The lunch bell rang, and Arthur watched as his classmates immediately formed their usual groups. The cafeteria at Chiben Gakuen Middle School was always chaotic during the midday rush—students pushing through the lunch line, claiming tables, the noise level rising to something just below painful.
Arthur grabbed his bento and scanned the room, looking for an empty seat. He'd grown more comfortable with social interactions over the past year, but the cafeteria still felt like navigating a different kind of battlefield.
"Himura! Over here!"
Yuki was waving from a table near the windows, her dark hair catching the sunlight. Next to her sat two other students from their class—Kenji, a stocky boy whose hardening quirk made his skin tough as stone, and Miki, a quiet girl who could manipulate air currents.
Arthur made his way over and sat down. "Thanks."
"We were just talking about the upcoming quirk tournament," Yuki said, immediately diving into conversation. "You're entering, right?"
"Tournament?" Arthur opened his bento—rice, grilled fish, vegetables. His mother had been experimenting with new recipes.
"The second-year challenge matches," Kenji explained around a mouthful of food. "Second years can challenge first years to exhibition matches. It's supposed to help us gain experience against stronger opponents."
"Also it's a way for the second years to show off," Miki added softly. "They like proving they're better than the 'newbies.'"
Yuki grinned. "Which is why I want to see Himura fight them. You'd wipe the floor with most second years."
"I don't know about that," Arthur said diplomatically, though privately he agreed. Most second years he'd observed weren't particularly impressive compared to what he could do.
"Come on, you're being modest again." Kenji leaned forward. "I've sparred with you. You're insane. Those energy blades, that speed burst thing you do—half the teachers can't keep up with you."
"Nakamura-sensei keeps up fine."
"She's a former pro hero! That doesn't count!" Yuki laughed. "Seriously though, you should enter. It would be good experience."
Arthur considered. A tournament would indeed be valuable—not for the challenge, but for the exposure to different quirks and fighting styles. "When is it?"
"Next month. Sign-ups close on Friday." Miki pushed her own lunch around her plate. "I'm not entering. Too many people watching. Makes me nervous."
"You should though," Arthur said. "Your air manipulation is versatile. You just need more confidence using it."
Miki blinked, surprised. "You think so?"
"Your control is excellent. Better than most of the class. You second-guess yourself, but your instincts are usually correct."
A faint blush colored Miki's cheeks. "That's... thank you, Himura-kun."
"See, this is what I'm talking about," Kenji said, gesturing with his chopsticks. "You analyze everyone's fighting style. It's kind of creepy how much you notice."
"It's not creepy, it's useful," Yuki defended. "If I'm going to be a hero, I need to learn to read opponents quickly. Himura does it naturally."
"It's not natural," Arthur corrected. "It's practice. Observation. Anyone can learn it."
"Says the guy who's been training since he was four," Kenji muttered, but there was no malice in it.
The conversation continued, flowing naturally from the tournament to classes to the latest pro hero news. Arthur found himself relaxing into the easy banter.
"Hey, random question," Yuki said suddenly. "Why do you want to be a hero? Like, really. Not the standard 'save people' answer everyone gives."
The table went quiet. Arthur set down his chopsticks and thought about how to respond. "Because I failed once. People died because I wasn't strong enough to protect them. I won't let that happen again."
The weight in his voice made his friends exchange glances. Kenji spoke carefully. "When did this happen?"
"It was... a long time ago." Arthur kept his expression neutral. "The details don't matter. What matters is I learned that good intentions aren't enough. You need strength, skill, and the willingness to use both when it counts."
Miki was watching him with observant eyes. "That's a heavy burden for someone our age to carry."
"Maybe. But it's honest." Arthur looked at each of them. "What about you? Why do you want to be heroes?"
Yuki answered first. "My older sister was saved by a hero when a villain attacked her school. I want to be that person for others."
"My family expects it," Kenji admitted. "Three generations of heroes. But also... it feels right. Using my quirk to help people."
