Chapter Twenty-Four: Let's Not Go To Far
"I guess this is gonna be goodbye for awhile…" Kyouka said, hugging her green-haired boyfriend for possibly the last time for a few days. Izuku nodded and hugged the girl back. This was going to be a bit of a difficult time for them as a newly found couple. This would be their first time away from one another for more than a day, and as a fresh couple they wanted nothing more than to spend every waking moment with one another.
"Yeah, I'll miss you guys… Please stay safe." He replied. Izuku would have given the girl a kiss goodbye if not for their brunette friend, Ochako Uraraka. Everyone was saying their goodbye's, or See you later's, and as friends Izuku and Kyouka would hug, right? There was nothing more to it when in front of their classmates. Though maybe that decision to hide it would end up as a mistake.
Unfortunately their goodbye was interrupted as Tenya Iida himself tried to rush past them without saying goodbye, but Izuku quickly called out to him while releasing Kyouka from his embrace. He wasn't going to get away with just trying to walk off.
"A-Ah! Iida-kun!" He called, halting his engine-legged friend. Iida swiftly turned around as a signal for Izuku to speak up. The greenette fiddled with his fingers before giving his friend a compassionate and worried look. "If it ever gets to be too much and you need to talk… Just say something. We're your friends." Izuku said as Kyouka and Uraraka stepped up beside him, both of them nodding in agreement.
Iida's face turned into a pained smile. Izuku had wished he could say more, but no one but him could understand what he was truly going through. No one but him could say what was going on inside of his head. He looked down, but then back up to his friends with a smile that reeked of falsehoods and uttered a single word.
"Sure."
Izuku's thoughts were clouded with concerns for his blue haired friend, Tenya Iida. He looked as if he was going down a dark path, and Izuku could tell. He could only hope and pray that his friend would be alright, but there was no way to be completely certain. Izuku would come to regret not saying more on this day. He would wish that he did more to help his friend in need. To change his mind of the actions he would commit.
The greenette stood in front of a run down building. Compared to the buildings next to it, this looked like a random demolition sight. Was this the right address? Did Gran Torino really live here? What kind of pro hero operated from this kind of run down office complex? The man was supposed to be All Might's former teacher, so what gives?
"Well, appearances don't matter right? It's what's on the inside that counts…" Izuku stated before opening the door to the run down building. "Hello? I'm from UA, Izuku Midoriya!"
Izuku called into the building before seeing a small lump on the ground covered in a red mess. Upon closer inspection it was an old man in a puddle of what appeared to be blood. Izuku's face paled and his heartbeat spiked as he screamed out in a panic.
"HE'S DEAD!?" He shouted, beginning to rush to the man's side before his tiny head popped up with a blissfully clueless smile, halting the greenettes movements. What Izuku didn't know was that he was going to be in for a troublesome few days of working under the pro hero Gran Torino. The man took a breath before he spoke.
"I'M ALIVE!" The old man shouted, who knowingly (Or unknowingly) scared the boy half to death himself. The old man was short and frail looking, with his hero costume being a bit old fashioned. It was pure white and yellow with a cape and black eye mask.
"HE'S ALIVE!?" Izuku shouted, questioning the morbid nature of this… Strange old man. Was this Gran Torino? All Might had sent Izuku to a total nutcase. Talk about a rude awakening.
"To slip and fall while carrying ketchup-covered sausage links… How clumsy of me!" The old man exclaimed while standing shakily. Suddenly his eyes shifted to the greenette in front of him; a new face that he had never seen before. "AND WHO ARE YOU!?"
Izuku unknowingly turned stiff and straightened himself into a respectful military idle stance. "I'm Izuku Midoriya! I've come from UA!" He'd introduce, watching as the man brought himself to his feet.
Gran Torino unfortunately was apparently hard of hearing and didn't hear the boy at all. "WHAT!?" He questioned loudly, trying to get the boy to speak up.
"IZUKU MIDORIYA!" Izuku shouted, trying to get the old geezer to hear him! Seriously what kind of hero did All Might send him to!? This old guy couldn't offer anything to Izuku education wise at all!
