Chapter 2: DNA and Decisions
Inko Midoriya slept rather well all things considered. However, what woke her up one night would certainly come as a bigger shock than standing in the middle of a thunderstorm.
It's normal to see kids up past their bedtimes, but to see them up and disappear would cause any parent to start sweating more than a marathon runner on a hot summer day.
Mrs. Midoriya looked high and low for her only son, almost to no avail. I say almost because, among her constant surveillance in finding Izuku, Inko saw a rather peculiar sight in her living room.
At first, she thought it was because that person saw Izuku got kidnapped or something, but upon further examination, she learned that something even stranger happened to her son.
How did she know? She couldn't find him anywhere else and a peculiar trait a new little visitor had, particularly an incessant amount of mumbling, was a dead ringer for Izuku's usual trains of thought.
It wasn't just the mumbling that tipped Inko off, but rather the big pile of paper on the table, a closer look revealed that it was the usual math assignments they handed out in elementary school.
What surprised Inko was that each one had rather complex solutions for the otherwise simple problems on them.
"I'm sure I can crack this conundrum!" The boy thought aloud, pacing back and forth, unaware that his mother was watching from a safe distance.
The problem in question wasn't math related, as the papers on the table showed, but something else.
All Mrs. Midoriya could say to all this was "Wow", before the walking frog formerly known as Izuku turned his head towards her
"Mother?" Was all Izuku could say as he looked at Inko with hesitation, doubt, and a small amount of fear.
Thankfully, that one word was all she needed to hear to deter any doubt Mrs. Midoriya had.
"I'd love to hug you, but I think would need my oven mitts to even hold your hands without crushing you," Inko commented, giving a small chuckle as she looked at her son with a bit less anxiety.
Realizing the rare opportunity laid out before her, the doting mother of a new hero then sprang to action as she shouted, "Lemme go get the camera!"
As his mother left, Izuku found himself grateful that he mustered up the courage to take a closer look at that thing that landed in his backyard.
The strange green pod opened up as Izuku came closer, revealing something quite uncommon: "A watch?" He asked, trying to get a better look it.
As he did so, however, the strange device soon latched onto him like a lamprey on a common fish. Thankfully, unlike that parasitic menace, this simple trinket had no ill intent for its host.
That's not to say it didn't leave any lasting effects either as immediately after it latched onto him, Izuku felt rather uneasy.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep or something he ate as far as he knew. To those beyond this earth it would be child's play to piece together this device was, for lack of a better term, out of this world.
Izuku didn't care, however, as he was both joyful that his dream came true and yet felt uneasy due to how he came accomplished it.
But as soon as it came, however, it disappeared immediately after. A flashing red light emanated from the strange insignia on his back, accompanied by an alarm just loud enough for Mrs. Midoriya to rush on over.
Before the doting parent could catch a single second of her son in his new form, a crimson flash appeared, leaving behind Izuku in his natural state, thankfully away from the table due to falling on his face from it.
The only difference, however, was that a peculiar little thing was on his wrist. It was rather detailed too, with buttons, knobs, and so much more important stuff having a nifty emerald green covering it all.
Such a device was perfect for a growing boy, just as long as that boy wasn't Katsuki that is. Regardless, Inko took a closer look (more or less) at the watch, surprised to see it.
"How did you get this, honey?" Mrs. Midoriya asked her baby boy, to which Izuku frantically tried to explain with the newly expanded vocabulary he gained from his diminutive form.
The best he could manage without sounding ridiculous was, "A meteor fell into our yard and I wanted to bring its contents to the authorities in case of emergency."
Inko simply laughed a little, taking a bit of delight from her delightfully awkward son. "I bet I can figure out what that thing is." She told him, using that warm-hearted smile Izuku loved.
Lost for words, she tried to explain the strange thing on her son's wrist as best she could too, falling into the same trap as Izuku.
After a minute or two, Inko finally came up with an explanation as to what Izuku found. "It's probably some experimental device that's meant to help Quirkless people protect themselves better in case of emergencies." She told her son.
Thankfully, Izuku came to the same conclusion, but in his own words. "An experimental artificial Quirk generator, you say? That's...kinda neat."
Mrs. Midoriya simply nodded and laughed a little, thankful her son had some of his dad's brains in him, even if was the residue of some strange device. That last sentence showing it finally slipped away, but nevertheless, Inko was proud.
"I think it's the universe giving us a sign, one that says you can become a hero one day. You just gotta figure out the perfect time to use it." Inko replied before she tried getting the camera ready again.
Before they could try to record Izuku's remarkably brainy Quirk again, Izuku pressed the same button that he did before.
As he did so, he tried to see what else this thing on his wrist could do, seeing strange silhouettes as he turned the dial.
Being an otherwise simple-minded kid, the young boy saw no harm in seeing what these strange new things could yield.
When Inko was finally ready to record, she wasn't greater by her otherwise normal son, but by a new abnormality. Thankfully it wasn't another small frogman, nor was it on fire, but still had quite the strange appearance, what with having an extra pair of arms to its name.
Unlike last time, Inko was better adjusted to strange new things. In fact, this just made her perk up even more.
"A Quirk like Fourth Kind? That's even better!" She gleefully shouted, ready to see what Izuku could do now.
The crimson-skinned creature (formerly known as Izuku) looked more like a brawny bald man than anything else in terms of height.
Not only that, but he was rather nicely built, giving a clear indication that this was a super strong form.
