The man ran. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
A blue blur sped through the street ahead of him.
Adrenaline rushed through him, giving him a second wind and he nearly lost his footing turning a corner.
The blur passed behind him.
He ran faster. His lungs burned. He rounded the corner and… dead end… of course. Why wouldn't it be?
"Stealing in my city?" A voice like radio static hissed, seemingly omnipresent. "Not very clever…"
The man spun around, more than ready to sprint out of the alley, only to see his worst nightmare come into being. Sleek black limbs with a bright red X over the torso.
"I- I surrender!" He dropped the handbag. "P-please! Just take me to jail!"
The number 1 hero, Alien Force, regarded him coldly. His arms shifted from sleek and black to bulking and red. He walked towards the would-be criminal.
"S-stay back!" The man plucked a gun from his jacket, his hand shaking. "I'll shoot! Don't test me!"
Alien Force raised a sharp eyebrow as thick, black lines formed over his body. The criminal yelped in fear, firing three shots that simply flew through the now semi-transparent hero.
Alien Force narrowed his black and green eyes. The criminal barely had time to scream before his head was crushed by a large, red hand.
Alien Force sent his location through to the police with the words "Clean up.", phasing so the blood from the criminal fell through his hand and chest onto the ground.
Large, blue wings extended from his back, carrying him up and out of the alley. A flash of blue light signaled the arrival of… an old friend…
"Paradox?" Alien Force watched the timewalker step from the portal, standing in the air behind him with little regard for the laws of physics. "We have not seen you since the forming of the unity."
"Indeed." Paradox smiled. "How have you been, dear boy?"
"We have been busy." Alien Force said evenly. "We are busy."
"I see." Paradox sighed. "If I promise to bring you back five seconds before you left, will you join me? I could use your help in a… delicate matter."
Alien Force weighed his options for a moment before stepping through the portal after the time traveler.
"Shoto, you will run the gauntlet. Go." Endeavour waved his hand dismissively. Shoto clenched his jaw but left without a word.
"What's the gauntlet?" Izuku asked, watching Shoto walk off.
"Let's begin." Endeavour ignored the question and walked to the edge of the dirt field. "What do you know of your limits?"
"Well…" Izuku activated the Omnitrix. "Cannonbolt is really strong, pretty tough too from what I can tell. I haven't really been able to test his durability-"
"What?" Endeavour barked. "What are you talking about? If you will not take this seriously then-"
"No! That's not it at all!" Izuku's face turned deep red. "My... quirk... lets me transform into ten… well… eleven alien heroes. Cannonbolt is always the first one on the dial when I activate it."
"Do not interrupt me when I am speaking." Endeavour warned.
"Yes, sir." Izuku gulped.
"Show me this… Cannonbolt…" Endeavour folded his arms.
Izuku slapped the dial down, transforming instantly. His body was covered in the usual bulbous, green plates, and his shape grew until he was taller than Endeavour, and three times as wide.
"This is Cannonbolt." He explained.
"Disgusting. It looks useless and clumsy." Endeavour sneered. "Show me a useful form."
"Well, see, in this shape he's still pretty strong." Cannonbolt defended. He flexed an arm, showing his claws. "He's also pretty fast."
"Fast?" Endeavour scoffed.
"Watch." Cannonbolt transformed into ball-form and whizzed around the area, revving up and jumping two stories into the air before crashing into the ground in front of Endeavour.
"I see." Endeavour cleaned the dust from his shoulders. "You mentioned he is durable? Let's test that!"
Cannonbolt's eyes widened, curling back into a ball before he was enveloped by flames.
"You feel that?" Endeavour asked.
"Uh… It doesn't hurt. But it is kinda warm in here now." Cannonbolt replied.
"Then let's turn up the heat!" Endeavour's flames turned brighter.
"Yeah, okay, that's pretty hot." Cannonbolt replied casually.
"THEN TRY THIS!" Endeavour focussed his flames until they turned blue.
"Okay. Ow. OW." Cannonbolt spun away, jumping into the water of the lake. Steam spewed from the water as he made contact. "What the heck, dude? That hurt."
"I told you, we are testing your durability." Endeavour scolded. "I will admit, I haven't had an opponent that can withstand my attacks in a while. You survived what I estimate is heat around 3400 degrees celsius before you felt any pain."
"That's an oddly specific number." Cannonbolt commented.
"Is your body physically durable as well?"
