MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Musutafu.
The next morning, Tatsuo and Alfonzo woke up early to go on that run they mentioned, leaving the high rise building that both acted as their living space and Alfonzo's Hero Agency just before dawn.
Both dressed in sweatsuits; they ran through the city of Musutafu at a steady pace as they climbed up and down a hilly path they had mapped out before. While doing so, though they were used to it by now, sweat streamed down their faces.
However, when they first arrived in this world, neither Tatsuo nor Alfonzo were ready for just how winded they got during their first workouts. Because as physically fit as they were, working out at the level of a hero in this world should not have even left them slightly winded.
"*Sigh* That update didn't explain everything that changed during [Missions]." Tatsuo muttered while wiping sweat off his forehead before it could drip into his eyes. "Getting nerfed like this without any kind of warning is a pain."
"Yeah... it definitely is." Alfonzo replied with a shrug while maintaining his pace. "But if they didn't bring us down to the same level as the people in this world, we would just steam roll everything. And that would make this boring, wouldn't it?"
"I guess." Tatsuo replied. "But at least it didn't mess with my ability to manipulate space. I can still open gates to other places, phase into a sub-dimension to avoid attacks, and cut space. So, other than being physically weaker and less versatile with my skill set, I'm still good."
"Unfortunately, I'm not quite as lucky." Alfonzo replied. "Not having access to my [Metal Magic] or [Archive Magic] feels weird."
"Yeah, I bet it does." Tatsuo replied. "I mean, I was complaining about not being able to use [Projection]. But now that I think about it, it's not all that bad. I wasn't even all that used to it yet. And what's the point of using it if you can't even use [Unlimited Blade Works], right?"
Instead of responding immediately, Alfonzo fell silent because Tatsuo signaled that someone was approaching. Not long later, a young woman running with her dog passed from the opposite direction. He resumed the conversation once he assumed they were no longer in earshot. Though, before that happened, Alfonzo did stop and ask if he could pet the dog.
"*Sigh* I really wanna get a dog for home." Alfonzo muttered.
"Then why don't you?" Tatsuo asked.
"Because if I get a dog, Cana wants a cat." Alfonzo said in a dejected tone. "But we can't have a cat because of Sun. You know, mermaids and cats don't really get along."
"From what I remember, merfolk are scared of cats." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "But cats don't seem to have a problem with merfolk."
"Same difference." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "Either way, no dogs or cats for us. Anyway, back to what we were talking about. The thing I miss having most is my [Magic Power Detection], though. With that, I could sense everyone in the area my [MPD] could reach."
"Would that even work in this world?" Tatsuo asked. "I mean, you explained it to me before. It works by picking up magic power signals, right? And since everyone in your world has some amount of magic power, I can understand why you would rely on it. But do people even have magic power in this world?"
"Probably not." Alfonzo replied. "That still doesn't keep me from missing the ability to keep track of everything in the area."
Like that, the two continued to chat until they eventually reached the Takoba Municipal Beach Park, a heavily polluted beach. And this beach was the place they intended to go from the very beginning.
And just as they expected, Tatsuo and Alfonzo saw Toshinori standing on the beach with the green-haired boy that Alfonzo rescued from the Sludge Villain the day before.
As they approached, the conversation between Toshinori and the green-haired boy ended. Then, with a determined, yet despair-filled, expression on his face, the green-haired boy began moving the garbage strewn all over the beach. Though, it was clear that with his thin frame, it would be a struggle to move anything that was even remotely heavy.
"Yo!" Alfonzo shouted as he and Tatsuo drew near to the beach. "What's up, Toshinori?"
Hearing his name called, Toshinori, who was watching the green-haired boy struggle to move a tire, turned his head in the direction of the voice. When he saw Alfonzo, he smiled unconsciously. Yet, when he saw Tatsuo, he raised an eyebrow in interest.
Naturally, Toshinori was not the only one who heard Alfonzo's shout, as the green-haired boy also turned to look in the direction the shout came from. And like Toshinori, he also smiled. Though, his smile was filled with both gratitude from being saved the night before and fanaticism. However, when he noticed Tatsuo running next to the hero who saved, him, a worried expression appeared on his face.
"Static knows All Might?" The green-haired boy asked himself quietly. "Well, that's not surprising, they're both heroes, after all. But who is the other guy? One of Static's sidekicks? No, Static's the only hero in his agency. So, who is he?"
As if to answer the green-haired boy's question, All Might spoke up at that moment while waving at the new arrivals.
"Hey, Alfonzo-Kun." Toshinori said happily. "I see you brought your younger cousin with you."
'So, that's Static's cousin, huh?' The green-haired boy muttered internally. 'Is he a hero, too?'
"Yeah, I'm helping in train." Alfonzo replied. "He's gotta put in the work if he wants to get into U.A., after all."
"Huh? He's in middle school!?" the green-haired boy asked in shock.
That shout drew both Tatsuo's and Alfonzo's attention to the green-haired boy, who shrunk back once all the attention was on him.
