The Ninth

[A/N: Auxiliary Chapter has been added for names and pictures for the harem and cast.]

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Izumi Midoriya cried.

She couldn't help it, as the number one hero, the same one who had saved her twice that day, spoke those words she would never forget till the day she left this world.

"You can, become a hero."

The floodgates were open, and she probably shed the most tears she had in her life, although once she heard the next part, they practically stopped immediately.

"I find you worthy to inherit my Quirk."

She blinked slowly, swallowing the feeling of razors in her throat and looking up at the gaunt form of All Might, her busty and muscular features nowhere to be seen and replaced by a decrepit woman.

And, in practiced poise, Izumi could only give the most intelligent response she could muster.

"Eh?"

From there, her path changed, and she readily changed right along with it.

Day in and day out, hours upon hours were spent breaking down the skinny girl who was a bundle of awkward nerves and as flat as a board into something worthy in her eyes.

Izumi knew she wasn't attractive, keen enough to notice the way boys would sneer at her, how their eyes slipped off her like she was air, when girls would speak behind her back and say she wasn't much competition, the times her locker would be trashed, and even the how she was accused of being a lesbian; as if the last part would have been bad if it were true.

However, despite it all, the worst was how the girl she had at one point in her childhood considered her sister, would remind her every day on the dot of what she was to society.

"A quirkless bitch like you will die alone, no one's gonna ever love you, stay outta my way."

However, those moments of self pity and embarrassment had gradually morphed, turned into a fuel that lit the fire that pushed her to clear Dagobah Beach, and made hours spent within her room in the dark managing to do a few more pushups or crunches easier.

Making the grueling months doing the monotonous task of pulling rusted refrigerators, washing machines, and microwaves four hundred feet away onto a pile she would also have to move to a container ten feet up and on the street somewhat manageable.

There were times where she would think of giving up, throwing in the towel and apologizing to her favorite hero that she had chosen wrong and that such a power would never fit with her. Usually, Izumi could stuff it down, bite her words of protest and march on as she should.

However, one day, when she was mere seconds away from finally breaking and truly giving up; she met him.

She turned at the shout she heard while struggling to move a piece of metal.

Midnight black hair an unruly mess, a stern yet emotionless gaze, perfect posture as he stood tall, and dark purples eyes that met hers. The boy did not seem that expressive, and perhaps if someone pulled out a piece of paper it would be more emotive than him at the moment.

Everything about him seemed muted, like a curtain of ordinary was draped over him despite his above average looks, as if blocking any and all thoughts besides 'dull' and 'quiet'.

Despite that, Izumi knew better, how could she not when she herself did the same everyday.

His eyes told everything.

The first thing she noticed in them was recognition, as if he was seeing someone he knew. Then, when he exhaled, she also realized the boy was tense, almost frighteningly so as he stood at the top of the railing looking down on the beach where she stood.

Izumi swallowed, wiping the sweat off her forehead and wondering how awful she probably looked right now with a rope tied over her shoulder, across her midsection, and on her back; an entire half of a Honda civic behind her and dragging lines in the sand.

"Hello?" She managed, though the greeting was more like a question.

"Ah." The boy seemed to snap back to reality. "Sorry, I just noticed you cleaning the beach and was wondering why?"

Izumi's entire body tensed, her mind running through the excuses she had made in advance, but as she mentally scrolled through the dozens upon dozens of them she had conjured up her mouth failed her. She rather quickly realized maybe she should have picked two or three and stuck with it. The amount of options made her hesitate, way longer than normal, and the silence became awkward.

"I um, well… It's because I-I want to help the community…"

She really needed to get over her stuttering.

The boy nodded solemnly, but again his dark purple eyes looked at her, "It seems more like training, are you planning to become a hero?"

The question made the nervous wreck she currently was even out a bit, her smile a little loopy from exhaustion but her nod firm, "I guess so. Yes- um, do you want to be a hero too?"

The black haired boy smiled, or well the ends of his lips moved up perhaps half an inch, "Yes actually. Most people try to anyways, I guess I am no different. Keep at it though, I believe you can do it. Not a lot are willing to do so much for training."

The words were unwavering, almost as if he was stating a fact, as if she had already done it. Izumi would have fallen into a muttering panic at the words, but because she was so tired her cheeks turned slightly red and she averted her gaze.

