The Alien Hero
And Then There Were 10
The Multiverse. From one universe, from a single event, branches more possibilities. And with more key events, more possibilities branch out, creating an ever-expanding tree of parallel universes from a single point in time.
For instance, the universe of one Ben Tennyson. We all know the story, 10-year-old Ben discovers the most powerful device in the universe: the Omnitrix. With this device, he becomes one of the greatest heroes of all time. But this story isn't about him. Not even about one of his alternate selves.
In this particular universe, the events of Earth Prime didn't occur until over 150 years later, after the phenomenon of "quirks" first occurred in a newborn baby in China. Due to unknown circumstances, reports started popping up all over the globe stating the same thing.
Superpowers. Bioluminescence, fire, ice, telekinesis, you name it. No one knew the cause of these quirks.
But even if they did, no one would believe it.
xXx
Year 2006…the Sol System…
Laser-fire soared through space from an enormous flagship, targeting a small spacecraft over a blue planet. The vessel was a transport ship, and it was carrying precious cargo. Possibly the most powerful Galvan tech in existence.
Their pursuer, the conqueror Vilgax, learned of the nature and location of the device and would stop at nothing to get his hands on it. Though the transport ship was small and agile, it wasn't long until it was struck by the flagship's armaments. Blue flames erupted from the ship's engine as it halted. With the ship disabled, a team of probes advanced to recover the tech within.
Xylene was having a very bad day. Her mission to deliver the Omnitrix to Max Tennyson had practically failed now that her ship was downed. With only a few minutes of air left, and Vilgax's probes on route, she only had one option. She had already tried to send the device down in an escape pod, but the ship was too damaged to do so. She said a prayer and activated the device, finding the correct combination of twists and turns.
"Voice Command Activated." A voice rang out.
"Omnitrix, set self-destruct sequence. 10-minute countdown. Self-destruct code 0010-destruct-0. Authorization: Xylene."
"Authorization accepted. Self-destruct sequence initiated. T-minus 9 minutes and 50 seconds." The dial counted down, glowing orange as it built up energy.
"Omnitrix, lock command feature. Lock out all attempts use Omnitix barring the First Thinker."
"Command accepted. All functions barring self-destruct are locked." With that, the voice command shut down. Only the creator could possibly stop what was about to occur. Just as she stowed the device back into its pod with shaking hands, the inner wall of the craft was breached by red lasers. Xylene breathed her last as the air was sucked from her lungs.
'At least…' she thought as her life faded. 'it will never be used…by him.'
xXx
"Finally…my victory is at hand!" Vilgax grinned evilly as a drone carried a grey sphere forward. The warlord rose from his throne to accept the pod. "The Omnitrix, despite that Galvan's interference, is mine!" He cracked the pod open. Orange light radiated from the hourglass symbol.
"…was it not…green?" Not that the color really mattered to him. Something was off. He picked up the watch and looked closer.
"Self-destruct in 10…9…8…7…"
"WHAT!?" he roared, still holding the device. "YOU WOULD DESTROY THE UNIVERSE TO STOP ME!?"
"5…4…3…2…"
"AZMUUUUUUUUUUUTH!"
xXx
Astronomers and scientists alike would debate the cause of the energy shower for decades to come. As far as humanity could tell, a bright orange and green explosion lit the night sky with its power. And soon after, green energy rained down from the heaven, spreading all over the earth in small orbs of light. Though no one ever knew the cause, the few Plumber agents had heard rumors of powerful, level-20, tech being sent to their planet for God-knows why. And the energy shower, upon further study, showed the markers of Galvanic technology, so the cause was made a bit clearer.
In any case, the world's government had searched for entire year for the debris from the explosion over the Pacific Ocean, but only ever found fragments of strange metal. Most of it was molten, so some speculated it was asteroids crashing into each other. Others, the minority, believed it to be extraterrestrial activity.
