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[Training Start]
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…
"Who was it?" one of the clones asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Trouble I don't want to deal with right now," Taka declared, already halfway through pocketing his phone.
—Bzzz—
Sadly, trouble wasn't going to walk away that easily.
His clones gave him a weird look, which Taka ignored as he lifted the phone again.
Unknown number again.
-Click-
Answering it, he put it to his ear—
{"We meet at last, my greatest rival, Rockinesis!"}
"I heard you the first time."
{"Then why did you hang up?!"}
Taka winced at the angry yell but ignored it.
"Who are you? What the hell do you want?"
{"I see you've already lost sight of your surroundings. It is I, the rising star, who will one day surpass you in fame and prestige!"}
"..."
{"Gentle Criminal!"}
{"And La Brava!"} a tiny voice added in the background.
A pause followed as Taka blinked in disbelief.
Then he facepalmed.
'It's that guy?'
After hearing both names, it didn't take long for memories of their small arc to resurface.
And as they did, Taka's finger hesitated over the hang-up button.
He really didn't want to deal with this right now. Between Eri and the Sports Festival, his plate was full enough without adding whatever this guy wanted.
But knowing a simple "no" wouldn't get rid of him, Taka forced his thumb away from the button and let the guy talk first.
"So? What do you want?"
{"As expected from my greatest rival, you don't even hesitate to admit your identity. Very well, we will tell you why we contacted you. The truth is, after your unmatched rise online, something we humbly admit, surpassed ours by a little margin, we considered offering you an alliance so we could attain even further fame together. Great minds think alike, after all… At least that was the plan, until the fateful day you retired to become a U.A. student."}
Taka recalled the day he fought Gigantomachia—also the day he ended his illegal activities as Rockinesis.
'So these two had their sights on me since then? Guess Nezu couldn't erase that trace.'
{"I may be a villain—an infamous one at that—but obstructing the newer generations is not something I would do, especially not that of a promising future hero. So after you discarded your past as a vigilante and became a mere student, we decided to focus on our own path and let you live your life away from your criminal days in peace… At least until recently."}
Taka raised an eyebrow. What had he done to—
His gaze turned deadpan as he saw his clones across the room: some standing beside a board filled with possible Hassaikai locations, another sitting alone with a laptop, and the rest gathered around a huge table like they were holding a conference.
'Don't tell me—'
{"We've seen your movements, Rockinesis. We know you're planning something big… And against the Yakuza, of all people. What could have possibly sparked this reinsertion into crime? Does it have something to do with the incident at your school? Were they perhaps the ones behind the attack on U.A., and now you are out seeking revenge? Well?!"}
"Why are you so worked up all of a sudden?"
{"Ahem, my apologies. The point is—you're coming back, are you not?"}
"..."
Taka didn't know how to answer that.
He had hoped to keep this whole operation low-profile enough that Nezu wouldn't catch wind of it… But maybe that was asking too much, considering the rat's intelligence.
So was this going to be an official return of Rockinesis?
Taka's brow furrowed.
"If it is, what's it to you? And how did you even know what I was doing?"
{"Hahaha, don't underestimate your greatest rivals, Rockinesis. La Brava here is an expert in this sort of thing; it didn't take her a single second to find out what you were doing!"}
'She was?' Taka blinked. '…Hold up. She was.'
That changed… everything.
Or—well, not everything. Just one very important thing.
"Alright. Yeah, I'm gonna be raiding the Hassaikai… and probably as Rockinesis again," Taka confessed, eyes narrowing. "Again, what's it to you?"
{"We want to join you, of course! Aid you in this perilous battle!"}
"You want to mooch off me."
{"A-ahem, that's a bit of an oversimplification. We wish to aid you in this raid—and boost both our view counts by the thousands once it's all over."}
"You mean your view count."
{"Yes."}
Seeing Gentle finally be honest, Taka sighed and dragged a hand down one side of his face.
Normally, he'd ignore this kind of thing, but…
'Hacking… exactly what we need right now.'
Taka's eyes glistened as he looked over his clones—and at the almost nonexistent progress they had made after an entire day.
If he got La Brava on his team, finding the Hassaikai's base without knocking on Nighteye's door might actually become possible.
And fast at that.
For a moment, Taka fell into deep silence, thinking everything over to make sure he wasn't missing any problem in all of this.
He recalled both of their personalities, searched in his mind for their backstories to make sure he wasn't dealing with psychos or anything, and then the role they had played in the later arcs.
Until finally, his eyes snapped open, resolute.
As much as he didn't want to deal with troublesome guys like them, for once, this whole operation wasn't about what he wanted or not.
It was about what he had to do.
"Alright, let's make a collab," Taka said.
{"What's a collab…?"} Gentle's voice sounded slightly away from the phone, genuinely confused.
La Brava's hushed whisper followed—very much audible. {"It's what a temporary alliance is called online, Gentle!"}
{"I see. Very well then, let's make that collage!"}
{"Collab, Gentle!"}
{"—Collab. I meant collab."}
"..." Taka sweatdropped.
