Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or My Hero Academia. They belong to Monty Oum, Kohei Horikoshi, and their respective publishing companies. Please support the official releases.
Chapter 2: Ten months of Hell
Much like he had been twelve years ago, Izuku Midoriya had no idea how his day could've done a complete 180 so fast. Though, funnily enough, both involved a whole lot of crying, they were for completely opposite reasons. Years ago, he cried because he was told he could never become a huntsman. But now, he had been told the exact opposite by Toshinori, the world's greatest huntsman.
It was the greatest thing he'd ever heard. Izuku had looked up to Toshinori for years, and not for no good reason. Since the man had begun his career as a Huntsman, his unrivaled strength had gained him equally unrivaled popularity. For every year he had been on the scene, the Grimm attacks and crime rates throughout Remnant had both declined, his mere existence being enough to curve tragedies. He had been dubbed the "Symbol of Peace", and it was a title he'd rightfully earned. Izuku had no idea what could possibly make his day better…
Flashback (Two days after the Alpha Beowolfincident)
"I hereby deem you worthy of my Semblance. My power is yours to command."
"...huh"
"Ha! If only you could see the look on your face!" Toshinori was referring to the fact that the boy before him had a look of utter confusion and disbelief on his face, not to mention that he'd be crying his eyes out not a second before. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna force anything on you. This is a proposal, a proposition. If you accept, then we can begin the real work. So come on kid, DO YOU WANT TO ACCEPT MY AWESOME POWER OR NOT!?" Toshinori wiped away the blood from his mouth formed from yelling out his last statement. "Allow me to explain, this concerns my Semblance."
Izuku continued to stare, trying to understand just what Toshinori was trying to get across from him. 'His semblance…'
"I'm sure you've seen the media speculate as to exactly what my semblance is. People like to guess it's some form of super strength, power booster, or even invulnerability. If they ask me in an interview I'll just joke around it and change the subject. That's because the world needs to believe their Symbol of Peace is a naturally born occurrence, by my Semblance is anything but. It was given to me. Like a torch passed down from one to another."
"It was… passed down to you?"
"Indeed. And if you say yes, I'll pass it down to you." Despite Toshinori's best effort at explaining his semblance and its properties, the green haired fanboy was still trying his best to wrap his head around it.
"W-wait, hold on! To be sure, your semblance is one of Remnant's greatest mysteries. The debate about exactly what it is has been endless, and not a day goes by that a new theory isn't presented. But for it to be a power passed down... wellthatjustdoesn'tmakeanysensenoone'spresentedthattheoryandwhywouldtheysemblancesareboundtoaperson'saurameaningthey'reboundtoaperson'ssoulandnoone'severbeenabletofindawaytoremoveasoulbeforeofcoursethesoulisn'texactlyeasytounderstandjustbecuasewe'vebeenabletodetectandmeasureitdoesn'tmeanweunderstandeverythingaboutitbutgivingsomeoneyourownso-"
"You're creeping me out, kid! STOP NERDIN' OUT!" Toshinori stopped Izuku from continuing his mumbling. "You'll just have to adjust your reality and come to terms with it later. I have the ability to transfer the power inherited from me to you. That's my semblance! It's called…
"One For All!"
"One For… All…"
"Correct. The first person cultivates the power and then passes it on. The next person refines it and passes it on again. In this way, those worthy to inherit the power have their souls linked together to save those in need. That is the reason for my strength!"
"B-but why me? W-what if I c-can't live up to it?"
"I've been on the hunt for a worthy successor for some time now. And today, seeing your action made me believe you're worthy. Though you're just a Severed fanboy, during that attack, you were more heroic than anyone else out there, self-included. While the other Huntsmen prioritized fighting off the small Grimm while running away, you were the only one to run towards someone in need while risking your own life. You were the closest person out there to being a true Hero!" At All Might's words, Izuku began to feel tears forming in his eyes yet again. "Geez, young man! You're gonna have to cool it with the crying if you want my semblance."
At Toshinori's words, Izuku began to rise from the forest floor beneath him, rubbing the tears from his eyes. 'He's said so much to encourage me. He even divulged the secret to his power. Is this what I've been waiting for? How could I possibly turn him down?" Izuku, now fully on his feet, gave his newfound mentor the most determined look he'd ever given anyone. "Yes, I accept!" Toshinori gave a Cheshire style grin in response.
