"This is the end, sir!" Blackmore declared, brandishing his umbrella in a menacing fashion before pointing it at Izuku, who was at the bottom of the small rock formation he had claimed as his own. "It is I who possesses the high ground now!"
"Tough talk, Blackmore…" Izuku retorted, before throwing a beach towel over himself and materializing behind Blackmore, rising up from a large fissure in the rock. "But it means nothing to me!"
He laughed as he ducked a swing of Blackmore's umbrella, lunging forward and driving his fist into the taller boy's stomach. Blackmore dodged by shifting to his liquid form, allowing Izuku to move through him before returning to his solid form and bringing his umbrella back around, cracking his master across the shoulder. Izuku winced, twisting to kick at Blackmore, who dodged away before jabbing at Izuku with his umbrella. Izuku smacked it aside, stepping back inside Blackmore's guard and punching the boy across the jaw with a wicked left hook, knocking him backwards.
Blackmore groaned, before turning to liquid again and streaming toward Izuku, who crossed his arms to block. This was Blackmore's new special move he had developed, something he called Chase the Rain. Blackmore reappeared in physical form, retaining all the momentum of his liquid form and bringing his reinforced umbrella down on Izuku's crossed arms. Izuku winced at the sheer force of the impact, and pushed back against the pressure before punching Blackmore in the chest, forcing the bigger boy back.
"You need to follow through!" Izuku reminded him. "Never settle for one strike; always have a second ready to follow up, even if the first hits! Especially if the first hits! Capitalize on advantage and be ready to recover from failure!"
Izuku displayed this tactic in action, following up his first punch with a jab at Blackmore's face, which the boy snapped his head back to avoid. Izuku then capitalized on the blind spot this forced gesture created, sweeping Blackmore's legs out from under him and following up with an attempted stomp at the chest. Blackmore shifted to his liquid form, flowing away to the attack before Izuku twisted and nailed his side with a roundhouse kick when he reformed.
"See?" he asked, giving Blackmore a moment to breathe and catch himself, backing off slightly. "Strike first, strike fast, strike hard, strike last."
"Is that… a quote… sir?" Blackmore asked, heaving back great lungfuls of air. "Who… is it from?"
"I dunno." Izuku shrugged. "Probably a hero. I can't remember. Do you need some water?"
Blackmore rubbed his dry lips with the back of his hand and nodded, too parched to speak. Izuku nodded and turned away, climbing back down the rock. The two were spending a Saturday morning training at Dagobah Beach, the same beach Izuku had cleaned during his original training with All Might. He and Blackmore had spent half an hour jogging up and down the beach, collecting any loose garbage and disposing of it as a warm-up before beginning their proper combat training. A nearby police officer on patrol had been informed of their intent, and they had been given the go ahead to teain so long as they stayed on the northern edge of the beach, which was less frequently visited. The fact that it was also covered in rock formations they could jump around on was only icing on the cake.
Blackmore seemed different, Izuku noted. He almost seemed distracted, at least a little, as if he was having trouble focusing on the present. Izuku wondered if it was maybe something to do with the USJ incident, but he didn't dare ask. Blackmore was loath to give up information about himself or his feelings, especially since he hated the idea of Izuku being worried about him. Which ironically made sure Izuku worried about him, but Blackmore was a bit odd in his way of thinking. Izuku couldn't blame him; he was born in the nineteenth century, after all. He was left utterly stunned and appalled by the sight of women in tight pants, and his first time seeing Momo's hero costume had left him borderline comatose for several long minutes.
Izuku was only glad he had never had a chance to meet Mineta. Blackmore would have beaten the boy to death in seconds, likely while ranting in that quiet death-whisper about respecting and cherishing women.
Izuku grabbed a water bottle from his backpack, throwing it up to Blackmore with a shouted warning. Blackmore snatched it from the air and drank half of it in just a few gulps, before capping it and throwing it back. Izuku downed the rest, and slid the bottle back into his backpack. He had spent ten months cleaning up this beach; he'd be damned if he was going to be caught littering on it.
