Chapter 22:
Welcome Back
Summary:
Introduction to Haki training with Kiri and Shoto. The boys go back to school. The students react to the boy's taking down Stain. All Might's hero training.
The next day the boys mostly do light training in the gym. They also do quick patrols around the area. Luffy texted Kirishima when he woke up this morning to ask him if he wanted extra training with Shanks. It is around noon before Luffy get a call from Kirishima. Luffy fumbles with his phone before he answers it with an excited "Hi Kiri!"
"Hey Lu, you told me to call you when I had some time. I'm on lunch right now." Kirishima states fondly.
"Yea Shanks wanted me to ask you if you are interested in Haki training?" Luffy asks excitedly.
"Hell yea I'm interested in more training." Kirishima exclaims.
"Ok good, he said to meet us at Red Force when you get out of interning. We start today." Luffy smirks.
"Ok I will be there. See ya Luffy"
"Bye Kiri." Luffy states as he hangs up.
Ace comes up to Luffy with a smirk on his face. "So… Is he coming?"
Luffy smiles big "Yes I can't wait to train with him."
Shoto watching the two brothers interact smiles fondly at the two. Katsuki and Izuku are in their own little world as usual. Since they were five, they would always spend their lunches away from the group; close enough to listen in on their conversations but far enough away that it gives them the illusion of privacy. Typically they can be found napping close together under a tree outside. If they are not napping Izuku is usually theory crafting while Katsuki pays rapt attention, sometimes inputting his own theories.
Izuku still has a habit of bringing notebooks wherever they go always writing a new training plan. Or coming up with move ideas for anyone of his pack. So they spend the rest of the afternoon planning out what they want to work on during their advanced training with Shanks. Izuku looks around the room and notices the other boys are done eating.
"Hey guys come here for a second." Izuku calls.
They three other boys get up and sit by Izuku. "What's up Izuku?" Ace asks.
"Um I'm planning out what we should focus on during our advanced training." Izuku starts. He gets a confused look for Shoto. Izuku smiles "Oh right sorry Shoto I forgot you have never training with us."
Shoto nods but still keeps his confused look. Ace decides to help him out "not sure if you noticed but Izuku is a genius. He comes up plans on the fly that have a 90% success rate, you would think he could see the future. His analysis are typically spot on. And he can spot, correct, and cover weaknesses at a glance." Shoto has noticed this before, so he nods.
"Ok, first I need to know what you all want to work on first individually. Then we can figure out what we need to work on in pairs and then as a group." Izuku starts.
"I'll start" Katsuki grunts "I want to work on reducing the strain to my arms that my bigger explosions give me. I also want to increase how many I can do before I require healing. Also I know I can be better physically so I'm going to work on that. My control with all three Hakis is above average but there is room for improvement, so I will be joining Icy-hot and Shitty Hair during their lessons with Shanks."
"Sounds good, once Shanks tells us when the Haki training times will be I'll finalize our training plans." Izuku comments "I want to work on unlocking some of the other attributes of my quirk. Remember our talk last night about the possibility of using soulmate quirks? I have a theory I want to try out and if it works ill pass the information on to you guys. I know the workings and the mechanics of Kacchan's quirk so I should be able to pull it off. I also need to work on physical strength and endurance. I think I will also join in for the Haki training as well."
"I'm next!" Luffy almost shouts "I need to work on Gear fourth and find out ways to make it more adaptable to any fight situation. I want to work on my physical abilities as well with out relying on my gear second. I believe if I can increase my overall abilities it would make my gears even better. I'm in for extra Haki training as well"
Ace goes next "I need to work on my combat abilities, if the Stain fight has taught me anything, I rely on turning Intangible to prevent damage. While not always a bad choice, if I am protecting someone and I go intangible they would take the hit. I need to work on my physical abilities as well, along with Haki."
Ace nudges Shoto telling him it is his turn. Shoto clears his throat "I want to tame my fire. I am interested in trying new things with my fire but first I need to tame it. I want to work on my combat abilities as well, along with my physical abilities. I will be attending Haki training with Shanks as well."
"Ok I have jotted everything down for individual work. We also need to consider time for studying and rest. As soon as we get the times from Shanks, I will finalize our individual training regimes. Now Luffy we will not be able to do your partner training until Kirishima gets here. We should also wait for him to do the group training regimes as well." He gets nods from the rest of the group. "As far as partner training with Kacchan, I want to work on controlling OFA and practice sharing it. Also I think our fighting style is could use a tune up."
Katsuki nods "I agree, if we stick to the same fight style eventually it will be easy for others to read. Maybe we can ask Shanks for some more fighting styles. Also I want to work on some more combo moves. I have a few in mind that in theory should work. I also want to learn if I could use your healing power to so degree."
This time Shoto speaks up with needing the prompt from Ace. "I would like to work on coming up with a fighting style like Bakugo and Izuku's for Ace and me. I would also like to know If I can use my fire like Ace does, as impressive as it is dropping on sun on an enemy; I think 2 suns would be better" Shoto finishes with a smirk.
Ace smirks right back "I agree, I also would like to improve our communication. I would like us to get to the point that we are on the same level as our Ultimate Duo."
"Good luck with the Matchstick" Katsuki challenges "The nerd and I are special. We have never needed many words to understand each other."
"Kacchan is right we have always had this sort of undeniable connection even before we knew we were soulmates. But we will work with you. It might take a long time, but we can help. I think Ace and Shoto along with Luffy and Kirishima need to get to know each other better. When Kacchan got his quirk and started practicing with it I watched his movements and applied them to my own movements. Maybe while training take some time to watch the other and incorporate their movements to your own fighting style. When it comes time to fight with each other all it should take is some finetuning and watching."
"The Nerd is right, when we fight together it might seem like we just know what the other is going to do; that is not always the case there are subtle clues that give his move away because I know what I am looking for. I can change my attack to suit his movements and vise versa. When we are in battle, we are always perfectly aware of the other. That takes time to get there, but I suppose we can help. We should make it part of our group trainings. Since we will most likely want to work on the same things."
"What I propose is the next time we spar against each other we film it. Then we can use them as training aids." Izuku states.
"That is a great idea Izu" Luffy compliments.
"I agree" Ace states and Shoto nods his agreement.
Over the next couple of hours the boys sit there discussing their training regimes. Izuku and Katsuki are leaning against the wall. Izuku's head is on Katsuki shoulder with Katsuki's cheek on top of Izuku's green curls. Shoto and Ace smile fondly at the two, it make sense that the duo would be napping; the amount of energy the fight took last night has made all the boys exhausted. It a little after 5 when Ace decides it is time to rouse the boys.
"Oi Blasty, rise and shine sleeping beauty!" Ace kicks Katsuki's leg. Katsuki groans and glares as he wipes the sleep from his face. A little pout forms on his face until he looks at the sleeping teen next to him. His look turns soft as he takes in the peaceful form of a sleeping Izuku. He looks back at Ace a look that clearly tells him if he dares to wake The Nerd he will die. Ace smirks, turns and walks away back to Shoto. Watching as the ticking time bomb wakes up Izuku with a rarely seen gentleness.
Luffy's excited shout of "Oi Kirishima!" breaks Ace out of his observation.
