Lying on his bed, Fuse rested calmly. His eyes were wide open, staring at the bedroom ceiling.
It was so quiet, only the monotonous ticking of the wall clock could be heard.
Slowly, he shifted his position to the side, letting his body sink deeper into the embrace of the mattress and closing his eyes for a moment.
"Still two weeks left before that noisy Sports Festival…"
He opened his eyes instantly. His irises gleamed, catching a sliver of moonlight slipping through the gap in the curtains.
With a smooth motion, he rose from his position. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his back slightly hunched, he let his head bow for a moment as he stared at the floor.
Not long after, he lifted his head. His eyes narrowed sharply, staring toward the tightly closed wooden door of his room. He held his chin with his index finger and thumb, furrowing his brow deeply.
"The Sports Festival is the stage for Midoriya to show himself to the entire world, the moment where he should begin painting his legend. But…"
Fuse roughly ruffled his hair. "Damn!"
At this moment, memories of the USJ incident flooded his mind again. He couldn't help but frown and mutter, "About what happened at USJ… I went too far. I took over his entire stage. If my guess is correct, he should not be in a condition where he knows how to develop his Quirk."
He imagined the original story he had witnessed in his previous life. The moment when Midoriya should have dashed forward, swinging his fist at Nomu without getting hurt.
But this time, that moment of enlightenment never happened.
Midoriya would not realize the pure potential of his Quirk; the green-haired youth was still shackled by the belief that his great power demanded the sacrifice of his own flesh and bones.
At this moment, another memory flashed through his mind, replaying the scene where Midoriya fought Todoroki in the Sports Festival in the original story. It was a very chaotic performance, filled with torn wounds and purple-bruised fingers.
Remembering that tragic scene on the screen, Fuse couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. "What a barbaric person. Sacrificing his body just for one punch… that is not the art of heroism, but self-torture."
"Is this the butterfly effect because of my appearance? Because my shadow is too big and covers the light of his growth?"
He crossed both arms over his chest, locking his posture. "As the true protagonist who dominates this stage, I should take responsibility for this story deviation."
Fuse closed his eyes tightly and nodded slowly several times. "This can also be my new stage. An opportunity to stand as a mentor, making them understand that I am indeed the entity worthy of sitting on the Number One throne."
After feeling satisfied, Fuse opened his eyes. His hand reached for the smartphone lying on the bed.
His flexible thumb pressed on Midoriya's profile picture.
He thought for a moment about the right string of sentences, then his fingers began dancing across the screen at astonishing speed.
In his previous life, before becoming Fuse, his typing speed was something he could be proud of. After all, he was someone who lived on social media.
Fuse: Hey, are you free?
He waited in silence.
After one minute, the message indicator changed color. The screen showed: Midoriya is typing...
Actually, Fuse was momentarily surprised. He thought that at this early hour, Midoriya would still be deep in sleep.
Unexpectedly, the youth was already awake to greet the morning dew!
Midoriya: I'm free.
Fuse snorted in amusement, a faint grin returning to his lips.
Fuse: Good. This is your chance.
Fuse: I'm planning to train. But I don't have a worthy opponent to show the results of my training.
Fuse: Knowing how kind I am, I'm giving this opportunity to you.
Fuse: Do you want to?
He stared at the screen, waiting for a reply.
Midoriya: Of course. Where should we meet?
Fuse: Do you remember the place where you woke me up last time?
Fuse: Meet me there.
Midoriya: Okay.
Seeing the satisfying reply, Fuse couldn't help but smile.
In an instant, he closed the app and the phone screen went dark again. He quickly slipped the phone into his pants pocket.
Then he stood up and walked straight toward his wooden wardrobe.
When the door opened, his eyes widened slightly at the still-small collection of clothes, but his smile sharpened again.
He took out one outfit: a black T-shirt and the new jacket he had just bought.
He put them on with measured movements, feeling the synthetic fabric hug his body.
