Chapitre 21: Chapter 5 - Sports Festival Prep: 3
The school bell rang, signalling to the students of U.A., and by extension, Izuku Midoriya, that classes had ended, and that it was time to go home. If he was going, to be honest with himself—which he normally was—the last class he had, that being the training session he had at Gym Gamma, was one of his least favourite things that he had done that day.
It wasn't because he didn't want to train his Quirk, One For All, far from it; he actually wanted to get better with the Quirk seeing as he broke his body whenever he used it. No, the reason behind his dislike of the class was because of something else entirely.
He felt insecure about his training, and he also felt that he hadn't been making enough progress. Not only that, but he also felt useless because of recent events, such as the USJ. He couldn't do anything of use after helping Tsuyu and Aoyama away from the boat. After that, he did nothing but risk his life, three times, and came out of it with nothing but his body broken, again.
After the USJ incident, when the school re-opened, he and All Might had a chat about what happened. The only thing of note about that conversation was what happened when the Nomu countered his attack on the villain in charge—Shigaraki—and how his body hadn't broken when he attacked it. All Might had been intrigued and so Izuku gave him the information the man wanted.
He explained that when he had hit the Nomu, he felt no pain from using One For All. However, the number pro hero explained that he had most likely restrained himself instead of using One For All's full power so that he didn't kill his intended target, that being Shigaraki. He agreed with All Might and then had been amazed that he had actually controlled One For All. He still had a long way to go, that much he knew, but for now, he had every right to be proud, knowing that he had actually controlled his uncontrollable Quirk.
So, when today's training at Gym Gamma happened, he decided to look for ways to further his control with his Quirk, but each time he did, he only ended up hurting himself. Though he had made some progress, with his arm broken—again—he had to sit out training. However, that didn't mean he couldn't seek help.
He wasn't really comfortable talking to the strangers in his class, although he did talk to Kirishima—well, he actually came to him, but that was irrelevant. He also spoke to Josefumi and Yoshihara, and he got some interesting advice from all three of them.
While the advice that they gave him was all the same, it was worded differently each time. Even so, he still found it helpful. Though, when he spoke to Yoshihara, he could've sworn that the entire time they talked that she had been looking at him with an almost accusatory glare. Over what, he didn't know. He'd have to talk to her about it later when he had the chance.
The suggestions that all three of them made were to reduce the amount of power he was putting into his attacks, and focus on distributing the power to other parts of the body, like a blanket. Out of all of them though, Kirishima's way of wording it struck a chord with him. While Kirishima hadn't done a good job at getting his point across—his words, not Izuku's—the green-haired boy understood what he was getting at. He even went to the trouble of remembering the boy's entire explanation, seeing as it was the best one out of the three.
" So, it's obviously a strength Quirk, right? That means you punch stuff super hard. But I think you should probably focus on other parts of your body, right? Maybe the reason why you're breaking your bones is that you're putting too much power into one limb. Maybe try moving it around in your body! I guess the best way to get my point across is… uh… okay, so this might be random, but my uncle's a plumber, and he explained to me that things like pipes and whatnot have to divert water flow or whatever you call it around the house to make sure everything that needs water has access to it, allowing for the house to have a functioning water system. Otherwise, it would be impossible to have a shower at the same time the dishwasher is going. Since it all comes from the hot water tank, and since a lot of things need water, if the system isn't functioning, then that means not everything is working as it should, and that one thing that is getting all the water at once will break due to overuse and strain. The same goes with water pressure, too much, and the appliance will break, or the pipe will. Maybe think of your power like that… maybe then you'd be able to use your Quirk better. I might just be spouting nonsense to you, but that's all I got Midoriya, maybe someone else can help explain it better."
While Kirishima had said he did a bad job at explaining it, Izuku thought differently. He appreciated the thought that went into the explanation and took it to heart. If he thought of his body as the water system within a house, and the source of his power as the hot water tank, he found himself able to actually feel the flow of One For All throughout his entire body, dividing the energy out into various limbs. While he could only do it for a split second, it was thanks to Kirishima that he actually found a way to perhaps use One For All in a way that wouldn't break his body.
