Chapter 15
"Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase."
— Joseph Pilates
Coronado, CA - July 2042
The moon and stars hung over the ocean as the washes crashed on the sandy beach. The city lights of San Diego were visible in the near distance. Set up on the beach were green tents with several dozen Navy SEAL recruits sleeping in bunk beds.
One of the recruits, Izuku Midoriya, laid on one of the bottom bunks and, much like the other men, had fallen asleep in his uniform. It consisted of a camouflage cap, shirt, and pants with brown combat boots. He did not allow himself to fully fall asleep as he knew what would eventually come.
Bam! Bam! BOOM!
Without warning, the recruits were forcefully awakened by the sounds of gunfire outside their camp. Izuku's emerald eyes shot open and immediately rolled off his bunk onto the ground, knowing what was going on. He had done plenty of research over the years covering the US military's training camps.
"GET OUT!" An instructor suddenly burst into the tent, yelling, "CRAWL! CRAWL, YOU DIRTBAGS!"
Navy SEAL Hell Week had officially begun…with a bang. Pun intended.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF BED, YOU BASTARD!" The instructor flipped a recruit, who had somehow slept through the gunfire, out of his bed–giving him and others like him a rude awakening.
Izuku began to army-crawled towards the tent's exit with several others following behind him. Instructors were prowling the tents and barking orders, ripping other recruits from the beds.
BAM! BOOM! KA-BOOM!
Other instructors outside were moving through the camp firing rifles and machine guns filled with blanks while others threw concussion grenades. Izuku visibly winced from a sharp ringing in his ears, going temporarily deaf from the cacophony of explosions.
Izuku stopped to glance over his shoulder, making sure his designated swimming buddy was nearby. Seeing him crawl out of the tent, Izuku nodded to himself and continued crawling across the sandy beach through the chaos of explosions and smoke erupting around him.
(X)
Later, all of the SEAL students were lying on their backs with their arms locked with one another in the Pacific surf. Since it was still summer, the water temperature wasn't too cold. However, as the waves continually pounded and washed over them, their body temperatures slowly began to drop.
Within half-an-hour, the effects of hypothermia could already be felt by some.
"IT'S TOO COLD!" An instructor shouted through a bullhorn. "IF YOU STAY IN THE WATER TOO LONG, YOU MIGHT DIE!"
With the Pacific Ocean leeching their body heat, a few recruits became fearful and stood up to head for shore, officially tapping out. Their dreams of becoming Navy SEALs were finished.
"WOULDN'T IT BE NICE TO BE IN A WARM BED LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?!"
It would be nice, everyone thought.
"THERE'S COFFEE AND DONUTS!" The instructor exclaimed, motioning to a large table with donuts and coffee pots spread across it with a silver bell hanging on the end. "JUST COME RING THE BELL AND YOU CAN HAVE SOME!"
That was enough to convince several more students to exit the surf zone. Their shared hopes and dreams of becoming SEALs were forever over.
"S-sorry…" A student next to Izuku shivered madly, his face on the verge of turning blue. "I-I'm out!"
He slowly unhooked his arm from Izuku's and pulled himself out of the water, walking stiffly to the shore. Izuku watched as a crowd of over a dozen former classmates headed for the table, where warm towels were handed out to them by assistants. Izuku could even see the steam from the piping hot coffee from his vantage point in the surf zone. Heck, he could even smell the sugar from the warm donuts with his enhanced sense of smell.
'Never thought I'd crave donuts like I am now…'
"IF ANY OF YOU ARE FEELING TOO COLD, JUST GO AHEAD AND QUIT NOW!" The drill sergeant yelled.
Izuku shook his head to shut out the noise, closing his eyes as another cold wave slammed into him.
The US Navy SEALs have a ninety-two percent washout rate for a good reason. Their training is described as having the toughest physical and mental strain out of any special forces' unit in the world. Those who don't quit have a better than even chance of suffering serious injury or even death.
'I know what they're doing… Giving voice to everyone's inner thoughts… Encouraging everyone to quit…' Izuku thought as he shivered. 'The SEALs want the physically AND mentally toughest recruits. Anything less isn't worth their time…"
For the next hour, waves relentlessly pounded the students in the surf zone, leeching their internal body heat away. Izuku kept his eyes and mouth shut as the cold water washed over him, drowning him only momentarily.
