My Hero Academia: Aura Farming

[TheDanny]

'I'M NOT GONNA LOSE AURAAA!'

The aura farmer within him roared to life as he teetered on the edge of aura loss. His thoughts accelerated.

In an instant, he forced the fall into a roll across the gym floor—using the momentum to kick Kirishima away once he gained the upper position.

Click to shrink...

This is- the vaunted Aura Recovery technique?! I thought only Mr. Terrific had access to the sheer computational prowess to even contemplate performing it!

"Doesn't that count as an extra skill?"

<That is merely an additional feature you have discovered. It is not sufficient to become an independent skill.>

Click to shrink...

I'm glad not every little action or exploit becomes at new skill. Hate it when gamer fics have new additions for every little action. One of them even had separate skill levels for sword fighting using the right or left hands!

 

[LeonT]

GOD DAMNIT NOOOOO!

The cockblock ending into the arc we've been waiting for.

 

[Laath-]

DAMM CLIFHANGER!!!!

 

[Omniext]

If he hadn't possessed such strong self-control, he might've turned around and sent Yaoyorozu a smug smile.

Click to shrink...

My dude, she's not even competing lmao

USJ!
Hm. I wonder if he's going to half ass the fighting to show off. It feels like he's the type to, but idk.

 

[Poisonn9i]

Shiggy is gonna tweak when he sees Takas costume and weapon xD

 

[ArbC2]

Shiggy:WHAT THE FUCK?! I DID NOT SIGH UP TO FIGHT AGAINST THAT! NOMU! KILL HIM, PLEASE!

 

[MorbiIIionaire]

"First," Taka replied evenly, "you should prove you can fight me at my weakest."

Click to shrink...

Such a fast and aura filled response... SASUGA Taka-sama lmaoo

 

[Gobble'n]

What does 'connoisseur' even mean anyway?

Click to shrink...

You have a phone, look it up.

 

[Gobble'n]

Spoiler: How AFO/mc would go

AFO: you fool your quirk is mi-

Mc SPECIAL BEAM CANNON

Amazing chapter man cant wait for a bit for the next one

Click to shrink...

If its anything like the og special beam canon he'll still be screwed.

 

[The Synonym]

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[USJ]
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…

After Aizawa announced today's class dynamic, everyone left the classroom and headed to the parking lot, where they waited for the bus to arrive. Since the USJ was located outside the school facilities, transport was necessary.

Students naturally formed small groups as they waited, chatting idly to pass the time. Taka was no exception.

Sato, Jiro, Kaminari, and Mina stood together, talking as usual, with Taka contributing his signature stoic silence.

They talked about whatever came to mind. The training sessions and better strategies to beat Taka, everyone's favorite foods, everyone's favorite Rockinesis' songs—something Taka smoothly ignored—, which teacher was their favourite, with Kaminari's choice being of course the Modern Hero History teacher, among many other topics Taka just half-heartedly nodded to, or answered curtly.

His mind was simply not on their conversation.

Noticing it, Kirishima turned toward him, raising an eyebrow as he came up with an idea of why that might be.

"Don't you get hot in that, bro?" he asked, eyeing Taka's full hero suit as the aura farmer stood with his arms crossed.

The others glanced over, curiosity sparked.

After a faint snort, as if he had heard something funny, Taka shook his head calmly. "Temperature is meaningless to me."

Kirishima laughed. "Man, you really are all-rounded, huh?"

Taka nodded in agreement.

Though—

'Shit, I'm fucking dying in here…'

Inwardly, he was suffering. Who would've thought that his suit's greatest weakness would be a sunny day?

'This suit is gonna need some modifications after this. Seriously, the moment summer hits, I'm gonna be soaked, and I'm pretty sure that's not very auratic… except for those who got some weird kink for it, I guess.'

Standing under the sun in black clothing, with a bandana covering his mouth and nose, made the heat almost unbearable. The hat helped a little by shading his face, but it also absorbed warmth like a sponge. With it pressing down on his head and trapping the heat there, it wasn't doing him any favors.

