KRD: Hello everyone! Kamen Rider Duelist here along with HackerEX for the second chapter of My Hero Academia: Way of the Dragon Knuckle! So far, this story has eight reviews and twenty-one follows, not bad to start.
HEX: Same here, great to see you guys like this story. So might as well continue that bit of momentum with this chapter. Though we do have to address something, and that's the whole "late-blooming Quirk" kind of deal.
KRD: Right, the two reviews from BUNGIE GUM. You have made good points. To address your first review, yes, Quirks are indeed confirmed to be inherent and give their user both physical and mental adaptations to best use them. The way we would see it, is that while he did have the instinctive urge to use it, he didn't have the right mentality and mindset.
HEX: So it was less a physical disability and more of a mental disability, not helping was the death of his parents at an early age during that disaster, as well as his anger issues that made things way worse than they already were. But yeah, regardless of that, I can also imagine that late-blooming Quirks are akin to growth spurts in regular people. Some are shorter when they're young, but once they reach a certain age their height skyrockets. Unfortunately for them, they end up being seen as well, not normal even by Quirk user standards. It's the reason why I used the X-Men term for this fic as a result of that.
KRD: And to address your second review of the same chapter, again you've made valid points and concerns and we appreciate that. And yes, it would probably be impossible for Mamoru to manifest his Quirk this late in his life, but… that's the beauty of it. We haven't explored that avenue of that impossibility becoming a possibility.
HEX: Also, Dragon and Sword Master, you're sort of right on the Dragon Ball reference for the Ryū Sō-Ken. But really it's meant to be a nod to Ryu's famous Shoryuken uppercut. Heck, Saberfang is meant to be an homage to Killer Instinct's Sabrewulf.
KRD: Ryū Sō-Ken was a straightforward punch…
HEX: …okay, I might have been rusty with my Street Fighter. Then again, with Street Fighter 6 on the horizon, especially its Open Beta coming up in a couple of days as of the time of writing, I might as well try and check that out.
KRD: So with that said,enjoy the next chapter!
Disclaimer: We do not own My Hero Academia. All creative rights go to Kōhei Horikoshi, first and foremost, Kenji Nagasaki, Tomo Ōkubo, Masahiro Mukai, Kazumasa Sanjōba, Hiroshi Kamei, Naoki Amano, Hirokazu Hara, Natsumi Mori, Wakana Okamura, Kōji Nagai, Yoshihiro Ōyabu, Hayato Saga, Sōkichi Onoda, Mirei Tsumura, Hiroya Nakata, Yōsuke Kuroda, and Yuki Hayashi. All creative rights go to them. Also any and all insert songs in this story don't belong to us at all. In other words, we don't own anything except our OCs and all other OCs © original creators.
Two months have passed since Saberfang's attack on the mall. During this time, Mamoru focused on his studies while recovering from his injuries. To Mamoru's and Kota's shock, Shino, being the worrisome mother she was, injury-proofed her entire house. Even more ridiculous, was that her entire team was strong armed into helping her. From padding the walls to wrapping every appliance in bubble wrap. Even the kitchenware was replaced with plastic cutlery made for kids! Mamoru was not this fragile!
Injury-proofing the entire house made it even more difficult to recover. He had to walk carefully and make sure that he didn't break anything that his adoptive mother padded or wrapped. It was like walking around eggshells!
It took the encouragement and reassurance of Team Wild, Wild, Pussycats to finally force their leader to break down the padding, throw away the bubble wraps, and replace the plastic cutlery with the normal ones. Kota, on the other hand, made plans to use this story as a form of blackmail. Should she ever tell any of his childhood stories to his friends, he would use this story to embarrass her. It was the perfect insurance.
As of now, our attention returns to Mamoru walking towards his school, a sigh escaping his lips while trudging forward. He was finally rid of his cast and orthopedic boot, meaning that he didn't have to worry about improvising on how to scratch an itch. He would still have to attend physical therapy, given how he was slightly limping. All that aside, he has a clean bill of health.
"Freedom at last…" Maamou sighed. "Now I won't feel like a mummy out of Egypt."
He slightly twisted his repaired arm to make sure it was still functioning. Outside of slight pain, his arm was back to what it used to be. "It still hasn't hit me that I fought with these hands two months ago…" He muttered.
"Mamoru-kun!" A voice called out.
The young martial artist turned around, seeing a familiar orange-haired girl with the side ponytail, running towards him with a smile and wave of her arm, before finally catching up.
"Kendo-san." Mamoru blinked, "Morning."
"Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"A lot better than two months ago." Mamoru rolled his eyes wryly.
"Yeah, I could tell." Itsuka grinned easily, "So you're finally out of the blanket fort?" She asked, recalling the last time she visited him.
"Yeah, and out of the sarcophagus too." Mamoru chuckled, showing his mostly healed arm. "I love Kaa-chan to death, but she's overreacting over the little things I do around the house…"
"You know that she's only looking out for you." Itsuka pointed out.
"And I get that, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I can do things on my own. I just…" He paused in his train of thought, then sighed, "Honestly, there are days where I keep forgetting that I'm her first child."
"I wouldn't worry about it." Itsuka giggled. "Like I said, she's just looking out for you."
"Yeah, I know." Mamoru replied.
It wasn't long before the two of them finally arrived at their Junior High School, but upon going through the gates, the usual chatter began.
"Hey, look, it's the Kung Fu Duo."
"I can't believe that guy went against a Villain and comes out of it with a girl around his arm."
"It makes you wonder how he survived while getting mauled like that, huh,"
"I'm gonna punch that guy for spreading that rumor…" Mamoru growled, balling up his fist. "Ngh…" He winced forgetting that fist he balled up was from his injured arm.
"Come on, it's just rumors." Itsuka told him, "Just say nothing and they'll go away."
"Easier said than done…" Mamoru grumbled, hearing the endless chattering and muttering of the two.
After Mamoru beat the crap out of that second classmate that kept assuming things, they started the rumor that he and Itsuka were dating after the Saberfang Incident. But the truth was, it was out of a misunderstanding and from how Mamoru was acting around the girl.
'We're just friends and nothing else! What's so hard to understand about that?' Mamoru cried out in his thoughts, "Ugh, someone end-" the martial artist stopped himself and covered his mouth. He jinxed it two months ago, and he wasn't going to jinx it now.
"Hm? Did you say something, Mamoru-kun?" Itsuka asked.
"Uh… no. It's nothing." Mamoru trailed off, looking away.
"Already on a first name basis?" One student pointed out.
"Pretty soon they'll be on first base." Another added.
*POP!*
Mamoru gritted and gnashed his teeth. The chatter was going nonstop until he couldn't handle it any longer, "URUSAI, URUSAI, URUSAAAAAAAAAI!" He shouted with a heavy blush on his face.
Itsuka grumbled wearily at this. This was going to be a long day.
Chapter 2 - Aim for the Top!
The Pussycat Agency.
A Hero Agency run by Team Wild, Wild Pussycats. They are veteran Pro Heroes that specialize in mountain rescue operations, having twelve years of rescuing experience and expertise.
The pink building located in the mountainous area they owned resemble the face of a cat, the front door representing a mouth, with a cartoon cat smile and whiskers. Two round windows simulate the eyes, and the roof is decorated with cat ears and four cat paw pads. The word "Pussycats" is written above the windows. The interior itself is full of cat-themed furniture and decor, each member of the Pussycats having their own desk and seat with the corresponding color. As for one team member in particular…
"Haaaaaaaa…"
Mandalay sighed, sitting back in her chair, feeling rather bored. The agency hadn't received one phone call all day. Worrying over her adopted son, Mamoru, since he took the cast and boot off, certainly didn't help matters either.
"Relax, Shino. It's Mamoru. He'll be fine. One of her teammates assured her. The teammate in question had blue eyes, and long blonde hair that was combed back, save for bangs. She wears a light blue version of the Pussycat's costume, drawing two blue dots on her cheeks whenever she wears it. Her tinted visor was also included.
"I know Ryūko, but he's still my son no matter how I look at him." Mandalay bemoaned.
