Chapter 7! The one you've been waiting for!
Vessel
Izuku shook the shocked expression off his face; did he hear that right?
"Inherit? You're Quirk?" he questioned, "All Might, what're you talking about?"
"My power, young man," All Might began, "the tabloids call it 'Super Human Strength,' or 'Boost;' whenever I'm asked about it, I dodge the question with a funny joke."
'That's true…' Izuku thought; 'I've been trying to write an analysis on All Might for years, but I've never known enough about his Quirk to do it justice…'
All Might continued; "The Symbol of Peace, All Might… he has to be a natural born hero… but that isn't the truth," he brought both hands behind his head, bringing them down firmly, "my Quirk was passed on to me, like an Olympic torch!"
"Passed on…" Izuku muttered; 'Is that even possible?'
"That's right! And now," All Might pointed at him, "It's your turn, young man!
Izuku had lost himself in thought; 'While it's true that All Might's Quirk has been hotly debated for years, no one has thought that it was given to him!'
He was having a hard time digesting this; "Is that true, All Might? You weren't born with your Quirk?"
"Of course!" All Might explained, "I may hide the many things, but I never lie! The Quirk I inherited was the power to transfer power!"
He held out his hand; "I was crowned with One For All!"
Izuku was awestruck; "One For All…"
"That's right!" All Might explained, "One person cultivates the power, then passes it on to another for them to do the same! It is this crystallization of power than gives me my strength, that allows me to be the Symbol of Peace!"
"And you want to give me that power?" Izuku asked, "Why?"
"I've been looking for a successor, and after seeing you today, I couldn't think of a more worthy candidate!" All Might beamed, "You, a Quirkless schoolboy, was more heroic than anyone else at that scene!"
Izuku stared, wide-eyed; 'He's really serious about this…'
"But only if you want to," All Might clarified, "The burden is great; I will not judge you if you refuse! So, what will it be, young man; will you be my successor?"
Izuku stared at him; was that even a question?
'The chance to receive All Might's power, to train under him, to be the world's greatest hero? How could I refuse?'
He locked eyes with All Might, determination flashing across his face; "I'll do it!" he declared resolutely.
All Might chuckled; "No hesitation, just as I thought!"
Izuku nodded; "So, when can we start?"
All Might paused, looking at the boy; 'He's in impeccable shape… almost too impeccable… If I had to guess, he could handle One For All right now… he probably couldn't go all out quite yet but…'
He put a hand on his chin; 'still, I wanna see just how ready his body is…'
"All Might?" Izuku asked; 'he's been standing there a while now!'
"Right!" All Might exclaimed, snapping back to reality, "Young Midoriya, meet me at Dagobah Municipal Beach in two days, five o'clock sharp! We begin your training there!"
Izuku smiled; "Yes, sir!"
VVV
Izuku knew he was in for a reckoning when he got home.
'In all that excitement, I completely forgot to call mom… I wonder if she knows about what happened?'
He got his answer when he opened the door to his apartment, running into Inko as she made her way to the door.
"What th- Izuku!" Inko cried, throwing her arms around her son; he was much taller than her now, but his hugs were nice all the same.
"Mom! What's the matter? Are you alright?" Izuku asked; it looked like she had been crying.
"I saw you! I saw you on the news!" she babbled, "I saw you save Katsuki from that villain!"
'Oh. She's probably furious,' he thought, "I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean t-"
"I'm so proud of you!" she interrupted.
"H-huh?" Izuku sounded, confused, "You're not mad?"
"Izuku…" Inko wiped her eyes, "I have never been more worried than when I saw you rush into that alley on the news but… honey, you saved him! You… you were a hero!"
Izuku didn't respond, only absorbing his mother's words; she continued; "Its nice to know all that work didn't go to waste, huh?"
"Yea…" Izuku said, the gravity of his actions finally coming down on him, 'I was a hero today…'
"Now sit-down young man!" Inko commanded with a smile, sitting on the couch, "I want to know everything that happened today!"
