Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya hated his quirk. He hated it, he hated it, he hated it. He had always been a collector of All Might memorabilia. From the moment he could remember, he had idolized the Symbol of Peace, his towering strength, kind smile, and unshakable will.

To Izuku, All Might represents everything he dreamed of being: brave, powerful, and heroic. His room was filled with reminders of that dream, posters plastered across the walls, action figures neatly lined up on shelves, and shirts and hats draped over every available surface. Every piece of All Might memorabilia was a treasure to him, symbolizing everything he aspired to. Then again, he was four and didn't have a father so he might have been projecting a bit.

But this all changed when his quirk came in. It's a dreadful quirk, one so villainous Izuku hates even thinking about it. What is this horrible, awful, vile quirk? Well, I'll give you the rundown.

Izuku was a measly four-year-old playing heroes with his mother in his All Might onesie. His mother Inko was playing a civilian in trouble and Izuku was acting as All Might. Izuku, knowing his mother is in “danger” goes to the room she's in; he then prepares to kick down the door channeling “All Might's strength”, and kicks open the door.

Izuku, caught in the moment's fun, shouts “I am here!” The second he bursts through the door his All Might onesie explodes. Luckily this happened to be the one day he wasn't wearing All Might-themed underwear. Inko, concerned that her son's clothes just disintegrated, takes Izuku to the quirk doctor to do some tests after some… tests. They determined Izuku's quirk makes All Might merch disintegrate by touching it… Even knockoffs. Izuku after getting this realization breaks down. He cries a lot. Tears of pure sadness. When Inko brings Izuku back home he is still inconsolable. Inko, hoping it would make her son feel better, decides to put on All Might's debut hoping it would make Izuku feel a bit better, it is his favorite video after all.

Izuku watches the video with full attention, grabbing his All Might action figure that was on his desk. His All Might figure explodes, making him even more inconsolable.

“Mom, can I s-still be a hero with a quirk like this?” Izuku says. Inko just cries and hugs him. Izuku also starts crying. The street floods.

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The next day at school

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DESTROY ALL MIGHT MERCH WITH YOUR QUIRK? WHAT ARE YOU A TRAITOR IZUKU, HOW CAN YOU BE A HERO WITH A QUIRK LIKE THAT!” Bakugo was mad, really really mad.

“I-it's not my fault Kachan, it's my quirk.” Izuku whimpers, taking a step back after Bakugo’s outburst. “Really Kachan I-I can still be a hero even with a quirk like mine.”
Bakugo in his rage ran up to slap Izuku, his anger at this moment overshadowed all else, causing Bakugo to awaken his quirk just at the moment when he slapped Izuku, his hand detonating, making a giant explosion sending Izuku flying. Up and away until he was just a black dot in the sky.

“Oops.” Said Bakugo who proceeded to get a teacher and tell them what happened.

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They had to fish Izuku out of the nearby lake. This day was not going well for him, especially when his mother showed up crying and hugged him, asking if he was okay and if she was so worried. The fire department had to evacuate the small town by the lake when it started flooding from Inko’s tears.

Eventually, Izuku got back to school and Bakugo apologized for doing that to him. Izuku instantly forgave him and started gushing about Bakugo’s quirk.

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Izuku’s quirk was a joke, at least that’s what the other kids thought, a damn joke. Maybe that’s all Izuku is, especially when random things keep happening to him.

Izuku at the ripe old age of five is in the hero store where he got all his All Might merch previously trying to look for other hero merch to have. Inko was watching him from the aisles. Yet sadly none compare to the man himself. Then disaster struck, and Izuku tripped, normally this would be a bad thing except for when he caught himself on the All Might aisle causing it to evaporate.

“Well, at least it didn't explode,” Thought Izuku seconds before face-planting because the shelf he was holding onto disappeared. Izuku, who was lying on the floor processing what happened, was immediately picked up by Inko and rushed out of the store. The only thing left was a cashier who muttered something about not being paid enough for this.

Now if the video footage of this incident somehow mysteriously went missing in the night and if the cashier who saw this incident happened to quit the next day citing new opportunities had appeared no one would find anything of course, because this incident didn't happen.
Inko also asked Izuku not to say anything about this incident to anyone under any circumstances.

