MHA - All For The Taking

[Darwin-18]

Reborn into the world of MHA, I wasn't sure what to expect. Luck was a deciding factor, and I was hoping it wouldn't be crappy like the first time. To my delight, the universe was kind enough to give me something unique with a few other surprises [!SI-OC, !Osmosian Quirk, !AU]
Hello all, welcome to All For the Taking.

Essentially, I binged the entire four seasons of MHA recently to get into the hype for season 5 and realized I had to make a story to get my mind off it.

Just by the title, you can already expect what this might look like alongside the AU. Note - powers calling will be addressed and will have more stakes, the MC won't have an easy time if anyone concerned.

I won't blabber too much, so anywho, enjoy.

---

Chapter 1 – Learn and Adapt

All I could remember was playing several games of League of Legends after getting home from school, losing a few but winning more overall, then reading some updated stories before literally passing out in my bed. Looking back, I probably should have been alarmed at the condition I was in at the time, with each game I could feel myself gradually growing weaker for some reason, even though I took breaks in-between before queuing up. By the time I was in bed, my vision slowly became blurry, unable to even properly make out a sentence of the screen on my phone. I was positive it was from sleep deprivation, it was just like any other night and didn't feel like anything was "wrong" with my body, so I didn't think too much about it.

It might sound weird to say, but I accepted my death gracefully.

There was a reason for that, because it was swift and over within a flash.

The moment my ears were met with dead silence, I started to feel scared. Where am I gonna go? Is this it? A black void where time was irrelevant and existence itself was once but a thought. After a countless amount of time passed, the unthinkable happened.

I was given a second chance at life.

I could remember my birth quite clearly, can't say I enjoyed reliving that experience. As you know, when a baby is born it's normal for it to cry, meaning the child gives off a good sign that it's healthy.

Me, however, when I first set sight on this new world, I mostly screamed at what the first thing my eyes witnessed, a giant bear in a doctor's attire. His large hands holding my small frame like it was nothing. Safe to say, he was shocked at the behavior as I could only scream at the top of my lungs and kick away to not get eaten. Actually, looking back on it, I think my reaction was perfectly acceptable.

Aside from re-experiencing infancy once again, I learned very quickly this wasn't the same as in my old life. Somehow, I was reborn into the My Hero Academia universe. How was I sure? Well I was in Japan, in the twenty-third century, with technology and superheroes I've only seen in fiction were very real. There were many examples that I came across, I didn't believe it at first, but as more time passed I came to the conclusion this was my reality now.

I was an infant, sure, but I was positive my mind wasn't playing tricks on me, there was no point in denying it. It wasn't the most ideal place or my first option if I could choose, but it could have been far worse honestly.
I was reborn into a new world, with the name Yukio Toshiaki.

My new Mother and Father, Ahmya and Riku Toshiaki, couldn't be any more overjoyed. Father was fairly tall with green eyes and short messy black hair, rarely having any facial hair. Mother had long white hair that complimented her ocean-blue eyes. They owned a house in a lengthy neighborhood with each one resembling the same in appearance with different sections rearranged, the two-color scheme giving it an appealing look.

Only my Mother had a Quirk, which was essentially Plant Manipulation. She mostly used that to decorate the house with colorful plants and maintain a jaw-dropping garden, several tall trees in unorthodox growth patterns that give it a unique appearance, various flowers scattered around with a nearby pond. Personally, I enjoyed when I was outside with her and watching her work, it was an impressive sight to admire. I spent an equal amount of time with both of them, their personalities complimenting each other the more I observed them. Life was weird, but I was adjusting since I didn't know any Japanese which took some time to get a hang of as I couldn't properly understand what my parents were saying, but overall, life in the Toshiaki household was normal.

Then it happened.

Ahmya, my mother, got into a terrible car crash after getting off a long shift from the hospital, some idiot not looking ran across a red light and directly hit the driver's seat. Sadly, before the ambulance even showed up it was already too late.

Even though I didn't know her for that long, I was still devastated after hearing the news from that phone call late at night.

My new Father went through a difficult time for the first few weeks, something that was out of his control. I couldn't blame him for losing focus or not able to stay concentrated for even the simplest of tasks, it was a natural grieving process. My presence to him was a mix of joy and grief, with no sign of his behavior changing any time soon.

Until I said my first words. When my vocal cords formed to properly construct a sentence out loud, I told him, "it's not your fault, daddy" several times on repeat. When I said that, it sent him off the edge, spending half the day in tears and inside his room when he would put me to sleep. I didn't see much of him that day, and could only wonder what kind of thoughts went through his mind, fearing I made the wrong decision.

However, ever since then, the changes were slowly starting to show.

The transition moved at his own pace, gradually picking up the pieces to turn his life back into order. He was more attentive, caring, and most importantly, he was healing. Getting back into the groove at work, everything was going back to how it used to be.

I, however, didn't stop with the surprises. The daycare that I was enrolled in wasn't prepared for me, the lady almost regularly contacting my father to talk about my "abnormal" behavior. Considering I could communicate either through talking or in written form, as well to actually "know" stuff a toddler couldn't even fathom. I was behaving way older than my small form displayed, which was questioned early on. Even some of the doctors were speechless when I took several tests. Father was shocked at the results, having a little "genius" in the making, my level of maturity with my playfulness. At home I'd watch dozens of TV shows that were expansive in terms of storytelling, and I could understand it all, as well as the concept of keeping things clean and organized.

Everything I did in my old life, I was doing now because I mean honestly, they had good programming in this universe, why wouldn't I abuse that?

To say Father was stunned is an understatement, he couldn't believe it so soon because each time I'd impress him more. Since both of us experienced different transitions around the same time, the barrier and level of understanding evened out, becoming more normal in what can be considered an abnormal case.

Initially, they believed that I had an intelligence Quirk, as it easily explained how quickly I "learned" and showed a high level of understanding at such a young age. I never spoke directly about that topic, as it was a blatant lie, nor did I want to get into it. After a while, the adults assumed that was the reason, some actually helping me when I was at the daycare and not focused on playing rather than learning.

It was a very good thing, actually, as there was a little helper capable of doing daily tasks and chores. Naturally, he wouldn't simply allow me to do it, but I insisted nonetheless, so it kind of became a habit. It also enabled us to connect a lot easier, such as his hobbies and life at work.

Turns out, he was the owner of a fairly sized automobile repair shop. Born Quirkless, I learned he was okay with it, even if he had one he implied the superhero business never really interested him all that much. While the profession was cool and a dream-come-true for many people, some preferred not risking their safety every single day for the rest of their lives.

I could respect that. While there exist other jobs to apply Quirks to, it pales in comparison to becoming a licensed hero.

He could tear apart a car and fix it up twice as better. In the twenty-fifth century, cars have evolved quite a bit, on the inside and outside. Every area was upgraded, abusing the advanced technology whilst having many similarities to how they looked like several centuries prior. Father liked doing the work himself rather than sitting inside the office to simply collect the payment when it's done, but as a result, had lots of paperwork to take care of at home. While it was tedious, it was his passion and it paid fairly well, a win-win situation in my book.

Now I was five years old, reasonably adjusted to my new life, albeit annoyed at my small form. My room shared some resemblance to how I kept my old one, only way cleaner than how I was known to keep it. To occupy my boredom, and not waste time, I filled it with a mix of games and books, the ladder mostly on technological advancements over the course of three centuries. It was a hassle but I was slowly figuring out how everything worked and getting more familiar with technology.

I enjoyed how I spent my free time, and will definitely pay off in the long run.

---

Looking at my reflection of the large mirror in my room, I still kind of found it unbelievable how my appearance changed. From my memory, I resembled my younger self but instead of chocolate brown hair was silver hair for my two short bangs and a small part of the front, from there, was a messy black for the rest. My Mother had stunning white hair, so I inherited some trait from her, at the right spot I might add. My skin was lighter than I remember it to be, my body on the leaner side. I wore a loose white t-shirt a few sizes larger with black sweatpants that fitted neatly. I had a bit of a growth spurt, now standing at three feet and eleven inches, making me quite tall for a five-year-old.

It was weird, but it was growing on me.

"Hey, dad," I called out to him while passing through the living room. "I'm going out for a walk, gonna stop by the store on my way back, need anything?"

It seemed I caught him at a bad time, his hands searching through piles of paperwork while his gaze kept shifting to the screen of his laptop. "What? Oh, yeah umm, there's a list, somewhere. I don't know where I- oh, the fridge, it's on the fridge."

He was so focused on his work, he was barely able to formulate a reply, his hands fidgeting as he remembered where he put the shopping list. Snatching it off the massive fridge, I looked over what's needed.
"Sorry, forgot to go for errands after work, this paperwork is driving me-"

I interrupted him before he could finish by snatching the list from him. "Don't think about it, why do you think I asked? I can see you have your hands full, so I don't mind helping out."

He turned his gaze towards me, a soft smile on his face. "Thanks, son, I appreciate it. My wallets on the counter, take a little more with you and buy yourself something while you're at it."

Flashing a smile and thumbs up, I went to the front door to put on my shoes, then taking the amount to get everything on the list. With that, I was on my way.

I was born into this world a little over five years ago, and yet, I still couldn't get used to it. It was surreal, to be honest. I was never much of a believer in reincarnation, and it certainly boggles my mind I was now living in the crazy world of My Hero Academia. In Musutafu, wherever you looked you could spot some sort of superhero walking about, and since there were plenty of criminals, you could witness them in action first hand. It's weird when I think about it thoroughly, several centuries ahead of what I was used to now had advanced technology and superheroes that were once fiction.

With eighty percent of the world's population possessing some sort of power, the odds are in your favor to get something. I, sadly, think I'm in the other twenty percent that receive absolutely nothing. To be fair, I was still only five years old, meaning the possibility of awakening some sort of power is alive, but lately, I'm thinking it's just not going to happen. We've yet to go to the doctor to confirm if I'm actually Quirkless, and to be honest, I didn't want to at this point.

In the previous year of kindergarten, almost every kid developed their Quirk roughly the same time, all except me. At first, I was crushed. Given a second chance at life at a world where superpowers exist and I was left out. It was tough, but I decided crying over spilled milk wasn't going to get me anywhere.
It was reality, one I didn't want to accept but know there was no changing that.

In this world, the same world I thought to be fictional, doesn't make all men equal. I was bitter, and reasonably disappointed by my crappy luck.

Well, twice if you count my predicament.

Nevertheless, I could use the opportunity to my benefit, not wallow at what could have been. There were various ways I could go about my new life, since I got a restart button I can use the time to learn as much as I can, I always was interested in technology, and I can take this chance to center my life around that. The chance to make tons of fun and useful gadgets was the most appealing option to me, so maybe hope is not all lost.

The laws of this reality were unfair, but not permanent. If I work hard enough I could make some sort of breakthrough, maybe even change the quota in various fields in the meantime. Countless sources of study programs were all but within my grasp, so I'd very much like to devote my time to explore the second-most intriguing concept that was overshadowed by Quirks.

Who knows, I maybe I could the next Steve Jobs of this universe

But that's a problem for another day, right now, shopping duty is the main priority

"Afternoon!" I greeted the clerk behind the counter with a wave as the sliding doors opened.

"Oh, hey Yukio-kun!" The teen worker waved back with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Simple shopping," I held up the list. "That and might rummage through your ice-cream stash."

"Heh, shopping," the teen chuckled as he put down his magazine. "When I was your age, all I knew was how to fall off a bicycle, let alone follow a list on what to buy in the store."

I shrugged with a smile. "What kind I say, I'm a special case."

"If ya need anything, I'll be right here."

Giving another wave for a response, I took one of the smaller shopping carts to fit my height, proceeding to lurk around the familiar store. Since the list was relatively simple, there wasn't anything too heavy for my child body to handle, some ingredients, premade meals and bread. Within about a few minutes, I pulled the small shopping cart towards the counter, the teen helping me to take all of it out.

While digging through my pockets to find my money, I remembered I had more on me, totally forgetting I could snag a few things for myself. "Would it be a problem if I leave my bags here? Wanna get something from the ice-cream section."

"Sure, I'll just set these off to the side until you get back."

Muttering a quick thank you, I went off to the far end of the store towards the freezers, wanting to see if they had any good ice-cream for the taking.

"C'mon, can't stay here all day, just pick something," I thought furiously, unable to decide what to buy. While my head was focusing between my options, I could hear the beep of the sliding door opening but I ignored it. "To Hell with it, this better be good."

Just as I was about to turn back, I saw two clouds of dust flying above the tall isles, obliterating the camera in the far left corner, the same cloud maneuvering to others in quick succession. Before I could even register the sudden action, I heard something I wasn't hoping to hear.

"This is a robbery! Put everything you got in here!"

My blood ran cold, the sound of those words, the unsettling feeling making my stomach flip upside down. Dashing to the edge of the isle for cover, I moved so I could take a peek at the ones at the counter.

"Three of them, but I can't see clearly from this angle!" I thought worryingly, as well as mentally cursing myself. "For fucks sake I should have just left the first time!"

Moving one more section to get a better look, I could clearly see all of them. One was fairly tall with a bulky frame coated with scales, its head somewhat resembling a dinosaur with human features. The other two, albeit normal in appearance, wore identical black sweatpants and hoodies that covered their faces.

"Oi! Rakkī, go into the backroom with this twerp and crack the safe!" The man with dust spears around him pointed at the clerk, then turning to the taller one. "Kyōro, round up everybody here and take whatever valuables they have!"

With a grin, the dinosaur fellow walked towards the nearest civilian, making the man scream in fear. From there, more and more screams could be heard as the dinosaur walked around to capture them all. Thinking on my feet, I moved the stack of boxes placed on the lowest shelf, taking advantage of the empty space from within to box myself in. Albeit scared, I was careful to not cause any noise nor blow my cover. Once I was in, I took slow but heavy breaths, trying to keep it at a steady pace.

"Oh god, this is way worse than how I imagined it!" I screamed inside my head, trying my absolute best to remain calm, but couldn't stop my body from shaking. Most of the noise from the outside grew silent, the one and only sound of heavy footsteps gradually increasing.

All of a sudden, a sharp pain erupted in the center of my chest.

"Aaghh!"

I clutched my eyes as hard as I could, but it was to no avail. It was like they were on fire, no, more like they were dunked in a tub of acid. The sensation spread across my whole body, I could only squirm and clutch my sides until this goes away. It may seem like an exaggeration, but it felt like my cells were burnt to a crisp before instantly repairing themselves from top to bottom.

"W-What is this?!"

My brain was working overtime to figure out what just happened to me, something was different, I'm sure of it.
Then it hit me, my Quirk manifested!

Pretty crappy timing, but that wasn't anything new when weird phenomenons happen randomly to me.
I looked over my body, noticing there weren't any kind of transformations or alterations, although my insides felt different. I couldn't explain it, but I sort of felt... hungry?

My thoughts were broken when the boxes covering me were tossed aside, the sudden occurrence of light blinding my vision momentarily. When my eyes reopened, I was greeted with the ugly smirk of the dinosaur-humanoid hybrid.

"Found you!"

Before I could even attempt at an escape, or get over my discomfort, his abnormally large hand capturing my entire frame, only my left arm free from his hold.

"Let go of me, you fossil!" I yelled while trying to break free. The oxygen my lungs could take decreased as his hand gripped my body, only making me even more desperate from some sort of plan to get out of this scenario. I managed to squeeze out my right arm, digging my fingers into his scale-like skin.
It was all I could do, and it made no difference.

Or so I thought.

My eyes were closed shut to withstand the feeling of being squashed, but his grip was loosening. Simultaneously, I could feel a warm sensation surging through-out my body, the palm of my right hand being most prominent. When I opened them, I saw the dinosaur with an exhausted expression, breathing heavily as the last of his strength in his arm was gone, releasing me to fall back on the floor. Once we broke skin contact, the warm feeling was cut off, but it was still very much present.

When my feet were on the floor, something else… happened.

It may sound weird, but I was positive I could feel my insides starting to change. Looking down at my arms, the sleeves of my shirt were slowly tearing apart as my arms grew twice their original size, my shoes becoming increasingly tight, but my pants still seemed to hold on. My skin had a similar pigment to his, while also growing scales that were less mixture with my own skin color.
The effect lasted a few short seconds, but the transformation my body had undergone was fast. Even the way I breathe was different.

The dinosaur criminal groaned, his eyes solely focused on me while breathing heavily. "I'll squash you for that…!"

When his hand made another attempt to grab me, I noticed it moved a lot slower than the first time. Taking advantage of that, I ducked then dashed to the side, once again my brain going into overdrive to analyze my situation when I stood up.

"Okay, I think I figured out what my Quirk is," I thought while closely observing the weakened criminal. "It's an absorption ability it seems. I don't remember hearing one going to these lengths, with the body mutating from the subject the user absorbed. I know that 1-B student could copy two Quirks at a given time, but fully copying someone? This is something I have to explore once I get out of here."

Turning around, the dinosaur charged with both his arms wide open, with me sliding between the large opening between his legs. While doing so, my fist met his crotch, a loud and ear-piercing shriek could be heard afterwards. Clutching his nether region, the criminal fell to his knees with his head crashing into the freezers,
Looking down at my arm, several thoughts ran through my mind. "Seems like I got some of his strength, that's good to know. But if I can already absorb stuff, is there a limit to it?"

"Kyōro! What the hell is going on back there!?" The leader shouted toward his

There was only one way to find out, and I had my chance right in front of me. Slapping him on the back with my open hand, I tried doing the same thing I did not even a minute ago, with one single thought in mind.
To take his powers for myself.

The more I concentrated, I could feel it working, I think. My fingertips were like tiny vacuums, sucking all the criminal had to offer. Just like before, my body started to change, although the sensation wasn't as uncomfortable, unlike the first time. My arms grew twice their size, the sleeves tearing into shreds with my pants ripping from below the thighs. Shifting my focus to the side, I could faintly see my reflection from the glass door of the freezer that was undamaged. While my facial features were almost entirely covered in scales, my hair and facial structure were the same. Judging by a rough estimate, I grew around an additional fifteen inches, with my overall physique bulkier in numerous places. I felt… amazing, not to mention

Throwing a glance at the criminal I absorbed, I noted his body deflated slightly, but nothing major.
Huh, interesting.

No! Stay focused, dammit.

"The fuck are you doing, Kyo-" The criminal speaking stopped mid-sentence as he turned the corner, eyes wide as dinner plates at the sight of his companion kneeling down, unable to even stand up. When he spotted me, his face turned to one of full rage.

Extending his arms, dust from beneath the shelves moved towards him, creating several spears from it. Throwing both arms out, they were sent flying towards me. Tilting my head slightly to dodge the first one, I broke off into a run towards him, zigzagging to evade the incoming spears. Since he focused solely on projectiles that weren't that fast, he was totally defenseless, one good hit would be more than enough. However, I got too cocky, a single spear moving towards my head. With my instincts taking over, I shielded my face with my arms, preparing for the impact.

Instead of feeling any kind of injury, I felt a slight tickle, nothing more. Checking my arms, I observed how the dust slid down my newly changed skin, some embedding itself between the scales. Establishing eye contact with the criminal, his face perfectly described how screwed he was from this moment. Grinning, I charged in with no fear.

More spears came my way, either dodging them by an inch or tanking it with my reinforced skin. At best, I could feel on each spot they hit leave a faint sting, but nothing more than that. The closer I got, the more panicked he got, flailing his arms around rapidly as result, precision slowly giving out on him. Reaching the end of the aisle, I used the built-up momentum to my advantage, shaping myself into a human-sized cannonball when I jumped forward.

When I crashed into him, all he could do was release a loud gasp as his body went flying backwards, knocking down the small metal stand behind him. I was lying on top of him, now sitting on his stomach as I was the first to take action. Before he could even lift himself up, I aimed for the throat with my two fingers to keep him down. It wasn't that hard of a hit but was very effective. As he clutched it while gasping for air, I finished the job with a clean hit to the temple, the enhanced strength knocking him out instantly. I grabbed the fallen metal stand and took the shelf part with ease, making make-shift cuffs

Touching the parts of the shelf, my mouth was met with a sour and very bitter taste, noticing my fingers turned from a scaly green color to a dark silver. They also felt… heavier?

"Okay… I didn't expect that." I thought confusingly

As my hands touched his exposed skin while restraining his hands then his ankles, the vacuum-like sensation returned on the tip of my fingers. I didn't feel any kind of change to my body, rather a simple taste of "uncleanliness" around my whole mouth. Seems like I can take multiple powers while I already took one.

An unexpected surprise, but a welcomed one.

So his Quirk is to manipulate dust, which means this type of power revolves around feeling and concentration to properly control. With the whirlpool of emotions, alongside the abundance of adrenaline, I envisioned the object I wanted, the dust around me flying to the tip of my finger, forming a thick collar that loosened the moment I started losing focus.

"Simple, but I could use this."

Since two were out, I should take out the last one while I still have the element of surprise. Going towards the backroom, I climbed on top of the refrigerators that were right beside it, the anticipation from waiting slowly annoying me as I controlled a cloud of dust above my hand.

"Boss? What's going on back-"

The dust cloud swooped down directly into his mouth and eyes when he stepped out, instantly disorienting him. To seal the deal, I dived in with a punch to the nose when he positioned himself at just the right angle, effectively breaking it. The man could only groan as he fought to stay conscious, while I got up to push the shelf beside him, his eyes instantly widening at the sight of it wobbling. Alongside it, dozens of canned food fell on top of him, one last groan escaping his lips before fully passing out.

Falling to my knees, I breathed in and out slowly, finally able to gather my thoughts in peace.

Did I just take out three thieves just like that?

To be fair, they were pretty incompetent at their job, so some credit I deserved I think.
Soon after, an odd but reassuring silence was met within the isles of the grocery store, the people taken hostage slowly rising up to reassure themselves they were now safe. The workers were the ones who were the most careful, in the fear that their troubles weren't over. The last thing they expected was a kneeling boy with scale-like skin wearing torn clothes that barely stayed in place.

As I formed eye contact with the two workers, I realized I had nothing to say for myself. The more time passed the more awkward this became, opting me to choose the most logical option I could do at this moment.

Run away.

"I'll just take my bags and… go… now…"

I choked on the latter half of my sentence, unable to think of any kind of excuse at the moment. Slowly backing away, I scurried to my groceries once they were in my sights, then booking it for the exit. On the other side, a hefty amount of people showed up around the entrance, quite possibly a Hero or two not too far off. Not taking the chance with how many eyes were already on me, I simply squeezed through the growing crowd, not necessarily pushing anyone aside but not waiting for them to move on their own.

My legs moved on their own, even if I commanded them to stop I probably couldn't. I didn't concern myself how my little stunt may seem to all those people, the adrenaline was still pumping inside of me so there wasn't a chance of me stopping anytime soon.

If anything, I started running faster.

While I undoubtedly felt vastly different, I also felt surprisingly normal. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I think my body adapted to the changes almost instantly. The answers weren't all too clear to me at the moment, but I'll start from somewhere.

For now, I have to find somewhere to think.

---

After that little display, all I wanted to do is get some peace, even for a few short minutes.
If even that was possible.

I ran for the next ten or so minutes, taking advantage of this newfound stamina and strength to put some distance from the store I was just in, in the off chance that some Hero or the authorities are on my tail. Right now, I was kneeling down on the grass beside a river, carefully going every detail on my "unusual" face. The place itself was a spacious park my Mother would use to take me when I was a baby plenty of times, deeming it the "most beautiful place" in all of Musutafu by how the numerous river streams are laid out, ultimately choosing this as I didn't know any other place.

I'm positive I attracted some attention from the people who saw me on the way here, whether it was gasps or gossip because of my appearance, to which I couldn't really blame them to be honest. My clothes were torn and ripped, only holding to the spots where the cloth stayed resilient. While looking at my reflection in the river, I wasn't panicked or concerned, simply breathing in and out to remain focused.

I could only theorize for the time being, careful to not come to a sudden conclusion at my newfound abilities. These types of Quirks existed but to a very limiting extent, while my predicament was much more complicated. This wasn't simple power and ability absorption, my body mutated the more I took with my power. I could also gain other perks, as being a child restricted me from "grow up" situations I'm used to. I was able to jump in seemingly easier as I got an idea of how to react with the power I stole.

Countless questions were born that overtook my plans prior to going into the store. How much can I take? What are my overall limits? Are there even any? Possible side effects? Probability of damaging my physical or mental state the more I take?

I knew what this kind of power does to people, becoming drunk with power and losing any sense of sanity, my paranoia kicking in to counteract that fear. I was too careful to not mess with that, if I would notice that kind of behavior I'd put myself in check. I couldn't underestimate this Quirk's capabilities, if I'm careful with my cards I can train to overcome that problem down the line.

The more I focused on my mutated expression, the more I wanted to know what my Quirk was. Turning to my left, I saw a small pile of mud that barely met the river's touch. Curiosity taking over, my hand went over to touch it. If I can absorb stuff, it begs the question can I take from living or non-living entities. Placing my hand into the mushy substance, I focused on one singular thought while I tried to concentrate.

Several seconds passed, I once again felt that vacuum-like sensation. Although it felt sloppy and somewhat unappealing, it wasn't too bothersome. Examining my hand, there wasn't any kind of change, until I slapped my other hand with it causing it to dissolve, leaving a small smudge where my fist was that quickly regenerated from the mud before it formed to the "familiar" scale-like skin.

Interesting, very interesting.

This sort of puts a solution to some questions at least. I can absorb anything, which kind of helps me in fact. I can take properties and use them to my own will, the only limit being the ones I set by myself. This kind of ability reminds me of one power from a favorite franchise of mine, the Osmosian from Ben 10.

It made sense. If I can take any property and use it to my command, it's logical I can absorb energy as well. I was quite a fan of the Osmosian aspect from the Ben 10 franchise, the possibilities of using their powers in various ways to fit any need was amazing, to say the least. To my delight, in a world where I'm able to copy any Quirk and have it for my own and mix with others, I took prior, I can boost my capabilities by a large margin.

"But."

I can't be careless with this powerful Quirk, not in the slightest. At best, you are able to at least get two Quirks through that marriage system, but having more the longer you live is quite the dilemma. The only person notable of this trait is All For One, but there's a major difference. He steals Quirks, I only get one-tenth of a Quirk and retain it. It would still paint a difficult picture for me and how to describe what I do, plus I don't think whatever I come up with will last forever.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, I looked up to the sky. "Later. I'll think about this later, as for now..."
Focusing on my reflection, I need to return to normal before anything else. Now, I know for a fact this state is only temporary, as the properties I absorbed are still in effect, nor did I focus on "turning it off" for that matter.

Inhaling deeply, I clasped my hands and tried clearing my mind as best as I could, which was quite difficult. The fear of being unable to turn back to normal or if the theory of my powers being false slowly grew in the back end, but I had to ignore that for the moment until I was absolutely sure.

I kept thinking of a "revert" feeling that would change me back, using the same determination like when I wanted to copy the criminal's Quirks, taking it slowly yet elegantly. It might take some time, but I started to shrink, as well as deflate to an extent. I didn't break this concentration until I was positive I couldn't go anymore, soon returning what I thought to be my regular self.

Looking around my arms and legs, I was back to how I was before, but I felt stronger somehow with my small frame. Glancing at the river, I indeed was back to normal, to my relief. However... there was something new, two small horns both upright on my forehead, the same color as my skin it seems. Feeling them with my fingers, I jolted slightly how sensitive they felt.

It kind of made me want to touch them again.

Before I thought about leaving, I had to fix my attire the best that I can. Ripping a piece from the bottom of my shirt to tie my loose pants around the waist, keeping them from falling down quite nicely. It was rather warm outside during the sunset so I won't have to worry about it getting cold until I get home. The shoes might be the only issue since they are unusable by this point, so sacrifices had to be made.

Picking up my grocery bags, I set my sights to home. Before I made the first step, a critical thought came to mind I didn't account for.

"Shit... how am I going to explain this?"

---

"[-Lastly on the Five O'clock News, a small local grocery store on " " street suffered from an attempt of robbery. The workers, alongside several civilians, were taken hostage while the robbery was underway. The witnesses were restrained for the whole duration, with only one worker revealing the "true" story of what happened. In his own words, the worker said it was the doing of a child, who miraculously single handedly knocked out all three thugs, on his own. The details are left unclear as the security cameras inside the store were destroyed when the assailants entered inside. The hero-]"

While on any given day, Riku wouldn't bother too much with the news, it's close to repeating every time he tunes in. At best, he'd pay attention here and there when anything worthwhile was going on. This time around, his eyes couldn't avert from the TV screen. For some reason, his insides were wrapped in knots, the thought of continuing his work going into the back of his mind.

Looking at the mounted digital clock on the wall, his worries only grew bigger. It's been quite a while since Yukio went out, he usually doesn't stay outside too long or stray far from home. While his son was by no means a regular five-year-old kid, Quirkless or not, Yukio was way older mentally than any child his age should be. Even without his parenting, he was sure his son would stay safe and would run the moment danger would pop.

Besides, this couldn't be the same thing that was on his mind. There was just no way.

"Then why do I feel something's wrong…"

Hearing the door open only for it to be closed a moment later, followed by an "I'm home!", his worries vanished.
With a sigh of relief, Riku took the recently filled cup of coffee into his hand and stood up, making his way towards the front door to greet his son.

"Oi! Yukio!" Riku called out, taking a sip of his coffee. "I forgot to tell you to buy some eggs before you went out. Do you mind if for dinner we make-"

The moment his head turned to take in the view of the hallway, his heart skipped a beat or several in fact. His grip on the ceramic cup loosened instantly, making it fall and shatter on the floor. Riku tried uttering a single word, but failed each time, only incoherent noises when he would open his mouth. The clothes that once perfectly fit his son were all torn, shredded pieces of cloth used to tie his shirt and pants in place, all the while barefoot. On his forehead, there were two small but clearly visible horns both vertically standing upright, something that wasn't there before he left.

With an enormous and somewhat cocky grin, his son spoke like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Dad! You won't believe what just happened!"

They say if you describe a horrific event more cheerfully, then the final story won't sound so bad.

Of course, I picked the worst possible way of explaining my day.

---

Welp, that went as poorly as I expected.

Turns out, giving a valid reason to endangering your life and proceeding to fight people with Quirks that intent on hurting people in the process is more difficult than it would seem.

Now, I may have only known my father for five short years, but over time you get to learn about people's behavior and characteristics. My father wasn't the type of person to easily get angry, almost always cool-headed and whenever would approach a situation would stay calm and work it out. At best, I'd only seem mildly irritated when he tried fixing his car on his own, nothing more than that. From that day until the rest of my life, I won't forget the exact shade of red his face was for that whole conversation.

Naturally, I had to tweak some parts of the story that would ease my situation, such as my Quirk manifesting and how the actual confrontation looked like. Since the security cameras were destroyed, along with nobody actually witnessing how the fight went down, it was my word against his. It was a good hour or so of non-stop screaming and lecture after lecture, it took some time until things settled down. After he regained some sense of rationality, we talked extensively about my new Quirk. I didn't tell him everything, as it would only raise more questions than anything, so I was careful on what to say. I did only have it for an hour and a half at that time, logically, I would only know so much.

At night, where it was dead quiet, my mind was loud as can be.

There wasn't any possible chance of sleeping peacefully, so I dedicated that time to exploring my Quirk. After getting another chance to test it first hand, that being some metal and wood, I was more inclined to believe I indeed had Osmosian powers. The biggest evidence to this theory are the two miniature horns that grew and thin black lines around my eyelids after my Quirk awakened, having some resemblance to their species.

I was honestly more shocked after I got concrete proof than when I was in the dark. I can't say what kind of luck I had to be gifted an ability from a totally different franchise, but maybe that was compensation for getting me stuck into a different reality altogether. The universe works in mysterious ways, so I won't question it too much.
Truth be told, I was beyond ecstatic after I confirmed what my Quirk was, for two reasons. Firstly, it was a childhood favorite ability along with the concept of Osmosians as a whole, Kevin Levin easily taking first place. Secondly, it was probably the most useful skill I could be granted in this crazy world. Just because you're in the eighty percent who are born with a Quirk doesn't necessarily mean it would be of any use, or even worse if it restricts you in some kind of way. It's a blind game of chance, which was the biggest flaw in this world. You're either born strong or weak, with not much room in-between. Sure it's possible to train up, improve your Quirk to the best of its capabilities, but even that might not be enough.

This world was simply unfair, there's no arguing about that.

To my delight, lady luck was on my side this time.

There wasn't a single moment of peace inside my mind, thinking and planning and theorizing all I could do. From my point of view, the world was my sandbox, I could take anything then use it for my own, the type of Quirk people would kill to have. It's just too versatile. I can make countless combinations from an array of powers to fit the time and situation, you can say the possibilities are endless.

However, a certain issue has to be addressed.

All For One.

This issue was more complicated to give a simple answer to. After a certain amount of time passes, the off chance he learns there's someone who can have multiple Quirks that don't disappear, I'll be right on top of his wanted list. Under no circumstance can I be careless with my Quirk, I'm not sure what kind of resources he has at this point of the timeline, nor in the foreseeable future. The risk is too high, so I will have to treat lightly moving forward. No point looking online for it, it will only paint a target on my IP address if the government sees that in my history, not like I need to even do it since I know how the series would play out. To make an assumption, since my memory is a bit loose on the details, but I'm positive the general public doesn't know about AFO.

Which was perfect.

I don't want to have any similarities to that bastard, having more leeway will help me out later on. Aside from a few people, who will have their own theories, nobody will label me as one of his spawn. That man isn't the only problem, I can't rub off the possibility of any other threats that might aim for me, but we'll cross that bridge when we get remotely close to it.

In fact, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to trick people how my Quirk actually works, if I can. I'm fully prepared to be called a freak or whatever society would label me as, it honestly made no difference either way. I got a small taste of how it's like to be called that in the past year, it didn't bother me then and neither will it now. I literally died, harsh words meant nothing to me at this point.

"But what do I want to do…?" I uttered slowly, unaware I said that thought out loud.

For the first time ever since the store, I didn't think of my powers, yet what I wanted to do with them. I was set using the second childhood to suck in as much knowledge I otherwise wouldn't even know about for someone my age. I'll admit, I was slacking off a bit in my old life in regards to learning, but since I don't have to go from scratch for a second time, I could use the time to focus on my training and skills that would come in useful. If I figure out the correct training method, I'll be considerably strong the more I use it. Kevin and Aggregor displayed how powerful this ability can be used if in the right hands, and I plan to reach impressive feats with it.

Before I died, my life had just barely started. There were many things I didn't get the chance to try out, experience life to the fullest, nor get to the point in life where I could make my own choices. In this world, there are a whole lot more opportunities for me to take a shot at that just weren't possible in the twenty-first century. Right now, I could quite easily be able to do anything, not a single line of work out of my reach with my Quirk.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be a hero. I always had a dream in the back of my mind to help people, since if I knew someone was in trouble, my moral compass would make me help them otherwise it would eat me up if I didn't.

However, my moral compass wasn't entirely spotless.

I knew you couldn't just be a goody-two-shoes and expect to fix every issue, it just doesn't work. Here, you get in trouble for helping someone in danger if they aren't a registered hero and get ridiculed if you try to be one without a Quirk. Years of fiction taught me that sometimes it's necessary to make hard choices if it means for the greater good. But by doing anything remotely out of line in the eyes of the heroes, and the general media, you taint your name because of that. There's a fine line of what you can and can't do here, so I'll have to put a pin into this problem for another time.

All in all, I wouldn't say no to the hero gig. I'd get to experience a dream of mine that was otherwise impossible, make a good career out of it and have some fun along the way. I wasn't too keen on doing this type of thing forever, since I can obtain resources and actually make a real difference. Before I was a realist, but I was still a nerd with countless fandoms in the back of my mind along with the thought of "what if" I could do those things.

I got a one-of-a-kind opportunity on my hands, one I wouldn't dare to waste. There were many things I wanted to try out to fulfill dreams that now can become reality, only I could set the limits to my potential.

I planned on delivering.

Feeling the sudden urge to yawn, I did so while looking at the digital clock on my nightstand, my eyes slightly widening when realizing how late it was. By now, I'm worse than Izuku when overthinking is concerned. I won't get far if I think about every single detail all at once without even starting, time is on my side, I will be sure to use every second of it to not fall behind.

"This will be difficult… and mildly troublesome if things go off the rails at the same time. Who am I kidding, this is where the fun begins."

That's it for Chapter 1.
Initially, I wanted to do an SI with Magneto powers but landed on Osmosian power set because it seemed more fun. I already addressed this, just because he can take powers doesn't mean Yukio will know how to use them right off the bat. It will take a considerable amount of training to get used to them while also mixing with other powers to boost his potential.

Combining with other powers will be fun, since it's almost limitless. It will show off how resourceful Yukio is and how quickly he can adapt to any situation.

Don't want to make this A/N too long so just tell me your thoughts by leaving a review (with constructive criticism thank you) and what could be improved as well as what you'd like me to include in the future
There is a surprise in store for Chapter 2, and some might be caught off guard by it, but it will be worth it in the long run, as well as a good twist on the story of MHA in general.

Until then, cya.
(Note - I send a copy to my editor so I ll swap the files if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes)

 

[Darwin-18]

Sorry for the delay, just like in my other story, I mentioned I was in a funk of sorts, but now I'm able to work on multiple Chapters at once without an issue. Hope it's worth it, plus with a little twist at the end.

Chapter 2 – Paths Diverge

"Okay… one more time…"

I uttered to myself to calm my mind, taking in deep breaths while I focused back to practicing.

Three years passed since my Quirk manifested, going to extensive training since then. Being granted such an amazing power, made sure to take all options into consideration. After one-hundred percent confirming that my Quirk indeed was an Osmosian power set, I started recollecting the Ben 10 franchise to the best of my ability. It may have appeared simple, but there were layers that needed to be tested out for sure.

Safe to say, after I caused a power outage to ourselves and almost the whole block, I had my answer.

As well as an extensive schooling of not never doing this in the house ever again.
After confirming it, I went wild.

Going to the doctor, I, of course, had to lie to keep all my cards hidden. If by chance I blurted out that I can take anything and everything, I'd be in major hot water, so I would rather avoid that. With how I explained it, and being well aware of what things to leave out, I essentially got off with it being stated I have a Copy Quirk. Most Quirks see major and drastic developments the older the person gets, so an accurate measurement of my ability was difficult. In my book, it was a good deal for the time being.

I'd say the first few months of training were the most difficult. If I would touch something, even by accident, I would absorb it, whether I wanted to or not. The best (as well as the worst) way of describing it was like living without taking a breath of air, countless sessions spent controlling and micromanaging my absorption so it got to a point where I could freely choose to do it.

I started with small wooden and metallic objects, realizing what amount I need to do to achieve certain levels of my body changing to that property. Due to my growing nature, I was able to achieve full body absorption after quite some time, since my body wasn't that big, plus I took it at a steady pace along the way. It was a strain on my maturing body, but it was worth it.

There were some properties that were more difficult while some were easier. I was set on going over all of them, just to get acquainted with the feel of it so I wouldn't have any issue with them. Next up on the list were tools. Kevin would easily make weapons and tools that fit his need, seemingly without a problem if I may add.

By that point, I mostly narrowed it down to imagination, determination and will, fully morphing your hand into a different structured object was tedious. Our garage was filled to the brim with car parts and keyholes that made for perfect training tools, with dad helping me create make-shift objects to advance my training.

While on that topic, dad taught me quite a bit of his field of work.

I started helping him out whenever he would tinker with the car in the garage, with him teaching me what individual part serves what purpose and the method needed to fix a given issue. With the help of my Quirk, we were able to achieve unorthodox methods of fixing numerous issues, which I found quite fun yet rather interesting. If anything, I made a decision right then and there.

I will personally build my own dream car in the future.

Dad will help out, of course. Wouldn't want to do it any other way.

I learned some other abilities I didn't take into account, Energy Absorption for higher physical feats. I theorized that my enhanced capabilities would put me at least at peak human physicality, probably a few levels of being a Super-Soldier, I could boost it further.

First off, it would be necessary to distribute all that energy throughout my body, after learning that, it would consist of micromanaging if I would want more to grant higher results. It was a pain, but I knew the importance of it, so I just kept going at it until I at least scratched the surface of it.

It didn't come without its costs though.

It may have been that I was still young and growing, but taking large quantities would result in minor fatigue that would increase over time. Naturally, I tested it so I knew my limits and how to further improve them.

Having Energy Absorption, I was eager to figure out how to properly utilize it, as well as not to cause another power outage. There were so many attacks and moves to create with it, while learning how to store it in for future use. The best way of describing the sensation was like I had a second stomach, slowly filling up until I reached my limit. After each use, I would manage to increase it ever so slightly, but it still needed a lot of practice.

I learned two important lessons while training. Firstly, consecutive and irresponsible use would cause side effects such as fatigue and muscle strain, it can be prevented but precision was necessary for that. Improving my stamina and staying in shape.
Secondly, it was way more difficult to accurately discharge it and make projectiles. Like a basic energy blast would work, it can be amped if properly attuned. An idea for organic weapons came to mind, that's one I definitely want to achieve at some point.

Naturally, I whipped up several notes that have synergies and strategies that take advantage of different properties on the fly. Depending on the situation, some limitations have to be taken into account. For now, before I encounter any powerful Quirks, I can make do with this, which is plenty enough on its own. People like Overhaul and Shigiraki were hot on my list, as having their capabilities would provide a big boost. The former of the two allows me to propel my imagination even further, enhancing either my body or deconstructing anything to reshape it as I see fit.

"You're out here again?" Dad exclaimed from behind me, his tone sounding mildly annoyed rather than surprised. "This is getting out of hand, you're out here hours on end and all you do is train your Quirk. I'm not saying its wrong to do so, but twice a day isn't healthy."

"Why are you so worried?" I asked lazily, continuing my exercise. "You know the schedule I made has specific rules to follow, I wouldn't want to break my streak just yet. Besides, are you just stressed about the files from this and last month? I told you I'll help you out if you just show them to-"

"Yukio…" Dad's voice was blunt and obviously fed up. "You can't keep doing this. This is all you do. You wake up, eat, train, take a break, do more training and then sleep, then do it all again. You've been doing this routine for months. If you keep this up, your body will burn out."

"As opposed to doing what?" I asked genuinely. "Everything Elementary School threw at me was so simple, I'm close to finishing it all together, including the "advanced" programs they had with Junior High Schools."

"That's not the point I'm trying to make, son," Dad said tenderly, sidestepping so he was in my field view. "The point is that you spend all your time on your own. I don't think I've ever heard you mention how your day went in detail or if you made any friends there. I'm starting to get worried."

I was well aware I was going to have this talk at some point, yet I still felt the tediousness of it. It wasn't like I was a moody or closed-off child or anything, it's just that my particular scenario was unique. I can't simply make friends at this age, as kids with superpowers are even bigger brats and toxic at times that it makes it insufferable.

While at times, it did get somewhat lonely since I couldn't talk about topics that genuinely interest me or hobbies I can share with. It wasn't the time for that, I can't force myself otherwise. Maybe if I do encounter some of the cast that I like, I can get behind that.

