Chapter Text
Midoriya Izuku is quirkless, and that is a fact he has come to accept and even love. He knows there is nothing he can do to gain a quirk, nor does he want one at this point. Izuku has learned to live with what he doesn't have and to work with what he does. He has learned to love himself despite the bullying he faces daily. No matter how much he and his mother have tried to make it stop, the bullying continues. According to everything he’s been told—and from his own research—if he had a quirk, he would have died at the age of four. That’s when a classmate, his number one bully, pushed him into a table at a greenhouse his class was visiting.
Such incidents were rare at this particular research facility, as many schools didn’t think their students would learn anything useful from a visit like this. However, in this case, both the facility and the school needed to make a good impression. So, the principal and the director decided it would be a good idea. The principal also hoped that the visit would encourage more students to become involved with the school garden. If not, well, at least he would have tried, and it would give the mothers a reason to leave him alone for the rest of the year.
The visit had been going well. All the students were together, and even if they weren’t paying attention, they were sticking with the group. The students known for bullying the weaker ones were, at least for the moment, behaving.
The kids liked the look of the place, and some even commented that it looked like a setting for a horror movie. They had seen the cleaner, more organized areas where the bugs and snakes were kept, and where venom was processed. Now, they were in the plant area, and it looked like the people in charge of this section had let the plants overrun the place. As the students filed in, the rowdier ones began to get bored. And, as expected, they started to hang back and focus on their favorite target: a small, green-haired boy who looked like a stiff breeze could knock him over.
While the teacher was speaking with the head of the department, the bullies began to pick up random sticks and poke the poor boy in the side, causing him to yelp in pain. However, with the noise of the other students and the sound of humidifiers in the room, the teachers didn’t hear him.
Izuku, the target of the bullies, had been focused on a table covered in vines, glass vials, and beakers filled with different colored liquids. While he had no idea what any of the substances were, the plants and everything they were learning about fascinated him. Izuku loved the idea of plants being used to help the Earth, and even, at times, cure people.
He hadn’t been paying attention to the other kids in the group, thinking that, at least for now, he was safe in the greenhouse. The teacher was keeping a close watch on them, so Izuku felt secure enough to let down his guard and enjoy the moment. It was the first time in a long while he had allowed himself to have fun outside of his home.
However, that moment of peace would cost him dearly. While he was distracted by the various items on the table, his tormentor snuck up behind him. With a loud cry, the bully shoved Izuku right into the table.
Izuku yelped as he fell forward into the table, knocking it over and tumbling with it. Because he had been leaning in close, he had no way of stopping the glass beakers from shattering as he landed face-first into them.
The last thing he remembered hearing was his teacher screaming his name and the other students shouting for help. Izuku, having been pushed into a mix of unknown chemicals—some toxic, some harmless, and some meant to bond the substances together—was drenched in them. Among the chemicals were even a few snakes and spiders being tested. The moment he hit the table, Izuku passed out, the contents of the table spilling over him, soaking him from head to toe and spreading across the ground around him.
As the research assistants rushed to pull him free from the tangled mess of plants, glass, and insects, the ground suddenly gave a violent shudder, and Izuku was pulled under. The class and the teacher watched in horror as he disappeared beneath the surface, their shock and fear palpable.
No one knew what to do. The scientists thought the poor boy was dead, and so did everyone else. When the heroes were called, they hoped they could at least find a body for his mother. A relatively unknown pro hero was called in, as they hoped her powers could help retrieve the boy from the ground. Her ability was a passive one—she could control natural earth without touching it. Given the glass and toxins now soaked into the area, her power seemed like the perfect match.
However, it appeared that even with her ability, nothing could be done to get Izuku out of the ground that had swallowed him. The pro hero spent five hours trying to shift the dirt that made up the floor of the greenhouse with little to no results. She was on the verge of collapse from overexerting herself when, finally, the ground gave one last violent shudder and slowly pushed Izuku back out.
By this point, the students had been sent home, and Izuku’s mother was on her way. Everyone believed the boy was dead—he had been underground for over five hours. There had been no oxygen, so if the fall onto the glass and exposure to the dangerous chemicals hadn’t killed him, he must have suffocated. Miss Midoriya had just walked through the door with the paramedics when Izuku was finally pushed free from the earth. The glass had long since been cleaned up, and the table was moved.
When the earth finally expelled him, Izuku showed no signs of having been buried for more than five hours. He didn’t have any cuts from the glass, and despite everything, he seemed healthy—except for a strange green tint to his skin and the black veins visible around his mouth.
Everyone was in such a state of shock that they almost didn’t notice Miss Midoriya, who was already rushing to her son's side the moment she regained her composure. It took all of the pro hero’s remaining strength to keep the mother from running to Izuku immediately. Another hour passed before his mother was able to slowly pull him from the contaminated ground, allowing the paramedics to examine him.
It took another half hour to determine if Izuku was alive and to calm the distraught mother enough to get both of them inside the ambulance. It was a shock that the boy was still alive, but not an unpleasant one.
So off to the ER went Izuku and his mother. By the time they arrived, Izuku was awake and calm. The strange green veins under his skin had vanished, but his appearance had changed drastically. He was now extremely pale, his lips tinged with a dark green color, almost like he was wearing dark green lipstick. His hair had smoothed out, now bone straight and a dark forest green with highlights of toxic green. His eyes had lightened to a pale, almost white green, the entire iris matching the color.
