Chapter Two: Passing the Torch

Suichu blinked.

Then she blinked again.

After a few moments of empty staring, Uravity leaned over to Deku. "Honey…I think you broke her."

"I-I know that sounds incredible," Deku hesitantly began, "But it's all true. My quirk was passed on to me by my mentor, All Might, and to him by his mentor. And now, I want to pass the torch to you."

Suichu's eyes grew so wide they almost popped out of her head. "Your mentor…was All Might?! One of the greatest heroes of all time? The Symbol of Peace? THAT All Might?!"

"The one and only," Deku smiled proudly. "I was just a quirkless nobody before All Might gave me the chance to achieve my dream of being a hero. That was one of the best days of my life."

Deku's face turned solemn. "That day, I asked my favorite hero if it was possible to be a hero myself without a quirk. I asked him in almost precisely the same way you asked me if you could be a hero without a strong quirk. He originally turned me down, but I changed his mind and he decided to hand me the mantle of One For All. You struck a chord in my heart that took me back to that day, on top of impressing me with your strength of will and conviction. I have no doubt in my mind that you are the one I want to be my successor. So, I ask again—will you accept One For All and become the hero you want to be?"

Suichu didn't even have to think for a second. In front of her was the chance to become a hero that could make sure no one ever felt unsafe again. How could she turn that down?

Her face split into a mad grin. "You bet I will."

"No hesitation! Just as I expected," Deku cheered.

"No one is doing anything until you tell her the fine print!" Uravity interrupted.

Suichu raised an eyebrow curiously.

"There's two things you need to know before you actually take One For All." Deku sat forward to look her in the eye intently. "The first is how it came about and the baggage that comes with it. My mentor never warned me about all the trouble that comes with this quirk, I had to figure that out on my own later. And while I've taken care of most of those issues over the years…I'm not sending you into this as blind as I was."

Deku leaned back into his seat, his voice taking on a lecturing tone as he spun the tale. "Two and a half centuries ago, at the dawn of quirks, there were two brothers. One had the ability to take any quirk he desired for himself and give them to others when those quirks no longer served him a purpose. He built an empire across the criminal underworld during the time that most governments were still in upheaval about the appearance of quirks. Somewhere along the way, this terrible force of evil stole an immortality quirk, and stretched his empire across centuries. This man was called All For One."

The correlation between the name of the quirk and the name of the mastermind wasn't lost on Suichu.

Deku continued, "All For One had a sickly brother, who had a weak body incapable of fighting and held no quirk, but he possessed an unyielding moral compass. He refused to step out of All For One's way. Out of either some twisted sense of compassion or a sick desire to subjugate his brother in debt, All For One forced a simple power stockpiling quirk upon him. However…" Deku leaned forward, steepling his hands.

"His brother wasn't quirkless like he had thought. Instead, he possessed a hidden power, that served only the purpose of passing itself on to another. The power stockpiling quirk and the quirk that could give itself away combined together and mutated into an ability unlike any other. One that could store power from one holder and bestow it to the next, passing their will down through the generations."

Deku raised his fist in the air. "The First Wielder cultivated as much strength in his sickly body as he could and passed it on to the Second. The Second trained his power for years before passing it on to the Third, and so on…until today. I am the Ninth. I took this crystallization of power and will and used it to defeat All For One for good. He and his protégé are both dead and gone, but One For All still remains to keep the people of Japan safe from harm."

Suichu sat back in her seat, utterly floored. The legacy of One For All stretched back to the beginning of quirks. She would be the Tenth? The tenth person in this line of incredible heroes, the ones who fought off an immortal quirk-stealing villain.

"But wait…" Suichu mumbled, her brain still processing the information. "Why tell me this if he's long dead?"

Deku laid a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm not telling you this to scare you. It's my deepest hope that you will be the first wielder to never have to worry about All For One a day in your life. But his empire was more than just All For One himself, and while I have dedicated my career to rooting out any of that madman's remnants, there's always the possibility that there might be one or two of his cronies out there that are still loyal to a dead man. I wanted to warn you in case you ever have to deal with them."

Suichu's determination churned like crashing waves behind her ocean-blue eyes. "I'd like to see them try to cause any trouble on my watch."

"I knew you were the right choice," Deku grinned, chest puffed out in what felt like fatherly pride.

Suichu shook her head in slight embarrassment. She knew he had kids, but who knew he was such a…dad? "So, you said there was two things I needed to know about One For All. You've got another massive truth bomb to drop on my head?"

Deku smiled sheepishly. "Not so much…just the slight issue that I can't give you One For All anytime soon, because you're a scrawny twig and using it will blow your limbs off. We're gonna have to get you in shape first."

"Oh, just some training? Okay, that's not too—WHAT?!"

Suichu wiped the sweat off her forehead, propping her hands on her knees as she panted. "This guy…" she gasped. "He's insane…"

Deku peered back over his shoulder as he passed her again, lapping her for the fourteenth time as they ran around the track spanning the field. "You know, you should be thankful!" He gave a hearty guffaw. "All Might made me clean up an entire trash-covered beach by hand! And he made me do pushups with him on my back!"

