SPOILERS FOR MY HERO ACADEMIA: TWO HEROES START HERE

Chapter 3

Discovery

Word Count: 4183

Izuku was staring out the window, gazing with wonder at the sight before him. He was in an airplane, coasting over the sea as the vehicle prepared for landing. There, in the middle of the vast ocean, was a huge, circular island consisting of a massive city. Steel walls bordered the island, making an impenetrable fortress and giving the island its reputation of being the safest place on the planet.

It had been a mere week since his mother had agreed to Izuku receiving One For All, but it had been the busiest week of his life. The day after the dinner, All Might had returned, discussing with his mother what the next year would consist of. Izuku would train his body so that he could handle the power given to him. Then, one day a week, Izuku and All Might would focus on developing his other Quirk, trying to make it hero-worthy. That was their reason for the journey, to ask if Izuku could train here and to determine the extents and capabilities of his Quirk.

The day after, Izuku had started training. He had met All Might at a beach, although calling it a beach was generous. The once-beautiful sand had been tarnished with piles and piles of trash and litter. Entire refrigerators and appliances had washed onto the shore after people had thrown them in the river. And for his training, Izuku had to clean all of it, no Quirks allowed.

When All Might had told him, Izuku paled, groaning about how cleaning the beach was impossible. All Might had simply laughed, however, and explained to him that if his body couldn't handle One For All, it would explode, grinning all the while. Izuku stopped complaining after that, putting even more effort into moving the fridge that All Might was sitting on at that moment. Since then, in the few days he had been working, his body had been bruised and battered, and every time he got home, his limbs simply refused to move. But he had no regrets, and after a week, he had been able to move the fridge a good few meters, which while minuscule, filled him with immense pride.

Now, on the plane, he was grateful for the day of rest. But he knew that, while no intense body workout would be happening, he would still have to focus. Today, this was where he was going to finally find out what his Quirk was.

The plane landed, and All Might and Izuku passed through immigration. Because of his secret identity, All Might bulked up to his hero form, filling up his otherwise loose clothing. He changed into his hero costume, coming out of the room with that bright smile on his face. They had exited the airport and Izuku immediately gasped, looking over the wonder in front of him.

The island was beautiful. It was a scene pulled out of a fantasy. Attractions were everywhere, displaying a massive exhibition of Quirks. Water flowed, fire burst, lights beamed across the sky. People floated in the sky in levitating orbs, and fountains surrounded the walkways, shooting grandiose jets of water in the air. Everything was just massive, and Izuku's eyes gleamed looking at the city.

All Might chuckled behind him. "Quite the sight, isn't it?"

"Y- Yeah…" Izuku mumbled, still dumbstruck.

"Unfortunately, we're not here for the attractions right now. One day, I will show you everything this place has to offer, but for now, we have other business to attend to."

The hero picked up Izuku, wrapping a solid arm around the boy to secure him. "I hope you've learned how to hold on!" All Might bellowed, legs forming into a squat.

Izuku snapped out of his haze, frantically waving his arms in a panic. "W- Wha-"

All Might took off with a huge leap, the wind blasting over them as if they were a plane taking off. Izuku started to scream, burying his face into All Might to prevent another instance of rubber face. The ground became smaller and smaller as they took to the sky. Their speed decreased, enough for Izuku to open his eyes and look down.

"Wow…," he whispered, breath taken away at the sight of the world beneath him. Everything looked so tiny, so small. The city had been beautiful from the ground, but from the skies, it looked magnificent.

"Now comes the hardest part!" All Might let loose a booming laugh, chest shaking at the volume. Izuku continued his screaming as the ground started to rush towards them, faster and faster.

Finally, they landed, and All Might let go of the trembling boy. "G- God, that was even worse the second time," Izuku rasped, clutching his stomach.

They had landed on the central tower of the city, right on top of a helipad. A door peeked out of the roof, most likely leading to the interior of the tower. All Might made his way to the door, gesturing for Izuku to follow. "Come along, young Midoryia, we have a lot to get done today."

Izuku shook his head, trying to get rid of the queasiness in his chest. He stumbled over to All Might, resuming a normal walking pace to keep up with the burly hero.

They arrived at the door and opened it, finding a large, circular elevator inside. They stepped inside, Izuku gawking at the architecture while All Might smirked and pressed a few buttons. The door promptly closed, and Izuku's jaw dropped further.

