Chapter 3 - Slow and Steady

Chapter 3 - Slow and Steady

"Ghhhhaaahh!"

Izuka let out continuous grunts whilst trying to do as many push-ups as she could. The only slight issue was the apparent struggle on her part.

"You know," I started slowly, fully intending on breaking the silence with some levity, "The point of a push-up is to go up. Fully, I mean, then slowly lower yourself down, not… wiggle in the middle."

A day has passed since I stopped Bakugou and his friends from harassing Izuka, hoping the message would stick so I don't have to get into another mindless fight. He's not that stupid to pick a fight he can't win, especially after getting outclassed with his opponent hardly using their ability. Anyhow, after having a short brain fuse when I found out the main protagonist was a female in this universe, something that was difficult to believe at first, we agreed to meet up the next day, since it was already getting late.

To say she was beyond excited and jittery by the simple fact we agreed to meet up to hang out would be an understatement. It greatly reminded me how important that must have been for her. When I showed up, being two or so minutes late because a few knuckleheads wanted to rob a bank that caused the whole street to close down and having to take a slightly longer route, I was immediately bombarded with excessive muttering, fearing I wasn't going to show up.

It was gonna take a while, but it is what it is.

Nevertheless, Izuka was happy to have met someone who willingly wanted to be her friend, and it showed. I myself could say the same, being nearly isolated for eight years without anyone I could remotely bond with. While I in particular was open to doing anything, Izuka was, unsurprisingly, very eager to start her Hero training.

Yup, I definitely got a sense of deja vu upon seeing how ecstatic she was to begin.

She wasn't straightforward about it either. If anything, if I didn't offer it by my own accord, the stuttering and blabbering session, I feel, would continue until the sun goes down. If anything, I found it adorable how I had to haggle it out of her, making her fumble her words in embarrassment.

"G-Gimmie a s-second…!" Izuka uttered with difficulty, doing a full push up before dropping down, trying to do another one but only managed to get halfway before flopping down.

"You have never done a day of physical exercise before, have you?" I asked the obvious question I knew the answer to.

Looking away, Izuka replied lowly while rubbing her arms. "No…"

Well, if anyone should know how abnormally difficult it is to teach yourself something from scratch, it's me. Better start doing what a proper teacher should do.

"Here, let's try something different," I hopped down, kneeling down beside Izuka to showcase an easier exercise, "Maybe this is more of your speed."

Placing my hands onto the ground like I was about to do a push-up, using my knees instead of my feet to support my weight. After giving the demonstration, Izuka's face was filled with uncertainty, for an obvious reason.

"I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not it," I dismissed her thoughts right away, "This is called a knee push-up, slightly modified unlike the original. This I feel would be a solid starter exercise, until your muscles slowly get more adjusted the more training you undergo. Unlike a regular push-up, these only use the upper weight of your body, but still offer the same benefits, albeit at a slower pace. It won't be as effective in the long term, but a good beginner exercise for you until you get the hang of it. Give it a try."

After the explanation, Izuka wasn't as reluctant as when I first demonstrated the exercise. Eyeing me to make sure her technique matched mine, Izuka turned her head forward to solely focus on doing as many as she could.

"There you go, just like that," I praised her form, adding a few more pieces of advice, "Keep your breathing steady and try ignoring the growing discomfort in your arms. If you can find a proper balance, you'll realize breathing is an important factor during physical activities. Without it, you'd be wasting more strength than actually being active."

While it didn't take long for Izuka to reach her limit, the uncontrollable wobble in her arms got too much to continue.

"See?" I asked her, "Ain't that easier?"

"A-A little bit,." Izuka admitted.

"Wanna move on to the next one?" I asked optimistically, causing Izuka to jump to her feet in excitement.

For the most part, I kept things light. With it only being the first day, I couldn't set too high expectations. No matter, I was more interested in making sure things would go smoothly, regardless of how much time it took to actually get somewhere.

"So, how do you feel?" I asked the green-haired girl who was sitting on the ground, abusing the fact she could breathe now without having to be physically active.

Izuka took a few more breaths before responding, "N-Not bad, a-actually. It felt kinda nice to-"

A loud rumbling noise stopped Izuka from finishing her sentence. Her face instantly turned to a bright shade of red.

"Guess someone's hungry," I chuckled simply, not wanting to embarrass her further, "I think there's a bakery or maybe a store nearby around here. Luckily, I brought some extra money for the both of us."

"A-Actually…" Izuka cut me off, making me look at her curiously. Watching her dig through her bag, I was taken by surprise when she pulled out two white Bento boxes.

---LineBreak---

I hummed upon taking the last piece of meat into my mouth with a pair of chopsticks, "I can't remember when was the last time I had something tasty such as this, thank you so much for the meal, Izuka-chan!"

"T-Think nothing of it, Y-Yukio-san," Izuka muttered with a shade of red across her cheeks, finishing her box a little longer after I did.

Taking the empty boxes and placing them into her backpack, something caught my eye.

"Say, are those the notebooks you mentioned?" I asked curiously with my head titled, taking a peek at the open bag.

"Y-Yeah," Izuka stuttered, "I a-always bring one just in case. Never know when you might see a Hero in action, or encounter a Villain when outside, h-heh."

"Can I take a look?" I asked with a pleading look.

Caught off guard by my request, especially since I asked with genuine interest, Izuka was over the moon to share her hobby but had difficulty formulating a proper sentence. I found it adorable how she simultaneously tried expressing her favorite pass time without sounding too nerdy.

"Wow, there are so many," I whistled, turning to the next page that listed a Rock Manipulation Quirk, with the Hero using it making their debut not too recently if I recall.

"I-I spent a lot of time looking through many d-different Heroes and Quirks," Izuka admitted shyly, "There's so much to keep track of, but I don't really mind it. I like for it be… thorough, even if it's the small things."

"Yeah, I can tell," I responded softly, still solely focused on the text before flipping over the next page. Every bit of space on any given page was used up, accompanied by the elegant handwriting with how it was organized with small sections dedicated to either unconfirmed hypotheses or notes worth looking into, "Lots of detail everywhere, I could read it for hours with this kind of handwriting. Did you write down mine somewhere?"

