Chapter 3

Place: [REDACTED]

Date: [REDACTED], 2028

Past the idea of quirks being the next stage of human evolution, I have come to observe that most people are starting to look at their quirks as their only quality of life.

As society seemed to progress, humanity and the idea of humans seemed to regress. As a hypothesis, I made so long ago about Quirk Singularity, I had also postulated the effects of such things happening to society over time.

Would society crumble over the innate greed and malice that humans hold when in positions of power, or would society rise above and gain control over itself? It seems though that over time the first scenario has already come to pass.

This Hero society that the public entrusted just now to the people only stems to fuel that greed and malice amongst the powerful. It is one thing if the quirk itself becomes too powerful, but how will society change due to quirks?

Heroes now populate the streets as the new normal is seeing people in clashing colors that save people from accidents. Using their flashy powers to save. Right now, It may seem safe and comfortable, but no society like this can stand on its own without interference from the people. It simply isn't feasible nor is it practical to have such things be true.

Already things are looking bad as the view on quirks changes for society. A hundred years before my time, quirks were looked on as mutations. Things that should be shunned. The Devil's work. Now even religion seems to be held back as quirks take the upstage of being the "new miracles". More and more laws are passing for the quirks and now it looks like the people without quirks are slowly being replaced in the view of society.

The quirkless are more negatively seen. Riots break out in the streets every now and then targeting some quirkless person. Marches run with people demanding change every week.

Anyway, this is just a silly little tangent off of some of my theories. While quirk singularity seems to be an unpopular theory so far, the research does indicate that quirks are getting stronger and stronger, though could the human body adapt to the changes of evolution is a question for later that I seek to answer.

61°44'12.9"N 114°31'04.6"E

Izuku had never been on a plane, nevertheless a fancy private jet. Yet for his first plane ride, Izuku couldn't help but feel anxiety as he stared out the window.

Outside, Izuku saw as the ever-flowing landscape changed from rocky grey and brown mountains to a lush forest. After nearly 5 hours of flying and still only halfway, Izuku chewed on his lips. He couldn't sleep lately, with the only exception being the first day he arrived at the hotel. And even then he couldn't shake off the nightmares that persisted through his mind.

Did he wish that it was all somehow different?

Maybe. Who knows, perhaps in another life, he would have been able to be a proper hero and save people, but currently, Izuku felt like he didn't have a lot of choices.

His new employer, Anastasia Volkova was sleeping in her seat across from him. Her electric blonde hair spilled over everywhere as she quietly snored.

Apparently, she had a rough few days cleaning up and 'vacationing' throughout the three days she spent in Japan.

So currently Izuku was stuck in a private jet, one that Ivan was piloting (would he learn how to fly a plane too?) while sitting down in one of the seats of the jet uncomfortably listening to the quiet snores of honestly one of the scariest women he had met in his life. (Honestly, Auntie Mitsuki wasn't much of a scary person, but rather a more intense person than the normal person.)

The only thing keeping Izuku from spewing his guts everywhere was the nice scenery that he was watching through the open window. Quietly drumming his fingers against the armrest of the seat, Izuku took out his father's watch from his hoodie pocket.

Closing his eyes, he imagined all the small pieces of the watch work together in harmony. Cause and Effect. Action and Reaction. Soothing ticking noises now enveloped Izuku's mind as he let the queasy feeling in his chest slowly dissipate.

Opening his eyes, he sighed as he pocketed the watch once more. It wouldn't be long until another wave of panic would wash over Izuku, but at least, Izuku had a way of coping through the trip. Izuku trailed his eyes next to the sleeping figure across from him while he thought about the conversation they had hours before.

5 Hours Before

Izuku sat uncomfortably in the plane as he accepted a glass of water from the lady sitting across from him. The plane had yet to take off and the lady was getting comfortable in her seat.

The lady looked at Izuku, making him squirm a little bit. "I understand you have questions, and I'm here to answer them. But first, let's start off with our introductions." She smiled. "My name is Anastasia Alexandrovna Volkova, your new employer for the time being."

Izuku gulped. "H-hello." Izuku shook his head. "I have to know what you had in mind about protection for my mother." Izuku clenched his hands. In the back of his mind, he could feel the pressure of Magnetism building up in response to his emotional instability. "You said that you could provide protection right?"

Miss Anastasia nodded. "About that. We discussed things in the car beforehand, right? About what your job entails, right?"

Izuku nodded, not seeing where this was going, but he waited for his employer to finish speaking.

"Well, we weren't lying about the protection we could offer your mother. But there is a slight caveat." Anxiety clenched Izuku's muscles.

"A c-caveat?"

Miss Anastasia nodded. "A caveat. See, not only is your mother being protected by our services, it's just that the logistics of protection we can give just turns out to be pretty expensive. Not only do we have to pay off some of the police that work at witness protection services, but we also have to have our men act as guards and that doesn't come cheap these days."

Izuku clenched his hands. "How much is it for her protection?"

Miss Anastasia hummed. "Regrettably, I'm not that good at figuring costs as much as my brother can, but if I had to estimate, I would say … nearly 35 million Rubles? Or in your currency about 57 million yen." (AN: This is approximately 520 thousand in USD)

Izuku gaped at the price. That was way more than what his mother made per year. "How am I supposed to pay for all that?"

She shrugged. "It's really up to you. Let's just say it's extra motivation. When you work for me, you get a salary based on what you earn. Some jobs may pay bog, others not as much, but the amount that you earn will eventually pay off any debt that you may accrue in protection for your family." Miss Anastasia took a sip from her glass. "Right now, you can't pay off anything so far, but the Bratva is charitable about our employees. We can give a grace period of any money spent, and in return, you work for us until you can pay off that debt."

