AN: Games are good right now. Enjoy.
Chapter 7: Costs to Improve
"Ugh..."
I couldn't get over the soreness of my body as I tried relaxing on the couch of my office. The fight I had with Aizawa dragged on longer than I anticipated. It didn't take long for us to beat ourselves down after I healed us up a bit, but that last session was our most grueling one yet.
I lost by the end of the night. I was pretty optimistic about how it would pan out. Dare I say I was a bit confident about my abilities that time around. Still, that overestimation of my abilities and skills led to me falling short. I was a tad discouraged by the results. Yet, the experience I gained afterward was more valuable than my pride for now.
My form is still amateurish and rough. My physicality could still use some touch-ups in specific areas of my body. Even if I had trained my body for a little over a year non-stop, I could tell that I was not at my physical peak just yet. This was one of the few things Aizawa commented on when we finished. He even hinted at another round if we found ourselves in the same circumstances. Which is an event I can feel happening soon.
Aizawa was terrific as always, and leveling the playing field with restricting my power made it evident how far apart we were in technical skills. Aizawa was outright better than me right now. So after hearing his criticisms and suggestions, I made sure to take the advice to heart and find any way to improve for our next round. I went on to study videos of various combat-focused heroes over the night to see how they handled themselves compared to me last night. I tried looking for their strengths and weaknesses. I went to absorb as much information as I could that night before I passed out from exhaustion.
Mainly I focused on any clips involving Rumi, as her combat style was what I molded my current style after.
I don't want to copy every one of her moves verbatim. However, she was my go-to reference for shaping and forming my technique, so I was borrowing most of what I do from her for now.
All-Might was also another person I would consider adopting some of his forms into my own. But his fighting type required so much raw power that I don't think I could mimic its sheer strength. The closest I could use were attacks such as [God's Hand] consistently, but I can't use those kinds of moves as I am right now. I'd destroy my body and mind before I knew it if I were to dish moves like that recklessly.
'I need to utilize more parts of my body to attack. Rumi is great at using her lower half to spring her around or attack her adversaries, but she would use it in unison with her fists. That balance...I need to find it. But with the way I fight, the way I move, I don't think I can generate enough energy to be that terrific...' I sat up on the couch as my mind was storming for ideas to help my problem.
Though I was disappointed again for not paying attention to my job at U.A, I was perfectly justified as yet another slow morning was about to pass by. Leaving me to brainstorm all I wanted for now.
'I already have something to help me move around faster. The [Rabbit Feet] technique I can create for my legs help me move around and gain elevation on the fly, but that's too similar to Rumi, even for my liking. That's not good enough. I need something more. I need to be more creative with this power and make it my own soon...'
I already felt stagnation with my usage of the portals and the tentacles I spawned. From what little practical use I've had so far, I can already see the barrier coming fast to stump my progression. I needed someone else's perspective on the matter. Aizawa was the prime candidate, but I feel like there's someone else I'm not considering.
The beeping of my laptop alerted me of a new e-mail that reeled me back in. I reached the table the open laptop rested on as I picked it up and clicked on the new message I received.
All Might's actual name displayed, as Toshinori Yagi had sent me another e-mail. The only other e-mail I've ever received since my last one.
Being a counselor at U.A hasn't been the most hectic thing in my new life so far. It was only the second day of the new school year, but I've had the odd visits of curious students wondering what this room was. They were surprised to find out that it belonged to me, but they quickly apologized and left without another word. It was almost as if I never announced myself as the new school counselor at the assembly the other day.
Either way, I didn't mind if I weren't to get much work for my stay here; it would be a nice change of pace to not be so busy all the time compared to Shujin. I'll have my hero training to keep me occupied this time around rather than my research.
'Now, let's see what All-Might wants,' I thought as I read through his message.
"Yo, Doctor Maruki! I hope your job as the school counselor isn't too stressful so far, but I doubt a man like you would crack under any amount of pressure! Anyway, I would like to inform you that young Midoriya will see you shortly. He's just finished his combat training. He asked specifically to come and see you rather than Recovery Girl. I granted his request, but his condition is severe, to put it lightly. Recovery girl is next to you, so please don't hesitate to send him to her.
Sincerely, All Might."
I was left perplexed by this unforeseen start to my day. It was hard for me to register what I had just read wholly, and it was harder for me to comprehend Midoriya's choice.
'He wants to see me? Why would he want to risk his health just to visit me...' Vague reasons came to mind, but before I could ponder more on them, a knock on my door came as I closed the laptop and rushed over there. I opened it to see three kids standing before me.
Two of them I recognized from the testing of class 1-A's abilities yesterday, and the other being Midioriya himself. A girl with a pink astronaut-type outfit was holding him on one side, and on the other side was a dark blue-haired boy with knight-like armor with engines on his legs. They both had worried expressions, as the blue-haired boy quickly explained.