"Yeah…" Canonbolt replied, uncurling. "Less so out of ball form, but yeah. I think so."
Before he could react, Endeavour leapt into the air and slammed his fist into Cannonbolt's stomach, lifting the alien a few feet into the air.
"I said I'm less durable out of ball form." Cannonbolt rolled his eyes. "That still didn't hurt."
"I see." Endeavour caught his breath. "Very well. This monster is formidable."
"Alien."
"What?"
"He's not a monster. He's an alien." Cannonbolt insisted.
Endeavour raised an eyebrow, silently urging Cannonbolt to explain.
"I mean… look at him." He gestured to the comparatively tiny legs, and wiggled his massive arms. "What else could he be?"
Izuku practically crawled to the outdoor table where lunch was set up. Endeavour didn't seem to realise that while injuries didn't follow from his transformations, exhaustion did.
He had spent seven hours constantly transformed, and pushed to each Alien's absolute limits, every ten minutes.
Endeavour only relented when the Omnitrix wouldn't allow him to transform into anyone other than Heatblast, the only alien besides Way Big that Endeavour could neither harm nor tire.
Even Four-Arms got tired from punching holes in the cliffside after a while.
Shoto was already sitting at the table by the time Izuku dragged himself onto the bench, immediately breathing down the food set out.
"Your time outs grew longer at the end." Shoto noted casually, delicately eating a fried roll.
"Yeah." Izuku paused between devouring enough food for ten people. "It sure felt like it. I'm exhausted."
"Do you think your physical fitness could have an effect on your transformation times?" Shoto suggested.
Izuku opened his mouth to decry this ludicrous idea, only to snap it shut when the words registered.
"That's… probably not the case…" He paused. "I think…"
"Only one way to find out." Shoto shrugged. "If it works you might be able to stay transformed longer or have shorter recharge times."
"That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" Izuku demurred through a mouthful of rice.
"Even if it is, you will still be more competent untransformed." Shoto insisted. "Currently your own body is your greatest weakness."
"Thanks for that." Izuku sneered. He watched Endeavour calmly glare at the table where he and Shoto sat. "Your dad is… not what I expected."
"Likely because you expected him to act like a human being." Shoto spat, stabbing another roll.
"Yeah… I guess…" Izuku watched Shoto bully his food for a moment. "By the way, what's the gauntlet?"
"It's a glorified obstacle course." Shoto explained, murdering another innocent dumpling. "You start here at the facility, and then make your way up the mountain through the forest, and back down again."
"Sounds like fun." Izuku said.
"You sound like you don't know my father." Shoto retorted. "It's made to coax me into using my fire quirk. Father modifies and upgrades it every time I beat it."
"Well, I can't think of many obstacles that would be a hindrance to both fire and ice." Izuku muttered, running through ideas in his mind.
"Likely." Shoto grumbled. "But I don't use my fire quirk at all."
"What? Why not?" Izuku blanched.
"Because I need to prove to my father that I can be a hero without using his quirk."
"That's…" Izuku struggled to think of the right word. "Kind of stupid."
"Excuse me?" Shoto exclaimed.
"Well, it's your quirk, even if it's like his." Izuku explained quickly. "It probably functions differently than his on many levels since quirks aren't passed down exactly through genetics."
"And how did you come to that realisation?" Shoto sneered.
"Because my mom has minor telekinesis, and my dad can breathe fire?" Izuku rolled his eyes. "Besides, your fire quirk sounds really useful. Why not use it?"
Shoto looked like he was ready to protest but Izuku cut him off.
"I just mean that you're fighting with one hand tied behind your back all the time." He explained. "If you're gonna be a pro hero, shouldn't you save people to the best of your ability? Isn't saving lives more important than showing your dad up? What if you're in a situation where your fire quirk could have saved someone but you fail because you're not used to using it?"
Shoto slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. "Next time you shove your nose in business that isn't yours, I'll freeze it off. Got that?"
Man. Izuku held both hands up in surrender. He sounds like Kacchan.
"Midoriya. Shoto." Endeavour called, freezing the teens in place with his voice. He dramatically wiped his mouth with a napkin, letting the tension of the moment build. "We will leave shortly. But first, how about a friendly sparring session?"
"Sparring?" Izuku asked.
"What game are you playing now, father?"
"I am merely introducing some healthy rivalry between my proteges." Endeavour insisted. "The sports festival showed how apt you are at using your quirks… but how would you fare without them, I wonder?"
