Hybrid Hero: Saiyaman – Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – The Offer

Five months after their first encounter, Toshinori became a regular fixture in Izuku and Katsuki's after-school training regimen. To both boys' surprise, the man brought snacks and juice almost every time they met up so they could keep training. His tips proved very beneficial, arguably on the same level as their mentor Hisashi's, albeit a bit clumsily said and demonstrated.

Day by day, week by week, Toshinori grew more confident in the two boys. He could feel the core of One For All reaching out to them both. At this point, he didn't care which one accepted; he just hoped one of them would take his offer of the quirk. His time was running out fast.

On the other side, Izuku and Katsuki could tell that the man they were now 100% sure was All Might wanted to say something but was struggling to bring it up. They, too, were nervous about what it might be, especially after talking to Hisashi about his weird ki.

/

"That's extremely weird, but I expected to hear this eventually if you met him." Hisashi said.

"Really?" Izuku replied. Katsuki raised his eyebrows in surprise at the Saiyan's thoughts.

"I've been curious, so I reached out to feel his ki a few times. Seeing him on the news gave me an idea of where to search, and I could sense multiple energies within him. What's weirder, though, is I felt a second similar ki signature elsewhere. I can't pinpoint the location, likely due to some sort of cloaking quirk, but there are multiple energies in them as well. Only two people have this, and I've never felt the second one move from the same general vicinity in years, so that's definitely All Might."

/

In any case, it seemed like Toshinori was ready to speak, as he asked the boys to stay when they would usually wrap up their cleaning and training.

Izuku stood facing Toshinori, his brother beside him, as the lanky blonde before them began to talk.

"I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you two about who I am or about my intentions in helping you. I'm sorry, but once I show you, I believe you'll understand why."

Both of them nodded silently, suspecting what Toshinori was about to do.

They were proven right as Toshinori began to swell and grow even taller, bulking considerably into a recognizable form.

"I am All Might. I understand if you think I'm an impostor, but I can pro- why aren't you reacting?"

All Might's look of confusion looked so funny to Izuku he wished he had a camera to capture the moment.

Katsuki decided to speak up for the two of them. "We kinda already figured that out, sorry."

All Might was left dumbstruck, eyes wide like dinner plates as he tried to stammer out a "how" in response.

Izuku cleared his throat, drawing the hero's attention to himself. "Aside from your blonde hair and smile being dead ringers, I can sense energy. Your energy as Mr. Toshinori was identical to your energy as All Might, just not as blindingly intense."

All Might nodded wordlessly, looking downward as he absorbed the information.

Katsuki shrugged. "We ain't gonna blab about your secret, though. Some heroes need their secret identities and all, especially if they're in the limelight like you are, we get that."

All Might smiled at that. Not the shining smile he usually wore, no, a more genuine and smaller smile.

"That makes me more confident in what I'm about to offer."

Izuku's attention was piqued at that. An offer from All Might? This is amazing!

"I wish to make one of you my successor and bestow upon you my almighty power!"

Katsuki raised an eyebrow in skeptical surprise while Izuku's jaw dropped.

All Might gave a boisterous laugh, fully expecting this reaction. He held a hand, white-rainbow light shimmering from it.

"I was not born with my power; I was gifted it by my mentor, my predecessor. Nobody knows what my quirk is by design, as it's been kept secret for centuries from the public. My quirk is called One For All, and it can be passed down from wielder to wielder, increasing in strength as it's passed on. I am the eighth holder of this mighty energy-stockpiling power, and I want one of you to have it."

Now, things were adding up in Izuku's head. If One For All is centuries old and transferable, then that would explain the multiple unique energies within him. The words from Dr. Tsubasa and his father from when he was a toddler returned to the forefront of his mind, and his heart sank.

All Might evidently noticed as he asked, "Are you alright, Young Izuku?"

Izuku shook himself back into reality as he met eyes with the Symbol of Peace. "I'm sorry, All Might, but I can't accept."

All Might raised an eyebrow but remained silent, allowing Izuku to continue. "It may be hard for you to believe this, but I'm not completely human. I'm part alien."