"Dad… like I said, you have nothing to worry about," I turned around to look at him, taking a moment to stop with my exercise. "I'm perfectly okay, it's just that I can't easily socialize with kids my age, I'm too different from them. Not that I mind, it's simply how kids are. They can't think like I do, nor do I meet someone who has similar interests like me. When I find a real friend, I'll be sure to let you know, if you're so worried. I'm not antisocial or anything, if anything, I'm rather picky about who I wanna hang out with."

Dad rubbed his temples, releasing a sigh in defeat. "In a few minutes, I want you to go inside and eat, I think you trained enough for today. I'll go finish up the paperwork right now, we can find a movie to watch after I'm done."

With that, Dad turned around and headed back inside, I resumed doing my training. I understood his worries, what single parent wouldn't? It's a small price to pay at the time, but it will pay off. I'll probably find someone when I start school so there's no need to rush.

During my exercise, I felt an agonizing leg cramp on the one that held my full weight. Due to it happening out of nowhere, and in the middle of my training, my weight pulled me forward, headfirst crashing into the pond. By no means was it deep, so I simply floated on the surface while contemplating how unlucky my predicament was.

"This is just humiliating. Why do I feel like the universe decided to mess with me at this specific moment?" I contemplated while my body was still submerged, not so much as worried about the lack of oxygen as I managed to inhale a deep breath before I fell.

Before another thought formed in my mind, I was drastically pulled out of the pond and sat in an upright position. Taking a few deep breaths, I turned to look at my dad, giving me the most "what did I tell you" look I've ever seen, only a low growl escaping his lips.

"Alright… I'll take a break," I surrendered to his constant attempts of making me stop training. "Do you mind getting me a towel?"

---

"Ow… I still feel like my leg is moments away from another cramp."

I uttered somewhat bitterly while stretching my leg, doing slow motions for my muscles to ease up. In hindsight, I probably should've toned down the training these last few months, since they were drastically amped compared to the first two years. With my body experiencing more changes and getting more accustomed to my Quirk changing my body/DNA, I wanted to test my limits to their fullest.

It resulted in sleepless nights and sore muscles for a good majority of that period.

Add to the fact thin black rings around my eyes, I was close to passing as an insomniac.

While Dad's concerns grew over the years, I was still an unpredictable case. Instead of spending time with kids my age, I prioritized training and spending time alone going over what I could do. To tell the truth, I genuinely enjoyed my routine, not finding it monotone nor depressing, it was so much fun not to use. Having so much free time I wanted to use it to maximum efficiency.

Well, that wasn't the only reason.

It's not that I couldn't get along with kids my age, being difficult was a more accurate term. Re-experiencing childhood reminded me how vicious and borderline intolerable some kids can be, not all of them but still a high majority. Alongside having Quirks, they were way worse than I could've imagined. I was older mentally, sure, but I still had that child-like behavior at times since I didn't want to always act serious and feel alienated, just so Dad didn't have to worry that something's wrong with me. I couldn't find the right person to befriend that shared similar interests as me, which was a deal breaker really. I didn't want to put up an act for that, rather, for it to happen naturally.

At times, I did get a little lonely being cooped in a child's body and having to be the "smart" kid meant even trying to befriend someone made it difficult. I learned to accept it, just give it a few more years and I'll be good.

A semi-loud explosion broke me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

Turning my head, I noticed some smoke coming from the left, from this angle I could tell it was a park. Walking towards a short metal fence, I continued further until I bypassed all the trees that blocked my vision. When I got to a more suitable position, my curiosity scanned the area to explain the smoke. My guess was some kind of fight going on involving kids solely off of the fact it was coming from what appeared to be a playground.

To my surprise, I was correct… only they weren't any kind of random kids.

The ones I instantly recognized were Izuku and Bakugou, the main protagonist and rival from My Hero Academia.
The yet-to-be successor for One for All was on the ground covered in dirt and clutching his arm, a horrified expression present as the spiky blonde-haired lunatic and two of his underlings walked towards him, covering backwards to put more distance between them.

Just like how the story would show repeatedly, during their youth they were the furthest thing from being friends, abuser and the abused would be a more accurate description. I always questioned their "relationship", for the lack of a better word that is. It just didn't make sense to me, and for about fifty percent of fans of the series.

"What should I do in this situation?" I thought as I observed the scene from afar. "On one hand, I shouldn't meddle into this affair since I was a firm believer that Izuku needed to realize on his own that Bakugou wasn't really his friend and that he needed to cut him out of his life as soon as possible."

Not only was Bakugou an insufferable, egotistical and short-tempered nut job, but he did also have traits to become a villain by just how he acted in later years. While I did find the personality entertaining, in reality, he's the perfect creation to make your blood boil by the way he behaves.

I saw somewhere where it was theorized that Izuku developed Stockholm syndrome over the years, the constant abuse and horrible way he treated Izuku made him believe this was normal, especially aside of Bakugou, the boy probably never had the ability to befriend anyone beyond kindergarten due to being Quirkless. The idea of Bakugou being his "friend" stayed present for the next decade, only until a year into U.A. did their dynamic change slightly. No matter how many years it took for them to have a stable relationship, it was completely one-sided toxicity, and time was wasted as a result.

Childhood and early teenage years' worth of abuse and unfair treatment can only stack up to a certain point before breaking entirely. I'm honestly shocked Izuku managed to survive on his own as long as he did, or the fact he withstood all the torment that came in this world. On one hand, my mind kept telling me that he has to overcome this hardship on his own, preferably a different route than how canon handled it. Was it a bit cruel for me to simply allow that? In a way, yes, but he was too stubborn for his own good, refusing to accept that aspect of reality for what it was. The sooner he did, the real changes would start on their own pace.

However.

Bakugou deserves to get his teeth kicked in, as well as to get knocked down a few pegs.
While the story gave him some moments of redemption, but for now, and for the next several years he's the epitome of a grade-A asshole. There were rare instances where his personality would be entertaining, but for the most part, he was obnoxious and close to being labeled psychopathic.

I had no respect for this prick, acting like a deranged lunatic of his own free will, way before he got his Quirk, only getting worse once it manifested. Kids like him grow up with the single thought of "being better than anyone else", and Bakugou was the worst.

Thinking about it, I couldn't really blame Izuku for being stubborn as a brick to stay around this nut job, it was illogical but he definitely didn't deserve the crap he dealt throughout his life. He had no friends and couldn't get along with other kids his age, a trend that would follow him up until he started attending U.A., but by then plenty of damage was already done.

Somehow, I was compelled to give him the opportunity he never had. For a short period, I experienced how vile and cruel this world can be, especially to a child in a world where you can be inferior if a small percentage of luck wasn't on your side. For all his faults, I sympathized with(for) Izuku, and hold a good level of respect for how he would develop in the future as a hero.

Focusing back at the three snobs, they started to approach Izuku slowly, each having a malicious grin on their faces. The poor Quirkless, superhero fanatic could only quiver as they got closer, eyes closing shut and preparing for the next round.
"…Fuck it…!"

Climbing over the fence, I placed my foot on the metal beam while leaning down, putting a little more force into it. Feeling some energy building up into my legs, I shot off like I was a springboard, my sights set on the spiky-haired blonde. I was moving at fast speed, Bakugou only spotting me in the corner of his eye before turning his head to the side, to where my fist collided with his mouth, sending him flying back until his body crashed face-first into the dirt.

"Katsuki!" The two "friends" of his cried out, rushing towards Bakugou's aid.

The way I landed it made it so my back was bent with my left arm extended, slowly fixing my posture for extra effect. Throwing a glance behind me, I was met with the wide yet teary eyes of the future One For All successor, mouth agape at my sudden appearance.

Lifting himself up, whilst pushing his "friends" away, eyes filled with rage as he set his sights on me. "Oi! Who the hell do you think you are, you bastard!?"

Turning to face him, I remained in a relaxed but authoritative stance when I acknowledged him. "I'll only say this once, back off, or next time I won't hold back." I said stoically, with a threatening tone as well.

Bakugou gritted his teeth in anger. "So what? You one of useless Deku's friends or something?"

"No, I've never seen this person before in my life." I lied, seemingly well I might add.

"Huh?!" Bakugou's eyes went wide at my claim. "Then why are you interrupting my fun!?"

"There's a simple answer to that," I had one, single response to such a moronic question. "I hate scum like you."

The explosive blonde could clench his teeth so much, instantly forming the iconic death glare. "What did you say to me, you lowlife!? I'll blow you right where you stand!"

"Take your best shot," I shot back nonchalantly. "A few fireworks doesn't stop a fist, you know. It is wise if you simply walk away before things get… messy for you three."

"Oh, I see it now…" Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "You're Quirkless, just like useless Deku over there! Seems like I won't have to bother too much with trash like you. Whatcha say, tough guy, still feelin' lucky?" Bakugou taunted with explosions coming from his hands.

"I gave you a choice, be smart enough to make the right decision." I responded calmly, not letting his pathetic remarks get the slightest reaction out of me.

That may have done the trick as that sent him off the edge, opening his hands as miniature explosions were born. "You're going down, you filth!"

Charging in, his two lackeys followed in, all activating their Quirks.

"Kacchan, no!" Izuku screamed behind me.

"Huh, even though he's young, his voice seems different, or is my memory deceiving me." I contemplated as the three ran towards me.

They were still kids, so I didn't need to think too much in terms of strategy. The one with the wings came first, ducking then hitting him in the stomach with my open palm, sending him flying in different directions until crashing into the dirt. Bakugou and the one with the extendable fingers, moving at the speed allowed me to simply jump into the air to avoid their assault, kicking them both in the head.

Hearing wings flapping behind me, I knew the chubby one was coming, to which I jumped a few meters into the air to land onto his back, sending him crashing into the dirt. While down, I hit the areas around where his wings were coming out, making the boy howl as his wings started twitching rapidly before calming down.

"Is that all you got? Can't even beat a Quirkless kid with all that big talk?" I taunted loudly, stepping off of him as I looked for the other kid. His fingers stretched out several meters while running towards me. Avoiding them, and not having anything else to latch onto, I grabbed his outstretched finger and yanked it instantly, falling down as a result. With a single jump, I closed the distance, slamming my foot down onto his hands, producing a cry of pain from his lips as the fingers retracted back to normal.

It was just hard enough for the thought of backing off to stick this time. Now, the only one left is-
Hearing several explosions going off from above, I knew beforehand where Bakugou was coming from. Leaping backwards, I evaded his attack before it even came close, but I was amazed he didn't even care for his "friend", almost being the victim of his vicious attack. Spamming his Quirk repeatedly, he once again went airborne.

"Don't insult me, you Quirkless runt!" Bakugou shouted as he flew down towards me, with the literal intent to kill.

"Don't need to," I replied casually whilst evading his attacks. "But you might want to try a little harder than that to beat me."

Doing a backwards roll, I jumped to my feet whilst dodging his explosions. The radius itself wasn't anything to scoff at, but they weren't the size like they were in canon yet, plus there wasn't much strategy in his attacks, hoping one of his consecutive attacks would land.

To his dismay, none of them didn't even come close.

Bakugou' has yet to fully utilize his Quirk to its maximum potential, and his combat prowess was subpar. No need to waste time more than I already have,

Throwing a swift kick to his knee, it stopped Bakugou's array of attacks, doing a spin kick to his chest that sent him flying backwards. Like a wild animal, he got right back up and charged at me all over again, ignoring the pain from my previous hits. Not wanting to play defensive anymore, I took advantage when one of his close-ranged explosions missed, leading with a fist to the temple.

Afterwards, I pushed him backwards as I got more hits to his head, chest and sections of his arms. Being overrun with consecutive hits, Bakugou tried defending himself with explosions that would make me call off my advances, but I was quicker, avoiding each time he attempted it. Getting another opportunity, I grabbed both his wrists, pulling him down so my knee hit his chin, sending him hurtling down like a sack of potatoes.

Unlike earlier, he stayed in the same position while clutching his chin, slowly moving his head to make eye contact with me. I didn't see any sign of the cocky and confident Bakugou I remember, but rather a wide eyed and shocked expression of a boy, who for the first time, got severely outmatched.

By someone who wasn't even using their Quirk. I already had a good idea about the thoughts going through his head, denial being the biggest one. The reason why Bakugou acted how he did in canon was because not a single kid over truly lasted in a fight, let alone coming out victorious. That fed his ego to unmeasurable heights, believing that nobody could beat him.

Slowly, his expression started to change, from shock to anger, gritting his teeth so hard the growling sounds became more audible each second. Jumping to his feet, I could tell by his demeanor that he's planning on going all out.

"That's it! I'm done playing games, I'll obliterate you where you stand!" Bakugou yelled out, clasping his hands together.
Building enough nitroglycerin-like sweat into his right hand, Bakugou charged at me with a war cry. This attack was far different from any of his prior ones, miniature explosions that grew in intensity with each one that went off, using his other hand to propel him faster.

By the time he was halfway, I got flashbacks at the larger explosions he produced when he was older.

"That's it, keep going... wait for the perfect moment and..." I thought calmly while slowly flexing my fingers, preparing to put everything into my left hand.

Within a few more seconds, the sound and destructiveness of his Quirk began to show, along with a loud yell. "Eat this!"
Before his hand swung in an arc, a loud shriek could be heard before the loud boom, a large cloud of smoke engulfing the area.

As if time slowed down, Bakugou let out a victorious grin prematurely. "Not so much of a tough guy, are you-"

Bakugou stopped right in his tracks once he felt his hand was enclosed/consumed by a metallic substance that fitted his size accurately. When the smoke in front of him, Bakugou's went wide at the sight before him.

"I warned you." I said coldly, looking him dead-eyed while he couldn't comprehend that I was unscratched. Before his second to last explosion went off, he was at a such a close distance to where he couldn't see from the bursting colors of the explosions, where the metal I absorbed beforehand formed a quick expanding shield in front of me, all that training allowing me to make weapons and tools on the fly if needed.

In quick motion, I jerked my hand downward, effectively breaking his wrist.

Bakugou roared in pain, almost taking a knee if I hadn't pulled him back by the collar with my free hand. While he tried ignoring the pain, clenching his teeth to not release any sound.

Looking back at me with a face full of rage and fury, Bakugou could only release growl-like sounds as we had sort of a staring contest, his twitching eyes to my death stare. Seeing his left arm move slightly, I jolted my metallic hand once more, a louder growl escaping his lips.

"Use your other hand and I'll break that one too." I warned him, just so he would realize if he ignored it, I would do far more than break a wrist.

I didn't have any intention to drain him whole, I'm not a monster. All I wanted was just that one-tenth of his Quirk and to slow him down so he couldn't fight back.

"People like you disgust me," I said angrily, but with a low tone. "Using your Quirk on someone who doesn't, towering over them like your existence is more important than others. You claim you want to be a hero, but let me tell you something, nobody will ever acknowledge you as one, certainly not me. I ain't afraid of scum like you, I'd think twice about holding a grudge against me, because I promise you you'll end up in the same position you are now. So I'll make myself clear, if I ever catch you doing this again, I won't hold back."

Having said everything that was on my mind, I retracted the metal lock back into me, pushing him way back until he lost his balance, falling to the ground once again. His lackey's rushed to his aid, trying to assist Bakugou but in return received a shove from upon being pulled up.

"This isn't over! You hear me, you bastard!" Bakugou screamed as he was being pulled away. "You better pray that I don't ever see you again!"

Spouting various other insults while being dragged by his accomplices, he soon became barely audible before quitting all together.

"I doubt that fellow will ever change." I let out a sigh, already mentally exhausted from dealing with the blonde. Looking down at my hand, I tried building up a small amount of sweat, causing a few low jade-colored sparks to explode at the center. Grinning, I bawled my fist in satisfaction, now obtaining a very versatile Quirk I'll have great pleasure exploring. "As for the other one…"

Walking over to broccoli-haired youth, I kneeled down to check his state, softly asking. "Are you alright?"
That seemed to break him out of the trance he was in, rapidly shaking his head up and down. "Y-Y-Yes! I-I'm fine. It-It's just a scratch, t-thats all."

That was a blatant lie, a hand on top of the opposite forearm covering a burn mark, the sleeve having a wide hole with the edges burnt. "That doesn't look pretty, you can get an infection."

Removing my bag, I searched through it until I found a water bottle and a small first aid box.

Perplexed, the green-haired fanatic spoke up. "Y-You have a first aid kit in your bag?"

"Eh, you never know when it might come in handy." I replied simply, having no reason to hide it.

Motioning with my fingers to let me help, he reluctantly extended his arm, with me removing the destroyed sleeve and tossing it away. Placing my hand under his wrist, I held it while pouring some water on the burnt area, a soft grunt escaping his lips after the liquid washed his skin.

"I can't put my finger on it, but something feels off."

"Y-You didn't have to do that… you know…" Izuku uttered quietly while averting his eyes, most likely not used to someone other than Inko invading his personal space.

"Treating your wound, or beating those guys up?" I asked curiously while wiping the area with a cloth gently.
After a few seconds of silence, came his reply. "Both…"

"I can't stand bullies, besides, it's not in my nature to just do nothing when I see this sort of thing. I'm not that kind of person." I said calmly while gently wrapping the arm with a bandage.

"Kacchan isn't like that! He's…"

I looked up with a bored expression, waiting to see what kind of excuse I'm about to hear for Bakugou's behavior. Once I did, he turned his head to the side, unable to reply with a proper explanation.

"I seriously doubt he's your friend if he would hurt you like this," I tried to reason with him, only to get no response. "How often does he do this to you?"

Seeing the hand of the arm I was patching up become stiff, I knew I was entering a touchy subject. "I'm sorry, I won't pry any further, I was just curious."

"No! You d-don't have to apologize, it's just… " Came another pause, an attempt on finding what words to say. "Nobody has ever helped me, let alone ask about it."

With the finishing touches, I gently tightened the bandage so it wouldn't unwrap. "There, that should do it."

Slowly rubbing the wound, I could faintly see his face turn red as Izuku looked away. "T-Thank you for s-saving me…"

"Think nothing of it," I chirped as I flopped down onto my butt, crossing my legs as well. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened this time?"

"Kacchan was bullying a kid because his Quirk wasn't as impressive as his," Izuku began explaining. "When he started using his Quirk on him, I intervened. I couldn't stand the sight of it any longer."

"If I remember correctly, he said you were Quirkless, no?" I asked genuinely, receiving a low hum as an answer. "Even though you knew what he was capable of, you still stood up to him. Without a Quirk no less. Why?"

That caught the All Might fanatic off guard. "Huh? W-What do you mean why? What kind of person who wants to be a hero uses their Quirk to harm others? To use such a wonderful gift on someone who doesn't? I can't stand to see that kind of behaviour, e-even if I'm outmatched, doing nothing is even worse than not helping someone when they truly need it."

"Spoken like a real hero, huh?" I teased the hero fanatic, causing a noticeable blush to form in just mere seconds. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Um… c-can I ask you a question, if you d-don't mind?" Izuku stuttered while twirling his fingers.
"Of course!" I replied cheerfully. "What do you wanna know?"

"W-Well, it's regarding your Quirk," The stuttering wasn't as present when starting this particular topic. "I noticed you didn't use it against Kaachan and his friends, only when he got too close before he could react. I couldn't see it too clearly, but I noticed it acted almost instantaneously. Coupled with the fact that you waited so long to even use it, the likelihood of having precise control over it wouldn't be too big of a stretch. It appeared like an iron shield but it was too fluid and almost looked organic by its movements. Is your Quirk Iron Manipulation perhaps? Or is it some kind of sub-variant?"

Ironically, I could feel a sweat drop forming with my sort of embarrassed smile at the eager question. I had a feeling this would be the topic of interest, and since it was the first time I got to discuss my Quirk with someone that could understand, I was kind of hoping for it if we're being honest.

"Hmm, an interesting question." I hummed while thinking how or should I answer it, ultimately deciding to do it anyway. Of all people, the next One for All successor seemed like the perfect person to share my secret. "I can tell you, but you have to promise me to keep it a secret, sounds fair?"

I asked lowly while playfully leaning in, putting more emphasis on the notion. Perplexed but still alright with the request, Izuku furiously bobbed his head up and down. Taking some nearby sand into my palm, I ignored the awful sensation that coursed through my body, making my hand turn into a light brown color that seemed like I had a layer of sand around it. Extending it out and asking for it to be slapped away, it causes him to release a yelp at the sight of it "breaking", the inner structure of it regenerating with the same brown tone, before returning to normal.

"My Quirk is a bit simple, but quite layered if you ask me," I said, demonstrating with my finger extended, acting as a sprinkler that released sand dust. "I have the ability to absorb universally any property at my disposal. I should mention this beforehand, I can only take one-tenth of what I absorb, and it can vanish within a certain time frame. However, I'm able to retain some abilities permanently, but let's just say it's a hassle but worth the effort. In this example, I can freely manipulate sand and use it how I see fit, that's if I understand the mechanics of it, as simply absorbing is nothing if you don't know how to use it."

"I see," the All Might fan pondered with a thoughtful expression. "Only one-tenth, it's sort of a restriction but I feel like that's on purpose, maybe to not overwhelm the user with such a massive amount of energy. Possibly several side effects depending on what's taken? Just like you pointed out, with such a versatile Quirk that can universally be used in any situation, having control of such an ability is crucial. Many Pro Heroes have disadvantages, whether it be terrain or depending on the situation, adaptability is their most useful skill. Plus, if some are stored from before, essentially able to prepare in advance if its usage can be applied. Maybe if used in conjunction with other abilities for maximum usage? Or-"

"You sure know a bit of everything, do you?" I asked teasingly how long the low muttering lasted, prompting for a loud smack from a hand to the mouth to put it to a stop.

"I-I'm sorry, I tend to annoy people when I do that…" Izuku uttered in embarrassment.

"No, no, I didn't find it annoying," I waved it off. "That was an in-depth analysis of my Quirk, in such a short amount of time too, as well in its functionality and versatility. I'm impressed, not even a Pro Hero could make such an observation with barely any info to work with."

A light shade of red started to spread across Izuku's embarrassed expression. "I-I just find the concept of Quirks too interesting, it's sort of my hobby, heh."

"But you're right, the one-tenth absorption limit is a restriction, but more positive than anything," I began explaining. "Since my body acts as a sort of vessel, overwhelming it with too much of a property can be all kinds of risky. This way, if I pick up something's wrong, I can stop the process mid-way and release what I took. I can fuel it with other energies once I deem them acceptable. There's a lotta details I left out for the sake of keeping it simple, but I think you get the overall gist of it."

"Makes sense," Izuku commented with a thoughtful expression. "I guess that means if you're capable of micro-managing your Quirk to such a degree, you'd be very difficult to beat in prolonged brawls."


"Eh, it depends, really," I answered whilst rotating my hand to emphasize my point. "It mostly boils down to time management, you know? Not prioritizing a specific field but spreading it out for more versatile and complex use. Still, having a few techniques more refined than the rest never hurts. I don't like using my Quirk unless necessary, would rather rely on my fighting skills."

"Really?" Izuku tilted his head. "Even with a Quirk like that, you would rather not use it? Aren't you worried that it might put you in harm's way if you underestimate your opponent?"

"Oh, I ain't worried about that!" I playfully waved it off.

"How come?"

"Well, for starters, I was Quirkless for about a year so I already saw how kids, and people in general, behave. Being fed up with it, I planned out methods and ideas to get by since being without a Quirk, even if considered weak, can mean a disadvantage. Turns out, all you need is to do is use your head a little. You can outwit anyone if you know the right tricks, and a bit of confidence to back it up."

"You… planned on becoming a hero… without a Quirk?" Izuku asked, almost at shock while uttering that sentence.

"Yeah, why not?" I replied like it wasn't anything significant. "Society tells me I can't, does it stop me from trying? It would be insanely difficult, not to mention even more dangerous without an ability. But I decided my goal the moment I could think properly, and when I saw the world around me, Quirk or not. I was going to pursue my goal to the end."

My statement came across difficult to digest, not like it wasn't warranted. Not a single person tried challenging the status quo, rather giving up before even trying. With how harsh this world was, sitting around and waiting to get chewed out isn't much of an option.

What was my intention by doing all of this? Since I've encountered him this early on, planting a few seeds of motivation would do more good than wait for canon to do its thing. Now the question remains, did my message come across like I intended?

Izuku's posture tensed afterwards, eyes scanning the ground with a thoughtful expression, silence filling the air once more. "C-Can I ask you a question, but can you answer it honestly?" Izuku spoked lowly, almost inaudible if we weren't so close.

The request prompted me to raise an eyebrow, causing the stuttering mess to wave his hands frantically. "I-I know we d-don't know each other, and w-we've just met, but you're the only person I feel like would answer me honestly. If-If it's not too much of a bother."

"Sure! Ask away." I agreed, waiting for the question I was sure on his mind.

Ten seconds of silence passed, soft sounds of the gentle breeze echoing around us. "Can… can I become a hero, even though I don't have a Quirk…?"

I easily noticed the desperation by the tone alone, sounding more like a request for validation on something that never might be possible. "In order for me to answer that, you have to answer a question for me," I said while standing up, my eyes looking up to the fading sunset. "What kind of hero do you want to be?"

The sudden question came as a surprise, not entirely sure how to respond. "What do you mean? There are different kinds?"

"There are only two I care about," I began explaining. "One kind prioritizes the fame that comes along with being a hero, if you can even call 'em after that point. People with amazing Quirks use them to gain likeness and make a living out of it, considering the real duties a person of their status to feel like a necessity, not because they are willing to do the right thing. If it earns them publicity and to make money, they don't care otherwise. Personally, I have no respect for those people. Not saying they can't make a living using their Quirks, but it taints the reputation of being a hero."

I paused monetarily to allow some breathing room. "The others are rather simple, they don't need a reason or reward to do what they do, that feeling in their stomach telling them to do the right thing because it's their moral obligation. This kind of profession requires people who are willing to stand until the very end, risking their lives, if it means to save just one person, they will accept their fate with open arms. I know that last part is a bit dark, but that's the reality of it, one that I've come to terms with. So, tell me, what kind of hero do you want to be?" I asked sincerely.

After the sudden revelation of how divided the hero community is, I didn't receive an answer right away. "Ever since I was little, I aspired to be like my idol, All Might, to save people with a fearless smile. When the doctor told me I was Quirkless… I was devastated. It was a reality check, one I didn't want to accept. I hoped my doctor mixed up my results, and that I was a late bloomer, but that wasn't the case. For years, I was told to give up my dream and let it die out… I couldn't. Even though I accepted reality for it is, I didn't want to let go. I don't even know where to start but...do… do you think that's possible…?"

Silence filled the air afterwards, hearing the answer I was waiting for. "My instincts would say the idea of that is absurd," I answered, instantly seeing the effect of how harsh my opinion sounded. However, I wasn't finished. "But not impossible."

That caused a quick one-eighty, a face now filled with confusion before it could be overrun with sadness.

"In this day and age, it's believed that Quirkless people are unable to become heroes solely because they aren't born equally. While, true, I'll let you in on a little secret," I kneeled once more until we were eye level. "That's a human's best kind of motivation, to challenge the impossible. If you could believe it, humanity has survived for centuries without them, because we humans were able to adapt whatever the world threw at us. Just because people with Quirks can easily become heroes, those without one can as well, they will just have to double their efforts. Its way easier to say it's impossible, nobody ever tried proving society wrong in the first place. With the right amount of effort, and a little bit of patience and dedication, anyone can become an admired and well-respected hero."

Izuku was silent for a moment, focusing on a single spot on the ground. "Do you really think a Quirkless person become someone like All Might…" Another moment of silence passed, slowly raising his head to look me right in the eyes. "…Even someone like me…?"

"I know so," I said reassuringly. "You'd be surprised by all the methods of going up against someone with a Quirk. Just because you don't have one, it doesn't mean your opponent is unbeatable, only that you're at a disadvantage. In fact, for the past two centuries or so, humanity has looked down on Quirkless people because they were "inferior", but having a Quirk doesn't make someone a hero, it acts like a pass solely due to having an ability. To tell you the truth, due to being a late bloomer, I had a year or so to think about alternative methods in case I had to resort to that. I actually spend a lot of time alone training and improving my Quirk, we can meet up sometime and I'd be glad to tell you more, we can train together too, so not all of my research goes to waste. If you'd like, that is. Can surely use the company with someone who understands me." I offered politely, receiving a stumbling mess as a response.

"No- I mean yes! I mean, I-I'd like that v-very much!" Right after, the familiar constant flush of muttered words before I could stop it. "I-I really don't w-want to bother you a-anymore than I already have. Y-You did more than e-enough by saving me from K-Kaachan. It-it be asking t-too much from s-someone you just met, b-besides-"
My finger brushed through the broccoli-like hair to lightly poke him in the forehead, feeling it was the only way to put an end to all that blabbering. "Oi, I said it's fine, no need to overthink it. Okay?"

Another wave of bright red spread across the face hit with a stutter for a response. "O-Okay…!"

"Speaking of which, I haven't told you my name," I extended my hand with a soft smile. "Toshiaki Yukio,"

"M-Midoriya Izuka!"

Came the high-pitched reply as my hand was shooked rapidly.

At that specific moment, once the name came out, my mind stopped working. Instantly, my eyes scanned the person in front of me, several pieces clicking together when I inspected several different areas. I didn't think too much of it at first, but now...
.
.
.
"Wait… what?!"

---

"Why…?"

The same thought appeared again and again in Izuka's mind ever since the black and white-haired boy flew out of nowhere and acted as a shield for her against Kaachan and his friends.

As she watched the boy engage in a fight against her childhood friend/tormentor, there was stark contrast to how the two fought. While Kaachan was hot-headed and used brute force to seize victory, the dual-colored-haired boy moved with grace and precision, evading each approaching strike like he could see them coming from a mile away.

It's only when she saw him use his Quirk that the question in her mind only grew more demanding for an answer.
Before that, Izuka believed he was the same as her, as he only showed off his Quirk once in a three against one scenario. Able to stand his ground so long without using his Quirk, if anything, Izuka would wager he wouldn't even need it, only using it to catch Kaachan by surprise.

Somewhat risky, but effective.

Never in her whole life has this kind of instance happened before her eyes. Izuka was adamant about pursuing her hero dream regardless of being Quirkless that the constant clashes against stronger opponents, and quite frankly, people with Quirks, never made her second guess of jumping in headfirst to prevent any kind of conflict from arising. It always ended the same way, bruises all over her body and new lies formed to keep her mother from worrying every other day. Not once did she find herself on the receiving end of someone aiding her, as by the time they would learn she was Quirkless, the same scene would repeat again and again.

Every time she would ask the question that strained her heart, it was always the same answer she didn't want to hear.
Yet, this stranger, who knew she was Quirkless, told her that her dream was within reach.

It wasn't the words he used, it was the way he said them that made his statements sound believable to her. It felt like the boy understood her struggle, and didn't look at her with pity, but rather with empathy. The boy was even willing to give her more of his insight on becoming a hero. More importantly, he was willing to be her friend.

Yet, the fear of falling to achieve her dream only tripled. Regardless of her knowledge of heroes, if there was a level to measure her "skills" in a real encounter, she was below level zero, a brutal but honest truth. Whenever Izuka would find herself on the opposite end of a bully, or Bakugou most of the time, her mind would go blank, like a deer caught in headlights.

Worst of all, she feared that she would only be a burden towards her savior if she agreed. The idea of accomplishing nothing but wasting his time and feeling like a nuisance only made herself doubt even more. The last thing she wanted was to leave a bad impression, especially to her first, real friend.

With so many thoughts surging through her head, Izuka mentally slapped herself to dismiss them for the time being. If she wanted to become a hero, there was a long road ahead of her with many obstacles and challenges to overcome.
Whatever that might look like, she was eternally grateful to the boy in front of her, more than he could ever know .The question that plagued her mind before, all the doubt and insecurity that followed, now had a small spark.
Of hope.

It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to make a single promise, one she planned on fulfilling.

"I won't disappoint you, Yukio-san!"
That's it for Chapter 2.

Now in this instance, this might be a common pattern for what I did revolving the Bakugou and Izuku (Izuka) situation, but I decided to do it anyway as I have big plans going forward so might as well.

Also, yeah, fem Izuku, I went there. For some reason during my time getting addicted to MHA, and while making a fic for it, my brain decided to make fem Izuku and be the love interest. Plus, I feel like if she's on board early on, making several changes will better mold her into a better and more confident hero than what canon did. (Not saying I hate it, but we all know what Izuku can become if he just gotten that boost way earlier in the story.)

Pairing wise, I'd like to choose between two options: a) Single pairing, Yukio x Izuka, as I'm a bit of a romance fanatic and all the potential is making me lean to this option or b) Harem - with it only being Izuka, Ochaco and Tsuyu. Now I'm not saying the other girls are bad by any means, these three are the best possible choices, in my opinion at least.
The future Chapters will be a mix of training and the duo getting to know each other. Will try to get it in within the next 2 weeks.

The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - bTyYgzEm7r" (Removes the - for the internet links),
Cya until then (Also, if there are a few errors or if somethings missing I apologize, will fix it in the morning when I wake up.)

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 3 - Slow and Steady

"Ghhhhaaahh!"

Izuka let out continuous grunts whilst trying to do as many push-ups as she could. The only slight issue was the apparent struggle on her part.

"You know," I started slowly, fully intending on breaking the silence with some levity, "The point of a push-up is to go up. Fully, I mean, then slowly lower yourself down, not… wiggle in the middle."

A day has passed since I stopped Bakugou and his friends from harassing Izuka, hoping the message would stick so I don't have to get into another mindless fight. He's not that stupid to pick a fight he can't win, especially after getting outclassed with his opponent hardly using their ability. Anyhow, after having a short brain fuse when I found out the main protagonist was a female in this universe, something that was difficult to believe at first, we agreed to meet up the next day, since it was already getting late.

To say she was beyond excited and jittery by the simple fact we agreed to meet up to hang out would be an understatement. It greatly reminded me how important that must have been for her. When I showed up, being two or so minutes late because a few knuckleheads wanted to rob a bank that caused the whole street to close down and having to take a slightly longer route, I was immediately bombarded with excessive muttering, fearing I wasn't going to show up.

It was gonna take a while, but it is what it is.

Nevertheless, Izuka was happy to have met someone who willingly wanted to be her friend, and it showed. I myself could say the same, being nearly isolated for eight years without anyone I could remotely bond with. While I in particular was open to doing anything, Izuka was, unsurprisingly, very eager to start her Hero training.

Yup, I definitely got a sense of deja vu upon seeing how ecstatic she was to begin.

She wasn't straightforward about it either. If anything, if I didn't offer it by my own accord, the stuttering and blabbering session, I feel, would continue until the sun goes down. If anything, I found it adorable how I had to haggle it out of her, making her fumble her words in embarrassment.

"G-Gimmie a s-second…!" Izuka uttered with difficulty, doing a full push up before dropping down, trying to do another one but only managed to get halfway before flopping down.

"You have never done a day of physical exercise before, have you?" I asked the obvious question I knew the answer to.

Looking away, Izuka replied lowly while rubbing her arms. "No…"

Well, if anyone should know how abnormally difficult it is to teach yourself something from scratch, it's me. Better start doing what a proper teacher should do.

"Here, let's try something different," I hopped down, kneeling down beside Izuka to showcase an easier exercise, "Maybe this is more of your speed."

Placing my hands onto the ground like I was about to do a push-up, using my knees instead of my feet to support my weight. After giving the demonstration, Izuka's face was filled with uncertainty, for an obvious reason.

"I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not it," I dismissed her thoughts right away, "This is called a knee push-up, slightly modified unlike the original. This I feel would be a solid starter exercise, until your muscles slowly get more adjusted the more training you undergo. Unlike a regular push-up, these only use the upper weight of your body, but still offer the same benefits, albeit at a slower pace. It won't be as effective in the long term, but a good beginner exercise for you until you get the hang of it. Give it a try."

After the explanation, Izuka wasn't as reluctant as when I first demonstrated the exercise. Eyeing me to make sure her technique matched mine, Izuka turned her head forward to solely focus on doing as many as she could.

"There you go, just like that," I praised her form, adding a few more pieces of advice, "Keep your breathing steady and try ignoring the growing discomfort in your arms. If you can find a proper balance, you'll realize breathing is an important factor during physical activities. Without it, you'd be wasting more strength than actually being active."

While it didn't take long for Izuka to reach her limit, the uncontrollable wobble in her arms got too much to continue.

"See?" I asked her, "Ain't that easier?"

"A-A little bit,." Izuka admitted.

"Wanna move on to the next one?" I asked optimistically, causing Izuka to jump to her feet in excitement.

For the most part, I kept things light. With it only being the first day, I couldn't set too high expectations. No matter, I was more interested in making sure things would go smoothly, regardless of how much time it took to actually get somewhere.

"So, how do you feel?" I asked the green-haired girl who was sitting on the ground, abusing the fact she could breathe now without having to be physically active.

Izuka took a few more breaths before responding, "N-Not bad, a-actually. It felt kinda nice to-"

A loud rumbling noise stopped Izuka from finishing her sentence. Her face instantly turned to a bright shade of red.

"Guess someone's hungry," I chuckled simply, not wanting to embarrass her further, "I think there's a bakery or maybe a store nearby around here. Luckily, I brought some extra money for the both of us."

"A-Actually…" Izuka cut me off, making me look at her curiously. Watching her dig through her bag, I was taken by surprise when she pulled out two white Bento boxes.

---

I hummed upon taking the last piece of meat into my mouth with a pair of chopsticks, "I can't remember when was the last time I had something tasty such as this, thank you so much for the meal, Izuka-chan!"

"T-Think nothing of it, Y-Yukio-san," Izuka muttered with a shade of red across her cheeks, finishing her box a little longer after I did.

Taking the empty boxes and placing them into her backpack, something caught my eye.

"Say, are those the notebooks you mentioned?" I asked curiously with my head titled, taking a peek at the open bag.

"Y-Yeah," Izuka stuttered, "I a-always bring one just in case. Never know when you might see a Hero in action, or encounter a Villain when outside, h-heh."

"Can I take a look?" I asked with a pleading look.

Caught off guard by my request, especially since I asked with genuine interest, Izuka was over the moon to share her hobby but had difficulty formulating a proper sentence. I found it adorable how she simultaneously tried expressing her favorite pass time without sounding too nerdy.

"Wow, there are so many," I whistled, turning to the next page that listed a Rock Manipulation Quirk, with the Hero using it making their debut not too recently if I recall.

"I-I spent a lot of time looking through many d-different Heroes and Quirks," Izuka admitted shyly, "There's so much to keep track of, but I don't really mind it. I like for it be… thorough, even if it's the small things."

"Yeah, I can tell," I responded softly, still solely focused on the text before flipping over the next page. Every bit of space on any given page was used up, accompanied by the elegant handwriting with how it was organized with small sections dedicated to either unconfirmed hypotheses or notes worth looking into, "Lots of detail everywhere, I could read it for hours with this kind of handwriting. Did you write down mine somewhere?"

That small compliment caused Izuka to blush, before exploding into a mumbling mess. "N-No, I-I mean, not yet! Y-You see, with a lot of interesting Quirks out there, it's hard t-to properly figure out what makes it function and its applications. Your's, however-"

I formed a saddened expression, acting hurt, "Awww, you don't find my Quirk interesting?"

While it might have been too cynical for my own enjoyment, seeing her desperately trying to explain herself was just too pure.

I couldn't help but chuckle as Izuka tried defending herself, "Relax, I'm just messing with you. You told me this was your hobby, so who am I to tell you how to do it? Besides, considering how complex my Quirk is by nature, I'm glad you decided to take your time before writing anything down. If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask me."

"A-About that…" Izuka uttered, barely a whisper while twirling her fingers shyly.

Smiling, I couldn't resist but ask teasingly, "Is that a few questions, or a few dozen?"

Pouting slightly, Izuka answered lowly, "The latter..."

Leaning back to the tree behind me, I prompted Izuka to continue, "Where should we start?"

When I began answering her questions, I took note of one small detail that puzzled me. Usually, the hero fanatic would furiously write down page after page regarding a Hero and/or Quirk on the spot. Unbothered, for the most part, what people would think of her while doing her hobby. Even yesterday, her mood instantly changed when we discussed my Quirk.

But here, after a solid twenty minutes of answering questions about Energy Absorption, Izuka didn't touch her pen once. Throughout the whole discussion, she paid attention to every single word I said. Seeing how lengthy my Quirk would be on paper, I wondered why Izuka wouldn't act like her "normal" self. Was it to show politeness? I boiled down to that assumption as it made the most sense, finding any other reason to be too uncharacteristic for her.

Maybe I was the one to start overanalyzing stuff, or my memory is slowly becoming hazy.

When the topic died down, we still had time before Izuka had to go home. Luckily, I knew what to do in the meantime.

"Do you mind if I take out a piece of paper?"

"N-No, of course!" Izuka spoke instantly, before following up. "Just… rip off the last page, if-if you don't mind…"

Giving a quick thank you, I did as I was instructed before my hand quickly began writing a list, a pretty long one at that. Being solely focused on not forgetting anything, I failed to notice Izuka gradually moving her head close to mine to get a better view, "What are you doing?"

"Making you a training program. What am I miss- oh yeah, a few leg exercises," I added, making sure I didn't leave anything out before handing it back to Izuka, "I made many of these kinds of lists when I first started out. Think this should help you out."

"Y-You were able to make a complete workout plan solely after seeing me perform on my first day…?"

"Noup!" I answered simply, causing Izuka to stare at me with confusion.

"Huh? W-What do you mean?"

"You see, before any proper workout program to work, certain criteria must be met," I began explaining to her, "Since we're… here where we're at, we'll start off simple, working on individual areas so we can cover a wide range. From there, we'll gradually make changes and try different methods. Worked well for me, and should do the same for you."

Izuka stared silently at the piece of paper, a thoughtful expression present all the while.

"You think you can follow it?"

That snapped her out of her thoughts, turning to face me before forming a determined smile. "I will!"

---

Upon getting home, I thought of something devious when I sat down to join my Dad for dinner.

"So, how was work?" I asked while rotating the spoon to cool the soup off.

"Ugh, don't remind me," the age-old dad question made him go off in an instant. "So this guy rolls in, new sports car, top of the line, fresh out the shop, no issue whatsoever. The idiot, who claims he had worked on cars before, decides to meddle with the engine to boost it further. But okay, he screwed up and was filling to pay to fix it. While I was simply looking at the car, I was bombarded with constant requests and things to add or remove. Not only was it the most insufferable experience with a client in my entire career, he had the audacity to "negotiate" a lower price by doing "half" of the work, while he would do the rest on his own. If I ever was close to kicking out a customer in my life, this morning would be it. Anyway... you?"

In a sudden shift from ranting to take a pause and try his soup, I knew he wanted to move on.

"I met a new friend yesterday, we agreed to meet up again tomorrow."

Just as he placed the spoon into his mouth, his eyes grew wide and tried speaking before he could swallow, resulting in a coughing fit. Looking at me like I just killed a man, he asked with nothing but seriousness and hope. "You befriended someone?"

"Yeah, she's nice," I said, stopping to eat my soup. "Bit of a hero fanatic, but its more adorable than anything."

"Is she..." Dad wiggled his hands around before continuing. "You know..."

