Hey Guys!
It's AzAlexZ back with a new chapter.
This one took a long time to write because I had to move to different places and I also had no Wi-fi or reliable way to use my Laptop for 2 weeks.
I hope you guys are having a great time back at school, or work but I guess we never get breaks if we're working! I hope you are all enjoying the new chapter.
That's it from me! Please send any reviews, ideas, and constructive criticism my way!
Without further ado, let's get on with the new chapter, hope you all enjoy it! AzAlexZ out!
I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR MY HERO ACADEMIA! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE RESPECTIVE AUTHORS, STUDIOS, AND PUBLICATIONS!
Chapter 5: Preparing for the Sports Festival!
After a terrifying and surprising villain attack, the students of U.A. High School have to regroup and continue with their daily lives. Looming on the horizon is the U.A. Sports Festival, and the members of class 1-A are diligently preparing for this event. With All Might's invitation for Satoshi and Izuku to meet up with his previous teacher, how will the duo use this opportunity to improve themselves? What will they learn and how will they change the way they use their quirks?
Let the chapter begin…
Following the events of the last chapter:
(With Shigaraki and Kurogiri on the communicator)
"Perhaps, you will have to find out when she arrives. In the meantime, your task will be to rest up and heal your wounds. I hope this has been a valuable lesson for the both of you, I'm sure that you two will make great use of this failure," Their teacher said as he disconnected from the call.
"Well, this has been a day," Kurogiri said.
Shigaraki meanwhile placed an ice pack on his wounds. Gritting his teeth as he printed the painful sensation into his mind, he burned with anger, but there was also anticipation for revenge.
(With All Might, Satoshi and Izuku)
"I like your confidence, Young Midoriya, and Ketchum, just what I want to hear," All Might laughed, "this also brings me to the real reason why I summoned you two here today."
Izuku and Satoshi both looked at him with curiosity.
"My old teacher and I are setting up a new agency in Japan," All Might started, "I would like you both to meet with him."
(Present time at U.A. High School, with class 1-A)
The students gathered in the classroom for their homeroom period and actively discussed the news in the morning. Their homeroom teacher, Aizawa, has just been discharged from the hospital the previous day, and class is now back in session.
"Good morning class, I'm sorry for what you had to go through at the U.S.J. facility last week," Aizawa said with a solemn expression, "but your time will not be wasted, and you have a great opportunity incoming in a couple of weeks. The U.A. Sports Festival will be commencing soon."
The whole class chanted in excitement as the news was delivered, but among those that are excited were also concerned voices that stepped forward.
"Mr. Aizawa, why are we having this festival so soon after a villain attack?" Serena asked.
Aizawa looked at her seriously and at the rest of the class, who were eagerly waiting for an answer.
(Flashback)
The teachers and staff members of U.A. High have gathered together to talk about the incident.
"The media has been covering this incident for the past week now. I'm afraid that it won't be long before they expect a response from us." Present Mic said.
"There is no reasonable route to go, the villain made it clear that they were targeting me." All Might stated.
"Yet, when it came down to it, they were willing to hurt our students," Aizawa added.
"We should shelter the students and postpone the U.A. Sports Festival, this should be a responsible action to take."Midnight, one of the Staff members, suggested.
"That is a responsible action to take as far as the media is concerned," Principal Nezu responded, "but to the outside world, to those watching our every move, sheltering our students looks like an act of weakness."
The staff members looked at him and each other, understanding what Nezu is hinting towards.
"We will delay the Sports festival for one week, that is all that we will do," Nezu announced, "we can't afford to show any weakness, not at this time when we have been attacked. That is my final word."
(Flashback ends)
The instructions he was given echoed in his memory as he continued to gaze upon his students with a serious expression, he did not want to keep them waiting and ushered forward a response.
"Principal Nezu thought it best to show people that the fortitude of U.A. High school is not just for show. And as a refusal to show weakness to our foes, we will hold the U.A Sports festival in a week and a half," Aizawa responded, "as I said earlier, more than anything, the U.A. Sports Festival is an opportunity. If you can show yourself off to the observing heroes, you may get offers to join hero agencies for your internships, which can be instrumental to your becoming future Pro Heroes."
"You will have 2 weeks, starting today, to prepare for the Sports Festival, I do hope that you will take this seriously, and prepare accordingly to show everyone out there a good performance," Aizawa concluded, "that is all, homeroom session is now over."
The students dispersed out of the classroom, Izuku and Satoshi were walking over to All Might's office before Serena came running up towards them.
"Hey Izuku, can I borrow Satoshi for a moment?" Serena asked as the duo turned around to look at her.
"Sure, I'll see you in All Might's office, Satoshi," Izuku said as he walked off.
"Hey, Serena, what's up?" Satoshi asked with a smile on his face, though he detected some frustration coming from his girlfriend, "is something wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm still mad that All Might is asking you to withhold information from me," Serena stated, "ahh, anyway, that's not why I'm here. I wanted to ask about your preparation plans for the next week."
"Well, Izuku and I are going to be training with All Might at a location that he did not disclose to us," Satoshi replied, "we will get some training from him this week, but we both should be back this week."
"So I don't even get to spend any time with my boyfriend this week?" Serena frowned.
"Hey, we're not joined at the hip you know, I think it's for us to get to know our classmates. I think Tenya, Tsuyu, Minoru, and Ochaco are great people," Satoshi suggested as he placed a hand on Serena's face, "they can also help you train your quirk. In terms of power, your quirk is stronger than mine, but you aren't nearly as fast as I am. Tenya and Ochaco can help you with increasing your speed."
Serena looked at him as he was saying all this and gave him a serious nod.
"If you can move faster then you can potentially beat me again. Remember, I have a two-year winning streak that you need to beat." Satoshi said cheekily as Serena chuckled and punched him on the shoulder.
"I'm going to go now, I promise I'll call you every day," Satoshi said as he pulled Serena into a tight embrace and kissed her on the forehead. After a few moments, he let her go and walked towards All Might's office.
Serena, meanwhile, returned to the classroom and found Ochaco, Tenya, Tsuyu, and Minoru there talking amongst themselves.
"So, what did Satoshi say? Will he be spending some time with you this week?" Minoru asked as the group welcomed Serena back.
"No, he will be training with All Might and Izuku," Serena replied, "but we can train together. Thanks to Satoshi, I think I have a way for us to improve the way our quirks."
