Me: Hello everybody, my name Tokusatsu Universe and welcome back to Toku no Hero Academia! For this chapter we're doing an Interlude which is essentially breaktime between arcs and I want to do some fun things on occasions.
A shoutout to Toonami4Ever for putting this on TVTropes. Much appreciated man.
So let's begin!
Milarqui: You may have noticed that the previous chapter's fight with the Noumu was a tad different. Because, no matter what, being punched so hard as to be sent flying into the sky is not going to end with just a few bruises: that punch would have liquified the Noumu's brain and killed it instantly.
Interlude
The announcement of the U.A. Sports Festival had the students pumping up for it, and they were all ready to train for it. When lunchtime rolled, Izuku, rather than stay with his friends, was called to All Might's office for a 'talk'.
"Young Midoriya, I am sure you know that the Sports Festival is something Pro Heroes, no, the entire country will watch closely. There is something I wanted to speak about with you," Toshinori said.
"I see," Izuku replied.
"Midoriya Izuku. When the time comes for you to prove yourself, I want you to tell the world 'I AM HERE!'"
Izuku made a fierce look and nodded.
"You know how the Sports Festival works, right?" Toshinori asked, sitting on his couch next to Izuku.
"Yes, of course!" Izuku replied. Every year, the four main class courses (Hero, General Studies, Support and Business) came together and took part in three games that changed every year. Usually, the first game was some sort of free-for-all, the second game a competition by teams, and the last a round-robin fighting tournament.
"Very good," Toshinori exclaimed, pointing at Izuku with both fingers. "In other words, they are created so you can sell yourself with everything you've got!"
"That's right! I am going to go all out and stand out in front of the entire world!"
Toshinori smiled at the statement.
"That's the spirit! Now, I must admit there was something else I wanted to talk about with you. It's about those black tentacles you mentioned you somehow manifested during the attack at the USJ."
"What about them?" Izuku asked, grimacing at the memory: while it was true that it had saved him by keeping the monster at bay, it had been quite painful, and not something he wanted to repeat.
"I have been doing some research on the matter, and I found a hero from about sixty years ago who had Quirk called Blackwhip. According to the archives, Blackwhip was quite similar to what you experienced. Were you feeling particularly strong emotions then?"
"Yes," Izuku said. "That Shigaraki said that he would kill the others after killing me, and I was furious with him. That was when the Noumu attacked me, and I tried to bring out whatever I could to fight it off."
"Just as I imagined. Blackwhip mentioned using his emotions to power his Quirk. The thing with this is something I am only speculating, as records are sketchy about it, but I believe Blackwhip may have been a previous holder for One for All."
"What?" Izuku asked, his eyes widening.
"Of course, as I said, I am just speculating, as there is no proof, but he may have been the man who mentored the one who mentored my mentor. My great-grandmentor, if you will," Toshinori said with a chuckle. Izuku smiled. "What I know from One for All is that it stockpiles power with time, but after what you did, I believe that the passing of the torch is more than just accepting the Quirk. Instead, One for All merges with its holders, melding into their very beings, improving them beyond the added strength... and possibly even adding the Quirks of the previous users to itself, so future holders would be able to use them."
"You mean... I could have even more Quirks in my body?"
"Yes. This is something I have not mentioned earlier, but you are the ninth holder of One for All. Unless I am mistaken, apart from One for All and Superpower, you should have six more Quirks."
"Six?"
'If I am the ninth, and the first was the source of One for All, then...'
"Before my mentor passed One for All to me, I was Quirkless, young Midoriya."
Izuku felt his jaw drop in shock. All Might, the Symbol of Peace, had been Quirkless?
"I actually met my mentor at the same age you were when we first met. I suppose she saw something in me, because she trained me, and when she judged me ready she passed One for All to me." Toshinori sighed. Izuku supposed he must have missed her a lot. "Perhaps I should tell you more... but I'd rather you concentrate in the Sports Festival, at least for now."
"Okay... now, back to Blackwhip. You think that One for All absorbed the Quirks from the previous users."
"Yes. And not only that, but perhaps it might even enhance them, making them more powerful than when their original users had them."
"That might explain why I couldn't control it – I let my anger get to me, and when it came out I could not handle it."
"You might need to train using One for All further. You should be capable to do it when you learn how to use more of it."
Izuku nodded, intrigued by the prospect, until he remembered one thing he wanted to ask his mentor.
"Yagi-sensei... I was thinking about doing something that could help you a lot in the long run."
