Author's Note: Hey everyone! So…it's Christmas! Celebrations and all that. As I am not going to visit my family today because of various reasons, I decided to give you all a present in the form of a new chapter of this story.
I wish all of you a merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and I really bloody hope that next year is better than this one. Stay safe and be healthy.
"Kacchan!" - Speech
'Deku!' - Thoughts
"I AM HERE!" - All Might Speech
"Detroit Smash!" - Special Technique Usage
Beta'd by BigCC
Chapter 2: The True Power of Hierophant Emerald
Four Years Later, Middle of April
Classroom, Aldera Junior High
Midoriya Izuku, age 11, sat at his desk and pondered for the nth time since the year began precisely what kind of crimes he'd committed in his previous life, how many gods he'd somehow offended, to be cursed to share a homeroom with Katsuki Bakugō.
Every Year.
For the past Four Years.
Ever since he had acquired his 'Quirk', Bakugō had somehow managed to get even worse. Before he'd been a bully, but one content to ignore his existence until he did something to gain his attention (like breathing too loudly). Now it seamed that the explosive blonde couldn't go a day without issuing some sort of challenge or threat at least twice.
The only relief offered was that Aunt Mitsuki's constant presence and her very real threat of 'tanning his rear and shipping him off to a Volatile Quirk Institute where he'd be taught some goddamn discipline' that kept the younger Bakugō from lashing out and actually attacking him…or at least trying to anyway.
His 'Quirk' [Emerald Hierophant] was apparently a very confusing and interesting development that had quite a few Quirk researchers scratching their heads (or so his mother had told him). This was due to the fact that it actually seemed to function as two separate, if related, Quirks; an adaptive Mutation/Emitter ability primarily centred around his hands and an extremely strong Emitter-based projection with a similar, if more rigid, Emitter-based attack.
Looked at objectively it showed all the signs of a [Composite Quirk], a rare phenomenon that sometimes occurred when two people with highly compatible or complementary Quirks copulated and produced a child with a Quirk that had all or most of the qualities of both Quirks, essentially having two Quirks acting as one in their body.
The secondary fact was that his 'Quirk' was what was referred to as a [Quirk Shift], an equally rare phenomenon where a child develops a Quirk that has no correlation with either parent's Quirk or any Quirk in their family history. Neither of his abilities were comparable to his mother's [Attraction of Small Objects] or his father's recorded [Fire Breath]. Nor had anyone on either side of his family, from what his mother or the doctors could find, have anything remotely similar to either of his abilities.
For him to have one of those traits would make him an intriguing curiosity, but for him to manifest not only a [Quirk Shift], but also one that appeared almost identical to a [Composite Quirk], was apparently unprecedented.
Izuku himself, of course, knew that it wasn't a Quirk…or at least not entirely, something both he and Kakyōin-sempai agreed on. For three nights every year, the 15th of July, the 10th of August and January the 16th, Izuku had discovered that he could meet Kakyōin Noriaki, the person who had granted him his Stand, in a dreamscape. These dates coincided with Izuku and Kakyōin's birthdays, as well as the day that Kakyōin had died. Thanks to the constant contact with his benefactor, Izuku had a fairly good handle on how Stands, and their various generic abilities, worked.
And what part of his unique abilities did not correspond to the powers granted by one.
The two had eventually deduced that the ability born from his hands was likely his own Quirk and hence the reason the doctors had been able to detect some form of Quirk Factor in his genetics. Though why it seemed to so closely mimic the abilities born from his Stand was something the two were still trying to figure out. It was a mystery the two would often consider, ponder, and discuss whenever they had a bit of time during their thrice-annual meetings.
Thanks to the thrice-a-year coaching, plus Izuku's own, somewhat extreme, training sessions, he was now a great deal calmer and more in control of himself. He'd long learned to stare down Bakugō's constant glares and not even flinch when the blonde attempted to intimidate him with his explosions.
Naturally, with the ability to ignore Katsuki; his other classmates, and most other children in general, couldn't even hope to even try and intimidate him.
As Katsuki swaggered into the classroom, acting for all the world like he'd already earned the Number One spot, Izuku masterfully restrained himself from doing more than rolling his eyes. Even if the blonde bomber finally lost his tenuous grip on his temper, it wouldn't amount to anything. Unknown to anyone else, the entire classroom was entangled in Hierophant Emerald's tendrils. All it would take would be a single thought from Izuku and the other boy would be bombarded by an Emerald Splash from less than an inch away.