"You can't keep coddling him forever, you know." Another of her teammates pointed out. This teammate was a young woman of medium height with long, emerald green hair and big round yellow eyes that are almost always opened all the way, with three small eyelashes located towards the top of each eye. As part of her costume, she draws pink marks on her cheeks that resemble whiskers and a pink circle around her right eye, sporting a yellow version of the Pussycats' costume.
"But Tomoko-chan~" Mandalay pouted cutely.
"I will admit, your plan to injury-proof the house during his recovery was pretty funny." The last of her teammates laughed. He was a tall, muscular man with short brown hair and a small triangle shaped beard. He had blank white eyes with black markings surrounding them, and wore a brown version of the Pussycats' costume… which was weird in of itself.
"You would too, if you had a kid that was injured by a Villain, Yawara." Mandalay huffed in annoyance, then grumbled to herself, "Ugh, this is the worst…"
"You did all you could for Mamoru-chan. Now that he has his Quirk, it's time for him to leave the nest and let him spread his wings." Ragdoll stated.
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*
"Speaking of him…"
The door to the Pussycat Agency opened up, but the person entering wasn't Mamoru. It was…
"ALL MIGHT?!" Team Wild, Wild Pussycats shouted in surprise as they stood up, while the Top Hero casually walked into their office.
"Greetings ladies! And gentleman. I see that you are all doing well!" All Might greeted the quartet.
"W-What are you doing here?" Mandalay stuttered.
"I actually wanted to talk to you, Mandalay. About your son." All Might answered, confusing the Pussycat leader. The Top Hero took a seat on the couch, "You might want to sit down for this one."
Mandalay was still confused, but brought her rolling chair to the coffee table, opposite of the couch and sat down. "What about Mamoru? Is he in trouble?"
"No, no, far from it!" All Might reassured with a wave of his hand. "Quite the opposite. I've shown video footage of Saberfang's attack to certain associates and we all unanimously agreed that your son should be given the chance to prove himself worthy of attending U.A. High School."
"Oh, that's amazing!" Mandalay smiled brightly.
"However… I've heard rumors that he has now become a target."
The office became silent, so much that one could hear a pin dropping. Mandalay frowned as she asked the Top Hero, "You're sure of this? How credible is this rumor?"
"It's mostly due to patterns we've seen with prior incidents. Given Hadōken-shōnen's attacker having a high-profile, alongside manifesting his Quirk, it only makes sense." All Might theorized.
"But… why him specifically? And why now of all times?" Mandalay further inquired.
"That I don't know. But rest assured, Mandalay. Your son will be protected under our supervision. That much I can guarantee." All Might raised a hand, 'After all, he will be attending soon if his training goes well.' He added in his thoughts.
"Is there any other information we could go on?" Pixie-Bob inquired.
"Unfortunately, none." He recalled, "Before any of our informants could elaborate, they were killed by an unknown assailant."
"They've been silenced?" Ragdoll asked in surprise.
"I would assume so." All Might nodded, "Regardless, I thought I would be best to inform you four in case the assassin targets all of you."
"Yes, of course." Pixie-Bob nodded.
"Did you tell the boy?" Tiger asked.
"No." All Might shook his head. "I'd rather have Hadōken-shōnen be kept in the dark for as long as possible while pursuing his Hero career."
"I see." Mandalay nodded grimly, while looking down. "Thank you, All Might… for telling us."
"Good. Be sure to keep this talk between us. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other important matters to attend to." All Might noted, standing up and bowing to them, before walking out of the office.
"This sounds rather grim." Tiger pondered with a hand to his chin. "We should be on the lookout for those Villains."
"He's right! It's the least we could do for Mamoru-chan!" Ragdoll nodded in approval. "Right, Shino?"
Mandalay nodded, looking out the window. "I hope Mamoru will be safe. I don't want to go through that all over again."
It was finally lunchtime. Mamoru decided to have lunch on the school's rooftop for some desperate peace and quiet. When he separated from Itsuka to go to their respective homerooms, he was bombarded with questions from his classmates about his relationship with Itsuka for the upteenth time. For the past two months, he had vehemently denied that there was nothing going on between them. His classmates however, never believed him, mainly due to how obvious the boy's crush was to the girl.
"Don't they have better things to do?" Mamoru grumbled to himself, sitting against the wall near the door to the stairwell.
There was also one other thing that somewhat bothered him. His opportunity of getting into U.A. High School.
'Why me? There are plenty of other students that should've gotten it.' He thought. 'I'm happy that I can start on the path to becoming a Hero. Tou-chan guaranteed that, but…' He then shook his head. 'No, I'm overthinking this. Tou-chan had faith in me that I would manifest my Quirk and I know he would want me to use it to help others. I can't let his faith in me become unfounded.'
"Hey, you doing alright?"
"UWHAAAA!" Mamoru screamed, quickly getting into a defensive position… while holding his lunch. However, he found Itsuka standing there, "Oh, Kendo-san. It's just you…" He sighed.
"You okay?" Itsuka questioned.
"Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind recently." The martial artist apologized, sitting back down, while Itsuka sat down with him, opening up her bento. "Everyone asking me about the two of us certainly didn't help either…"
"I'm sure it'll die down, eventually." Itsuka shrugged.
"I doubt it… given how it's been two months and people are still talking." Mamoru grumbled, "But I digress. Let's talk about something else. Do you know what school you're aiming for?"
"U.A. High School." Itsuka answered, much to his shock.
"Eh?! You too?!"
Now it was Itsuka's turn to look surprised.
"Hold on, you want to go to U.A.?!" She gasped.
"I mean… well…" Mamoru then cleared his throat to compose himself. "I… actually got recommended by All Might. Apparently, he showed that fight I had with Saberfang to some of his associates. They all agreed that I would at least take their entrance exam."
"Wow, that's… that's amazing!" Itsuka cheered before hugging him, "Congrats!"
"O-Oi, Kendo-san!" Mamoru stammered with a heavy blush, "W-What are you doing? People might see us!"
Itsuka flinched, before letting go, "R-Right! Sorry." She apologized.
Mamoru sighed at this, "Anyways, yeah. There's that. With my Quirk now manifested, I have to train it and prepare for the entrance exam."
"Think I could join you?" Itsuka offered, "We're already aiming for the same school, so why not help each other?"
"Really? You want to help train me?" Mamoru blinked in surprise, to which Itsuka nodded confidently.
"Of course! It'd be boring if you were to train alone, wouldn't it?"
"I… guess. I mean… I've been training by myself for so long. I really don't know what it's like having a sparring partner." Mamoru trailed off, before shaking his head, grunting to psych himself up, "Gah, never mind! I'm not gonna waste the opportunity. I'll take your offer!"
"Hehe, okay. But after lunch and when school's out." Itsuka pointed out with a giggle.
Mamoru flinched with a sheepish smile and a sweat drop. "Uh… right." he said, and the two of them focused their attention on attacking their lunch and not each other.
After lunch and school ended, Mamoru called his adoptive mother to set up a training session. The idea was that the two of them would train under their supervision, since people weren't allowed to use their Quirks in public, and the forest the Pussycat Agency owned was far away from the public eye. His adoptive mother had no problem picking them up from school. Of course, it was during the drive that things started to happen.
"So, you decided to train with each other?" she asked the pair, her eyes having something of a mischievous glint to them.
"Yes ma'am." Itsuka nodded. She was trying to act professional, but Mamoru looking embarrassed by his adoptive mother, made her slightly falter. "Mamoru-kun only manifested his Quirk two months ago, so it's only natural that he needs to train it."
"Right, that makes sense." Shino nodded, "We don't know how Mamoru's Quirk behaves so it's best to take caution. On another note…"
"Kaa-chan, please don't…" Mamoru groaned. "I know what you're going to say. It's bad enough that someone at school started a rumor that the two of us are dating…"
"I'm just making sure. It's not every day that you bring home a girl." Shino chuckled.
"Please, don't… read into it too much, Ms. Mandalay." Itsuka raised her hands with a sweat drop and light blush. "We're just friends. Nothing more."
"If you say so…"
"We know so, Kaa-chan!" Mamoru snapped comically.
The three finally arrived at the forest training facility they will train at. Aptly named The Beast's Forest. As the name implies, it consists mostly of trees that form a large, dense forest. There's also a mountain range running right next to it. The exact training area, was one part of the forest that had a large clearing.