"Doctor Maruki, if you haven't been informed yet, Midoriya here has requested to see you..." The boy formally explained as I nodded and had them place him on the couch. We all stood around Midoriya's unconscious state. The burned marks on his left arm and the completely busted right one could only tell me so much as I wondered what had happened at basic training.
'Basic training!? Is this the type of pain the children must endure to pursue such a path in life?' I thought. I started feeling sick from seeing Midoriya in such a state.
"Dr. Maruki..." The girl peeped up as I looked back at her. I pushed down the sinking feeling in my stomach as I saw the shaken and concerned face of the young girl.
"Deku might have wanted to see you, but I think it would be best if he went to the nurse. He's seriously hurt. I don't think he should recover here when the nurse can heal him right now..." I nodded my head to her reasonable concern. I could only imagine how tough it was seeing a friend this wounded. She was entirely correct that Recovery Girl would be ideal for healing him up, but what the girl doesn't know is that she's not the only one who can help in these cases now.
I turned my attention back at Midoriya as I focused on his odd request to see me. Yet the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense as to why he chose to see me rather than get healed in the traditional sense in this academy.
It was as simple as Midoriya not wanting to bother anyone. Though it may backfire for now with his friends, it was undoubtedly aimed more for Recovery Girl than anyone else. Her ability was great, but it had its limits also to the recipients and the user.
'You're too considerate for your own good, Midoriya.'
"You have every right to be worried for him. But I assure you that you've done the right thing to bring him to me,' I said while stepping closer to the couch, "Recovery Girl's ability is beneficial. Still, I suppose he doesn't wish to bother her if he can help it."
"But Doctor! With all due respect, what can you possibly do to help Midoriya in his current state?! Recovery Girl would be more suitable for this type of procedure, don't you agree?" The boy burst out, yelling in protest with significant volume and conviction.
I continued toward Midoriya as I spoke to the boy, "I understand your reason for wanting to take him to Recovery Girl. But know that she isn't the only one that can help in these kinds of situations now, so let me demonstrate..." I stretched out my hand as I snapped my fingers at Midoriya. [Energy Stream] soon went through its course as green and white light swirled around Midoriya. The other students watched in awe as I examined the healing process. Midoriya's skin started closing in on the cuts littered around his body, and his bruises began to return to their original color. The healing was slow, but it was doing its job well. That is until it stopped midway before it could fully recover Midoriya. His burnt arm was now fully healed, but his bruised-up one still had a tinge of purple as it hadn't returned to normal.
"He did get beat up bad...tell me, how did he end up like this?" I didn't waste any more time activating another [Energy Stream] as the same green and white light came over Midoriya again, finishing up the final touches in Midoriya's healing process.
The girl was the one to politely answer, "Well...you see, at basic training, we were split into teams of heroes and villains. The heroes were to recover a bomb, and villains were to protect it. Deku and I were up against Iida and Bakugou...and well..."
"Bakugou? The one for explosions for a quirk, correct? It's starting to make sense now. From what he told me, they haven't been on the friendliest of terms, and to pit them against another...well, it was a perfect excuse for him." I concluded as Midoriya laid peacefully on the couch. He was completely healed now, and at this point, he was simply sleeping rather than being knocked out.
"Thank you for bringing him to me, but I can take it from here. You two still have some of the school day left. I know you must want to stay with Midoriya, but I believe he wouldn't want you to wait on him when you still have the rest of the school day to attend to." The two students didn't protest as they quietly accepted my word and started leaving my office.
The blue-haired boy was the first to leave, and the astronaut girl was about to follow suit, but before she did, she turned back around to look at me.
"Dr. Maruki...you're that new counselor...right?" She asked. I looked at her, surprised by the sudden question.
"Why yes...I am the newly appointed counselor for U.A. Are you thinking of coming by for a session?" She shuffled in place uncertainly as she looked down to avoid any eye contact with me.
"No...well, I don't know. What exactly do you do as a school counselor?" She asked as I gave her a light chuckle before responding.
"I simply do my best to guide students to a better path. It depends on the individual on what assistance I should provide. Still, I can have sessions with students to discuss more focused and personal concerns. But don't mistake it for...therapy. Still, I will happily do my best to provide insight into any personal problems you wish to express. U.A has it so that any records I keep of students that I work with stay confidential, so talking to me isn't like talking to the school, you know?" I tried explaining as the girl had trouble grasping what exactly I did.
If I were honest, even I don't know what it means to be an actual counselor. It was more of a market stunt on Shujin's part after the Kamoshida incident to get a counselor. I was more focused on my research of cognitive pscience than anything else to do my job correctly. I had a constant flow of students come my way. Still, I violated a few boundaries with how I presented the sessions as therapy.
