Chapter Three: Training for the Future
Izuku looked out at the filthy shoreline. Dagobah Beach had once been a beautiful tourist attraction, bringing in people from every corner of the Earth just to see the majesty that bad once been on display here. Since then, it had slowly been formed into a dump where homeless people would go when they needed all sorts of different items.
He clenched a fist, feeling One for All flow through his arm. The pressure put onto the limb was immense. It felt as if a single movement would result in a catastrophe. Not to the area around him, but to himself. The power was uncontrolled and wild, unwilling to bend to Izuku's will. The fire inside of him, the Quirk itself, fought back with every attempt to douse the flames.
"Young Midoriya!" shouted All Might from behind him, shocking Izuku out of One for All and stopping his train of thought. Izuku turned around as All Might said, "You're here just on time. I'm a little surprised, I figured you would've been a little groggy after waking up so early." Izuku rubbed his eyes.
"The truth is, I didn't sleep last night. I was too excited, and I had a lot on my mind," Izuku admitted with a sleepy smile. Activating One for All had given him a burst of adrenaline, but it had quickly faded now.
All Might frowned. "What was on your mind?" he asked.
Izuku thought back to Inko's story from last night. "My past. My mom told me something that was... eye opening, to say the least. I'm sorry, but I'm not comfortable with telling anyone just yet," the green haired boy said before changing the subject entirely.
"What are we doing here?" Izuku asked, wondering if this was supposed some sort of lesson to learn.
"A couple of things," All Might responded. "For one, you must learn to use One for All. Here, take this," he said while taking a pamphlet out of his pocket and handing it to Izuku. "This has all the details of your new routine."
Izuku flipped over the pamphlet, reading the title. "Aim to Succeed: American Dream Plan, Izuku Midoriya edition..." he thought aloud.
"This is a workout routine supposed to mimic the work I had to put in in order to become the hero you know. However, I have made some tweaks to fit your body. For example, there is less muscle building activities due to your build," All Might explained, pointing out the muscular frame Izuku had from working out with Katsuki and Setsuna.
"This is really in-depth," Izuku said, stunned, as he flipped through the pages of the pamphlet. Everything from a sleep schedule to a meal plan for every day of the week was on there, even with the caloric intake each food item would give him. "But, I won't be able to follow the meal plans."
"Young Midoriya, each part of the plan is key to your devel-"
"It's my Quirk. A part of it is an increased appetite and need for food, which means I will require more meals than this. I have to pack snacks in my bag every day before school, or else I will literally starve." All Might's eyebrows raised, his surprise evident.
"Okay, then. Ignore the meal plans I have on there," All Might said, taking the news in stride. "Have you tried using One for All yet?" asked the Symbol of Peace.
"I've let it loose, but I haven't actually used it, no," answered Izuku with a grimace. "I don't think my body can handle all of it yet. When I didn't hold it back, it felt like there was a pipe in my arm that was about to burst."
All Might nodded. "I figured something like that may have happened. Remember how I said each user cultivates One for All while they possess it?" Izuku recalled the part of their conversation yesterday and nodded. "Well, I have had it for most of my life now, and have brought it to a level too much for the typical human body." Izuku knew that it was also more than his alien body could handle as well. "We need to figure out a method for you to use that will allow you to use One for All without ruining your body."
Izuku had already been thinking about that, and brought up an idea of his. "What if it's like a microwave? You know how the radiation doesn't just hit one side of the food, right? Well, when I used One for All, I focused it on one spot, which might've been the cause of the pressure. If I spread it out, it might help out with the issue."
"I could see that being the reason. My muscle form works in a similar way, I have to flex every muscle I can, not just a single limb or something like that," All Might agreed. "Try it."
Izuku did as he was told, letting One for All loose again. It washed over him, and Izuku could feel his muscles bulge as they were imbued with power. Green lightning sparked to life around him as visible red lines appeared where his veins were. "Good job! This a great starting point, just keep ahold of this power!" All Might encouraged, giving Izuku a thumbs up as he bulked up into his muscle form.
Izuku took a step forward, still feeling the immense strain of One for All, even thought this was a much lower level. "This is... One for All: Full Cowling! Five percent!" gasped out Izuku. He did his best attempt to strike a pose, but ended up nearly falling over.
"Now," All Might boomed. "Hit me with your best shot!" exclaimed the towering man. Izuku began to move forward, gaining speed until he was sprinting towards the Symbol of Peace. Hesitantly, he cocked a fist behind him, the full five percent he could use channeling through his entire body.
"Detroit Smash!" Izuku squeaked as he punched All Might, seemingly doing nothing. The green-haired boy felt defeated, his lack of focus resulting in him dropping out of Full Cowling.
"Hey, don't be down!" shouted All Might. "This was bound to happen! Like you said, you're still only at five percent, while I was at my maximum strength, there was no way you could've beaten me!" Izuku nodded, accepting that but still not happy with it. "Chin up, and get that beach cleaned!"
"Izuku, you better not go easy on me!" Katsuki shouted, standing in the now clean Dagobah Beach. They were the only ones there, aside from Setsuna, who was sitting in the shade and watching them. They were both in swimming trunks, but that wasn't distracting in the slightest to Izuku. But, it had gotten a couple comments from Setsuna that were... less than appropriate.
They were about to spar against one another.
"I won't!" Izuku yelled back, flaring into Full Closing, but this time at the eight percent that he could handle fully. After ten months, he hadn't made much progress in his mastery of One for All due to his focus on cleaning up the shores of Dagobah Beach, and you could tell. Katsuki lit an explosion in his hand, creating a large cloud of smoke above them. All Might had given them permission to do this, which would definitely be a good excuse if anyone objected to their usage of Quirks in public.
As the sun began to rise, the two ran straight at each other, Katsuki boosting himself with small bursts of his Quirk. They had only a few days before the Entrance Exam, and now they needed some experience in combat before the big day. Izuku had studied Katsuki's moves before, and knew what to expect from him. Katsuki wouldn't have the same luxury.
Izuku had changed up his fighting style after receiving One for All, making him unpredictable. Izuku ducked under the big hook that Katsuki always went for, and grabbed onto the opening in the form of his arm. With all his might, Izuku flipped him overhead and slammed him down into the sandy shore. Setsuna let a cheer. "Kick his ass, Izuku! Katsuki, get up and fight back!" she yelled, encouraging the both of them equally.
Katsuki burst into the air with a large explosion that kicked up sand, hitting Izuku in his eyes. He used that to his advantage, and barreled towards Izuku from his position in the air. "Time to show you something I've been working on!" By the time Izuku could see anything, Katsuki was spinning so fast he was barely visible. Reacting quickly, Izuku jumped high into the air just as Katsuki let off the largest explosion he'd ever seen performed by the blonde boy.
"Young Midoriya and young Bakugou!" All Might shouted, now suddenly on the beach and in his muscle form. The speed of that man was scary. "Stop this at once, you are going to end up damaging private property!" he warned sternly, looking terrifying without his smile, something that Izuku would never get used to.
"I know you are excited for the Entrance Exams, but save your energy! Enjoy the time you have left before the big day, have fun and live a little!" All Might advised before jumping into the water and beginning to swim. Setsuna grinned and separated her body into little pieces, allowing her to fly to the ocean and then reforming. Her swimsuit was specially designed with her Quirk in mind, an advantage of her wealthy family.
"Come on in, the water's great!" shouted the green haired girl as she swam around lazily. Izuku glady took the words of encouragement to heart, leaping into the water from where he was standing thanks to the full strength of eight percent of One for All.
The rest of the day went well, being a relaxing day spent at the beach that represented the work Izuku had put in.