MHA: The Warping Hero

“So what exactly are we doing here?”

Shigaraki questioned. He, Kurogiri, and Stain were currently gazing at the busy streets of Hosu from a high rooftop.

“We are here to purge.” Stain stated, calmly. “You said so yourself, the thing that is flawed is the society itself. The title of a hero has become nothing but a joke, and the root cause of it all is All Might. An existence that is akin to a god to them. So to change it-”

“We need to show them that the so-called Symbol of Peace, isn’t as almighty as they thought he was.” Shigaraki continued, seeing his point of view. “But how exactly are we gonna do that? We don’t stand a chance against All Might as we are now.”

“And that is exactly why we are here.” Stain states as he slowly dragged his arm to the view of the city. “Hosu currently houses one of the highest number of heroes in one city. It’s time we thin out the numbers.”

Shigaraki gained a look of understanding. “I see. All Might’s presence gives the image of existing peace. As long as he stands, no evil shall reign. That is what the people believe.”

“By thinning out the number of heroes that reside in Hosu, not only do we prove that the peace he prides in is nothing but a farce, but it also serves as a declaration of war.” Kurogiri finished. “Are you sure this is a wise course of action to take, Tomura? This would undoubtedly put much attention on us.”

“That’s exactly it, Kurogiri. That attention is exactly what we need. Because heroes aren’t the only ones who will be watching.”

Kurogiri widened his eyes at that, while Stain gained a dangerous smirk. “Are you saying-”

“Yes. It’s time for us to gain more allies. Ones that share our same belief.” Shigaraki continued as his eyes, which were covered in an artificial hand, blazed in defiance and determination. “And no more of that fodder we had in the USJ. I want elites, people I can rely on to finish the job.”

“What better way to get their attention, than a good killing on a stage as large as this?” He declared as his arms were raised in a welcoming manner towards the expansive city below them.

Stain and Kurogiri subconsciously flanked their leader, Kurogiri to his right, Stain to his left.

Shigaraki had a deranged grin on his face. Just behind them, the moon shone brightly. Casting silhouettes of the three villains to be etched into the night sky.

— The Warping Hero —

Yagi Toshinori took a deep breath of air as he walked the halls of U.A.

Right now, his thoughts were currently orbiting around one thing in particular.

The internships.

Specifically, the internship of his chosen successor. Genuinely, he couldn’t fault the boy for accepting Edgeshot’s offer. Not only did Young Midoriya not know of Gran Torino’s existence, but the chance of interning under a prestigious and accomplished hero like Edgeshot was something that came by once in a lifetime. Not taking it would be a foolish choice indeed. He would learn a lot from the number 5 hero. There was no doubt about that.

After all, just because Gran Torino successfully trained him doesn't mean the same results would sprout from Young Midoriya. They were two very different people after all. Not to mention his old sensei was getting further in his age.

The fact that Young Kazuya also took the same internship offer was a plus. Having a friend and a rival by your side while training could only be good for them both.

Now he just needs to find the right words to say to Gran Torino that his successor declined his offer.

His body immediately shuddered in fear as he remembered Gran’s temper. ‘I’m the number one hero now, dammit! Stop shaking legs!’

He’s definitely not looking forward to that conversation, that’s for sure.

— The Warping Hero —

Izuku panted in short breaths as he tried his best to balance himself on a tight pole. Just ahead of him, Kazuya was flashing across from post to post. Trying his best to maintain the speed at which he teleports with the accuracy of landing exactly on the wooden logs. They were all barely a feet in diameter, and they only got smaller and smaller as they got further into the course.

Edgeshot had them go through an obstacle course to determine their current levels. They were free to use anything in their disposal as long as they get to the finish line. Suffice to say, Kazuya managed to outdo him by quite a large margin. It's understandable as he still doesn’t have proper control over his quirk, while Kazuya arguably has the best mobility in class.

However, their costumes have received upgrades for preparations for the internships. Luckily, he managed to send a slip beforehand to Mei to do some personal upgrades. As a result, his boots and gloves now possess the same capabilities as the Support Gear he used in the Cavalry Battles. Meaning he can use his powers to some extent without injuring himself. Utilizing his quirk, he’s now able to dash forwards in small strides by channeling power to his feet.

However, much to his chagrin, Midoriya still failed to catch up to Kazuya in the obstacle course. When he was only halfway through the race, Kazuya reappeared at the top platform, pressing the buzzer that marked the end of the course.

The timer immediately lapped his time as 1:16. A much better score Edgeshot thought he would get, considering the widening of the Hero’s one visible eye.

