AN: After a short break, it's back to this. Not much to say this time around, though I do wish that the last chapter had gotten more reactions. Those of you who gave substantive reviews, thank you kindly. But now, it's time to press on.
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Super Moves
Chapter 3: The Details
Inko sat in the waiting room, hands clasped together and trying desperately not to get up and pace, or burst into tears. Or both. She had rushed her only son to the hospital, who was admitted with mysterious cuts and bruises, along with an intense fever and nosebleed.
The two hours that followed were like torture. Even the day that Doctor Tsubasa had told them her baby boy was Quirkless was less stressful. Or at least, that was how it felt at the moment. He was out for so long, got banged up and then fell sick…please, don't let it get any worse…!
"Midoriya-san?"
She looked up quickly, sniffing and wiping her eyes, as a nurse approached her. "S-sorry, I was just…I'm worried…"
The nurse smiled patiently at her. "Your son is alright, Midoriya-san. You can come and see him now."
Immediately Inko stood up to follow her. "S-so, it's not anything…bad?" she asked tremulously.
"It isn't," confirmed the nurse, "It was a rather high fever, and the nosebleed was concerning, but once we cooled him down, it stopped very quickly. We also made sure that his cuts wouldn't become infected; there was no sign that they would, but better safe than sorry."
"Right, of course…"
"However, when we took a scan of his head to see if there was anything wrong, we encountered…something."
Inko went pale. "S-s-something?!"
"Nothing bad!" the nurse assured her again, "However, the nature of his condition is very rare. Not many people even know how to even diagnose it. But you're lucky!" She quickly calmed the mother down. "We do have someone who's seen this before and can help your son. I'm gonna see if she's available."
Finally, they stopped in front of a door, where Inko could see her son lying in bed on the other side of the window, peacefully asleep. "We had to cool him down, but otherwise, he will be fine. We'd like to keep him overnight for observation, but you are clear to be with him; nothing contagious about him. I will send the doctor to you."
The older woman nodded. "R-right. I see. Thank you so much…" Bowing to the nurse, she opened the door and entered the room. Seeing as Izuku was sleeping, she didn't immediately rush to him and sweep him up into another big hug. Instead, she pulled up a chair and sat next to him, taking her son's hand in her own. "Oh, Izuku…what have you gotten involved in?"
As she watched him sleep, it brought back the years of doubt she put on him and the stress that had developed as a result.
Izuku, my god. What have you been through? Have you been bullied? Oh my god, what have I done? I'm such a horrible mother to not even see my son's bullying.
Her musings were cut short as Izuku blinked himself awake. "Ugh...what happened, where…a hospital?"
"IZUKU!" Inko cried, hugging him tightly.
"Ack! M-Mom?!" he yelped.
The tears were already streaming down her face, soaking his hospital gown and blankets. "I-I was so worried!" she wailed, "Your fever was so high and you were bleeding so suddenly, I didn't know what else to do!"
"Mom, I'm…" The boy paused as he touched his head. "I'm fine. Huh."
"What do you mean 'huh?!'" demanded his mother, "I was worried sick about you!"
Izuku cringed. "S-Sorry, it's just that I remembered not feeling all that well…"
Inko stared at him seriously. "Izuku," she began, "Where were you yesterday? You came home covered in cuts and bruises, and your uniform was all torn. Did you get beat up? You can tell me, sweetie."
He opened his mouth, already wondering how he would explain what had happened…
…
He blinked, then jolted, realizing that he'd been sitting still for a moment. "S-sorry, mom, what was that? I lost track of what I was saying…"
She frowned at him, brow creasing with exasperation and more than a little worry. "I asked you what you were doing after school, young man."
Izuku nodded. "R-Right, right…" Then he frowned as well, falling silent. Then he looked at her again. "What were we talking about again?"
"Izuku what is going on? Tell me!" Inko demanded.
"It's nothing too bad, Midoriya-san," sighed a woman's voice. Both of them turned their attention to the door to see a middle-aged woman with graying hair, one who Izuku recognized immediately.
"E-Eh? Satori-sensei?" he asked.
