After waking up from my, now normal, dreams of Tiga, I made my way to my closet. I grabbed my workout shirt from combat training and a pair of workout shorts. I plan on doing a morning run and working on my Tiga powers at Dagobah beach. I think it's time I enjoy the fruits of my labor. I threw my small bag over my back filled with: my phone, a bunch of water, my wallet, and an extra pair of clothes. Can never be too careful when it comes to clothes. Who knows, maybe my transformation destroys my clothes. Then I'd be left naked on the beach. I don't want that, so extra clothes are a must. Before leaving, I messaged Kirishima if he wanted to workout at the beach with me. I sent him the location and I began my run to Dagobah Beach.
Once I arrived, I spotted a mop of red spiky hair lounging in the sand. I made my way over to him and watched as he laid there. With a mischievous grin on my face, I get close to his ear and softly blow into it. In response, Kirishima shivers and jolts up. I fall back laughing. He looks at me and sighs "Dude, that was so not manly. Sneaking up on me while I'm chillin' is unfair." While wiping the tears from my eyes I respond "Come on, you were just asking to be messed with. Your guard was completely down. I just had to take advantage of that." Before he could retort, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked at it and chuckled "I invited one of my friends. I hope you don't mind." I laid down next to him and shook my head "The more the merrier I guess." Before I could even relax, I heard someone yelling for Kirishima. What surprised me was that it was Mina, from the entrance exam. She was running down the beach straight towards us. She came running at us full speed in a band T-shirt and shorts. She rammed into a hardened Kirishima and hugged him. The sheer force of the hug knocked Kirishima of his feet. Immediately upon seeing me, her face flashed with recognition and began to berate me with word vomit "Oh My God. It's you. Your the total hunk from the entrance exam. I never got your number or email. I didn't think I'd see you again. It looks like fate smiles on us this time. I can't believe you know my bud Kiri. This is such a crazy coincidence. Let's have some fun while we're here." She bounced on her feet in anticipation. I sighed This isn't going to be fun for you guys. It's a workout, not a school bonding activity. "If you guys want to join in on my workout, then you should start stretching. It will hurt if you don't." The other two exchanged weary glances but began to stretch out their muscles. This might just be fun.
While Kirishima and Mina stretches, I started doing body weight exercises. Once finished, I approached Kirishima " Kirishima, do you know hand to hand combat." Kirishima nodded with a smirk. He raised his fists "Let's duke it out. Mano e Mano." I backed away and raised my fists "Mina, can you be the referee. Stop the fight if it gets to bad." Mina nodded enthusiastically and raised a hand "Get ready, Set, Fight."
Kirishima charged at me hardening his arms in an "x". Quickly, I rolled to the side and out of the way. So, it looks like Kirishima's quirk is some sort of harden or sharpening ability. Maybe it only affects his limbs or does extensive damage to his skin. It could also drain his stamina or take considerable concentration. I think I should figure out how his quirk works before going all out. While he was turning towards me, I ran and aimed a punch at his abs. When my punch landed, it felt like punching a rock. I pushed him back but bruised my hand. His skin is really tough. I wonder if it also hardens the muscles. If if does then this may be harder than I thought. I could just wait him out, but that's boring. I decided it was time to go on the offensive. I moved forward and swung a right hook. My fist met his hardened forearm and stopped the punch. He retaliated with a gut punch that shocked me. I stepped back slightly and stretched our my now bruised side. While rubbing my bruised ribs, I didn't notice the haymaker coming my way. Kirishima shot a hardened uppercut to my jaw. I shook my head and readied myself. Let's get serious. Quickly, I moved in close and at sent a flurry of attacks at his stomach. I directed all my attacks at the most precise spot I could. Right, Left, Right, Left, Knee, and high kick. The final kick landed at his jaw and knocked him onto his back.
