Disclaimers: I do not own My Hero Academia, Dungeons and Dragons, or Pathfinder.
A/N: First let me apologizes for the wait in an update. I was caught off-guard by how much attention this story got and was not in a position to release a second chapter so soon.
Please note that this is just as much a Ryukyu story as it is an Izuku's one and she will have entire chapters dedicated to her and her life as well.
So here is the second chapter.
Also check out my other stories whenever you have a chance.
Chapter 2
" Come not between the Dragon and his wrath "
King Lear (William Shakespeare)
Awakening the Dragon.
"I could say that I was simply going to check up on him to make sure he is doing okay after what happen yesterday, that's all. Nothing wrong with that, is there?", Ryuko told herself as she flew over the city of Musutafu. She left this morning from her agency and has been flying for quite a bit. The only problem being that while she did have a destination in mind she was taking her time getting there.
"No one told me it was going to be this difficult", she thought as she looks down at the buildings and people walking by, going about their daily lives.
"Maybe I should say that I was just out on patrol and just so happen to be near the school so I decided to check up on him on a whim. Yeah, that would be believable; no one would question me if I was just out on patrol, I'm just getting a feel of my new turf."
Crossing her arms and turning sideways, Ryuko lets out a sigh. Her destination, a certain Junior High within Musutafu, was in the opposite direction that she was headed in and was only getting further and further away with every passing moment.
"What the hell is wrong with me? Why did I fly away yesterday without explaining a single thing to him? Why do I have to come up with excuses in my head just in case I happen to run into him?", she asks herself before letting out a sad smirk, "Oh, that's right, I'm afraid. I'm finally at the threshold of my fate and of course it would be the time I start to get cold feet."
Ryuko re-adjusts her flying posture and dives down in order to avoid a low-hanging cloud. There was a good breeze today which allow her to glide for the majority of her flight. Also, thanks to Musutafu not having nowhere close to the population of Tokyo, she did not have to worry about skyscrapers and passing airplanes as much, just the occasional flock of birds or two.
"Hopefully nothing too crazy happens while I'm here", Ryuko thought as she found herself now flying over what she recalls hearing was the Takoba Municipal Beach Park, it sands completely covered in garbage due to unchecked pollution.
"Tch! Disgusting.", she says, "This sort of thing would have never been allowed back at home."
Just speaking those words brought back memories of her home back on the island of Okinawa with its white sand beaches and ocean water so crystal blue that one could loss hours just staring at it. It has been years since she last been on that island and there were many a day when she just wanted to leave it all behind on the mainland and return home.
But she knew that was impossible especially for someone like her.
She had too many duties, too many obligations and responsibilities that she had to tend to and if she was to just up and quit...
"I could never look anyone from home in the eye ever again. I was the on-", she told herself as she glances back toward the city before suddenly coming to a stop in mid-air, her wings flapping downward in order to generate lift to keep her afloat.
"Something coming toward me at a high speed!" she thought as she kept her eyes train on a tiny dot that was speeding over the buildings directly toward her. Reacting instinctively on the notion that she did not know who was coming or their intentions, Ryuko's hands began to turn into claws while pale gray scales appeared across her body. She thought about going "Full Dragon" just in case but realize that she would have to expend more energy just to stay in the air, something that could give her a huge disadvantage if the person coming meant to do her harm.
"According to the registration, there's only a handful of people who possess the ability to fly in Musutafu and they're all regular civilians besides that one girl at U.A., but there's no way any of them can be flying that fast even if they were allow to. So just who is it?", she wonders as whoever they were, they were quickly closing the distance between them. Ryuko closes her eyes and takes a deep breath through her nose for a moment before opening them back up and upon doing so a scowl appears on her lips as she finally realizes just who was coming at her.
"Of all the people to run into", she thought as the mysterious figure comes to a halt just a couple of yards from her.
A large pair of crimson wings coming out of the back were flapping downward every few moments to keep the man dress in a black shirt with a tan jacket over it and matching pants in the air. His messily ash blond hair blew gently in the breeze and his golden-brown eyes stay locked with Ryukyu's as the two regarded each other for a moment.
"You're pretty far from Fukuoka, Hawks", Ryuko states.
The third highest ranking Pro Hero in Japan, Wing Hero: Hawks: merely puts his hands in his pockets before showing a smile, "I could say the same thing about you in regards to Tokyo."
Ryuko crosses her arms, "I always had plans to move out to Musutafu, especially since crime was starting to decline in the Tokyo but beginning to rise in all the neighboring prefectures."
Hawks shrugs, "Make sense when you think about it. It's the largest city in the country so that means that it would also have the highest number of Pro Heroes as well; especially after that whole Sky Egg incident."
Ryuko's mood sour even more upon be reminded about that certain incident. The villain, Number 6, almost cost untold death and destruction and if it was not for the intervention of All Might it would have been a catastrophe.
It also seemed to be the starting point of her silly, mostly one-sided rivalry with Uwabami over who is the better model. Apparently, the heroine did not appreciate the fact that Ryuko got more votes than her in the beauty pageant despite the fact she was in dragon form.
