I've got some things to get off my chest, and hopefully, I might have a better idea of when this story will finally continue. Let's just say that when the story continues, the new chapters will be shorter but far more focused as the pace will be picking up now that we have reached the halfway point of the first Saga.

My Hero Academia Untold: The Fafnir Knight (Remastered Edition)

Saga I: Dusk

Arc I: Origins

Chapter VII: Training days

"The best training program in the world is absolutely worthless without the will to execute it properly, consistently, and with intensity."

-John Romaniello

"Well, this is the place," Toshinori said as the two arrived at an old rundown gym. The front entrance door looked old and worn, with some of the windows being broken in random places. He gingerly opened the door with Izuku in tow, a puzzled expression on his face. Toshinori looked around in the seemingly empty gym with some concern.

Izuku himself looked around as well when he heard Toshinori whisper to himself.

"I'm pretty sure this is where he told me to go?"

"You're late!"

Both had heard an older voice growl out to them. In an instant, Toshinori transformed to All Might and froze, a tinge of fear visible despite being in his muscular form. On the other hand, Izuku searched for the voice when he suddenly heard a loud thwack!

Following a clattering of wood, Izuku saw an old gnarled cane landing on the floor after hitting All Might square in the face.

"Ow! What was that for, teacher?!" All Might said in pain.

"Instinct told me you deserved that," The old voice declared from above. Izuku looked up and saw a petite older gentleman wearing a white and yellow hero costume with a black domino mask over his eyes. He held himself steady against the ceiling of the gym.

'Whoa! How did he get up there?' Izuku thought. 'Is that really the guy All Might was talking about?'

The old man smirked before letting himself fall from the ceiling as All Might stood there expectantly.

Meanwhile, Izuku reacted in a shocked manner.

"W-w-w-whoa! Wait!" He exclaimed as he moved to catch the old man, only to be met with a fist that sent Izuku flying into a cushioned wall.

"Ever so stern, teacher," All Might coughed as he transformed back into his skinny form.

"It's the only way to teach a fool correctly," The older and much shorter man answered back; "so…he's the one?"

"Yes, he is," Toshinori nodded.

"And he's Draco Knight's boy, isn't he?"

"How did you...?"

"Did you forget I've been helping you with the investigation? Draco Knight's name was all over that file." Suddenly, the man's eyes narrowed at his former pupil. "Please don't tell me you didn't give One For All to the lad simply out of misplaced guilt, Toshinori..."

Toshinori, however, now stood tall before turning back into All Might.

"No. Despite that, young Midoriya proved more than worthy of inheriting One For All," He said solemnly. "And even after I finally told him the truth, he's proved himself once again by staying true to the ideals of a hero and forgoing revenge."

Gran Torino huffed before grinning. "Well then, you've mentioned that he's been having trouble with his quirk since he inherited One For All?"

"Yes, I feel that One For All may have altered how young Midoriya's original quirk works now."

"Hmm," Torino held his chin in thought as he looked at the knocked-down boy. "It is possible, given what Nana had once told me."

All Might recoiled at the mere mention of his deceased mentor, Nana Shimura, before being interrupted by Izuku's voice.

"Ow..."

They both turned to see Izuku finally gathering himself and recovering from Gran Torino's initial attack. Before All Might could say anything, Gran Torino had already made his way toward the forest-haired boy.

"Oh good, you're up," he began sternly. "Lesson one with me, boy: don't ever drop your guard when dealing with the unknown."

Izuku got up with a determined smile, surprising the old man. It dawned on him that he may have to remember his own lesson; do not judge a book by its cover.

"Heh! Good to see you have a spark in ya. But don't let that get to your head, boy," Gran Torino growled before lunging toward Izuku with a flurry of attacks. "Welcome to Hell!"

And from that moment onwards would be how Izuku's next three months were spent with the retired pro.

SLAM!

Was heard inside the dōjō, the sound echoing in the room to be met with surprise from several students and the dōjō's Master. Two people were sparring, one a student of the Dōjō, the latter a guest who had recently been personally trained in mixed martial arts by Pro Hero in Tōkyō.

"GAH!" The student yelled as he was pinned violently against the floor.

