~{Author's Note}~
Hey everybodyyyyyy! I'm back at it again with another chapter of something I probably shouldn't have written for another while because I have other things to work on! Last chapter, Izuku learned the main context of Gekai and is now making his plans on what to do! And yeah, I did say that we'd get to Orario next chapter, and that's what I... technically did.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Enjoy!
Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent):
From0to100: That's... actually a really good idea! I haven't completely decided how I'm gonna do things involving what kinds of skills and magic Izuku is gonna get, but your suggestion is something to take into consideration.
Monkeyan: Don't have any number of girls set. The intention is to just have Izuku get close to everyone with romantic tensions slowly or unconsciously developing but with nothing actually 'happening' (lovewise) until we reach maybe halfway or more through the fic when a certain plan happens. But yeah, Riveria will get her moments like any other girls. Especially since intelligent minds tend to either get along with each other or clash.
ElectricQuils: Sorry, but I'm not gonna have my OC from another fic randomly appear in this one.
furvustocs, Jaiw: I've said this before, but there is NO BELL in this universe. It's an MC replacement fic, after all.
ProjectIceman: Thank you for your longer and more analyzing review! I always love to see those. Hope to hear from you again in the future!
Zabaniya: That's fair, but keep in mind that since this fic won't exactly have the same events as canon besides maybe a few key events like the Minotaur and Apollo starting shit (because of course he will, he won't change in any fic) it'll take longer to write this and come up with my own events. I'm glad you'rre enjoying both of my fics, though!
Xedornox: Yeah, it really is interesting to think about, and I've been playing with the idea in my head a lot. Izuku has already gone through so much, so for me it wouldn't be a stretch if he already gets a skill or two upon receiving the Falna.
luiseduardob303: Pfft, do you honestly think I'm gonna write a whole fic, a whole adventure of Izuku fighting in this world and getting close to girls only to have him suddenly go back to Earth? I do have a bit of a plan about that though, even if I'll probably get to it in like years, lol.
RonaldVexdian: I do get what you mean about having different experiences/events since Izuku isn't Bell, but some things are gonna be unavoidable, such as the minotaur or Apollo starting shit since those are because of other people's actions rather than Izuku's own. However, as Izuku is a different person, hopefully he'll also handle all those events differently~
Keybladewielder97: Er, Izuku isn't even close to a lvl 6 or 7 right now. He lost thee stockpile of OFA, remember? But that doesn't mean he'll stay weak for most of the fic. The protag needs his plot armor, doesn't he?
Caelum Est Finis: Thank you for your long review! And yeah, there's a reason I wanted post-war Izuku to be the one isekai'd, so that he isn't completely naive and is very capable. But I didn't want the fic to be one of those "What, sudden OP guy showed up?" ones. I want to see Izuku grow from a starting point like any other adventurer, but shows how much more capable he is than what people would assume, hence why I had him lose the stockpile.
"Eyes on the prize, Izuku, eyes on the prize."
"You got this lil' buddy!"
"Deep breaths. It'll help reduce any shaking."
"You've done this enough times already. This shouldn't be any more difficult."
"Just be sure to put it out of its misery as quick as you-"
"WOULD YOU ALL SHUT UP AND LET HIM FOCUS!?"
The background noises of the vestiges were all cut off by Nana's screech, one that had Izuku almost let go of the slingshot pad he was holding.
Under the shadows within a set of trees with bushes around him, Izuku crouched to one knee and took deep breaths like Hikage suggested. One of his hands stretched the elastic rubber connected to his slingshot pad while the other firmly held onto the fork of the weapon as he aimed. His green eyes tunnel-visioned at his target not too far away, metal ball loaded and ready to go.
His target? An unsuspecting deer.
It stood in front of a small river, head lowered as it rehydrated itself, having no idea it was even being watched.
It was the perfect moment, so Izuku stilled his breath as he pulled back his slingshot more, his body unmoving.
Then he released the shot, activating Gearshift as he did.
What would've been a moderately fast metal ball suddenly accelerated at the blurring speeds of a bullet, piercing through the air unnaturally.
The deer barely had time to raise its head as it was struck right in its side.
"Right in the lungs. Good shot." Hikage praised, although not happily.
Izuku cringed as he watched the animal collapse, but he didn't hesitate to leap out of his hiding spot and run straight for it, revealing his outdoor attire.
First was a white, long-sleeve-collared shirt with cuffs on the wrists, making it so the sleeves wouldn't get pulled back, finished off with a green vest on top holding two columns of five gold-colored buttons each. And in addition, thick grey gloves covered his hands with notable stitches to them.
Next came Izuku's dark greenish-blue pants that went down into his usual red shoes. And around the waist of these pants was a brown leather utility belt with pouches, a canteen, and the sheaths of both a sword and knife. And to top off his outfit, he had a leather strap diagonally across his chest and over his shoulder, connecting to a leather bag on his back.
This was the outfit Yoichi called his 'adventuring' attire, and it was what Izuku opted to wear whenever he was out in the woods, finding it to be the most practical clothing for him to wear outside. And although his red shoes did look a little out of place compared to the boots the men in the village wore, they were still the most comfortable to him.
Huh... Maybe it was because of his extra toe joint as well?
But ignoring that, he had to claim his catch.
Izuku stopped by his target, only to freeze when he saw the deer still alive but struggling to breathe.
Oh god... He had tried to kill it instantly, but-
"Don't think about it!" Second snapped him out of it. "If you feel bad, put it out of its misery already!"
Izuku tensed, only for his eyes to harden in resolution. He couldn't keep doing this. It just kept making each of his catches suffer more. He had to make sure to always finish things as fast and humanely as he could.
So he crouched by the deer and unsheathed his knife, holding it tightly above the deer.
"Just like we taught you, kid." Third voiced softly.
Izuku moved his knife close and shut his eyes.
"Don't."
They opened.
"I'm sorry, Izuku. But you have to at least look to make sure you're hitting the right spots and ending it right." Hikage expressed.
The boy's face scrunched in reluctance as he kept his gaze open, positioning his knife like Hikage had taught him.
Then with one quick movement, he plunged it into the animal below him, feeling it stop moving instantly.
Izuku immediately jumped to his feet and turned around, hand on his chest as he took deep breaths.
"I *hah* I-I can't get used to this-!" He gasped, feeling slightly nauseated by what he had done once more.
"You have to, Nine. Sorry if we're making you aware of where meat comes from." Came the sarcastic answer.
"Second, come on!" Nana scolded.
"I know it's been a while since Izuku started doing this, but not gonna lie... I still think it's kinda fucked up." Daigoro shared.
"Of course it is. We're teaching a kid how to be an effective killer." Third fumed.
"You're making it sound like we're turning him into some cold-blooded murderer. I mean no offense to nature, but hunting animals isn't that bad moral-wise unless you do it inhumanely." Hikage pointed out.
"But this is Izuku we're talking about. He and killing shouldn't go together in a sentence." En sighed. "It honestly feels like we're corrupting him."
By now, Izuku had calmed his panicked breaths and returned to the deer he had hunted. Luckily, it wasn't grotesque to look at, as it only had a hole from his makeshift bullet, and his knife was still lodged into it. But that didn't mean the sight itself didn't make him uncomfortable, knowing he had caused its... death.
"Okay... I-I think I'm gonna head back. It's about that time." He said, pulling his knife out of the carcass and trying to ignore the sight.
"Agreed. At least Gramps will be pretty happy that you managed to get a deer this time."
"Yeah..." Despite this, Izuku felt no happier as he reached down and hefted the whole deer over his shoulder.
An uncomfortable silence filled the air as he made his way back to the village, giving him time to reflect on everything he's done so far in this world.
A month had gone by since Izuku stopped being bedridden. And this led to a few things he had chosen to commit in order to adjust to this new world.
The first development is what he's doing now; hunting. After Gramps had given him a tour of the village and Izuku had met all its inhabitants, he had taken the advice of the Second, Third, and Fourth users and asked Gramps about learning how to hunt. The old man had been surprised by the sudden request but didn't deny him at all, sending him over to the main hunters of their village to learn from. As a quick learner, it had taken Izuku only about a week to learn all the steps to efficient hunting, and it had only taken two days after that for him to get his first kill that wasn't just animals caught in traps, although those had gotten him a bit adjusted to the sight of a dead animal.
And yet... it was shameful to say that despite his mental preparation, he still might've thrown up on his first catch after registering what he had done.