That small compliment caused Izuka to blush, before exploding into a mumbling mess. "N-No, I-I mean, not yet! Y-You see, with a lot of interesting Quirks out there, it's hard t-to properly figure out what makes it function and its applications. Your's, however-"

I formed a saddened expression, acting hurt, "Awww, you don't find my Quirk interesting?"

While it might have been too cynical for my own enjoyment, seeing her desperately trying to explain herself was just too pure.

I couldn't help but chuckle as Izuka tried defending herself, "Relax, I'm just messing with you. You told me this was your hobby, so who am I to tell you how to do it? Besides, considering how complex my Quirk is by nature, I'm glad you decided to take your time before writing anything down. If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask me."

"A-About that…" Izuka uttered, barely a whisper while twirling her fingers shyly.

Smiling, I couldn't resist but ask teasingly, "Is that a few questions, or a few dozen?"

Pouting slightly, Izuka answered lowly, "The latter..."

Leaning back to the tree behind me, I prompted Izuka to continue, "Where should we start?"

When I began answering her questions, I took note of one small detail that puzzled me. Usually, the hero fanatic would furiously write down page after page regarding a Hero and/or Quirk on the spot. Unbothered, for the most part, what people would think of her while doing her hobby. Even yesterday, her mood instantly changed when we discussed my Quirk.

But here, after a solid twenty minutes of answering questions about Energy Absorption, Izuka didn't touch her pen once. Throughout the whole discussion, she paid attention to every single word I said. Seeing how lengthy my Quirk would be on paper, I wondered why Izuka wouldn't act like her "normal" self. Was it to show politeness? I boiled down to that assumption as it made the most sense, finding any other reason to be too uncharacteristic for her.

Maybe I was the one to start overanalyzing stuff, or my memory is slowly becoming hazy.

When the topic died down, we still had time before Izuka had to go home. Luckily, I knew what to do in the meantime.

"Do you mind if I take out a piece of paper?"

"N-No, of course!" Izuka spoke instantly, before following up. "Just… rip off the last page, if-if you don't mind…"

Giving a quick thank you, I did as I was instructed before my hand quickly began writing a list, a pretty long one at that. Being solely focused on not forgetting anything, I failed to notice Izuka gradually moving her head close to mine to get a better view, "What are you doing?"

"Making you a training program. What am I miss- oh yeah, a few leg exercises," I added, making sure I didn't leave anything out before handing it back to Izuka, "I made many of these kinds of lists when I first started out. Think this should help you out."

"Y-You were able to make a complete workout plan solely after seeing me perform on my first day…?"

"Noup!" I answered simply, causing Izuka to stare at me with confusion.

"Huh? W-What do you mean?"

"You see, before any proper workout program to work, certain criteria must be met," I began explaining to her, "Since we're… here where we're at, we'll start off simple, working on individual areas so we can cover a wide range. From there, we'll gradually make changes and try different methods. Worked well for me, and should do the same for you."

Izuka stared silently at the piece of paper, a thoughtful expression present all the while.

"You think you can follow it?"

That snapped her out of her thoughts, turning to face me before forming a determined smile. "I will!"

---LineBreak---

Upon getting home, I thought of something devious when I sat down to join my Dad for dinner.

"So, how was work?" I asked while rotating the spoon to cool the soup off.

"Ugh, don't remind me," the age-old dad question made him go off in an instant. "So this guy rolls in, new sports car, top of the line, fresh out the shop, no issue whatsoever. The idiot, who claims he had worked on cars before, decides to meddle with the engine to boost it further. But okay, he screwed up and was filling to pay to fix it. While I was simply looking at the car, I was bombarded with constant requests and things to add or remove. Not only was it the most insufferable experience with a client in my entire career, he had the audacity to "negotiate" a lower price by doing "half" of the work, while he would do the rest on his own. If I ever was close to kicking out a customer in my life, this morning would be it. Anyway... you?"

In a sudden shift from ranting to take a pause and try his soup, I knew he wanted to move on.

"I met a new friend yesterday, we agreed to meet up again tomorrow."

Just as he placed the spoon into his mouth, his eyes grew wide and tried speaking before he could swallow, resulting in a coughing fit. Looking at me like I just killed a man, he asked with nothing but seriousness and hope. "You befriend someone?"

"Yeah, she's nice," I said, stopping to eat my soup. "Bit of a hero fanatic, but its more adorable than anything.

"Is she..." Dad wiggled his hands around before continuing. "You know..."

"What?" I asked with genuine curiosity, since I had no clue what he was implying.

"Real," Dad finished. "Is she real?"

.

.

.

"Seriously?" I looked at him with a bored expression, a part of me not even bothered that he questioned my sanity. "Thanks for believing in my social skills, I guess."

"J-Just making sure, that's all," Dad quickly explained himself, stretching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Anyhow, how did you two meet? I'm trying to picture it at a playground, but I'm having difficulty seeing it."

"Nnnnnnot exactly." I responded, causing Dad to give me a puzzled look.

"Oh?" Dad paused. "Then how did you meet her?"

I took a moment before replying. "By beating up three other kids who were harassing her."

"Yukio!" Dad shouted, but not too loudly.

"Before you say anything, when I mean harassing her, I mean physically harassing this girl on multiple occasions. This kid's Quirk literally makes miniature explosions from his hands. She had burn marks, Dad, I wasn't about to just sit around and watch them attack a kid for simply being Qurikless."

That last part seemed to struck a chord, his face instantly eased up. Pinching his nose, he asked. "What did you do to them?"

"Nothing," I responded leisurely, prompting Dad to raise an eyebrow. "They're just a bunch of idiots, Dad, I didn't need to use my Quirk to knock some sense into them. At best, they might feel a little sore, not like they didn't deserve it, anyway."

Dad had mixed feelings about what I did, the look on his face was pretty evident of that.

"While I understand you did it for a good reason, in the future, can you try a different approach? I know kids can be... cruel, but it doesn't mean you have to stoop down to their level," Dad said, nodding several times to ease his worries. "Going back to your friend, tell me more about her. Knowing you, there must be something that caught your interest for you to willingly befriend someone."

There was a simple answer to that, but I wanted to be more honest in my answer.

