Chapter 1: Why Are You In My Head?
Izuku Midoriya opened his eyes slowly, feeling his entire body drained of energy. His eyesight, which was blurry at first, took a few seconds to adjust to his surroundings before he noticed that he was in a hospital.
"Ugh… What happened to me? Why am I in a hospital?"
"Mm… five more minutes." A sleepy feminine voice moaned tiredly.
Izuku startled, hearing an unfamiliar voice. He looked around, but no one was in the room.
"W-Who are you? A-And why can't I see you?!" He asked aloud.
"Huh? Who's this person who's talking and where am I?"
Izuku blinked, now more awake and focused he realized that the voice was actually…
"Wait! Why are you in my head?"
"What?! No, you're the one in my head!" The feminine voice responded.
"But how could that be? This is my body." Izuku argued as he sat up on the bed, showing his control over the body before he noticed a heavy weight on his chest.
"Uhh…" The feminine voice trailed on. For some reason feeling the boy's rising panic as he stared at something he never imagined to have.
"B-B-B-Boobs!" He shouted before he fainted.
It was at this moment that the girl was able to relinquish control over her supposed body once again.
"Just what is going on? And wh-who is this Izuku Midoriya?" She asked herself.
At this, the hospital room's door opened, revealing what could only be a doctor as he approached the girl with a clipboard.
"Ah, I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm Dr. Nishikawa. I must ask first who am I speaking to? Is it Ochako Uraraka or Izuku Midoriya?"
"I-It's Ochako Uraraka, nice to meet you Dr. Nishikawa. Could you please tell me what happened to me?" The girl now introduced as Ochako Uraraka introduced herself.
"Of course. Well, can Izuku Midoriya hear me, so that I can explain what happened to the both of you?"
"Just a second." She replied.
"Um Midoriya, you have to wake up, it's important."
"Huh? What happened? I had a strange dream."
"It's not a dream, silly. And the doctor is here to explain what happened to us."
This got Izuku's attention, wanting to know why he was trapped in a girl's body. He also noticed that his control over the body slipped.
"He's awake." Ochako announced.
"Perfect. Well, you see there was a Villain attack yesterday. A child was about to get injured and from what we gathered, the two of you rushed in to save him. And although the boy was safe, in his panic he activated his Quirk causing the two of you to fuse together." The doctor explained.
"Fuse?"
"Fuse?"
The two teens repeated, not knowing how to respond to the news.
"Yes. Basically your bodies have merged, and though this new body is technically female it has characteristics from the both of you." The doctor further emphasized.
In a true Izuku fashion, the boy launched himself in a muttering spree, analyzing the Quirk and trying to understand it.
"A quirk that merges two people into one. Is it irreversible? Or does it have a time limit? If it has, does the compatibility between two people affect the time limit? But what makes two people compatible in the first place? Is it gender? Age? Height? Weight? Nationality? Quirks? I also wonder what happens to the Quirks of the original bodies that have merged. Do-"
"Woah! Midoriya! Too fast. I can't follow you." The girl thankfully stopped him. She could also sense both shame and embarrassment coming from him.
"S-S-Sorry Uraraka. I-I have a bad habit of muttering when I'm thinking a lot." The boy sheepishly replied while also nervous about talking to a girl.
"No, it's fine. I couldn't follow you but somehow, I got everything you just said. And I think those are important questions we need to ask." The girl replied, trying to reassure him in order to make Izuku relax.
"Well, Midoriya asked a lot of questions about the Quirk, but we want to know what you know about it first."
Hearing this, the doctor let out a frustrated sigh, "Not much, I'm afraid. The kid's Quirk is fairly new and he only used it once when it awakened. Apparently, he used on two kids in school and the fused kid kept screaming. It was a huge incident and after that the kid refused to use his Quirk again even after the two kids separated, viewing it as a curse. He also got ostracized by his peers. Poor kid is still getting proper Quirk counseling in order to help him accept it and learn more about it."
Hearing the sad tale, Ochako pitied the boy and what he went through, but then she felt a deep sadness within her and understanding. But it wasn't coming from her. It was coming from Izuku.
And since they're sharing the same body and Izuku was unbeknownst to him projecting his thoughts, Ochako realized that Izuku was also ostracized and bullied since he was a kid, though for what, she had no idea.
"Uraraka, if it's okay with you. I want to help this kid. I want him to view his Quirk not as a curse but as a gift." Izuku declared, his fierce determination to help the kid resonating within Ochako.
This of course surprised her, seeing how the previous timid and meek boy suddenly became all confident. Of course, her feeling reached Izuku who didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or not. Thankfully, he didn't have to think for long.
"I agree. We must help him. Even if he can't reverse this, we must do it." Ochako replied and this time, it was Izuku's turn to feel her determination.
"Dr. Nishikawa. If we can, we would like the chance to help this kid even if he can't reverse what happened to our bodies." Ochako said, causing the doctor's lips to curl into a smile.
"I'm glad to hear this. It's great to meet kids who are as kind and understanding as you two. We're not sure if it's reversible though, as so far it wasn't proved if the kid can undo what happened or not. All I know is that the two kids that fused got separated within a couple of minutes and passed out after lots and lots of screaming. They were definitely traumatized after the event. But that's also why I'm very impressed by the fact that your fusion has lasted this long and there seems to be no trouble at all from what I can see. And I'm not trying to guilt trip you or anything but you're definitely the kid's only chance for him to accept his Quirk seeing how your fusion is a success. His name is Arata Arisawa and he should be here in three days if you would like to visit."
"Hey, U-Uraraka. Do you mind if w-we switch for a moment? I-I would like to speak with Dr. Nishikawa."