But by now, Izuku had at least come to terms with killing animals, even if, at times, his gut twisted when he gazed at their lifeless eyes. He had even gotten good enough to hunt independently, which he had been allowed to do. And this was mainly because the villagers had only recently discovered his... peak condition.
Were his muscles really so easy to hide that he did so without even intending it?
Izuku wondered this as he jumped and used Float to slowly hover across a creek of rushing water, landing on the other side without any problems.
Speaking of Float, that was the second thing he had been working on; testing the current power of his quirks.
When Izuku wasn't helping around the village to thank them for saving him, he was behind Gramps's house working on understanding how the quirks of the vestiges worked without the stockpile.
Float worked like Nana had said it would, as rather than allowing Izuku to fly at high speeds, it worked like he was in zero gravity. He can still control his equilibrium to remain upright, but his overall speed in the air is only akin to moving in space, although thankfully in whichever direction he wants.
It was still cool, and Gramps clearly thought the same based on the time he had caught Izuku testing it.
'YOU CAN FLY!?'
Izuku smiled at the memory, remembering how large the man's eyes had bulged.
At the very least, Izuku could still use Float with initial jumps to gain a momentary bit of speed through the air, and the quirk itself still worked well with Blackwhip for movement.
And on the topic of Blackwhip, it was obviously hit hard in terms of power, as not only had each tendril's maximum length gotten cut short to only about two yards, but they also weren't as firm or malleable as before. However, Izuku can still summon several tendrils at once, and he could even summon thicker, stronger ones if he limited himself to one or two tendrils at a time. He also still had decent control of them, moving them according to his will to a good degree.
So if Izuku had to describe Blackwhip as it was now, he'd say it was like controlling whips.
Gramps's thoughts on Blackwhip were according to the following;
'WHAT IN HERA'S GODDAMN NAME IS THAT!?'
And once the man learned that the tendrils of Blackwhip weren't a monster...
'So... How well can you control those in bed?'
Izuku had avoided looking at Gramps for days.
And then there was Daigoro.
'Heh, those were good times...'
The users had avoided looking at him for a week.
But overall, Blackwhip remained plenty usable, as Izuku could still use the tendrils to wrap around things, which he used with Float to swing from tree to tree in the forest, just like an old pre-quirk era superhero.
As for Smokescreen, the purple smoke now comes out at a much lower rate, making it take much more time for an area to become dense enough that people wouldn't be able to see through it. So sadly, it probably won't be reliable in throwing Izuku's opponents off or allowing him to escape until it gets stronger.
Danger Sense was the quirk Izuku was the saddest about being changed. It had been what ironically made him feel safe, as being able to detect danger had given him so much peace of mind since he didn't have to worry so much about being sneak-attacked. According to Hikage, the base strength of his quirk should no longer give sharp, precise sensations when warning him of danger, so it'd be difficult to rely on it when it mattered most. He could still detect hostility and the negative feelings of others towards him (such as the time Gramps had tricked him into 'stumbling' upon the women's bath), but the pings that warn him of danger should be tame compared to before. And it wasn't like Izuku had any way of testing its effectiveness when there was no danger around the village in the first place... He'll have to figure that out later.
Fa Jin's change was interesting, to say the least.
In a simple explanation, Fa Jin no longer had the additional power the stockpile provided, meaning that the bursts of power Izuku received from charging it were severely lowered. However, that actually didn't change how much kinetic energy Izuku could store at a maximum in his body. So theoretically, he could build up a total power similar to Fa Jin with the stockpile, but that'd require incredulous amounts of time and movement to do so. He'd basically have to go through a whole backbreaking workout if he even wished to build up a burst of power enough to mimic one of his more powerful smashes.
But this was still good news in its own right, as it means that the longer Izuku fights, the more kinetic energy he can build up for a finishing attack when needed!
Hopefully.
And last but not least, there was Gearshift.
Like Izuku had told Second, it was still an amazing quirk even without the stockpile, being able to control the acceleration of anything even if the maximum mass right now was akin to a golf ball.
However, because of the... specific practicalities of Gearshift, Izuku knew what it was best suited for, and that was what he had just done to that deer...
Gearshift was a dangerous weapon, a gun right in his hands. Second had even told him that he had primarily used his quirk to control the speed of bullets fired from gauntlets he previously had when he was alive. So with this mindset, Izuku had decided to use a simple slingshot to fire projectiles rather than a bow, as he could use Gearshift on the round metal balls that were his ammo, while he couldn't do so with arrows.
Suffice to say, it proved very effective to the point it scared him.
Oh, and as for rebuilding the stockpile portion of One For All itself, there really wasn't much he could do but commit to daily exercises with the hopes of growing it. But of course, he couldn't even feel any change to it with only exercise. It probably wasn't even a full percent back.
"Phew..." Izuku made it out of the trees and into the sunlight, following the dirt path into the village ahead.
The place overall gave off the feeling of a more-improved medieval village. The lanterns that turned on at night were powered up by magic stones within, and all the houses and other buildings in the area were well-structured and clean.
The villagers out in the open were all dressed in what Yoichi had called 'peasant clothing,' earning him a slap from Nana despite not intending to be offensive. It mainly consisted of traditional bum rolls and corded petticoats for the women, while the men had long-sleeve shirts with dark pants. Everyone smiled and waved at Izuku with some form of greeting and relief at seeing him come back, with many also praising him for his catch.
His relationship with the village was positive, to say the least.
Izuku had become something like a celebrity with everyone, and it had started when some of the local children had gotten curious about him. This led to them sneaking over to the back of Gramps's house, where he had been testing out Float at the time.
Suffice to say, they were instantly smitten with him.
And news of his... 'magic' had spread with the rest of the village. Thankfully, the villagers were in awe and thought he was an adventurer looking to get to Orario because of all the questions he had asked them when they had helped take care of him.
It sure did get everyone much more interested in him.
So Izuku used his quirks to help out whenever he could. Float to entertain the children, Blackwhips as a makeshift rope or support at times, and... Gearshift for more effective hunting.
Izuku's amazing quirks and general sunshine disposition had gained him the faith of everyone in the village without him even knowing it.
And... this had come in clutch the time Gramps had tricked him into peeking into the women's bath with him, as mentioned earlier.
'Izuku, peeking is part of a man's romance.'
'Wha-Gramps!?'
'RRRRRRRRRROMANCE!'
'GRAMPS!'
Izuku sweatdropped at that memory not even a week ago, remembering how much he had bowed and apologized to the women while Gramps had gotten the stuffing beaten out of him.
He was grateful to the man for taking him in and telling him everything he needed to know, but c'mon.
Speaking of Gramps...
"I'm back!"
The old man was chopping wood on a stump in front of his house, the sun lowering towards the horizon. He paused his work and glanced over, eyes widening at what he saw on Izuku's shoulder.
"Oho! Mighty good catch you've got there, Izuku! We'll be eating well tonight!"
Izuku smiled as he met him up the slope and onto the flatter ground, where he placed the deer carcass on another stump right next to a setup that Gramps used to hang animal carcasses to let them fully bleed out.
The elder stopped chopping wood and stepped over to Izuku, crouching beside him.
"Are you gonna help me take this one apart?" He asked gently, making Izuku cringe.
After about half a minute of silence, the boy sighed.
"Yeah..."
The dismantlement of the animals caught was another thing that still made Izuku uneasy. Even if draining them of their blood helped a bit since it made them look more like the raw meat in markets. However, it didn't help him with the skinning and organ-scavaging aspects of it.
But he had still learned to power through and follow the process with Gramps, believing that it'd help him collect materials from monsters in the dungeon that were apparently used in many things.
At least until Gramps had told him what happens when they die.
'You mean all parts of a monster except their magic stone disappear when you kill them!?'
'Technically, yes. But if a monster is decently intact when it dies, it'll actually stick around until you either remove its magic stone or cause a certain scale of damage to it; that's when it'll disappear. However, don't bother trying to take monsters parts if they stay around, because when their bodies disappear, anything you've taken will as well. It's pretty much up to luck whether a monster actually leaves behind an item drop.'
But even after learning that, Izuku still tended to help dismantle animals with Gramps, suggested by Hikage to help him get used to the notion of... corpses.
After all, Gramps described the dungeon as a cruel place meant to kill anyone, so he should prepare himself to at least see a mutilated corpse or two... as grim as that sounds.