Coincidentally, her focus landed on the heaps of garbage she had yet to move, the sheer amount like a stone within her gut. She only had four months, but what she had left was around sixty percent of the beach still covered, nowhere near what she initially thought she would be at.

"I can't do it."

Izumi stayed still, wondering who had spoken until she realized it was her. She was just some skinny Quirkless girl who would never amount to anything. Maybe if she was a boy, her muscles would have developed faster, maybe she would have also put on weight easier, but this was reality. All Might had told her that women were naturally weaker before the age of Quirks, and despite the untold machinations of biology because of said Quirks appearing, men were still biologically stronger until powers came into play.

She was quirkless, well for only four more months, but that was only if she could accomplish what All Might had set her out to do.

One for All would bridge the gap, actually no, it would grab whatever destination it wanted and bring it right to her. The problem was the power it held, and though briefly All Might mentioned the Quirk had only one male user, and sometimes she wondered how strong a man would be with it now; just out of curiosity's sake.

"I thought you said you wanted to be a hero?"

The words were sharp, almost like a dagger piercing her chest, hitting her right in her weak spot.

A hero, of course she wanted to be one, she had been thinking about it her whole life; but that was all in her head. Here, as she moved the front half of a beaten down car maybe only four feet over the last ten minutes, things were vastly different.

Crueler.

"I-" Izumi turned to look up at the boy, ready to do everything in her power to deny herself her own dream like she always did with Kacchan.

However, the boy was mid jump, landing on the balls of his feet and crouching on the sand to absorb momentum. He muttered something about 'Deadpool being right' before standing at his total height of 5 '10, walking over so silently Izumi wondered if that was his Quirk.

Then, throwing out any idea she had for what he would do, he bowed.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Kai Yaoyorozu."

Izumi stared at him, the exhaustion that had overridden her meekness now gone as she gasped and bowed as quickly as she could.

"I-Izumi Midoriya!" She practically screamed at him." I mean uh, Izumi Midoriya"

This time it was at a normal volume, and as the boy she now knew as Kai Yaoyorozu rose back up, his once expressionless face was gone; replaced by one barely holding in laughter.

Izumi puffed her cheeks out, "It- it wasn't on purpose."

He waved her off, letting out a small chuckle before his mask slipped on and he showed little emotion again, "No you're fine, it just isn't everyday a girl screams her name at you."

Izumi blinked, then she fully registered the fact she was talking to someone of the opposite sex,  while wearing a sports bra under a wife beater with black yoga pants at that.

The oncoming blush probably made her look ridiculous, especially as she shrunk into herself and tried to hide her face.

'He is so close(he was still about ten feet away)' Izumi thought. 'Talking to a boy is nice.'

She firmly set her gaze on the sand below her, hoping that he was either a figment of her imagination and would disappear soon so she could move on with life, or there was a sniper set up somewhere who would decisively end her suffering.

"I still think you can do it," His voice was soft, almost a whisper but she still heard it clearly. "I ran past here for the last six months for stamina training, and noticed how hard you have been working. I never planned to meet you, but after seeing you struggling and about to give up, I decided to talk to you."

Izumi stopped hiding, her emerald eyes sparkling as she looked at Kai.

"I think," He started again. "You should try, so even if you fail, you finally would know for sure. It would be better to figure out you really can't do it, then to wonder if you can or can't for the rest of your life."

The beach became relatively quiet, the small sound of waves washing over the beach and the occasional squawk of seagulls was all that was heard.

"Thank you."

There was no stuttering, no nervousness, and no fear. Instead, Izumi made her back straight and grinned ear to ear.

"Thank you Yoayorozu-kun."

Kai nodded, "You're welcome, but you can call me Kai, just because my last name is kind of a mouth full."

The blushing came back, and after a brief conversation, and Izumi struggling to even form sentences; Kai thankfully left her with another bow.

Izumi watched him leave the entire way, sneaking a small peak at his butt before realizing she did so and internally screaming while she thought about burying her head in the sand.

Now, four whole months later, she still thought back to that time. Especially at the moment, as she sat on a refrigerator atop the pile of garbage she had successfully moved, the pristine white sand sprawled out before her against an ocean of blue.

Her eyelids fluttered, and sleep called to her like a long lost lover, making her want to lay down and catch some rest.

"Good job Midoriya-shojo." All Might spoke softly, stirring her from her stupor.

