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Izuku wanted to punch something. Scratch that, he wanted to punch everything. Akagekido had gripped his hand, and then suddenly everything went red.
Calm down. Akagekido's voice rung out in his mind. I knew you possessed anger, but not in this quantity.
"What do you mean? What did you do to me?" Izuku wondered, his mind reeling. Where did Akagekido go? How was he still speaking to him? Why does he feel so angry?
I inhibit your mind now. It happened during the transfer of power. As for your current state, I unblocked your anger. Akagekido replied. You've been repressing it for years, most likely because you feared retaliation from your peers. After all, my Quirk runs off of emotions.
"How does that work?" Izuku asked. Even if he was slowly calming down from an anger high, he couldn't be helped but be curious about Akagekido's (now his own) Quirk.
My Quirk, which is now yours, is called Emotional Energy Manipulation. It allows the user to transform their emotions into energy that they can manipulate. It technically has no limit, for humans will always feel emotion, regardless of what they do.
"Wow..." Although Izuku had fully calmed down, he was feeling lightheaded. This day had been eventful for him.
Go home and rest. You cannot use your newfound power if you do not have any energy to spare. Akagekido ordered. Izuku obliged. His throat was still sore from the sludge villain attack, and his shoulder ached where Kacchan had latched on.
Call him Bakugo. He does not deserve your friendship. Akagekido growled. He bullied you for years, simply because you were Quirkless.
"But he's amazing! He'll become a great hero!" Izuku argued.
Abusers cannot be heroes.
And with that thought, Akagekido seemed to disappear, fading into the depths of Izuku's mind.
Izuku trudged home. When he reached the doorstep of his household, he quickly brushed off any remainder of dirt or slime off his uniform, then fumbled for the house key.
"M-mom! I'm home!" Izuku called out. No response. Taking his backpack and setting it down, he entered the kitchen, where a note sat on the counter.
Working an extra long shift tonight. Dinner's in the fridge, just heat it up!
Love, Mom
Izuku smiled. He loved his mom, and she loved him back. He knew she didn't fully support his dream of becoming a hero, but her fears were valid. He understood now.
But maybe Akagekido would help change her mind.
He grabbed the bento his mom left in the fridge, opening it to reveal a pleasant surprise (katsudon, his favorite!).
He ate a quiet dinner, then discarded his ruined school uniform. He wouldn't need it anymore, since he was no longer attending Aldera.
As he finished brushing his teeth, Izuku wondered what the next day will be like. A renewed dream, an ally (friend?) in the form of a powerful demon, and a new Quirk given to him by said demon.
As he laid down in his bed, he felt the gaze of all the All Might posters and figurines he owned on him.
Seems like I won't need them anymore. Izuku thought. He couldn't help but be angry at the Symbol of Peace for crushing his dreams. All Might was the Number One Hero. He was supposed to support his dreams, not tear them down simply because of the fact Izuku was Quirkless.
Izuku felt alright this time, bashing All Might. It just goes to show, never meet your heroes. He drifted off into a sleep full of dreams.
Izuku awoke the next day, feeling refreshed and better than he's ever felt. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and hobbled over to the bathroom.
He splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up. When he looked up to examine his face in the mirror, his eyes widened.
His face was more angular, gaining a chiseled jawline. All the baby fat he had was gone. The freckles on his face aligned to make perfect diamond formations on his cheeks.
As Izuku examined the rest of his body in astonishment, it was clear it had changed. His height had gained a few inches, taking him from 5'3 to 5'7. His body fat seemed to be majorly reduced. He had gained muscle he never had, although it looked like there was still room for improvement, as he was still quite skinny.
"W-what?!" Izuku could only feel his own body, to feel all the changes, because what the fuck happened to himself.
Liking your new body Izuku? Akagekido rumbled. The oni manifested next to him, crouching down so he didn't hit his head on the bathroom ceiling.
"What happened?" Izuku asked, turning to Akagekido. The oni had to do something with this.
"Simple. I used Emotional Energy Manipulation to transform your body." Akagekido replied, like it was the easiest thing in the world.
"How?"
"I imbued your body with emotional energy and used the energy to transform your body fat into muscle and shape it to fit your natural build. I wanted to fill out your body as much as I could, but I want you to earn it. You will have to work to gain more definition in order to handle more powerful usages of your Quirk. If you're worried about not being to feel emotions or anything of the sort, fret not. I used the emotional energy produced by your nightmares." Izuku flinched at that. "You really should do something about that, you know. It's not healthy. You'll lose sleep."
"How am I supposed to tell mom... about... all of this?" Izuku gestured to his body.
"Rip off the band-aid. Tell her that your Quirk came in. After performing your daily morning routine, head to Dagobah Beach."
"Dagobah?" Izuku pondered. Why would Akagekido want him to go there?
"I shall tell you when you get there. For now, enjoy your day." Akagekido faded away, leaving Izuku to his thoughts.
Izuku returned to his room and put on a fresh set of clothes. Looking around, he looked at the All Might merchandise adorning his room.