Kirishima looks over at the group he stops to look at Luffy "Hey Luffy" he blushes a bit. Ace doesn't understand why until he looks at Luffy again. Since they were training earlier Luffy took off his sweat soaked shirt and hasn't put another one on.
Ace smirks taking in Kirishima's shocked look "See something you like?" He taunts.
If possible Kirishima blushes a bit more and starts sputtering. Luffy ignores this this and quickly bounces over to Kirishima. Kirishima inspects Luffy for any visible injuries, he knows the boys were involved in the Stain incident. He has seen the new footage and saw the blow that paralyzed his soulmate. He guesses he needs to thank Izuku for healing all the damage they received. If he spends more time than necessary inspecting Luffy's chest; well he is just being thorough. He smiles at the rubbery teen and moves to give the bouncy teen a tight hug.
"I missed you" Kirishima whispers, he starts shaking a bit his fear coming back "When I heard you took on Stain, I was so scared that I was going to lose you. I was also angry I couldn't be there, and it made me feel guilty that I turned down you offer to Intern together. I'm sorry Luffy."
Luffy hold Kirishima tighter and rubs his back "I forgive you Kirishima" Izuku pulls back a little "Look at me Kiri." He whispers softly "I'm alive, I'm here." He smiles softly "I'm not going anywhere."
"Good, I don't think I would be able to forgive myself if you were ever severely injured. Even if Izuku can heal the damage. I want to get stronger to be able to fight with you. I'm not ready yet but I will be." Kirishima states with conviction wrapped in a promise.
"Well, Shanks will be here soon, and we will start our Haki training." Luffy informs fire burning in his eyes. "Before that though Izuku is making us all Training regimes. So come on" He pulls Kirishima over to Izuku.
"Hey Kirishima." Izuku waves.
"Shitty Hair" Katsuki grunts. Something like a smirk playing at the edge of his lips.
"Hey Midobro, Bakubro. I saw your guys fight with Stain it was truly incredible." Kirishima waves back with a smile.
"Do you have anything beside Haki that you want to work on?" Izuku asks.
"Yea pretty much everything, I have been working on my quirk during the internship, but I am not happy with its duration. I need to work on my combat skills so if I reach my quirk limits, I still want to be able to fight properly. Maybe learn a weapon like a staff to give me some reach. My physical abilities need to be worked on." Kirishima states seriously.
"Sounds good that is pretty much what we all want to work on as well." Izuku states.
"Kirishima we will be doing advanced training with Shanks, Aizawa and All Might during the regular Combatives class. Since the Stain fight has been broadcasted all over the country, us five will be targeted. Even though you were not part of it Luffy asked Shanks to extend the offer to you as well. Since we figured you would want to fight beside Luffy if it comes to it." Shoto states.
"Hell yea. I would never forgive myself if I missed this opportunity." Kirishima promises.
Shanks walks in, All Might, Aizawa, and Hawks trailing after him. "Glad you could make it Todoroki, Kirishima." He looks and sees the other 4 boys "I take it you problem children want more lessons in Haki?" Getting nods from the other boys. "All Right. Well then let's get started. Izuku, Katsuki you are going to demonstrate Observation Haki; blindfolded." Shanks smirks.
Izuku and Katsuki share a look and smirk to each other. "Ok Shanks Sensei, who do you want to be on the offensive?"
"Katsuki you are defending. Izuku blindfold him and grab a training stick. No Armament." Shanks instructs.
Izuku does as told and blindfolds Katsuki "Can you see?" Katsuki shakes his head. He grabs the stick from Shanks. Hiding his presence and using this time to train his stealth. He gets behind Katsuki and aiming for the back of the other boys head, he swipes down. Katsuki dodges just enough. Smirking he picks up the pace and swings left, right, center, stops. Katsuki dodges them all. He moves around Katsuki trying to disorientate him by making some steps louder then others. From a different angle he starts again Right, left, center, pole jab, right, stops. He repeats this several more times before Shanks calls out. "Ok, great job Katsuki. Take off the blind fold." Katsuki does as told Shanks addresses his students "Ok who could see what was happening?"
"Bakubro was dodging using the minimum amount of energy so avoid getting hit." Kirishima observes.
"Midoriya was doing something, there were times I couldn't sense him even though he was right there. I know I could see him, but if I was a stranger, I would have just brushed him off." Todoroki states.
"Impressive Todoroki, it seems you are close to unlocking Observation Haki. He was doing something else. Does anyone know?" Shanks quizzes.
"He was doing something similar to when you would throw your voice to make it seem like you are closer or farther away; but with his steps" Kirishima points out.
"Great observation Kirishima. Now Izuku and Katsuki are going to spar, quirkless. To show how two Observation users clashing would look like." Shanks instructs.
Izuku and Katsuki face each other and bow. They get into their fighting stances. They mirror each other. The both leap toward each other, using their Observation Haki to dodge the barrage of punches and kicks. Izuku sees where Katsuki is going to dodge to a throws a punch and catches him in the stomach. Izuku panics, not expecting to hit Katsuki he used all his base strength. Katsuki hunches over holding his stomach spit dripping down his chin.
"Ok that's enough, that was unexpected." Shanks states. "Izuku what happened"
Izuku in his panic takes a couple of seconds to pull himself out of it. "I knew where he was going to dodge so I through a punch. I thought he would dodge again but he didn't"
"That is the first signs of Future Sight. You are seeing a couple of seconds into the future. Basically you threw a punch and saw what way he would dodge to land a blow on him. That is the next step to observation Haki. You both did well, go take a seat." Izuku fusses over Katsuki.
"I'm sorry Kacchan." Izuku is still in a panic. Fingers twitching he wants to unleash all his healing flames to heal Katsuki. "Are you ok? Do you need healing?"
Katsuki looks at Izuku, in a different world he would be pissed thinking Izuku is looking down on him; thinking Katsuki is weak. He knows Izuku and knows that he doesn't ever want to hurt Katsuki. Not because he doesn't think he can't handle it; Izuku is just like that. He would fuss over anyone if it was an unintentional hit. His wolf is probably not helping either. "I'm fine Nerd. Will probably be sore and bruise later." Izuku whines and Katsuki smirks. "Let's go sit down, then if it will make you feel better you can heal it." Izuku nods guiltily.
Shanks smiles at their antics "Ace, stand up and move over to where Katsuki started at." He does as told. "Kirishima use your hardening quirk and punch Ace in the stomach." Kirishima looks shocked he doesn't want to hit Ace.
Getting a look from Shanks that tells him he better do it, Kirishima stands up and stands in front of Ace. Shanks calls out "Ace do not use Armament Haki." Ace nods. Kirishima activate his quirk and throws a basic punch at Ace hitting him in the stomach. To the shock of everyone their Shanks included, the hit connects and Ace curls over the fist, coughing.
"I see" Izuku mumbles quietly. "I think I know what happened"
"Care to explain?" Katsuki asks.
"I think Kirishima's quirk has uses something similar to Armament. Maybe a bit weaker." Izuku theorizes.
"It's possible, Izuku I need you to heal Aces Stomach and the demonstrate what I was attempting to have Kirishima demonstrate." Shanks turns to Kirishima "thank you, you may go sit back down. I will explain what happened after you see this."