'Don't give in… Go Further… さらに先へ.' Izuku encouraged himself.
"YOU DIRTBAGS ARE LOOKING COLD!" The drill instructor shouted. "TIME TO WARM YOU UP! PULL YOUR ASSES OUT OF THE WATER NOW!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they stiffly pulled themselves out of the water. However, their training had only just begun.
(X)
After being soaked with sand washed into every crevice of their bodies, it was time to get the remaining students' body temperatures back up. What did that entail?
"Hope you enjoy pushups and flutter-kicks, ladies! You're gonna be doing hundreds of them!" A drill instructor exclaimed, and then blew into a whistle.
Yes. Good old-fashioned P.T. The US Navy isn't heartless though as they've given students the option of alternating their hundreds of pushups with flutter-kicks. Something Izuku was willing to take full advantage of.
'98… 99…' Izuku mentally counted out his pushups. '...100!' He then flipped on his back and began to rapidly do flutter-kicks. '1! 2! 3!'
Internally, Izuku could hardly believe that not only was he able to keep up with the workouts…he was able to surpass everyone else! Before the procedure, he'd have already long passed out by now. But now, despite being soaked in the cold surf, he still felt so much energy flowing through him. His strength, his stamina, his endurance… It was like Teruko had said, it had all been enhanced beyond human limits. Izuku would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the feeling.
The drill instructors were already made aware of Izuku's enhanced physiology though… and they were more than happy to compensate.
"MR. SUPER-SOLDIER!" Izuku glanced up at a drill instructor standing over him, smirking smugly. "If the others can do hundreds of pushups and flutter-kicks, that means you can do over a thousand. Can you?"
"Yes sir!" Izuku immediately responded.
"THEN GET TO IT!" He exclaimed. "I want 'em done before the next phase!"
"Yes sir!" With that, the verdette increased the speed of his exercises, feeling the burn slowly creep in.
(X)
Later, after completing their pushups and flutter-kicks, the SEAL students were now standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the edge of a sandy parking lot close to the campsite.
"Time for the next step, maggots!" The lead drill instructor exclaimed. "You're gonna crawl two-hundred meters across this lot! Your asses better not rise more than an inch off the ground! In combat, that'll get you killed! Out here, it'll send ya right back to the starting line! NOW, GET GOING!" He blew into a whistle.
With that, the recruits hit the ground and started crawling. Izuku's face contorted in pain as the hard pavement dug into his skin, particularly his forearms and knees. Whistles went off as several recruits were already being sent back to the start line.
By now, coarse sand was covering every inch of Izuku's body, and the low crawling was only digging that sand deeper into his flesh.
"How ya feeling Mr. Super-Soldier?" An instructor stepped in front of Izuku, walking backwards to stay a few paces ahead. The verdette didn't dare look up, keeping his focus on staying low to the ground.
"Wonderful, sir!" Izuku responded. "Road burn feels peachy!"
"That's not road burn, Mr. Super-Soldier! That's the American homeland giving you a loving kiss!" The drill sergeant proclaimed. "Hope you enjoy it because unlike the others, you will be doing eight-hundred meters of low-crawling! Understood!?"
Eight hundred meters?!
"Y-Yes sir!" Izuku kept his head down and resumed crawling forward; the sandy pavement filling his vision.
"Has a girl ever given you a hickey before?"
Uh, where did that come from?
"N-no sir…" Izuku stammered, thoughts of the kiss Peggy placed on his cheek briefly came to mind.
"Don't worry, Mr. Super-Soldier! The American homeland has you covered. You will drag your worthless hide across this lot until you are covered with its loving hickies! Understood?"
Oh brother. If he wasn't covered in coarse sand and breathing heavily, he'd have to resist the urge to snicker.
"Yes sir!"
(X)
Over an hour had passed since the start of Hell Week and by that time over a tenth of the class had already quit the course.
Izuku had finally finished his eight-hundred meters of low-crawls; never once being ordered to start over. He was now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his classmates, panting heavily. He, like everyone else, was covered in sweat with dirt, sand, and buts of gravel. It was an uncomfortable experience to say the least.
"You bastards are filthy! Time to wash up. Thankfully, we have the largest shower in the world right behind us. I want all of you to run—not jog—to the surf together!" He blew the whistle and the Navy SEAL-hopefuls sprinted toward the surf zone and locked arms as the waves slammed over them once more.
