-Three days later in the dawn-
" *YAAAWN*, good morning Mrs. Midoriya, Izuku…Izuku? " that's strange ? is he still asleep.
"Ohayo, Maruchi, Izuku has been out at Takoba beach for 10 mins, He told me he will start his training for the U.A. entrance exams…*Sigh* I wish he can see the reality, I don't have the heart to say it straight to him…" the last two sentences were barely audible.
"Don't worry Aunty, I'm sure he can become a great hero, at least give him a chance to prove himself ! "
"Maruchi…You are right, it was his dream since he was 4 years old, I am his mother and I should support him, not discourage him ! " confidence radiated of her figure as she clutched her hand into a fist.
" Splendid ! I will join him too !" grabbing a piece of toasted bread I hurried for the door as I couldn't contain my excitement...only to be stopped.
" eat your breakfast first then go, it's still too early *Sip* " pointed to a tray with a still steaming coffee cup and some...waffles ?
" I can manage! ...*GROWL*"
" hehehe, your stomach is saying otherwise, now sit down and eat " doing so while titling my head down in embarrassment.
TRAITOR!
-Takoba Beach Park, 4:30 AM-
" *Gggghhhhhh*! " Midoriya was trying to move a
fridge with All Might siting on top of it.
" Hey ! Hey ! Hey ! this is a pretty comfortable seat, although it would be better if you could move it a little to the side"
Despite all the effort, poor Midoriya collapsed on the sandy terrain from exhaustion.
" your weight is 274 kg, this is not something easy to do "
"No, My weight has gone down to 255 kg, in this form of course "
"But, why am I training on a beach filled with all this garbage? "
"Hahahaha! It's because you're not a good container " taking out his phone he started shooting pictures of a now crying Midoriya.
"What you are you saying now is the opposite of what you said before ! *AHHHHHH*" crying and screaming.
"I meant your body " All Might corrected the misunderstanding.
"Huh? " cutting the tears and facing the approaching hero with a questioning glance, All Might continued.
"My One for All power produce the maximum natural and physical capacity of all that you gather, when the body is not ready for it yet, you won't be able to inherit it completely and your limbs will burst and tear apart "
"MY LIMBS ?!...so...to train my body, I do all this? "
"Yes, but that's not all...After I searched the internet yesterday, I knew that this beach park has been like this for a long time"
"Yes, because of the sea currents many materials and junk end washed up here"
"these days, heroes take care just of the big things...but the real purpose of heroes is to do service voluntarily, Although it's a boring job, you shouldn't neglect it, You have to clean up this whole place!" All Might says as he crushes the refrigerator like a scrap metal shredder.
"And this is your first step to becoming a hero…" he continues the late action allowed the emergence of a beautiful sunrise in the horizon.
"My first step…!?…clearing…all of this!? " Midoriya's mind was overwhelmed by the size of work before him as he gazed upon the junk that covers up nearly the whole beach.
"Midoriya-young man, you want to go to UA High School, correct ? " All Might asked for confirmation.
" Yes yes ! because you went there, If I'm going to get serious, I can surely go to U.A. High School ! "
"that's the spirit!. But, before that I want to say something...entering UA high school…is not something you can achieve without a quirk…it's sad…but that's the reality…It's very hard to get in even with an ability…that means…" All Might said as a matter of fact.
"For the next ten months, until the start of the U.A. entrance exams, I should strengthen my body...so I can inherit your quirk and have a higher chance to be accepted ! " Midoriya concluded clutching his hand into a determined fist.
"That's it...and that's why I have prepared this, I have the named it: "America's dream plan", it is an arrangement training for you to be able to clean this beach… you have to do all the instructions! " handling him a bunch of papers with detailed and strict instructions.
he even included the sleep hours and the diets along with the training hours and rest time.
"It's decided then, If I don't work harder than the others...I can't succeed..."
" you have a lot of work ahead but I'm sure you can manage !"
" *GAH* M-Maruchi ! don't scare me like that !" Midoriya jumped at the sudden appearance.
" Maruchi-young man, finally decided to join us ?" I'm impressed that he could sneak upon us like that, never knew he was there until the last seconds...
All Might's mind started to drift into a particular conversation he had not long ago, before the subject of it decided to interrupt his train of thoughts with
" I could have done that 20 mins ago if a certain someone woke me up " the certain person glanced away in embarrassed shame.
