1. Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
    Dismiss Notice
  4. If you wish to change your username, please ask via conversation to tehelgee instead of asking via my profile. I'd like to not clutter it up with such requests.
    Dismiss Notice
  5. Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
    Dismiss Notice
  6. A note about the current Ukraine situation: Discussion of it is still prohibited as per Rule 8
    Dismiss Notice
  7. The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.
    Dismiss Notice
  8. The testbed for the QQ XF2 transition is now publicly available. Please see more information here.
    Dismiss Notice

MHA - All For The Taking

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Darwin-18, Mar 21, 2021.

Loading...
  1. Venyr4434

    Venyr4434 Well worn.

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2020
    Messages:
    6,359
    Likes Received:
    55,123
    I think Yukio needs to take a close look to trees and plants, observe how they take in sunlight qnd have it spread across hia body to mimic that Solar Energy Absorption, Krytonian-esque or Tamaranian-esque.
     
  2. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    He will alter how Photosynthesis works to fit his body, since it can be adaptable, finding a pseudo-Kryptonian middle ground is possible. It won't be that powerful to get to Supes level (Kryptonian genetics and all that), but pretty versatile in MHA-verse nonetheless.
     
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  3. ArcherOfBlades

    ArcherOfBlades Hippity Hoppity, Your Soul Is My Property

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2021
    Messages:
    1,113
    Likes Received:
    8,748
    I just have one problem with this chapter, and honestly it’s a common mistake many authors do when trying to put down a power cap on a Mc. After you made him run from the store when he was thinking about his quirk, you put down that he can only absorb 1/10th of a persons quirk when he shouldn’t know that. All he saw was after absorbing from the lizard man twice the lizard man got weaker.
     
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  4. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Well, at the time, he thought about the similarities of it, as I read the wiki how Osmosian's work and with him knowing about its capability, wouldn’t be a stretch to make a thin connection. I say this as seeing both Power and Matter absorption in albeit weaker package can see somethings off. But eh, could probably worded it better as Chapter 2 confirms his Quirk, while it should've been more shrouded in mystery.
     
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  5. ArcherOfBlades

    ArcherOfBlades Hippity Hoppity, Your Soul Is My Property

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2021
    Messages:
    1,113
    Likes Received:
    8,748
    ok I just want to get this out there, The base of ‘One For All’ is ‘Stockpile’ and ‘A Quirk to give other people Quirks’. How would that work with your ‘Absorption’. We already know how ‘Absorption’ Works, ‘Stockpile’ builds energy over time, and it has been building energy for 9 generations, or 200 years. So if you get 1/10th of ‘One For All’ it would be a MASSIVE Supercharge to ‘Absorption’. Now how the ‘Quirk to give other people Quirks’ part of ‘One For All’ would work is the question. It has been shown in Cannon that Izuku inherits all the Quirks that previous ‘One For All’ users had. So would you get 1/10th of those?
     
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  6. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    The Stockpile to Absorption amp is pretty nifty, as it would be needed to face down All For One. Stuff like this w 'Rewind' and a few specific others to access a form that can give the faceless bastard trouble.

    As for the giving Quirks thing, its tricky. For the inheritance process, I feel like there's a loop hole on when Yukio would use OFA and co-exist with Izu. Since its a special case, feel like its possible. Not sure if the other Quirks would be there as well, the Stockpile aspect would be the most useful and wouldn't be sad if the others aren't included. Maybe Danger Sense and Fa Jin (and proly Blackwhip), but I could leave those for Izu to keep her own individuality, we can make good use of the 1/10th Stockpile effect and enter a loop for the extra punch.
     
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  7. ArcherOfBlades

    ArcherOfBlades Hippity Hoppity, Your Soul Is My Property

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2021
    Messages:
    1,113
    Likes Received:
    8,748
    sorry if you answered it, but will you allow stockpile to grow? And on another hand when you copy 1/10th of other quirks if you exercise them will you get more proficient with them and will they get closer to the originals power?
     
    Venyr4434 and Darwin-18 like this.
  8. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    I do think that solely training a Quirk can increase its proficiency in base form, but not the full potential of what said Quirk can do on its own. 'Efficiency', 'Amplification' with base energy fueling can do wonders.

    For the Stockpile one, I think it would be allowrd to grow since other Quirks can be mixed with it. Don't see a reason for that not to be the case.
     
    ArcherOfBlades and Venyr4434 like this.
  9. karay

    karay ,

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2017
    Messages:
    2,539
    Likes Received:
    10,616
    Nice fic hope the writer dont burn themselves out before reaching canon.
     
    Venyr4434 and Darwin-18 like this.
  10. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Impossible. Got too obsessed with this pairing and how it will turn out, plus its a fun project for me. Very doubtful it won't reach canon, just need to figure out what to add before we get to that point.
     
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  11. karay

    karay ,

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2017
    Messages:
    2,539
    Likes Received:
    10,616
    Fem izuku is nice but the already female characters in the setting were fine too. :sneaky:
     
  12. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    True, and I was heavily debating who to choose since I wanted to try single pairings for a change. Somehow found one fem Izu pic and it was all down hill from there, literal best of both worlds since I like Izuku as a character.
     
  13. Threadmarks: Chapter 6 - Theory Crafting
    Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Chapter 6 - Theory Crafting

    After quite a bit of Quirk searching, Izuka and I were more than glad about the amount we managed to collect in such a short amount of time. We contacted other people through about a dozen different forums and a few others from random people we encountered by simply walking about and/or needing help in some small way or another.

    As for the ones we found on the forums, it was a bit different. Of course, I took extra precaution when talking to these people, as well as being stacked prior to meeting up, in the likelihood of something bad happening to not go in empty-handed.

    Luckily, such an incident didn't occur, and I plan on keeping it that way.

    All of them were nice, nothing out of the ordinary by this world's standards, which was a delight. We also tweaked the story a little of my Quirk works for extra measure, but still came out successful in my outings.

    In one instance, we met up with a boy whose Quirk was relatively simple, one that allows a build-up function in his legs for a higher jump. While on its own, it was fairly limited, because the body would need to be up a certain standard, but I had an easy way to break that limit. Obtaining some Kangaroo DNA to alter my leg muscles for the extra kick would be a simple but massive improvement.

    It required additional physical training for further improvement, but having the loophole of feeding it energy as an alternative, I could achieve higher and faster jumps just like that. I was glad we were able to find this one, definitely a useful one to have for obvious reasons.

    Another two notable ones were Echolocation and Draw Creation. The first one was relatively simple sensory ability, but the latter required a special kind of ink that can be produced on a daily basis. I have to figure out how to use those two together to have spies at my disposal or use plants as a substitute. Even better, add Explosion to the mix and have maneuverable suicide bombers in all shapes and sizes. An elemental variant is also possible, just need to do a little experimenting to figure out all the kinks.

    On top of the ones we were able to collect, Electricity Control was the golden nugget of the week. It was very simple, allowing me to shape and move electricity to a certain degree if I have it stored up and ready to go. It was the ideal fit, as now I would only be missing an energy-storing Quirk for extra reserves on top of everything else just in case I ever go low on my initial supply.

    I didn't need to use it as much because it mostly helped regulate the energy I take from my own Quirk and would be missing boost/enhancing abilities to increase the potency of my attacks, but very useful on its own accord.

    Aside from Quirks and where we could find more, I shared an idea with Izuka that was a doozy on its own.

    Osmosian's can take energy to increase their physical and regenerative capabilities, but what's stopping them from enhancing their reflexes and thinking speed? Of course, the first issue stems from the brain being the most sensitive part of the body, billions of neurons all needing to be in sync before they can be properly used.

    Way more difficult than any task I've tackled before.

    But not impossible.

    While Quirks that already enhance those aspects exist, this would be an added boost to both effectiveness and accuracy. The concept itself had to be carefully thought out before moving out of the "theory" stage but was still a way off before even getting to properly try it out.

    The training I spent refining my absorption techniques was nothing compared to this, this would be on a whole new level. It was only the basics of taking it and then discharging it at a target. I say it's simple because if you have an energy source on hand, it travels through the body towards an exit, that being the other arm for the most part.

    Due to my body yet to start properly developing after puberty, I was stuck with limited storage until then. It was a decent amount to work with, though, especially as Quirks that give me a boost in their own right.

    But that didn't stop me from improving what I can for now.

    The Plant Manipulation Quirk I got was a jack of all trades but can be rather slow on its own after using it repeatedly. Aside from using them as traps, and making various forms of toxins to catch my opponents off guard, I wanted to explore something more unorthodox. I establish a connection to the plants I make and can make one with already existing ones, all having a small amount of Solar Energy in them. With the right combinations, I can absorb a large quantity of Solar Energy to boost my capabilities.

    I need to figure out a method to accumulate all that energy from a large field as quantity is more important in this instance. Not only would it be an alternative to harnessing an energy source to fuel my Quirks, but it also adds a significant improvement in base form and when actually used. The issue my mind instantly jumps to is, again, properly managing it and keeping it in place.