Like it was her fault that a number these mainland islanders seem to have weird taste nowadays and actually find her dragon form very attractive.
"What were they call them again? Scalies?" Ryuko briefly thought while also quickly realizing that that particular incident got her more involve into the fashion business which up to that point was just a small past time, if not a hobby, for her.
In fact, the only decent thing to come out of that whole fiasco on her part was that she was able to get on good terms with the heroine currently holding the number seven spot in the Japan's Hero Billboard Chart, Rabbit Hero: Mirko aka Rumi Usagiyama, when they both combine forces to take down a Bomber. The media called it a "team-up" for some reasons, even though both heroines were only doing so due to the circumstances they were working under and for a while rumors were flying about of a possible team forming between the two of them. All for naught of course since Rumi runs solo though the two occasionally did get together for drinks whenever she came through Tokyo which was quite often.
Apparently, she too had been dealing with a number of "overzealous" fans since the Sky Egg fiasco, particularly Furries as she call them.
"Hey, Ryukyu", Hawks suddenly says, snapping the Dragoon Hero out of her recollection.
"What is it?", she replies.
"Is there a reason why your claws are still out and your skin is still covered in scales?"
Ryuko's eye widen in surprise for a brief moment as she looks down and sees that he was indeed right.
"You wouldn't happen to see me as a threat now, do you?", Hawks chuckles.
Ryukyu regards the fellow Pro Hero for a moment before morphing her hands back and her scales disappear.
"Better?", Ryuko asks.
"Much better, your natural skin really brings out your eyes", Hawks flirts.
"Save your sweet talking for Rumi", Ryuko tells him, "It's bad enough when I have to hear it from her whenever we go out for drinks."
"Oof", Hawks says, faking a hurt expression, "She's told you about that, did she?"
"Among other things", Ryuko answers.
"So, I'm guessing then you know about how I feel about some of your...recent decisions lately?", Hawks asks.
Ryuko narrows her eyes at Hawks and the two have a stare-off for a moment, though Hawks kept his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face.
"What are you doing way out here in Musutafu? I doubt you came all this way just to question me", Ryuko finally says.
Hawks shakes his head, "Nope, Principal Nezu from UA invited me over to see if I wanted to be a referee at the Sports Festival this year but sadly I had to decline but I did tell him maybe next year."
Ryuko arcs an eyebrow, "You're telling me that you traveled over twelve hundred kilometers for something you could have answer over the phone?"
Hawks gives another shrug, "Never seen U.A. before and I figure now was a good time to take a look at the school where Endeavor went to. Once I left the school I decided to patrol a little bit and that's when I saw you."
Ryuko once more eyes Hawks for a moment and was about to say something when she realizes that she has been hovering in the air for quite a bit now and was starting to feel the strain. Add to the fact that she has been flying around for quite a bit and did not eat breakfast this morning while only having a light lunch and one could see why it was starting to drain her energy.
She glances down and spots a small pier with a gazebo at the end where no one seems to be at the moment and the garbage did not seem to reach just yet.
She was about to begin her descend downward until Hawks spoke up again.
"So, have you seen what people have been saying about us on the internet lately? Seem like everyone wants to see which one of us is the better flier, including some high rank Pro Heroes."
This statement instantly brings Ryuko to a halt and she forgot about any attempts to descend down to the beach while Hawks was around. The sound of cameras flashing and people talking briefly caught Ryuko's attention and she looks down to see that a crowd was starting to form on the streets that went by the beach with cars evening stopping in the middle of road and their passengers getting out to take pictures. No doubt the sight of two of the top Pro Heroes in the country was a sight to behold for anyone especially while hovering hundreds of feet in the air.
To the people on the ground it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for great pictures and possible autographs, but for the two Pro Heroes it was a matter of pride and reputation. To be the first one to land would be the same as one knight yielding to another in a swordfight. It would basically be admitting to the other that they were the better flier; that you did not have the energy to stay hovering in the air as long as the other one could. They could be interpreted as a sign of weakness of some people's eyes especially Pro Heroes analysts and each of the heroes' respective critics.
And when you were a top ten Pro Heroes, especially one so young like the both of them, you had your fair share of critics from both civilians and other Pro Heroes alike.
The fact that she was the only Pro Hero from Okinawa did not help matters either; especially since the *Ryukyu Independence Movement* has been gaining momentum lately and this did not make a lot of people back on the main island happy. This was especially true with those in high positions of the government. On another note, while she has not been officially approached by the organization herself in any way whatsoever and she has not voiced her support for them, that still has not stop people from assuming that she had a connection with them since she has also not denounced them as well.
Add in her frivolous ongoing feud with Uwabami and one could see why everything little thing she did came under heavy scrutiny from a large number of people.
Regardless, this was not the first time she has been in situations like this with other Pro Heroes who had the ability to fly. One such incident involved the Japanese Pro Hero The Fly while she was in Tokyo while another involved the American-based hero known as Takahiro she met when she went to the I-Expo on I-Island two years ago. Both were widely known rookies at the time but they try to boost their rankings by trying to outlast her. Predictably they both failed miserably against her as they could barely stay aloof for five minutes before reaching the brink of exhaustion and were force to land, leaving Ryuko the victor with no real effort on her part.
