Chapter 3: Lesson 3
I woke up the next morning, and quickly went over certain sections of the manual again, as I tried to figure out what I would tell my mom. Considering her probable counter arguments, I went over to the bookshelf, took out a specific book, and then stored it in my Inventory. Then it was out to the kitchen.
"Good morning, mom," I said as naturally as I could. Except a squeak in my voice ruined it. Then I looked around.
"Where's dad?" I asked.
"Oh, ahh," she hesitated, "He left last night, caught a red-eye back to America. He has work you know..."
"Mom," I prompted gently, "Is something going on with dad? With you and dad? You two barely talked yesterday, and he left without saying goodbye."
"Well, Izuku honey," she said cautiously, "I guess I should tell you. Your father and I are legally separated."
"Legally separated?" I parroted in confusion.
"I'm not surprised you don't know about that," she said, "It has only been an option in Japan for about twenty years, and it is still uncommon. It means that while we are still married, we are apart, and we own our possessions individually. And certain other aspects are spelled out in the agreement."
"Like me?" I asked softly.
She looked down, and didn't say anything.
"It's because of me, isn't it?" I realized.
"No, Izuku," she hurried over and hugged me, "It was not your fault. You are not to blame. You should never believe that. Your father and I always burned bright. When we were happy..."
She blushed, and I tried not to think about it.
"But even from the beginning, when we fought, it was like dynamite," she continued, "Mitsuki always said she was surprised we lasted long enough to get married."
"But what drove you apart," I countered, "What made you fight, was me."
"There is a school," she said, "A school for Quirkless children. One where they don't spend time trying to teach you about controlling Quirks, or about Quirk laws. A school where children without powers don't have to be afraid, bullied."
For a moment I considered that. But I wasn't that naive. Bullying pre-dated Quirks. There is no reason to think that just because the school only had Quirkless students, didn't mean they wouldn't find other reasons to torment each other.
"But that school is near the north shore of Hokkaido," she continued, "A boarding school. I didn't want to send you away, not at five years old. And there were... rumors."
I could imagine. Teachers' cruelty was the first thing that came to mind. But even worse... An isolated school, a population with a specific genetic trait. That would be a perfect testing ground. Or control group.
A few years later, a certain Hero agency investigated the school. Not long after, most of the administration and some of the teachers went to prison for a very long time. And the school was shut down.
"Your father didn't believe the stories, he thought it would be best for you to go there," Mom told me, "And I was adamant you stay. So yes, we fought about it. If it hadn't been that, it would have been something else."
She looked at my face, and must have seen the doubts. She smiled sadly and said.
"But the final straw was how I've let myself go," she told me, "The second time he came back from America, he looked at me, and asked for the separation."
That got me out of my funk, making me angry.
"That's not true, mom," I told her, "There's nothing wrong with you. You are still really pretty."
"That's kind of you," she said wistfully, "Too bad the doctor doesn't agree."
She looked at me firmly, "Your father is a good man. He takes good care of us. And part of me will always care for him. But no, we are not together anymore."
I hugged her again, and she returned it. Then she gave me another look.
"Now, it seemed like you had something you wanted to talk to me about," she said pointedly as she released me.
"Yes," I scratched the back of my head nervously, "It's about what I told Mitsuki-oba-san."
"That was very kind of you," Mom said carefully, "But of course..."
"Mom, I have a power," I interrupted her, "It happened the die Katsuki day'd. Err, day he died... Just woke up that morning, and I just had it."
"Are you sure?" she asked slowly. I held up my right hand.
"You might have forgot, what with everything that happened," I countered, "But remember my hand? The split knuckles from punching the barrier? That wouldn't heal in just four days, right?"
She took my hand gently. Looked it over. Then she smiled, tearing up.
"Oh, Izuku," she grabbed me a third time, "You have a Quirk. What is it?"
"It's not a Quirk," I mused out loud, "Or at least it says it isn't."
"What does that mean, Izuku?" she looked confused and a little worried.
"I guess it might be fastest just to show you," I decided. Then I proclaimed firmly, "Party Invite, Midoriya Inko."
[Izuku Midoriya has invited you to join his party.
(Accept) (Decline)]
I noticed that all the messages displayed our names in western order.
My mom looked at the box nervously.
"It's okay, mom," I reassured her, "Just hit 'accept'."
She did.
"Now say 'status'," I encouraged her.
"Status?" she said questioningly.
The window appeared before her, and I made it a point not to look at it.
I explained to her everything I had read in the manual, and had seen for myself. I showed her my own Status box, pointing out my "Quirk metagene negative" qualifier. I got into a real roll, but she didn't interrupt me.
"... and health is equal to the sum of your physical attributes at level 1, plus half of your Endurance, rounded up, for each level you gain," I told her, finally petering out.
"Izuku," my mom said carefully, "Have you thought about this? It might just be a hologram Quirk, responding to your own thoughts and desires. The same thing with your fingers."
"I had considered that," I agreed, "Tested it. But what about this?"
I flipped over to my inventory, and took out the book. Handed it to her.
"Your father gave you this, two years ago," she flipped it over, revealing the title, 'JavaScript 11 for Noobs'.
"It's real, right?" I prompted. She nodded, but was holding back a protested that my possible illusion Quirk might have concealed it.
"Hold on to it, tight," I gently placed one finger on the book.
[This book contains the skills JavaScript ES11 and Software Methodology. Learning them will consume the book. Proceed with learning these skills?
(Accept) (Decline)]
I hit 'accept' without hesitating.
[Skill book used. Skill JavaScript ES11 (lvl 1) unlocked. Skill Software Methodology (lvl 1) unlocked.]
Mom blinked as the book vanished, leaving a light coating of paper dust on her hands. I blinked because I unlocked what I guessed were both Wit based skills, but my attribute did not improve.
Then I looked at her again, and there was still doubt on my Mom's face.
"Okay, I have one last thing to prove this is real."
"Izuku, honey," she said softly, but I plowed on ahead. I flipped over to the Talents tab, and scrolled to one of the two Talents I had been thinking about buying first. I didn't think 'Ki Initiate' would convince Mom that it wasn't just an illusion, so I went instead with 'Telekinesis, Basic'. Then I flipped back over to the Skills list. Three new unlocked skills has jumped to the top; 'Telekinesis', 'TK Attack', and 'TK Defense'. I put my three unspent skill points into 'Telekinesis'. Then I looked up at my Mom determinedly.
