Waking through the shopping district of Musutafu Izuku, not in his training clothes and wearing his casual ones with his blue t-shirt having the words 'Phantom Shirt' on it, goes to his destination place in a stream of people who were enjoying the day with no ounce of worrying in them as some heroes were on the rooftops patrolling and surveying the area to bust any crime that could happen anytime.
Today is his day off training with All Might who's on his hero duty. Thanks to Izuku's quirk, [Hamon], All Might told the green teen that he'll be away for a few days to make sure the people won't be worried or suspects of his absences and villains and thugs who might take advantage of it. Where he is right now Izuku doesn't know but he has heard from the news that he's in the northern prefectures.
Before he left, however, he told Izuku to do some light training here and there without using his quirk wanting his body to experience natural breakdown and strengthen back up and once the number one hero returns Izuku can than use his quirk to heal, rejuvenated and gain a little physical boost for the more harsher training awaiting in the training regimen but also told to not go overboard with the light training or else he'll overwork his body he'll not have enough energy to continue the scheduled plan.
He even called his mother, after the green-haired teen gave her his contact sometime in the early weeks of his training as All Might inform him he need time to sell the 'personal trainer having connections to All Might' shtick or else she'll be suspicious once he presented himself to her, and Izuku should know. The lies he told her after going through troubles occurrences during his quirkless adolescence can be seen through by her motherly eyes but never said a word as both know he's stubborn, and timid, to tell her the truth.
Unfortunately the moment All Might left Izuku decided to not to take his advice and put double the amount of training in the break. But that soon changed back fast as his mother quickly caught him in the act and punished him by making him go outside to the city and enjoy himself as a teenager should.
In a typical parent-and-child fashion they argued until Inko put her foot down by threatening him the moment All Might, whom she still thinks he's just some personal trainer and not the number one hero, comes back and Izuku returns to the beach to continued the regimen she'll go to his room, take and donate some of his personal collection of All Might merchandise.
Mortified at thought of his most prized All Might collection donated away, some which are highly-valued limited editions they never circulate in the market again after their first and only retail life cycle, he begrudgingly accepted and out the door and in the streets Izuku walked through the sea of people before coming to a stop in front of the small building wedged between the two larger ones. A large black painted wooden sign above the front entrance had words painted on in white and red spelling out the name of the small building 'Around The World: Music, Shirts, Books and More'. The name of the store Izuku discovered when he was a small child and where he goes for solace thereafter, besides his home, and the one he works at.
Entering the store his ears were pummeled by loud music blaring through four speakers attached to the upper four corners. Walls painted black with some patches chipped off as shirts of various colors were displayed high on them and shirts below are on shelves neatly folded with price tags on them. In the middle of the store were rows of wooden tables set up horizontally with milk crates that had various contents placed on them. Pieces of paper were taped on each table with writing on them categorizing what each table is. And while he wanted to check the contents of each milk crate he went to the check-out-counter from the back at the left with a closed door nearby. But what he saw nonplussed him.
Instead of the owner, whom Izuku is familiar with before and after he hired him after coming to an acceptable age for a job here, the one behind the counter was a girl somewhere around his age who's boredly looking at her phone. Purple hair, onyx eyes, black shirt with English words on it saying ' Never Mind the Bollocks'. But what really caught his eye were her earlobes. They look stretched and long with the ends looking like jacks, reminding him of aux cables.
Now when it comes to the opposite sex Izuku does… not have a good track record with them, except his mom of course and Kacchan being Kacchan. Girls in his school aren't exactly the friendly bunch either, some were malicious even. Before when he got his quirk they'd just throw harsh insults whether he was in their view mainly on his plain looks or how no girl will go out with a quirkless freak, each one chipping his self-esteem bit by bit some more than others. Or manipulate him on doing their school work or unsavory things knowing that he can't say no to them because of his submissive nature. They were, in Kacchan's words, spiteful bitches who'll put down his already low self-confidence every chance they get with great effect.
But after his quirk came their attitudes changed to a complete one-eighty. They became friendly, nice, giddy in their approach as they flirted with him as if all the things they did before were now water under the bridge and they can start again with a clean slate. But in his honest opinion he would rather jump off from a roof than be with either one of them.
Izuku stopped his stiff walk. 'Huh, where did that come from?'
That's when the purple-haired girl then noticed him and asked in a dull tone. "May I help you?"
Welcome to the Purple Parade
He shook out of his mind. "Excuse me?"
"I said..." She spoke with slight annoyance this time, something he felt guilty of. "...may I help you?"