So for the next hour, Izuku worked with Gramps to dismantle the deer carcass, finishing when the sky had turned orangish-red with enough time for Gramps to start making dinner out of it.
As he started cooking, Izuku returned to the room he's been staying in and sat at the desk, opening the bottom drawer on the left and pulling out a familiar thick book, the Dungeon Oratoria.
The last thing Izuku had gotten into was reading and rereading this massive epic, wishing to memorize all the wonderful stories within.
"The mercenary hero, Albert..."
Izuku smiled to himself as he reread this tale.
It spoke of a man named Albert Waldstein, a mercenary who fought together with a long-haired spirit to fight monsters that had escaped the dungeon. He had been part of a group whose entire purpose was to protect the people by slaying the monsters that rampaged across the land, having all kinds of help doing so. His group had been diverse and full of powerful warriors of their own right, including; a Dwarf, High Elf, Beastfolk, Pallums, and Amanzonesses, even including their Empress.
He and the entirety of his party had traveled wherever they could, slaying monsters and trying to find the source of their birth, which they had managed to accomplish through the discovery of the dungeon. And Albert had the bravery and leadership to venture into the recently unknown landmark with so many others, making him a true icon of heroism holding their group together.
But Izuku's favorite parts of the tale had to be the moments talking about Albert as a person. Because he himself had learned that despite heroes being so uplifting and iconic, they were all still human, or mortal in this case. They all made mistakes, they all had their own likes and dislikes, and they all had their own little characteristics that made them people too.
Izuku remembered when he had placed heroes on such high pedestals, with All Might being at the very top, but over time as he had actually delved into the world of heroism, he had come to learn that some heroes... they're just not what they seem to be. Some did horrible things you'd never imagine, such as Endeavor, while others wore masks that hid so many fears and insecurities they've held, such as All Might.
So Izuku had learned to be more considerate and understanding about who each hero was as a person. And that's why he's glad to see how the tales in the Dungeon Oratoria tend to describe some of the personal lives and personalities of the heroes within them, granting a vivid image of them that wasn't just valiant, but human.
Like Albert himself, for his tale had included a few interesting things. At some point during their time together, he and his spirit companion had fallen in love, leading both to somehow create a child together, even though it should've been impossible for a spirit to conceive one; or at least, that's what Gramps had said.
Albert had been described as a family man who had truly loved his wife and daughter, with even a shy side where he'd feel embarrassed and a little self-conscious training in front of others, which tended to have him go training alone. However, he was always dedicated and passionate about training, as he could get completely absorbed in it even if something had bothered him moments before.
But then... all his happiness ended with a single event.
It had happened during their adventures, Albert and his party ended up confronting one of the most dangerous monsters in the world, the Black Dragon, and although they had managed to repel the legendary beast, it was at the cost of Albert's life.
But this wasn't without causing some permanent damage, for Albert had been powerful enough to injure the monster's eye, changing the beast's name to be identified as the One-Eyed Black Dragon that it was known to be today.
The book didn't include what had happened to Albert's wife and daughter, but... it was implied that most of his party had survived thanks to his efforts, so one could only hope they had also made it out and lived the rest of their lives together.
Izuku reached the end of the tale with a somber smile, feeling sympathetic for the hero who had sacrificed his life for the sake of all he loved.
"You know? Of all the heroes in that book, I like Albert the most." Daigoro stated.
"Oh? For what reason?" Hikage asked curiously.
"Badass dragon slayer. Enough said."
"But... he didn't actually manage to slay the dragon?"
"...It's the thought that counts."
"Did you really just downplay a hero's tragic downfall to, 'at least you tried?'"
"That's not what I meant and you know it!"
Izuku ignored the vestiges as they started arguing, opting to open the bottom drawer to his right and pull out a different book. Compared to the old, worn-out, thick book that was the Dungeon Oratoria, the one Izuku placed next to it had a clean dark-blue cover that wasn't as thick regarding page count.
But what was notable about this book was that only about half of its contents were filled out, and it had been done so by Izuku himself.
"Oh? You gonna continue with your little project?" Nana asked, watching as Izuku continued to fill out more of the parchment with his pen.
Yes, pen. It turned out that despite the world mainly using quills, pens did exist in the world, although they were considered pretty expensive since they were complicated to make, took a lot of time to do so without modern technology, and tended to each be custom-made. But thankfully, Izuku had managed to get one from Gramps, a fountain pen, to be exact.
"Uh-huh." He nodded with a smile, answering Nana's question. "I have a bit of time before dinner."
It turned out that Gramps had an abundance of these blank books stored within the desk too. It made Izuku wonder if he had been some sort of writer, but when he had asked the man about them, Gramps had averted his eyes while telling him that they were just something that someone no longer had a use for.
And therefore, he let Izuku take them as his own.
After bowing so many times in thanks, Izuku had immediately started dotting down every bit of knowledge he had picked up about Gekai. However, while these books were a bit smaller than his old soft-covered notebooks in length and width, they were twice as thick as if they had been meant to be storybooks of some kind. This made things a little awkward for Izuku to decide how he wanted to split up his knowledge among them.
He had ended up shoving everything he knew into one book for now, deciding to split up the categories of knowledge once he got to Orario to hopefully find a library telling him other things Gramps didn't know much about.
As for the book he was currently scribbling into? As Nana had mentioned, it was a small project that Izuku looked forward to giving Gramps when he had to leave for Orario.
And that moment was getting rather close...
"Dinners ready, Izuku!"
Izuku snapped out of his thoughts and halted his writing.
"Coming!"
He started putting away the items he had taken out, a sad smile on his face.
It won't be long before he's ready to finally leave.
But he's gonna enjoy every moment he has left in the village until then.
"Hyah!"
Izuku reeled his arm back before flinging it forward overhead, sending three tendrils from Blackwhip forward to crack the air like a whip. He then abruptly turned around and repeated the action, this time lashing the tendrils at a tree with several long slashes already on it. The tendrils all struck the tree together with a loud snap, creating a larger gash than its other marks.
But Izuku didn't stop there, for he jumped back with a spin while using Float as if making space between him and an opponent, to which he then used the momentum of his spin to fling a dagger at the tree, the blade flying forward and embedding itself into the trunk.
It was then that Izuku landed on the ground and took a break, catching his breath as a drop of sweat trailed down the side of his head.
"Not bad. You've adjusted pretty well to the current versions of all our quirks." Second started. "But keep in mind that even though you're a quick learner and managed to pick up everything Third and I taught you about knives and daggers, it doesn't mean that you're good with a weapon now. That was all basic knowledge at most, especially since there isn't anyone to actually fight for you to get better, person or monster."
"*Huff* I know..." Izuku responded, standing up straight and stretching his arms, dressed in a simple blue t-shirt and dark pants.
Learning how to use weapons was something else Izuku had gotten into. Well, 'use' was a bit strong of a term, as he had more or less only learned how to hold and strike with them, with the latter being only theoretical since he hadn't actually been able to fight anyone. No one in this village is an adventurer, after all.
"I'm still trying to figure out a fighting style to fit as I am now. I've used a bit of inspiration from Eraserhead while trying to fit in all your quirks, but it's been awkward without anyone good to actually fight with."
"Personally, I think you should practice more with that shortsword of yours." Yoichi said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Third groaned loudly. "For fucks sake, not this again. Nine should be focusing on the weapon he actually has teachers for!"
"But we're in a world of monsters that are probably the size of houses or something! You think daggers are gonna do jack shit!?"
"If they're made with the right materials then yes! Stop trying to get Nine to use that shortsword the village gave him!"
"But it fits with his whole hero-knight personality! What kind of fantasy hero has daggers as their main weapon!?"
"We should be aiming for practicality rather than just aesthetic purposes you moron!"
"Who are you calling a moron!?"
Izuku sighed as another argument broke out in the mindscape. It's been happening more often as he's been adjusting his fighting style, as the vestiges all had varying opinions about how he should try changing it. It mostly delved into what sort of weapon Izuku should try being proficient in, always ending up between daggers or shortswords.
Despite the fact that Izuku had already stated he'd try learning both.
"Yoichi, I'd like to learn how to use that sword, but I don't have a teacher for it like I do with Second and Third for using daggers."
He heard Yoichi's whine of disappointment.
"Dang it, why did this place have to be so boring...?"
A whack echoed.
"Don't disrespect the village like that! It's beautiful!" Nana hissed.