"I'll...think about it." The girl said while briefly looking up to see my response. I simply gave her a reassuring smile. It was nice to hear a student considering assistance, and I would be more than happy to do so. The right way this time.
"Take your time, ms..."
"Oh! My names Ochako Uraraka! And the other guy was Tenya Iida." I nodded as I started waving her goodbye.
"Nice to have met you both. You two are great friends to Midoriya," Uraraka looked pleased with my parting words as she left looking more relaxed than I've seen her so far. I sighed when the door was nicely shut, leaving Midoriya and me alone.
"Great friends you have there, Midoriya. It looks like you're adjusting well to school life, it seems." I talked aloud to Midoriya as he slowly sat up from his resting position on the couch. By the time Uraraka asked me about my occupation, I had noticed that Midoriya had stirred awake.
"Yeah, they are great. I'm lucky to have met such awesome people this soon," Midoriya stretched as he recovered from his short rest.
"But I must say...you don't have it exactly all figured out yet. That Bakugou in your class, he is out to get you." Midoriya winced at the mention of him as his face went sullen.
"Yeah, but it's some of my fault, I think..." A sudden twist turned in my stomach from what Midoriya said. I couldn't describe it, but my blood started to boil with how passive Midoriya was to his recent incident with Bakugou.
"How so? I don't think there's any way to blame you whatsoever." I bluntly said, causing Midoriya to flinch in response. I looked him straight in the eyes as I reinforced my belief in my statement. Midoriya's gaze was just as firm as we stared down at each other for a bit.
Midoriya then took a deep breath before looking away and speaking out, "You see, Dr. Maruki, Kachaan and I were friends back to when we were real little. He was always the leader type of our group and usually acted first on everything. From what I remember, it was a great time, but once he got his quirk, so much changed with him. His quirk was very powerful and had so much potential. Kachaan then went on wanting to be the number one hero. After that...he just changed." I listened intently as Midoriya went on with his explanation. He told me about Bakugou a little bit when I asked about it before, but never this much in detail. He just said that Bakugou was naturally just angry with him and nothing else. I let it slide that time, but I wasn't going to let up about now.
'This adds some new light to the situation...' I thought while Midoriya continued as I listened attentively.
"I was quirkless, as you know, and Kacchan hated that. He didn't want to stick with trash like me, as he put it," the boiling from before on grew in intensity as I listened to how Midoriya described his experience with Bakugou. It was sad to hear what he had gone through, but he didn't take it hard at all from what his tone and wording were like.
'You're a strong kid Midoriya.' I thought as Midoriya listed off some more interactions he had with Bakugou over the years since their toddler age. It was straight-up bullying and verbal abuse that Midoriya waved off as problems with him rather than Bakugou's. Midoriya finished noting all that he could recall with Bakugou as I let my mind absorb all he laid out for me.
'To think that he still considers him somewhat of a friend after all that. He even saved him from some slime monster without hesitation after all that. He's been giving Bakugou second chances left and right, hoping that they can make amends. If that is what he wants, then I suppose I'll do my best to help.' I thought as I felt uneasy on Midoriya's pursuance of salvaging this friendship.
I wouldn't allow a 'friendship' like that to continue, especially in a world where power was more prevalent than ever to mark social standings. Bakugou could have decimated Midoriya anytime he wanted to, and only now can he not because of his newfound quirk. But that signalizes as a do-over for both, I reckon.
'They're still just kids after all, but one of them needs a quick reality check before he explodes into something worse.' I thought as I cemented a mandatory session with Bakugou as soon as possible. I don't know how a kid like that would take a forced meeting with me, but I'll make sure to contain him if things go south. If he wanted to choose violence as his words, I would match him if I had to.
"Thank you for sharing that with me, Midoriya. It must've not been comfortable for you to describe all of that. So why don't we switch up the topic? How's your quirk doing? You've improved on controlling it?" I ask as Midoriya perked up at the sudden change of topic. But he still had that hint of sadness left on his face when he talked.
"Not a lot of progress, actually. You must've seen my arm before healing me, but I had to go all out and use my quirk to win against Iida and Kacchan. Uraraka did great on her part, but I ended up resorting to destroying my body to make up for my lack of control. I ended up doing what Mr. Aizawa said I would do." The disappointment from Midoriya was evident, and I knew he was reliving that moment over and over in his mind right now. Thinking of what he could've done better. He was focusing on all of the what-ifs.
"It takes time to hone your skills. You know, it took me a whole year of full-on training to obtain the level of power I have now. Even then, I don't think I've scratched the surface! You've got time, Midoriya. All you have to do is use it wisely, is all, and dedicate yourself to improve." I went and took a seat on the recliner as I started brainstorming on Midoriya's situation.