"No reluctance. I expected nothing less of you. And now, we can truly begin your training!" Little did the newly chosen successor know the absolute hell that would be his training.
Present time
Vale has a beach park at the coast called where people would come to during the summer months called Dagobah municipal Beach. No-one has been to it in years as trash from the ocean has collected itself there to a large degree.
The early morning sun rose over the beach as Izuku was trying to pull a large fridge with some rope tied around it. He grunted and struggled to pull the rope as he tried to move the fridge off the beach. Which didn't help that Toshinori was sitting on top of the damn thing?
"Hey, Hey, this fridge actually makes a comfy seat!" Toshinori said in his Muscle Form, while he sat on top of the fridge. "I'm sure glad you haven't been able to move this thing off the beach, I'm getting awfully comfortable up here!" he said as Izuku then fell face first into the sand.
"Come on Toshinori, you have to weigh at least 600 pounds or something?" the man smirked as he looked off to the side.
"Nope, plus I've lost weight recently so I'm only 560…in this form at least," he said as Izuku nodded and then looked around.
"Anyway, why did we come here again? And why am I hauling garbage?" he asked as he looked around at the large amounts of garbage. Toshinori smiled and held up his phone towards Izuku.
"Ha! It's obvious! It's because we are here to make you a more proper vessel!" he said as he started taking pictures on his phone. Izuku snapped around as tears gathered in his eyes.
"What! But I thought you said I was the other day!" he screamed into the sand as he screamed he held his body low and a cloud of depression was over his form.
"Ha ha ha! Take a look at yourself, you're nowhere near ready to wield my power" The blonde huntsman began taking pictures of Izuku on his Scroll. The scrawny, feeble boy looked behind him in horror.
"Calm down kid, I'm talking about your body, it's clearly strong from all your training through the years but it should be stronger before we do this" he said as Izuku stopped and looked at the No.1 Huntsman. "You see "One for All" is unlike any other semblance that is known to mankind. It is the sum convergence from the strength of countless men and women. A body that's too weak and unprepared for that kind of power would have your limbs flying off and you exploding!" he said as Izuku blanched at this.
Izuku shivered at the thought in fear as he held his arms together, but then blinked in realization. "SERIOUSLY!" Izuku began shaking around, trying to calm himself down. "Ok, so this whole thing is like some super intense workout… which means you're my trainer." Tohinori shot his protege a thumbs up and a bright smile.
"Correct! But that's not all! Dagoba Beach!… It used to be absolutely beautiful, a tourist spot that attracted people from all over Vale. But 85 years ago, it was the sight of a fierce battle. During the Great War, Atlas brought half of its fleet of airships through the Sanus Mountain Range on a direct path to Vale. Vale's King responded by sending an equally large force. They clashed directly over the lake, and the resulting battle left almost 150,000 dead on both sides. The destroyed ships fell into the lake and its surrounding area. After the war, anything valuable left from the battle was salvaged for later use, leaving the scraps to remain." Izuku looked on, remembering the lessons he learned about the Great War from his history classes over the years.
"I also feel sad that this place was left to rot, such a poor state it has become," he said as he tapped the fridge with his bare minimum strength and dented the fridge slightly.
"Oh yeah, now that I think about it, the tide brings in all this stuff from the ocean and piles it up here. People took advantage of this and began illegally dumping stuff, which is why people and tourists usually avoid this place.!" Izuku said as he looked around.
"The Young Huntsman these days are more focused on the flashy aspects of being one. Killing grimm, fighting bad guys and getting all sorts of fame because of it," he said as he placed his hand on top of the fridge. "Community Service. They can call it "Plain" all they like! But I refuse to let this place be filthy anymore" the fridge began to bend and break as he pushed it to the ground and with one push smashed the fridge flat and the large pile behind him.
"And that's how I'll teach you, young man! From the ground, up! So, let's clear the horizon of this place!" he yelled as Izuku could only look on in awe. "You, young Midoriya, will clean up this Beach! And mark it as your first step to becoming a Huntsman!" Izuku looked at him and then the mountains of garbage as he felt the full"I like your spirit, fanboy! But, as I mentioned earlier, it's not possible for someone who's Severed to become a Huntsman. It's sad, but it's the truth. Beacon is the hardest Huntsman course to succeed in, so we've got to get you ready fast!"