Inko looked between the doctor and her son. "Izuku? Do you know this person?"
"We met earlier today, actually," said Dr. Satori, taking a seat on a nearby stool, "Sorry to say, Midoriya-san, but your son has become wrapped up in something particularly troublesome." She held up a hand even as the mother opened her mouth. "If you try asking us about it, you'll only get the same result that you just got from Izuku-kun. I myself have already tried to tell the police everything I know about it, but I'm physically incapable of doing so."
This, of course, did not calm Inko down in the slightest. "What kind of response is that? Is my baby in some sort of cult? TELL ME!"
"No, it's not a cult," sighed Satori, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "But I won't deny that it's potentially dangerous. It IS possible for Izuku-kun to get out of the situation, but I'm afraid that will come down to time. I myself am involved in…that, along with one other person. We've been through it quite a few times already, so we can help your son. And that leads into why you're here tonight."
Inko still looked greatly aggravated, both by the lack of answers and the doctor's frank attitude, but went with the change in subject. "They said that my boy has some sort of…condition, which is rare enough that you're the only doctor who knows about it."
Satori shrugged. "Only one in this hospital, maybe. Director Kyudai might know something about the subject, but he's too busy to be called upon. However, I have more knowledge about the situation itself, on a level that many doctors wouldn't." She looked between Izuku and Inko. "Are either of you familiar with the concept of psychics?"
"Like those people on TV who think they can read minds?"
"Those're mentalists, who are extremely good at reading people's body language. No, I'm referring to the old concept of having powers that come directly from the brain or mind, like telekinesis."
Inko raised her hand, "My Quirk is a minor form of that, actually. I can pull small objects towards myself."
Satori nodded. "There's a theory in some circles that before Quirks, certain people were born with powers that were less set in stone than a Quirk. A Missing Link between the Quirkless and those who have them." Then she shrugged. "Of course, modern medicine doesn't have any real way to determine whether such a connection actually exists. But one thing is for sure: a Quirkless individual CAN develop psychic abilities. And that's what's happened to you, Izuku-kun."
Izuku's eyes widened as he thought back to Yaoyorozu Shinka, and the explanation of her power. Unable to voice his realization aloud, he simply nodded. "I see."
"How can you tell?" asked Inko, reaching out to take his hand, "I mean, it sounds like it's almost too good to be true. When Izuku was four, his doctor told us that he would never develop a Quirk."
"Oh, I'm not denying that diagnosis," agreed the doctor, "Rather, it's because he's Quirkless that he's developed these powers."
His mother bit her lip. "But how can you be so sure?" she asked again.
At this, Satori smiled. "Simple: I myself used to be Quirkless."
Inko blinked. "U-used to?"
"Yeah. But that was before…what happened to Izuku, happened to me. That's why I can say, with personal experience, that your son has now become a Psychic. Not to mention, we detected the factor in his brain that shows that he can use those powers. You've probably heard that we don't use all of our brain, yes?"
Izuku nodded. "Right."
"Well, to be more accurate, we don't use all of our brain at once. There are limiters in place to let parts of our brain rest when not in use," explained the doctor, leaning back in her seat, "However, when we took a scan of your brain, we saw that the limiter part of your brain had dissolved. It was the same with me."
"And what does that mean?"
"It means that you can now cause every cell in your brain to work in unison, which produces a type of energy referred to as PSI. I'll refer you to some books that you can find that explain it in more detail. Izuku-kun already has the contact info for the other member of our group; he'll have more free time to help you practice."
"But what about school?" Inko asked.
"Your son wants to be a hero right? I see no reason for him to get into Yuuei with practice."
Inko chewed her lips and turned to Izuku. "You…do still want to go to Yuuei, don't you?" she asked. She'd always known that with his obsession with All Might, he would accept no less than to go to the hero's old school. Ever since that day when she'd chosen to apologize rather than openly support his dream, she always held out hope he could live a normal life. But his dream had refused to die; he'd persevered, almost blindly hoping to become a Hero, even without a Quirk.
But now things were different. According to this doctor, her Izuku could now step into the ring with all the other Hero hopefuls.
