Izuku was enthralled as his teacher, mother, and he walked through the Chinese city. He spotted some small-time heroes on patrol and tried to see what quirks they had, but Anima kept him from doing so. Stalls that held foods and trinkets that he never saw in Japan littered the marketplace they passed through. Feeling curious, he asked Anima if they could try something.
"Sure, but I get to pick; make you try something you wouldn't think to try." Izuku knew it would be something weird but nevertheless agreed. Anima stopped by a stall selling different things on kababs and picked a stick with scorpions skewered on it. The werewolf ate one before handing the kebab to his student.
"I should have known…" the teen murmured before taking a hesitant bite. "Tastes like shrimp, but firmer. Not bad." he then offered the stick to Inko, who paled and shook her head. The trio kept going down the streets until Anima pointed to a traditional clothing store.
"Been meaning to get you a uniform, but I thought that your first should be made by an expert. I commissioned one a little while back, but I never got around to having them mail it." he admitted before sliding the door open and walking in.
"Hello! How may I help you?" a little farther in the store was a young man in formal attire who greeted in Chinese. Inko, who wasn't as proficient in the language as Anima or her son, simply bowed without speaking, scared to mess up the language.
"Good morning sir." Anima returned. "I'm here to pick up the order for my disciple. The name I gave was 'Anima' over the phone." the young man nodded before walking them over to talk with a much older man, likely his grandfather based on looks, before bowing out to collect the outfit. The elder man gave a scrutinizing look at the werewolf before speaking.
"I never expected to see the infamous Battle Wolf in my life." he calmly stated. "Your stories didn't give you credit; even I can see the inner strength bleeding off of your form." Anima gave a soft smile before sitting down in a lotus position in front of the master tailor.
"I thank you for the praise, Kan Shūn." As Izuku heard the surname 'Kan', he instantly remembered the family from Jesse's world study lectures; the Kan were the last few families that still used the Manchu-style of making chángpáo, or formal outfits. He looked at his teacher in shock, but Anima gave him a dead stare.
"No, I'm not worried about the cost, and no, I'm not telling you the price. Think of it as a late birthday present if it makes you feel better." Izuku didn't try and argue, knowing that it would be useless. the young man, who Izuku learned was named Kan Li from his grandfather, had returned with a folded parcel that he handed to Izuku.
"Thank you." the teen bowed. Looking at the package in his hands, he wanted to try it out before they left. "May I use your changing room?"
Kan Shūn smiled and directed him to the room.
Izuku was practicing meditation on the bus that would take them most of the way to their destination. The hero-in-training was pleased with the new attire he was wearing. It was a simple silk uniform made up of dark greens while a red dragon danced between the shirt's opening, held closed by knot buttons. On the back was the Chinese character 保護 (protector). The pants were also dark green, but they had lighter green vines running down the legs. The outfit also came with the shoes in solid black with leather soles, making his steps quiet.
All in all, it fit him to a T. It was comfortable, easy to move in, and also very responsive to reinforcement. According to Anima, who was wearing his own uniform in black and reds with the Chinese symbol 狼 (wolf) instead, silk takes to chi manipulating very well. If one was skilled enough, the soft fabric could be stronger than titanium with chi flowing through it. Inko thought that little tidbit was rather nice.
As the bus came to a stop for the first time in an hour, the three got out. Izuku looked up to see a small path leading up the mountain and asked his teacher how far they had to walk.
"It's an hour walk for most people." he answered. "And no, I'm not carrying you like in Russia." without another word, the master martial artist lead the other two up the path.
Izuku was fine with the walk, taking in the sights and sounds of nature as he kept in step with Anima. Inko, however, was not in as phenomenal shape and having a little more trouble. She had been learning tai chi from Jesse as a way to keep in shape for years, but she didn't have the dedication nor time to spend in the art like her son. After a half hour, she had to call for a break.
"I'm feeling light-headed at the moment." she admitted as they sat on the side of the road.
"I'm not entirely surprised. We have risen about five to six hundred meters in elevation. The temple is at a little over a thousand." Anima told her. Inko shook her head about the fact she was suffering from altitude sickness while the literal monster was doing fine.