"Oh right!" Izuku replied, "I have so much to tell you!"
VVV
Izuku explained in detail everything that happened that day; the fight with the Sludge Villain, meeting All Might, talking to All Might, the second fight with the Sludge Villain and-
He paused; 'Do I tell her about All Might's offer? He had been keeping it a secret…'
"Izuku? Are you ok?"
"Hm? Oh, yea mom, I'm fine!" he assured, "just tired. I guess."
'I should ask All Might before I say something I shouldn't.'
"Oh, right!" Inko exclaimed, raising off the couch, "You've had a long day, why don't you head to bed dear?"
"I think I will, thanks mom!"
He gave his mom a wave and retreated to his room; 'So much has happened today…' Izuku thought, collapsing into bed.
'All Might believes I'm a worthy successor to be the Symbol of Peace; I can't let him down!'
He laid his head on his pillow, feeling his eyes grow heavy; 'Man, I really am tired…'
Izuku fell asleep, feeling more determined than he had in years.
VVV
"Too slow, Kacchan!"
It was the morning after his meeting with All Might; Katsuki had insisted on sparring with Izuku, which he was happy to oblige him in; they met in the park, where Izuku and Shota used to train.
'I can't be relying on him to save me all the time… I've gotta be stronger, if I'm gonna be a hero!' Katsuki had thought.
The use of Quirks in public was strictly forbidden, a rule Katsuki had grown to adhere to over the years; so while he couldn't improve his explosions, he could work on his hand- to-hand skills.
"You're so much more than your Quirk."
He didn't know if he believed that, even now, but he was hell bent on trying.
Right now, however, Izuku had him in a headlock, the result of their latest match.
"Alright, alright, I give!" Katsuki relented, feeling the pressure on his neck disappear, "Another win for you, Izuku."
Izuku smiled at him; "Aw don't be too down Kacchan, you're getting better, really!" he guaranteed, grabbing a water bottle, "you nearly had me with that uppercut!"
He scoffed, "you mean the one I whiffed AND got a right hook for my trouble?"
"Yea, that's the one!" Izuku teased.
Katsuki shoved his shoulder with a smile; "Yea, yea, fuck you too," he paused, "How long did you say it took you to get this good?"
"Five years, Kacchan; you can't rush this kind of thing," Izuku replied.
Izuku had relented in telling Katsuki about his training with Shota; he didn't mention the hero's name, or his occupation, only that he met him when he was seven, and convinced him to train him.
"Must've been a damn good teacher; I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere!"
Izuku smiled, reminiscing; "Yea, he was…" He snapped back to reality, "And I already told you, you're getting better! You've improved a lot of the last year!" Izuku assured, "If you were using your Quirk, I'm sure you'd be scoring wins!"
'Damnit, I don't want that to be the case!'
Katsuki groaned; "I'll have to take your word for it," he checked his watch; it was already six!
"I've gotta head home," he said, picking up his bag, "same time tomorrow?"
Izuku was about to accept, then stopped; "I'm sorry Kacchan, I can't; my mom wants me to… help her around the house tomorrow!"
Katsuki raised an eyebrow at him; "If you say so, text me if plans change."
'Phew, he bought it!' Izuku thought; 'If this becomes a regular thing, I'll need a better excuse for Kacchan!'
'That was… weird.' Katsuki couldn't help but think as they parted ways.
VVV
"Good job, Midoriya! Keep pushing!"
"When All Might said training, I thought he had something more practical in mind!'
Said hero was currently sat upon a massive fridge, watching Izuku pull it across Dagobah Beach; "To gauge your ability!" he had said.
'If I'm being honest, I didn't expect him to be able to move it at all!' All Might thought.
"C'mon Young Midoriya, faster! I know you can do it!" All Might coached.
Izuku was understandably a bit frustrated at that; "Don't you weigh like six-hundred pounds!" Izuku shrieked.
"Five-sixty, actually!" All Might boasted, "I've been on a diet!"
