Chapter 6 How Many Skills Do You Want? Yes
By the time Shouta reached the mall, the villains were already being taken to the police cars, quirk canceling handcuffs on their wrist. There were also a bunch of paramedics present, and Shouta hoped he didn't have to see his Izuku in any one of them. But then he saw the Bakugo kid sitting inside one of the ambulances, and something invisible twisted around his heart. He quickly walked over, ignoring the paramedics asking him to stop. Shouta wordlessly showed them his Hero License, although he didn't bother to wait for them to read it. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted Sansa, amongst the other officers. Sansa backed up his identity despite looking thoroughly confused about his presence. Shouta mentally made a note to buy him donuts when he went to the police station during his patrols.
"Kid," Shouta called. Bakugo swiftly looked up when he heard his voice. The guarded expression shifted, as his eyes flickered to another ambulance. So, that's where he is.
"The nerd passed out," Bakugo informed. Sure he was a hot headed kid, but his quirk was somewhat responsible for it. But, still, he knew when to beat around the bush, and when to not. And Shouta was glad for it."Butted in when I was fighting Aegis."
"You were what? " Shouta snapped without meaning to.
Bakugo glared back, "It's not like I had a fucking choice, okay? I'm not dumb enough to fight someone like him by myself. But he was going to use kids as hostages. That disgusting bitch had the audacity to gloat about it." He clicked his tongue and looked away, "Anyways, I wasn't fighting him to win. I was stalling because some extras had enough brain cells to call the police. But then 'Zuku came, and I don't know how he noticed it, but Aegis was carrying some of the Lemon grenades with him, and he threw it at us."
Shouta sucked in a sharp breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was going downhill so fast.
"I passed out," Bakugo hissed, glaring at his hands, "Like some loser. "
"Hey," Shouta cut in, "Those grenades are powerful. And I'm speaking from experience. Passing out momentarily is the least bad thing that could've happened."
Bakugo glared, and clenched his jaw. Then, he exhaled sharply and wiped his palms on his tattered pants, "I don't know what happened next. But when I woke up, Izuku was using himself as a shield," his voice wavered, "to protect me " He spat out the word me as if it was poison and continued, "He was injured by then. Bleeding. There were cuts all over. Probably from the glass shards, and shrapnel. Then, All Might came to him." He looked up and in the direction of where the hero currently was. Shouta honestly hadn't even noticed the huge hero talking to the police at first. Too focused on looking for his kid, and Bakugou, "That fucker didn't even have the decency to remember 'Zuku after-" He stopped, and tore his gaze away from the hero and looked at Shouta. "He grabbed Izuku's hand to pull him up, but something happened and he passed out. And I know for a fact he did not pass out from exhaustion."
Shouta had so many questions related to the last part of Bakugo's story. Didn't even remember? What was that supposed to mean? Izuku's met All Might before? But when? How come he didn't tell anyone about it? How does Bakugo-
No. Doesn't matter right now.
"I'm going to check on Izuku, try not to get in trouble until then." Shouta warned. Bakugo, smartly enough, did not do anything apart from give his signature scowl, and glare and huffed before looking away.
Shouta hated how Izuku looked exactly like the day he had met him. Battered, and beaten. Only now he bled from several lacerations all over his body. There was a deep wound on his thigh, as if someone had stabbed him.
It took Shouta a few seconds to realize.
Aegis' quirk paralysed his opponents with fear. No matter how hard you try, you can't fight that fear. The more you try to fight it, the stronger the fear becomes. You can only distract yourself from the fear. And he knew about it. Because he had used a similar trick to beak out of the paralysis.
Shouta felt his stomach churn.
"Young Aizawa?" A familiar voice called. He pushed down the burning inside of him, as he turned. Keeping his quirk, on the verge of being activated, under wraps. He knew All Might's form wasn't the true one. And his quirk would work on him. The last thing he needed was for the man's secret to be out in the public.
"What happened?" Shouta asked, jumping straight to the point. His grey eyes darkened like tampered steel as they bore into All Might's blue ones. The Number Hero looked startled at his sudden hostility but he didn't really care at the moment. He wanted to know why two thirteen year old kids had to take care of villains.
"The villains were safely apprehended," All Might answered, probably confused as to why he was asking that question. He was an Underground Hero, and crimes in the daylight were particularly his business. "These two brave young children were of much help!" He grinned.
"What happened to Midoriya?" Aizawa asked, pointing to his kind lying unconscious on the stretcher behind him. Even if Aegis had used the Lemon grenades, even if Izuku had stabbed himself to break off Aegis' paralysis, it still wouldn't have been enough to make him pass out. He knew of all the skills Izuku had. And he shouldn't be unconscious. Sure, Rengeration was still at a low level, but he had seen first hand how quickly it would heal cuts and bruises.
All Might's eyes flickered behind, his pupils dilating slightly as the corner of his lips slightly twitched downward. Shouta knew whatever was about to come out of the man's mouth would be a lie. "I am not quite sure myself! I believe it was the over exhaustion that caused him to pass out."
"Bull shit," Shouta spat and when All Might's eyes widened in shock, he pinched the bridge of his nose, and sucked in a deep breath. Getting mad at the Number One Hero won't solve anything at the moment. He needed to call Inko and let her know about the situation. He needed those four villains locked up in Tartarus. He needed his kid to open his eyes.
"Oi," Bakugo's voice came and stared at him with burning eyes, "Stop panicking, dumbass. Izuku's going to be fine."
Shouta let out a breath, and slumped his shoulders, "I know, kid. I know."
***
"-ey… Hey, kid. Kid, you good there? Hey, kid!" An unfamiliar voice called for him. Izuku had no idea what was happening, but his body felt so light like he was floating in water. Maybe he was? He didn't remember what happened last-
Oh no, he did.
Something entered his body forcefully. Something strong and powerful.
Pure power.
And-
"Is he dead?" Another, much voice asked.
"Are you dumb?" Another voice asked in return, "If he was, we would know."
"How can you be sure- Okay I'm sorry, stop glaring at me." The previous voice muttered.
I'm surrounded by people I don't know. Was I kidnapped? Am I feeling lightweight because of a concussion? What is going on-
" Izuku?" A gentle feminine voice called for him. A voice that sounded awfully similar to his mother's. "Ninth, are you okay?"
At that moment Izuku realized that maybe he wasn't in danger. Because none of his passive skills were blaring alarms in his head. In fact, he felt safe. So, slowly, he opened his eyes, and found himself starring a black void.
"Aww man, did I die again?" Was the first thought that came to his mind. Black endless void, similar to the first time he had woken up to his System, stretched around him.
"Died… again? Eyo, what- Izuku turned his head to find four figures around him. Three men, of varying ages, and a kind looking woman with a beauty mark under the left side of her lips. Izuku blinked. Okay, so not dead...
