CRITICAL AUTHOR'S NOTE

I now have my own website fully up and running with my 1st full original novel available exclusively as an ebook for only $7.42! If you like my one-draft fanfiction work so much, why not check out what I can do with 17 drafts and with my own setting and cast? If you're truly a Hero Academia fan, I know you'll absolutely love it! Just go to envoyofkairos .com and you can find CONTROL: Ubiquity of Chaos, with the first chapter as a free preview and sequels already in the works! There's also a link to a discord channel to discuss my work with other readers, right up int he site's header menu! And keep in mind, helping my book sell means I'll have more time free to work on both my fanfics as well! So what are ya waiting for? Jump over to envoyofkairos .com and give it a look!

As for physical copies of the book, that's not in the works as the moment, since my last attempt with Amazon resulted in more trolls than sales, and their user helpline is more ass-backwards than half of Twice's personality.

Chapter 2

Secret Roulette

"O-ok, hold on, let me get this straight!" Midoriya Izuku paces and rubs at his scalp as he tries to think. "S-So your quirk can be passed down, and I'm going to get it, but I need to train like hell to handle it. I-I get that, I really do!" He wheels around to face All Might again. "But you've already seen how my quirk interacts with yours! I-it's just not stable!"

"For now, you're right. But we can change that. Actually, your quirk's functionality makes this a bit easier." He rubs his chin. "The fact that you were able to copy One for All at all with your quirk is nothing short of a miracle. I believe, in some manner, the consent-cognizant part of One for All is recognizing you as a potential successor. But it would be nice to be certain my quirk hasn't accidentally passed on because of the genetic transfer. So…" He sighs deeply. "As dangerous as this may be, I want you to try and channel the power you felt when you borrowed mine, and see if anything happens."

After a few moments of debate, Deku hunches and tenses every muscle in his body, but eventually huffs and sulks. "Nothing. I guess it didn't transfer. I guess that makes sense, since I got your blood into my bloodstream instead of ingesting it."

"That's good, though."

Izuku looks back up and tilts his head. "Huh?"

"You see, if you had taken my power now, as untrained as you are, your body wouldn't be able to take it. It would surely destroy you from the inside. So, our goal now is to prepare your body for what's to come." He circles Izuku for a few moments, taking in details. "I think I have a training strategy in mind, but I'll need a day to plan it." He pulls out his phone and taps a few times. "Give me your number, and come tomorrow afternoon, I'll have instructions for you to meet me for your first training session."

Izuku's eyes slowly light up as the reality of this moment sinks in. Until now, it's felt like a fantasy, but… now, it feels unabashedly real. The training was the clincher. This is the start of his new future, not just a dream he could wake from any moment. "Y… Y-Yes sir!" He takes his idol's phone and enters his number right away, and jogs in place to burn off the adrenaline kick he gets from receiving the confirmation text a moment later. "I-I can't wait! O-Oh, um..." He pauses. "I… doubt you want this getting out, so what should I do about your name in my contacts?"

"Hmm… a fair point, Modoriya-shonen. Well, I suppose you'll learn eventually, so you can enter my true name. Yagi Toshinori."

Izuku's jaw drops as he's gifted with the knowledge of his idol- now mentor's- full name. He giddily enters it into his phone. "A-Alright! I'll be ready the moment you are… Y-Yagi-sensei!"

"GAH-" All Might almost spit up blood out of pure shock. "W-Well, I suppose that will be helpful to say during training! C-Can't have anyone overhearing you calling me by my title when I'm in this form, can we?" He huffs and shakes his head. "Well, I suppose that's all that must be said for now. Do you have any other pressing questions?"

"U-Um…" Izuku bites his lip as he considers his options. He looks himself over, assessing his injuries from the battle. It feels mostly like a serious workout, with a few bruises on his knuckles and his knees feel a little raw from the jumps he took earlier. "Not in the best shape now, but... if I'm gonna have to get used to your power, can I… m-maybe get another sample for my trip home?"

"Hmmm…" All Might scratches his chin. "Well, that's a decent idea, but at the same time, it's also risky for you to be using your quirk in public without a license or a consenting hero escort. I suppose I could fill that role, but that would mean coming home with you." He scratches his head. "What would your parents think of that?"