"Yeah," said the boy, nodding, thinking along pretty much those exact same lines, "Yeah, I do."
ML
After Izuku was discharged from the hospital and brought home, Inko immediately hugged him tightly. "My baby, why after everything, do you still want to be a hero?"
"Mom…what I saw...I need to be a hero! No, I want to be one more than ever," he answered, looking her in the eye. "And that means putting myself in danger again. But I need to train this power; I'm starting out with it so much later than anyone else. I don't want to just be another hero, mom…I want to be like All Might."
His mother smiled sadly. "A Hero who saves everyone with a smile. I remember." She hugged him again. "Back then, I said the wrong thing, didn't I? I'm sorry, Izuku…but if you're going to aim for Yuuei, then I'll help you out in any way I can."
Izuku squeezed her back, tears welling up in his eyes. He wanted so badly to explain to her what was going on, but every time he tried, his head would go blank and no words would leave his mouth. Thanks, mom. I won't betray your trust. Backing away, he reached into his pocket. "Oh, right, the other guy gave me his number." Pulling out the business card Matsuda had given him, he handed it to her. "He said his name was Matsuda."
Inko nodded pensively, giving the card a look. "Hm. Very official looking. You want me to call him, sweetie? I could set up a session for him if you think he can help you with your…your power."
He smiled and nodded, a balloon of excitement swelling inside him at the words 'your power.' It was almost impossible to believe, even now! "Um, I'll also try and pick up those books Satori-sensei recommended from the library."
"Just try not to forget your normal studying, dear. You still need grades to get into Yuuei."
"Right!"
"Now, clean yourself up, I'll make some Katsudon."
ML
Coming back to school after his illness was awkward. There were still the same bullies making fun of his supposed Quirklessness, but because of his recent illness, they surprisingly kept their mocking to a minimum, at least for the moment. What was different was that some of the people who'd used to make fun of him had had a change of heart, as this illness according to rumors nearly killed him. If they only knew the truth, Izuku thought.
The moment his first day back at school had ended, he'd headed straight for the library to check out the books that Satori had recommended for him. Psychics: the Missing Link. A History of Psychic Activity. A Study on the Properties of PSI.
The titles seemed rather dry, but it was better than nothing. He tackled the history first, just to see where this had all started.
It seemed that even a while before the Glowing Baby, there had often been rumors or stories about people possessing powers. Most of them seemed to fall under what was today known as Emission-type Quirks. Like Satori had said, this had been discovered to be linked to a missing part of the human brain. The brain, now lacking a limiter, had become able to produce mysterious energy known as PSI. It was theorized that the Quirk Factor, the parts of the body that made up modern-day Quirks, produced a more stable form of PSI.
As for what PSI actually was, as far as the books detailed, it was a special form of energy that was produced when every part of the brain worked at once towards a given task. Thus, the natural limiter that kept the brain operating mostly in shifts had to be absent for this energy to be produced.
When Quirks had begun to appear, those who'd taken the idea of PSI seriously had attempted to see whether or not the two were related. Apparently, results had been inconclusive; short of invasive brain surgery and unethical human experimentation, there was no way to purposefully grant a person Psychic powers. It was nearly impossible to tell when someone had them, as opposed to simply possessing a Quirk. As it was, in the present there were only a handful of officially recognized Psychics left in the entire world.
If Psychics came from Quirkless people, that makes sense, thought Izuku, Only 20% of the population is without a Quirk these days, and most of those people are really old. Shinka-chan's power would probably revolutionize that whole field of research...but I guess she doesn't really exist yet.
Setting aside the history book, he went into the studies book. This was one that discussed observed PSI abilities. It seemed that PSI use had become categorized in three ways. First, there was Burst-type, which shared similarities with the now-standard Emitter-type Quirk. A Psychic using Burst would use their PSI to affect the world around them in some way, such as by telekinesis.
Trance-type PSI had very little in common with any of the usual Quirk classifications; it seemed to deal directly with the minds of others, or the user's own, allowing them to influence others' senses or to grant themselves new ones.
