My Hokuto Academia
AN: Just a fair bit of warning, there will be SPOILERS for both My Hero Academia [Vigilantes too], Hokuto no Ken, and Souten no Ken (and its continuation, Regenesis).
I DO NOT own Hokuto no Ken or My Hero Academia, they belong to their respective creators, Tetsuo Hara, Buronson, and Kohei Horikoshi. Support the official releases, especially of Souten no Ken. Support the official release! Mainly for emphasis!
Italics = Flashback
"Italics" = Speaking in a Different Language
'Italics' = Inner Thoughts
Italics = Flashback
"BOLD" = All-Might's tone or Present Mic [excited]
Chapter Fifty: A Bond Fixed And the Chef of Iron
Todoroki Abode
"How does a triple date sound...?" said Yaoyorozu on the other end of the line.
"Date?" Shoto asked, the word sounding a bit foreign to him.
"You have never been on one?"
"Uhh... no."
"Well, a date is like this..."
Yaoyorozu wondered if Shoto's more sheltered than she is, but went to explain what dating was. It took about... six minutes. Six minutes to explain how a date works.
"Oh... I understand now. Thanks, Yaoyorozu."
As she hung up, Shoto realized he needed to dress up somewhat decent for the date tonight.
Midoriya Apartment
Midoriya was putting together a random combination of clothes he felt could fit.
'Hope it's good enough.'
The combo in question: a mid-length T-shirt with the word FUN in bolded letters and a pair of jeans. However, his mother would come in, still worried like she always is.
"Izu, going out somewhere?"
"Yes... on a date."
It takes a minute to click. The mother sputters for a bit, wondering who the lucky person is.
"... Ashido."
"Classmate of yours?"
"A friend I made prior to U.A.," Izuku said, but corrected himself. "One of two friends I made prior."
"Wait... is Ashido the pink girl from the Sports Festival?" Inko asked. Izuku nodded in confirmation, making his mother's eyes widen, and saying this little gem.
"Izuku, she seems like a nice girl. Treat her right, okay?"'
Before he leaves...
"Oh and don't make me a grandmother that soon, please," Inko teased.
Izuku's stone-faced demeanor briefly broke, turning into a blush, managing to sputter a few words.
"I-I-I'll try not to, M-Mom," Izuku stated before going out the door.
As soon as the kid exited the door, Inko flopped onto the sofa, asking herself the following questions.
Will Ashido be able to make my son return back to his old self?
Is Kensei hiding something from me?
San Southern Star's Apartment
It was a second-floor apartment with the standard amenities: hot water, shower, heat, but AC? The tenants had to install that themselves. However, there were two having a conversation right now.
A dark-skinned man was talking with his friend. The former was sitting on a sofa chair while the latter was laying back on the couch.
"Does she know anything about your style?"
"No, she doesn't, Ren."
Renato sighed in some relief, responding: "Good."
"Well here's hoping it doesn't go to hell," as Gakuto leans back. "Besides, Jiro's a real cutie."
"Like the last girl?" questioned Renato.
"... really?" asked Gakuto, wondering about his friend's audacity. "Her? That entitled stalker? Low fucking blow much?"
"Just saying..."
Gakuto did not like remembering her, it took a good part of a year to get her to realize that she and he were a bad match. Thankfully, she stopped. Though she did throw some glances here and there.
"But... this one is different," Gakuto responded. "Like the actual one."
"What gives you that idea?" asked Renato, wondering what's the basis of his friend's logic.
"Like how you met your girlfriend, what was her name again? Keira... Kayla?"
"Kyla. Kyla Singto Kharam," Renato said, correcting him. "It's hard to believe..."
"Believe what?"
"My master approved of my relationship with her, considering she was once my rival for successorship," Renato said, running his hand through his hair.
"Ah, yes. The Death Eagle's Shadow."
"... Regardless..." Renato said, not liking the epithet that his master was saddled with.
"It means I have a chance."
Renato just exhaled but said something as luck to Gakuto: "I wish you luck then. Just don't make me or Kabu uncles that soon, right?"
Gakuto smirked, saying: "Right back at you, Ren."
The boy exited out the door.
A Few Minutes Later...
A red-haired boy was prepping himself, taking deep breaths, almost waiting for the jitters to pass.
"H-Hey, Ren. I'm going out to the local store."
"You mean Ragnarock's?"
"No, E-E-Eadu's B-B-Bad Company."
"Ah, gotcha. Getting more material, right?" asked Ren.
"E-Exactly."
"Alright, don't be out too late, Kabuto."
Kabuto nodded as he went out the door, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.
Jirou Residence
It's a simple rectangular-shaped family home with detached walls. Inside, there was something else happening.
Kyoka's room was covered to the brim with musical instruments, in fact, one could argue this was her recording studio and bedroom in one. However, there was another issue going on.
"Calm yourself... it's one night," said the rocker to herself as she's putting on leggings.
"You seem stressed about something," said an older but maternal voice. She quickly turned around, lo and behold, it was her mother, Mika. Kyoka takes after her the most, but there are a couple of differences: shorter hair and glasses.
"Yes... it's the triple date tonight. I'm not sure if I'm good enough."
"Mind telling me about your date?"
Jirou took a deep breath.
"Okay, his name is Gakuto. He's fairly tall, I think around my classmate Iida's height, but... left a bad first impression..." the girl said, flushing a bit in embarrassment.
"Oh, did he make up for it?"
"He apologized at least... even though he's a bit of flirt."