"Thank you, Kirishima!" The boy thought, leaving the premises of the school. However, before he turned the corner to actually exit the campus of the school, a hand grabbed onto his shoulder. He turned around and was met with Yoshihara's cold blue eyes. "Oh! Kira-san! Uh, what is it?" Izuku asked as Yoshihara sighed, letting go of his shoulder.
"Are you free today?" Yoshihara asked as Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, glancing over to the street, avoiding eye contact. The green-haired boy chuckled to himself, before sighing.
"Uh, sorry, Kira-san. My mom wanted me to practice against her Stand today. She heard about the Sports Festival and wants to help me train. I think it's a way to make it up to me when she attacked us," Izuku explained, looking her in the eyes as the blond nodded, though he could've sworn he saw some sort of disappointment in her eyes.
"I see. How about tomorrow?" The blond asked, crossing her arms as Izuku nodded. Yoshihara hummed, turned around, then walked away. Izuku raised his eyebrow, then shook his head. Ever since the USJ, Yoshihara had seemed on edge constantly. It was a traumatic event for everyone, that much he knew. Yoshihara had a panic attack there but seemed to recover from it pretty quickly, so he didn't understand why she was still acting so skittish. Perhaps something else happened?
Whatever the case was, Izuku wanted to know. Tomorrow, though, since he needed to get home. His mom was probably waiting for him, and the last thing he wanted was to keep his mother waiting much longer. When he got to his apartment building after a forty-minute walk, he stopped when he put his hand on the foyer entrance door.
He looked over to his left and saw a man with long black hair that had been tied up in a man bun. He had a tiger tattoo on his arm, and he wore worn-out clothes. "Sup?" The man said, taking a drag out of a cigarette. "Are you Izuku Midoriya?" The man asked as Izuku raised an eyebrow. He never met this man before, so how did he know his name?
"I don't like this…." The boy thought, and when he noticed the man raise an eyebrow, he finally answered.
"Uh… are you talking to me?" Izuku asked as the man looked around, then nodded and gestured him to come toward him. Izuku was weary, as something in the back of his mind was telling him not to, but there was an aura around him that seemed rather friendly, despite the way he looked. Going against his better judgment, Izuku approached the man. "Uh… what do you want?"
"I'm a friend of your mom's. We go way back. We recently had some coffee and talked. She told me you wanted to be a pro hero. She's not home right now, so I decided to take it upon myself to meet you and help you out." As the man said that, he outstretched his hand and smirked. "Names Nicholas Asahina. Before you ask, my mom's American and my father's Japanese. Hence the strange name. Nice to meet you," Nicholas said as Izuku hesitantly took his hand. He could've sworn there was a glint in Nicholas's eyes, but he paid no mind to it.
"Nice to meet you, too, Asahina-san," Izuku said, letting go of his hand as the man scoffed.
"Just call me Nick, kid. Now, c'mon, I wanna take you somewhere. It's my favourite noodle shop in Musutafu. It's called Nishi-Noodles. We don't got much time till it closes," Nicholas said, stuffing his hands into his pocket. Izuku narrowed his eyes as Nicholas turned to leave, but before he could, Izuku spoke up.
"Hold up, you claim to know my mother. But if you do, what's her name?" Izuku asked as Nicholas looked over his shoulder, narrowed his eyes, then sighed.
"Inko Midoriya. Or, if you're really going to be picky, her maiden name before she married your father was Inko Akiyama. There, happy now?" Nicholas stated as Izuku flinched.
"I… I'm sorry, sir," Izuku said, still keeping his guard up. Nicholas saw this, shook his head, then continued to walk. Technically speaking, Izuku didn't have to actually follow him, but for some reason, he felt pulled to do so. Izuku didn't notice the fact that the man had a small smirk on his face as he followed him.
"Hey, kid…" Nicholas began, looking over his shoulder. "You got any friends? You seem like the type to have plenty of them?" the black-haired man asked as Izuku hummed to himself. He didn't want to tell the stranger much of anything, but he seemed like a nice guy. What would the harm be in giving out a few names?
"Uh, yeah. I do… there's Kira-san, Fumi-kun, Karera-san, Uraraka-san, Iida-Kun, Tsuyu-chan, uh… that's about it, though. Why?" Izuku asked as the man took a drag out of another cigarette, blowing a puff of smoke out from his lips.