Finally, there was Rise-type. This was considered closest to Transformation or most augmenting Emitters, in that the user could use PSI to increase their own body's capabilities, ranging from increased strength to boosting one's mundane senses or healing factor.
This is way too much. There's no way I could do all these things, right? I mean, I just literally just got these. If Psychic powers are a precursor to Quirks, there's gotta be a reason why they didn't stay that way."
If I'm gonna learn, I'm gonna need to train with someone who knows. Mom has the card for Matsuda-san, maybe he can explain it…
ML
"Hello, there!" exclaimed the office-worker, giving a short bow. Inko had indeed called the number that Izuku had given her, and after a round of introductions, had asked him to come over that weekend. "So, I'm Matsuda. Nice to meet you in person, Midoriya-san."
"Welcome," replied the woman, regarding the thin, blue-haired young man, "I assume Izuku met you in the same place as Satori-sensei?"
He nodded, straightening up. "That's right. I mean, I've only met the kid briefly. But if you want details on the whole thing…"
Inko sighed. "No, Satori-sensei already explained that it's impossible for you to explain it."
"Not to you, at least," elaborated Matsuda, rubbing the back of his neck even as he took off his shoes, "Only people who've…er, shared the same experience can talk about it openly. It's irritating, but there ain't much I can do about it."
Nodding with a furrowed brow, Inko led him into the living room, where she'd set up a table. Izuku was there to meet them, his eyes brightening in recognition. "Thanks for taking the time to come here, Matsuda-san!" he told him, "I've been reading the books Satori-sensei gave me, but I wanted to ask you some things…"
"I can only imagine," chuckled the man, taking a seat at the table "Please, ask away, I'll answer as best as I can."
"Would you like some tea?" asked Inko.
"Oh yes, please. Actually, a cup of coffee would be good as well; it'll come in handy as a demonstration."
As Inko started up the water, puzzling over the odd instruction, Izuku got right to it. "What does PSI do to me? How do I figure out what I can do? You know how to use it yourself, right? And why did you not try to become a hero?" He paused, blushing. "S-sorry, guess I should let you answer…"
The man snorted. "Chatty sort, ain'tcha? Anyway, let's start at the beginning. You read the books Satori told you about, yeah? Well, you can use PSI for pretty much all those things." He smirked at Deku's widening eyes. "Yeah, all three categories can be learned and trained. Bit different from how Quirks are limited to a core thing."
"Core? I don't understand."
"Hm…" Matsuda rubbed his chin. "It's pretty simple. All Quirks have one thing that they do. I mean, sure, you can strengthen it with training, but it's still just one power. You can't do something fundamentally different from it. PSI, on the other hand, does whatever you want it to, given enough effort."
"So when it says it removes the limiters on the human body...does that mean Quirk factors too?
"It removes the limiters on the brain, not the body," he contradicted, "God knows Satori lemme know that when I asked… But there is a theory that I've heard about. A Quirk Singularity, I think it's called; a point where Quirks will evolve to the point that no one can control them anymore." He shrugged. "I remember reading one scientist saying something like that, back around the 4th generation of Quirk users. Given what we've seen…I dunno. Might be some real weight to it. But that's all Quirk stuff; us Psychics don't need to worry about that."
Izuku bit his lip. "Right…At the same time, I'm really behind on everyone else. I don't even know how I'd use…PSI."
Just then, Inko set down a pair of cups of tea on the table, along with a cup of coffee. "Here you go, Matsuda-san…oh, did you want milk?"
"Yeah, I would," said the salaryman, smiling, "But I'll pour it myself. Actually, that's part of how I'm gonna demonstrate PSI to ya, Midoriya-kun."
Matsuda slowly poured the milk into his tea. Once satisfied, he raised his hand over and pointed down into it. To his audience's shock, the liquid began to ripple without any outside input, the color swirling murkily. As they watched, the milk began to condense, gathering towards the center under his fingertip, until finally, the tea parted and he lifted his hand. A ball of undulating milk rose from the cup, floating in the air. Then, he directed it over to the coffee, before a small stream drained the milk-ball, pouring itself neatly into the other beverage.
