Well, here we are with story 5… sort of. Those of you who have followed me for a long time will note that I have posted this story before. Unfortunately, in the original version, I promised too much and couldn't make it work. So rather than leave it abandoned, I removed it. Where it sat in my google drive for the better part of two years. I altered things to be more in line with the way I write things now. The chapter below is a combination of the prologue and what would have been the first chapter. I hope you enjoy it. With that said, on to the disclaimer.
My Hero Academia, Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT, Dragonball Super, Dragonball Daima and all the assorted characters and concepts involved are the property of their creators and companies that release them. Please support the official release.
D'Ewok Park, Musutafu, Japan July 21, 2215
Izuku Midoriya, age ten, was— for the first time— not glad that school was out for the summer. For six years, he had dealt with the looks, the bullying, and the condescending pity of his classmates and teachers. The last term had actually been worse. During the semester, Bakugou had gone out of his way to torment him. More than once recently, he had considered reporting Bakugou to the authorities, but had stopped. What would be the point? Every time he had tried to tell the teachers about what was happening, they had looked the other way, so why would the police be any different? Besides, getting Bakugou in trouble with the police would hurt Aunt Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru, and that would hurt his mother. So, he resigned himself to a relatively quiet summer, followed by another term of the same treatment.
As Izuku started walking into a park, he couldn't help but notice the happy families playing, the children having fun with their quirks; the parents looking on proudly. He wondered why he couldn't have that. After he had been diagnosed as quirkless, people looked at him differently. The teachers who had been so supportive before suddenly didn't have time for him, preferring to focus on the kids with quirks like Bakugou.
The worst had been his mother's reaction. He knew she loved him, but he could tell something had changed. She still played hero games with him, but the enthusiasm she showed seemed forced. As he had grown older, he had noticed that whenever he talked about being a hero, the way she would respond changed. It was less like she was taking him seriously and more like she was humoring him saying something silly. That, more than anything that his teachers and classmates said or did, hurt.
Any brooding he might have engaged in was interrupted by a whistling sound before something slammed into his face. When Izuku finally shook away the stars caused by the impact, he looked around to see what had hit him and found a large book with an orange cover and purple text for the title. Looking closer, he read the title out loud:
"Groundbreaking Science:
A Scientific Study of and Guide to the Practical Applications and Exercises Regarding Internal Bioelectric Energy, Otherwise Known as Ki."
While he didn't completely understand what that title meant, he understood that this was some sort of textbook. A quick look around the park to see if the person who had thrown it at him was still around proved fruitless. He started asking aloud if somebody had dropped their book, and a series of "no"s had been the response. After taking a few minutes to contemplate his next action, Izuku grabbed the book and started walking home.
Several hours, a meal, and some conversation with his mother about predictions for upcoming Japanese Hero rankings (All Might, of course, being the shoo-in for number one) later, Midoriya was in his room trying to read his newfound book.
If Izuku was perfectly honest with himself, more than a few of the terms used at the beginning of the book were beyond his understanding and had to be looked up. Most of the descriptions had to do with understanding the energy known as Ki on a scientific level. Truthfully, it took him a week of reading the scientific explanations before he really got a handle on what was being discussed by the author. Even then, some things talked about, like "Saiyans" and "Namekians", almost had him giving up on the book as somebody's detailed fantasy. Despite this, Izuku continued, hoping that—if even half of what was in this book was true—he might still fulfill his dream, quirkless or not.
A week later, Izuku finally got to the portion of the book detailing how to learn the use of Ki, and once again, he almost gave up. What was described almost seemed like it belonged in an anime rather than a scientific textbook! But, having nothing to lose but some summer break, he gave it a shot.
Sitting in the seiza position, Izuku tried to do as the book described and put himself into a calm, emotionless state. Tried to drown out all distractions to find his Ki. Being ten years old and not overly familiar with the finer points of meditation, this took him quite some time. Several times his attempts were thwarted by a phone ringing, or any other number of distractions that took him out of the zone he was trying to get into.
Three days into his attempt he finally managed to get himself into the right frame of mind. His mom was at work, and the neighbors who checked in on him on the days she worked wouldn't come around for several hours. Taking what by now had become a familiar position, Izuku once again tried to sense the energy inside him. In the years to come, Izuku, when asked, couldn't tell people what made this attempt different, but it was. It started as just being able to observe an occasional flicker, but that was enough. As Izuku attempted to delve deeper, the flicker lasted longer. By the fifth attempt to delve more into himself, the light had stopped flickering and become a consistent, if somewhat distant light. By the tenth attempt and after two hours had passed, Izuku could see that light for what it was: a flame, though one that was still too far away for him to feel the heat from.