"She understands me, and doesn't think of me like some villain in the making like other kids," I said, the ladder part of my answer making me recall all the moments where kids thought I was abnormal simply for my matured behavior. "Also, she's... unique, in her own way."

That was an accurate statement, no?

---LineBreak---

After finishing dinner, and promising him to invite Izuka over in the future, I got my room, proceeded to begin the next phase of my little project.

I made sure to spend my time researching in order to develop my own Support Gear, and a few other nifty inventions as well. It was a bore, but the first few months of simply trying to understand the text and imagery on my tablet regarding the subject were interesting, to say the least. Having a hefty amount of money saved up since I rarely spent any of it, I invested in buying more books and online subscriptions, making sure I got the maximum value.

Materials are something that won't be too much of an issue, for the most part, as my Quirk would allow me to cut off any extendable material from what I absorbed. It essentially makes my body a personal mining system.

Tedious? Yes. Efficient and worth the Quirk exhaustion? definitely.

Able to generate any material to use, while not a long-term and practical plan for all instances, it will be more than acceptable until I can set up a proper setup.

Primarily focusing on my Quirk for the past few years, I was content simply amassing information on this world's technology and its inner workings. Since at this moment, I didn't have specific ideas on what to make, and most Support Items I would want to make are out of my reach, I decided to make an old favorite and simple gadget, Batman's grapple gun.

Having to use my own hands as the tools through the process, I was surprised by how precise and elegant it felt, as opposed to before having to use basic utensils.

Taking the blueprints of a simple handgun, I created the metal shell for the base before going to the inner workings of it. You can't just look up "how to make gadgets" if not enrolled in a prestigious school where that information is widely available. Starting from scratch might have its downsides, but would pay off in the end.

The sides and back of it were a bit bulky, but not too much of an issue for a prototype. In order to "charge" it, I would either need to use gas or a small power source, both options having their respective downsides. For the former, there would be a limited supply if not refueled. The battery, while a more effective option, would need to make considerable changes to its inner workings.

For now, I'll keep it simple until I get better with the more gadgets I make. Upgrades can wait for later, initial designs are more important.

The first dozen or so wire reel cases either broke, got stuck, or the small mechanism wasn't calibrated how it should be. In one instance, a small explosion erupted from the inside as the reel couldn't keep up with the anchor's firing speed.

Finally getting the reel to work as intended, both for firing and reeling back in at an appropriate speed, I had one last thing to do before it was finished. I made it so the anchor itself would expand its hooks with a push of a button on the gun before it would fire.

With a wide grin, I released a somewhat sinister giggle, beyond happy that my prototype was functional.

Somewhat functional.

Eager to test it, I was about to go to the garage for a wider field, but I noticed the window was open on the other side of the room. Without much as a second thought, I aimed for the open space, knowing if I line the shot up, nothing would break.

Pressing the trigger, the anchor blasted off, but while spinning, it quickly moved the left, piercing the stone wall with a nice hole.

My eyebrow twitched as my smile slowly fell. Yup, not as simple as I thought. Pressing the button for it to retract, the wire went all over the place before balancing out, but the anchor on the other hand...

"Oh shit!" I ducked before the anchor could hit my face. It crashed onto my nightstand, obliterating the small vase at the edge into a few dozen pieces, before getting wedged between the nightstand and lower bed frame.

I kept it to a "retract as long as the button is pressed" system, yet now an evident issue became apparent.

"Might have to incorporate a few stabilizers so the person using this doesn't get their eye poked out," I commented jokingly but with a hint of bitterness. Of course I would miss something during the development stage...

Some other ideas included plenty of projectiles and devices fitted for many scenarios. I should start the early crafting stages for other gadgets to add to the portfolio. Izuka will jump through the roof once she lays eyes on these beauties. If anything, she would make a fine assistant in designing and creating them since her input would surely be beneficial to make the ideal version.

Turning my attention back to the newly made hole, I sighed while absorbing some stone to go repair the wall, not the first and definitely not the last time such a thing would happen.

Thank Kami for this Quirk's versatility to easily repair something, otherwise, the bills for my "little experiments" would be enough to pay off all the property damage caused in Musutafu every other week.

---LineBreak---

"Alright, today we're gonna try something new," I told Izuka optimistically, "I think this part is what you're most interested in."

About a full week passed since Izuka and I began meeting up regularly, and safe to say, it was a blessing in disguise. While I don't regret a single day I put into training and harnessing my Quirk, there were times where the isolation became a little boring, only able to dwindle on the thought as more time passed.

I genuinely tried befriending other kids solely so I don't have a narrowed mentality, yet each time I attempted doing so resulted in the same outcome. Not like it was in my control, I was content being by my lonesome until I could meet someone who truly liked being around me.

Izuka managed to help me in her own little way. At times, I truly did want to switch off my brain to have someone to talk to and try reliving my childhood while things are still calm. Craving human connection was a drug on its own, you can't live with or without it, neither can work if the other is missing.

It was a breath of fresh air for once to not leave the house, only to come back a tired mess. With Izuka, I was able to focus on something else for a change. Regardless if she only wanted to train, I appreciated her company.

"I'm ready for anything!" Izuka declared with sheer determination in her voice, albeit with a slight nervousness in her overall demeanor.

"Let's begin then," I walked towards Izuka to close the distance, catching her off guard with an abrupt request, "Hit me."

"W-W-What?" Izuka cried out.

"You said you've seen countless videos of Heroes engaged in heated fights against Villains, and with the analytical mind that you have, I'm positive you'll be able to figure out a counter for your opponent during battle," I began, "For that, we'll first have to figure out an appropriate style that fits you. Everything starts with a punch, so let's see how you do."

Izuka was too shy to even think about hitting me, the evident hesitation speaking for itself. It took quite a bit to encourage her, but I managed to convince her. At her first attempt, only her arm extended when doing this punch, making the rest of her body stiff for the duration.

"Okay…" I sighed, before trying another method, "See how I do it."

Moving back slightly, I demonstrated a right hook, repeating the motion a second time but more slowly, Izuka joining along while eyeing my movements.

"Here's the thing, when you go for a punch, you have to use your whole body, not just your fist," I fixed her legs by lightly tapping them with my own, placing my arms on her shoulders to adjust her stance, earning a few squeaks from her in the process, "You have some time to wind up, but it's important to rotate your hips and move your leg back a bit."

