It took some serious persuasion, but eventually, Izuku reluctantly agreed to let Maijima in on the secret of his quirk. Inko had suggested the idea because Maijima was a pro hero close to the family, and he had the most expertise when it came to both machinery and quirk analysis. So, that Friday afternoon, Mei and Izuku wrapped up their costume design class with Midnight, discussing the somewhat awkward topic of chafing, then they headed to the training field where Inko and Power Loader were already waiting for them.
"Hey guys!" Mei shouted enthusiastically, waving her arm in the air. She'd been looking forward to this all day. "Hey, now that we're out of school hours, can I call you Higari? What about 'PL'? No! I have it! …The Load." She said with a goofy expression.
"You can just stick with Power Loader, Hatsume. I'm still on hero duty, after all," he replied curtly. Turning to Izuku, he asked, "How are you feeling today, Midoriya?"
"You don't have to be so formal with my son, Higari," Inko chimed in, smiling. She was holding hands with the hero, a detail that Izuku had picked up on but tried not to dwell on too much.
Feeling a little guilty, Izuku answered his teacher. "I'm, uh, doing okay. Thanks for helping out with this," He replied. He may feel guilty about keeping secrets, but If Power Loader wasn't going to bring it up, then Izuku definitely wasn't going to be the one to bring it up either.
Izuku also had some concerns, and thought now was a good time to raise them, "Are we really safe doing quirk training out here? I mean, what if someone sees us?"
Power Loader shook his head in an attempt to reassure him. "Don't worry about it, I have a little inside help. Nobody will catch sight of anything."
Meanwhile, in Principal Nezu's office, the little robot Deku squinted their LED eyes, scanning the surroundings. Making sure the coast was clear, they plugged a USB drive Power Loader had given them into the school's surveillance system. The video feed of the training ground shifted, cleverly removing any trace of the quirk test crew from the footage. Deku whispered into their comms unit, "The ink has been erased."
"Copy that," Power Loader responded mysteriously into his wrist. Izuku and Mei exchanged puzzled glances, but they decided not to probe further. "You don't have to worry about anyone stumbling across us either. I've taken every precaution. This entire area is a visual dead zone from a certain point. Originally, it was designed to prevent anyone from spying on the hero students, but it works well for us too."
Suddenly, Mei clenched her fists and shouted excitedly, "Alright, enough talk! Let's get down to business! What's first?! Combat?!"
"This." Power Loader said, holding up a baseball.
Test One: The Ball Throw
"Alright, Izuku," Power Loader looked at Inko, who acknowledged the use of her son's first name. "First up is the ball throw. Fairly standard test, just throw the ball as far as you can using your quirk without leaving the circle. Do you remember your quirkless record from middle school?"
"I think it was around 35 metres?"
"Not too bad," Power Loader replied. "Let's see how far you've come since then. But hey, no need to push yourself too hard. After all, you've got fourteen years of practice to catch up on."
Izuku stepped into the circle and felt the weight of the ball in his hand. He didn't really know why he was feeling the weight of the ball, but he was pretty sure he'd seen baseball players do that before. What should he try first? Maybe he could try a cannon? No, the recoil might be too intense, and besides, how would he even ignite it? He could transform his forearms into spinning wheels, and fire the ball with that. But deep down, he knew he wasn't quite confident enough in his abilities to attempt anything that advanced just yet.
Lost in his thoughts, Izuku decided that sometimes, the oldest methods were often the best. Determined, he lowered himself and rested his forearm on the soft grass. Concentrating his quirk, he transformed his arm into a miniature siege catapult, envisioning the perfect trajectory for his throw. To his absolute delight, he found that the strength and initial tension of the catapult was entirely within his control, and it built itself ready to launch. With everything set up, he carefully placed the ball into the catapult's cradle, and… Fired!
Mei's excitement was palpable as she cheered, and Inko joined in, clapping her hands in admiration as the ball soared through the air, propelled by Izuku's quirk, landing farther than anyone had ever thought possible.
"Holy shit!" Izuku exclaimed, before quickly realising his choice of words and glancing at his mother. "Uh, I mean, holy cow?" he corrected, but Inko simply shot him one of her trademark looks.
