Episode II: Does Whatever a Spider Can
Monday at Aldera Junior High School seemed to drag on forever, as Izuku Midoriya sat nervously at his desk. His body shrinking low as possible, and his fingers tapping at his pencil, as he tried his best to avoid any unwanted attention. Which was hard seeing as he and Bakugo were still the talk of the town after being saved by All Might from the Sludge Villain. It wasn't often that someone from their class was saved by the Number 1 Hero after all.
He was lucky that was all they were focused on and not his sudden growth spurt. He had to thank his mother for altering his uniform until they can order a new one. If others saw his new body, they would question how he went from Nerd to Athlete overnight.
He was glad she bought Recovery Girl's medical note about him 'manifesting' a Quirk after so long. The document Recovery Girl forged for him made it convincing and would allow for no further enquiries. Although, he was happy when he noticed the feeling of relief that seemed to wash over her now. He had a feeling she blamed herself for his Quirklessness. He never held it against her, only wished that she told him the words he needed.
But right now, he was just glad she was relieved.
As for his classmates, he had thought about telling them about his new Quirk, but Quirks weren't allowed to be used on school grounds, and he doubted they'd believe him after being Quirkless for so long. Let alone the fact that he gained muscles from it overnight. Even if he showed them, they'd ask how he managed to finally gain a Quirk, which he couldn't tell them due to the promise he made to All Might.
Thus, he decided not to show off his powers until he was ready, and they'd find it believable. But it was mostly to avoid being mocked, as well as his personal belief that Quirks should only be used to help others, not to show them off like most kids his age did.
As for Bakugo, or Kacchan as he called him, he was being uncharacteristically quiet since the incident. Either he didn't notice his growth spurt and was just ignoring him, or he did and didn't say anything. Izuku assumed that he was still processing the Sludge Incident. How a Quirkless 'Deku' tried to save his life when he couldn't escape from the Villain. It was probably a blow to his pride and needed time to adjust or erase that memory from his head.
Izuku hoped that one day his old childhood friend would come around and be friends with him again. But that seemed unlikely.
Right now, he had to focus on passing Junior High, getting into U.A High, and mastering his new Quirk. Speaking of which, he got a text from All Might this morning telling him to come to U.A. after school. The Principal and Recovery Girl wanted to test out more of his abilities and find out what his limit was. He wondered why he had to come after school, but he soon realised that coming in afterwards made sense.
There would be less U.A. Students and Staff around to ask questions about why an unenrolled student was allowed to walk around U.A. Academy. Plus, the school would be better equipped to test his powers rather than at the beach. But unfortunately, this would be his last day at U.A. before the Exams. Which meant it would be back to the Garbage Pile to clean up the mess. And he was okay with that.
Because once he started something, Izuku was determined to get it done.
'I need to find out what I can do and master this Quirk as soon as possible. The Exam is only 10 months away, and I wasted a day finding out I have a Quirk. Not that I am complaining about getting a Quirk, but now I got to figure out how it works. But what else can I do? Hmm, from what I understand the Spider that bit me was no ordinary spider, but rather an experimental Spider. I somehow gained its physical abilities, but what else could it do?' He looked down to the book he had on spiders as he searched through the pages.
'Judging from the information in this book, and the dead Spider that bit me, I can assume it wasn't a documented ordinary Spider. But was probably a combination of different species. Going off that I could have multiple abilities to work with.' He turned the page to some of the Spiders. 'Maybe I can jump high like the Jumping Spider, who can Jump approximately 10 to 50 times their bodies Length, or my hair can become prickly like a Tarantulas natural defence mechanism?' he rubbed a hand through his hair and feeling no difference.
'…No, I haven't noticed my hair changing, so I can cross that off…and it doesn't look like I can produce Venom from my body. And I checked last night, and I can't produce my own web…thank God for that…but I could camouflage myself? Some Spiders can camouflage their bodies to match their environments. Maybe I can too?' he looked at his hands and imagined turning invisible…
Nothing
'Well so much for that…then there's the 'sense' I have, I really should come up with a name for it. Hmm…Clairvoyance, no it warns me of danger not see the future. Izuku Sensation? Nah, too mouthy. Midori Tingle? Too lame…Spidey Sense? That works. Now as for the web situation, maybe I should look up building some artificial web-shooters? I'm not an engineer, but with enough practice and determination I think that I can-,' he continued to read away, unknowingly muttering incoherent words as some of the Class looked at him weirdly.
"There he goes again, what a weirdo." One of the classmates said as he got a snicker from some of the class.
While Bakugo didn't pay him any attention and just continued to stare at the board. His mind replaying that moment with the villain in his head, over, and over again. Watching as that wimpy nerd came running out to save him. While he was trapped and unable to move. It pissed him off but didn't know how to fully respond to it. Deep down he knew he was trapped and if Izuku hadn't pulled him out he'd have suffocated.
But his pride got in the way and he just chose to ignore it. It didn't matter in the end. Deku was still a Quirkless insect, and he'd never become a Hero or as Awesome as he was. 'He's just a damn Deku, nothing more,'
The school bell finally rang as the class began to disperse, Izuku packing away his things faster than anyone else as he wanted to get out as soon as possible. Some of the other students noticed this as he near bolted out of the room.
"Hey, where's Deku off to in such a rush? He's been weirder than usual since that Villain incident a few days ago." one of the boys in the class asked, confused about the green-haired boys' behaviour.
"Yeah, doesn't he normally stay behind to study or something? He's usually the last person that wants to get out of this dump. And did anyone else notice he grew a few inches?" Another boy noted as they and others noticed his strange behaviour.
"Who knows. maybe he's got a girlfriend?" one of the girls suggested as there was a silent pause before they exploded into laughter.
"Yeah right, who'd want to date that freak!?" another girl laughed as they made fun of the green-haired Hero Otaku.
Bakugo just growled under his breath as he stormed out of the room. He was sick and tired of hearing them talk about that nerd anyway. He needed to go off and blow something up. The U.A. Exams were ten months away, and if he was going to make it in, which he was, then he needed to focus on getting stronger.
"Tch, damn nerd…" he grumbled as he walked away. 'Wait…when did he get taller?'
U.A. Academy – 16:55 – Gym Gama
Izuku Midoriya flashed his temporary pass to the security, a green hoodie drawn over his head to keep his identity obscure, as he walked through the Gates. Soon he and All Might, in his Hero Form, walked into the Gym Gama section of U.A. An area designed to help the students practice and improve their Quirks. Luckily though the students had gone home, and most of the staff were either in the Faculty Lounge, Home or performing Hero duties. Which gave them the perfect opportunity to conduct this private experiment.
He was both excited and nervous at being in U.A again.
At first, Izuku felt guilty that he was given this kind of access early on, feeling that it was unfair for the other wannabe students. But All Might, Nezu, and Recovery Girl assured him that it was necessary due to the bizarre nature of his Quirk.
They walked in as Nezu and Recovery Girl nodded to them. Beside them was almost a man but looked more like a living block of cement. This was Cementoss a Professional Hero and Modern Literature teacher at U.A. He had been asked by Nezu to construct a rudimentary obstacle course for Midoriya, to properly examine his new Spider Powers.
"Ah, Midoriya, All Might, glad you've finally arrived. Now we can begin the test." Nezu said as he waved at the two.
"Cementoss, I'd like to thank you for agreeing to this. I know you must be very busy with your students!" All Might said in his Hero voice, to which Cementoss just waved a hand.
"Please, anything for you All Might. You've been an inspiration to me for years now, this is the least I can do. Although I am surprised you've taken an interest in this young man here." He said as he looked down at Midoriya that was ramrod stiff. "He must've done something to impress you, were you perhaps interested in offering him a Recommendation?"
"HAHAHA! Nothing like that! I just happened to run into this young man who had a sudden development with his Quirk. The poor boy was confused, and I wanted to help him. So, I thought what better place to help him than U.A! Seeing as I am about to start teaching here, I figure this will be an opportunity to help me teach students! Besides, this young man will have to go through the exam like everyone else, this is just a freebie on the side of life. So, I hope you judge him fairly when the time is right, HAHAHAHA!" All Might said in his boisterous voice, to which Cementoss nodded in agreement.
"Of course, All Might, I will treat him as any other hopeful candidate, you have my word." Cementoss pledged as All Might nodded.
'Sorry for the deception Cementoss, but I'd rather not have your judgment of Young Midoriya be swayed by our secret relationship. No one must know that Young Midoriya is my protégé, or about my secret to transfer my Quirk unto him. As for the Spider, he should believe this is a Quirk Awakening that we're testing. The less that knows about it the better…'
"Good on you, Cementoss!" All Might laughed as he struck his Heroic pose. Recovery Girl in the background sighed as she shook her head.
"Thank you, All Might and you too Cementoss. Now If we're done keeping secrets, then we can get started." Recovery girl said as the two nodded. "Now, from what we understand, Midoriya should be able to stick to any surface. Can you create a small environment with altering angles?" she asked as Cementoss nodded.
