Izuku ignored the doctor when he told him and his mom he wouldn't have a quirk. He didn't care whether the people around him believed in him or not, not when he could literally see the vestiges of One For All around him, quietly supporting his decision. Kacchan's essence was pissed that Izuku took his own life to speedrun the next loop and others had voiced their concerns as well. Izuku's mental well-being wasn't exactly...at its best, to say the least. Not that that changed things. No, Momo was right. It was time to stop running away. He just needed a chance to prove himself...

Luckily Izuku knew what sort of disaster would happen at certain times, having lived through his childhood so many times before. It wasn't all that hard to position himself on a scene of a serious car crash and prevent people from dying by using his quirks. Lifting cars with Blackwhip, making himself float so could survey the situation, using Danger Sense to make sure everyone was safe. There was some backlash on his body, but it wasn't as severe as Izuku feared it would be. No, he simply coughed up some blood. Which, now that he thought about it, probably indicated internal organ damage.

"Izuku!"

Ah yeah, his mom would be worried, too. He hadn't shown any signs of developing a quirk, after all, and he was already six at this point. She probably thought it was never going to happen.

"Using all those quirks at once overloaded your body," Yoichi told him as his mom fussed over him. "Be mindful of it next time. We do not want to cause any unnecessary or permanent harm."

Permanent harm, what a joke. Izuku understood his sentiment, though. He didn't want to needlessly worry the vestiges either. The incident was resolved without much trouble as the police escorted him and his mom to the hospital to make sure he was alright after his sudden quirk manifestation. They had to run some tests to determine what it was exactly and whether it would continue to harm him if he used it again. The police questioned him while they waited for the results, but since he was still a small child they were sweet and kind, unlike the way he'd been treated by them on several other occasions across his lifetimes.

"You were very brave today," an officer told him with a smile. "I'm sure you'll make a great hero one day!"

"Really?" Izuku gasped, acting up for the sake of it, and maybe he was a little enthusiastic as well. It had been a while since he was able to be a real actual hero...

"Of course!" the officer nodded. "I bet your quirk will get a super cool name, too."

It was then that the doctor came back into the room, followed by agents from the Hero Commission. The only reason Izuku knew they were from the commission was because he'd seen people like that before in his previous lives. Nothing else indicated who they might work for or what their job actually was.

"Mrs Midoriya, I'm afraid we'll need to do additional tests in order to figure out your son's quirk factor," the doctor explained while the agents of the commission guided the police officers outside. "But from what we've gathered so far, he possesses a strong energy manipulation quirk of some kind."

"Since energy manipulation quirks are quite rare and generally very strong, we'd like to monitor your son for the time being," one of the commission agents said as they handed over their business card to Inko. "The Hero Commission wants to ensure the safety and well-being of your son, as well as the people around him. And if it's his wish, and with your permission, we can guide him to the path of becoming a pro hero."

"My son is six," Inko stammered out, a little overwhelmed by this new information.

"There is no need to make a decision right now," the agent said. "But monitoring his quirk is necessary to determine how it functions and how powerful it will become. We are the most equipped to handle such matters."

"They are correct," the doctor said, but Izuku could tell they didn't fully agree at all. Probably forced to act in order to give the commission what they wanted. "Your son will receive the best care in their promising youth monitoring program."

One step away from the training program, Izuku noted. The same program all their elite heroes endured. The one Lady Nagant and Hawks passed so many years ago. Well, he supposed Hawks was still a child right now, so he was probably still in training. What was their age gap again? A little under ten years, right?

"Of course there's also the matter of financial compensation," the agent said. "Which you will receive once he is enrolled within one of our programs. The Hero Commission is very generous."

There were more papers and forms and Izuku could tell Inko didn't know what to do with all of it, being pushed into doing something she wasn't certain was the best for her child. They left after some more manipulation, telling her to think about it and to give them a call when she made up her mind. They'd find other ways to get their hands on Izuku if they really wanted him, though, and a child with basically no quirk factor with a super strong quirk? Yeah, no way they were gonna let him go. Izuku was counting on that determination. Because if he could get into the program, if he could start working for the Hero Commission, he'd be able to gather so much more intel on Jikan.

He'd be able to take them out quietly and restore the flow of time without having to involve anyone else.

"Mom?" Izuku asked as Inko was reviewing all the paperwork. It was too good to be true, wasn't it? To have her son enroll in some promising youth program while she received such a large sum of money for them to raise him. There had to be a catch, some unethical work practices.

"Yes, Izuku?"

"Are the commission people gonna figure out what my quirk is?" he asked, knowing fully well that they'll never fully understand One For All. "Are they gonna make me a hero? I wanna be a hero, like All Might!"

