Chapter Text
"So…"
Tomura continued to stare at Shinso. The purple haired brat still pestered him about unimportant things like, "when are you going to take up Aizawa's offer?" And "It's been months now, just say yes."
Tomura isn't going to become a hero. Simple as that. He doesn't want anything to do with heroes, villains, vigilantes and anything else like that. "I'm not going to U.A and that's final. I already have a college level education in human resources. I don't need a hero licence or anything like it."
Shinso sighed but didn't say anything. Soon they were back to packing. Shinso had been training with Aizawa for months at this point and was moving into the U.A dormitory. Officially it was because he was a ward of U.A. Unofficially it was so Aizawa could train him with U.A's advanced gyms and training areas.
"You really should take Aizawa up on his offer. You don't need to become a hero or anything. I mean, U.A has other courses." Shinso said as he finished with the last box.
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"The Management and Support courses are practically a shoo in for a good paying job. And even gen-ed can get you far."
Tomura glared at him. "Really? Me in support? I'd probably just use it to build my own computer or fix game consoles. I like games but I don't want to make a career out of them. It'd ruin them for me."
Shinso grunted as he picked up his stuff and began moving it to the lounge room. "Fine! What about management? You got that degree, so why not expand that skill set and make a good living that way. You'd only have to deal with it for a year before graduation anyway."
Tomura sat down his own box of Shinso's junk. "That actually isn't too bad of an idea."
"Yeah. And since we've only got a few hours before dad gets back you need to get packed."
"It's so weird when you call the loud mouth that."
"Hey. They adopted me so I get to call them whatever I want."
"Just shut up and help me pack my games."
Izuku was at his lab again. The room that Sir and Tsukauchi found him in had dozens of contraptions laid out on tables. Gauntlets, boots, robotic arms, spheres and countless other items.
On a mannequin was a skin-tight suit. It was black with dark green patterns crossing over it in strange and shifting motions. Creating an uncomfortable visage to look at.
A set of dark gauntlets were slipped onto the mannequin and its metallic sheen was quickly replaced with the same patterns. Izuku’s mumbling filled the room as he worked on attaching the next part of the suit.
"The Salamander Gauntlets integrate smoothly…" he was proud of how far it was coming along. The fabric for the body was the main part he'd been working on for quite some time. It was based on a relatively weak quirk he'd been able to collect samples of after a mugging happened near his house.
It caused a wave pattern to dance across the individual's skin. It was little more than cosmetic. However, with a bit of trial and error Izuku managed to get a specific type of pattern to flow on the fabric. With it active it'd make the silhouette vague and amorphous in the dark. In the light it would stand out a great deal but even looking at it can cause headaches. Though that only happens if you stare at it for a while.
The gauntlets are intricate pieces of equipment. They hold specialised canisters in them that hold a compound similar to Bakugou’s sweat. There are two separate firing mods. Spray and combustion.
Spray releases a potent jet of flame in a cone. It's not too hot but certainly a good deterrent and gives a fair amount of area denial.
Combustion works the same as Bakugou’s explosions. Though Izuku can't reach the same magnitude of size as Bakugou, he can still release force equally as strong as his regular combat explosions. After all, why bother wasting power to release a blast capable of levelling a building when you can just destroy a supporting wall. Smaller but more potent explosions is the goal.
The next part of the costume was the boots.
The idea was to create an anti-gravity well beneath the user with an altered Anti-gravity belt. That combined with the grappling hook system in both the boots and gauntlets would allow for exceptional manoeuvrability.
The inspiration was from a girl who responded to the job offer he put out a few months after he met Yagi. He needed more samples of different quirks and he had a ridiculous amount of money from selling his Riot-shield projector bracer.
She apparently was looking to go to U.A and thought getting her quirk analysed and being paid for it was a good deal. She was squeamish about letting him take blood samples but accepted after he gave her the right to ten percent of profits made using her quirks base.
Safe to say she apparently doesn't have any money problems any more. The Anti-gravity belt was a big seller.
He still remembered her reaction to the payment she got from her cut. It was hilarious. She looked like she was going to vomit from shock.
If she made it into U.A's hero course he'd have to try and get permission to work on her costume. She'd probably like the Anti-nausea ear buds he was working on. Maybe she'd like Lasers too? Or tasers? Oh! He should put a taser function on the grappling hooks!
But he still has to attach the improved Riot-shield projectors on the gauntlets without making them too heavy. Actually he could make elbow pads that have the shield projectors in them. Then he could put the tasers in the grappling system without going over the weight limit.
Speaking of joint protection he hasn't got anything for the knees. Maybe mini rockets? No just stick to reinforced padding. He doesn't want to over complicate things. Too much.
With renewed focus he set about making adjustments to the suit. Losing track of time as he built and streamlined the outfit. Soon it was ready to test.
