Musutafu City (II)

Knock, knock…

Izuku stood by the door to the Bakugo household for all of one minute before Masaru, Katsumi's father, opened the door and welcomed him in.

"Izuku," the brown-haired man warmly smiled as he beckoned Izuku into his house, "Mitsuki told me we were expecting someone, but I didn't think it'd be you."

"Yeah… I probably should have been coming around more often," Izuku awkwardly said as he cringed internally. Throughout the years, while both he and Katsumi had periodically followed their parents to and from each other's homes, they'd never willingly paid each other a visit on their own.

"Ah, you kids… I still remember how hard schooling was when I was your age. And, with all the training Katsumi does, I completely understand why people your age just don't have enough time," Masaru said.

"Right… Anyway, I really need to talk to her. I…"

"Don't worry, I completely understand," Masaru said as he firmly patted Izuku's shoulder. "Mitsuki and I will be downstairs, so you can just head on over to Katsumi's room and settle your lover's quarrel," he made funny gestures.

"I swear," Masaru continued without even looking at the horrified expression he had just inflicted upon Izuku, "Of all the ways to find out, it would be just like Katsumi to have her first boyfriend come out like this…"

'...I don't even want to know,' Izuku shivered as he hesitantly walked up the stairs and over to Katsumi's room.

Knock, knock…

"I'm tired! Not hungry!" Katsumi's muffled yells easily penetrated past the door.

"Kacchan, it's me. Come on, we need to talk," Izuku said.

Crash!

Izuku heard something break through the door before it got absolutely silent. It remained that way for over a minute before he said, "Katsumi… This is serious."

The room remained almost completely silent, but Izuku's extended perception — even as suppressed as it currently was — allowed him to faintly hear the lightest of footsteps approach the door from the other side.

It took nearly five whole minutes, but eventually, Katsumi opened up the door, quickly pulled him in before he could protest, and closed it in one fell swoop.

The first thing Izuku noticed was the uncharacteristically messy state of her room. It was uncharacteristic because, despite all her outward aggression and open hostility, he knew she was at heart a very meticulous and organized person; she had to be to keep her grades constantly at the top of their class and manage her training schedule as packed as it was.

It'd been years since he'd last seen the interior of her room, but over a decade ago, he could still remember the last couple of times he visited, and how pristine and organized her room was.

Looking at the girl herself, Izuku frowned as her appearance was just as miserable as the state of her room. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair untamed, and her eyes were puffy with obvious traces of tear stains having run their course. Clearly, she'd been miserably crying since she ran away from him back at their school's entrance.

Not knowing where to even begin, Izuku just stood there waiting for Katsumi to say something first.

…

"Today…" I could barely speak as my voice wavered and waned, "I was going to take you to the roof in the morning…" I wanted to say more, to admit everything, but my traitorous body refused to comply.

"Yeah? And what?" Izuku asked, his eyes glaring down at me, making me feel completely helpless as a result. When my mouth refused to utter even a single sound, he grew agitated and asked, "Look, since you brought it up, why don't we discuss "the roof?" Yesterday—"

I cut him off, the emotions I'd been bottling up since yesterday bursting out of me before I could repress them any longer. "I'm sorry!"

I couldn't face him as the words kept spilling out uncontrollably, "I shouldn't have gone there! I shouldn't have said that! I don't know why I thought for even a second that there might be a chance words would change you… But, I… I can't do this, Izuku. I think I'm going to have a panic attack, if I'm not already having one, so please! Just go and—"

This time it was him who cut me off. Not with his words, but with his actions as he place a hand on my shoulder and guided me to my bed. I held on to him long after he sat me down, yet the longer he stayed the worse I got.

Our relationship, as strained as it was, was over. There was no coming back from telling him he'd be lucky if he killed himself and wished for a Quirk in his next life.

