The ocean is a beautiful sight to behold, with the setting sun taking away the blinding light and the stars and moon providing a light that causes the waves to twinkle. Izuku pauses in his work to smile at it, happy that it could be seen once more. One of his brown paws continues digging through the sand, searching for any traces left of the trash that had plagued the beach for so long. His nose twitches and he pounces, bits of tan particles flying past his blue fur as he digs up a twisted fork from the ground. He picks it up in his teeth and carries it over to a familiar frame, bright green eyes shining with hope for some praise.
He gets a laugh from the owner as they take the trash and add it to the pile. "Always something left, isn't there?"
He wags his tail and barks an agreement. "Ruff!" He turns to find more, staring up at the moon above for a second before he notices a light. He frowns, the light slowly getting brighter, but he can't find the source no matter which direction he turns. "Ruff?"
"Young Midoriya?" Yagi calls, seeing the boy confused.
Green eyes turn to him mere moments before a white light envelops his form, the quadrupedal shape slowly moving to one that is on two legs, slightly hunched over with two arms dangling at its sides. A series of spiky hair forms into a sort of faux hawk, dropping down over the enlarging muzzle.
"Huh... it really does look like puberty." Yagi puts a hand to his chin, watching as his muzzle elongates and two ridges start to make themselves known on either side of his ribs. "So your quirk really does go this far. Congratulations."
The light fades to reveal red eyes and a sharp-toothed grin, both directed at the deflated hero. The mouth drops open and a single word rumbles out, "Roc." He takes a singular step before suddenly changing back to Izuku, leaving him dazed from the change in mindset and the fall backwards onto his butt.
Having tensed at the step, the man breathes easier, heading over to help the teenager up. "Phew... you've got quite the intimating face on that one."
The teen shivers, the implications of what that form was about to do sinking in. "...I don't think I'll use that one for a while," he mutters, grunting as he sits up on the sandy turf. "That was... overwhelming."
The man crouches down, getting closer to his level. "What did it feel like? Going through that change?"
"Like my body was being stretched and massaged at the same time." He flexes his fingers, staring down at them as if he couldn't recognize to whom they belonged. "And like my mind was changing from protector to... some kind of fighter."
The hero in baggy casual clothes leans back on his heels, rubbing his chin as he looks him over. "Hmm... I wonder if that's due to the way those Pokémon think. The form you took is the more offense oriented one."
Izuku trembles, his hands dropping onto his lap as he stares up at Toshinori. "Am I going to lose myself each time I transform into that, now?"
Yagi shakes his head, placing a hand on the green-haired boy's shoulder to reassure him. "I doubt it. You haven't had control issues with any of the other ones. I think perhaps it was just because it was new."
The teen looks a bit doubtful, but nods in agreement, quickly seeking a new subject to focus on. "I think that should be the last of it." He scans the sands for any more trash, but nothing obvious sticks out. He wasn't going to chance that new Pokémon just to make sure; he'll come back with a metal detector, if he could find one to rent.
"Well then, come up here, Young Midoriya." Yagi leads him to the small ridge just before the beach. Once there, he turns the boy around to survey his work. "What do you feel when you see this?"
He looks out on the shoreline, smiling a bit as he leans on the concrete barrier. "Content. It's very relaxing, hearing the waves and watching the water lap at the sand."
The man nods, gesturing broadly to the beach before them. "You made this little section of the shore better. No one asked, yet you did it anyway because of your own initiative, and you saw it through to the end."
He blushes bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. "You and mom helped, Toshinori-san, and it still took years," he tries to downplay it.
He chuckles, clapping the teen's back fondly. "Don't sell yourself short. This was your project."
Izuku just shyly laughs, averting his gaze back to the ocean. "It just felt like the right thing to do."
"Exactly" He taps his chin, his gaze also turning toward the water briefly. "I actually think I may have a bit of a reward for you once we get you home today."
He blinks, then brightens up a bit. "Katsudon?"
"You'll see." He has a glint in his eye, the kind where he tries to surprise Inko with something he's sure she'll like.
Though mildly confused, Izuku gives him a nod in understanding.
They arrive back home, Izuku having asked Yagi a few times about what he did during hero work that day on the way over. Thankfully, he asked when he was absolutely certain no one was watching them, avoiding any awkward stares and unwanted eavesdroppers such an unwanted witness might provide. The hero answers that while he was keeping an eye out, nothing big needed his direct intervention today. Other heroes took care of a robbery and he took a moment to catch a car that had brake issues. The teen praises his abilities while also managing to fret over whether that impacted his condition.
Yagi chuckles, responding, "It was a quick enough effort, Young Midoriya. I am alright, and so are the passengers."
Midoriya sighs as they stand in front of the door. "Thank goodness. I really don't want you getting hurt further, Toshinori-san."
He claps his shoulder fondly. "You, your mother, my doctor all say the same thing... I do try to keep from getting hurt, you know."