I let her continue to repeat the motion, slowly getting a better feel to it, joining along so she could mimic me. We increased the tempo in our movements, only stopping when she no longer needed a demonstration, proceeding to explain another useful tip.

"Now, you'll get a more accurate hit with higher force. In most cases, you want to end the fight as soon as possible, so quick and effective blows work best. Also, by doing this, transitioning to different attacks or going on the defensive will be a lot easier. If you know how to react, you won't have to worry about what's coming at you. Something like this…"

Doing several two to three quick, consecutive punches before raising my arms in a defensive manner. While doing so, I would do a spin kick and throwing a kick after a barrage of punches. Turning to look at Izuka, I was met with a shocked expression, her mouth hanging slightly. Seems like I forgot to keep it toned down for the time being.

"S-Sorry," I apologized sheepishly while rubbing my neck, "I don't expect you to nail it instantly, just a few examples of what to do once you get some practice in. For now, since we don't have a punching bag, all I want is for you to focus on hitting these…"

Raising my hands up, I encouraged Izuka to hit them with all her strength. The first few attempts were sloppy due to the action feeling unnatural, but Izuka quickly increased her pace, especially as I would encourage her and kept an upbeat attitude to keep the flow going. On top of that, Izuka did not let up until she used every ounce of strength she had at her disposal.

To top it off, we did a light spar at the end, showing several other moves to try out. Well, spar wouldn't be the accurate term, as I allowed her to hit me any chance that presented itself. I, of course, encouraged her to simply not think about hitting me, rather just seeing me as a target, which did help a small amount.

The day ended like any other, with Izuka gradually improving, but something else was bothering me on my way home.

I wasn't sure why, but the look in her eyes was different. When I told her that we accomplished our goal for today, she insisted that we continue training for at least one more hour. Maybe I was too nice to refuse, or thinking her stubborn side wanted to push herself to the limit. Regardless, something was off.

The question that bothered me was simple; was I overthinking this, or was there a problem right in front of me and I just couldn't see it?

---LineBreak---

It's been slightly over a month since Izuka and I started meeting regularly, and as of now, I can officially say that I'm starting to get worried.

The thing about irony is, you always come to the realization of it after you become oblivious for a while.

Saying my dad was worried all these years over nothing would be the lie of the century. Maybe my matured and slightly biased mindset on how my time should be spent during my time as a child is different from my father's, but it's only logical for a parent to be concerned. Me being the special case that I am, all the things I have been doing followed a plan and not breaking it, taking necessary breaks when my limit was pushed.

Izuka, however, was the total opposite.

It started off rather small and unnoticeable, with the few times I did notice that something was wrong, I labeled it as simply Izuka being herself. Oh, how wrong I was.

Izuka is more mentally mature than any other kid her current age, as well as when she gets older. But to match that, a great amount of stubbornness was present. Once I noticed her body language becoming sloppy during training and lack of sleep becoming more evident, I knew something was wrong. The training regimen was designed purely to gradually transition to a fit and athletic lifestyle, taking precise time to make sure I did my research as kids aren't suited for any severe training plans while young.

Yet, with each day that passed, I noticed she would appear more closed off and uncharacteristically quiet. We rarely talked about anything else if it didn't revolve around training. Izuka was overtraining herself, that much was evident, but more importantly, she wasn't listening to what I was saying, rather along the lines of following commands.

Not all training sessions would end in success, on days where the lack of rest hindered her the most, Izuka would ignore my attempts on getting her to take a break, choosing to power through it until she was finished. On top of practicing how to fight, she took each failure pretty hard, only getting progressively worse over time.

We had more than enough time to worry about physical strength, Izuka's mental side is more important at the moment.

That was partly my fault, as I knew how difficult this process would be, and encountering an obstacle such as this was bound to happen at some point. Just like with All Might, the thought of too much time passing while standing in place needing to triple the effort to become stronger as soon as possible.

It was too much, and I needed her to realize that as well.

"Didn't expect I would get here before you did," I said to the dark green-haired girl who stopped a few meters away from me, hands on her knees to keep herself up while taking in deep breaths, "Usually, I'm the one who oversleeps."

"I-I didn't oversleep!" Izuka's head snapped upwards to defend herself, "I forgot to help my mom with a few things around the house, t-that's all!"

That was an obvious and see-through lie if I ever did hear one. If I hadn't already known what kind of person Izuka would become, and be totally oblivious to the signs before me, I wouldn't second guess her behavior. I'll have to find a way to start changing that. "Heh, if you say so. I'm just glad you showed up."

"S-So, what did you have in mind for today, Yukio-san?" Izuka asked once she was able to breathe properly again, "I kept working on those core strength exercises you told me about. It was hard at first, not to mention excruciatingly long while doing them. I also spent more time working on punching and kicking more effectively, without mentio-"

"Actually," I stopped Izuka mid-sentence before she could continue, "I was thinking we should take a break, for today at least."

Izuka's went wide upon hearing that, "What?! Why?!"

"To tell you the truth, I think it's a fine time we had one, all things considered," I began explaining, calmly I might add, "For starters, I can tell your body is struggling due to the training regimen I told you to follow, by that I mean you aren't taking the proper amount of time to rest," I calmly answered back, the sudden stiff demeanor telling me I was right, "But more importantly, rushing this sort of thing won't give you any sort of advantage."

"T-That's not true!" Izuka said, thinking of ways to explain herself, "I know it might seem like I'm barely making it through training, but that's because I just recently learned what I'm supposed to be doing in the first place! B-Besides, just cause I'm a little worn out doesn't mean I'm incapable of practicing further! My stamina is a lot better than it was a month ago, I don't get tired out too quickly anymore!"

I could only sigh at her response, she still doesn't understand, "Look, there's no shame in reaching your limit But overdoing it will only set you back," I tried advising her, only to be met with silence and a downcast expression, "We'll find something else to do to pass the time, although I doubt we have much."

Before I could walk past her, Izuka grabbed me by the wrist, uttering a single sentence. "Just one…"

"Hmm?"

Her grip tightened, not fond of having to repeat herself, "J-Just one spar… that's all I'm asking."

"Izuka, I already told you-"

"Please!"