He stiffened once more. "O-oh I… um… whe-where's Mr.Otoishi?"
She pointed her thumb at the door near the counter. "In his office sleeping. He was really happy when I applied for this gig. The dude looked like he was about to pass out because he's the only one, besides this other guy who's on his day off, working in this joint." She looked around the room then at the window behind him seeing rows of people walking by before looking back to the emerald freckles who froze thrice like deer in headlights upon eye contact. "Not like this place is busy even on its best days." She placed her elbow on the counter and rested her chin on her palm. "So you gonna buy something or what?"
"I-I-I'm here t-t-to bu-bu-buy my sub-subscription box." Izuku stutters, trying to keep himself together but failing. "M-m-mine na-name is Iz-Izuku Mi-Mi-Midoriya."
"Damn dude, relax, you're shaking like a leaf. Your name is Izuku Midoriya, right?" He nodded. "All right." He saw her bend down behind the counter giving him a few moments to wipe the sweat off his hands and face, his anxiety rising rapidly to the roof and possibly breaking through. 'Keep it together, Izuku, keep it together and try not to make a doofus of yourself.'
He immediately straightened back in his stiffen form when the cute purple girl came back with a cardboard box with some strain. She laid it on the counter with a huff. "Holy crap, how much stuff did you order?"
"Oh uh, not-not ma-many." He said as he tried to look anywhere but her.
"All right, here's the price." She took off a piece of paper that was taped to it and handed to him. "You think you'll be able to pay that?"
He nodded, mentally winced seeing the price. He definitely has to ask All Might if he can alter the plan again, selfish as it seems and it will definitely push him back in the regimen, if he can have more days for his job. As he is fishing out his All Might themed wallet that is going to be thin pretty soon the punk girl is eyeing the box before letting her curiosity be voiced out.
"Say, you mind if I can see what you got in there." She asked, pointing her finger at the box. He muttered 'sure' as he dug out the right amount of yen. She took a box cutter inside the counter and slit the tap on the lid before opening the box and took out the contents from inside. "CDs, cassettes, vinyls, you know there's a thing called streaming, right?"
Izuku answered with tension in his voice. "I-I-I like having th-the phy-physical co-copies of it." His collection of All Might merch alone speaks for itself.
"Respect, I like to have the real thing too. The feeling of just owning the physical thing is enough for me. You know what I'm saying?" She said, checking out a CD jewel case in her hand. Eyes widen upon seeing the art cover. "Holy crap, I recognize this LP. This is some old music right here and I'm not talking about decades old but pre-quirk old." She eyeball the rest and gaped. "They're all from the pre-quirk age. Damn dude, almost all of them are from the twentieth century and people don't even listen to or know them anymore." She looked up at him with a querying look. "How do you know them?"
"Oh um-" Izuku paused, handing her the money which she took and his wallet now practically empty, not even a single yen coin in, before resuming. "-I have a lot of pre-quirk media in my home that used to belong to my father and his side of my family all the way back. My mom even says they're like family heirlooms. Almost all of them are the original releases."
"Hold up, you have the original releases?" She asked, wide eyed. "Holy shit dude and they're still in good condition? No dust and scratches along with none of those pops and crackles that appear during a song playing?"
He shrugged, starting to feel a bit comfortable talking with her. "I take care of them making sure they're all pristine and polished." Not only them but along with the All Might and other hero merch, DVDs, VSHs etc. etc.
"Really?" She eyed him up and down. "Izuku Midoriya, right?"
"Um, yeah," mumbled Izuku, confused and a little red in the face of her checking him out.
"Kyoka Jiro." She said, holding her fingers up in a peace sign. "It's nice to meet someone whose music taste is like mine."
"Th-thanks," stammer Izuku, not expecting a compliment.
She checked her phone. "Whelp, it's almost closing. And since you're the only one here and the only one who actually came here and made a purchase I guess I'll just close the store early."
"Bu-But what about Mr.Otoishi?" Izuku asked, looking at the door.
She walked out of the counter and towards the door. She, instead of knocking, banged on it, causing Izuku to jump a little at the roughness approach, and shouted, "Hey Mr.Otoishi I'm closing up! I'm gonna lock the door up and throw the keys behind the counter."
They both hear a loud muffled voice. "Did someone show up and buy anything?!"
"Yeah, a dude named Midoriya!"
"Oh, he's here?"
"I-I'm here Mr.Otoishi," said Izuku polity trying not to yell.
"You got your stuff?"
"Ye-Yeah."