Whatever the case, it wasn't too long after that the reports of quirks began to crop up from all over. Many linked the energy shower with the phenomenon, but no one could come up with the proof. What they didn't know was that their proof was floating deep in the sea, forgotten…
xXx
158 years later…Musutafu…
"My dreams have turned to fish food…" a young boy said sullenly outside his middle school. This wasn't the first time one of his notebooks was charred, burnt, or reduced to cinders. First time it's ever landed in the koi pond though.
"That's enough. Give it back." He shooed away the fish to pick up the soggy wad of paper. Despite Izuku Midoriya's dreams of being a hero, and the relentless studying he did on heroes, no one even thought about taking him seriously. Not even his own mother believed he could become a hero, and definitely not his former friend, Katsuki Bakugo. Ever since Bakugo developed his explosion quirk, Midoriya had become his favorite target for his blasts. Midoriya, on the other hand, never developed a quirk of any kind, making himself the focus of ridicule and mockery from his peers for the last 10 years.
He never resented them, not even Kachaan, but that didn't mean he was giving up either. He made a promise to himself, a promise he made nearly every day, that he would become the world's greatest hero! As he reminded himself of that, he set off for home, doing an imitation of his favorite hero.
"AH HA HA HAHA! AAAHH HAHA HA HA…ha…ha…" He walked dramatically through an underpass when he heard something odd. Something…slithering.
He turned, now face to face with a mass of green goo! And the goo had eyeballs!
"A villain?" he cried, dropping his ruined notebook. A grotesque grin crept along the creature's face as it sprang forward.
"Finally! A proper skinsuit to hid in!" it seemed to celebrate. Its mass enveloped the boy's body, forcing itself down his mouth to take control.
'I…I can't breathe!' Midoriya thought desperately. 'Its too thick!' He tried uselessly to pry the substance off his mouth.
"Ha! Don't bother kid, my body's made of fluid!" The creature gloated. "You came by right on time you know! You're a hero! For me at least…now hold still!"
'Please…' Midoriya thought as he started slipping into unconsciousness. 'All Might…anyone…please! Help me…'
xXx
Meanwhile…on the ocean floor…
Out of nowhere, a dim green glow illuminated the seabed, just bright enough to scare the bottom feeders away. A synthetic voice rang out, heard by no one.
"Omnitrix reconstruction complete, basic functions now available. Scanning for pre-selected user DNA: Max Tennyson."
…
"DNA signature unavailable. Searching for closest descendant DNA of Max Tennyson."
…
"Confirmed. 28 potential users available." The device blinked red. "Warning: majority of human DNA has undergone drastic alteration. Human DNA too varied to catalog at this time. 27 potential users disqualified until further examination. 1 potential user available. New user selected. Omnitrix will couple with user until Creator resets. Initiating long-range coupling."
The green glow brightened, revealing the entire wreckage of the aged flagship on the sea floor, before shooting up almost as fast as light itself.
xXx
"Wow kid! You really put up a fight, but its time to let go. It'll stop hurting if you just stop struggling ok?" the villain coaxed. Despite being submerged for so long, Midoriya just kept on fighting; struggling to remain conscious. But no one could survive long in these conditions. It wasn't long until he started to fade in and out. He was about to give up…
The slime villain noticed something out the corner of his eye. It couldn't be All Might, he lost him ages ago. Out from the distance, a green light was coming. Straight for them!
Before he could react, the beam of light penetrated his slimy body, hitting the kid. Green light erupted on the boy's form before becoming something else entirely!
Fire! He was on fire!
"AAAAAAOOOOWWWWWWW!" Waves of fire blasted the villain right off the source, scorching him in the process! The fiery being coughed and gasped for air, spitting some smoldering goo from his system as he fell to the ground. Then he looked at his hand.
"AAAAAAH! I'M ON FIRE!" The being jumped up, swatting his arm before realizing his other arm was ablaze too! "AAAAHH! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!"