"So, for our next exercise, I was thinking we could…" Izuku trailed off when Blackmore shook his head, before pointing to something behind him.
Izuku turned to see one of their classmates approaching; Mina Ashido, wearing a pair of hip-hugger denim cut-offs that had Blackmore looking at the ocean immediately. Izuku just blushed for a second, before waving in greeting. Mina did the same, and Izuku managed to smile at her before glancing back to see how Blackmore was coping. Ah, yes, ocean watching. A classic technique.
"Class Prez! Blackmore!" Ashido smiled at them both. "What are you guys doing around here?"
"I could ask you the same." Izuku replied, hoping it sounded as casual as it sounded in his head. "We're just getting some training in before the Sports Festival."
"Same!" Ashido laughed, before looking up at Blackmore. "Is… is he okay? He's not looking over here."
"Blackmore comes from an older time." Izuku replied, nodding at her attire of jean shorts and tank top. Ashido looked at herself for a second, before realizing what Izuku meant.
"Oh… so he's worried he's gonna spook little old me by looking?" she asked, a sly smile on her face. "In that case, he's gonna be screwed if he has to fight a cute girl villain. One second, I'm gonna go help him with that…"
She took off running toward Blackmore's rock clambering up the side. Blackmore saw her coming and took a step back, and then Izuku did the same when she pulled off her top to reveal what looked suspiciously like a leopard print bikini underneath. Izuku wasn't even facing her and his face went red; Blackmore literally liquefied and then streamed over to Izuku's side materializing and nearly falling over. Ashido just laughed, before pulling her tank top back on and moving toward the two again, sliding down the rock with her acid ability.
"Sorry about that, Blackmore." she said, giggling. "The look on your face was hilarious, though… wanna look again?"
Blackmore managed to maintain solid form this time, but he did not turn around, reaching down to his side and retrieving his mask, pressing it to his face. Ashido's expression switched from amused to curious, and she tapped him on the shoulder. Blackmore turned, swallowing hard and meeting her eyes. Izuku just watched, intrigued.
"What's with the mask?" Ashido asked. "You afraid I'll see you blushing or something?"
"I find your method of dress extremely disconcerting, and am concerned I am embarrassing you by looking." Blackmore replied, shaking his head. "Also my face is turning red and I don't like it very much."
Ashido started to giggle again, before reaching up and touching a single finger to the cheek of the mask. Blackmore's expression was inscrutable from the outside, but under the mask he was quite confused.
"I don't get why you hide your face so much." Ashido said. "You're actually pretty cute. You've got this boyish look about you, and your hair is super pretty."
Blackmore liquefied and retreated again, this time streaming further down the beach and materializing with a quiet gasp. Izuku sighed, putting a hand on Ashido's shoulder and turning her to face himself.
"Please stop sexually harassing my butler." he said, voice deadpan. "He's already had a rough week, so please don't add to it."
Ashido's smile failed to shrink, and she watched Blackmore flee with a quiet giggle before she turned to Izuku, still grinning.
"I was being serious about the girl-villain thing." she said. "If he can't hit a girl, or even focus if she's wearing sexy clothes, he's not going to be much good in a fight. Even if he has a super cool Quirk and can fight people with an umbrella."
"I just don't think this is the right way for him to get over the issue." Izuku replied. "Besides, he's got a lot of stuff on his plate right now, and the Sports Festival is coming up. There's a lot for us to do before then to make sure we're both up to snuff."
"Did you just say 'up to snuff'?" Ashido asked.
"Yes I did." Izuku replied, rubbing his forehead with a palm. "Now, is there anything you need help with, or were you just bored?"
"Got it in one." Ashido replied, before looking back at Blackmore. "You two are way more interesting than walking on the beach. Think I could join in with this little training thing? I could use some practice to make sure I'm 'up to snuff' too."