Probably.
"Hello, Ninth." The woman smiled. Her big grin, and eye smile reminded Izuku of All Might.
"Hey, kiddo!" A bald man greeted loudly, giving a two fingered salute.
Next to him was a man crouching down, with short and cropped black hair. He wore a large jacket with numerous straps, covering the bottom half of his face. The man noticed him staring at him, and tilted his head to the side. Izuku assumed he smiled at him given the way his cheeks bunched up, and eyes crinkled into crescents.
On his other side was a man with messy white hair, falling above bright green eyes. The man grinned at him brightly and waved his hand.
"Um… where am I?" Izuku asked hesitantly as he sat up.
"Inside my quirk!" The white haired guy replied, "It's somewhat like a subspace in your mind."
"A quirk-" Izuku stopped, his eyes fluttering to the space above him. Oh. He looked back at the people in front of him and asked, "And um… you guys are?"
"Yoichi Shigaraki!" The white haired chirped, "The First User."
"Second and Third are being petulant but don't worry, you'll meet them eventually." The loud man said, "Dunno where Fourth is though… Anyways, I'm the Fifth User," He pointed his thumb towards himself and grinned, Banjo Daigoro! Call me Banjo, or you can call me Lariat. That's my Hero name."
Izuku's eyes widened as he gasped, "You're a hero? "
"We all are, buddy," The man answered with a proud grin. But then the grin changed from proud to teasing as he pointed towards Shigaraki with his thumb, and said, "Except for him, that is."
Shigaraki looked at the man unamused and flipped him off, while the crouching guy rolled his eyes at them, and introduced himself, "I'm the Sixth User, En. Nice to meet you."
Izuku blinked. Surprised by his voice. It was low, and gentle. But not deep. Sounding like a gentle stream. And it was very pleasing to his ears. "You have a nice voice." He blurted.
The man, En, looked surprised. His eyes went wide, and he buried his face further into the collar of his jacket. "Thank you."
The woman chuckled. Her laugh was loud and cheerful, but also warm , "And I'm Seventh! Nana Shimura."
"Wait… First.. Fifth… Sixth and Seventh… and you called me the Ninth… Ninth User of what?"
They looked confused at his question, at first, and then Banjo asked, "You don't know?"
Izuku shied away, embarrassed. Is it something related to System? Did I miss a notification? What-
"Um…"
"Well, in the memories, Eight only met him twice, and they didn't really have… a good conversation either time." En pointed out.
Shigaraki looked at Shimura, "No offence, Nana, but what the fuck is up with your successor?"
Nana looked slightly offended, but also embarrassed at the same time, "I didn't think it would turn out to be like this! He was a good boy when I knew him!"
"Did we see different parts of memories? 'Cause from what I saw, he sounded like an asshole." Shigaraki deadpanned.
"Why would he just leave him there? And like that? " Banjo asked incredulously and pointed at him, "I mean, look at him! He's a baby!"
Izuku frowned, "I'm thirteen…"
Banjo nodded and made an expression as if to say 'Exactly! ', and said, "See ? "
Nana sighed, and sat down, "That was really… I know, he shouldn't have done that." She turned to him apologetically and said, "I'm sorry about the way my successor treated you."
"It was highly, highly hypocritical of him."
"Um…" Okay, apart from the fact that I have no idea what they are talking about, can someone tell me what I'm the User of?
"One For All." En said, looking at him, "You're the Ninth User of One For All."
Izuku blinked. "What?"
"It's a transferable and stock-piling Quirk," Nana explained, "Passed down from generations, and generations of Heroes."
"There is a quirk like that?" Izuku asked, surprised.
"Yep! My original quirk was to pass down my quirk to someone else-"
"-which is kinda useless. Unlike mine." Banjo added.
Shigaraki threw an annoyed look at him, and continued, "-but then I got a stockpiling quirk which along with my original quirk gave birth to One For All."
"And now it's been passed down to me?" Izuku asked, confused, "But how? Who passed it to me?"
"Yagi Toshinori," Nana answered, "Or as you better know him, All Might."
Izuku froze. All Might chose him as a successor? After he left him on a rooftop, telling him to be realistic because he couldn't be a hero-
That All Might chose him to be his successor? What kind of bullshit-
"No." Izuku shook his head, "It can't be. There has to be some kind of mistake-"
"One For All can't be passed down like that, kid," Shigaraki answered, sitting down, "It can only be transferred, if the predecessor wants to pass it. My brother tried to take it forcefully six times, and failed. Trust me. Eighth chose you, or you wouldn't have gotten it."
Izuku felt his heart beat thunder in his chest. An invisible rope wrapped around his neck, preventing him from breathing. What kind of joke is this? First, he tells me I can't be a hero, because I'm quirkless and now he wants me to be his successor? He doesn't even remember me!
Nausea churned in his stomach, bile rising up his throat-
[Fear Resistance is In Effect]
Izuku felt all the anxiety, and nervousness slowly dissipate from his body. Until the last drop of jittery nervous had left him, leaving behind a calm nothing.
"Kid," Banjo started, "We know what happened that day, on the rooftop, and let me tell you, everything he said was a bucket load of bullcrap."
"You saw my memories?" Izuku asked, frowning slightly. There were a lot of things he didn't want to share with people he didn't know.
Banjo shrugged, "It happened with all of us. One For All is now yours. We are now a part of you, inside your mind."
"It's disturbing no matter how many times I hear it," En muttered quietly.
Izuku echoed that comment mentally. He sighed and decided to ask something else, "If you guys are the previous users then that would mean… you guys are all…"
"Dead?" Shigaraki asked and then nodded with a comical serious face, "Yeah."
Izuku nodded hesitantly, "So… you guys are ghosts?" A pause and then he gasped, "Oh my god I'm possessed by ghosts."
Shigaraki burst out laughing, along with Banjo, while En snorted softly, and scrunched his nose as if amused. Nana smiled behind her hand and shook her head. Izuku felt his cheek burn from embarrassment.
"Not really, kid."Shigaraki chuckled, wiping away tears, "Though that would've been pretty cool."
"We are inside your dumbass cell," Banjo deadpanned, "It would not have been cool."
"Shut up."
Izuku looked away from them as the two started bickering, and looked at Nana and En helplessly.
"We aren't ghosts, Izuku," Nana explained gently, "We are vestiges. Remaining essences of our quirks and soul that merged with One For All."
"That's cool…" Izuku mumbled.
Then suddenly, a smoky humanoid figure appeared, tinted purple. And as the smoke disappeared, the white haired man, with scars on his face, and probably much older than the rest, stepped out of it.
"Fourth!" Shigaraki happily called.
The man, the Fourth User, only gave him a curt nod, before walking straight to Izuku. If it weren't for Fear Resistance, Izuku would have scrambled away in panic. That man was intimidating.
