(Play Music: The MC - Ryuzo)

The moment they closed the gap, Ichiro was the first to launch a left hook at Damian. But the boy leaned his head down low as the fist swung over his head. Damian pulled back his right fist beside his hip and aimed a jab towards Ichiro's ribs, but Ichiro quickly pushed the punch away before making contact.

Ichiro launched an uppercut that made Damian widen his eyes in alert. The boy spun around and jumped back, before turning back at his opponent without lowering his guard.

With a grin splitting his face, Ichiro charged at Damian before spinning around and launched a roundhouse kick, only to miss when Damian stepped back, as the sole of Ichiro's foot almost touched his nose. But Ichiro didn't lose the momentum as he launched a sidekick to the teen's torso.

Damian felt the breath coming out of his lungs as he stumbled back. Losing his footing, he fell down on his bottom, but then he rolled back and got on his feet, taking back on his stance. His chest ached in pain after that kick, if Ichiro put more strength on that attack, he could've cut his breathing for sure.

Meanwhile, Izumi and Niko were watching the sparring with undivided attention, though the schoolgirl was starting to worry about Damian after getting kicked. Then again, she didn't expect this would be easy for him to take on a trained fighter.

"Hmm, I see Ichiro has improved a lot since their last encounter." Niko commented, scrubbing the chin with his finger.

"What do you mean?" Izumi inquired.

"Ichiro's attacks used to be slower for Damian that he could easily parry them. But now, his movements are swiftly and almost hard to predict." Niko replied with his arms crossed.

"Damian…" Izumi muttered as she looked back at Damian anxiously, which didn't go unnoticed by Niko.

"You don't have to worry about him," Niko said with a smile. "What Damian's doing was just measuring his opponent."

Izumi only blinked in confusion, but from the sound of it, Niko was very confident in whatever Damian's doing. Of course, she's still new about this whole martial arts thing and had a hard time to understand what's more behind it. She could only hope Damian won't get seriously hurt.

Back to the ring, Damian let out a breath before shifting his stance into a rather offensive position.

"Oh, now you're gonna go serious?" Ichiro said with a toothy grin, noticing a glare Damian was casting at him. "I hope you are. I have an important match and I would be pissed if you go half-assed on me."

"Just don't cry and say I didn't warn you." Damian taunted before lunging forward and launched a couple of jabs at Ichiro.

The blond young man parried them both and tried to counterattack with a hook, but Damian blocked it with his forearm. Suddenly, Ichiro placed both hands on his shoulders and pulled him down so he could strike him with his knee. Damian began to move around to break himself free from the clinch, as he used his arms to block them, but Ichiro had a strong grip. He began to grunt in pain when Ichiro's knee strikes could almost break the bones of his limbs.

Ichiro grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down further, trying to launch another knee strike to his face, but he counterattacked by elbowing his knee, making the opponent reel in pain. After that, Damian hooked his arms around Ichiro's. He jumped with bent knees, shooting his legs forward into the chest, breaking away from the clinch and sending him stumbling back a few feet away from him. Damian did a backflip in mid-air and landed on his feet.

Grunting in pain, Ichiro clutched on his chest, feeling it stinging after that kick. He could admit that for a boy he can pack a hefty kick.

"W-Whoa! That was amazing!" Izumi gasped in amazement.

"Yep. While Ichiro has the height advantage over Damian, the boy is still agile enough to come up with different ways to escape from a clinch." Niko smiled. "After all, this fight is not about which one is the strongest."

"R-Right, I guess that makes sense," Izumi muttered, cupping her chin thoughtfully as Niko's words dwelled in her mind. "Strength is not the only thing that should matter in a battle, agility and speed could easily change the tide. Sure, that doesn't mean both of those things can easily overpower the strength for obvious reasons. It all depends how someone would use their skill and wits to overcome the odds. That can also apply with the quirks, they have their own pros and cons, and even the weakest quirks can become a problem for the strongest ones…"

"Um… Hello?" Niko tried to call Izumi, but she kept muttering to herself. He sighed before he snapped the fingers to her face. "Hey! Wake up!"

Izumi finally snapped out and stared at Niko, before realizing she just talked out to herself. "Ah! I-I'm sorry, Mr. Tokita! It's a bad habit of mine! I-I can't just control it myself!" The green-haired girl said out of embarrassment for making a fool out of herself.

"Relax, little miss. If that makes you feel better, I'm glad you're paying much attention to what's going on. Not many people have shown interest in the martial arts." Niko replied with a small smile.

His answer made Izumi grow a smile, though the last part made her raise a question in her head. Could he mean that people these days only care about the Quirks? She shook out her thoughts and looked back at the ring to see Damian and Ichiro exchanging punches and kicks.

The teenager just blocked a heel kick with his forearm, but the attack forced him to stumble slightly as Ichiro proceeded to launch a couple of jabs aimed to the chest. Damian parried them with his arms and tried to counterattack by swinging his right elbow to the face, but Ichiro blocked it with his right palm before taking a hold of the boy's joint. Then Ichiro spun the boy around and tried to choke him out with a sleeper hold.

Gagging for air, Damian reacted quickly, hitting Ichiro's ribs with his elbow, but the big man didn't lose his grip. Damian then jumped and dropped his whole body down, turning his hip to the left and Ichiro fell over top.

Rolling to his feet, Ichiro charged at Damian, taking the chance that the boy was still on the ground. But Damian swung his legs and sprung up before jumping and kicked Ichiro away with a spin kick.