If the students were hot and sweaty from all the PT earlier, the cold water washing over them immediately resolved that issue.
"We're getting bored watching you maggots wash up! We wanna hear you sing. Mr. Super-Soldier!" An instructor called out.
"Y-Yes sir!" Izuku spluttered out as another wave washed over him.
"Start us off with My Country 'Tis of Thee! Loud and proud!"
Izuku paused to recall the words before he belted them out. "~My country, 'tis of thee…sweet land of liberty…Of thee I sing~"
He paused as another wave slammed into them.
The other students then joined in.
"~Land where my fathers died… Land of the pilgrim's pride…From every mountainside…Let freedom ring~"
The SEAL students continued to sing various songs for the instructors' amusement as the cold Pacific waves repeatedly washed over them.
(X)
Several hours later, dawn had finally come as the sun arose in the east, painting warm colors across the San Diego skyline with the inky night sky in retreat.
Izuku and the SEAL students were back at the campsite still wearing their cold, wet uniforms. Many grimaced every time they moved due to the chafing and coarse sand covering their bodies. Unfortunately, this was a feeling they'd have to endure for the next four days.
The students stood in single-file lines in front of tables under a large canopy where plates of piping hot food were being served. While other special force units in the world starve their trainees to test their mental toughness, the US Navy takes the opposite approach. They eat not only often, but a large amount mostly served hot.
Don't get the wrong idea though. This was done not out of kindness, but rather necessity as the Navy SEAL training will absolutely kill a person if they don't eat hot food often. The heat will help prevent their internal body temperatures from dipping too low to suffer hypothermia.
While the food itself looked like slop and gruel, after hours of hardcore PT and singing tunes in the cold surf, it currently looked like a five-star meal to Izuku and the others.
"Eat up, ladies! You're gonna need it." The drill sergeant shouted.
When Izuku's turn came, his plate had three times the food as his peers. Due to his enhanced physiology, his body burned far more calories than a normal human; meaning he needed to consume far more calories to compensate.
The moment he sat down, he immediately started shoveling food into his mouth. It may not have tasted all that great, but he didn't care. It was hot and edible, and that's all that matters.
(X)
At mid-morning, the students were now performing the dreaded log PT. This training involved multiple teams of students carrying, pulling, pushing, and jogging with their logs back and forth across the sandy beach doing various tasks.
Izuku, however, was being ordered to carry his own assigned log all by himself.
"Mr. Super-Soldier!" The drill sergeant yelled. "Are you fully acquainted with your log yet?"
Izuku panted heavily while holding the 10-foot long, 300-pound log (~3 meters, 136 kg) on his shoulders as he jogged down the beach. "Y-Yes sir…"
"Are you!? Have you given it a name?"
Uh… That was a weird question. "Sir…?"
"You heard me! Have you given it a name? Learned its likes and dislikes? It's hopes and dreams for the future?!"
Okay, now the drill sergeant was just f**king with him.
"I…have not, sir." He replied dumbly.
"Then get to it!" He barked. "Because unlike the others, you'll be doing three times the number of exercises with your log than the others. Am I understood?!"
"Yes sir!" When the drill sergeant stepped away, Izuku glanced up at the log over his head. 'Great… Guess I'll call it Zak. Since it's gonna be such a pain in the ass…'
(X)
Though SEAL students would be spending a fair amount of the day doing log PTs in-and-out of the ocean, they would also be spending an equal amount of time with their inflatable boats.
"Keep it up, ladies! Double time!" The drill sergeant ordered.
Six-man teams were carrying large black-and-yellow rubber inflatable boats (IBS) on top of their heads down the shoreline with only a few straps to hold onto for support. Each boat weighed between 200 to 300 pounds (90 kg - 136kg), so every member needed to carry their weight; otherwise, the hull would smack against their teammates' heads—potentially giving them a concussion.
Izuku, meanwhile, was leading the pack carrying his IBS over his head on his own.
"Mr. Super-Soldier!" The drill sergeant jogged backwards, keeping several paces in front of Izuku. "We don't want you to feel like you're not getting a workout here, so you'll be going up and down this beach an extra five times! And I want you done by the time the others finish too. Am I understood!?"
"Loud and clear, sir!" Izuku yelled back.
Izuku heaved heavily as he trudged through the wet stand, feeling the strain in his arms to keep the boat balanced over his head. 'Just gotta push through! It's all mental… I can do it… Keep going further!' He continued to pull away from the pack.