“Izuku I want you to promise me you won't tell anyone about what happened yesterday to anyone, do you understand?” Inko questioned. Izuku of course nodded because he was a good son who would never disobey his mother. Then again Izuku was five.

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The next day

Izuku’s class had just been dismissed for recess right when the bell rank Izuku shouted
“Kacchan Kacchan Kacchan I have something really important to tell you but you can't tell anyone!” Izuku then ran to Bakugo and pulled him away from the other kids.

“What do you want, nerd? " Bakugou asked. He had just learned the word nerd which described Izuku pretty well, so he decided to call Izuku that. Izuku blinked, trying to process what Bakugo said before replying, “So Kacchan, yesterday something happened at the hero store.” Bakugo was starting to get impatient.

“Just spit it out already Izuku,” he growled. Izuku took a minute of hyping himself up before replying “I ummmmmm may have evaporatedtheAllMightaisleintheherostore.”
Bakugo took a second not understanding what Izuku said before his thoughts clicked into place.

“YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU WHATTTT!!!” Bakugo shouted charging at Izuku just like before, and just like before Izuku didn't dodge, leading to him getting sent flying again. He even landed in the same lake.

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Then when he was seven another incident happened. Although this time it didn't cost thousands of yen in damages. Izuku is at school playing by himself, recess just started. Bakugo for once decided to bring his All Might action figure to show it off. He is surrounded by a group of kids all looking at Bakugo’s action figure. Izuku walks over and joins the crowd seeing Bakugo show it off. Then Bakugo drops it, and Izuku, the great person he is, picks it up to give to Bakugo. It falls apart.

“I'M GOING TO KILL YOU IZUKU!!!” Bakugo shouts running up to Izuku and blasting him, sending Izuku flying through the roof and back into the lake. Izuku is starting to hate this lake.

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7 years later

Aside from those incidents nothing has happened that was interesting to Izuku, or to anyone else for that matter. Izuku himself was only acknowledged because he refused to touch any hero merch, and even that has died down to borderline nothing over the years. So now Izuku sits in the back of his classroom waiting for school to finish the board out of his mind. His teacher walks in the class holding a stack of papers.
“Alright class today we will be filling out career aptitude tests.” He pauses for a second letting that sink in and he throws the papers in the air, “Oh who am I kidding I know you all want to be heroes.” Bakugo speaks up.

“Hey teacher don't lump me in with the rest of these rejects,” he props his feet on his desk, “They won't be anything but E-listers and half-rate sidekicks, I’m shooting for the top U.A. high.” The class starts mumbling after this statement by Bakugo completely ignoring the insult that they took. They are stupid like that. Izuku just rolls his eyes.

“Wow U.A. the top hero school” some kid mermers.

“Isn't their acceptance rate like .01%?” Another mutter.

“That's where All Might went,” says another. There is some more murmuring in the class before Bakugo speaks up again.

“That's right I'm going to become the number one hero and I aced the mock exam U.A. will be easy, then I'm going straight to the top.” He stands on his desk while shouting it to the room. The teacher speaks again.

“With grades and a quirk like yours I'm sure you will get in Bakugou, hey it says here that you're also trying for U.A. right Midoriya?” The room freezes every head turning toward Izuku. Then it explodes in laughter.

“Bahahahahahah no way isn't his quirk destroying All Might merch how will that help in being a hero?” A lot of kids say something along those lines. Then Bakugo slams his hands on Izuku's desk causing him to fall out of his chair.

“DAMMIT NERD I BETTER NOT SEE YOU AT THE U.A. EXAM OR ILL KILL YOU GOT IT!” Bakugo shouts.

“Yes Kacchan,” Izuku mutters. Bakugo speaks up again,
“Good,” he turns around to look at his goons most of the class already left, “Come on let's go.” Bakugo walks off with his goons in tow leaving Izuku on the floor.
“Well at least he didn't take my notebook,” Izuku mutters to himself as he picks himself off the floor and out of the classroom.