"He can't have One For All." He declared. Izuku froze. An ache bloomed in his chest. Of course, why did I think that I could be worthy enough for a quirk that once belonged to All Might.
He didn't notice the way the others glared at the man.
"Fourth what-"
"It'll kill him," Fourth continued, "It's the reason I died. I failed to pass the information to Banjo. But, One For All isn't supposed to be passed onto people with quirks. It is the backlash of the quirk. It slowly eats away your life, and kills you."
Silence and then-
"Wait… so you don't think I'm not worthy?" Izuku asked, confused.
Fourth blinked, taken aback before his eyes widened slightly and he quickly nodded his head, "Oh no, I am so sorry, I didn't mean like that. You are worthy, child. It's just-"
"If it's the dying part, then it's fine." Izuku replied, "I have two lives left."
Fourth fell quiet, and the others looked at him.
"Two lives? As in two more lives?" Banjo asked, looking stunned. Which, Izuku thought, was fair.
"Yeah," Izuku nodded, "My quirk is like a game… and you know, how in games, a player has three lives? I do too."
"So, when you said, you've already died once, you meant, you've actually died… and it wasn't just metaphorical exaggeration?" Shigarakii asked to which Izuku nodded.
"Yeah," Izuku nodded a little more flippiplantly than he should. But he assumed it was because of the Fear Resistance quirk. Logically, Izuku knew that literally dying would have left some trauma in him. But either, Fear Resistance was constantly blocking it, or it was yet to hit him. But at the same time he wasn't stupid enough to be reckless. Two lives might seem like a lot, but it will only take one moment of recklessness to lose them.
"But before that, I'm not going to pass One For All to anyone else." Izuku declared, "Before you say anything, please let me explain. You said, One For All is a stock piling quirk, right? That means, each time it is passed down, their quirks, along with their power, adds up, right? If I'm the ninth user, then by now a lot of power must have accumulated. No matter how strong a person is, even with a durability quirk, it's simply too much power. The next successor might get hurt, or worse, die . And I willingly cannot do that to someone. I won't be able to pass down the power knowing I'm essentially signing their death certificate. Just with a waiting period." He paused, and took a breath, "So, I think, even if I am worthy as you say, I should return the quirk because I will not continue the legacy-"
"Izuku," Nana cut in, "Look at me."
He looked, expecting disappointment on her face, but instead, she smiled at him kindly and said, "Izuku, One For All was created to defeat our common enemy. And that enemy has already been defeated. Now, One For All is nothing more than a legacy. Even before you were chosen, we've already discussed the fate of One For All. And we decided to let it come to an end. It's okay, if you don't want to pass it down. You don't have to apologize for it. One For All is now yours. It's your quirk. And you get to decide what you do with it."
Izuku blinked, and looked at the rest. En, Fourth, and Banjo nodded supportively with a smile. He looked at Shigaraki.
"One For All has served its purpose, kid," Shigaraki said, "It's okay. Plus, you're right anyways. Any more successions, and One For All would become lethal." He looked at the others and grinned, "See? I told you he's a smart one. Better than you lot."
"Die." Banjo snapped.
"I'm already dead, try again." Shigaraki replied without missing a beat. The shit eating grin on his face made it seem like he was waiting for that opportunity.
En rolled his eyes at them, and shook his head. Meanwhile Fourth looked at him curiously and said, "Can you show us your quirk?"
"Sure, um…" Izuku trailed away, realizing he didn't know the Fourth User's name.
"Oh, I didn't introduce myself, sorry," The Fourth chuckled, "I'm Hikage Shinomori."
Behind him, Banjo spun his finger in circles beside his forehead and mouthed, ' He's a weirdo. '
"Sure, Shinomori-san, but um, before that I just need to check something..." Izuku continued, "Open Inbox."
Right after he woke up, he had seen a notification hover above his head, altering him of something new being added to his Skill set. But he had been too preoccupied with the people around him to read it.
"Inbox…?" He heard Shigaraki murmur, confusedly.
[Congratulations! You have acquired a new Skill!]
He heard the people around him gasp.
"Is this your quirk, Izuku?" Seventh asked, curiously. Black eyes sparkling in wonder as she leaned forward.
"You guys can see it?" Izuku asked, shocked.
"It's blue, it's glowing, and it's floating in the air, Ninth." Shigaraki said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which… yeah, it was but-
"Usually other's can't see it." He said, "But I guess, since you guys are in my mind so I guess, it makes sense."
"I've never seen a quirk like this before," Nana murmured, "Can you show us more?"
"Oh sure!" Izuku agreed happily, "But um, is it okay if I just check the new Skill first?"
Nana smiled, "Of course, kiddo. It's your quirk after all!"
Smiling, Izuku turned back to the screen, and clicked onto the message. Another screen popped and this time-
"Oh…"
[One For All Level 0]
[A transferable, stocking piling quirk that can be passed from one user to another, at will. Created by Yoichi Shigaraki, the first User of One For All. The Quirk has passed through Eight heroes, before reaching you. You can now wield all their quirks!]
Izuku looked at the others. The others looked back at him.
"Huh…"Shigaraki huffed, "Now that's interesting."
En looked up at Fourth and asked something too quietly to be heard by Izuku, while pointing towards the screen. Fourth leaned down to hear him, before shaking his head.
"Um, I'll show you guys my profile." Izuku murmured, "Open Profile."
[Name: Midoriya Izuku]
[Username:
[Age: 13 years]
[Language: English, Japanese]
[Level: 17]
[Rank: D]
[Status:]
[Title(s): Born To Be Hero (L), He Who Cheated Death (M), Ninth User Of One For All (S)]
[HP: 28/650 | EP: 12/800]
[Statistics:]
Strength: 53
Dexterity: 60
Agility: 72
Speed: 74
Charisma: 45
Intelligence: 85
Shigaraki whistled, "Nice stats."
"Thanks," Izuku mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up. It was the first time anyone had complimented him on his stat level. His hard work. But then again, it was also the first time anyone could see his profile screen.
"What's the L, M, and S next to the titles?" Nana asked, "Also, those are some really nice titles, kid. Even though the second one is a bit concerning."
"Oh um, those are the ranks of the titles. It basically tells how special, and powerful the title is. The more powerful it is, the more benefits I get. It also gives me bonus points each time I level up. It starts from F to A. Then, A+, and S. Beyond that is L and M; L means Legendary, M is for Mythical level."
"One For All is the lowest level Title he's got," En squinted his eyes, "I don't know how I feel about that…"
"Squirt just walked in and did a one up on us without evening trying to." Banjo mumbled.
Youchi snorted and muttered something that Izuku didn't quite catch, but was sure was directed to the Fifth User. Banjo did hear it, and scowled.