" hehehe...sorry ?"
" *sigh* apology accepted...so what are you doing in this junk yard ? "
" training, his body is still unsuitable for my quirk to inherit it safely"
" wait, hold up...what do you mean by 'safely' ? "
and so All Might explained everything.
" I see, it make sense...it's like my own ability, before I could unlock it, I was hallucinating day and night...maybe because I was still not used to it ? "
" could be, but in any case you got the idea "
" you have a lot of work ahead of you, but I'm sure you can manage ! do your best bro! " Maruchi cheered while the receiver answered with a shy
" Y-yes! I will try my best!"
" good now start with that pile there, young Maruchi you need to begin practicing too that's why I've arranged a plan that can help you…I've named it : America's dream plan #2" All Might said handing him some papers.
" Oookay ?…wait…this seems like the plan for Izuku !? " Maruchi pointed out.
" really ? but shouldn't it be more concerning around quirk's practice than the physical growth of the body ? "
"No, the plans are different from each other, Midoriya-young man's plan focus on strengthening the body with physical training, on the other hand Maruchi-young man your training is both, physical and mental! " All Might said explaining the difference.
"Huh? physical and mental ? "
"You see the transformer types activate their quirks by will, but the more complicated the transformation the more difficult to achieve that which means…" All Might said.
"The more concentration needed to activate the quirk!" Midoriya concluded.
"I see…but why physical too ? "
" to build up your stamina, keeping up the transformed state consume energy in some rare cases "
" which means, the more reserves I have, the longer I can keep the transformed state !"
" correct, now the only issue remaining is how you can activate your quirk"
" thankfully, I remembered how to do it "
" oh ? care to explain further ?"
" ok, do you recall the wyvern from before ?"
" that red dragon you transformed into ? of course how can I forget "
" in order to transform into it I need to say fire wyvern : Rathalos loudly"
...nothing happened ?
you must be willing to transform too.
" of course if I'm not feeling like it I won't transform "
" I see, but this beg the question for why you need this verbal condition ? most of the transformer quirks don't need something like this "
" hmm you're right that's strange ? and it doesn't make sense " why it should ? this power isn't a quirk in the first place.
it does if what Tsukauchi told me is right then it does make sense, however I need to verify something first.
" I'm impressed you managed to remember how to use your Quirk, did you recall any more...different details ?"
different details huh ? it's sounds like an assumption to me more than a question...does All Might knows something I don't ?
" to be honest this is the only thing I could recall, b-but I think if I want to recover more I need some sort of...triggers"
" triggers ? like what to be precise ? "
why All Might is sounding like someone interrogating me ?
" well when I was worried about Izuku when he rushed recklessly to rescue Bakugo I squeezed my way to the front of the crowd where the heat from the fire was tense enough to the point I managed to remember how to activate my power "
" I see..." I heard of cases like these, but in all of them the common thing was all those 'triggers' where either emotionally or physically connected to the patient's past. which means...
-flashback-
*A PHONE CALL...IS HERE*A PHONE CALL...IS HERE*A PHONE CALL...IS H-*BIP*
"Moshi Moshi...ah Tsaukuchi...it's been a while how are you ?"
" I'm fine All Might, glad you're doing well too"
" hehe thanks, is there something you called for or just wanted to ask about my well-being ?"
" as much as I like to hear from you, yes I called for a reason...a purple haired kid with amnesia to be precise"
" I see...so he told you about our meeting ? "
" yes but only the meeting not the secret...I don't mean to question your choice but...they are many more suitable and potential candidates to be your successor so...why did you choose a quirkless kid instead ?"
" *sigh* I saw how he reacted like a true hero despite all odds, sure I know they are many more suitable to be the inheritor of One for All but like his friend said, the kid deserves to be a hero...besides...I saw myself in him "
"...fair enough, but only the time will tell if you have chosen wisely...anyway back to our main topic "
" Maruchi young man yes, care to enlighten me about his situation ?"
and so Tsukauchi told him everything being his trustworthy and loyal friend.
" this is...complicated"
" to say the least yes his case is the most challenging case to date for me"
" hmmm...do you think that man is involved..."