Izuku goes up to stand in front of Ace quickly healing the fire user. He cocks his fist back and punches Ace in the stomach. This time Ace goes intangible and fire engulfs Izuku's fist making it blister a bit. Shanks speaks up "This is what should have happened with Kirishima. I asked Kirishima first because his quirk would have prevented him from being burnt. I did not take into the account that his quirk would be something similar to Armament Haki. Izuku heal your fist." Izuku engulfs his fist in green fire. "Now use armament Haki and punch him again." Izuku does as told.
Todoroki and Kirishima are shocked as they watch Izuku's fist turn black. They watch amazed as Izuku throws another punch to Ace's stomach and it connects with more force them Kirishima's did. Izuku runs to Ace and quickly places his hand on his stomach to heal the damage. "Sorry Ace" Ace waves off the apology "It's ok Izuku. We are used to this treatment" He laughs.
"Ok thank you Ace for being a punching bag, go take your seats. There are more applications of Armament Haki then just using it to hit Ace." He gets a glare from the mentioned boy; the others try to hold in their laughs. Shanks brushes the glare off, grabs the training stick and continues "One of the applications of this Haki is that it can be used on weapons as well this is called Imbuement. The black fist from Izuku is called Hardening. There is also Enhancement which is invisible it is a heavy concentration of Haki granting the user power and endurance. This seems to be what Kirishima's quirk does."
Shanks smirks as he releases a moderately powerful blast of Conquerors Haki. He smirks as he feels three burst answering his call. "Relax boys." he instructs as he pulls back his Haki "I will also work on your tolerances to Conqueror's. It may be needed in the future. Izuku, Katsuki and Ace can use it. If they use it in Battle chance are it could affect you as well. We will reduce your vulnerability to it. I will blast you with bursts randomly during your training. My goal is to get you at least proficient at the basics of both Observation and Armament Haki before finals. We have approximately a month before then. We will start with 30 mins a day for the first week then week 2 and 3 we will move up to an hour, the final week we will do 3 hours every other day. I expect your grades not to suffer there will be time to study."
"Yes Sensei" The 6 boys sound out.
"Good now pair up. Luffy and Kirishima are a group, Ace you're with Todoroki. Start with Observation Haki Kirishima and Todoroki will be blindfolded first." The boys pair off and grab the training sticks.
Izuku and Katsuki move away from the group. Shanks approaches "I want you two to work on future sight. Izuku you have already unlocked it; you need to practice it. Katsuki you need to unlock it first, so you will spar for 30 mins."
"Yes sensei" Izuku and Katsuki state.
While the boys are working on it Shanks paces around the group and observes. Todoroki is dodging more often then getting hit within the first five minutes. Kirishima is struggling with a look of intense concentration. Luffy is looking guilty. Shanks glances over to watch Izuku and Katsuki. They are moving at least twice as fast then they were when the were demonstrating. Shanks smiles he is proud to be training these boys. Izuku and Katsuki always go all out, Shanks suspects this is why they improve so fast. They treat every spar and fight like a life or death situation. It doesn't matter that they are only training. If Shanks didn't know about soulmates, he would assume that they were rivals. The boys have a competitive streak a mile deep. Always wanting to be stronger than the day before. Shanks is not worried about Izuku unlocking Future Sight first, this will spark Katsuki's drive to not be left behind by his partner. He will put his all into it, Shanks would bet money that Katsuki will unlock the beginnings of Future Sight today. A gasp pulls him out of his thoughts, he looks over to Izuku and Katsuki's fight. He takes in the accomplished smug smirk from Katsuki. He also notices the proud glint in Izuku's eyes. Izuku's grin turns feral as he picks up the fight a notch. Shanks didn't say they couldn't use quirks. So the boys are using everything they know in this fight.
It is interesting watching them fight against each other. The best way to describe it would be fighting your reflection. They are also improving on their combined fighting style. Izuku would go on the offensive and target Katsuki's weaknesses in his defense. When corrected they switch roles. Subtly correcting the holes in their fighting style. Their fighting style is an equal blend of offense and defense, where they learned some assassination techniques is worrisome. Shanks supposes they are only using the stealth and sabotage aspects of it. Seamlessly adding sneak attacks and feints in their movements. They dance around each other while trying out new individual moves that typically compliment their opponents moves. It is a very unique way to train your partner your new move. Shanks notices the moment they stopped focusing solely on working on Observation Haki. He smiles they may not be solely focusing on it, but they are still using it better then most people would. It is almost second nature to always have it activated.
15 minutes have passed he checks up on the other two pairs. Todoroki is dodging about 19 of every 20 not bad for the first day. Shanks supposes he could already sense auras, so he was well on his way. Kirishima has improved he is dodging more often then not while conserving his energy. These boys are amazing. Besides Izuku and Katsuki who might as well be native to Haki; the other boys have improved far faster then he thought they would, While Izuku and Katsuki got the basics down within a couple of days, Ace unlocked the basics around the end of the first week. Luffy took a bit longer, but once Shanks told him he would get no meat until he dodged 100 times in a row, he completed it halfway into the third week.
For Armament Haki Izuku and Katsuki could Harden by the end of the second day. It took Luffy a week to use hardening. And Ace spent two and a half weeks to use it. It seems that Shoto will unlock Observation Haki by the end of the first week like Ace. Same for Kirishima as he seems more adapt at Armament Haki. Kirishima also seems like the type of person that would absorb a hit to protect someone; similar to Luffy. So it makes sense that Armament would come easier to them. Todoroki already has impressive dodging skills due to not having a way to protect himself from damage. Ace seemed to favor observation as well since most attacks just phased through him.
30 Minutes have passed Shanks clears his Throat "Ok boy's 30 Minutes are up. That is enough for today. Before I dismiss you lets have a talk. Todoroki can you descried what you were feeling."
"Yea, it was like I new sometimes when and where Ace would strike. I would sense his presence shift to one side or the other and new a had to dodge."
"Yes that's what was happening to me, I would feel a slight pressure telling me I needed to dodge. It took getting hit a few times before I knew what the twinge meant. I would lose concentration and then get hit again." Kirishima follows up.
"Good work you both are making impressive strides in unlocking the Basics of Observation Haki. Tomorrow we will work on Armament Haki." Shanks then directs his gaze over to the other two. "Izuku and Katsuki how was it."
"I understand what The Nerd was talking about earlier, when he punched me in the stomach. I saw where he was going to dodge before he did and reacted. I was only able to do it a few more times during the fight."
"Same, I was able to do it again while I was on the offensive."
"Impressive, now what else were you working on." Shanks smirks.
"We were fixing the wholes in our defenses while also teaching each other new fighting moves to incorporate in our fighting style." Katsuki states as if obvious.
"What do you mean teaching each other. From where me a Luffy saw it just looked like you were sparing." Ace shouts confused.
"That is how we show each other. I will attack him with a new move, and he will have to figure out how to defend against it. It builds muscle memory, so it improves our defensive stance while he uses his keen mind to essentially copy it. When I have used it enough that he can use it perfectly, it becomes his turn to use it and I have to defend against it. That way we learn a new offensive move and a new defensive move." Izuku explains.
"Ahh that makes sense" Ace ponders "If a little unorthodox." He seems to be thinking out something. "Hey Blasty, Izuku is that how you developed your fighting style?"
"I'm not telling you Matchstick" Katsuki grunts and turns his head away from the group arms crossed across his chest.