"Good! That's a wrap! Good job, you two!" Called out the dōjō's Master, putting their sparring session to an end.

Ochako wiped the sweat from her brow as she helped her senior get up from the floor.

"Damn, Uraraka! Where did that come from?" He asked with a cough as he struggled to get up, and she giggled back in reply.

"I don't know," Ochako smiled, her demeanor much more positive. "But Master Gunhead called it, 'the spark of a fighter!'"

'More like the aura of a demon!' The boy gulped, remembering the intimidating aura she would exude coming out in droves.

Now that their training was over, the two packed up and headed home. The boy, known as Tosuke Kuwabara, walked with Ochako Uraraka; back to their respective homes as the sunset in the west, leaving the sky with an orange-red hue. Now that they were out of the halls of their dōjō, the two could be more casual and easy-going in their conversation.

"So…you're really set on going go to UA?" He asked. "And right after coming back from Tōkyō a few months ago!"

"Yep!" Ochako chirped. "Dad's got me a place lined up in Shizuoka that his firm is building there."

"Aww, y'know we're all gonna miss ya here," Tosuke contemplated with a sigh. "Well, that's all still a ways away. You still gotta take the entrance exam in like, two months, right?"

"Yeah. I already told Mr. Kuzahara that I'm gonna need a leave of absence when the time for the exam comes around."

"You seem so sure of yourself, but I gotta ask, Ocha-hun," He turned to his friend. "Why pick UA? Isn't Shinketsu closer? And on par with UA?"

"Mhmm, I already know that. But aside from that, it's the School All Might went to, and I..."Ochako began with confidence before slowly turning red. "Well..."

"Ahhh, your good ol' 'knight,' am I right?" Tosuke teased and prodded her with a playful finger to the cheek and a laugh.

"HEY!" Ochako huffed, her cheeks puffing up in mock anger.

"Ohoho! Ah, y'know I'm just kidding," The boy sighed again, "heck, call me jealous, but I wish I could get me a man like that too!"

He was like a big brother to Ochako. And as such, she was one of the few people who knew the truth about his personal preferences.

"It's not like that!" Ochako waved her hand placatingly. "I mean...Okay, sure. He is one of the reasons; I want to go back. But it really isn't the only one! I really do want to become a great rescue hero. y memory of him only made me realize that a bit earlier..."

"And cheer up!" Ochako patted her friend on the back, "I'll be fine! And besides, you'll find someone up your alley one day!"

"If you find a cutie at UA who happens to play for the home team, you'll let me know, right?" He said with a false sense of pleading found in his voice.

Ochako simply stuck out her tongue before saying.

"Can't promise you anything, To-Kun."

"Yeah yeah, still Ocha, dear…."He sighed, "I hope everything works out for you."

"Pffft...Oh, come on! I got this!" Ochako said with confidence and flexing her right arm.

"Alright, alright! I know ya do, especially after today's display," Tosuke laughed. "I'm pretty sure you scared almost everyone there with your 'fighter's spark' or whatever you call it."

Ochako just laughed again as she looked ahead to the twilight of the day's end. She felt everything would turn out alright on the cusp of the future's horizon. After all, she will be returning to where her journey to become a hero began.

The small girl laughed, blazing through her family's compound at full speed, knowing her Uncle would be catching up to her any second now. He had been training all day with no time left for him to play with her. And as such, she wanted some sort of revenge, the fun way.

"HIKARI!"

Right on cue, she could now hear him yell as he turned the corner behind her.

"You can't catch me, Uncle Teni!" The girl exclaimed as she increased the output of her quirk.

Her blue hair, peppered with strays of white, waved in the wind as she continued to run at top speed. The young girl knew that even at her current pace, her Uncle Tenya could easily catch up to her if he sped up. On the other hand, however, she had easier weaving around corners than he could. This made their game of cat and mouse more difficult than intended whenever she made sharp turns.

'If only Shouto were here right now!' Tenya silently wished that his best friend, and brother-in-law Shouto Todoroki, were here to help him catch his niece. However, instead of an answered prayer, a nightmare began once he heard a burst of familiar, melodic laughter that ended like a song.

