My Hero Academia: Aura Farming

[Laath-]

So when will Taka acquire the shoulder loli rescue Eri?

 

[Poisonn9i]

"N-not exactly as Rockinesis. He's still a normal U.A. student right now. But he's been moving oddly. I think he's preparing for a comeback, Gentle!"

Click to shrink...

The fuck?!
La brava with the clutch of the century over here

 

[Gobble'n]

"You think you're better than me, don't you?!"

Click to shrink...

"That implies that I spend time thinking about you. Spoiler alert, I don't."

 

[Yohnos]

He should have put his foot on Bakugo back of the head and tied back his shoe.
Explo boy is lucky that he wasn't put down for being enraged

 

[Tearence]

He should have put his foot on Bakugo back of the head and tied back his shoe.
Explo boy is lucky that he wasn't put down for being enraged

Click to shrink...

That is move villainous rather than Aura Maxxing.

It would have been better to take Bakugos hands palm to palm, see how he could not budget Taka, that if he tried to do an explosion, he risks blowing his own hands up, hoping to blow Taka's.

 

[The Synonym]

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[Shhh]
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…

After Bakugo's whole fiasco, the last class of the day continued as normal—just with a heavier air. A declaration of war like that couldn't simply be brushed off.

Along the hour, odd glances were thrown Taka and Bakugo's way several times, and one person even shed a few held-back tears after the whole spectacle.

Still, even with the awkward mood both culprits had created, class gradually came to an end without issue.

When the school bell rang, Ectoplasm dismissed them and declared the school day over before picking his things up and leaving.

Immediately, everyone began packing up as well.

As the room started to move, a figure approached Taka while he gathered his things.

"Man, you really don't know the meaning of moderation, do you?" Jiro said, bag on and arms crossed, her expression deadpan.

"Moderation sometimes isn't enough," Taka replied calmly as he continued packing.

She didn't know how to respond to that. She could argue that had been straight-up bullying—but from what she knew about Bakugo… maybe moderation actually wasn't enough with him.

"Still, did you have to say the whole 'What's wrong, did you find something on the ground?' line?" she said, mimicking Taka's deep tone.

Taka paused mid-book shove.

Then, after a brief pause, he nodded.

"Like I said, moderation is not enough."

'Plus, I've been wanting to say that one for a while,' he added mentally.

Jiro's eyes squinted into narrow, dissatisfied slits. Clearly able to tell there was something not being said, but having no way to prove it.

Such were the struggles of not being born with mind-reading powers.

Close by, Midoriya slightly tilted his head towards them, wanting to speak up about the whole situation—he was partially the reason it even started, after all.

But with Bakugo sitting right in front of him, he held his tongue. Given how he got handled at the start of class, it wouldn't surprise him if he was more volatile than usual.

'Still… training, huh?' he thought, secretly (not really) looking at Taka out of the corner of his eye. 'Did All Might really ask him to help me?'

Was... his performance so far so disappointing that he had to ask a classmate of his to help him?

After a moment of gloomy silence, Midoriya shook his head.

'No.'

Sure, he hadn't been able to do anything during the villain attack, and he was still unable to use his quirk without blowing up a limb, but thinking like that felt too extreme—especially after the talk he and All Might had just had about the—

His eyes widened as something clicked.

'So that's it… It's because of the Sports Festival!' he realized, staring down at his hands. 'He must have asked Takahashi-san to help me prepare for the festival because of his strength…'

Once again, he sneakily turned to look at Taka.

'But even if he is strong… will he even be able to help me?' His brows creased dubiously, 'My problem is that my body can't handle One For All's power output. What can Takahashi-san even do about that?'

Although their Quirks seemed similar—both buffing physical abilities—in reality, they were completely different.

From what he'd overheard, Takahashi's physical strength translated into even stronger telekinetic power.

He, on the other hand, had to use his strength just to withstand his Quirk's output.

One needed strength to increase his power.

The other needed strength to endure his power.

Maybe, in those opposites, All Might had seen something Taka could teach him?

'—Or maybe he'll just teach me to fight. He seemed pretty experienced in his fight against Sato… and that mutant villain,' Midoriya mused, recalling Taka's baffling performance—and then realizing his own lack of experience.