Izuku smiles fondly at Katsuki "Ne, Kacchan we should tell them."
Katsuki pouts "But those are our moves"
"Ok what if they develop their own moves. We still get to keep our own fighting style." Izuku tries to pacify the pouting teen.
"Whatever" Katsuki grunts "But if Matchstick and Icy-hot us our moves I get to kick both their asses"
"Agreed" Izuku confirms. "Yes that is how we came up with our fighting style. However do not try to use our moves they are tailored to our powers and speed. I suggest sparing against each other without quirks to bet a basics down. One of you attack while the other defends, then switch. Every time you spar use some of your opponents moves so they can learn your defenses. Soon it will feel natural."
"Thanks Izuku, we will try that" Ace thanks.
"Once you have a good grasp on the melee style of fighting add your quirks. And once Todoroki unlocks it add Haki. Make it seamless. We got where we are because we have been fighting this way since we started training. So it takes time. And it might not even be a method that is efficient to you."
"Thank you Izuku, we will keep that in mind"
"Izu, Kats can Kirishima and I use this technique. We will come up with our own moves?" Luffy beams.
Katsuki smiles fondly at Luffy "Sure just keep what The Nerd said in mind."
Ace huffs "Why are you so nice to Luffy, but are an asshole to me?"
"What was that Matchstick" Katsuki rages.
"Kats likes me better Acey" Luffy smiles.
Ace pounces on the rubber boy Izuku smiles fondly. Shoto clears his throat "I think it is because Bakugo views Luffy as a younger brother. While he views Ace as a rival of sorts" He nods sagely.
Izuku laughs "I have to agree. Kacchan has always been a bit nicer to Luffy."
Katsuki continues to pout "I'm nicest to My Nerd." He grumbles out.
The other boys continue to laugh and tease Katsuki, while Izuku starts blushing. Once the boys have settled, they decide to call it a night and go to the locker rooms to change. The boys all head over to the Midoriya household. Shoto is spending the night again since Endeavor won't pass up a chance to have his boy get stronger. Endeavor knows how strong Shanks is, Shanks told Endeavor that he will train Shoto up to the finals. They came to a compromise that Shoto will be tested with his father the week after finals to see his progress. If Endeavor is not impressed with his sons increase in skill, he will take over the training once more. Shanks will not let that happen; Ace came to him before the internships to talk about it. Ace was worried he would have to step in to stop the training from going too far. After watching training today Shanks doesn't have any doubts that Shoto will exceed his fathers expectations.
The next couple of days until the boys go back to school are filled with training. Shanks and All Might supervise the boys workouts and sparing. Ace and Shoto use the training method the Ultimate Duo use with little progress. Luffy and Kirishima are having better luck since they do not rely solely on their quirks to fight. Ace and Shoto are struggling to suppress the instinct to use their quirks. Izuku walks between the two groups to give pointers. After a couple of hours of group training, they start their Haki Training. They start with 15 minutes of Observation Haki training. Kirishima is improving slowly, Shoto is improving far faster. After a set of Observation Haki, Shanks directs Kirishima and Shoto to focus their spirits into Armor surrounding them.
As predicted Kirishima is much better at this then Shoto is. Shoto has an intense look of concentration on his face as he tries to visualize his spirit around him. This continues for an hour before Shanks calls it a day.
"Todoroki, it will not happen in a day. This can take years to get just the basics. There is no easy way to unlock it. But my mentor told me that Haki "is the act of not doubting, that is true strength". The only advise I can give you is do not second guess yourself and it will come to you naturally." Shanks eases the frustrated boy. "We have time we will keep working on it."
Shoto nods, he understands that this will not happen overnight. It a little hard to not be disappointed in himself though since he shortly after his quirk manifested; he had no choice but to be perfect or get beat until he was. After a few ruthless beatings he would get the hang of something and improve on it. Enough to keep his father from tearing him apart. He likes that Shanks encourages him to keep improving while giving him tools to do it on his own. He is not expected to fight like Shanks, His father is different. Even if Shoto had the basics down Endeavor was not happy unless it was exactly how he showed the move.
For the rest of the day they work on their physical limits. Katsuki and Izuku were more like rivals then soulmates. Racing each other, who could lift more, who can run farther, jump higher, be more flexible, anything they can compete over they did. More often then not they tied, that seemed to piss Katsuki off more then losing. Shanks can hear the boy grumbling "If there is no winner, how would we know if we are improving?"
"How about instead of individual physical training, you can do teams." The boys look at Shanks confusion all over there faces. Shanks elaborates "Why not pair off and do the same exercises in pairs. Which team can lift more, run faster, etc."
Izuku's eye lighten with understanding "Then we can improve as a group instead of individually" The other boys nod in understanding. Katsuki looks over Ace and Shoto presumably picking a new target to compete with.
Katsuki's face morphs into a savage grin accompanied by licking his lips. "I'll destroy you all" He calls in challenge. Perhaps what is more frightening is the matching look on Izuku's face. That is not a look most people get to see or expect from the usually quiet nerdy boy.
Ace answers with a smirk of his own fueling the hype of Challenge "Bring it Blasty, don't pout when we win."
Luffy grins as well "I think you are forgetting someone Acey, Kats" he puts his straw-hat on his head shadowing his eyes.
Shoto and Kirishima look at each other trying to figure out what is going on. Shanks takes pity on the two and explain the boys competitive natures. "The boys always treat these events like life or death. They give everything and never half ass training. Right now they are not friends, they are rivals."
Katsuki is losing his admittedly short patients "Let's go Shitty hair, Icy-hot."
So the shrug at each other and join their partners. The determination coming off the 4 other boys is infectious. Plus their own individual determination to not let their partners down; they get ready to start the events. Shanks watches amused as the teams take off. Katsuki is still trying to do better then Izuku while cheering him on. Shanks observes the other groups he already knows everyone's individual capabilities; watching them as a group Shoto is slightly faster than Ace while Luffy is faster than Kirishima. This is where Katsuki's ability to spark greatness in others comes to play. Whether they want to beat his arrogance (Ace, and Shoto) or do not want to disappoint or hold him back (Luffy and Kirishima) they will work harder and harder to improve. When they finish their events it is not surprising that Izuku and Katsuki beat them in most events. However the gap between the boys is not as wide as Shanks thought it would be.
If Shanks were to put the class in a rank system Izuku and Katsuki will be at the top closely followed by Ace, Luffy and Shoto, then Kirishima. The rest of the class are slightly above average but not by much. These six though would be on par or better with the students in the third year; due to their lack od experience. With the Stain Fight and the possible future life of death fights by the time they reach their second year they would be on par with most sidekicks. Shanks is proud of his charges.
**** Back to School****
The boys take the train to get back to school early Monday morning. Avoiding the press from the stain fight is almost impossible. They basically sprint the entire way to the school. When they reach the school Todoroki and Kirishima are waiting for them at the gates.
"Oh man getting to school today was exhausting" Luffy grumbles his stomach growls "I'm hungry" he pouts.
Izuku puts his hand on Luffy's shoulder "We have time before class starts since we had to run all the way here. We could go to the cafeteria and get some breakfast." Izuku suggests.