While Bakugō had learned not to try his old antics against Izuku inside of school, being prepared was never a bad idea in Izuku's opinion. It was also excellent practice for maintaining Emerald's spread-out form in a contained area.
Caution and Training in one action, Kakyōin-sempai would most definitely approve.
Finding out that his Stand could actually dissolve into numerous paper-thin strands about a couple of inches or so wide had been something of a shock; Kakyōin had chuckled at Izuku's gobsmacked expression when Hierophant Green had separated into hundreds of strands in front of him.
The multitude of uses it offered with proper training had made Izuku break down into another 'geek-out' moment. Mobility, capture, offence, and even defence; even more than Emerald Splash, this was an ability that was practically made for heroics.
He'd spent the past two years training it and getting as fine a mastery of his Stand's morphing abilities as he could.
"Hey, Deku!" a sudden shout from a certain blonde pulled Izuku from his thoughts.
"What is it, Bakugō?" he asked in a bored tone, not even bothering to glance away from the notebook he'd been 'reviewing' to cover his wool-gathering.
Katsuki practically snarled when the other boy didn't even look away from his freaking notebook to respond to him. Somehow that fucking Deku had gotten cocky enough that even letting off an explosion less than a foot from his face couldn't do more that put an irritated frown on his face.
The sheer gall of the bastard, to act like he was so far above him that he could ignore his very existence enraged Katsuki like nothing had ever managed before.
He was Katsuki Bakugō, the next Number One Hero and the man who would surpass All Might. No one ignored him!
"You make sure you keep out of my way…or else!" the blonde boy growled out threateningly.
Izuku actually turned to face him at that, facing his former friend with a single eyebrow raised in mild disbelief. "Oh? And do tell what you think you can do to me, Bakugō? In case you've forgotten, our last confrontation ended in my victory, not yours."
That ignited the rage burning behind Bakugō's eyes into a veritable bonfire of almost rabid fury. It had been just after the end of their last in Elementary School and the old hag was out of town for the weekend to attend the wedding of a distant relative. That had been all the opportunity that Katsuki had needed; he'd cornered Izuku in an isolated corner of the local park where he liked to train and had managed to force Izuku into an actual fight.
Katsuki had lost, overwhelmingly so. It was as if Deku had known where he was and how he moved even as he did it! Just what the hell kind of weird-ass Quirk did he have?! More than that, the more he'd tried to change directions and angles to attack, the more of those damned green emerald things had been sent at him. It hadn't taken long before Katsuki had been lying on the ground, dazed, bruised and bleeding.
And what had the bastard Deku done?! He'd just shaken his head and then walked the fuck off, as if he wasn't worth the effort! The little shit!
"Tch. Don't think so highly of yourself, Deku!" Katsuki sneered. "I've kicked your ass so many times that I've lost count!"
"And each and every one of those times occurred before I even got my 'Quirk,' Bakugō. Hence, you were beating up on someone who couldn't even fight back on an even footing." Izuku responded calmly, leaning back slightly. A small, knowing smirk spreading across his face as he allowed himself a bit of vindictive satisfaction in reminding his former bully of his own shortcomings. "We've only faced off twice since then. The first time was less than a week after I received my own 'Quirk' and I decided to retreat rather than fight against someone who had a vastly superior amount of experience in handling their abilities than I did. Three years later, you once again forced a confrontation and this time I had closed that gap in experience and defeated you handedly."
With a slight sniff, he turned his head. "To be honest, I no longer have time for your childish posing. I've moved beyond you Bakugō; get over it and stay out of my way. I have my own dreams to accomplish."
Despite his own words, there was still some part of Izuku that still admired aspects of his old friend; his drive, his conviction, and his talent were all things that Izuku could admit were admirable about Katsuki Bakugō. Sadly, there were too many hurts and harsh words between them over the years for Izuku to still consider the blonde boy his friend, let alone some to truly admire. He had a better role model now.
Regretably, the two boys that had once been best friends, the fierce and brave Kacchan and the loyal and starry-eyed Izu, no longer existed.