Two hours later, his neighbor— Akira Ishii, a man in his late sixties— would walk into the Midoriya family apartment to check on Izuku. Not finding him in the common areas, he walked to the room marked as Izuku's. When he opened the door, he found Izuku sitting on the ground, a steady stream of tears running down his face, just repeating the same two words:
"It's real!"
Midoriya Residence Musutafu, Japan July 31, 2215
"What is real, Izuku?" the concerned Ishii asked the seemingly distraught young boy.
Izuku, realizing that he was no longer alone, rubbed the tears out of his eyes before he replied, "I'm sorry, Ishii-san. I have been trying meditation recently and, just now, I found what I was looking for."
The old man looked at the young boy a moment before speaking, saying, "I understand, Izuku. When I was a young man, I dabbled in meditation, too. That feeling of peace, once you attain it, can be... something else." Akira looked at the child with concern before continuing, "Just be careful. When you open yourself up to the spiritual world, who knows what you are letting in."
Izuku took a moment to think about what his neighbor had said before he responded, standing up from his spot on the floor. And bowing respectfully he said "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ishii, I promise I will be careful during my meditations."
Akira looked at the child pensively before speaking, "I'm glad to hear it, Izuku. While it has been many years since I've meditated in any serious fashion, I still have some books on the subject. If you ever want to delve deeper into meditation, just ask and they're yours. Now, I really should be going. My wife will have dinner ready soon."
"Thank you, Mr. Ishii, for checking up on me," Izuku replied with a smile. The old man gave a slight nod before he left the Midoriya apartment.
When Izuku was sure he was alone, he breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a little bad about not being completely truthful with his neighbor, but at this point he didn't want anybody to know about what he was doing just yet. Getting back into his stance on the floor Izuku tried to look at his Ki one last time before he called it a day.
Taking slow breaths, he delved into himself and found that this time finding the flame that represented his Ki was much quicker. Within minutes, he was in front of his Ki, the flame bright green and warm. Looking at it, he felt a sense of peace he had never felt before. "Maybe I should accept Mr. Ishii's books, if normal meditation feels anything like this."
After bringing himself back to reality, Izuku grabbed the book and sat at his desk. Now that he could see his Ki, he needed to know what to do next. Reading over the book, he found that the next step was manipulation, and the book pointed out that manipulation came in two flavors: the first mentioned was physical enhancement, using Ki to move faster, jump higher and increase your strength and durability— and that was just at the basic level. If the book was to be believed, one day he could fire energy blasts. Izuku would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that the idea excited him a bit. Even All Might couldn't do that! Some of his excitement was tempered by the explanation that almost all the people who used Ki in that way were fighters who had spent years practicing their craft.
The second section covered the more passive abilities related to Ki manipulation, such as being able to sense the Ki of others and— to a certain extent— sense their emotional state. It stated that people who were well versed in the mental aspects of manipulation could push stronger emotions such as anger onto their opponents. As a final note, it said that those who were well versed in both aspects were capable of certain things like telekinesis.
Izuku was torn, on the one hand learning the physical aspects seemed so cool, on the other hand it seemed like learning to use it effectively required that he have a certain amount of fitness that currently he didn't have. On the third hand, learning the more mental aspects was something he could do now while he worked on getting the things he needed to do to learn the physical aspect.
That thought caused Izuku to decide. Flipping the pages to the section of the book that covered the passive abilities, Izuku started reading. The book described sensing others as a bit like echolocation. The user would generate an almost imperceptible pulse of Ki that, when it moved through another living thing, would reveal the location of that person relative to the person releasing the pulse. Eventually, the user could do so unconsciously as a part of their developing sixth sense. The consequence of this was that if you focused on a particular person while you were doing this, you could get a sense of their emotional state.
The book then explained that the range of one's Ki sense could vary depending on experience and the amount of Ki used during a pulse. A skilled practitioner might sense accurately within a city and get a general sense within a small country. The author claimed his father could sense people on other planets if he put his mind to it. Izuku wasn't sure what the point of that kind of range was but couldn't help but be impressed by the idea.
The explanation for how to pulse your Ki was surprisingly simple. It was a matter of willing it, but it noted that getting any sort of real range would take practice. Once again going into a meditative state, Izuku drew close to his Ki and, as the book said, attempted to visualize a sphere emanating from him and moving outwards in all directions.