Izuku pulled a remote from under a bundle of papers. With a press the mannequin began to follow him to the testing room. Its movements were stiff and awkward. Izuku wanted to work on it properly at some point but he needed to not only finish the suit and set up a production line but he had to get something done for the Entrance exam. Truth be told he could probably bring one of his finished products that he hasn't gotten a deal set up for yet.
He'll have to think about it later. Right now he needs to make sure the mannequin doesn't break anything. Why did he make it so strong in the first place?
All for one didn't really do much. He's trapped within the confines of his room after all. Only leaving for short half hour walks. Perhaps the most annoying part of rebuilding his own head with a particularly unusual quirk was that his body and mind are somewhat disconnected. He had to relearn how to walk and move again. And while he can move about, eat, and generally function normally now. His lungs simply refuse to work properly. Or more accurately they don't like to work on their own.
The good doctor said he fried his own nerves in his rush to repair his head. He didn't even do a good job of it. Not being able to see colour or properly read a book is frustrating.
Alas he can't do much about it until he finds his back up. Which is why when he tracks down all the records he's surprised by what he finds.
Midoriya Izuku. Well it doesn't bother him much that the kid has a striking resemblance to himself when he was younger. Infact, put him in a suit and he'd look like a mini version of himself before he lost his face.
He's also apparently famous for creating a few different support items. He's clearly got his grandmother's mind and by the looks of things he's got the moral compass of his other grandmother. He expected a different outcome when he learned the boy was quirkless all those years ago.
Beaten down by the bright light of hero society and left without any foreseeable future. Hopeless, a bit jaded, or even enraged if it went the right way. Then he'd swoop in and offer a chance of revenge.
But that's all gone out the window since the kid can make some decent equipment. But this perhaps offers a different opportunity.
If he were to offer to back Midoriya and provide funding for his work then-
"Oh for fucks sake!" It seems like some kind of cosmic joke. The brat already has substantial support in the form of one David Shield. The only person worse to be involved would be that brute of a-
Right there on a social post about the grand opening of Green Valley Support, Was Yagi fucking Toshinori. In his pathetic form looking so damn smug. Like he knows how much this messes with his plans.
No, that's just him projecting his frustrations.
Well. Looks like he's going to have to come up with a new plan. Perhaps it's time he took up the doctor's idea of simply building him a new body. No. He had to deal with relearning a new body before. He's not doing it again.
He'll just have to find another way to fix his broken vessel. If only he had a way to go back to before he was injured. It'd solve so many problems.
Tomura was out late. It's not unusual for him to get up at night and go for a walk. As nice as it is to be normal for once he can't help but feel like he's just trying to remove himself from what happened.
From everything that happened.
That all encompassing rage he felt at society is still there but it feels less… targeted. Like he's more pissed at something he can't place. It's also not as bad as it was before. Probably because he's actually getting some human interaction.
Isn't that a joke? Sen- All for one had him do course after course on human resources and psychology and he never once realised how fucked up his situation was until he got out.
At least his skin didn't itch so much any more. Maybe he was allergic to something at the bar. Come to think of it, he didn't really have that problem until he got his quirk. So maybe that's what was causing it.
His thoughts were dragged away as he was pulled into an alley. A man with short cut brown hair held a knife at Tomura's sternum. Out of instinct Tomura slapped a hand against his attacker's wrist and gripped tight. The half second it took for him to realise his mistake allowed the mugger to yank his arm back. In the process dragging a jagged line across Tomura's forearm.
He let out a curse and hurled a balled up fist into the thug's nose. A satisfying crunching sound was followed by both individuals hissing in pain. Tomura shook out his fist. His thumb was hanging limp. "The fuck!?"
How the fuck did he brake his own thumb punching a guy!? His attacker was cradling his face and staring daggers at him. "I really didn't want to do this but fuck it! I'll make an exception for ya!" The mugger suddenly grew twice as large.
"Fuck." Was all Tomura could think before an arm came barrelling at him. The impact sent him flying further down the alley and into a trash can. He coughed raggedly as he tried to catch his breath. Pushing himself up with the support of the alley wall. His vision blurred as he tried to focus on the jackass that punted him.
"Concussion, my favourite." He slurred to himself. The mugger took some steps forward when a dark shape landed right on top of him. Sparks flew and the bright light nearly made Tomura vomit. When he looked up he saw the thug out cold and that weird shape was talking. Or at least he thought it was them. The voice sounded like it was coming from further away but that was probably the Concussion.
Flashing red and blue lights along with the sounds of sirens inspired an instinctual moment of panic before he relaxed again. The blur became blurrier and Tomura felt something hard hit his entire front.
Oh, the ground. That explains it. He objectively knew passing out was a bad idea but he was honestly so done with the night that he didn't care.