"And who are you!?" The old man questioned once more, causing Izuku to grow frustrated with him. Was this old man completely senile or something!?
'He's All Might's teacher, so I knew he'd be old… But seriously!? He's basically gone senile!' Izuku thought as the old man plopped himself down on the ground once more.
"I'd like to eat lunch." Gran Torino stated exasperatedly. Seems all the yelling and falling on the ground really did a number on him. Izuku was entirely confused, and couldn't get a read on the old man. Did he really live like this? Why wasn't he in an old folks home?
"Lunch!?" Izuku exclaimed, his frustration seeping out. "Lunch is the last thing you should be worrying about! I'm Izuku Midoriya! You asked for me!"
"Toshinori!" The old man exclaimed, causing Izuku to facepalm. He called him by his students name. Seriously, what was wrong with this guy! Izuku's going to have to call All Might and get this whole thing sorted out.
"That's not my!- Y'know what, excuse me for a minute. I-I need to make a phone call." Izuku said, excusing himself from the building to go and try to call All Might. Suddenly the old man's goofy tone turned serious, halting the greenette from leaving.
"Fire off an attack! Show me your One For All." He requested, causing the greenette to turn around in utter shock. "I'd like to know to what degree you can control it!"
"W-What..?" Izuku questioned, watching the old man rummage through his hero costume suitcase that he had unknowingly been looted of when he went to help the man.
"Nice costume. Put 'er on and come at me!" The old man reiterated once more. Izuku froze, what exactly was this old guy about? At one moment he seemed senile but at the next… He was completely serious. Unmovable. Very "pro-hero" like. "Who are you again!?"
'Nevermind!' Izuku thought, turning to the man angrily. "Listen I… I have to get One For All under better control, I don't have time to waste… A-All Might doesn't have much time left, so… I-If you're going to toy with me then I'll just change my internship to be under someone else! I don't have time to mess with you, sir!"
Izuku had just voiced some of his deeper concerns to a stranger, but it was true. All Might didn't have much time left at all, and it was up to Izuku to catch up in time to replace him. Gran Torino's face changed to one of sadness before it twisted into a more serious expression as Izuku turned to leave the building. Suddenly the man jumped from one part of the wall to another before finally making his right above the threshold of the door. Landing right above Izuku with a crash against the wall.
"Then I'll tell you once more." He said, his smirk turning sadistic and his hazel eyes becoming visible through the mask. He leered over the greenette, and his cape fluttered along at the sudden rush of air coming past him. "Come at me, you neophyte."
Izuku stared at the man intensely. When could he move that fast, or be that… FUCKING COOL! Izuku admired the man before him with intense wonder of his quirk, or how he was able to move in such a manner. It was amazing, and really made Izuku wish he could pull out his notebook right now.
"The way you used One For All at the Sports Festival…" Gran Torino stated, trailing off before he chuckled softly. Izuku began to see the similarities between All Might and Gran Torino. The same phrasing, the same way of playing dumb. There was seriously no doubt that he was All Might's teacher. "That justice-obsessed fool All Might sure is a novice when it comes to teaching. He can't watch over you properly, so that means I gotta do it. So put on your costume."
"Yes, Sir!"
Izuku stood adorned in his freshly upgraded costume, reading over the user manual. They had slightly adjusted the materials for his suit, while keeping the design relatively the same. His jacket was changed to a trenchcoat, and the shirt was kept the same, but armor plating was placed over his abdomen, keeping the same static green design as before with an emerald shape over the middle of his chest. His faceguard became more armored with carbon fiber, and steel.
'Costume Beta… Feels sleek, but it's a bit heavy. I'll have to get used to it so my speed will increase.' Izuku thought as he stood admiring his new adjustments to his costume. Izuku then pulled out the small keychain that he had obtained on his date with Kyouka, smiling as he clipped it onto his utility belt. He was now ready for battle.
"I'm ready." Izuku exclaimed as he turned to face the man who was set to be his teacher. "I-Is this really okay though? T-To be honest I've only recently got a hold on this power, and even then I still hurt myself a lot. If I hit you with it, you might-"
Gran Torino sighed and shook his head. "You sure talk a lot." He said before he suddenly shot around the room and appeared behind Izuku. "I'm getting impatient."