Katsuki smirks and Luffy's star eyed look. "Really Izu, Thank you. Let's go" He shouts impatiently. The other boys chuckle and follow the rubbery teen to get breakfast. When they get to the cafeteria, they realize that there is almost no one there. Those that are sit in small groups mostly talking among themselves. The people there look up at the sound of the doors opening, whispers are starting.
"Aren't those the students that were involved in the Stain fight?" Extra 1 whispers.
"I believe so, didn't most of them place in the finals of the sports festival." Extra 2 comments quietly back.
"Man they are all monsters." Extra 3 comments.
"They would have to be. I mean imagine fighting someone like Stain as a first year and surviving. That is super scary." Extra 1 whispers.
"They didn't just survive did you watch the video those boys fought Stain toe to toe and won. It was inspirational" Extra 2 states in awe.
Izuku is the only one who can hear what is being said. Katsuki notices Izuku's ears are twitching listening in on all the conversations. "Anything important?" Katsuki whispers worry touching his voice.
Izuku shakes his head a bit. "One of them called us all monsters, but not in a derogatory way." A small smile on his face. Katsuki looks contemplative before he drops it and continues getting him and the Nerd breakfast.
Izuku looks for a table big enough for all six of them. Finding on he puts his backpack on the spot he is saving for Katsuki. He pulls out their training notebooks from this weekend. Putting his analytical skills to use, he wants to come up with a better way for Todoroki to use Armament Haki. He comes up with a few theories on why the boy seems to be struggling. Most of his theories surround Todoroki's reluctance to feel comfortable with his fire. He makes a note to increase the amount of time Todoroki should work on just his fire. He doesn't react when he feels someone approaching him.
"Hey, can I ask you a few questions" A upperclassman comes up to the table.
"Um sure" Izuku tries to keep the irritation out of his voice. He hates being interrupted.
"Great, you were part of the group that fought Stain, right?" He asks.
Izuku nods in agreement. He doesn't comment verbally. His instincts are flaring, and he doesn't want to give anything away.
"Ah what was it like to be fighting against someone so powerful?" He asks his voice sounds questioning but his heart speaks in another tone. Something between begrudging respect and bloodlust.
"It was intense" Izuku states simply.
"Must have been such a rush" Again with a touch of bloodlust.
"Not really, we engaged with the Hero Killer because if we didn't, he would have killed a classmate and a Pro Hero"
"Still to be in the first year and getting that kind of recognition." Ah there's the jealousy.
The older teen moves closer to Izuku, ignoring the animalistic growl coming from the younger boy. He chuckles something dark "You must be powerful, I like that" Izuku gives another warning growl starting to release his black flames. The other boy smirks and puts his hands up in faux surrender. Katsuki and the others approach the table.
"Nerd?" Katsuki questions looking between Izuku and the other boy. Katsuki can see the Izuku is on his guard. He glares at the other boy "Can I help you with something?" He coldly asks.
The older teen chuckles again "Nope, was just congratulating this cutie on his victory, when he started growling at me. Here is some advice control your animal." He smirks. Ace and Shoto hold back Katsuki from blasting the asshole away. Kirishima puts his hand firmly on Luffy's shoulder. Izuku's eyes go dark.
"Kacchan, its fine" Izuku glares ferally at the other boy "He is not worth it"
The boy chuckles again and concedes. Whatever he came over here to do he either accomplished it or gave up. "What was that about?" Katsuki asks. Breaking Izuku out of his thoughts enough to get his wolf under control.
"I'm not sure" Izuku starts "I couldn't get a clear reading from him. He was excited, jealous, there was also something dark in him. I am not sure what it was though part of it was Bloodlust. Fuji was firing warning signs at me. Then he started to get closer and ignored my warning growl. At the point it wasn't bloodlust anymore. More like lust with a sick determination to overpower. Like a predator looking at a prey. If you guys didn't step in, I would have ripped his fucking throat out."
"he could be someone who respected Stain and is now targeting you because of our accomplishments." Luffy states.
"Even so, we can not drop our guards even here at school." Izuku comments "It wouldn't be the first time a villain attacked the school. He could be a plant"
"Do we report him?" Katsuki suggests.
"We will report this incident to Shanks and Aizawa." Izuku states. "Let's head to class maybe we can see Aizawa before class starts." The boys nod and return their trays.
Entering their class they notice Iida is already there sitting in his seat. Izuku approaches Iida "Hey Iida".
"What do you want?" Iida snaps.
"I wanted to check up on you, I didn't know what hospital Manual brought you to. I wanted to say that I'm sorry for what you and your brother went through. But I am not sorry I stepped in."
"It wasn't your fight. He was mine to take down." Iida snarls.
Katsuki is about to say something but stops when Izuku puts his hand up. "Maybe but is your life worth revenge. Is your future worth revenge. Stain is put behind bars because we stepped in to save you. Shouldn't that be enough?"
"I was so focused on avenging my brother. I didn't think that maybe I should save Native and notify someone that Stain was here. Instead to remind him of his crime I took on my brother name. Looking back I can see nothing has changed since the entrance exam. I didn't step in to save anyone then because it was an exam. I told myself then that if it wasn't an exam, I would have stepped in to help you save those people. In the stain fight I put my own desires before my duty to save people again. I realize no that I've been so short-sighted only seeing what mattered to me. I'm different for you guys. I'm not like you. I'm a novice. You guys stepped in without any problems came up with a plan to save us. I can't believe Midoriya stayed behind. At the time while filled with rage I thought you were trying to take my glory. When Luffy and Katsuki ran back in I realized that you were keeping Stain distracted you sacrificed yourself for someone who has been extremely hostile toward you." Iida explains. "I'm sorry" He bows.
Izuku studies the other boy looking for any signs of deceit finding none he smiles softly "I can't fully forgive you yet. But it is a start, thank you Iida I accept your apology. Let's work hard to be the best heroes we can be." Izuku notices Iida holding his mangled arm "Would you like me to heal it?"
"The doctors said I might have permanent damage in this arm. They offered me a surgery that would correct it. I thought about it but decided I wont get the surgery until I become a hero worthy of my brother. So no I don't want you to heal it; it will serve as a reminder for my actions." Iida stated seriously.
"I understand having reminders for your goals and promises. But I do not agree with keeping your body intentionally harmed or damaged when there is a way to fix it. What if it causes you to not be able to help someone in need because your arm is damaged. Or what if you can't block a hit because of it." Katsuki questions this guys intelligence "It's a weakness your enemy's will exploit to kill you or others. We are going to be pros someday and will have to work together on occasions. I will not have your injury put someone I care about, yourself, or a civilian we are meant to save at risk. All for what your pride?"
"You don't understand, what it was like to live for revenge." Iida shouts back.
"Kacchan is right, we all know what it is like to live with regrets." Izuku states.
"Then what am I supposed to do, to remind myself to not go down that path." Iida asks lost and vulnerable. "This is also a reminder of those that got hurt because of my negligence" He finishes softly. "I may have been hostile toward you guys, but if you died during that fight how could I have lived with myself."
"I don't know what will work for you I use meditation and training to cope. I still think about instances where I could have saved someone from severe injury, but I wasn't fast enough, or strong enough. I still think about the USJ incident and not being able to help Aizawa Sensei when I am a healer. I was unable to heal all his injuries." Izuku stated.