So far, he couldn't control the amount of force he exerted. He goes full-force no matter how much he tries to hold back, but that doesn't mean he always has to use his whole body to use the power. An idea popped up in my mind as I snapped my fingers; I then did it multiple times to emphasize Midoriya. He looked at me confused as he gave all his attention to me.
"I think channeling your power to smaller singular points of your body would be a good substitute to your problem. Take my finger-snapping, for example. You force pressure on your middle finger to come down from your thumb to smack your palm to make that snap. You see, your energy is going to that finger readying to snap down, so what if you focused your quirk to that point?" I explained as Midoriya pondered on the idea.
I felt a bit discouraged as Midoriya shook his head against the idea so quickly. But he didn't dismiss it entirely as his face scrunched up as he held his chin with one hand. Midoriya was quick in talking to himself as I could tell that his mind was racing to figure out what to do.
"I don't think that would work. The direction of the blast created from that point of the palm would go everywhere. There would be no way to aim properly, and if it were hitting the palm, then I'd damage my hand alongside the finger..." Midoriya mumbled as he trailed off and kept muttering to himself. I was impressed with the sudden determination in his eyes as he thought through my idea. Even if he didn't use my initial suggestion, I was happy that it got him thinking about using his quirk differently.
'As long as I'm helping, I'll consider this a success on my part.' I then saw Midoriya have a eureka moment as his eyes grew wide alongside his grin. Whatever clicked in his head, I knew that I could help him reach it.
"Looks like a lightbulb just popped over your head. I assume you've found a satisfactory solution?" I asked Midoriya. His smile was the only answer I needed as he looked at me with glee.
"Yeah! Thank you, Dr. Maruki! I just got an idea on how to use my quirk multiple times potentially!" Midoriya was beaming as I reveled in the nostalgic feeling of helping someone. No matter how small the act was, I would gain significant joy from the happiness others exuded due to my assistance.
"You're very much welcome, Midoriya. I'm just doing my job, is all. Besides, it is always nice to talk with you and aid your journey of being a hero." I finished as Midoriya reeled back a bit. He now looked like he just remembered something he had forgotten entirely.
"Dr. Maruki! I'm sorry, but what about you? Is there any problem you have that I can help with? I'll do my best to help!" Midoriya asked eagerly as I chuckled at the sudden shift of his behavior.
'I did say we both could help each other improve...maybe his insight may help me.'
I shifted in my seat to get more comfortable as I took a deep breath, "Now that you mention it, I do have a bit of a problem with my power. More accurately, a problem with how to use it more freely." Midoriya was puzzled by what I was saying as I started giving him the rundown.
I told him everything I knew about my quirk so far. I told him how the portals work and how they affect my physical body and mental wellbeing. I was too busy explaining all the tiny details to immediately notice him take a notebook from seemingly nowhere and scribble rapidly into it with such speed.
After I explained how I wanted to improve, Midoriya went back to his full concentration mode as he muttered to himself again.
"A quirk that can attach to your body...the portals linked to his mind...limited by his heart and overall body with how far he can go...those 'buffs' being limited to three a day..." Midoriya's remark here and there left me sitting down and admiring his effort to understand it all.
I let Midoriya go through his process, but he was noticeably getting more frustrated as he kept thinking. Eventually, he let out a sigh of defeat as he shook his head slowly.
"I'm sorry, Doctor, but I don't really have a concrete answer to your problem. It's just from how you describe your quirk; it's kinda hard for someone who doesn't know how it feels to say what's best...but! I do have some ideas! It's just that ultimately when it comes down to it, only you can really shape how effective it'll be from how free form it is. I'm sorry for not being much help!" Midoriya was quick to clasp his hands and bow, but I waved it off as I did my best to reassure him.
"Don't worry, Midoriya. I had a feeling it would be difficult, but I suppose hearing from someone else is better than me constantly thinking so. Also, you said you had some idea for it, right? So lay it on me then." Midoriya furiously nodded as he wasted no time explaining his thoughts on the matter.
"Well, you see, I think it would be best to focus on summoning the portals on your body rather than away from it. You said it would require concentration to summon them, so try to limit that as much as possible. Of course, that doesn't mean not using them, but you should start making presets of what you summon to help cut the time in summoning. I mean to have an image so familiar that thinking of its shape and size should pop instantly into your mind. That way, when you have to use them on the fly, it'll be easy to use them. At least that's how I think your quirk works. I don't know exactly, but if it helps, then consider us even!" Midoriya finished as his determined eyes laid on me.
I was left appalled by his explanation as I admired the boy's extraordinary mind. He was certainly no stranger to analyzing and breaking down quirks and their uses. I could tell that whatever journal he was scribbling had to do with it.