    That's where I figured out a brilliant idea, turning my brain into a superconductor to increase my reflexes and thinking speed.

    With Electricity Resistance, I can focus it all around my brain to negate the side effects of such an amount of energy running through it.

    However, I am not insane.

    To even think about attempting that, I have to triple-check each segment of that process to be successful in making sure it both works and is safe to use. I can't miss a single baby step for this one for obvious reasons.

    When I first explained this concept to Izuka, I feared I lost her somewhere during my hour-long explanation with her only nodding occasionally.

    Safe to say, having her go on an hour-long reply of her own, I knew she would always help me find a solution to whatever issue we might come across. I'll icebox this idea for another day, there are so many hours in the day that not even enhanced capabilities can get me by to work on every single idea.

    Seeing as I spent years working on two parts of my ability, it was about time I started using other Quirks for a change.

    The number of days and long conversations building up to an actual meet for these were well worth it.

    But it wasn't enough.

    I can make due with weak Quirks to make something greater, but it was still difficult to find useful ones before thinking too far ahead. Whatever the case, it was the best I could do at the moment, all things considered. I could start thinking about monitoring some Heroes' patrol areas and routines to obtain a powerful Quirk that way. For that, the usual "energetic" and "ecstatic" child-like traits for the act should do, as to not catch any unwanted attention or figure out my real motive. Plus, I can't do it any given time I see fit, aside from Heroes, you can never be too sure who might be watching.

    Making sure that everything is discrete and staying a few steps ahead, it's smooth sailing from there.

    I might have to plan a few trips for several valuable materials to go and absorb, as there is really no need to steal anything when I can mass produce it on my own.

    It's gonna be tiresome, but might as well make the most of it.



    "Y-You sure this isn't a b-bit too much, Yukio-Kun…?"

    "I s-specifically remember making you a promise t-to train harder so we're even, I don't plan on breaking that," I said in-between breaths, trying to ignore the growing discomfort on my back, "C-Can… you just move your left knee a little bit to the side… please?"

    Stuttering through a quick apology, Izuka did as she was instructed to ease my suffering. What were we doing you might ask? Well, seeing as I forgot to bring additional weights for today's session, and absorbing metal to make more add-ons felt like a chore to adjust, I had to think of an alternative solution for my part of exercises. I nonchalantly asked Izuka to sit on my back while I would do push-ups, and I'm fairly positive the request was too difficult for her to process at first.

    "Gaah, much better…" I uttered hastily upon entering a steady rhythm, focusing a single invisible dot on the ground to ease my breathing.

    "I s-still think I'm not needed for this one, I might b-break your concentration, or, or a-accidentally hit your head if I fall off! Or-"

    "I think the only way you're able to make me lose my concentration is by making me laugh with stuff like that," I responded with a grunt, trying not to chuckle at Izuka's antics, "J-Just talk about whatever, o-or any new research ideas, and alike?"

    "O-Oh, w-well… umm," Izuka pondered for a moment before speaking up, "There is one regarding Rotation and nitpicking its functionality to use other possibilities aside from simple objects, if-if you wanna listen to that."

    "Please do."

    To make it easier for me, Izuka would talk in detail that allowed me to hum if I understood or needed further explanation, occasionally uttering a sentence or two of my own thoughts on the matter. It really didn't bother me, only till I was halfway towards my goal did it become harder. Like with any other exercise, just keep calm and keep er' going till it's done.

    "A-And done…" I expressed with satisfaction and pain while coming to a stop, "Oh, yeah, they're burnin' now."

    "J-Just a second, Yukio-Kun," Izuka said as I could feel her weight shifting a bit forward, "I'll get off of you right aw-"

    Instead of waiting, I decided to take a simpler route to my salvation, withdrawing what little strength I had in my arms to flop down to the ground without a care.

    Izuka, however.

    "Ah! S-S-Sorry!" The green-haired girl quickly jumped off my back, proceeding to dish out several apologies.

    "Not your fault," I huffed out, "I did that on purpose."

    "Huh?" Izuka uttered in confusion, "If you could've lasted a few more seconds, why didn't you?"

    "Because I genuinely don't care if you were on top of me or not, I'd kiss the ground regardless. Just didn't feel like waiting," I responded while turning onto my back, "T-Thanks for the solid, Izu, much better than having a pile of rocks as a substitute."

    "A-Any time," Izuka said, "Aren't you going to use Quick Heal to ease the discomfort?"

    "Nah…" I waved off with one last huff before sitting upright, "Too early for that. I thought about it, and I think it's better to use it once halfway through a session for better results. Doing two sessions a day and only using two charges is the better route."

    "I see," Izuka mused, "It's a simple strategy, as for your case, your body already experienced minor changes since your Quirk manifested. You mentioned having improved regenerative capabilities, so only using that Quirk after intense exercises to balance it out and make sure your muscles get the most value. That would mean a pretty significant increase in your overall capabilities far more than we initially planned. Improving durability would see the most beneficial from this, I feel."

    "Ugh, don't remind me," I groaned, lying back onto the ground once more, "If I despised core strengthening exercises before, they will become the bane of my existence once I start doing them at a higher degree."

    "I don't know, I'm starting to not mind them as much." Izuka admitted.

    I just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Then your body really must enjoy going through hell if you can say that you don't dislike these kinds of exercises. I've been doing them for years and I still hate them to this day.

    Izuka laughed awkwardly while rubbing her neck. "W-Well, I don't really see it that way. Being around you made it easier for me to focus, and not lose track of my progress. Seeing as you don't mind helping me, I wanna make sure I don't come up short when we make kinds of goals to each other."

    "Heh, can't argue with that one," I trailed off, eyes squinting as my mind had difficulty remembering a specific detail. "What did we put for Wednesday again? I keep forgetting what I wrote down."

    "Here, take a look for yourself," Izuka handed me her notebook, a new one she bought specifically to keep track of her assignments and progress. "There aren't a whole lot, but considering we have to do multiple reps of each one, I think it evens out regardless."

    "Mmmhm…. mhmmm… okay!" I said energetically, lifting myself off the ground in the process. "Since you spotted me first, it's only fair we take turns from now on. So, take your pick."

    Izuka hummed while thinking it over. "Might as well get warmed up by doing something easy, how about this one?"

    Leaning in to see what she choose, I gave an approving nod. "Yeah, that works. Just make sure you take time to stretch first, this one can be a real pain if you accidentally get a cramp."

    "Will do!" Izuka said with enthusiasm as she jumped to her feet, taking off her training jacket to tie it around her waist, not wasting time to do a few simple exercises to warm-up.

    "Oh, I forgot to tell you," I broke the short-lived silence. "Well, more like I couldn't since my mind was elsewhere at the time, but I think I found a fix to our little issue about where we can train more freely and in peace."

    "Really?" Izuka asked curiously while doing her stretches. "What is it?"

    "First we have to find something with a little more space… and go over a dozen or so blueprints for the stuff we'll have to build for it to be worthwhile."



    "You ready, Izuka?!" I yelled out to my partner.

    "On your mark, Yukio-Kun!" Izuka shouted back from her post, a beaming smile present while containing her excitement.

    As we made changes to our training plans, we needed to find a more suitable place where we wouldn't get interrupted and would have more freedom. Before, a simple park was enough since we only focused on exercises and hand-to-hand combat, but for the next step, I needed to think bigger.

    Musutafu was practically surrounded by forest life, meaning we had a destination that gave us more freedom and creativity to work on our sessions. Due to Plant Manipulation Quirk, I was easily able to mark our trail, to both not get lost and be far away from anyone interrupting us. At first, I almost lost Izuka since it would appear forests bring back some bad memories that made her fall behind, so I took it slow to let her walk at her own pace so we wouldn't separate.

    After a while of just walking, we stumbled upon a small river that we decided to follow, finding several other pathways, but it still wasn't what I was looking for. Following one of the streams, it took us another twenty minutes before we found what we were looking for.

    Essentially, it was a deep and spacious pit that had water following down from multiple, smaller river streams. There was a small island in the center, with a decent amount of water built up at the bottom. With how the trees were set up, it was easy to navigate after altering the terrain a little for better accommodation.

    Bringing a crap ton of materials with me to make or duplicate anything we would need for the building process, we spent the entire first day setting everything up. They were simple devices, solely made to keep things in place and be released with a press of a button. While it might have not looked complicated at face value, I was glad Izuka started learning from the books I gave her, as I didn't need to do much aside from being asked for confirmation or a short explanation of how individual parts work together.

    Everything was going smoothly, and with no limit to what we could create, we took our time building until we were positive it all worked as intended. To add more ways to move around, I threw down and positioned several lengthy tree trunks to be connected to the island or were simply placed on the side of the pit to easily jump off.

    "Seeing as it's our first time trying this puppy out, let's start off at Level One," I requested while doing a few quick stretches, "Making sure everything works as intended would be a good starting point. Just gimmie another second to warm up, then the show can begin. Oh! And don't forget to wear that headgear I gave, okay?! I know it might be overkill, but better safe than sorry, you know?"