I pointed past her, into the kitchen. Without touching it, from a good three meters away, I turned on the sink. I picked up the dish towel, and ran it under the water. I nearly dropped the towel as I turned the water off. Then I clumsily wrang out the towel. My Energy was draining faster than I would have expected. But I had just unlocked the lowest level Talent, and my Skill level was really low. All the more reason I needed practice.
I unsteadily pulled the damp cloth over to my Mom, and held it out for her, saying, "Sorry, I didn't know using a skill book would be that messy."
After she wiped her hands off, I dusted the floor with the cloth, still not touching it. Then I set it next to the sink, to add to the laundry later.
"So, umm, what do you think?" I asked nervously, silently praying she believed me.
"Izuku," she addressed me directly, "Why are you going this far? Telling me all this, showing me all this? Even spending those points just to make a point, after telling me how rare they are?"
"They might not be that rare, if I can just figure out how to gain XP and level up," I mumbled, but caught myself before I could plunge down my normal speculative rabbit hole, "And I was going to buy Telekinesis anyway, maybe just not until next level. But why?"
I grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of my head again.
"To be honest," I came clean, "Part of it is because I got a quest telling me to tell you. And another part of it is I'm going to ask for an advance on my allowance. I need to train for the UA Entrance Exam. So I am going to need work out clothing, some training weights, and hopefully I can find some useful skill books at the bookstore."
Then I took her hand, and squeezed it gently.
"But mainly, I wanted to tell you. I wanted you to know that this isn't just a lark or a crazy dream. I didn't want you to worry about me getting hurt. And I didn't want to hide anything from you."
She just looked at me for a moment. Then she smiled.
"Tell you what?" she said happily, "Why don't you go get cleaned up and dressed, and we will go out for breakfast, to celebrate your Quirk... or whatever this is. Then we can go shopping for supplies. But on one condition. Or make that two."
"What's that?" I said carefully.
"First, this is just an advance on your normal allowance," she told me, "We are not made of money. Unless you have a talent for that hidden somewhere."
"Not that I know of," I conceded to her joke, "yet."
"That's too bad," she sighed in mock despair. Then she sobered, and said, "Secondly, you leave me in your party, at least until you have a specific reason to remove me. That way, I can make sure you aren't getting hurt or going overboard."
"I can do that," I smiled.
"Then I will help you," she said, "You can consider your first quest complete."
I whooped, and then kissed her on the cheek.
"Thanks, Mom," I told her as I darted back to my room.
Midoriya Inko watched wistfully as her son hurried off to get ready. His determination filled her with guilt. Especially considering his supposedly low value in the named attribute. Plus a small amount of guilt that she had openly looked at his stats, while he avoided looking at hers.
When had she started giving up? She had not said a word when her husband asked to put a legal hold on their relationship. She had not been able to comfort her son when reality tried to crush his dream, and she had let her fear and guilt drive her into the kitchen.
No, it was even earlier than that. With Izuku out of the room, she flipped back to her Talents. She only had three, with five talent points unused. Two were 'Cooking' and 'First Aid'. The third was her Quirk; 'Quirk: Gravity Pull I'. That was right, 'I'. Immediately under it was a 'Quirk: Gravity Pull II', with a brief description. Under that was 'Quirk: Gravity Pull III', greyed out except for the name. And below that, it branched off into three more Talents, their details completely obscured.
The Quirk she just accepted was weak; useless for anything more than mundane tasks, had multiple layers of hidden depths. But she had never known. She had never tried. Inko had just given up, accepted the hand she thought she was holding.
"No more," she said softly, "I'm not giving up any more. For myself, and for my son."
[You have made a firm and heartfelt declaration. Determination +1.]
Inko immediately purchased 'Quirk: Gravity Pull II'. That added more information to the third level, showing her that neither her skill with her Quirk, nor her related attributes were high enough yet. She went back to the main screen, and pumped her Intuition and Determination both up to 21.
"I don't have the Skill points," she mumbled, not unlike her son, "So I guess I'll just have to do it the hard way."
She pulled the dirty towel over to herself, and took it to the hamper.
I stepped to the next shelf. I was in the reference section, running my fingers over the spines of the books. Seeing which ones triggered my power. If they looked like they would be immediately useful, I put them into the basket. If not, or if I didn't qualify to use them yet, I just recorded the name to a list on my phone.
"Excuse me," I bowed to a man perusing cookbooks. He had messy hair, a five o'clock shadow, and a scar under his right eye. He seemed dangerous, though not like a bad person. So I made sure to be polite.
"No, excuse me," he stepped back and watched my ritual. Then I looked at the two books he was holding.
"I think that one is better," I suggested the one in his right hand, it's counterpart on the shelf having triggered The Gamer.
"Is that your Quirk?" he asked, his voice as rough as his appearance.
"Something like that?" I said evasively, and hurried on the to next display.
At the end of the shelf, I saw the bluette from Kacchan's service. She was looking at college entrance books. Not feeling comfortable, and not wanting her to think I was a stalker, I ducked around to the back side of the shelf. Which incidentally put me right in line with the main sort of books I was looking for.
I only ended up getting eight new books, out of a list of dozens. I didn't want to be in debt until I graduated from UA.
At the sporting goods store, I immediately selected a trio of tracksuits, based on All Might's bronze, silver, and gold age costumes, respectively.
Unfortunately, when it came to training weights, I was at a bit of a loss. I even used the book on muscle training I bought, to unlock the 'Strength Training' Skill, hoping it would give me pointers. But in the end I had to ask the sales person for advice. A quick witted young woman, with forearms like Popeye, she asked me about my plans, and then guided me to a modular set with a vest, wrist, and ankle bands. I bought two of the sets of weights to attach to them, knowing that I could buy more later.
We got home just in time for lunch, and I helped Mom out. Even though I was itching to use the new books and then ponder my new Skills and future options. She seemed to sense that, and after we ate, she dismissed me from washing the dishes.
[Skill book used. Skill Basic Karate (lvl 1) unlocked.]
[Skill book used. Skill Boxing (lvl 1) unlocked.]