"I know sweetie," Inko smiled. "I'm gonna have to think about it, okay?"

"But why?" Izuku whined, feeling a tad bit guilty for manipulating his own mother this way. "Don't you want me to become a hero?"

"That's not it-"

"I wanna go with them!" Izuku stated. "I wanna become an amazing hero, like All Might!"

In the end, Izuku got enrolled into the promising youth monitoring program by the end of the week.

//\\
\\//

"This is Hawks, he'll be your superior in the buddy program," one of Izuku's instructors told him as he introduced him to a teenage version of the pro hero he had known in the past. It hadn't taken long for the Hero Commission to take notice of his...special talents. So now, by the age of 8, he'd been enrolled in the promising youth training program, one of the many semi-secret programs run by the commission. Apparently they had some sort of buddy system, where a younger student was to be in the care of an older one to increase their chances of success. "Hawks, this is Deku."

"I've heard a lot about you, Deku," he smiled. "I'm looking forward to working with you!"

"Likewise," Izuku nodded.

"Hawks here is seven years older than you and has been enrolled in this program from a very young age," the instructor said. "He'll be able to help you improve in training."

"So what's in it for him, then?" Izuku wondered out loud, making the blonde teen snort.

"You'll challenge my capabilities during our training sessions, of course!" Hawks grinned. "I've never gone up against someone with an energy manipulation quirk before, so this is gonna be fun!"

Izuku really didn't understand how Hawks could stay so cheery and bright while spending his whole childhood confined by these walls, forced to go through rigorous training every day without a break. Then again, he'd always wanted to be a hero like Endeavor...

"We'll test that compatibility right away," the instructor said, motioning towards one of the reinforced doors. Almost all of them were like that, designed to keep them locked up even if they resisted. Forcing them to train until they were satisfied... This place was truly an inhumane prison camp where children were forced to become weapons for the sake of the world. Izuku wished there was another way to get the power and status he needed to take care of Jikan, but this was the fastest possible path he could take, even if it wasn't the most pleasant one.

"We're training right away? But Deku still needs to pass his medical checks to-" Hawks stated, only to be silenced with one glare alone.

"I trust you not to hold back, Hawks."

"...Of course not, sir."

That's how it started, but it quickly evolved into a partnership of sorts. They complimented each other, or at least, Izuku made an effort to. He made sure to sync up with him, to only ever show the side of his quirks that worked in harmony with the other hero. The only one who had ever fought by his side the way Hawks did was Kacchan, and nobody could ever replace the ash blonde.

"Just project or some shit," Katsuki had told him in one of his dreams. "Pretend he's me."

"I can't just do that! Kacchan is-"

"Your performance is suffering because you're holding back, Deku," he stated, arms crossed. "You damn well know I hate being a liability, so get over yourself!"

It had taken a while to get used to it, but Izuku eventually succeeded in partnering up with the winged hero. Just in time for him to be ripped away from his side. Hawks was graduating. He was becoming a pro hero, and Izuku was still a child, still in training, so he couldn't follow. It stung in a way he didn't expect it to. He knew Hawks was going to leave this place before him and yet... Yet this loss hit him harder than he expected it to. Maybe he'd been projecting too much onto him... Maybe it was because he was his only friend in this dreary place, because he made sure to lift him up when he fell.

"Deku, this is your new buddy," one of the instructors told him as they introduced him to the boy he'd be taking under his wings. Ha, wings. "Plasma also has an energy manipulation quirk, like you. I expect you to guide him well."

"Yes sir," Izuku answered, allowing his gaze to drop to this Plasma character. He didn't look like much. No defining features or visibly strong body. A plain looking kid, one of many. They had that in common, at the very least. Because One For All wasn't a true energy manipulation quirk, not by any standard or definition. Izuku wasn't sure whether this boy would be able to tell, but given time... Well, it was better if nobody found out Izuku bullshitted his way out of quirk examination and determination exams when he was younger. Or when this body was younger. Age had become more of a construct to him as time went on. "Would you like me to test him?"

"You may do as you please," the instructor said, guiding them to one of the many training rooms. Plasma was visibly nervous, scared to face him in combat. Izuku made a mental note to go easy on him, to make sure to let his abilities shine. The higher-ups wouldn't appreciate it, but he didn't care. In a few years, he'd be out of here. He'd finally be able to step into the real world again, to live life to the fullest while taking down his sworn enemies. Becoming the commission's lap dog was but a small sacrifice, one he was more than willing to make if it meant breaking the time loop.

Yes, this time, he'll succeed.