Miki spoke last, barely above a whisper. "I want to prove that quiet people can be heroes too. That you don't have to be loud or flashy to make a difference."
Arthur nodded. These were real answers, honest motivations. "We're all carrying something. That's good. Means we understand the weight of what we're trying to do."
"Okay, that got way too serious for lunch," Yuki said, deliberately lightening the mood. "New topic: who's the strongest pro hero after All Might?"
The conversation shifted, and Arthur let himself enjoy the moment. These people weren't just classmates. They were becoming genuine friends.
━━━━━━━━━━━━
That evening, Arthur arrived at Tanaka's gym to find his teacher wasn't alone. A woman stood next to him—tall, athletic, probably in her early thirties, with a distinctive scar running along her left arm.
"Arthur, this is Yamada Rin," Tanaka introduced. "She's a pro hero—goes by Phantom Blade. Rin, this is the student I told you about."
Arthur bowed politely. "Nice to meet you, Yamada-san."
Rin studied him with sharp eyes. "Tanaka says you're exceptional. Show me."
No preamble. Arthur appreciated that. He manifested his dual blades, the golden light casting shadows across the gym.
"Impressive manifestation. Stable, quick to form. How long can you maintain them?"
"Indefinitely at this length."
"Combat application?"
"Would you like to spar?"
Rin smiled—a predator's smile. She drew a practice katana from the weapon rack. "I would. Don't hold back, kid."
Arthur moved to the center of the gym, settling into his preferred stance. He assessed his opponent with a warrior's eye—the way she held her weapon, the distribution of her weight, the casual confidence that spoke of real combat experience. This was no amateur.
Good.
Rin circled him slowly, practice sword held in a middle guard. Arthur didn't move, simply tracked her with his eyes and danger sense. Let her make the first move. Let her reveal her capabilities.
Then she attacked.
The strike was fast—a diagonal slash aimed at his shoulder. Arthur's danger sense had already mapped the attack's trajectory. He parried with his left blade, the motion economical and precise. No wasted movement.
But Rin vanished.
Her body blurred, phasing through the parry like smoke, and suddenly she was inside his guard. The practice blade swept toward his ribs from an impossible angle.
Intangibility, Arthur's mind catalogued instantly. Three-second duration based on the energy fluctuation. Reappears with momentum conserved.
He didn't panic. Didn't scramble. Arthur simply wasn't there when the blade arrived. He'd already read the attack vector and moved, his danger sense predicting where she'd reappear. His right blade swept toward that position—
Rin phased again, ghosting through his counter-attack. She reappeared behind him, blade descending toward his shoulder.
Arthur spun, both blades coming up in a cross-block. Wood met energy with a sharp crack. For a moment, they were locked together, and Arthur could see the surprise in Rin's eyes.
"You adapted to my quirk in two exchanges," she said.
"Your phasing has a pattern. You always reappear in the direction of your momentum, slightly to the left of your original trajectory." Arthur pushed her back and reset his stance. "Also, there's a half-second delay between phases where you're forced to remain tangible. That's your vulnerability window."
Rin's smile widened. "Very good. Most people take five or six exchanges to figure that out." She lowered her practice sword. "But reading my pattern is different from countering it. Let's see how you handle sustained pressure."
She came at him like a storm. Strike, phase, reappear, strike again. The blade came from every angle, and Rin's phasing made traditional defense almost useless. Most opponents would be overwhelmed, forced into pure reaction, unable to mount offense.
Arthur was not most opponents.
He'd fought in hundreds of battles, against knights and monsters and legends. He knew how to fight opponents with supernatural abilities. The key wasn't matching them trick for trick—it was controlling the battlefield.
Arthur began using his energy waves, not as attacks but as area denial. Each wave carved through the space where Rin could reappear, forcing her to adjust her phasing trajectory. He was herding her, controlling her options, turning her advantage into a constraint.
Rin realized what he was doing. "Clever," she acknowledged, phasing through another wave. "You're fighting the quirk, not just me."