"O-Oh, um…" Izuku hangs his head slightly. "M-My dad hasn't been in the picture for a v-very long time. My mother on the other hand… W-Well, she's almost as much of a fan of you as I am, but she worries easily. Actually, she might panic a bit when it comes to me running off to train every day…"

"Well, if that's the case…" He stretches and cracks his back. "I should come home with you regardless to let her know I'll be training you. If she knows I'm guarding you through it, she shouldn't have as much of an issue, correct?"

"True, but…" He looks his sensei over, and casts his eyes to the spots of blood on the ground. "Are you sure you're ok to use your power now to escort me and meet her? You said you were already past your time limit."

He shrugs. "As long as I'm not performing any strenuous actions, my limit is extended. Escorting you and speaking with your mother should be fine. Besides, this conversation lasted long enough for me to recover and be at a decent baseline for a bit."

Izuku nods eagerly. "A-Alright, then! I'm ready if you are! J-Just um... need that s-sample first!"

Toshinori rolls his eyes. "Of course… Well, couldn't hurt." He plucks a hair off his head. "Not my blood this time, though. Getting this in contact with a light wound should do the trick, right? As for making this easier, I think I'll be asking my friend Power Loader for some equipment for safe and clean plasma injections to get the job done with less risk. I've known Vlad King for years, and quirks involving blood almost always require some support tech to make proper use of them without risking your health. Blood quirk users tend to also be more resistant to disease and infection, but that's not guaranteed."

Izuku nods as he thinks that over. "The faster I can get it to my heart, the better. So maybe design it to inject into a vein in my shoulder?" He bites his lip enough to draw a little blood, ripping up some of the skin to get blood flowing. "Never considered not using blood before, but I guess any genetic sample works. It's just easier with blood due to being fluid and getting into my own blood stream faster. But a raw diluted DNA fluid shouldn't he hard to synthesize from willing donors with UA's medical tech, right?" He places the hair to his wound and lets it sit for a moment, proving solid samples are indeed more difficult to work with.

"Probably. I'll have Power Loader and Recovery Girl look into that. For now…" He grins and bulks back up, and Izuku takes that as his cue, just as he feels his power building. He sighs as he drops the hair.

"O-Ok, smaller sample and less exposure. Let's see if that make a difference." He clenches his fists and flexes everything at once. Suddenly, his skin bursts open painlessly and surrounds him in the same suit he'd been wearing just an hour ago, but it starts off more compact this time, and releases far less steam when it shrinks to fit him. The prismatic brilliance in its angular veins settles into a bluish green. "This… feels a lot better, actually." He tests a few basic motions, just some punches and kicks, a couple light jumps that slowly grow higher. "Yeah… yeah, I think I can work with this! It's probably only about two percent of your power, but the shock absorption in the suit is keeping it from hurting this time. It'll still be a bit tiring, but my mom's cooking and a good night's sleep should fix me right up!"

Toshinori gives him an eager thumbs-up. "Wonderful form, Midoriya-shonen! Now, let's get moving, shall we? Lead the way!"

"Right!" He crouches and steels himself for his first sprint with this power, taking off at what he has to guess is three times his former top running speed. He can't help but be stunned at how easy it is to move this fast now, and with so little of All Might's power! Not his power just yet… but he'll make it his. He swears to earn it, and every moment of his trek home hardens his resolve even further. Alleys become blurs in his peripherals, but his vision is drawn to his left for a moment at the sight of his idol running alongside him. He grins widely enough for All Might to swear he can see it through his protégé's helmet.

Despite the distance, it takes Izuku only three minutes to get All Might to his front door, leaping up onto the railing of the third floor and pulling himself over it. He stumbles a bit on the landing, but barely feels the exertion of the act. All Might manages it far more gracefully and crosses his arms. As he waits for his student's instructions.

"O-Ok…" He pushes his right hand through one of the steam tears in his suit to get his keys out of his pocket. "Stay out here for a moment while I warm her up to having a guest. I'm sure you'll hear your cue to come in. Alright?"

"Making a show of it, hm?" He reaches out for a high-five. "I approve! I'll be right here waiting."

Izuku nods and unlocks the door, stepping through can calling out as he shuts the door. "Mom, I'm home! You wouldn't believe the day I've had, but one look at me might tell you!"