[Skill book used. Skill Parkour (lvl 1) unlocked.]
[Skill book used. Skill Yoga (lvl 1) unlocked.]
[Skill book used. Chemistry, Basic skill improved (lvl 2).]
[Skill book used. Mathematics, Basic skill improved (lvl 2).]
[Skill book used. English Language skill improved (lvl 5).]
I looked at my new Skills. Along with Strength Training I had already gained, I had a set of physical skills I thought would help me train, even if they weren't directly useful in the UA exam. The other three were to make it easier to pass this year, so I would need less time to study and have more time to train.
Then I check the Attributes associated with my new Skills. And like I thought, even though I had gained multiple skills today for Wit, Strength, and Agility, none of them had improved.
"Maybe skill books don't trigger that," I mused, "Because I'm not actually working on the stat, like when I unlock the skill by learning it manually?"
[You figured out a minor, intentional gap in the manual. Intuition +1.]
"Intentional, right."
I noticed the system messages sometimes seemed to have a personality.
I leaned back in my chair and looked at the ceiling. It was April 29th. The exams where next March, the first and second, with results posted on the eighth. And tomorrow, April 30th, my training would begin in earnest.
I packed all three tracksuits and my weights into my Inventory. Only then did I notice the Quest tab blinking. I jabbed the button as quickly as I could.
The panel for 'Oldest Ally' was also flashing. I touched it.
[Quest 'Oldest Ally' complete. Claim the rewards?
(Accept) (Decline)]
I supposed there might be a reason to save the rewards for a quest for a specific time. Like maybe to level up at a key moment. But I had no reason to wait. I all but punched 'accept'.
[Bonus Talents received.
'Inventory II' unlocked.
'Reflective Dungeon' unlocked.]
My eyes widened as I jumped over to the Talents tab...
Current Status:
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Age: 14
Level: 2
Active Title: The Gamer
Health: 18/18
Energy: 53/53
Attributes:
(S)trength: 3
(A)gility: 4
(E)ndurance: 5
(Q)uickness: 3
(W)it: 19
(I)ntuition: 16
(C)harisma: 5
(D)etermination: 8
(L)uck: 2
Unused Points:
Attribute: 8
Skill: 0
Talent: 0
Skills:
Modern Tech (W): 13
Computer Gaming (W/A): 14
Japanese Language (W/C): 12
English Language (W/C): 5
Scientific Method (W/I): 6
Oral Hygiene (C): 3
Analyze (W): 1
Mathematics, Basic (W): 3
Dodge (A): 1
Chemistry, Basic (I): 2
Creative Writing (C): 1
Software Methodology (W): 1
JavaScript ES11 (W): 1
Telekinesis (I/D): 3
Strength Training (S): 1
Basic Karate (A): 1
Boxing (S): 1
Parkour (A/Q): 1
Yoga (A/E): 1
Talents:
Studious
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind
Telekinesis, Basic
Inventory II
Reflective Dungeon
Chapter 4: Lesson 4
[Inventory II
Increase inventory slots by 5.
May equip items directly from inventory.]
My first new Talent was straightforward enough. Instead of a 2 by 5 block in my Inventory tab, I now had a 3 by 5 block. I tapped on my first track suit, and instead of just appearing in my hand, a new menu came up with two options, [Take] and [Equip]. I pressed 'equip', and instantly I was decked out like silver age All Might. More or less. And the shirt and pants I had been wearing were each taking up a block in the inventory grid.
Next I tried the weight gear. The bracelets appeared on my wrists, and I could feel the anklets on my legs. I could also feel the vest, but it was under the tracksuit. They were somewhat heavy on their own, enough for a weaker guy like me to start with. But just to test, I equipped one of the weight sets, watching as the metal bars appeared clipped to my bracelets. While I could still move around like that, it was slow and draining. So I took them back off. Then I switched back to my original outfit. But I kept the bracelets, anklets, and vest in place.
The simpler Talent tested, I went back to the tab to read over and think over the other one again.
[Reflective Dungeon
Transports you and your party to an alternate dimension dungeon* representing the essence of a single selected "source" person or item. Defeat enemies (and complete quests when offered) in the dungeon to enhance the source in some fashion. As well as reap the benefits you would expect from defeating foes in a dungeon crawl. But be careful, the better the source, the more dangerous the reflection.
*Despite the terminology, a Reflective Dungeon is not necessarily a maze or cavern. It could just as easily be an open field or an ethereal wonderland.]
It sounded like an old game series my grandpa had described to me. You could go inside your equipment to improve its stats, and sometimes get special abilities. Or go inside your characters, to improve their growth rates or unlock unique skills. Was such a thing really possible?
'Asks the guy who just got Telekinesis by pressing a button on a virtual RPG display,' I reminded myself, 'And it doesn't actually say it does anything like those games. 'Enhance the source in some fashion' seems deliberately vague.'
I also wondered about the 'benefits from defeating foes in a dungeon' part. I guessed at least it meant XP. But could it also mean that the enemies would drop items? Or even gold?
I sighed and closed the window. There wasn't much I could do with it now. I wasn't ready to test it, especially if I would drag my mom along with me. I would definitely have to talk about it with her first. And she would definitely worry.
Plus I needed to get my homework done today, so I could focus on training tomorrow.
I got off the bus. Before me there was a small parking lot, an even smaller restroom building, a picnic bench, a moderately impressive sign, and then a forest. Though the word didn't do it justice.
Endoru Forest Park had been an industrial park about forty years ago. A seven story office building, a trio of factories, a huge parking lot. The lake near the center had been kept clean, if only so the executives looking over it had a nice view. The stream coming out the lake had been far less pristine.
Until the day a group of eco-terrorist Villains decided to destroy it. The Heroes back then had fought back, and captured the Villains. But in the end, the Villains won. The buildings had been damaged beyond repair. In the end, another group bought the land. They removed all traces of industry, and brought in people with plant Quirks and similar abilities. Today it looked like a section of the old California Redwood Forest had been transplanted to Japan. And it was unspoiled, cleaner than almost any other Japanese park. Though given its history and who managed it, Endoru did not get a lot of visitors, and the ones who did were more respectful than average.
In short, it was a great place to start training. Almost eighty square kilometers of woods, and I was probably going to be the only one here.
