"Speech"
Text
Thoughts
Mental communication
Monstrous/Empowered form
Super Move

Chapter 5: The Shape of Your Future

Izuku jogged down the street, his mind racing as always. Both Sero and Shouji had agreed readily to meet up with him over the phone, but even so, he hoped that they weren't too irritated by his request. He could have contacted them via telepathy, but that seemed extremely rude, and doing it over the phone ran the risk of them going speechless if anyone were to overhear them and make things awkward.

Adding to his stress had been his attempts at explaining to Toga why she couldn't join in on the gathering. The blood user had been persistent and it wasn't until he promised a day out with her that she was satisfied.

I'll have to deal with that when it comes. But now, I need to talk to Sero and Shouji. What do I say though? Lost in thought, he didn't even realize he'd arrived until he was walking in the door, having navigated there on autopilot.

"Midoriya-san," Shouji's voice called out, raising his arm. He was dressed in a tank top and combat fatigues. Sero sat next to him in a booth, looking around to see him

"Souji-kun, Sero-kun!" Izuku exclaimed, striding over to meet them with a nervous smile, "I didn't make you wait too long, did I?"

"Relax, man," chuckled Sero as he sat down across from them, "It's not like I had much going on. My workout can wait for a bit."

Shouji nodded, raising his coffee to one of his tentacles, which sprouted a mouth at the end. He grew another mouth as the first drank, saying, "After the ordeal we shared, it wouldn't be a bad idea to share information with each other, especially since we all have the same goal."

Izuku nodded. "Yes…although, given that I've already had it happen, I guess I'd be the one doing most of the sharing."

"Probably," said Sero, smirking. "So, freaky time travel stuff. Whatcha got for us, Midoriya?"

He sighed, scratching his forehead. "Well, it's more or less what they told us back in the police station. At some point in a few years, powerful villains will rise up and wreak havoc on society, forcing All Might into retirement and k-killing many other heroes." He shuddered at the thought. "Tokkyou Kawasemi used her Quirk to pull people out of the past, in order to warn them and have them change the future. Shinka-chan is the key to that, I think. She can make it so that all the people Kawasemi-san calls into the future can then become even stronger heroes."

"That all makes sense," said Shouji thoughtfully.

"Does it, though?" mumbled Sero, rubbing his head, "This time travel stuff is already confusing me…"

"But wouldn't it also be possible that because of her using her Quirk on us, she's already changing the future?" continued the multi-armed boy, "By having us disappear into the future, her Calls could also be what doom that future in the first place."

Sero's eyes widened. "Oh…oh damn. That's a dark thought."

Izuku bit his lip, looking down at the table. "That's…"

Just then, a waiter arrived, asking for orders. Once they did, Izuku continued. "I've gone into the future...twice. The first time, I was attacked by one of the League of Villains' monsters. They called it a Noumu. What scared me the most…I think those Nomu were people, because the Quirk it used looked familiar to me."

"Wait, someone turned people into monsters?" Sero asked, shocked.

"Yeah...there's no way that was just a normal Quirk."

"If they're being created in the future, there is reason to think they're being created now," Shoji hypothesized, "If everything erupts in only a few years."

This put the very thought of these things already being made into a more horrifying perspective. "We should tell the cops, surely someone will believe us?"

"We can't. I mean, we literally can't talk about the future. I tried explaining what happened to my mom, but my head goes blank every time I try. We can only discuss it among ourselves. I even tried using my telepathy, but that didn't work."

"Then what do we do?" Sero asked as their drinks were served.

Izuku poured milk into his coffee and concentrated, causing the swirls to coalesce into the shape of All Might's face. "The only thing we can do is train. Yuuei High can train us to use our abilities, to be ready for the upcoming threats. Have either of you noticed any changes with your Quirks?"

"Yeah, something about my tape changed. I used to only be able to spool it out, or shoot it if I strained," said Sero, gesturing at his elbows, "But now, not only is it easier, I can actually control it. Oh, yeah, I guess I should say that my Quirk lets me make tape from my elbows. It's pretty sticky, and I can cut it off or reel it back in."

"Is it possible to remotely use it?" asked Izuku, sitting up straighter, his eyes becoming firmer. This was something he was surer of: discussing Quirks.

"Remotely using my tape?" The boy hummed. "Maybe, something like sentrys or something like that. I haven't tried it."

"What about you Souji?"