His first couple attempts didn't make it out of his body before they collapsed. His third attempt spread out a meter before fizzling out. On his sixth attempt, he spread it out three more. It was his 10th attempt when he encompassed his room. On his 15th attempt, his range expanded into his mother's room and for the first time, he felt the energy of another living thing. At first he couldn't tell what it was, but after taking a moment to think about it and what he knew of his mother's room, he realized it was her potted plant. He was surprised by the amount of detail he could feel about it. He could feel as if it was one with the world around it, completely at peace. A part of him felt jealous.
Izuku was going to try again when he felt a wave of nausea. Looking at his aAll Might-themed clock, he realized he had been working on finding his Ki since just after breakfast, and it was currently 15:00 in the afternoon. No wonder he wasn't feeling well, he was starving. After running to the kitchen to grab some fruit and milk, Izuku returned to his room and grabbed a blank notebook and a pencil. He took a moment to write Heroic Game Plan on the cover.
"Now that I know that Ki is real, I need to come up with some sort of outline for how to continue" Izuku thought as he contemplated what the book had told him. After a few minutes, he started writing.
Continue working on expanding my Ki sensing range.
Start exercising to get my body in shape.
Start learning martial arts, the book stated that nearly every Ki user the author knew was a martial artist of some sort. This also ties into point 2.
Start learning the physical enhancement side of Ki.
Looking at what he had written, Izuku started thinking to himself. "The first two will be easy. I can do the first pretty much anytime I have a quiet moment, I don't think Mom will object to the second one as long as I'm safe about it. The third is going to be an issue. Learning martial arts means classes, classes means money, and money means Mom will have to be involved. The fourth hinges on the third, so I'm going to have to talk to Mom about getting involved in martial arts."
"Of course, the question becomes: what style? In the book, the author described the Turtle School of martial arts his father used as being less about forms, and more about breaking the limits of humanity via exercises that would turn the practitioners into near superhumans. It also had a focus on physical Ki enhancements, turning near superhumans into actual superhumans."
"The author also described the Crane School as also practicing limit breaking and physical Ki enhancement, but with a greater focus on Ki techniques."
"But wherever this book came from, things aren't like that here. Here, there are dozens, maybe hundreds of fighting styles with different focuses and different uses. A soft style like tai chi or judo might be better for less violent takedowns, but a hard style like taekwondo or boxing might be better for a sustained fight."
"Of course, I don't know what's available nearby, so worrying about what style is best for me should probably wait."
With his notes taken, and still not having the energy to make another attempt at working on his Ki sense, Izuku started reading the book again. Even if he couldn't put what he read into practice just yet, reading more in depth wouldn't hurt anything. What he read there fascinated him.
"A little known bit of knowledge regarding Ki techniques is the concept of Ki frequencies. When one uses a technique such as the Kamehameha or the 'Galic Gun', one uses what will be referred to as neutral Ki. Variants like the 'Electro Kamehameha' require the user to align their Ki with the cardinal element of lightning, a practice which takes concerted effort at first. But as the practitioner develops their skills, such alignment becomes second nature. "
"Another known frequency at the time of writing is Cutting. When applied to a technique, or when used with techniques that require it, like ki blades or energy disc such as Master Krillin Chestnut's 'Destructo Disk' or Frieza's 'Death Saucer', it gives the skill a cutting edge. These techniques can be exceedingly dangerous to the target of such skill as well as to the user if they lose control. Currently, there are two known methods of resisting or countering cutting Ki. The first is to counter it with a cutting Ki technique of your own. The other method is to have a much denser Ki than your opponent."
"These are just a few examples of Ki frequency applications; further examples and how to alter your frequency will be covered later."
Izuku stopped reading at that point and couldn't help but think about just how useful being able to do something like that could be. Being able to cut through stone and metal would be incredibly useful in rescue operations.
Deep down inside of him, he couldn't help but think about what he could do to Katsuki if he laid hands on him again. However, he quickly cast those thoughts aside. No matter what Katsuki had done to him, he didn't deserve what those types of skills could do to him.
Any further mental debate he could have on the subject was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Izuku looked at the clock and realized that, between the reading and his thinking about what he had read, nearly an hour had passed and his mom was home from work. Thinking about what he had written earlier, he decided he would ask her about martial arts classes during or after dinner, when she had come down from the day.
Putting the book away in his dresser, Izuku when out to greet his mom.
"Hi Mom!" Izuku greeted excitedly as he walked toward his mother standing at the entryway clad in the nurse scrubs she wore to work, "How was your day?"
Inko looked at her son before responding, "Not bad, honey. We had a few births, a few broken bones and a villain attack around lunch time, but a quiet day besides that."