Fuse then walked toward the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. He stopped in front of his own reflection. His red eyes stared sharply into the mirror. He tilted his head slightly, striking an arrogant pose so haughty it seemed capable of cracking the glass itself.
"This jacket… is truly a masterpiece. It embraces my destiny so perfectly," he whispered to his reflection, praising the aesthetics of his new jacket.
He smiled in satisfaction and nodded to himself, feeling his appearance was ready to shake the world.
Without wasting any more time, he turned and walked toward the door. He left his room and descended the wooden stairs that creaked softly.
At this moment, when Fuse reached the middle of the stairs, he found that Sakura, his mother, who happened to be on the first floor and was about to head to the kitchen, stopped in her tracks.
Sakura was wearing a long nightgown, her hair slightly messy, but the maternal aura in her eyes could not be hidden.
Sakura stared at her son descending the stairs fully dressed in the early morning. "Where are you going so early, Fuse?" she asked, her voice gentle yet carrying sharp suspicion.
Fuse continued down until his shoes touched the first floor. He paused, tilting his head to look at his mother. "I'm going to train. The U.A. Sports Festival is in two weeks. Using the dawn's free time to sharpen myself is a worthwhile action. Beneficial. School is off today, so there's nothing wrong with it, right?"
Sakura sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fuse, it seems you misunderstood Mom's intention. It's not that Mom wants to stop the bird from spreading its wings to train… but you must know that Mom's heart is always pounding with worry for you. You also just recovered from those horrible injuries from the previous incident. How can Mom bear to see you get hurt again?"
Fuse looked into his mother's eyes that radiated deep affection. The corners of his lips softened, forming a smile he rarely showed. "Yes, I know, Mom… but this stage demands preparation. It still has to be done. I don't want to experience a situation where I get cornered and hurt again like before. If I sharpen my strength to become stronger, that tragedy won't have a chance to repeat, right? Besides, I promise I'll try to hold back."
"You always have a bunch of reasons for everything, huh?" his mother replied, a small resigned smile finally forming on her tired face.
"It's not just reasons, Mom. It's only the details of the facts," Fuse deflected, turning his face away with an elegantly sulky style.
He stepped toward the entrance, bending down to pick up a pair of sports shoes from the rack.
After putting on the shoes and tying the laces with precision, Fuse stood straight. He placed his hand on the doorknob, then turned halfway to look at his mother. His lips curved back into an arrogant yet warm smile.
"I'm heading out," he said firmly.
He opened the wooden door, greeting the fresh morning air and the outside view still shrouded in thin mist.
"Take care," Sakura replied softly, staring straight at the door that was now tightly closed again, letting out a sigh.
…
Under the still grayish-blue sky, Fuse walked along the city sidewalk. He kept his left hand in his jacket pocket while his right hand held his smartphone. The screen emitted a dim light, displaying the short chat with Midoriya.
At that moment, a message suddenly arrived.
Midoriya: I'm already here!
Fuse's eyes widened for a moment. His eyebrows rose. The next second, the corner of his lips curved upward.
"This guy… he's really quick when it comes to training," he muttered at the phone screen. "Even though I didn't show my true intention when typing the message earlier. Don't tell me his protagonist instinct has sensed something?"
"A terrifying diligence. He truly deserves to inherit the destiny of a protagonist."
With nimble thumb movements, Fuse replied to the message.
Fuse: I'll be there soon.
After that, his brain formulated an additional sentence that fit, and he typed again quickly.
Fuse: A subject should naturally wait for the arrival of the noble king.
He couldn't hold back a small chuckle and wide smile as he pressed send. The message was immediately marked as read, but no reply appeared.
Fuse immediately pressed the power button, darkening the screen, and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He kept both hands in his pockets, puffed out his chest, and quickened his steps, cutting through the cold morning wind.
After walking past rows of houses and up a sloping road for several minutes, the strong scent of salt began to touch his sense of smell. The wind blew much stronger.
Finally, he arrived at the shore, which was still full of scrap piles—the same place where he had trained until he fell asleep before the USJ incident.
When his eyes looked straight ahead, Fuse couldn't help but gape. His steps froze on the paved road.
