Chapter 5
The Enjoyment of Normality
(Takoba Municipal Beach) (One Week Later...)
"Knew it was bad, but this is somehow worse than what I remember." Izuku muttered to himself. He stood before the current sight of where Izuku Midoriya had trained months before the U.A. entrance exam. In order to build up his body in order to use the infamous Quirk, One for All. "Seriously, how does any of this go unnoticed?"
It was honestly disappointing given this beach was really nice before it was reduced to a dumping ground. Even more so that everyone else seemed to accept it as such.
Oh well, it was hardly the reason why he was here.
"Why are we all the way out here, Deku?" Katsuki questioned beside him.
"Well, remember that Endeavor fight that took place near our usual spot the other day?" Izuku asked, getting a growl from Katsuki.
"Yeah, that flaming asshat torched out some of the woods with one of his moves. What about it?" Katsuki asked.
"Well I tried heading around there the other day, but they're still dealing with the damage there. It could be weeks before they actually get done." Izuku explained, getting a groan from Katsuki. "Which is why I was looking around for Quirk allowed use areas where we could train at?"
"And you picked the dump?" Katsuki questioned.
"I wouldn't need to if you actually considered going to Quirk Gyms." Izuku regretted those words as Katsuki snapped to him with a glare.
"HELL NO! WHY THE FUCK WOULD I WANT TO GO TO THOSE QUIRKEST ASSHOLES FOR TRAINING! THEY AIN'T GOOD FOR SHIT IF THEY WON'T LET YOU IN!" Katsuki yelled, his anger clear as day. Izuku could only sigh at that, knowing he was right. They would tell him it was out of concern of distractions, but that was about as bogus as it got.
"I just think it would be good for you. That way you can study different Quirks and learn how to counter them in the future." Izuku explained, not missing Katsuki snarl in retaliation. "Ignoring that, I know you wouldn't want me to leave you behind, so that's why I picked this place. Free of people outside those assholes who dump their shit here...well, one of the reasons."
"What's the other reason?" Katsiuki asked, his anger lessened for now.
"I've seen pictures of this place before it was turned into a dump. It was an actual beach that was beyond beautiful before it became...well, this. I figured we could clean up and bring it back to how it used to be. After all, everyone deserves a chance to enjoy a place like this when it is at it's greatest." Izuku explained with a wide smile. "And honestly, it's been ignored long enough. It definitely hasn't done anything to deserve being left like...well this." Izuku explained as best as he could, only to hear a snort from Katsuki. "What? Was I being cheesy?"
"You were, but in the best possible way." Katsuki claimed while shaking his head. He could tell there likely more to it than that with how he was talking, but didn't want to push it for now. "So, what? We just move things here to an actual dump?"
"Heck no! I planned on hiring a driver to take this stuff after we've moved it here." Izuku said, referring to the free space, large enough to place the garbage.
"Are you sure you can afford that?" Katsuki questioned.
"You'd be surprised with how cheap they are." Izuku said with a shrug. "We just need to keep it simple and efficient when doing so. Besides, it'll make good strength training just moving this stuff around."
"Fine, at least we'll be here by ourselves." Katsuki said, but didn't miss Izuku suddenly looking away. "Deku..."
"W-well I haven't asked anyone to join us, but I kinda want to." Izuku admitted, earning a scowl from Katsuki.
"Who? Those so-called Friends that I haven't even met yet?" Katsuki questioned. He still didn't get to meet Kyoka and Raiko, mostly because they did still have their own lives and didn't live close to them.
"You would if you actually joined the group chat." Izuku said.
"I'll join when I actually meet them." Katsuki declared, earning an eye roll in return.
"Fine." WIthout another word, he brought out his phone and began texting. He waited for a few moments before two dings went off as he put away the phone, turning to Katsuki. "Congratulations, we have a playdate."
"...Fuck..."
(Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall)(The Very Next Day)
"Fuck."
"You said that already."
"...Fuck. You."
"At least it's better." Izuku and Katsuki were currently waiting for both Kyoka and Raiko to come join them at the front of the Hall. Both were dressed casually once again, taking note of the spring weather coming in.
"When are they getting here?" Katsuki questioned.
"Soon, soon. Try to keep that scowl down in the meantime, Kacchan."
"Only when you stop wearing those stupid shirts, Deku." Ah, right. He had worn one of the many named shirts that Izuku owned. As of right now it said "Shirt" and he liked it simple.