The elevator had started to drop, revealing just how intricate the design was. Straight white lights going from ceiling to floor lit up, and blue stripes of steel spiraled out from the center. The ceiling of the elevator, which at first was about twenty feet high, rapidly rose out of view. The elevator, instead of being a room that moved up and down, only transported the floor, letting the passengers view the entire gigantic metallic cylinder as they were traveling.

Izuku's gaze lifted higher and higher as the ceiling slowly rose out of view. The ride was incredibly smooth, as anyone would expect from one of the most high-tech facilities in the world. After what felt like hours of staring at the interior in awe, the elevator gradually slowed to a stop.

The two walked through the halls, Izuku following All Might and trying to not get distracted by the huge and beautiful rooms he was passing by. He was on a very specific trip with All Might to research his Quirk, he told himself. He didn't want to embarrass All Might by fleeing into the first room he saw. Not more than he already had, at least.

All Might opened the door to a huge room filled with tables and lab equipment. The hero walked through, Izuku carefully following. He stared at the tables as they made their way to the front. There were spare wires and metal everywhere, with tools messily sprawled on the desks. Scientists and engineers were frisking about, welding pieces together, scrolling through databases on computers, or talking with others on subjects Izuku couldn't fully comprehend. It was just like how he'd envisioned a science lab on I-Island, and Izuku could barely keep in his excitement.

In the front of the room was another door, but unlike the other doors they had passed through, this one was a lot more secure. There was a fingerprint scanner, retina sensors, and the door itself was thick enough to match the walls beside it. All Might scanned his hand and opened his eye for the sensor to detect it. Izuku wasn't sure how the sensor would detect his retina in the dark shadows of his eyes, but the door seemed to recognize it nonetheless and promptly slid open, speaking in a robotic voice, "Identification Complete: All Might."

The chatter silently hushed as the other people in the room looked up from their projects and realized the number one hero was in the room with them. Whispers of "All Might…" and "Is it really him?" floated around the room as the scientists got up from their seats. All Might roughly shoved Izuku behind him, hiding him from view and eliciting a weak grunt from the boy as the hero began to smile and wave.

"Oh, hello!" he introduced, voice sounding a bit strained. "Just paying a visit to my dear old friend, nothing to see here!" He stepped inside, pushing Izuku in as well, and the door closed behind them before anyone could start questioning.

He leaned down to Izuku, whispering, "We need a better way to get here. If anyone sees you with me, well that would spell disaster for your privacy."

Izuku gulped and nodded, thinking of all the possibilities where reporters broke his house down as they scrambled for Izuku, locked up in his room. With that thought in his mind, he surveyed the room, realizing that a man was in the room with the two of them, and he was staring at them like aliens had descended from the heavens.

The room was much smaller than the previous but somehow managed to be even more cluttered. Desks surrounded the room, machinery piled on the top, even spilling onto the floor when there wasn't enough room. Another, larger desk was positioned in the front of the room with a computer and more gadgets, vast windows behind it, showing the entire city under the tower. The man sat in a chair in front of the computer, still staring at the duo.

"T- Toshinori? Is that you?" the man finally uttered, his shocked expression turning into a delighted one as he broke out into a huge grin.

All Might returned the bright smile as he walked up to the now standing man, arms outstretched. "HAHAHA! David, it's been too long!" The two men embraced as Izuku stood there in awe of the sheer genius present before him. He knew what he was getting into, but talking about David Shield and being in front of David Shield were two completely different things.

They separated, and David finally noticed Izuku, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion. "Who'd you bring along with you, Toshinori?" he asked.

All Might let out a hearty chuckle before returning to Izuku's side and placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "Aside from just seeing you, this young man is the reason I came to see you! Say hello to Midoriya Izuku!"

David walked up to them, bending down so he and Izuku were face-to-face. He smiled and stuck out a friendly hand. "Nice to meet you, Midoriya! I take it you know who I am?"

Izuku's amazement turned into excitement as he vigorously returned the handshake. "O- Of course!" he stuttered, glee shining from his eyes. "You're David Shield, winner of the Nobel Quirk Prize, one of the greatest scientists in the world! You were All Might's partner back when he interned in America! And you're one of the greatest hero costume designers in the world! You've made All Might's Young Age, Bronze Age, Silver Age, and Golden Age suits! You've-"

"Midoriya, you're rambling again," All Might interrupted, causing Izuku to jerk back and rub his neck in embarrassment

"S- Sorry…"

David chuckled, stretching back up. "No worries at all! So, what exactly brings you here?"

All Might quickly explained how they wanted to run some tests on Izuku's Quirk. David nodded and put a hand on his chin, deep in thought. "Yes, I think I can do that. Follow me!"