"Oh, you're the boy from yesterday." Alfonzo said with a smile. "I didn't get a chance to get your name after the whole thing with the villain. Anyway, I'm Alfonzo Marcus. But most people know me as Static. It's good to see that you're doing alright after all that shit went down yesterday."
Hearing Alfonzo swear so casually, the green-haired boy was mostly unphased. His best frenemy swore like a sailor after one too many drinks during shore leave, after all.
"Oh! Uh... Yes, it's good to see you again, Static!" the green-haired boy shouted as he bowed deeply. "My name is Midoriya Izuku! It's a pleasure to see you again, as well. And thank you for saving me and Kacchan yesterday. I really appreciate it."
"I'm a hero, Kid." Alfonzo said with a chuckle. "You don't have to thank me for that. It's kinda what I do."
Alfonzo then turned to Tatsuo and patted him on the back.
"You introduce yourself, too." Alfonzo said.
"Yeah, yeah." Tatsuo replied while rolling his eyes at the act Alfonzo was putting on. "I'm Soramoto Tatsuo, nice to meet both of you. But why are you guys training here? Wouldn't training in a gym where you can lift weights, run, and spar be more efficient?"
In response, Toshinori started scratching his head.
"Well, that was my decision." Toshinori replied. "Training here kills two birds with one stone. You see, this beach needed to be cleaned. Plus, it's good exercise for Young Midoriya, as well."
"If you say so." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. He then turned to Alfonzo with feigned confusion on his face. "By the way, Alfonzo, is this guy really All Might? I mean, he's kinda scrawny, isn't he?"
"Yeah, it's really him." Alfonzo replied while shaking his head slowly. "This is just what he looks like when he's not using his [Quirk]."
"Got it." Tatsuo replied. He then turned to Izuku and continued. "Anyway, when you have time, you can come train with me. My cousin's place has a state of the art gym. At least if you train there, you won't have to worry about getting tetanus from moving all this rusty crap."
Hearing that, Izuku turned to look at Toshinori, unwilling to make the decision on his own.
"Well, Alfonzo-Kun does know my secret." Toshinori muttered to himself. "And from what he's told me about Young Soramoto, he should be trustworthy. Plus, having someone to train with and push you isn't a bad thing, either..."
After mulling it over for a while, Toshinori eventually nodded his head.
"That's an excellent idea, Young Soramoto." Toshinori said with his signature All Might smile. He then looked at the beach, and all the trash on it, with a complicated expression. "But what should we do about all the trash?"
"Oh, I can take care of that." Alfonzo replied while waving dismissively. "From what I can tell, most of this shit is metallic. So, I can just move it with my [Quirk]. Honestly, I meant to do it a long time ago. But every time I tried to, some villain popped up and I got sidetracked."
"That's so cool." Izuku exclaimed excitedly with his eyes sparkling. "Your [Quirk] lets you control electromagnetism. So, I'm sure cleaning up this beach would be no issue for you."
"Pretty much." Alfonzo replied. "Anyway, I'll take care of that before I start patrolling today. For now, why don't you continue your workout. Then, when I see what you can do, I'll work with Toshinori to make a training plan for you."
With the decision made, Izuku nodded happily. Then he went back to moving trash with renewed vigor. Meanwhile, Alfonzo cleared out a spot for him and Tatsuo to spar while Toshinori watched both sides.
At the same time, not far from Takoba Municipal Beach Park, two girls were also jogging before school. And if Tatsuo and Alfonzo were to see them, they would recognize them immediately, as they were Akatsuki and Sakura, whom they were teleported into this world with to complete the [Mission].
Though, they would probably do a double take when they saw Akatsuki.
Just like Tatsuo and Alfonzo, who were inserted into this world with a connection to each other, Akatsuki and Sakura were in a similar situation. Though, their connection was not as close as the male members of the [Chat]. Instead, they were classmates in middle school.
Both girls also had a much gentler childhood than Tatsuo, as they had loving families that resembled their real life families. Their natural real life families.
In Sakura's case, she had a father named Tokiomi, a mother named Aoi, and an older sister named Rin. Though, to keep up with her created identity, they had the surname Matou instead of Tohsaka. And her [Quirk], [Shadow Space], was inherited from her mother's side of the family. As for Tokiomi's [Quirk], it was called [Jewel Effect]. And Rin inherited her [Quirk] from him.
Luckily, the Matou family was a big shot family in the industry of jewel crafting. So, on top of having a large amount of wealth, they also had enough jewels for the family to make use of their [Quirks].
Then, there was Akatsuki, who went by her real name, Hanekura Shizuka. And just like her life before being trapped in Elder Tales, she was the eldest daughter of a family of four consisting of her, her parents, and her younger sister, Hibiki.
And for that, she was grateful. Though, there was one thing she was decidedly not happy about in her current situation. And that was the fact that she was five years younger than her actual age. But that was not he worst of it.