At the look of concern on her son's face, Inko spoke reassuringly, "Don't worry, he was just some thug looking to make a quick buck. He barely had enough time to make his threat before Ingenium ran in and knocked him unconscious."
That got Izuku's attention. "INGENIUM, you met INGENIUM!" Izuku's voice squeaked, causing his mother to flinch at the volume, but she understood. Izuku may have been a hardcore All Might fanboy, but Ingenium was a fairly close second. He had only been in the field a few years, taking effective control of the Idaten agency from his father Honorium a year after graduating from U.A.
"Yup," Inko responded. "He had to leave fairly soon afterwards, but before he left, I got this!" she said as she pulled out a piece of paper. On it in English cursive was Ingenium's hero signature.
Izuku's brain stalled for a few moments before rebooting. Almost in a whisper he said, "you got Ingenium's autograph?"
Inko smiled before saying, "I told him how much of a fan you are and he was happy to sign it."
Whatever she was going to say next was interrupted by Izuku giving her a full body hug. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MOM!" Izuku cried out before he calmed down.
Izuku now felt a little guilty. His Mom had just given him an awesome present and here he was, planning on asking for more. And what was worse, it was something that would cost money. His thoughts were interrupted by his mom saying, "Get your hands cleaned up, Izuku. I ordered some pizzas on my way home and it should show up any minute now."
Izuku, the dutiful child that he was, said, "Yes, Mom!" before running to complete the task. A minute later, hands clean, Izuku appeared before his mom and showed his work. Screwing up his courage, Izuku said, "Mom, can I ask you a question?"
Inko, who had by that point changed into her house clothes, looked at him for a moment before saying, "Of course, Izuku." Izuku opened his mouth to make his request when the doorbell rang, signaling the pizza's arrival. Izuku ran to open the door and was met with the sight of the delivery person, who appeared to be a teenage girl with four spider-like appendages coming out of her back.
One exchange of greetings, goods and goodbyes later, Izuku was carrying the pizzas to the table. Once there, he put them down and opened them up. The first was a pork and onion personal pan pizza. Izuku cheered at this. Those were his favorite toppings!
The second pizza was larger, but still small. This one had what looked like hamburger and onions on a white sauce and some cheese that looked like pepper jack. Whatever it was smelled delicious. A few minutes later, slices were doled out, and the two sat in silence, enjoying the meal.
After a few minutes Inko spoke up, "So, what was it you needed to ask me, Izuku?"
Izuku was shocked. He had nearly forgotten about the request he wanted to make. Quickly trying to gather his courage, he replied, "Mom could I takemartialarts!?" The second half of the request came almost too fast for Inko to understand, but after a moment she understood.
After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Inko responded, "What brought this on, Izuku? Is someone bothering you?" As if in response to her question, every cabinet and drawer around them vibrated.
Izuku, noting what was happening, was quick to reply, "No, no, no! It's just that… I'm quirkless. If I'm harassed, I don't have a way of defending myself. I would like to learn how, even if it's only to just buy myself a few moments to get away."
Izuku didn't realize it, wouldn't have used it if he did, and later when he found out about it he would feel bad, but at that moment he pulled on one of Inko's strings. Specifically, the one created by her guilt regarding Izuku's diagnosis as quirkless and her reaction when he asked if he could still be a hero. Still, she couldn't and wouldn't let her guilt overwhelm her duties as a mother, so she said, "I'm not saying no, but before I decide something like this, I want to talk to your father."
Several hours later, Inko sat in front of her computer. On the screen in front of her was her husband, Hisashi. Except for a mop of black hair, the man looked like what Inko thought Izuku would look like as an adult. Inko couldn't help but smile as they made small talk, happy to be in each other's company even if only over the web. She wished he could work in Japan, but his position in the company was low enough that he had no actual choice in where he was sent. Currently, he was working for a branch of his employer in the American Federation, which meant it was morning there.
After a few more minutes of visiting, Inko voiced Izuku's request. "Honey, Izuku came to me today, and he told me he wanted to take martial arts."
Hisashi raised an eyebrow for a moment before responding "What brought this on?" unknowingly echoing his wife "Don't get me wrong, it's good for a boy his age to get out and get some exercise, but this seems to be a bit out of the blue."
Inko thought about it for a few moments before she answered. "He says he wants to learn how to defend himself if he gets harassed."
Even as she said, doubt was dripping from her voice, doubt that Hisashi had picked up on. "You obviously have your doubts. What do you think it really is?"