"My quirk also gives me Passive and Active skills-" He continued, before they could start bickering once again, and opened his Skill window.
[Skills:]
[Passive Skills:]
[Selective Focus: Lv 5]
[Aural Sense: Lv 5]
[Situational Awareness: Lv 6 ]
[Analytical Mind: Lv 8]
[Concentration Lv 5]
[Strategizing L 5]
[Pattern Recognition Lv 4]
[Heat Resistance Lv 3]
[Cold Resistance Lv 2]
[Fear Resistance Lv 3]
[Active Skills:]
[Sprint: Lv 4]
[Disassemble Lv 3]
[Night Vision Lv 3]
[Stealth Lv 5]
[Pull Lv 3]
[Fire Breathing Lv 1]
[Insight Lv 2]
[Hindsight Lv 1]
[Assemble Lv 3]
[Dominance Lv 2]
[One For All Lv 0]
Banjo made a choking noise, and stumbled back. And the rest looked at the screen with wide eyes, and slacked jaws.
"These… are your skills?" Shinomori asked.
"Yeah."
"Skills? These are all quirks!" Youchi exclaimed.
"Intelligence based quirks, fire based quirk, gravity based quirk…" En counted, "Wow…"
"This is…incredible…" Nana breathed out.
En turned to Banjo and grinned, "Now you're no longer the one with the 'best' quirk."
"Forget about my quirk! His quirk is better than One For All!" Banjo cried out.
"That's weird…" Izuku mumbled, unaware of the way his quirk just snatched the ground from beneath the feet of the previous Users, "I've never had a Skill that started from level 0. Even Fire Breathing started from Level 1…" He clicked onto One For All, and a sub menu popped up. At the top was One For All at 1%, then below it was 5%, and then at 8% another locked skill was attached to it: Black Whip. Then, at 15%, Float, at 45% was Fa Jin. "Oh… right, it did say One For All has 6 skills combined with it."
Two new notifications popped up.
[You have Unlocked One For All: Perfect Aim!]
[Perfect Aim belonged to the Second User of One For All, allowing him to never miss a shot no matter the circumstances, or weapon used!]
"Shit…" Banjo cursed.
Shigaraki pushed his hair back, and Izuku noticed that his eyes were a really bright shade of green. It was really pretty. Like two sets of Jadeite. "Man… this is some manga protagonist level stuff…"
"One For All allows us to use others' quirks?" En asked.
"I had no idea…" Shinomori mumbled.
"Wait, you guys couldn't use the other quirks?" Izuku asked.
"Not even a little!" Banjo shook his head.
"Wait, so I'm the first one to have access to all the quirks?" Izuku asked incredulously. Is it because of my quirk?
Suddenly En sat up straighter, and looked up, "Oh looks like our time is up."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"It means, you're slowly gaining consciousness now." Nana explained.
"Wait, can I see you guys again?" If he would gain access to their quirks in the future, then he would need their guidance.
"Probably, Izuku." Nana informed me, "Everything so far has happened for the first time."
"Wait, really?"
She nodded and waved her hand, the others doing the same behind him, "Bye bye, Ninth."
***
Izuku woke up to the faces of people he had not been expected to see. So, it was obvious he screamed.
"Ah! What the fuck?!" He shot up, and scrambled back, "You guys-"
In front of him, standing in a circle around the hospital bed ( Oh my god, I ended up in a hospital again? Mom's going to be so worried- ) were the five vestiges he had been talking to just moments ago.
Shigaraki grinned, "' Sup buddy. "
Izuku freaked out even more when he heard the voice inside his head. He pointed towards them, "How are you guys here?!"
" Pretty sure it's 'cause of your quirk -"
"Izuku?" A familiar voice called. He froze abruptly. Eyes going wide like saucers as he slowly turned around. His mom and Shouta were sitting in a chair next to his bed. Both were awake, though his mother looked like she just woke up. Shouta was however watching him with a mix of concern and curiosity.
Izuku realized he was still pointing out nothing (for them) and quickly dropped his hand. Then, he realized that the room was dark, except for the lamp on the bedside table. He whipped his head towards the nearest clock and inhaled sharply.
11: 58: 01 PM
"Shit." He cursed.
"Izuku?" His mother called, sounding even more alarmed than before.
"Wait, mom," He replied, "I just need to- Open Daily Task."
[Daily Tasks]
[Run 10 km Completed: 9km/10km]
[Do 50 Push Up Completed: 40/50]
[Do 100 Sit Ups Completed: 80/100]
[Plank For Total 15 minutes Completed: 12 mins/15mins]
[Do 100 Squats Completed: 80/100]
Izuku wanted to cry. Of course, it's incomplete! I couldn't go for training in the evening!
" Izuku?" Nana called,sounding just as concerned as his mother.It warmed his heart but he was really in a tight spot to express his emotions. He turned back to his parents.
" What's this? " Shinomori asked, squinting at the screen. But Izuku didn't have the time to answer him at the moment.
"Mom, Dad, I know it's a bit sudden, but I will be gone for the next five hours. I promise it's nothing too dangerous! And I swear I'll explain it to you once I come back. Please don't freak out or worry about me. And you don't have to look for me either, because… well you don't be able to find me. And-" He glanced at the clock. 11:59: 55, "I'm sorry about today, and I'll be fine. Bye! Love you-"
The world around him went black.
***
Izuku grunted as he fell onto solid ground, albeit from a small height. Groaning and scrunching his eyes at the sharp light, he looked up. Only to find himself surrounded by tall grass.
Oh hell no.
" What the fuck was that?" A familiar voice called. Izuku stood up and found the other vestiges, still in their translucent form, around him. Apparently they got transported with him. Izuku would feel sorry about it, if it weren't for the realization that he was standing in the middle of a grassland.
" Where are we? " Nana asked.
At that moment, a notification popped. Izuku flinched at first, but then realized it wasn't the dreaded notification for quest but rather-
[Congratulations! You have acquired a new Skill!]
[Telempathy Level 1]
[A Combination of Empathy and Telepathy that allows you to have a telepathic conversation with people you are close to within a radius of 3 meters .]
" A new skill? " Banjo spluttered
" This quirk is unfair on so many levels ." Shigaraki complained
"You won't think so in a moment." Izuku grumbled.
" Where are we? " Shinomori asked, looking around confused and worried and panicked for some reason.
"I get a set of Daily Tasks, it's meant to build up my body and make me stronger to level up more easily. I need to complete it before midnight, otherwise there's a penalty. And this," He pointed around frantically, "Is the penalty!"
Selective Focus and Aural Sense blared alarms in his mind, just as Shinomori whipped his head around. Soft sound of grass rustling reached his ears. He caught the ever so slight shift in the grasses a few meters behind. He was in a grassland. There was something moving through the tall grass.