Checking to make sure no-one was around to see, I switched over to my training gear.
"Okay, first things first," I mumbled. I locked onto the sign, and proclaimed, "Analyze."
[Endoru Forest Park Sign
Age: 22 Years
Material: Black Oak and Redwood
A simple yet high quality park sign]
I shifted my gaze, and repeated, "Analyze."
[Endoru Park Public Restrooms
Five individual, unisex, 3/4 bath restrooms.
Cleanliness: A-]
"Analyze."
[Lockers
Sixteen lockers. 100 Yen for the day.]
"Analyze."
[Picnic Bench
Standard table with built in bench seats. Seats eight, ten if they are small or willing to squeeze in.]
"Analyze."
[Redwood Tree
Grown from a seed recovered from the US national park destroyed during the unrest caused by the Quirk phenomenon. Actual age is 31 years, but due to a plant growth manipulation Quirk, its effective age is 214 years.]
"Analyze."
[A patch of dirt
Were you maybe trying to look at something else?]
[Your curiosity and vigilance have paid off. Analyze skill improved (lvl 2).]
"Analyze."
[Tracksuit
A tracksuit of above average quality, patterned after All Might's "Bronze Age" costume.
Durability: 35/35]
"That's new, I think," I muttered, as I started walking across the parking lot. I looked at the same tree again.
"I wonder if... Analyze?"
[Redwood Tree
Grown from a seed from the US national park destroyed during the unrest caused by the Quirk phenomenon. Actual age is 31 years, but due to Quirk growth acceleration, its effective age is 214 years.
Health: 2340/2349]
"Wow."
I wondered what would happen if I used Analyze on other people, but I hadn't done it yet. A combination of fear and politeness had stopped me.
"If I raise the skill level, if seems to provide more information," I mused, "Maybe I should try it on another person as a baseline... But that's for later."
I headed into the forest. Not too deep, I didn't want to get lost. I mean, I still had my phone, safely stored in my Inventory. But I wasn't sure how good the reception was here.
And my mom also knew I was here. She suggested it, Endoru being only about a half-hour bus ride from our apartment. And a relatively secluded place, where I wasn't likely to be discovered.
I walked through the trees and brush until I couldn't see the rest area. Then I went another ten meters deeper, just to be safe. I picked one of the larger redwoods and Analyzed it, to make sure it wasn't actually rotten and liable to fall over on me if I hit it. Then I looked around, and found a broken off branch from one of the smaller trees that occasionally managed to grow between the giants.
"Okay," I went over my plan again, "Step one, Analyze everything. Trees, brush, hopefully some birds or squirrels will pass by. Goal: raise the level of Analyze and hopefully my Wit, too. Step two, Telekinesis. Pick up that branch, hold it twenty five centimeters above the ground. Goal: grind my TK skill level, and probably my Intuition, too. Also work on multitasking, so that simple uses of TK become almost second nature. Step three, shadow boxing. Attack the tree as hard as I can, but stopping just short of hitting it. Goal: grind my combat skill levels, and hopefully all of my physical attributes, too. I'll keep doing all three at the same time, until it is lunch time, or I am too tired to continue. But I doubt my Energy will last that long, so I may have to stop using TK sooner."
I nodded to myself, fairly confident in my plan for the morning. In the afternoon, depending on how much energy (rather than Energy) I had left, I was hoping to do some free running through the forest. Try to self unlock the skills 'Climbing', 'Running', and 'Acrobatics' to go with my 'Parkour'. Otherwise, I might just end up doing yoga.
"Here we go," I exhaled. I looked at the branch, focused my power, and lifted. It started hovering just above the soil.
"Now, Analyze."
[Japanese Cedar Branch
A limb broken off of a Japanese Cedar during a recent storm. Currently floating 22 cm above the ground. It's not supposed to be doing that.
Durability: 8/8]
"Good," I said. Then stopped looking at the branch, while trying not to let it slip. I dropped into a boxing stance. I started to pepper the trunk with punches, occasionally ducking around imaginary counters. Most of my strikes stopped well short of the tree. In fact, further back than I wanted. But not all of them...
[-1 Health]
It hurt for just a moment when I made contact with the bark. But there were no marks on my skin, and the pain was gone before I had finished checking my knuckles.
"Active HUD," I said, not wanting to let my Health drop too far, "Analyze."
[Redwood Tree
Another one. Actual age is 31 years, but due to Quirk growth acceleration, its effective age is 188 years.
Health: 1849/1928]
[-1 Health]
If I couldn't control myself better, than I might have to quit for the day earlier than I wanted or expected.
[You have maintained your Telekinesis for an extended period and through multiple distractions. Telekinesis skill improved (lvl 4).]
Okay, so far, so good.
[-2 Health]
"Oww," I groaned. This time my Health was low enough that I did scrape my knuckles. But I had a different reason to hit the tree this time.
After Analyze reached level 5, it had stopped improving. I decided there were only so many times I could scan the same trees. I kept up with the martial arts and psychic powers. My attributes had all gone up at least one point, except for Charisma and Luck. And so had Boxing, Karate, and Telekinesis.
I let myself get complacent, and so I was surprised when bright flash of white shot through the trees maybe fifty meters away from me and ten meters up. It was probably some sort of bird, but it was gone before I could scan or even properly see it. In the meantime, the distracion made me drop the stick, and punch the tree far harder than any of my previous accidents.
[You have taken multiple impacts from something far sturdier than you are. Skill Physical Resistance (lvl 1) unlocked.]
I checked out the new skill, and blinked. It hadn't been on the visible, available list of skills before, so it must have had a secret activation. Whatever the case, Physical Resistance was a passive skill that literally and simply reduced damage I took from physical attacks, including self-inflicted ones. Damage reduction was 0.5% per level of the skill. Which meant if I could grind or buy the skill up to maximum level, any physical damage I took would be automatically halved.
After I finished ogling my new ability, I took stock. The stick was on the ground. My Health was just below half, and my Energy was at about ten percent. Plus it was only forty three minutes to noon.
"Lunch time," I decided. I couldn't sleep, but hoped some food and rest would help restore me for the afternoon. Despite the damage and lack of Energy, I wasn't tired and was only moderately sweating.
I jogged back to the rest area, Analyzing the non-redwood trees I occasionally saw.