Izuku leaves the school and starts walking home. He starts muttering to himself, “Why does Kacchan have to be so mean all the time? It's not like he's the only person around who's going to get into the U.A. I’m sure others will too, and so will I,” He reassures himself. Right before he enters the underpass on his way home he sees an Endeavor bracelet on the ground. Izuku decides to put it one no harm in trying at least. It doesn't disintegrate. All these years he could have just used other hero merch, and then he remembered something. “Oh my god, how could I have forgotten of course the doctor said it was only All Might merch how could I have been so stupid,” He starts walking under the underpass now hearing the sludge sounds coming from behind him, “I mean it makes sense ugh this is so irritate-” He gets cut off by a sludge-like substance wrapping around him, a mysterious voice that sounds like it's coming from everywhere speaks up.

“Don't worry kid, this will only last forty-five seconds or so if you don't resist, then you won't feel a thing.” Izuku resists with everything he has, He tries clawing at the sludge that is entering his mouth trying to pull it off him. It doesn't work, nothing is working. Izuku starts thinking to himself.

“No no no this can't be how I die I have a full life to live,” His struggling starts to slow down as his vision starts going black, “Dammit if only I was as strong as All Might,” he thinks back to the Endeavor bracelet that he grabbed right before entering this stupid tunnel, “Or even Endeavor.” He thinks. His vision is almost completely black he's stopped struggling at this point, unable to move his arms up anymore. Then for the first time in his life, a flame is lit. The bracelet that he took from the ground that is somehow still on his wrist starts burning then Izuku explodes in a blaze of fire. The sludge villain is shocked by the flames and recoils back. Just then a swear grate opens and a tall blond figure steps out. Izuku mutters two more things before passing out, “Was that fire me?” and then right before his vision goes black, “Is that All Might.” Izuku passes out.

Chapter Text

All Might was panicking.

The kid passed out. This is bad.

Thinking fast, he quickly gathered up the villain, stuffing him into empty soda bottles after dumping out their contents. Needing a distraction, he grabbed the kid’s notebook and hastily scribbled his signature across a page. But his attention snapped back to the boy as he knelt down, lightly smacking his face.

“Hey, kid… come on, wake up,” All Might muttered, glancing around nervously. If he doesn't wake up, I’ll take him to the hospital… or maybe call an ambulance. Yeah, that’s good. An ambulance.

As he fretted, he noticed a thin wisp of steam rising from his hands, his worry increased; he was running out of time here.

Suddenly, Izuku stirred.

“Five more minutes… I like this floor. It's warm and comfortable…” he mumbled.

All Might decided to ignore that.

“Wake up, kid…” He hated using this technique, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He took a deep breath and shouted, “IS THAT THE ONLY TEN IN THE WORLD SUPER RARE LIMITED EDITION ALL MIGHT POSTER?!”

Izuku shot up to his feet faster than even All Might could register. “WHERE?!”

His frantic eyes darted around—until they landed on the towering figure of All Might himself.

Izuku started to vibrate.

“HAHAHA! Works every time!” All Might laughed heartily, handing back the boy’s notebook. “Oh, and I signed that notebook of yours for you.”

Izuku immediately began bowing repeatedly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, this will be a family heirloom for generations, my kids, my kids’ kids, my kids’ kids’ kids, and for the rest of the history of my family line will see this signature and smile because it came from you, the great All Mig—”

“All right, kid! Seeing that you’re okay, I’ll be off. Crime never sleeps!” With a heroic leap, All Might launched himself into the sky, disappearing from sight.

Izuku was caught in a stupor. He was going to ask All Might the question that had been on his mind his entire life, but then he remembered something that happened before All Might showed up.

Glancing down, Izuku stared in wonder at his recently acquired Endeavor bracelet. Curious, he raised his hand and focused, trying to will a flame into existence.

There was a cough of smoke… and not much else.

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Izuku was so caught up in his newfound power (even if it was 100x weaker than what he did moments before) that he didn't notice the sound of explosions in the distance, and his body carried him home.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Log entry #1

“Test number one.”

Izuku carefully set up the camera, ensuring it was stable before backing into the frame, stumbling on a pillow he left on the floor of his room. He gave a quick breath to steady himself.