She turned, seeing her sensei grinning at her with her signature smile, Izumi mirroring it in kind albeit weaker as she carefully made her way down.

As her red shoes hit the sand, the 6 '5 buffed up All Might raced to her in a blur of movement, pulling Izumi into her ample breasts and almost suffocating her out of surprise.

"Guh!"

All Might chuckled at her struggle, finally stopping the sudden hug and dusting off the sand now smeared into her white tank top.

"I'm proud of you Midoriya, you have met my expectations and then some, look here." The blonde giant pulled out a smartphone, quickly tapping the photos app and pulling Izumi close. "This was you ten months prior sweetie, now look at you, a fine heroine in the making."

The pictures were of Izumi on her first day. She was a lanky girl at the start of puberty, looking as uncomfortable in her body like a penguin in a desert, hands naturally cradling herself as if to hide from prying eyes. She even had shaggy emerald hair cut short like a boy's.

Now, as Izumi looked at herself, and truly did; she was stunned.

The last ten months of hard work did her well, her unruly green hair was still wild, but was now long enough to tease the arch of her back. She was no longer a twig, a lithe build with tight muscles encasing a taller figure that clearly showed off her hard work. The fact she actually had an ass and the start of something akin to A cups was a definite bonus in all of it. Although she did not want to sound shallow, her lack of femineity always bothered her, now she honestly felt like a budding young woman.

It seemed All Might agreed, wiggling her eyebrows in mischief, "Hmm, the boys at UA are going to be all over you if you give them the chance Midoriya-shojo."

Izumi covered her face again, fighting back both her embarrassment and the urge to deny the claims. She may be dense, but she was no idiot, her body was somewhat nice to look at.

"Anyhow!" The all too familiar booming voice brought her attention back from the previous statement. "It's now time for the award ceremony, Izumi Midoriya!"

"The entrance exam is tomorrow, and that gives us one day for you to get some semblance of a feeling for One for all."

"Yes!" Izumi answered as she straightened up.

All Might reached toward her hair, plucking a single hair strand from her long locks of blonde hair, "You have earned this gift, and every ounce of your hard work has coalesced into this very moment. You will be a hero, one possibly even better than me. A woman that will inspire and be the epitome of strength."

Izumi preened at the praise, temporarily squashing the instinct to disagree and just basking in her own glory.

"Now," All Might held out the strand. "Eat this."

The next few minutes were something Izumi would like to forget, and thankfully there was an agreement to never mention it again.

She may have thrown up, the jury was still out on that one, nor did she have to eat another hair because of puking.

That was totally not what happened... 

After rushing home, showering, and sharing a small breakfast with her Father, she was once again back on the beach with her mentor. This time, it was to use One for All, the Quirk she was given from the number one hero.

"Okay Midoriya, before you even begin to comprehend One for All, I must tell you how to harness it." All Might spoke in a grave tone as she stood besides Izumi. "It's no secret, but men are inherently stronger than women. Of course, there are exceptions, as there are even exceptions to exceptions. The point is, when starting out—plus as a normal fourteen year old girl— you have merely honed your body for a scant ten months. The best conditions would have been two years, as such, you are a vessel made in a hurry."

Izumi swallowed hard, nodding slowly and giving her undivided attention.

"So, you must start off small, and as you bathe yourself in One for All's power, only then will it slowly change your body to better wield the power. For me, it took only a few months to use One for All at full power without backlash, but for you, it may take longer."

Izumi deflated, but her mind readily grasped at the words. "So... like most people who have Quirks, their bodies slowly adapt overtime to ensure their own safety, just like how Kacchan's ears can withstand the sound of her own explosions or how her sweat glands or expanded, or how you, All Might, became taller and more muscular. Interesting, if that's the case then-"

"Child!" All Might cut off the machine gun fire of words. "That habit of yours is truly exceptional. However, focus and understand that it will take time before you are throwing punches as hard as me."

Izumi exhaled, knowing she should have expected this, most people had years upon years to have their bodies adapt.

She had a day.

"Okay…so if I need to have One for All on to slowly convert my body, how can I fast-track it to catch up." Izumi held her chin. "Is it possible to constantly have One for All active?"

All Might shook her head, "If I always had it at full power, then merely walking around would create tornadoes Midoriya."

"Then, how do you move so quickly?"

All Might grew quiet, contemplating while absently stroking her hair before snapping her fingers, an imaginary light bulb turning on above her head.