    "Roger that!" Izuka waved the helmet with a protective visor before putting it on, then proceeded to get into position for a better angle.

    Through the pit, we dug through numerous pathways for logs to be launched in various angles depending on where I would be at any given time. Setting up to work via a small device to easily monitor and keep track of which one to activate, I also found an old watch I made into a timer to easily notify me during practice.

    What I wanted to practice in particular was sword combat, and any kind of sharp weapon possible. That might seem redundant with all other abilities I have, but being able to add Quirks into weapons is all kinds of crazy. Eventually, obtaining a Metal Manipulation Quirk to make the strongest material out there will be a delight to tinker around with.

    For now, I made two ten-inch steel swords reinforced with energy so they don't get dull or break, and to see how other Quirks work with them.

    Seeing Izuka raise her hand up high, I gave an approving nod as I took in a deep breath before it starts. Hearing my watch beep two times, it indicated the course was now active.

    First try, let's see how it goes.

    Turning to my right, I looked up to find the first log connected to some rope coming straight at me, slowly sidestepping it like it was nothing but the goosebumps around the area where it would hit skyrocket before quickly calming down.

    "Damn, that felt both stupid and exhilarating," I thought with an idiotic smile as the log reached its limit, "Might as well get used to making last-second dodges."

    Before the first log could come swinging back, a new target shot from my left, only this time there was no rope to it. Rotating at just the right angle, one sword I held in reverse moved in an upwards motion, the added energy around the blade easily slicing the log into two. Since I had to turn, I had to move quickly as round two was vastly approaching.

    "Just a small, tiny, amount should do it…" I thought while pouring a minuscule amount of energy to my right leg, entering a fast spinning motion to shatter the log into pieces. I wasn't dizzy from the aftereffect as it would take a prolonged spin to actually start throwing me off balance.

    I started to move around cautiously, waiting patiently for the next target to arrive. I wanted to get more accustomed before trying anything more crazy. To spice it up, I jumped towards a nearby trunk sticking to the wall to propel me upwards, which is where I was presented with my next obstacle.

    Instead of just sitting in place for something to hit me, we also made a nifty system to shoot the logs while I was in the air as well, making me choose on the fly if I can destroy them or be forced to dodge.

    There was no way I was going to ignore that type of training, not by a long shot.

    It was set to be active for two minutes, so, for the duration, I would just jump around while slicing any log that would come my way. Some I would avoid if I was already mid-air to not risk losing my momentum, which was a good dodging exercise nonetheless.

    "It's working better than I thought it would!" I called out to Izuka with a beaming smile, "The work put into making this was super worth it. Although, maybe crank it up a notch?"

    "R-Really?!" Izuka asked unsurely.

    "Yeah, just keep em' coming. I think there's just enough ammo before it runs out," I waved back with my sword eagerly, "Warm up's over, time to put my back into it for round two."

    Giving me the green light, I waited a few more seconds before the familiar beep told me to get ready.

    Just like in the first attempt, logs of all sizes came from all sides, only in larger numbers.

    "Well, I did ask for this…" I thought with a small grin, eliminating the first by moving all around before running along an upwards pathway.

    Two logs attached to some rope came swinging down from opposite sides, the one my left coming slightly faster than the other, rotating my blade to slice it half before instantly ducking to not get hit in the back. Using my crouched state for the added boost, I leaped forward to destroy it before it can come hurtling back.

    The overall pace of the course sped up considerably, now actually needing to keep track of every move I make and think about how to proceed with my next attack. All that time training my body to maintain such actions was definitely paying off, but I need to see how further I can last in this kind of environment. The ones attached to the rope got even trickier as more flooded the pit, but I was determined to remain spotless.

    For a change, a rock roughly half my size launched into the air instead of a log, not exactly on course but standing in place wasn't an option. Jumping into the air, I waited a moment before swinging my sword, the very tip releasing a low jade-colored spark before a larger one radiated across the whole blade, obliterating the rock into a million pieces.

    Jumping to the side of the pit, I didn't waste a second before moving again, trying to not get too comfortable, leaping everywhere I could while getting more creative with my blades. Hearing a single beep, I had another thirty seconds before the course stops.

    Another rock, although a smaller one, came towards me, obliterating it the same way as before. What I didn't take into account is for a piece of debris to hit another log attached to some rope, forcing it to spin rapidly while changing its trajectory ever so slightly, hitting me in the right shoulder with full force, although that was the least of my concerns.

    I was thrown back down while spinning uncontrollably as a result, only managing to stop once I missed the island, approaching the last trunk before hitting the water, but the landing was far from smooth.

    Crack!

    "Gghhh!" I clenched my teeth as the very audible pop send a surge across my body, starting off from my left ankle, forcing me to take a knee, "Crap, it broke? Even with increased durability? Damnit, it wasn't enough to keep it in place. Not to mention the sheer force from spinning so rapidly and not enough time to stabilize before landing. I shouldn't be surprised there, joint muscles are the easiest to dislocate even with added resistance, I'll have to reinforce that right after this."

    The single moment I had of analyzing my predicament and ignoring the pain from the injury was now replaced with two consecutive beeps, indicating that the timer was about to run out. Looking up, I was met with a barrage of logs and three smaller boulders that accumulated while I was distracted.

    "I have a few more seconds till the session expires, but I can't just stand still nor make consecutive jumps without being slowed down," I thought with a quick glance at my makeshift watch before taking in all the new approaching targets, "Gotta take care of them in one go and be done with it."

    Now with a strategy in mind, I gripped the handles of my swords while kneeling with my uninjured leg, only to jump once I regained proper balance.

    Entering a slightly faster spin, I accumulated a solid amount of electricity into my weapons, causing them to develop a thin, blue coat around the two blades. For an added boost, I decided to use Explosion to a higher extent than before.

    Using Rotation to move the nitro-glycerin to follow the edge of by swords, jade-colored explosions with electricity were sent in every direction, forming a unique sound of the three Quirks working in perfect sync with one another. The spinning attack lasted for a brief duration, but I was able to cover every angle by the speed I was going and not allow anything to hit me.

    The attack didn't destroy or split every object that headed my way, only the first wave at the front, but the explosion from all sides just propelled them back before simply plummeting down into the water.

    Since I didn't jump straight up into the air, rather moving at a slightly forward angle, alongside not having a proper landing trunk to cushion my fall, I went with a different route.

    Letting go of my swords, I simple mental command made them hover behind my back instantaneously, I lifted my left leg up to use Quick Heal while I was still in the air.

    When the Quirk is used, it lets out a small amount of vapor with an injection-like sound, as well as taking a second to take effect. I could feel the bone going back into place, but it still felt kinda off once the process was done.

    Using my now free arms to transform them into metal, with the fingers morphing into tiny blades to make them stick. For extra precaution, I formed a metallic pad with several sharp spikes on both my knees, allowing me to take a few seconds to rest with ease.

    "Ah… it's way harder to not use your muscles on instinct when your brain tells you not to, regardless if it's broken or not," I huffed while sticking to the side of the pit. Placing my injured foot in a small hole to stand on, I began feeling slight pain when I started putting my whole weight onto it, immediately doing the same with my other leg to ease the sensation. "Damn, it's still not fully healed? It couldn't have been that severe, even with the first charge it's not enough?

    "Yukio-Kun!?" Izuka cried out, forcing my head to snap upwards, "Are you alright?!"

    "Alive and breathing!" I yelled with a clear smile that was too hard not to notice, despite the distance between us, "Jumped a little too far forwards, so I had to improvise the landing. Not to worry, I'll be up there in a sec!"

    To not cause her any further worry, I dismissed my short break to start crawling my way upwards. I had no issue reaching the top but had to rely on my hands to stick to the trunk while pushing myself up to reach the edge.

    "Phef, that was fun," I expressed with one last huff as Izuka pulled up, it was unnecessary but her hands already found my wrist before I could even say otherwise. I didn't waste time reverting my hand back to normal so as to not accidentally scratch or stab her.

    Doing a mental command for my blades to fall to the wooden surface, I immediately sat in a cross-legged position, breathing in and out slowly while looking back down to the pit, deep in thought.

    "What's wrong, Yukio-Kun?" Izuka asked worryingly.

    "Oh, it's nothing! Just the adrenaline slowly getting out of my system, that's all," I said reassuringly, but couldn't help but take a glance down to my leg, "I didn't stick the landing all that well, think my foot is a little sore because of it."

    No, that wasn't right.

    Why didn't I just say it like it is?

    "Really?" Izuka asked, concern quickly overtaking her entire body, "I was close to stopping it when I saw you falling down without stopping, but it was a pretty steep fall regardless. Is it broken? Was the sudden shift in momentum too much before properly landing? I knew I shouldn't have thrown so many at you at once. Here, let me check for injuries."

    There, no need to beat around the bush, she's doing all the work for me, just spit it out.

