Chapter 6

Bright Minds Build the Future

Bakugou couldn't join him for training this beautiful Sunday morning, but Izuku was enjoying the solitude, as he hefts a set of lockers up onto the lot above the beach. Surprisingly enough, his days training without his quirk were more difficult, but almost relaxing somehow. It's quiet, save for the clanking of whatever junk he's carrying, and the waves are a gentle, comforting background noise. Hours pass with him running almost on autopilot, and he's not snapped out of it until there's a sudden sound of someone digging through the scrap.

He wanders over to the source and finds a girl in a blue tank top with a sweatshirt tied around her waist. Her pink hair- tied into dreadlocks- stands out amidst all the rust, topped off with a pair of red and copper goggles with a mild steampunk vibe to them. She's pulling apart a washing machine engine for specific components and tucking them into an empty pouch in her tool belt. Izuku stares for a moment, but sets the lockers he'd been carrying down beside the pile. "W-Well um, I-I guess those were gonna be recycled anyway, so f-feel free to take any parts you want."

"Hm?" The girl raises her head and looks him over. "Oooooh, so you're the one lifting all this. Strong for such a small guy! But yeah, I've been taking parts from this beach for along time, it's a treasure trove here!" She giggles. "More parts to build my babies from!"

"W-Well, um..." Izuku chuckles nervously. "Who am I to get in the way of a constructive hobby?"

"Oh, it's not just a hobby. I'm going into UA's support course!" She grins and poses with her hand son her hips. "My babies are gonna be the talk of every support company in the world!"

Izuku's jaw drops. "Y-You're going to UA too? That's awesome! I-I was just here training to do just that for the hero course!"

"Ooooh?" She pauses and tilts her head, suddenly pulling her goggles down and flipping down some magnifying lenses as she looks over his shoulder. "I see you've already got some support gea- Wait, this is by Power Loader!" She jumps in and almost pins Izuku against the lockers he'd just been carrying as she inspects it. "An injection system? It' simple, but flexible, and secured pretty tightly without limiting flexibility or circulation! It's a flawless piece!"

"U-Um.." Izuku blushes crimson as he's pinned by this enthusiastic nerd. "Y-Yeah, it's P-Power Loader's work. M-My trainer has some h-hero connections and got ahold of h-him and Vlad King, to try and keep my quirk use clean and s-safe."

"Reeeaaally?" She grins ear to ear. "No outlet system, only injection, so your quirk must need some kind of fuel straight to your circulatory system to use it! That's a rare subset, very hard to work with, but support gear does it beautifully!" She jumps back and takes his hands. "I'm Hatsume Mei, and I just have to work on improving it for you!"

"W-What?" His jaw drops. "But- y-you said it yourself this is P-Power Loader's work! You really think you could i-improve it?"

"Well, I won't have the fabrication tools until I get into UA." She lets go and turns around, crossing her arms and grinning to herself. "But I can make the perfect schematics for it before I get there and make you an entire catalog of potential upgrades! Better armor, a self-cleaning needle system so it doesn't have to replace and store so many!" She turns and points to his belt. "And that's where you keep your samples, right? I can make that SO much cooler!"

That gets his attention, and Izuku slowly crosses his arms and hums as he thinks it over. "… Actually… Yeah, I think I could go for that. I-I actually have a few examples in mind, if you don't looking into them."

"Of course! Just know I can't make them exact, I do need to make it somewhat original."

"R-Right!" He jumps as his phone goes off and he checks his messages. "Oh, i-it seems my trainer's getting back from his trip shortly, I need to go meet with him. B-But um, h-how about we exchange numbers before I go? I'm Midoriya I-Izuku, by the way!"

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"Um… where are we going, Toshinori-san?" Izuku bounces his leg anxiously as he rides a rattling train beside his hero and mentor's deflated form. "It's kind of odd to come back from your time off to just take me this far out of town. I-I know it's a surprise, but…"

"Yes, yes, I know it's unorthodox. But there's two people who would like to meet you, and I didn't want you obsessing over it until we get there. We're not far, now." That said, the train screeches to a stop, and Toshinori leads him off the train and down the road. "Now, place we're meeting them is far from either one's base of operations, to prevent suspicion. I had Naomasa prepare it for us. Often used by the local police to train in sting operations. Wide open warehouse, nobody'll be bothered."

Izuku's eyes widen as the complexity of it all sinks in. "W-Wow, um.. these two much be pretty high-profile!"

"Well, one is, but the other never really built up much of a reputation and went underground decades ago." Toshinori shrugs. "But my old mentor's still got it, I'm sure."

"Your teacher?!" Izuku nearly jumps a mile at the thought. "They're still an acting hero?! That's amazing! I-I've never even heard rumors of you having tutored under anyone- w-wait-" He freezes up. ".. Were they?..."

"No, not at all, young man. My predecessor is…" He sighs deeply and looks away. "… My predecessors are all long gone, and my master trained me in her place."

Izuku pauses as his face softens and droops, the severity of those words slowly sinking in. "I… I'm sorry. She must have meant a lot to you."