"Ah, it was rather instinctual for me but I see your point. To best describe it I shave off slices of One for All's power and only add the layer back the second before an impact."

Izumi nervously laughed, "Slice it off? Is there no better explanation?"

All Might gave a shrug.

Izumi sighed, turning around and looking toward the ocean waves, mind racing a mile a minute to figure out how she could hasten her ability to use One for All. There had to be a way, and as she stood there motionless for no longer than ten minutes, she got a good handful of ideas.

However, upon trying to figure out the first one, she realized she couldn't even call up the power.

"How do you start One for All, or would it be ignite, or rev, maybe spin?"

"Ignite is the right term, One for All feels warm, almost like a fire."

Izumi nodded, turning back to the ocean and closing her eyes, trying everything to 'spark the fire', but getting nothing in return.

"Hmm," All Might thumbed her chin, other hand resting on the side of her cocked hip as she thought aloud. "I have heard that Quirks can be related to feelings or memories. Like someone who can fly just needs to pull from the feeling of freedom or weightlessness."

Izumi frowned, "And when you use One for All how do you feel?"

All Might grinned, "I feel really good!"

"Uh…yeah." Izumi gave a weak smile and returned back to her own thoughts, wondering what feeling would invoke the god-like power of One for All. She closed her eyes again, thinking back on all the Quirks she had studied, written down out of jealousy and hope that someday her own would manifest, the notes there to help her catch up if it ever happened.

It hadn't, and her habit of analyzing Quirks became an outlet, a world of fantasy she could fall into and imagine herself in.

Hopeless, that was the first feeling that came, and not surprisingly; nothing happened.

The thoughts of her nickname 'Deku', and the person she once hailed as her sister come to her mind next. The times in elementary school were anytime Izumi blushed, stared, or drew things about a boy; the next week Kacchan would swoop in and make them wrap around her little finger. She did it to spite her, she knew it, the writing was on the wall on a clear sunny day. The name calling to make her feel weak, the jeers at how unattractive she was, and the anger she felt because of her lack of action to stop it.

Rage, it came second, and disappointingly One for All did not answer.

Moving on, Izumi remembered hearing the words of All Might, the bombastic and sexy number one hero that everyone in Japan and most parts of the world idolized. A woman with overwhelming intensity, a spirit unwavering, and now her mentor.

Hope came third, but begrudgingly enough, it did not even cause a pulse.

In a last ditch effort, Izumi swam within her thoughts, looking for the right kindling for One for All and desperately wishing it would come to her. She thought of her love for Katsudon, her joy at drawing and analyzing Quirks, seeing Hero fights in person, watching the HeroToday app to gleam any ounce of hero news, and the times at Christmas spent with her Father when she would open gifts to see All Might merchandise.

Nothing happened, joy was just as useless, she exhaled in defeat.

Izumi was about to open her eyes again, but then the image appeared, a clear face of a boy she had only met once.

Those eyes of purple that were rare even amongst Quirked society and so expressive despite his stone-like face. The confident way in which he carried himself. The fact he spoke as if he was guarantied to be a hero, and also the way success just seemed to ooze off him, a shroud of belief as if the outcome was already written in the sand, an unmoving rock within a raging river.

That same person, who without knowing her, had also believed in her.

Belief, it rose in her gut quickly, accompanied with it a static wave of warmth that raced through her veins and radiated throughout her entire body with untold power.

However, not a second later, pain followed suit.

"Agh," She screamed, One for All fleeing her and strong hands grabbing her before she could collapse.

All Might set her down carefully on the sand, "Splendid Midoriya-shojo, the first time is always painful, just take your time; we have all day."

Izumi sat on her knees, panting heavily and only managing a curt nod as she raised a hand to stare at her palm. The phantom feeling was there, the power she felt which was so overwhelming it was akin to drowning, and after holding it for a second she honestly wanted to puke again.

However, the fact she called upon All Might's Quirk in the first place grabbed the previous doubts and anxiety and tossed them down a flight of stairs.

"I have a Quirk." She mumbled, still awestruck by the development.

"A dangerous one Midoriya," All Might's serious tone halted her excitement. "If you can tone down the percentage then perhaps you can start to move, but if this is all you can achieve then you will have to hurt yourself severely to use it. Just a split second and you are practically exhausted."