At their first combat exercise, Sato had also said he had learned a lot from their fight.

Both were apparently even staying after class to train along with other classmates, so maybe Taka's training was effective?

'Maybe I should ask.' He thought, preparing to turn to his classmate to ask for more details. "Hmm?"

But before he could even finish the turn, lots of noise coming from outside the door stopped him.

As it did for whatever else everyone was doing.

They turned toward the entrance, baffled.

To their shock, a crowd had gathered outside, all peeking in with curious looks, like kids at a zoo.

"W-what the hell?" Kaminari muttered, creeped out by the sudden attention.

Uraraka, who had been about to leave, found the doorway completely blocked. "What is this? What happened?!"

Others just stared, confused or annoyed.

"Come on, we can't get out!" Kirishima complained.

Iida stepped forward. "Who are you all? Please stop blocking the entrance. It prevents us from passing."

The crowd ignored him, leaving him to clench his fist in frustration.

Thankfully, a hand patted his shoulder.

"Takahashi-san!" Iida exclaimed as he turned and saw who it was.

Taka stepped forward, walking toward the crowd with a calm stride.

"It's him!"

"He's the one who fought the villains!"

"He looks kinda intimidating…"

"Isn't he also the one who calmed everyone down when the press invaded?"

Murmurs erupted the moment he appeared.

Thorough them all, Taka remained completely unbothered.

He reached the door and stared the crowd down. "You're blocking the exit. Watching is fine, but leave a space so my classmates can leave."

The crowd didn't react at first, continuing to look him up and down as if he was a rare creature.

"Move."

"...!"

Only after he repeated himself—this time less gently—did they jump into action, opening a path instantly.

Once a proper path had formed, Taka huffed in satisfaction and turned back toward his desk to finish packing.

—That was the plan, but before he could walk away, a voice rose from within the crowd.

"I came to see what the famous Class 1-A was like, but you seem pretty full of yourself. Don't tell me all of you act like that?"

Taka turned toward the source: a purple-haired student pushing his way to the front.

Instantly, he recognized him, although he had already expected him to be lurking somewhere amidst the crowd.

Shinso. The guy with mind control abilities—so long as you answered him, at least.

'So even though Bakugo wasn't the one who spoke, he still makes his little comments… Well, I guess ragebaiting is his biggest advantage.' Taka mused, tilting his head slightly.

Even if Taka had asked the crowd to move politely, he doubted this guy would have said anything nicer.

He had to act like a jerk—just enough for everyone here to get fed up with him, increasing the chances they'd react and answer to his provocations at the Sports Festival… and hand him the win.

"I have to say… what a disappointment." Shinso continued, eyeing the whole place as if it were beneath him. "You know, there are plenty of us who weren't able to get into the hero course, so we enrolled in other departments. But guess what? The school has given us a chance. Depending on the results of the sports festival, they might consider our transfer into the hero course… while also transferring someone out."

"Transfer someone out?!" Inside the classroom, those with less stellar performance repeated worriedly.

Taka didn't say anything; he simply stared at Shinso without worry—though he did flick a look to Jiro, who had been one of those who screamed in worry.

The purplehead snorted at Taka's silence. "Anyway, the point of all this is…" He pointed straight at Taka. "If you get too carried away, I'll sweep your feet out from under you. A declaration of war, if you may."

Silence fell as Shinso finished his threat, some inside sweatdropped at his boldness, while others just looked at him boredly.

Taka, on the other hand, simply stared quietly, letting the silence stretch out.

After enough time passed that it got awkward, Shinso frowned. "... You got anything to say to that?"

Taka blinked lazily.

Then lifted a finger to his mouth.

He didn't let out a sound, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Shhh.

Shinso's eyes shot wide.

"What's with that?"

"Rude."

"He sure is arrogant."

The crowd didn't seem to like the gesture much.

But that hadn't been meant for them.

Finishing his gesture, Taka smirked and then turned around to go back to his things.

That small smirk cemented it, shaking Shinso to his core.

'Does he know?' he thought, eyes wide and cold sweat filling his back.

