Ten years had passed since that fateful day.
Ten years, filled with a lot of interesting developments, if Izuku said so himself. ...Which he did. "God, I need to get rid of that habit," Both randomly muttering to himself, and thinking redundantly. It got weird quickly.
Izuku shifted his gaze downward as he focused on his desk, a small green disc of energy forming above it as he smiled, shifting its shape for a bit before the teacher turned around. He quickly got rid of his construct, not wanting to deal with getting in trouble right now. But still… all his training with his dad was getting somewhere!
He could remember those days of training like it was yesterday…
"Alright, son," Ryu said, having used his influence as the #3 Hero to get him and Izuku a private room to train in. "What I want you to do is meditate."
Izuku blinked. "Meditate? How's that gonna help?" Izuku asked curiously, as Ryu smiled a bit.
"Well, unlike most Quirks, Soul Magic is based off of your mental and spiritual strength. Your endurance and stamina also play a smaller part, so we'll get to physical training eventually. But for now," He raised a hand, as a glowing red sword manifested above it. "We need to discover your Magical Abilities, your Trait, Element, and if you have any Special Skills."
"Special Skills? Traits? Dad, you're saying a bunch of things but none of them make sense!" Izuku complained, as Ryu sighed and sat in front of his son in a seiza position.
"Right, I suppose I should have done that first," He muttered. "Sorry, I'm not really that experienced with teaching yet." He then cleared his throat. "In Soul Mage communities, and even Divine Communities, there are special classifications of Souls. We call them Traits, matching up to an ideal. A personality trait. There are Seven Core Traits. Cyan Souls are Patience, Orange Souls are Bravery, Blue Souls are Integrity, Purple Souls are connected to Perseverance, Green is Kindness, Yellow is Justice, and Red is Determination. You getting this so… far…?" Ryu looked at Izuku to notice the boy was already scribbling down in a notebook, a tired and amused smile coming to his face.
"Yep! I'm writing everything down, dad! Don't worry!" Izuku grinned a big toothy grin that warmed Ryu's heart. His son really was as pure as an Angel. He probably was Kindness, no doubt about it… but it was best to have a user discover their Trait instead of it being told to them straight away.
"Right. Each trait has a Magical Ability and a Weapon," He continued. "Patience Souls can some form of Chronokinesis, or Time Manipulation, along with the power to restrain their enemies with threads. Think of Eraserhead's Capture Tool." He even demonstrated as such by grabbing an empty can that was a few meters away from them, wrapping them in ethereal blue Magic cords and crushing the can with ease using said cords. Izuku's eyes were wide with innocent awe, before praising his dad and sending Ryu's own pride through the roof. Both in himself, and in his son. "Particularly strong Patience Souls can also pull off Eraserhead's Nullification, but only on Magic-users." Ryu shrugged.
"Bravery Souls typically get long-range weapons, like Spears or Lances, along with Pyrokinesis. Fire Manipulation," He raised another hand, as a flame ignited above his hand. "And if you're strong enough, you can evolve the power further, to…" The flame condensed, turning into a small, orange and pulsing sphere. Said sphere eventually exploded like a firecracker moments later after releasing a audible ding. "Explosions."
"Like Kacchan's Quirk!" Izuku observed, immediately returning to his notes to write down his thoughts on the Magics shown so far.
"Yeah, like Kacchan's Quirk," Ryu smile was somewhat strained, having remembered what would have happened to Izuku in timelines where he was considered Quirkless. He was starting to regret leaving Japan… "Next in line is Integrity, who are lucky in that they get two starter Abilities. They can control the gravity of objects through Platforms." He summoned a large blue disk in front of them, big enough to be considered a trampoline. "Go on, son. Jump on it."
Izuku did so after putting his notebook down, finding quickly that it was exactly like a trampoline. The more he jumped, the higher he was sent up. "W-wait! How do I stop!"
"Jump into my arms," Ryu casually said, but Izuku shook his head, a bit too scared to do so. Ryu shook his head, still smiling, as he used some Patience Strings to grab his son mid-jump and carefully pull him out of the Platform's magic. The Platform disappeared promptly. Izuku returned to his previous sitting position and wrote down his thoughts and experiences immediately. "Right, next is Perseverance. Their abilities are far more combat-oriented than the other Traits, allowing the user to summon either a defensive armor around their bodies or large Arm Blades." He demonstrated with what he had, summoning the Arm Blades onto him. "I don't have the armor, since my soul saw it as redundant."