Let's get this over with. Izuku grabbed a couple spare plastic containers and spent the next 15 minutes carefully taking down the posters, and putting away figurines. They were still worth money, so he could sell the merchandise if he needed some quick cash.
The end of an era. No longer would Izuku view heroes as untouchable deities, for they were human, just like him. They had their fatal flaws, and so did Izuku.
As he was finishing up putting up the last container full of All Might merchandise, he heard the door creak open.
Inko expected to see her son still sleeping, still tucked in a cocoon of blankets. She would gently nudge him awake, where they would say good morning to each other then go downstairs to eat breakfast.
She did not expect to enter her son's room only to find his room stripped of all of his All Might posters and figurines.
Or for her son to be taller than her and possessing a jawline that could compete with Brad Pitt's.
"I-Izuku?" She stammered. "What happened to you? When did you get so lean? And when did you grow as tall as me? You were only a couple inches shorter than me last time I checked..."
"I was..." Izuku replied. "Mom..."
"Yes, honey?"
"I have a Quirk."
THUMP!
"OH NO! MOM?! ARE YOU OK?!" Izuku rushed to his mother's fallen form.
Inko shortly woke from her sudden faint, and they took their seats in the dining room to eat breakfast.
"So you're telling me..." Inko said, spearing a piece of lettuce on her fork. "You have a Quirk now?"
"Yes."
"And you developed a 'spirit'," Inko air-quoted with her hands, "That can help you use your Quirk?"
"Yes."
"And this spirit is telling you to go to Dagobah Beach?"
"Yes."
"And with this Quirk and spirit, you're going to become a hero?"
"Yes."
Inko sighed good-naturedly. "Well it's not like I could've done much to stop you. You're a determined boy, Izuku. I doubt you would've let your Quirklessness get to you."
Izuku immediately felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead.
Inko sighed again. "You know, when you first said you wanted to become a hero, I thought against it. It's such a dangerous field of work."
"But mom, it's-" Inko held up a hand.
"But when I saw your face every time someone mentioned heroes, it was like you had just discovered sunshine." She giggled a little, remembering baby Izuku running around in his All Might onesie. "Besides, I wouldn't be a very good mother to not let my kid chase their dreams, right?"
"So does that mean?" Izuku was trembling.
"Yes, Izuku." Izuku felt tears gather in his eyes. After all these years.
"You'll make a great hero." She finally said it.
Que the standard Midoriya waterfalls of tears.
A couple hours later, Izuku stood in front of Dagobah Beach, on the sidewalk that overlooked a section of the beach turned landfill.
"So you want me to clean this ENTIRE BEACH?!" Izuku exclaimed. He looked to a manifested Akagekido incredulously, as if this was some sort of joke.
The oni flashed a grin. "Yes. Every hero starts off somewhere. Cleaning Dagobah Beach will help build your body as well as build a private area to practice your Quirk." The oni pointed to a small clearing that was surrounding by piles of trash. "Over there. Head to that clearing, and I will show you the basics of your Quirk."
As Izuku climbed over the trash piles, he couldn't help but feel giddy. He was about to use Akagekido's Quirk for the first time!
"Stop thinking like that. I willingly gave you my Quirk. It is yours now, so you much treat it as such. I was a very different person when I was alive, compared to you. That means Emotional Energy Manipulation will most likely act differently than when I used it."
"Y-yes!" Izuku reached the center of the clearing. "What do I do now?"
"Use your Quirk, obviously." Akagekido replied. "When using Emotional Energy Manipulation, think of your emotions as strings. The more of an emotion you have, the harder it will be to tug on the string and use said emotion. However, it will be more powerful. I would recommend using one of your lesser emotions."
"How many emotions are there?" Izuku asked. "Are there combinations of emotions? Can you break a string to an emotion and lose the ability to feel that emotion entirely? What happens when you run out of emotions completely?"
"Yes; do not try that one; no." Akagekido replied. "Do not attempt to remove an emotion. You will lose a core part of who you are. Now, choose an emotion to use. You may go the easy way, and choose an emotion like disgust. I see you do not have much of it. Or you may choose the hard way, and pick an emotion such as fear, or anger. Either way, I shall develop a training plan to fit your path."
"Am I allowed to choose multiple emotions to use?" Izuku asked, gaining a glint in his eye. Good. Izuku was getting ambitious. Akagekido could see it in his eyes without having to read him. Izuku's flame was almost snuffed out when Akagekido first met him. But now, that flame was revived, and burning brighter than ever.
"You may, but beware. For the path you are choosing will be the most difficult. Using 3 different emotions will be extremely difficult, but I have faith in you, Izuku. I shall do my best to formulate a training plan in order to best suit your routine. Are you ready Izuku? This shall be one of the most trying times you will ever experience."
"Yes!"
And so, 10 months of hell began. 10 months to prepare for the U.A entrance exam. 10 months to make Izuku's dream a reality.
Thanks for reading! Expect the next chapter to come out either tomorrow or Friday.