“I should start with an introduction. My name is Izuku Midoriya, and this is entry one of learning my quirk.” He smiled nervously at the camera. “Recording the tests makes it easier to look back. Analyze. Improve. Anyway…”

He held up his hand, glancing briefly at the Endeavor bracelet on his wrist.

“From this test, I’ve determined I can’t use the flames—well, not really. A bit of smoke, maybe a spark—but nothing substantial without the Endeavor bracelet.” He looked down at the bracelet thoughtfully.

“From this, we ca—”

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Log entry #2

“After thorough testing and training of my newfound quirk, I can now do this!” Izuku declared, holding up a finger to the camera.

With a small grin, he focused. A tiny flame sparked to life at the tip of his finger, flickering gently.

“Progress is progress,” he said, beaming with pride despite the modest result.

Log entry #5

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“I decided it might be a good idea to see if I could use another piece of hero merch for a different result,” Izuku said, adjusting the camera. “The test ended up successful… maybe too successful. Anyway—”

He held up a pair of gloves emblazoned with the logo of the Pro Hero Wash.

“Using these gloves, I was able to channel Pro Hero Wash’s quirk.”

Izuku pulled on the gloves and took a calming breath. Concentrating, he extended his hand. After a moment, a single, tiny bubble floated into existence, wobbling lazily in the air.

“…I don’t think I’ll be using this quirk again,” he admitted with an awkward laugh. “But it does prove the hero merch is acting as a conduit for my quirk. Meaning that, hypothetically, any hero merch should give me access to that hero’s quirk.”

His eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought.

“I’ll also test something with higher-quality hero merch later,” he added, already thinking about the next experiment.

Log entry #6

——————————————————————————————————————————

Izuku stood in front of the camera, adjusting the hood of his bright orange Endeavor hoodie.

“Now, this may look bad,” he said, giving a sheepish grin, “but this test is to see if wearing more of a hero’s merch increases the quirk’s power. The difference between a bracelet and a hoodie is a lot, after all.”

He took a deep breath, raising his hand. “Please work, please work, please work…” he muttered under his breath, focusing hard.

Usually, he only got a few sparks, maybe some smoke—like an old, stubborn lighter. But this time, something was different.

With a sudden FWOOSH, a proper burst of fire shot out of his hand.

His desk caught on fire.

“Ahh! Nonononono!” Izuku scrambled to put out the flames, frantically batting at the growing fire with his sleeves. Panicked, he knocked into the camera, sending it tumbling to the floor with a loud thunk.

Log entry #11

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“I have acquired a snake scarf.” Izuku held up the long, shimmering accessory, proudly showing off the Uwabami merch to the camera. “This test will determine how mutant-type quirks work with mine or if they work at all. And even if they don’t, this is a really cool scarf.”

He carefully draped it around his shoulders, took a steadying breath, and reached deep into himself to activate his quirk.

But instead of the two scenarios he’d planned out, either three snake-like appendages sprouting from his head or nothing happening at all, something entirely unexpected occurred.

The scarf shifted.

It slithered up from his shoulders, curling around the top of his head like a living crown, settling there with an almost smug wiggle.

Izuku blinked, staring at his reflection. “Well… this is a development.”

He adjusted his glasses (plastic frames he found in a closet), thinking out loud. “On one hand, this means mutant quirks are possible to replicate. On the other hand, it seems to require actual, physical material to act as a base.”

He sighed, mentally calculating the implications. “Assuming that’s the case, I’d probably have to purchase the limited edition, full-scale Hawks wings to use his quirk. Or anything similar.”

Izuku slumped slightly, already feeling his wallet cry out in terror.

Log entry #25

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Izuku's room was a disaster zone.

Papers covered every surface, half-finished notes and diagrams strewn about in organized chaos. Discarded hero merch littered the floor: bracelets, gloves, scarves, hoodies, evidence of countless experiments.

Adjusting the camera, Izuku held up his latest test subject: a Mirko headband, complete with her iconic bunny ears.

“This is the second time I’ll be testing a mutant-type quirk,” he explained, eyes bright with anticipation. “In theory, it should work like Uwabami’s merch did. So, I’m expecting improved hearing, not, say, stronger legs or anything like that. For that, I’d probably need a full cosplay.” He sighed. “Which is expensive.”