    "No, no, I'm fine, really," I said, waving my hand to further reassure her, "But just in case you don't believe me…"

    Instead of just using one charge of Quick Heal, I used a small from my energy storage to speed up the process. While I made no change in my facial expression, my left eye twitched uncontrollably but I remained calm.

    Jumping up to my feet, I showed no visible discomfort in my body language or on my face, only a confident smile, "See? Told you it was nothing serious. I appreciate the concern, Izu, but don't worry, your Sensei doesn't break that easily."

    I finished with a light forehead flick, making sure my usual demeanor masked any sign of me acting off.

    While the gesture caused a small blush to form on her face, Izuka still had the same expression but eased up after a few more seconds of consideration, "I-I guess so, Yukio-Kun," Izuka said lowly, "If we're being honest, I felt uneasy the first few times you started jumping around, fearing you'd accidentally slip or hit your head how quickly you spun while in the air. I'm glad that wasn't the case."

    "Yeah, I was a bit anxious before I made the first jump," I admitted, "Never had this much space to move around or have to worry about multiple targets heading my way. Thanks so much for helping me find and set this whole thing up, Izuka-chan!" I thanked her by giving several playful bows, "It was more fun trying it out in action than what I originally expected. I couldn't have done it without you! Now that I went for a test run, I have an idea how to make you one that will fit your needs in the future."

    That seemed to turn the tide into my favor as Izuka looked off to the side while twirling her fingers, "D-D-Don't say that, Yukio-Kun, I didn't r-really do anything that special. I just followed your instructions and made sure everything was randomized to not get repetitive."

    "For that, I'm ever so grateful," I said with a final bow, "Now then, mind helping me get this contraption loaded up for round three?"

    "Wait, you wanna go again?" Izuka asked with her head tilted slightly, "Isn't it a little too soon?"

    "Why not?" I shrugged, "It's gonna take a bit to get everything set up again, just enough time for my foot to heal before going back in. Besides, after seeing how big of a success this thing is, I'm already eager to see what else we can add to make it even more challenging. But that's another day's worth of planning out of itself."

    "S-Sure, I don't mind," Izuka admitted with a slight stutter before smiling, "As long as you say that you're sure you can continue, I won't slack off on my part of the agreement!"

    Before I could respond back, Izuka already turned around to go start refilling the closest log launcher. Immediately after the conversation died down, I recalled exactly what I just said to Izuka and how far it was from the actual truth, but wanted to push that thought away to go and assist her.

    While walking at a slow pace didn't cause any issues, I'm well aware that if I put any pressure or try long-range leaps too soon I'll only worsen its condition. However, due to it already not being a "severe" injury on its own, the Q.H. charges nicely cut the downtime in half, plus by the time we set the whole thing back up, I will be good as new.

    That was one issue fixed relatively quickly, but in my mind, something else troubled me, an issue I already addressed barely a few minutes ago.

    I felt bad for lying to Izuka, and the worst part of it all, I didn't even know why I did that.

    Well, there was a reason, but it was a bit more complicated than that.

    Experiencing certain events and hardships puts a perspective on things if you manage to stay alive to take full effect. The day after I got my Quirk, I made a promise to not spit on the hands of lady luck, as well as doing whatever I could do to be stronger, faster, more agile, and most importantly, adaptable to any kind of scenario.

    Osmosians, on the surface, we're literally made to be able to adapt to any situation. In order to be proficient in that field, my body has to be trained in all manner of ways and test my limits at any chance that presents itself.

    Physical and mental exhaustion from constantly going at it is nothing new, nor is it something that will become easier over time. There was also a certain mental instability factor that I would think is only done for causing tension in a storyline, the possibility of it actually happening is more than concerning. I was not there yet, hell no. I'm far too weak at this point in time to even have an obsession for power to such an extreme degree. Frankly, smarter and more efficient methods suffice, but even so, I couldn't waste every spare moment finding a loophole for any case.

    I was just putting way more thought into this than necessary. This, this was nothing, and I shouldn't even concern myself over something so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In my old life, my head would be all over the place for the simple fact that it happened, but not here, not anymore.

    It was nothing more than a stepping stone, a temporary inconvenience, an area to improve.

    The feeling of being exhausted by such measures was nothing new to me, but injuring myself and seeing it as nothing more than a miscalculation on my part, It wasn't showing weakness to Izuka, or to anyone else, but to myself.

    I had a bad habit of not taking the initiative or wallowing in what could've been in my old life. If I wasn't satisfied with how things were before, there was no way I was not irritated at the slow process that is getting stronger. Sure, countless amounts of doors leading to endless possibilities are presented to me, but will I have the key to open them is the question.

    They say once you conquer your inner demons and become dead set on achieving a certain goal, the only other limitation that's left is physical capabilities. Sadly, I don't have the luxury to even think about setting any kind of limitations for myself, even though it was my decision to make.

    Things would have been a lot more simple and more limiting if I had a one-dimensional Quirk, but because I have this ability, I couldn't afford to fall behind.

    I just couldn't.

    It was a small price to pay to ensure survival in this hellish world.



    "Ghaah... aagh… okay…" I huffed repeatedly while trying to maintain my balance, "Just gotta do that one more time…"

    By this point, I'm very low on energy after two hours of training, the last thirty minutes being the most tiresome. Having an easier time regulating electricity, I needed to achieve an ideal balance without wasting too many resources and maintaining my stamina. A key part of training was surpassing current limits to set a new goal for the next session

    They say you shouldn't rush progress, especially after achieving multiple milestones at face value. Versatility only works if each field is powerful to make up for the time wasted working on several Quirks, which was my only option realistically. I didn't waste time on doing said routine, even at home after a day's training I would do it in some form or another.

    Luckily, with years of excessive training and molding my mental capabilities to be like a well-oiled machine, I was well aware of what I can and can't do.

    I think.

    Wait, why does that sentence sound off? Anyway, I have yet to actually accomplish something groundbreaking. While I knew right off the bat how a Quirk ticks, getting accustomed to using multiple ones in the form of a new ability was a bit trickier.

    The Quirks I got will naturally grow as its ingrained in my DNA like the original user, alongside my own attempts at improving them. To maintain several abilities in constant use, my stamina and endurance have to be reasonably high, as well as having the energy to spare for whatever technique is needed. Knowing how much I can utilize something and what's needed to go beyond my limits to never accidentally run out of juice in battle, or the amount of times a Quirk combination becomes too much for my body.

    Regardless, the tiniest of details are important. Even if I use up all my energy storage, I have to keep going by using other means.

    Crap, why do I feel so winded, and do I keep hearing some muffled sound in my left ear?

    "Yukio-Kun?"

    This time around, the inaudible voice was much more clearer that made me shake my head before snapping back to reality. Turning slightly to my left, I didn't show any visible reaction to finding Izuka standing close to me while fidgeting with her hands, a worried expression ever so present.

    "Why is she looking at me like that?" I kept thinking repeatedly while I stared at her, "More importantly, how long was she standing there?"

    That's when I realized, I haven't yet uttered a single sound, let alone a proper response.

    "Yeah?" I responded ever so casually, looking at the center of Izuka's emerald eyes while raising an eyebrow slightly, "What's up?"

    Her expression changed ever so slightly, almost barely noticeable if we weren't so close to each other, "Did… did you not hear me speaking to you? You've been kinda zoning out there for a second…"

    "Crap, was she really talking all this time?" My mind experienced a miniature panic attack as my theory was confirmed. There is no mistaking it, I didn't pay attention to a single thing that she said and probably stood in place like a statue for way longer than what might be considered normal, "Come on, she talks about a lot of stuff, I think it's regarding my last attempt? Speed? Accuracy? What was it? Say something, dammit!"

    "Uhh… my time, right?" I responded nonchalantly, "It felt slow while I was doing it, dunno if that was just all in my head or not."

    Izuka continued to stare at me blankly before looking down, "Yeah… it was three seconds longer than last time…"

    "Ah… knew that was the case," I huffed, straightening my posture, "That simply won't do. I can't be that sluggish when in battle. Gotta try again, at least lower it down to one second off of my average time."

    Before I could fully turn around, Izuka grabbed me by the wrist, redirecting my focus onto her. "Or maybe you could take a small break? J-Just for a little bit."

    Furrowing my eyebrows at her, I asked, "Why? We aren't at the end of my run?"

    "I-I know, but…" Izuka paused, the look on her face full of hesitation, "Maybe we can go over the progress we made so far? We haven't really gone into further detail these last few days, so it wouldn't be a bad time to do so."

    "We can do that once I give it another try. Besides…" I looked off to my makeshift targets, "There's only one left, it would be a crime not using it for its intended purpose."

    Once again, I was met with silence on Izuka's end, along with that look again. Okay, something was bothering her.

    Letting out a sigh, I couldn't simply drop this topic, "Alright, spit it out. What's with that look?"

    "I'm worried about you, Yukio-Kun," Izuka spoke softly, "You aren't taking the proper amount of time to rest. When you overuse a Quirk, you immediately jump onto the next one without any downtime. Usually, I wouldn't be against extensive training, but the side effects are starting to show."