"Redundant, huh?" That meant his dad had something equal to or better? Maybe he could figure out how good the armor is by extrapolating it from whatever dad had…
"Mhm. I typically don't use Perseverance unless I'm facing a truly irredeemable Villain, since its easily the most dangerous offensive ability. Could even be seen as a Villain's Quirk, since it leaves its victims with unhealable wounds," He said, as Izuku dropped his pen in shock. "Yeah, I know. Nasty stuff. Most of my Magic from my world is actually really offensive, since war was more commonplace there."
"Well, if I end up with Perseverance, I hope I get its Defensive Nature instead of Offensive," Izuku muttered, picking up his pen as Ryu nodded… even though he knew it was all-but-confirmed his son was a Kindness Soul.
"Next in line is my favourite of the bunch, Kindness," He could tell Izuku was pretty interested in that as his green eyes shone slightly. "Kindness is a supportive Magic Trait, being able to heal and shield their allies. The shields… well, they appear usually as green glowing objects, in the shape of shields." He summoned one shield on his arm, before tossing it at Izuku, as the boy was shocked to find it was virtually weightless. "Since they're Magic, they have no real weight. None of the magical weapons do."
Well, except Determination, but that's an automatic disqualification since its an Outlier Trait… Ryu thought. "But another thing about the Shield, it can trap objects or people, and can also shift into the shape of a crescent-shaped shield." He continued as he showed both quickly, trapping Izuku in a large bubble and then turning the bubble into a small crescent-shaped disc. "Thing is, Kindness Souls are one of the rarest traits."
"Why's that, dad?" Izuku asked quietly, though a part of him already knew the answer.
"Humans are naturally cruel, son." Ryu softly said. "Not many people dedicate their entire lives to being kind and helping others. But I'm sure there are people who could qualify."
"Like All Might?!" Izuku asked excitedly, causing Ryu to smile and nod.
"Probably. He is the Symbol of Peace." He gave his opinion, before continuing. "A sufficiently powerful Kindness Mage is capable of changing the shape of their shields beyond the basic 3, and are possibly strong enough to heal simultaneously." He dispersed the shield, to Izuku's disappointment, as Ryu did his best to keep his smile hidden. "And if you're wondering, I don't quite qualify at the moment. I just use a mimic skill."
"After that is Justice. Their power is drawn from their strong moral compasses. You'll be hard-pressed to find one amongst most people, though I'm sure All Might would qualify." He was unsure if there would be more, since a lot of Pros were more concerned about their status and stuff, unlike All Might who was a Hero purely to help others. "Their weapons are usually really long ranged, like bows and stuff."
"Guns?"
"Guns, too," He nodded at Izuku's question, summoning both a golden yellow bow and a gold pistol into each of his hands. "But I usually avoid guns, they give me a bad feeling." He dispelled both weapons before grinning. "Now, here comes the good stuff."
"Determination?" Izuku asked, looking up from his notes as he was very curious in this trait.
"Yes! Determination!" Ryu grinned even wider. "Determination is an extremely powerful human soul trait that can easily defeat all soul traits! If the user is very determined, they can do anything they want!" He paused dramatically. "Unless they have lost their trait."
"That can happen?" Izuku asked in a panic, as Ryu nodded sagely.
"It's not uncommon, especially in Traits where everything is based on something more flimsy; like Integrity or Kindness," The Omni Hero said. "Humans lie a lot, and well, I've already said my bit on Kindness. Regardless, Determination is the embodiment of human willpower! The more Determined you are, the stronger you become! But the thing is, Determination is easily the rarest Soul Trait."
Izuku was now confused. "But how? Heroes are determined to protect people every single day! Surely Pro Heroes would qualify!"
Ryu shook his head negative. "Sorry, that's not how it works. It's one thing to be determined. It's another to have a Determination Soul," He said, as he raised a hand and summoned a bunch of red-colored magic weapons. A sword, a few knives, a shield similar to the Kindness Shields. "To have a Determination Soul, you need to have a balance of all 6 Traits inside of you. All Humans have potential to have any trait, its just one eventually becomes dominant. To be a Determination Soul…"
"All of the Traits need to be on a level playing field, where one can't be more represented than another!" Izuku finished, bringing a smile to Ryu's face. His son caught on quickly, didn't he? He had a little genius in the making for a son.
"Right. Now, as you can see, Determination can let me summon a few weapons. But these are just the typically used ones," He said as he continued the lesson. "Swords, knives, a shield for defense. Its the most malleable trait."
"Does it have a special skill?" Izuku asked, as Ryu hummed, studying the pros and cons of telling his son the truth.
"With enough Determination built up, a Determination Soul can technically say no to death," He shrugged, as Izuku's eyes widened in shock and awe. "And no, I'm not kidding. Think of a video game. Basically, they can Save and Load."
"So… can you?" He asked, knowing his dad must qualify if he could use the weapons of the trait.