That sobered Izumi up, the girl fervently nodding before standing up again with some difficulty.

"Although I must ask, what did you picture to grasp the power Midoriya?"

Izumi short circuited, steam coming off her face as it took a few moments to reboot. However, her mentor gave her no time to come up with a viable excuse.

"Oh? Is this young love I smell?"

"N-no!" Izumi screamed. "I only m-met him once!"

"Him? Oh my dear student, you should have never said anything, HAHAHA!" The infamous laughter of the number one hero rang out, and Izumi wished she could keep her big mouth shut sometimes.

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The next day came in a blur, Izumi barely able to get any sleep, her mind occupied by finally having a Quirk, getting said Quirk from All Might, and maybe about a boy with black hair. She would never admit the last part to anyone, or even herself, all thoughts of 'him' immediately shoved anywhere but where she could think of them.

She was overreacting, she had only met the boy once, and she would probably never see him again too. It was just her stupid mind latching on to the fact a boy had talked to her first and did not call her names.

"Daughter?"

Izumi was almost out of the door, already wearing her Aldera Junior High uniform along with her favorite yellow backpack. She turned, facing her Father, his short dark straight green hair, matching green eyes, and a body a little more on the plump side covered by a pink cleaning apron.

"I'm proud of you." The words were like a gut punch, her Father stepping closer and awkwardly patting her shoulder. "Do your best honey."

He seemed content with a shoulder pat, but before he could step back two surprisingly powerful arms wrapped around him, the hug something neither of them expected.

"Thanks dad." She fought back tears, only able to turn away and leave in a hurry so she would not break down right then and there.

The walk to UA was mostly silent, and to help calm down her nerves, she took a more winding path through the city. It was only twenty minutes later she stood before the glistening glass towers of UA, eyes like plates as her retinas absorbed as much of the view as possible.

"Out of the way bitch."

The familiar voice sent shivers down her spine, and out of instinct she actually did move, only able to catch a glimpse of red eyes and sandy blonde hair tied back into a ponytail. Kacchan marched off without even looking back, and Izumi reached out, mouth opening but closing soon after because she was unsure what to say. 

The slime villain incident did their relationship no favors.

Miffed, Izumi closed her eyes to gain some semblance of poise, holding a fist to her chest as she nodded a couple of times and took a step forward.

'Don't worry about her. This is it Izumi, all my training is for this moment.' She thought as her eyes opened and she stalked forward with determination. 'I am going to be a hero.'

She tripped, and Izumi could only reconcile with her fate as the concrete rushed to meet her, or well until she suddenly stopped.

No, that wasn't right. She was actually just slowly falling, as if gravity was muted to a lesser degree, and she silently wondered if this was God pitying her.

"You okay?"

Izumi's eyes widened, the familiar monotone voice something she hadn't forgotten and probably never would. She grunted as she was pulled back to her feet, and she swirled around to see Kai standing there. The same wild black hair, the same cold face, and the same eyes she dreamt about.

Forget the last part, she wasn't ready to admit it, as much as it was apparent right at the moment.

"H-hi Kai."

The boy smirked, "Hello, guess it was fate, I never got to ask which hero school you wanted to apply to."

Izumi smiled, "Well, everyone usually tries for UA, but yeah what a surprise."

Kai gestured with his head toward the flowing crowd of people, "Let's go, we might be late if we stay out here."

"Yes," Izumi chirped as she started walking, Kai falling in line right next to her.

They gradually fell into a comfortable silence, and Izumi took the time to look at UA, then sneakily at Kai a few times.

Belief.

She only needed to believe in herself, just as Kai, her Father, and All Might have.

'I've got this.'

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I know the story is a bit slow, but it will ramp up eventually, and also a chapter not from Kai's perspective, crazy right?

No worries, these chapters will be present but not too common, it is just a way to break up the monotony and expand the views of the world.

Also, there were some differences to canon already, and the reason is because with a gender swap some things will have to change. If everything was the same with both the genderbent world and Kai being a factor, then the butterfly effect would not be a thing when it should be.

Characters might even be slightly ooc(out of character) because of the fact their genders are different, but most of the core values will stay the same, but there are certain relationships which will flow very differently as a result.

an example being Izumi and her Father.

I am really enjoying writing this story and want to get to the good bits, so it is why chapters have been coming out more frequently than they should.

I hope you enjoy them, and also comments and likes are much appreciated.