A few hours after he woke up, the doctors made sure he was still in good health and that his mother wasn’t on the verge of collapsing from overusing her quirk. After both mother and son were calmed down and reunited, the explanations began.
The doctor, a tall, thin man who appeared to be younger than Inko, sat in front of them. A soft expression crossed his face as he reviewed a stack of papers in his lap. His soft brown hair was pulled into a low bun at the back of his neck.
“Miss. Midoriya, first I would like to introduce myself and explain what my quirk is. My name is Nakanishi Yori, and my quirk is called 'Doctor.' It allows me to diagnose someone and learn everything about their medical history with just one touch. However, I can only do this once every twenty-four hours.”
As the doctor spoke, he glanced at the papers on his lap, not noticing the shocked expressions of both mother and son.
With a small sound of triumph, the doctor pulled out a piece of paper and looked back up, waving it around as if it were the greatest discovery ever made. Inko giggled despite herself.
“Okay, so this paper here says that young Midoriya was quirkless.” At the dark look in both mother and son’s eyes, he waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, no, it’s not a bad thing, and I’m not bringing it up for no reason. I’m simply pointing out that if you, Mr. Midoriya, had a quirk, you would have died. You see, everyone has the DNA to support a quirk, whether they have one or not. Now, if you had a quirk, your body would not have been able to support this new power of yours. The DNA that adjusts your body to a quirk would already have been adapted to it, leaving no room to support this new ability. In short, you would have died because your body couldn’t handle both a quirk and whatever this new power is.”
As he spoke, Inko turned to look at her son, and for the first time since the diagnosis, she saw something different in his eyes. He seemed... happy. Despite the shock of the situation, despite everything he had been through, Izuku was calm, even pleased. For the first time, it seemed like the one thing about him—the one thing she knew he had always hated—was the very thing that had saved his life.
The doctor paused for a moment as he continued to review his notes, his expression growing more serious.
“There’s one more thing we need to address. Given the nature of Mr. Midoriya’s new condition, there are some significant changes that will need to be made to his lifestyle.” He glanced between mother and son, then continued. “Izuku, your body has undergone a rapid adaptation to this new power, but it’s not without complications. Your system is now infused with a rare, biotoxigenic strain of plant-based energy, which I believe has given you the unusual abilities you’ve demonstrated. We have never seen anything like it in medical records, so we’re calling it Flora-Toxisynthesis for now—essentially, your body has started synthesizing toxins like a plant would photosynthesize energy from sunlight. The veins in your skin were the first sign, showing how your body has begun incorporating plant-based materials into its cellular structure.”
Inko blinked in disbelief, her voice shaky. “What does that mean for him? Is it dangerous?”
Dr. Nakanishi nodded. “It’s rare, but not necessarily dangerous if handled correctly. However, you’ll need to follow a very specific, plant-based diet to sustain your body’s unique needs. Without it, your system could become unstable. We recommend a regimen we call the Verdant Protocol.” He pulled out another sheet of paper with a list of strange names and explanations.
“The protocol consists of various plant-based compounds that will help stabilize your body’s unique metabolic system. We’ll begin with three key components:
Lignin-infused compounds—these will help to reinforce your cellular structure and prevent your body from breaking down its own plant matter.
Chloropollen extract—this will aid in regulating the photosynthetic function of your cells, providing you with energy without the need for regular food intake.
Toxin-neutralizing herbs—a blend of specific herbs known to neutralize the toxins your body will naturally excrete. These toxins can be deadly in high doses, so it’s crucial to keep your intake balanced.”
Izuku furrowed his brow. “So... I’m part plant now?”
The doctor smiled lightly, his tone reassuring. “Not exactly, but your body is now a hybrid of sorts. It's using plant-based systems to generate energy, and we’ll need to monitor this closely. If you’re not careful, your body may attempt to produce too much or too little of the necessary compounds, and that could lead to complications like nausea, dizziness, or even organ failure.”
Inko gasped, but the doctor quickly added. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Midoriya. With the right diet, Izuku should be able to live a normal life. In fact, with this Flora-Toxisynthesis, he may have some unique advantages in terms of healing and resilience. He’ll likely be able to recover from injuries faster and may even have some sort of enhanced durability.”
At this point, the doctor’s expression turned more somber. “There’s one other thing we need to address, Miss Midoriya.” He paused to let the weight of the moment sink in. “Izuku’s body is producing venom, likely from the plant-based toxins now embedded in his cells. Right now, the venom is concentrated in his lips.”
Inko’s eyes widened in horror. “Venom? What does that mean for him... for us?”
Dr. Nakanishi sighed. “It means, at least for now, Izuku cannot kiss you on the cheek—or anyone for that matter—without risking harm. The venom is strong enough that even a simple kiss could be lethal until he learns to control the output of toxins from his lips. This is temporary, but it will take time for him to gain control over it.”
Izuku looked down, his face flushed with embarrassment, but Inko immediately reached out to hold his hand.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Izuku muttered. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Inko squeezed his hand gently. “Izuku, you’ve never hurt me. I’ll understand. We’ll figure this out together.” She smiled softly, trying to mask her worry, but it was clear the situation was much more complex than she had hoped.