Was partnering with these two really going to be okay?
'Still, this should make everything a whole lot easier,' he thought, a small snort curling his mouth upward.
Now, his plan would advance by leaps and bounds, not needing to worry so much about not having the means or skills to get the information he wanted.
'I should learn, though,' He mused, clearly not liking having been so helpless earlier.
After that, both parties agreed on a meeting time and place for tomorrow, agreeing that just talking this over the phone wasn't ideal.
Then, the call ended.
Heaving a sigh, Taka stuffed his phone back into his pocket.
Then, right away—
-Snap-
He snapped his fingers, and following that, all his clones around him began vanishing.
He took a deep breath as the influx of information arrived, massaging his temple to dampen the weird feeling a little.
Once it was over, he picked up his things and began leaving the base. Preparing to finally go back home.
As he walked away, however, his eyes glistened with a red light.
"Now all that rests... is training my future opponents."
…
°
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| The next day, at U.A. |
…
After a whole new day of school, filled with regular classes, which Taka navigated with ease using his clones' studying sessions to stay at the top, Hero Basic Training's period finally arrived—and with it, a whole free hour for students to train however they desired arrived too.
Right now, Taka and Midoriya were at Ground Beta, walking side to side, searching for a zone far away from everyone else so their training wouldn't be interrupted. Along the way, not a single word was exchanged by the similarly asocial teenagers.
It continued that way until they reached a section of the fake city untouched by the chaos of training, with plenty of buildings around to break.
"Here should do," Taka muttered before turning to Midoriya. "Alright, tell me about your Quirk."
"M-my Quirk?" Midoriya flinched immediately.
The topic always made him nervous. He was aware he tended to talk too much, and being asked directly about one of his biggest secrets was enough to make him freeze. What if he blurted more than he should?!
But after a moment of thought, he pushed the anxiety aside. All Might expected the best from him for the upcoming Festival—he couldn't pass up a chance to improve just because he was afraid he'd let on more than he should.
"My Quirk… uh…"
Sadly, determination didn't magically make the words come out right.
"It gives you superstrength?" Taka offered.
"Y-yes! That! It's, uhm, pretty explosive strength, and, well…" Midoriya's words fell apart again.
"It damages your body when you use it?" Taka asked, looking even more deadpan.
"That! Exactly!"
'Why does it feel like I'm the one with One For All here?' Taka thought, baffled.
In truth, Midoriya just hadn't put much thought so far into what specifics he should give when asked. He just knew the Quirk had been officially documented as an enhancer-type he had awakened late.
He also didn't know much about One For All itself, other than that it was a Quirk that could be passed down to other people, and that it was what gave All Might his strength.
"Is that all?" Taka pressed.
"Well, uh…" Midoriya looked at his fist as though replaying every moment he'd used the Quirk. "I think so. I can reinforce parts of my body and use that strength through them—although, as you said, it damages them."
Taka nodded silently, as if thinking deeply.
And he was—just not about making a training plan like Midoriya assumed.
He was thinking of how to bring up his knowledge from the show without revealing more than he was supposed to know.
Still, the Quirk wasn't all that complicated, so it didn't take long for him to figure something out.
"So, seeing that it breaks your body when you use it, it's not strength inherent to your body—but rather raw energy or something else inside you that gives you all that power, but that your body ultimately can't handle," He pointed out.
"Hm," Midoriya nodded, unsure where this was going.
"…Then can't you control the output?"
"Huh?" Midoriya frowned, as if Taka were speaking another language.
Taka simply glared at him impassively.
"If it's energy, and the current output destroys your body… can't you just lower the output you release so... you know, your body doesn't get destroyed?"
Midoriya blinked.
"No? I mean… It shouldn't… maybe?" The greenhead stopped talking as he slowly realized that there wasn't any mistake in that logic.
So far, he had only been focusing on not breaking his body when using the Quirk, but while trying to use it at full capacity—in a way, trying to imitate All Might.
Since that was the hero's output, he had unconsciously decided he wouldn't and couldn't try or settle for anything less.
'Instead of imagining the egg not breaking inside the microwave… Maybe I should try to turn down the temperature first!'
As if attaining enlightenment, Midoriya clenched both fists and entered deep concentration.
His face scrunched as he struggled, electricity-like energy sparking around him. Taka simply watched in silence, arms crossed in patient waiting.
The greenhead's grind continued for at least five minutes, trying, failing, and trying again.
Since the energy wasn't being released as Midoriya remained still, he didn't get injured for the times he accidentally used 100%, making the attempt much easier on his part, and on Taka's, who sighed in relief seeing that he wouldn't need to use his healing.
Eventually, something changed. Midoriya lifted a fist, his breath getting caught.
Despite his hero suit covering it, it emitted raw power... However, way less than in earlier attempts.
Midoriya smiled at it, eyes brimming with excitement.
He looked at Taka, as if looking for approval.
Instead, Taka jerked his head toward the building beside them.
Midoriya blinked, then nodded, understanding what he meant.