He glanced at the camera, resigned. “Will this be embarrassing? Yes. But will this be helpful? Also, yes.”

With that, Izuku donned the bunny ear headband.

Almost instantly, his expression changed. His eyes widened as his ears twitched slightly.

“Wow… I can hear so much better now,” he marveled, glancing around as if testing his newfound hearing.

He bent his knees and jumped experimentally.

The result was… unimpressive. Barely a hop.

“Just as I expected,” Izuku muttered, scribbling mental notes. “It seems my quirk interacts with mutant-type quirks differently than it does with emitters or transformation types. Interesting. Very interesting…”

He trailed off, already lost in thought, analyzing the possibilities.

Log entry #27

Izuku’s room was miraculously clean.

Papers were filed, notebooks stacked neatly, and the various pieces of hero merch were tucked away into clearly labeled boxes. A faint red mark on his forehead hinted at some kind of incident, but Izuku wasn’t offering any explanation.

“The bump on my head isn’t important,” he muttered, waving a hand dismissively toward the camera. “Anyway…”

He straightened up and looked directly into the lens, his expression more focused than usual.

“This will be the final log recorded in my room. I’ve realized I need more space, both physically and mentally. I’ve decided to move testing to Dagobah Beach.”

He paced a bit as he spoke, clearly thinking aloud.

“The trash there provides a great cover for quirk experimentation, and cleaning it up will double as physical training. Plus, helping restore a neglected part of the city? That’s what a hero should do.”

Returning to the center of the frame, he pulled out a sleek red-and-black wristwatch.

“I’ve also decided that Hellflame is a good quirk to keep on standby,” he said, holding up the watch for the camera to see. “This is an official Endeavor-themed watch, it should allow me to activate a minimal version of the quirk even if I don’t have bulkier merch on me.”

He clipped the watch onto his wrist, admiring it for a second.

“I want to be ready. Not just to test powers, but to act when it matters. Even in the smallest ways.”

He gave a firm nod, the beginnings of a confident smile forming on his face.

“Well, that’s all for today. Next log should be on location at the beach.”

Izuku reached forward and clicked the camera off.

End of logs (For now)

Chapter Text

Log Entry #28

“Field testing. Day One.”

Izuku Midoriya crouched low on the crumbling remains of a once-bustling boardwalk, adjusting his camera atop a tripod salvaged from a half-buried electronics store sign.

The early morning sun peeked over the horizon, casting golden light over the trash-strewn sands of Dagobah Beach. It was quiet… mostly.

He stepped into frame, hoodie zipped up tight against the ocean breeze, and gave the camera a short, professional nod.

“My name is Izuku Midoriya. This is the first in a series of outdoor experiments for my quirk. I’ve come to Dagobah Beach because its isolation allows for uninterrupted testing, and because, well…”

He glanced over his shoulder at a rusted refrigerator half-sunken in sand, then back at the lens with a sheepish smile.

“…there’s a lot to clean up.”

He cleared his throat.

“Current hypothesis: my quirk adapts based on licensed hero merchandise, creating temporary access to the associated hero's abilities. Long-term goal? See if it’s permanent, transferable, or if I can ‘mix’ quirks together. But for now…”

He held up his watch.

“…Hellflame on standby.”

A brief spark flared from the dial. Izuku grinned.

“Test One: Controlled ignition from resting stance,”

A sudden, thunderous crash echoed across the beach.

Izuku flinched, stumbling back as the camera jostled slightly.

“What the?”

He spun toward the source of the noise.

There was a chasm in the garbage like someone had just split it down the middle, and standing on the far end of the beach, surrounded by shattered debris and dust, was the Symbol of Peace himself, All Might, in all his towering, muscle-bound glory.

Izuku's jaw went slack.

“All Might?!”

The All Might was here, on this very beach, at this very moment.

Izuku scrambled behind a stack of warped metal siding, yanking the camera tripod with him and wincing when it let out a sharp clack! as it hit the sand. He peeked over the edge, barely daring to breathe.