"Are you sure this is safe?" Izuku hesitated.

David had led them to a much smaller and darker room, with a strange pod in the center. The pod had various equipment stuffed into it, and large pipes connected it to a large computer in the corner of the room. The computer was very futuristic, with graphs and simulations running as David furiously typed on it.

"Don't worry, everything here has been tested through and through," David reassured. "This machine will determine how powerful your Quirk is and what type of Quirk it is. It'll take a few minutes, but it'll give me information on your Quirk that'll let me figure out how to test it further."

"If you say so…" Izuku climbed into the contraption, attaching the gadgets onto his arms and legs. He looked up at All Might, who gave him a small nod. The reassurance from the hero blew any doubt he had away, and he put the mask on and closed the pod, laying down. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes.

All Might and David stood together, watching Izuku rest in the pod. David turned to the computer, fiddling with the mouse. "He can't hear us through the pod, you know. You can tell me what's going on," he said, startling the hero.

"How'd you-"

"I've known you for years, Toshinori. I can tell when you're antsy."

All Might sighed, transforming into his true form. David's eyes widened, and he started to frantically wave his hands. "He can't hear us, but he can still see us!"

"Don't worry, he knows about my true form." Toshinori's tone sobered, as per usual for his true form.

"You and that kid have a bit of a history, don't you?" David chuckled. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

Toshinori's eyes darkened. "It's.. about Midoriya's Quirk. It's a very specific one, one that we've had an encounter with before."

"Huh? What do you-" David was interrupted by the beeping of the computer. Shooting a puzzled look at Toshinori, he turned to the screen and promptly gasped at the sight of the results.

Quirks were a genetic mutation and appeared on a specific gene in all humans. It was why people with Quirks have a joint missing in their pinky toe. David was able to read the genetic code in the Quirk gene and had a compiled list of every Quirk he had scanned. Both volunteers… and villains.

People with the same Quirk, usually in families, but sometimes by coincidence, had the same DNA in their Quirk gene. Normally, similar Quirks had minute differences not noticeable to the eyes, and were therefore different Quirks, but occasionally people with the exact same Quirk emerge. The only surefire way to test this is to scan their Quirk genes. If they had the same genetic code, their Quirks were identical.

David was reminded of all this as he stared at the results of the test. Izuku's Quirk was powerful, it seemed, but that tidbit paled in comparison to what was next to that graph. Izuku's DNA had a match. It was with a Quirk that David hadn't seen in a long time, but had never forgotten. After All Might's deadly battle and his subsequent injuries, police had taken to the scene and recovered evidence. David, using his resources, had managed to obtain a piece of DNA from the fight. The DNA didn't match any police records, obviously, but David had stored it anyway, just in case. It was good that he did, for the DNA of Izuku's Quirk gene matched exactly to the DNA of the villain's gene.

"...his Quirk is All For One," David shuddered, the mere mention of the name sending shivers down his spine. Toshinori grimly nodded, his stoic expression unwavering.

"This is what you really came to me for, isn't it?" David continued.

"This, and one more thing. I wanted to ask you if we could train the boy to use his Quirk."

"W- What?" David was aghast, horrified at the thought. Before he could answer, Toshinori spoke again.

"I know what his Quirk is, and I know who had it. But just having a Quirk doesn't make you the same as other wielders of that Quirk. Besides, Midoriya is a true hero. Did you see the attack from the slime villain last week?"

"Yes, of course, it made national headlines. But what-"

"Midoriya was the kid who rushed in when all of the heroes were frozen." Toshinori looked back at David, who stood in stunned silence. Observing his friend's expression for a little, he then continued.

"He had the spirit of a true hero, and the determination, too. He's been Quirkless all his life, and only very recently developed All For One. But that hasn't stopped him. He's been trying to be a hero all his life. I can think of no one more deserving to be a hero."

A long silence passed between them. Finally, David sighed, relenting to the worn hero. "This kid really has had an impact on you, huh?"

"He's the one who inspired me to go back in the fight with the monster even after I had run out of time."

"I can't say that I'm comfortable honing a Quirk like All For One. But I trust you, Toshinori, and I trust that this kid is worth it." David's mouth stretched into a grim smile. "Besides, with a Quirk like that and a sense of justice like yours, the kid could surpass even All Might."

"That's the plan," All Might muttered, and before David could ask about what that meant, Izuku pushed open the door to the pod.

"Wow, that felt weird," Izuku mused, stepping onto the floor. He turned to face the two men. "D- Did you get what you needed?"