Izuka screamed at the top of her lungs, causing my eyes to go wide. She couldn't fool me, that look on her face told me everything, trying desperately to hold in the tears but held a stoic expression to hide any visible pain. The idea of her thinking I'm not happy with her performance becoming more apparent.

I stayed silent for too long, but I knew what kind of response I should give.

Yet, I couldn't even open my mouth to respond.

'Why can't I say it again?'

Izuka raised her arms to enter a defensive stance, a look of uncertainty mixed with determination. I mentally sighed, realizing there was no other way Izuka would listen, I was pretty much forced to accept. I didn't really want to go through with it, especially considering she wasn't in the best state, both mentally and physically speaking, my only hope was for her to stop on her own.

"Okay…" I expressed reluctantly, entering an offensive stance, "Ready… set… start!"

Right after counting down, I dashed forward towards Izuka, starting off with a right swing. Since I usually begin with an aggressive move, Izuka was well aware to protect her head and upper body.

My teachings weren't wasted on Izuka's end, a simple comparison of the day I saved her and now showed a massive difference. She knew the basics and was actually able to think on the fly, rather than standing still when getting attacked.

However, the negatives outweigh the positives in this case.

This was nothing more than a scripted spar, planning every move in advance as I wouldn't need more in terms of versatility. I couldn't attempt doing things the hard way with brute force, I was too empathetic and patient for whatever sort of intolerance I had in my previous life to doubt my decision.

I'm well aware we're just kids now, but saying it will get easier in the future would be the biggest lie of my existence.

"We should stop here," I advised, standing in front of her kneeled form.

"N-No!" Izuka yelled out, refusing to stop, "I-I'm just getting started!"

Quickly lifting herself up, I was almost hit in the jaw, a little too close to comfort I might add. To counter back, I aimed my fist for her stomach, knocking the air out of her while forcing her back. Taking a few quick, sharp breaths, Izuka wasted no time in jumping right back in.

Please, just listen to me.

We, or more specifically Izuka continued to keep the spar going, ignoring whatever pain she must have endured to not show any visible discomfort. Each blow I landed slowly started to stack up, gradually making each hit more impactful. Yet, Izuka refused to let up.

The scene would play out the same, me trying to make her stop with a hard enough blow each time she tried rushing at me. I noted how desperate her movements became, unlike before where at least she would think before acting. It got to a point where all I would do is stand in place, block her attack, then return with a blow of my own, only for it to be repeated in a continuous loop.

I couldn't do it any longer.

"Izuka, you are at your limit. We sho-"

"No, I'm not!" Izuka cried out, moments away from breaking into tears. At that moment, when I got to clearly see the look on her face, desperately trying to keep the mask from falling, whatever forced will I had to keep fighting evaporated. That didn't go unnoticed by Izuka, "I can still fight, Y-Yukio-san, I'm far from over! Please, allow me to prove myself to you that I can take this! I'm begging you!"

Izuka could barely stand, her legs wobbled and her arms would shake when trying to hold up her guard, panting heavily with no intention of stopping.

The sight of her struggling like this finally broke me.

Instead of moving towards her with the intent to continue the spar, which Izuka very much thought was going to happen, moving back and forth in a defensive manner with her body trembling slightly, I wrapped my arms around her neck, the height difference making it so the top of her head reached my chin, engulfing her into a tight embrace.

The more days that passed, I grew more aware of how delicate this issue would be. Maybe it's close to a decade's worth of having a different mentality, one thing that never changed was my sense of empathy. I had nothing to gain from this, but at the sight of Izuka torturing herself, I knew I couldn't just stay quiet.

There was no over-analyzing or thinking too deeply into this, Izuka needed someone to freely express vulnerability and let it all out. There was a difference at this point in time and in canon, however, four years of horrible treatment already planted their roots deep inside her heart.

It wasn't my fault, nor did I make a mistake in guiding her, but I still couldn't let her think she was in the wrong for any of this.

She didn't deserve it.

"You don't have to act tough all the time, especially if you want to impress me by doing so," I said softly, a sharp gasp coming out of Izuka, "I don't want to keep hitting you until this sticks, but please understand; failing doesn't make you weak, it's getting back up from those failings that makes you strong. Stop thinking any less of yourself, because I truly don't, and I never will."

That seemed to do it. Whatever facade Izuka held up crumbled away, an uncontrollable wave of tears flowing out as her hands clutched the back of my shirt, a miracle it was still in one piece. I rocked us back and forth to calm her down, allowing the waterworks to soak up the upper half of my shirt. After some time, the constant gasping and hiccuping started to die down, but I made sure to stay firmly in place until Izuka was able to calm down.

"Are you okay?" I asked her tenderly, breaking off the hug to wipe away some of the many tears in her eyes.

"Y-Yeah," Izuka uttered with a hiccup, not bothered with me using my sleeve to help with the clean-up.

"Did I hit you too hard?" I asked remorsefully. Feeling bad that I continued the spar even though I knew I should've stopped it way sooner.

"N-No, it didn't hurt too much. I deserved it anyway" Izuka expressed lowly, "I'm sorry how I acted, Y-Yukio-san. I-I don't know what came over me…"

"You've been over-training these last few weeks, haven't you?" I asked softly, Izuka nodding in response, "Why?

"Because I kept failing…" Izuka admitted, "It took me a whole month just to get this far. I-I thought… if it would continue like this, y-you'd think I'm a lost cause, just like e-everyone else."

Izuka was moments away from bursting into tears again, and I wasn't going to allow that.

"Come, let's sit down," I motioned gently. "I wanna tell you something, I think it will make you feel a little better after you hear it."

Still rubbing her watery eyes, Izuka gave me a puzzled look but didn't object.

Where should I start? "When I first realized I could absorb more than simple materials, I tried experimenting on absorbing energy without much thought. Do you know how that ended?"

Releasing a soft sniffle, Izuka shook her head, "N-No."

"Apparently, draining electricity from an outlet has a high chance of cutting off all power running through the house," I began explaining an embarrassing tale, "It happened, of course… only it caused a power outage across the entire block in the process."

