Written by PKSpartan.
Edited by: Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PKSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI.
Author's Note: Happy Holidays to all! We put out 21 new HLK chapters this year and we hope you'll enjoy this one as well. See you in January!
The HLK Team
"TEXAS SMAAASH!"
With a mighty punch, Deku pancaked his opponent with the force of five bullet trains. The villain he was fighting was launched from his feet and into the nearest building.
"AMAZING! That's our No. 1! He knocked that big guy out of the park with that smash! I think that was a new record set in launch range!"
"DEKU! DEKU! DEKU!"
Cheers and applause surrounded the hero as he was showered with the praise of those around him. He raised his fist and the cheer's grew even louder.
Izuku Midoriya was living his best life. Being the No.1 Hero in the entire world would give you that kind of feeling. As he waved at the crowds of people, he rocketed into the air and blasted off to his next stop.
A few minutes passed and he landed in front of a two-story house with a green roof and red paint around the structure. Dusting his boots on the outside rug, Izuku entered his home.
"Honey, I'm home! And yes, I said that knowing it would annoy you!" Izuku called out to his wife. To this day, the mere thought of his wife still made his heart do somersaults.
"Izuku~"
The hulking greenette turned to the origin of the voice, to see both his wife and his best friend, Ochako Uraraka and Ryuko Matoi. The women in question are wearing very risque versions of their hero outfits.
"I-Uh-Um, w-what's all this?" Izuku questioned.
"We were just waiting for you to get home, sweety," Ochako huskily said to her green-haired lover.
"All that hero work probably left you all…tense with stress," Ryuko purred, with her and Ochako stalking toward their intended target.
The two women got so close to Midoriya that he could feel their breath on his neck.
"Izuku…"
The man in question couldn't focus. He let his body do the work as his hands roamed to their-
*BANG*
"Wake up runt, it's time for your training!"
-Day 2, Gran Torino's Apartment: 4 a.m.-
Izuku's eyes shoot open from the abrupt shouting and sounds of bolts busting from hinges as he was awoken from his slumber by Miruko, AKA the one who's gonna make his life a living hell for the next week.
The abrupt slam from his teachers caused the greenette to fall from his bed and hit his head on the floor.
'Holy whoa, that was crazy! Why did I dream about Ryuko and Ochako like that?!'
"Daylight? It's 4 a.m.! There's no daylight to waste!" Izuku exclaimed, holding his busted alarm clock. It was originally set for 5 a.m. in the morning, thinking it would be a decent time to wake up for training.
"The top heroes always wake up before the crack of dawn, kid. You wanna make it big, waking up absurdly early is a way to start," Gran Torino said, earning a nod from his "partner."
"And we're here to make sure that happens, little kit. I'm gonna turn you from a soft, tiny bunny into a hot-blooded jack rabbit ready to fight and fuck!" Miruko added, earning a small grimace from the two males in the room.
"Um…I'd rather not have one of my improvements be in my nonexistent sex-life. I'll um, just get ready for training," Izuku said while hobbling to his suitcase to pull out his exercise clothes.
"Well hustle, kit! We got six days to whip ya into shape and I ain't wasting a single second!" Miruko declared while kicking the unhinged door up in the air, with it landing next to the greenette.
"Right, yes Ma'am!"
After getting his exercise clothes together, Izuku went to meet his teachers outside the apartment complex.
"So what kind of training do you have planned? Stamina? Strength training?, Or something completely…different?" Midoriya's words trailed off as he stared at what appeared to be a giant slab of rock strapped to wheels on the bottom.
"Hope you're ready kid, cuz this thing is gonna be your new friend for the next six days," Gran Torino said while gesturing to the giant piece of earth.
"You better start stretching, cuz you got a long way to go. Hahahahahahah!" Miruko laughed, taking her seat atop the structure on wheels.
"And just like that…
..~~~HLK~~~..
"...my six days in Hell officially began."
"Nnnnnnaaaaaaaarggggh!"
"Come on kid, get that pep in ya step! You still have a long way to go!" Miruko yelled from the…top?
It appeared that Miruko had made a seat on a mass of stone that was strapped to Izuku's back. The only small reprieve were the wheels that were attached on the bottom of the stone pillar.
Didn't really matter much as the exercise itself was a war against gravity.
"At 4:30 in the morning, we traveled to a near desolate road in the city. Gran Torino and Miruko had me do strength based training. Almost practically one-to-one with the training All Might had me do to get One For All. The only real difference is-"
"OI, brat! Keep that glow up! If you wanna use that Quirk right, this is the start! I better not see even a small spark fade from there, got it?!" Gran Torino shouted as he was also perched on top of the slab of rock.
"Yeah! Don't even think about losing that spark! Or else it's back to the beginning, kit!" Rumi added.
"I had to keep Full Cowl on in a constant flow at five-percent continuously, not turning it off for even a second. It sounds easy on paper, but with this combined with the other exercises they had me doing, it only added to the difficulty."
Feeling his control starting to wane, Izuku pushed more of One For All through his body to keep Full Cowl running. With the sudden boost, he continued onward to his destination over in the next part of town.
'It feels like my body is going through the Aim-To-Pass American Dream Plan nine times over! Still, I need to keep pushing. This might be my chance to finally have a true mastery of Full Cowling. I can't let it slip from my fingers.'
..~~~HLK~~~..
After dragging the large, earthy slab throughout the city and back, the trio move on to their next batch of exercises.
"96…97…98…99…"
"Those last three didn't count, kiddo. Get down lower! I wanna see that chest hit the damn floor and off it in one second!" Gran Torino chastised, as he sat on a lawn chair staring at the boy while nursing a can of green tea.
