Izuku settled on another objective. As a local resident, he was well aware of Takoba Municipal Beach Park located south of the hill, alongside an elevated stretch of National Route 135 halfway between the first and second tunnel, and of local infamy.

The definitive monument of municipal neglect: years of trash washed up on its shores, turning vibrant sand into a deteriorating debris minefield. It wasn't just the small stuff. Entire pickup trucks somehow made the perilous journey by sea to become a recent addition to the disgrace that was Takoba.

Two reasons made it easy for the city, and most citizens, to ignore. For one, most tourists were not aware of its existence. Most visitors came from the north, not the south, and most never ventured past the southbound tunnels. Out of sight, out of mind.

The second reason: The entrance was unmarked, and the beach invisible from the road high-up.

Because it was so far below, it made it a logistical nightmare to clean-up. A pickup truck would have to venture off the highway onto an obscure, narrow road, steeply descending to the beach. The road wasn't in good condition, nor paved, so the truck needed off-road certification.

So why bother? Why spend money fixing up a beach that never drew traffic or attention?

Izuku disagreed. If they weren't going to, he would.

When he had the time available, on the weekends he would head out, take the bus through the tunnel, and disembark at the Acao Forest roadside shopping center down the road. He'd cross the highway and descend two flights of stairs to the trashed beach.

He prepared for the enormous task at hand by bringing several industrial-grade trash bags and wore a pair of heavy-duty gloves for the occasion. He examined the beach and calculated a safe path through the strewn debris, prioritizing the trash he could pick up with both hands. Others would require machinery and/or a pickup truck to ferry away. He could only do so much…

In the end, about seventy percent of the trash was disposable without assistance. For three hours, he treaded carefully, double checked the surrounding area, and took care to avoid injury. When lunchtime arrived, he turned and slowly advanced back to the stairwell base before he ascended it to the highway and crossed to Coda Rossa, Acao Forest's sole restaurant.

After lunch, he returned to the beach and resumed his cleanup until the sky was orange.

Then he'd go. He left five stuffed trash bags at the base of the stairs by the day's end. He ascended the first flight of stairs to the halfway point, then turned around. There were visible sand patches now. He couldn't help the smile on his face, observing his progress, before he resumed his climb.

As the months passed, Izuku started experiencing the interesting results from his many good deeds. Word spread throughout the community from incredulous passersby who'd observed him in action and gabbed to their fellow man.

It started with awed looks from passing locals on the street when he did his rounds. (He winced. Was this how celebrities felt?) Then, at some businesses he visited, winking shopkeepers gave him on-the-spot, exclusive discounts.

He made a name for himself, even in unexpected places. His mom delivered a bewildering admission the other day: the city waived her annual municipal taxes.

He kept himself grounded. All the attention came from locals. Outsiders were unaware of who he was, or what he did; some bewildered at the special treatment given to him. Maybe they thought he was the mayor's son or related to the local House representative, which couldn't be farther from the truth. He was just Izuku, who, until now, was unnoticed.

In fact, being on the other side reminded him to stay humble.

His self-education continued through his frequent library and internet visits. Aside from the occasional online indulgence of hero merchandise, formerly All Might exclusive, but lately broadened to other heroes. The Wild, Wild Pussycats book made him see the hero team in a new light, so he started collecting their merchandise, making his room less of an All Might shrine.

And they weren't the only ones diversifying his merchandise collection…

"...Number three: Ryukyu defends a Karafuto oil field against a rampaging villain."

An artificial, feminine text-to-speech announced to his ears. A white-haired maid anime character occupied the bottom right-corner of the video, Touhou, if he had to guess (how a near-century video game series held staying power to this day was a mystery for the ages).

The video segued from the previous segment to the next, opening on cell phone footage, aimed at an oil platform in the distance. The overcast sky and slight fog slightly obscured the situation. A villain was midway through his assault as the camerawoman shouted in Russian.

A flying dragon soon entered the frame from the right… but it didn't swoop in and make contact just yet. The dragon—Ryukyu—concealed her movements, letting the villain be all-focused on the platform while she flew in a circular pattern, scanning… taking in the scene.

After the second full circle, Ryukyu swooped in, claws out. Caught off-guard, the villain tumbled back into the seawater.

The text-to-speech announcer spoke up afterwards, explaining the aftermath. Ryukyu picked up the downed villain and ferried him to an awaiting prefectural police squadron on the shore.

The oil platform suffered light damages, but resumed operations after quick repairs. There were no casualties.