"My first step… is to clear up all of this! B-but there's so much! That's impossible!" Izuku, having now gotten up to his feet, looked around at all the scrap he would now have to move.
"How old are you Young Midoriya"
Izuku turned to answer his question, "i am Fifteen"
"Midoriya my boy, you're aiming to get into Beacon right? " he asked as the boy nodded.
"I thought I made this clear, this isn't an occupation a person without a semblance can take lightly. Not to mention the extreme difficulty of the school's requirement." he looked back as he stared into the boy's eyes.
"W-well yeah, of course. You went there, so it must be the best academy around, right? It's a long shot, but still, I'm gonna aim for the moon, Beacon Academy." He brought his hand up to his chest and clenched it.
"I like your spirit, fanboy! But, as I mentioned earlier, it's not possible for someone who's Severed to become a Huntsman. It's sad, but it's the truth. Beacon is the hardest Huntsman course to succeed in, so we've got to get you ready fast!"
"Right… I've got just over 10 months until Beacon's Initiation, so I've got until then to get myself ready for One For All's power."
"That's what this is for!" Toshinori pulled out a small journal from his pocket, "This is my self-designed "Beacon Dream Plan"! It's a full training regimen designed to help mold your body into a suitable vessel."
"You've really thought of everything…even down to when I sleep?" he said as he looked over, as Toshinori had placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I won't lie, young man, this won't be easy. Do you think you're ready?"
"Yeah" Izuku looked down at the paper with worried determination, I already know that no matter what I do, I'll always have to work 10 times harder than anyone else if I want to get anywhere!" he said as Toshinori stared at the boy and then smiled.
"Then let's get started!Young Midoriya? You've got work to do!" He yelled out.
And so, began the ten-month training from hell. For days on end, Izuku would go to the beach after school and on the weekends, pick up trash and take it to the entrance of the beach. Then he would take a 10km run around the park and a series of exercises and sparring with Toshinori, it was honestly him trying not to get hit while attacking and didn't always get off lucky. He did all of these until he could no longer move his own body.
His mother Inko was initially worried about her eldest child as he would always come home tired and exhausted. So, hoping to help him, she adjusted his diet like he asked and continued to motivate him and encourage him. That alone was enough to keep him going. At school, he kept his grades up and everyone noticed a difference in him when they spared, they were surprised at the results he was getting. And that should have sent Katsuki flaring but he hadn't been around Izuku ever since the incident.
But Izuku felt that there was so much more he could do if he wanted to get stronger.
The days when his body cried out in pain, the ones when he would even puke from the strain of it all. But he pushed himself back up and continued. Because all his life he was ridiculed and treated like a second-class citizen by everyone because of his being faunas and being behind in some aspects of his school. Pushed down into the dirt where they felt he belonged. His ambitions laughed at and his desires crushed and his life made a living hell by everyone, including the one he once called a friend.
He dealt with it then and would probably still have to, but now things were different.
He had someone else who believed in him to achieve his dream. Someone who said the words he'd been dying to hear and spent his time helping him to accomplish his dream. He didn't want to disappoint him. And he never will. And he didn't want to disappoint her either.
Seven Months Later
Toshinori and Izuku were running through the park. Toshinori told him some encouraging words as the boy was breathing and panting heavily. Suddenly he tripped and fell to the park floor. He stopped as he looked over to the boy.
"Hey, hey what's the matter!? There are only three months left until the exam!" the man said even as blood spewed from his mouth.
It was then he noticed the bandages wrapped around his hands and stretching down to his forearms.
"You haven't been following the plan, have you?" he asked as the boy said nothing while he lay there on the ground.
"Kid, it was designed to make you advance your athletic abilities in time for the Initiation. But if you keep overdoing it like this it's going to have reversed results! Do you want to be able to pass or not!?" he said as he scolded the boy for his reckless behavior. Izuku only gripped the leaves on the ground as he started to stand back up.
"I-I want to follow it, I do! …But it's not enough! Not enough to just pass the exam! I want to excel at it! I want to be the best! I have to work ten times harder than everyone else!" he said as he slowly got to his feet. "I want to be like you Toshinori!" he suddenly yelled with hesitation or exhaustion in his voice. "So throw everything you have at me!"