"Nothing, really. Just curious," Nicholas said, snuffing out his cigarette. "We're here," the man stated, entering a small yellow building named Usigumi Ramen Shop. Once they entered, they were ushered to a booth, and as soon as they sat down, Nicholas stared into his eyes.
There was an awkward silence between the two as the server came by with a menu. As soon as Izuku looked down at it, he bit his lip, and that was when the man spoke. "I dare you to buy and eat their large bowl of Karashibi Miso Ramen Kikanbo."
As soon as he said that, Izuku felt a chill waft through his body, and he immediately raised his hand. In the back of his mind, he had no idea what it was he was doing. As soon as the server came by, he pointed on the menu at what the man had said, and the server nodded, heading to the kitchen. Izuku's eyes widened, but he couldn't speak.
It was at this point when the man smirked, reaching into his pocket, which had a switchblade, which, once he opened the knife, a suitcase, as well as a skeletal man appeared, wearing a black waistcoat with a shredded cape of sorts, golden teeth, and tattered pants, holding the suitcase as it placed the object on the table. "I dare you to be silent for the rest of the time we are in this building, and I dare you to stay right there, and don't move unless you have to use the restroom," The man said, an orange aura radiating off of him as Izuku's eyes widened, though his mouth stayed shut.
"Now, as you can see, you're under the command of My Stand, Brittle Bones Nicky, but to keep things simple, I'll just call'em Nicky. Oh, and the reason why you can see it is because it is an Automatic Stand. Say hi, Nicky," Nicholas said, a small smirk on his face as the Stand waved at him.
"Heyo, kiddo!" Nicky proclaimed, causing Izuku's eyes to widen even further.
"Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. Your mother's soul is inside this suitcase, and the only way you can get her back is if you do as I say, no matter how ridiculous. Since we shook hands, you became trapped under my Stands spell. Now, I wasn't kidding when I said your mother and I were friends. We were. We just haven't talked in a long time, though she probably forgot about me, I never forgot about her," Nicholas said, crossing his arms as he leaned into his seat. "But if you fail. You're going to join her, and then Nicky is going to kill the both of you. Oh, and I own this joint, so that's why no one in staff if batting an eye," Nicholas stated, grabbing a cigarette from his pocket, and lighting it with a spare lighter he found on the ground.
As soon as he finished talking, the bowl of spicy ramen was placed in front of Izuku. He looked at Nicholas, then back to the bowl, grit his teeth, and began to eat. As he ate, his mouth burned, but he continued to eat regardless, tears bubbling in his eyes as he did so.
"Come on kid! Don't be a pussy! Stop crying!" The man snarled as Izuku glared at him, scooping more noodles into his mouth, following it with broth. The green-haired boy wanted something to chase it down, but he knew he wasn't going to get anything for it. And so, he continued to eat, not caring how badly his body required something to chase the spicy food down.
He shook, violently, as the man began to talk. "You know, it's said that too much spice can kill a person. That's why I'm testing this method out with you," the man said, crossing his arms. "See, not only do I run this place, but I'm also a contract killer. Someone wanted you dead, so I'm going to break you till you die. As I said, I'm starting off nice and calm, but I'll ramp things up eventually," Nicholas said as Izuku continued to eat the noodles, glaring daggers at Nicholas, who proceeded to roll his eyes.
By the time he was done, Izuku felt his throat burn, coughing up his left lung as Nicky clapped, giving him a thumbs up. Nicholas just glared at his Stand before rolling his wrist, waving someone over. A glass of milk was placed in front of Izuku, and as soon as he got his hands on it, he chugged it, trying to clear the pain from his throat. It was practically futile, but it did help him a little bit. Izuku started coughing, spitting into the cup as he hacked up a left lung. Even though he wanted to speak, he couldn't now due to how much that bowl of ramen damaged his throat.
"Good on you kid. Now, you see that chopstick?" Nicholas asked as Izuku narrowed his eyes, trying to stop the coughing. He made eye contact with the chopstick, and when he did, he saw Nicholas smirk. "Good, a-hem… I dare you to stab yourself in the palm of your hand with it. Use your Quirk if you have to. You have ten seconds, go!"