"What about you dear?" she asked her son. Izuku blinked before shaking his head.
"As you're getting higher, you're also getting closer to the temple, which has more chi surrounding it for you to draw from; your body is compensating for your lack of air with chi." Anima explained.
"But, I'm not using chi right now…" Izuku argued, but the werewolf stopped him.
"Not consciously, but you're still using the breathing technique I showed you during basics, and that is using a small amount of energy." at his teacher's answer, Izuku realized he was right; back when he was still six, he was taught the basics until it became second nature before ever moving on to fighting. One of the techniques was how to breathe properly, and ever since he mastered it, he never stopped using it out of pure habit.
After a while, Inko was better and they started walking up the mountain once again.
At the end of the path, Izuku and Inko starred at the magnificent temple of red and green surrounded by clouds; Wudang Chen. At the entrance was a red-scaled woman meditating. As the trio continued to walk towards the gate, she opened her slitted eyes and stood up.
"State your business." she calmly demanded. Izuku could tell from the limited chi sensing he had that she had more chi reserve than an average person, making her feel larger than she was.
"I am here to show my disciple a home of the art. We are planning to stay here for a night and leave by morning." suddenly, the draconic woman wasn't the largest person as Anima let some of his chi project outward. Izuku still had to give her respect as she didn't show any outward emotion on her face.
"Enter then, but do not disturb Master Han unless necessary." at her words, Anima stopped.
"Han, as in Han Tūng?" he asked. Not expecting him to know the master's full name, she nodded in surprise.
"Are you an acquaintance of his?" the werewolf smiled.
"Something like that, but to think he became the master of the temple." Izuku heard pride in his teacher's words. As the trio, plus one, came to the main courtyard Inko saw many students practicing katas in sync. Their movements were like water, endlessly flowing from one move to the next almost seamlessly. As she and Izuku watched the students of the temple continue their training, a separate rustling of footsteps came from the side building. Looking over was a man well in his later years, but still in phenomenal shape. His bald head and long white beard seemed to make him seem even older.
"Master Han!" the red-scaled woman greeted with a bow. "There are people of the art visiting; one of them claims to know you." Tūng bowed slightly in response before setting his eyes on Anima. Cupping his hands and bowing more deeply, the elder smiled warmly.
"Laoshi!" he exclaimed. Inko recognized the word as 'teacher', meaning that she was looking at a disciple like her son was.
"Now now." Anima held his hands up. "Let's greet each other properly first." Tūng nodded before giving a respectful bow.
"Han Tūng, Kāimíng de Lùjìng (path of the enlightened)." he greeted. Anima mirrored him.
"Anima del Lupo Cacciatore, Lang de Lùjìng (path of the wolf)." he announced himself. Izuku came last, giving his greetings.
"Midoriya Izuku, Bahou de Lùjìng (path of the protector)." Han raised his eyebrows in respect. After the formal greeting was given, the master of the temple smiled.
"It has been too long, Laoshi. Sixty years and you haven't changed a day. You have even picked up another disciple over the decades." Tūng remarked.
"I taught you everything you needed before letting you follow your path. And you've been doing well if you became a master yourself." Anima reasoned. "And you know that the arts are dying. Too few people are finding the limits of their forms while only focusing on their power's limits." Izuku saw the sadness in the two masters. For ones who had dedicated their lives, to see your passion becoming obsolete over years must be heart-wrenching.
"And you, Midoriya." Tūng turned to the teen. "To choose a path that difficult. You must have a big heart to bear that burden."
"Of course it's hard; it wouldn't mean anything if it was easy." Tūng laughed at Izuku's straightforward answer.
"Indeed it wouldn't!" he exclaimed. "You have been going on a path that has created the greatest heroes, but also some of the worse monsters." Tūng's voice dropped a tone at the last part.
"How? It's never wrong to save someone, so how can monsters come from it?" Izuku asked.