" Ninth- " Fourth called, but Izuku had already bolted. He had enough experience by now to know what was about to happen.
"Activate Sprint!" He yelled out just as a thundering roar tore through the silence of the grassland, and a lion jumped out of the grass. "Why a lion? Why a fucking lion? Why can't it be anything else? We're in the fucking grassland! Why couldn't it be anything else?! Why not a gazelle?"
And as if to mock him, the dreaded message popped up in front of him-
[Penalty Quest: Survival]
[Welcome to the Serengeti Plains of East Africa! Home to a diverse species of animals, including the Big Five!
Goal: Survive the Savannah for the given time period]
[Time Left: 4 H 59 M 50 S]
" This is a nightmare !"
***
Izuku fell back onto his hospital bed with a thump. He panted hard, gulping in as much air as he could in one go. Around him, the vestiges seemed to finally register the change in scenario. He had been equally baffled the first time. Despite having him on the edge all the time, this quest was better than the one before. Probably because he wasn't entirely by himself. Even if the vestiges couldn't actually help him, it was still nice. Plus, it was hilarious when Shigaraki would scream in terror only to realize that is on longer a tangible being, and everything would pass right through him. Shinomori for some reason, looked exasperated, and Izuku could've sworn he heard him mutter, ' Not this again'. Banjo was enjoying himself a little too much. Loudly cheering him, and 'encouraging him' when Izuku was trying real hard to keep quiet and be hidden. En, and Nana were the only help he had.
"You're back." A familiar gruff voice said. Izuku sucked in a sharp breath and rolled his head to the side to find Shouta still sitting on the chair next to his bed, an eyebrow raised as he studied him.
"Hi." Izuku said breathlessly.
"Where were you?" Shouta asked.
"Serengeti Plains, East Africa." Izuku answered truthfully.
Shouta stared at him, "What?"
Izuku groaned, and pushed himself upwards. He was parched. He made grabby motions towards the jar of water next to his bed. Shouta sighed, and reached out to fill a glass with water, before passing it to him.
"Here."
"Thanks," Izuku murmured, before gulping down all the water in one go.
"So… Serengeti Plains. Explain."
Izuku leaned back against the bed, placing his hand over his forehead, "Remember when I said the System gave me a list of Daily Tasks?"
"Mhmm."
"Yeah, so um, if I fail to complete it before midnight, I get a penalty. And so far the penalty has been— dropping me in the Amazon, and the Serengeti Plains, and asking me to survive for five hours while being chased by my awakened animals."
Shouta sucked in a sharp breath, " That's the backlash? And you didn't even tell me before? What if something had happened?"
"Um, I-I didn't really think there would be a repeat of the first time." Izuku answered honestly, scratching his cheek. He hadn't told them, because he knew they would worry. Especially his mother. Shouta was a Underground Hero, he was used to dealing with dangerous stuff, but his mother wasn't. She would freak out if she found out about the penalty.
"Don't tell mom." Izuku added.
"Oh yeah? How are you going to explain disappearing right in front of our eyes for five hours, Izuku?" Shouta replied, "Especially when you looked so panicked before you left."
Izuku whimpered.
"Not my problem, you're going to deal with it."
" Dad."
"Nu-uh, don't even think about using that trick. I'm mad, Izuku. And I haven't even touched the incident from yesterday till now."
"Oh come on! "
***
Izuku was pretty sure his ears were damaged by the time his mom was done with him. Shouta, (the absolute traitor) snitched the moment his mother walked into the room, and watched him getting scolded the entire time from the couch behind her. Even the vestiges looked amused. Shigaraki was straight up snickering in the corner. Banjo laughed hysterically, leaning against the other corner. En and Shinomori looked sympathetic, while Nana chided him along with his mother every now and then.
She even scolded him while he was eating his breakfast, and then some more.
Then his mother had left to attend a call. Izuku waited with his head bowed until her footsteps were completely faded before letting out a loud 'waah' and slumping back against the bed.
"Who were you talking to?" Shouta asked, breaking the silence.
"Huh?" Izuku looked at him curiously.
"Before you left," Shouta explained,"You were talking to someone."
"Oh…" Izuku dragged his eyes to the vestiges in the room. Shigaraki and Banjo were roaming around, checking everything. Nana was sitting at the other end of the bed, while En was perched up on the windowsill. "Um…"
But before he could explain, the door to his room opened and a familiar figure walked in. Izuku sucked in a sharp breath the moment he saw All Might, in his hero form, walk into the room. Why is he here? How is he here?
"Young boy-" He started, probably to greet him, but stopped when he saw Shouta in the room. Shock painted the man's face despite his smile, "Young Aizawa? What are you doing here?"
"I think I should be the one asking you that." Shouta replied. Izuku noticed him leaning towards him protectively. Some of the tension loosened inside of him. He wasn't alone with The Hero. He didn't want to be alone with The Hero. "What brings you here?"
"I…" All Might glanced his way, and Izuku resisted the urge to flinch, "I wished to talk to the young boy about something."
Izuku went rigid, then curtly asked, "Is it about One For All?"
He heard All Might inhale sharply. His eyes shifted towards Shouta for a second before be said, "I believe we should talk privately-"
"No." Izuku interrupted. Inside he was screaming at himself, but holy shit he was talking to the Number One Hero like that. But he kept calm. He really didn't think he owed anything to the man.
"Pardon?"
"If you want to talk about One For All, then dad stays." Izuku said.
From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Shouta stare down at the Number One Hero. His gaze might seem lazy, but Izuku knew better. And from the looks of it, so did All Might. But he still tried-
"My boy, you don't understand-"
"I do," Izuku interrupted. Holy shit, where is the courage coming from? "I understand the quirk perfectly fine, actually. Moreover, if it is about the succession of something powerful like this, I believe my guardians should be present."
All Might stared at him for a few seconds, before his smile returned to its full vigor, "Very well!"
"Also, you can go back to the small form, All Might. It won't end well if you use up all your time right now." Izuku said.
"You know about that?" Shouta asked.
Izuku sighed, and shifted on the bed, "Yeah… we've met before."
All Might seemed to frown at that, before his expression changed. Guess he finally remembered.
"You're that boy." He said out loud.
Shouta turned at him and gave him a look. We will be talking about this later, it said.
Izuku pouted and slumped further into the bed, fiddling with his finger. Shouta made a reprimanding noise, before stuffing a small fidget toy in his hand. Where did he even get this form?
Nobody talked. A tense silence filled the room. 'Awkward…' Shigaraki mumbled, earning a snack on his head from En. Izuku sighed and decided to speak up, "One For All is the quirk All Might uses."
From then on explained everything the vestiges had told him about the quirk. Including Nana Shimura being All Might's mentor.
"How do you know about her?" All Might asked sharply.
"I met her," Izuku answered, "Not just her. All the previous One For All Users."