"What?" I asked with genuine curiosity, since I had no clue what he was implying.

"Real," Dad finished. "Is she real?"

.

.

.

"Seriously?" I looked at him with a bored expression, a part of me not even bothered that he questioned my sanity. "Thanks for believing in my social skills, I guess."

"J-Just making sure, that's all," Dad quickly explained himself, stretching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Anyhow, how did you two meet? I'm trying to picture it at a playground, but I'm having difficulty seeing it."

"Nnnnnnot exactly." I responded, causing Dad to give me a puzzled look.

"Oh?" Dad paused. "Then how did you meet her?"

I took a moment before replying. "By beating up three other kids who were harassing her."

"Yukio!" Dad shouted, but not too loudly.

"Before you say anything, when I mean harassing her, I mean physically harassing this girl on multiple occasions. This kid's Quirk literally makes miniature explosions from his hands. She had burn marks, Dad, I wasn't about to just sit around and watch them attack a kid for simply being Qurikless."

That last part seemed to struck a chord, his face instantly eased up. Pinching his nose, he asked. "What did you do to them?"

"Nothing," I responded leisurely, prompting Dad to raise an eyebrow. "They're just a bunch of idiots, Dad, I didn't need to use my Quirk to knock some sense into them. At best, they might feel a little sore, not like they didn't deserve it, anyway."

Dad had mixed feelings about what I did, the look on his face was pretty evident of that.

"While I understand you did it for a good reason, in the future, can you try a different approach? I know kids can be... cruel, but it doesn't mean you have to stoop down to their level," Dad said, nodding several times to ease his worries. "Going back to your friend, tell me more about her. Knowing you, there must be something that caught your interest for you to willingly befriend someone."

There was a simple answer to that, but I wanted to be more honest in my answer.

"She understands me, and doesn't think of me like some villain in the making like other kids," I said, the second half of my answer making me recall all the moments where kids thought I was abnormal simply for my matured behavior. "Also, she's... unique, in her own way."

That was an accurate statement, no?

---

After finishing dinner, and promising him to invite Izuka over in the future, I got my room, proceeded to begin the next phase of my little project.

I made sure to spend my time researching in order to develop my own Support Gear, and a few other nifty inventions as well. It was a bore, but the first few months of simply trying to understand the text and imagery on my tablet regarding the subject were interesting, to say the least. Having a hefty amount of money saved up since I rarely spent any of it, I invested in buying more books and online subscriptions, making sure I got the maximum value.

Materials are something that won't be too much of an issue, for the most part, as my Quirk would allow me to cut off any extendable material from what I absorbed. It essentially makes my body a personal mining system.

Tedious? Yes. Efficient and worth the Quirk exhaustion? definitely.

Able to generate any material to use, while not a long-term and practical plan for all instances, it will be more than acceptable until I can set up a proper setup.

Primarily focusing on my Quirk for the past few years, I was content simply amassing information on this world's technology and its inner workings. Since at this moment, I didn't have specific ideas on what to make, and most Support Items I would want to make are out of my reach, I decided to make an old favorite and simple gadget, Batman's grapple gun.

Having to use my own hands as the tools through the process, I was surprised by how precise and elegant it felt, as opposed to before having to use basic utensils.

Taking the blueprints of a simple handgun, I created the metal shell for the base before going to the inner workings of it. You can't just look up "how to make gadgets" if not enrolled in a prestigious school where that information is widely available. Starting from scratch might have its downsides, but would pay off in the end.

The sides and back of it were a bit bulky, but not too much of an issue for a prototype. In order to "charge" it, I would either need to use gas or a small power source, both options having their respective downsides. For the former, there would be a limited supply if not refueled. The battery, while a more effective option, would need to make considerable changes to its inner workings.

For now, I'll keep it simple until I get better with the more gadgets I make. Upgrades can wait for later, initial designs are more important.

The first dozen or so wire reel cases either broke, got stuck, or the small mechanism wasn't calibrated how it should be. In one instance, a small explosion erupted from the inside as the reel couldn't keep up with the anchor's firing speed.

Finally getting the reel to work as intended, both for firing and reeling back in at an appropriate speed, I had one last thing to do before it was finished. I made it so the anchor itself would expand its hooks with a push of a button on the gun before it would fire.

With a wide grin, I released a somewhat sinister giggle, beyond happy that my prototype was functional.

Somewhat functional.

Eager to test it, I was about to go to the garage for a wider field, but I noticed the window was open on the other side of the room. Without much as a second thought, I aimed for the open space, knowing if I line the shot up, nothing would break.

Pressing the trigger, the anchor blasted off, but while spinning, it quickly moved the left, piercing the stone wall with a nice hole.

My eyebrow twitched as my smile slowly fell. Yup, not as simple as I thought. Pressing the button for it to retract, the wire went all over the place before balancing out, but the anchor on the other hand...

"Oh shit!" I ducked before the anchor could hit my face. It crashed onto my nightstand, obliterating the small vase at the edge into a few dozen pieces, before getting wedged between the nightstand and lower bed frame.

I kept it to a "retract as long as the button is pressed" system, yet now an evident issue became apparent.

"Might have to incorporate a few stabilizers so the person using this doesn't get their eye poked out," I commented jokingly but with a hint of bitterness. Of course I would miss something during the development stage...

Some other ideas included plenty of projectiles and devices fitted for many scenarios. I should start the early crafting stages for other gadgets to add to the portfolio. Izuka will jump through the roof once she lays eyes on these beauties. If anything, she would make a fine assistant in designing and creating them since her input would surely be beneficial to make the ideal version.

Turning my attention back to the newly made hole, I sighed while absorbing some stone to go repair the wall, not the first and definitely not the last time such a thing would happen.

Thank Kami for this Quirk's versatility to easily repair something, otherwise, the bills for my "little experiments" would be enough to pay off all the property damage caused in Musutafu every other week.

---

"Alright, today we're gonna try something new," I told Izuka optimistically, "I think this part is what you're most interested in."

About a full week passed since Izuka and I began meeting up regularly, and safe to say, it was a blessing in disguise. While I don't regret a single day I put into training and harnessing my Quirk, there were times where the isolation became a little boring, only able to dwindle on the thought as more time passed.

I genuinely tried befriending other kids solely so I don't have a narrowed mentality, yet each time I attempted doing so resulted in the same outcome. Not like it was in my control, I was content being by my lonesome until I could meet someone who truly liked being around me.

Izuka managed to help me in her own little way. At times, I truly did want to switch off my brain to have someone to talk to and try reliving my childhood while things are still calm. Craving human connection was a drug on its own, you can't live with or without it, neither can work if the other is missing.

It was a breath of fresh air for once to not leave the house, only to come back a tired mess. With Izuka, I was able to focus on something else for a change. Regardless if she only wanted to train, I appreciated her company.

"I'm ready for anything!" Izuka declared with sheer determination in her voice, albeit with a slight nervousness in her overall demeanor.

"Let's begin then," I walked towards Izuka to close the distance, catching her off guard with an abrupt request, "Hit me."

"W-W-What?" Izuka cried out.

"You said you've seen countless videos of Heroes engaged in heated fights against Villains, and with the analytical mind that you have, I'm positive you'll be able to figure out a counter for your opponent during battle," I began, "For that, we'll first have to figure out an appropriate style that fits you. Everything starts with a punch, so let's see how you do."

Izuka was too shy to even think about hitting me, the evident hesitation speaking for itself. It took quite a bit to encourage her, but I managed to convince her. At her first attempt, only her arm extended when doing this punch, making the rest of her body stiff for the duration.

"Okay…" I sighed, before trying another method, "See how I do it."

Moving back slightly, I demonstrated a right hook, repeating the motion a second time but more slowly, Izuka joining along while eyeing my movements.

"Here's the thing, when you go for a punch, you have to use your whole body, not just your fist," I fixed her legs by lightly tapping them with my own, placing my arms on her shoulders to adjust her stance, earning a few squeaks from her in the process, "You have some time to wind up, but it's important to rotate your hips and move your leg back a bit."

I let her continue to repeat the motion, slowly getting a better feel to it, joining along so she could mimic me. We increased the tempo in our movements, only stopping when she no longer needed a demonstration, proceeding to explain another useful tip.

"Now, you'll get a more accurate hit with higher force. In most cases, you want to end the fight as soon as possible, so quick and effective blows work best. Also, by doing this, transitioning to different attacks or going on the defensive will be a lot easier. If you know how to react, you won't have to worry about what's coming at you. Something like this…"

Doing several two to three quick, consecutive punches before raising my arms in a defensive manner. While doing so, I would do a spin kick and throwing a kick after a barrage of punches. Turning to look at Izuka, I was met with a shocked expression, her mouth hanging slightly. Seems like I forgot to keep it toned down for the time being.

"S-Sorry," I apologized sheepishly while rubbing my neck, "I don't expect you to nail it instantly, just a few examples of what to do once you get some practice in. For now, since we don't have a punching bag, all I want is for you to focus on hitting these…"

Raising my hands up, I encouraged Izuka to hit them with all her strength. The first few attempts were sloppy due to the action feeling unnatural, but Izuka quickly increased her pace, especially as I would encourage her and kept an upbeat attitude to keep the flow going. On top of that, Izuka did not let up until she used every ounce of strength she had at her disposal.

To top it off, we did a light spar at the end, showing several other moves to try out. Well, spar wouldn't be the accurate term, as I allowed her to hit me any chance that presented itself. I, of course, encouraged her to simply not think about hitting me, rather just seeing me as a target, which did help a small amount.

The day ended like any other, with Izuka gradually improving, but something else was bothering me on my way home.

I wasn't sure why, but the look in her eyes was different. When I told her that we accomplished our goal for today, she insisted that we continue training for at least one more hour. Maybe I was too nice to refuse, or thinking her stubborn side wanted to push herself to the limit. Regardless, something was off.

The question that bothered me was simple; was I overthinking this, or was there a problem right in front of me and I just couldn't see it?

---

It's been slightly over a month since Izuka and I started meeting regularly, and as of now, I can officially say that I'm starting to get worried.

The thing about irony is, you always come to the realization of it after you become oblivious for a while.

Saying my dad was worried all these years over nothing would be the lie of the century. Maybe my matured and slightly biased mindset on how my time should be spent during my time as a child is different from my father's, but it's only logical for a parent to be concerned. Me being the special case that I am, all the things I have been doing followed a plan and not breaking it, taking necessary breaks when my limit was pushed.

Izuka, however, was the total opposite.

It started off rather small and unnoticeable, with the few times I did notice that something was wrong, I labeled it as simply Izuka being herself. Oh, how wrong I was.

Izuka is more mentally mature than any other kid her current age, as well as when she gets older. But to match that, a great amount of stubbornness was present. Once I noticed her body language becoming sloppy during training and lack of sleep becoming more evident, I knew something was wrong. The training regimen was designed purely to gradually transition to a fit and athletic lifestyle, taking precise time to make sure I did my research as kids aren't suited for any severe training plans while young.

Yet, with each day that passed, I noticed she would appear more closed off and uncharacteristically quiet. We rarely talked about anything else if it didn't revolve around training. Izuka was overtraining herself, that much was evident, but more importantly, she wasn't listening to what I was saying, rather along the lines of following commands.

Not all training sessions would end in success, on days where the lack of rest hindered her the most, Izuka would ignore my attempts on getting her to take a break, choosing to power through it until she was finished. On top of practicing how to fight, she took each failure pretty hard, only getting progressively worse over time.

We had more than enough time to worry about physical strength, Izuka's mental side is more important at the moment.

That was partly my fault, as I knew how difficult this process would be, and encountering an obstacle such as this was bound to happen at some point. Just like with All Might, the thought of too much time passing while standing in place needing to triple the effort to become stronger as soon as possible.

It was too much, and I needed her to realize that as well.

"Didn't expect I would get here before you did," I said to the dark green-haired girl who stopped a few meters away from me, hands on her knees to keep herself up while taking in deep breaths, "Usually, I'm the one who oversleeps."

"I-I didn't oversleep!" Izuka's head snapped upwards to defend herself, "I forgot to help my mom with a few things around the house, t-that's all!"

That was an obvious and see-through lie if I ever did hear one. If I hadn't already known what kind of person Izuka would become, and be totally oblivious to the signs before me, I wouldn't second guess her behavior. I'll have to find a way to start changing that. "Heh, if you say so. I'm just glad you showed up."

"S-So, what did you have in mind for today, Yukio-san?" Izuka asked once she was able to breathe properly again, "I kept working on those core strength exercises you told me about. It was hard at first, not to mention excruciatingly long while doing them. I also spent more time working on punching and kicking more effectively, without mentio-"

"Actually," I stopped Izuka mid-sentence before she could continue, "I was thinking we should take a break, for today at least."

Izuka's went wide upon hearing that, "What?! Why?!"

"To tell you the truth, I think it's a fine time we had one, all things considered," I began explaining, calmly I might add, "For starters, I can tell your body is struggling due to the training regimen I told you to follow, by that I mean you aren't taking the proper amount of time to rest," I calmly answered back, the sudden stiff demeanor telling me I was right, "But more importantly, rushing this sort of thing won't give you any sort of advantage."

"T-That's not true!" Izuka said, thinking of ways to explain herself, "I know it might seem like I'm barely making it through training, but that's because I just recently learned what I'm supposed to be doing in the first place! B-Besides, just cause I'm a little worn out doesn't mean I'm incapable of practicing further! My stamina is a lot better than it was a month ago, I don't get tired out too quickly anymore!"

I could only sigh at her response, she still doesn't understand, "Look, there's no shame in reaching your limit But overdoing it will only set you back," I tried advising her, only to be met with silence and a downcast expression, "We'll find something else to do to pass the time, although I doubt we have much."

Before I could walk past her, Izuka grabbed me by the wrist, uttering a single sentence. "Just one…"

"Hmm?"

Her grip tightened, not fond of having to repeat herself, "J-Just one spar… that's all I'm asking."

"Izuka, I already told you-"

"Please!"

Izuka screamed at the top of her lungs, causing my eyes to go wide. She couldn't fool me, that look on her face told me everything, trying desperately to hold in the tears but held a stoic expression to hide any visible pain. The idea of her thinking I'm not happy with her performance becoming more apparent.

I stayed silent for too long, but I knew what kind of response I should give.

Yet, I couldn't even open my mouth to respond.

"Why can't I say it again?"

Izuka raised her arms to enter a defensive stance, a look of uncertainty mixed with determination. I mentally sighed, realizing there was no other way Izuka would listen, I was pretty much forced to accept. I didn't really want to go through with it, especially considering she wasn't in the best state, both mentally and physically speaking, my only hope was for her to stop on her own.

"Okay…" I expressed reluctantly, entering an offensive stance, "Ready… set… start!"

Right after counting down, I dashed forward towards Izuka, starting off with a right swing. Since I usually begin with an aggressive move, Izuka was well aware to protect her head and upper body.

My teachings weren't wasted on Izuka's end, a simple comparison of the day I saved her and now showed a massive difference. She knew the basics and was actually able to think on the fly, rather than standing still when getting attacked.

However, the negatives outweigh the positives in this case.

This was nothing more than a scripted spar, planning every move in advance as I wouldn't need more in terms of versatility. I couldn't attempt doing things the hard way with brute force, I was too empathetic and patient for whatever sort of intolerance I had in my previous life to doubt my decision.

I'm well aware we're just kids now, but saying it will get easier in the future would be the biggest lie of my existence.

"We should stop here," I advised, standing in front of her kneeled form.

"N-No!" Izuka yelled out, refusing to stop, "I-I'm just getting started!"

Quickly lifting herself up, I was almost hit in the jaw, a little too close to comfort I might add. To counter back, I aimed my fist for her stomach, knocking the air out of her while forcing her back. Taking a few quick, sharp breaths, Izuka wasted no time in jumping right back in.

Please, just listen to me.

We, or more specifically Izuka continued to keep the spar going, ignoring whatever pain she must have endured to not show any visible discomfort. Each blow I landed slowly started to stack up, gradually making each hit more impactful. Yet, Izuka refused to let up.

The scene would play out the same, me trying to make her stop with a hard enough blow each time she tried rushing at me. I noted how desperate her movements became, unlike before where at least she would think before acting. It got to a point where all I would do is stand in place, block her attack, then return with a blow of my own, only for it to be repeated in a continuous loop.

I couldn't do it any longer.

"Izuka, you are at your limit. We sho-"

"No, I'm not!" Izuka cried out, moments away from breaking into tears. At that moment, when I got to clearly see the look on her face, desperately trying to keep the mask from falling, whatever forced will I had to keep fighting evaporated. That didn't go unnoticed by Izuka, "I can still fight, Y-Yukio-san, I'm far from over! Please, allow me to prove myself to you that I can take this! I'm begging you!"

Izuka could barely stand, her legs wobbled and her arms would shake when trying to hold up her guard, panting heavily with no intention of stopping.

The sight of her struggling like this finally broke me.

Instead of moving towards her with the intent to continue the spar, which Izuka very much thought was going to happen, moving back and forth in a defensive manner with her body trembling slightly, I wrapped my arms around her neck, the height difference making it so the top of her head reached my chin, engulfing her into a tight embrace.

The more days that passed, I grew more aware of how delicate this issue would be. Maybe it's close to a decade's worth of having a different mentality, one thing that never changed was my sense of empathy. I had nothing to gain from this, but at the sight of Izuka torturing herself, I knew I couldn't just stay quiet.

There was no over-analyzing or thinking too deeply into this, Izuka needed someone to freely express vulnerability and let it all out. There was a difference at this point in time and in canon, however, four years of horrible treatment already planted their roots deep inside her heart.

It wasn't my fault, nor did I make a mistake in guiding her, but I still couldn't let her think she was in the wrong for any of this.

She didn't deserve it.

"You don't have to act tough all the time, especially if you want to impress me by doing so," I said softly, a sharp gasp coming out of Izuka, "I don't want to keep hitting you until this sticks, but please understand; failing doesn't make you weak, it's getting back up from those failings that makes you strong. Stop thinking any less of yourself, because I truly don't, and I never will."

That seemed to do it. Whatever facade Izuka held up crumbled away, an uncontrollable wave of tears flowing out as her hands clutched the back of my shirt, a miracle it was still in one piece. I rocked us back and forth to calm her down, allowing the waterworks to soak up the upper half of my shirt. After some time, the constant gasping and hiccuping started to die down, but I made sure to stay firmly in place until Izuka was able to calm down.

"Are you okay?" I asked her tenderly, breaking off the hug to wipe away some of the many tears in her eyes.

"Y-Yeah," Izuka uttered with a hiccup, not bothered with me using my sleeve to help with the clean-up.

"Did I hit you too hard?" I asked remorsefully. Feeling bad that I continued the spar even though I knew I should've stopped it way sooner.

"N-No, it didn't hurt too much. I deserved it anyway" Izuka expressed lowly, "I'm sorry how I acted, Y-Yukio-san. I-I don't know what came over me…"

"You've been over-training these last few weeks, haven't you?" I asked softly, Izuka nodding in response, "Why?

"Because I kept failing…" Izuka admitted, "It took me a whole month just to get this far. I-I thought… if it would continue like this, y-you'd think I'm a lost cause, just like e-everyone else."

Izuka was moments away from bursting into tears again, and I wasn't going to allow that.

"Come, let's sit down," I motioned gently, prompting a

, "I wanna tell you something, I think it will make you feel a little better after you hear it."

Still rubbing her watery eyes, Izuka gave me a puzzled look but didn't object.

Where should I start? "When I first realized I could absorb more than simple materials, I tried experimenting on absorbing energy without much thought. Do you know how that ended?"

Releasing a soft sniffle, Izuka shook her head, "N-No."

"Apparently, draining electricity from an outlet has a high chance of cutting off all power running through the house," I began explaining an embarrassing tale, "It happened, of course… only it caused a power outage across the entire block in the process."

To my surprise, Izuka giggled before quickly apologizing, "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Waving it off playfully, I continued with my little tale, "So on top of getting a barrage of complaints, I came to the painful realization that I wasn't absorbing any of it. Only a spark, if anything. I kept running into that issue until I finally messed up big time, being too impatient to take the slower route. The slightest difference comes from actually absorbing energy or causing a flux on the other end, and it annoyed the heck out of me."

Remembering another memorable experience, I continued, "Or when I realized my overall strength can be boosted, a fair amount of my attempts resulted in muscle pain and overworking my Quirk to counteract the issue, but only caused more damage as my body wasn't ready. Actually, when I attempted to exceed my limit of how much energy I could absorb, doing multiple tries even though I was beyond exhausted, resulted in no energy-draining for two full weeks before I could properly recover."

I paused momentarily to let all that information sink in, "Now, do you see a pattern in all of the stuff I just told you?" I asked Izuka, curious to see if she could figure it out.

Rubbing her chin with a thoughtful expression, she answered after a few more seconds of thinking, "W-Well, they are all examples of you being unsuccessful in doing a specific type of training, and needing time to properly figure out the issue, r-right?"

"See, now you're getting it!" I announced joyfully, "The point is, I was no different than you back when I started, and each time I failed or didn't accomplish what I intended, it annoyed me to no end. Even with a different mentality, actually doing the work isn't as simple when planning it out. I know it might seem hard, and that giving it all isn't enough, but beating yourself up constantly isn't the way to do it."

"I thought I could handle it," Izuka looked down in shame, rubbing her hands while she spoke, "I've been through worse if you can believe it. I just thought, with all the stuff I watched and the moves I studied, with now knowing how to react in a fight, it might come to me easier. Yet, even though I gave it my all, it took me so long to merely keep my stance right, let alone do all the training, only to barely move an inch."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," I comforted her, "Whatever made you think that's the case?"

I knew the answer, but I still had to act like I don't.

Izuka looked down before answering, "I-I don't know how much you think of yourself, or your future, Yukio-san, but it doesn't take a genius to know you would make an exceptional Hero one day. After spending these last few weeks with you… I learned more from you than any Pro Hero out there. I can confidently say you'll rise through the ranks in no time…"

The green-haired girl looked off to the side before continuing, "Then there's me… just a weak, Quirkless girl who can't stand up for herself, let alone anyone else," Izuka uttered lowly, "Compared to you… heh, what am I saying, there is no comparison between us. I'll never be an ounce of what you are, Yukio-san…"

"It's not about what ability you have or don't have, it's the way that you approach it that matters most," I paused briefly, knowing what I was about to say next was overstepping it since I didn't experience the same amount of ridicule and poor treatment as she did, "...I know this might sound hard to believe, but just because I have a Quirk and you don't doesn't make you inferior to me, or to anyone else. I'm no different. I try, I fail, but most importantly, I'm willing to try again, regardless if I know I'll be knocked down again. A true hero isn't measured by their ability, or even how hard they can throw a punch, but the will to keep moving forward and to never give up. That's the most important aspect an aspiring hero must learn to rightfully earn that title."

Lowering her head towards the ground, Izuka was still unsure. Throughout all this, she had nothing but doubt in her heart.

"Look," I grabbed her hand, getting her full attention due to the gesture, "I can't turn you into what I am, but I can turn you into the best you possible. I will guide you every step of the way. Whatever the outcome might be, I will be there with you. If you think you can trust me, even a little, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to help you accomplish your dream."

Izuka's eyes went wide, but was quick to respond, "Of course I trust you, Yukio-san. Nobody has ever believed in me before, I just wanted to prove myself to you, to show you that I'm serious about becoming a Hero. From now on… I'll only follow your instructions and won't try to do it any other way. I've taken your teaching methods for granted, I won't make that same mistake again!"

"Ughh, I know it might sound like a sudden request, but can we cut it with the formalities? It makes me feel older than I already am, you know?" I asked sheepishly.

Oh, the irony.

"O-Okay," Izuka uttered shyly. "If you say so, Yuki-

Being cut off mid-sentence, Izuka's eyes blinked furiously while rubbing the top of her nose, before looking up to the sky, with me doing the same after her. Barely ten minutes ago, the relatively cloudy sky might have given off the sign of rain happening soon, was now in full swing, thunder echoing in the distance soon after. While I wasn't bothered by the weather, Izuka jumped towards her backpack, desperately digging through its contents before a saddened expression formed when she didn't find what she was searching for.

"Aww," Izuka whined upon digging through her backpack, "It wasn't supposed to rain until tonight, and I forgot my umbrella!"

"Huh, well this sucks," I commented boredly, observing Izuka frantically trying to use her backpack with her jacket on top of her head.

Tapping the tree close to me, I absorbed a hefty portion that made my left arm change to a dark brown color with some cracks around to resemble the tree's surface. Raising my left index finger, I simply imagined an umbrella for a thin line of oak wood growing out of the fingertip, having more than enough room for the two of us. Whistling to get her attention, Izuka looked up only to gasp at my creation.

"Pretty creative, huh?" I asked with genuine glee, "You can't imagine how much time this saves from using everyday utensils."

"I-I didn't know you could d-do that," Izuka admitted shyly.

"Well, our troubles are now over!" I cheered, "I'll walk ya home. Speaking of which, you never told me where you live, right? Is it far away, or?"

Izuka immediately refused, "Y-You don't have to do that, Y-Yukio-kun! I heard the w-weather forecast say o-once the rain starts it w-will only get worse once it starts. I-I really don't want t-to be any more of a nuisance than I already have! I'd f-feel bad if I asked you to walk me home a-after this! I-I will be a-alright on my own! "

I just looked at her with a half-lid expression, shaking my head before chuckling, "Oh, what am I going to do with you, Izuka-chan? Don't make me stand in the rain without it until you change your mind."

Knowing that I would actually go that far to guilt-trip her, Izuka agreed, much to her embarrassment, "It's not that far, o-only twenty minutes or so, If-If that's alright with-"

"Then away we go!" I marched forward without a care, Izuka quickly following to match my pace. Several minutes passed only for the rain to get more intense, Izuka deciding to wrap both her arms around my outstretched wooden arm, to which I didn't display any discomfort with it whatsoever.

"Thank you… again," Izuka muttered, loud just enough to be heard from the rain hitting the wooden umbrella.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's no big deal. Besides, I like walking when it's raining. Just wish I wore different shoes, might as well walk barefoot than with thes-"

"No," Izuka abruptly spoke, lightly pulling my arm to come to a stop. Silence filled the air, with the only sound of the wood shielding us from the now pouring rain, "Thank you for being so understanding. E-Even though you have no reason for doing so. I was too worried about not looking like a total fool and making mistakes, I ended up failing on both of those accounts. Now knowing that those things don't bother you, I'm glad you don't think any less of me, Yukio-kun."

"You may think that, but I have plenty of reasons for that," I told her reassuringly, "Izuka, you are like me; optimistic, passionate, and most importantly, willing to defy what is called impossible. If I'm being honest, I see a little bit of myself in you, and for me, that speaks more than words could. We'll all have times of vulnerability and being down to a low point, but it's not how many times we fall, it's how we get back up and pick up the pieces. That's all there really is to it."

Izuka giggled, a sight that was nice to see for a change, "I'm just glad I have such an amazing and supportive teacher."


Sharing the same smile, I couldn't help but agree in my own way, "Well, I'm glad I have someone that understands me and shares the same ambitions as I do. I promise to double my efforts, to not make you feel like I'm asking too much, training-wise."

"I know, you just make everything seem easy, Yukio-kun," Izuka expressed truthfully while looking away shyly.

"Easy, huh?"

The word infested my mind, a single but, hopefully, an effective method for motivation started brewing. It's true, being on the same level was a breeze, but it didn't work in the same way as I hoped. However, I may have figured out a better solution.

"Tell you what, I have an amazing idea," I said, perking up, catching Izuka by surprise, "The next time we meet up for training, I will be doing the exact same thing as you, only I will be doing it as many times harder so I'm pushed to the limit. That way, whenever you see yourself struggling, I'll be there struggling alongside you. It will both motivate us to not stop until we both finish the exercise."

Izuka's eyes went wide with that statement, her mouth hanging open while trying to find the words to respond, "I-I… y-you… would do that… for me?"

"Of course!" I replied happily, "Neither of us can slack off then. We can also alternate between training sessions, focusing on either me or you with the other making sure we get the most value out of it. How does that sound?"

Instead of getting a verbal response, Izuka simply bobbed her up and down in pure excitement.

"Then we have an agr-"

I got the wind knocked out of me by Izuka slamming herself onto me with a tight hug, only able to return it with one hand. While it was barely audible because of the rain, I could make out a muffled "thank you" coming out of Izuka with each second that passed of us standing like this.

"Izuka?" I spoke up, causing the girl to jerk suddenly with her slowly looking up to meet my gaze, the color red gradually spreading across her face upon realizing how close we were. "You're muttering, again."

Sadly, my messing around went over the edge, causing the poor girl to jump backwards into the pouring rain. Quickly moving to her side to cover us both while barely containing a laugh, I decided I won't toy with the poor girl before she accidentally slips into a puddle.

On the way to her home, we didn't utter a single word, but rather enjoyed the comfortable silence of simply walking side by side together.

---

Once Izuka closed the door of her apartment, she released an exhausted sigh, a downcast expression present while looking at her sneakers. Even though they were soaking wet, Izuka could honestly not care less, a hefty amount of thoughts circulating at the moment that were more important than mere wet shoes.

Izuka herself wasn't sure how to feel at the moment, she obviously felt saddened how the day took a sudden turn, embarrassed by the mere thought of it. However, Izuka felt… relieved. Like a massive weight on her shoulders became significantly lighter now that for the first time, aside from her mother, she let all her emotions out in the open.

Any kind of physical contact caused her instincts to immediately go on the defensive, or more accurately, prepare for one-sided beatings when overstepping her ground. Izuka scolded herself upon remembering wanting to throw Yukio to the ground when he got too close to her.

The sensation felt so foreign for her, yet, it was reassuring enough to allow herself to release all those insecurities. There was no judgment, no pity, no mockery.

Only comfort and understanding.

Deep down, a part of Izuka was glad the day ended how it did, since now, for the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid of something.

Afraid of opening up, and failing to prove herself.

"Izuka! There you are!"

Gasping slightly at her mother's "greeting", looking up to see a face filled with worry rushing through the hallway.

"O-Oh, hey, Mom," Izuka greeted her back softly.

Maybe it was the way she said it, but Inko knew right away something was off.

"Sweetie?" Inko asked tenderly, caressing her daughter's head with her hand, "Did something happen, again?"

Izuka immediately dismissed her worries, "N-No, I'm fine. What makes you say that…?"

"Well, you seem kinda… down," Inko said worryingly, not entirely convinced with her answer. Placing a hand onto Izuka's shoulder, Inko asked softly, "What happened?"

Wanting to tell her mother the truth, Izuka stopped herself just in time to sprinkle in a white lie to her story, "Just… the day got ruined so quickly, that's all…"

Again, not an honest reply. Well, half of it was, but Inko still wondered what troubled her child. On a closer look, only now did a small detail become apparent.

"You… don't appear to be soaked," Inko commented while observing her daughter from head to toe, "...And you didn't bring an umbrella with you, did you?"

Izuka was quick to respond, "We had an umbrella, sort of… he didn't mind walking me home."

"Oh?" Inko blinked, feeling as if something wasn't adding up, "I thought Mitsuki was out of town this weekend, didn't she take Katsuki with her?"

Cringing slightly upon hearing her former friend's real name, Izuka quickly realized she never told her mother she met a new friend. In her defense, she rarely spoke about what happened in the past month. That, only mentioning Kacc- Bakugou when she would go out. "I wasn't with him. I-I met a new friend, not too long ago. A b-boy named Yukio."

Maybe it was the way she answered, but Inko knew by the look on her face that she was leaving out a few details, although just the sudden shift in conversation lifted her mood ever so slightly.

"Well, don't keep momma in suspense," Inko said joyfully, glad her pride and joy was able to befriend someone new, especially when Inko fully knew how difficult that process must be like, "Tell me more about him. What is he like?"

"He's…"

Pausing just as she was about to answer, Izuka thought carefully when trying to find the right words to describe Yukio. She would rather tell her everything. Every single detail Izuka might deem insignificant to truly express how she felt about her friend. How much he did for her, and how far he was willing to go in order to help her.

Maybe it was her low self-esteem that made Izuka second guess every thought that crossed her mind, but after seeing her at such a low point, she realized Yukio's intentions weren't anything but genuine. Furthermore, he treated her as if she was his equal, with kindness and respect to boot.

If it were any other person, the likelihood of them sticking around after her little episode would be slim, she wouldn't blame them for not wanting to be friends anymore. If anything, Izuka feared all those insults and foul comments she endured over the years would return if she would fail over and over again.

But Yukio was different. While Izuka ultimately believed she didn't deserve that kind of treatment from him, the boy wanted to stay by her side despite everything that happened since they first met, and words alone wouldn't be enough to fully express herself.

Saying he didn't indirectly grant two of her most desired wishes would be a flat out lie. Simply put, there was one word that came to Izuka's mind to finish her sentence.

"...Amazing."

---

Inside her room, Izuka flopped down to her bed, staring at the ceiling while deep in thought. Wanting to clear her head, Izuka looked around for anything to catch her attention, even for a little bit.

Sadly, that only had the opposite effect.

"I'm such an idiot," Izuka mentally cursed at her, unable to look at any item of her All Might collection without feeling slightly depressed. What did she think was going to happen? Become the next Number One Hero by some sort of miracle without any hardships? It was nothing more than wishful thinking in an unfair world where not everyone is born equal.

Those were dreams, and from this point onward, she needs to make them a reality. She doesn't have to be the next Number One hero, just a hero that saves people.

For Izuka, that was more than enough.

Flipping through one of her Hero Notebooks to pass the time, Izuka stopped once she reached a certain page, a simple, yet unfinished sketch of Yukio's face with his name at the top. Regardless that she was alone in her room, a faint blush appeared across Izuka's cheeks at the thought of her friend, as well as how she acted in front of him. oo caught up in getting his approval, Izuka failed to see she was causing her only friend to worry about her.

Smooth move.

Izuka's mind went back to what Yukio said, the failures she experienced until now didn't bother her as much. Hearing him talk about his experiences and shortcomings felt unnatural, yet doing so in order to make her feel better meant a lot.

While her notebooks primarily all contained Heroes and their Quirks, this was an obvious exception.

While Yukio already saw her other notebooks, even complimenting her drawing skills, the thought of him seeing her "work" only caused thoughts of small panic attacks of embarrassment popping up in the future. Not to mention how particularly curious Yukio can be, reading all the notebooks that she would bring with her from start to finish.

If she's lucky, keeping his page(s) specifically out of his reach for a little while won't be too difficult.

Looking down at the blank page, her finger began furiously tapping the edge, irritated that it was bare as a bone. Instinctively, Izuka's hand went to a nearby pen lying on her bed, eyes still glued to the empty page.

Just before the tip touched the paper, her hand stopped. Why was she hesitant? The answer might as well not exist cause she couldn't think of one, and it was driving her insane.

Looking away to clear her thoughts, Izuka spotted a piece of paper sandwiched between her other books, removing the top one before taking it out.

It was the training plan Yukio created for her.

While the lines were a bit crammed together for it to all fit, with a few inconsistencies in his writing style that Izuka noticed the more she observed it, the formatting was effective and had plenty of details regarding each exercise. After a long pause of just staring at the paper, her finger trailed the edge of it as her eyes went back to her friend's empty page.

The pen was about to meet the paper before coming to another abrupt stop, staying like that for a few seconds until her hand started furiously writing the opening segment. Usually, Izuka would do research before adding a Quirk to her notebooks, or if outside and spots a Hero with something unique, overanalyze it from top to bottom in case she would forget any detail that might be considered important.

In this particular case, spending a little over a month in total with Yukio, on top of Izuka asking countless questions, to which he didn't mind answering, her mind was just waiting to actually write down the analysis for his Quirk.

Starting to feel pain in her back due to lying on her chest, and slowly losing her concentration because of it, Izuka jumped off her bed while making her way to her desk with a momentary pause to not accidentally mess up her handwriting.

That was the only reason, surely it wasn't anything else.

Barely a nano-second passed after she sat down, but her hand wasted no time getting back to work. The only downtime her fingers were allowed to rest was in-between her constant muttering to remind her what part was next. Before she even knew it, Izuka had written several pages that used up every bit of space available, ranging from standard usage to different variants all the way to theorizing what kind of methods it can be improved/looked further into.

It was only when she finished another page did Izuka pause before fully turning to the next one. Going back a page… and the next one, and the next, and the one after that, Izuka laughed nervously while observing her work.

Taking a glance to her window, seeing nothing but the rain coming down like no tomorrow. "Guess I have time," Izuka muttered upon looking down the empty page, thinking of what section to start next.

Izuka may have to take a rain check to fix her sleeping schedule. Only this one time, for a good reason too.

This was, personally, a fun Chapter to write, purely since it's mostly revolving around our two characters talking. I like the slow, but worthwhile character building that should fill the void so its not non stop action. Hope others don't find this boring

(Funfact - movies like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Fly episode from Breaking Bad is why I love fleshing out characters through simple dialogue.)

Some people were wondering, but yeah, Izuka will get One For All. Objectively looking, I find it doubtful that Yukio would want to take it for himself, since his has a wide range to work with and endless possibilities. Plus that 1/10th ain't bad on its own accord when stacked up with other things.

My guess was that Izuka would have an inferiority complex and have self issues when around Yukio. Izu is the type of person to always pick up on small details/mannerisms/behaviour, so felt like this Chapter is a essential part in her development. Got a lot of planned, character and skill wise.

As for her appearance when she gets older, long hair is definitely a must. Maybe medium but like those two more than short hair. The chest department is between Momo and Mine, as well a some cake as well.

Also, won't turn this into a harem. After a long consideration, I thought it would be better (and more fun) to keep it a single pairing. I do harems in my other stories, so wanna do this for a change.

Hope ya'll enjoyed, lemme know how it was by leaving a review. Everyone loved how the last one turned out, so am curious how this one will turn out.

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

Cya next time.

 

[Darwin-18]

Supsup, here's the next part for MHA - AFTT. This story got a ton of positive feedback, something that I'm glad to see. Hope this will continue the flow.

Chapter 4 - Simple Gestures

"How are you holding up, Izu-chan?!"

"P-Pretty well, Y-Yukio-kun!" Izuka huffed, trying to conserve her breath so she could keep up with me, "Y-You?"

"H-Heh, I still have a little left in me!" I replied with a cheeky smile, trying hard to not let the added weights on both my arms and legs tire me out. The mere thought of them is causing me suffering, "We covered quite a bit of distance, faster than last time, actually. We can keep going for another ten minutes before we can call it quits, sounds good?"

"Alright!"

With that declaration, Izuka and I continued to jog in silence, maintaining the exact same pace without slowing down.

Sticking to my promise to Izuka that I would train alongside her with increased intensity, we would follow this routine and it worked out better than expected. Not hindered by the lack of sleep and pressure to prove herself, the change was more than noticeable now that she had a healthier outlook. Making it so I would tire out around the same time was a small detail that helped us stay even.

Now actively using her mind to calmly process each bit of training from all angles, sticking to individual limits before moving on to the next part. Doing this for a while made her realize the benefits in the long run, and the reality of physical limitations at an early age. But she was more than motivated when further studying what kind of techniques/exercises granted promising results.

I also tweaked a bit of how the training would go to get more value timewise. I'll wait a bit more before I make any drastic changes, but for now, we're making fine progress as is.

That wasn't the only improvement. We were able to talk more openly, with a natural feel in the atmosphere between us. While Izuka's main hobby was centered around Quirks, such topics outside of training were enjoyable to listen to, it made her happy and I was more than fine with it. Now needing to actually use my brain to socialize, I talked about plenty of topics for the sake of variety. It felt rather strange to talk without thinking too much into it, yet enjoyed every second of it.

While doing so, it reminded me that I should really go back to doing normal things every once in a while.

"Ghaagh, with that, I'm officially pooped," I huffed, leaning back onto the back of the park bench, glad we were finally done for today.

Izuka sat next to me, her head hung low with her elbows on her knees, "S-Same here…"

Removing my backpack, I took out a bottle of water for her and myself, both of us nearly drinking the entirety in one gulp.

Looking in the distance, my mind went to think about what we should do next. We were done for the day, not needing to go any further since we extended the duration by a small amount. Plus tomorrow is our day off, so we need literally anything that doesn't involve training like dogs.

"Say, Izuka, are you free later today?" I asked casually.

"Not particularly," Izuka responded before continuing, "I-I mean, I promised my mom to buy a few things before I come home, but other than that, I don't have anything else planned. W-Why do you ask?"

"Wanna come over to my house?"

Just as Izuka went to drink again, what little amount of water in her mouth was spat out in a coughing fit, "W-W-What did y-you say!?"

"If you want, that is," I added, "We haven't done anything besides training since we met, and while I'm always up for that, maybe we should try something else for a change? There are a few things I wanna show you that I think you'll like. You can buy the stuff that you need before we go in case the stores close. Oh, and my father is very eager to meet you, he keeps on insisting that I bring you over ever since I told him about you."

Like a fish out of water, Izuka's mouth would open but nothing would come out, "B-B-But… I… can't come to y-your house like… this!"

"Don't worry about it," I waved the issue off, "We have two bathrooms, I'm sure my dad won't mind. Besides, this way we won't waste too much time, instead of me going home then picking you up since you never saw where I live. What do you say?"

Seeing as I backed her into a corner, on top of reassuring Izuka on whatever potential "problem" she could think of, Izuka agreed, albeit with difficulty.

Initially, Izuka seemed reluctant about our agreement, fearing that my request didn't seem forceful.

I was quickly proven wrong when I would notice her energetic and jittery behavior every time she thought I wasn't looking.

---

"Dad!? I'm home!"

I called out to him since I knew he had the morning shift today and didn't need to sneak around. Once we took off our shoes, Izuka followed me across the hallway towards the living room, finding him nowhere in sight. Since nothing's going on, he's most likely up in his room.

On the other hand, Izuka slowly walked to eye every inch of the room we passed, a curious look on her face on every object or piece of furniture as if they were made out of gold.

Our home was pretty basic, a two-story house with two bedrooms and an empty room that could very easily be used for a third one but never had the need to. A mixture of dark gray and white interior design, the living room was quite large, connected to the kitchen with a hallway leading towards the garage, basement, and back entrance.

We kept some plants indoors to liven the place up, either on the kitchen counter, living room table, or shelves on the wall. It would seem that was what caught Izuka's interest the most, eying each plant from top to bottom before moving to the next one.

"There are so many." Izuka awed upon landing a small tree-like flower, a small water stream flowing down from a miniature waterfall that moved in circles.

"I added the water bit," I commented while leaning next to her, rotating the decoration slightly to show a small blue crystal that emitted a slight glow that stood out from a closer look, "As long as water comes from one side, it will push it with enough force to flow up, then go back down in a continuous loop. Though a slight improvement to make it look nicer wouldn't be so bad. My Mother always liked these kinds of plants."

"Say, you never really told me much about her," Izuka said with a smile, "Is she working all the time?"

Oh, I might have forgotten to mention that detail.

"She… passed away when I was two years old, in a car accident," I said lowly.

Her smile quickly disappeared, eyes going wide with her mouth trying to find the words to respond, "I… I'm sorry, I didn't know."