Such was the reality of hero suits. Cool on the outside. Absolute hell on the inside.

'I could fix this with that,' he mused, 'but if I mess with that now, I'll lose possible aura gains later when I reveal it—and that's a no-no.'

Taka's eyes drifted toward Todoroki, who stood off to the side, waiting patiently and not speaking to anyone. A devious glint crossed Taka's gaze.

'Should I ragebait him into blasting me with some ice?' he hummed inwardly, already imagining the conversation.

"Yo, Todoroki. Remember how I beat you last time? bet I could do it again, and while at it, not get hit even once by your ice."

Surely those words would make the emo teenager angry enough.

Thankfully—for both Todoroki and Taka—before the aura farmer could try anything, the bus finally arrived, pulling around the corner before parking nearby.

With the wait finally over, Yaoyorozu and Taka quickly took charge, organizing everyone into a line to avoid clustering.

Soon enough, everyone boarded the bus, Aizawa included.

Minutes later, the vehicle was already on its way to the USJ, with everyone joyfully eyeing the landscape and chatting with their seat neighbors.

Taka, for his part, sat at the back of the bus by the window, his edgy persona clearly not allowing him to coexist with the rest of the mortals—or engage in something as mundane as social interaction.

In summary, he was being asocial.

Still, even in solitude, one could find company.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Albeit a very quiet kind. One that matched him almost perfectly.

Somehow, he had ended up sitting next to Tokoyami, their deep and thunderous conversation filling the entire bus for the duration of the ride.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Truly, very serious matters were being discussed here.

Eventually, though, someone had to break the silence, and Tokoyami was the one to do so—mostly because he'd noticed the rather heavy and hugeweapon resting beside Taka's feet.

"I see you brought the accursed blade along."

Taka, who had been staring out the window with stoic intensity, shifted his gaze toward the bird-headed student without changing his relaxed posture.

"Yes."

"For what purpose, if I may inquire?" Tokoyami continued. "This is rescue training. A weapon does not seem especially useful in such a scenario."

Taka exhaled slowly, as though the answer should have been obvious.

But still, he took a few seconds to respond.

Obviously not because he hadn't come up with an excuse yet. Of course not.

After a few seconds, though, it seemed he was finally ready to reveal the answer.

"Evil lurks constantly, and peace is but a fragile illusion upheld for too long. To leave myself unarmed because of such a lie would be a fool's errand."

Tokoyami blinked, then nodded solemnly.

"I see. Even under the brightest sun, darkness yet dwells unseen, and we remain ignorant of it. As you say, preparedness is the mark of the wise. I apologize."

"There's no need," Taka replied calmly. "The illusion of peace is often the most dangerous trap."

"Indeed," Tokoyami agreed. "As one who walks the path of darkness, I shall remain vigilant against the evil hiding in the shadows."

'This guy is way too into it…' Taka sweatdropped inwardly.

Still—much to his annoyance—he was having a bit of fun.

Not that he would ever admit it, though.

If anyone ever asked, he was being edgy out of obligation to farm aura. Nothing more and nothing else.

Unfortunately, their exchange was cut short when another conversation rose above the murmur of the bus, drawing everyone's attention.

"Your Quirk is kind of like All Might's."

From the front rows, where the seats faced each other, Tsuyu glanced at Midoriya as she spoke.

The green-haired boy instantly panicked.

"H-huh?! Y-you really think so?!"

To be fair, he was already skittish by nature, so his reaction didn't raise too many alarms, even if slightly suspicious.

Except for Taka, whose eyes narrowed at the greenhead's reaction.

'Man, this guy sucks at keeping secrets. If we even become friends, I'm never telling him shit.'

Though "suspicious " wasn't quite the right word. He already knew everything.

Luckily for Midoriya, though, before he could continue screwing up, Kirishima jumped in.