When I got back, I had this odd feeling. So I walked over to the lockers, opened one that was not in use. I took the towel and lunch my mom had given me out of Inventory, using the locker for cover. As I closed it, I heard the squeak of a door pull in need of oil.
[Your insight serves you well. Intuition +1.]
A girl turned the corner from the bathrooms to the outside wall with the lockers, and we both froze in surprise.
She was about my height. She had really long green hair, a shade darker than mine. And her hair was tied in a bow. Not tied up with a bow, her actual hair was drawn into a bow shape and knotted.
She had large eyes and a wide mouth with a slightly protruding upper lip. Her nose and ears were both small. All in all, she looked kind of like a frog. Normally that would have been an insult, but somehow on her it looked really cute.
She was wearing green sweat pants and a white tank top. She was fairly slender, except (very obviously at the moment) in the chest. The tank was plastered with sweat, accentuating the shape of her breasts and showing her bra through it.
"Excuse me," I bowed slightly, shifted so she could get past me. She opened up another locker, and took out a brown bag.
"Would you like to use this?" I held out my towel towards her.
"Thanks, but I don't mind being wet, ribbit," she said flatly.
"Okay," I bowed again, and then hurried over to the picnic table. I sat down and unpacked my lunch. A few seconds later, she joined me, sitting on the opposite side and opposite end of the table. It wasn't really surprising.
"I think I saw you out in the forest earlier," I said, "Are you here training, too?"
She looked at me for a moment, as if sizing me up. Then she slid a little closer.
"I am," she answered, "What are you training for?"
"I'm trying to get into UA," I said, "In the Hero course."
She glanced at me again, her lips pursed dubiously. That wasn't a surprise either, given my height and build at that point.
"So am I," she admitted, "I guess that makes us rivals."
I just nodded, thinking that meant the conversation was done. Then, feeling a bit guilty, I whispered, "Analyze."
[Name: Tsuyu Asui
Race: Human (Quirk metagene positive)
Age: 14
Level: 4
Active Title: Frog Girl
Health: 192/194
Stamina: 70/95]
Wow, she had even more Health than my mom, and my mom was level 16. And yes, I had looked at the Party page, which showed my party member's levels, Health, and any of the gauges that Gamer's Body rolled into Energy. I hadn't seen anyone besides the three of us, so Asui-san either had really high Attributes for her level or some Talents that increased her Health. Or my mom and I were both well below the curve. Or maybe a little of each.
We ate in silence, Asui-san finishing well before me, and vanishing back into the trees. I still went through the motions of pretending to put my stuff back in the locker.
"Woohoo," I yelled softly in delight.
I was running through the forest as quickly as I could. Jumping over, or off, roots. Bounding off the trees. Sometimes scrambling up them a few steps before flipping backwards. I fell a few times, apparently enough to level up Physical Resistance. I also unlocked 'Running' and 'Climbing', but they were different attributes, so no bonuses there. Still, all physical stats had gone up further. But none of that was the reason I was softly celebrating.
[Level Up!
Level: 3
Attribute points: +7
Skill points: +3
Talent points: +1]
Unlike a game, my Health and Energy did not completely refill. However, the current values went up by the same amount as the maximum values; I guess new Health and Energy points were full by default. The scrapes on my hand literally vanished as my HP went back over half full.
I put an attribute point into Luck, which I had decided to do at every level. But I decided to save my Talent for now. No matter how inviting 'Ki Initiate' looked.
CRACK!
I heard the sound of wood snapping. I looked up and saw Asui-san dropping out of the sky. A tongue, longer than an SUV was running from her mouth up to the broken branch.
I scrambled, figuring where she would hit. I wasn't confident I could catch her. But I was a softer landing than the hard pack dirt, and I hoped my new resistance and Health would let me survive.
I also pushed her back with my TK. Her momentum and mass were too much for me to stop, but I was able to slow her down, giving me an extra moment to get into place. And also reducing the force of our impact. She let go of the branch, and her tongue shot out for another one. It further helped put on the brakes, but her new tongue-hold was too low and she was moving too fast. She was still definitely going to hit.
She did. She hit me square in the chest. I tried to brace myself, and even skidded back and stayed upright. At first. Then physics kicked in, and we both tumbled. I managed, somehow, to keep both myself under her, and keep my head from hitting anything.
After a second collecting herself, she hopped off of me. And then helped me up.
"Are you okay?" I asked her anxiously.
"Yes," she nodded, "I've had worse falls, but thanks to you I'm pretty much fine."
But something about the way she shivered made me think she was not being entirely honest. Still, I didn't press.
"Thank goodness," I smiled.
"What about you?" she countered. I glanced at the HUD. Health was now 15/35, down 10. I had probably had a damage alert, but missed it in the moment.
"I might have a bruise, but I'll be okay," I told her.
"Why did you do that?" she asked.
"I couldn't let you get hurt," I said, with a hint of sadness, "Not if I could help. I wouldn't be much of a Hero, otherwise."
"But I'm your rival, ribbit," she looked confused.
"Well," I grinned sheepishly and shrugged, "It's not like they only let one or two people into UA. And even if it were somehow down to you or me, I still wouldn't want to win that way. Would you?"
"I guess not," she agreed. Then she smiled, and she was a lot more than just cute, "Thank you... ummm..."
"Sorry," I said quickly, "I'm Midoriya Izuku. And you are welcome..."
I knew her name of course, but couldn't very well say it.
"Asui Tsuyu," she supplied.
"Nice to meet you, Asui-san," I held out my hand.
"Please take care of me, Midoriya-kun," she gave the customary response and shook my hand.
"You know," she tilted her head and brought a finger up to her lips, "If we are both going to be training here, maybe we should work out together. There might be things we can learn from each other. Like you can teach me some of those fighting moves, and I could show you how to better control your body when hopping around."
"Oh, you saw that," I was embarrassed, but also wondered if she had seen the hovering branch.
"Bits and pieces," she confirmed, "I was moving pretty quickly and the trees were in the way."
"Well, I'd be very happy to work with you, Asui-san."
"Why don't you call me Tsuyu?" she smiled again.
[Congratulations! You made a new friend. And a girl no less. Charisma +1.]