"Sure Midoriya" And just like that, Izuku felt as if he changed seats in a car, going from the backseat to the driver seat.
"N-Nice to meet y-you, Dr. Nishikawa. I'm Izuku Midoriya. I asked Uraraka to switch with me because I have a feeling we'll be discussing Quirks and effects, so I thought I could help." Izuku said as he seemingly grabbed a notebook out of nowhere with the title 'Hero Analysis Journal For The Future Vol 13'. Ochako was utterly flabbergasted, wondering where the notebook came from.
"You're right, Midoriya. I believe that there are some tests you should take in order to see the full effects of the Quirk on you and Uraraka."
"Well, I've already noticed that even though we share the same body only one of us can control it at a time, and when we switch it's like going from the backseat of a drive to the driver seat. Also, I'm sure you concluded this but we can communicate telepathically with our thoughts. Lastly, we can sense each other's emotions." Izuku explained as both he and the doctor took notes.
"I see very well. That's already a lot of good input. What about your Quirk? Anything changed?"
"Uraraka's Quirk is Zero Gravity, which allows her to remove the effects of gravity from solid things upon touching them with the pads on her? my? fingertips." He shook his head. "In conclusion, she can make anything solid float in mid-air as long as they are within the weight limit of her Quirk, which is around 1.5 tons. She is able to activate or cancel her Quirk's effects by closing her fingers together. Overuse causes her to become nauseous though." Izuku explained how Ochako's Quirk worked while also adding the information to his notebook.
"Midoriya, h-how did you know about all of that?" The girl seemed utterly surprised.
Izuku froze at her question, grabbing the doctor's attention. Ideas running wild in his head before speaking again, "Dr. Nishikawa. I just figured out that we can know things about each other by simply thinking about it, which leads me to believe that this body's brain contains all of our shared knowledge and experience." Izuku explained while the doctor furrowed his brow, muttering something, and then wrote something on his clipboard.
"I think I'll have to send you to someone to learn how to build mental blocks. I'm pretty sure you two wouldn't want all your secrets to be spilled to each other."
"Huh, that's weird. When you figured out what my Quirk is, I tried -sorry about that by the way- to think about yours but didn't get any answer. It was as if there was a barrier blocking me from the answer. I guess that's what he was talking about. It's pretty amazing that you know how to do this already, Midoriya!" Ochako said with a mix of embarrassment and cheerfulness. Although, she frowned when she sensed that deep sadness again mixed with shame coming from Izuku.
"N-No, it's alright. You didn't mean it to. And I did the same anyway." Izuku was at first surprised that someone apologized to him. He then frowned and remembered his status and tried his best not to think about how disgusted she'll be after she discovers that he is Quirkless, on top of sharing a body with him.
"Well, I guess we'll have to test your Quirk during your physical examination then. What about you, Midoriya? What's your Quirk?"
It was the same dreadful question, the one that Izuku knew was coming yet wasn't prepared for it. In fact, he thought he would never be prepared enough for it. He felt a heavy lump in his throat. His heartbeat went faster and unshed tears started building up.
That all stopped when he felt a comforting sensation washing all over him. It was warm, reassuring and protective. He didn't know how to describe it, but it was kinda like a safety blanket, and it was coming from Uraraka.
"It's okay, Midoriya. Even though you're Quirkless I would never think less of you. You don't have to be ashamed of anything." Ochako whispered and he let himself relax and tried his best to let her feel his gratitude and happiness that were caused by her words.
"Thank you, Uraraka. Guess that mental barrier fell away." He sniffed, trying his best no to cry during an important discussion.
"No need to thank me. You're a human being just like the rest of us after all."
Izuku smiled at her words as he turned his attention back to the doctor, "I'm Quirkless."
"Well, I guess this means less testing then. Glad to know that my workload was lessened. So, thank you Midoriya. Come on, let's move on to the physical tests."
And with that, Izuku and Ochako went after the doctor to do the physical tests.
Patients Names: Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka
Date: July 3 22XX
Symptom: The two patients got fused into one body containing all their knowledge and experience after getting hit by the Quirk: Fusion.
Fusion Target A Gender: Male
Fusion Target B Gender: Female
Fusion Gender: Female
Fusion Target A Age: 14
Fusion Target B Age: 14
Fusion Age: 14
Fusion Target A Height: 166 cm (5'5 feet)
Fusion Target B Height: 156 cm (5'1 feet)
Fusion Height: 161 cm (5'3 feet)
Fusion Target A Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)
Fusion Target B Weight: 40 kg (88 lbs)
Fusion Weight: 42.5 kg (94 lbs)
Fusion Target A Blood Type: O
Fusion Target B Blood Type: B
Fusion Blood Type: B
Fusion Target A Quirk: Null
Fusion Target B Quirk: Zero Gravity
Fusion Target Quirk: Zero Gravity
Appearance: The fusion of both Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka is physically fit, not an athlete but still slightly above your normal 14 years old girl, thanks to the muscle mass gained from Izuku Midoriya. She has shoulder length brown hair with two longer clumps framing her round face from Ochako Uraraka. Large, somewhat circular eyes and diamond shaped freckles from Izuku Midoriya.
Additional Notes: Fusion's Zero Gravity weight limit has increased to 3 tons, as has the time limit going from 1 minute and 30 seconds for maximum weight and fifteen minutes for minimum weight. This is due to the increase in both strength and stamina. Can also better whistand the nausea effect.
After making the kids do a standard physical test. Once with Izuku controlling the body, the other with Ochako. The doctor prepared his final question.
"So, Uraraka. Tell me how you feel in your new body?"
"At the beginning of the physical tests, it felt strange. As if I was wearing a costume. But now it feels as if this body has always belonged to me."
"Great, what about Midoriya?"