"Every ability has limitations. Exploit the limitations, and the ability becomes irrelevant."
Arthur activated his Mana Burst for exactly two seconds—just long enough to close the distance during Rin's tangible window. His blade stopped a hair's breadth from her throat.
"Yield?"
Rin stared at him for a long moment, then lowered her weapon. "You're thirteen?"
"Yes."
"And you fight like a veteran with decades of experience." She shook her head slowly. "Tanaka, you didn't exaggerate. This kid is something else."
"Told you," Tanaka said from the sidelines, looking pleased.
Rin set down her practice sword. "You're skilled, but you're also holding back significantly. I could feel it. You weren't trying to win—you were analyzing me."
"The purpose of sparring is learning, not winning," Arthur said simply.
"True. But you need to understand something—in a real fight, analysis can get you killed if you're not careful. You were confident enough in your abilities to study me mid-combat. That confidence is earned, but it's also dangerous." Rin crossed her arms. "What happens when you face an opponent who's faster than your analysis? Stronger than your adaptation speed?"
"Then I fall back on fundamentals and trust my instincts," Arthur replied calmly. "Analysis is a tool, not a crutch. I can fight without it."
Rin studied him for another moment, then nodded. "I believe you. Which is why I'm offering
to train you." She pulled out a business card. "I run a training group for serious hero hopefuls. We meet twice a week for full-contact quirk sparring. Interested?"
Arthur glanced at Tanaka, who nodded encouragingly. "What kind of students?"
"Ages thirteen to fifteen. Various quirk types. All of them serious about becoming heroes. And all of them good enough that you'll actually have to work for your victories." Rin's smile turned sharp. "You need exposure to quirks you can't predict, opponents who'll surprise you. That's how you grow."
Arthur made his decision. "When do I start?"
"Next session is Friday evening. I'll text Tanaka the address." Rin headed for the door, then paused. "One warning—in my group, we fight seriously. Real quirk usage, full contact, genuine intensity. People get injured. Can you handle that?"
Arthur thought of Camelot's training yards, where knights practiced with real weapons and broken bones were common. "Yes."
"Good. See you Friday, Himura."
━━━━━━━━━━━━
Friday evening arrived, and Arthur found himself at a private training facility in a warehouse district. Inside, about fifteen students were warming up, their ages ranging from middle school to early high school.
Rin spotted him and waved him over. "Everyone, this is Himura Arthur. He's joining us starting today. Himura, introduce yourself, then we're starting pair sparring."
Arthur approached the nearest group—three students by the equipment racks. A tall boy with white hair, a girl with scales on her arms, and a shorter boy with multiple arms.
"I'm Himura," Arthur said. "Energy manifestation and enhancement quirk."
The white-haired boy grinned. "I'm Sato Ryuu—dragon breath quirk. That's Tanaka Hana with the reptile mutation, and Kimura Daisuke with the extra arms."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Pair up!" Rin called out. "Three-minute rounds, full quirk usage, victory by submission or ring-out!"
Ryuu turned to Arthur. "Want to spar? I'm curious what you can do."
"Sure."
They moved to one of the sparring rings. Arthur took his position, manifesting a single blade
in his right hand. Across from him, Ryuu was already heating the air around his mouth.
"Begin!"
Ryuu opened with his dragon breath—a concentrated stream of superheated air. A powerful quirk, Arthur noted. But the boy telegraphed the attack. His body positioned for the breath two seconds before he actually used it, giving any observant opponent time to react.
Arthur was already moving before the heat left Ryuu's mouth. He angled his approach to stay outside the breath's effective cone while closing distance rapidly. Ryuu tried to track him, but Arthur's movement pattern was irregular—a veteran's footwork that made prediction difficult.
Three steps brought Arthur inside Ryuu's guard. His blade swept toward the boy's midsection in a controlled arc. Ryuu tried a desperate spinning kick, showing surprising flexibility—
Arthur simply wasn't there. He'd read the counter-attack through body language and danger sense, had already moved to intercept the kick's completion. His blade stopped at Ryuu's throat.
