Chapter 3: The desire to improve
Izuku jogged through the dark streets. After sleeping most of the day before and being extremely excited to begin his training with All Might, the boy had woken much earlier than the agreed hour. Still, he couldn't get back to sleep, so Izuku decided to go to the meeting place anyway and start his training with the help of his Personas.
After his last visit to the Velvet Room, he Recorded two more Legends, Bicorn and Mandrake. He attempted to Record Eligor too, but unfortunately wasn't Powerful enough to Summon him, the process remained incomplete. Izuku stopped writing his analyses halfway. As he watched the ink simply slowly disappearing from the pages, Angela explained that if the Summoning was not completed, the Legend would fade away.
Omoikane kept his mind organized even with the new additions, but even while the voices of his Personas didn't reach him, he could still feel their chatting in the edge of his perception.
Izuku realized that they had an effect on him, even in Reality. He could feel the wind flow with Bicorn's powers, the heat didn't bother him anymore and the healing abilities of Pixie could still treat his body, even if by a smaller amount, as the casts of Dia that washed his tiredness away could attest.
Omoikane's voice came to the forefront of his mind, "The Sea of Souls touched the shores of Reality, as such, even if to a lesser extent, our Power can still reach it."
Izuku finally arrived at his destination, Dagoba Beach. The place has mountains of trash covering the still dark horizon.
"Why would All Might want to meet me here?"
"Because this is the perfect place to begin your training. Free materials at hand and space to improve your combat capabilities, like your atrocious forms." Omoikane's statement was followed by the others.
"Your clumsy movements," Pixie said with a giggle.
"Your weak stance." Bicorn's throaty voice came next.
Every critic felt like a punch to Izuku's almost nonexistent self-confidence, but they were right. He barely scraped by in the Anomaly in his home. He couldn't let luck be the only thing he could count on. With a burning determination to get better, Izuku asked, "Where do we begin?"
"That is the spirit! You already started to accumulate the metaphysical form of Power, now you have to transform it into the physical kind, let your body adjust to it. To do that, first, arm yourself." Omoikane and Jack-o-lantern helped Izuku craft a makeshift spear with a pipe, scrap metal, and lots of duct tape. Despite the weapon's appearance, it was solid and surprisingly balanced, "Now let us get to work, the most important part, for now, is your stance. That is what gives your attacks strength and your defense stability."
Izuku listened as his Personas gave their input, correcting his movements until he found himself in a half crouched position, left hand close to the blade while his right closer to the base, "Guide your spear with the left while your right gives it force."
"Don't tense your legs too much, you want to move freely so relax a little."
"Feet grounded, you have to be ready to lunge or hold your ground."
"And the most important part, smile!" Jack-o-lantern's voice made all the other pause. The mischievous spirit wasn't bothered by it and continued, "You want to be a cool Hero right? Then smile, show everyone that you got this!"
The words made Izuku's face split in a confident smile, his Persona was right, if he wanted to be a Hero like All Might, then he had to show the World his smile, the proof that he would be the one victorious doesn't matter what adversity he faced.
Time passed, Izuku worked nonstop, his Will carried his body to follow the movements his Other Self imparted into his head. A stab, a swipe, a block, over and over again.
"Build your foundation, a solid base will be what will lead you to success."
Izuku repeated the movements until his body remembered them, and when fatigue started to rear its ugly head, a wave of healing magic washed over him, removing the lactic acid and repairing the muscle fibers, stronger than before.
Izuku continued until he realized the sun was starting to rise, painting the little he could see of the horizon in a myriad of colors. The continuous flow of movements was interrupted by a resounding voice.
"It seems you already have a headstart young Midoriya." Izuku turned to the stairs that connected the sandy beach to the street, in there the skeletal form of the number one hero gazed at him with a bright smile.
"All Might!" The boy stopped and rushed at the hero, "It's good to see you!" The sight of his idol lifted his spirits, even his Personas were excited to see the hero in the flesh.
