10/09/2024
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The Emperor's Dragon
Dragon 50 - Training Is the First Step to Moving Forward
Izuku was working with Twice. The man Jin Bubaigawara preferred to be called Twice when he had his mask on had a very interesting quirk. They all had interesting quirks. But Jin's ability to copy himself, and copy other things was very useful. Izuku had already seen it when they'd run from the Police and Heroes at the Shie Hassaikai base but he was now seeing more of it as they practised.
Yet there was a reluctance in Twice that Izuku knew he had to combat before Twice would truly embrace his quirk. He knew better than to just ask and he already knew what the issue was anyway from conversations he'd overheard and been involved in. It was going to be up to Jin to ask him or to want him to help.
Even so Twice's ability to copy the League and then use those clones to fight him was helping him gain condition much faster. Gigantomachia was watching and there was a glint in the large man's eyes that said he would like to fight too. Gigantomachia always wanted to fight.
Izuku ducked as a clone of Mr Compress lunged towards him.
Mr Compress' quirk was interesting as well. It had so many facets in the way that it worked. The simple statement that it allowed Atsuhiro to shrink anything inside the area into a small marble without damaging it, just scratched the surface of what Atsuhiro's quirk did. It not only shrunk things, it reduced their weight. It put them in the marble for protection. And for the things trapped in the marble, they were sort of in stasis, but any area effects they had initiated remained. It was a marvellously complicated quirk that seemed so simple.
It was the same with Twice's quirk.
With a practised move, Izuku rammed a hand through Atushiro's clone as he turned. That effectively 'killed' the clone and it dissolved. But he couldn't watch that, because another clone let out a jet of fire. Izuku was fire proof but the point of this training was for him to avoid being hit, while the others cooperated to hit him. Izuku had also told Twice that he'd go for kill shots on the clones, while only tapping the League.
The man had given him a disbelieving look, as if Twice couldn't comprehend how someone could tell the difference. Izuku hadn't explained. He knew what Twice's problem was but he couldn't just use logic to get rid of it… well couldn't solely use logic. The combination of the knowledge that he could tell which was the original, and his actions should go some way towards letting Twice know he was the original, without actually forcing the issue. It was helping him practise as well. He hadn't had many real fights, so he tended to hold back. This would encourage him to be brutal when it was called for.
They were not confined to a warehouse but Izuku had to agree that the location was probably not one they'd fight in often. Dabi had called it the ass end of nowhere, which was pretty accurate. Kurogiri had transported them to a deserted area of forest with a clearing and that was where they were practising.
There was going to be evidence of their practice. Trees were already down and there were some great gouges in the land from where Mr Compress had picked it up and then sometimes released it.
Himiko was participating, as was Whisper. Himiko still had Regeneration and was using her new quirk to her advantage, lunging inwards with her knife and a huge, happy grin. Whisper was not strong in direct, hand to hand combat but her quirk was useful. Just making someone silent made them a lot more dangerous. Izuku hadn't realised how much you relied on a sense, until it just wasn't there. It gave him some appreciation for what his father had gone through, losing his sight which was, when all was said and done, the sense, most of them relied upon the most. He hated All Might but how much more did his father hate? Losing his hearing, or his ability to hear someone, via Whisper's quirk was disconcerting but great practice for him.
She might not contribute much to the actual fighting but her contribution was not insignificant. In point of fact… Izuku threw himself forward, and turned in time to see a knife flash through where he had been. Whisper was already retreating from the thrust and if they were fighting for real, Izuku would have flicked a gust from Caeli Imperium at her… Actually, if this was real, he wouldn't be fighting like this but he'd agreed to do his best to fight like All Might. That meant he was using strength quirks, and while he could have still made a gust of air, All Might usually fought differently. He wanted them to see that. And learn that their combined efforts were not as ineffectual as they might initially believe.
"All Might is faster," Kurogiri called.
Being the only one who had seen All Might fight in person, Kurogiri was adjudicating. Izuku sped up. He knew, on the ground at least, he was as fast as All Might and with the speed quirk Yakuni had gotten for him, he was faster. Endurance, Gigantomachia's quirk was helping too. It was odd to feel it extending his ability to use the other quirks. It wasn't an exact feeling but it was close enough.
