UA (Day)
"I'm sure I said this already, but your goal for the summer is to obtain provisional hero licenses." Aizawa said to his class. "Do not take this lightly. A hero license means that you'll be responsible for human lives. Because of this, the exam to receive one is very difficult. Only 50% of students pass the test each year."
"It's that hard to get a provisional license?" Mineta said, taken aback. He knew it'd be hard, but this was something else.
"It is for this reason that you'll be working on something new." Aizawa said as the classroom door opened. From it, Midnight, Cementoss, and Ectoplasm walked in. "You'll have to create at least two Ultimate Moves."
'Ultimate Moves?' Dominic thought to himself. 'Well, I already have my Special Attacks, and most of my Pokemon are trained to be as strong as they can get. But how am I supposed to make two new attacks on top of that!?'
"When we say Ultimate, we mean a technique that assures your victory." Ectoplasm explained.
"An act so ingrained in your spirit that nobody can ever copy it." Cementoss said. "In short, lean into your strengths."
"An Ultimate Move is the essence of who you are. Most heroes have at least one. Those that don't are fools." Midnight said.
"It might sound a bit abstract, but we'll explain as the day goes on." Aizawa said. "For now, change into your costumes and meet up at Gym Gamma."
Gym Gamma (Day)
"Gym Gamma, also known as the Training Dining Land, or TDL for short." Aizawa said as the class entered the building.
'Okay, that had to be intentional.' Dominic thought to himself, remembering the USJ.
"This facility was my idea." Cementoss said, molding a small lump of concrete. "We can create unique obstacles and terrains for each student here."
"If I may be allowed a question, what advantage does having an Ultimate Move serve for our provisional licenses?" Iida asked.
"The job of a hero is to protect people from crime, accidents, and natural disasters." Aizawa explained. "While the exam will cover this, it's not just fighting. Your ability to gather intel and make quick decisions will be judged, as well as how you communicate and cooperate with others. Every year, a different test is used to evaluate these qualities."
"One thing remains of utmost importance." Midnight spoke up. "If you want to be a hero, you'll have to be able to prevail in any battle. If you're prepared, you won't need to worry. But those of you with Ultimate Moves will produce better results."
"Your circumstances should not dictate the outcome of future battles." Cementoss said. "Learn to be consistent, and you will be a great asset on the front line."
"Your Ultimate Move does not need to be an attack. Take Iida's Recipro Burst for example." Ectoplasm said, surprising the student. "The burst of speed he gains is a threat worthy of being an Ultimate Move."
While Iida was relishing in the idea of one of his techniques being considered an Ultimate Move by his teachers, Sato realized what the heroes were saying. "So, we need a move that makes us feel like we can win no matter what."
"Exactly." Midnight said. "Take Kamui Woods, who played a major role in the villain incident the other day. His Lacquered Chain Prison is a prime example of an Ultimate Move, an attack that prevents his opponent from moving."
"Because the camp was cut short, we weren't able to create your Ultimate Moves." Aizawa said. "That's why we worked on improving your limits with your Quirks. So until the next semester begins, for the ten or so days until the end of summer vacation, you'll have to come up with two Ultimate Moves while improving your Quirks. Furthermore, you might want to think about how your costumes can be improved as well, considering how your Quirks are developing the nature of your attacks. To accomplish your goals, you'll need Plus Ultra spirit."
And so began some of the toughest training the class had ever experienced. But of them all, Dominic was struggling the most. Not because of his own weakness or the weakness of his Pokemon, but because of their strength. Chesnaught, Greninja, and especially Charizard were all at a level so high that it would be impossible for them to get any stronger.
"Xiao-Long." one of Ectoplasm's clones said, walking up to the boy. "I understand that you have several special attacks already."
"Yeah. I've had them since I was 8." Dominic said. Atonement Blast, Death-Row Blast, and Purgatory Blast were all valuable tools on his road to the top. As for the special version of Death-Row Blast he pulled off during the I-Island trip, it expended too much energy to be considered a viable weapon in the state he was now. The only reason he used it against Wolfram was because HATE was partially influencing his decisions. "But there is something I've been thinking about for a while. It's my Pokemon, well, one in particular. Charizard recently learned the most powerful Fire-Type attack it can know, and yet, it's weaker than it's supposed to be."
"Hmm, while your Pokemon are unusual creatures, their Quirks aren't." Ectoplasm said. "What does this attack do?"
"Blast Burn is a move that has the user channel all of their fire energy into one explosive stream of flame. The detonation is usually strong enough to take out even the toughest opponents in a single shot. But because of the energy used during the attack, the user has to rest a short while after it's fired." Dominic explained. "The thing I'm worried about, though, is the power my Charizard is putting into the attack. When we battled one of the villains at the camp, his Quirk tore Blast Burn apart like it was nothing, even though Charizard was Mega Evolved."
"Hmm. I've seen similar things before." All Might said, walking up to the boy. "Have you thought of using Blast Burn in a different way?"
"A different way?" Dominic asked, confused.
"Sometimes, the straightforward approach isn't the best one." the former hero said. "The trick to figuring out an Ultimate Move is to find new ways to use your Quirk." Dominic didn't miss the glance All Might gave to Midoriya, who was training with another one of Ectoplasm's clones.
'A new way to use Charizard's power...' Dominic mused quietly. 'Okay, how many people have you seen with Pokemon that know Blast Burn? Red and Kieran. When Kieran's Incineroar used it, it just blasted Venusaur with flames. But maybe that works better for it than it does for Charizard. When Red's used Blast Burn against my Charizard, it did the exact same thing. The only time I ever saw a variation in their implementation of that move was when-'
And then, like a bomb going off, it hit him.
"I need to go!" he said, rushing through the door. If he was right, then he and Charizard would never be stronger.