On the horizon, where the sea and sky merged, the sun god was crawling upward. The sunrise rose with heart-wrenching majesty, pouring a sea of molten gold, orange, and pomegranate red that burned the remaining gray clouds of the night. Its light reflected on the sea surface, creating a golden path that seemed to call him toward eternity.
Fuse stared at that natural painting with bated breath. He was surprised that this world could also present such a beautiful sight.
Unconsciously, his hand moved to pull out his smartphone, opened the camera app, aimed at the horizon, and pressed the shutter button.
The camera shutter sound click was heard instantly.
After his eyes verified that the captured image was truly stunning, he couldn't help but feel very satisfied. A genuine smile bloomed and he put the phone away again, storing a piece of that beauty in his pants pocket.
Fuse continued his journey, descending the concrete stairs and stepping onto the soft beach sand. His shoes sank slightly with every step.
After walking several dozen meters, passing through the remnants of sea mist, his eyes finally caught a silhouette in the distance.
Izuku Midoriya, who appeared to be pacing nervously near the shoreline, also widened his eyes when he turned. His round eyes immediately caught Fuse walking closer from the direction of the stairs.
With a forced wide smile, Midoriya immediately waved his hand high in the air with great enthusiasm. "Fuse-kun!" he called.
Seeing the overly enthusiastic wave, Fuse couldn't help but narrow his eyes. A wide smile this early in the morning? Is he in a good mood?
Fuse was about to think further about why Midoriya was so enthusiastic, but he quickly shook his head faintly, driving the thought far away.
After all, he wasn't here to be a psychologist. He intended to focus on one thing: guiding and making Midoriya grow so that the story stage wouldn't fall apart.
Midoriya hurriedly jogged closer, sand scattering from under his shoes.
As for Fuse, he didn't quicken his pace; he continued walking at a very leisurely tempo, like a noble inspecting his estate.
"Did you wait long, my subject?" Fuse teased as the distance between them narrowed. "I didn't expect those short legs of yours to arrive here before me."
Midoriya shook his head quickly, waving his hands awkwardly in front of his chest. "N-no, I just arrived too! D-don't worry, Fuse-kun!"
"Good," Fuse responded. "Then let's start this training routine right away. The sooner we dissect your weaknesses, the better the results."
With an elegant motion, Fuse took off his new windbreaker jacket. He carefully draped the expensive garment over one of the clean, rust-free old iron chunks nearby, protecting it from annoying sand dust.
Seeing Fuse's sturdy back, Midoriya looked down. His fingers nervously squeezed each other.
"Umm… Fuse-kun," Midoriya called softly. "Actually… what kind of training details are we going to do today? You didn't give more information in the previous message." Midoriya turned his face toward the gently waving sea, scratching his cheek with his index finger covered in thin calluses.
Fuse turned around. His red eyes stared straight, locking onto Midoriya's gaze.
Midoriya, feeling intimidated, was also forced to shift his gaze back to Fuse's face.
Fuse didn't answer immediately. He raised his right hand, touching his chin with two fingers, then slowly lifted his head. His eyes gazed at the white clouds moving slowly in the dawn sky. He let the silence dominate the space between them.
Then, he closed his eyes, took a long breath, and looked back at Midoriya.
"Actually, I have obtained information about your Quirk."
Hearing that, Midoriya couldn't help but tense instantly. His heart leaped to his throat. He swallowed hard, cold sweat the size of corn kernels beginning to form on his temples. Does… does Fuse-kun know All Might's secret?!
"Your Quirk… is purely about accumulation and physical enhancement, right?" Fuse continued, his eyes narrowing sharply.
Hearing that Fuse only mentioned the external effect of his power, Midoriya let out a slightly held sigh of relief. He immediately nodded several times with enthusiasm. "Y-yes! That's right! Physical enhancement!"
"But the fatal problem is, you always destroy your own body, getting badly injured every time you use that Quirk…" Fuse paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "That means… you always act like a fool who forces a small glass cup to hold a flood from a broken dam. You force your body to contain maximum output without a filter."