He was using the strength quirks Yakuni had gotten for him and they were making a difference. Previously, he'd had two, now he had four, plus several supporting quirks and…
He was going to have to thank Yakuni again for collecting them. The young man had thought about each quirk and made sure that they complimented each other and it was making a huge difference.
While the group hadn't been moving slowly before, as Izuku sped up, it became apparent that he was much faster than them. He tapped Twice as he went past, and 'killed' two more clones.
Izuku glanced at Gigantomachia. The man looked like he wanted to fight but there was also a faint expression of disappointment. He knew what that meant. He really should have finished this already.
And it was time to do so. He'd given them long enough to cooperate and try a few things and now it was his turn to do things. Izuku gathered himself, and gave Gigantomachia a nod before he charged. All Might was a direct fighter, so there was no need for subtlety. Instead, to make his point, he pulled up a quirk he'd gotten the other day. It wouldn't be an effect All Might could do but it would be something to end the battle.
Reaching out with Dragon's Hoard, Izuku fixed where everyone was in his mind. The flare of their quirks made them easy to find, even amongst the hoards of clones Twice had made. Then he moved. The speed quirk Yakuni had collected for him activated and he felt his perception change slightly. That was Iida's quirk. He didn't have the mutation to make Tenya's quirk work but his quirk included the mental ability to process his sensory input at speed. Combined with the quirk Yakuni had gotten him, it meant he could truly move faster than the eye could see.
Izuku darted left, and touched five fingers to Whisper who was coming around to attack him again. Then he ran behind her, and touched his other hand to Dabi, before jumping and flipping, to come down beside Himiko. Everyone appeared to be moving in slow motion and Izuku brushed his hand over Himiko's cheek before he dodged under her arm and charged towards Twice. The man saw him coming by the widening of his eyes, but he couldn't move fast enough to avoid him. Izuku touched his fingers to Twice's chest and then flattened himself as Mr Compress thrust his arm towards him. He reached up and touched Mr Compress' leg.
With that done, Izuku concentrated for a moment and the people he'd touched shot into the sky. "Wah!" there were various cries but he knew they'd be fine. They were just hovering, which didn't mean they couldn't attack - especially in Dabi's case, but it would limit their options. Himiko had some throwing knives but he didn't think Whisper did and Compress… well, he could release the dirt he had in marbles but Izuku knew this would make his point.
With his real combatants out of the way, Izuku directed his strength quirks to his arms, and dodged through the remaining clones, dispatching them all. They went to goo as they 'died' and he could feel Twice's eyes on him, watching. Just as he was finished killing the clones, Izuku heard a familiar noise of fire. He turned and clapped his hands together carefully. It created a gale which drove the fire back and he was quick enough with Ochaco's quirk to move Dabi higher, out of the path of the returned flame.
"Do you want to try that again?" Izuku asked, looking up.
The fire villain snorted but shook his head.
"Well," Izuku announced. "I think I win," he said, coolly jerking his head to the side as Himiko threw some knives. He could see that Mr Compress was preparing to release something as well and reached his arms back. Atsuhiro sighed and the marbles returned to wherever he stored them.
"How did you know which were us? You couldn't know which were us!" Twice said.
Izuku shrugged at the question. "Only originals have quirks," he told the masked man and didn't elaborate further. Twice would have to accept that he could tell, and what that meant for himself.
Mr Compress sighed and manoeuvred himself so he was looking down. "You really were holding back, weren't you?" he asked.
"Until you guys admit defeat, we are still fighting," Izuku replied. "Though nice try on getting me to let you down and forget that rule," he added with a grin. "Do you give up?" he asked them all.
Whisper sighed and nodded. Twice nodded and then shook his head. Izuku took that as agreement. "Dabi?" he prompted.
The fire villain huffed. "Yeah okay, I give up," he announced.