"Hold on, Tsu. All Might doesn't get hurt when he uses his Quirk. They're just similar, that's all."

Midoriya let out a quiet sigh of relief as Kirishima unintentionally saved his ass.

Kirishima continued, scratching his head. "Still, it's pretty cool to have a simple enhancement-type Quirk. You can do lots of flashy stuff… kinda like Taka over there."

All eyes turned toward Taka, who blinked at the sudden attention.

"Yes," Tsuyu said thoughtfully, studying him. "He is kind of flashy."

"Too flashy," Jiro added flatly from her spot.

Sato scratched the back of his head. "Is he? I didn't really notice."

Kaminari shot him a look. "Dude, you didn't see him fight Todoroki. If that wasn't flashy, I don't know what is. He put quite the spectacle back then."

A faint frown appeared on Todoroki's face, but no one paid it much attention.

Mina chimed in to defend him. "Who knows? Maybe it was just unconscious showmanship. He knows how to dance, after all—maybe the instincts are still kicking."

"Dance?" Tsuyu tilted her head.

Mina threw a playful punch into the air. "Oh yeah! He's got some crazy moves when he fights. They kinda look like if breakdancing and martial arts had a baby. And they're super effective, we get our asses kicked every time we fight, and we can barely follow his movements when he pulls them out!"

Iida pushed up his glasses, looking intensely inquisitive. "As far as I am aware, we have not held any combat exercises since Tuesday of last week. What exactly do you mean by 'kicking your asses'?"

Kirishima answered this time, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin, before pointing at their group. "Ah, that… well, one thing led to another, and we ended up training together at the school gym after classes."

"I'd say it's more like Taka training us, though," Sato added dejectedly. "Even after several sessions, we haven't landed a proper hit on him."

"You've engaged in unauthorized Quirk usage?!" Iida gasped. "Not only that, but you fought amongst yourselves?!"

Kaminari grinned and jerked a thumb toward Taka at the back of the bus. "Relax. Class rep over there handled everything. He even got permission from the principal and all. And it's all hand-to-hand combat with no Quirks involved."

"I-is that so?" Iida froze, clearly caught off guard.

It seemed nothing truly illegal was going down here.

"So you know how to dance?" Tsuyu suddenly asked, turning toward Taka—apparently that being the most important detail she'd taken from the entire conversation.

Taka stared at her for a moment, his silence heavy and ominous.

"A bit," he finally said.

-Snort-

A certain blond snorted, a mocking smirk forming on his face.

Almost immediately after, the bus jolted over a bump that the driver for some reason wasn't able to see in time, and somehow Bakugo slammed his head a bit too hard against the window.

It ended with him clutching his head while everyone else promptly ignored him.

"Didn't take you for someone who could dance, Taka," Tsuyu said, blunt as ever.

Taka took a slow breath.

'Consequences, consequences… always catching up to me. When will I be the one to catch up to them instead?'

Still, this wasn't an unsalvageable situation.

"It gave me an edge in hand-to-hand combat when I needed it," he said with an enigmatic tone—only making everyone more curious.

Even so, the way he worded it, and with him being vague about it, it felt too personal for anyone to pry. So they moved on.

If only they knew it was to beat up a monkey.

"So you guys are training together?" Ojiro, the incredibly memorable classmate, asked.

"And why didn't you invite me?!" Toru added from beside him, her sleeve waving furiously.

"Well, we've only met up three times so far," Jiro replied, scratching her cheek. "And to be honest, the only thing we do there is get beaten up while Takahashi dodges everything we throw at him. So yeah, you're not missing much."

"We've become crazy strong, though!" Kirishima added, pumping a fist. "I'd say our coordination's practically pro-level now!"

"Alright, let's not get that crazy," Kaminari cut in with a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead, trying to rein him in.

From his seat, Iida slumped forward, his body trembling as his clenched fists rested on his knees. "I see… all of you engaging in additional training, on top of our already demanding Hero Basic Training classes… How admirable!"

