One Thing at a Time

After putting on your hero costumes, you and your friends met Edeavor and his sidekicks in the gym. But before the training can begin, the Flaming hero wants to know your reasons for choosing him. 

"What are you currently having trouble with?" Endeavor asked. "What do you wish to be able to do?"

"I want to be able to control my power and be able to move at maximum performance." Izuku answered.

"Let's see... you were the kid with the self-destructive power..."

"Yes, sir. I've since found a method of restraining the power to prevent self-damage. However... umm... the reason I came here is... well... how should I put it... I've developed a secondary... or rather... my Quirk has begun to manifest itself in a different form..."

"Show me."

Izuku sticks his arm out, letting out a small sting of Blackwhip flows out. "If I concentrate while limiting the output power to its minimum, this is the extent of what I can control right now. Without limiting the power, it'll overflow and end up going wild."

"...What did you mean earlier by maximum performance? And what do you want to do with that?"

Izuku deactivates his Blackwhip. "Originally, this was supposed to be a versatile, whip-like power. I want to turn this power from a "risk" to and "asset". Right now, I'm thinking about whether I can incorporate elements from my new move, Air Force... ah, I haven't told you about Air Force yet, have I?" To help Endeavor to better understand what he wants, Izuku gives a lengthy and detailed explanation of how his Air Force works and what he wants to achieve with his Blackwhip. You, Burnin, Todoroki and Katsuki have a hard time understanding Izuku's verbiage.

"Do you ever stop talking!?" Burnin shouts. "I didn't understand a damn word!"

"Quite the self-analysis, huh?" Todoroki said. 

"Couldn't he have made it brief, though?" You questioned.

"Aaaahh shut up!!" Katsuki growled out.

"In other words... you want to learn to micro-manage your power output while in battle." Endeavor briefed.

"Yeah!" Izuku nodded.

"Damn, you actually got all that!?" You gasped.

"No wonder you're No.1, sir!" Burnin praised her boss.

"You've got quite a burdensome Quirk there." Endeavor said to Deku. "It seems like you're also in the same boat as us..."

You and Izuku have no idea what Endeavor is talking about. What boat?

"Alright, what about you?" Endeavor asks Katsuki. 

"Rather than what I can do, I came here to find out what I can't do!" Katsuki answered. 

"You sure can talk, can't you!!" Burnin laughs.

"Can you just shut up!?" Katsuki yells back at the sidekick. "What are you even doing here!?"

"Who? me? I'm on standby, Honey."

"I'm being serious, damnit." Katsuki stares down at his hand. "My Quirk, Explosion, let's me do anything I want it to do. Even with just a single Quirk, I can become the strongest. But I've learned that pure strength isn't enough to become strong." He points at himself. "In order to surpass the number one hero, I came here to find what I'm missing." 

You recalled all the things that happened to Katsuki Bakugou, good and bad. You also remember his performance during the joint training session with Class 1-B. Now that you think about it, him and Endeavor are alike in some way.

"Very well." Endeavor shifts his gaze to you. "Yagi. What is you want to achieve? Why are you here?"

All eyes are on you now. Lumine's death, Katsuki being used by that sludge villain because he saved you, the League of Villians attacking the USJ, the final exams, you and Izuku's encounter with Tomura Shigaraki at the mall, the League of Villians attacking the training camp to kidnap you, Katsuki also being taken because you love him, Ragdoll getting her Quirk stolen, your father losing his power, Best Jeanist getting injured, letting go of Eri, Sir Nighteye's prediction, Sir Nighteye's death, Best Jeanist going missing... all of these dreadful facts and events plagued your mind for as long as you can remember. With these events on loop, you looked the pro hero straight in the eyes and gave him your answer. 

"Growing up, I've always been proud of my parents." Your hand reached for the locket around your neck and you grasped it. "I thought I could easily become great heroes like them. But then, the people I care about suffered because I wasn't being careful, I wasn't quick enough, I wasn't strong enough, I didn't take a moment to think, and... because I froze. But not anymore!" You let go of your locket and gave Endeavor a determined gaze. "I am here... because I want to improve my skills as much as I can! So much so that instead of being a burden that needs to be protected, I'll be someone that people can rely on! And to do that, I'll train under you... no matter how much of a jerk you are."