After pulling the fridge a considerable distance towards the shore, All Might finally relented; "Nice work, Young Midoriya! I'm very impressed!"
Izuku looked around; the place was a dump, trash and salvage as far as the eye could see.
"Why are we out here anyway, All Might?" Izuku asked.
The hero laughed; "Why, so you can clean up this beach to train your body!..."
Izuku was confused; "My body? What's wrong with it?" Izuku asked.
"Let me finish, young man!" All Might warned, coughing, "Anyway, that's what I would say, if you weren't such in great physical condition! Honestly, as you are now, it seems you're the perfect vessel to carry One For All!"
Izuku blushed; he knew he was in good shape but… to hear All Might of all people praise him on it brought a smile to his face
"However," All Might grew serious, "This beach used to be beautiful, once upon a time. Because of the currents, a lot of trash washed up on the shore; people took advantage, throwing their own garbage away here. Now, locals don't even come near; it's a dump!"
All Might hopped off the fridge, placing his hand on top of it; "Hero work wasn't always so flashy; once upon a time, it was all about volunteer work, even if people did find it boring! Which is why," All Might crushed the fridge under his hand; the resulting shockwave dislodged a large pile of trash from the shore, revealing a beautiful sunrise, "you are going to clean this beach for the locals! Once you do, you may receive One For All!"
Izuku nodded his head; "I understand All Might! I'll do my best!"
"I know!" All Might exclaimed, "And I don't want you doing any other exercise in the meantime, understood? No need to have yourself destroy your body now!"
Izuku nodded; "Understood, sir!"
All Might smiled; "You wanna get into UA, right kid?"
"Of course! It's where all the top heroes went!" he beamed.
"Then you better get to work!" All Might recommended, motioning to the surrounding garbage, "The entrance exam is in just ten months! That time will fly by!"
"Oh! Right, I'll get right on it!" he said, rushing to the nearest trash pile.
All Might reverted to his skinny form, watching Izuku work; if he was being honest, he was only half truthful with the kid.
'I do want you to do this as charity, Young Midoriya, but there is another reason for having you to clean this beach…'
All Might covertly took out his phone, taking pictures of Izuku as he worked; 'There's no way that body is natural, not this young, and you don't seem the type to take drugs… which only leaves one possibility…
You have a Quirk.'
He couldn't prove it, not yet; its why he needed Izuku to undertake intense exercise on his watch; he needed to monitor how much progress he made in a set amount of time.
'I don't think you're a liar, Young Midoriya…' All Might thought, seeing Izuku lift a solid steel safe off the ground, 'You've just been given false information.'
Izuku approached All Might before it was time for them to part ways; he had something important to ask.
"All Might-sensei," Izuku started, "can I… tell anyone about this?"
His answer was immediate; "No, absolutely not; no one can know the truth about One For All, if they did, they would be in extreme danger!"
Izuku recoiled; "Well, what do I tell my mom, or my friends? They're gonna want to know where I am all the time!" he argued.
All Might thought on what he said; 'He has a point, but what can I do? He can't tell them he'll be training with All Might…'
Then it hit him; 'No, not with All Might, but with Toshinori…'
"Young Midoriya, are you free this afternoon?"
VVV
Inko was curious, to say the least. Not only was Katsuki coming for dinner, but Izuku was bringing someone new over!
The last time he did that, he spent five years training with him.
"So Izuku, who is it that's coming over?" Inko asked, tending to the oven.
"Yea, I wanna know too. You replacing me already?" Katsuki teased; no one noticed, but there was a hint of concern in his voice.
"As if!" Izuku exclaimed; "Its just someone I met today, I thought you both should meet hi-"
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Oh! I'll get it!" Inko said, making her way toward the door.
"Mom, I don't think you should…"
It was too late; she had already opening the door, revealing All Might in his skinny form; Inko was visibly shocked.
"H-hello sir…" she stuttered, "can I… help you?..."
All Might coughed into his hand; "Young Midoriya didn't tell you I was coming?"