"MWUHAHAHA ~!" Tenya heard the laughter before seeing a large green ATV zoom right past him. His fears were confirmed; Mei Hatsume had arrived at the scene, riding on top of the green machine with her wild pinky, sporting her trademarked goggles.

"H-HATSUME!" He yelled out with a mixture of frustration and annoyance.

"Hika! Over here!" Mei called out to the little girl, catching up to her speed.

"Mei-mei!" She cheered before managing to hop onboard. Once Hikari was safe on the ATV, Mei let the engine roar and sped further away, increasing the gap between them and Tenya.

"DANG IT!" Tenya roared, finally deciding that enough was enough. "RECIPRO BURST!"

Tenya's engine legs came to life, quickly catching up to the troublesome duo. The four-wheeler turned a sharp corner on the side of the building, only to stop at a dead end. Tenya gave a rare, ambitious grin.

'I've got you now!' He thought as he turned the corner with a well-practiced pivot of his left foot. His grin dissipated and was replaced with a look of horror the instant he spotted the two. Mei was holding what appeared to be a rocket launcher aimed directly at him. Tenya did his best to slam on the brakes in an attempt to turn back and make his escape.

"Target acquired!" Mei exclaimed with a mischievous smile and her zoom-in quirk making up for the lack of scope on her weapon.

"FIRE!" Hikari ordered with a wave of her lollipop toward Tenya. With the trigger's pull, the launcher fired a thick mesh net at her target and successfully captured Tenya by pinning him to the ground.

"Wha – why?!" Tenya exclaimed as he attempted to escape from the netting.

"Phew!" Mei breathed out, ignoring Tenya's cries for help. "That was fun, wasn't it, Hika?"

The child giggled in response, nodding her head vigorously.

"Thanks for helping me test my newest baby, Teni ~!" Mei shouted out.

"Gah! Please, just help me get out of this thing!" Tenya cried out again, attempting his distinctive arm chop to get his way out and failing to do so.

"Sorry, Teni, no can do. I need to time how long it takes you to escape from it ~!" Mei answered as she pulled out a stopwatch from her cleavage. Hikari simply enjoyed being in the company of her two old friends while enjoying the lollipop that Mei had given her.

The trio continued about their misadventures, not knowing they were being observed from above.

"I still give it a year before they finally hook up," Yuno observed, the well-built man of middling height and his pinkish-white crazy hair with matching goatee to boot. He was dressed in a dark gray mechanic's jumpsuit, the Idaten Agency badge set above his left breast pocket.

Fuyumi laughed at the man's antics. "Please, don't tell me you're actually 'shipping' them."

Yuno shot back with a dramatic flair akin to his sibling's antics.

"A brother only wants what is best for his little sister ~!" He was quick to proclaim. "Plus...it couldn't help to have less competition on the market."

"Yuno!" Fuyumi exclaimed, "Tensei, honey, talk some sense into your friend here!"

Tensei only shrugged with a tiny smirk on his face. He mirthfully observed his young brother finally breaking out of the net, only to be tackled to the ground again by his daughter and his friend's younger sister.

"I'd be careful what you'd wish for, Yuno," Tensei chuckled. "A relationship might only make Mei more ambitious."

He remembered when the Tenya and Mei first met a few years ago and the explosive boom Mei had made in her inventions shortly afterward.

"Bah!" Yuno managed to gasp out.

"Both plan to join UA soon and Tenya's exams are only a few weeks away. On top of that. I'm pretty sure he's gonna need a brilliant gear technician to support and keep him going," He concluded confidently, patting his friend on the back.

"Yeah, yeah..." Yuno looked at the two, the tiniest hint of sadness on his face. He had to face the fact that Mei wouldn't be his baby sister anymore. Sooner than later, she was going to grow up.

"Aim carefully, now." Kai peered through a scope eyeing the paper target several yards ahead.

Next to him was a boy lying prone who aimed straight ahead with the buttstock of a rifle resting on his shoulder.

"Weapons free; you may fire when ready," Kai ordered calmly. He heard the young, dark-haired youth fixing how he breathed to adjust his aim.

BANG

The rifle flashed as the bullet flew out, the crack echoing out the field. Kai looked over to the target once again; bullseye.

"Good," Kai said as he helped the boy up. "You've improved."