Izuku nodded. "And what happens if I'm not able to pay it off?"

A sinister look made Izuku shiver. No matter how she acted and how friendly she seemed, she worked, no, she was Bratva. "The modern pricing for human organs have certainly gone up, especially with the rise of quirks?"

Izuku clenched his hands.

Izuku sighed. Closing his eyes, he let his fingers slide over the smooth surface of his watch as he let the soothing sounds of the watch let his mind wander away. The cooling air conditioning wind blew in his face as he ignored some of the injuries he had accrued over the past week.

Tick.

Everything fell away as none of his worries and problems could affect him anymore.

Tick.

It was just him and his dad's watch.

Tick.

The Wild Gipsy

Moscow, Russia

Izuku wasn't sure what he expected when he arrived in Russia. It was the middle of the night when they touched down, and now it was almost midnight as they drove around through the busy streets. People were walking around in the streets, lights shining from each store. The lights of the streets illuminated the tall buildings that lined the crowded streets.

While not cold, the air of Russia was significantly different from the air back home. Less … stuffy than what he was used to, Izuku looked around in wonder as he stared at the crowded streets. People were lined up in thin coats either joking around or laughing as they all waited to enter a glowing club.

When Ivan pulled up into a bar, Izuku looked around incredulously when all of the personnel ignored him as they opened his door.

Stepping outside the car, Izuku could feel the booming sounds of heavy music as it resonated throughout the building. Entering through the side door, Izuku could see the main dance floor which was filled to the brim with people dancing and laughing. Being his first time inside a bar, Izuku was unsettled at how many people simply glossed over his small frame.

A lot of the people there were simply drunk out of their minds, with a few people yelling in Russian over the heavy trap beats.

Ivan guided Izuku up some stairs into the VIP area of the bar. The heavy music still blaring in the background, Ivan and Izuku was confronted by a pair of guards. Their imposing figures were accented by their clean-cut black suits. One guard's face was decorated with vicious-looking tattoos while the other had a dangerous glint in his eyes. They took one look at Ana before stepping aside and letting her through the door. Then they turned their glare at Ivan and Izuku before returning to their positions.

Ivan seemingly ignored any imposing aura the guards seemed to have, inspiring Izuku to do the same and simply follow Ivan. Lifting his shirt, Ivan showed off a mark on his skin, a tattoo which the guards seemed to recognize before letting Izuku and Ivan through a door.

The door opened up to a quiet room, any of the outside music cut off by the soundproof room. Inside the room, six other people looked up at the newcomers. Izuku could see that Anastasia was grinning and plopped herself down at one of the couches that surrounded a table full of drinks.

A red-haired man grunted as he moved over to let Anastasia some space. His burly arms and large frame rippled against his leather jacket as he pulled out a cigar and started smoking it.

Standing behind the couch opposite Anastasia and the red-haired man was a tall stoic yellow-haired man. His face was stern and his electric yellow eyes seemed to pierce through his glasses as he rubbed his thumb on a gold ring. His pinstripe suit was meticulous and clean as he grimaced at the teenager who was sitting on the couch in front of him.

The final teenager looked ridiculously disheveled as he snored away at his spot on the couch. He was wearing a red hoodie and clear eyebags hung under his eye as he drooled on the black leather of the couch.

Ivan stepped forward as a man blocked his path. He was wearing a black coat compared to Ivan's white coat and had his hair slicked back. Dressed the opposite to Ivan, the man stared at Ivan with a menacing glare, which Ivan matched with his calm disposition. The tension in the air seemed to crackle as Izuku unconsciously took a step back from what seemed like a fight.

The man stared for a second more until he threw his head back in a hearty laugh. Ivan smiled as he joined in by chuckling softly. Izuku relaxed as he saw that there was nothing going on between the two men before he witnessed Ivan's head snapping back from a blow.

"Eh?" Izuku watched on in horror as the other man threw a single punch to Ivan's face while still laughing. Ivan grunted as he simply rotated his neck and hit back at the man. His fist plowed through the man's face, knocking him back slightly. His laughing continued as the other man tilted his head back while holding his bleeding nose.

"Oh man, Ivan, I've missed you, buddy!" The man laughed out as Ivan smirked before handing the man a handkerchief.

Ivan greeted the man. "It's been a while hasn't it, Gun."

Gun snorted as he wiped his face with the handkerchief. " Damn right. It's been, what, 3 years since we last saw each other? How have you been, you straight-faced bastard?"

Ivan shook his head. " Not now, old friend. We have the meeting of the Pakhans to concentrate on."

" Tsk." Gun made his way behind the tall yellow-haired man who was currently standing behind the couches that stood in the middle of the room. The man shot a glare at Gun before clearing his throat.

" Now that Gun has settled down, for now, we can start the meeting." The man pulled out some papers before clearing his throat. Glaring at the still snoring teenager, the man kicked the couch, waking up the teenager with a start.

" I'm awake, I'm awake." The teenager yawned. "What did I miss?"

The man sighed before adjusting his glasses. " Nothing so far Fyodor, but since my sister has arrived we can start the meeting."

The teen yawned once more before sitting up straight on the couch. " Alright let's start."

Izuku at this point was very lost. The general vibe he had gotten from the earlier interaction between the man who he believed was Gun and his 'official trainer' Ivan was a friendly relationship with a heavy dose of violence included. Now with the surrounding people speaking in rapid Russian made Izuku dizzy with what was happening.