The group was super excited to hear that Serena had an idea, and they were diligently listening as she explained her idea.
(With All Might, Izuku and Satoshi later that afternoon)
All Might, Izuku, and Satoshi have arrived at a residential building. The trio walked towards the door and knocked, in no time, the door opened and they were greeted by an old, short man with a scrawny build. He was dressed in a white-creamy color with a yellow cape, he also had a black domino mask.
"Ah, Toshi, you're here, come in come in." The old man greeted All Might, who walked inside and gestured for the two boys to also come inside.
"So these are the students that we talked about the other day?" Gran Torino asked as the group finished introductions, All Might gave him an assuring nod and he began to examine Izuku and Satoshi, wearing a curious look on his face.
"Follow me, you three." Gran Torino instructed as he stood up and walked towards the door. Satoshi and Izuku looked at All Might and he shrugged, motioning the teenagers to follow him. The man walked to a car and got inside, the other following him quickly.
A quick car ride passed as it was mostly spent in silence as the group drove to a building not far away. The streets were busy with people as they commuted to and from work.
As they stepped out of the car, Izuku saw a building with stain-glass windows and incredible height. Gran Torino guided the trio into the building. There were a few people in there walking around, conducting business as usual.
Satoshi and Izuku gasped at the amount of work being done here, there was the constant talking and phone-calling of people who were passing by them.
A few moments later, the group walked into a large room with a close resemblance to a gym, there was a lot of free space for quirks to be used. There were also weight machines present for those who find weight training the more desirable choice.
Gran Torino went to the middle of the room and looked at the two students, and told them to come forward.
"Alright then, you two," Gran Torino started, "All Might has asked me to train you two for the incoming Sports festival, so this is what we will be doing for the rest of this week."
"First of all, I want to see your speed." Gran Torino instructed, to which both Satoshi and Izuku looked at each other, then at Gran Torino and nodded.
"I will examine you first," Gran Torino said as he pointed at Satoshi, "step forward."
Satoshi stepped forward as Izuku walked back and stood next to All Might. Satoshi went towards the open space and faced Gran Torino.
"Before we start, my quirk is Jets," Gran Torino explained, "it allows me to use pockets of air under my feet to travel at high speeds. Your task will be to hit me, you have 5 minutes to do so."
Satoshi nodded as he began channeling energy from within his body, guiding those energies to circulate, emitting a navy-blue color. He then zoomed towards Gran Torino and tried to hit him. To his surprise, when he reached the spot where Gran Torino was standing, his opponent was already gone. Satoshi then felt a blow to his back as he flew down to the ground.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that I will attack you too, so do your best to stay in there." Gran Torino smirked, "now come on and tag me."
Satoshi stood up and faced him, running at him again, this time completely missing his mark. He saw through the edge of his vision a punch coming towards him. Reacting quickly, Satoshi managed to reposition himself and dodged it, jumping backward. He lunged toward Gran Torino and continued to try to hit him. He was unable to land a hit and got thrown onto the ground again.
"I have to say, you're not as bad as I thought you would be," Gran Torino stated, "but you are still a long way away from hitting me if this is the best performance you can muster."
Satoshi grit his teeth as he powered up a bit more and ran towards Gran Torino, though he was faster compared to the beginning of the exercise, Satoshi was still unable to hit his elusive target.
Nothing is working. Satoshi thought as his target remains ever out of reach.
"Still trying to out-speed me, boy?" Gran Torino taunted, "you can't catch a target that is faster than you. Come on, you can do better."
The raven-haired teen took a deep breath, taking a quick moment to gather himself. He poured more energy into his body and leaped towards his target, aiming to at least graze him, he maneuvered himself in mid-air and jumped higher, descending towards Gran Torino.
Unfortunately, he was unable to catch him. Instead, he found himself on the ground, tackled by the experienced instructor.
"Unfortunate, you were unable to land a hit on me," Gran Torino stated as he released Satoshi and picked him up, "still, you show much promise, and I look forward to your growth this week."
He then turned towards All Might and Izuku.
"Alright, now it's your turn, let's see what you're made of." Gran Torino instructed as Izuku and Satoshi traded places.
Satoshi went by All Might and reflected on his own shortcomings in the exercise. He was a bit disappointed as he was unable to land a hit on the retired Pro Hero.
It seems I still have a long, long way to go.
"So, what did you think about the training exercise? My former teacher is super strict right?" All Might asked Satoshi after giving him a few moments to reconsider his position.
"It was quite humbling, but I didn't get to show off all of what I can now," Satoshi replied.
"You weren't holding back were you, Young Ketchum?" All Might asked with slight suspicion.
"Well no, I wouldn't say that," Satoshi responded, "I had never used all my power before, not even during the U.S.J. incident, so I am unfamiliar with the full force that I can use. Since this exercise was only concerned with speed, I chose not to go over that threshold."
"What about when we fought against the sludge monster?" All Might asked.
"I didn't get to use my full power," Satoshi responded, "I was considering the idea of using it. But then you arrived, and I didn't have to."
"Well, maybe if you want to fight against me, we could see what that power is." All Might suggested.
"If I were fighting you, knowing that it was you," Satoshi said, "I would never use all of my power, I would not be able to use them against you knowing you are injured."
All Might responded with a stern look at the raven-haired teen and turned his gaze towards the battlefield.
Perhaps I can think of another way to deal with that mindset, he will benefit greatly from the push.
His attention shifted back towards a thud on the ground, like he did with Satoshi, Gran Torino has firmly pinned Izuku on the ground.
Gran Torino picked up Izuku and walked towards All Might and Satoshi.
"I have seen the performance you both displayed," Gran Torino started, "while you two have a lot to work on, you are already faster than I have anticipated."
"Gran Torino is one the fastest Pro Heroes, after all," All Might interjected.
"Anyways, I would like to see your quirks in action." Gran Torino said
"So do you want us to demonstrate how our quirks are useful? Like doing a quirk assessment?" Izuku asked.
"Not quite. For this next exercise, I will pit you two against each other. In the next few minutes, you two will fight each other." Gran Torino responded.
Satoshi and Izuku looked at each other and Gran Torino with a surprised expression.
"Are you sure?" Izuku asked, "I can't control my quirk without hurting myself first."
"It's okay Izuku, I can heal your injuries later," Satoshi encouraged, "you need to figure out how to control your quirk at some point, this may be a good chance to do that."