All Might stood proudly at the center of a freshly cleared crater, garbage still sliding down its sides like snow off a steep roof. The golden sunlight caught on his hair and uniform, and for a moment, Izuku was struck dumb again by the raw, surreal presence of the man.

Wait… was he training someone?

Squinting, Izuku adjusted the zoom on his camera lens.

There, not far from All Might, was a girl, slight, frog-like in movement, wearing a green tracksuit over a black one-piece and work gloves. She was carrying a full trash bag slung over her shoulder like it weighed nothing.

Her expression was neutral, focused, but her body language was casual, comfortable in the mess around her.

Occasionally, she’d nod to All Might, who was gesturing dramatically with one hand and holding up what looked like a bottle of water with the other.

That’s not just someone cleaning trash, Izuku realized. That’s training.

His brain immediately began sprinting in six directions. Was this girl a U.A. student? A sidekick? A secret intern? Was this a test site for pre-pro heroes?! Was this how All Might trained his successors?!

Was she a successor?

No, wait, backup. The girl had webbed fingers. The way she crouched, the way she moved, definitely a mutant-type. Maybe frog-based? Her quirk probably wasn’t connected to strength at all. Which meant… she was here for endurance? Mobility training? Well, nothing is better than a little extra muscle?

He slapped a hand over his mouth before he could squeal out loud. This was gold. If he played this right, he could study real pro-level training in action, without being noticed, of course.

And he very much wanted not to be noticed.

Slowly, quietly, Izuku backed away from the makeshift vantage point and lowered himself behind a stack of plastic barrels. His heart thudded in his ears, adrenaline still buzzing under his skin.

Then the girl looked right at him, but she was distracted by All Might a moment later.

“…Nope,” he whispered to himself, breath fogging in the salty air. “Nope, nope, this beach is taken. I am not interfering with whatever that is.”

Still, the tiny part of his brain that tracked everything muttered the details into his memory:

All Might. Present. Possible student or sidekick. Female. Frog-like mutation. Trash-based endurance or cleanup training. Location compromised.

“New plan,” Izuku muttered, tugging his camera closer and army crawling across the sand. “We relocate.”

Log Entry #28 (Continued)
Location: Dagobah Beach (Southern Stretch – Isolated)

The camera was angled lower now, propped between two tires and pointing up at Izuku’s crouched form. Behind him, a rusted vending machine groaned softly in the wind, long since emptied of both drinks and purpose.

Izuku panted a little from the jog it took to get here, then composed himself.

“Minor change in location,” he said to the camera with a grin that only twitched slightly. “Turns out the northern half of the beach is currently being used. For training. By All Might.”

He let that hang in the air.

“Yes. The All Might. I did not interrupt him. Or the girl with him. I will not be interfering, either.” He gave a quick, emphatic nod.

“Instead, we’ll proceed here. Test focus: flame control while using the mutant-type adaptation scarf. Objective: coordination, combination, and basic multitasking.”

He reached into his backpack and pulled out his beloved Uwabami scarf, its smooth faux scales glittering under the sun. He wrapped it around his neck like a thick ribbon and waited.

A small wiggle. Then another.

The scarf curled over his shoulder and settled like a snake-shaped sentinel, flicking the fabric version of a tongue in the air.

Izuku grinned.

“Hi there, buddy.”

He tapped his Endeavor watch… and a puff of smoke shot from his fingertips.

“Okay, that’s promising.”

Crouching low, he spread his hands. One open, the other closed in a channeling pose he’d seen Endeavor use during televised fights. His scarf-snake friend tilted curiously, like it was watching.

“Focus. Small burn. Wide arc.”

A burst of fire shot from his palm.

It arced, more than he wanted, and licked the edge of an old car door. The scarf snapped up and slapped at the flames like an alert lizard batting at a bug.

Except it was a snake, so it had no arms and was really just trying to lick the flames.

“Whoa, whoa, okay! Too much!” Izuku waved his arms, then quickly crouched and patted the door with his sleeves until the fire sputtered out.

He took a breath.

“Okay. So the scarf responds to heat? That’s… interesting. It has reflexive movement. Maybe it’s linked to my emotional state?”

The scarf, seemingly pleased that the danger was over, slithered back to its perch around his neck and resumed its lazy perch.

