MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Musutafu.
"Damn... He really did it." Tatsuo muttered after seeing Izuku swallow the strand of hair he received from Toshinori. "That reminds me of some of the yandere shit I used to read in manga."
"Language." Toshinori said absent-mindedly while scanning Izuku for any changes.
"I know what you mean." Alfonzo replied to Tatsuo's utterance while ignoring Toshinori's remark. "I knew this kid was an All Might fan boy... And I know this is the way Toshinori said that the power was transferred... But still..."
Despite having seen a similar scene in the MHA anime and manga, both Tatsuo and Alfonzo could not help feeling a bit of disgust at how decisively Izuku dropped the hair into his mouth in real life. Even so, seeing such an iconic moment in anime history made them feel excited on the inside.
"Uh... I don't feel any different." Izuku said while raising his arms up and down to check for differences.
That statement was enough to snap everyone out of their surprised states.
"[One for All] is a part of you now." Toshinori said as he stepped forward and clapped a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "So, it's no wonder you don't feel any different."
"Why don't you try using it?" Alfonzo asked as he gestured towards a nearby heavy bag.
"Okay." Izuku replied with a nod before stepping towards the aforementioned heavy bag.
The other three followed Izuku closely to see what he could do with the new power he was granted. Meanwhile, Izuku, standing in front of the heavy bag, took a deep breath. Then, he imagined using [One for All] to increase his strength.
*Voom!*
Immediately, though therewas no tangible effect, Tatsuo, Alfonzo, and Toshinori could feel the [Energy] in Izuku's body gathering towards his right arm. And when they felt the amount of [Energy] Izuku was mobilizing, they all wore expressions of panic.
Because as they said before, Izuku's body was not yet strong enough to handle the incredible power that [One for All] could bring to bear. So, they were all sure that if Izuku were to throw the punch he was preparing for, he would not only obliterate the heavy bag, but the wall behind it, as well as the arm he used to throw the punch, would be destroyed, as well.
"Hold on!" Tatsuo shouted as he [Blinked] behind Izuku and jabbed a point on his right arm, causing the arm Izuku raised to fall limply. "What the hell are you doing? Do you not like having that arm, or something?"
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Izuku cried out as he quickly grabbed his right shoulder with his left hand. "What are you talking about, Soramoto-Kun?"
As he spoke, Izuku turned to Tatsuo with both pain and confusion on his face.
"Dude... We literally just talked about this, didn't we?" Tatsuo asked in an exasperated tone. He then raised his right hand and poked Izuku's head with its index finger. "Use your head, remember? Your body's not ready to handle the full power of [One for All]."
"Oh... right..." Izuku said sheepishly as he released his shoulder and used his left hand to scratch the side of his head. A moment later, he put on a curious expression and asked, "Then, what should I do?"
Instead of responding, Tatsuo turned to Toshinori, since he should have been the most knowledgeable person about how to use [One for All]. And when Izuku saw that, he also turned to Toshinori, hoping that his mentor and idol would give him some advice.
Alfonzo, on the other hand, only shook his head. He, like Tatsuo, already knew that Toshinori would not be able to give Izuku any real advice. He had to send Izuku to his own mentor, Gran Torino, in the series, after all.
And just as Tatsuo and Alfonzo expected, Toshinori mimicked Izuku and started scratching the side of his head with a sheepish expression on his face.
"Actually, I don't really know what to tell you, Young Midoriya." Toshinori said in an embarrassed tone. "Using [One for All] just came naturally to me."
Hearing that, Izuku's expression dropped. With no idea how to control his new [Quirk], he had no idea how he was supposed to pass U.A.'s entrance exam tomorrow. And if he could not pass the entrance exam, then how was he supposed to reach his dream of being a hero?
In fact, that question hit him so hard that Izuku's green eyes began to well up with tears.
"Well, I can't say I didn't see this coming." Alfonzo said in a tired tone. He then turned towards Izuku with a serious expression on his face. "One thing that Toshinori said that you should keep in mind is that the [Quirk] is part of you now. So, you shouldn't think of using it like turning it on and off. Instead, you should look at it like... Hmm..."
Trying to explain how to use a [Quirk] turned out to be more difficult to explain than Alfonzo expected. Even so, he knew exactly what he wanted to say. Yet, the words to say it were not coming as easily as they would were he explaining how to use a magic spell.