Izuku looked at Satoshi, who gave him a confident look. After a brief moment, Izuku gave a positive nod and joined Satoshi on the field.
"Alright, then, let me see your abilities." Gran Torino said.
Satoshi charged up his energy, his body surrounded by a blue aura as it traveled throughout his body.
"Izuku, you ready? Here I come." Satoshi stated as he launched towards Izuku. He slammed his fist into Izuku, landing a direct hit, but he was surprised to find that he was met with resistance. Izuku has activated One For All and met him head-on.
"Izuku, how are you feeling? You're not hurt right?" Satoshi asked as they continued to clash and trade blows.
"I'm feeling some pain in my arms, it's hard since I can't seem to get a hang of this power, it's too powerful for me to control," Izuku said.
Satoshi jumped back and hurled an energy sphere towards Izuku, who barely dodged it, Satoshi wasted no time as Izuku felt the full brunt of his fist, the impact throwing Izuku back.
Sensing a chance to power up more, Satoshi channeled more energy through his body, the energy moving like waves. It was at this moment that Izuku thought of an idea.
"Wait, Satoshi, stop. Charge your energy again, I need to see how you do it." Izuku asked.
Gran Torino and All Might looked at the green-haired teen and smirked. It seems the boy has figured out a solution to his problem.
Satoshi looked at Izuku, baffled at first, but soon he was struck with realization as he understood Izuku's idea. He allowed the energy to course inside his body, again traveling in waves.
"I think I got it!" Izuku said as he took a moment to create a picture in his head: a river flowing quickly, but the energy traveled gradually and evenly, thus causing the river to flow at a natural pace.
He then, in typical Satoshi fashion, generated energy from One For All through his body. The result was red lightning surrounding his body, and he was able to control a bit of this energy output.
"You figured a way to divide the energy through your body?" Satoshi stated surprisingly, "I'm impressed, but you should know, that the way I draw energy is different than how you do it. You may need a mental cap to stop yourself from being hurt, but I don't need to do that just yet."
"Bring it on Satoshi." Izuku challenged.
"Alright then, seems I do not need to hold back anymore," Satoshi smirked as he brought his hand back and created several blue spheres, and hurled them towards Izuku.
Izuku drew his arm back and used a moderate amount of energy on his arms to repel the incoming spheres. This time, Izuku was successful in controlling his arm, not sustaining any injuries. However, he was given no time to feel accomplished as more spheres came his way. Deciding against blocking, Izuku tried to dodge all of them, and he was successful.
"Not bad, Izuku, you're faster now," Satoshi smirked as he appeared in front of Izuku, seemingly out of nowhere, and landed a punch on his abdomen. Izuku crashed onto the ground and Satoshi landed next to him, quickly picking him up.
"Oops, that was a bit too much," Satoshi said as he jumped backward.
Izuku gave Satoshi a nod and looked at his fist.
Thank you, Gran Torino, All Might, and of course Satoshi, for helping me find this first step.
"I'm coming at you with my full attack," Izuku said, "meet me head-on!"
"Don't overdo it!" Satoshi warned as he prepared his attack.
"I can't afford to not overdo it," Izuku yelled as his body began coursing with energy as he wanted to use his power against Satoshi, and he channeled it into his fist. "8% Detroit Smash!"
Satoshi sighed as he did the same thing, though he was reluctant. He focused the energy into his fists, the energy radiating within his vicinity. Both of the teenagers then launched themselves towards the other, their bodies filled with energy as their fists met head-on.
The impact created a large shock wave as both teens were engulfed by smoke, the energy crackled and flowed outward so much that even Gran Torino and All Might had to brace for impact.
The smoke dissipated as Satoshi and Izuku were blown back. Though they were both pushed back, Satoshi was standing, while Izuku was on the other side of the room.
"So, this is the power of the ancient quirk that Young Ketchum possesses." All Might pointed out.
"It seems his potential, along with Izuku's, is quite extensive." Gran Torino added, "Toshi, you have found the right students to bring to me. We will help them make great improvements this week."
They turned to see Satoshi running over to pick Izuku up.
"Hey, are you alright?" Satoshi asked as he proceeded to sit by Izuku and healed his arm.
"Yeah," Izuku replied, "you are really powerful, Satoshi, you blew me completely away with your power."
"Thanks, but you managed to match my attack after holding onto this quirk for less than 2 months, I'd say you improved a lot, you'll catch up in no time," Satoshi said.
"If you are patient and less reckless, then you can make great progress." All Might instructed.
"You and Satoshi have the same homework this week, you both have a lot of work to do to prepare yourselves for the upcoming Sports Festival," Gran Torino stated.
"Young Midoriya, you used an 8% Smash and managed to bruise yourself quite a bit. I would like you to keep your future attacks at 5% and refine the moves you can use in that percentage," All Might instructed, "Young Ketchum, you are very strong, but not quite there. Find a way to increase your limit. Young Midoriya has somehow found a limit due to the short amount of time he has had the quirk, though his limit is minimal compared to yours. You need to find yours too."
"Now, before All Might bores you both to death," Gran Torino interjected, "we will show you to your rooms, then you can join us in the lobby for dinner, while we go over the plan for the rest of the week."
Satoshi and Izuku gave their instructors a firm nod as they departed the training room. In the next half an hour, they were shown the rooms where they will be staying for their visit. They quickly changed their clothes and moved down towards the lobby, their stomachs hungry for some delicious food.
(With Serena, Ochaco, Minoru, Tsuyu, and Tenya at the U.A. High School grounds)
"Come on Asui, Yvonne, Uraraka, Mineta, we have to keep running to keep up this exercise," Tenya instructed as the girls behind him are struggling to keep up with him.
The group was currently undergoing stamina training in the form of marathon running. Tenya offered to be the pacemaker as he was faster by default. Using a normal running speed without activating his quirk, he would help increase the speed that Ochaco, Minoru, Tsuyu, and Serena could move around.
"Alright, let's stop here," Tenya said as he received a phone call.
The group used this chance to take a deep breath, they needed it as they have been running for the last hour, they were silent for a few moments, taking their time to breathe.
"So how does your quirk work exactly?" Minoru asked Serena, "do you have control over what other people can throw at you."
"They have to have elemental qualities," Serena responded, "so it can't be like Satoshi's Energy Spheres or Katsuki's explosions."