    "There's no need to worry, Izu, my body is literally a storage unit, using a technique on repeat is what it's made for, " I eased her worries, "Besides, I got another charge of Quick Heal ready after I'm done."

    "No, you don't."

    "Huh?" I blurted out in confusion, "What do you mean?"

    "You used up your last charge half an hour ago, even then it barely did anything," Izuka explained lowly, "We both know it's less effective aside from the first few charges. Besides, because you add energy to further boost it, I don't think it's wise to use them in conjunction so frequently by exhausting your original and absorbed Quirk to this extent.

    "Izuka, I've spent years without a healing Quirk and I seriously doubt what I went through the last few days is reaching my limit by any means," I explained while rubbing the sweat off my forehead, with my arm freezing in place when something caught my immediate attention. My arm was shaking ever so slightly, hardly noticeable if the fingers wouldn't twitch more drastically when I tried closing it. I wasn't caught off guard by it, as I've experienced this side effect from constantly burning through energy only to absorb more with no downtime.

    Realizing I remained quiet for the duration, I tried my best to not show any sign of my inner turmoil, "I'm well aware how much I can do at any given time, being a little exhausted in my case is way different than for other people. I don't tire out that easily."

    Maybe it was because I slipped up while telling that lie, or Izuka spent enough time around me to notice when I'm not acting like my usual self. The prolonged eye contact at such a close distance became harder to maintain, but I couldn't give in.

    In the end, Izuka was the one who broke away from the staring contest, looking down with the same expression as before. It was

    "I'll go one more time," I told Izuka softly, placing both my arms onto her shoulders, "Then take a short break before we move onto your part, okay?"

    Instead of being met halfway with my proposal, or bombarded with a stutter session, Izuka remained silent. The constant and rapid movements of her lips without a single sound coming out told me she wanted to get something off her chest, but couldn't find the courage to do so. There were only a few instances where eye contact would be broken by her own accord, blinking rapidly while averting her gaze slightly.

    "Okay…"

    Why did she say it like that?

    It sounded like a forced answer, but why? I agreed to take a break after I'm finished, even though I can still go on for a while before tiring out, so I wasn't sure where the issue was. Was it because I kept ignoring her subconsciously in-between my attempts? Did I perhaps not give her enough attention when she would take her turn at training?

    Maybe I'm just overthinking it, wouldn't be the first time for that.

    Going back to my starting-off point, which was a long distance from where my target dummy is, I took a few seconds to clear my head before moving forward.

    Inhale.

    Exhale.

    I have enough for one more Chidori attempt, I just have to make sure I get a good blast off, can't waste any energy for unnecessary movement. I can probably avoid adding too much energy to my legs, but it would just slow me down, guess I'll just power through it. Should be just enough either way.

    Feeling a lump in the back of my throat, I resisted the urge to cough but rather tried to swallow it by force. Finally managing to do that, I shifted my focus to the single, undamaged trunk, right at the very center. The moment I activate my ability is when Izuka would start the timer.

    Inhale.

    Exhale.

    Extending my right arm out to the side, I flexed my fingers for several seconds. Let's try this one more time.

    "Chidori!"

    The last bit of energy I had came out in the form of an explosion of electricity in my right hand. So many attempts at properly recreating it paid off at the mere sound of a thousand birds chirping in a compressed ball of electricity.

    Just as my ability came to life, I immediately dashed forward with an increased build-up in my legs, maintaining the necessity of eliminating my target the moment it goes off. With my Jump Quirk, I slightly altered to make me blast off at an impressive speed. Using my right eye to lock on the wooden target, I maintained my form before preparing for the final thrust.

    That was until halfway towards my target, the wood pillar drifted off to the left before moving in the opposite direction, then quickly returning to its original position.

    A single moment like that made my body choose between two actions, as a single step changes my line of attack that could result in missing the target entirely. Sadly, since I was just about to place my foot down to continue the momentum,

    "Stay on target… stay on target… just tilt slightly to the side…"

    Before I could think or do anything else, the lump in my throat before grew more irritating, forcing me to release a desperate cough that couldn't be contained any longer.

    That alone was enough to shatter my concentration like glass, my already exhausted state not helping in the slightest, the Chidori in my hand vanished almost instantly as a result. Ignoring the one, single rule to this technique of not breaking eye contact with your target, the amount of time I lost made me miss calculate how fast I was going.

    Sadly, I passed the point of no return.

    Oh, shit.

    Before I could do anything else, I hit face-first into the trunk, a sharp but momentary shock surging through my entire being.

    "Oww…" I groaned, slowly sliding down before falling off to the side without even trying to stop myself, not like I could for that matter.

    Once I was down on my side, I didn't even attempt to move my head, let alone any muscle in my body, only breathe in and out while trying to prevent my eyelids from closing shut. Time slowly became irrelevant, and I kept hearing a loud, muffled sound on repeat. It was only when a sudden flash of dark-green hair came into view did I notice Izuka standing over me, gently pushing me onto my back.

    I could only focus on her mouth moving but couldn't properly make out what she was saying, or more so that I couldn't focus properly. My mind already had a response ready to ease that growing look of worry on her face, but since I could barely comprehend what's being said right in front of me, I find it doubtful that I actually managed to answer at all.

    After a certain point, no amount of willpower at my disposal allowed me to withstand closing my eyes.

    Yet, I refused to leave it like that.

    "...Don't worry… Izu… I just need… a minute… or two…"

    I wanted to say more, solely because I believed what I was experiencing was nothing more than me getting winded from training without taking a moment to breathe. I'll get up in a little bit when my regeneration kicks in so I can properly sit up. All I have to do is keep talking so Izuka can stop worrying over nothing.

    Sadly, I drifted off into a deep slumber before I could do so.



    "Ugh… my head…" I groaned internally upon opening my eyes, the blurry vision causing me to blink numerous times before it cleared up. I could only see a wide tree branch that allowed small amounts of light to hit my right eye. I didn't move my head as a long, dry cough escaped my lips, forcing me to spring upwards how desperately it wanted to get out.

    "Yukio-Kun!"

    Looking to my right, I found Izuka sitting beside me with her legs close to her chest, instantly perking up now that I'm awake.

    "I-Izuka…?" I said in-between coughs, my vision just now fully returning to normal, "W-What happened? The last thing I remember is my Chidori vanishing, everything else is still fuzzy."

    "You passed out just after you hit your head," Izuka began explaining, "I thought you were gonna stop after it disappeared, but you just kept running regardless until… you know…"

    "Ahh… I see…" I hummed, the memories now coming back to me, although I'd very much like them to stay forgotten.

    "Thank goodness you're awake, I was so worried," Izuka expressed with a deep sigh, "I tried waking you up countless times but nothing worked. I haven't yet researched how severe energy exhausting can be, especially if several days passed ignoring the initial resting point, also-"

    "How… long was I out?" I asked, unable to wait for her to finish.

    "A little over half an hour, maybe more," Izuka admitted lowly, "I… didn't really keep track, I stopped looking at the time after a while. All it did was cause added stress each time I would check."

    "Ah… great…"

    I groaned upon sitting upright, ignoring the gradually increasing headache the more I moved, resting my chin on top of my arms.

    I didn't want to do anything, just stare off blankly into the distance while trying my best to ignore the headache. Not only did my body feel like shit, but the same could also be said about how I felt on the inside. Again, I did it again.

    I was furious, but not only for passing out but managing to make the same mistake when I constantly tried preventing it. When I would end up in similar situations when my father would check up on me, I'd avoid the aftermath the best that I could as I heard the same speech many times before. Furthermore, I wouldn't have felt like crap afterwards when trying to explain myself.

    But here, right now, I feel like complete shit. I couldn't even properly explain why it was bothering me so much, and that fact alone only further made me drown in my inner turmoil.

    I'm such a fucking idiot.

    Why can't I just listen to my own advice for once?

    "How are you feeling?" Izuka asked softly.

    "Peachy..." I responded bitterly, not wanting it to sound like that but didn't think that far ahead, "Just peachy…"

    I truly didn't mean to say it like that, but my mouth refused to follow that command. I was always able to keep my emotions in check, well, most of the time that is without clouding my judgment. But on the instances where my head wouldn't give me any sense of peace, my mood would be hard to not notice when brought up. I'd always ignore such topics as I never particularly favored opening up too much, only to a certain extent when necessary.

    Hell, rebirth was one pill to swallow, making sure I survive this time around was a dosage of its own.

    I didn't allow myself much breathing room upon awakening my Quirk, only till I met Izuka did I get some sense of normalcy back. Yet, I was too narrow-minded and focused on not breaking my routine to notice I did the same thing as Izuka, to not understand my own limits by the time it was too late, only worse.

    I'm getting stronger and better every day, but the odds were still not in my favor, even with how much I have until any serious threats.

    To set the record straight, I had plenty of time, I just didn't like wasting it. Not one bit.

    I just couldn't.