"Wow, this is breathtaking." Itsuka observed.
"Yeah, it's perfect for us to train without any prying eyes." Mamoru nodded in agreement, before realizing something. "Oh, Kaa-chan, shouldn't you be picking up Kota-kun from school now?"
"Oh no, I'm going to be late!" Shino yelped before getting into the car. "Tomoko-chan will be keeping an eye on you both! So be on your best behavior! And no hickies!" She added, before driving off.
"KAA-CHAN!" Mamoru shouted, but to no avail. "Ugh… she just had to get one in…" He grumbled to himself.
Itsuka was just as embarrassed as Mamoru. She then cleared her throat intentionally to rid herself of it. "Anyways, shall we get to sparring?"
Mamoru snapped out of it, nodding, "Y-Yeah, let's get to it." He said, before going over to one side of the clearing.
He set down his school suitcase and pulled out a karate gi from one pocket of said suitcase. Itsuka had the same idea as she took out her own. They then went over to one of the big trees to have some privacy before changing into their sparring uniforms.
Coming out from behind the tree, Mamoru wore a sleeveless white karate gi that looked worn out, revealing athletic biceps, with a black belt tied around his waist, red gloves, and a red headband on his forehead, with long tassels. As for Itsuka's own training outfit. It consisted of an orange and white running tracksuit.
"Wow, you look just like the Wandering Warrior during his youth." Itsuka observed.
"Hehe, I mean it's only my usual workout clothes when I'm shadow sparring." Mamoru chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "But now with you here, I can have a proper spar." He pounded his fists together. "Hope you're ready, Kendo-san!"
"I should hope you're ready." Itsuka smirked. "Because I'm not holding back."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Mamoru nodded.
After the two pounded fists, they stepped back and entered their fighting stances. Mamoru then activated his Quirk, being enveloped in the same aura from two months ago. He quickly rushed in, delivering two punches before landing a punch to the collarbone, but Itsuka dodged the last hit and reared back her arm, throwing out a punch with an enlarged fist. Mamoru's eyes widened and crossed his arms to block it, sliding backwards to a halt as he did.
"Whoa… that was too close." Mamoru said, lowering his arms. "I actually felt the power of that strike."
"Gotta keep you on your toes, somehow." Itsuka quipped before the two returned to the fight.
Itsuka got on the offensive, sending a flurry of punches at Mamoru, and forcing the martial artist to block the barrage. That was when Itsuka quickly grabbed him and judo tossed to a nearby tree. Mamoru had to move and stop himself from crashing into it.
Taking a deep breath, the young man quickly got into a dropkick position and landed on the tree feet-first. Afterwards, he jumped off the tree to headbutt Itsuka and knock her to the ground. Once he was on top, Mamoru landed knee strike after knee strike until Itsuka used her Quirk to enlarge her fist and slap him away.
She got back on her feet and into her stance, while Mamoru staggered back to his.
"What? Had enough already?" She joked.
Mamoru scoffed and gave her a confident smirk, "Please, I can do this all day."
The two went back into the fight as Mamoru charged at Itsuka and did a series of punches at her. Though the latter was able to outmaneuver him, jumping back to gain distance. Itsuka then charged in with a rain of punches of her own, and Mamoru veered around to retaliate with aura-coated punches. Itsuka swerved left and right, while the kicks had her ducking or jumping. She then did a swift incoming lower uppercut, attempting to nail Mamoru. The latter deflected the attack by slapping the offending large hand away, but Itsuka already came in with a kick which Mamoru intercepted with his forearm.
Itsuka swung hard but Mamoru sidestepped her fast and powerful paced swings. Itsuka's huge fist went in for a thrust which Mamoru slapped it away and stalled the other with his forearm. Mamoru then broke away to evade an overhead chop, then followed up with a quick series of jabs which Itsuka guarded, before countering with a straight kick. The latter was faster however, and hindered the kick by crossing his arms.
Mamoru ran at Itsuka again, surprising her with the increased speed. She was having slight difficulty escaping his furious kicks. When given the chance, Itsuka swung hard with all the strength she could muster. Mamoru impeded the punch and broke away, then ducked a haymaker before disengaging. Itsuka came in with a fierce roundhouse kick which Mamoru stopped, then retaliated with a snap kick which Itsuka evaded.
He quickly landed three kicks before popping her into the air with a rising uppercut, the same one that he used on Saberfang.
"Here I come!" Mamoru shouted, squatting his knees, then jumped up high thanks to his Aura giving him a boost. "Take this!" He shouted, swinging a right hook.
Itsuka acted fast and enlarged her fist to hit Mamoru's incoming hook, sending them both across the forest.
Both competitors bounced off of each other from the attacks, their bodies sliding against the forest floor of the clearing, and the ground piling up behind them to stop their momentum.
"Ow…" Mamoru groaned, his Aura dissipating while slowly getting up. He looked ahead and saw Itsuka in the same state. "Kendo-san!" He called out, rushing over to her as fast as his legs could take him. "Are you alright?"
He quickly gave her a once over, making sure that she was breathing, checking her pulse, everything the Wild, Wild Pussycats taught him about first aid. "Kendo-sa-"
"Unggh…"
Mamoru sighed in relief, when hearing her groan. She slowly came to, opening her eyes. "Ow… that hurt…"
"Hey, are you alright?" Mamoru asked, as she looked up at him. "You don't feel anything broken, do you?"
"No, I'm fine for the most part." Itsuka reassured him. Mamoru then stood up, holding out his hand, which she gladly took and got back to her feet.
"Thank goodness…" Mamoru sighed in relief. "So? What did you think?"
"You definitely got what it takes to enroll in U.A, that's for sure." Itsuka said.
"I still have a lot to learn about my Quirk though. And the entrance exams are eight months away." Mamoru stated.
"Yeah, so we'll keep training until we make it." Itsuka noted, "Ready for round 2?"
"Heh, alright. Let's- ahhhhhhhhhh…" Mamoru wobbled, before keeling over, to which Itsuka caught him.
"Whoa, Mamoru-kun! Are you alright?" Itsuka asked worriedly.
*GROOOOOOOOWL!*
Itsuka blinked in surprise hearing a loud growl coming from… Mamoru's stomach.
"Hungryyyyyyyyyyy…" he groaned, earning a chuckle and a sad smile from Itsuka.
"Wow, Mamoru-chan's Quirk looked amazing!" Ragdoll said with wide-eyes as she, Ryūko, and Yawara watched the fight from afar, uptop of a cliff.
They were given the task by Shino to keep an eye on Mamoru and Itsuka's training. Thanks to Tomoko's Quirk, Search, it allowed her to monitor and observe the two, knowing their location, and being observed from miles away like star-like vestiges. For Ryūko and Yawara, they had a small TV with an antennae on hand, having cameras with mics set up all over The Beast's Forest. One of those cameras showed the clearing that Mamoru and Itsuka were in.
"He's definitely his father's son." Pixie-Bob nodded in approval.
"He definitely went Plus Ultra with his Quirk." Tiger noted, "But it tired him out as quickly as he used it."
"He should focus on increasing his endurance." Ragdoll observed, "That way he can utilize his Quirk longer and not have it burst."
"He's also have to take his metabolism into account, given that he became exhausted due to hunger." Pixie-Bob added.
"Definitely." Ragdoll agreed, "And we can report to Shino that they didn't do anything frisky."
"You really think Mamoru-kun would stoop so low?" Tiger scolded. "He's a man of honor, just like his father!"
"Oh, that's true. I'm sure Shino's just worried that she'd be like her mother when she was his age." Ragdoll added, "Never did end up getting laid during that time though, to my surprise."
"The fact that you can say that with no shame, amazes me…" Pixie-Bob commented dryly, with a sweat drop.
"Anyways!" Tiger cleared his throat. "At least we now know what to do to help Mamoru-kun improve his Quirk before his entrance exams."
"That's right! Let's do all we can to help Mamoru-chan!" Ragdoll cheered, pumping a fist… er, paw, into the air.
Mamoru and Itsuka heard that and looked around, prompting the three to hide.
"Did you hear that?" Itsuka asked.
"Eh, must have been the wind." Mamoru sighed. "Seriously though, I'm feeling hungry and need food right about now."