(X)
The sun began its descent, casting a pastel of warm colors across the ocean horizon. The SEAL students were lined up in front of their instructors, divided into six-man teams with their boats resting by them. They had just finished being served another hot meal earlier, and now they were getting ready for the next phase of their torture–um, training.
"Hope you ladies enjoyed that meal! Now we're getting to the fun stuff… ROCK PORTAGE!" The drill sergeant pointed to a wall of jagged rocks over one-hundred meters away. "The goal is simple: land safely on those rocks!"
Izuku looked closely at the mass of jagged rocks and the viscous waves pounding against it. 'Simple? Not quite…' He mused sardonically.
"Two teams at a time will approach the rocks. You will carry up your paddles and your IBS to the top, otherwise, it will not count as a true landing. NOW GET TO IT!" He blew into his whistle. "Double time!"
With no time to think, the groups picked up their IBSs and ran toward the water. As soon as they were knee-deep, they all jumped into their boats, grabbed the paddles inside, and immediately started rowing.
The 6-foot high (~2 meters) waves made it very difficult. Not even a minute into the drill, several IBSs had already been capsized from the waves, including Izuku's team.
After being submerged and flipped over by the waves, Izuku steadied himself and took hold of the capsized boat. "C'MON! We can do this, guys!" He shouted as he flipped the boat back over on his own. "Don't give up!"
Regaining their bearings and picking up their floating paddles, the other five students pulled themselves back into the boat with Izuku and immediately started padding forward. The waves rocked the IBS hard, making it difficult to stay stable. Despite their best efforts, Izuku's group and the others would wound up capsizing several more times.
Nevertheless, they flipped the boat over and hopped back in it. Defeat just wasn't an option. It took many more tries, but the groups had finally managed to get past the ruthless breakers and were now paddling their way toward the rocks.
That was only the first step though.
The boats needed to make a slow and steady approach to the rocks, but the rough waves crashing into them was making that task very difficult. Regardless, the job still needed to be done.
As they encroached the boulders, Izuku positioned himself at the front of the boat. "You guys keep paddling! I'll grab onto the rocks and anchor us long enough for you guys to get out."
"Hey… Superman…" A recruit said tiredly as he rowed. "I know you're strong and all…but you sure?"
"Those rocks gotta be slick!" Another added.
"Trust me, I got it! I won't let my teammates down!" Izuku declared confidently.
Izuku braced himself as the rocks got closer. Suddenly, a wave rolled up behind them and carried their boat forward. They would've violently slam into the rocks if Izuku hadn't grabbed hold of a ledge and used his superhuman strength to stabilize the boat. The stone cracked from the pressure exerted by his fingertips.
Digging his feet into the crease between the boat's rubber hull and bottom, Izuku kept the IBS anchored to the side of the rocks. "GO!" Izuku shouted. "I'll hold it still!"
"Way to go Superman!" With that, his teammates carefully disembark on the rocks handing their paddles to one another. The slickness and constant pounding of waves forced them to move slowly. Izuku clenched his eyes shut, straining his body to keep the raft anchored to the boulders. On the plus side, the sea spray raining down on him washed away the dirt and grime of the day's PT.
"Superman!" Izuku glanced to the right to see one of his teammates reaching out to him, his other arm linked with the others to keep him anchored. "Reach out, we'll pull you in!"
Izuku nodded and, with one hand clutching the rock, outstretched his other hand to grab hold of his teammate's. With a mighty heave, Izuku's teammates pulled him onto the rocks along with the others. Then, using a rope tied at the boat's bow, Izuku pulled the IBS up out of the water single handedly.
With one carrying the paddles, Izuku and four others took a hold of the IBS and lifted it over their heads as they carefully treaded up the rocky outcroppings.
Their goal was in sight. They'd be the first team to accomplish the exercise. Then…
SNAP!
"ARRRGHHH!" An agonizing yell was heard over the roar of the waves.
Izuku snapped his head in the direction of the yell to see the second IBS group had been slammed into the rocks by the waves. Five were in the water and looked okay at first glance while the sixth man had his left foot jammed in-between two rocks…and was dangling in the water.
"HELP M–BLAH!" The student was cut off as a wave bashed him against the rocks. His jammed foot was knocked loose from the rocks, and he disappeared under the water.