“Let’s try again, but smaller. Controlled burn. Target: soda can.”

Izuku set up a line of dented cans on a driftwood log, took position, and extended his hand. A small flame lit at his fingertips, more stable this time. It hovered, then zipped forward in a thin arc, too fast, too erratic, but it hit a can dead center.

It hissed and burst open with a satisfying pop.

“Yes!” Izuku did a tiny celebratory hop. “Progress!”

The scarf twitched in approval.

He turned back to the camera. “Notes: emotional state may influence scarf behavior. Flame power is tied directly to the size of the merch, watch equals spark, hoodie equals burst. Potentially cumulative?”

Izuku rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “Would layering multiple items stack effects? What if I wore the hoodie, watch, and scarf together? That might, ”

A distant sound carried on the breeze.

“All right, young lady, one more set! And I want you to push your legs this time!”

All Might’s voice. Even from here, it rang with heroic energy. Izuku glanced toward the northern end of the beach, where a new explosion of trash plumed skyward.

He gulped.

“I’m definitely staying down here.”

“Alrighty, time for a range test.”

He runs over and grabs another can from the piles of trash and places it on the sand.

“Go scarf go.” He points at the can, sending his scarf out, but the second it stops touching him, it falls limp to the sandy ground, looking like a normal snake scarf again.

Izuku turns to the camera

“Ok, so it seems anything must be in direct contact with me for my quirk to copy the hero's quirks, or in this case, bring things to life.” He jots this down into his notebook.

He walks back over to grab the scarf, it comes back to life and slithers up his arm onto his head.

Log Entry #28.5

“I’ve decided that Dagobah Beach is the perfect training ground if I avoid the northern quadrant entirely. Which, considering it’s occupied by All Might and someone he’s training, shouldn’t be difficult.”

Izuku leaned back in front of the camera, soot smudged across his cheeks, and a wide grin on his face.

“Today, I learned three things. One: My flame control is improving. Two: The scarf may be semi-sentient. Three: there are levels to hero training, and I’ve still got a long way to go.”

He looked off toward the horizon, where sunlight shimmered off broken glass and rising tides.

“But I’ll get there. One step, one test, one burned soda can at a time.”

He gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

“End log.”

The scarf wiggled its approval.

And behind him, in the far distance, another geyser of sand exploded into the sky.

Chapter Text

The midday sun glared high over the ruins of Dagobah Beach, baking the heaps of twisted metal and rotted driftwood in harsh golden light.

A breeze from the ocean tried to offer relief, but mostly just stirred up the acrid scent of rust, salt, and old plastic.

Izuku Midoriya crouched behind an overturned speedboat, adjusting his camera angle again with the precision of a seasoned documentarian.

His scarf-snake flicks its “tongue” in the breeze, curious. On his wrist, the Endeavor watch blinked orange in standby.

On his hands were brand-new additions that gleamed in the sunlight: a pair of oversized white gloves emblazoned with the smiling symbol of the Pro Hero Wash, the bubble master himself.

They were thick, plush, and squeaked softly when he flexed his fingers.

He turned to the camera and began his new log entry.

“My name is Izuku Midoriya. This is Field Test Two of Quirk Application: ‘Multi-Merch Stack.’”

He held up his gloved hands and wiggled his fingers dramatically.

“Today, we’re testing two simultaneous hero signatures: Hellflame, via the Endeavor-brand utility watch, and Clean Sweep, via Wash-brand deluxe utility gloves. I’m wearing both at once, along with the Uwabami serpent-scarf. The question: can I use two active effects at the same time, and does the scarf adapt to either, both, or neither?”

He paused, raising a gloved hand thoughtfully.

“There’s also the issue of compatibility. Heat and bubbles… do not typically mix well.”

He reached off-screen and picked up a dented, sand-filled detergent bottle.

“But today’s about discovery.”

Phase One: Activation Test

Standing now, Izuku spread his arms.

“First, simultaneous activation.”

He reached down into his soul like every time before.

A warm pulse rushed through his body, sharp and familiar, surging from his sternum to his fingertips. Flames flickered to life across his shoulders, licking outward with a bright-orange halo. His scarf twitched in excitement, raising its faux head high like it was about to strike at the sky itself.