    Feeling a hand touching my elbow, I turned towards Izuka with my eyes widened slightly.

    "You can talk to me if there's anything bothering you," Izuka said tenderly, "Whatever it may be, I'll be sure to help out in any meaningful way that I can. If-If you don't want to, that's alright, I won't force you. I just… want to make sure that you're alright, Yukio."

    "Oh… why do you have to do that to me?"

    Being the receiving end of such a worried expression, coupled with the fact I could only sit in silence without a way to respond that sounded genuine, I had to look away.

    God, how do I hate when these things happen.

    Was I aware that I blatantly ignored my own advice? Yes. Was I in over my head for the hundredth time by thinking I can go over my limits when I make a breakthrough? Maybe.

    Those were only two reasons for my current funk.

    Over the years of getting accustomed to different types of training, I may have a head start on where to approach it, but I learned the harder way what it takes to get results. On my own, I wouldn't possibly care less as I'm used to it. But not here, not now.

    Promising Izuka I would help and train her, regardless of my carefree and playful facade, I took my job very seriously. My nature had to forcibly accept that this world is many times more dangerous and unforgiving than where I initially grew up, it was a difficult pill to swallow to put it lightly.

    Having someone under my wing that will do anything I say with no questions asked was slightly different. The way Izuka looks at me when I would teach her a new move or ask me advice on how to improve somewhere, listening carefully to every single word with a determined expression to improve. Most importantly, she put her complete faith in me.

    The solution to my predicament was simple. Just say I was in over my head and didn't sleep well the last few days with an embarrassed smile, and all of this will be put behind us.

    Sadly, my mind decided to rather turn against me than keep it simple.

    "I'm a massive hypocrite."

    I blurted out without skipping a beat, turning my head back like it was moments before I turned to Izuka.

    "Huh?" Izuka uttered, "What do you mean?"

    "I'm a hypocrite, plain and simple," I responded back without dragging it out, "I berated you about overtraining and not following instructions, yet I'm the one who ends up passing out during our session."

    "I mean, I noticed you were acting a little closed off this last week but didn't think too much of it, only in the last two days did I start becoming more and more worried," Izuka said tenderly. "What's troubling you? I'm sure if you try explaining it to me, I'll be able to understand wrong."

    "Because… even though the way we organized our training plan, and make no mistake, I have no issue with it whatsoever, I just want… more. None of what I accomplished so far is enough, not even close. When we first started out training together, I tried splitting my time in half whenever I wasn't in school to not slack off. Instead of keeping those two things separate, I made you worry for a stupid reason and gave a terrible example as a teacher…"

    "Do you sincerely think I would be bothered by either of those things?" Izuka asked softly.

    I had no proper response, debating internally to find the right one, "Yes… no? Maybe?" I sighed, "I know how much this means to you, and with how different we are, I just wanted to even things out on all levels. The last thing I wanted is for you to feel worried because I keep repeating the same damn mistakes."

    "Still, I don't think you should concern yourself over that," Izuka said softly. "It's not that big of an issue."

    "Yeah, it is."

    "Why?"

    I paused for a moment before continuing, "I never had anyone that looks up to me or is willing to follow everything I say at face value without a second thought, hell, you're my first real friend to boot. I'm… not that much of a genius you might think I am. I'm just born lucky and try to use my head the best that I can. I know that might sound beyond pretentious coming from someone with a Copy Quirk, but it's the truth. I don't always make the right decision, if anything, it has to blow up in my face till I get what I'm looking for. My dad is constantly worried that I'll overdo it at home, I just wanted to fix that habit when we're together, but I guess I failed, what a surprise there…"

    Brief silence filled the air, Izuka intended on breaking it.

    "I don't see any of that as a bad thing," Izuka began, "I can't say much about having a Quirk, let alone knowing what it would be to have one like yours, but everything you've managed to do in such a short amount of time shouldn't be dismissed. It's one thing to use a single Quirk, but using several at the same time is remarkable on its own. I know you are never satisfied when accomplishing your training, and always use it as a benchmark to go further beyond… and that's alright. I'd never want you to aim for anything less than that, but… as you said, a little patience can go a long way. While I'm happy that you don't mind us training in a similar fashion, at the end of the day, we're simply different by nature. Nothing wrong with learning as you go, especially after showing such passion and dedication to improve, the overall possibilities are almost endless."

    "I guess you're right," I expressed with a low sigh, "Maybe I'm just putting more thought into this than necessary, my head was all over the place for quite some time now."

    "You promised me that you'll help me become a Hero," Izuka said softly, forming a smile before continuing, "And I promised you that I'll aid you in achieving your goal just a little bit easier. Even if it's something insignificant, or complicated, or not worth the time, I don't mind doing it. Even though I'm severely inferior in most applications as a Quirkless person to assist in the training process of a Quirk like yours, I-"

    "Hey! Stop that!" Unable to raise my hands without major discomfort, I used my side and my head to hit her playfully to make her stop, almost falling over her in the process, "If you are a screw-up, then I am one as well. You don't need to blabber on till nightfall to make me feel better, just you trying to cheer me up is more than enough."

    That action may have been over the top, the bright shade of red on her face while looking off to the side speaking for itself. I should probably lighten up on that, right?

    A minute or so passed in total silence, not the awkward kind though. However, there was still one thing missing on my end.

    "Thank you…" I said lowly, turning my head to face her once more, "It felt… good to get that out in the open. I tend to avoid these kinds of conversations with my dad, not like I already give him enough things to worry about. But with you… it's different. I don't want to put you through the same thing he had to deal with, and knowing I can talk to you about anything whenever we're together makes that a little easier for me. I'm not… always straightforward about it, and have a tendency to overcomplicate it at times, but I really appreciate it, Izuka and sorry… again."

    "T-Think nothing of it!" Izuka stuttered with a blush on her cheeks but quickly formed a bright smile, "What are friends for, right?"

    Giving her a warm smile, I felt like words weren't necessary anymore to express my gratitude. Laying onto Izuka's backpack as a makeshift pillow, the feeling in my body didn't respond well as since I woke up I stayed in the same position, now having to move them already made me feel sluggish. As if every part of my body was being pulled down by gravity, not to mention the slight headache as a cherry on top.

    Terrific.

    "Hey, Izu?" I asked lowly, causing the green-haired girl's head to snap towards me.

    "What is it, Yukio-Kun?" Izuka asked, her entire body shifting to solely focus on me.

    My mouth quickly closed on itself when I realized what I was about to ask, feeling slightly embarrassed by the thought of it, "You… wouldn't mind if we stay here for a little while longer? I know I had to make you wait this long just for me to wake up, but I… don't think I'm fine to walk just yet. It-It won't take long, another hour or so and I'll be good as new. Sorry for the trouble…"

    Izuka was quick to respond, "T-There's no need to apologize, Yukio-Kun, especially not to me! As far as I'm concerned, we can stay here for as long as you need until you're sure that you're okay to walk."

    "Thank you, Izuka," I said to her with nothing but gratitude in my voice, "It means a lot."

    "I don't mind r-running to the store to get you a few things, if-if you need them that is!" Izuka stuttered out, "I wanted to go while you were sleeping, or to get some help, but I was afraid your condition might worsen while I was gone. Plus, we're pretty far out, I didn't feel comfortable leaving you all alone until you at least woke up. I'm so glad your case lasted as long as it did, wait… that sounds wrong, I-I didn't m-mean it in that kind of way, I just mean-"

    While I wanted to let out a chuckle, the feeling of my eyelids closing once more made it hard to focus on anything else, "Sorry, Izu, I just need a few more minutes, then I can put a stop to all the incoherent muttering you do when you get sidetracked..."



    She kept blabbering out loud long enough, Izuka failed to notice that Yukio drifted off into a deep slumber. Upon realizing that was the case, Izuka found herself another issue she tried to fix but had difficulty doing so.

    That being not to stare at her friend's face, especially when he was unconscious for the past hour.

    Yet, when he finally woke up and explained (with honesty) to her that it was nothing more than temporary fatigue from excessive training, a solid third of Izuka's worries washed away just like that. It would take a little while to deal with the rest.

    Izuka wasn't aware how long she had been staring at Yukio, the concept of time itself becoming irrelevant for the duration. At first, she just wanted to make sure everything was fine, the same thing can't be said when she did so the second time.

    She primarily focused on his breathing, the slow rhythm of inhaling and exhaling coupled with a peaceful expression that gave off no indication he was running on barely a few hours of sleep.

    "Even when he's sleeping he looks so peaceful," Izuka thought to herself, still unable to stop observing.

    It was only when Yukio's head turned slightly to the left that made her own snap forward while preventing herself from uttering a single sound. Feeling as if she were caught amidst doing a crime, Izuka stayed completely still while looking in the opposite direction to not seem suspicious. It was only when the sound of inhaling and exhaling became louder that Izuka confirmed she was in the clear.

    This time, that is.

    Better not to push her luck.

    Having to wait a bit more, Izuka thought of ways to keep herself busy. Logically, it would involve her hobby in some way or another.