While he left Shinso to spiral on his own, and the crowd to continue watching, Taka arrived back at his seat.

"What was with that shushing gesture?" Jiro deadpanned.

Taka raised an eyebrow. "You asked me for moderation, didn't you?"

"That was your definition of moderation?" she asked in disbelief.

A beat of silence passed.

"By the way, you and me are gonna be training during these next two weeks too." Taka suddenly pointed out.

"Eh?"

Another beat of silence followed, one filled with confusion.

Then suddenly, Jiro pointed at herself. "Me?!"

Taka nodded calmly, already grabbing his backpack and swinging it over one shoulder. "I heard that 'Transfer someone out?!' from you earlier. If you're so worried about getting kicked out, I might as well help you."

"N-no, I'm fine, that was… you know, crowd pressure."

Taka gave her a deadpan look. "Fairly sure there wasn't a prior arrangement to yell at the same time as others."

"W-we might have, you never know!"

"..."

"Please have mercy."

…

°

°

°

| After classes, skies of the outskirts of Shizuoka |

…

As Taka flew at incredible speed across the orange-tinged sky, the distant city pulled closer and closer with each second. Yet his mind remained away from it, uncaring of his approaching destination.

'Aura Farming, huh?' He mused, recalling his performance today.

He'd say he'd done fairly well; his gains were pretty good for a relatively normal day.

Bakugo and Shinso had even volunteered to help him, letting him flex plenty once again. Yet for some reason—

'I'm not feeling it.' He thought, brow furrowing slightly.

All day, something bothered him. Every time he tried to aura farm, he felt more self-conscious than usual.

Ultimately, he powered through it, sure, but the wrongness never left.

'It must be… that,' Taka thought, his expression tightening.

Ever since yesterday's realization, the idea of aura farming felt off. After all, it was an obsession that had led him to forget a kid who was currently being tortured for profit.

Since then, the thought of going on with it as if nothing had happened, and obsessing over it again, bothered him.

As did the whole act he'd been putting up since entering U.A.

He felt like a clown performing for no one while the house burned down.

He'd thought about it a lot, and it wasn't just Eri. There were countless awful things happening out there, right now.

And what was he doing with all the power he had?

Playing pretend.

He tried ignoring it, telling himself it was just temporary guilt. But despite accepting it logically, the feeling didn't leave. It kept nagging at him, asking what the hell he was doing while a little girl was being cut apart or worse and rebuilt into drugs.

Sure, he had sent several of his clones to do the investigation and look for the Hassaikai's whereabouts while he dealt with his responsibilities at school. And even if he had stayed to help with the search, his clones were so many that his addition would be a minimal increase in manpower.

Yet, going to school, doing his usual aura farming routine while his clones did all the heavy lifting to find Eri…

It only made the feeling worse.

Was aura farming really so important that he had to pour his everything into it?

Was an aura farmer even supposed to obsess this much with it?

Was he really one… or just a clown putting on an act good enough to fool everyone so far?

Could he... even call what he was now, an aura farmer?

"..."

Taka fell silent at his own questions, his knuckles whitening as frustration boiled in him, and he imagined beating down Chisaki good one he found his base.

He continued like that through the rest of the trip, letting his thoughts run wild as he observed the great view from hundreds of feet in the air, taking deep breaths every now and then.

Not long after, he reached his usual landing point.

A quick dive later, his feet hit the ground, dust blowing slightly upon his landing.

After that, he made the rest of the way on foot.

Not toward home—toward his base.

The Rockibase.

He got there quickly. After confirming no one was watching, he flew inside.

A minute later, he opened the door to the informatics room.

"You're back?"

"It was about damn time."

A group of clones looked up at him, their expressions matching his seriousness.

Taka stepped inside, eyeing them and the large board behind them. It showed a map of Japan, some spots marked with red pins, others blue. One clone sat with a laptop on his lap, typing away with a focused—and tired—look.

"Any progress?" Taka asked.

"What do you think?" the laptop clone answered without looking up.

One clone stepped away from the group and approached him.

"We said a week, but honestly? So far, it's been hard to find even the slightest clue. They keep everything lowkey. No personal info, no slips, nothing. And whatever they do show, it's probably not accessible with our current skills."