Izuku walked over to the marked tree and pulled out the plain knife, examining it in his hand. It wasn't anything impressive; just made from smooth steel with decent edging, and his shortsword just laying off to the side was just about the same.
"I'll see what I can do about weapons and practice once I actually get to Orario..."
A 'boooo' came from Yoichi, but he reluctantly accepted it.
Izuku sighed as he turned back and walked over to the sheath of his shortsword lying on a rock. He crouched down and pulled the blade out before standing and lifting it up to the sun, its smooth metal reflecting his face back at him.
And for a moment, his homeroom teacher's words echoed back to him from long ago.
'You can't be a hero with just one trick.'
He remembered Aizawa saying this right before leaping to protect his class for the first time at USJ, a message about never sticking to just one way of doing things for the sake of always having ways to adjust or surprise your opponent.
Izuku knew that this could also be applied to the weapons one wielded, so he wanted to make an effort to learn how to use both daggers and swords, with maybe one of the two being his primary weapons in the future, depending on how he took to both.
"OOO! WAIT! I have an awesome idea!"
The moss-haired boy blinked out of his thoughts from Daigoro's sudden exclamation, lowering his sword as the other vestiges quieted down instantly.
He heard the bald man turn to the first holder.
"Okay, Yoichi you're the oldest and nerdiest of all of us-"
"Hey!"
"You remember God Of War?"
A pause.
"Uh, yeah? I'm actually surprised you know about it. I thought all those games got lost in time with the emergence of quirks and the chaos after."
Third facepalmed. "It's a fucking video game?"
"Hey, trust me!" Daigoro quickly said to the others before they could say anything. He then turned back to Yoichi, "Remember the Blades of Chaos?"
...
"Hold on, you might be onto something..."
The other vestiges curiously listened to how serious yet excited Yoichi seemed, especially when he brought them together and started whispering to them.
"Um... What's going on?" Izuku asked, visualizing all the vestiges huddled together.
His words were unheard as the group got invested in whatever conversation they were having until they all pulled back with varying looks of intrigue.
"That... actually sounds kinda cool." En nodded.
"It'd be unique, I give you that." Second said, looking down in thought with a hand to his chin.
"Glad we're in a argeement! Now then... Izuku!"
For some reason, the boy straightened up and tensed at Daigoro's voice of authority.
"Y-Yes?"
"Try using Blackwhip to hold your daggers!"
Izuku blinked, then turned curious.
"Oh?"
After a moment of thinking, his eyes lit up in realization.
"OH!"
"What in my name?"
Gramps stared with widened eyes at the scene before him.
The trees in the surrounding area looked like they had been used to sharpen the claws of dragons, all full of deep tears, with a few even having fallen over already from repeated slashing.
And the cause of it? The boy he had found only over a month ago.
Izuku was in the clearing right by the start of the forest, Blackwhip around his forearms as he gripped a thick tendril in each hand. And at the very end of both tendrils were daggers that had the quirk wrapped around their handles.
And with this setup, Izuku was spinning and swinging his arms, firmly gripping both tendrils in his hands as he used them to hack and slash at the trees in the area, notably slicing good chunks of them using the momentum of his swings along with occasionally flicking the daggers forward like whips.
Gramps watched as the boy gripped both tendrils together before swinging in a one-eighty turn, both daggers getting close together as they collectively finished off another tree by slicing it in half, toppling it over after repeatedly hacking it with his weapons.
And finishing his performance, Izuku pulled back both tendrils, to which he used his limited control over them to wrap around his arms while holding the handles of the now-broken daggers in his hands as the tendrils vanished entirely.
The panting yet smiling boy looked happy with the results of his movements, only to look down at his weapons and freeze.
"Shoot, they broke!" He hissed, looking down at his now shattered daggers.
"But they broke spectacularly!" Daigoro cackled. "I knew this was a great idea!"
"We got Kratos over here now!" Yoichi joined the man with his own maniacal laughter.
"Keep in mind that we should get better and bigger blades for Nine if he commits to this." Second noted.
"Agreed. He's gonna have to find blades that can be used for close combat like normal daggers but could also be fitting to use in conjunction with Blackwhip. For now, we'll simply hold Banjo's idea as a possibility." Third added.
"Oh please, we all know that Izuku totally loved my idea, ain't that right, buddy?" Daigoro called.
"Er... Hold that thought for now. Gramps is staring." En informed.
Izuku froze, then robotically turned his head back to the old man that was indeed watching him with a stunned gaze.
"H-Hi Gramps!" He waved weakly in embarrassment, hiding the broken daggers behind them. "I-I, er... got us some firewood?"
An awkward silence followed Izuku's declaration, where Gramps just sort of looked around at the destroyed area with an open mouth. But then he closed it and gave Izuku a flat look.
"I ain't mad, especially when what I saw looked really cool."
Izuku's eyes perked up.
"However-" Gramps pointed to the side. "You're cleaning all that up."
...
Izuku glanced behind him, finding so many chipped pieces of wood and some toppled or barely standing trees.
He hung his head.
"Yeah, that's fair..."
After another week went by, Izuku decided that it was finally time.
"Hey... Gramps?"
Under the light of the burning fireplace and lamp on the table, Gramps looked up from the living room table where he had been dotting down the village finances, finding the boy he had grown so fond of entering the room with one of his blue books under his arm.
But what immediately caught his attention was the unwavering resolve in the boy's eyes.
"What is it, Izuku?" Gramps asked, closing his book with his complete attention on the child before him.
He watched how hesitant the boy seemed to speak despite having made a clear decision about something.
"I... I think it's about time for me to leave."
A faint smile made its way to the old man's face, having already guessed what he had been going to say.
"I see..." He closed his eyes. "So you're finally gonna go off on your heroic adventure?"
Izuku nodded, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"Yeah... I just think that I've been here long enough. I'm sorry..."
The cracks of the fireplace brought calm to the room.
"Nothing to apologize for, Izuku. I actually agree that you might've stayed longer than you should've. Not that that's bad," Gramps chuckled, opening his eyes back at the boy. "Don't think I didn't notice how you've been spending more time around the village instead of practicing more in the back?"
Izuku flinched, cheeks turning red in embarrassment as he looked down.
"I... I had just wanted to enjoy it for a bit longer..."
Gramps gave an amused hum of understanding.
"So when do you plan on leaving?"
A moment of silence.
"I... I'm thinking by the end of this week..." Izuku looked down, unable to hide how sad he was at the thought.
"Hm..." Gramps pushed his chair back and abruptly stood up with a clap of his hands, a bright grin on his face. "Well, that'll give everyone some time to put together a little something to see you off!"
"Eh!?" Izuku looked up with open eyes as he started flailing his arms in a sign of refusal. "Wait, you don't have to-!"
"Lad, do you honestly think all the folks here are just gonna be fine with letting you go without some sort of celebration after how much they've grown to like you?"
Izuku quieted at that, remembering how, back in his world, his whole class had learned that they had missed his birthday and absolutely refused not to make a party for him afterward to make up for it.
He knew a losing battle when he heard it.
So the boy hung his head in defeat. "Yeah... I guess so..."
And then he abruptly raised it with anxious eyes.
"But forgetting that, I-I wanted to give you something!"
"Hm?" Gramps tilted his head as Izuku approached him, watching as the boy grabbed the book under his arm and presented it to him with both hands.
"H-Here!"
Gramps curiously received the gift and looked down at it. He knew this was one of the blank books Izuku had started filling out over a week ago, so what had he-?
!?
Gramps gasped with widened eyes from the title.
Dungeon Oratoria.
"What?"
Confusion held him as he opened the book, only for his eyes to meet neat, beautiful handwriting as he skimmed through page after page. Each was crammed to the brim with bold black words, yet all of it was neatly organized and without errors. It was all full of the same stories, the same heroes, and the same events word by word. And yet, it was all... clean, beautiful.
"What... why...?" The old man was at a loss for words.
Noticing his clear confusion, Izuku nervously cleared his throat.
"W-Well, I noticed that the version of the book you had was really old and... kinda frail? So I, um, decided to copy it all in another book. You know, just in case your original... crumbled away? N-Not that I expect you to throw away the one you already have! But I just thought... just in case, you know? I know how important those stories are to you, after all..."
Gramps stared at Izuku in complete shock, mouth open in awe.
"You... the entire thing? You copied the entire Dungeon Oratoria into another book? That... That must've taken you weeks! When did you even...?"