He was out in moments.
Izuku was panicking.
He'd taken the mannequin out to test the grappling system late at night. It was going well. The mannequin could only perform basic movements with the gear but it used them well.
He was standing on top of a building watching it when he heard shouting. Now, being the good samaritan he was, he ran across a few roofs and looked around. He was expecting to find a drunk or something but instead he saw a massive dude fling a skinny guy across the alley.
In a moment of stupidity and fear he sicked the mannequin on the big guy. In an instant he was down. The weight of the mannequin and the shock from the grapples took him down with ease.
Izuku looked over at the guy trying to stand up. He didn't look good. His wrist was hanging wrong and he was clearly out of it. Izuku tried asking him how he felt or if he knew where he was but stopped when he heard the sirens.
Izuku didn't know what to do. If he stayed he'd get in trouble and his mom wouldn't let him back to the lab but it was clear this guy needed help. In the end the mannequin decided for him as it let out a long beep. It was nearly flat and if he didn't get back to the lab soon then there would be no way to move the thing.
Besides, the guy was breathing fine and he wasn't losing any blood so Izuku decided to just get going.
With help from the mannequin he was back in the lab in under twenty minutes. Just in time too because there was only three percent battery left in the mannequin.
Izuku collapsed into his chair and proceeded to deflate. He had no idea what he was thinking. He should have just waited or something.
It's not like he'd be charged for vigilantism or illegal use of weaponry since A, he didn’t have a quirk and B, under support emergency laws anyone with a support licence can aid in emergencies.
But now that he ran all that gets thrown out the window. If the police found out it was him then he'd be fined but if mum found out he wouldn't be able to even touch a screwdriver until he got into UA.
Speaking of inventing. The shock hooks did well. Though they drained too much power, there was little he could do without increasing the size of the batteries. He simply didn't have the space to fit it on the uniform.
He'd intended for it to be a prototype for the police to use. Like more advanced swat gear or even for standard use if he keeps it light enough. Unfortunately he's done all he can. The padding can stop small arms fire. The lighter fabric in the joints are stab proof. The projector shields can still be used with it and there's even options for greater mobility.
If he had more room or he simply didn't have to take into account the weight of the person using it then he could… weight of the person… the person using it…
He glanced at the mannequin briefly. A wild idea running through his head.
Why did a person need to wear it at all? It was just putting unnecessary lives on the line. Injuries, fatigue, mental duress. All of it could be avoided if something else remained vigilant and staunch against crime.
Something that could work nearly 24/7. Something that can be replicated and replaced countless times. They could always be watching for crime. Respond in moments to any situation. Be modified and specialised for any need.
But how would they know when to stop? How would they make crucial decisions? They'd have to be smart. But the level of problem solving and cognitive function needed is too much for modern computers to fit in the mannequin.
Not only that but what if it began to question its orders. He'd need to be able to trust it. To trust that it would hold the same values as him. To trust that it would do good.
And he trusted very few these days. He trusted mum obviously. Tsukauchi as well. He trusted Bakugou to become the strongest hero. He wasn't sure where he stood with Nighteye. The man did good and was dedicated but he seemed to hold his own opinion higher than anyone's. He can't really blame the man, what with his intelligence and future sight. However, a diverse mindset is more crucial than dedication.
Izuku wanted to save everyone. It's why he sold his first projects for police usage. It's why he wanted to design a home security system unlike any other. It's why he needed to make this idea work.
He spent the next two days combing through theory after theory. Idea after idea. He read and researched every paper or experiment that was public or he could otherwise get his hands on for an answer.
He desperately wanted some way to make it work.
But no matter where he looked or what idea he entertained he came to a conclusion.
It simply wasn't possible to give a machine what nature spent millennia fine tuning. He lost hope for his sudden obsession.
That was until an idea struck him.
Even he could admit that the idea was absurd to begin with. A broken railway kind of train of thought produced from manic energy and sleep deprivation.
Did it have to be a machine to begin with? Obviously it needed to be easy to manufacture but did it absolutely need to be plastic, Cooper and steel?
What if instead it were neuron and synapse. Flesh that could be programmed. It was ridiculous really. But it's not like he couldn't just get all the brains he wants. Society had long since mastered the art of artificially grown organs and skin. It was entirely possible to simply get the raw materials and… give it specific instructions.
He had more than enough money to get the required equipment and regularly receive materials to grow what he needs. A small scale system of organic components used to process higher thought while a secondary computer kept the organic computer from straying to far from its intended purpose.
With this new possibility he ordered what he'd need. His support licence gave him access to many resources despite his age. And even if his idea didn't work he could still cannibalise components from the machines to build other things.
It would take three days for everything to arrive and Izuku planned to use it wisely. He was going to change the world.
Just like Mr. Yagi said he would.