"Of course, that is simple." He placed his hand on the floor and connected to the concrete.
The floor began to move as it came to life at his touch. The concrete stretching up from the floor and changing shape as smooth rectangular buildings and steeply angled columns emerged from the ground. Izuku was wide-eyed as he watched the Cement Hero change the Gym from an empty lot to a full-sized concrete Jungle Gym.
"Will this be enough?" he asked as All Might nodded.
"Wow! Your Quirk is so cool! You must have loads of applications for it! Reconstruction! Property repair! Capturing a Villain! Maintenance! What is the limit of your Quirk!? Is it limited by how much concrete there is? Do you have to be using both your hands to control concrete, or can you control it from any part of your body!? Can you use other types like Quick Drying or High Strength Concrete!" Midoriya began, his Fan Boy mode activated, and he bombarded the Hero with twenty questions a second.
So much so that Cementoss was having a hard time trying to catch or decipher his words.
"That enough Young Midoriya! You're scaring the Pro!"All Might managed to break through his ranting as Izuku blushed in embarrassment.
"Sorry…I get excited when I see Quirks." He apologised as Cementoss waved a dismissing hand.
"It's quite all right, young man. You have a very sharp mind on you, I think U.A will be a perfect fit for you. Provided you pass the Exams," he encouraged as Izuku nodded.
"Alright, Midoriya, we're going to do a basic test of your abilities. Your Wall crawling ability, your Strength, speed and agility. But before then we should probably start with a light warm-up, a few stretches, squats, and jumping jacks should do." Recovery Girl suggested as Izuku nodded.
He quickly changed into his 'work out' uniform and stood before the adults. After doing a series of stretches, some that would put a professional gymnast to shame. He got to start the squats, however, he didn't consider his new Spider Enhanced Physiology and when he started to get back up he put too much effort into his legs and…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
SLAM!
And managed to jump 83 meters in the air and slam into the ceiling of the Gym.
"YOUNG MIDORIYA!" All Might yelled out in worry as Izuku lay plastered to the ceiling. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" he yelled as Izuku groaned slightly.
"Well…that confirms it…I have Jumping Spider in my DNA…Ow…"
Cementoss made a pillar for the boy who managed to get on and make it safely back down to the ground, where he was checked over by Recovery Girl.
"Nothing too serious, but I would caution not to go overboard, young man." She said as he nodded.
"Thanks…I guess…I guess I'm not used to my new strength." He said, careful about what he said around Cementoss.
"It's quite alright, most people have trouble adjusting after an Awakening." She said, playing along with the idea that young Midoriya's new Quirk was an Awakening.
"Well, now that, that's been taken care of. Let's start the tests, please go over and start climbing the 90-degree surface." Nezu instructed as Izuku nodded and walked over to the wall. He placed both hands on the surface, as his fingertips instantly clung to the surface. He began to pull himself up, as a thought occurred to All Might.
"Wait, shouldn't young Midoriya take off his shoes for-!" All Might began before Izuku started crawling up the walls, the big red shoes he wore did nothing to stop him from sticking to the surface. "Okay, never mind."
Izuku wasn't paying attention as he climbed up the wall with ease. His concentration working on sticking with his fingertips, releasing one hand then placing them on the surface again. Effectively climbing the wall like a spider. Not even his shoes got in the way, as he almost instinctively knew how to make them stick to the wall.
"Well that is interesting, I assumed he could only crawl on surfaces using skin contact. But it seems that is not the case." Nezu analyzed with his High Spec Quirk. "If I were to make a quick assumption, I assume he is unknowingly using the Van der Waals force, using the electrostatic force to adhere himself to any surface, even though his clothing," Nezu explained.
"So that means he won't need a costume with exposed fingers or toes?" All Might asked as the Principal nodded.
"Yes, though I believe the material will need to be a bit thinner, that is something that can be compensated if he gets enrolled. Now, Mister Midoriya!" Nezu called out as Izuku looked back and down to the rodent principal. "Would you please test the grip strength of your crawling? Say, head to the more difficult inclines?" he asked as Izuku nodded.
He did a small jump from one construct to another as he moved across the concrete gym.
They found that Izuku could climb practically any surface on any angle, this was apparent when he managed to climb in a construct that curved inward and into a ceiling like surface. He then spent the next thirty minutes getting used to controlling how to move around without accidentally ripping the concrete with his grip. They also learned that he was unaffected but the sudden changes in position, most likely due to inheriting a Spider's ability for perfect Equilibrium.
Which was good, because it must be difficult for a Hero that throws up every time, they saved the day. Somewhere in the Mie Prefecture, a Gravity Altering Hero-in-Training Sneezed.
"Excellent work Young Midoriya!" All Might said as Izuku let go and jumped back down to the ground floor. "Now that we have a basic understanding of your wall-crawling, it's time we moved on to testing your physical strength."
"I understand, did you know Spiders can lift approximately 170 times their weight? I read a book about that fact last night and seeing as I weigh-!"
"Okay, Okay! We get it young Midoriya! Boy, you like studying, but we need you to focus!" All Might interrupted as the 'Gym' reverted to its previous state. All Might then walked over and grabbed a punching bag, as Cementoss made a concrete stand for it. "Now, we're going to test how strong you are by hitting this punching bag." He said as he hooked the chain to the pole.
"It's built with sensors that will monitor and accurately calculate how strong you can punch it." He explained as he tapped his knuckled to the bag. "So, I want you to hit it as hard as you can."
"As hard as I can?" he asked nervously as the Hero nodded. "But…I've never really thrown a punch before."
"Ah, then allow me to demonstrate, copy what I do." All Might said as he got into a pose. "Square up, dominate hand and foot behind, bend your legs slightly." Izuku nodded as he copied his pose. "Make sure your thumb is on the outside of your fist, don't want you breaking your thumb." He squared up and held up his arms in a boxer stance. "When you go to throw your punch, twist your hips, swing your upper body and punch the bag with the flat of your fingers…SMASH!"
He yelled as he threw a light punch, not using One for All as the punching bag rocked back from the air force. "Except I want you to hit the bag, understood?" he asked as Izuku nodded.
"Dominates behind, bend my legs…" Izuku began muttering to himself as he copied the pose and squared up. "Twist my hips, swing my upper body and…" he twisted his hips, swung his body and threw his right arm at the punching bag with everything he had.
"SMASH!" he yelled as his fist struck the punching bag.
The bag was instantly thrown back as it tore itself from the metal chain, flew across the Gym and slam into the wall. The wall cracking from the impact and the leather bag tearing apart, spilling sand all over the floor.
Izuku stared with wide eyes and a dumbfound expression on his face as he looked down at his fist and the sandbag that he just destroyed.
"HAHA! That was amazing Young Midoriya!" All Might said snapping the boy out of his shock. "When I said as hard as you can, I never expected something like that!"he said as Izuku blushed at the praise from his mentor.
"Truly splendid!" Nezu clapped, always giddy at seeing prospective students showing their potential.
"Very impressive, I especially liked when you added 'Smash' into it. I can see I am not the only All Might fan," Cementoss said as he got to work on repair the wall.
"Indeed, but while it is impressive, I must caution you about your strength, young man." Recovery Girl said as she looked at the tablet that registered his punch. "The amount of force you unleashed was enough to crack a normal man's skull open. In the Line of Duty, you may be up against Villains with more durability that they can handle a punch from you. But others…" she left it hanging as Midoriya already understood.
For most of his life, he grew up without a Quirk, never knowing what it was like not to have powers. But now that he did, he knew that with them came a great responsibility with them. For if he wasn't careful, he could seriously hurt someone, maybe even kill them.
'If I truly want to be a Hero, then I have to control this power.' He thought to himself as he grew even more determined.
"Thank you, Recovery Girl, I'm sure Young Midoriya will take that lesson to heart." All Might assured as he looked over the boy.
'If he has enhanced strength, how much will he be able to lift? We can't test that here, it would be dangerous to pile rocks on the boy, and we can't use the Equipment in the main Gym without running into other teachers or students that decided to stay behind. So that will be the first thing we need to check back at the beach. But seeing that punching bag, he may get the beach done quicker than before,' He thought and knew he would have to seriously alter the All-American Dream Plan.
"All right, now we'll do a quick test of your agility," Nezu said as the Gym was changed again into more of an obstacle course. With concrete looking bars, hoops and a small ditch. "Complete the course in the shortest time possible. This should give us an estimate of your agility."
Izuku nodded as he lined himself up with the first obstacle. "Begin!" Nezu announced as his leg muscles clenched and he bolted from the starting line. His body moving on instinct as he ran at an incredible speed. He sprinted through the hoops, slid under the poles and hopped over the beams as he made his way through the obstacle course.
"Impressive," Nezu noted. "Cementoss, I want you to target him now with your Quirk." He asked as Cementoss looked slightly shocked at the Principal. "Relax, from what I've been told he has a sensory ability that will warn him of danger. But we need to test it if it only works on Organic dangers or Any danger." He explained as Cementoss nodded.