He paused the video as he typed into the search-bar: "Ryukyu post-Karafuto incident interview." Results popped up on-screen, and he clicked on the top video.

Ryukyu, now in human form, and clad in her famous dark red qipao, stood off to the side as Karafuto Prefecture's governor—Himura Daijirou—finished his speech related to the incident amidst the constant snap and shutter of cameras.

A jump cut brought Ryukyu full and center. Questions asked as Ryukyu answered them in her usual, composed manner. Mainly, when she heard about the attack, she wasted no time flying over there from Shikuka, and bringing him to justice. She was grateful about arriving in-time before casualties occurred.

…There was something he liked about her. Maybe it was her cool quirk—the ability to transform into a dragon wherever, whenever. Or her composed demeanor, reassuring everyone of her know-how, her experience… She was just reassuring. Her draconic smile could dispel one's worries. Also… her red qipao really suited her.

Two more interviews that he watched further cemented his impressions. After that, he typed in another link. On the Suruga-ya homepage, he searched for her in the secondhand merchandise section, and after a brief scroll, purchased a cool, affordable figurine.

He purchased a few more Ryukyu figurines since then. Still, he limited the amount of indulgent purchases. Most purchases were in equipment vital for his dream.

He flipped open a composition notebook to the most recent page. His notebook wouldn't just host hero analysis anymore. He jotted down new ideas for community service in dedicated pages. Then he'd scrutinize them and follow up on the ideas that passed.

He set aside his notebook, eyes focused on the computer screen, the web browser open on the Yahoo homepage. He typed in the search bar: "Why has U.A. beat Shiketsu as the top hero school throughout Japan?"

Multiple search results popped up. News articles regarding the long-running rivalry were at the top. Some blog sites dedicated to heroes had their takes below, some from those in the industry, others amateur speculation. He clicked on multiple links and read through them. Then he stumbled upon a blog post from the Black Outsiders, with an unusual take. He read through the lengthy introduction passage touching upon notable rivalries, like the fierce All Might vs. Endeavor rivalry, before segueing into the similar passionate rivalry between the top two hero schools in Japan, one whose debate rages on for days, and one some forums banned preemptively…

"U.A. High and Shiketsu: Eager vs. Reluctant Adopter

Posted by Tengen, 05 January 2083 18:40

"…I am prepared for the comments section to be a battleground, but such is the case for many of my blog posts, who often touch upon topics that status quo supporters don't like being mentioned.

I won't say which school is ultimately better, but I'll touch upon why U.A. High always reaches the number one spot in Japan, compared to Shiketsu, always in the runner-up position…

…The differences are many, but the answer we'll focus on lies in their history. An individual with a lot of cash to spare from years of real estate development and stock trading, Nedzu, founded U.A. High. He started the school with the expressed intention of cultivating the next generation of heroes. A lot of the school's alumni are within the top ten historically and in the present day.

Nedzu's considerable wealth helped propel the school into being the cream of the crop. He invested a lot of money in cutting-edge technology and hired highly skilled professionals who were willing to mentor the next generation. He also sets valuable incentives to bring top talent into the fold. And considering their position, it's working.

Compare that to Shiketsu High. First, the school came about as a reluctant admission from the fading military top brass that heroes would one day supplant them, difficult for an organization who engaged in a bloodless battle for relevance. The Shiketsu organization comprised veterans and their allies. That being said, admission was the first step in their surrender. Now came the multiple factions, eventually devolving into dissension.

Some factions took the inevitable hero industry better than others. Others disbelieved surrendering and submitting. Such factions still exist in the present day, mainly in the "Military Restoration Organization," a Tottori-ken based group formed since the JSDF's dissolution in 2060, and who hold considerable voting power and sway on the Shiketsu's Board of Governors.

Which is another difference to be mentioned. Both schools have boards of oversight, but their powers are vastly different. Shiketsu's board has more power, and U.A.'s board is a rubber-stamp for Nedzu's fiats, even if their stated purpose is to oversee his decisions (I have written in a separate blog post about Nedzu's machinations and how he has structured his school where all power ultimately lies in him)...

…To sum it up, U.A's consistent hold in first place is all about how they approach heroes. U.A.'s all for them. Shiketsu… is still hesitant to recognize them and is more prone to strife in its governing board. Therefore, Shiketsu consistently falls short, even if they attract just as good hero prospects as their rival in Shizuoka-ken…"

Izuku leaned back in his chair. Some of the previous articles he read mentioned the difference in unity, but were vague in explaining it. This blog post shed new light on the disparity. He smiled, clicking on the blog's logo, and dragging his cursor to the bookmark icon.