Inko sat silently for a minute, trying to find the words to voice her thoughts. "I think... I think he wants to learn martial arts so that he can be a hero."
Hisashi nodded. "That makes sense. There are several heroes in the world who make up for the lack of a quirk that has combat applications with martial arts and support gear. None of them have the cultural penetration that heroes like All Might and Endeavour have, but they all do good work."
Inko nodded, "I know, it's just… I'm worried that he might get hurt or killed dealing with something that he can't handle."
Hisashi nodded, understanding his wife's fears as they mirrored his own. "Honey, I get what you are saying, but that would be the case even if he had been born with a quirk that made him as powerful as All Might. In fact, he would be in more danger if he was that powerful, because he would be expected to deal with the things that All Might deals with. If Izuku fulfills his dream, all we can do is hope that his training at school and under whatever hero he sidekicks under prepares him for what he might face. If Izuku is lucky, he will work as part of a team and they can help cover his weaknesses."
Inko couldn't help but nod at her spouse's words before replying. "Yes, but depending on the school and style, martial arts can be expensive. And what if this is just some passing fancy? I know we are doing better these days, but we don't have the money to commit to something that he might give up on after a few weeks."
This time, it was Hisashi's turn to nod at his spouse's words. As responsible and intelligent of a boy as Izuku was, he was still ten years old. Hisashi furrowed his brow as he tried to think of something that could help his wife and son. After a moment Inko saw his eyes widen, as if he had an idea.
Hisashi typed for a few seconds before he shared his screen with Inko. What she saw was a set of charts and figures. It was all in English and it took a moment before she recognized some words like pushups and situps. "What is this?" she asked her husband.
"This is something my American co-workers were telling me about. A couple hundred years ago, there was a push within their society for physical fitness. So the doctors of the time came up with a set of ideal standards that they felt boys and girls of various ages should be able to meet. The whole thing fell apart in the early 21st century due to, amongst other things, quirks becoming more and more common and the upheaval that had caused. "
Inko, following Hisashi's train of thought so far, nodded before she asked, "So how does this apply to Izuku?"
Hisashi smiled. "I think we should say yes to him taking martial arts, but only if he can meet most of the standards for his age."
Inko, finally seeing the whole of Hisashi's idea, smiled widely. "We can use this as a test of his commitment. And either way, he gets some exercise. Honey, I love it."
Hisashi grinned. "So, when are you going to let him know?"
Inko closed her eyes as she gave it some thought. "Well, normally I would say right now so that we can both give him the news, but the poor boy seemed tired after dinner, so I sent him to bed early. So I will probably do it tomorrow." A coy smile lit up her face, as with a seductive tone of voice, she said, "That gives us an opportunity for some 'us' time," as she grabbed some bluetooth headphones off of a countertop and made her way to the bedroom.
Hisashi, never one to say no to his wife, had a big grin on his face.
—-
Midoriya Residence, Musutafu Japan, August 1 2215, 08:00
When Izuku walked into the living room the next morning, he saw his mother waiting for him. She had a smile on her face and was fiddling with a packet of papers. When she noticed him, she said, "Izuku honey, please have a seat." When Izuku obeyed, Inko continued, "Last night, your dad and I talked about your request, and we have decided to allow you to take a martial arts class."
Izuku interrupted whatever Inko was going to say next as he leapt out of his seat and let out an excited whoop. Before he said "Thank you Mom!"
Inko let him continue for a few moments before she said, "There is just one condition." That caused Izuku to pause. Inko continued. "We want to make sure that this is more than just a passing fancy, so to make sure you are committed to this, we want you to complete a fitness challenge." She handed the packet to Izuku, who started looking it over. "If you can complete the exercises to what is expected for your age, I will help you find a place to take martial arts classes." Inko smiled at Izuku, who was still looking at the packet, silently muttering to himself. "Do you still want to try?"
Izuku inwardly cheered. This was everything that he wanted. Sure, it slowed down some of what he wanted to do. He had to get to where he could meet the standards listed in the packet. But that was hopefully a minor issue. In the meantime, he could work on the mental side of Ki.
Izuku looked at his mother and said excitedly, "Yes!"
As I stood there thinking about what I wanted to do, I did not know what awaited me. The soaring highs, the deep lows, the friends and enemies I would make, the love I would find, and just how much the world around me was about to change.
My name is Izuku Midoriya. This is the story of how I helped change the world.
A/N: For those wondering about my other stories, Pokemon: The Story of Us chapter 3 is about 70 percent done. I hope to have it done in the next couple of weeks and have it edited a few weeks after that. (dependent on how my life goes.