Soon enough, Midoriya managed to finish the course himself with a respectable time of 2.59. He huffed in exhaustion once he rejoined Kazuya and Edgeshot on the ground. He could barely reply in thanks as he took the water bottle that Kazuya offered.

“Well done, both of you.” Edgeshot said, making both students look up at the Pro Hero. “Kazuya, you have agility and speed. The precision and timing you have over your quirk is also impressive. However, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be improved. For the next week, we will be focusing on increasing your reaction speed along with coming up with perfecting the moves you already have.” He stated, gaining a nod from the red-haired friend.

“As for you, Midoriya. It is clear to me that you still lack control over your quirk, is that right?”

“Yes sir.” Midoriya said. “That’s why I have these with me.” He raised his glove-covered arms and pointed to his boots. “They take in the rebounded power from my quirk so I dont’t injure myself.”

“Very well, for you, we will be putting a heavy emphasis on control training. We’ll figure out a way so that just the simple use of your quirk doesn’t grant you life-threatening injuries. Aside from that, I would like to polish up your hand to hand combat. You have good instincts, but you never had formal training have you?”

“N-No sir.” Midoriya replied, a little bit ashamed. If only he didn’t spend the years in Middle School wallowing in self pity. He should’ve gone for some martial arts training at least.

Edgeshot’s eyes curved into an eye smile. “Relax Midoriya. It’s not something to sweat over. That is exactly why you are here now, to learn.”

“Now then,” Edgeshot stated, as his body folded and contorted into string as it floated back to the obstacle course, swerving through the logs and platforms as it reached the other side and immediately shifting back to his human form. Midoriya could only gape in shock and awe at seeing the number 5 hero’s quirk in action. He was so fast that he covered over 70 meters in the blink of an eye.

“With this method, I’ll be able to teach you both what you need at the same time.” He and Kazuya prepared themselves as their hearts pumped in anticipation.

“We’ll be playing tag.”

The both of them immediately face faulted at that.

“W-What?”

“It’s simple. You two need to try your best to catch me. For Kazuya, facing an opponent who could not only keep up with your speed, but also move just as fast is a situation I believe you have never experienced before. Doing so will not only prepare you for a higher level of high speed combat, but also allow you to see mistakes in your technique that you otherwise haven’t noticed before.” Edgeshot stated. “For Midoriya, this situation will force you to adapt. As of right now, you won’t have a chance in touching me unless you make strives with your quirk. If the details about your quirk that I received from you and the school are to be believed, then a stockpiling quirk such as yours should be capable of increasing your overall movement speed.”

The two students nodded in understanding. They retook their positions on the other side of the obstacle course as they prepared themselves.

“Ready? Begin!”

— The Warping Hero —

Parry left.

Dodge right.

Step back to dodge the fist.

And now!

*Thump*

Shinso groaned as he was just judo slammed to the matted floor. He and Aizawa are currently sparring in the man’s personal gym. Suffice to say, he’s getting his ass kicked.

“Ugh, you won’t even hold back against a student?” groaned Shinso. That last hit was particularly painful.

Aizawa just raised an eyebrow at that comment. “What are you talking about? I am holding back. If I wasn’t, you wouldn’t be conscious right now.”

“Well damn.”

His teacher just rolled his eyes. “If you’re feeling good enough for a jab at my teaching skills, then you’re good enough to go for another bout. Get up.”

Shinso internally sighed as he mentally prepared himself. He soon got up and retook a fighting stance. Aizawa similarly adopted his combat stance as they stood a few meters from each other. They stood still for a moment before Shinso decided to make the first move. He dashed forward and sent a right hook towards his sensei that was quickly followed with a left jab. However, Aizawa easily parries the first strike while catching the punch with his palm. He pulls Shinso in, entering his defense, and kneed him in the gut. Shinso was forced to take a few steps back and hold his stomach in pain. He immediately put his arms up in an effort to block the strike from Aizawa. Punch after punch his teacher sent that he could barely defend against.

However, he soon noticed an opening in Aizawa’s attacks. Timing it perfectly, Shinso managed to counter an attack with an uppercut that connected. Immediately following up his attack, Shinso was relentless as he prevented his teacher from recovering. The difference in skill and experience showed however, as in a single move, Aizawa managed to regain the upper hand by doing a feint. He sweeped Shinso’s feet from under him and immediately put him in a choke hold. Shinso struggled as he tried his best to get free.

‘Tch, Limiter Release!’