"At 5:30 a.m., we moved to upper body training. Miruko would be on my back lifting weights while I did four sets of two-hundred. Full Cowling was put to the test here. All the weight from Miruko and her weights, coupled with the multiple repetitions, had me sweating like a mule!"
"Come on, keep it up buck! You still got two more sets before the hard stuff!" Miruko exclaimed, earning a small grunt of dismay from the boy.
"Hard stuff?! What…ngh, can there be that's any more straining than this?!"
"What, ya startin' to get cold feet, ya newbie? Don't tell me all that stuff Toshinori said about ya was just hot air," Torino mocked the inheritor, wanting to get a rise out of Izuku.
"Of course not! Whatever you have, I can take! I won't disappoint! Just you wait and see!" Midoriya exclaimed.
Miruko looked at her co-teacher, with Torino matching her gaze. Turning back toward their ward, both of them grinned. That earned a small bit of fear from Midoriya.
"And when 7:00 a.m. hit… Well-"
..~~~HLK~~~..
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAAAAAAAH!"
"-they found a way to make the last two exercises feel like a dip in the pool."
The three took their training to the top of a grassy hill, with Gran Torino again taking a seat near some shade while watching his intern endure Miruko's brand of "training."
The training in question was Izuku being strapped to a pole while having his limbs pulled apart by Miruko, while having One For All constantly flowing.
"Keep that energy flowing, kid! The longer you hold it, the more your body will acclimate to the stretching," Torino said while keeping a close eye on his charge, making sure Miruko doesn't go overboard with the stretches.
"E…asier s…sai…d t-than -d-d-dONE, sir," Midoriya strained out, trying to answer through the pain felt in his EVERYWHERE.
"Jeez kid, loosen up a little bit. You won't be able to get any flexibility if you don't relax your muscles," Miruko lectured, which was somewhat surprising considering her personality.
"I'm shocked you're not yelling at the top of your lungs, Usagiyama. Kinda was expecting you to start throwing insults and innuendo's left and right," Gran Torino said with a small grin.
"Hey, just because I'm a wild child doesn't mean I can't be careful. Besides, the last thing I need is a repeat from last time. And there's NO WAY IN HELL I'M GIVING YOU THAT BIT OF SATISFACTION AGAIN!" Miruko yelled out, accidentally pulling on the ropes attached to Midoriya's limbs.
"OH SWEET ALL MIGHT, TOO MUCH! TOO MUUUUUCH!" Izuku cried out.
"Oh crap, sorry kid! Didn't mean to tug that hard," The rabbit hero apologized to the pained greenette.
Miruko then turned her attention back to the elder hero.
"So what's the deal with this anyway? Are you sure this is gonna help the kid? I mean, this was some of the stuff I did when I was training back in high school, even then it was tough. You sure he can take what's next?" Rumi questioned, wanting some information out of her fellow hero.
"The boy's Quirk is similar to an old friend of mine, and this was a similar way for her to get used to the power as well. Not like what we're doing, but on the same scale," Torino explained.
"Old friend… OH, are you talking about Maverick?!" Miruko exclaimed excitedly, accidentally pulling too hard on Midoriya's bands again.
"Well, yeah. But no, not exactly. I was referring to someone else," Gran Torino said, almost solemnly.
That small exchange caught Izuku's attention. This was the first time he'd seen his teachers act somewhat normal. And what Gran Torino said about this "Maverick" started getting the gears going in his head.
His train of thought was quickly interrupted by Miruko's insistent pulling of his limbs, however.
"WHO SAID YOU COULD SPACE OUT, KIT?! I NEED YOUR FULL UNDIVIDED ATTENTION FOR THIS, GOT IT?!" Miruko shouted into his ear.
"Yes Ma'am!"
"Now there's the Rumi I was waiting for!" Gran Torino said excitedly.
'I take it back, these two are insane!'
..~~~HLK~~~..
"At noon, Gran Torino moved us to another part of the city. For what reason, well…"
"Alright, kid. It's time for you to fight."
"Wha?" Izuku looked up, worn, dirty and beaten.
"You heard him," Miruko cracked her knuckles, each popping like firecrackers. "And it's not just me."
"Oh no…" the teen muttered with dread.
"You said you were ready, kid. Since we want to get you up to speed, this is the most effective method. If you can keep up that energy against an old pro and a Top 10 hero, then you can hold your own in almost any fight," Sukahiro explained.
"You may think of this as harsh training-"
"It is," Izuku deadpanned, with Torino chuckling instead of berating him.
"But this kind of method has had its successes."
The light bulb immediately clicked for Midoriya. How could he be so blind?
'All Might! Why couldn't you have warned me about this?!'
"Five seconds," Miruko smirked.
Izuku snapped back to life and got into a fighting stance, ready to go. If this was something All Might had to go through, he could do it too.
"Heh. There's the look I was hoping for," Torino smiled.
Two seconds later, both pros rushed in. Miruko dove low to trip him, while Gran Torino aimed high to catch him off balance. Without hesitation, Izuku jumped to dodge Miruko's incoming attack, but was forced to tank the hit Torino had for him.
'Ow! Okay, that hurt way more than I thought it would," Izuku thought while being forced back by Torino's kick.
Miruko skidded across the ground, then checked back up to rush him again.
After rolling from the previous hit, Midoriya turned to see Miruko rushing at him. Thinking fast, he threw a straight punch at the approaching hero. Seeing his fist closing in, Miruko veered to a stop and performed a Macaco Em Pe to gain some distance, knocking his arm in the process.