"Given how much you drilled it into me," The boy said dully with a tired sigh. He got up from the ground to sit on a bench and carefully unload the rifle. "I'm afraid to say I didn't have a choice but to get better."

In general, recreational shooting for Japanese civilians is a lengthy process, with tedious paperwork and licensing. Thankfully, Kai's position allowed him to wave such things to access the shooting range for his newly adopted son. And what better way for him, a newly minted father, and his adopted son to bond over?

Or, at the very least, that's what he would say to maintain as a cover.

"Ryu," Kai spoke up, observing the boy's firearm handling and ensuring he followed all standard safety precautions to the letter.

"Mhm?" Ryu grunted in response as most of his attention was currently placed on his gun.

"An interesting little document was brought to my attention recently."

"Oh? What of?" he asked, continuing unloading the ammunition without looking up.

"Your past."

In an instant, Ryu stopped moving, and his hands suddenly clutched the rifle with what seemed like either anger or panic. Kai, however, remained unphased by his reaction.

"Of a certain disgraced politician named Saito and his supposed illegitimate son," He chuckled darkly. "When we got introduced with the help of Mister Anno, I had to admit, whoever came up with your fake name knew what it would take to shake me."

Kai wasn't joking. When he first met the boy, he almost went pale as he thought the ghost of a younger Hisashi had come back to haunt him.

"A little digging on my part, and I was quite surprised by what I found instead."

Ryu's eyes narrowed as he looked up to his adopted father, but his grip on his firearm relaxed. Kai could see the boy wanted to say something, seeing that face filled with malice, but one that wasn't about to speak recklessly.

"So, what is the son of a disgraced politician doing, helping the very movement that ruined him?" He asked calmly.

"And what's it to you?" Ryu finally answered back, voice dripping with venom.

"Given the job we have set up for you at UA, assuming you can get into the hero course."

"When I get into the hero course."

"Of course. But regardless of that, I would prefer to know all the cards I have on hand. Especially since I've lost some favor with the movement as of late," Kai said almost dismissively. After all, he had joined the movement due to the growing advancement he got out of it. Yet, much of its political agenda left Kai tired and disgusted to no end. Only proven further by getting a damn kid involved in their schemes. In the end, it didn't matter, as the Neocons were simply a means to an end for him.

Ryu sighed to himself. Aside from the task he was assigned to execute for the Neocons, he had his own goals to accomplish with this mission. It was his means to secure the future.

"Spying on the school, you say? I still don't know why you would even need me to do that." Ryu said with the tiniest hint of sarcasm.

"And that's on a need-to-know basis. What I need to know now is what your endgame is."

Ryu looked at Kai squarely in the eyes.

"It's pretty simple, really."

"Oh?"

"Change. That's all that I want."

Kai's brows went up in surprise.

"You think I actually cared about my old man?" Ryu laughed bitterly; as he placed the unloaded rifle down on its side. "Pfft, fuck the old prick. I was illegitimate for a reason. Hell, killing himself was probably the best thing that could've happened to me."

He continued as a dark and sinister grin mask formed on his face. "Nah, I want something else. The Neocons have already mentioned putting in certain reforms that interest me. So I jumped at getting those reforms passed sooner than later."

The boy gave a cocky smile as he gave a half-heart shrug, "not to mention gaining clout when I'm older and getting connections if I need them."

To which Kai raised a questioning eyebrow.

"We could all use a leg up in the world, ya know? Especially the quirkless ones that lived among us," Ryu placed the unloaded rifle over his shoulder. "Don't you think I don't already know that you can't get anywhere without getting your hands dirty?"

Kai nodded slowly. "Is that so?"

Ryu nodded as his golden eyes reappeared, appearing dull and dead, with a frown replacing the smile.

"I think you would know better than anyone with your record, father. Don't forget, I'm not the only one with skeletons in his closet. The only difference is that mine won't kill my career."

"Clever boy," Kai said with a small smile forming on his face. Hideyoshi must have told Ryu a few truths to keep him in line.

"Oh, and father?"

"Yes, son?"

"Do us a favor and not bring up my past again. I'd prefer being in a good mood."

