Chapter 37: Super Saiyan Green
AN: Salutations! Drache here, back at it again with yet another expansion on Hero Academia, Reborn! Last time, Izuku delved deep into his own mind and accidentally made contact with All For One. After learning that AFO had been manipulating his emotions to make him more volatile, he decided the proper course of action was to nearly eviscerate the mental representation of the Big Bad. What are the consequences of using All For One as fuel for his Flames? What was that new form of Izuku's? What will All for One do now that the two are now officially enemies? Find out in today's episode of hero Academia Reborn!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Reborn! _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Waking up in the infirmary is something that i've sadly started to get used to at this point. I rack my head for a moment before remembering why i'm here again. When I do, I immediately blame Decimo. Him and his rotten luck. I'm also noticing that my arms are a little numb, and not because of the girls.
Let's give those a little tug and...oh. Those are handcuffs. Why am I wearing handcuffs? Wait, last thing I remember after falling asleep, discounting that little episode with the Big Bad - note to self, bring that up to Yaig here soon - is trying to punch Yagi in a decimated training ground. The hell was I doing out there?
"Ah, young midoriya you're awake." I turn my head to see Yagi in his 'small might' form for lack of better terminology, sitting in a chair.
"Thought I told you to call me Izuku." the man chuckles at me for a moment.
"That you did. Sadly, I'm not here to reminisce with you. I'll get to the point, seeing as I know you hate beating around the bush. What the hell happened last night?" I drop my head back onto my pillow before sighing.
"Which part? There's a lot to unpack about tonight and I myself only know half the story. Wanna compare notes?" and with that the two of us discuss what happened the night prior.
To hear that I had decked Red through the balcony and nearly knocked Yagi's block off is a surprise. Not as much of a shock as the revelation I have for Yagi. The fact that One For all and All For One had such a deep connection catches him from the outfield, and he's really not sure how to react to the fact that I may or may not have just cannibalised OFA to power my Flames.
That's something I'm gonna have to figure out here soon. What the hell did I actually do with my Flames and OFA? What are the repercussions, what was that glowing green form of mine last night? What does it take for a guy to get some damn food in here?
It takes nearly an hour for the both of us to put everything on the table, but it gets done. Yagi makes me promise to let him know next time anything related to OFA or AFO happened. He also made me promise not to explode any of my classmates. I found that second one to be a little insulting. Who does he think I am, Mr. Bad Touch Gang from back at USJ?
Eventually though I'm let out of the infirmary and sent to class. I'd already missed English and a third of math, but apparently Yagi'd be damned before letting me miss more school than needed. Damn overly parental mentor. Not that I dislike that though, what with not having had a father figure in...two decades. Woah, gonna have to repress that and deal with that later. That's healthy right?
Moving on, I get to the door of 1-A and the second I open it and give out a tired 'Yo', two missiles slam into my chest, nearly knocking me over. I should have expected that. I then feel a hard slap against my right cheek.
"I deserve that I suppose." Then another slaps against my left cheek.
"I guess that one also counts."
When I feel Katsuki about to let loose a blast right into my face, I coat my right hand in my Flames and knock his palm away so the blast - which i'm mildly amused to note is all smoke and sound and very little actual danger - harmlessly washes against the wall.
"You're pushing your luck, Katsuki." His eyes widen a little and I follow his gaze to my hand, a thin flickering layer of my Thunder Flames coating it.
"Izuku Midoriya is back in action, motherfuckers." I smirk at him, only to feel something twitch in my subconscious.
A quick application of my Flames to my forehead stops the chalk thrown with surprising accuracy from doing anything more than making a dull smack against my skin. From her position at the front of class, Midnight half-heartedly glares at the four of us.
"You can get all lovey-dovey later you folks. It's class time, and as much fun as it would be I don't' think you're up for my brand of 'punishment'." I smile jauntily at her and meander over to my seat.
I might be a little upset under normal circumstances, not to mention a little unnerved by the half-hearted glares and whispered demands of an explanation I got from the girls, but the mere fact that I'm back in action has my mood high enough that I wonder if i'd pass a drug test.
The rest of the morning passes in a blur for me, and next thing I know i'm sitting at lunch with some katsudon in front of me and my usual crew. God, I forgot how much being around these guys made my day. Momo, Ochako, Katsuki, Tenya, Ibara, and even Mei. Honestly i'm surprised she tore herself away from the workshop to check in with me. That reminds me, I should probably update my Hero costume again. Of course, I can only wallow in my oddly intense joy for so long before the questions start.
"All right all right, I'll explain everything, so for the love of Kami can you stop jabbing me with your fingers, Ochako?" the she-devil pouts at me and I have to resist the urge to kiss her on the nose to watch her blush like a tomato and WOW I am way too peppy today, the fuck?