Yesterday… I thought I'd be able to live with myself if I push him hard enough and convinced him to give up on his suicidal dream. Instead, I nearly died, helplessly caught by a villain on my way back home. The paramedics said that if All Might had been even a minute later, I'd have probably been left with brain damage from being choked for so long.

The incident reminded me of how fleeting life could be, even for a civilian, and I thought I'd resolved to finally open up to Izuku in the morning. But, much like me, he changed…

It was like he'd become an entirely different person; a stranger with a familiar face. He returned to school with a chip on his shoulder and enough attitude to match mine on any other day. He finally gained his Quirk, yet he did not react conventionally.

Instead of being overjoyed or even just showing off, he reacted with the kind of casual cynicism that was prevalent in people that thought nothing of their abilities. He acted jaded, like he'd already grown used to living with his Quirk and, given his results during today's P.E. class, it seemed more and more like he wasn't just acting.

Why would he tolerate me any longer? He could take care of himself now. He didn't need me around. Not when all I did was reject his ambitions. Not when all I was, was the person that verbally abused him for years.

He didn't need me. He never needed me. All along, he'd always had it in himself to bear with the hateful world around him. Now, that he also had a strong Quirk, he would soon throw me to the curb; where I belonged…

My first and only friend. The strongest person I knew.

Gone, and why?

Because I was impulsive, arrogant, and egotistical.

Aggressive, hostile, and impudent.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

As I felt the world start closing in all around me, without being able to take so much as another breath. I slowly started to feel my body relax involuntarily as a green gas filled up my room.

I found myself not being held by the shoulder, but entirely in Izuku's embrace. Looking up at him, he was slowly undoing his transformation, which I assumed allowed him to create the green gas that calmed me.

He didn't say anything and he didn't push me away, even after I stopped trembling. He just sat motionlessly with clear concern written across his expression as he waited for me to separate from him when I felt ready.

Unfortunately, I knew I wouldn't be; at least not, today.

…

"Would you… let me redeem myself as your friend?" Katsumi asked.

'Of all the possible things she could have said… This didn't even cross my mind,' Izuku thought as he drew in a deep breath.

He nodded, "I… Don't think I'll ever understand what goes through your mind. But," he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, "I think I can accept that everything you've done… Everything you've said… It all came from your concern and worry over me, right?" He hoped.

"You… Understand? How? How can you… Not hate me after everything?" Katsumi asked as she grew faint again.

"I could never hate you," Izuku admitted, surprising even himself with how natural the answer came to him. "For as long as I've known you, I've admired you. Besides All Might, you were the best hero I aspired to be. All I've ever wanted was for you to openly accept me as your friend. I'm just… sad to see things had to boil over for us to get here."

"Izuku…" Katsumi's impressive Will was crumbling before Izuku's very eyes, "I promise I'll make it up to you. I'll..." She nearly drew blood from how hard she bit her tongue in false restraint, "I'll be… your best friend for life. I swear," yet the dimming of her eyes did not evade Izuku.

"I'm sure you will," Izuku oddly said as he finally let go of her and stood up. "Now, it's getting a bit late, so… I'll see you tommorow?"

When she slightly nodded in turn, he left. He made it about three steps away from the stairs before Mitsuki came out of nowhere and slung her around his shoulder and pulled him in to whisper conspiratorially.

"So? Did you two make up? Or make out?" She shamelessly asked.

"Ha, ha," he laughed weakly, "Very funny, aunty. But, yes—"

Mitsuku grinned, "—we made up."

Her grin then died.

"Damn," She let go of him and called out to her husband, "guess, that means you won the bet. These fucking gutless kids…" She kicked at the ground childishly as she disappeared back into the kitchen.

Not for the first time, the dynamic of the Bakugo family left him full of doubt and confusion. Regardless of that fact, he returned to his home about an hour before his mother. When the time came for him to finally face her again, they shared an awkward greeting, still tense from the conversation they had that morning, but otherwise carried on with their day as they would any other.