He placed his palms on the ground and focused on creating attacks for the boy. Izuku managed to stick onto a wall when his Spider-Sense went off in his head. He instinctively dodged out of the way, as a column of Cement slammed into his last position.
"WHOA!" he yelped, just as his Spider-Sense went off gain as he ducked, dodged and weaved his way past the attacking Cement.
'Boy, they take tests seriously here at U.A!' Izuku thought as his body moved around the course. Dodging and avoiding the living rocks. But then he smirked, as he felt a sudden rush of confidence. 'Better not disappoint!' he jumped over a column and ran along its surface, jumping off when his Spider-Sense warned him of incoming danger and then safely landed at the finish line in a crouched position.
"How's that?" he asked in between breaths as the teachers gave him small applause.
"He has natural reflexes compared to a professional athlete. Combine that with his enhanced strength, he may prove a challenge for professional Heroes." Cementoss noted as Nezu nodded
"He's still young and learning, but he has the potential to be a great hero."
All Might couldn't help but beam at the praise his protégé was receiving but hid it well from others. "Well done young man, if you can manage to impress these two, then your acceptance will be assured." He said as he patted the boy on the shoulder, as said boy smiled at this.
Suddenly they heard the Gym door being opened and everyone snapped their heads to see a shaggy looking man in a black jumpsuit, utility belt and what looked like bandages wrapped loosely around his neck. Eyes widened and Izuku went stiff as a plank.
"Nezu, there you are, I've been looking all over for you…All Might? What are you doing here, what's going on?" the man asked as everyone snapped to attention.
"A-Aizawa! Um! What are you doing here, I thought you'd be on patrol right now?" Nezu asked, hoping to keep his eyes off Midoriya.
"I forgot something in the staff room, and then I wanted to talk to you about a drug deal I heard about from my informants. But when I couldn't find you in the office, I asked around and found out you'd be here. But why are you lot here?" he asked as sweat began to build on their brows.
"We can explain this!" All Might began, stumbling to find a proper explanation as to why Izuku was on school grounds. "You see the reason this young man is here is-!"
"What young man?" he asked as everyone was confused and turned to Izuku…only to find he had disappeared completely.
'What the?' they collectively thought, while Aizawa raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Is there a student here? I thought everyone went home?" he asked as he looked around the room. "Question is why are you here, and Cementoss too? What's going on?" he asked as he grew increasingly suspicious.
"Uh…" All Might started before Nezu saved the day.
"All Might wanted to get some practice in with teaching students, so he offered to come in and help a young student that had trouble with his Quirk. I asked Cementoss to help by creating an obstacle course for him." Nezu calmly explained, having years of practice with dealing with people. "We did have a young man here, but he had to leave early due to family problems. I can assure you this is all above board." He said as Aizawa stared before shrugging.
"Whatever, glad to see the showboat is wanting to put some effort into teaching."
'That's rich coming from you,' Recovery girl thought.
"I have some things to discuss with you, but we'll do it later in your office. I have to start my patrol, I'll see you later…" he said as he turned to leave, only to stop when he noticed the indent in the ceiling. Before shrugging and leaving the Gym.
Everyone let out a collective sigh before they returned to the matter at hand. Where the heck was Izuku Midoriya?
"Midoriya!? Young Midoriya where are you!?" All Might called out as he looked for his protégé.
"I'm right here!" he heard him call out, but couldn't see him
"Where I can't see you!?"
"I'm right in front of you!" he heard the voice call out as he looked around to where he last stood and cautiously poked at the spot, only for Izuku to cry out. "Ow! Y-You just poked me in the eye!"
"Ah! Sorry! But what the heck Young Midoriya! Are you invisible!?" He said as Izuku looked down at his hands, only to see they were transparent. "I didn't know you could do that!"
"N-Neither can I…wait, how am I doing this!?" he asked All Might poked him again and the area shimmered, and he briefly returned, before becoming invisible again.
"Amazing…" Nezu said as he walked around the invisible boy. "It appears you also have a camouflage ability. One that is not limited to just yourself, but your clothing as well." He observed as Izuku returned to full spectrum.
"But how did I do that?" he asked as Recovery Girl hummed in thought.
"Some spiders are said to have the ability to camouflage themselves to their environment. But they usually change their colour pallet and texture to match their surroundings. Yours not only cloaks yourself but your clothes as well. It's rather impressive really." She said as she jotted down this unexpected development. "…tell me, what were you thinking just now?" she asked as Izuku pondered.
"Well…I didn't want to get in trouble from…what was his name, Aizawa?" he asked as she nodded. "And all I could think of was that I had to disappear, next thing I know…I was gone," Izuku said as she nodded.
"Do you think you can do it again?" she asked as he concentrated but couldn't do it.
"Not at the moment," he sighed in defeat as she nodded.
"I see… this ability may be linked to your flight or fight instinct. You felt scared about being caught here by Aizawa, and your body reacted by becoming invisible." Nezu suggested as he too was curious about the boy's ever-expanding abilities. "But for now, I think its best we call it a day. I was sure that Aizawa would be away for longer, and we better not risk anyone else stumbling upon this." He suggested as they nodded.
He then gestured Izuku to bend down as he shook his hand. "Thank you for your cooperation in this matter, Mister Midoriya. We hope to see you here at U.A. Academy next year." He said as Izuku nodded.
"And fear not, when the time comes, we will judge you fairly, as we would anyone else," Cementoss assured as Izuku felt relief at that. "I'll show you two out." He said as they both left, leaving Recovery girl and Nezu behind.
"Well…this was unexpected…do you think he has any more abilities that we're unaware of?" Nezu asked as Recovery Girl looked over the data.
"It's possible. Like I said, his Quirk was unnatural and more than likely manmade, using various Spider Species that I haven't been able to fully identify yet. There's no telling what else he could develop over the next ten months. Toshinori will have to keep a close eye on the boy in case the worst was to ever happen." She advised as the principal nodded.
"Still, he has potential…I can see why Toshinori chose him. He could become a great Hero if properly guided. That is however if he passes the Exam." He then gave a small smirk as the two shortest members of the faculty staff walked away.
"But somehow I suspect he will find a way to impress us."
Meanwhile outside, after making sure they were out of sight, steam started to drift off All Might before he transformed back into his skinny form. "HA! That was close, didn't know how much longer I could hold that for!" he said as he wiped off the blood from his chin.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asked with concern as the pro-hero nodded.
"I'm fine, it's just something I need to get used to once I start teaching here. Still, I think that went rather well, don't you?" he asked as Izuku nodded. "We got a baseline of your powers, and we learned that you have a new ability to master."
"Yeah, still can't believe I can turn invisible. I thought for sure I was going to get in trouble by that Aizawa guy. He seemed rather…intense, about things. He didn't seem to like you though." He said as All Might chuckled.
"Yeah, that's Aizawa for you. He and I don't get along because he believes that a Heroes work should go unnoticed and that Media attention just gets in the way. I think he believes I'm nothing but a showboat that likes to flex his muscles for the camera. He would partially right. But being a hero isn't just about doing what's right. It's about reassuring people, making them feel safe. If that means a little quality time with the media, then I am more than happy to oblige…even if they do get annoying from time to time." He said remembering all the interviews that tried to pry into his private life.
He had one too many close calls with them discovering his secret. But luckily no one knew his true form.
"I see…that's deep All Might," Izuku said as the man nodded. "Still, I wouldn't want to cross off that guy. He seemed intense, and he's a teacher here?" he asked as All Might nodded. "Oh boy…wouldn't want to be one of his students." He said as All Might chuckled.
"I don't think you have to worry too much about that, I highly doubt you'd be placed in his class." He reassured, not knowing that the Universe has a wicked sense of humour. "Now, let's head home for the day. We'll meet up again at Dagobah tomorrow. You still got a beach to clean after all." He said as Izuku nodded and they went their sperate ways.
The Next Day – Dagobah Beach
In the middle of the trash littered field of Dagobah Beach, among the pile of discarded scrap and metal, a young hero in training was pushing himself to his limits as he lifted a large fridge over his head. The young man holding it above his head as he carefully walked it to the staircase, before tossing it to the pile in the car park for pick up. He then picked up a large set of lockers and hefted them up with little to no resistance.
All Might in his true form, watching with caution as his young Protégé displayed incredible feats of strength, which he did not possess three days ago.
So far, they were testing how strong the young man was. They had seen what he could do to a punching bag, but now they wanted to see how much he could lift. There was a difference in brute strength and proportionate strength. So far, he seemed to have no troubling lifting heavy fridges, lockers and even an old beat-up car that was over 2 tons. They theorised he could potentially lift more, as an average Spider could lift objects roughly 170 times their body weight.
But unfortunately, they couldn't safely test that theory without safe supervision, and Recovery Girl would be too busy with U.A and the exams in ten months. So, for now, they were content with the knowledge that young Midoriya was stronger than an average human.
Izuku lifted the large piece of metal over his head and placed it down as All Might watched on.