Fuse folded his arms across his chest. "For example, in the case of your fragile body's anatomy, your flesh and bone vessel might currently only safely hold five or ten percent power. Meanwhile, the flow of power you recklessly use is one hundred percent."
"If we think in basic physics and biology logic, it's only natural that you suffer side effects in the form of kinetic backlash that shatters your bones and limbs into pieces."
Midoriya bowed his head even deeper. His face showed a very serious expression, his brows furrowed sharply as if he were in the process of thinking hard to digest the simple theory. He muttered softly to himself, analyzing.
After sinking into his thoughts for a while, Midoriya lifted his face and looked at Fuse. His round eyes widened as if struck by a bolt of enlightenment. That's right! All this time I've been using it like an on-and-off switch! If I imagine squeezing the power, holding it back…
Seeing the clear enlightenment on his main extra's face, Fuse smiled. "Understand now? That means you need to learn to limit your power output. You must spread the ripples of your power evenly, not explode it at one point."
"Our training today…" Fuse spread his arms, "exists solely to force you to master that control."
Fuse fell silent for quite a long time. The sea wind ruffled his red hair.
After thinking long enough in his head, Fuse felt it would be very bad for him to openly tell Midoriya that he knew the true truth about One For All. Because that taboo would definitely make him suspected. He would be watched very closely by All Might, Nezu, and the U.A. staff. That would leave him with no privacy at all! It might even be possible that while he was peacefully eating, sleeping, or taking a warm bath, there would be hidden cameras or spy flies constantly monitoring him 24 hours a day!
Just imagining such a thing made his whole body shudder and tense. Even now his face paled for a moment just thinking about it.
Quickly, he cleared his throat and forced his lip muscles to form a stiff smile.
"The rules are very simple, but they demand everything from you," Fuse said, restoring his dignity. He raised his right hand, holding up three fingers to the air. "Three. You are only given three chances to attack me."
"If any of your attacks successfully touches my skin or hits me squarely, then you win." Fuse lowered his hand. "You are allowed to use that Quirk of yours. Or, if you intend not to use it and only use your bare fists, that's also fine. The choice of weapon is in your hands, it's up to you."
Fuse stared sharply, his eyes gleaming. "However, I strongly recommend you use your Quirk."
"Because," his tone grew heavier, "not using it when fighting against a king like me means you are directly insulting me. You know what that means, right?"
Midoriya swallowed hard. His head nodded several times with jerky movements like a wooden puppet. Corn-kernel-sized sweat reappeared and slid down his temples again.
Seeing that pure reaction, Fuse couldn't help but smile in amusement. He intended to tease and pressure the youth's mentality, and he truly felt satisfied seeing Midoriya's genuinely frightened expression.
"Besides, your efforts will be in vain if you don't utilize it," Fuse added casually. "This training is an exchange of destiny; the main point is that it must benefit both sides. I need a warm-up, and you need control."
Fuse paused for a moment and smiled.
Midoriya, with slightly trembling knees and pale lips, gathered courage to ask, "T-then… what if I… fail to hit you in three attempts, Fuse-kun?"
"Ah," Fuse chuckled softly, his voice blending with the crashing waves. "If you fail to hit me… then it's clear I win absolutely."
"Why are you asking something so obvious?"
"Are you expecting a bet?"
Midoriya immediately shook his head quickly.
Fuse shrugged with a dismissive motion. "Actually, personally I don't mind however many limits. You can attack me 5 times, 10 times, or even 100 times in a row. The result is already predetermined from the start—I won't be touched." He smiled even wider, staring straight. "But I am a kind-hearted and compassionate hero. You would definitely feel very embarrassed and frustrated if you failed to hit me after trying a hundred times, right? At least, if I were in your position, I would definitely drown myself in the sea from half-dead embarrassment."
Fuse spun on his heel, slowly walking away toward a wider stretch of sand, creating distance for their battle arena.