Damian leaped forward and threw a series of heel kicks to force Ichiro to keep his guard up. Launching a spin kick, he broke Ichiro's defense and took the chance to attack him as he threw a straight punch.

Little did he notice his opponent had a grin splattering across his face.

The muscled man shot forward as Damian's fist directly collided in the face, but to Damian's shock, he wasn't fazed by the blow. Before the boy realized it, Ichiro whipped his arm away and then hit his face with a palm strike.

"Gah!" Damian stumbled back while clutching his face.

"D-Damian!" Izumi cried out in concern. "W-What just happened?! Did Mr. Nakata just shrugged the blow off?!"

"Not necessarily. He moved towards the blow." Niko responded, earning a confused look from the young girl. "It's not that hard to understand, actually. What Ichiro just did was to throw Damian's timing off and decrease the power of his punch. If he'd let Damian stretch his arm out, he could've knocked him down for sure."

As Damian removed his hands off his face, he saw Ichiro about to strike again with a clawed hand. His eyes widened as he heard his instincts warning him to be careful with that. So he stepped back and avoided the hand sweep, but he just felt like his chest got scratched. He looked down, and to his shock he saw his shirt got a cut mark. There was not a trace of scratches on his skin, which was very strange because he felt like it.

"Ow, you dick! I just bought this thing!" Damian yelled, more upset about his shirt than anything.

"Oh, stop whining! We're fighting!" Ichiro retorted before he continued to attack.

"Oh boy, now Ichiro is using his style." Niko replied, his expression quickly became serious.

"His style?" Izumi asked, staring worryingly at Niko.

"One thing you should know about the martial arts, is that there are many variants the fighters can choose. It requires a lot of time and practice to become adept at a certain style that could make you dominant in a battle," Niko said before looking back to see Damian keeping himself away from Ichiro's claw attacks. "In Ichiro's case, his style relies on his strength and physical force to perform devastating strikes and grappling techniques."

"Y-You don't say…" Izumi muttered with a sweat rolling down her temple, having a hard time to process all the details compared to the Quirks she spent a lot of time researching.

"If this would've been a serious fight, Ichiro could've used his quirk and Damian probably wouldn't stand a chance." Niko added with a thoughtful look.

"Wait, Mr. Nakata has a quirk?!" Izumi exclaimed in disbelief as she didn't consider that possibility before. "W-What's his power? Tell me!"

"Sorry princess, but the first rule of Ashura's Dojo is do not talk about Ashura's Dojo." Niko diverted the question with a wink.

"That's… not exactly what I asked…" Izumi replied with a narrowed gaze as she felt this man was changing the subject on purpose.

Back in the ring, Damian ducked as Ichiro's hand swiped over his head, before he sidestepped to dodge another hand swipe. Blocking a few more strikes with his forearms, he threw a handful of punches on Ichiro's torso, but at that moment he felt like he was just punching his body armor.

"Hah! That only tickles!" Ichiro laughed before he raised his hands and slammed them down on Damian's shoulders with his fingers digging into his skin.

"Aaaaghh!" Damian cried out in pain as he tried to pull Ichiro's arms off to no avail. Feeling the stinging pain increasing on his shoulders, he tried to strike them with his forearms, but Ichiro responded with a knee to his midsection before throwing him away as Damian rolled over and turned around in crouch position.

"How about it, kiddo? We can wrap this up for today, give you time to reach my level." Ichiro said with a taunting smirk.

Giving his opponent a glare, Damian stood up while clutching the spot in his torso where he got hit. He had to admit Ichiro improved a lot with his style, and at this point he felt like he's being cornered by a real tiger. However, he refused to call off this match, what Ichiro didn't know was that Damian figured it out what to do.

"No, I can do this all day." Damian said before taking on his stance.

His answer left Ichiro puzzled, but the burly man grew a grin before cracking his neck.

"Very well then. Give me your best shot!" He charged forward and threw another claw attack, which Damian just blocked and that's when Ichiro took the chance to clinch him.

This was what Damian waited for.

The boy sidestepped, entangled the man's arm and started doing quick jabs on the chest before giving him a knee to his stomach. Ichiro gasped in pain before breaking himself free and stepped away from the boy.

Gritting his teeth, Ichiro cast a glare at Damian before lunging with his clawed hand ready to strike.

"Now's his chance!" Niko exclaimed with a smile, earning a surprised and confused reaction from Izumi.

As the world began to move slowly, Damian remained still as he watched Ichiro's hand moving closer. Once it was now on his reach, Damian took a deep breath and raised his hands slowly. And just when his fingertips touched his arm, he spun around and grabbed a hold of Ichiro's limb.

Before Ichiro learned what's happening, he felt his feet lifting off the mat. Next thing he knew, his surroundings suddenly turned upside down, and then, he felt his breath coming out of his lungs when his back collided against an almost-cushioned hard surface.

(End Song)

The sound echoed throughout the silenced dojo as everyone witnessed Damian throwing Ichiro over his shoulder and slamming him on the floor. Izumi was completely stunned at how Damian found his strength to lift a 240 pound man.

"He really did it." The girl looked over at him and saw he's now wearing a big, gratified smile on his face.

"That little rascal really did it!" Niko said, barely containing the excitement.

"What?" Izumi replied with a quizzical look.