"FUCK!" The villain cursed as he dove for the sewers again. "I ain't dealing with that shit!" The metal lid for the manhole spun as it shut, leaving behind an extremely panicked mass of magma. The Pyronite had Stopped, Dropped, and Rolled like he was taught when he realized: it didn't hurt! He got back up, examining his hands. They weren't just on fire. They were practically masses of charcoal! Four fingers too! He reached up to feel his face. He felt different too…yet the same.
"What on earth…" he muttered. His voice was different too, having a deeper tone to it. Almost like the roar of a furnace. He then noticed a broken mirror sitting near the underpass. Carefully, as to not burn it, he sat it back up. What he saw shocked him.
His entire body was made of glowing red rocks, with magma seeping in between to keep him together. Fire blazed from every inch of his now slightly taller form, forming a blaze on his skull-like head. Though he could see normally, he couldn't find his eyes in the mirror, only blazing sockets. His hands were proportionally larger too, even larger than his head, with four stubby fingers sprouting from each hand. The only thing out of place was the strange black and white badge on his chest, resembling a grey hourglass.
"I'm…some sort of fire monster? Is this my quirk?" he wondered hopefully. He looked at his hand again, igniting a fireball in his large palm.
"WOW! Some sort of pyrokinesis!" He threw the fireball into the air, catching it in his other hand. "Yeah! This is awesome! I'm probably dreaming though…wait, where's that slimy guy?" He looked around frantically. No slime villain in sight. "Huh…must have run off when I transformed. Where could he have gone?"
CLANG!
The manhole from before shot up, banging on the concrete as it landed! A large form leaped from the hole and saw, dressed in a white tee and green cargo pants.
'Another mutant type?' the man asked himself. He looked around. Bits of slime here and there. Scorch marks. Vaguely burnt batches of goo.
And a citizen on fire.
"YOU THERE! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" All Might asked, his question booming in the underpass.
The magma-man only stared. 'Is that…no…it can't be…'
"I DON'T MEAN TO TROUBLE YOU, BUT I'M IN A BIT OF A HURRY-"
"ALL MIGHT!?" the creature suddenly shouted. "You're my favorite thanks! I mean, you're hello my hero! I mean…"
"WOAH, WOAH, SLOW DOWN THERE FRIEND. I'M FLATTERED, BUT DID YOU SEE A BIG PILE OF SLIME ANYWHERE? I'M IN HASTE."
"Uhhhh, YEAH! I mean, yes. He attacked me actually."
'Awfully nervous for a guy on fire.' All Might humored to himself. "AND YOU DEFENDED YOURSELF I SEE!"
"Y-y-yes…I hope that's ok…" the creature twiddled his fingers nervously, though the motion was familiar but the hands weren't, so he actually had trouble coordinating his fingers.
"NONSENSE! DEFENDING YOURSELF FROM VILLAINY IS JUST FINE! JUST TRY TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE OK? NOW, WHICH WAY DID HE GO?"
Midoriya raised his glowing hand back to the manhole. "Down there, I think. Sorry, I not sure exactly…"
"FEAR NOT, MY FIERY FRIEND!" All Might reassured. "I AM HERE, AFTER ALL! TILL NEXT TIME!" With a cry and a jump, the Number One Hero shot back into the manhole, after the villain.
"Wait! Can you sign my…notebook…" Midoriya called after him, but it was too late. Now it was just him, himself, and him.
"Ok…now what?" He knelt down to pick up his notebook from before, but stopped just before grabbing it. "Right. I'm on fire." He stood back up, growing a bit scared again. "What if I can change back?!"
Beep beep beep beep bop bowww…
Red light filled his vision before he shrunk back down. When he opened his eyes, he looked at human arms.
"I'm me again!" He cheered. He looked at his left wrist, where he found the same symbol from before.
It looked like a strange, foreign watch. Dark grey and white made up the boxy design with a round watch face on top, which was glowing red. The dial on top could be spun and there was a small button below the face, but it only gave a negative beep when he played with it.