"What would that be?" Toshinori asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I think I may be able to rebuild your lung and stomach using Help," Izuku explained, and Toshinori's other eyebrow rose to join the first. "I don't know if it will work, but I wanted to know if you will let me do it."
"Midoriya... I have lived for six years without them. If you feel like you can't do it, I have no problem if you don't, or in waiting. But, if you are willing... I'm sure you will be able to make it work," Toshinori answered, still with some doubt in his voice, which Izuku could not blame him for: it was something he had never done. Still, he moved the table aside, pulled up his shirt and laid down on the floor.
"Alright... here I go." Izuku took a deep breath and gingerly placed both hands over the scar on Toshinori's chest before slowly starting to emit healing energy through them. Keeping in mind what Recovery Girl had told him, he slowly started to rebuild Toshinori's left lung, carefully ensuring all of its blood vessels were in place before starting to move on to repairing the right lung, allowing Toshinori to breath in.
"Almost there..." Izuku muttered. Healing this much in one sitting was surprisingly taxing on his stamina, but still he held on because he knew this was important, and he still had to do his stomach. So concentrated he was on his work that he could not see his teacher's shining blue eyes as the man's stomach slowly grew back, eliminating the emergency surgery process that had been done so long ago to keep him alive. And, when the stomach was done, he also took care of the bones that had been lost in the fight, rebuilding his ribcage. Muscles and others would need other kind of work in the future, but the most important things were back.
"I... I did it..." Izuku said, collapsing next to Toshinori, panting as if he had just run an ultramarathon.
"I... have never felt so... FANTASTIC!" Toshinori screamed, standing up with a fist raised towards the ceiling. For the first time in half a dozen years, it no longer hurt to breathe. He could actually feel his stomach as it expanded and contracted with breathing. The scar, while still present, had faded. His successor had done in minutes what the best hospitals in the world and the best healing Quirks had not been able to do since the fight that cost him his lung and stomach. Hell, just not coughing blood every few minutes felt wonderful!
"I commend you, young Midoriya!" Toshinori said, pointing to a now exhausted Izuku. "For what you have done, I am forever grateful to you!"
Izuku weakly chuckled from the ground.
"It's nothing, really. That may have actually been a one time thing, and I am not sure if it would have worked. If it hadn't been for what Recovery Girl has taught me, I don't think I would have been able to consider it possible."
Toshinori silently thanked the school nurse. He resolved to meet her as soon as possible so she could check up on him and determine how thorough the reparations were, but he felt so good that actually he might be healthier than before the fight.
"Midoriya, I hope you bring your A-game at the Sports Festival, because this year competition will be fierce like nothing else you've ever seen before!"
The school clock rang to signal the end of the day's last class, but when Ochaco opened the door to leave, she found the corridor full of fellow students, some of whom she remembered from the Entrance Exam.
"What's going on here?" Ochaco exclaimed.
"What is your business here with class 1-A?" Tenya asked, having arrived to the door seconds behind Ochaco.
"Looks like we can't get out! What are they here for?" Denki complained.
"They're scouting out the competition, Sparky," Katsuki sneered as he walked up to the door. "We're one of the two classes that made it out of the Villains' attack at USJ, they probably wanna check us before the Festival!"
Denki made an insulted expression after hearing Katsuki's insult to him, which the latter ignored because he was busy glaring at the crowd, trying to make them step back.
"There's no point in doing things like that," He scoffed. "Out of my fucking way, extras!"
'Ugh,' Izuku sighed. 'Why won't he ever learn to interact normally with others?'
"Don't call people 'extras' just because you don't know them, Bakugo-kun!" Tenya lectured, unconsciously chopping the air with his right arm.
"I don't think it's about scouting, they are probably just curious," Hitoshi said from the corner of the classroom. "Most of them are from the General Studies and Support courses – those that did not make the cut for the Hero Course. Depending on the results of the Festival, some of them could be transferred into the Hero Course, and vice-versa, since anyone here could be transferred out. Even I could be moved down if I don't do a good job."
"That's right, and this is our declaration of war!" A girl with dark hair pigtails and a fierce expression said from among the crowd. Katsuki continued to glare before deciding to just walk through the crows as if it did not exist.
"Wait, Bakugo! What're you going to do with this? They already dislike us enough, I really don't want to have them hate us!"
"Whatever, it doesn't matter," He replied, looking over his shoulder. "As long as you rise to the top, nothing else matters."
"That's so... simple and manly..." Eijiro replied, closing his eyes and clenching his hand.