"You know, watching you pick up trash like this, compared to how you started, is mind-boggling." He said as Izuku nodded with a small smile on his face.
"I know…how do you think I feel? I grew up not having a Quirk at all, now that I have one it's all so…unreal," he said as he lifted more heavy pieces of trash and carried them to the car park. "So, does this mean I'll be able to handle One for All now?" he asked as he continued to move the trash.
"Yeah, about that." He said as Izuku paused.
"Wait…are you rethinking about not giving it to me, now that I have a Quirk?" he asked with a small hint of worry in his voice.
"No! Nothing like that at all, my boy! I still plan to give you my Quirk. There's no doubt about that. But I think for the moment we need to focus on developing and understanding the basics of your Quirk before giving you another to master." He said as Izuku raised an eyebrow.
"See the thing about One for All is that its' a stockpiling power. It carries with it the combined strength of seven other users, eight when I pass it on to you." He explained. "When I use this Quirk, I use it to increase my strength and speed to inhuman levels. However, my Predecessor before me had a Quirk, and while it also gave her an increase in physical strength, she said that One for All can boost a user's natural Quirk. Before this Spider bite, I planned to teach you how to use the Quirk like I did, because we were both Quirkless." Izuku's eyes widened at that.
"You…were Quirkless too?" he asked as the man nodded.
"That's right, I too was born Quirkless just like you. But now that you have your Quirk, one that came about unnaturally, I'm nervous about what would happen if I give you this power. We still don't know the full lengths of your abilities. You already can climb walls, lift objects a hundred times your own weight, turn invisible and can sense danger from any source. If I were to give you this power before you have a handle on your Quirk, I don't know what would happen to you? For all, we know you could get an increase in power, or it might cause your Quirk to become unstable and turn you into some kind of…Man Spider monster?"
Both had a strange image of a six-armed Man spider monster with a spider's head and Izuku's green shaggy hair and freckles. They both shuddered at the thought.
"So, for the time being, I think we should master your own Quirk before I give you One for All. But fear not young man, you are worthy of this power. But your safety is also my concern, as both your master and teacher." He said as Izuku nodded.
"I understand All Might. And honestly, I want to experiment more with my power anyway. If I'm, to be honest, I have been having a little trouble controlling my strength since it showed, and I keep sticking to things randomly if I'm not calm and control… This morning I accidentally… Broke another alarm clock. I get the feeling I'm going to be breaking a lot of them before I can control my strength." He said as the man nodded.
"I agree there is still much we don't know about your powers. And I need to re-evaluate my initial plan, incorporate your new abilities to fit the criteria. Also, we need to test out your 'Spider-Sense' further and help you control your ability to turn invisible. We may also want to investigate developing a fighting style to match your new abilities. I know some people that could help, but you should learn to control your powers before we go that far." He then smirked as he patted the boy on the shoulder.
"Still, it's hard to believe a Spider bite gave you superpowers. Sounds like something out of a comic book." He said as Izuku nodded.
"Tell me about it. But the road to becoming a Hero isn't an easy one, right?" Izuku asked as he looked down at his hands and gripped his fists tight. All Might nodded in agreement
"Nothing worth having come easy. Especially with One for All. So, for the next ten months, until I feel you are ready, we'll be training and honing your Quirk. I won't always be around due to my Hero duties, but I promise you I will do my best to train you and help master it." He promised as Izuku nodded.
"Now, let's get back to it. I'll re-organize my plan, maybe even find a new location to train in once you get this place cleaned up. But I still want you to learn the meaning of being a hero by cleaning this place. It will also be a good way to teach you how to control your strength. And with your new strength, it shouldn't take you more than…hmm…Five months I reckon to get this place cleaned up." He said as Izuku smirked in another rare display of confidence.
"I'll get it all done in four." He said as the man blinked before expanding to his Hero size and patting the boy on the back with a healthy laugh.
"That's what I like to hear, Young Midoriya!" he bellowed with laughter as Izuku nodded. "Now get to it! This trash ain't going to clean up itself!"
"Yes sir!"
And so, began Izuku's first steps on the long path to becoming a Hero. There would be many trials and tribulations that would be thrown his way, many choices he would have to make that would test his mettle and harden his soul. But it would all be worth it in the end, once the World would see the new hero on the Horizon. One that would live up to and exceed All Might's expectations. He would become something truly Amazing…
Episode III: Spins a Web Any Size
The rustling of a camera could be heard as Izuku Midoriya appeared on the screen, a small recording icon blinking in the corner as Izuku set up the camera in his room. He then sat down in front of the camera as he coughed.
"Okay, where to start…Hi, my name is Izuku Midoriya. This is a series of documentation on my progress with my new Spider Quirk. This is just in case anything else develops. So far, I've gained the physical abilities of an average Spider, plus a few other abilities such as a Jumping Spiders leg strength and the ability to 'Camouflage' myself. I still have trouble controlling the camo ability as it only seems to work when I get nervous." He tried to show off the ability, but all it appeared like he was doing was grunting.
"See? But I shouldn't be discouraged. All Might said that it will take time to control my powers, just like it would if I were to…well I can't say in case anyone finds this." He smiled as he then dug around for one of his new Notebooks.
"In the meantime, I've decided to start a little side-project and began investigating in creating Webs." He showed him the Notebook labelled – Web Formula and opened the page to a series of chemical formulas and algorithms. "See I can't produce my own webbing, and if I could I'm glad I don't. But as I started learning more about my powers, it became apparent that…I'm never going to be like All Might. I mean I'll be a hero like him, but I'll probably not fight like him. His style of fighting is more brute force and speed. But my spider-powers, give me new…advantages over villains."
He held up the sketchbook of his powers.
"So, I decided to base my fighting abilities and my costume on that of a spider. During these 10 months, I'm going to be conducting experiments on my new quirk. Testing the limits and strength of my abilities. This should hopefully prepare me for the exam in 10 months. Thanks for the baseline test at U.A. I have a rough idea of my powers, but I need to learn more. Unlike most people, I only just got my Quirk. Thus, I'm at a disadvantage from everyone else that has had theirs since birth." He opened the sketchbook as he showed the new plan that he and All Might came up with.
"I'm also thinking of having him randomly attacking me with something, maybe a Bean Bag gun, to help me train my Spider-Sense. So far, the Sense goes off and I react to it automatically. But I still want to test its limits. I thought it would be a good idea to make my own Webs. I mean, what kind of Spider Hero can't use Webs?" he asked with a chuckle as he set the notepad down.
"Luckily the school's Chemistry Lab has all I need to conduct my experiments. And I can probably buy what I need online from one of those Chemistry Sets. No one ever really notices me there, so I can work in peace. First, I need to create the fluid, then I have to figure out a way to properly utilise them." He held up sketches of what looked like wrist-mounted shooters.
"I got the idea from a Pro-Hero that has a Quirk called Dart. It allows him to shoot darts out of his wrist but needs bracers to properly aim them. I figure if I can make a version of that, I can expand my arsenal and have more diversity with capture, rescue and mobility." He put the notepad down as he faced the camera.
"I'll admit building something like this seems complicated and will probably take a lot of time." He admitted before shrugging. "But from what I understand, the road to becoming a hero isn't for the faintest of hearts. If I don't put 110% into everything I do, then I can't call myself a Hero." He smiled as he reached over and switched the camera off.
Spider Experiment – Web Fluid Test 01 – Day 01
The camera turned on again as it showed Izuku in the School Chemistry Lab, after hours. He stood hunched over a beaker and test tube. "Okay, Web Fluid Test 01 – Day 1, adding the bonding agent…" he spoke into the camera as he tried to combine the chemicals into a useful fluid. He smiled as he added a chemical, only to frown when the fluid turned into nothing more than silly string.
"Great…if being a Hero doesn't work out, I can go into the party business." He shut off the camera.
Spider Experiment – Web Fluid Test 08 – Day 05
"Web Experiment 08 – Day 05…Previous seven Experiments have been failures. But I think if I add this, it should create a stable Web Fluid." Izuku said as he careful mixed in a solvent as he mixed the two chemicals. The chemicals began to react as bubbles began to rise from the beaker…a little too fast.
"Uh oh…" he tried to stop it, only for the chemical bubbles and spillover.
"No! No! No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!" he quickly grabbed the blanket and threw it over the beaker, rushing it to the Hazardous Bin and dumping it in. "Okay…not that". The bin exploded with web-like strands as it leaked all over the floor.
"…But progress."
Spider Experiment – Spider-Sense test 04 – Day 10
The Camera turned on as Izuku could be seen carrying large and heavy junk from the beach to the car park. He was being careful not to drop any of it when his Spider Sense went off and he expertly dodged a bean bag being shot at him. He quickly managed to catch the items in mid-air, only for another bean bag to hit him square in the chest.
"Come on Midoriya! Don't let your guard down!" All Might yelled, holding a bean bag shotgun in his hand. "A Villain will strike at any moment, whether you're trying to disarm their Weapon of Mass Destruction or trying to evacuate an innocent Civilian! You have the advantage to sense that danger, but you have to react quicker!" he instructed as Izuku nodded and turned to the Camera.
