"YOU HAVE TO FEEEEEL IT!"
"AAK!" Uraraka winced at the sudden volume. It had been two days since she took on the mantle of One for All in the form of that gross hair. With the beach clean and her vessel trained, the only thing to do now to prepare was learn how to use her new quirk.
She swore she could still feel it in her throat. "Could you be a little more specific?" she asked.
"Well, using One for All has always come easy to me, so it's a little hard to explain. How would you explain activating Zero-Gravity?"
She looked at her hands. "I dunno, I just touch something with five fingers, and it floats. It's like a tug in my stomach when I'm floating something."
"I see. One-for-All will be a little different then, as it requires you to mentally activate it. Unlike the physical act of touching an object then physically releasing." Toshinori had put some thought into this after all. "So here's what we'll do. Face the ocean."
She turned, facing the sea.
"Now squeeze your buttcheeks and-"
"Wait, what now?"
"Concentrate! Squeeze your buttcheeks and throw a punch at the ocean, yelling 'Smash'! Got it?"
"Got it! I think…" She did so, taking a fighting stance. She tensed, clenching as she threw a punch. "SMASH!"
…
Barely a gust as the waves crashed on the shore.
"Hmmm…" All might tapped his chin in thought. "Not quite."
Uraraka looked critically at her fist. "Do I really have it?"
"Should have been processed by now, so yeah." And he could feel One for All start to fade soon after the transfer, but now was not the time. "Try just...concentrating on your arm. Try and send that power into your hand without moving."
She nodded and squinted at her hand. Her padded fingers twitched as she focused.
'C'mon...it's there somewhere…' All Might thought to himself.
It took a while, but sure enough…
Light blue veins started to charge across her forearm, slowly climbing to her hand! Pure power radiated from the limb, occasionally sparking pink from her palm. "Aaah!" She yelped, letting go of the power. While brief, there was no mistake. "I did it!" She cheered, throwing her hands in the air. "Ouch!" Upon the quick movement, she held her arm, which was weirdly bruised. Not seriously hurt, but enough to make a mark. "What happened?"
All Might inspected the limb. "Hmm...how much power would you say you put into your arm?"
"I don't know...all of it?" She wondered to herself.
"Oof. Ok, this is nothing unexpected. Your body isn't ready for the full force of One for All. Had you moved, you might have shattered your arm."
"Seriously? But that's what you had me do before!"
"Well, yeah but...look, you're ok and that's what matters, right?" All Might rubbed his head sheepishly. Good thing she didn't try to move with it, and that she only held it for a couple seconds. "Try again, but not as strong. Maybe use your other arm."
She tried again, left arm this time, feeling for the mental tug of One for All. The power started to fill her limb, sparking like before, but she pumped the mental brakes before it started to hurt like last time. Pink sparks danced across her fingers as she tested her limits.
"I think...I think that's good. It doesn't hurt or anything." She moved her charged arm, flexing as she went. "Definitely feels stronger than before."
"Good. Don't want you hurting yourself in one class or anything." That would be a shame. "Just keep a careful watch on your output and you'll be fine. I'd say that's about...one or two percent of your power. Roughly."
"What? But that's so little!" She let the power leave her arm. There was definitely a difference in power.
"As you use it, you'll probably get used to it over time. When you think you've got a handle on it, crank the output up, one percent at a time." Toshinori said proudly. 'Maybe teaching won't be so hard after all!'
"I don't like that 'probably'…" she pouted. She turned her attention to the shore, aiming a punch.
Fwooosh!
The 2% punch struck air, causing the sand to kick up a bit. Smiling, she turned to her mentor. "What next?"
xXx
Present day…
'Ok, Midoriya. Stay calm. It's just an exam. Just a practical exam for the best hero school in the country...ohcrapI'mgonnafailFOCUS! Just an exam. A test. No big deal.'
As Midoriya stepped of the bus onto the Exam Location, he could only speculate how he was going to compare to the other applicants. At least Bakugo was at a different Battle Center. But so was that nice girl, Uraraka? With so many different kinds of kids with powerful and varied quirks, he really wasn't sure how he would stack up.
'But I have a plan.' He thought as he gripped his water pouch. Along with the lime green tracksuit he wore, he brought a small pouch filled with water just in case. 'Use airbending and earthbending for mobility, use waterbending to slice through the robots. If it's not enough, use earthbending to crush them.' Not only was firebending tricky in general for him, but he wasn't sure he could produce enough firepower to damage the robots, at his level anyway. Nor was he skilled enough to use metalbending.