The taller boy lifted his remaining arms, transforming the end of one into another hand, another into an eye, and the last into an ear. "My extra arms can be transformed into a copy of any of my body parts. I've been practicing for a while already, and I noticed that I can train to increase the functionality of my copies," he explained patiently, speaking through a mouth. Then his extra eye's pupil began to glow with a blue light. "Just the other day, I also realized that I could create these...energy projections from my limbs. Hands created projected hands that could manipulate things from a distance, eyes gave me orbs that can pass through walls and let me see, and so on. I can only do it for a few seconds at a time, though."

"Then we need to do some research on what they can do in those few seconds," Izuku hypothesized. After they finished their meals, they packed up to leave.

"So, see you guys hopefully at Yuuei unless the future decides to screw with us?" Sero asked.

"Yeah, I guess so Sero," Izuku replied.

"With what we've learned, it's best to have allies to trust. We should keep in touch and be actual friends, Izuku-san."

"F-friends?" Izuku stuttered.

"You've never had friends?" Sero asked.

"I...had one once...but before this, I was considered Quirkless. So no one wanted to be a friend with a Quirkless nobody."

"Well, you got us now!" Sero grinned, "Shame we live in different areas, otherwise we could train together."

Izuku sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I'd love to learn some more about how Shinka-chan's Quirk powered yours up; since I never had a Quirk, I've been really interested in them myself…"

"Well, you said that Shinka-san gave you some psychic abilities," pointed out the other boy, "Isn't that pretty much a Quirk?"

"...I mean, sort of. They're similar, but it wasn't mine originally."

"Then make it your Quirk bro!" Sero told him. "Only you would know how it works. Anyway, we should get going. See ya in UA!" The tape boy ran off leaving the two teens on the sidewalk.

Souji raised his hand in a fist. "Don't worry, I know we will figure it out. Good luck, Midoriya."

The greenette looked up at the taller boy and nodded, pounding their fists together before separating and heading to their homes, each with their own thoughts on what they must do to improve before the far off Entrance Exam.

Next Day

Himiko skipped down the street next to Izuku, her usual wide smile in place.`"So what should we do today Deku? We can go see UA! Oh I heard the comics shop has some new issues.

Izuku was paying attention as best he could,. Internally he was thinking about his powers. PSI enhances my abilities tremendously, especially with Rise. But it's too much to use for more than a few minutes. I can dial down the increase, but a minor amount won't let me do anything too useful. I need control, something that I won't burn myself out over. As he looked around, out of the corner of his he noticed a sign in chinese with a large glass window. As he came to a stop, , he watched through the window as a middle aged man in an old chinese gi practiced against a wooden dummy, with multiple bars at strategic points on its body. Izuku was amazed as the man seemingly flowed around each bar, striking at particular sections with coordinated punches and chops, a satisfying thunk accompanying each hit.

"Izu-kun?" Toga called out. "Whatcha doing?" She looked where he was watching and saw the man hitting the dummy. "Whoa…he's doing that without a Quirk?"

"I think so," Izuku said walking up to the door and opening it. A small bell sounded, but the teacher paid no attention as he finished his movements. Once he did, he turned to regard the students. "Can I help you two?"

"What were those moves?" Toga asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet and tilting her head to take in his figure, "If that thing were a human, it woulda been on the ground in no time flat!"

"Sorry, she's very energetic. I'm Midoriya Izuku and she's Toga Himiko. We were walking by and we saw you practicing."

The man nodded. "Yes, well, this is a Jeet Kun Do dojo. It's been a while since anyone's shown any interest in it." He smiled. "You interested?"

"Ah, er, well…I guess it would be handy to pick up a fighting style as a Hero," said Izuku, mostly to himself, "Actually, this could be something that could help me be more efficient with Rise."

The teacher hummed. "You want to be a Hero, don't you? It's pretty easy to see, especially with the way things are nowadays. Your eyes, they hold . You hold much doubt in your heart, both of you. Perhaps, you can learn my art."

The sensei looked at the far wall showing a muscular chinese man looking reading to strike. "In the era before Quirks, men and women competed using their fists. But these arts, Karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, don't mimic real world conditions. Jeet Kune Do, founded by Lee Jun Fah, was founded to actually teach people how to fight in the real world through actual techniques. With Quirks, it seems the teachings have disappeared, as they treat the art of heroing as a job." He looked at the two. "But the fire in your eyes, maybe, you can teach people how to be heroes again. No flashy moves, just raw ability to get the job done without harming people. Tell me, what are your Quirks?"