"I still think about the time when Izuku got hit by that Nomu and blamed myself because I was in the way. If I wasn't in the way All Might would not have made the wrong choice to save me. I'm not the best example of coping methods I tend to bottle them up until they explode out of me. I'm working on it though." Katsuki grumbled out.
"Even though Luffy and I were training with Izuku and Blasty, we still froze. We blame ourselves because we know that if Izuku didn't have to push us out of the way he could have safely moved himself and Aizawa out of the way. However, by the time he moved us, Todoroki and Tsuyu. There wasn't enough time to move Aizawa safely. So he stayed to protect Aizawa with his body knowing he could heal the damage." Ace pointed out.
"Iida there are things every single one of us regret. But we heal not only our physical wounds but also the wounds to our hearts and minds. Leaving yourself crippled is not the way to move past this. We can come up with ways to help you. Or we can all get a reminder we can see and feel that will remind us of our regrets." Izuku comments.
"What do you have in mind Midoriya?" Todoroki asks curious.
"Well I heard of Pro Heroes getting tattoos as a reminder to why they became heroes. Being 16 is too young and we would need parental permission to get them. But we can get our ear pierced instead we wont need permission and we can go today after school. Just a simple stud that will remind us why we strive to become heroes." Izuku suggests.
"That is a good idea Nerd" Katsuki smirks.
"Thanks Kacchan. What do you say Iida let me heal your arm and come get a physical reminder "to never forget who we want to become" with us. One that will not hinder your progress to become a hero. If it doesn't work before we become pros, we can look at getting a tattoo to remind us." Izuku asks.
Iida thinks about it for a moment. He sighs "Thank you guys, I was so caught in my own guilt I didn't think of the repercussions of my stubbornness. I will accept your way of reminding myself." He looks over to Izuku and bows "Can you please heal my arm Midoriya?"
Izuku nods and summons his green fire to his hand "I will place my hand on your bicep. Let me know if you feel any pain. It will feel a bit uncomfortable, but it shouldn't hurt too bad." Getting a nod from the other boy Izuku places his hand on Iida and begins healing the other boy. Iida grunts but doesn't stop Izuku from healing him. After a few moments the flames recede. "Try moving your arm. Let me know if it feels tender, or if you are still in any amount of pain or discomfort." Izuku commands in his no nonsense tone. Iida nods and lifts his arm.
"It feels heavy. But no pain or discomfort." Iida breathes out.
"Ok I will heal it a bit more." Izuku puts his hand back on Iida's shoulder. He stands there for a couple more minutes. He pulls his hand away "That should do it."
"Yes it feels like it did before Stain." Iida confirms. He smiles and bows to Izuku "Thank you again. And I am truly sorry for everything I did and said to you in the past."
"No problem Iida. Thank you for apologizing. Meet us after school we will go get our reminders then." Izuku states walking way to his desk followed by the others.
Izuku sighs as he sits down, there is still quiet a bit of time before the other students start to trickle in. Katsuki put a hand on Izuku's back "What's wrong Nerd?"
"Nothing Kacchan. Just thinking. Iida and I may not like each other but I am hoping after this we have come to an understanding."
"I hope so it was getting bad for a while." Ace stated. Katsuki nodded he was one more negative slur away from kicking his ass.
"I agree. I don't know if it is possible to fully forgive him or become friends. The best I can hope for right now is indifference." Izuku whispered.
"What happened between you two. I noticed the things he was saying and even I thought they were uncalled for." Kirishima asked.
"It started with the entrance exam. I was mumbling as I normally do, and he called me out. That was fine I put that behind me. Then when we went to our assigned exam sites, he tried to syke me out. He touched my soul mark and caused me some pain. I may have released a bit of my presence. Ever since then he has been calling me some version of monster or beast. During the hero vs villains training after the event was called, I was healing him and his partner from the paralysis. He attacked me after I healed him."
"Didn't he cause you to go into a panic attack then." Kirishima asks.
Katsuki's hair shadows his eyes while Luffy and Ace tense up. Izuku sighs "Yea he did. Kacchan wasn't lying when he said that growing up for me was hard. There were older kids in our school that would call me a monster and then try to fix me. Having Iida repeatedly call me a monster with ill intent forced my mind to replay getting my ears and tails cut off repeatedly. So no I do not think I could ever truly forgive him. But the less aggression between us the better."
It gets quiet after that as the other students start trickling in. the students all come in a find their seats excitedly talking about what they went through during their internships,
"Wow! So you got to take out some villains? I'm Jealous!" Ashido complains to Jiro and Tsuyu.
"It was just evacuation procedures and logistical support. No real fighting" Jiro corrects.
"That's still awesome" Tsuyu compliments. "Just training and patrol for me. Though one time, we did manage to catch some foreign smugglers. Ribbit"
"That sounds amazing!" Ashido cheers.
Tsuyu spots Ochako entering the classroom. "How'd the past week go for you, Ochako?"
In the zone and adapting a fighting stance Ochako responds "It was very…" Moving to another kata "Instructive"
"Ochako's had some sort of awakening." Tsuyu mutters.
"She was with the battle hero, right?" Jiro asks.
"Such transformation in just a week" Kaminari states in awe as he watches Ochako move through her katas. "I on the other hand was pretty spoiled. It was loads of fun." He looks over to Izuku and the group huddled around him. "Now if you wanna talk about the most transformative, most traumatic experience…" He has the attention of the class. "That would be the one you five had!"
"Yeah, Yeah, The Hero Killer Stain right!" Sero cheers.
"I was so worried when I watched the footage." Momo comments.
"I'm just glad you all made it out alive. Still must have been scary." Kaminari starts
"But seriously the rest of the fights were documented as well Luffy and Bakugo had to deal with two of those monsters from the USJ. Izuku your healing capabilities in combat turned the tide downtown." Momo comments.
"I saw on the news that they think the hero killer is connected to the league of villains?" Ojiro comments.
"I hate to think what would have happened if a guy like that showed up at the USJ that time" Shoji shivers.
"Hold on. Sure he is scary…" Kaminari starts "But did you watch that video. You can really see his tenacity. His one-track mind. Kind of cool, don't you think?"
"Pikachu!" Katsuki shouts enraged while explosions are popping off his palms. The other boys that were there for that fight tense. They felt his conviction firsthand there was nothing cool about it.
"Huh?" Then a look of understanding blooms on Kaminari's face "Oh shit guys … I'm sorry"
"There is no doubt that people will find his ideals cool and would try to follow in his footprints. But his convictions have led him to conclude that society needs to be purged. And no matter what one's motivations are. That is just wrong" Izuku states calmly "It doesn't matter how strong his convictions were, he murdered people and that is wrong."
"I get it, I'm sorry bro" Kaminari states.
"Class is about to begin, so everyone head to your seats." Izuku announces.
All Might charges into the classroom "I AM HERE!"
The class cringes at the volume this early in the day. All Might continues to pump the students up "AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS… YOUR BASIC HERO TRAINING! IT'S BEEN A WHILE, BOY'S AND GIRL'S. HOW IS EVERYONE?!"
"Not much of an entrance." Comments a student
"I'd expect more after a break" Another student grumbles.
"Maybe he ran out of shticks?"
All Might ignores to comments "As an immediate follow up to your internships, today's activity is a playful one." He pauses "A rescue training race!"