After taking dozens of steps, he stopped. He turned briefly and smiled condescendingly.
"You can start attacking me whenever you're ready, Midoriya."
Hearing that approval, Midoriya's eyes narrowed with determination.
Without wasting time, he immediately assumed a stance, lowering his center of gravity and positioning his thumb to hold back his right index finger, preparing in a flicking launch pose.
At this moment, One For All's energy instantly activated, enveloping his index finger. Red glowing energy lines spread upward like magma blood vessels pumping pure power, ready to explode!
It was Delaware Smash!
Fuse saw the energy flash from afar. However, he instead turned his face away and continued walking casually. His back was wide open toward Midoriya, offering him an opening.
While stepping with his back turned, Fuse yawned widely. He covered his mouth with one hand.
After walking far enough and creating an ideal combat distance, Fuse turned back around. The distance between him and Midoriya now stretched over a dozen meters, making the green-haired youth's figure look somewhat small surrounded by the vastness of the beach.
Heh, he hasn't released his shot yet? He didn't attack me when I turned around? Fuse thought.
Honestly, Fuse was slightly surprised by Midoriya's hesitation. But then, he felt it was only natural. Midoriya, with his too-pure hero heart, would definitely not fire a full-power attack from behind at someone who hadn't even assumed any defensive posture, even though this was just a training simulation.
"Don't hold back! Let's first find out where the limit of your body's tolerance is!" Fuse shouted, his voice cutting through the sea wind.
"After I see how far you can endure without destroying yourself… then let me think and design how to make you evolve!"
Hearing that consent, Midoriya's eyes narrowed with determination.
"Alright… Fuse-kun!"
TAAK!
At that moment, Midoriya released his restraint. He flicked his finger with all his strength.
One For All's energy exploded!
Instantly, an extraordinarily strong air pressure, resembling a solid air cannon, was created from the tip of Midoriya's finger and shot fiercely straight toward Fuse's chest in the blink of an eye. Sand around him was violently scattered.
However, Fuse remained completely still. Still with both hands peacefully buried in his pants pockets, his eyes gleamed red under the morning sun.
Without taking a single hand out, with a deafening Sreeek-Klang! sound, a rusty car door from the nearest scrap pile suddenly shot toward him.
The car door was pulled by the magnetic field, flying and positioning itself to float solidly a span in front of Fuse's body, transforming into a giant steel shield to block the path!
WHUUUSSS-BAM!
The destructive wind pressure from the Delaware Smash slammed hard into the surface of the car door. The steel door shook violently until it creaked and bent inward, but the defense was absolutely impenetrable. The residual pressure wind spread in all directions, sweeping the sand surface beneath their feet.
The attack was perfectly blocked.
Fuse's red hair fluttered wildly in the swirling wind from the impact. But in an instant, as the wind energy disappeared, his hair slowly fell back to its original position.
Fuse yawned again, as if he had just watched a dust performance. He tilted his head slightly, peeking from behind the side of the floating car door's window.
"Did you just do something, Midoriya?" Fuse taunted in a very annoying tone.
Midoriya, still standing across from him while holding his now purple-bruised and throbbing broken finger, didn't look surprised by his failure. On the contrary, his eyes showed that he had already predicted and expected this would happen!
Midoriya bit his lip hard, enduring the sharp pain spreading through his broken finger, and didn't waste a second lamenting his failure. He immediately bowed his head and spurred his legs, sprinting toward Fuse's position!
If he couldn't attack and penetrate the defense from long range, then he had to use other options!
From behind the scrap car door's glass, Fuse observed Midoriya's silhouette running closer at full speed.
Fuse didn't move an inch from the sand where he stood. Instead, he continued to observe and analyze every detail of what the green-haired youth would do next.
Midoriya ran closer and closer, sand flying from under his shoe soles. The distance between them shrank to five meters. Four meters. Three meters.
At this moment, when he saw Midoriya's hand movement while running at full speed, Fuse's eyes couldn't help but widen slightly in surprise.
