises into his routine.
"Are you feeling ok, Midoriya-kun?" When Izuku nodded, the doctor finally decided to let go of his hand. "Good. Now then, you said something about poor treatment from your teachers? Is everything ok in your school?"
Izuku was very much so not ready to talk about this. As much as he knew now that what his school was doing was wrong, it wasn't something that he could talk about easily, even to his mom. With everything going on, he felt like piling that on top of everything involving his new body and powers would just be too much.
"T-To be honest, yes. The teachers aren't exactly t-treating me right. But I can't say anything about it; I want to tell my mom first." There was a period of silence that echoed throughout the chamber, as if Eikichi's brain was still processing everything that was going on. Izuku knew logically that he wouldn't be in trouble, but the blank look that had overcome the man's face made him shrink slightly.
"Alright, I won't say anything to her yet. But I want to hear about this when you're ready for it, in as much detail as you can give. Nobody, for any reason, should be treated worse by an instructor. That goes against everything being a teacher entails." He spoke softly, before picking up his discarded glass from the floor. "If you're ready, you can go back to the waiting room. I'll be right back to speak with your mother; I just need to make a quick call."
"O-Ok." Izuku replied simply, turning around and entering the massive elevator. The moment the door clinked shut and the sounds of the lift's motors started whirring, Eikichi dialed a number on his phone with a neutral face.
"Goodness, if it weren't for my Quirk calming him down, I'm pretty sure he was about to spiral into a panic attack." He muttered to himself as his finished dialing, the room's tone oppressive as he started waiting.
Several rings echoed through the floor before the person on the other side picked up, the faint sound of a feminine, giggly voice hearable from the other side.
"Hey Emi, do you have a minute?" he paused for a bit before he got his answer, now vaguely more serious from the tone of his voice. "I have something that needs looking into. Tell me, have you heard of Aldera Junior High?"
Chapter 7: Repay
Izuku walked back into the lobby to see his mother having a conversation with the receptionist, the two deeply engrossed in some of the latest drama shows that had been on. He quickly tuned it out for the moment, knowing he'd just end up lost if he tried to jump in now. It took the two women a short while to notice his return, but once they did Inko took notice that the counselor wasn't with him.
"Izuku, you're back! How was your first session? Where's Dr. Fukukado? You didn't have any issues, did you?" She asked with a little worry in her voice, but whatever fears she might have had were soothed when Izuku lightly shook his head.
"Everything went well, Mom. Dr. Fukukado just said he had to make a phone call before coming down." He added, absently fiddling with his long white hair. Inko gave a relaxed sigh, rubbing her hands lightly as she spoke up again.
"W-Well if that's the case then I guess there isn't much we can do about it." The stoutly woman paused for a moment before brightening up slightly. "Oh Izuku, why don't you start thinking about what kinds of clothes you want to buy. We're going to a specialty store later today so that we can't get your sizes."
"M-MOM!?" The boy blurted out. "W-Why- I-I don't need any new clot-"
"Izuku," Inko stated simply, stopping the teen from continuing. Her mouth curled into a small frown as her son's denials. "You've grown several times your old height, none of your old clothes will fit anymore. On top of that, you'll be in need of… new underwear."
Izuku's face turned a hot rod red, the transformed quickly understanding what she was implying. His hands shot over his chest in a vain attempt to cover them up, though he only ended up making them appear more prominent on his body.
"I…I guess, but um…" If he were to be honest, Izuku nor Smoothie knew what clothes would even look good on them. Izuku's taste consisted largely of cheap shirts and pants that would be destroyed after a few weeks, along merchandise that he protected with his life. That's how he always ended up wearing shirts with words like "shirt", "pants", or "tuxedo" scribbled all over them, something that eventually became a running joke between him and his mom.
In Smoothie's case it had to do to being pampered by her family, along with Mama's orders taking priority over anything else. As a Sweet Commander, she was waited on hand and foot by just about everyone in Totto Land, to the point where she couldn't sew a button to save her life. Her lack of day-to-day skills was one that earned the teasing of her sisters on multiple occasions, eventually leading her to wear one-piece outfits that had no seams. These were good for battle in the New World, but not so great for Japan.
To put it shortly, Izuku had no concept of what "regular" outfits really looked like regardless of who's memories he drew on.