"MACE?!" One of his teammates shouted, who was clutching onto their capsized IBS.
Izuku wasn't thinking anymore by this point. Tossing his team's IBS to the side, he jumped far from the rocks and dived headfirst into the waves. He didn't come back up immediately. The five-man group who capsized grabbed on their IBS and pulled themselves up, looking in anticipation at the spot Izuku had dived.
Moments later, Izuku resurfaced with his right arm wrapped around the student named Mace. The poor guy had bloody bruises and gashes on his face from slamming into the jagged rocks. Though it could've been much worse.
"It's okay! I've got you!" Izuku exclaimed. He swam toward the other team's capsized boat while carefully holding Mace close to him.
Mace coughed up water as frantically moved his arms to stay afloat. He then felt a searing hot pain from his ankle and clenched his eyes shut. "AAGHH! My ankle!"
"Don't worry!" Izuku assured him. "It's gonna be alright!"
Later, with the help of Izuku and Mace's boat crews, they successfully managed to return to the beach. A medic was already on the scene and immediately tended to Mace as he laid on his back.
Izuku and several other classmates stayed close to hear the update on their injured classmate.
"H-Hey…Superman." Mace directed his attention to Izuku. "Thanks for saving me…"
Izuku smiled a little. "You're welcome. That's what superheroes do, after all." He said jokingly.
"Superhero, huh?" Mace chuckled weakly, and then grimaced from the hot pain in his leg.
The medic nodded after completing his diagnosis. "Sorry, Mr. Mace. It's broken badly. We're gonna need to perform surgery ASAP!"
Mace nodded weakly, his expression portraying his distraught. "Crap…" He sighed heavily as he was loaded onto a stretcher. "This sucks."
Izuku frowned, empathizing with his injured classmate. At that moment, he felt he should say something to help cheer him…if only a little. "You can try again after you're healed up."
"Maybe…" He said despondently.
"Don't lose hope in your dream, Mace." Izuku smiled a little. "The future's built on dreams."
Mace turned his head to Izuku with a thoughtful look. A small smile then crossed his face, despite the intense pain he was feeling. "Yeah…? Won't lie, that's pretty idealistic. What's your name, Superman?"
"Izuku. Izuku Midoriya."
Four medical personnel picked up Mace's stretcher and proceeded to carry him off toward an ambulance nearby.
"I'll remember that. You have my thanks!" Jeffrey Mace called out.
Izuku smiled and waved at his now ex-classmate. He felt bad for Mace, but inwardly acknowledged that this was the ugly reality of Navy SEAL training. Recruits would often get hurt and, in some cases, may even die. It came with the territory.
"I'll give you ladies ten minutes of rest!" The drill sergeant suddenly declared. "Better enjoy it! After that, you're gonna re-try that rock portage drill. Am I understood!?"
"Yes sir!" The two boat crews shouted.
Nodding in satisfaction, the drill sergeant turned around and focused his attention on the other crews trying to land on the offshore rock mass.
Izuku received several pats on the back from his present classmates, congratulating him and/or thanking him for his help–which the verdette teen bashfully responded to. He then walked over to a particular spot on the beach and took a seat in the sand.
Looking around and making sure none of the instructors were looking at him, Izuku discreetly dug into the sand with his right hand and pulled out a sealed king-sized Kit-Kat bar.
Before Hell Week had begun, Izuku, along with many other recruits, had stashed a few candy bars in hidden locations across the campsite to consume later.
After all, surviving Hell Week meant more than obeying orders and following rules…it was about breaking them and cheating when you can without getting caught. In real-world combat, there were no rules: only mission success.
Izuku peeled off the wrapping and scarfed down the candy before anyone noticed, relishing the sweet chocolate taste on his taste buds. This would be one of the rare moments of pleasure he'd have for the next few days…and the many days to follow after.
Finishing the sweet, Izuku glanced in the west and watched the sun set over the ocean. 'Four more days of this…on four hours of total sleep… This is gonna be tough… But I have to do this.' He furrowed his brows, his thoughts drifting to Peggy and the new friends he had made in the SSR. 'Guys… I promise…I'll join you all as soon as I can…'
Musutafu, Japan - April 2197
On Saturday morning, five days following the USJ Incident, Midoriya and his group of friends had agreed to meet up for training together. Yaoyorozu was kind enough to invite everyone to her family's estate again as she had a training compound that was big enough to accommodate everyone's needs…because of course she did.