"Still not used to the body yet. I feel like I'm slowly adapting but it's so different from my old one." Izuku answered as Ochako relayed his answer.
"That makes sense considering you were a boy yesterday so I guess that it'll take you more time to adapt. Anyways, this is the end of the tests. I'm sure you want to meet your parents by now." Dr. Nishikawa said as they moved back to the hospital room.
Not long after, they heard a knocking before the fusion was engulfed in a hug from Inko Midoriya. Ochako quickly switched with Izuku to let him talk with his mother.
"IZUKU MY BABY!"
"Mom!" Izuku blushed in embarrassment. He knew that she was worried and that she meant well, but he was kinda embarrassed because how over emotional his mother was, not that he was any better.
"Izuku what happened to you? Are you okay?"
"Everything is fine, Mom. Some kid was in danger during a Villain attack so I ran to save him. A girl named Ochako Uraraka did the same. We saved him, but he panicked. He used his Quirk. The next day, Uraraka and I discover that we're sharing the same body now. For how long, I have no idea. But overall I'm okay. I think I just need to get used to the changes."
"You're surprisingly okay with it." His mother quirked an eyebrow.
"Well, I don't regret my decision and I have Uraraka with me so I don't feel alone in this mess." Izuku said with a smile. He was still happy that Ochako didn't mind him being Quirkless. No one his age has ever told him that, so Ochako was already his third favorite person after his Mom and All Might.
Ochako, who felt how much her new friend cares about her, beamed with happiness before she noticed her parents.
Quickly switching with Izuku, she greeted them, "Mom! Dad!"
"Ochako, sweetie, are you okay?" Her father asked her as both her parents enveloped her in a hug.
"I'm fine. In fact, I feel like I'm the one who most benefited from this. My strength increased and my Quirk got stronger. It's amazing!"
"Well, I'm at least glad that something good came out of this. Both we and Inko were very worried about you two."
"You got acquainted?"
"We talked a lot since yesterday since waiting was causing us a lot of stress."
"Alright, you're all here. I guess I can explain everything now about your children or child. This is very confusing." Dr. Nishikawa admitted.
"You don't need to tell me." Ochako's father chucked.
After a lengthy explanation, the three parents and the fusion had to now discuss how they were going to move forward.
"Well, normally I would've accepted to go with the Urarakas to Mie Prefecture but I've been training with a trainer for the UA Entrance Exam for the past three months, and I can't just quit." Izuku declared, knowing how it's important to continue his training in order to gain One for All.
"You're going to UA, too? Ochako was also planning to take the Entrance Exam in February. In fact, we were here yesterday to take a look at the city so that Ochako can familiarize herself with it. And I can see that whatever your trainer is doing is working considering the results of your physical test." Ochako's father replied.
"Yeah, Dad. Midoriya's training is definitely working wonders. Compared to my old physical tests, I'm much stronger now." Ochako beamed while Izuku was flustered by all of the positive attention. Also, at this point both Izuku and Ochako had an easier time switching.
"I guess that means you'll stay with Inko here." Her mother said.
"Yeah, but I'll definitely visit you on the weekends. Who knows how long this will last anyway?" Ochako responded.
"What about school?" Inko asked.
"I-I think I should pull out of school. Let Uraraka stay in hers but we could switch to an online program. And since it's an incident out of our control, I'm pretty sure her school will accept my enrollment. Yeah, I think that could work." This time, Izuku replied to his mother. No way was he going to Aldera like that. He was pretty sure that if he went, the news of what happened to him would break out and then not only he would have to endure the bullying of students there but Ochako as well. He absolutely refused to put her through that.
Unknown to him, Ochako felt his protectiveness over her causing her to blush.
"Well, I know that you're academically gifted so I'll put my trust in you. How about you?" She asked the Urarakas.
"I think it's a good plan." Mr. Uraraka replied.
"If Ochako is okay with it, we have no problem." Mrs. Uraraka added.
"Yes, I definitely agree with Midoriya." Although, if she was honest with herself she wanted to give the students of Aldera a piece of her mind for what they did to Izuku, sharing the same feeling of protectiveness but over him.
"Good. I guess we'll just move your stuff over the next few days and contact your school. Please take care of our daughter." Her father bowed to Inko along with her mother.
"Don't worry. She's already like the daughter I never had." Inko responded.
"Great, then I'll see you two during the next few days." Dr . Nishikawa said before he left the two teens who were now one together in order to change.
As Ochako took off the hospital gown she got a mischievous idea.
"U-U-Uraraka wh-why did you switch?!" Izuku was so flustered by his naked form that he almost fainted again.
"You'll have to get used to this Midoriya. This is our body now." She cheekily replied, clearly enjoying his embarrassment.
"B-B-But.."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You got to wear this bra and panties now." Uraraka playfully cut him off much to his horror.
"Uraraka you can't do this to me!" Izuku shouted, which caused Ochako to laugh harder. "Ugh! Alright, but help me with the bra."
"Fine. But I'll definitely teach you how to do it yourself."
It was this day that Izuku Midoriya knew that Ochako Uraraka will always be the person who will forever be able to strike him with great horror and hunt his nightmares.
Nine Days Later:
During the next few days, Izuku and Ochako got to know each other more. They talked about their likes, dislikes, dreams and the more they got to know about each other, the more they felt more comfortable with each other's company. And the awkwardness that was there at the start finally dissipated. However, they also felt this weird connection growing between them. They didn't know what it was, but they were sure it was related to the fusion Quirk.
He texted All Might to tell him about what happened. Thankfully, his mentor was understanding and kind enough to give him a few days off.