But back to the matter at hand.
The race.
Of course, Ryuko has heard all about the race that everyone wanted to see; how could she not?
If it was not the media asking her about it then it was all the people she met on the street, which was one of the main reasons she was flying far more often now on patrol, or it was in every other fan-mail letter she read. Personally, she found the whole thing ridiculous even more so than her and Rumi forming a team and wish that people would move on from it. Being faster did not prove you were the better flier. Flying is about more than just speed yet most people fail to see that, especially people who don't have the ability to do so without the aid of machine.
But the more Ryuko refuse to talk about it the more people push to see it. To her surprise though, Hawks has not comment on it either. He has always been quiet about it and divert the question or change the subject whenever it came up in one of his many interviews.
"So why does he care now all of a sudden?", Ryuko wonder.
"So, you think we ought of give it a shot? This whole race thing?", Hawks says as he takes his hands out of his pockets and crosses his arms as well, mimicking Ryuko, "Could probably raise a lot of money for charity when you think about it."
This little statement pique Ryuko's interest and the gears began to turn in her head before the sound of a phone ringing interrupts her thoughts.
Hawks reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cellphone and while he was looking at the caller ID Ryuko notices a frown briefly appear on his face before it was quickly replace with his signature smile.
"Sorry, I just remember I have some business I have to take care of while I'm here", he says as he turns around with a wave, "Catch you later."
With a strong flap of his wings, Hawks was gone and Ryuko watches him fly off until he was out of sight. She then looks back down at the crowd that had gather and lets out a breath in annoyance as now it seem that not only had it grown larger but she could even spot a couple of news vans that had shown up as well. If she was to land now she would be swarm and find no peace for at least an hour.
"Today just keeps getting better and better", Ryuko told herself before she too took off back toward the city, her mind now focuses back on her original task as she flew toward her new destination of Aldera Junior High School.
Meanwhile on top of one of the taller building in Musutafu...
"Oh boy, I'm going to be burnt out later on", Keigo complains as he lands and takes a quick look around to make sure he was alone. Once he was sure he takes his phone back out and presses redial.
As soon as the person on the other line pick up, they start talking.
"What is the update on your assignment?", the person on the other end said.
Keigo lets a sigh before talking, "I went to U.A. on Principal Nezu's invitation as order, Madam President."
"Do you question him about his recent decision despite the fact that it will give U.A. bad publicity?".
"I did and he state that he firmly stands by it and nothing will sway him", Keigo answers.
"I see, but I expected as much from him. Guess we'll have to do damage control afterwards."
"After I was done talking to him I went to go and speak to Vlad King in regards to his decisions involving that girl", Keigo continues.
"And what did he say about the matter?"
"He said I should mind my own business and then he walked away", Keigo chuckles as he recalls the encounter.
"Hmph, he has never cooperative with us much in the past so this behavior is to be expected."
"You think it had something to do how difficult you guys made it for him to become a Pro Hero in his youth because of his quirk?", Keigo inquires.
"If I want your opinion, Hawks, I will order you to give it to me!", the leader of the Hero Public Safety Commission snaps, "Now what about your third objective?"
"Jeez, someone's a bit touchy today", Keigo thought before speaking, "I made contact with Ryukyu a short while ago but was unable to get anything out of her."
...
"She is beginning to become a PR nightmare as well. Her sudden move of her agency out of Tokyo caught everyone off-guard along with dropping her sponsorship with the Girl Scouts and we are still reeling from the backlash of it."
"That's not even counting her dropping both her recommendations to hero schools out of the blue as well.", Keigo added before thinking, "Though it was basically all you guys fault she left Tokyo."
The Madam President lets out an exhausted sigh, "Yes, we are currently dealing with that as well, thank goodness we were able to keep that under wraps and the families quiet. Anyway, for now perform patrol duties and show presence for the next couple of days in Musutafu then report back to Fukuoka for your next assignment by the end of the week."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it", Keigo says as he hangs up the phone and looks up at the sky, "I wonder what Endeavor is doing right now?"
The Symbol of Peace, the powerful All Might, also known as Toshinori Yagi, found himself in the midst of setting up his new office at the world renowned U.A. High School, his clothes straining to contain his massive muscles. Normally as a teacher he would merely get a desk in the administration office alongside the rest of the teachers and he actually wanted to do just that in order not to seem like the he was being shown favoritism especially seeing how he was only in basically an intern role this year and would not become a full-fledged teacher until next year.
But Principal Nezu insisted saying that the someone like himself at least deserves some privacy especially with his condition.
"Still I should do well not to abuse my position here", All Might thought to himself before hearing his phone go off in his pocket.
"Oh, I wonder who it is?", he says before picking it up and checking the Caller ID.
He lets out a smile as he answers it with masculine glee.
"It's has been so long since we last talk! I hope everything is going well!", he starts out and the person on the other line response, prompting All Might to nods his head.
"That's good to hear! Glad to see everything is okay!", he says before the person spoke again, "Oh, you have a favor to ask? But of course, just name it!"