To my surprise, Izuka giggled before quickly apologizing, "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Waving it off playfully, I continued with my little tale, "So on top of getting a barrage of complaints, I came to the painful realization that I wasn't absorbing any of it. Only a spark, if anything. I kept running into that issue until I finally messed up big time, being too impatient to take the slower route. The slightest difference comes from actually absorbing energy or causing a flux on the other end, and it annoyed the heck out of me."

Remembering another memorable experience, I continued, "Or when I realized my overall strength can be boosted, a fair amount of my attempts resulted in muscle pain and overworking my Quirk to counteract the issue, but only caused more damage as my body wasn't ready. Actually, when I attempted to exceed my limit of how much energy I could absorb, doing multiple tries even though I was beyond exhausted, resulted in no energy-draining for two full weeks before I could properly recover."

I paused momentarily to let all that information sink in, "Now, do you see a pattern in all of the stuff I just told you?" I asked Izuka, curious to see if she could figure it out.

Rubbing her chin with a thoughtful expression, she answered after a few more seconds of thinking, "W-Well, they are all examples of you being unsuccessful in doing a specific type of training, and needing time to properly figure out the issue, r-right?"

"See, now you're getting it!" I announced joyfully, "The point is, I was no different than you back when I started, and each time I failed or didn't accomplish what I intended, it annoyed me to no end. Even with a different mentality, actually doing the work isn't as simple when planning it out. I know it might seem hard, and that giving it all isn't enough, but beating yourself up constantly isn't the way to do it."

"I thought I could handle it," Izuka looked down in shame, rubbing her hands while she spoke, "I've been through worse if you can believe it. I just thought, with all the stuff I watched and the moves I studied, with now knowing how to react in a fight, it might come to me easier. Yet, even though I gave it my all, it took me so long to merely keep my stance right, let alone do all the training, only to barely move an inch."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," I comforted her, "Whatever made you think that's the case?"

I knew the answer, but I still had to act like I don't.

Izuka looked down before answering, "I-I don't know how much you think of yourself, or your future, Yukio-san, but it doesn't take a genius to know you would make an exceptional Hero one day. After spending these last few weeks with you… I learned more from you than any Pro Hero out there. I can confidently say you'll rise through the ranks in no time…"

The green-haired girl looked off to the side before continuing, "Then there's me… just a weak, Quirkless girl who can't stand up for herself, let alone anyone else," Izuka uttered lowly, "Compared to you… heh, what am I saying, there is no comparison between us. I'll never be an ounce of what you are, Yukio-san…"

"It's not about what ability you have or don't have, it's the way that you approach it that matters most," I paused briefly, knowing what I was about to say next was overstepping it since I didn't experience the same amount of ridicule and poor treatment as she did, "...I know this might sound hard to believe, but just because I have a Quirk and you don't doesn't make you inferior to me, or to anyone else. I'm no different. I try, I fail, but most importantly, I'm willing to try again, regardless if I know I'll be knocked down again. A true hero isn't measured by their ability, or even how hard they can throw a punch, but the will to keep moving forward and to never give up. That's the most important aspect an aspiring hero must learn to rightfully earn that title."

Lowering her head towards the ground, Izuka was still unsure. Throughout all this, she had nothing but doubt in her heart.

"Look," I grabbed her hand, getting her full attention due to the gesture, "I can't turn you into what I am, but I can turn you into the best you possible. I will guide you every step of the way. Whatever the outcome might be, I will be there with you. If you think you can trust me, even a little, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to help you accomplish your dream."

Izuka's eyes went wide, but was quick to respond, "Of course I trust you, Yukio-san. Nobody has ever believed in me before, I just wanted to prove myself to you, to show you that I'm serious about becoming a Hero. From now on… I'll only follow your instructions and won't try to do it any other way. I've taken your teaching methods for granted, I won't make that same mistake again!"

"Ughh, I know it might sound like a sudden request, but can we cut it with the formalities? It makes me feel older than I already am, you know?" I asked sheepishly.

Oh, the irony.

"O-Okay," Izuka uttered shyly. "If you say so, Yuki-

Being cut off mid-sentence, Izuka's eyes blinked furiously while rubbing the top of her nose, before looking up to the sky, with me doing the same after her. Barely ten minutes ago, the relatively cloudy sky might have given off the sign of rain happening soon, was now in full swing, thunder echoing in the distance soon after. While I wasn't bothered by the weather, Izuka jumped towards her backpack, desperately digging through its contents before a saddened expression formed when she didn't find what she was searching for.

"Aww," Izuka whined upon digging through her backpack, "It wasn't supposed to rain until tonight, and I forgot my umbrella!"

"Huh, well this sucks," I commented boredly, observing Izuka frantically trying to use her backpack with her jacket on top of her head.

Tapping the tree close to me, I absorbed a hefty portion that made my left arm change to a dark brown color with some cracks around to resemble the tree's surface. Raising my left index finger, I simply imagined an umbrella for a thin line of oak wood growing out of the fingertip, having more than enough room for the two of us. Whistling to get her attention, Izuka looked up only to gasp at my creation.

"Pretty creative, huh?" I asked with genuine glee, "You can't imagine how much time this saves from using everyday utensils."

"I-I didn't know you could d-do that," Izuka admitted shyly.

"Well, our troubles are now over!" I cheered, "I'll walk ya home. Speaking of which, you never told me where you live, right? Is it far away, or?"

Izuka immediately refused, "Y-You don't have to do that, Y-Yukio-kun! I heard the w-weather forecast say o-once the rain starts it w-will only get worse once it starts. I-I really don't want t-to any more of a nuisance than I already have! I'd f-feel bad if I asked you to walk me home a-after this! I-I will be a-alright on my own! "

I just looked at her with a half-lid expression, shaking my head before chuckling, "Oh, what am I going to do with you, Izuka-chan? Don't make me stand in the rain without it until you change your mind."

Knowing that I would actually go that far to guilt-trip her, Izuka agreed, much to her embarrassment, "It's not that far, o-only twenty minutes or so, If-If that's alright with-"

"Then away we go!" I marched forward without a care, Izuka quickly following to match my pace. Several minutes passed only for the rain to get more intense, Izuka deciding to wrap both her arms around my outstretched wooden arm, to which I didn't display any discomfort with it whatsoever.