As soon as Izuku said, he could hear a ticking sound above his head. When he looked up, he saw that there was a clock floating just above him, ticking down a ten-second timer. Izuku's eyes widened, and as it counted down from ten, he knew he had to make a choice.
He couldn't leave the chair unless he had to use the bathroom, he couldn't call out for help even if he wanted to, and he only have 10 seconds to do as the man dared him to, so, regrettably, he gripped the chopstick, and channelling One For All in his right hand, he placed his left hand, palm upward, down on the table, and with closed eyes, he stabbed the palm of his hand with the chopstick, blood squirting from the wound as he cringed, pain in his eyes as Nicholas scoffed, clapping with a mocking smirk on his face. He not only broke his left pinky finger and index finger from using One For All in his right hand, but he also now had a stab wound in his left hand, with potential splinters, which could lead to infection.
"Why me!? What did I do to deserve this!" Izuku thought, glaring at the man with tears pricking from the corners of his eyes. When he realized that Nicholas didn't seem to care, he looked up at the timer above his head and saw that he had only 1 second left to spare. The clock disappeared above him, to which he then looked down at his now bloodied hand, blood trailing down his arm and off his wrist, dripping into a small pool beneath his feet.
"Great job kiddo. That's gonna leave a scar, though. I would feel bad, had it not been for the fact that you're a target, so, eh, whatever," Nicholas stated, taking a drag out of his cigarette before taking it out of his mouth, tapping the ashes to the floor, then sneered. The man leaned forward and put the cigarette out the boy's arm, and when he did, Izuku was forced to repress a scream, trying to keep in line with the dares that he had placed on him.
The green-haired boy wanted so badly to jump up and punch the bastard in the face but knew he couldn't. He glared at Nicholas, which caused the man to click his tongue. "Hey now, no need to get your panties in a bunch. Think of this as endurance training. You got the Sports Festival coming up, right? Think of this as me helping you get stronger!" Nicholas said with a sick smile on his face. "Hey! Waiter! Get me a knife!"
Izuku's eyes widened as the waiter did just that. "Oh no…! No!" Izuku thought, scrabbling for his pocket as Nicholas was quick to catch on. "I dare you to not use your phone for the rest of the day!" And as soon as the man said that, Izuku froze, sat up straight, and grit his teeth, looking over at his hand. It was beginning to twitch from discomfort as the man's smirk widened. "I saw what you were trying to do there. Nice attempt, though. If you called for help, then that would mean I had a time limit. But since I stopped you before you could, that makes this easier."
"There has to be something that I can do!" Izuku thought, panic filling his eyes as the man sat forward, clasping his hands together. "If I can somehow lunge forward and use One For All to knock him out, his Stand should deactivate, I can get my mom out of the suitcase, and then she can help me with this guy!" Izuku thought, grimacing.
"You can take the chopstick out of your hand," the man said as Izuku went to go grab it, then hesitated. He narrowed his eyes toward the man, and that was when Nicholas huffed, an impressed expression on his face. "Nice catch, kid. Okay, for real now. I dare you to take the chopstick out of your hand, and replace it with the knife."
As soon as he finished his sentence, Izuku knew he had found the opening he was looking for. he did the first half of the dare, but then, just as he reached for the knife, he turned around and charged One For All into his left arm and went to punch Nicholas in the face. However, before it even got halfway to the man's wide-eyed face, his hand was drawn to an ethereal floating table, forcing him to stand up, as did The Stand.
"Seems like you fucked it, kiddo," Nicky said, placing his arm down on the table. "Now you gotta face me. All you have to do is simple. Win an arm wrestle with me. If you win, you get your mom, and my ability won't work on you anymore. But if you lose—which let's face it, will happen—then I get your soul."
The two's hands were forcibly locked together, One For All still charged in Izuku's arm. 'I had a chance! I could overpower the enemy Stand with One For All!' But as soon as he thought that, and as soon as he looked up at the Stand, Nicky smirked. He snapped, and when he did, Izuku's soul was removed from his body, and when it was Izuku's eyes widened.
"Thought it was gonna be that simple, kid? Ha! You're wrong! When I arm wrestle, I do it against the souls of those people. That way Quirks don't become a factor in the fight itself! A real man does things barebones, with no outside help, nothing! Now, let the real match begin!" Nicky stated as the arm wrestle began.
