"I don't train to be the strongest. I train because there's always someone stronger." ~Son Goku
—--[Izuku Midoriya POV]——
I stared out the window of my usual seat in class. It was my favorite for obvious reasons to any true anime fan. Farthest in the back, closest to the window, the classic protagonist seat.
My head rocked back and forth with the beat in my headphones as I stared absently at the clouds. Meanwhile, in my head, something akin to the battle between Tengen and Gyutaro raged with extreme intensity. The imaginary battle ended when the song finished and the bell rang, signaling our departure.
A sigh escapes my lips as the song ends and I stop twirling my pen in my hand. I click the pen a few times before shifting my attention back to my notebook. Hero Analysis for the Future, is something I've been writing for both practicality and to pay homage to the show I once loved.
Mainly, it's just notes on quirks I remember and plans for how to defeat them if it came down to it. I never bothered numbering the volumes like the canon Izuju did so I have no idea what number I'm on. Definitely less than canon though I'm not nearly as obsessed with writing in it as Deku was.
I quickly grab the notebook and start to put it in my bookbag as my fellow student attempts to file out the door. Shrugging the bag over my shoulder I try to follow the crowd out the door, my mind distant as my next song comes on.
"Hey the bell doesn't dismiss you I do!" One of my random, stuck-up teachers shouted again, not that I truly cared at all about it. So walk out humming to the beat of my song only for me to hear a boom. And the teacher quickly goes quiet and lets us leave the room.
"HEY YOU DAMN NERD!" An angry high-pitched voice comes from behind me.
'Oh god I know who that is. Was she waiting for me to try and leave for this to happen?'
I keep walking away though pretending that I don't realize she's addressing me. After all what self-respecting person would want to answer to the name nerd?
Another boom goes off and a roar filled with teenage angst and frustration fills the air. Then I hear stomping foot steps make their way over to me.
"OI DEKU DONT PRETEND YOU CANT HEAR ME!" She yells and I sigh and turn around to look at her.
"What do you want Katsumi?" I say with mild exasperation.
[Name: Katsumi, Bakugo]
[Insert Image Here:
[𝗔𝗴𝗲: 13 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀]
[Gender: Female]
[Quirk: Explosion]
[𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗹𝘆𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹!]
"DO YOU HAVE WHAT I ASKED FOR YOU DAMN NERD!" She yelled as two of her flunkies walked over to join her. One was some kid with dull grey hair and long fingers. The other was just some random rude kid with generic asian fitures.
I never bothered to learn their names especially not the boring one ever since the kid with red wings went missing.
"Well for one thing keep your voice down and secondly yes but let's not talk about that here," I said quite seriously questioning if this girl has any common sense.
Ten minutes later Katsumi and her two goons stood across from Izuku in a nearby alleyway.
"WELL, DO YOU HAVE IT OR NOT!" Katsumi shouted still not taking my advice of keeping her voice down. I sighed and started rummaging through my book bag.
Pulling out a small green file folder, I opened it pulling out a small stack of papers.
"Here it is. Three homework pages and a group paper." I said holding out the papers. The one with long fingers tried to reach out for them but I pulled back my hand.
"Ah ah, money first, that's 3,000 yen each plus another 2,500 for the project," I said holding out my other hand. The grey-haired scoffed but pulled out his wallet. The other one did too and soon the three handed over the money.
"Now that's what I like to see," I said, with a small smile, counting my new cash quickly. But then my eye twitched in anger.
'These little shits!' I leveled a glare at the group of expectant teens.
"You're 2,000 yen short," I say, colder than before. My eyes narrow and the black-haired kid. He flinched slightly but then he did what everyone in this world does when they think they can pull one over on me.
"Oh yeah and what are you going to do about it? You're lucky we even pay you at all to do this for us." He says with a grin creeping onto his face.
I sigh and square my legs placing the homework back in my bag.
"No right amount, no homework, it's as simple as that," I say pocketing the cash. The three of them grow angrier than before. The grey-haired one extends his fingers and Katsumi's balled-up fists start to crackle with sparks.