"considering what he's capable of? It's not impossible...that's why I'm asking you to keep an eye on him as best as you can...also, anything he says no matter how absurd report it to me"
" I will, he will be training under me in the next 10 months don't worry about his safety...but are you sure about the 'absurd' stuff? I mean kids these days sport all sorts of nonsense "
" I'm serious Toshinori, anything he says must be taken into consideration "
" alright I shall keep an ear open, however I can't guarantee anything"
" thanks one last thing, I concluded that what might trigger his lost memories is something related to what he experienced before the amnesia occurred, anything he react to will help me paint a good picture about his past got it? "
" taking notes about weird talk and noticing reactions to things? I should call myself Papa All Might don't you think? "
" *snort* when you put it like that it's seems like a parent watching over his child "
" hahaha it is isn't? fear not I will take care of him "
-end of flashback-
" A-All M-Might?...A-All Might?" Izuku was shooting into deaf ears so I decided to help him.
" ALL MIGHTO! "
" W-what?! "
" what's wrong you were gazing intensely there for a while? "
" y-yeah i-is something the matter? a-are they any more r-risks to inherit One for All? "
" e-eh? Nah besides what I already told you there's no other risks, and I was just thinking of a way to help you improve your quirk practice without putting any strains on your brain " it's what I'm intending to do anyway, there's no need for practice if you can remember how to use it well.
" I see" both kids answered, the green haired fan turned toward his previous training spot while the other retained the analytical gaze for some seconds...each second felt longer than the last.
An awkward silence fell between the two until All Might decided to break it.
" i-is there something that you can't understand about my plan Maruchi-young man?" the nervousness was evident in his voice.
"E-EH? I-I-I was...was...W-wondering about what kind of abilities this 'Rathalos' has? I mean if you're the number one hero sure you can at least make a pretty accurate guess about individuals abilities from small scraps of information and details No?" Maruchi stuttered.
" abilities for a transformer huh?...hmmm, to be honest I worked with some people like when I was just a newbie, I assure you that it's not enough to know ALL the abilities of a transformed form just by looks and small details alone, sometimes they don't get anything new besides a different form or size "
" that's...disappointing...but I could swear I did 'something' when that sludge attacked us "
" can you explain further ? " All Might didn't sound curious to me...more like asking for assurance?
" well I think when the sludge villain's hand was about to make contact with Rath-my face I felt like something was...how to best describe it ?...gurgling! yes something was gurgling in the back of my throat for a split second before a close explosion sent me flying towards the nearest wall" and my back is still complaining about that unpleasant impact.
" I see..." so I wasn't seeing things...some sort of projectiles collided with the sludge's hand before the explosion occurred...this might mean !
"Well, maybe He's called Fire Wyvern for a reason ! I thought it was just my imaginations running wild during the rush of adrenaline but I was right, I don't know what it was exactly but you...uh...breathed some sort of maybe...fireball ? "
" a fireball ? well it makes sense but...it's seems as it wasn't all about it "
wasn't all about it ? what are you trying to say young man ? hmm...*sigh* we're not going anywhere if we continue like this.
" I have a suggestion Maruchi-young man, you can freely transform into Rathalos no ? then why don't you practice mastering using it's form and while your at it you may be able to uncover all the secrets it has "
" wouldn't that mess with the mental and physical training schedule ? "
" it won't since it's a training of it's own, what matters is helping you mastering using your power and we can adapt the schedule if it means making it more suitable for your quirk"
" I understand then stand ba-"
" hold it, before that let's move to the pile of scrap metal on the other side, I saw a big worn refrigerator there that can be a very good target practice"
...
...
" Proceed "
" yes sir ! FIRE WYVERN : RATHALOS!" a familiar icon decorated his right hand before he was engulfed in a light that soon faded to reveal the mythical wyvern's form, it's blue eyes locked on the worn junk, it opened his massive jaw revealing sharp teeth, All Might backed another step just to make sure of the safe distance...and...nothing ?
" eh ?/ *grrow* ?"
the red dragon reopened his mouth again and...nothing...
just breath in, squeeze your stomach a little and spit it out.
Sensei ? alright. the red wyvern inhaled with a sharp hiss,it's chest expanding to the max...
now ! blow hard and open your mouth at the last moment.
"*GRAH!*!" *FWOOSH*BOOM!*
A loud explosion ringed across the beach shaking a poor unaware broccoli to the core.
" w-w-what was that ?!" a panicked Midoriya rushed to All Might's side, the man's attention was focused on a burning old refrigerator with a big dent on it's center...