Izuku turned his attention to Himiko, giving her a significant look. "No fair! But I give up!" she grinned before Izuku shifted slightly to look at Atsuhiro. The man could have a trick up his sleeve, literally! Apparently he was weighing up his options but eventually he nodded. "You've won this round."
Izuku grinned. "I like the sentiment," he agreed, and then brought his hands together to let them down. They all shifted in the air so that they landed on their feet.
"How much were you holding back?" Whisper asked before anyone else could.
"A bit," Izuku admitted. "I was fighting like All Might, so mostly using strength and speed quirks," he explained.
That got him a thoughtful look from Atsuhiro and Dabi just sighed.
"Another round then, but this time, go all out, except!" The magician held up his hand. "Do not use Dragon's Hoard," he instructed.
"All the other quirks?" Izuku asked.
"All of them," Mr Compress agreed. "We have some experience going up against All Might, but let's see what the heroes will experience going up against you," he said.
Izuku looked up at the sky. It was better to get the practice in now and while it was winter, the sun was up and the sky was clear. He could gather energy that way, along with the reinforcement quirks Yakuni had gotten him. He wasn't feeling that tired and usually, by now, he'd be exhausted. "Okay," he agreed slowly. "Do you want 'Machia or Kurogiri in too?" He asked.
"That would be good," Dabi grinned. "Make it properly chaotic," he added.
"Gigantomachia," Izuku called to his father's body guard. "Do you want to fight?" He asked.
It was a silly question. The huge man grinned and came forward. "On your own side?" Izuku offered.
"Yes," he said, giving the others a look. Izuku knew from that look that 'Machia didn't consider them worthy yet. Himiko was worthy but she was the only one the huge man accepted.
"I think we probably need Kurogiri to be watching, just in case," Izuku decided. Plus, the heroes would be targeting the misty man. While Kurogiri could fight, it would be better to keep him at a distance.
"True," Atsuhiro agreed, as he watched Himiko retrieve her throwing knives. "Did you bring a change of clothes?" he asked.
Izuku huffed but nodded. He still didn't have a costume that could survive through his transformation and was trying to find out which company supplied Ryukyu's costume for her. He didn't need much, just something that could keep him covered. He'd like a full costume but if push came to shove, then he really only needed to maintain decency! It would be hugely ironic if the heroes could add public exposure to the list of crimes they were no doubt compiling to pin on him.
"Izu! Don't hold back!" Himiko told him happily. She was grinning.
"You just want to oggle!" he teased her.
She licked her lips but didn't deny it.
Izuku huffed. "Go plan," he instructed as he backed away a little. He would need a plan. While he now had Endurance and some quirks which would help replenish his energy, he had to be aware that transform used a lot. Especially when he added scales, hardening and gigantification to the mix. But… If he could use combinations of quirks then…
Atsuhiro was right. It was time to find out what the heroes would be facing.
First though, he'd hit them with presence. That wasn't a quirk and he was used to holding himself back. This was just an exercise and they weren't real enemies so the force of his presence wouldn't hit them as hard as it would if they were hostile but it would allow him to see how well they reacted. All Might threw out his presence all the time. Other heroes did the same. They needed to be able to fight it.
And doing that would then give him the chance to transform. It wasn't something he could do instantaneously…
"Are you ready?" Kurogiri called.
"Ready," Gigantomachia agreed and Izuku could hear the anticipation in his tone.
"Ready," he replied. He had his initial plan and was beginning to learn that sometimes ad libbing was the better option. It was probably what he was going to have to do until he could work out some sort of plan to harness forces to make the changes he wanted in society. Random attacking was not going to work. And… he really wanted to talk to his dad and while he had told people to collect information on Tartarus, it was difficult and if he went with an assault… He needed manpower to do it, and even if the quirkless decided to serve him they wouldn't be enough. They didn't have the offensive capability to truly help there. Maybe he should ask the others to put out feelers for other groups like the Shie Hassaikai… Not exactly like them but some they could absorb…
That was an idea.
"We are ready," Dabi called.
"All right," that was Kurogiri. "Go!" The misty man yelled.
Izuku pulled his mind away from planning and turned his attention to the group before he released the hold he had on his presence.