"So strange…does it have anything to do with my quirk?" It took a moment, but he realized what he just said there. "A quirk! But…that means…" he cracked a huge grin. "I HAVE A QUIRK! HAHA!" He pinched himself, checking if it was a dream. It wasn't! This was real!
"Just wait till Mom hears about this! Wait, what time is it?" He checked his new watch. "Huh. Doesn't tell time." He checked his phone instead. "Shoot! I gotta get home soon!"
Ding!
He glanced at the watch. The faceplate was green now!
He looked around, checking for any onlookers. "Though…I suppose a bit of quirk discovery is warranted." He touched the faceplate, pressing the lower button. The face plate sprung up, revealing a cylindrical core with green circuitry. "Woah!" The hourglass formed together to make a diamond, with a silhouette in the middle.
"That's the fire guy!" He recognized the shadow and turned the dial. A different form appeared, a four-armed guy. He cycled through 10 forms in total, from what seemed to be a giant wasp, to a two-armed ghost. Even some sort of fish-man. He landed on what looked like an animal. He gave one last look around. "Here goes nothing!"
He pressed the dial down.
And his world went black.
xXx
"I hate that damn nerd!" Bakugo raged for the twelfth time that day. He and his cronies were making their way threw an alley to the game corner to blow off some steam. Something the explosive boy had in excess. Unbeknownst to him, a green glob was stalking the group, after witnessing the display of power the boy showed earlier.
"You know," one of the lackies said "we could go to that one place, get some ciggs?"
"IDIOT!" Bakugo yelled. "I'm going to UA! I need a clean track record dumbass!" The two dummies looked scared. Too scared, Bakugo thought. A shadow hung over him from behind.
"Not a big fan of fire lately," the villain drawled as Bakugo turned. 'But you'll do!"
xXx
"ROOOOAAAAAAAR?" And Midoriya thought the fire form was strange! He was blind!
Wait…not blind. His gills opened up, pinging his surroundings. Echolocation! He sniffed around in his new form, scanning his surroundings. There was a couple from the school making out half a mile away. A guy was sweeping the dirt from his apartment one mile away. And nearby, a bird plucked a worm from the ground!
'I may be blind, but I see everything! I feel strong too.' He used his senses to feel out his body. As far as he could tell, be has a big alien dog with canine back legs and large front paws with opposable thumbs. He had a no eyes and a fierce overbite, creating quite the unique look. He could make out the device on his shoulder, likely black and white like before.
Testing his power, he leaped onto the overpass, then to a building wall, where he gripped tightly with his claws. He was briefly worried about being discovered, as public quirk use was forbidden, but he could sense everything around him! There was no chance he'd be caught! And if he was spotted, who'd recognize him? He jumped again, landing on another building then into an alley way, taking off on all fours. He easily broke 30 mph, leaping over obstacles and making impossible feats of acrobatics!
'This is incredible! I'm strong! I can be a hero!'
"HOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLRRAAAAAAAAAAARRR!" he roared, unable to form words properly or speak. But his excitement was obvious.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM
The large creature paused at the large sound, extending his senses towards the noise. 'A villain attack?' he thought. He sniffed, using his superior sense of smell to pick out the area. He'd never forget that stench.
'It's him! The slime villain!' His grimace turned to an animalistic snarl. 'Smells like he's got someone! They must be suffocating! They smell familiar…' He sniffed harder, trying to place the memory. Smelled like…gunpowder? No, ash? Ash and…glycerin. Nirtoglycerin!
'Kachaan! KACHAAN!'