Midoriya, still in running momentum, suddenly positioned his other hand. His middle finger was pulled back, enveloped by One For All's red aura.
He intended to use Delaware Smash again at close range!
The youth's arm rose, aiming the muzzle of his finger directly at Fuse's face.
Fuse let out a resigned sigh, shaking his head slightly. "Are you not learning anything from the previous failure, Idiot?"
However, just as he was about to click his tongue in disappointment at the monotonous strategy, Fuse's vision suddenly widened dramatically at the sight before his eyes.
Midoriya, who had been in position ready to shoot and about to use Delaware Smash toward Fuse's chest, in a fraction of a second changed the trajectory of his wrist.
With lightning speed, he dipped his hand, tilted his wrist, and aimed the muzzle of his finger directly at the mound of dry sand beneath their feet!
BOOM!
The air pressure explosion was immediately fired straight into the ground.
In an instant the air blast slammed into the sand with storm force, creating a small crater. Thousands of sand grains and pebbles immediately flew upward like a giant dust pillar, creating a thick smoke screen and a sharp sand grain storm that instantly blurred Fuse's vision and blinded the surrounding area.
Fuse reflexively closed his eyes. When the dust storm began to subside and he could finally open his eyes…
However, he couldn't help but widen them.
Midoriya was no longer in front of him!
Where is he?!
At this moment, from the right side, Midoriya's silhouette, which had previously disappeared from Fuse's view due to being covered by the sand screen, suddenly appeared. The youth had used the ground air repulsion to leap in a circle at extraordinary speed!
Midoriya was now very close to Fuse!
Now, their distance was less than one step!
Midoriya's face was now grimacing heavily, tears nearly spilling from enduring the excruciating pain from his two broken purple fingers, but his eyes burned with a bright flame of determination. He raised his remaining hand, preparing to shoot.
Fuse, who saw Midoriya's brilliant maneuver from the corner of his eye, instead of panicking, smiled. His smile was calm. He suddenly nodded slowly. "Excellent. At least you didn't attack blindly without using your brain."
At this moment, Midoriya was about to release the flick of his finger toward Fuse's face from zero centimeters.
"But," Fuse's voice cut off Midoriya's movement. "A sneaky surprise attack like that will only be useful and deadly… if the opponent you're targeting isn't me."
Along with that smile, the sand beneath Midoriya's feet exploded.
A rusty concrete rebar rod, which had been silently hidden under a pile of sand, suddenly shot upward like a concealed spear. The iron flew straight up and slammed hard into Midoriya's wrist, which was in the ready-to-shoot position!
KLAK!
When exactly Fuse had hidden the long iron in the sand, he had done it secretly since the first long-range attack earlier.
When Midoriya shot from afar, Fuse had realized that the green-haired youth would definitely decide to charge closer into close-range combat when his long-range attack proved unable to penetrate the car door shield.
Therefore, behind the shadow of his car door shield, Fuse had manipulated iron from underground and quietly prepared a counterattack trap, planting the rebar rod under the battle arena.
And this landmine trap proved to be a very perfect plan!
Instantly, Midoriya's wrist that was hit by the iron from below was forcibly bent upward toward the sky.
And the One For All energy that was already in the ready-to-release position and could no longer be held back by his muscles, immediately triggered uncontrollably.
In the blink of an eye, the air pressure storm blast that was supposed to be released to hit Fuse's chest, because his hand was struck upward, suddenly veered and shot straight into the empty air above them.
WHOOSH!
The wind storm tore through the clouds. A flock of seagulls circling above their heads looked extremely panicked, flapping their wings hysterically to avoid the sudden storm, screeching in fear before scattering away.
Below, an awkward silence occurred.
Midoriya fell silent for a moment, his eyes staring at the sky, his body frozen in an awkward position with three fingers now throbbing, purple, and broken in vain. His breathing was ragged.
Beside him, Fuse also didn't move an inch from where he had stood since the start of the battle. His hands were still peacefully in his pants pockets.
At this moment, slowly, Fuse stepped forward, closing the remaining distance and approaching Midoriya, who was still shaken.