"It wasn't easy getting some of them. Cause I like ya for having the same taste as mine. I've placed higher bids on several actuations so no one won't even have second thoughts on bidding but it still wasn't easy getting some of them so you better enjoy it kid!" They heard him say.
"I-I will. Thank you." He slightly bowed at the door, Jirou looked a bit amused at the interaction.
"Yeah yeah. Jirou!"
"Yeah boss?"
"Meet your fellow employee. I'll email both of your schedules later."
Kyoka looked at Izuku in complete bewilderment. Not knowing she was talking to the first one hired by Mr. Otoishi who was taking his day off and seems to be the same age as her, caused her to mouth out a 'you' at him who shyly nodded to confirm her.
"Locked the door. You can leave early."
"Oh, thanks Mr.Otoishi." Kyoka said, still reeling from this small revelation.
They can hear him grunted as Izuku placed everything back in the box as Kyoka went back to the counter to get her things and keys. She locked the door and tossed the keys right on the top of the counter.
It was twilight once they were outside walking home. They talked about different subjects to get to know each other such as Izuku talked about his favorite action movies from China starring, from the pre-quirk era, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and, from this time era, Fei Long. Kyoka talked about which music she liked, mostly British punk, with her favorite band of this era being CYS.
"Sooo… what's the name of your quirk," asked Izuku, throwing caution in the wind as he watched the ear jacks in curiosity. The hunger for knowledge regarding quirks demanded him for nourishment, disregarding his social anxiety wanting to know the qualities this quirk has, how it functions, how it operates, its strengths and weaknesses, and the untap potential uses it might have.
"Oh, these things." Jirou said, twirling one lobe and the other swaying on its own. "They're Earphone Jack. Got them from my mom. It lets me send the vibrations of my heart through any surface and can pick up even the faintest sound."
"Really? How far can you hear?"
"About twelve meters."
"Woah." Izuku said with amazement in his eyes. His brain is eating up the details of her quirk that may seem unremarkable to the common people. "That sounds incredible. Can it distinguish between each person's heart beats? How many can it hear? How faint can it pick up? Does your eardrums experience discomfort if the sounds are too loud more than the average person you? Can you send your own heartbeat like some sort of attack? Oh, if only I had my notebook with me. Your quirk sounds so amazing."
Pink was dusted across Jirou's cheeks as she tugged her twirled earlobe abashed. "It's not really a big deal, honestly. I just hear and pick up sounds nobody else can."
"But still your quirk is amazing. All the possibilities and usages of it are great." Izuku counters, mentally banging his head on a brick wall for really not bringing his journal so he can write a new entry on it.
Now red, flushed of him speaking highly of her quirk that's not very interesting in the eyes of the mast. She stammered back. "Yeah? Well what about your quirk, Mr.Quirk Enthusiast?"
"Um well…" He glanced away from her, not knowing how to bring up his quirk.
"Unless you're quirkless but that's not true isn't it?" Jirou jokes.
All she got was silence.
"Oh shit." She wide eyed, agape in this other, and huge, revelation. "You're really quirkless?"
"Used to be." He spoke in an uneasy voice. Hoping for anyone up in the heavens for this possible new bond that he unknowingly deepestly craved, not severed before it can even be formed. "I was a late bloomer until I was fourteen when my quirk manifested."
"Really?" She arched an eyebrow, well damn Freckles has to be the most interesting person she ever met, meeting a use-be-quirkless person who looks the same age as her, which is rare, but a late bloomer as well, which is rarer.
"Yeah it's called [Hamon]. It allows me to produce energy that is similar to the rays of the sun by breathing. It can enhance my physical abilities and heal my body. Well, as far as I know." He described. The weight in his stomach grew heavier and heavier waiting for the inevitable her frame of mind to be in line with everyone that knows his former status.
"So it's basically magic sun-light kung fu?" Jirou cheeky said.
"What?" Her question baffled the emerald boy. The weight suddenly went away, replaced by a spreadness of ease. That frightened child in the back of his mind cheered, gaining a new kinship who didn't bat an eye at what he considered a black mark on his life so far. "Where did you get that assumption?"
"Well." Kyoka drawl. "I've seen and heard quirks that can do pretty crazy things but yours just sounds bizarre. It's almost like you have magic and since you like those Chinese action movies I just imagine you doing all those fancy moves while using that sunlight quirk of yours. So magic sun-light kung fu." She looked at him waiting for his response.
"Well I won't say it like that." Izuku said slowly. "But it's kinda like that."
