ROLL CALL!!!
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, EVERY 250 PS = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!
I DONT HAVE A PATREON SO IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT READ MY OTHER STORY: MY SCUMBAG SYSTEM
***
4:30 AM
The alarm never got a chance to ring. Isaiah's eyes snapped open at 4:29, staring into darkness while his mind instantly clicked to full alertness. He switched off the clock and slid out of bed, bare feet landing silently on the cool wooden floor.
A sheet of notebook paper lay on his desk, illuminated by the digital clock's glow.
4:30 AM: Wake. 150 Push-ups, 150 Sit-ups.
5:00 AM: 6km Run to Takoba Beach.
5:45 AM - 7:00 AM: "Janitor's Soul" Quest (Trash Clearing).
7:00 AM: 6km Run Home (Complete Daily Quest).
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM: Shower, Breakfast, School Prep.
8:15 AM - 3:30 PM: School. Maintain cover. Avoid unnecessary contact.
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Trash Clearing.
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM: Study/Training.
10:00 PM - 12:30 AM: SSSS Time.
12:30 AM: Sleep
Isaiah dropped to the floor without hesitation, positioning himself for push-ups. His body moved through the motions with mechanical precision. One, two, three...
『You know what normal people do at four-thirty in the morning? They sleep.』 Arcan's voice materialized in his mind, drowsy with artificial irritation.
"Normal people don't have a deadline," Isaiah whispered, continuing without breaking rhythm. Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six...
『This schedule is lunacy. You're going to break this body before you hit D-Rank.』
Isaiah didn't respond until he finished his fiftieth push-up. He paused, arms locked, sweat already forming on his brow.
"Look at this body, Arcan." His voice stayed low to avoid waking Inko. "I'm five-foot-six with green hair and a face full of freckles. I look like someone's kid brother."
He resumed his push-ups. Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three...
『So what? Plenty of heroes start small. This Midoriya kid was planning to try anyway.』
"And he would have failed spectacularly." Isaiah switched to a single-arm variation for the final twenty, muscles trembling with effort.
He completed the push-ups and rolled onto his back, immediately beginning sit-ups. His core burned, but his expression never changed—focused, cold, calculating.
『So this is about revenge? Showing up Bakugo? Proving something to the world?』
Isaiah laughed softly between sit-ups. "This is about efficiency. Nothing more."
By 4:58 AM, he stood fully dressed in running clothes, stretching his calves at the apartment door. He picked up his water bottle, slinging a small backpack over his shoulders.
『There has to be more to it. No one kills themselves on a schedule like this without a compelling reason.』
Isaiah paused, hand on the doorknob. His eyes flickered to the single All Might figure still sitting on his desk.
"I'm going to U.A.," he said quietly. "I'm going to become a hero."
Isaiah sighed. "It's what he would have wanted. The memories I have... they're not just data. I feel his dream sometimes. It's only right that I see it through."
A long, loaded silence filled his mind.
『That was the most pathetic, syrupy load of garbage I have ever had the displeasure of processing,』 Arcan finally replied, voice flat as a pancake.
『Now tell me the real reason.』
Isaiah's sincere expression melted into a sly grin. "Fine. Where's the single greatest concentration of high-tier Quirk users, future pro-heroes, and potential high-stakes villain attacks in all of Japan? U.A. University. It's a quest hub on steroids. By becoming a 'hero student,' I get front-row seats to every disaster, every tournament, every opportunity to gain AP and power. It's the most efficient path forward."
『At least that sounds like you.』
"Plus," Isaiah added, wiggling his eyebrows at nothing, "with quests like 'A Hero's Heart is a Janitor's Soul' and abilities like 'Ceaseless Discharge', the System clearly wants me to be a hero harem protagonist. Might as well go where the heroines are."
『I am a tactical support system, not a dating app!』 Arcan sputtered. 『Just… go clean your trash!』
===
Dawn painted Takoba Beach in shades of gold and amber as Isaiah arrived, breathing steadily despite having run six kilometers without pause. The mountains of trash cast long, dramatic shadows across the sand, like a junkyard kingdom awaiting its reluctant ruler.