Endeavor didn't reprimand you for saying that last sentence. He knows that he deserved that after what he said to you at the Sports Festival. He also has hurt a lot of other people around him, his own family included, but you are going to use him to get stronger. Even if it kills you.

"Understood." Edeavor turned around and heads towards the door. "With that, let's head straight to..."

"What about my turn?" Todoroki asked. 

"What are you talking about!?" Endeavor exclaimed. "Your goal is Flashfire, right!?"

"After years of having my Quirk beaten into me by you as a kid, I limited myself to only my right side in battle." Todoroki stares at both of his hands. "Looking back, it was unavoidable. My resentment for you outweighed anything else. But after I entered UA and begun competing with these guys... and everyone else... my eyes were opened." He looks up at his father. "Endeavor. In the end, I'm acting exactly how you wanted me to act." Todoroki clenched his hands into fists. "But remember this. The person I strive to be... is the Hero I once watched on TV with my mother and siblings. I came here of my own free will to grow as an inexperienced hero, and become a person worthy of the title of "hero". I came here to use you. Sorry, but it was too convenient not to, number one. So stop trying to act all father-like with me in front of my friends."

When you first met Shoto Todoroki, he acted rude to you because you're the daughter of the person his father is obsessed with. Now, the two of you are friends and he's not as cold towards his classmates. He even accepted his left side.

"Alright. I'll train all four of you as heroes."

🌻

After that talk, Edeavor and his sidekicks took you and your friends out on patrol.

"Rescue, evacuation, and suppression. These are the three fundamentals required of all heroes. Most agencies are established on a foundation of either "rescue" or "suppression". However, my agency is not the same. We are grounded in all three of these fundamentals. Memorize every last detail about your jurisdiction. Don't let a single irregularity slip by. Be on site faster than anyone else. Minimize all casualties by keeping all citizens as far away as possible. These are the basics of basics. Parallel processing and unparalleled speed. When I'm done, these will all be natural to you. It's all about putting together what you've gained. In UA, you've gained "perseverance". And now, you will gain "experience". Keep stacking one experience after another. And the four of you will overcome your "challenges" with experience. During this winter break, show me that you can eliminate villians even faster than me."

Without warning, Edeavor takes off and the four of you try to keep up with him. He takes down a hit-and-runner before any of you could even strike.

"The hit-and-runner has been apprehended." Kido states, restraining the bad guy.

"Looks like you three were too slow." Endeavor remarks.

"Buzz off!" Katsuki retorts. "It just takes me time to warm up in the winter!!!"

"Hey Bakugou, did you notice that?" Todoroki asked.

The explosive blonde looks back at his friend with an irritated smile. "Are you sayin' there's something you noticed that I didn't!? Go on, enlighten me!"

"He was shooting fire from his feet whenever he accelerated. I'm not sure if you saw or not, but the "Jet Burn" he used back in his fight at Kyushu is most likely done by compressing those flames to heighten his acceleration."

"Yeah, it's a total rip-off of my explosion. Are you sayin' it took you until now to realize that?"

"...Yeah sure, I suppose you could call it a rip-off." Todoroki wipes the sweat off of his left cheek.

"By the way, in case you three haven't already noticed..." Endeavor points out. "That path opens up into the main road."

You and Izuku's eyes widened as you both realized what the pro hero did.

"Oh, I see...!" Izuku gasped. "You were cutting off his escape route with your flames...!!"

"If he went any further, he would've got into the highway and endanger the other drivers." You briefed.

The flaming hero then takes off again. You looked back at kido, wondering if you can leave them.

"You can leave this guy to us!" Kido gives you a thumbs up. "After all, it's pretty rare to see him teaching anyone beside Shoto."

You and the three boys immediately dashed off without saying goodbye to the sidekicks. While following Endeavor, he talks to the four of you. 

