Crack… Crack… Crack!
"My knees…"
Iliotibial band syndrome. Osteochondritis dissecans. Patella fractures. Patellar tendinitis. Meniscus tears. ACL injuries. Perfect. Absolute perfection. Peak knee trauma.
What more could a man ask for?
Well, leg and arm injuries? Yes. Yes, truly, he also had that, too, but… he preferred not to think too much about it.
As a matter of fact, the pain of reeducation forced him to reflect on everything, even himself. Yeah. Thinking about himself? That was a first. It surprised him. When was the last time he had worried about himself? Never?
Safe to say, unbearable pain can bring about significant changes in people. Indeed. Through pain, he had thrown his life away to protect the world and his ideals. So, maybe the first change in himself happened there. Maybe, but… now, after everything has ended, what's next? Who's next?
"—riya Izuku!"
"Hm…?"
"Need to call yer full name to get yer attention, dimwit."
"You wanted something?"
"Get yer ass movin'! Doesn't matter if ya feel like shit or not. Progress ain't comin' while y'sit on yer arse scratchin' yer damn back."
"My ass will stay sitting, thank you very much." Izuku sighed, gazing away from the rabbit lady who was running on a treadmill. "Though… guess ignoring the doctors and pushing through was the smart call, huh? Worked out great for me… and for you, apparently."
"To hell with yer newly discovered sarcasm."
"You should stop running…"
"Nah. Runnin' is the best way t'get back in shape."
"Your stump is bleeding… It's going to get infected again."
"Bah! Nothin' ya can't help me patch up 'fore the nurse comes back."
Patching her up had become a regular event. She never really thought of the well-being of her body, only about the practicality of it: to her, her body was nothing more than a tool to be used.
The fact that she didn't even care about being an amputee was proof of that.
"…I should charge you for the medical care I provide."
"Tch! Alright, ya win. Whateva. I'm in a kinda hurry, anyway…"
"It's like I'm your shoulder angel and you're your own shoulder devil… You should take care of yourself."
"Ya're one to talk, Mister World's Savior."
Jumping off the treadmill, Mirko landed in front of Izuku, not even ten centimeters away from him, all the while staring him down. She wasn't all that tall, but she had some kind of aura about her that made you respect her.
Still, her body wasn't what it was before. She had lost three limbs, and only her left leg was relatively intact. Short hair and scars all over her body.
She and Izuku were like two peas in a pod. Both fucked up beyond recognition.
Returning to their prime was impossible without the help of technology.
Well, it was impossible for Izuku, even with the help of technology…
So, that was it… he really peaked in high school…
"Ya're bein' gloomy again."
"Not in the best of moods."
"Alright. Here's my leg, patch it up."
"If that's your way of trying to cheer me up, this won't work."
"Y'don't know that before tryin'. C'mon, do yer job."
With a small sigh, Izuku slowly shook his head and agreed once again to patch her stump. She was reckless to the point of stupidity. Tell her one thing and she wants to do the contrary. It was the conclusion Izuku reached after sharing the same reeducation room with her for a month.
Every day, she would run on the treadmill for hours on end until either the nurses came to stop her or her stump bled too much, prompting her to ask him to treat her.
Today was no different. Cleaning the scratches and bruises, putting some bandages… Rinse and repeat. Still, it wasn't so bad: fun personality, white hair, a cocky face, nice abs, large thighs, an enticing crotch—
"Aight. Gimme a shoulder massage now."
"…No." He exhaled after closing his eyelids, not wanting to play her little game. "Anything else?"
"Gee, small-dicked virgin wimp." She rolled her eyes, shrugging. "I don't bite… without reason. Whateva, actually…"
"Sorry if I offended you."
"Shaddap."
"…Why would I even massage you? I thought you were in a hurry."
"Why? Stupid question from a stupid twerp—"
"Get to the point."
"Yeah, yeah. A lot of blokes would say yes straight away, y'know. Some guys would do anything to massage me."
"…That's because they think with what's between their legs."
"Guess so, but it's thanks to that kind of chap that a lot of female heroes rake in the cash."
"Funny way to refer to your livelihood."
"Ha! Like y'never think with your dick." She chortled, standing back up after putting her leg prosthesis back on. "Ya're a young bloke with a wang, don't act as if y'don't wanna hardcore-pump some wussy's pussy."
"Am I listening to modern poetry?"
"C'mon, cuh."
"What…?"
"Y'heard the news, yeah? Two damn months already… Ya're the World's Savior now." Mirko smirked with a more serious, yet daring expression. "Y'already lost most mobility in yer arms and a tad in yer legs, lost half yer sight in one eye, lost some comrades, and even lost yer quirk… So if y'gotta lose somethin' else, let it be just yer virginity, yeah?"
Stepping out of the reeducation room, Mirko gave him one last middle finger just in case she wasn't annoying enough and escaped before the nurses could come in.