Slowly, the crowd dispersed, and Class 1-A's students could finally leave their classroom. At the other side of the corridor, Izuku saw that Class 1-B had been similarly besieged by other students, but as of that moment his mind was wholly focused on the Festival and the training regime he was going to do until the fateful day.
Training began to go full steam for everyone in the class. With only two weeks to the U.A. Sports Festival, which was going to be broadcasted live on TV, any improvement they could find would be useful.
Izuku had chosen to go back to his roots, to Dagobah Beach, in order to train his stamina and muscle durability – the USJ incident had showed him that, even with Help healing and augmenting him, withstanding One for All at 100% for more than a few seconds was still a chimera, so he had to do anything he could to break through his limitations. After all, he wanted to show the world that a new Symbol of Peace would soon arise!
It was after finishing a training session that Izuku found a strange, middle aged man wearing a business suit, sitting in the apartment talking to his mother.
"Mom? Who is this?" Izuku asked.
"Izuku... this is Sofubi Omocha, a representative from Bandai," Inko introduced.
'Huh?' Izuku thought as Sofubi bowed.
"A pleasure to meet you, Midoriya-kun," The man greeted, as Izuku returned the gesture with a bow of his own.
"I'm sorry for the question, but... what are you doing here?"
"Oh, yes. In the light of certain recent events, the CEO of the company I represent decided to send me here, in order to make you an offer."
"What... kind of offer would that be?" Izuku asked, confused about why a representative of Bandai – the owners of the licenses to the Tokusatsu merchandise he collected – would be here at home.
"In the first place, please, take a seat. I think this is a conversation better served for comfortable seating."
As the three took their seats, the representative began to explain.
"The proposal... one year ago, the CEO saw the news of how you managed to bring down that Villain last year, using a move clearly based in one character from our licenses. When it became known that you were attending U.A. High, he decided it was time to act."
"That... doesn't tell me much about your proposal," Izuku said, and the man chuckled.
"You see, your actions have brought quite the unexpected attention to the Tokusatsu merchandise we produce, as well as the films and shows related to them, and our CEO thought it would be a good idea to make you this offer. We would like to see if you would be willing to showcase our products as a means of advertising. In exchange, we would be willing to give you the first toy of every Tokusatsu related products we release, as well as a regular sponsorship, which could increase with presentation. We are willing to begin by offering you 50,000 yen per week, and as I said those said quantity would increase."
"Are you serious?" Inko exclaimed, and Sofubi nodded.
"I am. For example, in the week after your son fought the Sludge Villain, our main Ultraman product lines were practically sold out. Plus, in what little I could see of your room through the crack of the door, I noticed your son has quite the collection of Tokusatsu merchandise besides All Might."
"Oh."
"So, do we have a deal?" Sofubi asked.
"Could you give us a few minutes?"
"Of course."
Izuku and Inko retreated to the former's room to discuss the offer.
"What do you think, Izuku?" She asked, nervous. Not every day did one get an offer to earn more than fifty thousand yen per week just for talking about toys.
"I... I'm not sure about this, mom," Izuku replied. "I have the Sports Festival to deal with next week, and I don't want this to distract me. I am also going to be three years as an U.A. High student, so it could end up being a distraction from my studies. And... I don't like it much. It does not feel like something a hero would do. Maybe when I am older I will do something like what All Might does, but until then I'd rather keep that aside."
"Well, look at the positive side of this. You would get all that merchandise for free, and you would be able to put most of that check to your savings account... but it's up to you, Izuku," Inko replied, smiling at him.
The two left the room, and sat next to Sofubi once more.
"So, have you made your decision?" The man asked.
"The offer is tempting, sir, but... I am afraid I have to reject it. Maybe in the future I will reconsider it, but for the moment I believe it is not in my interest to sign."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. I would not be in much of a position for this deal to benefit you, and I need to concentrate in my studies right now. Should you come after I graduate, I may have a different answer, but until that time comes, I don't plan to do it."
"A pity. But our CEO will understand your opinion. I'm sure we will be in contact in the future."
"I'm sorry you had to come here for nothing, Sofubi-san."
"Thank you. It is not the first time something like this has happened, and at least we do know there is a chance in the future." The man stands up, and Izuku follows. "Thank you for listening to my offer at least. Have a nice evening."
Meanwhile, at Momo's penthouse, she was reading a book while sitting on her couch when she heard someone calling from the entrance. Closing the book after marking the page, she went over to check who was coming: it was someone she did not expect, but who she did welcome. Soon enough, she opened the door, revealing Ochaco, Itsuka and, shockingly, Mina.