"Good to see you too young man, and you already beat this old man to the punch. I saw how dedicated you looked, keep it up and you will be ready for One For All in no time!" His words made the boy perk up, but the meaning behind them gave him pause. Toshinori watched as the boy's eyes light up, and he could almost hear the gears in his brain turning as he dissected the words.
Izuku looked at his hero with an intense focus, "One For All, it is Power, an unbelievable amount, too much for me to handle, for now, right? That's why we are here, to train my body to be capable of containing it, so I can master it, little by little."
Toshinori couldn't help but give a heartfelt laugh, he really chose a good one. Nezu would have a blast talking with the boy. Nodding the hero elaborated, "Exactly, I saw that you are worthy of One For All, but to gain it, you have to work for it. For that reason, I made this!" He pulled a stack of pages and passed it to the boy, "The Aim to Pass, American Dream Plan! You want to enter UA, right? With this, you will be ready for my quirk in time for the entrance exam."
The boy scanned the notes, and Toshinori was expecting his reaction to be of disbelief at the daunting task. Instead he was thrown for a loop when Izuku looked up at him and said, "I can do more."
"What?! Kid this is focused on your body, it will already be hard to do the amount of work listed."
Toshinori saw the boy's eyes, the forest green orbs burning with a fiery passion to it, "This wouldn't help me close the gap between me and everyone else, the other applicants have a decade of advantage over me with their experience with their quirks." He took a pencil from his pocket, something that made Toshinori give him a strange look, and started to make alterations to the plan, "I need to work harder than everyone, I don't only have to catch up with the rest, I want to excel, so I have to go above and beyond!"
Izuku passed All Might the bundle of paper, watching expectantly as he read it. The man asked with a raised brow, "It is possible, but can you do it?" The tone didn't give a clue of what passed through the hero's head.
Izuku felt the snarky confidence of Jack-o-lantern touching his mind, "Why answer with words when I can show you?"
For the rest of the day, Izuku worked harder than ever before. The boy did all the exercises the plan had until he could feel his whole body screaming at him, then with a Dia, the spell transforming the spiritual well of energy inside him, taking a small amount and giving it purpose, healing it so he could continue on.
All Might watched the boy like a hawk, his face impassive, but inside, he was surprised. The scrawny kid was working harder than he would believe someone his age could, all the while with a brilliant smile on his face. He could recognize that the sentiment of having your dream within your reach could be the perfect insensitive to go beyond what you thought yourself capable of. But would the fire inside him burn itself, or would the inferno that was his Will just burn brighter? That was what he needed to know.
Izuku kept going, with Omoikane helping to keep his pace, the boy carried the trash on the beach to the truck All Might had, piece by piece, he carved a way through the mountains of garbage.
In a blink, it was already midday; Toshinori saw that the boy wasn't slowing down, but he was starting to worry, "Young Midoriya, let's make a small break." For a second he thought the kid would argue, but he was once again surprised when he readily agreed.
Toshinori walked to his truck and grabbed a package. Making his way to Midoriya, he passed it to him, "Here is something that will help you in about a second." On cue, the boy's stomach grumbled. Blushing, he gave a small thanks before opening it, smelling the food, and swiftly devouring it.
Toshinori chuckled, but now was time to see if the boy could keep up that pace. He wasn't like his old teacher who he still feared to this day, that would throw him in the deep end without a second thought, so he would be sure the boy was ready for what he was proposing.
Walking to one of the refrigerators abandoned in the sands, he turned back to the curious eyes watching him, even if the mouth below them was working in the little of the food that survived the boy hunger, he buffed up. With One For All flooding his body, he once more turned into the behemoth that was known by all as the Symbol of Peace.
While the kid emerald orbs got a sparkle to them that almost made the hero laugh, Toshinori said seriously, forgoing his normal bombastic voice, "You said you wanted to excel? With this quirk, you could do it easily." He put a hand in the refrigerator and casually pushed his hand down. The force flattened the appliance and produced raging winds that made even the faraway waves halt, "Then why are you so determined? Why do you want to work so hard?" The question hung in the air for a second.