Looking up at Izuku, he smirked. "Like that. Now you try."
Izuku looked down at his tea. So he says, but…can it really be that easy? He mimicked Matsuda's actions, pouring in the milk and pointing his finger at it. Mixing two liquids just causes the newer one to spread out until it's impossible to tell. He watched clouds of white swirling about in the tea. Come on…! If Matsuda-san says I can do, it, then there must be a way to separate them again!
In his head, he felt something responding to his commands, akin to an electrical current. Then, a mystifying sensation began to flow through him, reaching down over his hands and into the tea, suffusing it. As it did so, he suddenly became aware of the liquid, in a way that he never would have thought possible. As the PSI, for what else could it be, poured into the tea, he could feel where it and the milk differentiated. Concentrating, the PSI converged on the milk, gathering it together and drawing it to the surface.
Watching her son concentrate for the last few minutes, Inko looked to Matsuda. "Is it really that simple?"
"More or less, yeah," replied the salaryman, shrugging, "It's hard to tell for sure, but it seems like each Psychic tends to have different amounts of talent in the three categories. Satori-san is pretty good at Rise-PSI, and this telekinetic stuff comes pretty easy to me. Even if he specializes in something like Trance, Satori reckons it's easiest to get the feel for PSI by practicing with Burst." He smiled, noticing how the surface of the boy's tea began to grow pale. "Once you can figure out how to draw it out, it's just that easy. After that, you just gotta practice."
When Izuku finally opened his eyes, letting out a breath of exertion, a wobbly leaf had formed out of milk, contrasting the dark tea. "I…I did it!" Tears welled up in his eyes. "I really do have powers now…! I can't believe it!"
Weeks Later
Spare change floated over his hand as Izuku cast out with his mind. All around him on the street were the usual swirl of people's streams of consciousness, occasionally forming a coherent word or image. Of course, he did his absolute best to not follow up on any of them and delve deeper; reading a person's mind without their permission would be too arrogant.
As it turned out, much like Matsuda had mentioned, while Izuku had picked up on using both Burst and Rise-type PSI, his real talent lay in the truly mental-focused Trance PSI. It had started out one day with him trying to broadcast a thought to his mother, just to see if he could, followed by her responding as if she'd heard it. Astonished by his success, he then tried contacting his two fellow Psychics, who congratulated him, then told him to be very careful when it came to reading minds.
"People are used to having their thoughts being totally private. If you start voicing what they're thinking, you're asking for a lot of resentment and aggression."
But on the other hand, if a person is in trouble or feeling bad, he thought to himself, his eyes glowing as he watched the colored, textured auras swirling from people's heads, I can find and help them…somehow.
A dark, thin tendril drifted by him.
He spun around, eyes wide. What was that?! Eyes narrowing, he thought about the aura he'd just seen, if only for a second. As the PSI in his brain worked, focusing on his eyes, the auras of other people dropped away, until finally, he saw it. This aura was twisted, stiff, full of muddled colors that were being crushed together into something ugly.
He reached out with his own mind, seeing a tendril full of shades of green, and grabbed hold of it. Who are you? What can I do to help you?
Suddenly, the indistinct representation of a mind snapped into clarity, and he felt the presence of another person. She was just a ways down the road, sitting on a bench idly kicking her legs. He cautiously approached her, severing his connection to her as he did so. "Hey, uh…are you okay?"
The girl looked up at him, blinking and smiling pleasantly. Her narrow eyes blinked curiously. "Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking."
Before his eyes, her aura roiled and spiked, completely at odds with her cheerful words. He could practically feel it, like rusty metal rubbing against his skin. "A-are you sure? You seemed a bit-"
Her eyes flickered for a moment. "I'm fine. Thanks. You don't have to worry about anything." She turned back to watch the road. "I'm just a normal, everyday girl."
Once again, the aura of her thoughts rebelled against her words, a discordant, ragged jangle that flared up like a wound, particularly at the word 'normal.'
"O-of course you are!" he agreed quickly, "I never said you weren't!" He could tell that for whatever reason, the concept of being seen as normal was something of a sticking point with her.