"I...thank you, Midoriya. I don't really know what else to say. Your insight was terrific. I feel like I can break through my problem with ease now. Thank you, truly." Midoriya was ecstatic to hear my words with how big his smile was again.
"But, I think I've kept you long enough. You should rest up in the nurse's office. Even though your physical injuries are all patched up, my ability doesn't help with the mental fatigue. So rest up for the rest of the day." Midoriya understood what I was saying as he rubbed his head.
"Yeah...I get what you're saying." Midoriya got up from the couch and started to head out.
"Until next time, Doctor, see you later." Midoriya waved as I did so as well.
"Until next time, Midoriya, have a nice rest." The door soon closed as I went over to my laptop and opened it up. I then opened up a word document and started thinking of ideas to expand my power usage further.
'That Midoriya...he's so much like him. To think, even in a new world, I still need the help of teenagers. Well, I guess it's not so bad.' As my hands started typing up anything I could think of on the spot with my newfound perspective, I thought.
What the hell am I doing? Standing here waiting on this guy like we had a date planned. I knew there was a chance he wouldn't show, but that won't stop me from getting pissed at the guy...
"Maruki...you bastard! Where the hell are you?!" I yelled out to no one as my voice echoed in the empty gym of U.A. It was long past school hours, as it was well into the night. Nine o'clock, to be precise.
The fight I had with Maruki really made me feel like shit. I barely won that crap. He was already better from when we first sparred back at the interview, but he still lacked experience, which is why he lost last time.
But goddamn, was that man improving scarily fast.
I held back a bit when I first swung at him. There was nothing to it but some pent-up frustration with the guy, yet before I realized it, I was putting all my energy into keeping up with him. He was so damn resilient, yet stubborn as hell at the same time. He was such a mixed bag of traits I hate and respect with upstart heroes like him.
In the end, I won, and I could enjoy those bragging rights for now. Though I feel that sooner rather than later will that man breeze past my level. Hell, his quirk was already objectively better than mine. I couldn't nullify it at all, and he would take any pressure from my quirk with ease.
I felt so damn...outclassed? Maybe even useless. Whatever it was, I wanted to do my best to get rid of that feeling. It made me feel weak, made me feel inadequate. It's something that I could only overcome with the help of Maruki. He was the root of the problem, so he'll be the solution to it.
I kept waiting for the man that could potentially not show. All alone in the gym with some casual gym wear on. Standing around like a dumbass while hoping that I wouldn't get stood up in our unspoken meeting.
Training and fighting in my free time were never how I wanted to spend any portion of my day, but Maruki really messed up my worldview ever since he showed up. He riled up a deep urge in me to not slack off. The man actually makes me want to try and improve my skills actively.
It's horrible.
'How am I so worked up for from one guy? I mean, not like it's bad for fresh young faces to overtake the burden that heroing gives to the vets. If a guy like Maruki is around, maybe it wouldn't be so bad for him to exceed me. Maybe I could...retire...' The thought of retirement popped in my head again. It was a thought I've been entertaining for a while now. Nothing ever came of it, yet I still have it in the back of my mind at all times.
Retirement sounded like a pipe dream for a guy like me. There's still much I can do; I know that. I wasn't some elderly guy that's been at it for decades now. I'm still relatively active for being in my thirties now. Still, the marching forth of time was continuous as my body will naturally break down over the coming years. Time is never on the side of heroes. Villains will pop up and always start chaos whether we're in a time of peace or not. It gets so draining at times.
"Huuuuu...what the hell am I doing here?" I muttered out.
"I would ask the same question. Though I guess you don't have an answer if you asked it as well." Maruki's voice was booming in my ears. The silence in the gym I was so accustomed to was shattered into pieces as I glared at the man.
"About time you showed up. I was starting to think you were gonna chicken out." Maruki only responded with a challenging smirk as a slight grin formed on my face out of instinct.
This rush...it's what Maruki has been invoking since we've met.
"Believe me, Aizawa, I would never back down from a challenge. I need to improve every day to become a legitimate hero. Fighting you is an opportunity I can't miss." By the time Maruki had finished his statement, I was ready to spring at the man and start going at it with him, and he looked just as prepared to do so. But before either of us made a move, Maruki snapped out of his position and shook his head apologetically.
"Sorry...I almost forgot to ask. But may I use my power a bit this time around?" Maruki's irritatingly polite voice made me feel nauseous when he spat out that sentence.
I almost walked out of the gym when I heard the bastard say those words. The whole reason we could fight reasonably as equals were the restricting of his abilities, and now this man dared to disrupt our unspoken gentleman's agreement?
'I really hate this guy right now...' I subsided my annoyance for the man as I did my best to discuss this absurdity.
