Location: Private Yard – Tokyo Outskirts
Time: Next Day | Sunday | 08:00 AM
The abandoned industrial scrap yard was massive.
Kaito rented the entire dirt lot for the week. He arranged rows of rusted sedans, heavy concrete blocks, and stacked shipping containers to mimic a tight city intersection.
Yu Takeyama stood at the starting line. She wore her purple tracksuit. She cracked her knuckles, looking at the maze of junk metal in front of her.
"It's just simple" Kaito called out. He stood on the dirt a few meters away. "Just walk from here to the red flag at the end of the cars."
Yu nodded.
FWOOSH.
She activated her Quirk. She rapidly expanded, shooting up twenty-two meters into the sky.
She towered over the scrap yard.
She looked down at the junk cars. She lifted her right foot to step over a rusted sedan.
But.
Her balance accidentally gave out.
"Ah!" Yu yelped.
Growing instantly shifted all her body weight up to her chest and shoulders.
She leaned too far forward. She wildly swung her giant arms, trying to catch herself.
CRUNCH.
THUD.
She fell hard.
Her giant knee slammed directly into two junked cars, flattening the steel frames like soda cans.
A heavy cloud of dirt and rust kicked up into the air.
Yu quickly shrank back down to her normal size.
She sat in the dirt, holding her knee. Her face burned red with embarrassment.
"I am so sorry!" Yu groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "I ruined the course on the first step. I miscalculated."
Kaito let out a warm laugh. He walked over to the flattened cars.
"Don't apologize," Kaito told her, looking at the crushed steel. "This is exactly why we are using scrap metal instead of downtown Tokyo."
Tap. Tap. Tap
Yu dusted off her tracksuit and stood up.
"Watch my stance," Kaito instructed.
He widened his feet and dropped his hips, sinking into a low stance.
"When you grow, gravity fights you differently. You should know about this right." Kaito explained, showing her the posture. "You cannot walk like a normal person if there are a lot of obstacles infront of you. You need to anchor yourself. Drop your hips and widen your base before you take a step."
Yu watched him closely. She stepped into the dirt and mirrored his exact movements.
She widened her feet and lowered her hips.
"Feel the ground?" Kaito asked.
"Yeah," Yu nodded. "It was really different when I practiced back in my highschool days. Me and my teachers also haven't thoughts about this."
"Though I don't know which school you attended but the difference between elite schools like UA and Shikketsu were really huge. Just keep that exact posture, we will slowly correct your habits and mistakes." Kaito told her. "Hold it, and grow."
Huff
Yu took a breath.
FWOOSH.
She shot up into the sky again. This time, she kept her hips locked low. The massive weight on her chest didn't pull her forward.
Step.
She took a slow, heavy step. Her giant heel landed firmly in the dirt between two cars.
This time she didn't wobble at all.
*-*-*
Time: Three Days After | 01:00 PM
The afternoon sun beat down hard on the scrap yard.
Yu sat in the dirt, completely covered in sweat.
Her muscles burned. Fighting gravity at giant size for three days was brutally exhausting. She didn't exert this much sweat in the past.
Kaito walked over and tossed her a cold bottle of water.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Yu caught it and drank half the bottle in three seconds.
A heavy concrete pillar sat in the middle of the rusted shipping containers. That was the target dummy.
"Take a breath," Kaito said. "Then we run the Catch and Cradle again."
'I haven't been tired like this for so long.' Yu let out a tired groan, but she pushed herself up from the dirt.
She stretched her arms out.
FWOOSH.
She expanded to her giant size. Her stance was completely stable now. She dropped her hips automatically.
She looked down at the concrete pillar. She leaned forward and reached her massive hands down to scoop it up.
She wanted to catch the target before it could hypothetically run away.
CLAP.
Her giant palms slammed together around the pillar.
WHOOSH.
The sheer speed of her hands meeting created a massive blast of wind pressure.
