MHA - All For The Taking

[Venyr4434]

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.

Click to shrink...

I think Yukio needs to take a close look to trees and plants, observe how they take in sunlight qnd have it spread across hia body to mimic that Solar Energy Absorption, Krytonian-esque or Tamaranian-esque.

 

[Darwin-18]

I think Yukio needs to take a close look to trees and plants, observe how they take in sunlight qnd have it spread across hia body to mimic that Solar Energy Absorption, Krytonian-esque or Tamaranian-esque.

Click to shrink...

He will alter how Photosynthesis works to fit his body, since it can be adaptable, finding a pseudo-Kryptonian middle ground is possible. It won't be that powerful to get to Supes level (Kryptonian genetics and all that), but pretty versatile in MHA-verse nonetheless.

 

[ArcherOfBlades]

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

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

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

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

---

Chapter 1 – Learn and Adapt

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

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

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

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

I was given a second chance at life.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then it happened.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

It was weird, but it was growing on me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, twice if you count my predicament.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Aaghh!"

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

"W-What is this?!"

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

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

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

"Found you!"

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

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

Or so I thought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No! Stay focused, dammit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An unexpected surprise, but a welcomed one.

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

"Simple, but I could use this."

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

"Boss? What's going on back-"

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

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

Did I just take out three thieves just like that?

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

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

Run away.

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

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

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

If anything, I started running faster.

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

For now, I have to find somewhere to think.

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting, very interesting.

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

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

"But."

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

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

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

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

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

It kind of made me want to touch them again.

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

Welp, that went as poorly as I expected.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

However, a certain issue has to be addressed.

All For One.

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

Which was perfect.

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

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

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

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

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

However, my moral compass wasn't entirely spotless.

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

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

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

I planned on delivering.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click to shrink...

I just have one problem with this chapter, and honestly it's a common mistake many authors do when trying to put down a power cap on a Mc. After you made him run from the store when he was thinking about his quirk, you put down that he can only absorb 1/10th of a persons quirk when he shouldn't know that. All he saw was after absorbing from the lizard man twice the lizard man got weaker.

 

[Darwin-18]

I just have one problem with this chapter, and honestly it's a common mistake many authors do when trying to put down a power cap on a Mc. After you made him run from the store when he was thinking about his quirk, you put down that he can only absorb 1/10th of a persons quirk when he shouldn't know that. All he saw was after absorbing from the lizard man twice the lizard man got weaker.

Click to shrink...

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

 

[ArcherOfBlades]

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 befriend 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 ladder part 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?

-LineBreak-

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.

Click to shrink...

ok I just want to get this out there, The base of 'One For All' is 'Stockpile' and 'A Quirk to give other people Quirks'. How would that work with your 'Absorption'. We already know how 'Absorption' Works, 'Stockpile' builds energy over time, and it has been building energy for 9 generations, or 200 years. So if you get 1/10th of 'One For All' it would be a MASSIVE Supercharge to 'Absorption'. Now how the 'Quirk to give other people Quirks' part of 'One For All' would work is the question. It has been shown in Cannon that Izuku inherits all the Quirks that previous 'One For All' users had. So would you get 1/10th of those?

 

[Darwin-18]

ok I just want to get this out there, The base of 'One For All' is 'Stockpile' and 'A Quirk to give other people Quirks'. How would that work with your 'Absorption'. We already know how 'Absorption' Works, 'Stockpile' builds energy over time, and it has been building energy for 9 generations, or 200 years. So if you get 1/10th of 'One For All' it would be a MASSIVE Supercharge to 'Absorption'. Now how the 'Quirk to give other people Quirks' part of 'One For All' would work is the question. It has been shown in Cannon that Izuku inherits all the Quirks that previous 'One For All' users had. So would you get 1/10th of those?

Click to shrink...

The Stockpile to Absorption amp is pretty nifty, as it would be needed to face down All For One. Stuff like this w 'Rewind' and a few specific others to access a form that can give the faceless bastard trouble.

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

 

[ArcherOfBlades]

The Stockpile to Absorption amp is pretty nifty, as it would be needed to face down All For One. Stuff like this w 'Rewind' and a few specific others to access a form that can give the faceless bastard trouble.

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

Click to shrink...

sorry if you answered it, but will you allow stockpile to grow? And on another hand when you copy 1/10th of other quirks if you exercise them will you get more proficient with them and will they get closer to the originals power?

 

[Darwin-18]

sorry if you answered it, but will you allow stockpile to grow? And on another hand when you copy 1/10th of other quirks if you exercise them will you get more proficient with them and will they get closer to the originals power?

Click to shrink...

I do think that solely training a Quirk can increase its proficiency in base form, but not the full potential of what said Quirk can do on its own. 'Efficiency', 'Amplification' with base energy fueling can do wonders.

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

 

[karay]

Nice fic hope the writer dont burn themselves out before reaching canon.

 

[Darwin-18]

Nice fic hope the writer dont burn themselves out before reaching canon.

Click to shrink...

