Chapter Text
Izuku sits at his workstation. He’s wrapped himself with the remaining healing paste and is honestly just praying to whatever gods may exist that it’ll fix all his problems. Splayed out on his desk is villain notebook #2 and quirk science notebook #4.
The vigilante yawns as he looks down at the papers. One small question echoes around in his scull. How does the Nomu have multiple quirks?
The police believe he has a mimicry quirk of sorts. But as his middle school made very clear he is in fact quirkless.
The Nomu, however, is no such sham. Now Izuku doesn’t mean to brag but he’s been punched by many people in his life. He knows how it feels to be punched by someone with super strength. So Nomu definitely has super strength. But it definitely had regeneration and super speed too.
Maybe it’s time he goes back to the basics. Forget everything he thinks he knows about quirks and start at the very beginning.
He slides quirk science notebook #1 off the bookshelf along with a beat up copy of Quirk History For Dummies. The desk drawer slides open and the vigilante pulls out an uneven spool of worn red yarn and a baby food jar full of mismatched thumbtacks.
“Let’s do this.”
————————
Shota tenses as he wakes up. Pain immediately makes itself known to him. The lights shine too bright and there’s a sharp smell of bleach. But he quickly relaxes when the smell of citrus and the sound of pages turning hit him.
“How long was I out?” Shota asks.
“Gah!” Hizashi jumps in his seat, almost dropping his book. “You have got to stop doing that!”
“Doing what?”
“You know what I mean.” Hizashi grumbles before saying, “You’ve been out for about a day and before you ask all your kids are okay.”
Shota visibly relaxes with the assurance that his students, definitely not kids, are okay. “What about Viridian?”
Hizashi hesitates, “We don’t know.”
“What?” The heart monitor begins beeping faster, “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“The little listener ran for it once All Might tried to arrest him. We have footage of him leaving UA campus but after that it’s like chasing after a ghost.”
“All Might, the number one hero. Tried to arrest an injured child.” Shota’s voice was murderous.
A knock sounded on the door interrupting whatever Hizashi intended to say as a response. They entered without waiting for permission, moved to stand in the middle of the room with their clipboard in hand, and adjusted their glasses.
As they took a breath, Tsukauchi burst into the room. “I’m sorry Eraser I tried to stop them but they won’t take no for an answer.”
“As I said,” The intruder took out their badge, “I am part of the Hero Public Safety Commission and I need Eraserhead’s testimony.”
“And as I told you I am no hero and therefore not under your jurisdiction. Eraserhead has, to my knowledge, only just woken up and does not need to deal with you of all things.” Tsukauchi moves to pull the official out the door but they simply brush off his hand before cleaning their hands with hand sanitizer.
The official turns away from Tsukauchi pointedly, “My name is Harada Sana I need to speak with Pro Hero Eraserhead and only Pro Hero Eraserhead with a matter concerning the events at the USJ and the hostiles within it.”
“Very well.” Shota ignores Hizashi’s incredulous look. “Can you leave Mic. For now.” Their relationship is off the books and he intends to keep it that way.
Tsukauchi and Hizashi shuffle out the door while Shota does his best to sit up properly.
“The Hero Commission understands you were in charge of Hero Class 1-A at the time of the attack.”
“That is correct.” This is going to be a long talk.
“Is it true that there was a vigilante present.”
So that’s what this is about. The Hero Commission has access to the police reports, they know Viridian was there. They also know he’s been in the same area as the kid for three weeks. “Yes, Viridian was there. He was on our side though.”
“My reports say he came through with the villains warp gate.” Harada pauses from writing on their clipboard, “How do you know he’s not playing you?”
“I’ve gotten to know Viridian over the past month. He also saved my life as your notes should say.” The hero sighed, “What’s this really about.”
“We have reports of the Vigilante using multiple quirks that have nothing to do with each other. We also have a small time criminal that went missing three years ago with one quirk. Now he’s re-emerged with multiple quirks and he’s a, pardon my language, a huge fucking monster. Someone gave him those quirks.”
“All for One is just a legend. A myth meant for scaring children.” Shota paused, “Don’t tell me you think the kid is the Boogeyman of the Underground?”
“It was a theory-“
“That kid can’t leave a worm on the sidewalk.” Trying to imagine Viridian as a villain is going to make him laugh.
“Wha-“ Harada looks a little stunned, “Our current theory is he has some connection to All for One. A relative, an escaped project, or just working for him we don’t know. Either way Viridian has information we need.”
He’s getting tired of this person already. “Again, what does this have to do with me?”
“We need you to capture Viridian.”
—————
Izuku’s wall is a mess. Since UA cancelled school for the rest of the week in wake of the attack Izuku had plenty of time to work out his theories and blueprints. His theories have moved off of the cork board and onto the surrounding wall, held up by tape and silly putty. He has barely slept the past three days. The worst part, though, has to be that he can’t test a single idea. Curse his genetics.