He took in the enormous battle center, clearly modeled after a typical city. Multiple story buildings lined the entire arena, closed off on all sides. About three miles wide according to the handout. He knelt down and placed a hand on the concrete.
'There. Robots, about a dozen or so not far from the entrance.'
"Excuse me!"
"Huh?" He opened his eyes to see a bespeckled, stern looking boy. The one from before! "Is something wrong?" he asked genuinely.
"If you're trying to use your quirk to get an edge on your fellow examinees, think again!" He chopped the air as he spoke. "Such actions would be below that of real U.A. students and is otherwise distasteful. Cease at once!" he yelled, gaining attention from the others.
Midoriya dropped sweat. "But...you don't even know what I'm doing?"
"Then what are you doing?"
"AND BEGIN!"
The crowd of examinees jerked to look at the DJ Hero, who was standing on a podium.
"C'MON! GO GO GO! THERE'S NO WAITING IN A REAL BATTLE!"
"Huh? What?" Midoriya turned back to the metal door…
...and was being left behind!
"Oh, crap! Crapcrapcrapcrap…" He dashed forward, propelling himself through the air and leaping straight over the crowd. As he jumped, he formed an air ball and stuck the landing on it, making an Air Scooter!
"Hey! That kid's hovering on something!" One guy yelled. The Avatar ignored them and sped on, heading straight for the robots he felt before. As he approached, he quickly identified them: one 1-pointer and two 3-pointers. One of the 3-pointers aimed a rocket his way! He jumped off his scooter and pulled a whip of water to intercept the shot. He slashed the projectile sending of course before burying the 3-pointer with earthbending and crushing it. 'More to go!'Thinking quickly, he jumped out of the way of the attacking 1-pointer, cleaving through the middle section with a stream of water as he passed. 'That's four points!' He readied a boulder for the next one!
FWOOOOM!
But a blue laser hit it first! The robot crumpled from the powerful shot as a french boy posed behind it. "Mon ami! You make an excellent decoy, monsieur!"
'What the heck?' Was this guy for real? No time! He leaped away, scaling the cityscape for a better look. 'Gotta find more robots!'
He airbended his way through the cityscape, occasionally taking out 2 and 3-pointers with his water whip and evading attacks with earthbending and airbending. He even used firebending to blind a particularly difficult robot before taking it out with an earth spike.
"That's 17 points! I think. Gotta find more…" He punched the ground, sensing heavier robots down an alley. He nearly got up to take them on when he felt something else.
'What is that?'
xXx
Meanwhile, in a dark monitor room.
"You'll want to watch carefully for the ones who can think on their feet and have greater mobility, like that telekinetic boy in Battle Center 3 and the explosion-user in Battle Center 1. Doing efficient recon is also an excellent strategy here, as they have no way of knowing where the mock-villains are." A smaller figure commented as the faculty watched on. Many examinees had great potential, like the black-haired boy with a hardening quirk or the frog-girl with her level demeanor in the face of battle.
"Oooh, I like that gravity girl. She's got spunk!" An R-rated hero commented, causing a cough from one blond skeleton.
'Spunk is right.' Toshinori thought. 'Honestly, you gonna stop for breath anytime soon?'
xXx
"HEEEYAAAAA!" Uraraka cried as she piledrived through another 2-pointer, crushing it with her new power. Quickly, she grabbed the scorpion-like tail, floating it as she went, and threw it at a 3-pointer, destroying it with a large boom! "That's 28 points so far!" She sped off at 4% power, searching for new targets. Another 3-pointer saw her, firing rockets her way!
Suddenly, she slammed her palms into the ground, sending a OfA-boosted wave of Zero-Gravity through the surrounding wreckage, providing a floating shield! She then kicked the wreckage towards the offending mock-villain and moved on, trying not to lose her lunch after that move. 'Ok, that might have been overkill on my part.'
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
She stopped running as the cityscape shook. Something big was coming! She looked behind her to see the other examinees running towards her.
Not towards her though, just away from it.
"What the heck is that?!" She shouted.
xXx
"What the flameo is that?!" Midoriya shouted as the massive Zero-pointer moved through the Battle Center, causing chaos wherever it went. "I get it's an exam, but someone could get hurt!" He looked desperately through the crowd of examinees, who were running from the giant arena trap.
There! A pink-skinned girl was pulling something! Someone was stuck under some debris while the Zero was moving towards them!
That's all it took to get the Avatar moving. He ran as fast as the wind towards the two as the Zero rolled forward, reaching them in seconds.
"Hi! Don't worry, I can move the debris!" He yelled as he approached. As soon as the girl moved, he thrust his hand forward, clearing the bricks off the examinee.