"What about Shoto's ice? Can you control that?" Tsuyu asked.
"Depends on how much ice he throws at me. If he summons a whole iceberg, I won't able to respond to the attack in time," Serena responded, "my body also isn't used to those temperatures like Shoto is, so fire and ice may scorch or freeze me and restrict my movement."
"So what exactly can your quirk control?" Ochaco asked.
"I can use particles from the elemental forces to manipulate and control them," Serena responded, "like how I created a gust of wind when we were at U.S.J. the range of my powers are electricity, wind, earth, fire, ice, and water."
"That is a huge range of abilities, are you some kind of mage?" Minoru said in a surprising tone.
"It is, but I can't use them for an extended period, if I switch too much between the elements, then I risk hurting my body from the elemental powers, like the temperatures of fire and ice."
"Hey what did I miss?" Tenya asked as he rejoined the group.
"Oh, we were just talking about Serena's quirk." Tsuyu informed Tenya, "apparently she can manipulate and control the elements."
"But she has to be careful because if she isn't then she could get hurt by the elemental powers," Ochaco added.
"This is why we're doing stamina and maneuverability training to prepare for the festival, if you can get more sturdy and improve your physique, then you can figure out different ways to use those elements," Tenya said.
"But why are we running circles then?" Serena asked.
"Yeah, how does that help us improve our quirks?" Minoru asked.
"You girls aren't thinking outside the box," Tenya informed.
"What do you mean?" Tsuyu asked.
"Think about it, all I do is run. Why do I do that? What does that have to do with my quirk?" Tenya asked.
"Well your quirk is Engine, so the more you use it, the more you can get better at…" Serena stopped as she gave herself a huge facepalm.
"Wait, what was that for?" Ochaco asked.
"Serena figured it out," Tenya informed her, "remember at the start of the exercise? I said that we are running to train our quirks, now because my quirk actually requires me to run, like literally just run, that's all I did."
"Ohhh, so we should have incorporated our quirks into the run to improve the usage," Ochaco said.
"Your right, when we were running through training ground Gamma and there were a lot of complicated infrastructures," Serena said, "not once did Tsuyu use her flexibility as a frog nor did you use your quirk to float or make yourself lighter to run faster."
"You also didn't use your quirk to manipulate the air around you to go faster, and Mineta can bounce off his quirk so he could have used it to become more agile," Tenya pointed out, "that was the point of today's exercise. The more you use your quirks, the better you are at using them, and that can help you overcome your weaknesses."
"By the way, who were you on the phone with?" Tsuyu asked.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I was on the phone with my brother, Ingenium." Tenya responded
"How is he?" Mineta asked, "what was his call about?"
"My brother is well. He was out in the field when we were attacked at U.S.J," Tenya explained, "so he was unable to contact me. He just got back from the field, so he decided to call me to ask about it."
"I hope the conversation was not too bad," Serena said, "he must have been worried sick."
"It was fine," Tenya said, "we exchanged greetings but he mostly just told me to be more mindful in the future, especially since we'll be out in the field someday."
"That's good," Serena said.
"We should get back to preparing for the Sports festival," Tenya said, "how do you all feel about the exercises?"
"I for one think that it was good for us to do them, I would hate to be behind when we have to fight each other in the festival," Tsuyu added, "I have a feeling Izuku and Satoshi are already ahead of us in terms of training."
"Would you mind having us join you guys for practice?" Momo asked as she approached the group alongside Kyoka, Mina, and Denki.
The group of 5 grinned excitedly as they welcomed the group of 4, they exchanged greetings and decided to create a plan for their upcoming training time.
(With Satoshi and Izuku in the training room on Sunday)
"Today's the last day of our little boot camp here huh?" Izuku stated as the duo was just finishing off some last-minute workouts in the training room.
"Yeah, I can finally see Serena again," Satoshi said as Izuku glared at him softly, "What?"
"Either way, the opening of the Sports Festival is in a week, so we have the rest of the week to finish our preparations," Izuku pointed out.
"Anyway, we should see just how much we improved this week, how about a race?" Satoshi asked.
"Nope, you have won every one of those, and you never let me use more than 5% of my power," Izuku whined.
"It's not me that is making this rule," Satoshi informed him, "you know All Might would be mad at the both of us if you went over that percentage."
"Whatever let's just get this over with," Izuku said.
"We're not racing this time," Satoshi said, "let's have a tag race, since we both know I'm faster, we'll just have you tag me."
"Okay, but I'm going faster this time," Izuku stated.
"Izuku, seriously, don't go over the 5% percentage," Satoshi advised.
"This is not useful at all, I know I can go faster than this," Izuku complained.
"It's okay, Izuku, you gotta take it one step at a time," Satoshi stated, "why are you so hell-bent on being so fast anyway?"
"BECAUSE I WASN'T ABLE TO DO ANYTHING," Izuku yelled as Satoshi was taken aback by his sudden emotional outburst, "I couldn't do anything during the U.S.J incident."
"I wasn't doing much to help. Serena helped us escape from the Shipwreck zone; you helped All Might along with Kacchan, Shoto, and Eijiro," Izuku said as a few teardrops were streaming down his face, "meanwhile all I did was get a broken arm and broken legs."
"Izuku…" Satoshi was at a loss for words, he stayed silent, giving Izuku a few moments to calm down. He knew everyone was stressed, but he had no idea that Izuku was this troubled.
"Hey Izuku," Satoshi started but stopped to carefully consider his words, "look, we already went over this, there was nothing more that we could have done given our circumstances and because we are students. We were all powerless against the Nomu, and we would've all been killed if not for All Might. You protected him, you bought him time, and we are still alive because of you."
Izuku remained unconvinced, but Satoshi offered him a hand and a reassuring smile
"And just so you know, I'm going super slow to help you," Satoshi reminded, "you need to be able to use your powers safely before we move on to the next stage."
"Easy for you to say, you already have firm control over your quirk," Izuku stated angrily.
"That may be true, but do you think this was easy for me when I was younger?" Satoshi said, "do you know how many hours I had to put in to get to the level that I am at today? I had to practice and practice, week in, week out to reach the level that I am in."
"Were you and Serena always the most proficient quirk users around?" Izuku asked.
"Actually we weren't even close. I was always way behind Serena due to the nature of our quirks. Serena's quirk built upon her control and she mastered it easily with a lot of help from the people around us. My quirk requires me to build up my power and train over a long period, just like how you have to now."