He also had to admit that he was happy that he pulled out of Aldera. Sure his first day there of the year was the worst day there, which was also ironically the best day of his life, but even after that day students still made fun of him. And now that he had Uraraka with him always giving him positive attention, he started to feel better about himself and didn't want to suffer through the same humiliation ever again.
Since it was still summer vacation, neither of the two had any schoolwork yet, which left them free to go to the hospital those past few days in order to create mental blocks to avoid the leak of private thoughts and secrets. Although, for an unknown reason, putting mental blocks made him feel bad. He supposed that didn't want to hide anything from a great friend like Uraraka.
Three days ago, they visited Arata. The kid had been at first frightened of them, thinking they were going to hurt him someway. But they reassured him that they weren't mad at all. In fact, they both loved the changes that the fusion brought to their lives. Of course, he still didn't like being a girl, and he hated all the torture Uraraka put him through. He was dreading what she would do to him during her period (he still refused to say 'their', because that was so embarrassing that he could just die of embarrassment). Just the thought made him shiver. Especially since Uraraka's father told him about how scary her mood swings could be during those days.
Tomorrow, he, she, they, (he didn't even know which pronoun to describe himself anymore) will finally restart their training with All Might, but there was a certain thought that kept him awake.
Ever since the fusion, Izuku never used Zero Gravity. Of course, Izuku knew that as much as this was Uraraka's body it was also his. It made sense since half of it was his DNA. And yet, why wouldn't he use the Quirk? The Quirk that sat on his fingertips. The answer was simple, this no matter what was Uraraka's Quirk. It belonged to her. No matter how much he wanted to use it, it wasn't his right. It didn't belong to-
"Midoriya use the Quirk if you want." Ochako suddenly called him.
"Wh-What do you mean? What Quirk?" Izuku responded nervously. Was he projecting his thoughts again?
"I see you staring at our fingertips regularly, silly. And your thoughts sometimes slip out when you desire something so badly." She caught him red handed. Now he felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie's jar.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean t-"
"I will have to cut you off here. This Quirk isn't mine alone anymore. This Quirk belongs to our body, Midoriya. The keyword here being our. You have to accept that fact. I know that you think this body belongs to me more than you because it's female and has a Quirk, but I want you to understand that there's no me or you anymore it's us. It's our body. That's why I made you go through all those 'tortures' as you call them. It's because you need to accept your body, else you'll always feel like an alien in your own body which will end badly for you…"
"Uraraka…" Once again he felt happy over how considerate and understanding his new friend was.
"…But I admit that I like seeing you get all flustered in girly clothes like that. It's so funny and cute!"
"Oh shut up you perv! I know you like it when I shower our body!" Izuku shouted, his embarrassment reaching its maximum point.
"That's… That's… I don't know what you're talking about!" He could feel her getting all flustered at getting caught, which made him snicker. Soon he began to laugh, and she laughed alongside him.
Then, he stood up, took off their gloves and pressed his hand against his school bag causing it to float as its gravity was erased.
"Woah! This is so amazing! Thank you Uraraka, really. I- Well, I know it's stupid, but I always wanted to feel like what it's like to have a Quirk of my own." He said as he brought their fingers together and returned the gravity to his bag.
"It's not stupid, Midoriya. And you're welcome. Besides, I like how you talk so passionately about our Quirk. No one ever made it sound as awesome as you did. It makes me feel special, but I also want you to know that you're special in your own way."
"Thanks Uraraka, you're definitely the best friend I always needed. I'm pretty sure a lot could've gone differently if we had met earlier."
"I feel the same way. We've only spent a few days together but I feel like I've known you forever if that makes sense."
"Yeah, goodnight Ochako."
"Yeah, goodnight Izuku."
They knew they used each other's first names but at this point, it felt right. It felt natural. And the special connection the Quirk gave them grew more and more.
Dagobah Beach:
"All Might!"
"Young Midoriya?" Toshinori Yagi or better known as All Might spat a large amount of blood as he took in the appearance of his protege. He knew it was him or is it her now? Because this voice was his protege and yet he looked so different.
"Yeah, it's me. Like I said in my text. The incident changed me a lot."
"You don't need to tell me." He replied, causing Izuku to laugh sheepishly.
"So what are we going to do? Ochako is still sleeping so she doesn't know about any of this. Well, only that I have a trainer."
"Then you'll wake her up and tell her everything." All Might replied.
"Wait, what? Everything? Like you mean everything?" Izuku asked in surprise.
"Yes. Young Midoriya, you told me that you don't know how long you two are stuck together. It has been a tad over a week now, and yet you're still fused. I don't think we'll be able to keep everything a secret. Besides, what if you remain fused till the day you receive One for All? Keeping secrets like that will only hurt later, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to argue or upset someone who you're sharing a body with. My boy this would be a recipe for disaster. Besides you told me Young Uraraka ran before she could think to save the life of a child. That means that just like you, Young Uraraka is also a Hero." All Might explained his reasoning which had a lot of good points that Izuku couldn't deny. Besides, the idea of keeping secrets from Ochako left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Ochako. Wake up, it's time to meet my trainer."
"Five more minutes…" Ever the sleepyhead she grumbled, causing Izuku to roll his eyes fondly.
"Ochako! It's time for Mochi!"
"MOCHI?! WHERE?!" She immediately woke up, kicked Izuku in the backseat and looked around only to find herself in a junkyard.
"Izuku, is this some kind of joke?" She asked with a very sickeningly sweet smile that promised nothing but pain.
"N-No, no. Of course not. I promise, it'll make sense in a moment. My trainer just wants to talk to you."
"I see that's good to know. Otherwise, I would've made sure this body would never be able to eat Katsudon until the UA Entrance Exam." She commented with that same scary smile.