The purplette chuckled before she realized they were now in the outskirts of the city and in the suburbs. The twilight is now replaced by night with stars shining like gems. "Well dang, didn't know it was night already."
Izuku looked around, also seeing that it was night. "Uh, how about that." He looked around recognizing the streets they were in. "Guess I'm lucky then that my home is a few blocks away."
"Really?" She looked surprised. "Cause my place is just a few blocks away too." She laughed a bit at this other small revelation. "Didn't know we lived close to each other yet we never met until today."
Izuku laughed a bit as well. "Yeah, that is weird."
"So I guess this is where we go different ways huh?" Kyoka looked at the alley to their left where her house is. "It was cool to meet you Midoriya, maybe we'll see each other if we have the same days in our schedule."
"Uh ye-yeah ma-ma-maybe some o-o-other ti-time." His speech impediment came back in full force. Dang it, he thought he finally got that under control.
"Relax dude. In fact," she took out her phone waving it, "Wanna trade numbers so we can talk and text each other."
"Su-sure." Izuku mentally kicked himself in the head for the high pitch that came out of his voice.
"You wanna put that down first?" She jerked her head at the box Izuku had been carrying ever since they left the store.
"Oh, it's all right. I can just..." He shifted his arms, carrying the box with one hand and taking out his phone with the other. 'Boy, carrying the junk from the beach sure makes this easy.'
Once they exchanged numbers and Kyoka was the first one to bid goodbye.
"Awesome, see ya Freckles." She said, putting her phone away.
"Freckles?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, cause I think your freckles are rocking." She said turning around, walking away with a carefree smile. Not wanting to see his reaction. "See ya."
Unmoving, not evening a centimeter sway from any side of his body. Perfect for a model in an art class except for the bright red head and the puffs of steam from the ears, Izuku was comprehending the small complement of his freckles which girls in his school would insult, making him to be kinda ashamed of having them. So for someone to like them that isn't his mom felt… pleasant to say the least.
And now he walked home for a good solid minute until he realized the most important event that happened to him today.
'Oh my god… I just talked to a girl!'
A few days later
"Come on Young Midoriya! Just three more from this pile and you can take a short break!"
"Easy for you to say!" The green-haired fluff gritted his teeth as he pulled a car with a chain strapping attached to it. "On second thought. This is easy for you. You can carry one just by using your pinky finger."
It was late afternoon on Takoba Municipal Beach. Both master and student came back to the city's personal dumping ground when the holder of the great flame that is [One for All] returned. He told the young dreamer of not facing the usual problems his body previously experienced. Defeating villains and saving civilians without a hitch doing the quintuple amount of hero work he can do than before. The crime rate that steadily rose was decreasing day by day causing people to wonder how All Might was able to keep going longer than previously where he'll make scant appearances here and there, not that they were complaining as they feel much safer knowing Japan's beloved guardian is on the scene longer now.
"Well I mean. I don't want to brag," the mentor said with some sense of pride as Ranrou laid peacefully sleeping beside him, not bothered by the boombox blaring a pre-quirk age song about being the best around. "But if I focus on the balance I can carry ten at best."
Izuku gives his idol a stink eye before resuming trudging the very beat down car that look like if someone smash car parts together to resemble one so they wouldn't go to a car dealership and buy a new and functional one grumbling to himself saying that Toshinori is lucky he's still his favorite hero in the world or else he'll docked him a few ranks down from his personal top hero list. Toshinori amusely chuckled and sent him a thumbs up to lessen the green hair's air of grumpiness. He finally managed to bring the first car out of the beach while All Might untied the chains and tied his wrist with another set. Izuku went back to the second car, grabbing the other tied end and pulled, in spite of the fact that his body was ready to call it quits.
It's been a few days since Izuku met Jirou and since then they mostly texted to each other, as they both have different days in their schedule, particularly any topic they have a share interested that leads to hours of conversation with one ending with Jirou saying they should met up again near a pizzeria sometime later.
Izuku, his social skills rock bottom still, doesn't know how to respond to this so he sent a simple 'yes' while his entire body went as red as a tomato. Wondering to himself if he made the right call. Having never been in a social activity between friends since the early years of his youth, he waits in complete anxiety and fear for that day to come which he knows his "official'' first impression will be a total blunder. He should have texted something to delay the meeting but he curses his trait of cracking under pressure so easily the moment he answers yes.