"Serena was more powerful than you were in the past?" Izuku looked at Satoshi with a look of disbelief.
"She still is, her quirk has packed a lot more punch than mine does," Satoshi said, "but I am stronger overall because I refined my speed to counteract her power. I trained my speed since the only way for me to beat her was to be faster than she was, and with my quirk, it was easy to do that."
"How so?" Izuku said.
"My quirk draws energy within me, so if I refine it, I can use it to become faster and stronger," Satoshi explained, "unlike Serena's quirk, I can alter it within my body. But her quirk comes from releasing energy, and she has to draw the energy from around her."
"So…basically, your quirk draws power from within you, and her draws her power without?" Izuku asked.
"It's an oversimplification of things, but more or less what you said," Satoshi replied, "now come on, we gotta help you refine your quirk, I know it's boring and painful, but we can do it."
"Urghh, I just wish there was a way to make this interesting," Izuku whined.
"That's why I made the change," Satoshi said, "we race around the room and you try to catch me?"
"That's basically what we did a few days ago with Gran Torino." Izuku pointed out.
"You're right, but I won't pin you to the ground," Satoshi said, "now come one, stop being a whiny baby and let me help you."
Izuku sighed and prepared himself for the game of tag that was about to happen.
"Ready when you are," Izuku announced.
Satoshi didn't respond, instead, focusing on the energy in his body, he reached an acceptable amount and launched himself forward, scaling the walls in the room and bouncing off the edges. Izuku followed suit as he moved, keeping himself right behind Satoshi.
The duo scaled the walls for a while, with Izuku slowly being more proficient in using his power. They continued to move around the room for another 45 minutes before the duo had to take a break.
"Urghhh, you were right, I definitely had to stop there, I'm going way too fast compared to how I'm used to, it's actually so tiring." Izuku panted.
Satoshi was unresponsive as he had to tend to himself. The raven-haired teen couldn't understand what was going on but his hands were shaking. He tried to remember what had happened in the last few days that could have caused his body to act like this but after a few moments he couldn't figure anything out.
"Satoshi? Hello? What's going on?" Izuku asked in a concerning tone.
"I don't know, it's just…my hands are shaking," Satoshi replied, "I don't quite know why."
"Don't tell me you're overworking yourself after you lectured me on self-control," Izuku said.
"No, it's not that, I'm sure of it," Satoshi stated, "I definitely did not overdo it, I'm just not sure what's going on. Whatever the case is, it's probably a good idea to take a break."
The duo decided against any more training for the day, they took their things and left the training room. Izuku texted All Might saying they were going to leave the premises to get some food. They spent the rest of the day in a state of relaxation and reflection, thinking about ways they could incorporate their training progress into their performance at the Sports Festival.
(The next day, back at U.A High School)
"Deku, Satoshi, how was your week away?" Ochaco asked the boys during the homeroom period.
"It was good, I got faster." Izuku answered, "we had a lot of time to practice and improve the ways we used our quirks."
"Same for me, we managed to get some good training done," Satoshi added, "what about you guys, any fruitful training results?"
"We mainly focused on finding new ways to incorporate our quirks in our movements that can help us become more agile," Tenya replied, "I can definitely pull off a few more moves while running or changing directions."
"I found ways to use my grape balls to help me change my trajectory, I can bounce around more efficiently and be more agile," Minoru added.
"Looks like everyone improved their skills in the last week," Satoshi grinned, "that's good, that'll make the Sports Festival much more interesting."
"Quiet down all of you," Aizawa instructed as he walked into the classroom with All Might, "as you all know, the Sports Festival will begin next week, I hope that the last week was sufficient time for some personal adjustments. To prepare for the Sports Festival, your non-Hero courses have been canceled this week. In the next class, you will all be doing some Hero Basic training. We will make a record for you today, and after the Sports Festival and your Hero Agency Internships, we will repeat these assignments to see your improvements. Now, so put on your hero costumes and meet us at the Ground Beta training field."
The students proceeded as instructed, and in 10 minutes they had converged at the Ground Beta training field.
"Good to see you all here students," Aizawa said as Thirteen entered the premise, "now Thirteen and I will explain the basic procedures for this training session, listen carefully."
"Wait, Mr. Aizawa, where did All Might go?" Izuku asked as the class just noticed All Might's absence.
"That… is none of your concern Midoriya. Focus on the task at hand," Aizawa responded coldly, "students, we will be doing rescue training today. There are 22 students here, and we have lots of space to cover in Ground Beta. We will be enacting a rescue search for lost or trapped civilians in today's class."
"We will split into 2 groups consisting of Heroes and civilians," Thirteen added, "there will be 5 heroes on the recuse job and 17 civilians in need of rescue, 11 of you are allowed to holler and call out for help, 6 of you are to remain silent as you will be acting as unconscious civilians."
In the next few moments, the 2 groups were decided with Izuku, Serena, Minoru, Ochaco, and Katsuki as the rescue heroes and the rest of the 1-A students being trapped or lost civilians.
"Thirteen and I will be monitoring your performance, but we will not interfere," Aizawa reminded, "please do make sure to get everyone back."
The group of 5 waited until the teacher left, then proceeded to make a plan, that is, when Katsuki started yelling.
"I'm not working with you small fries," Katsuki yelled, "you do well to dispense with that idea. Do whatever you like, I'm going to find them myself."
"Okay then…" Izuku sweat-dropped, "that went as well as I thought it would go with Kacchan."
"Yeah, let's just split up and look for the survivors," Ochaco suggested, "I will go with Serena, and Deku can go with Minoru, how does that sound?"
The group agreed to this plan as they dispersed.
(Meanwhile, with Satoshi and Shoto hiding in a cave)
Satoshi and Shoto were currently hiding in a cave that was semi-destroyed, they were both acting as conscious trapped civilians, so they used this time to engage in conversation.
"This exercise would be much faster if I was a rescuer," Satoshi said, "Kyoka and Mezo would also be very good on the job."
"Because of your quirks?" Shoto asked calmly, "I thought your quirk was Energy Manipulation, how would it help you track down people?"
"Well, my quirk isn't Energy Manipulation," Satoshi corrected, "it's Aura Manipulation. Using the life forces of those around me I can sense them and tell who they are if I know them, I can also discern their location. If I hone these abilities more, I can also tell how healthy they are or how injured they are."