"Ashido-chan, Uraraka-chan, Kendo-chan, it is nice to see you," Momo greeted them, slightly surprised. "Please, come in. What brings you here?"
"We have a very good reason," Ochaco mentioned as she took off her shoes and put on a pair of guest house shoes. "We came here because we wanted to have a meeting to discuss a certain 'subject', and, to be honest, your home is the best place we can do this in."
Momo easily realized what Ochaco meant, before she led her classmates to the dining room, where they could talk on the four seat table without a problem.
"Is there anything you want to drink? Water? Tea?" The other girls shook their heads. "Alright, let's get down to business, then. I think the matter you all want to talk about is obvious. Our good classmate, Izuku-kun."
"Aye, that's it," Itsuka replied, nodding in agreement.
"Well, to begin with... let's start with you, Ashido-chan. How come you decided to come to this meeting?" The three girls turned to look at Mina, who was fiddling with her fingers.
"I've been... watching him since the Apprehension Test, but I really never got the chance to talk to him alone since the three of you were always there. And... I really, really like Midori-kun, because he is fun and kind and oh my God he's so hot I'm sure I could fry something on him," Mina replied, turning slightly purple. "I got so jealous when the three of you got to run your hands over his muscles."
Itsuka, Momo and Ochaco blushed as well, remembering the moment when Setsuna had nonchalantly started to feel Izuku's well toned body – and how they followed her example. Itsuka decided to begin her own explanation.
"My story with Izuku... we met each other at a martial arts dojo, years ago. At first, he was this scrawny thing that didn't seem much, but as we trained and got to know each other, we became great friends." She sighed. "However, it wasn't after I realized how deep his willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of others, to save them from harm, that I realized that I had fallen for him. He graduated from the dojo before I could confess, and I never got around to do it later, but after the sludge incident I decided to begin to talk more with him."
"Aww, that's so sweet!" Mina gushed with a cute expression. "That's the real beauty of childhood romance! You never know when you can find it!"
"I guess it's my turn now, hehehe," Ochaco said, deciding to go next. "I met Deku-kun at the Entrance Exam. I heard Bakugo call him Deku, and I thought it was from Dekiru, 'you can do it', but then he did mention his name."
"Maybe it would be better to just call him Dekiru instead of Deku? Because it feels wrong for him to accept an insult that came from someone who was his best friend," Itsuka pointed out. Ochaco nodded, admitting she was right.
"Alright, Dekiru, it is. He was really nice to me, and during the practical part we were on the same testing site. We went in together, and I followed his lead before we got separated. But then the zero-pointer, that faux Villain that Present Mic said would make your score go down to zero, appeared, and I got trapped under a piece of rubble. No one noticed it, because they were too scared... no one but him. He was willing to throw away his chances to come to U.A. just to help me. I have tried to put it aside, focus on doing my best... but it's so hard not to feel this way for him."
"Wow, a damsel in distress story? That's even more romantic!" Mina gushed. Her hidden romantic side flowering to the surface, she could not help but cheer for her friends' meeting Izuku – even if they were akin to romantic rivals.
"I... guess it's my turn, and my story isn't as romantic as yours. I met Izuku when I was exploring the streets around here, and he helped me find my way around. At first, we were just friends. Good friends. But then a few days before the exam..."
"What happened?" Itsuka asked.
"We were having a walk together, I don't even remember what we were talking about, when we spotted two girls that were being bullied by a gang. Before I could even react, Izuku went to confront them, and when the gang attacked him, he defeated them, allowing the girls to escape. He was really shocked when he realized he had broken the gang leader's leg in the process, and I ended up comforting him about it. If I had to say it... I fell for him when I realized his courage and his heroic spirit. At first I was like Ochaco, thinking it would eventually go away, but now I know that boy's got me hooked." Momo sighed blissfully.
"So, that reminds me... how come Setsuna didn't come here?" Ochaco asked.
"Oh, yeah. Setsuna does admit that Izuku's attractive, but right now she only sees him as a friend she could hang out with, not as a boyfriend," Itsuka answered, shocking the others: after the display before the USJ invasion, they had thought Setsuna was actually interested in him.
Confessions done with, an awkward silence fell around the four girls, as they acknowledged that all of them had fallen for the green-haired cinnamon roll. Kindness, courage, intelligence, attraction... all that had drawn them to him, and now they did not know if they actually wanted to be taken away.
"So... what should we do, then?" Mina asked, breaking the ice.
