Chapter 11: Pavlov's Dog
To say that Izuku was surprised was an understatement. He knew he could augment his skeleton to do some pretty amazing things, but this was a tad ridiculous! With this ability he could make simple tools on command! The issue he had with the process was, just like the rest of his Quirk, it really hurt!
But if he could make bone tools and weapons… that'd be pretty amazing. Suddenly, his options for combat were greatly enhanced. Heck, if he could make a bo staff or a spear then he could maybe hold his own against people much stronger than him… Hmm… He hadn't tested the limits of how much material he could make, but it should be simple enough to try and find out!
He was just about to try making a spear when he heard a knock at the door.
"Izuku! Dinner's ready!" His mother called from the other side of the door. Izuku nearly popped a bone out in surprise.
"Ah- I just um! Coming mom!" Izuku said quickly trying to wipe the blood off of his hands. He would need to wash his hands before eating dinner anyways, but he wanted to get as much blood off as possible.
"Alright! Just remember that you need to get to bed soon! You have the last days of school starting tomorrow!" His mother reminded him through the door.
Izuku quickly hid the bone knife he had made and tried to get as much blood off as he could with tissues and hand sanitizer as possible. Then, when he was sure he wouldn't leave a ton of evidence in the bathroom, Izuku went to wash his hands like normal.
Smells from the kitchen told him that his mom had made miso soup tonight. While it wasn't his favorite it was still mom's home made cooking and well within his dietary requirements. He'd probably need a protein shake afterwards to make sure he got the right ratios though.
The young man smiled. He was really going to be a Hero…
This was amazing!
"I can't believe not one but two of my students got into UA! This is amazing!" the teacher said. It was the same teacher that had handed out their career placement tests at the start of the school year. "Especially you Young Midoriya! I will admit that you have really surprised me! I hope that you both will have good luck and that you'll study hard!"
"Yes sir!" Izuku said immediately while Katsuki, standing beside him, only nodded his agreement.
Izuku tried not to let the praise go to his head, but the boy had never heard praise from his teachers really. Not since there were so many students that deserved the credit far more than he did. He didn't have the best grades, but he was in the top ten of his classes. Granted he was only in the ninth or tenth spot, but he had worked his butt off to get from twentieth to ninth place in his Japanese Literature class and Social Studies.
To be acknowledged finally by someone other than All-Might or his mom, Izuku could barely contain himself! He was so happy!
But that joy was undercut by the person standing next to him during the teacher's praise. Katsuki… Of course he got in…
While Izuku had managed to get into the top ten, Katsuki had gotten into the top five. He didn't look it, but Katsuki was actually really smart and worked very hard to keep his grades up to his insane standards. He was no less than third place in all his classes and got first in Japanese Literature and broke some records in Physical Education. With his raw talent Katsuki was carving a name for himself.
After the teacher dismissed them, Katsuki had one thing to say in the hallway.
"Come with me. We have something to discuss." Katsuki said ominously.
Izuku gulped. Katsuki had chilled out a lot since the Sludge Villain attack but… Izuku just hoped that he didn't do anything to make Katsuki mad at him again!
'No, I can't keep thinking about everything in a negative light!' Izuku thought as he followed Katsuki outside. 'Maybe he just wants to congratulate me!'
Izuku was slammed roughly against side of the school as Katsuki manhandled him by the collar of his shirt in a very familiar fashion.
'Or not!' Izuku thought as Katsuki looked like he was about to lay into him. He'd be fine, but if he got his school uniform ruined then his mom might freak out and-
"What did you do to pass the exam?! You must've cheated somehow right?! I'm supposed to be the first and only student in this shitty school to get into UA! But you just had to screw that all up!" Katsuki said picking the boy up slightly. "So what did you do?! Bribe the teachers?! I bet someone as pathetic as you got spare points out of pity!"
As usual, Katsuki's words cut into him like a knife. Intellectually, Izuku knew why he was still afraid of Katsuki, or rather why he had this response whenever Katsuki was angry.
A while ago, Izuku had read a paper about 'trained responses'. Some scientist had trained a group of dogs from birth by feeding them whenever he wore a white lab coat. At the end of the test, the dogs had a lifelong habit of beginning to drool whenever they saw a white lab coat.
It was kind of like how Katsuki had been tormenting him for years. It was to the point that Izuku would flinch and freeze up at the sound of an explosion or Katsuki's voice... For years, Izuku had felt pathetic. How was he supposed to be a Hero when he couldn't even stand up to a bully? But he wasn't pathetic, it was just years of psychological training to avoid Katsuki.
He was just like the dogs in the test...