"Thank you… again," Izuka muttered, loud just enough to be heard from the rain hitting the wooden umbrella.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's no big deal. Besides, I like walking when it's raining. Just wish I wore different shoes, might as well walk barefoot than with thes-"

"No," Izuka abruptly spoke, lightly pulling my arm to come to a stop. Silence filled the air, with the only sound of the wood shielding us from the now pouring rain, "Thank you for being so understanding. E-Even though you have no reason for doing so. I was too worried about not looking like a total fool and making mistakes, I ended up failing on both of those accounts. Now knowing that those things don't bother you, I'm glad you don't think any less of me, Yukio-kun."

"You may think that, but I have plenty of reasons for that," I told her reassuringly, "Izuka, you are like me; optimistic, passionate, and most importantly, willing to defy what is called impossible. If I'm being honest, I see a little bit of myself in you, and for me, that speaks more than words could. We'll all have times of vulnerability and being down to a low point, but it's not how many times we fall, it's how we get back up and pick up the pieces. That's all there really is to it."

Izuka giggled, a nice change that was nice to see, "I'm just glad I have such an amazing and supportive teacher."

Sharing the same smile, I couldn't help but agree in my own way, "Well, I'm glad I have someone that understands me and shares the same ambitions as I do. I promise to double my efforts, to not make you feel like I'm asking too much, training-wise."

"I know, you just make everything seem easy, Yukio-kun," Izuka expressed truthfully while looking away shyly.

'Easy, huh?'

The word infested my mind, a single but, hopefully, an effective method for motivation started brewing. It's true, being on the same level was a breeze, but it didn't work in the same way as I hoped. However, I may have figured out a better solution.

"Tell you what, I have an amazing idea," I said, perking up, catching Izuka by surprise, "The next time we meet up for training, I will be doing the exact same thing as you, only I will be doing it as many times harder so I'm pushed to the limit. That way, whenever you see yourself struggling, I'll be there struggling alongside you. It will both motivate us to not stop until we both finish the exercise."

Izuka's eyes went wide with that statement, her mouth hanging open while trying to find the words to respond, "I-I… y-you… would do that… for me?"

"Of course!" I replied happily, "Neither of us can slack off then. We can also alternate between training sessions, focusing on either me or you with the other making sure we get the most value out of it. How does that sound?"

Instead of getting a verbal response, Izuka simply bobbed her up and down in pure excitement.

"Then we have an agr-"

I got the wind knocked out of me by Izuka slamming herself onto me with a tight hug, only able to return it with one hand. While it was barely audible because of the rain, I could make out a muffled "thank you" coming out of Izuka with each second that passed of us standing like this.

"Izuka?" I spoke up, causing the girl to jerk suddenly with her slowly looking up to meet my gaze, the color red gradually spreading across her face upon realizing how close we were. "You're muttering, again."

Sadly, my messing around went over the edge, causing the poor girl to jump backwards into the pouring rain. Quickly moving to her side to cover us both while barely containing a laugh, I decided I won't toy with the poor girl before she accidentally slips into a puddle.

On the way to her home, we didn't utter a single word, but rather enjoyed the comfortable silence of simply walking side by side together.

---LineBreak---

Once Izuka closed the door of her apartment, she released an exhausted sigh, a downcast expression present while looking at her sneakers. Even though they were soaking wet, Izuka could honestly not care less, a hefty amount of thoughts circulating at the moment that were more important than mere wet shoes.

Izuka herself wasn't sure how to feel at the moment, she obviously felt saddened how the day took a sudden turn, embarrassed by the mere thought of it. However, Izuka felt… relieved. Like a massive weight on her shoulders became significantly lighter now that for the first time, aside from her mother, she let all her emotions out in the open.

Any kind of physical contact caused her instincts to immediately go on the defensive, or more accurately, prepare for one-sided beatings when overstepping her ground. Izuka scolded herself upon remembering wanting to throw Yukio to the ground when he got too close to her.

The sensation felt so foreign for her, yet, it was reassuring enough to allow herself to release all those insecurities. There was no judgment, no pity, no mockery.

Only comfort and understanding.

Deep down, a part of Izuka was glad the day ended how it did, since now, for the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid of something.

Afraid of opening up, and failing to prove herself.

"Izuka! There you are!"

Gasping slightly at her mother's "greeting", looking up to see a face filled with worry rushing through the hallway.

"O-Oh, hey, Mom," Izuka greeted her back softly.

Maybe it was the way she said it, but Inko knew right away something was off.

"Sweetie?" Inko asked tenderly, caressing her daughter's head with her hand, "Did something happen, again?"

Izuka immediately dismissed her worries, "N-No, I'm fine. What makes you say that…?"

"Well, you seem kinda… down," Inko said worryingly, not entirely convinced with her answer. Placing a hand onto Izuka's shoulder, Inko asked softly, "What happened?"

Wanting to tell her mother the truth, Izuka stopped herself just in time to sprinkle in a white lie to her story, "Just… the day got ruined so quickly, that's all…"

Again, not an honest reply. Well, half of it was, but Inko still wondered what troubled her child. On a closer look, only now did a small detail become apparent.

"You… don't appear to be soaked," Inko commented while observing her daughter from head to toe, "...And you didn't bring an umbrella with you, did you?"

Izuka was quick to respond, "We had an umbrella, sort of… he didn't mind walking me home."

"Oh?" Inko blinked, feeling as if something wasn't adding up, "I thought Mitsuki was out of town this weekend, didn't she take Katsuki with her?"

Cringing slightly upon hearing her former friend's real name, Izuka quickly realized she never told her mother she met a new friend. In her defense, she rarely spoke about what happened in the past month. That, only mentioning Kacc- Bakugou when she would go out. "I wasn't with him. I-I met a new friend, not too long ago. A b-boy named Yukio."

Maybe it was the way she answered, but Inko knew by the look on her face that she was leaving out a few details, although just the sudden shift in conversation lifted her mood ever so slightly.

"Well, don't keep momma in suspense," Inko said joyfully, glad her pride and joy was able to befriend someone new, especially when Inko fully knew how difficult that process must be like, "Tell me more about him. What is he like?"

"He's…"

Pausing just as she was about to answer, Izuka thought carefully when trying to find the right words to describe Yukio. She would rather tell her everything. Every single detail Izuka might deem insignificant to truly express how she felt about her friend. How much he did for her, and how far he was willing to go in order to help her.