Taka frowned, falling into deep thought.

"Should we pry the answers out by hand? Surely there's some villains out there who know where they are."

A clone from the back spoke up. "If we do that, there's a chance they'll hear something and relocate. I think they mentioned they had multiple hideouts in the show."

"Right, right…" Taka clicked his tongue.

A clone lifted a hand lazily. "How about we go pry the answers from Nighteye? Surely that guy knows where they are. He'd been investigating them for a while in the show, right?"

"I'm fairly sure Nezu won't tolerate that much. We'll be already pissing him off by returning as Rockinesis, let's not add more reasons for him to spill the beans after this," Another clone said, deadpan on his face.

The clone from earlier shrugged. "I didn't say we had to be violent. We can just ask him. The guy can see the future; he should be able to tell we are going to speedblitz through Overhaul's base as soon as we find it."

"Nighteye…" Taka muttered, frown deepening. "Didn't Midoriya meet Eri in the same city as that guy?"

Silence filled the room.

Taka frowned, turning to them with a done gaze. "You guys didn't think of that?"

"We were busy checking for information online!" One of the retorted.

"And we only have one laptop! No matter how many we are, the number of laptops won't increase!"

"Some of us even flew to rumored spots we found online across several cities to check them!"

Taka sighed, massaging his temple. "Forget it. That narrows it down, right? We only need to search across the city where Nighteye's agency is located."

The clones nodded. Albeit, one of them still didn't look sure.

"Uhm, I don't quite recall the layout of the house… Do any of you?"

There was silence once again.

The clone spoke again. "Even if we find it, maybe we'll skim over it. A city is a big place…"

"We just need to find information about it now that we narrowed the area down to one city," Taka said, eyes narrowing. "And as someone has already said, we can just ask Nighteye for it. He should know how our involvement will end, given his foresight."

"But what if he recognizes us as Rockinesis? It won't be long before Nezu gets a wind of it."

Taka didn't even flinch at the question. "Doesn't matter. We were gonna ignore our deal with him sooner or later. I'm not postponing this for the sake of some stupid plan to aura farm anymore."

The clone nodded, somewhat wry-looking.

Another clone spoke again, his tone not so optimistic. "What if he doesn't tell us? We are a vigilante, maybe he won't even want to look into our future—or even if he does, maybe he won't even care about what he sees."

"Then…" Taka spoke, but he couldn't answer that instantly, his eyes narrowing at the complications.

Ultimately, however, he answered without hesitation.

"We survey the entire city, no matter how long that takes."

A collective nod followed, some wry, others just as determined. There wasn't a single rebuttal.

It seemed the time to raid the Hassaikai was approaching.

At least, that was the case—

—Bzzz—

Until Taka's phone buzzed.

"...?"

Frowning, he picked it up, gestured for the clones to shut up for a second, and glanced at the screen.

An unknown number.

He picked it up without much thought.

But as he put the phone up to his ear…

{"Well, well, well, we meet at last, my greatest rival, Rockinesis.}

-Click-

Taka hung up.

…

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: Sorry for the wait, I was really busy this week. Whenever I arrived home I was demolished, and probably slept less than 5 hours each day.

But alas, I'm free now. And I'm gonna sleep 12 hours from now on.

Until my classes start again...

Anyway, the plot moves. How was the reflection? Hopefully, the character development is showing; it was a pain to write.)

 

[TheDanny]

"Still, did you have to say the whole 'What's wrong, did you find something on the ground?' line?" she said, mimicking Taka's deep tone.

Click to shrink...

Honestly this reminds of this one meme I couldn't stop laughing at.

Spoiler

{"Well, well, well, we meet at last, my greatest rival, Rockinesis.}

-Click-

Taka hung up.

Click to shrink...

Kek

 

[Gobble'n]

, 'My problem is that my body can't handle One For All's power output. What can Takahashi-san even do about that?'

Click to shrink...

The problem is that you are a dumbass.

 

[LeonT]

Your problem is that you're a dumbass.

Click to shrink...

I can 100% see him saying that exact line with the most serious face he can muster.