If Izuku was still in control, he would've widen his eyes in shock and terror right now. "You wouldn't, right?"
"Hello, I'm Ochako Uraraka. Nice to meet you…"
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
"Toshinori Yagi, though the public knows me better as…" All Might puffed his chest proudly and transformed, "…All Might!"
"All Might?! What?! But how?! Is this for real?!"
"Yes, quite real Young Uraraka." He said before he went back to his normal form. "Think of it like the guys at the pool who're flexing. This all happened because five years ago, I faced a very strong Villain. I managed to defeat him, but I paid the ultimate price." He lifted his shirt, causing her shock to redouble at the sight before her. All Might, the Symbol of Peace was a crippled skeleton!
"If you're this injured, then how? How can you continue doing Hero work with an injury like this?" She asked.
"It's because the public still need their Symbol of Peace. It's my duty. But unfortunately, I can only do Hero work three hours a day now."
"Three hours a day?" She parroted softly, still quite shocked.
"Yes. That's why I have been looking for a successor to take after me. For one to become the new pillar this society will need once I retire. And I've found him in Young Midoriya."
"Izuku?" The boy who she shared a body with was All Might's successor?!
"Exactly. For you see, I wasn't born with my power. This Quirk called One for All has been passed to me like a sacred torch, dating back since the Dawn of Quirks. I'm its Eight user and Young Midoriya was supposed to be the Ninth. Of course, we never had an idea that an incident like that could happen." He gestured to their body. "We decided that not only would it be impossible to hide this kind of secret from you, but it could also damage whatever relationship you and Young Midoriya have, so I thought it was better to come clean. Now there is something very important that I have to make clear here. My plan was always to give Young Midoriya One for All after he finishes cleaning this entire beach. However, with the two of you being a one package deal now, I will have to ask you this…"
"…Should you two finish cleaning this beach yet remain unfused. Would you accept the offer of inheriting One for All along with Young Midoriya or not? This is a decision you have to make yourself. You can refuse it, I will respect that and wait until the both of you separate."
Ochako was silent for a moment. This revelation had actually flipped her entire world upside down. Here was the chance to accept the Quirk of All Might himself. She knew that some people would kill to get her hands on it. Yet before she made any type of decision, she needed to know something first.
"Why me? I'm pretty sure that you didn't choose Izuku on a whim. So what makes me special?" She had to hear his answer. Was it because she was stuck with Izuku? Or something else. The answer to this question was very important to her.
"What cemented my decision was what he told me about the incident. About how your legs moved on their own to save a single child. It's always the beginning of the tale of a great Hero. It's the same thing I saw in Young Midoriya three months ago. You two have the same potential to be the greatest Heroes. So do you accept my offer?"
Her lips curled into a smile, "I do. I accept to become your successor alongside Izuku."
All Might grinned. He really lucked out with those two kids.
Training that day had been split between Izuku and Ochako, each doing half of the work. Izuku could still feel that Ochako was still shocked after everything she heard, which makes sense since he too is still shocked. And it has been 3 months!
"You've been so quiet during the entire conversation back then." Ochako began.
"It's just that I didn't want to influence your decision. Izuku Midoriya accepted the heavy burden of carrying the mantle of the Symbol of Peace. But that's not what Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka accepted. Like you told me yesterday. It's not about you and me. It's us." Izuku replied, explaining his reasoning.
"What if I had refused? Wouldn't you be sad over losing your chance of becoming the second coming of All Might? The same man you committed your room as a shrine for?" She asked with a laugh.
"Hey!"
"Sorry, sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood and cope with everything I've heard. I mean if someone had met me two weeks ago and told me that I would fuse with a kid who happened to be the successor of All Might and become the man's second protege I would've laughed and called them crazy." She shook her head at what her life turned into.
"Well, I can't lie and say that I would've been happy or indifferent. But then again, I've always wanted to be a Hero and save people with a smile like All Might. That goal honestly seemed near impossible when I was Quirkless. And I probably would've failed too. I'm sure of it. At the beginning of this school year my drive wasn't as strong as it used to. Years of bullying really did a number on me."
"Jerks. Wish you could tell me their names so that I can send them to the sun." She frowned.
"Yeah." He smiled softly. "Anyways, back to the topic, I only had my analysis. Good for forming plans but thinking about it I didn't have the necessary equipment or power to perform those plans. Three months ago, I was just a scrawny shy nerdy kid."
"And now look at you, you're half of a cute slightly fit nerdy school girl who's the successor to the Number One Hero."
He rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Yeah. But still even if I was half of a cute, slightly fit nerdy school girl who makes things float and self proclaimed herself as the successor of Thirteen, I wouldn't have been happier." He said with a laugh as she pouted at him.
"Meanie~" He felt that she was somehow sticking out her tongue.
"Look Ochako, don't sell yourself short. As long as we're together with or without One for All, we'll be an amazing Hero."
"Thank you, Izuku."
"No need, Ochako. I'm just finally glad that I don't need to place several mental barriers around the secret of One for All and All Might's true form as if my life depended on it."
"Yeah, they're rather annoying to make but it does prevent us from knowing things we shouldn't know about each other."
"Yeah. You're right."
Those were the two things they agreed about. No poking at mental barriers and no forced switching. The first being an invasion of privacy and the second was literally a mind prison.
Two weeks have passed since that day and one thing that became clear to Izuku, Ochako and All Might was that the fusion was getting stronger at an abnormal rate. And because of that they were finishing cleaning the beach with a lot of time to spare.
Seeing this, of course All Might decided to change some details in the 'Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan' and include something that Izuku and Ochako requested which was Quirk Training.
Despite the fact that they'll be getting One for All. They also needed to train Zero Gravity. It was as they said 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket'.