David plastered on a smile, the sinking emotions in his chest ignored as he tried to focus on his job. "Yep, time to test out that Quirk of yours!"

The sheer brightness of Izuku's expression helped to slightly ease his worry.

They moved to a much larger and more open room, which was littered with practice dummies and spare crates. There was one large screen on the back wall, with a platform for viewers to watch and stand on. David and Toshinori were on said platform while Izuku stood in the arena, eyes nervously darting from one crate to another.

"Alright, Midoriya!" David called out, the loud sound causing Izuku to flinch. He had hooked his voice to a speaker, and the booming sound did nothing to help Izuku's nerves.

"This is a testing area for Quirks. All of these crates are old, and the dummies are designed to be durable enough to not break while being flexible enough to hit. You can use your Quirk freely here."

Izuku rubbed his arms. "U- Um, wouldn't I need someone to copy a Quirk off of?" he called out.

"Well-" David was interrupted by the door opening behind Izuku, and the young boy whipped around to see a figure stepping out of the shadows.

The figure was a tall, plain man in detective clothing. He wore a courteous expression and his manilla-colored clothing and hat stood out against the cold steel of the room. He waved a hand in greeting as David continued his explanation.

"Tsukauchi Naomasa is a detective and officer of the Japanese Police Force, the team that works to subdue and contain villains after Pro Heroes defeat them. His Quirk is Lie Detector, an Emitter-type Quirk that allows him to tell if someone is lying as long as he's touching the person."

"You've already demonstrated you can copy Mutant-type Quirks through Death Arms, which is a feat impressive upon itself. No other copy Quirk has ever managed to replicate a Mutant-type Quirk. Today we'll be testing Emitter- and Transformation-type Quirks, using Detective Tsukauchi's Lie Detector and my own Bendy Fingers. We'll also be testing how long you can keep a Quirk, if you can take multiple Quirks, what you need to copy a Quirk, and various other tests." David nodded at Naomasa to continue the explanation.

"So, as you've heard already, my Quirk is Lie Detector," Naomasa started, walking towards Izuku. "Basically, if I touch someone, I can tell whether their words are true or a lie. Whenever someone tells a lie, it's like a strong feeling that the words are inherently wrong. It's distinct and undeniable, so you know that the feeling is them lying. You're going to have to see if you can feel that sense as well."

He was in front of Izuku now, Izuku having to strain his neck to look up at the lofty man. His hands trembled, his nerves strung on edge. "I- I don't know i- if I can do it again…" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Naomasa smiled, and placed a reassuring hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Well, I haven't personally seen you in action, but All Might has been talking nonstop about you every single time we've talked the past week."

He nodded up to Toshinori, directing Izuku's gaze to the rare smile on the hero's true form. Naomasa leaned down and lowered his voice. "You've really made an impression on him, kid."

Izuku continued to stare at his idol, jaw wide open at the revelation. All Might really thought he was a hero. He knew he had been told that before, but it finally had sunk in, reverberating throughout his mind. He curled his hands into fists and turned back to face Naomasa, a newfound determination on his face.

"I'm ready," he said astutely.

Naomasa smiled again and took a few steps back, spreading his arms. "Take your best shot."

Izuku closed his eyes. He tensed his muscles, concentrating his mind on the people in the room, just like he had done the first time he used his Quirk. Three faint signals answered, two behind him and one directly in front of him. Slowly, he reached out, trying to grasp the signal.

He pictured his hands closing around the faint glimmer that was Naomasa's Quirk, and bringing it back to his body. A warm feeling spread around his body, and he opened his eyes, feeling that something had… shifted. Naomasa was beaming at him, his gaze not focused on Izuku's face but rather his hair.

"It worked," Naomasa remarked, stepping forward to investigate. His eyes roamed Izuku's now jet-black hair, curiosity piquing his gaze. "It's… the color is impeccable."

He offered a hand to Izuku, which the boy gladly took, still concentrated on the strange feeling in his body and mind. Izuku slowly took in a controlled breath, trying to still his trembling nerves.

"My name is David Shield," Naomasa said, and instantly, Izuku was hit with a sheer wall of emotion. Everything in his body emanated disgust and denial of the words, and Izuku jumped back, overwhelmed. Naomasa chuckled, familiar with the effects of the Quirk.

"You're feeling like my words are absolutely revolting, aren't you?" Izuku slowly nodded, and Naomasa's grin spread wider. "That's how I first felt when I used my Quirk. Sounds to me like it worked like a charm."