As the teacher came in and started calling the class to order, Bakugō threw Izuku one more sneer for good measure before slouching off to his seat.
Letting out a breath of relief, Izuku settled in for a long, boring day of getting acclimated to his new school. He honestly wished that he could have gone elsewhere due to the fact it was the closest Junior High to both him and Bakugō, thus the likelihood of his old friend attending Aldera was pretty high. Unfortunately, the commute to other schools was too long, so he had to suck it up and put up with Bakugō…for another three years.
Urgh…the green-haired boy really wished he could speed time up. Three years couldn't go past quickly enough.
After School
Musutafu Park
Standing in the middle of a clearing in the small wooded section of the park, Izuku watched as his Hierophant Emerald floated in front of him. The past four years had wrought changes on his Stand. Not only was the emerald and white projection (which only Izuku could see unless he willed it) a couple of inches taller than Izuku now, the armour had changed, extruding a 'cape' composed of multiple thick, interwoven white strands that flowed down its back, which were useful for things such as englobing Bakugō without forcing his Stand to completely disassemble.
Then there was the chestplate. When he'd first gotten it, Hierophant Emerald had only a single emerald swirling in its centre; now, it had two, with an obvious opening awaiting a third. There was also a blank area beneath the little triangle that suggested a fourth might appear, forming a little diamond of emeralds.
Quite what they represented, Izuku wasn't entirely certain, but what he did know was that the first one had been the basis from which his Hierophant Emerald had sprouted, while the second had appeared after he had first tried out disassembling the Stand into strands. So far, the only correlation he could find was that one appeared whenever he discovered one of his Stand's abilities.
'But what can the third ability possibly be, let alone the fourth?' Izuku wondered. 'With the raw power of Emerald Splash and the versatility of Disassembly, Hierophant Emerald is already an extremely powerful Stand, particularly when paired with my Quirk. What else can it possibly develop?'
Flexing his hands, he felt the slight bumps on his palms and smirked slightly. His experimentation and training with the Quirk version of Emerald Splash had also been progressing quite nicely in his opinion. In addition to the Beanbag Round version he had quickly improvised against Katsuki four years ago, he had developed various forms and types of rounds for various uses and situations, some of them more destructive than others.
Some of the various rounds he'd developed were, to put it bluntly, nothing short of lethal, especially when set against regular humans who lacked any sort of Quirk protection. He'd actually been against the idea of developing those kind of techniques, but Kakyōin had pointed out that it was better to have the options available and not need them, rather than to need them and not have them.
Izuku knew, statistically, there had been villains that had been killed by heroes. If wasn't a common occurrence, and most often occurred when dealing with highly dangerous or extremist villains like the terrorists of the nigh-forgotten Quirkless Freedom Alliance or the fanatics that made up the Meta Liberation Army. People who could not be taken alive without sacrificing numerous innocent lives. There was an entire branch within the Hero Public Safety Commission that was dedicated to carefully investigating and scrutinizing those kinds of incidents and the actions of any Hero involved. Even if the Hero involved was cleared there was a certain…weight, if you will, to the idea of taking a life among the hero community, no matter the necessity of the action.
A Hero involved in multiple incidents like that would be under very close scrutiny indeed, both by the Committee and his fellow Heroes.
Shaking those dark and heavy thoughts away for now, Izuku got back to the matter at hand.
Training.
"Do it." Izuku ordered his Stand, which nodded and shot its cape of vines/tendrils outward, each extending and weaving across the clearing in dizzying, criss-crossing lattice. From what Izuku had been able to determine, each strand had a maximum length anywhere between twenty and thirty meters, varying based on the strand in question with the excess of their lengths stored within Hierophant Emerald's body when not in use.
It took only a few moments for the entirety of the clearing's floor to be covered in a grid-like array of tendrils. This was in imitation of what Kakyōin called his 'sensory barrier' a technique that Izuku had trained to master over the years. While invisible, and to non-Stand-users (for the most part) untouchable, Hierophant Emerald 's tendrils were still disturbed if someone moved through them. When that happened, if Izuku had ordered it, Hierophant Emerald would instantly fire a barrage of Emerald Splash right at the location that had triggered it.