"During my fight in Kyushu, I was able to split the work with Hawks, but... a true hero must be someone who is able to handle every role on their own. Also, for the record, I noticed the Starservant's helpers before you did, got it?"

"You're so damn petty!" Katsuki remarks. 

Izuku is shocked by his friend's comment, but in your own opinion, Edeavor can at least show some gratitude. Hawks got to those minions first, but you and your friend could've taken them down if Hawks didn't show up. 

"Bakugou. You said you wanted to learn what you couldn't do, right? I'll admit that your mobility is top-notch. Well, for a rookie at least. But as you are right now, you will never be able to surpass me." Endeavor jets down to the road. "This winter might just be training, but if you're too slow, you won't be able to use your normal excuses anymore. This is not a classroom." He stops a truck from hitting a woman crossing the street with his bare hands. "If you're ever too slow, you won't be losing points...but rather, human lives."

You stared at how the pro hero saved that woman. While Izuku tries to calm down the woman that's yelling at the wreckless driver, Endeavor looks back at you, his son, and your boyfriend.

"Shoto. Bakugou. Yagi. For the time being, I'm giving you both the same assignment."

"Why am I always grouped together with this guy...?" Katsuki groaned. 

"I suppose it's related to acquiring Flashfire?" Todoroki asked. 

"What's this "assignment" your giving the three of us?" You questioned the pro hero.

"Store and release." Edeavor flew up into the air. "The condensation of power. The ability to momentarily draw forth your maximum power, or alternatively, the ability to focus your power on a single point. Practice as many times as it takes until you can achieve one of those two without even having to think about it."

"Blasty!" You turned to your boyfriend. "That's pretty much the core concept of your AP Shot!"

"Tch. Of course!" Katsuki clicked his tongue. "I already knew how to do that before I even got my license!"

"Yagi."

You shifted your attention back to Endeavor. 

"I am giving you a second assignment. You said you want to improve your skills, right?"

"Yes!" You declared. 

"Our Quirks are similar, but yours is complete different. If you really want to improve your capabilities, be prepared for any possible scenario you might face in the future. Learn to store power and understand every difference between your power, mine, and Shoto's."

You didn't understand that last part. You thought you already know everything about your Quirk. On your lunch break, the five of you sat on the roof of one of the buildings.

"Shoto, you're already halfway to achieving both." Endeavor said as he took a bite out of his croquette. "First, let's work on focusing your power. Try taking your mental image of shaping your ice, and applying it to your fire. Deku. You're already capable of momentarily drawing forth your maximum power."

"Yessir!" Izuku replied, eating his melon bread.

"Can you do it subconsciously?"

"Umm... I can with my full cowl, but... for my Air Force... I still have to think about it."

"In that case, your first step will be to learn to use Air Force subconsciously. Forget about your "secondary ability" for now."

"But... to do that, I need to learn how to think in parallel processing..."

"Listen up. Everyone on this Earth is already capable of parallel processing on a daily basis. And subconsciously too, to boot. Just look at that guy, yawning and driving at the same time." You don't don't which driver Endeavor is talking about, so you just look at a few driver that passes by. "It's not like he's always known how to drive. Steering. Acceleration. Braking. Processing what's ahead of and behind him at all times. He learned each of those one by one, then practiced until he could do them all together subconsciously. Start by learning to do two things together subconsciously. When you're done with that, add on a third. No matter how strong or powerful an ability may be that power is built on a foundation of smaller parts, stacked on top of each other, one by one. Sure, there may be exceptions, but for the rest of us, growing one step at a time is the only path forward. At least, that's the only path I know. Even if you practice the same abilities, the experience you'll be gaining here is worlds away from what you've gained at school. Take the power you've fostered at school, and now, at the Agency of the number one hero, make that power your own."

Before meeting Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugou, after Lumine's death, you felt like you could never be as great a hero as your parents. Since enrolling in UA, you've gained a lot of experience. And now, it looks like you're about to be dragged forward at a blinding speed...

"Fail as many times as you need to. Whether the four of you succeed or fail, it will have zero effect on my work as Endeavor."

One by one!

To Be Continued....