Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
August 21, 2xxx - Izumi Pov.
Provisional Hero License Exam. An exam held twice a year, in June and September. UA administered the September exams to its students, so here we were now, preparing for those exams even before the next term began. And how to do it?
Ultimate Moves.
True, we were supposed to have created those Ultimate Moves at the training camp in the forest, but now that I think about it, we didn't even touch on that subject, and the whole League of Villains attack didn't happen until the last day.
Now we were at the Gamma Gym, 10 days before the next period begins, with our hero costumes ready to invent our Ultimate Moves.
I frowned slightly as I watched all the teachers split up with the students; it seemed that each one had some ideas of what they wanted to do.
"Miyamura," Aizawa said beside me, gesturing for me to come closer. I followed him as he turned and walked away from the center of the gym where everyone was training. "Alright, you have two options, Miyamura. First, you don't need to train an Ultimate Move," Aizawa said, and my eyes widened slightly.
"Why not?" I asked, confused. Aizawa looked at me blankly.
"You're ridiculously strong, Miyamura, and you have countless moves in your repertoire that would count as Ultimate Moves. That Totality you do with your summons? The strongest attacks with your swords? They would count as Ultimate Moves. Even your three-sword style would count as an Ultimate Move since you only use it against strong opponents."
"So no, you don't need this class." Aizawa said dryly. I stopped and smiled awkwardly.
"Yeah... I guess I don't need it." I said awkwardly, and Aizawa rolled his eyes.
"So I'm giving you the option, you can ignore this class, but you will have to attend Recovery Girl's classes. You were studying with Campbell at camp about healing with your Round Deer, but you still need more professional training."
"It will increase your chances of obtaining your provisional license." Aizawa said easily, and I shuddered slightly.
"Go back to Recovery Girl now that I'm free of her?" I asked incredulously. Aizawa smiled sadistically.
"Your decision." Aizawa said playfully, and I snorted.
"And the second option?" I asked curtly. He shrugged.
"You're staying and continuing to train. No one will mind if you train even more. Besides, from what we saw in your fight on Kamino, you still have a lot to learn about your Shadow Quirk. You showed different ways of using it than you normally do, so you still have a lot to improve." Aizawa said directly, and I nodded with a frown.
"Yes... my Ten Shadows is... much more than I expected. Although I don't really know. Like some of the things I did in Kamino." I said with a grimace. "When I flooded everything with shadows, I... simply pushed my quirk far beyond its normal limit, to 120% of its normal strength."
"That was Chimera Shadow Garden." I explained to Aizawa; he stood still and looked at me for a few seconds.
"Are you authorized to fully use your aura?" Aizawa asked slowly, and I nodded.
"Yes, Recovery Girl saw me yesterday. My aura has fully recovered. I have no problem using my aura normally or even pushing it out as usual." I said honestly, and Aizawa nodded.
"Then the decision is still yours: work on your Chimera Shadow Garden or on your healing. By the way, the latter is tested separately in the exam; you need a special license to use a healing quirk on a civilian." Aizawa said with a shrug, and I just stared at him blankly.
"Just say you want me to go with Recovery Girl right away." I said dryly, and Aizawa smiled slightly.
"It's your decision, I just hope you choose well," Aizawa said meekly, his tone of voice not changing in the slightest. I groaned bitterly.
"Fine, fine, fine, I'll go study with Recovery Girl." I grumbled in annoyance. Aizawa's eyes flashed with amusement, but his expression didn't change; he simply nodded.
"Alright, Campbell is waiting for you outside the gym to guide you," Aizawa said easily. I looked at him incredulously.
"If you had already decided that I would study with Recovery Girl, you should have started with that!" I exclaimed incredulously. Aizawa looked at me over his shoulder as he walked away, smiling mockingly.
"And where would the fun be in that?" Aizawa mocked. I grunted before sighing wearily, turned around, and headed for the exit.
I glanced at everyone training. I could see Azula working on her lightning generation, specifically maintaining a steady beam while moving and performing other actions. Her sword wasn't repaired yet, so she couldn't train with it.
Taylor seemed to be deep in thought as the insects swirled around her, and I watched her curiously too. I mean, what kind of Ultimate Move could she possibly create with her insects? Unless the biblical plague she sometimes uses counts, and… maybe it did; it was terrifying enough to be an Ultimate Move.