A trained response…
So… Izuku faced with the angry Katsuki, he began to tremble and freeze up. Even though he had spent the last few months getting stronger, even though he had the Quirk All-Might had given him, Izuku still felt fear in his heart. His mind began to go blank as his trained response was to let Katsuki manhandle him and hope that the boy got bored and-
"For the last time drop out now or else!" Katsuki said and something in Izuku snapped back into place.
'No… I… refuse to be a dog!' Izuku thought and did something he never thought he would ever do. He grabbed Katsuki's wrist and squeezed.
Katsuki looked furious, but Izuku managed to take a single step forward.
"I'm not a dog…" Izuku said, and to his surprise, Katsuki stepped back. Not sure what to do, Izuku just said what was on his mind. "Someone I look up to told me that I have what it takes to be a Hero. So… Even if I have to get in your way, I won't back down Kacchan! I won't back down! Not when someone believes I can do it!"
"Shut up!" Katsuki roared but he kept backing away from Izuku. Wait- was his grip hurting Kacchan!?
Izuku let the boy go immediately, but this only seemed to infuriate the blonde boy even more. Izuku stood shakily as both he and his bully stared each other down. Izuku in apprehension and Katsuki looking like Izuku was something unpleasant. Izuku broke eye contact first, holding up his hands up in submission.
"You can beat me up if you really want, but even then I won't back down." Izuku said. "You can't do anything to stop me!"
Katsuki looked like he was weighing his options. Finally, Katsuki scoffed.
"What am I even worried about?" Katsuki said turning his back on the green haired boy. "You're so useless, I bet you won't even make it past the first day!"
And with that, Katsuki left Izuku in the back of the school. Izuku grit his teeth, his hands clenched into fists.
His mind was racing with questions, but instead of beating himself down, Izuku finally had some answers.
What the hell was wrong with him? A trained response to years of bullying.
Why did he act like that? Psychology. He was basically trained for years to avoid Katsuki.
Why did facing Kacchan feel the same as all those years ago? Because as soon as the confrontation started, he was reminded of it. Hence, why he felt weak as a child.
Why was it that, no matter what he did, Kacchan always-?! No… Today was different somehow. He wasn't sure what it was, but something was different.
Izuku felt... hope.
That was it. He felt like he had stood up to his demons. He had faced down against villains, druggies, and even a giant robot... but he still froze up seeing Katsuki.
He had met Katsuki's eyes and told him that he wasn't going to back down.
To Izuku, this was more unbelievable than inheriting All-Might's power.
The boy smiled and walked home. He had things to do!
While he had stood up to Katsuki, Izuku's nerves about the whole thing continued until the day before his first day at school. He had stood up to Katsuki, and then his mind began going haywire with probable situations. Izuku had fought back, but it was getting really tiring.
Not sure what to do, Izuku decided to better himself by going to train at Simon's. The large red letters on the banner and the massive globe above it boldly proclaimed the location 'Russia Sushi'. There didn't seem to be too many people yet. Sundays were a weird time for most restaurants, but it was the day most likely not to be rushed. Especially in the afternoon.
Izuku felt worried. He had come here because All-Might had suggested that he ask Simon for a 'test', and it was the day before school started. He really didn't want to go to school sore! Simon was teaching him a lot of grappling lately, and even something strange sounding. Artemis? Arnot? Something like that... Izuku was kinda nervous...
Despite this, Izuku decided to go in. He had been training with Simon for months but had only managed to have a bite of the infamous sushi once. Izuku had just immediately gon to the back to wait for Simon after that. Wandering inside, he saw that the interior was as strange as he remembered it.
It was fancy, even an uncultured person like Izuku could tell that. There was a strange mix between traditional foreign design and traditional Japanese styles. There were green stone pillars, fancy designs on the screens. Izuku felt like this place would be a good setting for a fight in a Jason Bourne movie.
Behind the sushi bar was a man Izuku had met but never spoken to, but had the sneaking suspicion that the pale man with sunken light blue eyes was the owner that Simon sometimes talked about, Denis. The man was wearing the 'Russia Sushi' uniform, and seemed to be deep in concentration preparing rolls for customers.
"Out of fish right now," Denis said without looking up. "If you want food you eat what I make, okay?"
Izuku looked up surprised. "Um… how much?"
The man named his price, and suddenly Izuku could understand why they could afford such an extravagant menu. It would be his allowance for a week all gone in one go… Suddenly, Izuku wasn't sure what he should do.
"I throw in discount." Denis said. "You friend of Simon, no?"
"Ah… yeah… He's been helping me train." Izuku replied. Denis nodded.
"So I hear." Denis said. "His Quirk very useful for teaching. Almost too good."
"Simon's Quirk? I don't think he mentioned it." Izuku said honestly. He placed his money on the tray for tips and Denis shrugged.
"He not talk about it, then he not talk about it." Denis said. "Okay, here we go."
Izuku looked at the plate, the man had filled up a plate full of a few rolls. Despite this, Izuku wasn't sure what he had just ordered.