Midoriya and his friends were now standing inside of a large indoor gymnasium that rivaled Gym Gamma in size and even had a glass ceiling, allowing sunlight inside. There was a paved track circling the perimeter with a large grassy field in the center and various items scattered around.
Everyone's eyes had nearly popped out of their sockets when they had first laid eyes on the facility. However, it was Yaoyorozu's innocent comment on hoping the gym wasn't too small that made them fall over on the ground; much to her confusion.
After settling down from their surprise and changing into personal workout clothes, the group consisting of Uraraka, Tokage, Jiro, Tsunotori, Iida, Asui, Sero, Kirishima, Ashido, and Kaminari were on the grass field lined up single-filed in front of Midoriya and Yaoyorozu.
"I'm glad all of you could make it." Yaoyorozu beamed, nearly blinding everyone present. "Izuku-kun and I put our heads together yesterday after class and have come up with ideas for everyone in class to improve their respective Quirks." She presented a small stack of papers, much to everyone's surprise.
"Well done, you both! You're already living up to your presidential roles." Iida praised them while using exaggerated chopping motions.
Midoriya nodded in acknowledgment. "Of course in a competition like the All-Star Games, it's not all about Quirks. Following our Quirk training, all of us will be doing PT exercises as well. We only have two weeks to prepare, less if you count rest days. So, let's make every minute of our training sessions count."
"Yes sir!" The group said simultaneously, akin to military cadets.
Midoriya smiled and rolled his eyes while Yaoyorozu giggled. The verdette could tell by the playful grin on Uraraka's face that she had something to do with this.
"To save on time," Yaoyorozu picked up, "Izuku-kun and I will discuss our suggestions with half of you."
"I can take care of this half, Yaomomo." Midoriya motioned to Uraraka, Iida, Kirishima, Ashido, and Sero. "While you handle the other half. Sound good?" The remaining five were Tsunotori, Jiro, Kaminari, Asui, and Tokage.
"Yes. That shouldn't be a problem." Yaoyorozu nodded.
"Alright, let's get to it! We're burning daylight!'"
"Yes sir!"
(X)
"Let's start off with you, Setsuna-chan." Yaoyorozu took a glance at the Quirk profile for Tokage. "To improve Lizard Tail Splitter, Izuku-kun and I propose you continuously split your body into as many pieces as you can. Keep pushing your limit even when you're tired."
"Yeah, makes sense." She nodded in understanding.
"Just try not to push yourself too far though." Yaoyorozu cautioned. "We don't want anyone getting injured."
Tokage nodded, grinning toothily. "Right, right. Train hard, not reckless. Welp…" The greenette sauntered away and cracked her fingers. "I'll go ahead and get started. Although…"
"Yes?" Yaoyorozu questioned.
"...I just hope all this training doesn't make me…fall apart." Tokage split off her appendages and head from her body, levitating in the air. "Eh? Get it?"
Tsunotori and Kaminari both giggled while Jiro rolled her eyes, unamused. If Asui thought Tokage's joke was funny, she didn't let it outwardly show.
Yaoyorozu sagged her shoulders, sighing. "Setsuna…"
"What? I thought it was clever."
(X)
"Sero…" Midoriya pulled out a paper containing all of the information he had recorded about the Tape user's Quirk and suggestions for improving it. "... You're gonna be training over there next to the water station." He pointed to a corner that had a huge black tarp spread across the ground. "You'll be producing a continuous strand of tape from both elbows onto that tarp. Doing this exercise should increase your tape capacity and strength while improving your dispensing speed."
"I gotcha." Sero then sweat-dropped when something occurred to him. "Oh man… Making that much tape, I might dehydrate myself…"
"That's why Yaomomo and I have you set up near the water station. Keep pushing yourself until you go past your limits. Take a water break, and then get right back to it."
"Yes sir." Sero gave a mock salute before rushing off toward his station.
(X)
"Tsu." Yaoyorozu glanced at the notes she had on Asui's Quirk, which were based on Midoriya's notes. "You'll be climbing up-and-down the rock wall while using your tongue as a safety rope." She pointed to a large rock wall setup on the other end of the facility. "This should work all of your muscles while also strengthening your tongue."
Asui nodded. "Kero. I can do that."