One would expect Mika to sigh a bit in disappointment but to her daughter's surprise? She giggled a bit, causing Kyoka to tilt her confusion.
"Well, your father, believe it or not, was a player when I first met him."
"Wait, you're serious," deadpanned Kyoka. Mika nodded in response but asked about Gakuto a bit more.
"Well... he's also a musician but I think he's a fighter in his spare time too."
This catches Mika who only smiled a bit, following up with...
"I'm happy that he can certainly defend you."
As soon as she finished talking, Jiro finished dressing up. For one last time, she checked her style of choice: black leggings, short shorts, studded belt, and top it all: a black sweater.
"Okay, Jiro... you can do this."
She went out the door...
Ashido Residence
As Mina was getting dressed...
"... I don't know if this will work."
A Few Days Ago - The Last Day of Internships - Tokyo Train Station
Ashido was getting off the train in Tokyo... however, she felt a presence behind her. Especially as she got off the train.
"Yaobitch... I know that's you," as Ashido slowly turned around.
"You know, I really should pay you back," Momo responded. "Especially for that no-contest."
"You're still sore about that? Wow, I never thought the rich girl would be sore-"
SMACK!
Ashido was silenced by a back-handed slap to the cheek.
"You... fucking... piece of shit," Ashido slowly, caressing the bruise on her cheek. She was still shocked that Momo of all people did that. No one would blame her if she decided to tackle the rich girl to the ground but she didn't...
"Takes one to know one. Twat," Momo responded with extra emphasis on the last word.
"You know, Yaobtich. if you wanted to settle things..." Ashido said in a rare case of tranquil fury. "I know a small place where we can settle it."
"Lead the way, bitch."
The two would walk at a deliberate pace, not noticing that a certain purple-haired girl was watching it.
'Not again...'
Small Alleyway
It was perfect. No corner stores. No CCTV cameras. Most of all, it was out of the way.
Ashido and Yaoyorozu stood fairly close to each other, daring each other to make the first move...
'Gonna make you uglier, Yaobitch.'
Ashido took a boxer's stance but in her mind? She was MORE than willing to use her Quirk on her at this point.
Yaoyorozu took an orthodox stance, fists raised up, and ready to pay Ashido back.
It was tense, someone had to-
JAB!
Ashido was feeling a shockwave at her back, causing her to stumble to the ground!
JAB!
Before Momo could step forward, she was jabbed too! Falling to her knees but then saw who did it.
"J-Jirou?!"
"You know, I'm really... really... disappointed in you both," the rocker girl said, all with the air of a disappointed parent.
"The fuck was that for, Jirou?!" screamed Ashido.
"You're both being ridiculous. Why are you both acting this way, mind explaining?"
"It's a misunderstanding, Jirou... which led to this bitch sending me to the infirmary!"
"Okay... now you asked for it!" Ashido exclaimed, standing up. "Let's fight right now!"
Momo got up too, getting in her face, saying: "I will mangle that fucking face of yours, free of charge!"
"By the time I'm done with you," Ashido said with a growing smirk. "You're gonna have to pick which asshole you want to shit through, got that?"
"You're so lucky that I didn't use my Quirk on you..."
"That should be my line, bitch," Ashido said, ready to throw the first punch.
Jirou could only sigh in disappointment but realized that this time, they might actually send each other to the hospital for an extended period. She sometimes wondered how the hell things resulted in this.
"Oh, no. You're not fighting. Again."
JAB!
"Jirou, ow!"
JAB!
"YOW!"
JAB!
"The hell-ow!"
"Are you two going to stop being idiotic?" Jirou said in a stern tone, usually reserved for the class perv. Ashido and Yaoyorozu both stared at each other which led to Jirou saying, jacks at the ready, "Last warning, you two."
Ashido really wanted to burn Yaobitch's face badly.
Yaoyorozu was very tempted to put the pink bitch's head in a guillotine choke.
"What is wrong with you two?!" screamed Jirou. "Are you really going to kill each other over a misunderstanding?!"
Yaoyorozu paused for a bit, hearing her friend's voice crack a bit. She held her hands up, telling Ashido to pause.
"This is about that Shichisei... is it?" asked Jirou.
This question caused a bit of a shudder through the rich girl and pink girl. They promised Kensei to keep it secret. However, there was a conflict of interest: Jirou was a friend of theirs. However, could she be trusted with a secret like this?
That was the million yen question...
"I'll explain it at a later time..." said Yaoyorozu quietly.
"Look, I understand you don't want to say it, but you can trust me, right?" Jirou asked, looking into her friend's eyes.
"R-Right," Yaoyorozu said but there was shame in her voice.
Ashido sighed a bit, realizing that Jirou was not just trying to prevent another fight, but wanted to understand the source of this whole conflict.
'No, I can't drag Jirou. She'd fly into a panic once knowing about Kensei's former vigilante life.'
"J-Jirou, I'll explain at a later time. It's... something I can't explain in the open like this."
The purple-haired girl nodded but was a bit disappointed too...
Mina might have noticed it, but there were some tears.
"I can't believe it..." Mina muttered to herself. "Was Jirou hurt that badly?"
As she finished dressing up, she took one last look in the mirror and realized she didn't look bad.
A knock was heard on her door.
"Oh, come in."
It was Mina's mother, Maeko who wondered about the occasion.
"A triple date."
"Who's the lucky boy?"
"Midori, mom."
"Who are the others?"
"Jiro, a guy she knows, Todoroki, and..." as she forces the last one out, "... Yaoyorozu."