Inko gasped; "Oh! You're Izuku's friend?" She stepped aside, "I'm so sorry, please come in!"
Katsuki whispered to Izuku; "you made friends with a cancer patient?"
The only answer he got was an elbow in the ribs.
"Let me introduce myself; my name is Inko Midoriya; I'm Izuku's mother!" she greeted, leading All Might inside.
Katsuki took the second elbow as his cue to introduce himself; "Katsuki Bakugo," he said blankly.
"I am Yagi Toshinori; it is a pleasure to meet you both." he said rather humbly.
'Toshinori? That must be All Might's real name!'
Inko returned to the kitchen, checking her various pots; "Izuku said you had something to tell us, Mr. Toshinori?"
"Yes, but that can wait," Yagi smiled, sitting down at the dinner table, "let us enjoy your wonderful smelling cooking, Midoriya-san."
Inko allowed a blush to cover her face; "R-right, thank you Mr. Toshinori!"
VVV
Dinner was a quiet affair, mostly consisting of idle chatter between Yagi and Inko; Katsuki and Izuku hadn't said a word. Eventually, everyone had filled their bellies, and the hero inwardly sighed; 'hope this works…'
"Midoriya-san, I wish to jump straight to the point." He began.
Izuku swallowed hard; 'here we go…'
"Of course, Mr. Toshinori, what is it?"
"You see, I saw your son a couple days ago, during the Sludge Villain incident. I was impressed," he began, "to see your son rush into danger as he did… it reminded me of my time as a hero."
Katsuki went wide-eyed; 'This guy… he was a hero?'
Inko had a similar reaction, though was more vocal about it; "You used to be a hero?"
"Yes," Yagi confirmed, "a long time ago, I even graduated from UA!"
If Katsuki wasn't listening before, he was at full attention now; 'UA? What does this guy want with Izuku?"
He continued; "Young Midoriya wishes to get into UA, as well, yes?"
Inko nodded; "for years now, yes…"
He looked her in the eyes; "I think your son has great potential… Which is why I wish to offer my services, to prepare him for the UA entrance exam!" Yagi declared.
"What!" both Inko and Katsuki exclaimed, causing Izuku to sweat.
"As a UA alumnus, I believe that I can help Young Midoriya. However, I will not do so without your permission." Yagi explained.
Inko thought about it; "Well, as long as he keeps his grades up, I don't see why not…"
'Alright, now for the hard part…' Izuku thought.
"Thank you. He will be in good hands," Yagi assured, turning to Katsuki, "and Young Bakugo, I have something for you."
Bakugo looked surprised as he was handed a sizeable stack of papers, stapled together; "The Aim to Pass American Dream Plan?..."
"It was Young Midoriya's idea; he told me you also were trying for UA," Yagi explained, "he wouldn't accept my help unless I offered it to you as well, and while I do not have time to train you personally, I hope that is a suitable substitute."
That was true; Izuku had told Yagi that it wasn't fair that he would receive all this help, while leaving his friend behind. He pressed him to create a plan for Katsuki to follow. Of course, their reasons weren't entirely selfless; if Katsuki was absorbed in this regime, he wouldn't have the time to sniff out their secret.
Now it was a matter if he accepted it.
Katsuki flipped through the many pages, a grin creeping on his face; when he finished, he had a full-fledged smile.
"This… Is BADASS!" Katsuki exclaimed, turning to Izuku, "this was you?"
Izuku blushed; "I just suggested it, it was Toshinori-sensei that made it."
He turned to Yagi, giving a quick bow; "thanks," Katsuki said a rare word from his mouth.
The hero smiled; "don't mention it, young man; I can tell you'll be a wonderful hero!"
Katsuki blushed slightly; 'lets hope so.'
Yagi looked down at his watch; "well," he said, standing up, "its about time for me to go; Midoriya, you know where to be tomorrow."
Izuku nodded, "Yes, Toshinori-sensei!"