"C-chill, man, it's not that intense," Kaminari said quickly. "It's honestly kinda fun. Like karaoke… but more U.A.-ish... And with way more punches and kicks."

From the front of the bus, Aizawa observed the conversation quietly, a faint snort escaping his nose.

"Still, I never took Taka for someone who'd agree to something like that," Toru said, earning several nods from nearby seats.

"He's surprisingly friendly once you get to know him!" Kirishima added. "So if any of you wanna join us, feel free to ask. Honestly, we could use all the help we can get. He's just too strong!"

A few eager nods followed from those interested.

'Why the hell are you nodding?!' Taka deadpanned internally as he saw Tokoyami nodding as well from his peripheral vision.

Eventually, he sighed, turning his gaze back toward the window, his poker face barely concealing his irritation.

'It seems the unseen wounds from my poor aura farming are starting to show. At this rate, my aura might actually be in danger.'

If the class kept going down the path of realizing he wasn't as edgy as he appeared, there was a real risk that his future aura-farming moments would get dismissed as meaningless boasting.

Which was just another way of saying aura loss.

He was losing respect in exchange for friendship power.

Unacceptable.

Friendship power was for boring bums—like Midoriya.

A true aura farmer relied solely on the power he cultivated himself.

—And the system, but that part didn't count.

Either way, the problem was clear: he needed to regain the respect he'd lost. Something easier said than done. It was easier to lose than to gain respect.

Yet, for the briefest moment, a faint smirk tugged at his lips.

'Fortunately, we're heading exactly where I need to be.'

After today, there would be no doubt left in this place—

That he was just naturally cool.

Nothing artificial about it.

…

°

°

°

| Minutes later… |

…

After a while of incessant chatter, the bus finally came to a stop.

The students disembarked, and their eyes were immediately drawn to the massive structure before them.

A circular edification the size of a stadium, if not even bigger, and with a giant cupule working as a ceiling.

USJ.

And all of it was property of U.A.

'Seriously… And I remember they had even more places like this in the show… Just how rich are these guys?' Taka sweatdropped.

This… this was a different kind of aura.

The aura of pure, crushing economic power.

'Heh. Not bad, rat.'

Snorting at the mental image of Nezu surrounded by a swirling aura of floating bills, Taka walked alongside his classmates toward the entrance, Aizawa leading the group.

As they drew closer, a figure was already waiting for them in front of the massive doors.

"Everyone, I've been expecting you!"

Instantly, recognition spread through the class.

"It's the hero Thirteen! The Space Hero who's rescued tons of people from disaster zones!" Midoriya exclaimed, launching into one of his ever-convenient hero explanations, because of course he did.

Uraraka, beside him, looked just as thrilled—clearly a fan.

Taka, however, was not.

He remembered her Quirk being impressive, at least on paper.

But her role in the show had been minimal. Even Ojiro—the most influential and famous guy in 1-A—had more screen time than her, and that said a lot.

"Achoo!"

Someone sneezed from within the group.

Ignoring it, Thirteen turned toward the entrance and waved them forward. "Come, let's head inside without delay."

The class followed obediently, soon passing through the doors and marveling at the sight within.

The place almost looked like a theme park, given the sheer variety and scale of the structures inside. Some students even pointed out its resemblance to a certain famous amusement park franchise.

The difference, however, lay in what those structures were meant for.

That being—rescue work.

A landslide zone.

A shipwreck.

A fire-ravaged cityscape.

A violent windstorm area.

Disasters of all kinds, recreated in massive detail.

All of it designed for training.

That was the Unforeseen Simulation Joint.

As the students nodded along to Thirteen's explanation, Aizawa stepped closer, his eyes sweeping the area with visible displeasure.

"Thirteen. Where's All Might? He was supposed to meet us here."

