"Hey, Todoroki," Izuku greeted. "What's up?"
Todoroki turned. "Midoriya, I wanted to thank you. You helped me realize something important."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I just wanted you to be better, Todoroki."
Todoroki nodded, staring at his hand. "That's why I'm thankful. You showed me I was letting my father control me by letting him stop me from using my left side. In my attempt to free myself from him, I only fell more under his control. You showed me that, Midoriya."
Izuku smiled. "I'm glad to help, Todoroki. We all want to be heroes; it only makes sense we help each other."
Todoroki looked at him. "You truly are, as Iida says you are. Being able to win without hurting yourself, you instead chose to break your body to help somebody in need, even if that person didn't ask or want your help in the beginning."
"All Might told me that meddling where I wasn't supposed to was the essence of being a hero," Izuku said. "I plan to follow that ideal."
"All Might? You said he was your mentor, right?" Todoroki asked, and Izuku nodded.
"Your fighting style doesn't resemble him," Todoroki noted. "It's much quicker and efficient, more similar to a soldier than a hero."
"I trained my Quirk under him, but I learned how to fight from some old combat videos I found online," Izuku lied. That was the cover Marvin and him had agreed upon to explain his combat ability, hoping most people wouldn't look any closer.
Unfortunately, Todoroki wasn't like most people.
"I doubt that," He said, and Izuku froze. "That first punch you hit me with nearly made me pass out and knocked the wind out of me. That's not something you can learn from a few videos."
"Uh, well," Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I got hit a lot as a kid by others my age, so I know where most of the vital points are."
Todoroki seemed convinced by that. "I understand. My father would hit me to toughen me up and teach me where to strike a villain," He nodded.
Izuku sighed a little in relief. His ability to lie was nonexistent, so he opted for the truth, which, thankfully, Todoroki didn't question.
"That wind attack is powerful," Todoroki said. "Where did you learn it?"
Izuku laughed a little. "Oh, that came from Momo."
Todoroki's brows furrowed. "Yaoyorozu? I was unaware she had such an attack."
"Oh, no. I don't mean like that; I meant her actions helped inspire me," Izuku clarified, but Todoroki looked more confused.
"How so?" He asked, looking much more intrigued.
"Oh, Momo learned how to reverse her creations one day when we were training together," Izuku said, smiling. "And I realized I was thinking of my Quirk as separate rather than a part of me."
Todoroki nodded. "You said your Quirk came in late, right? That would explain it since most make that connection after a few years of using their Quirk, though most don't fully make that connection. Please continue."
"Well, I thought, since my Quirk is a part of me, then its effects should be part of me too, right?" Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head. "I took that to its extreme and made what I call Wind Force. I use my Quirk to create winds around me to strengthen my attacks and increase my movements and perception, and I'm even working on creating a shield with it, but I haven't made it that far yet."
Izuku looked embarrassed, as if not mastering a new way of using your Quirk in a week was the largest of failures. Todoroki stared in shock, along with slight admiration; he knew Midoriya was powerful and one of the most creative in their class, but this was something else.
Todoroki made a connection. "That's what you used in the race and Calvery Battle, right?"
Izuku nodded. "I used Wind Force: Turbo in the race and Wind Force: Tornado in the Calvery Battle."
"That snap was also part of your Wind Force?" Shoto asked, subconsciously rubbing his ear.
Izuku made a so-so motion. "It's more something I figured out by accident. I'd like to add it to something I'd call Sonic Pressure, which has many sound-based attacks for villains weak to sound while also able to alert my teammates if I can't use my voice."
Todoroki looked impressed, nodding a little as he listened. "Midoriya, you truly are like two people."
Izuku glanced away, rubbing his neck a little. "Really?" He asked, hoping Todoroki hadn't figured out about Marvin.
Todoroki nodded. "You fight and lead like a professional hero, far beyond the skill of adults I've seen. Yet, outside of battle, you act like anyone our age would, and you're obsessed with Quirks much like a child would be obsessed with toys."
'Wow, burn,' Marvin yawned, causing Izuku to jump a little, something that Todoroki either didn't notice or was too polite to comment on.