He turned to Inko and Katsuki; "It was a pleasure to meet you both," he bowed.
"Right!" "Thank you," Inko and Katsuki said, giving bows of their own as he left.
Both Izuku and Yagi had the same thought when he departed; 'That went so well!"
VVV
With Inko and Katsuki taken care of, Izuku was free to pursue his training with Yagi; everyday for the next month he would make his way to Dagobah Beach, packing away as much trash as he could under the hero's watchful eye.
Yagi, for his part, was watching Izuku closely, constantly comparing his form to that of the pictures he took on his first day with him.
After the first week, he saw nothing.
After the second, he thought he saw something, but wasn't too sure.
After the third, he suspected he had been right to begin with.
After the fourth, he was certain.
Izuku had grown a noticeable amount of muscle mass since his first day; not a ton, but enough for it to ring alarm bells in Yagi's head; 'He must have a Quirk.'
Of course, there was still the possibility he was wrong; the only way to be absolutely sure was to see a doctor, and there was only one doctor he trusted with something like this.
He pulled out his phone, dialing in an all too familiar number; "Shuzenji, I need a favor."
VVV
Izuku looked out the window of the car he was riding in; Yagi had told him there would be a "pause in training" for the day, that he needed to do something important with him.
He hadn't said what was so important, much to Izuku's frustration.
"Where're we going, Toshinori-sensei," Izuku asked; he had made it a habit of calling All Might by his civilian name when in his skinny form.
Not that he minded.
"I told you, Young Midoriya, you'll see. It's a surprise!" Yagi teased.
He pouted in his chair; "You could at least give me a hint!"
The hero smiled; "A hint? All right: we're here."
Izuku looked out the window, only to gape at the sight; "Is this- Are we?"
"Young Midoriya," Yagi said as he pulled in, "Welcome to UA!"
The building they were approaching was massive; windows reflecting the sky covered the walls, giving it an ethereal blue sheen.
Izuku turned to Yagi; "What're we doing here? How did you get in?"
All Might buffed up, laughing loudly; "Young Midoriya! Being the number one hero has its perks!"
'A white lie, but I can't tell him how just yet…'
"Yea, I guess so… but why're we here?" Izuku asked.
"Follow me!" All Might commanded, parking and stepping out of his car, taking a backpack with him.
He followed obediently, walking the massive halls of UA; 'One day, I'll be here as a student!'
Eventually, the hero stopped at a door, throwing it open; "Recovery Girl! We are here!"
Chiyo Shuzenji, hero name Recovery Girl, was an elderly woman of short stature; she had grey hair, and exceptionally small eyes. She wore a white lab coat, carrying a cane in the image of a syringe.
"Toshinori!" she scolded, hitting him with her cane, "What have I told you about bursting in unannounced!"
All Might deflated to his skinny form; "GAH! My apologies, Recovery Girl!"
Izuku looked on in shock; 'He transformed! Right in front of her!"
Yagi noticed the boy's distress, and allayed his fears; "Worry not, young Midoriya! She is privy to the secret of One For All."
He took a sigh of relief; Chiyo approached him, pocking at his chest.
"Hm. He's a big boy!" She exclaimed, "I can see why you think he has a Quirk!"
Izuku's whole world came to a standstill. His heart skipped a beat, his breathing hitched, his vision went blurry; had he heard her right just now?
"D-did you say… I have a Quirk?!" Izuku demanded.
Chiyo looked to All Might; "You didn't tell him?" she admonished.
He gave a sheepish smile; "it… never came up," he admitted.
Sighing, Chiyo turned to Izuku; "Have a seat, Midoriya," she said, leading him to a nearby bed.
"Now listen close, dear," she continued, "the rate at which you're growing muscle… it isn't normal. Toshinori believes you may have an undiagnosed Quirk; do you mind if I run some tests?" She asked.
Izuku nodded idly, not able to find the words to speak.
Chiyo attached a variety of sensors and wired to Izuku's right bicep, while Yagi reached into his bag, pulling out a one-hundred-pound dumbbell.