"Damian has finally performed the Redirection Kata!" Niko responded with a laugh. Aware that his answer left the girl confused, he continued. "It's a technique that involves seeing and manipulating the flow of power of the opponent."

"Flow of power?" Izumi inquired.

"You know, the amount of force you put when you throw a punch, a kick, or even grabbing someone. Before Ichiro could clinch him, Damian used the timing to redirect the attack power against him, which means using the opponent's strength to throw him over. That's the basic move of the technique, the Weeping Willow."

"That… That's incredible." Izumi said, utterly astonished.

"Crazy, right? The Redirection Kata requires a lot of focus and delicate physical control to use it. Damian spent a lot of time working harder so he could use that move. It was about time he could pull this off against someone big like Ichiro. Now, imagine if he could also lift a sumo wrestler." Niko replied with a grin, chuckling at the shocked reaction from the girl.

Letting go of the arm, Damian sat down on the floor as he breathed heavily. He couldn't contain the shock and excitement he's feeling right now after realizing he used the Redirection Kata for the first time. He still couldn't believe that this happened for real, but after years of trying so hard to master that technique, he felt like he got the achievement that matters more than winning the fight.

"Damn, kid… your throw really did a number on me." Ichiro groaned as he shoved himself off the floor. "If I could've used my quirk by now, you'd probably be screwed."

"Even if you did, I would still kick your sorry ass." Damian chuckled as he laid on the floor.

"Really? 'Cause right now I see you laying on the floor, so let's just say I won this round." Ichiro remarked with a taunting smirk.

"Don't be a smartass. Let's call it a draw and let's leave it," Damian sighed as he stood up. "But you better stop with the teasing from now on, I don't wanna make this whole thing like we're in a highschool teenager movie or some shit."

"Well, I think this whole thing is becoming more like a cheap romance anime." Niko suddenly interjected as he approached them, with Izumi following him from behind.

"Oh and then there's this ass-... Niko?!" Damian was now surprised to see his master. "H-How long have you been watching?"

"From the very beginning. Come on, how come you didn't see me when you arrived?" Niko asked with his arms crossed, raising an eyebrow. Damian averted his master's gaze as he couldn't think of a better excuse, which Izumi couldn't help but giggle at. Niko shook his head before smiling. "No matter. I just wanna say you did it great. A little sloppy to begin with, but the Redirection Kata you executed really saved your ass. Tell me, how does it feel?"

"It feels like I wanna take everyone in this room right now!" Damian responded, punching his fist into his palm with enthusiasm. "Crazy to say that, isn't it?

"Yeah, almost as crazy as what's gonna happen if Kureishi hears you saying that." Ichiro said with a laugh.

"Anyway, your class is not over yet. Even though you already started using the Redirection Kata, you still need to improve it so you can fully master it. So let's work on that. How about you start practicing with the punching bag?" Niko pointed at the row of boxing bags behind him.

"You got it!" Damian nodded before he hastily went to the other side and started working out on his punches and kicks with the boxing bag.

"I didn't think Damian would keep training without even taking a break." Izumi said, watching Damian with a hint of concern.

"That just proves he has a burning spirit within him. He's dedicated so much to be stronger just like everyone else here," Ichiro replied, wearing a proud smile as he flexed one of his arms. "Well, if anyone needs me, I'll be lifting some weights." He walked off, leaving Niko and Izumi alone.

"It's true though." Niko added, gaining Izumi's attention back to him. "Despite the intense training I made him go through, he's been making a hell of a progress little by little. I can clearly see Damian has so much potential and I'm sure he's gonna unleash it pretty soon."

"His dad would be so proud of him." Izumi replied as she looked back at Damian, her voice filled with great admiration.

"You know his father?"

"I actually met him once when I was a child. But Damian told me a lot of good things about him. Not only he's a professional MMA fighter, he also means the world to him, which I envy him because I grew up without a dad. How is he by the way?" She turned back to Niko, and what she didn't expect to see was he no longer had a cheerful smile.

Instead, it was replaced by a look of somber and seriousness.

"... Mr. Tokita?" Izumi said with a frown of concern.

"Here's what you should know, Izumi, it's not my place to answer you that question." Niko responded with a grave tone. "You wanna know how Anderson's doing? You should talk to Damian. I may be his legal guardian, but I have to respect his wishes. And you should too. Don't tell him what I told you." He didn't let Izumi answer when he walked away and approached the young boy.

Izumi was left speechless as she wondered if she said something wrong. Did Niko just imply that something happened to Damian's father, and he's the only one who can tell her? She wasn't sure if that's such a good idea, but maybe she could ask him someday when the time was right.

---

It was getting late as the sun started to set. Most of the people in the dojo have already left and others were just getting ready to set off.

"See you tomorrow, guys! Tell Kureishi I said hi!" Damian bid farewell before walking out the warehouse with Izumi. "Man, I feel so sweaty! I could really use a nice hot bath right now."

"Heh, you don't say? Too much information though," Izumi said with an awkward laugh as they walked together across the street. "By the way, thank you for inviting me to the dojo. I have never received such a warm welcome before." She smiled softly.

"Don't mention it, you're always welcome to stop by if you need to," Damian replied as he locked his hands on the back of his neck. "I bet you've never seen that kind of place before, have you?"

"I used to watch all kinds of heroes fighting against villains in this city since I was a kid, but to see you and other people like Mr. Nakata fighting without using their quirks is incredible!" Izumi said with amazement in her eyes. "Come to think of it, it makes me wanna join the dojo, guys!"