"Well I got us some in my bag." Itsuka offered, "Want some?"
"Yes, please!" Mamoru agreed wholeheartedly.
Meanwhile on a nearby beach…
A young boy with mossy green hair was in an aqua green tracksuit, running and carrying something on his shoulders… or rather someone. And that someone happened to be… ALL MIGHT?! And in his muscular form no less! What was he doing to this poor kid?!
"Hey, hey, hey! Come on now, it's only a few more steps!" The Top Hero encouraged the boy.
"Are you sure you lost weight?!" The green-haired boy cried out, cringing in pain, while running slow.
"I'm definitely sure!" All Might reassured him. "But not to worry! The training program I made for you will definitely work out! It's guaranteed!"
"I'm not… so… sure about… that…" The green-haired boy wheezed, before his body finally gave in, falling face first into the sand. The boy screamed in pain, albeit muffled, when All Might involuntarily sat on his back due to said fall. "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"
"Whoops. Sorry, my bad." All Might apologized, getting off the boy's back. He then picked the boy up by the back of the tracksuit collar and saw the green-haired boy already out for the count. "Alright, let's take a break!" He said, setting him down gently on the sand. Moments later, All Might reduced down to his weak form, then pulled out bento boxes that he brought with him. "Lunch?" He offered.
"T-Thank you, All Might." The boy said, getting of the boxes and began to dig in.
"You're starting to show improvement, shōnen." All Might began, digging into his own bento box. "It's barely noticeable, but you're getting there. As long as you're able to keep this up, you will become a worthy successor."
"Really? You think so?" The green-haired boy asked hopefully.
"Of course, I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't believe you were worthy." All Might chuckled, patting the boy on his back.
As they continued to eat, the boy thought of something for a moment before asking, "Say, All Might? What would you have done if… if you didn't choose me as your successor?"
"Hmmm…" All Might pondered, looking at the sky, thinking of an answer. "Well, the short answer to that is, I'd choose another."
"I figured as much." The green-haired boy laughed weakly. "Was there anyone you had in mind?"
"Not at the moment. There were a couple I met who could have fit the bill, and there was one a friend recommended to me." He recalled, "However, I feel like I made the right choice, choosing you."
"I see." The boy nodded. "Can I ask who one of those people was?"
"Hmmmmmm…" All Might pondered again, "Well, there is one in particular. I'm sure you're aware of the incident from a couple months back?"
"The attack by Saberfang?!" The green-haired boy gasped, "He was one of your first Villains when you became a Hero."
"Yes. I had no idea how he escaped authorities in the States, but he somehow managed to make his way to Japan and start rampaging. But then… that boy…" He smiled fondly at the memory, chuckling as he thought about it. "That boy… it was a sight to see…"
"What… did he do?" The boy asked.
"Heh, heh, heh… his Quirk manifested."
"What?!" The young boy gawked in disbelief. "Manifested?! But… that means-"
All Might nodded, "He was a late bloomer, what people normally call Mutants."
"What kind of Quirk was it?" The boy couldn't help but ask.
"Hahahaha, now that would be telling." All Might laughed. "But… I can say for sure that he has the makings of a great Hero. Just like his father before him."
"His father?"
"You might know him as, The Karate Hero: Dragon Fist."
"Dragon Fist?! He was ranked No. 87 in Japan's Hero Billboard Chart!" The boy said, "And trained under the Shotokan style by the legendary Wandering Warrior!"
"You're well-informed." All Might chuckled.
"And you're saying that guy is Dragon Fist's son?!"
"Very much so. But that's beside the point." The Top Hero noted. "When his Quirk finally manifested, it was unlike anything I've ever seen. That very power, fortunately, led to Saberfang's defeat."
"He defeated Saberfang?!" The boy gawked, his jaw dropping out of pure shock.
"Mostly. I intervened when Saberfang tried to attack him again despite his efforts. But the young man's strength was real. He showed that with patience, diligence, and perseverance, all of what he did paid off in the end. Which will be the same for you, shōnen."
"Wow, he sounds like a cool guy. He's just like me. Only… a bit more fortunate." The green-haired boy commented. "Will I meet him?"
"You will, eventually." All Might noted before bulking up, "On that note, let's finish up lunch, then get back to training!"
"R-Right…" The green-haired boy said half-heartedly.
For the next several months, Mamoru continued training his Quirk after school days and during the weekend. Since he was a late bloomer, he had to catch up on controlling his powers. He didn't have the luxury that other people had when their Quirks manifested at the age of four. For them, they had years of controlling and mastering their Quirks until they could properly use them. So for his sake, he needed to make up for all that lost time.
Team Wild, Wild Pussycats were more than happy to help train the boy alongside Itsuka. Using the Beast's Forest, he trained with each member of the Wild, Wild Pussycats, including his own adoptive mother.
Ryūko's Quirk, Earth Flow, can create monstrous golem-like creatures made of dirt, stone and roots, capable of fighting on her behalf. They were Mamoru's opponents, as they were large in size due to the Entrance Exam producing a similar test.
For Tomoko's part of training, she utilized her Search quirk to help Mamoru learn stealth and increase his spatial awareness.
Yawara's training made use of his Quirk, Pliabody, allowing him to stretch and flatten his own body at will, granting him inhuman flexibility. It was used to easily dodge blows and restrain Mamoru whenever he had the upper hand.
As for Shino, it was straight up combat, but constantly sparring with her for nearly hours on end. Not to mention, making use of her Quirk, Telepath, to throw him off his game… she told things that should never be spoken of in public. Needless to say, Mamoru was often found crying to a J-Drama with a tub of ice cream whenever his adoptive mother tried to mess with him.
As for Itsuka herself, her days of sparring with Mamoru were normal as ever, and it is through those days that she and him were growing closer as friends. Of course, she was also there for emotional support… and to use Mamoru's TV to watch her soaps whenever he does end up sparring with his mom.
But now, the time for training is finally over. The day of the Entrance Exams had finally arrived.
"Are you nervous?" Itsuka asked Mamoru as they walked towards U.A. High School in their old school uniforms while carrying their bags.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Mamoru answered, seeing the entrance to the school. Beyond the "U.A. Barrier", was the school itself, an all glass-surfaced building shaped like the letter 'H'.
As they were about to walk in, they noticed a green-haired boy take his first step… on his shoelace.
He was about to fall over, and Mamoru was ready to save him. That is until they noticed him floating in midair in place.
The boy was saved by a short and young woman with a curvy figure, fair skin, and auburn hair with eyes that match in color. She has a perpetual pink blush on her cheeks, her eyes being large and round with thick upper lashes. Two more were extended with more prominent ones on either side and fewer but more individually pronounced lower lashes. Her hair is shoulder-length with short bangs, and the style is bobbed with two long strands framing her face. She has small, thick pads on her fingertips similar to the digits of an animal's paws.
"Are you okay?" The girl asked.
"E-Eh?" The green-haired boy looked at her in surprise, before the girl deactivated her Quirk, and helped him stay on his feet.
"That was my Quirk. Sorry for using it without asking first." The girl smiled brightly, with her hands together. "But it'd be bad luck if you fell, right? I'm guessing you're here for the Entrance Exam, like I am, so let's do our best! See ya!"
The boy continued to say nothing before the girl left… and felt a large smile on his face.
'I did it, I finally talked to a girl!'
He didn't actually talk to her.
"Is he okay…?" Mamoru sweat dropped.
"Maybe?" Itsuka noted, before shrugging. "Well, no use worrying about that. What we have to worry about is the exam itself."
"Right." Mamoru said, as he held out a piece of paper, which was actually an exam ticket.
Exam Ticket
Examine No. 8791
Test Location: Battle Center E
Name: Hadōken Mamoru
Date of Test: Feb. 26; Time: 9:30AM - 11:40AM
Exam Ticket
Examine No. 8792
Test Location: Battle Center D
Name: Kendo Itsuka
Date of Test: Feb. 26; Time: 9:30AM - 11:40AM
"Judging by our tickets, we can't cooperate with each other." Mamoru guessed, "Well then, good luck with your exams, Kendo-san."
"You too. And don't worry, you got this." Itsuka winked. With a good-natured scoff from Mamoru, both of them bumped fists before she went on ahead.