"Technically, but I avoid using it since I don't want to be seen as a God if I just… resurrect randomly. And LOADs are exhausting, they drain my current body for at least 24 hours." Ryu confessed. "Now, I've gone over the Traits, are you ready-"
"You didn't explain Special Skills, dad!" Izuku pointed out, as Ryu went silent. He got up and motioned for Izuku to do the same, as his eyes began to burn crimson. He even put up a Barrier of Kindness around Izuku, transparent enough to see through but durable enough to keep him safe from what he had to show.
"Libération," He said in a monotone voice, with a large fiery explosion of color erupting off of his form. Once the flames cleared, Ryu stood with a confident look in his crimson eyes, along with a large, colorful and prismatic Eastern-style dragon standing behind him. The Dragon had white eyes that stared into Izuku's soul, as if judging him, before the atmosphere changed to a more accepting one. "See, told you that you'd like him, Lucetio." He spoke to the dragon, as he stroked Lucetio's scales.
"D-dad, what is that?" Izuku asked in fear and awe, his emotions conflicted over the fact there was a giant dragon in front of him.
"This is Lucetio, my Guardian," He explained. "Every soul has one. They protect their charges, and are a part of you. The only reason mine is able to manifest is because of my Skill, Libération."
"Libération?" Izuku mulled over the word, before the translation popped into his head. "Isn't that French for 'Release'?"
"Basically," Ryu shrugged, as Lucetio eventually faded, returning to his soul as there wasn't a reason for him to stay any longer. "Elemental Skills are self-explanatory, its the element most embodying your personality and trait. So, are you ready to get on with the training?"
"Yeah!" Izuku grinned childishly, his cheer absolutely infectious.
All those years of training would soon pay off. He would do his best to pass U.A's entrance exam! A task that was much harder than just saying it, but he was strong enough, right? His Magic could protect him.
But even still… I haven't unlocked my Alestian Genes yet, He thought to himself, the greenette remembering his father's words. I can still use skills related to Alestian Aura, but I don't have the ability to access the stuff directly.
Izuku's gaze shifted to his notebook after noticing school was out for the day, smiling at his one prized possession. All his Hero notes, Magical theories, and experiments were contained in that new notebook. He was starting to figure out ways to use his Magic, Kindness, to shield his body directly and thus reinforce his attacks. It was a risky move, since he would take recoil damage to his soul, but his dad said he had a really powerful and healthy soul! He was sure he'd be fine… eventually.
As he opened the book, he looked over its contents.
Ideas for Offensive and Defensive Potential: Magic Skills
Patience
Time Skip? Similar to that one manga, freeze time for a brief period and attack before unfreezing. Could allow for psuedo-teleportation and rescue, since humans don't consume energy when in frozen time. Would likely be costly in terms of Magical Energy.
Fast Forward? Age something to dust. Kinda morbid, especially if used on a real person, but a possible application.
Bravery
Fire Absorption? Could assist in rescue situations or handling Villains with Fire-based Quirks. Need more research.
Integrity
Use the Platforms as elevators? More of a convenience thing, could be applied for defense to escape deadly situations.
Perseverance
Too risky to even ask about, dad doesn't know anyone with the Defensive applications, and the Offensive applications of this Trait have been too dangerous so far.
Kindness
Caging enemies and villains, maybe even containing dangerous objects (bombs, nuclear waste, etc). Needs more experimentation.
Damage Reflection. Take Soul Damage instead of Physical Damage. Could be useful in the entrance exams, whatever they are.
Justice
Danmaku? Dad seems to be able to use Justice to rapid-fire projectiles, but I've never seen him go all the way with this idea. Maybe I should pitch it to him soon.
Determination
Dad doesn't like showing this Trait off, but I think his immortality is less agelessness and more instant resurrection. He has mentioned Alestians having long lifespans, maybe that has something to do with this? Unsure, don't want to ask.
Yeah, these notes would surely help him and his dad. Together, they'd unravel the mysteries of Magic, he was sure of it! "I should get home soon, don't want to worry-" Izuku paused as his notebook was snatched away from him just as he was about to put it away.
Katsuki Bakugo stood before him with a bored look on his face. "Whatcha got here, Deku?" He asked his former best friend, eyes glaring down at him as he waved the journal around. Bakugo's cronies followed suit.
"Hey, looks like this idiot thinks he can be a Hero!" One of Bakugo's cronies laughed out loud as the other shook his head in pity. Izuku grit his teeth, wanting to snatch his journal back, consequences be damned; before he remembered his father's warning.
Keep your Magic on the down-low until U.A. I'll handle things there. Just don't show off.
Damnit, dad! Izuku thought in frustration. Why's that rule in place?