Predictably Iida starts shouting while his hand is up "shouldn't rescue training be conducted at the USJ?!"
All Might sighs "That place is for disaster rescues in particular. But what did I say? That's right … A race." He leads the group over to one of the training sights "THIS IS FIELD GAMMA!" He turns to address the class; "it's a dense spread of factories that wind together to create an intricate network of mazelike alleys! You'll split into four teams of five, with each team going one at a time! I'll send up a distress signal from somewhere inside, and you will all start at the buzzer! It's a race to see who can reach and rescue me first!" He looks over at Izuku and Katsuki and smirks "Naturally, keep the destruction of property to a minimum!"
"Stop pointing at us" Katsuki grumbles and turns way pouting slightly. Izuku just chuckles some thing like "No promises" can be heard between chuckles. All Might pretends to ignore this.
"Ok group one, to your marks." Izuku, Katsuki, Sero, Ojiro, and Iida make their ways to the border.
"This is an interesting set up, I wonder who would win between Midoriya or Bakugo." Kaminari ponders.
"It's like all of the classes mobility experts are in this team." Ochako Comments.
"We all saw Midoriya and Bakugo during the sports festival, however moving that fast will put them at a disadvantage. They may end up going to fast and missing the finish line." Momo stated.
"I'd say Sero has the best shoot of taking first." Kirishima stated.
"Yeah… but don't count Ojiro out." Kaminari challenged.
"I've got a good feeling about Iida." Ochako states. Tsuyu nods in agreement.
"I'm rooting for Katsuki and Izuku. They will most likely tie" Shoto states monotonously
"START"
The racers we off. Sero takes to the air full of confidence. Ojiro snaps his tail on the ground to propel him into the air. Iida revs his engines and takes off. Katsuki and Izuku lag behind allowing the others to get their footing. Izuku turns to Katsuki "Hey Kacchan" Mischievous grin adorning his face "Lets make a bet."
Katsuki returns the grin with a feral one of his own "What you got in mind Nerd?"
"Loser buys dinner." Izuku states grin still in place.
"Aww that's lame" Katsuki pouts.
"I wasn't finished Kacchan." Something dangerous flashes in Izuku's eyes "Loser buys dinner for Luffy and Ace. Until they are full."
Katsuki loses his smirk, a rare look of fear taking over. "That's insane Nerd. We would go bankrupt!"
Izuku Laughs "Then you better win Kacchan" Izuku shouts as he launches off into the air.
Katsuki yells out a frustrated "Fuck" Popping explosions to catch up to his nerd. "GET BACK HERE NERD!"
The class watching the race get drawn into the raged shout from the explosive boy. They watch him blast himself toward a green Lightening form of Izuku. Izuku is laughing full and bright looking truly happy running leisurely. Izuku is running with an impressive display of extreme parkour jumping to the roofs of buildings and weaving around connecting pipes leaping over obstacles and launching himself past his other classmates. Katsuki's yells of rage are a few steps behind the green boy. The camera gets a close up on the two boys faces; it is not surprising to see Izuku looking happy and Free. What is surprising is the carefree smile Katsuki sports.
Katsuki catches up to Izuku and laughs with him as the try to beat each other. Coming up to where All Might is waiting to be rescued; their carefree smiles turn into competitive smirks. Izuku uses OFA on his wings; and at the same time Katsuki launches a massive explosion behind him. Both the moves propel the two boys at incredible rates. They both land right in front of All Might and each grab an arm claiming victory.
"I won Kacchan" Izuku states smugly.
"Where are you looking Nerd. I got here first!" Katsuki argues just a smugly.
"Nah uh Kacchan, you lost"
"In your dreams Nerd!"
This continues until the rest of the group joins All Might on the roof. All Might gulps being leveled with the competitive looks from the two boys.
"All Might tell Kacchan I won" Izuku shouts.
"Old Man the Nerd clearly got here after me" Katsuki demands.
"Um actually" All Might starts, "You both tied for first"
Katsuki lets out a relieved breath. He may not have won but he didn't lose so he will take it. "Thank god" He mumbles.
"I guess Luffy is going to have to wait until our next competition" Izuku states as if he already knew the outcome of their little match.
All Might ignore the two boys and addresses the group "You have all found new and better ways to use your quirks since school started! Keep up the good work as you prepare for finals!"
"Right finals are soon" Izuku mutters out. He needs to adjust their training regimes to fit in study time.
All Might passes Izuku and Katsuki and whispers low enough that Katsuki barely heard him "Come see me… after class." He flashes a subtle thumbs up. At the boys confused looks he explains "The time has come for an important discussion. About Me… and about One for All."
The other teams went and showed what they learnt. After class the students are in the locker rooms changing. Everyone commenting on their training today.
"After being away for so long, I worked up a sweat" Aoyama comments.
"Man, I've got to work on my mobility" Kirishima grumbles.
"You'll just have to make up for it with reconnaissance" Tokoyami suggests.
"We'll still fall behind at this rate. I'm jealous of you six" Pointing at the group of boys that keep to themselves talking in hushed whispers.
"Kacchan and I will meet you guys their later. We need to talk to someone." Izuku informs
"Got it. Fill us in later if you can." Ace accepts. He knows that All Might talks to those two because of OFA. He bets even more now since there is possibility, they can share it.
Katsuki and Izuku wave over their shoulders and leave the locker room. The head to the breakroom. They do not hesitate and open the door. They see All Might looking pensive in his true form his face is down and fingers laced together. Izuku can smell something unsettling in the air. All Might senses the boys arrival, without looking up he softly states "Take a seat"
The boys nod and silently take a seat on the couch. All Might makes eye contact with the boys 'such a tense mood' run through the boys. "You've been through a lot lately." His face looks troubled "And I'm sorry … I wasn't there to help"
Izuku wants to comfort the older man "That's okay… you really don't have to apologize… I'm more curious about OFA" Katsuki grumbles something like "Get on with it old man"
All Might's face turns serious "I heard… The Hero Killer licked your blood." He gets confused looks from both the boys.
"His quirk let him paralyze anyone whose blood he ingests… but what about it…?" Izuku states not making a connection.
"When I granted you my power, do you remember what I said?" All Might sighs.
Izuku does his imitation of All Might "Eat This" changing his face and voice to match All Might. Katsuki face palms and tries to hold in his snickering.
All Might looks at him exasperated "No, not that" He looks serious again "Really doesn't matter what it is you eat. As long as you ingest my DNA!"
Recognition then shock and finally fear bloom on Izuku's face. Katsuki swallows his chuckles and adopts a serious expression "Uh… wait does that mean… The Hero Killer has One for All now?!" Izuku starts to panic.
All Might is quick to correct the boy before he go full panic mode "NO! but I thought you might be worried about that since I forgot to explain it fully." He succeeds in getting Izuku to calm down. "One for All can only be transferred if the holder wills it to. Though it can't be stolen forcibly, it can be given to an unwilling recipient. It's a unique quirk, in that sense… with a unique origin story." He pauses "Because One for All was originally derived from a different quirk altogether."
Katsuki sits up straighter and Izuku soaks in the knowledge about to be presented to him. Fingers twitching with the urge to write all this down. All Might continues "All for One, a quirk that lets it's users steal other quirks… as well as grant quirks to others."
