MHA - All For The Taking

[Alipheese]

You've messed up the threadmarks a little bit, it links chapter 2 as being BEFORE chapter 1 in the order, and to get to it from chapter one through the threadmark links you have to click "back". Interesting story otherwise, think I'll give it a watch.

 

[Darwin-18]

You've messed up the threadmarks a little bit, it links chapter 2 as being BEFORE chapter 1 in the order, and to get to it from chapter one through the threadmark links you have to click "back". Interesting story otherwise, think I'll give it a watch.

Click to shrink...

It might seems my ape mind screwed it up and when I tried fixing it I had no luck, so idk what I'm doing wrong, honestly.

 

[bruhqwe]

how to fix threadmark in ms paint

 

[Zerothewarhound]

Interesting story hope to read more of it

 

[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.

 

[Vanbers]

Nice chapter, enjoying the interaction with our boy and Izuka. She's cute as hecc. And yeah, she'd totally develop an inferiority complex, given her new friend has a powerful/useful quirk, and is prime hero material. That, combined with feeling guilty about being a little jealous of him would probably combine into at least a little bit of guilt.

A Monogamous pairing is neat, and Izuka is, as stated, cute as hecc.

Just unfortunate that there's no Best Girl Momo.

 

[Zerothewarhound]

Great work can't wait for more

 

[Greatazuredragon]

Nice chapter, good work.

 

[Kekeli111]

Has he tried absorbing the computational power of a computer or different aspects from insects like their chitin armour, or their their poison or even the Web weaving of a spider
Thanks for the chapter

 

[Darwin-18]

Has he tried absorbing the computational power of a computer or different aspects from insects like their chitin armour, or their their poison or even the Web weaving of a spider
Thanks for the chapter

Click to shrink...

Go on. Still experimenting what Osmosian's are truly capable (which apparently is endless lol). Matter and DNA absorbtion/Manipulation is a wide field so still have room to explore options before anything serious happens. If you can go more in detail id appreciate it.

 

[Kekeli111]

Go on. Still experimenting what Osmosian's are truly capable (which apparently is endless lol). Matter and DNA absorbtion/Manipulation is a wide field so still have room to explore options before anything serious happens. If you can go more in detail id appreciate it.

Click to shrink...

So I'm not sure how his powers work but he can inbue himself with properties of different objects. Some temporarily and some permanent if he could do the same with what I'm guessing is very advanced computers it will increase his raw intelligence in a multitude of ways like increasing how fast he can think or having multiple strings of thought or even storing and reviewing data for later.

And with insects I'm not clear on the actual science but spider webs have a tensile strength higher than iron of the same weight and with increased numbers it can easily outclass most materials in strength especially since its so flexible and light meaning with the right species you can get a very efficient capture tool and it can be used for clothing.

Insect exoskeleton are made of chitin arranged in a certain fashion that gives it above average durability even animals like crabs and lobsters have exoskeletons made of the same materials. I'm imagining that he could some how absorb this component from very durable insects and grow a layer under his skin for extra protection given that there won't be any medical issues.

These are all early game stuff when power levels start to creep upwards they won't be very useful because he'll probably have better alternatives

 

[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.

 

[CmirDarthanna]

All Might going to have AFO PTSD?

 

[Darwin-18]

All Might going to have AFO PTSD?

Click to shrink...

Yup. But wont make him !dumb or !paranoid All Might, a trend I saw with most copy quirk fics. He will be very skeptical, and would have a brain fuse upon first learning this. But since Yukio is the best friend of the next OFA, he'll have to wait and let actions speak for itself. It will be interesting/fun to write, and will make sure to not gloss over anything.

 

[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.]

 

[Axobada]

His priority should be a movement type quirk, from teleport to super speed, being able to escape at will or at least disengage is always a good a priority when making a proper powerset. The best way to prevent an early death is really having a way to escape when facing danger.
Maybe an excursion to known heroes agencies or even learn the patrol routes of certain heroes could net a lot of powerful quirks if you are willing to go down that route.
Since he can copy quirks then there isn't really harm, though the risk of being identified as a potential threat could be bad down the line or even send some signals to someone at the top, who in turn could be willing to end him early before he fully develops.
Anyway, its a really interesting approach to the setting.

 

[Darwin-18]

His priority should be a movement type quirk, from teleport to super speed, being able to escape at will or at least disengage is always a good a priority when making a proper powerset. The best way to prevent an early death is really having a way to escape when facing danger.
Maybe an excursion to known heroes agencies or even learn the patrol routes of certain heroes could net a lot of powerful quirks if you are willing to go down that route.
Since he can copy quirks then there isn't really harm, though the risk of being identified as a potential threat could be bad down the line or even send some signals to someone at the top, who in turn could be willing to end him early before he fully develops.
Anyway, its a really interesting approach to the setting.

