Chapter 34: A Quiet Morning
The sky was still a soft shade of orange when Izuku left his house early that Sunday morning. The streets were quiet, and the air had the fresh crispness of the early hours.
After everything that had happened the past few days the battle training exercise, the aftermath, and the meeting with Momo's family, he needed some time to clear his head.
And for Izuku, there was no better way to do that than through training.
As he arrived at the park, he made his way toward a secluded area where he usually worked out. The park was a fairly large one, with jogging trails, benches, and an outdoor training area with pull-up bars and parallel bars.
Taking a deep breath, he stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders.
"Alright, let's get started."
He began with push-ups, focusing on maintaining perfect form as his arms burned with exertion.
"Forty… forty-one… forty-two…"
After that, he moved on to squats, keeping his balance steady as he controlled his breathing.
Next came pull-ups, gripping the metal bar tightly as he pulled himself up with practiced ease. His muscles protested, but he pushed through.
Finally, he started shadow boxing, practicing his movements while integrating quick bursts of flame into his attacks. Speed, control, power. He repeated the motions again and again, refining them until they felt like second nature.
Just as he was getting into rhythm...
"Yo! Midoriya!"
Izuku paused, turning toward the voice.
Jogging toward him in a red track suit, a grin on his face, was Kirishima.
Izuku blinked. "Kirishima?"
The red-haired boy grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. "Man, I thought I was the only one crazy enough to train this early!"
Izuku smirked slightly. "Guess not."
Kirishima stretched his arms. "Mind if I join you?"
"Go ahead."
And just like that, the two started training together.
Kirishima matched Izuku's pace, doing push-ups and squats alongside him. As they trained, he shot Izuku a curious glance.
"So… about that meeting with All Might," he started, wiping sweat from his forehead. "What was that all about?"
Izuku didn't stop his exercise. "Nothing major. Everything's handled."
Kirishima raised an eyebrow. "Come on, dude. It's not every day All Might calls someone to his office. You in trouble or something?"
Izuku smirked slightly. "If I was, I wouldn't be here training, would I?"
Kirishima laughed. "Fair enough."
Still, Izuku could tell he was curious.
But he wasn't about to talk about Hisashi, or Momo's family, or the scolding.
It was better if no one knew.
After all, he had more important things to focus on.
By 9 AM, both of them were thoroughly exhausted.
"Man, that was a good workout!" Kirishima grinned, stretching his arms. "I'm heading back. See ya in class, Midoriya!"
Izuku nodded. "See you."
With that, he headed home.
Stepping inside, he could smell breakfast lingering in the air. His mother had probably finished eating earlier.
Instead of resting, he went straight to his room.
Time to get to work.
First, he went over his school assignments, finishing everything that needed to be done.
Then, he pulled out his notes on potions.
Ever since he discovered quirk-based alchemy, he had been studying different concoctions, formulas, and applications.
Some had healing properties, others could enhance physical abilities for a short period.
If he could master them, he would have a huge advantage.
"This world might not have mana like in fantasy games… but science can replicate magic in its own way."
After a couple of hours of studying, he heard his mother calling him.
"Izuku! Can you help me with the chores?"
"Coming, Mom!"
The next couple of hours were spent helping his mother around the house.
He cleaned the living room, wiping down the furniture and vacuuming the floor.
Then he helped wash the dishes, scrubbing them clean while his mother cooked lunch.
After that, he went outside and took care of the trash, making sure everything was neatly sorted.
Throughout all of it, his mind wandered.
The USJ attack was coming soon.
Shigaraki. The League of Villains. The Nomu.
He knew how dangerous it would be.
Even with All Might there, the fight could still go wrong in many ways.
All Might is injured too,
And beyond that…
There was All For One.
The true mastermind behind everything.
Izuku gritted his teeth.
"I need to get stronger. Faster. Smarter."
Because when the time came…
He refused to be caught off guard.