"Thanks man!" The guy tried to hop away on what seemed to be springs for legs but was clearly injured. The girl heaved the boy onto her shoulder, waving Midoriya over. "C'mon, we gotta go too!"
Midoriya kept his eyes on the Zero-pointer. "We can't! That thing could hurt other examinees too! I gotta stop it somehow!" He took his horse-stance, staring down the gigantic robot.
"What? Don't be dumb, we need to go!" Pink girl argued. "It's an exam! We're supposed to avoid it!"
"It could hurt someone else! Just go!" He shouted, uncharacteristically focused. She looked at him, to the robot, then to the guy on her shoulder.
"Fine! Don't die, ok?" She yelled before sprinting off with the injured in a fireman's carry. With them out of the way, Midoriya stamped the ground and chopped his arms forward. Two pillars erected on either side of him and divided into parts before launching at the mechanical face of the mock villain. The projectiles struck true, damaging some of the behemoth's main cameras. The Avatar slid his leg forward as he spread his arms. The concrete under the Zero-pointer cracked under his power, vibrating into sand. He made a giant sandpit under the robot! The tank-like wheels spun but didn't move and started to jam with the foreign element as it rushed through the mechanism.
Having been halted and partially blinded, the AI switched tactics; as this was a typical way of stopping the Zero-pointer, it had a counterstrategy. Its shoulders opened up to reveal dozens of rockets primed to fire from range! Before he knew it, Midoriya was peppered by red dots from the weapon's sights.
"Uh oh."
xXx
Around the same time…
"Hold on! I'm comin' to get you!" Uraraka shouted as she dashed past the demolished building. A girl with frog-like features and a terrified boy with a rocky-looking face were pinned by a collapsed wall between two structures. The crumbling brick looked like it would come down any second and the Zero-pointer was in the way!
As soon as the gigantic mock villain was activated, it wreaked havoc everywhere it went. Most ran from the Zero-pointer, prioritizing whatever smaller targets they could find. Uraraka frantically dodged falling debris trying to find a way to the two examinees, the test be damned.
'If it wasn't in the way, they could get themselves out! What do I do? What can I…'
She looked up at the Mock Villain, which had just targeted the two examinees and was reaching down! If it made contact, the building would collapse on them!
"NO!" She sprinted at the Zero, power surging through her legs as she ran. 5%! 10%! 25%!
BWOOOOOOSH!
In an instant, her next footstep launched her towards the Zero-pointer's face at 100% power! Shockwaves rippled through the air as she soared above the arena, pink lightning streaking in her wake.
Instinct took over as she shot at the top of the behemoth, grabbing it by the rim of its "face". One for All charged through her quirk and sent a massive wave of Zero-Gravity through the 5-ton hunk of metal as she maneuvered herself midair. And with a mighty heave, the giant robot was flipped through the air! Right off its wheels! Uraraka centered herself as the pivot point in midair to flip the weightless Zero-pointer above her head!
Meanwhile, down below, Tsuyu Asui took advantage of the opportunity, wrapping the boy next to her with her tongue and leaping out of danger, letting the building collapse behind them. As she hopped away, she couldn't help but marvel at that girl's power.
Adrenaline snuffed out the pain of her broken legs as power surged to her arms to grip the Zero. With one hand, she held the mock villain up into the sky. The other she cocked back as it sparked with the strength of all who stood before her.
"ORBITAAAAL SMAAAAAAAAAASSSH!"
BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSH
xXx
Battle Center 3…
5 minutes ago…
"Uh-oh."
A barrage of rockets shot from the Zero-pointer, straight for Midoriya!
'Crap! Gotta do something! Gotta block! Dodge! Anything!'He ran back and up a building with air and earthbending, but the rockets were tracking him! He bent a rock up to propel himself, which a rocket hit a moment later. 'Nononononononono!' He kept sprinting, leaping from building to building as the rockets tracked him. 'Wait...yes!'The second barrage was closing in from the front, with the first coming from the back! He stopped mid-sprint and let the rockets approach.
'Wait for it...wait for it...NOW!'
BA-BOOOOOM
But he jumped straight up! Using air and firebending to control the fiery explosion! As he flew towards the Zero-pointer, using the blast to propel himself, he drew the flames to his arm, focusing them to a smaller point on his fist.
"IMPROVISED FIREBENDING…"
'Here goes nothing!'
"SMAAAAAAAASH!"
A white-hot bolt of fire exploded from his punch! The blazing shot cleaved through the machinery in the robots head, melting a perfect hole through to the other side! Slowly but surely, the mock villain toppled backwards, finally deactivated.