More silence, so he kept going. "My father is a full-blooded alien, and my mother is human. My alien species is called the Saiyan. I don't have a quirk because my Saiyan DNA is too unstable and mutation-prone to coexist with the quirk genes. Even if I took on One For All, either I'd lose my Saiyan genetics or, more likely, my body would reject the quirk."

All Might nodded, once again surprised into silence at the revelation. He turned his eyes to Katsuki, who had a more thoughtful expression.

"If you offered this any sooner, I would've told you I would handle becoming a hero on my own without any sort of borrowed power."

All Might noticeably shrunk in on himself, and he held up a hand. "If you had offered sooner, I would have said no. However, I realize you're offering this because you think we deserve it, not because we need or want it."

Katsuki turned to look at Izuku. "Plus, I can't let this scrub widen the gap too far. I want to be my own hero, but I want to compete with Izukkun in strength, and my Explosion alone can't. Plus, I want to be the best hero I can be. I need to take every advantage I can get."

He returned his gaze to All Might with a ferocious grin of determination. "I'll take One For All, All Might."

"HA HA HA, SPLENDID, YOUNG BAKUGOU! I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR YOUR ACCEPTANCE! NOW-"

"Hang on a minute!"

Both Katsuki and All Might turned to Izuku in bewilderment. The green-haired boy leveled the hero with a questioning glare.

"A power like One For All doesn't come into existence or perpetuate itself without reason. I want you to tell us why One For All exists before you give it to Kacchan."

All Might sighed and nodded. "Very well, young Midoriya. I was going to tell you both eventually, but you make a good point. Young Bakugou should know what he's getting into before I give him the quirk. It started with two brothers centuries ago…"

/

"So, to sum it all up," Izuku said after All Might finished his tale. "You're the eighth holder of a centuries-old quirk that can be passed down from holder to holder, and the creator of this quirk is an equally old man with the power to give and take quirks as he pleases?"

All Might nodded.

"And you say you killed him after your last encounter approximately five years ago?"

He nodded again. Izuku and Katsuki shared a grim expression.

"Is something wrong, boys?"

Izuku sighed and nodded his head. "All Might, I'm pretty sure he's alive."

He continued after seeing All Might's shocked, speechless expression. "I can't sense energy as well as my father can, but yours is unique. I can feel different signatures within your spirit, and my father said he could feel a similar energy, where there were different pieces inside the core. He couldn't pinpoint a location, but it was about as strong as you. It makes sense that the energy belongs to All For One, meaning he's likely still alive."

Izuku watched All Might's expression gradually morphed from shock to horror to unfettered rage and disgust. His fists clenched until his knuckles turned a bony white as his teeth nearly ground themselves to dust in an animalistic growl.

"Damn that monster…!"

The greenette placed a calming hand on the rage-filled hero's leg, breaking him from his anger for a few moments. "Hey, easy. You can't do anything about it right now. In case you forgot, you're on a time limit, and you've been growing weaker."

All Might's jaw tightened again as he nodded in frustration. "I hate to admit it, but you're right, Young Izuku. I have to say I'm unsure if I should pass on One For All to Young Katsuki with that demon still around."

Katsuki felt it was his turn to interject. "I don't like having a target painted on my back, but if he strikes you when you're off your guard, you could lose, and One For All will be gone forever. I might not be able to take him on for a while, but you should give me the quirk sooner rather than later. 'Zuku can detect if he's coming and hold him back if the dumbass tries anything, anyway."

All Might looked to the ground in silence for a moment, considering his options. When he looked back up, he nodded to Katsuki. "You're right, young man. Thankfully, I can say with certainty you can handle the main brunt of One For All as you are now. We can do the transfer right now if you'd like, though it won't be pleasant."

Katsuki gave the hero a confused and guarded look as the hero plucked a piece of his hair. "One For All can only be transferred via transference of DNA, so…"

Izuku cackled at the disgusted face Katsuki made, wishing he could've captured that image. He shook his head and stood between the two. "As hilarious as that would be, I think it's better if you two do a sort of 'blood brothers' handshake thing instead. I can make a shallow cut in your palms, and you can shake hands; how about that?"