Then Izuku clapped his gloved hands together and flexed his fingers outward.

“Activate… bubble cleanse!”

At first, nothing.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Izuku muttered.

Then,

POP!

A single iridescent bubble bloomed from his palm, wobbling with an almost comical bounce before lifting into the air.

Izuku’s eyes went wide.

“Oh my god, it works!”

More bubbles emerged, fast now, pouring from the gloves like foam from a shaken soda bottle. Dozens of them, each shimmering with pastel rainbows, drifted lazily upward in the heat of the rising fire.

Then the first bubble hit a flame.

FSSST.

The entire column of bubbles exploded into a puff of steam. The scarf-snake hissed and flattened against Izuku’s shoulder, clearly offended.

Izuku coughed, waving at the cloud.

“Okay! So! Bubbles are definitely heat-reactive! Don’t overlap the streams! Note to self: they’re incredibly unstable with Hellflame. Basically floating firecrackers!”

He staggered back into the camera frame, hair smoking slightly. The scarf wiggled in protest.

Phase Two: Combo Test - Target Cleanup
He set up a new row of debris: rusty cans, broken bottles, and an old dish rack filled with miscellaneous trash.

“I’m going to attempt what I’m calling a ‘flame-wash combo.’ First, precise Hellflame ignition to separate metal from plastic. Then bubble cleanse to wash away micro-particles. It’s… eco-heroism! Or something.”

He focused.

Left hand forward: Hellflame. A short jet of fire burst from his palm, melting the crumpled edge of a bottle and detaching it from the tangled metal mess.

Right hand up: Clean Sweep. He flicked his wrist and launched a stream of cleansing bubbles at the still-hot bottle, coating it in foam.

SSSSHHHH!

Steam rolled off the item, but the plastic didn’t melt. The bubble film was shielding it.

Izuku’s mouth dropped open.

“That… that worked?! That actually worked!”

The scarf-snake, now emboldened, slithered off his neck and wrapped around his arm like a bracer, coiling just above the glove. It dipped its fake snout toward the bubbles and gave a satisfied twitch.

Izuku laughed.

“Oh, now you like them?”

Phase Three: Mobility and Coordination
He turned toward the obstacle course he’d set up earlier: an overturned shopping cart, two hanging tires from old pier rope, and a plank set between two mounds of garbage.

“I want to test reflexive control. See how well I can aim while moving, and whether the scarf responds better to one type of quirk.”

He sprinted forward.

A flame burst cleared his path, and the garbage caught and crackled away in an instant.

He leapt through a tire, spun mid-air, and launched a flurry of bubbles at a rusted-out microwave. They coated it, gleaming and humming, and the scarf shot outward like a whip, slapping the final wave of foam directly onto the hot metal.

He then tripped, landing on his face; his mouth filled with sand. He slowly stood up, dusting the sand off himself and spitting it out.

The microwave hissed… and then glistened.

“YES!”

He skidded to a halt in front of the camera again, scarf coiled around his shoulders like a victor’s sash.

Log Entry #29.5
Izuku collapsed onto the sand, completely exhausted, his scarf gently resting across his chest.

“Today was… intense. I learned that my quirk can handle multiple merch triggers at once, but there's definitely a synergy factor. Not all combinations are safe. Or logical.”

He lifted a glove, popping one last bubble.

“But they might still be useful.”

A pause. Then he turned slightly, gazing toward the north end of the beach.

Another crash sounded in the distance, louder this time. A plume of dust shot skyward, silhouetted against the sun.

“All Might’s still at it,” Izuku whispered. “He’s pushing that girl hard. Whatever her training is… It’s not for show. I just hope they aren't getting closer.”

He sat up, brushing sand from his pants.

“Which means I’ve got to keep up. If I’m gonna be a hero… if I’m going to earn this quirk… then I have to push myself even harder.”

The scarf flicked its “tongue” in quiet agreement.

Izuku turned to the camera, face smudged, hair windblown, but eyes bright.

“End log. And tomorrow, I'm bringing the Almighty full metal special addition All Might boots. Hopefully, those don't break. I spent my life savings on those.”