Ruby, on the other hand, seemed to be moving from side to side, bouncing rapidly as if trying to gain more speed only to stop and start again. I'd have to ask her what she was trying to accomplish later ; for the moment, I had to leave and go see Recovery Girl. I sighed wearily.
"Miyamura!" Maria said with a smile as soon as I left the gym.
"Maria, I think you're my guide." I said with a small smile; she just smiled broadly and nodded.
"I am! Come on! Recovery Girl has everything ready! She said she wanted to give a little test to see what level you're at before we start everything else! " Maria said cheerfully, and I groaned loudly. Of course she wanted to do that; I think it was more of a revenge on her part. I wanted to snarl, but I just walked behind Maria, trying not to lose sight of her.
I sighed wearily as we headed to the infirmary; I wasn't looking forward to Recovery Girl's classes.
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August 24, 2xxx – Izumi Pov.
Today is Azula's birthday. What a surprise! Well, I mean, I've known for weeks. The surprise is that I didn't know her birthday was August 24th. I was almost certain it was never mentioned in the series or any other media, but here we were, after a long shower following training with the rest of the class. Azula was drying her hair with a towel while talking to Kiyi.
I smiled slightly as I watched her; I really didn't have a high opinion of Azula's family, and that had nothing to do with my meta-knowledge. In fact, like most people, I thought Zuko and Iroh were some of the best characters the first time I saw Avatar.
But after watching it several times you started to notice the flaws they had, but even so they were still good characters, very well written. Did it bother me how they treated Azula in the canon? Of course, but it hardly mattered at that moment.
Now? Now that I was out and knew Azula so personally, so intimately, I would definitely side with her, even against her family. Azula has her flaws; I'm not so blindly in love that I couldn't see them, but even so, I would still be on her side, flaws and all.
I would stop her if she did something too stupid, and I would tell her to her face the moment she screwed up—well, after she did. If she wanted to usurp the throne again, I would gladly help her, but afterward I would tell her how incredibly stupid it was. It was a good compromise on my part… I think.
Even so, putting that aside, I was glad she still had someone like family, especially Kiyi. Kiyi was a sweetheart despite trying to balance both sides of her family. They really should suggest to Azula that she convince her to go to therapy from a young age, because with a family as divided as that, it would take its toll, especially since she was so attached to Azula.
I paused for a moment when I felt my Scroll vibrate slightly. I took it out, smiled slightly, and stood up.
"Zula!" I said cheerfully as I approached. Azula looked up and stared at me curiously.
"Izumi?!" Kiyi squealed happily, I approached Azula and placed my head on her shoulder to enter the chamber.
"Hi Kiyi, it's been a while." I said with a smile.
"Izumi!" Kiyi said cheerfully with a huge smile. "Hello!" she greeted happily.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, Kiyi, but I have to steal Azula away! I have to give her her present! " I said with an apologetic smile. Kiyi looked sad immediately.
"But-" Kiyi tried to say with a pout. I smiled amusedly.
"How about this? I just need Zula for about an hour, then we'll go back to the dorm for a small party for Azula. All our classmates will be there. How about I set up a video call so you can participate?" I said with a slight smile. Kiyi's eyes opened wide before she smiled brightly.
"Yes!" Kiyi squealed happily as she nodded.
"Perfect! Rest up, grab some snacks and drinks, you don't want to feel left out of the party, do you? " I asked playfully. Kiyi nodded as she stood up with her phone in her hand.
"I'll do it! I'll have the maids prepare everything in Big Sister's room!" Kiyi said cheerfully as she hung up. I chuckled, and Azula gave me a rather unimpressed look before sighing.
"So, a present?" Azula asked playfully. "I thought you were forgetting." She teased slightly.
"Impossible! Although it took a while, I had trouble convincing him." I said with a huff. Azula seemed curious. "Don't ask, I'm not going to tell you, come on." I said as I pulled her to her feet. "You can come too." I told the other girls who had also finished cleaning up their training clothes.
When they were ready, the five of us left the dormitories.
"Ah, there they are." grandfather said as he approached.