"Don't look down on a style you can't comprehend." Izuku said seriously, earning a dumbfounded look from his friend. The greenette only scoffed at the look and instead scanned around for his friends. Thankfully it didn't take long, spotting both of them surprisingly coming from the same corner. "Jiro, Usagiyama! Over here!"
"Didn't I tell you to just call me Raiko? Seriously, it's easier." Raiko said as they approached. Izuku just laughed while Katsuki remained silent.
'So that's them.' Katsuki instantly locked onto the pair with a glare. He'd be lying if he said that he actually trusted them in being Izuku's friends. Of course he was going to be judging their every action, word and even their expressions to see if they could actually be worthy to be a part of their friend group. "About time. Been waiting here forever..."
"Don't mind him. He just wants to make sure we get in line for any new Hero Merch." Izuku said, ignoring the scowl. "But seriously, I'm glad we could meet like this."
"It's no issue, dude." Kyoka said simply while spinning her Earjack.
"It was bound to happen anyway. I'm just glad we could relax a little bit." Raiko admitted, not missing the small glance from Katsuki. 'This guy got a staring problem?'
"Tch, let's get going already." Katsuki said, moving on and heading to the entrance. The others gave each other a look before they followed after him.
(Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, Heroes Gala!)
Katsuki had headed straight to one of many Hero Stores, noticing that Izuku and his friends had followed behind. He however paid no mind, already spotting what he wanted from the start and grabbed it.
"Fucking finally." The same game that Izuku had hunted for, he had managed to not grab one, but two of them. He then tossed one of the copies to his friend. "Deku, catch."
"Don't throw stuff you haven't paid for." Izuku said, easily catching it as they entered. Seeing what it was, he then turned to Raiko. "Looks like we can play together."
"Yeah, granted I'm a little ahead, but it shouldn't take you long to catch up." Raiko commented. Izuku hummed in agreement before turning to Kyoka.
"Do you wanna look around for a copy?" Izuku asked, only to see her shake her head. He shrugged in understanding and moved to the counter with Katsuki. "Not getting anything else?"
"Don't need to. This is the newest game and I'll be damned if I let you get ahead of me." Katsuki declared proudly as they paid for the games. "Now, what next? I don't plan on wasting my day. Even with the extras."
"Extras?" Both Kyoka and Raiko questioned while Izuku faked a cough.
"Isn't it obvious? We hit other stores, the arcade and finally the food court. Maybe see if there's a movie theater in this place." Izuku explained as it was obvious. It was all a Mall was good for really. Hanging out. "Maybe we can find one of those bootleg All Might movies to make fun of."
"…Fuck it, fine." Katsuki relented, with Kyoka and Raiko agreeing. Izuku could only grin as he led the way this time.
(Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, Arcade)
"Having fun playing catch up?" Raiko asked, a smug grin settled on his face.
"Damn it! This shit is always busted!" Katsuki raged, aggressively punching buttons rapidly.
"Never gonna catch up~"
"RAAAHHH!"
"…Think he's taking it a little seriously?" Kyoka asked, giving Katsuki a look.
"No, this is him enjoying himself." Izuku informed Kyoka, looking at him in disbelief.
"He's getting angry…at Gum-Man." The PAC-MAN of this Universe, using Fatgum as the famous gaming icon.
"Trust me when I say I've seen him go into full gamer rage before. This is pretty normal." Izuku admitted as they watched them play. Katuski cursed repeatedly while Raiko couldn't help teasing him the entire time. "Hmmm, wanna try something here?"
"Like what?" Kyoka asked, only to see him pointing behind her. She couldn't help, but to give him a deadpan look. "Really? Guitar Slammers?" Guitar Hero, if that wasn't clear. "You know all it is is just pressing colorful buttons on a screen right."
"Oh...I didn't think that would be too difficult for you." Izuku said, looking away. Her eyes snapped to him with a glare, pointing her Earjacks at him.
"Excuse you?"
"I'm just saying, if you can't keep up then we can play something else." Izuku offered, a slight grin plastered on her face.
"...I know what you're doing...and I hate that it's working." Kyoka claimed with a groan. "Fine, but after I beat you, we're hitting the music store."
"Fine by me. Prepare to get wrecked." Izuku said as they went to the game in question.
(Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mal, Beats & Boxer's Jam & Records)
"You got annihilated." Katsuki said bluntly.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Izuku said with a huff. Unsurprisingly, Kyoka was a champ when it came to anything music related. "That's why I didn't even consider a bet. That would've left my wallet dried out."
"Well, it's not my fault you were an easy opponent." Kyoka said, making him pout. She then elbowed him with a chuckle. "Ease up, that depressing look doesn't really fit your face."
"Seriously, who names these places..." Raiko wondered while looking back at the sign.
"Who cares, either pick something or move on." Katsuki said rudely.
"...Are you still salty about the game?" Raiko asked, giving him a smug grin. Katsuki scowled hard and stomped through the store. "I think he's still mad."
"He'll get over it." Izuku claimed with a shrug. He walked over to one of the shelves and looked around. "You know, I never got into Music when I was younger." He really couldn't, at least not without it being something automatically about some random pro hero. "Nevermind how many of them are about All Might."
"Not a fan of his?" Kyoka asked, confused.
"The biggest fan, but I do like variety." That and he really, really missed the music from his world. None of them, not even the songs made for MHA had existed. The best he had was replaying what he remembered.
"Ah, in that case." Kyoka picked one up and placed it in his hand. "Try Deep Dope. Trust me when I say you'll like it."
"Then I guess I have no choice, but to trust the Guitar Slammers Champ." Izuku said, accepting the disk.
"You got lucky. You'd be lost in a place like this without me." Kyoka added on with a smirk.
"...Aye, if you two are gonna flirt, at least do it where I don't have to gag." Raiko said, pushing past them. Both of them turned red with Izuku looking away awkwardly and Kyoka glaring directly into Raiko's back. Which he ignored happily.
"S-sorry about that." Izuku said while Kyoka huffed.
"It's fine dude. He's just teasing." She claimed before going silent for a moment. "...I think I'll teach him a lesson."
"Go crazy." Izuku said as she slowly stalked after the rabbit. Once she was out of sight, he resisted the urge to let out a sigh, knowing she could still hear him. '...Fuck.'
Relationships, romantic ones, were a strange and tough topic given his situation. Not concerning his Quirkless nature, but rather the fact he was mentally vastly older. It made things like dates and whatnot difficult to think about when given the major difference between his physical and mental ages. He didn't want to be lonely in any regard, but he could hardly talk about these issues with anyone, not even Katsuki or his Mother.
'...And now I'm back to these issues…best put my thoughts elsewhere.' Izuku thought, able to shift his face into a smile as he looked down at the Deep Dope cover. '...Huh, these actually look good.'
Jiro had taste and it wasn't the least bit surprising.
(Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, Food Court)
After hitting a few more stores and attacking the arcade one last time, the group had finally settled down and were now relaxing in the food court.
"…You are officially the scariest person I know, Midoriya." Raiko claimed while scanning through a certain notebook. "And I have to deal with my sister..."
"Yeah…I didn't even think of any of this stuff." Kyoka added on, a disturbed yet highly intrigued look on her face.
"Come on, I'm not that bad am I?" Izuku asked hopefully. However the look he got said otherwise. "Wow...the honest truth comes out."
"Shut up, Deku." Katsuki mumbled, while elbowing him.
"Right back at you, Kaachan." Izuku said, giving him a look.
"So what's up with the whole...Nickname thing?" Kyoka asked, looking between the two.
"And why does the Bomberanian keep calling us extras?" Raiko asked, as a dumbfounded look came on Katsuki's face.
"...WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOUR CALLING THAT STUPID ASS NAME!" Katsuki yelled, earning some attention.
"You called me an extra, what did you think I was gonna do?" Raiko questioned, making Katsuki scowl. Before he could get another word in, Izuku butted in.
"It was something from back when we were kids. We couldn't say each other's names properly, so we gave each other nicknames." Izuku explained with Katsuki huffing.
"Yeah, but doesn't Deku mean…ya know." Kyoka trailed off, looking reasonably worried.
"Useless? Yeah, but it's hardly the worst thing I can be called. I mean, can you imagine being called Kacchan at the playground?" Izuku asked, sending a mocking look to the fuming Katsuki. Raiko snorted while Kyoka allowed a laugh to escape from behind her mouth. "But in all seriousness, it's just something that has stuck. He of all people knows I'm far from useless."
"Of course you're not useless, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you get ahead of me." Katsuki said with a growl.
"Right, who's ahead by two points now?" Izuku asked, as Katsuki popped a small explosion with a growl. "Ease up, don't get yourself thrown out."