Katsuki immediately nodded and held out his hand for his brother, who swiftly made a cut that drew just a bit of blood. Seeing the ease and lack of pain, All Might reluctantly agreed, seeing it would be far less gross than eating hair. Izuku again effortlessly slashed the offered hand, making All Might grimace insecurely. To think a child can come anywhere close to matching me without this almighty quirk… so surreal.

When the two clasped their hands together, Katsuki could almost immediately feel a deep rush of power flow into him. He tightly gripped All Might's hand in response, and Izuku raised his brows in surprise at the sudden spike in energy.

As expected by the half-Saiyan, the unique energy signatures within One For All's core shifted from All Might to Katsuki. Coinciding with the shift, the core of One For All itself flared to life within Izuku's senses, almost as if it transformed into a far more powerful state. Whether it was the singularity theory potentially proving itself right or just the amplification of energy associated with the transfer of One For All itself is yet to be seen.

Katsuki slowly pulled his hand away and looked at both his fists, clenching them repeatedly. "Holy shit… I can feel it coursing through me, almost like it's threatening to burst out."

"It would be wise to wait for additional supervision before testing out One For All, young Katsuki. I will bring you and young Izuku to U.A. as soon as possible, provided Nedzu permits it, and he and Recovery Girl can watch over with me in case something happens."

"That's definitely a good idea," Izuku chimes in, facing his best friend. "I don't think any of us want you getting hurt, but we need to see how One For All affects your body and your quirk."

Izuku's eyes widened as he turned back to All Might quickly. "Before we leave for the night, how many people know about One For All? Kacchan and I can come up with a cover story while we're walking home and clear it with you tomorrow, but we should know who's aware."

"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me young Izuku! I would've forgotten to tell you if you hadn't reminded me. The people currently aware of One For All's existence are Nedzu, Recovery Girl, my old sidekick Sir Nighteye, my old mentor Gran Torino, and detective Naomasa Tsukauchi."

"Wait, Uncle Tsuki knows?" Izuku beamed with surprise and elation at the coincidence.

"You know Tsukauchi, young Izuku?"

The half-Saiyan nods excitedly. "He's the one who sorted out my dad's case when he came to Earth! He's the only one outside of Kacchan's family who knows about us being Saiyans."

"HAHA, quite a coincidence there!"

"Speaking of families," Katsuki asked, "even the best cover story won't keep this a secret from Uncle Hisashi, nor my parents. We have to let our families in on One For All."

All Might nodded. "I understand, young Katsuki. In most circumstances, I would say to keep the nature of One For All under wraps for your own safety, national security aside, but One For All is your quirk now. You can decide who you trust with the secret. I only ask that while this aging hero is still alive and well, please do your best to keep the secret with those you wholly trust."

"Nah, I ain't gonna blab about it. I know when to keep my trap shut. I got a target on my back as it is with me being as gung-ho as I am, even without One For All. I only plan to tell our families right now since, well duh."

"Thank you for understanding, Young Katsuki. I know it's not my place to ask you to keep the secret at all, seeing as you hold the quirk now, but I thank you for respecting the precedent. I can tell I've already made the right choice in my successor."

Izuku put his thumbs in his pockets. "So, I guess that's it? Is there anything else we need to go over?"

All Might shook his head. "I've said my peace and done what I've wanted to. You're free to go home and rest now, young men. Oh! Obviously, if I get the okay from Nedzu, your parents are also free to and encouraged to join you at U.A. to test One For All. Let me write down my cell number, and send me a text with your name so I can let you know as soon as possible about the proposed date."

/

As Izuku and Katsuki walked home and came up with the latter's cover story for the quirk evolution – including one for any strength enhancement and transformation aspects like All Might had and any sudden spike in his Explosion caused by the energy surge, – the gravity of what they held in their possession finally hit them.

"I can't believe I have All Might's personal number and real name…" Izuku whispered to himself with a giddy smile.

"HA! I have his personal number, real name, AND his centuries-old chosen-one quirk! Take that, you half-breed nerd!" Katsuki playfully mocked.