"Yeah, whatever just hand it over you stupid Deku!" Katsumi growls as the three grow closer.
"What are you? A bunch of cheap episode one villains?" I said balling my fists the black-haired by cursed at that and charged me. He found that a rather poor decision when my fist met his fast faster than he could react.
Thanks to my sprint skill I was able to then duck Katsumi's left cross. It hadn't taken me long to realize it was always her opening move. From there she threw two more explosive crosses at me. I bobbed and weaved her attacks still deciding how to take her down when the other kid's whip fingers swung at me.
I side-stepped the blow, it hadn't taken me long to figure out I could use sprint for more than just running as I've been experimenting with it but this is my first time using it in a fight. The increased speed proved itself a boon as I dashed forward ducking another cross from Katsumi and delivering a series of three quick straight to her stomach.
I could have landed an uppercut but then Aunty Mitsuki would have noticed and I would have felt bad about it. She was already sad that relations had soured between her daughter and my family. Sure she and mom still were best friends and had been since before high school but their kids simply didn't get along after a certain age.
It was a real disappointment to them as I even once heard them talking about how they had hoped I would marry Katsumi in the future. The thought of spending the rest of my life with this explosive brat sent shivers down my spine.
Luckily for me, I managed to get past Katsumi pretty quickly and make it to the grey-haired kid. For him, I unleashed a full-on wombo combo. Trying to make it flow smoothly like Bang sensei taught me.
I did feel kind of bad using his techniques for something like this but to be fair, I was going to be using them to fight a lot of villains in the future, so I guess this is a start. Besides I haven't fully learned water stream yet anyway but I still know enough to knock this grey-haired punk on his ass.
Then it was easy to ground and pound until I got knocked off the unconscious kid by one of Katsumi's explosions.
"YOU DAMN FUCKING NERD!" She yelled charging me directly. I gritted my teeth not making a sound.
'Sorry Aunty.'
As Katsumi ran over to I stood tall and waited just until she got close enough for me to duck her next strike. Then I rose with full force head-butting her in the chin knocking her unconscious.
I sighed again breathing hard and looking down at the collapsed girl. It wasn't the first time we've fought and it won't be the last. Even so, this should be enough to teach her not to try to cheat me again.
I walked back over to the black-haired kid and took out his wallet. I contemplated taking more than what he owed me just for being a dick but we'll… that's just not what heroes do.
So I took what I was owed walked over to my bag, and grabbed the papers. Stalking back over to the kids I dropped the papers on top of their unconscious bodies. I laughed as the papers covered each of their faces especially Katsumi's. I almost wanted to take pictures but I wasn't that stupid.
Grabbing my things I turned to leave as Katsumi groaned unconsciously. I kept walking pulling out the yen and counting it again.
"Haven't gotten my own card yet really should but… *sigh* life." I walked away feet dragging just a little trying to ignore the soreness at the top of my head.
XXX
————-[Bang's Dojo]————-
Walking up the final step of the way up to Bangs dojo I took in the sight of it again. Whenever I stop to give it a real look its always so grand.
Shooting a quick text to mom telling her I arrived I kept moving trying not to be taken in by the scenery. Stepping into the dojo and took off my shoes.
"Bang Sensei I'm here!" I called out but there was no answer so I headed over to the locker room, changed, and headed out back to the garden.
I walked along the smooth river rock path past the koi pond. I took a deep breath and walked towards the woods.
Entering the forest of tall trees Bang's voice called out to me. "Took you long enough to get here boy!"
I looked around for him but I couldn't tell where as it echoed all around me. "I'm sorry sensei I got caught up with something that's all."
"Hmm well it doesn't matter why it happened I can already tell you've been in a fight. Make sure it doesn't happen again. I don't teach you so you can use my martial arts on civilians."
"I'm sorry sensei I didn't have a choice." Well that wasn't entirely true but I couldn't just let them rob me now could I? I walked farther into the woods still searching for the direction the voice was coming from.