"Look, I get fighting it out the old-fashioned isn't exactly the most thrilling thing in the world, but you know how this gonna go down if you go all-out." Maruki nodded as he was already summoning his quirk out. Portals came from his forearms as he was readying to summon his tentacles.
"I understand your contempt Aizawa, which is why I won't use them offensively. I'll restrict myself to use them only for movement, and that's all. You could use your scarf weapon to its fullest against me if you wish. You know, to even it out a bit more." I huffed out in frustration at how polite and casual he was. I think I would rather have some hotheaded douche over this guy. He was too damn polite.
"Fine, whatever. But this...this will be the last time we spar like this. I don't plan on coming here this late after today. So you better make it count." Maruki's evident disappointment made a bit of guilt build up in my stomach, but I brushed it off as I went to the locker room to retrieve my scarf.
I don't know why exactly I said I was done after today. It felt correct to say at the moment, so I'll roll with it.
I went inside the locker room as I went to retrieve my scarf. Once I got my hands on it, something strange happened to me. I was frozen still as a sudden spike of dread hit me. There's only one thing that puts my body in such a shocking state.
Maruki's darkness was getting to me again, for I could feel it hit me like a damn tsunami.
That's what I've deemed this feeling I get whenever I'm around him, and it seems like I'm the only person who can feel that from him. But I doubt anyone else doesn't feel it to some extent. After our first match, whenever Maruki was about to punch me out of existence with his [God's Hand] as he called it, I stared into that abyss in his eyes as I barely made it out alive. They say the eyes are the gateway to one's soul. Well, if that were the case, then Maruki was soulless. Such vast nothingness from that man's eyes at that moment, and it's been in my head since.
I've gotten to know him better, and I can admit that All-Might wasn't spouting pure nonsense when he said there can be some light in there. But I'll stay cautious, no matter what. He still hasn't proved anything to me yet.
'So this is where that drive is coming from. This sudden want to train and improve all coming from that...from that darkness...' I gripped my scarf tightly as I shook off the fear creeping up on me.
"No matter...I don't get time to dwell on crap like that. I got a match to win." I built up my resolve as I was going to make one thing clear after today with Maruki.
And that'll be that I'm still better than him. No matter how much potential he has, no matter the wickedness I feel from him, I'll prove that I'm still the better hero. The better man.
Before, I'm not.
The shimmering moonlight lit up the open dirt field as Maruki and Aizawa walked towards it. They decided that it would be too dangerous to fight in the gym to add some extra weapons into the mix of this session. They didn't even need to ask the question of where to go as they both immediately went to walk to where they first duked it out.
No words were exchanged from the two as they quietly stepped onto the middle of the field, with Aizawa leading the way. A rush of excitement filled the two men as they both stopped in place and stood in place with the cool night air breezing by them. The score was even, and this fight was the one to top it off with a clear winner in their little rivalry.
Aizawa peeked over his shoulder as he looked over to a determined Maruki. Their eyes only met for a second before Aizawa was the first to spring into action.
He swiftly grabbed his scarf and whipped it behind him with expert precision. Maruki held up his left arm as he let the scarf wrap around his forearm, constricting it in a vice-like grip. Aizawa then reached up with one hand to reel in Maruki toward him. Still, he was the one sent flying as Maruki was a step ahead and yanked the scarf with both hands before Aizawa could.
'Such strength! From outta nowhere?!' Aizawa wasn't expecting to be flying across the short distance between him and Maruki. He adapted as he maneuvered himself so that his knee was now an incoming attack at Maruki.
Maruki opted to block with the same wrapped-up arm as Aizawa's knee met with it to create a small blast of wind between the two. They both met each other's gaze as tension grew between them. Maruki pushed his forearm with his other hand and sent Aizawa upwards away from him. The retreating man let his scarf let go of Maruki as he was once again airborne. This prompted Maruki to spring into action as he let portals come from his claves and leap him toward Aizawa.
'Won't work twice!' Aizawa thought upon the all too similar situation. He had the peace of mind knowing Maruki couldn't use his power offensively, so no matter what attack came at him, he knew that he could take it head-on, maybe even counter it.
Maruki shot up at Aizawa as he squinted hard through the passing wind to focus his sights ahead. It came to Aizawa's surprise when Maruki was way off from heading straight toward him as he soared higher above.
'He went by?! Was he not aiming for me? Was he aiming for something else-?!' Aizawa looked behind him to see a portal summoned mid-air as it hung a tentacle that Maruki grabbed and spun around on to shoot himself off of to Aizawa's actual position.
"You sneaky bast-" Aizawa was cut off by the pain of Maruki dropkicking his back down toward the ground. Lots of dirt kicked up as Aizawa and Maruki crashed down. Maruki rolled away and knelt down to stare into the clouds of dust covering his view from Aizawa.