'Damn! Forget Gran Torino! That hurts! I'm glad I still have Full Cowling running. My fingers would've been completely fractured by that hit.'
The force of her kick messed with his footing, making him lose balance. Gran Torino took advantage of this and bolted towards Izuku. Before the boy could react, he was met with a clothesline that sent him straight into the ground.
As Izuku tried to get on his feet, Miruko finished him off with a Martelo de Negativa Kick to his abdomen, knocking all the air out of his lungs.
Izuku curled up on the ground in pain, clasping his hand hard against his lips. It took all of his willpower to not vomit on the ground right now.
"Whew! That was a good warm up! Really got the blood rush in all the right places, don't ya think, geezer?" Miruko said, stretching her left leg over her head.
"What did I tell ya about calling me old, runt? Or did you forget who I got on speed dial if you start a damn fit?" Torino threatened, earning a small shudder from the rabbit hero.
"Okay, okay! Jeez, can't you take a joke?"
"Back on topic. Kid, how ya feeling? That kick was pretty rough. You good to go another round?" The aged hero asked his intern.
"*WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE*"
That was the only sound that came out of the greenette's mouth as he laid down in the fetal position.
"I'm gonna take that as you begging for a break," Miruko quipped, grabbing the teen by the back of his T-shirt.
"N-no, wait. I can-I can keep go-HUUUURRRRRRRRRRRGGHGHGGHGGHRRRGGHGH!" Without warning, Izuku vomited from his position. Miruko placed her arm a little bit outward, not wanting the teen she was carrying to vomit on her.
"Yeah, no. We're taking a break now, Midoriya. I'd rather we NOT have to pick ya up every time ya wanna go Plus Ultra," Torino said. "Let's take five and see what's for lunch."
"We'd better eat something other than Taiyaki, old man!" Rumi shouted.
"Now what did I just say?!"
Izuku sat for a while longer, catching his breath and wiping his mouth before punching the ground.
'Damn it! I barely lasted a minute there. "I can keep going?" Come on, what was I thinking?!'
He looked at the concrete below him, seeing that he made a crater in it with his punch.
'But I have to keep going. Everyone else is working hard at their internships. I bet Ryuko's learning all kinds of things. I'll catch up. Just you wait, Ryuko!'
Before the three could depart, Miruko's phone rang.
"Huh? Could've sworn I put this on silent. Imma put you down real quick, kit. I gotta take this," Miruko said while lowering the boy to the ground.
Rumi took her phone to check who was calling, her eyes widened, seeing the name on the screen.
"Oh fuck, it's her! Hey geezer, I better not hear a peep from you while I take this, got it?!" The rabbit hero chided, while Torino made the zipping your lip gesture as his answer.
Satisfied, Miruko went to answer her phone.
"¡Ay, hola abuela! Me sorprende que hayas llamado."
"..."
"No, me voy hoy. Solo ayudando a Torino con un pequeño proyecto."
"..."
"¡N-no abuela, no voy a pelear con él! Sólo estamos bromeando, eso es todo, lo prometo."
"..."
"Umm, do you know what she's saying?" Izuku asked Sorahiko.
"SHH!" Miruko snapped at the two before turning back to her phone.
"Sí, solo hacemos un descanso para almorzar y luego regresamos al trabajo."
"..."
"Ooh, ¿Hiciste Mocotó? Conociéndote, hiciste más de lo que pensabas."
"..."
"Genial, pasaré por aquí y tomaré un poco para mí y los muchachos. Está bien, nos vemos pronto. Te amo, adiós!"
With that, Miruko ended her call, turning her attention back to the others.
"I'm gonna go grab some chow for us. Try not to kill the kid while I'm gone, I still got plans for the green bean and I need him ready when we start up again," Miruko said with a wild grin, earning a shudder from Izuku.
"Tell ya granny I said hi!" Torino retorted, earning a snarl from the rabbit hero.
"Absolutely not, and for the love of God, STOP TRYING TO GET WITH MI ABUELA!" Rumi exclaimed while hopping away from Izuku and Sorahiko.
"Ah, come on! I was just yanking your chain! Kids these days always got their mind in the damn gutter, lemme tell ya."
As Torino went to sit down, Izuku was able to slowly rise from his previous position while holding his still aching stomach.
"W-wow. Hearing Miruko speak Spanish was a lot more… well, different than I thought it was."
"Yeah, her family immigrated to Hiroshima 80 years ago. Came all the way from Brazil to get out of all the nonsense going on in Rio. Seriously, goddamn coup d'etats."
"Oh yeah, that was on national news. They called it "The Riot in Rio", the world's largest gang war in history. There were rumors that heroes participated in it, too. It was the first time the UN deployed heroes from other countries to help quell the chaos in another sovereign land," Izuku explained to the older hero.
"Huh, I heard you were a hero nerd, but that was something else. Color me impressed, kid. Not many people know about that nugget of history," Torino complimented Izuku, intrigued by the knowledge that his intern had at such a young age.
"Honestly I got it by accident. When I was doing research on Miruko some time back, I looked into her family history to find out a little more about her, since her own personal history isn't that well-documented. Her great-great grandfather moved from Mexico to live in Brazil, then married and immigrated to Japan after the riot. Her great grandmother met her great grandfather and the rest was history," Izuku continued
Gran Torino whistled at the surprise info dump.
"Seriously, Toshinori! Where the hell did you find this kid?"
"So what you're saying is that you're a stalker," Miruko pointed out, appearing behind Izuku, much to his surprise.
"AH! O-Oh um, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to mouth off like that, honest," Izuku fumbled out.
"Bah, loosen ya jock-strap kid. I'm not THAT secretive about my family history," Miruko said, putting a pot down near the two.