Noticing the lost expression Izuku had, Ivan pulled Izuku aside. "Anything wrong?"

Izuku hissed at Ivan. "What is going on? Who are these people?"

Ivan nodded. "I brought you to this meeting, first because we needed to be at this meeting by today, and your plane ride just so happened to be on this day. In addition, Miss Anastasia felt like it would be a good idea to introduce you to everyone in the organization."

Izuku nodded slowly. "I understand but who are all these people?"

Ivan pointed to the people seated on the couch. "These people along with Miss Anastasia are the Pakhans of the Bratva."

"Pakhans?" Izuku asked.

"The Pakhans are the leaders of the different sects of the Bratva. Each of them commands the entire sect of the Bratva that they have under their command. Under each Pakhan, they have an Enforcer who acts as their second in command of the Bratva. After that, we used to have generals and entire armies of grunts who worked for us, but with the rise of All Might and Heroes, the Bratva had a sharp decline of grunts working. Now we just have the best of the best working under the Bratva."

"Okay, so who is who?"

"Right now you already know about Miss Anastasia. She deals with Assassinations and Drug affairs of the Bratva as the Pahkan of the East. I, as her Enforcer, work under her as her second in command." Ivan gestured to the buff red-haired man. "That man is the Pahkan of the North. Andrey Dostoyevsky deals with weapon trades of the Bratva. He didn't bring his enforcer with him today, but you will meet him someday."

Ivan turns to the stoic man currently giving a speech. Anastasia yawns loudly as she listens to the man speak. "Grigori Alexandovich Volkova is the Pahkan of the West. He deals with the finance and business side of the Bratva. He currently owns much of the stores and clubs that the Bratva operate under including this very club that we are under."

Izuku pauses at the sight of the man. "Wait, is he…?

Ivan nodded. "Miss Anastasia's older brother. Pahkan Grigori also brought in his Enforcer: Gun. My best friend and my rival." Izuku nods while taking note of the blonde man. Physically, both Pahkan Grigori and Pahkan Anastasia looked similar in both their coloring and their facial shape, however, with the vast difference of personality that Izuku observed while the meeting of the Pahkans went on, Izuku could safely say that the siblings were completely different in how they operated.

Ivan continued. " And finally, we have Fyodor Nikolaiovich Mikhailov, the youngest of the Pakhans. He controls all of the digital dealings of the Bratva and is the Pahkan of the South." The teenager was currently napping once more on the armrests of the couch, happily ignoring anything Pahkan Grigori was explaining in his report.

Ivan turned to Izuku. "One day, when you cover my job expertise as an Enforcer, you will be serving one of the Pahkans to the best of your ability. These people are quite literally some of the strongest of Russia."

Izuku gulped as he took in the sight of the four Pahkans. A small part of his mind seemed to whisper in his ear as he took in their visage. While some of them didn't have much of a first impression, Izuku could feel how some of them excluded strength and authority.

Three Weeks Later

тигель

Location: [REDACTED]

Honestly, Izuku felt like his lungs were trying to jump out of his throat. The consistent burning sensation in his arms and legs and mostly in his torso area made even the slightest of gasps for air an excruciating ordeal, never mind taking large deep breaths.

But this was the training he was going through now. The consistent pelting of rocks he had gotten from Ivan (Who at this point was leisurely reading a book) coupled with the intense physical gauntlet he was going through made it so that the past 3 weeks of nonstop training were almost unbearable.

Almost.

Since he had something that he was working towards, he wouldn't give up. Not that he had any chance to give up.

Taking another gulp of air in, Izuku grabbed the towel that was provided for him from the beginning of the training and wiped the sweat and tears from his face. Even in the most intense three-week workout of his life, Izuku felt great. Honestly, since Ivan had started training him, mostly in conditioning his body, Izuku could feel himself getting stronger, faster, and even more energetic.

Sometimes the world seemed so clear at times that Izuku could almost make out the individual grains that seemed to make up the world. Other times, his body physically was protesting against the harsh treatment it was undergoing, but Izuku stubbornly pushed those thoughts aside and kept up with the workouts.

Under Ivan's insane tutelage, his arms and legs had started to grow defined, and his torso more muscular. Meals were also given regularly to supplement his sudden growth, and when resting, he learned under Ivan the basics of the human body and its many weak points. Night after day, he was drilled in subjects that would supposedly be needed for the job (though Izuku couldn't wrap his head around why he would ever need to know how to solve a Rubix cube by scratch).

After many nights of nonstop learning, Izuku could say confidently that he had remembered all the things that Ivan had taught him. Not that it wasn't hard or incredibly frustrating, but Izuku strangely seemed to pick up the new subjects fairly quickly according to Ivan's standards, even surprising Miss Volkova in that regard.

Izuku grunted as he went back to performing pushups. His hands were wrapped in some bandages as he pushed his straining arms against the cold unforgiving floor of the Crucible. Or rather what Ivan had called тигель (Literally it had meant Crucible or melting pot, but Izuku knew it represented ordeal. This whole place was an ordeal in itself).

The Crucible on the outside looked relatively simple. A log cabin that was relatively small and seemed to be well lit sat in the middle of a forest. But inside the log cabin was a gaping shaft, one that led down to a pool of ice-cold water.

Izuku stared at the gaping maw with a bit of trepidation. Was he expected to jump down that well? Turning to face Ivan, he looked in confusion before gesturing to him whether he should be jumping or not.