Thus, his first night back passed without further incident. That is… discounting the inhuman amount of work he set for himself now that he no longer needed to sleep. Within the absolute security of his Semblance, he spent half the night working on his various Abilities, while the other half was spent catching up on as much of the forgotten knowledge he had lost.

The next day, at 5:00 A.M. on the dot, Izuku left his room and prepared for the day. He washed up from all the sweat and grime he'd picked up from his physical training. After that, he made his mother another packed box of food as well as breakfast; he planned on doing so for as long as they continued living together.

Inko didn't question anything as she thanked him for his efforts and promptly left to go work another twelve-hour shift.

Izuku did not press for more information about his father, nor did he seek answers about anything else in kind. He accepted things as tumultuous as they were and would continue to keep his questions to himself until he felt ready to possibly shake the already unstable relationship he had with his family.

When he left for school, he rolled his eyes as his usual route was blocked by police to bar the public from a fight between two costumed… people — that Izuku couldn't recognize as heroes — and the villain that was thrashing around them.

'Yeah, I forgot how common these stupid incidents were in a city as big as Musutafu,' Izuku thought as he ignored the fight in favor of taking a detour to arrive at school on time.

Just barely before he left the range of his Cognizant Perk's effect, his mind processed the fact that the villain was making a mad dash at him; probably aiming to take him as a hostage, given he was the only civilian around that wasn't being herded by a swarm of police.

The screams of everyone around him were lost to Izuku as he snorted in annoyance and put his masterful proficiency of using Styless Martial Arts in conjunction with his Cognizance. The hundreds and thousands of battles he had gone through, had honed his Abilities to the point where he didn't even have to see his enemy to react accordingly.

With just Cognizance and his still-weakened Stats, Izuku dodged the attack that came from his blindspot effortlessly. Milliseconds were processed as if they were seconds as he maneuvered his dodged into a counter, and kicked his would-be assailant right on their left thigh.

Cr-Crack!

Izuku followed up with an elbow to his… opponent was technically correct, but they might as well have been considered a victim at this point. Anyway, Izuku elbowed their torso and the villain was downed for good; they had a cracked femur and at least four shattered ribs.

"...I also forgot how fragile people could be," Izuku mumbled as he ignored the protests of the police and heroes around him.

"Kid, that was extremely dangerous! You should have just ran away," one of the pros Izuku couldn't recognize said.

"Excuse me? Are you blind or did you not see that he attacked me from behind? Why should I have ran, when I could just defend myself? I mean, I didn't even need to use my Quirk," Izuku disdainfully said as he Draconified his arm.

As disgruntled as he was, Izuku understood what needed to be done to excuse his actions, for even as regulated as Quirks were in Japan, self defense was still acceptable; especially when one could manage that without resorting to their Quirk.

"That was our job, damn it!" The hero cursed.

"Your job?" Izuku asked with marked disbelief, "What the hell kind of hero are you?! You should be glad there's one less villain around to disrupt the peace. Not, get mad at me for helping you, asshole!"

"Fuck you! I'm taking you in for reckless endangerme—"

"That's enough, Death Arms. Don't damage your reputation any more than you already have," the man's partner said as he ushered him away. The way both heroes looked between Izuku and the group of civilians who all either watched or recorded the incident, let Izuku know exactly what those charlatans' motives were.

"How disgraceful…" Izuku sneered as he left the scene without further hindrance.

He made it less than a block away from reaching his school when he made eye contact with Katsumi as she rounded the corner at the intersection they needed to cross.

"Good morning," Izuku casually said.

"...Morning," Katsumi shyly responded. That alone caused Izuku to stop and aim a raised brow at her.

'Wow. She's really trying,' Izuku managed to hold back a snort of amusement, but he couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face. When she then went on to hesitantly grab his hand, his jaw slacked as he could not believe the faint blush that she carried which was obvious even to him.

She refused to look at him as she kept her nervous, almost frightened, hold of his hand long after they crossed the street. She kept at it even after they entered their school's campus. The whispers of judgment, bounced off both of them all the way until they reached their classroom. It was only after they made it to her desk that she withheld hard of her own volution.