Power Loader held up his handheld device, displaying the impressive distance for everyone to see. "175 metres. Great job, Izuku," he said, praising his student.
"Thanks!" Izuku replied, with pride evident in his voice. "I didn't think I'd be able to make it go that far. I was struggling to come up with a good transformation. Do you think a stronger projectile weapon could have worked?" he asked, turning to his teacher for guidance.
Power Loader pondered the question for a moment, his eyes scanning Izuku thoughtfully. "It's possible. There was one aspect of your quirk that caught my attention. It seemed like-"
"Oh, let me explain!" Mei interjected with enthusiasm, unable to contain herself. "The kickback from the catapult should have potentially injured your shoulder, but if you're feeling alright, it suggests that your quirk takes your entire body into consideration!"
Izuku's eyes widened in shock as this new piece of information sank in. The idea that his transformed body parts could be safeguarded by his quirk had never occurred to him before. "So, anything I transform into is safe for me?" This was going to open so many new avenues of exploration!
Power Loader's reply was cautious yet optimistic. "It's still just a possibility at this point, so don't push yourself too far just yet. But, yeah, there's a chance that your body subconsciously adapts to your transformations," he explained. "Ready to move on? This is only the beginning."
Test Two: Push Ups
"Ugh, push ups? Seriously? Those always kill my shoulders, I suck at them…" Izuku whined.
"Push ups are a breeze if you have proper form," Mei said, rolling her eyes at his moaning. "Watch and learn." She then stunned everyone by dropping to the floor and pumping out two dozen push ups like it was nothing, even adding some claps and twists for extra flair. "See? No sweat! Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Holy shit." Inko said, quietly.
"Uh…Anyway. Show us what you've got, kid. I'll start the three minute timer on the first push up." Power Loader said, ready to take some notes.
Izuku gingerly got down on the ground, his arms ramrod straight as he considered his options once more. Well, since his body is apparently adapting to his transformations to keep everything safe for him, he might as well try some experimentation…
He closed his eyes in concentration as both his arms began to twist into a new shape, shifting into two hydraulic pistons. He'd never thought to try anything like this before! That's if he can actually operate them, of course.
With a faint hissing sound, the pistons emerged from the cylinder-like structures that now formed his forearms, effortlessly lifting Izuku's body as if simulating a push-up. His eyes widened with disbelief and pure joy. "Oh my god, I can't believe it actually worked!"
Mei looked at him with a slightly concerned expression. "Does it hurt at all?"
Izuku shook his head, grinning from ear to ear. "Nope! Can't feel anything at all, to be honest."
"This is absolutely unprecedented, I've never seen a quirk operate in this way before." Power Loader said, chewing on his pencil. "Do you have much experience working with hydraulics?" It didn't seem likely to him, even for someone like Izuku.
"I've read up on how they operate before, but Mei is the expert really. I remembered she used hydraulics in her suit for the entrance exam, for some reason it was the first thing that came to mind." Izuku answered, continuing his 'push ups'.
"The ones in the Mark V were totally different to this though! This is just like when you made that grappling hook at the um…Beach."
"The beach?" Inko said with a raised brow. "I thought you said that happened in the workshop?"
"Oh right, yeah!" Mei quickly tried to cover her tracks, "My mistake. But what I mean is, Izuku doesn't seem to need complete knowledge or understanding of what he wants to transform into, just a general need and a rough idea!"
Power Loader lowered his notebook, with a contemplative expression. "Subconscious transformations…"
"Oh! Sweetie, your arm?" Inko interrupted, pointing to Izuku's forearms.
A small trickle of liquid was beginning to slowly leak from the seams of the hydraulic pistons, upon seeing it Izuku made a disgusted face and transformed back into his regular form. In roughly the same spot on the forearm, there was a faint ring of red visible.
"Oh, what the hell?" He said, clearly grossed out by whatever had happened. Power Loader leant down for a closer look and wiped away some of the red with the back of his knuckle.
"It's blood," he said matter-of-factly. "I guess now we know how you were creating the hydraulic fluid. You must have pushed it a little too far for what you're capable of at the moment."
"Is that bad?!" Blood certainly seemed bad.