Izuku but his finished lunch in the ground before standing up, "Because I have promises to keep, because this is my chance and I won't waste it," His green bangs covered his eyes and the feelings that they contained. Marching to his idol, he stood before the mountain of a man, "And because I'm tired." He looked up, his gaze locking with All Might's.
Toshinori was momentarily taken aback, both by Young Midoriya's words and by the look in his eyes. They seemed to glow with something Toshinori didn't saw for a long time, the Will to change the World.
"I'm tired of the World pushing me down, I'm tired of being useless! Now that I can stand on my own feet, I'll run until I reach my dreams! I'll Save everyone with a smile, I'll be a Hero worthy of your legacy!" The boy's words carried more weight than Toshinori could comprehend, but he was moved by them all the same.
"It can sound silly, but I promised my mother that I would be the greatest Hero, and I'll keep it." Izuku looked at his hand, closing it in a fist, he could feel the metaphysical bond he had with his mother. Looking back to All Might, he said, "And I promise you too, I will become a Hero, I will honor the Legend you carved, and create my own!"
Toshinori's smile gained a new light, he had really chosen well. He placed a hand on the boy's fluffy hair and said with newfound peace, "I'm sure you will, my boy, and I will make sure you will be ready for it!" As his words sounded through the empty beach, the World stopped.
You have acquired a new Oath.
With it Awakening the Hierophant Persona.
You have changed the Fate of a Life, turning Chains into Bonds that will become Power to attain Freedom.
Izuku could feel a new Bond linking him to All Might, unlike the one with his mother that filled him with her warm love, this felt like calm confidence, a peace that relaxed him. The World started to move again, Izuku felt the massive hand on his head depart, All Might gave him his signature smile.
"Ready for more Young Midoriya?"
Izuku didn't expect to spend his whole Sunday carrying trash, but he couldn't find a reason to complain, the new Oath he created only made him want to work harder, to prove the faith put in him wasn't unfounded.
With the light of the setting sun, Izuku made his last trip. A refrigerator, similar to the one All Might crushed, being his latest challenge, the boy pushed the appliance up the stairs, every step getting him closer. With the encouraging cheers of his mentor, Izuku got the refrigerator to the truck, using the last of his strength, he grabbed the rusted base, and with a shout, he lifted it enough for the old appliance to fall inside the vehicle.
Izuku let himself crash on the ground, limbs spread like a starfish while dragging in mouthfuls of air. The sound of his Personas congratulating him spread a smile across his face.
Toshinori watched the boy, limp on the ground and looking half dead, but radiating accomplishment like no other. His every expectation was surpassed time and time again. The boy would go the distance, he was certain of it, "Very good! You sure know how to impress Young Midoriya. I think that is all for today, I'll do some revising on your training plan and show it to you tomorrow, now go home and get some rest kid, you look like you'll fall over at any second!" He tried to sound stern, but the boy's smile was contagious.
Picking himself up, Izuku felt the last of his spiritual energy being drained. He and All Might traded goodbyes and parted ways, and while the day was exhausting, it was one of the best he had in a long time.
—
A week passed, every day was full of Izuku self-imposed training hell, but he couldn't dismiss the results. After only some days, you could already see the faintest trace of muscles if you looked hard enough, with the proof that Izuku's slightly insane training regime worked, the boy didn't plan to change it any time soon.
Now that Sunday arrived, Izuku intended to use the whole day to put him even more ahead. While the boy put his shoes on, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning back, he saw his mother in some old workout clothes, "Mom?"
He wasn't sure what question he wanted to ask, but his mother always knew how to interpret her son, from his mumble storms to his sometimes barely coherent words, "I know you are working out Izuku, I'm really happy you are putting so much effort in it. I thought I could go too, even if just to make you company." Inko words and motherly smile made it impossible for Izuku to refuse, it shouldn't be a problem, right? He ignored the sound of most of his Personas facepalming and grumbling about how he jinxed it.