Maeko had an idea that this Yaoyorozu and her daughter weren't on the best of terms. However, she didn't press the matter.
"I wish you the best, Mina."
"Thanks, mom," Mina responded but she herself wasn't too sure if this date would go well.
Yaoyorozu Residence
Momo feels a slight tremor in her body. Was it shame?
'If there's any time to explain to Jirou, it will be tonight. She deserves that at least. Midoriya, I hope you can understand.'
As she finished buttoning up her shirt, a knock was heard on her door.
"Oh, the door is open."
As the door opened, it revealed an older woman with shoulder-length bangs on the right side of her face, black eyes, and most striking, her hair was a dark shade of blue. However, her appearance had a bit of a cold aura to her.
"Mother?"
"So, what's the occasion?"
"A-A triple date," Momo said somewhat nervously.
"I see..." replied Momo's mother, but it was a bit cold. "What's the name of the boy?"
"Oh, it's Todoroki."
Momo's mother knew there was something else going on, prompting her to ask this bombshell: "You seem troubled."
"Umm... yes. I-I just want to know... if you can ever be forgiven by someone."
It takes her a minute to answer, this wasn't something she was used to. On the other hand, it was one of those few times she would be able to bond with her daughter.
"It takes time, it's rarely instant. I speak from experience. What prompted this to happen?"
"It a fight... caused by a misunderstanding with a classmate and friend..."
"I understand but you must be prepared for the possibility that she might not accept the proverbial olive branch," her mother paused. "I don't want you going in with a false sense of hope."
Momo was a bit crushed by this but her mother's logic was sound, but one part of the rich girl's mind wanted to fix this situation between her and Ashido.
"...However, it's ultimately up to you on what your next step is," as Momo's mother placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder. The girl nodded in understanding.
"Changing topics... how is Todoroki like?"
"Well, he's a bit closed off, but he can quite expressive... sometimes."
The mother's face drooped a bit, then sighed a bit, making her say: "Let me guess... handsome one. Dense as a wall."
"I'm afraid so. I had to explain to him what a date is."
Her mom could only pinch her nose, saying: "I wish you plenty of luck. Your father was a bit similar when we were at your age."
"Understood. Wait, where is father anyway?"
THUD!
A fairly tall man was on the floor, likely trying his best to eavesdrop.
"Ow..." said the man.
"Dear, you really need to work on your subtlety... I keep forgetting you were once a street fighter in your youth. And again, subtlety wasn't your strong suit."
"Yea... that nickname of mine is pretty embarrassing in hindsight," said Momo's father as he got up. He was fairly tall, lean, but looked a bit younger than his apparent age suggested. He wore a blue turtleneck under an all-white suit. The slicked-back dark hair made him stand out.
"Oh, Gai. I know..." as the mother rolled her eyes. "The Wild Jaguar of Nagoya. How you managed your company surprises me at times, especially with your Board of Directors."
Gai could laugh a bit, saying: "Give me a bit of credit, Mayuko. A healthy mind needs a healthy body."
"... I swear, you spend a bit too much time in that personal gym of yours."
"Sorry, dear," responded Gai, but turned towards his daughter. "So Todoroki? Well, I'm sure he's a nice guy. Just needs a bit of prodding here and there."
"... You're not wrong, dear."
Momo, on the other hand, understood what they were saying. On the other hand, she was shocked that her dad, the CEO of all people, was a street fighter. Wait, she needed to focus on the triple date.
"Mother, Father, I need to get going."
Momo's parents both nodded, but the father said this: "I hope the date goes well!"
Momo took that to heart as she walked out the door.
Todoroki Abode
To say Shoto was a disaster was a small understatement. It was his sister who had to intervene, especially for the clothing choices he was wearing, even prompting her to say: "You're not going out dressed like that. Think, Shoto. What type of impression are you trying to give off?"
"A decent one..."
"Alright, I'll look for some. However, change the shoes into sneakers. On top of that, you need to use a casual shirt."
Shoto nodded to Fuyumi's suggestions.
The bi-haired boy quickly went into his room to change. As he looked through his closet, he found some coal-colored cargo pants, which can work. On top of that, he found a classic button-up shirt with short sleeves and something that caught his attention: a pinstripe blazer that was soft to the touch.
'Huh, this might work. Maybe.'
"Shoto?"
As soon as he finished changing, he stepped out, making Fuyumi gasp a bit, but said: "Well then. Good luck on your date!"
Todoroki nodded.
"I hope it's good enough..." the boy said to himself as went out through the door.
Fuyumi really hoped for Shoto's sake, he doesn't screw it up... or worse, make her an aunt very early.
Bad Batch Square
It was nearly 7:30 PM and the place itself was in the center of the downtown district of Musutafu City. In the middle was a fairly large fountain called Hunter's Memorial Fountain. However, something important was happening...
"...Ashido."
"Yaobitch."
Ashido was wearing a purple pair of skinny jeans, a leather belt, a black tube top, and the last thing being a pair of beige low-heeled boots.
Yaoyorozu was wearing a lightly frilled red blouse and a white skirt with a pair of coal-colored boots.
"I'm surprised you made it tonight..." Yaoyorozu said, not taking her eyes off Ashido.
"Same to you."
Before anyone would throw hands, they hear a familiar voice.
"Oh, you arrived early!"
"Jirou!" said both. The rocker then wondered if both were going to fight again but realized their fists were barely clenched. However, Ashido spoke up.
"Well, now we wait for our dates," Ashido said.
"I'm curious, though. You said there was a person you knew... can you tell us a little bit about him?" asked Yaoyorozu.