Mamoru sighed to himself, looking at the entrance, before slapping his cheeks to steel himself. "Alright, Mamoru. Get it together. You got this." He said to himself, then walked towards it. He filed himself into the crowd that gathered into an auditorium. It was really large, as it was something akin of a college lecture hall, the rows of seats rising like a set of staircases and at the bottom was a stage with a large screen behind and a podium at the front. The martial artist noticed a couple of familiar faces, namely the green-haired boy and gravity girl from the school entrance.
"Huh… might as well introduce myself." He said, before approaching the green-haired boy. "Yo." He called out.
"Oh, hey there." The green-haired boy said.
"Are you doing alright? You were a stuttering mess at the entrance." Mamoru pointed out.
"Oh, uh! I'm fine!" The green-haired boy stammered with a slight blush.
"Relax, I'm not here to butt heads with you." Mamoru reassured him.
"Hehe…" The green-haired boy chuckled sheepishly, before noticing something about him. "Hey, have we met before?"
"Huh?" Mamoru looked confused. "I… don't think so."
"Really? I could've sworn I've seen you somewhere… be fore…" The green-haired boy trailed off, before his eyes widened in realization, having remembered something. "Wait, I remember! You're the guy that sucker punched that mugger and kicked him after before stomping off!"
*CRASH!*
Mamoru gawked at the kid, hearing shattering glass in his mind, while his face looked considerably pale.
"Y-You saw?" Mamoru stuttered, before slumping his head. "Dammit, I didn't think that was gonna rear its ugly head at me again…"
"Um…"
"Ah… sorry," He apologized, straightening himself up, "It's… it was just a bad day to walk to school." Mamoru chuckled sheepishly.
"That's fine. We've all been there." The green-haired boy noted, "I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's nice to meet you."
"Hadōken Mamoru, likewise." He introduced, before the two of them shook hands.
"You sure you're gonna be alright though?" Mamoru asked.
"Y-Yeah. Just got a case of the jitters." Izuku hesitantly admitted, "I just… I didn't really expect to make it this far."
"Relax, have more confidence in yourself. You'll do just fine." Mamoru nodded with a reassuring smile, with a pat on his shoulder and added a thumbs-up.
Izuku smiled, "Arigatou, Hadōken-san."
Soon, the auditorium lights went out, signaling that the orientation was about to begin. "Uh-oh, better get to our seats. We'll talk after the exams, okay?"
"Sure. Got it." Izuku nodded, before Mamoru walked off, and Izuku walking towards his seat. "Hadōken… where have I…"
Soon, a single spotlight drew everyone's attention to a blonde man wearing shades and a boombox-like device around his neck.
"No way, Present Mic?" Mamoru said with wide-eyes.
"HEY THERE LISTENERS, WELCOME TO TODAY'S ORIENTATION! LET ME HEAR YOUR GUYS' EXCITEMENT!" The pro hero exclaimed, hoping to get a cheer from them…
…
…
…
…
"WELL, I'M HAPPY TO GET A DECENT SIZED CROWD! ANYWAYS, I AM HERE TO EXPLAIN WHAT YOU GUYS WILL BE GOING UP AGAINST TODAY!"
"FOLLOWING YOUR WRITTEN EXAMS, WE'LL TAKE YOU TO ONE OF OUR MANY TRAINING FACILITIES FOR THE PRACTICAL PART OF THE EXAM! A MOCK CITYSCAPE WHERE YOU GOT TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK TO DESTROY AS MANY ROBOTS AS YOU CAN AND RACK UP A HIGH SCORE TO GET INTO U.A.!"
As Present Mic was explaining everything, a screen behind him turned on to help illustrate his point. There was a mock city and outlines of three different types of robots with points attributed to them appeared on screen. "THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF ROBOTS YOU'LL HAVE TO DESTROY! THEIR POINT VALUES ARE BASED ON HOW DIFFICULT THEY ARE ABLE TO TAKE DOWN, ONE POINT BEING THE EASIEST, TWO POINTS FOR MEDIUM, AND THREE POINTS BEING THE HARDEST! JUST ONE RULE: YOU ATTACK A FELLOW PLAYER, YOU GET DISQUALIFIED! GAME OVER!"
As Present Mic was winding down his presentation, a voice cut through the crowd. "Excuse me sir, but I have a few concerns!" The spotlight then made its way to a tall student with glasses.
Seeing this Mic said, "WHATCHA GOT?"
The student stood up. "On the handouts, there are four types of robots listed, yet you only talked about three of them. With all due respect, if this is an error then it is a great disservice to not only us but to the reputation of, U.A. High School! We are the most exemplary students, so we expect the best from Japan's most notable Hero school!" He then pointed to Izuku. "And you! You have been muttering this entire time! If you can't take things seriously, leave! You are distracting the rest of us!" This statement caused the boy to hang his head in shame.
"Tch… who does he think he is?" Mamoru gritted his teeth.
Present Mic was able to luckily get back on topic. "EXAMINEE NO. 7111. THANKS FOR THE 411," He said, giving the boy in glasses a thumbs-up. "THE FOURTH VILLAIN TYPE IS WORTH ZERO POINTS. IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT, BUT THERE'S NO NEED TO GO AFTER IT, YEAH?" Satisfied, the glasses-wearing boy took a bow and sat down. "THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY, YOUNG LISTENERS! NOW I'LL LEAVE YOU GUYS WITH A SPECIAL GIFT. A SAMPLE OF OUR SCHOOL MOTTO! THE GREAT HERO NAPOLEON BONAPARTE ONCE SAID, 'A TRUE HERO IS ONE WHO OVERCOMES LIFE'S MISFORTUNES.' SO, ARE YOU GUS READY TO GO BEYOND? LET ME HEAR YOU SAY PLUS ULTRA!" Present Mic raised his fist triumphantly.
…
…
…
…
"Yeesh, tough audience today." He grumbled.
Once orientation was done, all participants got into separate locker rooms to change into what were practically a mish-mash of gym uniforms. Once they were all changed, they made their way towards the buses that would lead them to their respective test locations.
Mamoru took a deep breath.
'Alright, you got this.' He mentally prepared himself.
As he walked towards his bus, he noticed that Midoriya, the gravity girl, and the tall guy with glasses were nowhere to be found. He assumed that the block he was heading to was different from the one the other three went to.
'A shame. I wanted to talk with Midoriya a bit more.' the martial artist thought to himself.
*BUMP!*
"Hey, out of my way, reject!"
Mamoru soon came face-to-face with a very arrogant blond teen, who looked to be the same age as Midoriya. He was a young man of average height, with a slim, muscular build, and a fair skin tone. It was accompanied by short, spiky, sandy blonde hair, with choppy bangs hanging over his eyebrows. His eyes, sharp and bright red in color, were glaring straight at Mamoru.
"What's your problem?" Mamoru frowned.
"How 'bout you get your head in the game instead of it being in the clouds?" the blonde teen snarled. "Otherwise, you'd be like that Quirkless dork, Deku."
"Deku?" Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "You mean Izuku."
"Tch, so you've met the guy," the blonde aggressor clicked his tongue, getting into Mamoru's face.
"Hey, get out of my face before telling me what to do." Mamoru said, stepping away. He didn't want to start a fight before the test started. There was no telling if attacking a fellow examinee would affect his score. "And why are you getting on Midoriya's case?"
"Like I said, he's a Quirkless dork." The angry blonde scoffed. "He ain't gonna pass the exams, guaranteed."
'Then how the heck did he even get here? And Quirkless?' Mamoru thought to himself, but decided to hold his tongue.
"Being Quirkless is at least a mercy compared to being a mutant." Mamoru pointed out. He recalled how bad late-bloomers were treated, especially in America. He shuddered at the thought of that level of harassment reaching Japan.
"Whatever. Let's get one thing straight, kid. You stay out of my way, and we won't have any problems."
"Huh, took the words right out of my mouth." Mamoru agreed.
The blonde boy seemed to smile at this, "I'm glad we're in agreement, kid."
"The name's Hadōken Mamoru… and don't you forget it."
"Good, because you'll be hearing the name Bakugo Katsuki a lot more." the blonde aggressor said before walking towards his bus. As he did, a thought came to him. 'Hadōken… Where have I…' He trailed off. Unfortunately, the moment the realization hit, it was too late. When he turned to look at Mamoru, he saw that he was already getting on his own bus. Bakugo growled.