"Wait, what?" Damian turned to face her with a shocked look.

"Yeah! I wanna learn martial arts like you did! If I can throw powerful punches and do amazing kicks like you do, then I wanna be one of them! Who knows, maybe that means that would help me become the hero I always wanted to be! People always told me I can't become one if I don't have a quirk, that I should just give up on my dream, but what if I can become a martial artist hero?" Izumi started rambling as they both were now standing across the bridge over the freeway.

"Izumi…" Damian formed a frown on his face, but Izumi didn't stop as the excitement was getting the better of her.

"If martial arts is what it takes to make me a hero, then I don't wanna lose this chance! Oh, maybe you can ask Mr. Tokita to take me as his student? It would be so much fun if we were to train together! Can you imagine that? You and I would become the strongest heroes together the world has ever seen! Just like we made that promise when we were kids! We can-"

"Will you shut the fuck up?!" Damian snapped before gripping his hands around the collar of Izumi's uniform, pulling her closer to him.

"D-Damian?" Izumi whimpered, finding herself shaken by the intense glare Damian was giving to her.

"Do you think all of this is a cakewalk to you? You think that we're all training solely to become heroes because that's the only thing that matters? You don't even know half of everything me and the others do!" Damian yelled, but he stopped when he saw Izumi looking away from him with her eyes shut in fear, with tears welling up in the corners. A part of him felt terrible for taking out on a friend he just met again after a long time. Letting out a heavy sigh, he released Izumi. "You can't learn the martial arts."

"What…?" Izumi felt like her heart was struck after hearing those blunt words.

"Most of the people in the dojo have been fighting since they were kids or teenagers. You can't just be part of it if you don't think you can dedicate your life to it, like I did when Niko took me in. I don't want you to hurt yourself just because you want to fulfill a dream." Damian leaned over the rail to look beyond the horizon.

"I… I know that." Izumi responded as she looked down as she bit her bottom lip. "But Master Tokita has been a good teacher to you, hasn't he? That's why you're much stronger! Then… I believe he can be a good teacher of mine!"

Damian let out an exasperated sigh, knowing his response wasn't good enough to make her understand. It's clear she had no idea what kind of training Niko gave him, which means she needed to see it for herself.

"Come with me, there's something I wanna show you." Damian said before he continued to walk.

"Uh, where we're going?" Izumi asked while following him.

"To Javin Park, where I started training with Niko." Damian replied without facing her, his tone grew serious.

Moments later, after traveling down the street for a while, Damian led her into a local park as the peaceful sound of the winds blowing eased the tension between them. Taking a detour, they walked across the field of grass as Izumi noticed Damian was heading towards a small forest.

After a few more minutes of walking, Damian stopped and turned around, standing next to a camphor tree.

"This is the place." Damian said with a serious expression. "Now, I want you to take a closer look at this trunk and tell me what you find."

"Um… Ok?" Izumi said with utter confusion as she approached the tree and scrutinized it.

At first, there was nothing odd about the enormous trunk, apart from the fact that it looked old and was almost covered in moss. She then walked around the trunk as Damian stepped aside. Before Izumi would have the idea that Damia was just messing with her, she reached the other side of the tree and finally saw what he was trying to show her.

And it was a disturbing sight that made her gasp.

The middle part of the trunk had its bark damaged and there was a small hole with a number of cracks covering it. But that wasn't the part that stunned her. There was also dried blood covered all over the hitting spot.

"That… That's…" Izumi trailed off when she just put all the puzzle pieces together. She turned back to Damian, and her fear came to be true when he nodded in confirmation.

"When I was ten, Niko took me here and told me to hit this tree, and that no matter what happens, I didn't have to stop until he told me to. So I punched it over and over, I don't remember for how long. I remember the times when I cried because I broke my fingers, and there were moments when I thought I should give up. But I kept going until Niko told me I passed the test. And this is the result of that." He raised his clenched fist so Izumi could see his knuckles covered in scars. A grimace grew on his face as he could still feel the incredible pain he felt that time.

"Why… why would he put you up to do something like this?" Izumi asked with a saddened expression, grasping gently his damaged hand.

(Play song: Kengan Ashura OST - East Wind)

"Because hesitation means defeat, and defeat means death." Damian replied softly as he gently took her hands off his. He then took a few steps so he could stand in front of the trunk. "If I had given up on that day, I'd just prove to all these bastards that they've been right all along. Niko told me that the path of a fighter is not that easy, that would bring nothing but pain. Yet, I already made that decision, and no matter how much pain I'll take, I'll stick to it, because this is who I am!"

Suddenly, he took a stance before he brought his fist forward and punched through the trunk with one go!

Izumi covered her mouth in shock as she watched Damian pulling his arm back and noticed some splinters sticking in his fist, before he turned to her with an intense look in his eyes.

"You see what I'm trying to tell you? We have so much in common, but before you even think about going with me to that path, take a moment to consider that it's not gonna make your life easier than it was years ago. Maybe what we're gonna face it's gonna be much worse and more painful." Damian stepped closer to Izumi before he placed his hands on her shoulder. "I know how much that dream means a lot to you, but don't just throw your life away for it."

Izumi stared at Damian as his words left her speechless.

Damian let go of her shoulders as he let out a sigh. "I know it's a lot to take in, so I'll let you think about it. I have to go now." He began to walk away, only to stop for a moment to give Izumi a smile. "And hey, it was nice to see you again, Izumi. After all these years." And so he left the forest.