'You're awake,' Izuku said with relief. 'I felt I was going crazy from the quiet.'
'I've been the crazy one for years, fuck off,' Marvin replied. 'Get your own title. Be a loveable idiot or something.'
"I don't know whether to thank you for the compliment or be offended you compared me to a child," Marvin said, crossing his arms.
"I simply made an observation, Midoriya," Todoroki shrugged. "I overheard Uraraka comparing you to a baby bear. In her words, 'cute, but could kill you.'"
Izuku gaped. "I- a baby bear? Babies don't kill!"
"Yaoyorozu replied that you were more like a young tiger. She reasoned that you were dangerous, but only to threats, and were still growing into your strength," Todoroki continued, seeming unfazed.
"Ok, that one makes sense," Izuku mumbled.
Todoroki checked his phone. "The match with Yaoyorozu is about to begin. I think we should go; you need to show support to your partner."
"Yeah, we should g-" Izuku froze mid-sentence, and Marvin laughed, muttering something in Spanish.
"Momo isn't my girlfriend!" Izuku cried, his face red.
Todoroki studied him momentarily in confusion. "Ashido said you two were, what's the word? Ah, nuzzling into each other and saying something about Yaoyorozu riding you?"
Izuku and Marvin choked, Izuku from embarrassment and Marvin from laughing so hard he was crying.
"It's- I- It's not what you think," Izuku exclaimed, his face red enough to put Kirishima's hair to shame.
"Midoriya," Todoroki put a hand on your shoulder. "It is not my business as to your relationship-"
Izuku relaxed a little, that was until Todoroki continued speaking.
"But, since you helped me, I am indebted," He continued, dropping his voice to a whisper.
"If you are going to do such things with Yaoyorozu, I would advise using protection," Todoroki whispered. "You are much too young for a child, and such a burden could strain your ability to become a full-time hero."
Izuku was left sputtering, his face blushing harder than ever as Todoroki walked away, seemingly unfazed by Izuku's embarrassment.
'HEY? A LITTLE HELP?' Izuku cried desperately to a laughing Marvin.
Marvin held his sides, tears rolling down his face as he laughed. He tried to control himself but took one look at Izuku's face and promptly exploded into laughter again.
Izuku took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and smiled at Momo, who smiled back.
She adjusted her new uniform as Present Mic started the match.
Momo stretched with a sigh as she walked, arching her back like a cat as she and Izuku moved.
"Can I say sorry for this? Because I'm sorry for this," She said as Izuku entered the conversational range.
Her staff whistled through the air, and Izuku blocked with his forearm.
Izuku rolled under it, jumping up and kicking the air.
Momo stood her ground as gusts of wind passed her, dodging Izuku's punch just moments later.
Her staff hit his arm like metal striking stone, sending shocks through Momo's arms.
Izuku grabbed the weapon and pulled her in, drawing back his fist.
Momo spun, drawing on her classical ballet training to avoid the wind before throwing a kick at Izuku's side.
Izuku took the hit but punched Momo's staff out of her hands, ignoring the slight pain in his knuckles.
Momo shot forward, nearly kneeing Izuku in the jaw before he jumped back.
Momo followed, catching his wrist and slamming her palm against his chest.
Izuku moved with the strike, and Momo leaned back to avoid a chop.
A staff erupted from her palm, missing Izuku's chin by a hair.
Izuku slapped her hand away and ducked, sweeping her legs from under her.
Momo rolled, creating a sword and pushing herself up to avoid Izuku's kick.
Izuku weaved against Momo's slashes, the blade coming close enough to cut through his shirt.
He punched the sword, shattering it and pushing Momo back.
Momo spun to avoid Izuku's lunging kick, her nails brushing past his cheek.
The two jumped back, wearing matching grins, as sweat dripped down their faces.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS MIGHT BE THE CLOSEST MATCH WE HAVE," Present Mic yelled. "BOTH CONTESTANTS ARE GIVING IT THEIR ALL TO WIN."
Momo rolled her eyes as Izuku snorted; neither was going all out, and they both knew this. Momo could be scarily fast with her staff, and Izuku had terrifying strength, even without One for All or Marvin.
"You have a plan?" Momo asked, creating another sword.