"I know, but I can't help worrying," he points out. "Mom would be so sad if you got injured. Not to mention that you're the closest thing I have to a father, right now..."
The hand moves to rub his head. "I'm honored you think of me that way."
The poor boy starts to blush, but he makes no effort to remove the hand in his green hair. He quickly opens the door and calls inside, "Mom, we're home!"
"Welcome back! Did you finish early?" She calls back, making him pause with only one red shoe on his feet.
Izuku goes quiet for a moment, remembering the moment that he became a werewolf instead of a puppy. Realizing he might be taking too long, he hesitantly replies, "...yes."
"Good! Come tell me all about it!" There's a laugh at the end of her statement.
He looks up at Yagi and gestures for him to go first as he takes off his other shoe.
The man nods and heads in, beginning the tale of their evening. After getting slippers on, the teenager moves to join him and add his own thoughts. After a tale of training and getting more used to his Pokémon forms, Izuku hesitates, having just gotten to the twisted fork.
Yagi nods to him. "Go on, it likely won't be the last time it happens."
The teen nods, steeling himself before continuing in a hurried breath. "So, after sunset, I brought in the last piece I found, a really mangled piece of cutlery, and the moon was reflecting off the sand, and suddenly another light was there, and it was coming from me..." He trails off, uncertain about what to say next.
"Turns out, something we thought might happen actually did," Yagi speaks into the silence that forms. "He evolved."
"Really?" Inko leans forward, stars in her eyes. "What was it like?"
Izuku really has to think about it, having almost forgotten the sensation in the worry afterwards. "Like a toddler found playdough and I was that playdough."
"Oh dear... I thought it would be like your shifting but slower." She admits, slumping back into her seat with a small frown.
"It wasn't painful!" He hurries to assuage her disappointment. "Just a bit disorienting. And I did feel stronger! So that's something, right?"
"Ah... rapid puberty indeed." She nods, the corners of her lips quirking up as she tries not to laugh.
His face turns scarlet at the implications. "Mom!"
"What? You grew up fast." She explains, her lips spreading apart into a grin. "Like you grew all at once."
He opens his mouth but is found lacking, unable to find the words to disagree.
Yagi nods, figuring now is the time to give his own input. "Turns out the change in the influence of the Pokémon's nature was there as well."
"Yeah... a lot of influence." Izuku stuffs food in his mouth in an attempt to avoid expanding on it.
His mom eyes him a bit at that, but her boyfriend grabs her attention with his next words. "I wanted to bring something up now that Izuku has finished this long project of his."
Izuku pauses, a pork cutlet between his lips. He pulls it out to give his full attention to the gangly man.
"So... how much do you know of my quirk?" He glances between the two of them, even though he knows who is more likely to answer.
Izuku proves him right by speaking up. "There's a lot of debate as to what your Quirk actually is. Nobody's ever figured it out‐‐" He cuts himself off to shake his head. "It's one of the world's greatest mysteries. People are constantly talking about it online. From simple strengthening to increased power around injustice to a boost the more people believe in you... That last one explains why you keep this form a secret," he trails off into muttering.
Yagi chuckles softly. "There's a good reason, well many reasons, I've never talked about it publicly."
He blinks, then looks at him with wide eyes. "...are you about to tell us your power? Is that the gift you were talking about before?"
"In a way." He nods, steepling his fingers in front of his face. "What if instead, I offered to give you my power?"
Inko's eyes widen.
Izuku just stares at him, dumbfounded. "...give your power? Is... is that even possible?"
He nods, looking between them. "My power can be passed on, it is how it became what it is. Since my accident, I've been keeping an eye out for a successor. I don't make this decision lightly, nor do I tell it to you as such. I believe Young Midoriya, Izuku, is the one to inherit my quirk, One For All."
Inko looks at her son, awe clear on her face.
The teen stares at him for a few seconds, his eyes slowly gaining more tears before they cascade down his face. Despite this, he looks determined, and nods, saying with the utmost conviction in his watery voice, "I won't let you down!"
Yagi looks at the teen. "I know you won't. I've watched you these last few years and as you grow you only make my decision easier. You have the exact kind of heart of one worthy to receive my quirk. You work not for gain, but because its right. You have the instinct to protect others that you act on them without even realizing it. Young Midoriya... even without this, you would be a hero."
He stands up, chopsticks and food forgotten as he stumbles over and gives him a hug, tears of joy coming from the very depths of his soul.
Inko covers her mouth, eyes shimmering as she watches.
"T-thank you, Toshinori-san," he manages to whisper, his face buried in the man's shoulder.
The man curls an arm around to pat the boy's back. "You earned it, and not to say there might not be a few drawbacks."
He blinks, pulling back to give him a confused look. "Drawbacks?" He asks, then tries to make a more direct question. "What do you mean?"
Yagi sits back down, gesturing for the boy to do the same. "Control, for one thing. Like learning how to use your own quirk, mine will likely require time and practice as well. You also will now be part of a secret legacy..."