"W-Won't they be expensive? Are you sure we can afford it?" He ended up asking, trying to cover his discomfort. He was failing miserably, if the knowing smile plastering itself on his mother's face was anything to go by.
"Well if your mother is will to stay for just a little bit longer, we can fix that right now." The elevator doors closed behind Eikichi as he spoke, a stack of papers carried in his arms. Izuku looked down on the pages to see the words "Abled Mutants of Japan Act" written across the top in bold letters.
"Modoriya-kun, if you recall those questions that I asked you before our session started, you'll remember that I asked about your financial status, yes?" Izuku nodded lightly, quickly running over the conversation in his head. "After reviewing your answers, I decided your family was eligible for government aid. With this you'll be able to acquire specially made items, food, and housing that accommodates for your increased size."
"Government aid? I didn't know there was anything like that for mutation Quirks." Inko mumbled softly, looking over the bold letters as Eikichi placed the stack on the counter.
"The Meta Liberation Army – while not successful in most of their original goals – had a massive impact in Japan's Quirk related policies. In cases where people possess Quirks that make it difficult to live with "normal" people, hey can apply for aid to accommodate for their different needs. For example, Dr. Ashido's daughter requires a massive amount of citrus and vitamin D to fuel her Quirk, and they get those extra supplements from the government" Izuku quirked an eyebrow at the counselor's explanation. Honestly, the whole thing sounded too good to be true. He wasn't sure why, but there had to be something more involved.
"W-What's the catch?" He asked, slightly louder than he intended. Fukukado didn't seemed to be bothered by it though, answering the question quickly.
"The funds are obviously not bottomless, so what you can buy with them are pretty heavily restricted. You'll mostly be buying food, water, so on and so forth. The people in charge of delivering funds can pretty stingy with what they're willing to pay for, so anything more than that can pretty easily make them decline your purchases. Arguing against them in court is possible, but even that can be pretty hit or miss." Well that made sense to Izuku, at least a little. He had many memories of Mama banning certain goods or items because they didn't give her immediate satisfaction.
If his train of thought was right, that meant that Izuku and his mom would need to work for things like tech and comfort products.
'I wonder if there are jobs for people my size.' He wondered to himself, looking down at his own massive body. His lips thinned into a line as he wondered what options he could have, which unfortunately were not plentiful. He'll need to research this later, if he could find a computer he could use, that is.
"Izuku was eating a lot this morning… and I don't really see a reason not to do it…" Inko continued muttering, looking over every page in the stack with laser trained focus. The group spent several minutes in uncomfortable silence as the mother carefully read the fine print of the document. Once she was satisfied that there were no hidden conditions, she grabbed a pen from a nearby coffee cup and began signing the required portions of the papers.
"I'll scan these into the system and have them sent in for approval, and when they do that I'll send you an email with your account information. Should only take around three or four hours." Eikichi took the stack of papers from Inko's hands, bowing slightly before excusing himself back to his office.
Waving goodbye to both him and the receptionist, the mother-son duo stepped outside.
"I looked at the store on Hero Maps while you were meeting with your counselor. It's not too far of a walk if you want to go now, or we could go to get ice cream to celebrate your first Quirk Counseling session!" Inko giggled excitedly, her eyes sparkling with a light that made her look almost ten years younger. It had looked as if a massive weight had suddenly been taken off her shoulders, though Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling the same.
"Ice cream sounds great, mom."
Chapter 8: Refreeze
Izuku waited patiently outside of the ice cream parlor his mother had found, his mouth turned into a pout as his stoutly mother easily fit through the door. It was such a wild thing, his own frame stood several heads and shoulders above the door, so much so it would seem as if he was mocking it. But that couldn't be further from the truth if you asked him. Instead, it was the shorter door that was mocking Izuku; the miniature frame blocking him off.
He could practically hear the glass paned door speak to him, the tone taking an eerily familiar explosive tenor.
'Oh? You want to go inside and have a treat? Well too bad, why don't you go eat a village like your Mama!' Izuku shook his head, the harsh words in his mind shocking him out of his train of thought. Ok, maybe Izuku should tone down his imagination a bit. That hit way to close to home. The thought sending shivers running up and down his spine as Smoothie's memories flashed the disturbing scenery through his mind.