He still struggled to accomplish what Kakyōin referred to as his strongest technique, albeit with a tone of self-derision in his voice, an Emerald Splash that fired omni-directionally and simultaneously at a single point within the barrier at a maximum radius of twenty meters.
Izuku had privately referred to this technique as an Emerald Splash Storm, and he'd only ever been able to use it within a five-meter radius.
Of course, Kakyōin had counselled him, just this January, that even at the age he had died, seventeen, it had required focus and preparation to use, so Izuku managing to use it in any capacity at the age of eleven was a great achievement.
"OK…one at a time now." the green-haired boy said, moving into an easy stance. Seconds later, a single emerald was spat out by his Stand, aimed at him. It was slower than it could have been, but still about as fast as a powerful punch.
With a quick motion, Izuku avoided the ballistic emerald with the bare minimum amount of movement needed. Just after that, another emerald was shot at him, at a different angle. As Izuku dodged each individual emerald, the firing rate and speed of the projectiles slowly began to tick upward, forcing him to be quicker and more economical with his movements. He also had to strain his senses to discover where the emeralds were being fired from.
He could cheat by sensing via his connection to Hierophant Emerald, but that would defeat the purpose of the exercise. Not only did it make him practice his situational awareness, but it also helped him exercise somewhat. He had taken up jogging and started a small exercise routine of crunches, push-ups, sit-ups and the like, but doing this was also an excellent form of exercise as well.
Eventually though…
"Oof!" Izuku grunted as one emerald slammed right into his stomach, making him fall to his knees. "OK, I'll be feeling that one in the morning!"
Thankful that his Stand had been pulling its punches (metaphorically speaking), Izuku pulled himself over to the nearest tree to rest for a moment. His training had been paying off, but he did wish that there was some kind of preparatory school for entering a Hero Training Academy, as he had no idea whether his efforts were in any way helping his chances.
'What I need to do is to figure out how to use both my Quirk and Hierophant Emerald at the same time.' the boy thought with a sigh. 'That's my biggest weakness right now; I have to use one or the other, not both at the same time. That leaves me vulnerable to being swarmed if villains manage to get around Hierophant Emerald.'
Being a ranged fighter, Izuku had signed up for lessons in self-defence and in Aikido to better protect himself in case of emergencies, but plugging the hole in his abilities would improve his combat power immensely.
With the larger-than-life inspiration of All Might and the influence of his long-deceased mentor, Izuku had never stopped wanting to be a hero. He felt that Katsuki was, if anything, trying to be a hero for the wrong reasons; he wanted to show others how strong he was and be acknowledged that he was the strongest, that he was the winner. All of his reasons seemed to based around proving and validating his own sense of worth and strength.
Kakyōin had been an intensely intelligent young man while he was alive, and his time as a spirit, passing through the dreams of mortals, had only increased his ability to read and analyse human nature. After listening to Izuku's descriptions of his interactions with Katsuki, the young [Explosion]-wielder's developing inferiority/superiority complex was quite easy for the ghostly Stand-wielder to diagnose. However, the question of why no one seemed to be able to notice the ill-tempered boy's burgeoning psychological issue was something that worried him immensely.
"…time to head home." Izuku sighed, a soft part of his heart still aching at the loss of his first and dearest friend. As he stood up and started for home, he huffed as he remembered the day at school; Katsuki was as charismatic as ever. A quick demonstration of both his powerful Quirk and his immense physical prowess had been enough to wrap everyone around his finger; both teachers and students were in awe of Katsuki's [Explosion] Quirk and were eager to kiss up to him due to the possible reflected glory they might receive.
Izuku's own abilities were no less amazing, and he was no slouch in the physical department thanks to his training, even if he was more analytical about things than the instinctively gifted Katsuki. However, his distaste for showboating, in sharp contrast to Katsuki's love affair with the limelight, meant that his own abilities were more easily overlooked, which was honestly how Izuku preferred it.
He had no interest in collecting bootlickers and hangers-on like his former friend did.
He'd much prefer to have friends who he could count as comrades, like the Stardust Crusaders had been for Kakyōin. As far as he could see, no one in their class had the heart or drive to count themselves as his comrade, but he'd wait and see. If he found them that would be grand, if not…well it wasn't like Izuku wasn't used to being alone.
A few minutes later, he walked into his home and called out to his mother. "I'm home!"