"Didn't you punch a reporter for trying to get answers out about your family a couple years back?" Sorahiko asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Hey, that jackass was trying to make a pass at me earlier and you know it! Anyway, Abuela made some Mocoto and saved a huge bit for us. Had to leave before she started talking about her day. I swear, she can talk up a fucking storm… DON'T tell her I said that, PLEASE!" Miruko pleaded.
"Holy cow! Does your grandma really scare you that much?" Izuku asked Miruko.
"If life has taught me anything, it's to not piss off your older relatives. Anytime I got out of line, she'd get the chancla," Miruko answered.
"What about you, kiddo? Got any scary family members?"
"No. It's just me and my mom," Izuku chuckled. "I wouldn't say she's scary, but I try to avoid testing the waters."
"Mhm. You're smart. Heroes around here should use their brain more like you. I would know, because I was a real knucklehead until my Abuela straightened me out," Rumi said.
"Really? What did you do?" Izuku asked.
"Ya ever heard about the late pro hero, Maverick?"
Gran Torino perked up once he heard that hero name. He glanced over at the two as they continued talking.
"No? Can't say I have."
"Well, she's basically my inspiration to get out there and kick some bad guy butt. Heck, that's all I was doing."
"What? So you're saying that you weren't trying to be a hero, but…you just went around fighting?" Izuku asked while raising his eyebrow.
"Yep! I just threw on an old luchador mask and looked for the toughest guy that I could take down," Rumi stated proudly.
"Reminds me a lot about someone," Izuku grimaced quietly. A certain blondie popped up in his thoughts.
"You had to be there though. Whenever she was busting heads and knocking out crime syndicates with all of these big and flashy moves, it was so badass! I've never seen someone just take out a group of guys by just punching the wind!" Miruko punched the air as she fangirled.
Izuku became intrigued by this story, and the fact someone other than him was nerding out. But something did catch his eye. The way Rumi was describing how Maverick fought, it was strikingly similar to how All Might fights. And did she say "she?"
"Even today, I don't have an agency or any of that mumbo jumbo institution stuff. I just wanna fight some tough guys! I only took the hero gig because my Abuela wasn't happy about seeing me get escorted home by cops."
"So basically, be a delinquent legally," Gran Torino joked.
"SHADDUP!" Miruko shouted before sighing. "Forget this! I'm going to hit a tree or something!"
The rabbit hero stomped away for a moment. As much as Gran Torino loved to put Miruko in her place, there was something that was lingering over his head for a bit. Once he and the rabbit finished their spat, he spoke to Midoriya.
"So kid, you really don't know who Maverick is?"
"No, I don't," Izuku responded.
"So he didn't tell you?" Torino raised a brow.
"Huh? Who? Was I supposed to know?"
"Maverick. She used to be All Might's teacher," Gran Torino answered somberly.
Izuku's eyes widened.
"O-Oh. I never knew."
He was at a loss for words. It sounded like this was something that should have been common knowledge. But there was a lot he didn't know about.
"How much do you know right now?" the elder hero asked.
"I only knew that All Might had a teacher. He didn't really get into any more detail about that or where umm, she is now," Izuku answered sheepishly.
Gran Torino could only scoff in disappointment, but soon changed his attitude once he noticed that Izuku was visibly upset.
"It's not your fault, kid. For a guy that chose you to be his successor, Toshinori really shouldn't be keeping these things from you."
Izuku only nodded in response.
"I won't get into detail because this is something he should discuss with you. Let's put it to rest and continue with your training. There's still plenty that you can learn," Torino stood back up.
"Yes sir," Izuku responded.
He couldn't get the thought out of his head now. His curiosity made him want to ask Gran Torino to give an explanation right now. But if it was personal to All Might, he wouldn't pry. Izuku smiled a bit, thinking about how Ryuko was also having trouble with her teacher not telling her everything.
The image of Ryuko chewing out All Might made the boy laugh to himself.
'Why does that seem so funny?'
..~~~HLK~~~..
-Day 3, Gran Torino's Residence: 4 a.m.-
"Do we gotta wake him up, again? I mean, the first time was funny, but it looked like he was REALLY enjoying the dream he was having. So doing it again, I dunno… I would rather not interrupt what's going on in that noggin of his," Miruko said, stretching her fingers as Torino made his way to the door.
"I wouldn't worry about that, kid. Besides, I got a different way of waking the little runt."
As he opened the door, Gran Torino pulled out his phone and increased the volume to its maximum. He then handed it to Miruko, much to her confusion.
"Um, why are you giving it to m-"
"I want you to chuck that into his head as hard as you can," Torino ordered.
"..."
"What?"
"You got some serious issues, old man," Rumi remarked, earning a tick on Torino's forehead.
"Oh for the love of– Just chuck the damn thing!" The older hero whispered.
As she pressed play, the phone released an air horn sound bite, surprising the rabbit hero to the point of shifting her long ears away from the phone. She wound her hand back and threw that thing like she was Randy Johnson after a coke bender.
The phone went flying into Izuku's room. As it neared the sleeping boy's head, his eyes shot open and then grabbed the airborne device just before it could even touch him.
"*Yawn* Morning…oh you dropped this," Izuku mumbled half asleep, catching the rabbit hero by surprise.
"Holy crap, how the hell did he catch that?" Miruko asked, stunned by the sudden display of instinct.
Gran Torino entered the room, walking towards the still sleepy student. Using his cane, he poked at the boy's shin.
"Hurry up and get ready for training, kiddo. We have another long day, so hussle." Torino said, with the boy now sluggishly moving to the bathroom.