The Midoriyas made their way to Dagoba, chatting about everything and nothing. When Inko saw the trash-filled beach and heard her son saying he was going to clean it, she felt a mix of motherly pride and concern, "Izuku, what you are doing is good, but…is it safe?" She tried to downplay her worries a little to not diminish his efforts.
"Yeah, don't worry, there's someone that helps me to move the garbage to the junkyard, he also keeps an eye on me." He tried his best to tell the truth without giving away All Might's secrets. Unfortunately, the man decided to show up and make his efforts in vain with his entrance.
"Young Midoriya, ready for a day full of…" Toshinori, in his full glory as the number one hero, jumped down to the sand, only to be greeted with the image of his chosen successor smiling wryly at him, while the woman beside him, that could only be his mother if the startling semblance was any indication, stared at him with wide eyes. After an awkward second where Toshinori wanted to kick himself, the woman started to fall backwards.
Izuku laughed while he held his mother up, "Mom, hey it's okay, mom!" His mother's penchant for passing out aside, the boy couldn't contain his mirth as the whole situation and its hilarity, especially while Jack-o-lantern and Pixie hysterical laughter filled his mind.
"Look! His face!" They said. Izuku couldn't judge the two, All Might was as stiff as a statue, his smile shaking while sweat fell from his face like a waterfall.
After he got his mother back on her feet, and she accepted that yes, that was All Might, he tried to explain the best he could, "So, yeah, All Might has been helping me in my training." His awkward attempt to be casual about it only got him a flat look from his mother.
"You two, explain, now!" Her commanding voice surprised him and made All Might even more nervous.
"You saw her Other Self, so you can not say she is not capable of asserting her authority. All Might is also certain of this, is his reaction is any indication." Omoikane chuckled at the image of a mountain of a man like All Might being terrified of the woman that was half his size.
Toshinori knew he dug his own grave there and seeing the scalding glare of the woman made him realize where the younger Midoriya got his passion, the fact didn't bring him any comfort, "Yes ma'am, you see, I encountered your son during the incident with the sludge villain, and he impressed me with his actions! I then decided to help him in his training to enter UA." He hoped, speaking the truth, even if not all of it would resolve things, but her glare only intensified.
"So you're saying that of all the people you encountered, you only decided to help my son? And neither of you said a thing about it to me," Her gaze switched to her son for a second, making the boy gulp and give her a shaky smile, "I don't believe it, and I'm not letting my son in the care of someone I don't trust. So you better speak the true reason you're helping him, or number one hero or not, I'll make sure you can't hurt him." Her voice was dead serious, her tone sending a shiver up the man's spine.
'Young Midoriya, why didn't you say your mother was so scary!' Toshinori looked at the boy for help, only to see his panicked but resigned face. Considering his options, and that the woman in front of him cared so much about her son she would even threaten him, he knew he had to compromise. Letting One For All go, he deflated to his emaciated form, "Well, is better if we sit down, this is a long story." The woman was surprised, but she was still on edge, putting herself between him and her son, who was only panicking even more.
—
"So you want to pass your quirk to Izuku? Is that why he's training here?" Inko, after all the surprises of the day, didn't even have the energy to be mad at her son for keeping all this from her.
The skeletal man, who she still found hard to accept was the Symbol of Peace, nodded, "That's right."
She turned to her child, who had been quiet during the whole conversation, "I'm glad someone finally saw what I see in you, and I already said I'll always support you, but the next time you do something like that without telling me, you're grounded for life." What terrified the other two the most was how calmly she said it, and Izuku knew he was going to have to explain his misadventures on the other side someday, but for now, he only nodded.
"I can see that you also want what is best for my son, so I'll trust you with his well-being," Before they could perk up, she continued, "Under one condition."
Toshinori knew it was never that easy, "Of course, if it's doable I'll try my best to do it."
"I want to help too." That surprised both of them.
Izuku was the first to speak, "Mom, it's okay, you already do more than enough."
