Origin Prologue: 3. The Revelation of Those Born Unfortunate

Izuku, Chisa, and their mother, Inko, had visited the local clinic for a 'Quirk Inspection Testing,' a pivotal clinical assessment aimed at determining the unique abilities—or quirks—of young children like Izuku and Chisa. Inko had scheduled this testing in hopes of discovering the latent quirk potential within her children, hoping that they would have a quirk that would help them fit into society.

At the very least, she hoped her children would have a normal, even mundane quirk, such as hers, which was just normal object attraction or pulling. She didn't want her children to have a potentially dangerous quirk, even if her son wanted to have such a quirk for his aspiration to be a hero—an aspiration that worried and distressed her greatly.

Both Izuku and Chisa then underwent a series of rigorous tests, including physical examinations, neurological assessments, and even an X-ray scan to probe for any signs of quirk manifestation. The clinic was bustling with activity, but after the tests were completed, the doctor requested a private discussion with Inko and Izuku, leaving Chisa to wait in the lobby among other patients and clinic staff.

As Chisa sat patiently, her thoughts swirled with curiosity and concern for her brother. She watched the clock on the wall ticking by, observing the comings and goings in the clinic and trying to decipher the muted conversations around her.

Meanwhile, in a quiet examination room down the hall, Inko and Izuku awaited the doctor's verdict with a mixture of apprehension and hope, especially for Izuku. They each sat on stools that had been kindly provided.

Inko had not yet received the results for either of her two children. She was worried that there might be something wrong with their quirks, particularly her son's, as the doctor had specifically asked to speak with Izuku alone instead of with Chisa as well.

'What if my son has a dangerous quirk?' Inko's thoughts were in turmoil as she began to imagine a few bad scenarios that could result in Izuku being ostracized by society.

"Ma'am?"

The doctor's voice interrupted her deep thoughts.

"Mom...?" She also felt a light tug at her side and heard her son's voice, breaking her reverie.

Inko looked to her side and saw the anxious and scared expression on Izuku's face. She then looked forward to find the elderly doctor already sitting comfortably in his office chair, leaning back casually.

The doctor's relaxed demeanor in this tense situation seemed out of place to Inko. She hoped it was a good sign... but couldn't shake the feeling that the doctor himself was a bit strange. Either way, she had to face the doctor. Inko cleared her throat before speaking, "Doctor, is there... something about my son that I need to know?" Concern was evident on her face.

"Yes, ma'am. There is something that you need to know about your son..." He paused for a moment as he slightly swiveled his chair to his desk. He then pointed to a mounted light display above his desk: an already-activated X-ray light box showing the bone structure... of a foot? From the structure position of the foot itself, it was most likely of the left foot...

Both Inko and Izuku looked at the X-ray scan with equal parts curiosity and confusion. They weren't sure why the doctor was showing them this X-ray of a foot, let alone knowing the owner of this foot's X-ray. Inko looked back at the doctor, "Doctor, what am I looking at...?" she asked, unsure of its significance.

"This is your son's X-ray scan, ma'am," he revealed.

Hearing that this X-ray scan belonged to her son shocked Inko. She now realized it was taken as part of the Quirk Inspection Testing. Though Izuku himself looked confused, Inko's heart raced with apprehension.

With concern etched on her face, Inko asked, "What seems to be the problem with it? I've seen a few X-ray scans before, and the bone structure here doesn't seem to have any cracks or anomalies."

The doctor then pointed at the scan again, specifically at the pinky toe on the left foot. "Here," he said, "notice the structure of the pinky toe."

Inko squinted at the indicated area, but she still couldn't discern what he was trying to convey. "I don't see anything unusual," she admitted, her confusion evident. However, hearing her seemingly being uninformed of the situation made the doctor let out a sigh for a moment, further confusing Inko.

"Human evolution tends to discard parts of the body that are no longer useful," he began to explain, "in this case, your son's pinky toe bone structure has an extra joint, which is considered to be 'useless' according to current biological understanding."

Inko furrowed her brows, uncertain why the doctor was delving into such details. Confusion tinged her expression as she tried to make sense of his words. She shifted uneasily in her seat, anxiety starting to build as she wondered where this explanation was leading.

The doctor then pulled out another X-ray scan from his desk cabinet, as if he had prepared it beforehand. He placed it beside Izuku's X-ray scan, showing another left foot X-ray scan.

"Now, look at this one," he said, pointing to the new scan.

"This X-ray belongs to your daughter, Chisa," the doctor began, pointing to the new scan. "Chisa has inherited your quirk. She possesses the ability to attract or pull objects towards her," he revealed to the mother.

Inko's eyes widened with relief for Chisa, knowing that her daughter had the same normal quirk as hers. Meanwhile, Izuku looked between his mother and the two X-rays, still trying to comprehend the situation. But...

The doctor's explanation wasn't over.

"Notice the pinky toe bone structure of your daughter here," he pointed at the pinky toe on the X-ray scan, "It has one less joint than your son's."

Inko examined the two X-ray scans of her children's feet. It dawned on her that they were indeed different. Her son's X-ray showed an extra joint in the pinky toe, whereas her daughter's X-ray revealed one less joint. It appeared as though the joint that should have been there had fused into a long, thin bone.

He continued, "Those who have quirks are considered to be the next step in human evolution. This usually means that they lack these 'useless' parts of their body, like the extra joint in the pinky toe." He then pointed back at Izuku's X-ray scan, specifically at the pinky toe bone joint.

Izuku, hearing all this information, looked even more confused. He couldn't grasp the implications of what the doctor was saying. "What is the doctor saying, Mom...?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Inko, however, had an expression of shock as realization dawned on her. She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with dread. She had feared this outcome but had hoped against hope that it wouldn't be true.

The doctor looked at her sympathetically before delivering the final blow.

"Your son doesn't have a quirk."