Izuku considered that for a moment, before shrugging. Ashido had a unique, highly mobile fighting style, and unlike Blackmore or himself, she was capable of attacking from a range with her acid. The practice would probably be a good change of pace. And it would help with Blackmore's 'fighting girls is icky' problem, so it was a win/win.
"Alright…" Izuku nodded, before waving Blackmore back over. "Three way, then."
"Oh, I don't know about that…" Ashido replied, coyly brushing a hand against her collar as she spoke. "You two might be a little much for me, at the same time."
Izuku said nothing, for what was there to say?
Several kilometres away, a very different situation was unfolding. Two people stood in an alleyway, the first pointing a gun at the second. The first was a tall, pale Japanese man, with slick black hair tied back in a ponytail evocative of the samurai of old. He was wearing a black suit, with a white shirt underneath the finely tailored jacket. The other was a young man clad in a white shirt with a deep V neckline revealing his bare chest and midriff underneath, with the features of a westerner and a white hair that sat tousled and disorderly on his scalp.
The man in black had a small black pistol in his hand, a plain and simple nine millimetre the likes of which the boy in white had never seen before. He knew it was a gun, but it didn't look to him like any sort of weapon he'd seen before. The guns he knew were six shooters and lever action rifles, break action shotguns and a soldier's musket, the bolt action of a marksman or Gatling gun of a machine gunner. He didn't know this strange, boxy weapon, matte black and almost shiny, missing any of the wooden furniture he recognized.
The boy in white was not a boy of this time, that much was clear to any who could see his thoughts. To his back was a dumpster, and to his front was the man with the gun. He's got me trapped, he thought to himself. That poor bastard.
The boy waited as the man glared at him, expecting the gun to fire any moment now. He had put himself between this man and an innocent woman, apparently a grave sin as far as the man was concerned. That wasn't the boy's problem; he was more curious as to where he had misplaced some thirty years of age, to return to his teens. He was also curious as to why the buildings on either side of him were monstrous grey monoliths, and why the man was carrying such a strange gun.
The boy was no stranger to time travel. It was his bread and butter. But he had never known himself to go forward, only back. Was this the future, he wondered? Or had the Stand that had pulled him from death moved him to some other reality entirely? He wasn't certain, he couldn't be. But he had saved a life, and was now being held at gunpoint. Two good things.
It should be noted that this boy was a very peculiar boy, for he had once been a fully grown man, long ago in a different world. But he didn't have time to embrace his peculiarities; he had a gun in his face and a metal box to his back. He needed to figure out a plan, and fast. His hands didn't shake; they were totally still. He felt no fear, no panic or worry. This was nothing to be afraid of. A man with a gun, the boy had seen, fought and killed much more dangerous men. Even if the man's gun was a queer, alien contraption to him, even if he himself lacked a suitable firearm, or any firearm at all, he wasn't worried.
"Reckon you'll want to put that down, son." The boy's voice was smooth and calm, unaffected by the cracks and pitch-shifts of puberty. "This isn't a fight you're going to enjoy."
"Shut up." the man retorted. "You got in the way of some important business. Now I'm gonna have to-"
"-want to put that down, son." The boy's voice was smooth and calm, unaffected by the cracks and pitch-shifts of puberty. "This isn't a fight you're going to enjoy."
"Shut up." the man retorted. "You got in the way of some important business. Now-"
"Reckon you'll want to put that down, son." The boy's voice was smooth and calm, unaffected by the cracks and pitch-shifts of puberty. "This isn't a fight you're going to enjoy."
"Shut up." the man retorted. "You… you…"
He looked confused suddenly, blinking and bringing his free hand up to his face, pressing his palm to his forehead. His eyes narrowed, and the gun wavered in his hand. The boy just stood there, expression clear, arms folded.
"What the…" the man shook his head. "I… I already… didn't you…"
"Mandom." the boy said.
"Shut up." the man retorted. "You… you…"
The man once again looked confused, blinking and bringing his free hand up to his face, pressing his palm to his forehead. His eyes narrowed, and the gun wavered in his hand. The boy just stood there, expression still clear, arms still folded.