He shook his head and closed the book, completely flabbergasted as he placed it on the table.
"Um... Should I have not done that?" Izuku sheepishly asked, wondering if his consideration had caused annoyance instead.
But contrary to his thoughts, Gramps suddenly rushed forward and brought the boy into his arms, lifting him up in a tight hug with bellowing laughter.
"Are you kidding!? You shouldn't have, but only because I don't know why you'd ever bother wasting your time doing something like this! But you did it, and you did it for me! I've never seen these old words looking so clean; you're an absolute godsend, my boy!"
Izuku blushed at the praise thrown at him yet formed a giddy smile as Gramps let him go, only for it to turn to surprise when he saw tears in the corners of the joyful man's eyes.
"Thank you, Izuku. Thank you for such a wonderful gift." The man grinned in pure, overwhelming happiness, reaching out his hand and ruffling his hair fondly. "You have no idea how much it means to me."
Izuku felt a sense of fulfillment and returned his smile with a glowing one of his own.
"It's the least I can do after all you've done for me."
"Come now, don't say that." Gramps slapped his back. "You've already done more than enough for not just me, but everyone in this no-named village. You've touched hearts without even trying, and I can tell you'll only continue doing so."
He gave him a proud gaze.
"A perfect trait for a hero."
Izuku felt a surge of pride.
"If anything, I should be thanking you!" Gramps stood up straight and put his hands on his hips. "And I know just the thing!"
"Eh?" Izuku blinked. "Oh, you don't have to-"
"Let me tell you how to make some natural birth control for the ladies! I memorized the whole formula in my head!"
Izuku's face exploded in red.
"I DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!"
Gramps gasped.
"What!? So you're planning on just knocking each girl up!? How bold, Izuku!" He gave a sparkling grin with a thumbs-up. "I approve!"
"NO-!"
"It's so nostalgic..."
Izuku couldn't stop smiling as he admired his surroundings with a look of reminiscence. Currently seated outside at a table, the boy was surrounded by the entire village as they laughed and talked amongst themselves, having all gathered to celebrate one thing; his soon departure.
Just as Gramps had guessed, once the rest of the village caught on that Izuku would be leaving, they didn't hesitate to plan a going-away party for him on short notice. It wasn't anything too special, just everyone gathering outside with the best meals and drinks the village offered, but it still felt special to the boy who hadn't had too many celebrations meant for him.
The party had started in the afternoon and was still going despite the sky turning dark, with the lanterns powered by monster stones illuminating the area. Everyone had gathered up while Gramps and others had praised Izuku to no end, making him cover his face as he turned into a blushing mess, only making the crowd laugh and praise him more.
After that, things had delved rather nicely as everyone started enjoying themselves to everything available.
It... It brought back some of the most precious memories he's ever had. All the times he spent with his classmates, how they had all smiled together just like this...
It only further reminded him of his goal. And he'd be leaving tomorrow to find it.
But for now, he decided to forget about that and enjoy himself.
Nearly all the children had cried as they crowded around Izuku for a time, some wanting him to stay while others saying they would want him to visit them.
It twisted the boy's heart, knowing he'd most likely never see them again.
As for the men, most of them, including Gramps, had gotten drunk and practically smothered Izuku with playful teasing about his height and baby face.
Suffice to say, Izuku felt rather pleased when their wives came and scolded the men for trying to get him to drink.
At least... until the women had started teasing him about the same things they had.
He. Is. Not. That. SHORT!
But moving on, in addition to the party thrown for him, there were also a few gifts left for him by the villagers to help him out on his adventure. A brand new canteen, extra pairs of gloves and clothes, and even new daggers that were supposed to be a little stronger than the first pair he had broken.
Although... considering they had been made by a simple village blacksmith (no offense), he doubts they'll last long, especially if he tried to use them with Blackwhip again.
All in all, it had been a wonderful and heartfelt party for him, and after a long celebration that delved into the late night, the atmosphere had turned rather calm. Most of the children had gotten sleepy with their mothers taking them back to their houses, while many of the men had passed out drunk on the tables with goofy smiles.
So Izuku was left sitting at a table alone, a mug of juice in front of him as he smiled from the day he's had.
He was truly going to miss this place...
"Ah, my boy!"
Izuku turned his head to see Gramps approach him, surprisingly not passed out like the rest of the men, although still with a flush of drunkenness on his cheeks.
"Hey, Gramps. Where did you go?"
He asked because he had seen the man slipping away somewhere not too long ago.
"Ah, I just went to back to the house to bring you your present!" The man beamed as he took a seat right by him.
"A present? You have one for me too?" Izuku asked with widened eyes.
"Indeed I do!" Gramps pulled out a rectangular item he had been hiding behind his back, one amateurishly wrapped in blue paper. "And I guarantee it's somethin' a little special."
Izuku sheepishly received the item.
"Y-You didn't have to-"
"Boy, are you seriously gonna keep saying that whenever someone wants to give you something?" Gramps deadpanned.
Izuku cringed. "I... Sorry. It's just... I'm still not really used to people wanting to give me nice things..."
Despite everyone important to him having always been the best unconditional friends they could be, it didn't just erase some of the insecurities he had developed when he had been quirkless. One year with them didn't erase ten years of that.
"Well try getting used to it! Because when you make it big, everyone is gonna want to be giving you something! Especially the ladies~." Gramps wink-winked and nudge-nudged him.
Izuku just gave him a deadpan of his own.
"I wish I could punch that stupid grin off his face." Nana scowled, her distaste for the man's pursuits known.
Ignoring the woman, Izuku looked down at the wrapped present.
"Can... Can I open it now?"
"Of course you can! You really think I'd tell you to wait?" Gramps laughed.
Getting his approval, he carefully, but still eagerly, started to tear off the wrapping from his gift, only for the tearing to become slower and slower as his eyes widened at what was being uncovered.
What lay in Izuku's arms was a familiar brown, thick book that looked to have gone through the centuries.
The Dungeon Oratoria.
Gramp's Dungeon Oratoria.
"I... I don't understand." Izuku looked up at the man, who simply had a satisfied smile. "Isn't this yours?"
Gramps just grinned and rustled his hair.
"Not anymore."
The bolt of realization struck Izuku with a gasp.
"B-But-! This book means so much to you, doesn't it!? You told me it was special!"
"Bah, it's just a little older than most books." Gramps shrugged. "But it is unique, so don't just go giving it away to other people!"
"And... you're giving it to me?" Izuku looked like he was gonna cry.
"Of course! You rewrote the entire thing for me, Izuku! I have all those stories, their moments, everything in a whole new book! So I might as well give you the old one to show my appreciation. You love all those heroes just as much as I do!" Gramps stated happily. "I'm not just giving it to you as thanks, but from one fanboy to another."
Oh god, was he already crying? He's definitely crying.
"Th-Th..." Izuku choked as he looked down and rubbed his watery eyes with his arm. "Thank you!"
Gramp's enthusiastic eyes softened into a fatherly look, to which he reached over and pulled Izuku into a side hug, which developed into a full one when the boy fully wrapped his arms around him.
Someone sniffled.
En looked behind him in the mindscape.
"Yoichi... Are you crying?"
"*Sniff* No... My eyes are just sweating!"
"Ew."
It was finally time.
After over two months of being in this village of peace and harmony, it was finally time for Izuku to set off for his goal. It was time for him to head to the place that would give him the best chance of returning home.
Orario.
He'll move there, join a Familia, become an adventurer, and descend into the dungeon with hopes of one day reaching the bottom, no matter how long it takes.
Izuku took a deep breath as he checked his appearance in front of the mirror one last time. He was back in his adventuring attire once more, its appearance the same as all the times he had gone hunting with it, but with parts of it, such as his canteen, replaced with newer versions the villagers had given him as gifts.
But one change of his outfit was that rather than the small leather bag and strap that would've been on his back, there was instead a brown rucksack with his previous bag wrapped in it. And it was in this rucksack that not only held all the essentials Izuku had chosen for traversing but also his hero costume, folded up and squeezed into the very bottom.
It had actually taken him quite a long time to decide how to fit everything together, not wishing to leave his precious hero costume behind but not wanting to cut down on must-haves either.
"Looking good, kid." Daigoro praised with a thumbs up he couldn't see.
"You sure you got everything you need?" Hikage asked.