Izuku shrugged. "I was about to ask you that," He replied, activating One for All.
The two collided, and while it looked like they were barely missing each other like both were of equal strength, they were missing on purpose, neither wanting to hurt the other.
Izuku broke Momo's sword with a backhand, stepping into her guard.
Momo huffed a little. "Stop breaking my weapons," She pouted.
Izuku paused for a moment, blushing as he stared at the look on Momo's face.
He barely blocked Momo's staff, rolling under it and throwing a left hook wildly off the mark.
"Are you alright, Izuku?" Momo asked, brows furrowed as she swung her staff again.
Izuku nodded. "Y-yeah. Just got embarrassed for a second," He replied, denting Momo's staff.
Momo glared a little as she created a sword, swinging it a bit closer than usual.
"Oh, really?" She asked as if she wasn't swinging a deadly weapon at him. "Hopefully, about something good."
Izuku ducked her staff, kicking her feet out again.
He jumped up as Momo rolled back and stood, brandishing her sword.
"Yeah. You're really beautiful," Izuku said, dodging her strikes.
Momo blushed bright red, and shards of crystals poked through her skin as her Quirk responded to her emotions.
"O-oh?" She said, blocking Izuku's punch with her crystalized arm.
Izuku winced a little, blood appearing on his knuckles, but nodded.
He punched the ground, and Momo flew back, tumbling before stopping on the other side of the arena.
"I'm glad you noticed," She half-shouted before concentrating.
Izuku prepared to use Wind Burst, knowing what Momo was about to do wasn't something he wanted to stay still for.
Momo's shirt tore as an enormous cannon fell from her stomach, even with her having opened the zipper.
'Ok, pardon me. But what the actual fuck?' Marvin said, staring at the cannon at least twice their size.
'How much power would I need for that?' Izuku asked, and Marvin choked.
'You're going to fucking punch that thing?' He asked. 'You know it's ME who's supposed to be the crazy one, right?'
'WELL?' Izuku asked as Momo fired.
'12%,' Marvin sighed.
Izuku leaped forward, One for All surging through his body.
A sound like a hundred gongs sounded as Izuku's fist struck, dented, and finally ripped through the cannonball, all in that order.
The cannonball flew off, embedding itself into a wall from the force.
Izuku jumped again, flipping over the cannon and landing beside Momo.
His backhand sent the cannon flying with a loud boom, though Izuku felt his hand throb.
He jumped back, avoiding Momo's slashes.
Momo kicked a flashbang at him before spinning, launching her sword at his head.
Izuku twisted, kicking the sword midair and shattering it upon impact.
He kicked away the flashbang and turned right before it exploded.
Momo appeared with a sword, causing Izuku to jump around wildly to avoid getting cut.
He ripped off the shredded remains of his shirt, breaking the sword by bringing his fist down.
Momo tried not to stare; Izuku's muscles glistened with sweat, and Momo could see light scars running across his chest and arms.
Izuku got into another fighting stance, and Momo pulled out yet another staff.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before both moved simultaneously.
Momo dodged his wind strikes and launched flashbangs and some other canisters at him with her staff.
Izuku tried to dodge the flashbangs while keeping his eyes on Momo, knowing taking his eyes off her wouldn't end well.
The flashbangs exploded, but half of the other canisters stayed on the ground, unmoving.
Izuku decided to ignore them, rushing towards Momo with One for All.
He noticed too late that Momo had a receiver, trying to jump away as she pressed the button.
Half of the canisters exploded, surrounding Izuku in a thick smokescreen.
'Smoke? What is she doing?' Izuku asked, drawing back his fist.
'Please don't be what I think it is,' Marvin groaned as Izuku punched.
Izuku couldn't ask what his friend meant as the wind blew away the smoke, hitting the remaining canisters.
He groaned as a mixture of electricity and nets erupted from them, enveloping him in a blink.
'You have GOT to be kidding me,' Marvin muttered as Izuku broke the surprisingly strong bindings.
"Like it?" Momo called, her staff brushing past his head as he made a last-second dodge.
Izuku tried to stay out of range; whatever kind of electricity Momo used affected his control, effectively making him a loose cannon.