'I see… he's not just aiming for Beacon… he's got his sights set on the far future. Excellent." Toshinori buffed himself up into his Huntsman Form. "You've got a fighting spirit, fanboy! And that will serve you well! I understand your concerns, but progress cannot but be rushed. But fear not, this old man will adjust your plan to ensure you're ready!"
"You're not that old...Toshinori…"
"HA HA HA HA HA!"
"Wait, is that Toshinori?" They heard someone shout.
"But for now let's run!" He said, hauling Izuku over his shoulder and sprinting away before a crowd could be formed.
Two Weeks Before Initiation, 6:00 A.M., Dagoba Lake
Toshinori, in his true form, slowly walked on the path towards the southern edge of Dagoba Lake. He wore a large dark blue trench coat, a white scarf, green pants, and brown shoes. 'Not much time left until Initiation,' The blonde huntsman thought to himself, 'and we've still got to make sure he knows how to fight as well. Hopefully he's made some significant progress in the last mo-'
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Toshinori shot his gaze further up along the path. On top of a large mountain of scrap and garbage, Izuku Midoriya stood, screaming as loud as he could up into the air, echoing off the mountains surrounding him. He was shirtless, sweaty, and tired, but he'd done what he set out to do. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Hey, hey, holy crap, kid…" Toshionri looked away from his protege to the beachfront to see that a large section of it had been cleaned up, showing the sand that had been buried for many decades. "You even cleaned up outside the area I told you to. Seriously! There's not one speck of trash left on this beach! Only a week left to go, and yet you exceeded my expectations! Oh my, oh my, Goodness!" As Izuku began to stumble and fall from the trash, Toshinori buffed himself up and launched himself at full speeds to catch him. "Excellent work, Young Midoriya!" Izuku looked up at Toshinori and smiled weakly.
"I finished everything… Toshinori... I really did it. Do you… do you think I'm ready now?"
"Yeah, you did tremendously. I gotta say I'm impressed." Toshionri slowly set Izuku down onto his own two feet. "I knew you had it in you but this is beyond what I expected!" Toshinori pulled out his Scroll and held it in front of Izuku. "Look at this…" The Scroll was opened to a picture of Izuku from his first day of training at the beach. "It's you, crying, ten months ago. Look how far you've come, such improvement." Toshinori looked at Izuku's body. What had once resembled a pencil was now chiseled and muscular, something most boys his age could only dream of having. "There's still a long road ahead of you before my full power set will be at your disposal, but it's starting to look like you can do it, kid!" Izuku weakly held up his hand and looked at it.
"Toshinori… Do I deserve this, are you sure?" This question caught the Number One Huntsman off guard. "You put so much time, effort, and money into helping me," Izuku once again had tears fall down his face. "I feel like I've cheated somehow, I feel so blessed."
"Ha ha ha!" Toshinori simply laughed at the young boy's statement. 'He's still worried about that after all these months of work?' Toshinori placed his hand on the back of Izuku's shoulder. "It was your hard work that got you this far, not mine." Izuku began to smile at his mentor's words. "But we're not done yet! We've still got one week until Initiation, and I see no point in taking it easy until then. So, are you ready to accept your reward?"
"Yes sir!"
"An old friend once told me that there's a difference between being lucky and being deserving. One is an accident, and the other is a reward! Never get the two confused!" Izuku looked up at his mentor with wide eyes. "Take that to heart, Izuku Midoriya. This gift was earned by your valiant efforts!" The young successor looked up at him with determination. "Now then…" Toshinori held out a strand of blonde hair taken from one of his bangs.
"EAT THIS!"
"...huh
"You need to swallow part of my DNA! That's the only way for me to transfer One For All to you!"
"I-I-I thought you could just use your Aura and pass it down to me! This wasn't at all what I imagined!"
"Come on, we've still got so much training left to do!"
"Eat!" "Ah!" "EAT!" "AH!" "EAAAAAAAT!" "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A/N: i will be posting every Saturday but on my Firday my birthday i well post the next one and to answer you Questions our first couples will be Izuku and Yang Ruby and Shoto and yes i will be adding more my hero characters see you next Saturday