"Because they find that if you can't save everyone, then you can make sure the lives lost outweigh the lives protected." Anima said solemnly. "The first Magus Killer, the Reverend of Dreams, Punisher, Sultan of Blood, even Stain fall under those who see the idea of '10 deaths to save 100 lives'. But I could never see you going down that path; you're too self-sacrificing." Izuku didn't know whether to take that as a compliment, an insult, or both. He decided on both.
"That's not to say other paths aren't as dangerous, just that yours can make that danger the most known." Tūng remarked. "My path is to become enlightened and one with all knowledge, good and evil. One can easily take this to mean that they can commit any act to learn more, and become monsters in their own right." Anima nodded before chiming in again.
"And mine is the easiest to deviate from. My path is to learn all forms of battle, for the sole reason of battle. If you fight without a cause, you're nothing more than a berserker."
As the trio of martial artist lost themselves in their own world, Inko turned to the red-scaled woman who led them inside. "Would you mind if I made us some tea?"
"Not at all." the woman responded, still looking at her teacher being warm with someone who looked younger than himself and calling him teacher. Inko, knowing where the confusion was answered the unasked question.
"Anima is much older than your master, he just doesn't look like he is." the two started to walk into the tea room as the three men continued to leave the world in their discussion.
Izuku and Tūng were in the sparring dojo, with soft wood floors, with Anima acting as the judge. Several students of the temple had also gathered to watch the two have a match.
'How did I get roped into this again?' the green-haired teen questioned. He remembered the talk going into how Tūng's path differed so much from Izuku and Anima's, and wanting to see how a path based on understanding differed from one based on practice. Anima then decided to convince his two disciples that a friendly match would help them both in different ways, and the next moment Izuku and Tūng were bowing to one another waiting for the match to start.
"Zhàn!" Anima called, and the spar began. For the first few seconds, Izuku and his opponent were circling one another, looking for any tells that would give an edge. 'His style seems to be more circular than mine, probably a wushu foundation, but his steps are lighter, meaning he's based on movement or redirecting instead of holding ground.' at this simple analysis, Izuku went on the offensive. Starting low, the teen had gone for a kick to the elder's legs, but Tūng responded by lifting his leg over and attempting to step on Izuku's upper calf. Izuku let him and used the momentum to spin, leaving the master off balance for a grab at his shirt.
Tūng placed his hands behind him to brace and backpedal before he was grappled and tried to reset his stance, but again and again, Izuku didn't give the master of the temple room to breathe until he himself had to catch his own breath. Tūng capitalized on this by resetting and turning on the offense, the flow of battle changing to match his tempo. Izuku blocked, redirected, and countered without moving much, but he took a couple grazing shots before he saw his chance.
A strike that hung in the air a moment too long.
Tūng grunted as he felt the teen's vice-grip on his sleeve and was thrown in a spiral, forcing him to roll. The elder of the two was shocked at the proficiency of his junior but still managed to find a foothold to stand, even as disoriented as he was. He saw the teen advance and knew his endurance couldn't hold up on the defense. Setting himself and channeling the tao of the world into himself, he struck with both palms, catching the teenager in the stomach and solar plexus.
Izuku felt the chi rush onto his body and unconsciously used his own life force to redirect it into the ground, leaving mostly the impact itself. Getting ready for another change in tempo, he-
"It's my loss." the room froze from Tūng's words. "To think you can control the world's energy so freely at such a young age, Laoshi was right in choosing to train your talent." Izuku smiled at the compliment, but shook his head.
"Thank you, it's not talent that led me this far, though a little may have helped; it was drive." he explained. "Ever since I started the martial arts, I saw the ideal hero I wanted to be, quirk or no, and chased after it without giving up or looking for a shortcut." As Izuku's chi projected across the room unintentionally. the various students that watched the match were humbled by the young teen's conviction. The elder smiled.
"Then I correct my statement; Laoshi was not wrong in choosing such a self-driven student. Thank you for this lesson, and I hope you learned something to add to your path's advancement." Tūng bowed to Izuku as an equal, and Izuku did the same. They were still learning, as martial artists traveling down their respective paths. One was a scholar trying to enlighten himself to the higher truths of the universe while the other was someone who strived for a world without misery. they both shared a master who only wished to understand all of the secrets of battle.