"TIME'S UUUUUUUP!"
xXx
Back at the monitor room…
"...that was...something else." Thirteen whispered. They were watching Battle Center 4, where the gravity/power user blasted away the Zero-pointer with a single punch. Unbeknownst to them, some of the pieces had even broken orbit and floated off to space before she lost her grip on the enormous weight.
"Indeed," Ectoplasm agreed "it's rare that those expensive battle robots are even disabled, much less obliterated." He leaned in closer, taking a look at the ground level. "Although, that kickback doesn't mess around it seems." Uraraka was laid out on the ground, vomiting furiously as the school nurse tried to heal her up.
All Might sweated nervously for his student. Though an impressive showing, young Uraraka managed to blow out her right arm and both of her legs in the last moments of the exam. He was proud as hell for her heroic spirit, he just knew he was gonna get an earful from Recovery Girl for this.
"As for Battle Center 1, the most impressive showing was that blond berserker. Feisty." Midnight mewled. The blond in question grinned maniacally at his robotic victims, having earned a whopping 77 villain points. "Despite the chaos, he just kept hammering at his targets, picking out the highest scores. Tough kid." Cementoss commented. "However," he continued, "I must give props to the young elemental in Battle Center 3. With so many applications of his quirk, it's surprising to see that level of control in a child. It's almost like he had four quirks..."
"Not that much control." Snipe corrected, pointing to a monitor. In that final move, the green-haired boy coalesced the flames directly onto his arm, burning the entire limb to blisters. "Doesn't look like he can resist the flames he controls, but that was one hellava move. The water whip's a cool trick too."
"It seems like he can use telekinesis to control matter, and energy to an extent." Principal Nezu ventured. "Toshinori, do you have any knowledge about this boy?"
"Some," the lanky man answered, "I've met him a couple times in the field, though he only showed air manipulation when I did. I think he controlled flames too at the time, but I figured it was a kind of air control. Wasn't really paying attention to him at the time." He admitted, scratching his head sheepishly.
'I wish I had though. He's clearly got multiple quirks; I don't care how Nezu spins it. Could it be...his doing? But he has so many! And he's not braindead! I need to phone a friend…'
"Moving on, I think we have an excellent batch of future heroes to sort through!" Nezu said cheerfully. "Shall we review and begin scoring?"
As things moved along, a tall man in black gazed tiredly at the monitors from the back, studying the still frames on the screens.
'With my luck I'll get both of them. How exhausting.'
xXx
One week later…
"Izuku? Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" He jerked his head up. His mother was staring worriedly as they ate.
"Why were you smiling at that fish?" He looked back down at his food. "Sorry, just got lost in thought." He picked at the fish, choosing his words carefully. "I'm...I'm just worried is all. I got about 17 points in the exam. The cutoff is 25, so I don't think I made it in." he said dejectedly. Inko stood up to clear the table as she listened. "I was doing good at first, but I got distracted and spent too much time fighting the Zero-pointer. It was an exam! What was I thinking?"
"Oh honey," Inko soothed. "I'm sure you did your best. And no matter what, I'm so very proud of you."
"Thanks mom, you need help with the dishes?"
"No I've got it, and don't forget to heal your arm again." She was of course referring to that nasty burn scar he earned from his efforts in the exam. Recovery Girl healed most of the effects but left the rest to the boy's own healing ability through water. It would take a couple more sessions to fully heal, but a small scar on his bicep remained. "And Izuku," he turned as he started upstairs, "don't worry. I'm sure you did great, and there are plenty of other Hero Schools out there. Love you."
"Love you too. "He climbed up the stairs back to his room. 'She's right. Even if I didn't make U.A, there are other amazing schools out there. And I'm still the Avatar. I'll just have to-"
"IZUKU!"
"Hah?" He jumped at her shout, tumbling back down the stairs and onto his head.
"IT'S HERE IT'S HERE! FROM U.A!" Inko shouted, holding the trademark letter. He gaped from his position before scrambling back up to grab the letter. Yep, the U.A. seal.
"Can I…can I read this upstairs? I want to make sure it's good news…" he almost whispered.
"Oh! Yes, of course! Go, go, go!" She shooed him back upstairs before pacing anxiously.
xXx
Avatar Izuku Midoriya stared restlessly at the unopened letter on his desk. 'Pass or fail? Only one way to find out.'He grabbed the letter and, in his excitement, ripped it open.
A small disk fell from the letter, lighting up on the desk.
"HELLO! I AM HERE, AS A PROJECTION!"