I didn't let that kill the mood, nudging her playfully, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's not particularly easy to bring up in conversation. Besides, she had a Plant Manipulation Quirk that she would always use to take care of plants and keep plenty of decorations all over the house. So in a way, she's still with us. I like to think that's the case, rather than feeling down each time my dad and I look at them."

Izuka smiled at that, most likely glad knowing that this subject didn't bother me. She would know what it's like, with Hisashi practically non-existent in her or Inko's lives.

"Up here, Yukio!"

"[-So anyway, did you get the new commissions I sent you? We got quite a few lined up this month, might as well get those figured out before we take any more in. You get me, Riku-san?]"

"Yeah, yeah, I got the memo," Dad sighed as he walked down the stairs, still yet to look up from his notepad which he furiously tapped on, "You'd think half these cases would have at least something that's not a total headache. Still, my guess would be to star-"

Just as he did a sharp U-turn after fully coming down, he stopped mid-sentence when he found me and Izuka standing in the middle of the living room. His phone almost slipped off his shoulder when adjusting his head, catching it at the last second without taking his eyes off us. They went back and forth, looking at Izuka with a face of surprise and shock while the girl eeped upon making eye contact.

[Oi, Riku-san? You there?]" The voice from the phone spoke up, causing dad to blink in confusion while shaking his head, "[Hello?]"

"S-Sorry, something's come up," Dad "lied" with a slight cough, "I'll call you in a little bit."

Before the person on the other end could respond, he'd already hung up, now fully focusing on us two.

"Dad, this is Izuka, the friend I've been telling you about," I told him with a bright smile. "Izu, meet my dad!

Before my Dad could speak up, Izuka beat him to it.

"T-T-Thank you for h-having me, Toshiaki-san!" Izuka greeted him with a stutter and about a few dozen bows, "Y-You have such a lively home, if-if might s-say!"

Initially, Dad was silent for a few short seconds, most likely taken aback at the obvious contrast between us. Placing away his phone and putting the tablet behind his back, dad tried again.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Izuka," Dad properly greeted her with a smile, "Yukio has told me quite a lot about you, so let me just say, I'm happy that you're getting along so well with my son. Please, make yourself at home, and I hope you enjoy your time here."

Giving a low nod, Izuka adverted eye contact to look at literally anything to avoid further talking. I already guessed that she would be overly shy once we step foot into my house, so I decided to help her out.

"Hey, Dad," I asked him by pulling on his sleeve to get his attention while Izuka continued to observe the other plants, "We just got done with training and instead of waiting for her to go home to clean up, I told her she could use ours so we don't waste time. If that's alright with you, that is."

"Sure, it's no problem," Dad said before quickly continuing, "Just make sure you prepare some clothes for her when she's finished. I didn't throw away any of your old clothes you grew out of, so try finding her something that isn't too big, okay?"

"Will do! Thanks, Dad!" I shouted while jogging towards Izuka, grabbing her by the wrist, pulling her lightly before she could object, "Come, let's stash that in the fridge, then find you some clothes that fit."

---

Since I had a growth spurt, I had to get a complete overhaul in regards to clothes, but Dad never threw away the old ones for some reason. To not give her something too big, I found an old white hoodie I wore two years ago and gray track pants when I was five. Turns out, it fitted Izuka perfectly but showed an obvious sign of embarrassment from wearing my clothes.

Now, for the grand reveal.

"Tada!"

I swung the door wide open, presenting Izuka with my slightly messy room. Unlike before when I was Quirkless, I was relatively "tame" in keeping my living space from being overcrowded or having it look like a tornado passed through.

Sadly, I seemed to develop a small habit of ignoring those reminders.

It by any means wasn't untidy or close to being considered unsanitary, but… it did have days where it was practically in ruins. Seeing as using the garage was acceptable, I mostly used it for testing purposes on stuff I knew wouldn't cause a mess. There were more bookshelves than before, stacked with plenty of reading material regarding technology and research that can be used for my Quirk.

The area around my desk essentially became a workstation, having labeled boxes containing specific parts and tools of my own creation to help out in the building process. Better than having to go to the garage every few minutes. If anything, it's the only part of the room that was rarely kept cluttered with all kinds of stuff in the making.

"Sorry for the mess," I said sheepishly, "You're the first person I ever invited to my house, guess I should've tidied up a bit before asking you, huh…"

"N-No! It's not a bother!" Izuka quickly perked up, "Besides, it's not that messy."

"Heh, you should have seen what it looked like before I repaired all the damages," I self praised/insulted with that statement proudly, then motioned her to follow me, "Right over here is what I wanted to show you. It's not much, but the effort is worth it."

Walking towards the desk, Izuka got a better view of my work, eyes going wide at the sight of dozens of blueprints and unfinished projects. There was at least a one-second window before her head would turn from one spot to another.

"You made all this!?" Izuka asked in excitement,

"It's nothing special, considering I started doing this type of thing a few months ago," I explained, "Some ideas for potential Support items I hand in mind. Most are in development stages, at the very least."

"But why are you making them?" Izuka asked curiously, "Aren't Support Items created by a support company? I believe the most popular one is associated with U.A."

"I just wanted to make something on my own," I shrugged, "There's a whole process involving registering and getting a Support Item accepted if it isn't already. Besides, that doesn't stop me from making these babies with my own two hands. Not only gear, but other stuff like energy supplies and such that can have a variety of uses. Let's just… keep this whole thing between us, we ramble open in public enough as it is."

Sealing her lips with her finger with an invisible key and throwing it away, I smiled while mimicking the gesture before we continued going over my workstation.

"Are these the notes regarding your Quirk?" Izuka asked with contained excitement upon finding my notes.

With a smile, I replied. "Indeed they are. Just cut me some slack, they aren't in detail like yours are, nor are any of them complete. I only managed to scratch the surface of what it's fully capable of. That, and I would first test and see what's possible before doing anything else, that's why some of them are unfinished if you haven't already noticed."

"Regardless, the groundwork is there. Yukio-kun," Izuka complimented while quickly looking through the stack of papers, "Although, I expected for you to have more of them."

"I don't write all of my discoveries on paper, either being too tired to do so or it's embedded in my mind already," I replied simply, "That, and I have a small habit of what I like to call 'eating more than you can chew,' constantly trying out new testing methods that end up forming new possibilities. Focusing on a single field is easier than juggling between multiple ones at the same time. Actually, I think I wrote down a few theories on the last few pages."

Flipping through the stack, Izuka took the last few pages to look them over, then going back to the first one. I'm positive she knew most of what's on there, so Izuka took out a specific page for her next question, "I see you put extra emphasis on this one, an electricity style technique. But from all the other Heroes that use this kind of ability, I have never seen one like this, well the theory behind it that is. Is this one of your more eager projects?"

I nodded, fishing out two more notes that further dived into it.

"For starters, the electricity I absorb can be released as projectiles of various forms and sizes, but that's too simplistic for my liking," I gave Izuka the single chair in my bedroom while I quickly made my own to sit beside her, "There are many applications a single ability can do, and when used in conjunction with other Quirks, new abilities are possible to be made, rather than just using them separately."

"Well, considering Copy-Type Quirks are extremely rare, and depending on the overall limitations of it, running into delays or issues during training, as well as the lack of Quirks to copy, I can imagine how difficult it may be, even if the Quirk itself is remarkable," Izuka commented upon lifting her head, "In your case, everything works beside the ladder potentially being a small issue, but nothing scarce. Tell me, what are all the things you primarily focused on?"

While before Izuka would ask me nitpicky questions of different parts of my Quirk's functionality, this was the first time we discussed my method of using it.

"When my Quirk manifested, I noted my body experienced several changes after I changed back for the first time at that store robbery mentioned. Almost every regular aspect was increased, but my physical capabilities are high up there for my age. Make no mistake, I'm still limited as my body is yet to properly develop, so all I can do is wait until then."

Pausing momentarily to prepare a slight demonstration.

"Now, in which one did I put those things…" Looking back down to find one of my more useful tools, "Oh! Here they are."

Pulling a medium-sized box from the far end of the table, taking off the top half to reveal small spheres a little half of what a regular baseball would seem. Taking a page out of Gwen's book when she tried doing Kevin a favor by getting him materials to absorb on the fly. The issue stemmed from not having enough of said material to fully utilize it.

However, I only managed to make small progress for the prototypes. After doing some tests and trying to recall from memory, Kevin was able to, at best, change only his forearm with a single sphere.

"If you recall, once I absorb a property, I can change my entire body into what I took," I explained while giving a demonstration, my arm turning a dark blue color with a metallic tint. "The issue I came across is if there isn't enough of it, it reaches a certain cap. My Quirk doesn't repeatedly absorb something, it's like trying to eat small portions and expecting to be full, it's not that simple. I tried decompressing them to some degree, but I've yet to fully figure out a solution."

"I see," Izuka muttered with a thoughtful expression, examining one of the spheres on display, "Carrying anything bigger would be bothersome, storage space is important to not cause unnecessary weight. You said decompressing doesn't do much? Well, have you thought about finding a Quirk to shrink or increase size? I feel something like that would work, since, in theory, the number of atoms doesn't change when shrunk, only affecting its weight mass. Alongside that, you can use said objects as projectiles and expand in size while traveling. If that doesn't work, then doing it vice versa might be the answer. Although, I think something similar to the Quirks Support Heros have would work. They can't empower themselves, excluding potentially physical improvements, but that might be the solution for not only absorption but other fields as well."

"Hmmm, that does make sense," I mused. Support Heroes usually get outshined by higher-ranking Heroes solely because of flashiness. It wasn't their fault, but the ability they bring to the table is nothing to scoff at. When you need extra firepower, having such a Quirk on a team of people is invaluable. I might have to do more research on this, luckily, I have what is essentially a walking Wikipedia to help out, "That just might be what I'm looking for. Will make a mental note to start a file on that."

"Oh, quick question!" Izuka blabbered out suddenly, nodding for her to continue. "Say if you absorb metal, but you further reinforce it with additional changes, either durability-wise or something else, will the same effect transfer to you post absorption? Or one specifically made to augment other extensions of your Quirk. While you can do it individually within your body, this would save time and probably not cause too much strain to keep all those things together."

My mouth opened to answer, but no sound came out. How haven't I thought about that? Oh, that's right, my mind has about a few dozen different ideas circulating that take up enough space as is. Not only could it be used in a defensive manner, mixing in a few offensive techniques with a spark of creativity could do wonders. That is without including mass producing any material if I so choose.

"Izuka…" I uttered before forming a large grin, "That's brilliant! Having those kinds of things prepared would be ideal in preparation for a mission. I think I already know a few examples for where it can be used."

"S-Speaking of which…" Izuka twirled her fingers, looking away before continuing, "I-I know you didn't ask, but… I thought of some Quirk combinations that "could" be useful in the future… perhaps?"

My eyes lit up instantly, leaning a bit forward in excitement, "Really?"

The sudden action caught Izuka off guard, "It-It nothing special, r-really! Just a few ideas for potential synergies I thought would fit your s-style of fighting from observing you this last month. N-Not in that way, I-I mean… actually, now that I think about it, m-maybe I should've asked your input b-before I-"

"Come on, Izu, don't leave me hanging like that," I pouted playfully with another forehead flick, "Spill the sauce! I might have ideas of my own, but having another pair of eyes on this topic is far better than doing it solo."

Forming a small smile, Izuka spoke up with confidence, "But before that, I have to ask, you had no difficulty in using two or more Quirks simultaneously, right?"

"Noup," I replied, but quickly backtracked, "Actually, that might not be an accurate answer. My enhanced capabilities make it so my body doesn't experience any side effects, as well as able to adapt to any change that came from other Quirks. Since all are different, some are either more difficult to use than others or require more concentration to maintain. Since I didn't get a chance to properly test it out, I can't say for sure at the moment."

Izuka nodded, "Definitely worth looking into further. An improved regenerative capability that can be further sped up by using absorbed energy, having some sort of healing Quirk would be worth the search for extra measure. S-Sorry for getting sidetracked. Anyway, how many Quirks do you have?"

"Not many," I replied honestly, "I asked some of my dad's friends from work, they didn't mind. In fact, they were glad I was able to find a better use for them. One of them was a Heat Manipulation Quirk, it's pretty useful to make sure none of the machines overheat or need a jumpstart. On its own, it has its uses, but is an ideal example of combining it with other Fire-based Quirks or amplifiers would make a more powerful technique. But the grant total, less than ten."

"Oh," Izuka uttered in surprise, "I thought you would have more."

"Heh, I'm in no rush," I waved it off, "Mastering the other two subsections of my Quirk seemed more appealing to not get overwhelmed."

"Plus, I don't think any kids at school would be too keen on copying their Quirks," Izuka admitted apologetically.

"On one hand, you can't blame them for their way of thinking," I expressed, it was easy to figure out the reason why, "It would make them seem not as special when someone else has their Quirk, losing a sense of uniqueness. Now add the fact that word would get out of a very smart kid that can copy and retain MULTIPLE Quirks and use them to better efficiency, it's an easy way to get singled out as the one kid to avoid physical contact with. It was like the plague if I'm being honest."

That may have sounded different to Izuka's ears than from what I originally intended, as she went silent afterward. Izuka tried speaking up but had difficulty doing so, "I… didn't know that. Does that mean that you've-"

"Had a hard time befriending other kids? Very much so," I admitted without skipping a beat. "Even without mentioning my Quirk, I never particularly… fit in with everyone else. I was always seen as that "creepy smart kid" that always knew everything and was way too mature for his age, with a Copy Quirk to boot.

Izuka stayed silent, solely focused on my eyes before looking down, "I never would have guessed that you had to go through all that."

"Mmm, I didn't mind it... that much."

I don't know why I added that last part. It sort of just came out on its own. As much as I liked getting a second chance and being blessed with an amazing Quirk, all that time I spent made me feel like I never got a proper time to relax. Hardly ever do any of my old hobbies, maybe taking inspiration here and there but that was about it.

My thoughts were broken away as Izuka used the wheeled chair to close the distance between us, leaning in to rest her head on my shoulder with her hands going underneath my armpits to tighten the lock around my back. It lasted a pretty long while, with me trying to break the silence but couldn't manage to accomplish that. When Izuka broke away from the hug, she still had her arms around me before speaking.

"I… rarely see my Dad. Actually, I haven't seen him since I was little, I can barely remember how he looked like. Growing up without a parent is hard, I wouldn't want anyone to go through those kinds of hardships," Izuka paused briefly, "You are such a wonderful and caring person, and anyone should be lucky to have you as a friend. You, out of all people, shouldn't have experienced that kind of treatment from others, especially for being gifted. For Quirkless people, I can somewhat understand, but the same can't be said for someone like you. S-Sorry if that came out of nowhere… I just… wanted you to know how grateful I am to have met you, Yukio-kun."

"It's alright, Izu, I was able to use that time for better use. That's better than nothing, right?" I said, before quickly adding one more thing with a smile, "Besides, I'm glad now neither of us have to go through that again."

Sharing the same gratitude as me, Izuka formed a bright smile which was more than enough of a response to the sentiment.

"Anyway, I believe you had some Quirk combinations you wanted to share?" I asked eagerly while pulling a blank paper to begin writing, "Let's see what kind of fighting styles you thought would suit me the most."

Pulling her chair closer towards the desk, taking a nearby pen of her own, "Well, you frequently mentioned how you particularly favor utility and maneuverability while fighting, I have quite a selection that I think you will find worthwhile. First off-"

---

Unlike twenty minutes prior, just getting off work to immediately jumping into a call to plan out two months' worth of work came to an abrupt pause with no intention of continuing.

Well, he tried but had great difficulty doing so.

Riku's mind would constantly trail back to his son and their guest.

Kids were simple, or to be precise, easy to understand. But what happens when kids are way too mature for their age but have yet to experience what life has to offer? He managed to learn a bit more about Izuka over the last couple of weeks when Yukio would join him to eat after he came back from work. The dynamic between the two greatly interested him, since, honestly, there was an instant contrast that was too hard to not notice.

The memories of growing up Quirkless became more constant while thinking about Izuka.

The percentage of people born without Quirks with each generation only decreases, meaning the chances of Izuka-chan experiencing a more severe case about feeling like you don't fit in, especially since every other person around you has some kind of ability. While he never particularly cared about being a Hero and never had more than occasional thoughts about what it would be like if he was born with a Quirk, he was able to find solace in meeting other Quirkless kids as they were more common when he was young.

Sadly, he couldn't say the same for other Quirkless people.

Recalling all the articles and news shows he saw over the years, including his past experiences, he can only hope his son's friend was alright, mentally speaking that is. Riku would very much like a long discussion with the parents of the boy who repeatedly harassed her prior to meeting Yukio. It was a very important issue that was known to get snubbed at times.

He was glad his son didn't turn a blind eye that day.

Regardless of how kids tend to be, saying one side didn't have any clear advantages compared to the other is flat out false. Also discovering Yukio is her first actual friend because she was the only Quirkless kid in her Elementary School, Riku was well aware of how a few simple acts can go a long way. He was probably overthinking it, the poor girl was just too shy, but was comfortable around Yukio, and vice versa.

At the end of the day, that was all that mattered.

Unable to do anything else to pass the time, Riku realized the kids probably didn't eat anything after they came back from training. Heading towards the kitchen, he decided to prepare some snacks, as they will probably spend the majority of the time inside his room.

After preparing two glasses of juice and decently filled sandwiches, Riku walked towards his son's room, finding the door left open slightly. Taking a peek inside Yukio's room, Riku was about to fully open the door so he could pass through, but stopped himself upon listening to their conversation.

"-so it really means there's no limit to what your body can change to at any given time without an issue?"

"In a sense, you're correct, the overall amount of changes it can undergo potentially has unlimited potential. The only issue I see is using a technique in a specific state might force it into a cooldown of sorts. It is possible to bypass it by fueling that process with newly absorbed energy or if I have it stored up, but the former is conditional and the ladder might be risky to not waste too much of it."

"Then something along the lines of an enhanced adaptability Quirk. Nothing flashy, but a passive ability that compliments prolonged battles and increases stamina on almost all accounts."

"Too hard to find. Although, combining several ones can achieve that. It wouldn't be that effective since the Quirks required to make it need to work well with one another in order to get proper results, though."

Riku wanted to drop off the tray as he intended, but the longer he observed the two kids, he couldn't find it in him to interrupt their discussion.

No matter how hard he tried, there was always a barrier present between him and his son. It was beyond his control, yet it didn't worry him, to a certain extent.

He was a mechanic, picking mechanical constructs apart and putting him back together was his field of expertise, yet, that was far too little to truly get on the same level as Yukio. Hell, at the rate he was going, Riku could give an entire rundown of the profession in detail and the chances of him finding it as "child's play" wouldn't be too low.

No other kid or adult was able to keep up with Yukio.

Until now.

It was the one thing he wanted ever since he learned how advanced his son is.

Although, it seemed that the effect worked both ways.

It was the way Izuka looked at his son that told him everything, able to process what he was saying and continue the discussion without missing a beat. The sight of that filled Riku's insides with joy, alongside a very small amount of jealousy at how easily they were able to speak their own language so naturally.

It was there Riku came to a sudden realization.

Riku never had a problem with his son pursuing his passion, but it was the fact that nobody, not even his own father, could fully understand how his mind ticked. The Quirk or no Quirk factor played a role in that, but it was far more complicated than that. There wasn't a thing Yukio couldn't solve on his own, coupled with years of isolation since birth, Riku was worried things would get worse later in his life.

It was difficult to fully "not worry about it" as Yukio would usually say, for obvious reasons. Now, for the first time, Riku felt at ease.

With a smile that only seemed to expand endlessly, Riku bent down to slide in the tray right beside the door. Whatever part of "mental capacity" regarding a Telekinetic Quirk seemed more important to break their train of thought with something as insignificant as food.

---

"Seems we've been cooped up in here longer than planned, huh," I commented.

"S-Seems so," Izuka commented shyly, observing the amount of paper we used to write all our ideas on.

"Nevertheless, thank you for your help, Izu-chan," I said while picking up the tray my Dad left some time ago, only about a half-hour ago that we actually noticed it was there, "Next time we'll have an easier time since we know where to start."

Walking down the stairs to the living room where Izuka placed her clothes, I walked over to the fridge to take out the errands she bought. Just before I could give Izuka her bag, I mentally slapped myself upon remembering I haven't shown Izuka one last thing.

"Oh!" I perked up, "I'm such an idiot, I almost forgot to show you the best part of my house!"

Before I could even let the girl process what I just said, I grabbed her wrist to enter a light jog, pulling Izuka with me as she tried objecting but would stutter every third word that came out. The glass doors leading to the garden were several meters away, stopping before we would get too close.

"Close your eyes, okay? I'll make sure you don't trip on your way down," I asked politely.

"O-Okay…" Izuka did as she was instructed, using her hands as to not accidentally take a peep.

Opening the door, I walked behind Izuka and placed my hands on her shoulders, giving her simple yet precise instructions to ensure she doesn't fall. When we were outside, I turned on the lights around the garden on a low setting, since the sun went down about half an hour ago.

"You can open 'em now," I told Izuka, eager to see her reaction.

Upon doing so, Izuka's eyes went wide as she tried taking the whole environment in front of her. Dad and I did some changes to it over the last couple of years, most notably expanding the pond so we had a miniature island in the center of it all so one place can stick out compared to the rest of the garden.

There were more lights than before, illuminating the place that gave some uniqueness when on and off. Especially as some of them glow in the dark, or change drastically depending on the season. Since I've yet to find a Quirk that can control plants, I used other methods for them to live longer. Technology nowadays had a device for universally anything, investing some into the garden was a brilliant decision.

I think the major selling point was discovering about a hundred various kinds of plants when first starting out, the type of ones you'd call fake if you'd see them in my past life. It's one of the many instances where I labeled it as "different universe rules" on how these things worked.

Seeing as how the option of choosing was expanded, I didn't want to do this half-assed or not put in the right amount of care. Compared to countless possibilities regarding Quirks or several centuries ahead in terms of technology, doing this managed to achieve the one thing that was difficult to experience since I was born into this world.

To relax.

Not for the wrong reasons. It was the closest thing to normalcy that connected me to my old life. No need to plan out or think about anything, just enjoy doing simple tasks that were too unheard of for this universe.

Seeing as Izuka was in a bit of a trance, I nudged her slightly to break her out of it, "So? What do you think?"

"It's... breathtaking…." Izuka uttered in complete awe, her eyes scanning every inch of the display in front of her.

"Thanks..." I responded as we entered a slow walk, "You should've seen how my mother used to take care of it. I'm just sad we couldn't keep it the way it was before she passed away, but felt it's better to change it up a bit every now and then, you know?"

Gently trailing down a purple flower with her finger, Izuka turned her head to face me, "I bet she would have been proud. If anything, she'd prefer for it to be like this way. You and your dad continued to look after it when she no longer could, I think that alone would mean the world to her."

Giving her a grateful smile, I didn't need to say anything in response, continuing to walk at a slow pace.

Even though I showed her this just as she was about to leave, I didn't want to seem like I wanted for it to be over so quickly, letting Izuka take her time and observe at her own pace. The ever-so-growing look of awe continued upon moving to a new batch of flowers the more we walked.

"I once visited a fairly large flower shop with my mom and seen pictures of similar places... " Izuka paused to take another full look around, "But they were nothing like this."

"That's good to hear, means all those hours spent finding the right ones to grow paid off," I exclaimed, glad that Izuka enjoyed the view, "I'm trying to find more that glow in the dark, like those ones over there," I pointed towards the ocean blue flowers with a yellow orb in the center, a faint glow visible on the edges, "They still need an hour or so until they glow for real, it's like a miniature lantern when it lights up."

Because I didn't want her mom to worry about where she run off to, I promised her that next time we'll stick around for far longer, even telling her that she could join me for some garden work when I get around to it. Safe to say, the offer made her brain shut down and reboot before saying she would be more than happy to help out.

"Hold up," I stopped her before she go back to the house, wanting to give her a gift, something both Izuka and her mother would enjoy.

Tapping the closest ceramic vase, I created an identical copy of it while walking to the shed to fill it with dirt, as well as one device to keep the flowers healthy.

Crossing the short bridge to where I kept all the best ones, I paused to think which ones I should give her. I wanted to give her the option to choose, but something told me if I did, we would be here till sunrise before she could decide on her own.

I'll let her do that next time.

Taking several white petunias so there wasn't any shortage of them, the first part was complete.

All that was left was the final touch.

Having the ideal option to top it off, I walked a few steps towards the dozen dark-green rose-like flowers that were simply stunning to look at, with a pleasing scent that worked best in small rooms. Unlike the others, these took an ungodly amount of time before they finally bloomed, contemplating if the man who sold them to be scammed me or not.

Picking out a large and a small one, I placed them in the center at just the right angle, taking one last look at my picks if I should reconsider a last-second change but decided against it.

"Here you go!" I exclaimed cheerfully, extending my arms out so Izuka could easily take the vase, a gesture that left her speechless, "It's not much, but I should at least give you this for having you follow along during training. You're making excellent progress, so a small gift is in order. I hope you like them."

Instead of entering into a long stuttering session, Izuka simply held the vase in total silence.

"Who knows, if I get crippled in the hero business, I can always open a flower shop as a backup plan," I told her with a small grin.

The green-haired girl looked up, eyes widening slightly while giving me a blank stare.

Oh, crap.

"I-I'm kidding, it was just a joke…" I clarified but thought I needed to say more, "A bad one... but still."

Izuka's head went back down to the flowers in her hand, gently trailing the two dark-green roses. Her face stayed neutral as if nothing else was important than the items she was currently holding, "I promise to take good care of them."

"Now that's what I like to hear," I replied with a warm smile.

---

Once Izuka left, reassuring me that I didn't need to walk her home this time around, my thoughts were scattered for the rest of the night.

Not in a bad way by any means, if anything, I seemed more upbeat than usual, according to my Dad that is.

Writing down many pages of different Qurik combinations courtesy of Izuka, I was happy but for a different reason. It wasn't the fact that we managed to rack up quite a number of potential hits, but that we were able to talk for hours yet the only thing that prevented us from continuing was time itself.

For a while, I just kept asking myself, why was that?

Yet the answer was very simple, it only revolved around me and Izuka enjoying our hobbies

Days such as these remind me that even though the future will be grim, it's important to enjoy the moment. Constantly worrying about what's going to happen might only mess with me if I don't keep my thoughts in order. It's not like I would think about it all the time, but I'd be lying if I would simply forget about it.

Whatever the case may be, I owed Izuka a lot for what she managed to. Before drifting off to sleep, my mind would be eager to plan for what to do tomorrow, as opposed to the same old training routine I found myself doing for years now.

"I should really see if there are any new games worth buying," I pondered the thought with a long yawn. "Might as well waste some time doing that before I manage to fry my brain with, Kami knows I need it."

I went with another SoL Chapter, mostly as I didn't see more training with how last Chap left off, this felt like a far better choice. Will mix and match these types of Chapters in the future so the flow doesn't go sideways.

Next Chapter will start off with some new Quirks, and don't worry, I won't simply throw a bunch in without explanation. It will mostly be a few different examples of how our duo meet people and ask them if Yukio can copy their Quirk, helping in some small way or another in return.

Like Izu mentioned in the Chapter, Amplifier and Efficiency Quirks from Support Heroes would be greatly beneficial. I'd like to point out those won't be game-changers, boosts yes but major game changes come from other abilities later own. Plus most of these wouldn't be too "drastic" on their own, even though Yukio can boost them further to increase the effect.

There's a good story called "Collector Hero: Synthesis" by Kairomaru that explored this topic, but my only (personal) gripe was quickly going over that segment instead of fleshing it out (as in Izu meeting people and they offering him their Quirks for reference)-

Not sure about everyone else, but I only found a few good Copy Quirk fics that truly stick out. A big problem they all share is gathering too many/or powerful Quirks like they are candy. Maybe one or two, but everything else should be lower-tier abilities used with others and improved on its own for more effective usage.

I read somewhere that an Efficiency Quirk would apply to the copy process, which is quite the piece of information. Osmosian's have loopholes to have decent power levels of a ability without it ever disappearing, that isn't fully absorbing the target. More complicated, but plausible. Here, we can find more ways to expand this. I also read about the Support Items and I'm well aware of the process, still won't stop me from experimenting to be prepared. Also someone brought up how other A-1 members would fall too far behind, I will make some changes so they appear stronger compared to canon.

(I'm tired so if there are any errors in the Chapter I'll go over it in the morning).

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

Cya next time.

 

[Darwin-18]

Supsup, here's the update. Thanks to all who are enjoying it so far, the support means a lot! Knowing the story is getting good reception way before canon starts is a good sight in my eyes.

Anywho, onto the Chapter

---

Chapter 5 - Quirk Expansion

"Hmm… hmm… hmm…. What would be an ideal solution for this one?"

Instead of paying attention to the lecture inside the classroom, I was more occupied with figuring out an answer for the right combination of Quirks for a new project I wanted to develop in the future.

I stayed in a "regular" Elementary School for the time being. I say regular as my perception of reliving school as a kid again several centuries in the future had some differences. Not including being in a different country within a fictional world that was now real, but I digress.

Passing through tests and examinations was easy, as nothing was too hard by any means. The school system did take a bit of getting used to, since Japan has many differences than other parts of the world. I wasn't the type that could pay attention during class that easily, so breezing through until Junior High won't be too big of an issue. Besides, I have Izuka to bail me out if I ever get stuck somewhere.

Till then, I'll have my hands full with other things.

So far, there were only a few Quirks that sparked my interest at the moment, ones I'd very much like to find.

The thing about every single person around you having a random ability, not all of them will be an ideal choice to have. Heroes stood out because their abilities are way beyond than the general population, regardless that eighty percent of humanity has a Quirk.

I didn't set my expectations too high, as the whole ordeal itself is a giant random number generator.

Make no mistake, that is a huge percentage, and Hero agencies are scattered all around the globe, there will always have to be a shortage in demand somewhere. Becoming one is no joke either, having to be put through rigorous training years before attending a Hero school just to have promise in that field of work.

Regardless, my reputation in Elementary School makes it quite difficult to acquire them, a bit of an inconvenience but nothing too troublesome. One of the teacher's had a phone call with my father when my Quirk manifested, and to my luck, some kid overheard that bit of information that quickly spread like wildfire.

Yippee.

Junior High would be a good place to start, as I could easily get by using a different Quirk to such proficiency that nothing would seem off. It might be difficult as I feel there are some issues I have yet to take into account.

Upon attending U.A. I can openly reveal some secrets of my actual abilities, as I'm sure they would want to give as many resources to make the ideal Hero with this kind of Quirk. It's just a thought, but a good plan to follow for the foreseeable future.

Because of that, I was able to calmly think of my plans for All For One.

Objectively speaking, there is no chance that other Copy Quirks haven't appeared since AFO arrived at the scene. If Monoma is shown to have one, others are bound to exist. But just like the blonde, they also most likely share the same issue, restrictions. Either they were too severe, or lack some extension from copying a specific type of Quirk. Luckily, I made sure to inform my doctor of a few of them when I went to register it for extra precaution. The only place where Quirks can be truly checked is your personal file or upon entering a Hero School. Making sure my tracks were covered, my mind could rest easy that I wouldn't be signaled out. There's also that bit of being able to update your Quirk status over your lifetime when and if you experience changes to the ability, which only further strengthens my little lie.

It was just a thought, but seeing as there was no real need to reveal that I can copy Quirks post-Elementary School, I was leaning towards that option. I'd have to just make a pick of what kind of Quirk I'd use for those three years. If I play my cards right, I can make do with a few white lies instead, but I still have time to think about that.

Ever since Izuka came over to my house, I would look over the notes we wrote down as I couldn't stop thinking about them. Furthermore, Izuka managed to fill a few gaps in my other theories that I pushed off for a later time.

I think one issue I constantly thought about is how much my body can withstand while using other Quirks. Since a majority I think would include some drawbacks on a person who isn't physically capable of using it. During my research, it was proven that physical condition can make a big difference when utilizing a Quirk, then going over its limits and beyond.

Osmosians generally have improved stamina and durability, with their overall physiology alone pretty note-worthy.

Yet, my body still had its limits.

Even though I'm essentially an endless storage machine for Quirks, I couldn't just simply take an ability and be proficient in it right off the bat. During the absorption process, my mind, instincts, and senses change ever so slightly so the Quirk I took would make me familiar with it, but the experience itself for the first time is awkward.

I only needed a relatively small amount for now. Just because I have a pseudo-All For One Quirk doesn't mean I need to hunt for power every minute of every day. I'm content with refining some abilities to have on hand for versatility, as there would be no point in copying Quirks if I don't know their in's and out's.

Plus, I would only copy the ones I truly think are worth taking, as again, just because everyone has an ability, it has to meet some criteria to be of use. Mixing and matching different ones makes it a bit easier, but still.

My body treats each Quirk as its own individual slot, simply existing there without clashing with other abilities, waiting to be used or disappear entirely if they're used up. The period of how long they would last is a bit flimsy, seeing as it was never explicitly stated but is implied it would be a long while.

They had similar mechanics to how a phone battery would act, if it's "shut off" it won't waste any energy whatsoever.

I was a firm believer that simply absorbing powers isn't as easy a process as it may seem. Sure, you receive a natural instinct for what it does, but it isn't the same as properly using or mastering said power. Plus, the only Osmosians that were shown are Kevin, his dad, and Agraggor. The latter being the scaling comparison.

Having the ideal body to handle anything, and be at peak physical condition was more important than looking for Quirks. If I continue at this pace, by the time of the U.A. entrance exam, I will be more than ready for whatever the world can throw at me.

However, I still won't be strong by any means.

By this world's standards, I think I'd be able to deal with most Villains and match most Heroes. Then there's stuff like All Might, Nomus, Overhaul, All For One, and so much more. I can't be careless and think each problem can be solved with a few simple Quirk combinations, there are too many variables to take into consideration.

Truly powerful Quirks are a dime a dozen, so I have to keep my expectations steady until an opportunity comes up.

But just like I told Izuka, using your head with the hand you're dealt with can go a long way. Not everything has to be dealt with a mountain-slicing attack, every Quirk has some sort of weakness, it's a matter of finding it is. Absorbing my opponent until they fall unconscious is a double-edged sword, it can take too long or be out of my reach depending on the situation. Having a solution beforehand for that kind of stuff makes the overall process a lot easier.

One step at a time, I guess.

Izuka advised that we search for Utility and Mental Boosts, alongside similar types of Quirks that grant enhancements. My fighting skills and durability would be greatly improved compared to base Osmosian. Ability usage would see a bonus as well, something I was eager to explore.

Having a second stomach that stores energy, I found it difficult to not at least get exceptionally good at Energy Absorption, anything is possible when mixed with the right ingredients. I can probably list a few dozen different ideas I could incorporate from stuff I've seen that would be impossible outside of fiction.

Thus I remembered an ideal technique, one I always wanted to have, the Chidori!

What was my excuse? I always liked lightning-based attacks, very versatile in combat and an ideal attack for piercing power. The amount of theory crafting to expand it further was limitless.

That was half of the reason.

Being around Izuka made me simply want to geek out on certain projects, so I just went with it.

It would need two or three Quirks to properly replicate it by Naruto standards, including the Sharingan's perception to not get tunnel vision. I might have an alternate fix for those kinds of issues, but that was still in early development.

Even though it's considered an assassination technique, it was pretty versatile for many uses. Alongside proper accuracy and precision, mixed in with almost any Quirk to get something new. Going beyond an initial combination would be a headache to workaround, though.

But that's the point. Each combination needs the same kind of principle.

Albeit some might be easier than others, improving them further is always going to be important. Having a solid grasp on a few Quirks in any given situation will grant me a significant lead to my opponents.

Another theory Izuka and I wrote up is how "harmful" or "offensive" some Quirks would respond to others. The idea is similar to chemicals but with the likelihood of any "wrong" combination not resulting in getting something far worse. Not to mention if we find the right picks, that potential issue can be further reduced.

That topic was far more complicated on paper, but that was the overall gist of it.

For Izuka, I spent some time further researching what type of training I want her to follow. Unlike in my past life, base humans here are considerably more durable and have higher physical potential in comparison. It was difficult to make a rough estimate on the differences, but I was more than glad about that discovery. It might have seemed obvious, given that actual superpowers exist, but making sure that each "normal" aspect has some sort of improvement, unlike the real world.

Having several years before U.A. allows me to train Izuka to not only be at peak human condition but an expert in various fighting styles as well. Alongside being able to analyze and figure out a way out of any scenario, she'll be a total powerhouse.

It would just hit the mark before meeting All Might, as having no prior training before inheriting One For All caused all kinds of headaches in canon. I won't go into the nitpicking aspect as even by anime standards, ten months of pure training wasn't enough, especially without even using it.

At best, it might make her ready to take it on the spot, or at the very least, a few months of precise training to fine-tune any loose areas, which means we have six months or more if we're lucky.

It's plenty of time to get the starting issues of using One For All out of the way and quickly start utilizing it in more efficient ways. There is no way in hell that I'm going to let Izuka continuously break her bones until she masters her Quirk. While All Might did help in that regard, there were still plenty of unanswered questions and not enough time to actually use the Quirk than just preparing for the body to handle it.

The mental imagery of her getting seriously bedridden made me determined to pay close attention for when that time comes.

I don't want to pin the blame on All Might, even if at times he was shown to be "careless", to put it nicely. His teaching methods weren't wrong or anything of the sort, but lacked in other areas to get proper results. Was Nana Shimura vague when she gave him One For All? Furthermore, were the previous holders unaware of its true capabilities before it was too late?

The "It's full power can only be used by a Quirkless person" was accurate, but even All Might didn't know to what extent. But that begs the question; if All Might was Quirkless before, why couldn't he use the Quirks from the ones before him?

Although, there might be an explanation for that.

If I remember correctly, the Quirk itself has some level of sentience and evolves over time. I remember reading somewhere that, regardless of his sensei's not properly teaching him, All Might was able to utilize One For All without much difficulty. That, and I'd wager that All Might didn't suffer as much compared to his successor when first molding the Quirk, with most likely mental and emotional influence having a say in it as well.

Even without thinking about it too thoroughly, it was obvious the next holder of One For All will be stronger than the current one. Not to mention how All Might would push his Quirk to the absolute limit, as well as possibly keeping it going through the sheer strength of willpower to not give up. While that alone would give Izuka an impressive boost, as long as I'm around, I'll make sure that walking Quirk Wikipedia doesn't go through the same hell like in canon.

Whatever the case may be, I simply decided to not play the blame game, finding it nothing more than a waste of time. Making sure Izuka gets both mine and All Might's insight on mastering One For All will be essential, and possibly discover new ways on how to utilize it.

Looking up from my notebook, I was greeted with the same thought I had twenty minutes prior, boredom. Seems like I'll stick to this habit of ignoring whatever lecture is given out and wing it.

Oh, well. What I'm doing is far more advanced than any school system could ever teach me.

---

"No… noo... noup… hell no… pretty sure that's a ripoff."

I muttered out loud while observing the sea of manga and books on display at a small shop, two tables next to the door. The area we were passing through had a large variety of stands and other kinds of shops. Since Izuka was eyeing the ones we passed, I asked her if she wanted to stop by one, choosing a bookstore that was at the end of the street.

Opening a book only to be met with colorful pages alongside text bubbles instead of another lengthy manual regarding science or technology was a breath of fresh air. Izuka seemed to have a small collection of sorts, so our pick was ideal.

"Find anything good?" I asked Izuka, digging through the far end of my table.

"No… most of it's cheesy, or just really poor quality." the green-haired girl responded with a sigh. "There has to be something good, I'm sure of it…"

Not satisfied with the options presented, Izuka began digging through the large pile with a determined expression.

"You'd think the worker would at least pay attention when they have products outside the store," I commented while looking off inside said establishment, the open door and windows allowed a proper view of the items they had out on display. Sadly, the teenage girl behind the counter with her feet raised on it talking away on the phone seemed rather more important, she wasn't even facing the window.

"Oh, this one looks promising…" Izuka hummed while turning a page of a new manga she picked up.

Walking over towards her, I placed my elbow on her shoulder to lean in for a better look, "What's it about?"

It was difficult to get a quick rundown or a stable view of the pages. At best, a stutter-infused fumble of words with the book in her hands shaking uncontrollably. I didn't even do it on purpose, I genuinely just wanted a better look due to my height.

Even when I try to act like myself, it was still too much for the poor girl to handle.

Mental note, think in advance when doing simple stuff such as this around Izuka, otherwise, I would unintentionally cause her head to short circuit.

"Just work, you old piece of crap!"

A loud yell accompanied by something hitting what I assumed was metal caused us to perk up. Looking to the sides, we found the source of the dilemma. It was a tall, muscular man slamming his fist at the front part of a small bus, the same vehicle having a red and black colored logo of a fist on it.

"Sensei!" A young teen with short black hair stepped out of the bus, a stressed-out expression present on his face, "We only have fifteen minutes before the tournament starts! If we're not there before the drafting phase, we'll immediately get disqualified!"

"Thanks for calmly reminding me of that small bit of information," The man remarked before rubbing his temples, "Today of all days, oh, what luck…"

To restrain the visible frustration that was growing by the second, the man walked a few steps away from the bus to bury his face into his hands.

"What's going on?" Izuka asked puzzlingly.

"Seems like their bus broke down," I told her, turning to look at her with a grin, "And to their luck, I just so happen to be around."

Looks like I get a moment to shine without doing any hero work.

Walking towards the man in the tank top, yet to fully notice us since he had more pressing matters at hand.

"Excuse me, sir?" I spoke up upon getting close, trying to sound as polite as possible, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, sorry kid, didn't see you there," The man expressed lowly before turning to the bus, "We're on our way to compete in a tournament, you see, but this junk decided to die out in the worst possible moment.

"Is there any way we can help?" Izuka asked.

"Heh, if you two kids can work a miracle, I'd very much like one," He said truthfully but sounded more like accepting defeat than anything.

"My dad's a mechanic, actually. I picked up a few tricks while watching him over the years," I responded without missing a beat, causing his entire mood to quickly change, "Also, my Quirk is the right pick for the job in whatever needs fixing. If you'd like, sir, I can take a look and try getting it to start."

His face instantly lit up, "Oh, thank Kami! They really do happen! Thank you, thank you so much!"

Moving closer to open the hood, doing a quick overview of its insides, my eyebrows furrowed the more I examined it. "Oh… dear me…"

"That bad?" He asked, or more so wished that wasn't the case.

"Sir, I wished I could use the term "that bad" to describe what I'm seeing," I responded, not wanting to sugarcoat it.

"Ah, man, we're screwed!" the teen beside him cried out, already willing to accept defeat.

"But I can make it work, at least for where you need to go, which is where, by the way?"

"Near Musutafu Stadium, the smaller one, that is," He answered before adding, "It's not that far away from where we currently are, eight or so minutes at best."

"In that case, it's doable," I responded calmly, diving into the broken engine with my hands starting to chance into various tools, "It will take me a few minutes, so I hope you don't mind the wait."

The man clasped his hands, bowing down with such intensity the gratitude spoke for itself.