"Yield?"
Ryuu blinked, then laughed. "That was fifteen seconds! Yeah, I yield."
"Your quirk is powerful," Arthur said as they reset. "But you telegraph your attacks. Your body positions for the breath before you use it, giving opponents time to evade."
"Huh. Nobody's ever pointed that out before."
"Most opponents probably get caught by the first attack and don't have time to notice the pattern."
Rin, who'd been observing, nodded approvingly. "Exactly right. Ryuu, work on disguising your charge-up. Himura, good fight. Next opponent—Tanaka Hana."
Hana stepped into the ring, scales already gleaming across her exposed skin. Her eyes had taken on a reptilian cast, and a thick tail swayed behind her for balance. She moved with predatory grace, circling Arthur cautiously.
A defensive specialist, Arthur assessed. Scales for armor, enhanced strength for counter-attacks, regeneration for sustainability. She'll try to outlast opponents rather than overwhelm them.
"Begin!"
Neither moved immediately. Hana was patient, watching for an opening. Arthur appreciated
that—she understood that charging recklessly against an unknown opponent was foolish.
He decided to test her defense. Arthur manifested both blades and launched a measured assault—not his full strength, just enough to gauge her capabilities. His blades struck her scaled forearms with a sound like metal on metal.
The energy weapons barely scratched her scales. Interesting. High-density bio-armor with excellent energy resistance.
Hana counter-attacked with a straight punch. Arthur swayed aside—no need to block what he could dodge—and her tail whipped toward his legs in a coordinated strike.
He jumped, but that put him airborne. Hana was already adjusting, preparing to strike him at the apex of his jump where he couldn't dodge—
Arthur released an energy wave downward. The recoil altered his trajectory mid-air, and he landed outside Hana's attack range. She blinked, surprised by the unconventional maneuver.
"Creative," she said.
"Necessary." Arthur assessed the situation. Her scales were too durable for his normal attacks to overcome quickly. He needed overwhelming force or a precision strike at her weak points.
Arthur activated Mana Burst and moved. The world seemed to slow as his perception accelerated. Hana's eyes widened as Arthur appeared beside her—not in front where her scales were thickest, but at her side. His blade swept toward her ribs where the scales were thinner for mobility—
Hana was faster than expected. She twisted, taking the strike on her reinforced forearm instead. The blade cracked her scales but didn't penetrate. Her counter-punch came immediately—
Arthur caught her wrist. His burst-enhanced strength outmatched even her enhanced physicals. He used her momentum against her, a classic redirection technique from his training as a knight, and sent Hana stumbling toward the ring boundary.
She caught herself at the edge. "Okay, that strength is terrifying."
"Your defense is impressive. Most opponents wouldn't be able to crack your scales at all."
"Thanks. You fight like you've done this before. Like, a lot."
"I've had practice." Arthur released his burst enhancement. Twenty seconds of use—he was getting better at maintaining it.
"Himura wins," Rin called. "Good adaptation to an opponent who counters your normal
attacks. Next up—Kimura Daisuke."
Daisuke stepped into the ring, all six arms flexing in preparation. Arthur noted his wrestler's build, the way he balanced his weight to accommodate the extra limbs.
"Ready?" Rin asked.
Both fighters nodded.
"Begin!"
Daisuke rushed forward immediately, six arms reaching to grab and restrain. It was a straightforward tactic, but with six limbs attacking from multiple angles simultaneously, it was effective.
Arthur manifested both blades and began controlling space. Each blade moved in precise arcs, threatening any arm that reached too far. He wasn't trying to cut—just creating zones of threat that forced Daisuke to constantly adjust.
Daisuke feinted with his upper arms while his lower arms went for Arthur's legs. A coordinated attack that would catch most opponents—
Arthur had already read it through body language. The feint was too obvious, the real attack telegraphed by weight shift. He stepped into the feint, completely ignoring it, and his blade swept across Daisuke's midsection.