The violent gust swept across the dirt lot, violently rattling the heavy metal doors of the shipping containers.
Yu shrank back down to normal size. She dropped to her knees, breathing heavily.
"I messed it up again," Yu muttered, wiping sweat off her forehead.
Kaito squatted down next to her in the dirt.
"Your speed is great," Kaito encouraged her. "But you are using your hands like hammers."
He held his own hands out, demonstrating the motion slowly.
"Fast reach, slow close," Kaito instructed, mimicking a scoop. "Your hands are the size of a small house. You do not need to hit the villain. You just need to build a physical cage around them. Slow down at the final second."
Yu watched his hands. She nodded slowly.
"Fast reach. Slow close," Yu repeated out loud.
"Take five minutes," Kaito told her. "Then we run it again."
*-*-*
Time: Another Three Days | Saturday | 04:00 PM
The final day before the debut.
Kaito stood on top of a tall, rusted shipping container. He watched the entire scrap yard from a high angle.
Yu stood at the starting line.
The nervous energy was completely gone.
She looked focused. She breathed in slowly through her nose, calming her heart rate.
"Run it," Kaito called out from the container.
Yu didn't hesitate.
FWOOSH.
She expanded to twenty-two meters. She dropped her hips instantly, locking her center of gravity into a perfect, heavy base.
Step. Step.
She stepped forward into the maze of junk cars.
She kept her eyes aimed down. She tracked the exact placement of her giant heels.
She stepped cleanly over the rusted sedans, planting her feet securely in the wide dirt gaps without scratching a single piece of metal.
She reached the center of the scrap yard.
She spotted the concrete pillar.
She reached down fast. Her massive hands swept right past the shipping containers.
Right before she reached the dirt, she actively slowed her muscles down.
She brought her hands together in a smooth, gentle scoop.
She trapped the concrete pillar completely against the ground.
There was no loud clap. There was no blast of wind pressure. The rusted cars around her hands didn't even shake.
Yu lifted the concrete pillar up gently in her giant palms, holding it safely.
Carefully, she set the massive concrete block back down into the dirt.
FWOOSH.
She shrank back down to her normal size.
She leaned her back against the heavy concrete pillar, sliding down to sit in the dirt.
Huff-puff.
Yu panted heavily, her arms shaking slightly from the strict muscle control she was doing for hours and days straight.
She looked up at the shipping container.
Kaito smiled and jumped down to the dirt.
"It's not that much perfect but..." Kaito praised her warmly. "You are completely ready for your debut."
Yu rested her head back against the concrete.
She pumped her fist in the air, a massive, exhausted grin stretching across her face.
"Yes," Yu breathed out happily. 'Finally it is finished.'
*-*-*
Location: Musutafu – Aldera Middle School
Time: Monday | 03:00 PM
The afternoon sun shined through the classroom windows.
It was the final homeroom class of the second year.
Next month, all the students would officially become third-year seniors.
The homeroom teacher stood at the front podium. He held a stack of career counseling forms.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down," the teacher said loudly, tapping his chalk against the blackboard.
The students sat at their desks, listening quietly.
"I am sure you all saw the news this weekend," the teacher continued. "All Might has officially taken a teaching position at U.A. Academy starting next year."
A loud murmur spread through the classroom.
The students whispered excitedly to each other.
"That means the entrance exams are going to be harder than ever," the teacher warned them. "The entire country wants to go to U.A. now."
The teacher looked across the room. He locked eyes with a boy sitting near the window.
"Bakugo," the teacher said. "You are aiming for U.A., right?"
Katsuki Bakugo leaned back in his chair..
"Obviously," Bakugo scoffed. "I am going to ace the physical exam. I'll be the only one from this crappy school to make the cut."
A few of the students glared at him, but nobody argued.
They all knew his Explosion Quirk was incredibly strong.
He was basically guaranteed a spot. And besides most of the students here already decided to go to Ketsubutsu Academy.
The teacher sighed and looked at another desk.