"What is that?" Izuku replied, trying to keep up with Momo's strikes.
"Specific electric stun grenade meant to cause muscle spasms," Momo panted, swinging her staff.
"It's either not effective on you, or I don't have the formula down yet," She frowned, and Izuku thought how cute she looked when she did.
Momo blushed aggressively, and only then did Izuku realize he'd said it out loud.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere you're not already going by yourself," She half-shouted, trying to regain her composure.
Izuku regained his use of One for All, activating it and blocking her staff.
"I just want to be honest," He told her, ducking under a sword she made.
His upward kick shattered the staff and blade, and Izuku pushed off with his hands to get away.
He landed some distance away, gritting his teeth as pain shot through his body. His wounds were still fresh after all.
Momo only looked somewhat better. Sweat poured down her face, her usual ponytail drooped significantly, and her top was still partially destroyed.
Izuku gasped in pain as he activated One for All, his bones groaning in protest. He'd used it all day, broken his bones several times, and used a new ability he still didn't understand; he was exhausted.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YAOYOROZU AND MIDORIYA SEEM TO BE AT A STALEMATE," Present Mic cried. "YAOYOROZU HAS PLENTY OF TRICKS UP HER SLEEVE, BUT MIDORIYA BLOWS IT AWAY EVERY TIME!"
Momo's vision became a bit fuzzy, and she felt something wet touch her lip. Her brows furrowed as she reached up, her fingers coming back bloody.
She wiped it away with her shirt, taking a deep breath and trying to concentrate.
Izuku was hardly better; he couldn't activate One for All for anything besides a few seconds and only at 5% to boot. His head pounded like someone had taken a jackhammer to it, and his hands shook violently.
He took a deep breath, blinking away the dark spots in his vision.
"Are you alright, Izuku?" Momo asked, wiping away more blood.
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Momo. You?" He replied, trying to ignore his body's trembling.
"I feel perfect," Momo said, running towards him with a small dagger.
'Her Quirk is exhausted, just like yours,' Marvin noted as Momo attacked. 'She's focusing on small, simple objects, trying to preserve her strength.'
Izuku leaned back but still got cut across the chest. It wasn't deep, barely enough to draw blood, but it was there.
He grabbed Momo's wrist, pulling her in and managing to knock the dagger out of her hands.
Momo slammed her palm into his stomach just as Izuku did the same.
They both stumbled back, holding their stomachs and staring at each other.
Momo's smile turned into a grimace as she activated her Quirk across her body, pulling from as many reserves of lipids as she could.
Izuku took a deep breath, activating One for All and gritting his teeth as every cell in his body screamed in pain.
'Izuku, you're exhausted,' Marvin barked. 'Both of you. Stop fighting.'
'Just one more,' Izuku replied, sounding out of breath even in his head. 'I can do one more.'
Marvin groaned. 'I'm the crazy one, but he's the stupid one,' He muttered in Spanish.
Small explosives fell from Momo's arms and legs, and a loud ripping sounded as a cannon erupted from her back.
Izuku prepared Wind Force, spinning his arms and legs while rapidly flickering One for All on and off.
The explosives around Momo were staggering, and the girl struggled even to remain standing after so many creations.
Izuku's wind became a small tornado, but Izuku himself had to fight not to get blown away by it.
A tiny receiver popped out of Momo's palm, and she jumped back as Izuku leaped forward.
'Wind Force: Tornado Cluster!'
'Explosive Island!"
The massive collective explosion collided violently with Izuku's tornado, causing the two to mix.
A massive fire tornado roared at the stadium's height, and several contestants covered their faces from the heat.
The fire was so bright it could be seen across the city, and several of those with ice or water Quirks subconsciously activated them.
The fire extinguished itself after a few seconds, leaving the stadium deathly silent as they stared at the arena.
Izuku was barely standing, his knees bent and shaking horribly, blood dripping from his fingers and knuckles.
Momo had her hands on her knees, barely keeping herself from throwing up as her nosebleed worsened.
They both took a shaky step forward, and then another, and another.
They were right in front of each other now, unable to stand straight or use their Quirk.