Mina watched with an uneasy expression. She watched as her friend got pummeled down by her brand new friend. She was about to call the fight, until Kirishima waved his hand "Just a little longer, Mina." I stepped back and huffed a breath. He got up and rubbed his jaw. Finally, Kirishima hardened his fists and rushed me. I'll stand my ground. Let's see what I can do against his hardening. The closer he got, the more determined I became. For a second I could feel the area of energy in my head. It felt like a reservoir of liquid energy. Like a lake, calm and soothing. I knew this feeling. I felt this at the entrance exam. This time I felt like there were gates holding the power in. I imagined opening the gates enough to flow to my right hand and then shutting them. The energy washed over my hand and soothed the bruises. Finally, the grey gauntlet materialized from my fingers to my elbow. I pulled my right arm back and punched at Kirishima's fist. Together they made a loud clash and sparks bounced off. I shook my hand to rid it of some numbness and Kirishima was holding his hand and cursing quietly. I chuckled "Your quirk is a lot to handle. I felt those punches. My hand is even pretty numb, right now." Gradually, the gauntlet faded into small twinkling lights and then disappeared. Then, my stamina was wiped. I suddenly felt the affects of using that power. I felt sore and tired. While collecting myself, Mina came over to check on us "You guys alright?" We both nodded in agreement. In response, she huffed at pulled a wrap of gauze from her bag. She tossed one roll to each of us "Wrap up your injuries and ice when you get home. Now, let's finally have some fun. No more training for today." Kirishima and I laughed and threw and arm around each other's shoulders "That was one hell of a fight " I said. He nodded and rubbed at his knuckles "Next time, warn me before you beat my ass." I laughed and replied "I'll think about it. I liked the surprised look on your face when I punched you." He huffed and turned away, which only spurred on my laughter. It also caused Mina to join in.
We hung around the beach until noon. Around noon, we decided to get something to eat together. After wondering the streets, I decided to take charge and lead us to a place. There was a ramen place I've loved to go to for a long time now. I turned a corner and ran into something. I looked down and saw Pony rubbing her forehead. I quickly began "Pony! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you when I turned the corner. I didn't mean to run into you, I swear. It was totally an accident." Pony chuckled and stood up "Its Ok. Don't worry about it, Midoriya. But.. Can I ask you for some help?" I nodded and looked at what she was holding. She was holding what looked like a tourist brochure. She looked away shyly "Since I'm kind of new to Japan, I don't know any good places to eat at. I've been meaning to ask my friends about good places to eat. I haven't actually done it yet, though. Can you help find a good place to eat?" I rubbed at the back of my head and awkwardly laughed. Behind me the other two tried to hold back their laughter. They held onto each other as they bellowed out laughter. They spoke though haggard breathing "When...did...you...get so...awkward. You're...just a...big softie." I crossed my arms and looked away in response. Mina rested a hand on my shoulder and wiped away a tear. "Just come join us for lunch. We would love for you to join us." Pony's face broke out into a wide smile and she thanked us profusely.
We all went to a local ramen shop. I've been going to this shop for a long time. It was always my escape from the pressures around me. The ring of the bell sounded through the small shop. I guided my friends to a table and gestured for them to take their seats. Kirishima and Mina sat together on one side and I sat next to Pony, across from Kirishima. After ordering food, Mina and Kirishima leaned close to each other and began talking about their childhood experiences. Me and Pony sat there, staring at them incredulously. I turned to Pony "So...you said you were new to Japan. Where in America are you from?" Her eyes widened "How do you know I'm from America?" I rubbed at my neck "Well... you have blonde hair and blue eyes. You also have an American accent." Pony looked away with a blush. While I watched Pony, a tall woman with long black hair threw her arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. Subsequently my face was smooshed against her breasts. On instinct, I struggled against her grip but resigned myself to reciprocate. The tall woman nuzzled into my hair affectionately "Hey Izu, it's been so long. Why haven't you been here? It's been so lonely without your company." Mina and Pony stared, wide eyed. I blushed at their implied thoughts. Quickly, I tried to diffuse the rapidly growing misunderstanding "How would your husband react to that?" Unfortunately, that just added more fuel to the fire. The girls faces began to burn with a bright blush. I blurted out "We don't have that kind of relationship guys." The girls let out a breath and Kirishima looked around confused. "Tsu, I've been busy training for the UA entrance exam remember." Tsu stood up and raised an eyebrow "To me, it looks like you've been getting it on with the ladies, Mr Playboy." I blushed