—Boom!—
The next second, he threw a punch.
Normally, even at that distance, the building would've collapsed—or at least a large section of it. Such was the power of the 100% Smash.
Yet once the dust settled, the building stood perfectly intact, making Midoriya gasp in relief and excitement.
"I… I did it!"
His head snapped back to Taka, a wide smile on his face.
Taka, however, couldn't truthfully smile back.
He massaged his face. 'Come on, Taka, he's not dumb, you're just biased because you already knew the steps he took in the show... Even though they were pretty obvious steps.'
In the end, he opted for giving Midoriya a nod of recognition. "Although it's not your full output, at your current level, even the smallest boost should help a lot in the upcoming festival, considering that without it you'd be pretty much Quirkless."
Midoriya nodded, excited.
He immediately started shadowboxing, using his new control to throw powerful, but not devastating punches. His face full of excitement, albeit getting mixed with the pain of struggle as he tried changing the Quirk's power from one fist to another with each jab he threw.
And while he did that, Taka noticed a new problem, frowning as he scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression.
However, he didn't point it out instantly; instead, he remained silent, observing Midoriya testing his new unrestricted access to his power like an excited kid, his finger tapping his arm as his eyes squinted in displeasure.
'I'd love to tell him what he is missing to speed this up…' Taka thought, sighing under his breath. 'But I guess there's a reason teachers are always ambiguous as hell. If he doesn't discover it by himself, he won't build up proper confidence.'
Right now, Midoriya kept pushing the power to singular parts of his body—instead of through all of it for a uniform and complete boost to his movement.
If he just handed Midoriya the answers right away, the progress could be fast, sure. But this wasn't just about powering the greenhead up.
It was about making him a worthwhile opponent.
And for that, the greenhead had to achieve his progress on his own.
The most he could do was give him hints and let him figure the rest on his own.
'Well, I can give him hints, and…'
Taka uncrossed his arms, his usual pokerface being disrupted by the small smirk rising on his face.
'... Pressure him a bit.'
Midoriya continued shadowboxing, slowly and very pausingly, as he struggled to change the enhancement from one hand to another so quickly.
However, his focus was broken when—all of a sudden—a burst of air reached him and shook him a little.
He turned slightly, confusion spread across his features as he saw Taka, now surrounded in a crimson aura that flowed calmly like waves of an ocean.
"T-Takahashi-san?"
Taka rolled his neck, loosening his shoulders. "Since you already figured it out, let's spar."
Midoriya stepped back. "H-hold on, I'm still completely unaccustomed to switching the enhancements this fast—I won't be able to fight back at a—"
"Then perhaps you—" Taka let the word drag as he crouched, aura rippling.
—SWOOSH!—
And then he reappeared—right in front of Midoriya, fist fully drawn back.
"—are missing something."
—BAM!—
Unable to block, Midoriya helplessly received the punch, getting launched backward, and rolling while skidding uncontrollably across the floor until he finally slowed down.
During those last rolls, he managed to catch himself, glaring back at where Taka had been with a shocked expression.
Only, Taka was no longer there.
A sharp sound cut through the air at immense speed, forcing Midoriya's eyes to dart around in panic, searching for his unwanted opponent.
Sadly, by then it was too late—someone appeared at his side.
—BAM!—
A hook connected, sending him tumbling again, this time sideways.
—Thud!—
"Ack!"
He crashed into a nearby building, the impact knocking the air out of him and causing a small portion of dust to rise.
"Ugh..."
After a second of confusion, he pushed himself right up again, shaking his head to clear the dizziness.
But the moment he looked up—Taka was already rushing him.
Midoriya reacted quickly, sending a gust of air at Taka with his newly controlled output, hoping to slow him down.
Yet right before it hit, Taka simply shifted course as easily as breathing, bouncing off a nearby wall before closing in again.
—BAM!—
Another punch connected—an uppercut—lifting Midoriya off the ground due to the sheer force.
Luckily, that upward momentum helped him regain his footing. Right away, Midoriya planted himself, head snapping toward his already-moving opponent, who zigzagged left to right like chaos incarnate.
"Like that, you won't be up to par, Midoriya. Think!"
Taka's voice reached him as he blurred around the field, forcing a bead of sweat down the panicked Midoriya's forehead.
'What does he mean? What am I missing?!'
The blur suddenly dashed straight toward him again.
Midoriya reacted faster this time—barely. He jumped away from the impact and scrambled upright.
'What is it? What is it?!'
Without looking back, he ran. Not to escape, but to gain distance, a momentary tactical retreat to gather his thoughts.
Behind him, emerging from the dust, Taka smirked slightly.
"Like that damn monkey says, nothing better than a beating to force knowledge into people."
…
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-To Be Continued...-
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(A/N: The temporary villain and vigilante alliance has formed. The Shie Hassaikai truly doesn't stand a chance.
Also, Midoriya is now in his training arc. Can't have him break his fingers each time he attacks, can't I? Although that has some aura, I admit.)