Looking over the hole in the tree Damian just made, Izumi was deeply conflicted that she didn't know what she's feeling right now. Was it dejection? Understanding? Maybe both? Whatever the case, he had to be brutally honest to her so she wouldn't be out of touch with the real world.

Looking up to the sky, she saw the sunlight was now fading and the early evening was approaching. Right now, her mom must be getting worried about her and she knew she had to go back home fast.

(End Song)

---

It was almost midnight, and Izumi still couldn't sleep well. Every time she tried to feel comfortable, she just tossed and turned in her bed. Her brain was clouded with so many thoughts that she didn't know where to start, she couldn't even tell her mom everything, especially that she just met her childhood friend again.

A lot of things happened in one day indeed. From the moment Damian saved her from getting bullied by Bakugo, to learning the truth about Damian's training with Niko Tokita. But more importantly, what Damian told her the following:

"... I don't want you to hurt yourself just because you want to fulfill a dream that's far out of your reach…"

Since then, his words were stuck in her mind. Even if it didn't look that way, Izumi knew he wasn't trying to crush her hopes of becoming a hero, but it was clear that he was warning her that the path of the fighter was a dangerous one. And the scars on his fist were the proof.

She can't deny that she's now feeling doubtful about the idea of joining the martial arts, let alone the brutality of the training turned out to be scary. At this stage, she thought it would be better to just let go of her illusions and be realistic about everything, just like everyone else was reminding her how worthless she was without a quirk.

"You should probably just give up..."

Izumi could still remember that moment like it was yesterday, when her life went upside down. When she was a child, her mom took her to the doctor who told her about her condition, and that there was no guarantee that she could develop a superpower. But what truly broke her heart was when she asked her mom if she still could become a hero.

"I'm sorry, Izumi! I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

That was her mom's answer as she held onto him. Izumi couldn't stop feeling responsible for making her feel like it was her fault to begin with. She didn't even think to convince her mom it wasn't or at least forgive her because she was afraid that would make her feel even worse. She could still see the sadness on her crying face.

That didn't help with her bullying problems she had to endure. Ever since word about her lack of potential reached her school, she became a laughingstock to her classmates, and she was treated as an outcast as every day they mocked her optimism. Not to mention that among them, once her childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugo, made her life a living hell.

Just remembering these past events made Izumi feel more terrible that she would want to cry again. All the suffering, all the teasing, and all the abuse, for what? For being just different from everyone?

"... no matter how much pain I'll take, I'll stick to it, because this is who I am!"

Izumi's eyes shot wide open as Damian's voice echoed in her head, but unlike those other voices she heard, this was the loudest. Not only that, as she recalled those words, a recollection of Damian's fighting off the bullies, sparring with Ichiro Nakata, even punching through a tree with his fist, played back in her mind.

The more she thought about it, she could remember seeing the fierce determination burning in his eyes as he stood back up.

Suddenly, it sparked something within her that she never felt before in a long time. A wave of realization hit her as Damian's words became more clear to her, like wiping the fog off the mirror.

It all made sense now, now she understood what Damian was trying to say to her.

And that's when Izumi decided what to do next.

---

The next day, after school, Izumi sent a text message to Damian, asking him to come meet her in another local park that's a couple of miles from her school. Although, she still couldn't help but feel nervous that her meeting with Damian might not go well as she's hoping.

She took a deep breath and pushed her doubts aside. This wasn't the time to let her insecurity get the best of her. She came prepared for this meeting and she knew exactly what words she should say to him. Whether Damian would say yes or no, he should at least hear her out.

While Izumi was about to cross a tunnel under the bridge, she stopped halfway through when something just came to her mind. She never came to ask Damian what motivated him to endure the harsh training to become a stronger fighter. After the outburst he gave it to her, it made her think that probably Damian was not looking forward to being a hero. If that's the case, then what was his purpose?

"Finally… A medium-sized body is what I need…"

A chilling voice alerted her before she looked up, and then her breath caught on her throat when she saw a large mass of murky sludge with sharp teeth and round eyes looking down at her. A trail of goo suddenly dropped to her face.

The slime creature lunged at her and wrapped his tendrils around her limbs before she could have a chance to run away. Before she was about to scream, the villain engulfed her mouth, but to her horror, she felt the sludge forcing down her throat.

"How lucky I am to find you… I was being chased by those stuck up heroes and I didn't even know if I was gonna make it, until you came…" The slime villain said with a hint of exhaustion.

Izumi was starting to feel dazed when she realized she was suffocating. Out of desperation, she tried to claw the sludge off her mouth, but because the villain's body was made of fluids. It proved to be futile to break herself free, and the more she tried it, she felt her consciousness slipping away.

"Oh, don't be scared, little girl… I'm just going to use your body to hide myself from those heroes. You're going to feel pain for a minute… and then you'll feel better." The villain whispered into Izumi's ear, letting out a chilling laugh. "Tell me… How does it feel to be a 'hero'?"

Gagging out helplessly, Izumi felt losing all her senses in her body as the sludge villain's body engulfed all over her. Anguished tears streamed down her face before being covered by slime, as she started to think all about her actions from the past years.

The only thing she ever regretted was being born without a quirk.

"Hey, you rotten jelly!"

"Huh? What the- GAAAHH!"