SPLASH!
A loud noise was coming from the fountain.
"What..." started Momo.
"...the hell?" finished Mina.
They saw a bike clearly in the fountain waters but also a floating person in it who quickly got up, shaking the water off him like how a dog does after a bath. He carefully walks out of the waters.
"...that curse's definitely real, I'm sure of it..." said the young voice. Ashido and Yaoyorozu got a clear look at him: lean, tall, Iida's level of height to be specific, wavy brown hair, leather jacket with a white condor silhouette, and casual cargo pants.
Jirou's only response? Sulking.
"Hey, wait a minute. How did you get that cut on your cheek?" asked Yaoyorozu.
The stranger felt like he was caught with his pants down but tried playing it off. "O-Oh, this? Ran into a drunk on my way here, don't worry... no, seriously. I kicked his ass, but he got a lucky strike in."
Jirou sighed a bit but said: "Yaomomo. Ashido. This is Gakuto. Gakuto Soraho."
Gakuto just waved which led to Jirou wondering what he tried doing.
"Well... tried landing a badass entrance... and look how that ended."
"Is it a recurring thing?" asked Ashido.
"...anyway you two look like you were about to get into a catfight."
Momo and Mina both flinched, wondering if it was that obvious. One was going to speak up until Gakuto answered Mina's previous question.
"Okay... I admit. I didn't mark the landing. Just unlucky to be honest," Gakuto was looking around. "Are we waiting for someone else?"
Jirou answered, "Yes. Two more. Midoriya and Todoroki."
"Ah, gotcha. But my question though," Gakuto said, now focusing on the two girls. "You two seem to have some bad blood with each other, why's that?"
Ashido spoke up first.
"1. She accused my friend's teacher of being an infamous vigilante with her so-called research. 2. We disagreed and got into a scuffle."
Gakuto kept his expression neutral, but said: "Okay, let's hear the other side."
Momo spoke next.
"1. Shichisei and Midoriya's teacher are one and the same. The timeline lined up and that vigilante was punished with house arrest, the last confirmation about him was how he was going through a vocational program. 2. Scuffle? Scuffle? You fucking smashed in my head first," with a bit of bite.
"I would have done much worse, bitch..."
"Oi, cool it!" yelled Gakuto. As soon as they cooled off for a bit, the boy continued. "Since then, you have been at each other's throats?"
Both girls nodded but in reality? They did not want to escalate this, they really wanted to bury the hatchet... but they also acknowledged the other outcome: the other rejecting their olive branch.
They really hoped it didn't come to that.
Gakuto also noticed this, there was something being left out, prompting him to ask, "I'm guessing there's more to the story, right?"
Momo and Ashido's eyes widen for a bit but the former proceeds to spill everything...
"Jirou, you m-might want to listen on this."
Jirou nodded why but Momo asked again. The rocker girl said sure, not exactly sure what's going on-
"... I was right and wrong..." Momo said, struggling for a bit. "Midoriya's teacher may have been a vigilante but he wasn't a mindless murderer."
"W-Wait, Midoriya's teacher was a vigilante all along?!" exclaimed Jirou before she covered her mouth up.
"The proper phrase should be 'used to be'," responded Ashido. "His name... is Kensei Kasumi. The same one from the Apex Fist Royale."
Jirou was silent, trying to register those huge reveals, and then asked the following: "So this is the big secret...? Does anyone else know?"
Momo nodded but Ashido answered: "Iida, Todoroki, Uraraka, three Pro Heroes, and that's it."
"Yaomomo... now I understand. You think 1-A would turn Midoriya into a pariah if this got out, right?"
"... At the risk of sounding like a dick, I think we need to switch back to the main topic..." Gakuto replied. "Ashido, you're still holding the grudge. Even when the other admitted to being wrong."
Ashido responded with some bite, "How do I know that Yaobitch didn't rat out to the police between the visit at the hospital and now...?"
That tore it for Yaoyorozu who stepped up to her face, near-screaming: "I'm many things, Ashido. A snitch isn't one of them, sure, I'm a bit naive, but snitch? I'm better than that."
Gakuto waved for the both of them to cool it, adding: "You have a point, she could have. However, she didn't."
"You think I wanted to hurt Midoriya..." Yaoyorozu, voice cracking a bit. "Especially after what happened earlier at the cafeteria?! You think I'm that heartless?!"
"Considering how you-"
Gakuto had to put his foot down.
"Cool it, you two! Okay... well, this grudge match has revealed one thing: you were hurting your friends more than you think."
"Wait... what?" asked Yaoyorozu. It took a moment to register, she saw Jirou tearing up a bit, and it hit her. "W-W-What have we done..."
"Jirou... Midori... Uraraka... Kiri," Ashido muttered. "No, no. I didn't mean to... hurt anyone. I didn't know."
Both girls realized this: the people around them were hurting too, they were focused on their grudge to even notice it.
"I think the answer's right in front of you."
Yaoyorozu and Ashido both faced each other, but the latter said this: "On the count of 3, we bury the hatchet. Okay. Okay?!"
Ashido nodded, then started the countdown.
1...
2...
3...
With a loud shout...
"I'M SORRY!"
As soon as that was said, the both of them hugged out, but Jirou noticed it. Yaoyorozu and Ashido were both weeping tears of regret.
"I-I-I'm sorry f-for b-being such a bitch to you, Yaomomo!"
Gakuto stepped away from them along with Jirou, mainly letting them have their moment...