"You two fight a lot, don't you?" Kyoka asked, throwing a glare in Katsuki's direction. He glared back briefly before huffing, mumbling out an apology. It wasn't much, but given his brash attitude it was the best she was gonna get.
"More than you think. Granted, we're actually trying out some more training and planning in advance for this summer." Izuku said, ignoring the side glance his friend sent. "In fact, I was actually wondering if you wanted to train with us?"
"Training? In being a Hero?" Raiko said, trying really hard to not snort.
"Just in general. You do like exercise, last I remembered." Izuku added on, remembering some of their conversations. "Plus, it's just something to do to hang out."
"Well my hang outs normally involve more game time, but I can't say I wouldn't mind some extra exercise." It was a habit, either from his Quirk or just something he grew into, he did indeed enjoy working out when he could. Plus...he could use the extra time away from home. "Okay then, Midoriya. I don't mind joining you."
"Great, what about you Jiro?" Izuku asked, turning to the girl in question.
"I'm not sure if I can keep up with any of you dudes." She was being honest in that regard. Even with seeing the notes on her own Quirk, she'd be lying if she thought she was Hero material.
"Well I wouldn't say that. By all means, to other people I shouldn't be able to even begin to keep up with Katsuki. But the reality is that I can and even go as far as to beat him." Katsuki grumbled at that, but didn't deny it. It was honestly more shocking that he didn't deny the idea of them training. "And I know for a fact he doesn't hold back. It's an insult to do so otherwise."
"And you think I can handle Blasty over there?" Kyoka asked, pointing a jack at him.
"Not at all, but that's only because I don't know how you fight yet." Izuku said with a shrug. He knew she was more worried about his Quirk, which was reasonable given her own. "And if you think you're weak, then get stronger. You only limit yourself by thinking solely on the negatives and not just on heroics either. So, wanna give it a shot with us?"
Kyoka couldn't help, but agree with that. She had genuinely wanted to be a Hero for a long time now. However she never really admitted that to anyone, not even her parents. Now she was being offered a chance to at least be given that opportunity. She may have still held some reservations, yet hearing it from someone who had no Quirk and was still working their ass off, was honestly really damn inspiring.
"…Do I have to start pouting?" Izuku asked, sarcasm lacing from his voice.
"Please don't." Kyoka said, smiling before letting out a sigh. "Fine, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Just don't expect me to go against my own schedule too much, Green."
"As long as you don't mind some extra work, then all is good!" Izuku said, with a large smile that sent shivers down everyone's spines. Even Katsuki, who knew how…extra his friend could be when it came to his training.
He had seen the weights.
He could not pick up the weights. Yet
Izuku was already talking about getting new weights.
"...You better be ready to deal with his bullshit like I am." Katsuki said, a blank look on his face. He watched as their faces were full of regret while Izuku merely gave him a look of annoyance. "What? Might as well tell them this shit ain't gonna be easy. If they fall behind then I'll happily leave them in the dust."
"That a challenge, Bomberanian?" Raiko questioned, getting a snort in return. Rolling his eyes, he then turned to Izuku. "Exercise is always gonna be a pain, so no complaints here."
"Might as well see it through. Where's this training spot anyway?" Kyoka asked.
"Oh, it's Takoba Municipal's Beach." Izuku answered.
"...The dump?" Both Raiko and Kyoka asked.
Izuku could only nod, laughing a bit from seeing their expressions. "That shouldn't be an issue right?"
(Takoba Municipal Beach)(After School, Sunset)
Izuku had to admit, even he didn't fully believe they'd agree so easily. He also knew that they could easily get this done within a few months if he followed that American Dream Plan that All Might had made up originally. Granted, he had to make more than a few alterations with it.
While Raiko and himself were moving around, pulling around the more heavy things being that of old refrigerators, car pieces ect, Kyoka and Katsuki had focused on other aspects. Katsuki had went all out of the garbage, blowing them into the tiniest specs of dust. When he wasn't doing that, he was also moving around some large chunks of garbage. As for Kyoka, she was focusing on lifting things with her jacks or pummeling metal chunks of trash.
Considered they were all working with a limited workspace, it was as productive as it could get. Even if there was one complaint from one of the officers, due to Katsuki's explosions, he laid off upon seeing the notice about it being a Quirk Training ground. Granted, he also gave Izuku a look for it, but didn't say anything.