"Hard to say, you don't have any visible wounds so that's a good thing, just take it easy on anything that creates a liquid or fuel from now on."
Izuku nodded in understanding, still a little freaked out.
"Alright then, that was 65 pushups in the three minutes before you stopped, excellent work. Shall we move on?"
Test Three: Grip Strength
Izuku was relieved that he could avoid using anything hydraulic for this challenge, even though he thought a hydraulic press would be amazing. Instead, he decided to transform his hand into a robust metal bench clamp, similar to the ones commonly found on the edges of workbenches.
To his delight, Izuku discovered that he could twist the clamp as though it were a natural extension of his hand. The grip strength tester's numbers began to climb steadily, and as it became more challenging to turn, Izuku eventually decided to stop.
"Oh, wow," Power Loader muttered, running a hand through his hair in disbelief.
"How much?" Izuku asked eagerly.
"650 pounds of pressure."
"SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY?!"
Test Four: 50 Metre Dash
"I know what to do for this one, no problem." Izuku said with confidence, before turning his hand into a grappling hook and feeling a length of rope pool from his elbow.
Mei cupped her hands around her mouth and started to shout "Booo! Do something new! Booooo!"
Inko joined in on the fun, laughing as she echoed, "Boooo!" Power Loader, accepting his fate, shrugged and joined the chorus of boos.
"Alright, alright! I'll do something new!" Izuku scratched his chin, deep in thought. He pondered the countless possibilities of using his quirk, all the hours he spent researching speed, force, and kinetics. Every moment in his life seemed to converge into this very instant…
But then he shrugged and admitted defeat, "I've got nothing."
"Seriously? Nothing?" Mei was genuinely surprised. "You're usually the master of coming up with clever moves!"
"Yeah, for other people," Izuku replied with a hint of self-doubt. "I'm not so good at analysing myself like that."
Power Loader chimed in, trying to offer some wisdom, "Don't sweat it, kid. It's not easy to introspect. I was your age when I finally understood my quirk well enough to see how a helmet would help me, and you've only had your quirk for two months."
Mei looked at him with curiosity, "What does that helmet even do, anyway?"
"Trade secret."
"Maybe you just need a little help?" Izuku's mom suggested. "We can have brainstorming sessions and get those creative gears turning!"
"Yeah, maybe," Izuku replied, feeling a bit disappointed in himself. "I just worry that this will keep happening. I can't always rely on my quirk's spontaneity for everything. What if one day it just stops working the way I want it to? It would be better if I could improve my own creativity. Hey, maybe I can ask Fukidashi for help. He's an artist, right?"
Mei looked puzzled, "Who's Fukidashi?"
"He's the guy in 1-A, you know, Manga?"
"..."
"His head is a speech bubble?"
She shrugged.
"Mei! Come on!" Izuku said in frustration, "You really have to get better at remembering people!"
"I don't have time to learn names, Izumi, I'm a busy woman!"
"Ugh…" Izuku rolled his eyes, again transformed his arm into a grappling hook and length of rope, and effortlessly sailed past the finish line in one smooth motion.
Power Loader clicked his stopwatch, "4.4 seconds. Great work, Izuku. A little boring, though."
Izuku just frowned at him.
Test Five: The Long Jump
"Final test, Izuku. The standing long jump. Let's see how far you can go from a stationary position. After this, we'll have a good grasp of where you currently stand with your quirk," Power Loader explained.
Izuku rubbed his hands together, okay, last event. This time he wasn't going to be caught off guard by his own lack of imagination! He racked his brain, recalling all the quirks he had seen at school, all the gadgets and gizmos he had built for heroes, and his own personal experiences. There had to be something he could incorporate into his abilities. And then it hit him - the training exercise he had witnessed in Class 1-A, where Iida had struggled with upward mobility.
"How did Yamashita decide to fix that again…" he muttered to himself. "Oh, right! Alternating the angle of his engines to create thrust. I can't generate fuel like that, at least not as far as I know, and I don't want to risk it. But maybe there's another way for me to generate thrust..."
Snapping his fingers, Izuku turned to the rest of the group. "Alright, I'm ready."