"So now, mind telling me why the hell your kid isn't on the floor writhing in sheer agony while calling for his mama? Cuz all that stuff you had him and me do should've done just that," Rumi remarked.
"Simple, his Quirk."
"Huh?"
Gran Torino took a seat on Izuku's bed, bouncing slightly.
"You see, his Quirk is pretty much an enhancer. While in his registry it says he can unleash immense amounts of power at the expense of his body, there's more to it. If it was just unleashing power for power's sake, he'd be dead in a ditch on the second day of school. So it's not just pure energy his body is letting out willy nilly. The power itself is enhancing him as well," Gran Torino explained.
"Oh, I get it. So while unleashing all at once is what broke his fingers, you're focused on him handling that low output so his body can get used to it, right?" Miruko asked.
"Yes and no. I'm trying to get him to master that lower output to its maximum. When we're done with him, he won't have to wait 10 seconds to do that Full Cowling thing he's got going on," Torino continued
"And the reason why he's not on the floor?"
"Again, his Quirk. As he trains, his body is slowly adapting to the intense conditions. If we had him do everything without his Quirk, he'd be in the hospital. But with his Quirk on in a constant flow-"
"His body will get used to his Quirk faster!" Miruko exclaimed, excited about what's to come.
She heard about Midoriya being a late bloomer through the grapevine when she was looking to send in her offer. Her approach was just gonna be putting him through the ringer until he got used to it.
"But, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, I'm glad the old man was here. I wouldn't have known about how his Quirk worked if it wasn't for him. Still though…"
"How did you know this would work for his Quirk?" Miruko asked.
Torino looked his co-teacher straight in the eye.
"Oh, it's nothing really. Just… An old friend of mine had a similar situation. Figured if it worked for her, it would work for him."
..~~~HLK~~~..
Another day, another early morning of a brutal beatdown. Izuku could feel his muscles aching at the mere thought of facing Miruko again. It was all for his development as a hero, but he'd be lying to himself if he didn't wish it wasn't so painful.
Izuku stepped into the bathroom for a moment to brush his teeth. Morning breath left a nasty taste in his mouth. And he'd rather not have that piling on top of the shellacking he was going to receive. At least something would go well for him in that regard.
While he was brushing, Izuku occasionally tilted his head from side to side. Was it out of boredom? Or was it something he built a habit of whenever he put himself in front of a mirror? Maybe it had something to do with how energetic he got. He was the one who would drag Ryuko out of bed every morning.
Izuku wasn't totally sure, but he didn't dwell on it too much, as he was inches away from being a punching bag for Miruko. As he was tilting his head to the other side, Izuku noticed something on his neck and stopped. There was a bruise, which was no surprise given what the greenette went through in his training. But that wasn't what caught his eye.
The bruise on the left side of his neck was awfully faded. A normal person would need to look extra close to see it. This was strange because Izuku was certain that he received this during yesterday's sparring match. He quickly finished brushing and pulled off his shirt to inspect other areas.
Just like Izuku suspected, his other bruises weren't that noticeable.
'This is weird. The bruises are still blue, which means that I'm not healing or something. And they still sting, but not as much as before. I wonder what's happening?'
Izuku put his shirt back on and walked out to meet with Torino and Miruko. This would have to wait for a bit.
"Sheesh, kid. You're here early. Did you skip the bath?" Gran Torino asked Izuku.
"Well, since I'm going to be going through the usual routine, I thought it'd be better to save that for later. I hear that baths are a lot nicer after a hard day's work. Plus, I don't want to waste the water by bathing twice," Izuku responded.
"Hmm, maybe I should try that," Miruko expressed intrigue as if this were a breakthrough.
"Anyway, let's get the warmup started before we get on with the routine. Ya ready, kid?" Sorahiko asked as he stepped to the side.
Izuku and Miruko stood across from one another, waiting to start.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Izuku got into his fighting stance.
"That's the spirit!" Rumi prepared herself as well.
Izuku needed to get his A-game on, hoping to show that he was making progress to these two.
"Go!" Torino shouted.
Miruko darted towards Izuku with a roundhouse kick, which he was barely able to block.
'Damn! Still fast!'
The greenette tried to throw a punch in, but Miruko ducked to dodge it. And just like he anticipated, she followed up with a Martelo de Negativa kick. Izuku ducked as well and tried to trip her with a sweep kick.
Miruko's recovery was something to behold as she quickly balanced herself before jumping up to avoid the attack.
'I need to keep the pressure up! Maybe that'll give me an opening!'
Izuku chased after Miruko with a jumping crescent kick. She leaned her body forward to dodge the attack while also landing back on the ground. Izuku continued to be amazed by her combat prowess. There was control in her movement no matter where she was!
Miruko jumped with both of her legs tucked to her chest, ready to put her rabbit feet to use with a kangaroo kick. Izuku was able to put both of his arms up to shield himself from the impact as it sent him skidding back a few feet.
Izuku immediately readied himself to attack again, which sparked interest from Miruko. She charged forward and took Izuku by surprise by leaping right towards him. The rabbit hero caught him between her legs and used her weight and momentum to throw him to the ground.
Now that Miruko had the upper hand, she went in for a sweep kick at the downed Izuku. But he pushed himself off of the ground with his hands and feet, hopping right over her foot. Izuku then threw his legs back, which let his feet strike Miruko's side.
The rabbit hero grunted as the force was enough to drop her. Izuku used that impetus to roll backwards on the ground to regain footing. Once he was planted, Izuku launched himself off the ground towards Miruko with an elbow drop ready.