Maybe it was her low self-esteem that made Izuka second guess every thought that crossed her mind, but after seeing her at such a low point, she realized Yukio's intentions weren't anything but genuine. Furthermore, he treated her as if she was his equal, with kindness and respect to boot.

If it were any other person, the likelihood of them sticking around after her little episode would be slim, she wouldn't blame them for not wanting to be friends anymore. If anything, Izuka feared all those insults and foul comments she endured over the years would return if she would fail over and over again.

But Yukio was different. While Izuka ultimately believed she didn't deserve that kind of treatment from him, the boy wanted to stay by her side despite everything that happened since they first met, and words alone wouldn't be enough to fully express herself.

Saying he didn't indirectly grant two of her most desired wishes would be a flat out lie. Simply put, there was one word that came to Izuka's mind to finish her sentence.

"...Amazing."

---LineBreak---

Inside her room, Izuka flopped down to her bed, staring at the ceiling while deep in thought. Wanting to clear her head, Izuka looked around for anything to catch her attention, even for a little bit.

Sadly, that only had the opposite effect.

'I'm such an idiot,' Izuka mentally cursed at her, unable to look at any item of her All Might collection without feeling slightly depressed. What did she think was going to happen? Become the next Number One Hero by some sort of miracle without any hardships? It was nothing more than wishful thinking in an unfair world where not everyone is born equal.

Those were dreams, and from this point onward, she needs to make them a reality. She doesn't have to be the next Number One hero, just a hero that saves people.

For Izuka, that was more than enough.

Flipping through one of her Hero Notebooks to pass the time, Izuka stopped once she reached a certain page, a simple, yet unfinished sketch of Yukio's face with his name at the top. Regardless that she was alone in her room, a faint blush appeared across Izuka's cheeks at the thought of her friend, as well as how she acted in front of him. oo caught up in getting his approval, Izuka failed to see she was causing her only friend to worry about her.

Smooth move.

Izuka's mind went back to what Yukio said, the failures she experienced until now didn't bother her as much. Hearing him talk about his experiences and shortcomings felt unnatural, yet doing so in order to make her feel better meant a lot.

While her notebooks primarily all contained Heroes and their Quirks, this was an obvious exception.

While Yukio already saw her other notebooks, even complimenting her drawing skills, the thought of him seeing her "work" only caused thoughts of small panic attacks of embarrassment popping up in the future. Not to mention how particularly curious Yukio can be, reading all the notebooks that she would bring with her from start to finish.

If she's lucky, keeping his page(s) specifically out of his reach for a little while won't be too difficult.

Looking down at the blank page, her finger began furiously tapping the edge, irritated that it was bare as a bone. Instinctively, Izuka's hand went to a nearby pen lying on her bed, eyes still glued to the empty page.

Just before the tip touched the paper, her hand stopped. Why was she hesitant? The answer might as well not exist cause she couldn't think of one, and it was driving her insane.

Looking away to clear her thoughts, Izuka spotted a piece of paper sandwiched between her other books, removing the top one before taking it out.

It was the training plan Yukio created for her.

While the lines were a bit crammed together for it to all fit, with a few inconsistencies in his writing style that Izuka noticed the more she observed it, the formatting was effective and had plenty of details regarding each exercise. After a long pause of just staring at the paper, her finger trailed the edge of it as her eyes went back to her friend's empty page.

The pen was about to meet the paper before coming to another abrupt stop, staying like that for a few seconds until her hand started furiously writing the opening segment. Usually, Izuka would do research before adding a Quirk to her notebooks, or if outside and spots a Hero with something unique, overanalyze it from top to bottom in case she would forget any detail that might be considered important.

In this particular case, spending a little over a month in total with Yukio, on top of Izuka asking countless questions, to which he didn't mind answering, her mind was just waiting to actually write down the analysis for his Quirk.

Starting to feel pain in her back due to lying on her chest, and slowly losing her concentration because of it, Izuka jumped off her bed while making her way to her desk with a momentary pause to not accidentally mess up her handwriting.

That was the only reason, surely it wasn't anything else.

Barely a nano-second passed after she sat down, but her hand wasted no time getting back to work. The only downtime her fingers were allowed to rest was in-between her constant muttering to remind her what part was next. Before she even knew it, Izuka had written several pages that used up every bit of space available, ranging from standard usage to different variants all the way to theorizing what kind of methods it can be improved/looked further into.

It was only when she finished another page did Izuka pause before fully turning to the next one. Going back a page… and the next one, and the next, and the one after that, Izuka laughed nervously while observing her work.

Taking a glance to her window, seeing nothing but the rain coming down like no tomorrow. "Guess I have time," Izuka muttered upon looking down the empty page, thinking of what section to start next.

Izuka may have to take a rain check to fix her sleeping schedule. Only this one time, for a good reason too.

This was, personally, a fun Chapter to write, purely since it's mostly revolving around our two characters talking. I like the slow, but worthwhile character building that should fill the void so its not non stop action. Hope others don't find this boring

(Funfact - movies like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Fly episode from Breaking Bad is why I love fleshing out characters through simple dialogue.)

Some people were wondering, but yeah, Izuka will get One For All. Objectively looking, I find it doubtful that Yukio would want to take it for himself, since his has a wide range to work with and endless possibilities. Plus that 1/10th ain't bad on its own accord when stacked up with other things.

My guess was that Izuka would have an inferiority complex and have self issues when around Yukio. Izu is the type of person to always pick up on small details/mannerisms/behaviour, so felt like this Chapter is a essential part in her development. Got a lot of planned, character and skill wise.

As for her appearance when she gets older, long hair is definitely a must. Maybe medium but like those two more than short hair. The chest department is between Momo and Mine, as well a some cake as well.

Also, won't turn this into a harem. After a long consideration, I thought it would be better (and more fun) to keep it a single pairing. I do harems in my other stories, so wanna do this for a change.

Hope ya'll enjoyed, lemme know how it was by leaving a review. Everyone loved how the last one turned out, so am curious how this one will turn out.

The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - bTyYgzEm7r" (Removes the - for the internet links).

Cya next time.