" sugoi ! the fireball exploded upon impact"
" w-what ? an explosive fireball ? " the still frightened Midoriya questioned receiving no answer, All Might deep in his thoughts.
that's unexpected, I can understand some sort of fiery breaths...but explosive fireballs ? it doesn't feel right...which only rise my suspicions...
after a few seconds of silence, the Rathalos looked at them both, blue eyes in delight even with a giant menacing face like that.
poor Midoriya was still dumbfounded, meanwhile All Might rose a thumbs up.
" good job! but keep practicing, your shot was good but your accuracy still lacking some refining "
he's right, a little mistake and could've ended up with a glass art or a hot bath.
"*Growh!*" the Rathalos did it's best imitation of a soldier's salute.
" amazing a long-range attack like that is pretty useful in cornering villains while keeping a safe distancing and if the wings aren't just for display I think he can go for aerial attacks too...however, if the damage from those fireballs can't be controlled willingly it could restrain him from using it more freely when needed the most, not to mention..." Midoriya's mumbling made both of the two (three if you count Sensei) sweatdrop.
-meanwhile-
in an-every day office, a certain police investigator was quickly managing the pile of recent reports regarding the villain's underground activities, what was odd about these reports is one common thing.
all their activities suddenly...stopped ?...did they see through the undercover policemen ?...or someone warned them ?...no these possibilities are highly unlikely...this is doesn't make sense...
*Knock*Knock*Knock*
" come in " the door opened and a old looking man clad in police uniform entered.
" sorry to disturb you sir, but I have new information from one of our reliable undercover agents " the policeman stated in what appears to be forced calm.
" I'm listening but keep it short " Tsukauchi demanded irritation barely hidden in his voice.
I need a vacation.
" y-yes sir ! to summarize it, our agent says that he saw a group of villains enter a black whirlpool surrounded by a purple hue, that group vanished without a trace when the whirlpool closed " the policeman's every word rose Tsukauchi's adrenaline.
" did he found any more details ? concerning this quirk's user or their motives ? " I have a bad feeling about this.
" unfortunately no sir, the agent wanted to deliver this info as soon as possible before investigating more, but one of the villains nearly blow off his cover...the only thing he managed to grasp was the word 'recruiting' "
" very well, order all the agents to retreat back to HQ, we don't know what we could be dealing here with and if there's a mastermind behind this organized 'recruiting', their covers will be truly blown off this time...we need to proceed in a different way" up to 25 underground and hidden hideouts were 'cleaned' before the pro heroes could strategize an ambush plan...which means we're not dealing here with everyday thugs...but something worse.
" yes sir ! I will spread the word!" the policeman saluted before hurrying out.
a teleportation-based quirk, organized crime, and phantom-like awareness...I really hope it's not him.
...
..
.
-3:30 PM, Musutafu, Japan-
"I'm exhausted, seriously that training was straining, especially the 30 mins of breathing fiery balls, thankfully my throat isn't as sour I excepted it will be"
" lucky you, I had to keep pulling a big old sofa to the other end of the beach, my hand are still complaining about it " Izuku said showing the still red palms.
" you have my sympathy, the 10 mins break between the 5 miles run and 50 pushups wasn't even a breather " more like a pause to feel all the pain in it's full glory.
" wait didn't you get some rest with the meditation training ?" Izuku turned to me in bewilderment.
" yes I did and got a painful headache as a bonus too " I should bring some aspirin next time.
" swimming with sour muscles isn't refreshing too " Izuku's shivering at that memory showed how much unpleasant it was.
" OUT OF THE WAY DEKU! TOKAGE !" a very loud and very familiar voice ringed my ears, I turned around to see Bakugo coming towards us.
" Ka-Kacchan ?" as usual Izuku addressed him by his childhood nickname.
" Yo! Bakugo! are you training too for the upcoming exams ?" I on the other hand waved at him casually, I mean he's not a total jerk, not after 'thanking' Izuku for saving him...just a misunderstood teen.
" OF COURSE I'M, DON'T PUT ME ON YOUR PUNY LEVEL YOU PATHETIC IDIOT !" and a very rude one too !
he's right, you just started so don't be a wimp if you want to be a hero.
" Great encouragement Sensei "
" WHAT ARE YOU MUMBLING ABOUT HUH ?"
" A-Ah I just said great encouragement Sensei " dang it, he has exceptional hearing too ?
" hmph I don't have time to train wimps ! "
*SNORT* I'm starting to like him.