"Midoriya," the teacher read from his list. "You also put U.A. Academy as your first choice."
The classroom went completely silent for a second, they remembered it in the past when they were asked which highschool to go.
Then, a few students in the back row started laughing.
"Midoriya?" one of the boys chuckled. "Come on, man. How are you going to fight your way out in the exam?"
"He is just going to study really hard," a girl joked, covering her mouth.
Izuku Midoriya sat at his desk. "Yes teacher."
He heard their jokes, but just laughed it off.
BRRRING.
The final school bell rang loudly.
"Alright, class dismissed," the teacher announced. "Have a good break."
The students immediately stood up and grouped together around their desks.
"Did you guys see the news?" one of the girls asked excitedly, pulling out her smartphone. "Another American hero moved to Japan! Cow Lady!"
"I saw that!" her friend nodded rapidly. "She is so pretty. Her agency just opened up in Kashiya Ward."
Across the room, a group of boys were talking about something completely different.
"Hey, have you checked the forums lately?" a boy asked, leaning against a desk.
"About what?" his friend asked.
"The vigilantes," the first boy explained, lowering his voice slightly. "Green Hood and Phantom Cat. They completely disappeared."
"Really?"
"Yeah," the boy nodded. "Nobody has seen them on the streets for weeks. No photos. No villain takedowns. The forums think the police finally caught them and locked them up quietly."
Izuku packed his notebooks into his yellow backpack. He listened to the boys talking about him.
He zipped his bag up and slung it over his shoulder.
He promised Sir Nighteye he would stop patrolling at night. He kept his word. He completely retired the Green Hood identity.
He was focusing purely on learning legal hero operations with his agency every weekends and preparing for the U.A. exams next year.
But he still didn't fully understand why a strict, elite veteran like Sir Nighteye went out of his way to help him.
He walked out of the classroom, lost in his own thoughts.
Bakugo sat near the window. He glared at Izuku's back as he left the room.
Bakugo knew exactly who Green Hood was. He knew the secret. 'Tsk.'
He had his own goals to focus on.
Bakugo pulled his smartphone out of his pocket. He checked his email inbox.
A bright green notification sat at the top of the screen.
[Package Delivered.]
Bakugo grinned fiercely. He grabbed his bag and rushed out of the classroom.
He saved his allowance for two entire years for this exact delivery. He skipped the arcade. He skipped buying junk food.
He needed to get stronger.
*-*-*
Location: Tokyo – Commercial District
Time: A Day Before | Sunday | 02:00 PM (Flashback)
Kaito and Yu sat inside the black car parked near the sidewalk.
Yu wore her new purple and white hero costume. She leaned over the center console, turning the dial on the police scanner.
The radio crackled with local dispatch codes.
"Manager," Yu pointed at the radio. "Dispatch just called a jewelry store robbery three streets over. I can take that right now. I handled those all the time during my sidekick tenure."
Kaito kept his eyes on the busy street outside.
"We pass," Kaito said simply.
"Are you serious?" Yu groaned, throwing her hands up. "We have been sitting in this car for six hours. We passed on a purse snatcher and a guy with a minor mutant Quirk throwing trash cans. I am fully suited up!"
"I am not questioning your combat skills, Yu," Kaito answered, turning to look at her. "I know you can beat a petty thief. But think about the brand. If you stop a jewelry store robbery, you get a tiny paragraph on page four of the local newspaper. Nobody will care. And also those were already solved by some other pros."
Yu slumped back into the passenger seat.
"Remember, we are hunting for a massive spectacle," Kaito explained. "You need a Page One threat. A perfect stage, a dangerous villain, and a huge crowd. Today is a bust. Go home and get some sleep. We try again tomorrow in another location during rush hour."
*-*-*
Location: Musutafu – Tatooin Station Intersection
Time: Present Day | Monday | 04:30 PM
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Traffic was completely gridlocked. Hundreds of civilian cars were stuck bumper to bumper.