None of the three would ever reach the end of their path, but the reward wasn't the end; it was the journey.
Inko watched her son through the tea room window as he practiced with weights against another student of the temple. Neither were allowed to use their quirks or chi, but both were holding their own even with Izuku's handicap and stiff arm. Izuku had been practicing with everyone who asked and won three out of four fights, though even Inko could tell he was starting to slow down. Fighting for an hour would do that to everyone but monsters like Anima.
"You must be proud of him." the red-scaled woman, who Inko found out was named Jun Sook, noted. Neither could speak the other's native language, but they could both speak English well enough to communicate.
"I am, but I still worry about him." the mother admitted. Sook tilted her head.
"Why? Master said he wouldn't fall into the darkness others would."
"It's because of why; he destroyed his left arm trying to save someone, and I'm scared he'd do it again. It was only with supernatural help that he can even feel his arm, let alone move it." Sook looked at Inko's expression, and let her get out what was clouding her heart.
"Ever since my husband walked out on me and Izuku, I decided to give all of my time so my son gets the happiness he deserves. He thinks, no, he knows that being a hero, a very dangerous job, is what will make him happy; all I can do, however, is watch from the sidelines as he charges head first into danger. It scares me that one day someone may knock on my door and tell me my baby boy isn't coming home." Tears fell from Inko's face as she, for the first time in a long while, could lay her heart down in front of someone who could understand, if only a little.
"I know it's what he wants, but when I saw him come home after the attack on his school with scars on his hands, I'm proud that he fought back. But in the back of my mind I hear a thought that it could have been worse, that it would be a teacher coming to my house, telling me that he died like a hero." Inko didn't know when, but Sook had come over to hug her head into her chest.
"I don't know what you are going through, but I will know that pain myself soon enough to give you some comfort; even if he does pass on, you can know he would have no regrets. Few can say the same." it wasn't much, but Inko felt her heart lighten at the thought. Recalling a certain part of the woman's words, the mother looked up.
"Wait, 'you will know that soon enough'? Do you mean-?!" Sook nodded with a smile as she rubbed under her navel. Inko forgot all her worries for that moment as she hugged the soon-to-be mother.
"Congratulations! Do you know who?" the draconic woman pointed out the window to the handsome man with a missing arm who was currently tending to the latest of the student's Izuku had fought. Inko couldn't help herself and hugged the younger woman in joy again.
By the time the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, Izuku, Inko, and Anima were at the gates as Tūng, Sook, and Sook's fiance waved them goodbye.
"Do not be a stranger, Izuku-bēizhí, Laoshi." Tūng bowed. Izuku was a little shocked to be called by the suffix that denotes ones equal, but bowed regardless.
"Do keep your son grounded. He'll need it." Sook teasingly warned as she and her lover bowed. Inko returned the gesture.
"I hope you find more on your path, Tūng-qiánbèi." Izuku used the suffix that denoted a senior to the same craft as oneself.
"Don't worry about me, I hope you two find more joy together." the couple smiled and nodded at her kind words. Soon, the trio walked down the mountain and arrived just in time to see the bus preparing to leave for the city. When they found themselves back in Shiyan, Anima guided them to the train station before paying for tickets to the closest stop to the next destination. When it was five in the evening, they departed from the train before finding a nice hotel for a night.
"Rest up Izuku." Anima warned. "Tomorrow is a challenge that you have to take before our next stop. Izuku didn't care, as Jet-lag was affecting him much worse than he thought, and he fell asleep. He didn't even notice the name of the mountain range close by.
Kunlun.
Yes! Kunlun, for you guys who aren't comic fans like my family or haven't seen the Iron Fist Netflix series, is a real mountain range that houses the make-believe city of the same name. It's speculated as the home of the first conscious use of chi, and due to the altitude is constantly in winter. Anyway, Izuku saw some more of the profound history of the martial arts and learned much about the Idea of the 'paths' martial artist choose; more specifically, how dangerous they can be if you fall from the path and onto another. We also get to see Inko's troubles, and what that means for her. To be honest, I took inspiration from people who're married to police and soldiers. If you liked it, please feel free to leave a comment. Till next time!