"You know…even though this was my idea…I think he enjoys it a little too much?" his spider-sense went off as he dodged out of the way.
"DODGE!"
Spider Experiment – Sudden Development 'Healing' – Day 11
The Camera rustled as Izuku appeared on the screen. "Hey, just thought I'd make a quick little vid. So, you know how Yesterday All Might was shooting me with Bean Bags? Well, I bruised. But when I woke up this morning, I found out that I have a Healing Factor." He showed a picture of his bruises from Yesterday and then lifted his shirt to reveal clear skin.
"I think my body heals quicker than most. Not as fast as some of the Regeneration Quirks I've heard about, and I still have small bruised areas, but at least I'll be able to heal and help more people. So, chalking up Healing, Pro. Con…I get to be hit by more Bean Bags." He shut off the camera.
Spider Experiment – Invisibility Test 03 – Day 12
Izuku appeared to be concentrating as he stood in the middle of the garbage pile. All Might was relaxing on a lawn chair, reading a newspaper and occasionally looking to his young protégé.
"Anything?" Izuku asked as All Might shook his head.
"Nope…still there."
"Damn it…" he sighed before beginning his muttering. "Okay, we know that it's triggered by a sudden reaction to stimuli. Maybe if we're able to replicate the same condition of that day, we'll be able to duplicate the same effect and blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah- blah-!"
"NONSENSE!"
"AH!" Pop! And just like that, he turned invisible, for roughly three seconds. "Huh, that worked."
Spider Experiment – Web Fluid Experiment 27 – Day 14
Izuku was in his room as he poured the latest batch of his Web Fluid compound into a Beaker. The chemicals appeared to be mixing rather well…until suddenly they burst into flames.
"AH!" he rushed across the room, grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused the whole thing in white foam. His desk now covered in white foam and ash, as he stared cautiously at the foam-covered vial…
Before blasting it once more with the fire extinguisher.
Spider Experiment – Web Fluid Experiment 054 – Day 28
The camera started up as Izuku was at the dump of Dagobah, a new vial of milky white liquid in his hand as he turned back to the camera. "Web Experiment 054 – Day 28. I think I've got the formula down but have decided to conduct the experiments at the Dump after Experiment 27 accidentally…ignited…" he shuddered slightly when he remembered the scolding his mother gave him.
He poked a metal stick into the vial as he pulled it out and revealed strands of Spider-like Webs as they pulled tightly on the metal. Izuku grinned at the result.
"So far it looks promising, but I want to test its effectiveness on a large test field. Now if I got this right it should create a web-like substance when I throw it…" he noted before he looked over to the pile of garbage. He chucked the glass vial as it smashed into the metal. The Chemicals reacting as it exploded in a large assortment of the spider-like web. Covering the metal in its sticky substance and bonding it together. Izuku walked over as he placed metal pole into the Webs and pulled, finding that the Webs stuck strongly to the metal.
"YES!" Izuku cheered as threw his hands up in excitement. "WOHOOO! Finally! Okay, that's the one!" he laughed as he clapped his hands in excitement and turned back to the camera.
"Okay, Web Fluid 054 is the one! Now I just got to figure out how to utilise it…" he looked at the Garbage, noting it was smaller now due to his time cleaning it up.
"Hmm…"
Spider Experiment – Invisibility Test 42 – Day 44
The Camera turned on as no one was on screen. It almost seemed as if the camera was turned on for no reason. Until suddenly one of the All Might figures started to rise and float in the air. "NEVER FEAR! WHY!? FOR I AM HERE!" a mimicked voice of All Might called out before a small chuckle was heard and Izuku suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Surprise! I got the Invisibility powers down!" he smirked as he put the Figure down. "It took a while, but I found out that it's linked to my fear responses. If I think of something, I'm afraid of, my body will react and turn me invisible." He turned invisible again and reappeared upside down on his ceiling. "So now I can turn myself invisible whenever I want." He disappeared and reappeared on his chair.
"Of course, I can't maintain it forever, it takes up some of my stamina to fully maintain it, and sudden movements or actions will disperse it. The Longest I've gone invisible is 15 minutes." He disappeared and reappeared on the side of his wall.
"But it's better then suddenly turning invisible whenever someone yells at me. Luckily, they haven't noticed it yet. The advantages of being a 'Quirkless Nobody'." he disappeared again and reappeared on his bed.
"You know, I've noticed that I've started changing, and I don't mean the fact I have a Quirk. Ever since the Spider bit me I've been feeling more…confident? Like I finally feel like I belong. Maybe because most of my life I felt like I didn't belong like I was a nobody. To not know my purpose. I mean yes, I wanted to be a hero since I was four, but after being classified as Quirkless, I kind of knew that that dream was impossible. But now that I have my Quirk, I feel like I can fulfil my purpose…" he looked down at his hands as he flexed them.
"…Is this what it feels like?" he seemed to more ask himself than the camera. "It feels…it feels good…" he shut off the camera to mull over his thoughts.
Spider Experiment – Web-Shooters Version 01 – Day 60
The camera turned on as Izuku Midoriya was in his room, working on his Web-Shooters. A bunch of electrical components and wires, he scavenged from the dump, lay scattered on his desk as well as books on Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. A Soldering Iron in his hand, and welding goggles on his face, as he welded the electronics together. He looked back to the camera as he smiled.
"Okay, it's been roughly two months since the Spider bite, and I've gotten 48% of the Beach all cleared up." He showed the camera a picture of the partially cleaned beach. "I should be able to make my quota on time with All Might, he's busy with Heroics today so I decided to take some junk, electrical components and parts I found at the dump and start working on my 'Web-Shooters'…after I made sure to disinfect all of them. Hey, they've been in a dump this whole time, you don't know what they could have, hygiene people." Izuku said as he showed him the schematics of his Web-Shooters.
"It's taken me a long time to read up on Electrical Engineering, and I watched tons of YouTube videos and reference footage on similar items, as well as other factors to help me make my Web-Shooters. It's hard, but I feel like it will be worth it once I get these baby's working."
Unbeknownst to him, somewhere in Japan, a pink-haired girl perked up when she somehow felt someone use her catchphrase.
"Now if I got this right the Web-Shooters capsules should be able to hold enough Web Fluid for several hundred meters and keep them in a liquid state, before ejecting them and hardening when coming into contact with air and tension. By my calculation, the tensile strength should also be around 120 pounds per square millimetre…" He explained as he loaded a cylindrical canister, filled with his Web Fluid, into the Web Shooter.
"Okay, Web Shooter Version 01 – Day 60…moment of truth…" he slowly reaches forward to press the eject button, only for it to spark and burn his fingertip. "OW! You mother-!" the contraption then burst into flames as he screeched. "AH! NOT AGAIN!" he rushed over and used the Fire Extinguisher.
Once again, his desk was covered in white foam and burnt ash. "Izuku! Was that the Fire Extinguisher again!?" his mother called out as Izuku panicked and turned invisible out of instinct. "Don't you think about turning invisible young man!"
"…Back the drawing board." The invisible boy said as he slumped his shoulders.
Spider Experiment – Web-Shooters Version 05 – Day 72
Izuku was adjusting the circuitry in the Web Shooter as he went over the schematics again. "Okay, if I bypass that, adjust the levels here…that should work." He put the soldering iron down and clipped in an adjusted Web Canister as it locked into place. "Okay, here we go…oh! Wait," he placed on a pair of leather gloves as he adjusted the fingers. "Just to be sure." He pressed the button as he hopped for a string of Web to shoot out of the nozzle…only for nothing to happen.
"What the?" he pressed the button again as the Shooter didn't fire. "What's going on with it-GAH!" the device exploded, and a thick glob of Web Fluid slapped him in the face.
"HMMM! MMMMM! HMMM!" his muffled voice cried out as Web's stuck to his face. He fell back out of his chair and into his All Might Merchandise as he desperately tried to pull the webbing off his face with little result. He blindly reached around his room until he found a small Stanley knife and cut a breathing hole in the Web.
"GASP!" he breathed in huge amounts of air as leaned over his desk. His breaths came out in pants as he took a moment to catch his breath.
"Okay…need to adjust that…and now I have to wait three hours until this stuff dissolves…" his room became silent with nothing but the ticking of his clock.
"…Note to self, make dissolving agent for emergencies"
Spider Experiment – Web-Shooters Version 09 – Day 97
Izuku carefully inserted the newest version of his Web Canister into the Web Shooter, as if he was handling a dangerous object. He had learned from the previous times he tried making these things, and he won't end up with either Webbing on his face or burnt skin. Or that one time the darn thing exploded the entire canister and stuck him to the side of the wall for three hours…
A rather amusing sight his mother came back to.
He slid the canister in place as he ducked under his desk and slowly inched his finger towards the pressure trigger.
"Please don't explode…please don't explode…" he pressed the button and feared the worst.
Thwip!