"Also," the ravenette paused to produce four dark green bands from her abdomen. "Izuku-kun suggested you wear these to provide more resistance. I made these based on the ones he normally wears."
Recalling how heavy the weights Midoriya wore, Asui croaked nervously. "Uh… I don't know if I can move with that much weight on…"
"Not to worry." Yaoyorozu smiled reassuringly. "The weight's only a fraction of what he carries around. It should be more than manageable for you."
Asui sighed in relief. "Thank you, Yaomomo-chan." She took the bands and proceeded toward the rock wall area.
(X)
"Ashido-chan, you see that plastic tub over there?" Midoriya pointed to a large, black polyethylene tank on the other end of the field. "You'll be intermittently creating acid into that. Make sure the acid's corrosiveness is as close to the limit you can currently handle. Your goal will be to increase your skin's durability."
Ashido nodded, grinning. "Sounds like a plan!"
"If you get thirsty from all the acid production, please go to the water station." He motioned to a large table with several water dispensers set up on it. "Don't need anyone passing out today from dehydration."
"Can do, Prez!" The pinkette gave a thumbs-up.
(X)
"Kaminari-san." Yaoyorozu directed their attention to a large capacity battery sitting on a one-inch-thick rubber platform. "You'll be running your electrical current through that battery. The goal will be to train your body to handle more electricity, reducing the risk of short-circuiting yourself."
"But I don't need to worry about that anymore." Kaminari mentioned. "I have the circuit breaker on my Costume."
"You can't wear your Costume during the Games, dummy." Jiro remarked coolly.
"Oh…right." The electric blonde deflated.
"Plus," Tsunotori jumped in, "you don't want to get tooreliant on Support Gear. The smart Villains may catch on and aim to break it. You'd be in quite the pickle then."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Kaminari admitted.
"As Izuku-kun has already told you, Kaminari, control rather than power will be your best friend." Yaoyorozu stated. "Learn to safely manage your electricity before working to increase your wattage limit."
"Alright, I can do that!" Kaminari adopted a determined demeanor. "Time to go Plus Ultra!" He then rushed off toward the battery.
"Do your best, Denki!" Tsunotori cheered.
"Don't fry yourself, Yammingway." Jiro commented wryly.
(X)
"Kirishima-kun, your training spot will be over there." Midoriya pointed to a spot on the field where his shield was attached to a wooden post.
"Is that your shield? How'd you get that from the Costume shelf?" Kirishima asked curiously.
"The shield belongs to me, so I can take it whenever I like." He replied. "Which is good for our case. You'll be hitting the shield as hard and for as long as you can without seriously injuring yourself."
"Wait… Really?" Kirishima sounded surprised. "That seems pretty straightforward, Prez."
Midoriya nodded. "It is. But simple solutions are sometimes the best ones. See, my shield's indestructible so you won't have to worry about breaking it, and constantly hitting it should strengthen your Hardening Quirk; similar to building up callouses by doing rough work."
"Oh, I get it!" Kirishima activated his Quirk on his arms and slammed his fists together, grinning roguishly. "My Hardening should get much stronger by punching that thing over and over!"
"Be sure you're not just punching it though." Midoriya recommended. "Use some kicks and try to ram yourself into it too. I'll swing by later and we can have a sparring match with it if ya want?"
"Sure thing, man!" Kirishima gave a thumbs-up. "That's my kind of training!"
(X)
"Kyoka-chan, your area will be by those boulders." Yaoyorozu pointed toward a few boulders by the rock-climbing zone where Asui was currently climbing. "You'll be thrusting your earphone jacks into the stone."
Jiro tilted her head, bemused. "Why that?"
"Izuku-kun and I agree that strengthening your jacks should also increase the quality of your sound." Yaoyorozu explained.
The purplette rocker nodded in understanding. "Bangin'. Well, let's get rockin'."
(X)
"Your training drill is pretty straightforward, Iida." Midoriya said. "You'll be doing long runs around the track to build up leg strength and stamina."
Iida nodded. "Yes, I suspected that would be the case."
"However, Yaomomo and I added an extra caveat to make the exercise more difficult." Midoriya pulled off four navy-blue exercise bands off his forearms. "Slip these on your wrists and ankles. Each one weighs roughly 9 kilos (~20 lbs)."
"That's almost 40 kilos (~80 lbs) I'll be carrying around." Iida noted.