But.
Weee-woooo. Weee-woooo.
The loud wail of police sirens echoed down the wide, multi-lane avenue.
On the sidewalks, people stopped walking. A salaryman in a gray suit checked his watch and groaned loudly.
"Another high-speed chase?" the salaryman complained to his coworker. "I am definitely going to miss my train."
A group of high school girls stood near a crosswalk. They pulled their phones out, pointing them down the street.
"This happens every day," one of the girls sighed. "Why aren't the Top ranking heroes ever in this district?"
VROOOM.
A heavy, modified armored van blasted down the avenue. The driver ignored the lanes completely.
The van violently smashed through a police barricade, sending plastic barriers flying into the air.
Inside the van, Ryoma gripped the steering wheel. Thick, jagged steel scales covered his arms and neck.
In the passenger seat, Shiba hung out the window.
"Get out of the way!" Shiba yelled.
BOOM.
Shiba fired a massive concussive shockwave from his hands.
The blast hit the civilian cars in front of them, violently pushing two sedans into the sidewalk to clear a path.
"RUN!!"
"DAMN! THAT'S DANGEROUS!"
The civilians on the street screamed. The annoyance completely vanished, replaced by genuine panic.
People abandoned their cars and ran toward the storefronts.
"Keep the road clear!" Ryoma laughed loudly from the driver's seat. "Top pros were busy in other Wards today. There are no veterans around here!"
"Haha. Only those scrub pros below 200 are here." Shiba laughed.
Two local, low-ranked heroes jumped across the rooftops, trying to catch up to the speeding van.
Swoosh.
One of them fired a grappling hook at the back doors.
"Don't think about it." Shiba saw the hook. He laughed, aiming his hands upward.
BOOM.
He fired another massive shockwave right at the pursuing heroes.
The blast caught them in mid-air. The two local pros were blown violently backward.
They crashed hard into a brick wall and slumped to the rooftop. "Damn."
"The local pros just got wiped!" a high schooler on the sidewalk screamed, pointing his phone camera at the roof. "They are heading right for the station!"
A few blocks away, Kaito stood on a concrete pedestrian overpass.
He looked down at the wide Tatooin Station intersection. He checked the digital map on his tablet.
The area had solid concrete foundations. No fragile gas lines.
He tapped his wireless earpiece.
"The stage is set, Mt. Lady," Kaito spoke calmly over the radio. "They are ten seconds out. You know the drill."
Down in a narrow alleyway right next to the intersection, Yu tightened her fists. 'This is my moment.'
"Copy," Yu whispered back.
The armored van blasted into the massive open intersection.
VRMMMM.
Ryoma cheered, flooring the gas pedal toward the highway ramp.
Yu jumped out of the alleyway.
FWOOSH.
She activated her Quirk. She shot up twenty-two meters directly in the center of the avenue.
A massive shadow fell over the panicked crowd.
Inside the van, Ryoma's eyes went wide with pure shock.
"What the hell is that?!" Shiba screamed, pulling himself back into the passenger seat.
"Hold on!" Ryoma panicked. He slammed the gas pedal all the way down, trying to ram the giant woman's legs.
Yu didn't flinch.
She dropped her hips, sinking into a heavy, perfect stance.
She quickly checked the ground, ensuring her giant heels were planted strictly on the concrete crosswalk markings.
She leaned forward. She reached her massive hands down fast.
Right before her palms hit the street, she actively slowed her muscles down.
She brought her hands together in a smooth scoop right under the van's front bumper.
FWOOP.
She lifted her arms.
The entire armored van was ripped right off the asphalt.
SKRRRT.
Ryoma slammed on the brakes, but the tires just spun uselessly in the open air.
The engine was running loudly, but the van was completely trapped inside Yu's giant hands.
There was no commotion. The pavement underneath her was completely unharmed.
"...."
"...."
The massive Tatooin Station intersection went totally silent for three seconds.