"What's her problem…? Plus, she said in several interviews that she was a virgin, too, no…?"
Well, maybe she was right. Maybe it was because he was a virgin that he couldn't understand her intentions. Still…
"You would expect that two near-death experiences would tame her a little…"
Some people can't change. He learned this lesson the hard way: the prime example was Shigaraki. No… It wasn't entirely correct. Rather, everyone can change, but for various reasons, some refuse to.
Be it subconsciously or consciously, some refuse to.
As for Izuku, whether consciously or unconsciously, he had undergone physical and mental changes. He was still the same person, but was aware of his own sarcasm. Well, sending a teenager full of dreams and ideals to multiple battlefields, then making him fight for his life, facing his own mortality, seeing friends between life and death, and having to kill the person he wanted to save the most, is realistically bound to at least shake his worldview.
After all, this all happened in less than one school year.
But… he felt that these changes also affected his body…
"Young man…" A stern voice called him out. "Although it is not my rightful role to say such a thing, you should consider what Mirko suggested."
"Ah…?" Turning toward the man, Izuku was relieved to see it was only his doctor. "Yoshida-san… You were listening all this time…? So, no nurses today? I'm free to go, I suppose…"
"You shouldn't shy away from the subject. Shunning a conversation that makes you uncomfortable won't fix what's bothering you."
"Erh…"
"Regardless, I'm here to report on your medical records."
"You already…?"
"Yes. My team and I have been thoroughly examining your condition. It's quite bizarre and fascinating in equal measure. And just as you requested, we haven't informed your mother this time."
"Thanks…"
"You're welcome. Now, please follow me."
He had finally managed to talk about his worries a week ago, and this was the upshot. Actually, he'd only told his doctor about it… even All Might hadn't been privy to this information. It was easy for Dr. Yoshida to know he was ashamed and bashful about it.
So, even though he had to legally disclose everything to his parents, he decided to do something illegal and kept what they were about to discuss a secret until Izuku himself chose to talk more openly about it. That was the least he could do for the World's Savior.
With this in mind, the doctor entered his office, followed by Izuku.
"You can sit down."
"…"
"No need to be tense."
"I have every right to be worried…"
"True, but what I'm about to tell you isn't worth the stress."
"If you say so…"
"So, how are your legs?" Dr. Yoshida pulled a thick file labeled [Midoriya] from his drawer. "Any numbness, tingling, or pain while walking?"
"None of that anymore… My knee just cra— Anyway! Please, tell me what I came for. I've been obsessing over this for weeks…"
"You weren't always this impatient." He sighed, extracting a few pages. "These are the records you requested. The terminology may appear like mumbo-jumbo, but I am providing it nonetheless. Here they are."
Taking the document, Izuku gulped. Just four pages of a medical report written in Arial font, size 10. Classic.
Izuku himself didn't really know what he was afraid of. Worst-case scenario, he would get whatever treatment he needed, but still, his shoulder's devil muttered worrying thoughts in his ear. Or rather, it was instinct.
The pages were scribbled with annotations and yellow highlights. Medical gibberish, mostly… but he caught the key parts.
"DNA fusion…? It's not… What does that even mean?"
"Exactly what it says."
"Yes, but… it shouldn't be possible."
"Alright. I'm going to explain, but it's going to be mostly jargon, so buckle up."
"Go ahead…"
"Your DNA got altered. It sustained damage that was repaired through the incorporation of exogenous DNA sequences not native to your genome." The doc tapped a highlighted section. "Normally, it would lead to genomic instability, apoptosis, or cellular senescence, but… not there. Your DNA polymerase appears to have… utilized mRNA templates to synthesize and integrate eight distinct exogenous DNA strands, reconstructing the damaged regions. Then, these were fully assimilated and fused with your own DNA. Truly fascinating."
"Huh…? It shouldn't be possible for DNA to fuse or assimilate other DNAs… The protein production would be all over the place, and—" As the doctor looked at him intently, he felt like he would end up like a guinea pig if he talked too much, so he stopped. "How is that even possible?"
"That's what I would like to know."
"Can you at least tell me what's going to happen to my body…?"
"First of all, have you really understood my previous rambling?"
"Yeah… My childhood friend called me a nerd, after all… Apoptosis is programmed cell death, senescence is accelerated organ aging, and mRNA's main role is to produce proteins."
"I see. Having general knowledge builds character." The doc nodded. "Anyway… Regarding your physiological trajectory: our predictive modeling doesn't show much change, but you'll become taller for sure."
"…Because of mitosis? Cell duplications with the new DNA inside…?"
"Well… Genomic integration analysis shows that phenotypic traits encoded by the assimilated DNA sequences have been appended to your… native profile. It manifests along a logarithmic curve, though, so rest easy."