Izuku swallowed a bit of bile that had threatened to travel up his throat. He'd definitely need to address the… less than heroic actions his past life had been involved with at some point. The Big Mom Pirateswere… villainous to put it lightly.
Izuku couldn't help but groan; why'd his last life have to be a pirate? Why couldn't he have been a sorcerer or something?!
A deep breath flowed into the boy's lungs, doing their best to expel the frustration that was threatening to boil over. Now wasn't the time to get angry at the messed up situation he was now in the middle of. He should just focus on enjoying his new free time with his mom… when she finishes up inside.
"Back to watching people gawk at me, I guess." He muttered in a bored tone, watching a family do just that as their jaws hit the floor. Did one of them snap a photo? Izuku idly rubbed one of his eyes as the light from the camera burned into his retinas.
The wait would be a whole lot easier if he still had his phone, but it had been destroyed when that truck hit him. Not that he would have really known what to do if he still had it, for some reason the idea of scrolling through All Might forums just wasn't as appealing as they used to be. Maybe watch some make up tutorials online? Now that he had a more… feminine appearance, it might be worthwhile for him to learn beyond what Smoothie's limited pool of knowledge.
All questions that could be left for later, as Inko walked out of the shop with a pair of cones. One was obviously meant for him given the fact that there were at least seven scoops piled on top of the waffle cone.
All Mighty Smash with All Might shaped sprinkles, of course. Izuku groaned internally, a rush of annoyance and embarrassment rushing up through his body. That had been his favorite flavor for most of his life, hadn't it? He didn't say anything, since the sheer amount of ice cream was undoubtably expensive. Instead, Izuku just smiled as his mother walked up beside him. Inko smiled softly as she offered the massive serving of dessert to the massive boy.
"Thanks, Mom." Izuku said softly as he took the treat from her outstretched hand, squatting near to the ground as he did so. The boy's fingers carefully grasped onto the massive cone, looking more like a miniature figure in his hands. Inko watched him carefully lift the treat betwixt his fingers with a worried expression, scared he'd somehow end up dropping it.
That ended up being a unfounded fear, as Izuku ended up popping the entire thing in his mouth without a second thought. The taste was… worse than he remembered. The reason as to why eluded him, but he had some ideas.
'It either has to do with whatever's making me less interested in All Might, or because Smoothie's taste pallet is changing my own.' He thought to himself as he chewed the comparatively smaller treat. It felt artificial, almost as if he could feel the preservatives and fake flavors gliding over his tastebuds. Gah, he wanted to make a drink! But if he does, he'll be breaking the law! Why does his life have to be so weird!? Why couldn't just be a normal boy with a normal Quirk!?
Why does this shit have to happen!? WHY!?
"I-Izuku?" The boy was shocked out of his internal rant by Inko's voice, immediately seeing the worried expression on her face. "I-Is something wrong?"
"No, why would-" Izuku paused when he felt a tear fall down his face. When had he started crying? He quickly rubbed away the tears, his eyes left red when he pulled his hands away. "I-I'm fine, just thinking about everything that's been happening."
"Are… you sure? Sweetie, if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here the listen. You know that, right?" The short woman placed a free hand on Izuku's leg, only briefly noticing the almost… armored feel it had to it.
"I'll be okay, Mom. Maybe I just need time." Inko knew her son, that was an undeniable fact. She knew when he was happy, when he was in the woes of passion, or when the weight of the world was becoming too much for him to handle. And right now, she knew her son was hiding something from her. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was in the way he talked; she could tell even with how mature and womanly he sounded now.
But, that could wait. Whatever heart to heart conversations they'll need to have, the tearful confessions they'll need to make, and any other emotionally draining things they need to do. All of those things can wait.
They can wait for another day.
Chapter 9: Moving In
Moving had been… a long and strange process if Izuku were to call it. And to be completely honest, that would be putting it lightly. Even before the two were able to find a house they needed to clear out their unwanted furniture and other miscellaneous items. Setting up various online sales and similar meetups had taken the better part of four days of constant effort before they were finally light enough to actually move.
The only thing that was easy was the actual moving part, given how Izuku could pick everything up like they were groceries.
Izuku had ignored the worried looks his mother sent his way whenever he parted with more and more of his old All Might merchandise. By this point she had watched him degrade and lose all passion for the things he once enjoyed, and it seemed like this particular decision was the one that made it the most obvious that something bad had happened – more than just not having a Quirk.