As the person started to speak All Might found his expression changing.
"What?! Next year?! But I thought-! Follow in-?!", he shouts and in a puff of smoke is reduces from the muscular titan everyone knew him for to a near-skeleton of a man, his clothes hanging loosely on him.
The person on the other end kept speaking as if nothing happened.
"I'm sorry, but this is all very sudden and I'm not sure even I can promise that! I'm on a teacher internship this year and my word does not carry as much weight as people think it does here!", he states and the person said a few more words.
"While that is true and being the number one Pro Hero does come with certain perks, given our history with one another no doubt the students and staff will see it as blatant favoritism! Nezu would be on board with it but even he might be wary about how everyone else would take it especially seeing it would be the same year that another student that is causing quite a stir is starting at U.A.!"
The caller spoke for a little while and Toshinori found his stance softening.
"I know how important this is but you have to-", he replies before his eyes fell on the TV he had place on the shelf near his desk and had on for basically background noise. A special news broadcast was running but it was not about a villain attack or anything.
Instead it was a feed of the Pro Heroes Hawks and Ryukyu having basically what seem like a standoff in the air over the beach. Though neither one of the two were in a stance that indicate they were about to attack but he could see that it was not a completely friendly meeting and that was not a good look for two Top Ten Pro Heroes.
"Are they in the midst of a feud?", All Might thought thinking back to all the rumors he heard about those two in regards to an aerial race. While he has met with both fellow heroes at one point in recent months, including Ryukyu for the first time yesterday, he never asks either one of them their thoughts on the other or the race. Plus, despite what the public believe, feuds were a common thing in the Pro Hero's world. Even he had been involved in more than a few across his long career and while they were mostly kept away from the public eye, it tends to make team-up a bit stressful.
It was only last month that he himself became aware of the "Fashion Feud" going on between Ryuyku and Uwabami, that apparently has been going on since the Tokyo Sky Egg incident.
But as his attention shifted from the phone call to Ryukyu, an idea started to form in his head. One that could help out Ryukyu in light of her recent choices and the mysterious caller on the other end. Basically a "two birds with one stone" situation.
"Hey, I think I made have had found a way for all this to work out", All Might said into the phone, "But it means that I'll need you here in Musutafu as soon as possible."
As he hangs up the phone he notices the news channel change their broadcast and immediately starts to stand up upon seeing what it now was.
"I think I have enough time left to deal with this if I hurry", he tells himself as he transforms back to his icon form before standing up and leaving through the window.
BBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Both the twins and Izuku finding themselves looking back toward the school, a look of confusion spread across all their faces.
"Why is the bell ringing early?", Izuku thought right before Principal Joshi came on over the Aldera PA system.
"Attention students and staff, a group of villains are currently running amok in downtown Musutafu. While police and Pro Heroes are on the scene and we are a reasonably good distance away, we have been advised to move everyone inside of the school as a precaution."
Izuku turns to the entrance of the school where a number of police cars were just showing up and at least two dozen police officers start getting out of them.
"The Musutafu Police Force is providing officers to add an extra level of security during this time and will leave upon the villains being apprehended. I ask that all students and staff follow any instructions given by them while they are here. Everyone is to proceed to their homeroom classes for now and stay there until this situation has been resolved. As of right now, all afternoon classes have been postponed."
Izuku sees three of the police officers start heading toward the area where his class was at, shouting orders for everyone to proceeds inside. The boy looks back toward Katsuki and Kasumi and sees that both of them were not happy about the change in situation but even they were not foolish enough to try anything with him while the police were here. The two of them merely glare at him and begin walking back down the bleachers without saying a word, while leaving Izuku alone with his notebooks and thoughts.
Meanwhile
Ryuko could feel her irritation and fatigue rising with every passing second as she had to keep smiling while standing between Hawks and All Might as cameras flash all around while reporters and journalists were asking her a barrage of questions, shoving their mics and recorders in her face. Behind her, the police were loading the last of the villains into the transport vehicles to take them to jail after they try to rob an armored car transporting money a few hours ago. The trio all arrived at the scene separately within seconds of one another and by using their combine efforts were able to subdue the villains fairly quickly.
It took longer for them to wait on the police to bring a suitable transport for the gang than to actually defeat them.
The only problem was afterwards when Ryuko was trying to fly off to resume her journey to her destination that she was stop by both All Might and Hawks so the three of them could have a photo op and interviews with the press...and it has been quite the enduring experience as the reporters bombard them with questions.
"Could this possibly be the beginnings of a team forming between the three of you?"
"I'm afraid not seeing how I'll be heading back to Kyushu here soon. But it was fun while it lasted.", Hawks answers.
"Ryukyu, what was going on earlier between you two at the beach earlier today?"
"The two of us were merely having a chat, nothing more", Ryuko answers and thankfully Hawks nodded his head in agreement.
"How does it feel to work alongside a legend such as All Might?"
"Quite the experience, one I hope to do again", Hawks answers before thinking, "Though I rather do so with Endeavor."
"Do you believe taking down these villains alongside All Might and Hawks will improve your public image, Ryukyu?"