"I can create a special kind of energy that can be used for different effects," Izuku explained, "Including enhancing my strength, speed, senses and other parts of my body."

"I…don't wanna say," the blood user muttered, "It's a bad Quirk for fighting…"

"Would you be willing to learn?" The teacher asked.

The two students looked at each other. For once, Himiko was the one with hesitation in her eyes, while Deku's gleamed with excitement and anticipation. She sighed, and both of them nodded at him.

"Good, get your parents permission or even come here and we will start."

Himiko's mouth twisted, but she nodded tightly.

"What should we call you?" Izuku asked.

"You may call me Nura-sensei."

TML

Several weeks went by since Toga and Izuku had started training under Nura-sensei. The style they were being taught relied primarily on being able to counter one's moves, while being able flow freely through a fight. In effect, they would fight without being constrained to one particular style. With Izuku's analytical skills it was quite easy for him to break down one's attack patterns and counter them. On top of this, because of how physically demanding this art would be, Nura worked out a plan to build up their core and leg strength. Considering they were applying to Yuuei, this was a smart idea in general, but now they could focus on building the right muscles.

Izuku breathed out as he lowered himself to the ground in a push up, in order to build up his upper arm strength. The green haired boy closed his eyes, focusing on generating PSI. He could feel the energy flowing much easier now that he had a proper mental image of what he wanted it to accomplish. Every day since his lessons began, he had learned to focus his mind via his katas and his sparring with Toga. Now, he could dial up the Rise with his movements, strengthening himself only when he struck, otherwise keeping the power to a manageable trickle.

Every day is a new situation, just like every Quirk is different, Izuku thought. Life is like water, ever flowing and changing shape. I need to think like that and adapt everyday.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

He yelped, eyes flying open as he looked down to see Himiko squatting directly in front of him, staring down at him, almost like a cat with her narrowed eyes. "W-when did you get there?!" he gasped, only barely keeping himself from collapsing. Ordinarily his Thought-Aura senses from Trance PSI would have let him know that his female friend was close even with his eyes closed, but he'd been completely unaware.

"You were concentrating on something and I thought I could try and sneak up on you," Toga giggled. "You done training?"

"For now, I guess," Izuku muttered, rolling onto the ground, "A break wouldn't hurt…" Standing up, he blushed slight as he took in Toga's attire, a tank top and boy shorts.

"You're really throwin' yourself into it," said the blonde, wrapping her hands around her knees, "It's exhausting just watching you."

"Must be why I couldn't sense you, come one, we're gonna be late for dinner," he said walking towards the edge of the park, the pale blonde following.

After a few minutes of walking, Toga sniffed the air. "I smell...blood?"

"Huh?" Izuku wondered looking around. Over by the side he could see something. It was a buck, probably killed by a random car running over it or was collateral damage from a recent fight. "Oh man, this poor thing was very young."

Glancing over at Toga, frowned as she shuddered violently, wrapping her arms around herself. Her pupils narrowed into slits, and her lips drew back into her usual predatory smile, now even wider and somehow showing off even more teeth. "H-Himiko-chan, what're you doing?"

She took a step towards the body. "S...smells good…" she murmured, licking her lips, "Nnnh…it's going to waste…no, no, that's no good…"

Izuku felt a chill. He of course knew about Himiko's obsession with blood; it had been one of the first things she revealed to him and one of the things they'd worked on focusing controlling the blood their recent training with meditation and breathing exercises.

"Himiko? Himiko, snap out of it!"

"But it's right there! I need it!" Himiko moaned.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Izuku pulled the pale blonde into the trees and knelt in the bushes. "Himiko, remember your training!"

She blinked, only seeming to just notice him. "Izu-kun…!" she mumbled, biting her lip, her yellow eyes shining with a near-crazed light. Her aura spiked around her, the rusty color almost flaking away to expose a sinister crimson.

Looking into her eyes, he made a snap decision. Holding up his arm, he told her, "Bite my arm, then!"

Himiko in her state didn't even think twice and chomped down, getting a pained grunt from her friend. As the blood flowed into her mouth, the crimson aura slowly vanished, her eyes starting to regain clarity and sanity. After a few moments, she carefully let go, backing away.

Izuku rubbed the spot where she bit down. "That was close." He heard sniffling and saw Himiko shaking. "Himiko-chan?"