'Pretty clean sequence there, but I concentrated too much on creating that portal. I need a better picture of it in my mind if I'm to do actions like that again.' Maruki thought to himself as he waited for the dust to clear.
Maruki started to get suspicious as the dust clouds weren't clearing and started surrounding him now. He squinted again to try to not get dirt in his eye before he was suddenly getting attacked from all sorts of directions. He could hear the sound of something constantly hitting the ground as more and more clouds of dirt obscure his vision.
'Aizawa! He must be kicking up all this up! But how can he see through it and not me?!' Maruki was quick to summon the portal above him again as he let his portals from his legs launch him once more up high to get out of the clouds of dust.
"Get over here!" Aizawa yelled as his scarf caught one of Maruki's legs before he could reach the portal he summoned above.
'Dammit! He predicted that move!' Maruki shot right back down as he recalled the portal above and summoned portals in his arms. He shot the tentacles far away as they hit the ground and stuck on it like glue. He then let them retract as they pulled him toward their ends. Aizawa didn't let his scarf go of Maruki's leg as he tagged along with Maruki's flying form. By the time Maruki was reaching the end, Aizawa had pulled forward with all his Might to fly him over Maruki. He cleanly landed behind the tentacle's end as he stood facing an incoming Maruki with his hands in his pockets.
There was little time for Maruki to act, so he made the hasty decision to let his tentacle's ends unstick from the ground. He then swung his arms behind him to let the tentacles stick back to cut his momentum. He was successful as they landed behind him in time, with the cost of some whiplash across his whole body from the sudden stopping. Maruki dropped down on his back as he closed the portals on his arms. He stared into the starry night as he felt the soreness created from his antics.
'Went a little too fast, too furious there...' Maruki could hear the steps of Aizawa as he stood over him.
"You give? Cause I'll take a technical win if you beat yourself up." Aizawa commented as Maruki got up and moved his body around.
"No way. I'm still good, oddly enough. I'm surprised I didn't pull anything with how sharp that pullback was." Maruki said while smoothing over his arms.
"Guess that means you've toughened up more. It isn't uncommon for people with quirks to gain superhuman-level traits. I mean, you just dropped kick me from way high in the air toward the ground, and I'm still fine." Aizawa said while retrieving his scarf from Maruki's leg.
"Yeah, I guess I'm improving faster than normal. And I can thank these sessions with you, Aizawa, for leading me to where I am now." Aizawa grimaced at Maruki's thanks as he wrapped the scarf around his neck to hide his face a bit from the man.
"Don't go getting soft now. We haven't finished our spar yet." Aizawa reminded Maruki as he got into his stance.
"Let's end it off with some basic CQC. I've had enough of this flying around shit. It's giving me a real headache." Maruki laughed as he nodded in agreement.
"Okay then, let's settle the score." Maruki summoned portals on his arms and legs as he readied himself.
"Right..." Aizawa said lowly as he went straight after Maruki.
The two locked into a typical hand-to-hand combat sequence as they traded blows with one another. Aizawa slowly gained the upper hand as he outpaced and skilled Maruki slightly. All was good and normal until Maruki sent a tentacle behind him to disengage from the fight quickly. The sudden action caught Aizawa off-guard for a bit before he responded.
Aizawa sent out his scarf to try and close the sudden distance created between them. Maruki was one step ahead when he shot a tentacle from his arm between the legs of Aizawa and retracted. Maruki dropped down and slid across the ground while letting his tentacle go to free up his hands. He reached out and grabbed Aizawa's ankles and made him fall face-first on the floor. All of this happened in a blur to Aizawa.
Soon he rolled over and kick-up from the ground to meet Maruki's full face.
'He's getting smart with that quirk. I need to keep up somehow, or he'll start outpacing me!' Aizawa started to get serious as he stared into Maruki's eyes with all his intensity. And what he found was nothing in Maruki's eyes. He felt like he was staring into a void, as Maruki had no emotion to show. Nothing but a subtle uneasy feeling of doom washed over Aizawa, alongside an overbearing amount of pressure from Maruki's blank face.
'Maruki...what are you...' Aizawa faltered as he was stuck in place. He didn't know how to challenge him anymore. He was simply...better now.
Maruki went for offensive as he initiated a quick interaction between them. Aizawa snapped out of his petrified state as his instincts to fight kicked in.
It didn't last long as Maruki was making use of his new trick to stick a tentacle to the ground to quickly pull him to wherever he desired. The fight started getting one-sided real fast as soon as Maruki began making up all sorts of tricks with his power. He would use the momentum to escape and reengage on the fly with Aizawa. He was able to spin himself away from any attack. He anticipated Aizawa to swing out to counterstrike with the same momentum he evaded. The trade of blows or the lucky hit Aizawa would get outweighed by just how proficient and fast Maruki used his power to move around the area and trick Aizawa's instinct.