"Very long, very complicated explanation short, when the Nomu at Hosu stabbed me it kind of messed up my internal awareness, and I couldn't use my Flames. Needless to say, this is the reason I've been kind of out of it lately." I see widened eyes and a soft 'oh' come from Momo, but thankfully no one interrupts story time.
"I've been trying to 'fix' whatever the issue was, but it's been trying to say the least. Some things happened that I'm not really sure how to explain without making myself sound crazy, and I ended up meeting some sort of 'nega-Izuku' in my subconscious. Something about repressed anger and shit. I beat him up, made some mental realisations, and badda bing badda boom I've got my Flames back and they're better than ever."
I might have felt bad about blatantly lying to my friends, but two things stop that. Firstly, the narrowed eyes of Katsuki and the girls showing they don't buy it but are willing to wait to hear the full story when we're alone. Secondly there's kind of the fact that i've been lying about my powers and history since I got to this universe, so why should I stop now? You know, aside from lying being morally wrong?
Moving along, everyone else accepts the lie pretty easily. Tenya goes on a rant about keeping secrets from classmates and friends, but Ibara calms him down by explaining how she can understand how suddenly becoming 'Quirkless' for lack of better phrasing might frustrate someone, likening it to her losing her hair or Tenya his legs. It's all a little preachy for my tastes but Tenya looks like he's learning something so that's good. I think.
I feel a prickle against my intuition, and I turn to see that blonde twat from 1-B strutting over towards my table. Gauging by the downright evil smirk on his face and the way he's angled to pass just a little too close to our table, I'm betting that he's planning on starting more trouble. I lock eyes with him, and no I don't take any joy from watching his face pale and his knees shake, not at all. Why would you even think that giving a fellow student at UA PTSD would bring me joy, imaginary other half of this conversation? He rapidly spins around and I spot orange hold up a hand in apology, and I smile and wave at her.
Lunch passes uneventfully after that, and then class 1-A is in their seats as Aizawa walks in for Heroic class today. He looks just as exhausted as last time, though something seems to have ticked him off based on how he growls at Pinky for bouncing around in her seat as she wonders aloud what today will be.
"So, in case any of you have somehow managed to forget, this is still a school. As a school, we have finals. This years finals are a month away, meaning you have four weeks to prepare yourselves both mentally and physically. There will be two parts to the final: a written and a practical. The written will cover everything we've covered in class, and the practical will be ten times harder than the entrance exam, so prepare yourselves. Of course, that's not all." The whole class, previously about to start bemoaning the upcoming hurdle of finals, leans forward in nervous anticipation.
"It wouldn't make sense for you to twiddle your thumbs for summer break, so UA plans on hosting a special Summer camp for those who pass their Finals." at this the whole class starts to cheer.
"However," the loud class falls suddenly silent as Aizawa's hair floats and his crimson eyes glow for half a second before fading. Man, I need to learn how to do something like that.
"For those of you who fail the final, Training Hell awaits. Now, you've got the rest of the day to do as you see fit. Train, study, go watch a movie for all I care. Just get out of my hair, and don't make me have to deal with you before tomorrow morning, understood?" the class sits in silence for a moment and he apparently takes that as a 'yes' and just leaves.
Silence reigns for a single moment before mount 1-A erupts yet again. Pikachu and Pinky lament the fact that they haven't studied at all, some worry themselves about the practical section, and suddenly everyone is reminded of their rankings on the midterms - man, I completely forgot about those things what with all the excitement. Must have repressed such boring memories - and therefore what they feel the need to focus on.
"Well, as long as you give it your best it doesn't really matter, huh?" I smile serenely at my classmates, hoping to spread what ever the fuck is wrong with me to them so that this damned super-jolly mentality will piss off.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT, YOU MONSTER!" Pikachu's sentiments are echoed by Pinky and a few of my more vocal peers.
Pikachu's words might have ticked me off a little, were it not for my current standing as number one in 1-A both academically - Momo and Tenya frequently switch between second and third place, with their scores actually coming close to matching mine, which frankly I find disturbing and a little depressing - as well as in Heroics. Of course, the tears stinging his eyes make his despair just a little sweeter too.
I stop paying attention for a moment as I start to wonder about how I'm gonna deal with the next month of training. My academics should be fine so long as I put forth the minimal amount of time keeping up with the books, so it'll be me physical training I need to focus on. Conditioning could probably do with an touch-ups, though my physique is about as good as it's going to get for the time being. Therefore it's my Flames I should work on. I need to thoroughly test what they can do now that their 'source' has become so much larger than before, and I can't feel the individual aspects anymore so do I still have access to the healing of my Sun?
I start to tune back in to reality to write some stuff down on my notebook when I feel a pair of hands on my back pushing me forward as two people tug on my arms. Oh hey, when did I stand up? And how long have Katsuki and the girls been steering my nearly comatose body through the halls?