"Hey, he's following your guidelines on surviving in the wild, so shouldn't you be the one to tell him that?" Nana asked.
"He followed the list. He'll be fine." Second ended just as a knock rang.
"Izuku, are you dressed up?"
"I am!" The boy turned to the door of his room, which opened to Gramps coming in.
The old man stepped inside before pausing at the sight of Izuku, mainly how dense his rucksack looked.
"Isn't that heavy?"
"No, not really." Izuku hopped in place to show how much the weight didn't bother him.
He's carried much heavier things, after all. The beach park by his house can attest to that.
For the most part, Gramps's nodded with faint surprise.
"You know...? Now that I think about it, despite your stature, you're actually quite strong, aren't you?"
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Izuku abruptly cried out, scandalized.
"Ha! It means you're short!" Daigoro laughed.
"Well, besides the outlier that was grape boy, the only guy shorter than you in your class had been that Tokoyami guy, soooo..." En exposed him.
"Oh come on! I'm not really that short, am I!?" Izuku whined, forgetting for a moment Gramps was in front of him.
But the man assumed the question was for him and cackled.
"Don't worry, Izuku! It might actually play in your favor!"
"Eh?" Izuku faced Gramps with a confused expression.
The man gave him a thumbs up, grin, and wink simultaneously.
"Most men in Orario are either overrated pretty boys or gruff guys, so you'll be quite the breath of fresh air for the ladies~."
"Of fucking course." Second scoffed with a shake of his head.
"Izuku, I hope you know that if you try to follow the old pervert's dream in any way, I'll be VERY disappointed in you," Nana announced.
"What... that's it? Doesn't sound like much." Daigoro chuckled.
"Except we know that'll actually crush Izuku from the inside." Hikage pointed out.
Ignoring everyone, Izuku groaned into his hands. He had tried so many times to get it through to Gramps that he would not try to make a harem, but it didn't stop the man from continuously trying to appeal the idea to him.
"But in all seriousness..."
Izuku perked up when he heard the change in Gramps's tone, picking up on the hint of somberness. His face matched it, for even when he looked happy for Izuku about taking his first steps out into the world, there was still that parental look of wanting him to stay.
"You look good... Like a proper hero starting his adventure."
But of course Gramps didn't ask him to stay, for he and Izuku knew he just couldn't. However, that didn't change just how much the two would miss each other, as shown by how they both reached out and embraced.
"I'm gonna miss you, kiddo," Gramps whispered.
Izuku's hug tightened.
"I'll miss you too, Gramps... Thank you. Thank you for everything."
The two held their heartfelt hug for about a full minute, memories of their time together flashing by. Izuku couldn't help but compare how much Gramps's hugs reminded him of All Might's, and it was so close to bringing him to tears just by the thought.
Luckily, Gramps pulled him out before he could flood the house.
"Are you ready? Everyone is waiting to see you off."
Izuku blinked away the developing tears.
"You're... You're not going to as well?"
Gramps chuckled.
"I technically am, just from here where it's just the two of us. Then you can go out and let the others say their goodbyes."
"Oh, okay." Izuku smiled.
"Just remember one last thing for me, Izuku."
Gramps put his hands on his shoulders as he stared the boy in his eyes, all while Izuku himself waited anxiously at the last words he'll hear from the man's mouth.
But of course...
"Make sure not to forget about the harem my boy! Aim for the skies and-!"
"Bye Gramps."
And just like that, Izuku was blankly stepping towards the exit.
"Kiddo-!? Wait, wait, wait! Don't leave on that note! Don't let that be our last moment together! At least one last hug! Izuku!? Izuku!"
Thankfully, Izuku didn't leave just like that when Gramps pleaded like that, and they managed to end off with one final embrace of pure emotion before the young hero left the house, where he was instantly met with the whole village waiting outside to see him off.
Gramps stayed behind at the higher slope of his house, crossed arms and a wide smile as he watched Izuku walk past all villagers wishing him luck and happiness with similar smiles. As for the boy himself, he kept stopping to thank every one of them with tears in his eyes, giving hugs and positive words to them as they returned such actions.
He did this until he reached the village entrance, where he turned around and met Gramps's eyes one last time despite the distance between them.
Even from his location, Gramps could see just how bright Izuku's eyes were, how much conviction they held together with the blinding smile that could bring hope to those that needed it.
And then... he left.
Izuku left without looking back, as if doing so would cause him to give in and stay forever, a desire he knew the boy had. Gramps stared fondly as Izuku marched on the dirt road, heading into the forest so that he'd make it into the most famous city in the world.
He kept staring until the kind boy was out of sight, and it was only then that Gramps sighed and scratched his beard.
"So it's finally time..." He hummed, turning around as he went back into his house.
The young hero who had shown up was going on another adventure to save the world, even if he wasn't entirely aware of it.
He would be the hero the world has needed for so long.
"Well..." Gramps stretched his body, cracking his joints. "I suppose that means it's finally time for me to get a move on as well."
The ball had been set rolling; it was time to watch the story of the world's greatest hero unfold.
"Tell everybo-dy I'm on my way! New friends and new places to seeeeeee~!"
"With blue skies ahead, yes, I'm on my way! And there's nowhere else I'd rather beeeeeeee~!"
Yoichi and Daigoro sang with their arms slung around each other's shoulders, brimming with excitement.
"Tell everybo-dy I'm-!"
"NO!"
A record scratch filled the room as Second suddenly came out of nowhere and punched the side of Yoichi's head, swinging with enough force to send both him and Daigoro practically rag-dolling to the side.
Both tumbled on the floor, with Yoichi being the first to sit up in outrage.
"Hey! Even though I couldn't feel that, you still messed up our groove!"
"Yeah, Second! What the hell!?" Daigoro snapped.
The man looked completely unapologetic as he snarled.
"Shut up! I'm not listening to you two give sing-alongs for this entire trip!"
"Oh c'mon! Why you gotta be such a buzzkill!?"
Nana pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh deeper than the ocean.
"Five minutes... It hasn't even been FIVE minutes of leaving and it already feels like I'm gonna get an aneurysm."
Izuku awkwardly sweatdropped yet couldn't help but chuckle at the vestiges.
They helped get his mind off the village, the village he had left behind and would never see again...
As sad as the thought was, it couldn't be helped. He didn't belong there, even if he would be wholeheartedly accepted.
So here he was, carrying his rucksack easily as he hiked through the forest, surrounded by the massive trees he was familiar with.
"Ignoring the others..." Hikage started, getting his attention. "Remember what Gramps said? It'll take at least a few weeks to get to Orario on foot, but I'm sure you can cut that down by using Float in conjunction with Blackwhip to move faster. Your backpack is secure, right?"
Izuku nodded.
"Yeah, as long as I don't move too fast or rough, it should stay intact. And I'm not carrying anything fragile to worry about either."
"So I'm assuming there's a reason you're not immediately rushing then?" En asked, not sounding scolding but simply curious.
Izuku smiled.
"I just want to enjoy the sights a little longer..."
He had been in this forest numerous times, after all. He'd miss it as much as the village.
A wave of sympathetic understanding came from All Might's vestige, feeling like a pat on his back.
"Just make sure not to dwell too long. We want to make sure to find somewhere decent to camp by the time night comes." Third warned him.
Ah, he hadn't thought about that.
"I mean, worst case scenario, I think I can just sleep in a tree..." Izuku mumbled.
"You are NOT gonna sleep in a tree, Izuku. That'd be terrible for your posture!" Nana immediately rebutted.
"Eh? But I slept in plenty of rough places during the war when I... *ahem* went off on my own..."
En chuckled. "You mean your Dark Deku-?"
"STOP CALLING IT THAT!" Izuku's face went red to his ears.
"Ah, teenage angst. It's amazing how much you cringe when you grow up and look back at those moments..." Yoichi hummed in amusement, having stopped arguing with Second.
"But... Izuku is still sixteen?" Daigoro pointed out.
"My point still stands."
"Okay, ignoring Izuku's angsty phase-"
He groaned.
"-let's try to find somewhere that can act as some sort of natural shelter." Hikage continued. "But worst case scenario, he can just camp out in the open. It has a minimal risk but even if something shows up, my quirk will still be effective enough to warn him."
"Speaking from experience?" Daigoro asked.
"Before fully building that house I mentioned, I had to sleep in just a sleeping bag. There were a surprising amount of bears in the area."
"...Huh?"