However, Jirou heard two pairs of footsteps, and in the distance...
"Oh, Midoriya! Todoroki!"
Gakuto then got a good look at them: a green-haired kid with dull eyes, around 170cm, and definitely armed with some muscle. The other one, peppermint-style hair, 175cm tall, and definitely hiding something.
"Well, the name's Gakuto. Gakuto Soraho."
"... Izuku. Midoriya," said the green-haired kid, monotone.
"Shoto. Todoroki."
However, Izuku looked at where Ashido and Yaoyorozu, both hugging and crying, making him blurt out: "Wait, weren't they at each other's throats?"
"Well, you can say I played a part in burying the hatchet."
Todoroki couldn't believe it either but there it was. Yaoyorozu and Ashido hugging it out and not trying to tear at each other.
"Well, now that's out of the way. I'll show you a nice place," replied Gakuto. As soon as he finished, the two girls broke apart, then joined up with their dates.
"It's a secret, is it?" asked Jirou. Gakuto nodded.
As the group was walking further in the downtown district, the two other couples had their own little talks... Izuku and Shoto both noticed that their dates had dried tears, prompting them to ask the following question.
"Is everything alright?"
The pink girl responded, saying: "Yes, I made up with Yaomomo..."
The onyx-haired girl said: "Our grudge was hurting everyone..."
"I understand, Ashido," replied Midoriya whose eyes brightened a bit.
"At least it's over, right?"
Both girls nod, glad that the hatchet between is gone and buried. As they walked further, they made a left turn into an alleyway which surprised the whole group, except Gakuto of course. The whole alleyway was very lively! It was full of food stalls and everything but Gakuto was pointing out the restaurant near the end.
The place itself was about three stories tall, complete with pagoda-like designs for each floor, and at the second level had the name of the place. All with golden lettering with the kanji at the bottom.
Aurum Dragon
The majority of the group was caught off guard by this. For a place out of the way, it made its presence known! Gakuto, on the other hand, was nonchalant as he went in.
"Oh, my treat."
The rest come into the restaurant without question.
Aurum Dragon
The interior was fancier than the group thought, every table was neatly organized, all topped with a wood finish, round, and having their utensils nearly wrapped like gifts. However, Gakuto walked up to the podium, seeing a waitress lost in her thoughts, but said the following:
"Ni youyi zhang liu ren zhuo ma?"
"One moment, please," the waitress said, checking at a list... "Yes actually. There's one up on the second floor actually."
"Thanks," replied Gakuto. The group was shocked for a good minute, well, except Jirou.
"You can speak Chinese?!" Momo perked up. Gakuto shrugged but answered anyway.
"It was my first language. I'll answer all your questions once we start eating."
Momo accepted this as a valid response as the group went to their assigned table. As they walked up the stairs, Shoto asked what this restaurant was famous for...
"Dim sum."
As they seated themselves, they felt the atmosphere become heavy to a degree. Izuku was the first to notice it, thinking it might be an ambush... but it was nothing. Nothing but the waitress that showed them to their table.
'Am I imagining things? Because I definitely felt a fighter's presence. The rest do too... except him.'
Gakuto was sitting casually, looking over the menu.
'He's too easygoing about this,' thought Shoto. 'Way too easygoing...'
"So... dim sum party platter? Oh, don't mind her. She's very nice, but she's also an active MMA fighter," Gakuto said, still not taking his eyes off the menu. "Olena was her name."
"Oh, she's a fighter too?"
"In fact, all of the customers and staff are professional fighters, active and retired," Gakuto said casually. This caught the entire group off guard, wondering if they misheard. Jirou especially since her Quirk's sound-based.
"Wait, how do you know that?"
"Active customer."
"Oooh..." said the group, collectively. However, Shoto still thought he was leaving something out.
"Oh, by the way, Gakuto. You did great in your match last week," off-handedly said Olena.
Gakuto actually stumbled on his words, managing to sputter out thanks. In no time, the group narrows their eyes at the boy, especially Jirou. Gakuto was starting to sweat a bit.
"Okay, okay. I'll come clean," Gakuto says before clearing his throat. "I'm a fighter."
"For how long?" asked Jirou, more curious.
"Professionally or..."
"In general," said Jirou. Gakuto took a deep breath and followed up with...
"7 years."
"Wait, when's your birthday?"
"Oh, October 16th."
However, a big bombshell was coming his way... especially on Jirou worded it. "What fighting style do you use?"
It was simple but Shoto noticed it, Gakuto was a bit nervous before answering.
"San Shou or China's version of Kickboxing."
However, Izuku was convinced he was omitting a few things, but Shoto beat him to it.
"I don't think that's everything, Soraho."
"Let's eat first, then I'll answer."
As soon as he hailed the waitress, he ordered a party platter for the group, mainly composed of beef and chicken dim sum. It would take a few minutes. However, Gakuto decided to speak more.
"So, tell me about yourself, Luse? or would Bohe prefer to go first?"
To everyone's surprise, Shoto went first.
"Wel... um... I train in martial arts," Shoto stumbled, still not used to being social. "Mainly Hok-no, Lethwei. Lethwei and well, it's not an assassin's fist," Shoto had to cover his mouth.
"... well, then," said Gakuto, wondering if Shoto's just become more social. "I'll get back to you... Green?"
Izuku answered, a bit clearer than Shoto.
"Well... I wasn't always the most social. Kinda isolated before starting high school," Izuku paused for a bit. Mina noticed he was nervous, then rubbed his shoulders saying to take his time.