"Fuck...this sucks." Kyoka admitted while sitting on the ground, suffering from exhaustion. Looking up she couldn't help, but glare over at the boys who were more or less tired, but nowhere near as bad as she was.
"Less complaining over there, Ears." Katsuki grunted, stretching out a limb. "You agreed to this shit, you should have expected it."
"You definitely went harder than I thought you could go." Raiko admitted, earning him the glare from her. "What? It was a compliment."
"Yeah, sure." Kyoka said, though with no real bite. She wasn't stupid, she understood that this was her first time doing this. Still, she kinda wished that she had done a little better. "Still, it's a little rough...and the smell isn't much better."
"Trust me, it's much worse for me." Raiko mumbled, his nose wiggling a bit.
"Deal with it, Hare-Fucker." Katsuki said, making Raiko's ear twitch. Ignoring him, he turned to Deku as a scowl grew on his face. "Deku."
"Hmm? Wha?" Izuku mumbled, looking up from his laptop. "Is...something wrong?"
"We just got done for the day, put down that stupid ass weight." Katsuki growled. Izuku blinked, looking at his off hand and realized he had brought a weight with him. Letting out an embarrassed chuckle, he lowered the weight and ignored their stares as best he could. "Sorry about that. It's a bit of a habit."
"Tch, you say that shit until you crash and pass out." Katsuki said.
"Wait, you've passed out before from exercising too hard?" Raiko questioned, concerned.
"Not recently, no. When I was younger, a lot more so." Izuku admitted, remembering how hard he had forced himself to train. He needed everything he could for when he headed into U.A.
"So, what exactly are you doing there?" Kyoka asked, leaning over a bit to see what he was doing. "Wait, is that a...Chat Box?"
"Yup." Izuku confirmed.
"Oh right, you're using those Nerds aren't you?" Katsuki asked, confusing Raiko and Kyoka.
"...Katsuki, we're Nerds, remember?" Izuku asked, getting a scoff from Katsuki. "But yeah, I'm talking to them again."
"And you're talking to them because...?" Raiko asked.
"Because...the Internet is for idiots."
"...What?"
"Right, I should explain...you know how there's an enormous amount of people out there with Intelligent Enhancing Quirks? Well, I've kinda been...tricking them into teaching me how to make certain things." Izuku admitted while rubbing the back of his head.
"...Is...is that legal?" Kyoka asked concerned.
"Pretty much. It's as basic as asking a normal question online. Nevermind how eager these people are to show off their intelligence. Surprisingly, they don't give me any Ego most of the time, though I ran into a few." Izuku said, placing his focus back into the computer. "Anyway, I've just been using them to cycle through support items for myself and Kaachan here."
"Deku's already designed a few things, even these gauntlets for me to use normally so whenever I punch, I can have a more focused explosion." Katsuki explained with a wicked grin. Izuku had stolen the idea of Shotgun Gauntlets for Katsuki to use. "Then again, I made these big ass gauntlets that can store up my sweat in large amounts for me to release a big ass explosion."
Katsuki knew what he wanted, he could admit that much.
"...I keep forgetting how nasty your Quirk is." Raiko said bluntly.
"SHUT IT, HARE FUCKER!"
"Gosh you two..." Kyoka groaned, looking between them. Izuku was looking between them while trying hard to keep the biggest smile on his face. "What's with that grin, Green?"
He failed.
"It's nothing, I guess…I'm just a little happy that's all." Katsuki was the only one who could understand that, his expression softening just a bit. "It's nice to have a hangout with more people, that's all."
"...Tch. You losers better keep up with both of us, regardless if you're trying to be a Hero or not." Katsuki declared giving the two new...'friends' a solid glare. "If you want out, you best do so now or get with the program."
"So long as we're doing something beyond training in a junkyard." Raiko said, with an eye roll. "Believe it or not, there are better ways of hanging out."
"There better be. I actually don't even know if I can get back home or not." Kyoka managed to get out, still tired from today. "But...yeah, I wouldn't mind doing this again. Just go easy if I pass out on you."
"I'm glad to hear that." Izuku grinned, unable to help himself. It was a grand start to a friendship and he hoped it would only grow from here. "Next time when we hang, I'll even bring Himiko along. Though she may be a little...extra sometimes."
"What? Compared to Blasty over here? I don't believe it." Kyoka jabbed at Katsuki.
Needless to say, Katsuki yelled. Like a lot.