Suddenly the man kicked Izuku straight in the back and caused him to stumble forward. The greenette struggled to gather his footing but was quick to get into his battle stance. "Alright, sir. You asked for it!"
Izuku shot off after the man, allowing 5% of One For All to spread throughout his body with a green electric crackle, and attempting to strike him with a quick jab. Gran Torino smirked and blasted to another part of the room before jetting straight for the back of Izuku once more and successfully knocking him to the ground.
Izuku laid there flinching slightly at the pain as Gran Torino slowly walked towards him, but as he was in range of the boy Izuku smirk and sweep kicked him, successfully tripping the man. Izuku reeled back for another punch before a quick roundhouse sent him flying into another part of the room.
"Don't bother getting up, I've seen all I need to." Torino stated, walking back over to the greenette with a huff. "You're so stiff, and your awareness is a mess, so you end up like this."
"Dammit… I was so sure I had you..!" Izuku started with a sigh. Gran Torino shook his head and held a hand out to the greenette. The man seemed very disapproving of Izuku in that moment, he sighed before he spoke.
"No, I've seen the way you fight already. I was sure you'd figured it out based on that, but the respect you have for All Might, that sense of responsibility… They're shackles holding you back, kid." He stated, yanking the boy up to his feet. Izuku's expression showed that he was dumbfounded. Confused on what his respect for All Might had to do with his own progress as a hero. He was his mentor after all, how could he not show respect for the number one?
"You say, 'I have to get stronger quickly'. It's true, time isn't on your side, and the villains won't wait for you to get stronger, but you're viewing One For All as something unique. You're viewing yourself as a copy of All Might, when it's more important that you are the hero." He continued, walking over to his cane and picking it up. Izuku looked down at the ground before his head shot up once more with a blazing question on his mind.
"So what should I do?" The greenette questioned, causing the old man to smirk and turn his head back to look at the boy. Finally he was showing promise as a student, this was a good start.
"You've gotta find that answer for yourself. Ask the question who you are, and what do you want." Torino replied before turning back and exiting the building. "I'm heading out to buy some grub. Clean up the place for me, why don't you?"
Izuku balled his fists in frustration and looked down as sweat dripped down his face. That old man hit hard, but what hit harder was that he'd have to figure out what Gran Torino meant. His respect for All Might was a shackle, and he needed to figure out what he wanted and who he wanted to be as a hero. And if the answer wasn't like All Might…
Then what was it?
"Think of it like Aizawa said… Mastery of your quirk leads to endless possibilities." Izuku said standing right in front of an alleyway. He started walking into it as the stars and moon shined in the night, providing him a fairly dim light to work with. He had exited Gran Torino's home and made his way outside for some secret late night training of his own after Torino had gotten back from buying dinner. Seriously, the old man just fell right asleep after they ate. "I basically need to get used to my quirk, maybe refine my movements a little… I am not, and never will be All Might."
'Wall-Jump around like Gran Torino, that'll be good practice for speeding up and getting used to the added mobility… Maybe I'll even think of a few cool moves while I'm here.' Izuku thought as he hopped up and down while stretching his arms. 'My goal remains the same regardless; I need to improve!'
Izuku braced himself to leap for the wall, allowing 8% of One For All to flow through his body idly. The pain was becoming less and less each time he attempted this, he'd note that it would only be a matter of time before he was able to use it as if it was like breathing.
The greenette lept for the wall in the hopes of a successful wall-jump… Only to faceplant and fall into a heap of garbage. It was definitely going to take some getting used to, leaping from wall to wall he needed to latch onto each wall every time he jumped onto it and prepare for the other jump. It needed to be quick, he needed it to run like clockwork in his mind.
'I've just got to keep trying!'
And try Izuku did, until 8 in the morning, being found by Gran Torino in the kitchen covered in asphalt dust and looking so extremely tired. He had ended up spending all night training, trying to improve all aspects that he could of himself.