"You said you're on your way to a tournament, Mister?" Izuka asked politely to ease up the tense atmosphere, "Might I ask what kind?"

The man nodded, "Yeah, my name is Ishioka Hiroto. I run a small school that focuses on people with Quirks that grant them physical improvements or enhancements. There are many different competitions that center around physical feats, but the one we're attending has various segments all in one and is more well known than the others. Winning it would give us a big boost, alongside tickets to international events in the future that would otherwise be difficult to obtain."

"Does it matter what type of strength Quirk you have, or is anything acceptable?" Izuka asked. "I see none of your students have Mutation-like Quirks, only you would fit that description, Ishioka-san, but I feel like that isn't the case."

"Nah, this isn't from my Quirk," Hiroto began explaining, "This is all done with years of intense training because, without it, I wouldn't be able to use my ability to its fullest. You see, instead of granting me raw strength, my Quirk enhances my base strength by a significant amount when active. After reaching a certain limit, it's impossible to go further beyond what the human body is capable of. When I was younger, I could've gone further but was too harmful for my body to handle."

"Interesting, interesting," turning my head to the side, I caught Izuka writing away whilst still able to maintain eye contact, save for a few times looking down to make sure her hand didn't trail away, "The way that you described it, it sounds like it has a limited time window before it goes on a cooldown. I'm guessing improving your stamina and a proper training program can further tweak that?"

Hiroto nodded, "You're right. Alone it can last a while, but that depends on how much energy you have to spare. Oh, and a lot of mental training as well. Being able to maintain a stronger state requires high levels of concentration to balance it out. Getting enhanced strength is nothing if you can't properly manage it and know your limits."

"Thank you so much, Hiroto-san!" Izuka beamed when writing the last bit of the man's Quirk in her notebook. Brief silence filled the air before it was broken by Izuka asking the boy next the same question..

"G-Guess, I'm next," The youth exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Mine's called Quick Heal," with a sideways glance, I saw the teen raise his hand for a small black square with thin outlines slightly above each side, "It's nothing fancy, compared to other healing Quirks that is. It works on a charge system, being able to use it twice without issue, but afterwards, it becomes more difficult to use. At best, five charges, with the last three potentially being less effective. It can't repair severe injuries or mend disabilities, so it's greatly limited in that regard. Also, I should mention the effectiveness depends on how much food I ate prior to using it, essentially spending that as a cost of sorts. But after I reach my limit, no amount will allow me to use it without taking a few hours to recharge."

"Regardless, it can greatly reduce an injury in those two charges alone," Izuka commented, the sound of a page-turning swiftly before resuming, "It gives time until a medical professional arrives or help by overusing the Quirk during transportation. By such a description, it acts as a painkiller of sorts except for the first two charges. If it depends on your strength and the amount of food consumed, it's effectiveness might vary because of that."

"Eh, works well enough to help me survive after working out," Saburo shrugged simply, "It gets the job done, so I can't complain."

"Speaking of "done", I said after adding the last touch to the engine, dusting off my hands, "That should do it."

"Wait, already?!" Hiroto asked in pure shock, stepping towards the vehicle for further confirmation, looking inside to see several changes on the engine alone.

"Yup, just enough juice to last for one more ride," I reassured him, "Go try and turn it on."

Whistling to one of his students to do the deed, Ishioka's eyes almost dropped out of his skull when the engine came to life, "It actually works…!"

"Told you I could get it ticking," I said with a small grin, satisfied with all that time spent with dad and learning how mechanical-constructs work paid off.

"Thank you so much… ughh…" Hiroto started to bow but stopped midway. It's there we realized that we've yet to introduce ourselves.

"Midoriya Izuka!" She introduced herself with a bright smile.

"Toshiaki Yukio," I said in a similar manner, once again leaning onto Izuka's shoulder, "And you're looking at the next top two Heroes after we graduate U.A. and get our hero license!"

While I said that statement with nothing but sheer confidence, Izuka let out an awkward laugh at my claim.

"Heh, with that kind of enthusiasm, I'm sure you two will do well at U.A.," Hiroto said with a chuckle.

"Now, I can't stress this enough, what I did is only good for one ride," I began explaining in a serious tone, "I'm pretty sure what I did here wouldn't be considered legal, as the bus itself is in no position to be used for transportation. However, given the situation, we can make an exception this time. The moment this puppy is off for longer than a minute after it stops moving, it's done. I advise you to figure out an alternative way once you get there."

"I know the owner of another school that will be competing there, I'm sure he'll let us tag along after the tournament finishes!" Hiroto expressed with a wide grin, "Thank you, again, Toshiaki-kun. If there's any way I could repay you for helping us, just name it!"

"Actually, there is something…" I said trailing off, causing the man and teen to raise an eyebrow.

"What Yukio-kun is trying to say, he has a Copy Quirk, allowing him to make a one-tenth copy of the person he touches. With your Enhanced Strength and your student's Quick Heal Quirks, it would make a great combination for higher strength output while having several heal charges stored up at the ready. If-If that isn't asking too much."

"Yeah," I nodded with a smile. "What she said."

"Oh, I have never seen a Copy Quirk before," The teen commented while rubbing his chin.

"That's all!?" Hiroto laughed joyfully, "My boy, I'd give you more if I could, but anyway, I don't mind you copying my Quirk. I sincerely hope it will help you on your journey to becoming a Hero. It's the least we could do for helping us."

"Yeah… I don't mind either," The teen shrugged, having no issue since his teacher had none either.

"So, how does it work? Your friend said a touch will do it?" Hiroto asked puzzlingly.

"It can be done with a single touch, but slightly prolonged contact will give an added boost. While the amount I get is pretty significant on its own, it would be ideal to have a bit more just in case."

"I see," Hiroto nodded, a smile forming as he extended his hand out, "Thank you for the help, Toshiaki-kun, and hope that you use mine and my student's Quirks wisely."

"I will."

Shaking both his and the teen's hand for a short while, just so I get a proper filling of their Quirks. I stopped just to the point where signs of any kind of severe discomfort would start to show up, solely as it would be indecent of me to take way too much in this scenario.

"Ah! Sensei!" The teen cried out upon looking at his phone, "We're running out of time! If we don't go now, traffic itself will cripple us, not the other participants!"

"Oh, crap…. everyone! On the bus, right now, we have a tournament to win!" Hiroto called out to the other students, all sprinting towards the bus and taking their seats in less than a heartbeat, "Thank you, Toshiaki-kun, Midoriya-chan, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways. May your futures as Heroes be a bright and successful one!"

Just as he drove off, he slammed the horn several times before joining the traffic when the opening presented itself, giving one last cheer that gradually died down.

"Truly an energetic fellow," I commented as we watched them drive away, "Just really hope he doesn't break any traffic laws on his way to the stadium."

"I think they'll be fine," Izuka laughed, "It's not that far away, I find it doubtful something else might happen on their way there."

"That aside," I grinned while raising my hand in a sideways manner, "We got two nifty Quirks for our trouble."

"And we also got some information regarding them as well!" Izuka said excitedly.

My grin quickly disappeared when I got a better look at the two pages, with a small arrow on the bottom page meaning there was more, "You managed to use every inch of space in the short amount of time I took to fix the engine?... There's even a small list of possible combinations with them… "

Laughing nervously, Izuka rubbed the back of her head, "I couldn't help it, plus it managed to take their minds off for a little while you worked. I'm more surprised you managed to get it working so quickly, Yukio-kun."

I could only shrug in response. It wasn't that impressive, by any means, just a few alterations to the engine via some help with matter and energy tinkering. It was a fairly old model, even by technical advancements in this day and age, and with it being on its last leg, it was the best option given the circumstances.

"I might have to ask you to help me with my handwriting," I chuckled, "Every time I increase my speed, I always manage to mess up somewhere."

"You're too harsh on yourself," Izuka said reassuringly, "It just takes a little bit of practice to keep the consistency up."

If I didn't manage to improve that aspect in my second life, it's safe to say that I'll never improve, "I wouldn't hold your breath on that one, Izu."

---

"Aight," I huffed as I flopped down on an empty park bench next to a fairly large tree, sliding off my backpack while admiring my location of the day. "This will do nicely."

The park I chose was a wide field that was ever so slightly tilted at a downwards angle, with the overall size of it being abnormally big. For today, I was on my own. Izuka and I haven't missed a day of seeing each other since we met, so naturally, a time had to come up when either of us would be unavailable for whatever reason. She didn't tell me much, just that she and Inko had something planned and would most likely be busy for the whole day.

Instead of training alone, I decided it was a much better idea to go outside for a walk and do some theorizing at a nice, quiet location to work. The quiet part was tricky, as every one I've been to is filled with parents alongside their kids or kids, in general, messing around with their Quirks. After a while, I gave up on searching and decided to take what I could get. It wasn't all bad though, the atmosphere is more lively because of it.

Now having several Quirks to work with, I started to figure out what I could do with them, as well as a training program on the side to improve them. I started off with an idea with Bakugou's Explosion used with a blade/projectile, also with Heat Manipulation, I would be missing a piece or two to fit one of many combinations.

Every now and then, I'd take a minute to stretch and take a small break, looking up to clear my thoughts before continuing. More people showed up as it was five o'clock in the afternoon, slowly filling up the park as time went on. I didn't see anything noteworthy in terms of Quirks, maybe some that I caught briefly since there were too many to fully take in, and because I didn't particularly focus on it that much.

"Now, where was I?"

"Excuse me? Young man?"

A low but tender voice broke me out of my thoughts, causing me to look up from my stack of papers.

It was the woman who was feeding the pigeons for the past twenty minutes by a nearby tree in the shade. I noticed her a while ago when I would take a minute of rest. I couldn't tell her age, somewhere around her sixties judging by the wrinkled skin that was still early in development and parts of her orange hair having multiple white streaks.

"Would you mind if this old woman joins you?" The lady asked with a smile, "I would sit on the others, but I always come to this one because the tree here is right next to the bench that provides a little shade from the sun. If that's alright with you, of course.

Was that the reason she was standing off to the side for a while? A part of me thought that it isn't unheard of, but I was still skeptical.

All that paranoia is slowly starting to take its toll. Still, can't be rude when asked so nicely, especially to an elderly person.

"No, by all means," I replied honestly, having no reason to deny her request. Pushing my stuff to my side of the bench, I gestured for her to sit, "There's plenty of space as far as I'm concerned."

"Thank you, young man," The woman exclaimed joyfully upon sitting down, "You're so kind."

Not thinking too much into it, I went back to my work as if nothing happened.

Occasionally, I'd look at my notes at just the right angle so I can look at the woman in the corner of my eye. While she was feeding the pigeons close to her leg, it gave her a solid excuse to move her head downward to scan the paper scattered between us, sometimes taking a prolonged glance to most likely figure out what the text said.

For a good while, that's all the woman next to me would do in a repeated cycle. I didn't get any bad signs from her, more like curiosity taking over every now and then.

"This park surely is beautiful, isn't it?"

Ah, small talk. Why didn't I see that coming sooner?"

"Indeed it is," I replied while looking up from my notes, "This is the first time I've come to this one, but I'm liking it so far. It's relaxing, I'll give it that. Will make a mental note to visit here again in the future."

"You can say that again," The woman expressed with a deep sigh, "The view from here never gets old."

"You come here often?" I asked.

"A few times a week, actually," She clarified, "My home is not that far away, so it's the perfect distance for going out on long walks."

"Let me guess, retirement is that boring?"

The woman released a heartfelt laugh at my question, "You wouldn't be that far from the truth, I can tell you that much. But it ain't because of that. I just like to enjoy most days outdoors and find a quiet place where it isn't too loud. Although, I feel like that is becoming harder and harder to find."

"I agree with you on that one," I said with a nod, "Almost everywhere you go, some Villain manages to show up and make a giant mess."

Silence filled the air once more, the woman going back to feeding the birds while I just acted like I was reading from my notebook, as regaining my focus became difficult.

"Is that your homework?" The woman asked, only now taking a proper look.

"Noup. I seriously doubt any school gives out homework that looks like this," I explained while raising a sheet of paper to illustrate my point. "Besides, school itself is rather boring since I pretty much know everything already. It's more tedious than anything."

"Really, now?" She mused. "You're that ahead of your studies?"

"Make no mistake, it's just not that difficult to grasp. At least now it is, I feel like Junior High will be even more tiresome."

"I think you should rather enjoy that aspect while it lasts," The woman expressed simply. "Things get more complicated than they need to be when you're older."

"You don't have to tell me twice," I said with a low chuckle. "I'm well aware, I can promise you that much."

We proceeded to talk about random day-to-day topics in a relaxed manner, offering me some seeds to help out feeding the small army that gathered over time. After a while, a thought kept bugging me regarding this woman that only grew the more that we talked.

Naturally, I had to make sure.

"Ma'am?" I asked the orange-haired lady, causing her to raise an eyebrow, "I apologize if I make the wrong assumption, nor do I want you to take this the wrong way, but you didn't sit here next to me just because this is your favorite spot, is it?"

The woman's face remained completely neutral, not a single facial muscle moving an inch. "What would make you assume that?"

"Well… for starters," I began explaining my theory while looking around the park, "Even though the park is fairly large, quite a lot of people have come since I first showed up here, so most benches being occupied aren't too big of a stretch. However, if this was your spot, I feel like you would've asked me twenty or so minutes ago when I first noticed you. If by some chance I was causing you some sort of inconvenience by sitting here, you wouldn't have waited this long before engaging me in conversation. Am I right on the money or dead wrong?"

Her neutral face slowly broke into a low smile, "My, quite a perceptive young man for your age. But you are correct, you caught me red-handed."

"Hmm, thought so," I responded with a small amount of satisfaction in my voice, "But that begs another question, why?"

"Not the be the rude one this time around, but I just find it, what's the word I'm looking for, peculiar that a boy like yourself isn't out there foolin' around and play using your Quirk," The woman answered, my head following to where her eyes observed a duo of kids that nearly fell next to our bench, "I always preferred studying by myself, but even as a kid doing anything else besides using my Quirk in all manner of ways every day until I would get tired."

"If you're asking whether or not I'm Quirkless, I can assure you, that's not the case. It's just far different from the others," I answered truthfully, "It's just that I prefer spending my time researching and going over my notes outdoors on a day like this. It might seem evident by this point, but I'm no ordinary eight-year-old boy. I'm past that phase of mindlessly using my Quirk like that, experimenting and testing its limits is more appealing."

The woman remained silent for a few more seconds before responding, "Well, this can't be how you spend all of your free time, is it?"

"Oh, no, I have someone that I'm close with, but she couldn't meet up with me today since she had something planned with her mom," I replied casually, "Which is kind of weird now that I think about it, it's been a while since I went out on my own. Before I met her, I didn't interact much with other kids because… you know. So it was a welcomed change for once."

"I'm glad to hear that," The woman shook her head playfully before smiling, "Sorry, dear, how rude of me, I haven't told you my name, I'm Ueno Ayaka, but you can just call me Ayaka."

"Toshiaki Yukio," I shook her hand, "It's nice to meet you."

"Another question that puzzles me," Ayaka began, "You mentioned that you prefer to train most of the time, that makes me wonder, what kind of Quirk is it? Mind shedding some light on that?"

"I would…" I sweatdropped, thinking whether or not to give the mouthful of an answer about my Quirk, "While it's "simple" to explain, it's a bit more complicated if I try to explain it."

Akaya merely laughed. "Son, I may be old, but that doesn't mean my brain has given up on me yet. Why don't you just try and see if I can follow along?"

"Since you insist," I responded while holding up two fingers, one turning to an orange color to signify its heat and the other releasing tiny jade-colored sparks. "My Quirk allows me to essentially make a copy of a person's Quirk, albeit a slightly weaker version. While that may sound simplistic at first glance, there are tons of details on how it's used and the Quirks I collected with it."

"My, that is a rather unusual Quirk," Akaya responded while taking a piece of paper for closer examination, "Now all these notes make a lot more sense. Finding the right ones that fit, not to mention making something new. I take it you plan on becoming a Hero since you started off this early?"

"Heh, not just any Hero," I uttered spontaneously, not far from the truth honestly.

"Oh, then what kind?" Akaya asked curiously.

Several seconds passed with pure silence as I pondered the question, a simple yet very difficult one to answer. However, I knew just the right thing to say.

"A Hero greater than All Might."

I said that statement with a wide smile.

Akaya responded with a smile of her own, "If I hadn't had this small conversation with you, it would be hard to memorize as all other kids say the same. You, however, just might accomplish that feat someday."

"Seeing as how I told you my Quirk, mind telling me yours?" I asked, purely to continue the conversation since we got this far.

"Why don't I just give you a little demonstration, instead?"

Taking another scoop of seeds from her pouch, Ayaka tossed all but one, extending her hand closer so I could see. The seed in her hand was now coated by a yellow aura that circled around it, before quickly increasing in speed. After about ten seconds, a large Sunflower came out and quickly grew to full size. When she extended her hand once more for me to take it, I failed to realize that I hadn't said a word or moved an inch when her demonstration finished.

"Son? Are you alright?" Ayaka asked with a worried look, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry… It's just that my mother had a Plant related Quirk, she passed away when I was still a baby," I responded calmly, showing no sign that it bothered me, "I guess I was just caught off guard by your Quirk. I haven't seen a similar one ever since she was still around."

"Oh…" Ayaka's face turned to one of regret before continuing, "I'm terribly sorry, dear, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

I immediately shook my head, "No need to apologise, Ayaka-san. There's no way you would have known something like that. She loved to take care of plants and always make changes to our garden whenever she was done with work. With a Quirk like that, I'm guessing you have a similar hobby?"

"I owned a flower shop when I was younger, it wasn't the biggest or most well known in the city, but it was mine," Ayaka commented, a smile forming before continuing. "It was a much more peaceful route to take, the hero business was a bit too fast paced for my liking.

"I think I might know what that's like," I commented, "My dad owns an auto repair shop. It's not much, but he poured his heart into it and enjoyed what he had. That's a good way to look at things."

"Anyways, back to my Quirk, would you like to copy it?" Ayaka asked nonchalantly.

I was slightly caught off guard by how leisurely she said that. Definitely not expecting to be asked that question. "I… don't want to be rude, since you choose to sit here under the assumption I needed some company, this would be asking too much."

Ayaka waved it off, "I don't mind, if it can be passed on to a younger generation, I wouldn't have anything against it. Besides, if your mother had a Quirk similar to mine, I'm more than happy for you to have it. Taking care of her garden would be a lot easier with it rather than without. That, and I'm sure you'll find other uses for it eventually."

If I remembered one thing from my grandparents; when they give you something, you take it, no questions asked. It was a golden opportunity, mind you, I'm just surprised how fate works in weird ways. After the process was complete, I asked her some nitpicky questions regarding the Quirk's functionality and limits.

"Just make sure you make some unique ones for your mother's tombstone when you go visit her." Ayaka requested politely, nodding in agreement.

"I will," I promised, "Actually, I know another person who'll like them."

"Oh," Ayakla asked, raising an eyebrow. "And who might that be?"

"Remember that friend I mentioned earlier?" I asked, prompting her to nod, "We train together almost every day, well, more like me teaching her everything I know, but she has a unique skill of her own that balances things out. I gave her some flowers as a gift for pushing herself to the limit every day ever since we met. She liked the ones I gave her, I think. I want the next ones to stand out compared to the last batch."

"I see," Ayaka hummed, "What did she say when you gave them to her?"

"Nothing, which took me by surprise, honestly" I responded truthfully, "She's a rather talkative person, so the first thirty seconds of silence made me think otherwise. I'm not the kind of person to think much about gifts, let alone trying to figure out the appropriate one to give to someone."

"If you say so," Ayaka said while looking off to the distance, lips gradually forming a small grin.

"What?" I asked, the way she said that made me feel like I missed something.

"Oh, nothing," Ayaka said, a small hint of amusement in her tone, "Just remembering an old memory. Nothing to concern yourself over, dear."

While she was saying that, continuing to feed the pigeons without a care in the world, the expression on her face told me otherwise. Yet, I couldn't piece it together. At one point, I realized the answer until my mind finally stopped bugging me about it.

"Old people are confusing."

---

Since Izuka planned our last outing, I had a week to think of where we could go when the next day off comes around.

A friend of my dad gave him several tickets to the Zoo since he had spare ones when he went with his own family. While he and I would most likely enjoy the experience, he told me to take Izuka with me instead, or encouraged, to be more specific. Having no issue with that, I kept my little surprise a secret until our day off.

I only visited the Zoo two times in my life, both instances being in a different city as the one where I lived didn't have any. Either way, I was looking forward to the experience.

Just like last week, the two of us were walking in the middle of a bright sunny day, not a single cloud in the sky. To our luck, we didn't encounter any Villains when we met up, so I intended on keeping the flow going. Instead of me occasionally dropping the "where we going" question like last time, I was leading the way, humming an old song that infested my mind while we walked in silence.

Yet, in the corner of my eye, I couldn't help to notice Izuka opening and closing her mouth without making a sound, doing so a few times and most likely, even more, when I didn't pay attention. Seeing Izuka second guess herself before she could ask me the question on her mind was beyond adorable.

After a certain point, I couldn't help but release a soft chuckle.

"W-What's funny?" Izuka asked innocently.

"Oh, nothing," I replied simply while turning my head to face her, "I just find it interesting how different we are. Last time, I bugged you like a little kid asking 'are we there yet' every few minutes or so. You, however, want to ask me something for about fifteen minutes now and I've yet to hear it."

Realizing that I noticed her when she would do that, Izuka's face changed to a bright shade of red in embarrassment.

"Relax," I nudged her with my whole body before straightening my balance, "Only fair to keep our destination a surprise, it's far better for when you see it rather than spoiling it, that, I'm sure of."

"If you say so, Yukio-kun," Izuka said lowly, deciding to contain her excitement as best as she could.

To get there, we had to take a bus that greatly cut down the travel distance, and after another fifteen or so minutes of further walking, the Zoo finally came into view in the distance.

Izuka's eyes lit up upon realizing where we're going, turning to look at me for confirmation, giving her a cheeky grin as a response.

"I have never been to the Zoo before!" Izuka admitted with a wide smile.

"You're in luck, neither have I," I raised my hand to wave two tickets with gold edges, "We have a pass for the whole day, plenty of time to go over each exhibit. Shall we?"

Bowing slightly with my hand gesturing towards the Zoo, Izuka's growing smile only got bigger, bopping her head in pure excitement.

By this point, it was impossible to walk at a slow pace, as containing her excitement was becoming impossible, so we broke off into a light jog, finding myself to be falling behind Izuka for the first time.

It was a win in my book.

The Zoo itself was fairly large, and pretty neatly designed, alongside the state-of-the-art exhibits that accommodated each individual animal as if they were royalty. We spent the better part of two hours going to each exhibit while taking small breaks in-between, only to quickly get back up and continue exploring.

A thought popped up while watching the animals, what would happen if I would try absorbing an animal?

Some of their properties would be most likely converted to accommodate a human's physiology, but that would only include their senses. Animal Mutation Quirks are a different story, far easier, and most likely a major improvement.

After a certain point, I pushed those thoughts into the back of my mind for the time being. There is a proper place for that, but for now, enjoying our time here took priority.

Besides the Zoo, this place was well known for having an aquarium that was equally well known, another reason why it was one of the more popular locations in Musutafu.

I have never been to one of these, and personally, I preferred this to the Zoo since I grew up close to the sea. There was a lengthy set of stairs leading underground, with the "celling" being made out of glass that presented the aquarium in its full glory, dubbed the open section where fish of every kind possible were swimming about. At first, Izuka seemed reluctant the further we went down, reassuring her it's as safe down here as it is up top. When we got to ground level, there were several pathways that lead to different sections, housing specific species in large packs.

That's where Izuka's little fear completely vanished, unable to look away from the large swarm of different kinds of fish the more we walked. We made sure to take our time since Izuka would take long pauses to simply admire the view.

Oh yeah, it was definitely worth coming here.

As we were walking around, something caught my eye.

While the many kinds of underwater animals were breathtaking to look at, my eyes were focused on a man in his mid-thirties, or more specifically, the job he was doing.

He was a pretty plain individual by this world's standards, a sort of slender build with his blonde hair wrapped into a ponytail, picking up an electric eel from a large glass container. Around him, a safety line was placed with several meters of empty space, the parents making sure no child doesn't accidentally sneak through.

Why did it spark my interest?

Well, the eels in my world don't produce any visible electricity, and I remember the average volts it can have is around the six hundred range, depending on the species.

But these ones produced a blue layer of electricity that coated its entire body, or more accurately, would do so when taken out of the water.

Yet, this man didn't flinch.

Once my eyes saw that I knew what to do.

"Excuse me, Mister?" I approached the man, just when he placed another eel into the exhibit. Izuka stayed a few meters behind, still eyeing the large underwater aquarium in its full glory. When the man fully turned, I saw a name tag with 'Takumi' written on it, "I'm not interrupting your work, by any chance?"

"No, not at all!" Takumi replied as he closed the tank, "What can I do for you, little guy?"

"Well, while you were working, I couldn't help to notice these eels aren't the others," I looked down to the container housing the rest of them, "Can't say I have ever seen ones that form an electric shell around their body like these do. I'd wager these babies each have a few thousand volts minimum."

The man chuckled, "That's a close estimate, you're not far off," Walking over to the container, he tapped the glass before continuing, "When in a group, they have so much electricity running through them that forms an amazing spectacle with all of them connecting to each other. They have to be taken out every week or two for a brief checkup to make sure they're healthy. Food can easily get clogged up between their gills."

"Interesting," I hummed, "Compared to other species, they pale in comparison. Not only the amount of power they hold but in appearance as well."

"I know right?" Takumi responded, "These ones don't aren't as dangerous as they look like. Well, for me they aren't, that is. Not everyone can simply pick one up and hold on to it. Otherwise, they would fr-"

"-fry the person to a crisp in about five seconds?" I finished with a pure tone.

His eyebrow twitched upon hearing that, most definitely not expecting to hear that from a kid. "Yeah… that."

"Speaking of which, how are you able to withstand that large amount of electricity without any kind of protection? Is it because of your Quirk?" I asked with my head titled.

"Bingo," Takumi snapped his fingers, "You see, I have a high resistance to electricity even when it's not active, but it's way weaker compared to when it's on. For a full hour or so, I can resist up to several thousand volts like a breeze, maybe even higher but I never personally tried or fully checked. Afterward, the more I try to resist the lesser I can actually withstand. I can also increase focus on individual parts of my body to be more resistant than the rest."

"Hmm, now that is an interesting detail," I said with a thoughtful expression, "While it most presumably gives minor resistance even when not active, or when the duration is used up, solely focusing on the heart and brain to not risk potential damage. If the scenario isn't that severe, the body won't suffer too much as a tradeoff."

"Y-Yeah," Takumi said sheepishly while rubbing his neck, "I wanted to shoot my shot at becoming a Hero when I was your age but didn't have much success. Can't do much with a Quirk that's too situational like mine. Still, it has its uses."

"Not even with Support Items?" I asked, "I'm sure some kind of device could be made to further increase the odds."

Takumi merely waved it off. "Nah, later on, I realized it wasn't my thing. When all the other kids say they wanna become a Hero you kinda get roped in subconsciously. I get more freedom doing various jobs that need my Quirk in a more laid-back lifestyle," the man explained before his phone buzzed, causing him to look down for a second or two, "Anywho, I'd love to talk more, little guy, but I gotta finish up here and tend to some of the animals up topside. It was a nice chat, be sure to come again in the future. I tell you, if there's a perk to working here is simply kicking back and enjoying the view."

"Before you do, there is one other thing I wanted to ask ya," I asked Takumi, nodding for me to continue, "My Quirk allows me to make an identical copy of any Quirk at one-tenth of its value. I try to find different and useful Quirks that can be suited for any situation when I become a Hero. When I saw you lifting up these eels like it's nothing, I just had to ask you about your Quirk. Seems like my hunch paid off."

"Cool…" Takumi whistled, "Wait! That means you can use a bunch of Quirks to do something different, right? Or is it a 'use one at a time' type of deal?"

"The former, actually," I replied with similar enthusiasm, "Not only would it be useful against electricity-based Villain, but I can also implement it in attacks that wouldn't harm me or my allies by adding a few more Quirks to make the ideal combination. Just one piece of a puzzle allows me to further enhance its capability while making new ones in the process."

"Can't say I expected this on my weekend shift," Takumi chuckled, "I never could use it to get into the Hero business, but I'd be more than glad for a bright young man such as yourself to use it, at least it's in the hands of someone who can make it interesting."

"Please, Takumi-san," I stopped the man in his tracks, "You don't give yourself enough credit. It might not be flashy like other Quirks, but calling it 'uninteresting' from what it can do on its own is simply untrue in my eyes."

After allowing me to copy his Quirk, I gave him a quick rundown of the process, as well as introduced myself. When I got an ideal amount, I thanked him and allowed him to resume his work. While he was busy lifting up a fairly large eel, my eyes couldn't help but scan the nearby container that housed the rest.

"Another time," I thought before I could reconsider, "While I would "probably" be fine if I tried it, I'd rather not die a second time for a mere gamble."

I was so tempted, but I already got what I wanted, no need to be greedy now.

Once I was finished with my little side venture, I went back to where I separated from Izuka, finding her with a worried glance while looking around for me.

"Where were you, Yukio-kun!" Izuka rushed forward when she spotted me, almost crashing into me but stopped at the last second, "You missed the best part!"

"Sorry for vanishing like that," I apologized awkwardly before raising my hand lazily, "But I found a worker with a Quirk that piqued my interest, so I had to talk to him before he could leave. Luckily, he didn't mind me copying it."

"Oh, really!?" Izuka's eyes sparkled, completely ignoring the fact we briefly separated, "What kind?! Did you ask some questions about it, perhaps?!"

Just before Izuka could take off her backpack to get a notebook out, I stopped her, "Or, we could go topside first and get something to eat before getting into that. Besides, the lighting in here isn't the best for writing down notes."

"Wait!" Izuka grabbed my wrist, the evident excitement yet to die down, "We haven't checked out the rest of the aquarium, that tunnel over there is the way out!"

My mouth opened but nothing came out but a small yelp as I was yanked forward, entering a light jog while making our way to a glass tunnel. Wherever I would turn, I'd see a new group of fish swimming about in large groups, the environment itself giving it the feel like you're literally walking on the ocean's floor with its design.

While the view was breathtaking, my attention was split elsewhere.

Usually, I tend to speak my mind when I would be dragged like this, but seeing that wide smile across Izuka's face when she would turn her head to the side, the longer we ran made it impossible for me to even think about ruining the moment.

Yet, I felt bad either way. Because when she realizes that she still hasn't let go of me, I know that face will do a one-eighty in a heartbeat.

---

"You sure you don't mind giving me these books, Yukio-kun?" Izuka asked the same question for the third time now since I first offered them.

"I told you, they are yours as far as I'm concerned," I replied without looking away from the screen while typing away at the search bar. "I practically memorised them with how many times I had to re-read them to make any sense of it."

"O-Okay," Izuka uttered before continuing. "Thanks again, Yukio-kun!"

Seeing as I had plenty of reading material, I didn't mind Izuka borrowing most of them, as it would be far better to get her up to speed than collecting dust on a shelf. We were in my room after another day of training, Dad had the afternoon shift, so it was just us two.

Izuka went through the books I had while I was doing some research.

It was amazing how the internet gives so much more options to work with, abusing the hell out of it ever since dad brought home a pretty basic computer for me to use. While I could read dozens upon dozens of research articles and different fight styles, I went with a more grounded approach.

Musufasu is one of the most popular cities in the world, the number of things you can find in it are endless. On the Internet side of things, forums were the most that stood out. Made sense with how much Hero activity is going on, but also other activities and groups by the dozen. Since Quirks aren't a secret, the only exception being ones considered dangerous, so their ability is the first or second thing you would notice on a person at first glance.

Since a lot of people are open about their Quirks online, if I can find the right ones and get in contact with those people, I'll have plenty of options at my disposal.

"Hmm, might this be the solution we were looking for?" I mused while leaning back into my chair.

"What is it?" Izuka asked, sliding closer to the desk for a better look.

"A forum I found that has a variety of channels for different topics," I explained. "It also has people that simply talk about their Quirks and what they do. They seem pretty laid back by the comments."

"Wait! I think I know one as well," Izuka jumped towards the mouse to open a new tap, typing away at the keyboard before sitting back down. "I found this site a few months ago when looking for some information regarding a Quirk, ended up finding way more in the process."

"There are plenty others I believe, we just have to do a little digging until we find them all," I

"Where should we start?" Izuka asked abruptly.

I blinked several times before responding. "You mean... like right now? You're okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Izuka asked innocently with her head titled.

"Well... it's already getting late as is," I said looking at the time. "Knowing us, it will be a while before we look at the clock when we start. We can pick up where we left off tomorrow."

"It-its not a bother!" Izuka waved it off frantically. "I already told my mom I would be over at your house in case it got late so she doesn't get worried. I don't think she would mind if I stay out a bit longer."

"If you say so," I merely shrugged. "I'll walk you home when we're done, just in case."

Izuka immediately object. "Y-You don't need to do that, Y-Yukio-kun. I'll be fine on my-"

"There is no way I'm going to let you walk home late at night, especially when you stayed over because of me," I stated with no intention of prolonging this topic. "Knowing you get home without encountering a Villain will help me sleep at night. I'll be fine on my own once I drop you off.

The look on Izuka face practically spelled that she wanted to continue the debate, but couldn't find the words to do so. With a defeated sigh, Izuka looked away. "It's not n-necessary... but thank you..."

Smilling at how easily I won our little debate, I turned back to the screen. "Okay... what should we look for first?"

"Wouldn't you be the one to know that, Yukio-kun?" Izuka asked curiously.

"I do... but," I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "I can't make a decision on my own before getting completely off track. So many variables go through my mind that it becomes a jungle on some instances."

Forming a smile of her own, Izuka moved the keyboard closer towards her. "Gotta start somewhere, right?"

"Lead the way." I gestured with a grin, proceeding to watch Izuka furiously type away as more tabs opened with different categories of the two sites we found.

Once again, it was a long night ahead of us.

-Quirks:

Strength Boost - Requires a level of physical condition to properly utilise. When active, increases physical capability by a considerable amount. It's possible to use this ability after surpassing its limit, but at a greatly reduced level.

Quick Heal - Ability to greatly reduce minor/low tier injuries. Functions on a charge system, able to store five charges. First two to three are the most effective, while the rest at a lower efficiency. Unable to heal fatal wounds, disabilities, or

Electricity Resistance - User has great resistance over electric-based attacks, other objects/devices that might be used cause harm as well.

Plant Manipulation - Ability to increase growth of plants with a single touch. Also able to shape, move, control, interact and manipulate existing plants, mainly multicellular organisms. Further extent of this ability is yet unknown.

Explosion - Allows the user to excrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from their palms and ignite it at will to create explosions of various sizes.

Heat Manipulation- Able to increase the heat of the user's hand's to high temperatures, while also able to regulate the heat of objects to a considerable degree.

Rotation - With a touch, the user is able to make an object (up to 3kg/6.6lbs) hover or rotate around the hand that marked them. It is possible to center the focus on the entire body with further training. Can mark multiple objects/items as long as they are within the weight limit, although requires more concentration to properly maintain.

Dinosaur - The user is able to enter a humanoid-dinosaur like state when active. Gives increase in strength and durability at the cost of mobility due to the added weight. Size may vary if further experiment with.

Dust Manipulation - User can create, shape and manipulate dust, fine particles of matter from various sources. Can be used in various ways, most notably weapon creation and to overwhelm opponents if a suitable amount is harnessed.

That concludes Ch5.

Like I mentioned before, acquiring several starter Quirks and the method they'll be acquired in the future is necessary to address. I didn't just want to gloss over how he got multiple Quirks in a few days without the proper insight as we've yet to see that aspect. I won't necessarily make a segment for each Quirk Yukio finds, only if it's an exception or too noteworthy to pass up, but overall, I think everyone knows how obtaining some Quirks will play out.

Some people who asked about the romance side of things, Yukio won't be oblivious but will be dense at times. I'm aiming for the perfect middle ground without dragging it out too much, hate when animes do that. I'm not sure when exactly I should make it so they become a thing, so I'm still unsure about that.

There are a few things I want to do before any slight time skips to Junior High, as we won't be too far off from that stage when the next few Chapters come out.

If you have any Quirk suggestions, be sure to let me know. Trying to find a ideal training plan up until U.A., and since now we're getting to the fun part, I'll enjoy writing the later arcs when we get to them.

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

Cya next time.

[10.11. Edit - I read my Chapter after a few days and noticed several errors/unfinished sentences, so I went back and fixed them since my OCD won't let function otherwise.]

 

[Darwin-18]

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.

 

[Darwin-18]

Supsup, here's another MHA update! Sorry for the delay, ran into some issues I wanted to fix to make the Chapter flow more smoothly, but I think it's fine now. Hope ye enjoy!

---

Chapter 7 - The Meaning Behind a Dream
"Hiyaaa!"

Came the war-cry of the brown-haired teen who was my sparring partner for the day, charging in with a barrage of quick attacks before doing a quick spin kick towards my chest, blocking it and the next right hook that came a second later, hitting him with an elbow strike across his left temple that made him stagger backwards, taking a moment to recover before charging back in.

I, however, had a rather simple task; to not get hit and upon blocking every fourth attack, I was able to retaliate with a single punch or kick before repeating the same cycle. A bit of an unorthodox method for a spar, but given how the lesson for today was centered around strengthening your defenses, might as well take Sensei's word for it.

While pushing my opponent back, I took the split second for my eyes to wander towards Izuka who was not to far away from me, going back and forth in her own match but instead facing an older teen, it was a against boy who I believe is in his first or second year of Junior High and was pretty decent, but that didn't stop her from going even in her own match.

During my time here, and even before arriving at this world, some things you just have to experience to truly get the full meaning of it, including proper physical training. Watching videos and going off of memory worked considerably well up until a certain point, but it would be foolish to rely solely on that or think I wouldn't need proper insight to fine-tune some Heroes, and those who plan on becoming one need to be prepared for anything and everything, and being able to defend yourself if you aren't able to use your Quirk for whatever reason. There were people of all ages, some being regulars and some who just recently started attending, so there was plenty of variety in terms of skill.

Besides, with Musutafu having plenty of options to choose from, I made sure to look everywhere till I found just the right one. I was a little picky for this particular case, so I made sure to take my time when searching around.

Having a few years of physical training on my own while growing up under my belt, I didn't have to go through the basic introduction, rather willing to spring into action and rather let the Sensei rate my current capabilities. The beginner and somewhat intermediate fights were a breeze, as either by base durability or strength allowed me to hold my own in a spar on its own, which was a nifty perk when in and out of combat.

Seeing a pattern after beating multiple opponents in, Sensei had me go up against some older students, the teenagers to be specific.

While some Quirks give base forms a passive boost, mine was simply stronger by default, meaning even by holding back, it was enough to get me a win without "fully" trying just by that.

The next time we showed up, he wanted me to face off against him so he could get a "hands-on experience" before continuing anything else.

Obviously, I wasn't going to use my Quirks for any additional boosts since I think even at this age I was packing quite the punch, but now I had more freedom going up against a more experienced fighter. Besides, tactics were more important than firepower in this scenario.

Now, how did that particular matchup go?

Simple, me getting way too overconfident and actually thought I'd manage to exploit the openings during our fight, only to fall right into his trap.

The man was too damn smooth with his movements, and definitely had the confidence in his skills to boot, wanting the last possible moment before swatting away my hands and legs to stop my attack. We did several other spars afterwards, given the green light to do anything to come out as the victor, but I didn't have much luck there either.

When I got completely bodied without holding back, in such a short amount of time to boot, I knew we hit the jackpot.

Just by observing him and the older people who would come to the Dojo, I could tell we were gonna have a splendid time here.

Now knowing where my starting point was, the Sensei commended my knowledge and current skill level but was quick to point out the "flaws" present in my form. He was critical but made sure to not look at the negatives, rather use it as motivation to focus on certain areas to further improve my form.

Makes sense when you think about it, as if I spent so much time doing so many different things, I wouldn't think or even know some tidbits that were equally important in their own right. Also helps out that the man was very thorough in his explanations, even if it's regarding something simple. I paid close attention so I could start identifying said issues on my own in the future.

Izuka, on the other hand, was making solid progress in her own right.

Due to only starting somewhat recently and still at a young age, there was a lot of room to work with. Initially, they didn't expect her to already know a decent number of techniques and not be a complete novice, which I feel the Quirkless aspect might have had a small part in that assumption. That didn't stop her from coming out victorious in her matches, ending them as soon as possible with minimal damage to boot.

That, and I'm positive her drive for improvement didn't go unnoticed by the Sensei, placing her against slightly more skilled students to see how well she does as a result. The first few were like the rest until she quickly met her match, but that was enough for Sensei to get an idea of how to go about her situation.

Also, after explaining to him what our goals were, and how determined we were on the surface level alone, we might have already proven ourselves to him, but only time will tell.

"Keep up the fine work, you two," Sensei addressed the two of us since we were the last to leave, "I expect this level of dedication to be present for the foreseeable future, it would be a shame to slow down after such an impressive start. Next week I'll have you focus on refining your skills and increasing your stamina before we move on to anything else. Is that clear?"

Strict and somewhat harsh, but had just the right amount of heart mixed in as well.

All the proper ingredients you'd want in an ideal training instructor.

"Understood, Sensei!"

Dropping the serious facade, the older man gave us a warm smile while holding the door open for us, saying our goodbyes as we exited the building.

"So? What do you think of it?" I asked Izuka as we walked.

"It's amazing!" Izuka said ecstatically, "All of the people there are so nice, especially ones teaching us. They didn't mind that I didn't have a Quirk, but were glad I was so determined to learn new fighting styles. The Head Sensei was impressed I already had some fundamentals down but said there was room for a lot of improvement. Still, not starting from scratch makes it a bit easier, saying he's expecting great things if I keep this level of focus."

"That's good to hear, I'm glad it's to your liking," I said with a smile, "I spent a few days searching all over the Internet for the best possible pick in Musutafu, as well for it to be manageable distance-wise. Some of them even have retired Heroes that show up quite frequently, so when I narrowed down the options, this seemed like the best one."

"It's also not that far away for either of us, which is a big plus, If anything, it's just the right amount of distance for a pre-warm-up jog" Izuka commented, "If i'm being honest, I was pretty nervous when we started out, but having some prior experience greatly helped! After going up against several other students and actually winning, even if it's not much compared to everyone else, I'm sure it will only get better over time."

"Ooof, we better make sure we don't slack off then, otherwise Sensei will kick both our butts for getting lazy," I said optimistically, "Might still take a while, but we've done a pretty good job on your combat skills in the last two months that gave us a head start. However, now that we're here, at the rate we're going, we'll have nothing to worry about if we keep going at it."

"No other way but up, right?!" Izuka said with a bright smile, one filled with nothing but determination.

Forming a wide smile at her enthusiastic nature, I looked off to the distance to admire the stunning view of an orange sunset. We continued to walk at a slow pace as we weren't in any rush, rather wanting to enjoy some relief after finishing another day at the Dojo.