For a split second, there was a stalemate. Izuku's soul put as much effort in as possible, but compared to his physical body, his soul was weak and scrawny. "Jeez kid, despite everything you've been through, you're still weak spiritually! Hell, if you were shot with one of those bullets now, you'd be dead! Maybe that would've been easier than all this nonsense!" Nicky spat, increasing the pressure he put into his push as Izuku attempted to meet it.
"I… won't… lose!" Izuku's soul shouted, trying so hard, desperately trying to turn the tables, and for a brief second, he had Nicky on the ropes, until the Stand moved its hand ever-so-slightly to the right, flexed a little bit, causing Izuku to lose all the ground he had just a few moments ago.
"No!" Izuku's soul cried as his hand came inches away from the table.
"Ha! This is easy! And seeing as you're the son of Tornado, I thought this would be hard! This is so pathet—huh?" Before Nicky could finish his sentence, out of Izuku's soul, seven other figures surrounded the table, latched onto Nicky, and began to pull him away from the table, lifting Nicky's arm up into the center in the process. Izuku's eyes went wide, as did Nicholas's at the sight of these seven mysterious helpers.
Each of the figures was pitch black and ethereal, but they had one defining feature—their eyes. From left to right, the first one had green eyes, the second had red, the third had yellow, the fourth had silver, the fifth had orange, the sixth had orangish-yellow, and the seventh was a special case, seeing as it resembled Toshinori Yagi, aka All Might, and it was yellow instead of black. Its eyes were white.
"What… no… who are these things?" Izuku thought, just as shocked as Nicholas was. "And more importantly, why did they come out of my soul?"
"H-Hey! T-That's cheating! W-What the hell are you—" Before Nicholas finish his sentence, one of the figures—the one with the green eyes—clamped his mouth shut. "Did this little shit awaken a Stand?! No… that makes no sense! Would've sensed it happening! This is completely different! What the hell is this bullshit?!" Nicholas thought, trying to break free as his concentration lessened. Izuku's soul saw this as a chance to win as Nicky's grip was slipping, and then, with a decisive slam, Nicky's hand came close to the edge, only to be stopped by Nicky trying its damndest to salvage the situation.
"I ain't letting a little shit such as you win!" Nicky snarled, trying to fight back against the shadow figures, but it soon became clear that would be impossible, because no matter how hard it tried to shake them off, their grip just got harder on him, as did their pulling.
Nicky's hand slipped, and his grip loosened even more. One of the shadow figures—the one with orangeish-yellow eyes—grabbed Nicky's arm and forced it down, as did Izuku's and as soon as Nicky's hand hit the table, all the figures disappeared, and Izuku's soul was sucked back into his body, and Nicky vanished out of thin air.
Nicholas gawked, shaking his head before glaring at Izuku, who was still in shock. The suitcase began to shake, and that was when Nicholas took the cue to scram. "The Boss is going to be mad at me, but I don't care! If Inko gets out of that case and I'm still there, I'm a dead man!" Nicholas thought, running away as fast as possible.
Not only had he been embarrassed, but he knew he was in for one hell of a scolding, and possible beating at the hands of his Boss. So either way, he was screwed. At least with his Boss, though, he knew he wouldn't die. "You've won this time, Brat, but I will be back!"
As Izuku shook his head, he watched as the Suitcase opened up, spitting out a coin and a trophy, which quickly regrew into their original forms, showing a passed-out Inko and, for a split second, Izuku saw Fly, Fly Away, before it vanished from his sight.
"Huh… Izuku?" Inko muttered, slowly recollecting what had happened. When she did, however, anger flowed through her veins as she looked around the area she was in with a violent glare. "Where is that bastard, I—" she stopped midsentence, looking over her shoulder to see Izuku place a hand on her shoulder, a small smile on his face.
"I… It's okay mom, he didn't hurt me too badly." As Izuku said that, not only did Inko notice the hoarseness of his voice, but Inko also saw blood drip from his palm down her green and white striped shirt, as well as the burn mark on his wrist. Her eyes widened, looking into Izuku's pained eyes, tears welling from them.