At the affirmative nod of Ivan, Izuku gulped before steadying himself on the edge. Remembering all the swimming lessons and the impromptu lessons he had gotten from the times, Bakugo and his gang would push him into rivers and pools, Izuku tucked in his arms and dropped from the edge into the ice-cold pool.

The sudden shock of it almost made Izuku pass out. Fighting to see through the black that threatened to creep at the edge of his vision, Izuku forced himself to move through the glacial waters.

Suddenly a memory popped up in Izuku's mind. A simple survival show on the television that had captured his attention for a moment, but telling him what to do when dropped in cold water. It was displaying what to do in such situations, especially when they were telling them to move quickly through the cold. "You only have 10 -20 minutes of movement. Don't waste them and quickly get yourself out of the water and warm up quickly."

Looking around the shaft Izuku couldn't find a way out of the pool. Nothing seemed to allow Izuku to grab on and climb up the shaft. Treading water, Izuku took a deep breath before diving back into the cold water. Numbness and the feeling of pinpricks traveled through his body as his green eyes cut through the shady darkness of the water.

"There!"

Izuku spotted a trapdoor that was shut. A handle on the door indicated where Izuku had to go If he wanted to survive. Swimming back up to the surface of the water, Izuku burst through the surface taking in deep gasps. The cold was sharper this time, and somehow the water seemed to get warmer in Izuku's mind.

Taking one last gulp of air, Izuku dived back into the pool and reached for the handle of the trapdoor. Grabbing on, Izuku pulled with all of his might and desperation to open the door. The door stubbornly seemed to stay shut, making Izuku want to scream out in anger.

The cold was really getting to him now. The water felt hot now, almost boiling, Izuku was surprised that he was being boiled alive. In his mind, small underlying thoughts drifted pointlessly.

The symptoms of Hypothermia…

I wonder how Mom is doing.

Why won't this door open?

Am I going to die?

No.

With one last burst of desperation, Izuku drew all of his strength into his arms and pulled harder than ever. With a mighty groan, the steel door opened. Water gushed into the door as Izuku was sucked into a tube which dropped him into the room.

Water gushing over his form, Izuku shivered violently as a pair of strong hands lifted him from the shallow pool of water. A towel draped over his form as Ivan ripped his wet clothes off of him. Izuku swooned as he fell unconscious due to the shock of being in cold water.

Izuku had later awoken next to blazing fire now dressed in woolen clothing. Feeling warm, he later was given a mug of hot chocolate while Ivan sat down next to him on the couch, explaining what the shaft was about.

Apparently, the shaft was an initiation test for all newcomers. A verifiable net where it would test each candidate about their tenacity and ability to survive.

Izuku nodded off later only to find himself wrapped in blankets and sleeping in a cot. Woken up by Ivan who had let him recover for about a day, they had started training in the halls of the Crucible.

The past weeks made sure that Izuku was living in hell. Constantly challenging him to take it a step further, there wasn't a day where Izuku was not sore. Not being able to see the outside world, Izuku nearly lost count of the days that passed by, only keeping track of a clock and calendar that Ivan had provided for him.

While the first three weeks inside the Crucible were mostly conditioning, Ivan had made sure that Izuku learned Russian while he was resting. Pushing up against the concrete ground, Izuku felt the individual scrapes on his now calloused hands. Sweat dripping down his head, He grunted as he tried to keep a steady pace as he continued his pushups.

Ṇ̵̡̻͆̊̚o̴̹̭̙̯͑̂̓͆̀̄t̸̡̬̗͇̀̓ ̶̟͖͈͔̟̘͒͠m̸͍͍̤̘͙̦̓̉̃̓u̷͎͙̭̹͍͌̍̄͘c̸̮̈́̀h̸̝̍̐̀͜͜ ̶̱̤̪̅͌y̴̙̿ơ̴̢̩̖̪̤͍͑̈̎͘ū̸̡̥̮͒̀͘ ̶̛̝̞͔̈́̒̈́̕͝ͅc̵̡̧̘͆̊̋̇͘ȧ̵̩̽n̸̡̯̰̘̘͔͌̽̌̅̚ ̴͓̳̥̘̲͓̍̒͊̌d̵̨̰̩̍͂̍͆͘o̷̰̙̘͙̳͒̒,̸͙͙͖̍̒ ̴̙̱̺̮̦̔̓l̴͇̈́̀̀i̸̼̎̊͊̒͊̕t̶̺́̌̀̈̚t̸̲̄̐͌̃l̴̟͐̓̍e̴̙͓̓̀̃̓͠ͅ ̷̗͚̐̿̓͝b̶̬̹͌̒̃̃̕o̷̦͘ỹ̶̘̥̲̺̩̎̇̐.̷̨̦̣̦̹̇͜

It was during these past weeks that Izuku focused more and more on exercising. Izuku was scared that he was hearing voices in his head each whispering something incomprehensible but always sending through the intention of what they were saying to Izuku.

Shaking his head, Izuku ignored the eerie voice and focused more and more on his workouts. In the back of his mind, he knew who was speaking to him. Who was whispering to him about his failures, but Izuku pushed them aside.

He had other things to worry about.

Mustafa, Japan

Aldera High School

Bakugo was not having a good day. He wasn't sure of what, but everything seemed to be pissing him off more and more. He snapped at more of his classmates and teacher. Sometimes his anger would boil over and spill into dinnertime which had him stomping up to his room to fume.

In his mind, he wasn't sure of why he was feeling such a negative emotion. It wasn't something he felt before and it wasn't something he felt like expressing to anyone.

Recently his parents had gotten him a shrink, something he loathed (It meant that he was weak, and he damn sure wasn't weak! ). Even after three weeks of attendance, Bakugo hadn't spoken to the damn shrink about his feelings. He had nothing to share.

He would blast his way through this problem and with nothing stopping his way from going to U.A. he knew she could become the number 1 hero and freaking kill anyone that got in his way.

Right?

Right?

So why was he feeling so bad about everything?

Growling he focused on his work. Angrily writing down notes to what the teacher was writing up on the board, Bakugo found himself looking outside the window at the green fence that lined the top of the building.

Deep down, Bakugo regretted the last words he had with the loser was for him to kill himself.

The Crucible

Several sounds of grunts and whacks could be heard throughout the grey walls of the room. Blocking a punch from Ivan with both his arms, Izuku countered by kicking out his legs in a forwards kick pushing Ivan back from his position of hitting Izuku.

His hand on the kick, Ivan pulls on the limb bringing Izuku flying towards him. With a quick elbow to the face, Izuku crashes to the ground with a bloody face. His green hair was matted by the amount of sweat and blood he was putting into the sparring exercise. Groaning in pain, Izuku blinks away the sweat from his eyes. Taking in a large gulp of air, Izuku grunts before rising to his knees. With his arms supporting his body, Izuku carefully gets up on his legs and stands up once more.

Izuku wobbled on his feet gathering his bearings once more. Putting his hands to his head to nurse the massive hit he had just taken, Izuku spat out blood from his mouth. The blood mixed with saliva mixed to create a pinkish goo that splattered over the concrete floors of the facility.

Cracking his neck and rolling his arms around checking to see if he hadn't broken anything, Izuku jumped up and down regaining his balance once more.

Noticing that his trainer lowered his arms and gestured for him to take a break, Izuku slumped over as he made his way over to a water bottle. Drinking half of the contents of the bottle, Izuku poured the rest over his face, washing off any blood that dried on his face.

Wiping off the water from his face, Izuku undid his hair. Over the past 5 months of constant training, his hair had grown out a few inches covering his ears. Shaking off any excess sweat, Izuku grabbed a rubber band provided for him and tied his hair up.

Stretching his arms, Izuku winced as he felt the multiple bruises take form on his body after the sparring session. Every day was a constant battle to improve just to even get one hit on Ivan. Even if Ivan didn't use his quirk, he was still one of the most skilled fighters Izuku had ever seen. Albeit, Izuku hadn't seen many fighters except for broadcasted Hero fights, but Izuku felt justified in saying that Ivan was probably better than a lot of the professional heroes that would appear on television.

Not once was Izuku able to land a hit on Ivan. It was always dodged or blocked with a simple gesture that made it kind of frustrating how he was progressing, but still, Izuku preserved on trying to at least hit Ivan.

While the past 5 months felt like he was going nowhere, his body did show significant change. What once was a skinny pile of bones and flesh, now stood a lean body with decent muscles to allow for Izuku to perform more of the intense moves that Ivan was showing him.

Izuku could still remember the first day they started combat training.

Ivan was wearing his usual white shirt and grey vest fitted with his blood-red tie. His gloves were off for the moment, allowing Izuku to see his scarred hands. A crisscross mixture of scars from several wounds decorated Ivan's hands as he rolled his sleeves back.

The first thing Ivan did was give a glance over Izuku's form. Then heading over to the center of the concrete room, he gestured silently to Izuku to come to face him.

When Izuku first walked up to the man, Ivan cracked his knuckles. The next words that came out of his mouth were seared into Izuku's mind. "Do you know how to throw a punch?"

Izuku gulped as he shook his head.

Ivan snorted. "Good. We can work from the ground up."

An intense beat down was what he got on the first day of combat training. And while he was knocked unconscious the first day, his mind gleaned the fighting techniques Ivan had used against him.

Tick.

Izuku could see how each individual muscle of Ivan worked in tandem to strike Izuku's body in the most efficient way possible, utilizing even Izuku's body movements against him to disable and knock him unconscious.

Tick.

The way each movement flowed with each other Izuku saw a beautiful amalgamation of movement designed to take down an opponent. Something that he could pick apart and even replicate. It was a large surprise to Ivan that the day after he started teaching Izuku Systema, Izuku managed to perfectly copy them and hone them at speeds Ivan didn't even think was possible.

Izuku watched as Ivan stepped outside the Crucible to take a phone call. While the man stepped outside, Izuku made sure that Ivan wasn't watching. Setting into a meditative pose he had imitated from his younger years of trying to tap into a quirk that he thought he might have (watching internet videos) Izuku concentrated on the power that was simmering beneath his skin.

Izuku could feel how the magnetic waves seemed to roll off of him and interact with the natural world. He could feel the metal piping in the walls. When he reached down deeper, Izuku felt the deep thrum of the humming of the generator that was pumping electricity into the facility. 20 kilometers away from where he was currently.

Remembering small details from his classes with Ivan, Izuku decided to concentrate on focusing his power on a much smaller scale. From his hands, Izuku produced an iron coin and started practicing fine movements with the small object. While Izuku intuitively knew how to use his power, Izuku realized that a lot of practice from the feeling of using the power was going to be needed.

Feeling that Ivan was stepping back into the room, Izuku quickly hid away the coin he had found in one of the resting rooms in the Crucible Training grounds.

So far, none of the Bratva knew that he had a quirk, and he wanted to keep it this way while training.

4 weeks later

The Pit

The crowd roared with laughter as inside the pit a person was knocked to his knees. The musty scent of alcohol and vomit lingered in the air as tens of people watched the cage match. The scent of blood mixing in with the smell of alcohol, the people cheered as the person got up once again.

The walls of the pit were stained in brown, the wood has soaked up the years of blood

Ivan watched impassively as he looked on at the battered form of his protege. Izuku had impressed him greatly with the skills he was displaying tonight.

In the last 6 months of training, Izuku had come a far way from the scrawny form Ivan had seen the day he drove up to him on the streets. Where there were skinny twigs for arms before were taut muscles, lean from the manner of training Izuku had gone under the past few months. While the current face of Ivan was stoic, on the inside was different.

In truth, Ivan was thinking how much of a monster his protege was becoming. In only a few weeks, Izuku had learned most of the forms of Martial arts he was teaching. While Ivan knew that his form of accelerated training would guarantee results, he didn't expect to get them this fast. Rubbing his bruised fist, Ivan smirked as he shook off the numb feeling his fist gave him.

It wouldn't be long until Izuku would be ready to take on his mantle. Personally, Ivan thought that Izuku was still underdeveloped in some areas such as experience and survival, but Ivan already had in mind what training he would put Izuku through next to get him acquainted with the Bratva .

In fact, with the way Izuku was turning out, Ivan knew that in a few years or even a few months, Izuku could turn out to be the strongest within the organization. Even with a lack of quirk (Which Ivan highly doubted), Izuku was turning out to be a promising candidate for his position.

Seeming to learn anything Ivan threw at him, Izuku naturally absorbed what teachings Ivan had given him and then some with regards to fighting. His instinct and planning made him a formidable opponent. Something that Ivan wouldn't admit to being a guilty pleasure of him sparring with his student. A little genius. A once in a lifetime monster that would learn to be a predator amongst prey.

There was something about watching Izuku evolve through a fight. Every fight almost felt different for Ivan as he employed more and more of his tactics and moves against the teenager. While Izuku had yet to reach his full potential, Izuku certainly surpassed any that stood within his age range. While Izuku had yet to master any of the martial arts Ivan had shown him, Ivan would sometimes see Izuku on his own perfect each blow and move that he had shown him that day, going through the motions like clockwork.

Taking out his phone, Ivan tapped on one of his contacts lists. Raising the phone to his ear, he listened to the dull ringtone of the phone dialing. Tuning out the sound of a roaring crowd around him, he heard his phone click as it connected him through with his associate.

At the other end, a gruff voice picked up. " What do you want Ivan? "

"Well, hello to you too, Boryenka." Ivan grinned as he greeted the voice on the other end of the phone. A loud roar came over the crowd as two people in the pit were smashing their fists into each other.

"Fu- What the fuck is that noise? Where the hell are you Ivan?" A confused voice of a man rang through Ivan's phone.

" I'm at the Pit currently."

"The fuck are you doing in that shithole? Wait, never mind. I don't care. Cut the shit and get to the point, shitface." Boryenka growled as several clinks of alcohol could be heard in the background of his call.

"Well, I was going to inform you about my new protege, but seeing that you have -"

A burst of roaring laughter came out of the phone causing Ivan to lean away from his screen. " BWAHAHAHA you got yourself a student now, Бабочка (Butterfly)? When can I see this child?"

Ivan smirked. " Now now, Boryenka. I'm not sending him to you just yet. I just need to borrow your side of the mountain for the next step of his training."

A snort came over Ivan's phone. " How come I never heard about this protege yet? If this student's already at the survival training stage, then shouldn't you have already introduced him to me?"

"I got him just 6 months ago Boryenka."

A moment of silence before a serious voice came on the phone. " Ivan, don't be goatfucking with me right now. No one can already be at the survival stage in only 6 months. It even took you, who was the fastest to pass the training stage at least a year, and you're telling me you already have a fucking candidate ready by now?"

Ivan grunted. " It took me eleven months, jackass not a year."

Boryenka roared over the phone. " Ivan, that's not the point. You know our rules about training. You're going to kill that kid out there. Unless you picked up a kid from one of the early hero training facilities, you can't get results like that- unless. No. Ivan, we have rules here in Bratva. One of them is that there cannot be any Hero candidates in the program. Ever. please don't tell me that that-"

Ivan cut him off before he could speak. " He wasn't a part of any hero training program beforehand. He's only 15."

Boryenka let out an impressed grunt. " He's only 15 and you've already deemed him ready for the survival stage of training?"

Ivan let out a grin. " Boryenka, you don't get it. He's a genius. A bonafide once in a lifetime, fighting genius. Someone like me."

All around the pit, the crowd roars as people jeer at the heavily muscled man. Covered in stains of blood, his form was hunched over protecting his weak spots. Wearing only a pair of jeans and a belt, the man blew blood out of his nose as he wiped his face.

"The way he picks up how to fight is nothing short of breathtaking."

Izuku watches the man as he shakes his hands to clean any excess blood off of them. His cold green eyes seem to pierce into the other fighter's soul. Bloody scratches adorn his chest as he rolls around his shoulder.

"But you know how limiting the crucible can be once you get to a certain stage. He needs real experience." Ivan finishes as he watches the remaining fight.

"So you set your protege to fight in the Pit? Where is it mostly just a place for gambling away at cage matches? You're right that won't give him the experience he needs for his training." Boryenka sighs over the phone. "Fine. Bring him over. I'll have the place set up by next week. You better be there."

Ivan grinned. "That is all I ask for my friend."