Now that elementary school graduation was on the horizon, Izuku shifted gears. Takoba was a start in improving his physique, but it needed refinement, and a guide who could understand Izuku's goals and motivations.

Two hours after school, clad in gym attire, he approached a six-story business/apartment building in the southern quarter of Downtown. He stopped before it, in slight trepidation at the next stage in his journey.

M (Muscle & Body) Fitness Gym wasn't visible at street level, and from the outset its entrance wasn't clear-cut. There was a mounted signpost on a pole that reached from the base of the exterior stairwell to a metallic awning extending out from the third floor's balcony. On the signpost itself, lit against a black background, below "3F", was the gym's logo, and in a white strip below it, a telephone number.

His eyes tracked the exterior stairwell, noting it only went to the second floor. His feet continued moving, passing by the ground-level storefront, and maneuvered his way through a nondescript entrance. In the illuminated corridor, he climbed the first stairwell to the third floor corridor. Two doors down was the gym's entrance.

The door swung out, and he stepped in, his body somewhat trembling. A few gym goers were already there, busy making use of the equipment within a neatly organized, narrow space. Treadmills and exercise bikes placed by a couple windows at the other end. A blue exercise mat where people could do their stretches, push-ups, etc. laid to his left. On his right, the weight corner, with stacked weight-varying dumbbells, assisted weight equipment, and so forth.

It wasn't the only gym in town, but the locals he conversed with on his daily walkabouts said otherwise. They said it was well-maintained and the trainers friendly and accommodating.

Trainers were the most important factor for him.

Steps approached from his right. Izuku cocked his head, observing the approaching man seemingly in his 40s, clad in a black polo shirt with the gym logo emblazoned. Upon eye contact, the man flashed a welcoming smile, greeting him.

"T-thanks for the kind welcome…"

"The name's Miura Kenta. It's a pleasure meeting…"

"Midoriya Izuku."

"Pleasure meeting you, Midoriya-kun… First time?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry, P.E's not my strong suit."

"That won't be a problem. We welcome all walks of life." His eyes gave him a once-over. "If you don't mind, what's your goals?"

"Well…" Izuku's eyes shifted away. "I want to become a pro hero, so I want to prepare… Hopefully, it's not overkill."

Miura chuckled, smiling. "Not overkill at all. It's prudent on your part to get stronger years before. Have a school in mind?"

"...U.A. High."

Miura whistled. "You'll definitely need all the help you can get if you want to have a chance. Thankfully, you've come to the right person, Midoriya-kun." He leaned forward. "I have lots of experience training pro-heroes. Some of these names you might recognize, like… You know Mr. Brave?"

"I do! He's the hero that plucks out his hair and shapes them into weapons."

"That's the one," Miura said. "I'll tell you an open secret. Quirks are only one part. A lot comes down to their physique and training. Before I started working here, I used to travel around, serving as personal trainers to pro-heroes starting out or wanting improvement. I've trained quite a few like that." He straightened himself. "We should start if you're ready. I'll ask a few more questions. Figure out your plan, assess your current stamina and strength… Besides P.E., any other physical activity?"

Izuku hummed. "Besides walking around town… I've been cleaning up Takoba in my spare time."

Miura's mouth fell open. "Oh, so that's who the mysterious benefactor of Takoba was…"

"W-what?"

"It's a mess. I frequently jog around the area. The Takoba stairs make a good workout, so when I saw the beach cleaner than usual, I was wondering who it could be."

"Here I am, I guess?"

"It's good work you're doing out there. Now I'm definitely going to give it my all in training you."

"T-thanks."

Izuku answered his following inquiries, established a baseline, and spent the next hour working out according to the plan set by his personal trainer. At the end, he staggered out of the gym sweat-drenched, and a fair bit of aching. The feeling of progress.

For the next couple months, he frequented the gym, his visits increasing as the Takoba cleanup winded down. He got the beach as pristine as it could be without municipal assistance.

In the meantime, Miura told him of a pressure campaign he was spearheading for the government to finish the job. Izuku wished him the best of luck.

Eventually, the elementary school graduation came and went. Izuku maximized the break between the academic years to his advantage to stay one step ahead of Bakugou.

Now, with a week remaining before the start of junior high, an unusual encounter was about to take place.

The needle in Izuku's arm slid out in a smooth motion as the kindly masked Red Cross nurse applied the bandage to the area before tightening a piece of gauze around it.