She side-eyed him, her pleasant smile slipping. "...What do you want?"
Izuku paused, biting his lip. He didn't want to be dishonest, but he also didn't want to say the wrong thing. "I want…I want to know what's hurting you."
This time she turned to look at him again, eyes widening, eyebrows raised. Then she giggled. "H-hurting? Pfft, jeez, where'd ya get that idea-?"
"What's your name?"
"Eh?" She faltered. "...Toga."
He smiled. "Nice to meet you, Toga-san. I'm Midoriya Izuku."
"Mm, sure, nice ta meetcha," she replied flippantly, "So Izuku-kun-" He sputtered at her casual honorific, "What makes you think I'm 'hurting?' You got a mind-reading Quirk or something?"
Izuku hesitated. "...Yes," he admitted honestly, "Or something. I didn't see anything you were thinking of, don't worry! But, um…it feels like you've got a lot of burdens on you, and I wanted to help so I just…approached you without thinking. Sorry."
Toga stared at him, her expression unreadable. "So you just…saw something about me and wanted to help? How?"
"...I don't know," he said, sighing, "I mean, I don't know you at all, but…I could be totally wrong, but you seem like you're unhappier than you let on. So, I dunno, I wanna help make you happier."
After a moment, she looked away, pulling up her legs, crossing them for modesty, and hid the lower half of her face in her knees. "Nothing good'll come of it."
"What?"
"The stuff that makes me happy is bad, evil stuff."
Izuku swallowed, a cold sweat starting to break out. "What do you mean?"
There was a long silence. Toga's aura became momentarily turbulent, but differently from before, before settling down. "For as long as I can remember, I thought blood was one of the most beautiful things ever."
He blinked. "Blood?" He sat down tentatively next to her, prompting a brief glance from her.
"Mm. I found this injured, dead bird once. I thought it was just the cutest thing ever. My mom and dad freaked out, told me it was really bad."
"That's…"
"Are you reading my mind?" she asked suddenly.
Izuku blinked. "Huh? No, of course not, that'd be totally rude!"
Toga just watched him for a moment. "...A little after that, I discovered that if I tasted someone's blood, I could turn into them for a bit. A neighbor's kid got cut, and it just smelled really nice, so I licked it, and then…" She squeezed her legs tighter. "He moved away later, and my parents were super mad. They called me a demon child, and that I was born wrong. So…I try to act like I wasn't."
Not knowing what to say, Izuku watched her. He knew that he couldn't just say 'you're wrong' to her. After all, he was just a stranger to her. He couldn't say 'I understand.' While he'd always been told that he couldn't be a hero, that was a different beast altogether. Tentatively, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "I…know how it feels to be like an outcast. I...didn't have a Quirk for a long time. You see…I've been training this…mental Quirk…you can say mind reading is part of it, but I haven't read your thoughts!" Izuku assured her at her pout. "As for liking blood…well, blood usually means that someone got hurt. I guess your parents were afraid that you might start hurting people. I kinda get that…when I first got told that I didn't have a Quirk, I didn't want to give up on being a hero. My mom gave up on that, back then. I kept on trying, but…there was always this voice in the back of my head that agreed with everyone else. That I was just denying reality by trying to do something that was impossible for me." Then he smiled. "But then, I got a chance to turn things around and change things. If there's a way that I could help you change things, then…I want to."
Toga bowed her head and was silent. However, he could see that her aura was growing turbulent again, the murky colors growing ever so slightly more distinct. Finally, she tilted her head back and let out a sigh. "You know that I like something that everyone hates, but you're not even telling me to stop liking it?" Her head lolled as she directed her narrow, crafty-looking eyes at him. "You're super weird, Izuku-kun."
"Heh," chuckled Izuku, rubbing at his hair, "Yeah, I guess I am. Sorry."
"It's a good weird."
He blinked, looking at her. Her expression hadn't changed.
"It's kinda weird that makes me feel like it's okay that I'm…not normal." She fell silent again. "Hey, Izuku-kun. You said you wanna be a hero, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah! I've been training up my Quirk so that I can apply to Yuuei," he told her.