Such was the new routine Izuku established and retained even after he fully recovered from his Doomed Curse. He would wake up, prepare his mothers meals and their breakfast, go to school — more often than not, in some way "accosted" by Katsumi in her attempts to prove her willingness to become a genuine friend — and then improve his Abilities at his own pace.

…

[Status

Title: The Gamer, Hero of Kikuo

Level: 267 (Gamer System) | S Rank (Original World) | 9/10 Absolute Scale

Name: Izuku Midoriya

Stats

Health: 100%

Argent Energy: 100%

Magic: 100%

Aura: 100%

Stamina: 44,400/44,400

Excelia: 11,386,142,557

Magic Skill Slots: 4/8

Strength: 484 | S Rank (Original World) | 9/10 Absolute Scale

Constitution: 436 | A Rank (Original World) | 8/10 Absolute Scale

Endurance: 656 | World Rank (Original World) | 10/10 Absolute Scale

Dexterity: 398

Agility: 439

Intelligence: 622

Wisdom: 555

Will: 401 | B Rank (Original World) | 8/10 Absolute Scale

Charisma: 386

Talent: All Weapons (F), Healing (D), Alteration (B), Fire (S), Light (SS), Sabotage (SSS)]

[Abilities

MAXED: Walking, Running, Calisthenics, Weight Lifting, Resolution, Sprinting, Draconification, Martial Arts, Primary School Academics, High School Academics, Analysis, Writing, Drawing, Cooking

Core Gamer Abilities:

Observe (Level 45 → 53)

ID Create (Level 19 → 33)

Argent Energy Abilities:

Argent Energy Core (Level 58 → 71)

Argent Energy Manipulation (Level 61 → 72)

Argent Energy Resistance (Level 55)

Rune Smithing (Level 49 → 61)

Demon Dragon Transformation (Level 35 → 41)

Demon Blood (Level 37 → 75)

Argent Bullet (Level 62 → 78)

Argent Blast (Level 59 → 76)

Argent Construct ( Level 50 → 72 | Rod, Knife, Dagger, Sword, Gauntlets, Armor, Wall)

Demonic Inhuman Training (Level 31 → 68)

Magical Abilities:

Open Mind (Level 60 → 72):

Magic Energy Manipulation (Level 64 → 75)

Alteration Magic: Presence Concealment (Level 69 → 83)

Sabotage Magic: Invoke Calamity (Level 50)

Mystical Inhuman Training (Level 30 → 64)

Mystic Dragon Transformation (Level 28 → 40)

Elemental Magic: Dragon's Breath (Level 90 → 93)

Light Magic: Limitless Light (Level 60 → 69)

General Abilities

University Academics (Level 21 → 55)

Adventurer (Level 18 → 20): You are currently "Level 7."

Aiming (Level 31 → 45)

Dodging (Level 34)

Sneaking (Level 16)

Blocking (Level 9)

Countering (Level 12)

Aura Abilities:

Unbound Soul (Level 34 → 57)

Aura Energy Manipulation (Level 39 → 60)

Aura Shield (Level 11 → 12)

Aura Reinforcement (Level 33 → 61)

Ethereal Inhuman Training (Level 27 → 61)

Ethereal Dragon Transformation (Level 24 → 37)]

[Perks

Gamer System Acquired Perks: Regalvanized, Cognizant, Form Fitting, Collector & Controller, Fragment Radar, Shock Resistance, Precognition, Timelessness

Gamer Stat Milestone Earned Perks: Sonic Acceleration, Force Regulator, Healing Factor, Speed of Though, Eidetic, Collected, Directed Intent, Enchanting, Damage Resistance, Flow-State Form, Higher Power, Metabolic Supremacy, Need Not Necessary, Synergistic Projection (for 250 Will & Charisma)