Isaiah dropped his backpack on relatively clean spot and surveyed his domain. "Twenty-five percent," he muttered. "Let's start with the big stuff."
He approached a rusted washing machine, its door hanging miserably from a single hinge. Getting a low grip, he squared his stance and pulled upward.
"Nnngh!" His muscles strained against the weight. The machine budged, then lifted—barely. His arms trembled as he staggered toward his designated "clear zone," the reality of E-Rank strength made painfully apparent.
When he dropped it, the impact sent vibrations up his arms. Isaiah shook out his hands, glaring at the appliance.
"E-Rank is still trash tier," he grumbled.
『What did you expect? Superhuman strength? You're barely above average.』
"I expected better than this." He wiped sweat from his brow, already soaked despite the cool morning air.
He turned toward a stack of tires, grabbing the first one and hurling it like a discus. It sailed through the air, landing with a dull thump twenty meters away. Another followed, then another, each throw accompanied by a grunt of effort.
An hour into his work, Isaiah had managed to clear a respectable path through the debris. He stood panting, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the sand below.
『Progress report: approximately .1% cleared. At this rate, you'll finish this quest in about a hundred days.』
"Too slow." Isaiah straightened, eyeing a particularly nasty pile of scrap metal. "Time to test the new toy."
He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and focused on the heat building in his chest. The sensation crawled up his throat, prickling and intense.
"HAAAH!" A torrent of orange flame erupted from his mouth, engulfing the scrap heap. Metal glowed red-hot, paint bubbled and burned away.
When the flames died down, the pile remained standing, but now black and charred. Isaiah frowned.
"That should have melted it."
『Level 1 Firebreath isn't exactly a nuclear option. What did you expect?』
Isaiah was about to reply when a thought struck him. He turned away from the pile, facing the open ocean. The ability description had mentioned it expends energy—but what if that energy wasn't just for heat?
"If energy can create heat, it can create force," he muttered.
He took another deep breath, but this time, instead of focusing on burning, he focused on pushing.
"HAAAH!"
The effect was instantaneous. A concussive blast of superheated air erupted from his mouth with wisps of flame. The recoil sent him skidding backward several feet, arms windmilling wildly.
"Whoa!" He caught himself, eyes wide with surprise. "Did you see that?"
『I live in your head. I see everything you see.』
"It's not just fire. It's propulsion." A slow, calculating smile spread across Isaiah's face. "This changes everything."
He aimed at a pile of smaller debris and tried again, this time bracing himself. The force blast scattered cans and broken electronics across the beach like a shotgun blast.
『Impressive, but how does this help you clear trash?』
"It doesn't. But it helps me understand what I'm working with." Isaiah dusted sand from his clothes. "A fire-breathing Quirk is too limited. Too easily categorized. But this... this has potential."
He climbed atop his refrigerator throne, watching as the sun fully cleared the horizon. The beach glittered with garbage, stretching as far as he could see. A normal person would feel overwhelmed. Isaiah saw only opportunity.
"I need to name it something flexible," he said, more to himself than to Arcan. "Something that can evolve as I pull new abilities."
『'Convenient Plot Device' has a nice ring to it.』
"I need something vague but impressive. 'Energy Release'? Too bland. 'Variable Output'? Sounds like a math problem." His fingers tapped rhythmically against the metal beneath him. "'Arcane Burst'? Getting warmer..."
Isaiah stood, surveying the junkyard kingdom that would become his training ground for the next ten months.
"I need something that covers fire, force, and whatever else comes my way." His voice was soft but certain. "Something with room to grow."
The answer came to him suddenly, perfect in its simplicity and Isaiah took out his phone to write it down.
***
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Quirk: Overdrive
The user can "overdrive" their body's vitality to produce various physical phenomena.
Current Application:Currently limited to Thermal Venting and Physical Reinforcement.
Potential:Theoretically capable of converting energy into other states with enough "training".
***
A small, confident smile touched his lips as he hopped down from his makeshift throne. He had a new body, new powers, a new goal, and now a new identity to forge.
He turned back to the mountains of trash, rolling up his sleeves.
"Back to work."