"I think we should leave it alone for now," Momo stated, earning confused looks from the others. "Right now we should focus on the Sports Festival, because I am sure none of us want this to distract us or our classmates. This is one of the most important events in our lives, so we can't let this get in the way of that."
"Fair point," Itsuka agreed. "In that case, let's make a pact of silence. Until the Sports Festival is done, we tell no one about this, and we talk to no one but each other."
"Agreed," Momo nodded.
"Let's do this," Mina said.
"I'm okay with that," Ochaco replied.
"However... I do believe we should try to confess to him afterwards," Momo replied, and the others stared at her again. "I don't think we should keep this hidden for too long. If we do... another girl might snatch him from us, before we get that chance."
Momo could see that the others really did not like the idea, and Momo agreed: the image of a faceless girl taking Izuku from them was simply unacceptable.
"So, that settles it, then. We confess after the Sports Festival, and let Izuku decide who he wants to date. Whomever he doesn't choose, we just be friends. Trying to sabotage the relationship or acting jealous is forbidden," Momo proposed. "Any objections?"
Nobody answered.
"Then, it's settled." Itsuka put her hand on the center and the others followed her example, sealing their pact.
And, with that out of the way, the girls continued to do like their classmates and train for the upcoming U.A. Sports Festival. Each student came up with their own personal scenario of training, taking advantage of U.A.'s large grounds, but rarely did they ever train with each other, because, even though they were friends and classmates, they were still competitors looking for the ultimate goal of winning it all.
Soon, the big day of the event would arrive!
Me: Sorry that took so long, after posting this chapter I'll immediately start writing the first part of the Sports Festival.
Izuku finds a possible secret ability of One for All! Izuku managed to give All Might a much healthier state! Class 1-A and B get crowded on! Izuku rejects his first endorsement deal! The girls confess their love to Izuku to each other and form a pact! The Sports Festival comes!
Milarqui: you may have noticed that the endorsement deal scene has changed, with Tokusatsu's permission.
Instead of the President of Bandai, it's just a representative. This is because the President of a company – the one who is pretty much in charge of all operations – would not bother himself with meeting a kid who is not even a Pro Hero yet. If it were someone like All Might, he might actually come in, if only as a sign of respect.
* The offer in cash has risen to 50,000 yen per week, which is 415€ or 460$ as of this writing (November 9th 2019), going at 1660€/1840$ per month. This, I believe to be just a bit more acceptable than what would amount to be 166€/184$ per month, which is chump change compared to what the company would actually gain.
* Also, with the author's blessing, Izuku chose to reject the agreement. The reasons are already stated, but I pointed another thing: Stain. One of Stain's most... memorable things was that he put Izuku on the same level as All Might, considering them both the only people worthy of being named 'heroes'. If Izuku starts to make sponsorship deals when he's just a month into school...
* Plus, there were a few problems with the scene in general, namely the possibility that Bandai would have probably disappeared in the two hundred years since Quirks began to show up, the fact that, even if it survived, it would have lost control over the licenses due to copyright laws, and Izuku's enormous faux-pas of signing a contract without reading it and/or taking it to a lawyer experienced in this kind of thing.
Me: On a side note, I have done a few things on the previous chapters notably changed several of the dialogue a little along with adding several new scenes in them that you may or may not care to point out in the review.
Here is a list of the Izuku's moves that have been seen so far:
* Ultraman Beam: Based on the giant alien hero of the Ultra Series.
* Godzilla Smash: The famous radioactive dinosaur, the King of the Monsters.
* Zone Fighter Blast: From Zone Fighter, a series about an alien family who lives on Earth, and whose three children fight the alien army that destroyed their home planet when they come to Earth.
* Spectreman Cannon: From Spectreman, the first major superhero show of the 1970s.
* King Kong Smash: After the famous kaiju-sized gorilla from the classic 1933 movie.
* Gamera Smash: After a flying turtle kaiju that surprisingly likes children.
* Lion-Maru Blade: A superpowered anthropomorphic lion, usually wielding a katana.
* Giant Robo Wrecker: A manga/anime/Tokusatsu series from 1967-68 about a robot that can only be controlled by one person which is a kid.
* Kamen Rider Blitz: A franchise about a motorcycle-riding superhero who fights kaijin since 1971.
* King Ghidorah Smash: Godzilla's most famous enemy.
Anyways, NO FLAMES, RANTS, NEGATIVE COMMENTS and if I get any of it on this story then prepared to get chewed out by me, I will not be put down by any one of you.
That's all for now folks and thanks for reading. I'll be seeing you in the next chapter, buh bye!