Izuku collapsed, and Momo fell with him, and they shared smiles as they fell to the ground.
They stared at each other as they lay on the ground, weak smiles on their faces.
Izuku reached out, his fingers wrapping around Momo's, and he felt something warm grow inside him.
He could stand again; his body had strength again, but he stayed on the ground; he wouldn't stand, not without her.
Momo smiled as his fingers wrapped around hers. She squeezed, and her body suddenly felt as heavy as air.
Her Quirk was active again; she could keep fighting, but she wouldn't. If she fought, she would fight with him, always.
Their eyes darkened as they passed out from exhaustion, but they were smiling, not caring about the world around them.
"THIS IS INCREDIBLE," Present Mic roared. "YAOYOROZU AND MIDORIYA WERE SO CLOSELY MATCHED THEY KNOCKED EACH OTHER OUT!"
"THIS IS OUR SECOND DRAW OF THIS TOURNAMENT," He yelled. "TRULY OUR UPCOMING HEROES ARE INCREDIBLE."
Momo and Izuku were rushed to Recovery Girl, who had to take several deep breaths as she saw them.
"I specifically said no more injuries," She muttered as she went to work. "What do they immediately do? Get more injuries."
'You know you're an idiot, right?' Marvin asked Izuku.
Izuku sighed. Apparently, Marvin's ability to quickly recover from exhaustion had passed to Izuku, which amused the older boy for reasons he wouldn't tell Izuku. His mind was conscious, but his body was still shut down, like a tamer version of a coma.
'I didn't mean for it to go that far,' Izuku groaned.
Marvin backhanded him harshly. 'And you couldn't stop once it did?' He asked coldly.
'I was focused?' Izuku tried, knowing there wasn't much he could say to appease Marvin's anger.
Marvin pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering swear words in English and Spanish and even coming up with some rather creative insults in Japanese.
'Izuku,' Marvin sighed. 'You were so focused you couldn't tell when your body was screaming to stop?'
'I just thought that the adrenaline could keep m-'
'YOU'VE BEEN RUNNING ON ADRENALINE SINCE WE SAVED MOMO,' Marvin roared. 'Your arms are still sore, without counting the new Quirk. You've been using One for All at your limit the whole day and were test-driving your new moves for the first time.'
'Oh, and YOU PUNCHED A FREAKING CANNONBALL THE SIZE OF YOUR BODY,' He yelled. 'You could've done the SENSIBLE thing and DODGED, but nooo, you wanted to punch the giant ball of pure steel.'
'Actually, cannonballs have been made of cast iron since the 17th cen-' Izuku paused as Marvin glared at him.
Marvin sighed again. 'I swear, if I weren't trapped inside your body, I'd beat you up without a thought. What kind of devil possessed you to do so many stupid things simultaneously? I swear that's a new record.'
'Well, Momo kept the fight going, and I knew she wanted to show off her new moves since she never really could in her other fights,' Izuku mumbled.
'And you think she wouldn't have preferred you forfeiting, with you explaining later you were hurting yourself from Quirk overuse, then having to wake up next to you in a medical wing because both of you are more stubborn than mules?' Marvin drawled, rolling his eyes.
Izuku felt his body wake up. It was an odd feeling, almost like sleep paralysis or only being half asleep. Knowing you were unconscious but unable to do anything.
He sat up with a loud groan, feeling his abs cry in protest to his movements. Actually, every muscle in his body refused to be used without pain. Izuku almost thought he was training with All Might again, waking up to sore muscles and exhaustion.
His abs and chest were tightly wrapped in bandages, and his arms were covered in a tight black sleeve up to halfway up his biceps. It wasn't a bandage but more like a cloth, like a formfitting shirt. Light beige bandages ran under his armpit and onto the opposite shoulder in an X shape, exposing only a tiny diamond-shaped hole in the middle of the chest.
"Oh, no, you don't," Recovery Girl said, rushing over and pushing him down. He was too tired to argue.
"Momo?" He rasped, his throat drier than it'd ever been.
Recovery Girl smiled a little. The teen in front of her emulated All Might so much it wasn't a shock some teachers thought there was a relation; the Pro Hero always thought of others before himself, much like Midoriya did.
