A/N Thanks for your reviews and support.
dogman999: thanks for your review, my friend.
glitner: if you can't read the warning in the first chapter it's not my fault. This is a pairing that is quickly growing in popularity. And there are plenty on a03 who love it.
ZonZus: thanks for your review, my friend. This is very much a slow burn with the relationship. Most of my fics are a slow burn but this one will be more so than the others. It's too early in the game for relationships.
Izuku's POV
If Izuku was honest with himself he was antsy for his meeting with All Might. Given what had happened in school he was afraid of what was happening with his ki. Ki itself, when underestimated, was dangerous. Far more so than people liked to admit.
All Might had them meeting in a warehouse on the far side of town. It was less conspicuous than the beach. Given that the beach was clean now it would grow in popularity again. If they were going to be using quirks especially one like One for All they needed to be inconspicuous. The beach definitely was not that.
Izuku ran through the city in half the time it usually took. If it was One for All it was fueling his ki to push his body harder. He had to wonder if it worked the same as his ki.
If he could use both in tandem together he would have a leg up on Murim and Villians. Making the excuse that it was part of his quirk he would be able to avoid suspicion.
The warehouse he entered held a large sparring mat in the middle. Off to the sides were dumbbells and other weights. Currently, the warehouse was without All Might.
It would be the first time he actually sparred using a mat. Since he began his training they never used a mat. Without mats, he went through bruises and pains that helped him learn faster.
"Ah you're right on time, young Midoriya," came a voice from behind him.
Izuku turned to see All Might coming in. The man was in his deflated form watching Izuku carefully. He was moving around the side of Izuku.
Izuku replied as he pulled off his jacket, "Good afternoon sir. I think I felt All for One earlier."
That had All Might stopping completely. He certainly wasnt expecting Izuku to say that he felt the quirk. Especially since the boy had done absolutely nothing to try and activate it at the time.
"What did you feel, young Midoriya," the man queried.
"There was an influx of power that didnt belong to my ki. I could feel it interacting with the purified ki reserves. Then it delved deeper as if looking for something. Then it exploded out of my body and threw most of my class against the wall."
All Might blinked in surprise before he said, "That must be One for All interacting your ki. It's not something that we've seen before. Never before has a successor used ki the way you do."
Not entirely true but close enough. Ki was in everything they did but largely unfocused unless in a fight. All creatures had ki even if they didnt have the destructive power behind it that he did.
Then All Might said, "At your current skill level I think you will be able to hand 10% of the power. Any more than that and you will break your bones. I don't have much advice on how to do this. It came naturally for me and I needed to work on my fighting techniques."
Izuku leaned back on his heels considering the words. 10% wasn't much in terms of power. If it was 10% of what All Might could do though then that would mean he would be lucky not to die.
Then again if the power acted like his ki did then he should be able to keep it in check. Using only a small part of his ki was the basis behind the Enlightenment of Thunder and Lightning. If he could use it like that then he would avoid breaking his bones.
"Young Midoriya, you're mumbling to yourself."
Oops. Even with his time with Chun he still had not been able to get rid of that.
Izuku acknowledged, "Sorry. I tend to do that when I'm working over a problem."
All Might said with a gentle smile, "Then do what you need to do, young Midoriya. If you have questions I'll try to help out if I can."
Izuku took a deep breath then turned his attention inwards. His ki came forward without any prompting. There was something else in it and after some prompting, it came forward as well.
Blue lightning and green energy coursed over his body. His muscles twitched and pain entered his body.
The green energy must be from One For All he realized. It didnt match his lightning ki in color but it did in energy. His ki was going at full force and One For All was trying to match it.
Then he let it dissipate. The pain in his body continued for several long moments. Then it was gone and he fell back onto the cold concrete. His breaths came out in pants as he tried to control his body's reaction.
When his breathing returned to normal he moved over to the mats. If he was going to collapse from this it had best be on the mats. Once he stood on the mats he focused again this time trying to draw only on the quirk.
Green energy coursed over his body like with his elemental ki he put a dampener on it. Stopping at what he thought was ten percent. There was still some pain with the energy. It was just like when he first started with his ki training. His muscles weren't used to the energy.
Ki was trying to burst through his barriers. It wanted to be released just like his energy. Somehow it felt as if it was antsy for a fight.
Izuku took a breath as he stepped forward. Pain going up his leg and to his core made him flinch. It wasn't unbearable but it was uncomfortable.
He went through basic movements that he would need for a fight. First was a low kick. Then it a jab. Movements were clean and crisp just as Chun taught him.
They weren't swift by any means. Neither were they supposed to be. He had to be sure that his body could handle the power.
Jab, right hook, kick at hip level. Move back to avoid retaliation strikes. Drop low to avoid a kick and lunge forward to ram shoulder into the chest.
As he became more familiar with how his energy moved through his body he grew faster. The only constant was forcefully keeping the energy at bay. Every movement was something he had trained to do for months with Chun. He could do them in his sleep and not miss a single strike.
Then after several reps, he fell back on the mats. All Might beamed, "That's was better than I thought you would have done for your first try. It seems you're a natural at this. I guess it comes from the use of your ki. It's the same concept after all."