'Che, I can't believe this…' Bakugo took note, 'If he met Deku, then there's a chance the Quirkless chump also caught on to that guy's name.'
Minutes later, Mamoru and his group finally arrived at their destination: Test Location: E. They got off the bus in a single file line, then gathered in front of a huge barricade, with a large 'E' smacked in the middle of its rather large door.
Mamoru cracked his knuckles, then tied his red headband over his forehead, 'This is it. The final step.'
"Yo! You ready for this?" Someone asked.
Mamoru turned around to see a muscular young man of average height and a rather impressive physique for his young age. He had red eyes pointed slightly inwards, and a faint scar just above his right eye, while having small eyebrows and pointed teeth. His hair is somewhat long, being dyed a bright red, and was spiked away from his head at all angles with gel, and two pronounced tufts spiked on either side of his forehead like little horns.
"H-Huh? Oh, yeah. I am." Mamoru replied. "You look rather pumped up yourself."
"Man, I've been pumped since I got here." The muscular red-head said with a wild grin, "Ain't no way I'm gonna pass up this opportunity!"
"Me eithe. Oh, the name's Hadōken Mamoru." He introduced.
"Kirishima Eijiro, at your service!" the muscular redhead greeted before sharing a surprisingly firm handshake.
"You got… hard hands." Mamoru winced, with a pained smile. "Is it your Quirk?"
"Yeah, it's called Hardening." Eijiro said, making his hand hard like stone, "Also, yeah, might as well get the laughs out of the way. Don't worry, I've made that joke before." he noted.
"Hehehe… right."
"What about yours?"
"It's Aura, I haven't really gotten it to work since awakening it, but I think I can manage." Mamoru half-lied. He didn't want to tell Eijiro that he manifested it late.
"Aura, huh? Reminds me of a Hero I once knew." Eijiro mused, "The Wandering Warrior."
"Hehe… you don't say…" Mamoru laughed sheepishly.
"Dude, you should have seen the guy during most of the Quirk Wars tournaments! The dude tore it up in there!" Eijiro grinned, "Not to mention the humblest guy you could meet next to All Might. Kinda wondered what happened to him. I heard that he was training some disciples."
"That's a mystery probably best left to the imagination." Mamoru chuckled. "And besides, it's not like I've personally met the guy."
That was the truth. Despite having trained with his father, he never actually met his master.
"Eh, fair enough." Eijiro shrugged.
"ALRIGHT, THE TEST STARTS NOW!" Present Mic shouted from atop the gate of the battle center, "WHAT? WAITING FOR A GO SIGNAL? REAL LIFE AIN'T LIKE THAT SO GO, GO, GO!"
With that announcement, the doors opened up and all of the participants ran in.
"Don't fall behind, Eijiro!" Mamoru said, before heading off.
"Could say the same about you!" Eijiro shouted.
From within a large control room, various Pro Heroes watched the test entrants battle the robotic villain dummies they placed throughout each test location.
"Looks like another good crop this year." One of them said, with a small smile.
He was a stout man, or rather, a stout anthropomorphic mouse with circular black eyes, having a large scar over the right one. He had relatively rectangular-shaped ears with pale pink insides slanting outwards from the top of his head, and an elongated muzzle with a small round nose. His fur is white and has large, dog-like paws with pink pads and a thin tail like that of a cat, while sporting a white dress shirt with a red tie, black vest, black trouser, and light brown shoes.
This was Nezu, the Principal of U.A. High School.
"I must say, the way these young ones are using their Quirks is surprisingly intuitive." The principal observed.
"Yeah and from the looks of it, they're even more battle hungry than we were back in the day." A tall man commented.
He was a very tall, wide-set man of a bulky, muscular build, with lightly tanned skin, and short pale gray hair spiking upwards, the small clump of hair hanging down over the left of his forehead. His costume was a dark red skin-tight suit with a very low U-shaped collar, white over-the-knee boots and thick vambraces over his lower arms. They were followed by a thin wire, snaking from one of the two small protrusions on the left one to the back of his neck, and red gloves. Around his waist, was a three-piece metallic belt dipping downwards in the center, and wears an orange mask over his eyes. This was Kan Sekijirō aka Blood Hero: Vlad King.
Just then, the doors opened up, revealing All Might in his weak form. "Did I miss anything?"
"No, the test just started." Nezu informed the Top Hero.
"Good." All Might smiled, sitting down in his seat. Looking at the multiple screens. He saw each and every one of them doing their best. "Those kids sure are something."
"It's as Principal Nezu said, a good crop this year." Another teacher replied. He was a humanoid block of cement with black, seemingly shut eyes and gray hair tied into a short ponytail. His body shape is evenly blocky all around his body, and his costume consists of a sleeveless brown suit that includes yellow stripes, shorts, and an elongated collar. He also sports gray shoes with yellow soles. This was Ishiyama Ken aka Cementoss.
"Sure, that's great and all, but those kids will soon realize that getting into U.A. will be the easiest. It's staying in, U.A. High School that really matters."
The teacher that said this was a tall, curvaceous woman with sky blue eyes, framed by a set of rather long eyelashes, and long thick spiky dark purple hair, layered in of varying lengths, the longest ones reaching below her waist. She also has a small beauty mark below her left eye, as well as red-painted nails. Her costume was very similar to one of a traditional dominatrix, with a breastless black leather leotard, similar in style to a corset, over a thin, skin-tight, white bodysuit, accentuating her voluptuous figure. She also wore translucent, black, thigh-high garter stockings, which were attached to a burgundy utility belt decorated with gold studs around her hips. A matching pentagonal buckle in its center, and black knee-boots were included. And her look was finished by a small red mask outlining her eyes, and a handcuff on each wrist.
This was Kayama Nemuri aka the R-Rated Hero: Midnight.
"Yeah, especially if what the rumor mill said was true." Vlad King commented.
The Pro Heroes watched the students as they fought off the robots. All Might in particular was watching two people, Izuku and Mamoru.
In Izuku's case, he was a nervous wreck, desperately trying to find a robot to smash to at least earn a point. However, most of the robots were already destroyed. One was destroyed by someone who shot a laser from their navel. Another bunch were destroyed by the gravity girl who lifted them up then hurled them down to the ground. And the tall young man with glasses had engine protrusions on their legs that sped towards the Villain Bots to kick them.
In Mamoru's case, he was fighting the Villain Bots with no problem. However he could tell that, even with his training, his endurance was average at best. It was clear to him that Mamoru was pacing himself in terms of using his Aura. After all, most of his wins against the Villain Bots were seemingly through basic martial arts training rather than using his Quirk. Granted, he didn't have the luxury of training his Quirk for years to properly control it, as he only had months to prepare. Team Wild, Wild Pussycats did the best they could to bring him up to speed in controlling his Quirk and it was all that All Might could ask for.
"Is that him?" Nezu asked, as the screen showing Mamoru was brought over to the large main screen with the press of a button.
"Yes, that is his son." All Might confirmed with a fond smile.
"Uncanny resemblance." Vlad King commented with amusement, "And you said that he's a late-bloomer?"
"Yes. He manifested his Quirk when Saberfang attacked the mall." All Might nodded. "When I saw it, I saw so much of Dragon Fist in him."
"I just hope that they'll both be okay." Nezu commented, "Who knows what dangers will lurk ahead for these boys."
"Speaking of, I think it's time we see who really shines." Midnight suggested. "Care to do the honors, All Might?"
"Very well." All Might noted. He went towards the controls and saw a red button in front of him. With a deep breath, he stretched out his hand and pressed it with his finger.
Moments before…
"Take this!" Mamoru shouted, rushing towards a 2-point robot and smashed it to pieces with his aura coated fist, caving it in, before jumping back to avoid the explosion. The martial artist panted heavily, taking a momentary breather to cool down. Present Mic had just announced that there were three minutes left in the Practical Exam. So he has to make each and every second count in these last minutes.
That is… until the ground shook.
"W-What the-" Mamoru got out, his Aura dissipating erratically, while trying to regain his balance.
"What's that shaking?" Eijiro wondered.
