"These tests are so boring..." said Goo, yawning shamelessly as he watched his classmates perform the exercises Aizawa had assigned.
[You don't say… your training is much more exciting.]
"I still remember when I smashed through an entire mountain," replied Goo with a crooked smile.
The noise of the training field faded from his mind, dragging him into another memory.
[Day 100.]
A dense forest, loaded with shadows, the air heavy with the smell of wet earth and worn bark. There, only twelve years old, Goo stood alone, wrapped in his already iconic Pikachu clothes.
His body hadn't yet reached the imposing stature he carried now, but the marks of training no normal child could endure were already carved into him. His hands bore open cuts and fresh scabs, and the yellow shirt he wore was torn to rags.
"Damn it, damn it… I'll never be strong like this," he muttered, gasping for breath.
Before him rose a moss-covered rocky mass, blocking the path like a natural wall.
Goo clenched his fists, brow furrowed. "Then I'll break it."
A faint light began to form around his arms. It wasn't the overwhelming force he commanded now, but it lit up the dark forest with a strange glow. With a cry that was part rage, part determination, he charged at the mountain.
"THIS IS SO PATHETIC!"
The impact thundered like a storm. Rocks burst into fragments, and a crack tore across the wall like a fresh scar. The echo startled the birds, sending black flocks flying and darkening the sky even more.
Goo fell to his knees, panting, drenched in sweat, but with a genuine smile on his young face.
"I did it…" he whispered, staring at the hole he had carved into the rock.
[Your body is made to break limits.]
"Damn it, how much longer do I have to endure this before my Quirk evolves?" Goo growled, sweat dripping from his chin into the damp soil.
[You are still in the first phase of your Quirk.]
Goo lifted his head in frustration. "The first phase…? And how much longer until I stop feeling weak?"
[Listen carefully… stupid Goo. This stage is called 'Apprentice.' You're only just adapting your body to the power of light. You can create flashes, bursts, illumination… but your control is unstable and your energy drains quickly.]
"That's it? Just glowing?" he grumbled, punching the ground.
[Don't underestimate this beginning. Even if it feels pathetic, you've already broken the barriers of an ordinary human. Every wound shapes the vessel that will hold the true Ars Lux.]
Goo clenched his teeth, eyes locked on the crack in the mountain. "Then I'll just keep hitting… until this body has nothing left to break."
[Exactly. The 'Apprentice' phase isn't about destroying enemies, but your own limits. Once you master it… the light won't just be a flash. It will be an extension of yourself.]
Goo stood, still trembling. "Then I don't care how long it takes. I'll force this body to evolve. Ars Lux won't stay stuck in this miserable phase."
[Day 150.]
The air around Goo vibrated. His body radiated a golden glow so intense it scorched the earth beneath his feet. Around him stretched a massive crater, witness to the hell of his training.
"What… what is this strange feeling on my skin?" he muttered in confusion. Every muscle burned, yet a tingling spark ran through every fiber of his being.
He glanced at his arms, eyes widening: the wounds were closing on their own under the light he emanated.
[You're brushing against the threshold of what comes next.]
"The threshold… of Phase 2?" Goo panted.
[Not yet. But your body is beginning to grasp the true nature of Ars Lux. This is only the beginning of rebirth.]
[Hey…] added the voice, mocking, as if savoring his desperation. […are you going to stand there like an idiot or test what you can do? Go on, impress me.]
"Shitty system," Goo muttered, but a dangerous smile spread across his face as the light around him intensified, blinding everything nearby.
Suddenly, he bent his legs and shot into the sky with a brutal leap. The ground quaked, and fragments of the crater blasted outward.
The air cracked in a sonic boom as he ascended, leaving behind a golden trail that sliced through the clouds like blades of fire.
For an instant, he hung suspended at the peak. He spread his arms and let the energy engulf him. His eyes shone with the same intensity as the radiance pouring from his skin.
"This is what it feels like… to evolve," he whispered, with that defiant smile that never seemed to fade.
[HAHAHA! Now you really look like someone worthy of being called my host.] The system's laugh echoed, shameless and loud.
Goo propelled himself again, like a human rocket, plummeting straight down toward the mountain.
The impact was devastating: rocks shattered like glass and dust surged upward like a gray mushroom cloud. In seconds, the massive structure was reduced to rubble, and the shockwave shook the entire forest as if a colossal thunderbolt had struck.
When the smoke began to clear, Goo stood at the center of the crater, surrounded by broken stone and golden sparks flickering in the air. Instead of exhaustion, his face carried laughter.
"Let's try… THIIIIS!" he roared with overflowing excitement. His hands lit up, and in an instant a katana of pure light appeared, vibrating as if it had a pulse of its own.
He held it for a moment, spinning it with care, studying it with fascination. A huge smile, almost dangerous, crossed his face.
And then the show began.
Goo slashed once, then again, and again. Each strike unleashed gusts of wind laced with golden particles that rained down like sparks, carving scars into the earth. Dust rose in thick clouds, forest leaves sliced through the air like blades, and every impact left glowing marks in the soil.
"HAHAHA! Now THIS is fun!" Goo bellowed, spinning on his heel and leaving behind an arc of golden trails that seemed to set the atmosphere on fire.
The entire forest lit up under the katana, as if the night had been replaced by a miniature sun.
And in the center of it all stood Goo: sweaty, grinning, with the wild look of someone who was only just getting started.
"I've never felt so free," he confessed firmly, opening his arms to the sky. Around him, dirt and dust fell slowly, as if the world itself bowed before his power.