For now he focuses his concentration on pulling this second rusted bucket of bolts, with the other three he was assigned to are waiting for their turn, out of the beach. Thankfully, All Might, after calling his mother for confirmation, allows him to use his quirk to help him with this painstaking labor. The only downside he soon discovered of using his [Hamon] is that it exhausted him faster, forcing him to carefully manage his quirk outtake, only using its sunlight energy when his body is on the edge of complete collapse. But pulling the second car through the coastline to end today's training was something Izuku did not expect to be hard; it took away his stamina pretty quickly that he couldn't produce a proper [Hamon] breath. Especially several times where he roughly tugged the car that was stuck in several rigid spots. And because of that the green boy is starting to dislike sand. It's coarse, rough, irritating and it gets everywhere. And it just kept growing when he tripped in one spot face first and the chains tugged his wrists sending them a wave of discomfort.
He lay there contemplating why he's here just to suffer before his hero dream kicks him in the head reminding him why. Every single muscle of his body screamed at him for the massive pain he caused them, the loudest being his arms that Izuku almost literally heard them howling and throwing curses at him. His heart was thumping fast and loud enough it might burst out of his chest, his lungs were pumping air in and out so much they might go straight out of his mouth, and speaking of his mouth the moment his lips touch the ground he slightly turn his head so both of his mouth and nose can get more air in exchange of tasting the sand that he deem necessary included when the sand that cushions his face has stick to it like glued thanks to the sweat coming out of his pores mimicking the feeling of sand on a wet towel.
For a short while he paid no attention to anything and everything around his surrounding area before he felt a pair of hands unwrapping the chains around his wrists freeing them, sending a small pulse of relief in them. Something then ruffled his hair, as if it was nuzzling against the green locks, suggesting to Izuku that it was Ranrou who was nuzzling him with the sounds of worried whimpers. He then felt a large muscular arm scooping him up and placing him around a shoulder telling the sore boy that it was All Might in his hero form that was carrying him. Izuku doesn't know if he should be ashamed that he wasn't able to take the cars out of the beach or, disappointing All Might, he can't continue the regimen today. So he chooses both and expresses that by groaning rather whiney.
Toshinori on the other hand kicked himself in the head by seeing that he pushed young Midoriya too hard. He would have been fine with two cars out of the beach but instead he told young Midoriya to take five out to make up for the lost time and progress. He never did take into account how much interference both their social lives would go against the American Dream Plan, which they're far behind the scheduled regiment. Maybe it was the mindset he still has after that fateful battle. The mindset he was still on burrow time of three hours to use [One for All]. The mindset of his body deterred each passing day to the point he was a walking talking corpse. The mindset that if he doesn't find the right successor then it's all over.
He opened the passenger door and gently put his young successor on the passenger seat, who grunted, and put the seat belt on him. He opened the back door to let Ranrou in and put his boombox inside. He then went to the door of the driver seat, opened it, got inside, turned on the ignition and drove.
As he drove, news on the radio announced an American corporation called Holy Diver Incorporation was going to host its first international fighting tournament called Fists Under The Heavenly Stars. In the coming weeks all over the world prelims will be held for those who want to enter hoping to win and take a place in the tournament. One here in Japan is taking place in Tokyo, causing Toshinori to be surprised since that's where his agency is. But he then ponders for a moment taking a side-way glance at the young man who still has his eyes closed but is taking soft breaths. He shook his head before focusing on the road. 'Nah, it's radically different from his training. Kid doesn't have any fighting skills either, he'll lose in the prelims. Gonna figure out how to fit that in the training. Lord knows with all that power he'll inherit it doesn't matter if he doesn't know how to throw a punch. Yet finding a way of adding in the plan would be difficult in itself.'
"Why are we driving?" He heard his protégé groan clear exhaustion in his voice. "And where are we going?"
"We're driving you back home," the number one hero said. "Your body has been overworked. Anymore and your muscles won't rebuild themselves but will keep breaking down to the point you'll start to regress and all the progress we've made will be all for not naught." He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "And that part is mine to blame. I've been worried about slowing down your training when I'm away doing hero work. I quicken the pace when I come back to make it up. Even if that quirk of yours heals your body I'm afraid it won't be able to catch up to the high demand I've placed upon you. So forgive me for that mistake my boy."
"It's not your fault." Izuku softly spoke, trying to contain the content in his stomach. That small lunch he bought from a convenient store nearby the beach might have gone bad, not helped by what happened today. "I needed this. I need to work harder than anyone else to not only pass the exams but-" He turned to his idol with a slightly weak smile on his face. "-to be like you, the greatest hero in the world."