"Like I said, a few times now;" the boy began walking forward, toward the man, who looked horrified suddenly. "This ain't a fight you're going to enjoy."
"GET DOWN!"
The sudden shout combined with something large and topped with red suddenly placing itself between the boy and the man was a stunning mix, leaving both completely frozen for a moment. The boy stared as the redhead, whose skin seemed angular and almost like solid rock, as he lunged at the man.
The gun fired, and the boy winced. Then the redhead laughed, seizing the gun in one hand and the man's shirt in the other, wrenching the first away before slamming the man into the wall. The gun skittered across the pavement, stopping at the boy in white's feet and laying there. The redhead reared his head back and slammed his stone-like forehead into the man in black's face, knocking him out quite swiftly and then dropping him onto the ground. With that finished, he turned and faced the boy in white, who was now holding and examining the gun with a keen eye.
"You okay?" he asked, smiling. "I heard the commotion and came as quick as I-"
The redhead laughed, seizing the gun in one hand and the man's shirt in the other, wrenching the first away before slamming the man into the wall. The gun skittered across the pavement, stopping at the boy in white's feet and laying there. The boy in white kicked it behind him, under the dumpster. The redhead reared his head back and slammed his stone-like forehead into the man in black's face, knocking him out quite swiftly and then dropping him onto the ground. With that finished, he turned and faced the boy in white, who was standing and watching the events with a curious gaze.
"You okay?" the redhead asked, smiling. "I heard the commotion and came as quick as I could. That guy didn't hurt you, did he? What was he even pointing a gun at you for?
"No, son, poor bastard didn't get a shot off 'fore you took him down." the boy replied. "As for your other question… figure I made him a touch mad when I stopped him from shooting a lady in the street. Led him for a merry chase, tried to get him close so my Stand would be more effective."
"Good, good…" the redhead smiled, before blinking. "I'm Eijirou Kirishima. Nice to… wait… your Stand? Like, your Quirk? I… I swear, I've heard that before."
He put a finger on his chin and pondered for a long moment, before remembering and raising a finger.
"No, son, poor bastard didn't get a shot off 'fore you took him down." the boy replied. "As for your other question… figure I made him a touch mad when I stopped him from shooting a lady in the street. Led him for a merry chase, tried to get him close so my Quirk would be more effective."
"That's good." the redhead replied, smiling. "That was really brave, what you did. What's your Quirk, anyways?"
"Quirk?" the boy in white considered that for a moment, piecing together the meaning of the word. "Ah, yeah. I call it Mandom. It, uh, it lets me see into the future a few seconds. Real useful, but I gotta be close to actually get it to do much."
The boy had no intentions of fighting this strange redhead with rock skin and pointed teeth, though he noted the rock skin had disappeared and turned back to normal human skin instead. As such, he had no intention of telling him what his power really did. If the boy cared so much, he could probably figure it out on his own.
"Wow, that's super cool!" the boy said. "And you tried to get him close so you could fight him? That's really manly, dude!"
The boy in white paused for a moment, considering that last statement.
"Eijirou Kirishima, eh?" he said, before offering the boy a hand to shake. "Name's Ringo Roadagain. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Author's Note:
Here's everybody else's favourite minor villain in Steel Ball Run! Still like Blackmore more for various reasons, though I can happily admit Ringo is a pretty cool guy with an awesome Stand. And before anybody asks, this isn't the promised second-favourite character. Ringo's probably my… seventh? Eighth? I'm not sure. He's cool, but he's not quite on the level of my favourites as far as my opinion goes.
Beyond that, here's Blackmore getting some insensitivity training, Mina trying to help and Izuku suffering all the same. Kirishima has made a new friend (and trust me, he will soon know of the True Man's World) and Ringo has entered the picture. Next up? Probably one more chapter of character stuff before we hit the Sports Festival. Hope everybody's enjoying things so far, and I'll see with the next one!