Luckily, Tatsuo was there, as well. And because his [Spatial Manipulation] was closer to using a [Quirk] than casting magic, as it was something built into his being, he ended up taking over the explanation.
"Think of it this way." Tatsuo said with a shrug after seeing Alfonzo struggle to find the words to say. "You don't walk around exerting all your strength all the time, right? You use enough for what you're trying to do. On top of that you keep most of it in store, so you don't hurt yourself. Well, you should treat your [Quirk] the same way."
Izuku fell into aa contemplative silence when he heard that.
"Oh, and instead of powering up only one part of your body, try spreading it evenly throughout your body." Tatsuo added casually. "You know, it's the same as using your whole body to lift something heavy instead of just using the strength in your arms."
'Use it with my whole body.' Izuku thought to himself as he felt around the inside of his body for the power of [One for All]. "Only use what I need... Don't use so much that I hurt myself...'
As Izuku thought through Tatsuo's advice, he closed his eyes. About a minute later, he finally got a feeling for [One for All's] power. Then, he slowly, and extremely carefully began to spread it through his entire body.
Meanwhile, Toshinori, after hearing Tatsuo's advice for Izuku, could not help looking at him with a newfound level of appreciation.
*Zing!*
However, before Toshinori could voice his appreciation, arcs of what looked like green electricity began to flicker around Izuku's body, quickly drawing his attention back to his successor.
And as time passed, the green arcs began to grow in intensity. Yet, before long, that growth came to a stop. At the same time, Izuku's brows furrowed, clear signs of pain showing up on his face. Then, the intensity of the arcs began to decrease little by little until they stabilized.
"Yeah, this kid is pretty impressive." Alfonzo said with a nod. "It doesn't take much instruction for him to pick up things."
"Indeed." Toshinori replied with a nod of his own. "And with this push in the right direction, I'm sure Young Midoriya will master the power of [One for All] soon."
During that short conversation, Izuku took a deep breath. Then, he opened his eyes. Noticing the green arcs moving around his body, he found himself surprised. Then, he raised his arms to get a better look at the phenomenon.
"Did I really do it?" Izuku asked, his tone filled with disbelief. A moment later, his expression turned from one filled with disbelief to one filled with excitement. "I really did it!"
Then, he excitedly jumped while overcome with excitement.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
However, because he was unused to his newfound strength, he leapt much higher than expected. As a result, he slammed headfirst into the reinforced glass of the sky light before ungracefully falling to the floor. At the same time, thanks to the surprise, he stopped using [One for All]. As a result, the green arcs surrounding his body vanished, as well.
"Ah! What happened?" Izuku asked in a confused tone.
"You're just not used to it yet." Alfonzo replied as he walked over to Izuku before reaching down to help him up. "The best way to do that is training."
Alfonzo then smiled a with a bit of deviousness as he turned to look at the spot where Tatsuo had been standing only a moment ago.
Seeing that, Izuku also turned to look in the same direction. Yet, when he did not see anything, he was confused. At least, that was how it was until the space in that location was torn open, revealing Tatsuo who was dressed in a pair of shorts, a sleeveless shirt, and a pair of MMA gloves standing in what appeared to be a bedroom before walking through the tear which closed behind him.
"And the best way to train for precise strength control is sparring." Alfonzo continued. "And I'm sure Tatsuo would be happy to help you get used to your new strength."
"*Gulp* Ha... Ha... Ha..." Izuku laughed hollowly as he saw Tatsuo. "I'll do my best."
With that, a sparring session that lasted until Izuku needed to leave commenced. And although Izuku did not manage to gain full control of his increased strength, he would no longer accidentally jump high enough to slam his head into the ceiling. So, there was progress, at least.
The following day was the day of U.A. High School's entrance exam. With it, a number of aspiring heroes from all over the country made their way to Musutafu to take the exam. As a result, the streets were packed with students from middle schools all over the country moving towards U.A. from all directions.
Among this throng of students, a pair of young women, beautiful enough to draw double takes from both boys and girls, stood near U.A.'s front gate, clearly waiting for someone, as they chatted.
"So, it should have happened last night, right?" Akatsuki asked while dressed in her middle school uniform with a change of clothes and gear in the bag slung over her shoulder. "How do you think it went?"
"Tatsuo-Kun said it went well when I texted him last night." Sakura, in a similar state to Akatsuki, replied softly. "He said that after it happened, he sparred with Midoriya-Kun to help him get used to it."