"What's wrong with you!?" Gran Torino questioned upon viewing the greenettes weary form in the morning. Izuku smiled a bit painfully and turned to face Gran Torino.
"I was up doing some training last night and lost track of time…" He replied, wobbling around weakly as if he was about to pass out. "Once I had figured out what you said, I decided to try and put it into practice, but I've got a long way to go…"
Gran Torino sniffled. "Every real challenge begins that way; that's just how it is. You'd be hard-pressed to get that kinda thinking outta All Might. That guy could manage it just fine from the start, so I had to teach him in a totally different way. Only thing he had going for him was his body, really."
Izuku perked up at the mention of All Might back in high school. "You mean when All Might was back in school!?"
Torino nodded, reminiscing about the old days of him and younger Toshinori. "We did nothing but spar until he was ready to puke, but I could just half-ass his training. He was entrusted to me by a dear departed friend…"
"So All Might's predecessor had already passed away by that point..?" Izuku questioned, a mix of confusion and concern present in his tone. Torino nodded once more, but before the conversation could continue a buzzing noise came from the front door. It was a deliveryman dropping off a package.
Torino's face grew concerned as the greenette went to get the package. It seemed that Toshinor was holding out on information towards the ninth user. That was no good, sooner or later he would have to find out about the man who he was destined to battle.
"It's a microwave." Izuku deadpanned as he opened up the package for Gran Torino. The old man smiled and patted the microwave that laid in front of him.
"Yeah, somehow mine got broken yesterday, so I ordered this with next-day delivery!" The old man stated, returning to his goofy aloof old man persona. Izuku sighed and went to hook it up for him, as the old man followed. The guy had crushed the old one himself. "Cook me some Taiyaki for breakfast! The ones I bought yesterday!"
"Eh!? For breakfast!?"
The two men sat eating their dessert-like breakfast as Izuku pondered ways to improve his agility and movements. How to define himself as separate from All Might.
"U-Um, Gran Torino?" Izuku called, gaining the man's attention. Izuku fiddled with his taiyaki before continuing. "C-Could you show me a few moves? I-I kind of want to have a basis to start with, kinda like something to build off of because I've just been using All Might's moves…"
Torino smirked and hopped down from his seat while cracking his fingers. "Sure, but you sure you won't regret it? My method of teaching is a bit unorthodox."
Izuku's face twisted into a determined smile as he too stood from his seat and crackled with 8% of One For All, feeling nothing but a slight tinge of muscle ache. "It's beating it into me, right? I'll be taking it with stride!"
Torino let out a puff of hair from the bottom of his feet as his eyes widened in excitement. Izuku matched his confident smirk as the two prepared to clash for the second time since Izuku had gotten there.
'He follows after Toshinori a bit. Seems battle-training's his forte too…'
The man noted, before the two men blasted around the room constantly clashing with fists, grapples, and a slew of kicks. Izuku analyzed the man's kick oriented style, keeping it in mind as he slowly but surely tried to match him so that they would be on even footing, but no matter what he tried Gran Torino always had the edge.
Izuku suddenly slammed onto the ground and began coughing as Gran Torino had just landed a devastating blow directly for Izuku's gut, causing the wind to be knocked out of the green-haired boy. Gran Torino floated down to the ground and watched over the boy wearily.
"Need a break? We've been at it for a few minutes already, I understand if-" Torino started before being cut off by the boy struggling to bring himself to his feet.
"NO!" He shouted, slamming his fist into the floor and forcing himself to stand. "I've just started figuring out the flaws to your style, I can make improvements already!"
Gran Torino stood in awe at the boy's pure determination and willpower. He definitely didn't inherit that from his blockhead of a mentor, All Might. The old man smirked, this kid really had a nice fierce style to his soft-hearted heroic aesthetic.
"Then let's work at it! Come at me again!"
What!? Chapter 24 already!?
Yes, I literally was so driven to get the next chapter out that I wrote both of them in a day. Bite me.
Anyways, in this chapter we're seeing Izuku refining his fighting style, and possibly even his way of heroics entirely.
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you for the next one!
Discord: /FD5yVaS22w