There was a loud sound of something hitting the villain. Suddenly, Izumi felt like she was being pulled, and before she realized it, she was thrown out of the tunnel as the sunlight dazzled her for a second.

Letting out a gasp for air, Izumi opened her eyes before sitting up and saw the person who just saved her. Once again, it wasn't a Pro Hero.

"D-Damian?" Izumi said in shock as she watched the boy standing protectively in front of her.

"You're okay?" Damian asked while looking over his shoulder at her. Then, he grew a smirk on his face. "Hey, just like we played when we were kids, right?"

Before Izumi could answer, the sludge villain came out of the tunnel with a livid expression.

"You fucking brat! You almost gouged my eye out!" The monster shouted with his one eye closed. It turned out Damian took the villain by surprise and kicked his eye.

"Hey, you're the one who was attacking her. By the way, out of all people, you pick a girl? That's a one-way ticket to a life sentence." Damian retorted with his arms crossed.

"Oh, now you think of yourself as a hero? Well, you wish you were, because like that girl, no one is here to help you!" The sludge villain growled before jumping towards Damian.

"Izumi, jump away!" Damian said before leaping to the side.

Without asking, Izumi jumped to the other side as the sludge villain landed between them, before the mutant grew some tentacles out of his body and attacked Damian.

"Damian, look out!" Izuku cried out.

The boy clicked his tongue as he avoided the slimy tentacle attacks, before he charged towards the villain. Jumping over another limb, Damian launched a flying roundhouse kick and his feet landed on the villain's head.

"Fool…" The sludge villain chuckled, earning a surprised and confused look from Damian. "My quirk makes me immune to physical attacks!" He then swatted the boy with one of his tendrils.

"GAH!" Damian cried out in pain when his back collided against a lamp post, leaving it bent.

"Damian!" Izumi shouted, only to freeze in fear when the sludge villain turned his attention to her.

"Would you be kind enough to give me a minute? I'll be dealing with you after I get rid of this brat." The mutant villain sneered.

"Then you should not turn your back on me!"

"What?!" The villain turned back around, but it was too late when Damian landed a punch to the same spot where he hit before. "AAAAGGGGHHHH! AGAIN WITH THE FUCKING EYE?!" The mutant howled in pain, lurching around.

"Not feeling so invincible anymore, are you?" Damian said with a taunting smirk as he took on a fighting stance.

"How?! How can you even stand after I hit you so hard?!" The sludge villain roared with one bloodshot red eye, slamming one of his tendrils down to the ground out of rage.

"Please, as if a weak attack like that can hurt me so much." Damian responded with a mocking laugh.

"Why you little!" The villain leaped forward and his tentacles formed a dozen fists.

"Oh crap." Damian cursed when he realized his mistake, before he was forced to cover himself with his forearms and took all the attacks from the villain. It proved to be difficult for him to block all those punches as some of them landed on his torso and even the sides of his face.

"Damian!" Izumi watched him being overwhelmed by the mutant's barrage. She wanted to help him, but what she could do without a quirk?

"Izumi, get out of here and find some help! I'll hold him off!" Damian shouted as he backflipped away from the monster.

"R-Right!" Izumi nodded before she pushed up to her feet and tried to run away.

"Oh, no, you don't!" The sludge villain sneaked one of his tendrils towards Damian and wrapped it around his ankle, catching the boy by surprise.

"What-Whooooaaaa!" Damian was swept off his feet before the villain threw him.

Hearing something approaching, Izumi turned over her shoulder and saw Damian flying towards her. But it was too late when he crashed into her and both fell to the ground.

Groaning in pain, Damian tried to get up, only to stop when he heard a low murmur underneath him. He looked down and realized he was crushing on Izumi's back. "Sorry! You're okay?" Izumi only responded with a groan, feeling very dazed after getting rammed by Damian.

Before the boy could stand back up, the villain caught them both with his tendrils reaching around their necks, and dragged them closer to him until he held them up.

"I've had it with you two, little shits!" The sludge villain roared, squeezing their necks as he intended to choke them out to death. "I might as well just kill you both and find another vessel to hide in!"

"If… it's another girl you're looking for… you should know that the amber alert still exists, pedo…" Damian quipped with a half-choked chuckle, only to gag when the villain applied more pressure to his neck.

"D-Damian… No…" Izumi helplessly watched his life being slipped away, as she reached her trembling arm out to her friend to no avail.

"Not funny anymore, isn't it? When it rains, it pours." The creature let out a malicious chuckle, glaring intensely at the boy while enjoying seeing his face turning blue.

"Couldn't say it better myself…" Suddenly, there was a loud metallic sound coming from behind.

The sludge villain blinked before turning around, but at that moment, he was being poured by a torrent of spraying water. He tried to move away, but the stream was so strong that it forced him to the ground. "AAAHHH! What the hell is that kind of quirk?!"

"Oh, you got it wrong, buddy. That's just the water from the fire hydrant I just broke. Thought this would dampen your enthusiasm. Heheh, get it?"

"I'm pretty sure this is not the right time to make quips, master."

"Come on, at least admit it was clever!"

"Tch, I don't know who the hell you are, but don't you think the water can do me harm! Just wait until I'll… Wait, what-what is happening to me?!" The sludge villain shouted when he saw his muddy body was starting to lose its form.

The tendrils that were holding Damian and Izumi had melted before they both fell down on their butts. As they gasped for air, they watched in astonishment at the villain melting himself as the water had stopped pouring over him. Looking straight across, they saw two individuals standing on the other side of the street, next to the broken fire hydrant.