But this was something he had to do. He couldn't stand to look at that man anymore! All Might was supposed to be everything heroic and good and just, and he had just spat all over Izuku's dream at his lowest point, and left him standing on a skyscraper roof after his best friend had told him to jump!
Okay, maybe that wasn't exactly fair. All Might couldn't have known about Kac- about Bakugou'sbehavior, but that doesn't make everything else he did even remotely acceptable.
Izuku had to admit, that day had tainted heroes to him. Of course, he still believed in the idea of heroics. But when it comes to the people wearing the costumes? He wasn't so sure anymore.
Still, time moved ever onwards, and now Izuku was carrying several large containers of items and containers down the street. His mother perched awkwardly on his shoulder as they looked up at a massive sign – one that for once seemed to be made for Izuku's new size.
Little Big Town: Population 2,000
Izuku had remembered the brochure that had been made about this place. It was a section of the city with specialized construction to accommodate people who have permanently altered sizes due to their Quirks, both big and small. Each house was custom made for the sake of allowing maximum comfort and usability, a fact that included their own home. The only stipulation they had to have, was that the building would also double as a home for one of the smaller individuals.
Coming from an apartment building where they housed no less than 250 people, Izuku felt like that was an easy compromise to make.
"Hey there!" A booming voice caused Izuku to pause, looking up to see a man walking past. It was a surprise; it was the first time in a while he had been able to look at someone without having to crane his neck. While he wasn't anywhere near the sizes giants were in Smoothie's memories, it was nice to see people in his world that he could easily make eye contact with.
"Hello!" Izuku greeted, feeling a bright smile stretch across his lips. Looking all around, he saw people of all different shapes and sizes. From small people with bug Quirks, to those who had giraffe necks, and even a few individuals that exceeded Izuku's own height. All of them greeted the mother and son duo with friendly greetings, and Izuku readily returned them – a feeling of confidence and joy practically rolling off of the former greenette in waves.
Inko noticed the change, a similar smile appearing on her own face. She could already tell that this was the right choice to make. A new home, new neighbors, essentially a whole new life. This would give her some time to look into things, especially…
Especially what happened to her son. Inko was not blind, nor was she content to let her child just keep whatever happened a secret. Of all of the things she loved about her son, his self-sacrificing nature was the one thing that was a double-edged sword. Her boy would always hide small bumps and bruises from playing since practically the day he could crawl, all so that she wouldn't worry about him.
This, of course, only made her worry more for him, and that worry had only gotten worse since that one day. The day he came home from school later than normal, looking like all of the joy and light in his life had been sucked away from him by some twisted villain. It had marked a change in him, and though finally getting his Quirk seemed to help some, he clearly wasn't going back to the happy child he was before.
That quickly lead Inko to her son's school of Aldera, the one place he spends the most time at besides their own home. While the mother wasn't exactly sure what exactly was going on behind their doors, she came to the conclusion that whatever it was, it was what had caused this change with her son.
She had cried herself to sleep several times since that day, memories of Izuku's corpse-like eyes looking through her. There were just too many possibilities going through her mind, and not a single one would be good.
Inko knew that she'd need answers, not just from the staff or students, but from Izuku. It wouldn't be easy to get him to admit anything had happened, but Inko wasn't sure she would ever know peace until she did.
And once she did find out the truth?
There would be Hell to pay for everyone who hurt her child. Be it teacher, student, or even the principal. All of them would come to know why she was called Inko "Ripper" Midoriya.
…Or she could just sue them into the ground. That was probably for the best. It wouldn't do for her to fall back into her old persona at this age; she was never a villain, after all.
…At least, not officially.
Chapter 10: Moving Up
"Well, that seems to be the last of it," Inko said with a sigh as she finished setting up the living room couch. It was laughably small compared to the room, but Inko doubted she would be able to sit comfortably on any Izuku sized furniture. The two decided to have something custom ordered for Izuku, and any guests could use the regular sized seats. "How is the new mattress, sweetie? We didn't really have a chance to compare the sizes before we ordered it."
"It's good. I can actually lay on it without having to curl up at all."