More discussions took place among the vestiges and Izuku as the boy made it to more unfamiliar areas of the forest, to which he then started using Blackwhip and Float to swing from tree to tree to cover more ground.
Thanks to the vestiges with him, Izuku didn't feel lonely despite technically traversing alone. In fact, he used this chance to get to know them more, to know them during their lives even before each had received One For All.
He kept moving at a steady pace, opting between walking and swinging all the way until the first night of his travels hit. But contrary to what Izuku had expected, sleeping outside wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought it'd be. If anything, the ambiance of the wilderness and his comfy bedroll put him out as if sheep had been flying over him.
The following days of travel were just as good as the first. Izuku caught a few small wild animals to eat, able to catch them easily thanks to his good aim with a slingshot and Gearshift. And dismembering them to cook and eat no longer made him feel like he wanted to throw up.
However, it still didn't mean he felt comfortable about it.
But besides that small personal issue, everything else about his journey was enjoyable to him. The gentle atmosphere of the wilderness felt similar to being in the village, and the forest sights had him smiling the whole time.
It was all so peaceful for him.
Well... Until his fourth night, that is.
It was the end of another day of traveling, the sun had set, and the darkness of night covered the area. Izuku had decided to camp out for the night in the middle of an area surrounded by sticks and bushes, sleeping on his bedroll with a single blanket over him.
He had been dozing away, the sounds of crickets and the gentle breeze lulling him to sleep as the recently snuffed campfire lay beside him, no embers remaining. All was silent, including the activity inside the mindscape, where despite not needing to sleep at all, the vestiges tried to zone out in a state similar to sleep to let time pass until the next day.
Then, for the first time since ending up in this world...
*Zing!*
...Danger Sense pinged.
Izuku had almost missed it. It felt as subtle as someone tapping you on your shoulder to get your attention, a ping not even close to as sharp or critical as it had been before.
But thanks to nearly a year of sharpened instincts from life-or-death situations, Izuku's eyes snapped wide open before he abruptly lurched forward into a roll, using his hands to push himself off the ground together with Float to effectively hurdle himself a good distance forward, where he then became upright and spun, landing on his feet while facing in the direction of what triggered his other quirk to activate.
"Whoa, what happened!?" Yoichi called, having felt the urgency and sudden movement.
"Danger Sense is ringing." Hikage declared as the other vestiges arose from their stillness.
Izuku was quiet as he stared ahead of him, a hardened gaze of war as he heard rustling leaves and snapping sticks. And it only took a few moments before whatever was out there showed itself.
The boy's set gaze broke into a look of shock.
"Is that...?"
"Grrr!"
It was a plump, humanoid creature that only made up a little above half of Izuku's height, with a big head containing three bony horns poking out, longer, pointed upward ears, and two visible fangs poking out of its mouth. Its chest was bare, and its skinny limbs went down to small hands holding only four fingers each. But its torso, all the way down to its bare feet, was covered in brownish fur, almost seeming to act as pants for the creature.
And finishing off the creature's look were its eyes filled entirely with glowing, murderous red.
"Oh shit, is that a monster?" En asked.
"It's a goblin! It's gotta be!" Yoichi squealed in excitement at seeing a fantasy creature firsthand.
Izuku studied the hostile creature from afar with a tilt of his head.
"So that's a monster? It's a lot... smaller than I thought it'd be."
"Hey, I thought the same thing about you when Toshi picked you as his successor." Nana snickered.
"Hey!"
"Oi! Pay attention!" Second snapped.
But the man didn't have to, as Izuku's gaze hadn't moved from the monster that started charging at him with a cry, its claw-like hands reaching forward.
Yoichi quickly started hyping him up.
"Okay, Izuku! This is your tutorial! It's everything you've been working toward! Just remain calm and space him out, don't get too overconfident or-"
"He's already done."
"Eh?"
As En had said, in the time it had taken Yoichi to speak, Izuku already had the small goblin hanging upside down with Blackwhip completely wrapped around it, its weight feeling like nothing. The monster struggled to break free of its binds, yet it was in vain, for it evidently held no such strength for even a chance at doing so.
Izuku stared blankly at the creature in front of him.
"That was... kinda anti-climactic."
"It's a literal goblin even weaker than the standard in the dungeon, what did you expect?" Third shook his head.
"Yeah, I guess..."
He hesitantly approached the monster, getting a closer look at its features. Its green skin was rough, but besides that, he couldn't pick up anything else he hadn't already seen.
And that included the inhuman, bloodthirsty look it had. The monster showed no signs of intelligence, only the murderous instincts it held.
Izuku knew he couldn't talk to it even if he wanted to.
"So... are you gonna kill it now?" Hikage asked the unsaid question.
He flinched, reminded of what he'd have to do. He then gulped down a lump in his throat.
"G-Give me a moment..."
"Well, at least he didn't say no." Second remarked.
"Shut it, Second," Nana growled, only to address Izuku calmly. "Izuku... You think you'll be able to do it?"
"Surprisingly... I think so?" Izuku honestly voiced despite feeling so nervous. "It's like... I don't know, I don't really feel that... hesitant? Reluctant? Not that I'm suddenly okay with k-k-killing things! But-"
"It's because you had the time to know these things for what they are. Monsters; literal beasts whose entire existence is only meant to slaughter. You let one live? You cause the deaths of at least two others. THAT'S what these things are. They're just like the animals you've hunted down, only more rabid and needing to be put down."
Izuku practically pictured Second glaring him down right before him as he said his next words.
"So. Kill. It. Kill it before you're the reason it kills someone else."
He tensed.
"R-Right..."
Izuku calmed his breathing as he reached for his belt, only to realize he was only wearing the plain black long-sleeve shirt and pants he used as pajamas. With one arm outward controlling the tendril of Blackwhip, he pointed the other at his stuff, where another shot out and managed to grab the medieval-styled utility belt, retrieving it easily into his hand.
"Okay, how do I do this...?" Holding the belt, Izuku eyed the two daggers and shortsword attached.
"I'd say a dagger right to its forehead."
"I'd suggest using the sword to slice its head off from its neck."
"Maybe use it as a test dummy to practice your new Kratos Style?"
"No one decided to call it that, Daigoro."
Izuku felt a little disturbed at how casually the holders suggested such ways to kill the monster with no hesitation, but he supposed that considering the types of lives some of them had lived, it wasn't surprising this wouldn't faze them at all.
Ultimately, he opted to pin the bound goblin facedown with his left hand and knee on its back, his right hand holding up one of his daggers.
"Okay, okay..."
He took a slow breath in and out, staring at the still-struggling monster.
"Grraar! Graaaar!"
Izuku ignored the monster's shouting as he slowly raised his dagger.
"Just like a wild animal..."
He didn't dare close his eyes, remembering what Hikage told him about doing so to his kills.
He's been killing animals already. This much more should be nothing.
So with a final intake of breath...
"AHHH!"
He plunged his dagger down.
A squelch rang in the area before the goblin instantly stopped moving, falling completely limp with Izuku's blade in its head.
Izuku took deep breaths to calm himself, expecting to suddenly have a panic attack from taking the life of something that technically wasn't an animal.
And yet...
"That... *huff* was... *puff* surprisingly... not... bad?"
He blinked several times, none of the queasy feelings he had expected to show up actually doing so, unlike the first few times he had hunted down animals himself.
*Poof!*
"Gah!"
Stuck by his surprise, Izuku wasn't prepared for the goblin's body underneath him to suddenly dissipate into a black mist, causing him to stumble forward, only barely able to catch himself with his palms on the ground.
"Boom! Just like that, Izuku's first monster!" Yoichi cheered.
"Don't celebrate him killing something..." Nana sighed.
Izuku pulled himself to his feet and looked down at the bloody dagger and tiny purple stone left behind on the ground. He got to one knee and hesitantly picked up the latter, bringing it close to his face.
"So... this is a magic stone?"
"I expected it to be bigger."
"Ha! That's what she said."
Daigoro's comment was followed by a meaty whack from Nana.
"Gramps said that monsters on the surface split their own magic stones to basically create their offspring, so it should be no surprise if they're this minuscule around here." Third recalled.
Izuku didn't even seem to be listening to him, instead staring at the stone in his hand intensely.
"So these stones are what power appliances in this world?" He started muttering. "Do they hold energy within them? Or do they activate to create energy when conducted with proper equipment? If these stones make up the cores of monsters, wouldn't it be accurate to say that these are like their hearts? Now that I'm thinking about it, what kinds of organs do monsters even have in addition to their magic st-?"