It was time to see what they, and he, could really do.
-ted-
Inasa closed his eyes as he sat on his bed. It had been a day or so since All Might had given him his quirk, One For All. The Number One Hero had told him not to try to do anything with it for now, just to get used to the feel of it, which is what he was doing now.
Truthfully he had felt something the morning after he'd woken up from eating All Might's hair but he hadn't had a chance to focus then. He had told the hero that he'd felt it though when the man had taken him aside briefly but they both knew he had to focus on classes to make it seem as if nothing had changed.
Tonight was the first time he was going to actually try and feel One For All properly. He wasn't going to try to use it, just feel it. He had a meeting with All Might scheduled for this afternoon, during the free periods.
Inasa took a deep breath and focused inwards. In an effort to train Whirlwind, he had tried all sorts of techniques, though he had eventually found that actually using his quirk was the best way to know what it could do. Still, he was familiar with meditation as it had been one of the techniques Shadowcrawler had favoured. Thankfully Magnetee and Spinner were more active with their quirks, like he was, though Magnetee had made sure he kept in practice with meditation. She claimed it was a good way to develop a deeper connection to her quirk and helped her think up other ways of using her quirk.
He focused first on Whirlwind. As always his quirk rushed to his call and he felt as if his thoughts were flying everywhere born on the winds of his quirk. It wasn't the usual way to clear your mind, but it worked for him. Whirlwind just swept any random thought away leaving him to contemplate it.
Inasa kept taking deep breaths and he felt Whirlwind pulse in time with his heart beat. He spent several minutes just enjoying the feel of his quirk. It hadn't been lessened by One For All. If anything it was enhanced and he would have to think on that later. With reluctance he pushed the thoughts of his quirk away and focused on One For All.
When he'd woken the next morning, it had sort of felt as if his skin was too tight, and he'd itched. Thankfully, Shiketsu's uniform hid the long red marks he'd put on his arms before he'd controlled himself. Once he had, it became clear that the tightness was just psychosomatic and while that hadn't made it disappear, it had made it easier to bear.
Mentally, Inasa tried to encourage One For All to come to him, not to do anything, just so that he could get a feel for it. The quirk responded thankfully and he felt it come closer to him mentally. It seemed shy but Inasa thought that could simply be because it had been with All Might for so long. He was new. He probably felt new to the quirk and while it probably knew what had happened, it would have to adjust.
Inasa felt himself smile. He was thinking of the quirk as a person. It wasn't, not really but… He'd seen the way quirks could influence or at least seemed to influence the person. Some quirks just required certain actions to work, so naturally the person would do them.
One For All didn't feel quite like that but it was definitely different to Whirlwind. His quirk felt like it was going to spin off in any direction at any time. He'd learned to marshall it and give it direction. One For All felt different. It felt… Inasa almost laughed when he realised what the difference was. One For All felt directed. The quirk knew where it wanted to go and what it wanted to do.
It knew what its purpose was.
Well, he'd accepted that purpose when he accepted One For All. Inasa waited for One For All to come to him and he knew when it had because his body just thrummed! It felt so light, it felt as if he could run forever, or could fly to the moon. It felt incredible, even doing nothing with it. The quirk felt a bit like an ocean, or a mountain. You could look at it and it went on forever. It felt like he couldn't contain that power but Inasa knew he could. It was… He'd never felt better.
He felt himself smile. When he went to speak to All Might today, he'd be able to say that he could feel One For All…
The next step would be using it but… That would be best done under supervision. This wasn't like the first time he'd used Whirlwind, when he had no idea what he was doing, or even what his quirk was. This was different, and this was a vastly more powerful quirk.
He had to respect that.
-ted-
There is training going on all around! It's time for Izuku to start using his new quirks, and time for Inasa to use his! Their clash will be epic :D Or super short. One or the other.
This chapter has an interesting irony for me, in that the one who is meant to be alone - Izuku (with his All For One quirk) is actually working with others, while Inasa, who should be with a team, is alone.
Discord is on this code: TcBnRN7aDn FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all! Not just about MHA.
-ted-
Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!