She quickly rolled to the side to avoid the attack. Miruko may be strong, but an elbow to the back is nothing to shrug off, especially since Izuku made a good dent into the concrete.
'This kid is something else! Whatever I throw at him, he keeps coming back! He's even taking my hits much better than before. And that kick… He's definitely getting the hang of the flexibility training.'
Izuku stood up, dusted off his arm, and readied himself again.
'I can't believe it. I actually managed to land a hit on Miruko! The training's starting to pay off. It's only uphill from here. I've got to keep that streak going! No matter what they throw at me!'
"That's pretty good, kid! You're a helluva lot faster and packing more of a punch since yesterday," Miruko noted.
"Huh? Really?" Izuku looked himself over as Full Cowling continued to course through him.
His body did feel different. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt like he could go a little higher.
Taking a deep breath, he was ready to call on more of the power.
'I was ready to use more of One For All back at the Sports Festival. Six-percent was good back then, and I was able to use seven-percent in a pinch. Let's push it a little more. Eight-percent!'
A few extra sparks flew around Midoriya's body as he cranked up the energy flow. He couldn't believe how much more his body was able to use after a couple of short days!
"Whoa! Look at you kid!" Usagiyama smirked while Torino smiled, feeling somewhat proud of the runt.
"Thanks!" Izuku exclaimed before another thought came to him.
'Can I bump it up to nine?'
Releasing the valve just a little bit more, he quickly shot up to nine-percent power. After a few seconds, he could tell it didn't feel right.
"Ngh! Yeah, not ready to go that high yet," Izuku gritted his teeth before powering back down to eight percent.
"What did I tell you? This training has its benefits," Sukahiro said as Miruko nodded along.
All Izuku could do was smile. Finally, he was getting somewhere.
..~~~HLK~~~..
After the morning warm up, Izuku powered through his workout routines throughout the rest of the day. Only this time, he was a lot more resilient and capable of pushing through his initial limit. This left the two instructors with the task of brainstorming new techniques for him to give more of a challenge.
It was now evening, and another sparring match was taking place. This time, Izuku was the one who asked for it and challenged Miruko to a rematch. He was going to give it his all.
"HRRAGH!" Izuku roared as he jumped towards Miruko, rearing his leg back for a wide kick.
He may have improved, but there was still work to be done. The rabbit hero hopped into the air, faster than Izuku could anticipate. Next thing he knew, her foot rested right against his abdomen. And her other one striking him straight into the chest.
Izuku coughed up saliva as he was knocked out of the air and into the ground.
'Phew. Looks like that did the trick,' Miruko shook her head.
The greenette remained on the ground for a few seconds, which she would assume warranted a break before the actual training. But like before, Izuku got back up.
"I'm not… done yet."
He wiped the corner of his lip before getting back in his fighting stance. A grin wore its way on Rumi's face as she was starting to get excited by how this fight was turning out. She couldn't wait to see where this would go!
"Stop!" Torino called out, bringing the match to a halt.
"Hey! What gives?!" Miruko shouted.
"We'd better call it here. It's time to change up our routine. If the boy keeps having to fight our tactics, he'll start developing some weird habits."
"Habits? What do you mean? I'm just getting the hang of this! Please, let me keep going!" Izuku pleaded.
"Nope. We're done here," Torino declared.
"Damn it," Izuku scoffed.
"Talk about killjoy," Rumi commented.
Gran Torino chuckled, which caught both of their attention.
"Wipe that look off of your faces and change into your costumes. We're going into phase two of his training.
"Say what?" Both of them said together.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-6:00 p.m.-
"You ready, kid? For your next step, we're going out to fight some real villains," Gran Torino pointed his cane into the air.
"Whoa! Really? Just like that?" Izuku asked.
"Now we're talking!" Miruko exclaimed.
"Our training can only get you so far, kid. If you keep fighting against me or the rabbit, you're going to hit a stump once you fight someone that's a complete opposite. The key here is to expose you to different villains or scenarios," Gran Torino began to walk, while the other two followed.
"Besides, this shouldn't be anything new for you, right? You've fought villains before, and you were quick to adapt in the festival."
"Do you really think I'm ready for it, Gran Torino? I know I've improved thanks to yours and Miruko's teachings. But, this is quite the big step," Izuku asked.
"Are ya kidding? You powered through my training and landed a hit on me! I don't want to brag and take the old man's spotlight but, I'm a pretty big deal," Miruko boasted with a cheeky wink. "You're definitely ready."
Gran Torino chuckled and shook off Miruko's remark.
"Humility is a good trait to have, kid. It's a virtue for a hero. But having self confidence is something we all can benefit from. Nothing wrong with that. Besides, we won't be fighting anyone that big."
"I understand," Izuku responded with a smile.
"Yeah, don't be so modest. As far as I can tell, you're shaping up to be one badass hero!" Rumi added.
Izuku's lips parted when he heard those particular words. It reminded him of Ryuko, the one who said that to him before. Reminiscing about his best friend made his eyes bright with joy. His fists closed as he pulled his arms to his sides.
"T-Thank you so much, Miruko!" he exclaimed with triumph.
"Anytime!"
Gran Torino stopped in his tracks before he called for a cab. The one he signaled happened to be empty, so it stopped for them on the side of the road. The three proceeded to enter the vehicle and were driven off.
"Where are we going exactly? Izuku asked.
"We're going somewhere that'll have a little bit more crime. Shibuya," Torino instructed.
"Whoa, hold on. We're going to Shibuya, in tokyo?" Izuku expressed his shock.
"Ooh, good plan. Bigger cities have more people. And with more people, there's more crime. There's a lot of hero agencies in densely populated areas," Miruko added.