Then, the crowd absolutely erupted.
"Did you see that?!" a man yelled from the sidewalk, waving his arms.
"She caught that armored truck like it was a plastic toy!" a woman cheered loudly. "She didn't even break the road!"
"Please squash me!"
"What are you talking about?"
Flash. Flash. Flash.
Hundreds of camera flashes lit up the street.
Every single person in the intersection was recording her.
The crowd was completely hyped.
Yu looked down at the sea of civilians. She stood tall, making sure the cameras got a perfect angle of her holding the trapped van.
She flashed a bright, confident smile and gave a playful wink.
"Don't worry, everyone!" Yu announced loudly, her giant voice echoing across the buildings. "Mt. Lady is here to keep the streets safe!"
Up on the pedestrian overpass, Kaito closed his tablet.
He smiled.
The debut was a complete success.
*-*-*
Location: Musutafu – Bakugo Household
Katsuki Bakugo sat cross-legged on his bedroom floor.
He held a pair of sharp scissors.
RIP.
He aggressively sliced open a brown shipping box.
He threw the cardboard flaps back and pulled out a sleek, black metal case with the Detnerat-Shield logo stamped on the front.
He popped the metal latches open.
Inside sat a pair of heavy, high-tech black compression gloves.
The company legally sold them as "Lifestyle Kinetic Aids."
They were marketed toward elderly citizens to help with severe arthritis and hand tremors.
Bakugo didn't buy them for arthritis. He saved his allowance for months because he knew exactly what Detnerat-Shield level tech could do.
He grabbed the gloves and slid them onto his hands.
They fit perfectly tight over his skin. The internal dampeners felt heavy and incredibly secure.
He stood up and walked over to his bedroom window.
His strongest attack was the AP Machine Gun.
He focused his explosions into a single point and fired them rapidly.
The problem was the massive physical recoil. His last fight with Deku shows the effect. Doing it barehanded may tore up the bones and muscles in his arms.
It severely limited his training.
Bakugo clenched his fists.
SQUEAK.
The heavy material stretched tightly over his knuckles.
These gloves were built to absorb kinetic shock.
With these on, he could fire his shots without completely destroying his own hands.
He could finally train harder. His last defeat to Deku was because of lack of fighting experience and gears.
*-*-*
Location: Kashiya Ward | Arisaka Consulting Office
Time: Saturday | 10:00 AM (Five Days Later)
SWISH.
The glass doors slid open.
Yu Takeyama walked into the office. She looked completely different today.
She walked with actual confidence. She looked tired, but she was smiling widely.
"Morning, Arisaka-san," Yu greeted him, sitting down in the guest chair.
Kaito sat behind his desk. He looked at the digital tablet in his hand and smiled slightly.
"You had a very busy week," Kaito said.
"I had to keep the momentum going," Yu laughed, leaning back in her chair. "I didn't want the Tatooin Station hype to die down."
Kaito scrolled through the patrol reports on his screen.
Over the last five days, Yu didn't just sit around and celebrate her viral debut. She stayed on the streets.
She stopped two purse snatchers, apprehended a mutant-type thief at a local convenience store, and did three live television interviews.
She was putting in the actual daily work.
"You handled the press perfectly," Kaito praised her. He placed the tablet face down on the desk. "Now it is time to establish your physical headquarters. We need to buy a building."
TAP.
Kaito pressed a button on his keyboard.
BZZZT.
A digital map of Tokyo projected over the wooden desk. The map was divided into different colored zones.
Yu leaned forward and studied the map.
"I was thinking about the central government sector," Yu suggested, pointing at a blue zone on the map. "I should probably be near them."
"Bad idea," Kaito told her directly. "Veteran pros completely dominate the central wards. If you set up shop there, you will have to fight their sidekicks for every single low-level robbery. You will get buried in their shadow."
Yu slowly pulled her hand back. "That makes sense. Then where should I go?"
Kaito dragged his finger across the keyboard. A specific district lit up in bright gold.