"Ooh! I kinda feel bad for him now." Akatsuki said while wincing in sympathy. "If Tatsuo-Kun goes as hard during sparring as he does when he's training, there's a chance that Midoriya-Kun might not even be able to attend the exam."
Sakura wanted to defend Tatsuo. However, she was present when he sparred with Scáthach. So, she knew that if he were to really get into the spar, the intensity could rise very quickly. As a result, she could only pray for Izuku's well-being.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
Before the conversation could continue, both Akatsuki's and Sakura's attention was drawn to the sound a several small explosions they could hear from nearby. And when they turned to see what was causing the sound, they were not surprised when they saw a young man with spiky, ash blond hair and fierce-looking red eyes wearing the male uniform from their middle school with explosions constantly bursting in his palms walking past them as he entered the U.A. campus.
"Looks like Bakugo-Kun is all hyped up." Akatsuki said as she shook her head. "But he has way too high of an opinion of himself."
"Mhmm..." Sakura replied while nodding her head. "He thinks he's the strongest. I just hope he doesn't crash too hard when he finds out there are people stronger than him."
As if he heard the two girls' conversation, Bakugo turned his head and made eye contact with Akatsuki and Sakura for a moment. He then snorted before turning his head back to the front and continuing onwards.
In response, Akatsuki and Sakura only shook their heads before they went back to waiting for their friends. And it did not take long for one of them to arrive.
"Hanekura-San! Matou-San! Good morning.' Izuku shouted as he jogged towards the gate.
Hearing their names, Akatsuki and Sakura turned their head in the direction the call came from, ready to greet Izuku, as well. However, when they saw his state, they both froze for a moment.
Currently running towards the girls, Izuku had a bandage on his face. On top of that, he had a black eye on the left side of his face. Clearly, Tatsuo had put him through the ringer during their spar the night before.
"Uh... Good morning." Sakura said softly. "Are you okay, Midoriya-Kun?"
"Yeah, are you actually gonna be able to participate with your eye like that?" Akatsuki asked while pointing at Izuku's black eye.
"Ha... Ha... Ha... I'll be fine." Izuku replied sheepishly. "It's not as bad as it looks. I promise."
"If you say so." Akatsuki replied with a shrug.
"Anyway, why are you two waiting out here?" Izuku asked curiously.
"We're waiting for Tatsuo-Kun." Sakura replied.
"I see." Izuku said while nodding in understanding.
Although Izuku was the typical shounen protagonist who seemed oblivious to feelings directed towards himself, he had noticed that Sakura had feelings for Tatsuo over the months they trained together. So, he was not surprised to hear her response.
"Well, I'm gonna go inside." Izuku said as he waved at the girls. "I wanna make sure I find my test room for the written exam before it's too late. I'll see you later."
"Okay, see ya." Akatsuki replied with a wave of her own.
With Sakura nodding in response, as well. Izuku made his way into the campus. And although he did not notice,
Akatsuki and Sakura noticed a short, slender girl with a curvy figure, shoulder-length brown hair and blush marks on her cheeks entering shortly afterwards.
"She was cute." Akatsuki said casually as she watched the brown-haired girl for a few more moments.
"Yeah." Sakura replied while also watching the brown-haired girl.
Then, just as the two were about to turn their attention to the outside of the gate once again, they noticed that Izuku, who was a few steps in front of the brown-haired girl, stumble while gawking at the U.A. main building. And because he was not expecting to trip, it was clear that he was about to fall and slam face first into the ground.
Yet, just before he did, Izuku's body came to a complete stop, the brown-haired girl's hand resting on his back. The girl then helped him stand up straight again before the two started to chat for a few moments.
"Hmm... Was that an anti-gravity [Quirk]?" Akatsuki asked as she narrowed her eyes at what she saw. "Then, that must be..."
"Uraraka Ochaco." Sakura continued. "Tatsuo-Kun and Alfonzo-San mentioned her."
"Right." Akatsuki replied with a nod.
"Oh, so that still happened even with all the training he went through."
Hearing that voice from so close, Akatsuki and Sakura both snapped their heads in its direction. When they did, they saw Tatsuo standing there with a grin on his face.
"*Sigh* I guess somethings are just fated to happen, huh?" Tatsuo asked rhetorically. He then turned to look at Akatsuki and Sakura without changing his expression. "Good morning, Akatsuki, Sakura. You ready for the exam?"