"GAAAH! ALL MIGHT?!" He double checked the letter. "But this is from U.A…"
"HA HA HA! THAT'S RIGHT YOUNG MIDORIYA! YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHAT I'M DOING ON YOUR ENTRANCE EXAM RESULTS! WELL I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT U.A.'S NEWEST FACULTY MEMBER!"
"No way!" He yelled with sparkles in his eyes. Of all heroes, All Might was the best of the best! He isn't the Number One for nothing after all!
"HMM? YES YES, I KNOW, GET ON WITH IT. RIGHT! FOR IZUKU MIDORIYA, YOU SUCCESSFULLY EARNED 16 VILLAIN POINTS! UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE HERO COURSE. SORRY."
His blood ran cold at the news. 'I…expected it…but not enough. I failed…' Tears started to well up. 'Don't cry dammit…'
"HA! AS IF THAT WAS THE WHOLE STORY!"
'…what?'
"YOU SEE, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO JUDGE PHYSICAL APTITUDE AND COMBAT READINESS, BUT VERY FEW WAYS TO TEST ONE'S HEART. AND IT'S THE SELFLESS HEART THAT TRULY MAKES A HERO, YOUNG MAN. NEVER FORGET THAT." Next to All Might, images of the exam flitted into view. He saw himself, saving the spring leg boy from the rubble. Getting both examinees away from the Zero-pointer and distracting it long enough for everyone else could get away. Lastly, his finishing strike against the behemoth.
"ANYONE CAN TRAIN HARD ENOUGH TO TRASH SOME ROBOTS WITH HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION. BUT TRUE SACRIFICE IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN'T BE TAUGHT HERE AT U.A. THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE BORN WITH. WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE…" Another screen flitted into view. "RESCUE POINTS!"
Midoriya's jaw hung wide open at the revelation. 'No way. NO WAY!'
"FOR IZUKU MIDORIYA, 50 RESCUE POINTS! PUTTING YOU COMFORTABLY IN 3RD PLACE WITH 76 POINTS IN TOTAL! CONGRATULATIONS!" The Number One Hero grinned as Midoriya started to sob with joy. "WELCOME…TO YOUR HERO ACADEMIA!"
xXx
Mustafu Municipal Beach...
Wind swept up the Pro Hero's hair as he looked out on the beach. Some stray objects had floated back in, even after Uraraka's efforts. Still, it was a beautiful shore, a real sight for sore eyes. A fine place for an old man to reminisce.
"Who would've though, eh Master?" Toshinori mumbled to himself. "She reminds me of you too. Not just her strength, but her determination and kindness. I can only hope I can train her half as well as you trained me." The tide had started to move in, bit by bit as he stood, waiting patiently.
"But that boy. Izuku Midoriya. He has multiple quirks, after all." A glare marred his features as a memory best forgotten crossed his mind. "He could be an outlier, but his powers are…similar to each other in a way. He literally has control over four elements! It's far too coincidental unless something else is going on." He closed his eyes, counting to 10 to ease his anger. "He's just a boy though. And he clearly has the drive and heart of a hero. Still, it's worth investigating. Maybe I'm just paranoid."
…
"…I wonder if…"
"All Might!"
"BLECH!" he sputtered blood in surprise at the mention of his alias. "Be quiet! Someone will hear you!" He chided his student. Uraraka rolled her eyes, as if she hadn't looked around first. "I don't exactly call you anything else though."
"Hmm, that's true." He wiped the blood off his mouth. "Anyway, congrats on getting in!"
"I couldn't have done it without you!" Uraraka cheered. "But seriously, 70 rescue points?"
"Yep, putting you at first place with 98 points overall! Nearly beat my own score at the time in fact." He commented. "And don't worry, I wasn't one of the judges and didn't tell anyone that I was training you. That score, your acceptance, you did that all on your own."
"Wow, thanks!" She looked at her arm, which had been blown out only a week before. "Still, I lost control. I don't know how it happened, it just…"
"You'll get the hang of it. Just try not to hurt yourself again, that nurse had it in for me afterwords and…"
"Wait wait wait…" She put it together. "Recovery Girl knows? About One for All?"
"Well she was on my surgery team, so yes. A few people know in fact, trusted friends and allies of mine, including the Principal should you ever need assistance." He picked up a couple of canisters that were laying in the sand. Uraraka pouted at the new trash, which seemed to mock all her hard work.