"Why…" she asked, her voice shaking, trying to hold back tears. "Why do I keep doing things like this! There's something wrong with me, isn't there. I can tell…all that stuff about helping people, like what you want…the moment I see blood, all that stops mattering…" She curled in on herself, burying her face. "Izu-kun…I w-want to be like you, but…I'm no good…someone like me can't be…!"

"H-Himiko-chan…" Izuku found himself at a loss, seeing his friend all hunched up and trembling. He knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's…It's okay. You stopped all by yourself, didn't you? Once you got my blood, you came back to yourself and stopped. That was all you, Himiko!"

"I shouldn't have done that to begin with," she mumbled, ashamed.

"So you had a setback...you've been doing great since we met. Before, you…probably would have chomped on that deer, yeah. The fact you held yourself back means you're serious about changing it," Izuku assured her. "Do you not think someone like All Might or Crimson Riot had bad days? It comes with being a hero. You're allowed to not be okay, Himiko. I'll be there if you need me."

"I need more than that," Himiko said miserably. Sludge oozed from her form, transforming her into a copy of Izuku. "You're such a good person, and I want to be like that, be like you."

He bit his lip. "I don't think that will make you as happy as you think it will."

"It's better than being me."

"No…I don't think the world needs two heroes like me. I think it needs one like me, and one like you!" he told her. At this, she finally raised her face to look at him, her cheeks wet, eyes reddened. Ironically, it was rather appropriate, given that she was wearing his own crybaby face. "Himiko…you can become a Hero, even with the way you are. I believe that you can do it!"

She sniffed. "D…don't say stuff so earnestly. You'll make me believe it too…"

"It's the truth," Izuku told her nuzzling her hair.

"Can...I work with you?"

"Of course you can, there's nothing that says we can't work together. We're both going to Yuuei, aren't we? Plus, we can meet so many others. You know I met these two the other day, one who could shoot tape out of his elbows, and the other was huge!"

Toga giggled as Izuku started to rattle off what he had learned, the doubt of her being a hero disappearing like the wind.

TML

Izuku snapped his leg forward, catching Toga in the forearms, before leaping back from her own swipe, a serious, focused stare on his face. Off to the side, Nura was watching with a smile, remembering the progress these two had made. He watched as Izuku's arms blurred as he launched a 1-2 counter punch, moving unnaturally quickly with his strikes. Toga's own counter attack was ducked under with a smoothness that made the older man grin, before hitting her in the shoulder with a kick.

"Are you reading my mind again?" Toga growled, pouting.

He blinked, his intense expression clearing up. "Ah…maybe?" Izuku grinned before the blonde tackled him to the ground.

Nura chuckled as the two rolled around on the ground. "Alright, that's enough for today. I am sure we don't want to have any extra bruises before your exams coming up.

"No, sensei," they chorused as they stood up and bowed to him.

As they exited the dojo, Toga spun around on him. "You're really intense when you're on the attack, you know that?"

He scratched the back of his head. "I mean…now that I know how to move and attack, I can use Trance and Rise at the same time."

"I know, I know, be like water. But your telepathy makes it unfair," Toga pouted.

Izuku chuckled. "I guess it is…but that's what it's like to have powers, isn't it?" Just then, he heard his phone ring. "Oh man...not now…" the greenette whined.

"What?" Toga asked.

"Do…you remember when I disappeared the last time?" Izuku asked.

"Its happening again!? Where the hell do you go?"

Izuku grimaced. "I physically can't tell you."

"Do you know when you'll be back?"

"No," he sighed.

"Then…come back safely. You need to become a Hero, right?" She gave him a grin

He smiled back. "Yeah, that's right. But you need to be one too. So no matter how long it takes, do your best, Himiko-chan. Alright?"

The blonde's usual grin thinned slightly. "...I'll try."

He squeezed her upper arm reassuringly. "And that's enough." He pulled out his phone and, seeing the familiar PSYREN symbol emblazoned on the screen, answered it. "Hello?"

Toga jumped as her friend vanished in a rush of air and static. "But…wasn't his phone turned off…?' she asked aloud, cocking her head.

TML

Izuku landed in the middle of the street after the light disappeared. Looking around, he could see he was in the middle of a ruined neighborhood, with multiple burnt out cars. The buildings looked utterly gutted

"Damn it, another bad future," Izuku mumbled, pulling out his phone and pressing the speed dial for Detective Tsukauchi. A few rings later, he heard the detectives voice. "Midoriya, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just in a really bad neighborhood. Though it was good just a few seconds ago"

"Stay put, we will send someone to find you!"