All Might approved of this and while the strength and stamina training they were doing was already increasing both the weight and time limits of Zero Gravity, they needed to do more.
That's why the two teens turned into one were using their Quirk to float a bunch of fridges, cars, microwaves, etc…
They were pushing their Quirk to the limit, and then shattering that limit by adding more junks which would then end up with them throwing up.
Izuku was at first shocked by the fact that he can throw up rainbows with glitter now, but he just figured that this is one of the things you don't question.
All in all, they were pushing themselves well by pushing the weight they could lift, how long they could lift and perhaps gain an immunity to nausea effect or get used to it.
It was gruesome but after those two weeks they can now lift up to 5 tons or simply use the Quirk somewhere between 2 minutes and 20 minutes depending on the weight of the objects. And this gave them the motivation to do more.
It wasn't until two months later that the two teens turned into one felt frustrated for hitting a wall after two weeks of trying to push themselves above 10 tons to no success.
"Ugh! I'm so frustrated! Why can't we go above our limit! We did both strength and stamina training. We extended our time limit to 4 minutes if we're floating our maximum weight and 40 minutes for minimum weight until we hit a limit there too." Ochako was visibly frustrated by their lack of progress with Zero Gravity when all was going so well for them during the first month and a half when they started training Zero Gravity.
Izuku was also frustrated of course because all of the different training ideas he came up with failed. For God's sake they even used their Quirk on themself, which was an easy feat at this point, and had All Might spin them around while they curled themself like a ball in order to increase their immunity toward the nausea effect which something he never wanted to repeat after puking their entire breakfast.
Had they hit their limit? He absolutely refused to believe that. After all, Quirks are like muscles, and muscles grow till they reach a certain limit in which they become a danger to your body and in some crazy cases kill you. But Izuku knew that their body was able to handle more. This wasn't their limit at all.
Sure, over the last two months and a half, they cleaned half of the junk that was over there then. Their body became more muscular yet still lean. Ochako really loved their six packs while to his embarrassment he found his eyes wandering to their thighs whenever they stared at a mirror.
So if their body can grow more and more stronger, then that means that their Quirk can grow stronger too.
"Maybe, we're looking at it from the wrong angle." Izuku finally spoke.
"What do you mean?" Ochako asked, knowing that Izuku was more expert when it comes to Quirks.
"I think that the problem isn't the training. Maybe there is something about Zero Gravity that we missed or don't understand." Izuku explained.
"You could be right because I have no other ideas." Ochako furrowed her brows, pondering over what Izuku said.
"Hmm, say what happened when you first unlocked Zero Gravity?" Izuku asked, feeling that maybe going back to the origins of the Quirk could shed some answers.
"Well, I was holding a cup of water. I put it on the table when I finished drinking and then it started to float. I saw the pads on my fingers and caught the cup trying to deactivate whatever I did." Ochako began to recount the tale of the day when she first unlocked her Quirk while Izuku was furiously writing on a notebook.
"Why did you decide to grab the cup and touch it with all the pads on your hand's fingers?"
"I don't know. It seems right at the time. Then I tried holding it with two hands, making sure that all the pads were touching the cup. Again, nothing." Ochako continued.
"So what made you press your fingers together?" Izuku asked, feeling more intrigued by the story. Unlike her, Izuku already had all her knowledge on Zero Gravity, while she had to experiment to find out how to use it. It was very interesting to him.
She scrunched her nose in a cute manner, showing her confusion, "I honestly don't know. I guess it felt right at the time. Like that's what felt right to my body I guess. Or more like that was the right pattern."
Izuku continued writing till he froze at the word pattern. All her previous experiences to release the effect of their Quirk were based on a pattern. A pattern that depended on her pads! Could it be?!
A wide smile broke on his face and Ochako was immediately able to feel his glee and excitement pouring on her like a tsunami.
"Ochako, I think I know what we were doing wrong with Zero Gravity. Switch with me. You need to try this first. You'll love it!"
Now, feeling excited herself, Ochako wasted no time switching with him, getting ready for whatever they were about to do.
"Okay, let's start with something small." He said before Ochako grabbed a soda can with all five fingers minus her pinkie. "Okay, make it float." She nodded and pressed her pinkie causing the soda can to float. "Alright. Press your right hand's thumb against your right hand's middle finger." Ochako was surprised by the instruction, but obeyed. What happened next left her jaw dropped to the floor as the soda can landed on the ground with a loud thud and got folded.
"No way…" Ochako stood stunned, her eyes never leaving the soda can. It just seemed that her best friend, who she happened to share a body with, had a knack for flipping her world upside down by every once in a while. "Izuku, you're a genius! You're incredible!" She just couldn't see it at first but the shy awkward dorky nerd she first met two months and half ago had truly shown how special he was. His determination, his compassion, his strength and even now his Quirk analysis skills. All things she admired in him.
"Well," She could imagine him rubbing the back of his head sheepishly even though she never met him physically. "I wouldn't have been able to figure it out without your help.
She shook her head, "Don't sell yourself short, Izuku. This was something that neither my doctor, parents and I ever figured out since I got our Quirk when I was four. And you just did it by hearing the story about the day I got the Quirk."
"Hey, it helped, didn't it?" He shot back playfully.
"It did."
"Okay, try to release the effect of your Quirk." She followed his words, "Alright touch the soda can again with all five fingers, and then try to pick it up." When she tried to pick it up again, she found that the soda can was very heavy. She could pick it up easily without any effort which wasn't surprising since her newfound strength was strong enough to lift a refrigerator easily. However, the soda can felt much heavier than a block of brick.
"How? I thought it would float."