"O-okay here goes," Izuku said, still carrying his usually social awkwardness in his voice. As he said that, he lifted the living room couch in one arm and the love seat in another.
"Wow, I'm actually doing this." Izuku thought aloud. Seeing another chair or two, he decided to try his hand at juggling, much to the amazement of his mom.
Deciding that it was enough fun for one night, having gotten all the footage she needed, and because they both needed sleep, Inko told her son "Time for bed!"
A dismayed sigh was all Izuku could offer in response as he carefully caught the chairs in midair with all but one of his arms.
Thankfully, a smile from his mom made Izuku warm up a little as he walked with her back inside, just in time for the second form to wear off as well.
Inko helped her son navigate the house in his taller stature, then helped him find comfort in his bed despite his new height.
She soon realized that in a way her son is right, this device might be dangerous if he wasn't too careful with it.
The next day, namely two pm on Monday, Inko's mind was still trying to solve this dilemma her son had. Who knows what other Quirks would spring from this device? One of them could potentially become a vengeful poltergeist that hunts humans indiscriminately or burn the country down with the right amount of wrong steps.
The only solution she figured would work was talk to the family doctor again after all these years.
"Hello? Doctor Tsubasa here." The voice on the other line said, a bit groggy from how late at night it was. In her fervent glee, Mr.s Midoriya gushed over the new twist to her life, all amounting to her saying, "Izuku has powers, Izuku has powers!"
Thankfully, Inko realized how loud she was and calmed down enough and actually tried explain the situation to the good doctor instead of yelling his ear off in unbridled glee. "Sorry, it's just that I'm so excited for my little boy, you know?" She explained, apologizing for her previous outburst.
Rubbing some wax out of his ear, Dr. Tsubasa weakly replied, "Gee, I hadn't noticed before." Clearing her throat, Inko then did a better job to explain herself, "You know how Izuku couldn't get a Quirk? Well, what if I told you that he found a new way to get one?"
The old man rolled his eyes and thought, I would say you're absolutely crazy, but he knew better than to say that, he was a man of medical science after all. "Continue," Tsubasa said, deciding to indulge one of his patients' claims.
Inko then went on about what she bore witness to the previous night, including the testament Izuku gave and sent a picture or two she took. "So, that's the long and short of it, doctor. This thing could help Izuku be a hero and it could revolutionize the world." Inko said, trying to win over the curmudgeon.
Tsubasa, however, decided to cut straight to the point, "Ma'am, your son probably came across something that either of us can hardly comprehend, I would've known about something like this a while ago from the higher-ups. You should definitely be more careful around this...Quirk generator, you said? Just tell your son to turn that thing in and that he can get a decent job as an insurance agent. That could help him maintain a decent life without a quirk."
This statement lingered in Inko's mind as she hung up the phone and headed outside, figuring she needed some fresh air and more space to help think things over.
The afternoon sunlight hit the struggling mother in the face, almost as hard as the facts Dr. Tsubasa gave her not too long ago. Thankfully, it was a half hour before Izuku needed to be picked up from school, giving Inko more time to think as she got ready.
What should I tell him? Should I tell him to turn it in? Do I tell him to keep his new powers a secret? Inko lingered on these two thoughts for a minute or two, trying to decide what was the best course of action to take after she picked up her son from school.
A third thought popped up as she got into the car and started it up, If I do, it'll break his little heart, but neither option is the better choice either way.
Driving to school like she did when her son was a kindergartener, Mrs. Midoriya took a deep breath in and decided to have a talk with her son as soon as they got home.
Speak of the devil, it was around that time that she saw Izuku walk up to the passenger door and waved.
No doubt the signal that school was done for the day, Inko unlocked the door and told her son, "Get in, honey."
As the two took their time, the mother did her best to look calm and happy for her son. Izuku thankfully broke the ice building in the car by telling her about his day.
Izuku shook his head all giddy with excitement, "They all said how shiny my watch was. Kacchan was still kinda grouchy, though." He explained, chuckling slightly at that last part.
With some more weight on her shoulders, Inko figured the best course of action would be to lighten the mood with a tried but true method that most use to diffuse bad news.
Namely, treat the blooming young lad with a friendly little trip to the local ice cream joint. As the two sat there in the thankfully warming up weather, the mother and son duo felt rather relaxed.
Izuku couldn't have been happier, he had a Quirk inside him, a new set of potential friends, and little scamp (a useful term I use loosely) Katsuki even gave him some respect by not treating him like a second-class citizen for the time being.
Given all that, and seeing the sweet little smile on the face of her sweet little boy, Inko took a deep breath again. I don't care what that doctor said, I'm going to make sure he never cries again! She thought, deciding to damn her pride and tell Izuku exactly what he needed to hear.
"Honey, I called the doctor about what happened last night and he said…" She froze up for a second before Izuku quizzically looked at her.
"What? What did he say?" Izuku asked, nervous yet excited, hanging on the edge of his seat in an almost literal sense.
"He said 'you better keep that watch, son. Who knows what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands?" Inko answered, doing her best to hug her son without spilling his cone or turning on the watch.
At best, Izuku was shocked, at worst he felt confused.
With newly invigorated hope for his future, Izuku was ready for what was to come.
Either way, Inko didn't care, she got to help her son be happy again. That's all that mattered to her in the long run.
To find out more about what this choice yielded, let's peek a little closer ahead, shall we?