"It is fried chicken, prosciutto, mabo tofu, and cheese roll." The man said with a wave of his hand, pocketing Izuku's money and changing his gloves.
"Prosciutto?" Izuku asked. Denis sighed.
"Italiano cured ham. Cheese is a garnish." The man explained. "You gonna eat it or what?"
Izuku, not wanting to offend the owner, and seeing there were no chopsticks but a bowl of warm water that Izuku had mistaken for miso soup. Izuku hesitantly dipped his fingers in the bowl and then proceeded to take one of the 'sushi' pieces with his bare hands. It was traditional to eat them this way… He took a bite of the fried chicken one and was surprised to find it was perfectly spiced. There was a crisp golden crust and the way it played with the rice, seaweed and- oh! There was a bit of ginger hidden beneath the chicken!
"This is really good!" Izuku said after swallowing.
"Why you act so surprised?" The Russian Sushi Chef asked. "I am owner and you pay me. Of course I give you good food!"
Izuku smiled and continued to eat. As he did so, Izuku noticed that the man prepared him another plate of food. Izuku slowed down and the man slowed down as well. Slowly, Izuku ate in silence. He noticed that if he ate all the food on a plate, he would be given another, so when he was given so much food that he couldn't eat anymore, Izuku had to decline.
"Is food not good? I give you more?" Denis asked with the same grim sort of face as before. Izuku held up his hands in surrender.
"No, no! The food is very good, but I can't eat another bite!" Izuku said. The man laughed.
"Glad to see you are filled!" Denis said. "But take some home with you. Sushi very good cold as well!"
Izuku generously accepted the man's doggy bag. "How much do I owe you?"
"Oh. The money you gave me was enough." The man said waving the boy off. "I just gave you price for as much as I though you could eat. Russia Sushi is very cheap!"
Izuku felt a bit of his soul leave his body. Was the man planning on feeding him until he burst? No wonder they were out of fish…
The boy bowed low. "Thank you for your hospitality! The food was amazing! But um.. do you know where-?"
Denis nodded. "You looking for Simon, no? He had to take sick day."
Izuku looked up. The chef had said this with derision in his voice.
"Is he okay?" Izuku asked quietly before proceeding to ramble. "I mean-! I'm sorry I don't know the situation, but Simon is very hard working and has taught me a lot! I um… I just think that if he is sick then he should be allowed to rest and- I mean I know with you being the owner and all that I have no right to speak on his behalf but-!"
"Shut up." Denis said bluntly. Izuku stammered but shut up quickly. Denis proceeded to clean his knives. "Culturally, we are very different. Japanese way too polite. It is off putting."
Not sure what to say Izuku, but feeling he had made a horrible mistake, stayed silent.
"Now, say what you mean with out all the 'I'm sorry'!" Denis said in a still rude, grim tone. Izuku frowned muttering to himself about how to do this, but then realized that he had a perfect idea of how to act.
Izuku squared his shoulders and looked the man directly in the eye. "Simon is my friend. I don't give a shit what you think. I think it's a bad idea if you're planning on firing the guy over a sick day! He's a good worker and my teacher!"
For the first time since Izuku met the man, Denis' lips quirked up before resettling in a grim frown. Was this working?
"In Russian culture, 'rudeness' is privilege given to all men. Even if we are poor, even if we are not free, we have right to express that discomfort." Denis said. "SO! You think you can come here, come to my bar and tell me how to run business?!"
Izuku, however, was prepared this time. Screwing his face up in his best impression of Katsuki, he glared at the man.
"You are encroaching on my martial arts training. If Simon looses his job, I lose not only a friend but my martial arts teacher." Izuku said mimicking Denis' aggressive monotone. "I say he is a good man. I don't know everything about your culture, I admit, but I am willing to stand up for my friend."
Finally, Denis, in all his grim glory, began to chuckle.
"Finally!" Denis said, still smiling. "I thought I would never hear Japanese boy say that! Heh… Simon got into fight last Tuesday. He work even with… ah, how you say when eye is bruised?"
"Um… I mean- a 'black eye'." Izuku said trying to reply correctly as well.
"Right! Simon very dark!" Denis agreed, but Izuku wasn't sure he got what Izuku said. "He got in a fight, and the swelling did not go down for almost a full week. Simon used his off day to go to the doctor, and he said the doctor allowed 'sick day'! Feh! I say, if he get into fight, he should work like normal, but Simon had 'doctor note' so he stay home today."
Izuku blinked but said nothing, waiting for the man to continue.
"I cannot teach you like Simon can, I have to watch the bar, but I can give you 'pointer'." Denis said. "I help you now free of charge. You are very lucky! Now, what is your Quirk?"