Daisuke had to abort his leg grab to defend, creating an opening. Arthur exploited it instantly, his left blade pressing against Daisuke's neck.
"Yield."
"Man, you're fast," Daisuke said, all six arms raised in surrender. "How did you know the leg grab was coming?"
"Your weight shifted backward half a second before your arms moved. The feint was meant to draw my attention high while you went low, but your body gave away the real attack."
"That's... incredibly observant."
"It's necessary when fighting multiple opponents or those with unusual physical configurations."
Rin stepped forward. "Three fights, three victories, all under thirty seconds each. You're good, Himura. But you're also analyzing too much. You're treating these as puzzles to solve rather than fights to win."
Arthur considered that. She wasn't wrong. He'd been approaching these spars academically, studying his opponents' quirks and fighting styles rather than simply defeating them.
"You're right," he acknowledged. "I'll adjust."
"Good. Because your next fight won't be so easy." Rin raised her voice. "Everyone, gather up! We're doing a group exercise. Himura is going to fight three opponents simultaneously. Ryuu, Hana, Daisuke—you're up."
Arthur felt a slight stirring of interest. Multiple opponents at once would require genuine tactical thinking.
"Himura," Rin continued, "you're not allowed to use your Mana Burst until the final thirty seconds. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Attackers, work together. Use your quirks strategically. Your goal is to force him out of the ring or land a clean hit." Rin stepped back. "Begin!"
Arthur immediately moved to the ring's edge, positioning so his back was toward the boundary. This limited his escape routes but prevented the attackers from surrounding him completely.
A calculated trade-off.
Ryuu opened with dragon breath from long range. Arthur sidestepped, watching Hana charge from his right while Daisuke circled left. A coordinated pincer attack—good tactics.
Arthur manifested both blades and evaluated the situation with the calm of someone who'd commanded armies. Three opponents with complementary abilities: Ryuu providing ranged pressure, Hana as the tank drawing attention, Daisuke waiting to capitalize on any opening.
Standard combined-arms tactics. The counter was simple: eliminate the ranged threat first.
Arthur charged Ryuu. Hana tried to intercept, but Arthur's danger sense let him predict her movement path. He angled his approach to keep Hana between himself and Daisuke, using her as an unwitting shield while he closed on Ryuu.
Ryuu's eyes widened as Arthur appeared in front of him faster than expected. The white-haired boy tried to exhale another stream of heat—
Arthur's blade swept his legs in a non-lethal strike. Ryuu tumbled backward, rolling out of the ring.
"Ryuu's out!"
One down. Arthur spun to face the remaining two opponents. Hana and Daisuke had already adjusted their positioning, no longer trying to flank him. They'd recognized the danger of spreading out against someone who could eliminate isolated targets quickly.
Smarter than I expected, Arthur noted with approval.
Daisuke and Hana came at him together, coordinating their attacks. Hana led with her scaled fists while Daisuke's six arms reached from multiple angles. They were forcing Arthur into pure defense—
No. Defense was accepting their terms. Arthur needed to dictate the pace.
He dismissed both blades mid-exchange. Daisuke hesitated, confused by the sudden change in tactics—exactly what Arthur wanted. In that half-second of confusion, Arthur ducked under Daisuke's grappling attempt and executed a perfect leg sweep.
Daisuke crashed down. Arthur immediately manifested a blade at his throat. "You're out."
Daisuke rolled away without argument. That left only Hana.
"One-on-one now," she said, grinning. "Fair fight."
"Is it?" Arthur asked calmly. "Rin-sensei, how much time remaining?"
"Forty seconds. Your burst is available in ten."
Hana didn't wait. She charged, understanding that her best chance was to overwhelm Arthur before he could use his enhancement. Her scaled fists came in rapid combinations, using her superior strength and durability.