Toshinori chuckles somberly and nods as he casts his gaze to the sky. "Indeed, young man. She was wonderful. She may not have been popular or anywhere near the best… but she was my hero." Stillness and silence take hold for a few moments of melancholy before ehe returns to leading Izuku towards the warehouse. It's old, for certain. Refurbished multiple times, yet still rusted. May have been around since before quirks. The Ship of Theseus must have a modern competitor here.

But stepping through, Izuku's eyes are drawn immediately drawn to the sight of a very short, elderly man in white and yellow hanging from the busted-up catwalk above by his cape. Izuku immediately screams-

And the hanging old mane snorts and grumbles as he's apparently startled awake, frantically peeking around for a moment before narrowing his eyes at Toshinori and Izuku. "Ah, I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep up on this catwalk and rolled off while waiting for you two snails to get here."

Izuku's jaw can't get much lower, but then he hears a sudden clapping from nearby and turns to see the flawlessly tailored suit and sleek green hair of none other than Nighteye. "Excellent execution, marvelous following insult, short and sweet. You're improving, Gran Torino."

"Heh!" He grins ear to ear and blasts air from his feet, hovering to untie the end of his cape and lower himself to the ground. "I've had that one in mind for years, just never had the chance!"

Toshinori sighs and shakes his head in exasperation, but can't help but smile at his mentor's antics. "Never change…" He slowly raises his head and looks to his former sidekick, guilt and regret all over his face. "Sasaki-" He pauses. "… Mirai. It's good to see you."

Nighteye stares for a moment, but slowly develops the barest hint of a smile. "I would say the same, All Might, but you look like an anorexic scarecrow. Just what have you been doing to yourself since that injury?"

All Might chokes on air as he almost laughs at the insult, but he's cut off as Izuku throws himself into the deepest bow he's seen in years. "Nighteye-sama, it's an honor to meet you! I know I must look like an absolute fool for thinking I'm worthy to be All Might's student, but I promise, I-I'll do right by him, and by the legacy you left as his sidekick!"

"Hmm?" Gran Torino crosses his arms and looks the boy over. "… You have a long way to go… but I see potential, with drive like that. Your confidence definitely needs work." He looks up to Nighteye. "What do you think?"

Nighteye slowly pushes his glasses up. "Well… I suppose I can't quite tell without a test."

Izuku bolts upright and stares in shock for a moment, but his eyes harden as their words sink in. Soon enough, he sets his case down and pulls his support gear out, strapping it into place. "If it's a test you're giving, then I'll ace it!" He clenches one fist and pulls his sample case open with the other. "I really don't know if I'm worthy yet, but I'll prove it to you and myself!"

Gran Torino slowly develops a sadistic grin, then pulls a vial from his pocket and tosses it at Izuku. He catches it, fumbling for a moment, but quickly realizes it's a new sample. "Prove it with versatility." Izuku looks back up to Gran Torino as the man tosses his cane aside. "A true hero is able to adapt quickly and maintain confidence in the process. You only saw me in action for a moment just now. Let's see what you can do when using a quirk you've barely glimpsed from someone you have no prior knowledge of." He looks over his shoulder to Nighteye. "Do you approve of that test, brat?"

Nighteye hums and rubs his chin as he thinks. "Yes… yes, that seems quite right." He peeks up to Izuku and admires the fire in his eyes. "Using One for All is simple. It's a simpleton's quirk, when put down to it's use. Making it truly great requires skill and a quick wit. Prove you have those, and I suppose I won't quite mind you as a successor. You'll have a long way to go yet, but I won't disapprove." He draws his weighted stamps from his pockets. "So, go ahead, Midoriya. Let's see if you can adapt quickly enough to this quirk to dodge me. You have ten minutes. If you're hit by ten, you lose. Do whatever you feel is necessary." As he raises his head and the glare on his glasses fades, Izuku recognizes the pattern caused by Sir Nighteye's Future Sight quirk in his eyes. "Begin."

"SUIT UP!" Izuku reaches up and slams the sample into his shoulder and twists, the injection running through him and triggering a sudden, violent burst of organic material from his skin. Nighteye throws before he can fully suit up, but Izuku aims his right foot sideways and blasts steam off, resulting in only a glancing blow to his shoulder. The second throw is dodged with a jet-boosted jump towards the ceiling. Once there, he hovers for a moment as his helmet finishes forming. The arms and legs of his new suit are enlarged, containing compressed air taken in as fuel for the adapted Jet quirk. The veins of his suit glow yellow.

Nighteye adjusts his glasses and smirks. "Quite the image. Like you in your prime, isn't he, Gran Torino?"

Gran scoffs. "My prime? This runt can't compare to me in my prime yet, but the look is uncanny."

"Indeed." Nighteye starts throwing again, first forcing Izuku to move by throwing at where he is now, but his future vision leads to throwing where he's about to be shortly after. He takes his first hit and starts to blast his way around the room faster and more sporadically. Lacking control and experience with this quirk, he jets himself into beams and walls repeatedly. His second his is to his left shin after crashing into a wall. Third is to his head after trying to duck behind an overhead beam to guard himself, only to meet one of his stamps on the other side. The fourth follows just after as he's still disoriented from the previous hit.