"My public image is just fine. Just because I have made some decisions that not everyone agrees with does not mean I am any less of a hero", Ryuko answers though even she could not deny some of the things people were saying about her on the forums and such things have produce quite a bit of bad PR for her.
"Interesting. So, what are your thoughts on this race that is sweeping the Internet? The one to determine whether you or Hawks is the better flier?"
Ryuko spares a look over at Hawks who mirrors her action. Their conversation from just a few hours ago was interrupted before she could say anything but now seems to be the perfect time to bring it up. Even though she was fully against it, the idea of using it to raise money for charity could do great things for her agency.
But before she could answer though...
"HA! HA! HA! It is quite satisfying to see such energy among the youth! Just go to show you that the future is in good hands with young heroes such as these! The Spirit of Peace and Justice is radiating like a supernova sun whenever these two are on the scene!", All Might suddenly spoke, drawing all attention to him as they began asking him questions now to which he happily answers.
Ryuko, while a little disappointment that she could not voice her opinion, was happy that she now was able to leave...
When a pulse of energy suddenly hits her and puts all her senses on high alert while also sending a shiver down her spine.
She instantly turns her attention to the direction of a certain junior high and made a split-second decision.
Ryuko did not know what would require a bigger explanation from her later on.
The fact that she took off into the sky without warning from the very spot she was standing at or the fact that her wings smack both Hawks and All Might hard in their faces while doing so but that was something she would have to worry about at another time.
She has felt energy pulses like that before in her life, though none of them have ever been that powerful, and they only meant one thing...
Things were happening way faster than she anticipated and she needed to hurry.
A Few Minutes Ago
It took every amount of self-control for Izuku to keep himself was taking off in a dead sprint. The whole time he was stuck in the classroom during the villain situation he could feel Katsuki and Kasumi's eyes on him, burning a hole into his soul and as well here tiny pops going off in their hands. Izuku was certain that if wasn't for the police officers patrolling the hallways the twins would have done something and luckily for him they stay on school's grounds even after the villains were caught in order to reassure the students and staff.
But that protection only extended to within a block of the school and once Izuku got past that he knew that he was in the twins' crosshairs.
If he could just make it to the train station he could easily make it home before the twins caught him and then he would be safe...at least until tomorrow.
"Beggars can't be choosers", Izuku thought as he ducks into a alley which would lead him straight to the station, "At least I could have one day when I wasn't bul-"
"Hey Deku!", Izuku hears from the side and turns his head toward the direction of a side alley just in time to see a large fist coming straight at him which he barely manages to lean out of the way of and the wielder of it, a boy from his class named Daichi who was a part of the twins' gang, goes stumbling pass him and falls down.
"Huh, he actually dodged it", he hears come from behind him and turns to see Katsuki, Kasumi, and four more members of their gang walking toward him as they surrounded him on all sides and Daichi starts to get up.
Izuku's eyes dart between all of them as they took up positions around him.
There was Asahi who had a quirk that allow him to shoots sunlight beams out of his hands and if he was given time to gather his energy, said beams could even melt through steel.
On his left was Yoshio, whose quirk allows him to turn his entire right arm into an eight-foot long blue tentacle which struck with the strength of a bull elephant behind it.
Behind Izuku and helping Daichi to his feet was Touma. He was opposite of Yoshio and could turn his entire left leg into iron while still being able to move it like it was normal all with the added benefit of easily breaking through bones.
Next to him was Jurou who had a quirk that allow him to grow his hair out and use it to entangle people.
And rounding them out was Daichi with the ability to cover his entire arms with rocks.
While thankfully nope of them have never used their quirks when they bullied him in the past this did not mean Izuku has not been on the receiving end of their punches and kicks. Thanks to Kasumi's hindsight, the group never hit Izuku in the face, left him with injuries that could produce a good amount of blood, or injuries that left him unable to move at all.
Sometimes Izuku wondered if this was her idea of being merciful toward him or her being sadistic in a way like a cat plays with a mouse before going in for the kill.
Sadly though, this also just made it much easier for Izuku to hide his injuries from his mother who already had enough on her plate to worry about.
Even more so, this didn't stop Katsuki and Kasumi from giving him small burns marks over his body like they both did yesterday or setting off explosion close to him when either one of them was in a particular bad mood….which was pretty much at the time now that he thought about it.
Speaking of Katsuki, Izuku now focus his attention on him and Kasumi who were staying directly in front of him with smirks on their lips.
"Let's see you try to ignore us now, Deku", Katsuki chuckles.
"Not so tough when the police aren't around, are ya?", Kasumi adds.
Izuku, whether through bravery or sheer stupidly, he could not tell which was which at this point, decides against his best wishes to pour fuel on the metaphoric fire which was the twins' infamous temper by using the infamous nicknames that he knew for a fact that they hated being called ever since they saw a certain American movie.
"Ah, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, how have you two been doing this day?", he says to Katsuki and Kasumi respectively.