I tried focusing on virtually anything else at the moment, but the rumbling sensation in my stomach. I could've easily tapped several machines to take care of that hunger, but I refrained from doing so since I really wanted to actually eat something rather than just feed off of energy. Actually, I've been doing this for the last couple of days since Dad's schedule was rather hectic, and I was somewhat lazy to cook for myself since I had an easy alternative.

It was weird, it was essentially the same as eating but drastically different where it could be described as a totally different experience overall.

I wasn't getting sick of it by any means, If anything, I'm starting to miss what actual food tastes like. No offense to Dad's cooking, but after seeing him eat a burnt steak like it was nothing, I knew then and there I should accept that not every meal would turn out "perfect", to say the least.

Eh, could've been worse, at least it's not an occurring habit, otherwise, getting through meals would be the real challenge

"Say, Yukio-kun…" Izuka began lowly, dismissing all the current thoughts in my mind. "I was wondering…"

"Hmm? What's up?" I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"W-Well, considering its Friday, and we just got off training, but I was thinking-"

"I see, you wanna get a head start on Sensei's advice and tackle those issues he mentioned," I deducted, "While I'm usually against doing excessive training without proper downtime, I think we can make an exception this time. Maybe we ca-"

"Actually," Izuka said abruptly, cutting me off mid-sentence, "It's not that. I had… something else in mind. Because… well… you see…"

"More garden work?" I asked, sort of confident in my answer, "Whenever you beat around the bush this long, it has to be that. There's really no reason to feel embarrassed by asking me that, you know. Having you around to help out with the layout just feels…''better", I guess? Dad and I somehow always second guess where we should put each plant when redecorating, and when I'm on my own I spend a majority of time looking up different places to get some inspiration flowing. Now that I think about it, it would be an ideal time to switch out the old ones before they die out, still haven't decided with what to-"

"-Would you like to come over to my house?!"

My train of thought was broken when the request came out, a short but necessary pause needed to think back on what she just asked me.

Maybe it had to be the fact that Izuka struggled a bit to get it out, added to the fact I might have had a sort of derpy face as I genuinely was surprised by her suggestion. For some reason, I kind of thought it might be revolving around an odd activity or maybe some sort of location she thought I wouldn't be on board, it truly did seem that way for a second there.

Yup, seems like I'm forgetting who we're talking about here.

Silly me.

"Sure!" I said cheerfully, "Sounds fun! I'm just surprised it took you this long to ask me, considering you've been over at mine a couple of times and I walk you home whenever it gets late."

"I-I don't know, I was meaning to ask you for a while now, but well… I guess I wasn't sure how to bring it up in conversation…"

"Regardless, I'm more than happy to come," I said, "It will be nice to just sit around and relax for once, maybe we can watch a movie or something?"

"Yeah! We can do that!" Izuka replied cheerfully, but quickly looked off to the side sheepishly, "A-Actually, most of my collection consists of Hero-related movies, if-if you're alright with that."

"Most of them?"

Forming a low pout, Izuka muttered, "All of them…"

Another chuckle escaped my lips as the scene unfolded. Oh yeah, this will never get old. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised there, that sounds a bit redundant now that I think about it. Still, I haven't watched a decent movie in a while now. Usually, I just turn on the TV and try digging something up but give up halfway."

"Maybe we can buy some snacks while we're at it?" Izuka asked with uncertainty, "I'm not sure if we have a whole lot of them at home, so it wouldn't hurt to stock up just in case."

"Any preferences, or do we find the nearest store and take whatever?"

"Hmm, not sure, really," Izuka said while rubbing her chin, "I kind of want to get my Mom something while we're at it, so probably some sweets? Mom's been on a chocolate craving of sorts lately, so might as well."

"Yeah… I'm not fond of chocolate all that much, or sweets in general."

"You're not?!" Izuka practically screamed, eyes going wide at my statement.

Laughing awkwardly, I rubbed the back of my neck before responding, "Okay, that might be slightly incorrect now that I think about it. I mean, I don't mind them, but I can't eat too much of it without starting to feel a little… nauseous? Wait… that's not the word I'm looking for. Here's an example, you know how some medicine or syrups have a sort of "unappealing" taste?"

"Yeah…?" Izuka asked curiously.

"It's kinda like that after I eat a decent amount of it," I began explaining, "Like, I don't mind it if it's syrup or in small pieces till a certain point, otherwise, the sensation gets severely irritating around my horns. Not sure if all sweets have the same effect, but I never put that theory to the test, or explore different kinds of foods in general, mostly because I only ever eat what Dad makes for himself and I just take it as is. However, if you wanna get some, I guess I can make an exception."

"Wait…" Izuka uttered slowly, taking a few more seconds before speaking up, "Your dad doesn't cook the type of food that you enjoy, or even ask him to make something different for a change?"

"Eh, I kinda never really felt like bothering him with that," I shrugged truthfully, "Most of the time, because of his work schedule, I almost never ask for a specific dish or complain if it turns out differently than the picture in the recipe book. After my Mom passed away, he tried so hard to get everything back on track, being picky about food seemed like the last thing I should bother him with."

"I see…" Izuka muttered lowly, turning her head forward as we continued to walk.

"You okay?" I asked, seeing this particular form of silence usually meant something was on her mind.

"N-No, I'm fine… just," Izuka paused momentarily before quickly continuing, "I hope we find something that's to your liking, so both of us can enjoy a movie in peace."

"Might as well try finding a needle in a haystack while we're at it," I answered back somewhat bitterly, recalling all the places I visited when I would go out randomly exploring Musufasu. "Either I'm too picky in that regard or I can take whatever and be happy with it."

---

"Should I add an extra piece? Gah, they're probably hungry, better to make more just in case."

Inko pondered the thought while making dinner, the reason being somewhat of an important one. This was it, the day Inko has been looking forward to for the last couple of weeks, finally getting to meet Izuka's first friend, Yukio.

Maybe for some, it wouldn't be considered anything special or that important, but the same things can't be said for her, not in the slightest.

It took a little bit to convince Izuka to invite her friend over for the first time, always being met with a "soon", "eventually" or a "the universe might implode if I do" as a response. Well, that last one was a bit overexaggerated, but her daughter was a firm believer that it was a possibility, even before she could even ask the question.

Due to her daughter being rather talkative, Inko essentially begged for Izuka to invite her friend over so she can meet the boy herself. Luckily, today just might be that very day.

Well, she hopes that is.

Inko wouldn't be surprised if Izuka backed out of her promise in the last second, the multiple rehearsals they had shown her how difficult it was on her part. It was completely understandable from Inko's point of view, but regardless, all the single mother wanted to do was reassure her daughter to not "worry as much" as there wasn't a need to, especially when she already went to his house on multiple occasions.

Given the circumstance, Inko couldn't even fathom how these simple things were very important to her, for obvious reasons.

Inko wasn't stupid, nor clueless, but in a way, she was helpless to do anything.

Worst of all, she was responsible for feeling like that.

The single mother will never forget the day when she and her daughter went to the doctor, the smile on her face that was crushed into thousands of tiny pieces, and possibly the last time formed a genuine one prior to their appointment.

When Inko was her age, the idea of becoming a Hero burned just as bright, but slowly faded over time the more she would think about it. It's easy to give in to peer pressure and not think too much of the consequences of certain actions after the fact. It was a well-respected and greatly versatile profession, but ultimately, it wasn't for everyone, for one reason or another.

Being a Hero is something almost every other person wants to be ever since Quirks appeared, and in a way, Inko could understand why. They put their lives on the line to save people and keep society in a stable environment with how cruel and dangerous the world is as a whole. The thought of someone using their Quirk to harm and attack others, either for dominance or simply enjoying made her sick, but that's the way of the world, a harsh reality.

While she respected the profession for what it was, and all those do their part to help society, she never went beyond the surface level of the "culture" of it. Like many others, she simply didn't have that kind of drive to be in touch with the hero lifestyle, only wanting to live a peaceful life and have a family of her own. Even if she wanted to, raising a child while being a full-time Hero would be a near-impossible task, as properly splitting time between the two just doesn't seem like it would work out all that well in the end.

Aside from Villains, who simply use their power to get what they want, with no regard to the problems they cause in their wake, Inko wasn't sure how to handle a specific issue, one that only came into fruition once Izuka got her doctor's test results.

Kids were cruel.

At face value, that statement might seem a bit too harsh, and Inko truly didn't want to think that way, but over the years, it was difficult to not think that way every now and then. How couldn't she notice when Izuka would come home with a downcast expression or at best, a forced smile while acting nothing was wrong, but she couldn't fool her. To make matters worse, it was the ruined pieces of clothing or the occasional bruises she'd manage to spot before Izuka would hide them from sight.

It was always the same answer, albeit slightly altered to not cause any suspicion. That didn't excuse her behavior at home, where she simply couldn't act like nothing was wrong all the time without slipping up.

Inko never learned how she got them, or who would do such things to her, but it would make her blood boil every time. No matter how hard Inko tried, Izuka would never tell the entirety of her day without lying at some places to cover up each and every bruise/mark she'd got.

For years, Inko was forced to watch the same scene play out, again and again, unable to learn the truth to try and figure out a method to help her. After a certain point, all she would do is worry each time Izuka would go out, yet, even on days where nothing "major" happened, it was impossible to get the honest truth out of her.

Alongside that, Inko failed on another major account, supporting her daughter's dream.

After that day, Inko's concerns only grew bigger as more time passed, because she had no idea how to properly approach that subject. The difference between people who have a Quirk and those who don't was just too massive to simply ignore, frankly, it was downright unfair. At least with a Quirk, even a "bad" one, the odds of surviving in a battle against a Villain are significantly higher than those who are powerless.

Inko was a selfish parent, and she wouldn't want for her Quirkless daughter to potentially face off against deadly opponents, especially when she had no ability to defend herself, but she couldn't.

That night, upon entering her daughter's room, after seeing her pride and joy in such a state, it was the final crack that split her heart in two.

Inko couldn't just say "give up your dreams" or "find something else", as by the time the mere thought of those two things would make her stomach sick if she would even attempt to utter those words. It didn't help that Inko had no idea how to properly support her daughter's dream, nor where to even start. Guiding your child through the early years is detrimental to their outlook on life when they grow up, as well as supporting their dreams and ambitions instead of deciding their route for them.

Being Quirkless as a child is difficult, not that she could know a fraction of what her daughter experienced first hand, and kids see that as a form of deficiency. She didn't deserve to face that kind of treatment or be ridiculed for having a single extra toe-joint.

That one, small difference made her daughter's life a constant hell, by something that was out of her control in the first place. Izuka wasn't defective, nor broken in any way, shape, or form. When she learned of her daughter's condition that day in the doctor's office, not a single thing changed to make Inko even consider that something was wrong with her child.

Sadly, none of the kids her age saw it that way, rather seeing it as some kind of sickness.

However, one fateful day, that finally changed.

After so long, Izuka was smiling again. Not a forced smile that she saw many times before, but one filled with genuine happiness, and the change was evident.

How noticeable was the difference? It was a literal night and day level of contrast.

Before, instead of barely getting a sentence or two of how her day was, the two are now hardly able to get through their meals before getting sidetracked entirely.

In her own words, she held her friend to a very high degree and had nothing but admiration, for good reason. It was a little difficult keeping track of how specific Izuka was when describing Yukio, as her daughter is known to be nothing short of a Hero lover but can get a little too excited at times.

Although, it would seem that Izuka wasn't exaggerating when calling her friend a genius. While she was fairly smart for her age, Izuka claimed she learned more from the boy than years of watching Heroes from her computer, as well as some stuff she'd never figure out on her own.

There were obviously a few personal things Izuka accidentally mentioned before abruptly correcting herself, but for Inko it was evident that the two established a bond of their own. Given the specific way that she describes her day, it wasn't hard to come to that conclusion.

Most importantly, the boy didn't care that she was Quirkless, not one bit.

It was that revelation that nearly made Inko cry out in pure joy.

She wanted nothing more than for Izuka to feel normal and befriend someone who likes her for who she is. After so many years, that wish finally came true. Knowing those things allowed her to rest peacefully at night, a very odd and specific worry that always loomed in the back of her mind now almost nonexistent, which was a gift of its own.

Now, the only thing she can do for the time being is to wait for Izuka to invite the boy to their home, and hope she was able to do it after so much time practicing beforehand.

Ring! Ring!

Inko's eyes widened upon hearing the doorbell, making her head snap in the direction at the source of the sound.

She wasn't expecting anybody to show up at this time, and Izuka said she would come back in about two hours or so, a quick glance towards the clock only confirmed that possibility. Obviously, Inko knew this fact already, as Izuka said she and Yukio would be coming home right after finishing another day at the dojo they recently started attending.

She just wanted to be sure this was it, and if fate had some kind of cruel joke in store for her, it would really be the worst timing ever.

Putting aside the cooking utensils in her hands, and quickly lowering the heat temperature so the food doesn't get overcooked while she's away, Inko wasted no time in rushing towards the front door, only slowing down at the last second so she wouldn't crash into it uncontrollably.

Taking a quick glance through the peephole, it indeed was her daughter standing next to a white and black-colored-haired boy that was slightly taller than her, patiently waiting for her to answer the door.

"Yes!"

Inko released a low squeal while jumping back before quickly regaining her composure. "Calm down, calm down. You already agreed to act "normal" if Izuka held up her end of the deal. Keep calm, and just act natural."

Taking a deep breath, then another one just in case, Inko's eyes shot open while still managing to keep her excitement at bay as her hand went towards the door handle.

Sadly, before she could even turn it halfway, whatever mental strength she had for holding her excitement at bay went out the window in the blink of an eye.

---

"Sooo… what's your mom like?" I asked while waiting for the door to open, "Should I know anything in advance?"

"Umm, well… she's-" Izuka was about to respond, before the door flung open in a blink of an eye, causing her to come to an abrupt stop.

Instead of being overweight, or a leaner form when she was younger, she was somewhere in between, still in her mid-thirties I believe.

"Izuka! You're back already…!" Inko said in excitement, eyes jumping back and forth between me and her daughter, "And you brought your friend with you as well!"

"M-Mom!" Izuka started waving her hands frantically, "We talked about this! You promised you w-wouldn't do anything embarrassing!"

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Inko asked in confusion, "I didn't even do anything!"

"Then it's better you don't know how it looked like from our perspective…"

I could only chuckle at the woman's excited behavior, the scenario playing out exactly how I imagined it in my head, sort of. Seeing I was the only other person, aside from maybe the Bakugous to be invited to their home, I can understand why one was excited while the other was a bit anxious.

Although, I just might know the reason behind that.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Midoryia-san but it seems that introductions aren't necessary," I properly greeted the single mother, bowing my head slightly, "Sorry it took so long to meet you in person, but Izuka and I tend to get a little… sidetracked whenever we meet up. Regardless, thank you for inviting me to your home."

"My, a polite young man," Inko said joyfully. "You forgot to tell me what a gentleman he is, Izuka."

Heh, impressing adults is something I'll never get bored of doing.

Before I could say another thing, the older woman bent down to wrap her arms around my small frame.

While I, almost, always have a composed demeanor, I was left completely stunned by the gesture. It was probably because the last time I felt a mother's embrace was when my mom was still alive, and seeing how much of an impact I had on Izuka, she probably couldn't help but show her gratitude. Then a thought occurred to me, it's quite possible that Izuka told her my living situation, as I'm sure that little detail was hard to shrug off on her part, and who knows what else Izuka must have told her in the meantime.

Yet, even though I had every answer in front of me, I was still unable to find the strength to speak up.

Once Inko released me from her embrace, I was greeted with a wide smile that only made the lump in my throat more noticeable.

"Thank you for taking care of my precious Izuka and being such a caring friend," Inko began, taking a slow glance towards Izuka before going back to me. "Izuka told me a lot about you, and what you two have been up to these last few weeks. I'm so glad to know that she was able to find such a kind and sweet boy such as yourself."

"T-Think nothing of it, M-Midoriya-san," I stuttered, releasing a brief cough to fix my composure,. "I really didn't do anything special, really. I just treat her the way I would want to be treated, that's all."

"Hmm, if you say so," Inko hummed in a joyful manner, taking a moment to fix the white parts of my already messy hair. "Also, there's no need to be so formal with me. You can just call me Inko, okay?"

For some odd reason, I couldn't respond right away, instead just nodded several times in quick succession.

"Here, let's get you two inside,." Inko said while moving in to take both our bags, making her way back into the apartment.

"That felt kind of… weird."

I stood still for a couple of seconds longer, still running the scene in the back of my head that just happened not even a minute ago until Izuka nudged me out of my daze.

Our homes were vastly different, the obvious difference being one is a proper household while theirs was in an apartment complex. Regardless, it was decently sized overall, while not being too small either. There were only two bedrooms and a single bathroom, but alongside the living room that was connected to the kitchen, it definitely gave off a spacious feel for what it was.

"You two… are right on time," Inko said excitedly while dashing towards the stove, "Dinner is about ten-is or so minutes. I know you two must be starving, hope you don't mind the wait."

"Oh, what are you making?" Izuka asked curiously with her head tilted towards the kitchen.

"Your favorite, sweetie, Katsudon."

"Yes!" Izuka gushed, before turning to me, "Have you ever tried it?"

"Can't say that I have," I responded with a neutral expression, causing the green-haired girl's jaw to drop, making me chuckle as a result, "But I take it I committed a sin for never trying it?"

"It's the best!" Izuka beamed excitedly, "Essentially, it's a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, eggs, and some vegetables. A little bit of everything, really."

"Really? Hmm, sounds pretty good, and pretty simplistic as well" I said amusingly, going off of memory to recall what it looked like and dishes similar to it, "I usually like something spicy on the side for that extra flavor, otherwise, I always feel like something's missing while eating."

"I don't think we ever tried cooking it any other way, but I'm fairly sure there are different recipes that have some. I never bothered asking Mom to make it differently, since I thought it was perfect as is," Izuka said before looking off to the side. "Wish I asked sooner, but a detail definitely worth remembering."

That last part came out in the form of a barely audible mumble as if it was something to be kept secret that accidentally came out before momentarily excusing herself, disappearing and reappearing in the span of ten seconds.

Having some time to waste before dinner was ready, Izuka sprinted towards her room to grab ahold of the new book to her Hero Analysis collection. I will forever be amazed at how quickly she is able to write up so many pages in such a short amount of time. She told me her mom bought her a new notebook just two days ago, and has already used up about one-third of it already.

If anything, I'm amazed her fingers haven't developed arthritis from countless hours of non-stop writing.

"So, Yukio-kun," Inko said as she joined us at the table, prompting both of us to turn towards her. "Mind telling me the story of how you and my little Izuka met each other?"

Once the question came, my eye instantly darted towards Izuka briefly, neither of our facial expressions changing in the slightest, but that look in her eyes told me more than words could. It would seem she left out a few details on how we met, that much I expected. In canon, Inko never knew what kind of situation(s) her child was going through. Actually, that assumption was entirely false. She did know something was up, that much was evident in a lot of cases with Quirkless children and I find it doubtful that she was oblivious to it, but not knowing how severe it was? That was a whole other matter entirely.

Judging how secretive and closed off Izuka can be on certain topics, a sight I've experienced first hand, I'm positive she would tell her mother the bare minimum just to have a response of some kind. That aside, there was no way I was going to mention the "bullied" part on our first encounter, so I had to improvise.

Well, seeing as she didn't tell her anything about Bakugou, I'm fairly certain she told her almost everything about me, might as well add a bit of truth to our little lie.

Luckily, I didn't waste time coming up with a reply.

"I'm not sure how much Izu told you about me, but I sorta had a tough time making friends due to my Quirk… and not exactly being like the other kids, mentally speaking. I would usually go outside to the playgrounds near my house, but all the kids already knew what I was like so I stopped trying, deciding to go somewhere else for a change," I turned to look at Izuka, forming a smile that was both sincere and meant to hold up my part of the lie,. "When I first found her, I noticed she was the only one who wasn't playing with the other kids, or what I thought at the time, not using her Quirk because perhaps the other kids were scared of it. Knowing what it was like, I didn't want anyone to feel left out just because they were "a little different" than everyone else. The rest… is history, right?"

"Yeah… pretty much," Izuka followed along. "I was afraid he bothered with me not having a Quirk, but he was super nice and we actually ended up talking about them for the rest of the afternoon."

"Heh, if anything, I thought you'd be freaked out by my Quirk, not give me in-depth analysis on the ones I first showed you. Every other kid would think I'm a weirdo for talking too much regardless without mentioning that detail."

"Y-You know I would never think any of those about you!" Izuka waved her hands frantically.

"I know, I know," I mused with a cheeky grin. "Still, you know what I mean. Doesn't change the fact it was the best conversation I had in years, and got to meet an amazing person in the process."

Releasing a joyful chuckle, Inko spoke. "Now that I got to meet you in person, I can see why she talks so highly of you, Yukio-kun."

Throwing another, quick glance towards Izuka, she gave me a relieved smile for reacting appropriately on time, as well as acting it out brilliantly. That, and I'm positive she couldn't hide the joy from hearing that last sentence, even if it was worded like that so we can move on to the next topic, I meant it sincerely.

"But please," Inko continued. "Tell me a little more about yourself, dear. What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Hmmm, I don't know, really…" I mused while thinking about how to give a proper answer, "Aside from training my Quirk, I rarely do anything else. Oh, I also spend every weekend tending to our garden, or whenever I need to clear my head… that's about it, really. I'm not all that interesting, to tell you the truth."

"Oh, don't be so modest, Yukio-kun," Inko waved with her hands playfully, "Izuka already told me about your Quirk, but I'd like a demonstration first hand if you don't mind." Inko asked kindly.

Having a Quirk that houses multiple abilities, using it for a showcase of sorts was the last thing I thought I would use it for. Wanting to be creative for my demonstration, I took a few seconds to think about what I should do. As my eyes drifted off across the room to think, I spotted a small pile of simple white-colored paper napkins in the center of the dining room table. That alone gave me an idea of how to impress her.

I thought while taking a single napkin, absorbing some wood to turn my finger to said material, molding inward so it was thin as a pencil with the tip covered in black ink. I made a specific type of pen with multiple options when I needed to use it, but might as well know how to make a substitute on the fly.

"Okay… I practiced this… in just one, swift motion…"

Starting off by drawing the head of a cat, moving onto the rest of the body with continuous strokes for added detail. Afterwards, I decided to make a dog with equal amounts of detail, as I didn't have any other Quirks at the moment that can create objects or creatures while also being able to control them. I found out I can use my other Quirks for my creations, adding Dust Manipulation to the cat while the dog would have a small amount of electricity around its body.

It only works if I put in the proper amount of focus into each of them, while still being considerably weaker than if I were to use them. Because I would add abilities to my creations, they won't last long as a slight drawback, but since I wanted to use them as a demonstration, it was more than enough.

Once the two animals came to life, the dog wasted no time jumping towards the cat, jumping a few centimeters into the air to dodge its advancements. The two ran circles across the table before taking to the floor, where the cat used its ability to make faint lines of dust as obstacles, but that didn't slow down the dog not one bit. While slightly juiced up with energy, the dog was still unable to close the distance between his target, chasing the cat all around the living room in quick succession.

Jumping back onto the table, the dog used extra force to lunge at its target, catching the cat mid-air while releasing the stored electricity from its body. Like a literal scene from a cartoon, the cat spazzed several times from getting caught before it exploded.

Before the ink could hit the table, I used the same napkin to make sure not a drop would ruin the wooden surface. Completing its mission, the dog moved towards the napkin while releasing several barks in happiness, dissolving a mere second later. "Tada…!"

"My, that truly is a remarkable Quirk, or should I say multiple Quirks," Inko commented in awe.

"I wasn't sure what to make at first, nor to accidentally make a mess," I began explaining while folding the napkin several times, "The ones I currently have are on the simpler side since I only recently started asking people if I could copy theirs."

"Mine is rather simplistic, unlike yours," Inko said while demonstrating her Quirk, doing several hand movements to make a ceramic cup from the table move towards her, "I can attract small objects by focusing on it and moving my hand several times if its too far away or heavy, so pretty basic, really. "

"A telekinesis-like power is never a bad thing," I commented. "Depending on its range, and how long it takes to pull an object towards you, there are plenty of applications it can be used for. If it is limited by chance, using Support Items to throw and pull back said projectiles, or maybe even reposition them depending what they are."

"I told this to Izuka before, but I never trained it properly to reach its fullest extent, so I can't say for certain what it can be used for. For what it's worth, it definitely comes in handy around the house, so it has its perks,'' Inko said before putting a hand on her chin, forming a thinking pose before changing into a smile. "Speaking about my Quirk… would you like to copy it?"

I was caught off guard by her offer, not expecting her to be so straightforward about it. For some odd reason, I wasn't able to easily accept her offer. While taking it was beyond simple, a part of me wanted to respond differently. "T-There's no need for that, Inko-san. I'd feel kinda bad to ask you such a thing, especially since this is my first time at your house, no less."

"Think nothing of it," Inko merely waved it off with a smile,. "I know how much Izuka loves studying Quirks and what they could do, I think you two would have a much better use for it than me. Think of it… as a small gift, for everything you've done so far, it's the least I could do."

Seeing as I was reassured it wasn't a big deal, I still felt a bit unsure, since this wasn't like any of the previous instances where I would try to ask for permission. That, and simply accepting it felt… wrong? On second thought, that wasn't the word I was looking for to describe the feeling, which only made me even more hesitant while pondering the offer.

Turning towards Izuka, all I saw was an eager smile with her head bobbing up and down in excitement, which was more than enough to tell me to not worry about it.

"Seeing as I'm outvoted here, I guess I don't have much of a say in the matter," I expressed with a low smile, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. "Thank you, Inko-san. A lot of people wouldn't be too fond of someone else copying their Quirk, let alone offer it in the first place. It truly means a lot."

"I only hope it will be useful to you when you start applying for a Hero School," Inko said. "Speaking of which, Izu's also been telling me you two have been hard at work with your Hero training together? From what I heard, it's going pretty well so far."

"I guess you can say that," I said leisurely, wanting to keep this topic somewhat simple. "There's a lot of aspects to go over, really, so we're taking our time for now. It's mostly me showing the ropes and all that. Even though she might not have a Quirk, there are still plenty of methods for a person without one to become a strong and admirable Hero. I won't lie to you, it's gonna be a while until we see any proper results, but with how things are going, it's all but guaranteed."

"Although, I have to ask, Izuka told me you were rather knowledgeable in various fighting styles even before enrolling into that Dojo," Inko commented. "To even consider not using your Quirk in some scenarios is rather, what is the word I'm looking for… surprising, to say the least."

"I… had a lot of free time," I answered somewhat reluctantly, trying to find the right words to use. "You see, since my Quirk is a tad bit difficult to use properly, I took the slower approach of learning a bit of everything to figure it out, as well as ways to defend myself without using it all. Conveniently enough, a good chunk of it is just what Izuka needs to get into the groove of things. With my Quirk being so versatile, it's a useful tool for her to practice and find the right method we need so things go as smoothly as possible."

"While I'm happy to hear that you two are making excellent progress, I really do hope you're careful and don't overdo it," Inko said with a hint of worry, "Even though there's still plenty of time you can apply for a Hero School, you shouldn't push yourselves too much. You're still very young, after all."

"Not to worry, Inko-san," I reassured the green-haired woman's worries, "I already managed to find a Healing Quirk that helps us out when we're done at the end of the day. I was thinking of eventually going to a hospital and asking some of the doctors if I could copy their Quirks, which I don't think they would really mind honestly. It's better to have more than one just in case something happens."

"That's what I like to hear," Inko said with a wide smile, "It's reassuring to know how much you care for one another and make sure neither of you get too hurt in the process."

"Yeah… that's on her," I pointed towards Izuka with a cheeky smile, causing her to release an awkward chuckle. "I'm more of a "in the moment" type of person, rather than actually thinking stuff through all the way."

Well, both of us tend to bend that rule a bit, but that is to be expected, really.

After ten or so minutes of talking about various topics, up until Inko "innocently" started sharing embarrassing tales of her daughter's Hero obsession, much to her dismay. Due to her face turning into a very bright shade of red, even more than when I would tease her on my own, I simply contained my cynical nature while we waited for the food to be served, an action she was most definitely thankful for.

Dinner itself was rather peaceful, as the two of us we're too busy enjoying our food there was little room for any more conversation. Still, I'll give it too Izuka, her mom does know how to cook a pretty damn good meal.

Wait… why do I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something?

---

"Yo, Dad? You there?"

"[Yukio?]" Dad asked questionably through the phone, releasing a low hum as further confirmation. "[Where are you?]"

"Over at Izuka's apartment complex," I began explaining while leaning onto the wall. "She asked me if I wanted to come over when we're done at the dojo. Sorry, I forgot to tell you sooner, it was kind of a last-minute thing."

"[No, no, it's alright. If anything, I'm more surprised that you actually remembered to call and tell me where you are,]"

"Ah, come on, I'm not that thoughtless to just keep you in the dark, you know."

"[Oh, really? Is that so?]" Dad said sarcastically, but the tone of his voice signified it was meant to be taken light-heartedly.

"I-" I was about to immediately call out his claims, before almost every single instance I thought was nothing serious came popping up in my mind, instantly losing a good chunk of my credibility. "Okay… I might be flimsy with that at times, but I took the time to actually think about you and tell you where I am, okay?"

"[I can only imagine why,]" Dad replied with a grunt, noting the speaker was muffled as he was most likely talking to one of his coworkers.

"Anyway, you went to work today, it's your day off, right?" I asked curiously.

"[Nah, something came up,]" Dad answered, pausing momentarily before continuing, "[We took in two more orders in our already slightly overbooked schedule, so thought I might as well drop by and get us back on track. If you don't mind waiting, I can pick you up later after I'm done here.]"

"No, no, there's no need," I reassured him, "I already ate with them. Izuka's mom was already preparing dinner when we got here and had more than enough to serve me some."

"[Oh? That's… good, that's good,]" Dad said in somewhat of a relieved tone, "[Speaking of which, how long were you planning on staying over? I can stick around a little longer so I can pick you up later.]"

"Not sure, we were thinking of watching a movie so probably after that? Might stick around a bit longer if we get sidetracked, which most likely will be the case. No need to wait on me, I'll just walk home, it's not that far away regardless."

"[Well, just be sure you get home safely before it gets too late,]" Dad said, "[You know there more Villains out at night than during the day.]"

"Pfff, you forgot who you're talking to, Dad. There's no need to worry, If anything, they'll be more worried about the future hospital bills if they try anything on me."

"[Mmmmm…]" Dad hummed with a mix of annoyance

"Alright, alright, I won't take any chances and head straight home once I leave," I quickly corrected myself, "Happy?"

"[Very.]" Even though I couldn't see his expression, I could tell he had one of those smug smiles on his face while saying that.

Exchanging goodbyes, and Dad telling me to have fun, I ended the call before placing the phone back onto its charging port.

With that taken care of, I was about to join them back in the living room.

Until I came to a stop after not even taking a single step, a thought that just now manifested in my mind, one that I just now resurfaced.

Of all the time Izuka and I spent together, which was essentially every day, I noticed one thing that seemed to be drastically different from how I remember from watching the shows all those years back, aside from the protagonist being the opposite gender of course.

The All Might obsession.

Was it just me or did that whole aspect seem… toned down? Like, I did notice those tendencies, but on rare occasions, if that. Given that All Might is her main inspiration for becoming a Hero, it did seem odd that he wasn't frequently mentioned on her behalf, as both of us tend to talk for hours on end alone.

"I wonder…" I thought with temptation, unable to contain my curiosity any longer, "Hey, Izu, this is your room, right?"

Cue the redundant question while standing in front of a door with an All Might-style nameplate, elegant writing to boot, my question practically answered itself already.

But that's not what was on my mind observing the door.

One thing that has always puzzled me about hardcore fans is how much amount of stuff they have in their collection overall.

I'd always have a variety of crap I'd find interesting as if something catches my interest, but would never really clog my living space. At best, take a small number of each collection to stay around and put it in storage to not collect dust. Besides, I'm sure it's not that outrageous as I remember, and we're still kids, after all, it would take a few more years to expand the collection. If anything, it might have just been overexaggerated solely for comedic purposes.

Right?

"Ah! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!" Izuka screamed, running at full speed from the living room, "Don't open that-"

Before she could stop me, I already turned the door handle while gently pushing it.

Oh, I was wrong.

So wrong.

Everywhere, and I literally mean everywhere I looked, I saw All Might in some way or another.

Aside from the Number One Hero being present in every possible direction one way or another, the one thing that was drastically different was her desk. The shelf above it had a variety of different notebooks, mostly either light blue or pink for the main color scheme, with several stickers of the Hero's face or body scattered all over.

Little bit off-topic, but while scanning the room in its entirety, regardless that it was filled to the brim with All Might merchandise, everything was neatly organized and placed in such a way that it was close to perfect. Usually, most people would use any free space to add more pieces to their collection without a proper layout, but that wasn't the case here.

"Okay… I guess I should've expected this… but really? There's even an All Might rug…"

Seeing Izuka completely frozen in place, afraid of uttering a single sound, I contemplated how I should react to this. While going with an All Might joke seemed the easiest, I'd rather not put any focus on that. "You forgot how to breathe or what?"

That seemed to snap her back to reality, hiding her face with her hands to hide the newly formed embarrassed expression. "S-S-So… what do you t-think…?"

"When you said you were an All Might fan, I certainly wasn't expecting… this."

"I didn't know how to tell you about my… other hobby," Izuka began explaining, "I thought if you found out, you'd think I'm just some sort of crazy, obsessed fan… or worse."

"Oh, come on, what do you take me for?" I said lightheartedly, "You've been in my room, right? Between the two of us, I think I'm the crazy one here, thank you very much."

"Ah, it seems that you have found the All Might museum." Inko said, a devious grin on her face as she came into view.

"Actually, for a split second there, I thought I wandered into an All Might gift shop before I remembered where I was."

"Why me…" Izuka said in an embarrassed tone, using her hands to cover her face while simultaneously looking away. Oh, yeah, neither of us could refuse to give a lighthearted jab that was all pure fun.

It was just too hard to resist.

Not wanting to tease any further, and to let us spend some time alone, Inko placed the tray filled with the snacks we bought on the desk, closing the door on her way out while waving her hand joyfully.

When I was young, the one and only toy line I truly loved was Lego's Bionicles, and had an impressive collection, from the first ones until they had an abrupt finish to the product line. I might have had an obsession since in my eyes they were the ideal toys, with extensive lore behind them alongside stunning designs for their time. This, however, blows it out of the water by a large margin, at least I had variety.

Still, seeing as I had that phase, and would probably buy more if they managed to pump out more products while it was still popular, I can sort of understand why someone would have so many collectibles.

Not responding to her comment, I simply walked in with a curious look to scan the room in further detail. Logically, I instantly gravitated to the part of the room that had a wide range of action figures and statues.

"So many limited edition ones." I thought while observing the massive collection. I was too intrigued by the various designs and how every ounce of space was used up for an All Might item. At least almost all of them are action figures or collectibles, which were still cool for the toys there were regardless.

"Not gonna lie, I'm more surprised by the fact you don't have any merchandise from any other hero."

"W-Well, I do… but not as much as All Might stuff, if you hadn't already noticed…"

I merely chuckled. "Noup, can't say that I have."

Not wanting to fiddle with a rare collectible, I found the most basic and expendable All Might action figure I could find, using Inko's Quirk to pull it while simultaneously leaving a mark with a simple touch so I could use Rotation. Using the limited range of the Quirk, the toy flew either in circles or by quickly moving into different directions rapidly.

"I wouldn't say I'd be freaked out by this kind of discovery, rather interested in the reason behind it," I said leisurely, doing several spins in the air before plummeting down, then redirecting it to fly towards Izuka, with her catching the toy as I broke off the connection. "After knowing you for a while, I'm certain there's more to why you like All Might so much, right?"

Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, Izuka joined me several seconds later

"Sort of," Izuka said softly, eyes glued to the action figure in her hands. " At least I think there is."

"Now that isn't the type of answer I'd expect from you," I commented while leaning forward a little. "I expected a bit more… energetic response.

Izuka's lips formed a brief smile while releasing a chuckle. "I usually would, but I don't think fangirling is the right way to explain it."

"Then… how about you try a different approach?" I asked in a lighthearted manner, in an attempt to make it easier on her.

"When I first learned about All Might, I just thought he looked so cool and strong. Kind of basic, I know, but the more I watched him, something… clicked," Izuka began explaining slowly. "I somehow managed to watch every interview and talk show he did, and probably hundreds of articles online whenever new ones would be posted. Before I knew it, I wasn't just following All Might's Hero career, but everything he did and how it affected the people around him. There were instances where a Hero of his stature wouldn't be needed, but he'll do it regardless because he's just that type of person."

"He always makes sure everyone is safe, gives them reassurance in the form of a smile, and is never afraid in the face of danger. It's some of the traits that make him so memorable to everyone."

"So that's where you got your inspiration for becoming a Hero? To be able to do those things to the same degree as All Might?" I asked puzzlingly.

"Not entirely…"

"Oh…?"

There was a slight pause, with Izuka looking at the action figure with a blank stare before facing me. Silence was something I grew accustomed to over the years, yet this particular kind was filled with tension and uncertainty.

By now, we spent a hefty amount of time together, with the only exception being at most that would be separated. During which, a level of trust was established very early on, but there were still some limiters to it. That look in her eyes told me we were going into uncharted territory, on something that she might not be comfortable with yet. I immediately felt bad when I saw her expression, fearing I was pushing the conversation in a direction that might make her uncomfortable. I didn't want to put her on the spot or force the topic to continue, but I also wanted to show her I would listen and be open-minded with whatever she had on her mind.

In response, all I did was form a small, reassuring smile, as well as tilt my head forward slightly, as there was no real need to say anything verbally. I wasn't about to say a word that might insinuate she is required to tell me any of the issues that obviously bothered her. I told her I would do whatever is necessary to help out, and I genuinely meant every word that I said.

Only if she allows me to and feels okay in doing so, otherwise, let her walk at her own pace till that day comes.

However, it seems my action gave her enough encouragement to continue, in a slightly softer tone than before.

"When… I would try and protect someone from being bullied, I never cared if I was biting off more than I can chew. Okay, sometimes I wouldn't think about the consequences at all, but it would never really matter at the time. I always loved Quirks, everything about them, really. So whenever I would see someone get bullied, using an ability that can be used for good to harm others… I just couldn't stand it. Even though I was told to give up my dream because it was "impossible", I wanted to believe I could make a difference of some kind if I tried hard enough."

"I know I can never become the next Number One Hero like All Might, or anywhere in those leagues, as cool as it would be, it's just… not realistic… and that's okay," Izuka looked up with a low smile. "I realized that being a Hero ain't just where you rank on the popularity charts or boasting how much you did for society, but actually making a difference for the better. That's what All Might was able to achieve when more people learned about him."

Pausing for a brief moment, Izuka looked back down to the action figure in her hand. "With a powerful Quirk like his, he never cared about showing off, or making sure the spotlight was always on him, rather putting endangered civilians first before anything else. All Might can do so many amazing things, but he always puts the needs of others before his own. If anything, I'd want to have his courage and confidence to be able to accomplish such a thing one day on my own."

While I did have some question marks surrounding All Might and his sense of character, I often forget how big of an importance he was despite several flaws. Inspiring hope in others is a difficult job for a Hero if they can't back it up through their actions.

He was still a good man through and through, and I can't purely focus on the negatives with how much good he did for society. Guess I'll just have to see it before I could make my final judgment on the matter.

"Regardless…" Izuka said with a smile forming, making me solely focus back onto her. "I don't need to become the next Number One Hero to be a good Hero. Unlike you or All Might, I don't have a Quirk to help me out, so I have to make do with what I got. I was… sad that I never got an ability of my own, but now, after realizing some things, it doesn't bother me as much as it did before. If I am able to make a difference in someone's life, even if it's just one person, knowing I was able to help them in one way or another, no matter how big or small, it's enough for me to do it all over again without hesitation."

At that statement, I was left speechless for a few seconds.

This wasn't the type of answer I was expecting, but yet, I was so glad to hear it nonetheless.

Becoming a "Hero" in this world was no easy feat, not in the slightest. After observing for the last few years, I can easily come to the conclusion that a lot of preparation and dedication is needed without the promise of success of any kind.

To have that sort of drive and determination to make that dream a reality doesn't exist in everyone, regardless if more than half the population has an ability of some kind. To discover such ambitions, one must ask themselves if they have a reason for choosing such a profession in the first place rather than for it simply being a "cool" lifestyle.

Furthermore, she went as far as to tell me from past experiences what made her so determined and optimistic. Since my situation growing up was a little different, I was content with reality, unwilling to let this world knock me down, and that's before my Quirk even appeared.

For her, it was way different.

It was only four years, but that doesn't change nor excuse all the bullshit she had to endure, not in the slightest. People often forget that Quirks weren't present since the dawn of time, and that humans without any kind of abilities were the norm not so long ago. Sure, it mostly consists of kids/teenagers who have that sort of thinking nowadays when there are fewer Quirkless people around, but what gives them the right to judge others on what they can or can't for being normal people.

The issue itself with Quirkless people wasn't as severe as I was led to believe after doing some research, but it still existed nonetheless.

It was simply unfair, those thoughts alone were enough to make my blood boil, but I still managed to keep those feelings at bay. However, putting those thoughts aside, I was glad Izuka had put a hefty amount of thought into this, and a pleasant surprise I wasn't expecting.

She understood the full scope of being a Hero and what it means to risk your own well-being for the sake of helping someone else. Not to mention a whole lot of other stuff that might or might not happen, that not even a Hero can be prepared for in the worst case scenario.

For what it's worth, seeing how determined Izuka is in realizing her dream, and how her mentality was strong as ever, it gave me a wave of reassurance I didn't know I needed.

"I'm… trying to think of a response, but wow…" I expressed in a surprised tone, forming a warm smile before speaking up. "This was the kind of answer I was hoping to hear, to tell you the truth. Might seem hard to believe, but not a lot of people think that far ahead, I can tell you that much."

"It's been on my mind for a while now, I wasn't sure if it made any sense until recently," Izuka said sheepishly. "If anything, It was easier to put into words now that we were able to talk about it a little, and finally get it out in the open with someone aside from my Mom."

"Even so, I'm glad you shared this with me, Izuka," I responded in a softer tone this time around. "Lots of people want to become a Hero before applying for a Hero School, let alone the thought of what it takes to become a Hero in the first place. Without a doubt in my mind, I can proudly say that with this kind of mentality, you'll outshine all other Heroes by a huge margin…!"

"Thank you… Yukio-kun, it truly means a lot, especially coming from you." Izuka said softly with a genuine smile.

Forming a similar one in response, we enjoyed several seconds of comfortable silence after such a heavy topic slowly reached its peak.

"Speaking of which," Izuka perked up. "I never asked you, but do you have a favorite Hero?"

"Hmm, I don't think I do," I said with a curious look, trying to think of any Hero in particular that struck a connection to me, but that trail ended nowhere. "I kinda never bothered to pick a favorite."

"Really?" Izuka asked with her head tilted, somewhat surprised by my answer.