"Ryuma-sama!?" the girls asked while squealing in surprise, they straightened up at the presence of my grandfather, I rolled my eyes.
"You said it was ready." I told Grandpa simply; he just clicked his tongue.
"And it is, now come before I feel I've changed my mind." grandpa said as he turned away.
"Did something happen? Why are we following Ryuma-sama? " Azula asked cautiously.
"It's finished, your sword," Grandfather said simply. Azula froze in place and opened her eyes wide.
"My sword." Azula murmured, surprised and with a touch of relief, as if she had missed it for too long.
"Yes, your sword is finished. Grandpa mentioned the other day that it had splintered when we were talking. I guess we put a little pressure on it." I said with a grimace.
"A little? You're overdoing it," Grandfather said dryly. "Nichirin is heat-resistant; it wouldn't have been warped or chipped by the temperature of Azula's blue fire, even pushing it to its limits, but enveloping it in rays is another matter."
"The temperature of lightning is at least 10 times stronger than blue fire, can be up to 20 times stronger depending on its intensity. The Nichirin sword only withstood it because of its materials; any other sword would have melted instantly. She's lucky that the Katana only weakened enough to develop a small crack," the grandfather said with a grimace.
"I'm sorry, I hadn't noticed. It must have chipped after the fight against the dungeon boss, or maybe during it. I didn't realize it either. The sword cracked." Azula said meekly.
"Don't worry, I already offered to repair it, but my stubborn grandson wanted to place a special 'order' for you," said the grandfather with a grimace.
"Oh come on, you weren't using it." I rolled my eyes.
"You're like a fungus, annoying and persistent." Grandpa grumbled reluctantly, and I laughed.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but Izumi's swords weren't damaged when she used the same technique," Ruby said, confused. Grandpa and I sighed.
"My Haki did all the work keeping my swords in place. Many of my attacks would have shattered Sandai Kitetsu long ago. Sandai Kitetsu is a Meito Grade, two levels below Enma and Wado Ichimonji, yet it's still capable of matching them to a certain extent. It's strong, but it's still the most fragile of my swords." I said with a sigh.
"I forged the Nichirin sword myself, and I'll admit I have a little talent, but I'm no master blacksmith. I became interested in forging too late to have mastered the craft, so the only thing I could do with the Nichirin was create a sword at the level of a Meito Grade." The grandfather said with a grimace.
"That's still amazing!" Ruby said immediately, the grandfather just nodded slightly.
"That's enough," the grandfather said meekly. "But that doesn't change the fact that the Nichirin sword was truly fragile under the immense strain it endured during the fight. Without Haki to reinforce it, it was only a matter of time before it broke."
"Especially if you keep insisting on using that combined attack, that… God of Fire Thunder." The grandfather said, looking at Azula over his shoulder. She grimaced but didn't contradict him. "I was simply going to repair and reinforce it, which would be easy, but the same problem would definitely arise later, so using it would be something you do at your own risk, or you'd need to learn Haki before you could use it safely."
"But Izumi... had a completely different idea. The problem with improving your sword was trying to find something resistant to a continuous flow of lightning and fire, which is terribly difficult to achieve. Do you know how difficult it is to find a material that naturally resists lightning and is suitable for forging swords? " said Grandfather dryly. "Very difficult, I can say that from experience," he added with the same dryness.
"Don't be so dramatic." I rolled my eyes playfully, and Grandpa snorted. We finally arrived at the Gamma Gym, which was now completely empty except for a box in the middle of the room. Grandpa walked over and grabbed it. Without hesitation, he threw it at Azula.
"You're lucky, girl. I've wanted to forge something with this material for ages. I was waiting for my idiot grandson to ask me for it to forge a sword for him, but you know my surprise when he asked me to use it for your sword? I almost ran all the way to UA to punch him."
"You're lucky my grandson is terribly stubborn; very few people would have been able to find the necessary material to improve your sword, especially since your sword increased by a Grade during the Kamino incident."
"If it hadn't entered the realm of Skillful Grade when you gave it a name, it wouldn't have survived the treatment," Grandpa said simply.
"Is that... possible?" Darkness asked, surprised.