He peeked over the table as he stared at a thick coiled strand of Spider-like Web stretching from the shooter to the wall. Cautiously he leaned over and touched the strand, plucking it like a guitar string, as it resonated with a small hum. A small smile began to grow on his face as he stared at the result of months of hard work.
"YES! WOOHOO!" he suddenly yelled doing a small backflip and standing on the ceiling.
"Izuku! Are you using the Fire Extinguisher again!?"
"No mum! I just completed my Web Shooters!"
"That's nice honey."
He looked back to the Web-Shooters as he smiled at the progress he made after 3 months of hard work and experimentation. He had his creation, his tool to help him get one step closer to becoming a Hero. He picked up the Web-Shooters and admired their form. They were a tad bulky and appeared to be made from bits and piece he found at the dump. But not even that could deter their beauty. He strapped them onto his wrist as he smirked.
"Now, for a test run…"
Spider Experiment – Web-Shooters Version 09 – Day 110
Izuku adjusted the camera focus, as he stood in front of the large pile of garbage at Dagobah Beach. A row of cans was lined up behind him, on the hood of a car, with his new Web-Shooters strapped to his wrist.
"Okay, now that I've developed the Web Fluid and the Web-Shooters, I decided to give them a test run at Dagobah Beach." He lifted his hands as he showed the Web-Shooters strapped to his wrist, with what looked like an adjustment.
"I made a small adjustment last night by adding these pressure triggers to the base of my palm here," he pointed to the small pad at the base of his palm.
"I've designed it this way so that it requires only these two fingers to activate," he bent his middle and ringer finger down to his palm as they touched the trigger. "So that I don't accidentally set them off when I make a fist or try to grab someone…I found that out last night…less said the better." He coughed into his palm as he stood upright.
"Right, now I've designed it so that I can control how much Web I shoot out. If I want just a quick burst of Webbing, I give it a tap like this." He spun around and tapped the triggers as a quick glob of Web shot out and hit the can right off the hood and into the pile of garbage behind it. "And, if I want a strand of Web, I just hold down the trigger and…" he held it down as a strand of Web shot out and grabbed the can before he jerked his arm back and pulled it right towards him.
"I've also found that the elasticity on the web allows me to pull back with ease. This will open up new possibilities, like saving civilians, stabilising structures and increasing mobility when I fight." He smirked at the mechanical devices on his wrist. "I've also added this feature if I want a huge amount of Webbing to restrain a target." He spun around, adjusted a switch on the Shooters and shot out a huge glob of Web, that hit all the cans and stuck them to the garbage.
"I call it the 'Impact Web'. But the downside is that three bursts are the limit before I have to reload." He ejected the cartridge, that sprung out like a clip and caught it in mid-air and held it up. "When I get into U.A I'm hoping to upgrade them to incorporate more Webbing and maybe slim it down. Because as it is right now, they're a tad bulky and I want to add different Web functions. But as they are now, they'll do." He smiled at the Web-Shooters as he felt a feeling of pride in his chest.
"For now, let's see what they can do, got ten more days till the deadline, and I got a promise to keep."
The Camera shut off as it ended the first phase of his experiments.
Dagobah Beach
All Might pulled up to the beach in his truck as he got out to check on his protégé. He had been busy trying to balance keeping an eye on the boy, as well as perform his Heroic Duties that often took him a while. But the times he did he was very supportive of the young man, especially with how quickly he was getting the beach done. He wouldn't be surprised if he pulled up today and the beach would be cleaned by this point.
So, it came as no surprise when he pulled up and found a pure white sand beach was present before him. A smirk growing on his face as he looked at the achievement his young protégé had accomplished.
"See…" he heard as he looked to his left as his protégé was descending towards him while hanging upside down from a light post and holding on to a strand of what looked like Spider Webs. "Told you I could get it done in four months." He said as All Might chuckled.
"I never doubted you could, and I see you finished your Web-Shooters." He noted as Izuku held up the device.
"Yep, thanks to this and my new Quirk, cleaning this beach was a cinch." He said as he flipped down and landed in front of him. "But I wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for you All Might," he said as the Pro-Hero chuckled.
"Modest to the end, that's what I like about you Young Midoriya." He said as Izuku smiled at the praise. "Well, now that this has been sorted, we can move on to the final phase…" he said as Izuku nodded and stood more seriously.
"Young man, this power I'm about to give you is not to be used lightly. With it carries a huge weight, a huge responsibility. You've gotten stronger over these past four months, learned to master this strange new Quirk that's been gifted to you. But also, more confident, I worry that you'll get too cocky and misuse this power." He said as Izuku shook his head.
"I won't misuse it, All Might. I would never do that. You've given me so much, helped me more than anyone else in my life. If I was to betray that trust, then I would give up being a Hero and give this power back to you." He pledged as the skeletal man nodded.
He then buffed up to his Hero form and plucked a strand of hair from his head.
"Young Midoriya, you've come alone way, gained a power you were unfamiliar with, and worked endlessly to control it. There's a difference between something you were born with, out of luck and something you earned through busting your ass. Your Spider powers may have been a gift of luck, but you pushed yourself to master it." he said as Izuku stood taller and did his best to hold back the tears in his eyes.
"So, puff out your chest young man, you earned this fair and square, now…" he said as he held forth his hand, and said with the utmost series voice.
"Eat this!"
Izuku stared at the golden strand of hair in the big man's hand, then back up to All Might as said "…What?" with pure and utter confusion written on his young face. "You want me to…eat your hair?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That face is hilarious! Of course, I want you to eat my hair, although it doesn't matter either way, so long as you took in something with my DNA. That's how this thing works. What were you thinking of?"
"I-I don't know a hand grasp, a transference of power, a shining light? Anything but that, it just doesn't seem right?" he said as All Might raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't you get your powers from a Spider Bite?"
"…Just give me the hair." He begrudgingly said as he took the strand of hair and gave it a look of contempt, before placing it in his mouth and swallowing. He gagged a little as he forced it down his throat.
"Oh god, the Spider Bite wasn't even that bad!" he coughed as he swallowed the strand. "Okay…I swallowed it…now what?"
"Well, what do you think a stomach does? It digests food, so it has to do the same with the strand of hair you just ate." All Might said as Izuku raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know this from experience?" he asked as All Might seemed to pause and shiver for a moment. "I'll take that as a yes. So, the highest concentration that gastric acid reaches in the stomach is 160 mm in the canaliculi. That's about 3 million times that of arterial blood, but almost exactly isotonic with other bodily fluids. The lowest pH of the secreted acid is 0.8, but the acid is diluted in the stomach lumen to a pH between 1 and 3. So, taking that into account I'd say it would take about-"
"Three Hours my boy." All might cut him off. "Boy, you sure do know a lot of facts, don't you?" he asked as Izuku sighed.
"When you grew up as I did, the library is the best place for solace." He admitted as All Might nodded. "So, what happens now?" he asked.
"Well, now we get to the serious part. Teaching you how to control One for All. Before my original plan was to make you into a suitable vessel within ten months. With the projected end time being the day of the Exam. But because of your new Quirk, enhanced biology, and strength, we can now spend time adjusting you to its power." All Might said as Izuku nodded before he blinked.
"Wait, adjust? What do you mean by that?" he asked as All Might started to scratch the back of his head.
"Well, to be honest, even though I've given you my power, you'd have no control over the output. Your Limit would be either 0 or 100, with 100 almost certainly breaking your limbs." He said as Izuku blinked and processed this information.
"So, wait a minute! You were going to give me your power and then send me into the exam…before I learned how to control it?" he asked incredulously, as the Pro-Hero chuckled nervously.
"Ahaha…ha…when you say it like that it does sound a little reckless?"
"A little?" Izuku questioned before he sighed. "Although given how weak my body was before and the time it would've taken to get it into shape, I suppose I would be lucky to get it ready by the exam date. Plus, now that I have my Quirk and a stronger body, I'll be able to do more in the Exam than just using your power once, right?"
"Exactly!" the man grinned with a thumbs up.
"Now, seeing as it will take three hours for the hair to digest, I decided to take us to a new location. One I think will be suitable to accommodate your new Web shooters and privacy to practice One for All." All Might said as Izuku raised a brow.
"Where?" he asked as the man gestured for him to get in the pick-up truck and drove away.
Abandoned Warehouse District
Izuku looked around in awe as he and All Might walked into a large warehouse. Although its interior was far cleaner than its exterior. The floor was clean, there were gym mats and reinforced punching bags strung about the place, and gymnastic equipment that looked brand new.
"Whoa! What is this place!?" Izuku asked in wonder as the Pro-hero smirked.
"This, young Midoriya, was an old warehouse facility my Predecessor and I used back in the day. I had it refurbished recently to have it ready to teach you how to control One for All. I figured it was probably best that we move your training to a more urban environment, to fully test your Spider Agility and teach you how to control One for All." All Might in his skinny form said as he and the young man walked around the warehouse.
"Whoa…this is awesome All Might. This is the perfect place to fully test out my Web-Shooters." He noted as he adjusted his shooters, jumped up, and shot a line up to the ceiling. He then hung upside down like a spider as he quickly adjusted to the equilibrium.