"So can you tell where everyone is hiding now?" Shoto asked curiously.
"No, if I don't use it specifically to track someone, then it sort goes on standby mode," Satoshi explained, "this way, I'm not bombarded with unnecessary information constantly."
"I guess that makes sense. You have a very cool quirk, I saw you use it to great effect in the entrance exam as well during the U.S.J. incident," Shoto said with a smile on his face, "it's nice to be able to be classmates with and compete with someone as talented as you are."
"Likewise, your quirk is also very powerful, it's Ice Manipulation right?" Satoshi asked.
"No. My quirk called is 'Half-Cold Half-Hot', I can produce fire on the left side of my body and ice on the right side." Shoto's expression grew a bit darker at the mention of his quirk, Satoshi notices this shift in expression but shook it off as he did not want to focus too much on it.
Huh, I've never seen you use the fire quirk. Satoshi thought, "If you don't mind me asking, what is the red spot on your face?"
As he was met with silence, Satoshi realized he asked a question that he should not have.
"You know what, never mind. I'm sorry I asked, it's probably not my place." Satoshi apologized as he mentally curses at his insensitivity.
"No, it's fine," Shoto answered, "you don't mean any harm. I'll give you an answer someday, just not today. I don't think we're close enough to speak about this, maybe later."
Suddenly, a large sound came from underneath them. The duo was alarmed at the sound and soon enough, a villain had emerged from under the ground and surveyed the duo.
"Hmph, you two don't seem to have the look of Heroes. Straighten up now, I want to have a real fight today to celebrate my freedom." The villain taunted.
Satoshi and Shoto grit their teeth as they were suddenly face-to-face with a huge problem. They both unleashed their long-range attacks at the villain to keep him back, but the villain simply dodged the attacks and threw a punch at both of them. They were both knocked back but they stood back up immediately, facing the villain.
"Weak." The villain laughed as the duo was in a pinch now.
(With Izuku and Minoru patrolling the other side of the forest)
"Help, help me please!" Mashirao Ojiro yelled as he hid in a deep pit under some fallen wooden branch pieces, acting like a civilian buried underneath it. Izuku and Minoru were walking by the area searching for the survivors when they heard him and they quickly ran to Mashirao's position.
"Hey, we're coming to get you, just sit tight and don't move." Minoru hollered as they began to remove the wood. They removed a portion of the wood before Mashirao was completely visible to them.
"Okay, Izuku, we have to get them up, do you have a plan?" Minoru asked.
"We could construct a ladder using the wooden pieces here and your grape balls," Izuku suggested. Mineta gave an approving nod as the duo began to construct their ladder. They completed it in no time and used it to help Mashirao out of the pit.
"Thank you two." Mashirao thanked him as the duo gave him big smiles.
"Hey all, I found Kyoka!" Ochaco called out as the girls gathered with the boys.
"Guys, guys, we have a huge problem!" the group was startled as Tenya came running towards them.
"Wait, what's the situation now?" Minoru whined.
"Ketchum and Todoroki are attacked by a villain, they ran towards a clear field, we need to gather everyone and get out of here," Tenya informed.
"What?!" Mashirao said, "a villain? And so soon after U.S.J. too?"
"I'm going to help them," Izuku said.
"Don't be dumb Midoriya," Tenya called out, "you can't fight him. None of us can, not even the two strongest people in our class can match the villain's strength."
"I don't care," Izuku responded, "you can bet that Kacchan is there fighting too, if we work together, how can 1 villain beat all of us?!"
The group looked at him and nodded, springing into action. Mashirao went to inform Aizawa and Thirteen as Tenya rounded up all the students and went to the place that Satoshi and Shoto were at.
(Meanwhile, with Satoshi and Shoto fighting the Villain)
A slightly bruised Satoshi and Shoto were doing their best to match the villain as they went blow for blow.
Shoto launched Ice Pillars toward the villain. The villain knocked them out with ease and ran towards Shoto, landing a couple of punches that threw him back. Satoshi ran towards him to check on him.
"Shoto, are you okay?" Satoshi asked.
"I'm…fine…" Shoto muttered as he was struggling to speak due to his injuries, "get out of here."
Satoshi shook his head at that idea and walked toward his opponent. His mind wandered back to his training with Gran Torino and All Might, as he had confessed to All Might about never using his full power.
"Ha, is this the best you kids got?" The villain smirked, "if you don't want your friend to die, then you have got to do better. Come on, you can do better than that."
"Fine then, if you want to go there." Satoshi said, "you asked for this, villain."
Satoshi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, channeling all of his aura energy from his body. His body was engulfed with a glaringly bright white-blue aura that looked almost like a concentrated blue flame. He then took all this energy and connected it to his arms and legs. He shot himself forward, landing about 30 punches and kicks in a matter of seconds on the villain in numerous different places.
He continued to attack the villain, his attacks becoming faster and faster, eventually, his speed matched the speed of the villain's attacks, and even managed to push the villain back.
"Not bad!" the villain said as he launched an attack at Satoshi only to be blocked by him, Satoshi then knocked him back, throwing him into a column of trees. Hoping this was over, Satoshi picked up Shoto and began to leave. His luck would end there as the villain endured his attacks and emerged from the collapsed trees.
He's still up after I hit him with my current 100% capacity? This is not good. Satoshi thought.
"Hmph, that's more like it boy, but don't be thinking of running away." the villain laughed as he launched towards Satoshi, who did his best to dodge the incoming attack.
He was able to slightly dodge the attack thanks to his reaction time in the last second. To his relief, he heard footsteps incoming as the rest of the class had arrived. They were also surprised to see this energy surround Satoshi, but they couldn't focus on him as the villain was running Satoshi down.
"Hey, white aura Spiky-haired boy, having trouble with Mr. ugly villain over there?" Katsuki was among the first to raise his voice, yelling at Satoshi.
"Stop yapping you useless git and come help me." Satoshi insulted Katsuki as the latter looked at him angrily.
"Everyone, we need to get Satoshi and Shoto out of here and run away." Tenya hollered.
"You want to run away?! Oh, I don't think so." The villain yelled as he stomped the ground, creating a gust of wind that pushed everyone back.
"Hmph, if you small fries wanna run away, be my guest. But I'm gonna beat this guy up." Katsuki smirked as he launched himself towards the villain, blasting him on the back. The villain recovered quickly and grabbed Katsuki, tossing him aside.