The Pit - The Iron Cage

Alexei had never met someone of such caliber anywhere before. His opponent at first seemed small, tiny, albeit with muscles, but not someone he should be scared of.

Alexei gulped as he stared into the toxic green eyes that seemed to spell out death for him. Tightening his fist, all that ran through his mind was fear. Of looking for a way to survive.

He couldn't run, that would just lead to a quicker death. Almost instinctively his hands would be covered in rough scales. His quirk Dragon Skin was activating in defense of Alexei. Holding his hands up in a boxing stance, Alexei trembled as he faced off the green-eyed demon in front of him.

How many times was he beaten down?

Was it 20? 30?

Alexei understood that by one of the quirks of the owners of the Pit, they were signing contracts that forced them to fight until the other couldn't, but this was taking it too far. The kid, no, the monster that he was facing right now wasn't taking him seriously. He kept on sparring with him, only to beat him to near unconsciousness only to reset and watch him as he got back up, forced to fight.

He was bloody practicing against him. Each time, he would get hit to near unconsciousness a different way, and every time, the monster seemed to grow more and more assured as he simply weaved around his punches only to deliver a terrific crack against his pressure points, giving his incredible pain as he tried to dodge his opponent.

Jeers from all around him echoed through his head. Was this just a show for them? Did they not realize that he was getting slaughtered in the cage?

Hastily dodging a punch, his body was met with the pain of having a fist being dug into the liver area. Shock ran through Alexei's body as he collapsed once more onto the bloody ground. Light pounding against his eyes, Alexei gasped for air as the overhead cage lights seemed to shine even brighter.

Izuku stared at the man who was crumpled at his feet. While he didn't enjoy hitting people, Izuku knew what he had to do. The special conditional quirk that the owner of the place had created an environment of assured violence.

Izuku sighed as he dragged the unconscious body of his opponent out of the cage. Recently, Ivan had Izuku use everything he had learned and use them against real people. He threw him (figuratively) to the wolves in the Pit.

The Pit was a rowdy place with the customers coming in to fight, drink, or have 'fun'. A circular room, the Pit centered around a pit affectionately named "Zheleznaya kletka" or The Iron Cage. Around the cage, watchers ranging from homeless to even the upper-class CEOs and politicians would come to watch people fight for their own sick entertainment.

Izuku ignored the jeers and the catcalls as he wiped off his sweat from his brow. Fighting almost non-stop for hours on end, while on paper sounded like a severe workout, was only met with boredom as Izuku started comparing all of his opponents to Ivan.

None of them were able to hit as hard as him or even come close to matching his speed. After a week of cage matches, Izuku started getting the rhythm of how people fought. He hardly needed to use much of the martial arts Ivan had taught him, a simple well-placed punch would knock out any one of his opponents.

But now he understood what Ivan was meaning for him to get out of this mess. Fine control was important for such long-term fights and Izuku couldn't waste energy from such simple opponents as the cage fighters.

Cracking his neck, Izuku walked out of the pit and faced Ivan who was waiting for him in the corridors that led to the pit.

Ready for the next step, Izuku forged on, determined to take on the world itself.

Baikal Mountains, Siberia

Izuku stared numbly at the snow-covered ground. He looked back at Ivan. Then back outside. " You want me to do what? " Izuku asked in Russian.

" I want you to make it up the mountain in three weeks to a single cabin. I won't tell you where to find it on your own. The lesson here is survival. Something that you have to experience on your own. How this world works. It's eat or be eaten." Ivan rubbed his glasses. " This should be simple, Nyet?"

Izuku turned back and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. " Let me get this straight. You want me, in what little clothes I have, to survive nearly three weeks in the cold wilderness? With only the clothes off my back and my knife?"

Ivan nodded. " That should be more than enough." He paused. " Get out of my car now. Your test starts now."

Izuku stepped out of the car. Ivan rolled down the windows to face Izuku. "I'll be there at the cabin until you make it back. Or if you don't. Doesn't really matter."

When Ivan's car sped off, presumably to his destination, Izuku sighed as he turned back and faced the looming trees at the foot of the mountain. Grumbling, Izuku shivered in his thin jacket that he was so graciously given and checked to see if he still had his serrated steel hunting knife on him. His sweater hadn't helped one bit with the piercing cold and Ivan had literally told him to survive on his own for weeks.

This was going to be a long three weeks.

Two Weeks Later

Izuku cursed Ivan under his breath before huddling over a small fire that he had made for himself. The past two weeks of living on the mountain yielded no results of the cabin that Izuku was looking for.

Granted, Izuku had found tracks that seemed to lead somewhere, but they would always lead to some random clearing and most definitely not the cabin he was looking for.

The first-day Izuku had gotten to the forest, he managed to fall into a cold river, thoroughly soaking his jacket and preventing Izuku from wearing the jacket, as it absorbed water.

Now freezing, Izuku struggled to make a fire in the icy cold regions of Siberia. At least Izuku managed to survive and keep looking for the aforementioned cabin, but he struggled in the cold. Animals were rarely seen in this environment, but Izuku managed to pin down a single seal with a wooden pike before grabbing his knife and quickly killing off the seal.

The seal provided plenty of skin for him to layer his now torn jacket and make a thicker coating for him to keep himself warm.

His hair was stringy from all his time not bathing and Izuku knew that he had to make it to the said cabin to at least have a decent chance of surviving in the mountains.

He had one last option of tracks that he was tracing back and Izuku knew that this was his last chance of surviving. If he got his information wrong, well then, it was the end of his story.