Suichu shot back, "I'd do pushups with you on my back, but I wouldn't want your ancient bones to get sore trying to fit on it, old man!"

A mischievous glint shone in Deku's eyes. "Old man, huh? Why don't you race this old man around the track a couple more times? Best twenty-five out of fifty? I'm sure you'll win one soon!"

Suichu groaned. "Not fair! I'm tired and sweaty, just let me be sassy!"

Deku shot a smug smirk in her direction as he ran further ahead. "You're gonna have to step up your game from 'old man'. I'm a father! My kids have hit me with far worse than that!"

She sighed and got back to running.

They had been training together for several months by this point. Suichu's parents were slightly concerned the third or fourth time she came home drenched in sweat and barely able to make it to the shower, but Suichu just waved her workout plan at them and they understood.

It had been a grueling workout so far, running, lifting weights, and an insane number of different exercises. It was having a noticeable effect, though; Suichu had slowly been putting on muscle mass, her baby fat melting away as she underwent the grueling training. She was only a second year in middle school, but she could already tell she'd be the strongest kid in the school by the end of the year. She could only imagine how crazy buff she'd be by the time the U.A. entrance exams rolled around in a year and a half. She could see it now…

"Hey, you zygote! No daydreaming! Save that for when you find a boyfriend!"

Suichu snapped back to reality as Deku lapped her again, for the fifteenth time (but who's counting?)

Only a little while longer, girl, she mentally reaffirmed her determination. Tough it out, so you can get to the starting line where your dreams begin.

It had been a year and three months since their training had begun, and today was the day that Deku had referred to as the 'award ceremony'. The day that she'd finally receive what was most likely the most powerful quirk in the world.

Suichu looked at herself in the reflection of the glass door of Deku's house as she raised her hand to knock. Her favorite workout shirt, which had started off a little loose on her, now strained to hold on to the sculpted muscles that hid underneath. She was still small in frame, but she had noticeably grown a few inches; no longer was she just a waif of a girl, but instead a lithe young woman lined with corded muscle. Deku had deemed her ready to stand at the starting line and had asked her to meet him at his complex to receive her reward.

Deku opened the door and smiled warmly at her as he stepped out. "You've come so far in such little time, young Suichu." He beckoned her to follow him. "Come with me if you feel that you're ready."

Deku glanced back at his protégé as they walked to the field they had spent so many hours training in. He couldn't help but feel an almost paternal pride in the progress she had made under his tutelage; Suichu had gone from a tiny slip of a girl to an (admittedly still tiny) almost Amazonian form worthy of a hero. She would definitely be able to wield One For All as she was now, perhaps even better than he had after his training with All Might. If he had been a vessel made in a hurry, she was crafted with practiced care.

They stepped out into the middle of the field and turned to face each other. Deku stepped back, his arms spread wide.

"Here we are, young Suichu!" He grinned excitedly. "Are you ready to take the first steps to become the hero you've always wanted to be?"

Suichu nodded with fervor, desperately restraining herself from jumping up and down with glee.

"You must know," Deku warned, "This is only the first step. Everything from here on out is up to you. I'm setting you up at the starting line, but you will only become a hero on your own merits."

She nodded again, looking like her head would fall off from the force. She wondered, how would Deku bestow her with this magical quirk? A flashy lightshow of power? A mystical transfer between souls? She could hardly wait!

Deku raised his arms in the air, Suichu took a bated breath…

And Deku plucked one of his curly green hairs from the top of his head and held it out to her. "Eat this!"

Suichu almost faceplanted into the ground at the anticlimactic reveal.

"Ah heh…well, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you take in some of my DNA, quirks are genetic abilities after all, I just thought this would be the most palatable option as opposed to drinking my blood or something…" Deku blushed faintly as he muttered up a storm, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Geez, this is just as ridiculous as it felt when All Might did it to me…"

"It's too weird! I can't eat your hair!" Suichu stuck her tongue out in disgust at the proffered strand.

"Just take it, you punk! This is the best I can think of!" Deku exasperatedly sighed.

Suichu reluctantly took the hair and swallowed it, gagging as it slithered down her throat. She shuddered. "Gods, that was nasty…"

She took a step back. "Hey, how come I don't feel any different?"

"It takes a little bit to digest. Let's take a quick run around the track to jump start your metabolism, and we'll give it a try afterwards," Deku shrugged.

After the second lap around the track, Suichu started to feel a slight tingle in her fingertips. By the fourth, she sensed what felt like a roiling storm begin churning somewhere deep within her. She shouted out to Deku excitedly, "I think I feel it!"

Deku eagerly ran over to her. "Okay, now it's time to try it out. I took the liberty of inviting Recovery Lad from U.A. over for lunch, so we're prepared if you have a reaction like I did."

Suichu gave Deku a skeptical side-eye. He shrugged with a sheepish grin.

"Okay," Deku commanded. "I want you to follow my instructions to the letter. Take a wide stance and get ready to throw a punch."

Suichu dropped into a fighter's stance and raised her arms.