Current Status:
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Age: 14
Level: 3
Active Title: The Gamer
Health: 15/35
Energy: 12/76
Attributes:
(S)trength: 6
(A)gility: 6
(E)ndurance: 8
(Q)uickness: 7
(W)it: 20
(I)ntuition: 18
(C)harisma: 6
(D)etermination: 10
(L)uck: 3
Unused Points:
Attribute: 14
Skill: 3
Talent: 1
Skills:
Modern Tech (W): 13
Computer Gaming (W/A): 14
Japanese Language (W/C): 12
English Language (W/C): 5
Scientific Method (W/I): 6
Oral Hygiene (C): 3
Analyze (W): 5
Mathematics, Basic (W): 3
Dodge (A): 2
Chemistry, Basic (I): 2
Creative Writing (C): 1
Software Methodology (W): 1
JavaScript ES11 (W): 1
Telekinesis (I/D): 6
Strength Training (S): 1
Basic Karate (A): 3
Boxing (S): 3
Parkour (A/Q): 4
Yoga (A/E): 1
Physical Resistance (E/D): 3
Running (Q/E): 4
Climbing (S): 2
Talents:
Studious
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind
Telekinesis, Basic
Inventory II
Reflective Dungeon
Chapter 5
"Izuku, honey, are you alright?" my Mom asked as soon as I was through the door.
"I'm fine, Mom," I told her, unable to keep a grin off my face. Not only had I gotten to sit next to a cute girl for much of bus ride home. After Asui-san exited, I was able to check my Status. I was more than pleased with my improvements after the day of training. I guessed I was still below average physically, and the higher my attributes got, the harder it would be to improve them further. But if I could keep this going...
"But your Health kept going up and down," she said worriedly, "And then it took that huge drop about an hour and a half ago."
"It went up any time my attributes improved," I reminded her, "and sometimes I missed and hit the trees, so I took some damage. But I got a damage reduction skill out of it. And remember, as long as I'm above zero Health, I'm okay."
"As I recall," she said a bit sharply, "As long as you are above half Health, you are okay. Below that, you actually get injured. And even if they aren't terrible, and you can heal completely overnight, I don't want you getting too close to zero."
Even at zero, I would have been technically fine. The manual called it 'incapacitated'. I would probably get knocked out with my current Endurance. If it was higher, I might remain awake, just not able to move quickly or think clearly. It was when my Health, or anyone's really, went below zero that it was an issue.
I wouldn't actually die until I had negative health greater than my Endurance. Like right now, I would still be alive up to negative eight HP. But at negative nine... The problem was, at negative one Health, you got the 'Dying' condition. Which meant you kept losing Health. How quickly depended on how far below zero you were. Like if a guy with 100 Endurance was at negative one HP, it might take him and hour or two to go down to negative 2. But if I was at minus eight, it would only be seconds before I lost that last point.
"Why did you suddenly take so much damage?" she demanded.
"Well," my smile resurfaced, "I wasn't the only one training in the forest. The branch the other person was hanging from broke, and I just happened to be close enough to catch her."
"You caught her?" my Mom wore a conspiratorial grin.
"For a second," I confirmed, "Then we fell and I hit my back pretty hard. My tracksuit didn't look damaged, but it lost a lot of durability."
Her expression darkened.
"Shirt off," she ordered immediately. I complied, grimacing slightly.
"Izuku," she chided me, "Your back is a giant bruise."
"I couldn't just let her fall," I argued softly.
"I know, honey," she agreed gently, "it's just..."
"And now I know her, and we talked about training together," I told Mom after she trailed off, "So we can help and look out for each other."
"I suppose that's a good thing," Mom said thoughtfully, as she to the kitchen and back, "But I'll be wanting to meet this girl."
"Mom," I complained. Okay, whined.
"Here," she said, "Ibuprofen. Then we'll have dinner, and you can get to bed early. Rest from today and let your power patch you up."
"And I can still go back after school tomorrow?" I prompted.
"Yes, you can keep training," Mom confirmed, "Just, please, try to be careful."
"I will."
"Izuku, honey," my Mom caught me before I left for school the next morning, "I want you to take this, keep it in your Inventory. Just in case."
She handed me a large first-aid kit. I accepted it and stored it without complaint.
"Good afternoon, Asui-san," I jogged over to her after getting off the bus, and sketched a quick bow.
"Good afternoon, Midoriya-san," she nodded to me, "And call me Tsuyu."
"But you didn't call me Izuku," I pointed out.
"You didn't ask me to," she reminded me.
"I guess not," I agreed, "but I am now. If I'm going to call you by your given name, please call me by mine."
"Okay, Izuku-kun," she smiled slightly. I grinned happily at her.
"So where do you want to start Tsuyu-chan?" I asked her.
"Do you want to go first?" she asked back, "Show me some martial arts?"
"Okay," I said, "I should warn you, I'm a bit of a beginner, too. But I'll be happy to show you what I know. How do you normally fight?"
"I focus on kicks, mostly. And my tongue, which I'm guessing your style wouldn't cover."
"Well, it could be like a punch," I mused, "though the movements aren't the same. Still, if we consider good places for upper body strikes..."
"Can I ask you something?" Tsuyu queried me on the bus trip back. After working on karate for a while, and help her with her stances and blocking, we switched to free running though the woods. Tsuyu pointed out how to aim for the flattest areas of the trees, and time my kickoffs. We raced back just in time to catch the 6:30 bus, Tsuyu saying she needed to be back by seven.
"Of course," I said immediately.
"It seems like you are training really hard," she said, "Almost desperately. Why is that?"
"Oh, ummm," I stammered a bit, and smiled sadly, "Well, you see, I always wanted to be a Hero. I've studied them my whole life. And my friend did, too. Last Tuesday, he was killed by a Villain..."
"That explosion boy on the news? The one that Endeavour couldn't save?" she prompted.
"Yes," I nodded, "His mom was really hurting. So I ended up promising that I would become a Hero, for both of us."
"I see," she said thoughtfully.
"But there's a bit more to it," I continued, "You see, when I was four, I was told by a doctor that I was Quirkless. But last week, the day before Kacchan died, in fact, I got a power."
Back then, I assumed The Gamer appeared after I punched the barrier. Even now, I'm still not entirely sure when it happened. Besides I was excited to talk about powers, and was talking to a girl; even Gamer's Mind has its limits.