"Exactly. A few fights to break up should be good enough practice for you," Gran Torino said.
"I-I'm not sure about this, guys. I don't think my hero costume is hip enough for that kind of environment," Izuku curled up a bit out of embarrassment.
"Come now. That costume tells everyone you're a hero. You should be proud to show it in such a spotlight," Torino responded.
"Besides, why do you care? That mecha looking girl seems to like you. 'Should be enough," Miruko added, which made Izuku immediately blush.
"W-W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"
"Huh?" Rumi raised an eyebrow.
"Uh- wait. Are we going to take the bullet train to Shinjuku?" Izuku wondered.
"Yep," Torino answered.
Izuku looked out the window to reflect on something he realized.
'So we'll be passing Hosu City, huh? I wonder how Iida's doing. I should try to message him and the others later. Hopefully he remembers what I asked him.'
Izuku gripped on the fabric of his leg as something else came to mind.
'Shibuya isn't that far away from Tokyo Bay. I doubt Gran Torino or Miruko know about it, but we'll only be an hour away from one of the most powerful schools in the country: Honnōji Academy.'
The greenette felt a shiver down his spine, which reduced him to taking far heavier breaths. He kept it to himself as it would only raise suspicion.
'We're in their territory now. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. I know that Inamuta has been friendly to me so far. But the Elite Four, and especially Kiryuin, are dangerous. They're a threat to Ryuko and Senketsu.'
Izuku tightened his fist, trying to recompose himself.
'Whether I see them or not, I have to be ready for what happens. I've come so far with my training. There's no way I'm going to let anything stop me now.'
..~~~HLK~~~..
-7:00 p.m., Honnōji Academy-
"You may enter, Inamuta."
Satsuki sat in her private office, relaxed in her bathrobe while drinking the tea that Soroi just brewed. Inamuta walked around her seat to face her directly.
"Good evening, Lady Satsuki," he greeted.
"Is there something you need?"
"I came to inform you that my scanners tracked Izuku Midoriya's phone signal. He's on his way to Shibuya right now," Inamuta said.
"Is Matoi with him?" Satsuki raised an eyebrow, finding intrigue in this.
"No. She's in the center of Tokyo currently."
"I see. It must be for something related to UA. I doubt Midoriya would be foolish to try and challenge us like Matoi did," Satsuki said.
"If I may make a request, I'd like to send some drones to go and collect data on them," Inamuta asked.
"Midoriya must really fascinate you."
"If Midoriya is shadowing hero work in the field, the data is too good to pass up. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to see whatever development Matoi will have on her journey, too."
"Hmm. Very well. Do as you please. But know what the cost is, if you lead this back to Honnōji," Satsuki leaned back into her lounge.
"I understand. I'll be the utmost careful. Midoriya may be attentive, but he can't see everything," Inamuta smiled under his collar before leaving Satsuki's office.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-9:00 p.m. Hosu City-
Izuku, Torino, and Miruko were now aboard the bullet train. He stared out the window while Gran Torino slept, and Miruko dug around on her phone.
"Zzz… You darn kids! Always got your heads dug into your phones!" Torino exclaimed out of nowhere.
"Back off, old man! Don't you have your hourly nap to attend to?" Miruko snapped back.
Speaking of phones, Izuku pulled out his and looked into the "Fourchi Donuts!" group chat, named by Uraraka, to check on his friends.
Izuku: Hey guys! I'm about to pass Hosu city? How have things been?
Uraraka was the first to respond and talked about her current training with Gunhead. Which was normal. Though, Ryuko didn't seem to respond yet. He initially thought she was sleeping, but Ryuko was never one to maintain a proper sleep schedule.
Wherever Ryuko was, he hoped she was doing okay.
The most unnerving thing was Iida leaving the messages on read. This worried Izuku, especially after Iida made his promise. But, there wasn't much he could do. He'd have to leave it up to his instructor to keep him in line.
"Hey, did you see that?"
"A building exploded."
Izuku was snapped out of his stupor and inspected what the passengers were talking about.
"What's the ruckus?" Torino asked.
"Some kind of fire?" Izuku followed up.
"Passengers, please hold onto your seats-"
The speaker was cut off by the train being slammed into with a hero bursting right through the wall. Bloodied and bruised, the hero attempted to get back up, but a grayish hand grabbed his face and slammed it back down into the ground.
Another hand grabbed the edge of the crater and pulled it apart, revealing a brainlet creature that Izuku found all too familiar.
"It's Nomu!" he cried out.
Izuku grabbed the seat and was about to take Nomu head on, but was forcibly pushed back by Gran Torino.
"Don't be stupid! Stay behind me, kid!"
Gran Torino bounced off the wall and tackled the Nomu head on, taking it away from the civilians and the hero it held captive.
"I like the spirit, Midoriya. But Torino's got this. We should get in the city and help anyone that might be in danger," Miruko said and stood by the crater. "Come on, you're with me."
Both of them worked together as crowd control, leading the people away from the center of destruction and assisting those that may be trapped under debris.
'What's a Nomu doing here? This is bad. If it has the insane power of the one All Might fought at the USJ, this whole city could be in danger!'
Izuku's eyes widened at another realization.
'Oh no. Iida! He's interning here!'
He then slapped both of his cheeks to snap himself out of the upcoming panic.
'I need to calm down. Losing it won't do anyone any favors. Just thinking of the Nomu makes me angry. It may not be the same one, but it's still related to the one that attacked my classmates. The monster that nearly killed Mr. Aizawa, All Might, and Ryuko. If Gran Torino hadn't stopped me, I might have actually taken that Nomu right there. Keep it together, Izuku. You just need to stay with Miruko and save as many people as you can.'