"Shibuya," Kaito answered. "It is a hyper-commercial district. It has incredibly wide intersections, massive pedestrian traffic, and hundreds of giant digital billboards."
Yu's eyes lit up as she imagined the location.
"Your brand relies on visibility and beauty," Kaito explained calmly. "In Shibuya, you won't just fight villains. You will be seen by millions of teenagers and tourists every single day."
"I love it," Yu agreed instantly. "Let's do Shibuya."
"I will contact my real estate brokers this afternoon and purchase a commercial building for you," Kaito confirmed. He turned the map off. "We also need to formalize your registry. What is the agency name?"
"The Mt. Lady Agency," Yu answered proudly.
"And your specialization?" Kaito asked. "You are too loud for stealth. You are too big for underground rescue."
"Urban Combat and Disaster Containment," Yu decided. "I can block off dangerous areas and fight the villains"
"Ok," Kaito nodded.
He reached under his desk and pulled out a thick stack of printed papers.
THUD.
He dropped the heavy stack onto the desk and slid it across to her.
Yu looked at the massive pile of paper. "What is this?"
"Applications," Kaito answered, a slight smirk appearing on his face. "Because of your viral debut, over a dozens of new pros have applied to be your sidekick. And just for the record, about ninety percent of these resumes are from young men who specifically praised your... aesthetic."
Yu blinked. Then, she puffed her chest out just a little bit, feeling a wave of pride.
"Well," Yu smiled playfully, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I can't blame them for having really good taste."
Kaito chuckled. He tapped his finger against the stack of papers.
"We are rejecting all of them," Kaito stated flatly.
Yu stopped smiling. She tilted her head, completely confused. "Wait, why? Don't I need a team for my agency?"
"You are a brand new pro, Yu," Kaito explained, leaning forward. "You literally debuted five days ago. You do not have the field experience to lead and manage a massive payroll of sidekicks yet. If you hire a bunch of fanboys, they will just get in your way."
Yu sat quietly, listening to his logic. She knew he was right.
Managing other people during a giant-sized fight sounded like a complete nightmare right now.
"So what do I do?" Yu asked. "Just patrol completely alone?"
"You can team up or still go solo," Kaito suggested. "You can do collaborations with other pros. You act as the vanguard, and they handle the precision captures and civilian evacuations. You split the credit, and you learn how veterans operate on the streets without having to pay their salaries. Until you can get comfortable without any help."
Yu thought about it. Her eyes lit up with an idea.
"Oh, like that wood guy and Fat Gum in Osaka?" Yu interjected excitedly. "Kamui Woods! I saw him on the news a few times. He works around this area, right? He uses those wooden branches to tie people up. You also contracted him right? How about Mirko, she will also be a good partner. Now that I think about it, you have contracted a lot of pros in Japan."
"Yes," Kaito nodded, glad she was catching on so fast. "You can contact them when you wanted to partner up."
"And what about my agency building?" Yu asked. "Will it just be empty?"
"For now, it will just be you and a small logistics crew," Kaito told her. "Later down the line, once you get comfortable, we can look into taking U.A. students for internships. But right now, we keep the overhead low and build your network. After all three months isn't enough."
Yu looked down at the massive stack of rejected resumes.
She felt a deep sense of relief. Kaito wasn't just throwing money at her and hoping for the best.
He was actively protecting her career from stupid rookie mistakes.
She pushed the stack of papers back across the desk.
"Collaborations and team-ups," Yu smiled confidently, completely on board with the plan.
...
[A/n]
Hey everyone, sorry for the late chapter releases lately. I've been working intense overtime on night shifts now to finish up my construction project this week.
The work schedule has been completely packed to get everything done.
Since the project officially wraps up this week, my normal upload schedule will be back next week.
Thanks for understanding and sticking around while I get this sorted out. Enjoy the chapter!
...
Support the journey here:
patreon.com/Dr_Chad
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