"Reach for the power within you and bring it to the surface. Spread it throughout your body."

She focused and felt the tidal wave of power rise within her.

"Now clench your buttcheeks, yell "Smash!" and let it loose!"

Suichu shouted, "SMASH!" and let her fist fly out in front of her, ready to unleash a devastating punch that even All Might would be proud of.

But her punch was just that, a normal punch.

What definitely wasn't normal was the massive surge of water that exploded from her fist and shot across the field, blasting a muddy hole deep into the side of the hill several hundred meters away.

Deku's jaw dropped, just as limp as Suichu's arm as it fell to her side, shoulder dislocated and bones shattered.

Deku placed a thumb on his chin, muttering, "It looks like One For All manifested much differently in her than in me or All Might. Fascinating! This will require much different training than what I had planned! This is incredible, what if we…" Deku trailed off, lost in thought.

Suichu screamed in pain and flopped over unconscious.

Deku came to and looked down at his successor. "Oh, whoops."

BONK.

Recovery Lad sighed as he finished wrapping Suichu's newly healed arm. "You know, when my grandmother warned me about your habit of breaking bones, Deku, I really didn't think you would make it part of your training curriculum."

BONK.

Deku pouted and rubbed the sore lump on the top of his head as his wife gave him another solid whack with her cane across the noggin. "I thought she was better prepared than I was! Look at her, she's a much better vessel than I was at her age!" he protested. "I had trouble with it at first, but I thought she wouldn't have to worry!"

BONK.

Uravity gave him another whack with her cane. "Sure, she's much better prepared," she yelled, "but did you stop to think for one second about how much stronger One For All has gotten since you received it?!"

Deku paled. "I've had it for forty years…how did I never stop to think that it'd be stronger when I gave it away?"

Suichu stirred, then groaned as she came to. "Did anyone catch the license plate of that bus…?"

Uravity rolled her eyes and began hobbling away to get her lunch. "At least she's still feeling well enough that she's cracking jokes."

Deku gave Suichu a halfhearted smile. "So…" he began. "It looks like not only is your One For All far stronger than I thought it'd be, but it also manifested far differently than just the physical boost that it was for me and All Might."

Recovery Lad chimed in, "That's only to be expected. You and All Might were quirkless when you received One For All, so the power had nowhere to go except to your physical bodies. But you have to keep in mind, One For All is power, not just strength! Power can manifest in any number of ways."

Suichu looked back and forth between them confusedly. "So, what does that mean? I could only produce as much water as a trickling faucet before. How did I make that water cannonball? And what happened to my arm?"

Recovery Lad stared at Deku, who looked at his lap guiltily. "The bone-breaking thing was a defect of my One For All that I hoped you wouldn't have to deal with," he grumped. "The power was too much for my body to handle and the backlash shattered my bones. I thought I prepared you enough that you'd maybe get sore, maybe pull a muscle…but with One For All's power increase, it looks like it's still proportionally powerful enough for the backlash of using it to hurt you just as badly."

Deku bowed his head to her. "I'm sorry for failing you, Suichu…I'm a terrible teacher!"

Suichu gave him a light tap on the head with her fist. "Stop bowing to me, old man, it's weird! Besides, you couldn't have really known—even with the power boost—that it would come out so differently. What's that all about?"

Recovery Lad piped up, "I can answer this one." He turned the tablet he was holding to face her, displaying a chart loaded with data. The information it imparted was gibberish to Suichu, but they seemed important. "It looks like your original quirk took exceptionally well to the foreign DNA of One For All; the two have essentially combined into one massively supercharged quirk, with the power stockpile within One For All feeding directly into your hydrokinetic output."

He pressed a button on the screen, and it switched to show two side by side graphs. "This graph displays your quirk factor data prior to receiving One For All. Your quirk, Trickle, could only produce and control enough water at a time to barely fill a drip pan. As you can see, the expression of your quirk factor is therefore very low."

He pointed to the graph on the other side of the screen. "This graph right here displays your current quirk factor data, after your quirk successfully merged with One For All."

The mishmash of lines and bars overlapping each other literally shot off the chart.

"Suichu Jumi, you are now in possession of one of the most powerful hydrokinetic quirks on record, if not the most powerful." Recovery Lad adjusted his glasses. "It's safe to say your quirk registration form needs drastic revision."

Suichu stared at her hands in wonder as she took it all in. I'm not weak anymore, she thought faintly.

I can be a hero.

Deku's Hero Files: Shuzenji Iyasu, the Healing Hero: Recovery Lad.

Quirk: Heal. The user is able to drastically increase the healing factor of whomever they hold the hand of, at the price of the patient's stamina. If the patient is too exhausted, it may be dangerous to heal them before they recover.

Recovery Lad is the grandson of the former school healer of U.A., the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl. After a stint as an active pro hero/battle medic, he took the position of U.A.'s school healer when his own child was born, and has held the position for the past fifteen years. A very level-headed and intelligent man who inherited almost a direct copy of his grandmother's quirk (that thankfully requires less invasion of personal space), making him an excellent healthcare provider in both skill and temperament.