and looked away "It's not like that. Their just my friends. Don't tease me like this, Tsukiko." Tsu laughed and introduced herself "Hey, I'm Tsukiko Maki. I'm the co-owner of this establishment." Tsukiko ruffled my hair "This little ruffian is my pseudo-son." The girls looked like they might just coo at us and Kirishima had an inquisitive look on his face. We gave our orders and she left us to review what just happened. Kirishima jumped at the chance "Midoriya, what did she mean pseudo son." Reluctantly, I replied "Tsukiko can't have her own kids. Her and her husband really wanted to have children but it just never happened. When I first came here, I was this little scrawny kid running for his life. I was getting chased by some bullies and they followed me. I found this place and hid inside. Tsukiko found me cowering under a table and ever since then, we've had a mother-son like relationship. It's nice to know I can always come see her here." Kirishima chuckled "Of course you be super manly and be super lovable. You just attract people towards you." Pony and Mina silently stared at me. Their harsh gazes made me shiver "Why are you guys staring at me so hard?" They looked away defiantly. They're acting really weird. Was it something I said? We ate our lunch and chatted about our plans for heroing. Mina exclaimed that she wanted to take the world by storm with a crazy break dancing-fighting style. Kirishima said he wanted to be the manliest hero like Crimson Riot. Pony shyly stated that she wanted to be a great hero for her parents. I pondered my reason for heroing. I can't exactly blurt that I was suicidal 10 months ago and jumped off a roof. Especially not the part about getting either of my powers. Or the responsibility of fighting giant monsters to save the entire planet. My rambling had distracted me from everyone's concerned stares. Pony broke me out of my stupor with a hand on my shoulder. With a jolt, I was brought back to the conversation "I guess.. I want to be a hero that makes people smile. I want people to feel safe just by seeing me." Kirishima wiped a fake tear from his eye and muttered 'Beautiful'. We exchanged numbers and decided to meet up again, wether or not we all got into UA.
On my way back home, I stopped at a park to reflect on the day. The idea of making friends so easily was a pleasant surprise. I also enjoyed the fun banter. I no longer felt the sting of hurled insults, but enjoyed playful jabs. This new change of pace might be just what I need to become an all around great hero. I laid along the length of the bench and stared ya the sky. The blue sky reminded me the silver gauntlet. The feel of that calming energy remains on the surface of my skin. One for all seemed to be suppressed or at least contained by my ultra powers. One for all,by itself, is a lot to handle at the moment but having my ultra powers to lessen the blow helps tremendously. I wonder if it's hard to turn that partial transformation into a full transformation. It shouldn't be too much. But, I should do this in private though.
My door clicked closed. I stretched a little. It's better to be prepared for anything. Some time passed as I just felt my surroundings. Then, I began to search my body for anything abnormal. The only thing I could find was the power in my head. I experimented with using my thoughts or will to activate a transformation. Each attempt failed. I tried doing action poses or fighting moves. Nothing. I tried to use my vivid memories of Tiga to draw out the power. Finally, I raised my fists to my forehead and crossed them into an "x". I felt the energy expand and spark. My arms dropped down and pulled the energy down my body.
My body was suddenly engulfed in a bright light. In its wake was an advanced version of my gauntlets and boots. They were connected to my silver body armor with purple and red highlights.
Oh, Yeah. We are in business now. I flexed a little to feel the suit. It felt like an extra set of skin. However, it felt tough and powerful. Abruptly, my mom burst through my door panting "Izu...ku...U...A...letter" She held out her hand with my UA letter. The letter disappeared from her fingers in the blink of an eye. I stared in awe at the letter in my shaking, silver hands. With sudden vigor, I ripped the envelope in two and a metal disk fell onto the floor. The disk whirred to life and spewed our light. An image of All Might popped onto the screen. Greetings Young Midoriya, it is I All Might. I dropped onto my stomach a watched with glee as the recording continued. Izuku Midoriya, you did exceptionally well on the written portion on the exam. You surprised all of us with your academic prowess. You are in the top 1% this year on the written exam. On the Practical exam, you did well. Nothing special but did enough to pass. But wait, there's more. You showed the true attributes of a hero. What kind of hero school would we be if we didn't reward you for saving lives. You rushed into danger to save Miss Tsunotori. She even offered to give you some of her points to pass. However, that is unnecessary because, Izuku Midoriya, welcome to your Hero Academia. The video cut out and left me with joyful tears in my eyes and a hopeful smile stuck on my face. It's time to prove myself against other hero students. Now I just hope Mina,Pony, and Kirishima get in.