"One for All is the vast crystallization of power stocked up by 8 previous users, including myself. Fine control will be tough to manage in the future, but for now all you have to do is keep it under a manageable level for your vessel. One day, after you grow fully accustomed to it-" He buffed up, crushing the cans in his massive fist. "…YOU'LL BE ABLE TO USE ALL YOUR STRENGTH, NO PROBLEM!"
She nodded with determination. "Right! I won't let you down!"
"Hey! Is that All Might?" A couple had been walking down the beach towards them! "Oh my god it is!"
"SHIT! URARAKA! WE'RE RUNNING NOW!"
"Uh, right! Ok!" They both sprinted down beach, away from onlookers. All Might looked back, watching Uraraka try and keep up with One for All, pink light sparking with her footsteps.
'The flame I've passed to you is small, for now. But one day, it will be a blazing force that surpasses my own! Then one day, I will leave this world in your good hands.'
…
…
'Wow! Deep stuff, Toshinori!'
xXx
A lone orange glow illuminated the dark bedroom as the Avatar meditated, brightening and dimming with his controlled breath. The small candle, placed on the foot of his bed, was Midoriya's new training regimen. Took a while to get Inko to approve though.
Sitting in the Lotus Position, he meditated silently, letting the candle's flame rise with his inhale and dim with his exhale. Despite his success in the Entrance Exam, he still hurt himself badly with his improved fire attack. He read up on the Firebending section immediately after and found some basic control exercises. Unfortunately, Korra never did have trouble with firebending, despite being from the Water Tribe. So there wasn't much detail in how to actually control one's fire. Just that you "must stoke your inner flame and have to will to direct your fire".
Though the aged book didn't have too much to say regarding fine control, he quickly got started on his own research once he put connected the dots months ago. Though bending had died out long ago, the martial arts derived from bending still survived the centuries. Firebending forms, though very dated, almost directly resembled Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, which focused greatly on wide, aggressive stances that sacrificed defense for a stronger offence. The whirling kicks, quick maneuvers, and circular blocks were almost identical to the depicted firebending forms from the book.
After about an hour of quiet meditation, he waved his hand, snuffing out the flame, and turned on the light. Evidence of research littered his area, addresses of martial arts schools, printouts, techniques, and martial art history were the main focus. After finding such strong connections between firebending and Northern Shaolin, he did even more digging, backtracking to earthbending techniques and stances. Fortunately, the name survived. Hung Gar and Mantis Style.
Hung Gar was a present day Chinese martial art, which happened to be the southern counterpart of Shaolin, known for its deep, rooted stance. And Southern Praying Mantis was similar but focused on close combat with it's striking and grappling techniques, though it was regarded as a more common style, labeled as "street fighting". The stance never left the user off balance and both styles were depicted in the Earthbending Section.
Waterbending best resembled the art of Tai Chi, which focused on redirection of energy and grappling techniques, which waterbending was practically perfect for. As for airbending, he found that Baguazhang's circular movements and defensive style best fit the techniques described.
Ever since, he started to study the basics of each martial art on his own time, as to improve his abilities. Though his overall bending was definitely more powerful and precise now, he still had a long way to go before he could handle the more advanced techniques in each element.
He put his research away after a while, heading downstairs to eat dinner. For the last 10 years, this was how it was: him and Inko. They lived a quiet, modest life, and were by no means rich. But they got by on the pay from her coffee shop and the biyearly check from overseas. Though that check stopped coming in a few years ago, but Izuku didn't know that.
"Your U.A. uniform is coming in tomorrow, sweetie. We'll have to take it in for alterations first thing."
"Right."
"Oh, and your itinerary and costume order form came in the mail today. I had this idea for your Hero Costume for school."
"That's cool."
"…is everything alright Izu?"
"Sounds good. Huh? Sorry, what'd you say?"
He looked up to Inko's worried face. "I asked if you were alright. You seem a bit out of it lately."
"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine! Don't worry! He he…"
He picked at his curry nervously as they ate. What he to say was a long time coming, and needed to be said before he started at U.A.
"…hey Mom?"
"Hmm? Yes honey?"
"I…I need to tell you something. About my quirk."
Inko started to get worried. "What about it? Is everything alright?"
"…" He grimaced to himself. 'She might not believe me. But she has to at least know.'
"I haven't been completely honest with you. About…how I got my power."
That quirked an eyebrow. What could be hidden about his quirk? "Well, if you feel that way then you should know that I'll still love you. No matter what you have to say or whatever's going on."
Midoriya trembled a bit at her words. 'Here goes nothing.'
"Do you…do you remember when I got trapped in that crypt? In the Shoe Ruins?"