The audience of two listen silently as Yagi explains the origin of One For All and how it's passed down by ingesting DNA, much to Izuku's discomfort. How he got it from his mentor and how he kept it secret this whole time.
Izuku listens from his seat to the very end, and he asks a few questions to be clear. "I know there are quirks out there that activate by taking part of their target. What happens to One For All if they use them on me?" He asks, concerned.
The man shakes his head. "Quirks haven't been able to copy mine. The quirk can't be passed on unwillingly, but beware if someone has a quirk to control your mind at all though."
"So I can't have it stolen normally," he mutters, thinking a bit. "Would they even know to use that on me? What would it do to my other forms? Will I lose control even more with Lycanroc? Would Riolu have even more energy?" He continues his muttering, almost forgetting the others were in the room.
Inko slides over, asking the hero quietly, "Is there anything else we should know?"
He shakes his head and says, "I'm trying to keep them as informed as he can. Besides, some of the story just isn't relevant, anymore."
Izuku eventually comes out of it and nods. "I'll do it, Toshinori-san. I'll be the hero you see in me!"
Yagi smiles, glancing to the boy's mother. She has a naturally worried expression, but the pride in her son steels her resolve and she nods as well.
With that settled, the teen goes back to eating his pork cutlet.
"So... how would you do it, passing your quirk to Izuku?" Inko asks, eating some of her rice.
"Well, like I said, it requires DNA. The process is a bit crude but simple." Yagi admits, rubbing his head and coming away with a strand of golden hair in his fingers. "He just has to eat this."
Izuku starts to choke on his cutlet, clearly having not expected that at all.
Inko frowns at this. "...really?"
"Technically he just needs to ingest DNA, but all things considered this seemed the simplest and least strange option." Yagi admits.
Izuku clears the blockage and takes the hair, eyeing it warily. Clearly he wasn't expecting to eat a part of his hero. The teen turns into a blue frog and eats it, thinking he could stomach it better that way. He uses the bubbles around his neck in an attempt to keep his mouth shut.
"I suppose I shouldn't point out that people unintentionally eat hair all the time?" Yagi tries to make it more palatable.
It doesn't help. In fact, at this point the hasty-natured frog grows dizzy and is forced back into Izuku.
"Might wanna try washing it down with something." The man suggests, a little disheartened by his reactions.
He tries eating his cutlet, hoping that it would help with the shocking taste.
"Didn't think it would be that bad..." Yagi mutters, scratching the back of his head.
"Wasn't expecting it to be sour," the teen responds, "even if only a little."
He blinks. "Ah... yeah I guess that's a bit of a taste shocker."
"Honestly, it tasted like a lemon?" He mutters, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
Inko lets everything settle in before she remembers something. "Izuku, did you say something about Lycanroc?"
He immediately stops eating, sweating a bit as he tries to figure out how to explain himself.
"They're your first evolution." She tilts her head to see his face, as he has started to look away. "Is it different?"
"...maybe a little bit?" He hedges, wavering about whether he should confide what happened to her. "I evolved after sunset, and everything looked red... I think I got the midnight form?" He quietly admits, poking at his food.
"Well, they do have red eyes." She confirms. "So you're like a werewolf now. At least that means you're bipedal again, right?"
"I am, yeah." He nods, scratching his head. "Also... my mindset got weirdly aggressive? As in, I saw Toshinori-san, and thought I should spar with him, since I knew he was strong..."
Inko blinks a couple times. "Really? Even knowing we try not to push him?"
He quietly nods, embarrassed by his actions.
She sighs, reaching over to fuss with his hair. "Well, you didn't act on it so maybe you were just overwhelmed. You're a good boy, Izuku, I know you wouldn't hurt him."
Izuku wonders if he should mention that he transformed back almost immediately afterwards. He decides he doesn't want to cause her any stress. "Thanks, mom."
"I wonder if the feeling is more gradual for the three stage evolutions…" she wonders.
"I hope it is," he mumbles around some rice.
"Was it that scary?" She asks.
"...I was scared of hurting him when I came back to myself..." He quietly admits. "At the time... I just thought he was strong..."
"Oh Izuku..." She gets teary and hugs him.
He hugs her back, barely able to hold in his own tears. "I'm sorry," he hoarsely whispers, looking over her shoulder at Yagi. Yagi looks used to the tears part, but seems less than worried about what could have happened. Of course, Izuku burst into tears, beyond grateful of how understanding his idol is.
And so the family dinner continues with everyone at least a little bit wet.
Alright, so I gave Izuku One For All. All Might was looking for a successor to begin with, and even if he still has... let's say about five hours, still, with all the healing, he knows that he's getting old and can't keep up that pace forever. Thus, he gave it to the boy that he knew for about three years now, who has proven to be intelligent and selfless with his actions, both in regards to public and private moments.
If any of you feel like that still isn't a good enough reason... I really don't know what else I can say. As for how this will affect his ability... well, we'll just have to see, won't we?
Have a nice day.
Enigma out.