Author's Note: Happy 2020 everyone! I hope you all have a good start in this decade. Thanks again for leaving your inputs in the last chapter and I appreciated it. Let's kick off with a new chapter of this month. In the first part of the chapter, I borrowed lines from a video game titled 'Fire Emblem: Warriors', the support conversation between Takumi and Xander. Sorry for keeping you wait. Hahaha Enjoy reading!
Summary: In this chapter, it contains a short flashback of Izuku's past where he has been training himself in the northern mountains of Japan called The Temple of Lasting Altar located in province of Hirana. He is keeping himself so busy, trying to push his limits until he gets exhausted, unable to hit nor take down his targets. Soon, his mother witnessed his training, shows up, and shares her experience to his son: that too much hard work will physically and mentally drain you.
The Defiant's Dance
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Remote forest, 100 meters away from Temple of Lasting Altar
Two months ago before attending Shiketsu High…
"Haaargh…! Hiiyah!"
Izuku quickly dashed to his target dummy with his array of blades. His lethal move calling it bladesurge, one of his most used abilities he created that cut the dummy in half.
Panting with sweats dripping from his face as he looked around the dummies he has taken down on the ground.
"Huh….only 23 out of 30 metal and wooden dummies today? Tch…How quaint…" He sighed, wanting to finish the remaining targets around him.
"Guess I'd better sharpen my blades quickly. I'm not leaving until I take down the remaining dummies around me—"
"Izuku, my dear~! What are you still doing here in the woods? It's getting dark and you have to return to the temple for dinner!"
He was interrupted when his mother Inko appeared in the woods with a worried look.
"O-Oh. Hi there mom…"
"Have you been at this all day? Surely, the monks and I are letting you have a break after training whenever you want."
Holding a body towel from her hand, Inko threw it directly at her son. Izuku caught the towel with his right hand before wiping his face.
"N-No. Not until I'm satisfied with my performance…Wait, wouldn't you suppose to help the maidens preparing dinner. Why do you care anyway?"
Inko crossed her arms with a pout. "Two reasons: First, training too hard will actually worsen your skills. Second, I'm your mother, silly!"
"Of course I'm your son geez…" Izuku jokingly rolled his eyes. "Well, that's easy for you to say. You've already mastered your quirk. But for me? I don't have luxury and time for rest—"
His mother laughed and walked closer to him. "Haha! The luxury of rest, huh? Izuku, please listen well…"
"When I was around your age, I trained much like you do….to excess."
He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Eh? Is that so?"
She nodded with a smile. Placing her index finger on her cheek before looking up at the dark skies. "Oh yes, I often trained until I could no longer levitate myself or even lift a single object using both of my hand and head. I was proud of my efforts until I realized I was, in fact, setting myself back. I spent almost as much time bedridden from exhaustion and headache as I did actual training which made your dad worry for a few days."
Izuku tilted his head, not that satisfied at what his mother was telling about her experience.
"I-I uhh…I still have a hard time seeing you fail at anything though…"
"That was not my only folly, dear. Another time before you were born I wandered off to fight a big creature alone in the deep dark woods of Hirana. I lost sight of the trail back home. I wandered lost for almost a week. When I finally returned, I was parched, feeling light and thin and near death. When I lost my balance and about to pass out, Hisashi caught me with his arms."
As the next situation his mother told to him, he was finally pleased and blinked twice. "W-Wait..What the hell, mom? How could you have done something so reckless?"
Inko grinned, placing her one hand on other's soft dark green hair before ruffling it. "The same reason you're out here taking down dummies with your deadly moves and blades in the woods: Pride."
Izuku closed one eye upon being ruffled. "Pride huh?" He mumbled.
"Yes, dear. I was impatient. I thought I could reach my potential and became powerful quickly. But let me tell you one thing you can carry in the future: There is no shortcut. If you train too hard, you will end up getting hurt. I never realized before how much you remind me of myself back then."
Though amused at the good words coming from his mother, Izuku again protested with a serious look.
"Mom…I can tell you to speak the truth. But I simply can't wait!"
"Yes. You're as stubborn as I was too. Well, I have an idea…" Inko looked directly at her son with a smile, asking for a request.
"Izuku, allow me to watch your training in the next daylight, then later I will join you in your training."
Izuku's eyes widened upon asking the request, backing away with two steps.
"Are you serious, mom? Look, I think you've done more than enough of letting me train with my quirk in the temple."
"If you're going to be reckless, you may as well have some supervision. I won't let you get hurt because of the training ever again. As someone who has been where you are now. I can offer you further guidance, such as maintaining your form with the blades and also keeping the balance of art and combat. Lastly, I can pull you back just when you're about to go over the limit."
He sighed and later nodded with a slight smile. "Well, I certainly won't turn down training coming directly from a skilled former vigilante Psyche, and my own mother."
"Good. We can begin once you've taken a short break. The last thing I want to see is your blades perfectly flowing from your moving hands and feet."
"Thanks, mom. Just don't get upset if I get overboard." Izuku grinned.