It was Kasumi who swung first, aiming directly at chest with a haymaker. But just like it has been all day it was slow down for Izuku who manage lean out of the way of it but before he could do anything else he feels a sharp pain in his lower abdomen as Katsuki connects his own punch straight into Izuku's gut. Such a blow makes Izuku drop to his knees in pain, clutching his gut. He feels a hand grab onto a chunk of his hair and pull his head back where his eyes met Katsuki's.
"Ha! I don't know how you were able to catch that baseball and dodges Daichi and Kasumi's punches but don't let it go to your head because no matter what you do you'll always be a quirkless, useless loser", he said as he cocks his fist back, "And if you ever forget that I'll be sure to remind you."
Even though it was slow down as well, Izuku couldn't move due to Katsuki holding his head and so a hard-downward punch connects with his jaw, sending him spiraling to the ground.
"Hey idiot!", Kasumi yells, "You're not supposed to hit him in the face! What happen if his mom starts asking questions?!"
"Oh please, as if she would do anything. All she has is Izuku's word to go off of and the school won't back her up", Katsuki scoffs, "Besides, it's about time this idiot finally learns his lesson about his place in the world."
Kasumi was quiet for a moment, looking at her brother with an uneasy look, "So what are you suggesting?"
Katsuki merely cracks his knuckles, "I'm not saying we're going to kill him or anything but we're going to make sure that he never acts all high and mighty to us again."
Kasumi shakes her head and laughs, "You're fucking nuts sometimes, you know that?", she says before looking at the rest of the guys, "Mess him up good. It's the last year we'll be in the same school as him anyway, you know? Katsuki and I got to focus hard on U.A. this year, so this might be the final time we get a chance like this."
The gang begins to move in on the still down Izuku but stop when they hear a strange noise coming from him and upon further inspection they found out that he was...
"Is he laughing?", Katsuki asks as he watch Izuku slowly get back up with a smile on his face.
"You two really think you're going to be heroes, don't you?" the group hears him says.
"What the hell did you just say?!", Katsuki demands.
"You heard me", Izuku says, "The day that you two are declare to be heroes is the day that society has truly lower its standards on what a hero is. You might as well be villains with your attitudes."
Both of the twins found themselves in an uncomfortable position. Izuku has always taken his beatings from them without any backtalk or smartass comments whatsoever. It has been the same song and dance for years but now this was happening.
"This motherfucker grew a pair all of a sudden!", both of them thought and in their minds, this was a problem, one they needed to fix real quick.
"You cocky little shit!", Katsuki replies as he punches Izuku in his face again but the boy moves out of the way of it. Whatever moment of triumph Izuku had though was quickly cut short as Kasumi lands a kick on the back of his head and he goes right back down to the ground, only this time just to his knees while using an arm to prop himself up.
"You think you're a tough guy all of a sudden, Deku?! Huh?!", Kasumi starts screaming, "You think you're hot shit?!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?!", Katsuki says as he grabs Izuku's hair again and pulls his head back while his attention was focus on Kasumi.
"I'm the guy who is telling you that even if you two somehow graduate from U.A., you'll never be true heroes. You'll never be like All Might.", Izuku answers.
"You fucking quirkless bastard!", Katsuki snaps as he throws another punch.
"Who do I think I am?", Izuku thought as the world slowed down around him again, "Am I worthless? Am I a guy who desperately wants to become a hero like All Might despite not having a quirk? Despite everyone telling me that I can't? If I can't even take on the twins and their goons then what hope do I have to beat actual villains? Villains like Stain, Moonfish, or even Number 6 who have no problem killing?"
Katsuki's fist once more connect with Izuku's jaw and the boy's world starts to go dark as the blackness starts to surround him though his despairing thoughts were still with him as he collapses to the ground. Not long afterwards he began feeling the feet and legs from the twins and their entire gang as they started to literally kicked him while he was down.
"Maybe I'm doom to just be the person other people walk over on their way up the social ladder. The one who stays at the bottom where I belong. Born a quirkless loser. Destined to stay one", are the last words to pass through his mind as the darkness engulfs him.
Then without warning, the blackness is push back and Izuku once more found himself in the same valley he was in last night only it was devoid of the hundreds of dragons clashing in an epic battle.
Instead he spots a lone figure standing directly in front of him.
And by figure he meant it was a dragon the size of a horse that was standing there looking straight at him. But it was not its colorless scales, its folded wings, its long serpent-like tail, or its claws that caught his full attention.
Instead of any of that, Izuku's focus was on its slit eyes that were constantly shifting between colors.
The dragon was also tilting its head from side to side almost as if it was observing him.
But Izuku felt that it was doing more than just that. The way the dragon's eyes were looking at him now were the same way his neighbors and those at school would look at him were whenever he drew their attention.
In other words, the dragon was judging him. Deciding whether or not Izuku was worthy to be in its' presence.
Without warning, the dragon starts moving in a motion that mimicking a tiger on the prowl moving in for the kill, keeping its body a little bit lower to the ground as it made its way to Izuku.
Yet the boy did not move. Instead he simply stood there as the creature began to circle him, his eyes scanning every inch of his body while occasionally sniffing him.
Only after a couple of moments of doing this did the beast stop circling him and move back to its original position in front of him, staring at Izuku once more with those rapidly color changing eyes for a moment before opening its mouth.