It was hell for Aizawa; he was constantly second-guessing himself with each attack he made that was any sort of commitment to make. He could only do quick jabs to safely react to anything Maruki did if he anticipated a strike from him; no heavy hitters unless he wanted to get punished immediately for it.
'This wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't so damn random with how he fights. He isn't some expert fighter, but he's using his quirk to make it impossible for me to keep up with the tempo. I have to do something! Anything! I just can't lose!' Aizawa suddenly swung a hard right hook, prompting Maruki to back away from it. Aizawa then moved with the swing's momentum to grab his scarf and throw it at Maruki. The result ended with Maruki dodging it with his usual technique and closing in on Aizawa. Aizawa went for a quick jab to catch Maruki's approach. Still, Maruki used the same spin maneuver with his tentacle to get around the strike. Maruki then swept Aizawa with one leg as he fell down once again. A textbook example of what Aizawa has been dealing what felt like ages to him.
Aizawa was left on the ground staring up into the night sky. The moon and stars shined down on him as they illuminated him and his surroundings. But of course, the man had his focus on one thing and one thing only.
The abyss that he so vehemently tried to defeat, tried to accept and agree there was some good there to be found. He couldn't find it at that moment; he couldn't do anything at all besides accept the truth of the matter.
'He's just better...he's just...a monster' Aizawa rolled over slowly as the soreness of his body was soon being elevated by the healing that Maruki had suddenly placed on him.
"Looks like I'm the victor here, huh? It was a great match Aizawa. You've truly shown just how great you are." Maruki said with a smile on his face as he went to help pick up Aizawa from the ground. He reached out his hand to Aizawa, only to get swatted away as Aizawa picked himself up quickly and dusted himself off.
"Aizawa? Are you okay? Are you still hurt-?"
"Shut it, will ya. You won. Congratulations, I'm out of here." Aizawa didn't waste any time leaving as Maruki felt annoyed with Aizawa's sudden mood.
"Hey! What's wrong? I thought we were past this-!"
"Past what? This was always how it's been, whether you liked it or not. I'll tell you straight up. I don't like you, Maruki. The thought of you actually being employed here is actually sickening to me the more time pasts. I should've done more to make sure you weren't hired, but of course, All-Might had to take a liken to you. Top Hero privilege is such a pain in the ass." Maruki was in disbelief at the harsh words Aizawa spat on him as he stared on with no idea how to respond.
"Either way, you're a special kid who's gonna get all the care and attention you need to succeed. You've lucked out. Your power, your connection with Miruko, and All-Might's dedication. What a damn nuisance I gotta look at. Don't worry about me, and do your best not to fuck up. Prove to them what they wanna see. Nothing you can say can change my mind for what I can see beneath all that kindness and stubbornness you show off. You're just...empty. There's not a thing I can see in you. I hope others can take notice before it's too late." Aizawa sprinted off as Maruki stood in the middle of the night alone in the dirt field.
"Aizawa..." Maruki muttered as too many questions filled his thoughts.
"I...I'm sorry..." Maruki apologized to no one as he kept still on his spot in the field.
The day was coming to a close, but another was to go and take its place.
"Empty, that's what he said, right? Then could he feel it. My persona?" Maruki kept replaying the night before in his mind as he thought over every conversation and interaction he ever had with Aizawa. Maruki was more disappointed in himself than actually mad at Aizawa. The words he left behind only got him to question just how much influence his persona had in this world, and by extension, Maruki himself.
Maruki knew his persona wasn't a heroic or lawful being. He could feel the chaos and madness that his persona exuded, and he could also admit that, to some extent, that those qualities slowly leaked out every time he was to get in any sort of fight. It actually aided Maruki to progress further when he tapped into that madness, that pure want to enact such intensity. His mind was so clear whenever he got into the flow of things. From what Maruki could recall from his bouts with Aizawa, this would lead to him being too vicious than he probably should.
"A persona, a mask one wears to face the hardship of reality. In a way, it represents oneself to a degree. So does that mean I've always had the urge to act so violently? Is that violence really a part of me?" Maruki had a hard time fully accepting that fact alone. He wanted to reject it despite how well he understands the representation of one's persona.
'I've always thought of myself as a decent person. I guess this is the first time I actually looked at my persona's representation and demeanor. I can't deny that it is a part of me...' The door opening and annoyed grunt alerted Maruki in his current task at hand.
'Speaking of violence,' Maruki didn't have to look up to know who entered his office. He instead waved his hand toward the seat in front of his desk.
"Please, take a seat, Bakugou. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."
AN: Guilty Gear Strive, NMH3, Melty Blood Type Lumina, Smash Ult, Metroid Dread...the list actually goes on. But check these out, certified bangers.