The astronaut-like hero shook her head. "About that… it seems he did too much hero work on his way here and ran out of his daily time. He's resting in the lounge for now. He said he should be able to join us later, once he recovers a bit."

Aizawa clicked his tongue. "That man is the very peak of irrationality."

From his spot, Taka narrowed his eyes.

He didn't need to hear the conversation to know exactly what it was about.

And because he knew that—

He knew what was coming next.

Immediately, his gaze swept across the environment, sharp and alert.

He wasn't afraid—but the idea of dozens of villains attacking at once was hardly calming.

Aura flowed quietly toward his back, where the saw cleaver rested in its scabbard, secured to the belt Power Loader had given him. Ready to be drawn the moment things went south.

Aizawa had given him a weird look earlier when he tried to bring it along, saying it wouldn't be necessary given the nature of today's class.

Taka had simply shrugged it off, stating it was his hero equipment, and that learning rescue work while carrying it should be a given.

While not the best of arguments, fortunately, Aizawa's care for the matter wasn't big enough to bother trying to come up with a comeback. So he just let Taka go after that. Thus, allowing Taka to continue with his plans for his new weapon, and bringing us back to the present.

"..."

Patiently, he let the time pass as Thirteen explained the contents of the class, and how the dynamic would be going.

Which Taka, of course, didn't even bother to listen.

Minutes passed. Questions flew, and answers returned.

And eventually, his heightened alertness began to itch.

'The timeline didn't get screwed up or something… right?' he thought, sweatdropping internally at the very noticeable lack of villains.

As more time passed, his vigilance wavered, replaced by mild bafflement.

There was no way the USJ incident just… wouldn't happen, right?

Not to him.

Not after all his preparations.

Only a bum would miss something like that.

Unfortunately for him, he had no way to know... That the USJ incident would never happen.

—Bzzzz—

—Nevermind, my bad.

A portal suddenly tore open at the very center of the USJ.

Taka's fading calm reignited instantly.

'Finally.'

A smirk spread beneath his mask.

The first grand aura-farming event—

Had begun.

…

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: I'm gonna have to fire that narrator, misleading you guys like that. It's not cool.

Damn that narrator, who may he be?

Anyway, next chapter we are starting right away with the action, so look forward to that. It's an order.)

 

[AstertheAshara]

Ah yes the greatest of aura techniques, cliffhanger. Allows the build up of hype for the eventual aura moment that is to come, thus increasing the amount of aura generated.

 

[TheDanny]

Seriously, the moment summer hits, I'm gonna be soaked, and I'm pretty sure that's not very auratic… except for those who got some weird kink for it, I guess.'

Click to shrink...

Spoiler

This… this was a different kind of aura.

The aura of pure, crushing economic power.

'Heh. Not bad, rat.'

Click to shrink...

The aura of having infinite bands is absolutely crushing to any aura farmer working a 9-5. Momo also has access to this power, but doesn't want to hurt Taka's feelings.

Even Ojiro—the most influential and famous guy in 1-A—had more screen time than her, and that said a lot.

Click to shrink...

Dude be catching strays. What I want to know is "how did Taka remember this guy enough to insult him?"

 

[CornCorn]

Villains: *Appear*
Taka: *Immediately spin jumps at them like Palpatine, cleaver at the ready like a beyblade of death*
Shigaraki: Kurogiri, back through the portal!

 

[Bulldozer]

Ah the return of the cliffhanger. Truly one of my worst enemies.

 

[Laath-]

Clifhanfers are not very auric : (

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[LeonT]

Time to tell Shigaraki his Jordan's are fake.

 

[Despacitoleo]

I swear to god he better fight the fucking nomu like the alien dude fought mahoragha where MAHORAGHA WAS DANCING WITH HIM

IN THE FIGHT FOR JUJUSTU KAISEN MODOLU THEY FUCKING FOUGHT AND STARTED ROMANTICALLY DANCING

LIKE WHAT MF WAS SO POWERFUL MAHORAGHA WAS SEDUCED