Toshinori smiled in return, not taking his eyes on the road but can tell what the look in his eyes held 'This Kid.' He turned to his hero form. " That's what I like to hear, you fanboy. Take a break tomorrow so this old man can modify the plan for you." He stopped in front of a red light. He patted the green-haired teen on the stomach. " I have the right idea for the day after tomorrow. So get plenty of rest alright young Midoriya?" He didn't get a response so he turned his head. " Young Midoriya?"
He saw his successor holding his stomach with one hand and covering his mouth with the other. The color of his face turned sickly green. " Ah! Open the door! Don't barf in here! Don't barf in here!"
Izuku tried to open the door but the handle wouldn't budge. All Might realized that he locked it and hurriedly tried to unlock it but the street light turned green and the car behind them honked their horn causing Ranrou to bark back at them. " Hold it in, for pete's sake!" He pressed the button unlocking all the doors and shouted, " Now young Midoriya! Now, now, now!"
Izuku, his face bulging and not able to hold it any longer, opens the door and unloads all of it on the street.
Bleurgh!! Cough, cough
All Might rubbed young Midoriya's back. " Maybe take two just to be safe."
The car behind them still continued to honk.
After assuring All Might he can walk the rest of the way home fine once they stop in front of the apartment complex, ignoring the fact he can barely stand on his two wobbling legs, and assuring again this time to his mom upon her seeing the state of his track suit cover in smidgens of vomit. Nonetheless he used those two days resting his body and feeling much better now as both men and dog stood in a wide sandy circular area that was outlined by the hero. Toshinori in his hero form was wearing a tracksuit similar to Izuku's but with the color scheme of blue. He did a few stretches as Izuku, who followed his lead, patiently waited.
Finishing it off with a few small jumps before loudly clasping his hands together. "Okay after revising the All American Dream plan I've modified and added new sections to the regime that hopefully would go smoothly. From here on out we're going to start small and work our way up. But first we're going to do something different. Instead of strengthening your body today you're going to learn how to use it."
Izuku had a puzzled look on his face. "Use it?"
The number one nodded. "Yes, young Midoriya. And the only way to do that is by fighting."
The hairs on the back of Izuku's neck stand up. "F-fight?! Does th-that mean I ha-have to-to fight y-you?"
Toshinori waved his hand. "Nope, you're going to learn how to fight."
"I'm going to learn how to fight?" Izuku mumbled, relief didn't even shave a nick off of his apprehension however as fighting was never his forte. Years before his quirk emerged he would get in situations where he needed to put up his dukes but that frightful trait of his would rein him back letting the tormentors, particularly Kacchan, to land the first hit and multiplied blows rain on him soon after leaving him in a bloody pulp. Having more bruises, nasty colors of purple and blue, than everyone is something he'll never make a proud proclamation of. Even learning how to fight from All Might didn't stop the quaking of his legs.
"That's right. Even if your muscles bulk up if you don't know how to fight villains that you'll soon go against, they can easily defeat you and, worst case scenario, will end you. Even with [One for All] you can't just expect to end it with one punch." Toshinori clarified, seeing the visible expression of negative emotions on young Midoriya's face.
Izuku raises a finger at him. "But isn't that how you usually fight?"
Toshinori waved his hand dismissively. "Yes yes. But it's different for you once you have [One for All]. So today you're going to learn a martial art that is debatably the first mixed martial art: Pankration."
"Pankration." Izuku rolled the word off his tongue. Not knowing what it is.
"Yep. It's a fighting style that started all the way back in the ancient times of Greece. It stands for 'all of power'; it focuses on striking, grappling, and ground control. It's been used by Olympic athletes to soldiers and warriors of not only Ancient Greece but to Sparta and Rome as well. It was used by the famous conqueror of the world in the ancient age Alexander the Great. And it's where my name derives from."
"Wait, your hero name comes from that?" Izuku asked, knowing the origin of his idol's name was a massive deal to him.
"Yes sir, All Might is named after the fighting art. Albeit I changed it since All Power just doesn't have the ring I wanted to hear. Now I told you that let's go back to the main topic."
Toshinori raised a fist at his chest level. "I've used this style since my early years of having [One for All] before my hero debut both in the U.S. and in Japan. But I've discarded it only keeping some of its elements due to my growing usage of the quirk where I can handle any situation with a single punch."
He placed his hands on his hips. "So today you're going to learn one of the aspects of pankration and that's wrestling."
"Wrestling?" Now that is something Izuku knows, sort of.
"Uh huh, so get ready young Midoriya because you're gonna fly high."