"Okay... okay... I can do this. I was Quirkless more or less," the green-haired boy said, ripping off a band-aid, metaphorically speaking. That little bombshell did shock Jirou but Momo and Shoto showed off some expressions of surprise too.
"Huh," answered Gakuto. "Guess I'm not alone in that boat either."
"W-Wait, what?!" exclaimed Jirou, she was sure she didn't mishear that.
"What the?" questioned the green-haired boy.
"I did not stutter. I don't have a Quirk," said Gakuto. Shoto and Izuku realized that he wasn't omitting parts of it, this was an unaltered truth.
"You know what it's like, then?"
"Getting called a weakling for something out of your control, bullied for not having a quirk, unfortunately, I'm too familiar with that," Gakuto responded with a less-than-upbeat demeanor.
Axiuluo Junior Secondary High
Shura-Kokka
A young brown-haired boy was in a situation no one liked: being on the receiving end of a beating.
"Why aren't you fighting back, Wuyong!" said a blue-haired kid with an octopus-based Quirk. The boy could have fought back but he was being held by a chubby boy with silver hair in order to keep him that way.
The rest of the class? They were cheering "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
'Why... why do they-'
BAM!
'So what if I don't have one-'
BAM!
The boy had enough, remembering Teach's methods, he sent a quick strike to the octopus kid's knee, causing him to buckle.
"Zhangyu! That's it, you-"
BAM!
The boy hit him in the nose with the back of his head, causing him to stumble. The named Zhangyu was sent to the floor with an overhand to the face, the boy was going to-
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" said a teacher, coming back from the bathroom. As she surveyed the room, she made a quick response: "Zhangyu, Ronglu, Soraho! DETENTION!"
A Few Hours Later...
"I'm here to pick up my son, yes, yes, I already got the details," said a deep voice.
"Teach?" Gakuto asked.
"Yea, Gakuto. Let's go home," answered his father in a not-so-stern voice.
As they left the school and got into the car, Gakuto got a good look at his teacher/father and wondered if he was disappointed. He was wearing a green jacket from his military days, dark blue pants, and boots. Most striking was his blonde hair.
"So, what exactly happened, Gakuto?"
"... Zhangyu and Ronglu kept saying I was a dead end because I'm Quirkless..."
"I see... you made the right decision, my student."
Gakuto had to quickly turn around, wondering if he misheard that.
"W-Wha..."
"I'll never understand the obsession with Quirks. They're just a tool at the end of the day, but then again, I was a soldier. Everything in your hand was a tool to be used, even Quirks. If anything, those boys needed a reality check. I also want you to know, we might be moving in a few years."
"Wait... where to?"
"Likely overseas."
"Oh my... god..." Mina said in disbelief, now looked at Midoriya to wonder if he's been treated that badly prior to UA too. Jirou, on the other hand, gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"At the end of the day, what happened has happened. Nothing you-Oh, the food's here!"
The waitress delivered their food to them.
"Here it is, Gakuto. The platter, enjoy," the waitress responded. There were multiple steam baskets upon steam baskets of dim sum, but Gakuto opened the first one.
The first plate: a whole platter of meat buns, steamed and ready to eat.
Momo tried the first one, taking a bite.
.
.
.
"Oh my... " Momo paused, savoring it. "It's good! ABSOLUTELY GOOD!" with stars in her eyes. Mina was curious too, followed by Jirou, the both of them scooped up a meat bun. Then bit into them.
Not a few seconds later...
"AGREED!" exclaimed both girls with stars in their eyes.
"Let me fully answer the question, Jirou. Teach and a few of his friends taught me the following: Sambo, Drunken Boxing, Bajiquan, Eagle Claw, and last but not least, Nanto Ho-o Ken."
As the girls ate, Izuku and Shoto's eyes widen at this, especially the last one.
"Uh... that's new..."
"Wait a minute..." muttered Izuku. "The Six Sacred Fists of Nanto..."
"Well, you got the group name right."
"How do you know that style?" asked Izuku with a bit of bite.
"Oh, Teach taught me."
Shoto was about to say something, but decided to mutter, "I'm watching you..."
"Uh, no offense, Bohe. Your food's gonna get cold," Gakuto said while eating a meat bun himself. Shoto relented for a bit, ultimately eating a meat bun himself, then got a momentary shock to the senses...
"These are good..." Shoto said, almost as if he discovered gold for the first time.
'Six Sacred Fists... Nanto Roku Seiken...'
Hosu General Hospital
As Izuku was recovering, Kensei came to visit once again, but this wasn't a casual visit...
"I must confess, there's an aspect of Nanto Seiken I neglected to mention..."
Izuku tilted his head in confusion, wondering-
"The Six Sacred Fists. The strongest branches of Nanto Seiken. I'll give a brief description of each style. Sit back, it will be a while..." said Kensei.
Izuku nodded, focusing on what Kensei will tell him.
Nanto Koshu Ken: focuses on rapid hand stabbing strikes and sometimes uses flying kicks.
Nanto Suicho Ken: graceful movements but their slicing techniques are second to none.
Nanto Kokaku Ken: long-range attacks, capable of slicing you without touching you.
Nanto Hakuro Ken: Very kick-based, a bit like Tae Kwon Do. However, open hand strikes are also used.
Nanto Ho-o Ken: high-level speed and power but no set stances.
"Who are the current successors?"
"I don't know them by name but only by epithets and some of their feats," Kensei said. "On Koshu Ken's end, he's known as the Death Eagle's Shadow because of his sheer sharpness within the ring. On top of that, one of his signature moves is slicing up the opponent's tendons. People described it as an eagle swooping in to catch its prey.