Taking a sip of boiling water, Izuku warmed himself up for the last night he would sleep in his makeshift camp before heading off and looking for a cabin. Laying down in the small trench he had dug up for himself using his hands, Izuku huddled up next to fire dozing off as he concentrated on surviving.

Izuku cautiously stepped through the underbrush of the trees as he made his way through the forest. Somewhere near him,e Izuku began feeling like something was eying him down. Taking his knife out of the sheath, Izuku looked around while holding his knife in an icepick grip.

Steadying his breath in the thin mountain air, Izuku listened as he strained his eyes to look for anything that might be looking at him.

A sudden shift of colors dragged his attention to a spot behind rocks as Izuku silently crept up to the rocks. On the forest floor, a surprising splash of red adorned the snow-covered ground. A mauled deer carcass bled into the ground as its still warm corpse steamed slightly in the cold winter air.

Izuku stiffened as he saw the torn-up corpse. Easily looking like a fresh kill, but something left it behind. Something that is close right about now.

A puff of hot air reached down his neck as Izuku instinctively moved his body forwards to dodge a swipe of claws that threatened to tear into his back.

SHIT!

The trees that were behind him exploded into a mess of wood chips as the bear growled out in anger. Izuku scrambled to get back on his feet. Gripping his knife, he pulled out one of the wooden pikes he had made for hunting. Now that there was a bear on his trail, Izuku couldn't help but feel incredulous. What the hell was a bear doing out of hibernation?

The massive bear seemed to have eyes that glowed menacingly as blood dripped down its mouth. Its matted fur accompanied by its yellow stained teeth sent a wave of rotting stench that made Izuku almost recoil.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Izuku's eyes dilated as he watched the bear roar and lumber closer. The world seemed to slow down as the bear started swiping at him relentlessly. His panting breath sent vapors puffing through the air.

In his eyes, visions flashed past his eyes as he ran away from the rampaging bear. Images of his mother, of his father, of his mentor. Each memory serves the purpose of motivating him to run faster to run further and evade the bear.

Deciding to throw the knife, Izuku waits until the bear comes up to range. Throwing the knife with all of his might, Izuku nudges Magnetism to accelerate the knife mid-air, turning the throwing knife into a speeding bullet.

The knife pierced the bear's hide, right where Izuku imagined the slit between the bear's rib cage would be. However, Izuku got launched up into the air, twisting his body to minimize any damage he got from one of the flailing arms of the beast. Groaning in pain, Izuku spat out some blood before extending his hand and retrieving his knife from the beast's hide.

The bear was still roaring, this time in annoyance as it lumbers towards him in unyielding rage. A deep red glow seemed to come out of its eyes as hot steamy breath created vapors that let loose on either side of the bear's mouth.

Gripping his pike, Izuku gritted his teeth before crying out a war cry before charging the beast with his pike. Pushing off against the snowy ground, Izuku stabbed the wooden pike directly where he had made a stab at the bear with his knife.

This is it! Izuku cried out in his mind. He could feel the layers of muscles that the knife had severed through reaching the soft organs within the bear's cavity. He could feel the wooden pike push through organs, the wooden pike piercing and disrupting all functions of the organs that allowed the bear to move and live.

Finally, Izuku felt the rapid beating of a muscle (The Heart!) and pressed forward with all of his might. Adrenaline rushing through his veins, Izuku felt like his ears were pounding to the unheard sound of war drums.

Blood spattered out of the wound as the bear made weak attempts to swipe at his figure. Its eyes slowly dulled and faded into unseeing. Breathing heavily, Izuku clutched his pike as he pulled it out, certain that the bear was dead for sure. Underneath the bear, the snow slowly stained a heavy red as the blood of the bear started spreading out of the lethal wound.

The hot blood gave off steam as it came in contact with the freezing winter air of the Siberian wilderness. Breathing heavily, Izuku slumped against the base of the tree. The cold winter air brought sharp stings that barely fazed Izuku.

Owww.

Currently, too hurt to even get up, Izuku felt himself drifting off. With the combined 3 weeks of searching and the battle with the bear, Izuku's body was shutting down, not being able to handle more stress than it was being given.

In the corner of his eye, he could see movement. Panicking Izuku could only hope that the blob of movement he saw wasn't anything too dangerous.

Snort.

Right, what was he thinking? He was even lucky to get this far. With that thought, Izuku closed his eyes.

Boryenka looked around the bloody scene. Holding his hunting rifle and covered in pelts, he could help but be amazed at the giant bear that lay dead in front of him. At first, Boryenka was drawn out by the loud sounds that the bear was making. Thinking to himself that it was only a bear that found another prey to eat, he stopped in his tracks when he heard the roar of a different kind of voice. A human voice. Taking his hunting gear out he marched outside only to witness something incredible.

He saw the snarling face of a kid, the face that knew and experienced the extreme need for survival, stabbing a long pole into a bear easily 10 times the kid's size. He watched as the bear bled out onto the forest sow as the kid crumpled at the base of the tree he was supporting himself with. Whistling in astonishment, the gruff man went in to check on the boy who lay unconscious by the tree.

Ivan wasn't lying, the kid certainly was impressive. He wouldn't mind teaching this kid a few things.

Just watched Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. As expected Marvel delivered on awesome storytelling and a stunning visual piece. Anyways just watching the movie in the theater kinda made me want to write and this just kinda popped up after a while so, don't be surprised if some elements from the modern media bleed into my story.

Hey, it's my fic, I decide what would be cool to portray or not.

On the other note, it's good to be back.

Ab Aeterno