Circumstance Acquired Perks: Intent (Determination), Brazo Del Diablo, Intent (Anti-Demon Aura), Inhuman Training, Amaterasu's Blessing, Flawless Foundation]

[Curses

Gamer System Acquired Curses: Weapons' Blight, Hairpin Trigger Disciple, Exposed Nature, Hormonal, Incidental, Unlucky

Circumstance Acquired Curses: Remembered As Divine, Limited Magic]

Izuku reviewed his Status as he always did after another full night of training. He'd come a long way in three months. With his ID Create's progression, the simulated environments he was capable of manifesting and sustaining were almost over the limit of what his body could handle. It was a shame some of his Abilities could not be trained unless he was facing an actual opponent.

A shame for the past three months that is, as today was finally the day Izuku resolved to induct Katsumi into his insane world of training. It had been three months since she became his genuine friend and the two interacted whenever they had a moment of free time.

Unfortunately, since they lived in completely different worlds — Katsumi, keeping up with her long-established training routine, and Izuku against time itself as he pushed himself to attain the godly strength required for completing the Gamer System's Main Quest — that usually meant they only hung out during the breaks in between their classes as well as on their way to and from school.

Not once had Katsumi said anything with regard to the hero training she was sure Izuku was doing. As she understood things, it wasn't her place to mention a word of it when she'd been his biggest critic when he was still Quirkless. As much as she wanted to spend even more time with him and have each other as training partners for their upcoming high school graduation in six months, she held her tongue.

Now, it would pay off as Izuku, without a doubt, considered her a true friend with only the best in mind for their relationship. She was nothing like the most cynical of his thoughts depicted; as a shameless coattail rider who wanted to capitalize on his surge in power. He was sure of it, given that for their entire three months together, he'd never used any even remotely superhuman ability outside of his nightly training excursions.

Now though… Izuku smiled as he reviewed Katsumi's growth from Level 102 to Level 121… Now he was ready to bring her into the world only knew off.

"Er… You want to run that by me again?" Katsumi asked, less arrogant and more genuinely confused than a transcription of her words would suggest.

"I'm asking if you'd like to train with me in a place where you don't have to worry about going all out. You know, for when the time comes where we have to take a Heroic University's Entrance Exam," Izuku reiterated.

"I don't think you understand how much firepower I can let loose when I really want to. To be honest, even I haven't tried to test my max since the last time, about three years ago, when I blew out all the reinforced windows of the practice facility my parents up until then had been taking me," Katsumi said as she shook her head.

Izuku just grinned held his right hand up and snapped his fingers with a bit of flair before casting his ID Create Semblance. Ever since the ability had developed past Level 30, he'd gained the ability to forcefully bring people up to 50 Levels above the cumulative total of his personal Level and that of ID Create.

Within his personal domain, Izuku was the closest thing to a true god as he could will the very sky within his illusion to darken to a deep emerald.

He held up a hand for Katsumi to watch uncomprehending as he used an instance of Argent Blast to utterly demolish nearly the entire city block in the direction of his attack. Before she could even ask what possessed him to do that, he snapped his fingers again and the illusion of ID Create literally shattered, revealing the lack of consequence for even an attack as devastating as Izuku's.

Only then, did Katsumi realize that wherever Izuku had brought them to display his powers, he'd only brought the two of them as their return to the real world returned everyone else to where they had been.

"So?" Izuku asked, delighted by Katsumi's clearly expressed shock.

"What the hell was that?!" He could almost see the excitement pour off her as she openly fantasized about the possibilities.

"It's… a long story, and I plan to tell it to you in full eventually. But, it should be enough to just say that I have more than just a Quirk. And, I don't mean more than one Quirk; I mean, entirely different systems of superhuman power."

"You can tell me whenever you're ready," Katsumi gently said, before her expression grew mischievous and she added, "in the meantime. Sign me up for whatever crazy bullshit you're planning."

It wouldn't be long before she regretted the particular phrasing of her answer…