"I can't really fight without my quirk, Todoroki-sensei…" Izuku said nervously.
"Then this will be good practice for you." Endeavour insisted. "Shoto, show him a few strikes and blocks. You may decide which style."
A bright blue portal opened up in the forest, hidden from view.
Izuku followed Shoto's instructions to the best of his ability, but a combination of his inflexible muscles, tired body from exercising all day and his general feeble fitness made him barely able to keep up with Shoto's demonstrations of Kata, let alone do any sparring.
"Father, this is pointless." Shoto whined. "I have been practicing since I was a child. Midoriya could never keep up with me."
"A good point, Shoto." Endeavour said. "It is true that Midoriya is weak and spindly, barely on the level of preschool martial artists. Very well, you may use your quirks. If you are unable to continue fighting or when you surrender, your opponent wins. Midoriya, you are allowed to use any form you deem wise."
Any form I deem wise? Izuku rolled his eyes. He just wants me to choose Heatblast. It's the only one he thinks isn't worthless in any way. Even Way Big apparently 'limits mobility in crowded areas'.
Paradox and Alien Force, meanwhile, have made their way to the side of the forest where they had a clear view of the events transpiring below. They watched Izuku frantically run around while Shoto tried to freeze him in place without hurting him.
"Shoto is taking it easy on us." Alien Force noted. He crossed his dark, metallic arms over his chest. "Then again, we seem to be taking it easy on him as well. Why have we not transformed?"
"You would know better than I." Paradox smiled.
"Strange." Alien Force narrowed his eyes. "I don't-"
"Remember this?" Paradox grinned. "No… I don't expect you do. One can hardly expect someone to remember everything…"
"But we do remember everything." Alien Force insisted. "A gift from our precursor. Eidetic memory. Thanks to Petrosapien longevity and Chronosapien abilities, with some synapses borrowed from Galvan, retroactively Eidetic."
"A retroactively eidetic memory?" Paradox wondered.
"You are diverting." Alien Force grumbled. "Why have you brought us here?"
"Why indeed." Paradox smiled cryptically. "A sign of things to come. A chance for you to assess what he still needs to learn."
"You wish for us to use him?" Alien Force said, surprised. "He is your solution!"
"Perhaps. I do like the look of him. I shall introduce myself to him soon." Paradox looked at his pocket watch. "Time for us to go. There is much to be done."
Alien Force followed him through the disappearing portal moments before Endeavour landed in a blaze of flame. He straightened, watching the trees with bright, blue eyes. He raised his hand and disintegrated three ahead of him. When nothing showed itself, he absorbed the flames from the budding forest fire.
"Father?" Shoto called from below.
"It is nothing." Endeavour turned, watching as Midoriya ran around smacking his wrist in vain, still unable to transform, while Shoto continued making small fissures of ice to try and trap the other boy.
Endeavour sneered. Midoriya was too focussed on his alien forms that he failed to notice the clear weak point in Shoto's attack that is his left side. Shoto, meanwhile, seemed set on holding back, with his ice as well as his fire, to give his opponent a fair chance. Pitiful.
"Stop." Endeavour boomed, crossing his arms. "Neither of you are taking this seriously. Midoriya, when I gave you permission to choose your form I had hoped you would settle for a less pathetic one."
"I can't!" Izuku complained, panting heavily. He gestured to the Omnitrix, blinking lazily his arm. "It's stuck on yellow!"
"I do not care!" Endeavour snapped, shutting the boy up. "Get it working. Shoto, your opponent was clearly at a disadvantage. Why did you not exploit it?"
"What would that prove?" Shoto rolled his eyes.
"That you will do what needs to be done!" Endeavour exclaimed, the fire on his head flaring.
Shoto flinched back while Endeavour visibly calmed himself.
"Gather your things." Endeavour commanded. "We are leaving. Beyond learning that Midoriya's quirk is both inconsistent in power and unreliable when he needs it, this has been a waste of time. We have achieved nothing of value."
"I'm starting to think you didn't exaggerate about your dad." Izuku muttered to Shoto.
"I never exaggerate." Shoto claimed.
"That's a bald faced lie." Izuku grinned. "Like when you said I was doing well with that Kata."
"I see your point." Shoto didn't smile, but it was close. "I'll let that be the exception that proves the rule."
"Hah!" Izuku smiled broadly, following Shoto to the car.
"Midoriya…" Shoto looked nervous. "I… wish to apologise."
"Apologise? What for?" Izuku puzzled.