"Your friend woke up just now, and she asked about you first thing," Recovery Girl said, handing him a glass of water.
Izuku drank it all in one gulp, his throat only feeling slightly better as he handed the glass back to Recovery Girl.
Recovery Girl walked around his bed, pulling back the curtains to show Momo in the bed beside him, staring up at the ceiling. Her forehead was wrapped in bandages, along with her arms and torso.
Momo turned, and her almost dejected expression brightened immediately, a large smile blooming across her face.
"Hey," She said, wincing as she moved to her side to get a better look at him.
"Hey," Izuku replied, also turning to face her.
Momo sighed. "We went overboard, didn't we?"
Recovery Girl and Marvin snorted as if Momo had told a slightly funny joke.
"Both of you are suffering from severe Quirk exhaustion," Recovery Girl stated, gesturing with her cane. "You will NOT use your Quirks AT ALL for the next 72 hours MINIMUM. If you do, you run the large risk of permanently damaging your Quirk and yourselves."
Izuku and Momo paled dramatically at Recovery Girl's words. Neither knew that using their Quirk to such an extent could damage it; they knew of Quirk exhaustion, everyone did, but to use your Quirk to the point of permanent damage?
Recovery Girl sighed. "I would recommend both of you have minimal movement and heavy lifting for the next 24 hours, just to make sure your bodies aren't damaged in some way I couldn't fix. You should be fine, but I'm not taking chances here."
Momo and Izuku nodded, feeling a bit sore as they did so, Izuku much more than Momo.
Recovery Girl turned to Momo. "Your Quirk is unstable. Eat more food for the next week, and even after the 72 hours pass, try to keep your Quirk use to a minimum. Thankfully, since your Quirk has an inbuilt limit, you should be perfectly fine after a few days, but you will sleep much more. Understand?"
Momo nodded, and Recovery Girl turned to Izuku.
"You," She jabbed her cane at him. "Don't even think about using your Quirk more than you must, even after the three days. Your Quirk is showing signs of tearing down your muscles, and even though it's much too early to tell if the damage is serious or not, it's still there. Use what you can handle, and come to me if you feel any pain at all. Understood?"
Izuku nodded shakily, and Recovery Girl walked away, leaving the two teens alone.
"You were amazing out there," Momo said, staring at him with a smile. She bit her lip a little as she saw him; the bandages on his stomach were wrapped tightly enough for his abs to show through clearly, and the sleeves made it look more like a hero costume than anything else.
"Are you sure you're not talking to yourself?" Izuku asked, sitting up with a little less pain now.
Momo flushed and adverted her eyes slightly, staring at the wall behind Izuku, knowing that if she looked at him, her eyes would drift downwards.
"I think out of the two of us, you were the most impressive," Momo replied. "I just continued the attacks I used before."
"You know, I think you were the most impressive," Izuku said, throwing his legs over the side to look at her better. "And that cannon was new. So, was that net you used."
"I came up with that after the flashbangs," Momo beamed, sitting up.
Izuku's breath caught in his throat. Her hair was out of its ponytail, framing her face beautifully as he stared.
His mouth was slightly open as Momo ran a hand through her hair. He felt his face heat up and tried to look away but couldn't; he was mesmerized.
"Izuku?" Momo asked, and something in Izuku's chest tightened almost painfully.
"Y-yes, Momo?" He asked, his heart beating so hard he felt like it would crack his ribs.
"Were you listening?" She asked, and she looked a little hurt that Izuku hadn't heard her.
"Oh, yeah," Marvin took over. "You said you had so much success with the flashbangs; you began experimenting with different compositions, which got you the smoke grenades and those muscle-spasm grenades."
Momo beamed, and Marvin gave Izuku back control.
"Yeah, I got tied up in a few of the nets," Momo rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "It took me half an hour to get free since it's tarred nylon and almost impossible for me to break."
"Yeah, they were really tough," Izuku agreed. "I'm happy you're figuring out so many cool ways to use your Quirk. It only makes sense since you're really intelligent."
Momo flushed. "Thank you, Izuku," She murmured before yawning.
Izuku smiled. "Looks like we're both still tired," He said, yawning too.