"That's good to hear, Young Midoriya. But I should caution you not to get too attached to support items. Many a hero had relied on them too much and found themselves at disadvantages if they're damaged or taken away." All Might advised as Izuku nodded.
"I understand All Might, but I can't help but feel a sense of…pride, I think? About making these myself. Do you know?" he asked as the man stared at the boy before nodding.
"I understand. Just heed my warning and use all of your skills, and not just what works the most. Anywho, it has been about three hours now since you ate my hair." Izuku blanched at this as his face turned a little green.
"Ugh, don't remind me."
"Which means One for All will have been transferred into you." He said as Izuku flipped back down and stood in front of him.
"By the way, you never really explained how it works. If you've transferred the Quirk to me…what will happen to you?" he asked, having long since questioned the nature of One for All.
"I guess I haven't, well for starters the Quirk is yours. This means that you now have the power to give that power to anyone else, should you choose? As for me…I have only a portion left inside of me, residual embers you would say. So long as I don't overuse my time, I can continue Heroing for a Year, two at most…if I am not pushed to my limits." He explained as Izuku absorbed this information.
"So…because of me, you'll no longer be the Number One Hero?" he asked as small amounts of dread and guilt began to build. Until All Might placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Young Midoriya, this was going to happen either way, either you or someone else would inherit One for All, and I would have to retire. In fact, with the way my body is now, I should've retired years ago. But don't worry, I still have some fight left in me. The Symbol of Peace isn't dead, not until its time for the World to meet you." He assured as Izuku nodded, though guilt still weighed on him.
"Now, One for All is a stockpiling power, that has collected the power of 7 other uses, 8 now that is been transferred to you. The blowback from using it the first time will be hard, but with your stronger body now and healing factor, the damage should be minimalized." He guided the boy over to a large column of metal that was placed at the centre of the room. "Now, I want you to hit it using 100% of One for All." He instructed as Izuku raised an eyebrow.
"This will give you a feeling for what 100% will be like. That way you can learn to lower it down to a manageable level until you attain full control of One for All." All Might explained as Izuku nodded.
"Ah, I see…" he said as he turned back to the sheet of metal. "So, how do I?" he asked as All Might smirked.
"Well, when you use One for All, you have to concentrate, summon the energy inside of you-" he suddenly bulked up to his Heroic form. "Pull your arm back, Clench your butt cheeks tight-"
"Clench my butt cheeks?"
"And yell from the top of your lungs, SMASH!" he threw his fist up in example as he released a powerful gust of wind from his fist. Izuku had to cling to the floor to stop himself from being thrown away. Luckily it wasn't too powerful and didn't blow a hole in the roof. But it was still impressive from the Number One Hero. "See?" he said as Izuku nodded.
"Okay…" he got into position, remembering the small punching lesson from four months ago. 'Shoulders square, dominate foot behind, twist the hips, squeeze my butt cheeks…' red energy crawled across his skin as his tracksuit sleeve ripped from the pressure. 'And scream at the top of my lungs…'
He twisted his body forward, throwing his fist, and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"SMASH!" the moment his fist met the metal slab it instantly bent inward and exploded out the back with a violent tendency. The metal slab then flew backward and slammed into the wall of the Warehouse. If not for its heavyweight and the Warehouses reinforced structure, it would've torn right through and into the ocean outside.
The metal slab then fell to the flow with an audible clunk as All Might stared with a grin at the power. Izuku stared as well, completely awed by the vast difference his enhanced punch was compared to that of One for All's. That was until he felt a sharp pain in his right arm and his brain finally registered the pain it was in. He looked to his right arm as the whole appendage was bright red, like a bad sunburn. He cried out in pain as he cradled his arm.
"Young Midoriya!" All Might called out as he rushed to his ward. "Young Midoriya, are you okay!? How's your arm!?" he asked as Izuku grunted and held up his arm for the man to inspect it.
"It-its hurts! Like all the fibers in my arm were pulled at once!" he groaned out in pain as the man inspected the arm.
"Hmm…doesn't look like anything's broken. It looks like your muscles took most of the damage, probably some muscular tearing. One for All put a lot of strain on your body, even though it's more durable than most."
"And once again, you two go and act recklessly before I even get here." An elderly voice called out as All Might and Izuku turned to see Recovery girl walking towards them. A cross expression on her aged face as she stormed her way to the pair.
"R-Recovery Girl! I can explain, you see-GAH!" All Might barely managed to get out an excuse before she bopped her cane on the Pro-Heroes Head, forcing him back into his skinny form.
"There's no need to explain, you got overexcited, wanted to see what the boy could do, and proceeded without my guidance…(Sigh) I swear one of these day's you're going to give me an Ulcer, both of you!" she shouted as both shrunk down in fear. "Now, let me have a proper look." She said as she looked at his arm and felt it. Much to the pain of Izuku.
"Hmm…definitely muscular tearing, bone seems to have held up. Maybe due to your new durability?" she questioned herself as she examined the arm.
"We also discovered he has a Healing Factor." All Might said as she looked at him.
"And how did you discover that?" she asked with a hint of danger in her voice. To which the pro-Hero swallowed his saliva in fear with an audible 'gulp'. "As I thought. Tell me, young man," she asked as Izuku looked at her. "How quick is this healing factor of yours?" she asked.
"Well, I had bruises that healed up in a few hours. And cuts seemed to heal up instantly overnight, with no scarring." He listed as she nodded and looked over his arm.
"I see…can you move your fingers?" she asked as he managed to wiggle them, albeit painfully as he nodded. "Okay," she said and then stretched out her lips and placed them on the arm. Green aura then surrounded the boy's arm as the red skin rapidly faded, much faster than Recovery Girl expected as in a manner of seconds the arm was fully healed.
"Woah!" Izuku said as he held up his healed arm. "That's amazing! My arms all healed up!" he said as he jumped to his feet and swung his arm around and tested it. "Thank you!" he said as she blinked.
"That…shouldn't have been that quick?" she said as he paused. "How are you feeling?" she asked as he raised an eyebrow and looked down at himself.
"Fine I guess, why?" he asked.
"My Quirk speeds up the natural healing process of the body, depending on the severity a minute or less. But I've rarely seen it heal that quickly. And my Quirk is not without its tax. It uses your stamina to speed up recovery. Yet you're telling me you feel fine?" she asked as he nodded.
"Ah…yes?" he said as she stared before sighing.
"This Quirk of yours is getting stranger by the minute. But in any case, knowing that your Quirk also heals you is a relief. But don't be doing reckless things to test it!" she suddenly snapped as Izuku stood straight in attention. "Just because you can heal from injuries, doesn't mean you can heal every injury." She warned as he nodded.
"Now, I need to get back to U.A. if anything else comes up, alert me immediately. There is still much we don't know about your Quirk and I want you to be cautious." She advised as he nodded, and she left the warehouse.
'Well, that's good to know." All Might said as he nursed the bump on his head. "So, given all that. Tell me how it 'felt' to you. What did it feel like using One for All at full throttle?" he asked as Izuku tried to recall the sensation he felt.
"It was kind of like…buzz or ka-pow! Or…Ah! I got it! It was like putting an egg in the microwave and watching it explode!" he surmised as All Might burst out laughing with blood shooting out of his mouth.
"That's a pretty lame kid, but whatever." He said as Izuku blushed slightly from embarrassment. "But now that you've got a feel for it, we can spend the rest of the time learning how to control the power level. Or in your case, lower the watts in the microwave and trying not to explode the egg." He said as Izuku nodded.
Much like his Spider powers, he had to figure them out. "Well, being a hero isn't easy, right?" he said as All Might nodded.
"Indeed. But I reckon we can get you to control 25% before the exam starts. That will give you a huge advantage over the competition. But I also realised that you don't exactly have a fighting style, do you?" he asked as Izuku shook his head.
"I was thinking of copying your moves. Use One for All like you do?" he asked as All Might shook his head.
"That's not always a good thing. Sure, you can learn from me. But your Quirk gives you advantages that I don't have. Your Spider-Sense warns you of danger, your body moves more acrobatically than I can, and those Web-Shooters offer more options than my fists. The thing I'm trying to say is that I can help learn how to control it, but I can't tell you how to do it. One for All is a unique power, each user before has used it differently and in conjunction with their Quirk. I didn't have a Quirk, but my master and her master before her used it with their own. Some things you'll have to figure out on your own, and others you have to learn by hand." All Might said as Izuku nodded.
"So, while we learn how to control One for All, you'll also be learning to find your way. You can look up to me and follow my example, but you need to be the Hero you are, not the Hero I am." He wisely said as Izuku processed this then nodded.
"I understand All Might. I won't let you down." He promised as the man smiled.
"Good, now, let's get practicing. I might have a friend I can contact to acquire some training equipment. But for now, let do some physical practice…" he suddenly bulked up and grinned at the boy.
"Ready to learn from the Best, Young Midoriya?!" he bellowed as Izuku smirked.