"Welcome home, sweetheart!" Inko called back from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in a moment!"
Poking his head into the kitchen for a moment, Izuku smiled at the sight of his mother. While she was still slightly overweight, she was working hard to get rid of the last vestiges of the result of her stress-eating habit. Since she had put herself very firmly in her son's corner, the depression and stress that had been triggering it had quickly started to fade, the excess pounds slowly following afterwards.
Once Izuku changed out of his school uniform into more casual clothing, he and his mother sat and had a nice family dinner, which was homemade katsudon, Izuku's favourite.
"So…did it happen again?" Inko asked after they finished.
"Yup, Kacchan and I are in the same class…again." Izuku grumbled. "It has to be deliberate by this point. Seriously…"
"Oh dear…was he the same as ever?" his mother asked with a wince. She and Mitsuki were still friends, but their sons were long past the point of reconciliation, which was a shame; they had been such good friends as children…
"Loud, arrogant, brash, cocky…pretty much his usual charming self." the Stand User dismissed airily, waving a hand around. "I swear that if I get put into his class next year, I'm gonna scream."
"I'll have a word with the school if it happens, Izuku." Inko promised darkly. She had lost any tolerance to people picking on her baby boy, whether they be children or teachers, and wouldn't stand for someone making her boy miserable. Being placed in the same class as someone who had bullied her boy for the four years previous to getting his Quirk, four times in a row no less, was beyond coincidental.
"Thanks, Mum." Izuku beamed, offering her an honest smile.
"No problem." she replied with a soft smile back. "Do you have homework?"
"Not on the first day, thankfully, but if we are given any, I'll try to finish it during lunch." Izuku reassured her. He was very smart, and the coursework at Aldera, if the first day's lessons were any indication, wasn't going to be anything too strenuous. If anything, it was…average.
"Only do that if you aren't in a stressful period like before your exams." Inko warned her son. "The last thing you need is to push yourself too hard at such a time."
"Yes, Mum." he promised. "I'm gonna go and watch TV now, is that OK?"
"On you go." she nodded, and watched fondly as her pride and joy headed towards the living room. Most teenagers wouldn't bother asking permission to watch the television, Mitsuki often complained that 'the brat never bothers to consider what his own fucking parents want to watch' in regards to Katsuki, which made the Midoriya Matriarch appreciate her son even more.
'The effort that Izuku's put into mastering his Quirk is astonishing; I know that I could barely do anything with mine when I was only twelve!' Inko thought with maternal pride as she gathered up the dishes and started the post-dinner tidy-up. Her Quirk, [Attraction of Small Objects], was a fairly weak gravity-based Emitter Quirk that allowed her to draw objects towards her, so long as they could be held in her hands. She also had to use a grasping gesture frequently in order to draw the object. Weight wasn't a limit, only size.
She had always hoped and prayed that her boy would find a way to be a hero so he could live his dream, and four years ago her wish had miraculously been granted. His Quirk was so very different to hers or his father's own, but she didn't care about that; only that Izuku was happy.
Being a hero was risky, with frequent retirements from injuries and the like, not to mention the very real threat of death at the hands of a villain, but…as much as the thought of her baby being hurt made her want to burst into tears, she still wanted to support him. Remembering the fake smiles and reassurances that Izuku had given her since his Quirk didn't awaken when he was four made her heart twist and lurch in agony.
'All I can do is support him.' the mother thought with a smile. 'What little good it may be, but Izuku will never lack for support from me.'
That determined thought finished at the same time as her cleaning of the kitchen, so Inko dried her hands and went off to spend an evening with her son.
15th of July
Dreamscape
Kakyōin Noriaki smiled in greeting as his protégé phased into the dreamscape. The past few years had been a lot more pleasant than the two-plus centuries before combined had been. Spirits rarely interacted in the afterlife, otherwise he would have found his parents and apologized to them for dying so young.
"Hi, Kakyōin-san!" Izuku greeted him with a smile.
"And a good day to you also, Midoriya-kun." the deceased Stand User replied with a nod and a small smile. "How have you been since January?"
"I'm in Junior High now, and in the same class with Katsuki...again!" the greenette moaned. "He's up to challenging me thrice a day now! I'm honestly close to losing what little patience I have left and letting him start another fight just to quiet him down for a while."