"Hold on, hold on," Shouta interrupted, lending forward. Uh oh, Izuku thought, he's pissed. Shigaraki snorted.
" I believe Eight will be joining us soon ," En said. His calm and tranquil voice only added to the hilariousness. Nana sighed, and shook her head.
"You thought," He said, emphasizing each other with barely hidden rage, "It was a good idea to give a quirk with the power of eight people to a child? With all due respect, All Might, what the fuck? "
"Now there, let's not use crude language-"
"You cursed like a sailor in English, kid." Nana raised her eyebrow.
"-I wasn't planning on passing it to him just like that of course. I would've trained him."
"No amount of training can prepare a teenage body to handle such power ." Shouta hissed.
Should I- Should I stop him?
" Nah, let them be. " Shigaraki waved his hand dismissively in the air.
" Who do you think will win?" Banjo asked.
" Eh… I don't know, " Shigaraki looked at him," What's your dad's quirk?"
"Erasure," Izuku replied. Shouta looked at him, and Izuku realized his mistake. "Oh shit-"
"What?" Shouta asked.
"Erasure?" En questioned, "He can erase quirk?"
"Um…" Izuku let his gaze flicker in his direction, not permanently. Temporarily. Doesn't work on mutation quirk though.
" Oof, Eight's done. " Shigaraki muttered.
" Yeah, One For All is an emitter quirk. "
Wait so, if Dad uses his quirk, All Might will go poof?
Shigaraki laughed at his description but nodded, "Yeah. "
"Huh…" He looked at Shouta and saw him staring at him. "Oh um.. I'm talking to the vestiges."
"The vestiges? As in the previous One For All users?" Shouta raised an eyebrow.
"You can talk to them?" All Might asked.
"You can't?" Izuku asked instead.
" Ooh, sick burn. " Shigaraki snickered.
Izuku stared at his dad. Didn't I get Telempathic skill?
[Telempathy Activated]
[Eligible subjects include-]
[ Aizawa Shouta | Midoriya Inko | Bakugo Katsuki]
[Possible connections at a time: 1]
[Subject found within range: 1]
" I still can't get over how overpowered this quirk is… " Banjo muttered.
If I use this skill, will dad be able to see you guys as well? I mean, you guys are inside of mind. So a telepathic quirk should work…
" You won't know until you try, " Nana shrugged encouragingly.
Izuku reached out and clicked on Shouta's name. He immediately felt the connection. Presence of another person in his mind. It was weird. Like, being able to hear another person breath right behind him. Or feel the heat radiating off another person's body.
'Dad?'
Shouta went rigid by his side. He blinked. 'Did I just hear… Izuku…?'
' Yeah, you did. It's my new skill. Telempathy. Lets me form a telepathic connection with people I'm close to.'
'... I… I'm not even surprised at this point.' Shouta looked at him. But as soon as he sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes shifted to where the other vestiges were standing.
'Is it them? The vestiges?'
' Yeah… '
'You said there were seven, excluding All Might…'
Second and Third are being petulant,' Banjo answered.
"Well, Izuku's telling the truth," Shouta said, turning back to All Might, "He just showed them to me."
"Oh…" All Might slumped, looking dejected. Even the strands of his hair that always stood up, were drooping like bunny ears. He felt only a tiny bit bad about it.
At that moment, the door opened and his mother, bless her timing, walked in, "Izuku, honey, Katsuki wants to talk to you."
"Oh, okay!" He needed to get out of the room anyway. Jumping off his bed, he skipped his out. The adults can hash out of the rest of the discussion. He was tired enough of it. Plus, he knew his dad wanted to have a talk with All Might. Could feel the bubbling anger, and protectiveness through the empathic connection.
He'd rather talk to his friend, instead of witnessing The Number One Hero, get chewed out by his dad. And his mother, but she was yet to know.
Chapter 7 It's All About Growth
Izuku stared at the Hero in front of him. Unsure of what to think. Sure, their first interaction wasn't the best. And it had been a rough due. Things had only gone downhill from that moment onwards. And compared to what happened later on, being told to be realistic had probably been the least of his worries. It stung, and hurt. It was from his favorite hero afterwards. But, the same hero, right now, in front of him seemed genuinely apologetic. Even more perhaps because of his shorter form.
"I apologize for my callousness, my boy." All Might said, sounding genuinely apologetic, blue eyes gloomy and upset, "I shouldn't have said what I did. Neither should I have forgotten you. And even though it might seem like an excuse, my condition has gotten worse over the last year…So, i…"
Izuku frowned. His feelings aside, which honestly he had long gotten over, he was concerned about the Hero. He remembered the scar clearly as the first time he had seen it. "Did the time limit decrease?"
All Might looked surprised at first, but then nodded, "Yes, I can only use it for three hours now."
That was worrying. He was the Symbol of Peace, and needed everywhere. Three hours would end up being far too less at some point. And if he got heavily injured, would the time limit decrease even further?
"If you allow me to, I would like to mentor you as my successor, young Midoriya." All Might said, "I believe, honestly, that you would become a great hero in the future."
"That's only because I have a quirk now, right?" Izuku asked, his voice quivering. He didn't hate the reply, given he had heard far worse from others. In fact, compared to the rest, All Might had let him down gently. But still. To be told no sucks.
"No," All Might answered, shaking his head slightly, "Back then, I did say it wasn't realistic, but I've realized how wrong I was. I had answered from my own experience. How helpless a quirkless person can be in the face of danger. But, not all quirks are offensive, and I know a lot of great heroes who were able to face any danger, despite the lack of offensive quirks." He looked at him with a small smile, "And I believe you've already met one of the greatest heroes, I've known."
Izuku blinked, "Nana Shimura?"
All Might smiled, and nodded, "Yes. She was my mentor. Miss Wonder, the Number One Hero before me. Her quirk was float, and people would often tell her how she won't become a top hero with a quirk like that. But she proved all of them wrong…"
"... so you think, I could've become a hero despite not having a quirk?" Izuku asked.
All Might nodded, "That very day, when I saw you fight the sludge villain, while the rest of us did nothing, I realized how wrong I was. Quirk isn't what makes a hero, it's our courage to stand up against the wrong that makes us one." He paused, and looked away sheepishly, "And someone did give me a ringing reminder of it recently. "
Izuku furrowed his brow. Dad... What did he do?
"I've been looking for you since then, my boy. That very day I decided to make you my successor. At the mall, I didn't recognize you right away. But you did look familiar, and I wanted to talk to you just to make sure you were the right person before I passed my quirk. But...well, as long as one is approved by the current user, the quirk can be passed easily." All Might added in the end, "The only thing that is left is for you to accept me."