"Very well. However, since we are talking about things on a need-to-know basis, and you seem so sure about getting into the hero course, I'll at least share this tidbit with you."

Ryu straightened up, his attention piqued.

"I got word from a contact with the Ministry of Education that All Might will be joining UA as a teacher."

Ryu's eyes almost popped out of his head; Kai could practically see the gears turning in the boy's head. "You're joking..."

"I am not."

"But... I mean, why? Why now of all times?"

Kai shrugged. "Perhaps he wants to teach the next generation."

"Makes it sound like he might," Ryu shuddered at the thought. "Retire…"

Kai couldn't help but agree with the young boy's sentiments. Despite the poor relationship between All Might and himself, he still respected the man as a hero. And knew of the value of him being the world's Symbol of Peace.

'All the more reason why Hisashi needed to take the fall in the end,' he tried to reason to himself.

Yet, the very thought of the deceased pro-hero sent a stabbing pain to his chest, right to his heart. It was where Kai had buried his scars from the man he once considered to be as close as a son; until that dreadful night all those years ago.

The night that changed everything.

Kurogiri stood by nervously.

To say he was in a dangerous and tense situation at the moment was, to put it mildly, an understatement.

Tomura Shigaraki had begun to make a few power moves, knowing that the Master's successor would finally be chosen soon. He wanted to play the long con; that meant securing loyally from outside the league's direct influence. Now, he and Tomura were among several underworld leaders, including Heads of "The Union," some representatives of several Yakuza groups, who had gone underground, and crime lords and bosses. All had clout in the country's public and private sectors.

Despite the room being filled with some of the worst scum society offered. One man whose reputation rivaled that of Tomura's within the underworld. A yakuza capo that became the acting boss of his outfit shortly after All For One's last battle.

Kai Chisaki was better known by his villain name: Overhaul.

Tension rose when the mere mention of tribute was raised.

"The League's offer is generous, but it's not without what we believe to be a more than a fair price," Tomura spoke confidently. As much of the underworld muttered to themselves, some in agreement, others saw issues with the offer but hesitated to raise opposition. However, one person had no such fear.

"If this is a joke, Shigaraki...it's a rather poor one," Overhaul calmly spoke up, slightly muffled by his beak-like mask.

Kurogiri could feel the silence that pierced the room; nearly everyone stopped what they were doing to see what the young upstarts would do. Tomura simply grinned without missing a beat, countering the insult with one of his own.

"It is no joke, Chisaki, but given the condition of your little gang, it would indeed seem like a large price to pay. Shame that the old guard just can't seem to grow out like it once did."

Some had laughed; others stood quiet. Most yakuza, including Overhaul's group, had lost much of their prestige, influence, and respect over the years. Many modern villains saw them as naught more than a relic of the past, trying to hold to what little they could. Only the Four Cardinal Kings had enough power and influence to put even a damper in Tomura's future plans...provided they could actually unify.

Knowing this, the prideful Overhaul was quick to shoot back.

"The cost against the benefits would do little good for my crew and to several others here who refuse to speak up."

Tomura stayed silent, resisting the urge to smile as he was secretly pleased by the answer.

Overhaul called out everyone else for him, painting a target on himself. The yakuza boss proved too stubborn and proud to know what he had now done. Tomura himself may not have the best social skills. But even he could see the faces among them slowly turning and rethinking their loyalty.

Even those who preferred to stay allied as fellow yakuza now knew that Overhaul could be more of a liability than a benefit in the long run.

"So, if what Chisaki says here is true, does anyone have objections to raise?" Tomura asked with a voice braced in confidence, throwing the gauntlet down to anyone who would dare challenge him right now. He had survived through the depths of hell, with his family against his family. He had clawed, killed, and plotted to get into the position he was in today with only one rival left standing in his way. He wouldn't allow anyone else to stand in his way.

Those two were fated to fight, and whoever was left standing would take it all.

Author's commentary

Again, most of the remastering efforts streamlined the story and fixed grammar/spelling issues. But perhaps one of the biggest things I'm doing is reducing the times I draw out certain scenes by re-doing the dialogue. In the previous version, this scene was one of those problem scenes where some of the dialogue was a little stiff, and the scene left a lot to be desired.

Now it's shorter but to the point.