"Tenya!" a voice called out, which stopped Izuku.
"Tenya, where are you?!"
Izuku immediately turned around to follow where the voice was coming from. As he exited a nearby alleyway, a bus exploded as it was dropped directly onto a car. He was then treated to a horrifying sight. There was not just one Nomu in the city. There were three; one of the other two having wings, and the last one with a similar build to the one from the USJ.
This was not good.
"HEY!"
Izuku was also met with a slap to the back of his head from Miruko.
"Ow!"
"Imbécil! What the hell do you think you're doing?! I gave you a mission! Don't go off on your own like that!" The rabbit hero scolded him.
"R-Right! I'm sorry!" he apologized.
"Stay here and help any civilians!" she shouted before jumping over to the winged Nomu as it carried one hero. In the air, she curled into a graceful spin before it became a fierce concussive ball.
"LUNA FALL!"
With one leg extended, Miruko delivered a devastating axe kick smack down on the Nomu's head, sending it straight into the pavement. A massive shockwave blew out some of the nearby fires, but not all.
"Holy crap! Nice one, Miruko!" A hero shouted.
'I knew she was going easy on me during training, but damn!' Izuku winced at how hard that Nomu was knocked down.
"Tenya!" Manual shouted out as he ran over to a fire hydrant. "Why'd you go off on your own? Damn it!"
'Wait, Iida went off on his own? That doesn't seem like him. Why would he-'
Izuku's lips parted once things became clear to him.
'Iida. Hosu. Where the Hero Killer attacked. No. No no no! Don't tell me!'
Without thinking, and against Miruko's orders, he ran from the fight and went into the alleyways. The first thing he did was to get as far away as possible. He scaled the walls and leaped the rooftops to move faster. Once he was as far as he could be, he went back down into the corridors.
'Please make it in time!'
In the corner of his eye, he found exactly what he was worried about. The Hero Killer had Iida under his boot, about to deliver the finishing blow. Izuku quickly zig-zagged the walls to gain momentum and dart towards him with a readied fist.
"SMASH!"
The Hero Killer was thrown back, sliding across the floor before tripping over himself. He winced in pain when feeling his cheek.
'For a kid that small, he sure packs a mean punch.'
"Who is…? H-Huh? Midoriya?" Iida groaned.
"Thank goodness I found you just in time," Izuku took a deep breath.
"But how…?"
"Ryuko and I saw it on TV. Most of his victims were in places where there weren't many people. So to find you, I had to search the back alleys that were far away from the panic," Izuku explained.
"Let's go! Back towards the street! We have to get help from the pros!" He looked back, only to find Iida still on the ground.
"I…I can't move my body. It must be his quirk. Ever since he cut me, I've been paralyzed…" Tenya attempted to move again, but to no avail.
"So cutting somehow activates his power, huh? That's something people on TV said he might have," Izuku looked back at the Hero Killer before he saw another hero that was incapacitated.
'There's someone else! If it was just Iida, I could've picked him up and made a run for it.'
"You're pretty brave coming here alone."
Izuku gasped as he almost forgot Stain was standing across from him.
"Bail now, kid, and you won't get hurt. I don't have you on my kill list, unlike Shigaraki," Stain spoke calmly.
'Shigaraki?! Are the League of Villains somehow involved?' Izuku thought.
"That fake over there needs to die. And him?" Stain pointed to Iida. "He's a lost cause. Too far gone to save."
Midoriya was scared and unnerved. Stain's eyes were those of a fanatic. He wasn't going to let the pro or Iida leave, so what choice did he have?
Izuku's right hand slipped behind his back as he quickly fired off a mass text with his location to several people in the class.
'If I can stall and get help, we can win and get out of here.'
"It's like All Might once said," Izuku began as he shifted into a battle stance and fired up Full Cowling.
"Interfering where you don't need to is the essence of being a hero! Sir! Iida! Don't worry! I'll save you both!"
Stain blinked twice in quick succession. Once the words registered, a creepy smile appeared with a look of excitement dancing in his blood red irises.
"I like you kid! But don't say you weren't warned."
To Be Continued…
PKSpartan A/N: Well…that happened. This was an interesting chapter to say the least. This was originally my solo chapter, but after life decided to donkey-kick me in the testicles, the guys had to come in and help.
Buckichamp A/N: Yep.
PKSpartan: So, Miruko. THE GREAT ARCH DUKE ZENO ROBINSON PRAISES THE RABBIT GODDESS AND WE ALL SHALL AS WELL! But to broaden, I added some depth to Miruko's history. For one, her way of fighting and the fact one of her finishing moves is in Spanish just screamed Hispanic inspiration. Hell, the mask she wore during Vigilantes is very reminiscent of a Luchadore mask wrestlers wore in Mexican Style Wrestling.
Which leads into the next change; her racial background. A Lot of people headcanons her being Afro-Japanese, so I thought it'd be cool for me to throw myself into the ring. Having a family that fled from one country into another isn't really much of a stretch and it would explain why she's seen a bit differently from most pro's through the public. Plus, having a familial background in Brazil would explain the usage of Capoeira. Capoeira is a Brazilian style Martial Art that was made during the 1600's by enslaved Africans and Indeginous Brazilians, with the art being shared in places like Jamaica. So having that influence be translated here was pretty cool.
Also, I was originally gonna call this chapter "Bridging the Gap", as a nod to Izuku's development as well as a reference to the song by Nas. It was the same song used for the first training session from Creed. So when you read the beginning of the training session here, take a listen to the first minute and a half of the song.