He muttered to himself. Shinso’s eyes glazed over as he used his newest move. Immediately, he overpowered Aizawa and escaped the hold. The sudden increase in strength allowing him to do so. Quickly getting up from the prone position, he and Aizawa engaged each other in combat once again. Shinso threw simple punches and jabs that the Pro Hero had no trouble dodging before Aizawa grabbed one of his extended arms and judo slammed him to the ground.

“Ugh, dammit.” cursed Shinso as the pain broke him out of the self-hypnosis.

“You’ve improved. You lasted 6 seconds longer from last time, you also managed to land a hit on me. Well done.”

“It sure as heck doesn’t feel like it. Everything hurts.”

Aizawa, again, just rolled his eyes at his students' sarcastic comment. “Your new move, the Limiter Release is an impressive and creative application of your quirk. But you should be more sparing on when exactly you use it.” he said as his voice went back to what the students call ‘Lecture Mode’.

“It grants you an explosive increase in strength, but it also sacrifices technique. By forcing yourself to undergo self-hypnosis, you’re incapable of accessing your muscle memory and instincts. Which means you have to individually think every move you make and your body responds. Against a more experienced opponent, those precious seconds you take to think will cost you. Just like what I did now. Not to mention just the slightest shock of pain is all it takes to cancel it out.”

Shinso could only sigh as he heard it. Leave it to his teacher to analyze his entire technique from just a few days of sparring.

“Yeah you’re right. What can I do about it though?”

“That’s what we’re gonna work on tomorrow. We’ll see if there’s a way to increase the amount of damage you could take before the technique cancels out. In regards to the first issue, the only thing I can think of is your lack of experience in using this technique. We’ll keep practicing it this way. Improvements should show the more you use it.”

Shinso nodded as he chugged his water bottle before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Gotcha. Thanks, sensei.”

“Don’t mention it. Now go hit the showers. We’re done for the day.”

Shinso went to do just that as he reflected on the past 3 days of internships. Indeed, going with Aizawa was the best decision he ever made. He’s made more improvement in the 3 days he spent training with Eraserhead than he did in his entire life. The man was just that good in finding mistakes in his stances and moves and helped in rectifying them. Even though they’ve done nothing much but hand to hand combat training these past few days, he never felt better.

A jolt of pain suddenly reminded him of his aching ribs.

Scratch that, he’s definitely felt better.

— The Warping Hero —

Midoriya cursed in his head as he struggled to keep up with his classmate and current teacher. He only barely reached the platform they were originally on before they blitzed to another location. The sounds of folding paper and the flash of red marks each of their movements respectively.

He quickly grew frustrated with himself as stedges of his inferiority complex (ones that he tried his best to subdue ever since joining U.A.) resurfaced. He forced himself to take a deep breath to quell his growing anxiety. ‘C’mon Deku. Think. It’s all you’re ever good for then, so don’t fail now.’

What exactly does he need to do here? He’s struggling to follow his teammate and teacher in movement. He needs to enhance his speed so he could help Kazuya in trying to catch Edgeshot, but how? What could One for All do?

Hell, what exactly is One for All? According to All Might, it’s a quirk that stockpiles power from generation to generation. But how does he use that power effectively?

What has he been doing till now? Just channel the entire power of One for All to his limb-

THAT’S IT!

All this time he’s been channeling ALL his power. What if he limits them? To only use enough power to prevent breaking his limbs.

‘Let’s try 5%...’

Trying his best to limit the output of his quirk, he channeled that energy into his feet. He then jumped, much further and higher than he usually could.

‘No, this is still too inefficient.'

Midoriya felt something was still off with the way he used One for All, as if something was missing. He tried to find out what it is by thinking of the only other person who would know what he’s going through.

‘What would All Might do? How does All Might use One for All?’

That’s when it hit him. All Might doesn’t waste his time in channeling energy to only his fists or legs, he channels it into his entire body.

‘Of course! How can I be such an idiot?!’

Immediately trying his newfound knowledge to practice, red veins glowed across his skin. Arcs of green lightning sparked out of him as his eyes gained a new light.

‘I’ll call this, One for All: Full Cowling!’

His new achievement gained the attention of the other two people in the area, who stopped their pursuit in exchange of studying Midoriya’s new form.

He didn’t give them a chance to react as he immediately moved to their position regaling in his newfound speed.

He reappeared next to them in seconds. The both obviously shocked by the improvement.

“Damn, you got pretty fast there Midoriya.” Kazuya smirked as he looked in awe at his friend’s new form.

“Indeed…Would you like to put it to the test?” Edgeshot questioned.

A nod is all he gave, before all three disappeared in a burst of speed. And now, in addition to the sounds of folding paper and flashes of red, are arcs of green lightning moving around in a blur all across the obstacle course.

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