    Quirks are a fascinating discussion, one that Izuka could talk about for about a week straight. A single one is able to accomplish so many things at face value, and an even higher amount with several years of improving and discovering new aspects to it. Now add in the possibility of taking out certain parts of a Quirk that has a drawback-like effect or making a brand new one, how could Izuka not let her mind run wild?

    Izuka was beyond overjoyed when Yukio asked her to help him train multiple Quirks, and that he took the time to read through all her research, but after a certain point, that feeling was gradually replaced with worry. She wasn't sure when those thoughts first appeared, nor did she properly notice them at first, but when she did, Izuka's mind went into full panic mode.

    Lecturing Yukio on how he should do his own training program sounded so wrong, but staying silent on the matter was eating her up inside. Furthermore, the same thing happened the last time when Izuka was in his shoes. Instead of learning from her own mistakes and making sure they don't happen again, Izuka could only watch and contemplate if she made the right choice or not.

    Of all times for her insecurities to act up and make her second guess any thought that even remotely regarded Yukio's well-being couldn't be more perfect.

    Whatever the case may be, Izuka deserves a good chunk the blame for what happened to Yukio. All those instances where she wanted, no, needed to speak her mind only became heavier while she was waiting for her friend to wake up. What if the circumstances were different? What if something worse had happened? Would she be able to speak her mind then? Would she be able to be of any use? By watching her one and only friend wind up unconscious because she was afraid?

    Izuka already experienced that type of hardship, and still is to this day. Maybe she should've just taken a chance and tried putting her foot down, the worst-case scenario is preventing Yukio from training by force.

    The aftermath of such a scenario wasn't important to her, nor if Yukio would be upset for getting in his way. She just didn't want to watch her friend continuously push himself to the brink of exhaustion anymore, or feel down because she had to watch over him while he was unconscious.

    It was only natural to push yourself and improve as much as you can, but for him… he was good at a lot of things. To not be misinterpreted, his failures don't always mean the full definition of the word, Izuka would rather call them "yet to be improved" cases than anything. Of course, the two have different viewpoints on that topic, and she respected him for that.

    Izuka couldn't care less who was right or wrong when deep into their conversations if it would mean both of them would be out of harm's way in the end.

    That was more important in Izuka's eyes than anything else.

    Simple as that.

    Next time, Izuka won't hold her tongue when she notices this kind of pattern in the making, that's for certain. Hopefully, after today, Yukio will understand and meet her halfway next time that happens.

    As well as help her ease her worries by a small amount.

    The green-haired girl tried doing anything else to pass the time, having no issue with the matter given the situation at hand. She contemplated opening up one of her notebooks to finish whatever page needs finishing, a good method to kill time and have something to show Yukio for when he wakes up.

    Finally deciding on what to do while she waited, Izuka grabbed her equipment and went to work.

    Or so she thought.

    Each time the pen would come close to the page, Izuka's hand would stop moving altogether. At first, Izuka thought she was doing nothing more than worrying for the umpteenth time today and the worst had passed, only needing to wait patiently until Yukio properly recovers.

    If that was the case, why couldn't she continue her plan as intended?

    Taking another slow, cautious glance towards her friend, Izuka's body eased up upon finding him in the exact position like before, allowing her to take a prolonged look.

    While it wasn't particularly windy today, or cold by any means, the sun was slowly making its way down, and soon enough, the warm temperature will start to change as well. On top of that, Yukio wore a simple white t-shirt that wouldn't do him any favors in the later hours of the day.

    Of course, Izuka wasn't that stupid. Due to his already enhanced physiology, such inconveniences that might bother regular people are hardly present. Especially since they covered several resistance exercises in their sessions, with a few years of experience on his own record. Yukio might never admit it himself, but he was truly remarkable for a variety of things, even on stuff he most likely doesn't pay attention to.

    One important lesson Izuka learned from their sessions is that a person's Quirk doesn't necessarily represent their personality or sense of character at face value, but rather the way it's used. Maybe she had a different perception from her time with Bakugou, and the contrast with Yukio showed.

    Yukio never displayed signs for using his gift for malicious intent, and always made sure nobody is in harm's way when in use. Well, aside from himself at times but that was a slightly different matter. She couldn't really blame him for training as hard as he does, or the responsibility of wielding such a Quirk, but nevertheless, she had nothing but respect in both those regards.

    While Izuka takes a slower and more thoughtful approach when dealing with a problem, Yukio would rather not waste time with the theory unless he does several attempts, regardless of whether they were successful or not. It's one of the reasons she admired Yukio to such a high degree, and what further motivated her to not give up.

    If Izuka was hungry to improve, Yukio was starving by comparison. He's willing to watch over her to make sure nothing goes wrong, it's only logical for Izuka to return the favor.

    Wait, where was she going with this?

    Once again putting her thoughts in check, Izuka has yet to go do what she initially planned.

    Seeing as there was literally no more room in her head to think of anything else, it was her gut that took the charge this time around, unzipping her jacket almost instantly.

    Placing it over his chest, Izuka tucked in the areas around his arms and his shoulders, making sure he had enough room near his throat so her hoodie wouldn't cause any discomfort.

    Accomplishing her task, Izuka retracted her hands in such slow motion, it could be mistaken that she was trying to avoid setting off motion detectors that could respond with the slightest, uncalculated movement. After another ten seconds of just staring at him in an awkward state, Izuka's eyes widened slightly when Yukio jerked his body ever so slightly but showed no sign of waking up.

    Leaning back onto the tree to find a comfortable position, Izuka felt the aftereffect of removing her jacket, especially while under the shade of the tree. It wasn't too bothersome, only around her sides for the most part, but warming them up every now and then will have to suffice.

    Regardless, a simple look towards Yukio brought a small smile to Izuka's lips, now able to work on her notes in peace.

    Izuka may be cold on the outside, but the warmth from within easily makes up for that.

    -Quirks:

    Jump - Grants the user increased jumping ability, to an enhanced degree. It is possible to use one powerful jump with a higher range but will have to wait twenty minutes before being able to do it again.

    Electricity Control - Can control existing electricity and move/shape it as they see fit. The user has to be close proximity to initially harness it out of an object.

    Echolocation - User can emit sound waves and use the echoes that return from various objects to locate and identify the objects. Alternatively, they can use ambient sounds to do the same.

    Drawing Creation - The user can create objects and beings/creatures by drawing them. Requires a special ink that the user can produce to a certain amount (1 to 2 litters) on a daily basis.

    And that concludes Chapter 5.

    Just like in Ch.3, I thought it was necessary to show that Yukio himself can fall into the same trap Izu did, but for different reasons. I'm a firm believer that his training routine would look be a gruesome look at how determined he is, only taking a few days in a week to take it easy. It's both a good and bad thing, unlike Izu's case where it was slightly different, but was bound to happen sooner rather than later. In my mind, it flowed nicely since he didn't prioritize Quirks until now, so him looking at every accomplishment as a benchmark to go further beyond while considering as "failures", something that Izu also pointed out. But because of this, I feel like it was essential to address because now, both are on a similar level for their goals, and will do whatever it takes to make sure the other doesn't hurt themselves.

    I didn't flat-out reveal his entire goal, just a part of it. Logically, he doesn't want to die and what alone should cause him plenty to worry about. The other goal, would be changing the landscape and system within MHA. I won't give too much away, as he himself will go more detail into it. Plus, think it would be a good "show don't tell" moment, especially with Izuka there to discover herself.

    I'm doing it like this since I don't really want to rush to canon way too soon, but not drag out pre-canon as well, so I'm trying to find a middle ground. Especially since there is a few other things I need to figure out to see the bigger picture more clearly.

    Will give a tease for the next one; movie night as the Midoriya household and meeting momma Inko, felt like it would be an ideal time for that. Also to further dissect why our two characters do what they do with added detail. I liked canon Izu aside of a few (personal) nitpicks with him. Firstly, his admiration for All Might should be more fleshed out. I know that might seem silly to think about, but there should be a deeper reason for such fanboying(girling?),

    Also, after a certain point, Izu should tone that whole thing down just a bit, and become his own character than just replacing All Might. I got plenty of time to make subtle changes to Izu's character that canon didn't have the time go over, or just didn't want to. I'll be sure to do more research on what aspects his character could have improved and with a realistic mindset/approach.

    The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - bTyYgzEm7r" (Removes the - for the internet links).

    Cya next time.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2021
    DQuinnicus, ThePillar, Nod and 46 others like this.
  14. Venyr4434

    Venyr4434 Well worn.

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2020
    Messages:
    6,359
    Likes Received:
    55,123
    This chap is in the Index section.
     
    CmirDarthanna likes this.
  15. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Ok, Im sure I fixed it now.
     
    Venyr4434 and CmirDarthanna like this.
  16. Venyr4434

    Venyr4434 Well worn.

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2020
    Messages:
    6,359
    Likes Received:
    55,123
    Yeah, it's fixed.