 

[ModerationArt]

But as he put the phone up to his ear…

{"Well, well, well, we meet at last, my greatest rival, Rockinesis.}

-Click-

Taka hung up.

Click to shrink...

View: https://youtu.be/T7bHq8kU6EE

Mood.

 

[MorbiIIionaire]

Nooo lol I want to see him and Gentle interact lmaoo

 

[sergey54321060]

Hm, Taka could recruit Gentle and LaBrava, they might be villains, but they will help if they learn about Eri's situation

 

[Selias]

Was aura farming really so important that he had to pour his everything into it?

Was an aura farmer even supposed to obsess this much with it?

Was he really one… or just a clown putting on an act good enough to fool everyone so far?

Could he... even call what he was now, an aura farmer?

Click to shrink...

I'm glad he finally realized it.

 

[Eason]

Greatest Rival?

 

[Tearence]

You are my greatest RIVAL

I dont even know who you are

 

[The Synonym]

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patreon.com/TheSynonym

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[Training Start]
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…

"Who was it?" one of the clones asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Trouble I don't want to deal with right now," Taka declared, already halfway through pocketing his phone.

—Bzzz—

Sadly, trouble wasn't going to walk away that easily.

His clones gave him a weird look, which Taka ignored as he lifted the phone again.

Unknown number again.

-Click-

Answering it, he put it to his ear—

{"We meet at last, my greatest rival, Rockinesis!"}

"I heard you the first time."

{"Then why did you hang up?!"}

Taka winced at the angry yell but ignored it.

"Who are you? What the hell do you want?"

{"I see you've already lost sight of your surroundings. It is I, the rising star, who will one day surpass you in fame and prestige!"}

"..."

{"Gentle Criminal!"}

{"And La Brava!"} a tiny voice added in the background.

A pause followed as Taka blinked in disbelief.

Then he facepalmed.

'It's that guy?'

After hearing both names, it didn't take long for memories of their small arc to resurface.

And as they did, Taka's finger hesitated over the hang-up button.

He really didn't want to deal with this right now. Between Eri and the Sports Festival, his plate was full enough without adding whatever this guy wanted.

But knowing a simple "no" wouldn't get rid of him, Taka forced his thumb away from the button and let the guy talk first.

"So? What do you want?"

{"As expected from my greatest rival, you don't even hesitate to admit your identity. Very well, we will tell you why we contacted you. The truth is, after your unmatched rise online, something we humbly admit, surpassed ours by a little margin, we considered offering you an alliance so we could attain even further fame together. Great minds think alike, after all… At least that was the plan, until the fateful day you retired to become a U.A. student."}

Taka recalled the day he fought Gigantomachia—also the day he ended his illegal activities as Rockinesis.

'So these two had their sights on me since then? Guess Nezu couldn't erase that trace.'

{"I may be a villain—an infamous one at that—but obstructing the newer generations is not something I would do, especially not that of a promising future hero. So after you discarded your past as a vigilante and became a mere student, we decided to focus on our own path and let you live your life away from your criminal days in peace… At least until recently."}

Taka raised an eyebrow. What had he done to—

His gaze turned deadpan as he saw his clones across the room: some standing beside a board filled with possible Hassaikai locations, another sitting alone with a laptop, and the rest gathered around a huge table like they were holding a conference.

'Don't tell me—'

{"We've seen your movements, Rockinesis. We know you're planning something big… And against the Yakuza, of all people. What could have possibly sparked this reinsertion into crime? Does it have something to do with the incident at your school? Were they perhaps the ones behind the attack on U.A., and now you are out seeking revenge? Well?!"}

"Why are you so worked up all of a sudden?"

{"Ahem, my apologies. The point is—you're coming back, are you not?"}

"..."

Taka didn't know how to answer that.

He had hoped to keep this whole operation low-profile enough that Nezu wouldn't catch wind of it… But maybe that was asking too much, considering the rat's intelligence.

So was this going to be an official return of Rockinesis?

Taka's brow furrowed.

"If it is, what's it to you? And how did you even know what I was doing?"

{"Hahaha, don't underestimate your greatest rivals, Rockinesis. La Brava here is an expert in this sort of thing; it didn't take her a single second to find out what you were doing!"}

'She was?' Taka blinked. '…Hold up. She was.'