I merely shrugged,. "It's a bit weird, to tell you the truth. When I was very little and could think properly, the sheer concept of a society of super-powered individuals blew me away. While I was so fascinated by all the Heroes I've seen, picking a favorite never really came up, if that makes sense. Coupled with the Quirk that I got a few years later, I always had a hard time sitting on one thing at a time, y'know?"

"Yeah… seems kinda obvious when I think about it, now I just feel a little silly."

"Well, usually, almost everyone has a favorite for some sort of reason, whether it be sharing a similar Quirk with a Pro Hero, or looking up to someone for what they stand for, but I have a very specific goal so it's warranted."

"I just never heard you talk about any Hero in particular for longer than a few minutes at best, worth a shot asking, though."

"Anywho…" I took a glance around the room once the topic died down. "You said we're down to watch a movie, so where's that stash at?"

Walking over to the shelf and picking up a lengthy-sized box, Izuka tossed the lid to dump all of the movies onto the bed.

Okay, seriously, why do they still have physical copies for movies and such, especially when technology is so advanced? The same thought popped into mind when looking at books or cars to some extent, yet, no matter how hard I tried piecing it together, the answer to this question eluded me.

This is something I feel like will be on my mind indefinitely since there wasn't exactly a simple answer to it, even by "fictional" world standards this should've been considered outdated technology by now.

"Do you recognize any of the titles?" Izuka asked.

"Yyyyyyye-nnnnnnnnnnno, noup," I trailed off, forcing me to switch up my answer mid-way as for some reason, I thought I saw a cover with several characters resembling from DC's Justice League, but realized my mistake before I could give an answer,. "Though this one looked kinda familiar. Well, since there's so many to choose from, I'll go with the one that has the most badass artwork, I can never go with a random guess like that."

Digging through and taking a better look at the box covers, Izuka waited patiently for me to pick out a movie for us to watch, joining along to toss away the top layer of cases.

"Say, Yukio-kun." Izuka began softly.

"Hmmm?" I raised an eyebrow while picking up two cases before moving on to the rest.

"What made you want to become a Hero?" Izuka asked with her head tilted slightly, "I mean, I kinda already know why, but I never asked for your thought process about it. With a Quirk such as yours, wasn't there any other kind of profession that caught your attention before finally deciding on becoming a Hero, or is there a different reason?"

I didn't respond right away, solely because I was thinking the question over myself.

My reason for choosing this kind of profession was both simple and complicated. Why wouldn't you want to be part of something that was once considered fiction, especially in a world where a certain occupation is literally too good to be true.

Yet, it wasn't just because of that, if it only were that easy.

My gift, my true potential, can be used for far more than just saving people out on patrol. Developing new and altering existing forms of medicine, actually help some cases that never had or would never get the proper help by regular means, and so much more.

I had absolutely no reason to aim for that type of goal, especially with a Quirk that allows me to have everything with a simple touch, without any specific limits to boot. In my old life, I would have a different thought process entirely, since all negatives turned into potential positives, with so many options available to explore. Having several years to myself before my Quirk manifested, alongside knowledge of the events that will occur, a part of me couldn't just remain nonexistent, even if my chances would be far better by doing nothing at all.

While I'm given an opportunity to fix and improve this world as a whole, it was by no means an easy feat. Not to mention how difficult it will be once that whole thing takes off, only to get progressively harder from that point on.

That was my analytical and logical side talking, but for my human instincts, it was a lot simpler.

I could take it easy, and use every ounce of my abilities to just stay out of the limelight and try separating myself from all the responsibility from dealing with a new problem every other day. Why risk your life when you already have everything at your fingertips.

But alas, like most people, wish fulfillment is something everyone desires, and an escape from boredom at all costs. I definitely belonged in that category.

Guess I finally learned that lesson that I could never properly comprehend if the circumstances were different; what is there left for you to do when you can do anything and have everything you ever desired, especially with an ability that does all the work for you.

I wanted to feel alive since I was never given a chance to truly experience that kind of sensation in my old life in the first place, and I didn't want to waste it a second time.

Somewhat of a moronic choice, all things considered, but what can I say, this world needed fixing. Not just reducing crime rates, but so many other things looming in the shadows and who knows what else. Society could very easily turn to ruin with how poorly built the foundation is, so making sure it all doesn't turn to shit while striving for a brighter future doesn't seem like a bad thing.

Does it?

"I can do so much with my gift, way more than just any other Hero around," I began slowly, turning to face Izuka after staying silent a bit, finding the green-haired girl patiently waiting for my answer. "It was a thought that manifested probably not even a day after figuring out my Quirk, and ever since then, it only grew larger as time went on. And… I thought about it a lot. I was basically gifted with everything, quite literally speaking with how my Quirk works, yet, I never let that cloud my judgment. It seemed way more beneficial to focus on what it could do to benefit humanity for the better, rather than for my own personal gain. It would be so easy to do… yet, I would lack any sort of purpose, or actual meaning if I simply thought that way for everything."

"Even after knowing you for some time now, I'm still impressed how easily you're able to talk about it in that regard," Izuka said softly. "It's one thing to have a single ability, but a Quirk that can do anything is way different. Holding onto that kind of responsibility must've been difficult, not just looking on the surface level of it being a cool and powerful Quirk."

"Not so much in that sense," I elaborated, "I knew how dangerous and powerful it was right from the get-go, and I immediately made several promises to myself on how to use it. Sure, some kids found out a third of my Quirk's capabilities and left a bad taste in their mouth, but thinking ahead, rather than in the moment, greatly managed to shape my viewpoint. If anything, it compelled me to one day try and fix this issue, which includes both Quirkless people and those who are deemed "dangerous" for being misunderstood. Not just that, but so much more to make the world a far better place than it currently is. I accepted that part of myself already, cause there is no use in preventing the inevitable."

"Especially when people find out you are able to use multiple Quirks, not everyone might be accepting of it," Izuka said before quickly correcting herself. "Not saying they would automatically assume that! It's just that… with good Copy Quirks being extremely rare, and becoming a Hero a difficult journey of its own, there are a lot of variables that people most likely aren't aware of. That's also disregarding making new techniques on top of everything else, there is much more to discuss than what's on the surface level. More importantly, the person using those abilities is what people should take into consideration, not go off of what their Quirk can do."

"The general outlook and a good chunk of my abilities will be revealed to the public at some point regardless, and to be honest… I really don't care what they'll say about me," I said leisurely, not bothering to deny the truth. "I'll probably see some type of ridicule in the future because of it, might as well swallow that pill now and cross that other bridge when I get to it."

"You really thought this whole thing through, didn't you?" Izuka asked softly, prompting her to lean forward a little while yet to break eye contact.

I gave her a slight nod,. "People will find reasons to be concerned over a person having multiple Quirks and the "potential danger" if they turn into a Villain, while also taking into account those conspiracy theorists and biased news networks, talking won't get me anywhere. Sometimes, even honesty won't convince people of your true intentions, it's just how humans are, the mere thought of that is already depressing but it's just how things are. However, I learned that actions speak louder than words, and made sure my goals never get pushed off to the side because a few people have a bad impression of me. Those who care and take the time to get to know me will see who I truly am."

Silence filled the air once more, as there was a lot to digest at first.

"Besides…" I shifted the tone of the conversation with a simple smile. "It would be boring to just sit around and do nothing, can't hurt to live a little, can it?"

Izuka merely chuckled at the last part of my answer. "You really do have a unique viewpoint on certain things, Yukio-kun."

"What can I say?" I said with a simple shrug. "I told you I tend to overcomplicate stuff at times, keeping things simple never was my type of style."

"Well, you can expect me to be your number one fan when you make your debut," -

"Heh, I always thought that goal was a bit far-fetched and insanely difficult to achieve, but at one point, I just stopped worrying about whether it's possible or not."

"How come?" Izuka asked curiously, only to be met with temporary silence as I was forced to think carefully before answering. Not only to be honest to her but to myself as well.

While it was true I was a total nutjob in terms of training constantly these last few years, there was one issue that always set back a fair amount. Like I said before, human connection is a tricky one, and I'd be lying if it didn't affect me to a more severe degree if I wasn't so focused on becoming stronger, which was a valid enough reason on its own.

I was lacking a certain element I thought I could live without, or at the very least, make adjustments to said issue to ease both mine and my father's minds by a small amount. Yet, mental fortitude can only get you so far before it starts dwindling away.

I already experienced childhood, but the entire universe changing around me was a completely different learning experience altogether. As humans, we evolve and adapt to new changes, it's the reason we were able to survive since our inception.

This is a hellish and unforgiving world, completely biased and some people get treated as a freak as a result, disregarding the history of Quirks and how they can be essentially random/unorthodox given their nature.

Not to mention the Hero system having several flaws that shouldn't be even present in the first place. That was another headache down the line, but it needed a massive revamp, or it's inevitable gonna come crashing down like a house of cards.

I wanted to do so many things, but over time, being on my own slowly shaped my view of the world with constant paranoia and always thinking of what's to come rather than living in the moment. It was daunting and difficult to say the least, but I refused to let this world chew me out or get the better of me.

Sadly, for the longest time, I found it difficult to ever feel at ease no matter how hard I tried.

Yet, with a simple glance towards Izuka, I had my answer.

I didn't just see her as the main character in a story that was once fiction, nor what I was doing to be considered babysitting to reach her full potential, it was far more than that. What I wanted to do, the goal I wanted to accomplish, the crap I'll eventually have to go through, I won't have to deal with it on my own. I may have underestimated how important it is to have someone you trust by your side, to be able to help in such a way where there weren't any specific limits or restrictions.

The only real secret I had at the moment was my abilities, but by meeting Izuka, I was finally able to simply "not think" after years of doing nothing but that, and it truly was a blessing. Besides, if there was a single person truly worthy and deserving of inheriting One For All and mastering it, it's her.

Well, I'll be damned, it seems that the little promise we made to each other was in full effect.

I still can't believe that at one point I wondered if I made the right decision by interfering, but I am so glad I didn't make the wrong choice that day.

"Because I have you," I said with a wide smile, that alone caused the girl to gasp slightly but I wasn't finished,. "If I hadn't met you, I'd probably go on with a completely different mentality and likely to be even more stubborn than I usually am. No other kid was able to talk to me longer than five minutes before straight up leaving, but you never did that, and truly wanted to get to know me for who I am. Not to mention helping me with essentially fifty percent of the entire training and thinking process, I seriously doubt any other kid can do the same thing you managed to do for me since we met. Besides… just because we're gonna be Top Heroes doesn't mean I won't watch over you and those closest to me. You can always count on me for anything, because I know I can count on you whenever I'm in a tough spot, right?"

I ended my little monologue with a wide smile, feeling she should know how much she meant to me, having no reason to hide that fact since we're way past the point of hiding how much we meant to each other. In this world where you get scrutinized for having an unorthodox Quirk or not having one at all, I'm simply happy that someone was able to give me some basic human decency, and I was more than happy to return the favor.

Izuka, on the other hand, was left utterly speechless, her jaw left hanging slightly. Not like it wasn't unwarranted, as this type of stuff is something that was relatively new to us both, and still getting used to expressing ourselves on a level where neither of us is uncomfortable.

She eventually did break the silence, albeit in a different manner.

"D-Did you find a m-movie to your liking?! If-If not, I recommend w-we watch this one!" Izuka spluttered while hastily picking up a case from the large pile,. "Here, I'll go put it on!"

Before I knew it, Izuka appeared in front of the TV within a blink of an eye, making it so her back was turned on me. Logically, I knew how big some words are to digest, and given who I'm talking to, all I needed was to wait a minute or so for her to calm down.

Sadly, it would seem that it's gonna be a while till she doesn't get embarrassed so easily.

"Are we gonna watch the opening menu or the actual movie?" I said with a chuckle, making Izuka's head snap in different directions, quickly grabbing the remote to set everything up while the movie itself was paused.

"S-Sorry…" Izuka apologized sheepishly, walking back to sit beside me on the bed, still not able to look me in the eye.

"What about the snacks?" I asked with a small grin, making the green-haired girl apologize once more. Before she could get back up, I gently pulled the edge of her sleeve to stop her, wanting to save her the trouble this time around. "This one's on me…"

Now having Inko's Quirk, it was the ideal scenario to use it, and make sure nothing from the tray doesn't fall off. Since it was on the opposite end of the room, it wasn't too far distance-wise, but the only thing I was worried about was if it would be too heavy for the amount of fuel I use at the start.

Focusing on the tray filled with snacks, I took the slow approach while it gradually levitated into the air, keeping it in place to figure out how much energy needs to be distributed in what area.

"Interesting…" I thought as the tray shook slightly, locking it in place before making another move. "So it's necessary to not only focus on lifting an object off the ground but gradually increase the flow for it to actually move towards the user. Adding my own energy to compensate for the one-tenth version of the Quirk I got is a lifesaver, but it would seem I'll need to train up so I don't accidentally put too much or too little when in use, otherwise, I think it will just flat line completely. All three areas need the same amount of concentration and fuel to work."

It was only till it was only another meter away did it start to shake once more, springing forward from my position to touch the edge of the tray, Rotation immediately activating upon contact to make it weightless.

"Here ya go," I placed the tray in-between us, Rotation still in use so we can easily move it when needed. Absorbing some of the plastic tray to make a small ball, I aimed for the light switch with surprisingly good accuracy, instantly retracting it since it was marked and had better focus on it than the first two objects I tried it on. Huh, good to know, actually. "Shall we?"

"Y-Yeah, let's…"

After about roughly eight or so minutes into the movie, where the opening action and introduction scene just concluded, I couldn't help but take another slow glance around Izuka's room. Alright, the absurd collection I can see, absolutely nothing too extreme… but some design choices were questionable, one poster in particular.

I tried focusing back on the movie, especially since the opening plot truly did seem interesting, but my eyes couldn't stop looking back to that poster, cause damn was it distracting.

"Okay, for real now, I just have one thing that's been on my mind constantly since we got here."

Turning over to face me, no longer avoiding eye contact that we were several minutes into the movie, all Izuka did was tilt her head while waiting for me to continue.

"Don't you like… I don't know, in the middle of the night, if you had a bad dream, and wake up to find that there's something else in the room until your brain processes it?" I asked genuinely, turning over to point out a specific poster,. "Like that poster over there just above the door. If I, for the life of me, woke up randomly during the night and still half-asleep, the way that poster is designed with All Might's head being way bigger than the rest of his body, especially from a downwards angle, would jump every time. I don't know, something feels… off about that one in particular. It can't be the only one, right?"

I explained my random thought to Izuka with the most genuine expression I could muster, as once I spotted that weirdly designed All Might poster that looked too absurd at the right angle, especially with the lack of eyes on said hero.

All I got was an awkward laugh as Izuka twirled her fingers, most likely trying to find a suitable answer to my rather unorthodox question. It's there I realized how absurd my observation sounded, not intended in any harmful sort of way, but at the very least, it sure was questionable how I managed to come up with this wild and random thought as everywhere I looked, I was met with the smiling grin of the Number One Hero.

Hey, at least the room has personality to it, unlike my jungle of an unorganized mess of a man cave.

---

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

The low sound of Inko's finger gently hitting the surface of the couch while she tried to watch some random romance series on the television.

The keyword "tried", as she didn't pay attention at any point for the last thirty minutes when settling on the channel, spending an additional fifteen minutes flicking through the rest as a minor tick. She also spent an additional hour and a half after dinner mindlessly cleaning, serving as nothing more than an excuse to stay occupied, sadly, it was to no avail.

Her excitement was just too hard to contain, and could anyone blame her?

Now after finally getting to meet Yukio, it would seem Izuka's detailed, and somewhat lengthy descriptions of the boy weren't anything but accurate. It was fairly easy to see that he truly was different compared to any child his age, but she certainly didn't know what to make of it now that she got a chance to meet him.

Inko has seen and read about a handful of kids being exceptionally gifted at a very young age, making sure their career as a Hero is nothing of a successful one. Due to certain Quirks standing out more than others, that aspect alone attracts a lot of attention, and if the user is skilled enough, it was way easier to earn recognition amongst a sea of other potential Hero candidates.

But it wasn't all that, there was much to that whole process.

That's not even taken into account that every child must be taken care of differently, especially with exceptionally powerful Quirks to boot.

What greatly stuck out to Inko while talking to her daughter was when she told her that the boy lost his mother at a very young age, not even getting the chance to properly get to know her before the accident happened.

She wasn't solely concerned because it was her daughter's friend in question, but because Inko witnessed firsthand how being raised by a single parent can have tremendous effects on a child. All the times Izuka would ask about Hisashi and look away in sadness when she couldn't give her a proper answer on why he wasn't able to be with them, as a proper family.

Now for Yukio, who has great potential in various fields, while simultaneously outcasted, it can greatly affect their mentality while growing up.

Much like Izuka, the boy experienced ridicule and foul comments at a young age but for different reasons. It could be easily mistaken how mature the boy actually is for his age, but sadly, his peers only saw this kind of behavior to be unnatural and distanced themselves from him. That's not even taking into consideration what his Quirk is capable of.

After hearing all that, it was difficult for Inko to show any visible anger while her daughter first told her, but it just rubbed her the wrong way. While there's no doubt in her mind that Yukio's father tried to raise and nurture his son to the best of his capability, the unfortunate circumstance regarding his situation while being labeled a "freak" had its own fair share of obstacles.

There are just some things a parent simply cannot do, they can't connect to their child how a close friend or a significant other could be on an even level where communication isn't an issue, to understand them to such a degree where a parent never could. It was just how growing up works, plain and simple.

That is especially concerning in the process of befriending someone new. A parent can't hold their child's hand or try finding someone for them, but not caring about their social skills and not helping in whatever small way possible to ease that process was just wrong. Izuka had great trouble in that regard, and for Yukio, a similar case can be made as well.

However, after today, Inko knew that was a thing of the past.

How did she come to that conclusion? There isn't a clear answer, but one might call it a mother's intuition.

While she was cooking, Inko could barely focus on the task at hand as every few seconds, her eyes would instantly go to the two kids, chatting away like no tomorrow. The first time she did so, such a simple sight left her momentarily speechless.

The way her eyes sparkled when showing him one of her new Hero notebooks, and how Yukio was able to follow along with equal enthusiasm, It was all the proof she needed as far as she's concerned.

It also helped that their personalities were drastically different but compatible in just the right places. While her daughter is somewhat closed off, reserved, and timid, Yukio was more lively, expressive, and energetic. That allowed them to bounce off one another with such ease and it was an overall joy to simply observe their dynamic from the side.

Sadly, she was yet unable to distract herself, no matter how hard she tried.

Looking to the side and leaning back onto the couch so she can barely see Izuka's bedroom door, Inko desperately tried dismissing the thought of bargaining in and interrupting them.

Although… It was a little over two hours and neither of them came out or took a break from watching their movie. A semi-excuse to check up on them? No, it was still rather early, and probably too caught up in their own world without bothering to leave the room, no need to be a nuisance

Then why was she still walking towards her daughter's bedroom?

After staring blankly at the door for a solid thirty seconds, and yet to return back to doing literally anything else, Inko took a sharp breath before her hand turned the doorknob slowly. Upon opening the door just enough for her head to a peak, the single mother wasn't prepared for the scene in front of her, almost giving her a semi-heart attack.

Not for the wrong reason though, actually, it was quite the opposite.

Izuka was hurdled up next to Yukio, both sound asleep.

Her head was resting on his shoulder with her hands wrapped around his arm, positioned in the just-right position to not be considered uncomfortable. Yukio on the other hand, was sleeping in an upright position, his head slightly tilted to the side while still managing to sleep in such a position without an issue.

While watching them, Inko's eyes widened when Izuka's body jerked slightly, fearing she was caught spying on them. Instead of waking up, Izuka strengthened her hold onto the boy and rubbed her cheeks on his shoulder, but because of that, Yukio's head fell to the side, crashing onto her daughter's hair. Neither of those things was enough to fully wake him up, rather making him bury his face onto Izuka's head to use as a make-shift pillow, an action that caused her daughter's body to jerk once more before continuing to sleep comfortably.

Due to being so far away, Inko wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she was quite positive she spotted Izuka's lips forming a small smile upon moving closer to her friend.

That was enough to make Inko release a low squeal, trying her hardest to keep that excitement from accidentally waking the kids up.

If Inko had difficulty taking her eyes off the two before, looking away now was outright impossible.

Memories of her daughter coming home with a forced smile and feeling down each time solely because other kids couldn't understand she was different came rushing back the longer she observed the two. It would hurt her each time as it always was the same issue, one she couldn't mend, fix or help no matter how hard she tried.

Now, however, in that specific moment, it felt like all of those issues never existed.

From here on out, all Inko wants is to continue seeing that smile every single day, but it seems a certain someone has the ability to do that simply by being right next to her, even while sleeping.

Taking a slight risk, Inko gently tiptoed across the room towards the bed, taking the untouched blanket from the side, covering the both of them in one swift but elegant motion, picking up the tray that was left off to the side before exiting the room.

Before closing the door, Inko couldn't help but take one last look at the two kids, a little longer than she originally intended, slowly closing the door as the smile on her face continued to grow.

Inko might have to possibly call Yukio's father personally and notify him of the… unforeseen circumstance that might prevent the boy from coming home tonight.

-Quirks

Attraction of Small Objets (renamed to "Attraction" for convenience sake xd) - grants the user the ability to use a telekinesis-like power that attracts small objects to them. The exact size limit of what the user can attract is unknown, although it may be possible to extend its limitations via training.

Das it for Ch7, hope it was worth the wait.

Now, before someone points out it's another Slice of Life Chapter, I can reassure its the last one for a while, since the next one will be a slight time skip. I thought it was necessary to get this one out of the way instead of briefly mentioning it in a paragraph or two, and a good way to end off their early years than just do time skips without anything in between.

Also, a small surprise for what's in store for the next Chap (well, an idea at least but down to doing it), to help/comes across/redeem Toga or Twice before canon starts.

Lemme just say right off the bat; no it's NOT turning into a harem or will Toga have any feelings towards the two in that particular way. I thought about it, and a good number of LoV people could've had a different fate if at least one person managed to help them instead of society neglecting them. I was thinking either Toga or Twice, since they seem like the best fit.

I'm more leaning on Toga since I don't think she gets enough love and would be an interesting addition to our little duo. She'd make a badass Underground Hero after finishing UA (I'm thinking Class 1-B would be a better fit since Vlad King is their homeroom teacher which would greatly help with her Quirk,), doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Also a little question I'd like to ask yall so I know how to continue; is it necessary to change the way Izu meets All Might or can it stay the same. If it's the latter (something I think is ok with), the only changes would be from Izu's thoughts after the encounter but different than in canon, and charging in to save Bakugo regardless, but a little more tactical and smarter about. That sligh change would be the right tweak for her character to be consistent with how different she is compared to canon. That's just my thoughts on the matter, at least.

I also won't ignore All Might in this, or how most people portray him. I'll dive deeper into this once we come around to it so I can explain my point better.

Welp, das all I got, I'd go on a bit more but A/N's are short not this long xd. Now we're getting to the good stuff, since I think that's what everybody's been waiting for, myself included. Lemme know what you think by leavin a review, will start doing the next one right away. If there are any typos or errors, I'll reupload the file tomorrow when I wake up.

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

Cya

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 8 - One's Self Worth

It was the end of the first week of her second year in Aldera Junior High, but unlike last year, there was no excitement this time around.

While she was optimistic and had hoped Junior High would be a different experience, it soon became apparent it was nothing more than the same cycle as before, not like she wasn't expecting it regardless.

No matter how much effort Izuka spent trying to befriend other kids, the outcome was always the same, some were a bit more harsh and subtle in their remarks when learning she was Quirkless. Not all cases were that bad, at best, only giving her odd stares and/or simply walking away without saying another word. It wasn't much of an improvement, but it was far better than being on the receiving end of foul comments, or made fun of for not having a Quirk, which was something, at least.

Most of her time was spent writing notes regarding Quirks or potential strategies she can employ in the future that might be helpful in combat. Some days she wouldn't even pay attention in class, either being ahead of schedule for certain subjects or it was something simple that could easily grasp at home. It's not like she had anything better to do in the meantime.

Nevertheless, a big part of her didn't bother dwelling on those things, it's the effort that counts, at least.

The green-haired girl had a goal that kept her mind occupied in the meantime. One she was preparing for nearly four years and still had so much to go over before trying to apply for U.A. when the time comes. The journey itself was going relatively smoothly, all things considered, making sure her studies and physical capabilities are constantly improving without any issues.

It was a steady process, with only a few years left before she could apply for U.A. and realize her dream of becoming a Hero. Working towards her goal made it easier to ignore the dull sensation of attending school.

Closing her locker, Izuka was about to head towards the main entrance, before locking eyes with a particularly explosive blonde, Bakugou Katsuki.

It was purely by coincidence, and it only lasted for a few seconds, but just like many times in the past, resulted in nothing more than a hateful glare sent her way before immediately turning around and pretending she doesn't exist.

Ever since she met Yukio, and realized the difference between a healthy and toxic relationship, there were only a handful of times the two would even interact with one another. Most of the time it would only include Bakugou expressing foul comments or trying to insult her verbally in the off chance that they did run into each other, but it wouldn't go anything beyond that.

In each encounter, the green-haired girl could only sigh at her former friend's immaturity. Losing any hope of managing to hold a decent conversation, as if they ever had one in the first place.

She didn't even bother responding back at him, as it would only cause an additional headache in the process. They technically weren't even considered friends anymore, so he really had no reason to further harass her as much since she wasn't following him around anymore, yet she didn't let that get under her skin, not in the slightest. Izuka could barely take him seriously with the way he would "threaten" her, nor would she back down if he actually tried to attack her.

While his Quirk was impressive and versatile, her physical capabilities greatly improved over the years, and so did her confidence to not back down from a fight, especially with everything she learned up until this point. The element of surprise was also on her side, as surely he wouldn't expect her to end said fight before it would get any messier.

That was half the reason, at least in her mind.

With a certain someone around her at almost any given moment, Bakugou wouldn't dare to say anything, only a spiteful glare before walking away entirely. It was obvious their first encounter left a bad taste in the ash-blonde's mouth but never tried instigating a fight of any kind on his own, as compared to everyone else, Yukio was the only one who would stand his ground and never get intimidated by him. That's not including how their fight ended, which stuck as a reminder to choose your battles carefully.

At the end of the day, just like with Bakugou, and even in another school with new faces, It seems like some things just never change, and learning to accept that was a part of life. Simple enough.

She only hated how unfairly one-sided it was, she truly did.

"Izuka!"

The green-haired girl's eyes widened slightly upon hearing her name being called out, all other thoughts that were floating around in her mind vanishing instantaneously.

Looking off to the side, Izuka's eyes landed where the sound of her name came from. Even though the hallway was filled with students with unique appearances because of their Quirks and somewhat crowded in general, it was impossible to miss the combination of white and black darting across each of them with such grace and confidence.

Unlike her, who had a pretty crappy start to Junior High, the same couldn't be said for Yukio.

Given the nature of his Quirk, to not repeat the same cycle as in Elementary School, Yukio decided to settle on using a single ability without utilizing the others they've collected over the years. Initially, she expressed concern over the idea, as it would basically mean putting extra attention to not accidentally revealing his other Quirks to the other students, which would be a difficult task in itself.

However, her friend simply reassured her it was the least of their concerns. To put it into his own words, he "wouldn't care" if others found out about the true capabilities of his Quirk, rather it being a security issue. For the foreseeable future, it was best to keep it a secret while simply training and collecting others to be well prepared when they go to apply for U.A. after graduating Junior High.

That's not what made him stand out, not by a long shot.

While restricted to using a single Quirk, it didn't stop his name from being quickly spread across the entire school like it was wildfire for other reasons.

Aside from him being a talented student overall, he was exceptional when it came to physical activities, even going as far as not needing to use his Quirk when they were allowed to be used. Theories of him being Quirkless quickly began to spread, but he immediately shot them down, giving a simple answer as "I don't need to use it" whenever it was brought up, or being cheeky in front of many students who could only stare in shock after getting the same kind of response each time.

His personality and rather "unique" appearance helped him to stand out even more. It was fairly difficult to not notice all the attention he was getting, and how can it be when almost every other person would come into contact with him and attempt to befriend him whenever they were at school. The worst offender is when they would completely ignore her existence to get him to notice them, which would happen quite frequently.

Despite all that, Izuka remained silent each time, fearing she might get in the way of Yukio befriending other students that were eager to talk to him. She accepted the fact that there may come a time when Yukio would simply want to interact with other people and be a part of different groups in general. While growing up, Izuka wanted nothing more than for her friend to experience success and receive the admiration he rightfully deserved.

Given this newfound popularity, and being the talk amongst the entire school, in a positive light to boot, she was afraid that they would spend less time together as a result. Being unable to befriend anyone else, Izuka didn't want to use that as an excuse to be clingy and for her inconvenience to prevent him from going out and meeting new people.

However, that never happened.

No matter how different their circumstances were now compared to a few years ago when they first met, this was one of those things that always stayed the same.

There wasn't a day where the same scene would play out over and over again. Never, and quite literally never did he venture off with someone else during school or after, as in his own words it's an "excruciating" experience at times, something she simply couldn't wrap her head around.

Even though he was popular and was able to strike up a conversation with anyone so easily, the thought of him not wanting to socialize with other people made her question why he kept doing that, it just didn't make any sense, from her point of view at least.

Regardless, it would bring her so much joy each time when school would end, as he would be always there with the same expression and walking by her side. That single aspect is what made her entire school experience worthwhile, wishing that the very next day will play out the same way as it did up until this point.

For once, even though she plans on becoming a Hero who would do anything to help those in need and make compromises so others could be happy, this was the one thing, no, the only thing that she couldn't easily let go of.

If things really do stay the same, with no sign of any change whatsoever, then it's only fair this stays the same as well.

It was okay for her to be selfish, only for this one, specific instance.

Was it?

---

"Thank god you're still here!" I said joyfully while coming to an abrupt stop. "Did you grab all your stuff?"

"Yeah…?" Izuka asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. "Why are you in such a hurr-"

"Good!" I said hastily while gently turning her around and pushing her forward. "Cause we're leaving, right now…!"

"Y-Yukio-kun…!?" Izuka stuttered as she allowed me to keep on pushing her as we walked. "What's gotten into you…!?"

"If I have to listen to one more obnoxious "hey man!" or an attempt to talk to me while minding my own business, I will lose it," I said lowly, ignoring the numerous sets of eyes that follow me each day I enter this school. "Like seriously, I can't spend a single hour actually doing work in class without getting pestered in some way or the other. I won't even mention the bunch that follows me around everywhere I go."

"Oh, come on, Yukio-kun," Izuka said. "They can't be that bad, can they?"

I was about to respond before my eyes trailed down the hallway, finding the new group of the week I was trying to avoid and keep the interactions down to a minimum. Compared to the others I had to deal with, this particular bunch was particularly annoying for following me and trying to get me to hangout with them.

The curse of being exceptional in P.E., who would have guessed?

"Act like I said something funny," I whispered into her ear while hunching down slightly, putting an arm over her shoulder. "Try to make it convincing as well, please."

Without even missing a beat, Izuka did exactly what I instructed her to, placing a hand over her mouth while releasing a continuous laugh. I quickly followed along by "continuing" with a random story as we walked, making it so any attempt of catching my attention fell flat on their end.

"Yes… they are…" I said through my clenched teeth, already feeling slightly better that I don't have to think of another excuse to slip away. "I can't even go to the bathroom without some peace and quiet."

"I'm sure you're just overthinking this," Izuka said calmly as we walked through the main gate."

"Listen, you have to understand, I'm not willingly avoiding them, I'm doing it so I can keep my sanity intact." I expressed while rubbing my temple, recalling all the absurd interactions I had over the past year. "I hoped Junior High would be a better experience, but it seems I just caused the opposite effect. Makes me think that keeping my Quirk a secret might have been the wrong choice…"

"I… genuinely can't tell if you're serious or not…" Izuka said with a blank stare.

I sighed. "Okay, I'm exaggerating a little here, it's not that bad, but… some of them don't even have basic manners, Izu," I began explaining. "There are probably a handful of people I can talk to without catching a headache. I spent the last year trying a different approach and so far, I haven't been able to hang out with anyone else longer than ten minutes before wishing I had a Warp Quirk to escape each time."

"Well… now we don't have to worry about that anymore…!" Izuka said cheerfully while changing the subject. "We got a weekend with no training planned, might as well make the most of it!

"Finally, some good news," I clasped my hands while looking up to the sky in a joyful manner, only for another thought to pop up in my mind as a result. "Speaking of which…"

I stopped in my tracks for a brief moment to get behind her, lightly tossing her ponytail off to the side while trying to unlock her backpack.

"Y-Yukio-kun…!" Izuka blurted out. "What are you doing…!?"

"Digging for treasure, what does it look like I'm doing?" I replied sarcastically while rolling my eyes, proceeding to search through her backpack now that we've momentarily stopped. "I know you keep it somewhere around here…"

Flipping through the many notebooks within her bag, I found the item I was waiting for all morning.

"Oooh, nice, very nice," I admired the manga choice of the day, a new one she picked up not too long ago. While admiring the book, my thumb trailed the edge of the neatly placed cover protectors that were noticeable on closer inspection. "You even got these cover protectors on it as well. Bet you can set these babies on fire and they wouldn't leave a scratch on them."

"When it's a series I'm fond of and I know I'll be carrying it around a lot, I'd rather not have them get damaged in any way. Attaching those protectors was a hassle, once they're on you can't take them off anymore. A one-time use, basically," Izuka explained before changing the topic. "Anyway, did you catch up on that?"

"Why did you think I went digging for it in the first place?" I replied with a grin, opening the first page that held a quick recap within several panels. "It's the only thing you've been gushing over for the last month or so. Decided to take a look for myself and got immediately hooked."

"You'll like the newest chapter," Izuka said. "I don't think I paid attention to a single lesson in class today because of it."

"What about the others?" I asked while flipping through the book for a quick overview. "These seem familiar, but my memory is a bit flimsy."

"You'll just have to find out for yourself, not giving away any spoilers…!" Izuka replied with a cheeky grin.

"Train or on foot?" I asked before diving into the opening panels.

"I don't mind walking, honestly," Izuka replied while doing numerous stretches. "Sometimes it's just better to relax after school with a nice walk. Besides, considering it's a Friday, you already know the ten minutes it takes to get home ain't worth the constant elbows to the head and lack of oxygen in such a stuffed crowd."

"Aye aye."

Four years have passed since Izuka and I first met, and my, how time flies when you're busy.

During this, we found and experimented with a bunch of new Quirks, alongside improving the ones I had from before. As I got better with each individual ability, we were able to precisely discover its limits and find further improvements, always managing to branch out into other fields one way or another during the planning phase.

Sticking to our excessive training plan, with the help from Sensei and everyone at the Dojo, we came a long way since we first joined. While improvement is an endless cycle, and I tend to be a bit harsh on how I measure it, it would be wrong to spit on all the progress we've made in the meantime.

My physical capabilities experienced slight improvements now that I'm a little bit older, but still a few years away from developing properly, which was a decent trade-off. With certain Quirks demanding a decent level of stamina and strength to use properly without any issues, it was better to be extra prepared just in case.

Since a part of my Quirk is Energy Absorption, we kept on trying to figure out how to make a sort of battery to always have it on hand, as you could never be too careful. It took a while, but we were able to make a prototype at the very least. Needing to have something small and compact, it's one of the many nifty devices we spent our time working on over the years.

Meanwhile, Izuka on the other hand was on a completely different level than when we first started.

We covered plenty of fighting styles till finding ones that best suited her, added with training her body to be able to accomplish many different feats. She practically memorized countless techniques and ways of dealing with her opponent in a fight, I should know, having experienced them firsthand many times over the years.

Our sparring sessions became more interesting, and personally, a lot more fun as well. Her stamina and endurance improved significantly, making it less one-sided since Izuka's combat knowledge had greatly expanded over the years.

By now, it was evident the progress wouldn't be slowing down any time soon, and the results were definitely starting to show. Naturally, I didn't go all out, as I knew what level to keep it on, but that doesn't mean her hits didn't pack one hell of a punch and kick.

Because of that, we were able to achieve quite a lot in these four years. One of my picks was to ensure she can tank heavy hits and how to deal with them, as knowing how much your body can withstand is essential to not make a wrong choice during battle. Pain endurance is a tricky one, but greatly beneficial in the long term.

Her determination truly shined after going over many different exercises, I don't think I ever heard her complain or upset when we trained, simply doing what was instructed and making sure to do it properly.

Aside from training constantly, we made a habit of doing other activities in our downtime so things wouldn't get repetitive. Since the number of Quirks I had could be used in various ways, it was easy to find a new method of entertaining ourselves in our downtime.

One of those new hobbies included gaming, instantly rekindling an old passion I have completely forgotten about, or to be specific, didn't think much about as I couldn't talk to anyone to resurface those interests. We totally didn't geek out over the potential abilities and combos we could mimic if we found the right combination, only further fueling our addiction while getting some ideas in the meantime.

School might have been a chore to deal with, considering every day I'd have someone new walk-up right into my face and act like personal space doesn't exist, but luckily, with Izuka being able to save me each time, I was able to stomach through it.

It was at moments like these I enjoyed the relatively slow pace the world was moving at, as well as once again experiencing the joy that comes with teenage hormonal changes.

Sadly, there are only a few years left to savor, but I might as well just keep doing the same routine and just live the moment while I can. After all this time, actually having some breathing room made this whole experience a lot more manageable, and to be honest, a little bit enjoyable in the process.

Even if it wasn't meant to last.

"Aghh! S-Somebody! Help!"

It happened so suddenly, and by the time I raised my head from the book, another scream quickly filled the air.

"What was that?" Izuka asked suddenly as we briefly shared a look, instantly bolting towards the direction of the noise while sliding her book into my bag.

Me being slightly faster, I turned the corner several seconds before Izuka did, finding a middle-aged man with black hair on the ground, trying to pry off a girl with blonde hair down to her shoulders, wearing nothing more than a simple black-colored school uniform.

While quickly observing the situation, my eyes widened as I noted the girl's features.

For a brief moment, I was stunned when I realized who the man's attacker was, Toga Himiko, a future member of the League of Villains.

More importantly, it would seem that the man was bleeding somewhere, the numerous red streaks of blood on both their clothes.

After I saw that, there was no more room left to think, only to act.

"You make sure the man is alright, I'll restrain her."

I instructed her as I took off my bag and jacket, throwing them off to the side before bolting towards the injured civilian. At the right moment when she raised her hand to strike again, I crashed into Toga to push her away, instantly standing up in a defensive stance to shield the man.

Instantly getting back up on her feet, Toga's head spun around with her shoulders slumped, breathing in and out quite heavily in the process.

We exchanged glares for a brief moment, getting a better look at her up close. Areas of her mouth were covered in blood alongside small sections of her clothes stained as well. Like a wild animal, Toga lunged headfirst towards me, briefly seeing her sharp fangs as closed the gap between us.

Before the bite could connect, I simply activated 'Dinosaur' for my arm to grow in size by a small amount, the outer layer of skin forming light brown-colored scales in the process. Just as she bit down, her facial expression didn't change in the slightest, only trying harder to pierce my skin but it was to no avail.

When that didn't work, she tried slashing my face with her surprisingly sharp fingernails, the Quirk once again came to the rescue, only affecting the side of my face where her hand went. While I wasn't afraid of getting injured, as I was easily able to avoid each of her attempts, my mind trailed off elsewhere.

"Something's not right here…" I thought the more I observed Toga up close. "The way she's behaving is not like how I remembered it, although she is still twelve or thirteen years old, so that explains the lack of any "psychotic" tendencies. It must be because of her Quirk, that much I knew, although not to this extent.

While she was reasonably fast for her age, there wasn't any strategy or plan by the way she was moving. It was dealing like a feral animal, releasing nothing but growls each time she would try to attack me.

Standing my ground, I grabbed her left wrist when she went for another attack, tightening my grip just enough so she couldn't slip away. Instead of playing tug of war, Toga merely

"It's okay! You're safe now…!" Izuka kneeled down to the injured man, trying to help him stand up. "Here, let me h-"

"A-Aghh, g-get away!"

Pushing Izuka off to the side and making her lose her balance, the man bolted towards the empty street, not even bothering to look back.

"He didn't appear all that injured, he's probably just in shock," The thought immediately came to mind while momentarily looking off to the side to take a proper look, catching the backside of the man turning the corner at the last second. "At least now he's out of harm's way."

Just as I turned my head back, Toga thrust her body forward to headbutt me in the nose, making me take a step back. The hit itself wasn't painful but the unexpected action on her part still took me by surprise, trying to do it again with more ferocity.

It was enough to make me lose my hold on her, using that opportunity to push me backwards while Himiko made a run for it.

"Damn it…!" I mentally cursed as I instantly got back on my feet, "Izuka! Watch out!"

Even though she saw her coming, Izuka didn't have much time to react as the blonde-haired girl crashed into her, throwing both of them to the ground with Toga on top of her.

Not wasting time, Izuka grabbed her wrists to keep them in place and pushed her back, preventing Toga from swooping down to bite her so easily.

When the opportunity presented itself, Izuka retracted one of her hands to hit her in the solar plexus. It was enough to stop Toga from attacking momentarily, taking quick breaths after getting hit in such a sensitive area.

It gave her enough room to wiggle out from underneath the blonde-haired girl, pushing her from behind to sit on her back.

"W-Woah!" Izuka uttered while trying to keep Toga in place, holding both her hands behind the blonde's back with some difficulty.

"Don't worry, I got you," I said reassuringly upon kneeling down beside her, absorbing a little bit of concrete in the process. "Just give me some room…!"

Still sitting on her back, Izuka moved back slightly while keeping Toga's hands, making the blonde-haired girl's body jerk upwards in an attempt to break free, but was unsuccessful. Using the stone I absorbed moments prior, I laid my hand on top of Toga's to release some in liquid form, commanding it to form makeshift cuffs. Just as the process was complete, Toga started thrashing around once again, only more wildly than before.

Needing to keep her from escaping, Izuka and I moved her off to the side, briefly touching the cuffs to connect them to the wall's surface.

"Okay… what now…?" I asked the question that was on both our minds.

"Well, for starters, does anything seem… off, to you?" Izuka asked with a hint of uncertainty while looking down at Toga, who was still unable to stay in place for longer than a second.

"Aside from her refusing to use words and only growling at us, I can think of a few things," I commented in a light tone but still containing a hint of seriousness. "She appears to be our age, but for her to act this way is…

"Well, for her to be in this 'feral state', it could mean only one thing, her Quirk is messing with her physical and mental health, most likely from a lack of appropriate control. She seems almost… What's the word… hungry?"

"That's what I think as well," I agreed with her. "While on that topic, I'd wager it's a Blood-related Quirk."

"How do you know?" Izuka asked.

"If you look closely, you can notice some of her teeth are different from the rest, they look like fangs if you ask me," I explained. "When she tried attacking me, she wasted no time trying to bite me anywhere possible, and when I used my Quirk to reinforce my skin, she immediately switched to a different area. That aside, she would've used it already if she wanted to harm someone."