"Oh, definitely, a sword can increase or decrease its Grade depending on many things. Giving it a name? Awakening a sword like that and giving it a spark of soul? That would definitely increase the sword's Grade by one." Grandfather said, sounding genuinely impressed. Azula smiled slightly as she gently stroked the box.
She placed it on the ground and carefully opened it; inside was the sword in its sheath. Azula carefully removed it and ran her hands over the katana.
"Amaterasu." Azula said affectionately. I could almost feel the sword tremble with excitement, almost like a purr. Azula gripped the hilt firmly and began to draw the sword. I froze in that instant. I could feel every hair on my head stand on end.
The sword began to emit an enormous aura and I began to smile almost maniacally.
"What the hell?" Azula muttered as she fully unsheathed Amaterasu. The sword was still completely black due to the color it had taken from Sun Breathing, but now it had acquired a completely bright, blood-red edge.
The evil aura emanating from the sword was completely abnormal.
"Congratulations, girl, you have one of the rarest materials in the world in your hands, the only thing capable of surviving such continuous temperatures... a Kamish fang." The grandfather said wildly, despite his initial reluctance, I could see how working with the Kamish fang had excited him in the same way.
Azula remained completely still, stunned, Amaterasu still in her hands, showing no sign of reaction. After a few seconds, she finally awoke from her reverie.
"A-I- th-thank you, i-it's an honor, it's... it's beautiful." Azula stammered, trembling slightly, her gaze fixed on her sword. Azula stammering, Azula stammering for the first time, and I couldn't blame her. Receiving a sword made partially from Kamish's fang? It was inconceivable.
"Don't thank me, girl. I already told you, it wasn't my idea, and I didn't cover the cost of the rest of the materials. Forging Kamish's fang was much more complicated than simply hitting it." The grandfather said with a grimace. Azula turned to look at me with an expression that only made me smile broadly.
"So? Did you like it? " I asked playfully.
"It's...it's incredible, Izumi, thank you." Azula said, sounding completely sincere as she sighed and gently stroked Amaterasu.
"I'm glad, and ignore my grandfather, he's wanted to work for years with that old head he still kept unused." I said mockingly, grandfather clicked his tongue.
"Oh my Holy cookie! It's beautiful! I'm so happy for you, but also so jealous." Ruby moaned, squirming as she admired the doll up close. "Can I hold her?! Can I hug her?! Does it have any special skills?! " Ruby asked quickly.
"Not much, as I said, I'm no master blacksmith, but I must be one of the few capable of working with Kamish's bones, even in death; his bones are much harder than almost any existing material."
"As interesting and resistant as Nichirin is, it wasn't a base material on par with Kamish. Even so, the sword undoubtedly entered the Great Grade range, but I had to make concessions. You won't receive a destructive power boost like Shusui, but the sword will be able to heat up to ridiculous levels without deforming, cracking, or weakening, if you are able to master God of Fire Thunder."
"If you manage to do that, your attack would be far stronger than any upgrade you'd ever received from Kamish." I said, gracing my grandfather with a smile. Azula just nodded firmly.
"Why... why is it red? Besides, I saw Kamish's skull and it didn't even have any kind of aura like the sword does now." Taylor asked, confused. Grandfather snorted.
"Yes, I saw you taking pictures with Kamish's head." The grandfather mocked, making Taylor blush.
"I'll send them to the PRT in the US." I said with sparkling eyes and a huge smile.
"Izumi!" Taylor squealed in embarrassment, and Grandpa burst into a huge laugh.
"That was perfect!" Grandpa said cheerfully. "But getting back to the point, you didn't notice because I was there." Grandpa said, shrugging as if that explained everything. Taylor looked like she was about to speak again, but I clapped loudly.
"Very well! Let's leave the talk for later!" "What do you say now? Do you want to try out Amaterasu's new form?" I asked with a deranged grin as Emma stepped out of my shadows. Azula stared at her sword for a few seconds before grinning wildly.
"Let's do it." Azula said excitedly.
"My birthday is October 31st, do you think I'll receive a piece of Kamish to place in Crescent Rose?" Ruby murmured to Taylor and Darkness, I burst out laughing as I looked at Azula.
"Alright, we have an hour before we have to go back, come prepared." I told Azula, she just nodded.