"ROOOOOAAAAAAAR!"
xXx
"GGGRRRAAAAAA! YOU PICKED THE WRONG GUY TO MESS WITH!" Katsuki screamed as slime forced him down. "LET ME GOOOOOO!" Sparks flew from his hands before more explosions erupted, the villain aiming his victim to destroy the area. Not to say he was unopposed, though he might as well have been. The Punching Hero: Death Arms tried to free the boy, but his strength was useless against the liquid defense. Backdraft was busy dousing the fires caused by the rampage and couldn't engage, while Kamui Woods focused on rescuing civilians as his wooden composition was a bad match. Not even Mt. Lady could be of help, as the streets and alleys were too narrow for her to get close.
They all fell victim to truly terrible circumstances. And in one hero's case, timing.
"Dammit," muttered the Number One Hero, now skinny as a skeleton. Having run out of time, Toshinori was forces to watch on the sidelines. Like a civilian. "If I had just caught the guy before…if I hadn't gotten lost in the sewer system, this would never have happened!" He gripped his wound under his shirt. "I can't…can't save him!" He grit his teeth.
"I'm pathetic!" he spat.
Meanwhile, the villain managed to close Bakugo's airway, hoping to suffocate him into submission. "So much power! I think I'll keep you kid! You got fire, the right kind! HAHAHAHA!"
In his panic, Bakugo set off more explosions, forcing the heroes back. 'It's not like they can do anything anyway' he thought. 'It can't end here! I can't die here! Please, whoever's out there! HELP ME!'
And boy, did he get his answer.
"ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRAAAAAAAARRRRRGGG!" A leaping figure blocked out the sun as it jumped forward. A giant orange creature was attacking the villain!
"HEY!" Death Arms yelled. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"
All Might was stunned as well! He'd never seen anything like this!
"GRRRAAAAH!" The villain yelled in pain as the animal clawed at his eyes. "Where did you come from?" The creature gave another roar, slashing the villains face enough for Katsuki to break free from his suffocation. As he coughed and hacked, the beast bit down on the boy's school uniform and tore him from the slime! Now free, it ran from the pain-stricken blob, carrying a ballistic Bakugo.
"AAAAAHHHHHLET ME GO YOU MANGY MUTT! GIT cough OFF!" he roared at his rescuer. He dropped him near the heroes, who were expecting a fight and moved to engage the new threat. But the animal turned, snarling at the recovering slime villain.
"Uhhh…" Death Arms was confused. "You're on our side? Are you a Pro?"
Midoriya tried to respond, but what came out was "rrraaaaagggraafffroargrack!"
While Death Arms tried to understand, Toshinori was having some revelations about the new player.
'That symbol on it's shoulder. Same from the magma guy! Could it be?' he pondered. But before he could debate it any further, the villain had finally collected himself! "YOU FUCKING MUUUUUTTTTTTTTT!"
The mutt in question roared back his challenge, with the device on his shoulder started to flash red. He prepared to leap!
beep beep bop bowww…
"RRROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa!" Red light blared around the beast, blinding everyone around. When the light faded, it was none other than…
"Deku?" Bakugo muttered, his eyes wide as dinnerplates. Midoriya was down on all fours, yelling unintelligibly at the villain. Then he opened his eyes.
"Hey, I can see! Wait…" It was at that moment that Midoriya knew…
He fucked up.
"YOU!" The slime villain howled in rage. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU BRAT!" He formed his slimy arm and reared back to strike! Midoriya shielded his eyes as the villain struck!
But the impact never came.
"That was quite the entrance young man. I'm jealous!"Midoriya looked up to see none other than All Might! "If you don't mind, I'll take it from here" he said with his trademark grin. Midoriya's eyes shone. He was saved! Again!
"NOW THEN," he turned to the petrified villain. "SHALL WE FINISH THIS?"
Slimy broke out of his stupor. "DAMN YOU ALL MIIIIIIGHT!"cried, trying for another swing. All Might cocked his fist back.
"DETROIT…SMAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHH!"
BWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH
In a single strike, the slime that made up the villain exploded from the sheer force, which kicked up a tornado that was felt for miles. The wind carried for a solid 15 seconds before dying down.