Izuku then sees four streams of energy flowing out from the dragon's mouth and landing on the intercardinal points of the dragon.
On its upper right the energy forming was a shining heavenly white light, while the lower right consists of a glowing sky-blue light.
Meanwhile on the other side the energy flowing out of its mouth onto the upper left point was a sinister black stream of power and the lower left was a bleeding red color of pulsating energy.
Izuku could not help but notice that as the dragon did this its scales began to change their tone until they were a neutral grey.
Then within the blink of an eye, the four strains of energy transform into nearly identical versions of the dragon. Same height, same bodily features, even the exact same stance.
One of the only differences between the five was that the upper right one had shining white scales, the lower right has radiating blue ones, the upper left one was comprised of menacing black scales, and finally, the lower left had blood red scales.
Thus, leaving the one in the middle a dull gray.
The other one was their eyes.
The white dragon had shining blue eyes while the black one was shimmering red. The blue dragon had glowing white ones and the red dragon darkening black.
For some reason Izuku's mind briefly wander back to that card game that used to be popular when he was younger which feature a blue eyes white dragon and a red eyes black dragon; though he could not recall ever seeing or hearing about a white eyes blue dragon or a black eyes red dragon.
Anyway, this left the gray one with eyes that now match its scales.
"Is this suppose to mean something?", Izuku said, before the four outer dragons revert back into respective form of pure energy and were reabsorb back into the middle dragon whose scales then return back to their original colorless tone and its eyes went back to shifting between colors.
"What the?", Izuku wonders.
"Wux!", the remaining dragon suddenly said.
...
"Is it...Is it speaking to me?"
"Wux!", it repeats.
"Wait a minute? Is that the voice from last night? I'm pretty sure it is", Izuku thought. A voice like that is not something someone like him would soon forget.
"Erekess Bensvelk Vur Malsvir! Erekess Aryte Vur Martivir! Erekess Kear Vur Thurkear! Wux Darastrix!",
Izuku could see a bright light emitting from the middle dragon's chest, one comprises of more colors than he could ever hope to count. He could also feel an overwhelming energy also coming out from this light and focusing on him, causing a surge of strength to start flowing through him.
"Clax! Clax! Clax! Wux Lorsvek Vrak! Wux Darastrix Maekrix!"
Finally, after the energy stable out in his body a new feeling began flowing through him. One that he has never felt before.
Retribution.
Vengeance.
Retaliation.
As this raw emotion course through his body Izuku sees the dragon's mouth form, in his opinion, the equivalent of a human smirk.
"Drex nomenes hofibahoaf mabliki svabol shinaltic svadrav wux morshin vi draushum", it says and Izuku found himself envelop by another bright light but in the midst of the blinding light, something flash before Izuku.
"Fucking piece of shit!", Kasumi said as she gave one last kick to Izuku's ribs before turning around, "Let's get the fuck out of here before someone comes along!"
"Yeah, let's get going! Catch you later, you fucking loser!" Katsuki says and the gang starts to move out of the alley, leaving Izuku lying on the ground motionless with shallow breathes being the only indication that he was alive. It was just as they were coming out of the alley and onto the sidewalk that Asahi happen to glance back down the alley, if only to get one more feel of satisfaction that he saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks.
"How the fuck?", the rest of the group hears him says and they turn around to look at him.
"The fuck you going on about?", Katsuki asks but all Asahi could do was point his finger down the alley.
"It's Deku! He's standing up!", Asahi shouts.
"Stop fucking around!", Kasumi says as her, Katsuki and the others come back over to the alley to see what was going on, "I swear if this is your idea of a joke I'l-."
Kasumi's word died within her throat as she looks down the alley.
The same boy who just moments ago received a certified beatdown from seven people was now standing up straight with no indication of injury or pain. His eyes were closed and he seem to be taking deep steady breaths as though he was calming himself down.
All and all he looked the exact opposite of what any of them were expecting.
But whatever their thoughts were on this unexplained phenomenon, they were cut short when Izuku suddenly took a step forward. It was not a stumbled step that you would expect from someone who just went through his ordeal but a determine one, straight at the group.
This step was followed by another and then another. Soon Izuku was in a power stride straight toward the twins and their gang, his eyes hidden.
Katsuki, either through anger or the need to assert himself once more, is the first to recover from shock and starts hurling insults at Izuku.
"You really don't know when to stay down, do you Deku?", he says, "Hey guys, show this idiot what happens when you keep getting back up!"
Hearing Katsuki's words was enough to shake Asahi, Yoshio, Daichi, Touma, and Jurou out of their shock and the five of them advance on Izuku. Even Kasumi was moving to join in, but suddenly found herself coming to a stop. She notices that Katsuki was not moving at all despite being the one who would normally lead the charge in such a situation. Instead he was frozen solid, an expression of shock and fear etch across his face.
"What the hell is he doing?", she thought as she looks over at Izuku, only to freeze up as well.
Why?
Because she was quite sure that something was fading in and out behind Izuku, so quickly that it nearly seems invisible and she almost thought she was imaging it.