"Oi, oi! I'll worry about that when it happens!"
"All right. Now, I'm getting hungry. Let me just gather my blades and we're good to go… Say, what's for dinner tonight?"
Inko smiled. "Katsudon for tonight, dear."
Izuku's one eye twitched upon hearing the tonight's dish. He then yelled."Of all foods..why Katsudon?! It's not my favorite food anymore, Mom, what the fuck?!"
Mother smacked her son on the shoulder using her one hand. "Oi, watch your potty mouth or you'll find yourself respawning in your own room! You wouldn't like me when I'm angry~!"
"Ow!" Izuku grunted like an angry lion. "That's it! I'm going vegetarian tonight!"
Inko chuckled lightly while watching his son collecting his blades scattered on the ground. Inside her head, she let out an inner thought.
"You make yourself a weapon, so you do not have to feel the pain you had in the past."
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"But you Izuku, are not a weapon."
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"You are my son."
xxx
Izuku's wireless presentation remote suddenly dropped on the floor. His eyes went pitch black while eyeing him directly at the ash-blonde who had some balls to ask that personal question. The rest of his classmates looked all confused, motioning their heads on two parties having *coughssexualcoughs* tensions which they think that the two would make good rivals.
Katsuki's anxiety level got lowered, clearing his throat before asking him the question once more in a more bravely manner.
"I'd like to ask you one more time, Izuku….why did you choose to enroll at Shiketsu instead of UA? Is it because of you wanting to get stronger than before or is it because of me—"
"I've heard enough…"
Izuku lowered his head on the floor with a slight chuckle and smirk on his lips. He bent his one knee, reached the remote on the floor using his right hand and later stood tall, eyeing the red contacts before licking his upper lip.
"Challenge me, Bakugou….if you want me to answer your question. Test your might."
"W-What?" Katsuki backed away with a light blush on his cheeks while looking at the seductive side of Izuku.
"EEEHH?!" The class yelled.
"A challenge?" Uraraka asked. "Are you even allowed to that especially you're an exchanged student?"
Izuku tilted his head before motioning towards roundface with a grin. "Why not? According to the policies and rules of the student exchange program, an exchanged student can request a friendly challenge to any of the students, as long as they have consent. I wouldn't waste the opportunity to challenge anyone of you….especially Bakugou…"
Izuku closed the presentation on the screen by pressing the off button on the remote. He then closed his laptop before holding it, returning his look at Katsuki.
"Along with Todoroki and Yaoyorozu who is not around, you've become part of UA's big three, correct? You've won 1st place at the sports festival and got recognized by All Might. Your school joined forces with hero council and police force to participate in trampling down the league and Shie Hassakai to rescue that poor defenseless little girl."
He let out a soft chuckle and muttered. "This school sure loves to be the center of attention, eh?"
Izuku walked off the stage and slowly went to Katsuki who is standing on his seat. He came closer inch by inch, smelling the mixed salted caramel and vanilla of the other. Bakugou's heartbeat pumped faster as sweats dripped on his forehead upon seeing Izuku's actions in front of him. He reached the ash blonde's ear and whispered in a seductive tone.
"You told me on my first day that you've changed for good and now I'd like to see your potential~"
"I'd like to see if you've redeemed for good~"
"Kacchan~"
Katsuki gulped and closed one eye after being whispered for a challenge. Shocked at how Izuku finally said his former nickname Izuku came up with during their childhood. It sounded so sexy.
Fuck…
He nodded and let out a low tone reply.
"Fine…I accept your challenge. As a top hero in training student, I won't go easy on you…Izuku."
Izuku backed away about an inch and looked at him with an amused look and later a smirk.
"Oh~ It seems our duel is going to be more fun than I imagined."
He turned around and walked away from Katsuki and asked the class president about the schedule of hero training class. Iida answered the training will be at 2:00 PM in the afternoon. Midoriya's special homeroom class ended as they later on proceeded on attending the other subjects until lunch.
In the next chapter of Izuku Midoriya: The Defiant Blade…
"T-The advice I told you three years ago…it was wrong for my part, and I wanted to take it back. I should've thought twice before I even express my thoughts about that question" The thin and sick version of Toshinori looked on his damaged and scarred hand before looking straight at the green-haired.
"Then, I heard about the rumors since last week that your school placed you here for your student program. And now that I'm facing at you right here, I would like to have this opportunity to say sorry to you, young Midoriya…"
He coughed up twice, covering his lips using a handkerchief.
"My health is deteriorating and I-I don't have much time…I would like to know you more until the rest of your program…m-my boy.."
"W-Will you give, your favorite hero…a second chance?"
The other couldn't help but cover his lips using his one hand and turned back to burst his tears. The mask of Izuku concealing all of the emotions of his past has finally been cracked. An emotional downpour. A mortal reminder that forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future and may affect the people around him.
He couldn't stand to look at the former hero because of his declining condition, bowed down his knees and cried silently, shaking his head. He wanted to forgive everyone, but the pain is still there like thorns stuck inside his strangled heart.