At the end of Suicho Ken, he's called the Emerald Executioner because of his viciousness towards criminals who got off on a technicality. Each criminal he personally slain is found at the scene of their last crime; often sliced into bloody ribbons."
"Wait, so he's a vigilante?"
"Quite the opposite, I heard some rumors that he's a Pro Hero. Save your questions for later though."
Izuku nodded, letting Kensei continue.
"On Kokaku Ken's end, the grandmaster's epithet is Bloodsong because of his dance-like moves during his tenure as an underground fighter. Almost like a bloody symphony.
On the end of Hakuro Ken, he's nicknamed the Storm Monk. He lives like a monk but once enraged, not even fortresses will protect you from him. In fact, I heard there's a flee-on-sight order once encountering him. I also heard that he's a swordsman too."
Izuku gulped a bit, were all of them this powerful?!
"The last one? Pray you never meet him or whatever student he's training. The grandmaster of Ho-o Ken is called the Bloodstained Phoenix. Why? He's been sighted on battlefields, turning the tide in a single hour. By the time he's done, he's covered in the blood of his enemies. He's someone I wouldn't mess with, even if I had Ryuki as a backup."
Izuku was a bit frightened but made note of it.
"Wait, that was five... who's the sixth one?"
"Oh, right. She's the non-combat one. Healer, mediator, and unifier in one. The Last Nanto General."
"You seem kinda tense, Green. Have a meat bun," casually said Gakuto. Izuku reluctantly took it but kept his eyes on him. However, he was in a conflict. This Gakuto seemed to be a genuine guy but the green-haired kid couldn't help but think there are things he's still hiding.
On the other hand, he was an open book.
'If tries anything...'
"Green," Gakuto said with a bit of force. "If you wanted to have a scrap with me, the third floor has an arena."
"Midori. Don't."
Izuku lets his guard down, apologizing for that, saying: "Sorry, I have been on edge lately. Especially after getting out of the hospital."
It was Gakuto's turn to be surprised, saying: "Oh. So the arena option's definitely a no-go for you. Besides... I really rather not get into a fight while on a date."
Mina and Jirou had to sigh in relief, at least their dates wouldn't get into a brawl. Shoto was still on guard, despite enjoying the food.
"Okay… I won't pry," Midori replied.
Near the bar, there were speakers being modified, leading to this. The waitress announced that the speakers are up and running.
The music started blasting as soon as she finished her announcement.
["Aishiden Issen" - Kengan Ashura 2nd OP]
Some of the patrons got up from their seats, then started dancing to the heavy beats. Others were headbanging. Jirou, on the other hand, was liking this. However, she felt her hands held by Gakuto who said:
"Want to join?"
"Fine by me."
Momo asks Shoto to join but the latter says he's not too good at dancing but the former says it doesn't matter. Mina dragged Izuku to join in, the green-haired says he doesn't know how to dance to rock music!
It was a rough start but Jirou was getting the hang of it.
Shoto was starting to enjoy himself, though he felt his rhythm was off.
Izuku needed a refresher but Mina was eager to show him the steps!
As the song reached its climax, the dancing and headbanging were getting heavier. As soon as the music calmed down, Izuku was sweating a bit, almost wondering if he danced well. Mina just smirked in response.
However, the pink girl saw it: Midori gained a bit more shine back in his eyes.
["Welcome to Chaos" - (K)NoW_NAME - Dorohedoro OST]
The heavy beat of this song left the group better prepared. Shoto at first wondered what type of song this was but he couldn't deny it: the singer was nice. Once the chorus came, everyone was headbanging to the beat.
Izuku and Mina were headbanging the hardest to the song.
Gakuto and Jirou were happily headbanging to this, this was the rock that she liked most of all.
["I'll be Your Contradiction" - KSUKE feat. Tyler Carter - God of High School OST]
The last song was the most intense but there was an upbeat tone to it. A few times, Mina was break-dancing once the bass dropped. Maybe it was the heat of the moment or something else, Midoriya followed Mina's rhythm!
There were cheers and whoops from the patrons but the loudest ones were from Jirou and Momo.
All in all, Mina swore she saw a small smile on Midoriya's face.
Closing Time
As soon as the music ended, the group paid their bill and left the Aurum Dragon completely satisfied. Shoto was leaving with a bit of a smile on his face, though exhausted, who knew dancing was good exercise too? Momo was holding him up but her hair was in a mess too, especially with how much she danced. Mina, on the other hand, was sweating.
"Whewww... that was fun!" exclaimed Mina. Izuku was by her side, but with a bit more shine back in his eyes.
"I agree... it was fun, Ashido."
"Midori," said Ashido as she turned towards Izuku. "Call me Mina!"
Jirou was actually not as exhausted but Gakuto was stretching his arms a bit.
"It was fun... I needed to unwind a bit," said Shoto. "Oh, it's late."
The group looked at the time and well, they went for the quickest direction back home.
Yaoyorozu Residence
As Shoto and Momo walked home, they talked for a bit.
"You enjoyed yourself a bit, Todoroki."
"Yes... I did. It was fun."
"You're not used to these things, are you?"
Shoto nodded no but Momo spoke up again. "How did you find Ryuki?"
The bi-haired boy explained that his master found him in a park, nothing dramatic like that, but the last part he said stuck out to her.
"Even though he's fairly violent and rude, he knows what's he doing... unlike my old man. One difference: he knows when to stop."