She hummed. "Yuuei, huh? You're weird, but I guess even a weirdo like you would want to apply there."
"Well, sure. Yuuei is where the greatest heroes came from. All Might went there, so…"
Toga began to smile. It was a wide grin, showing off lots of teeth, and Izuku was disquieted to see that her canines were quite long. "Greatest heroes, huh? Hey, hey, Izuku-kun~ Do you think if a demon child like me applied there, I could become good?"
"Well...if you applied yourself I'm sure you can find your way to be a hero! I mean there's a whole list of 'Heroes who look like Villains,' who are all still respected!"
"Pfft, really?" She giggled, pulling out her phone, "Lemme see that!"
Izuku chuckled. "Well, there's Gang Orca, and also Ectoplasm. Point is, all that matters is what you do with your Quirk. A Hero helps people. Oh! There's even Vlad King! He's not on that list, but his Quirk uses blood like yours too!"
Her toothy grin shrank somewhat, but her expression remained happy. "Like me…" Then she glanced at him. "Hey, where do you do your training?"
"Huh? Oh, I live around here," he said, pulling up a map on his phone, "My powers have a bunch of different uses, and I'll be training a different one tomorrow after school. I'm gonna be at the beach for a bit."
"Hmm~ Okay. I'll be there."
"Eh? Wait, what do you mean?"
ML
Izuku was running along the beach. Satori had also mentioned one other possible application of PSI was to help improve the efficiency of his breathing and muscle strength. The best way to test this was to run, while slowly forcing his PSI to infuse his lungs, to increase how much oxygen he kept in. Rather than the quarter most people hold in, he could hold about a third. But as it was a new experience, he had trouble keeping it up consistently.
On top of improving his breathing, he had used it to improve his speed and durability. Satori-san had warned him over exertion would lead to possible nosebleeds, so right now he was focused on using PSI to increase his power output through his body in short bursts, concentrating on his legs. He could feel them burning as he carefully drew lines down the limbs in his mind's eye, creating glowing circuits of PSI that fed the fibers in addition to the oxygen he breathed in. He could feel the wind whipping past him as he sprinted across the sand. He could feel his feet sinking into the dunes, slowing him down slightly with the unstable, but his legs propelled him far enough to ignore. Reaching his designated point, he then pivoted and jogged back the other way.
He stopped about halfway down the beach in an attempt to catch his breath. So focused was he on catching his breath he didn't sense someone approaching him.
A pair of hands slipped around his face and covered his eyes. "Heya, Izuku-kun!"
He yelped, blushing, his power faltering as he flailed his way out of the hold. "Ack! Oh, uh…hi, Toga-san."
The blonde girl in question gave him one of her wide, toothy grins, hands behind her back. "I told you I was gonna be here! So what are we doing?"
"Um, well," he began, rubbing the back of his head, "I was trying to see if I can use my abilities to increase my strength and speed. I mean, I already know that I can, but I'm trying to keep ahold of it."
"Wow! So you can control your blood?"
"Um…well…" He paused. "I…probably could?"
"Heeh~ So you can read minds and do that too? Your Quirk's all over the place!"
Izuku smiled. "I guess so. But it's still a long way to go from being perfected.
"Do you mind if I watch?" Toga asked.
Shrugging, he told her, "If you want. It might be boring."
Toga shrugged. "I've got nowhere to be. You're my only friend right now."
Izuku then realized, he had no friends his age. Sure, Satori-sensei and Matsuda-san could be friends, but they were too busy. "Yeah. I guess we only have each other right now." Before he could continue, he felt something dripping from his nose. "Ugh, I overdid it," he groaned, wiping at his nose, his hand coming away tinged with scarlet, "Gonna need to take a break for a bit…"
The girl's narrow eyes locked onto his bloodstained hand. "Hmm…that's a shame," she mumbled. She licked her lips. "'Ey, lemme clean that up for you~"
"Eh? Wait, what're you…? Ack!"