"All for… that means everything was for this guy to take…?" Izuku states shocked.
All Might looks down again "This was back at the advent of the exceptional a time when society sill hadn't managed to adapt to the changes. Back then… the norms of what it meant to be human suddenly collapsed, and with that… laws became meaningless. Societal progress halted. It was catastrophic."
Katsuki remembered an article he read "Without the advent of the extraordinary, humanity would be enjoying interstellar travel right now."
"I remember that. Some important guy once said that" Izuku commented.
All Might continues "yes, and in that age of confusion and disorder… one man took the initiative and brought people together. You may have heard about this. He would steal quirks from other people… and with his overwhelming power… spread the influence of his organization. He was responsible for manipulating so many into committing wicked acts. Which was his intent. Before long, he had taken over Japan becoming A true lord of evil."
"There is nothing in the textbooks about any of this." Katsuki stated
"I've seen rumors about this on the internet… but thought it was all made up." Izuku mumbled
"The textbooks don't tell you about what the Yakuza are up to either do they? When a person has power, they instinctively seek a way to use it."
"How is this power connected to One for All?" Katsuki asks getting impatient. He loves a good history lesson, but he needs to know the relevance to their situation.
"I mentioned that All for One could grant quirks too. With that ability, he could instill trust in others… or at least get them to submit. However the load was too much to bear for those who received it. Many would end up becoming mere puppets. Unable to even speak."
"Just like the Nomus…!" Izuku exclaims.
"On the other hand there was one case… where his granting of a quirk resulted in a mutation. A blending. The man had a quirkless younger brother. This brother was small and fragile, but he had a strong sense of justice. The deeds of his older brother pained him… so he opposed the tyrant. The older brother gave his younger brother a power stockpiling quirk by force. We still don't know whether that was out of kindness or if it was to force his brother to submit."
"Wait, so…" Katsuki was going to ask how is this relevant. When All Might beat him to it. "Yes… it turned out he hadn't been quirkless from the start. Though neither he nor anyone else had known it. He possessed a totally useless quirk. One that allowed him to pass on his quirk to others! Then the power- stocker quirk and the transferring quirk were fused! That is how One for All came to be!"
Too shocked to say anything All might sighs "Ironic isn't it? Justice is always born from evil."
"Hold on… I… Don't really get how it happened, but this old story about that villain…" Izuku starts
"What are you bringing it up now!" Katsuki asks glare ready. He has a bad feeling.
"We are talking about someone who steals quirks. He could acquire any such kind. Such as ones to stop the aging process. And he did. Making him a near immortal symbol of evil… given the man's indefatigable strength and state of society at the time. His defeated younger brother decided to pass the mission on to future generations. Though it was but a shadow of what it is today… the power he passed on grew and grew… All in hope that it could one day stop the older brother…and it was generation that finally brought the villain down! Or so we thought"
"Wait you mean that fight that You and Shanks were in that got you both so injured. Don't tell me…" Izuku starts he remembers the damage All Might sustained in that fight. Plus Shanks losing his arm.
All Might nods "He survived. And now he's on the move again as the brains behind the league of Villains. One for All is a power that's inherited for the sole purpose of beating All for One! Which means that someday you will fight against that ultimate evil… perhaps."
Izuku gulps, He looks to Katsuki, the other boy has his eyes shadowed by his hair. Face in a tense scowl. "Whatever you say, All Might… I'll Step to the Challenge! But I've been thinking."
All Might looks into Izuku's eyes "What is my boy?"
"Remember training the other day where me a Kacchan shared One for All?" Izuku asks, Katsuki perks up a bit. Izuku can see the fear in his eyes. Izuku want to reassure Katsuki and All Might that they can do this.
"Yea what about it?"
"I told you I was able to briefly talk to the other holders of OFA, they told me that they have been able to share its power with their soulmate during life or death situations."
"Yes I remember" All Might states.
"That got me thinking, Kacchan and I were not in a life or death situation and we could still share it."
"Spit it out nerd!" Katsuki shouts losing his control on his emotions.
"Kacchan, this means we should be able to train it more efficiently. Maybe before the quirk was not strong enough to be shared before. But now maybe it is. And two One for All users against such a terrible threat if trained correctly will pull the odds in our favor. I will not be alone facing this threat when I have Kacchan with me. Beside me. Either way even if it doesn't work, we have others we can also count on Ace, Luffy, Kirishima, and Shoto. They will all be with me. I need to get full control over my Wolf form. So no All Might I will not have to fight the ultimate evil by myself. Because I have people, I trust to fight beside me."
All Might looks shocked at the boy's declaration. He takes in the fiery determination and confidence blazing around the boy. He looks at Katsuki and notices the same looks mirrored on the other boys face. He can leave the future in these boys hands "Very well. I will work on training the power with you both. I suggest every time you train Share the power get Katsuki used to using it."
At the boys nods. All might breathes out a quiet "Thank You"
The next class they have is with Aizawa Sensei. The stroll in and sit at their seats Ace and Luffy shoot them questioning looks. Izuku mouths out "Later" he pulls out his notebook and starts planning more training sessions with Katsuki to learn OFA.
Aizawa strolls into the classroom a few moments later he grunts out his normal "Morning" getting acknowledgement from the class. "Uh… summer vacation's close at hand. Of course, it would be completely irrational for all of you to get a whole month off."
"Don't tell me…" Grumbles out most of the class.
"You'll be doing a summer training camp in the woods."
The class cheers "I freaking knew it. Nice!"
"Truth or Dare" Ashido pumps.
"Fireworks." Tsuyu imagines.
"Open air Baths!" Kaminari states a lewd look on his face.
"Open Air Bath!" Iida exclaims nervous.
"Curry, yes!"
"Since we will be out in nature our training activities will probably be different, too." Kirishima comments.
"So it's all about making the right decisions regardless of environment… cool." Sero speculates.
"All Of us living together! I'm pumped!" Ochako shouts out.
Aizawa is getting angry, Izuku is fed up and calls the class to attention "Shut up, Sensei is not finished with the lesson. Your speculations can wait until after class." Aizawa flashes Izuku a grateful look and continues "However, anyone who doesn't pass the upcoming final exams… is in summer school hell. Right here!"
"Do you best guys!" Kaminari shouts trying to pump everyone up.
**** Another Location ****
"The Hero Killer…" A disjointed voice sounds out of a speaker "I never thought he'd be caught… but for the most part, he performed as expected." A man hooked up to a bunch of cables scars covering his eyes. "Those wanting to rampage… those sympathetic to the cause… all sorts. That was the catalyst they needed to seek out the league of Villains. Now it is Tomura Shigaraki's job to unify them!"
"Can the child do it I wonder?" Another voice chimes in. A short old man appears behind the injured man. "I still believe that if you came to the forefront, this would proceed smoothly, master…"
"HEH, HEH… Then hurry up and fix my body for me doctor" The master states.
"It would take at least another 5 years to achieve hyper regeneration!" The doctor states "But a quirk like that is all for naught if your wounds have already healed by then."
"It's fine! We'll let him do the heavy lifting! All to prepare him to be the next me." The master dismisses. "I know that boy will rise to the occasion. He was born twisted. So enjoy it while you can, All Might… This transient peace of yours!"
Notes:
Next time: the finals