Momo said nothing but placed a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that she's got his back.
Ashido Residence
Midoriya thought he was doing the right thing but another curveball was thrown at him.
"Midori, can you stay the night?"
"Uhh... umm... I don't want to intrude..." Midoriya stammered a bit. He may be training in an assassin's fist but staying over a girl's house? Foreign territory for him at this point. What surprised him next was a hug from the pink girl.
"Please..."
Izuku's response was a stammer, wondering what she's-
"You're still worried that you'll end up like Stain, aren't you?" asked Mina. Izuku nodded yes, prompting the girl to hug him tight.
"I don't want to see that monster again..."
Izuku took a few seconds to answer, "I-I'm worried too. I don't want to go down that route again."
The boy's response: hugging her back to reassure her.
They stood like that for the rest of the night.
Near Jirou Residence
"We're being followed..." said Jirou. Gakuto turned back and heard some voices, three to be exact.
"Oi, my friends and I are a lacking a bit in funds at the moment... so mind being charitable?" said a slimy thug, who was around Jirou's height. He was accompanied by a Sumo-looking thug and a skinny thug.
"Nope," bluntly said Gakuto but Jirou was weary at this.
"Grab him and the girl," said the slimy thug.
As the two got closer, Gakuto made his decision quickly.
SLAM!
The skinny thug screamed in pain from that fast but lethal low kick. However, he's not done yet. Gakuto raised his leg up and...
WHAM!
An axe kick slamming the skinny thug's head into the concrete. Scratch one, he thought. The Sumo-like thug goes after Gakuto who scoops up Jirou to carry her away from it but goes into a dark alleyway.
"You idiot! Why won't-"
The Sumo-like thug had the both of them cornered. The only thing there was a dumpster, what else could they use?
' Pointless, why do-wait, what's he doing? Is he-'
SLAM!
The same dumpster was being sent right at him by a kick! The thug managed to tank it but caused his bones to rattle.
"You little shit!" screamed the fat thug as charged forward. Gakuto briefly placed Jirou down, causing her to keep some distance.
"Correction."
SLAM!
"I'm a clever little shit," said Gakuto after delivering a spinning roundhouse kick into the thug's face. However, he still tanked it, making Gakuto wonder if he's made of iron. Lo and behold, he revealed his Quirk: Bronze Skin.
"I'm gonna kill you!" yelled the thug as he threw a punch.
WHIFF!
Gakuto intercepted his punch with a forearm block, throwing the strike off. He followed up with a strike of his own, right into the fucking nose!
SQUELCH!
A sickening sound was made as his fist made contact. The Sumo thug's last thoughts were wondering if he can go home right now.
THUD!
The sumo-like thug landed on the floor, groaning in pain. Gakuto shook his fist but realized that Jirou was shaking a bit in fear.
"Shit!" yelled the slimy thug as run for it. The sumo-like thug got up and booked for it too but with a limp too.
Jirou, still shaking in fear, managed to sputter: "G-Gakuto… is t-that you?"
"Sorry about that."
"D-D-Did y-your teacher teach you to fight like that?" Jirou asked, managing to lose the sputter. Though she was still shaking a bit.
"Teach was a soldier first, father second."
As they reached her house, Jirou wanted to speak up but Gakuto beat her to it.
"Look, Jirou... I did not mean for you to find out this way. I hope it-"
Jirou interrupted, "I'm starting to realize what Ashido felt... but I'm not going to judge you for that."
Gakuto had to raise an eyebrow.
"1. It's a dick move. 2. You saved me."
The boy smirked before answering.
"Thanks for giving me a chance."
They said their goodbyes.
Little did he know, he left his bike at the fountain.
Might Tower
All-Might, well, Yagi was in his office.
"... I'll need some assistance in dealing with Midoriya. Young Togata should suffice in trying to convince Young Midoriya back to our side."
There was a big risk to this: especially with the multitude of outcomes.
A. Midoriya being driven further from heroics.
B. Midoriya asking to be transferred to General Education, likely becoming a vigilante.
C. Midoriya isolating himself.
Those were outcomes he didn't want. However, there was a nagging feeling at the back of his head... would he be part of the reason that Midoriya would fully embrace Shichisei's ideals?
Kasumi Residence
Izuku's master was in his study, feeling a chill.
'I get the feeling All-Might still wants to put me behind bars.'
He rose up from his chair, saying to himself...
"If you want to put me behind bars, I like to see you try..." as he clenched his fist. "However, lay one hand on my apprentice... I'll fucking put you six feet under."
The conflict between the Symbol of Peace and Shichisei would come close to re-ignite once again...
Author's Note: When writing Renato's dialogue, I visualized the voice of Liam O'Brien [Gaara; Asura] for it, considering he's the down-to-earth one of the San Southern Trio. He'd be that stern older brother, keeping Gakuto and Kabuto anchored. Kabuto, on the other hand, I pictured Roger Craig Smith [Chris Redfield] when writing his dialogue.
50 chapters... wow... and I just made it past the Stain Arc. I feel this is my weakest output... why do I feel like that added fuel to the fire?
What did you guys think of the epithets for Nanto Roku Seiken?
Ni youyi zhang liu ren zhuo ma? = Do you have a table available for six?
Wuyong = Useless; Luse = Green; Bohe = Peppermint; Axiuluo = Ashura; Ronglu = Furance; Zhangyu = Octopus
I put in some music references, try to guess them... oh and those who get the references in the flashback, you get a cookie too.
Stay tuned for the next chapter!