He took a deep breath and considered the offer. All Might's words stung, but it wasn't like he was the only person, that Izuku cared a lot about, that believed he couldn't be a hero. His own mother had apologized to him, even though he didn't need an apology. He just wanted to hear a simple 'yes. His best friend had turned away from him when his Quirk Status came out.
But in the end, it was the same people that encouraged him for all these years. And Izuku had never hesitated to give a second chance when deserved. All Might was genuinely apologizing. Offering him mentorship. And, besidesl, All Might was The Hero. The Number One.
"Okay…" Izuku nodded. Judging someone based on their past was not something he did. It's the present that matters. Because people deserve a second chance. And he was okay with giving that second chance, this time. So, he smiled, and nodded once again, "I'd like to be mentored by you All Might!"
All Might smiled, "And I'll be honored to mentor you."
" Aight… he gets a cookie point for the apology. It was a good one ." Shigaraki said, nodding solemnly.
" Well, don't you change your opinions fast ." Banjo raised an eyebrow.
Shigaraki stared at him blankly, " Have you forgotten who my brother is? "
" Oh yeah , sheesh. "
Izuku snorted at the expression Banjo made while shaking his head and clicking his tongue critically. All Might looked at him curiously, before looking over his shoulder to see where he was staring.
"Oh um, sorry, it was them," Izuku mumbed sheepishly, scratching his cheek, "The previous one for all users."
"Oh," All Might's expression changed to something hopeful, "I meant to ask about it, you can see my mentor, can you not?"
Izuku nodded, glancing once at Nana, "Yeah."
"Um, can you tell me how she is?" All Might asked, albeit a little hesitantly.
Izuku looked at Nana, who only smiled gently, " Tell him that it wasn't his fault. And that I never blamed him for anything. I've been proud of him since the beginning. And I'll always be proud of him. " A pause, and then she added with a frown, " Except for that day on the roof ."
"Um…she said, she's proud of you, and that it wasn't your fault." Izuku relayed.
" You've become a great hero, Toshi. And I'm so glad. But alway remember your roots. Remember from where you started, in order to reach where you are. " Nana added, which Izuku once again dutifully replayed. All Might listened to him silently, without interrupting once, or showing any emotions on his face.
" Don't blame yourself, kid. You were amazing that day. And I'll never regret any decision I made that day. And… take it easy now. I know you want to help people, but if you can't take care of yourself, you won't be able to take care of others."
"....That's all." Izuku ended. All Might took in a shuddering breath and nodded. And then he smiled, not the usual smile he held on TV, but a soft, emotional kind, with tears brimming his eyes.
"Thank you, young Midoriya." All Might said, his voice wobbling. "You've given me such a precious gift, and I don't know how to thank you for it."
"I know a way," Izuku grinned, hopping off the bed. All Might looked at him with slightly furrowed brows. "You can start training me tomorrow!"
All Might grinned, and this time it was the one he had seen on TV, "Of course! That's the spirit my boy."
" Oh my god, he's like Banjo… " Shinomori mumbled, eyes going wide slightly.
***
Training with All Might started at the Dagobah beach. Cleaning it of the trash, to be exact. Izuku didn't really mind after the initial confusion. And maybe it was because he was the Number One Hero, All Might knew just how to make cleaning a beach sound like he was doing something worthy of a prize. Izuku felt a bubbling energy inside of him after All Might's speech of encouragement.
"Wow, even I feel motivated. And I didn't even have to read a manga for that." Shigaraki had mumbled from the side.
Training with All Might was interesting. And downright hilarious at some points. And the other vestiges, constant, commentary didn't help either. Banjo would encourage him to suck it up and just do it while he struggled to push a broken refrigerator upon which All Might sat. Nana's cheering helped. It was nice, with her grinning, and waving her hand around, pretending to be a cheerleader. When Izuku mentioned it to All Might, he only smiled and told him, 'she used to do that with me too.'
Shigaraki was pointing out faults every second. Izuku had thanked En, when the Sixth User dragged the First Away.
All Might apparently already had a schedule made for him. But, if Izuku followed that, he would have to take trips around the world, running away from imminent death every single day. So no, not happening.
All Might had looked so terrified when Izuku informed him of the restrictions, before quickly making changes to it. His strength, and EP were taking a quick spike because of it. However, agility and speed weren't increasing at the same level. Plus, if he started training at the beach at five, then he wouldn't have time to focus on improving Fire Breathing.
"Yagi-san," Izuku called, while laying on the sand of the beach, arms numb, and aching, "Can we change the timing a bit?"
All Might, stopped from where he had been loading the trash onto his truck, and looked at him confused, "Not quite, but why? Is there a problem?"
"Um.." Now how does one explain Fire Breathing, when he barely understood it himself, "Er, I have another thing to do in the morning, so it'll be easier for me to train from 5:30."
"Mhmm…" All Might, "Then, we'll have to increase your training time in the evening. I'd prefer if you can build up yours body as soon as possible, and safely given that there's still one year left before you join high school." He paused, "Speaking of which, where are you going to attend?"
Izuku grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He hadn't told his mom or Shouta about his choice yet. He had no idea how he managed to keep it hidden from them. Or, from Hizashi and Nemuri, but so far none of them seemed to have any idea.
"Don't tell Shouta, but I've applied for U.A."
All Might's eyes glimmered. "That's amazing! I am sure you'll get in without any problem. In fact," he looked around to make sure no one else was present, before crouching next to him, and whispering, "Do not tell anyone yet, but there is a chance, I am going to teach at U.A from next year."
" Say what? " Yoichi snapped his head up from where he was reading a discarded comic book.
"Really?" Izuku asked with wide eyes.
All Might grinned, "Yes."
"Holy shit-"
"Now, let's not use such language."
" Oh please. " Nana rolled her eyes.
"But you curse all the time in English though." Izuku mumbed with furrowed brows. All Might flushed, and coughed awkwardly.
"Ehem, er… but still you shouldn't!"
Izuku narrowed his eyes, "Eh…." He reached out to turn the page from the discarded comic before Shigaraki couldn't complain to him.
" Thanks buddy. "
" Thank you. " Izuku hadn't realized En was reading it too. All Might blinked, and looked at the comic before looking at him. Then, he pointed towards it and asked-
"Are you reading that?"
"Nope. But First, and Sixth are."
All Might looked thoroughly baffled.
***
Izuku was sitting on the couch in Shouta's apartment, eyes closed, and Situational Awareness active, along with Aural Sense. The idea of it came to his mind in the middle of the night. He had woken up with a start, and jumped off his bed to scribble the idea on his notebook.
Situational Awareness kept him updated with everything that happened around him all the time. He could spot everything that was present in his range of view. And as it turned out, humans actually see a lot more than what one usually does. As it turned out, humans only focus on a 60 degree range of view, and the rest of the visual information is discarded. But in reality, humans have a wide range of 200-220 degree horizontal range of use, (both eyes combined.) While beyond 120 degree, fell into what is called the blind side of either eye, the problem was overcome with Situational Awareness. If it was present in the 20022- degree horizontal ange, and 130 degree vertical range, Izuku could see it .