"Oh dear, what did you get up to-" Inko steps around the corner and freezes at the sight of her son. She hasn't seen this suit in years, and not quite so tall and proud. It even had a tail last time. She almost frightened until her son rips his helmet off with a leathery snap as the suit's neck rips open. Finding her boy's bright smile behind it soothes her heart instantly. "O-Oh, my boy…" She tears up with pride and rushes to hug him. "You're finally using your quirk! But w-why?" She pulls back and grabs his shoulders. "And whose power did you copy to get this suit?"

"Well, ya see…" He chuckles nervously. "Kacchan and I kinda got attacked by the same slime villain today, but I happened to meet someone whose powers came in real handy once I got to using them to help save him."

"YOU WERE ATTACKED BY A VILLAIN?!" Inko blanches and frantically searches her son's body, only to find how foolish an act that is when she realizes she can't see any of it through the suit. "W-What did he do to you?!"

"Mom, I'm fine! T-There's footage online by now, I-I can show you soon! But I have someone waiting outside to show you just how safe I was."

She stops in her tracks and stares in confusion, but as her son open the door, her eyes track up slowly to the grinning face of All Might towering over her. "Ah- Oh, my! I don't know how I didn't see the resemblance sooner! Inko, how have you been?" He crouches a but to get to her level and through the door.

"A... A-All Might?!" She bows frantically. "W-Welcome to my home! Oh, dear, I must look such a mess, i-if I'd known you'd be coming I would have-"

All Might wags a finger at her. "Please, none of that now! You and I both know I've seen you on worse days, and you're positively glowing tonight!"

Izuku looks between his mother and his hero with his jaw slacked open. "W-Wait, you already know each other!?"

"O-Oh, it was years ago, dear. Shortly after you were born. Some monstrous villain had tried to kidnap me for god knows what reasons, and All Might happened to be there to stop him." She sighs, a faint blush across her face. "I actually miss the suit you wore back then. Your silver age costume's cape was wonderful."

All Might breaks into uproarious laughter. "Well, I've been considering breaking that one out for a second run recently! I quite miss that cape as well, at times."

She giggles softly. "I'd be so happy if you did! But I'm far happier knowing you managed to save my son and Katsuki today. I can't thank you enough, All Mi- Oh! Wait, I know exactly how to thank you!" She claps her hands together and her eyes light up as she leans in towards him. "You absolutely must stay for dinner! I was just about to start, and considering today's events, we'll have to celebrate with some katsudon!"

"Mrs. Midoriya, I would be delighted!"

"Wonderful!" She claps in excitement, almost bouncing in place, before looking to her son. "Izu, how about you go wash up quick before we have dinner?"

"O-Oh, right! Sure!" He starts jogging away just as his suit degrades and steams away. "I-I'll be back shortly!"

Once he's gone, silence falls as the Symbol of Peace and the mother look to one another much more somberly. She sighs and hangs her head. "… Has he been doing well on Tartarus?"

All Might nods. "Hizashi remains compliant, and at times, even seems quite remorseful now. The destruction he caused still cannot be overlooked, but… there's some considering offering him parole with quirk-dampening equipment sometime within the next few years."

She nods faintly and brushes her hair out of her face. "Well, that's something at least…"

All Might turns his gaze towards the door Izuku left through. "… Does he know?"

"I…" She pinches the bridge of her nose. "I haven't told him… but he's a smart boy. I think he may already have figured it out on his own."

"That honestly doesn't surprise me. Your son's proven to be quite the brilliant boy."

"All Might…" She slowly looks up and dead into his eyes. "Please tell me you didn't start following my son because of his father."

"Inko… of course not." He kneels to put himself just a bit below her. "I wasn't even sure he was your son until I saw you a minute ago. Either way, I have no intention to judge him for his father's disposition and actions. In fact, I'm quite proud of him." He grins just a bit wider. Barely perceptible, but bright as the sun. "Your son is sure to become a wonderful hero, Inko. And I intend to personally make sure of it. If you would allow it, I would like to train your son to prepare him for U.A."

Inko's jaw drops and she stammers silently. "You… y-you really think he can do it? You want to be his personal trainer?!"

That shriek is what Izuku returns to, chuckling nervously. "I-I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around that offer too. But… please, mom." He bows to her. "Please allow All Might to train me! It's the greatest route I could possible ask for towards my dream of being a hero!"