"I'm still trying to figure it out," I told her, "and I only have until next March to do that and get strong enough to make it into UA."
"And can I ask what your power is?" Tsuyu said carefully.
"It seems to be sort of a self-improvement power," I told her just as carefully, "I heal almost anything overnight, and if I work really hard, my naturally abilities grow faster than most people."
"Hmmm, that makes sense," she said, "You did pick up what I showed you really fast."
"And what about you, A... Tsuyu-chan?" I asked back, "You seem to be working just as hard as I am. You could have really hurt yourself in that fall yesterday."
"I have to help take care of my brother and sister," she answered after considering it for a moment, "I don't have a lot of time to train, so I have to make the most of it, ribbit. Yesterday was an exception, most Sundays I'd be with them, but yesterday they went to a friend's birthday party."
"Tsuyu," I grabbed her hand lightly, "I'll do everything I can to make sure I don't waste a minute of your precious free time."
"Thanks, Izuku-kun. Me too."
The next week went by like a blur. We met every day after school, Asui was always there first. Her school was more traditional, she still had a half-day of classes on Saturday. But I waited for her after my morning training, and we had lunch together before working out in the afternoon. Sunday, like she said, she wasn't there, so I took it easier for my Mom.
It was the second Thursday after we met. And when I got to the park, Asui wasn't waiting for me. I wondered if she had gone ahead for some reason. Or was in one of the restrooms, changing. But I waited a bit, and then checked. They were all empty. So were the lockers. I went to the edge of the entrance area, staring into the forest as hard as I could, and occasionally triggering Analyze. I didn't want to go further in, in case she was just running late. But when five o'clock rolled around and she still wasn't there, I headed in. Checked all of our usual spots, and spread out from there, just in case.
I made it back just in time for the last bus. There had been no sign of her.
"Izuku, what's wrong?" Mom was waiting by the door, since I was late. But she noticed my expression as soon as I came in, and grew worried instead of scolding me.
"Mom, has there been anything on the news?" I asked quickly, "Any accidents? Or Villain attacks?"
My mind couldn't help but go straight to Kacchan and what had happened to him.
"No, nothing like that," she answered, "Why?"
"Asui-san wasn't at the Endoru today," I told her, "She said yesterday that she would see me today, but she never showed up. I looked all over the forest, in case she got hurt, but there was no sign of her. I'm worried something might have happened. Even if it wasn't a Villain attack, she still might have been kidnapped..."
Secretly, I was worried that I had driven her off. Done or said something stupid. I knew she wasn't the type to do that, but I couldn't help but remember my life until now.
"Did you call her?" Mom asked.
"I..." I blinked, "I don't have her number."
"You don't?"
"I always kept my phone in my Inventory, to keep it safe," I answered, "And I haven't exactly had a lot of people to exchange numbers with. And I never saw her phone, either. Maybe her parents don't let her have one."
I considered that, and wilted a bit.
"I'm a terrible friend," I said, "I barely know anything about her."
"Izuku," my Mom grabbed my shoulders lightly, "Don't think the worst yet. Maybe she is sick, or got caught up at school. And you didn't ask for her phone number, but she didn't ask for yours, either."
I nodded.
"Just go back there tomorrow," Mom advised me, "If she isn't there again, then we can start to worry. Try to see if we can find her. And if she is there, make sure to at least ask for her number. Or give her yours if she doesn't have a cellular of her own."
I nodded again.
Despite my Mom's reassurances, and Gamer's Mind, I was still a bit of a wreck the next day at school. I still gave it my all, now that Kacchan was gone, I was determined to make it to number two in our grade. Since I knew I could never take number one away from Mizuno-san. At least not without min-maxing to focus on my mental attributes and skills.
There was a familiar figure, standing by the picnic table. I ran across the parking lot, and just barely restrained myself from hugging her.
"Asui-san," I said quickly, "You're here. I was... I was worried."
"Sorry," she said, then added, "and call me Tsuyu."
"Right, Tsuyu-chan," I corrected myself, "And you don't have to be sorry. But I was thinking... if you don't mind... maybe we could exchange phone numbers? In case something happens."
She brightened up at that, and fished out her phone. I got mine out too, and a quick IR exchange added us to each other's contact list.
"I should have thought of that earlier," she admitted, "But I've only ever exchanged numbers with one friend before."
"You are my first phone friend," I told her.
"Not your friend who..." she trailed off, not wanting to remind me.
"We had drifted apart, before my Mom let me get a phone," I told her. Then I looked her in the eye and asked carefully, "Is it okay if I ask what happened yesterday?"
"My sister was sick," she said, "Her Quirk makes her sensitive to light, and she is still learning to control it. When she doesn't, she gets symptoms like a migraine. But it's not a migraine, so migraine medicines don't work on it. So I had to pick her up from school and take care of her. I did think about you, but didn't have any way to contact you. I wasn't even sure if you had a phone."
"Me too," I told her, "I was thinking, I've been so focused on our training, that I've been a bad friend and haven't really gotten to know you. So, let's start over a bit."
I bowed to her, "Hello. My name is Midoriya Izuku, age 14. I'm a third year at Aldera Junior High in Musutafa. I live in Musutafa with my mother, while my father works in America. Pleased to meet you, please take care of me."
Tsuyu smiled, and bowed as well, "My name is Asui Tsuyu, age 14. I'm a third year at Danchuin Academy in Hosu..."
Then she frowned slightly, trailing off.
"Izuku, I wasn't exactly honest with you," she said, "I said I help take care of my brother and sister. But actually, my parents work out of the country most of the time. All around Europe and Australia. We're lucky if either one of the them is home more than a week each month. We get help from neighbors, and my aunt checks in sometimes. But mostly I take care of them. That's why I need to be back by 7. Their school has program for parents who work later or have a long travel time, but I need to pick them up before then. Sorry I didn't tell you."
"It's okay," I told her, "We've only known each other a week."
I studied her for a moment, then asked, "Tsuyu-chan, do you trust me?"
"I think so," she answered, putting her finger to her lips and tilting her head, "Why?"
"I want us to skip training," I said, "and I want you to come with me somewhere."
"Where?"
"Home," I told her, "My mom has been asking to meet you, and I think it's a good idea."