"So I won't become a giant, huh… Phew."
"Yes. You'll stay within physiological norms."
"But how tall are we talking…?"
"Probably around 190 centimeters, or 6 feet 2 if you prefer the imperial system."
"It's just so weird…"
"Indeed. However, you'll likely reach this height in a few years. Still, going from 166 centimeters to 190 when you're already sixteen years old seems like a good way to get scoliosis."
Chuckling at the doctor's irony, Izuku slumped down on his chair. So small parts of the DNA of the former OFA's users got mixed up with his own because of the embers still burning inside him…
"You likely destroyed your DNA when you got rid of your quirk. Then, these unknown DNAs played their roles and repaired what was broken." He muttered before looking Izuku in the eye. "As your attending doctor, I know about the vestiges and the One For All… So, integrating this datum with your genomic fusion, I can assert that your endurance and… needs will approximate the aggregate of nine individuals."
"The… The needs of nine individuals…?! Physically?"
"No. Internally, if you know what I mean. I'm sure you already feel it. That's why you asked me to do this analysis on you, and that's why you're so uncomfortable about it."
"Fair enough… but still…"
"Let me be clear. Your genome and epigenome no longer conform to normal human parameters. They have achieved structural and functional optimality. I hypothesize that the reparative integration of these DNAs refined your already robust genes, eliminating deleterious variants and enhancing regulatory efficiency. Considering this objectively, over the next few years, every physiological system, including your cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neuroendocrine, and immunological systems, will achieve peak human performance. You, in effect, embody the apotheosis of Homo sapiens."
"…"
"I don't blame you for being at a loss for words… I was, too. Also, your adaptive immune repertoire may attain such potency as to eradicate cancer cells of all histological subtypes… I might recommend a controlled eugenic intervention to propagate these traits, but—"
"What…?! Wait, wait! This is crazy… All of this is crazy, and… eugenics is unethical!"
"Think about it, young man. You are part of the 20% who are quirkless, which is something that will become sought after soon enough. Your DNA is immaculate, your genes are pure and intricate; you have no allergies, no hereditary conditions, no psychological disorders. You will also become tall, you have a high IQ, and you are good-looking. What is there for you to lose?"
"...You're kidding, right? That sounds like your own twisted science project…" He slid the papers back across the desk. "And really… no woman would ever volunteer for something like that."
"Think, young man. Think. You're the World's Savior."
"…Have you asked Mirko to tell me what she said to me earlier?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"…"
Yeah, give this guy free rein and enough funding, and he's turning into a mad scientist. He seems to have enough ethics not to end up like Kyudai Garaki, but still…
"You shouldn't worry too much about your situation. Ultimately, the only issue you will deal with is the regulation of your emotions, especially when tied to sexual needs. I do believe it will trigger more primal behaviors."
"…"
"And as for eugenics, it wouldn't be done with just anyone. Willing women of the same heroic ilk as you would be the best choice, such as—"
"I've heard enough. Thank you, Yoshida-san."
"…Very well. If you must take your leave…"
"I'll see you next week…" Izuku sighed with a little bow of the head. "Excuse me, but I'm not inclined to discuss this any further right now."
"That's perfectly fine. I wish you a pleasant weekend. Please be well and take care."
Normally, Izuku would have stayed for ten minutes to review his progress, as he did every weekend, but he had too much on his mind.
Many things had not gone as planned, and in the end, the battle against All for One and Tomura had not been what it was supposed to be. Friends had died, and in exchange, enemies had been "saved."
It was a hard pill to swallow.
Additionally, there was the stress of the media. Journalists, paparazzi. Hundreds of interview requests. The flooding of his social media accounts. His phone number had been leaked by a former middle school bully. His mother's home address had been doxed, and when the cops showed up with her, the flat was a mess, and most of their belongings were stolen.
Worst of all, after years of absence without even hearing a word from him, Hisashi, his father, suddenly returned and took advantage of his son's fame.
"Fuck him…"
A whisper from the soul. He knew.
He knew that a lifestyle of simplicity was no longer feasible.
Since the central part of his reeducation was done, he'll soon have to give his first interview. Not something he was good at, but hey…
"I guess I just need to carry on as before and look on the bright side."
It wasn't a simple thing to do. Smiling and laughing with friends is different than feeling well inside. He wasn't sad anymore, but… he had sacrificed everything and ended up with nothing.
He could lie to himself as much as he wanted and say he was satisfied with his life, but he was frustrated. Sixteen years old and already out of the game.
Moreover, he had a constant need to keep his mind occupied so as not to think about "intimate relationships."
The sexual frustration of nine people was stockpiled in him and manifested more and more as time passed.
Even though he has a mind of steel and an iron will, his hormones still wreak havoc.
But even so, he had things planned, and as of now, he had to meet Lady Nagant.
"And even so… there are still other peaks to reach…"