Soon after, small drops of rain started to come down. All Might's punch was so powerful, he managed to change the weather! Silently struggling to stand, All Might raised his fist in victory, once again proving why he was number one. As the crowd cheered and law enforcement rushed in to contain the criminal, he looked to the two boys he had saved. Particularly the green-haired boy with the watch. Having been right at the center of the storm, plus their combined exhaustion, both were out cold.
'Some kid' he thought. 'I wonder…'
xXx
Long story short, Midoriya was both praised for his bravery and scolded beyond belief for putting himself in danger. As Midoriya walked home (likely to a scared-half-to-death mother), he still couldn't believe his newfound power. With 10 transformations, that's ten different skill sets and quirks to choose from! The possibilities were endless! Or at least they felt that way.
"Hey! Deku!" He turned back to see a sprinting Bakugo, an expression of rage across his face. Midoriya tried to talk him down. "Hey Kachaan, what's-"
Smack! Bakugo right hooked Midoriya right in the face! He heaved from exhaustion as Midoriya tumbled to the ground.
"That…was for keeping…your quirk a secret…from me…you shit" he gasped. Midoriya sat up, rubbing his cheek.
"Kachaan, I…"
"What the HELL were you doing!? You can turn into some sort of wild mutt, big fucking deal!" he yelled. Perhaps it was the anxiety from being attacked, or the humiliation from being saved, but tears started to form around his eye, which he quickly wiped off. "I don't owe you a damn thing you hear me? I could've handled it myself! Fuck you!" He flipped him the bird as he stalked away. "And by the way!" he called back. "My quirk's the best! Yours doesn't even compare, you useless shit! You'll never be a hero, you hear me?"
Midoriya looked after his back, absolutely befuddled. "I guess he's ok…" he muttered as he stood up. "I'd better get home then-"
"I AM HERE!"
"WAAAAAH!" Midoriya screamed. All Might just ran right in front of him! "All Might? But, you were surrounded by reporters!"
"AH HA HAHAHA! I LIVE FOR JUSTICE! NOT SOUNDBITES! BECAUSE I…I AM ALL MIeeeeeck!" POOF! Suddenly, All Might shrunk down! Blood spewed from his mouth as he hunched down, now skinny as a skeleton.
…
…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Cough, wait a minute please-" Small Might interjected.
"ALL MIGHT? WHAT HAPPENED? YOU'RE…YOU'RE NOT ALL MIGHT! IMPOSTER!" Midoriya cried, pointing at the number one. Toshinori pinched the bridge of his nose, getting a handle on his cough.
"I assure you I am All Migbleck!" Blood spilled out again, earning another scream from the Omnitrix bearer.
"AAAAH! IMPOSSIBLE!" Midoriya couldn't believe his eyes. "But you can't be!"
Toshinori cocked an eyebrow. "This from someone with a transformation quirk? Just listen charcoal boy."
Midoriya blinked, surprised. "You mean…"
"That I know you were the fire man from before and the orange dog? Yeah, I worked it out." The Pro Hero wiped the blood of his chin before straightening up. "Although, I'm guessing you don't have good control of it."
Izuku glanced at the watch, which was now green. "If you're really All Might…" he looked up at his favorite hero. "Can you help me?"
The blond man gave a smile, far more contained than his usual grin. "It's my job kid. Let's talk."
xXx
The two made their way back to the Midoriya's apartment, exchanging information on their "quirks". And although All Might's story was far-fetched, so was Midoriya's. So the two had a better time believing each other.
"But that's crazy! Someone gave you your power?" Midoriya asked. Toshinori nodded. "But, there are plenty of recorded instances of you fighting for more than 3 hours at a time! Like when you fought Dr. Animo's mutant army!"
"Pff, yeah in my hay day!" All Might laughed. "But my injury reduced my ability to use One for All. In case you haven't noticed, I've been on the decline for the last few years."