"Finally done muttering, you damn nerd?" I glance back at Katsuki and shrug a little.
"At least I have something more than nitroglycerin between my ears. So, I take it you three want the real story?"
"Damn right we do. I'll beat it out of you if needed." A soft voice comes from my front right, and I turn to see Momo with an oddly serious look.
"I'm sure that that won't be needed, but Izuku dear? Please keep in mind that I'm more than willing to help Bakugou if it means you stop trying to shoulder everything yourself for once."
As much as the thought of Momo and Katsuki beating me in a fight amuses and interests me, not even i'm stupid enough to say anything other than 'yes dear' to the dangerously creative woman who has me by the metaphorical balls. I firmly ignore Katsuki's snorting chuckles and Ochako's giggles at my response.
Quickly I'm dragged up a flight of stairs onto the roof of the building, and as I lean against the large fence surrounding the area I idly wonder if my control is good enough to 'blink' away from situation. Who knows, but the punishment for running would probably be worse than the one i'm gonna get for lying in the first place. Damn.
"So, cutting right down to the meat of the matter, I suppose I owe the three of you an explanation months overdue. Please keep your seatbelts on and your limbs inside the vehicle at all times because by Dio this is gonna be a bumpy ride."
And with that I explain everything. Well, most everything. I don't tell Katsuki about my previous life, simply because I doubt he'd understand or care, and I don't mention Blank mostly because I haven't the foggiest how to even start on that. I do tell all of them about One For All though, and I explain everything about All For One, and how the knife actually severed my connection with my Flames and OFA.
I explain my nightly 'training' sessions with Kaen and Nana, and how last night i met All For One in the mental plane, and what went down with that. Needless to say, the girls have a ton of Questions, and Katsuki attempts to blow my head off for keeping my relationship with All Might a secret. The fact that Yagi is actually All Might is even more surprising to them, and I have to explain his injury and that their obviously not allowed to tell anyone about any of this.
It takes like an hour to get everything on the table, and The three of them separate - the girls in one direction and Katsuki in another - to take some time to wrap their heads around this. That's fine with me. I shoot a text to Yagi asking to meet at our usual training spot, and get a fast response in the positive. Time to test that blink, I suppose.
Pushing off against the fence back into a standing position - man I was starting to cramp, how'd I not notice that? - I disappear in a small clap of thunder. I then shout in surprise as I find myself MUCH further than I was aiming for.
Last I knew, my Ammiccare could only move in single vectors and short distances. I just moved from the roof to probably halfway to the dorms in one 'step'. Granted, that's still like five more blinks away from my destination, but considering it took me like ten just to cross this much distance all of a week ago, I'd call this progress.
Landing on the ground in front of Yagi, I stumble a little as my exit is a bit rougher than expected. Damn power-ups, it's Mario Kart all over again. I raise a half-hearted wave at the man who changed my life.
"Yo." he nods, half of a smile on his emaciated face.
"Hello there, Izuku. Are you feeling alright? Need a trip to Recovery Girl?" curse him and his kind words! I am not a kid. I...Am a man!
"Nah, just wanted to do some light sparring if you don't mind? I've no clue how my Flames and One For All are mixing and i've already noticed that my control is a little off." At his curious eyebrow I explain how my Ammiccare seems to have evolved.
"Hmm, I see. Well, I suppose it would be fine to stretch your limbs to find your new limits, so long as you don't overdo anything and need a trip to the infirmary." Last person I want to hear that form, Yagi, last person.
Taking a deep breath, he bulks up into his 'muscle form'. Closing my eyes for a second to focus, I pull on my Flames. Between one heartbeat and another, a shroud of Thunder Flames coats my body. The force of their release actually raises some wind and dust, before the Flames settle into down and fade away save for the occasional tongue of fire floating over my skin.
"So, what percentage would you say you're at right now? If I remember properly, your limit was around 25%?" Eh, close enough.
"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I'm pulling hard enough on my Flames to warrant about 15%, but it feels like more than that. I want to say it's probably about 30 or 35% of my tops and I feel like I can still keep going."
"I see, punch me."
If anyone else had said that, I might have paused. As is, Yagi is still the only person I know who can tank a hit from me without buckling, so I do the only sensible thing. I walk up to him and lay into his open palm with a haymaker. Wind picks up around us, and the nearest trees bend away ever so slightly. He barely flinches.
"Hmm, I'd say that that's about thirty percent of my max, just like you thought. How do you feel? Any pain in your arm?" I shake my head in a combination of denial and intrigue.
"I am feeling something strange though. It's as if this power is eating my stamina faster than usual. It's not really noticeable at this rate, but I'm curious as to why there's a sudden change." Yagi hums to himself in thought.