Click to shrink...

That usually is my preferred choice of powers, being speed and a way to get out a near death situation. Tracking some hero routes sounds fine, as like you said, it wouldn't do any harm plus he won't seem suspicious. Fooling the Higher Ups only works if he isn't blatantly obvious with his Quirk gathering, and actions before U.A.

He might seem like a prodigy in one regard but still make sure not all cards are revealed.

 

[TheQwertyOne]

In the previous year of kindergarten, almost every kid developed their Quirk roughly the same time, all except me.

Click to shrink...

Author, you had already written that he is thought to have an Intelligence Quirk from birth. That should've been enough. There is no magical tech that says "yes quirk" - "no quirk", to the point that Izuku's sudden "Super-Strength" didn't cause any questions even from his mom.

 

[Darwin-18]

Author, you had already written that he is thought to have an Intelligence Quirk from birth. That should've been enough. There is no magical tech that says "yes quirk" - "no quirk", to the point that Izuku's sudden "Super-Strength" didn't cause any questions even from his mom.

Click to shrink...

Hmm, might have a small error there. Dunno if its that significant, but I guess i was under the wrong impression when writing Chapter 1.

 

[Impatient_Quill]

Honestly, people assuming he just applies an intelligence-boosting quirk to support gear and combative kinesiology isn't farfetched. A lot of comic book characters that have the ability to fight-smarter, see-faster, and the like.

 

[TheQwertyOne]

Author, you had already written that he is thought to have an Intelligence Quirk from birth. That should've been enough. There is no magical tech that says "yes quirk" - "no quirk", to the point that Izuku's sudden "Super-Strength" didn't cause any questions even from his mom.

Click to shrink...

Hmm, might have a small error there. Dunno if its that significant, but I guess i was under the wrong impression when writing Chapter 1.

Click to shrink...

On the other hand, I had realized that those are MC's thoughts, and he knows for sure he "has no Quirk" at the time. So a bit of internal angst checks out.

But on another topic, how does his stored Quirks behave?
1) He acquires Quirks permanently but their "resource" is limited and needs to be "reabsorbed" or recharged;
2) He acquires Quirks long-term temporary (for decades, but then they'll disappear completely).

If it's the first, then he'll need to get his hands on One for All because that is a combination of Stockpile and Transfer Quirks. And its Stockpile part is proved to be universal, it can Stockpile anything its user can "generate" or "absorb" as a uniform "power". Which is hinting at a possibility, that someone can absorb and stockpile, let's say, electricity, to then reroute this stockpiled "universal power" towards bolstering other Quirks.

As a side note, I am sure that Transfer Quirk is a lot more complicated and functional than is explained in the series. It was shown to be able to temporarily Transfer power to others and I'm pretty sure OfA's ability to resist most forms of Extraction or Quirk Analysis or Mind Control stems from it: it blocks any unwanted transfer of Quirk, info and thoughts for its user.

 

[Darwin-18]

On the other hand, I had realized that those are MC's thoughts, and he knows for sure he "has no Quirk" at the time. So a bit of internal angst checks out.

But on another topic, how does his stored Quirks behave?
1) He acquires Quirks permanently but their "resource" is limited and needs to be "reabsorbed" or recharged;
2) He acquires Quirks long-term temporary (for decades, but then they'll disappear completely).

If it's the first, then he'll need to get his hands on One for All because that is a combination of Stockpile and Transfer Quirks. And its Stockpile part is proved to be universal, it can Stockpile anything its user can "generate" or "absorb" as a uniform "power". Which is hinting at a possibility, that someone can absorb and stockpile, let's say, electricity, to then reroute this stockpiled "universal power" towards bolstering other Quirks.

As a side note, I am sure that Transfer Quirk is a lot more complicated and functional than is explained in the series. It was shown to be able to temporarily Transfer power to others and I'm pretty sure OfA's ability to resist most forms of Extraction or Quirk Analysis or Mind Control stems from it: it blocks any unwanted transfer of Quirk, info and thoughts for its user.

Click to shrink...

He acquires Quirks for long, long periods of time that will at one point disappear, but can also be recharged as well. I re-watched Ben 10 solely to get my facts right as the wiki (especially as on pages that were retconned might not be completely accurate), and its more open-ended on some details. They are used on their own, but is implied they can be powered by energy sources. Instead of making a machine like Aggragor to fully absorb a person to retain their abilities, Efficiency and Amplifier Quirks would be the substitute for that. The reason being as Osmosian's DNA adapts to abilities the longer they're used and improved, so they never disappear. A DNA or similar Quirk can further Improve that.

Also, whatever the case may be I already decided Izuka is getting One For All, there's no changing that. The 1/10th should cover that with a few other things added to the mix.