That was when the boys looked up, as did everyone in the various blocks. Coming towards each group in their respective blocks was a giant mech so large that it towered all the tallest buildings set up. Each machine was humanoid in design, with green armor and black fingers, as well as a large monolith-like head that had seven red blinking lights for eyes.
"What the heck?!" Mamoru gasped in horror, stepping back with Kirishima while everyone else turned tail.
"Damn, that must be the 0-point Villain Bot that Present Mic talked about!" Eijiro gawked. "Hey, Mamoru, we gotta bail!"
"We can't!" Mamoru said. "Not with everyone else behind us! We have to fight it or they're gonna get the short end of the stick!"
"But we won't get points!"
"That doesn't matter right now! If we wanna be Heroes, we have to show that we're capable!" Mamoru said as the large mecha villain continued its approach. "It's like my father taught me: Your hands show your emotions. As a Hero, you must learn how to properly convey them. The only time you close your hands is when you're justifiably angry or protecting someone, especially those whom you cherish dearly. They should never be closed for anything else."
Kirishima, for a moment, looked stunned at Mamoru, before nodding, "Alright. If we're gonna do it, then let's do it! Together!"
"Okay! Here we go! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Mamoru yelled out his war cry, flaring up his Aura, then charged at the 0-Point Villain Bot, with Eijiro following him.
"Are they crazy?!" One examinee gawked.
"They won't stand a chance!" Another shouted.
The two of them continued their charge towards the 0-point Villain Bot. It noticed their presence, then stretched out its black fingers, as if commanding the smaller Villain Bots to intercept.
"Eijiro!" Mamoru shouted.
"On it!" The redhead shouted as he ran ahead, with Mamoru following behind. Eijiro activated his Quirk to harden his skin. "Get out of our way!" He shouted, swinging his arms to bash the Villain Bots that gathered in front of the 0-point Villain Bot.
The two ran head first into danger, clearing a path through the Villain Bots in their way with their Quirks. Mamoru used his fists and legs to punch and kick several more Villain Bots that blocked their path. One of them snuck up from behind, but Eijiro noticed it, prompting him to fall back and intercept the attack, blocking the Villain Bot with his hardened forearms.
"Do it!" Eijiro shouted.
"Oryah!" Mamoru yelled, punching the 3-point Villain Bot with an aura-coated punch, the two backing off to escape the explosion that followed. They then turned back their attention towards 0-point Villain Bot and continued their path.
More Villain Bots showed up to get in their way, all aimed at Eijiro and Mamoru. But then… to their surprise, long-ranged Quirks suddenly shot out from behind to take them out. Mamoru and Eijiro looked over their shoulders as they ran, seeing that their fellow examinees had the courage to fight back and work together.
"Heh, looks like you're leading a revolution." Eijiro noted with a grin.
"I wouldn't go that far," Mamoru chuckled, before looking back at the horde of Villain Bots that gathered in front of them. "But at least we've inspired them. So let's make this showy! Ikuzo, Eijiro!"
"Aah!" Eijiro smiled dangerously, hardening his body once more.
They swatted away more Villain Bot with their Quirks as more piled up. Those in the back continued their support by clearing any straggling Villain Bots that got in the way to make a clear path. The 0-Point Villain Bot then took the initiative to stretch its arm out in hopes to smash the duo. But then examinees with Quirks that immobilized a target, stopped that hand from crashing down. Those with offensive Quirks used their powers to knock that Villain's Bot arm away. The 0-bot Villain Bot attempted with the other hand, but those with Defensive-type Quirks protected the two of them.
"Yosh, we just need to get to the head! That should be where the central processor is!" Mamoru theorized. Eijiro and Mamoru then jumped on one of its arms, running along its surface. The martial artist then flared up his aura to the max. "Eijiro, give me a boost!"
"Alrighty then, Alley-oop!" The Hardening Quirk user affirmed before heaving Mamoru into the air. Once he was up in the air, Mamoru was above the 0-Point Villain Bot's head, the seven lights blinking as it looked up. He then dived down pulling back his fist. As he did, his Aura enveloping him trailed behind, reshaping itself into a Japanese dragon.
"RYŪ~ SŌ~ KEEEEEEEEEEEN!"
龍
槍
拳
With all the force he could muster, Mamoru delivered a lunging straightforward punch, caving the 0-Point Villain Bot's head in. A large shockwave burst out from the impact, as the dragon shaped aura flew right through said Villain Bot, causing the head to explode in an epic fashion, followed by its other parts exploding afterwards as it fell back.
Eijiro and the others looked on in shock seeing the display before their very eyes.
"I don't believe it…" Midnight said wide-eyed.
"Wow, two blocks now have broken 0-Pointers." Vlad King commented after whistling.
All Might could only smile all the wider, "Ryūha… you should be proud. Your son is becoming a true Hero."
Nezu nodded, "Well then. Do these boys know their landing strategy?"
Almost immediately, the Pro Heroes tried their best not to laugh. It seems that Mamoru and Izuku were about to learn that lesson the hard way.
Mamoru smirked, watching the Villain Bot fall… only to realize that he forgot one important step.
How to get down.
"SHIMATTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mamoru wailed, flailing in the air.
"Hold on, I gotcha!" Eijiro panicked. He already landed on the ground after boosting Mamoru up into the air. So here he was, frantically moving side-to-side, hoping to break his fall and catch him. Too bad for him however…
*CRASH!*
Mamoru landed behind him, his legs twitching while the rest of his body was buried in concrete. Eijiro gawked in horror at the fact that he totally missed Mamoru by a few feet. But, miraculously, the martial artist was fine. Had he not dispelled his Aura before the fall, he would have died.
"Uhh, guys? Mind giving me a hand over here?" he asked some of the entrants. Some of them nodded and went over to Mamoru's embedded form, working on smashing the concrete around him, before pulling him out.
"Ughhhhh… tasukatta…" Mamoru sighed in relief, dusting all of the dirt and rubble off of him.
"You okay, man?" Eijiro asked the martial artist, as he and a couple others were concerned.
"Yeah, I'll be fine…" Mamoru groaned, shaking his head, and standing up on his own two feet. "Note to self: Always come up with a landing strategy…" he told himself.
"ALRIGHT! THE TEST IS OVER!" The boys heard Present Mic call out.
"I guess that's that." Mamoru said, "At least we finished it with a bang."
"Yeah!" Eijiro agreed. Then he bowed deeply to the martial artist in apology, "Sorry I fumbled on catching you. That whole thing would have been so manly if you didn't land like a toon."
"It's fine." Mamoru smiled exasperated.
"That move you did though… that was the Ryū Sō-Ken, wasn't it? Where did you learn that? The only person who could do that was-"
Mamoru chuckled softly at this, looking up at the sky, "Aah… sou da-na…" He said tiredly, then looked back at Eijiro. "I suppose I should formally and properly introduce myself. My name… is Hadōken Mamoru, son of Hadōken Ryūha; The Karate Hero: Dragon Fist…"
"NO WAY! YOU'RE RYŪHA'S SON?!" Eijiro gasped in surprise. The other entrants murmured amongst each other, just as surprised, while Eijiro approached and placed an arm on the martial artist's shoulders, "Dude, that is so awesome!"
"Heh, it's not that awesome. I'm just his kid. Nothing grand about it." Mamoru said sheepishly, trying to play it off.
"But did you see what you did to that 0-Pointer? That was so manly!" Eijiro reminded him.
All the other examinees nodded in agreement then proceeded to gather around Mamoru, all wanting to know more about him. The young martial artist was surprised, but welcomed it wholeheartedly.
*GROOOOOOOOOOOOWL!*
Everyone blinked when they heard Mamoru's stomach grumble.
"Hehehe… I guess all that fighting got me hungry. I could go for ten bacon cheeseburgers and large fries right about now…" Mamoru laughed sheepishly.
"I know a good burger place!" Eijiro offered. "Mina and I go there everyday! And don't worry, it'll be my treat!"
"Who's Mina?" Mamoru blinked.
"Uhh, just a friend." Eijiro said, his eyes looking shifty as if he had just said something he shouldn't have said.
Fortunately for him, at least he thought he was, Mamoru only shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, if you say so." He said, before making his way back to the bus.