That changed… everything.

Or—well, not everything. Just one very important thing.

"Alright. Yeah, I'm gonna be raiding the Hassaikai… and probably as Rockinesis again," Taka confessed, eyes narrowing. "Again, what's it to you?"

{"We want to join you, of course! Aid you in this perilous battle!"}

"You want to mooch off me."

{"A-ahem, that's a bit of an oversimplification. We wish to aid you in this raid—and boost both our view counts by the thousands once it's all over."}

"You mean your view count."

{"Yes."}

Seeing Gentle finally be honest, Taka sighed and dragged a hand down one side of his face.

Normally, he'd ignore this kind of thing, but…

'Hacking… exactly what we need right now.'

Taka's eyes glistened as he looked over his clones—and at the almost nonexistent progress they had made after an entire day.

If he got La Brava on his team, finding the Hassaikai's base without knocking on Nighteye's door might actually become possible.

And fast at that.

For a moment, Taka fell into deep silence, thinking everything over to make sure he wasn't missing any problem in all of this.

He recalled both of their personalities, searched in his mind for their backstories to make sure he wasn't dealing with psychos or anything, and then the role they had played in the later arcs.

Until finally, his eyes snapped open, resolute.

As much as he didn't want to deal with troublesome guys like them, for once, this whole operation wasn't about what he wanted or not.

It was about what he had to do.

"Alright, let's make a collab," Taka said.

{"What's a collab…?"} Gentle's voice sounded slightly away from the phone, genuinely confused.

La Brava's hushed whisper followed—very much audible. {"It's what a temporary alliance is called online, Gentle!"}

{"I see. Very well then, let's make that collage!"}

{"Collab, Gentle!"}

{"—Collab. I meant collab."}

"..." Taka sweatdropped.

Was partnering with these two really going to be okay?

'Still, this should make everything a whole lot easier,' he thought, a small snort curling his mouth upward.

Now, his plan would advance by leaps and bounds, not needing to worry so much about not having the means or skills to get the information he wanted.

'I should learn, though,' He mused, clearly not liking having been so helpless earlier.

After that, both parties agreed on a meeting time and place for tomorrow, agreeing that just talking this over the phone wasn't ideal.

Then, the call ended.

Heaving a sigh, Taka stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

Then, right away—

-Snap-

He snapped his fingers, and following that, all his clones around him began vanishing.

He took a deep breath as the influx of information arrived, massaging his temple to dampen the weird feeling a little.

Once it was over, he picked up his things and began leaving the base. Preparing to finally go back home.

As he walked away, however, his eyes glistened with a red light.

"Now all that rests... is training my future opponents."

…

°

°

°

| The next day, at U.A. |

…

After a whole new day of school, filled with regular classes, which Taka navigated with ease using his clones' studying sessions to stay at the top, Hero Basic Training's period finally arrived—and with it, a whole free hour for students to train however they desired arrived too.

Right now, Taka and Midoriya were at Ground Beta, walking side to side, searching for a zone far away from everyone else so their training wouldn't be interrupted. Along the way, not a single word was exchanged by the similarly asocial teenagers.

It continued that way until they reached a section of the fake city untouched by the chaos of training, with plenty of buildings around to break.

"Here should do," Taka muttered before turning to Midoriya. "Alright, tell me about your Quirk."

"M-my Quirk?" Midoriya flinched immediately.

The topic always made him nervous. He was aware he tended to talk too much, and being asked directly about one of his biggest secrets was enough to make him freeze. What if he blurted more than he should?!

But after a moment of thought, he pushed the anxiety aside. All Might expected the best from him for the upcoming Festival—he couldn't pass up a chance to improve just because he was afraid he'd let on more than he should.

"My Quirk… uh…"

Sadly, determination didn't magically make the words come out right.

"It gives you superstrength?" Taka offered.

"Y-yes! That! It's, uhm, pretty explosive strength, and, well…" Midoriya's words fell apart again.

"It damages your body when you use it?" Taka asked, looking even more deadpan.

"That! Exactly!"

'Why does it feel like I'm the one with One For All here?' Taka thought, baffled.