One of them was a muscular man with a youthful visage, long red hair that was tied into a ponytail with two bangs framing his face, and had a scar running across his nose. The other was a young man with an average height, around the same age as Damian with bob-cut blond hair. Both were wearing track suits, meaning they're a couple of joggers.

However, Damian's eyes widened when he recognized those guys. "Master Kureishi! Cosmo!" He exclaimed with a brightened smile, earning a confused look from Izumi.

"Hey Damian, you looked like you needed some backup, am I right?" The blond-haired teen said with a wave.

"Heh, I would be a liar if I said I got him where I wanted." Damian replied as he stood up while helping Izumi get on her feet too. "How did you find us?

"We were just doing our jogging routine until we heard all the commotion."

"You fuckers! What have you done to me?!" The sludge creature roared as he tried to move around, but because he was still standing on a large puddle of water, it was impossible for him to maintain his form.

"Isn't that obvious? Clearly your brain is too small to understand what's going on." The red-haired muscled man said, tapping his head with his finger. "But I'm in the mood to give you a pop quiz. Imagine that your car is covered in mud after riding off-road, what's the only thing that can wash it off?"

Izumi blinked in confusion after hearing that kind of question, but then her eyes widened as she knew the clear answer to the villain's weakness. "It's water!"

"Ding-ding! That is correct, little girl!" He gave Izumi a wink before turning back to the villain who was now shocked. "Your quirk makes you turn into a monster made of sludge, doesn't it? I've seen those kinds of transformation quirks before, and most of them have all kinds of weaknesses like yours. So I had to find out if my theory was correct by giving you a nice bath."

"I can't believe this… being outsmarted by hero wannabes? Damn you… all…" The villain slurred before he already became a mud puddle.

"Um… is he…?" Izumi trailed off as she looked over the puddle anxiously.

"Oh, don't worry, he's not dead. At least I think so." The muscled young-looking man replied while rubbing his chin.

"I'm sure he's just unconscious. Sustaining that kind of form requires a lot of focus." The bob-cut teenager shrugged. "But we should probably take him to the police before he regains consciousness."

"Shouldn't we call the Pro Heroes instead? I mean, I don't know how you can take him in this state." Izumi pointed out, shaking one of her feet when she stepped on some of the villain's fluids, much to her disgust.

"Don't worry, we have it covered, we just need a couple of empty bottles and something to scoop them up." The young man with the scar on his nose said.

"Or maybe we can just call the police and let them do the job." The blond-haired boy suggested, holding his cellphone with a deadpan look.

"I really hope you're not thinking about calling… you know who." Damian replied with a sweat rolling down his temple.

"Who else? If there's one person who can answer the call, it's that guy." The boy said with a smile.

"Of course you'd say that." Damian sighed, before turning to Izumi. "I think we should get out of here. The police might ask us a lot of questions we don't have all day for that, am I right?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. Just one second," Running around the puddle, Izumi approached the two young men and bowed to them. "Thank you for saving us! We are in your debt!"

It surprised the joggers to receive that kind of gratitude from her, as if they didn't expect that to begin with.

"Heh, so you must be Damian's sweet girl we heard about." The red-haired man chuckled in amusement, making Izumi blush at his remark. "Izumi, correct? You don't have to thank us, we just did the right thing."

"Also it's so nice to meet you, I'm Cosmo Imai. And this is my master, Kureishi Mitsuyo." The boy with bob-cut hair said with a friendly smile.

"Oh! You're the owner of the Ashura's Dojo? Damian took me there yesterday, and I really liked what you did to that place!" Izumi said cheerfully, smiling brightly at the owner.

"Aw, thanks! I've been trying to find a sweet spot to set up that dojo, but the warehouse was the only thing that I could find. But hey, it really means a lot to me!" Kureishi said, rubbing the back of his neck with a flushed face.

"And he's not joking, it's rare for him to hear such praise from you." Cosmo chuckled.

"Anyway, I'm all for a nice friendly chat with you guys, but I think that villain is trying to put himself back together." Damian said after he noticed the sludge started twitching in the water.

"I'm on it." Kureishi said before approaching the puddle and then slammed his foot on it a few times, making some bits of sludge splattering around.

"Hmm, then let's not waste our time," Cosmo said as he started dialing up the police number. "Don't worry about us, we can take care of this if that creep wakes up. We'll see you back at the dojo, okay Damian?"

"Sure. Tell Niko I'll be there as soon as I can! Let's go Izumi!" Damian grabbed Izumi by her hand and took her away from the street.

"So what do you think, master?" Cosmo asked as they watched them leave.

"About what, Izumi? Well, I think she's a nice girl. I can see her and Damian are made for each other. Ah, young love." Kureishi replied with a dreamy sigh.

"Well, apart from that. Have you noticed the look in her eyes? I've never seen someone so determined for a while." Cosmo pointed out.

"Yeah, I wonder what's it about?" Kureishi suddenly gasped. "Do you think she's gonna confess to him?"

"Whatever may be, it's better if we give them some privacy." The blond-haired boy chuckled before he heard the call being picked up. "Hey, Akoya. It's me, I think we have something for you."

---

Damian and Izumi had finally arrived at the local park from downtown, they decided to take a walk because Izumi was still shaken after the life-threatening experience she just had with that sludge villain.