"Well so long as it's nothing serious, why don't we try kicking things up a notch? Shoot for a fifty percent charge." shrugging, I decide that there's nothing wrong with at least trying.
With a slightly stronger tug on my Flames, the aura of green flames around me intensifies, the ground underfoot now cracking and a few leaves rising up and floating in the new breeze. Still, my body isn't protesting like it should. At fifty percent my bones should be creaking and my muscles protesting just from standing still. Instead, I feel nothing aside from a sudden raise in the rate my stamina is draining. And I still feel like I can go higher.
I share this with Yagi, and he proposes going as high as I feel possible. Something about knowing my own limits being important to being a Hero. Mentally saying 'fuck it', I yank on my Flames and my I feel my body starting to protest but I pull what should be one hundred percent of OFA to the durface.
The trees are now swaying steadily in the wind I'm generating, and I can feel my hair swirl and twist in the air while I watch tongues of emerald fire lapping across my skin and occasionally lashing out at the air around me. What I don't feel though is the slow destruction of my muscles literally tearing themselves apart from their own strength. My stamina is now draining faster than ever, though. If I had to guess, I could probably only hold this state for about five minutes.
"Well, you aren't breaking your bones just by existing, so that's progress I'd say. Want to try out your 100%?" I almost accept, except I frown as a stray thought and realisation cuts across my mind.
"Not yet." Yagi tilts his head in confusion.
"I don't think I'm at full power yet. There's still something there. If this is one hundred percent, I guess I just need to go even further beyond." Closing my eyes, I grit my teeth in concentration.
Reaching within myself I grab ahold of the strange emerald bonfire that my Flames and OFA have merged to become. I then pull on it with all of my strength. I can feel something there, just under the surface. It doesn't respond, so I pull harder. This is MY power and it will respond when I tell it to.
Ah, there's my bones creaking in protest and my muscles screaming out. The pain is washed away however, as a torrent of absolute power seems to suddenly well up within me. Opening my eyes, I can feel as well as see that I've changed back into that strange glowing form from last night.
Glowing green tattoos, check. Hair waving through the air in slow motion, check. The feeling of my blood boiling, check. I should probably check to make sure that that's just a metaphor rather than being literal though, as i've kind of lost most feeling in my body. And judging by how rapidly my stamina is fading I can probably only hold this for maybe a minute.
"Oh, this is from last night. I take it this is new to you as well, Izuku?" I nod, that mere action causing a dust devil to come into existence as air is displaced from my movements.
"Yeah. If I had to say, this form is probably around a hundred fifty, maybe 200 percent if we're using my normal power scale. I can probably only hold this for a few more seconds though." and with that I suddenly feel like a car that hit empty, and I fall to my knees.
My power disappears in a snap and I pant hard as sheer exhaustion hits me like a truck. I don't feel any broken bones though, so that's a plus. I feel like I just ran fifteen kilometers without my Flames though.
"Well, not what I expected when I came here, but I suppose that this is enlightening enough for the two of us. You can now use all of One For All plus some new form, but you fall prey to the same weakness that plagues me: time. Any hypothesis on why?"
"A few. I think the reason that I can suddenly use one hundred percent is because my Flames and One For All merged. It use to be that I used One For All for the power, and burned my Flames strengthening my body to handle the kickback, and it was that part of my fighting style that burned through my energy reserves. Now that One For All and my Flames are one and the same, my body automatically strengthens my bones and muscles to the level needed to sustain One For All at that level, at the cost of burning my energy faster. No clue about the new form though."
"Hmm, yes that makes a certain amount of sense I suppose. So, are you good for today?" I raise my head and grin a shark-like smile at him.
"Done? I'm just getting started." With that, I pull my Flames out to about sixty percent and stand back up.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Reborn! _ _ _ _ _ _ _
AN: And that's a wrap for today! We're done with the Stain Arc and we're finally moving into the Finals Arc. Also, for anyone confused about Izuku's sudden power jump my answer is this: He's gonna need it. Also, it's hardly OP if he can barely hold that power for long enough to fight in the first place. At least that's what I think. As for what's actually going to happen in the Finals Arc, it'll probably be about three or maybe four chapters of fluff and filler before we get to the climax which'll probably take about 2 chapters. That means we'll finish up with the Finals around Chapter 42 and we'll move into the Summer Camp Arc at Chapter 43. Things to look forward to in the next few chapters, in no particular order and with purposefully vague titles: "Number 1", "Connections", and "Armory". Ten points to whoever can guess what one of those means. For now I'll Catch you guys in the next Chapter which for once will have a surprise title! I mean, clearly it'll be one of those three but you gotta guess. Until then, keep being excellent my faithful readers!
Signed,
Phantom Drache