"H-Hey! It's not like that! Mamoru, wait up!" Eijiro called out, going after him.
One Week Later…
"So, how'd it go?" Itsuka asked Mamoru as they met up during lunch. They had found themselves back on top of their school roof, their bento boxes already open and dug into with their chopsticks.
"I think I did pretty well." Mamoru answered. "Although that 0-point Villain Bot was a pain to deal with. And that landing…"
Itsuka giggled, "I wish I could have seen it."
"Eh?! You wanted to see me crash into the ground?!" Mamoru gawked in horror.
"No, not really." She lied.
"You totally did!" Mamoru snapped comically. "I thought we were friends!"
"Come on, it wasn't that bad!" Itsuka tried to reassure him.
"Half… of my body… was buried in concrete…" Mamoru deadpanned, with a twitching eyebrow. "Head first!" He emphasized.
"I guess someone forgot to come up with a landing strategy." Itsuka said teasingly.
Mamoru popped a blood vessel at the joke, but relented with a sigh. He couldn't stay mad at her. "Anyways, besides that, Eijiro and I took the initiative and the rest followed. We all cooperated to take down that 0-point Villain Bot."
"That must have felt good leading the charge like that."
"Er… well…"
"C'mon~ you can admit it." Itsuka smirked teasingly.
"I mean… they only followed Eijiro and my example." Mamoru trailed off, trying to pass it off as something else.
"Meaning they followed your lead." Itsuka said.
"No, that's not…" Mamoru tried to deny it, but Ituska's teasing smile remained on her face. In the end, he caved in to what she wanted to hear. "Okay, yeah, it felt good leading them…"
"See, I told you!" Itsuka said with a smile, "So, you think we made it?"
"Given our performance at the Entrance Exams, I think we did."
*BOOM!*
A dust cloud formed in front of them, forcing Mamoru and Itsuka to cover themselves. Moments after the initial impact, they got up on their feet, taking a fighting stance. Something landed in front of them. Or rather…
"Hello, you two! I am here!"
Mamoru and Itsuka gawked in shock. "ALL MIGHT?!"
"I see that you two know each other,"
"Y-Yeah, we're classmates." Mamoru replied, but shook his head comically. "Wait, forget that! What are you even doing here?!"
"HAA! HA, HA, HAA! Apologies shōnen and shōjo!" All Might waved with a two-finger salute. "But I came here to inform you two of your results."
"You could've done that after school." Itsuka pointed out.
"True, but if I showed up at your school's front door, everyone would be wanting my autograph"
"He kinda has a point if you think about it." Mamoru nodded in understanding, "Pro Heroes need to avoid the public eye while off-duty."
"You catch on pretty quick!" All Might grinned. "Now then… about your results." The two students waited with bated breath before the Top Hero smiled, "I'm happy to report that you two passed."
Mamoru and Itsuma smiled widely and looked at each other before high-fiving. "YOSHAAAAAAA/YATTAAAAAAA!"
All Might smirked, "Congratulations, you two. You should be proud of yourselves. What you did at the Entrance Exams was exemplary. After all, it's not always about beating the Villains. There was more to your scoring."
Mamoru and Itsuka looked at All Might in confusion. "There was more?"
"Of course! You really thought fighting Villains is all we Heroes do? Nonsense! Of course, there's more to it!" the Top Hero exclaimed.
Immediately the pair realized what he was talking about, "You mean we could have scored points on rescuing people?!"
"Exactly! But rest assured, you did!" All Might then pulled out a circular device and a hologram image appeared, showing a ranking chart.
Bakugo Katsuki - Villain Points: 77; Rescue Points: 0; Rank: 1st
Kirishima Eijiro - Villain Points: 39; Rescue Points: 35; Rank: 2nd
Uraraka Ochako - Villain Points: 28; Rescue Points: 45; Rank: 3rd
Shiozaki Ibara - Villain Points: 36; Rescue Points: 32; Rank: 4th
Kendo Itsuka - Villain Points: 25; Rescue Points: 40; Rank: 5th
Hadōken Mamoru - Villain Points: 32; Rescue Points: 32; Rank: 6th
Iida Tenya - Villain Points: 52; Rescue Points: 9; Rank: 7th
Midoriya Izuku - Villain Points: 0; Rescue Points: 60; Rank: 8th
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu - Villain Points: 49; Rescue Points: 10; Rank: 9th
Tokoyami Fumikage - Villain Points: 47; Rescue Points: 10; Rank: 10th
"Woah, I ranked sixth?!" Mamoru exclaimed, but then squinted his eyes when noticing Izuku's score, "Hang on, why does Midoriya have no Villain Points but a lot of Rescue Points?"
"Simple. He couldn't destroy a single Villain Bot, except for the 0-point Villain Bot on his block."
"WHAT?!" Mamoru shouted in surprise.
"Wow, looks like you weren't the only one who took down one of those." Itsuka observed.
"Yes. But… he showed one of the many traits of a true Hero. He had the spirit of self-sacrifice."
"When saving Heroes, sometimes your body just… moves." The martial artist recited, recalling what All Might told him all those months ago.
"That's right, and if it wasn't for him, one of his future classmates wouldn't be here." All Might said, "He chose to take initiative when many others fled for their lives. To many of us, that showed he had the spirit of a Hero. You too, Hadōken-shōnen."
"Me?"
"Yes. Leading by example." All Might said. "That is another trait of a true Hero. When you took the initiative to take down that 0-point Villain Bot, despite the odds against you, Kirishima-shōnen and eventually the other examinees followed your lead. All of you worked together for one common goal. In a way, you saved them from their complacency and cowardice, and instead offered them the confidence and courage needed to overcome that obstacle."
Mamoru felt touched by the Top Hero's words, "Wow, I… I don't know what to say… but… thank you, All Might. That means a lot to me."
All Might smiled at this, "You're welcome, shōnen. And with that, duty calls! I have to inform the other examinees of their results! Do your best, you two! Because for the next three years, U.A. is going to be your Hero Academia!" With one more two-finger salute, he leaped off and away from the school.
Itsuka and Mamoru smiled, "I guess I'll be seeing you at U.A after we graduate from here, huh?" The former asked.
"For sure." Mamoru nodded. "And it's going to be the best three years of our lives."
From that day forward, Mamoru's life will continue to change. And his high school life is about to begin.
KRD: And that's Chapter 2 done! What do you all think?
HEX: I mean for one, we got newbie mom Shino going overboard with her son's recovery, said son eating concrete after a badass Ryū Sō-Ken, and we finally have some of the main cast of My Hero popping up after like what, a one-word cameo from Deku last chapter?
KRD: Pretty much. Also, you readers would have noticed that we didn't focus on Izuku's part of the Entrance Exam. Why, you ask? Well, let's be real. We already know what happens in the manga and anime, so there's no need to repeat it here.
HEX: Yep, hence why like last chapter, we're Lion King 1 ½-ing (or 3-ing for anyone in the UK) this by either paraphrasing what happened, or having Mamoru watch on as a bystander. Since while yes we know what happens in these events, we never really see them from the on-looker's perspective that often.
KRD: Exactly, so you're gonna be reading those parts a lot.
HEX: Of course, there will be times where we'll actually write the scenes down if Mamoru is involved in them, but other than that, expect a lot of major moments to be TL:DR-ed.
KRD: On another note, you'll also be noticing some changes in the storyline. One such thing will be the U.A. Sports Festival. We'll be changing a few things here and there since Mamoru will be involved, including the bracket. Yes, the U.A. Sports Festival Tournament Bracket will be changed, as well as the results. You have been warned.
HEX: Also expect more Looney Tunes-like shenanigans from Mamoru and especially Mineta. Yes, Mineta is still here, and yes, my usual brand of slapstick will likely hit these two a lot more than guys like Izuku and Bakugo. I mean come on, Mineta is the perfect punching bag for slapstick, there ain't no way I'm passing this opportunity up!
KRD: At least it gives me a chance for Mamoru to wallop some common sense into Mineta… especially if he's perving on Itsuka…
HEX: Well, if Mamoru himself doesn't get hit with it first. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. See ya next time.
KRD: And as a co-author of mine always says, Review and comment on this story. Love it, hate it, but just know that you've read it.
Both: Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!