"Now Midoriya, all I need you to do is lift this weight until you can't anymore, alright?"
"Y-yes ma'am," he replied, idly lifting the dumbbell.
It was a half hour before Izuku was forced to stop. Chiyo spent a good fifteen minutes engrossed in her computer.
'There's not way… they have to be wrong, If I had a Quirk they would've caught it when I was a kid… There's no way I ha-'
"Midoriya," Chiyo finally spoke, "do you know how muscle growth works?"
"Well yea," Izuku answered, "When someone exercises, they make tears in their muscle fibers; the body repairs the damage, making the muscle thicker and stronger…"
"That's correct," she said, "and normally, that is a very slow process; the repair can take days, and the growth isn't very noticeable."
She turned to her computer, beckoning Izuku over; "Now, watch this. These are the muscles on the arm you were just using."
What was playing on the screen shocked Izuku; he saw his muscle fibers tear, and almost immediately be repaired, noticeably thicker than beforehand.
"You see that?" Chiyo asked, "that's your Quirk. In response to tears in your muscles, your body supercharges the muscle growing process; large muscles encourage testosterone production, which promotes more muscle growth; it's a self-perpetuating cycle!"
Izuku's brain was in overdrive; 'All these years… I've had a Quirk for all these years…'
"Yours is a subtle one; its not something a doctor would find unless they were looking for it," she explained, "I'm sorry, Midoriya…"
'She's… sorry?...' Izuku thought, and then did something no one had expected.
He started laughing.
Joyous, uncontrollable laughing; "I have a Quirk…! I HAVE A QUIRK!" he bellowed, letting his joy fill the air.
Yagi was absolutely beaming; 'I knew it wasn't normal!'
Izuku calmed down and asked; "so wait, could this promote some sort of regeneration effect as well?"
"Hm…" Chiyo pondered, "If it did, it would be very mild; scrapes, maybe some bruises, nothing past that."
Izuku looked down at his scarred hand; 'yea, I guess that makes sense…'
"So, what're you gonna call it?"
He turned to Yagi; "Huh?"
"Your Quirk, what're you gonna call it? Everyone name's their Quirk. What's yours called?"
Izuku took a moment to think about it; 'What do I call it? Muscle Growth? No that's stupid. Supercharge? That's even worse!'
Izuku racked his brain; 'It's not a particularly powerful Quirk on its own; but combined with some good training, and, if All Might described it right, One For All…'
Izuku stopped, suddenly remembering a conversation he had with All Might a month ago:
"Honestly, as you are now, it seems you're the perfect vessel to carry One For All!"
'That's it!'
"Vessel," Izuku finally declared, "I'll call it Vessel.
Izuku Midoriya! Quirk: Vessel!
In response to tears in one's muscle fibers, the body supercharges the muscle growing process, leading to rapid and massive muscle growth! Also allows for mild regeneration effects!
We've finally reached the fic's namesake, how exciting!
I have no idea if this idea has been used before in another story; if it has, I haven't read it, and I'm sorry I couldn't be more original.
I always wondered what explanation Izuku gave Inko during his 10 months of training; so to avoid that question here (doubly so due to Katsuki not being an ass) I wrote out that dinner scene! Hope you liked it.
Now, on to reviews!
SolSunFanfics: Something big did indeed happen!
TheGreatBubbaJ: He certainly is, isn't he :)
ALIE: Thank you so much! I'm so excited to share my story with you!
OMNISENSE95: If by "Enhanced Muscle Growth" you meant this, then you got it man, good job! Who's to say if the doctor was lying? ;)
maxridelover: Thank you so much!
That about covers it! And can I just say guys: Wow. Over 100 followers?! That's insane! I didn't think half that many people would be interested in this story, and yet here we are! I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart, truly!
As always, if you enjoyed, leave a review, follow, and favorite! Every single one makes me write (and plan) that much faster!
Next chapter: A clean beach and a new friend!