"No, I don't. I didn't do enough for a very long time, but that changes now, I'll make sure to compensate for all the years I took to get myself together. I'll make sure you will be ready for life when you go out to be the hero I know you'll be." With tears in her eyes, she pulled her child to a hug, that returned it with equal vigor and tears.
Izuku felt his Bond with The Empress growing, a second layer being added to it, making it from as thin as a hair to a string, the feeling of her love flowing through it with double the intensity.
Toshinori waited as the greenettes had their moment. After they dried their tears, he got up, "I can agree to that," He gave his signature smile, but this one had a softer tone to it, "I'll make sure to keep you up to date with your son's whereabouts."
"Thank you," Inko said while standing up too, "For giving him the chance I couldn't."
"Mom! No talking down on yourself!" Izuku felt the irony of himself being the one saying that, but he ignored it in favor of being concerned about his mother, "You did more than you give yourself credit."
"I have to agree, I'm pretty sure Young Midoriya got his sharp mind and caring side from you, ma'am. You raised him well, I am only showing him how to throw a good punch!" He laughed at his joke, "Now my boy, you are still ahead of schedule, but that's no reason to let up. I too promised to transform you into a great hero, and I'll look bad in front of your mother if I don't, so get moving!"
Izuku could feel All Might's confidence in him growing, his Bond with The Hierophant becoming as strong as The Empress. He had people that believed in him, he had their faith in him giving him Power, now Izuku would show them that he would make them proud.
Inko and All Might watched as her son trained with even greater vigor, the boy putting his all in his task. She turned to the hero, "You too have to take care of yourself, you have to look after him."
Toshinori sighed, that was easier said than done, "All I can promise is to do my best."
"It's all I can ask for, but if you need help too, you can always come to us," She gave a soft giggle, "I'm sure even the great All Might could use some help from time to time."
His snort was accompanied by a shake of his head, "You have no idea. And you can call me Toshinori, I think you deserve it after all that."
"Then call me Inko, or things will get pretty confusing." They laughed, a quiet peace settling on the beach. The only sounds of the crashing waves and the efforts of a boy to become a Hero.
At the end of the day, Toshinori gave the Midoriyas a lift to their apartment. On the way, he gave his successor some advice. "You are making good progress my boy, but remember to pace yourself, nothing good will come from burning yourself out."
Inko agreed, "Yes, you said yourself that you are ahead of schedule, so why don't you rest tomorrow after school?"
Izuku was about to protest, but the two pairs of eyes giving him that parental kind of concern made him swallow his arguments, "Okay."
—
After a shower, Izuku sat down to eat dinner with his mom while they watched the news. He always listened to the reports of hero fights for his analyses, but now, he had another reason for his interest. While the TV drowned out the details of a villain attack that happened early, Izuku's mind was already formulating a plan, after all, he had a free day.
"I do not think this is what they had in mind. However, if these incidents indeed created new Anomalies, we are the only one capable of clearing them." Omoikane reached the same conclusion he did, not surprising considering he was his Other Self.
Izuku was already making a mental list of supplies to stock himself when he laid in his bed, in a minute he fell into a peaceful slumber, the sound of a bell dragging his consciousness to the beyond.
—
Izuku opened his eyes and sat up, the Velvet Room greeted him once again. Running his eyes by his surroundings, he saw the sixth tapestry, the one representing The Hierophant, restored to its full glory. It depicted a frail man in blue, red, and white clothes, behind him his shadow reached massive heights. His hand was outstretched, offering it out, an aurora of colors dancing out from it.
Izuku saw how the image was more vivid than normal, even The Empress tapestry was more vibrant than before. He quickly concluded that it was a representation of his now stronger Bonds with his mother and idol.
"Welcome, Hero." Igor's greetings pulled Izuku's attention out of his thoughts, "I brought you here today to reward you for your efforts, Angela." He nodded to his side.
Izuku traced Igor's line of sight to another corner of the Velvet Room, located on the other side of the open space where he usually Summoned Personas, in it Angela was standing beside a table, it had elevated supports connected to it.