"Oh, how could I forget!" She exclaimed. "I was so worried on the phone you know! And the school was absolutely out of line-"
"Well, you know I discovered my quirk while trapped in there. But you don't really know how I got in, or what I found inside." He pulled a black bound book from under the table.
That got her attention. "You…you stole that from the museum?"
"What? Nononono…well kinda…it's complicated! Let me explain!"
She crossed her arms as she waited for him to finish, a scowl marring her features. "Go on."
"So, in the Ruins, I found this in the sealed room. It was metal, high tech, and didn't seem to belong in an ancient ruin right? When I touched it, the room opened and I found this! It…it was addressed to me."
"What?" She came around and snatched the book, flipping it open. For being so old, it was incredibly well preserved. "Addressed to you? Your name isn't on it."
"Well, addressed to whoever could open the door. Read the note on the front."
And that she did, sitting back down as she did so. Her scowl turned to confusion as she read, then progressed to shock. She reread the passage three times even. 'Avatar? Earth Kingdom? What in the world…'
"Do you…do you have those beads? The bead necklace?"
"Ye-yeah! I'll go get it." He hurried back upstairs as Inko read on. After the introduction, the book went into detail about some of "Avatar Korra's" adventures throughout the ancient world. Stories about Spirit Portals, Four Nations, Republic City, and the like. When Izuku returned his meditation beads, she was frowning again.
"Izuku, you say this was sealed in the ruins, but this book describes cars and metal blimps. Even movies called "movers"! This couldn't be too far in the past."
At that, he looked down sadly. 'Was he lying this whole time?'
"That's because when Korra died, I didn't reincarnate in time."
"What?" She reread the introduction again.
If you, the next Avatar, are reading this, I am dead.
The world is counting on you, Avatar. But don't worry, I've got your back. Forever.
"Reincarnation? Ok, sweetie? Are you feeling alri-"
"I know how it sounds! Please, just let me explain!" he interrupted. She looked at the necklace in his hands. It matched the description perfectly and was too old to have been made this century.
"…alright. Start from the beginning."
"Well, when I got trapped…"
"No Izuku." She stopped him. "The beginning."
"O-oh! Ok then…"
And so he did. He told her everything he had learn about his past life and what it meant now. He told her about Avatar Aang, and how he ended a hundred year old war in the matter of a year. About how he was the last Airbender in the world, and took it upon himself to rebuild his culture as well as complete his duties as the Avatar. Then, when his time came, Korra reincarnated into the world to take on her destiny. How she suffered and grew stronger for it and became one the most successful, and the last, Avatar of the Era. About the Spirit World, and it's connection to the physical world. How the Avatar Spirit was hurt 3,000 years ago and is now strong enough to manifest into the world through none other…
…than her son.
"So, what you're saying is: you're the Avatar, and that's why you can control the four elements. Am I right?"
"Right, by all rights I'm still quirkless. But my bending more than makes up for it."
"And…you're the spiritual reincarnation of the woman who wrote this? Avatar Korra?"
"I know it sounds crazy…but yeah."
She ran her hands over the aged book. It was definitely old enough to match her son's story, even though it was written in perfect kanji. And the descriptions of bending matched what her son could do to the letter. And the necklace, the wood and stone carvings were nothing like she had ever seen. If Izuku was making this up, he sure put a great deal of work into it.
But she looked back to her son, who was looking at her with hope. Hope that she would believe him, trust him. 'What kind of mother would I be if I didn't?' She shut the book, giving it back to her son.
"I want to believe you Izuku. I do. But this is just so out there…" Her picked up their half-eaten meal. "I need some time to think, alright? Go on to bed."
"…alright." He collected his things and went back upstairs. "Love you."
"…love you too. Goodnight Izuku."
xXx
Later that night…
"What do you mean "quirkless"? He can't be!"
"I'm sorry Hizashi, that's what the doctor said!"
"Take him again. Have those quacks do a retest!"
"It won't change anything! Please, you'll wake him…"
"You listen to me! No son of mine is gonna grow up quirkless! They'll tear him to bits!
"Please, don't talk that way! Even if he is quirkless, he's still our son! You can't just-"
"I don't fucking care! Get a retest, or our son will be yourson! You hear me?!"
"Hizashi please! Listen to rea-"
SMACK
"DON'T YOU TALK BACK TO ME BITCH!"
CRACK-BOOOOOOM
"AAAAHH!"
Thunder cracked as the rain come down in waves outside. Sitting up straight up, Inko tried to control her heartbeat, which was racing faster than lightning.
"Ok…ok…just a dream…another nightmare…he's not here…" she softly gasped. She laid back down, curling in on herself. "It's ok…he's not here…Izuku's safe…" her heart froze. "Izuku."