Then, there was Aural Sense. With its help, Izuku could pinpoint the location of his enemy with just sound. Like right now, despite having his eyes closed, he knew Shouta was inside of his office, most likely looking for the papers he needed to grade.
And finally there was Selective Focus. Izuku didn't know when it worked. He just knew he would have the information he needed despite not knowing that he had that information in the first place.
And from there came the idea. If he could combine Aural Sense, and Selective Focus, then he should, theoretically speaking, be able to hear someone's movements, and track them based on it without having to see them. And, Situational Awareness, combined with Selective Focus, or Aural Sense, should help him react to unseen attacks.
And-
A pinging sounding distracted him, making him open his eyes. Familiar blue screen floated in front of his eyes.
[Congratulations! You have earned a new skill!]
What.
Izuku was sure he hadn't done anything that could earn him a new skill, given that he was grounded for a month, except for the absolutely necessary and compulsory training time.
Or was it because…
His conversation with the System from the very first time rolled in his mind.
You were required to have a certain amount of understanding and comprehension before you could activate your quirk
Right, he did need to understand his skills in order to learn them. And apparently— he opened the inbox— if he could figure out new techniques, they would count as skill too.
" Overpowered. " Shigaraki's voice rang in his head.
Izuku politely ignored it and continued to read the description.
[Ki Level 1]
[Ki is a natural energy given off by people and objects when they move. With enhanced sense, and training, ki can be tracked in order to predict movements, and react to unseen attacks. Ki will also reduce the efficiency functionality of enemies stealth attacks]
The effect was immediate. His senses flared and the sensory input doubled. He could feel, sense everything around him. He could hear Shouta flipping through pages. Could hear the quiet hum of the refrigerator humming. The sound of the air conditioner. He could hear Coffee sleeping on Shouta's bed, purring quietly in her sleep. All of it. And it hurt.
Izuku whimpered, doubling over as a pounding headache hammered against his forehead. He felt sick. But just as quickly as it happened, it dispersed. His sense tuned out, and went back to usual.
Izuku jumped off the couch, and rushed to the bathroom to throw up in the toilet.
"Izuku?" Shouta's voice came while he was wiping away the spit and vomit from his mouth. "What happened?"
"I'm fine" Izuku replied, "Just-Just-"He shook his head as a shudder wracked his body, and pulled down the flush, "My quirk acted up for a second."
Shouta peeked in his head, forehead furrowed. If it weren't for the way Shouta did a quiet check of his body for injuries, Izuku would have thought he was scowling. But then again, he knew the man for 8 years and had learnt to read his expressions fluently.
"What do you mean?" He asked somewhat sternly.
"I just got a new skill. And it kind of dialed up my senses for a few seconds." Izuku explained, before rinsing his mouth to get rid of the sour taste from his tongue, "It's called Ki."
Shouta's eyes tightened around the edges, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yep, I'm fine. It turned off on its own." Izuku replied.
"Okay… drink some water." Shouta said, "And…" He glanced back, to check something before continuing, "I need to head out."
"New mission?" Izuku asked.
"Mhmm." Shouta nodded, "Need to check out the ground before it starts."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Not more than usual."
Izuku frowned, "Be careful."
Shouta let out an airy chuckle, "Of course, kid."
Shouta patted his hair once he walked out of the bathroom, before retiring back to his room to get changed. In the meanwhile, Izuku went back to the living room, and sat down on the couch, opening his own quirk analysis notebook.
He scribbled the name of the new quirk on the top with a black marker, before writing it's description. Then, he grabbed Shouta's laptop to learn more about Ki. He was finished with the first article related to Ki, or Qi, when Shouta walked out.
"Don't burn the house," The man said, "And try not to summon demons until I come back."
Izuku snorted, "I'll try."
"Good." The door closed after the man muttered a muffled bye.
"Alright…" Izuku mumbled, scribbling notes about Ki on his notebook, "Time to grind again."
***
Izuku panted hard as he laid on his back against the cold cement of the roof. His mom would have fussed on him if she saw him like this. But Izuku couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. His lungs were burning. He had finally managed to use the breathing technique involved in Fire Breathing for an hour. And he was drenched in sweat. And his skin was probably bright pink.
"I guess that should be enough…" He mumbled. He waited for the progress screen to pop up. He waited, and waited but nothing came up.
"What..." He frowned, and opened his Skill Set. Fire Breathing was still at Level 1. " Why? "
[Would you like a hint?]
Izuku blinked. Wha–
"I can get help?" He asked incredulously. Sure in games there were hints but he didn't expect that privilege to be present with his quirk as well!
[Of course! You can buy hints with the help of points!]
"I can?!"
[Yes! Would you like to buy a hint?]
[ Hint wanted: Leveling up Fire Breathing Price: 50 Points]
[Buy?]
[Yes | No]
"Fifty? How much do I have?" Izuku asked.
[Current Points Available: 331 Points]
"How do I get points?" Izuku asked, surprised at the high number. Sure he had had the quirk for 2 months, but he never had the need to buy hints before, and was completely unaware of this system being present.
[Each Level Up rewards you with 10 points!
F-D rank gives additional 1 points per Level Up
C-A rank provides additional 3 points per Level Up
A+ rank provides 4 points per Level Up
S rank provides 5 points!
Legendary rank provides 7 points and Mythical rank provides 10!]
"Wow…" He quickly did the calculations in his mind to figure how many points he had gotten over the time. "That's amazing!"
He clicked on the Yes button.
[Hint: In order to level up Fire Breathing From Level 1 to Level 2, you are required to use Conscious Breathing for 24 hours continuously]
" What? " Izuku shrieked, "It was difficult to maintain Conscious Breathing for an hour, and he was supposed to do it for a while before he could level up?!
"This is hard…" Izuku whined.
" It may be hard, but it's not impossible, Ninth." Nana's voice echoed in his mind, "You couldn't use it for an hour, but now you can. Just like, keep trying,and eventually ou can use it for 24 hours."'
Izuku groaned. "But it's still going to be so hard!"
" The harder the climb, the better the view. " En replied. His pleasant voice only calming him a little.
" I can help ," Shinomori said, " My quirk Danger Sense was something like this too. It would alter me about danger, or malicious intent, but the detection was described with a sharp pain in my mind. I had to train for quite some time before I got used to it. And eventually the pain became mild. "
"Wow… Danger Sense sounds helpful," Izuku mumbled, "You'll really help me?"
" Of course, Ninth. "
"You can call me Izuku, you know."
" Okay… Izuku. "
Izuku sat up, grinning, "So how did you do it?"