"So how do you feel now, Izumi?" Damian asked with a look of empathy.

"A little better, though I'm still a little shaken after getting attacked by that villain. Ugh, I can feel like that disgusting goo is still in my throat." Izumi said while trying not to feel nauseous. "Can we grab some sweets around here?"

"We will, but first, you said in your text that you wanted to tell me something. Is it something about yesterday?" Damian asked, a solemn look grew on his features.

Izumi stopped in her tracks with her back facing him. Her hair shadowed over her eyes when she looked down. "Yes… I've been thinking about what you told me back in that forest…" She replied with a low tone.

An awkward silence filled in the air as Damian tried to shake the tension out of his shoulders. "Look, I know you're upset about it, but I was just…" He trailed off, knowing he can't make an excuse.

"It's okay, you're not the one who should feel sorry. In fact, it's me who should apologize." The green-haired girl said with her clenched fist. Her remark made Damian blink in confusion. "I was delusional and I've been saying too much nonsense, but you helped me see things clearly."

Damian just titled his head in confusion, clearly having a hard time to understand what she's saying.

Izumi took a moment to take a deep breath. She could still feel like the barrier that's been holding her back for a long time was starting to crack. Now this was now or never for Izumi to say those words that have been stuck in her heart ever since she learned about her condition.

(Play song: Baki The Grappler OST - Missing Song)

"When I found out I would never develop a quirk, I felt like I lost my meaning to live. I felt like no one would ever be around me because I'm a nobody." Her voice began to choke. "All this time, I felt miserable that I didn't know my mom fell into depression. And yet, she tried her best to make me happy, reminding me that even though I don't have a quirk, I still had a loving mother. She was afraid I could have done something so stupid I would regret."

"God… Izumi…" Damian grimaced with his face almost getting pale, knowing what she really meant.

"I tried to see the bright side of everything because I thought having the dream of becoming a hero would give me a purpose. To make me feel like I truly belong to this world. But all I was doing was letting myself live in a fantasy and letting everyone take advantage of me." Her breaths started trembling the more she vented all the strong emotions she tried to repress for years. "I was so blind to see the truth. But then, that day in the forest, you showed me something that woke me up."

Izumi took a deep breath before turning to face Damian, and to his surprise, a burning resolve gleamed in her tearful eyes.

"When you showed me those scars in your hand, you made me realize that I can't achieve anything if I don't take the risks! I might never know how much you've been through for the past ten years, I might never understand how much pain you had to endure, but I see you standing tall and proud! And I… I wanna know how it feels!"

"Izumi-"

"Just hear me out!" Izumi shouted, as tears began streaming down her face. "I know there's nothing to be ashamed of being weak, but how can I be proud of myself if I stay like this? You saw what happened to me when I was attacked by that villain! I'm tired of making excuses why I don't have a quirk or why I can't be a hero! I'm begging you Damian! I… I want to go the same path just like you! I don't care how much pain I have to take, I wanna believe in myself just for once! Please…" Suddenly, she lost her strength to stand up as she fell on her knees. The tears started dripping down to the ground.

It completely flabbergasted Damian as he stood still in his spot and watched Izumi letting out her pent-up frustrations. He's been there before. In fact, her words were much like his own when he told Niko he wanted to be his student when he was young. Damian could still remember what was his answer.

"You felt that, Damian? That was you speaking not only from your heart, but your unwavering will that's leading you down the path you're choosing." Niko said with a smile, patting his hand on Damian's head.

Looking back at Izumi, he began to understand what Izumi's feeling right now, even after all these years since they separated from each other. It didn't help to ease his worries of letting her experience the same dangerous challenges he had to overcome, but one thing he had to accept was that it's not his place to choose what's good for her.

She already made up her mind, and there's nothing he can do to change it.

(End song)

Swallowing a lump down his throat, Damian approached her before crouching and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her look up to meet his gaze.

"If that's your decision, then I have no choice. But know this, Izumi. It'll be too late for you to turn back. So I want you to be straight with me. Is this what you really want? Are you willing to dedicate your whole life to this?" Damian asked with a soft, yet serious look.

Izumi sniffed as she wiped her tears away from her eyes. "Yes. I am." She responded with no hesitation, still wearing the look of unwavering determination even after crying.

After a long moment of silence, Damian sighed before he raised up to his feet, along with Izumi. "Alright, then I'll get you to meet Niko and Kureishi, they will know what to do with you. But one more thing you should know, we're all in this together from now on. It's gonna be me you, against the world. What do you say?" He reached his hand up for a handclasp.

Izumi looked at his hand for a moment, before a wide smile spread across her face. For the first time since forever, she felt more confident than she ever was. She clasped his hand and so began her new journey.

"Against the world!"

To Be Continued…

---

N/A: I really had so much fun writing this chapter. One thing I always wanted to do is write Izuku speaking his mind, which sadly that never happened in the canon, and sometimes I wonder why the author had been neglecting that detail? Nevertheless, this is one of my favorite things to make this chapter and I can't wait to make Izumi become a stronger fighter.

I'm sure you have questions of what kind of martial art Izumi is gonna learn, you're about to find out in the next chapter, as we'll explore what kind of training she's gonna get.

I wanna thank everyone who reviewed and supported my new story. If you can support me on my other pages like Subscribestar and Kofi, that would be helpful. Also, if anyone is interested to join on my Discord server, sent me a message so I can send you an invite.

See you later!