With a determined expression on his face, Izuku bent his knees, leaning slightly forward, and positioned his arms angled towards the ground behind him. Taking a deep breath, he swiftly transformed both his arms into thick wooden poles. The plan was to use the speed of the transformation to push himself off the ground, propelling him into the air!
It was a brilliant idea. Except for the fact that both poles snapped immediately upon contact with the ground.
Mei and Inko screamed in shock as Izuku cradled the broken poles, hanging on by their splinters, with a look of terror on his face. Power Loader rushed over, sliding into a kneeling position beside him to assess the situation.
"Izuku, look at me, alright? It's going to be okay. We'll figure this out. Can you feel any pain right now?" Power Loader asked, his voice filled with concern.
"N-No, I can't feel anything," Izuku replied, his fear still evident.
"You're going to have to be really strong for me, alright, kid? You need to transform back so we can see the extent of the damage. Can you do that?"
"Yeah, yeah I think so…" Izuku clamped his eyes shut, and reverted the transformation. He was glad he had his eyes closed for the sudden surge of pain that shot through him.
The sound of Power Loader sucking air through his teeth made Izuku reluctantly open his eyes to assess the damage, only to find both his forearms bent at angles they really had no business being.
Inko screamed again, as Izuku passed out.
—
Meanwhile, in another corner of the campus, Momo Yaoyorozu sat alone on a bench, lost in her own thoughts. In her hands, she absentmindedly opened and closed a little Russian nesting doll, engrossed in its intricate design. With a brief moment of concentration, she created another doll that perfectly fit inside the first one.
Just around the corner, Toshinori Yagi was preparing to leave work. He had a few hours of All Mightiness left in him and was looking forward to an evening of heroism. However, when he spotted Yaoyorozu on the bench, a tinge of concern washed over him.
"Is that young Yaoyorozu?" he pondered to himself. "Why does she seem so down? I should go and talk to her." He began to turn the corner, but then suddenly stopped, a look of realisation crossing his face. "Wait, you fool! She doesn't know Toshinori Yagi! I don't teach any of her classes!"
As Momo was contemplating the nesting dolls, she felt a subtle shift on the bench, as if a heavy weight had settled on the other side. Perplexed, she turned to find All Might, the symbol of peace, sitting beside her with his hands neatly resting in his lap.
"What a beautiful afternoon, eh, young Yaoyorozu?" All Might beamed, his radiant smile on full display.
"A-All Might, sir! To what do I owe this pleasure?!" Momo tried her best to sound polite, but her astonishment at having the number one hero sitting beside her was unmistakable. She'd been his student for two months now, but come on, it's All Might.
"Young Yaoyorozu," All Might began, his voice filled with wisdom, "Part of being a hero is recognising when someone is in need, and it seems something is weighing heavily on your mind." He looked at her with genuine concern, though his expressions naturally gravitated towards his trademark cheesy grin. He couldn't help it.
Momo hesitated for a moment before deciding to open up. "It's the sports festival, All Might. I don't feel ready to... to give it my all!" she exclaimed, attempting to mask her true feelings with a burst of false bravado. But All Might saw right through it.
"Another crucial aspect of being a hero is acknowledging when you need to talk through a problem, young Yaoyorozu," he gently replied.
She let out a sigh. "It's the pressure, sir. As a recommendation student and the class vice president, everyone expects so much from me. On top of that, I'm supposed to take over my family's business in the future. It's all becoming too much. It's suffocating, really..."
All Might nodded in understanding. "Remember, you are more than the expectations placed upon you."
That's what he said out loud, but in his mind, he couldn't help but acknowledge the irony of his own words. A man teetering on the edge of retirement who refused to take a day off from heroics, knowing that one more injury could shatter his career for good. Or kill him.
He continued, "It's crucial to find that balance between the pressures imposed on us as heroes and the pressures we impose on ourselves. Remember, your worth isn't solely defined by what others expect of you." He paused for a moment, realising he might be sounding a little too serious. Time to put the All Might spin on it. "And that's an All Might guarantee!" he added with a wink.
"But… What if I end up disappointing everyone? What if I can't meet their or my own expectations?"