The brief pain receded. Izuku used the fifteen minutes to make small talk with the nurse before he rose from the reclined chair. He thanked her as he stepped out from the parked mobile van and onto the parking lot asphalt.

It was only a matter of time before Izuku donated life-saving blood. He could've started earlier, but to his great shame, he had been afraid of needles. It was an obstacle he had to ram through if he wanted to be a hero.

The fifth time was so much different from the first. He wasn't shaking in his shoes like before, nor was he so apprehensive that the nurse had to soothe him of his worries. She delivered some good advice: Turn your head away when the time comes. It worked, the fear dissipating after each visit.

But it left him feeling famished. Ravenous enough to consume three katsudon portions at home. When he returned home from his first blood donation, he had to explain the reason for his increased hunger. His mom beamed with pride.

Izuku set out for the shopping plaza across from Atami Station, just a few minutes away from his current location. His eyes scanned the passing storefronts before deciding on the FamilyMart konbini.

As soon as he stepped through the sliding doors, he froze. Loud feminine chatter made him turn his head to the right. Further down the aisle, at one end of the checkout counter, a youthful clerk in his early 20s was at his wits' end with the tall woman on the other side of the counter.

Izuku's eyes trailed down her back, noticing her unusual wardrobe. She wore a black short-sleeve t-shirt which only covered her upper back, exposing skin below. Below her waist, dark blue denim shorts and a brief gap of exposed skin between that and her long-legged socks.

Her bronzed complexion and shoulder-length, side ponytail blonde hair made her gaijin-identifiable, the louder-than-usual speaking voice a close second.

A sudden movement from the clerk interrupted his gaze. The clerk pointed a finger at him. The lady spun on her heel, blue eyes landing upon him. Izuku's breath hitched.

A gorgeous lady… had just turned her attention to him. His eyes caught her growing smile, even as he focused on her barely-concealed braless breasts underneath her t-shirt.

The lady was fast approaching. He shifted his eyes away and formed a weak smile. She stopped before him, thankful eyes gazing upon him.

She began in English, then paused. "Sorry. Can you, like, tell me the way, please?"

"...T-the way? Way to where?" Beads of sweat trailed down his forehead.

"Eheh. Sorry. It's Atami Aldera Middle School. Do you know where that is?"

Izuku's weak smile fell, nodding. "I-I do. Do you want me to lead you there?"

"You will?!"

"Y-yeah. It's a bit of a walk, though." He noticed the sole, sticker-plastered rolling luggage beside her. Guess the shortcut is out of the question.

" Lead the way!"

"Alright, but let me get my fried chicken first."

She winced. "A-ah. Sorry about that. I'm, like, super impatient, but please get your food while you're here."

After grabbing a bag of fried chicken and paying for it at the counter, Izuku met the woman, rolling luggage in tow, outside on the bustling red brick-tiled plaza. She met his approaching figure with mirthful eyes and a warm smile, greeting him.

"It's, like, so fascinating…" she said.

His eyes followed her gaze. The masses milled about the area, heading for their destinations. People going in-and-out of the glass-paned Atami Station beyond the asphalt turnaround with its curbside-parked cars and vacant bus spaces.

"What do you mean?" Izuku said.

"We don't have trains, especially, like, those super fast trains, where I come from. Only a languishing closed railway from two centuries back."

Izuku's eyes widened, nodding. "Yeah, the bullet trains are an engineering marvel."

"I just rode one on the way here."

Izuku continued nodding, then paused. The fact she had a suitcase with her… "How long have you been in Japan?"

She giggled. "Like, two hours tops, ever since my plane landed in Haneda."

"You've just landed… and you haven't checked into a hotel yet?"

"My apartment's close by, but it can wait."

"I… see."

"Let's get going!"

Izuku nodded. He moved on ahead, ears tuned for the rolling luggage behind him. They initially approached the station building and skirted its perimeter, heading eastward. The walkway deposited them on a narrow sideroad at the entrance of a 2.2 meter-tall tunnel underneath the train tracks. They stuck to the green-painted sidewalk as they ambled through the darkness. All the while the woman adopted a wanderlust gaze, always looking around and finding the most minutiae of things interesting, like a Japanese traveler's first visit to Paris.

Would he have been like her if he traveled overseas to a nation he liked? America had been All Might's old stomping grounds, and he had a long-term goal of one day making the pilgrimage to all the places All Might had been during his America days. Perhaps he's not one to talk. He would probably exceed her in enthusiasm.