In truth, Midoriya just hadn't put much thought so far into what specifics he should give when asked. He just knew the Quirk had been officially documented as an enhancer-type he had awakened late.

He also didn't know much about One For All itself, other than that it was a Quirk that could be passed down to other people, and that it was what gave All Might his strength.

"Is that all?" Taka pressed.

"Well, uh…" Midoriya looked at his fist as though replaying every moment he'd used the Quirk. "I think so. I can reinforce parts of my body and use that strength through them—although, as you said, it damages them."

Taka nodded silently, as if thinking deeply.

And he was—just not about making a training plan like Midoriya assumed.

He was thinking of how to bring up his knowledge from the show without revealing more than he was supposed to know.

Still, the Quirk wasn't all that complicated, so it didn't take long for him to figure something out.

"So, seeing that it breaks your body when you use it, it's not strength inherent to your body—but rather raw energy or something else inside you that gives you all that power, but that your body ultimately can't handle," He pointed out.

"Hm," Midoriya nodded, unsure where this was going.

"…Then can't you control the output?"

"Huh?" Midoriya frowned, as if Taka were speaking another language.

Taka simply glared at him impassively.

"If it's energy, and the current output destroys your body… can't you just lower the output you release so... you know, your body doesn't get destroyed?"

Midoriya blinked.

"No? I mean… It shouldn't… maybe?" The greenhead stopped talking as he slowly realized that there wasn't any mistake in that logic.

So far, he had only been focusing on not breaking his body when using the Quirk, but while trying to use it at full capacity—in a way, trying to imitate All Might.

Since that was the hero's output, he had unconsciously decided he wouldn't and couldn't try or settle for anything less.

'Instead of imagining the egg not breaking inside the microwave… Maybe I should try to turn down the temperature first!'

As if attaining enlightenment, Midoriya clenched both fists and entered deep concentration.

His face scrunched as he struggled, electricity-like energy sparking around him. Taka simply watched in silence, arms crossed in patient waiting.

The greenhead's grind continued for at least five minutes, trying, failing, and trying again.

Since the energy wasn't being released as Midoriya remained still, he didn't get injured for the times he accidentally used 100%, making the attempt much easier on his part, and on Taka's, who sighed in relief seeing that he wouldn't need to use his healing.

Eventually, something changed. Midoriya lifted a fist, his breath getting caught.

Despite his hero suit covering it, it emitted raw power... However, way less than in earlier attempts.

Midoriya smiled at it, eyes brimming with excitement.

He looked at Taka, as if looking for approval.

Instead, Taka jerked his head toward the building beside them.

Midoriya blinked, then nodded, understanding what he meant.

—Boom!—

The next second, he threw a punch.

Normally, even at that distance, the building would've collapsed—or at least a large section of it. Such was the power of the 100% Smash.

Yet once the dust settled, the building stood perfectly intact, making Midoriya gasp in relief and excitement.

"I… I did it!"

His head snapped back to Taka, a wide smile on his face.

Taka, however, couldn't truthfully smile back.

He massaged his face. 'Come on, Taka, he's not dumb, you're just biased because you already knew the steps he took in the show... Even though they were pretty obvious steps.'

In the end, he opted for giving Midoriya a nod of recognition. "Although it's not your full output, at your current level, even the smallest boost should help a lot in the upcoming festival, considering that without it you'd be pretty much Quirkless."

Midoriya nodded, excited.

He immediately started shadowboxing, using his new control to throw powerful, but not devastating punches. His face full of excitement, albeit getting mixed with the pain of struggle as he tried changing the Quirk's power from one fist to another with each jab he threw.

And while he did that, Taka noticed a new problem, frowning as he scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression.

However, he didn't point it out instantly; instead, he remained silent, observing Midoriya testing his new unrestricted access to his power like an excited kid, his finger tapping his arm as his eyes squinted in displeasure.

'I'd love to tell him what he is missing to speed this up…' Taka thought, sighing under his breath. 'But I guess there's a reason teachers are always ambiguous as hell. If he doesn't discover it by himself, he won't build up proper confidence.'