    Yah know, if the MC somehow finds an Energy Absorption Quirk that'll be very, very good addition, though finding one that takes Solar Energy, or any energy really, is kinda far off, cuz all Quirks have some kind of function and differs from any other Energy Absorption Quirks.

    Are you planning on taking a bit of OFA once Izuka has it?

    Add-on: That's if the Slime Attack will happen and Izuka will still take the route to the Slime Attack and still take notes. Maybe she'll not cuz she'll find it a waste of time cuz she's following her own routine or maybe somethin' else, butterfly effect and all that, we'll just have to see how OP handles that.
     
    !Renzie0 and Ajlove like this.
  17. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Something slight or that can extend range from where it can be absorbed. If you noted how I phrased it in the chapter, harnessing Solar Energy vis plant Manip. and a few others is possible.

    Yup, but only the the 10% Stockpile aspect. For 2 reasons really. One, i feel like OFA to its fullest extent would still be exclusive to Izuka, since it wouldn't be that simple I feel. Besides, he wouldn't really need the other quirks (aside Danger Sense but we can find a substitute) aside of Stockpile, cuz that solves all his issues and can be more creative with his powers without much limitations. With the Stockpile Quirk, we enter a loop of ever lasting energy (plus 1 or 2 more works for proper effect) and for all his powers to stay permanently.
     
    !Renzie0, Ajlove and Venyr4434 like this.
  18. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    (To the Add-on) Interesting question. For that, I feel slight changes are in order. So what I had in mind was for the events of Slime Attack and meeting All Might to stay similar (with changes) but very different context and outlook on Izu's side. There isnt a necessity to "drastically" change how canon starts in regard, so some small adjustments to fit the narrative seems better imo.
     
    !Renzie0 and Venyr4434 like this.
  19. Thrawn

    Thrawn Getting out there.

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2021
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    24
    I have a question will you have Yukio fully utilize his quirk specifically healing? As I believe there are a lot of heroes worldwide who have been crippled with how dangerous the profession is. Being able to heal by combining healing quirks especially once he absorbs Overhaul as it can be used to practically heal any injury could easily make him the best healer in the world. So I curious if your going to use this as healing quirks are rare especially ones like Overhaul as most healing quirks have some form of a limit on them.
     
  20. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Yupyup, thats the plan. Healing abilities are super broken and very useful, as well as hard to find effective ones. Getting an Healing Aura that can mend more severe wounds from fatal damage, Overhaul's Quirk would be the last piece to fix any dissability. So yeah, will invest some time into that.
     
    Venyr4434 and Thrawn like this.
  21. Venyr4434

    Venyr4434 Well worn.

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2020
    Messages:
    6,359
    Likes Received:
    55,123
    Did the MC at one point pick up a Metal Manip quirk or did he just use his Osmonian Quirk and created these


    [​IMG]
     
  22. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
     
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  23. Venyr4434

    Venyr4434 Well worn.

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2020
    Messages:
    6,359
    Likes Received:
    55,123
    Thx for clarifying, got a bit confused in the last chap, thought he made shorswords with hilts and all.
     
  24. Neondagger

    Neondagger I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2021
    Messages:
    588
    Likes Received:
    4,998
    Big fan of this its kinda nice to see the mc just being a good guy, way to many fic have thier character be an ass for no particular reason or undeservingly cocky
     
  25. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Ikr? Most SI-MCs go a different route, and why I don't see a problem with it, it lacks a few certain elements to make em human. MHA, compared to other worlds, is the type of world you'd just wanna help out, regardless how it may be or how corrupt certain aspects are. Not only that, but most "asshole" mc's have an edgy factor that's just there at times, or like how you pointed out, extremely cocky.

    How I made Yukio is essentially how I'd react - "Oh, I can absorb everything! ~literally tries its applications and still the same afterwards~ this is cool, hope I can get better using it." Something like that, coupled how his personality is, being cocky is OOC for him, unless its an obvious bait. Just because you can (literally) do anything at any given time, doesn't mean it can change how you act/behave, just a perspective on things, which is far better than make a MC whose both flawless and obnoxiously cocky while being a dick for some reason is not a fun thing to read, imo.
     
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  26. Thrawn

    Thrawn Getting out there.

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2021
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    24
    I got a question how are you going to handle USJ as there were a lot of reasons why it occurred the way it did. First a test to see All Might's condition a test for his successor to see if the information on how badly he was using OFA at the beginning was true and a test for Tomura Shigaraki to get him ready for the future. It also let him test the information of the traitor while giving the traitor an airtight alibi. It is also part of the reason AFO was so passive was how badly Izuku could use OFA and the condition of his master All Might. If that changes he will most likely be much more active to remove OFA as a threat given what All Might did to him. A example is if Izuka uses the previous quirks of OFA it may make him see it as a problem that needs to be dealt with now before it becomes impossible for him to do so. An example of what could happen in the worse case scenario he convinces or pressures Overhaul for support while unlocking all his hidden assets like Nine. This isn't including the connections that he could call on for support from outside the country like mercenaries or assassins for support. The reason why this would be very bad is Overhaul if he has Eri it would be catastrophic. As it could be possible to mass produce high quality Nomu with using Rewind to have AFO steal a quirk then use Rewind on the victim to before the quirk was stolen so it could be done over and over again. The Nomu then could be enhanced with trigger and they would have access to the quirk erasing bullets. All of this is possible for AFO as being a power stealer for around 200 years has it advantages and their is a reason why he is viewed as such a big threat in the anime or manga. So worse scenario your fighting AFO with support from top rated Nomu enhanced with trigger with support from the League of Villains, Overhaul, Nine and what ever else he could get with his connections that he has built all round the world for the time he been alive. Again their is a reason why he viewed as being a top tier villain.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2021
    Venyr4434, Ajlove and Darwin-18 like this.
  27. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    So glad someone brought this up, since I really wanted to discuss this topic. So the USJ event, only 2 things stay the same, 13 and Aizawa getting hurt (gotta add that sense of dread before the surprise). It would be quite different since while Izuka could/will be a big question mark during USJ, Yukio is a far bigger problem when you think about it, especially the way I want to write the fight.

    Like you said, Overhaul is the biggest problem on the list. Everything else is "managable" (I say it like that so it doesnt sound like an easy task) but Overhaul is a wild box of his own. What I REALLY wanted to do is safe Eri earlier and tweak a bit when USJ and Tournament take place, to have more time inbetween since I personally thought it happened a bit too soon but thats just my opinion. Like in S4, I'm sure Eri tried to escape numerous times as i find it doubtful it only happened once, so we would take care of that a bit sooner than in canon. Rewind would be way harder to control and a take a while to use, while Overhaul can be used to a slightly lower degree so it can be used ASAP.

    AFO is definitely gonna be a bit more paranoid and not be so carefree like he was at the start, as well as ask for as much help and have an army prepared for anything. All of this that you mentioned is spot on, but again, Overhaul is a problem. Taking him out before AFO could approach him is a game changer, as if they would team up Yukio and Izuka would have trouble dealing with Everything all at once.

    It wouldn't be using Rewind or Overhaul during USJ (albeit maybe Overhaul for a Domain Expansion ability since i like Jujutsu Kaisen but eh), just so having the thought of AFO not having to get into contact with Overhaul after USJ. There is probably a few things I forgot to mention or didnt think out yet, but would want to dissect this a bit more since I got some time before that happens.
     
    Venyr4434 and Thrawn like this.
  28. Thrawn

    Thrawn Getting out there.

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2021
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    24
    Another thing to consider is how AFO reacts once he finds out about Yukio as I think he would see him as a major problem once he finds out about the truth about Yukio's quirk.
    Edit so another reason for him to take it much more seriously then he did at the beginning.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2021
    Venyr4434 likes this.
  29. Darwin-18

    Darwin-18 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2020
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    He's definitely gonna need to use some strong ass abilities to overpower Shigiraki Kurogiri and Nomu. Well the first two are somewhat simple, one is not yet experienced and the other can only offer mobility, but wont be enough. Nomu, i wanna burn him to a crisp. Idk if it was just me, but when I see a chance of the first Nomu bitting the dust only to survive or not be taken seriously, I roll my eyes each time. Its a statement, and AFO is gonna choke on his morning drinks trying to deal with him.

    Also, this a debatable one, but prior to the traitor reveal (since i thought it wouldnt be ever brought up again), I planned on switching either Aoyama or Toru (and maybe one or two others) to class 1-B. The info would still be valid when All Might goes to teach for USJ, but the blunt info of knowing a kid has multiple Quirks right off the bat would be better as a mystery until the tournament. Only when he sees that will his suspension be confirmed, which i think works better imo.
     
    Venyr4434 and Thrawn like this.
  30. Thrawn

    Thrawn Getting out there.

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2021
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    24
    It sounds like you got the right balance as AFO is a major threat but he isn't unbeatable as All Might shown. He is just a really difficult opponent to deal with do to his age, connections and how many quirks he has stolen.
     
    Venyr4434 and Darwin-18 like this.
Loading...