"That does make sense," Izuka pondered with a thoughtful look. "If that's the case, who knows how long she's been dealing with these kinds of issues, but I feel like it's more complicated than just that."

"What are you talking about?"

Izuka stayed silent for a few seconds, staring down at the blonde-haired girl with an apologetic look. "I'm not sure but… when she was on top of me and I got a chance to look at her up close. If she needs blood because of her Quirk, I'm fairly certain she hasn't gotten any for a long time to behave this way. It's like… she's aware of what she's doing but can't control herself. I know it sounds off but… that look in her eyes, I can tell she's in pain, and I'm positive she didn't mean to do any of this. I'm just curious what she's been through for her to act like this."

Oh, why did this day have to get so complicated?

Himiko's case was fairly complicated, to put it lightly.

The fact that her parents completely neglected her and forbid her from even using her Quirk, an ability that requires Blood so the user can stay fully functional, it's actually baffling that they truly thought she wouldn't grow up without any issues.

I'm fairly positive Toga indeed was normal during her childhood, with her issue gradually becoming more serious over time, staying like that before finally reaching her breaking point. Putting her Quirk off the side, the way her upbringing affected her mental health only further contributed to where she would end up. Being labeled with a villainous Quirk, keeping it a secret seemed the best thing to do, but at what cost?

A person's Quirk doesn't represent their entire character, but some give into peer pressure and convince they're someone they aren't, with a good amount of mental problems forming over time.

That's where I asked myself a simple question, was there any room left to help her?

A part of me kept saying there was still hope, she was still relatively young, after all. That factor alone weighs a significant amount, and if so, a few years of adjusting to get her back on track seemed reasonable.

At the same time, it could already be too late to try and help her, the feral state she's in making me think it was. The story was vague when detailing the exact date where she "snapped", as from that point the effects of her Quirk changed her mentality completely, possibly even passed the point of repair.

Psychological and mental trauma can come in all sorts of shapes and forms, some more complicated than others. Furthermore, in this world, how much can a person truly endure all that while also factoring in a rather essential part of life that is different compared to everyone around you.

Crap, what do I do? What can I do?

"Help me… p-please…"

My thoughts were shattered when I heard that weak and barely audible plea.

I wasn't prepared for the sight before me, at least my morality wasn't.

Instead of thrashing around and yelling to be released, Toga's entire demeanor changed completely, replaced with a horrified expression with tears flowing out uncontrollably.

"I-I'm… s-sorry," Himiko uttered while the tears continued to trail down her face uncontrollably. "I-I didn't m-mean to hu-hurt anyone…"

This was no act, rather genuine remorse upon realizing what Toga just attempted to do.

That means our theory of Toga acting this way solely because of her Quirk is now harder to dismiss, as I couldn't find a hint of cunningness or an ulterior motive in her eyes. Any sense of concrete logic I had was replaced with empathy, finding it difficult to imagine her as the same person that would end up being a serial killer, rather a scared girl with a Quirk her own parents were afraid of and forbid any use of it.

Instead of teaching her healthy ways to deal with her feelings and situation, they did everything in their power to force her to hide and deny that part of herself and pretend to be "normal" like other kids. On top of that, with an ability like this, where it can potentially twist one's sense of reality and common logic if not handled properly, especially when a child develops that kind of power from a very young age.

Taking a look towards Izuka, I was met with an equally worried expression, unsure what to make of this situation. While we're both aware of how some Quirks have certain needs that may cause the user to behave differently as a result, there were simply too many variables to take into consideration. However, after witnessing this, it just didn't sit well with me, not in the slightest.

Again, I'm forced to make a difficult choice, one that might have a massive effect on how some future events will play out. Furthermore, there is no possible guarantee that our meddling will change something that might be already too late to fix. I kept going back and forth the more I thought about it, unable to reach any sort of conclusion to this dilemma.

Yet, the longer I looked down at Toga in such a weak and miserable state, coupled with her plea for help that kept ringing in my head, I was reminded of a cruel lesson, one I learned years ago.

Monsters aren't simply born into this world, rather they're made by how society treats its own people.

Not everyone could be placed in the same category, some never even got a proper chance to find the right path for themselves, or an ounce of help to guide them towards it. The whole system was completely unfair, and nobody deserves to live in such conditions when they never had a glimpse of what it is like to be treated properly in the first place.

Seeing her head slowly falling off to the side, using the last of her strength to stay conscious while quietly sobbing, my mind was made up.

I made a gamble before, might as well do it again.

"Crap, she's a minute away from passing out entirely," I commented on her weak state, doing several additional checkups for extra measure. "Quick Heal is basically useless since it can't help her with what her Quirk needs, or keep her awake."

"Well, if blood is what she needs, maybe there is still a way to help her." Izuka suggested while rolling up her sleeve, kneeling down to Himiko with her arm right in front of her face. As if on instinct, and with heavy breaths, Himiko opened her mouth to bite down, but couldn't do more than lightly
nibble on the surface of her skin.

"She doesn't have enough strength to even open a wound to take it." Izuka said hastily.

"Furthermore, I don't think it would be enough to simply bite down if she could," I said in a serious tone. "If she's like this, she's gonna need way more than a few milliliters from us two in this weakened state."

"What do we do?" Izuka asked worryingly. "None of your other Quirks are useful in this situation, maybe we should try finding a Hero?"

"Might not be enough time," I responded hastily, thinking of ways on finding a solution to our little situation. "Unless they would have a mobility-type Quirk, it would still take a while before she can get any medical attention."In the likelihood that we get separated, or if I arrive before you do, I'll be near the reception desk or something. Sound good?

Without replying, Izuka hastily took out her phone, fingers furiously tapping the screen while bringing it closer to her face.

"There… is a hospital… not too far away but not exactly close either," Izuka explained, turning the phone over so I could see. "We're all the way over here, and we have to go… here."

"That just won't do," I said bitterly, thinking about what we can do at the moment.

Taking out a random notebook, I wasted no time finding an empty page before making a stone pencil in my free hand, producing a small amount of ink from my forearm to draw a small bird with wide wings. Once its body was complete, a brief moment of silence passed as it manifested out of the page, instantly darting upwards into the sky to find any Heroes that might be in the area.

After about a minute, the bird came flying down at high speed before landing on my wrist, merely shaking its head in a loop.

"There aren't any Heroes around the area either, meaning we can't depend on them to rush her to a hospital." I said with a frown.

"Can you make it there by carrying her?" Izuka questioned. "Judging by her state, we shouldn't waste any more time doing nothing. Getting her to someone who can properly help as soon as possible should be our main priority."

"What about you?" I asked, feeling like something wasn't clicking. "I can't exactly stay at an even pace if I were to carry her."

"Don't worry, I'll catch up," Izuka said reassuringly. "I may not be as fast as you, but that doesn't matter right now. If we both know we're heading, me being a little behind won't be an issue

She did have a good point, time was of the essence, and having knowledge of how her situation will turn out, every minute from this point onward was critical.

Still, I didn't want her to leave her behind, but luckily, I had a decent solution to that issue.

Flipping to an empty page, I quickly began drawing a relatively detailed sketch of a lion, taking a total of thirty seconds before it was fully complete. I am aware that using Quirks in public was against the law, but seeing as there weren't any Heroes around, and this was somewhat of an emergency, might as well make it so Izuka doesn't have to run all the way there on her own. I tossed my jacket into the backpack before putting it on from the front, so it wouldn't bother me nor cause any discomfort to Toga while we were moving.

"They may easily dissolve if I don't put in the proper amount of focus and energy, but since only one would be active and be right behind me, it should last a while," I explained to her, kneeling down to place Toga's arms around my neck, grabbing her legs while slowly lifting myself up."

Hopping onto the tiger's back while giving her the direction of where we were going, giving me a thumbs up in understanding, I gave her a nod before entering a slow run, waiting for her to catch up before we turned the corner. Once we did, I blasted off towards the hospital, making sure to stay at a reasonable pace without shaking too much.

Taking a look behind me, I found Izuka several meters away, riding on top of my creation without any issue or making too big of a gap distance-wise.

Focusing my attention on the blonde-haired girl once more, observing her for a few moments before turning to concentrate on the empty sidewalk ahead of me. In the span of those few, short seconds, all the thoughts I had in the last several minutes began replaying back in my head, briefly second-guessing my decision before dismissing the thought entirely.

Nothing is set in stone, at least not yet.

---

"Where… am I…?" Himiko thought groggily upon opening her eyes, quickly closing them as the sudden light felt like "What… did I do…?"

Trying to recall the last thing that happened, Himiko vaguely remembered the events prior to her blackout, everything else was hazy at best.

At one moment, she was simply walking around aimlessly while trying to get her Quirk to calm down, which led absolutely nowhere. The next, Himiko found herself running after a random civilian before "blacking out" again.

Over the past few months, these urges caused by her Quirk only got more intense, and incredibly difficult to contain. The lack of blood in her system was gradually beginning to take its toll, both mentally and physically.

Despite that, informing her parents of what was going on proved to be futile.

Her parents told her doing such things was wrong, and like with many other instances, she understood that, but she couldn't do anything when her Quirk started acting up.

It was out of her control, it truly was.

Last year in school, her grades and social interactions gradually began to decline, as any resemblance of focus was impossible to hold for long periods of time.

Then there was a lack of blood she was able to obtain, that was a whole separate issue on its own. While she was able to make some "friends" in Elementary School, asking them such a request seemed pointless the longer she considered it. There was also a momentary discussion where Blood Quirks were mentioned through conversation, with one pointing out how It was enough to make her forget to ask anyone else about the topic ever again.

The only substitute she had that managed to ease her suffering was occasionally finding a dead bird or a cat on her way home and drinking what little amount of blood she could from its carcass to calm her urges for just a few brief hours.

Sadly, in the end, all she could do is pray that the next time it won't be such a painful experience, but that was nothing more than wishful thinking.

No matter how much she wanted it, her situation only got more severe as time went on, today being a prime example.

She remembers the man's horrified face as she tried to drink his blood, the one single bite she was able to do before being smacked away, the scene replaying in her head over and over on repeat. Chasing him down through multiple city blocks like an animal, her body unresponsive to any of her commands to stop right then and there, only focusing on the blood when she briefly tore into his skin.

Despite doing that, it still felt like the blonde-haired girl was forgetting something.

"Oh… that's right…" Himiko thought remorsefully as she slowly remembered the last few minutes before blacking out. "I attacked that boy and girl as well…"

If Himiko felt awful already, this was the icing on the cake.

Neither seemed to have any intention of harming her when she was in that state, yet, Himiko was unable to calm down, despite her efforts.

Himiko only wished she could apologize to the man and the two

"Why… can't I just be normal… like everyone else…?"

She asked herself that question countless times before, always being met with the same answer. Maybe it was just who she was, a girl with a "villainous" Quirk that she couldn't change, which in turn meant people would see her as a monster with the need for blood.

It was just unfair.

.

.

.

Wait, why was her body "shaking" constantly… in sort of a rhythmic motion as well?

Furthermore, why were her arms and legs locked in place?

Opening her eyes once more, Himiko tried to keep them from closing again to find out what was going on. Countless cars and bystanders passed by in a blur, the constant change in scenery making her only more nauseous, forcing her to turn her head to get a hold of herself.

What instantly caught her attention was a black and white-colored lion not that far away from her, adjusting her vision to spot a girl with green hair riding on top of it. Why did she seem familiar?

Slowly sliding her head forward, her eyes immediately noticed black-colored hair on her right side. From such an awkward angle, she couldn't properly identify who it was, but the streak of white hair from the front made everything click.

It was them, the boy and girl she attacked.

What was going on?

"Where… are you taking me…?"

Himiko tried uttering those words with as much strength as she could muster but came out nothing more than a weak croak.

"Oh! You're awake…!" The black and white-haired boy said softly while turning his face slightly to the side so she could see his face properly. "Hang in there, we're on our way to a hospital. We're should be there any minute now, so hold on for a little more

Did she hear that correctly, or was her mind deceiving her?

Why… why would they be helping her, even though she tried to harm them?

No, that's not it. It just doesn't make any sense, there had to be some sort of misunderstanding.

People are afraid of her when she behaves unnaturally, why would this instance be any different?

Taking another look behind her, Himiko's eyes locked on the green-haired girl while trying to keep her head from shaking constantly.

Because the other girl was a little farther away, her blurry vision made it sort of difficult to focus properly, only able to see her face but not much more than that.

Before she knew it, the girl smiled and Himiko saw her lips moving, but she couldn't make out what she was saying. For some odd reason, a part of her kept saying it really didn't matter, the way her expression changed before addressing her with a reassuring smile made her feel… at ease?

Even though she tried her hardest to not pass out again, her eyelids were growing heavier with each passing second, unable to give in without finding out why this whole ordeal was happening.

Regardless, the odd sensation in the blonde-haired girl's stomach kept telling her not to worry about it, somehow washing away all other questions and concerns that troubled her at the moment.

Over time, the idea of this all being a very vivid hallucination kept growing in Himiko's mind, unable to fathom that the same two people she attacked are trying to help her. The idea of that is just absurd.

Yet, even if that was the case, she desperately wanted to believe otherwise

---

After about fifteen or so minutes of running without stopping, the only exception being the occasional red light to not cause a traffic incident, we finally made it to the closest hospital.

Before we departed, I memorized several key places that I would pass by on my way over here, knowing exactly how much more is needed to reach our destination.

On our way here, we encountered a Hero that warned Izuka about using Quirks in public, to which I explained the reason why we were in such a hurry. While the man understood the situation, Quirks weren't allowed to be used in public but it wasn't a big issue, only forcing me to run faster and wait for Izuka at the hospital.

Luckily, the moment I brought her in, a doctor with his assistant immediately took notice, taking her into one of the many rooms to conduct their procedures.

While I was able to recall how the story presented Himiko and the insight into her psychology, I still needed her to get a medical check-up before I could proceed forward. I could only guess, but I'd assume the one and only time she got one was when her Quirk appeared, and her parents

Whatever the case may be, I just need some of the fine details, handling the rest is manageable afterwards.

I just really hope the damage wasn't that severe yet, but only time would be able to give me an answer on that.

"Yukio-kun!"

Being snapped out of my thoughts, I looked off to the side to find Izuka at the entrance waving at me, jogging a bit more to close the distance between us.

"Damn, you're quick," I said to her with a smug look. "Could've sworn I kicked it into high gear when that cop told you to jump off my lion."

"Yeah…" Izuka said in-between breaths, resting her hands on her knees. "I didn't stop running until I saw the hospital in the distance… we're lucky it wasn't too far away…"

"Here, drink up," I handed her the water bottle that was nearly full, only taking a few sips myself and playing with it to pass the time.

After gulping down half the water bottle, Izuka didn't waste time asking the main question "What about her? Did they tell you anything?"

"Dunno yet," I merely shook my head. "Still haven't gotten any update on her condition. It taking so long makes me think they want to be thorough in her check-up than immediately assume the worst.

In the corner of my eye, I spotted the same doctor that went to do a check-up on Toga, talking away with a colleague.

"Talk about good timing," I said quietly as I instantly started walking toward the doctor upon spotting him. "Excuse, sir?"

The two men stopped their discussion when I grabbed their attention, the younger man speaking up with an eyebrow raised. "Oh, so you're the boy who brought her in?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "She passed out roughly twenty minutes ago. We were thinking about calling an ambulance, but that seemed like it would take too long so I just carried her all the way to the closest hospital."

"Well, it's a good thing that you brought her in," the doctor responded. "Considering what her Quirk is, it could've been way worse if you arrived any later."

"Really? How bad is her condition?" Izuka asked.

The doctor looked towards his assistant for a brief moment, releasing a sigh before turning his attention back to us. "Look, you have done more than enough by bringing her in. Trust me, it is better if you two don't worry yourselves over something that does not concern you."

The other man quickly followed up. "We promise you that we will notify her parents of her condition, as well as advise them of what to do in the future so she doesn't have another accident such as this."

After the doctors recited this statement, the two men turned away to leave.

Oh, hell no.

There is no way I'm letting that happen.

If her parents find out she ended up in a hospital it will cause all sorts of issues.

While the question of what happened can easily be altered, the aftermath is what I'm more worried about. If anything, it just might make things even worse for her when she gets home.

Not on my watch.

"Sir…!" I called out to the doctor, making the two men turn around with a puzzled look. "I know I may not look like it, but I am a member of the student council, and I take my job rather seriously. Knowing her condition and the cause of it isn't just for our sake. but for her as well. Also, my Quirk might be capable of helping her if I know the details regarding her situation. So please, if you could, any information you are able to share with me will be of great help to prevent any incident in the future."

The doctor merely blinked several times in confusion, most definitely surprised by what he just heard.

"Oh, just explain it to them, already," The colleague expressed hastily in a relaxed demeanor. "I have a hard time keeping kids focused for their Quirk checkup, let alone getting a chance to teach them something and not talk to the parents all the time. I'll go check if the others need help with anything."

The doctor pitched his nose while releasing another sigh. "Might as well, I guess…"

While motioning with his hand to follow him, we began walking through the doorway where we first spotted them.

"How is she?" Izuka asked worryingly as we walked beside the medical professional.

"She's stable, your friend's timing couldn't be any more perfect," The doctor began. "With these sorts of things, especially among children, it can be rather dangerous if they go without a medical check-up."

"When do you think that was?" I asked. "For her case, I mean."

The doctor shrugged. "We checked her file, and quite a lot of time has passed since then. That is, unless her family has a doctor they already know, but I find that to be very unlikely. It's not mandatory to do checkups for Blood-related Quirks but it is advised to monitor the child's growth and to spot any issues before it's too late. As well as to prescribe the right dosage and permit to get it from any pharmacy."

That doesn't surprise me. For such specific Quirks, having a note from the doctor makes things a whole lot easier. Sadly, her parents are paranoid nutcases, so that was never an option.

"What about an addiction?"

"Hm?" the doctor raised an eyebrow at my question.

"Well, with Quirks such as these, I read that it's essential that users always have a supply of blood ready to not get any odd "urges" or cause any interior problems. Now, I'm not sure whether any of that is accurate, or not, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter."

"Yes… that would be the case if the person in question goes without it for several years at the very least. To be honest, it really depends on the Quirk. Say, two people have the exact same Quirk with only one minor difference, on the surface, it doesn't have to mean much but in some cases, that difference can mean a tremendous amount to the person in question ." the doctor paused momentarily before continuing. "Excuse me, I'm still bewildered that I'm having this sort of discussion with a Junior High student."

"I get that a lot," I replied casually with a smile. "I can't really blame you, if I'm being honest."

"Speaking of which…" The doctor turned to me with a puzzled expression. "I have to ask, from the way you were talking about her, has this sort of thing happened already before?"

Obviously, tip-toeing around certain questions can always be tricky, and while talking to a medical professional, I'd rather be honest. However, the best I could do is give half a lie.

"We met her last week when school started," I began explaining calmly. "She is a transfer student, so she didn't really know anyone else besides us who showed her around. We learned she had a Blood Quirk of some kind, but she never gave us the specifics, seemed to be like a sensitive subject so we stopped asking her about it."

"Makes sense, some children tend to be rather secretive if their Quirk ain't normal in their point of view."

"I'd rather not focus on what caused her to act that way, rather the solution to make sure it doesn't happen again," I told the doctor with a serious expression.

The man stayed silent for a few seconds, studying me intently before forming a low smile. "Guess I was wrong about you, my boy. I'm glad to know she has such caring friends to look out for her, many kids would most likely be afraid solely because of her having a Blood-type Quirk. As for your friend…" The doctor turned back to look at Toga through the window. "I'd heavily advise making sure she drinks blood in small doses, for now at least. Since she didn't have the chance to do so properly for a long time. Poor girl is probably having black-out moments with how she looks."

"Will she need to spend the night here or?" Izuka asked after the doctor finished.

"She'll be fine in another half hour or so," the doctor motioned with his hand. "Just for safe measure, keeping her a bit longer for the fluids to properly set in. By the way, you said before your Quirk could help her, may I ask what it is?"

"It's a Copy Quirk, I'm able to store several Quirks at a downgraded level than the original, but still be decently effective," I began explaining to the doctor. "If it's alright with you, I was kind of hoping to ask either you or one of your colleagues if I could copy a Healing Quirk of any kind to have, just in case."

The man rubbed his chin for a few seconds before responding. "You have no issue with copying Emitter Quirks? That's the type that is most commonly used for medicine."

"No, in fact, those are the type of Quirks where I excel the most," I answered, unable to tweak the truth about my Quirk, as almost all healing Healing Quirks are categorized as Emitters. "Transformation and Mutation ones aren't my forte."

Damn me and this ever-present paranoia I carry around everywhere I go. It was probably unnecessary, but with a certain other doctor roaming around somewhere, I'd rather keep details down to an absolute minimum.

"All of them seem to be rather busy at the moment. Although…" He turned around to scan the rather hallway, stopping once his eyes landed on another colleague talking to the woman behind the desk. "Hmm, I may have just the thing that might be of use. Come, follow me."

---

After a few more minutes of talking to one of the doctor's colleagues, we finally found a nurse willing to share her Quirk with me.

The Quirk itself, called Healing Aura, was a jack of all trades in terms of healing abilities, not exactly super regeneration but leagues above Quick Heal for what it could be used for. The one-tenth aspect would be an issue if I didn't have Energy Absorption to make up for it, so I'll be able to use it with higher potency after some training.

Upon entering Himiko's room, we made our way to her bed with each step slower and more delicate than the last. She was still asleep when we entered the room. She lay on a bed in the deepest part of the room by a plain white wall. The room itself was sparse with two beds divided by a curtain that was white with blue rubber ducky print all over. Our Initial steps into the room must have been a bit too loud and piqued her curiosity.

For the first few minutes, both of us merely talked in a hushed tone, as to not disturb her rest.

Until at one point, her head began to turn in our direction, it abruptly stopped when she spotted us with her eyes widening slightly

Both of us were surprised for a brief moment when we established eye contact, but we didn't wait too long before she spoke up. "It's you…"

"Heeeey…" I spoke softly, while Izuka smiled with a slight wave of her hand.

"How are you feeling?" Izuka asked in a gentle tone.

"I'm…" Himiko stopped herself before uttering anything else with an abrupt pause. Despite her being in a weakened state, I could tell she was "afraid" as this was the only instance of somebody acknowledging her issue and willingly helping her, with the constant neglect she experienced over the years hard for her to process everything that happened in such a short amount of time. Biting her lip briefly, she finished her sentence. "Better now… thanks to you…"

"Good, good," I merely said, more of an instant response than anything. "Told you it wouldn't take us long to get here. Even better, the doctor said you'll be good as new in an hour or so."

Himiko merely bobbed her head up and down slowly, not taking her eyes off us. "Can… I ask you two… something…?"

"Of course…!"

"What do you want to know?" Izuka followed up softly.

"Names…" Himiko uttered softly before repeating her question once more, a bit louder. "What are your names…?"

Forming a warm smile, I introduced myself while doing a slight bow with my head. "I'm Toshiaki Yukio."

"And I'm Midoriya Izuka," The green-haired girl replied softly. "Do you mind if we learn yours?"

"I'm… Himiko…" she paused momentarily before speaking up a bit more confidently. "Toga Himiko…"

There was a long silence that filled the room as we stood there staring at this timorous girl. Regardless, we merely allowed her to save her energy and reassured her that we will accompany her home when we leave the hospital.

The declaration most definitely came to a shock to her, that much I'm sure of. Yet, all she could do is give a nod in approval, before the room fell into silence once more.

---

"Do you think she'll actually be there?" Izuka asked as we exited the train.

"Something tells me that's all but guaranteed," I replied with certainty, taking a moment to look around if this was the right stop. "After yesterday, I can't shake the feeling that she needs this. I have a hard time thinking she wouldn't at least want to talk about it."

After the whole hospital incident, we had to think about how to tackle our next issue, befriending and getting to know Toga. Turns out, Izuka had no issues with it whatsoever and wholeheartedly agreed that the person we saw that day wasn't the real Toga, not caring all that much about "first impressions" given the circumstance. Being passionate about Quirks in general but born without one, she never saw any of them in a negative view and was aware that every case was different by nature, even this one.

Her perspective made it easier to just think in the moment, helping a small bit to ignore the image of Himiko in her later years and her rather tragic fate. It wasn't a recurring thing but still managed to pop up every now and then on its own, for good reason.

There was still hope, all we have to do is be present from here on out.

While the station was rather crowded at this time of day, it took all but thirty seconds when the next train came for it to disappear, a new batch exiting that dispersed over the course of a few more minutes.

I didn't immediately jump to conclusions, simply deciding to wait a little longer.

Yet, the longer we waited, alongside the dead silence at the train station,

"Oh… seems like I was wrong…" I said with a frown while looking around the train station, finding the blonde-haired girl nowhere in sight.

"Maybe she's running a little late?" Izuka pondered. "Or she missed her train and is waiting for the next one?"

I could only shrug in response, feeling a little disappointed that she had second thoughts and didn't want to meet up with us.

That was until my ears faintly picked up a few, but silent steps in quick succession.

"Hey… you two…"

Turning around, we laid our eyes on Toga wearing a simple black-colored hoodie with a pouch, and a white skirt.She was also carrying a purple bag that was cinched at the top instead, foregoing the zipper, and a pink cellphone. Her hair was put up in two round neat buns on each side of her head as she cautiously approached.

First of all, with Echolocation, I could sense any movement in close proximity, even to greater lengths if I were to put more energy into it, meaning I could sense if something was coming my way. Here, only noticing it barely a few seconds before calling out to us, it means she was hiding somewhere and waiting to see if we would keep our promise to meet up.

Regardless, that small detail wasn't important, she showed up in a non-threatening manner while displaying obvious signs of shyness and anxiety in her overall demeanor.

Oh yeah, there was definitely still hope.

"Himiko-chan! You made it!" I greeted the blonde-haired girl with a smile. "For a second there, I thought we got dropped off at the wrong station."

"Yeah…I arrived a little earlier than what we agreed upon…" Himiko replied shyly, looking off to the ground before continuing. "I didn't want to be late…"

"Regardless, we're happy you wanted to meet up

"Well then, shall we?"

The initial few minutes of simply walking in silence were rather calm, with only Izuka asking if she was alright and small nitpicky questions to be double sure,

"So, Toga, do you have any hobbies?" Izuka asks. Toga looks surprised at first and replies after a bit of time to consider.

"I-I guess I never ever considered if I had one or not." There was a moment of pause before Izuka asked another question.

"Do you have any allergies? Just want to make sure since it will make more sense when we get there."

"None that I can recall, so I don't think I have any? So…umm," Himiko began but had difficulty continuing. "Did you two have s-something in mind…or?"

"We do, actually," Izuka replied happily. "I think you'll like where we're going."

"You see, Izuka and I have a small tradition we do every Saturday, by eating at one of the best food places in Musutafu. We found it two years ago when we were done with training, and made a promise to visit at least once a week.

We walk into a small alleyway off of the main thoroughfare and wind down a series of small streets to a bustling downtown wholesale market. Fresh fish and produce were being sold openly in crates and buckets all in tightly packed stalls. We push past the many businessmen to one of the only permanent structures in the whole place.

The Street Food restaurant, which was a sort of a mix between a stall and a dine-in eatery, opened up to a lightly populated interior. The shop stall had a hodgepodge menu that was influenced by whatever was available in the market that morning. It's not always packed but the fried chicken bites are an ever-present and very popular item. They have always been made fresh to order for any passerby to purchase.

We go to the nearest table and wait for the owner to notice he has new customers. It takes about three minutes as he jots down notes on his pad from a customer that seems to be commissioning a rather large order.

The owner and waiter noticed us as he jots down a line at the bottom of his pad, with a finality that can only be had when a customer has finished their order. The kind man makes his way to us as he weaves through the motley of disorganized tables.

"Ah, you finally noticed us, Ichiro-san." I joked as I noticed the owner approaching our table. "Took you long enough."

"I can only be at so many places at one time, my little friend," Ichiro, a man with tanned skin and brown hair in his mid-thirties says. So, how have you two been?

"Oh, the usual, school's tedious, we know everything they teach us already, and train in the meantime," I replied while leaning back into my seat.

"Aside from us, how's business?"

"The usual, boring during the mornings, hectic during the evenings. Chicken has been selling out a little too fast, so I am trying my hand at selling takoyaki. So we'll see how that turns out." he stops for a second and leans in while forming a smile. "You two didn't stop by the other week, so I didn't get the chance to thank you for taking a look at my deep fryer."

"Oh, please," I waved it off. "I knew how many times you said it gave you issues so I decided to take a look-see for myself. Turns out that just some of the interior parts needed slight repairs and a little maintenance at the same time."

"For that, I can't thank you enough," Ichiro replied with a slight bow and hand clap."And I see you brought a new face, so today's bill is on me, it's the least I can do. So, what can I get you?"

Going over our order, with Izuka helping Himiko out on what to choose since she was a bit lost, we waited patiently for it to arrive.

While waiting we talked about many different small things to kill time. We were a bit careful on what to bring up topic-wise, as it was easy for us to assume that Toga might have a difficult social life.

"S-Sorry, you two," Himiko looked down in embarrassment. "I'm not exactly good at this sort of thing…"

"What… exactly, I mean?" I blurted out.

"This…" the blonde-haired girl gestured to both of us, and then herself. "Meeting and getting to know new people…"

"Don't you have any friends at your school?"

"I do, well… I can't really consider them "friends" if I'm being honest," Himiko clarified. "I never really told anyone what my Quirk really is, let alone anything about me without lying."

"Really?" Izuka asked for clarification. "Not even a single person from your school?"

Himiko looked down before replying. "When I first told a few other students what my Quirk was, most of them were weirded out by it," Himiko explained with a downcast expression. "They said it reminded them of something a Villain would have, or that I couldn't become a Hero because I would freak people out. After a while… I just tried ignoring everything but it became too difficult, so every time someone would ask me about my Quirk, I'd just make up an excuse why I can't use it."

"Yeah, but just because a few people say that doesn't mean it's true," I said softly. "More importantly, what are your thoughts about it?"

"I…" Himiko started, but quickly stopped herself to think it over a bit more. "...I'm not really sure. All this time… I tried so hard to keep it a secret after seeing other people's reactions after telling them, I just didn't want everyone to see me as some kind of Villain. On the other hand… I know I can't just change or replace it, and after yesterday, it just makes me think I'll be stuck like this forever."

"Well, there's a rather simple answer to that."

That made the blonde-haired girl perk up, looking at me with a hopeful expression that was a bit sad to see. She was so desperate for a friend and an honest connection to anyone or anything that would treat her with kindness. So Izuka looks her in the eyes and grabs a hand reassuringly.

"Those who are able to forgive themselves for who they truly are and are able to accept their true nature. A person's Quirk doesn't dictate who they are or who they'll be in the future, but rather trying to overcome their flaws and issues to better themselves. While learning who you are in this world is difficult, finding the things you don't like about your identity and wanting to better yourself is harder if you don't know where to start. Even so, making an attempt is sometimes more than enough to find your own path in life."

To which, I simply smiled. "Besides, being a little different doesn't make you weird, if anything, it makes you more unique. Regardless of how you look at it, you met up with probably the weirdest duo in all of Musutafu. So I think we'll get along just fine if you ask me. Right, Izu?"

Izuka released an awkward laugh at my statement. "Well… when you put it like that…"

The rest of our meal was spent mostly in silence, but in a comfortable atmosphere that made it enjoyable nonetheless. When we were finished with our meal, and saying goodbye to Ichiro-san upon leaving, we decided to stay a bit more in a nearby park before it got dark.

"Oh, I almost forgot, we brought a little something for you…"

Reaching into my bag, I took out a small cube-shaped box that, with a press of a button, had several parts open up to reveal what was inside.

Himiko wasn't sure what to make of it, but the obvious red-colored liquid in small bottles spoke for itself. "Is…that…!"

"Yup, it is," I replied with a smile. "When we were at the hospital, I talked a bit with the doctor that diagnosed you, and we got plenty of info from him. You obviously need blood in your system because of your Quirk, so we thought of this little idea to help you out. The two big ones are mine and Izu's blood, the rest are some of my dad's friends I asked last night. "We wanted to show you it's alright to tend to your Quirk's needs and not see it as a burden, or to be ashamed of it," Izuka chimed in. "All Quirks are unique in their own way, some more different than others. Yet, that doesn't mean the others are valued any less or deserve to get neglected. Gotta start somewhere, right?"

Looking back and forth between the two of us with a face full of utter shock, her eyes went down to the box, slowly moving her hand towards Izuka's bottle, lifting it up while shyly pointing at it. "I can…?"

Izuka and I immediately responded with encouragement, wanting nothing more than her to experience her gift in peace.

Taking a slow sip of her blood, Himiko's eyes went wide after a few brief seconds passed for it to

"It's so… sweet!" Himiko exclaimed joyfully while jumping slightly in excitement. "It's like… eating strawberry ice cream but ten times better! Also, I didn't tell you guys… but I can also do this…"

Before we could ask her to elaborate, Izuka jumped back slightly upon seeing Himiko's form change into an exact copy of her, including her clothes. "Woah, you can shapeshift into different people when you drink their blood?!

"Y-Yeah…"Himiko said shyly while rubbing the back of her head. "I learned I could do this a few years back, just never had much of an opportunity to use it. Since it was a while ago, I'm not sure how long I can stay like this, or if it depends on how much blood I need to extend the duration."

"Hmm, interesting…" I hummed, playing along like I didn't know what her Quirk was capable of. "Well, now that you can drink it whenever you need it, we can help you get it under control and hopefully learn more about it."

"You will?! Thank you so much! You don't know how much-" Himiko stopped mid-sentence when she turned to Izuka. "Umm, Izuka-chan… where did that notebook come from…?"

"Hmm?" Izuka hummed upon looking back up, tilting her head to the side.

"Don't even bother with that one," I said nonchalantly while waving the question off. "To this day, I'm still not sure where she keeps them. She does this anytime there is a new fact or idea she gets about a Quirk, don't mind her. Besides, about the gift, I'm glad you like it. Here, try mine."

While the blonde-haired girl perked up in excitement, she quickly composed herself to gently take the bottle, waiting a bit more before drinking it. It was obvious how much she appreciated the present as she shivered in delight while sipping the blood.

Toga, looking down, noticed the labels with names on the bottles. About three bottles had my name on the labels and two had Izuka proudly scribbled on it. Toga, curious, looks at the other bottles and notices there are about five bottles each from three names she doesn't recognize. The other bottles were from my father, two of his colleagues from work and some from Izuka's mother.

"There are plenty of those since they are grown-ups and can give more, I can sorta refill mine every now and then, but Izuka can't unless I use my Healing Quirk to make up for the lack of blood in her system." I began explaining. "Buuut, part of my Quirk also allows me to manipulate liquid as well, to a reasonable extent. With it, I just might be able to develop a way to reproduce the blood we already have, so we'll never have a shortage of it. Furthermore-"

.

.

.

"Wait a minute…"

I said suspiciously as I slowly brought my face closer to the girl with the ability to shapeshift, who at one point decided to transform into me while I was still talking.

Regardless of seeing my reflection in a full-body mirror every day in my room, it was far different from seeing your face on someone else entirely.

"Is that how I look from a different angle…?" I asked while tilting my head, beginning to feel an odd sensation from observing my own features the more I looked at her.


"O-Oh…" Himiko uttered before laughing awkwardly. "For a second there, I thought you might have gotten mad for turning into you."

"No, no, just weird seeing my face on someone else y'know?" I smiled, then motioned with my hands. "So how does mine taste?"

"Your blood is totally different from Izuka's! There are more 'flavors' to it, I guess? Not in a bad way, though! If anything, I think it has a unique taste to it, definitely not like any other I had before…!"

"Heh, sounds about right," I said jokingly. "Since my own DNA adapts to the Quirks I've copied, I guess it would only make sense my blood would be a little different as a result. What do you think, Izu?" I said while waiting for her to chime in on the matter, only to be met with silence. "Izuka?

Tilting my head to look past my lookalike, who did the same thing, I found Izuka staring at us with a blank expression while her mouth was slightly open.

"Izuka?"

"Izuka-chan?"

The two of us asked at the same time, with Himiko sounding more concerned as she brought her face closer to Izuka.

It immediately snapped Izuka out of her daze, shaking her head momentarily before responding. "What? O-Oh, yeah! I-I'm fine…!"

"Are you sure?" Himiko asked worryingly.

"Absolutely, Yu- I mean Toga-san…!" Izuka quickly corrected herself. "S-Sorry, just got confused for a second there… heh."

"Okay, if you say so, Izuka-chan." Himiko responded with a worried expression, which only made the green-haired girl even more apologetic for some odd reason.

Oh, yeah, this whole ordeal will be interesting. That's for sure.

---

For the first time, while walking towards her home, Himiko didn't look nervous, or fidgety. she instead just stared at her destination.

Her eyes didn't move an inch, just blankly staring forward while deep in thought, unable to do anything but go into auto-pilot mode.

Now that they went their separate ways, Himiko instantly felt saddened that the encounter ended so quickly, despite lasting several hours at the very least. A part of her wanted to turn around and go spend more time with them, but knew better than to do that.

That wasn't the only thing that was on her mind, though, the bag in her hand that contained a small box with numerous bottles of blood inside took up a considerable amount of space as well.

While the taste of blood was delicious and eased her entire being, the proper combination of words to explain that sensation to her simply didn't exist, and now after so long, she would be able to have it at a moment's notice.

Yet, this time around, Himiko didn't want to give in to her desire so easily.

Most likely because it was a gift from her actual "friends" that are meant to help her, and encourage using her Quirk instead of ignoring its existence. On top of which, even though Yukio implied getting more wouldn't be much of an issue, she didn't want to drink the entire batch in a short amount of time to get more.

Then her mind trailed back to her new friends, which instantly pushed everything else to the side.

It truly was weird, Izuka didn't have a Quirk and Yukio had one that allowed him to use multiple abilities and retain them. Through their conversations, Himiko could barely piece together what their school life must be like given their circumstances. Izuka, regardless of not having a Quirk, was full of kindness and compassion. While Yukio, who seems rather non-threatening in appearance and has a relaxed demeanor, was knowledgeable in a variety of things and used his ability to help others,

In her case, it was a bit difficult to compare.

She understood how her Quirk functions, but there were plenty of other small titbits she never learned about, or rather didn't get a chance to, but the fact still remains. Controlling it would be the most essential aspect and yet, she didn't know where to start.

Maybe despite her Quirk being what it is, the two easily pushed that fact off to the side and focused on her as a person above all else, even her "episode" she had upon their initial encounter.

It was there Himiko found herself at a crossroads of sorts, to put it in simple terms.

Before, the blonde-haired girl would have to keep plenty of aspects of herself a secret or tweaked to maintain some sort of relationship with other students, but it still felt… hollow.

She would work so hard to remain "normal" to experience any form of social interaction with her peers, yet, not once did it ever be what she hoped for. Having to pay attention to small details regarding her life to prevent any slip-ups in her story, only became mentally tiring over the years. On top of which, she never had the opportunity, to be honest with anyone or let alone others having a genuine interest in her Quirk.

That's why these last two days were so weirdly paradisiacal.

Himiko would be lying if she wasn't at a loss of words when the two showed her the gift they made for her, having another moment of pure disbelief at the events unfolding in front of her.

Her own mother and father repeatedly told Himiko nobody should see her Quirk or to even use it, but Yukio and Izuka wanted to see her use it freely and not think of it in a bad light.

"Never judge someone by their Quirk, but their sense of character…"

The sentence echoed inside Himiko's mind upon remembering their discussion during their meal. In her case, the concept seemed so foreign as she disliked her own Quirk since it first manifested and caused all sorts of issues because of it, as her entire personality was built on top of a lie as a result.

Now, for the first time, she doesn't have to keep that part of her a secret.

Even though she knew the duo for barely two full days, she wanted nothing else but to spend more time with them and re-experience the odd sensation in her stomach that made her feel tense but also a wave of reassurance as well. They weren't like any other kids she encountered before, there was something different about the two of them.

She was both scared and excited at the same time, the latter feeling being more unknown territory than anything else, but she wasn't ready to lose that odd feeling.

Not now when she finally got a real taste of what it was like.

Lightly gripping the bottle with a look filled with pure determination, Himiko raised it towards her mouth.

Allowing the liquid to flow back and forth in her mouth for a few seconds longer to savor the taste, the blonde-haired girl swallowed and licked her lips afterwards, raising the bottle once more so she could seal it properly without a second thought.

While the obvious sensation of wanting to drink more was present, she refused to give in to her urges. Regardless if it was easier than ever before, it simply wasn't worth it.

That's what she was slowly starting to realize, and it was impossible to not think about it even further.

Himiko herself wasn't sure where the sudden willpower to ignore those feelings came from, but the thought of Yukio and Izuka potentially being happy with her progress in controlling her Quirk made her all the more motivated.

The blonde-haired girl wasn't sure how this new development would transpire, considering it was only the first day, and thinking too much ahead proved to be difficult.

However, it would seem it's true what they say, you can always stay focused on something with the right type of goal in place.

Forming a low, but contagious smile, Himiko's face once again lit up with hope.

Waiting until tomorrow seemed like an eternity, but if it meant spending another day with her new friends, she would even wait a whole week if she had to.

-Quirks-

Healing Aura - emits a jade-colored aura from the user's hand that is able heal/repair abrasions, bruises, small to deep cuts etc. Initial usage has no requirements, but the longer it's in use, begins to drain the user's stamina and energy to compensate. The more energy used, the more severe wounds are able to be healed.


Dat concludes Ch.8, hope ya'll liked it

This was rather interesting for me to write, solely cuz Himiko's backstory always intrigued me. Canon itself was a bit vague on her past, both in the anime and in manga. I'm a firm believer she was a completely normal child during her youth, but due to the neglect of her parents regarding her Quirk, some mental/psychological issues began developing over the years.

I didn't want them to just meet when she didn't have any sort of issues, as I don't believe there was a time when that was the case. Maybe, at best through the age of four to six, but beyond that, that's where the issues gradually started growing. Here, we get an idea of how she appeared to be before she fully snapped, so hopefully, I got it right on how she would act around the two.

It won't take long to rach episode one of canon timeline, from this point on. One chap showing how our trio is doing after meeting each other and that should be it. I asked before whether the All Might scene upon meeting him should stay the same or not, and still debating it, but will have a decision soon enough.

Before anyone asks, I think Toga being the same age as Yukio and Izuka is a better choice, one year difference is potato potat0 either way. Want her to attend Class 1-B and consider a small buff to her Quirk to be able to manipulate blood to make weapons, but that's just me.

As always, if you have any suggestions or ideas or critiques, be sure to let me know by leaving a review. If they are any errors, as I'm know to let a few slip past me, I'll revisit the file again in the morning when I wake up

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

P.S - If anyone is concerned about the name Healing Aura for the Quirk, I already asked Kairomaru for permission, he said it was perfectly fine if anyone's concerned.

Cya

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Hipnyah - Temp beta here. It was a thrill to be in the writing process. I got to experience as a life coach, a writer, a beta reader, a lizard person (it was a wild deleted scene) , a friend to a writer that doesn't listen…. good times… till next time!
Chiao