Izuku replied his hands on the ground behind him leaning back on them, "If it wasnt for Yoochun I wouldn't have such control over my ki. He cared less about the power I had and more about the control. While Chun focused almost solely on power. My power isn't that high currently but I'm working on it."
Training continued for several hours before Izuku called it a night.
"Tomorrow I am going to take a friend to the beach," informed Izuku, "I won't be here for training until Sunday."
All Might said with a nod, "You deserve a break after all the work you've put in. Enjoy your day at the beach."
With that, he left the warehouse and made his way home. It was dark outside but the moon had not risen yet.
At his house he found his mom and Sesol having dinner. His mom greeted happily, "Izuku you're just in time for dinner."
"I'm home."
The next morning had both him and Sesol leaving before the sun rose. They were going to the beach on the other side of town. It was an hour by train and he wanted to get there before crowds.
Sesol didnt say a word to him throughout the entire trip. She was unable to talk much but the silence was still disconcerting. Still, he had learned that trying to force her to speak was an impossible task.
Izuku carried his school bag and a cooler full of snacks and drinks. They would be out all day and the snacks would last until dinner. His mom gave him enough money to handle their dinner.
When they reached the beach the sun was just barely beginning to rise. It lit up the ocean's water perfectly. The excitement in Sesol's eyes made the trip worth it. Even if they didnt stay all day it was worth seeing her excited for the first time.
He laid out a blanket on the warm sand for Sesol. Taking off his shoes and socks he enjoyed the feeling of the sand. She immediately sat on the blanket as he set up an umbrella for her. Then he collapsed onto the blanket with a grin.
Sesol was reluctant at first to play with the sand. Slowly she began to stick her feet into the sand. She allowed the warmth to encase her feet.
Izuku watched the waves with a sense of calm. It was just like the first day of training with Chun. They had training at beaches in the beginning. It taught him how to keep his footing on unsteady ground. They weren't foot technique but more of balance training.
Chun had taught him fighting techniques but that wasnt all. When they first began Izuku couldn't swim. He was never taught so he avoided the ocean.
It only took Chun a few days to realize the problem. Not wanting his disciple to have a weakness like that. He taught Izuku how to swim with unexpected patience. It took several days of their lessons but Chun did succeed in teaching him.
Izuku asked with a gentle look sent to Sesol, "Have you ever gone into the ocean before? Do you know how to swim?"
She looked at him her eyes wide with surprise. Then she shook her head carefully. Izuku rose to his feet and held out a hand to her. With trepidation, she took his hand and allowed him to pull her towards the water.
They stood in ankle-deep water not willing to get their clothes wet. Even if they did dry in time it would still feel strange. So they stayed where the water wouldn't reach too deep.
Sesol asked her hands clutching his white t-shirt, "Why did you bring me here? You care more than any of my other caretakers. Why?"
Izuku answered honestly, "Because I know what it's like to only have yourself to believe in. To only rely on yourself and no one else. I want to be someone you can believe in."
"And if I refuse to let you try? Everyone who tries to protect me dies. I cannot let anyone else die for me."
"You won't be able to stop me," he answered with a grin, "One day I'm going to be a hero. If I cannot protect you then I dare not call myself a hero in training. Besides my master tasked me with protecting you."
Her eyes wouldn't meet his. She knew that his job was to protect her no matter what. Chun gave him this task because he was a capable disciple. It was that faith in him that made Izuku want to work all the harder. He had to protect Sesol.
Throughout the rest of the day, Izuku showed Sesol how to make sandcastles. She was cautious at first but soon was making them on her own.
As time passed the beach began to get more and more crowded. Izuku spent less time watching Sesol's creations and more time watching people. There was a feeling of being watched but he couldn't pinpoint from where.
Izuku couldn't see anyone that might be watching them. There were simply too many people. Still, the feeling would not leave him and he had to trust his instincts.
When they had lunch the feeling only intensified. Hiding wasnt an option and there were too many people to fight.
If it was Murim then they would wait until he and Sesol were in a less populated spot. It was unlikely their watchers were villains. Neither of them had anything of value and if it was an attack the attack would've started already.
They couldn't stay on the beach forever though. Already Sesol was looking exhausted and it would be best to leave soon. That would mean they should be on their guard.
Izuku had strength but it would not last against the Murim. Sparring and an actual fight were two separate things. So far he had never been in actual combat.
A hand on his arm drew his attention away from his mind. Sesol said her voice soft, "I'm getting too warm. Can we go?"
Izuku replied with a smile not betraying his thoughts, "Of course."
Quickly he packed up their area including trash. Cleaning up Dagobah beach had taught him an appreciation for those who did clean up.
Izuku led Sesol off the beach and onto the streets. The feeling of being watched never left him. It set off the bells inside his head. Whoever was following was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. There were still a few stragglers around them. It wouldn't be long before they were confronted.
Sesol tugged as his sleeve drawing his attention to her. She held out a gold medallion on a silver chain.
She said pushing it into his hands, "I want you to have this. It's a thank you for playing with me today."
"Of course," responded Izuku with a soft smile," Anytime."