*Zing!*
Eyes widening at Danger Sense's activation, Izuku dropped the stone and turned around while dropping low to the ground, snatching his bloody dagger while pulling the other one from its sheath, standing back up while holding them in reverse grips with their edges pointed out.
"Grar!"
"Grrr!"
Three more goblins emerged behind some trees, each looking just like the first, including the hostility they gave off.
"Oh wow, this really is like a tutorial level. A single one of the weakest enemies followed by a few of them." Yoichi said in interest.
"That goblin Izuku killed must've been with them." En theorized.
"Tsk! So he took too long and these guys heard their friend..." Second admonished.
Izuku felt a sting at the jab but ignored it for adjusting his stance, eyes becoming hard.
"Okay, just like the first one..." He breathed steadily.
"You got this, Izuku! You already killed one of these guys, three more should be easy!" Yoichi hyped him up once more.
"If it makes things easier, see killing monsters as... exterminating pests that can kill people! You're just doing a service." Daigoro suggested.
Huh... You know? When he put it like that...
"Focus, kid!"
Izuku tightened his grip on his daggers.
"Okay... *inhales* AHHHHHHHH!"
With a sudden war cry, Izuku charged straight for the goblins, the monsters doing the same towards him.
"Well... I admire his new enthusiasm." Second remarked just as blood splattered.
After his demonstration the other day, the vestiges had finally deemed Izuku completely ready to take on the dungeon.
Despite initially hesitating to kill the first goblin that had attacked him, the boy showed the willpower needed to slay monsters when he had successfully slain the other three goblins without pause. If anything, a few of the holders had been surprised that the boy had slaughtered them so quickly without any more of the hesitance he's held before.
And when asked why the sudden change, Izuku could only guilty look down with a reluctant response.
'Killing that first monster actually didn't make me feel sick at all, so it just seemed so... easy to continue... I-Is that bad? That sounds really bad, doesn't it?'
Of course, after plenty of reassurance that not feeling bad for killing monsters didn't make him some kind of psychopath, Izuku had traveled on with a clear mind.
And he gained his spirit for slaying monsters right on time, too, for it wasn't long into the next two days when the thick forest Izuku trailed through became less dense before turning into an open field with a main road, signaling to him just how close he was to his destination.
"Okay, according to the map Gramps gave me, now that we're out of the forest... Orario should just be further West! We just have to follow the road we're on and ignore the forks that lead elsewhere!"
Izuku folded the map in his hands and pocketed it, a large smile of giddiness as he picked up the pace and jogged on the road despite his dense rucksack. He could only imagine what kind of place Orario was from all the things Gramps told him about it, and he was looking forward to all of it!
Er, except the Entertainment District... he'd rather steer clear of that place at all costs...
But anyway, continuing to follow the main road, Izuku was surprised to find it barren of anyone, but he supposed it was because people didn't tend to walk on foot for such a long distance to get to a city. Izuku himself didn't really have a choice but to walk for the rest of the way, for not only were there no longer any paths of trees for him to use with Blackwhip, but he knew that he couldn't even show his quirks until he joined a Familia; he didn't want to attract too much attention right from the start, after all.
"Ugh... How much longer do we have to go?" Daigoro complained after about a quarter of the day following the road.
"You make it sound like you're the one that had to travel this whole time..." Izuku grumbled, the midday sun thankfully not feeling too hot for him.
"Right, sorry. But still, how much longer do we have to go?"
"Remember, a normal trip to Orario from the village is SUPPOSED to take a few weeks on foot. And according to Izuku's map, most of the travel time comes from going through the forest. But since he used Blackwhip and Float to get out of that forest in only one week, I'd say we might have... at least a few more days' worth of travel on foot unless Izuku runs the entire way left."
"Seriously? That blows..." Daigoro whined at Hikage's estimation.
"It's not so bad," Izuku said positively. "I've actually really enjoyed all the traveling! It's basically the camping trip I've never gone!"
"What about the training camp with the hero classes?"
"That doesn't count. It wasn't actually camping outdoors, not to mention we only spent two days there before the league hit us and we-Wait, do you hear something?"
Izuku stopped walking, registering the sound of something rattling not too far away. Quickly figuring out it was coming from behind, he turned around and saw the faint figures of two horses pulling something.
"Is that...?"
"Oh, hey! That's a carriage! Hitch a ride, Izuku!" Daigoro urged.
"Actually, that looks more like an old prairie wagon, but kinda the same thing." Hikage corrected.
"Doesn't matter! Either way, it should be more convenient than walking! Get on there, Izuku! You earned it!" Yoichi agreed.
"Wouldn't it be rude for me to get a ride just like that?" Izuku asked, unsure about it.
"Not if you ask." Nana encouraged.
Izuku's face brightened, and he ran towards the horse-powered vehicle with a wave.
"Izuku! Izuku!"
"Zzzzzz..."
"Wake up, kid!"
"Mmmm..."
"C'mon! Get up!"
"Five more minutes..."
Yoichi cleared his throat.
"Look! A limited edition All Might hoodie and gloves!"
"WHERE!?"
Izuku suddenly shot up with crazed, wide-open eyes, only to freeze when he saw multiple gazes of random people staring at him with various degrees of surprise.
He instantly remembered how he had asked the carriage coachman if he could ride with him, to which he had been allowed to for a small fee.
Izuku stiffened before his face turned completely red as he fell back into his seat, mumbling repeated apologies as he hugged his head with his arms as if trying to hide.
"Ah, you woke up just in time, boy!" A man chuckled.
He turned his gaze to the front of the carriage, where the middle-aged coachman controlling the horses looked back at him with a grin.
"I-In time for what?"
The man held the reins with one hand while the other made a presenting motion forward.
"Why, for arriving at our destination, of course!"
Eyes dilated.
"That's why I woke you up!"
Izuku gasped before stumbling out of his seat, apologizing to the few people he passed before reaching the front of the carriage and peeking outside the cover.
And there it was.
Right in the middle of the beautiful fields, surrounded by tall, castle-like stone walls and with the biggest tower he's ever seen, the city of Orario was finally in sight, waiting to welcome him.
Izuku could barely contain his excitement as the carriage slowly but surely rattled toward the city growing in the distance. So many miles away, yet already feeling so close, an ear-to-ear smile formed on his face as a gentle breeze swayed his hair.
This was it. This is where the next chapter of his story began. And he won't do anything different than he would've done before.
He'll become his own symbol once more, helping those in need and reaching out to those who were left without it. This would be where he'd find a way home, where he'll get strong enough to leave this world better than before.
He was going to be an adventurer.
But more importantly...
He was going to be a hero.
~{Author's Notes}~
And that's a wrap! A lot of things happened in this chapter that I wanna briefly mention. First of all, yes, I did sort of just time-skip to time-skip to make sure we didn't spend too long stuck in the village since I promised we'd get to Orario soon, hope that didn't seem too offputting. Learning how to kill something, coming to terms with killing something, practicing to learn the limits of the vestige's quirks, daily life in the village, and leaving the village along with the journey to Orario would've been far too much to write normally for Izuku, and if I had wanted to get too deep, we wouldn't have gotten to Orario yet. Hope you understand!
About One For All, I hope my descriptions of how the quirks were affected are good. I think this is the best scale they'll weaken, would like thoughts on that.
Next, Izuku's design in this fic is based on the Fantasy AU Izuku that was in one of the Ending OSTs for MHA, just look it up and you'll see what I mean! I found it too perfect not to use.
Oh, and about Izuku's primary weapons, I had done some considering on just what he should use, but I'm still not really sure. For now, I'm going with him using both a shortsword like the Fantasy AU version of him and also daggers because of an awesome idea given with him using Blackwhip for that improvised 'Kratos Style' lol. I think Izuku and the vestiges would agree on the variety of his weapons to change how he fights in conjunction with his quirks. Let me know your thoughts on that!
And lastly, speculation on the future! I already have ideas on just what kind of skills Izuku should get (besides how his quirks will appear), especially right off the bat because of all the experiences he's already gone through in his life! But that doesn't mean I wouldn't LOVE to hear from the rest of you!
What kinds of skills should Izuku get? What kind of magic should he have? I wanna hear it! I always look forward to long, analytical reviews and suggestions So until next time, I hope to hear from all of you!