All Might's facade faltered for a brief moment as he pondered his response. "Yaoyorozu, my girl, I've faced similar doubts on my own journey. It's easy to lose yourself in the pursuit of meeting others' expectations. But remember, being a hero means finding the strength within yourself. Trust in your abilities and lean on the support of those who believe in you. Like yours truly! And all the other fantastic staff here at UA!" His smile returned, radiating warmth.
"You're absolutely right, thank you, sir," Momo replied, offering a polite bow of her head. "Perhaps I could speak with Midnight. Present Mic is also very approachable. Or... Lunch Rush, I suppose?"
All Might chuckled softly. "How about considering talking to your homeroom teacher, Eraserhead? He's there to support you after all."
Momo hesitated, a touch of discomfort evident on her face. "Ah, y-yes. Mr. Aizawa is not what any of us would call an approachable teacher..."
All Might listened attentively, his brows furrowing slightly. He understood the importance of having a supportive teacher, and if Mr Aizawa wasn't fulfilling those duties he may need to investigate the matter further.
"Well remember, I'm always here! You may also want to speak with our guidance counsellor, Mr Hound Dog! He may seem intense, but between you and me, he's just a big old puppy dog."
Momo smiled gratefully, "Thank you, All Might. Your support means a lot to me."
Just then, a third voice broke through, interrupting their conversation. "Miss Yaoyorozu, your car is here."
"Ah, thank you," Momo acknowledged the man before turning back to All Might. "Thank you again, sir, for listening."
"Think nothing of it! The most rewarding part of being a teacher is seeing the smiles on the students' faces!" He gave another cheesy grin, and rocketed off into the sky. A few miles into his leap, he thought to himself, "Perhaps I need to have a discussion with Aizawa about his teaching methods...Oh crap! I left my car at work!"
—
"Mmmwah! Mmmwah!" Recovery Girl planted big kisses on Izuku's injured arms as he sat in the infirmary bed. "There you are, dear. Now, is anyone going to explain to me how an injury like this could possibly happen to a boy without a combat quirk?"
"Um, well, it's, uh..." Izuku stammered, struggling to find the right words.
Power Loader shook his head, urging Izuku to come clean. "It's for the best if you just tell her, Midoriya."
Izuku took a deep breath. "I... My quirk manifested. We encountered a problem, and I, uh... accidentally broke both of my arms." He winced, expecting a scolding.
"How long ago did it manifest?" Recovery Girl asked, a stern tone in her voice.
"Two months ago?" Izuku answered, only to receive a smack on the head from Recovery Girl.
"Oww!" he yelped, but she quickly kissed it better.
"You should have let someone know the moment you found out!" there was that scolding he was expecting.
Mei chimed in, coming to Izuku's defence. "He did tell someone the day it happened! Me!" Another smack followed.
"And you should have told an adult as well, young lady! Mmmwah! Any ideas on what actually caused an injury of this magnitude, though?"
Power Loader stepped in, offering his theory. "It would make sense that it's because this is the longest he's used his quirk, which is called, um... Did you ever decide on a name for it?"
"I've been calling it Toolbox in my head, but since I can make more than just tools now, I'm not sure," Izuku replied, contemplating.
Power Loader nodded. "Let's call it Upper Limb Transformation for now until we know more. Izuku can turn his arms into different tools and machinery. I think we overexerted his ability today, and the transformations gradually grew weaker. The accident that led to this... I believe if that was the first thing he tried, we wouldn't be here right now."
"When we get home, you can have as much ice cream as you want, Izuku!" Inko exclaimed, tears in her eyes.
With a sigh, Power Loader addressed the Midoriyas. "I can only offer my apologies for what happened here today. I should have been more observant. My duty as a homeroom teacher is to look after my students, and I've failed you both."
"You didn't fail me. I feel great," Mei interjected.
"Thank you, Hatsume."
"Hey, you didn't fail me either!" Izuku added. "It's not your fault I kept this a secret. There's no way you could have known!"
"I appreciate that, Izuku, but the fact remains that I need to be a better teacher, for the sake of all my students. If there's ever anything I can do to help with your studies, just let me know."
"Does that mean I can get an advance on the public safety essay?" Izuku asked eagerly.
"Not a chance."