"I was born ready!" he got ready to train as master and apprentice trained to harness the power of One for All.
Spider Experiment – Swing Test 01 – Day 127
The camera turned on as Izuku adjusted the camera, while he stood on the roof of the warehouse. The Warehouse itself was located at a dock not far from the Beach. Cranes and other abandoned machines decorated the abandoned port as Izuku waved to the Camera.
"Okay, it's been a little while, and training with All Might has been going well. I've been training now to harness the power of my Quirk, which I recently learned can increase my strength." He had to lie on the footage about One for All, in case anyone ever found it and discovered his secret.
"All Might said he knows a friend on I-Island that can procure us something called 'Hard-Light training Holograms'. A state-of-the-art training simulator that can produce hard-light opponents to spare with. Last I heard the tech was still in development, but All Might said he knew the man developing them. But they won't be ready for three months at least. So instead, we've been focusing on hand-to-hand combat. And meanwhile, I decided this place would be the perfect environment to test the full application of my Web-Shooters."
He stood back to the edge of the building. "Now I've proved they are good for capture, reinforcing weak structures, or rescuing civilians. But the beach was hardly the right place to test the mobility of them. But here, with the defunct cranes and tall structures, I can fully test out my babies."
Again, a pink-haired girl felt that someone was using her catchphrase.
"Now, the first test will be a simple swing from one end of this roof to the other end. Then work from going from one roof to the another, then maneuvering mid-swing." He pointed to the other end of the roof and then to the others.
"I've set up more cameras to fully capture the test, this way I'll be able to see what I did wrong and correct it for next time." He explained as he clapped his hands.
"Okay, let's do this!" he pumped himself up as he began the test.
He got up on a set of crates and scaffolding as he stood tall on the roof. He then looked up to the crane and fired a strand of Web. He gave the web a few tugs to make sure it was secure. With a breath and making sure he had enough line, he took his first step off the crates and swung on his web…
Only to fall flat on his face with a solid thud. "OOF!" he cried out as he hit the concrete roof.
Turns out the web was a bit too long and he didn't judge the distance to the ground well and ended up eating gravel instead. "…Okay…too long…."
Spider Experiment – Swing Test 02 – Day 127 – Fast Forward
Izuku stood on top of the crates again and shot the web up to the crane. He tugged the line, nodded then jumped again…only to dangle off the ground, swinging back and forth like a pendulum.
"Too Short."
Spider Experiment – Swing Test 03 – Day 127 – Fast Forward
Izuku shot another line as he swung on the web, his feet running across the ground as he built up speed and swung to the other side of the roof, only to accidentality let go and fall of the roof. "AH!" a loud crash was heard as he landed in a pile of garbage down below.
"Okay…" his voice called out. "Don't let go…" he groaned from over the ledge.
Spider Experiment – Swing Test 04 – Day 128 – Fast Forward
A determined Izuku shot his web, checked the line, and swung as he successfully swung past the camera.
"YES!" he yelled passing the Camera until the momentum swung him back towards the crates.
"NO!" and he smashed into the crates.
"…Ow…"
Spider Experiment – Swing Test 05 – Day 128 – Fast Forward
Izuku shot his web, swung across the roof and shot another line, and swung past the camera.
"WOOHOOO!" he yelled as he swung across the other roof. But the wind was so strong against him he couldn't see properly, and he swung straight towards an old billboard sign.
"AHHHHHH!" he screamed as he came barrelling towards a large billboard sign and slammed into the old advertainment. Which ironically was an old billboard selling car windshields. He remained there like…
Well…like a bug on a windshield.
"…That's just insulting…" he groaned as he remained stuck to the billboard.
Spider Experiment – Swing Test Intermission – Day 130 – Fast Forward
Izuku was in his room as he looked at the camera. "Okay, so I learned something while swinging…Wind Resistance. When I swing on the web I'm fighting against the wind, which makes it very difficult to see. And if I can't see where I'm swinging…" footage of him face planting the sign showed on his computer as he nodded.
"That happens…" he then smiled. "Luckily, I've found a solution to that." He brought up a pair of goggles that were oddly designed with sharp-looking eyes and what looked like shutter lenses.
"All Might managed to get a hold of these special goggles that will help to combat wind resistance. They apparently will also help me control my senses, as there are people with heightened senses Quirk like mine. Which should help me focus. I also learned that my 'Spidey-Sense' makes it easier to swing as I just… instinctively know where I am aiming. Cool right?" he asked before he frowned.
"The only other problem I found though…was bugs…" he grimaced as he suddenly started spitting in bad memory.
"Yeah…turns out while swinging…bugs will fly into my face. Which is why I have…" he reached down and pulled out a black balaclava with two eye holes. "This, it should help to stop bugs from flying into my mouth. Combine that with these goggles." He placed them on a mannequin head he found at the dump and started sewing them together. "And these will help me control my powers…" he finished up as he admired his work.
"Now…" he pulled the mask over his head as he adjusted the mask, before turning back to the camera and the shutter eyes moved like they were his real eyes, "Let's give them a test drive…" he then looked to the clock and noticed how late it was.
"Tomorrow…"
Spider Experiment – Swing Test 06 – Day 131 – Fast Forward
He started to get the hang of it as he swung across the rooftops, using his second web shooter to pull himself away from the billboard sign. He quickly started to get the hang of it as he swung around the abandoned docks. His eye lenses adjusting with him as he swung with more ease. He flipped in the air as he felt weightless, before shooting another line and swinging again.
"WOOHOOO!" he yelled as he swung with improved grace compared to last time.
He felt a sense of freedom and excitement he had never felt before. A feeling that he just couldn't describe, and he couldn't get enough of it.
"WOHOOOO!" he shot another line and swung, flipping and somersaulting in the air as he utilized his skill and instinct into every swing.
He flipped up in the air before landing on the edge of the rooftop. Pulling off the mask he smiled as he looked around at his progress. "That was awesome!" he said before his face started to frown. "But…" he looked around at the warehouse that was only 24 meters in height. "These warehouses don't offer the full range I need to test out the Web-Shooters. Sure, I've gotten swinging down in low environments, but compared to the high rises in the city, I need a better test…" he looked towards the city as an idea formed in his head.
"What! No, I can't do that! It's illegal! I could get into serious trouble with the police if they catch me swinging through the city! I could lose my chance at going to U.A. if they caught me!" he instantly thought as he shut down that idea. "…Although, I can turn invisible, and I just need a quick test of the aerodynamics in a Metropolitan environment." He pondered.
"But still, would I be willing to 'bend the rules' just to test out my Web-Shooters?" he asked himself as he looked down at his mask in his hands and stared at his reflection in the lenses. "Then again…if I don't try 110% in everything I do, I can't rightfully call myself a Hero, now can I?" he asked himself as he sighed.
He looked around to make sure no one was listening, not even All Might as he crouched in front of the camera.
"Okay, this might get me in trouble. But it will only be for one night only and just to prove my theory. I'm going to the top of the tallest building and swing across one block to test my Web-Shooters. I can only remain invisible for 15 minutes, so that should give me enough time to do a quick test then make it back home. What could go wrong?" he shut off the camera as the screen went dark…
Spider Experiment – Untitled – Day 132
The camera turned on as Izuku Midoriya sat in front of his desk. His face had small bandages, his hair was messy and small bruises lined his face. "So…" he spoke as he rubbed a hand on his neck. "I nearly destroyed my Hero career before it even started." He admitted as he rubbed his neck.
"But it's not what you think!" he quickly said. "No one saw me swinging across town and I didn't get caught…" he explained. "Well, I had to explain to All Might what happened, and let's just say…he wasn't impressed." He rubbed his arm in shame.
"All Might managed to smooth things with the cops, and they won't press charges for 'Vigilantism' seeing the situation I was in. But he says I'm lucky I'm not in the slammer right now. And now…Mum knows too. I had to tell her, my secret relationship with All Might, the truth about my Quirk, everything!" leaned back into his seat as he rubbed his face.
"I nearly messed everything up…" he leaned forward on his desk and rubbed his hands over his face. He peeked an eye through his fingers as he stared at the camera. "And you want to know why this all happened, well…" he turned around and moved out of the way of the camera.
"Because of her…"
There lying on his bed and wrapped up in his blanket was a small girl. She had bluish off-white hair that was messy and unkempt parted in the middle of her forehead, the length was almost reaching down to her waist. She had soft pale skin, and even though they were closed, she had innocent red eyes. Her arms were bandaged and over her body was one of his All Might shirts that made her look adorable.
The most notable feature was the long brown horn growing out of the right side of her forehead.
She bundled herself up further in the All Might blanket as she whimpered slightly before Izuku placed a comforting hand on her head and she seemed to ease into. He smiled softly at her as he rubbed a hand through her now clean hair.
"You want to know how this all started?" he asked the camera as without taking his hand off her head. "Well, I'll tell you. It started like everything else that happens in my life…" he looked back with a small determined look on his face.
"Someone called out for help…and my body moved on its own."