Izuku heard a loud roar. "Um...you might want to hurry up on that! I don't think I'm alone." From behind a building, a large, lanky figure loped into view. A familiar figure, growled as it approached. Izuku watched as the figure opened its mouth and to his surprise it spoke.

"I can smell the fucking fear on you. I think I'll enjoy crushing you,"growled the Blasting Noumu, sparks crackling from its hands.

Indeed, a thrill of terror surged through Izuku's body, followed a moment later by PSI as he traced Rise through his body, turned and ran. "What the hell? Since when could these things speak?"

"You're not getting away!" *BOOOM!* The ground rumbled as the Noumu's hands exploded, launching it into the air to arc over Izuku. It crashed down, spinning around to face him. "I'm the one who always comes out on top!" it snarled.

The boy paused. Something about its choice of words was sounding awfully familiar to him…Impossible, these things couldn't just copy people, right? Unless it had the right combination of Quirks. But…explosive fluids in the arms? It can't be…

"What's the matter, you pebble? You wanna fight me? You don't know your place, you useless piece of trash!"

"Kacchan…!" the name left his mouth before he could stop himself, but even so, Izuku realized that this was who he was looking at.

The Noumu paused, its monstrous face twisting into outright hatred. "...Deku." The sacks along its arms began to bulge, filling with excess explosive sweat. "Deeeeeeeekuuuuuuuuu…!" it hissed.

"SHIT!" Deku cursed. "Kacchan, what happened to you?"

"DEKUUUU!" The now identified Katsuki roared, pointing its hands at him. Izuku leaped out of the way as hard as he could.

BOOOOOM!

The resulting explosion created a shockwave that rattled the nearby buildings destroying the glass and ripping up the road in a 15 foot stretch. The boy landed hard, stumbling, but keeping on his feet.

"Kacchan, snap out of it!

This only made the beast angrier as he charged at him causing him to dodge the swipe.

I need to stop him and figure out what the hell happened. Maybe I can control his mind? He thought, It worked before…

Before he could put his plan in motion, the creature let out a growl of pain as a knife buried itself in its upper arm. A figure landed in front of Izuku, a dark cloak billowing around them.

"You again?" The Noumu wrenched the knife free and tossing it away, the wound sealing closed in an instant. "That shit won't work on me again!"

"Oh don't worry," The figure giggle holding up her blade and licking it. "I got all I need."

Despite being older, Izuku knew that voice anywhere. "You're…?"

The Noumu stiffened up, its hateful eyes glazing over. Then, with a gesture from the woman, it turned and sprinted off in the opposite direction.

"There's no one in that part of town anymore. Saving you takes priority," said the heroine, turning to face him and showing off the entirety of her costume. The woman's cloak was lined with pockets, and she wore a tight-fitting leotard that showed off her long legs, with several pouches strapped around her waist and thighs. Several knives were sheathed at her sides, as well as the insides of her cloak. Her blonde hair was gathered up into a large bun at the back of her head, and her face bore a look of cool, predatory focus.

Izuku smiled, tears welling up in his eyes. "I knew you could do it, Himiko."

She grinned back at him, with a tinge of bitterness. "You kept me waiting just for that? You sure can be mean, Izu-kun!"

For a moment, he forgot all about the horrible future timeline that he was in.

After all, it surely couldn't be so bad now, with his friend as a Hero.

TML

AN: And there we have it. A little on the short side this time, but eh, what can ya do?

UO: We're about to get into canon material, so this is a set up.

NS: Yeah, I belatedly realized that having a series of Calls all throughout the ten months would have just dragged down the story, so I decided to compromise. You'll see what I mean next chapter.

Profiles

Name: Unagi Nura
Age: 57
Quirk: Bend. His bones are more akin to rubber, allowing him to bend at any spot. In fact, if he doesn't stretch often, he's liable to feel arthritic in the morning.

Hero Name: The Scarlet Hero, Carmilla
Age: 25
Quirk: Sanguine. This dark Heroine's Awakened Quirk allows her to pull off a number of abilities as long as she has energy stored up from drinking blood, ranging from transforming into mist, to creating a mental link with those she drinks from. Holy water does nothing!