The car ride back from Musutafu General Hospital was filled with a thick, joyful energy. Minotu was humming a hero anthem, his massive hands gripping the steering wheel. He was a striking man with short-cropped black hair and intense black eyes that seemed to absorb the light around him, much like his quirk absorbed impact.
Beside him, Aki—the Pro-Hero Zephyr—was a vibrant contrast. Her long red hair fluttered slightly in the car's AC, and her emerald-green eyes, which Takeru had inherited, were brimming with tears of pride.
"Aether Pulse," Aki whispered, reaching back to squeeze Takeru's hand. "It's a beautiful name, Takeru-kun." Her mind was already racing with a mother's logistics. Extra protein tonight. I'll make his favorite katsudon. We have to keep our little baby healthy.
Takeru looked at his reflection in the window, then at his parents. In his past life as Matt, he had been a ghost in a crowded London orphanage. He had been brilliant—scoring top marks that made teachers gush—but that brilliance had come with a price. He had been bullied by the older boys who resented his intellect, but he never fought back with malice.
Under the watchful eye of the old nun who ran the home, Matt had spent his afternoons tutoring the younger children. He had been the "big brother" who helped with homework and stood between the toddlers and stray dogs. When his "little sisters" at the home called him their hero for fixing a toy or explaining a math problem, it had meant more to him than any grade. He had taken that stable office job after high school for one reason: to take care of that nun in her final years. When cancer took her after two years of his care, he had been left truly alone.
Until now.
The way Aki looked at him now, with such fierce, protective love, felt like a dream he was terrified to wake up from. He wasn't the cynical, "emo" reincarnation some might expect. He was a child who had finally found the parents he used to dream about while sitting in that drafty London dorm.
I have a family now, Takeru thought, squeezing Aki's hand back with a bright, genuine smile. I was a hero to those kids with just my brain. Now, I'll be a hero to everyone with everything I have.
The next morning, after breakfast, Minotu led Takeru to the back of the house. Behind their traditional garden sat a massive, reinforced concrete structure: the Private Training Gym.
To the neighborhood, Takeru was a polite, slightly shy boy—a "genius" kid who was always top of his class but never flaunted it.
Minotu sat on the edge of a padded mat and beckoned Takeru over. He knelt down so they were eye-to-eye, placing a heavy, warm hand on Takeru's shoulder.
"Takeru," Minotu said, his voice soft but firm. "I know you're a smart boy. You learn things faster than I ever did, and sometimes I forget you're only five. But listen to me, okay? Not as a pro-hero, but as your Dad."
Takeru nodded, his green eyes locking onto his father's.
"This power you have, this 'Aether'... it's amazing. But it's also a big responsibility. In the world outside these walls, there are very strict rules. It's illegal to use your quirk in public. If you use it at school, even just a little spark, it could hurt our family and your future. All Might follows the rules because he knows they keep people safe. Can you do that for me? Can you keep your light hidden until we're in this gym together?"
Takeru didn't hesitate. He remembered the quiet, rule-abiding life he led to protect the nun. Discipline wasn't a burden; it was a shield.
"I can do that, Dad," Takeru replied, his voice soft but determined. "I promise."
Minotu's face split into a wide, toothy grin, and he pulled Takeru into a rib-crushing hug. "That's my boy! Now, since we're in the gym, the 'public' rules don't count. Your mother and I are both Pros, so this is your safe space."
Minotu stood up and activated his quirk, Shock-Sink. His skin took on a matte, darkened quality. "Today, we work on storage. I want you to pull the heat from the air and the static from my movements. See how much you can hold before your skin starts to sting. If you can't contain the energy, you can't use it."
Takeru stood up, his green eyes sparking with excitement. He closed his eyes and reached out. The hum of the gym's fluorescent lights grew louder, the thermal warmth of the room began to drain toward him, and his skin began to glow with a soft, blue color.
"Slowly, Takeru!" Minotu called out, pacing around him. "Don't let it bunch up in your chest. When you take it in, imagine it like water. It needs to envelope your entire body, every finger, every toe. If it stays in one place, it'll burn you."
"I... I feel it," Takeru grunted, his small brow furrowed. Because of his adult mental discipline, he could visualize the energy pathways with terrifying clarity. He didn't fight the power; he guided it.
"Now, release it. Don't blast it like a bomb. Release it like you're breathing out," Minotu coached. "Controlled output is what keeps a hero alive. If you dump it all at once, you're a glass cannon. If you leak it slowly, you're a god."
They went back and forth for an hour, the air in the gym crackling with blue energy. Takeru's capacity wasn't high yet—his small body had physical limits—but his control was uncanny. He absorbed the kinetic energy from Minotu's heavy footsteps and the thermal heat from the radiators, cycling it through his system and venting it in controlled, low-intensity pulses.
They talked through every sensation, Minotu correcting his posture and Takeru describing the 'texture' of the energy.
By the end of the hour, Takeru was drenched in sweat, his legs shaking from the mental and physical strain of being a living battery. Just as his glow began to flicker and fade, the intercom buzzed.
"Boys!" Aki's cheerful voice rang out through the speakers. "The katsudon is on the table! Come and get it before it gets cold!"
Minotu deactivated his Shock-Sink and laughed, scooping Takeru up and resting him on his broad shoulder. "Well, you heard the boss. First training session: Success. You've got a lot of work to do to grow that 'flask' of yours, but you've got the best teacher in the world."
Takeru leaned his head against his father's neck, exhausted but happier than he had ever been in London. "Thanks, Dad."
As they walked back to the main house for a family dinner. He made a goal for himself. He had a family to protect, a legacy to build, and for the first time in two lives, he had a father to show him the way.