"That's true," Midoriya muttered. "your sightings have grown sparse, only once or twice a day I think." Toshinori grunted in agreement. They kept walking, getting closer to home. Now that the kid knew his story, he needed to know the kid's.
"So what's the deal with your quirk?" All Might asked. Midoriya gripped his watch when asked. 'A support item?'he inwardly asked.
"I'm…I'm not sure. When I was attacked by the slime villain, I transformed into Heatblast and-"
"Sorry, Heatblast?" Toshinori asked. Midoriya nodded.
"It's what I named the fire guy." He explained. "Oh we're here!" Inko was already on the porch, seeming to wait for her son. She rushed forward, crushing her son in a hug.
"IZUKUUU!" She wept a river as Toshinori hung back. After a bit, she looked her son over, noticing his scuffled appearance. "What happened!? Are you alright? And who's this?" She gestured to the lanky man beside them, who extended a hand. "Toshinori Yagi, All Might's personal assistant" he introduced. Midoriya took quick note of his alias and played along. "I'm afraid your son was involved in a villain attack. Just escorting him home."
"Thank you so much!" Inko bowed in gratitude. "It means so much to me, but is he alright? What happened?
"Well, it's a bit complicated. And there's some information I need to confirm about young Midoriya's quirk." Inko's eyebrows shot up. "Quirk? Honey, what is he…" she looked at her son, who suddenly looked ecstatic?
"I-I got my quirk today! I used it to save Kachaan!" he explained, his eyes glimmering. She couldn't believe it! And neither could All Might.
'He was quirkless before today?' He was floored at the new info. "Could I come in? There's a lot to talk about."
"Oh! Of course, come right in!" she invited.
As Inko made a pot of tea (and some baked goods from work because oh my god he's so skinny he needs to eat!), Izuku started explaining how he transformed for the first time. How he thought he was on fire, but it didn't hurt and how he met All Might. How he turned back after a certain period of time.
"So you changed back to normal automatically?" Toshinori asked, sipping on his tea, which was delicious.
"Yeah, it has something to do with this." He held up the strange watch, earning curiosity from the two adults. "It wasn't there before I was attacked."
"Hmm," the older man tapped his teacup in thought. "Have you tried removing it?"
"No, let me…" Midoriya tried to remove the elastic coating, grunting with effort. The substance that made up the watches body wouldn't budge, seeming to be melded to his skin. "It won't come off!"
Inko looked worried while Toshinori looked thoughtful. "I have a theory, may take a look?" he asked. Midoriya moved closer, showing him the device. As he looked closer, he saw the material really was melded to his skin. Almost like it was a part of the boy. He wasn't sure if even he could remove it with his strength without hurting the boy.
"You'll need a quirk councilor to confirm, but I think this thing came from you young Midoriya." Izuku seemed confused, so All Might elaborated. "You see, some quirks are hard to manage when you first get them, especially at a young age. Support items can help regulate your power, but your body will often stop you from overdoing it so you don't hurt yourself. Here's my theory," he gestured to the watch. "This device is a mutation, a way for you to control your quirk without hurting yourself."
Inko didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure? It looks like some kind of gadget. Are you sure you didn't find it somewhere Izuku?" He shook his head no.
"Lots of quirks are technologically based," Toshinori explained, thinking of one guy in particular who could sprout camera lenses all over his body. "Like I said, I'd recommend going to a quirk doctor to confirm."
"So…what is my quirk?" Midoriya asked, fiddling with the watch. The core popped up, displaying the various forms he could access.
"Definitely a transformation type, though most are activated mentally without a time limit depending on the user's limits." All Might finished his tea, standing up. "But yours does seem to have a set limit. Very peculiar. In any case, I've intruded long enough I think."
"Nonsense," Inko banished the thought. "Thank you so much for helping my son today, and would you thank All Might for me as well?"
The man smiled, enjoying the inside joke. "Of course. Take care ma'am. Young Midoriya. In case anything happens, be sure to contact the agency." He handed her a card. "That's my direct line, call if anything turns up."