Kakyōin let out a huff of annoyance at that. He honestly marvelled at his young protégé's sense of restraint at times. Had it been him, he'd have likely lost his patience within the first few days and beaten the little miscreant bloody before simply repeating the process as needed until he'd gotten the point across.
Then again, perhaps a physical response was the best one in this case, since simply dismissing the foul-mouthed ruffian obviously wasn't working.
"It would perhaps appear that your situation requires a more direct solution. If this Bakugō child refuses to desist in his challenges, perhaps it would be best to face him on your own terms rather than waiting until he forces another confrontation." the redhead suggested. "Perhaps agree to fight him once every other month on the condition that he desists his constant antagonism in-between your bouts? Perhaps even involve that mother of his; from what you've told me she seems the type that should be able to enforce his end of the agreement on the lout." he offered.
Izuku blinked in surprise before frowning thoughtfully. "Could that actually work…?"
As he went over the idea in his head, it started to make more and more sense. Agreeing to a regular 'sparring' bout would likely satisfy both Katsuki's aggressive personality and his need for acknowledgement. Getting Aunt Mitsuki involved would also ensure that Katsuki would be forced to follow their agreed rules and prevent the ballistic blonde from taking things too far.
He honestly didn't have any issue with the prospect of fighting his old friend; it was more that the aggressive boy hadn't given him a moment's peace since shortly after he'd lost their last bout and had started chasing him around Musutafu demanding a rematch shortly afterward. That had lessened significantly since they started Junior High, the increase in workload, while not exactly mentally strenuous, was time-consuming and interfered with Katsuki's out-of-school attempts at aggression.
His in-school attempts, however, had only been ramping up as the [Explosion]-carrier got more and more frustrated with Izuku's refusals.
Then there were the actual benefits that having a regular sparring partner could bring. Even if he no longer admired Katsuki like he did when they were small, Izuku was still willing to admit that he an amazing fighter with a powerful Quirk and natural fighting instincts. A regular match could help point out flaws in his own training (and Bakugō's as well he supposed) and allow new insights into his own training and improvement. That he would then have an extended period of assured peace to focus on his training without worrying about the overly aggressive blonde interrupting or interfering would also be a much-appreciated improvement to the current paradigm.
"Honestly, I think it's the best solution we're going to find for now." agreed the dual Stand/Quirk user, nodding decisively. "I'll have my mum get in touch with Aunt Mitsuki and see if they can get the ball rolling. I know they're both as annoyed as I am with this one-sided feud Katsuki's been waging. If this can get him to settle it down then…"
"Good." Kakyōin nodded. "Now, how goes your training with your Stand? Have you figured anything else out?"
Izuku nodded, getting back on track for the real meat of their meetings. He started briefing his ghostly mentor on everything he'd learned, tested, and improved on over the months since they'd last seen each other. The older Stand-user nodding absently as he took everything in, mentally cataloguing his apprentice's findings and improvements with ease.
Midoriya Izuku was an incredibly bright young man, with an intellect Kakyōin was sure would one day match, if not surpass, his own, even if the boy tended to be a tad overly excitable, to the point of getting so wrapped up in an issue that he'd miss things right under his nose.
"So, are you still of the hypothesis that the gems on your Stand's chest represent the powers that it has unlocked or that you've awakened?" he prompted once Izuku had finished.
"It's the only conclusion that makes sense at this point." Izuku agreed. "The only noticeable difference between the time it manifested with single gem and two gems is that it was after you demonstrated Hierophant Green's Disassembly ability and I attempted to imitate it with Hierophant Emerald. However, until we discover if my Stand has any further abilities there's no way of testing it."
"Hmm…my Hierophant possessed three abilities of note. If Emerald can mimic the first two, then it's likely that it could imitate the third in some way as well." Kakyōin offered thoughtfully. "First is, of course, Emerald Splash. Second, is the ability you've dubbed Disassembly, which allow it to shift between its natural 'strand' form and a humanoid combat avatar. Third…well, I've never mentioned it because I didn't believe it would coincide with your ideals of heroism."
"What do you mean?" Izuku blinked.