Izuku tried to keep a straight face like Denis as to not offend him by being too polite. "My quirk lets me create bones. I found out recently that I can make a bone come out of my skin and I can shape it to be a weapon, so I wanted to ask Simon about a bit of weapons training."
Denis seemed to think about it. "What style he teaching?"
"Um… I've worked on Capoeira, Judo, Krav Maga, Muy Thai, Sambo, and something else… oh! I remember! He was talking about teaching me that was called something weird like-!" Izuku started.
"Arnis. Also called Kali. It is Filipino martial art. It can be good for you." Denis said. "Also, I see Simon is teaching you his Systema."
"Systema?" Izuku asked. Denis shrugged.
"It is martial art developed in Soviet Russia. It is good for attack, and can be lethal, but nobody is really teaching it anymore." Denis said. "Simon been trying to recreate it. He is very close, but it is not perfect. Real martial art adapts. Famous martial artist Bruce Lee once say: 'Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, then add something of your own' or something like that. Arnis or Fencing might be something good for you to learn."
"Could you show me? I mean, not right now if you are busy but-" Izuku said excitedly.
"Shut up." Denis commanded. Then he sighed. "Okay, listen carefully, I only tell you once."
Izuku nodded. Denis then held up his knife.
"Arnis focus on position of blade." Denis said drawing a circle in the air in front of him. "Blade position combine with edge alignment. It means you focusing on moves that attack and defend. You create a circle in your mind, and put blade where it needs to be. Be quick, fastest way between two points is a straight line, use angles to block, and keep weapon moving. This increases defense, and can help make strikes stronger."
Denis ran through a few stances, and Izuku kept his attention on how the man kept his blade's edge towards his 'opponent', swinging the knife in a slow and obviously lackadaisical manner, but Izuku could see that if sped up the moves Denis was showing him could be lethal.
"Fencing…" Denis said with a sigh. "Each country in Europe is having their own style… It would take lifetime to try and learn them all, so I teach you basics of certain moves with weapons, yah?"
Izuku nodded slowly. Denis set his knife down and reached for a broom he kept behind the counter. Unscrewing the brush part from the handle, he had a rudimentary stick/staff. Denis then positioned himself, so he had his body facing sideways to his opponent, stick at the ready.
"This is very basics of fencing. Always keep body sideways and blade out. All moves must be in a position to swap to a guard, defense and attack at same time." Denis said showing Izuku how to thrust. "Keep motion in wrist, control blade, and keep footwork. Basic attacks being Lunge, Parry, and Riposte. Parry is blocking and not blocking at the same time. You use blade to move other blade out of the way and come in closer or retreat. Riposte is counterattack after successful parry. It is used to gain the upperhand and further knock weapons a side. Lunge can leave you open, only use it when you are sure of attack. Lunge is a thrust. Focus on using whole body to get the blade in between enemy's ribs."
Izuku nodded once again observing the man as he thrust forward, parried and the riposte. Denis then swapped stances with his knife in a relaxed sort of pose. Izuku frowned unsure of what the man was about to do.
"However, in street fight beware of men with knives. Many are untrained and use different moves then you used to." Denis said taking a stance that mimicked incoordination. "If man is waving knife like this, he doesn't know what he doing and trying intimidation on you."
Denis then put his knife at hip level in a normal grip, not a reverse grip, and seemed to be reaching out to snag someone.
"If man has knife like this he already is knowing where he will bury the body." Denis said seriously, then demonstrated the kind of stabbing action that he would do, and it wasn't pretty. He managed to get several stabs in before he let his 'opponent' fall to the floor.
"Fighting always bad, but winning is good. Winning can mean more than just winning a fight. Running away can be good tactic." Denis said. "Use moves to keep safe, never underestimate opponent, and whatever else master should teach his student!"
"Thank you!" Izuku said bowing low. "Err… I mean-!"
"No. That is good. Respect for your master is good in all places, no?" Denis said. "Now get out, I have more customers!"
Izuku felt awkward but left all the same after bidding the man goodbye. Izuku took in the bright afternoon in Ikebukuro. It was kinda overcast, but the sun shone down anyways.
Making his way back home by rail and then the subway, Izuku just sat back and watched the people around him. He could feel One for All almost speak to him. It was silly, Quirks didn't talk as far as he knew, but it almost felt like it was saying, 'These are the people you are to protect. Look at them.'
And so Izuku did.
He observed the old and young, male and female, and those who were whole and those that were sick. Body or soul. Slowly, the boy fell asleep on the train, surrounded by those he was sworn to protect. It was kinda like… the people that used to make him so nervous, were now making him feel safe. Like everything was going to be okay since he was there to protect these people. Guarding them and watching out for them.
Was that weird? It felt weird... but Izuku smiled gently and relaxed.
Well… Heroes were aloud to be a little weird.