"It was a possibility but apparently our Quirk works differently. This opens so many possibilities. I mean your right hand right can weigh things down and the left one can make them float. I can't wait to try all the different patterns!" Izuku yelled in excitement, wanting to know every little detail they've overlooked about Zero Gravity.
And so, the two teens continued their testing. Pressing their right thumb to their right index caused the can to shoot off to the right. Pressing their right thumb to their right ring finger sent the can flying to the left. And pressing their right thumb to their right pinkie caused the can to shoot upwards. If they hadn't released the effect the soda can would've reached the sun.
Then they tried to see if the same patterns applied to their right hand apply to their left hand. It turned out that in the left hand, the thumb and index made it go left, and the thumb and ring finger made it go right. Otherwise everything remained the same.
After that, they tried every other possible pattern with their hands, but nothing else happened. Still, the two teens were undeterred and were pretty happy with what they found today.
Lastly, testing the weight limit showed that it was 2 tons for all new applications, and a time limit of 48 seconds for max weight and 8 minutes for minimum weight.
"Okay, I think the first thing we'll need to do is control how much weight we add when we shift gravity. Because that is our new power, Gravity Shift. Last thing we need after all is to kill someone by simply touching them." Izuku said as he wrote in his notebook, having already switched with Ochako.
"Yeah, we can't let that happen." Ochako agreed with a mental nod.
"Next we'll have to push our limits the same way we did for Zero Gravity. And I think that once we reach the same limits, we'll be finally able to push Zero Gravity to become stronger." Izuku added while thinking about what they will rename their Quirk.
"So you and I think a good name for our Quirk should be Gravity Pads." Ochako said, having read his train of thoughts.
"Yeah, Zero Gravity is now the name of an aspect of our Quirk…" Izuku began.
"…And Gravity Shift is the other." Ochako finished. It was so easy now after two and a half months to know what the other was thinking.
"Exactly, we'll need to update our Quirk registry later though."
It was at this moment that All Might finally arrived to begin cleaning the beach.
"Good morning, All Might. Ochako is saying good morning, too." Izuku greeted his idol.
"Good morning, Young Midoriya and Young Uraraka. So any luck with progress on Zero Gravity today?" All Might greeted his proteges with a smile.
"Big progress. So it turns out that Ochako's Quirk isn't actually Zero Gravity. Zero Gravity was just one aspect. The other we discovered is Gravity Shift. Depending on the combination between our thumb and other fingers on a hand, we can shift gravity upwards, rightwards, leftwards or downwards which in other words also increases the gravity of our target." Izuku explained before he launched on a muttering spree about how versatile Gravity Shift is and how it can be useful in different scenarios.
All Might, who after spending five and a half months with Izuku, understood the explanation of the new power before he lost him.
"You're muttering again, Izuku." Ochako said with a chuckle, having gotten used to Izuku's muttering and taking the role of snapping him out of it whenever he does so.
"Ah! Sorry All Might. My muttering is still a habit that is hard to break. And thanks Ochako." Izuku said who felt Ochako sending him a mental thumbs up.
"It's alright, Young Midoriya. I have to say though, I'm very impressed by your discovery. It's really amazing my boy. How did you do it?" All Might asked, genuinely impressed. One of the things that All Might admired in Izuku was his smarts. He knew that he was a brawler and that's why Nighteye used to be the brain of their operations. But Izuku on the other hand has a very sharp mind.
"Oh, um I just had to listen to Ochako's story about the day she got her Quirk." Izuku said as he rubbed the back of their head.
"And?"
"Nothing. That's all."
"Nothing?! That's all?!" All Might stood there shocked. Once again he was reminded by the dangerous ability of his successor to analyze Quirks and find new applications. Suddenly he shivered at the thought of Izuku and Nezu meeting.
"No matter what, I can't let Nezu take on Young Midoriya as his student. The world will never survive two of them." He thought, thinking about the horror the world would face if Izuku became Nezu's personal student.
Elsewhere in UA, a certain mouse, dog, bear or whatever the hell he is, stood up on his desk and began to cackle madly. He had a feeling that there's a special student who he must tutor personally next year.
Everyone that day be they student or staff kept shivering after hearing the mad rat laughing maniacally, thinking that the apocalypse was near.
"Ahem! Anyways, good job Young Midoriya and Young Uraraka. You're definitely doing a great job. I take it you two will want to update your Quirk registry later, do you have a name for the new Quirk?"
"Yes, we're calling it Gravity Pads now." Izuku replied.
"Excellent. I'm glad you two finally made progress on your Quirk, but now is the time to clean the beach."
Uraraka's Apartment:
The next day, Izuku and Ochako decided to spend the weekend with the latter's parents. Since the day they fused, Izuku got to know a lot about. Kazuma Uraraka, her father and Rin Uraraka, her mother. Izuku really liked and respected them for doing their best for Ochako despite their financial trouble.
"Ochako and Izuku, I'm glad you visited today. So tell me, how's school and how's training?" Kazuma greeted them as they went to sit in the living room with Rin.
"Hi Mom, hi Dad. We're doing great. Between Izuku and myself, we're not having trouble with our studies. I guess it's true when they say that two heads are better than one." She smiled. "As for our Quirk, you won't believe it Dad."
"Oh tell us honey, don't leave us in suspense." Rin commented, eager to know about her daughter's and friend's progress.
"So, Izuku actually discovered that my Quirk isn't Zero Gravity," She grinned at them, "it's Gravity Pads as we call it now. Zero Gravity was just an aspect, there's another one we call Gravity Shift. It lets us shift the gravity of the target upwards, downwards, rightwards and leftwards!"
"Wow! That's amazing, sweetie!" Her father exclaimed, genuinely impressed.