Now fifteen years old, on top of having to attend Aldera Junior High School with Sakura, both about to finish their second year while making preparations to take the U.A. High School Entrance Exam., she also lo longer looked like a twelve year old. Instead, she had grown at a normal pace for a girl her age. Meaning, she was quite a bit taller, standing at 5'4", and had a much more feminine figure. Though, she was still quite slender.
And the thought of going back to her underdeveloped self after the [Mission] was over nearly drove her insane every time she thought about it.
Despite all that, Akatsuki found herself happy with the [Quirk] she chose, [Sneak], which allowed her to take advantage of her playstyle from Elder Tales. Though, her [Quirk] made it seem as if she was just good at sneaking around... That was exactly what it did. But it was a combination of all her stealth skills from the game.
[Sneak] combined skills like Dark Vision and Silent Movement, allowing Akatsuki to reduce her presence to a minimum while making all her actions completely silent when her [Quirk] was active. On top of that, it boosted her speed and agility by a not insignificant amount, as well.
Even with so much going well for them, both Akatsuki and Sakura were irritated by the fact that they were completely separated from Tatsuo and Alfonzo without the means to contact them. Still, they made the best out of their situation.
For example, this morning, a Friday morning before school, Akatsuki and Sakura were jogging together through the streets of Musutafu.
"Seriously, it's been seven days..." Akatsuki complained. "This city isn't that big. How in the world have we not seen either of them yet?"
"There's no guarantee that they live in Musutafu, though." Sakura pointed out. "But look on the bright side. At least we know that Alfonzo-San is a hero called Static."
"That makes me even angrier!" Akatsuki grumbled in irritation. "Why did he get to stay the same age while I got younger? And what makes it even worse, I end up looking like this! Something I've spent years dreaming about! But I know it will all disappear when we're done with this [Mission]! it feels like someone is playing a damn joke on me! This sucks!"
As she ranted, Akatsuki gestured wildly towards her clearly, more mature body while wearing an anguished expression on her face.
"Actually, I think he got younger, too." Sakura said quietly. "Didn't he say he was twenty-two in his world. But in this one, he's only twenty-one."
Instead of replying, Akatsuki stop her wild hand gestures and turned her head to stare blankly at Sakura. And when Sakura glanced at her after not getting a response, she at least had the decency to look away while blushing with a sheepish expression on her face.
For the next few moments, Akatsuki continued to stare at Sakura, who seemed to be shrinking under the other girl's glare. At the same time, when Akatsuki saw Sakura's breasts, which were bouncing up and down with every step, she took a quick peak at her nearly non-existent before gritting her teeth in envy.
On a side note, while staring at Sakura, Akatsuki avoided all the obstacles, such as signs and light posts, that were in her way on reflex.
"Hmph!" Akatsuki snorted in response as she turned away.
After that, Akatsuki picked up the pace and ran away from Sakura.
"Ah! Hey, Akatsuki-San! Wait for me!" Sakura yelped when she saw Akatsuki running off. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so inconsiderate!"
With that, the two continued their run, one chasing after the other.
Not long later, however, Akatsuki came to an abrupt stop. So abrupt, in fact, that Sakura, running directly behind her, ran into her from behind.
"Hey, what's wrong, Akatsuki-San?" Sakura asked in a confused tone.
Yet, Sakura did not receive a response. Instead, Akatsuki only pointed her right index finger in the direction she was looking.
Following Akatsuki's pointing finger, Sakura's line of sight drifted into the distance where a beach strewn with all sorts of garbage, discarded appliances, and other sorts of waste could be seen. And when Sakura saw that, she fell into a state of shock just like Akatsuki. Because despite all the trash on the beach, they could also see four people moving around.
In fact, Akatsuki and Sakura actually recognized three of the four people on the beach. One of which was Midoriya Izuku, who they both attended middle school with. But the ones that really caused the two girls' shock were the other two they recognized.
"That's Tatsuo-Kun and Alfonzo-San... Isn't it?" Sakura asked in an almost unsure tone.
"Yeah." Akatsuki replied with a nod. A moment later, she puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "We spent all our free time after getting here looking for them. And just yesterday, we decided that we would just wait for the entrance exam to find Tatsuo-Kun. And now, as soon as we stop looking, we run into them. What kind of joke is this?"
Although Sakura also felt a little exasperated at the way things ended up, she was happier than anything else now that she was reunited with Tatsuo and Alfonzo again. Though, she was definitely happier to see Tatsuo than Alfonzo... Not that she would ever admit that aloud.
Looking back over her shoulder at Sakura, who was still pressed up against her after running into her, Akatsuki could see the happy smile on her face. And when she saw that, she subconsciously smiled, as well.
"So, should we go over there?" Akatsuki asked in a slightly teasing tone.
"Mhmm." Sakura hummed as she nodded her head. "And since they're with Midoriya-Kun, it won't look weird to that skinny guy."
"It probably wouldn't look weird even if Midoriya-Kun wasn't there." Akatsuki replied with a shrug as she started walking towards the beach. "I mean, it's not like it's impossible that we've met Tatsuo-Kun and Alfonzo-San in the past."
"I suppose you're right." Sakura replied as she followed behind Akatsuki.