 

[TheQwertyOne]

Also, whatever the case may be I already decided Izuka is getting One For All, there's no changing that. The 1/10th should cover that with a few other things added to the mix.

Click to shrink...

I was talking about exactly that. If MC can get a "sip" of OfA from Izuku with her approval even, he'll be able to make a self-perpetuating cycle of [Stockpiling a bit => empowering Stockpile => Stockpiling more = empowering Stockpile further] and so on by draining something like an advanced electricity generator, till some limit that in canon made users slowly die (but even then with his adaptable physique MC can probably stave that off). And then use that vast Stockpiled power to empower all of his other Quirks.

 

[Darwin-18]

I was talking about exactly that. If MC can get a "sip" of OfA from Izuku with her approval even, he'll be able to make a serf-perpetuating cycle of [Stockpiling a bit => empowering Stockpile => Stockpiling more = empowering Stockpile further] and so on by draining something like an advanced electricity generator, till some limit that in canon made users slowly die (but even then with his adaptable physique MC can probably stave that off). And then use that vast Stockpiled power to empower all of his other Quirks.

Click to shrink...

That was my initial theory, yeah, as it is a special circumstance. Izuka would most definitely agree on her own accord (for obvious reasons), but with OfA having sentience (and past holders within it), it won't be the same "transfer" how Izu gave Bakugou OfA in the movie, even if its not "canon" (that one's up for debate but that one is for another day). That function will be a massive amp when used. Like, imagine going up against All For One with 10% OfA, Rewind and a bunch of other stuff, it can be very deadly.

 

[TheQwertyOne]

but with OfA having sentience (and past holders within it),

Click to shrink...

Funny thing you mention that. As far as I'm aware the latest revelation is that all Quirks have "spirits of their owners" in them* and that's mostly why multiple Quirks never work in tandem and also why AfO was slowly killing its hosts. That also can explain how Monoma was able to use some advanced moves after just Copying a Quirk (his Quirk was able to query these spiritual impressions).

*Source: Chapter 287 according to wikia.

 

[Darwin-18]

Funny thing you mention that. As far as I'm aware the latest revelation is that all Quirks have "spirits of their owners" in them* and that's mostly why multiple Quirks never work in tandem and also why AfO was slowly killing its hosts. That also can explain how Monoma was able to use some advanced moves after just Copying a Quirk (his Quirk was able to query these spiritual impressions).

*Source: Chapter 287 according to wikia.

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I see, thanks for that nifty piece of info. I just recently started reading the manga as I'm positive some important bits are cut out in the anime. While also having spirits, Horikoshi slipped in that one's emotional state affects their Quirks and reaching new heights, it was a nice added change/layer to the power system that can be explored further.

P.S. - about the spirit thing, it will be interesting to explore that side of things, especially with Izu and One For All, at an earlier phase in the story before things go sideways.

 

[Isebas]

I think some good ideas would be mobility quirks, sensory and perhaps a regeneration quirk. Like one that allows the user to share their regeneration with another person or several.

 

[Darwin-18]

I think some good ideas would be mobility quirks, sensory and perhaps a regeneration quirk. Like one that allows the user to share their regeneration with another person or several.

Click to shrink...

Those are the next ones I want to find, as no man with such a quirk would not try to obtain. I have a few different ones for mobility as you can never go wrong with several of those. Sensory will ve fun, as different objects/ items could be used to fit that purpose

Also, Yukio will have about 2 (maybe 3 but idk) healing Quirks. The second one will be more powerful and effective unlike the first one, and in conjuction with an Quirk that can spread around/expand its range will fit nicely. Having such a thing to keep a person alive or greatly reduce battle damage can't be ignored in MHA, and will prove to be useful in the future. The 3rd potential Quirk of this nature is the Nomu from Season 1, as i find it hard that I would ignore such a golden ticket for survivability.

 

[Venyr4434]

Will he eventually reach the level Kevin did?

I remember an episode, Kevin absorbed metal and was fighting the Forever Knights, one managed to cut his hand, he regenerated.
There's also that episode where he got decapitated or got his head blown via gun, he still managed to regenerate from that, he absorbed metal in this one too.

 

[Darwin-18]

Will he eventually reach the level Kevin did?

I remember an episode, Kevin absorbed metal and was fighting the Forever Knights, one managed to cut his hand, he regenerated,
There's also that episode where he got decapitated or got his head blown via gun, he still managed to regenerate from that, he absorbed metal in this one too.

Click to shrink...

I believe Yukio can achieve that level. I'm not 100% sure if it was pure Osmosian powers in that regard (with no previous alien DNA to help with the healing), but if so, energy transfer/absorption can fix that. A bunch of different Quirks that are similar, plus with Plant Manip., I'll make it so that Solar Energy can both heal/boost Yukio when he needs it to.