"Hierophant Green is capable of sliding its tendrils into a person and assume control of their body from the inside, rather like manipulating a marionette. It can also use this state to attack a target internally, constricting their airways or internal organs." the deceased man stated clinically. "It basically allows me to transform another living creature into my personal puppet."
"That…" Izuku gulped a bit at the rather…disturbing ability. "That doesn't sound like an ability you'd invent yourself, Kakyōin-san."
His mentor was many things and not all of them pleasant. Even Izuku could admit that. The ghostly teen could be blunt and abrasive at times and had no qualms with resorting to violent means in response to threats or even obstacles and annoyances if they proved insurmountable with other means. His tactics, whenever they discussed combat situations, were often as brutal and ruthless as they were effective.
Still that kind of technique seemed too overtly manipulative and…needlessly cruel for his mentor.
"I was not in control of my faculties when I first created that particular use, and I tended to save it as a trump card unless necessary afterwards." Kakyōin admitted sourly. He'd avoided telling his protégé about the exact circumstances that led to the rather extraordinary journey that led to his demise; partly out of pride and a lingering distaste for the monster involved, and partially to protect his young protégé from having to learn about the…darker side of the world while he still so young. Still, the current circumstances demanded some measure of explanation at least. "There was a powerful…being called DIO involved. He not only possessed a Stand, but he was also a vampire."
"A…a vampire?" Izuku responded in shock. Part of him thought his mentor might be pulling his leg, but Kakyōin was not the type to joke, particularly given the circumstances. "Drinks blood, turns to ash in the sunlight, that kind of vampire?"
"Unfortunately, yes." the redheaded man grimaced; he'd spent several years of his ghostly existence travelling the dreamscape, learning what he could of the undead. What he'd learned had been…disturbing and something best not fully shared with Izuku yet. Still, best the boy know something of the dangers within the night now that he was aware of them. "Just as the stories go, they are undying monsters that possess eternal life and youth but are in turn burnt to ash by the touch of the sun. However, unlike the old legends, they do not feed using their fangs; instead their hands are their primary feeding tools, stabbing them into a victim's flesh and drawing blood into their own body like a set of syringes. They are also monstrously strong and possess heightened senses and powerful regenerative ability against anything but sunlight and similar energies. They also possess an innate ability to control and twist their own bodies with time, allowing them to develop a host of other abilities as they age.
"DIO himself was over a century old and possessed a rather unique and frightening ability. He could pluck off pieces of his own flesh, or even his own hair, and twist it into a small writhing spore of flesh roughly the size of the reverse-end of a knitting needle, that could be planted into the head of his victims' in order to brainwash them. He took me completely off-guard and enslaved me to his will using one of these spores. It was then, while I was twisted by that beast, that I first perceived this use of my Stand."
Izuku blinked several time trying to take all this in. Vampires being real was one thing to take in, but considering he regularly met with an actual ghost and his knowledge of the history of Stands then it wasn't that far of a leap to accept that world was far wider, and weirder, than he'd ever believed. But the kind of power that Kakyōin described this DIO having…those were chilling.
Deciding to move on rather that dwelling on the rather terrifying realization that the monsters that went bump in the night were actually real, Izuku did what he did best.
Analyse.
"While I'll admit, it's not exactly the most heroic ability, its not an inherently villainous one either. It could just as easily be used to contain and secure someone who might otherwise harm themselves or others as it could to hurt an innocent person." Izuku offered after a moment's analysis, his eyes hardening in determination and flaring with life as he made his decision. "Yes, it is an ability that could easily be abused, but all forms of power have that risk. It is how someone uses their power that defines it! Marionette, that's what you called it right? It is definitely a power that can be used by a hero!"
As Izuku spoke, the form of Hierophant Emerald appeared over his shoulder, a third emerald shimmering into existence, with a fourth space in the Stand's white armour growing more distinct as the other three formed a sharp triangular shape.
"Hmm." Kakyōin hummed thoughtfully as he moved in to examine the new gem on Izuku's Stand. "It appears that informing you of my Stand's ability and you accepting it were enough of a catalyst to trigger an awakening of the ability within your own Stand." he offered, before frowning in thought. "Bravo, but unfortunately we now face a rather serious conundrum. Unlike either of our Hierophants other abilities, this isn't one that can be practised without a live test subject."