Right now, Midoriya kept pushing the power to singular parts of his body—instead of through all of it for a uniform and complete boost to his movement.

If he just handed Midoriya the answers right away, the progress could be fast, sure. But this wasn't just about powering the greenhead up.

It was about making him a worthwhile opponent.

And for that, the greenhead had to achieve his progress on his own.

The most he could do was give him hints and let him figure the rest on his own.

'Well, I can give him hints, and…'

Taka uncrossed his arms, his usual pokerface being disrupted by the small smirk rising on his face.

'... Pressure him a bit.'

Midoriya continued shadowboxing, slowly and very pausingly, as he struggled to change the enhancement from one hand to another so quickly.

However, his focus was broken when—all of a sudden—a burst of air reached him and shook him a little.

He turned slightly, confusion spread across his features as he saw Taka, now surrounded in a crimson aura that flowed calmly like waves of an ocean.

"T-Takahashi-san?"

Taka rolled his neck, loosening his shoulders. "Since you already figured it out, let's spar."

Midoriya stepped back. "H-hold on, I'm still completely unaccustomed to switching the enhancements this fast—I won't be able to fight back at a—"

"Then perhaps you—" Taka let the word drag as he crouched, aura rippling.

—SWOOSH!—

And then he reappeared—right in front of Midoriya, fist fully drawn back.

"—are missing something."

—BAM!—

Unable to block, Midoriya helplessly received the punch, getting launched backward, and rolling while skidding uncontrollably across the floor until he finally slowed down.

During those last rolls, he managed to catch himself, glaring back at where Taka had been with a shocked expression.

Only, Taka was no longer there.

A sharp sound cut through the air at immense speed, forcing Midoriya's eyes to dart around in panic, searching for his unwanted opponent.

Sadly, by then it was too late—someone appeared at his side.

—BAM!—

A hook connected, sending him tumbling again, this time sideways.

—Thud!—

"Ack!"

He crashed into a nearby building, the impact knocking the air out of him and causing a small portion of dust to rise.

"Ugh..."

After a second of confusion, he pushed himself right up again, shaking his head to clear the dizziness.

But the moment he looked up—Taka was already rushing him.

Midoriya reacted quickly, sending a gust of air at Taka with his newly controlled output, hoping to slow him down.

Yet right before it hit, Taka simply shifted course as easily as breathing, bouncing off a nearby wall before closing in again.

—BAM!—

Another punch connected—an uppercut—lifting Midoriya off the ground due to the sheer force.

Luckily, that upward momentum helped him regain his footing. Right away, Midoriya planted himself, head snapping toward his already-moving opponent, who zigzagged left to right like chaos incarnate.

"Like that, you won't be up to par, Midoriya. Think!"

Taka's voice reached him as he blurred around the field, forcing a bead of sweat down the panicked Midoriya's forehead.

'What does he mean? What am I missing?!'

The blur suddenly dashed straight toward him again.

Midoriya reacted faster this time—barely. He jumped away from the impact and scrambled upright.

'What is it? What is it?!'

Without looking back, he ran. Not to escape, but to gain distance, a momentary tactical retreat to gather his thoughts.

Behind him, emerging from the dust, Taka smirked slightly.

"Like that damn monkey says, nothing better than a beating to force knowledge into people."

…

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: The temporary villain and vigilante alliance has formed. The Shie Hassaikai truly doesn't stand a chance.

Also, Midoriya is now in his training arc. Can't have him break his fingers each time he attacks, can't I? Although that has some aura, I admit.)

 

[Kachellzz]

All his classmates and teachers are going to view Taka as ridiculously competent teacher when they see Deku's progress. He fixed a 'lifetime' (how aware are people that he only recently 'awakened' his quirk?' of issues in a single setting.

 

[Gobble'n]

Come on, Taka, he's not dumb,

Click to shrink...

Call him challenged if it makes you feel better.

 

[Poisonn9i]

With how Izuku analysed quirks his whole life, the only reason he failed to figure it out, was PROBABLY because he didn't think of OFA as a normal quirk. Cause subconsciously glorified it because All Might gave it to him. Or something like that.

 

[LeonT]

Ah yes.

The Piccolo method.

"DODGEEEEEEEE!"