But he knew why it was in place, it was so he didn't get himself in trouble or hurt by anyone trying to target him. His dad was only trying to protect him until he got to U.A, until he was safe amongst Pros. "H-hey, Kacchan… I'd really appreciate it if you gave me my journal back! I-it's really important to me, and-"
Bakugo swiftly and ruthlessly exploded the journal with his Quirk, leaving Izuku in despair and anger. "A-all my work…" It only grew worse as Bakugo threw the journal out the window, and then put a hand on the greenette's shoulder.
"Listen, Deku, most of the top-string heroes, the real popular and powerful ones; have stories about them from their school days," Bakugo said coldly, his eyes narrowing. "I want the shine of being able to be called the only student to make it into U.A. out of all the people in this shitty school. I mean, I'm just that good." Heat then began to overwhelm Izuku's shoulder, with smoke rising up from his uniform as Bakugo used his Quirk a bit more. "So… don't apply to U.A., got it, nerd?"
Bakugo was about to leave with his cronies before a final idea came to his mind as he smirked maliciously. "Hey, I've got an idea. If you wanna be a Hero so bad, why don't you take a swan dive off the roof and pray you get an actually useful Quirk in the next life?"
Izuku turned around, about to use his Magic to trap and crush Bakugo's ego, but two things stopped him. First, the threatening expression on Bakugo's face as explosions emitted from his hands at a rapid pace, and second…
"Don't fall for his bait, Izuku. I'm sure he'd love to get you into trouble if you even tried anything," A gentle, feminine voice echoed in his head as he was forced to back off. Izuku later made his way downstairs as he sighed, on his way to pick up his ruined notebook. He found it in Koi Pond, where a bunch of Koi fish surrounded the scorched and soaked object.
"...Yua, what should I do?" Izuku asked, as he stared at his Hero Notes, picking it up and trying to dry it off. "No one believes in me…"
"You know that's not true," Yua responded gently. "I believe in you. So does your dad. Your mom does too, though she does get worried sometimes. Heck, even my dad believes in you."
"Well, yeah, you're all my family. It's sorta your job to make me feel better," Izuku muttered as he made his way back home. "But can I really even do this?"
"If it comes to it, 'Zuku, you should just summon me," Yua said, before he could feel her smiling, even if she wasn't physically here. "I'll fight for you and protect you. We'll be heroes, side-by-side."
That did sound nice, he supposed. The thought of working with his only true friend, challenging everything in their way and taking down villains. It even sorta sounded romantic, in a way. "Thanks, Yua."
"Anytime, 'Zuku. Now, how about we get home and ask your dad to make some pizza? I'm starving."
"Can Guardian Spirits even get hungry?" Izuku laughed, as Yua humphed.
"I'm offended you would even ask that. We've been together for seven years and you still act like you don't know me."
"Sorry, sorry," Izuku apologized to his friend, before he froze. Something was wrong… He could feel a presence behind him. It was just then as his senses went haywire, everything telling him he was in danger. Especially Yua.
"Izuku! Let me out!" She demanded, as he turned around to see a strange sludge-like monster. No, it wasn't a monster, it was a Villain. He acted instantly, trying to summon a shield despite not preparing his Magic properly, a pale green barrier manifesting in front of him; which was promptly shattered once the sludge villain shot through it like a cannonball.
He dashed, trying to flee, but the wave of slime overtook him quickly. Izuku failed to keep his guard up, and now he was going to pay the price… Sorry, dad… I guess I won't be the Hero you thought I could be…
"TEXAS SMASH!"
Immediately, a wave of wind pressure shot from a fist slammed into the villain, popping them like a balloon as Izuku blearily looked at his savior. Is that… All Might?
Amaterasu, I'm going to need a favor.
Only one person knows that name and has my number.
Hello brother. What do you need?
An update on the LoV situation.
I can say that Dabi is still being Dabi, and Tomura is being a brat.
I didn't put you in that position so you could joke, Blaze.
We both know that since we now live in this universe, their problems are ours.
Especially with your own family at risk.
...They don't know I exist, and that's how it should stay.
I'll give you better info later, Tomura's calling me.
Do not fail me, Blaze.
I wouldn't dream of it, Ryu.
Ryutensei frowned at his phone as he saw his brother go from 'Online' to 'Offline' quickly. This was mildly annoying. "Ryu! Ryu!" The Pro Hero looked up at his wife as she rushed into his room, panicking. 'It's Izuku! He's on TV! I think he's in trouble!"
Ryu's eyes narrowed as he got up. He knew Izuku had a higher chance to be safe technically, over his "Prime" variant, but his fatherly instincts overrode his normal logical thought process. "I'm heading out."
And head out, he did, flying right out the window.