"Yeah! Izuku is a genius! He was able to figure this out by himself!" Ochako still couldn't help but praise her friend.
She felt his embarrassment at her praise. "It's not as amazing as it sounds. I'm sure that if you had visited a better Quirk doctor they would've discovered it just as easily." She could feel him rub the back of his head sheepishly.
She rolled her eyes at him, "Don't put yourself down. You may be right, but they're doctors. You're self taught and you're already better than my Quirk doctor."
"I- Thanks I guess." Izuki thanked her, feeling her honest compliment.
"He's an interesting young boy. I guess Inko was right when she said that Izuku could always find something new about someone's Quirk." Rin agreed with her daughter.
Ochako internally chuckled. She could feel Izuku getting flustered from all the praise. She could feel him blushing more now after receiving her thoughts.
"Ochako!"
"Sorry, sorry! I couldn't help it." She laughed as he huffed, grumbling about something before he smiled too.
"Anyways, I heard you two visited Dr. Nishikawa this week. Anything new about your fusion?" Her father asked.
Ochako stilled for a moment, nervous about the upcoming conversation, but Izuku mentally comforted her to which she sent her appreciation. And finally she relaxed.
"Yes, and between Izuku and Dr. Nishikawa's analysis, we think we understand more now about the fusion Quirk. And the reason why Izuku and I are still fused together is that our personalities mesh well together. We get along so well together that we're practically best friends at this point. The two boys from the first incident turned out to be a bully and his victim. That's why their fusion didn't last even an hour. This means that unless there's a time limit or Izuku and I had a big argument we're probably stuck together like this forever." She clenched their fists, trying to hide how nervous she's about her parents' reaction.
"I see…" Kazuma shared a glance with his wife, "And how do you two feel about it?"
"I-I… We're both okay with it. We don't know how to explain it but there's this special connection between us made by the Quirk. At first it made us understand each other better, then it made us copy some of each other's mannerism and habits. It's like how a friendship typically develops but much faster. And now it made us comfortable with being fused together. We even like it." She scratched her temple nervously and glanced away, "The thing is that if we let it continue to grow, we might never want to defuse again and we're not upset about the idea. We even thought about making our identities official if we reach this stage."
She felt Izuku's warm presence comforting her and giving her strength. Something that the both of them offered to each other as they both liked it, and found herself able to look at her parents again.
"Very well then, if that's your choice then I won't go against it. Honestly, I can't see you two getting into a big argument and at this rate I'm not really confident in the idea of a time limit." Her father spoke first.
"You're not mad?" Ochako carefully asked.
"Ochako, you're our daughter. It doesn't matter what you become. You'll always be our little girl, and we'll always love you." Her mother assured her, causing Ochako to cry and hug her parents. She would never admit that she cried because she was relieved though and would always blame it on Izuku for making her very emotional like that.
Speaking of Izuku, the boy was glad that Ochako's parents had no problem with their situation. The talk with his mother had been similar except it was Ochako who was offering him support while he did the talking.
With the major news out of the way, the rest of the afternoon went well. Ochako enjoyed her time with her parents before they switched so that he could make small talk with them. The rest of the weekend was spent the same way before they went back to Musutafu and continued to train.
Dagobah Beach:
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
All Might had just arrived at Dagobah beach when he heard two mighty roars. He immediately rushed to see the form of Izuku and Ochako's fusion, clad in a sports bra with sweat glistening over their muscles, which pumped him to go into his muscle form.
"Oh, my… goodness, they really did it! They cleaned the whole beach in ten months, and even cleared outside of where I told them to! Seriously? There's not a speck of dust left! Seriously?!" All Might gaped, as he stared at his successors in amazement.
The fusion began to sway on their feet, they leaned too far over and toppled over, All Might swooping in just in time to catch them before they hit the hard landing.
"Good work." All Might congratulated, grinning from ear to ear.
"All Might… we did it!/ We cleaned the whole beach!" Izuku and Ochako said with a tired voice, while All Might was totally unbothered by how they can speak at the same time now. He had gotten used to it after the last two months.
"Yeah, you surprised me, you entertainers! Teenagers are amazing!" All Might complimented as he steadily set them down onto the sand, carefully watching their movement for if they were to fall again. After a few seconds as he stood still, the man held out his phone in front of two teens, who lazily looked at the image it showed with the hero calling, "Here, take a look."
Focusing on the photo, they breathed out as they saw their figure, humming, "This is…/It's us!"
"Yes! It's you, seven months ago." All Might spoke, standing up straighter and taking the device back. He smiled further, his eyes looking over the refined muscles that formed from their rigorous training, showing off their effort as he approved, "You two did good. You really did!"
Tears began forming in their eyes, which Ochako will always blame Izuku for, before Izuku spoke, "I feel like I have been blessed." To which Ochako shook their head and quickly denied, "No! If anyone has been blessed it's me. If I hadn't met you Izuku, I would have never received this opportunity or gotten this strong." And then Izuku argued that she couldn't discredit herself since it's because of her that he finished his training with higher chances to pass and got another Quirk in his arsenal. And so the two continued to argue on who's more amazing until All Might karate chopped their head and sighed fondly.
"Stop it you two. It was your hard work as well as the consequences of your heroic actions that did this, not mine. Now, for your reward, Izuku Midoriya, Ochako Uraraka!"
The fusion stood up straighter, removing their tears. "Yes, sir!" They both answered.
All Might plucked a hair from his head as he stood before his successors. "Someone told me this once: there's a difference between being lucky and deserving. One's an accident, the other, a reward. Never get the two confused. This gift, you earned it with your own valiant efforts. Now,"
The fusion had a look of awe before it was replaced with determination.
All Might held out the hair, "Eat this!"
"EH?!/WHAT?!"