The revulsion in Izuku's chest quickly turned into elation as he had realized what had just happened. He used his Quirk. He had actually used his Quirk! Izuku was tempted to start jumping and screaming in joy, but he had the sense to keep quiet around the company, opting instead for a bright smile.

He didn't even bother to turn around, oblivious to the uneasy expressions on Toshinori and David's faces. Naomasa noticed the young boy's eagerness and chuckled. "I'll say some more lies, and we'll see how long you can hold your Quirk for."

They started the testing, but Naomasa was only able to get one more sentence out before the warm feeling in Izuku's body vanished. Nevertheless, Izuku's mood couldn't be soured. The high from the fact that he finally had a Quirk after so many years was enough for Izuku to ride on for months.

David called out for Izuku to copy Bendy Fingers, which he promptly complied with. Izuku wasn't able to sense any 'signals' for about two minutes, however. Once the signals popped back up Izuku instantly grabbed onto David's, his fingers immediately going loose. The feeling was strange, and Izuku waggled his new fingers for a solid thirty seconds until the crackly feeling subsided.

"Hmm… thirty seconds of usage before you need to rest," David muttered, tapping the information into the computer. "It also looks like your recovery time depends on how intense the Quirk you copied was." He smiled down at Izuku, an excited if not slightly manic glint in his eye. "Time for more testing!"

For the next six hours, Izuku was forced to endure test after test as David rigorously studied the unique Quirk he had. Finally, after David had finished, he slumped onto a crate, somehow more exhausted than after his beach cleaning. Toshinori climbed down to the arena, picking up the weary boy into his arms. Izuku noticed he had bulked up, but didn't give it much notice through his rapidly closing eyelids.

David called out, "Come back next week bright and early!" and Izuku winced at the thought of more experimentation. Still, he was determined, and more importantly, exhilarated. His Quirk was apparent, All Might was training him, and he had a chance to get into U.A. after all. He slowly fell asleep as All Might jumped through the air, dreaming of the future of smashing villains and saving civilians, with the newfound knowledge that he finally had a chance of getting there.

: is it just me or bakuhoe a bigger ass in this one

Yeah, the first time I saw Bakugo in fanfiction I was really confused why he was cursing so much. I watched My Hero on VRV with sub, which didn't have Bakugo's cursing translation. I did some research and it turns out that cursing in Japanese is more relative and diverse than English, where we just have stuff like 'fuck' or 'shit.' Funimation translated the manga as if Bakugo curses a lot, while other translations have a calmer version of Bakugo. So, since I'm less used to cursing Bakugo, and considering how smart he actually is in canon, I decided to make Bakugo's curses more tasteful and instead make him a bully with words. Bakugo has a lot more personality than just cursing, and I feel like I can write him better if he's allowed to be more articulate. Which, coincidentally, makes him a lot bigger of an ass. (also cause of plot stuff, glad you picked up on it!) Sorry for the long answer but I hope I cleared up some of my plans for Bakugo's character!

Griffin Strange: So far so good, I don't have much to say for now. You have an efficient way of writing and putting your text in form. The story isn't going too quickly and it isn't taking too long either. (well I know it's only chapter 2 hahaha) I would say the first four chapters are going to be the key to making sure people are going to read the rest. Personally I never really liked the idea of giving Izuku both OFA and AFO because it would lead to making him "OP" (in most cases) but I have to admit this interest me a lot, I'm definitely following Yeah ! Now about the pairing, ah you well here goes my all-time favourite IzukuXOchaco. (yeah I'm just a classic not interesting guy) Good luck in your writing adventures!

Thank you so much! Yeah, the first five or so chapters are going to cover the Entrance Exam arc, which hopefully should be enough to show how the fic will work in the future. I know that Izuku having both One for All and All for One can seem OP, and honestly, when he's a pro hero, it probably will be, but luckily this story focuses on his U.A. days. Also, Izuku has a lot to learn about both Quirks before he can use them to their fullest. All For One (the villain) can use his Quirk to steal, give, or enhance Quirks. Izuku can only copy them for now, and the rest of the abilities will slowly be unlocked as he grows stronger. One For All also has a lot of untapped potential which will be explored more here than canon. Additionally, Izuku will have to face a lot of issues as more and more people learn about the true nature of All For One. As for the pairing, no spoilers, but it's going to be a really slow burn if I can help it, so you shouldn't have to worry about it for a while! Thank you so much for the support and the follow!

I'll be responding to reviews in the fic, so if you want your name obscured or your review to not be posted, just say so and I'll keep it out!

Feel free to leave a review and thanks for reading!