She practically leaped out of bed, throwing on a robe and slippers as she made her way down the hall. Creaking the door open, she peaked inside.
She let out a sigh. He was there, safe and sound asleep. She crept into his room, careful not to wake her sleeping child. The book, the one he showed her, sat open in his hand as he dozed on, drool dripping out the corner of his mouth.
Carefully, she pried the book out of his grip and tucked him in a bit tighter. For a moment, he looked almost like he was 4 again as he slept, probably dreaming about heroes.
She shook her head as she closed the open book. 'I still don't know if what he says is true. But as long as he's happy, does it really matter?' She placed the book on his desk, next to some new hero notes. 'He's still my son. Nothing, not even a spirit, could ever change that.'
"You're absolutely right."
She whirled around, letting out a loud gasp. And gloved hand pressed against her mouth before she could scream. "Shhh, you'll wake him" the stranger said. Inko was terrified as she took in the blue furred attire, with sharp blue eyes almost looking right through her.
"Don't be scared," she whispered "I'm not here to hurt him. Quite the opposite in fact."
Tears streamed down Inko's face as the woman lifted her hand off her mouth. "Who-hic-who are you?" Inko whispered back.
"My name is Korra. I think Izuku told you about me."
Inko's eyes widened with shock. The blue fur, the elderly features, and the dim glow should've given it away.
"You're…you're his past life?"
"Yes. It's nice to finally meet you."
"I don't understand…"
The older woman chuckled. "That's not a shock. Izuku decided to share his identity with you, but it's a lot to take in I know. You should've seen my parents when instead of bending water, I shot fire instead. It was a lot to take in then as well, even with the wide-spread knowledge of the Avatar."
"I see…um, would you mind if I-"
"Sat down? Certainly. And fear not, we won't wake my current life." She jabbed her thumb back at the sleeping boy as she sat crisscross on the floor. Inko did the same, almost falling down instead. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, fine. I suppose. So, everything my son said…"
"True," Korra confirmed "every word."
"Ok…and what does that mean for him? Is he going to be safe?"
Korra turned to the bedframe. Midoriya slept on, without a care in the world. "…I can't promise he'll always be safe. As the Avatar, it's his duty to protect the world and maintain balance. There may be some who seek to threaten that balance, and if they knew there was a supernatural being whose sole purpose was to stop them? Well, it wouldn't be the first time an Avatar was…well, you get the idea."
Inko shuddered at the thought. "So…his identity as the Avatar needs to be secret."
"Yes, for now at least. Once he's capable of defending himself and becomes a fully realized Avatar, then it will be up to him. But for now, he must train. Until he's ready. Though I'm glad he'll be able to train at this school, U.A."
"But," Inko was confused "if he needs to stay secret, then exposing him to the world will-"
"It will be necessary for his growth as the Avatar to be in the world." Korra stopped that train of thought. "Believe me, keeping him under a rock will do no one any favors. I should know." She looked right into Inko's eyes with her sharp, clear ones. "I know it's hard, but the world needshim. Now more than ever, in more ways than even he knows." The image of the Avatar started to dissipate as she spoke. "What he needs, now more than ever, is your trust. Trust him, believe in him. We're counting on you…" And with that, she faded into specks of light, leaving Inko in the dark bedroom.
She checked on Midoriya one more time. Through all that, he was still asleep. Go figure.
xXx
And that's it for Chapter Five! A bit sooner than expected, but inspiration struck and I just had to sit down and write it out.
Both Midoriya and Uraraka made it in, top three no less! Hoped ya'll liked her super move! Even if it f##ked her up a bit.
By now, Midoriya has a basic handle on each element, but he's far from perfect. Especially with firebending, as it is his opposite. Some might complain that he shouldn't be able to firebend at all, and that I need to make him wimpier to compliment that.
Here's the deal, even if it's not always evident, Midoriya has willpower to spare when he needs it. Ask Kota. Or Eri. Or Todoroki. His stubbornness and adaptability, however. are likely his strongest traits, which he uses throughout the series. But he didn't always have the will and drive to make his dreams happen. But people grow, and Midoriya has grown a lot ever since he discovered his abilities. Patience.
Why do Anime Dads leave so damn often? Honestly. At least he has Inko, and now she's in the know about the Avatar, even speaking briefly with Korra.
Writing for Korra is interesting. She still has her brash mannerisms, but it's highly tempered with age and experience. Think about how Katara was in ATLA vs LoK. It's a bit like that I would think.
Hope ya'll enjoyed, now for the reviews!