#will a braid of Toshi's hair around Izuku's wrist work? genuinely no idea it could go either way

[pocketramblr]

for the hc game: au where one for all doesn't actually work for quirkless people, Toshinori just had an invisible quirk the whole time; the ability to do anything if he believed he could

this is like the opposite of that no quirk au...

1- ok, so you need to have your own pre-existing plus alpha factor in order to activate any quirk in your body. Have no plus alpha factor or no quirk? Quirkless, you need both in order to actually manifest a power. Some quirkless people do actually have quirks, but no factors to activate, and some vice versa. One For All quirk works like a car, but doesn't come with the key to activate. Toshinori had a key, and also a second, secret car that protected him all along from dying of having two cars, or getting his limbs blown off by the new car. The metaphors getting away from me.

2- Izuku, however, has no plus alpha factor because i know thats what you wanted out of this prompt. (he has a quirk- his hair is a visual indicator of this, but alas, no key.) Which means, he's going to be unable to actually use OfA once he has it.

3- but since his New Quirk Car is Totally Haunted and full of Secret Smaller Cars... i mean, does the can-do-anything quirk from Toshi mean OfA would let Izuku do anyhing if he thinks he can? No, since Izuku can't turn on the can-do-anything quirk to let that happen. hm. BUT, but, Toshinori does have a key, and Izuku's got part of his genes now, so can Izuku do anything Toshinori believes he can, just not anything Izuku thinks he can? I mean that'd probably just open more doors for izuku since his own self worth wouldn't hold him back. So actually what's going to happen is related to how Toshinori can feel his vestige self, but only when in contact with Izuku- Izuku can do anything Toshinori thinks he can, as long as Toshinori is physically touching him.

4- so..... that entrance exam is going to be frustrating. OfA just doesn't activate. Uraraka is injured by the zero pointer, but RG heals her up. Izuku goes home and after several hours of sheer dread, eventually musters the courage to tell All Might he needs to meet him at the beach, intending to give OfA back. All Might arrives, and tells Izuku that he is the right choice, still. He only had a few hours with the Quirk in his system, and only fifteen minutes to figure out activation, so All Might is fully ready to blame his own teaching on it. They try a few times to activate it on the beach that night, and nothing works. Toshinori puts his hand on Izuku's shoulder and says it's alright, they can try more later, but Izuku wants one more shot - and shatters his arm in the process.

5- he hardly feels the pain, overjoyed it worked even if All Might has to rush him to RG for more healing and a very irritated lecture about the hour. Still, they're in good spirits when they meet the next day for training, not at the beach (too popular now) but a room in Might Tower. And yet... Izuku can't do a repeat. Toshinori suspects he still needs more muscle mass and his body is instinctively preventing activation to avoid injury. He begrudgingly gets Gran's help, and everyone's trying to figure out what the pattern is. Gran bullies Toshi into asking Nedzu for help, which he does after an apology for resigning before the school year even started. But Nedzu likes puzzles, and he eventually suspects the reason, but isn't sure why physical contact is enough to override it, and if that will continue to work once Toshi burns through his share of OfA (or dies). He does, however, have an idea- would a support item with Toshi's DNA be able to replicate the effect? What good luck that UA has a hero student and a support student who can help- Mirio Togata and Bibimi Kenranzaki! (Izuku doesn't know why All Might looks so nervous at the suggestion that they meet to ask for help...)