Momo stretched her hands high above her head, arching her back as much as she could.
She let her hands fall with a contented sigh, smiling at him through tired eyes.
"We should continue talking after we rest," She said, laying down on her side, facing him.
Izuku laid down, too, and the two faced each other, smiling as their exhaustion overwhelmed them.
All Might came into the medical wing a few minutes later, pausing as he saw the two teens fast asleep, facing each other.
"Ah, Toshinori," Recovery Girl said. "I needed to speak with you."
All Might deflated into his true form, coughing up blood as he sat down.
"Are you sure that is wise, Toshinori?" Recovery Girl asked, glancing at the door.
Toshinori waved her off. "It's fine, Chiyo. All of the students left already. What did you want to speak to me about?"
"Your student," Recovery Girl replied, and Toshinori gave her a confused look.
"Young Midoriya? What about him?" He asked.
"His Quirk is changing," Recovery Girl said, but Toshinori looked confused.
"I'm not sure I understand."
Recovery Girl sighed. "One for All is changing Midoriya's body. I drew blood to run the Quirk exhaustion test and came across what seems like a mutation in his cells."
"Is it dangerous?" Toshinori asked immediately. He didn't know how to help with something like that, but he would try.
Recovery Girl shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of. It seems like the mutation gives him enhanced amounts of adrenaline and another cell form that increases his physical attributes, but only temporarily."
"And what does that have to do with One for All?" Toshinori asked.
"When I ran the test, it came back showing two Quirks," Recovery Girl answered, and Toshinori did a double take.
"That's not possible. Young Midoriya didn't have a Quirk before I gave him One for All. You saw his medical records, Chiyo," Toshinori reminded the elderly woman.
Chiyo nodded. "I know. But the tests showed two Quirks anyway," She said, handing All Might the results.
Toshinori studied the results. What Recovery Girl said was correct: Izuku's blood had extracellular life forms and an increased release of adrenaline. What confused him, however, is that the extra cells didn't seem native to Izuku; their genetic information didn't match, almost like they'd been planted there, like a blood donor.
"I see," He said, handing the results back. "What can you tell me about the second Quirk?"
"Well, I know it's not what he used to save Miss Yaoyorozu," Chiyo said. "The Quirk seems to be a mix of two, much like Young Todoroki's. It's a permanent enhancement that increases his strength, speed, and possibly durability. It's mixed with a switch connected to the part of the brain responsible for emotions."
Toshinori frowned. That didn't sound like any Quirk he knew of. He'd heard of strength-enhancement Quirks; those were common, but a Quirk hybrid with strength as its primary output?
"What does the switch do when activated?" He asked.
"I can't be certain, but it seems to release two things. One is a signal for adrenaline, further increasing his strength, and the other is a form of energy that triggers the part of the brain responsible for fear in those around him," Chiyo replied. "I can't determine range from this test."
"So what you're saying is," Toshinori said slowly. "That Young Midoriya has a second Quirk that permanently enhances his strength and increases it in times of extreme emotion while causing people around him to feel afraid?"
Chiyo nodded. "I'm unsure if One for All created this Quirk or is simply enhancing it, but there is no question in the connection."
"That must be what he used at the Sports Festival," Toshinori realized. "But I've heard reports of that aura being immune to Aizawa's Erasure, so are you sure it's a second Quirk?"
"It might be a mutant type," Chiyo replied. "Shota cannot erase those. The enhancement has a permanent basis so that enhancement may be shielding the activation portion of the Quirk."
"But you said it's connected to Young Midoriya's emotions," Toshinori said, and Chiyo nodded. "That would mean it's not activation-based but rather a defense mechanism he can't control."
"What do you want me to do?" Toshinori asked.
"Watch over him carefully. I can't determine if the Quirk was put there; all I know is that it's there," Chiyo told him. "It might have an unintended side effect we are unaware of."
Toshinori nodded. He would help as much as possible; he knew his death was close, Nighteye had told him, and he wouldn't leave Young Midoriya without proper training.
He stood, placing both first-place medals on Recovery Girl's desk before walking out with a surprising amount of stealth for someone so tall.