Arthur met her strike-for-strike, blade against scales. He was faster and more technically skilled, but Hana's raw power and defensive capabilities made direct confrontation inefficient.
Not that he needed to win through direct confrontation.
"Now!" Rin called.
Arthur activated Mana Burst. Golden light exploded across his body, and the fight's tempo changed instantly. His blades struck with pile-driver force, each impact cracking Hana's scales and driving her backward.
He wasn't trying to penetrate her defense—he was controlling her position. Each strike pushed her closer to the ring boundary. Hana tried to hold her ground, but Arthur's burst-enhanced strength was overwhelming.
A final overhead strike slammed into her crossed arms, sending her sliding out of the ring.
"Ring-out! Himura wins!"
Arthur released his burst enhancement and took a moment to catch his breath. The three-on-one fight had actually required him to think tactically. Good.
Rin approached, looking genuinely impressed. "Textbook threat prioritization. You identified Ryuu as the ranged threat and eliminated him first. Recognized that Daisuke was vulnerable to feints and removed him before he could lock you down. Then went all-out on the final opponent." She addressed the group. "This is what tactical thinking looks like under pressure. Himura didn't just fight—he managed the battlefield."
Arthur accepted the praise with a small nod. In truth, the fight had been straightforward. Three opponents with obvious roles and predictable tactics. But for students still learning combat fundamentals, it probably seemed more impressive than it was.
"That being said," Rin continued, looking at Arthur, "you're still holding back significantly. I can tell you weren't giving full effort."
"I don't want to injure anyone," Arthur explained.
"That's admirable. Also limiting. In a real fight, villains won't hold back, and you need to train at realistic intensity levels. Otherwise, you'll build habits that get you killed." Rin's expression turned serious. "Your body can handle more than you're asking of it. Trust in your training."
It was a fair criticism. Arthur had been unconsciously pulling his strikes, limiting his speed, restraining his danger sense's full capabilities. Old habits from trying not to reveal his true abilities.
"I'll work on it," he promised.
The session continued, with Arthur sparring against more students. Each fight taught him something new—how different quirks worked, what strategies proved effective, where his own techniques had limitations.
By the end, he'd fought eight different opponents. He won every match, but several had been genuinely challenging. These weren't amateurs. They were skilled students with real dedication.
"Good first day," Rin said as people were leaving. "You're easily the most skilled fighter in the group, but don't let that make you complacent. Several students here have been training together for over a year. They know how to coordinate, how to exploit openings, how to fight smart. And they're all hungry to beat you now."
Arthur smiled slightly. "Good. Competition breeds improvement."
"True. Also, work on that Mana Burst. It's powerful but draining. If you can extend its duration or reduce the energy cost, it'll become even more devastating."
"Already working on it."
"I believe you." Rin studied him for a moment. "You're unusual, Himura. You fight like
someone with years of real combat experience, not just training. Makes me wonder what you're not telling us."
Arthur met her gaze steadily. "Everyone has secrets, Yamada-san. Mine don't interfere with my ability to train or fight."
"Fair enough. See you next session."
As Arthur walked home, he reflected on the evening. The training had been valuable—not because it challenged his skills, but because it exposed him to quirk varieties he hadn't encountered before.
And perhaps more importantly, it gave him the chance to fight without completely suppressing himself. To test his abilities against real opponents in controlled conditions.
Rin was right about one thing—he needed to stop holding back so much. His body was strong enough now. His control was precise enough. The only thing limiting him was his own caution.
Time to push harder. Fight smarter. Stop treating every spar like a gentle training exercise.
Because in two years, he'd be at U.A., training alongside the next generation of elite heroes. And he needed to be ready—not just strong enough to compete with them, but strong enough to protect them when the real threats arrived.
The sword was being sharpened. And it was time to test its edge properly.
To be continued...
Next chapter drops at 7:30 PM CST! Don't forget to give me your precious power stones for possible bonus chapters
For advanced chapters join my Patreon @ Patreon.com/keyblast and to support me even more if you want