The woman was pretty chatty, always peppering inquiries his way, listening even as she turned her head to gaze at the passing houses beyond the tunnel and Shinkansen viaduct they crossed under. Some inquiries might've been… shallow, but like the other westerners he assisted, he always answered them with a smile.

Even though his nerves were going haywire. He never helped someone so… scantily clad before. It wasn't like the attire was inappropriate for the town. It was a humid beach town after all, but… they were heading away from the beach and into the interior.

They traversed up the hill on a winding, three hairpin-turn road. Izuku's eyes gazed at the stairwells that cut through the winding road and deposited them at the top. Her rolling luggage eliminated that option.

Finally, at the top, Izuku knew they were approaching their destination. The school entered his field-of-view when they reached an intersection cornering the towering athletic field fence on the school's campus. Past the long-standing trees and overgrowth, they eventually arrived at two beige-colored, three-story, minimalistic buildings at an outdoor-side entrance.

The woman peered down the shaded alley beyond the side-entrance, wincing. "They hadn't, like, told me where to go for the interview." Her voice muted.

"I believe it's in the building on the left."

The woman whipped her head to him. "You heard me?"

He chuckled. "Your definition of quiet is still loud for us."

"...That's true." Realization dawned on her. "All this time, and we haven't even introduced ourselves!" She turned to him. "Thank you, thank you! You really saved me!"

"It's no problem, miss…"

She responded with a sudden, tight embrace, their height difference apparent with him having a faceful of her breasts. Izuku's cheeks turned a dark red, trying to tear his eyes away from involuntarily glimpsing her cleavage.

"M-miss, c-can—"

Her sudden release caused him to stumble and nearly fall on his ass, and only the quick reflexes honed from his workouts caught his fall. He straightened himself out, panting. His brain ran a kilometer a second.

"The name's Patricia Brown, but if you'd like, since you helped me plenty, call me Patti."

"Y-you want me to call you by your first name? W-we just met, Brown-san."

Patricia giggled. "No need for formalities. You can call me whatever you like… Now, your name?"

"I-it's Midoriya Izuku. It's nice to meet you, too…" His eyes shifted away. "It feels a bit unfair to call you by your first, when…"

"Izuku… I-zu-ku. That's, like, a really nice name! Our meeting was meant to be!"

"...I suppose."

"Anyway, Izuku! I hope the hug expressed my gratitude! I hope to see you again soon!" She waved at him before pivoting on her heel and strolling in.

Izuku returned her wave. "S-see ya." His eyes lingered on her retreating figure, contemplating on what had transpired. The foreigners he dealt with before weren't as gregarious or… free spirited.

Another thought popped into mind. Why would a foreigner want to visit an ordinary school?

…Her wanderlust probably extended to exploring every nook and cranny of a Japanese school, counting the differences between the schools here and at home. Yeah, that's it. Otherwise, why would a foreigner want to visit a place so… mundane?

Character Introduced: Patricia Brown (from the visual novel/eroge Korekara Anata o Ubau kara! -Yuuwaku Soudatsu Sisters-).

Author's Note: ...I've always found it hard to believe how Takoba was... in the state it was, considering its location and close proximity to downtown. So, when I was doing research, I've found a more-out-of-the-way beach to base Takoba on; one slightly further out-of-town and harder-to-access made it more plausible for such a beach to be in the condition it was.

Now, for the year and timeline... It's common fanon that the series is set 100 or 200 years—sometimes even 300 years after our present, but I somewhat disagree with that conclusion... Granted, the timeline's not a sure thing in canon. Before I've written the story, I've created a rough timeline for this alternate universe. I already have a planned point of divergence in mind and "origin story" as to how quirks were unleashed on the world stage.

This chapter also posed an opportunity to introduce more worldbuilding, though funny enough, I didn't plan to expand upon the Ryukyu scene (it was going to be an offhanded mention that he came across her on the internet and found her cool enough to buy merchandise of), but in the days leading up to publication, I realized it's something that should be shown rather than be told, hence the last-minute revision.

Now, I'll conclude with notes on the introduced character. As mentioned above, she hails from an eroge, revolving around a student at an all-boys school who gets to know all his female teachers very intimately. I loved her character design and potential at first sight. Granted, she's a nukige character, so there's only a sliver of personality in the visual novel. It posed as a neat challenge to me as a writer: creating character depth and developing her personality for this fanfic. I hope I succeeded in that challenge. Even if I fell short, at least it'll further my writing skills and I can improve upon it in the next work or what not.

Enough tangents on my end. I hope to see y'all at the next chapter. Thank you!