Izuku blinked, before frowning in thought. He hadn't considered that. It wasn't like he could puppeteer himself after all. "It should be fine." he decided eventually. "One of the Pro Heroes that recently started working at U.A. is called Ectoplasm. He can create clones of himself that don't transmit sensations back to the original. When I get in UA, he'd probably be able to help me train with it."
"I see…if the clones are anatomically correct and resistant enough to not disperse, they would make the perfect practice dummies for this ability." the redheaded Stand User deduced. "This is quite the fortuitous happenstance for you, Midoriya-kun."
"Assuming I manage to get into U.A. in three years." the verdette added, a touch of nervousness entering his voice.
"If you think you can, you will. If you think you can't, you won't." Kakyōin repeated a mantra that he'd shared with Izuku several times over the years to help with the boy's confidence. "Remember my young friend, half of a battle is decided by your belief in your ability to accomplish your desires; the other half is merely pushing yourself to your utmost in order to make those desires a reality."
Izuku smiled at that bit of wisdom, his resolve reaffirmed from the brief moment of doubt "Hai!" he agreed with a sharp nod.
"Now, I do wonder what your Stand's fourth ability could be…?" the ghostly teen returned to the topic at hand, attention focusing back onto the fourth slot in Emerald's armour. "Hierophant Emerald already has access to all the abilities that my Hierophant Green possessed, so this is entirely new territory. Could granting you a copy of my Stand have increased the power available to it? Hmm...rather like the Golden Arrows that Jōtarō-san told me of when I last encountered him. How odd."
"Golden Arrows?" Izuku blinked.
"A legend for another time. They aren't germane to us at the moment." Kakyōin waved one hand idly, thinking, 'And hopefully never will be.' "Anyway, it would appear that inheriting the core abilities of my Stand has allowed your own energy to focus on empowering your Stand rather than shaping and awakening an entirely new Stand. This has in turn allowed Hierophant Emerald to 'evolve' from Hierophant Green and gain a new ability all its own."
"That makes sense…" Izuku nodded along, following the older teen's train of thought. "What do you think my Stand's power could be?"
"There's no way of knowing for sure, but I believe it most like has to do with that cape it has." Kakyōin replied thoughtfully. "Minor changes in colouration and ornamentation aside, it is easily the large and most noticeable physical difference between our Stands."
Izuku nodded. The biggest difference between the two was the most likely place for a new ability to originate from. "I've done some experimenting with them. The tendrils they're made of seemed to be particularly good for forming sources points for Emerald Splash, particularly that twenty-meter radius version you mentioned, but other than that…"
A thought suddenly struck the verdette as he stared at his Stand, mind working into overdrive as an idea began to form.
With a single mental command, Hierophant Emerald's arms, shoulders, back, and cape all began to split and divide into strands; transforming most of its upper body into a mass of placidly floating tendrils.
"Midoriya-kun?" Kakyōin asked cautiously.
"I think I know what Hierophant Emerald's unique ability is…" Izuku offered, a grin spreading across his lips as a fire burned in his eyes. "It isn't Emerald Splash, nor does it have anything to do with its Marionette ability. No, its true strength lies with its Disassembly ability, or, to be more specific, its ability to reassemble itself! Watch!"
In an instant, Hierophant Emerald rebuilt itself, but with major differences. Instead of its former appearance, the Stand now resembled a heavily muscled Asura, six-armed and three-faced.
"...this is…!" Kakyōin blinked. "Can it fire Emerald Splash bursts from all of its hands?"
"Let's see…" the green-haired boy focused. In unison, the three hands clapped together and spread apart slowly, revealing the light green liquid substance surging between them. With a twist of the wrists, a large barrage of Emerald Splash shot out from each set of hands.
Kakyōin Noriaki observed the power put out by his protégé's Stand and knew instantly that he couldn't do that with Hierophant Green; spreading the strands of its body out like a web, yes, dismantling its body into a barrier to entrap an enemy, yes. This, on the other hand? Reassembling its body into an entirely new form?
This was very much beyond him and his Stand.
"Well, it appears as if you have discovered your Stand's more unique power, Midoriya-kun." Kakyōin said mildly once the last of the Emerald Splash faded away. "You can consider me quite jealous."
Izuku ducked his head in embarrassment.
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Next Chapter: Opposing Ghostly Ripple
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