" and you DEKU ! don't try to get in my way or you will be sorry got it ?!" the poor broccoli's response was a weak "y-yes".
Bakugo didn't give us any more time as he strolled off and out of our sight, what an...explosive attitude.
" You okay there ? you look like you're about to pass out "
" I-I'm f-fine, was just scared that's all " his shivering subsided, why was he so nervous ?
"okay let's get going then "
" O-okay...by the way how did you managed to learn breathing fire so fast ? did you remember it or it's just came to you instinctively ? " Midoriya asked, notebook and pen on standby.
how did he do it ?...on a more serious note it will be easier to say, "a voice in my head told me the instructions like a tutorial in a video game"...but wait !
it's better to keep silent about things for now, I will explain later, alright?
" the later is more likely than the former"
*Sigh* fine but on one condition, next time don't make a foul of me, alright ?
no promises, but I will try my best.
" I see..." Izuku's said while scribbling note after note on his book.
-5:30 PM, Takoba beach, Musutafu-
after a warm and very delicious meal, we managed to somehow convince Aunty to let us train after sunset at Takoba beach on condition of coming back before Midnight.
it was a beautiful sight...the untainted horizon anyway.
" *Sigh* we have a long way to go..." I said eying the sea of garbage before us.
" yes, but we will make it, I'm sure !"
" of course we will !" while we waited for All Might's arrival at 6:00 PM, Izuku already begin doing some pushups while I was just messing around looking for any interesting things to pass the time, it's just 20 mins but feels like an eternity.
you're just looking for an excuse to slack off.
why should I waste my energy ? besides isn't this a good time to tell me about what we agreed upon ?
I think so too, well to put it simply the first time you fired that ball was out of instinct.
you mean I could have ended seriously injured if I didn't nullify the sludge's attack ?
Rathalos has hard scales and shells covering most parts of it's body, but even with that I doubt you could have walked out from that case unscathed.
shuddering at what could have happened, I pushed those to the very back of my mind, maybe you could package them in a chest with locks and chains ?
unfortunately I don't have such luxury, but it's good to have that in mind, in case you got a reckless idea of tanking something worst.
fine ! I will be careful I promise, but we're got off topic.
then let's resume, to put it in simple terms the moment you transformed I learned many things about the Rathalos...including it's explosive fireballs.
and why didn't you tell me earlier ?
because you had so much in your plate that you even dismissed the number one hero's secret...besides, I wanted to see if you can do it like first time by instinct without my interference.
I understand, but something's missing...did you learn anything else ?
hmmm, let's see, Rathalos can fly to high altitudes, can withstand fire and heat well, have explosive fireballs and poisonous claws too.
" P-Poisonous claws ?! "
" huh ? did you say something ?"
" a-ah ? n-no I-I was eh just wondering if they are any poisonous materials here that needs to be removed ?"
" p-poisonous materials ?...well from what I saw there's nothing but ordinary junk, just don't get injured by a rusty scrap and you will be fine"
" I will thanks !" Izuku nodded at my answer before continuing his training.
are you sure ? I didn't feel like anything odd was seeping from my-from Rathalos's feet.
I assure you I know what I'm talking about, in order to inject poison, Rathalos must stretch his leg's muscles before clawing at the target, in other words, Rathalos can use poison attacks only while flying.
I see, I will keep that in mind. anything else ?
that's all.
okay thanks sense-
" hmmm ? what's this thing a toy ?" it was broken in two pieces one was buried in the sand and barely visible.
picking the first piece I examined it. huh ? looks like a bipedal character...with claws and a tail ? what it can be.
curious, I pulled the other piece from it's sand coffin, poor toy...what's this ?
" hey ! Izuku what type of animals is this ?" he crouched into a siting position to catch his breath, before risen his brow when his gaze fell upon the figure.
" it's a dinosaur plastic toy, a Tyrannosaurus Rex to be exact, T-Rex for short"
I don't know what but that name,T-Rex it was as if I heard it before...I glanced back to the toy nothing ringed any bell...until my sight landed on a specific part...the head.
" Izuku ? you remember when you asked me about my Quirk's specifications ?" I said eyeing the symbol in my hand as the white light dispersed...
" uh ? yeah ? what about it ?"
" I think I just found a suitable name for it..."
...revealing a new icon.
" huh ? r-really ? what is it ?"
" Polymorph"