"Alright, thank you again!" She opened the door for him while Izuku waved goodbye. Later, the two had dinner, talking for a while about everything that had happened. Luckily, Midoriya caught All Might's hint and didn't reveal his identity. He didn't like keeping it from his mom, but it wasn't his secret to tell after all.
After dinner, Midoriya was about to explore his new power when Inko stopped him. "We don't know what the rest of your forms can do or if they're safe yet."
"I know but," Midoriya reasoned "I've never had powers before!"
"Alright, tell you what." Inko compromised. "Tomorrow, we'll go to the park for some quirk discovery. Till then, no transformations. Deal?"
Midoriya seemed hesitant but agreed. "Deal!"
xXx
The next day…
Quirks could be many things. Amazing, wonderful, useful, the list goes on. But they also had the potential to be dangerous, which is why it was against the law to use your quirk in public areas. This rule was bent often, in case of minor quirks like Inko's. But more deadly quirks needed to stay in strict control of the user.
That said, there were areas that were approved for public quirk use, including several open parks hwere kids could learn about their newfound power. Though in most cases it was 4 and 5 year olds doing this sort of quirk discovery, Inko and Izuku found themselves in one such park, ready to explore Izuku's new power.
"You ready, sweetie?" Inko called from a small distance. Izuku nodded and activated the watch. He already knew two of them, so just eight more to go! He picked one and slapped the dial down.
Instantly, he grew in size, pale green diamonds forming across his entire body, even creating two large spikes on his back! In a flash of green, he was transformed into a 7 foot diamond man! When he moved, the crystals that made up his form clicked against each other like a chandelier. He was heavy too, his bulk reducing his movement speed. Inko couldn't believe her eyes!
"Izuku?" she asked as she got closer. "How do you feel?"
"I…I dunno." His voice was a lot deeper now. He raised his blocky arms. "I feel strong, but in a different way! Can I see?"Inko nodded and pulled out her phone. Flipping the camera view, she showed her son his new form. Green eyes shone from his stony face, with a large spike pointing from the back of his head. A black jumpsuit covered his body as well with white lining. The dial sat on the left side of his chest.
"Woah! So cool! I think I'm built for defense or something…" He wiggled his fingers, which seemed to tingle. He focused, turning his hand into a long blade of diamond! "And offense! What else can I do?" He focused on the ground, feeling that tingle moving through the dirt. Diamond spikes grew from the ground where he willed! He gestured up, lifting the crystals with a thought.
"MOM! This is incredible!" He cheered. With a swipe of his hand, he sent the diamond projectiles at boulder, which cleaved the stone into pieces. Inko was tearing up with happiness. Her son really did have a quirk! He continued to test his new form, creating diamond blade from his large body and from the ground. Even shooting smaller crystals from his hands!
"Ok, I've think I've got decent grasp on this form." Izuku decided.
"Alright," Inko agreed. "Can you change back?"
"I'm not sure how." The crystal giant looked down at the hourglass symbol. "I wonder…" He tapped it a couple times before it glowed red. In a red flash, he was human again.
"Ok! Got it!" The watch was red again, but it'd recharge soon. Midoriya immediately grabbed his new notebook and jotted everything he knew about his new transformation.
"About 2 and a half meters tall, is made of green diamond and can create and control diamond structures telekinetically. Durability is yet to be tested but is likely stronger than normal diamond. High combat potential." He muttered up a storm as he wrote in shorthand, also making a quick sketch of "Diamondhead".
Inko sat down beside him as he took notes and theorized about his new quirk's potential. As he the Omnitrix gave a positive beep and her son stood up again to test another form, Inko considered what this meant for Izuku. Obviously, he'll want to be a hero. It's the only thing he's ever wanted after all. And now he has the power to make that dream a reality! As he transformed once more, a blue velociraptor this time, she saved her concerns. For now.
But right now, she was just going to enjoy this. For Izuku.