"You can't beat him by yourself Katsuki," Satoshi advised, "we need to work together as a class."
"I don't need help from small fry," Katsuki taunted, "you don't seem capable enough to beat him anyway."
"Katsuki, you need to stop looking down at all of us." Eijiro said, "come on class 1-A, let's show this villain that we are not to be messed with."
The whole class cried in determination as they decided to join the fight.
"Hmph, kids these days." The villain taunted as he stomped the ground again, causing the fractured wood on the ground to bounce up, he then kicked them all towards the class.
"Hmph take this!" Satoshi yelled as he, Denki, Yuga, and Serena launched their long-range attacks, stopping the wood pieces from reaching them.
Mezo, Rikido, Hanta, Kyoka, and Momo used their quirks to restrain the villain and the rest of the class ran at the villain in an attempt to completely subdue him.
To their surprise, the villain managed to break free of the hold on him and created a shock wave that sent everyone backward.
"Looks like I got your friend here. Come and claim him if you want him to live." The villain taunted as he managed to get his hands on the unconscious Shoto.
The rest of the class continued to attack the villain as Izuku turned to Minoru, Tsuyu, Serena, and Ochaco.
"I have a plan to stop him, we have to lead him towards an area." Izuku started, "Ochaco, make me weightless; Tsu, throw me towards him; Serena, create a gust of wind and propel me towards Shoto."
"What are you going to grab him with?" Tsu asked.
"Mineta, give me one of your grape balls. I can use it to stick me and Shoto together," Izuku said, "after that, you have to find a surface to place your grape balls. If we can trap him there, then we can beat him."
"Got it." The group hollered as they gave Izuku a reassuring nod and enacted the plan out.
Ochaco used her quirk on Izuku and then Tsuyu flung him towards the villain, he grabbed a grape ball from Mineta and flew towards the villain, Serena used her quirk and pushed Izuku forward even faster.
Izuku quickly grabbed Shoto, sticking a grape ball on his shoulder, and picked him up. He then turned around and aimed an attack at the villain.
I have to go to 8%. Izuku thought as he launched an attack of pure wind energy by flicking his fingers. The attack was enough to briefly knock the villain back, creating an opening for another attack.
"Now Serena direct him towards Minoru!" Izuku yelled.
"Alright, I'm on it!" Serena, who was very close to the villain, launched a barrage of wind and fire attacks that sent the villain flying. Her attacks were powerful enough to damage the villain and create a smokescreen so dense that it obstructed his vision. The villain managed to blow the smoke away but was ill-prepared for the following incoming attack.
Satoshi, who was still in his state of 100% power, launched a kick at the villain using all of his power, the attack was so powerful that the villain flew all the way across the field, towards the direction of a purple-haired boy.
With a confirming thud, the villain landed in the tree. After gaining his composure, the villain was surprised to find that he couldn't move. Due to the grape balls on the tree, the villain was now firmly stuck to the tree and couldn't get himself off of it.
Before anyone waited to react, Satoshi launched himself towards the enemy at a speed that was so fast that most couldn't see him. What beheld the villain was the sight of this angry raven-haired boy whose fist was glowing in a color similar to the one radiating across his whole body.
"Villain, now you are defeated, surrender!" Satoshi yelled as he prepared to throw his punch at the villain.
"Wait! Wait! It's me! Don't attack, it's me," the villain took off his mask to reveal that he was actually All Might, "it's me, it's All Might! I am here!"
The whole class looked at each other and him with a bewildered state. Aizawa and Thirteen walked by them and explained that All Might was wearing a villain costume to test the resolve of the students.
The response was, obviously, ugly. Most of, if not all the students started to berate the No.1 Hero, demanding him tell why he went so far, even knocking out a student. All Might was left in his state of apologizing as the students continued to berate him.
Satoshi sighed as he walked toward Shoto, who had just gotten up and acted as if nothing happened.
"Wait, Shoto, how are you okay? He knocked you out cold." Satoshi said in a confused state.
"That was what he wanted you to see, though I don't know why," Shoto replied, "apparently All Might had intended for you to be angry and desperate enough to use your 100%, he informed me of this before homeroom and this was all a set-up."
Satoshi was awestruck. He recounted his conversation with All Might earlier.
(Flashback starts)
"I didn't get to use my full power," Satoshi responded, "I was considering the idea of using it. But then you arrived, and I didn't have to."
"Well, maybe if you want to fight against me, we could see what that power is." All Might suggested.
"If I were fighting you, knowing that it was you," Satoshi said, "I would never use all of my power, I would not be able to use them against you knowing you are injured."
All Might responded with a stern look at the raven-haired teen and turned his gaze towards the battlefield.
(Flashback ends)
Satoshi shook his head as he sat down and recollected his thoughts.
He went to this long a length to ask me to draw out my 100%. I guess I owe him. Satoshi thought.
He turned towards All Might, who at the moment was still at the mercy of the students, Satoshi laughed a bit and Shoto looked at him and also smiled.
"I'm sorry about the deception," Shoto apologized, "truth is I only agreed to it because I wanted to see your 100% because you might be an opponent in the Sports Festival, but also because your quirk is really something impressive."
"It's all good, and I'm looking forward to our encounters at the Sports Festival," Satoshi said as he extended a hand to Shoto, who took and shook his hand with great eagerness.
(Later that day, with All Might, Gran Torino, Satoshi, and Izuku)
"Once again, I am sorry for this. I only intended to draw out your powers," All Might said as he apologized to the duo, "I did not intend for you guys to be so stressed out."
"Yeah not to mention I just showed my current 100% power to the whole class," Satoshi complained.
"Power that, if I hadn't done this, you would have not drawn out until later," All Might reminded him as Satoshi sulked at the truth of the statement, "how do you feel about it? Do you think you can use it again?"
"Not like I did earlier," Satoshi said, as he held his hand, "I need to recover from that, but I also need more practice to be able to use it and improve it."
"Yeah I was honestly surprised that it was so powerful, you managed to keep me back longer than I had anticipated." All Might complimented Satoshi.
"That does not sound like a compliment to me," Satoshi stated, "anyways, Izuku, you used 8% in that fight, how are you feeling?"
"I'm not hurt, I think I had it all under control," Izuku said as he monitored his arms, "by the way, you said that was your current 100% power? If we say that 8% of One For All is my current 100%, or rather my goal. What is your current 100% compared to the full extent of your quirk?"