All of these things combined are why he’s running down the halls of UA, neon pink sticky note in hand towards Hero Class 1-A. Izuku practically knocked down the door before before a yellow caterpillar thing opened it. Oh sugar honey iced tea that is Eraserhead.
“What do you want?” His voice was gruff, devoid of the care Izuku earned as Viridian. He had a cast up his arm and there was a new scar on his face but Izuku was just glad he was alive.
“Yaoyorozu Momo,” Izuku handed over his sticky note.
“Support Students don’t normally start stealing my students until the second semester.” There was a hidden question in Eraser’s voice.
“Personal project, I believe she can help with a theory of mine and in return I would like to offer some changes to her costume and some advice.”
“Very well, have her back before training.” Eraser ducks back into the classroom, “Yaoyorozu you’re needed outside leave you stuff here.”
Izuku could hear her soft, deliberate steps before she exited into the hall with him.
She looked down at him with confusion “May I ask what I’m to be doing?”
Izuku started walking, “So I had a theory that since all quirks work off of little electrical impulses sent throughout the body I could send back the same wave and effectively cancel it out. I need someone with a fairly consistent quirk that’s not going to blow up in my face to help test. Also I thought I could help you with your costume design.”
“Excuse me?” Yaoyorozu paused in the hallway, “What’s wrong with my costume?”
“Forgive me I mean no disrespect. I think the color scheme is amazing and it’s very recognizable. You, however, run into an issue with having to rip the costume each time you wish to use your quirk and I thought you should know there is an alternative.”
“I’m not running around naked.”
“That’s not what I meant. You can synthesize fabric out of a person’s dna and their brain will recognize the fabric as part of them. Allowing you to use your quirk without having to to become a teenage stripper.”
“Really? That’s interesting can you show me your notes on this?” She looked… genuinely interested in his theories.
“Absolutely.”
——————
Yaoyorozu, or Momo as she asked to be called, was hooked up to all sorts of sensors while sitting on a wooden stool. A pile of protein bars covered half of Izuku’s desk with the other half covered in notebooks and a laptop.
“Okay activate your quirk, make something that doesn’t need a lot of energy to create.”
Her hand sparkles as a pencil pushes its way out of her hand. Izuku tracks the energy as it bobs up and down on the monitors. Izuku copies the signature and drags it to another window. The blue loading bar creeps across the screen as he readies his emitter, which is a modified police radar he may or may not have stolen from Tsukauchi.
He points it at Momo and places his finger on the trigger. A green check appears on the screen as the data is loaded up. “Okay do the exact same thing but this time don’t stop the pencil.”
The sparkles start up again. Izuku breathes in. Breathes out. And presses down the trigger. Moments later unfinished pencil drops to the ground with a clatter.
A laugh forces its way out of Izuku’s throat, “You didn’t do that right?”
“No! It felt like when Aizawa-sensei uses his quirk!” Momo stands up excitement clear in her face. “That’s so cool!”
Izuku slides down to the ground, giggles of disbelief still making their way past his lips. “I just did that. I canceled your quirk.”
“Do you know what this means? How much you can use this for?”
“Detainment of criminals, out of control quirks, a safe alternative to suppressants.” Izuku pauses as a thought surfaces, “Do you think it would work against a Nomu? Or someone with a mutant quirk?”
“I- don’t know. Aizawa-sensei’s doesn’t. But this might work differently.”
“Hold that thought,” Izuku ducked his head out of the testing room and made eye contact with his teacher. “Hey Power Loader-sensei can you come test something for meeee?!”
“I’m not going to be blown up am I,” the gods of irony must be laughing as Mei’s creation blew up at that moment covering her face in soot. “You know what it’s probably safer in there.”
Izuku began disconnecting Momo who moved off to the side. “Sit here and look pretty.”
“Okay?” His teacher sat on the stool hesitantly and looks confused and mildly fearful as Izuku hooks him up to the readers.
“So you have a mutation quirk right?” Izuku continues at his teacher’s nod, “Does it have any other factors to it than just the claws?”
“They regenerate very quickly. There’s no filing them down. Any chip or crack is gone in seconds, Why?”
“Momo can you make me some nail clippers.”
“On it!”
Izuku grabs the emitter and points it at his teacher, “After I activate this, clip the claws Momo.” Breathe in, breathe out, pull the trigger.
A soft snip later the three stare at Power Loader’s claws. Nothing happens. Izuku releases the trigger and true to his sensei’s word the claw fixes itself in seconds.
“Midoriya,” Power Loader’s voice is strangely calm.
“Yeah?”
“What the hell Was That!”