"Wonderful," Inko commented. "That specialty furniture store was one of the only ones in the country. We'd have to go pretty far up north to find another, or import one from I-Island."
Izuku winced a little at that, images of hefty price tags popping up in his mind. "Yeah, that'd be a bit of a hassle, even with the new funds."
The two had a humorless chuckle, before falling into an awkward silence. It was clear to both of them that the other wanted to talk about something, something very heavy emotionally.
"Mom-"
"Izuku-"
The two stopped, looking at each other.
"…You go first, Hon." Inko's voice was soft, looking her son head on.
"Okay," Izuku nodded. He could do this, he had to. He knew that what happened at Aldera was wrong, that he was being wronged. Memories of burns, cuts, lectures, and laughter all filled his mind as he tried to speak. But it was like his voice was caught by a wall. All of a sudden he found himself unable to get the words to come out.
"I-I…" Come on, wring it out!
"It… started when I was four, after getting that diagnosis." From there, it was like the damn was broken. Izuku recounted every single thing he could remember. Every time he was verbally mocked, every time he was beat, every time he saw death threats and spider lilies mounted up on his desk. Years upon years of mistreatment and pain spilled out of him without end, because now he knew that even if it was too late to save himself, maybe his mother could do something to stop other kids from that fate in the future.
He had to. He had to.
Inko was, of course, horrified by the things that Izuku explained to her. The stories he was explaining sounded like they had come straight out of some sort of horrific news story, but somehow… it seemed even more terrible.
Multiple times she tried to call out to Izuku, to get him to pause or explain something further, but it did nothing. Izuku wasn't stopping, not until he had said everything that he could, recounting even the smallest slight that was sent his way. It may not seem big to an outsider looking in, but when most of your life all you've ever known was the gazes of disgust and mocking laughter, it all becomes burned into memory.
The worst part of it to Inko was when he started to talk about Katsuki. Oh God, what was the boy doing?! He was somehow always at the center of the worst stories, and was the most openly hateful of Izuku's dream to be a hero. How? How could he? She trusted the blond boy! Everyone trusted the blond boy!
But the worst was yet to come.
Izuku focused on one particular story, starting with his teacher blatantly bringing everyone's attention to his dream of being a hero (blatant targeting in Inko's mind). And then…
"H-He told me to… t-take a swan dive off the roof and hope I got a Quirk in my next life." Izuku chuckled breathlessly. "Guess in a way I ended up taking his advice…"
Inko was silent for a long time, her face flashing through various different emotions that Izuku had never seen before. There was the obvious horror, fear, anger, but also… disappointment. Not in Izuku, but at herself. She was the one who put her trust in people – ones that had clearly proven themselves undeserving of it.
"…There's more to this, isn't there." Inko prepared herself for the worst, able to tell that this wasn't the end of this… thing hell bent on destroying all of her faith in the world.
But wow, she couldn't even imagine.
"All Might said that to you?" Inko at this point just held her head in her hands, all energy drained from her body. "And then just left you there? Is he even really a hero?"
"Pfft, considering his behavior, I'd definitely question it." Izuku tilted his head to the side, a tired look on his face. "But to be honest, seeing that injury in his side, and the look in his eyes, I think he was just worried about me getting hurt. In a way, he was trying to protect me."
"THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE!" Inko shouted, surprising her son. "He should have at least walked you down to the ground before letting you down gently! Not leaving you on a skyscraper after telling you to give up on your life's dreams!"
"…Yeah." Izuku looked down. "I know it wasn't right; I was just trying to see things from his perspective. He can only be a hero around three hours of the day, and outside of that he looks like he's living a life of pain. He probably didn't want me to end up like him."
"That… doesn't matter." Inko stood up, still looking up at her child even as he remained seated on the floor. "His perspective is his and his alone. What matters is how it affected you. You were basically a walking corpse before you got your Quirk, one that you nearly died in order to get! I know that I've never been the most… supportive of your goals, but what he did was inexcusable – even with a reason."
"Mom…" Izuku felt a small part of himself feel nothing but a deep seeded relief. Suddenly, he found arms gently wrapped around his comparably smaller parent, fresh tears of joy quietly flowing from his eyes.
Inko was doing much the same, but in the back of her mind a plan was already forming. There were so many people that she'd need to deal with.
And the first stop was a certain blond friend of hers.