"I talked to my father about this after the class since he studies the ancestry of Aura users to prepare for my training," Satoshi responded, "he told me that most Aura users could move at speeds akin to super-speed, meaning that most people couldn't even see me when I use my quirk to move. He also said what I showed today was about 10% of the power that most aura users can use."
"So you're 10% is enough to surprise All Might?" Izuku said surprisingly, "what kind of monster are you?"
"Hey, you managed to keep up with me very well the other day." Satoshi pointed out.
"Yeah, cuz you held back," Izuku retorted, "I would have no chance against what you unleashed today."
"Well, you know what you're competing with," Satoshi laughed as he pointed toward All Might, "I'm not even the most powerful person in the room."
"Look, about that. I need to talk to both of you about something serious, so listen carefully." Gran Torino said as he walked over to the window.
The boys were slightly surprised at the serious tone change. They followed Gran Torino and All Might as they reached the windows and looked outside.
"I think it would be wise if neither of you used your current 100% in the Sports festival." All Might said.
"Why though?" Satoshi asked sternly and instantly, "that was the whole point of today's exercise, right? To get us to use our 100% so we can use it in the future."
"Yes, you're right Satoshi. However, the Sports Festival, as Aizawa explained, is akin to the Olympics sports of old," Gran Torino explained, "many eyes will be watching them, and you can bet your perpetrators from the incident at U.S.J. will also be tuning in to your performance."
"So you're saying we should hold back for the sake of our safety?" Izuku asked.
"Yes. Until you've practiced and honed in on those moves, it might be best not to draw their full extent," Gran Torino said.
"You have no idea what's out there, and though Hero internships are important, it may not be as important as keeping yourself safe." All Might added with a tense tone.
"Look, Gran Torino, All Might. Your concern is well placed," Satoshi started, "but I can't do that. Just today I talked to a Shoto who wanted to see more of my power; and others in the class who are looking to me to help them, not to mention a Katsuki who would gladly beat Izuku's butt at his 100%."
"You also can't expect me to go into the Sport's festival not giving it my all," Izuku added, "especially when the whole class wants to know my capabilities, I just unlocked Full Cowl thanks to you guys."
All Might and Gran Torino turned around to look at the boys standing next to them, they looked into their eyes and saw fierce and unwavering determination.
"Fine, but let me tell you about the person who gave me this," All Might said as he lifted his shirt to reveal his injury, "his real name is a mystery to us. He is only known by his quirk as well as his alias as "All For One". He has been my nemesis for over a decade."
"He is gathering new followers to his cause, we predict that the villains you fought at U.S.J. are his prime successors," Gran Torino added.
"Why does he need successors if he was able to contend with All Might's Power?" Satoshi inquired.
"Because he was gravely injured when he fought me, he had to flee away and disappear. In his absence, many thought he was dead, but he wanted people to think that." All Might answered.
"Where is he now?" Izuku asked.
"He now hides in the shadows, and he is waiting to strike back. So whatever goes on from this point, you need to be vigilant, people are hunting you two." Gran Torino warned.
"Well, like I said last week," Izuku reminded, "If they want to come to get us, then we'll be ready for them."
"Alright then, the Sports Festival starts next week," All Might said, "you best get some rest and make some final preparations.
Satoshi and Izuku looked at him and Gran Torino and nodded. They walked out of the room and headed back to their classroom, excited about the upcoming competition.
"We have about 3 months to prepare them for the things to come," All Might said, "we need to get them ready for their internships as well as their second semester, they haven't got much time."
"The trajectory of the future of Pro Heroes is determined by them now." Gran Torino agreed.
(With Shigaraki and Kurogiri in their hideout in Kamino Ward, Yokohama City)
"Teacher I have just seen our guest, she will be welcomed here like family," Shigaraki said into a communicator.
"Good, do I need to introduce her quirk to you?" The voice said in the comms.
"No, I believe she introduced herself quite extensively," Kurogiri replied.
"Well then, that's good, I am preparing Nomu for you to unleash on the city, they will be ready in a few weeks, and you are to wreak havoc in those streets."
"Yes teacher, as you wish," Shigaraki said as the communicator disconnected.
"So when will I be able to hunt my delicious prey?" The lady currently sitting in the bar, sipping on some champagne, looked towards them and asked.
"In due time. As you can see, I don't really call the shots here, I am only in command when we are out in the field." Shigaraki responded coldly.
"Well, of course, I guess I could spend some time honing in on my skills." She said as she placed some crimson goggles on her face and walked towards Shigaraki.
"Here, give this a glance, it'll show you what I told you in detail." The lady said as she gave Shigaraki a book that details her feats and accomplishments.
Shigaraki looked at the book curiously as it read, in bold: Hunter J, the Terrifying Stonewright.
Alright, this is a good place to stop the chapter.
I know I said in chapter 4 that the Sports Festival would begin this chapter, but I guess I didn't get to fit it in. It will begin in chapter 6.
As I have said in the last chapter, and the ones before, I have made some changes in my story compared to the canon story. This time I changed the way that Izuku is dealing with the shortcomings of his quirk, as I disagreed with the way the anime and manga did it since I half expected Izuku to meet with Gran Torino before the Sports Festival to prepare him for it. They made this whole fuss about it being important for him not to injure his body. IMO All Might should have introduced Izuku and Gran Torino in the 2 weeks that the students prepared for the Sports Festival, but they didn't so I had that done in my story. This also means that there may be a slight acceleration of Izuku's abilities compared to the anime, but it won't be much as I plan to stretch out the timeline for the story.
For the benefit of you, the readers, the end of this chapter is in the fifth week of school, thus being in May.
Side note: for those of you MHA fans who haven't seen Pokemon, Hunter J is an antagonist that Ash (Satoshi) encountered in his travels in the Sinnoh region (gen 4). I won't give away her quirk now but you can look her up and see what she does in Pokemon, and you are free to make predictions about her abilities in this story. I am happy to take suggestions from any (Pokemon) fans for the details of her quirk!
Anyway, Satoshi and Izuku have grown in their preparations for the Sports festivals. I hope you all enjoyed the way I continue to make Satoshi seem overpowered despite him not being close to the best at all what with All Might and co. being Pro Heroes.
Chapter 6: The Burning Passion of the Sports Festival!
To be continued…