Impossible. Got too obsessed with this pairing and how it will turn out, plus its a fun project for me. Very doubtful it won't reach canon, just need to figure out what to add before we get to that point.

 

[karay]

Impossible. Got too obsessed with this pairing and how it will turn out, plus its a fun project for me. Very doubtful it won't reach canon, just need to figure out what to add before we get to that point.

Click to shrink...

Fem izuku is nice but the already female characters in the setting were fine too.

 

[Darwin-18]

Fem izuku is nice but the already female characters in the setting were fine too.

Click to shrink...

True, and I was heavily debating who to choose since I wanted to try single pairings for a change. Somehow found one fem Izu pic and it was all down hill from there, literal best of both worlds since I like Izuku as a character.

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 6 - Theory Crafting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But not impossible.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

However, I am not insane.

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

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

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

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

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

But it wasn't enough.

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Please do."

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

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

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

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

Izuka, however.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First try, let's see how it goes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"R-Really?!" Izuka asked unsurely.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crack!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No, that wasn't right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I just couldn't.

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

---

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

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

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

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

I think.

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

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

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

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

"Yukio-Kun?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"No, you don't."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Okay…"

Why did she say it like that?

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

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

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

Inhale.

Exhale.

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

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

Inhale.

Exhale.

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

"Chidori!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sadly, I passed the point of no return.

Oh, shit.

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

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

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

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

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

Yet, I refused to leave it like that.

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

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

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

---

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

"Yukio-Kun!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Ah… great…"

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

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

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

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

I'm such a fucking idiot.

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

"How are you feeling?" Izuka asked softly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I just couldn't.

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

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

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

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

God, how do I hate when these things happen.

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

Those were only two reasons for my current funk.

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm a massive hypocrite."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah, it is."

"Why?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Terrific.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This time, that is.

Better not to push her luck.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Simple as that.

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

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

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

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

Or so she thought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wait, where was she going with this?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Quirks:

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

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

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

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

And that concludes Chapter 5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cya next time.

 

[Venyr4434]

This chap is in the Index section.

 

[Darwin-18]

This chap is in the Index section.

Click to shrink...

Ok, Im sure I fixed it now.

 

[Venyr4434]

Ok, Im sure I fixed it now.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, it's fixed.

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

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

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

 

[Darwin-18]

Yeah, it's fixed.

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

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

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

Click to shrink...

Something slight or that can extend range from where it can be absorbed. If you noted how I phrased it in the chapter, harnessing Solar Energy vis plant Manip. and a few others is possible.

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

 

[Darwin-18]

Yeah, it's fixed.

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

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

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

Click to shrink...

(To the Add-on) Interesting question. For that, I feel slight changes are in order. So what I had in mind was for the events of Slime Attack and meeting All Might to stay similar (with changes) but very different context and outlook on Izu's side. There isnt a necessity to "drastically" change how canon starts in regard, so some small adjustments to fit the narrative seems better imo.

 

[Thrawn]

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

 

[Darwin-18]

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

Click to shrink...

Yupyup, thats the plan. Healing abilities are super broken and very useful, as well as hard to find effective ones. Getting an Healing Aura that can mend more severe wounds from fatal damage, Overhaul's Quirk would be the last piece to fix any dissability. So yeah, will invest some time into that.

 

[Venyr4434]

Did the MC at one point pick up a Metal Manip quirk or did he just use his Osmonian Quirk and created these

 

[Darwin-18]

Did the MC at one point pick up a Metal Manip quirk or did he just use his Osmonian Quirk and created these

Just the Osmosian Quirk, otherwise I would've stated it in the A/N. Once he finds something like that, he'll try to crack the code to make the strongest metal possible (and near unbreakable maybe?). The Osmosian aspect for Metal usage is versatile, but not as powerful without a Metal Manip. Quirk, so that will be a big boost once he gets it.

Click to shrink...

 

[Venyr4434]

Thx for clarifying, got a bit confused in the last chap, thought he made shorswords with hilts and all.

 

[Neondagger]

Big fan of this its kinda nice to see the mc just being a good guy, way to many fic have thier character be an ass for no particular reason or undeservingly cocky

 

[Darwin-18]

Big fan of this its kinda nice to see the mc just being a good guy, way to many fic have thier character be an ass for no particular reason or undeservingly cocky

Click to shrink...

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

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

 

[Thrawn]

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

 

[Darwin-18]

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

Click to shrink...

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

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

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

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

 

[Thrawn]

Another thing to consider is how AFO reacts once he finds out about Yukio as I think he would see him as a major problem once he finds out about the truth about Yukio's quirk.
Edit so another reason for him to take it much more seriously then he did at the beginning.

 

[Darwin-18]

Another thing to consider is how AFO reacts once he finds out about Yukio as I think he would see him as a major problem once he finds out about the truth about his quirk.

Click to shrink...

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

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

 

[Thrawn]

It sounds like you got the right balance as AFO is a major threat but he isn't unbeatable as All Might shown. He is just a really difficult opponent to deal with do to his age, connections and how many quirks he has stolen.