"You want me to babysit?" my mother parroted.
"You want her to babysit?" Tsuyu asked.
Asui agreed to come home with me. I introduced her to Mom, and Mom to her. We talked briefly about training, and then I convinced Tsuyu to tell Mom about herself. Then I presented my idea.
"Well, I was hoping if you two got along, and if you were willing and Tsuyu thought her siblings would be okay with it," I explained, "then she could bring them over on Sundays, or at least some Sundays, and you could watch them while we train."
They both considered it, and considered each other.
"No offense to Asui-san or her parents," Mom said, "but I don't like the idea of a fourteen year old girl being primary caregiver to two young children. I'm sure you've done a fine job, but you really should have more time to yourself, to be a teenage girl."
"I can't really disagree with that," Tsuyu admitted, "I love my brother and sister, and know my parents are working hard for our family, but it can be tough sometimes."
"So then..." I prompted.
"Asui-san," Mom addressed her, "What if you and your brother and sister come over this Sunday? We can all get to know each other. And then if you are all okay with it, we can do something like what Izuku suggested. You all can come over on Sundays, I will watch your siblings while you two train, and then we can all have dinner together. And I'd also like you to have my phone number, in case anything like yesterday happens, or just if you need some help in general. What do you think?"
"I think you are a very nice lady," Asui said, "Like your son. So I think we can try it. And call me Tsuyu."
"I like your mom," Tsuyu told me, when she arrived at the park the next day, "And I am looking forward to tomorrow."
"She likes you, too."
May ended, and June begin, and with it Tsuyu's namesake, the infamous Japanese rainy season. Though so far it had been lighter than usual. So we had been able to keep training. A couple of downpours had got us, but we had discovered a rocky outcropping, almost a shallow cave, that we could hide in.
We were back around to Sunday, the third one in June. My mom and the Asui kids, Samidare and Satsuki, were now well used to spending the day together. And Samidare had said he liked "liked Inko-oba-san's cooking much better than big sis's slop", to Tsuyu's annoyance and my mom's embarrassment.
We got off the bus, and went into separate bathroom stalls to change. Though I just used Inventory to swap. I also now had the first set of weights attached to my gear.
"So what should we do today?" I asked, pantomiming putting my bag in a locker and dropping a coin in, "You didn't like boxing, so we could go back to karate."
"I have another idea," she said.
"Okay, what is it?" I asked, curiously.
"It's a surprise. Just follow me."
We had pretty well explored Endoru Park by now. I wouldn't have said we knew every nook and cranny, but we were not going to easily get lost there. Still, we tended to stay close to the entrance, simply for access to the facilities. Tsuyu led me deeper in than usual, but it didn't take me long to figure out where we were going.
The treeline broke, and we walked out onto the beach surrounding the lake. We had come here occasionally, to run on the sand for the extra resistance, or just to cool our feet in the water after a hard day's workout. So I wasn't sure at first how this qualified as a surprise. Until Tsuyu reached down to the hem of her shirt and started to lift it.
"Asui-san!" I squeaked, closing my eyes, "What are do youing?
"Hmm?" What did you say?" Tsuyu didn't correct me about her name. And her normally flat voice had an unusual tone I didn't recognize.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking off my shirt," she said evenly, "Otherwise it would get wet."
I couldn't help myself. I peeked. With her shirt off, I could see she wasn't wearing a bra. No, no, not like that. She had on a bikini top. Not like a sexy one, either. It was a sporty one, in two tones of green. It only showed a little cleavage, but revealed all of her shoulders and her toned stomach.
"You are going swimming," I realized.
"Well, I was hoping you would, too," she said, "It's a good, low impact, resistance workout. Plus, it's an important skill for Heroes to have. You never can tell when you might face a Villain with water powers, or just by a body of water."
As she said that, she undid the tie on her pants. And dropped them, revealing a matching boy-short type bottoms. I tried not to stare, but it was tough.
"But I... I don't have a swimsuit with me," I stammered a bit, "I don't even know if my old one still fits."
"Well, your tracksuit is like a swimsuit," she suggested, "Lightweight synthetic materials that shed water. Just take off your top, shoes, and weights, and roll up your pants."
"Take off my shirt?" I looked at her.
"Well, you would have to anyway if you were in a swimsuit," she deadpanned. Then another head tilt and finger raise later, she added, "Unless you wore one of those weird, old fashion swimsuits. But who would want to do that?"
I grimaced and nodded. I partially undressed like she suggested, and secretly transferred my boxers into me Inventory, so they wouldn't get soaked. As I did, I noticed her eyes locked onto me, her expression hard to read.
"I knew it," I mumbled, and jumped into the water so I could hide myself.
"No need to be in such a hurry," Tsuyu said.
"Mom," I turned to her after the Asui siblings left for the night, "I know I said I wouldn't ask for anything else after my training gear and books. But... well... I kind of need a new swimsuit. Tsuyu thinks I need to get better at swimming and..."
For a moment, I could have sworn I saw the kanji 孫 in her eyes.
Current Status:
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Age: 14
Level: 3
Active Title: The Gamer
Health: 62/64
Energy: 73/83
Attributes:
(S)trength: 10
(A)gility: 12
(E)ndurance: 14
(Q)uickness: 14
(W)it: 21
(I)ntuition: 20
(C)harisma: 7
(D)etermination: 14
(L)uck: 3
Unused Points:
Attribute: 14
Skill: 3
Talent: 1
Skills:
Modern Tech (W): 13
Computer Gaming (W/A): 15
Japanese Language (W/C): 12
English Language (W/C): 6
Scientific Method (W/I): 6
Oral Hygiene (C): 6
Analyze (W): 12
Mathematics, Basic (W): 6
Dodge (A): 4
Chemistry, Basic (I): 4
Creative Writing (C): 2
Software Methodology (W): 1
JavaScript ES11 (W): 1
Telekinesis (I/D): 11
Strength Training (S): 4
Basic Karate (A): 12
Boxing (S): 9
Parkour (A/Q): 14
Yoga (A/E): 6
Physical Resistance (E/D): 5
Running (Q/E): 9
Climbing (S): 8
Swimming (S/A): 1
Talents:
Studious
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind
Telekinesis, Basic
Inventory II
Reflective Dungeon