"Three chances to attack that you had," Fuse said coldly. "And all of them failed miserably."
Fuse stopped right beside Midoriya. "This isn't a surprising result, is it? You should have, with that analytical brain of yours, already known from the start that you would never be able to penetrate my defense. So… why do you look so disappointed?"
Midoriya remained silent. He bowed his head deeply, his green bangs covering his eyes. He gripped his trembling arm tightly, enduring the pain.
Seeing Midoriya's slumped shoulders, Fuse let out a long sigh. He lifted his right hand from his pocket, and with a touch that was strangely gentle, he lightly patted Midoriya's trembling shoulder.
"But at least… I've successfully found out your physical limits," Fuse said, his tone becoming more motivational. "Listen, Midoriya. The result of this duel doesn't need to be worried about and lamented until you become depressed. We have plenty of time in this world. Remember, we haven't even passed two full calendar months of the U.A. academic year."
Midoriya still bowed his head dejectedly, his voice hoarse and broken. "I… I just feel like I'm not growing at all, Fuse-kun. My heart… feels like a desert that has never been visited by rain. I only hurt myself without producing anything meaningful…"
Hearing that, Fuse, who was still holding Midoriya's shoulder, lifted his face, staring far toward the sea horizon where the sun had just broken through the morning.
"Your raw power is terribly and extraordinarily strong, a pure miracle," Fuse said, his words flowing like poetry. "So strong that the gift becomes a curse that destroys your mortal vessel every time you use it. But… with my majestic presence here, watching over you, training you… you can be one hundred percent sure that you only need a little of my guidance to be able to use the ocean of your power fully, without needing to hurt a single cell in your body."
Hearing such a convincing promise, Midoriya looked up, his teary eyes staring at Fuse's face. "H-how can you know that, Fuse-kun? Where does that confidence come from? Our quirk are so different…" Midoriya asked in a very fragile tone.
Fuse looked down at the pitiful youth. He slowly pulled up the corners of his lips, grinning widely with a flash that could dim the sunlight.
"Heh," Fuse snorted proudly. "Who do you think the majestic entity standing before you is? The future Number One Hero! The truth of my words is absolute. You must not doubt it at all."
Midoriya stared at that arrogant, charismatic face in silence. His previously withered heart slowly felt a spark of life. And as if blessed by the universe, slowly, the morning sun rose fully from the eastern horizon.
The golden dawn light bathed the two of them, warming their skin that had been chilled by the sea wind.
While looking at Midoriya, who was still mesmerized by his words, Fuse couldn't help but think, Actually… without me having to go through this torturous simulation, from the beginning I already knew his true limits thanks to my memories. But… I don't know for sure how far my assumptions are true in this world. That's why, empirical data and real experience are very much needed.
Fuse sighed. I also didn't expect that he would really be so disappointed in himself to the point of depression like this. What a stubborn youth who doesn't want to be left behind. Well… that's not surprising, considering the burden of the Quirk he possesses is the inheritance from All Might and his predecessors. He carries a responsibility that is too heavy for his skinny shoulders.
Feeling that his melodramatic session was enough, Fuse completely released his hand from Midoriya's shoulder. He stepped back one pace and spun on the sand, turning his back to the sea and Midoriya, preparing to walk away.
"Our training is enough for today."
"And… look at those pitiful fingers of yours. Shattered to pieces. You should quickly run to Recovery Girl and treat those broken bones before they rot."
While walking slowly, Fuse raised both hands, patting his clean clothes, brushing off imaginary sand dust that had never stuck.
He didn't look back and had no intention of continuing any combat training when Midoriya's mental and physical condition was shattered and not well.
Let time and today's treatment mend Midoriya's self-confidence again.
…
A/N: This chapter is too long for just a short training session… too much unimportant information, huh?
Next chapter I plan to fill with more training, but not only with Midoriya.
If you guys are too curious about the next chapter, please check my Patreon. I update much faster there than on this platform! (Now there are already 3 chapters updated after this one!)
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