She can't help but stare at her son for several moments of pregnant silence. Eventually, she reaches down to her son's cheek and gently raises his head. "My brave little boy…" Izuku's stunned into silence by his mother's tearful eyes. "I could never say no to such a thing. Even when you were afraid of your own quirk, I've supported your dream, no matter how scared I am of losing you to it. To see you given an opportunity like this… to see that you earned it from none other than your idol and the number-one hero…" She steps up and wraps her arms around him. "I couldn't possibly be prouder of you."

After a few moments, Izuku can't resist tearing up again as he buries his face into her shoulder. "… t-thank you, Mom… for everything."

All Might stands by in silence, watching his protegee reach yet another life-changing catharsis for the night. Moments like these, seeing how his actions and words can change lives for the better, is truly the most rewarding part of the job. "Mrs. Midoriya, I cannot thank you enough for accepting. Now… I believe there's been more than enough tears for today, joyous or not. Let's look to the future, and have a wonderful meal!" He uprights himself. "So, how can I help in the kitchen? Blades may not be among my hero skills, but give me some ingredients to cut and I'll make shorter work of it than you've ever seen!"

Inko giggles a bit as releases her son. "O-Of course! Well, wash your hand quickly, and I'll get it all ready for you."

That meal turns out to be one of the best of Izuku's life, and when it's all over and exhaustion overtakes him, Izuku turns in for the night with one last bow to his idol. Once he's gone, he and Inko remain on the couch together for some time. "He really is something, Inko. You've raised him well." He sighs deeply. "… I'm sorry you've had to do so alone."

She shakes her head, sipping some of her tea to give herself a moment to think over her response. "… It's been… hard, at times… but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm proud of my son, and who he's grown to be. I'm proud of myself for managing to care for him alone… and knowing who his father turned out to be, I'm glad he wasn't around."

"But…" All Might hunches over a bit. "… Someone should have been around, Inko. I… If I had known, then maybe… maybe I would have." He shakes his head a bit. "I'd forgotten so long ago, how it felt to have dinner with a family. I've missed it more than I thought." He shakes his head and pushes himself up from his seat. "Well… I best be going." He stretches and turns his back. "I'll need tomorrow to plan your son's training, but I'll have messaged him with the details tomorrow night, and we'll start the next morning. I'll be sure to stop in after most sessions to keep you updated, of course." He peeks back to her over his shoulder. "And again, I cannot thank you enough for accepting, Inko."

She slowly stands and bows. "Of course I accepted. How could I not? Thank you, All Might…" She uprights herself and grins ear to ear. "For taking such good care of my boy."

He smiles a bit wider and gives her a mighty thumbs-up, before heading out and leaping down to the street. He makes his way to an alley and, once he's certain it's empty, huffs and deflates. "Oooh boy… well, this is a fine mess. I may have to show her this form eventually, if she's that eager to have me around. Then again…" He cracks his back and starts walking out the other end of the alley to head home. "Inko's quite the woman…"

Back in his room, Izuku finds that although he's physically exhausted, his mind is still racing. There's clearly something bigger going on between his parents. His mother's also accidentally left search windows open regarding Tartarus and a villain incident only months after he was born. That topped off by the total lack of photos of his father around the house, and it all comes together with shocking clarity.

But that clarity only hardens his resolve. If his father was really that big of a villain, and All Might knows, but still trusts him to be his successor, then he'll become one hell of a successor. It's only a matter of time and training.

His final thoughts before drifting off are of what to call himself. He'll need a hero name one day, won't he? Ah, but for all his analytical skills, creativity is far from his strong suit…

.

.

Deep in the Tartarus, although he remains shackled, drugged, and monitored at all times, one of their top inmates is still permitted to view the news, and a few other channels, mostly to keep him remotely entertained and from constantly complaining, as many do in their isolation here. Best to be a bit humane to keep them from acting violently in containment.

But a pair of emerald eyes hone in on the screen as a report airs involving a slime villain attack in Tatooin. They narrow at the sight of the child rushing into battle and unleashing a unique, armor-inducing quirk.

After several minutes, his scowl grows into a fanged grin. "About time, kid. Keep it up. I hope to see a lot more of you on here soon."

.

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A.N.: And now, Deku's world begins to rapidly change. How's this for breaking the mold? Yet, it's only the beginning.