"There's always a choice boy, not that you seem to understand that yet," He said and I felt something strange coming from over my left shoulder. It wasn't the sound of Bang's voice but I felt his presence in some strange way and turned to look.
Nothing but more forest but then I looked up. There he was only a few feet away up in a tree branch.
"Well we don't have all day so let's get started. Do you remember the katas you've been taught so far?" He said stepping past me and walking over to a nearby fallen tree.
"Yes, most of them." I nodded shacking out my limbs and readying my mind to start. The first step before any real training was to start stretching to prevent cramps and a few other inconveniences.
"Good show me I'll fill in any gaps in your knowledge." He took a seat on the tree and from seemingly nowhere took out a bag of chips. I lifted a brow but said nothing as I started to stretch as he showed us in class.
Then I flowed into the first form and as I moved from kata to kata he didn't say much of anything until I got to my fourth one.
"Hold still." He stood up and walked over I held the pose arm extended and straining out for a strike. He grabbed my arm and extended a leg to shift my foot a little.
"Your over extended it leaves you open for an easy counter. In a fight, most people least expect to be hit when throwing a strike. An experienced fighter is always wary of a strong counterattack." He stepped back and motioned for me to continue shifting forms. I made it about two more before hesitating and flowing one more time. The motion didn't feel quite right and I wasn't sure it was the right form. A notion which was quickly proven right when the old man called out to me again.
"You skipped one boy. Here it's like this." He showed me the stance flowing smoother than I ever had and with an ease that spoke of decades of experience. I tried my best to mimic him and it took him correcting me three times before I had the movement down correctly and moved forward. After a few minutes, I finished the katas and stood still when I finished.
"Hmmm not bad I think this might work out after all. Hmm, we will start with striking put this on." He passed me a small black cloth and it took me a moment to recognize it as a blindfold.
"Umm, sensei if I may ask why do I need a blind fold?"
"Less talking more training now hit that tree as hard as you can until I say stop." He pointed an arm at a massive pine tree and I walked over to it. I stared up the tree and I couldn't even see the top of it properly.
"Less gawking and more punching! Also, why are your eyes still uncovered?" He said sitting back on his log chips in his hands once more. I sighed put on the blind fold and took a deep breath. I had punched down a tree before how could it be to punch this one a few times?
*CRACK*
I threw a blow… and immediately yelled in pain from my aching hand. The fist throbbed with pain and I grabbed it gathering it to my chest on instinct. I used one hand to lift my blindfold and stared down at my now red and scratched hand. Blowing on it I shook out the limb and looked at the tough tree.
Not a scratch it even seemed to gleam mockingly at me as if I had given it a slight polish with my fist. A fist that just a few hours earlier had knocked the shit out of three quirk-enhanced humans and had knocked down a tree in a single blow.
"What the hell is this thing made of?" I asked incredulous at the durability of the wood. It felt like punching a steel wall at full force.
"Giving up already Midoriya? I can't imagine anybody wanting to be saved by the quirkless hero who got bodied by a tree." Bang commented chuckling before eating another chip. I gritted my teeth at the words of the damn old man and turned to face the tree. I fell back into stance and threw another blow.
*CRACK*
Only to get hit in the back of the head with what felt like a rock. I called out in pain and turned back to look at my sensei casually juggling small branches of the same strange wood as the tree in one hand and holding his potato chips with the other.
"Blind fold on boy. Now chop chop green boy the sun's not getting any higher." He said taking a potato chip with his left hand and eating it. I sighed turned back to the tree and lowered my blindfold. I had the feeling this was going to be a long training session.
[Image]
XXX
I got really busy in real life so for as long as it took me to write this it's much shorter than usual for that I can only say it's unfortunate but couldn't be helped. After all, I doubt your teacher has ever had you film a whole documentary and you have to shoot all of it over again twice because on the last day, you realise you didn't capture any audio.
Nobody:
Bang be like: With my right hand I'll train the protagonist. And with my left hand, I'll take a potato chip AND EAT IT!
😂🫠