Toga suddenly grabbed his wrist and brought it to her face. He shivered as a warm, wet tongue dragged across the blood he'd shed. "Mmmm~ Tastes good~"
Izuku smiled awkwardly. "Um…thanks? But that came from my nose, you know…"
The girl's face was flushed for a moment, her wide smile content in a way that made him feel embarrassed. "This tastes good Izuku-kun!" The psychic watched, completely nonplussed, as a pale sludge suddenly emerged from her head, washing over her face, before morphing into a replica of his.
"Um, Toga? I don't think I have the legs for that skirt."
The Izuku copy looked down and chuckled, giving him chills when his own voice emerged from her throat. "Well, I don't turn into a guy all that often. Or anyone really. You know, I could see you in a skirt, but then I'd have to turn my clothes and well…they don't change back afterward."
Izuku sputtered at the implications, blushing and covering his face. "S-s-so anyway!" he squeaked, "How long does that last?"
His doppelganger shrugged. "Maybe a minute or two? When I drink blood, it gives me a tank of energy, and when it runs out, I can't transform anymore. But I can store it up by not changing."
The boy paused, blush fading as he began to consider that information. "What happens if you drink multiple people's blood, then?"
She cocked her head. "I dunno. Never done it before." A few moments later, Izuku watched with some disquiet as his own face melted away, leaving Toga as herself once more. "You really weren't weirded out."
"I mean, I was…but it's okay. Maybe we can figure out what your limits are."
Toga beamed and sat down on the beach to watch the psychic train some more. As she observed, Izuku clenched his fists and set his jaw. Lines of green light began to trace across his face, centering on his eyes. "Sense Rise…Eyes."
Suddenly, his vision sharpened, making him grunt as his eyes ache slightly, gazing out over the ocean. With his enhanced eyesight, he could see the shipping lanes that were beyond the horizon. He could also see some of the ocean-based heroes out on patrol in their ships. Looking down, without even crouching, he could easily count the grains of sand on the beach. Then, turning to say something to Toga, he paused as his enhanced vision took her in. The late afternoon sun was setting behind them yet his enhanced senses could see the sun reflecting off her, mixing with the chaotic energy of Toga's aura. The colors were still dark and murky, but they had cleared just a little bit. It gave her a maddening, yet exotic look and he had to look away to hide his blush.
There was something about her that made him want to do his best. Was it to set an example? Or maybe just the fact that she was pretty cute?
ML
AN: And that'll end it for now. Took a little bit, but at least it wasn't three years! On that note, Happy 2020! Also, my birthday was a few days ago, so happy birthday to me.
A few notes: The details on how PSI is used, as well as the 'drawing milk out of coffee/tea' thing, is lifted directly from PSYREN's PSI system, though its origins are mixed in with Boku no Hero canon. Trance is definitely what would fit Deku the most, what with his analytical nature, but of course, he won't be limited to it. Meanwhile, Satori is a Rise specialist, while Matsuda is talented with Burst. As for why they don't become heroes with their power, they consider themselves too old to start training for that sort of career, plus Satori already has her obligations as a doctor.
Not to mention, we are introduced to everyone's cute little psycho, Toga Himiko. However, this encounter takes place before she finally snapped, so she's only just rather repressed at the moment. Deku being the way he is, he would want to do his best to help her. Not to mention I'm a sucker for redemption.
Profiles!
Midoriya Inko
Age: 42
Quirk: Attract. She can telekinetically draw small objects towards her. Helpful for anything out of reach.
Satori Kurin
Age: 40
Quirk: None
PSI: Rise. As a doctor, her knowledge of anatomy gives her a good idea of how the parts of the human body can be enhanced. In addition, she can use Trance to analyze other people's bodies.
Matsuda Yuuji
Age: 35
Quirk: None
PSI: Burst. With lots to do in the office, telekinesis and teleportation are a good way to save energy. He just has to make sure his supervisor isn't watching…
Toga Himiko
Age: 14
Quirk: Transform. By ingesting a person's blood, she obtains a quantity of energy that allows her to shapeshift into that person for a time. Her voice also changes, and her clothes can be copied, but they are destroyed afterwards in that case.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, be sure to leave a review or send me a PM.
North South out.