"If it's too heavy or too light, let us know and Yaomomo can make a new set." Midoriya advised. "We want this training to push you…but not too much where it injures you or you don't get anything out of it."
"Yes, I understand." The bespeckled teen leaned down to place the bands on his wrists and ankles. He stood up and lifted up each leg to test the resistance. "Hmm, yes. I believe these will do splendidly, Midoriya-kun!"
"Great." Midoriya smiled. "I'll let you get to it then."
(X)
"Pony, how's your head feeling?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"It's all better!" Tsunotori chirped. "I can use my Quirk fully with no issue."
Yaoyorozu nodded in acknowledgement, smiling. "The limit of horns you can control at a time is four, yes?" When the blonde equine-girl nodded, the ravenette continued, "Then use those horns to carry the heavy weights over there for as long as you can." She motioned toward a line of various sized black kettlebells at the end of the field. "If they're too heavy or light, let me know and I'll make adjustments."
"I will. But how does that help me increase my horn limit?"
"Izuku-kun and I theorize the best way to improve Horn Cannon's telekinetic control is by increasing how much weight your individual horns can carry around." Yaoyorozu answered. "Of course, if we're wrong, increasing how much weight you can carry is still a plus for you."
Tsunotori nodded eagerly, her tail swishing behind her. "Okay! I'll give it a shot!"
(X)
"Last but certainly not least…" Midoriya directed his attention to a smiling Uraraka. "The Evil Doctor of Anti-Physics herself…Anti-Gravity."
"Pft!" Uraraka giggled to herself. "Really? Anti-Gravity?"
She was wearing black mid-thigh length shorts, a pink tank top, and white shoes with her chestnut hair tied up into a bun. Her attire really showed off her curvy body and he made sure that he wasn't staring.
Midoriya shrugged, chuckling. "Heh-heh, yeah. Names were never my strong suit. But before we get off track, you see that bubble over there?" He directed her attention to a human-sized plastic bubble close by.
"Yeah. What is it?" Uraraka inquired.
"That is for your training. You'll be using your Quirk on yourself inside the bubble. The point is to train your semicircular canals in your ears to decrease nausea while increasing the time you can use your Quirk on yourself and other objects."
Her brown eyes widened slightly. "Oh, I see. That's pretty smart! Though…" She became sheepish. "I can't promise I won't throw up while I'm in there."
"Don't worry." Midoriya laid a hand on her shoulder, grinning. "If you do, we'll just hose you and the bubble off. No big deal."
Uraraka pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "Not funny."
"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He chuckled.
'Huh… She's really cute when she pouts like that.' He thought offhandedly.
(X)
With their friends starting on their respective training drills, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu joined back up close to the gym's main entrance. Along the way, Midoriya had to will himself not to stare at his ravenette friend, given her attire that consisted of a pair of tight black athletic shorts that showcased her thighs and a red sleeveless midriff shirt that hugged her ample chest.
'Just keep your composure, soldier. DON'T stare!' He commanded himself.
The pair finally stopped by a large foldout table with various sugary, fatty foods spread across it.
"I suppose we should get started on our own training now, Izuku-kun." Yaoyorozu said dutifully.
Midoriya recalled what Yaoyorozu had recorded for her own training drill. Essentially, she planned on eating everything on the table while making a large assortment of Matryoshka dolls–hoping to decrease her Creation time. He could see the reasoning behind her exercise, but…
"Actually, is it okay if I make a recommendation for your training, Momo-chan?"
"Of course. What did you have in mind?" She asked curiously.
"I know you have a thing for Matryoshka dolls, but why not try creating Bo staffs instead?" He suggested.
"Bo staffs? I suppose I could but they're not as intricate as my dolls." She mentioned. "Shouldn't my training involve creating many objects to decrease my creation time?"
"Yes but making the dolls shouldn't be what you focus on." Midoriya countered. "In a battle you normally use a Bo staff, or a capture net, or an airsoft gun. You should practice making those items and others like them to the point it becomes second nature."
"Yes, that makes sense." Yaoyorozu admitted.
"Speaking of which, how long does it take you to make a staff?"
"Roughly two seconds." She answered immediately.
Midoriya shook his head. "Not good enough. Try making over sixty within a minute."
"Sixty?" Her grey eyes widened, surprised. To achieve that goal, she'd have to make each Bo staff within a second or less!