"For snapping at you before." Shoto sighed. "My father is… a sore subject for me… You expressed some insecurities that I have been struggling with."
"Hey, man," Izuku rubbed his neck embarrassed. "Not my place, you know? I shouldn't have pried."
"To be honest…" Shoto visibly swallowed his pride. "You are right. I have wanted to give in… to use my fire quirk… many times. In the tournament it could have saved me."
"Then why don't you?" Izuku asked gently.
"Because that would be giving my father what he wants." Shoto sighed. "What kind of hero does it make me to give in to the desires of my tormentor?"
"Well, I'm no therapist," Izuku smiled. "But I do know a thing or two about dealing with bullies."
"What would you suggest?" Shoto asked, his voice bordering between curious and pleading.
"A bully wants you to give in, and expects you to fight back." Izuku elaborated. "So you do the one thing that annoys the hell out of them."
"And what is that?" Shoto furrowed his brow.
"Forgive him." Izuku shrugged.
Shoto stopped dead, stunned by Izuku's blatant statement. After a moment, he sped up, catching up to Izuku.
"It's not that simple…" Shoto pleaded. "There's- I- My childhood-"
"Shoto." Izuku stopped putting his hand on Shoto's shoulder. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. You don't even need to do what I suggested."
"Then what do I do?" Shoto asked.
"That's not up to me." Izuku laughed softly. "That's your decision. Not mine, and definitely not your dad's. You're in control of your life. You just need to choose what you want to do with it."
"You're really wise for a child." Shoto pondered.
"I watch a lot of cartoons…" Izuku blushed.
AN: Guess who's back!
I was pretty sick for a good while, and then the subsequent lost time brought on a writer's block the likes of which would reside in the depths of Moria.
This chapter ended up written six different ways and scrapped five. I wanted to do something very different initially, but it just didn't vibe with the tone or the logic of this universe.
So here we are. Attempt 6.
By the by, should the story have romance? After much hming and hawing I am solidly on the fence.
Yeh?
Nah?
Yeh nah yeh?
If Yeh then with whom? Suggestions welcome!
||Review Review||
Laitou
Great to see you're still reading!
At least Ben can do Martial arts xD
I would prefer not to upset my readers, but it happens.
Yeah… I sure do wonder why it keeps picking Ben's favourites. ;)
CCSakuraforever
Gracias! Feliz que te guste!
That's all the Spanish I know, sorry. :3
No entiendo Español, hablar Ingles por favor.
Anyway! Hope google translate got your message across.
Yeah, I wanted to diverge from canon from the get go, to keep the audience guessing. That's why a lot of things are different, even in comparison to how they function in their own timelines.
Story-San105
I considered it and initially there was an AFO quirk human transformation called Omni-Might, but I decided against it because it would be way too OP, and make any tension in the story evaporate because 'Why doesn't he just turn into Omni-Might?'.
Also, Ben doesn't have a Human transformation, so it wouldn't make a lot of sense for Izuku to have a quirk human transformation.
Yeah, like I explained before, I have a reason for why Monoma's quirk did what it did.
Thanks for the engagement! :)
KazoomTheGreat
Hoo boy... Your review is longer than some fics I've read. xD
(I love it 3)
Yeah, lucky for me the thoughtful and intelligent reviews have a much greater emotional effect, as I never expect them, while always expecting the bad ones. xD
Yeah, in hindsight I should have, but I didn't. We can pretend it was intentionally jarring to make the reader feel Izuku's exhaustion xD
Yeh. I hope my version is unique.
0.0 Really good guess.
The Omnitrix is definitely damaged. More so even than when 10yo Ben got it.
Hopefully this chapter broadens that awkward crockery a bit more, and further illustrates what this version of Shoto will be like when dealing with Endeavour going forward.
Endeavour is going to cause some MAJOR issues going forward… Hosu in particular comes to mind…
I wanted my Izuku to go through a different character arc. Otherwise what's the point of writing a new story, you know? If he evolves the same way as in canon?
Future still needs memes. xD
Hit the nail on the head with the quirk human transformation comment. Brilliant as always.
yasserkend8
A belated May the Fourth to you!
I'm glad you like my dialogue and character development choices. :D
I definitely will keep it up! Just don't use reddit for exercise info, I've heard the internet is unreliable. ;)
genesishydraxx
Diamondhead, ay? Let's just say Alien Force(AKA Izuku10K) might have a hand in that…. ;)