He pushes himself to move faster for a few moments as he thinks over his options. Too many hits already, ten minute goal, and only two minutes have passed. At this rate, he can't possibly last ten. Worse yet, Nighteye's predictions practically guarantee that if he wants to get those ten hits, he will.

There has to be another answer, but as Izuku takes a fifth strike to his right knee, he knows he doesn't have long to figure it out.

This new Jet can't avoid him for long. Not long enough, anyway. It's a race against time, which means he needs to shorten the clock somehow. Only way to do that is to make him unable to throw. His eyes dart about as he sees Gran Torino rushing across the floor and collecting thrown stamps to return to him. He has limited ammo, but surely enough to get his remaining hits in, even if he starts collecting them. Collecting them will also be an obvious move and make him an easy target, ensuring a hit for each one he grabs.

The only option then is to debilitate him so throwing them at all isn't an option.

He takes a sixth his to his ribs.

Ok, not much time now. He can't get a direct hit on him easily with the power to see all incoming attacks. That means it has to be something impossible to dodge.

It hits him instantly.

Izuku bolts down to collect the nearest abandoned stamp and manages to grab it. Hit seven is to his right ankle. On grabbing a second one, he takes another hit to his right shoulder, but jets up towards the ceiling and hides in the catwalk where he can't be hit so easily. He sees one that was thrown more limply up over the railing to fall onto him, but uses one of the stamps he's holding to knock it away.

He digs into his belt, pulls out a vial, and jabs into his shoulder.

A burst of steam erupts from him as his limbs deflate and his veins glow red. His horns fold back and expand, forming an iconic hat belonging to none other than Snipe.

He stands atop the catwalk brandishing two of Nighteye's stamps. "I'm sure you know whose quirk I'm using now. You can't dodge this. I've got one stamp for each of your arms, and you can't hit me with two more before both of these hit you. I'd rather not have to break a pro hero, so how about we call this here?"

Gran Torino's jaw drops for a moment, but slowly picks up as he develops a wide, toothy grin. "Toshi, where the hell did you find a kid this good?"

All Might beams with pride, clapping for Izuku, while Nighteye slowly huffs and pockets his stamps. "Even seeing it ahead of time, I must admit that was an impressive tactical maneuver. With a mind like that and a solid library of quirks on hand, you could become the ultimate Jack of All Trades type of hero."

All Might nods and buffs up as he gets excited by the mere thought of it. "And using the quirks of allies, relying on their assistance, ensures you also act as a symbol of unity among the ranks of heroes, working for the betterment of all through proper collaboration!"

Gran hums and nods. "And combined with the strength augments of One for All, you'll be able to function just fine without them, and adapt others' quirks as a secondary tactical measure for pure efficiency's sake. Overall, you'd be the most versatile hero I've ever seen."

Izuku hops down and bows to them. "I-I really can't thank you enough for all this praise! I'm not t-that flexible, though. I can't use hetermorphic or transformative quirks that would require me to change my own body. Like if I were to copy that slime villain from a few months ago, I'd only produce a slimy suit that falls right off me."

Nighteye crosses his arms and hums. "A logical weakness to such a power, but still leaves a lot of room for a wide variety of quirks. But you should be careful to try new quirk samples in controlled environments to make sure you can actually use them, instead of causing some sort of accident with rushing a sample's first run in public."

"W-Well, there's training rooms and fields available on UA's campus for that, right?" Izuku hands over the two stamps he still had and tears at his suit a bit, willing his quirk to give in and let it slop to the ground. It starts evaporating immediately. "And that'll be my best source of new quirk samples."

"Indeed." Nighteye smirks as he gets a closer look at Izuku's shirt. A Silver Age All Might print, taken from a photo of one of his more popular outings while the two of them were still a team. It brings back memories of far better days. "Midoriya Izuku… I don't need to look at your future to know you'll do great things. I fully approve for you to take One for All. Just try not to be as stupid with it as All Might has been." He peeks over his shoulder with a smirk, watching All Might sheepishly deflate.

"I-I swear I'll do my best, sir!"

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A.N.: So, it's been a while, this one was a bit difficult, for more reasons than I expected. So my youtube channel has been quite an undertaking, and I kinda spread myself thin and burned out for a bit. Then my nephew was born, and the screaming and crying most nights and much of the day has been testing me, though he's calming down now. Feels weird to be an uncle. Especially being the oldest child and sadly still single.

But, I'm getting back in the swing and solidified a ton of ideas for this. And more so, I'm gonna be holding another poll for speedpaints for my Youtube channel over on my P*treon, and this wonderful version of Deku will be an option, with Suit Up active! But, you have to be a Patron to vote on that. For the last poll, Naruto from Konoha's Fatal Joke won, and that speedpaint is underway, had to edit and record it in 2 stages. Anyway, I should get back to writing- I now have a 3rd fic I'm trying to get ahead on that's a bit of an emotional support fic for me. Easier to write, genuinely wholesome and a bit dramatic. Won't upload chapter 1 of that until I have 10 chapters done already, probably.