She could not exactly tell what it was but from the brief moments that she was able to see it she noted nine major things about it.
It had colorless scales all over its body, almost as if they were looking at clear water.
It was large, as most of its body, including its head and part of its long neck, could be seen over Izuku's head.
It had a large pair of wings on its back.
It had a freakishly long snake-like tail.
It was standing on four legs.
It had four clawed toes at the end of each leg with a fifth larger claw at the end.
It had a large mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
It seemed to be roaring though she could not hear any sound coming from it.
But finally, it had the exact same eyes as the one she thought Izuku had back at school in the bleachers with the shifting colors and slit pupils.
Something inside of Kasumi told her that Katsuki was seeing the exact same thing, but their friends must have not seen it as they were still charging headlong at Izuku.
"You guys, wait!", both her and Katsuki scream out but it was already too late as Asahi was now within arm's reach of Izuku and the quirkless boy finally looks up and the monster disappear.
And the twins once again saw those same exact shifting lizard-like eyes and this time they were sure of it.
"This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!", Ryuko thought as she bolted through the skies above the city toward Aldera Junior High, her already exhausted wings being push to their limits and beyond. Thinking quickly, she taps the middle gold piercings on her left ear and began talking.
"Takako, it's Ryuko! Yeah, I felt it too! Listen, I want you to gather everyone up and follow me via my tracking device! If this is what I think it is, then we're going to need everyone there to deal with the aftermath! Ryuko, out!", she says as she gives her wings another mighty push, "This is not how I envision it all starting!"
To Kasumi and Katsuki, it was nothing short of a masterpiece of a one-sided asswhooping.
It was not savage nor brutal, it was just...
Simple and straightforward.
One moment, Asahi was moving to punch Izuku and the next he was backhand by the boy into the alley's wall, creating a loud vibrating thump as he did so and when he slid down cracks in the wall were left in his wake where he impacted.
Jurou was right behind Asahi when it happened and only has time to look at his friend's slump body for a moment before Izuku's grabs him by the neck, lifts him up effortlessly with one hand and slams him into the ground, knocking him unconscious upon impact while also producing a mini-crater.
Daichi, Yoshio, and Touma, did not fare much better as they too were struck by bouts of shocks that cause them to react too slowly to Izuku who instantly let goes of Jurou and charges at the three of them.
Yoshio took a foot to the chest as a sickening crunching noise could be heard by all as he is sent flying backward into a group of trashcans, causing them to scattered across the alleyway, which was far more movement than what the boy was doing as he did not seem like he was going to be getting up from the blow anytime soon.
Touma tries to go help his friend but all this did was leave him distracted and open to a savage kick from Izuku which he lands straight into his right kneecap, shattering it instantly.
"Ahhhhh!", Touma lets out as he falls to the ground clutching his knee. Though he is given no time to writhe in the pain as Izuku grabs him by the back of his shirt and lifts him high above his head in the air for a moment before immediately slamming him back into the ground with tremendous force. Said impact seem to knock Touma out cold and Izuku merely steps over him as he heads straight toward Daichi.
Daichi, on the other hand, actually tried to make an attempt at fighting Izuku as he lunges forward at him, his fist cock back. This was a wasted effort as he is instantly grabbed by the top of his head and brought down straight into Izuku's rising knee, breaking his nose in the process. But he is not even given the chance to collapse like the others as Izuku keeps a firm grip on his head and pulls his head back up to eye level right before he delivers a vicious headbutt to his nose, breaking it even further and causing blood to pour out of it.
Then and only then does Izuku let him go and Daichi collapses to the ground unconscious.
All in all, from an outsider perspective, the whole scuffle took less time than it would for one to turn off their alarm clock first thing in the morning.
Izuku regards Daichi for a moment with a look that one would use to regard a dead bug they found on the sidewalk. Then he takes a gander at Asahi, Jurou, Touma, and Yoshio respectively and seem to be content with the reckoning he had delivered unto them…
Before turning his full undivided attention to Katsuki and Kasumi.
And the look of indifference he had on his face during the entire scuffle suddenly morph into one of sinister intention that sent a cold chill down Katsuki and Kasumi's spines. One that truly convey Izuku's feelings without him saying a word. One that made the message crystal clear for the twins.
What I just did to them is nothing compare to what I'm about to do to you.
And that beast they saw appear behind Izuku a few moments ago, but quickly vanish thereafter?
It was back and they both realize what it was.
It was a dragon, only this time it was not cover in colorless scales nor were its eyes changing colors.
It was cover in pitch black ones and it had glowing red eyes.
Eyes that were now matching Izuku's.
A/N: Honestly, I think I could have done more with the "bullying" scene but I decided not to go too far, just enough to get the point across. Besides there will be plenty of fight scenes later on.
Blue Eyes White Dragon and Red Eyes Black Dragon. I see the parallels but that's the closest it's getting to Yugi-Oh. But what about a White Eyes Blue-Dragon or a Black Eyes Red Dragon? There's something new.
Also, the Ryukyu Independence Movement is a real thing. I'm neither supporting it nor against it, I just feel like adding because it will help Ryuko's storyline.