Angela smiled brightly at him before gesturing to the table, "This, Hero, is the tool where you will be able to fuse your Personas into newer and stronger ones!" She spoke grandly, before taking a deep breath and muttering, "Thank goodness I didn't stutter."
Izuku was about to reassure her that she spoke perfectly when her words registered, "Wait, I can fuse Personas?!" He jumped up and in a second he was beside Angela while asking a million questions too quickly for her to understand.
Seeing he was overwhelming his attendant, Izuku stopped his barrage of words and tried to speak at the speed of a normal human being, "Angela-san, how does it all work?" He asked a broad question that covered most of what he wanted to know.
Angela started to explain, "When you fuse two or more Personas, you combine their Legends into a new one. In the process, you will sacrifice the Legends in your Record, but don't worry," She then pulled a large book from seemingly nowhere, Izuku thought that this was what it looked like for people when he does the same his notebooks, "This is Le Grimoire, I register all the Legends that you Record in it, so you can always recover the Legend that you sacrifice later."
Izuku quickly made his appreciation known, "Thank you, Angela-san." He said while bowing.
Angela got flustered by the action, "I-It's okay! I'm just doing my job as your attendant that's all!" She tripped over her words while hugging Le Grimoire to her chest.
Izuku at the sight of the girl blushing could only think one thing, 'Cute.' What caused the two socially awkward individuals to be blushing and avoiding each other's eyes.
"So, Persona Fusion!" Both said at the same time, trying to put the conversation back on track, but only Angela continued. "All you have to do is tell me what Personas you want to Fuse and I'll do it!"
Izuku quickly started to run the possible combinations in his mind, "I want to Fuse Mandrake and Bicorn, please." Angela nodded and started to work. Izuku saw she put empty Records in the elevated supports, and a final one in the table.
Angela turned to him, "Now you just have to use your Record to transfer the Legends." Izuku complied, in a flurry of azure flames, the two suspended books were filled, "Now, let these Legends give birth to a new one."
The books started to bleed ink, the liquid fell like a waterfall into the blank Record below. Izuku and Angela stared with rapid attention as the last drops touched the pages, in a final flash of light, a new Persona appeared in the open space beside them.
"I Kelpie, you worthy rider." The new Persona, Kelpie, was a floating green horse with the back half of his body being composed of strands similar to his hair. With his part said, the blue flames coated horse turned into a flurry of pages that were absorbed by Izuku's Record.
Izuku and Angela silently locked eyes for a second before both cheered and hugged each other in their excitement, which led to both separating while being as red as tomatoes.
Igor chuckled at their display, "This, Hero, is what we can provide you. As you gain Power, so does your Velvet Room."
Izuku repeated Igor's words in his mind before it clicked, "It's a positive feedback loop." He whispered, causing Igor's grin to widen.
Izuku looked at the library around him with a new understanding of it, "The Velvet Room gives me Power, and I give it Power. The process repeats until I'm ready…" He trailed off before his eyes stared in Igor's bloodshot ones, "Until I'm ready to defeat the Enemy, right?"
"Indeed," Igor chuckled, but this time with a feeling Izuku couldn't describe, "This is the ultimate Ace of the Wild Card, the Velvet Room, The Power to become Powerful. It was created by my Master in the Dawn of Humanity, this is what assurance you harvest your infinite Potential, the only limit you have, Hero, is the one you let exist."
Izuku now knew one thing, and absolute fact, he would save Humanity, it was not a question of if, it was a question of when.
His Will burned brighter, in the corner of the room, The Fool tapestry started to shine, the image becoming more alive. Izuku's smile would have made All Might proud if he was there to see it, "I thank whoever created this, and you two for your support." Izuku's eyes were almost glowing with his conviction, "I will repay it, by Saving Humanity."
"Will you stay true to your word?" Igor's simple question received a simple answer from the Hero.
"Watch me."
I did it! Insert É Tetra meme here (only other Brazilians will know what the hell I'm talking about)
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