However, deep within, there was a subconscious effort forced by Izuku to not bust out that door and chase after Nicholas. Izuku knew full well that revenge was something that a Hero should not partake in, even if his mind screamed at him, demanding justice for himself, and for his mother.
"No… not now. I can't blind myself with anger. Taking that into the Sports Festival in the coming weeks is a bad idea. Although, what I do want to know now is what those black ghost things were. They weren't a Stand, that much I know, because I can't feel them now. So what exactly were they? And why were they linked to my soul."
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Stand Name: Brittle Bones Nicky
Stand User: Nicholas Asahina
Stand Type: Automatic
Status: Temporarily Defeated
Ability: Brittle Bones Nicky allows the user and the Stand to bind their souls via a handshake, though if the person's soul or Stand touches Brittle Bones Nicky, the Stand will automatically bind them together. Once a person's soul is bound, they will have the urge to follow the user or the stand and do what it is they are told through subtle suggestions (They have to start every sentence with "I dare you" before the command works). If the person fails to do as the user or Brittle Bones Nicky asks, they will have to do an arm wrestle. If the user/Stand wins, then the person in question will get sucked up into Brittle Bones Nicky's suitcase after being transformed into a coin. If the person in question wins, Brittle Bones Nicky's ability will cease to work on that person, and it will be up to the user to do whatever it is they had set out to do on their own.
Stats:
Destructive Power: N/A
Range: N/A
Speed: C
Persistence: C
Precision: B
Developmental Potential: D
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Walking out of an airport, a woman wearing a black pinstripe suit stood, a phone over her ear as she hummed, her long blond hair flowing in the wind, her bright blue eyes glimmering in the sunlight, and a small, radiant smile stretching ear to ear.
"Yes, I've arrived, Johnny…. You have a good day, too. I'll see you in two weeks," the woman said, putting her phone into her pants pocket, a suitcase in her left hand, and an annoyed expression on her face. She looked down at a photo of the mistake.
Everything would've been so much better if that mistake hadn't been born. If that mistake hadn't been conceived, if Yoshikawa hadn't blindly fallen in love with Yoshimura, she wouldn't have to be burdened with that brat, nor would she have to waste her time finally getting rid of her.
But, if she got it over and done with right now, that meant she would be able to return to her life back in America, keeping her cushy job at the Speedwagon Foundation. But first…
"It's about time I get rid of you myself. And this time, I won't fail…." And as Yoshikawa Kira said that, an orange arm with spikes covering the outer forearm grabbed the photo, crushing it into a ball before it fully disappeared. The arm disappeared back into Yoshikawa, looking behind her as she dragged a suitcase along with her, marching over to a cab. She kicked the bumper of the car, causing the trunk to open, and then placed her suitcase within, closed the trunk, then sat in the back, looking at the driver through the rear-view mirror.
"You got anywhere you want to be, ma'am?" The Taxi driver asked, causing Yoshikawa to smirk. She folded her hands together, put her left leg over her right, and as that same orange arm did in her seatbelt—the taxi driver seeing it as some sort of psychic ability—she answered his question.
"Take me to Love Deluxe, will you?" Yoshikawa asked as the taxi driver raised an eyebrow, shaking his head before sighing.
"Right, the Love Hotel in Musutafu. The upfront cost is 6,000 Yen, and the rest of the price is determined by distance, which is 1,000 yen per kilometre. This drive will take 4 hours, which means it'll be 40 kilometres. That's 46,000 yen. Would like to pay with, or—"
"I already sent you the money, check your bank account," Yoshikawa interrupted bluntly, causing the man to grab his phone, and sit back in his chair before blowing air out of his mouth, surprised. She wasn't kidding, she really did already transfer the money.
"Alright then, thank you, ma'am," the taxi driver said, switching on the engine and pulling out of the roundabout, starting their way down the highway as the counter on the dashboard began to climb. Yoshikawa leaned back in her seat, the smirk on her face transforming into a smile. She was going to erase that mistake of hers, rid of its existence, and do so with a smile on her face.
"I'll sever this weak link myself. And once I do, I'll finally be able to live a life free of regrets. C'est la vie. The weak die, and the strong survive. I'll break you, brat. I'll ruin whatever happiness you had, just like you did me!"
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone